Making .au trust signals visible

.au Domain Observatory (.auDO) is an independent public-interest observatory for the .au domain ecosystem. It repeatedly observes a fixed panel and preserves visible DNS, registration, mail and infrastructure signals over time.

Repeated observation shows what is visible now, what changed and what persisted. .auDO does not score organisations, claim whole-namespace coverage or infer incidents from public signals alone.

Latest observations

What is visible now

Latest run 27 Oct 2026

Two selected signals across the fixed .auDO panel, shown with recent comparable observations from the evidence run collected on 27 Oct 2026. State of .au contains the broader current posture.

97 / 100DMARC observedNo change since yesterday
Recent observationsDaily observations: 2026-10-14: 97; 2026-10-15: 97; 2026-10-16: 97; 2026-10-17: 97; 2026-10-18: 97; 2026-10-19: 97; 2026-10-20: 97; 2026-10-21: 97; 2026-10-22: 97; 2026-10-23: 97; 2026-10-24: 97; 2026-10-25: 97; 2026-10-26: 97; 2026-10-27: 97.14 days · range 97–97Latest evidence · 98 determinate · 2 indeterminate
94 / 100Public MX observed+1 since yesterday
Recent observationsDaily observations: 2026-10-14: 94; 2026-10-15: 92; 2026-10-16: 94; 2026-10-17: 92; 2026-10-18: 93; 2026-10-19: 94; 2026-10-20: 94; 2026-10-21: 92; 2026-10-22: 94; 2026-10-23: 94; 2026-10-24: 94; 2026-10-25: 94; 2026-10-26: 93; 2026-10-27: 94.14 days · range 92–94Latest evidence · 98 determinate · 2 indeterminate

Daily observation is active across the current 100-domain .au Observation Panel. An established longitudinal evidence base supports reporting on visible signals, recurring patterns, and changes over time.

216 observation days 100 domains observed 8 published cohort lenses Latest run 27 Oct 2026 Longitudinal evidence established View State of .au

Infrastructure Atlas

How .au domains connect to infrastructure.

A visual way to explore where familiar infrastructure providers appear across selected groups of .au domains. Follow each connection to the Observatory's dated public evidence.

Explore the Infrastructure Atlas

Connections from the observed panel

Selected DNS associations appear when supported by current observations. They are not comparisons or rankings.

These names appear in public DNS evidence, not supplier contracts or security assessments.

Observation over time

fixed panel

How to read this visual

A symbolic view of repeated observation across selected points in the Australian domain namespace.

.auDO observes the same panel over time, preserves what was seen, and compares changes so patterns can emerge carefully.

A single lookup shows a moment. Repeated observation shows change and persistence.

Follow the evidence

Explore the panel and its findings

Explore why these domains were selected and what repeated observations reveal. For other views of the evidence, visit State of .au or observed cohorts.

Observation Panel

Why these domains, and why keep watching them?

Discover how .auDO's selected panel was assembled, which domains it includes and what observing the same group over time can reveal.

Explore its composition, membership and stewardship, including what this deliberately selected panel cannot represent.

Explore the Observation Panel

Published findings

What changes when we look again: tomorrow, next month or next quarter?

Start with a day's recorded evidence, follow a Monthly Observatory Brief, or explore a Quarterly Trust Signals Review. Rolling longitudinal views connect observations across defined windows.

Daily records · Monthly briefs · Quarterly reviews · Longitudinal evidence

Explore reports and findings

Understand the evidence

What do these signals mean?

Move from plain-language meaning to the evidence definition and then to the method used to collect and interpret it.

Read the evidence with context

Start with the Observation Guide to identify what was observed, its scope and evidence window, what the evidence cannot establish, and what to compare next. Then use Signals, Explainers and Methodology for the underlying definitions and method.

How to read an observation Signals Explainers Methodology

Common questions

A few boundaries worth knowing

These answers set expectations before you interpret .auDO evidence or move into the deeper analytical views.

Can I use .auDO to look up any .au domain?

No. .auDO repeatedly observes a fixed panel of selected .au domains so that visible change and persistence can be examined over time. It is not an on-demand domain checker.

For a point-in-time view of public DNS, mail, web delivery, certificate and registration signals for a specific domain, use ThreatScope Check.

Does State of .au describe the whole .au namespace?

No. State of .au describes visible posture and observed change across the fixed .auDO observation panel. It is not a measurement of every .au domain or the broader internet.

State views use the latest panel evidence and defined observation windows to show current posture and bounded movement.

Does an observed change mean something is wrong?

No. A visible change can reflect ordinary technical, provider or administrative activity. .auDO preserves what changed and adds context where the evidence supports it.

An observation does not by itself establish an incident, compromise, compliance failure or organisational risk.

The Observation Guide shows how to move from a visible change to a proportionate interpretation.

About .auDO

Independent observation, open to everyone

.auDO independently observes a fixed panel of selected .au domains and preserves the public records it finds. Its published observations help people understand what is visible, what differed between checks and where the evidence is uncertain. It is not a registry, regulator or service that grades organisations.

About the observatory