ICANAM made the decision to choose the .INTERNAL domain as the standard domain for internal use within organizations, similar to private IP addresses used for internal purposes. The process of selecting the domain began in 2020 and there were initially 35 options before narrowing it down to the final two: .INTERNAL and .PRIVATE. Ultimately, .INTERNAL was chosen as the preferred option.
Nowadays, internal domains often rely on self-created top-level domains (TLDs) that are chosen arbitrarily, with names that have not been used before. For example, Zyxel once used the TLD .zyxel-usg and many people use .home. However, the problem with these domains is that they are scattered and prone to leakage, with DNS being exposed externally.
ICANAM’s decision to choose from various options was based on four conditions. Firstly, the chosen domain needed to be a valid DNS name. Secondly, it should not be an already used TLD. Thirdly, it should not cause confusion with existing TLD names. Lastly, it should be relatively short, memorable, and meaningful. Every proposed name had its own advantages and disadvantages. The .INTERNAL domain itself has a disadvantage as it is sometimes confused for “INTERNATIONAL” due to its abbreviation “INT.” On the other hand, the term “PRIVATE” can be misunderstood to imply a higher level of privacy for this domain.
In summary, ICANAM selected the .INTERNAL domain as a standardized internal domain, addressing the challenges associated with arbitrary TLDs. This decision was made based on a thorough evaluation of the four aforementioned conditions.
TLDR: ICANAM chose the .INTERNAL domain after considering multiple options that met specific criteria, such as being a valid DNS name and not causing confusion with existing TLDs. This decision aimed to mitigate issues related to the use of arbitrary domains and promote a more standardized approach for internal use within organizations.
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