A multiple-language Internet address registration system could wind up dividing the Internet into a patchwork of sub-Nets, industry watchers say.
The system essentially allows for domain names in Chinese and other language characters. But because it lacks the imprimatur of global address-book manager ICANN, the software could possibly lead to the Balkanization of the Internet, with online communities separated by language barriers.
The program, created and operated by i-DNS.com and CMC Magnetics (
For example, the www.taipeitimes.com domain could also be registered as www.
But in order for the Chinese character domain to work, Web surfers must access the Web through an Internet Service Provider equipped with i-DNS.com's software.
Many Asian ISPs already use the software, which is distributed freely over the Internet. But Western ISPs don't, and hence most Web surfers in the US and other places are unable to access Chinese character domains.
Because the Chinese domains can't be accessed worldwide, i-DNS and CMC have been trying to convince as many as ISPs as possible to adopt their free software.
Sales of domains in simplified and traditional characters began in early January.
"Each name costs NT$2,900 and that includes both the simplified and traditional Chinese characters," said Chang Shan-hong (張善宏), manager at CMC's subsidiary, ChineseRegistration.com (CDNR). "We've already sold more than 1,000 domain names."
But ICANN said Chinese language domains should not be considered valid because an Internet-wide multiple language address system has not yet been developed.
"Any company that currently offers [multi-lingual domain names] is doing so in a proprietary manner and the names will not be globally recognized by the authoritative root server," said Pam Brewster, a spokesperson for ICANN.
All companies involved in registering Roman letter domain names must be accredited by ICANN, which was established by the US government in 1998 as the non-profit organization charged with overseeing the Internet domain name address system.
But up to now, it is unclear what accreditation is needed to begin disseminating non-Roman letter domain names.
During a recent trip to Taipei, Michael Roberts, president and CEO of ICANN, said it is his organization's role is to coordinate the technological tinkering required to include new languages into the Internet address book.
In explaining why ICANN has been slow to roll out a Chinese language addresses system, Roberts said the "introduction of non-Roman characters into the domain name system ... is fundamentally an Internet engineering and architecture issue."
But while ICANN might not have the technical know-how to handle multiple languages, analysts say that not only does the i-DNS.com's system posses the technology, it also works.
"I've seen Chinese language Net addresses work," said Russ McClay, Pro QC Studios Web page analyst. "We typed in the Chinese and it went to the page. It works."
But according to Chen Wen-Sung (
"By trying to become the [keeper of the multilingual Internet address book] they are creating a sub-Internet with Chinese language Web sites accessible only by people who use i-DNS software," Chen said.
He said that i-DNS.com's system "only works locally because they do not have the ability or organizational reach [that ICANN has] to make it work all around the world."
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