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AICPA set to be awarded ‘.cpa’ internet domain
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The AICPA is in final contract talks with the internet’s global governing body to oversee a new internet domain for CPAs.
The Institute announced Monday that it is in the process of being awarded the .cpa domain and is in the “contract execution phase” with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the international organization that controls the internet’s naming protocols.
ICANN has approved more than 1,200 specialized domain extensions to support traditional top-level domains such as .com, .edu, and .org. Domains have already been approved for well-known businesses, institutions, and governments such as Amazon (.aws), Google (.app), KPMG (.kpmg), Major League Baseball (.mlb), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (.mit), and the city of New York (.nyc).
“By overseeing the .cpa domain in collaboration with other global CPA organizations, the AICPA can help promote CPAs’ visibility and protect their professional standing online,” Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, the president and CEO of the AICPA, said in a news release. “We also want the public to have confidence that someone using a .cpa domain address for email or a website is affiliated with the CPA profession.”
The new domain extension will be available to CPAs and their firms and will signal a clear connection to the profession, the AICPA said. For example, Firm Name LLC could have a website address of www.firmname.cpa. Jane Smith, an employee at that firm, could have an email address of jsmith@firmname.cpa.
“Today, there’s a lack of authentication and growing mistrust of online information,” Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, the AICPA’s technology subsidiary, said in the news release. “This is why many leading companies and communities, such as Amazon, KPMG, and the banking industry, are moving to restricted top-level domains. We’re looking forward to bringing this important new capability to the profession.”
More details on registering a domain name will become available later this year. For additional information and the opportunity to sign up for notifications, visit domains.cpa.com.
— Jeff Drew (Jeff.Drew@aicpa-cima.com) is a JofA senior editor.
