The Top-Level Domain (TLD) “.boo” is a branded TLD extension which is unique in the domain name system, designated for exclusive use by a specific brand or corporation. The .boo TLD is managed by Charleston Road Registry Inc., which is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. A TLD is the part of the domain name to the far right, for example, the “.com” in “www.google.com”. Other examples of top-level domains include .net, .org, or.gov among others.
The .boo TLD, like all other branded TLDs, is not open for registration by the general public. Its usage is reserved for the company’s internal teams, partners, and subsidiaries (Alphabet Inc., in this case). According to ICANNWiki, the .boo domain does not appear to be actively used by Alphabet Inc., and it is not available to the general public.
Generally, branded TLDs give companies more control over their brand online. They support brand identity and security, and enable consumers to recognize and trust the domain. They reflect a company’s trademark or brand name and are primarily used for corporate websites or platforms. Large corporations usually resort to such domain names to maintain their online integrity and build trust with the consumers as they surf the web.
Some years back, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) expanded the domain name system to include new TLDs, among them were branded domain names. Google applied for around 100 of these new domain names, including .google, .youtube, .app, and .boo, among others. The intention behind these applications was to secure domain names that are related to its existing brands or new services.
But despite owning the .boo TLD, Alphabet Inc. has yet to make any public use of it. It’s worth noting that several of Alphabet’s other TLDs are also not currently in active usage. The reasons behind this might be strategic; maybe the company is saving the domain for a future project, or perhaps it simply wanted to prevent the domain from being registered by someone else.
Given that Alphabet Inc. has not publicly announced any plans for the domain, it remains to be seen how or when it might be used. At the present, the usage of .boo as a TLD remains dormant.
Sources:
1. ICANN
(https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/welcome-2012-02-25-en)
1. Google Domains
(https://domains.google/learn/faq.html)
1. Registering a Domain
(https://support.google.com/domains/answer/6052757?hl=en)
1. ICANNWiki
(https://icannwiki.org/.boo)
1. New gTLD Program from ICANN
(https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/timelines)
1. Alphabet, the Google Parent company
(https://abc.xyz/)
