The top-level domain (TLD) .cc is the Internet country code top-level domain for Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Australian territory of 5.4 square miles and about 600 inhabitants. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is responsible for the global coordination of the DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources, and in part of its role, it manages TLDs. The domain .cc is part of the country code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD) category. It was allocated to Cocos (Keeling) Islands as per their two-letter country code established by the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes (“CC”).
Despite being the ccTLD for Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the .cc domain has been commercially marketed as an acronym for Christian/Church, Community Center, Consulting Company, or Commercial Company among other uses. It is an example of what is termed a “vanity domain”, which is a domain that does not necessarily build on the geographic location but rather on the possible wordplay or branding opportunities the domain extension initials might provide. Examples of websites using the .cc domain include the social platform “tumblr.cc” and the blockchain technology company “ripple.cc”.
One more notable case is Verisign, a global provider of domain name registry services and internet infrastructure, who administers the domain .cc. Despite the small size and population of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the .cc domain has a widespread global use due to the commercial opportunities presented by the letters “CC”.
Although the .cc domain name was designated for a specific country, it has gained broad international recognition and use, in the same vein as .tv (Tuvalu), .me (Montenegro), or .io (British Indian Ocean Territory) have been used widely outside of their territories. However, it’s important to mention that .cc, like other domain names, is subject to domain disputes and intellectual property rights.
Sources:
- IANA — .cc Domain Delegation Data (https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt)
- ISO – English country names and code elements (https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#search)
- Verisign – .cc domain (https://www.verisign.com/en\_US/domain-names/cc-domain-names/index.xhtml)
- WIPO – ccTLD Database (https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/db/index.html)
