The History of .ORG

Created in 1984, .ORG is one of the internet's original top-level domains (TLDs), along with .COM, .NET, .GOV, .EDU and .MIL. Although it is "open" and "unrestricted", .ORG soon became the domain of choice for organizations dedicated to serving the public interest. The high regard of these well-intentioned organizations was soon conferred to this domain and today .ORG is considered by people around the world to be the domain of trust.

From small, local groups to huge, global foundations, a diverse range of noncommercial organizations use .ORG to advance their missions. Even many for-profit businesses use .ORG to gain support for their charitable activities.

In January 2003, the Public Interest Registry assumed responsibility for operating .ORG and maintaining the authoritative database of all .ORG domain names. (For more on the bid to manage .ORG, see ICANN.) The transition of .ORG from the previous operator to Public Interest Registry was the largest transfer in Internet history. More than 2.6 million domains were transferred in about a day, without affecting any .ORG registrant or website.

In 2003, a Board of Directors and Advisory Council were formed for the company. Guided by the valuable input of the council, board, and registrars, the Public Interest Registry has worked tirelessly on behalf of the .ORG Community, advocating for positive change, strengthening the safety and integrity of the internet, improving access to technology and expanding into underserved markets.