ICANN Survey on DNS Suffix Usage and New gTLD Delegation

[Casey Deccio <casey.deccio () icann org>]

Dear colleagues,

tl;dr: Please take our survey on DNS suffix usage here: https://forms.gle/ntvsn6eqzYH9YcTN6

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is researching the technical impact of delegating new 
generic top-level domains (gTLDs). This research is part of the Name Collision Analysis Project (NCAP). More 
information about NCAP can be found at https://community.icann.org/display/NCAP.

Since 2013 hundreds of new gTLDs have been introduced into the public DNS 
(https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/delegated-strings).  In some cases those gTLDs might have been used as 
part of a DNS suffix by one or more organizations around the Internet, prior to their introduction. (By “DNS suffix” we 
mean a domain name used in the DNS resolver search list of a device, e.g., the “domain” and “search” entries in 
/etc/resolv.conf on UNIX/Linux, “Search Domains” in the macOS DNS configuration pane, and “DNS suffix search list” on 
Windows.)  As a result, the behavior of systems or devices in these organizations might have changed because of a “name 
collision”.  A name collision occurs when a name used in one context (in the organization's network) is interpreted in 
another context (in this case, in the public DNS after the corresponding gTLD went live).

We are researching the causes and impact of name collisions. We are seeking qualitative data based on experiences of 
those organizations potentially affected.  We expect that this additional data will greatly enhance our understanding 
of name collisions that resulted from adding new gTLDs.

If you suspect that your organization has been impacted by the delegation of any new gTLDs, we invite you to please 
fill out the following brief survey regarding your experience. We would be grateful for your input!

https://forms.gle/ntvsn6eqzYH9YcTN6

Your responses will remain anonymous, and any personal information will be discarded after the research has concluded.

If you have any questions, please reply to this email.

Thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Casey Deccio
ICANN Name Collisions Analysis Project