SSAC Advisory on the Use of Emoji in Domain Names (R-1)
| Date Issued | Document | Reference ID | Current Phase | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSAC Advisory on the Use of Emoji in Domain Names (R-1) | SAC095 |
|
DESCRIPTION
Because the risks identified in this Advisory cannot be adequately mitigated without significant changes to Unicode or IDNA (or both), the SSAC recommends that the ICANN Board reject any TLD (root zone label) that includes emoji.
DEPENDENCIES
This item remains is deferred pending further consideration by the ccNSO and GNSO in the context of their IDN related PDPs.
STATUS UPDATES
| Date | Phase | Type | Status Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 4 | AP Feedback | SSAC notes that while this item is deferred, there has been recent work in the community related to SAC095. Does any of this recent work impact the implementation status of SAC095 Rec 1? |
| Phase 4 | Phase Update | SubPro WG has included RZ-LGR based on IDNA2008 for validating TLDs. Existing IDN gTLDs and ccTLDs are also based on IDNA2008. So this advice is already addressed to a large extent. ccNSO is also doing its policy development to replace IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process and is most likely to utilize IDNA2008 as a base standard for IDN ccTLDs. Thus, this advice is being implemented both currently and in upcoming policies for GNSO and ccNSO. |
| Phase 4 | Phase Update | This item remains deferred pending further consideration by the ccNSO and GNSO in the context of their IDN related PDPs. |
| Phase 4 | Phase Update | Further implementation of this item is deferred as of 30 June 2019 pending external activity. ICANN org will take up further work once the GNSO and ccNSO have considered these items as part of their policy development work. |
| Phase 4 | Phase Update | IDN ccTLD Fast Track process already limits labels at top level to IDNA2008 which does not allow for emojis (see https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/idn-cctld-implementation-plan-28mar19-en.pdf). Further, GNSO is considering limiting the TLDs to IDNA2008 (through the use of Root Zone Label Generation Rules) for the subsequent procedures for the gTLDs. The policy work is still under development by the community. Limiting TLDs to Root Zone LGRs is also recommended in the recent recommendations for IDN variant TLDs published at https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/idn-variant-tld-implementation-2018-07-26-en and adopted by the ICANN Board at ICANN64 for further consideration by GNSO and ccNSO. Finally the recent work on technical use of Root Zone LGR by the study group also recommends the same: see recommendations 1 and 2 in the report at https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/recommendations-rz-lgr-14may19-en.pdf. Further implementation of this item is deferred as of 30 June 2019 pending external activity. ICANN org will take up further work once the GNSO and ccNSO have considered these items as part of their policy development work. |
| Phase 4 | Dependencies | This item is deferred pending further consideration by the ccNSO and GNSO in the context of their IDN related PDPs. |
| Phase 4 | Phase Change | SAC095 Recommendation 1 is Open Now in Phase 4: Deferred |
| Phase 4 | Phase Update | The ICANN Organization understands recommendation 1 of SAC095 to mean that the SSAC recommends that the ICANN Board reject any TLD (root zone label) that includes emoji. This understanding was confirmed by the SSAC on 18 August 2017. The ICANN Board considered this item at ICANN60 in Abu Dhabi: https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2017-11-02-en#1.e. The Board directed the ICANN to engage with gTLD and ccTLD communities on the findings and recommendations in SAC095 in addition to requesting that the ccNSO and GNSO integrate conformance with IDNA2008 and its successor into their relevant policies so as to safeguard security, stability, resiliency and interoperability of domain names. |
| Phase 4 | Phase Update | The ICANN Organization understands recommendation 1 of SAC095 to mean that the SSAC recommends that the ICANN Board reject any TLD (root zone label) that includes emoji. This understanding was confirmed by the SSAC on 18 August 2017. The ICANN Board considered this item at ICANN60 in Abu Dhabi: https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2017-11-02-en#1.e. The ICANN org is currently reviewing the resolution for required next steps. |
| Phase 4 | Phase Change | Now in Phase 4: Implement |
| Phase 3 | Board Update | Resolved (2017.11.02.09), the Board hereby directs that conformance to IDNA2008 and its successor will continue to be a necessary condition to determine valid IDN TLD labels. Resolved (2017.11.02.10), the Board requests that the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) and the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) engage with the SSAC to more fully understand the risks and consequences of using a domain name that includes emoji in any of its labels, and inform their respective communities about these risks. Resolved (2017.11.02.11), the Board requests that the ccNSO and GNSO integrate conformance with IDNA2008 and its successor into their relevant policies so as to safeguard security, stability, resiliency and interoperability of domain names. Resolved (2017.11.02.12), the Board directs the ICANN CEO, or his designee(s), to engage with gTLD and ccTLD communities on the findings and recommendations in SAC095. See full resolution at and scorecard at https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2017-11-02-en#1.e. |
| Phase 3 | Phase Update | ICANN received SSAC's approval of understanding and is in the process of evaluating the advice. |
| Phase 3 | Phase Change | Now in Phase 3: Evaluate & Consider |
| Phase 2 | AP Feedback | SSAC confirmed Understanding. |
| Phase 2 | Phase Update | The ICANN Organization understands recommendation 1 of SAC095 to mean that the SSAC recommends that the ICANN Board reject any TLD (root zone label) that includes emoji. This understanding was sent to the SSAC on 8 June 2017. |
| Phase 2 | Board Understanding | The ICANN Organization understands recommendation 1 of SAC095 to mean that the SSAC recommends that the ICANN Board reject any TLD (root zone label) that includes emoji. |
| Phase 2 | Phase Update | Understanding sent to SSAC for review. |
| Phase 2 | Phase Change | Now in Phase 2: Understand |
| Phase 1 | Phase Update | SSAC published SAC095: SSAC Advisory on the Use of Emoji in Domain Names. Link: https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/sac-095-en.pdf. |