Google is launching a new top level domain, specifically intended for companies in the app space.

.app in your cap

Google describes the new .app top-level domain as ‘the perfect home to promote apps on the web’. They suggest it ought to be a place for ‘relevant, trustworthy download links [and] release notes, reviews, and more.’

The ‘trust’ part of that branding is reinforced by a world-first in TLD security rules: Compulsory HTTPS.

Secure, like good tech should

All domains using .app must use HTTPS by default, instead of HTTP. Google says this provides ‘built-in web security’ for site owners and users alike.

CSO quotes a Google source as saying that compulsory HTTPS will ‘help protect users against malicious ads, ISP tracking, and privacy threats from using unsecured WiFi networks’

Google Registry and $ priorities

The capitalist catch: businesses that bought in to Google Registry’s Early Access Program (EAP) could secure their .app domains up to a week prior to the broader May 8 release.

Even within the EAP, there are five tiers, with higher-paying customers getting earlier access.

If these new three-letter TLDs app-eal to you, grab one from Google Domains, or one of their many partner registrars.

Does the release of new TLDs continue the democratisation of the internet, or is it merely a cash-grab that forces enterprises to further expand their domain portfolios?

Copy Transmission is a Melbourne-based agency :: Better Brands. Loud & Clear.