Governments want anti-abuse rules in place before new domain endings go live
in plain words
Governments that advise ICANN want stronger rules against online abuse. They say new domain endings should wait until those rules are in place. They also want registrars to check who owns a domain before it works online.
Full summary
ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition of ICANN's GAC Governmental Advisory Committee ICANN's committee of governments that advises the Board on public policy. Full definition of GAC, known as the GAC, has published its communiqué from the ICANN meeting One of ICANN's public meetings, normally held three times a year. Full definition of ICANN meeting in Bali, which it held from October 17 to 22. The communiqué was released on October 26. Sixty-seven members and eight observers took part. It does not contain a formal consensus advice to the ICANN Board ICANN's board of directors, which adopts policies and approves key decisions. Full definition of ICANN Board, and the June communiqué from Seville did not either.
The GAC wants new rules on checking related domains to be in force before new gTLD A generic top-level domain added to the internet through ICANN's New gTLD Program. Full definition of new gTLD enter the DNS Domain Name System The internet's directory that links domain names to computer addresses. Full definition of DNS. Under the proposal, if a domain is shown to be abused, registrar A company that registers domain names for customers with the registry. Full definition of registrar would also investigate other domains held by the same customer, account or pattern. The committee also suggests that registrars share information with one another, which it says could curb abuse much faster.
Registrars must generally check the data of a new domain formally within 15 days under their contracts, and confirm the registrant The person or organization that holds a domain name registration. Full definition of registrant's email address or phone number. The GAC again recommends that this check be completed before a new domain becomes reachable in the DNS. It points to studies linking checks before activation with less abuse, and says malicious domains in some campaigns are often active only briefly.
The communiqué says registrars are willing to discuss the deadline further. The GAC proposes continuing these talks until the next ICANN meeting in Lisbon in March, through a policy process or contract changes. In Bali, ICANN's contractual compliance team also reported an ongoing case against a registrar that did not stop abuse quickly enough. The communiqué does not name the registrar.
Finally, the GAC expects ICANN and applicant An organization that has applied to ICANN to run a new gTLD. Full definition of applicant to make letters of support or non-objection for geographic names and community applications available publicly where this is permitted.