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IDN Announcements and Blog Posts

February 2024

ICANN Seeks Input on String Similarity Review Guidelines
7 February 2024

January 2024

ICANN Publishes Additional Second-Level Reference Label Generation Rules
31 January 2024

ICANN Board Seeks Input on the Phase 1 Final Report of the EPDP on IDNs
23 January 2024

November 2023

ICANN Org Increases Functionality of Label Generation Rules Toolset
22 November 2023

February 2023

Supporting a Multilingual Internet: ICANN Publishes 2022 IDN Annual Report
16 February 2023

January 2023

Public Comment for Additional Script-Based Reference Label Generation Rules and Related Updates
19 January 2023

November 2022

ICANN Publishes IDN Implementation Guidelines Version 4.1
17 November 2022

June 2022

ICANN and EURid Partner to Promote a Multilingual and Inclusive Internet
22 June 2022

May 2022

ICANN Publishes Root Zone Label Generation Rules Version 5 (RZ-LGR-5)
26 May 2022

March 2022

ICANN Public Comment Proceeding: Root Zone Label Generation Rules Version 5
24 March 2022

[Blog] How the ICANN Community Helped Pave the Way for a More Multilingual Internet
22 March 2022

January 2022

[Blog] Supporting a Multilingual Internet through IDNs: ICANN IDN Progress Report
14 January 2022

Proposal for Myanmar Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules Released for Public Comment
13 January 2022

ICANN Seeks Input on Supporting Additional Scripts for IDNs
5 January 2022

September 2021

Proposal for Japanese Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules Public Comment Proceeding
30 September 2021

Proposal for Latin Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules Public Comment Proceeding
23 September 2021

August 2021

[Blog] Recent Improvements to ICANN's IDN Table Review Process
18 August 2021

July 2021

Public Comment Now Open for Proposal for Greek Root Zone Label Generation Rules
15 July 2021

Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 5 (MSR-5) Released
7 July 2021

Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Table Review Tool Now Available
1 July 2021

ICANN and the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization Collaborate on Internationalized Domain Names and Universal Acceptance in the Middle East
1 July 2021

June 2021

[Blog] Hello World: Enabling Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)
16 June 2021

April 2021

Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 5 (MSR-5) published for Public Comment
22 April 2021

Second-level Reference Label Generation Rules for the Arabic, Hebrew, and Sinhala Scripts, and Hebrew Language are Published
22 April 2021

March 2021

Proposal for Korean Root Zone Label Generation Rules - Second Public Comment
2 March 2021

January 2021

Arabic, Hebrew, Sinhala Script and Hebrew Language Reference Label General Rulesets (LGRs) Published for Public Comment
28 January 2021

Additional Second-Level Reference Label Generation Rules (LGRs) Published
13 January 2021

November 2020

Fourth Version of Root Zone Label Generation Rules (RZ-LGR-4) Published
6 November 2020

August 2020

Public Comment for Reference Label Generation Rulesets (LGRs) for the Second Level
24 August 2020

June 2020

Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone Version 4 (RZ-LGR-4) Public Comment Proceeding
29 June 2020

May 2020

IDN ‭ccTLD‬ Request from Israel Successfully Passes String Evaluation‬‬
19 May 2020

Proposal for Malayalam Script Root Zone‬ Label Generation Rules – Second Public Comment Proceeding
7 May 2020

March 2020

Public comment for Guidelines for Developing Reference Label Generation Rules (LGRs) for the Second Level Version 2
30 March 2020

Public comment for Proposal for Bangla Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules
2 March 2020

February 2020

Public comment for Proposal for Chinese Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules
28 February 2020

October 2019

Recommendations for the Technical Utilization of the Root Zone Label Generation Rules Published
7 October 2019

July 2019

Third Version of Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone (RZ-LGR-3) Released
10 July 2019

June 2019

ICANN Announces Successful String Evaluation for the European Commission and Laos IDN ccTLDs
5 June 2019

May 2019

Public comment for Study on Technical Use of Root Zone Label Generation Rules
15 May 2019

April 2019

Public comment for Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone Version 3 (RZ-LGR-3)
25 April 2019

March 2019

Updated IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process Including Risk Mitigation Measure Evaluation Released
29 March 2019

Approved Board Resolution: Recommendations for Managing the IDN variant TLDs
14 March 2019

IDN ccTLD Request from Bahrain Successfully Passes String Evaluation
6 March 2019

February 2019

Public comment for Proposal for Hebrew Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules
20 February 2019

Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 4 (MSR-4) Released
7 February 2019

Recommendations for Managing Internationalized Domain Name Variant Top-Level Domains Published
5 February 2019

November 2018

Public comment for Maximal Starting Repertoire version 4 (MSR-4)
26 November 2018

October 2018

The Hebrew Script Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Hebrew Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
15 October 2018

Proposal for Sinhala Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules
2 October 2018

September 2018

Proposals for Malayalam and Tamil Scripts' Root Zone Label Generation Rules
25 September 2018

August 2018

Proposals for Kannada, Oriya and Telugu Scripts' Root Zone Label Generation Rules
8 August 2018

Study on Technical Use of Root Zone Label Generation Rules
2 August 2018

July 2018

Proposals for Devanagari, Gurmukhi, and Gujarati Scripts' Root Zone‬ Label Generation Rules
27 July 2018

Recommendations for Managing IDN Variant Top-Level Domains
25 July 2018

June 2018

The Myanmar Script Community Forms the Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
28 June 2018

May 2018

Final Proposed Draft v. 4.0 of the IDN Guidelines
10 May 2018

March 2018

Maximal Starting Repertoire (MSR-3) Released
29 March 2018

February 2018

[Blog] The South Asian Eleven
16 February 2018

Call for Experts to Study the Application of Root Zone Label Generation Rules
08 February 2018

January 2018

Public comment for Proposal for Korean Root Zone Label Generation Rules
25 January 2018

Public comment for Maximal Starting Repertoire version 3 (MSR-3)
17 January 2018

The Sinhala Script Community Forms the Generation Panel
03 January 2018

November 2017

[Blog] Making Progress with the Arabic Script in Domain Names
01 November 2017

October 2017

Second public comment for the IDN Implementation Guidelines
19 October 2017

Public comment for Proposal for Cyrillic Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules
17 October 2017

IDN ccTLD Request from Mauritania Successfully Passes String Evaluation
03 October 2017

August 2017

Second Version of Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone (RZ-LGR-2) Released
17 August 2017

June 2017

[Blog] Supporting Linguistic Diversity of Africa for the Internet's Top-Level Domain Names (AR, ES, FR, PT, RU, ZH)
28 June 2017

Public comment for Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone Version 2 (RZ-LGR-2)
6 June 2017

May 2017

The Latin Script Community Forms the Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
15 May 2017

March 2017

Public Comment for the Proposal for Ethiopic Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
23 March 2017

Public Comment for IDN Implementation Guidelines
3 March 2017

January 2017

Public Comment for Reference Japanese Label Generation Rules (LGR) for the Second Level
27 January 2017

December 2016

Proposal for Thai Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
15 December 2016

October 2016

Greek Script Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing Root Zone Label Generation Rules
31 October 2016

Proposal for Lao Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
24 October 2016

September 2016

Proposal for Georgian Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
15 September 2016

August 2016

Additional IDN ccTLD Requests from India Successfully Pass String Evaluation
15 August 2016

[Blog] on Coffee Beans and the Ethiopic Script
03 August 2016

June 2016

The Georgian Script Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
17 June 2016

Reference Label Generation Rulesets (LGRs) for the Second Level
7 June 2016

April 2016

Proposal for Khmer Script Root Zone‬ Label Generation Rules (LGR)
15 April 2016

Additional IDN ccTLD Requests from India Successfully Pass String Evaluation
13 April 2016

March 2016

[Blog] Celebrating a Major Community-Driven Milestone in Enabling Multilingual Top-Level
2 March 2016

First Version of Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone Released
2 March 2016

IDN ccTLD Request from Bulgaria Successfully Passes String Evaluation
1 March 2016

February 2016

The Korean Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
1 February 2016

December 2015

The Ethiopic Script Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
22 December 2015

The Cyrillic Script Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
10 December 2015

Label Generation Ruleset for the Root Zone Version 1 (LGR-1)
04 December 2015

IDN ccTLD Request from European Commission Successfully Passes String Evaluation
02 December 2015

November 2015

Guidelines for Developing Reference Label Generation Rulesets (LGRs) for the Second Level – Now Open for Public Comment
05 November 2015

October 2015

Thai Script Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
06 October 2015

September 2015

Lao Script Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
15 September 2015

[Blog] Linguistic diversity in the internet root – the case of the Arabic script and Jawi
8 September 2015

August 2015

Proposal for Arabic Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
25 August 2015

July 2015

Proposal for Armenian Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
22 July 2015

Call for Community Experts to Review the IDN Implementation Guidelines
20 July 2015

June 2015

[Blog] Collaborating towards a truly multilingual internet
30 June 2015

Khmer Script Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
17 June 2015

Request for Proposal for Reference LGRs for the Second Level
5 June 2015

May 2015

Community Using Neo-Brahmi Scripts Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
26 May 2015

IDN ccTLD Request from Greece Successfully Passes String Evaluation
4 May 2015

April 2015

Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 2 (MSR-2) for the Development of Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone
27 April 2015

Guidelines for Designing Script-Specific Label Generation Rules (LGR) for the Root Zone
27 April 2015

March 2015

Request for Proposal for LGR Tool Set
19 March 2015

Japanese Community Forms Generation Panel for Developing the Japanese Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
17 March 2015

IDN ccTLD Request from Macao Successfully Passes String Evaluation
10 March 2015

February 2015

Generation Panel for the Armenian Script ‭Root Zone‬ Label Generation Rules (LGR) Seated‬‬‬‬
3 February 2015

January 2015

Annual IDN ‭ccTLD‬ Fast Track Process Review
15 January 2015

IDN TLDs - LGR‬ Procedure Implementation - Guidelines for Designing Script-Specific Label Generation Rules (LGR) - Now Open for Public Comment
15 January 2015

December 2014

IDN TLDs - LGR Procedure Implementation - Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 2 is Now Open for Public Comment
15 December 2014

IDN TLD‬ Program – Label Generation Ruleset (LGR) Tool Project (P1) – LGR Tool Set Specifications Now Open for Public Comment
3 December 2014

November 2014

IDN ccTLD Request from Armenia Successfully Passes String Evaluation
20 November 2014

October 2014

Report of Second String Similarity Review for ελ IDN ccTLD Application Through Extended Process Similarity Review Panel (EPSRP) Released
14 October 2014

Report of Second String Similarity Review for ευ IDN ccTLD Application Through Extended Process Similarity Review Panel (EPSRP) Released
14 October 2014

Report of Second String Similarity Review for бг IDN ccTLD Application Through Extended Process Similarity Review Panel (EPSRP) Released
14 October 2014

September 2014

[Blog] Speak up for your language
30 September 2014

IDN ccTLD Request from the Republic of Belarus Successfully Passes String Evaluation
28 September 2014

Chinese Community Steps Forward for Chinese TLDs – Forms Generation Panel for Root Zone Label Generation Ruleset (LGR)
Learn more: Chinese Script Generation Panel LGR Project Workspace
24 September 2014

IDN ccTLD Request from the Republic of Iraq Successfully Passes String Evaluation
23 September 2014

June 2014

Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 1 (MSR-1)‬ for the Development of Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone
20 June 2014

April 2014

Update on Root Zone LGR Generation Panel Formation
23 April 2014

IDN ccTLD Request From Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Of, Successfully Passes String Evaluation
14 April 2014

March 2014

IDN Variant TLDs – LGR Procedure Implementation – Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 1 is Now Open for Public Comment
3 March 2014

February 2014

Generation Panel for the Arabic Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules Seated
14 February 2014

December 2013

Launch of the Extended Process Similarity Review Panel in the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process
4 December 2013

November 2013

Implementing the Extended Process Similarity Review Panel in the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process
5 November 2013

October 2013

Removal of Eleven Test Internationalized Top-Level Domains from the Root Zone
2 October 2013

September 2013

Implementing a Two-Panel String Similarity Review Process in the IDN ccTLD Fast Track
9 September 2013

Selection of Integration Panel for the IDN Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)
6 September 2013

July 2013

SAC 060 | SSAC Comment on Examining the User Experience Implications of Active Variant TLDs Report
23 July 2013

Call for Generation Panels to Develop Root Zone Label Generation Rules
11 July 2013

June 2013

Draft Final Report on Universal Acceptance of IDN TLDs
25 June 2013

Initial Report on Protection of IGO and INGO Identifiers in All gTLDs
14 June 2013

Webinar: Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Variant TLD Program Update
13 June 2013

Call for Subject Matter Experts for the IDN Root Zone LGR Integration Panel and Advisors to All Panels
6 June 2013

Webinar: TMCH & IDNs
6 June 2013

March 2013

IDN Variant TLD Program – Conclusion of Third Phase
21 March 2013

String Similarity: IDN Variant Review Results
1 March 2013

February 2013

Interim Report IDN ccNSO Policy Development Process
5 February 2013

Webinar: Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Variant: Examining the User Experience Implication of the Active Variant TLDs
1 February 2013

January 2013

IDN Variant TLD Program -- Draft Final Report Examining the User Experience Implications of Active Variant TLDs
18 January 2013

December 2012

IDN Variant TLD Program – Procedure to Develop and Maintain the Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone in Respect of IDNA Labels – Second Public Comment Draft [Announcement]
7 December 2012

November 2012

IDN ccTLD Request From Sudan Successfully Passes String Evaluation
19 November 2012

October 2012

IDN Variant TLD Program – Interim Report Examining the User Experience Implications of Active Variant TLDs
23 October 2012

September 2012

IDN Variant TLD Program – Procedure to Develop and Maintain the Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone in Respect of IDNA Labels
24 September 2012

August 2012

Draft Recommendations Overall Policy for the Selection of IDN ccTLD Strings
29 August 2012

IDN Variant TLD Program Update
23 August 2012

June 2012

IDN ccTLD Request From Mongolia Successfully Passes String Evaluation
20 June 2012

Call for Volunteers: Developing the Process for Root IDN Table Creation and Maintenance
18 June 2012

Updated Final Implementation Plan for IDN ccTLD Fast Track Processes Available
14 June 2012

May 2012

IDN Variant TLD Program – Revised Program Plan
4 May 2012

April 2012

Public Comment: Second Annual IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process Review
9 April 2012

March 2012

Notice of Extension of ICANN Comment Period: IDN Variant Issues Project – Proposed Project Plan
16 March 2012

February 2012

IDN Variant Issues Project: Final Integrated Issues Report Published and Proposed Project Plan for Next Steps is Now Open for Public Comment
20 February 2012

January 2012

Initial Report on Universal Acceptance of IDN TLDs
6 January 2012

December 2011

IDN Variant Issues Project: Draft Integrated Issues Report
23 December 2011

Notice of Publication: Revised IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process Implementation Plan
15 December 2011

November 2011

Implementation Notice – Version 3.0 of IDN Guidelines
22 November 2011

October 2011

IDN ccPDP WG 2 – Draft Final Report
22 October 2011

IDN ccTLD Request From Malaysia Successfully Passes String Evaluation
20 October 2011

Variant Issues Project -- Arabic Case Study Team Issues Report
7 October 2011

Variant Issues Project -- Latin Case Study Team Issues Report
7 October 2011

Variant Issues Project -- Greek Case Study Team Issues Report
7 October 2011

Variant Issues Project -- Cyrillic Case Study Team Issues Report
6 October 2011

Coordination Team Formed for IDN Variant Issues Project
3 October 2011

Variant Issues Project -- Devanagari Case Study Team Issues Report
3 October 2011

Variant Issues Project -- Chinese Case Study Team Issues Report
3 October 2011

September 2011

IDN ccTLD Request From Kazakhstan Successfully Passes String Evaluation
8 September 2011

June 2011

IDN Variant TLD Case Study Update – Host Organizations
17 June 2011

IDN Variant TLD Case Study Update
9 June 2011

April 2011

Call for Community Volunteers for IDN Variant TLD Case Study Teams
20 April 2011

IDN ccTLD Request From Yemen Successfully Passes String Evaluation
15 April 2011

March 2011

IDN ccTLD Request From Bangladesh Successfully Passes String Evaluation
10 March 2011

IDN ccTLD Request From Ukraine Successfully Passes String Evaluation
1 March 2011

February 2011

IDN ccTLD Request From Pakistan Successfully Passes String Evaluation
25 February 2011

IDN ccTLD Fast Track Review: Public Comment Summary & Analysis
21 February 2011

Public Comment: Draft Proposal for the Study of Issues Related to the Delegation of IDN Variant TLDs
21 February 2011

IDN ccTLD Request From Georgia Successfully Passes String Evaluation
9 February 2011

November 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From Morocco Successfully Passes String Evaluation
15 November 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From Serbia Successfully Passes String Evaluation
8 November 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From Algeria Successfully Passes String Evaluation
4 November 2010

IDN Update: Arabic IDN ccTLDs
2 November 2010

October 2010

Extending Public Comments: Fast Track Review
22 October 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From Oman Successfully Passes String Evaluation
20 October 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From the Islamic Republic of Iran Successfully Passes String Evaluation
15 October 2010

September 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From India Successfully Passes String Evaluation
15 September 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From the Republic of Korea Successfully Passes String Evaluation
15 September 2010

June 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From Syrian Arab Republic Successfully Passes String Evaluation
21 June 2010

IDN ccTLD Request From Singapore Successfully Passes String Evaluation
21 June 2010

May 2010

First IDN ccTLDs Available
5 May 2010

April 2010

IDN ccTLD Request from Jordan Successfully Passes String Evaluation

21 April 2010

Webinars: Synchronized IDN ccTLDs
8 April 2010

March 2010

Tunisia Completed Fast Track String Evaluation
23 March 2010

Thailand Completed Fast Track String Evaluation
23 March 2010

TW/Taiwan Completed Fast Track String Evaluation, Proceeding to Synchronized IDN ccTLD Evaluation Process
23 March 2010

Sri Lanka Completed Fast Track String Evaluation
23 March 2010

Qatar Completed Fast Track String Evaluation
23 March 2010

Palestinian Territory Completed Fast Track String Evaluation
23 March 2010

Hong Kong Completed Fast Track String Evaluation
23 March 2010

CN/China Completed Fast Track String Evaluation, Proceeding to Synchronized IDN ccTLD Evaluation Process
22 March 2010

Proposed Implementation Plan for Synchronized IDN ccTLDs
22 March 2010

January 2010

First IDN ccTLDs Requests Successfully Pass String Evaluation
21 January 2010

December 2009

IDNs: Final Report on Three-Character Requirement and Variant Management Now Available for Public Comment
3 December 2009

November 2009

IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process Launch
16 November 2009

October 2009

ICANN Bringing the Languages of the World to the Global Internet | Fast Track Process for Internationalized Domain Names Launches Nov 16
30 October 2009

September 2009

Proposed Final Implementation Plan: IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process
30 September 2009

Status Update: IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process Implementation
9 September 2009

May 2009

Public Comment: Fast Track Implementation (3rd Revision)
31 May 2009

April 2009

Initiation of IDN ccPDP by ccNSO Council
13 April 2009

February 2009

Public Comment: Fast Track Proposed Solutions
18 February 2009

Governments and Country-Code Managers' Interest in the Fast Track Process
10 February 2009

January 2009

IDN Fast Track Process Update
22 January 2009

November 2008

Fast Track Implementation Plan Updated
26 November 2008

Fast Track Receives Over 50 Responses
1 November 2008

October 2008

Public Comment: IDN ccTLD Fast Track Draft Implementation Plan
23 October 2008

Bengali and Khmer Added to IDN Testing Process | Internationalized Domain Name wikis now cover 17 languages
9 October 2008

ICANN Seeks Interest in IDN ccTLD Fast-Track Process
2 October 2008

August 2008

IDN TLD Allocation Implementation Processes
20 August 2008

July 2008

Comments Encouraged on the Final Report of IDNC Working Group on ccTLD "Fast Track" Mechanisms
15 July 2008

June 2008

Now Available: Board Proposal IDNC WG, the Final Report IDNC WG on Fast Track Process for IDN ccTLDs
26 June 2008

Comment Period Closed; Updated Draft Final Report IDNC WG on Fast Track Process for IDN ccTLDs Now Available
24 June 2008

Update of Draft Final Report of IDNC WG on Fast Track Process for IDN ccTLDs Now Available
22 June 2008

Draft Final Report of Recommendations for IDN ccTLD Fast Track Mechanism Made Available
13 June 2008

Internationalized Domain Name Program Adds Two Languages | Thai, Urdu wikis added for users to share experiences, insights
5 June 2008

March 2008

New Languages Added to ICANN's IDN Wiki | Hebrew, Amharic speakers now have pages on Internationalized Domain Names evaluation site
19 March 2008

February 2008

Public Comments Requested on Initial Draft Fast-Track Mechanism for Introduction of a Limited Number of IDN ccTLDs
1 February 2008

January 2008

Successful Evaluations of .test IDN TLDs
31 January 2008

December 2007

Request to Provide Input to Issue Report on Introduction of IDN ccTLDs
19 December 2007

November 2007

An Important Step Toward the Implementation of IDN Top-Level Domains: New Versions of IDNA Protocol Revision Proposals Posted
26 November 2007

Steps Taken for Multilingual Internet | ITU, UNESCO and ICANN collaborate at Internet Governance Forum
13 November 2007

ASAP: Internationalized Country Code Top-Level Domains | ICANN holding briefing on IDN ccTLD fast-track process at Internet Governance Forum
13 November 2007

October 2007

IDN Status Report
28 October 2007

My Name, My Language, My Internet: IDN Test Goes Live | ICANN launches global test of Internationalized Domain Names
15 October 2007

On Its Way: One of the Biggest Changes to the Internet | Internet users have key role in testing the operation of example.test in 11 languages
9 October 2007

September 2007

ICANN, TWNIC Host "Toward the New Era of Internet" in Taipei | Internationalized domain names, Internet security key topics at three-day meeting
20 September 2007

August 2007

Procedures for IDN TLD Evaluation Deployment in the Root Zone
6 August 2007

July 2007

SSAC Response to ICANN's Proposed Next Steps for IDN Deployment in the Root Zone
31 July 2007

ccNSO-GAC Issues Report on IDN Policy Issues
9 July 2007

June 2007

Top-Level Domains, Internationalized Domain Names, and Address Space Discussions Make Progress in San Juan | Refinement of policies means new domain names on track for mid-2008, possible live evaluation of IDNs
29 June 2007

Update: IDN .test Root-Zone Evaluation
19 June 2007

IDN Program Status Report
18 June 2007

RSSAC Statement on ICANN's Proposed Next Steps for IDN Deployment in the Root Zone
18 June 2007

ICANN Moves Forward Towards Introduction Of Internationalized Top Level Labels (IDNs) in the DNS
2 June 2007

May 2007

Draft IDN Guidelines, v.2.2 for Public Comments
11 May 2007

March 2007

ICANN Successfully Conducts Laboratory Tests of Internationalised Domain Names
7 March 2007

December 2006

IDN Laboratory Test Design Plans
5 December 2006

November 2006

Workshop Report — Towards a Multilingual Global Internet: Avoiding the Risk of Fragmentation
2 November 2006

Internationalised Domain Names Roadmap — Progress and Future
1 November 2006

October 2006

IDNA Protocol Review and Proposals for Changes
31 October 2006

IDN Laboratory Testing Progress
19 October 2006

Review and Recommendations for Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)
11 October 2006

ICANN Establishes Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) News Feed
5 October 2006

March 2006

ICANN Announces Timeline for Development of a Project for the Technical Test of Internationalized Top Level Labels
14 March 2006

February 2006

IDN Guidelines Update and Posting of Version 2.1
27 February 2006

December 2005

Next Steps on Proposed .com Settlement
5 December 2005

November 2005

ICANN President's Advisory Committee for IDNs
23 November 2005

Implementation of Internationalized Top Level Domains
17 November 2005

IDN Guidelines Version 2.0 Finalized
14 November 2005

Final Proposed Draft v. 2.0 of the IDN Guidelines
7 November 2005

October 2005

IDN Guideline Revision Update
31 October 2005

September 2005

Draft Revised IDN Guidelines: Public Comment Period
20 September 2005

Implementation of Internationalized Top Level Domains
14 September 2005

February 2005

ICANN Statement on IDN Homograph Attacks and Request for Public Comment
23 February 2005

February 2004

Advisory | Internationalized Domain Names (IDN): Implementation Update | ICANN approves temporary procedures to improve the transfer mechanism for IDN registrations
20 February 2004

October 2003

Advisory Concerning Registry Request for Authorization to Offer IDN Registrations
21 October 2003

June 2003

Deployment of Internationalized Domain Names
20 June 2003

June 2001

Internationalized Domain Names Working Group Requests Additional Information
21 June 2001

November 2000

Internationalized Domain Names: Workshop Announcement and Verisign Testbed
3 November 2000

August 2000

ICANN Comment on NSI Registry Multilingual Domain Name Testbed
25 August 2000

Domain Name System
Internationalized Domain Name ,IDN,"IDNs are domain names that include characters used in the local representation of languages that are not written with the twenty-six letters of the basic Latin alphabet ""a-z"". An IDN can contain Latin letters with diacritical marks, as required by many European languages, or may consist of characters from non-Latin scripts such as Arabic or Chinese. Many languages also use other types of digits than the European ""0-9"". The basic Latin alphabet together with the European-Arabic digits are, for the purpose of domain names, termed ""ASCII characters"" (ASCII = American Standard Code for Information Interchange). These are also included in the broader range of ""Unicode characters"" that provides the basis for IDNs. The ""hostname rule"" requires that all domain names of the type under consideration here are stored in the DNS using only the ASCII characters listed above, with the one further addition of the hyphen ""-"". The Unicode form of an IDN therefore requires special encoding before it is entered into the DNS. The following terminology is used when distinguishing between these forms: A domain name consists of a series of ""labels"" (separated by ""dots""). The ASCII form of an IDN label is termed an ""A-label"". All operations defined in the DNS protocol use A-labels exclusively. The Unicode form, which a user expects to be displayed, is termed a ""U-label"". The difference may be illustrated with the Hindi word for ""test"" — परीका — appearing here as a U-label would (in the Devanagari script). A special form of ""ASCII compatible encoding"" (abbreviated ACE) is applied to this to produce the corresponding A-label: xn--11b5bs1di. A domain name that only includes ASCII letters, digits, and hyphens is termed an ""LDH label"". Although the definitions of A-labels and LDH-labels overlap, a name consisting exclusively of LDH labels, such as""icann.org"" is not an IDN."