Government agency admins often go for the organizational reference of .ORG domains, but there’s a problem: anyone can register a .ORG domain and utilize it for malicious purposes.
On the other hand, dot .GOV domains are issued to US government agencies only, and the verification measures in place are now stricter after someone pulled a fast one a while ago.
Hancock county officials in Iowa are now requesting a move away from a .ORG domain and onto .GOV.
To move to the .GOV domain, the county must first send a letter to the .gov registrar and say they are actually a county, what they want and how they will use the domain name.
The budget increases too; the county apparently pays $25 dollars per year for its domain name, but the .GOV domain apparently arrives with a $400 dollar annual bill.
While the price difference is almost 20x, there’s a price to pay for peace of mind.
