We spoke with Rosalía Morales, Executive Director at NIC Costa Rica about the .cr country code Top-Level Domain and its steady focus on building a safe and secure internet for locals and international businesses and consumers.
Tell us about the .cr namespace: how large is it, how is it structured, and how does it facilitate online activity in country?
The .cr namespace currently comprises approximately 21,000 active domains and serves as the country code top-level domain for Costa Rica. .cr domains can be registered by anyone, anywhere in the world. In Costa Rica, they are used by government agencies, educational institutions, healthcare and financial organizations, as well as businesses and individuals. For more than 35 years, these domains have provided stable, secure, and resilient infrastructure while supporting the growth and development of the Internet in Costa Rica. The .cr namespace is administered by the Network Information Center (NIC) Costa Rica, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting an open and secure global Internet. NIC Costa Rica currently leads a range of initiatives in training, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and Internet exchange in pursuit of these goals.
What makes .cr a compelling choice for businesses and individuals operating in Costa Rica and the broader Latin American region?
For businesses and individuals operating in Costa Rica, .cr domains are the ideal choice for establishing an online presence. All major search engines prioritize .cr domains in searches conducted within Costa Rica, providing a significant SEO advantage. Beyond visibility, .cr domains are built on a foundation of security: our infrastructure and internal policies promote safe Internet use in accordance with best practices. Among many initiatives, we work closely with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to ensure our policies remain aligned with global standards, and we partner with Brand Safety Alliance to give all clients the ability to safeguard their domain names worldwide, making the .cr namespace a trusted space for Internet activity. Thanks to these practices, individuals and organizations across Latin America and beyond benefit from registering in .cr, gaining access to robust security and best-in-class infrastructure.
How has .cr grown and evolved over the years, and what developments have shaped where it stands today?
The .cr domain was established when NIC Costa Rica was founded more than 35 years ago, following the delegation of the country code top-level domain by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). NIC Costa Rica is part of the Academy of Sciences, an institution committed to advancing science and technology at the national level. From the very beginning, the organization’s vision has been altruistic: to build an Internet organization that fosters the development of the Internet ecosystem through leading technologies and a commitment to excellence. Like the Internet itself, .cr domains began as a small academic project and grew steadily as the infrastructure expanded. Today, NIC Costa Rica collaborates with leading organizations in the global Internet ecosystem, including the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the DNS Operations, Analysis, and Research Center (DNS-OARC), the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Address Registry (LACNIC), the Country Code Top Level Domains of Latin America (LACTLD), and the Brand Safety Alliance (BSA), among many others. This collaborative approach enables NIC Costa Rica to deliver excellent service, stay current with emerging technologies, and promote an open and secure Internet.
What drew you to joining GlobalBlock, and what was the decision-making process like internally?
Joining GlobalBlock, part of Brand Safety Alliance (BSA), was a strategic decision for our organization. Our Board of Directors has emphasized the priority of security for more than 35 years. GlobalBlock therefore represented not only a valuable commercial opportunity for our .cr namespace to grow alongside a world-class global partner, but also a meaningful way to continue promoting safe Internet use. By enabling brands to secure their domain names within our namespace, we are proactively eliminating the possibility of third parties exploiting those domains for unlawful purposes—making our corner of the Internet more secure for everyone.
Since joining GlobalBlock, have you seen any negative impacts such as reduced interest from brands in registering in .CR or existing domain registrations dropping?
We have been working with GlobalBlock for over a year, and we have not experienced any negative impacts, including no reduction in brand interest in registering .cr domains and no decline in overall domain registrations. On the contrary, we continue to advance our mission of promoting safe Internet use, have gained valuable partners such as BSA, and have seen no adverse effects on our growth or revenue.
What about the process of joining GlobalBlock? Would you have any feedback for other ccTLDs considering participating in the service?
For other ccTLDs considering GlobalBlock, my primary recommendation would be to first verify that there are no technical barriers to participation—specifically, that your EPP is compatible with GlobalBlock’s technology. Assuming the integration is as smooth as it was for us, I would encourage them to view GlobalBlock as an opportunity for growth, a means of applying best practices in domain administration, and a concrete way to contribute to a safer Internet.
Domain abuse is a challenge every registry faces. How has that landscape shifted over time, and what trends are you seeing in .cr specifically?
Domain abuse has grown over time, driven by the emergence of new technologies that make it increasingly easy to operate online and to create malware or other forms of malicious activity. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, bad actors now have even more accessible tools to carry out domain abuse. In response to this reality, .cr has aligned itself with GlobalBlock as a proactive deterrent, while also maintaining an ongoing dialogue with WIPO to ensure our policies make full use of the global resources available to combat domain abuse. We have also invested in the latest security technologies to strengthen the resilience of our infrastructure.
What policies and processes did you already have in place to combat domain abuse? How does GlobalBlock complement or strengthen that existing framework?
As noted above, our policies outline clear procedures for handling domain abuse, including processes aligned with WIPO guidelines. We ensure these policies are consistently updated to reflect both local legislation and WIPO’s evolving standards.
GlobalBlock has proven to be an excellent complement to this framework: through this service, companies around the world can take a proactive approach to preventing domain abuse. In other words, we now have both preventive and reactive measures in place to address domain abuse comprehensively.
What is your broader vision for .cr over the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5 to 10 years, we will all witness an Internet increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence. This will bring enormous opportunities for growth and productivity, but also significant challenges related to security and Internet abuse. It will be essential to work collaboratively with the right partners to ensure we have the infrastructure, services, and tools needed to meet those challenges and capitalize on the opportunities ahead. Cybersecurity, resilience, and Internet governance will be defining issues in the years to come.
Tony Kirsch
