The Fight for a String: Understanding ICANN’s Objection Process in the 2026 New gTLD Application Round

ICANN's 2026 new gTLD objection process presents applicants and rights holders with four distinct mechanisms for challenging proposed strings, each carrying different legal standards, evidentiary requirements and consequences for delegation.

Why OCSP Now? A Fresh Take on Certificate Status Checking

Previous Verisign Informed™ posts emphasized the importance of high-assurance infrastructure and timely certificate status information, including revocation status, which can change after issuance or expiration and is essential for establishing trust in Internet security.

Common Beliefs About DNSSEC Put to the Test: An Invitation to Fact-Check Your Assumptions

With its perception still tinged by decade-old notions, DNSSEC in 2026 bears little resemblance to its troubled early years. Here's what the evidence says about its benefits, cost, and availability today.

Why So Many .do Domains Lack Functioning Websites: Exploring Strategic Uses of the Dominican Republic’s ccTLD

An analysis of 41,140 Dominican Republic .do domains reveals widespread website inactivity and distinctive naming patterns, raising questions about domain speculation, brand protection and the international appeal of the country's Internet namespace.

Africa’s Digital Health Growth Exposes the Need for Stronger Cybersecurity Governance

As African healthcare systems adopt digital technologies, cybersecurity governance becomes essential to patient safety. Evidence from Ghana highlights gaps in institutional accountability, staff awareness and implementation, underscoring the need for stronger oversight and resilience.

The TLD Fight Is On: 1,615 Applications, and One Question Nobody Is Asking

ICANN's 2026 new gTLD round attracted 1,615 applications, with competition concentrated on contested extensions. Strong registration growth contrasts with weak renewal rates, raising questions about long-term demand and commercial viability.

From Apps to Agents: How the 2026 New gTLD Strings Mirror a Changed Internet

ICANN's 2026 new gTLD applications reveal a shift toward AI agents, developer infrastructure and digital trust, with .agent replacing .app as the most contested string amid growing competition and persistent geographic disparities.

AI Is Raising the Stakes for Language Inclusion on the Internet

Research from the Coalition on Digital Impact reveals persistent barriers to online participation in native languages, raising concerns that AI could deepen linguistic inequalities unless language support becomes a foundational requirement of digital infrastructure.

Big Brands, Bold Moves: The 2026 dotBrand Wave

ICANN's 2026 new gTLD round attracted 333 dotBrand applications, representing 20.6% of submissions. Participation across major industries reflects growing interest in controlling branded namespaces and strengthening enterprise digital identity.

Who Checks the Models? The Case for UN Oversight of Frontier AI

As AI agents demonstrate increasingly autonomous behavior, Gabriel Accascina proposes a UN-led evaluation system modeled on WHO prequalification, using independent testing and government procurement incentives to strengthen international oversight of frontier AI.

From Verification to Trust: Refreshing the Security Status Quo

Digital signatures, introduced by Whitfield Diffie and Martin E. Hellman in 1976's "New Directions in Cryptography," have provided the cornerstone of the internet's cybersecurity apparatus for decades. Every moment of every day, behind the scenes of nearly every secure online interaction, these signatures enable critical trust decisions made across the globe.

The Growth of Mobile-Dependent Households

Purdue researcher Roberto Gallardo finds that as US Internet access expanded, millions of households became mobile-dependent, highlighting persistent affordability, device and digital literacy barriers that infrastructure investment alone may not solve.

Verisign Informed™ Is a New High-Assurance Solution for Validating Trust

Earlier today, Verisign announced the launch of Verisign Informed, a new solution -- backed by Verisign's high-assurance infrastructure -- that combats the threat of "stale trust" in digital certificates by enabling critical trust decisions to be made using the most current status information available.

The Economics Behind AI’s Infrastructure Boom

AI's infrastructure boom is consuming vast amounts of capital, power and computing hardware, raising questions about whether advertising, subscriptions and corporate spending can ultimately support the industry's expanding cost base.

Africa Is Adopting AI but Who Is Governing the Risks?

African institutions are adopting AI across public services and business, but effective deployment requires governance structures that address cybersecurity, accountability, procurement, digital sovereignty, regulatory coordination and institutional capacity.