Here is an idea. One can timestamp a certificate in the Bitcoin blockchain and renew it using the same private key to prove the same ownership.
More than that. You can build a name protocol by timestamping names the same way, so you'll get uncensorable DNS and blockchain-as-certificate-authority in one protocol. Without worrying that some verisign gives keys to NSA or your domain name is taken away.
Namecoin tries to do that, but being an extra chain to mine slows it down. I'd support name system on top of Bitcoin to avoid extra mining.
The protocol may require "pinging the blockchain" by creating another transaction every N days. E.g. every month or year. If the name's config was not updated in a long time, you or someone else can claim it again.
More than that. You can build a name protocol by timestamping names the same way, so you'll get uncensorable DNS and blockchain-as-certificate-authority in one protocol. Without worrying that some verisign gives keys to NSA or your domain name is taken away.
Namecoin tries to do that, but being an extra chain to mine slows it down. I'd support name system on top of Bitcoin to avoid extra mining.