ICANN84: Focus on New gTLDs and Global Stability.

DUBLIN, IRELAND – October 26, 2025 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Annual General Meeting (ICANN84) in Dublin continued its intense schedule on Day 2, with the multistakeholder community diving deep into policy work surrounding the future of the internet’s addressing system.

The day’s agenda saw significant activity within the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) and the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), primarily focused on the Next Round of the new generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program.

• Next Round gTLD Deliberations: Multiple working sessions were dedicated to refining the policies and procedures for the next expansion of the domain name space (beyond the familiar .com and .net). Discussions focused on the Applicant Guidebook (AGB), reviewing feedback, and tackling complex issues such as the String Similarity Review Panel (SSRP) process to minimize confusion for end-users.
• Registration Data Request Service (RDRS): A core element of Day 2 was the review of the RDRS Pilot Program. Community groups convened to analyze the findings and public comments from this pilot service, which is intended to create a standardized way to request non-public domain name registration data while upholding data protection laws like the GDPR. This work is critical to forming a final, consensus-driven policy on access to domain name registration information.
• DNS Abuse Mitigation: Various supporting organizations, including the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) and the GAC, held focused discussions on strategies to combat DNS Abuse, which includes activities like phishing, pharming, and the distribution of malware. The groups explored best practices and potential policy mandates to enhance the security and stability of the Domain Name System.
• Leadership and Capacity Building: As an Annual General Meeting, Day 2 also featured capacity-building workshops and leadership sessions, including internal work by the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) to increase participation from under-served regions in ICANN’s policy processes.

🏛️ Resolution: Consensus Reached on String Similarity Criteria

Following intensive technical review and cross-community consultation, the ICANN Board, based on the advice received from community working groups on Day 2, adopted an operational resolution regarding criteria for the String Similarity Review Panel (SSRP) in the upcoming New gTLD Round.

Resolution: The ICANN Board directs the ICANN Organization (ICANN org) to incorporate an updated, quantitative methodology for assessing the similarity of proposed new gTLD strings, prioritizing visual similarity in mixed script environments (IDNs) to prevent deceptive practices and enhance global user safety. The updated methodology is to be detailed in the next draft of the Applicant Guidebook and be subject to an Operational Design Phase (ODP) review.

Note: Information may be updated, corrected or advised by ICANN. We do not own the right over the information. Press Release will be shared when available.

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