ICANN

OpenAI, Meta and Registry Operators Seek New gTLDs as .agent Draws 13 Applications

ICANN's 2026 application records show OpenAI and Meta seeking brand and AI-related extensions, while registry operators file larger portfolios. Thirteen applicants want .agent; the proposed strings still face evaluation and possible changes. more

ICANN Reveals 1,615 Active Applications for 2026 New gTLD Round

ICANN has disclosed 1,615 active applications from 481 applicants for its 2026 new gTLD round, revealing competing bids, regional participation and an outstanding application still undergoing administrative review. more

ICANN Study Links 56% of Malicious Domains to Related Registrations

ICANN researchers identified associated domains for 56.4% of malicious registrations studied, introducing a public-data detection method that could inform DNS abuse investigations and proposed registrar obligations. more

ICANN Expands Second-Level IDN Rules With Javanese and Canadian Aboriginal Scripts

ICANN added second-level internationalized domain name rules for Javanese and Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics and updated seven existing rules, expanding reference material registries can use to define valid labels and variants. more

ICANN Sets October 7 for 2026 New gTLD Reveal Day

ICANN will publish applicants, proposed strings and initial contention sets for the 2026 new gTLD round on October 7, followed by a replacement-string period and final string confirmation on November 17. more

DNSSEC Validation Climbs Across Africa Ahead of Root Key Rollover

ICANN reports African DNSSEC validation has reached 53%, with Ghana near 98% and Nigeria around 60%, as independent APNIC measurements broadly support the country figures ahead of October's root key rollover. more

ICANN Reports Persistent Acceptance Gaps for Internationalized Domains

ICANN reports 151 internationalized top-level domains and 4.3 million second-level registrations, but persistent Universal Acceptance gaps still prevent some applications, websites and email systems from reliably handling internationalized names. more

ICANN Confirms 1,616 Applications Will Proceed in 2026 New gTLD Round

ICANN says 1,616 applications will proceed in the 2026 new gTLD round, with Reveal Day expected by October 14 to disclose applicants, requested strings and initial contention sets. more

ICANN Commenters Urge Limits on Proposed Domain Abuse Checks

ICANN commenters broadly support proposed registrar checks of domains associated with known DNS abuse but urge evidentiary safeguards to prevent weak associations from triggering action against legitimate domains. more

ICANN Comment Period Closes on Linking gTLDs With Alternative Naming Systems

ICANN is closing consultation on technical rules for linking gTLDs with matching alternative naming systems, as commenters debate controller requirements, security safeguards, policy boundaries and protections for existing registrations. more

Two Years After His Arrest, Pavel Durov Wants to Run His Own Registry

Telegram says it has applied for .gram, potentially giving a billion users DNS addresses while putting its governance, abuse controls, legal exposure and infrastructure under scrutiny as ICANN prepares to reveal applications. more

The Reporting Gap: What Happens Between a DNS Abuse Complaint and a Takedown

DNS abuse enforcement can stop abusive domains and drive systemic registrar reforms, but reporting barriers, inconsistent response times, and poorly documented complaints leave many phishing sites active before actionable cases ever reach enforcement. more

ICANN Sets Guidelines to Advance Universal Acceptance of Internationalized Domains and Email

ICANN's new Universal Acceptance guidelines target persistent interoperability gaps that prevent internationalized domain names and email addresses from working reliably across browsers, identity systems, applications and other Internet infrastructure. more

ICANN Taps Analysys Mason for Key 2026 New gTLD Reviews

Analysys Mason will run geographic and reserved-name reviews for ICANN's 2026 new-gTLD round, applying rules that can determine whether proposed strings advance, require government support, qualify for exceptions, or face further evaluation. more

Thirty-Five Years Later, Moscow Comes Looking for the Soviet Union’s Domain

Russia is imposing state identity verification on .su, the Soviet Union's surviving domain, as researchers uncover criminal infrastructure across the namespace and ICANN pursues a retirement process that could eventually remove it from the global root. more