New domains due for introduction next year by Icann – including .islam and .casino – may face delays after GAC protests

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Plans to introduce a string of new web domains – including .islam and .movie – have been hit by a further setback after a panel of governments raised more than 250 objections.

A list of contentious domain names posted online by the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) reveals underlying tensions over the use of potentially sensitive new internet addresses.

The governments of India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have separately raised serious concerns about commercial ownership of the domain .islam.

In its filing, the Indian government warned that private control of .islam had a "very high potential to stoke tensions and negatively affect the wellbeing of millions of Mulims and non-Muslims in India".

The UAE expressed its own concerns over the ownership of .islam by a company called Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar, whose bid it claimed had received backing from Iran.

The objections were submitted by the GAC on behalf of governments across the world. The warning list comes ahead of the planned introduction of the domains early next year. The new addresses, which will rival the traditional .co.uk and .com, will radically change how people use the web.

India raised the most sensitive objections to the planned rollout, issuing warnings about the use of .islam, .bible, .army and .airforce, among others. Officials in Mumbai said that private ownership of domains associated with the armed forces could "cause irreparable harm to the security and stability of the nation". Several military-linked addresses, including .airforce and .navy, are being applied for by a subsidiary of US firm Demand Media, called United TLD.

The GAC's warning list also exposed concerns about broad sectors including .casino, .charity and .search.

Online retail giant Amazon is applying for several wide-ranging domains, such as .news, .shop, .song and .video. Many of these applications have been opposed on competition grounds by Australia, which warned that Amazon could block out rivals if it is granted exclusive access to a series of broad internet addresses.

The international agency behind the planned rollout, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), has indicated that the first new top-level domains will be in use by May 2013. However, industry experts have said that is now likely to delayed.

Kelly Salter, a domain product specialist at web hosting firm Names.co.uk, said the increasing opposition could derail the plans until 2014.

She added: "The fact that 270 objections have come from the Governmental Advisory Committee highlights the concerns surrounding the new generic top level domains from Icann.

"Even as a UK registrar of domain names we feel the expensive application process has been mismanaged with major brands trying to own generic domains like .beauty that could exclude real competition – especially smaller businesses desperate to succeed in difficult times."

Icann describes the early warning list as a way for governments and a domain application to raise issues or questions about the ownership of addresses.