[ALAC] The threat to TLD expansion nobody talks about

[Evan Leibovitch]

Hello all,

While those inside the ICANN bubble (myself among them, on occasion) rant
and rave about the the rollout and the very nature of the ICANN new gTLD
program, most are ignoring the possibility that much of the expansion will
simply be .... irrelevant.

Consider one more recent example, the move by the city of New York to use
QR codes on public notices:
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2012/09/open-data-day-new-york-city-will-have-qr-codes-everywhere/3394/


While this is far from a universal act, the city's government has shown
that one can reach municipal information easily without knowing _any_
domain name(*). This sends a signal to businesses and others that New
Yorkers will be QR-code-savvy, which reduces the need to have easily
remembered domain names. More specifically, the .nyc TLD is being
undermined before it even launches.

Domain names are simply *a* method people use to get to Internet resources.
QR codes, URL shorteners, organizational pages on social media sites and
especially the various kinds of search engines have enabled Internet users
to get around the various problems within the current state of domain
names. As public trust in the DNS further declines with an explosion of
park pages and defensive registrations, such alternatives will only
increase in popularity.

It's important to keep this in perspective. As we go through the inevitable
fights over Red Cross names, "private" TLDs, registrant accountability, the
lack of ccTLD standards, etc, etc, it's useful to remember that Internet
users have a unique perspective on the arguments inside the bubble.
Anything ICANN does that is spectacularly stupid will be worked around. And
if ICANN fails to address the decline in public trust (that the ALAC has
been pointing out on a regular basis, on many issues), the public will
simply look faster at other paths to what they want from the Internet.

(As we hear more comments about the entry of companies such as Amazon and
Google into TLD space -- generally decrying their unconventional plans -- I
wonder how many consider that these companies are likely more trusted than
anyone in the current domain industry. It's no wonder that most of the
complaints about the newcomers are coming from those inside the bubble.)

- Evan

(*) Yes, yes, I know that QR codes require URLs that generally require the
DNS as well. However, every QR code on earth - no need an easily remembered
domain -- could be serviced within existing TLDs using second and even
third level domains.