Web Addresses to Allow Non-Latin Characters

ICANN unanimously approved a plan to allow scripts based on non-Latin characters, such as Arabic or Chinese, in domain names, improving the ability of the web to become even more inclusive. It’s expected that starting on 11/16, governments or their designees can submit requests for specific names and the general Internet public could see them in use in early 2010.

Countries can only request one suffix for each of their official languages, and the suffix must somehow reflect the name of the country or its abbreviation. Non-Latin versions of ".com" and ".org" won't be permitted for at least a few more years as ICANN considers broader policy questions such as whether the incumbent operator of ".com" should automatically get a Chinese version, or whether that more properly goes to China, as its government insists.

Comments