[idn] Internet Driver Open Letter on Internationalized Domain Names

["Shewmake, Brad" <shewmakb@fleishman.com>]

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (November 14, 2001) - The following letter was
issued
by Internet Driver, Inc. this morning at the Third Annual ICANN
Conference.
Press inquiries can be directed to Brad Shewmake at 415-348-2620.

Open Letter on Internationalized Domain Names

To ICANN, the IETF, and the Internet Community,

ICANN and the IETF are moving quickly toward adopting a standard for
non-Latin letter domain names. We are concerned that ICANN's singular
focus
on Unicode-based conversion (UBC) solutions for internationalized domain
names (IDNs) overlooks the inherent functional limitations of that
general
approach. We ask that ICANN, through its IDN Steering Committee, and the
IETF consider all available solutions and do not simply resign
themselves to
supporting the adoption of UBC.

UBC converts non-Latin based domain names into meaningless Latinate
strings
(e.g., the Japanese character for "dog" becomes "ier943kbo2k3"). This
approach creates a fractured Internet by establishing a separate Web for
each character script. Although all of these "character Webs" will
ultimately reside as alphanumeric domain names on the existing DNS
infrastructure, a user of one character script will have no way of
typing a
website or e-mail address registered in a different character script.

None of the UBC systems test-bedding today can access any existing
domain
name until that name is re-registered in a particular script. Hundreds
of
millions of Web pages published in non-Latin script already exist, yet
under
a UBC system these pages will not be accessible using non-Latin URLs
unless
they are re-registered.

Another seldom considered issue is a standard for e-mail addresses. An
e-mail address is resolved at the e-mail server level and not on the
DNS,
therefore, the IDN standard must work in conjunction with an additional
e-mail standard. If not, each character Web will have several
incompatible
e-mail systems. A similar challenge arises in creating and accessing
non-Latin script sub-site addresses. To date, both ICANN and champions
of
UBC solutions have devoted little consideration to these unresolved
issues.

Before any decision regarding IDNs is made, ICANN and the IETF must ask
the
following important questions: Can a UBC solution be adopted given its
inherent limitations? Do a series of unintegrated non-Latin character
Webs
adhere to the IETF "fundamental requirement . . . for the DNS to
continue to
allow any system anywhere to resolve any domain name?" Furthermore, can
a
standard be adopted that does not accommodate uniform non-Latin letter
e-mail and sub-site addresses? Given that there are non-UBC solutions
available today that do not suffer from these problems, the answer to
the
above questions must be a resounding no.

We are eager to help in any way possible and hope that ICANN and the
IETF
will act in the best interest of growing, preserving and protecting a
truly
global Internet community. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,


Steve Klein
Chief Executive Officer
Internet Driver, Inc.
steve@internetdriver.com