SpaceX and Indonesia Launch SATRIA-1 Satellite: A $540 Million Leap Towards Comprehensive Internet Connectivity

In a joint venture worth $540 million, SpaceX and Indonesia have successfully launched SATRIA-1, the nation's largest telecommunication satellite, to improve internet connectivity in remote regions of the archipelago. more

Let’s Get the Politics Out of Infrastructure

I believe the infrastructure of our country, states, and counties is critically important to our future. If we can get focused on infrastructure and global warming, the future for our kids and grandkids will be bright. All it takes is vision, leadership, and investment. Unfortunately, the issues have become politicized. In the case of infrastructure, the politicians have a tough time just defining what infrastructure is. more

US Intelligence Officially Accuses Russian Government for the DNC Hack

In a joint statement today by the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security, Russia has been blamed for hacking and publishing archived emails from the Democratic National Committee this summer. more

It’s Time for ICANN to Release a Preliminary Applicant Guidebook

At ICANN's recent virtual meeting, I was fortunate enough to join a panel facilitated by the Brand Registry Group (BRG), an association of organisations promoting the use of brand top-level domains, where we discussed the release of the next round of the generic top-level domain (gTLD) program. The fact that I was participating in a discussion like this is hardly news, as I've been commenting on the policy discussions and debating its role in the digital landscape for years. more

Internet Society CEO: We are Deeply Troubled by Unprecedented U.S. Entry Bans

Internet Society President and CEO, Kathy Brown has released a public note today stating that the U.S. entry ban has places an unwarranted burden on people in the organization. more

AFRINIC’s Election Crisis Exposes Why RIR Oversight Must Evolve

What might look like a routine procedural dispute over votes is, in fact, a glaring reminder that Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are now geopolitical pressure points - and that ICANN's oversight of RIR governance must evolve to meet these risks. On 23 June 2025, AFRINIC, the RIR that serves Africa, attempted to hold long-delayed elections to restore stability after years of legal battles and board paralysis. Yet instead of restoring trust, the process imploded almost immediately. more

Stay Safe Online: Fifth Annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month

This month marks the fifth annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) will be actively engaging public and private sector partners through events and initiatives to increase overall awareness and minimize vulnerabilities. This year, according to DHS, 28 state governors signed a proclamation in recognition of National Cyber Security Awareness Month and 51 endorsements were provided by companies, non-profits, universities and government agencies. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. To learn more, visit DHS and StaySafeOnline.org. more

Longevity of Phishing Websites Dropped by 25% Since Last Year, Study Finds

A new phishing survey released by the Anti-Phishing Work Group (APWG) reveals that the longevity of phishing Web sites dropped by 25 percent over the last year. The survey has also revealed that a single criminal syndicate dubbed "Avalanche" was responsible for nearly one quarter of all phishing attacks in the first half of 2009. Indications are that the gang is continuing to claim a larger proportion of all detected phishing attacks. more

Enhanced Cooperation v2005 is Dead; Long Live Enhanced Cooperation

The page with the WSIS version of enhanced cooperation of Internet governance, developed in 2005, was turned forever on 30 September 2016 with the expiration of the IANA contract between the NTIA and ICANN. The IANA arrangement was the last issue that remained unchanged since the WSIS Tunis phase where the international community discussed Internet governance related issues for the first time. On 1 October 2016, the concept of enhanced cooperation as defined by the Tunis Agenda ceased to exist. more

A Note on Subscriptions with Introductory Pricing

Over the years, I've kept tabs on residential Internet services in my local area (Vancouver, BC) and noticed that almost all providers have the following "limited time offer"... On the surface, this sounds like a great way to entice users to sign up -- or more importantly, switch over. But are we missing something here? After the initial discounted rate, subscribers receive a friendly reminder of what their subscription actually costs. And chances are, they're not going to be happy with their next bill. more

The Battles in the Online Video Game Streaming Market Are Heating Up

In a previous article, I reported on the problems that Facebook (Meta) is facing – currently betting the house on its Meta service, based on a software platform that will create a virtual reality (VR) networked environment. I mentioned that I was critical about this business model and that I don’t see, at least for the foreseeable future, a platform (based on VR) that would turn the internet or mobile networks into VR environments. I also mention that I do see interesting markets for VR in certain sectors. more

G7 Nations Set Cybersecurity Guidelines for Financial Sector

The Group of Seven industrial powers today announced an agreement on guidelines aimed at protecting global financial sector from cyberattacks amidst a series of cross-border bank thefts by hackers. Jason Lange from Washington reporting in Reuters. more

Binding .ORG and the Community Together

In direct response to the enormous interest and input we have seen from the .ORG community over the past several months, Ethos and Public Interest Registry (PIR) have made tremendous strides in laying out our collective vision for .ORG and put forth unprecedented commitments and protections for the .ORG community. Over the last two weeks, in particular, we have taken concrete actions to better align the community's interests with the operations of PIR and .ORG. more

Exploring Common Ground: Human Rights at ICANN

Our relationship to human rights is ambivalent. We take them for granted, we don't want to be without them, but on the other hand, we see them as somewhat abstract and aspirational, a lofty ideal easily forgotten and set aside in our daily struggles. When it comes to the digital domain, human rights are seen by many as an unwanted source of regulations in an industry that demands "unregulated innovation." more

Increasingly Aggressive Russia, Cyberwarfare a Growing Threat to UK, Says MI5 Chief

"In the first newspaper interview given by an incumbent MI5 chief in the service's 107-year history, Andrew Parker said that at a time when much of the focus was on Islamic extremism, covert action from other countries was a growing danger. Most prominent was Russia," Ewen MacAskill and Paul Johnson reporting in The Guardian. more