Neustar, an American technology company, was one of the world’s leading domain name registry service providers. Until 2018, Neustar operated the .biz, .us, .co, and .nyc top-level domains (TLDs) on behalf of companies, individuals, and organizations who wanted to register these domains. However, Neustar is not itself a top-level domain. It’s a company that manages and operates top-level domains (TLDs) on behalf of third parties.
A Top-Level Domain (TLD) is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last nonempty part of a domain name. Traditionally, TLDs have included domains like .com, .org, .net, along with country-specific domains like .uk, .jp, .fr, etc.
According to ICANN’s Domain Name System and website function, TLDs, such as .com, .org, .info, believe it or not, there is no technical difference between them. They’re all basically the same, and the purposes for which they are used are quite traditional. However, some might be more credible in the public’s eye; for example, an e-commerce site would nearly always choose a .com domain.
Neustar was selected by the Manhattan-based The City of New York in 2014 to manage the .nyc TLD, as mentioned in the “Digital.nyc” by Neustar Registry. The thorough local vetting process ensured that all .nyc websites were owned and operated by New Yorkers. Businesses, organizations, and individuals must have a bona fide presence in New York City to qualify for a .nyc address. This TLD was one of many location-based TLDs that have developed worldwide, and provided a unique identifier for residents and businesses in New York City.
On October 1, 2018, it was announced that Neustar would be selling its TLD management business to GoDaddy, as featured in a Techcrunch article. The value of the deal, which involved a cash payout for Neustar and a share equity for its parent company, Golden Gate Capital, was not disclosed. Following the acquisition, GoDaddy started to take over the operations of Neustar’s TLDs.
In summary, Neustar may be associated with TLD management, but it is incorrect to imply that “Neustar” itself is a top-level domain. Top-level domains are key components of internet addresses, overseen by organizations like the one Neustar was prior to 2018. When anyone talks about Neustar in the context of TLDs, it’s generally referring to the numerous TLDs that the company used to operate on behalf of many customers throughout the world.
Sources:
- “GoDaddy is acquiring Main Street Hub for $125M to boost its SME marketing.” Accessed on Techcrunch.
- “Neustar Registry is the domain name industry’s leading provider of Registry Services.” Accessed on Neustar Registry.
- Understanding the Domain Name System (DNS) and Top Level Domains (TLDs), accessed on ICANN website.
