The future of the popular country-code top-level domain .io has once again become uncertain following a landmark political agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago — the territory currently associated with the domain.
On May 22, 2025, the two governments signed the “Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia.” This agreement implements an earlier decision made on October 3, 2024, to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands from the UK to Mauritius.
While .io is not directly mentioned in the agreement, key elements raise red flags for the domain’s long-term stability. Notably, the term “British Indian Ocean Territory” — the entity tied to the .io domain through the ISO 3166-1 standard — is absent from the agreement text. ISO 3166-1 codes form the basis for country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs), such as .io, and changes in sovereignty often prompt updates to this list.
In addition, the agreement grants Mauritius full rights over “the regulation of commercial activities, including the provision of electronic communications services, unrelated to the operation of the Base.” This suggests that Mauritius could seek control over digital resources such as the .io domain space.
Another crucial point: the UK has committed to formally notifying the United Nations of its relinquishment of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands. This move is potentially decisive, as ISO and ICANN may use such declarations as a basis for revising official country codes, which could in turn affect the delegation and management of .io.
Although any change to the management or designation of .io would take several years to implement, domain owners currently have no guarantee of long-term continuity. Businesses, developers, and startups — many of which rely on .io for its tech branding appeal — should be aware of the geopolitical risks and consider contingency planning.
As international recognition of Mauritius’ sovereignty over Chagos advances, the internet governance community may be forced to reconsider who controls one of the digital world’s most recognizable ccTLDs.
News Source:domain-recht，This article does not represent our position.
