Revised domain name rules grant further powers to registries and anti-cybercrime services

A revised version of the federal Ordinance on Internet Domains entered into force on January 1 2018. It gives the responsible registries the possibility of temporarily blocking the top-level domain names '.ch' and '.swiss'. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), the registries can temporarily block these domain names where they are being used to:

• access sensitive data using illegal methods (phishing);
• distribute or operate harmful software (malware); or
• support any of these activities.

In addition, anti-cybercrime services can request that registries block the domain names. However, these services require prior recognition from OFCOM. To date, only two such services have been approved:

• MELANI – the Federal Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance; and
• the Cybercrime Division of the Zurich Cantonal Police.

For further information on this topic please contact Jürg Schneider or Hugh Reeves at Walder Wyss Ltd by telephone (+41 58 658 58 58) or email (juerg.schneider@walderwyss.com or hugh.reeves@walderwyss.com). The Walder Wyss website can be accessed at www.walderwyss.com.