[Fourth of eight commentaries in a sub-series on ICANN and Internet governance]

Most top-level domains and domain names are based on words that use the ASCII character set, which is based on the Roman alphabet. So it is no surprise that the development internationalized domain names or IDNs gets considerable attention in Africa, where some 2,035 languages and numerous non-Roman character sets are in use.

The need for acceptance and promotion of African languages is an issue getting wide attention today. And African governments are under pressure to ensure that the linguistic needs of the continent are met, and its heritage protected for the future. For example, an African Union program, the Académie Africaine des Langues [African Language Academy] (ACALAN), is driving work in the context of the World Summit on Information Society to encourage the use of African languages and raise the profile of linguistic policy.

Work on internationalizing the Domain Name System requires deployment of technical standards that allow users to type a domain name using a different language or character set. The technical solution for IDNs allows any character in any language to be used as a domain name.  However, in the Internet’s global environment, spanning many countries and regions where users will seamlessly switch between an ASCII/Roman-alphabet-based language and a non-Roman-alphabet/non-ASCII-based language, the technical solutions require sensible and consistent resolution of a vast range of policy problems.

For example, same-looking characters appear in many languages, making it easy to "spoof" (or fake) domain names using characters that are different but look alike. So, for example, a user will have no way of knowing whether the “A” in aol.com is the original ASCII name registered to American Online, or a domain using a Greek A or a Cyrillic A that may be registered to someone else. Building a system to fully support IDNs will require registration rules and regulations, as well as the deployment of updated browser and email software among users that is capable of recognizing IDNs.

Many argue that if the Internet is ever to be truly extended to reach the majority of the African population, Internet standards must be implemented in a way that allows diverse languages and cultures to flourish. They point out that the Internet gives unprecedented opportunities for diversification and an environment where even the smallest languages can now thrive, and without IDN the potential for the network to fulfill its potential will be lost.

However, others question whether the costs of implementing such a system are worth the benefits, arguing that the world is moving toward the widespread adoption of a few main languages, making IDNs are unnecessary.

What do you think?

• Do you think internationalizing domain names is essential to Africa's Internet future?
• Do you feel threatened by the risk of spoofing that is associated with IDNs?
• Do you feel that the costs of implementing an IDN system are worth the benefits?
  

Please share your views with us via email or post them in the "comments" box under this commentary. (Email responses will be posted to the website too.)

Want to know more about ICANN and Africa?

See the CIPESA public briefing on ICANN, Internet governance and Africa, 7 October.