The DotAsia Organisation
 | |
| Type: | Non-Profit |
| Industry: | Registry Operator |
| Founded: | 2006 |
| Headquarters: | Hong Kong |
| Country: | China |
| Website: | DotAsia.org |
| Key People | |
| Edmon Chung, CEO Ping Wong, Senior Business Development Manager | |
The DotAsia Organisation is the sponsor and registry operator for the .asia sTLD; which is the first TLD to be headquartered in Asia.[1]
Mission
The self-described mission of the DotAsia Organisation is:
- To sponsor, establish and operate a regional Internet namespace with global recognition and regional significance, dedicated to the needs of the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific Internet community;
- To contribute proceeds in socio-technological advancement initiatives relevant to the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific Internet community and;
- To operate a viable not-for-profit initiative that is a technically advanced, world-class TLD registry for the Pan-Asia and Asia Pacific community.[2]
Structure
The Board of Directors is made up of 11 individuals; 8 seats are given to sponsor members- which come from the community of Asian ccTLD operators, 2 seats go to co-sponsor members -which are representatives of other organizations involved in Asian internet affairs, and 1 seat is for the board-appointed CEO.[3]
It is open to membership to all interested and applicable parties.
Start-Up
The Organisation was created in 2006 through a Sponsored TLD Registry Agreement.[4]
The Sunrise, Landrush, and Pioneer Domains Program went historically smooth for .asia. It conceived of the Pioneer Domains Program as an alternative to the general first-come-first-serve policy usually put in place through the Sunrise and Landrush periods. Its departure from this model marks the first time an application for a domain name was approved on the quality of the application itself.[5] Vint Cerf was quoted as saying : "The Pioneer Domains Program will be a useful benchmark for other new TLD operators to take into account".[6]
The Sunrise period began in October, 2007. The Landrush lasted from February to March, 2008. The Organisation claims that there were zero disputes received throughout the entire start-up process.[7] However, Thomas Rucker may take issue with that claim as he runs a website highlighting the discrepancies and "shady" dealing he sees within The DotAsia Organisation.
Security
In November, 2010, The DotAsia Organisation entered into an agreement with Afilias concerning DNSSEC implementation. The Organisation hailed it as a sign of its dedication to security issues and its status as an industry pioneer, given that at that time it is one of a few TLDs to have implemented DNSSEC.[8]
Relief.Asia
Following the Myanmar Cyclone and Sichuan Earthquakes, the DotAsia Organisation, along with other Asian IT leaders like ISOC HK, APNG, APNIC and others, created the Relief.Asia initiative. Their goal was to create a platform that could unite the Asian community in responding to disasters through IT solutions. Components of the initiative include: the deployment of wireless networks to areas that lose their fixed infrastructure, called DUMBO; The Sahana FOSS Management system that provides management applications designed to help with compiling missing persons registry, relief organization registries, and related programs; they also have a social networking platform that connects blogs with a wiki to provide for direct international communication regarding a given disaster.[9]
They have recently been involved in the New Zealand earthquakes and Japanese tsunami of 2010.