Featured Blogs

Just Say What You Mean: Avoiding Deadlock on Enhanced Cooperation in the WSIS+20 Review

On 29 July 2025, the UN organized a WSIS+20 Informal Stakeholder Consultation at which a number of government and stakeholder representations made three-minute statements. This was in response to the Elements Paper circulated by the WSIS+20 Review's Co-facilitators, an important initial step en route to the zero draft of the text that will be the basis of negotiations and consultations over the next months in advance of the formal WSIS Review in the UN General Assembly in December. more

OneWeb Can’t Come Close to Replacing Starlink in Ukraine, but It Could Complement It

Elon Musk assured us that he would not stop the Starlink service in Ukraine. But, given his feud with Trump, his criticism of President Zelensky, and his rash actions with DOGE, can he be trusted? (His termination of USAID is estimated to have resulted in 340,000 deaths so far.) When askedabout Musk's influence, Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency, said he declined to comment on "the internal politics of the United States and who should influence these decisions" but added "If changes happen and if our US partners and friends are changing their plans, of course we will be ready for plan B. more

Domain Industry 2025: Current Landscape and Key Market Data

As we navigate through 2025, the domain industry remains a critical focal point amid persistent geopolitical instabilities, inflation, and an ongoing energy crisis. These pressures have reshaped the landscape of domain registrations and the domain aftermarket. Despite these challenges, digitalization continues to drive innovation and efficiency across sectors. more

Increasing Broadband Price Competition Across the US

Competition has been creeping into broadband pricing for the last several years as cable companies have been using low introductory rates to try to win new customers and offering similarly low prices to try to keep them. Anybody who competes against the big cable companies will tell you that cable companies have been competing for years by offering two-year promotional prices to keep customers. However, competition might have gone into a new gear recently... more

Beyond WHOIS: Towards a New Framework of Internet Domain Registration Data Disclosure

The collection and disclosure of DNS registration data have evolved chaotically, influenced by GDPR and other privacy laws. The system, while improving privacy, has enabled bad actors and raised costs for registrars and registries. Join experts at this event as they explore Project Jake's framework for balancing privacy with legitimate data needs, emphasizing policy clarity, efficiency, and adaptability. more

Beyond WHOIS: Rethinking Domain Verification in a Post-GDPR World

The introduction of GDPR in 2018, and the subsequent tightening of privacy regulations around the world, was a necessary step toward protecting user data. Consumers gained critical rights over their personal information, and companies were forced to adopt stronger standards for how they collect, store, and use that data. However, one unintended consequence has been the erosion of access to domain registration information once easily available through WHOIS databases. more

Fragmented Connections: How Network Fees Threaten Brazil’s Internet

The debate surrounding network usage fees in Brazil has intensified following the approval of Bill 469/2024 by the House of Representatives' Communications Committee in early December 2024. This bill prohibits telecommunications operators from charging internet companies based on data traffic. While this is merely a preliminary step in a lengthy legislative process, it signals that proposals from telecom companies to implement network usage fees are unlikely to gain traction. more

Response to usTLD Registry Management and Maintenance RFI

On January 17th in the closing days of the Biden Administration, NTIA issued the following Response for Information in connection with the .us ccTLD. While responses to the RFI will be held in confidence by NTIA per the RFI, some organizations such as M3AAWG made their response public. In the spirit of openness and transparency, Rick Lane and I are sharing our response on this important topic. more

Rethinking Europe’s Cloud Future: Balancing Regulation and Innovation

European efforts to build independent cloud infrastructure face challenges from regulatory overreach and dependence on U.S. cloud providers. Some say that a balanced approach focused on collaboration and flexible standards will be needed to strengthen data sovereignty and foster regional growth. Eighty percent of corporate executives in Germany say that Europe's future prosperity will depend on secure and independent digital infrastructure. more

Bad News From the 2025 Munich Security Conference: Cyberspace Gets Weaponized

There was one unpleasant message from the 2025 Munich Security Conference (MSC), which will have probably far reaching consequences for the governance of the digital space: Cyberspace will be governed by the rules of geo-political conflicts. And it is a battlefield in the 21st century wars. Both in the "Bayerischer Hof" and in the "IHK Munich", where the 11th edition of the Munich Cybersecurity Conference (MCSC) took place, controversial debates circled around the question of how civilian and military use of digital services will interplay in the years to come. more

Nominations Open for 2025 Public Interest Registry (PIR) Board of Directors

Are you interested in helping guide the future of the Public Interest Registry (PIR), the non-profit operator of a number of domains that serve the public interest, including .ORG, .NGO and .ONG? Or do you know of someone who would be a good candidate? If so, the Internet Society is seeking nominations for three positions on the PIR Board of Directors. The nomination deadline is 14 February 2025. more

.PARIS : Can the Backend Registry Help Sales?

As published on June 24, 2025, it is with no surprise that the AFNIC was renewed as the backend registry provider of the .PARIS new generic Top-Level Domain. What caught my attention in the announcement was this paragraph: “Afnic’s remit will also be expanded to include communication and promotion of the .paris TLD, as well as the development of initiatives designed to increase its adoption by businesses and private individuals.” more

ICANN is Broken

The ICANN Board's recent resolution to suspend an accountability safeguard hardcoded in its bylaws may represent the final straw that breaks the community's trust in ICANN. Most community members, including its own Board Chair, acknowledge that its current policy development and implementation processes are not working efficiently. However, the Board's decision to suspend the mechanism that could address these inefficiencies only seeks to preserve the status quo and the economic interests of these dominant market participants.  more

How New Domains are Driving DNS-based Attacks

Cyber criminals are the kings of recycling. Once they've found a tactic that works well, they'll keep doing it as long as they can get away with it. That's why it's so important for research teams to keep a close eye on what's happening behind the scenes with web traffic. Case in point? Our team at DNSFilter recently analyzed global DNS activity from the first quarter of 2025 and identified several notable trends. more

Technical Community Calls for Stronger, Smarter Internet Governance in New Global Report

As industry watchers know, the UN's World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) review marks a pivotal moment that will shape internet governance well into the 2030s and beyond. In response, the team at CIRA has published a new report, emphasizing why the multistakeholder model should not only be protected, but refreshed and reinvigorated for the challenges that lie ahead. more