Scotland acquired its internet identity in 2014 when dotScot Registry, a Glasgow based, not-for-profit company, applied to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the dotScot domain.
The application required letters of support from both the UK and Scottish Governments; a wide range of prominent Scots including Sir Sean Connery and Sir Tom Farmer; Scottish businesses, cultural organisations, sports, charities; and Scottish societies at home and around the world. The application also had cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament.
Unlike some internet country codes, dotScot is not bound by citizenship or place of residence and is available to organisations and individuals at home and throughout Scotland’s estimated 40 million diaspora. ICANN initially took a narrow view of ‘Scottish’, but dotScot Registry was determined to keep eligibility as diverse as possible and include birth, heritage, previously living, working or studying in Scotland, and even ‘affinity’ for Scotland.
Keeping the Scottish connection
In light of this, many people use the domain to express their connection to Scotland even if they live far from its shores.
For instance, Hannah Rowena Mondiwa is the dotScot ambassador in Canada and is based in Vancouver. She says:
“I was born in Blantyre, Malawi, a city and a country with a lot of Scottish influence, but my first memories were of Cumbernauld where I moved to as a toddler and where I spent most of my formative years. Although I haven’t lived in Scotland for many years, Scotland will always be home and I still regularly visit.”
Vir Singh Anand is the dotScot ambassador to India, where he is the Director of the Region for University of St Andrews. He says:
“I was in the 10th grade when I first visited Scotland as part of a golf tour. We happened to visit the Old Course and that was when I fell in love with the beautiful Scottish town. Later I got the opportunity to return to Scotland and spend four great years in Fife, as a student. Having enjoyed every tradition including the May Dip, Raisin Monday and some haggis, I am yet to visit a town like St Andrews. The diversity and community is truly unique and the town embraces you like no other. I have friends from all over the world just a phone call away. The three streets of St Andrews give you memories that will last forever.”
The future
Harry McGrath, Chair, Head of Engagement & Global Outreach at dotScot Registry, says:
“I’m delighted with the progress the dotScot domain has made in its first 10 years. Buoyed by research conducted by IONOS (the world’s biggest web provider), where 70% of respondents said they would trust a dotScot website over any other, it’s now the only community domain in the world that has the nation’s government, parliament and national health system as users, and registrations in 62 different countries.”
McGrath goes on to state:
“However, there is still work to be done. None of Scotland’s local authorities use dotScot, and there are a number of public bodies that have not migrated their systems to the domain, including the website for Brand Scotland. A recent Scottish Government policy document looks to address this. It states that using dotScot or gov.scot ‘would help create a digitally inclusive nation and support the government’s aim to use common digital components and standards’. The report goes on to say that ‘Scottish public sector organisations are encouraged to use a gov.scot domain when delivering websites, services and communications.’”
In short, the next 10 years of dotScot promise to be as challenging and exciting as the first 10, as Scotland continues to build a truly comprehensive, inclusive, internet identity recognised at home and around the world.
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