ICANN

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the nonprofit that sets policy for the global DNS namespace. It accredits registrars, contracts with registries for every gTLD, oversees the IANA function (and therefore the root zone), runs UDRP for trademark disputes, and ran the New gTLD Program that introduced .app, .dev, .xyz, and hundreds of others. ICANN does not regulate ccTLDs directly; those are run by each country's designated operator. For domain owners, ICANN's most visible touchpoints are the WHOIS Accuracy Program, the Transfer Policy, and the annual $0.18 ICANN fee on every gTLD registration.