ICANN81 Readout: Highlights & Key Takeaways from the 26th Annual General Meeting in Istanbul

The full readout summary is available for download as a PDF here.

On 26 November 2024, eco – Association of the Internet Industry and ICANN hosted a joint ICANN81 Readout to discuss developments from the 26th Annual General Meeting, held in Istanbul, Turkey, 9 - 14 November 2024. Moderated by Lars Steffen, Head of International Digital Infrastructure and Resilience at eco, the session featured insights from key ICANN stakeholders.

ICANN81: Over 2,600 participants and 177 public sessions

Christopher Mondini, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement & Managing Director, Europe at ICANN, highlighted ICANN81’s record attendance of over 2,600 participants, with 177 sessions on topics like the new gTLD program, Universal Acceptance, and multistakeholder governance. The ICANN Board welcomed new members Miriam Sapiro and Amitabh Singhal and announced leadership changes, including Tripti Sinha as Chair and Chris Chapman as Vice Chair.

Promoting digital inclusion and addressing DNS abuse

Ram Mohan, Chair of the SSAC, introduced the Coalition for Digital Inclusion (CODI), emphasising the importance of resources in local languages to bridge digital divides. He also addressed the rise of AI-powered phishing, warning about tailored, multilingual attacks. Meanwhile, Peter Koch, of the ccNSO Council, highlighted DNS Abuse Standing Committee findings, noting low abuse levels across ccTLDs. Philippe Fouquart, Chair of ISPCP, emphasised the need for policy-driven responses to DNS abuse.

Policy Updates and Key Discussions

Greg DiBiase, Chair of the GNSO Council, provided updates on the next gTLD application round, with private contention resolutions now prohibited. Joanna Kulesza of the ALAC Leadership Team, advocated for geographic diversity in gTLD applications and stressed the importance of multistakeholderism in Internet governance. Nicolas Caballero, Chair of the GAC, supported ICANN’s efforts on Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and highlighted the need for transparency in Internet governance.

Focus on Security and Collaboration

Sessions also addressed DNS blocking and filtering, with the SSAC planning a report on its implications for trust and access. The ccNSO’s TLD-OPS workshop simulated DNS attacks to improve coordination among registries. Additionally, the ASO shared progress on updating criteria for Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).