In a recent blog article for the website CircleID, which deals with issues related to internet infrastructure, Libby Baney, Executive Director of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP), highlighted the important role internet registries and registrars have in addressing the illegal activities of fraudulent online pharmacies. The article gave tribute to significant efforts on the part of these entities to hold website address registrants responsible if those addresses are being used to support illicit online activities, including the production and distribution of fake medicines.
In particular, Baney noted a recent Sanofi survey, highlighted by CSIP, which reported that 81% of Americans are concerned by illegal online drug sellers and the threat of counterfeit or dangerous medicines. She also noted efforts among CSIP’s registrar members to address the use of website addresses in their registries for illegal purposes:
“The public health threat posed by illegitimate online drug sellers is what brought together three major domain competitors — GoDaddy, Rightside and Neustar — in 2010. Joined by ten other major companies, representing different “chokepoints” in the Internet purchasing chain, the group formed the nonprofit Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP). In 2014 alone, CSIP members report taking action on 9.6 million illegitimate pharmacy websites.”