Chinese Number Websites: The Secret Meaning of URLs (2014)

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which sets the rules for web addresses globally, has periodically hyped the expansion of domain names to include non-Latinate scripts, but Chinese web sites have yet to take full advantage. Plus, for web sites that want to expand internationally but don’t want to alienate foreign audiences with unfamiliar characters, numbers are a decent compromise. In other words, the structure of the Internet is a constant reminder of American digital hegemony, from WiFi standards to GPS.

Source: newrepublic.com