Acceptable use policy

1. Scope

1.1 This policy applies to every domain registered, renewed or transferred through PanamaRegistrar, with or without Domain protection. It forms part of the terms of service.

1.2 It describes when we act on a domain. It does not say that a given use is lawful where you or your visitors live. The law of each country, and the law of each registry's country, still applies.

2. Group A: suspended on a well-documented report

2.1 A domain must not be used for:

• phishing, including pharming: pages or DNS records built to capture credentials, card data or wallet keys;
• malware: distributing malicious software, or hosting its payloads;
• botnets: command-and-control of compromised machines;
• child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in any form;
• fraud that takes money from victims: fake shops, investment and crypto scams, wallet drainers, impersonation of a bank or a brand, and the sale of stolen data;
• spam used to deliver any of the above.

2.2 We suspend the domain within 24 hours of a well-documented report. Child sexual abuse material is handled immediately, and the URLs are reported to NCMEC.

2.3 These rules follow section 3.18 of ICANN's Registrar Accreditation Agreement, which binds our accredited registrar partner. Since the amendments in force on 5 April 2024, it requires prompt mitigation of DNS abuse. Fraud against victims is added by our own choice.

3. What a well-documented report means

3.1 A report is well documented when the abuse can be verified from it. It gives the URL and what the site imitates or delivers. It adds evidence such as screenshots, file hashes or message headers.

3.2 We do not require proof that a victim has already lost money or credentials. A site built to take them is enough.

3.3 On a domain with Domain protection, every report is read by a person before any action on the domain. How to report: Report abuse.

4. Group B: acted on only on a court decision, UDRP or URS

4.1 The following are handled as complaints, not as abuse reports. We act on them only on a decision that binds us: a decision of a Panamanian court, or a foreign judgment recognised in Panama by exequatur:

• copyright infringement, including notices under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act;
• defamation and other disputes about what a site says;
• other content said to be unlawful, including political or government content;
• sanctions matters;
• sales of drugs or weapons.

4.2 Trademark disputes over the domain name follow the UDRP, or the URS for newer generic extensions. We lock the domain within 2 business days of the provider's request and apply the panel's decision. See UDRP and URS.

4.3 Group B is not a permission. Such content can be unlawful, and a court can order us, the host or the registry to act. It means only that a complaint alone does not lead us to act. The procedure is on how we handle complaints.

5. Account rules

5.1 True details. Each domain needs one email address that you control and confirm. ICANN rules require it to be verified within 15 days of a registration, a transfer or a change. A false detail given on purpose breaches these rules.

5.2 No bulk registration of deceptive names. You must not register series of names built to imitate a bank, a payment service, a wallet or a brand. An example is a brand name followed by "login" or "verify". Interisle's Phishing Landscape 2025 study found that 37 % of phishing domains came through bulk registrations.

5.3 Associated domains. When a domain is suspended under group A, we review the other domains of the same account.

5.4 Credentials. You keep your account credentials safe. We never ask for your password, your account number or your transfer codes by email or chat.

6. What happens on a breach

6.1 Under group A, the domain is suspended. You are told before any action on your domain, unless the law or the court order forbids it, with what was reported.

6.2 A holder whose site was compromised can show that the abuse has been removed and ask for a review, which we answer in writing.

6.3 We can close an account used to register domains for group A purposes. The balance of a closed account is not refunded where it was funded by fraud.

6.4 Under group B, we do what the court or panel decision orders, and nothing more. Our rule: we confirm every order with the court or prosecutor's office that issued it, through its official contact details, before acting.

6.5 Every action is counted in the quarterly transparency report. Prices and renewals are not affected by this policy; see the pricing page.

7. Changes

A new version of this policy is published on this page with its date. It applies to renewals and orders made after that date, as set out in the terms of service.