The early stages of internet development operated in a culture of independence from outside influence. In fact, as though to commemorate the spirit of the times, in 1996, John Perry Barlow wrote "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace." In it, he told governments they "have no sovereignty where we gather." He went on to state, "Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere, but it is not where bodies live." more
Elon Musk is a self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist" which leads some to worry that Twitter will be open to the sort of thing one finds at gab.com if his purchase of the company is completed. I have no idea what Musk plans to do with Twitter but let me offer some optimistic speculation. For a start, I don't believe Musk will use Twitter to advance right-wing candidates or policy. more
The year 2025 will be a landmark year for digital diplomacy and global governance. It is the year of wrapping up the UN cybersecurity OEWG and the negotiations on cybercrime at the Ad Hoc group. It's the year UN member states will decide on the future of the World Summit of Information Society process and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). more
The GNSO Council and the ICANN Board both seem poised to grant sufficient runway to the community to refine an idea for a simple ticketing system designed to centralize requests for registrant information disclosures and provide meaningful data that is likely to help ICANN staff enhance its assessment of the SSAD proposal. This is very good news for those who advocate for consumer safety and trust on the Internet, and it is very good news for the ICANN multistakeholder model. more
Speculation about Russia disconnecting or being disconnected from the wider Internet abounds. In this article, we look at the connectivity of the Russian Internet to the wider Internet and how this evolved around the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the related sanctions. more
The musings of one volunteer summarize the problem: "As a newcomer to ICANN, I was always frustrated by the fact that I could never get a straight answer to the question 'How much time does it take?' There was always an awkward silence, a vaguely worded response. Now, years later, I know that no one in their right mind would sign up knowingly for the long hours and late shifts required to be a full participant in this game. It is a groundbreaking project that really matters. But you will get a lot more recognition and immediate satisfaction for volunteering far fewer hours at your local food bank." more
We are experiencing a time of global challenges. How to mitigate global warming, fight a global pandemic, and prevent the spread of totalitarianism and war, are just some of the most urgent questions. Digital technologies offer us the tools to unite and face these challenges, instead, we have experienced the deterioration of the Internet into a Splinternet. Is Multistakeholderism, the currently dominant guiding principle of Internet Governance, still up to the task? more
For companies with global aspirations, Russian has long been considered a "must support" language. These days, that is no longer the case. But even before Putin decided to invade Ukraine, the Russian language had been slipping, ever so slightly, in global website support. While support for Ukrainian has been steadily rising. I’ve been tracking the languages supported by the leading global brands for nearly 20 years and... more
Domain Name System (DNS) Operators (Registries and Registrars) receive notices asking them to take action on a wide range of alleged technical and content-related abuses. However, there is a fundamental question of when it is appropriate to act at the DNS level and the evaluation of whether the alleged abuse meets a sufficient threshold for action at the DNS level. Additionally, given the volume of abuses occurring on the internet, existing resources, mechanisms, and protocols available in-house to Operators are in many cases insufficient to address abuses in a timely fashion. more
As we watch the Ukraine and Russia conflict over boundaries and territories, I chanced upon a YouTube video showing the region of Europe and how, for the last 1000 years, national boundaries and names of nations have changed where in 1142, you had nations like Muslim Spain, Kievan Rus. In 1143 the Kievan Rus included modern-day Ukraine and Crimea, and in 1163 bulk of Central and Southern Europe was the Holy Roman Empire... more
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