ICANN Proposes New “.INTERNAL” Domain for Local “192.168.x.x” IP Addresses

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – the nonprofit organization that oversees the domain industry – is proposing a way to cut down on the confusion associated with local “192.168.x.x” IP addresses by creating a new top-level domain (TLD): “.INTERNAL,” which would be for internal use but never connected into DNS or other infrastructure that would enable others users to access it on the open web.

“192.168.x.x” IP addresses are typically used within devices running on home networks.

Some may question the need for .INTERNAL, given the fact that most routers already handle this type of function on the back-end; however, with the recent advent of AI-based apps that are utilizing local IPs for server interfaces, ICANN believes that the need for the new domain – which the organization originally proposed back in 2020 – has gained new relevance.

With this being the case, ICANN proposed a solution to the local IP issue with the .INTERNAL domain on January 24.

There are certain circumstances where private network operators may wish to use their own domain naming scheme that is not intended to be used or accessible by the broader Domain Name System, such as within closed corporate or home networks,” ICANN wrote. “IANA currently has demarcated special blocks of private-use IP addresses for such applications, but there is no comparable designated private-use namespace in the DNS. This has resulted in operational practices including informal use of top-level domains that have the potential to conflict with the root zone, or other designated purposes.”

Following their proposal, ICANN will open up a period of time where they will be taking public comments on the new domain; following that, the board of the organization will vote on whether or not to adopt it.

While the average internet user will very rarely run into the local IP block, many of the new breed of AI apps often do; the .INTERNAL domain make it clear exactly what server is being pinged without accessing a site’s numerical IP address.