Domain boss says “quality, not speed” will determine software glitch which has seen thousands of name applications stalled.
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ICANN ushered in one of the biggest changes ever to generic top-level domains (gTLDs) when it opened appplications for new domain names like .Samsung or .Apple, on top of current 22 gTLDs like .com, .org and .net, earlier this year.
Top level domain names are set to explode and lead the way for endless number of names based on comapny names and products.
However, a glitch in ICANN’s (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) system in April, the cause of which is unknown, has halted the applications process indefinitely and pushed the system offline for almost a month now.
The glitch accidently exposed some applicants data, of which there is over 2091, ICANN said last month, while there is another 214 “potential applications” registered.
“We take this very seriously,” ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom told AP, when quizzed about the glitch, adding: “We’ve very focused on the quality of what we do.”
“That’s why we’re moving very methodologically and professionally.”
After the technical issue was discovered on April 12, ICANN initially said applications would re-open four days later although this still has not yet materialised.
The Domain organisation said it has received approximately US$350 million in fees for new gTLD applications but Akram Atallah, ICANN’s COO, said it was still in the process of notifying applicants whether they were affected by the data leak, and plan to complete this process on or before tommorrow.
ICANN was to close gTLDs applications on the 12 April anyway, but said it would now extend this window to facilitate those applications affected by the glitch.
The Domain bosses said it will also soon announce the schedule for reopening and completing the application period.
Once the system is reopened, gTLDs applications will remain for at least five business days.
