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ICANN stands for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It coordinates parts of the Internet’s system of unique identifiers—especially domain names—so networks around the world can use them consistently. It does not control Internet content, provide Internet access, or operate as a domain registrar.
What does ICANN stand for?
ICANN is the abbreviation for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It is a California nonprofit public-benefit organization accountable to a global community of stakeholders. ICANN says it was formed in 1998.
Its mission, in the Bylaws amended 11 October 2023, is to help ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet’s unique identifier systems. These identifiers let devices and networks locate one another and support an interoperable Internet.
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What does ICANN do?
ICANN coordinates names in the Domain Name System (DNS), including names in the DNS root zone. The DNS maps human-readable names, such as icann.org, to numerical IP addresses, so people do not have to memorize those addresses to reach online services.
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More specifically, the current Bylaws describe ICANN’s names remit as coordinating the allocation and assignment of names in the DNS root zone and coordinating the development and implementation of policies concerning second-level registrations in generic top-level domains (gTLDs), subject to the limits set out in the Bylaws. A second-level name is the part registered beneath a top-level domain, as “example” is in example.com.
What ICANN does not do
- It is not a registrar. ICANN coordinates parts of the domain-name system; it does not sell domain registrations to the public.
- It does not provide Internet access. That is a different service from coordinating Internet identifiers.
- It does not control Internet content or stop spam. Its remit is not general-purpose Internet regulation or content moderation.
ICANN’s role in one sentence
ICANN is a nonprofit organization that coordinates specified Internet identifier systems and related domain-name policies, within the scope of its Bylaws—not the Internet itself.
Sources: ICANN, About ICANN; ICANN, What Does ICANN Do? (25 February 2012); ICANN Bylaws, amended 11 October 2023; ICANN glossary.
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