In October 2025, ICANN Contractual Compliance (ICANN Compliance) shared an update on the enforcement of the DNS Abuse mitigation requirements. Since then, we have maintained an enforcement approach that combines complaint‑driven investigations with routine audits. We are focused on continuous monitoring and enforcement, outreach to help the community understand the requirements, and transparency through publication of regular metrics and reporting.
We also continue to follow the Policy Development Processes on DNS Abuse mitigation and will provide input on the clarity and enforceability of any new requirements as appropriate.
Enforcement Progress Since April 2024
Between 5 April 2024 and 5 April 2026, ICANN Compliance launched nearly 530 investigations related to the DNS Abuse mitigation requirements and resolved more than 480. About 66 percent led to Contracted Parties (registrars and gTLD registry operators) taking action to stop DNS Abuse (direct action on the domain names, e.g., suspension), with another 8 percent taking steps to disrupt it (measures typically used for compromised domains).
We issued four DNS Abuse-related Notices of Breach and a fifth for not investigating an abuse report involving thousands of domains and cryptocurrency‑related scams (non-DNS Abuse). We completed one registry audit (see report) and began another focused on registrars with the highest concentration of reported DNS Abuse over a 13‑month period.
We launched a monthly DNS Abuse mitigation enforcement dashboard, in chart and open‑data formats, published guidelines to submit actionable DNS Abuse complaints, and continued sharing updates through blogs, reports, and webinars.
Abusive Domains Mitigated and Addressing Root Causes
Our DNS Abuse investigations directly contributed to mitigating over 25,000 abusive domains over this period. Additionally, the systems and processes that certain Contracted Parties implemented following our investigations helped mitigate hundreds of thousands more. An example of these efforts is here. Although the overall harm prevented cannot be measured, these results reflect progress toward lasting compliance.
Improving Complaint Validity
We continue to receive a high volume of invalid complaints, many of which fall outside ICANN's scope or lack sufficient information. Invalid complaints require review and following up with complainants, diverting resources away from valid cases. To assist in increasing complaint validity, we conducted targeted outreach, expanded educational materials, and offered a webinar. Although the number of complaints continues to increase month over month (see April 2026 report), the percentage of valid complaints is low. This remains a troubling trend that we are working to address.
Next Steps: Strengthening Enforcement
We are developing a proactive enforcement framework to identify potential noncompliance that may not surface through complaints and audits. The scope will include Contracted Parties that meet data‑driven selection criteria tied to DNS Abuse indicators. It will focus on patterns, including high concentrations of reported DNS Abuse and extended mitigation times. The enforcement actions will require the mitigation of well-evidenced DNS Abuse and measures to address the root-cause of any noncompliance. The framework incorporates key performance indicators and metrics that will be shared with the community. The initial concept for this framework was presented at the 2026 Contracted Parties Summit.
