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ICANN84 Newsletter
27 October 2025
| | | Welcome to the ICANN84 Annual General Meeting | |
By Tripti Sinha, ICANN Board Chair, and Kurtis Lindqvist, ICANN President and CEO
On behalf of the ICANN Board and organization, welcome to the ICANN84 Annual General Meeting! Whether you are joining us in Dublin or online, we look forward to seeing you this week.
In addition to working sessions, the meeting agenda includes learning opportunities for both newcomers and longtime ICANN community members, as well as the latest updates on programs and initiatives. You also will have a chance to ask questions and voice your opinion at the Q&A With the ICANN Org Executive Team and the ICANN Public Forum.
Before attending your first session, be sure to review the new ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct Concerning Statements of Interest and the revised ICANN Community Anti-Harassment Policy: Procedure to Report and Get Support.
Whether this is your first ICANN meeting or your 84th, your participation is key to ICANN’s multistakeholder processes and to fulfilling our mission of ensuring a secure, stable, and unified global Internet.
| | ICANN Domain Metrica Expands to Include ccTLDs | |
ICANN Domain Metrica is evolving to better serve the community and now includes country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) operators. Previously focused on generic top-level domains (gTLDs), the platform now provides ccTLD operators with valuable insights into domain activity and DNS Abuse trends within their own TLDs.
Through the online dashboard and the Monitoring System API (MoSAPI), all ICANN community members can view aggregated statistics. Contracted parties and ccTLD operators gain secure access to domain-level data, including reports of phishing, malware, and botnet activity based on Reputation Block Lists (RBLs).
Participation is flexible: ccTLD operators can join even without sharing zone files, though those that do share these files benefit from more tailored reporting and normalized comparisons. ccTLDs previously enrolled in the Domain Abuse Activity Reporting (DAAR) project are automatically included in Domain Metrica.
We encourage ccTLD operators to sign up, explore the data, and contribute feedback as we continue enhancing ICANN Domain Metrica to improve DNS Abuse detection and mitigation across the ecosystem.
Read the blog to learn more.
| | ICANN Publishes FY25 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements | |
ICANN published its Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) and audited consolidated financial statements. ICANN also published the FY25 audited financial statements for its affiliate Public Technical Identifiers (PTI). ICANN's fiscal year ends on 30 June.
The FY25 Annual Report describes ICANN's progress toward its Bylaws obligations and Strategic Plan objectives. The ICANN Bylaws direct that the Annual Report and audited financials must be published no later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year. ICANN is pleased to share these results ahead of the 28 October deadline.
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 Wednesday, 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!
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Since 2006, Tech Day has been a regular feature of ICANN Public Meetings. It offers a forum where newcomers can meet experienced participants to share presentations and discuss technical and operational registry issues, security matters, and other DNS-related work.
Open to all ICANN community members, this year’s Tech Day will include sessions on technical, operational, and security topics, featuring a one-hour slot (15:00-16:00) by the ccNSO DNS Abuse Standing Committee (DASC) on the use of Artificial Intelligence tools in addressing domain name abuse.
For the full schedule, please visit: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AwETG
Tech Day will offer live interpretation in English, French, and Spanish.
ccNSO: Tech Day (1 of 4) | 27 October, 10:45–12:00 GMT/UTC
ccNSO: Tech Day (2 of 4) | 27 October, 13:15–14:30 GMT/UTC
ccNSO: Tech Day (3 of 4) | 27 October, 15:00–16:00 GMT/UTC
ccNSO: Tech Day (4 of 4) | 27 October, 16:00–17:30 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 1 of 2 | 27 October, 13:15–14:30 GMT/UTC
Review of Reviews - Session 2 of 2 | 30 October, 13:15–14:30 GMT/UTC
| | APRALO Meets NextGen@ICANN84 | |
At-Large has long focused on engaging with the ICANN Fellows and NextGen students during ICANN meetings. The At-Large meets with the ICANN Fellows at each public meeting. The RALOs traditionally meet with the NextGen participants from their region.
During ICANN84, the Asian, Australiasian, and Pacific Islands Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO) is planning an informal session with the Asian NextGen participants to describe how to engage in APRALO and the At-Large community. The APRALO Meets NextGen@ICANN84 session will include introductions of the NextGen participants, an overview of the opportunities to engage in APRALO and At-Large, and an open discussion to identify next steps.
APRALO Meets NextGen@ICANN84 | 27 October, 16:30–17:30 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
| | GNSO: Latin Script Diacritics Policy Development Process Working Group – Sessions 1 and 2 | These sessions took place on Saturday, 25 October. If you missed them or want to review, visit the session pages for Session One and Session Two to view the available session materials and recordings. | |
The Latin Script Diacritics (LD) Policy Development Process (PDP) Working Group (WG) held two highly productive sessions at ICANN84 in Dublin. The WG is currently progressing ahead of its Project Plan schedule and spent the sessions finalizing its preliminary recommendations for its Initial Report and testing the robustness of those recommendations with particularly challenging stress tests.
In its first working session, the LD PDP achieved a full review of its fifty-four (54) preliminary recommendations, resulting in consensus among the WG. In its second working session, the WG went through its stabilized recommendations to stress test them with hypothetical edge cases of exceptionally unlikely scenarios. These stress tests resulted in updated language in the preliminary recommendations that will continue in the LD PDP WG meetings following ICANN84. The WG aims to complete its preliminary recommendations prior to the end of the year to receive Public Comments on its Initial Report. We invite all interested parties to keep an eye out for the Public Comment period forthcoming and to consider submitting their input for consideration in the WG Final Report.
| | Europe: Advancing ICANN's Strategic Plan | |
Over the past year, ICANN’s engagement across Europe has been both active and strategic. At the Domain Summit in London, Registry Service Providers explored opportunities in the upcoming New gTLD Program: Next Round. The Policy Forum in Prague highlighted European leadership in shaping the future of Internet governance and reinforced the region’s role in the multistakeholder model. That momentum now carries into ICANN84, the Annual General Meeting in Dublin, where global discussions on WSIS+20, the next round of the New gTLD Program, and Internet governance will converge.
ICANN’s work in the region provides tangible proof points that align with European digital priorities—DNS security, Universal Acceptance, and IDNs—while expanding technical training and capacity development in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the CIS. Together, these efforts strengthen local expertise and advance ICANN’s global mission of ensuring a single, secure, and resilient Internet.
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Michele Neylon is the co-founder of Blacknight, Ireland’s largest Internet hosting provider and domain name registrar. A longtime member of the Registrar Stakeholder Group, Michele has been active in ICANN since 2006. He was drawn to the community because he believed in the need for broader representation beyond the United States and was concerned about the impact of the public WHOIS on registrant privacy.
Since then, Michele has become a familiar face, attending most ICANN Public Meetings since 2007. He also engages in a wide range of Internet organizations and initiatives, including the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), IGF Ireland, IGF Spain, RIPE NCC, i2c, and the Board of INEX, which is hosting ICANN84.
Michele follows ICANN policy closely because it directly affects business operations, from WHOIS to DNS Abuse. As a host country representative, he is focused on ensuring a smooth and successful meeting in Dublin. His advice to the community: Keep an open mind and be transparent about your positions.
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Tinuade Oguntuyi serves in the Commercial Stakeholder Group, the African Regional At-Large Organization, and the African Network Information Center. She represents Internet service providers and other entities involved in operating backbone networks or providing transit to Internet users and content.
With a background in computer science and over 14 years of experience, she has made impacts across telecommunications, Internet protocol core networks, and Internet infrastructure. Oguntuyi serves as General Manager, Technical, at Information Connectivity Solutions Ltd, an indigenous Internet Service Provider in Nigeria, where she leads initiatives that expand affordable Internet and enterprise-grade connectivity to urban, underserved, and rural areas. Her work directly supports business continuity for corporate clients while bridging access gaps for the unconnected.
Oguntuyi’s first ICANN meeting was ICANN81 (virtual). She also attended ICANN82 and ICANN83 virtually, and these engagements sparked deeper interest and advocacy around Domain Name System Abuse, Universal Acceptance, and new generic top-level domains.
Oguntuyi has been selected as the recipient of the Paul Muchene Fellow Award.
| “The ICANN Fellowship Program gave me a sense of belonging. It transforms my ambition to make a global and meaningful impact from a mere possibility to something truly within reach.” | | | |
A licensed lawyer working in Internet governance, information technology law, and digital rights, Sadichchha Silwal was drawn to ICANN because of her commitment to advance digital rights and an inclusive Internet. She views ICANN’s mission of maintaining a stable, secure, and accessible global Internet as closely aligned with her work in Nepal and the Asia Pacific region, and is eager to participate in ICANN84.
Silwal currently serves as a Board Member and country chapter leader in the Internet Society Nepal with a special focus on community engagement and policy advocacy. In addition, she was selected as one of 15 Internet Society Youth Ambassadors for 2025 and recently participated in the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Oslo, Norway.
| “My call to action is to ensure that the ICANN community continues to be inclusive and responsive to voices from the Global South, marginalized communities, and youth.” | | | ICANN COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT | | |
Everton Rodrigues
Member, Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), .br
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"I joined ccNSO because ccTLDs carry many of the Internet’s original principles, and many of their histories are deeply intertwined with the Internet itself. The autonomy each ccTLD has strengthens the voluntary commitment to work together, helping each other directly when needed, or inspiring change and continuous improvement.
The ccNSO is the focal point where the diversity of ccTLDs is valued and transformed into collective strength, contributing to the present and future of ICANN, and ultimately, of the Internet."
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Regina Fuchsova
Member, Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), .eu
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"Joining the ccNSO was a natural step for me when I took on a new role at EURid, focused on industry relations. This inspiring environment provides an excellent opportunity for a ccTLD to discuss and shape opinions with peers in a multicultural setting. For example, we found strong allies there on the topic of IDNs.”
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Review the Participation Guides
Visit the Participant Tools page for the information you need to attend ICANN84 virtually or in person.
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