---
id: "df3b2eb1-a0bb-46b2-8532-4acb81ca25be"
kind: "link"
title: "ICANN Board approves IDN country-code domain policy but rejects risk appraisal provisions"
language: "en"
section: "icann"
date: "2026-10-23T17:21:31Z"
updated: "2026-10-23T17:21:31Z"
canonical: "https://tldlog.com/l/icann-board-approves-idn-country-code-domain-policy-rejects/"
origin: "master"
translations:
  es: "https://tldlog.com/es/l/junta-icann-aprueba-politica-dominios-codigo-pais-idn/"
  de: "https://tldlog.com/de/l/icann-vorstand-billigt-richtlinie-idn-cctlds-lehnt-aber/"
  fr: "https://tldlog.com/fr/l/conseil-administration-icann-approuve-politique-cctld-idn/"
  it: "https://tldlog.com/it/l/consiglio-icann-approva-politica-cctld-idn-respinge-norme/"
  pt-BR: "https://tldlog.com/pt/l/diretoria-icann-aprova-politica-cctld-idn-rejeita-regras/"
  ru: "https://tldlog.com/ru/l/pravlenie-icann-odobrilo-politiku-cctld-idn-otklonilo/"
  zh-Hans: "https://tldlog.com/zh/l/icann-idn-guojia-yuming-zhengce/"
source:
  name: "circleid.com"
  url: "https://circleid.com/posts/icann-board-approves-idn-country-code-domain-policy-rejects-risk-appraisal-provisions"
  language: "en"
  date: "2026-10-23T15:01:00Z"
---

# ICANN Board approves IDN country-code domain policy but rejects risk appraisal provisions

## in plain words

ICANN’s board has approved most of new rules for country-code domains written in other languages and scripts. It turned down one part that would have let applicants add extra checks on confusing names. The rules now go back to the group that proposed them.

The ICANN Board has approved most of a new policy governing the selection and removal of internationalized country-code top-level domains (IDN ccTLDs) and their variants. The Board adopted the policy on October 22, 2026. It rejected provisions that would have allowed additional risk assessments for certain potentially confusing domain strings.

The policy will replace the existing IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process. The Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) developed it. It sets procedures for choosing IDN ccTLD strings and their variants, and for managing their delegation, transfer, revocation and retirement. It also requires that an IDN ccTLD and its delegatable variants be assigned to the same entity. The policy extends eligibility to IDNs in Latin script, which the Fast Track Process does not support.

The Board adopted the ccNSO recommendations except Section 7.8 and related provisions on a Risk Treatment Appraisal Procedure. That mechanism would have handled requests for IDN ccTLD strings found confusingly similar, only when displayed in uppercase, to existing top-level domains, reserved names, or two-character ASCII strings.

The Board cited security concerns. The proposed procedure would have let applicants submit mitigation measures for review by a specialized panel. The Board said some remedies could require separate TLD operators to coordinate registration practices, possibly including bundled registrations and extra technical or administrative obligations. In its view, such arrangements could add unacceptable complexity and risks to DNS security and stability.

The approved policy lets applicants whose strings fail similarity evaluations seek alternative strings. ICANN considers the rejected provisions separable from the wider framework, so the approved recommendations can proceed.

The disagreement now returns to the ccNSO. Under ICANN’s Bylaws, the Board must give a formal explanation for rejecting a ccNSO policy recommendation. The Board and the ccNSO Council will then discuss whether a mutually acceptable solution can be reached. The Council may affirm or modify its recommendations, and any supplemental proposal would require further Board consideration.

The work began in 2020 after ICANN’s 2019 recommendations on managing IDN variants. The ccNSO submitted its policy package to the Board in June 2024 following community consultation and membership approval.

Implementation remains subject to further work. ICANN must develop an implementation plan with cost and resource estimates, and certain provisions require Bylaws amendments, which remain subject to the applicable approval procedures, including the Empowered Community’s role. The treatment of uppercase-only confusing similarity and the timetable for implementation remain unresolved.

Source: [circleid.com](https://circleid.com/posts/icann-board-approves-idn-country-code-domain-policy-rejects-risk-appraisal-provisions)