- Download the report summary from the 2026 E-Evidence Workshop at Nordic Domain Days in Stockholm
- Read the recent dotmagazine article on this topic.
The 2026 E-Evidence Workshop at Nordic Domain Days in Stockholm, hosted by eco’s topDNS Initiative and iQ Global, examined one of the most significant regulatory developments currently facing the European domain name, hosting and digital infrastructure community: the EU E-Evidence framework.
Under the title “When Abuse Meets Evidence: Preparing DNS Providers for the EU’s New Reality”, the workshop explored what will happen when DNS abuse response, electronic evidence requests and cross-border criminal investigations begin to intersect more directly. The topic was particularly timely because the EU E-Evidence Regulation becomes applicable on 18 August 2026, introducing new obligations for service providers to respond to European Production Orders and European Preservation Orders.
The session was opened by Lars Steffen, Head of International, Digital Infrastructures & Resilience at eco – Association of the Internet Industry, and Lars “LG” Forsberg, CTO of iQ Global. Steffen placed the workshop within the broader work of eco’s topDNS Initiative, which brings together registries, registrars, hosting providers, cloud operators and other infrastructure actors to strengthen cooperation on DNS abuse mitigation, data sharing and regulatory preparedness.
The workshop featured expert contributions from Tania Schröter, Deputy Head of Unit at DG JUST, European Commission; Annika Bergstedt, Legal Adviser at the Swedish Ministry of Justice; Thomas Rickert, Director Names & Numbers at eco; and Ulrich Plate, Head of eco’s KRITIS Competence Group. Together, they provided a comprehensive picture of the E-Evidence framework, from the legal architecture and Swedish implementation to technical readiness and the broader compliance burden facing digital service providers.
A central message emerged throughout the afternoon: E-Evidence is not merely a new legal instrument. It reflects a broader shift in which private infrastructure providers are becoming direct participants in cross-border criminal investigations. Under traditional mutual legal assistance mechanisms, authorities usually cooperated through government-to-government channels. Under E-Evidence, competent authorities in one EU Member State may address certain requests directly to a service provider’s designated establishment or legal representative in another Member State.
For the domain name industry, this is highly relevant. The framework explicitly covers Internet domain name services and IP numbering services. Registries, registrars, privacy and proxy providers, hosting companies and other digital infrastructure operators cannot assume that E-Evidence is a matter only for major platforms or cloud providers.
The workshop also showed that legal readiness and operational readiness are not the same. The Regulation may become applicable on a fixed date, but providers still need processes for intake, verification, escalation, preservation, production, documentation and confidentiality. In standard cases, production orders must generally be answered within ten days. In emergency cases, providers may have only eight hours.
Speakers repeatedly emphasized that E-Evidence arrives within an already complex regulatory environment. Providers must also navigate GDPR, NIS 2, national disclosure rules, ICANN’s Registration Data Policy, the Budapest Convention, Digital Services Act reporting obligations, and increasing requests from law enforcement, regulators and rights holders.
The workshop concluded with a practical message: preparation must begin before the first order arrives. Providers should assess whether they are in scope, designate appropriate establishments or legal representatives, build internal workflows, train legal and technical teams, and monitor national implementation developments. By Nordic Domain Days 2027, E-Evidence will no longer be an upcoming obligation; it will be part of the operational reality for digital service providers in Europe.
