Asada Mao’s former domain sold ‘for affiliate sites’; GMO faces criticism, says ‘the wording has been revised’ and ‘domains are shared assets’ (Page 1/3)

GMO Internet drew criticism after promoting the former official domain of Mao Asada for auction with phrasing such as “for affiliate sites.”

The company said domains are shared assets and that it cannot refuse buyers who want to acquire them.

GMO also said it revised expressions that could evoke a specific domain.

The case raised concerns about the ethics and transparency of selling expired celebrity domains, given risks of spam, SEO manipulation, and phishing.