Soon, web addresses in Hindi, other non-Latin scripts

The regulator for online domain names has approved the use of non-Latin scripts such as Devanagari and Hebrew in web addresses, a move that is likely to transform the Internet landscape.

Currently, Internet addresses are limited to Latin characters from "A to Z".

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICAAN), a non-profit body which is responsible for assigning web addresses to users, today approved the proposal to use non-Latin script.

"The coming introduction of non-Latin characters represents the biggest technical change to the Internet since it was created four decades ago.

"Right now, Internet address endings are limited to Latin characters – A to Z. But the Fast Track Process is the first step in bringing the 100,000 characters of the languages of the world online for domain names," ICANN Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush said in a statement.

The Fast Track Process to begin the use of non-Latin scripts would begin on November 16 and would usher in web addresses in scripts like Devanagari, Arabic and Hebrew.

Experts believe that ICANN's decision would make the Internet more inclusive as people can be familiar with their own languages online.

The regulator said the process would allow nations and territories to apply for "Internet extensions reflecting their name – and made up of characters from their national language," the statement noted.