Nominet, the .uk domain registry, is well aware of the possible implications of Brexit. Earlier today they sent out a reminder email to registrars to underline the options:
- In the case of a “no deal” Brexit
- In the case of Brexit with a deal, but without specific provisions covering the transfer of personal data
Essentially if the worst comes to happen then they will activate a special section of their registrar contract that is currently inactive.
In recent days the mainstream media has been focussing on “Yellowhammer” which is the UK government’s “planning” document of “worst case scenarios”. The fact that the document is only 6 pages long speak volumes..
In any case if the UK exits the EU then it will be considered a “3rd country” and will have difficulty getting any level of recognition of “adequacy” with the EU in the short term. This will impact data flows via the UK. And with the .uk registry being as big as they are then they are obviously impacted.
Kieren has written about this at some length over on the Register this week, while Maria covered it for the Irish Independent about a year ago.
For registrants of .uk domain names there’s no need to worry. They’re well aware of what’s going on and have made the necessary preparations.
