ICANN's online application system was taken offline on April 12, 2012 in order to protect applicant data. A technical issue in the system allowed some users to view a limited number of other users' file names and user names, in certain scenarios.
ICANN has said that the date when applied-for TLDs are announced, otherwise known as reveal day, will follow the announcement of the application system re-opening date. ICANN will notify all applicants within seven business days of its April 27, 2012 announcement to say whether its analysis shows they were affected by the technical glitch in the TLD application system. After the notification process has been completed, ICANN will announce the schedule for reopening the application system and completing the application period. ICANN has acknowledged the need to allow sufficient time during the reopening period for applicants to confirm the completeness of their submissions.
In an May 2, 2012 announcement ICANN has provided more information about the problem and confirmed that there are 1268 applicants.
There is currently uncertainty about the new date for completion of the application period and reveal day. ICANN says delay is undesirable but the quality of its program is more important to all concerned.
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