Does the domain registrant own or operate the website?¶
Not necessarily. The registrant is connected to the domain registration. Operating the website, publishing content and receiving proceeds are separate roles that must be proved through wider evidence.
Separate the roles¶
One person may register the domain, another may pay for hosting, a developer may administer the site, and employees or customers may publish content. A separate business may process payments or fulfil orders.
These roles can overlap, but they should not be collapsed into one identity without evidence.
Test the connection¶
Ask:
- Who paid for the domain and hosting?
- Who accessed the domain-management account?
- Who changed DNS records?
- Who uploaded or edited the content?
- Which account received payments or enquiries?
- Which devices, email addresses and telephone numbers recur across records?
Timing matters. The current registrant may not have controlled the domain when the relevant activity occurred.
Use precise language¶
It may be accurate to say a person or organisation was the recorded registrant at a particular time. It may not be accurate to say they operated the website, published the material or knew how the site was being used.
Key takeaway
Registration may connect a person or organisation to the domain. Website operation must be established through account, access, content, payment and infrastructure evidence.