NextGen ICANN85: A Glimpse into the Future of Internet Governance
Planted March 8, 2026
Three years ago, ICANN was just a screen for me.
A collection of unfamiliar acronyms, long sessions, and complex discussions that I tried to follow from behind a laptop. I remember sitting through those virtual meetings wondering, “Who are these people? How does all of this actually work?”
Fast forward to ICANN85 in Mumbai, and I found myself walking into those same conversations—this time not as an observer, but as a NextGen@ICANN participant.
This wasn’t just another conference. It felt like stepping inside the Internet itself—where infrastructure, policy, and people all come together to shape something we use every day but rarely think about.
What is ICANN?
Before diving into the experience, it’s important to understand what ICANN actually is.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is responsible for coordinating some of the most critical parts of the Internet’s infrastructure—especially the Domain Name System (DNS).
In simple terms, ICANN helps ensure that when you type a website name, it actually takes you to the right place.
But what makes ICANN unique is not just what it does—it’s how it does it.
ICANN operates through a multistakeholder model, where governments, private companies, civil society, and technical experts all sit at the same table. Decisions are not imposed—they are discussed, debated, and built collectively.
What is NextGen@ICANN?
The NextGen@ICANN program is where young people get their entry point into this ecosystem.
It’s not just about attending sessions. It’s about:
- learning how the Internet is governed,
- interacting with global stakeholders,
- presenting ideas,
- and finding your place in a system that often feels too large to enter.
For me, it was the bridge between watching ICANN and actually being part of it.
Day 1 – From Screen to Reality
Day 1 felt like stepping into a world I had known for years only through a screen.
The morning started with the Meet and Greet for Fellowship and NextGen@ICANN. As Fernanda Iunes and Siranush Vardanyan welcomed us, the room shifted from formal to familiar. The faces I had previously seen in virtual windows were now right in front of me, sharing practical advice, warm encouragement, and that quiet reassurance every newcomer needs: you belong here.
From there, the day unfolded quickly, but not chaotically. Each session felt like opening one more door into how the Internet is actually governed.
In How It Works: IROS and IANA, we moved into the technical core: DNS operations, root server coordination, and the realities of abuse detection. What seemed abstract from afar suddenly felt tangible. Behind every stable click on the Internet is constant coordination and care.
In How It Works: ICANN Policy, the focus shifted from systems to process. I saw how policy at ICANN is built through structure, patience, and negotiation. It is not about who speaks the loudest, but who stays engaged long enough to build consensus.
The community sessions with GNSO and IPC, followed by SSAC and ALAC, expanded the picture even further. We moved from gTLDs and rights protection mechanisms into bigger questions of trust, security, risk, and end-user impact. By then, it was clear that technical decisions and policy choices are never separate tracks, they are deeply connected.
The evening ICANN85 Fellowship and NextGen networking event became the perfect close to the day. Conversations flowed beyond agendas and slides, and I began to understand that ICANN is not just a place where policy is discussed, it is a space where relationships and mentorship shape how people grow in this ecosystem.
I’m deeply grateful for the support and guidance from mentors and program leads, especially Rao Naveed Bin Rais, Alfredo Calderon, Amina Ramallan, Fernanda Iunes, and Siranush Vardanyan. More than anything, Day 1 gave me a feeling I will carry forward: this journey is not only about understanding Internet governance, it is also about the people who make that journey possible.
Day 2 – Seeing the Internet Beneath the Surface
Day 2 felt like moving from orientation to immersion.
If Day 1 introduced the ICANN ecosystem, Day 2 showed me the mechanics and communities that keep that ecosystem open, interoperable, and inclusive.
We began with How It Works: Internet Identifiers, led by Champika Wijayatunga and moderated by Siranush Vardanyan. The session unpacked IP addresses, ASNs, RPKI, and the role of Regional Internet Registries in maintaining one globally interoperable Internet. It was one of those moments where technical building blocks stopped feeling abstract and started feeling foundational.
The next session, led by Rafik Dammak, Wisdom Kwasi Donkor, and Juan Manuel Rojas, introduced NCSG, NCUC, and NPOC. Hearing how civil society, academia, and nonprofit voices bring human rights, access, and inclusion into policy discussions made the multistakeholder model feel real in practice, not just in theory.
The session on Guiding ICANN’s Work on Universal Acceptance, led by Edmon Chung and Guillaume Canela, connected deeply with my own interest in digital inclusion. It reinforced a simple but powerful truth: if domain names and email addresses do not work across scripts and languages, participation on the Internet remains unequal.
Later, insights from B. Oladapo, Lars-Johan Liman, and Russ Weinstein on ccNSO and ISPCP added an operational and regional dimension to everything we had heard earlier. It was a strong reminder that policy is strongest when grounded in on-the-ground realities of operators and providers.
We closed the formal sessions with How It Works: DNS Fundamentals, where Champika Wijayatunga broke down resolvers, authoritative servers, and the root server system with clarity. The discussion on security and resilience in an AI- and IoT-heavy future made the stakes feel immediate.
And Day 2 still wasn’t over.
The evening continued through ISOC’s engagement network and a warm dinner with the DotAsia community, including Edmon Chung, Jennifer Chung, Evin Ashley Erdogdu, Alban Kwan, and APAC youth peers. Those conversations on youth leadership, regional collaboration, and a safer multilingual Internet gave Day 2 its most memorable ending: the future of governance is not only being debated in sessions, it is also being built in community spaces.
Day 3 – When Policy Meets Reality
Day 3 opened with momentum.
The official Welcome Ceremony set the tone for the day: India’s digital growth meeting the global responsibility of Internet governance. Hearing Samiran Gupta reflect on India’s scale, IPv6 leadership, and ICANN’s return after a decade made the moment feel historic. Tripti Sinha’s words on unity in diversity, and Kurtis Lindqvist’s emphasis on practical progress in areas like WSIS+20 and gTLD execution, reinforced that trust is built through consistent delivery.
A special highlight was seeing Amrita Choudhury recognized with the Community Excellence Award. It was a proud and meaningful moment, especially for everyone who sees her as a strong voice for India and APAC in this space.
The session on Stability to Survivability: ICANN’s Role in the Future of Internet Resilience pushed the conversation further. Insights from Ram Mohan, Danny McPherson, Paul Hoffman, and Suzanne Woolf highlighted that in an era shaped by AI, geopolitical uncertainty, and hybrid threats, resilience must go beyond uptime. The idea of minimizing “blast radius” stayed with me as a practical way to think about modern Internet risk.
At ccNSO Tech Day and UAC, discussions around operational readiness and multilingual inclusion made the policy implications even more concrete. Case studies from country-code operators, including India’s ecosystem and broader global experiences such as Cyrillic adoption, showed the complexity of Internationalized Domain Name security and cross-border Universal Acceptance challenges.
The Q&A with ICANN Executives gave valuable clarity on timelines around gTLDs, DNS abuse reporting, and WSIS+20. The focus on transparency and visible policy progress was encouraging, and it was equally motivating to hear continued encouragement for youth participation in policy spaces.
The Board and RSSAC joint meeting offered a strong technical close to the day. Conversations on root server coordination, buffering, and data-driven evolution over the years underscored how steady improvements build long-term trust and preparedness.
By the end of Day 3, one message felt clear to me: the future of Internet governance will depend not only on strong policy language, but on resilient technical systems and communities willing to adapt together.
Day 4 – A Personal Milestone
Day 4 felt transformative.
What made it special was not just the agenda, but the sense that learning, advocacy, and belonging all came together in one day.
We started with How It Works: Internationalized Domain Names, moderated by Champika Wijayatunga with Pitinan Kooarmornpatana leading the technical walkthrough. Discussions on IDNA2008, P-valid code points, and Label Generation Rules made the architecture of multilingual inclusion feel concrete. Hearing about Root Zone LGR v6, 27 scripts, 400 languages, and the enormous volunteer effort behind that work showed how much dedication it takes to build a truly global Internet.
Then came one of the presentations from a fellow NextGen participant: The AI Divide - Bridging Digital Inequality Through Inclusive Internet Governance. The session highlighted how the digital divide is quickly becoming an AI divide, especially when digital services still default to ASCII-only identifiers and English-first design. For many communities in the Global South, language is not a feature request, it is the gateway to participation.
The most memorable moment of the day was the CEO-hosted lunch with ICANN leadership. Sitting across from Board and executive leaders, including Sally Newell Cohen, Theresa Swinehart, John Jeffrey, Byron Holland, and Alfredo Calderon, felt surreal. Coming from Punjab, where many marginalized villages are still fighting for meaningful digital access, I shared the on-the-ground reality: low adoption of Gurmukhi domains and major digital literacy gaps that continue to hold communities back.
I also proposed a practical path forward: community and alumni-led village ambassador programs focused on Internet governance awareness, digital rights, misinformation resilience, and local-language capacity building. One line from the lunch stayed with me and made everyone smile, when Theresa quoted Hotel California: “You can check out anytime, but you can never leave.” It captured the fellowship spirit perfectly.
Later, in How It Works: Policy at ICANN, from Idea to Implementation, moderated by Mary Wong, the policy lifecycle came into focus: charter to GNSO process, to Board approval, to implementation and root delegation. The discussion on public comment inclusivity and 2026 gTLD improvements built from 2012 lessons reinforced an important message: better outcomes come from open participation and institutional memory.
By the end of Day 4, I felt more certain than ever that representation matters. Inclusion is not automatic; it is designed, negotiated, and defended by people who choose to show up.
Day 5 – Voices That Shape the Internet
Day 5 felt like a surge of energy, conviction, and community.
If Day 4 was transformative, Day 5 was a reminder that NextGen voices are already shaping real conversations on governance, safety, and inclusion.
In NextGen Presentations Pt. 2, my peers brought powerful perspectives from across the region, and I had the opportunity to present my own work as well. In my presentation, I focused on DNS abuse and job scams, showing how lookalike domains can weaponize youth vulnerability and why this issue demands urgent policy and technical attention. Other presentations expanded the room in equally important ways: child safety and digital sovereignty, intersectional barriers across gender, class, and language in India, underrepresentation of Southeast Asia’s digital-native majority, and the case for Devanagari-centered domain inclusion through .नेपाल.
The ICANN Board session with Fellowship and NextGen participants added another layer of momentum. Tripti Sinha’s message about young participants as future stewards of Internet infrastructure set a powerful tone. In the Q&A, practical ideas stood out: tighter policy scopes with clearer timelines, meaningful WSIS+20 progress around the multistakeholder model, and stronger responses to DNS abuse and AI-driven risks.
At APRALO meets NextGen and APAC, the atmosphere became even more personal and collaborative. With warm moderation and guidance from Amrita Choudhury, we moved from introductions into active discussion on our interests, key ICANN85 takeaways, and concrete post-forum engagement plans. Conversations on Universal Acceptance gaps, rural connectivity, and youth pipelines felt less like side topics and more like the real work ahead.
The day also included DNS Women: WSIS+20 Next Steps, where speakers including Amrita Choudhury, Judith Hellerstein, Fiona Asonga, Ihita Gangavarapu, and Sandra Hoferichter reflected on WSIS+20 outcomes, multistakeholder resilience, and the need for stronger capacity building on AI and DNS abuse. One idea resonated deeply: representation is not symbolic, it is foundational to legitimacy.
By the end of Day 5, I felt both grounded and challenged in the best way. These were not isolated sessions; they were connected signals that youth leadership, regional collaboration, and inclusive policy design must move forward together.
Day 6 – More Than Just a Closing
Day 6 felt like the perfect close to an unforgettable week.
What stood out most was not only the depth of policy conversation, but the generosity of this community: people who listen, challenge, guide, and make space for young voices to grow.
The NextGen wrap-up was full of practical wisdom before the Public Forum and joint reflections. Dana Kramer reminded us to create our own opportunities when doors close. Alfredo Calderon encouraged us to ask every question and build recognition locally before scaling bigger. Naveed pushed us to find our unique “X factor” and contribute where we are most valuable. Amina’s advice was equally grounding: stay curious, speak your voice, collaborate, and treat the RALOs as your regional home.
Sharing the platform with fellow NextGen participants, learning from their journeys, and exchanging perspectives reinforced a core truth: growth in Internet governance happens through collaboration and shared purpose.
I am deeply grateful to NIXI for hosting, to Fernanda and Siranush for guiding our reflections, and to everyone who supported us throughout the week, including Samiran Gupta, Amrita Choudhury, Yash Aggarwal, Sameer Gahlot, Ihita Gangavarapu, Barkha Manral, John Crain, Ergys, Seda, Russ Weinstein, Jeff Osborn, Champika Wijayatunga, and many more.
By the end, one message was clear to me: this ecosystem thrives on relationships, not just policy.
I’m leaving Mumbai with stronger direction, deeper commitment to Internet governance, and renewed belief that South Asian youth must help shape the Internet’s future.
My Presentation – When a Domain Name Becomes a Threat
Somewhere between all the sessions, conversations, and learning, came a moment that felt deeply personal—my NextGen presentation.
I chose to speak about something that sits at the intersection of technology and real life: DNS abuse, specifically how it enables job scams targeting young people.
Instead of starting with technical definitions, I began with something simple—a question.
An IP address on the screen. A small change. A different destination.
From there, the story unfolded.
I walked the audience through how we rely on domain names because they are easier to remember than numbers, and how this very convenience becomes a point of vulnerability. By showing examples like look-alike domains—where a single character can change everything—I tried to highlight how easily trust can be manipulated.
But the core of my talk was not just technical.
It was human.
I spoke about how young job seekers, often under pressure and with limited awareness, become easy targets. A fake domain, a convincing email, a small moment of trust—and suddenly, it leads to financial loss, data theft, and a deeper loss of confidence in the Internet itself.
What made this experience meaningful was not just presenting, but presenting in a space where these issues are actively discussed, debated, and addressed. Connecting a real-world problem to ICANN’s work—DNS security, policy coordination, and abuse mitigation—made me realize how closely infrastructure and everyday experiences are linked.
Standing there, sharing this perspective, felt like more than just a presentation.
It felt like contribution.
A reminder that even small insights, when brought into the right space, can become part of a much larger conversation about building a safer and more trustworthy Internet.
Beyond the Conference Walls
Some of the best moments of ICANN85 didn’t happen inside meeting rooms.
They happened outside—on the streets of Mumbai.
After hours of sessions on DNS, policy, and governance, stepping out into the city felt like switching layers—from the architecture of the Internet to the architecture of life itself.
Mumbai has a rhythm of its own.
One evening, standing by Marine Drive, I experienced something I had only heard about before—the musical road. As vehicles passed, the road itself played a tune. It was a small detail, almost invisible unless you knew it existed—much like the Internet systems we had been discussing all week.
Another moment that stayed with me was the view of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Watching it stretch across the sea, connecting parts of the city, it felt oddly symbolic. Just like the Internet, it exists to connect—but its strength lies in how reliably it does so.
Early mornings became a quiet escape. Sunrise by the sea, the city slowly waking up, people beginning their day—it gave me time to reflect on everything I had absorbed throughout the week.
And then there was the food.
From local Maharashtrian dishes to quick bites between sessions, every meal felt like an experience. There’s something about food in a city like Mumbai—it’s fast, diverse, and full of character.
Walking past landmarks like the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, I couldn’t help but think about how this city blends history, resilience, and modernity so effortlessly. In many ways, it felt similar to the Internet itself—layered, evolving, and built on stories.
ICANN85 may have been about understanding how the Internet works.
But Mumbai reminded me why it matters.
Because beyond infrastructure, policies, and systems, the Internet ultimately exists for people—their lives, their connections, and their stories.
And sometimes, understanding that requires stepping outside the conference room.
