Rebuilding online trust in your organisation

dotPublic is developing a range of digital standards, tools, and solutions that will define and create a new layer of trustworthy civic infrastructure for the internet. This will be a place where public service values are paramount and guaranteed.

One initiative is to create a new top-level domain (similar to .com and .co.uk), to be called .PUBLIC

This will be a space where only organisations and individuals meeting the highest public-interest standards can operate. Examples of organisations we anticipate taking part include universities, libraries, archives, museums, broadcasters, health services, government agencies, and civil society organisations.

Another initiative is an accreditation system similar to the BSI Kitemark. Sites displaying dotPublic accreditation will signify to the world that they meet impeccable standards of good internet citizenship, which has been independently verified and is continuously monitored.

The standards that establish trust

Being part of dotPublic means a commitment to nine core principles:

  1. Accessibility – compliance with international standards; no barriers to access
  2. Privacy – no behavioural tracking; genuine user consent, not "consent theatre"
  3. Security – enforced encryption; protection from tampering; no single point of failure
  4. Transparency – clear ownership; disclosed funding; open governance
  5. Accountability – contactable person; published complaints process; commitments honoured
  6. Interoperability – open formats; no proprietary lock-in; data exportable on request
  7. Provenance – clear institutional authorship, version history, verifiable sources
  8. AI & Automation – disclosed when used; human oversight of decisions that affect people
  9. Responsibility to the Future – succession planning; environmental disclosure; built to endure

These are not abstract principles. They function as operational standards that will be verified, audited, and enforced on an ongoing basis. There will be levels of compliance within each category.

How we will work together

During the build phase, we'll establish assessment criteria, onboarding workflows, compliance monitoring, and remediation and appeals processes. In practice, this means:

  • Pre-onboarding assessment – whether your organisation and initial materials can meet the standards
  • Onboarding support – practical guidance to translate standards into operational reality
  • Continuous monitoring – automated checks where feasible, with clear criteria and documentation
  • Remediation and appeals – transparent steps to fix issues and contest decisions

Let's start working together

If your organisation shares these values and would like to be part of the dotPublic project, we would love to hear from you. We are taking a phased approach and there are a number of opportunities to work on pilot projects.

It's never too early to start exploring how your organisation could help build a better internet.

Please contact us to get in touch.