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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“ICANN Community at the Helm”
ICANN78 is bringing the domain industry to Hamburg in autumn. In a short interview, Thomas Rickert, Attorney-at-Law, talks about what this involves. Thomas is Director Names & Numbers at eco – Association of the Internet Industry. What makes the ICANN78 meeting in Hamburg so special? ICANN meetings are held regularly all over the world. However,…
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“Know-How Protects Organisations from DNS Abuse”
Anyone who activates DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) in a DNS zone actively protects it against attempts to misuse the Domain Name System (DNS). Patrick Koetter, Leader of the Email and Anti-Abuse Competence Groups at eco Association explains how to achieve this in an interview and in a two-day German-language…
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What is DNS Abuse – And What is Not?
The eco initiative topDNS has published an Abuse Table to provide guidance on which cyber threats are considered to be abuse of the Domain Name System – and which are not.
Events
ICANN78 Day Zero Workshop: NIS2 Directive – Impact on the DNS Industry
ICANN78 Accompanying Programme
Videos
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topDNS Best Practice Series: Recognising Good Practice in the DNS – Towards Positive, Data-Driven Policy Discussions
The DNS Reasearch Foundation & 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…
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topDNS Best Practice Series: Standards and Frameworks for Evidencing Abuse Online
CleanDNS & eco’s topDNS Initiative invite you to the second in a series of topDNS best practice webinars to showcase what the domain name industry is doing to fight DNS abuse. Fighting abuse online is first and foremost a matter of taking appropriate action, taken by the appropriate party, taken…