The Transparent Info

23/08/2026

Telegram Applies for .gram Domain Zone, Could Offer Billion Users Personal Web Addresses

By The Transparent Info

August 23, 2026 : Telegram has formally applied to operate the .gram top-level domain, a move that could fundamentally reshape how the messaging platform's billion-plus users establish their online presence, according to an announcement by founder Pavel Durov.

In a post on August 18, Durov revealed that Telegram has submitted an application to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the .gram domain zone. If approved, the initiative would allow Telegram users to claim personalized second-level domains in the format of "yourname.gram."

The ICANN Application Process

The application comes during ICANN's 2026 New gTLD Program round, which opened for submissions on April 30 and closed on August 12, 2026. The rigorous evaluation process involves comprehensive assessments of applicants' technical, financial, and operational capabilities to operate a domain registry.

ICANN maintains strict oversight over the introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs), with the application guidebook spanning hundreds of pages and requiring detailed responses to approximately 225 questions. The evaluation process typically extends several months, with successful applicants required to demonstrate their capacity to operate stable and secure domain registry services.

Ambitious Vision for User-Hosted Websites

Durov's announcement outlined an ambitious vision beyond simple domain ownership. According to the Telegram founder, users would be able to deploy interactive websites hosted directly by Telegram "with one prompt," suggesting tight integration between the domain system and the platform's existing infrastructure.

The proposal represents a significant expansion of Telegram's ecosystem, potentially transforming the messaging app into a comprehensive web presence platform. Each user's .gram domain would function as both a web address and a personalized identifier within Telegram's network.

Implications for Digital Identity

Industry observers note that the .gram application, if successful, could position Telegram as a major player in the decentralized web identity space. The integration of domain ownership with an existing user base of over one billion people would represent one of the largest deployments of personalized web addresses in internet history.

However, the path to approval remains uncertain. ICANN's evaluation process includes multiple stages, including initial administrative checks, technical evaluations, and potential community objections. Previous gTLD application rounds have seen varying approval rates, with some applications facing legal challenges or competing bids for the same string.

Timeline and Next Steps

While Durov did not specify an expected timeline for approval, ICANN's evaluation process for the 2026 round is expected to extend well into 2027. Applicants must pay substantial evaluation fees reportedly $227,000 for standard applications along with additional costs for legal, technical, and operational preparations.

Should the application succeed, Telegram would join a select group of technology companies operating their own top-level domains, including Google (.google), Amazon (.amazon), and Meta (.meta).

The Transparent Info will continue to monitor the ICANN evaluation process and provide updates as they become available.

21/08/2026

জিলা আয়ুক্তৰ লগত আলোচনাৰ পিছতে ব্যক্ত কৰিলে বিধায়ক অখিল গগৈয়ে .....

21/08/2026

02/08/2026

Ajinkya Rahane has announced his retirement from international cricket and all formats of the game on July 30, 2026

23/07/2026

Supreme Court Lawyers Recite Constitution's Preamble in Solidarity With Student Protesters

New Delhi, July 23, 2026 : A group of Supreme Court advocates gathered on the court's lawns on Wednesday to recite the Preamble to the Constitution, launching a campaign titled "Save Democracy, Save Constitution" in a public show of support for the students protesting at Jantar Mantar.

The gathering comes as demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and irregularities in the CBSE's on-screen marking process enter their seventh week, and just days after a police crackdown on a march toward Parliament left both protesters and security personnel injured.

Speaking to reporters after the recitation, Senior Advocate and former Delhi High Court judge S. Muralidhar said the legal fraternity stood firmly behind the protesting students and their demand for accountability. Advocate Abhay Singh, who also addressed the gathering, said members of the Bar had assembled to oppose what they described as police excess against the students, and pledged legal assistance to those affected. Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, another participant, said, "We are here to stand on the side of justice," adding that the lawyers' intervention was meant to back the students' cause rather than advance any interest of their own.

The event adds a new constituency to a protest movement that began in June over exam irregularities and has since drawn in opposition politicians and, now, sections of the legal community. It follows a turbulent week in the capital: a July 20 march toward Parliament by more than 10,000 protesters was met with tear gas and baton charges, prompting solidarity demonstrations in several other cities. Mobile internet services around Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street have been suspended more than once since, and central Delhi has seen repeated Metro station closures.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and fellow organisers have called for peaceful demonstrations nationwide on Thursday, while the central government has said it remains open to talks with protest leaders at "any time, any place." Whether Wednesday's gesture from the Supreme Court Bar translates into sustained legal or institutional pressure on the government remains to be seen, but it marks one of the most visible instances yet of the legal profession publicly aligning itself with the protest movement.

20/07/2026

ছোনম ৱাংচুকৰ অহিংস, গণতান্ত্ৰিক আন্দোলনৰ প্ৰতি সহমৰ্মিতাৰে আজি ৰাজ‍্যজুৰি আছুৰ মম্‌শিখা প্ৰজ্বালন ....

20/07/2026

Fearless Protests Hit Modi's BJP in Rishikesh Over 4,000 Trees

Common people rise as forest faces axe for highway project, CM forced to halt felling

RISHIKESH, Uttarakhand July 20 : A wave of fearless protests has hit the BJP government in Rishikesh as common people have taken to the streets raging against the slaughter of 4,000 trees for road widening.

The agitation centers on the proposed widening of nearly 20 km of the Rishikesh-Bhaniyawala road, which passes through a sensitive elephant corridor of the Rajaji National Park. There is a proposal to cut around 4,000 trees for the project, including century old Sal trees in the Saat Mod stretch.

What began as a local environmental concern has turned into a direct confrontation. Residents, environmental activists and civil society groups have staged continuous sit-ins, hugging tree trunks and blocking survey teams. In scenes echoing the Chipko Movement, protesters clung to towering trees, with some in tears and others singing songs of resistance as police dragged demonstrators away.

For years critics have called the public dead and silent. In Rishikesh, the dead public finally woke up, and they woke up for trees.

Facing mounting anger, the Uttarakhand government has been forced to blink. The state government has temporarily halted the proposed felling of nearly 4,000 trees for the widening of the highway between Bhaniyawala and Rishikesh following mounting protests by residents, environmental groups and civil society organisations. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced that felling will remain suspended until a consensus is reached. d11b

On the ground, protesters say this is bigger than one road.

"Trees today. Corruption tomorrow. India is awakening."

What started in the forests of Rishikesh is being seen as a sign of a larger awakening across the country, where common citizens are no longer willing to stay silent while nature and public interest are sacrificed.