What is a name collision?

A name collision happens when a name used in a private network (e.g., an internal system using a non-delegated TLD or short name) unintentionally interacts with the public Domain Name System (DNS). This occurs when private and public namespaces overlap, potentially causing unexpected or harmful results.

Name collisions aren’t new. Whenever a new domain name is added to the DNS—whether it’s a generic TLD, country code TLD, or a second-level domain—it carries the risk of name collisions. Recently, concerns have grown over queries for non-delegated TLDs (used internally) that match public DNS names, as some of these TLDs are identical to those applied for public use.

ICANN has committed to ensuring a secure and stable Internet. To uphold this, CANN has launched significant efforts to mitigate and manage the occurrence of name collisions. This includes working closely with new TLD registries to address potential risks before releasing these domains for public use.

Many TLD registries have now begun releasing domain names previously flagged for collisions after resolving these issues with ICANN.