Father of the Internet thinks there needs be a solid rationale for adding new TLDs.
Domain investor George Kirikos recently found an article by Tim Berners-Lee, a key inventor of the World Wide Web, explaining his opposition to adding new top level domain names. It got me thinking, “what do other important people in the internet world think about new TLDs?”
The answer for Vint Cerf was right under my nose on Domain Name Wire.
Cerf is considered a “father of the internet” and was involved in many of the important early inventions for the internet. He also chaired the board of ICANN earlier this decade, and now works for Google.
At the Domain Roundtable conference in 2006, Cerf explained his view on adding top level domain names. I summarized it as follows:
Some people have misunderstood Cerf’s position with regards to adding new domains. He said he is not opposed to adding new TLDs. What he advocates, however, is having a solid rationale for adding new TLDs. Cerf believes the processes and outcomes of the first two rounds of TLD adds were not satisfactory. He hopes for the process to be revised by the end of the year.
I question if ICANN’s current rationale for adding new top level domain names is solid.
Ironically, .Mobi had a coming out party at that same conference in 2006.
M. Menius says
“What he advocates, however, is having a solid rationale for adding new TLDs”
ICANN’s proposal is not really built upon a solid rationale. “Providing consumer choice” and “fostering competition” are the sheep’s clothing for pushing their own internal agenda. Selling every word in the dictionary as a tld for $185,000 is the rationale.
Especially problematic is the unlimited aspect of the new gTLD proposal. ICANN bears no risk. Internet users will be overwhelmed with similar, nearly identical, domain names eventually erasing the significance of the “dot”.
Things like homes.realestate, real estate.homes, homes.com, and real.homes will be emblematic of the new internet pollution as consumers try to decipher what the hell happened.
Search engines will be clogged. DNS routing affected. I can guarantee that consumers will question who was behind such a great idea. And in retrospect, angry consumers will ask why the rollout of intuitive, logical tld’s did not happen in time controlled phases, as opposed to the ICANN authored instant TLD orgy.
I look forward to government intervening when it’s been determined that the great minds at ICANN chose to move forward … despite ample forewarning of serious problems.
It’s impossible to imagine that all ICANN board members are in 100% agreement. What a shame that individual board members are not required to articulate their positions publicly so that all can see who said what and when. That’s transparency.
Abigail says
@M. Menius I continue to find it humorous that the most vocal opponent of new TLDs on here uses a .biz address as his primary site.
“Internet users will be overwhelmed with similar, nearly identical, domain names eventually erasing the significance of the “dot”.”
Do you mean like with premiumdomains.com and premiumdomains.biz?