By Sarmad Hussain, Senior Director, IDN and UA Programs at ICANN
Ten years ago, the community-inititated Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) was established with one clear mission: to make the Internet truly global through Universal Acceptance (UA). The vision was simple, yet profound – an Internet where people around the world can use the domain name and email address of their choice, regardless of language or script. As we reflect on a decade of progress, this milestone provides us with a chance to look back, celebrate the community’s achievements, and reaffirm our commitment to linguistic diversity and digital inclusivity for billions of Internet users worldwide. This important anniversary was marked by a celebration at ICANN83 in Prague, where community members came together to honor the UASG’s contributions. It also coincided with the publication of a new report highlighting the UASG’s 10-year achievements.
Considered the cornerstone of today’s global, multilingual Internet, UA ensures that all domain names and email addresses – regardless of language, script or character length – are fully recognized and functional across Internet systems, devices, and applications. This best practice emerged as the Domain Name System (DNS) expanded significantly in 2010, with the introduction of hundreds of new top-level domains (TLDs) in various languages and scripts. These new TLDs offer more choice and competition in the domain name space, but they have also created challenges. Older software applications and systems that still rely on outdated protocols may struggle to process these new domain names and the email addresses based on them, creating barriers for users when trying to access services online. UA addresses these problems and makes the Internet more accessible for the next billion users, most of whom will likely not speak or understand English.
Progress achieved in building a more inclusive Internet
Over the past decade, the Internet community has made remarkable strides in removing the technical and systemic barriers that have kept vast portions of the world from participating in the digital economy. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the UASG’s diverse group of stakeholders – including technology companies, governments, registries, standards bodies, and local communities – we have built a foundation that paves the way for continued progress.
Key UASG achievements include an extensive library of more than 50 technical guides, training materials, case studies, and other resources designed to help organizations become UA-ready. Recognizing that change often happens first at a local level, the UASG has also launched and supported numerous local initiatives across Asia, Africa, eastern Europe, and other regions to empower regional stakeholders to advocate for and implement UA solutions. To further accelerate global awareness and action, the UASG established UA Day, an annual event that brings together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to celebrate UA progress and drive UA adoption worldwide.
Beyond advocacy and education, the UASG has played a critical role in measuring and developing solutions to address UA readiness. Through rigorous testing of programming languages, email tools, identity platforms, web hosting services, and websites, the UASG has documented key gaps in technology and provided data-driven insights to guide remediation efforts. Working closely with technology developers, email service providers, the public sector, TLD registries and registrars, and academia, the UASG has helped advance technical solutions and create a framework for others to build on this work.
Navigating the obstacles on the road to UA
While we have made considerable strides in advancing UA, there are still challenges to overcome. One of the biggest hurdles is the knowledge gap when it comes to implementing UA on a technical level. Many organizations acknowledge UA’s importance but simply lack the technical know-how to update their systems to be UA-ready. Another obstacle is that UA is often a very localized issue due to the scripts used. Both of these issues underscore the importance of continuing to share knowledge and experiences so that communities and organizations can learn from each other.
Looking ahead to an Internet for all
The UASG’s 10 years of contributions will pave the way for what comes next. ICANN and the global Internet community will continue to play a key role in promoting UA, including through the formation of a new UA Expert Working Group, which will provide guidance to ICANN org’s UA adoption efforts. With much of the Internet’s growth happening in regions where English is not the primary language, this work remains vital. The Internet won’t be truly global until all languages and scripts are fully supported online.
The work of countless volunteers, including UASG members, over the past 10 years has been a testament to the power of collaboration and the commitment to a more inclusive and accessible Internet. But there is still much to be done. As we move forward, the continued involvement of all stakeholders – from global technology leaders to local communities – will be essential. The future of the Internet is multilingual, and it is up to all of us to ensure that it truly reflects and serves the diversity of the global population.
