ICANN News
-
AfriNIC Election Halted Over Irregularities – Administrator Seeks Mandate Extension
The turmoil at the African Network Information Centre (AfriNIC) continues. Court-appointed administrator Gowtamsingh Dabee has announced the cancellation of the ongoing Board of Di…
-
ICANN Moves Annual Conference from Oman to Dublin Due to Middle East Tensions
Due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has announced the relocation of its ICANN84 Annual General Meeting from …
-
ICANN Fails in Court as AfriNIC Board Elections Abruptly Cancelled
Despite legal interventions and growing international attention, the crisis surrounding the African Network Information Centre (AfriNIC) continues to escalate. The much-anticipated…
-
ICANN Transparency Crisis: ALAC Becomes First to Invoke Empowered Community Powers to Challenge Board Decision
ICANN is facing an unprecedented governance storm after one of its key oversight bodies—the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), representing end users—formally initiated a process …
-
Governmental Advisory Committee Urges Halt to New gTLDs Until Bulk Registration Abuse is Addressed
The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) has recommended a moratorium on the introduction of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) until comprehensive policies are developed to co…
-
.Top Registry Resolves Dispute with ICANN, Pledges Better DNS Abuse Oversight
The .Top Registry, based in Nanjing, China, has resolved its ongoing compliance issues with ICANN and committed to strengthening its DNS abuse detection and mitigation practices. I…
-
ICANN Confirms April 2026 Launch of New gTLD Round, Announces Key AGB Webinar for June 3
ICANN has officially announced that the next round of applications for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) will open in April 2026. This marks the long-awaited return of the gTLD…
-
ICANN Reaffirms Commitment to Diversity—Without Saying the Word
In a carefully worded blog post, ICANN CEO Kurt Lindqvist reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion—even as those very words disappear f…
-
Spamhaus Warns of High Abuse Rate in .Top Domains
The non-profit Spamhaus Project has raised serious concerns about the rising abuse associated with the .Top top-level domain (TLD), calling out its operators in a strongly worded w…
-
ICANN Terminates Two Chinese Registrars Over Unpaid Fees
Domainincite:ICANN has officially terminated the registrar accreditation agreements of two Chinese domain registrars — EJEE Group Beijing and VIP Internet Industry — after both com…
-
IPv4 Dispute Threatens Stability of AfriNIC – and the Global RIR Model
Africa’s regional internet registry, AfriNIC, is inching toward structural reform after years of legal turmoil, insolvency, and governance breakdown. While a court-supervised board…
-
ICANN Withdraws Funding from Universal Acceptance Steering Group
Domainincite News:In a significant policy shift, ICANN has announced that it will cease funding and staff support for the Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) starting June 2…
-
ICANN Seeks Public Feedback on Major Changes to Domain Transfer Policy
DomainNameWire News: Big changes are on the way for domain name transfers, and ICANN is inviting the global internet community to weigh in. Following the submission of the final re…
-
WIPO and ICA Present Draft Proposal to Reform Domain Dispute Resolution Policy
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) jointly released a 28-page draft interim report outlining proposed reforms to the Un…
-
DENIC Board Member Thomas Keller Elected Chair of CENTR Board
Thomas Keller, a board member of Germany’s DENIC eG, has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors of CENTR — the Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries. His e…
-
Tucows Exits ICANN’s RDRS Amid Industry Disinterest and Privacy Concerns
Canadian domain registrar Tucows has officially withdrawn from ICANN’s Registration Data Request Service (RDRS), highlighting ongoing industry dissatisfaction with the system that …
-
Private Whois Requests Plummet as Tucows Exits ICANN’s RDRS
Domainincite:Private Whois data requests through ICANN’s Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) hit a record low in March 2025, reflecting a significant drop in activity since th…
-
Insolvency Administrator Appointed for AfriNIC Following Breach of IPv4 Trading Contracts
English Translation of the News Release: The crisis surrounding the African Network Information Centre (AfriNIC) has escalated: as announced by the Internet Corporation for Assigne…
-
ICANN Releases Latest Tax Return, Revealing Salaries and Expenses
Domainnamewire News:ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has published its Form 990 tax return for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, detailing the organi…
-
ICANN Moves to Retire Soviet-era .SU Country Domain Name
ICANN has announced plans to phase out the .SU domain within five years, a decision that could impact other country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) in the future. The Internet Corp…
-
ICANN Gets a $2 Million Christmas Bonus as Domain Industry Outperforms Expectations
The domain industry exceeded projections in the latter half of 2024, leading to an unexpected $2 million revenue boost for ICANN. The increase came as gTLD registries and registrar…
-
ICANN Terminates Six gTLDs, Five May Be Auctioned
ICANN has terminated the registry agreements for six gTLDs, reducing the number of active generic top-level domains (gTLDs) on the internet. Five of these were managed by Asia Gree…
-
ICANN Terminates Contracts with Asia Green Registry
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has terminated the registry agreements with Istanbul-based Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. Th…
-
The Arab Center for Domain Dispute Resolution (ACDR) Stops Accepting UDRP Cases
RA Daniel Dingeldey, December 20, 2024 The Arab Center for Domain Dispute Resolution (ACDR), founded in 2013, has officially ceased its operations. It becomes the third ICANN-accre…
-
ICANN Board Seat Election Update: Six Candidates Announced
Six prominent candidates are vying for ICANN’s Board seat 13, representing the domain industry’s Contracted Parties House. They include leaders from Verisign, Amazon, GoDaddy, Iden…
-
ICANN’s Registration Data Request Service Records New Lows in Usage for October
ICANN’s Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) experienced its lowest activity since its launch a year ago, according to the organization’s October report. The month saw 131 requ…
-
ICANN Launches Applicant Support Program (ASP) for New gTLD Applicants
ICANN has officially opened the application phase for its Applicant Support Program (ASP), designed to provide financial and non-financial assistance to eligible applicants seeking…
-
Future of .io Domains Secured Until at Least 2030
The governments of the UK and Mauritius recently announced the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including the territory associated with the .io country code Top…
-
ICANN Bans Private Auctions for New Domain Extensions in Upcoming Application Round
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has announced significant changes to its new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) application process, prohibiting private au…
-
ICANN Announces Fee Increases for gTLDs Amid Industry Concerns
ICANN has announced fee hikes for gTLD registries and registrars, effective from January 2025. The quarterly fixed fee for registries will rise to $6,450, with transaction fees inc…
