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
Supporters
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:

CEO
CleanDNS

Head Of Legal, Registrar Division
CentralNic Group of Registrars

Vice President, General Counsel
Public Interest Registry

VP of Policy & Government Relations
Verisign

CIPP/E Privacy & GRC Officer
Realtime Register

SVP Strategy and Development
IQ Global

Head of Domain Services
InterNetX

CEO
nic.at
News & Articles
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topDNS Best Practice Series Part 5: DNSAI Compass Dashboards – Benchmarking the prevalence and persistence of malware and phishing for registries and registrars
The topDNS webinar on “DNSAI Compass Dashboards” was held on 28 November 2023. This was the fifth in a series of topDNS best practice webinars which showcase what the domain name industry is doing to fight DNS abuse. The webinar was moderated by Lars Steffen, Head of International, Digital Infrastructures…
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topDNS Best Practice Series Part 4: Recognising Good Practice in the DNS – Towards Positive, Data-Driven Policy Discussions
The topDNS webinar on “Recognising Good Practice in the DNS – Towards Positive, Data-Driven Policy Discussions” was held on 19 September 2023. This was the fourth part in a series of topDNS best practice webinars, which highlight the domain name industry’s efforts to fight DNS abuse. The webinar was moderated…
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topDNS Best Practice Series Part 3: How to Investigate Online Abuse with Free Tools
The topDNS webinar on “How to Investigate Online Abuse with Free Tools” was held on 10August 2023. This was the third in a series of topDNS best practice webinars which showcasewhat the domain name industry is doing to fight DNS abuse. The webinar was moderated byLars Steffen, Director International at…
Events
topDNS Best Practice Series: Addressing, evidencing, and mitigating abuse in Web3
Videos
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topDNS Best Practice Series: DNSAI Compass Dashboards – Benchmarking the prevalence and persistence of malware and phishing for registries and registrars
The DNS Abuse Institute & eco’s topDNS Initiative held the fifth in a series of topDNS best practice webinars to showcase what the domain name industry is doing to fight DNS abuse. Rowena Schoo, Director of Programs and Policy, at the DNS Abuse Institute presented on DNSAI Compass – an…
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topDNS Best Practice Series: Recognising Good Practice in the DNS – Towards Positive, Data-Driven Policy Discussions
The DNS Reasearch Federation & eco’s topDNS Initiative held the fourth in a series of topDNS best practice webinars, showcasing what the domain name industry is doing to fight DNS abuse. The aim of the webinar, which took place on 19 September, was to determine the rates of abuse and…
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topDNS Best Practice Series: How to Investigate Online Abuse with Free Tools
Realtime Register & eco’s topDNS Initiative recently held a third series of topDNS best practice webinars, showcasing what the domain name industry is doing to fight DNS abuse. The aim of the webinar, which took place on 10 August, was to enable staff to conduct investigations using free tools. This…