ICANN84: Policy Focus Dominates Day 4 in Dublin.

Dublin, Ireland — October 28, 2025

The fourth day of the ICANN84 Annual General Meeting in Dublin, Ireland, concluded with a robust focus on policy development and accountability, highlighting the global community’s commitment to the stable operation of the internet’s naming system. Key activities centered on the advancement of several major policy reviews and the Board’s fiduciary oversight.

Policy Development Takes Center Stage

Policy and community discussions dominated the Day 4 agenda. A major session involved the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), which progressed discussions on the next generation of the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS). This service is a critical component for managing access to non-public domain name registration data, seeking a balance between privacy protections (like GDPR) and legitimate access for law enforcement and intellectual property rights holders. The community spent significant time refining the proposed operational model and data access procedures.

Simultaneously, the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) held sessions focused on best practices for managing country-code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs), with specific emphasis on increasing operational security and adapting to evolving regulatory environments across the African region.

Financial and Operational Oversight

In addition to policy work, the ICANN Board of Directors held several working sessions focused on organizational and financial matters. These discussions are part of the Board’s ongoing role in ensuring ICANN’s fiscal responsibility and operational efficiency. Topics included a review of the FY25 Annual Report and financial planning for the upcoming fiscal year, ensuring that resources are properly allocated to meet the organization’s Bylaws obligations and Strategic Plan objectives.

Accountability and Transparency

Sessions also addressed the ongoing mechanism to review ICANN’s effectiveness and accountability. The Organizational Review Committee continued its work on an independent review of one of the community’s supporting organizations, ensuring the organization’s transparency and responsiveness to the global internet community remain a priority.

Resolution

While formal policy approvals typically occur later in the meeting week or during subsequent Board meetings, a key procedural step was affirmed on Day 4:

The ICANN Board of Directors approved a resolution instructing the ICANN organization (org) to formally publish the updated framework for the proposed Next Round of Base Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Registry Agreement, incorporating community input received to date, and to open a subsequent public comment period to finalize the contractual terms before proceeding with the next phase of implementation.

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