FT on IDNS

[jose]

The coming expansion of the internet’s naming system is a central part of Icann’s attempt to prove that it truly operates in the interests of a fast-growing global audience. The Roman alphabet, for instance, still dominates the internet naming system, yet the world’s biggest internet audience is now in China. Arab nations have also bristled under long delays in Icann’s efforts to come up with a system that suits their needs.

If Icann fails to appease these interest groups, the consequences could be severe. Getting it wrong could lead to schisms over the underlying naming system of the internet – in effect, leading to a fragmentation that turns the single global online medium into a series of separate systems.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ce57c854-7...44feabdc0.html