AICPA to Oversee New Internet Domain Extension for CPAs

June 25, 2019

AICPA to Oversee New Internet Domain Extension for CPAs

AICPA recently announced it is in the process of being awarded the .cpa internet domain extension and is currently in a contract execution phase with the internet’s global governing body, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The new extension will provide a way for CPAs to connect with their clients with increased trust, security and verification. ICANN has approved many other specialized domain extensions, such as Amazon’s .aws, to supplement traditional top-level domains such as .com, .edu and .org.

“By overseeing the .cpa domain in collaboration with other global CPA organizations, the AICPA can help promote CPAs’ visibility and protect their professional standing online,” said Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, the president and CEO of AICPA. “We also want the public to have confidence that someone using a .cpa domain address for email or a website is affiliated with the CPA profession.”

The new domain extension will be available to CPAs and their firms and will signal a clear connection to the profession. For example, Firm Name, LLC, could have a website address of www.firmname.cpa. Jane Smith, an employee at that firm, could have an email address of jsmith@firmname.cpa.

“Today, there’s a lack of authentication and growing mistrust of online information,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, AICPA’s technology subsidiary. “This is why many leading companies and communities, such as Amazon, KPMG and the banking industry are moving to restricted top-level domains. We’re looking forward to bringing this important new capability to the profession.”

More details on registering a domain name will be available later this year. For additional information and the opportunity to sign up for notifications, visit https://domains.cpa.com.

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