More than 10 million organization websites are threatened by a greedy private equity firm.

A private equity firm, Ethos Capital, is plotting an attack to take control of the more than 10 million websites that use the .ORG domain.

The Public Interest Registry, the organization that manages the .ORG top-level domain, has been a reserved place on the Internet for nonprofits, and represents organizations that are acting for the public good, and not commercial profits.

If Ethos takes charge of the .ORGs, any number of terrible things could happen:

• They would have access to the registration information for all organizations with a .ORG website. Ethos could sell this information to authoritarian states that want to silence dissent, or to groups that want to stop certain human rights efforts, putting these organizations and the people behind them in danger.

• They could raise the price of registering a domain, which might make it hard for some nonprofits to establish their online presence, or for other organizations to maintain their current website. Through this they could silence voices and perspectives.

• They could censor groups by booting them off their domain—or even shut down all .ORG websites entirely.

• They could start selling off .ORG web domains to anyone who wants them, without regard for the intended meaning of the domain.

Private equity firms only exist to make money, so we can be certain that Ethos will do whatever it can to maximize profits, at the expense of nonprofits that are trying to do good in the world.

In a world where a majority of the Internet is controlled by a few big companies, the .ORG domain should be protected from money-hungry interests. We must protect this space on the Internet where decisions are made in the interest of the greater good.

The Internet Society currently has control over the Public Interest Registry. This nonprofit was founded to protect the public interest as the Internet evolves. There is still a chance that if there is enough backlash, the Internet Society will reverse its decision and protect .ORGs from the grasps of Ethos Capital.

Send a message to the CEO of the Internet Society: save .ORG from this private equity buy out!

Message to Internet Society:

To Andrew Sullivan, CEO, Internet Society,

The Internet desperately needs a space where big corporations aren’t controlling content. We rely on websites with the .ORG domain to represent organizations that are acting for the public good, and not commercial profits.

But if you sell the Public Interest Registry to Ethos Capital (or any private equity firm), the sanctity of these sites will be compromised. Ethos Capital will focus on maximizing profits, at the expense of nonprofits that are trying to do good in the world.

Please stop the sale of the Public Interest Registry, and protect the .ORG space on the Internet.

Sincerely,