ICANN is now offering refunds to new applicants for its top-level domain initiative, 10 years in the making, because the application system was taken offline due to a "glitch." ICANN has collected over $350 million in application fees, but we don't know what that number might be after refunds. Is this any way to run the Domain Name System?
Thank you for the update, Beau. May 22nd... that's quite a long time to take the system offline. I guess they're thinking "better safe than sorry" but they must be sorry after all of this. I wonder how much money will be lost from having to issue refunds and halting new applications.
Byt he way, there is now an update as to when the application system will re-open -- May 22. I have edited it a little bit for space. Looks like there are more, similar problems being uncovered:
Statement by Akram Atallah, COO
8 May 2012
ICANN is targeting 22 May 2012 as the intended reopening date for the
TLDApplication System. It is anticipated that the system would remain open
for five business days and close on 30 May. This takes account of the 28 May
Memorial Day holiday in the United States.
We took TAS offline following a technical glitch that may have allowed some
users to see some file names and user names of other users. We have seen no
evidence that any TAS user intentionally did anything wrong in order to be
able to see other users' information.
...
The large majority of users are unaffected by the glitch. We continue to
review the extensive database of system logs and system traffic, and any new
and relevant information that emerges from this analysis will be shared with
applicants in a timely way.
Even as late as yesterday, 7 May 2012, our packet-level research uncovered a
new set of instances (in addition to those previously announced) where
another applicant might have viewed a set of system-generated file names. It
is possible that further analysis will also show that some of the parties
that we have notified were not affected, but notice was provided out of an
abundance of caution.
That's a complicated question with no easy answers, but: I think a lot will depend on the new ICANN CEO to shortly replace Rod Beckstrom. If that CEO has the confidence of the US Commerce Department, and better mechanisms are in place that keep the domain industry at arms length instead of basically running the show as they do now, then maybe its charter to manage the IANA contract (the Internet's root file system) will be restored. ICANN exists in a sort of bubble - things that most people would consider to be disastrous or outrageous, especially in the business world, don't seem to cause much internal self-reflection. At every company I've worked for, if it had 10 years to prepare a major international initiative, took great risks in political capital to push that initiative through some substantial objections (including those of world governments), but then couldn't field a working software system to actually launch that initiative, well...I'm not sure that could have happened anywhere I've worked. There would be managerial checks in place. After all, this is one of the key, if not the key, organization that manages critical components of Internet infrastructure. If it's not managing the IANA contract, and it can't launch the top-level domain initiative when the world is beginning to pay some attention...you get the picture.
And it should be a wakeup call, as you say. Many people have never heard of ICANN, let alone know what it actually does. But it makes complex policy and quasi-regulatory decisions that affect every Internet user. There are things it could do to curb a lot of fraud and abuse.
What may eventually happen is that search engines and social networks and other applications that bypass the domain name system may make top-level domains obsolete, but that's something of a narrow world-view.
Oh, they will come into being. There's $350 million out there and that's just for the first round. And it should be said that their are some good, valid community top-level domains created, especially those with non-English character sets.
This appears to be a huge wakeup call, if any were needed, about the problems at ICANN. Beau, what's the worst and best case scenario outcome here for the organization? Is it really at stake?
Beau: Thanks for this update. What a disaster. It is seeming like after all that hype and all that time, the gTLDs won't ever come into being. Do you think that's a possibility?
It wouldn't be the first time, but a group of Chinese engineers has proposed a means by which the Internet's root could be split, enabling secondary, independent networks that could be government-controlled. The Internet's root security committee is taking such proposals seriously.
Blackhole 1.2.3, the latest version of the most popular black-market exploit kit, apparently has already been used by Brazilian fraudsters to try to perpetrate a scam. The new kit, released at the end of March, can bypass sandboxes in Java, and the Brazilians used it to try to convince accountants they were about to lose licenses.
A problem with ICANN's application software has delayed the "big reveal" of new domain names for two weeks. What the organization calls a "glitch" allowed some domain applicants to see the data of others – not exactly inspiring confidence in ICANN's ability to bring potentially hundreds of new names online.
US counterterrorism expert Richard Clarke, who came to prominence with his prescient warnings before the 9/11 attacks, tells Smithsonian Magazine the US was responsible for the Stuxnet supersmart worm that attacked parts of nuclear reactors in Iran – and in the process, has given away one of the world's most sophisticated cyberweapons.
ICANN is in a crisis. But if it goes away, so will its unique "multistakeholder model," which allows Internet users to participate alongside business, government, and industry.
As ICANN's former board chairman grabs a plum job with a domain seller, we're left to wonder just how many new registrations are "defensive," claimed by companies worried about protecting their brands.
The board of ICANN, the international non-profit that administers the domain name system, announced CEO Rod Beckstrom would be leaving at the end of his term next summer. It's time for consumers and business to tell the organization what kind of person they want to lead it – and what priorities to set.
Free wireless is like tap water in Europe and Asia. Why is the US so far behind? Because of a near-religious commitment to non-government interference in markets, America lacks basic wireless infrastructure and will pay the price competitively.
Only a few new domain name applications have been given the go-ahead, so be wary of offers for "pre-registration" of the .suffix of your choice. Most likely, the registrars making such offers don't have the authority.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling of customer behavior to convert more site visitors into leads, says Brian Baron, director of business analytics, in an interview at the Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Companies need to take advantage of new technologies to simplify interfaces, improve capabilities, and enhance back-office processes. But they can't upgrade their Websites too often.
Recently, Amazon was recognized for its customer satisfaction excellence. It has made no secret that being customer-centric is a primary goal. This should be the goal of every e-tailer that wants to build market share.
As ICANN's former board chairman grabs a plum job with a domain seller, we're left to wonder just how many new registrations are "defensive," claimed by companies worried about protecting their brands.
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