The domain community is still debating the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory’s national domain, .IO. As previously reported, the British and Mauritian governments have reached an agreement to cede sovereignty over the majority of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. Historically, the region was a British colony, and after gaining independence in 1968, Mauritius lost control of the archipelago. The British forcibly removed the indigenous population, and a joint military base with the United States was established on the largest island, Diego Garcia.
Under the agreement, the island will remain leased to the UK for at least another 99 years, while the rest of the archipelago will be transferred to Mauritius. This likely means that the British Indian Ocean Territory will no longer exist as an administrative unit. As a result, its national domain, .IO, which is particularly popular with tech companies, may also be phased out.
ICANN has officially confirmed that if this deal goes ahead, .IO will be removed from the DNS root zone within five years. However, the agreement still requires ratification by the British Parliament, with debates set to begin next January. However, British observers are confident that the agreement will be approved.
However, Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election could add a new twist to the situation. According to sources within his future administration, as reported by The Independent, Trump plans to block the transfer of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The military base on Diego Garcia remains operational, with the US Air Force using it to support operations in the Middle East. Domain Incite points out that, formally, the US has no direct involvement in the agreement between the UK and Mauritius. However, if the US government decides to apply pressure on its British allies, the British Indian Ocean Territory could remain intact, thereby resolving the issue regarding the future of the .IO domain.
