Internet namespace expansion
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will make a decision shortly that will have a significant impact – expanding the namespace to facilitate the introduction of generic top-level domains (gTLD). Top-level domains are the domain name extensions, like .com, .org, .net, .info, etc. Limiting these has limited the diversity of domain names, but there were questions whether opening up to generic tlds would create domain name server instability. ICANN has been engaged in gathering research and comments to support a gTLD decision. According to the BBC, that decision will come Thursday.
Dr Paul Twomey, chief executive of Icann, told BBC News that the proposals would result in the biggest change to the way the internet worked in decades.“The impact of this will be different in different parts of the world. But it will allow groups, communities and business to express their identities online.
“Like the United States in the 19th Century, we are in the process of opening up new real estate, new land, and people will go out and claim parts of that land and use it for various reasons they have.
“It’s a massive increase in the geography of the real estate of the internet.”
