We ensure that .nl domain names can be reached by internet users everywhere, and that they are quick and easy to register, competitively priced, reliable and stable. With 1.4 million business domain names, .nl is very important for The Netherlands Inc. Our research work contributes to innovation and strengthens the international position of the nation. And the SIDN Fund gives a helping hand to community start-ups and makes it easier for innovators to bring new ideas on line.
We are committed to building a secure and stable internet. By keeping .nl one of the securest country-code domains in the world, for example. And by fighting internet crime and promoting the adoption of internet standards. We're also active in global forums concerned with internet technology, governance and security; we share our knowledge and we support applied research. Together with SIDN Fund, we support numerous initiatives in this field. New products and services have our attention too, such as technology to make Internet of Things devices more secure.
We want a free and accessible internet where everyone has the same opportunities. So we frequently back initiatives designed to promote digital literacy. Projects that increase users' knowledge, broaden access and prepare the next generation for life in a digital society. Support is provided directly and through SIDN Fund.
.nl is now one of the biggest and most secure country-code domains in the world. Together with more than 1,300 .nl registrars, we work tirelessly to maintain and enhance its status. And the Registrars' Association is a key discussion partner. The Association's chair Martijn Kamphuis looks back at 2017.
In the modern world, being able to do business on line safely, reliably and conveniently is essential. The log-in solutions supplied by our new subsidiary Connectis help people and businesses to do just that. Robert Garskamp from the IDnext platform explains how he sees SIDN's role in the world of digital identities.
We also promote economic growth indirectly through SIDN Fund. By making grants, the Fund promotes new forms of enterprise, new business models and new ways of working that benefit the whole community.
Working together on the .nl domainIf you want to register a .nl domain name, you can arrange it through one of 1,300-plus .nl registrars. The registrar community is a large and varied group of enterprises represented by the Registrars' Association. Martijn Kamphuis chairs the Association and, along with his fellow board members, acts as an important discussion partner on matters relating to the .nl domain. We work constructively together on a wide range of issues. In 2017, for example, we made it easier to find and register domain names by adding a suggestion tool to sidn.nl and improving the way that visitors are put in touch with registrars. The system is generating a healthy flow of leads for registrars, while also helping people and businesses to find and register good domain names. And, together with the registrars, we've been able to cut .nl's levels of phishing, malware distribution and other malicious practices even further. Through our Registrar Scorecard programme, we incentivise registrars to keep increasing the quality of the .nl zone. Among the successes we achieved together in 2017 were substantial rises in the number of .nl domain names in active use and the number that are IPv6-enabled. It's thanks to those efforts that .nl remains one of the world's biggest and most secure country-code domains and the go-to domain for the Dutch business community.
“Most consumers easily have twenty accounts, each with its own user name and password. It's easy to lose track. In response to the desire for convenience, lots of sites now offer several log-in options. You can log in with DigiD, Idensys or Facebook, for example, or with iDIN, the Dutch banks' on-line ID system. Companies like Connectis make it possible for organisations to give visitors the option of logging in using another organisation's ID system. Good identification and authentication systems make it harder to perpetrate abuse. Being part of SIDN strengthens Connectis's credentials as a trustworthy partner. SIDN has a unique status as an independent, professional, non-profit organisation. With their expertise, they can accelerate the development of reliable eIDs.”
Robert Garskamp
Founder of IDnext
Read more about
> collaboration between SIDN and Connectis
> IDnext
We established SIDN Fund in 2014. Since then, the Fund has made grants to 143 innovative internet projects that can make a real difference. Projects with verve, disruptive potential and social value, which don't have obvious alternative sources of funding. In fields such as education, care, sustainability and security. Or introducing new forms of enterprise, new business models and new ways of working that benefit the whole community. SIDN Fund invites grant applications twice a year, generating widespread interest every time. IBT Music is a good example of the projects that are supported. The system increases opportunities for independent artists, rewards creativity and brings new music and new genres to public attention sooner. Another good example is Fairbike, an honest alternative sharing platform for local enterprises.
Read more about
> SIDN Fund
> The IBT Music project
> The Fairbike project
Using internet standards makes the internet more stable and secure. As well as developing new standards, we promote the adoption of existing standards. Through the Platform for Internet Standards, for example.
Phishing and malware have no place on a secure internet. So we do all we can to stamp them out. In 2017, our work cut the average life of malicious sites even further, from twenty-six hours to fifteen.
With its open-source name server software and open standards, NLnet Labs makes a major contribution to the security and operational stability of the DNS. We are one of the main financiers of their work.
Boosting security-awareness amongst internet users is vitally important. In this field, we work closely with ECP and support a range of campaigns.
We're active in global forums concerned with internet technology, governance and security. Our expertise and experience enables us to play a lead role on many issues.
We share our knowledge and support applied research with the aim of detecting internet crime as early as possible. A good example is the University of Twente's OpenINTEL project.
“SIDN is one of the most engaged partners on the Platform for Internet Standards. They provide both financial support and practical input. As a result, the Dutch internet community is able to keep the internet up to date.
The use of modern internet standards helps everyone pull together to make sure the internet stays user-friendly and future-proof. Users aren't generally aware of what happens behind the scenes, but it's down to the hard work of SIDN and others that we have an open, free and secure internet.”
Gerben Klein Baltink
Chair of the Platform for Internet Standards
> Read more about internet standards
We work with registrars and hosting service providers to fight phishing and malware in the .nl zone. In recent years, the average life of phishing sites and malware distribution sites has been cut dramatically. From 144 hours, it was down to fifteen hours by the end of 2017.
> Read more about Abuse204.nl
“The development of open standards and the implementation of open-source software for DNS name servers are vital for the internet's security and stability. NLnet Labs plays an active, independent role in the standardisation of protocols and the implementation of DNS software. The foundation also advises on secure and stable DNS and inter-domain routing infrastructure. SIDN's support helps to safeguard the continuity of NLnet Labs and enables us to go on performing our unique and globally acknowledged role.”
Benno Overeinder
Director of NLnet Labs
> Read more about the activities of NLnet Labs
ECP and SIDN have a close working relationshipECP is a neutral platform, through which the business community, the government and NGOs work together to promote the use of ICT in Dutch society. We have partnered ECP for many years and take part in many of their activities, including the website veiliginternetten, the Internet Security Platform, CodePact and Safer Internet Day. In 2017, we again supported the ECP's Annual Congress. Held on 16 November, the congress explored topics such as cloud computing, big data, blockchain, privacy and cybersecurity. As well as supporting the event financially, we had significant input to the programme. We shared our knowledge in sessions led by SIDN Labs and SIDN Fund, with several of the projects supported by the Fund able to showcase their work.
We play an active role in various important international forums for internet technology, governance and security. As the registry for one of the world's biggest and most secure country-code domains, we play a lead role on many relevant issues. In 2017, we again participated in numerous national and international meetings, helping to organise several of them.
Locations
“SIDN provides both resources and expertise to support our research. Take the OpenINTEL project: a joint initiative that we've been involved in for several years, looking for new ways of making the internet more secure. In 2017, we succeeded in using OpenINTEL data to develop new techniques for detecting a particularly challenging form of spam. Building on the experience gained, one of our PhD students will spend the next couple of years investigating how active DNS measurements from OpenINTEL can support the early detection of other internet threats. The project will be funded by SIDN Labs.”
Roland M. van Rijswijk-Deij
University of Twente
> Read more about the OpenINTEL project
With inclusion in mind, we support initiatives that promote digital literacy. Support is provided directly and through SIDN Fund. In 2017, in partnership with Connectis and others, we started a project where programming lessons were offered to primary schools in Rotterdam. More than nine hundred pupils in years 6 to 8 received tuition.
For people to make sensible use of the internet, they need to know how it works. We therefore support a variety of initiatives, including veiliginternetten.nl, and enable publications such as DigiDuck.
We want an open, free and accessible internet where everyone has the same opportunities. So we contribute to the realisation of that goal through vehicles such as CodePact, which campaigns for digital literacy.
From the uplifting initiatives supported by SIDN Fund, it's clear that the internet creates opportunities. A good example is Cyberwerkplaats, which offers a second chance to talented youngsters who have dropped out of education, or are at risk of doing so.
Hildegardis SchoolConnectis, SIDN and Delft University of Technology offered programming lessons to all primary schools in Rotterdam. Of the city's two-hundred-plus primaries, forty took up the offer. University students delivered sessions for about nine hundred youngsters in years 6 to 8.
By providing the lessons, we aim to show children how much fun programming can be. Not because we imagine that they'll all grow up to be programmers, but because we think they'll benefit from learning to think in a structured way. The world is changing fast and no one can be sure just what jobs today's youngsters need to be ready for. But you can bet that the computational thinking taught in our lessons will be a valuable skill.
Hildegardis School is a one of the Rotterdam primaries taking part in the scheme. The school's pupils love the programming lessons and wish they could have them more than once a week. The staff are positive too and believe that more schools should get involved. First-hand experience could pave the way for getting programming on the curriculum.
We all make enormous use the internet. With our computers, tablets and smartphones, we're on line throughout the day. And we start very early in life. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, we think it's only to be encouraged. But do our children know how the internet works? About the opportunities (and hazards) that the internet brings? IT nowadays plays a key role in every business and educational programme. So knowing something about it has to be a good idea, if only for your job prospects. We therefore support initiatives designed to boost the internet knowledge of upcoming generations. We back the Week van de Mediawijsheid ('Week of Media Wisdom'), for example, and enable publications such as NL DIGITAAL, www.wat and DigiDuck.
We want everyone to enjoy the opportunities that the internet offers. So we're committed to making things easier for groups who are disadvantaged in terms of internet access. One way we do that is through involvement in CodePact, a consortium dedicated to getting digital literacy onto the national school curriculum. If digital literacy were taught in schools, all children would get the grounding they need in this vital subject. Not only those at schools with an inherent interest in IT, but also those in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, for example. In 2017, we and our partners succeeded in persuading the Dutch government to add digital literacy to the curriculum. On 9 October 2017, together with CodePact, Kennisnet and Mediawijzer.net, we presented Samen Digiwijzer ('IT-savvy Together'): a plan tackling digital inequality by reaching out to more young people.
The internet creates opportunities for everyone. A good example is Cyberwerkplaats ('Cyber-workplace'), one of the projects supported by SIDN Fund. It's a non-profit initiative aimed at tackling the shortage of cybersecurity experts. Free tuition is given to talented youngsters aged fifteen to twenty-five who have dropped out of education, or are at risk of doing so. The scheme reaches out to school-leavers, gamers and others, provides tuition and matches them with employers. Other examples of the indirect contribution we make to equality of opportunity in the internet world include the Creative Tech Academy and Hack Your Future.
Read more about
> SIDN Fund
> The Cyberwerkplaats project
> The Creative Tech Academy project
> The Hack Your Future project
The .nl domain grew further, ending the year with 5.8 million domain names; we acquired a majority stake in Connectis, one of the Netherlands' biggest suppliers of secure log-in solutions; we hosted the first edition of SIDN Connect, and users expressed a high level of satisfaction with our services. Just a few of the things that happened in 2017. We look back at the highlights on this site.
Download the full text of our annual report and financial statement in PDF format.
> Annual report 2017
> Financial statement 2017
Our sincere thanks go to Martijn Kamphuis, Robert Garskamp, Gerben Klein Baltink, Benno Overeinder, Marjolijn Bonthuis and Roland van Rijswijk-Deij for their cooperation.
Lumen Ontwerpersnetwerk, Breda
G & J Barker Translations, Worcester, UK
Text and figures from this report may be reproduced, but we ask that you let us know of your intentions in advance by mailing communicatie@sidn.nl and that you credit us as the source.
