AARP is the top-level domain (TLD) for the American Association of Retired Persons, a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the needs and promoting the wellbeing of individuals aged 50 and above.
The AARP TLD was approved and delegated to the American Association of Retired Persons by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on 29 April 2015, as part of ICANN’s New generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program. The Program was initiated to increase competition and choice in the domain name space by enabling the introduction of new gTLDs. Under this program, thousands of new TLDs have been approved and delegated, as detailed in ICANN’s TLD Application Status page.
TLDs are the highest level of domain names in the Internet’s hierarchical Domain Name System (DNS). They are the names right to the last “.” in a web address or email address, like .com, .net, or .org. AARP, as such, is the TLD for domain names of the American Association of Retired Persons. For example, an AARP website might have an address like www.example.aarp.
As a TLD, AARP is among what are known as Brand TLDs. Brand TLDs are used by organizations that wish to establish and control their own namespace on the Internet. Brand TLDs were made possible with the introduction of ICANN’s New gTLD Program. Under this program, organizations can apply for a TLD that matches their brand name, thereby providing them a high level of control over their online identity and presence.
The AARP TLD allows the American Association of Retired Persons to reinforce its brand identity, enhance the security of its online communication, and create a trusted space online for its millions of members. The use of Brand TLDs like AARP is becoming increasingly popular among leading organizations worldwide, as confirmed by a survey by the Brand Registry Group.
However, domain names under the AARP TLD are not open for registration by the general public. As the American Association of Retired Persons has specified in its ICANN application, the AARP TLD will be used exclusively for AARP’s own purposes, fitting accurately under ICANN’s Category 1 – Specialty string type, which are TLDs intended for exclusive use by the applicant.
Ultimately, the AARP TLD provides the American Association of Retired Persons a powerful tool for controlling its presence on the web, reinforcing its brand identity, and making its online communications more secure, thus effectively serving its mission of helping people aged 50 and above live their best possible lives.
Sources used:
1. ICANN gTLD Application Details for AARP
2. ICANN Top-Level Domains (TLDs)
3. Brand Registry Group survey
4. ICANN gTLD Applicant Guidebook.
