.kz
 | |
| Introduced | 1994 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | KazNIC |
| Sponsor | Association of IT Companies of Kazakhstan |
| Intended use |
Entities connected with  Kazakhstan |
| Actual use | Popular in Kazakhstan |
| Registration restrictions | None for second-level names; some restrictions for third-level names depending on which second-level name they are under |
| Structure | Registrations are made directly at the second level, or at the third level beneath second-level categories |
| Documents | Rules |
| Dispute policies | Dispute resolution policy |
| Website | NIC.kz |
.kz and .қаз are the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Kazakhstan.
Registrations can be made directly at the second level (with no requirement of Kazakhstan presence) or at the third level beneath categories which have specific restrictions, and are generally limited to Kazakhstan-related entities.
.kz
Second-level domains
- .com.kz – Commercial organizations; registered trademark protection.
- .edu.kz – Licensed educational organizations.
- .gov.kz – Governmental organizations.
- .mil.kz – Ministry of Defense.
- .net.kz – Licensed networks of data communications.
- .org.kz – Nonprofit organizations.
Controversy
A minor incident was caused when the right to use the domain name www.borat.kz, the website of Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakh character, Borat, was suspended.[1] The domain-issuing body said that they took this action since false names were given for the site's administrators, and also because the site www.borat.kz was hosted outside Kazakhstan. However, the underlying cause of the action was in order to censor the content of the site: "We've done this so he can't badmouth Kazakhstan under the .kz domain name," Nurlan Isin, President of the Association of Kazakh IT Companies, told Reuters. "He can go and do whatever he wants at other domains."
In June 2011, Google redirected[2] all traffic from google.kz to google.com in response to a demand issued by the Kazakh Ministry of Communications and Information that requires all .kz domain names to operate on physical servers within the borders of Kazakhstan. SVP Bill Coughran said "creating borders on the web raises important questions for us not only about network efficiency but also about user privacy and free expression." By hosting google.kz only on servers inside Kazakhstan, "we would be helping to create a fractured Internet."
.қаз
| Introduced | 2012 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | KazNIC |
| Intended use |
Entities connected with Kazakhstan |
| Actual use | Many sites. |
| DNS name | xn--80ao21a |
| Website | NIC.kz |
A second country code top-level domain, .қаз ("kaz") for Kazakhstan is now active.[3] It is used with web addresses using Cyrillic letters. It was launched in March 2012, when the first site, a test site, http://Тест.қаз ("test.kaz") was activated.
Own second level domains are allowed, but there are also the following standardized second-level domains:[4]
- .мем.қаз – public sector organizations
- .бiл.қаз – education institutions
- .ком.қаз – commercial organizations
- .қау.қаз – non-profit organizations and projects
- .қор.қаз – defense
- .бай.қаз – communications enterprises, networks
Some second-level domains have been reserved in a prioritized manner, such as президент.қаз ("president.kaz"). Between May 1, 2012 to July 31, 2012, companies and trade-mark holders could apply for their names.
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ "Kazakhs cut Borat", TheAge.com.au (source:Reuters), December 14, 2005
- ↑ Changes to the open Internet in Kazakhstan, Official Google Blog, June 7, 2011
- ↑ http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3A.қаз
- ↑ Order of introduction of «.ҚАЗ» domain name