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Featured Blogs

The Architecture of Silence and the End of the Global Internet Commons

Pari Esfandiari Iran's deliberate disconnection from the global internet reveals a deeper crisis in digital governance, where state-led suppression and procedural legitimacy now threaten the foundational architecture and human rights principles of an open web.

From Localization to Globalization: Challenges and Evolution of LEO Satellite Communication on RIR Geographic Allocation Principles

Kenny Huang Low Earth Orbit satellite networks are dismantling traditional IP address allocation models. As signals defy borders, Regional Internet Registries face challenges in geolocation accuracy, routing security, and the definition of digital territory itself.

The Unprepared gTLD Applicant of 2026

Sophia Bekele The gTLD race is not just about technical readiness. Governance strategy, institutional stamina, and adversarial foresight will define success in ICANN's 2026 round, where geopolitical resistance, not DNS errors, threatens survival.

Starlink Update: Expansion, Performance Gains and Network Developments

Doug Dawson Starlink expanded to 42 new countries in 2025, added 2.7 million customers, improved network speeds and latency, and continued satellite launches as it nears its first-phase constellation goal of 12,000 satellites.

Undersea Cables as a Layer of the AI Tech Stack

Charles Mok As AI shifts from experimentation to real-world deployment, its unseen foundation - undersea cables - emerges as a strategic frontier. Their resilience may shape not only infrastructure policy but the outcome of US-China AI competition.

ICANN Seeks Community Input for 2026 NomCom Cycle (Comments Due 21 January 2026)

Thomas Barrett ICANN's Nominating Committee is calling for community input to help shape its 2026 leadership selection. Feedback on candidate criteria, job descriptions, and process improvements is due by 21 January 2026.

Nominations Open for 2026 Public Interest Registry (PIR) Board of Directors

Lauren Terrell The Internet Society is accepting nominations for two seats on the 2026 Board of the Public Interest Registry, the non-profit behind .ORG and other domains serving civil society. Deadline: 30 January 2026.

Who Authorizes Legitimacy if the Community Is Absent in the Redefined Procedural Space?

Amin Dayekh In African Internet governance, procedural authorship is quietly displacing community legitimacy. When conveners, not members, define reform processes, legitimacy becomes retrospective and trust erodes -- not by intention, but through unchecked structural roles.

The Internet’s Legitimacy Gap: When Governance Outgrew Its Architecture

Amin Dayekh Internet governance is shifting from participatory forums to security-driven mandates. As authority accelerates ahead of legitimacy, technical systems face growing instability and operators absorb the risks of politically motivated control.

World Internet Statistics December 2025

Doug Dawson Global internet use has surpassed six billion users, yet stark divides persist between regions, genders and urban-rural populations. Meanwhile, download speeds have surged and smartphones now dominate how people access the web worldwide.

Starlink in Ukraine: What Three Years of Wartime Connectivity Taught Us

Larry Press What began as an emergency response evolved into critical wartime infrastructure. Ukraine's experience with Starlink reveals the strategic risks and benefits of relying on privately operated networks for national resilience and defence.

Internet Governance in 2026: Sovereignty, Security, and the Limits of Multistakeholderism

Joanna Kulesza As Internet governance fragments in 2026, authority shifts from open, multistakeholder forums to state-led security regimes, legal instruments, and alliance-based cooperation, challenging longstanding institutions and reshaping global norms through enforcement rather than consensus.

The Domain Name’s New Role in the AI Web

Simone Catania As AI transforms how users search, the domain name is evolving from a traffic destination into a trust signal - crucial for citation, identity, and authority in an Internet shaped by machine-mediated discovery.

Smartphones and Digital Literacy

Doug Dawson As smartphones become the primary gateway to the internet for billions, a critical question emerges: does app-based digital fluency prepare users for the demands of computer-based work in a modern economy?

Why the IGF Now Sits at the Fault Line

Amin Dayekh The UN's move to grant permanence to the Internet Governance Forum reframes legitimacy in digital policy. As states accelerate action, multistakeholder processes risk becoming ceremonial, with speed replacing consent as the arbiter of influence.

A Paradigm Shift in Telecom Services: TSP Competing With OTTs in the Era of RCS

Sami Salih Telecom operators are challenging OTT platforms by deploying Rich Communication Services. This reversal of roles prompts fresh regulatory scrutiny, revives the case for network neutrality, and demands a risk-based approach to preserving digital competition.

Seven Stages of the Internet

Doug Dawson The Internet is evolving far beyond screens and smartphones. A proposed seven-stage framework anticipates a future shaped by autonomous agents, sensory wearables, global connectivity, and quantum networks redefining how humans interact with the digital world.

WSIS+20: A Small Light of Hope in a Darkening Political Landscape

Wolfgang Kleinwächter Despite deep geopolitical divides, the WSIS+20 outcome document was adopted by consensus, preserving a multistakeholder vision for the digital future while deferring controversial issues to a time more conducive to progress.

What Will Shape the Internet in 2026: Power, Politics, and Infrastructure

Paulius Judickas In 2026, internet infrastructure will be reshaped by geopolitics, grid constraints, and regulatory shifts. Firms that treat data location, power access, and legal compliance as strategic priorities will gain competitive advantage.

The Domain Industry in 2025: Infrastructure Consolidation, Regulatory Milestones, and the AI Pivot

Simone Catania 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.

News Briefs

Iran Nears Completion of Internet Kill Switch Amid Protests, Says Iran International

Iran is finalizing a nationwide internet isolation system that would allow authorities to disconnect from the global web, as protests continue and external equipment sources, including Huawei, remain shrouded in secrecy. more

Why Starlink is Failing to Pierce Iran’s Total Internet Blackout

Iran's regime has all but nullified, for the most part, Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network using advanced jamming, legal threats, and raids, turning a promising tool for protestors into a cautionary tale of digital authoritarianism. more

Image Iran Cuts Off Internet Nationwide as Regime Disrupts Even Starlink Amid Expanding Protests

Iran has imposed a sweeping internet blackout amid nationwide protests, disrupting even Starlink satellite service. The move marks a new level of digital repression, raising fears of an impending crackdown shielded from global view. more

ICANN Announces Deadline for 2026 New Top-Level Domain Applications

ICANN will open applications for new top-level domains in April 2026, offering brands a rare chance to secure custom domain names to enhance trust, marketing flexibility, and long-term online security. more

Governing the Invisible: AI Risks in Telecom Infrastructure Outpace Global Legal Frameworks

As AI systems take on critical roles in telecommunications, global regulatory frameworks remain outdated and fragmented, leaving essential infrastructure vulnerable to novel risks that current laws on cybersecurity and data protection fail to address. more

NANOG 95: From Faster Fibre to Route Leaks, Operators Face Old Problems with New Tools

The NANOG 95 conference spotlighted breakthroughs in fibre optics, wireless technology, routing security, and quantum computing, offering a forward-looking assessment of internet infrastructure and its vulnerabilities, as reported by APNIC's Geoff Huston. more

AWS Unveils Route 53 “Accelerated Recovery” to Bolster DNS Resilience

AWS is introducing Route 53 Accelerated Recovery to help organizations maintain DNS control during regional outages, offering a 60-minute recovery objective and sustained access to key API operations for critical updates and traffic management. more

Image US Senators Move to Shield Undersea Internet Cables from Global Threats

A bipartisan Senate bill seeks to strengthen U.S. oversight and global coordination to protect undersea fiber-optic cables, vital infrastructure increasingly targeted by geopolitical adversaries, natural disasters, and cyber or physical sabotage. more

China Spurs eSIM Boom as Global Connections Set to Quadruple by 2030

Global eSIM connections are projected to reach 4.9 billion by 2030, driven by China's rapid adoption, new provisioning standards, and growing demand across smartphones, industrial devices, and the expanding Internet of Things ecosystem. more

Image Configuration Chaos: Cloudflare Explains Major Outage in Detailed Post-Mortem

Cloudflare has detailed the cause of a global outage in a post-mortem report, revealing that a flawed internal database change -- not a cyberattack -- caused widespread service disruption across its network and customer systems. more

Image Cloudflare Outage Highlights Internet’s Growing Single Points of Failure

Cloudflare's global outage caused cascading failures across the internet, reigniting concerns about the concentration of web infrastructure and the urgent need for more resilient, transparent systems to support critical online services. more

AI System Abused in China-Linked Cyberattack, Says Anthropic

A Chinese-linked cyberattack exploited Anthropic's Claude AI to infiltrate global institutions with limited human input, prompting urgent calls for regulation and sparking debate over the growing autonomy of artificial intelligence in digital threats. more

Image AI Boom Spurs Record Investment in Undersea Cables Amid Geopolitical and Security Concerns

As AI accelerates global data demand, tech giants are investing heavily in subsea cables. These critical networks face rising geopolitical scrutiny and security risks, reshaping the future of digital infrastructure and global connectivity. more

Governance or Capture? Africa’s Internet Rules Face a Double Standard, Expert Warns

Alice Munyua criticises ICANN's support for a proposed African internet governance overhaul, arguing it undermines multistakeholder principles and sets a dangerous precedent of political interference in global internet infrastructure. more

AI-Powered Malware Evolves: Google Uncovers Live Use of Generative Models in Active Intrusions

Google's Threat Intelligence Group reveals that hackers are integrating AI models directly into malware, enabling live code mutation, stealthier operations, and dynamic payload execution while exploiting AI tools through deceptive prompts and underground marketplaces. more

Image Verizon and AWS Expand Network Ties to Meet AI Data Demands

Verizon and AWS have deepened their collaboration to build dedicated fiber infrastructure, addressing the growing need for low-latency, high-capacity connectivity to support the rapid expansion of enterprise-scale artificial intelligence workloads. more

China Tightens Cybersecurity Rules to Curb AI and Infrastructure Threats

China is revising its cybersecurity laws to include faster reporting requirements and stricter oversight of AI-related incidents, reflecting growing concerns about national security and the unchecked expansion of digital infrastructure. more

DNS Under Strain: Technical and Policy Challenges in Supporting the Internet of Autonomous Things

A new IETF draft outlines critical limitations of DNS in supporting the Internet of Autonomous Things, highlighting challenges related to latency, mobility, security, and privacy, and proposing architectural improvements to meet evolving machine-driven demands. more

Image Starlink Passes 10,000 Satellites, Expanding Global Internet Reach

SpaceX has launched over 10,000 Starlink satellites, solidifying its lead in low-Earth orbit internet infrastructure and accelerating a broader industry shift toward satellite-based broadband in underserved and remote regions worldwide. more

Image Massive AWS Outage Disrupts Global Internet, Services Restored After DNS Failure

A major Amazon Web Services outage briefly disrupted millions of websites, apps, and smart devices worldwide. The DNS-related failure exposed the internet's heavy dependence on a few cloud providers before full recovery was achieved. more

Image Microsoft Warns Extortion Drives Majority of Attacks Amid AI Escalation, Identity Collapse, and Global Fragmentation

Microsoft's latest Digital Defense Report reveals how cybercriminals and nation-states are rapidly adopting AI to enhance attacks. With identity-based threats soaring, the company urges urgent modernization of security systems and global cooperation. more

New Paper Proposes ‘Attested DNS’ to Secure Domain Names with Trusted Hardware

Azure researchers propose attested DNS, a system that embeds confidential computing into the internet's naming infrastructure. By binding domain names to trusted hardware and software, it enhances service verification while maintaining compatibility with existing web technologies. more

Cloudflare Challenges Google’s AI Dominance With New Web Content Policy

Cloudflare's new policy challenges Google's AI practices, giving website owners legal tools to control how their content is scraped, used, and monetised by AI systems. more

U.S. Senators Push for Federal Oversight of Advanced AI Systems

Senators Hawley and Blumenthal propose a bipartisan bill requiring federal evaluation of advanced AI systems, aiming to prevent misuse while balancing national security, civil liberties, and technological competitiveness. more

Image Hyper-Volumetric DDoS Attack Sets New Benchmark at 22.2 Tbps

A record-shattering DDoS attack peaking at 22.2 Tbps signals a new era of cyber aggression, driven by weaponized IoT botnets and raising urgent questions about global internet resilience. more

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Industry Updates

An In-Depth Analysis of the Ashen Lepus AshTag-Enabled Attack

WhoisXML API A sophisticated campaign by Ashen Lepus targeted Arabic-speaking government entities using a newly identified malware suite, AshTag. Enhanced encryption, obfuscation techniques, and extensive infrastructure analysis signal a notable evolution in the group's tactics. more

Illuminating ShadyPanda DNS Infrastructure Facts

WhoisXML API A seven-year malware campaign, orchestrated through seemingly trusted browser extensions, exposed millions of users to DNS abuse. ShadyPanda's infrastructure reveals how trust, subtlety and DNS manipulation sustained an enduring threat. more

Mining for DNS Maxims: Top 10 Malware of Q3 2025

WhoisXML API An analysis of domains linked to the top malware strains of Q3 2025 reveals early threat signals, typosquatting patterns, and thousands of connections to malicious infrastructure, underscoring the predictive power of DNS telemetry. more

Thumbing Through the DNS Traces of TamperedChef

WhoisXML API Acronis researchers uncovered a vast malvertising scheme named TamperedChef, which exploited legitimate-looking apps to deploy malicious scripts, steal data, sell remote access, and lay the groundwork for espionage and ransomware campaigns. more

IPv4 Prices Continue Downward Drift as Market Remains Resilient

IPv4.Global IPv4 address prices continued their gradual decline in November, with small and medium blocks narrowing the gap with large blocks. Despite falling prices, transaction volume and buyer demand remain strong heading into 2026. more

DNS Spotlight: New MITRE ATT&CK Group Entrants as of October 2025

WhoisXML API MITRE introduced nine new threat groups tied to major vulnerabilities, with deep DNS analysis uncovering 108 malicious domains, 31 risky IPs, and multiple emerging artifacts that highlight evolving attack patterns and early warning opportunities ahead. more

A New DNS Validation Method for Simplified Certificate Automation

DigiCert A new DNS-based domain validation method promises to streamline certificate automation by reducing DNS write requirements, improving operational security, and aligning with broader industry moves toward scalable, standards-based certificate management. more

Hard Data on DDoS, DNS, and the Race for Resilience

DigiCert As online attacks grow in complexity and scale, DigiCert's RADAR Brief reveals why resilience across DNS, DDoS, and automation is emerging as the defining metric of digital trust in a hyperconnected economy. more

Going DNS Deep Diving Into GhostCall and GhostHire

WhoisXML API A DNS investigation into GhostCall and GhostHire uncovers how BlueNoroff targeted tech leaders and Web3 developers, exposing extensive data theft and a wide malicious infrastructure that included suspicious domains, weaponized IP addresses, and typosquatted assets. more

.store and MrBeast Campaign Surpasses 500 Million Views Across Platforms

Radix Radix's .store domain has soared past 500 million views across platforms through its high-profile collaboration with MrBeast, underscoring the power of strategic digital branding and creator-led commerce in the online economy. more

Industry Guides

Dedicated IP VPN: Complete Guide, Benefits, Setup & More

What is a Dedicated IP VPN? A Dedicated IP VPN is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service that provides users with a unique, static IP address assigned exclusively to them. Unlike a shared IP address, which is used by multiple users simultaneously, a dedicated IP is reserved for a single user, offering greater control and security over their online activities. more

Starlink Internet Service (2024 Review)

Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency satellite internet, making it ideal for rural and remote areas lacking traditional broadband. Installation is user-friendly, and coverage continues to expand globally. However, the service is relatively expensive, and performance can be impacted by adverse weather. Overall, Starlink is a reliable choice for those without access to conventional internet options. more

Can ISPs See My VPN? (All You Need to Know)

ISPs can see that you are using a VPN, as they can detect encrypted traffic and the IP address of the VPN server. However, they cannot see the content of your data or the websites you visit while the VPN is active because the data is encrypted. This provides privacy for your online activities, though the fact that you're using a VPN itself is visible to the ISP. more

What is Satellite Internet? (Complete Guide, Costs, Providers, and More)

Satellite internet is a broadband service that connects users via signals transmitted between orbiting satellites and a satellite dish at the user's location. Unlike fiber or cable, it doesn't require physical infrastructure, making it essential in rural and remote areas. Although historically slower with higher latency, advancements like Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites have improved speed and reduced delays, enhancing overall performance. more

Does NordVPN Still Work With Netflix? How to Use It and Fix It If Not Working

Yes, NordVPN still works with Netflix in 2024. It effectively bypasses geo-restrictions, unlocking libraries from major regions like the U.S., UK, Japan, and more. However, occasional issues like blocked servers or slow connections may arise. Troubleshooting, such as switching servers or using SmartPlay, typically resolves problems and maintains reliable access to Netflix. more

How to Get NordVPN Free Trial (Risk-Free Options for 2024)

NordVPN offers two ways to try the service risk-free: a 7-day free trial for Android users and a 30-day money-back guarantee for all users. Both options allow full access to NordVPN's premium features. The trial requires payment details but can be canceled before charges occur. NordVPN provides superior security, performance, and global content access compared to free alternatives. more

NordVPN Review 2024: Is It Fast, Secure, and Worth It?

NordVPN stands out for its unique double encryption, adding an extra layer of privacy. With blazing-fast servers in 60 countries, it's perfect for streaming, gaming, and bypassing geo-blocks. Its strict no-logs policy and advanced features like CyberSec ad-blocker make it a top choice for anyone seeking strong security and seamless performance. more

Best VPN Countries for Privacy, Speed, and Streaming (2024)

The best countries for VPN server locations include Switzerland, Iceland, and Panama for privacy, Germany, Japan, and the United States for fast connections, and the U.S., U.K., and Canada for streaming. These countries offer strong privacy laws, advanced infrastructure, and optimal performance for various online activities. more

Why Are VPNs Important for Remote Work?

VPNs are critical for remote work because they secure data by encrypting internet connections, protecting sensitive company information from cyberattacks. They also enable remote access to company networks, ensuring employees can work safely from any location while maintaining privacy and compliance with security policies. more

How Does a VPN Protect You?

A VPN protects you by encrypting your internet connection, hiding your IP address, and routing your data through a secure server. This shields your online activities from hackers, trackers, and surveillance, ensuring privacy and security, especially on public Wi-Fi or when accessing sensitive information. more