Domain Names

Rolling Out The New .Pro Domain

Professionals can extend their online identities and direct traffic using .pro - the last of seven new top-level domain names approved by the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Individuals and entities in the accounting, legal and medical professions became eligible to apply to defensively register as of April 23, 2003. In July, .pro domain names will go live. more

Domain Name Typosquatter Still Generating Millions

Ever visit cartoonneetwork.com? Adaptac.com? Check the URLs carefully, for these aren't the "real" sites operated by the Cartoon Network cable channel or by Adaptec, manufacturer of PC storage devices. Instead, these domains -- and some 5,000+ others -- were registered by a Mr. John Zuccarini. Read on to learn what he is up to and how he has gotten away with it. more

Privacy Matters: Is It Time To Abolish The WHOIS Database?

Recently, I entered my domain name in a "WHOIS" database query to test the results of the database by using WHOIS on a number of domain name registrar websites. WHOIS is a database service that allows Internet users to look up a number of matters associated with domain names, including the full name of the owner of a domain name, the name of the domain name hosting service, the Internet Protocol or I.P. number(s) corresponding to the domain name, as well as personally identifying information on those who have registered domain names. I was astonished to find... more

What’s My Name Got to Do With It?

For about 3 years I had been studying graphic design and finally after much searching decided to use bmw-design.com for my domain name. I chose bmw for my initials Bernadette Maria Walker. I searched for availability on Network Solutions and was happy to see that it had not been taken, so I registered my new domain name. This all seemed very innocent to me and I even designed my logo around this name. Then 5 days later I got this letter via FedEx from BMW Motor Company in Germany... more

Bangla Is on ICANN’s Script List. Where Are the Applicants?

ICANN's 2026 new gTLD round attracted no Bangla-script applications, despite supporting 27 scripts. Application data reveals limited South Asian participation and a sharp decline in internationalized domain applications compared with 2012. more

DNSSEC in Ghana: 99% Can Validate, But .gh Remains Unsigned

Ghana reports approximately 99% DNSSEC validation capability among measured users, yet its .gh domain remains unsigned, exposing a gap between resolver readiness and domain security that calls for coordinated deployment and operational planning. more

Low IDN Applications Raise Concerns for ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD Round

Only 21 internationalized domain name applications were submitted in ICANN's 2026 new gTLD round, raising government concerns about linguistic diversity and the accessibility of the domain expansion program. more

ICANN Names Three Independent Objectors to Review 2026 New gTLD Applications

ICANN has appointed three independent objectors for the 2026 new-gTLD round, establishing a mechanism to challenge applications on public-interest and community grounds, with safeguards against institutional interference. more

Third-Level .name Registrations and Email Forwarding to Be Discontinued in 2027

Verisign plans to discontinue third-level .name registrations and email forwarding in February 2027, prompting objections from longtime users concerned about losing established addresses, disrupting online accounts and potential security risks. more

Testing the Classifier: What a Blind Comparison Revealed About Domain Namespaces

A blind comparison of domain classification results found strong agreement for investor-pattern names but lower recall for operator-aligned names, raising questions about earlier namespace composition estimates and the limits of structural classification. more

ICANN Board Approves IDN Country-Code Domain Policy, Rejects Risk-Appraisal Provisions

ICANN has approved most of its new internationalized country-code domain policy, rejecting provisions for additional risk assessments of confusingly similar strings. Implementation and bylaw amendments remain pending. more

The Domain Trust Badge: Making Anti-Abuse Work Visible

The Domain Trust Badge pilot introduces a voluntary framework for registries and registrars to demonstrate effective anti-abuse practices through 17 requirements, evidence-based validation and a new metric measuring abuse mitigation performance. more

Pakistan’s .PK Is Now DNSSEC-Signed, but Only One Domain Validates

Pakistan's .pk domain has gained DNSSEC protection, but an October 11 scan found just one fully validating domain among 158,561 examined. Another 1,230 signed domains lack the parent-zone records needed to establish trust. more

What ICANN’s Contention Sets Reveal About New gTLD Values

ICANN's Reveal Day list holds 263 contention sets. With private deals banned this round, any set that reaches an ICANN auction will end in a public price. The 2012 auctions show why the number of bidders is a weak guide to that price. more

ICANN87 in Bali Puts DNS Abuse and New gTLD Implementation in Focus

ICANN87 in Bali brings DNS abuse mitigation, registrant protections and the next gTLD round into focus as policymakers examine implementation challenges affecting domain registries, registrars and Internet users. more