.free
Encyclopedia
.free is a proposed new top level domain (TLD)
. It is a Sponsored top-level domain
intended to be a free top level domain.
According to the dotFree Group s.r.o. organization .free will allow every individual to register free domain names under .free
Along with TLDs such as .travel
, .asia
and .eu
, .free and other proposed TLDs fall into the new category of GeoTLD
s. The issue of new top level domains in general has been discussed at various ICANN
-Meetings since 2005.
A rationale offered by proponents of the .free proposal is as follows:
.Free is expected to go into general availability in 3Q or 4Q 2011.
alternative DNS root
project to "provide namespace, certificate authority, and other services to encourage the non-commercial
use of the internet."
has accused dotFREE Group SRO of running the Kelihos botnet
that Microsoft shut down on 9/28/11.
Top-level domain
A top-level domain is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last label of a...
. It is a Sponsored top-level domain
Sponsored top-level domain
A sponsored top-level domain is one of the categories of top-level domains maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority for use in the Domain Name System of the Internet....
intended to be a free top level domain.
According to the dotFree Group s.r.o. organization .free will allow every individual to register free domain names under .free
Along with TLDs such as .travel
.travel
The domain name travel is a top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name suggests the intended and restricted use by travel agents, airlines, bed and breakfast operators, tourism bureaus, and others in the travel industry....
, .asia
.asia
.asia is a sponsored top-level domain sponsored by the DotAsia Organization, with the back-end registry operated by Afilias. It was approved by ICANN on 19 October 2006 as a sponsored TLD...
and .eu
.eu
.eu is the country code top-level domain for the European Union . Launched 7 December 2005, the domain is available for organisations in and residents of EU member states. The TLD is administered by EURid, a consortium consisting of the national ccTLD registry operators of Belgium, Sweden, Italy...
, .free and other proposed TLDs fall into the new category of GeoTLD
GeoTLD
A GeoTLD is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet using the name of or invoking an association with a geographical, geopolitical, ethnic, linguistic or cultural community....
s. The issue of new top level domains in general has been discussed at various ICANN
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Marina del Rey, California, United States, that was created on September 18, 1998, and incorporated on September 30, 1998 to oversee a number of Internet-related tasks previously performed directly...
-Meetings since 2005.
A rationale offered by proponents of the .free proposal is as follows:
The initiative for the top-level domain .free is supported by a multitude of companies and individuals and is the first initiative for top-level domains which will be 100% free. The .free top-level domain will give people from all over the world the chance to own their free top-level domain and offers companies the chance to market their products with the .free domain extension. The .free community is run by the dotFree Group s.r.o. – a Czech start-up company, but also of supporters spread around the world and of people who support the idea of freedom.
.Free is expected to go into general availability in 3Q or 4Q 2011.
Conflicting use in alternative DNS Roots
A .free TLD is currently in operation by the OpenNICOpenNIC
OpenNIC is an alternate network information center/alternative DNS root which lists itself as an alternative to ICANN and its registries. users of the OpenNIC DNS servers are able to resolve all existing ICANN top-level domains as well as their own....
alternative DNS root
Alternative DNS root
The Internet uses the Domain Name System to associate the names of computers with their numeric IP addresses and with other information. The top level of the domain name hierarchy, the DNS root, contains the top-level domains that appear as the suffixes of all Internet domain names. The official...
project to "provide namespace, certificate authority, and other services to encourage the non-commercial
Non-commercial
Non-commercial refers to an activity or entity that does not in some sense involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis...
use of the internet."
Controversy
MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
has accused dotFREE Group SRO of running the Kelihos botnet
Botnet
A botnet is a collection of compromised computers connected to the Internet. Termed "bots," they are generally used for malicious purposes. When a computer becomes compromised, it becomes a part of a botnet...
that Microsoft shut down on 9/28/11.