What is the role of ICANN?

The role of ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) primarily revolves around the governance of the domain name system (DNS) and its related policies. As the organization responsible for overseeing the allocation of domain names and ensuring the stability and security of the DNS, ICANN develops policies that guide how domain names are structured and maintained.

ICANN's focus is on coordinating the unique identifiers of the internet to maintain a stable and unified internet experience. It ensures that no two entities can use the same domain name at the same level of granularity, which is essential for preventing conflicts and ensuring that internet users can reach the correct websites.

In contrast, the other choices involve functions that do not fall under ICANN's primary responsibilities. For example, while issuing IP addresses is crucial for internet connectivity, this function is managed by various regional registries and not ICANN directly. Similarly, while developing internet standards is essential for the web's functioning, this task is carried out by other organizations like the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Providing hosting services is also not an ICANN function, as hosting is a service provided by various private companies and entities.

Thus, the governance of DNS policy is central to ICANN’s mission, making this choice the