The rules that regulate the assigning of some of the major domain names including dot com and dot org are here. Special rules apply to dot edu and dot gov domains.
First, learn about the Public Interest Registry, the organization responsible for managing and maintaining the .org domain. Then take a look at the articles below that examine the important issues around who is using the dot org domain.
"Research shows a dot-org domain is a weak sign of credibility for evaluating online information, and yet is widely thought to be a useful signal. This potential to mislead internet users is particularly concerning when it comes to hate groups. We sought to understand the scope and scale of this issue."
(Electronic Frontier Foundation, January 17, 2020)
The article examines plans to sell the control of dot com domains, intended to be the home of non-profits, to a private equity firm.
"In the week before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, MartinLutherKing.org, a website run by the Neo-Nazi website Stormfront that calls King a 'sexual deviant' with an 'uncontrollable lust and propensity for violence,' was a top result for searches of “Martin Luther King” on Google."
"Dot-org symbolizes neither quality nor trustworthiness. It’s a marketing tool that relies on a widespread but false association with credibility".
"a list of websites that have posted deceptive content"
