A man in Argentina buys the country’s Google domain name while the site is out of action last Wednesday. Web designer Nicolas Kurona was able to make the purchase for only £2.
Nicolas, aged 30, never thought it would actually allow him to buy it, but he managed to purchase Google.com.ar through a normal, legal process.
Google Argentina comment that for a short time, “the domain was acquired by someone else,” but they regained control of the domain very quickly.
Nicolas’ Story
On Wednesday night, Nicolas was sat at his desk on the outskirts of Buenos Aires working on a website for a client.
He received messages on WhatsApp that Google was down, and was unable to access the site. He thought something strange was happening as when he entered www.google.com.ar into his browser, it didn’t work.
Nicolas looked at the Network Information Center Argentina (NIC), as they are the organisation responsible for operating the .ar country code domains. When he searched for Google, Argentina’s Google domain showed as available for purchase.
He decided to follow the purchasing process, despite thinking it wouldn’t work. However, he received an email with the invoice, showing the domain name was acquired for 270 pesos (£2.08/$2.90).
He couldn’t believe what had just happened, so tried entering www.google.com.ar into his search bar. This time he was presented with his own personal data.
At first he was frozen in shock, but the situation made him feel anxious about what would happen next. He tweeted about the night’s events to clarify exactly what occurred, and wanted to make it clear that he never had any bad intentions. He says, “I just tried to buy it and the NIC allowed me to”.
How was it Able to Happen?
One theory is that Google simply forgot to renew its domain name. However, Google deny this, and say its licence for the domain isn’t due to expire until July 2021. The group dedicated to tracking expired and registered Argentine domains backs this up. So it is still unclear why this domain name was released for sale.
Nicolas has no idea what happened, and says he is just relieved he didn’t get in to any trouble. Far from it, he has garnered much media attention, being hailed as a hero by some, and his tweet has racked up 80,000 likes.
Google is now investigating into what went down on Wednesday. But for whatever reason, it seems that for a moment, the tech giant lost control of Google Argentina to a 30 year old web designer.
Thank you for reading Man Buys Google Domain Name for £2
Looking for a storage solution for your garden furniture, tools and belongings? Look no further – Garden Sheds at affordable prices.