[discuss] ICANN and IDNs with U-labels at the top leve (was: Time to be more precise about Internet Governance)

Thu Jan 2 21:07:54 UTC 2014

On Thu, Jan 02, 2014 at 02:59:40PM -0500, Avri Doria wrote:
> Does this analysis also extend, in your opinion, to the
> Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)?

I can't of course speak for Brian, but I will note that the amount of
confusion and self-serving nonsense spouted about IDNs makes the Tower
of Babel look like a minor conversational misunderstanding.

Moreover, if ICANN had been serious about coping with IDN TLDs they
would have permitted the LGR panels to function _before_ those labels
were delegated.  (In addition, there's some reason to suppose that the
LGR Integration Panel that was actually seated is irredeemably flawed.
Full disclosure: I wrote much of that procedure, but I did not apply
to be on the Integration panel.)  But it didn't work that way.

So I think that even in the case of the "IDN TLDs", there is plenty of
reason to be cynical about the extent to which domain name industry
considertions overshadowed important usability issues for real people.
At least, however, there is an argument to be made that people who can
only type in Arabic letters need some TLDs they can type.  (Not that
anyone actually types domain names in any more.  They use an app or
search in Google.)

A

-- 
Andrew Sullivan
ajs at anvilwalrusden.com