[Remove] Remove Domain Request: schtserv.com

[slammingprogramming]

Domain to remove

schtserv.com

Current blocklist

unknown (please check for me)

Why is this a false positive?

schtserv.com is the official home of the Schtserv/Schthack private server network, a long‑running community project that provides connectivity to Phantasy Star Online games after the original official servers were shut down. This domain hosts no malware, phishing activity, or deceptive content that I can locate, but is instead used solely for community gaming and informational purposes.

Evidence of legitimacy includes:

• The site clearly advertises and supports Phantasy Star Online gameplay for multiple editions, including guides and connectivity information for players.
• The site features active forums with thousands of users and regular posts about playing the game, joining communities, troubleshooting gameplay, and sharing guides.
• Independent gaming community discussions acknowledge that Schtserv.com is used by players to connect to private PSO servers and is not associated with malware or fraudulent activity.

This domain exists for legitimate community gaming purposes and does not pose a threat of abuse or malware. Blocking it at the DNS level disrupts access to a site with a clear and documented purpose unrelated to malicious activity.

Official website or documentation

https://schtserv.com/forums/

Impact description

Blocking schtserv.com affects users who rely on this site to:

• Access technical documentation and download information needed to connect to private servers for Phantasy Star Online.
• Participate in community forums and multiplayer sessions for players of classic console and PC versions of the game.
• Connect games to servers that are no longer supported by the original publisher (Sega), filling a community service gap left after official server closure. Many hobbyist players depend on this service to continue playing.

Urgency

Low - Minor inconvenience

Verification

• I have verified this domain is currently being blocked by this project
• I am not affiliated with the domain in a way that creates a conflict of interest
• I understand removal requests are reviewed and may take time

[github-actions]

🔍 Domain Check Result

The domain schtserv.com was found in the following list(s):

• abuse, everything, malware

A maintainer will review this removal request.

[slammingprogramming]

Additionally, upon search of GitHub issues, there is no direct mention or request to have added this domain that I can locate, as such it appears to have been swept into the lists without specific reason or evidentiary basis.

While the urgency is low, as I was able to identify these blocks and add manual allowance of these domains in order to facilitate my connectivity to them in my Pi-Hole, it would be beneficial to users to have the site removed from the blocklists so others can reliably access gameplay and community resources without false positive interference and having to make such manual tweaks.

Schtserv/Schthack is recognized in the gaming community as a retro/legacy gaming server project that enables continued multiplayer play after official support was discontinued. Players on forums such as Cheap Ass Gamer and Reddit reference the domain as a known connector to PSO private servers and discuss setup and gameplay advice without any indication of malware or abusive content.

There are no publicly reported malware alerts or abuse complaints associated with this domain in reputable threat intelligence sources (no evidence of phishing, malicious downloads, command‑and‑control hosting, or deceptive redirects). This strongly suggests that the domain’s presence in abuse and malware lists is a false positive mislabeled due to broad heuristics or outdated data.

Thank you for your time and effort in maintaining this project.