Domain Names

Unregistered Gems Part 6: Phonemizing Strings to Find Brandable Domains

The UnregisteredGems.com series of articles explores a range of techniques to filter and search through the universe of unregistered domain names, in order to find examples which may be compelling candidates for entities looking to select a new brand name (and its associated domain). The previous instalment of the series looked at the categorisation of candidate names according to the phonetic characteristics of its constituent consonants, using a simple one-to-one mapping between each consonant and a corresponding phonetic group.

Nominations Open for 2025 Public Interest Registry (PIR) Board of Directors

Are you interested in helping guide the future of the Public Interest Registry (PIR), the non-profit operator of a number of domains that serve the public interest, including .ORG, .NGO and .ONG? Or do you know of someone who would be a good candidate? If so, the Internet Society is seeking nominations for three positions on the PIR Board of Directors. The nomination deadline is 14 February 2025.

Unregistered Gems Part 5: Using Groupings to Find Brandable Domains

The initial instalment of my recent series of articles on domain name discovery1 considered the use of phonotactic analysis - that is, the measure of the similarity of a string to the 'corpus' of other words in a language - to identify available unregistered candidate domains which may be of interest for potential brandability.

Why Most People Haven’t Heard of the DNS Root Server System

At the ICANN 81 meeting in Istanbul on 10 November 2024, I gave a presentation about the DNS Root Server System, in an effort to increase understanding of the Root Server System (RSS) and Root Server Operators (RSOs). The talk was intended for the members of the ICANN Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), but much of this explanation may be of interest to general audiences.

A Review of the 2024 Threat Landscape and Implications for Domain Security

The cybersecurity landscape in 2024 has been characterised by unprecedented complexity and rapidly evolving threats, presenting significant challenges for organisations across all sectors. As the digital attack surface expands and threat actors employ increasingly sophisticated techniques, domain security has emerged as a critical component of a robust cybersecurity strategy.

Exploring the Impact of WHOIS Data Redaction on Unsolicited Emails

In the digital age, personal data protection has become paramount, with regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) shaping global practices. One area significantly affected is the public availability of WHOIS data, a critical resource in the domain name system. WHOIS traditionally provided detailed contact information for domain registrants, but privacy measures have redacted much of this data in recent years.

Availability Analysis of Brandable Variant-String Domain Names

For any entity looking to launch a new company or other initiative, a primary requirement is often the selection of an appropriate brand name and the acquisition of a relevant associated domain name. In light of the increasing shortage of short, unregistered memorable names on popular domain name extensions (TLDs), many organisations are choosing to adopt novel or invented brand names and/or consider the use of alternative TLDs.

Is Verisign a Monopoly? Does It Matter?

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jerry Nadler recently wrote a letter complaining that VeriSign overcharges for .com domains due to its market power. They sent it to the Department of Justice and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). While you can make a reasonable case that the claim is true, two more interesting questions are "Why now?" and "Why bother?"

New Data on Domain Name Contact Availability and Privacy

Nearly 90% of the internet's generic top-level (gTLD) domain names do not have identifying contact information in the Registration Data Directory Services (RDDS) system, according to a report by Interisle Consulting Group. A key finding of the report is the rapid growth of registrar-provided proxy service offerings and the inclusion of these services for both new and existing registrations.

The Challenge Facing African TLDs

Africa's digital ecosystem is growing rapidly, with internet access becoming a central driver for innovation, business, and socio-economic development. As this digital adoption expands, so too does the importance of domain governance, particularly the effective management of Top-Level Domains (TLDs). Unfortunately, over the years, African registries have struggled to manage their TLDs, often leading to missed opportunities, inefficiencies, and a loss of competitive edge in the global domain market.