• In Focus
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Until recently, the Root Zone was limited to a set of characters conforming to US-ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) or "Latin" alphabets. This changed with the introduction of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), which introduced top-level domains (TLDs) in different scripts and enabled Internet users to access domain names in their own language. Specifically:

• The approval of the IDN country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) Fast Track Process by the ICANN Board at its annual meeting in Seoul, South Korea in October 2009, enabled countries and territories to submit requests to ICANN for IDN ccTLDs representing their respective country or territory names in scripts other than US-ASCII characters. For information on countries and territories that have completed the IDN ccTLD Fast Track process, click here.

• The new generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program, approved at the ICANN meeting in Singapore in June 2011, will allow for the first time the addition of IDN gTLDs into the root zone.

IDNs can serve as powerful tools for broadening the Internet's capacity and accessibility; however, they also raise novel issues. One important issue concerns "variants," which, according to one technical definition, occur when a single conceptual character can be identified with two or more different Unicode Code Points with graphic representations that may be visually similar. IDN variants contain one or more such characters and therefore might result in user confusion or a poor user experience. Some examples generally perceived as IDN variants include: "السعودية" and "السعوديه" (Arabic); and 中国 and 中國 (Chinese).

In an effort to develop potential solutions for the delegation of IDN variant Top-Level Domains (TLDs), the ICANN Board, during its 2010 meeting in Oslo, passed a resolution directing the development of a preliminary report on the viability, sustainability and delegation of IDN variants.  The IDN Variant Issues Project plan was finalized in April 2011, and work commenced shortly thereafter.

This web page is designed to track activities relating to the implementation of IDNs, and to encourage discussion of issues encountered in their implementation. For more information on how to participate in IDN activities, please contact idn@ICANN.org.

The IDN Variant Issues Project:

Purpose: The IDN Variant Issues Project implemented its plan through case studies to identify issues associated with the beneficial and safe delegation of IDN variant TLDs. After determination of the level of demand for variant TLDs, and identification of the issues across several scripts, solutions for the safe and useful delegation of variant TLDs can be formulated, i.e., solutions that ensure a good user experience.

Scope: ICANN conducted studies in the following six scripts: Arabic, Chinese (Han script), Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, and Latin. Each study investigated issues that need to be resolved to facilitate a good user experience for IDN variant TLDs. From these case studies, an Integrated Issues Report will be created and published by 15 December 2011.

Methodology: To ensure that the delegation of IDN variant TLDs maximizes inclusiveness, user experience, and security, the case studies were designed to complete two primary tasks: (1) Create a commonly understood glossary of terms and ensure that such terms are accurate, consistent, and vetted with appropriate technical and linguistic communities; and (2) Identify the set of challenges of working with IDN variant TLDs that are based on (a) linguistic accuracy, (b) technical feasibility and accuracy, (c) usability, (d) accessibility, and (e) security and stability.

The case study reports are currently being finalized. All reports are available for public comment until 14 November 2011. Please visit the links below on the IDN Variant Project Phases diagram to read the individual reports and submit public comments:

Moving Forward: To proceed to the next step of developing an Integrated Issues report, ICANN announced the formation of a team comprised of experts from the existing case study teams. This team will advise ICANN in completing the Integrated Issues Report, which will summarize and synthesize the issues identified by the six case study teams. The group's work in preparation of this consolidated report is scheduled to start in October, at the ICANN public meeting in Dakar, Senegal.

For the very latest updates on the IDN Variant Issues Project, please visit the ICANN Community Wiki.