Reduce "Unreachable" Whois Registrations By 50% In 1 Year?

A Review Team taking a close look at the accuracy of Whois seeks your comments. Photo courtesy of sylvar on Flickr Creative Commons.

Review Team Asks for Community Comment on Draft Recommendations that Could Bring Big Changes to Whois

Whois allows you to look up the name and contact information of whoever operates any website domain – or at least, it should. But it isn't always accurate. In some cases, Whois contact information is patently false, listing as website operators Osama bin Laden, God, and Sherlock Holmes.

As part of ICANN's Affirmation of Commitments responsibilities, Whois policy recently underwent extensive review by an independent team comprised of representatives from across the ICANN constituencies, a law enforcement representative, and two independent experts. The Whois Policy Review Team's scope was to "review the extent to which ICANN's Whois policy and its implementation are effective, meet the legitimate needs of law enforcement, and promote consumer trust."

The team has posted a draft of their Final Report [PDF, 1.04 MB] for public comment until 18 March 2012. Comprehensive and understandable, the report lays out systematically what the team found lacking with Whois policy and what they think should be done about it.

Read More

New gTLDs: What to Expect in 2012

Tremendous anticipation, planning, and work drove toward 12 January, 2012, the day ICANN began accepting applications for new gTLDs. Whether you've applied or not, your next question might be: "It's after 12 January. What happens next?"

Organizations who choose to apply to operate a top-level domain have merely begun a journey that will most likely carry them into 2013. If you're curious about the next phases of ICANN's New gTLD Program, here are highlights of what to expect.

29 March: Registration Closes

In the online TLD Application System (TAS), an applicant must first register, and then apply. 29 March 2012 is the last date for new user registrations, to meet the 12 April 2012 application deadline. This date is important as there are various processing requirements both in TAS and in the automated clearing houses that enable international financial transactions.

Read More

World Media Spotlights ICANN in Run-up to gTLD Launch

Worldwide press attention to the new generic top-level domain program (gTLD) reached a crescendo leading up to 12 January's official opening of the application window. An impressive array of global news outlets provided detailed coverage. Here are some video highlights.

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) keynote speech - The Future of the Internet - Who Decides?

10 January
ICANN President and CEO Rod Beckstrom delivered a keynote address on new gTLDs, ICANN's multi-stakeholder model that made them possible, and the rapid internationalization of the Internet.

National Press Club (NPC) press conference - Beyond .com, .gov, .net and .edu: Expansion of Internet Addressing

11 January
This National Press Club event in Washington, D.C. featuring Rod Beckstrom and ICANN Chair Steve Crocker discussed the launch of the new gTLD application window and its significance to the Internet.

Newseum panel discussion – ICANN: The Next Big .Thing: New Internet Domains

ICANN: The Next Big .thing: New Top-Level Domains from ICANN on FORA.tv

11 January
This Washington DC panel discussion, produced by ICANN and streamed online by Fora.tv, centered around the anticipated opening of the new gTLD application window, the risks and opportunities of becoming a new registry, and the enhanced trademark protections built into the program. Panelists included: Rod Beckstrom, Naseem Javed, Roland LaPlante, and Kristina Rosette.

PBS NewsHour discussion – Debating the Effects of a .Anything World

12 January
During this well-received segment, Rod Beckstrom and Dan Jaffe of the Association of National Advertisers discussed the new gTLD Program launch on the PBS NewsHour.

ICANN Helps Deserving Applicants Join New gTLD Program

6 January 2012 – As the day draws near when ICANN begins accepting applications to operate new generic Top-Level Domains (New gTLDs), ICANN community members have labored diligently to ensure that the program includes, right from the start, financial and non-financial forms of assistance to deserving applicants that intend to serve the public interest.

As a result, the formation of the New gTLD Applicant Support program nears completion.

Currently, several aspects of the program are posted for comments from the public. You can weigh in now on aspects of the program, such as:

• The handbook that needy applicants will follow in applying for financial assistance
• The criteria that evaluators will use in deciding who merits financial assistance
• The actual evaluation process itself
• The timeline for evaluating support applications.

To see documents related to these topics and to register your insights and opinions, visit the Public Comment Forum. The public comment period closes 10 January.

ICANN's effort to include everyone in the new gTLD program has extended to awareness-raising events in countries the World Bank defines as "developing economies." ICANN representatives have raised awareness in such diverse places as Fiji, India, Kenya, Mauritania, Senegal, and many others.

As the clock winds down to 12 January, ICANN is using the Google ad network to display information on ICANN's New gTLD program for Internet users in specific countries. Targeted countries include all 35 that the World Bank categorizes as "low income," ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

ICANN's Board has set aside USD$2,000,000 to assist needy applicants, a seed fund to which other organizations can donate.

Thanks to the hard work and extraordinary commitment from the entire ICANN community, new gTLDs will include this applicant support and financial assistance program. Starting from the first round, qualified organizations have the opportunity to apply for financial aid and their own top-level domain.