Under the new protocol, “.be” domain names that were fraudulently registered, are used for fraudulent websites, or host phishing sites (sites that imitate others so as to obtain, for example, credit card data by fraud) can be blocked within a day.
The new procedure will be applied only in the event of serious crimes. In such cases, the owner of the domain name will have a two-week timeline within which to submit an appeal. After six months, the blocked domain name will expire. In all cases where the owner of the Internet site can be clearly identified, the OPP will also be brought in.
The OPP’s involvement continues to be required to obtain the closure of fraudulent Internet sites with extensions other than “.be”, for example “.com”. The OPP can ask Belgian service providers to block such sites.
Jason Bennett
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