Government Domain Seizure

Government domain seizure refers to the lawful confiscation of a domain name by a government authority — typically through a court order or administrative action — when the domain is used for illegal activity such as copyright infringement, drug trafficking, fraud, or [[cybersquatting]]. In the United States, the Department of Justice and agencies such as the FBI and ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) use civil forfeiture statutes to seize domains, redirecting them to a government seizure notice page. The legal mechanics involve compelling [[registrar]] operators and registries to change the [[name-server]] records or transfer registrant control to the government. Cross-border seizures are complex, as [[international-domain-law]] may limit a government's reach to domains registered in foreign jurisdictions or under foreign ccTLDs.