Knowledge Base >>Domain names >> ccTLD >> Repurposed
The .io domain, widely adopted by tech companies due to its resemblance to “input/output,” is actually the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), a geopolitical fiction with no permanent population. The BIOT comprises the Chagos Archipelago, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean from which the Chagossian people were forcibly expelled by the British government between 1968 and 1973. This expulsion was carried out to make way for a U.S. military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island, now leased to the United States and used for strategic military operations.
The Chagossians were never allowed to return. They now live in exile, mostly in Mauritius, the Seychelles, and the UK, often in poor conditions. Despite legal battles and international condemnation, including a 2019 UN ruling that the UK should end its administration of the territory, the BIOT remains under British control.
Meanwhile, the .io domain has become a profitable digital asset, managed for years by a private company, Internet Computer Bureau (ICB), later acquired by Afilias. The UK government claims that no revenue from the domain goes to the British government, yet the domain continues to be administered in its name, and none of the money goes to the displaced Chagossians.
This situation illustrates a stark example of digital colonialism: a virtual resource, rooted in a real place scarred by imperial exploitation, is used and monetized by companies and states who ignore the historical and human cost behind it. The .io domain becomes, in this light, a symbol of how the internet can replicate colonial patterns, obscuring injustice behind infrastructure, neutrality, and innovation.
The IO extension is popular with start-ups, not least because the acronym can be understood as an abbreviation for input/output (I/O). An additional reason not to be overlooked is the recurring difficulty for start-ups to acquire the COM domain name corresponding to their brand. This is less of a problem with the IO extension.
Anyone can register a .IO domain.
All the major registrars offer the .IO extension. The cheapest registrars for .IO domains are listed in the domain prices comparison tools.
The IO extension is managed by a company called Internet Computer Bureau Ltd, which also owns the .SH and .AC geographical extensions. This company belongs to the American registry Identity Digital.