The Internet Gets a Global Upgrade
Since 1998, the Department of Commerce has had direct oversight of the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit organization
that regulates and coordinates the domain name system that structures the
Internet, essentially controlling the naming of Web sites. On September 30, 2009, the
contract between ICANN and the U.S. government (the “Joint Project Agreement”)
ended, and a new policy regarding Internet governance has been implemented.
The shift was largely a result of pressure from the international community:
countries outside the U.S. want to influence the architecture of the Internet.
Since its formation, ICANN has reported directly to the U.S. Commerce
Department, but now the organization will undergo regular reviews by
international panels, eliminating the formal link to U.S. government and
reinforcing the global nature of the Internet.
The new agreement, “The Affirmation of Commitments,” is a big step in quelling
the fears of the international community. ICANN will remain a private nonprofit
headquartered in California, but the U.S. will have no preferential treatment
with regard to oversight (the U.S. has one seat on the review panels).
Every day, and all over the world, we depend on the Internet to access
information, to perform business and to communicate with family and friends. So
what does this change mean?
Web Addresses in Any Language
As early as this year, ICANN will allow the use of non-Latin characters in
domain names, meaning that Web addresses will support the alphabets of other
languages (like Chinese, Arabic, Russian, etc.).
Users in these countries will be able to use keyboards in their native languages
without having to translate Web addresses into English, which is especially
impactful for children and older people who are more likely to only be fluent
in one language. Since more than half of the world’s 1.6 billion Internet users
speak and write with languages comprised of non-Latin scripts, this change will
make using the Internet easier for millions of people.
Initially, only domain names with a country code (.de for Germany, .au for
Australia, etc.) will be able to be accessed by typing the Web address with
other characters, but the naming system will expand to all types of domains in
the future.
Good News, Bad News
Some experts believe that although the new naming system will make the Internet
easier for people to use, it does not indicate a substantial increase in the
number of Web users because regardless of the ease of use, there is still
significant cost for many people in obtaining a computer and gaining access to
the Internet.
Many businesses will rush to secure new domain names spelled in the characters
of other languages, and with many corporations already owning dozens or even
hundreds of domains for their products, this could become a costly venture.
Owners of well-known brands will have to monitor these changes closely to
protect their products.
But, the Internet’s new global outreach could aid you and your company in
reaching international customers in their own language and may be a positive
and effective way to promote your product and personalize your communications.
The trick will be to determine the value of investing in the new domains to
reach a specific segment of new potential customers.
So, the bad news first: as with any significant change, there will be new and
unexpected problems to work through. But more importantly, there’s good news:
the Internet continues to evolve into a richer, more diverse community with the
ability to reach more and more people every day.