The entire Domain pulse organisation team thanked participants at Domain pulse 2017.

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1 No 1/ 2017 Domain pulse Dear reader, What do a leek, a circus tent and awardwinning chef Toni Mörwald have in common? That s right all three played a central role at the 2017 Domain pulse evening event at Palazzo in Vienna. Whisking participants off on a journey into the world of the Thrill Seekers, the spectacular show capped an action-packed opening day at the conference, which was held under the banner of Networks and Networkers this year. The respected researcher and philosopher Harald Katzmair opened Domain pulse with a keynote speech that explored questions such as: What do we actually need networks for? And what makes a good network in the first place? The insights into ICANN after the IANA Stewardship Transition and a panel discussion covering future opportunities and trends in the domain industry provided ample food for thought. The second day also had numerous highlights up its sleeve, with the speakers turning their attentions exclusively to the fight against evil networks. Current registry projects that also play a key role in underpinning the security and stability of the network were also in the spotlight. For us, Domain pulse 2017 is now over, and we have long since surpassed our initial goal of creating an environment where participants could share expertise and network with fellow professionals. Domain pulse is now the most important forum in the German-speaking countries for experts looking to discuss all the current topics and trends shaping the domain industry. This was clearly borne out by the results of the visitor survey, with respondents rating the mix of topics, organisation and fringe programme as very good. We are very pleased with the feedback we received and would like to use this issue of the.at-report to show our gratitude to everyone who participated! Richard Wein & Robert Schischka General managers nic.at All of the presentations as well as video footage of the keynote talks and sessions are available online at We wish you an enjoyable read and are already looking forward to the next Domain pulse, which will take place in Munich from February 2018! Richard Wein and Robert Schischka The entire Domain pulse organisation team thanked participants at Domain pulse Publication details: Owner and publisher: nic.at GmbH, Jakob-Haringer-Strasse 8/V, 5020 Salzburg. Concept and editorial: Monika Pink-Rank, Simone Binder, Sandra Lettenbichler. Photos: nic.at, Anna Rauchenberger. Place of publication: Salzburg, March

2 Domain pulse: Networks Why we need a strong network Network ecology in times of disruption Inspired by the theme of Networks and Networkers, the social scientist and philosopher Harald Katzmair devoted the first keynote talk to the question of why we need strong networks and what constitutes a strong network. The modern world is shaped by disruption and transformation, which means that opportunities for planning are diminishing all the time. In Katzmair s view only companies that build up resilient networks will be in a position to cope with these challenges. The defining success factor is striking the right balance between robustness and variability. And this is best achieved if the network comprises a broad cast of characters including pioneers, doers, controllers, people who have suffered setbacks, visionaries and therapists all of whom are equally important, as long as they work together. Harald Katzmair, FASresearch Governing the network ICANN, the multi-stakeholder model and the networks of the future ICANN Vice President Cherine Chalaby brought an eightpoint message from the ICANN board with him to Domain pulse. The board reaffirmed its belief that the DNS driven by developments such as Anycast and DNSSEC is becoming increasingly important, and stronger. The domain market will continue to grow and reap the rewards of new top level domains and internationalised domain names (IDNs). But Chalaby also emphasised the importance of the ICANN community, and not just because it will determine the timeframe for the next round of ngtlds. The new structure also gives the community much more influence and a greater right of reply. The IANA Stewardship Transition also helped to build trust between the community and ICANN board. ICANN is 100% committed to working with the global community in all its rich diversity. Chalaby cited collaborative multi-stakeholder networks like ICANN as an effective governance model that is well placed to solve global challenges in today s world. Cherine Chalaby, ICANN ICANN after the IANA Stewardship Transition Internet governance specialist Wolfgang Kleinwächter praised the successful IANA Stewardship Transition as a milestone in history that no-one would have believed possible even as recently as 10 years ago. It brought together two sharply-contrasting governance styles: the innovative, contemporary multistakeholder model and the traditional top-down governance model practiced by nation states. The open questions are now: can the successful multi-stakeholder model be applied to other areas? Will states accept a purely advisory role? How well do the new structures There is no international treaty recognising ICANN. The most important thing is a stable legal system where it is headquartered. Erich Schweighofer, University of Vienna and mechanisms drawn up on paper work in the real world? And could there be any legal issues surrounding the fact that ICANN is based in the USA and as such is subject All governments have equal say leaving them all equally dissatisfied. For them, stability of the internet is paramount. Thomas Schneider BAKOM & ICANN GAC to Californian state law. Wolfgang Kleinwächter discussed the issues alongside fellow experts Thomas Rickert, Thomas Schneider and Erich Schweighofer. The new model has been put through its paces with different scenarios designed to test its suitability. This also won over the Americans. Thomas Rickert, eco Verband & CCWG Enhancing ICANN Accountability 2

3 .at- report and Networkers Challenges for the network: The domain industry in fl ux Sideways growth, a multitude of new market participants, and new, booming markets. These are the defining characteristics of the present-day domain market. This year s Domain pulse put these topics at the top of the agenda, inviting independent market observers to present their statistics and insights from the perspective of country specific top level domains (cctlds) and generic top level As far as domain registrations from the Chinese market go, quantity over quality is the order of the day. Many spam domains are deleted again very quickly. Denis Wisotzki, ntldstats domains (gtlds) alike. They were followed by a pair of high-profile panel discussions that explored development opportunities for the industry, tackling questions such as whether it is possible to generate additional sales through marketing, and whether the key to success lays in new markets such as China. In all, ten experts shared their views. We can see a clear stagnation when it comes to European cctld domain registrations and the gross profit margin is coming under increasing pressure. Patrick Myles, CENTR The Chinese like to speculate and this has also applied to domains for some time now. But what counts for the industry is whether the longterm demand is there. Giuseppe Graziano, GRGG.com 20% growth in the Chinese e-commerce sector is our chance! There is definitely demand for good domain names and serious providers. Matthias Meyer- Schönherr, Sedo You have to take the specifics of the Chinese market into account. Trust and long-term relationship management are extremely important. Philipp Grabensee, Afilias 10 million domains were registered in China in 2016, and 2017 will be even better than that! Trading domains has become a very popular activity over the past five years. Ray Zheng, Racent Inc There are currently 1.8 billion Facebook users worldwide. Every single one of these users has a domain name with Facebook. But the question is: how are we going to ensure that all of these users get a domain? Neal McPherson, 1&1 Internet SE The problem with the domain industry is that it is not clearly communicating the benefits and uses. And our experience shows that cutting prices is counterproductive for domains. The higher the price, the more valuable customers perceive the domain to be. Katrin Ohlmer, dotzon Domains work particularly well in cultures with a very strong entrepreneurial spirit. This young generation in particular likes ngtlds and uses them in creative ways. Toby Hall, Minds & Machines Only very few top level domains cannibalise each other. In our experience, campaigns run by other registries actually benefit us.com is the only really competition.. Michiel Henneke, SIDN 3

4 No 1 / 2017 Domain pulse Exploiting and protecting users of the network Networks of Control: Privacy and data protection in times of User Tracking and Big Data We allow countless companies to access our data. Not just Google and Facebook, but also makers of other apps. The majority of these apps don t just harvest data; they also share them with third parties. Over time this helps build up detailed profiles of our personal desires, weaknesses, attitudes and preferences. These are then used for marketing purposes or as material to manipulate public opinion. One example highlighted by Wolfie Christl is Cambridge Analytica, whose targeted campaigns are believed to have significantly influenced the outcome of the US presidential elections. His book Networks of Control has just been published. Wolfie Christl, Cracked Labs The new EU Data Protection and its impact on the domain industry In 2018 the EU s new data protection directive will enter into force. What is special about the new legislation is that it applies to anyone offering a service in Europe. This poses a particular challenge to companies that are subject to different, or less stringent, data protection laws in other jurisdictions. In other words, they have to raise the level of data protection to European standards or come up with special solutions. As a result, data protection is the burning issue for compliance experts right now. The European Union is determined to enforce this new law and data protection authorities are increasingly active, thanks to higher budgets, more staff and better equipment. Oliver Süme, Fieldfischer Continuosly working for the network What do a cat, Swiss chocolate, a powerbank, a steamship, Shakespeare and Trump have to do with the latest crop of registry projects? Nothing whatsoever at first glance, at least. But the Registry Infotainment Session hosted by nic.at, DENIC and SWITCH soon got to the bottom of the matter. The cat was the star of nic.at s advertising campaign for the short domain launch last year, while Swiss chocolate helped SWITCH employees on their way to winning the tender for being the.ch Registry until The powerbank represents the importance of electricity and the foundation of the Austrian Energy Cert at nic.at. The less-than-agile steamship symbolised DENIC s experiences with ICANN during the data escrow accreditation process. And finally Shakespeare comes into it with the To be or not to be quotation from Hamlet, which is a comment on ICANN s meticulousness during the protracted contract negotiations that led to the adoption of the.versicherung TLD transfer. A promotion video for the RcodeZero Anycast network from nic.at subsidiary IPCom provided the highlight. Inspired by the notion of America First, RcodeZero Secondary nic.at collated all the arguments for US President Donald Trump outlining why our RcodeZero Service is an absolute must for all registrars and domain owners. Watch the video: L-r: Susanne Pöchacker (moderator), Richard Wein (nic.at), Martin Schlicksbier (nic.at), Otmar Lendl (CERT.at), Barbara Schlossbauer (nic.at), Urs Eppenberger (SWITCH), Andreas Musielak (DENIC). 4

5 No 1 / 2017 Domain pulse For more infos check The network of evil and how to combat it Three in-demand keynote speakers gave talks delivering insights into the murky world of cyber crime. Peter Zinn, from the Netherlands crack cyber crime unit, provided a run through of its history, looking at everything from the early days of cyber crime to an increasingly complex future. Volker Kozok from the German Ministry of Defence used the Russo-Ukrainian cyberwar to show how the internet and social networks can be used being used to wage war and for propaganda purposes. Éireann Leverett flew the flag for cyber insurance and showed how it can play a significant role in enhancing overall IT security. Cyber-insurance: The myths and facts Éireann Leverett freely admits that he was not the biggest fan of cyber insurance when he first heard about it. Until he came to the conclusion that security is an economic problem, rather than a technical one. In his presentation he dispelled some of the most common myths surrounding cyber insurance, and presented a number of cold hard facts. Among the most widespread misconceptions is the notion that costs for cyber insurance would eat into security budgets. But he disagrees, saying that budgets for prevention and fixing damage have to be kept apart. Insurance is part of damage repair, so it has no place in the security budget. Many people are saying that it is not possible to evaluate and calculate the risk at this time. But many IT-related risks can be quantified very clearly including the resulting costs. What counts above everything else is understanding threat scenarios and developing scalable insurance models there is still some way to go here, and we will only be able to get there if security experts and insurance companies share data and compare their experiences with each other. Leverett also presented five cyber insurance products. In his view The more companies that conclude cyber insurance policies, the cheaper they will become. This will also give rise to new security services which will help us to better understand attackers and better protect ourselves from general security threats. Éireann Leverett, Concinnity Risks Russo-Ukrainian cyber war and the use of social media Hacker groups from Russia and Ukraine have honed their skills over recent years and are now among the best in the world, something that Lieutenant Colonel Kozok is very well placed to confirm in his capacity as an expert in this particular field. He has witnessed how attacks have progressed from amateurish phishing mails in questionable German and English to highly-professional ransomeware operations. These illegal activities make a considerable contribution to both countries economies: customer service included. But it s not just private individuals that the Russian and Ukrainian hacker groups have their sights on. Germany is also in the crosshairs. Kozok also talked about a propaganda war that circulates fake news and false reports with a view to preventing accurate and objective reporting. Volker Kozok, German Ministry of Defence Don t worry, be happy? The evolution of cyber crime Peter Zinn painted a particular bleak picture of what s ahead. At the moment we are lining up to network our devices online: in the smart homes of today, smartphones loaded with smart software regulate everything from thermostat controls to alarm systems. Smart cities are now taking this idea one step further by networking buildings and infrastructure. Zinn revealed what he saw as the logical next step in a thought experiment. The internet of the people will physically connect people with the internet, a step made possible thanks to implants in our bodies. But the problem is that these computers, as small as they are, are vulnerable to attack. What sounds like something out of a Hollywood film is already reality, with cases already confirmed of pace makers being hacked making it theoretically possible to trigger cardiac arrest from afar. Instead of looking on as a passive observer while developments snowball, Zinn urged people to get involved and help to shape the future themselves. Peter Zinn, Cyber Agents 5

6 Domain pulse 2017 Network art by Irene Anton The opulent Landtagssaal hall inside Palais Niederösterreich Breath-taking acrobatics at Palazzo in Vienna Instead of the traditional baton, this year Richard Wein handed over the Domain pulse leek Smiling faces at Domain pulse SWITCH s pick-me-up of choice: chocolate! Relaxed atmosphere at Palazzo Sand artist Anna reveals the host city for 2018: Munich! All the presentations are available at Visit to view the photo gallery Postings and comments on Video clips on and press releases at under ABOUT nic.at Press. 6