Domain address change 'to have little impact in China'

The decision to allow the use of non-Latin characters in domain names may not have a significant impact on the activities of Chinese firms, it has been claimed.

Last week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved the use of other characters – such as those originating in Arabic, Chinese and Korean languages.

However, according to leading video website Youku.com, this move will not necessarily help the site draw more visitors.

Company chief financial officer Liu Dele told PC World that the firm had registered new domains in its native language, but since the majority of users access the site via search engines, the move may have little impact.

He stated: "At least this will prevent confusion. But we don't think it's a big deal for our traffic and brand."

In other domain news, Peter Wood, a member of Information Systems Audit and Control Association's conference committee, has warned firms that the use of non-Latin characters could increase malware risks – potentially heightening the benefits of secure web hosting.

Written by Debra Hastings-Henry