.af
 | |
| Introduced | 16 October 1997 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | AFGNIC |
| Sponsor | Ministry of Communications and Information Technology |
| Intended use | Entities connected with Afghanistan |
| Actual use | Some use in Afghanistan |
| Registered domains | 5960 (26 August 2020)[1] |
| Registration restrictions | Third-level names have restrictions based on which second-level name they are beneath. |
| Structure | Registrations are taken directly at the second level or at the third level beneath various second-level subdomains |
| Documents | ICANN MoU; Policies |
| Dispute policies | Dispute resolution procedures |
| Registry website | nic.af |
.af is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Afghanistan. It is administered by AFGNIC, a service of the UNDP.
History
[edit]The .af domain was delegated to Abdul Razeeq in 1997, a year after Taliban fighters had captured Kabul and founded the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
NetNames of London initially maintained the domain following an agreement with the IANA.[2] Razeeq later disappeared, halting some services.
The domain was reopened on March 10, 2003, as a joint program between UNDP and the Afghan Ministry of Communications.[3]
As of 26 August 2020, .af was used by 5960 domains.[1]
With the fall of Kabul in 2021, the .af domain again came under the control of the Taliban. ICANN said it "defers decision making to within the country".[4][5]
Registration
[edit]Registration is made directly at the second level, or on the third level beneath various categorized subdomains at the second level.
Third-level domains have restrictions based on which second-level domain they are registered under. Registration on the second level is unrestricted, but more expensive. All fees are higher for international registrants.
Restrictions
[edit]In 2024, a number of .af domains including "broke.af" and "queer.af" went offline.
The Afghan Ministry of Communications and IT said that they were registered through Gandi, a France-based domain name registrar, and cited Gandi's failure to make payments as the reason for suspension.[6]
Second-level domains
[edit]- .gov.af
- .com.af
- .org.af
- .net.af
- .edu.af
- .tv.af
- .media.af[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Domain Count Statistics for TLDs". domaintools.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "IANA Report on Redelegation of the .af Top-Level Domain".
- ^ Pitman, Tom (8 March 2003). "Afghanistan to Launch Internet Domain". Midland Daily News. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ Bode, Karl (31 August 2021). "Afghanistan's Government Websites Are Frozen in Time". Vice. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ^ Stokel-Walker, Chris (7 September 2021). "The battle for control of Afghanistan's internet". Wired UK. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ^ Satter, Raphael (2024-02-16). "'broke.af' goes offline as Afghan web domains suspended amid payment dispute". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Dot AF New Announcement". nic.af. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
External links
[edit]
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