APRALO - Multilingual Internet #2 - IDN Policies and Implementation
APRALO Policy Forum Webinar Series - March 26, 2026
VIDEO | AUDIO | RECAP EN / ES / FR | ARCHIVE | PERMALINK
Presenters: APRALO; Sarmad Hussain – Senior Director, IDN & UA Programs, ICANN; Pitinan Kooarmornpatana – IDN Programs Director, ICANN;
Moderator: Satish Babu – ALAC Member
This second webinar in the APRALO Policy Forum series focused on Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), examining both the extensive policy development work and the practical implementation mechanisms leading into the 2026 new gTLD round. The session emphasized that IDNs—while appearing straightforward—are underpinned by over a decade of complex, community-driven technical and policy work.
Background: IDNs and Variant Issues
Sarmad Hussain outlined the historical evolution of IDNs, beginning with early standardization efforts such as IDNA 2003. A central challenge identified early on was the concept of variants—different Unicode strings that are perceived as equivalent within specific language communities.
Key developments included:
The Variant Issues Project (2010), which examined how variants function across scripts (e.g., Chinese, Arabic).
Findings that:
Variants differ across scripts with no universal definition.
No initial mechanism existed to manage variant TLDs.
Creation of the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (RZ-LGR):
Developed over 11 years with 270+ experts across 45 countries.
Defines valid TLDs and their variants across 27 scripts.
Establishment of the principle that variants must be:
Defined centrally via the RZ-LGR.
Allocated to the same entity for security and usability.
Policy Development: GNSO, ccNSO, and EPDP
Policy work translated technical findings into governance frameworks:
Subsequent Procedures (SubPro):
Established that:
RZ-LGR is the authoritative source for TLD definitions.
Variant TLDs must be allocated to the same operator.
Introduced high-level handling of string similarity.
IDN Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP):
Phase 1 (Top-Level Domains):
Integrated into the 2026 round.
Allows both new and existing gTLD operators to apply for variant TLDs.
Introduced stricter justification requirements for variants to balance usability vs complexity.
Phase 2 (Second-Level Domains):
Ongoing; focuses on registrant-level impacts.
Addresses lifecycle management, dispute resolution, and consistency of IDN tables.
ccNSO IDN Policy Development:
Updates the ccTLD Fast Track process.
Aligns ccTLD policies with gTLD frameworks while adding constraints (e.g., meaningful representation of country names).
Implementation for the 2026 New gTLD Round
Pitinan Kooarmornpatana detailed how policy is operationalized:
Registry Service Provider (RSP) Evaluation:
Three levels of IDN support:
Level 1: No variant management.
Level 2: Second-level variant support.
Level 3: Full variant support including TLD level.
As of March 2026:
15 of 28 RSPs support IDNs at varying levels.
DNS Stability Review:
Ensures compliance with DNS standards and RZ-LGR before application submission.
String Similarity Evaluation (SSE):
Enhanced process incorporating:
Variant-aware comparisons.
Expert-generated similarity datasets.
Automated tools to assist evaluation panels.
Five categories of visual similarity defined (from identical to distinct).
Contractual Framework:
Updated Registry Agreements:
Require same registrant for allocatable second-level variants.
Introduce “variant sets” managed under unified agreements.
Future Policy Work (“What Next”)
Two key areas remain under development:
Single-character TLDs:
Potentially allowed only for ideographic scripts (e.g., Han).
Requires further community guidelines.
Latin Diacritic PDP:
Examines coexistence of ASCII and accented Latin TLDs (e.g., .deja vs .déjà).
Focus on mitigating user confusion.
Community Engagement and Ongoing Work
Discussion highlighted that:
Much IDN work is completed but not always visible.
RZ-LGR can be updated as Unicode evolves.
Script communities can reconvene to propose updates or additions.
Tibetan script remains the only major script not yet incorporated.
ICANN emphasized that:
Community participation is essential for future updates.
Processes remain open for new scripts and revisions.
Technical Terms / Acronyms
IDN(s) — Internationalized Domain Name(s)
UA — Universal Acceptance
SubPro — Subsequent Procedures
EPDP — Expedited Policy Development Process
IDN EPDP — IDN Expedited Policy Development Process
Root Zone LGR — Root Zone Label Generation Rules
SSE — String Similarity Evaluation
RSP — Registry Service Provider
TAMS — TLD Application Management System
IDNA 2003 — first IDN standard
RFC 3743 — Chinese script variants RFC (2004)
RFC 7940 — XML encoding for LGR rules
UAX31 — Unicode Standard Annex #31
ccTLD(s) — country code Top-Level Domain(s)
gTLD(s) — generic Top-Level Domain(s)
SSAC — Security and Stability Advisory Committee
AGB — Applicant Guidebook
DNS — Domain Name System
ICANN 85 — ICANN 85 Community Forum, Mumbai, March 2026
RESOURCES
ICANN IDN Program — ICANN’s central hub for Internationalized Domain Name policy, implementation, and tools, including the Root Zone LGR and SSE data
Root Zone Label Generation Rules (RZ-LGR) — the authoritative source defining valid IDN TLD labels and their variants across 27 scripts, now at version 6
IDN EPDP (GNSO) — GNSO page for the Expedited Policy Development Process on IDNs, covering both Phase 1 (top-level) and Phase 2 (second-level) recommendations
IDN EPDP Phase 2 Final Report — GNSO-approved second-level variant management recommendations, now before the ICANN Board, presented by Sarmad Hussain
New gTLD Program: 2026 Round — ICANN’s official site for the upcoming application round, including RSP evaluation lists and the Applicant Guidebook
String Similarity Evaluation (SSE) Data — script-expert-generated similarity datasets for the 2026 round SSE tool, discussed in detail by Pitinan Kooarmornpatana
RZ-LGR Version 6 Publication — announcement of the Root Zone LGR version 6 release, integrating the Thaana script as the 27th script, to be used in the 2026 round
Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) — the body driving adoption of UA globally, referenced by Satish Babu in connection with Unicode and script community support
Unicode Standard Annex #31 (UAX31) — the technical report categorizing scripts as Recommended, Limited Use, or Excluded for identifier use, cited by Sarmad Hussain as the basis for the 28-script list
Root Zone LGR Generation Panel Proposals — listing of all script proposals developed by community Generation Panels, including status of the Tibetan script