I am delighted to report that ICANN has engaged NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct a gTLD Whois Registrant Identification study, seeking a foundational understanding of the types of entities and kinds of potentially commercial activities observed among gTLD...

As part of a broader examination of gTLD WHOIS, ICANN’s Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council is seeking to gain further insight into the origination and handling of “relay” and “reveal” requests. A relay request is a request to forward a message to the...

If you’ve visited www.ICANN.ORG today, you might notice that the site looks different than it did last week. We’ve refreshed the look of the pages as the first step in a comprehensive overhaul of ICANN.ORG. The new look removes some clutter. For example, contrast the way...

Dear ICANN Community, My name is Chris LaHatte, and I am ICANN’s new Ombudsman. I will be available online to assist and facilitate the ICANN community as the organization faces many challenges from the gTLD expansion, the huge growth in Internet use in the developing...

Monday, 20 June, might go down in history books as the day the Internet changed dramatically. That’s the day ICANN’s Board of Directors votes on whether to finalize the Applicant Guidebook, a document that explains how any established institution (such as a government,...

I am delighted to report that ICANN has engaged Interisle Consulting Group to survey gTLD domain name registrants, registrars, and privacy and proxy service providers regarding their willingness and ability to participate in future Whois Relay and Reveal studies. The GNSO...

How is ICANN progressing on the recommendations that the Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT) published on the last day of 2010? Let me list the many ways that the Board, the staff, and our volunteer community are addressing the challenge to meet or surpass...

In keeping with our commitment to transparency with regard to the Nominating Committee process, as we prepare to head to Singapore for our selection meeting we want to update the ICANN community as to where we are. We closed the application process on 4 April 2011 and...

The Board Meeting Minutes and Resolutions page is a great place to see some of initial work ICANN has already done to meet the recommendations of the Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT). These include: Starting with the Brussels Board meeting in June 2010,...

ICANN will convene an open teleconference on 13 April 2011. The Registries Stakeholder Group (RySG) requested this call to discuss issues relating to the current draft of the RRDRP. The latest comments from the RySG on the RRDRP were submitted on 7 December 2010 (see...

I am delighted to report that ICANN has engaged the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) of Pittsburgh, PA, USA, CyLab to conduct a set of gTLD Whois Misuse Studies. Working under the direction of principal investigator Dr. Nicolas Christin, this highly regarded cybercrime...

ICANN signed an agreement yesterday with ICM for the introduction of the .XXX top-level domain. ICANN’s Board of Directors approved entering into the agreement during our recent Silicon Valley-San Francisco Public Meeting. We have now finalized negotiations and executed...

On 12-13 May 2011, ICANN and its gTLD registration services providers will meet in Munich, Germany. Regional events are a chance for ICANN staff and representatives from gTLD registries and ICANN-accredited registrars to meet informally to discuss topics important to our...

Three times each year ICANN hosts an international public meeting in a different geographic region of the world. The third meeting of 2011 is scheduled for Africa on October 24-28, and I am delighted to confirm that Dakar, Senegal, will be the site of ICANN’s 42nd Public...

You wait all morning for a bus and then 3 of them come along together. Until about a week ago, NOT A SINGLE WOMAN had applied via the 2011 NomCom for a leadership position within ICANN. Now, we’re glad to say, two women have applied. That’s 2 out of 40, so not great odds...

We are pleased to announce two new hires who are joining ICANN’s contractual compliance team. If you’re unfamiliar with the contractual compliance team, it provides the backbone of ICANN’s enforcement of the rules negotiated with contracted parties. Maguy Serad, an...

As communicated earlier today, there was no GAC-Board meeting this afternoon at 4PM. The Board and GAC continue to work separately. The Board continues its review of the exchange of information, and is considering the recent community inputs as well as transcripts from...

By now, most attendees of ICANN’s 40th Public Meeting probably know that Vint Cerf is speaking Monday night as a featured guest of the NARALO Showcase. If Vint’s history of helping found the Internet interests you, we have an additional treat in store. Vint Cerf and Bob...

Former President Bill Clinton’s talk with the ICANN community, coming up this Wednesday, will include a limited amount of time for questions from the audience. Questions will be moderated, and must be submitted in advance. Due to the time restrictions, not all questions...

ICANN meetings are an opportunity for members of the global Internet community to convene in one place, connect with one another, and participate in the development of key policies that shape the Internet’s future. Among many other important functions, these meetings...

ICANN is pleased to announce that the 14-19 October 2012 ICANN Public Meeting will be held in Toronto, Canada. We would like to express our warm thanks to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), which has graciously agreed to act as our host, and has extended...

I am delighted to confirm that President Bill Clinton will address ICANN’s Silicon Valley-San Francisco meeting at 6pm on March 16. President Clinton is the founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the 42nd President of the United States. The Clinton...

The US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a "Notice of Inquiry" (NOI) today, seeking public comment on how to improve the IANA functions contract. ICANN performs these functions pursuant to a procurement...

ICANN recently published materials describing discussions, public comment and general progress on the New gTLD program. One area that has attracted particular interest is the timeline for moving forward. If you have been following this program, you know that predicting...

ICANN is pleased to announce that the 19-24 June Public Meeting will be held in Singapore. We would like to express our warm thanks to the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC), who have graciously agreed to...