The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has announced a programme of preparations ahead of ICANN79, with a series of sessions designed to get the ICANN community ready for the upcoming ICANN79 forum, to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 2 to 7 March 2024.

The preparatory programme for ICANN79 is being held from 20 to 22 February and includes a dozen sessions looking at various topics of interest to the ICANN community. These include updates on Universal Acceptance (UA), International Domain Names (IDN), the relationship between the ICANN board and the community and the implementation of new gTLD programmes etc.

The ICANN79 community forum is an ideal opportunity to address important topics for internet governance and the management of domain names, such as:

Domain name policies: to discuss changes and proposals for policies relating to the assignment and management of global domain names.

Network security and stability: to address cybersecurity matters and measures to ensure the stability and reliability of the internet infrastructure.

Privacy and data protection: to discuss matters relating to the privacy of internet users and the measures to protect their personal data in the context of domain names.

New domain extensions: to review requests for new domain extensions and discuss the criteria for approving and managing these.

The ICANN operates through a multilateral governance model that includes the participation of different interested parties, such as governments, companies, civil society organisations, technical and academic communities and the internet industry. The community forums organised by the ICANN are fundamental for ensuring that the decisions made benefit all internet users.