The Internet Engineering Task Force, the body that handles Internet standards, has published a draft proposal for Internet Protocol Version 8. The draft suggests increasing the length of IP addresses.
The proposal wants to expand IP addresses from 32-bit to 64-bit. This means an address like 1.1.1.1 could become something like 1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1. It will increase the number of available IP addresses.
The draft claims that IPv8 will be backward compatible with IPv4. It says existing devices will not need any changes, and IPv4 can work as a subset of the new protocol.
However, this claim has raised doubts. In real networks, devices usually drop traffic if they do not recognize the protocol version. So the idea of no changes required does not look practical.
The proposal also introduces new features. It talks about a “Zone Server” system for managing networks and using OAuth-based authentication for devices. This has confused many experts. Protocols work in layers, and mixing network-level operations with application-level authentication does not follow the design of the OSI model.
Another issue is the comparison with IPv6. IPv6 already offers a much larger address space with 128-bit addressing. Even though adoption is slow, it already solves the address shortage problem.
The draft is also being questioned for its authenticity. Reports suggest that large parts of the document may be AI-generated. This has added more skepticism.
Experts on platforms like Hacker News have criticized the proposal. Many say it is unrealistic and would require major changes across hardware, software, and network infrastructure.
There is also confusion around the version number. IPv8 has already been used earlier for an experimental protocol, so reusing it may not be ideal.
For now, this is just a draft submitted by an individual. It has no official approval and may expire if it does not gain support.
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