.gq
 | |
| Introduced | 10 July 1997 |
|---|---|
| TLDtype | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | GETESA |
| Sponsor | GETESA |
| Intended use | Entities connected with Equatorial Guinea |
| Actual use | Sees rare use, mostly not in Equatorial Guinea. |
| Registration restrictions | Free domains available withsome restrictions;paid registrations for legal ownership have no activity requirement |
| Documents | Registration Agreement (free domains) Registration Agreement (paid domains) |
| Dispute policies | UDRP(paid domains only) |
| Registry website | www |
.gqis thecountry code top-level domain(ccTLD) forEquatorial Guinea.Freenom relaunched theTLDon October 1, 2014, and domains became available for free on January 1, 2015.[1][2]Following Freenom's lawsuit withMetaand its settlement in 2024,[3]it is unclear who will take up registration of the domain, as the company announced it would be exiting the domain business.
The.gq registry allows the creation ofemoji domain names.
History[edit]
The.gq domain was launched in July 1997 by GETESA, the nation's prominent internet service provider.[4]
In October 2014, domain company Freenom partnered with GETESA to try a business model which involved giving away.gq domain names for free. Before the public launch, there was a sunrise period to allow trademark holders to register their names. Public domain registration commenced on January 1, 2015.[5]
Abuse[edit]
Due to the lack of cost required to obtain a.gq domain, theTLDhas been prone to usage forspam,phishingand other malicious purposes. A study conducted by internet security companySymantecfound that 92% of the top 50.gq websites were being used for "shady" purposes. Out of all of the websites on a.gq domain that were surveyed by Symantec, a whole 98.94% were being used for malicious purposes.[6]
References[edit]
- ^"FREENOM RELAUNCHES THE NATIONAL TOP LEVEL DOMAIN OF EQUATORIAL GUINEA"(PDF).October 1, 2014.
- ^"REGISTRATION OF A DOMAIN".December 11, 2014.
- ^https:// freenom /en/freenom_pressstatement_02122024_v0100.pdf
- ^"IANA —.gq Domain Delegation Data".iana.org.Retrieved2018-11-15.
- ^Freenom."Freenom Relaunches The National Top Level Domain Of Equatorial Guinea".prnewswire(Press release).Retrieved2018-11-15.
- ^"Shady TLDs:.GQ Not Looking So Dapper".Symantec Security Response.Archived fromthe originalon June 19, 2018.Retrieved2018-11-15.
External links[edit]
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