Signposts in Cyberspace

The Domain Name System (DNS) enables user-friendly alphanumeric names?domain names?to be assigned to Internet sites. Many of these names have gained economic, social, and political value, leading to conflicts over their ownership, especially names containing trademarked terms. Congress, in P.L. 105-305, directed the Department of Commerce to request the NRC to perform a study of these issues. When the study was initiated, steps were already underway to address the resolution of domain name conflicts, but the continued rapid expansion of the use of the Internet had raised a number of additional policy and technical issues. Furthermore, it became clear that the introduction of search engines and other tools for Internet navigation was affecting the DNS. Consequently, the study was expanded to include policy and technical issues related to the DNS in the context of Internet navigation. This report presents the NRC's assessment of the current state and future prospects of the DNS and Internet navigation, and its conclusions and recommendations concerning key technical and policy issues.Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1 Navigating the Internet: Concepts and Context2 The Domain Name System: Emergence and Evolution3 The Domain Name System: Current State4 The Domain Name System: Technology Prospects5 The Domain Name System: Institutional Issues6 Internet Navigation: Emergence and Evolution7 Internet Navigation: Current State8 Internet Navigation: Selected Prospects and Issues9 The Domain Name System and Internet NavigationAppendix A: Biographies of Committee Members and StaffAppendix B: Speakers and Participants at Meetings at Site Visits