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ICANN
Policy, new gTLD rounds and registry contracts from the body that runs the domain name system.
6 articles
SecurityOct 27 · 3 min
ICANN tests SAML logins for urgent law-enforcement WHOIS requests
ICANN has started testing a system that would let authenticated law-enforcement agencies use its Registration Data Request Service to seek non-public WHOIS data in urgent cases, according to The Register. The test currently involves the FBI and Interpol and is aimed at requests tied to threats to life, critical infrastructure, or child exploitation, according to The Register.
Registries & ICANNOct 27 · 3 min
Verisign discloses $171.4M total cost for .web ahead of December launch
Verisign told investors this week that its total cost to acquire the .web top-level domain reached $171.4 million, according to Domain Name Wire and a company SEC filing it cited. The disclosure lands just before Verisign’s planned mid-December sunrise and a limited registration period that could determine whether the long-delayed asset earns back its cost.
Registries & ICANNOct 27 · 3 min
Verisign posts record .com/.net adds and sets .web sunrise for December
Verisign reported record third-quarter .com and .net registration activity and said it plans to open a .web trademark sunrise in mid-December, according to Domain Name Wire. The update matters because it pairs stronger demand in the legacy namespace with a concrete launch timetable for a long-delayed new gTLD that could affect defensive registrations and buyer budgets in early 2027.
Registries & ICANNOct 27 · 3 min
ICANN posts .nissay termination as 2026 dot-brand applications top 345
ICANN on October 26 posted a termination notice for .nissay, adding another brand TLD to the list of 2012-round dot-brands being shut down, according to Domain Name Wire. The move landed the same day Domain Name Wire reported that ICANN has received at least 345 dot-brand applications in the 2026 round despite roughly 150 earlier cancellations.
Registries & ICANNOct 27 · 3 min
ICANN-approved .name shutdown will end third-level registrations in 2027
Verisign plans to discontinue third-level .name registrations and second-level email forwarding on February 15, 2027, according to CircleID, after ICANN approved the change through two Registry Services Evaluation Process requests earlier this year. The move affects long-held personal web and email addresses and raises account-migration and impersonation concerns for registrants and brand owners.
Registries & ICANNOct 27 · 5 min
ICANN's 263 new gTLD contention sets put .agent, AI and 3-letter strings in focus
ICANN’s October 7 publication of 1,615 applications in the 2026 new gTLD round, including 263 contention sets, shifted attention from application volume to which strings may survive replacement periods, objections and eventual ICANN auctions, according to CircleID and Domain Name Journal. For domain buyers, founders and brand owners, the key takeaway is that bidder counts show where applicants are
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