Facebook registers mysterious fBoriGin domain names

Is Zuck's network about to get in online family tree game?

By Kelly Fiveash • Get more from this author

Posted in Hosting, 19th January 2012 14:42 GMT

Free whitepaper – Enabling Datacenter and Cloud Service Management for Mid-Tier Enterprises

Facebook registered a curious bunch of domain names yesterday with the moniker fBoriGin.

It's unclear what the domain names, spotted by blog ubergizmo, will be used for.

When asked by The Register about the - among others - .com, .org, .net and .co.uk registration of fBoriGin, the world's biggest social network declined to comment.

Does the word "origin" hint that Facebook could be developing a site intended for users who want to build up family trees or track down long-lost relatives?

Or, as noted by ubergizmo, the company might simply be protecting its brand from cybersquatters.

There's no record of fBoriGin on the US patent and trademark office's website. It's also unclear why Facebook capped up the letter "G" within the domain name.

Could it point to genealogy, perhaps...? ®

Free whitepaper – Enabling Datacenter and Cloud Service Management for Mid-Tier Enterprises