The GoDaddy domain search tool has been shown to have some interesting results, particularly relating to GoDaddy-owned domains and trademark violations.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dk4Wtj7Y5Ew/maxresdefault.jpg)
In a recent Twitter thread, a search for the term "Crystal" revealed that GoDaddy suggested purchasing the domain Crystal.co.uk for $69.99, along with another domain called SwarovskiCrystal.co as an alternative. Interestingly, Swarovski is a well-known trademark. It seems that GoDaddy supports the managing company of .co domains and provides its services to .CO Internet SAS.
But that's not all. The search results also included a typo domain called Cyrstal.com, priced at $5,999.18. Additionally, there were two other gTLD domains listed, followed by another typo domain called Crytals.com, which could be purchased for $3,499.18. These typo-domains are owned by NameFind, a portfolio management company owned by GoDaddy. It's worth mentioning that these domains were acquired when GoDaddy bought Uniregistry three years ago from Frank Schilling.
Interestingly, similar searches on Namecheap did not include such typos. It's unclear whether this was intentional or if GoDaddy chose not to display its own portfolio of domains on third-party registrars like Namecheap.
GoDaddy representatives have promised to investigate this issue, describing it as a "glitch." It will be interesting to see how they address the concerns raised about promoting their own trademark domains through their search tool.
Promoting typo-domains can lead users to malicious sites, a tactic often employed by phishers. GoDaddy's response should extend beyond a simple investigation, they should implement measures to prevent such suggestions altogether, perhaps by using machine learning algorithms to flag and exclude such domains.