While the EU is setting priorities for the development of the internet of the future and Web 4.0, the European internet infrastructure providers, such as country-code top level domain registries (ccTLDs) such as .fr for France and .ee for Estonia, continue delivering a stable and reliable service to keep the internet up and running. While we are picturing the effects of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and immersive realities on the user experience online, it is easy to overlook the critical role of the foundational pieces of the internet infrastructure, such as the Domain Name System (DNS), that allowed the internet to scale and develop through many stages of its over 40 year old history. Ahead of the EU elections 2024, and looking back at the legislative attention that the DNS has received in the recent years in the EU, European ccTLDs suggest concrete principles that in our experience will help deliver the internet of the future that remains open, interoperable, and human-centric.
What is the DNS and why is it important?
The DNS is a protocol that essentially makes the internet human-friendly due its essential translation function between machine-readable IP addresses and human-readable domain names. Each internet-connected device has a distinct IP address that helps other computers to find it and serve the needed application, website or communication service (e.g. send emails and messages). The DNS has allowed the internet to scale from a service for a small community in its early days to the decentralised and distributed network of networks that allow individuals, companies and governments to connect online and establish their digital presence.
Over the years, the foundational functional principles of the DNS - decentralisation, openness, interoperability and scalability - have changed little, but the web - the human-facing online experience - has transformed from browsing through simple static web pages to omnipresence of social media. Between these transformations of the web, the DNS continued serving global needs for increasing online visibility. Robustness and flexibility of the DNS allowed it to serve all versions of the web up until now.
What is Web 4.0?
The European Commission defines “Web 4.0” as the expected next generation of the web, based on the advanced use of AI, the internet of things, virtual worlds, and extended reality capabilities. It is expected that user experience within Web 4.0 will be more collaborative and interactive, while digital and physical environments will become merged and intertwined. The expectation of Web 4.0 is that due to its advanced use of AI and virtual reality capabilities, the user experience of browsing on the web will dramatically transform.
How much of the existing internet technology, such as the DNS, is going to be impacted by Web 4.0 developments? It is difficult to say for sure but it is entirely plausible to picture a completely new set of standards, protocols and governance models to serve the Web 4.0 that won’t rely on existing systems, such as the DNS. In fact, alternative name spaces like blockchain domains (Web 3.0) already exist outside of the current governance model and without the involvement of the main domain name infrastructure actors, albeit their uptake comes with a set of challenges that are not user-friendly, nor reliable in terms of security and stability. Additionally, proposals to replace existing key protocols with initiatives such as “New IP” to support holographic communication, tactile internet and “Digital Twins” technology are already discussed within the standards setting bodies, albeit with a fair share of criticism, especially with regard to interoperability with existing IPv4/IPv6 and their unavailability for public scrutiny.
It is also very plausible that Web 4.0 won’t be based on alternative name spaces and closed technology, such as blockchain domains and “New IP”, but will rely on the evolving DNS.
Irrespective of whether the next generation web is going to adopt new protocols or rely on existing key infrastructure, there are several lessons we can learn from the decades-long experience of existing DNS actors, such as European ccTLDs. It is useful to reflect on some of the core principles at a time when the EU is gearing up for leading the development of Web 4.0, taking into account the strong legislative focus of the EU in introducing global regulatory standards for the internet. After all, history has shown that its legislative initiatives can have a significant extraterritorial impact.
Role of EU policymakers
According to the European Commission, the “EU has a robust, future-oriented legislative framework that already applies to several aspects of the development of virtual worlds and Web 4.0”. This includes a variety of recently updated or adopted regulatory rules applicable to the digital environment, from the intermediary liability rules in the Digital Services Act (DSA) to the global data protection standards in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU Digital Identity framework. All of the above are also relevant or directly applicable to the DNS actors, such as European ccTLDs, together with a myriad of other legislation not mentioned in the European Commission’s communication on Virtual worlds and Web 4.0. Most of the abovementioned legislative instruments were drafted and negotiated with specific actors in mind, very often overlooking or misinterpreting the role of infrastructure actors, such as ccTLDs, resulting in unintended consequences for the performance of their essential services for digital society.
As the EU is on the crux of setting its next legislative priorities, including for the development of the Web 4.0 and the next generation internet, there is a need for awareness of the crucial role of existing standards and protocols forming the backbone of the internet of today, and the successes of open, free and interoperable internet that continues sustaining the many developments of the web.
CENTR set of principles based on European ccTLD experience
European ccTLDs are an essential part of the global DNS ecosystem, and are consistently referred to as the champions in DNS security and trustworthiness. European ccTLDs are primarily non-profit organisations or SMEs that hold an essential part of the global ecosystem on their shoulders, including providing a digital space and identity for their countries, rooted in the national specifics and peculiarities. European ccTLDs are both the guardians of their local internet communities, as well as global players. This allows them to share a unique experience, in line with European values and diversity.
Ahead of the EU elections and based on the existing experience with increasing legislative attention to the DNS and its role in the digital ecosystem, European ccTLDs put forward the following principles for the EU to safeguard the future of the internet:
- Interoperability and formal recognition of open standards is a must in public procurement - Open standards enabled the creation of common technical languages that allowed the internet to become universally accepted. EU policymakers must adhere to the same technological openness to safeguard the future of the internet without borders and artificial restrictions by encouraging funding and supporting solutions based on open standards.
- Technological neutrality is a must in any legislation affecting internet infrastructure - For legislation to remain future-proof and useful without disproportionate bureaucratic burden, supporting healthy competition on the market of digital services, EU policymakers must refrain from prescribing concrete technical solutions in the legislation.
- No friction in accessibility to European digital identifiers - Domain names are essential for establishing an identity online and offer a counterbalance to the prevalence of non-EU social media platforms. European ccTLDs give the user control over their identity and are subject to local policy with European values at the core. EU policymakers must support the accessibility of European domain names to all end-users, without introducing disproportionate burdens to the domain name registration process.
- Cybersecurity is a team sport - There is no strong cyber resilience without pulling together the know-how of all parties involved, especially at infrastructure level, and fostering private-public collaborations where possible. European ccTLDs are globally recognised as zones with the lowest levels of DNS abuse, taking pride in working together for greater security online, and are open to share this experience.
- Due respect for fundamental rights is non-negotiable - With the internet being an essential part of modern society and with the move towards more immersive end-user experiences in Web 4.0, the importance of safeguarding human rights online cannot be underestimated. EU policymakers must take into account the impact of digital legislation on human rights and conduct meaningful and publicly available human rights impact assessments, inviting input from civil society and technical community. The EU is considered a regulatory champion in promoting a high standard for data protection and must uphold that standard rooted in the EU highest law - the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
- No legislative interventions without publicly available evidence - We’ve seen a proliferation of legislation that directly or indirectly refers to intervention at internet infrastructure level as a solution to a range of societal problems, from intellectual property to child protection. Side effects of such legislation could have structural ramifications for the infrastructure’s stability. It is essential that legislative impact assessments specifically address these unintended consequences on the stability of the internet infrastructure. EU policymakers must insist on publishing studies that accompany impact assessments of proposed legislation affecting internet infrastructure.
- Attention and care towards the multistakeholder model of the internet governance - The multistakeholder model is fit for purpose to maintain the foundational pieces of the internet to continue delivering stable, resilient, and secure internet. However, the model relies on continuous support of all stakeholders, with allocating enough resources for its continuous evolution to respond to new challenges. Bypassing internet governance efforts, either via national or regional legislation or through other multilateral fora risks creating technical fragmentation and weakening the universality of the internet. EU policymakers must support the multistakeholder model beyond declaratory statements and by allocating enough resources to meaningfully engage in its processes, without resorting to legislative quick fixes that are only creating more fragmentation.
Read the full text of the principles here.
Conclusion
While the EU is imagining the future of the internet, virtual worlds and Web 4.0 for the benefit of the end user of tomorrow, the internet infrastructure operators, such as European ccTLDs are continuing to deliver the stable, secure and resilient service for the global internet and the end-user of today. We ask EU policymakers to take into account the key principles that allowed the internet to grow and scale through its many development stages. The internet itself is proof that these principles work and are worth safeguarding for the future.
