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What Zone File Analysis Reveals About the Gap Between nTLD Registration Volume and Namespace Reality

Registration totals reveal size, not composition. Structural analysis of major new gTLDs finds strikingly similar architectures but meaningful differences in operator adoption, speculative holdings, and noise, suggesting namespace health requires more than volume metrics alone.

What the i2Coalition Article Misses About DNS Abuse

Authors defend research showing malicious domain registrations occur at industrial scale, arguing that blocklist data is reliable and that policymakers must prioritize prevention alongside mitigation to curb cybercriminal exploitation of the domain name market globally.

Public Data Is Not Public Infrastructure

Building infrastructure for public trademark data revealed a familiar lesson from Internet protocols: publishing information is only the beginning. The real challenge is engineering resilient systems that withstand inconsistent formats, unreliable sources, and organisational complexity.

.PK ccTLD Governance Issues and Pakistan’s Digital Future

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.

The 2026 New gTLD Round: A Strategic Framework for Risk Management

The 2026 new gTLD round is less a domain application than a high-stakes contest for digital territory. Contention, objections, opaque evaluations and information gaps can derail applicants long before launch, demanding rigorous strategic preparation.

DOTZON Study: Digital City Brands 2026

DOTZON's Digital City Brands 2026 study crowns .tokyo as the first Asian cityTLD to top the rankings, ending .berlin's four-year reign, while highlighting the growing role of city domains in digital identity, commerce and development.

Cybercriminals are Driving Significant Domain Name Market Demand

Cybercriminals are becoming a major force in the domain-name market, driving an estimated one-fifth of new gTLD registrations in 2025 and exposing how commercial incentives, weak enforcement, and scale continue to fuel online abuse.

Fake Domains, Real Harm: The Data Behind India’s DNS Abuse Crisis

New data on DNS abuse reveals most malicious domains remain active beyond 24 hours, while a handful of registrars host the bulk of infrastructure, leaving India's population of first-generation internet users uniquely exposed to fraud.

dotBrand Domains as Trust Infrastructure in the Age of AI

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.

The Quiet Value of .gov.ccTLD: Restricted SLDs as Trust Infrastructure

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.

Universal Acceptance Day and the Long Arc of Multilingualism

Universal Acceptance Day 2026 marks progress toward a multilingual internet, as UNESCO and ICANN deepen cooperation. Yet unresolved implementation failures and weak registry stewardship still hinder truly inclusive digital access worldwide.

Afnic Reports Record Year for .fr Domain Names in 2025

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.

Domain Security Report: Unicorns Show Strong Adoption in Key Domain Security Measures

Unicorn firms lead in DNS-based security adoption, signaling technical maturity, while Global 2000 rely on enterprise registrars. Gaps in redundancy and brand protection expose supply chain risks as cyberattacks intensify across industries globally today.

Trusted Notifier Network (TNN) Core Concept 1: Unfair Cost Transfer and Reversal of Commercial Best

A flawed abuse-response system shifts costs from perpetrators to intermediaries, overwhelming enforcement. The Trusted Notifier Network seeks to realign incentives, curb low-quality reporting, and restore efficiency by embedding trust, accountability, and cost redistribution.

Securing Digital Brand Borders in a Fragmented World

GlobalBlock's expansion into China and Germany signals a shift from reactive brand protection to centralized prevention, as firms seek scalable, cost efficient defences against proliferating AI driven domain abuse worldwide amid a fragmented digital landscape.

News Briefs

CENTR Warns Against Excessive Burdens in EU Cybersecurity Overhaul

DNS Censorship Report Warns of Rising Domain Suspensions

ICANN Opens New gTLD Applications for First Time Since 2012, With $227K Entry Fee and 27 Scripts

14th Registration Operations Workshop Set for September 30, 2025

The Edgemoor Research Institute and TWNIC Launch Project Jake to Advance DNS Security and Data Transparency

ICANN Warns of Governance Crisis at AFRINIC Amid Allegations and Legal Challenges

ICANN Warns of Possible Sanctions Over AFRINIC Election Irregularities

ICANN Demands Fairness in AFRINIC Board Elections Amid Governance Concerns

ccTLD Registries Push Back Against EU’s Disinformation Crackdown

The .FR TLD in 2024: Consolidation of Benefits of the Digital Transformation

Colombian Government Accelerates .CO Domain RFP Process

CENTR Study Highlights Role of Content in Domain Renewal

PIR Reaches 11 Million .ORG Domains, Citing Growth and Online Safety Efforts

NIS 2 Directive Set for Implementation with New Guidelines, But Concerns Remain

Colombia Avoids $350 Million Lawsuit Over “.co” Domain Dispute

CENTR Announces Public Release of the Code for Its Domain Crawler Project

CENTR Releases 2024 TLD Insights

CENTR Unveils Key Principles for Internet Policy Ahead of 2024 EU Elections

European Domain Growth Shows Positive Signs Amid Challenges in 2023

Afrinic Faces Receivership Amidst Legal Battles

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Taking Back the DNS

When Registrars Look the Other Way, Drug-Dealers Get Paid

Ask Vint Cerf: The Road Ahead for Top-Level Domains

Who Is Blocking WHOIS? Part 2

ICANN Complaint System Easily Gamed

Industry Updates

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