Ahh, being barraged by constant emails from your domain host, AUDA or Business Publications regarding the new .au domain name being released?
Well I am also here to spread the message.
What is the .au domain?
The .au top level domain has been around since March 1986 and since they started they have released a few top level domain names. This includes .com.au, .net.au, .edu.au and now, finally, they are opening the .au top level domain name for registrations. While previous .com.au and .net.au domain names required you to have a business registered in Australia, the .au domain will be open to anybody with an Australian connection. However they have decided to give Australian companies a few months priority to register their current domain in the .au variant.
The .au Direct Priority Implementation.
Companies will have until September 2022 to use their priority tokens to register the .au variant of their domain name. After that the registration will be open to the general public, where anybody who has a presence in Australia will be able to register .au domain names.
Do I need to get the .au domain variant?
Yes and No.
There is no requirement for you to register the .au variant of your domain name. However
if you do not register it before September 2022 the .au variant of your domain name will be released to the general public for registration. If you fail to register your domain you may lose access to registering it in the future and may be unable or find it difficult to stop any misuse of the domain.
What could somebody do with the .au variant of my domain if I don't register it?
They could:
Point the .au version of the url to a:
competitor
website of their own
a scam
malicious content
unsavoury content
They could try to impersonate you by sending an email from yourdomain.au while your own legitimate emails would come from yourdomain.com.au
Who else recommends this?
The Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends that all Australian businesses with existing domain names register their .au equivalents before 20 September 2022. Otherwise the .au equivalent will become available to the public on a first come, first served basis. Read more here
How do I register the domain:
Registering may be simple in some cases. Visit your domain name host for instructions on how to request to register the .au variant with them. There will be additional annual costs to do so, but the security of having the domain under your control will be better than your .au domain being released to the public.
If you do have issues registering or need additional help pointing your domain to your website or emails, Over Geek is able to help with this process, feel welcome to contact us for help.
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