ICANN Approves Killing .name Third-Level Domains, Stranding 22,000 Owners

Verisign has convinced ICANN to dismantle the entire third-level structure of the .name top-level domain, a move that will wipe out registrations like neil.fraser.name that people have held for nearly a quarter century. Verisign proposed the change on 15 April 2026 to simplify its administration, and ICANN approved it on 28 July 2026, with affected owners only learning of it secondhand from their registrars. Unlike the dubious third-level reseller schemes seen in domains like *.uk.co, .name was designed from the start as a legitimate third-level registry with full whois records, comparable to *.co.uk or *.ny.us.

The practical fallout is severe. Fraser’s site, email, and API endpoints go dark in February 2027 despite being paid through 2040, and any IoT devices depending on services at that domain become inoperable. The larger danger is what happens next: once third-level names are terminated, the freed-up second-level domains (e.g. fraser.name) are expected to open for registration. Whoever grabs one could recreate the original addresses, hijack the hundreds of accounts tied to that email over 25 years, commit code under the original owner’s identity, and take over connected devices — with no way to enumerate every account at risk.

Around 22,000 registrants face the same loss of a stable online identity built over decades. Fraser also notes his long-standing distrust of Verisign, which acquired the original operator Global Name Registry years after he deliberately chose a non-Verisign registry, and says the company’s proposal to ICANN contained multiple falsehoods. He signals he intends to fight the decision legally.