Policies Around Universal Acceptance

Universal Acceptance (UA) is the state where all domain names and all email addresses can be used in all applications. With (a) the introduction of domain names in different scripts, (b) the introduction of new and longer top-level domains, and (c) the availability of email addresses in different scripts, not all application developers and organizations have kept their software and systems up-to-date with these changes to the domain name system. Promoting and improving Universal Acceptance is necessary to provide better access to a more diverse Internet user base, offer more choice for registration and support competition in the industry. All stakeholders need to play their role in achieving Universal Acceptance of domain names and email addresses. The stakeholders include TLD operators, registrars hosting companies, and application developers. Each stakeholder needs to contribute in their own sphere for a holistic solution to the UA challenge to ensure that Internet’s unique identifier systems continues to serve a broader and more diverse global user base. - Session Leader: Maria Otanes Staff Facilitator: Maria Otanes