ICANN proposes reserving “internal” as top-level domain for private use applications

The ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee has recommended reserving a top-level DNS label for private purposes, and ICANN has accepted this recommendation
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ICANN’s IANA, (the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) has completed an evaluation to determine a suitable string for reserving a top-level domain for internal or private use applications. The string “INTERNAL” has been identified as appropriate for this purpose. This assessment will now undergo a public comment proceeding, followed by review and potential adoption by ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Currently, private network operators sometimes need to use their own domain naming scheme within closed corporate or home networks that are not meant to be accessed by the broader Domain Name System (DNS). While IANA has designated special blocks of private-use IP addresses, there is no equivalent namespace in the DNS reserved for private use. This lack of a dedicated private-use namespace has led to operational practices, including the informal use of top-level domains, which can potentially conflict with the root zone or other designated purposes.

To address this issue, the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) recommended that ICANN reserve a top-level DNS label specifically for private use, ensuring it does not conflict with existing usage in the DNS root zone.

ICANN has accepted this recommendation and initiated a consultation on the selection process. Based on this evaluation, only two candidates, “INTERNAL” and “PRIVATE,” broadly met the selection criteria across the assessed languages. It was also noted that abbreviating “INTERNAL” to “INT” could cause confusion with its use in intergovernmental treaty organizations. Ultimately, “INTERNAL” was identified as the proposed top-level string for private-use applications.

Following the agreed procedure, this recommendation will be subject to a public comment proceeding to allow stakeholders to provide input on whether the string meets the selection criteria or if any unforeseen issues arise. The final decision on reserving the string will be made by the ICANN Board of Directors.

Why does it matter?

Reserving the string “INTERNAL” as a top-level domain for private use will prevent conflicts with the root zone and ensuring clarity for internal or private applications in the DNS.