ICANN releases draft basic gTLD registration protocol for 2026, leading the standardization of the domain name industry.

Recently, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) officially released the draft of the 2026 General Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Registration Protocol. As a non-profit, multi-party governing organization responsible for coordinating the global internet addressing system, ICANN's draft, based on consensus policy recommendations from the global community, focuses on revising three core dimensions: registration process, rights protection, and operational standards. The aim is to further optimize the domain name market environment and ensure the stability, security, and openness of the internet domain name system, attracting widespread attention from the global domain name industry, businesses, and investors.

It is understood that this draft revision underwent a lengthy consultation and discussion process, reflecting ICANN's commitment to the "multi-party collaboration, community-driven" philosophy. Compared to previous versions, the draft, while maintaining the core principles of "ensuring stable DNS operation and promoting market competition," makes a series of pragmatic and forward-looking adjustments to address pain points and difficulties in industry development, further improving the contractual framework for basic gTLD registration.

The core revisions of the draft focus on three main aspects, accurately responding to industry demands. First, optimizing the registration process and improving service efficiency. The draft adds an automated information verification mechanism, shortening the review time for regular domain name registration by 30% while strictly ensuring the authenticity of registration information. This significantly reduces the operating costs of domain name registration agencies and provides a more convenient channel for enterprises and individuals to acquire domain name assets, helping SMEs quickly achieve digital transformation.

Second, strengthening rights protection and building a solid security defense. To address industry pain points such as malicious domain name registration, theft, and user information leakage, the draft law adds a fast-track dispute resolution channel, clarifying that domain name holders can submit dispute appeals within three business days. ICANN will collaborate with third-party arbitration institutions to conduct expedited reviews, significantly shortening the dispute resolution cycle. Simultaneously, the draft strengthens the data security responsibilities of registrars, requiring them to establish a three-tier data protection system to strictly protect user registration information, aligning with global data security compliance requirements.

Thirdly, it updates operational standards to regulate market order. The draft sets higher service standards for domain name registrars, explicitly stipulating timely responses to user inquiries and requests. Furthermore, the draft adds a clause guaranteeing the freedom of domain name transfer, prohibiting registrars from creating any obstacles, protecting users' right to independently dispose of their domain name assets, and further promoting fair competition in the domain name market.

Currently, ICANN is widely collecting feedback from all parties and making further revisions, with the draft expected to officially take effect in the second quarter of 2026. The implementation of this draft will drive the global domain name market towards a more standardized, efficient, and secure direction, further improving the internet domain name management system and providing a solid guarantee for the stable operation and innovative development of the global internet.