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ICANN86 Policy Recap

ICANN86 took place from June 8–11 in Seville, where the sunny skies complemented the energy and optimism felt throughout the conference. In this ICANN recap, we’ll check in on some familiar topics, including how registration data is handled, methods to mitigate DNS Abuse, and an exciting (to policy wonks, at least) update on the status […]

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Dots in a grid, "2%" written beside it.
May 2026・Web Security

Does Whois verification timing affect DNS Abuse rates?

There has been an idea floating around the ICANN space for a little while now: in an effort to reduce DNS Abuse, we should shorten the period of time registrants have to verify their domains, or have domains remain inactive until verification is complete. But would this change really have a positive effect that’s worth […]

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Building in Mumbai.

ICANN85 Policy Recap

The air-conditioned conference center balanced out Mumbai’s heat and humidity and, despite lower in-person attendance, ICANN85 was a productive meeting. Tucows Registry Services was one of the official meeting sponsors, and we were happy to see many visitors stop to say hello and learn about our registry service offering. Perhaps most importantly, the squishy cows […]

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View of Mellows Bridge in Dublin - Ireland

ICANN84 recap

The ICANN Community met for this year’s Annual General Meeting in Dublin, Ireland and, while the weather was a bit gray, the conversations and conference sessions sparked many bright ideas. ICANN policy work isn’t always glamorous. Conference centers can blur together, and even the most meaningful topics can test your focus by the fifth meeting […]

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A magnifying glass hovering over a cartoon burglar photo within an ID badge.
August 2025・Web Security

Requiring registrants to show ID is a Bad Idea

We all want to be safe online. Whether we’re browsing and shopping, interacting with people on social media, or hosting our own content, there’s a shared need for security. As a domain name registrar, we think about this topic a lot. What processes and policies can we put in place to help protect our customers […]

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Prague, Czechia

ICANN83 policy recap

The ICANN83 meeting in Prague, Czechia, brought the Community together for four days of policy-focused sessions. Contrasted with other ICANN meetings, which include a Public Forum, Annual General Meeting for the Board, and other more business-oriented sessions, the Policy forum centers on current policy and implementation work, so it’s usually the most jam-packed for the […]

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Seattle skyline

ICANN82 Recap

ICANN82 was hosted in Seattle, which is lovely in mid-March. The crisp Pacific Northwest coast offers beautiful views and Seattle has a whole “underground city”—it’s well worth a visit.  ICANN’s new CEO Kurtis Lindqvist participated throughout the week-long meeting. With his technical background and pragmatic approach, Kurtis offers more than 30 years of experience (and […]

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Istanbul
November 2024・Industry Insight

ICANN81 recap

ICANN81, hosted in Istanbul, Türkiye, brought us together both in person and virtually for a week of working meetings and presentations. Before we get into the specific policy work updates, we want to highlight two important discussions happening within the ICANN community right now. Perhaps closest to our cow-print hearts, ICANN Registrars and Registries (together, […]

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Taking flight! hand holding paper airplane in the sky.
September 2024・Industry Insight

Transfer Policy changes: what do you think?

ICANN’s Transfer Policy Review Working Group has been hard at work since 2021, as we’ve discussed in our ICANN Policy series. The group’s Initial Report is now out for public comment and Tucows is preparing to submit our input by the September 30th deadline. This post highlights some of the most significant updates being recommended […]

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Kigali Skyline Ruwanda Ruanda Hauptstadt
June 2024・Industry Insight

ICANN80 Recap

ICANN80 took place in Kigali, Rwanda, with four days of policy meetings and a beautiful conference center. There is an exciting piece of ICANN news to share before we dive into highlights from this series of policy-focused meetings: the search has concluded! Kurt Erik “Kurtis” Lindqvist has been selected as ICANN Board President and CEO. […]

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