.auth

Mission, Purpose and Sustainability of .auth Codyssey SL proposes .auth as a trusted, security-focused generic top-level domain for authentication, authorization, digital identity and secure-access services. Its purpose is to provide a clearly identifiable namespace for organizations operating sensitive login, identity-verification, account-access, payment-authentication, credential-management, cybersecurity or access-control infrastructure. The intended registrants include organizations, businesses, public-sector entities and individuals that operate or support authentication, authorization, identity, cybersecurity, access-control or related digital services. While registrations will be generally available, the registry will apply verification and security measures appropriate to the security-sensitive nature of the namespace. The intended users are Internet users, customers, employees, partners and systems that rely on trustworthy authentication or authorization endpoints. The TLD is intended to be broadly available through participating ICANN-accredited registrars. To preserve trust in the namespace and reduce abuse, registrations will be subject to reasonable identity verification, security-focused acceptable-use requirements, and risk-based review procedures where appropriate. The mission of .auth is to reduce phishing, impersonation, credential theft and other forms of DNS abuse by creating a more governed environment for authentication-related services. Because “auth” is widely understood as referring to authentication or authorization, Codyssey SL recognizes that users may associate the string with trust and secure access. The registry will therefore apply controls that are central to the operating model, not merely optional promotional commitments. Related activities carried out or planned to achieve this purpose include defining transparent eligibility and registration policies; verifying registrant identity and eligibility; requiring compliance with security-focused acceptable-use rules; maintaining proactive DNS abuse monitoring and mitigation programs consistent with ICANN requirements and industry best practices; reviewing high-risk registrations and abuse indicators; investigating credible abuse reports; and applying proportionate mitigation measures, including suspension or other registry-level action where justified. The registry also intends to support DNSSEC, strong access controls for registry and registrar systems, appropriate protections for high-value names, privacy and data-protection practices consistent with applicable law, and Universal Acceptance so that .auth names can be correctly recognized by Internet applications and services. .auth will be operated as an accessible but verified namespace, available to eligible third parties through participating ICANN-accredited registrars. This model supports competition and consumer choice while preserving the specialized purpose of the TLD. It offers legitimate organizations a differentiated alternative to general-purpose TLDs for services where user trust, identity assurance and operational security are particularly important. The purpose is sustainable over time because demand for reliable authentication, identity and secure-access services is structural and expected to grow as digital services, online payments, remote work, APIs and identity-based security models continue to expand. At the same time, phishing and impersonation remain persistent risks, creating an ongoing need for namespaces that combine clear purpose with enforceable rules. The .auth model is designed to remain sustainable through a focused target market, transparent governance, scalable verification processes, registrar onboarding and monitoring, continuous abuse-response capability, and policies that can evolve as threats, technologies and ICANN requirements develop. No variant of an existing gTLD is being applied for.

Link Freedom Group (LFG) aspires to become a best-in-class, vertically integrated domain name registration authority, see linkfreedomgroup.link. This TLD is part of a carefully curated portfolio of strings that LFG intends to pursue in ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD Program. In assembling this portfolio, LFG focused on securing meaningful, memorable, and commercially compelling strings that resonate strongly with end users and offer long-term growth potential. Over the past four years, LFG (Nova Registry) has successfully grown its flagship TLD, .LINK, from approximately 125,000 to more than 300,000 domains under management. This growth has been driven by innovative distribution strategies, the expansion of registrar partnerships, and a granular pricing model that has enabled .LINK to remain competitively priced while avoiding the significant fee increases implemented by some other registry operators. LFG’s experience in the domain name industry has reinforced one of the key lessons from the 2012 application round: long-term sustainability is strengthened through portfolio diversification. By spreading operational costs and mitigating revenue fluctuations across multiple TLDs, LFG is better positioned to withstand market volatility and invest in continued growth. Accordingly, LFG believes that even obtaining a subset of the TLDs for which it has applied will establish a diversified portfolio capable of supporting long-term economic stability, operational resilience, and sustainable growth.

The mission and purpose of this TLD is to provide tech professionals an intuitive space for keeping/disseminating authorizations of various sorts. Registrants and users will be tech professionals (sys admins, etc). Authorization information will be even more important in the future, making this a sustainable TLD.