"Chagos Islanders Seek Control Of Popular .IO Domain", 30 July 2021.

A consumer group and a human rights group joined forces… to file a complaint with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) detailing consumer and human rights harms committed by Afilias Ltd… The filing marks the first time OECD jurisdiction has been invoked in a digital dispute involving cryptocurrency.

British Indian Ocean Territory is best known for the secretive US naval base... and the top level domain .IO which is popular with crypto asset platforms, cryptocurrency casinos and technology companies…

The Chagos Islanders are banned from the island chain by apartheid like laws and do not participate in the… economy…

In 1997 a secret agreement with ICANN resulted in the creation of the top level domain country code .IO… [in 2016] its popularity exploded in connection with the rise of cryptocurrency. In 2017, the company administering .IO was sold for $70 million to Irish internet giant Afilias Ltd. which was which was recently acquired by Donuts Inc.…

The Chagos Islanders are now seeking restitution and return of .IO... The Chagos Islanders want due royalties and payments for use of .IO...

According to Dr. Jonathan Levy, the international lawyer representing the Chagos islanders, while .IO is utilized by legitimate companies, it is also remarkable for crypto asset based criminal operations… “Afilias as an Irish company acquired .IO knowing full well its sordid past, connection to human rights abuses, and ongoing criminality. They should make restitution and divest before their liability increases.”...