Why?
The stable, safe and secure operation of the DNS has proven to be the foundation for the global expansion of the Internet as a universal public resource. However, like any other innovation and every technology, the Internet and the DNS are vulnerable to abuse, such as malware, botnets, phishing, pharming or spam. The topDNS initiative and its members are committed to fighting DNS abuse.
How?
To achieve this goal, the topDNS initiative rests on two main pillars:
Education & Awareness
- Promoting existing efforts to fight abuse online
- Educating policy & decision makers
- Involving hosting providers and their abuse teams
- Amplifying the messages of the industry
Collaboration & Operationalisation
- Collaboration with eco, a trusted Internet platform
- Sharing best-practice guidance on abuse management
- Standardising reports, use cases, data & definitions
- Developing a Trusted Notifier Framework
Sponsors
Among the many eco members who are fighting abuse on the Internet every day, we would like to thank our sponsors of the topDNS Initiative.
Please email topdns@eco.de if you are interested in joining!
Steering Committee
The topDNS Initiative is lead and guided by a group of leading industry experts:
Director of Outreach
Cloudflare
Vice President, General Counsel
Public Interest Registry
VP of Policy & Government Relations
Verisign
Chief Technology Officer
IQ Global
CIPP/E Privacy & GRC Officer
Realtime Register
Head of Policy and Compliance – Online Division
Team Internet
Competence Lead DNS & Domain Abuse
SWITCH
CEO
nic.at
Supporters
In addition to the sponsors of the topDNS Initiative, many eco members actively support our work fighting abuse and content-related harms on the Internet.
Please email topdns@eco.de if you are interested in joining!
News & Articles
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Fighting DNS Abuse Globally: Insights from the 2025 Abuse Workshop at Nordic Domain Days
At the 2025 Nordic Domain Days Abuse Workshop, eco’s Thomas Rickert and global experts called for unified, cross-sector collaboration, legal harmonization, and automation to combat DNS abuse – moving beyond silos toward a resilient, trust-based ecosystem.
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Your own top-level domain: a decisive factor for the security of your IT infrastructure
Katrin Ohlmer, Founder & Managing Director of DOTZON GmbH, explores how owning your own top-level domain can boost security, independence, and digital identity.
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Navigating the Future of Domain Registration and Brand Protection for New TLD Operators
With the next ICANN application round approaching in 2026, DomainCrawler founder Rickard Vikström explains why data – not assumptions – is the key to launching successful and sustainable TLDs.
Events
topDNS Best Practice Series: How is DNS Abuse actually measured?
ICANN84 Annual General Meeting Location Announced
ICANN84 Readout – Highlights & Take-Aways from the Annual General Meeting (27th)
Videos
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topDNS Best Practice Series Part 9:Navigating Web3 Domains
On 2 April 2025, Freename & eco’s topDNS Initiative hosted the ninth in a series of topDNS Best Practice webinars. In the Navigating Web3 Domains webinar, Paolo Domenighetti, CTO of Freename, gave an introduction to the emerging landscape of Web3 domains, highlighting their differences from legacy domains, their potential use…
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topDNS Best Practice Series: Best Practices for Handling Abuse Reports and Takedowns
Spamhaus, Team Internet, and eco’s topDNS Initiative hosted the eighth in a series of topDNS Best Practice webinars, which highlighted the domain name industry’s efforts to combat DNS abuse. The session featured Spamhaus and Team Internet, who explored critical issues and solutions surrounding abuse management and domain takedowns: During the…
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“Take-Down Instead of Blocking” – eco Releases New Explainer Video With the topDNS Initiative on Effectively Combating Illegal Internet Content
The Internet is an integral part of our daily lives, driving efficiency in various areas, fostering the development of cutting-edge technologies, and connecting people worldwide. However, alongside these positive effects, the Internet is also misused for criminal activities, such as distributing illegal content, making online threats, and harming Internet users…
