Privacy Matters: Is It Time To Abolish The WHOIS Database?

Recently, I entered my domain name in a "WHOIS" database query to test the results of the database by using WHOIS on a number of domain name registrar websites. WHOIS is a database service that allows Internet users to look up a number of matters associated with domain names, including the full name of the owner of a domain name, the name of the domain name hosting service, the Internet Protocol or I.P. number(s) corresponding to the domain name, as well as personally identifying information on those who have registered domain names. I was astonished to find... more

What’s My Name Got to Do With It?

For about 3 years I had been studying graphic design and finally after much searching decided to use bmw-design.com for my domain name. I chose bmw for my initials Bernadette Maria Walker. I searched for availability on Network Solutions and was happy to see that it had not been taken, so I registered my new domain name. This all seemed very innocent to me and I even designed my logo around this name. Then 5 days later I got this letter via FedEx from BMW Motor Company in Germany... more

ICANN Outlines Internet Governance Agenda for IGF 2026

ICANN outlines its IGF 2026 agenda in Nairobi, focusing on multilingual Internet access, multistakeholder governance and Africa's technical community, with discussions on Universal Acceptance, new gTLDs and participation following the WSIS+20 review. more

Finnish Court Jails Two Ship Crew Members for Baltic Sea Cable Damage

A Finnish court sentences two cargo ship crew members to prison for damaging Baltic Sea telecommunications cables, addressing criminal responsibility and jurisdiction over critical infrastructure beyond territorial waters. more

AFRINIC, Member Rights and Executive Interference

AFRINIC's effort to remove Cloud Innovation from its company register has intensified a dispute over court orders, membership rights, executive authority, and the accountability of Internet number registry administrators. more

Forced Representation: RIPE NCC, “Chinese Disinformation,” and the Fiction of an Inclusive Community

Following a disputed exchange at a RIPE NCC General Meeting, Lu Heng argues that nationality-based dismissal of criticism undermines inclusive participation and raises questions about the legitimacy of community-derived institutional authority. more

The February Case That Could End Africa’s Internet Registry

Cloud Innovation's petition to dissolve AFRINIC returns to Mauritius's Supreme Court in 2027, raising questions about the registry's governance, contested membership rights, legal costs and continuity of Internet address services across Africa. more

Registrars Must Offer DNSSEC, but Fewer Than One in Ten Use It Themselves

A study of 698 ICANN-accredited registrar domains finds just 9.46% have DNSSEC enabled, with European registrars leading adoption. Regional differences remain significant after accounting for registrar size, raising questions about security practices. more

Africa Youth IGF: Political Leaders Must Listen, Not Just Speak

Youth Internet governance forums across Africa risk prioritizing political speeches over meaningful dialogue. Stronger accountability, direct engagement and sustained participation could help young people influence the digital policies shaping their future. more

Shopify Filing Points to $99 Million Price for Shop.com Domain Acquisition

Shopify's financial filing reveals a $99 million expenditure linked to its Shop.com acquisition, potentially exceeding the previous domain sale record of $70 million, although the company has not separately confirmed the domain's purchase price. more

Cyberattacks on Supermarket Refrigeration Systems Spread Across Europe

Cyberattacks disrupted refrigeration systems at more than 100 European stores, destroying food inventories and exposing vulnerabilities in Internet-connected controllers. Authorities recommend isolating affected equipment, while investigators examine possible connections to earlier attacks. more

Who Tells the Time? Measuring NTP Exposure Across Publicly Routed IPv4 Prefixes

A study of Dominican Republic networks identified NTP responders across 225 IPv4 prefixes and 73 autonomous systems, raising questions about unintended public exposure, synchronization dependencies and the availability of an official national time service. more

Beware the Bots: Rising AI Traffic Threatens to Reshape ISP Networks

Rapidly growing bot traffic is changing how Internet networks are designed, managed and billed. As AI-driven applications expand, smaller ISPs could face rising capacity demands, unpredictable traffic patterns and costly infrastructure upgrades. more

Maintaining the ITU “Artificial Intelligence” Resolution

A US proposal would replace "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence" in ITU Resolution 214, remove references to shared concerns and prohibit ITU work supporting AI governance, regulation and ethics. more

DNS Hijacking Campaign Targets 12 Cryptocurrency Sites as Registrar-Level Compromise Investigated

A coordinated wave of DNS hijackings redirected visitors from 12 cryptocurrency websites to wallet-draining pages, with affected operators reporting registrar-level compromises involving domain services associated with Vercel Domains and Name.com. more