For decades, the United Kingdom and Mauritius have been disputing sovereignty over the Chagos Islands. Since the beginning of October, an agreement seems to be taking shape, as the United Kingdom has announced that it is ceding its sovereignty over the territory. As a result, the ‘.io’ domain name, very popular in the tech world and directly linked to the Chagos Islands, could disappear.

The end of an era ?

If the agreement between the UK and Mauritius is successful, the British Indian Ocean Territory will cease to exist. This disappearance will have repercussions for domain names. The international body in charge of domain names, IANA, will be forced to delete the ‘.io’. As a direct consequence, all websites using this extension will have to change their address.

A headache for website managers

Millions of websites currently use the ‘.io’ extension. For them, this change represents a real challenge. All the links will have to be updated, the SEO redone and users informed. Popular platforms such as itch.io, which specialises in independent video games, will have to rethink their strategy.

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The Chagos Islands, a textbook case

This case is a reminder for anyone setting up a website. Choosing a domain name should not be done lightly. It is essential to take political and geographical developments into account, as they can have a direct impact on the long-term future of a site.

Source: RTBF

Vanessa Ntoh