Know how ccTLDs (Country Code Top-Level Domains) can die.
On October 3, 2024, the UK handed over the Chagos Archipelago (a cluster of islands) to the country of Mauritius. It was celebrated as the UK’s last African colony returned to Mauritius.
This geopolitical act might have unintended effects on the whole internet.
Before granting independence to Mauritius in 1968, Britain separated it and form a new colony on the Chagos archipelago named the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
For a long time, the UK and the US have operated a military base on Diego Garcia, one of the islands of the Chagos Archipelago.
Mauritius has always argued against the control of the UK over the Chagos Archipelago. After many rounds of talks (and a UN court ruling, this longstanding dispute has finally been resolved.
In return for a 99-year lease for the military base, the islands will become part of Mauritius.
That means the British Indian Ocean Territory will cease to exist, along with the .io domain and countless websites.
What will happen is that the International Standard for Organization (ISO) will remove the country code “IO.” Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) which creates and assigns top-level domains, uses this code to determine which top-level country domains should exist.
Once ‘IO’ is removed, IANA will start the process of retiring .io, which involves stopping new registrations and the expiration of existing ‘.io domains.‘
Full article at talepunk.com
Top comments (1)
This is a really interesting point about the potential demise of the .io domain! I hadn't realized the connection to the Chagos Archipelago handover. As someone working in web development, it makes me wonder what the preferred alternative will be. Could this be a boost for .dev or will we see something new emerge?