May 4, 2020 - SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra last Friday released a statement responding to a vote by the Los Angeles-based non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) rejecting the transfer of the .org registry to private equity firm Ethos Capital. ICANN's decision came just two weeks after Attorney General Becerra sent ICANN a five-page letter, expressing concerns about the transfer.

“In America, we grant non-profit organizations favorable legal and tax treatment compared to individual Americans or for-profit enterprises because, by law, they must serve the public’s interest and must be open to public examination," said Attorney General Xavier Becerra. "More and more, that premise has come under assault as those with personal profit motives see an easy opening to exploit the special tax and legal treatment reserved for nonprofits. Yesterday, ICANN, the governing body for web domains, decided not to approve the transfer of the non-profit operator of the “.org” domain (which is used principally by the non-profit world) to a for-profit, private equity firm. ICANN’s decision restores some confidence that the non-profit community may continue to be driven by a desire to serve the public, not to make a quick buck at charitable donors’ and taxpayers’ expense.”
Source: CA. DOJ