SIDN Labs

What happened at SIDN Labs?

At the end of 2011, SIDN brought its R&D activities together under the umbrella of a new research and innovation programme called SIDN Labs. SIDN Labs seeks to make a solid contribution to internet innovations that create added value for Dutch society and reinforce the Netherlands' international position. SIDN Labs also contributes to the continuous improvement of SIDN's services and enhances SIDN's value as an independent, leading expertise centre in the field of technical and social internet themes.

PI.Lab

On 3 April 2012, the Privacy & Identity Lab (PI.Lab) was officially launched with a congress devoted to research into privacy on the internet. The PI.Lab is a joint venture between SIDN, TNO, Radboud University Nijmegen and Tilburg University. It operates as an expertise centre, developing solutions to increase on-line privacy and aid the management of electronic identities. Privacy protection and good electronic identity management are preconditions for confidence in the information society – as illustrated by the public debates that have surrounded electronic medical records, public transport chip-cards and smart electricity meters.
The PI.Lab is unique, because it addresses the technical, legal and socioeconomic aspects of privacy and identity on an integrated basis. The PI.Lab acquires academic knowledge, actively participates in national and international research projects and programmes, and develops (prototypes of) practical applications. Another feature that distinguishes the PI.Lab is the utilisation of acquired knowledge, through the provision of consultancy services to the public and private sectors. The PI.Lab completed several successful consultancy projects in 2012.
PI.Lab

Abuse Information Exchange

In 2012, seven ISPs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs linked up with SIDN in the fight against botnets. Botnets are responsible for sending spam, for bringing down websites by 'DDoS attacks' and, increasingly, for identity fraud. The Abuse Information Exchange will facilitate the exchange of information amongst its members. It will act as a central point for the collection and targeted dissemination of information about botnet infections. The approach should mean that more infections are picked up and dealt with efficiently. SIDN and the Ministry are covering the Exchange's start-up costs, while the operating costs will be met by the member institutes. SIDN is also acting as an information provider and user, and as the system's technical administrator. The Abuse Information Exchange will become operational in 2013.

Collaboration with
NLnet Labs delivers new
internet standard

SIDN has been providing financial support to NLnet Labs since 2011. NLnet Labs is a Dutch expertise centre in the field of internet technology, with a worldwide reputation for its work on DNS and DNSSEC. As such, it is a major contributor to the security and stability of the global internet.

DNS experts at NLnet Labs and SIDN Labs undertook a joint investigation of the best way of implementing
DNSSEC. This yielded an 'RFC' – number 6781 – in December 2012. RFCs (Requests for Comment) are documents that define internet protocols and standards. They are published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the international collaborative body that develops internet standards. The RFC developed by SIDN Labs and NLnet Labs describes the procedures for and precise operational considerations relating to the deployment of DNSSEC. It is the first RFC that SIDN has co-authored, although the company has previously contributed to numerous RFCs and the related debates, both recently and in the more distant past. SIDN has since submitted a number of other Internet Drafts (the precursors of RFCs).