ICANN and Verisign are deleting 22,000 '.name' domains

If you’ve owned a .name domain for the past two decades, it's about to vanish from the internet.

Software engineer Neil Fraser reported that registry operator Verisign proposed destroying the entire third-level .name domain hierarchy to simplify system administration. ICANN approved the plan in July 2026. Fraser registered neil.fraser.name nearly 25 years ago and paid for it through 2040, but recently learned from his registrar that his website, email, and API servers will shut down in February.

Why it matters: Roughly 22,000 people are set to lose their web presence, breaking connected IoT devices and cutting off long-standing email addresses. The bigger issue is security. Once these third-level domains disappear, anyone who registers the second-level address (like fraser.name) can recreate those subdomains, potentially hijacking accounts, code commits, and smart devices linked to the old emails.

Know this: If you rely on a .name address for account logins or smart home devices, start migrating off it immediately. There is no safety net or automatic transfer option for affected domain holders.

Expect a fight over this one. Fraser says it's time to lawyer up.