How Do Domain Names Work?
ICANN, but can you?
Domain names are one of the internet’s less understood components, yet they are a crucial factor underpinning its global popularity. In essence, they take the lengthy strings of numbers that formally identify each unique website and translate them into names and abbreviations – shorthand we can remember for a 12-digit series of numbers we would otherwise forget. The principle of being able to view the same site from anywhere in the world (and at any time) is known as universal resolvability, and it brings stability to our virtual world.
What’s in an IP?
A website’s true address is always comprised of four numbers, each ranging from 0 to 255 and punctuated by full stops. The first two numbers define a location, while the second two identify a host machine. However, remembering 208.80.154.224 is a lot harder than remembering www.wikipedia.org. The latter will redirect you to the former, but it exists entirely for our benefit – computers only recognize the numeric addresses once they’re translated back from the input language of choice. Pairing web addresses to server addresses is therefore critically important, even if most people have no idea of the processes involved.
Whose Job is it Anyway?
Ever since the internet was created, there has been a degree of ambiguity about who was ultimately responsible for governing domain names. Initially, it was the fiefdom of a single individual by the name of Jon Postel, who administered the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Founded by the US Government in 1988, IANA has since been amalgamated into the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers – itself known as ICANN. This newer body was founded ten years after IANA, though the latter retains a degree of autonomy over global IP address allocation and management of the Domain Name System.
With both organizations established by the American Government, there was always a concern that IANA and ICANN could be susceptible to political influence despite supposedly being a global partnership. These suspicions were confirmed in the mid 2000s, when ICANN attempted to introduce the .xxx top level domain for pornographic sites. Under pressure from religious conservatives, the US Government’s Department of Commerce tried to get .xxx stripped from the next round of domain introductions. Even though ICANN refused to play ball and .xxx eventually entered service, this seven-year standoff demonstrated that America could wield disproportionate influence over internet governance.
Pass the Green Back
That situation has now been resolved, following confirmation that America will cede any influence over DNS to ICANN. Reflecting the inordinate amount of time such decisions can take to enact, two years have elapsed between this decision being made and its implementation. Nevertheless, from October 1st, ICANN (which is still based in America) will be solely responsible for the domain name system. Described by one industry observer as a global solution for a global asset, ICANN will continue the tricky process of navigating a path through the conflicting requests of Governments, businesses and pressure groups.
While there may be some minor policy changes now that ICANN is solely responsible for domain names, what does this mean for the general web-using public? The optimistic answer is that nothing will change. There is a possibility that other powerful governments may use America’s absence to try and interfere with the internet, though ICANN is a non-profit organization with no paymasters; the .xxx saga also demonstrated its determination to defend the internet against political interference of any form. While change inevitably brings uncertainty, it seems the online world we know and trust will continue to operate as before.