Tokelau’s domain name registration site was recently transferred into the site Dot.TK, a joint venture of the Tokelau government, its communications company Teletok, and Taloha Inc., a privately held company in Amsterdam.
Now, Tokelau citizens are concerned about Tahola’s affiliation with adult websites and international phone scams. Various Pacific territory telecommunication companies are already hosting adult content, such as those in Niue, the second largest provider of adult entertainment Internet sites in New Zealand and Tonga, the country’s tenth largest adult website provider.
Users claim that a number of sites registered with Dot TK carry dialers or software programs that are unwittingly stored on home computers. When a user hangs up the Internet connection, the modem dials premium-rate phone numbers in places such as Tokelau, without the user’s knowledge. Consequently, several countries have banned ISD calls to Tokelau, though the problem persists.
However, Tokelau officials say the venture will be profitable for the territory. Neil Walter, an administrator with the territory’s parliament, said Tokelau has already received revenue from the venture.
"I have never been clear what the risks are to Tokelau's reputation of [its telecommunication’s company] being misused," Walter said. "Tokelau doesn't need or want anything less than a central government control over telecommunications, which is so critical to the way it operates."
Earlier this week Dot TK officials said the site would limit the exposure of adult entertainment content on the websites by verifying domain names, until a decision regarding control has been reached.
Tokelau will hold a United Nations-supervised referendum next month on self-government, at which time a decision may be reached regarding domain name control.
