# 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.
- Title: ICANN Wipes Out 25 Years of .name Domains · Fraser — Shortify
- Summary: Verisign and ICANN are terminating 3rd-level .name domains, erasing digital identities and creating massive security risks for 22,000 users. Centralized…
- Keywords: domains, icann, verisign, cybersecurity, web history, technology, startups, Wipes, Years, name, Fraser
- Source: Fraser — https://neil.fraser.name/news/2026/09/03
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: domains, icann, verisign, cybersecurity, web history, technology, startups
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Centralized domain registries can unilaterally destroy decades of established web identity and create severe security risks with minimal notice.