Google has made its new .eat, .fly and .here top-level domains available to the public through partnered registrars after a trademark-holder-only sign-up window that ran from September 1 to November 9. Companies including Wingstop, Clayton Farms, Zillow and SiPhox Health already secured addresses like wingstop.eat, rent.here and bloodtest.here during that early period. Google filed for these domain extensions with ICANN in 2012 but only released them widely this week.
cnet.com
· 2026-11-10
Verisign has withdrawn its plan to shut down 22,000 third-level .name domain names and associated email redirects. Existing domains and email redirects will remain active indefinitely, though Verisign will stop accepting new registrations for third-level .name domains.
neil.fraser.name
· 2026-11-10
Law firm Hagens Berman has filed a class-action lawsuit against Verisign and ICANN, alleging the companies maintain an illegal monopoly over .com domain registrations. The suit claims Verisign's contract with ICANN guarantees it permanent control of the .com registry, letting it raise prices more than 30% since 2021 to $10.26 per domain despite falling industry costs, while ICANN shares in the resulting profits.
hbsslaw.com
· 2026-10-19
In October 2024, Taylor Swift's management submitted an application to ICANN for the rights to the .taylorswift top-level domain. This move follows her previous efforts to secure related domains and aims to restrict registrations to authorized affiliates and licensees. The application comes amid increased concerns over AI-generated deepfake content and online harassment targeting the singer.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-08
ICANN announced the completion of the application period for the 2026 round of new gTLDs, receiving 1,615 submissions from organizations worldwide. The applications include a mix of brand, community, geographic, and internationalized domain names, with the majority originating from North America and Europe. The full list of applications is now publicly available for review on ICANN's official site.
icann.org
· 2026-10-07
ICANN has begun accepting applications for new top-level domains (TLDs), with 1,615 submissions from 481 applicants. Notably, several tech companies, including Meta and OpenAI, applied for domains like .agent and .agi, reflecting the growing influence of artificial intelligence. Applications also include generic domains such as .geek and .anime, alongside numerous branded TLDs like .facebook and .zillow.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-07
Bluesky has submitted an application to ICANN for the new .bsky domain suffix, which could allow users to create shorter, more personal web addresses. The approval process is expected to take 18 to 24 months, and the company has indicated it will not sell or monetize these domains, emphasizing their role in supporting an open web. If successful, users might transform their social handles into streamlined web addresses and expand their online profiles.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-06
ICANN announced that starting in 2026, anyone can register new top-level domains, expanding beyond existing options like .com and .org. This includes the possibility of creating entirely new domains such as .word, with over a thousand already in use, and existing domains like .porn and .horse gaining more prominence. The decision follows a period of regulatory updates aimed at increasing domain diversity and innovation on the internet.
wired.com
· 2026-10-06
Verisign asked ICANN to eliminate all third-level '.name' domains to cut administrative complexity, and ICANN approved the request on 28 July 2026. Long-time users like Neil Fraser, who registered his personal domain nearly 25 years ago, learned of the change only recently via registrar notices, and will lose their websites, email addresses, and connected IoT services starting in February.
neil.fraser.name
· 2026-09-03
A study by Interisle Consulting Group found that at least 10% of new generic top-level domain registrations in 2025 had already turned up on security blocklists, with the true share of malicious registrations potentially reaching 20% once related but unlisted domains are counted. Interisle's Greg Aaron and Karen Rose presented these figures at the ICANN 86 Policy Forum, citing ICANN's own research that for every three blocklisted domains, two associated ones often go undetected. ICANN's Office of the CTO has since pushed back somewhat, arguing the numbers hinge heavily on how 'abuse' is defined.
labs.ripe.net
· 2026-08-30
GoKawiil