Verisign, a company that manages domain name systems for the internet, has been granted permission by ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to stop offering the prenom.nom.name domain names. This decision followed a request made by Verisign in April 2026, asking ICANN to halt the sale of these domains and delete existing ones. ICANN officially approved the request in May 2026, and the decision was finalized in late July 2026. According to Verisign, once the service is discontinued, no new third-level domains under this system will be allowed, and existing ones will be taken down. Verisign explained the move by citing low interest from domain registrars and a general decline in the use of third-level domains. While there are around 22,000 third-level domain names currently registered under the prenom.nom.name system, the company claims most of these are not actively used. Data shows a slight decrease in registrations—20,931 as of the latest count, compared to 21,593 in October 2025. This represents a 3% drop over the course of a year. Within this group, there are 12,819 unique second-level domains. Of these, 10,302 include a single first name, while 2,517 include two or more first names (such as prenom1.nom.name or prenom2.nom.name), totaling 10,629 distinct domains. The decision has not been well-received by all users. Some have expressed concern, with one user stating they fear "disappearing from the Internet" after having used the domain for 25 years. Despite this, a legal challenge has been filed against the decision. However, experts suggest that the challenge may not have a strong legal basis at this time. Domain names like prenom.nom.name are part of a system that allows for more personalized and flexible web addresses, often used by individuals or small businesses. The discontinuation of such domains may affect users who rely on them for their online presence. As the transition takes place, users are being encouraged to consider alternative domain options to maintain their web visibility.