gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.abudhabi	Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre	adsic.abudhabi.ae	View

BENEFITS OF THE .abudhabi TLD

The six main beneficiaries who will gain from the establishment of the .abudhabi TLD are:

1. Entities and public sector affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Government: including government departments, authorities and foundations of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These entities will be entitled to register .abudhabi domain names related to their executive functions. Through the creation of the .abudhabi TLD, greater accessibility to desired domain names will provide government-affiliated entities with the prospect of marketing their services and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi having suitable, concise domain names which will result in more direct, intuitive navigation.

The .abudhabi TLD will benefit government-affiliated entities by through allowing them to make use of the TLD’s unique online identity and effectively aligning themselves with Abu Dhabi brand and conveying their vision, values and services, while emphasising their partnership with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This benefit will promote the online provision of government services and decrease the number of people visiting government offices, thereby increasing the productivity and efficiency of government-affiliated entities. In addition, it is expected that the greater availability of information regarding the services provided by government-affiliated entities will improve provision and accessibility to these services.

The delivery of more effective public services to those who live and work in Abu Dhabi will promote Abu Dhabi as an ideal location to work, live, and invest. These benefits will further progress the .abudhabi TLD’s core function as the key marketing tool for all government-affiliated entities and support the entities’ online activities, thereby ensuring a uniform approach.

2. Organisations (public and private sector) registered in Abu Dhabi: including all businesses, non-profit organisations, NGO’s and associations registered in Abu Dhabi or any of the Abu Dhabi Free Zones. These organisations will be entitled to register a .abudhabi domain name that matches or is close to and substantially related to their name or service rendered. The creation of this authoritative online space will provide organisations with an unambiguous and trusted channel in which to communicate information and operate e-commerce, as well as allowing businesses to be easily identified as official organisations registered in Abu Dhabi.

The .abudhabi TLD will benefit organisations registered in Abu Dhabi by allowing them to leverage off the TLD’s unique online identity and successfully promote their goods and services whilst representing their affiliation with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These benefits will facilitate the .abudhabi TLD’s function as the key promotional tool for organisations, supporting these entities to promote the mission⁄purpose of the .abudhabi TLD.

3. Residents of Abu Dhabi: residents of Abu Dhabi will gain from the publication of all content through .abudhabi domain names by government-affiliated entities and registered organisations. This content will ultimately promote Abu Dhabi and benefit residents. For example, .abudhabi domain names registered by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage will benefit residents of Abu Dhabi through its aim of engaging civil society by providing it with the means to develop cultural expression and knowledge.

Similarly, all .abudhabi domain names registered by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority will benefit the residents of Abu Dhabi by, among other things, allowing them to build the .abudhabi TLD online identity into their overall individual online marketing strategies. The expected boost of Abu Dhabi’s international profile through the .abudhabi TLD will boost tourism and local investment initiatives, whilst also continuing the forging of an innovative online market that will ultimately serve to benefit the residents of Abu Dhabi.

4. ADSIC: ADSIC will be the registry operator for the .abudhabi TLD, in addition to its existing function as the government department responsible for promoting the use of information and communication technology in the provision of government services. The .abudhabi TLD will complement ADSIC’s vision of being “a high performance government delivering world class services to the benefit of all its customers”. The .abudhabi TLD will also benefit ADSIC through functioning as a long-term asset that will respond to the changing Internet landscape and evolve in line with the needs of Abu Dhabi.

5. Visitors to Abu Dhabi: People from around the world either interested to know more about Abu Dhabi and⁄ or tourists planning to visit Abu Dhabi will also benefit from the .abudhabi TLD as it will be easy for them to search and navigate not only Abu Dhabi Government Departments but all types of organisations offering products and services.

6. Internet Users: the .abudhabi TLD will benefit Internet users by allowing access to authoritative, consistent and dependable content, owing to the registration of .abudhabi domain names being restricted to government-affiliated entities and registered organisations – the definitive authorities on legitimate information on Abu Dhabi. The creation of a single dedicated space to access all information relating to Abu Dhabi will also provide Internet users with increased ease of navigation.

GOALS OF THE .abudhabi TLD

The specific goals of the .abudhabi TLD are described below, along with the methods of their measurement and benefits associated with each goal.

Reputation of the .abudhabi TLD

Amongst government-affiliated entities and organisations, the first goal of the .abudhabi TLD is its recognition and standing as the official, authoritative online space for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is anticipated that this reputation will encourage the registration of .abudhabi domain names by these entities and facilitate the desired function of the .abudhabi TLD as the key marketing tool for government-affiliated entities and organisations in Abu Dhabi. Among Internet users, the goal is that the .abudhabi TLD will be recognised as the official online platform for accessing authoritative content relating to Abu Dhabi – the virtual location of Abu Dhabi which is accessible to Internet users globally.

The demand to register will be the key indicator of whether the .abudhabi TLD has achieved its intended reputation as the official, authoritative online space for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. As a key measure, ADSIC considers that meeting the projected registration volume will demonstrate its success in attaining the intended reputation. In addition, ADSIC will conduct social media surveys and market studies to measure the .abudhabi TLD’s reputation amongst Internet users; these will be conducted annually during the first five years of the TLD’s launch to closely track awareness, reputation and usage.

Development of legitimate content online

The second goal of the .abudhabi TLD is that it will move forward the development of legitimate, accurate and up-to-date content which promotes the Emirate of Abu Dhabi online. It is anticipated that restricting domain names registration to government-affiliated entities and organisations will encourage these entities to publish their content online. ADSIC’s outreach and communications activities relating to the .abudhabi TLD will focus on encouraging these entities to embrace the benefits of the proposed TLD by publishing legitimate online content.

ADSIC considers that attaining the intended reputation and achieving this goal to be symbiotic; for this reason, the means described above to measure the intended reputation will also be utilised to measure whether ADSIC’s goal of promoting the development of legitimate Abu Dhabi content online is achieved.

Promoting the Transition to the Online Provision of Services

ADSIC anticipates that the introduction of the .abudhabi TLD will promote the online provision of government services and reduce the number of people visiting government offices. One of the primary ADSIC key missions is to modernize government services by providing government entities with a set of value added services to encourage these entities to rollout online services targeting citizens and business in Abu Dhabi. The .abudhabi TLD will provide registrants with an official communication channel that authoritatively emphasises their affiliation with Abu Dhabi and empowers these entities to provide their services online.

The .abudhabi TLD will support other initiatives implemented by ADSIC, which will support and drive online relations between government entities, organisations and the residents of Abu Dhabi. The achievement of this goal will be measured through reference to analysis frequently undertaken by ADSIC to determine the success of various initiatives aimed at reducing the number of people visiting government offices and promoting the overall provision of online government services.

ANTICIPATED CONTRIBUTION TO THE CURRENT SPACE

In line with its Vision 2030, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has experienced exponential growth in population, investment and infrastructure over the last two decades and is considered a global leader in development and innovation. This advancement has translated into a significant expansion of Abu Dhabi’s online presence relative to the TLDs used, the identity of the registrant and the subsequent legitimacy of content published.

Whilst the existing .ae ccTLD provides an online space for the United Arab Emirates, it does not address concerns regarding the legitimacy of content, given that the registration of domain names is not restricted to an entity that is the ultimate authority on published content. Furthermore, the .ae ccTLD is not restricted to hosting content that only promotes the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The .abudhabi TLD will provide a high level of differentiation from existing TLDs, primarily in relation to its unique mission⁄purpose. No other TLD currently exists that is specifically devoted to the promotion and needs of a single city. The TLD will serve to consolidate Abu Dhabi’s online presence by being one of the first TLDs added to the root in which a city’s image and the values of that image are clearly communicated by and through the TLD via authoritative channels.

The TLD will address the needs of entities wishing to affiliate themselves with the government or Emirate of Abu Dhabi, rather than any other government or Emirate of the United Arab Emirates. In addition, the .abudhabi TLD will address the needs of government-affiliated entities who are concerned with the publication of inaccurate, illegitimate and unauthorised content and those who wish to exclusively promote Abu Dhabi and its residents with authority. The .abudhabi TLD will similarly benefit Internet users through providing an easily identifiable and dedicated TLD that has assurances regarding the legitimacy of content. Those providing unauthoritative information regarding Abu Dhabi will be easily identifiable by the unavailability to them of a .abudhabi domain name. The .abudhabi TLD will focus on maintaining a degree of uniformity in the underlying religious, cultural and moral values of constituents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The features of the .abudhabi TLD, as described above, clearly distinguish it from existing TLDs given the distinct needs that the .abudhabi TLD will address.

The introduction of the .abudhabi TLD will promote consumer choice and competition amongst existing TLDs by offering the opportunity for entities affiliated with the government of Abu Dhabi and organisations registered in Abu Dhabi to register domain names in a unique TLD environment.

The .abudhabi TLD does not purport to replace but will complement the .ae ccTLD which serves a much broader purpose. The .abudhabi TLD will be recognised by Internet users as the official, authoritative online space for Abu Dhabi, supported by marketing and outreach activities.

REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE .abudhabi TLD

Eligibility to register .abudhabi domain names will be restricted to entities affiliated with the government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and organisations registered in Abu Dhabi or any of the Abu Dhabi Free Zones. These organisations include those registered with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Al Ain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Western Region Development Council and any of the Free Zones in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. During the domain name registration process, government affiliated entities will be required to provide the contact information of the entity’s legal representative whereas registered organisations will be required to provide their registration number, as found in the database of registered organisations maintained by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is important to note that the collection of this information will not result in any delay in the registration process. ADSIC will perform periodic audits on an ongoing basis to verify the eligibility of registrants based on the provided information. In doing so, ADSIC will utilise established mechanisms and processes currently in place to verify the eligibility of registrants in the gov.ae and co.ae restricted zones.

The collection of identifying information prior to the allocation of domain names, and the verification of eligibility criteria following registration, ensures that the restrictions described above are adhered to, ultimately serving to maintain the integrity of the .abudhabi TLD. The safeguards that will be implemented against allowing for registrations in violation of this eligibility restriction are discussed in the response to question 28 – Abuse Prevention and Mitigation.

Government-affiliated entities may register .abudhabi domain names related to their executive functions, whilst registered organisations may register a domain name that matches or is close and substantially related to their name or service rendered. In addition, ADSIC will maintain a list of words which may not be registered in the .abudhabi TLD. This list contains words that, among other things, may:
– violate public morality or are contrary to public order
– are against a religion or a religious character
– deceive the public
– be prejudicial to the interest or security of Abu Dhabi or the United Arab Emirates

Restrictions will also be imposed on how domain names may be used. ADSIC will conduct periodic audits to ensure that the content published through .abudhabi domain names:
– does not violate public morality
– is not against a religion or a religious character
– promotes government entities, organisations or services in Abu Dhabi

Restricting eligibility to register domain names to government-affiliated entities and organisations registered in Abu Dhabi ensures that the published content is authoritative and legitimate. Restricting government-affiliated entities and registered organisations to .abudhabi domain names which are related to their executive functions or match their name or service rendered ensures that content is being provided by the entity most capable of providing authoritative content. This helps promote the attainment of the .abudhabi TLD’s intended reputation. The maintenance of a list of second level domain names which ADSIC will not allow to be registered ensures that the .abudhabi TLD is operated in a manner consistent with the religious, cultural and moral values of the people of Abu Dhabi. The operation of a globally-recognised but regionally-specific online space representative of the people of Abu Dhabi’s values allows for the accurate promotion of the place and people.

PROTECTION OF PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Government-affiliated entities applying for a .abudhabi domain name will not be required to provide information in addition to that which will be published on WhoIs. However, organisations registered in Abu Dhabi will be required to provide their registration number, in addition to standard contact information, in their application for a domain name.

Registration numbers are already made publicly accessible through the various online databases, so ADSIC does not consider it a requirement to keep this information confidential, but will ensure that the various policies implemented by ADSIC will protect against the misrepresentation and misuse of this information. ADSIC’s WhoIs Data Collection and Display Policy will preserve the privacy and personal information rights of Registrants, whilst respecting the interests of law enforcement agencies and other national agencies acting in the public interest. Similarly, ADSIC’s Privacy Policy will ensure Registrants are made aware of:
– when information about them is being collected
– the purpose for which it is being collected
– whether the information may be passed on to third parties
– the rights of individuals regarding the manner in which their personal information is handled

These policies will ensure personal information will not be provided to third parties other than ICANN or law enforcement agencies.

OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES

The ADSIC Communications Department will undertake a number of outreach and communications activities in relation to the .abudhabi TLD, which will align with existing marketing strategies and initiatives. The objectives of these activities include:
– Generating awareness and demand among government-affiliated entities and registered organisations of .abudhabi domain names.
– Generating awareness and understanding of the unique focus of the .abudhabi TLD among Internet users.

The following activities, targeted at government-affiliated entities, registered organisations and Internet users, will form part of ADSIC’s promotion and communications activities:

– The ADSIC Communications Department will directly contact each of its established contacts within government-affiliated entities to educate them on the focus, benefits and differentiation of the .abudhabi TLD. Following this, ADSIC will provide more detailed information regarding eligibility and allocation of .abudhabi domain names to government-affiliated entities during various government forums. These efforts will enable the necessity and utilisation of .abudhabi domain names by these entities.

– The ADSIC Communications Department will issue press releases, publish advertisements in various local and international publications and conduct a press conference highlighting the introduction and the benefits of the .abudhabi TLD to organisations registered in Abu Dhabi and Internet users in general. These efforts are targeted towards local and international Internet users to ensure that the .abudhabi TLD is recognised as the dedicated, authoritative space for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

– ADSIC will host a launch event for the .abudhabi TLD. The event will include speakers from various government-affiliated entities and will focus on generating awareness among all stakeholders.

– ADSIC will recruit high-profile brand advocates to deliver the .abudhabi message with maximum cut-through, effectiveness and impact. The chosen brand advocates will include key leaders in business within major industries in Abu Dhabi.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.doha	The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology “ictQATAR”	ict.gov.qa	View

BENEFITS OF THE .DOHA TLD

The four main beneficiaries who will gain advantage from the .doha TLD are:

1. Government-Affiliated Entities: including, but not limited to, government departments, Ministries and Supreme Councils of the State of Qatar. These entities will be granted the use of .doha domain names related to their executive functions, to promote the city of Doha and its constituents. The .doha TLD will benefit government-affiliated entities by streamlining promotional efforts and leveraging off the TLD’s unique online identity. The greater availability of desired domain names through the creation of the .doha TLD will provide these entities with the opportunity to promote Doha using shorter, succinct domain names, leading to more direct intuitive navigation. These benefits will facilitate the .doha TLD’s function as the key promotional tool for government departments, ministries and Supreme Councils of the state of Qatar and allow these entities to promote the city of Doha as an ideal place to work and live, improving local investment and the economy.

2. Constituents of the City of Doha: including businesses, those operating landmarks and institutions, those managing events and residents of Doha. Despite not being able to register .doha domain names in their own right, constituents will benefit from the publication of all content through .doha domain names by government-affiliated entities, as such content will always, as mandated by registration and acceptable use policies, serve to promote Doha and its constituents. For example, the Qatar Museums Authority may be granted the use of museums.doha to promote Doha’s museums. The constituents of Doha will thus benefit from the online identity created for them and may build this identity into their overall online marketing strategies. The elevation of the city of Doha onto the international stage through the .doha TLD will boost tourism and investment in local initiatives, while continuing to develop an innovative online market which will ultimately benefit the constituents of Doha.

3. ictQATAR will be the registry operator and the sole registrant for all domain names in the .doha TLD, complementing its existing function as the operator of the .qa and .qatar IDN ccTLDs. ictQATAR’s mission will be facilitated by the establishment of the .doha TLD as integral to the development of Qatar through the use of information and communications technology (ICT). In addition, the .doha TLD will benefit ictQATAR by functioning as a long-term asset that will be developed in line with the needs of the city of Doha, as well as responding to the ever-changing Internet landscape.

4. Internet Users: the .doha TLD will benefit Internet users by granting them access to authoritative and reliable content, owing to the use of domain names being restricted to government-affiliated entities – the ultimate authorities on legitimate information on Doha. The creation of a single dedicated space to access all information relating to Doha will also provide ease of navigation to Internet users.

GOALS OF THE .DOHA TLD

The specific goals of the .doha TLD are described below, along with the method for their measurement and the benefits associated with each goal.

Reputation of the .doha TLD

Amongst government-affiliated entities, the first goal of the .doha TLD is it’s recognition as the official, authoritative online space for promoting the city of Doha.
Amongst Internet users, the goal is that the .doha TLD be recognised as the official online platform for accessing authoritative content relating to Doha – the virtual location of Doha that will be accessible by Internet users around the globe.

Achievement of this goal will be measured by periodic audits, conducted by ictQATAR, which will assess whether the domain name is actually used by these affiliated entities (as evidenced by the publication of up-to-date content) and if so, whether the use complies with the .doha TLD acceptable use policy. Within three years of launching the .doha TLD, ictQATAR’s goal is to see at least 75% of .doha domain names registered by ictQATAR for the use of affiliated entities being utilised by these entities as the official domain name to promote the city of Doha.

Furthermore, ictQATAR will conduct surveys on an ongoing basis on .doha sites and various social media sites to obtain feedback from visitors regarding the ease of finding information, the look and feel of sites, their ability to promote the city of Doha and its constituents and the likelihood of repeat visits. The results of these surveys will assist ictQATAR, in its first year of operations, to gauge initial reaction, awareness, reputation and usage of the TLD, to make minor re-adjustments to meet usersʹ expectations and interests.

Development of Legitimate Content Online

The second goal of the .doha TLD is that its introduction will advance the development of legitimate, accurate, up-to-date content which promotes the city of Doha online. It is anticipated that the exclusive use of domain names granted to affiliated entities (with an emphasis placed on their role as chief advocates for promoting the city of Doha) will encourage these entities to publish content online. ictQATAR’s outreach and communications activities relating to the .doha TLD will focus on encouraging these entities to embrace the benefits of the .doha TLD by publishing legitimate online content which promotes the city of Doha.

ictQATAR considers that attaining the intended reputation and achieving this goal to be symbiotic; for this reason the methods described above to measure the attainment of the intended reputation and subsequent use of domain names will also be utilised to measure whether ictQATAR’s goal of promoting the development of legitimate content promoting Doha online is achieved.

ANTICIPATED CONTRIBUTION TO THE CURRENT SPACE

The city of Doha has experienced exponential growth in population, investment and infrastructure over the last two decades and is now considered a global leader in innovation. This growth has translated into a significant expansion of Doha’s diverse online presence which is diverse in relation to the TLDs used, the identity of the registrant and the subsequent legitimacy of content published.

While the .qa ccTLD provides an online space for the State of Qatar, it does not address concerns regarding the legitimacy of content, because the registration of domain names is not restricted to the entity that is the ultimate authority on published content. Furthermore, the .qa ccTLD is not restricted to hosting content which only promotes the city of Doha. The .doha TLD will provide a high level of differentiation from existing TLDs, primarily in relation to its unique mission⁄purpose. No other TLD currently exists that is specifically devoted to the promotion and needs of a single city. The TLD will consolidate Doha’s online presence by being one of the first TLDs added to the root in which a city’s image and the values of that image are clearly communicated by and through the TLD via authoritative channels. In addition, the unique vertical integration of the .doha TLD model will allow the .doha TLD to become one of the first TLDs added to the root in which domain names are not commercially available, but rather are registered only by and in the complete control of the Registry Operator through an ICANN accredited registrar. This will bring added benefits to the DNS in terms of preventing abuse and infringement, and increasing reliability and trust. The .doha TLD will contribute to the development of a new level of trust and confidence on the Internet.

The TLD will address the needs of government-affiliated entities who are concerned with the publication of inaccurate and illegitimate content and who wish to exclusively promote Doha and its constituents with authority. The .doha TLD similarly addresses the needs of Internet users by providing an easily identifiable and dedicated TLD with assurances regarding the legitimacy of content. Those providing unauthoritative information pertaining to the City of Doha will be easily identifiable by the unavailability to them of a .doha domain name. User experience within the .doha TLD will centre on maintaining a degree of uniformity of the underlying religious, cultural and moral values of constituents of the city of Doha.

The features of the .doha TLD, as described above, clearly differentiate the TLD from existing TLDs given the different needs that it serves to address.

Because the registration of domain names is restricted to ictQATAR, the .doha TLD will not be in direct competition with other TLDs for registrants. Nevertheless, the .doha TLD has a significant competitive advantage in terms of the unique value proposition to government-affiliated entities and Internet users. The clear points of differentiation of the .doha TLD described above will promote competition amongst existing TLDs by offering government-affiliated entities the use of domain names that are registered in a unique TLD environment.

The .doha TLD does not purport to be the sole TLD of choice for government-affiliated entities in the State of Qatar and will not be marketed as such. The requirement that all published content must promote Doha does not extend the TLD to address the needs of government-affiliated entities that do not relate to promoting the city of Doha with authority. As such, the .doha TLD will complement but not replace these entities’ use of .qa domain names, thus serving a much broader purpose. Similarly, the .doha TLD will be recognised by Internet users as the dedicated, authoritative online space for the city of Doha, supported by marketing and outreach activities. This reputation will once again complement and not compete with the reputation established by the .qa ccTLD. The .doha TLD ultimately promotes competition by making available a unique TLD for Internet users, hence promoting consumer choice.

REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE .DOHA TLD

The following restrictions apply on what domain name may be registered and who may register them. All domain name registrations in the .doha TLD will be registered to, and maintained by, ictQATAR for the exclusive use of ictQATAR and its Affiliates (as defined in Article 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement). ictQATAR will not sell, distribute or transfer control or use of any registration in the TLD to any third party that is not an Affiliate of ictQATAR. Entities affiliated with the State of Qatar such as government departments, ministries and Supreme Councils of the State of Qatar are recognised as Affiliates of ictQATAR by virtue of these entities being under the common control of the Emir.

Each government-affiliated entity may be granted use of an associated .doha domain name to promote, the city of Doha. To facilitate the use of .doha domain names by government-affiliated entities, a representative of the relevant entity, responsible for the publication of content, will be delegated as the Technical Contact for the domain name. ictQATAR will remain as the Administrative Contact for all .doha domain names and will thus retain the highest level of control. To ensure this restriction on eligibility to register and use .doha domain names is adhered to, access permissions to the authenticated web portal (allowing for the registration and management of domain names in the .doha TLD) will be limited to the technical contact and the administrative contact. The safeguards that will be implemented against allowing for registrations in violation of this eligibility restriction are discussed in the response to question 28 – Abuse Prevention and Mitigation.

ictQATAR, while remaining as the single registrant, will register certain domain names for its own use in its capacity as:
– The registry operator for the .doha TLD.
– Qatar’s independent and fair regulator of the telecommunications market.
– The government body that nurtures innovative technologies to benefit those who live and work in Qatar.

In addition, ictQATAR will register .doha domain names that fall within the executive functions of certain government-affiliated entities, as determined by ictQATAR in its sole discretion, for the use by those entities.

ictQATAR will maintain a list of words which it will not register in the .doha TLD. This list contains words that may:
– Violate public morality, or are contrary to public order, or are against a religion or a religious character.
– Deceive the public.
– Be prejudicial to the interest or security of the city of Doha and the State of Qatar.

In addition to restrictions on what domain name may be registered and who may register them, restrictions will also be imposed on how domain names may be used.

ictQATAR will only grant use of an associated .doha domain name to a government-affiliated entity by delegating the legal representative of the relevant entity as the technical contact for the .doha domain name. The identity and contact information of the delegated entity’s legal representative will be determined and verified through established intergovernmental communication channels. ictQATAR, as the Administrative Contact, will ensure that:
– The publication of the content is within the executive functions of the government entity.
– The content complies with the acceptable use policy.
The content promotes the city of Doha and its constituents.

While other efforts may encourage the development of content to promote the city of Doha online, restricting eligibility to register domain names to ictQATAR ensures that the published content is, and remains, authoritative and legitimate. As the Administrative Contact, ictQATAR, retains ultimate control and responsibility for all .doha domain name registrations. This control by ictQATAR allows the .doha TLD to convey a consistent, official, undiluted message. The retainment of ultimate control facilitates the implementation of a cohesive marketing strategy and allows ictQATAR to promote the intended reputation of the .doha TLD.

Restricting the use of domain names to the scope of a government-affiliated entity’s executive functions ensures the entity is capable of providing the most accurate, up-to-date and authoritative content pertaining to a constituent of Doha and is thus in the best position to promote that constituent. The resultant increase in authoritative content similarly promotes the attainment of the .doha TLD’s intended reputation. The maintenance of a list of words that ictQATAR will not register ensures that the .doha TLD is operated in a manner consistent with the religious, cultural and moral values of the constituents of Doha. The operation of a globally-recognised, but regionally-significant, online space representative of the constituents’ values allows for the accurate promotion of these constituents owing to an informed familiarity with their needs.

PROTECTION OF PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Because no information in addition to that which will be published on WhoIs will be collected from ictQATAR and the government-affiliated entity, the implementation of specific measures to protect information made publically available is unnecessary. As such, no obligations will be imposed by ictQATAR on registrars in relation to the handling of confidential information. Note the obligations imposed on registrars through the RAA in relation to handling registrant and confidential information. Nonetheless, ictQATAR’s Privacy Policy protects against the misrepresentation and misuse of any information collected. The Privacy Policy will require that measures are in place to prevent disclosure of confidential information, including registrant contact information, that is not through WhoIs, as well as intentional disclosures to ICANN or law enforcement agencies.

Despite there being no legislation in Qatar that specifically relates to data protection and privacy, some protection exists in legislation governing specific industries. This protection is limited in nature, as the laws are not wide enough to cover information collected by companies, organisations and authorities outside of those industries. The telecommunications industry is one such industry in which consumer’s data and privacy is protected. ictQATAR, as the country’s independent and fair regulator of the telecommunications market is responsible for ensuring telecommunication service providers operate with “due regard for the privacy rights of their customers” under Article (52) of the Telecommunications Law. The service providers are required to protect information and any data related to customers or their communications. This Article also guards against the misuse of customer data by prohibiting service providers from collecting, using, retaining or advertising any customer information. ictQATAR will ensure that its operation of the .doha TLD complies with Article 52.

OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES

The ictQATAR communications department has significant experience in implementing outreach and communications activities associated with the launch of a TLD in Qatar (.qatar(IDN) and .qa ccTLDs). The department will conduct a number of outreach and communications activities in relation to the .doha TLD. The objectives of these activities include:
– Generating awareness and demand of the .doha TLD amongst government-affiliated entities.
– Encouraging and increasing utilisation of .doha domain names by government-affiliated entities.
– Generating awareness and understanding of the unique focus of the .doha TLD amongst Internet users.

The following activities, targeted at government-affiliated entities and Internet users, will form part of ictQATAR’s outreach and communications activities:
– The ictQATAR communications department will directly contact each of its established contacts within the government-affiliated entities to educate them on the focus, benefits and differentiation of the .doha TLD. Following this, ictQATAR will provide more detailed information regarding eligibility and allocation of .doha domain names to government affiliated entities during various government forums. These efforts will facilitate the demand and utilisation of .doha domain names by these entities.
– The ictQATAR communications department will issue press releases and conduct a press conference highlighting the introduction and the benefits of the .doha TLD to government-related affiliates, constituents of Doha and Internet users in general. Local Internet users and constituents of Doha will be targeted to ensure that the .doha TLD is recognised as the dedicated and authoritative space for the city of Doha.
– The ictQATAR communications department will similarly issue press releases and publish advertisements in various international publications and media outlets regarding the introduction and benefits of the .doha TLD. These efforts are targeted towards international Internet users and similarly promote the recognition of the .doha TLD as the dedicated and authoritative online space for the city of Doha. The ictQATAR communications department will incorporate the .doha TLD in its current social media marketing activities for the .qa ccTLD.
– The ictQATAR communications department will host a launch event for the .doha TLD. The event will include speakers from various government-affiliated entities and will focus on generating awareness amongst constituents and Internet users.
– ictQATAR will recruit high-profile Brand Advocates to deliver the .doha message with maximum cut through, effectiveness and impact. The chosen Brand Advocates will include known business identities, entertainment personalities or leaders within key Qatari industry.