I feel like finally, after everything that’s happened, we get a bit of vindication in the media as Canada’s own Globe and Mail steps up to the plate and becomes the first (and thus far only) major, mainstream media outlet to get it right.
Thank you.
If I could clarify just one thing about the interview is the very last paragraph when I said:
“Our lawyers have basically told us that if they want to shut us down they’ll show up with an injunction and we’ll have to follow it and then try and have it overturned later,”
When I read it online tonight I realized that the particular wording may spook some easyDNS members, in that it could be taken to imply that if “they” (the government, the powers-that-be, Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton or Rush Limbaugh) want to shut “us” = “easyDNS” down….and that is not what I meant.
In my mind there is no danger of easyDNS being shut down. What I meant when I said it was this:
If “they” want US to shut THEM (Wikileaks) down, then they’ll show up with an injunction, yada yada yada.
Were that to happen, we would likely need to comply first, and then seek to overturn it or have it set aside.
We have been in touch with a law firm who specializes in litigation, are renowned as the best litigators in the country, happen to be clients of ours, and are up to speed on the situation and are standing by. Hopefully we won’t need them.
I’m a loyal customer for, what? A decade? I forget. I’m very satisfied with how you’ve handled all of this. It’s also useful to know that you’ve made special plans to handle the likely storms, technical and legal.
The only thing that’s spooked me is the casual inaccuracy of mainstream media outlets.
Congrats to your firm for stepping in the name of free speech when so many cower. Shows true character.
I have been a customer of EasyDNS for almost 10 years also. Although I am not sure where I come down on the propriety of what Wikileaks has done, yet, I appreciate the freedom that has allowed it to operate. I applaud EasyDNS for its support … and its caution in protecting we other customers.
I’m pleased too that easyDNS supporting free speech. WikiLeaks has broken no laws, so there’s no reason to feel intimidated by bullying governments and organizations which only want to conceal their own shameful and illegal behaviours.
What started as an infuriating error in the media will likely bring even more loyal customers to you since you are handling the situation so well. Politics and technical issues aside, this is just a compelling story about the snowball effects of social media, that just begs to be shared… I know I had to send it to a few people 🙂
I’m sorry but as a customer I think this is totally irresponsible because you are putting us in danger. Litigation is not the problem. DOS attacks and the like are what can hurt us. No system is DOS attack proof.Having chosen to paint your back with a big target for the wrath of public opinion is not a good business decision. Saying sorry just doesn’t help us if DNS service goes down.
You could have at least tried to be discrete and disassociate easyDNS by providing WikiLeaks with another server. You are really putting easyDNS and all your customers in right in front of danger. If you get hit by a DOS attack, saying sorry just won’t help.
Mark,
Thank you for your quick action to preserve your clients from the pernicious effects of poor reading comprehension. Even though my need to interact with easyDNS is limited (probably because your services are relatively seamless and if I’m experiencing Net grief, it’s not at your end), I do appreciate not only your explanation to your customers about the potential for issues, but also your decision to support in a small way the WikiLeaks organization.
If the various offended governments wish to charge them, they should get on it. DDoS attacks, possibly originating from governments themselves, sabotage of financing, and jokes about assassination highlight the very abuses and anti-democratic mindset exposed by some of the materials distributed.
I hope that this too shall pass, but I do appreciate your going public. When we first met some 15 years ago, I couldn’t anticipate seeing your name on the front page of my morning newspaper (yes, I still am “analog” in that sense), but I suppose that in every life, a little fame must fall.
Dear Mark
Congratulations for stepping up to the plate. It is nice to see someone doing the right thing. Prior to my retirement, I ran a company for many many years and I know the many considerations and “downside risks” that would have made it eminently easier, justifiably so, for practical and protective reasons, to just walk away and not get involved.
What you did takes integrity and courage and you are to be commended. I would hope that I would have done the same had I had the opportunity. As the saying goes “first they came for my neighbour and I did nothing, then they came for my friend and I stood by idly and then they came for me … and there was no-one left to help”
I am not currently a customer but you can be sure that I will become one first occasion I need your type of service.
Sincerely yours,
Daniel Benn
Ironically, we had just put out “First They Came For The File-Sharing Domains” and mentioned wikileaks therein, not a week before this all started
I hope you know that as a Canadian it makes me proud to hear of a Canadian company supporting free speech. Keep up the great work!