Freenom, the well-known domain name registrar known for providing free domains, has ceased accepting new domain registrations.



This move comes shortly after being sued by Meta, a social media giant, for allegedly ignoring abuse complaints regarding phishing websites and profiting from the traffic generated by those domains.

The lawsuit also demands information about the identities of 20 customers who Meta claims have been actively involved in phishing attacks against Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp users.

According to a 2021 study, Freenom's ccTLDs accounted for five out of the top ten most abused TLDs by phishers. Meta has accused Freenom of trademark infringement, cybersquatting violations, and neglecting to adequately investigate and address reports of abuse.

The reasons behind Freenom's decision to halt domain registration are unclear, although it could be related to their services being suspended by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2015. Thus far, ICANN has not responded to requests for comment.

(Additional information: The suspension by ICANN in 2015 was due to concerns over Freenom's compliance with certain policies and regulations regarding domain registrations.)