Why .auDO exists

The .au namespace is part of the public-facing trust layer of Australian organisations. .auDO observes a fixed panel of domains over time so visible DNS, RDAP, mail, registrar and provider signals can be preserved, compared and explained.

A single lookup shows a moment. Repeated observation shows behaviour.

Public signals Repeated observation State summaries Evidence-led reports

What it does

.auDO observes, preserves and explains visible domain-layer change

.auDO collects public DNS, RDAP, mail, registrar, DNSSEC and provider signals from a curated panel of .au domains. It turns repeated observation into cautious public evidence.

Captures public state

Each run preserves visible domain-layer posture before interpretation is applied.

Compares change

Repeated snapshots make drift, movement, gaps and recurring patterns easier to inspect over time.

Publishes cautiously

State pages, reports, signals and explainers separate observed evidence from interpretation.

How to use .auDO

Start with the current state, then inspect the evidence

.auDo is organised around a simple journey: current aggregate posture, dated evidence, signal definitions, plain-language explainers and cohort context.

State of .au

Derived public summaries showing the current visible posture of the observed panel.

Reports

Dated evidence records and curated analysis showing what changed and when.

Signals

Canonical human-readable definitions of the public fields and signal tiers .auDO uses.

Explainers

Plain-language guides for DNSSEC, DMARC, RDAP, registrar change and domain-layer governance.

Observed cohorts

Logical groupings of domains in the curated panel, used to explain public signals in context.

Method

The collection, preservation, classification and publication model behind the observatory.

Scope and limits

A public-interest observatory, not a rating system

What it is

A small, independent observatory focused on visible domain-layer trust signals in the .au namespace.

What it is not

It is not a registry service, vulnerability scanner, incident feed, audit, rating system, compliance certification or complete view of the .au namespace.

Observation over time

method, not results
Schematic showing repeated observation of the same .au domain over time, with state captured, change observed, and a later pattern emerging

A simple schematic of repeated observation: state is captured across multiple runs, small changes become visible, and patterns only emerge later.

Operation

Operation and independence

.auDO is an independent public-interest observatory. Its observations are descriptive records, not allegations, endorsements or assessments of observed organisations.

Maintained independently

.auDO is authored and maintained by Bryan Chetcuti as part of broader public work on digital trust, domain governance and observable trust signals.

Supported by Vigo

Operational support is provided by The Vigo Group.

Contact

Questions, feedback or collaboration enquiries about .auDO, observed signals or domain-layer governance can be sent to Bryan Chetcuti.