Groups say ICANN unprepared for gTLD launch

The delegation of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is premature and could cause risks to the security and stability of the Domain Name System (DNS) and affect the working of the whole Internet, Verisign has warned.

As ICANN pushes for an April 23 launch of the first new gTLDs, Verisign has raised concerns in a report outlining new gTLD security and stability issues, sent to ICANN and filed with the Securities Exchange Commission. The risks named in the report should be addressed in a timely manner by ICANN, otherwise the broader implications of new gTLDs to parties that rely on the Internet DNS will be "far-reaching," Verisign said. Security concerns from Verisign and other organizations indicate ICANN may be headed for a "train wreck," said the Association of National Advertisers, a trade group.