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An '''Internationalized Domain Name (IDN)''' 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 navigate 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> Since the development of initial guidelines, ICANN has adhered to the protocols and standards proposed by RFCs 3490, 3491, and 3492.<ref name="guidelines">[https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/idn-guidelines-2003-06-20-en ICANN.org - IDN Guidelines], June 20, 2003</ref> <ref>See [https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3490.txt RFC 3490] for an overview of IDN technical requirements</ref>

An '''Internationalized Domain Name (IDN)''' 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). As of February 2022, 92 IDN [[gTLD]]s and 61 IDN [[ccTLD]]s have been delegated. They allow users to navigate 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> Since the development of initial guidelines, ICANN has adhered to the protocols and standards proposed by RFCs 3490, 3491, and 3492.<ref name="guidelines">[https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/idn-guidelines-2003-06-20-en ICANN.org - IDN Guidelines], June 20, 2003</ref> <ref>See [https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3490.txt RFC 3490] for an overview of IDN technical requirements</ref>

==Name Protocols==

==Name Protocols==

<big>'''[[New gTLD IDN Applications|See all Applications for New IDN TLDs]]'''</big>

<big>'''[[New gTLD IDN Applications|See all Applications for New IDN TLDs]]'''</big>

==History==

==History==

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. [[James Seng]] (ChingHong Seng) has been credited as a primary inventor of IDNs.<ref>[http://zodiacregistry.com/about.php About, ZodiacRegistry.com]</ref>  In the early stages of his career, James Seng's mentor Dr. Tan Tin Wee inspired him to work on [[IDN]]s to curb the digital divide in Asia. With $24 million in investment from Venture Capital firms General Atlantic Partners and [[Network Solutions]]/[[Verisign]], James went on become the founder and CTO of [[i-DNS.net]]. During this time, he was working on the standardization of IDNs as the Co-Chair of the IDN Working Group at the [[IETF]]. He also stressed the need for IDNs at various forums such as [[ICANN]], [[ITU]] and [[IGF]] and his efforts have helped make IDN an Internet standard. In India [http://thetechportal.com/2016/08/18/xgenplus-supports-idn-domain-names-in-india/ XgenPlus] Email software has successfully started offering email services in all Indian languages on IDN domain names.  

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. [[James Seng]] (ChingHong Seng) has been credited as a primary inventor of IDNs.<ref>[http://zodiacregistry.com/about.php About, ZodiacRegistry.com]</ref>  In the early stages of his career, James Seng's mentor Dr. Tan Tin Wee inspired him to work on [[IDN]]s to curb the digital divide in Asia. With $24 million in investment from Venture Capital firms General Atlantic Partners and [[Network Solutions]]/[[Verisign]], James went on to become the founder and CTO of [[i-DNS.net]]. During this time, he was working on the standardization of IDNs as the Co-Chair of the IDN Working Group at the [[IETF]]. He also stressed the need for IDNs at various forums such as [[ICANN]], [[ITU]] and [[IGF]] and his efforts have helped make IDN an Internet standard. In India [http://thetechportal.com/2016/08/18/xgenplus-supports-idn-domain-names-in-india/ XgenPlus] Email software has successfully started offering email services in all Indian languages on IDN domain names.  

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 national 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>  

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 national 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_ccTLD|IDN ccTLDs]] were successfully implemented into 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>  

The first [[IDN_ccTLD|IDN ccTLDs]] were successfully implemented into 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>  

In August 2010, ICANN approved the delegation of the Arabic script TLDs for Palestine ([[فلسطين.]]), Tunisia ([[تونس.]]) Jordan ([[الاردن.]]),  Thailand ([[.ไทย]]) and the two IDN ccTLDs 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>

In August 2010, ICANN approved the delegation of the Arabic script TLDs for Palestine ([[فلسطين.]]), Tunisia ([[تونس.]]) Jordan ([[الاردن.]]),  Thailand ([[.ไทย]]) and the two IDN ccTLDs 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>

===Rejected IDN ccTLDs===

===Rejected IDN ccTLDs===

The internet governing body has twice 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 to reject .6r, saying 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 has twice 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 to reject .6r, saying that "any graphic confusion might 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 to .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 to .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>

: ''See a list of all IDN New gTLD applications [[New gTLD IDN Applications|here]].''

: ''See a list of all IDN New gTLD applications [[New gTLD IDN Applications|here]].''

It was revealed in June 2012 that 116 IDN [[New gTLD Program]] had been applied for, 73 of them being Chinese language. Approximately half of these Chines TLDs come from mainland China, but a significant number of them were applied for by non-Chinese companies. Because of the restriction against single-character TLDs, many companies who would have applied for "网" (web) and "店" (shop), instead were forced to apply for "网站" (website) and "网店" (web-shop). The biggest IDN applicant was [[Zodiac]], which applied for 15 Chinese TLDs. [[Verisign]] applied for 12 foreign language transliterations of [[.com]] and [[.net]]. The languages with the second highest number of applications were Arabic (15) and Japanese (9).<ref>[http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120614_analysis_of_the_idn_new_gtld_applications/ Analysis of the IDN New gTLD Applications, circleid.com]</ref>

It was revealed in June 2012 that 116 IDN [[New gTLD Program]] had been applied for, 73 of them being the Chinese language. Approximately half of these Chines TLDs come from mainland China, but a significant number of them were applied for by non-Chinese companies. Because of the restriction against single-character TLDs, many companies who would have applied for "网" (web) and "店" (shop), instead were forced to apply for "网站" (website) and "网店" (web-shop). The biggest IDN applicant was [[Zodiac]], which applied for 15 Chinese TLDs. [[Verisign]] applied for 12 foreign language transliterations of [[.com]] and [[.net]]. The languages with the second highest number of applications were Arabic (15) and Japanese (9).<ref>[http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120614_analysis_of_the_idn_new_gtld_applications/ Analysis of the IDN New gTLD Applications, circleid.com]</ref>

Likely as part of new ICANN CEO's [[Fadi Chehadé]]'s internationalization of the organization, [[IDN]] gTLD applications were given priority in the [[batching|batching process]]. Batching is a term used to describe the prioritization of applications in such a way that ICANN staff can deal with them in an organized and efficient manner. The final process used to batch was a lottery, where applications were pulled at random. IDN applications were given the option to go first in this system.<ref>[http://domainnamewire.com/2012/12/05/confirmed-idns-will-be-prioritized-in-new-tld-queue/ Confirmed IDNs Will be Prioritized in New TLD Queue, DomainNameWire.com]Published Dec 5 2012, Retrieved Jan 18 2013</ref>

Likely as part of the new ICANN CEO's [[Fadi Chehadé]]'s internationalization of the organization, [[IDN]] gTLD applications were given priority in the [[batching|batching process]]. Batching is a term used to describe the prioritization of applications in such a way that ICANN staff can deal with them in an organized and efficient manner. The final process used to batch was a lottery, where applications were pulled at random. IDN applications were given the option to go first in this system.<ref>[http://domainnamewire.com/2012/12/05/confirmed-idns-will-be-prioritized-in-new-tld-queue/ Confirmed IDNs Will be Prioritized in New TLD Queue, DomainNameWire.com]Published Dec 5, 2012, Retrieved Jan 18, 2013</ref>

 

 

==By Country or Region==

==By Country or Region==

===Middle East Region===

===Middle East Region===

As of December 2014, 2̬% of the existing 91,000 full IDNs were in Arabic script, and the leading ones were [[.موقع]] (.mawqe, aka "site") and [[.شبكة]] (.shabaka, aka "web"). The strong performers in the region are the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.<ref name="study"></ref>

As of December 2014, 2̬% of the existing 91,000 full IDNs were in Arabic script, and the leading ones were [[.موقع]] (.mawqe, aka "site") and [[.شبكة]] (.shabaka, aka "web"). The strong performers in the region are the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.<ref name="study"></ref>

==References==

==References==