[AfrICANN-discuss] ICANN Bringing the Languages of the World to the Global Internet

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30oct09-en.htm
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 ICANN Bringing the Languages of the World to the Global Internet

Fast Track Process for Internationalized Domain Names Launches Nov 16

30 October 2009

*Seoul:* The first Internet addresses containing non-Latin characters from
start to finish will soon be online thanks to today's approval of the new
Internationalized Domain Name Fast Track Process by the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers board.

"The coming introduction of non-Latin characters represents the biggest
technical change to the Internet since it was created four decades ago,"
said ICANN chairman Peter Dengate Thrush. "Right now Internet address
endings are limited to Latin characters – A to Z. But the Fast Track Process
is the first step in bringing the 100,000 characters of the languages of the
world online for domain names."

ICANN's Fast Track Process launches on 16 November 2009. It will allow
nations and territories to apply for Internet extensions reflecting their
name – and made up of characters from their national language. If the
applications meet criteria that includes government and community support
and a stability evaluation, the applicants will be approved to start
accepting registrations.

"This is only the first step, but it is an incredibly big one and an
historic move toward the internationalization of the Internet," said Rod
Beckstrom, ICANN's President and CEO. "The first countries that participate
will not only be providing valuable information of the operation of IDNs in
the domain name system, they are also going to help to bring the first of
billions more people online – people who never use Roman characters in their
daily lives."

IDNs have been a topic of discussion since before ICANN's inception. It's
taken years of intense technical testing, policy development, and global
co-operation to prepare the Fast Track process for its coming launch.

"Our work on IDNs has gone through numerous drafts, dozens of tests, and an
incredible amount of development by volunteers since we started this
project. Today is the first step in moving from planning and implementation
to the real launch," said Tina Dam, ICANN's Senior Director for IDNs. "The
launch of the Fast Track Process will be an amazing change to make the
Internet an even more valuable tool, and for even more people around the
globe."

More information of the Fast Track program is available online at:
http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/

*About ICANN: *

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of
unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes
like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that
help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of
these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global
stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's
ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organized,
public benefit non-profit company. For more information please visit:
www.icann.org.


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