Internationalized Domain Name
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 the root in April, 2010, it is estimated that now 60% of users access the Internet in their native, non-English language.[1]
Overview edit
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.
IDN History edit
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
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 that use language-based-scripts to offer domain names with non-Latin characters.[3]
In this way, starting in October, 2009, ICANN has accepted the development of IDN ccTLDs on the Internet using IDNA standards. The first IDN ccTLDs were successfully installed in the DNS root zone in May, 2010.
As of September, 2011, 16 countries have IDNs, and there are another 33 requests for IDNs in 22 different languages still pending with ICANN.[4]
How to Register an IDN? edit
There are plenty of companies and partners that offer the possibility to register an IDN using native language characters. 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. [5]
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.