ICANN82 debrief

ICANN82, the 82^nd meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, held in March 2025, brought together diverse community stakeholders to discuss implementation, policy developments, and strategic directions in internet governance. This was the first public meeting since held under the leadership of Kurtis Lindqvist, who commenced as President and CEO in December 2024.

auDA hosted a readout webinar featuring speakers from across the ICANN community sharing their key insights from the meeting:

• Cheryl Langdon Orr, At-Large Community
• Desiree Milosevic, Generic Names Supporting Organisation (GNSO)
• Ram Mohan, Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC)
• Ian Sheldon, Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)
• Jordan Carter, Country Code Names Supporting Organisation (ccNSO).

Cheryl Langdon-Orr reported that the At-Large Community continued its ongoing policy work, including its focus on the next round of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) and support available to encourage applicants from underserved and under-represented communities, and took the opportunity to try some new ideas to reinvigorate discussion on longstanding issues.

Open plenaries

The At-Large Community hosted two innovative internal plenary sessions that were open to the broader ICANN community. The first was a conversation about the impact of emerging issues such as artificial intelligence and shifting geopolitics on the internet and its governance model. The second was a debate focused on whether promises made following the last round of new gTLDs had been met.

Women in DNS

To coincide with International Women’s Day, the Women in DNS session featured a conversation with Elizabeth “Jake” Feinler, who is recognised as one of the pioneers of the internet. She was both a leader and a champion for women during the internet’s early years when very few women were involved.

Desiree Miloshevic reported a busy meeting for the GNSO, which develops the ICANN policies for gTLDs.

Transfer Policy Review

During ICANN82, the GNSO Council unanimously adopted all recommendations in the final report of the Transfer Policy Review policy development process, which commenced in 2021. The Transfer Policy is the ICANN policy that sets out the requirements for transferring a domain name from one registrar to another.

Domain registration data

Issues relating to domain registration data, particularly the accuracy of this data, remain a topic of high interest across the ICANN community. Desiree noted that discussions between the GSNO and the GAC on how to assess and improve data accuracy are ongoing. The GAC considers accurate registration data to be a critical element for law enforcement and consumer protection. The GNSO Council is considering a response to the GAC’s concerns about perceived GNSO inaction on this issue.

Ram Mohan, Chair of the SSAC, outlined the committee’s pragmatic approach to addressing current and emerging DNS security challenges.

Evolving stance on DNS blocking

Blocking, once primarily used by internet service providers, is increasingly employed by governments and regulators to restrict access to domain names or broader parts of the internet. The SSAC is preparing a report that updates its earlier advice to identify potential unintended consequences of DNS blocking and set out best practices. The report is expected to be released before the next ICANN meeting.

Addressing open-source software dependencies

The SSAC is also focused on understanding and cataloguing the impact of open-source software on DNS infrastructure and other components of critical internet infrastructure. This work responds to growing interest from governments and regulators. The committee is assembling a baseline assessment of the extent to which DNS infrastructure depends on open-source components. Ram noted that critical infrastructure providers have been provided input to support the assessment.

Ian Sheldon, Vice Chair of GAC, reported the GAC’s continued commitment to improved participation, transparency and operational effectiveness within ICANN. The GAC considers the transparency provided by mandatory Statements of Interest is fundamental to the integrity of ICANN’s multi-stakeholder policy processes.

GAC/ccNSO bilateral meeting

During the first part of the GAC/ccNSO joint meeting, the ccNSO provided an update on its policy work, before participants moved into an innovative “speed-dating” style session. Eight stations were set up around the room and GAC members had an opportunity participate in several small group discussions with a range of managers of large and small ccTLDs about the different technical and governance models in place.

Review of GAC Operating Principles

The GAC is revising its Operating Principles to shift its election cycle to better align with other parts of the ICANN community and to adjust the maximum tenure of its leadership positions. Currently, the GAC Chair is elected for a two-year term and is eligible to be re-elected for a second term. Under its new proposal, the maximum tenure would increase from two terms to three. The GAC is also proposing to extend the Vice Chair tenure from two single year terms to two two-year terms. These changes are designed to bring more stability to the GAC leadership. GAC members will vote on these proposals during ICANN83.

Jordan Carter, Vice-Chair of the ccNSO Council, provided an update on some of the key points from the ccNSO Members meeting.

Policy gaps analysis

During ICANN82, the ccNSO agreed to further explore the policy framework governing to the relationship between ccTLDs and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), the part of ICANN that manages the domain name system’s root zone. The additional work will focus on two key areas:

The accuracy and relevance of the IANA public records.

The role IANA can or should play, given its limited role, in ccTLD business continuity and disaster recovery.

This is a continuation of the ccNSO’s policy gaps analysis work to identify any gaps in the framework for ccTLDs. This work was launched in August 2024 in response to a case where the ccTLD manager listed in the IANA record decided it no longer wanted to be the manager and no alternative manager had been identified.

‘How We Meet’ review

During the session, ccNSO representatives provided an update on the ongoing “How We Meet” process — an ICANN-wide review examining the structure, frequency and accessibility of its public meetings. Community discussions have surfaced a range of perspectives on cost, travel and time zone challenges, particularly for participants from the Asia-Pacific region. Members acknowledged the importance of ensuring ICANN’s meeting model remains inclusive, effective and reflective of its global community.

ccTLD financial contributions review

The ccNSO also held a session on its voluntary financial contribution model. Most ccTLD managers are not contracted to ICANN like gTLDs. Instead, they collaborate and participate in ICANN processes voluntarily and make voluntary financial contributions to help meet the costs of providing the IANA root zone service they rely on. A review of voluntary contributions takes places periodically, usually around every five years. The Financial Review Working Group expects to make recommendations for consideration by the ccNSO Council by June 2025.

Learn more by:

• Watching the webinar recording
• Reading about auDA’s internet governance and public policy work
• Visiting the ICANN82 website.