By Jon Nevett, President and CEO, Public Interest Registry
I’m incredibly humbled and proud to share that the .ORG domain has officially surpassed 12 million domain registrations worldwide. This is a major milestone for our organization: Over the past two decades, PIR has grown from 2.6 million .ORG domains to now more than 12 million.
We didn’t get here by accident. This milestone is a testament to our .ORG Community.
Behind the .ORG domain are changemakers who believe progress is possible. Each .ORG has a story of purpose — a nonprofit serving its community, an advocate amplifying important voices, an educator creating opportunities, a business working to do good, a social enterprise driving innovation, or an individual determined to make a positive difference.
I’m continually inspired by the passion, creativity, and resilience of the changemakers behind these organizations. Their work is what drives us at PIR to support an Internet ecosystem that empowers mission-driven individuals and organizations to thrive.
What makes this milestone especially meaningful to me is that we’ve achieved this growth responsibly with the help of our wonderful registrar partners, while staying true to our nonprofit mission of supporting a safer Internet for everyone.
As the steward of .ORG, PIR has prioritized responsible, quality growth across the domain industry. We’ve invested heavily in proactive anti-abuse efforts and collaborative partnerships to help keep the Internet safe.
One initiative I’m especially proud of is our Quality Performance Index (QPI) program, which we launched seven years ago to encourage responsible growth among registrars while helping to prevent DNS abuse. Programs like QPI are a key reason why .ORG continues to maintain industry-leading renewal rates and low abuse rates.
We’ve also continued to support the work of the NetBeacon Institute, which PIR founded to provide innovative, accessible solutions to combat DNS Abuse and foster a safer digital environment. And we’ve strengthened partnerships with organizations including the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the Revenge Porn Helpline, the Red Cross, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to identify and address harmful online activity.
Earlier this year, we expanded our partnership with the IWF to help registrars better detect and disrupt child sexual abuse material online by providing access to tools and intelligence resources at no cost to them. Every .ORG registration helps support the Internet Society’s work to keep the Internet open, globally connected, and secure. PIR contributes nearly 60% of the proceeds from each .ORG registration to the Internet Society, helping advance a safer and more accessible Internet for communities around the world.
We’re also deeply committed to supporting the .ORG Community at every step of their journey — from launching a trusted digital identity to scaling their mission and celebrating their achievements.
Through our .ORG Learning Center, ORG In Action stories, and annual .ORG Impact Awards, we strive to celebrate and uplift the incredible work happening across our global community every day.
This past year has been especially exciting for the .ORG Community. Last summer, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the .ORG domain — marking four decades of trust, credibility, and purpose online. More recently, we launched our largest-ever global advertising campaign in collaboration with Formula 1 and Mission 44, spotlighting the millions of mission-driven organizations and individuals powered by .ORG on one of the world’s biggest stages.
But even with these milestones, what continues to matter most to me is the people behind every .ORG.
This milestone belongs to the millions of changemakers who have chosen .ORG to bring their ideas to life and share their mission with the world. For them, this milestone represents the ideas, missions, and communities who are impacted by their work.
Every day, we welcome new .ORGs and changemakers into the .ORG Community. And we promise to continue celebrating and uplifting the incredible work they do!
Here’s to 12 million .ORG domains — and the millions more stories of purpose still to come.