The top-level domain (TLD) “.lds” is a sponsored top-level domain that is currently in use. To provide deeper insights into the nature of this TLD, it stands for “Latter-day Saints,” representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sponsored top-level domains, such as “.lds,” are specialized domains that are proposed and run by private organizations, in this case, the aforementioned church.
This particular top-level domain, “.lds,” was created as a part of a revolution in internet addressing that saw the creation of more than 1,300 potential new TLDs, vastly increasing upon the 22 that had existed previously. This information comes from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the body that regulates internet domains. It was established by the ICANN under the Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) program launched in 2012.
However, as of now, it is essential to mention that “.lds” is not actively sold and is reserved for the official use of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As per the Whois records, the domain was first created on October 7, 2014. It is part of the second phase of the rollout of new generic top-level domains, among other religious domains like “.catholic”, “.mormon”, etc.
The introduction and purpose of such specialized, sector-specific, or organization-specific TLDs are to foster greater trust, security, and relevancy among internet users when they visit sites under such domains. The “.lds” domain extension is a prime example of this, signifying that a website with this domain is officially linked with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, helping visitors from their community confirm its authenticity.
While a simple yet insightful study, much of the above information comes from ICANN’s official site and records, the entity that authorizes the creation and regulation of Top Level Domains globally. Additional sources include Who.is for domain related information, and related articles on different digital platforms discussing new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). However, since the domain “.lds” is organization-specific, there wasn’t much generic information available regarding it. Instead, the knowledge about it comes chiefly from sources discussing the broader subject of TLDs, gTLDs, sponsored TLDs, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ related sites and documentation.
Sources:
1. ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(https://www.icann.org/)
1. Who.is (https://who.is/)
2. Internet Society (https://www.internetsociety.org/)
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/)
