.cn
| Top-level domain .cn | |
|---|---|
| introduction | November 28, 1990 |
| category | country-specific |
| Registry | China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) |
| Award | unrestricted |
| number | 16.9 million |
.cn is the country-specific top-level domain (ccTLD) for the People's Republic of China . It was introduced on November 28, 1990 and is administered by the China Internet Network Information Center . With almost 17 million registered domains (as of May 2020) .cn is the third most popular top-level domain after .com and .tk as well as before .de .
Registrations
The award takes place on both the second and third level. Registrations must be made via an officially accredited domain name registrar , the following domains are available on the second level:
- .ac.cn for academic institutions
- .com.cn for commercial companies
- .edu.cn for educational institutions
- .gov.cn for the Chinese government
- .mil.cn for the Chinese military
- .net.cn for internet service providers
- .org.cn for non-profit organizations
There are also second-level domains for each Chinese province. This includes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, although they each have their own top-level domains .hk , .mo and .tw . The two top-level domains . 中国 (.xn - fiqs8s in Punycode ) and . 中國 (.xn - fiqz9s), under which addresses in Chinese characters can be registered, have also existed since 2010 .
properties
The guidelines for the allocation of a .cn domain have been tightened several times. According to the current status, private individuals are not allowed to register domains, companies must have a head office or a branch in the People's Republic of China. Furthermore, no pornographic, obscene, defamatory or violent content should be offered on websites with .cn addresses, and the operation of games of chance is also prohibited. A violation of the principles of the People's Republic can also lead to the withdrawal of a domain. The physical location of the name servers must also be in China.
Due to the confusing award criteria, there are repeated attempts at fraud. In particular, attempts are being made to sell owners of an existing .cn domain an address with the same name on the second level or below another top-level domain such as .hk. This is usually already registered and can only be acquired for a completely disproportionate fee.
Compared to other ccTLDs, the legal situation regarding Chinese addresses is still largely unclear. In November 2012, a court in Shanghai confirmed that .cn domains could be confiscated for the first time. Furthermore, according to media reports, the state's authorities have been checking the content of websites under a .cn domain more and more often since 2005, even if they are provided from abroad.
meaning
Due to the rapid spread of the Internet in China and the increasing international interest, .cn has been one of the fastest growing top-level domains for several years. In September 2012, more .cn than .eu domains were registered for the first time.
In September 2012, the registry CNNIC entered into a cooperation with the largest Chinese Internet company Tencent , in the course of which the registration of .cn domains is made possible for a wider public. For example, all users of the QQ social network are given a free personalized address. Due to the cooperation, experts expect even stronger growth of the top-level domain in the coming years.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ International domain statistics. Domaintools.com, accessed May 27, 2020 (current .cn domain number).
- ↑ Delegation Record for .CN. IANA , accessed September 10, 2012 .
- ↑ International domain statistics. DENIC eG, accessed on February 2, 2017 .
- ↑ China Internet Domain Name Regulations. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011 ; accessed on September 10, 2012 .
- ↑ Chinese domain sellers are unsettling owners of .cn domains. In: united-domains blog. Retrieved July 6, 2012 .
- ↑ Florian Hitzelberger: First known domain attachment in China. In: domain-right. November 21, 2012, accessed January 1, 2013 .
- ^ Florian Hitzelberger: China tightened network censorship. In: domain-right. September 25, 2005, accessed January 1, 2013 .
- ↑ Daniel Dingeldey: .cn lapsed .eu. In: domain-recht.de. united-domains AG, September 5, 2012, accessed on January 19, 2017 .
- ↑ CNNIC and Tencent cooperate: .cn is about to jump in registration numbers. In: united-domains blog. September 12, 2012, accessed October 2, 2012 .