Verisign has withdrawn its plan to discontinue third-level .name domains, according to a November 9, 2026 announcement by ICANN. Existing registrants can continue renewing their domains and using email forwarding, but Verisign plans to stop accepting new registrations.
The service lets individuals register addresses in a first-name.last-name.name format and forward email sent to [email protected] to another mailbox. About 22,000 registered domains were affected by the proposed shutdown.
Verisign applied to end the service in April 2026, citing declining use and limited support among registrars. Users objected. One of them, Neil Fraser, had used his domain since 2002 for a website, email and connections to Internet of Things devices. Although his registration ran until January 2036, the proposal could have ended the service roughly nine years early. He also raised a security concern: if someone else later registered the parent domain, mail sent to his old address could reach that person.
Fraser and other users sought reconsideration from ICANN. Verisign changed course on November 5; ICANN confirmed the withdrawal on November 9 and voided its earlier notice allowing the shutdown to proceed.
Source: ithome.com (originally published 2026-11-12 15:40 UTC+8)