I would like to make the following points about the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC).
The government's Information Technology Services Department says the HKIRC is 'private and non-profit making'.
Can it explain then why the HKIRC charges double the registration fees of other domain registration companies, such as Joker ($100 a year) and GoDaddy ($62 a year)?
Where is the extra money that HKIRC makes going to? If it is being used 'to promote Hong Kong as an international centre for e-commerce', as the department claims, to whom is it accountable and how has it spent its profits so far?
The department says the second-level domain registration is 'in response to market demand'. Can the HKIRC prove there is a market demand?
It seems the HKIRC has recognised it can force companies which already have a .com.hk suffix to register and pay for another domain name to protect themselves from other firms wishing to cash in on their domain names.