Establishing baseline criteria for the mitigation of the illegitimate sale of health-related products using the DNS

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is no unified framework or accepted set of recommendations concerning the sale of health-related products online, which negatively impacts the most vulnerable populations. We propose the DNS as an avenue for advancing solutions via the broader DNS community, outside ICANN’s remit. The existing mechanisms available to curb malicious action are inconsistent due to a combination of jurisdictional conflicts and a lack of guidelines, and the establishment of baseline criteria would lay the groundwork for regulation and the creation of relevant Trusted Notifiers. The current status quo hinders legitimate online pharmacies while facilitating illegitimate operations. Our scope is limited to legal medicines, focusing on medicines requiring a medical prescription. Making use of the DNS in this manner may be a blunt tool, but it is effective if used in a measured manner to stop threats to human safety. We conclude by proposing that there are recommendations that can be transposed to the online world to help assess actor legitimacy, with the following initial criteria: requirement of a valid prescription; requirement of a licensed pharmacist on staff; clear indication of the country in which the pharmacy is based; and limited dispensing of controlled substances.