The world’s 3rd most popular domain registrar has been sold to Squarespace – but Google didn’t notify customers just yet. When could this happen, and why is Google silent?
I’m still in disbelief having heard this for the first time today.
The article covers this a little bit, but I thought I’d share my email response from Google when I asked them “how can I prevent Squarespace from receiving any of my data?” They responded with:
Based on the summary you have shared, I understand that you need help with your general inquiry about the Google Domains transition to Squarespace. To answer this, if you will be transferring your domains out of Google, all of the data will also be removed. This means that once the transition between Squarespace and Google happens, your data will also be removed.
I responded to this and basically said, that wording is ambiguous. Will my data be removed before or after the transition? They replied:
I’m sorry for the confusion. To be clear, Squarespace will not receive any of your Google Domains data. Only the active domain names, excluding the domain names that have been deleted or transferred out, will be affected by the data shift to Squarespace.
So if I trust their word, it means, if I’ve already transferred out my domains (which I have), Squarespace shouldn’t receive any of my customer information, or even have a record of who I am. Hopefully that’s true.
It clearly reads as autogenerated reply. It seems ambiguous to me still whether it’s thinking you’re trying to move your domains to squarespace and wondering if google sill keep data or if it’s about them moving domains to squarespace.
Though I’m general I’d assume if you move all your domains out of Google Domains before the transition, there shouldn’t be anything for them to transfer to squarespace.
I didn’t put my actual inquiry in the comment since it would have made it too long. But I wasn’t asking them about moving to Squarespace, I was very clear that I am burning a bridge with both of them and have no interest in being a customer of either of them. I told them I’ve already moved my domains out of Google Domains, and I wanted to clarify if any historical data about me and my domains (domain ownership history, purchase history, receipts, etc) would go to Squarespace. And they replied with what I put in my comment.
If I consider their reply to me, and the stuff I’m reading in the link OP posted, this isn’t really a “transition,” Squarespace is just buying the rights to all 10M+ domains Google Domains owns. But if Google Domains doesn’t own a domain anymore, it won’t be part of that transaction.
That’s what I gathered, anyway. Hopefully they can be less ambiguous before the transaction actually happens. It will probably take the better part of a year, so there is plenty of time.
The article covers this a little bit, but I thought I’d share my email response from Google when I asked them “how can I prevent Squarespace from receiving any of my data?” They responded with:
I responded to this and basically said, that wording is ambiguous. Will my data be removed before or after the transition? They replied:
So if I trust their word, it means, if I’ve already transferred out my domains (which I have), Squarespace shouldn’t receive any of my customer information, or even have a record of who I am. Hopefully that’s true.
It clearly reads as autogenerated reply. It seems ambiguous to me still whether it’s thinking you’re trying to move your domains to squarespace and wondering if google sill keep data or if it’s about them moving domains to squarespace.
Though I’m general I’d assume if you move all your domains out of Google Domains before the transition, there shouldn’t be anything for them to transfer to squarespace.
I didn’t put my actual inquiry in the comment since it would have made it too long. But I wasn’t asking them about moving to Squarespace, I was very clear that I am burning a bridge with both of them and have no interest in being a customer of either of them. I told them I’ve already moved my domains out of Google Domains, and I wanted to clarify if any historical data about me and my domains (domain ownership history, purchase history, receipts, etc) would go to Squarespace. And they replied with what I put in my comment.
If I consider their reply to me, and the stuff I’m reading in the link OP posted, this isn’t really a “transition,” Squarespace is just buying the rights to all 10M+ domains Google Domains owns. But if Google Domains doesn’t own a domain anymore, it won’t be part of that transaction.
That’s what I gathered, anyway. Hopefully they can be less ambiguous before the transaction actually happens. It will probably take the better part of a year, so there is plenty of time.
This is interesting, thanks for sharing
I’m fully transferred, if Squarespace gets my information as a past customer I will be frustrated.