TO: Mississippi Counties, Municipalities, Legislators, and Government Agencies
FROM: Secretary of State Michael Watson
DATE: Monday, May 10, 2021
SUBJECT: DotGov (.gov) Domain Now Free For State/Local Governments

In a world full of ever-growing technology, it's crucial for the public to know where to receive official government information online. A DotGov (.gov) domain helps identify your county, municipality or agency as an official government organization, giving your website users confidence they are interacting with a legitimate government entity.

Recent updates to the DotGov internet domain administration will ease accessibility for eligible Mississippi citizens and businesses. The top-level domain is now administered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a change implemented and required under the DotGov Act. DotGov is now being offered at no cost to qualified agencies from now until the end of Fiscal Year 2021.

There were several updates to the requirements for obtaining and maintaining a DotGov, including the removal of the notarization requirement for authorization letters submitted during the registration process. Additional significant updates are listed below:
• Fees. From April 26, 2021, through at least the end of FY 2021, registrants will not be charged any fees, including renewal fees.
• Clarified, expanded domain eligibility, and documented eligibility verification. CISA clarified who could request domain names on behalf of federal legislative and judicial agencies and now allows tribal governments recognized by a state government (not just tribal governments recognized by the federal government) to request .gov domains.
• Restrictions. It is reiterated .gov domains may not be used for political campaigns or commercial purposes. CISA also included a restriction on .gov domains being used for malicious cyber activity, which can affect the security, integrity, and overall trustworthiness of the .gov top-level domain.

Click here to view a list of additional updates.

I encourage all of you to help strengthen government communication by taking advantage of this free and easy-to-ease resource. Switching to a DotGov domain will help remove unnecessary barriers, reduce the credibility of malicious impersonation attempts and ensure Mississippians have access to trusted information. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office for assistance or additional information. We'll be more than happy to help guide you in the right direction.

Click here to begin the registration process for a DotGov (.gov) domain.

Warmest regards,

MICHAEL WATSON
Secretary of State
State of Mississippi

The Mississippi Secretary of State's Office is NOT in charge of administering DotGov (.gov) domains.