Hope for a Brighter World

Hope is at the core of our DNA. PIR is dedicated to empowering mission-driven organizations.

PIR Logo blue in color with cutout letters

Who We Are

As our name implies, PIR serves the public interest online. Based in Reston, Virginia, Public Interest Registry is a nonprofit organization created by the Internet Society to manage the .ORG domain. Today, PIR proudly manages .ORG and the .ORG Family of Domains, and will continue to strive to be an exemplary registry operator and support mission-driven entities—from small grassroots movements to large associations— utilizing these domains to promote their causes.

We are also active participants with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and within the global Internet community.

We never forget that the communities we serve rely on us for their trusted online identity to pursue their missions. Our domains will always be a trusted home. PIR will support our domains by balancing our policy efforts and freedom of expression and by striving to find ways to help our .ORGs succeed. These principles drive PIR’s values of bold stewardship, unwavering integrity, relentless commitment, and honoring people, and are the core of everything we do in the pursuit of our mission.

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Our Mission

PIR’s mission is to be an exemplary domain name registry and industry thought leader providing a trusted digital identity and serving as a valued resource to those working to improve our world.

Origin and History

For more than two decades, PIR has been a champion for a free and open Internet with a clear mission to provide mission-driven organizations with a trusted digital identity and and serve as a valued resource to those working to improve our world.

1983

The Domain Name System is created.

1984

.ORG domain launches as one of the Internet’s original Top Level Domains (TLDs), along with .COM, .NET, .GOV, .EDU and .MIL.

1993

.ORG is privatized and transferred to Network Solutions.

1998

Formation of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

2001

After an open call for applications to manage the .ORG domain, Verisign (formally Network Solutions) voluntarily surrenders control of .ORG.

2002

The Internet Society creates the Public Interest Registry as a 501(c)3 non-profit to manage .ORG.

2003

Public Interest Registry’s technology provider Afilias transfers 2.6 million domains, the biggest transfer in Internet history.

2010

.ORG becomes the first open gTLD to implement Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC).

2012

PIR submits application for Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and .NGO and .ONG domain extensions.

2014

PIR launches three IDNs, Devenagari .संगठन; Russian Cyrillic .OPГ; and simplified Chinese .机构.

2015

PIR launches .NGO and .ONG domains

2019

PIR launches the annual .ORG Impact Awards to celebrate and recognize achievements of the .ORG community.

2019

PIR Introduces Quality Performance Index (QPI) Program to measure the quality of individual .ORG namespaces and maintain trust in the .ORG domain.

2020

PIR launches the .ORG Learning Center to provide valuable resources and knowledge to mission-driven organizations at no cost.

2021

PIR launches The NetBeacon Institute(formerly the DNS Abuse Institute) to help reduce the amount of DNS Abuse.

2022

PIR expands the .ORG Family of Domains with .GIVES, .CHARITY, and .FOUNDATION.

2023

PIR launches .GIVING.

Our Team

At PIR, our passion is empowering mission-driven organizations to shine online. Our team is a vibrant mix of dedicated, experienced, and diverse professionals, all united by a shared commitment to being an exemplary registry operator in the DNS community and empowering the mission-driven organizations of our .ORG Community online. We invite you to meet the inspiring individuals on our executive team, Board of Directors, and Advisory Council who are at the heart of our mission.

A Career That Truly Makes A Difference

Find out why PIR is the perfect place for those looking to create a career they love while supporting mission-driven organizations working to improve our world.

About the PIR and the
Internet Society (ISOC)

The Internet Society is a nonprofit organization working to ensure the Internet remains a force of good for everyone. Together with its global community, the Internet Society promotes Internet policies, standards, and protocols that keep the Internet open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy.

In 2002, the Internet Society created Public Interest Registry (PIR), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation to manage, enhance, and expand the .ORG domain. The Internet Society is also responsible for appointing the PIR Board of Directors.

Sharing common goals, PIR provides considerable financial and advocacy support to the Internet Society in its efforts to defend and promote Internet policies, standards, and protocols that keep the Internet open, globally connected, and secure. For more information, please visit: www.internetsociety.org.

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PIR Resources

View our annual reports, Form 990s, or find out more about our Policies and Anti-Abuse Processes.

Annual reports/990s
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Anti-abuse metrics and process
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Policies
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FAQ
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Glossary
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Have Questions?

Please don’t hesitate to contact us.

© 2024 PIR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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