ICANN's New gTLD programme has been under lots of scrutiny in recent months. A glitch in the application system for New gTLDs allowed certain applicants to view the usernames and attachment filenames of other applicants. The system was taken down on 12th April so that ICANN could fix this security hole and ensure applicants data is kept secure. Since then they have created a series of FAQs to keep applicants informed of their progress and stated that applicants can receive a full refund if they withdraw their applications before ICANN go public with a list of domain extensions that have been applied for.
The latest update on this story is the news that ICANN have set 22nd May as their target date for reopening TAS. They will then leave the system open for 5 business days, closing the application system again on 30th May. ICANN have previously also stated that any applicant who gained any unfair advantage from the data they may have seen relating to other users, could have their applications rejected. There are no reports to suggest that any user has yet had their application blocked.
ICANN continue to reaffirm their confidence that the number of users affected by the glitch is very small. In a statement released yesterday by Akram Atallah, COO of ICANN, the suggestion was that work on TAS is ongoing, along with going back through server logs and system traffic. Atallah said “any new and relevant information that emerges from this analysis will be shared with applicants in a timely way”.
There is still no date set for the “Big Reveal”, when ICANN make public the list of New gTLDs that have been applied for. If you are a domain reseller, this news could give you a glimpse into the future of the domain name industry. As there is no date set, the time limit for withdrawal of applications, to receive a full refund, is currently unknown.
Domainbox.com will keep all our domain resellers up to speed with any new developments in the New gTLD programme and hope to be offering these new gTLDs as soon as we can!