2026-09-04 / Signal #3
Verisign and ICANN are deleting 22,000 people’s 25-year-old.name identities
“Your email, website, and IoT identity from 2001 are about to be bricked by ICANN. Someone else may then get your name.”
The Story
After 25 years, Verisign, with ICANN approval, is terminating third-level.name domains and associated email forwarding. Roughly 22,000 registrants risk losing long-lived sites, email identities, and device infrastructure in February 2027; vacated names could also create account-hijack risks.
Why It Matters
Institutions quietly erasing a slice of early-internet identity and personal infrastructure.
Evidence
Neil Fraser’s first-person post (Sept 3); ICANN/Verisign RSEP documents; Hacker News discussion.
Sources
Daily scan: 2026-09-04