ICANN sets target date for re-opening database
Armando Franca/AP
The group that runs the Internet's address system said it is aiming to re-open the application process for those seeking to launch a new domain name.
The group that runs the Internet's address system said it is aiming to re-open the application process for those seeking to launch a new domain name by May 22 .
If it meets this goal, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers said the application process would remain open for five business days, not counting Memorial Day, and would close on May 30.
ICANN shut down its application database last month after discovering a glitch that exposed some information about applicants. ICANN has denied that the system was hit by a cyber attack. ICANN said it took the database offline to find out what caused the problem and to ensure it wouldn't happen again.
Last week, ICANN said that of the 1,268 registered users and 95,000 file attachments in the applications system, about 455 might have been viewed by another applicant.
"We have seen no evidence that any ... user intentionally did anything wrong in order to be able to see other users' information," ICANN Chief Operating Officer Akram Atallah said in the group's latest announcement Monday on the problem.
An ICANN spokesman said the group is trying to review all the relevant data before re-opening the application process.
ICANN launched its program in January allowing for the introduction of almost any new top-level domain name to compete with the 22 existing generic domain names. The application process for the program was originally scheduled to close April 12. ICANN eventually suspended the application process after discovering the database problem.