.ac
| Status: | Active |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Introduced: | December 19, 1997 |
| Manager: | Internet Computer Bureau Limited (ICB) |
| Registry Provider: | NIC.AC (ICB) |
| Type: | ccTLD |
| Website: | [nic.ac] |
More information: 
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.ac is the ccTLD for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, but it is used primarily for Ascension Island (Saint Helena has its own ccTLD, .sh). It is managed by the Internet Computer Bureau Limited (ICB).[1], The official registry is also ICB, through its subsidiary NIC.AC, based in the United Kingdom.[2]
Rules and Restrictions[edit | edit source]
Registration for the domain is open to anyone. [3]
Usage[edit | edit source]
Although its intended use is for entities connected with Ascension Island, this ccTLD is largerly used for educational institutions and programs, like the Dhaka International University in India (diu.ac) and the Ralston College in the US (ralston.ac), due to its similarity to the .ac ("academic") second-level domain that exists under some country code top-level domains. It's their registrar NIC.AC main marketing.[3]
In 2013, after its .sx domain was seized, The Pirate Bay temporarily relocated its site to thepiratebay.ac.[4]
.ac is also being used by anti-cheat software Easy Anti-Cheat. [5]