Governance In a world where the internet is central to communication, innovation, and economic growth, governing this vast digital ecosystem is a complex challenge. The multi-stakeholder approach, which involves governments, private entities, civil society, technical experts, and end-users, has long served as the cornerstone of Internet governance, ensuring that decision-making remains open and inclusive. more
Five years ago, any discussion of 5G included a vision that we'd end up with smart cars that were all connected with a ubiquitous 5G network that was going to be built everywhere. We're still waiting to see a real 5G network anywhere instead of the 4G LTE networks that are still being touted by every cellular company as 5G. The idea of a ubiquitous network capable of supporting smart cars died, but there is still an effort underway to use wireless technology to make car travel safer. more
The Internet Archive's Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) lends out scans of physical books, ensuring that each scan is lent to one person at a time. Publishers sued, and the Archive lost thoroughly in April 2023. The Archive appealed the decision to the Second Circuit court in New York. As I said at the time, the appeal seemed like a long shot since that is the same court that said that Google Books was OK, mostly because it didn't provide full copies of the books. more
Over the past twenty years of my engagement in the ICANN multistakeholder process, one topic that has always been near and dear to me has been improving the accuracy and access to domain name registration data in a way that respects the legal rights of both registrants and requestors of registration data. Sadly, the glacial pace at which ICANN develops and implements policy has prevented a holistic solution to the problem. more
If you operate an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) or are interested in creating one, the Internet Society has a “Sustainable Peering Infrastructure” funding program that is open for applications until this Friday, September 6, 2024... Grant funds from USD $5,000 up to $50,000 are open to all regions and are available to assist in equipment purchases (switches, optic modules, servers, and routers), training, capacity building, and community development. more
Conventional wisdom within the domain-sales industry states that the stock of unregistered domain names is 'running out,' with limited or no availability of short, desirable domain names across popular extensions (TLDs). This presents problems for would-be brand owners looking for a brand name (and accompanying suitable website presence) to utilize for newly-launched companies... more
AI is bringing changes to the domain registration process by enhancing user experience, improving registrar operations, and empowering registries. In recent years, AI has entered the industry via the huge growth of new website builders. Today, new developments in the field offer an opportunity to align the interests of all stakeholders, from end user to registry. more
The "Decoding Internet Governance Stakeholders" series of articles invites the community to ponder what underlies the labels that define our interactions, roughly 20 years after the "Tunis Agenda for the Information Society" called for the "full involvement of governments, business entities, civil society and intergovernmental organizations," as well as to "make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities." more
Last month, Russian Internet pioneer Alexey Soldatov was sentenced to two years in a labor colony on charges of "abuse of power." Soldatov, the co-founder of Russia's first Internet service provider, Relcom, was convicted for his role as a co-founder and director of the Russian Institute for Development of Public Networks (RIPN). RIPN was founded in 1992 to support research and education networking. more
The domain name system (DNS) is vital for businesses as it facilitates customer access to online services and resources. Strategic DNS management plays a pivotal role in cybersecurity, safeguarding against threat vectors and ensuring secure global connectivity across online channels including apps, email, websites, application programming interfaces (APIs) and more. more
When it comes to breach disclosures, today's chief information security officers (CISOs) are struggling with an especially turbulent regulatory environment. Security teams are understaffed, and systems are more extensive, making them harder to monitor and defend, while threats are becoming more sophisticated, more frequent, and more varied. It's at precisely this difficult juncture that regulations and enforcement are rapidly changing, leaving CISOs feeling like they are running up the down escalator. more
There was a paper published in June in the peer-reviewed Geophysical Research Letters titled Potential Ozone Depletion from Satellite Demise During Atmospheric Reentry in the Era of Mega-Constellations. As can be deduced by the lengthy title, scientists have uncovered a new risk coming from the reentry of low-orbit satellites through the atmosphere. more
Over the past several weeks, there has been significant discussion about Verisign and its management of the .com top-level domain (TLD) registry. Much of this discussion has been distorted by factual inaccuracies, a misunderstanding of core technical concepts, and misinterpretations regarding pricing, competition, and market dynamics in the domain name industry. more
Ookla recently tackled this question in one of its research articles. Ookla compared the time it takes to load pages for Facebook, Google, and YouTube on cellphones using 4G LTE networks versus 5G networks. Ookla thinks that page load speed is a great way to measure cellphone experience. The time needed to load a web page is directly impacted by latency, which measures the lag between the time a phone requests a website and that website responds. more
Do human rights come into the picture when technology and policy work are involved? If so, where? This is a question that has come up multiple times during the last dozen years, and occasionally even before, in Internet Governance discussions. These discussions have included debates on whether human rights were specifically applicable to protocol design or to the organizations developing protocol standards. more
The Malaysian government has backtracked on its recent decision to require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to redirect Domain Name System (DNS) traffic away from third-party servers like Google Public DNS and Cloudflare. more
Sally Wentworth Appointed as New CEO of the Internet Society
The Internet Society has appointed Sally Wentworth as its new President and CEO, effective September 1, 2024. Wentworth, who has been with the organization since 2009, previously served as Managing Director and Vice President of Policy, where she played a pivotal role in shaping global Internet policy. more
German companies have suffered substantial financial losses due to cybercrime and sabotage, totaling approximately €267 billion ($298 billion) over the past year. This represents a 29% increase compared to the previous year, according to a survey released on Wednesday by the industry association Bitkom. more
In a groundbreaking development for quantum communication, researchers at Qunnect Inc. have successfully achieved the automated distribution of polarization-entangled photons over New York City's existing fiber network. more
This open-source initiative is designed to systematically gather and analyze data on new domain registrations, with the goal of enhancing transparency and fostering innovation across the European domain landscape. more
This accreditation positions UD as the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the Web3 space, allowing it to expand its offerings to include a broader range of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and country code domains (ccTLDs). more
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has officially reserved the top-level domain ".INTERNAL" for private-use applications. This decision follows years of technical evaluations, public consultations, and inter-organizational discussions. more
Chinese Company Launches First Satellites for Massive Network to Rival Starlink
A Chinese state-backed company has successfully launched its first 18 satellites, marking the initial phase of a significant project to establish a vast orbital network intended to compete with Starlink, according to The China Securities Journal. more
Malaysia is advancing legislation for an internet “kill switch” aimed at curbing online abuse and illegal activities. This initiative, spearheaded by the country’s Law and Institutional Reform Minister Azalina Othman Said, seeks to hold social media and messaging platforms accountable for content disseminated through their services. more
The Chinese government is considering a new system allowing citizens to use cyberspace IDs instead of providing personal information to internet service providers. more
A recent report has revealed an alarming trend in ransomware attacks and a staggering $75 million ransom payout. The report by Zscaler ThreatLabz team indicates a 17.8% increase in ransomware attacks. more
Bangladesh Faces Total Internet Shutdown Amid Violent Student Protests
Bangladesh is experiencing a complete internet shutdown and severe mobile service disruptions due to escalating student protests that began earlier this week. more
Google has announced it will fully deactivate its URL shortening service, Goo.gl, by August 25, 2025, prompting concerns about widespread "link rot." Starting next month, Goo.gl links will display a warning message before ceasing to work altogether by the 2025 deadline. more
Global IT Outage Disrupts Airlines, Businesses, and Hospitals
A massive IT glitch originating from a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has caused significant disruptions worldwide, impacting airlines, businesses, medical facilities, and broadcasters. The issue, identified as a faulty update in Microsoft cloud services, led to widespread outages early Friday. more
Repairs on three crucial subsea telecommunications cables in the Red Sea, damaged since February, have begun despite ongoing militant attacks. The AAE–1 cable, a significant 25,000-kilometer fiber optic link between Asia and Europe, was repaired by E-Marine. more
Kaspersky Lab to Shut Down U.S. Operations Amid Federal Ban
Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab has announced the closure of its U.S. division, resulting in layoffs for its U.S.-based employees. The decision follows a recent U.S. Commerce Department ban on the sale of Kaspersky software, effective from July 20, due to national security concerns. more
In a bipartisan effort to address the growing threat of deepfakes, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) have introduced the Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media Act (COPIED Act). more
At least a dozen organizations experienced domain hijacks through the domain registrar Squarespace last week. The incidents, occurring between July 9 and July 12, primarily affected cryptocurrency businesses such as Celer Network, Compound Finance, Pendle Finance, and Unstoppable Domains. more
South Korean Telecom Giant KT Corporation Accused of Infecting 600,000 Users with Malware Over Torrent Use
South Korean telecom giant KT Corporation has been implicated in deliberately infecting over 600,000 users with malware due to their use of torrent services, as reported by JTBC. more
Biden Administration Probes Chinese Telecom Firms Over U.S. Data Security Concerns
The Biden administration is investigating China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom over concerns that these companies could potentially exploit their access to U.S. data through their cloud and internet services, potentially sharing this data with the Chinese government. more
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Satori recently published a report on a massive fraud campaign they have dubbed "Konfety" (Russian word for "candy"). Sounds sweet, right? more
Radix has set a new benchmark in its premium domains segment for the first half of 2024, reporting a record $5.16 million in retail revenue. more
As if the attention surrounding the upcoming U.S. presidential elections is not enough, the WhoisXML API research team may have unveiled thousands of potential sources of disarray -- election-related cybersquatting domains. These domains may be a lucrative source of income for some people. Case in point? more
Fortinet recently discovered a Meduza Stealer variant that has been taking advantage of the Microsoft Windows SmartScreen vulnerability CVE-2024-21412. The Meduza stealer lets remote attackers bypass the SmartScreen security warning dialog to deliver malicious files. more
The WhoisXML API research team analyzed more than 7.3 million domains registered between 1 and 31 July 2024 in this post to identify five of the most popular registrars, top-level domain (TLD) extensions, and other global domain registration trends. more
Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) are security protocol extensions for the Domain Name System (DNS), designed to ensure the integrity and authenticity of DNS data. more
Cyber espionage is not uncommon and often occurs between rivals. And though the cyber attackers' tactics and techniques remain the same, their tools do not. more
The journey towards widespread Cloud adoption has significantly impacted domain name system (DNS) management practices. Initially, businesses operated their own data centers, however the shift towards external hosting providers has introduced complexities and increased the potential for DNS record mismanagement, and therefore, subdomain vulnerability. more
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is offering a new and free service for requesting registration data in connection with generic top-level domains (gTLDs). more
The Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 Phishing Report named Microsoft, OneDrive, Okta, Adobe, SharePoint, Telegram, pCloud, Facebook, DHL, WhatsApp, ANZ Banking Group, Amazon, Ebay, Instagram, Google, Sparkasse Bank, FedEx, PayU, Rakuten, and Gucci as the 20 most phished brands. more
Advanced persistent threat (APT) groups will employ any means necessary to compromise the networks of their intended targets. And for Cosmic Leopard, that means using GravityRAT, an Android-based malware, and HeavyLift, a Windows-based malware loader, in their most recent operation Cisco Talos has dubbed "Operation Celestial Force." more
Our research team analyzed more than 21.5 million domains registered between 1 April and 30 June 2024, as seen in the Newly Registered Domains (NRDs) Data Feed. more
Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, founders of Samourai Wallet, a cryptocurrency mixing service, were sentenced in April 2024 and their sites taken down for executing more than US$2 billion in unlawful transactions and laundering more than US$100 million in criminal proceeds. more
Phishing is and remains a top threat. Google alone blocks around 100 million phishing emails daily, and it doesn't help that phishers get extra help from phishing kits -- ready-made cybercrime tools that allow even cybercriminal newbies to launch attacks following a few simple steps. more
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