Weekend Open Thread > ICANN OKs non-Latin alphabets for domain names and email adr

The decision by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that Web sites written in Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and other non-ASCII character sets will be able to have their Internet domain names displayed in their own languages truly makes the Web a global worldwide network. No longer will entire countries be forced to use Latin-based characters and their Web addresses and e-mail addresses will now be as recognizable as their telephone book.

"The net result will be an expansion of the Internet in terms of resources and users. Small local businesses are likely to benefit as their Internet and e-mail address can now be in their own local language," according to a writer for Asia Times Online.

Yet on the other hand, the new names carry risks for new security concerns and general user confusion. Some fear the Web might grow increasingly fragmented into areas easily accessible only to those conversant in local languages. But ICANN's actions, although well intended, also raise nuts-and-bolts questions that are yet to be answered. How will you be able to type the domain names of international Web sites when your keyboard doesn't support their character sets? It's true that you can download fonts used in these languages, along with "virtual keyboard layouts" that spare you the need to buy separate physical keyboards. It looks as though we could see the development of a whole new class of Web domains that most people won't be able to get to easily -- even though they might be able to find those Web sites with a search engine. Certainly language translation services and technology may be the biggest winners with today's news. I predict both will flourish along with an international land grab for variations of the word "sex" dot-com.

said by KrK:

This is a bummer. It would of really been better to use the Technological edge to make the entire world accept English as a universal language. Kinda like the international ATC system (Air Traffic Control.)

The fragmenting of the Web begins.