Nominet UK facts for kids
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| Formation | 24 May 1996 |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Legal status | Company Limited by Guarantee |
| Location |
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Region served
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United Kingdom |
| Services | ccTLD registry, cyber security |
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Membership (2020/21)
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2500 |
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Chair
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Andy Green |
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CEO
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Paul Fletcher (effective February 2022) |
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Elected Non-Executive Director
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Simon Blackler |
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Elected Non-Executive Director
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Ashley La Bolle |
| Subsidiaries | Nominet US Inc. |
| Website | www |
Nominet UK is the official company in charge of all internet domain names that end in .uk. Think of it as the phone book for the UK's part of the internet. When you visit a website like bbc.co.uk, Nominet is the organization that makes sure your computer connects to the right place.
Nominet manages many types of .uk addresses, including the popular .co.uk for companies and .org.uk for organizations. It also looks after the domains for Wales, which are .wales and .cymru. As of early 2021, there were over 10 million domain names registered in the .uk system.
Contents
What is Nominet?
Nominet was started on May 14, 1996, because the old system for managing .uk web addresses couldn't keep up with the growing internet. Before Nominet, a small volunteer group called the "Naming Committee" handled everything. But as more people wanted websites, a more professional group was needed.
Nominet is a special kind of non-profit organization called a "company limited by guarantee." This means its main goal is not to make a huge profit for owners. Instead, it focuses on running the .uk domain system safely and efficiently for the public good.
The company is made up of members, who are mostly Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and companies that register domain names for people. These members help elect the people who run Nominet.
Besides managing domain names, Nominet also helps with online safety. It runs a service that helps protect the UK's government and public services from cyber attacks. It also has a system to solve arguments if two people or companies claim the right to the same .uk domain name.
The Story of Nominet
How It All Started (1985–2000)
Every country has its own special ending for web addresses, called a top-level domain (TLD). The UK's TLD, .uk, was first used in 1985. In the early days, the volunteer "Naming Committee" had very strict rules. For example, a company's domain name had to be exactly the same as its registered business name.
By the mid-1990s, the internet was booming. The small committee was overwhelmed with requests for new domain names. It was clear that a new, better-organized system was needed.
After many discussions, Nominet was created in 1996. It was set up as a non-profit company to manage the .uk domain registry fairly. Dr. Willie Black became the first leader (CEO) of the new company. While most people supported this change, some in the internet industry were not happy with the new system.
Growing and Changing (2000–2020)
In 2008, Nominet started a charity called the Nominet Trust (now known as Social Tech Trust). The company gave some of its extra money to the charity to support projects that use technology to help people.
In 2015, a new CEO named Russell Haworth was hired. During his time, Nominet spent money on new technology ideas, like self-driving cars and managing wireless signals. However, these projects did not turn out to be successful.
In 2019, there was a mistake where some customers were charged for domain names that should have been free. Nominet also admitted that it had miscalculated the results of its board elections in 2018 and 2019.
Recent Events (2020–Present)
In 2020, Nominet started a new policy for what happens to .uk domain names when they expire. This new plan was not popular with many of its members.
Later that year, the CEO, Russell Haworth, shut down the company's online forum. This was the main place where members could talk to each other independently. This decision was widely criticized.
These events led to a major disagreement between Nominet's leaders and its members.
A Big Disagreement in 2021
By 2021, many of Nominet's members were unhappy. A group called the Public Benefit .UK campaign pointed out several problems. They said that from 2016 to 2020, Nominet had cut the money it gave to charity by 65%. At the same time, the pay for its top bosses had gone up by 70%. The members felt their concerns were being ignored.
The disagreement became very public. When a member asked for a digital list of all other members to contact them, Nominet's secretary printed the list on 575 sheets of paper and mailed it. This made it very difficult to use. In response, the member who received the paper planted 575 trees.
This led to a special meeting in March 2021. The members voted to remove five of the company's directors, including the CEO and the chairman. This was a huge event in Nominet's history. After the vote, new leaders were brought in to fix the problems. Paul Fletcher became the new CEO in February 2022.
The new leadership promised to listen more to members, reduce costs, and focus again on Nominet's public benefit mission.
What Internet Domains Does Nominet Manage?
Nominet is in charge of the official registry for several internet domains.
Top-Level Domains
.uk– The main domain for the United Kingdom..cymru– A domain for Wales (using the Welsh language name)..wales– Another domain for Wales.
Second-Level Domains
These are the common endings you see before the ".uk".
.co.uk– For businesses and companies..org.uk– For non-profit organizations and charities..net.uk– Only for UK internet service providers..ltd.uk– For registered limited liability companies..plc.uk– For registered public limited companies..sch.uk– Only for schools..me.uk– For personal websites and blogs.
Some .uk domains are managed by other groups. For example, .gov.uk is used by the UK government, and .ac.uk is used for universities and research institutions.
See also
- .uk (ccTLD)
- .io (TLD)
- Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy
- Nominet UK § Notes – Nominet's ruling for Apple Computer in the dispute of the itunes.co.uk domain
- Internet Provider Security
