- ccTLDs like .io and .ai are not owned property but are delegated to trustees as per RFC 1591, with continuity dependent on geopolitical stability.
- ccTLD retirement can occur automatically if a territory's ISO 3166-1 code is removed, as happened with domains like .yu and .an.
- .io faces unresolved risks due to sovereignty disputes over the British Indian Ocean Territory, affecting critical infrastructure like GitHub and Docker.
- .ai funds about half of Anguilla's government revenue, creating mutual dependency between the territory and over a million brands.
- Real-world disruptions include Gabon deleting .ga domains, Brexit suspending .eu domains, and the Taliban shutting down .af domains.
- Migrating from a ccTLD is costly and complex, involving SEO losses and infrastructure changes, as seen with WooCommerce's reversal.
- Mitigation strategies include holding .com defensively, avoiding single ccTLD dependencies in software supply chains, and pricing in geopolitical risk.