ICANN has published its updated list of generic top‑level domain (gTLD) applications, with the .lan proposal drawing notable concern from the networking community. The application, filed by Identity Digital (also known as Coffee Danger), seeks to add a .lan extension—a suffix widely used in local area networks, including by OpenWrt and many home or small office setups.
The article explains that local network administrators commonly assign .lan to devices within a LAN, with examples like router[.]lan, and that OpenWrt has documented .lan as the default local domain name. The central worry is that local names should be resolved only by local DNS services; if a local DNS failure or misconfiguration causes queries to leak to public resolvers, there could be traffic hijacking or widespread confusion within networks.
The piece underscores that ICANN’s approval process will scrutinise the application closely, noting that existing standards reserve certain names for private or local use (for instance, home[.]arpa and .local under IANA/IETF RFC 8375). It argues that .lan, if permitted, could be unsuitable for generic unicast DNS and might require careful handling to prevent leakage or misrouting.
The article identifies Identity Digital as the applicant and references broader concerns about the portfolio of unconventional TLDs the company has pursued. In short, the piece conveys a cautious stance: ICANN’s public comment phase will be pivotal in determining whether the .lan request proceeds or is rejected, given the potential for disruption in local networks.