Verifying against the live site and live WHOIS/DNS…
Common questions
Is openarchives.org legit or a scam?
openarchives.org was registered Nov 10, 1999 (27 years old), per public registration records. AboutUs doesn't label sites "legit" or "a scam": this page lists the dated registration, DNS, HTTPS, mail-authentication and safety checks we could verify, each with its source, so you can decide for yourself.
Who owns openarchives.org?
Nobody has completed AboutUs's owner verification for openarchives.org. That's true of most sites here — it isn't itself a warning sign.
When was openarchives.org registered?
openarchives.org's registration dates to Nov 10, 1999 (27 years old), per public registration records. Domain.com - Network Solutions, LLC is the registrar on record today.
Correct a description, link or other detail. Submissions are reviewed before publication.
3 of 4 safety checks passed (Nov 15, 2026).
Registered 1999 · site is live · HTTPS valid
OpeNarchives.org develops and promotes interoperability standards
The Open Archives Initiative develops and promotes interoperability standards designed to facilitate efficient dissemination of digital content and scholarly communication. The organization originated from efforts to enhance access to e-print archives and now applies its technological framework across a broader range of digital materials and adopter communities.
Checked in the last 30 daysOlder, dated recordFrom registration records
Registered 27 years ago · on AboutUs since 2007 · 2 registrar changes since Jul 15, 2011 · 1 registrant change since 2011 · last checked Nov 9, 2026.
Registration
RegisteredNov 10, 1999openarchives.org was registered on Nov 10, 1999.Source: RDAP, fetched Nov 9, 2026
AboutUs record
AboutUs wiki pageAboutUs wiki pageMar 8, 2007 – Nov 5, 2013An AboutUs wiki page described openarchives.org from Mar 8, 2007 to Nov 5, 2013 (2 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Registrar
DSTR Acquisition PA I, LLC dba DomainBank.com (R28-LROR)Jul 15, 2011 – Oct 14, 2011Registrar DSTR Acquisition PA I, LLC dba DomainBank.com (R28-LROR) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for openarchives.org, from Jul 15, 2011 to Oct 14, 2011.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)Domain.com, LLC
Registrant
Registrant recordsJul 15, 2011 – Jun 12, 2026Registration records for openarchives.org are held from Jul 15, 2011 to Jun 12, 2026 (67 records). 1 change of registrant name or organization is marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes, renames of the same organization and new contacts at it are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Zone file
No nameserver records held, Oct 2011 – Oct 2016Nameservers: cornell.edu, lanl.govJul 15, 2011 – Oct 14, 2011Registration records listed cornell.edu, lanl.gov nameservers (bigred.cit.cornell.edu, dns.cit.cornell.edu, nsx.lanl.gov…) for openarchives.org from Jul 15, 2011 to Oct 14, 2011.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Certificate
AmazonAmazonOct 14, 2025 – Nov 15, 2026 (latest)Amazon issued 2 certificates for openarchives.org from Oct 14, 2025, the latest valid until Mar 30, 2027. Seen in use on Oct 4, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Oct 4, 2026
200020102020Jan ’26Oct ’26← last 12 months, drawn wider
Every dated fact on this lifeline (13)
Nov 10, 1999Registration: openarchives.org was registered on Nov 10, 1999.Source: RDAP, fetched Nov 9, 2026
Mar 8, 2007 – Nov 5, 2013AboutUs record: An AboutUs wiki page described openarchives.org from Mar 8, 2007 to Nov 5, 2013 (2 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Jul 1, 2007AboutUs record: “The Open Archives Initiative develops and promotes interoperability standards that aim to facilitate the efficient dissemination of content. The Open Archives Initiative has its roots in an effort to enhance access to e…”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2007
Jul 15, 2011 – Oct 14, 2011Registrar: Registrar DSTR Acquisition PA I, LLC dba DomainBank.com (R28-LROR) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for openarchives.org, from Jul 15, 2011 to Oct 14, 2011.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Jul 15, 2011 – Jun 12, 2026Registrant: Registration records for openarchives.org are held from Jul 15, 2011 to Jun 12, 2026 (67 records). 1 change of registrant name or organization is marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes, renames of the same organization and new contacts at it are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Automated safety checks
DNS (passed)
HTTPS (passed)
Page metadata (passed)
Security headers (failed)
Add the HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, and X-Frame-Options response headers.
AboutUs has not vetted this site. Everything below is what we could measure automatically. Anything you do on the site — paying, sharing personal details, downloading — is between you and the site, not AboutUs.
Current facts
Latest available measurements; dated entries retain their dates. These are measurements, not an endorsement of the site.
latest result
Said about itself in 2007
Jul 1, 2007
“The Open Archives Initiative develops and promotes interoperability standards that aim to facilitate the efficient dissemination of content. The Open Archives Initiative has its roots in an effort to enhance access to e…”
Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2007
Current AboutUs recordJun 20, 2026 – Nov 9, 2026 (latest)Authority and Safety last refreshed Nov 9, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Domain.com, LLC
Oct 11, 2016 – Jun 12, 2026
Registrar Domain.com, LLC (IANA 886) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for openarchives.org, from Oct 11, 2016 to Jun 12, 2026.
Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Domain.com - Network Solutions, LLCJul 22, 2026 – Sep 29, 2026 (latest)Registrar Domain.com - Network Solutions, LLC in the registration data recorded, first on Jul 22, 2026 and most recently on Sep 29, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Nov 9, 2026
Registrant changeOct 25, 2025The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Oct 25, 2025. That can be a rename, a new contact or a sale; the record alone does not say which.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
1 registrant change, 2011–2026
Nameservers: cornell.edu
Nameservers: cornell.eduOct 11, 2016 – Jun 12, 2026Registration records listed cornell.edu nameservers (bigred.cit.cornell.edu, dns.cit.cornell.edu) for openarchives.org from Oct 11, 2016 to Jun 12, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
DNS moved to cornell.eduOct 11, 2016openarchives.org's nameservers moved from cornell.edu, lanl.gov to cornell.edu at some point between Oct 14, 2011 and Oct 11, 2016. Last seen at cornell.edu, lanl.gov: Oct 14, 2011 (registration record). First seen at cornell.edu: Oct 11, 2016 (registration record). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the about 5 years in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → registration record)
Jul 15, 2011 – Oct 14, 2011
Zone file: Registration records listed cornell.edu, lanl.gov nameservers (bigred.cit.cornell.edu, dns.cit.cornell.edu, nsx.lanl.gov…) for openarchives.org from Jul 15, 2011 to Oct 14, 2011.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Oct 11, 2016 – Jun 12, 2026Registrar: Registrar Domain.com, LLC (IANA 886) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for openarchives.org, from Oct 11, 2016 to Jun 12, 2026.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Oct 11, 2016 – Jun 12, 2026Zone file: Registration records listed cornell.edu nameservers (bigred.cit.cornell.edu, dns.cit.cornell.edu) for openarchives.org from Oct 11, 2016 to Jun 12, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Oct 11, 2016Zone file: openarchives.org's nameservers moved from cornell.edu, lanl.gov to cornell.edu at some point between Oct 14, 2011 and Oct 11, 2016. Last seen at cornell.edu, lanl.gov: Oct 14, 2011 (registration record). First seen at cornell.edu: Oct 11, 2016 (registration record). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the about 5 years in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → registration record)
Oct 14, 2025 – Nov 15, 2026Certificate: Amazon issued 2 certificates for openarchives.org from Oct 14, 2025, the latest valid until Mar 30, 2027. Seen in use on Oct 4, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Oct 4, 2026
Oct 25, 2025Registrant: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Oct 25, 2025. That can be a rename, a new contact or a sale; the record alone does not say which.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Jun 20, 2026 – Nov 9, 2026AboutUs record: Authority and Safety last refreshed Nov 9, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Jul 22, 2026 – Sep 29, 2026Registrar: Registrar Domain.com - Network Solutions, LLC in the registration data recorded, first on Jul 22, 2026 and most recently on Sep 29, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Nov 9, 2026
Domain registered Nov 10, 1999 — 27 years old.
latest result
Registrar on record: Domain.com - Network Solutions, LLC — unchanged since AboutUs began tracking (Jul 22, 2026).
latest result
HTTPS request succeeded for openarchives.org.
checked Sep 30, 2026
The site names Open Archives Initiative as the organisation behind it.
checked Sep 30, 2026
The live front page reads as an education or reference site that is funded by donations or members, mainly for specialists in its field.
Authority 67/100— ahead of 67% of the August 2026 scored sampleClear
Why this authority score
67 is a percentile: higher than 67% of sites we score.
How it's calculated
Prominence (Tranco rank #69,753)+6
Verified continuity: 27.0 years (RDAP registration)+11
Identity corroboration (capped)+4
Security & email hygiene+3
Calibration adjustment (published map)+10
Model score: 34/99 — what these reason lines add up to.
Published Authority (percentile): 67/100 — this site's rank against the August 2026 scored sample. Public Authority is capped at 99.
Safety evidence
No unexpired threat-feed result; name-similarity check available (recorded about 5 days ago); 3/3 transport and email checks available (oldest recorded about 5 days ago). This is evidence coverage, not a probability that a website is safe.
No MX and no DMARC (mild)
What openarchives.org said about itself, 2007
Quoted from the site's AboutUs wiki page in each year it changed (1 version). These are the page's own words at the time, not AboutUs's assessment. New words · dropped words
2007
The Open Archives Initiative develops and promotes interoperability standards that aim to facilitate the efficient dissemination of content. The Open Archives Initiative has its roots in an effort to enhance access to e-print archives as a means of increasing the availability of scholarly communication. Continued support of this work remains a cornerstone of the Open Archives program.
Site history
Dated record — historical facts always carry their date; self-description below is the 2013 record.
1999
Domain registered (Nov 10, 1999).
2007
First tracked by AboutUs (Mar 8, 2007); profile edited 2 times through 2013.
2013
Self-description at the time:
“OpeNarchives.org develops and promotes interoperability standards”