The RIPE Labs Podcast

ICP-2 lays out the criteria for the recognition of new RIRs. But what about the rest of the lifecycle of the organisations that coordinate the allocation and public registration of unique IP numbers? In this episode, Andrei Robachevsky of the NRO NC talks about the ICP-2 review.In November 2023, the NRO EC requested that the ASO AC "review and consider improvements to ICP-2". The NRO NC (in its role as ASO AC - see notes on organisations and acronyms below) thereby began a comprehensive review of the original document and put together a process for the creation of an updated ICP-2 through open consultation with the community. Having reached step seven in that process, the NRO NC is now receiving community feedback on version 2 of the draft RIR Governance Document (until 7 November 2025). The entire ICP-2 review process has been documented in detail in the ICP-2 section over on the NRO NC website. A note on organisations and acronymsICP-2: 'Internet Coordination Policy 2: Criteria for Establishment of New Regional Internet Registries' - document published and accepted by the ICANN Board of Directors in 2001.RIRs: The Regional Internet Registries; who coordinate the allocation and public registration of unique IP addresses and AS numbers for their service regions:RIPE NCC: Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (est. 1992)APNIC: Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (est. 1993)ARIN: American Registry for Internet Numbers (est. 1997)LACNIC: Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (est. 2002)AFRINIC: African Network Information Centre (est. 2004)ICANN (est. 1998): The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers; oversees the global allocation of domain names and unique Internet numbers; delegates these resources to the RIRs in its IANA function.IANA: The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority; originally Jon Postel; now a function carried out by ICANN.NRO: The Number Resource Organisation; coordinating body for the five RIRs.NRO EC: The NRO Executive Council; executive body for the NRO; composed of five members, one from each RIR.NRO NC: The NRO Number Council; fills the role of ASO AC for ICANN; composed of fifteen members, three from each RIR community.ASO: The Address Supporting Organisation; advises the ICANN Board on global IP address policies.ASO AC: The ASO Address Council; role within ICANN's ASO to ensure the proper implementation of global policy development process across the RIR regions; filled by the NRO NC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Internet has long been fertile ground for innovative technologies to grow and openly compete. But having emerged out of these conditions, certain services and the companies that offer them have come to dominate and stifle the very diversity that made their existence possible. Our guest in the episode of the RIPE Labs podcast, Maria Farrell, talks about why we must - and how we can - rewild the Internet.Show notes:00:00 - Find out more about our excellent guest, Maria Farrell02:26 - Maria at RIPE 9005:48 - More about Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott07:15 - Find out more about Robin Berjon08:46 - We Need to Rewind the Internet by Maria Farrell and Robin Berjon11:36 - Meredith Whittaker speaking at CCC16:32 - Leslie Daigle's The Internet Invariants ...and Leslie at RIPE 9020:10 - RFC 9518 'Centralization, Decentralization, and Internet Standards'21:30 - Hisham Ibrahim on RIPE Labs28:55 - Cory Doctorow on competitive compatibility ("comcom")37:45 - Interview with Jonathan Kanter on Big Tech, Antitrust Laws, and the Future of AI43:20 - On Ireland's relationship with U.S. tech51:45 - Anna Wilson at RIPE 90 It's ok to be smaller: how to not get overwhelmed52:10 - Bert Hubert on European cloud52:18 - Meredith Whittaker on the end of big tech01:00:48: - Bert Hubert on open source alternatives to big tech services Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is “the Internet”? And why is it not just our access to a search engine or our favourite social media platform? In this episode, Hisham Ibrahim, RIPE NCC’s Chief Community Officer, breaks down the layers of the Internet ecosystem, explains what a stable and resilient Internet means, and clarifies the difference between digital governance and Internet governance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The digital infrastructure we're all so dependent on has a negative - and growing - impact on the environment. In this episode, Michael Oghia talks about strategies for breaking down the big problem of digital sustainability, strategies for building a more efficient Internet, and challenges that come with the adoption of more sustainable practices. Show notes01:40 - Michael on RIPE Labs08:20 - Our World in Data gives similar numbers for the % of global carbon emissions from the aviation industry, as does this broader report from the European parliament.11:00 - E-waste dumps in Ghana11:10 - Map of conflict mineral mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo11:27 - Article from the Guardian on projected energy demands from AI data centres12:50 - Article on using 'waste heat' as a source of power13:20 - Michael RIPE Labs article on refurbishment as a strategy for digital sustainability15:30 - Michael's RIPE Labs article on Why Small and Medium-Size Operators Should Care About Sustainability17:15 - Read more about the origins of the term 'carbon footprint' in this nice piece by Tom Greenwood37:05 - The resources Michael is pointing us to here are available via the same article: Why Small and Medium-Size Operators Should Care About Sustainability Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When two Internet cables in the Baltic Sea were reported as broken last November, researchers at the RIPE NCC turned to RIPE Atlas to examine the damage. In this episode, Emile Aben discusses what his analysis uncovered about the impact of these and similar incidents in the months that followed, and how the Internet remained resilient against them.Show notes00:44 - TeleGeography build and maintain massive data sets that are used to monitor, forecast, and map the telecommunications industry. Their submarine cable map is a valuable resource in tracking Internet cable incidents.00:52 - Some early reports on these incidents from Mobile Europe, Reuters, The Register01:08 - Visual guide from the Guardian exploring circumstances surrounding incidents in the Baltic Sea.01:13 - RIPE Atlas01:36 - On RIPE Labs: Does the Internet Route Around Damage? - Baltic Sea Cable Cuts; A Deep Dive Into the Baltic Sea Cable Cuts02:13 - First episode of the RIPE Labs podcast: Measuring Damage on the Internet03:14 - Emile's earlier articles on the Ukraine: The Ukrainian Internet05:25 - RIPE Atlas anchors12:40 - Help expand RIPE Atlas coverage! Learn more about what's involved in hosting a RIPE Atlas anchor.27:05 - The Internet in North Korea - Hanging by a Single Thread?32:50 - Lord Kelvin said both that "To measure is to know" and "If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we dive deep into the evolving world of cyberspace and international cybersecurity law with Francesca Bosco from the CyberPeace Institute. As digital threats grow in complexity, how are governments and policymakers responding? What role does civil society play in internet governance? And can a multistakeholder approach truly bridge the gap between technical expertise and legislative frameworks? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is no longer unusual for Operational Technology systems to be connected to IT systems and the Internet, but this leaves them increasingly open to cyber threats. Daniel Kapellmann, Security Engineering Manager at Google Threat Intelligence, talks about how convergence of OT with IT systems amplifies risk and what’s involved in detecting threats. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overcoming the various challenges involved in keeping the Internet running calls for different ways of thinking about those challenges. In this episode, Rob Lister talks to us about how and why the technical community can and should embrace neurodiversity.Back in May 2024 at RIPE 88, Rob Lister (Senior Network Engineer at LONAP) opened up to the community about his experience of having been diagnosed with ADHD during COVID. We talked more about how the Internet community can support neurodiverse individuals and how communication and awareness are key.Rob was kind enough to share some useful references and resources for interested listeners:Dolan, E (2024): Anendophasia: Scientists uncover the weird cognitive impact of life without an inner voiceADHD Adult Self-Screening ToolADHD and work - ideas for workplace accommodations.For eventsSunflower Lanyards from hidden disabilities"Social battery" pin badge - loads of version including this fancy LED badge.BooksChanning, C (2020): The First Minute: How to Start Conversations That Get Results (alternatively, you can also get it here)Channing, C (2022): Effective Emails: The Secret to Straightforward Communication at Work (alternative here)Archer, D (2016): The ADHD Advantage: What You Thought Was a Diagnosis May Be Your Greatest StrengthShankman, P (2017): Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD BrainMaskell, L (2022): ADHD an A-ZBanks, A (2021): Going Official! On getting a diagnosis of adult ADHD, and what to do with it Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The White House recently announced plans to boost Internet routing security in the US through better RPKI coverage. So how does RPKI help secure BGP? How easy is it to boost coverage on a national level? And what's the future potential of the infrastructure? Our guest Tim Bruijnzeels shares his views.Tim is Principal Software Engineer for RPKI at the RIPE NCC and has worked in standards development and software implementation around RPKI for well over a decade. He talked to us about where RPKI is at today, how governments can and have aided its adoption, and how work being done on ASPA and BGPsec promise a more secure future for the Internet.Show notes:02:40 - The Dublin IETF meeting back in 2008.03:17 - Tim has contributed to a number of RFCs over the years.03:40 - NLnet Labs develops free, liberally licensed, open-source software for DNS and BGP routing.03:50 - Krill is a free, open source RPKI Certificate Authority developed by NLnet Labs that lets you run delegated RPKI under one or multiple RIRs.07:24 - You can read more on how the Internet routes around damage on RIPE Labs.10:47 - Get more information on how to manage ROAs through the RPKI Dashboard.11:36 - Check out the RIPE NCC's Routing Information Service (RIS).12:17 - Alex Band's article on the launch of the RIPE NCC Resource Certification Service back in 2011.13:51 - There are a number of RPKI validators to choose from, including Routinator from NLnet Labs.17:32 - Here's a nice explainer article on ASPA.22:07 - Plans to support ASPA and BGPsec router certificates in RIPE NCC Quarterly Planning.24:42 - Press Release: White House Office of the National Cyber Director Releases Roadmap to Enhance Internet Routing Security.26:47 - More on Dutch government measures for ensuring RPKI coverage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being at the core of the Internet places the DNS under a lot of pressure. New forms of DNS abuse emerge each year, disputes over domain names persist, and all the while, the Internet just keeps getting bigger. Mikhail Anisimov from ICANN talks about the coordinated effort involved in meeting these challenges and shares his views on DNS in Central Asia.As one of the organisations at the core of the Internet that works to coordinate the supply of Internet numbers and domain names, ICANN plays a vital role in helping to support and develop the DNS. Our guest Mikhail has been ICANN’s Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia since 2020, so we thought who better to talk to about DNS, DNSSEC, and its ongoing development in Central Asia.Show notes:02:18 - Wikipedia entry on DNS03:30 - You can learn lots about ICANN on their website04:10 – There’s a list of all the root DNS servers and their operators on the IANA website. The RIPE NCC operates K-root.05:12 – Statdns has this useful list of DNS related RFCs08:40 – New gTLD program09:10 – FAQ on the next round of the new gTLD15:30 - The 8th Central Asian Internet Governance Forum took place on 21-22 June 2024.15:51 – ICANN’s Domain Name Security Threat Information Collection and Reporting (DNSTICR) project16:02 - …and the broader Domain Abuse Activity Reporting (DAAR) project19:07 - Calling Time on DNSSEC by Geoff Huston22:19 – Dan Kaminsky in the Internet Hall of Fame28:00 – ICANN page on DNSSEC33:21 – The next Central Asia Peering and Interconnection Forum, CAPIF 3, takes place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from 24-25 September 2024.40:42 – Read Chris Buckridge’s Fragmentation: Still the Internet's Big Bad here on RIPE Labs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For many, the Internet is essentially a black box. We connect with endpoints to send and receive data, but we have little insight into what happens in between. Dr Paola Grosso talks about how the CATRIN project seeks to provide more visibility and control so we can make more responsible decisions on how we traverse the Internet.Show notes:02:17 – Paola’s UvA profile04:21 – CATRIN project homepage04:44 – UPIN project announcement06:00 – Partners in the CATRIN project are listed at the bottom of the project homepage09:29 – The ‘main paper’ on the responsible Internet that we talk about is the article in the Journal of Network and Systems Management. There’s also a series of posts about CATRIN on the SIDN Labs blog.24:12 – See more on the Waag’s role in CATRIN26:05 – Read up on the latest developments in MANRS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the RIPE Labs podcast, three Internet pioneers talk about how they helped grow the Internet out of its early infancy, back when its purpose - and much of the excitement around its development - lay in the promise of connecting researchers from around the world.___Show notes:00:03:22 - Daniel Karrenberg about the EUnet, the first pan-European Internet Service Provider (ISP)00:11:18 - Dennis Jennings about his first encounter with networking and the birth EARN00:17:40 - Daniele Bovio on the first international routing tables received via EARN and BITNET00:22:48 - Daniel Karrenberg on Email gateways, email being the one application that worked across all networks00:27:06 - The first transatlantic interconnection Daniel operated00:29:18 - Dennis shares how he built NSFNET00:32:05 - Dennis on why he decided to use TCP/IP protocol on NSFNET00:35:39 - Daniel about the birth of RIPE and the need to coordinate IP addresses00:41:02 - Dennis on designing the national general-purpose network of networks beyond supercomputers and its business model00:48:29 - Daniele on EBONE, a pan-European Internet backbone00:56:48 - Daniele on his work at America Online (AOL) and leasing transatlantic capacity01:12:09 - EARN Panel at SEE 1201:12:26 - the RIPE Community today01:14:00 - Dennis Jennings shares top 3 important moments in the Internet history that he has personally overseen01:21:00 - Daniele Bovio shares top 3 important moments in the Internet history that he has personally overseen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Internet users, the companies who sell us our devices, and governments are all caught up in the struggle to protect our privacy. In this episode, Bert Hubert explains how outsourcing and other market forces determine the flow of control over online data and why we need to understand the consequences.Show notes:01:00 - PowerDNS01:04 - I highly recommend Bert’s excellent blog berthub.eu!!02:42 - Bert on joining TIB (oversight board for the Dutch intelligence and security services)02:58 - Bert on leaving TIB03:30 - Reverse Engineering the source code of the BioNTech/Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine03:40 - George Orwell’s Why I Write05:31 - RIPE NCC’s response to the NIS2 directive10:00 - Bert talking about End to End Encryption for the European Internet Forum at the European Parliament14:27 - Trinity college research on scale of data sharing from Android devices32:31 - More on the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) on RIPE Labs here and here34:00 - Incidentally, Bert was co-author of RFC 545234:50 - Bert and Corrine Cath on SIDN’s decision to outsource some of its services to AWS (in Dutch)41:10 - Read about recent developments with the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act48:00 - Bert on climate change (again, highly recommended!)54:30 - Business for geeks at NLNOG Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Starlink's megaconstellations deliver broadband Internet to customers around the globe. But while the tech promises to democratise Internet access, it's not always clear how existing protocols and regulations apply beyond the clouds. In this episode, Geoff Huston talks about the future of low-orbit Internet.Show notes:02:20 - APNIC Labs Starlink measurements and Geoff’s podcast on LEOs and TCP08:50 - Geostationary orbit09:48 - Project Iridium14:40 - Starlink29:50 - See more from Geoff on measuring Starlink performance from his talk at RIPE 8735:45 - Research on Starlink using RIPE Atlas44:30 - Atmospheric nuclear testing in the 60s45:00 - NORAD Database of satellites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Internet is hardly foolproof in its design, and whether by accident or on purpose, the people who use and operate it sometimes don't do things they should or do do things they shouldn't. Qasim Lone talks about strange goings on he's investigated and how RIPE Atlas can help researchers in the field.01:00 - RIPE Atlas01:53 - SLAC02:59 - Read Qasim on Why SAV is Still a Problem04:37 - Other research from Qasim and colleagues on SAV06:02 - RFCs 2827 and 3704 describe SAV implementation06:35 - IPv4 lease time article07:48 - The DNS Root Manipulation article09:10 - Manu Bretelle's email to DNS-operations mailing list18:17 - Qasim on 240/423:15 - RFC 3330 describes specialised IPv4 address blocks assigned by IANA29:00 - Listen to our episode on bias in Internet measurements36:30 - SEE 12 takes place in Athens this April37:45 - ...and CAPIF 3 is coming up this September! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quantum technologies promise all kinds of fascinating possibilities, but they also come with risks. In this episode of the RIPE Labs podcast, André Grilo, founder and CEO of QuantumNova, talks about why we need to start investing in post-quantum cryptography to protect ourselves against post-quantum threats.01:17 - QuantumNova05:08 - Shor’s algorithm11:07 - Post-quantum cryptography14:02 - NIST selected 4 post-quantum security algorithms16:00 - EU’s programme to support companies to transition to post-quantum23:26 - Quantum repeaters to overcome overcome entanglement distribution over long distances25:10 - Quantum Internet Hackathon29:28 - AI and Quantum Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Understanding outages and shutdowns and how the Internet as a whole came to be vulnerable to, and also resilient against, these kinds of events requires more than a snapshot of the current state affairs. In this episode, Jim Cowie talks about how historical measurement data can help us acquire a better understanding of the Internet.01:40 - There's a nice, short introduction to Jim and his background right here.03:11 - RIPE RIS04:50 - Jim on the 2011 outage in Egypt07:05 - Jim has since confirmed that the Renesys team was indeed using RIS BGP data since September 2001, though Routeviews remains another invaluable source of BGP data.12:35 - Jim's presentation at CAPIF113:42 - Resilience of the Internet in Ukraine on RIPE Labs15:30 - Jim on the Rogers Outage over on the Pulse blog21:43 - Doug Madory on Cuba and the Geopolitics of Submarine Cables31:30 - GEODE on the RIPE Labs podcast33:30 - RIPE Atlas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anastasiya Pak talks to Professor Wim Vanderbauwhede - lead of the Low Carbon and Sustainable Computing activity at the School of Computing Science of the University of Glasgow - about the carbon footprint of the ICT industry, misleading narratives around digitalisation, and why the notion of frugal computing is needed to move forward. 05:49 – The split of ICT emissions - 54% home, 19% data centres, 27% networks - is taken from the "Carbon impact of video streaming" white paper by the Carbon Trust, 2021.  07:13 – Problems with the claims about emission avoidance through digitalisation are discussed in "Digital Rebound – Why Digitalization Will Not Redeem Us Our Environmental Sins", Vlad C. Coroamă and Friedemann Mattern, 2019. 26:00 - The limited potential for offsetting of emission through biomass is discussed in "There aren’t enough trees in the world to offset society’s carbon emissions – and there never will be", Bonnie Waring, 2023. 34:37 – Wim discusses the notion of Frugal Computing in more detail in in his position paper "Frugal computing – On the need for low-carbon and sustainable computing and the path towards zero-carbon computing". A more academic version is available here.  37:09 - The potential for efficiency gains through better software is discussed in "There’s plenty of room at the Top: What will drive computer performance after Moore’s law?", Charles E. Leiserson et al. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mapping the dialectical relationship between the Internet and rivalries of power and influence across territories calls on expertise from a variety of disciplines. On the RIPE Labs Podcast, Louis Pétiniaud discusses how he and colleagues at GEODE are investigating the geopolitical Internet.01:14 - The GEODE website where you can also find a list of researchers at the GEODE center     01:24 – Here's the most recent article from the GEODE team on RIPE Labs (runner up in the RIPE Labs article competition for RIPE 86) 01:29 – Louis’ presentation at RIPE 86 (video; slides) 01:48 – RIPE Atlas and RIPE RIS 07:23 – Article by Louis and colleagues on mapping the routes of the Internet in Eastern Ukraine 09:53 – Article Louis co-authored on digital routes and borders in the Middle East 14:12 – You can see the visualisations referred to in Louis’s slides from RIPE 86 18:08 – ITU infrastructure connectivity map 21: 54 – Emile Aben, Romain Fontugne, Ksenia Ermoshina on the Internet in Crimea Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What it means to serve as a RIPE NCC Executive Board member has changed dramatically in the twelve years since Christian Kaufmann first took on the role. Gone are the days of quick board meetings over an afternoon cup of coffee. Now – with recent years having seen organisational change, the pandemic, sanctions regulations, and war - the board is increasingly called upon to make decisions that impact not only the future of the RIPE NCC, but people's access to the Internet in countries across the organisation's service region.In this episode, Anastasiya Pak talks to Christian Kaufmann - who stepped down from the board at RIPE 86 - to find out how he first got involved, what changes he's seen since then, and what it takes to serve on the board today. 01:15 – Watch Christian’s presentation at RIPE 86 where he talks about his time on the board and his decision to step down 05:47 – RIPE NCC Strategy 2022-2026 and RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 202206:40 – Axel Pawlik stepped down as RIPE NCC Managing Director in 201907:32 – Read more about how sanctions affect the RIPE NCC along with lots of other articles about sanctions on RIPE Labs08:40 – The RIPE NCC Executive Board approved a resolution on provision of critical services at its meeting on 28 February 202211:08 – Hans Petter Holen took on the role of Managing Director of the RIPE NCC on 1 May 202011:43 – Ondřej Filip became the new RIPE NCC Executive Board Chair in September 202212:36 – RIPE NCC membership mailing lists13:10 – At the time of publishing, you can still take the RIPE NCC survey 202314:35 – RIPE NCC Executive Board functions and expectations18:54 – RIPE Atlas20:45 – Sponsor RIPE Atlas22:08 – Christian joined the ICANN Board of Directors in 2022 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.