.tk

.tk

Introduced	1997
TLD type	Country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	Dot TK (run by BV Dot TK)
Sponsor	Government of Tokelau and Teletok
Intended use	Entities connected with  Tokelau
Actual use	Many uses, most not in Tokelau. Free domains available or paid registrations for legal ownership with no activity requirement
Registration restrictions	Cannot be registered as "Google Apps Standard Edition" since 2010, March (Except Educational and Professional services.)
Structure	Registrations are taken directly at the second level; domains are redirected to actual website addresses within a frame, or point directly to a webserver or nameserver
Documents	Policies
Dispute policies	Dispute Resolution Policy
Website	Dot.TK

.tk is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand located in the South Pacific.

Overview

Tokelau allows any individual to register domain names. Users and small businesses may register up to 3 domain names free of charge (with some restrictions). In addition to the name itself, users can opt to forward their web traffic using HTML frames and their email traffic, with a maximum of 250 addresses per user log in, or use full DNS nameservice, either via their own or third-party servers, or by using Dot TK's servers. In order to ensure that names are being used, there is a minimum usage policy of 25 hits in 90 days, for both forwarded and DNS only domains, or 10 emails in 90 days for those domains that use only email forwarding. There are also content restrictions for free domains, banning sites containing sexual content, drug use, hate speech, firearms, and copyright infringement.^[1]

Dot TK also provides .tk websites with the option to join a network called TiKinet, a close-knit network that links sites to each other based on key words called TiKilinks. The network is expected to increase traffic to the websites, many of which are personal sites and blogs operated by individuals who otherwise would have no way to advertise their sites.^[2]

To be able to get a "special" .tk domain name the user must buy it. This includes trademark domain names for most Fortune 500 companies. Paid domain names cost US$19.90 for the first two years. Potentially valuable names with fewer than 4 characters are similarly unavailable for free registration, and must generally be purchased at a premium price of over $1000.

Dot TK launched a new service for Twitter users in April 2010,^[3] offering a URL shortening service that uses less space than many others, and for Facebook where the user can rename Facebook account pages with a .tk name.

Research by McAfee

In 2006, McAfee conducted a survey in which they claim out of the 95 percent most trafficked web sites, .tk domains were twice as likely as the global average to be used for "unwanted behaviors", including scams such as phishing and spam.^[4] However, in 2008 McAfee reported that the threat of scams like phishing and spam was significantly reduced with .tk and that other top level domains such as .com and .net were much more used in such scams.^[5]

Research By The Anti Phishing Working Group

The report blamed Tokelau's bad reputation on a Dutch company called Dot TK, which bought the top level domain, and which hands out domain registrations for free. Users and criminals have flocked to the free .tk domain, according to the research, and now Tokelau, which has 1500 residents, is home to more than 4 million registered domains. ^[6]

References

1. ^ "Free Domain Terms and Conditions". April 4, 2010. http://www.dot.tk/en/doc_tcfree_v350.pdf. 
2. ^ Narain, Divya (December 19, 2007). "Dot TK Websites Now Interlinked to One Another". TMCnet. http://internetcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/enterprise/articles/16886-dot-tk-websites-now-interlinked-one-another.htm. 
3. ^ "TweaK". April 4, 2010. http://www.tweak.tk. 
4. ^ Field, Michael (2007-03-16). "Pacific atolls host world's most dangerous websites". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/security/pacific-atolls-host-worlds-most-dangerous-websites/2007/03/16/1173722722104.html. Retrieved 2007-11-07. 
5. ^ Keats, Shane (2008-06-04). "Mapping the Mal Web, Revisited". McAfee. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. http://us.mcafee.com/en-us/local/docs/Mapping_Mal_Web.pdf?cid=45044. Retrieved 2008-06-04. 
6. ^ Pauli, Darren (2011-04-27). "Pacific atoll a phishing haven". http://m.zdnet.com.au/pacific-atoll-a-phishing-haven-339313909.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 

External links

• IANA .tk whois information
• .tk Registration