OpenNIC, an organization that runs an alternative DNS network, has voted to drop support for .bit domains after rampant abuse from malware operators.

Besides problems with malware botnets, the organization also cited fears that OpenNIC members might get in trouble with law enforcement if .bit domains would become the home of child abuse portals.

The decision was approved on June 25, after a 13-2 vote from OpenNIC members. A first voting proposal to drop support for .bit domains in December 2018, but it did not reach a voting stage.

WHAT ARE .BIT DOMAINS AND WHAT IS OPENNIC?

.bit is a decentralized top-level domain (dTLD) that runs on the blockchain infrastructure of the Namecoin cryptocurrency, an older fork of Bitcoin.



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