In what could be viewed as an unprecedented move, ICANN has written to each and every data protection authority in the European Union. Why? ICANN feels that there is uncertainty about how the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) should impact registrars and registries specifically in relation to the collection, processing and retention of domain name registration … [Read more...] about ICANN Writes to ALL European Union Privacy Authorities
Baltic Domain Days to be Held in Riga, Latvia
The Latvian city of Riga will play host to the first edition of "Baltic Domain Days" next month. The event will run over two days and is being organised in association with the .lv ccTLD registry, ICANN and the .ee and .lt domain registries. Registration for the event is 100% free, but is obligatory. The event agenda covers a number of topics including GDPR … [Read more...] about Baltic Domain Days to be Held in Riga, Latvia
Middle East DNS Forum 2018 Moves to Turkey
The Middle East DNS Forum will be held again this year. However this time the event is moving to Ankara, Turkey. When? April 25 - 26 2018 Details on the venue and programme have not been made public yet. … [Read more...] about Middle East DNS Forum 2018 Moves to Turkey
IE ccTLD Removes “Claims” Policy and Liberalises
The .ie ccTLD has changed its registration policies effective yesterday March 21st 2018. From yesterday registrants will only need to provide a "connection" to Ireland and, depending on whether they're a business or an individual, proof of identity. They've also added a more streamlined registration process for existing registrants, as they'll already have been … [Read more...] about IE ccTLD Removes “Claims” Policy and Liberalises
Donuts Acquires Legacy .Travel Domain Registry
Andrew and Kevin both covered the acquisition of the .travel TLD by Donuts, which was announced earlier today. What will Donuts do with it? I suspect they'll try to make it as easy to register a .travel domain name as possible, though they might like to keep some level of "certification". What that'll look like is hard to say and what they'll be able to get out of either … [Read more...] about Donuts Acquires Legacy .Travel Domain Registry
IE ccTLD Announces Liberalisation Date
The .ie ccTLD, which is the country code domain name for Ireland has long had very restrictive policies governing registration. Even if you were Irish or had a business based in Ireland registering a domain name in the local country code extension wasn't straightforward - at least not compared to the ease with which you can register domains in .com, .eu or .co.uk. As I … [Read more...] about IE ccTLD Announces Liberalisation Date
ICANN to Hold Registrar Event in Munich Next Week
ICANN will be holding an event for registrars in Munich next week. The event, which will take place in the same venue as Domain Pulse, is aimed at new registrars or prospective registrars. The programme which was developed in conjunction with existing registrars and registries is aimed at giving attendees guidance on navigating their relationship with ICANN and the move … [Read more...] about ICANN to Hold Registrar Event in Munich Next Week
ICANN Budget out for Comment
As happens every year ICANN has put their budget and plans out for public comment. The organisation's overall budget has grown significantly over the last 10 years, as has the organisations staff headcount, number of offices and other aspects of its operations. However this year's budget is going to be quite different from those of previous years. Revenue is not growing … [Read more...] about ICANN Budget out for Comment
ICANN Maps Whois Models For GDPR
Earlier today ICANN held a webinar to provide an update on their data privacy activities in relation to whois and GDPR. Rather than simply talking about the various "models" they produced both a visual mapping as well as a matrix. While some attendees may not agree with how all the models are classified it is still a helpful way of showing the deviations from the current … [Read more...] about ICANN Maps Whois Models For GDPR
Sky Actively Using Their Brand TLD and a Cloud Domain in Consumer Emails
Sky were one of the big brands that applied for and got their "dotbrand" domain extension from ICANN. While they may have been increasing the usage of the domain name in their customer communications recently I haven't seen most of it, as I "cut the cord" over a year ago. This morning, however, I got an email from them in relation to their wifi service. I probably signed … [Read more...] about Sky Actively Using Their Brand TLD and a Cloud Domain in Consumer Emails