NCC Announces .Trust Top-Level Domain

UK Internet security firm NCC Group has announced the .trust generic top-level domain (gTLD), which the company plans to develop into a mark of confidence for websites including retailers and banks.

The domain is to be one of thousands of incoming gTLDs planned for introduction under a scheme approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2011. NCC acquired the rights to the .trust application for an undisclosed sum in February of this year from Deutsche Post.

Security rules

The company plans to make the gTLD stand out by imposing strict security rules upon organisations wishing to use the domain.

“The benefits to businesses of having a .trust gTLD are immediately obvious,” said NCC chief executive Rob Cotton in a statement. “It will act as a key differentiator, bringing back consumer confidence by protecting customers as they transact and interact online.”

Applicants for a .trust address will be required to submit documentation verifying their identity and ensuring their organisation is secure, including compliance with a code of security policies developed by NCC along with a coalition of industry experts, the company said. Organisations will furthermore be required to submit to regular compliance scanning.

Anti-phishing standards

ISPs wishing to use .trust will need to comply with anti-phishing standards such as DMARC, NCC said.

The domain is scheduled to become available for registrations towards the end of the third quarter, NCC said.

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