From Fraser · · 1 min
ICANN Wipes Out 25 Years of .name Domains
Verisign and ICANN are terminating 3rd-level .name domains, erasing digital identities and creating massive security risks for 22,000 users.
In brief
Verisign and ICANN are terminating 3rd-level .name domains, erasing digital identities and creating massive security risks for 22,000 users. Centralized domain registries can unilaterally destroy decades of established web identity and create severe security risks with minimal notice. Originally reported by Fraser.
A quarter century online
Nearly 25 years ago, Neil Fraser registered neil.fraser.name as a permanent digital home for his website, email address, and API servers.
“It predates YouTube, Facebook, and smart phones.”
ICANN approves domain deletion
Verisign proposed destroying the entire 3rd-level .name domain hierarchy to simplify administration, and ICANN unexpectedly approved it.
“On 15 April 2026 Verisign proposed the destruction of the entire 3rd level of the '.name' hierarchy...”
Built as an official registry
Unlike shady domain resellers, .name was established specifically as an official 3rd-level registry featuring full WHOIS records.
“It was setup exclusively as a 3rd-level operation. One registers xxx.yyy.name from any registrar...”
The perils of corporate consolidation
Fraser originally chose .name specifically to avoid Verisign, but Verisign later acquired the registry and pushed the shutdown through.
“This mistrust was validated by the numerous lies Verisign included in their above proposal to ICANN.”
Erased despite prepaid registrations
The decision will wipe out websites and email addresses while bricking IoT devices, even for domain owners prepaid through 2040.
“First, this website vanishes in February. Despite the fact that it's registered and paid for until 2040.”
Catastrophic identity hijacking risks
Releasing vacant second-level domains lets new buyers recreate old third-level addresses, allowing them to hijack accounts and IoT devices.
“They'd be able to hijack hundreds of accounts that are linked to that address.”
The big picture
Centralized domain registries can unilaterally destroy decades of established web identity and create severe security risks with minimal notice.
