UN Cybercrime Convention: Time Is Running Out to Address Draft’s Urgent Risks to Human Rights

In two weeks, final negotiations will begin on the UN's proposed Cybercrime Convention, a document which has elicited widespread concern from civil society, industry groups, and some states due to the serious risks it poses to human rights, including privacy and freedom of expression. Since 2022, GPD and other groups, including EFF, Human Rights Watch and Privacy International, have sought to alert stakeholders within the process to the need for substantial revisions... more

Sensitive Data Discovery: The First Step in Data Breach Protection

Users are tired of hearing about data breaches that put their sensitive information at risk. Reports show that cybercriminals stole 6.41 million records in the first quarter of 2023 alone. From medical data to passwords and even DNA information, hackers have stolen a lot of sensitive information in 2023. more

From Concept to Reality: A Roadmap to Acquire Your gTLD in 2026

In today's rapidly evolving internet landscape, staying up-to-date with the latest developments and trends is crucial for businesses looking to strengthen their online presence. One highly anticipated development that organizations have eagerly awaited is the next round of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). more

Nominations Open for 2024 Public Interest Registry (PIR) Board of Directors

Are you interested in helping guide the future of the Public Interest Registry (PIR), the non-profit operator of the .ORG, .NGO and .ONG domains? (and more) Or do you know of someone who would be a good candidate? If so, the Internet Society is seeking nominations for two positions on the PIR Board of Directors. The nomination deadline is 31 January 2024. more

3 Processes That Ensure IoT Cybersecurity Compliance

IoT devices have ingrained themselves into almost every aspect of modern life. From home assistants to industrial machinery, it's hard to find a device that isn't connected to a network and gathering data. Despite widespread adoption, IoT cybersecurity compliance remains surprisingly low. A big reason for this is the unique challenges IoT devices pose to operators. more

DOTZON Study: Digital Company Brands 2023

DOTZON presents the sixth edition of the Digital Company Brands study. After having introduced the study in 2018, DOTZON continued to expand and enhance the underlying data to display how companies successfully use their Digital Company Brands. The Digital Company Brand is the digital dimension of a company brand and mirrors the "digitalness "of a company. more

Damaging Malware Uncovered in the Google Play Store

Android users can choose from 3.718 million applications in the Google Play Store. When installing applications, the majority of consumers trust Google to keep their devices safe from hackers. However, the reality is different. Just back in May 2023, researchers discovered over 101 infected applications in the Android store. Many of these apps counted over 400 million downloads. more

A Multistakeholder Model if We Can Keep It: 25 Years of ICANN

I go back to the International Forum on the White Paper (IFWP). (Like Jeff, I was very young.) The Department of Commerce had just issued the White Paper, and there was a proposal that we pass control of the critical Internet identifiers to a new not-for-profit corporation with a bottom-up Multistakeholder way of making policy and an international board of directors. more

Nominations Open for 2023 Internet Society Board of Trustees

Are you (or someone you know) passionate about protecting the global, open Internet? And ensuring that it is available to everyone? Do you have leadership experience in business, government, philanthropy, and/or the nonprofit sector? If so, please consider submitting a nomination for a seat on the Internet Society Board of Trustees to help guide the future of the organization. more

Challenges in Measuring DNS Abuse

From the creation of DNSAI Compass ("Compass"), we knew that measuring DNS Abuse1 would be difficult and that it would be beneficial to anticipate the challenges we would encounter. With more than a year of published reports, we are sharing insights into one of the obstacles we have faced. One of our core principles is transparency and we've worked hard to provide this with our methodology. more

The Future of the Internet From the Perspective of a NextGen@ICANN 78

This year, the 25th anniversary of the creation of ICANN was celebrated. The date carries a commemorative meaning, highlighting the trajectory of this institution that has been fundamental in the coordination and administration of Internet resources. However, this milestone also highlights the growing challenges facing Internet Governance in the current global landscape. more

What Would a Human Rights-Based Approach to AI Governance Look Like?

Over the past year, discussions around artificial intelligence (AI) have saturated media and policy environments. Perspectives on it vary widely: from boosterist narratives, which posit the limitless potential of AI-powered technologies to help overcome social inequalities and accelerate industrial development, to apocalyptic framings, which suggest that a (speculative) 'artificial general intelligence' could make humans extinct. more

Business Logic Vulnerabilities Are the Hidden Menace in Modern Software

The first things that usually come to mind when talking about software development risks are bugs and security issues that have not been detected or those that have been discovered but left unaddressed. Some may also point out poor code quality reviews and the use of third-party components and dependencies laced with malicious code. more

Unbundling the Social Media Stack - Could a Decentralized Protocol Bring Real Choice and Control?

Project Liberty's Institute sat down with Wendy Seltzer, an advisor to the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP). Wendy was counsel to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and has served on the boards of The Tor Project, Open Source Hardware Association and ICANN. more

Shaky Consensus at the OEWG on ICTs: Where Next for UN Discussions on State Behaviour in Cyberspace?

On 24-28 July, states convened in New York for the fifth session of the UN First Committee's Open ended Working Group on ICTs (OEWG), which aims to establish a common understanding of - and further develop the framework for - responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. This session marked a critical juncture in the process, with states negotiating the OEWG's annual progress report... more