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Filed under: Internet, News

ICANN approves non-Latin characters for domain names

Cyrillic URL
As expected, the international agency that regulates internet domain names has approved a new rule that allows URLs to be written using non-Latin characters. In other words, native speakers of Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hindi, and other languages will be able to spell out web addresses using their oown alphabets.

Roughly 1.6 billion internet users speak languages that don't use Latin characters. That's half of the people that usee the internet.

Officials describe the move as the "biggest technical change to the Internet since it was created four decades ago." Nations and territories will be able to apply for internet extensions reflecting their regions starting on November 16th. We'll probably start seeing Internationalized Domain Names starting in mid-2010.

[via TechCrunch]

Filed under: Internet, News

ICANN set to approve web addresses using non-Latin characters

Cyrillic URL
There are web pages written in virtually every living language. If you read Japanese, Korean, Arabic, or Hebrew, odds are you can find web sites written in your native tongue. But in order to find them, you'll probably have to enter a string of Western characters into your browser's address bar.

That's because up until now, the organization that oversees domain names has only accepted URLs with Latin characters. But this week the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is expected to approve a new rule allowing addresses to be written in different scripts, including Arabic, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Cyrillic (Russian).

While the change might not affect English speakers reading this web site all that much, this is huge news for the 1.6 billion internet users who speak languages that don't use Latin characters. So while we have no plans to change the web address for Download Squad, I did consult with Google Translate today to learn that the site would be called something like загрузка Сборная in Russian. Because, you never know.

The new rule could be adopted as soon as Friday, although we probably wouldn't see the new Internationaliised Domain names (IDNs) until mid 2010.

ICANN has been looking at the change for a few years. But there have been technical kinks to work out. Essentially, under the new system, users will be able to enter URLs in a variety of different scripts and the domain name system will apply some new translation techniques in order to ensure that users are taken to the correct web page.

Filed under: Internet, Web

ICANN drops its US Government affiliation

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (otherwise known as ICANN) has, since its inception in 1998, enjoyed been strongly ties with the US Government's Department of Commerce - something that's irritated international governments who've wanted the body responsible for domain names and the entire Doman Name System to be more internationally-balanced. In particular, ICANN has been criticised for long-delaying the arrival of international domain names.

Today ICANN has signed a new 'Affirmation of Commitments' that allows it to break free from the US Government and be that long-sought-after international body. Whilst some US senators were concerned about the move to internationalise ICANN - and that ICANN will be overseen by more than just the US Government - the organisation has confirmed it will at least stay based in the United States.

There's been plenty of positive quotes about this change of status from the US Government, big Internet businesses such as Google as well as the likes of Vint Cerf - one of the co-inventors of the Internet - and ICANN is responding to its complaints about lacking internationalisation by supporting Chinese and Russian characters in Top Level Domain names next year.

[via Ars Technica]

Filed under: Internet

ICANN loosens domain name rules, .SQUAD coming soon?

Network SolutionsAs expected, the international body that oversees internet domain names has voted to change the way top-level domains work. Right now there are only about 200 top level domains, with some of the most widespread being .com, .net, .org, and .edu. But under the rules adopted by ICANN today, companies or individuals will be able to register top line domains using pretty much any string of characters.

For example, why settle for www.downloadquad.com when you could have www.download.squad? The advantage to the new system is that it will be much easier to snag the domain you really want. The down side is that most web surfers tend to think in .com. It's already hard enough to remember whether you need to type in .com, .net, or .org. It could be much harder to find the page you're looking for if there are literally millions of options.

Of course, it's not like just anybody is going to go out and register a new top-level domain. The application fee will be upwards of $100,000. And even if we do wind up with 2000 or even 2,000,000 top-level domains instead of 200, odds are it'll still be easy enough to find the sites you're looking for thanks to these nifty things called search engines.

ICANN has also approved the use of Arabic and Cyrillic scripts for top-level domains.

Filed under: Internet

.XXX back on the drawing board as ICANN plans big domain name changes

A far reaching transformation of domain names could be in store as Internet guardians, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meets to discuss changes to top level domain names.

According to a report from the BBC, ICANN has plans to deregulate top level domain names to allow any string of letters to be used as a top level domain, paving the way for long proposed domains such as .xxx, for company names like .Disney or even personal names such as .gordonfinlayson to be used as a domain name.

The proposed system would also allow for internationalization of domain names so that additional new languages and characters could be used to register domains which will be a plus for the billions of people who don't use Latin alphabets.

ICANN will vote on the proposal on Thursday on the last day of a series of public meetings which are being held in Paris this week. ICANN acts as the guardian of all Internet domain names and more informally as a global regulator of the Internet, but such services don't come cheap and the new domain names could see the cash rolling in for ICANN.

The release of a new domain name system could see a feeding frenzy as people individuals and companies compete to acquire catchy or unique domain names, and will no doubt be a considerable disappointment to all the poor saps who have paid good money for quality .com, .net or .tv domain names. All this is is inevitably going to result in a ton of new disputes over precedence for registrations, trade marks and issues like obscenity so lets hope ICANN has a really good dispute resolution procedure in the works.

[Via the BBC]

Filed under: Internet

ICANN aims to end U.S. oversight

ICANN aims to end U.S. oversightThe group that is in charge of the Internet addressing system, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), has sent a response (PDF) to the U.S. Department of Commerce in a midterm review of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between the two parties, saying that the JPA has fulfilled its purpose and is no longer necessary.

The original agreement was put in place to get ICANN on its way to be a responsible, transparent entity to get it out of U.S. control, since this has been a topic of debate since the inception of ICANN. The report states that ICANN has already met its responsibilities of the JPA, and as such is ready for full "private sector leadership" where all the stakeholders are represented. As such, it also aims to cast off the misconception that the U.S. government is overseeing the DNS on a "daily basis."

Although this is unlikely to affect end-user interaction in any way, it will be nice to know that the root addressing system will not be under the direct control of a single entity - that is, if the U.S. Department of Commerce agrees and the JPA is indeed retired early. But considering that it is in private hands, even with stakeholders represented, it does make one wonder how it will affect competition considering that ICANN virtually has a monopoly whether it is under the oversight of the U.S. or a private group of stakeholders.

[via OSNews, ArsTechnica]

Filed under: Business, Internet, Web services

Domain name prices are about to get a little higher

domain name price increaseStill holding out on that perfect domain name because you can't choose between a few different ones? Try not to hold back any longer, VeriSign, the company that controls the domain name registry for .com, .net, among others, is set to raise prices.

Verisign will initiate a 7% yearly price hike effective October 15, 2007, raising prices from a wholesale cost of $6/ year to $6.42/ year. This amount isn't a considerable difference, however VeriSign does have the right to renegotiate their contract with ICANN to continue a 7% per year raise indefinitely.

[via TechCrunch]

Filed under: Internet, News

ICANN rejects .xxx domains

Playboy T-shirtThe Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has rejected a proposed .xxx domain for pornographic websites. This is the third time ICANN has shot the idea down.

The proposal had faced opposition from adult-entertainment groups who feared it would ghettoize their sites, and also from religious organizations who were concerned that the domain would lead to more porn sites on the internet (would that even be possible?)

The proposal is being pushed by ICM Registry LLC, a Florida company that wants to oversee registration of .xxx sites. ICANN voted 9-5 to reject the measure.




Filed under: Internet, News

3 more years of ICANN

ICANNThe ICANN retains its grip on being the Internet's addressing center. The US Commerce Department has taken a more hands-off approach at its oversight of the company. Of course all the other countries who are critics of ICANN are going to complain, since they don't want the US having control of any part of the Internet. Frankly, I don't care what they think. The Internet works just fine, so don't go screwing it up by letting the oversight change hands. I don't even like the idea of the UN taking over the Internet either. At least ICANN will be around for another three years.

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