Today TASS hosted an online press briefing on the 10th anniversary of the .РФ domain and the role of Cyrillic domains in expanding the use of the Russian language on the internet. Head of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Media Mikhail Seslavinsky, Director of the Electronic Communications Association Sergei Plugotarenko, Rector of the Moscow State Linguistic University (MGLU) Irina Krayeva and Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Andrey Vorobyev spoke at the news conference.
Andrey Vorobyev talked about the history of creating the Cyrillic .РФ domain, the success of the domain, and the factors hindering its development, such as problems with the implementation of universal acceptance of domains in national languages and email address internationalization (EAI). He noted that Cyrillic domains and, above all, .РФ, are an important element of international communication. “The development of the .РФ domain promotes Cyrillic domains in different countries and plays a significant role in the development of linguistic diversity on the internet as a whole,” Andrey Vorobyev said. The speaker cited data from a CENTR study, according to which 76 percent of content for domestic use in non-English-speaking countries is published in national languages, and only 19 percent is published in English. On RuNet, English-language content accounts for only 9 percent. And this clearly shows that today IDNs are in demand among internet users and play an important role in reducing digital inequality.
Mikhail Seslavinsky noted the positive dynamics in .РФ now: in the first days of May alone, over 5,000 new domain names were registered in .РФ. Seslavinsky also emphasized the importance of the cultural component of .РФ and welcomed the owners of .РФ domains from countries far from Russia: “I am particularly pleased with the small number of sites in .РФ that exist in other countries. I would like to specially thank those who support the Cyrillic domain .РФ abroad,” said Mikhail Seslavinsky.
Sergei Plugotarenko explained why people like .РФ. “.РФ is simple, concise and recognizable. It has many free addresses, and you can choose a complex address, because all the words in .РФ are familiar to Russian-speaking users. And these factors help us opt fora site in .РФ, ” said the speaker. Plugotarenko recalled that today, May 12, a large online marathon dedicated to the 10th anniversary of .РФ got underway, and announced upcoming events of the marathon.
Irina Krayeva said that a new department, Information Culture in the Digital Economy, was established at the MSLU. “Everyone who works with .РФ understands the importance of academic, including linguistic, support of the domain, and this is one of the tasks of the department,” she said. Irina Krayeva also recalled that Russian is a language of international communication, and .РФ helps to fulfill this mission. Another important goal of .РФ is to pass on and preserve cultural heritage.
More events of the 10 Years of .РФ online marathon are yet to come. Follow our news!
