Project Jake aims to bridge the divide between internet protocols and policy, offering registries, law enforcement and rights holders a decentralised framework for accessing domain-registration data securely while navigating privacy laws and institutional gridlock. more
ICANN's 2026 gTLD round drew more than 1,600 applications, led by ambitious portfolio investors. But scant brand disclosures and new rules banning private settlements could make contention costlier and reshape the economics of domain ownership. more
ICANN's second major domain expansion round closes August 12, with costly applications, support for 27 non-Latin scripts and stricter technical vetting setting the stage for a broader, more multilingual internet naming system. more
Pakistan's .pk domain has long been controlled by a private company abroad, raising concerns over digital sovereignty, cybersecurity and accountability. Repeated breaches, offshore infrastructure and weak governance have left a critical national asset exposed and contested. more
Europe's national domain registries support the EU's Cybersecurity Act 2 but warn that supplier restrictions, overlapping compliance rules and broad supply chain definitions could undermine critical internet infrastructure and burden essential service operators. more
As AI agents automate phishing, impersonation and domain abuse at machine scale, the Brand Registry Group argues that dotBrand domains are evolving from marketing assets into trust infrastructure underpinning cybersecurity, identity and interactions across the internet. more
An official-looking renewal notice reveals how open namespaces shift verification burdens onto users. Restricted government domains like .gov.au function as trust infrastructure, embedding authority into the namespace and reducing fraud, confusion, and verification costs. more
ARTICLE 19 warns that governments are increasingly exploiting internet infrastructure to silence critics, using domain suspensions to block entire websites while regulators and registry operators debate how to balance online safety, technical abuse prevention and freedom of expression. more
ICANN reopens applications for new top-level domains after 14 years, charging $227,000 per bid while tightening rules, as it seeks to expand multilingual access and reshape competition in the internet's naming system. more
Afnic's 2025 review finds .fr registrations at a record 4.3m, with strong new domain creation and steady retention, even as competition from .com and shifting digital trends temper expectations for future growth in 2026 overall. more
Project Jake invites global DNS stakeholders to test JADDAR, a privacy-respecting framework for secure access to registration data, aiming to reduce regulatory fragmentation and modernise domain governance through collaborative, policy-aligned engineering solutions. more
With the NIS2 Directive now in effect, a new annex to ICANN contracts offers registries and registrars a practical, flexible path to Article 28 compliance. Early adoption has drawn international praise. more
The domain industry in 2025 saw rapid consolidation, rising regulatory pressure, and a strategic pivot toward AI, trust infrastructure, and tokenization, reshaping domains from static web addresses into dynamic assets for digital identity and commerce. more
ICANN's role in Smart Africa's governance blueprint highlights a widening divide between legality and legitimacy. Funding and participation occurred without early community consultation, raising concerns about procedural integrity, RIR independence, and the precedent such interventions may set for global Internet governance. more
Despite offering robust protection for the Domain Name System, DNSSEC suffers from poor adoption due to its complexity, cost, and operational risks. Automation and algorithmic improvements now offer practical solutions for broader deployment. more