.gov
 | |
| Introduced | January 1, 1985 |
|---|---|
| TLDtype | Sponsored top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency |
| Sponsor | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency |
| Intended use | Governmentalentities |
| Actual use | Only theUnited States government;formerly onlyfederal governmentbut later expanded to includestateandlocal government |
| Registration restrictions | Must meet eligibility requirements and submit authorization letter |
| Structure | Registrations at second level permitted |
| Documents | RFC 920; RFC 1591; RFC 2146 |
| Dispute policies | None |
| DNSSEC | yes |
| Registry website | get |
Thedomain namegovis asponsored top-level domain(sTLD) in theDomain Name Systemof theInternet.The name is derived from the wordgovernment,indicating its restricted use bygovernmententities. TheTLDis administered by theCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency(CISA),[1]a component of theUnited States Department of Homeland Security.
.gov is one of the original six top-level domains, defined in RFC 920.[2]Though "originally intended for any kind of government office or agency",[3]only U.S.-based government entities may register.gov domain names, a result of the Internet originating as aU.S. government-sponsored research network.
Other countries typically delegate asecond-level domainfor government operations on theircountry-code top-level domain(ccTLD); for example,.gov.ukis the domain for theGovernment of the United Kingdom,and.gc.cais the domain for theGovernment of Canada.The United States is the only country that has a government-specific top-level domain in addition to its ccTLD (.us), a direct result of the United States federal government's role in thecreation of the Internet.
.gov domains are registered atget.gov.
History[edit]
govis one of the original top-level domains created in 1984[4](the other five beingcom,org,edu,mil,andarpa). The first site registered wascss.govin June 1985.[5]
Beginning in 1997, theGeneral Services Administration(GSA) began administering.gov. In February 2011, the GSA selectedVerisignto manage the registry services, replacing Native Technologies, Inc.[6]
Responsibility for the TLD was transferred to theCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency(CISA) under the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act of 2020,[7]part of theConsolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
In January 2023, CISA selectedCloudflareto replace Verisign in providing registry services. Cloudflare will also provide authoritative DNS services for the.gov domain.[8]
Use[edit]
Many governments in the United States use a.gov domain, though most use.us (e.g., leg.state.nv.us), (e.g., myflorida ),.org (e.g., lacity.org), or other TLDs (e.g., senate.mn).[9]The full list of registered.gov domains is published atget.gov/data.[10]
During GSA's administration of.gov, registration and annual renewal fees peaked at $400 per year.[11]When CISA began managing the TLD in April 2021, all fees were removed.[12]
Federal Executive branch policy requires the use of.gov for civilian agencies,[13]but some U.S. government-related websites use non-.gov domain names, including theUnited States Postal Service(e.g., usps ) and various recruiting websites for armed services (e.g., goarmy ). TheUnited States Department of Defenseand its subsidiary organizations typically use the.milsTLD instead of.gov.
Eligibility[edit]
U.S.-based government organizations and publicly controlled entities are eligible to obtain a.gov domain. This includes federal, state, local, or territorial government, as well as any tribal government recognized by the federal government or a state government.[14]
To register a.gov domain, an authorization letter must be submitted to CISA. The signer of the letter differs by entity type, but it is typically an agency's head,chief information officer(CIO), or highest-ranking or elected official.
Historically, only U.S. federal government agencies were allowed to register a.gov domain. In May 2002, GSA proposed a change that would open registration to state, local, and tribal governments in the U.S.,[15]a change that went into effect in March 2003.[16]
In November 2019, before the transfer of.gov to CISA, GSA's authorization process was shown to be weak after someone impersonated the mayor ofExeter, Rhode Islandin an authorization letter and successfully gained control of exeterri.gov. In response, GSA said it had implemented additional fraud prevention controls, and CISA advocated for transferring the TLD from GSA.[17]
Policy[edit]
The DOTGOV Act requires that CISA maintain requirements that “minimize the risk of.gov internet domains whose names could mislead or confuse users”.[18]These include:
- Requested names must correspond with the requesting entity's organization's name or services.
- Generic terms are reserved for federal agencies, though generic words can be combined with state or local municipality names.
- Most non-federal domain types require a two-letterUnited States postal abbreviationsor state name equivalent, though exceptions are made. Rules have been established for municipalities whose names are unique, who are well-known, or that are among the most populous cities and counties in the nation.[19]
The Act also requires that.gov domains not be used for political campaign or commercial purposes, and that domains are registered only by authorized individuals.
.gov has been used to serve certain policy goals. As an action following Executive Order 13571,[20]PresidentBarack Obamarestricted executive branch agencies from registering new.gov domains in an attempt to eliminate unnecessary, redundant, or outdated sites.[21]US government agencies used the.gov registrar to make it easy for new registrants to opt-in to HTTPS preloading[22]and to make it easier for the public to report potential security issues.[23]
Use by states and territories[edit]
As of February 2014[update],all states, the District of Columbia, and all territories except for the Northern Mariana Islands have operational domains ingov:
| State or territory | Domain |
|---|---|
| Alabama | al.gov and alabama.gov |
| Alaska | ak.gov and alaska.gov |
| American Samoa | as.gov and americansamoa.gov |
| Arizona | az.gov and arizona.gov |
| Arkansas | ar.gov and arkansas.gov |
| California | ca.gov and california.gov |
| Colorado | co.gov and colorado.gov |
| Connecticut | ct.gov |
| Delaware | de.gov and delaware.gov |
| District of Columbia | dc.gov |
| Florida | fl.gov and florida.gov (redirects to myflorida ) |
| Georgia | ga.gov and georgia.gov |
| Guam | guam.gov |
| Hawaii | hi.gov, hawaii.gov and ehawaii.gov |
| Idaho | id.gov and idaho.gov |
| Illinois | il.gov and illinois.gov |
| Indiana | in.gov and indiana.gov |
| Iowa | ia.gov and iowa.gov |
| Kansas | ks.gov and kansas.gov |
| Kentucky | ky.gov and kentucky.gov |
| Louisiana | la.gov and louisiana.gov |
| Maine | me.gov and maine.gov |
| Maryland | md.gov and maryland.gov |
| Massachusetts | ma.gov, mass.gov and massachusetts.gov |
| Michigan | mi.gov and michigan.gov |
| Minnesota | mn.gov and minnesota.gov |
| Mississippi | ms.gov and mississippi.gov |
| Missouri | mo.gov and missouri.gov |
| Montana | mt.gov and montana.gov |
| Nebraska | ne.gov and nebraska.gov |
| Nevada | nv.gov and nevada.gov |
| New Hampshire | nh.gov and newhampshire.gov |
| New Jersey | nj.gov and newjersey.gov |
| New Mexico | nm.gov and newmexico.gov |
| New York | ny.gov |
| North Carolina | nc.gov and northcarolina.gov |
| North Dakota | nd.gov and northdakota.gov |
| Ohio | oh.gov and ohio.gov |
| Oklahoma | ok.gov and oklahoma.gov |
| Oregon | oregon.gov |
| Pennsylvania | pa.gov and pennsylvania.gov |
| Puerto Rico | pr.gov |
| Rhode Island | ri.gov and rhodeisland.gov |
| South Carolina | sc.gov and southcarolina.gov |
| South Dakota | sd.gov |
| Tennessee | tn.gov and tennessee.gov |
| Texas | tx.gov and texas.gov |
| Utah | utah.gov |
| Vermont | vt.gov and vermont.gov |
| Virgin Islands | vi.gov |
| Virginia | virginia.gov |
| Washington | wa.gov and washington.gov |
| West Virginia | wv.gov |
| Wisconsin | wi.gov and wisconsin.gov |
| Wyoming | wy.gov and wyoming.gov |
International equivalents[edit]
While the use ofgovas a top-level domain is restricted to the United States, several other countries havesecond-level domainsof the same name or similar semantics for governmental purposes, including:
| Country or Territory | Domain | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | gov.af | |
| Albania | gov.al | |
| Algeria | gov.dz | |
| Andorra | gov.ad | |
| Angola | gov.ao | |
| Anguilla | gov.ai | British overseas territory |
| Armenia | gov.am | |
| Aruba | gov.aw | Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Argentina | gob.ar | |
| Austria | gv.at | |
| Australia | gov.au | |
| Åland | gov.ax | Part of Finland |
| Azerbaijan | gov.az | |
| Bahamas | gov.bs | |
| Bangladesh | gov.bd | |
| Barbados | gov.bb | |
| Belarus | gov.by | |
| Belgium | gov.be | gov.be is for national matters, theBelgian Federal Governmentis using fgov.be and belgium.be |
| Bulgaria | gov.bg | Only the Council of Ministers uses this site. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | gov.ba | |
| Brazil | gov.br | |
| Chile | gob.cl or gov.cl | |
| Canada | gc.ca | All other provinces and territories of Canada: gov.{xx}.ca where '{xx}' is the applicable province or territory's postal abbreviation, except Quebec, which uses gouv.qc.ca, and New Brunswick, which uses gnb.ca |
| Quebec | gouv.qc.ca | Part of Canada |
| China | gov.cn | |
| Hong Kong | gov.hk | Part of China |
| Macau | gov.mo | Part of China |
| Colombia | gov.co | |
| Croatia | gov.hr | |
| Cyprus | gov.cy | |
| Czechia | gov.cz | |
| Egypt | gov.eg | |
| El Salvador | gob.sv | |
| Greece | gov.gr | |
| Finland | gov.fi | |
| France | gouv.fr | Stands for the French wordgouvernement |
| Hungary | gov.hu | |
| India | gov.in | |
| Indonesia | go.id | |
| Iran | gov.ir | |
| Iraq | gov.iq | |
| Kurdistan Regional Government | gov.krd | Part of Iraq |
| Ireland | gov.ie | |
| Israel | gov.il | |
| Italy | gov.it | |
| Japan | go.jp | |
| Kazakhstan | gov.kz | |
| Kenya | go.ke | |
| Latvia | gov.lv | |
| Lebanon | gov.lb | |
| Lithuania | gov.lt | |
| Malaysia | gov.my | |
| Malta | gov.mt | |
| Mexico | gob.mx | |
| Moldova | gov.md | |
| Morocco | gov.ma | |
| Myanmar (Burma) | gov.mm | |
| Nepal | gov.np | |
| New Caledonia | gouv.nc | Part of French overseas |
| New Zealand | govt.nz | |
| Nigeria | gov.ng | |
| North Korea | gov.kp | |
| Paraguay | gov.py | |
| Peru | gob.pe | |
| Pakistan | gov.pk | |
| Philippines | gov.ph | |
| Poland | gov.pl | |
| Portugal | gov.pt | |
| Romania | gov.ro | |
| Russia | gov.ru | |
| Singapore | gov.sg | |
| Slovakia | gov.sk | |
| Slovenia | gov.si | |
| South Africa | gov.za | |
| South Korea | go.kr | |
| Spain | gob.es | |
| Sri Lanka | gov.lk | |
| Sweden | gov.se | |
| Switzerland | admin.ch | |
| Taiwan (Republic of China) | gov.tw | |
| Thailand | go.th | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | gov.tt | |
| Turkey | gov.tr | |
| Ukraine | gov.ua | |
| United Kingdom | gov.uk | |
| Scotland | gov.scot | Part of the United Kingdom |
| Wales | gov.wales | Part of the United Kingdom |
| Guernsey | gov.gg | British Crown dependency |
| Jersey | gov.je | British Crown dependency |
| Isle of Man | gov.im | British Crown dependency |
| Bermuda | gov.bm | British Overseas Territory |
| British Virgin Islands | gov.vg | British Overseas Territory |
| Cayman Islands | gov.ky | British Overseas Territory |
| Falkland Islands | gov.fk | British Overseas Territory |
| Pitcairn Islands | government.pn | British Overseas Territory |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | gov.tc | British Overseas Territory |
| Uruguay | gub.uy | |
| Venezuela | gob.ve | |
| Vietnam | gov.vn |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"Delegation Record for.gov".Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.RetrievedJuly 11,2021.
- ^Postel, John; Reynolds, Joyce (October 1984)."RFC 920 - Domain Requirements".Ietf Datatracker.RetrievedJune 20,2021.
- ^Postel, John (March 1994)."RFC 1591 - Domain Name System Structure and Delegation".Ietf Datatracker.RetrievedJune 20,2021.
- ^RFC 920,Domain Requirements,J. Postel, J. Reynolds, The Internet Society (October 1984)
- ^Zakon, R.(November 1997).Hobbes' Internet Timeline.Network Working Group.doi:10.17487/RFC2235.FYI 32.RFC2235.
- ^Lipowicz, Alice (February 3, 2011)."GSA selects VeriSign to manage.gov domain name registry".GCN.RetrievedJanuary 16,2023.
- ^"DOTGOV Act of 2020".December 27, 2020.RetrievedJune 20,2021.
- ^Murphy, Kevin (January 16, 2023)."Verisign loses prestige.gov contract to Cloudflare".DomainIncite.RetrievedJanuary 16,2023.
- ^Schreiber, Paul (April 4, 2021)."State legislature websites, compared".RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^".gov data".get.gov.RetrievedFebruary 5,2023.
- ^"Gov Domain Fee Increase FAQs"(PDF).General Services Administration.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on December 1, 2016.RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^"A new day for.gov".get.gov. April 27, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 5,2023.
- ^"Memorandum 17-06: Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services"(PDF).Office of Management and Budget.§9, "Use Only Approved Domains". Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 11, 2021.RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^"Eligibility,.gov domain requirements".get.gov.RetrievedFebruary 5,2023.
- ^"GSA Proposes Rule to Make Dot-Gov Domain Available to Non-Federal Government Entities".General Services Administration.RetrievedOctober 2,2021.
- ^"Federal Management Regulation; Internet GOV Domain".Federal Register.RetrievedSeptember 19,2021.
- ^Krebs, Brian."It's way too easy to get a.gov domain name".KrebsOnSecurity.RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^"6 USC 665".RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^".gov domain requirements".get.gov.RetrievedFebruary 5,2023.
- ^"Executive Order 13571".April 27, 2011.RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^Phillips, Macon (June 13, 2011)."TooManyWebsites.gov".RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^Dixon, Cameron; Fox, Marina (October 29, 2018)."GSA steps up security for.gov".Digital.gov.RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
- ^"Binding Operational Directive 20-01".Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.September 2, 2020.RetrievedAugust 5,2021.
External links[edit]
- Official.gov registration site
- IANA gov whois information
- RFC920Domain Requirements (defined and the other original top-level domains)
- RFC2146U.S. Government Internet Domain Names
- Complete list of.gov domains