"To ensure customer confidence and to avoid any possible future questions of impropriety, all GD employees are now and in the future prohibited from participating in TDNAM auctions, purchasing, sales and back orders," said Christine Jones, Go Daddy general counsel and corporate secretary, in a prepared statement.
Although Go Daddy insists Dicker, vice president of the company's Domain Name Aftermarket, did nothing "improper," his actions led to questions on message boards about Go Daddy's policies and practices. Go Daddy told one questioner that Dicker had "no access to 'inside information' — no more access than you would have had in the auction."
Before joining Go Daddy, Dicker founded High Impact Sites Inc., a company that reportedly owns 60,000 domains and 3,600 web sites. He also owns DNForum.com, a forum for domain name players. Decker told the Domain Name Journal that he was in the process of "completing a deal to purchase an existing ICANN accredited registrar," which, Dicker said, he would use to provide forum members with discounted rates for new domains.
Dicker did not hide his identity and did not violate Go Daddy policy. The company decided to "'go above and beyond' to show our commitment to the customer, even though forbidding employees to participate in a transparent auction is a little like telling a 'brick and mortar' retail worker he or she can't shop at their own store."
Go Daddy also says that High Impact Sites Inc. is "essentially dormant now."
