Aleph-Bet coming to the Internet
Aleph-Bet coming to the InternetIsrael news photo

The international body that supervises Internet address has approved the use of characters in Hebrew, and other languages, in Internet addresses. The changes may take effect as early as January.

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The non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' (ICANN) unanimous decision to allow the use of non-Latin characters for the first time ever was met with a standing ovation by the 15-member council.

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Israel already has found a local solution for using Hebrew characters in Internet domains, but they do not work outside of the country.

 

The ICANN decision will allow global access for non-Latin character Internet addresses, benefiting communities where English is not commonly used.  Israeli Technology journalist Omer Kabir told The Media Line, “The obvious advantage is that it will help people who are not technologically savvy to access the web.

 

"A good example of this is the ultra-orthodox sector where Internet usage has increased over the past year,” he said. “If a commercial company can provide them with a domain name in Hebrew, it will be much easier for this population.”

 

Prior to the decision, domain names have been restricted to the 26 letters in the English alphabet, 10 numerals and the hyphen. The change will allow up to 100,000 new characters, including the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The Arab world and China are expected to add hundreds of millions people to the Internet.

 

Each country will be allowed only one suffix, which must relate to the country. Transliterations of “.com” or “org” will not be allowed. Israel currently uses “.il” in its English domains.