Please note that the documents linked below related to the PDP are provided for informational purposes. Some documents are produced by the GNSO and others are not. To learn about the materials on the Active Project pages, please see this overview.
Background
In early 2025, the GNSO Council reconvened its DNS Abuse Small Team with a revised assignment form to re-examine DNS Abuse mitigation considering new developments, research, and data. The previous Small Team (2021–2022) had identified obligation gaps and issued recommendations, some of which were addressed through contractual amendments to the Registry Agreement (RA) and Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA). Those amendments (effective since April 2024) strengthened abuse mitigation obligations, and ICANN Contractual Compliance has since reported initial data on their impact. With these measures in place and new research available, the Small Team was tasked to consider new insights and discuss potential next steps on DNS Abuse. Drawing from community input, compliance data, and external studies, the team was charged with identifying remaining gaps and assessing whether further policy development is warranted.
The DNS Abuse Small Team conducted a review of data and source documents noted in their assignment form, focusing on identifying potential gaps in DNS Abuse mitigation efforts across multiple phases of the DNS Abuse lifecycle (as proposed by the Small Team in 2022). The Small Team compiled a matrix of DNS Abuse "gaps," noting areas where abuse prevention, reporting, response, or obligations could be strengthened after further investigating the identified gaps. Findings were categorized by thematic clusters to support potential prioritization and future policy scoping.
The DNS Abuse Small Team delivered its report to Council in August 2025, who voted on 14 August to request an Issue Report to further discuss the identified gaps and propose issues for a narrowly scoped PDP.
The GNSO Council requested an Issue Report on DNS Abuse in August 2025 and in doing so, suggested three (3) priority topics that should be included in the Policy Development Process (PDP) on DNS Abuse that is expected to follow the completion of the Final Issue Report. The DNS Abuse Small Team, in alignment with community support, recommended a narrowly scoped PDP on three issues. While staff found all three issues to be within the remit of GNSO policy development, and two meriting prompt attention through initiating a PDP, one of the priority issues could be implemented outside the contractual requirements. Therefore, staff recommended initiating a PDP that is limited, at this stage, to focusing on only two issues: 1) Unrestricted Application Programming Interface (API) access for high-volume registration and 2) Associated Domain Checks.
The Preliminary Issue Report was published on 8 September 2025 and was open for Public Comment until 18 October 2025. The Final Issue Report was published on 4 December 2025, after which time the GNSO Council voted to initiate two separate PDPs on DNS Abuse Mitigation. DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 on associated domain checks was to be convened upon adoption of the Charter. The DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Working Group Charter was adopted by the GNSO Council on 15 January 2026.
Status:
Web Presence
Responsible Staff Members
- Feodora Hamza
- John Emery
- Steve Chan
Working Group Members & Leadership and GNSO Liaison
For the latest information and status on this project:
- See Project List
GNSO Council Request for Preliminary Issue Report
Adopted on: 14 August 2025
Summary: The GNSO Council adopts the request for an Issue Report and directs staff to create the Report.
Submitted on: 5 August 2025
- Preliminary Issue Report
- Public Comment (8 September 2025)
Final Issue Report
Submitted on: 4 December 2025
GNSO Resolution on the Initiation of the PDP:
Adopted on: 11 December 2025
Summary: The GNSO Council hereby initiates two separate PDPs on DNS Abuse Mitigation, beginning with PDP 1
Working Group Charter
Adopted on: 15 January 2026
Input from Supporting Organizations/Advisory Committees and GNSO Stakeholder Groups/Constituencies
- Input Received (TBD)
Working Group Initial Report
Submitted on: TBD
Working Group Draft Final Report
Submitted on: TBD
Working Group Final Report
Submitted on: TBD
GNSO Adoption of the Final Report
Adopted on: TBD
GNSO Council Report to the ICANN Board
Adopted on: TBD
Public Comment Prior to ICANN Board Consideration
Submitted on: TBD
Notification by the ICANN Board to the GAC to Request Input on Whether Policy Recommendations Raise Public Policy Issues
Submitted on: TBD
Board Paper
Submitted on: TBD
ICANN Board Resolution Text
Adopted on: TBD
Notice of Policy Actions
Adopted on: TBD
Implementation Details
- TBD