Domain name seizure policies must ‘strike a balance’

Domain name seizure policies in the U.S. have to strike a balance between sidelining criminal activity on the Internet and impacting individuals’ right to freedom of speech, one attorney suggests.

According to Peter Crusco, an executive assistant district attorney for the Office of the Queens County District Attorney’s investigations division, the balancing of these factors is the key to resolving the digital deadlock that appears to have arisen following the proactive approach of the U.S. government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Writing for Law.com, Mr. Crusco said legislators must also take into account other freedoms, such as the right to privacy, property and public safety.

“The appropriate response to rogue websites presents another challenging issue in this ever expanding arena,” Crusco wrote. “New cyberschemes require the creation and execution of appropriate enforcement methodologies.”

ICE has already been seizing domain names it suspects of being involved in criminal activity — a move that many Web freedom critics have condemned.