https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/59nvjd/private-equity-is-going-to-ruin-the-org-domain-system-and-screw-nonprofits

A new deal to sell the organization responsible for doling out .org domains to a for-profit private equity firm is scaring internet experts and activists, who say the deal will undermine the intent of the .org system, hurt the internet, and raise prices on nonprofits. Last week, the Public Interest Registry (PIR), the agency that manages the .org domain, announced it would be selling itself to private equity firm Ethos Capital. In a statement, the Internet Society—which acquired the .org registry and created PIR back in 2002—tried to pass off the deal as a wonderful thing for the future of .org.

“This is an important and exciting development for both the Internet Society and Public Interest Registry,” Internet Society CEO Andrew Sullivan said. “This transaction will provide the Internet Society with an endowment of sustainable funding and the resources to advance our mission on a broader scale as we continue our work to make the Internet more open, accessible and secure—for everyone.” But critics say the promised benefits of the deal are little more than fluff and nonsense.