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ICANN84 Newsletter
29 October 2025
| | | ICANN Seeks Further Feedback on Proposed Next Round Base gTLD Registry Agreement | |
As part of the New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program: Next Round, ICANN is seeking comments on the Next Round Base gTLD Registry Agreement (Next Round RA), outlining the rights and obligations of new gTLD registry operators.
Once the ICANN Board approves the final terms of the Next Round RA, it will serve as the contractual document between successful applicants in the New gTLD Program: Next Round and ICANN.
This second Public Comment proceeding is intended to present the incremental changes as compared to the first Public Comment for additional feedback.
Submissions for this Public Comment will close on 17 November 2025.
Read the announcement to learn more.
| | ICANN Strengthens Enforcement of DNS Abuse Mitigation Requirements | |
Since the introduction of new Domain Name System (DNS) Abuse mitigation requirements in April 2024, ICANN Contractual Compliance has made measurable progress in ensuring registrar and registry compliance. Between April 2024 and August 2025, the team initiated 400 investigations, issued four Notices of Breach, and conducted targeted audits that resulted in the mitigation of nearly 20,000 malicious domain names.
Beyond direct enforcement, these efforts have led to long-term improvements across the industry, with registrars and registries implementing new systems to identify and address DNS Abuse.
ICANN’s compliance team continues to emphasize education and collaboration. Work is underway to streamline complaint submissions, improve guidance for users, and expand multilingual resources to make reporting more effective.
Read more about ICANN’s progress and next steps in enforcing DNS Abuse mitigation requirements.
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Call for Nominations: 2026 ICANN
Leadership Program
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ICANN previously issued a call for nominations for the 2026 ICANN Leadership Program, to be held 5–6 March 2026 in Mumbai, India, just before the ICANN85 Community Forum.
The Leadership Program helps current and incoming leaders better understand the complexities of ICANN, while also helping to develop their facilitation skills.
The deadline for nomination is Friday, 21 November 2025.
Read the announcement to learn more.
| | ICANN84 NEWS AND RESOURCES | | | |
ICANN invites you to join us for the Academic Hour at the ICANN engagement booth during ICANN84. The second session will take place today, 29 October, from 14:30 to 15:30 GMT/UTC.
The Academic Hour at ICANN84 is an opportunity for the community to engage with ICANN organization team members on how to raise awareness of, encourage participation in, and support capacity building on ICANN issues. ICANN actively engages with the academic sector on a regular basis to foster a globally knowledgeable and informed public – including students, educators, and researchers – about the Internet ecosystem and ICANN's role.
Whether you’re new to ICANN and Internet governance or deeply involved in academic research, we welcome your insights and participation!
| | Don’t Miss the Next Round Outreach and Engagement Update | |
The New gTLD Program: Next Round team will provide an update on outreach, engagement, and communications efforts during the SubPro IRT session at 9:00 UTC. Join the session to learn how the program team is working to raise global awareness of the next round of gTLD applications set to open in April 2026 and get updates on the statuses of the Applicant Support Program and Registry Service Provider Evaluation Program.
GDS: Subsequent Procedures IRT (5 of 6) | 29 October, 9:00–10:00 GMT/UTC
| | All Welcome to Join SubPro IRT Work Sessions | |
The New gTLD Program team will provide overviews of various Applicant Guidebook topics at ICANN84. Although the titles indicate a SubPro IRT Work Session, the sessions have been repurposed as open community sessions. All are invited to bring their questions and join the team for these discussions.
SubPro IRT Work Session (5 of 6) | 29 October, 9:00–10:00 UTC
SubPro IRT Work Session (6 of 6) | 29 October, 16:30–17:30 UTC
| | DNSSEC and Security Workshop | |
The DNSSEC and Security workshop is a series of technical forums, hosted by the Security and Stability Advisory Committee, to share experiences and best practices related to the deployment and management of Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) and other Domain Name System (DNS) security-related topics. The workshop, held in three sessions, aims to disseminate information gathered by the security practitioners regarding operational practices, encountered challenges, security factors, and management strategies.
For ICANN84, a few of the presentations to look forward to are the DNSSEC equivalent for multicast DNS, which will discuss mDNSSEC, a standardized adaptation of DNSSEC to multicast DNS and Service Discovery. There will be a presentation from Nominet on the Nominet DNS Fund. We will also be hearing from ICANN on the latest key signing key ceremony rollover.
DNSSEC and Security Workshop (1 of 3) | 29 October, 13:15–14:30 GMT/UTC
DNSSEC and Security Workshop (2 of 3) | 29 October, 15:00–16:00 GMT/UTC
DNSSEC and Security Workshop (3 of 3) | 29 October, 16:30–17:30 GMT/UTC
| | Review of Reviews: Shaping the Future of ICANN Reviews at ICANN84 | |
The Review of Reviews Cross Community Group will convene at ICANN84 to continue its comprehensive evaluation of ICANN’s review processes. These plenary sessions provide a platform for collaboration as the community works to build a stronger, more effective system of reviews. Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to this milestone effort.
Review of Reviews - Session 2 of 2 | 30 October, 13:15–14:30 GMT/UTC
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A Promising Path Forward for the North
America Region
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The North America Stakeholder Engagement team is happy to announce the publication of the North America Engagement Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030. This plan represents a thoughtful step toward aligning ICANN’s regional efforts with its global mission and Strategic Plan.
Developed with input from the community through a multistakeholder advisory team, the plan incorporates feedback received during the development process as well as in the Public Comment proceedings. We extend our sincere thanks to all who took the time to review the draft and provide valuable insights to help shape the final version.
The plan’s flexibility and alignment with ICANN’s overarching Strategic Plan are clear strengths, including the addition of newly defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The team agrees with the community that without measurable benchmarks, even the strongest strategies risk falling short of their goals.
As ICANN moves forward with implementation, prioritizing the outreach to diverse communities and continued focus on robust KPIs will be essential to ensuring accountability and demonstrating real progress.
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Kroopa Shah serves as Vice President of Registry Services at Identity Digital, leading the Registry Services Provider (RSP) business with over 20 years of domain industry expertise. She drives growth and strategic account management for Identity Digital's RSP partners while overseeing technical support for the company's global registrar network.
Previously, Kroopa held senior leadership roles at Afilias, where she spearheaded service launches for the 2012 new gTLD program and scaled operations. An active voice in the ICANN community, she participates in key industry groups including the Next Round IRT and CPH TechOPS, positioning her at the forefront of industry developments.
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Shanelle McPherson
Jamaica
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Currently studying Networking with Cybersecurity at the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean, Shanelle McPherson is actively involved in the ICANN At-Large end user community, where she advocates for inclusive and user-centered Internet policies.
She is the co-founder of CodeED Virtual Learning, a youth-led initiative that empowers underserved and disabled communities across the Caribbean by providing access to digital education, coding, and future-ready technology skills.
McPherson was selected as an ICANN NextGen participant at ICANN76 and as an ICANN Fellow at ICANN79. Since then, she has collaborated with the Latin American and Caribbean Islands Regional At-Large Organization on the deployment of Domain Name System Security Extensions in Jamaica. In recognition of her efforts to advance Internet security and regional collaboration, she was selected as the recipient of the Tarek Kamel Fellowship Recognition Award at ICANN84 for outstanding contributions to ICANN’s development initiatives in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
| “My fellowship journey has taught me how to be an advocate, how to collaborate with regional leaders, and how to find my place in the Internet governance ecosystem.” | | | |
An undergraduate student at Tribhuvan University’s Institute of Engineering and the Lead AI/ML Engineer at acAIberry Technologies, Om Prakash Sharma has been involved in ICANN since 2024. He first learned about the multistakeholder model at a Local Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy (APIGA) event and later represented Nepal at APIGA 2025. Passionate about Internet governance, Domain Name System security, and bridging Nepal’s digital divide, Sharma has contributed to advancing Internationalized Domain Names and securing the .np country code top-level domain.
He has participated in various Internet governance and security conferences and served as an ambassador for the Regional Internet Registry for Europe, Middle East and Central Asia (RIPE NCC Ambassador). Sharma has also supported the Internet Society’s Pulse Internet Measurement Workshop in Kathmandu, contributing to Internet resilience, and developing low-cost educational devices for rural schools in Nepal’s Rautahat district.
| “Let’s make Internet governance inclusive by ensuring that youth, rural voices, and diverse languages are meaningfully represented in global discussions.” | | | ICANN COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT | | |
Charles Noir
Member, Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), .ca
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"I joined the ccNSO because it offers an essential space for collaboration and problem solving within the global multistakeholder Internet governance ecosystem. From tackling DNS Abuse to Universal Acceptance, the ccNSO ensures that the voices of country code operators are heard at the governance table. For CIRA, it is a chance to share our expertise, learn from colleagues around the world and contribute to building an open, free, and interoperable Internet.
Before joining the ccNSO, most of my ICANN experience was with the Governmental Advisory Committee. I was new to the country code community, but I was struck by how quickly and warmly I was welcomed. I became involved to connect with other ccTLD operators, particularly beyond North America. These relationships have inspired initiatives such as a Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism and continue to strengthen the voice of the ccTLD community at the global governance table."
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Yuri Takamatsu
Member, Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), .jp
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"I joined ccNSO to share insights from .jp and to learn from the experiences of other ccTLDs around the world. Over time, I have gained many new perspectives and also received warm support from this wonderful community, which I now try to give back to.
The ccTLDs within ccNSO are highly diverse in size and governance models, and one size does not fit all. As one of them I value the opportunity to bring my own unique perspective to the table."
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