Save the Dates: UA Day Event Celebrations | | |
Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Progress in Technical Engagement Across the World | | |
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By Adiel Akplogan, Vice President, Technical Engagement
As we begin a new year, I'd like to reflect on the ICANN Technical Engagement team's impactful initiatives, global collaborations, and significant progress in promoting Internet stability, security, and accessibility throughout 2024. From exploring new regions to fostering partnerships and advancing Domain Name System (DNS) best practices, 2024 exemplified ICANN's mission to maintain a secure, stable, and interoperable Internet. Our team organized and participated in more than 200 capacity-building events globally, most focused on DNS operations best practices and evolution.
One of the highlights of the year was our team's successful three-day engagement event with the technical community in Iceland. This training introduced local stakeholders to Internet governance fundamentals and DNS operations, showcasing ICANN's commitment to reaching out and engaging in regions not regularly visited. The event aimed to empower stakeholders with knowledge and tools to strengthen local Internet ecosystems.
To learn more, read my blog.
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Register Now for ICANN82
Registration is open for the ICANN82 Community Forum, which will be held 8–13 March 2025 in Seattle, Washington, United States of America, and virtually. To attend in person, you must register by 7 March 2025. On-site registration will not be available. Registration is free and open to all.
The ICANN82 Prep Week will take place online from 24–26 February 2025. The Prep Week schedule is now live, and the full meeting schedule will be published on 17 February 2025. Visit the ICANN82 website to learn more.
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Introducing Enhanced Security and Access Tools for Root Zone Management | | |
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By Kim Davies, Vice President, IANA Services & President, PTI
We're pleased to announce the recent release of key new features for users of our Root Zone Management service, focused on increasing the utility and security of these critical operations:
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Multi-Factor Authentication and Identity Verification: These features, which are currently opt in, add additional protections to Root Zone Management System accounts. Our multi-factor system uses the commonly used Internet Engineering Task Force standard that utilizes regularly changing six-digit codes in a password management application of your choosing. This is being paired with Identity Verification, which establishes the legal identity of the people authorized to act for our customers. Those enrolling in this program will identify themselves to our third-party vendor using government-issued identification documents.
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API Testing Environment: Customers who process large numbers of change requests will be pleased to know that we now offer an Operational Test and Evaluation environment that can be used to test automation of the Root Zone Management System. This API allows common operations to be performed programmatically, which is particularly useful for bulk operations where individual submissions can be tedious.
To learn more, read my blog.
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Ombuds Office Blog: ICANN81 and the Power of Connection | | |
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By Elizabeth Field, ICANN Ombuds
Across coffees, chats, and stolen moments between sessions at ICANN81 in Istanbul, many community members asked me what I thought about ICANN. I was struck by the power of connection that drove vibrant discussions and how creative solutions emerged from valuable disagreements.
I also wanted to share how appreciative I am of everyone who found time to speak with me, whether through structured meetings or ad hoc discussions. I heard that you want a safe and inclusive environment and that you are willing to support your peers, demonstrating an impressive care for your community. I heard that independence of the Office of the Ombuds matters greatly and that you want the Office of the Ombuds to be accessible and effective with the right powers discharged in the right way.
Over the coming months, I will be reviewing the services of the Office. I am doing a series of individual and group listening sessions; please contact me if you are willing to be interviewed confidentially as part of the design process.
To learn more, read my blog.
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New gTLD Program: Next Round Resources | | |
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Are you interested in the New gTLD Program? The program offers several resources to keep you informed about the ongoing implementation of the next round.
The Subsequent Procedures Implementation Review Team (IRT) holds weekly meetings to discuss various project topics and receives monthly updates from the ICANN organization on outreach and engagement. You can find recordings of these meetings on the IRT wiki site.
ICANN org also has published a series of use cases highlighting the many ways a generic top-level domain (gTLD) can be used by different types of organizations. Available on the New gTLD Program website, these brief, relatable stories are a great resource for those interested in gTLDs and considering applying in the next round, expected to open in April 2026.
More information on the New gTLD Program can be found on the program website.
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ICANN would love your feedback! If you have any questions or ideas for how we can improve the monthly newsletters in your region, please send all related feedback to newsletterfeedback@icann.org. | | |
NORTH AMERICA ACTIVITIES AND HIGHLIGHTS | | |
Register Now for ICANN82 in Seattle: Naela Sarras Invites You to Engage with Global DNS Stakeholders | | |
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ICANN Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement for North America Naela Sarras invites you to register for ICANN82 in Seattle 8-13 March 2025! Join hundreds of global stakeholders for an opportunity to network and engage in critical discussions on the future of the Domain Name System.
Watch Naela’s video message and register now: go.icann.org/4fhle6o
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Promoting Consumer Choice: Business Experiences in Updating Systems for the Evolving TLD Landscape | | |
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As the domain name ecosystem continues to evolve, the opening of another application round for top-level domains (TLDs) presents both opportunities and challenges for businesses worldwide. At ICANN82, a session titled “Promoting Consumer Choice: Business Experiences in Updating Systems for the Evolving TLD Landscape” will bring together industry leaders to discuss how companies are adapting their systems to support legacy and new TLDs.
Panelists from leading tech companies will share insights on how updating digital infrastructure is crucial for fostering consumer choice, ensuring digital inclusion, and maintaining security. Topics will include the risks of failing to adapt to new TLDs, the role of TLD diversity in brand visibility and user trust, and the strategic importance of taking advantage of this unique opportunity.
Join us for a discussion that will provide business leaders with the tools and knowledge to stay ahead in the digital era.
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Washington Center Students Connect with ICANN at DC Engagement Center | | |
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By Joe Catapano, Stakeholder Engagement Director, North America and Global Academia
The North American Stakeholder Engagement team recently hosted students and faculty at the Washington, DC Engagement Center as part of The Washington Center's 2025 Seminar series. The cohort included undergraduate, graduate, PhD, and law students, with most participants being new to ICANN.
Carlos Reyes from ICANN’s Policy Support team and I provided an introduction to ICANN, the Internet governance landscape, and the Domain Name System, as well as the role of governments within ICANN. Carlos focused on ICANN's distinctive bottom-up policy development process, emphasizing the role of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). I covered the U.S. Government’s participation in the GAC and ICANN's ongoing engagement with governments throughout the year.
Additionally, we highlighted ICANN's newcomer programs and explored what a career in Internet governance might look like for students interested in this field. Visit our ICANN for Beginners page to learn more about our programs and why you should get involved.
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Join ARIN in Charlotte, NC, for ARIN 55 | | |
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The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) is heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, for its spring Public Policy and Members Meeting. Featuring Internet number resource policy, updates on ARIN tools and services including routing security, and much more, ARIN 55 will welcome both in-person and virtual attendees. In-person attendees are invited to join the Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) Deployathon on Sunday, 27 April. The session will teach participants how to deploy ARIN’s routing security services for Internet number resources and provide hands-on support to get you started.
ARIN 55 is 27–30 April, and we hope to see you there. Visit https://arin.net/ARIN55 to register today!
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SSAC Membership Expands, Contributes to New Work Parties | | |
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The face of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) is changing! In 2024, the SSAC welcomed a record number of new members, cultivating greater expertise across a wider range of topics, a greater number of female members, and broader geographic representation. This expanded perspective strengthens its ability to address critical challenges to the Domain Name System (DNS), both independently and in collaboration with the ICANN community.
The SSAC develops its influential publications through work parties, and it launched two work parties in 2024. Led by Greg Aaron and Warren Kumari, the DNS Blocking and Filtering Work Party explores the impacts of DNS blocking by governments globally, including jurisdictional issues and potential collateral damage to DNS infrastructure. Led by Maarten Aersten and Barry Leiba, the Open Source Software Work Party is investigating the use of open source software in DNS and domain name registration infrastructure. The work party is actively gathering data and engaging with experts to ensure comprehensive research. Both work parties are benefiting from a new collaborative meeting model, demonstrating increased productivity in early stages. Preliminary findings are expected in the coming months.
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ccNSO DNS Abuse Standing Committee Update | | |
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Since the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) DNS Abuse Standing Committee (DASC) was established in 2022, it has served as a forum for country code top-level domain managers to exchange information, share insights, and discuss ways to mitigate Domain Name System Abuse. The role of the committee is to raise awareness, promote dialogue, and showcase best practices, not to develop or promote policy.
Two years after its establishment, the ccNSO Council initiated a review of the effectiveness and efficiency of the DASC. This type of review has become part of the ccNSO's continuous-improvement program.
The review team, composed of ccNSO Council members not directly involved in the DASC, gathered insights through fact-finding and a series of interviews with DASC members and others during ICANN81. The reviewers found overwhelming support for the continuation of the DASC. They also recommended that the DASC explore ways to enhance dialogue with other stakeholders, and that it further explore the concept of DNS Abuse to identify new goals and focus areas for the committee.
The ccNSO Council asked the DASC review team to document their review methodology to serve as a blueprint for future reviews of the effectiveness and efficiency of other committees in the coming years.
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Enhancing the Registration Data Request Service | | |
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The Registration Data Request Service (RDRS), now in its second year as a pilot project, provides a more consistent and standardized format for consumer protection advocates, cybersecurity and intellectual property professionals, government officials, and law enforcement and others to request access to nonpublic generic top-level domain registration data. It was developed with community input and implemented at the direction of the ICANN Board to help inform policy decisions related to a System for Standardized Access/Disclosure.
During the pilot’s first year, ICANN collaborated with the RDRS Generic Names Supporting Organization Standing Committee and the community to implement enhancements to RDRS that improved the system’s usability and monthly reporting. Recent enhancements include two new metrics that track requestor country and data-processing jurisdiction, as well as system enhancements that allow registrars to (1) change the request category, (2) view the entire request without filters, and (3) view the request submission date.
ICANN recently published the December 2024 “RDRS Usage Metrics Report,” which provides an overview of the usage and demand data for nonpublic registration data through the end of last year. Read the report to learn more about the metrics trends for the first year of the RDRS pilot.
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RDAP Now Definitive Source for gTLD Registration Data | | |
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On 28 January 2025, the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) became the definitive source for delivering generic top-level domain name (gTLD) registration information in place of the sunsetted WHOIS system. Users are encouraged to use ICANN's RDAP-based Lookup service at https://lookup.icann.org or ICANN's open-source command-line client hosted on GitHub.
Read this announcement for more information.
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ICANN Around the World
Regional Offices:
Los Angeles, U.S.A. (Headquarters)
Brussels, Belgium
Istanbul, Türkiye
Montevideo, Uruguay
Singapore
Engagement Centers:
Beijing, China
Geneva, Switzerland
Nairobi, Kenya
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
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