WordPress Now Lets You Purchase 100-Year Domains For Digital Longevity
By Mikelle Leow, 31 Aug 2023
Image generated on AI
Some people have plans to cryonically preserve themselves in hopes of beating mortality if or when scientists figure out how to resurrect them. On the interwebs, there now seems to be a similar option: freezing your digital footprint.
WordPress has announced an intriguing 100-Year Plan that’s meant for those who wish to prolong and renew their online legacy past generations—and maybe even lifetimes.
At the core of this plan is a full century of guaranteed ownership of a domain. The web host anticipates this being a draw for families thinking of safekeeping their digital memories—including photos, videos, and audio clips—to be reminisced upon by future generations. The 100-Year Plan might also appeal to founders who wish to future-proof their companies and document their timeline from now till beyond, and individuals looking for an online space that adapts flexibly with the times.
No surprises that immortality comes at a price. To hold onto your virtual home for an entire century, as opposed to the 10-year lifespan for standard domains, the company is asking for a one-time fee of US$38,000.
The package encapsulates features users have come to expect from a WordPress plan, including unmetered bandwidth, 24/7 support, “best-in-class” load times, sophisticated security provisions, and multiple backups across global data centers. Public websites will also be automatically submitted to the Internet Archive for digital longevity.
“Whether it’s giving a newborn the special gift of a domain and lifetime home on the web, or something you put in your will to make sure your website and story are accessible to future generations, I hope this plan gets people and other companies thinking about building for the long term,” notes WordPress’s CEO and co-founder Matt Mullenweg.
[via TechCrunch, The Register, WordPress, cover image generated on AI]