Alternative DNS Roots
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Alternative DNS roots are namespace systems that operate independently of the official [[icann|ICANN]]-managed DNS root zone, introducing additional [[tld|TLDs]] or entirely parallel hierarchies not visible in the standard internet. Users must explicitly configure their [[dns-resolver|DNS resolvers]] to query the alternative root's authoritative servers in order to resolve these names. Because alternative root TLDs are not recognized by ICANN, they may conflict with future ICANN delegations and are invisible to ordinary users without custom configuration. Prominent projects include [[opennic|OpenNIC]], [[handshake-protocol|Handshake]], and historical systems like AlterNIC and ORSC.
Example
A user adds OpenNIC's resolver to their network settings and can suddenly access sites under .geek, .free, and .parody domains that are completely invisible to anyone using standard ICANN DNS.