Claims of ‘suspicious’ practices at internet firm
Sudden rise in the number of new members to a corporation that registers domain names raises questions over its board election, media report says
A pro-establishment businessman has been accused of questionable behaviour after a sudden surge in the number of new members joining an organisation that oversees the registration of internet domain names, according to an investigation by a local news agency.
FactWire claims that, ahead of a board election in May, at least 73 of 1,044 new members joined the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC) at the last minute and registered domains from IP addresses connected to three businesses controlled by Duncan Chiu Tat-kun, the president of the Information Technology Joint Council.
These new members will have voting rights in the election of board members of the corporation. Chiu was previously tipped by industry insiders as a possible candidate.
Chiu, however, has since told Ming Pao through his assistant that he “had no intention” to participate in the board election. “The report mentioned the HKIRC membership [increase] and the links to my companies. I hope complete information will be provided for a follow-up.”
Chiu has yet to respond to the Post’s inquiry made to his Information Technology Joint Council as to whether he was involved in the registration of the 73 members and whether he was running for the board. He did not reply to FactWire’s questions.