News, commentary, and practical notes on domain names, new top-level domains, internet governance, online identity, and the evolving structure of the web. Written and curated by Ardan Michael Blum.
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July 14, 2026
Between April 5, 2024, and April 5, 2026, ICANN Contractual Compliance opened nearly 530 investigations connected to its DNS-abuse mitigation requirements and resolved more than 480. ICANN reports that about 66 percent resulted in registrars or registry operators taking action to stop abuse, while another 8 percent led to disruption measures. Its investigations directly contributed to the mitigation of more than 25,000 abusive domains. These figures cover ICANN’s defined contractual categories, not every form of online harm, but they show why enforceable obligations and transparent reporting matter. Rules become meaningful when someone measures what happens after they are introduced. Source: ICANN
July 14, 2026
ICANN plans to change the DNSSEC root-zone Key Signing Key on October 11, 2026. This cryptographic key helps validating DNS resolvers confirm that DNS information is authentic and has not been altered in transit. Most internet users should notice nothing, but operators using older software or manually configured trust anchors need to verify that their systems recognize the new key. It is a useful reminder that some of the internet’s most important work is almost invisible: the domain-name system remains dependable because technical changes are prepared, published, and tested long before they occur. Source: ICANN
July 13, 2026
The first quarter of 2026 ended with approximately 392.5 million domain-name registrations across all top-level domains, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief. That was an increase of 5.6 million from the previous quarter and 24.1 million from a year earlier. Registrations should not be confused with active websites: some names are parked, redirected, held defensively, or never developed. Even with that limitation, the figures suggest that domain names remain an important layer of online identity while apps, social platforms, search engines, and AI systems continue to change how people reach the web. Source: Verisign and DNIB.com
July 12, 2026
ICANN has reminded organizations that applications for its 2026 new generic top-level domain round must be submitted by 23:59 UTC on August 12. The evaluation fee is due by August 19. An applicant is not simply registering another website address; it is applying to operate an entire extension—the part appearing to the right of the dot. This could produce new domains for brands, communities, cities, industries, and languages. The important question will be whether they become useful and trusted online spaces rather than merely more digital inventory. Source: ICANN
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