ENS launches .box web domains in September

The leading Web3 identification project, Ethereum Name Service (ENS), is launching a new domain name extension called .box in September 2023.

The lead developer of ENS, Nick Johnson, shared this update on Twitter on June 7, noting that the upcoming development will be the first blockchain-native Domain Name System (DNS) routable top-level domain (TLD).

ENS integrates Blockchain into Web2

According to Nick Johnson’s tweet, the proposed .box TLD is a joint venture between ENS and My.box.

The registration for the domain names will follow a similar approach to .eth domains.

The upcoming .box TLD is a blockchain-based internet name service that allows Ethereum users to directly link to web pages and send email.

.box is Ethereum Name Service enabled, which means that the registration to obtain or transfer a .box domain will be done via the Ethereum blockchain.

The .box domain names allow the NFT owner to own both the DNS-based and ENS-based names. According to the announcement, the service will roll out by September.

The new internet naming system raised censorship concerns among the crypto community. A user asked how resistant the .box domain names are to censorship.

He also asked about the possibility of the FBI taking control of TLD.

“Serious question: What happens when the FBI requires whoever runs the .box DNS resolver to redirect to the default FBI takedown site?” he asked.

In response, Nick Johnson said that it seems unlikely for the FBI to try to seize an entire TLD. On the question of censorship, Johnson so:

“No; ICANN requires them to have an AUP and follow the UDRP process, so there will still be a way to seize names.”

Johnson’s response suggests that the .box TLD is not immune to censorship and will function in the same way as a regular domain name.

ENS’.Eth versus .box domains

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a blockchain-native domain name system that provides users with identity across Web3 and crypto platforms.

It shares the same basic concept with traditional domain name systems, only that it uses a distributed technology based on the Ethereum blockchain.

The primary function of ENS is to convert machine-readable identifiers such as cryptocurrency addresses into human-readable ones domain name.

ENS addresses or URLs end in .eth and eliminate the long strings of numbers in crypto addresses with simple domain names, like “James.eth.”

Each .eth domain name is an identifier used to identify Ethereum addresses, hashes, metadata, and other blockchain-based addresses.

The soon-to-be-launched .box naming system works similarly to .eth. The main difference is; unlike .eth, which does not use traditional web DNS, .box domains will be accessible via ENS and browsers. With the new .box domains, users can review their blockchain addresses in web browsers.