For confidence online

2023

Highlights

Take a look back at 2023 with us. The key events contributing to realisation of our strategic goals are summarised on this page. Scroll down or click on the arrows to view details.

1 A prominent .nl domain

A prominent .nl domain

Most Dutch people prefer domain names ending with .nl. So we work to ensure that .nl domain names are easily and widely accessible for everyone. And, as an internet user, you should have confidence that the .nl domain will always work properly. Our primary focus is therefore the quality, security and reliability of our .nl systems and services. We accordingly work with the best people and the latest proven technology, we keep the domain secure through data-driven working, and we’re constantly seeking to innovate.

One of the world’s biggest country-code domains

We’re a small nation with a big domain. The .nl domain now has more than 6.3 million domain names, making it the fourth-largest country-code domain in the world, after .cn (China), .de (Germany) and .uk (United Kingdom). And, relative to our national population, .nl is actually the biggest of them all, with 1 domain name for every 3 people in the country. With a market share of 63 per cent in 2023, .nl dominates the Dutch domain name market, while .com lies in second place (source: CENTRStats).

More facts and figures about .nl

New DNSSEC algorithm for .nl

More than 60 per cent of the 6.3 million-plus .nl domain names now have DNSSEC protection. DNSSEC is a cryptographic security extension to the DNS. When DNSSEC is enabled, digital signatures are attached to DNS responses, so that clients can check their authenticity. We generate the digital signatures for .nl using a cryptographic algorithm. In 2023, we switched from using algorithm 8 to using algorithm 13, re-aligning the .nl zone with the latest recommendations in this field.

Independent DNS anycast for an accessible .nl domain

Sometimes, websites or systems are hit by DDoS attacks, where thousands of computers are maliciously set up to automatically access a site or system all at the same time. That swamps the site or system, preventing legitimate users reaching it. To protect the .nl domain against attacks like that, enabling you to go on using your favourite .nl sites as normal, we use a distributed network of servers – an arrangement known as anycast. For the last few years, we’ve been building up our own anycast network for .nl. With its global cover, the set-up has significantly boosted the resilience of our national internet domain.

2 A future-proof internet

A future-proof internet

We’re contributing to a secure and resilient internet infrastructure for the future by doing research and developing solutions that improve both the existing infrastructure and emerging alternatives. Our work in this field involves applying our own research results, supporting projects and developing new services.

Assessing the risk of new .nl registrations using RegCheck

About 15 per cent of the reports we get about .nl domain names being abused involve names registered less than 30 days earlier. Given how soon after registration they’re reported, it’s safe to assume that the names were registered specifically for malicious use. So, if we can automatically identify and block malicious registrations, we can increase the security of .nl. That’s why SIDN Labs has developed RegCheck: a system that assigns interpretable risk scores to new domain name registrations. With RegCheck, suspect registrations are flagged up early, enabling us to intervene promptly where that’s needed.

An open infrastructure for sub-millisecond internet time

Time plays a vital role in and on the internet. While time services accurate to within a millisecond are widely available, the infrastructure for even more accurate ‘sub-millisecond’ time is still in its infancy. That could make things difficult for the growing number of internet applications and services now emerging that depend on ultra-accurate time. One possible solution is an open time infrastructure. So SIDN Labs has developed an open infrastructure concept for sub-millisecond internet time.

3 Together

Together

Because we can achieve more together than alone, we place great emphasis on collaborating with partners in the Netherlands, other EU countries and the wider world. We seek collaboration in the fields of technology and expertise, working with partners who share our values and our commitment to problem-free, opportunity-rich digital living.

Joining forces to fight suspect domain name registrations

DNS Belgium and SIDN are working together on software to detect malicious domain name registrations before they go live. In other words, domain names registered for abusive or criminal purposes, such as phishing, malware distribution or domain squatting. Both the registries already run systems of their own for flagging up suspect registrations. The reason for teaming up is to see what we can learn from each other, and whether we might ultimately combine our detection systems.

Working together on a new registry platform

We have started a partnership with CIRA, the registry for Canada’s .ca domain. Together, we intend to refine and support CIRA’s existing registry platform. CIRA and SIDN will become co-owners of the upgraded system, but each registry will have its own version. Once the innovative cloud-based system is ready, we’ll migrate .nl to the new, jointly developed and managed registry platform.

Strengthening ties with TU Delft

We’ve strengthened our long-term partnership with Delft University of Technology, so we can do even more to support SIDN Labs’ goal of increasing the security of the internet infrastructure. One spin-off of the partnership is that a member of the SIDN Labs research team has become a part-time assistant professor in the university’s Cybersecurity Department.

Input and feedback on SIDN’s strategy

SIDN’s unique position means that we have a significant responsibility to all Dutch internet users. We believe that we have an obligation to our stakeholders to monitor whether our activities really are contributing to our mission of promoting problem-free, opportunity-rich digital living for all. But what can we do to ensure that we keep increasing our positive impact? One way is to invite representatives from across the Dutch internet community to get involved in shaping our plans through our Strategy Consultation Group.

4 Putting internet users centre stage

Putting internet users centre stage

SIDN is a private organisation with a public role. We’re dedicated to serving internet users in tandem with .nl registrars, service providers, internet community partners and others. Open-source code, decentralisation, privacy and security by design are central to the work we do on behalf of internet users. We develop and share open-source software and open standards, data and research results with the internet community in order to make the internet ever more opportunity-rich, secure and resilient.

Getting digital accessibility onto high school and college curriculums

The internet offers countless opportunities. Sadly, however, not everyone finds it easy to access all those opportunities. Many websites, apps and other digital resources simply aren’t suitable for use by some members of society. Changing that depends on the next generation of designers and developers learning about accessibility issues in technical classes at school and college, so that they take accessibility awareness and knowledge into their future careers. With support from SIDN Fund, the Accessibility Foundation is therefore working to get digital accessibility onto Dutch high school and college curriculums. SIDN Fund is supporting the initiative.

Interactive marble run shows players how the internet works

As a society, we’re highly dependent on the internet, which has become part of our vital infrastructure. Yet few people actually understand how the internet works. Packet Run is an installation that shows people how something as ordinary as viewing a website involves data being routed back and forth across the internet. Unveiled at Dutch Design Week 2023, Packet Run is the result of collaboration between SIDN Fund, the Moeilijke Dingen design studio and SIDN Labs.

Interactive game for youngsters

How do you tell children about a complex topic like polarisation, in a way that they can understand? With support from SIDN Fund, online education platform Skillsdojo is aiming to do that by developing an interactive game for youngsters aged 10 to 14. Skillsdojo believes in the power of stories, so the game makes use of analogies from children’s books. The approach encourages children to empathise with others, making polarisation both easier to understand and easier to talk about.

5 Turning problems into opportunities

Turning problems into opportunities

We tackle problems in the fields of internet infrastructure and cybersecurity, with the aim of keeping internet users safe and promoting optimal, responsible internet use. We seek to generate a responsible surplus, so that we can help the Netherlands and the wider world to innovate, and so that we can invest in problem-free, opportunity-rich digital living. In support of those goals, we bring research and practice together to realise new solutions for Dutch consumers and organisations, for the internet community, and for our own use.

SIDN launches Yivi: a next-generation, privacy-friendly identity wallet

In 2023, we officially launched the Yivi app, a new identity wallet that carries on where IRMA left off. IRMA is a concept developed by Professor Bart Jacobs, an expert in security, privacy and identity, which SIDN has been building on. Yivi app users can securely and conveniently log in and prove who they are without sharing more information about themselves than they need to. As well as being renamed, the app was comprehensively redesigned, marking the identity wallet’s progression to the next level of maturity. Now that we’ve got Yivi ready for the next stage of its journey, the Privacy by Design Foundation will be taking over the reins in 2024.

Share business details conveniently and safely using the Yivi app

In the Netherlands, if you want to check that a business partner is who they say they are, the Chamber of Commerce is the place to go. Last year, to make such checks even easier, SIDN made it possible to import Trade Register data to the Yivi app for sharing as and when necessary. So, for example, an app user can show that they’re authorised to act for their organisation.

Towards a fossil-fuel-free internet

The goal of the Green Web Foundation (TGWF) is a fossil-fuel-free internet by 2030. As part of its efforts to encourage transition, the organisation maintains the world’s biggest open dataset of websites that run on green energy. TGWF is also developing an open-source JavaScript library called C02.js for estimating the carbon emissions linked to websites. A successful pilot led to major players such as Firefox and WordPress expressing interest in CO2.js. With support from SIDN Fund, TGWF is now working to refine the code and promote further adoption of the tool.

Our strategy

Our central role in the Domain Name System (DNS) implies great responsibility towards all Dutch internet users. Ever since we started running the .nl domain, security and reliability have been our top priorities. Our strategy is the means by which we translate our goal of problem-free, opportunity-rich digital living for everyone into practical action. It has 5 central themes. On this web page, we showcase some of the activities that contributed to realisation of our strategic goals in 2023. Take a look at our Annual Report for a fuller picture.

Downloads

Want to find out more?

Download our full Annual Report and Annual Financial Statement in PDF format.

> Annual Report 2023
> Annual Financial Statement 2023
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> Previous Annual Reports
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