We now stand at a point where the end of AIDS is conceivable for the first time. But the topic is losing public interest and funding is still scarce. But a global problem needs a global solution, and there is one medium that connects everyone around the world: the internet. So we created the world’s first social cause Top-Level Domain: .hiv. This domain will generate funds, create awareness and reduce the stigma of being HIV+ on a global level. Fighting AIDS will thus become a common task: internet users and companies with a .hiv-domain do something good together and .hiv will be a new symbol for solidarity within the web – the digital Red Ribbon.

The task was clear: implant the fight against AIDS in the DNS of the internet. But in order to do so, we had to acquire our own “part of the internet”, the Top-Level Domain .hiv. So create our own medium for communication instead of using an existing one. In the pursuit of this objective, we did a lot of lobbying with different governments, companies, stakeholders of the TLD and health industry and of course ICANN, who administers all name rights on the internet. We used social media and online campaigns, communication within our networks and those of our partners as well as cooperations with internet- and/or social start-ups to promote this cause. We participated in national and international conferences, were featured in newspapers and international blogs and are the proud charity sponsor of the football team of University Münster, Google Techbikers and the official New Zealand Bobsled Team.

Until this day, we have nearly 6,000 pre-registrations for .hiv-domains, more than 5,000 fans from 48 countries support us on Facebook and our concept video was clicked more than 30,000 times on YouTube. We have collected start up capital in the amount of $470,000 and pro-bono support of approx. $700.000 and won prestigious partners from the Top-Level Domain industry and the AIDS response. We hold the license for the world’s first ever charitable domain .hiv and get messages from all over the world that saying that our idea is the source of new hope.