Internet Governance

ICANN87 in Bali Puts DNS Abuse and New gTLD Implementation in Focus

ICANN87 in Bali brings DNS abuse mitigation, registrant protections and the next gTLD round into focus as policymakers examine implementation challenges affecting domain registries, registrars and Internet users. more

ICANN’s New gTLD Round Draws 16 African Applications, 10 Controlled by a Chinese Business Network

A Seychelles company controlled by Lu Heng accounts for 10 of Africa's 16 new gTLD applications, linking ICANN's domain expansion to commercial interests and an ongoing dispute over AFRINIC's governance and IPv4 resources. more

Dutch Police Seize Italian Internet Provider’s Server at US Request

Dutch police seized a server belonging to Italian Internet provider Autistici/Inventati at US authorities' request, raising questions about cross-border law enforcement, terrorism sanctions and the vulnerability of European Internet infrastructure to American legal measures. more

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. more

ICANN Board to Review New gTLD Round Milestones, Root Server Governance Ahead of ICANN87

ICANN's Board will review milestones for the 2026 new gTLD round, root server governance reforms and preparations for international Internet governance meetings, with key implementation questions remaining unresolved. more

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. more

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. more

ICANN Study Links 56% of Malicious Domains to Related Registrations

ICANN researchers identified associated domains for 56.4% of malicious registrations studied, introducing a public-data detection method that could inform DNS abuse investigations and proposed registrar obligations. more

Why Africa Keeps Relearning the Same Digital Lessons

Africa's digital transformation challenge is not a lack of strategies or research, but weak institutional learning that prevents governments from preserving project lessons, applying evidence and avoiding repeated failures across administrations and technology programs. more

US AI Policy Applies Two Scales at Home and Abroad

The danger the White House dismisses at home has justified restricting frontier models abroad. Now, as Trump meets Xi Jinping, competing forces within his administration could determine who writes global AI rules and in what register. more

ICANN Comment Period Closes on Linking gTLDs With Alternative Naming Systems

ICANN is closing consultation on technical rules for linking gTLDs with matching alternative naming systems, as commenters debate controller requirements, security safeguards, policy boundaries and protections for existing registrations. more

Two Years After His Arrest, Pavel Durov Wants to Run His Own Registry

Telegram says it has applied for .gram, potentially giving a billion users DNS addresses while putting its governance, abuse controls, legal exposure and infrastructure under scrutiny as ICANN prepares to reveal applications. more

Caribbean-Born Niel Harper Joins ICANN Board, Sets Out Priorities in Q&A

Barbados-born cybersecurity specialist Niel Harper joins ICANN's board in October, aiming to strengthen Latin American and Caribbean participation, improve DNS security and abuse mitigation, and expand developing-economy access to the next gTLD round. more

ICANN Accountability Without gTLD Remedies Is Just Documentation

Past gTLD disputes show applicants can win ICANN accountability rulings without obtaining the contested string, raising a critical question for 2026 applicants about whether expanded review mechanisms can deliver meaningful remedies. more

When a Link Becomes a Border: The Quiet Geopolitics of Internet Access

A LinkedIn short-link anomaly in Iran reveals how sanctions, corporate compliance and geolocation controls can translate geopolitical boundaries into infrastructure-level restrictions, creating an Internet that remains globally connected while becoming functionally unequal. more