As the digital world continues to grow and transform, safeguarding domain names, email systems, and brand identities has become both increasingly critical and increasingly achievable. In this issue of dotmagazine, nine leading experts share how innovative technologies, strong partnerships, and proactive policies are driving a new era of online security and trust.
Laying the policy groundwork for a resilient digital future
Lars Steffen of the eco Association, reflecting on the EuroISPA 2025 General Meeting, underscores the importance of policy alignment and stakeholder cooperation. As he notes, “The EuroISPA General Meeting served as both a strategic checkpoint and a collaborative forum for the future of Europe’s digital landscape.” His perspective highlights Europe’s proactive approach to regulatory simplification, digital sovereignty and resilience – a vital foundation for cybersecurity infrastructure that benefits all stakeholders.
Building on this policy perspective, Patrick Ben Koetter of eco and sys4 AG emphasises the foundational role of Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in establishing digital trust. As he explains, DNSSEC ensures that DNS responses are verifiable and tamper-proof – crucial for preventing impersonation and man-in-the-middle attacks. Yet despite broad awareness, adoption remains limited due to implementation complexity and a lack of operational confidence. Drawing on insights from eco’s recent survey and webinar, Koetter advocates for greater education, technical support and regulatory momentum. Without verifiable DNS, he warns, digital trust rests on shaky ground.
Complementing this policy framework, Ivo Ivanov of DE-CIX demonstrates how deep technical expertise combined with user-centric strategies is key to identifying and mitigating domain threats early. As the host of the upcoming Atlantic Convergence event, DE-CIX is fostering strategic collaboration across industry and government stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic to strengthen digital trust and online security. Ivanov’s emphasis on domain intelligence exemplifies how technical precision, paired with such collaborative forums, is indispensable for effective online defense.
Advancing email defences and closing the protection gap
Based on this foundation, Qadir Rostamzada of the Certified Senders Alliance (CSA) and eco emphasises the value of real-time detection and flexible, adaptive responses in combatting malicious domain activities. His work illustrates that the dynamic nature of cyber threats demands equally dynamic and scalable defense mechanisms, particularly in ensuring reliable email deliverability for critical business communications.
Adding to this perspective, both Stephane Decamps of Hornetsecurity and Florian Vierke of Mapp Digital offer complementary perspectives on email authentication and security infrastructure. Decamps focuses on how legitimate marketers can distinguish themselves from threats through trust-building practices, while Vierke highlights a critical gap in the current landscape: the stark contrast between well-protected high-volume domains and the many small, low-volume domains that remain vulnerable. Their combined insights reveal how foundational technologies like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC provide the backbone for digital trust, though significant work remains to close the protection gap across all domain types.
In the realm of comprehensive brand protection, Thomas Küchenthal of LEMARIT presents a compelling framework for safeguarding entire domain portfolios. As he notes: “Think of it as sealing every envelope, vetting every post office, and watching your mailbox – at scale.” His focus on protecting non-sending domains reveals how essential proactive measures are for preventing impersonation attacks before they can damage brand reputation and customer trust.
Automation, AI and strategic filtering
Meanwhile, Su Wu of iQ Global illustrates AI’s transformative impact in abuse management, stating, “AI has the ability to process large volumes of abuse reports with remarkable speed.” She further envisions “a future landscape [that] is one of AI-augmented human intelligence, where the scalable and rapid processing capabilities of AI complement human critical thinking, ethical oversight, and strategic direction.”
Finally, Sven Krohlas of Spamhaus provides crucial insight on the nuanced approach required in blocklist selection, noting that “choosing the right lists with policies that match your use case is where the challenge lies.” His insight stresses that list choice is not merely technical but a strategic decision balancing security needs and operational impacts.
Conclusion: A coordinated future for digital trust
Together, these voices outline a multi-dimensional framework where technology, human insight, and strategy converge to protect digital assets. From preemptive domain monitoring and infrastructure hardening to advanced AI-driven abuse detection and strategic filtering policies, the path forward requires an integrated, collaborative, and adaptive defense.
As these experts collectively demonstrate, safeguarding digital trust is an ongoing journey requiring vigilance, innovation and thoughtful coordination. Echoing this spirit, Lars Steffen highlights that “this collaborative process reflects a broader shift in digital policy development – from reactive stances to coordinated, proactive engagement across the European ecosystem.” Through their combined insights, organisations can better navigate the complexities of online security and contribute meaningfully to building a resilient and trustworthy digital environment for all.
The full issue is available here: https://www.dotmagazine.online/issues/strengthening-digital-trust
