Malaysia's Communications Commission delegate, Sharil Tarmizi, has a different view.

"It's not a matter of whether government should be consulted, but whether government approval for the change should be sought," he says. The Internet is a "national resource".

But, suppose the domain was handed over without government approval, and the government subsequently says the new owner should not have it. What then? New Zealand Domain Name Commissioner, Debbie Monahan, believes effectiveness in the job should be the criterion here.

"The government has no right to take it away from me if I'm doing my job," she says. But, Tarmizi countered that even if this was so, "there has to be some sense of accountability [to government]."

The situation of .go domain holders who do not live in Gondwanaland further complicates matters. They are not beholden to the government, but they still have an interest in the domain, says Monahan.