ICANN approves deletion of .name third-level domains
Original: .name Termination
Why This Matters
The case raises significant questions about ICANN oversight, registrant rights, and long-term domain stability.
ICANN approved Verisign's April 2026 proposal to eliminate all third-level .name domains. Approximately 22,000 domain holders, including long-time registrant Neil Fraser, will lose domains by February despite having paid registrations extending to 2040.
On April 15, 2026, Verisign proposed eliminating the entire third-level layer of the .name top-level domain, citing administrative simplification. ICANN approved the action on July 28, 2026. Affected registrants were notified only days later via their registrars.
Unlike informal third-level resellers, .name was established as an official third-level domain system — similar to *.co.uk or *.ny.us — with full WHOIS records and registrar support. Neil Fraser, a Google engineer, registered neil.fraser.name nearly 25 years ago and also holds beverly.fraser.name, registered at his daughter's birth.
Fraser states the termination will: (1) take down his website despite registration paid through 2040; (2) eliminate his email address; (3) brick IoT devices dependent on services hosted on the domain. He further warns that once third-level domains are deleted, the underlying second-level domains (e.g., fraser.name) may become available to third parties, enabling hijacking of linked accounts, code commit credentials, and IoT device control accumulated over 25 years. Fraser notes he is one of roughly 22,000 affected registrants and states he intends to pursue legal action.