New .Health Top-Level Domain Announces Launch for the Health Industry
.health will have a phased launch with registrations open to the health industry starting July 2017
dotHealth LLC announced today it will launch the new .health top-level domain (TLD) as a new home for health online. The .health TLD is designed to be the premier web address for those who are advancing the health and wellness industry and will provide a new home for health online for brands, organizations and individuals who provide high-quality health products, services and information.
The Internet makes extensive amounts of information available to consumers, and it can be a challenge for consumers to filter unreliable information from valuable information. The .health extension will set a new benchmark for online health information and help promote peace of mind in health-decision making by enabling people to easily find and connect with credible sources of health information.
Driving the new TLD is dotHealth, LLC, an organization comprised of the same team that launched the .co TLD in 2010. dotHealth’s CEO, Jose Ignacio Rasco, is eager to improve the health industry by advancing the online health and wellness experience. “We are designing .health to be the new industry standard for websites in health and wellness. At dotHealth, we are committed to providing value to the health industry by meeting a need that has long existed for health information online,” said Rasco.
dotHealth is taking steps to ensure the .health domain landscape is backed by reliable technology and policies to provide credible and focused content. Registrants who adopt .health domains will be subject to stringent terms and policies that ensure the integrity of the extension and deter misuse. These terms and policies are being developed with the assistance of an advisory board of health and technology experts. In addition to these policies, dotHealth recognizes the importance of security on health-related sites, therefore .health domains are backed by industry-leading technology and security protocols administered by Neustar, the largest provider of core registry and digital naming services.
.health will launch in a phased process to ensure that domains are available as soon as possible to the appropriate communities, while building a credible domain landscape that meets the needs of end users. Websites on .health will represent all areas of the health and wellness industry including: those who provide healthcare, those who provide health information, those who market health products/services, health IT companies, and those in the broader health and wellness space.
- May 8 – July 7, 2017 – Sunrise – Trademark holders will have first access to register .health domains aligned with their trademark according to ICANN regulations.
- July 20 – Nov 30, 2017 – Industry Access – Qualified health industry entities may register .health domains through a token system administered by dotHealth.
- Dec 5, 2017 – General Availability – Registration will open to the public while continuing to be backed by terms and policies that will safeguard the credibility of the space.
“We live in an age where we receive so much information, and we need to distill what is helpful to us. The .health domain extension will provide a new level of confidence for those seeking information about health. As consumers, we have certain expectations of some TLDs. Today more than 1,000 TLDs exist around the world, and only a handful garner instant credibility from end-users. .health will join that elite few as the most respected TLD for health information,” said Rasco.