The 77th ICANN forum (ICANN77) was held in Washington, DC, in June, marking the second of its three set meetings for 2023. Through global multi-stakeholder discussion and collaboration, the policy forum canvassed the latest developments on changes, improvements and threats to the internet ecosystem, at both an international and local level.
Following the event, Jordan Carter, Internet Governance and Policy Director at auDA, facilitated an auDA webinar with forum participants representing various ICANN Supporting Organisations and Advisory Committees to hear their key learnings from the forum. He was joined by:
- Ian Sheldon, reporting from the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)
- Cheryl Langdon-Orr, reporting from the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC)
- Kurt Pritz, reporting from the Generic Names Supporting Organisation (GNSO)
- Annaliese Williams, reporting from the Country Code Name Supporting Organisation (ccNSO), and
- Julie Hammer, reporting from the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC).
Here are four key takeaways from the webinar:
Registries and registrars are encouraged take an active role in combatting domain name system (DNS) abuse
The ICANN community is encouraging domain name registries and registrars to play a more active role in addressing and preventing DNS abuse. This is being achieved through targeted changes to the contracts between ICANN and these entities, negotiated over the past year or so. The goal is to enhance cooperation between registrars and law enforcement agencies, establish appropriate policies and guidelines for handling abuse reports, and promote proactive measures to identify and mitigate abuse. By increasing registry and registrar involvement, ICANN aims to create a safer and more secure internet environment for users through the mitigation of DNS abuse.
The next round of new generic top level domain (gTLD) applications is coming
A gTLD is a category of domain name that represents the highest level in the domain name system hierarchy. It includes well known extensions like .com, .org, and .net. The New gTLD Program was launched by ICANN in 2012 to enhance utility of the DNS and foster diversity through the introduction of new gTLDs (such as .yahoo, .melbourne, etc.). The ICANN board is currently considering the process for the next round of gTLD applications. Within the work to get ready for the next round is a challenge related to “closed generics” – where a company applies for a generic name (e.g. .books), but uses it exclusively for its own business purposes.
The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) believes that if closed generic gTLDs are released, they should serve a public interest. A framework has been drafted to address this issue. Efforts are also being made to maintain diversity and inclusion in the next round of gTLDs, to provide financial support to under-served regions and make sure the process isn’t financially exclusive (as high costs could limit the creation of non-commercially-oriented TLDs). Implementation of the next round of gTLDs is scheduled for 2026.
Progression of Internationalised Domain Name (IDN) policy development will help improve equity of the internet
The Generic Names Supporting Organisation (GNSO) is undertaking a body of work on the rules relating to IDN gTLDs – top level domains that use local language scripts (e.g. .クラウド which stands for .cloud in Japanese). A major component of this includes addressing the issue of “variant” TLDs and domain names which occur when a language script has two or more versions of the same character (potentially causing confusion to the user).
An initial report has been completed by the Policy Development Process group (PDP), focusing on safely allowing for variant TLDs.
The second phase of this work involves considering variants at the second level. Despite the complexity of language tables and rules, significant progress has been made in addressing these issues. This is helping to achieve the broader aim of ensuring all language communities can equitably participate in the internet.
A new appeals process could be adopted for ICANN decisions relating to country code top-level domains (ccTLDs)
The country code Name Supporting Organisation (ccNSO) has been developing policy related mechanisms that will be available for existing ccTLD managers to appeal decisions related to the delegation, revocation or transfer of a ccTLD. Such appeals have previously been excluded under ICANN’s existing processes, until this fit-for-purpose approach was developed by the ccNSO.
The draft policy has now been put forward to the ICANN board for their consideration of adoption. Concluding this work is an important milestone in the evolution of the policy framework that applies to ccTLD management at the global level.
To learn more, watch the webinar on the auDA website.
ICANN is one forum where internet governance happens, with a focus on the global domain name system and other identifiers. Broader internet policy issues are discussed at Internet Governance Forums, which take place at the global, regional and national level.
This year's regional level IGF for Asia Pacific (APrIGF) will take place in Australia, proudly hosted by auDA. The three-day forum is being held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and online from 29-31 August. To learn more, register today.
