ICANN facts for kids
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| Abbreviation | ICANN |
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| Founded | September 30, 1998 |
| Focus | Manage Internet Protocol numbers and Domain Name System root |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
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Key people
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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a global non-profit group. It's based in the United States but works with people all over the world. ICANN helps keep the Internet stable and secure. It does this by managing important databases related to Internet names and numbers.
ICANN's main job is to coordinate the Internet's global Domain Name System (DNS). Think of the DNS as the Internet's phonebook. It turns website names like "example.com" into computer-friendly numbers. ICANN also helps create new types of website endings, like .org or .info. It also manages Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, which are like unique house numbers for devices on the Internet.
ICANN was created to help keep the Internet working well. It also aims to encourage fair competition and include people from all over the world in its decisions. Its motto is often "One World. One Internet."
Contents
How ICANN Started
Before ICANN was created, a computer scientist named Jon Postel managed many of the Internet's important number and name registries. He did this as part of his research work. As the Internet grew bigger and became used by people everywhere, the U.S. government wanted a new organization to take over these tasks.
So, in 1998, the U.S. Department of Commerce suggested creating a new non-profit group. This group would manage Internet names and addresses. ICANN was formed in response to this idea. It was officially started in California on September 30, 1998. Esther Dyson, an entrepreneur, was its first chairperson. ICANN was set up in California partly because Jon Postel, who helped found it, lived there.
For many years, the U.S. government oversaw some of ICANN's operations. But on October 1, 2016, ICANN became fully independent. This meant that the global Internet community, not just the U.S. government, would oversee its important functions.
Important Moments
ICANN has been involved in several key events and changes for the Internet.
Solving Domain Name Fights
One of ICANN's jobs was to create a way to solve disagreements over who owns a domain name. They worked with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to create the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP). This policy helps solve domain name conflicts quickly and fairly. It allows cases to be heard by special groups instead of going to court. When you register a domain name, you agree to follow the UDRP.
Changes to Domain Names
In 2011, ICANN made a big change. They decided to allow many new types of generic top-level domains (gTLDs). These are the endings of website addresses, like .com or .net. This meant that companies and organizations could choose almost any name for their website ending. For example, you might see .shop or .app. It also allowed website endings to use non-Latin characters, like Chinese or Arabic letters. Applying for a new gTLD costs a lot of money, like $185,000.
Privacy of Domain Information
In 2013, a group working with ICANN suggested changing how Whois works. Whois is a tool that lets anyone find out who registered a domain name. The idea was to keep most registration information private. It would only be shown for "allowed reasons," like for legal actions or to stop online abuse. This change was debated because journalists and others use Whois to find information.
Moving Away from U.S. Oversight
After some global discussions, especially in 2013, there was a strong push to make ICANN more international. Many groups felt that the U.S. government should no longer have special oversight of ICANN's core functions. This led to the agreement in 2016 for ICANN to become fully independent from U.S. government control. This change meant that the global Internet community would now oversee these important tasks.
New Domain Name Concerns
ICANN's program to add many new top-level domains has faced some criticism. For example, the ".sucks" domain name caused controversy. Many companies felt they were being forced to pay high fees to register their brand names with ".sucks" to prevent others from using them negatively. This was seen by some as unfair or "predatory."
There have also been disputes over other proposed domain names, like ".islam" and ".halal." Some groups argued that these should be managed by organizations representing all Muslims. Another dispute involved the ".amazon" domain, which was eventually granted to the company Amazon.com after a long debate.
How ICANN Is Organized
ICANN is set up as a non-profit organization. It has a board of directors with 16 members. These members come from different parts of the Internet community.
ICANN also has "Supporting Organizations" that help make policies for specific areas:
- The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) deals with policies for general top-level domains (like .com, .org).
- The Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) deals with policies for country-code top-level domains (like .uk, .jp).
- The Address Supporting Organization (ASO) deals with policies for IP addresses.
ICANN also gets advice from several "Advisory Committees." These committees include:
- The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC): This group has representatives from many governments around the world. They give advice on public policy issues.
- The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC): This group represents individual Internet users from different regions.
- The Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC): This group is made of Internet experts who study security issues related to ICANN's work.
Trusted Community Representatives
ICANN also relies on a group called "Trusted Community Representatives." These people are not part of ICANN itself. They are volunteers from the wider Internet community. Their main job is to take part in special "key ceremonies" and keep important security keys safe. These keys are crucial for the security of the Internet's core systems.
Working Together Globally
ICANN holds public meetings regularly in different parts of the world. This helps encourage people from all over to participate in its decision-making. ICANN publishes reports and meeting notes online for everyone to see.
There have been discussions about how to make ICANN even more democratic and transparent. The goal is to ensure that all voices from the global Internet community are heard.
Images for kids
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ICANN meeting in Los Angeles, 2007. The sign refers to Vint Cerf, who was then chairman of the board.
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Governmental Advisory Committee representatives.
See also
In Spanish: Corporación de Internet para la Asignación de Nombres y Números para niños
