.io

{{course assignment|course = Education Program:University College London/MSIN1003 Information World (Autumn 2014)|term = 2014 Q3}}

{{Infobox Top level domain

|name=.io

|image=Nicio.png

|alt=NIC.IO -- .IO Domain Registry

|introduced=16 September 1997

|type=Country code top-level domain

|status=Active

|registry=Internet Computer Bureau Ltd

|intendeduse=Entities connected with the British Indian Ocean Territory

|actualuse=Popular with startup companies, browser games

|restrictions=None for 2nd level registrations; 3rd level registrant must be resident of British Indian Ocean Territory

|structure=Registrations are taken directly at the second level or at third level beneath various 2nd-level labels

|document=[https://www.nic.io/terms.html Terms & Conditions]; [https://www.nic.io/rules.html Rules]

|disputepolicy=[https://www.nic.io/dres.html Dispute Resolution Policy]

|website={{URL|https://nic.io}}

|dnssec=yes}}

The Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .io is nominally assigned to the British Indian Ocean Territory.{{Citation |title=IDN Code Points Policy for the .IO Top Level Domain |url=http://www.nic.io/IO-IDN-Policy.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051218074147/http://www.nic.io/IO-IDN-Policy.pdf |publisher=NIC.IO |access-date=2005-12-11 |archive-date=2005-12-18 |url-status=dead}} The domain is managed by Internet Computer Bureau Ltd, a domain name registry, with registrar services provided by Name.com.{{Cite web |title=NIC.IO - The Official .IO Domain Registry and Network Information Centre |url=https://nic.io/ |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=nic.io}}

History

The .io domain was delegated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to British entrepreneur Paul Kane in 1997 together with the ccTLDs .ac (Ascension Island), .sh (St Helena), and .tm (Turkmenistan). Kane operated them for private benefit under the trade name "Internet Computer Bureau" from 1997 until 2017.{{cite web |last1=Bridle |first1=James |title=.IO: British Indian Ocean Territory |url=http://citizen-ex.com/stories/io |publisher=Citizen Ex |access-date=2 August 2021 |archive-date=2 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702173249/http://citizen-ex.com/stories/io |url-status=dead }} In 2014, Kane claimed that "profits are distributed to the authorities for them to operate services as they see fit" and that "Each of the overseas territories has an account and the funds are deposited there because obviously the territories have expenses that they incur and it’s offsetting that." However the UK government has repeatedly stated that this is untrue: “There is no agreement between the UK Government and ICB regarding the administration of the .io domain” and "the Government receives no revenues from the sales or administration of this domain."{{cite web |title=British Indian Ocean Territory |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldhansrd/text/140710w0001.htm#14071059000664 |publisher=UK House of Lords |date=10 July 2014 |quote=Question (Asked by Lord Avebury): What plans have Her Majesty’s Government to share the revenues from the sale of the domain name .io with the people of the Chagos Archipelago including the descendants of those who were evicted from the islands? Answer: The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): 'In much the same way as the .uk domain, the administration of the .io domain has always been carried out by a private sector organisation – this is currently the Internet Computer Bureau. As with the .uk domain, the Government receives no revenues from the sales or administration of this domain, and there are therefore no plans to share these with Chagossians.'}}{{cite web |last1=Bridle |first1=James |title=FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 REQUEST REF: 0347-15 |date=8 April 2015 |url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/262475/response/680710/attach/html/3/Final%20FOI%200347%2015%20to%20James%20Bridle.pdf.html |access-date=17 July 2015 |quote=There is no agreement between the UK Government and ICB regarding the administration of the .io domain. ICB independently registered the .io domain through the internet governing process – the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) – in the late 1990s. Neither the UK Government nor the BIOT Administration receives revenue from the sale of .io domains, which are administered independently by ICB.}}

The first subdomain was registered under .IO in 1998, when Levi Strauss & Co. registered the domain levi.io.https://www.whois-search.com/whois/levi.io{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}

In April 2017, Paul Kane sold the Internet Computer Bureau holding company to privately held domain name registry services provider Afilias for $70.17m in cash.{{cite web|last1=Murphy|first1=Kevin|date=2018-11-09|title=Afilias bought .io for $70 million|url=http://domainincite.com/23650-afilias-bought-io-for-70-million|accessdate=2020-08-13|website=Domain Incite}}

In July 2017, a security issue with the .io domain occurred when a security researcher managed to take control of four of the seven authoritative name servers for the domain, which potentially would have given them control of all the DNS traffic for the domain.{{Cite web |last=Bryant |first=Matthew |date=2017-07-10 |title=The .io Error – Taking Control of All .io Domains With a Targeted Registration |url=https://thehackerblog.com/the-io-error-taking-control-of-all-io-domains-with-a-targeted-registration/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710163522/https://thehackerblog.com/the-io-error-taking-control-of-all-io-domains-with-a-targeted-registration/ |archive-date=2017-07-10 |access-date=2024-07-20 |website=The Hacker Blog |language=en}}

In December 2020, Afilias' owner Hal Lubsen sold it to privately held Donuts for an undisclosed sum.{{cite news |last1=Allemann |first1=Andrew |title=Breaking: Ethos Capital acquires Donuts |url=https://domainnamewire.com/2021/01/22/breaking-ethos-capital-acquires-donuts/ |access-date=2 August 2021 |publisher=DomainNameWire |date=22 January 2021 |quote=Donuts acquired Afilias last month, and it made sense that Ethos was involved in the deal on the back end. Ethos had investors eager to put money to work in the domain name business after the .org deal fell through. Akram Attallah, CEO of Donuts, told me today that the company’s main focus going forward is working on the integration of Afilias.}}

One month later, in January 2021, Donuts was acquired by private equity firm Ethos Capital, again for an undisclosed sum.

In 2021, the United Nations' International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled that the United Kingdom has no sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, and that sovereignty instead belongs to Mauritius. This would extinguish the British Indian Ocean Territory, and the IO ISO-3166 two-letter country code and .io domain could also be extinguished. The United Kingdom, which was not a party to the case, disputes and does not recognise the tribunal's decision, so further legal processes are likely.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55848126 |title=UN court rules UK has no sovereignty over Chagos islands |last=Harding |first=Andrew |work=BBC News |date=28 January 2021 |access-date=1 February 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/diego-garcia-dispute-hits-cyberspace |title=The Diego Garcia dispute hits cyberspace |last1=Mortensen |first1=James |last2=Bashfield |first2=Samuel |publisher=Lowy Institute |work=The Interpreter |date=21 January 2021 |access-date=1 February 2021}} In 2022, the Mauritian government was considering how to progress with the issue.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/21/mauritius-challenges-uk-rights-over-indian-ocean-domain-name-chagos-islands |title=Mauritius challenges UK rights over Indian Ocean domain name |last=Bowcott |first=Owen |newspaper=The Guardian |date=21 March 2022 |access-date=21 March 2022}} In October 2024, the UK announced that it would hand over sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius once a treaty is finalised.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98ynejg4l5o|title=UK will give sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius|last=Harding|first=Andrew|work=BBC News|date=3 October 2024|access-date=3 October 2024}}

In July 2021, the Chagos Refugees Group UK submitted a complaint to the Irish government against domain-name speculators Paul Kane and Afilias, seeking repatriation of the .IO ("Indian Ocean") country-code top-level domain and payment of back royalties from the $7m/year in revenue generated by the domain.{{cite web |last1=Levy |first1=Jonathan |title=COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST Afilias Ltd. (Ireland) including its subsidiaries 101domain GRS Limited (Ireland), Internet Computer Bureau Limited (England & British Indian Ocean Territory) In Respect of OECD Guidelines Violations in Operation of ccTLD .io BEFORE THE IRELAND OECD NATIONAL CONTACT POINT |url=http://www.jlevy.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/OECD-July-28-2021-Afilias-Ltd.pdf |publisher=Chagos Refugees Group UK |access-date=2 August 2021}} While attempts to repatriate top-level domains are not uncommon, this one is notable in that it cites consumer and human rights violations of the OECD's 2011 Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises rather than multistakeholder representation under ICANN policy, and because the .io domain has enjoyed commercial success, particularly among cryptocurrency companies, with more than 270,000 domains registered.{{cite web |last1=Goldstein |first1=David |title=Chagos Islanders Lodge Complaint With OECD to Get Their .IO Back |date=30 July 2021 |url=https://goldsteinreport.com/chagos-islanders-lodge-complaint-with-oecd-to-get-their-io-back/ |publisher=Goldstein Report |access-date=2 August 2021}}{{cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Kieren |title=Uh-oh .io: Question mark hangs over trendy tech startup domains as UN condemns British empire hangover |url=https://www.theregister.com/2019/05/27/io_domains_uk_un/ |publisher=The Register |date=27 May 2019}}

= Possible phasing out =

In October 2024, the United Kingdom announced that it would eventually cede the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius, while maintaining the military base on Diego Garcia via an initial 99-year lease.{{Cite web |title=UK hands sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98ynejg4l5o |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=www.bbc.com |date=3 October 2024 |language=en-GB}} After the transfer, current IANA rules may require the .io domain to be phased out, which would take at least 5 years. This depends on whether IO is removed from the ISO 3166-1 standard.{{Cite web |title=The Chagos Archipelago and the .io domain |url=https://www.icann.org/en/blogs/details/the-chagos-archipelago-and-the-io-domain-14-11-2024-en}}{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=2024-10-08 |title=How a UK treaty could spell the end of the .io domain |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265441/uk-treaty-end-io-domain-chagos-islands |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=The Verge |language=en}} Historically, some exceptions have been granted, as was the case for .su.{{Cite news |last1=Crerar |first1=Pippa |last2=Walker |first2=Peter |date=2025-01-15 |title=UK stalls Chagos Islands deal until Trump administration can 'consider detail' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/15/uk-chagos-islands-handover-mauritius-donald-trump-diego-garcia |access-date=2025-01-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} On 22 May 2025, an agreement was signed that will cause the British Indian Ocean Territory to be handed over to Mauritius once it enters into force.{{Cite web |title=UK signs deal to hand over Chagos Islands and lease back military base for £101m a year |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/clyvv04wk8zt |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

Registration and restrictions

Individuals and organisations are allowed to register .io domains.

Labels for .io domains may only contain alphanumeric characters and hyphens, and must be between 3 and 63 characters long. Domain names cannot begin or end with a hyphen symbol, and may not contain two consecutive hyphens. The entire domain name may not contain more than 253 characters.{{IETF RFC|1035}}, Domain names--Implementation and specification, P. Mockapetris (Nov 1987)

Applicants for the registration of .io domains do not need to be registered or established in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Third-level domains, such as "xyz.com.io", can only be registered by an inhabitant of the area. (Since there are no legal, permanent inhabitants of the British Indian Ocean Territory, theoretically no third-level domains will be registered.) Any second-level domains used by NIC.IO and top-level domains cannot be used as a third-level domain. For example, the domains "com.com.io", "org.com.io", and "biz.com.io" are all restricted.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nic.io/rules.html |title=RULES for the .IO Domain and Sub-Domains |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051023213418/http://www.nic.io/rules.html |archive-date=2005-10-23 |access-date=2005-07-30}}

Domain names in .io may not be used, "for any purpose that is sexual or pornographic or that is against the statutory laws of any nation." If this requirement is breached, "NIC.IO reserves the right to immediately deactivate the offending registration."

.io domains may be registered for a minimum of one year, and a maximum of 5 years.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nic.io/pricelist.xzx |title=.IO Domain Name Registration price list |website=nic.io |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122144009/http://nic.io/pricelist.xzx |archive-date=2017-01-22 |access-date=2016-10-02}}

Domain names in .io are priced higher than those in many other TLDs. Registering an available .io-domain currently ({{As of|2023|June|16|lc=y}}) costs US$36 per year.{{Cite web |title=Cheapest .io Domain Registration, Renewal, Transfer Prices {{!}} TLD-List |url=https://tld-list.com/tld/io |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529204339/https://tld-list.com/tld/io |archive-date=2023-05-29 |access-date=2023-05-29 |website=spaceship.com}}

Usage

In computer science, "IO" or "I/O" is commonly used as an abbreviation for input/output, which makes the .io domain desirable for services that want to be associated with technology. .io domains are often used for open source projects, application programming interfaces ("APIs"), startup companies, browser games, and other online services.{{Cite news |url=http://techslides.com/io-domains-in-alexa-top-1-million |title=IO Domains in Alexa Top 1 Million. |access-date=27 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527204917/http://techslides.com/io-domains-in-alexa-top-1-million |archive-date=27 May 2015 |url-status=live }}

One reason given for the TLD's popularity is that it stands out by being shorter than other TLDs. Also, the .io TLD is less occupied than other TLDs, so it is more likely that a given term is available there.{{Cite web |url=http://www.name.com/blog/business/2013/10/why-are-startups-turning-to-io/ |title=Why are startups turning to .IO? |date=2013-10-17 |website=Name.com Blog |language=en-US |access-date=2017-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404215838/http://www.name.com/blog/business/2013/10/why-are-startups-turning-to-io/ |archive-date=2017-04-04 |url-status=live }}

Google's ad targeting treats .io as a generic top-level domain (gTLD) because "users and website owners frequently see [the domain] as being more generic than country-targeted."{{Cite web |url=https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/182192 |title=Managing multi-regional and multilingual sites |access-date=5 Oct 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005224021/https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/182192 |archive-date=5 October 2019 |url-status=live }}

Since 2013 Itch.io has developed a dedicated community of niche indie creators, for which it has become a prominent platform to host and sell their games. They also regularly host game jams. It is one of the most popular .io TLD websites.{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2024 |title=Itch.io, History of |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games |publisher=Springer International Publishing |last1=Bates |first1=Mason |editor-last=Lee |editor-first=Newton |pages=1020–1022 |isbn=9783031231612 |last2=Şengün |first2=Sercan}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.similarweb.com/website/itch.io/#overview |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=www.similarweb.com}}

=.io games=

The rapid rise of Agar.io (2015) and Slither.io (2016) led to the beginning of a new genre of browser games, dubbed ".io games" for the domain name they use. Characterised by simple graphics and gameplay in a free for all multiplayer arena, .io games received around 192 million visits in 2017.{{Cite web |last1=Nicol |first1=Will |last2=Hicks |first2=Michael |date=2021-03-28 |title=Eat and Be Eaten: How to Survive and Thrive in Agar.io |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/agario-game-guide/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602183022/https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/agario-game-guide/ |archive-date=2 June 2019 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Digital Trends |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Takahashi |first1=Dean |date=11 February 2017 |title=The surprising momentum behind games like Agar.io |url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/02/11/the-surprising-momentum-behind-io-games-like-agar-io/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211172633/https://venturebeat.com/2017/02/11/the-surprising-momentum-behind-io-games-like-agar-io/ |archive-date=11 February 2017 |access-date=5 May 2018 |work=VentureBeat}}{{Cite news |last=Castello |first=Jay |last2= |first2= |date=2018-02-22 |title=The rise and rise of .io games |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-io-games |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506131433/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-io-games |archive-date=6 May 2023 |access-date=2023-05-06 |work=Rock Paper Shotgun |language=en}} Many .io shooters launched after Slither.io{{Emdash}}Valadares released Diep.io in July 2016. Miniclip also began developing new .io games.{{Cite web |last=Hodapp |first=Eli |date=21 July 2016 |title='Diep.io' Hits the App Store From the Creator of 'Agar.io' |url=https://toucharcade.com/2016/07/21/diep-io-hits-the-app-store-by-the-creator-of-agar-io/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816153517/https://toucharcade.com/2016/07/21/diep-io-hits-the-app-store-by-the-creator-of-agar-io/ |archive-date=16 August 2023 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=TouchArcade |language=en-US}}

Controversy

According to a 2014 Gigaom interview with Paul Kane, then chairman of the Internet Computer Bureau, the domain name registry is required to give some of its profits to the British government, for administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory.{{Cite news |url=https://gigaom.com/2014/06/30/the-dark-side-of-io-how-the-u-k-is-making-web-domain-profits-from-a-shady-cold-war-land-deal/ |title=The dark side of .io: How the U.K. is making web domain profits from a shady Cold War land deal |last=David Meyer |newspaper=Gigaom |date=2014-06-30 |publisher=gigaom.com |access-date=2014-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905192228/http://gigaom.com/2014/06/30/the-dark-side-of-io-how-the-u-k-is-making-web-domain-profits-from-a-shady-cold-war-land-deal/ |archive-date=2014-09-05 |url-status=live }} After being questioned as a result of the interview, the British Government denied receiving any funds from the sale of .io domain names, and argued that consequently, the profits could not be shared with the Chagossians, the former inhabitants forcibly removed by the British government.{{Cite web |last=ICT.IO |date=2016-10-26 |title=The dark side of the .io extension |url=https://ict.io/en/the-dark-side-of-the-io-extension/ |access-date=2022-10-19 |website=ict.io |language=en-US}} Kane, however, contradicted the government's denial.{{Cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/writtens/11082014.htm#hdg-Internet |title=House of Lords Summer Recess 2014 Written Answers and Statements |date=2014-08-11 |publisher=parliament.uk |access-date=2019-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404113643/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/writtens/11082014.htm#hdg-Internet |archive-date=2019-04-04 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://gigaom.com/2014/07/11/uk-government-denies-receiving-io-domain-profits/ |title=UK government denies receiving .io domain profits |last=David Meyer |date=2014-07-11 |newspaper=Gigaom |access-date=2015-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501033258/https://gigaom.com/2014/07/11/uk-government-denies-receiving-io-domain-profits/ |archive-date=2015-05-01 |url-status=live }}