.SS: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:11, 7 November 2024

.ss is the ccTLD for South Sudan. It is managed by the National Communication Authority (NCA).^[1]

Delegation History[edit | edit source]

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011. In August 2011, the “SS” two-letter country code was assigned for South Sudan in the ISO 3166-1 standard. The National Communication Authority (NCA) was established in 2012, which is answerable to the President of the Republic of South Sudan and under the direct supervision of the Competent Minister. The functions and powers of the Authority include regulating Internet domain names in South Sudan. On 21 August 2018, NCA commenced a request for the delegation of .ss (South Sudan) country-code top-level domain.

Rules and Restrictions[edit | edit source]

An applicant may reside in any legal jurisdiction

All second-level names used by the Registry are banned from being used as third level names (e.g. "com.com.ss" cannot be registered).

Also, all TLDs are banned from being used as third level names (e.g. "net.org.ss" and "org.com.ss" are not allowed).^[2]

Reserved and Blocked Domain Names[edit | edit source]

A reserved name is a name that is not, and may not be, registered. Names may be reserved to enhance the stability and security of the DNS, and to preserve the public nature of well-known or widely-used names over which no- one holds and no-one should hold intellectual property rights.

For any domain name, a blocked name is a name that is considered to be offensive on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, gender or any other grounds that are in the public interest.

No .ss domain may be used, directly or indirectly, for any purpose that is sexual or pornographic or that is against the statutory laws of any Nation.

Second-level Domain[edit | edit source]

The following second-level domains are available:

.com.ss: for companies;
.org.ss: for not-for-profit organizations or NGOs;
.net.ss: for network devices;
.me.ss: for personal names.

The following SLDs require supporting documents to register:

.gov.ss: for government entities;
.edu.ss: for institutions of higher education;
.sch.ss: for lower and middle institutes of learning.^[3]

Characters[edit | edit source]

The domain names must follow the following requirements:

domain names must have a minimum of 3 characters;
all domain names should not have more than 63 characters;
domain names can consist of letters a-z and numbers 0-9.^[2]

ccTLD Choice Controversy[edit | edit source]

South Sudan made the choice to apply for "ss" as their top-level domain. This decision caused some controversy because of the connection made in Europe between the letters ‘SS’ and the Nazi movement.^[4] In this context, the initials stand for Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary organisation in Nazi Germany. Some observers have been concerned that if South Sudan were delegated .ss, the TLD could be commandeered by neo-Nazi groups.^[5]

References[edit | edit source]

[1] IANA: Delegation Record for .SS

[rules-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ssNIC: Registration Policy for .SS Domain Names

[3] ssNIC: FAQs

[4] Reuters: South Sudan takes final steps toward statehood

[5] Coordination Center for TLD RU/РӨ: ICANN may delegate .SS

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

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-.SS is the designated '''country''' code '''top'''-'''level domain''' (ccTLD) for '''South Sudan''' in the '''Domain''' Name System of the Internet. It is derived from the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for '''South Sudan''', which is SS.
+'''.ss''' is the ccTLD for South Sudan. It is managed by the National Communication Authority (NCA).<ref>[https://www.iana.org/reports/2019/ss-report-20190108.html IANA: Delegation Record for .SS]</ref>
-When South Sudan became the world’s newest country last July, it set about nation building. This included establishing a country-code top level domain (ccTLD), for which the nation wanted .ss. Although the SS string appeared on the International Standards Organisation’s ISO 3166-1-alpha-2 code list in August, the forerunner to ICANN approval for a ccTLD, .ss is still not plugged into the internet.
+== Delegation History ==
-One of the challenges facing .ss is the connection made in Europe between the letters ‘SS’ and the Nazi movement. The initials also stand for Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary organisation in Nazi Germany that was responsible for many atrocities in the first half of the twentieth century. Some observers have been concerned that if South Sudan were delegated .ss, the TLD could be commandeered by neo-Nazi groups.
+South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011. In August 2011, the “SS” two-letter country code was assigned for South Sudan in the ISO 3166-1 standard. The National Communication Authority (NCA) was established in 2012, which is answerable to the President of the Republic of South Sudan and under the direct supervision of the Competent Minister. The functions and powers of the Authority include regulating Internet domain names in South Sudan. On 21 August 2018, NCA commenced a request for the delegation of .ss (South Sudan) country-code top-level domain.
-South Sudan Registry, the company apparently established to run the TLD, seems to say that the Nazi connection will not be a problem and, at best, may even drive interest. “Many other TLDs like .com .org .net .de .nl .fr etc also host neo-Nazi websites or hate material targeted at various groups,” says the company. “This will be an interesting debate as it unfolds but it will certainly make .SS one of the most recognisableccTLD domains.”
+== Rules and Restrictions ==
-The issue raises an important question that is still unresolved in domain name circles: to what extent areICANN, registries, registrars and registrants liable for the content on a website at which a certain domain name resolves?
+An applicant may reside in any legal jurisdiction
-Domain name registration is a key battleground in the war over freedom of speech. But domain namesales can also represent a new source of revenue to a national government, especially one as poor as South Sudan’s. The government may wish to attract brand owners as registrants, but most companies would steer clear of a TLD if it becomes known as an online Nazi hangout.
+All second-level names used by the Registry are banned from being used as third level names (e.g. "com.com.ss" cannot be registered).
-South Sudan Registry is right - it’s an interesting debate indeed.
+Also, all TLDs are banned from being used as third level names (e.g. "net.org.ss" and "org.com.ss" are not allowed).<ref name="rules">[http://nic.ss/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ssNIC-ccTLD-Registration-Policy.pdf ssNIC: Registration Policy for .SS Domain Names]</ref>
+=== Reserved and Blocked Domain Names ===
+A reserved name is a name that is not, and may not be, registered. Names may be reserved to enhance the stability and security of the DNS, and to preserve the public nature of well-known or widely-used names over which no- one holds and no-one should hold intellectual property rights.
+For any domain name, a blocked name is a name that is considered to be offensive on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, gender or any other grounds that are in the public interest.
+No .ss domain may be used, directly or indirectly, for any purpose that is sexual or pornographic or that is against the statutory laws of any Nation.
+=== Second-level Domain ===
+The following second-level domains are available:
+* .com.ss: for companies;
+* .org.ss: for not-for-profit organizations or NGOs;
+* .net.ss: for network devices;
+* .me.ss: for personal names.
+The following SLDs require supporting documents to register:
+* .gov.ss: for government entities;
+* .edu.ss: for institutions of higher education;
+* .sch.ss: for lower and middle institutes of learning.<ref>[http://nic.ss/faqs/ ssNIC: FAQs]</ref>
+=== Characters ===
+The domain names must follow the following requirements:
+* domain names must have a minimum of 3 characters;
+* all domain names should not have more than 63 characters;
+* domain names can consist of letters a-z and numbers 0-9.<ref name="rules"></ref>
+== ccTLD Choice Controversy ==
+South Sudan made the choice to apply for "ss" as their top-level domain. This decision caused some controversy because of the connection made in Europe between the letters ‘SS’ and the Nazi movement.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sudan-independence-idUSTRE75S4A520110629/ Reuters: South Sudan takes final steps toward statehood]</ref> In this context, the initials stand for Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary organisation in Nazi Germany. Some observers have been concerned that if South Sudan were delegated .ss, the TLD could be commandeered by neo-Nazi groups.<ref>[https://cctld.ru/en/media/news/industry/24542/ Coordination Center for TLD RU/РӨ: ICANN may delegate .SS]</ref>
+== References ==
+{{reflist}}
+[[Category:ccTLD]]
+[[Category:South Sudan]]