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An '''IDN''' ('''Internationalized Domain Name''') is an Internet domain name that uses the latest [[ICANN]] protocols and standards to support domain names written in multiple scripts and languages (non-ASCII characters). They essentially allow users to use the Internet without using English, which was long considered the default Internet language despite the Internet's growing base of international users. The first IDNs were implemented into [[Root Zone|the root]] in April, 2010, it is estimated that now 60% of users access the Internet in their native, non-English language.<ref>[http://mobile.ictqatar.qa/sites/default/files/documents/IDN_IGF_2011.pdf IDN IGF, ictqatar.qa]</ref>
An '''IDN''' ('''Internationalized Domain Name''') is an Internet domain name that uses the latest [[ICANN]] protocols and standards to support domain names written in multiple scripts and languages (non-ASCII characters). They allow users to use the Internet without using English, which was long considered the default Internet language despite the Internet's growing base of international users. The first IDNs were implemented into [[Root Zone|the root]] in April, 2010; it is estimated that 60% of users now access the Internet in their native, non-English language.<ref>[http://mobile.ictqatar.qa/sites/default/files/documents/IDN_IGF_2011.pdf IDN IGF, ictqatar.qa]</ref>


===Overview===
===Overview===
The IDN can also be perceived as the label displayed in a software application, in an alphabet or language-specific script. The IDNs are stored in the [[DNS]] as ASCII strings. The DNS performs look-up services to ensure the translation of user-friendly names to locate the Internet resources, and it is restricted to using [[ASCII]] characters for acceptable domains. Based on these facts, the IDNs ensure the names written by means of native-language scripts are translated into ASCII text compatible with the [[DNS]].
The IDN can also be perceived as the label displayed in a software application, in an alphabet or language-specific script. IDNs are stored in the [[DNS]] as ASCII strings. The DNS performs look-up services to ensure the translation of user-friendly names to locate the Internet resources, and it is restricted to using [[ASCII]] characters for acceptable domains. IDNs ensure the names written by means of native-language scripts are translated into ASCII text compatible with the [[DNS]].


===IDN History===
===IDN History===
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According to ICANN,Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) are domain names represented by local language characters. <ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/ IDN according to ICANN]</ref> These types of domain names could either contain non-ASCII scripts characters or letters.  
According to ICANN,Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) are domain names represented by local language characters. <ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/ IDN according to ICANN]</ref> These types of domain names could either contain non-ASCII scripts characters or letters.  


An important milestone in the development of IDN [[TLD]]s was the October, 2009, [[ICANN]] meeting in Korea. At the meeting the [[ICANN Board]] approved the IDN [[ccTLD]] Fast Track Process that enabled countries to offer domain names with non-Latin characters.On October, 2009, [[ICANN]] accepted the development of IDN ccTLDs on the Internet using IDNA standards. <ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/ IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process according to ICANN]</ref>  
An important milestone in the development of IDN [[TLD]]s was the October, 2009, [[ICANN]] meeting in Korea. At the meeting the [[ICANN Board]] approved the IDN [[ccTLD]] Fast Track Process that enabled countries to offer domain names with non-Latin characters. At that time, [[ICANN]] accepted the development of IDN ccTLDs on the Internet using IDNA standards. <ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/ IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process according to ICANN]</ref>  


==ICANN Approves Delegation of IDN ccTLDs==
===ICANN Approves Delegation of IDN ccTLDs===
The first IDN ccTLDs were successfully installed in the [[DNS]] root zone in May, 2010, which include Russia (.рф), Egypt (صر.), Saudi Arabia (السعودية.) and United Arab Emirates (امارات.). <ref>[http://blog.icann.org/2010/05/idn-cctlds-%E2%80%93-the-first-four/ IDN ccTLDs – The First Four]</ref>  
The first IDN ccTLDs were successfully installed in the [[DNS]] root zone in May, 2010, these included Russia ([[.рф]]), Egypt ([[صر.]]), Saudi Arabia [[السعودية.]]) and United Arab Emirates ([[امارات.]]).<ref>[http://blog.icann.org/2010/05/idn-cctlds-%E2%80%93-the-first-four/ IDN ccTLDs – The First Four]</ref>  
On August 2010, ICANN approved the delegation of the Arabic scripts for Palestine (فلسطين), Tunisia (تونس) Jordan (الاردن),  Thailand (.ไทย) and the two IDN ccTLD for Sri Lanka (.ලංකා) and (.இலங்கை).<ref>[http://domainincite.com/palestine-gets-its-own-arabic-domain-names/ Palestine gets its own Arabic domain names]</ref> ICANN also approved the Arabic script ccTLD for IRAN including India, Qatar, Singapore, Syria and Taiwan.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/irans-arabic-domain-choice-approved/ Iran’s Arabic domain choice approved]</ref>
In August 2010, ICANN approved the delegation of the Arabic scripts for Palestine ([[فلسطين.]]), Tunisia ([[تونس.]]) Jordan ([[الاردن.]]),  Thailand ([[.ไทย]]) and the two IDN ccTLD for Sri Lanka ([[.ලංකා]]) and ([[.இலங்கை]]).<ref>[http://domainincite.com/palestine-gets-its-own-arabic-domain-names/ Palestine gets its own Arabic domain names]</ref> ICANN also approved the Arabic script ccTLD for Iran, India, Qatar, Singapore, Syria and Taiwan.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/irans-arabic-domain-choice-approved/ Iran’s Arabic domain choice approved]</ref>


ICANN received 36 IDN ccTLD applications in 22 languages. Thirty IDN ccTLDs are currently delegated in the root zone.<ref>[https://charts.icann.org/public/index-idn.html IDN Fast Track (Updated as of 15 October 2011)]</ref>
ICANN received 36 IDN ccTLD applications in 22 languages. Thirty IDN ccTLDs are currently delegated in the root zone.<ref>[https://charts.icann.org/public/index-idn.html IDN Fast Track (Updated as of 15 October 2011)]</ref>


===Rejected IDN ccTLDs===
===Rejected IDN ccTLDs===
The internet governing body rejected the IDN application of the Bulgarian government for [[.6r]], the Cyrillic translation of [[.bg]] due to its close similarity with the [[.br]], ccTLD for Brazin.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/icann-says-no-to-bulgarian-cctld/ ICANN says no to Bulgarian ccTLD]</ref>  In an interview, Bulgaria's Technology Minister Alexander Tsvetkov said that his government will appeal to ICANN and reconsider its decision. <ref>[http://domainincite.com/bulgaria-to-file-icann-reconsideration-appeal-over-rejected-idn-cctld/ Bulgaria to file ICANN reconsideration appeal over rejected IDN ccTLD]</ref> In addition, Bulgaria's Deputy Transport Minister stated the government might modify its application or wait for the launching of an appeals procedure. He hopes that ICANN will accept their proposal by the en of 2011. Meanwhile, the Brazilian government supported ICANN's decision in rejecting the .6r citing that "any graphic confusion migh facilitate phishing practices" and other related problems.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/bulgaria-to-appeal-icann-rejection/ Bulgaria to appeal ICANN rejection]</ref>
The internet governing body rejected the IDN application of the Bulgarian government for [[.6r]], the Cyrillic translation of [[.bg]] due to its close similarity with the [[.br]], ccTLD for Brazil.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/icann-says-no-to-bulgarian-cctld/ ICANN says no to Bulgarian ccTLD]</ref>  In an interview, Bulgaria's Technology Minister Alexander Tsvetkov said that his government will appeal to ICANN to reconsider its decision. <ref>[http://domainincite.com/bulgaria-to-file-icann-reconsideration-appeal-over-rejected-idn-cctld/ Bulgaria to file ICANN reconsideration appeal over rejected IDN ccTLD]</ref> In addition, Bulgaria's Deputy Transport Minister stated the government might modify its application or wait for the launching of an appeals procedure. He hoped that ICANN will accept their proposal by the end of 2011. Meanwhile, the Brazilian government supported ICANN's decision in rejecting the .6r citing that "any graphic confusion migh facilitate phishing practices" and other related problems.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/bulgaria-to-appeal-icann-rejection/ Bulgaria to appeal ICANN rejection]</ref>


At [[ICANN 44]] in Prague, the [[GAC]] addressed rejected IDN ccTLDs. Their communique asked ICANN to "urgently reconsider" its ruling, as they saw the move as having "erred on the too-conservative side, in effect applying a more stringent test of confusability between Latin and non-Latin scripts than when undertaking a side by side comparison of Latin strings." While not all of the rejected strings were addressed directly, the communique was understood to address ICANN's rejection of the aforementioned [[.6r]] from Bulgaria, Greek's [[.ελ]] (short for Ελλας, or Hellas), and a Greek transliteration of [[.eu]]). [[.ελ]] was rejected because of its similarity of .EA, which is a reserved 2 character [[ccTLD]] on the [[ISO-3166]] list,<ref>[http://idntraffic.com/?p=193 IDNtraffic.com]</ref> while the other was too similar to Estonia's [[.ee]].<ref>[http://domainincite.com/9667-gac-demands-appeal-of-idn-cctld-bans GAC Demands APpeal of IDN ccTLD Bans]</ref>
At [[ICANN 44]] in Prague, the [[GAC]] addressed rejected IDN ccTLDs. Their communique asked ICANN to "urgently reconsider" its ruling, as they saw the move as having "erred on the too-conservative side, in effect applying a more stringent test of confusability between Latin and non-Latin scripts than when undertaking a side by side comparison of Latin strings." While not all of the rejected strings were addressed directly, the communique was understood to address ICANN's rejection of the aforementioned [[.6r]] from Bulgaria, Greek's [[.ελ]] (short for Ελλας, or Hellas), and a Greek transliteration of [[.eu]]). [[.ελ]] was rejected because of its similarity of .EA, which is a reserved 2 character [[ccTLD]] on the [[ISO-3166]] list,<ref>[http://idntraffic.com/?p=193 IDNtraffic.com]</ref> while the other was too similar to Estonia's [[.ee]].<ref>[http://domainincite.com/9667-gac-demands-appeal-of-idn-cctld-bans GAC Demands APpeal of IDN ccTLD Bans]</ref>
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[[Category: Glossary]]
[[Category: Glossary]]
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Revision as of 13:10, 22 July 2012

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An IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) is an Internet domain name that uses the latest ICANN protocols and standards to support domain names written in multiple scripts and languages (non-ASCII characters). They allow users to use the Internet without using English, which was long considered the default Internet language despite the Internet's growing base of international users. The first IDNs were implemented into the root in April, 2010; it is estimated that 60% of users now access the Internet in their native, non-English language.[1]

Overview[edit | edit source]

The IDN can also be perceived as the label displayed in a software application, in an alphabet or language-specific script. IDNs are stored in the DNS as ASCII strings. The DNS performs look-up services to ensure the translation of user-friendly names to locate the Internet resources, and it is restricted to using ASCII characters for acceptable domains. IDNs ensure the names written by means of native-language scripts are translated into ASCII text compatible with the DNS.

IDN History[edit | edit source]

The IDN was proposed by Martin Dürst in 1996 and implemented in 1998 by Tan Juay Kwang and Leong Kok Yong. Later on, the IDNA system (Internationalizing Domain Names in Applications) was adopted and implemented in some top-level domain names. According to the IDNA system, an "internationalized domain name" signifies any domain name which contains labels on which the IDNA ASCII algorithm could be applied.

ICANN and IDN[edit | edit source]

According to ICANN,Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) are domain names represented by local language characters. [2] These types of domain names could either contain non-ASCII scripts characters or letters.

An important milestone in the development of IDN TLDs was the October, 2009, ICANN meeting in Korea. At the meeting the ICANN Board approved the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process that enabled countries to offer domain names with non-Latin characters. At that time, ICANN accepted the development of IDN ccTLDs on the Internet using IDNA standards. [3]

ICANN Approves Delegation of IDN ccTLDs[edit | edit source]

The first IDN ccTLDs were successfully installed in the DNS root zone in May, 2010, these included Russia (.рф), Egypt (صر.), Saudi Arabia السعودية.) and United Arab Emirates (امارات.).[4] In August 2010, ICANN approved the delegation of the Arabic scripts for Palestine (فلسطين.), Tunisia (تونس.) Jordan (الاردن.), Thailand (.ไทย) and the two IDN ccTLD for Sri Lanka (.ලංකා) and (.இலங்கை).[5] ICANN also approved the Arabic script ccTLD for Iran, India, Qatar, Singapore, Syria and Taiwan.[6]

ICANN received 36 IDN ccTLD applications in 22 languages. Thirty IDN ccTLDs are currently delegated in the root zone.[7]

Rejected IDN ccTLDs[edit | edit source]

The internet governing body rejected the IDN application of the Bulgarian government for .6r, the Cyrillic translation of .bg due to its close similarity with the .br, ccTLD for Brazil.[8] In an interview, Bulgaria's Technology Minister Alexander Tsvetkov said that his government will appeal to ICANN to reconsider its decision. [9] In addition, Bulgaria's Deputy Transport Minister stated the government might modify its application or wait for the launching of an appeals procedure. He hoped that ICANN will accept their proposal by the end of 2011. Meanwhile, the Brazilian government supported ICANN's decision in rejecting the .6r citing that "any graphic confusion migh facilitate phishing practices" and other related problems.[10]

At ICANN 44 in Prague, the GAC addressed rejected IDN ccTLDs. Their communique asked ICANN to "urgently reconsider" its ruling, as they saw the move as having "erred on the too-conservative side, in effect applying a more stringent test of confusability between Latin and non-Latin scripts than when undertaking a side by side comparison of Latin strings." While not all of the rejected strings were addressed directly, the communique was understood to address ICANN's rejection of the aforementioned .6r from Bulgaria, Greek's .ελ (short for Ελλας, or Hellas), and a Greek transliteration of .eu). .ελ was rejected because of its similarity of .EA, which is a reserved 2 character ccTLD on the ISO-3166 list,[11] while the other was too similar to Estonia's .ee.[12]

Logistics[edit | edit source]

The syntax designed for the used of IDNA is known as "Punycode". The non-ASCII characters are transformed into a specific format containing only ASCII characters and then a unique identification is processed for the domain name. [13]

In order to see and use the characters found in IDNs various changes and specific settings may need to be manipulated within the Web browser, or the installation of foreign language packs may be required.

References[edit | edit source]

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