In the second edition of dotmagazine on “Digital Trust & Policy”, the focus shifts from defining foundational pillars to the urgent necessity of operationalising trust across every layer of the digital ecosystem. As technologies like AI become embedded in core infrastructure rather than treated as add-ons, trust is no longer a byproduct of innovation but a result of deliberate engineering, transparent leadership, and strategic compliance.
Beyond compliance: trust as competitive advantage
Prof. Norbert Pohlmann, eco Board Member, and Ulla Coester, Project Director “TrustKI” at the Institute for Internet Security, open this discussion by arguing that trustworthiness must move beyond theoretical compliance to become a decisive competitive advantage. They emphasise that in an increasingly opaque IT landscape, manufacturers must provide reliable signals of competence and integrity – practising self-limitation, meaning voluntarily restricting their own actions to protect user interests, well beyond the minimum demanded by law.
Regulation as strategic opportunity
On the regulatory front, Henning Lesch, Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs at DE-CIX, highlights a fundamental shift where growing pressure from frameworks like NIS2 and DORA is redefining the Internet industry. Rather than a burden, he argues that compliance is becoming a strategic lever that strengthens market credibility and transforms service providers into trusted partners. Building on this shift from regulatory burden to strategic opportunity, Oliver SĂĽme, Chair of the eco Board, and John Cassels, both Partners of Fieldfisher, identify the key trends for 2026 as a transition from regulatory design to active enforcement. They suggest that the year will be defined by “operationalising what is already here,” requiring businesses to embed security by design and robust governance to manage rising AI and cyber-related risks.
Hardware as the foundation of trust
The technical realisation of this trust is increasingly anchored in the physical layer. Abhijeet Rajwade, Senior Customer Engineer, AI Infrastructure from Google, introduces the concept of “silicon-level sovereignty,” asserting that hardware must serve as the ultimate arbiter of security. By implementing a Hardware Root of Trust (RoT) in AI accelerators, organisations can move from trusting malleable software to verifying integrity through immutable, hardware-enforced isolation. This approach is mirrored in the mobile space, where Abhishek Pimple, Google’s Senior Software Engineer, details how Android engineers digital trust through a zero-trust architecture. By orchestrating hardware-backed keys, Play Integrity, and verifiable credentials, trust is built on the principle that no signal is implicitly trusted without server-side verification.
Leadership, culture, and the human dimension
The human dimension remains the critical bridge between policy and practice. Drawing on discussions from the eco Future Skills Meet-up on AI & Leadership, Silke Kanes, eco Board Member and initiator of the Future Skills initiative, stresses that whilst technology provides the tools, leadership literacy and organisational culture determine whether those tools create real value. She argues that digital trust requires clear governance, psychological safety, and human accountability at the centre of AI-driven decisions.
Domain infrastructure as an authentication tool
Finally, the question of trust also extends to the domain layer. Jeanette Eriksson, Online Brand Protection at FairWinds, examines the strategic case for dotBrand TLDs in 2026 – arguing that owning a branded TLD is not merely an IP decision, but a powerful authentication tool that allows customers to instantly verify a domain’s legitimacy in an era of growing online fraud and impersonation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this issue demonstrates that digital trust is becoming a physical and operational attribute of the hardware, domain infrastructure, and governance models we choose. By aligning silicon-level security with transparent leadership and proactive policy, the Internet industry can navigate the complexities of 2026 and build a secure, resilient digital future.
