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    • .cx

    Country-code top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .cx is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Christmas Island.
    • It is administered by the Christmas Island Domain Administration Limited (often abbreviated cxDA or CIIA), a community-owned non-profit that also provides Internet service on the island.
    • The domain supports registrations at the second level; some third-level names exist for local government sites (e.g., .gov.cx).
    • DNSSEC is enabled for the zone.
    • Registered domains: approximately 14,000 (data recorded 2022-12-14).

    History

    • The .cx domain was delegated in April 1997 (implementation date cited as 24 April 1997).
    • Initial administration was by Planet Three Limited (a UK/Australia-based company). Planet Three later went bankrupt and ceased operations.
    • Local efforts led to redelegation to a local entity. The Christmas Island Internet Administration / Christmas Island Domain Administration Limited became the operator following endorsement by the local Shire Council and subsequent recognition/support from the Australian government.
    • The registry is a member of the Council of Country Code Administrators (CoCCA) and uses common registry/dispute resolution services associated with that group.

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended use: entities connected with Christmas Island.
    • Typical users include local individuals, organisations, and government sites (the latter often using third-level names under .gov.cx).
    • Registrations are available at the second level, which makes .cx suitable for general-purpose domain use tied to the territory.

    Registration Rules

    • The domain's public documentation and registrant agreement set out requirements and behavioral rules for registrants, including:
      • Registrants must believe the registration and intended use do not infringe third-party legal or intellectual property rights.
      • Use of a .cx name must be in good faith and in accordance with Australian and international law.
      • Eligible registrants must be either identifiable human individuals (over 18) or legally recognized entities (companies, partnerships, associations, etc.).
      • Registrants must promptly notify cxDA of any actual or threatened legal proceedings related to the registered name.
      • Prohibited behaviours include registering domain names to divert trade, deliberately registering misspellings of another entity's name to trade on their goodwill, and other forms of bad-faith registrations (anti-cybersquatting provisions).
    • The registry publishes a Registrant Agreement and an Acceptable Use Policy; dispute resolution is handled via CoCCA's Complaint Resolution Service.
    • (An infobox summary notes "restrictions: None" while the registrant agreement sets out the behavioral and eligibility conditions above.)

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • The .cx zone gained notoriety in the early web era due to hosting of a well-known shock site (goatse.cx); that notoriety has affected public perception of the TLD in some contexts.
    • Aside from that historical association, .cx functions as a standard ccTLD for Christmas Island, with DNSSEC support and a local registry emphasizing governance and acceptable-use controls.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • goatse.cx:
      • One of the web's most infamous "shock sites" operated under the .cx domain (registered 1999).
      • Following local complaints, cxDA suspended goatse.cx on 14 January 2004.
      • By January 2007 the suspension had been lifted and the domain became available again; subsequent attempts to revive the original content were unsuccessful as of reporting in later years.

    Operator

    Christmas Island Domain Administration Limited

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       CX

organisation: Christmas Island Domain Administration Limited
address:      Christmas Island Technology Centre (6RCI)
address:      Nursery Road, Drumsite
address:      Christmas Island WA 6798
address:      Christmas Island

contact:      administrative
name:         Garth Miller
organisation: Christmas Island Domain Administration Limited
address:      Christmas Island Technology Centre (6RCI)
address:      Nursery Road, Drumsite
address:      Christmas Island WA 6798
address:      Christmas Island
phone:        +61 8 6102 5668
e-mail:       admin@cxda.org.cx

contact:      technical
name:         Brad Waugh
organisation: Indian Ocean Territories Telecom Pty Ltd
address:      Lot 190 Emden Walk, West Island
address:      Cocos (Keeling) Islands WA 6798
address:      Cocos (Keeling) Islands (the)
phone:        +61 410 177 335
e-mail:       tech@cxda.org.cx

nserver:      NS.ANYCAST.NIC.CX 2001:500:14:6016:ad:0:0:1 204.61.216.16
nserver:      NS1.ANYCASTDNS.CZ 185.38.108.108 2a00:fea0:dead:0:0:0:0:beef
nserver:      NS2.ANYCASTDNS.CZ 185.28.194.194
ds-rdata:     6500 8 2 4854a102492ce0c50c714f366ebbd520cba38bbefc91cf295eee8e6ef7d48ca5

whois:        whois.nic.cx

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://cxda.org.cx

created:      1997-04-24
changed:      2024-02-16
source:       IANA

    Registrars