Looking Back at 20 Years of ICANN

I became interested in the global management of the Domain Name System (DNS) in 1991, soon after helping to create commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Sweden. We moved the Internet Exchange Point (IX) from Academia to the private sector and similarly the management of the SE country code top-level domain. The exercise was fascinating and it really tweaked my interest in the DNS and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. more

We NEED More Young Women to Consider Careers in Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs)

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers are some of the most challenging, dynamic, and lucrative in the world. STEM fields are crucial to driving innovation and sustained economic prosperity, yet finding the right talent to make businesses sustainable appears to be harder than ever before as 2.4 million STEM jobs will be unfilled by 2018. more

Tough Questions for ATRT

Public comments on the Proposed Recommendations published by the Accountability and Transparency Review Team ("ATRT") have now been submitted, and it is worth stepping back to evaluate ATRT's work in the context of ICANN's larger challenges. ATRT was constituted to carry out ICANN's commitments under the AoC. Yet at times ICANN acted as if ATRT were an adversary rather than a partner... more

DOTZON Study: Digital City Brands 2023

We've just published the 2023 edition of the DOTZON study "Digital City Brands." After introducing the study in early 2017, DOTZON has mapped how successful cities are using their Digital City Brands for the seventh year in a row. The Digital City Brand is the digital dimension of the City Brand and mirrors the "Digitalness" of a city. The advent of the Internet was why Digital City Brands came into being in the first place. more

An Agreement in Geneva

For all the tranquility at the end of last week's World Technology/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF), E.B. White's words come to mind: "there is nothing more likely to start disagreement among people or countries than an agreement." One also has to wonder though what a literary stylist like White would think of the linguistic gyrations demanded by the compromises reached at the WTPF in Geneva, and what they portend. more

The Christmas Goat and IPv6 (Year 13)

2022 was not a normal year for me. We sold our company of almost 25 years to Interlan Gefle AB to Nordlo Group, and I also moved away from Gävle city to Boänge, a small rural village outside Sandviken where my ISP (AS20626) still isn't ready for IPv6 in my location.... ☹ ( I use a Mikrotik with a Wireguard tunnel to solve my IPv6 today.) It's 2023 when I'm writing this, and I can't understand why ISPs still haven't deployed IPv6! more

US Facing a Human Capital Crisis in Cybersecurity, Says CSIS

A new study has been released by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th President that looks into cybersecurity manpower challenges in the United States. The report titled, "A Human Capital Crisis in Cybersecurity," is produced by CSIS - a bipartisan public and foreign policy think tank in Washington. more

So You’ve Got Some Big Data, but Now What?

As Internet connection continues on a steady path of becoming a ubiquitous commodity in mature markets, we saw an eruption of big data tracking and analysis software in 2014. But what are operators going to do with all this new information? And how can they turn data into revenue? To start with, providers need more than just a data measurement tool. They need a solution that can analyze real-time data and then automate processes to optimize their networks and improve their subscribers' experiences. more

A Report on Cyber Espionage Activities of Pawn Storm Over the Past Two Years

Pawn Storm, also known as Sednit, Fancy Bear, APT28, Sofacy, and STRONTIUM, is a cyber espionage organization operating for over a decade which has been particularly aggressive in the past few years. more

Protection Is Only One Side of the Security Coin

"Security is all about protecting the user." That's the comment that came up the other week in the twittersphere that kicked off a not-unexpected trail of pro and con tweets. Being limited to 140 characters makes it rather difficult to have a deep and meaningful discussion on the topic and the micro-blogging apparatus isn't particularly conducive to the communicating the nuances of a more detailed thought. So I thought I'd address the topic here in blog format instead. more

WTSA, WCIT, WTPF: Apocalypse Now?

The year 2012 isn't meant to be apocalyptic, and with a little forethought it won't be, but it is the year in which we will reopen the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs). For many companies this will be bad news for reasons that are already well-understood and for new reasons that countries keep piling onto the agenda: a recent favorite from Russia calls for the treaty to govern and regulate all telecommunications services, "existing, emerging, and future." more

United States Steps Up Digital Incursions Into Russia’s Electric Power Grid, According to NYT

The United States has shifted its Russia strategy more toward offense and inserted potentially crippling malware inside Russia's electric power grid at a depth and with an aggressiveness that had never been tried before, according to a New York Times's story that broke over the weekend. more

Fierce Political Battle Expected as FCC Chair Elaborated on Plan to Reverse ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai speaking in Washington today, said he wants to reverse rules that boosted government regulatory powers over Internet service providers. more

Brand Owners Hold Their Breath With New gTLD ?“Reveal Day” Delay

It has been quite a rollercoaster the past couple of weeks with the new gTLD application period ending on April 12th coupled with the suspension of the TLD Application System (TAS) due to a technical glitch. With over 1,200 applicants for new gTLDs confirmed by ICANN in the system, and the possibility of thousands of new gTLD applications to be published on "reveal day" brand owners have been holding their breath on the status of their applications. more

Correcting Federal Databases: A Procedural Guide

Federal databases, such as those being compiled by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, contain data about many people and businesses. Although some of this data may be protected personal information (PPI), there is also extensive information in federal databases that is publicly disseminated via the internet. If the information is wrong, it has the potential to be a vector of tortious mischief. more