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| Domain Summit Asia in Hong Kong
The first Domain Summit Asia was held in Hong Kong 17-18 November 2025, organized by DotAsia (.Asia), Jack Dai, DN.com (China), and Helmuts Meskonis (UK–Latvia). Domain Summit Asia 2025 brought together domain investors, registrars, registries, entrepreneurs, and digital leaders for an intimate two-day program in Hong Kong.
Day 1 – November 17 (Monday): Talks and sessions with industry experts, focusing on the Asian domain landscape and global opportunities. Day 2 – November 18 (Tuesday): A group walk through Hong Kong, blending networking with an authentic local experience. Day 2 – November 18 (Tuesday): An engaging GoCreate! session focusing on the domain name industry. GoCreate! aims to stimulate innovation in the domain market space, by exploring new technologies and usage of domain names to drive the expansion of the global DNS.
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| The Summit was limited to 80 participants, to foster meaningful conversations and lasting connections. Discover more about Domain Summit Asia and the DotAsia GoCreate! series here. |
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| | 2025 Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF)
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| The 16th edition of the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) took place virtually this year from 11-14 October 2025, anchoring the discussions around the theme “The Future of Multistakeholder Digital Governance in Asia Pacific”. The APrIGF 2025 dove into key conversations around its five critical sub-themes; Security & Trust, Resilience, Innovation & Emerging Technologies, Sustainability, and Access & Inclusion. The 2025 Synthesis Document is a significant output of the APrIGF 2025.
Online attendees across all four days of APrIGF totaled 1,701. A WSIS+20 High Level Session featured a distinguished panel of speakers, including Co-Facilitators of the WSIS+20 Review process, H.E. Mr. Ekitela Lokaale, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations, and H.E. Ms. Suela Janina, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Albania (full panel below). |
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| | As a regional platform for collaboration, discussion, and knowledge exchange on Internet governance, APrIGF welcomes participants from all stakeholder groups, including government, the private sector, civil society, academia, or the technical community—your voice matters in this shared digital future.
DotAsia looks forward to supporting the 2026 APrIGF. |
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 DotAsia Leadership on DNS Abuse — Challenges remain in addressing DNS Abuse as the online landscape evolves quickly, and threat actors continuously seek ways to circumvent the protective measures implemented by those working to combat DNS Abuse in the Internet community. The encouraging news is that the collaborative efforts of the Internet multistakeholder community are also evolving. Recently, the GNSO Council DNS Abuse Small Team reconvened in March 2025 to scope a new policy development process (PDP). DotAsia’s VP for Policy Development, Jennifer Chung leads the GNSO Council DNS Abuse Small Team.
During ICANN84 Dublin last month, the community session on DNS Abuse confirmed the importance and priority placed on further policy work on DNS mitigation. Two PDP working groups on priority topics are expected to be approved by the GNSO Council by the end of the year.
DotAsia (.Asia) has a long history of leading on the issue of DNS Abuse. DotAsia moderated a multistakeholder Forum on DNS Abuse in 2011, paving the way for a continuing dialogue with the ICANN Community where different stakeholders affected by DNS Abuse can share information and ideas for responding to such abuse. Since DotAsia’s early days as the first gTLD to be headquartered in Asia, DotAsia has promoted Internet development and adoption in the Asia Pacific region. DotAsia also provides front-end registry services for DotKids (.Kids), which can experience more specific forms of DNS Abuse. DNS Abuse is a global concern, but certain types tend to fluctuate in prevalence in Asia, such as phishing attacks and malware. Every “.Asia” and “.Kids” domain registration contributes to the APAC community, and DotAsia has a mandate to develop the ecosystem responsibly, which includes combating DNS Abuse.
An important strategy for reducing illegal and abusive online activity is working with third-party “trusted notifiers” who can detect and report these incidents to the proper level within the DNS ecosystem. In addition to its role in the GNSO Council DNS Abuse Small Team, DotAsia recently joined forces with TWNIC and Nominet to join the APAC Trusted Notifier Network, strengthening global domain name trust and security. DotAsia looks forward to the continued expansion and strengthening of this cooperative effort across the region.
“In line with our vision for a collaborative Asia-Pacific Internet community, DotAsia is proud to partner with TWNIC and Nominet to demonstrate our strong commitment to improve DNS governance and combat abuse,” says Edmon Chung, CEO, DotAsia. “We look forward to the continued expansion and strengthening of this cooperative effort across the region.”
The APAC Trusted Notifier Network is open to additional interested organizations in the APAC region. Please contact info@dot.asia to join the APAC Trusted Notifier Network. |
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| |  APAC Collaboration —The Community of Asia Pacific Internet Organizations (AP*) held its annual meeting on 8 September in Da Nang, Viet Nam, featuring active participation and vibrant discussions about the future of the community. One of the sessions featured a presentation about Mastodon, a free, open-source decentralized social media platform that is expanding in the Asia Pacific region.
The session titled “Social Media Protocol in the Fediverse” was led by Edmon Chung (DotAsia) and Felix Hlatky (Mastodon), who presented efforts to improve interoperability and protocols within decentralized social media networks. Edmon highlighted that the new AP* website already supports the ActivityPub protocol, and called on AP* member organizations to adopt open social protocols such as ActivityPub and AT to diversify traffic from as well as dependence on dominant social platforms.
Notes from the 2025 AP* meeting can be found here. |
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| |  GoCreate!— GoCreate! is a dynamic event series initiated by DotAsia, which aims to stimulate innovation in the domain market space, by exploring new technologies and usage of domain names to drive the expansion of the global Domain Name System (DNS). The most recent iteration of GoCreate! was held in Hong Kong during Domain Summit Asia, on Tuesday, 18 November.
The GoCreate! collaborative series is fostering a deeper understanding and increased adoption of domain name assets within the digital landscape. The initiative underscores the strategic advantages for businesses in utilizing a meaningful portfolio of domain names, to enhance market reach, brand affiliation and resilience of digital systems. DotAsia plans to continue the series at other venues in Asia, in 2026 and beyond.
With its rising youth, infrastructure, and economy—Asia is the future of the DNS industry. If you’re in the community, collaborate with DotAsia and share your ideas for the GoCreate! series. To learn more, please visit dot.asia/gocreate or contact pavan@dot.asia. |
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| |  .Asia Spotlight— Goodr.Asia serves as the dedicated Asian online platform for a celebrated brand of running sunglasses. The company has built its reputation by offering fashionable, affordable, and highly functional eyewear—sunglasses that are guaranteed to be no-slip and no-bounce for athletes, but stylish enough for everyday wear. The catchy and unique name, "Goodr," is a significant business asset. It's short, memorable, and a playful twist on the word "good," perfectly encapsulating the brand's promise of offering a 100% carbon neutral product at an affordable price.
The strategic choice of the .Asia platform is key. Goodr.Asia immediately signals that the website is the official, localized hub for the brand across the Asian region. Paired with the relevant .Asia extension, the full domain name, Goodr.Asia, is easy to recall and share. This strong, concise branding makes every marketing effort more effective and supports the brand's fun, irreverent identity, ultimately driving e-commerce success and strong regional brand recognition.To learn more, please visit get.asia or contact pavan@dot.asia. |
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| |  New Registrar Spotlight — DotAsia is thrilled to welcome SUVAN NET of Uzbekistan to our accredited registrar network. Operating through their popular platform, Ahost.Uz, SUVAN NET is a clear market leader in Central Asia, managing over 55,000 active .Uz country code domains. A key factor in this partnership is their crucial achievement as the first ICANN-accredited registrar in Uzbekistan, underscoring their commitment to international technical standards and positioning them as a highly trusted global partner.
SUVAN NET’s addition to DotAsia is a major breakthrough for the .Asia domain's presence across the vibrant Central Asian region. Their long-standing, dominant local position and profound understanding of the market—centered in Uzbekistan—is invaluable for localizing registration services. By introducing .Asia directly to their vast customer base, SUVAN NET will significantly increase the domain's visibility and uptake, empowering regional businesses to officially establish their distinct Pan-Asian identity online. To learn more, please visit get.asia or contact amina@dot.asia. |
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DotAsia Applicant Support Program (ASP) Mentorship
Asia is experiencing the largest Internet growth globally — driven by rapid digital transformation, technological advancements, increasing digital infrastructure investments, and a large youth population now coming online.
DotAsia is a mentor in the Applicant Support Program (ASP), which is intended to make the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round application and evaluation processes and fees more accessible to nonprofits and other entities that would like to operate a registry but would otherwise be unable to apply, because of financial and resource constraints. As a mentor in the ASP, DotAsia is helping provide organizations with a range of financial and non-financial assistance—including access to volunteer professional services, training, and reductions in gTLD evaluation fees. As of November 2025, DotAsia has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with 11 partner nonprofit organizations (NGOs) in the APAC region.
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| The application submission period for ASP is extended to 19 December 2025. To learn more, please visit tld.asia or contact asp@tld.asia. |
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| | Internet Governance (IG) Update
This is a critical year for Internet Governance.
In 2025, the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20), a United Nations-led process to assess the effectiveness of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for development since 2005, is taking place. This review will help define the UN’s future actions in digital development, including how different stakeholders will be involved. An Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) was convened to help ensure that the voices and perspectives of diverse stakeholders and communities are included in the WSIS review process. The two co-convenors for the IMSB include DotAsia’s VP,Policy, Jennifer Chung, alongside Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, one of the “Fathers of the Internet”.
Three APAC Youth representatives from the NetMission team intervened as speakers at several WSIS+20 Informal Stakeholder Consultation Sessions on the Elements Paper and Zero Draft including written inputs to Zero Draft. For NetMission, this moment was more than symbolic, because it was a chance to bring lived realities and policy insights from youth across Asia-Pacific directly into global digital governance. Representatives focused on different thematic areas of the Elements Paper and Zero Draft, including ICT for Development, Capacity Building, and Monitoring and Measurement. Their collective message was clear: Youth across the Asia-Pacific are showing up, speaking up, and ready to shape the digital future.
Read more about the WSIS+20 Review IMSB and the importance of APAC Youth involvement here. |
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| | The Asia-Pacific Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO) and NetMission Update
The APRALO Study Group, consisting of Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy (APIGA) and NetMission alumni, as well as APAC Youth leaders in Internet Governance, recently met to discuss the evolution of the group beyond its original scope: The APRALO Study Group will continue concentrating on enhancing the webinar series and monthly engagement calls. A new monthly meeting for APAC Youth Leadership will allow members to discuss work in IG, in addition to the APRALO webinars with experts. In addition, developing year-round resources, diversifying Model ICANN topics, and drawing lessons from Model UN/ASEAN practices will be implemented through a new IG InnoLab facilitated by NetMission+ members across WGs and initiatives. APAC Youth also have a growing role in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) policy development community. Regular events and engagement are being planned for 2026 and beyond.
More updates from NetMission: The NetMission Academy 2026 application window is open. APAC Youth are engaged in the WSIS+20 Review process. Asia Pacific yIGF 2025 event report is now available.
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| Asian American and Pacific Islander Cultural Snapshot
The Asian American and Pacific Islander Experience is part of the PBS American Experience film collection. Explore the collection featuring a selection of films documenting the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Experience—along with articles, digital shorts and original features exploring America’s continued struggle with democracy, inclusion and justice for AANHPI Americans, and celebrating their contributions to the American story.
Connect with DotAsia |
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| | Did You Know?
 Asia’s sonic-boom: When K-pop meets animation!
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| 🎬 Asia’s sonic-boom: When K-pop meets animation! When Korean myth meets K-pop electricity, you get an Asian entertainment supernova: Netflix’s “K-Pop Demon Hunters” debuted at No 1 in 22+ countries and shows how Asia’s pop culture is truly crossing borders.
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| Chair’s report by Akinori San
As Chair of the DotAsia Board, I’m pleased to share this message with our members and broader community.
The Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) is one of the major events in the Asia-Pacific Internet governance community, and DotAsia has served as its secretariat from the very beginning. The APrIGF 2025 Meeting had originally been planned to take place in Kathmandu with remote participation allowed, but the Leadership Team decided to transition it to a fully virtual format due to disturbances on local social media platforms in Nepal. However, this did not stop strong participation from across the region. More than 1,100 participants registered, with daily attendance reaching or exceeding 500. The Multistakeholder Steering Group (MSG) undertook the difficult task of selecting 25 sessions out of more than 100 proposals. The Parliamentary Track and the high-level panel brought together esteemed panelists from Asia-Pacific economies, and leaders of global Internet organizations delivered warm and inspiring messages. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to this successful event, and I look forward to the next opportunity for us to meet in person. |
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The DotAsia Board of Directors convened in Dublin immediately after the conclusion of the ICANN84 Meeting for our semi-annual Board Workshop. The Board currently comprises nine members including the CEO as an ex-officio member. We typically conduct our business through virtual meetings of the Board and its committees. These workshops are therefore invaluable opportunities for us to gather in person and engage in in-depth discussion of DotAsia's work. The two-day agenda covered our overall operations and enabled us to conduct deep dives into selected topics. While we reviewed the steady progress on day-to-day business, the focal point of this workshop was a deep dive into DotAsia's Strategic Positions. Strategic Positions document is an exhaustive list of advocacy talking points that DotAsia may present in its speaking opportunities. Although these positions are mainly delivered by Secretariat staff, I believe this exercise —spanning several hours of our two-day agenda— was important in affirming them as organizational strategic positions, rather than individual viewpoints.
On a more personal note, I was delighted to realize that the eleven Board and Secretariat members who gathered in Dublin represented eleven different nationalities. I am grateful to work in such a diverse environment, which continually inspires me. Members of the DotAsia Board also contribute to the Internet community in many other roles around the world, so you may encounter them in various forums. We are always happy to speak with you about DotAsia's work —please feel free to approach us anytime!
Akinori Maemura
DotAsia Board Chair |
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