Strategy

1. Strategy 2022-2024

Strategy of the Estonian Internet Foundation (EIF) for the years 2022-2024


The mission of the EIF is to manage, develop and ensure the security of the infrastructure of the .ee TLD with Estonian country code, to organize the registration of domain names in the interests of the Internet community, including the public.

The vision of the EIF is to be the guarantor of a stable, secure, and innovative domain name system, to balance and take into account the different interests of stakeholders, and to work for the smooth operation of the .ee part of the global Internet.


Core values:

  • Reliability

  • Openness

  • Cooperation

  • Transparency

  • Expertise


Statutory objectives:

The EIF is a private foundation founded on 13 February 2009 by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL).


The statutory objectives of the EIF are:

  1. Representing the Estonian Internet community in the cross-border Internet community, including the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and other relevant organizations;

  2. Management of top-level domain names related to the Estonian country code and Estonia and organization of their registration in the common interests of the Internet community, including the state;

  3. the proper maintenance of the register(s) of the aforementioned domain names and the provision of the corresponding services, and the development of the technical and intellectual basis necessary for the fulfillment of the objectives of the EIF, taking into account the security risks in the electronic environment;

  4. Ensuring the work of the Domain Disputes Committee.

In 2014, the EIF Supervisory Board instructed the agency to deal with Internet administration.


Strategic goals:

.ee is an Estonian sign that is a gateway to Estonians and residents of Estonia. .ee is the best way to reach your customers and readers in Estonia. The .ee registrant does not have to be related to Estonia.

The EIF is a public service provider, a provider of essential services in terms of cyber security, acting together with partners (registrar) in the interests of the client (registrant).

EIF is innovative - a benchmark in the field of the domain, efficient in its activities, and committed to creating value for registrants and Internet users.


Significant achievements of the 2019-2021 strategy period:

  1. We eliminated the inequality in re-registering expiring domains by launching a unique blind auction solution in the world. We opened the zone file, giving everyone equal access to the data in the domain registry, including research.We launched a new registrant portal that allows the registrant to lock (and re-open) their domain information and also change or update their domain registration contact information. We took the data quality of the .ee registry to a new level - we introduced a user-friendly registration deletion procedure to check for incomplete registration data. We have included the authentication solution and regulation connecting European national e-IDs in eIDAS as suitable methods for identification and declaration of intent, and we have implemented it in the registration and auction portals. We have digitized and automated the process for accrediting registrars to reduce the administrative burden, streamline it and support the introduction of repeat testing to ensure a better quality of service. We have simplified the rules for collecting and storing a signed domain registration application (legaldoc). We have simplified the network architecture of the registry system, signed an agreement with RIA for the introduction of the state cloud, and started adapting the registry system to the cloud infrastructure.

Challenges for the 2022-2024 strategy period:

  1. Ensuring the viability of .ee as a globally open national domain through efficient and innovative solutions;

  2. Maintaining the market share of .ee in Estonia in the context of global domain business;

  3. Promoting a culture of discussion in the field of domain and Internet governance

 in the Estonian Internet community;

     4. Providing innovative domain services;

     5. 99.99% functioning DNS infrastructure and preparedness for growing cyber threats.



Areas of activity:
Ensuring the availability, stability, and security of the Domain Name System (DNS) service

  1. More dynamic zone update - to reduce update arrival time in DNS by at least 50%;

  2. Expansion of name-server services - to analyze the provision of an authoritative name server service to .ee registrants (incl. Anycast service); public resolving name server service;

  3. Adding IPv6 support to all servers;

  4. Analysis of the need and possibilities of encrypting DNS traffic;

  5. Introducing and facilitating the deployment of security solutions such as DNSSEC, DANE, SPF, DMARC, DKIM, DoH/DoT;

  6. VPN and dynamic IP support and solution deployment analysis.


Domain registry developments

    1. Registry system development

      1. launching a registry system in the cloud with mitigation of resulting risks;

      2. the next stage in the development of the auction system: the English auction and the domain secondary market solution for the secure resale of domains;

      3. personal identification and authorization: verification of foreign domain contacts in cooperation with other domain registries; two-level authentication when authorizing registration operations; extending supported strong identification methods to private and public sector solutions in other countries;

      4. extension of the eeID service, in particular with electronic solutions (such as bank IDs) enabling strong personal identification in European countries;

      5. cloud whois (anycasted WHOIS) - analysis and piloting of distributed networking of whois servers;

      6. adding additional information on restrictions and barriers to the WHOIS or registrant portal;

      7. creating the possibility for the registrant to add information to WHOIS information;

      8. updating user interfaces (eu and ux) (portals and homepage) targeting small screens (mobile first);

      9. updating the necessary hardware of the registry system;

      10. renewal of the emergency registrar (EE Direkt).

    2. .ee registration service development

      1. Improving the regulation of domain auctions for aftermarket services;

      2. Improvement of the domain registration process - analysis of the abolition of the requirement for mandatory administrative and technical contact, mitigation of the requirement for at least two name servers; analysis of the need for a telephone number from the perspective of multi-level authentication;

      3. development of the work and process of the Domain Disputes Committee - digitization, systematization and, if possible, further automation of the process;

      4. automation of registration services - automatic renewal of domain registrations for registrars and allowing renewal to be revoked within a certain period of time (e.g., 14 days);

      5. analysis of the reasons for not renewing the domain (how and for what purpose the domain is used, tutorial on creating a website).


Development of the EIF:


  1. priority development of .ee marketing;

  2. security certificate renewal - e-ITS or ISO;

  3. extending the registry service to other TLDs - mapping of opportunities;

  4. bringing domain information and updates to additional channels (MKM and RIA news feed, Geenius, CENTR news, etc.);

  5. promotion of electronic identification - monitoring and implementation of cross-border identification and biometric solutions;

  6. creation of DNS-like solutions for various areas of life (for example, addresses of “crypt wallets,” temporary or one-time aliases for payment cards, the inclusion of DNS in personal identification solutions (ID4me, IRMA, etc.)). mapping and analysis of opportunities;

  7. involvement in the creation of legal regulations concerning domain organization (supervision of Internet content, electronic certificates, etc.);

  8. cross-border cooperation (with other registries, CENTR, ICANN);

  9. further cooperation with CERT, consumer protection, police, prosecution, and the judiciary;

  10. acting as a center of excellence in the field.


Cooperation with stakeholders

  1. Disclosure of additional statistics to registrars and registrants, including analyzes and data produced by third parties;

  2. Communication of CENTR and industry news to stakeholders;

  3. active involvement of registrars in the development of .ee;

  4. participating in working groups in the field (ICANN, CENTR, RIPE, OARC, IGF, etc.) and representing .ee stakeholders and sharing the information gathered with stakeholders;

  5. discussions on the role of the EIF in clean Internet.


  1. Estonian Internet development

  1. Participation in the Opinion Festival on Internet topics;

  2. Participation in the name competition of the Institute of the Estonian Language;

  3. Participating in a secure internet day;

  4. bringing information about .ee domain knowledge and domain use to Internet users (involving registrars and third parties);

  5. building a cyber-aware and cyber-skilled society, facilitating discussions on Internet developments (Internet hygiene, forums, seminars, Opinion Festival, etc.);

  6. being a part of the guarantors of Estonian cyber security;

  7. work in ICANN for a possible release of .est as a national TLD;

  8. organization of training in this field.


2. Strategy 2013-2015