.tk
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|
| Introduced | 1997 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | Dot TK (run by BV Dot TK) |
| Sponsor | Government of Tokelau and Teletok |
| Intended use | Entities connected with  Tokelau |
| Actual use | A narrow variety of uses, generally not related to Tokelau; free domains available (with DNS hosted by registry) or paid registrations which can be hosted elsewhere |
| Registration restrictions | Cannot be registered as "Google! Apps" since 2010, March (Tested by all free domains only, including but not limited to "google.tk") |
| Structure | Registrations are taken directly at the second level; free domains are redirected to actual website addresses within frame, or point directly to a webserver or nameserver |
| Documents | Policies |
| Dispute policies | Dispute Resolution Policy |
| Website | Dot.TK |
.tk is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand located in the South Pacific.
Contents |
Overview
Tokelau allows any individual to register domain names. Users may register domain names free of charge (with some restrictions). In addition to the name itself, users can opt to forward their web traffic using HTML frames and their email traffic, with a maximum of 250 addresses per user log in, or use full DNS service, either via their own or third-party servers, or by using DoT TK's servers. In order to ensure that names are being used, there is a minimum usage policy of 25 hits in 90 days, for both forwarded and DNS only domains, or 10 emails in 90 days for those domains that use only email forwarding. There are also content restrictions for free domains, banning sites containing sexual content, drug use, hate speech, firearms, and copyright infringement. [1]
Dot TK also provides .tk websites with the option to join a network called TiKinet, a close-knit network that links sites to each other based on key words called TiKilinks. The network is expected to increase traffic to the websites, many of which are personal sites and blogs operated by individuals who otherwise would have no way to advertise their sites.[2]
To be able to get a "special" .tk domain name the user must buy it. This includes trademark domain names for most Fortune 500 companies. Paid domain names cost US$19.90 for the first two years. Potentially valuable names with fewer than 4 characters are similarly unavailable for free registration, and must generally be purchased at a premium price of over $1000.
Dot TK launched a new service for Twitter users in April 2010,[3] offering a URL shortening service that uses less space than many others, and for Facebook where the user can rename Facebook account pages with a .tk name.
Research by McAfee
In 2006, McAfee conducted a survey in which they claim out of the 95 percent most trafficked web sites, .tk domains were twice as likely as the global average to be used for "unwanted behaviors", including scams such as phishing and spam.[4] However, in 2008 McAfee reported that the threat of scams like phishing and spam was significantly reduced with .tk and that other top level domains such as .com and .net were much more used in such scams.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ "Free Domain Terms and Conditions". April 4, 2010. http://www.dot.tk/en/doc_tcfree_v350.pdf.
- ↑ Narain, Divya (December 19, 2007). "Dot TK Websites Now Interlinked to One Another". TMCnet. http://internetcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/enterprise/articles/16886-dot-tk-websites-now-interlinked-one-another.htm.
- ↑ "TweaK". April 4, 2010. http://www.tweak.tk.
- ↑ Field, Michael (2007-03-16). "Pacific atolls host world's most dangerous websites". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/security/pacific-atolls-host-worlds-most-dangerous-websites/2007/03/16/1173722722104.html. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
- ↑ Keats, Shane (2008-06-04). "Mapping the Mal Web, Revisited". McAfee. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. http://www.webcitation.org/5hFCpLdr9. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
External links
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