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The international non-profit organization that acts as the Internet's steward, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced Thursday that it intends to implement the most drastic and sweeping changes to the Internet domain naming system in the network's 40 year history, by allowing a nearly unlimited number of new so-called generic top level domain names (gTLDs.) A Radical Reformation Of An Internet Standard At a meeting of the ICANN board in Paris on Thursday, an expansion plan calling for a radical reformatting of the conventions Internet users follow when they type in Web site domain names and e-mail addresses was approved, leaving only a final formal implementation which the group expects to put forth by the second quarter of 2009. Since the beginning of the military and educational networks that combined to form the Internet, and well before the advent of the World Wide Web, domain names have largely consisted of a decidedly simple three part structure, beginning with a prefix such as www, a customizable portion such as "Google" or "Amazon" in the middle, followed by a TLD suffix such as .com or .org. Under the forthcoming ICANN policy domain names will see a drastic and virtually unlimited increase in the allowable suffixes, or TLDs, making possible such domain names as:  | www.google.google | | | www.amazon.shop | | | www.cocacola.coke | | | www.paris.france | | | www.thebest.domainname | | | www.somewhereoverthe.rainbow | | | www.internet.searchengine | | | www.thesmithfamilyoftheworld.smith | Domain names ending in words of all types are likely to spring up when the new system approved by ICANN begins implementation, although the governing body has attempted to set up safeguards to assure that only legitimate new gTLDs are implemented, the most stringent of which is likely to be a minimum price-tag of some $100,000, ICANN said in discussions surrounding a statement announcing the changes, which were unanimously approved Thursday. From 21 Top Level Domains To Possibly Millions The new process will allow applicants worldwide to choose their own domain names that are, in the words of ICANN, "most appropriate for their customers or potentially the most marketable," a prospect that would have been unheard of during the early years of the Internet, when the network was used strictly for non-commercial purposes. In expanding the TLD system from an existing selection of 21 well-thought-out and time-tested suffixes along with a few dozen country-code domains such as .us for United States domains and .au for Australian domains, the new ICANN scheme will create potentially millions of new domain extensions, which some industry analysts saw as a possible source of confusion among consumers used to typing in a simple Web address. ICANN president and chief executive Dr. Paul Twomey saw the changes as a positive step for the Internet's future. "The potential here is huge. It represents a whole new way for people to express themselves on the Net," Twomey said in the Thursday statement. "It's a massive increase in the 'real estate' of the Internet," he added. While the present directors of ICANN claimed on the organization's Web site that it was important to "develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability," some proponents of Web stewardship saw the implementation of such a drastic change to the long-established Internet domain naming process as a possible misstep. ICANN Research On Matter Has Amassed Costs Of $10 Million As the Internet's main oversight agency, ICANN is tasked with the "careful management" of those resources "vital to the Internet's operation," and while it has gone to great lengths to assure the public that it is "not 'selling' new top level domain names," a claim made on the ICANN Web site, the governing agency has acknowledged that disputes surrounding such potentially lucrative domain suffixes as .news or .sports will be settled through an auction process where the companies or organizations bidding the highest amounts would be awarded the domains, potentially instead of the group having the greatest inherent natural claim to the domain suffix. Over the past six years ICANN has been developing the plans approved Thursday, at an estimated cost of $10 million, a price-tag expected to double before the plans are finally realized next year. "The board today accepted a recommendation from its global stakeholders that it is possible to implement many new names to the Internet, paving the way for an expansion of domain name choice and opportunity," Twomey said Thursday in Paris. Names that have been trademarked will not be automatically reserved under the new ICANN process, and conflicts will be resolved by trademark owners using an "objection-based mechanism" that will allow for debate over disputed domain names, ICANN said. Domain Extensions Auctioned Off To The Highest Bidders ICANN said that it will establish a limited period during which "any established entity from anywhere in the world" would be able to have their application for a new TLD evaluated, followed by additional rounds soon after the initial application period. A number of organizations have already lined up to apply for new gTLDs when the first round begins, including cities such as Paris, which is seeking the .paris domain name extension. ICANN said that its process for implementing the new gTLDs had involved input from people in the domain name industry, the business sector, Internet engineers, trademark attorneys, governments and consumers, and that a final version of the implementation plan must first receive final approval before the new domain extensions can begin being used. The group was seeking public comment of the proposal ahead of its next meeting on the issue, scheduled to be held in November. Among the most restrictive requirements for applicants seeking the new gTLDs, aside from the financial aspects already mentioned, is a demonstrated technical ability to operate and manage all of the domains - potentially millions - that could exist within each of the new gTLDs, or to have an agreement in place with a company that has the ability to do so, ICANN said. Some industry observers saw ICANN's planned policy change as a poor decision that could lead to an increase in the proliferation of spam domain names, extra work for the companies that set up and manage domain names, and potential trouble for developers who would have to alter existing applications to work with the newly-opened-up gTLDs. Reaction Among Webmasters Swift And Largely Negative At one of the most popular online discussion forums for webmasters, reaction to ICANN's Thursday announcement was voluminous and largely negative. WebmasterWorld.com, one of the Internet's oldest hangouts for the technically savvy people that help run the Web, saw a barrage of messages discussing the ICANN decision, including one member using the handle "Ganceann," who saw drawbacks to any potential positive aspects of the new domain name extensions. "There are many potential good things to come from it, but the bad things and spam outweighs any good, in the short-term at least," the member wrote. Others were not as diplomatic, such as a member using the handle "webfoo," who used a play on words to describe ICANN's decision. "'ICANN'T' believe they passed this. Outrageous. This is the beginning of the end," the WebmasterWorld member wrote. Some webmasters and Internet business owners on the site worried that they would have to spend considerably more money to secure dozens or even hundreds of new variations on their firm's name. "Please, make it stop," wrote another member identified as "Gomvents." "I'm sick of registering all the TLDs of my trademarks. What is this world coming to?" added the member. A forum member called "Seb7" put forth a litany of reasons why the ICANN move was not in the best interest of most webmasters. "This must be the most significant change to the Internet since its birth. I think ICANN needs to seriously think about all possible side effects of this change, for its users, for business, for the hackers, and the future stable development of the Internet," the member wrote. Another WebmasterWorld member predicted that those companies that already own certain "generic" domain names could benefit, at least initially, once the changes approved by ICANN are implemented. "I think it will be a temporary traffic burst for people owning generics, like news.com. How many people will type in auto.news.com instead of auto.news? Nobody is going to remember these TLDs," wrote the user, who used the handle "aleksl." Drastic Changes Ahead For Internet Naming System Some reaction even suggested a boycott of the changes. "How about us boycotting this? Internet Service Providers could refuse them in their Domain Name System (DNS) servers. We could all refuse to accept them  in forms, as [valid] e-mail addresses, .etc," wrote a member called "swa66." Others questioned the vetting process that ICANN would do to assure that those who receive a new gTLD also have the technical ability to manage all the domains that could be associated with the new extension. "So, now, instead of ICANN spawning a new round of gTLDs, it can sit back and watch the checks and applications start rolling in as others, with money to burn, step up to the gTLD craps table," wrote a WebmasterWorld member using the handle "Webwork." ICANN is the Marina del Rey, California-based international nonprofit organization that coordinates the Internet's domain name system, or DNS, in order to ensure its stability and security. The organization reports to the U.S. Commerce Department, which has veto power, causing criticism among some that political interference may take place in the governance of the Web. Should ICANN receive enough negative input from Internet users prior to its November meeting, it is possible the group could alter its plans, however that prospect seemed unlikely based on the statement ICANN released Thursday. Related Links:
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