The IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process was successfully launched, as planned on 16 November 2009. It was done at exactly 00:00UTC with a very joyful count-down by the Fast Track Staff Team – followed by a wooohooo The launch went smoothly. We have since monitored the system and everything is working. As of 10pm Pacific […]
Seoul, Oct 26 Tina Dam Sr. Director, IDNs What is the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process • Process to introduce a limited number of IDN ccTLDs, that – are associated with ISO3166‐1 two‐letter codes – are comprised of non‐Latin characters – includes government and community support – represent country/territory names […]
The board of directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) this week opened up the root zone for non-Latin country-code top level domains (internationalised or IDN ccTLDs). Starting 16 November, ICANN will accept applications for ccTLDs in Chinese, Cyrillic, Japanese, Korean or Arabic characters. In addition to the Chinese ccTLD .cn […]
Here at Seoul 36th ICANN Meeting, ICANN Board has just approved to Launch “IDN ccTLD Fast Track Program”. Application Period for IDN ccTLD Fast Track Program is going to be start on 16th Nov. The new rules for IDN Script are as follows: 1. the string must be a minimum of two characters long (U-label), […]
When he wanted to show the transformative and unifying power of the Internet to open this week’s ICANN meeting in Seoul, ICANN President Rod Beckstrom had an ace in the hole: Korean guitarist Jay (Jeong-hyun Lim), who became a global YouTube sensation with his hard-rocking version of Pachelbel’s Canon.
As I watched Jay wail on his gold-plated guitar to standing ovations, I couldn’t help but think of Rod waxing that the Internet was a “symphony” of ideas and voices from around the world.
Rod’s right, of course. The Internet is a symphony of ideas, and the challenge of ICANN has always been to help everyone hear what everyone else is playing.
Which is why it’s so perplexing to me that in one of ICANN’s biggest initiatives—the introduction of internationalized domains—the organization is trying to open a new symphony with most of the orchestra missing.
The single most important thing ICANN can do to expand the global reach of the Internet is the introduction of top-level domains in non-Latin character sets. Over half the world’s population uses alphabets other than Latin, so these internationalized domain names (IDNs) will finally let them read and write domain names and email addresses in their native languages.
But under ICANN’s current plan, the symphony heard by IDN users speakers will be a mere echo of the symphony that the rest of us enjoy. That’s because the only IDN domains initially allowed are in country-code domains controlled by governments, like China’s .cn, Syria’s .sy, and Iran’s .ir.
Under ICANN’s “fast-track” process, the IDN country-code domains go live first, while IDN versions of global domains like .com and .org will languish in bureaucratic process for at least another year.
It’s curious that Rod chose a YouTube sensation to demonstrate the Internet’s symphonic impact, because IDN users won’t be able to type in the equivalent of YouTube.com, the site that made Jay an international sensation.
That’s right. Jay was inspired by, and discovered on Youtube.com, but there won’t be a Youtube.com in Korean, or Chinese, or Arabic until 2011 at the earliest.
What’s troubling about all of this is that IDN users may have less access to the free and open Internet that the rest of us take for granted. That’s because country-code domains are subject to more government control than are global generic domains: a government can suspend any domain in its ccTLD registry if they don’t like the content or conduct. In the wrong hands, this can become a brutally effective tool for suppressing free speech and expression.
For example, if you want to reach Iranian citizens via a domain in their native Farsi script, only Iran’s government can give it to you now. A Farsi version of global domains like .com and org isn’t going to be available until 2011 at the earliest.
Iran allows .ir domains only to organizations legally represented in Iran, individuals residing in Iran, and others “whose activity and the use of the domain name are not in conflict with the laws, practices and interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” If you can get a .ir domain, don’t expect to stay online if your videos or comments are critical of Iran’s foreign policy or the conduct of their recent elections.
Still like the sound of the new IDN symphony that ICANN is conducting? Let’s raise our lighters and demand that ICANN let the rest of the musicians play, too.
Written by Steve DelBianco
ICANN is pleased to announce the public posting of the Proposed Final Implementation Plan for the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process [PDF, 897K]. The IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process is an important step at making the Internet equally accessible for everyone. It will enable the introduction of a limited number of internationalized country-code top level […]
ICANN is pleased to provide the following status report on the progress of implementation of the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process. Overall, the implementation is tracking to the project plan and it is planned to be submitted to the Board during the ICANN meeting in Korea, Seoul, 26-30 October 2009. Discussion of the implementation plan […]
The IDNC working group, whose formation was approved by the ICANN Board during the ICANN meeting in Los Angeles, finished their recommendations to create a fast track approach to introduce a limited number of IDN ccTLDs. The IDNC working group final report was approved by the ICANN Board during the ICANN Paris meeting, where the […]
31 May 2009 Updated 4 June 2009 One more paper is being included in the Fast Track Implementation package, Cost Analysis of IDN ccTLDs: Focus on Program Development and Processing Costs [PDF, 148K]. This paper provides cost analyses of the IDN ccTLDs including the costs to process a request for a new IDN ccTLD as […]
13 April 2009
