News Briefs

ICANN Commenters Urge Limits on Proposed Domain Abuse Checks

ICANN commenters broadly support proposed registrar checks of domains associated with known DNS abuse but urge evidentiary safeguards to prevent weak associations from triggering action against legitimate domains. more

EU Sets Sustainability Labels for Larger Data Centers

The European Commission has adopted an A-to-G sustainability rating system for larger data centers, grading energy and water efficiency as EU computing demand grows and regulators consider binding performance standards. 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

Candle Submarine Cable Reaches Indonesia on Route Across Six Asian Markets

The 8,000-kilometre Candle submarine cable has landed in Batam, advancing a six-market Asian system designed for 570 Tbps capacity, 24 fiber pairs and geographically diverse routes ahead of commercial service in 2028. more

AWS Says Iran Strikes Caused Permanent Customer Data Loss in Bahrain and UAE

AWS says Iranian strikes caused permanent customer data loss in Bahrain and the UAE, exposing the limits of Availability Zone redundancy when physical destruction affects multiple cloud facilities within a region. more

UK, US and Dutch Agencies Expose Iranian Spyware Targeting Dissidents and Journalists

UK, US and Dutch agencies have exposed Iranian state-linked spyware that uses personalized social engineering to compromise Windows devices and surveil dissidents, activists and journalists, capturing communications, files, audio and other sensitive data. more

Study Finds Tribal-Built Broadband Network Linked to 4% Income Gain

A tribal-built broadband network on Washington's Colville Reservation was associated with a 4% income increase, offering evidence that connectivity can produce economic gains even without substantial growth in household broadband subscriptions. more

Canada Plans Sovereign Broadband Backbone With New Fibre Investment Incentive

Ottawa plans to help finance a national broadband backbone with direct links to Europe and Asia, while new tax incentives aim to spur fibre investment and strengthen Canadian control over critical digital infrastructure. more

Cyberattackers Are Using AI Across More of the Kill Chain, Anthropic Reports

Anthropic says attackers are increasingly using AI agents to orchestrate cyber operations, automating reconnaissance, exploitation, data theft and malware adaptation while lowering the expertise and resources previously required for sophisticated attacks. more

Amazon Taps Qualcomm for AI Chips and Optical Data Center Networking With $60 Billion Purchase Milestones

Amazon's Qualcomm deal spans custom AI inference chips and optical networking, with equity warrants tied to purchasing milestones reaching $60 billion, potentially expanding competition across the data-center compute and connectivity supply chain. more

ICANN Sets Guidelines to Advance Universal Acceptance of Internationalized Domains and Email

ICANN's new Universal Acceptance guidelines target persistent interoperability gaps that prevent internationalized domain names and email addresses from working reliably across browsers, identity systems, applications and other Internet infrastructure. more

FCC Moves to Open 1,050 MHz of Spectrum to Satellite Broadband

The FCC plans to open 1,050 MHz in the 12.7 GHz and 42 GHz bands to expanded satellite use, adding capacity for broadband, mobile connectivity, inter-satellite links and ground networks. more

G7 Cyber Agencies Urge Immediate Post-Quantum Migration Planning

G7 cybersecurity agencies are pressing governments and organizations to inventory cryptographic dependencies and accelerate post-quantum migration as long transition timelines and future quantum attacks threaten Internet security infrastructure. more

ICANN Taps Analysys Mason for Key 2026 New gTLD Reviews

Analysys Mason will run geographic and reserved-name reviews for ICANN's 2026 new-gTLD round, applying rules that can determine whether proposed strings advance, require government support, qualify for exceptions, or face further evaluation. more

Canada Sets National Principles for Responsible Data-Centre Development

Canada's voluntary framework asks data-center developers to cover electricity-system costs, limit water and environmental impacts, disclose local effects and deliver national benefits as the country expands sovereign AI and cloud infrastructure. more