Chinese Web users lose 10,000 domain names in quakes

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese Web users lost around 10,000 Internet domain names due to disruption caused by last month's earthquakes off Taiwan, state media said on Friday.

The domain names -- or Web site addresses -- vanished after Chinese users were unable to update them or failed to re-register them on their expiry, the official Xinhua news service said, citing China International Network Information Center.

Domain name servers were not responsible for lost domain names if holders did not re-register in time, Xinhua quoted a center insider as saying, since the loss was an "act of God."

But domain name servers may compensate individuals and companies under a scheme yet to be finalized, Xinhua added.

Two powerful earthquakes off Taiwan on December 26 severed undersea cables, knocking millions of Internet users offline and sparking chaos for businesses across Asia.