The Russian Internet Week (RIW 2018) has kicked off today at Moscow’s VDNKh. The event is being held for the eleventh time and has become a recognized platform that unites experts from the internet industry and the related digital economy fields. It is the first time the event is being conducted at VDNKh, and the venue has become a kind of an “achievement exhibition” for the Runet: the program includes over 20 thematic block conferences and dozens of workshops as well as a large exhibition and the Internet SHOW 2018 that demonstrates what digital technology can do, presents exclusive products and RED DOT technologies, and has special product demo zones and technology labs.
The RIW 2018 was inaugurated by Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergey Kiriyenko, who reminded the event participants that on April 7, 2019 the Russian national domain .RU will mark its 25th anniversary. This is also the anniversary of Runet, Russian internet segment. Sergey Kiriyenko supported the initiative to hold several events dedicated to the occasion and proposed that the industry establish an organizing committee in charge of the preparations. The anniversary of .RU will be marked at state level and the domain has a lot of reasons to be proud. Kiriyenko noted that .RU is among the largest ccTLDs, and the content in Russian is the second most widespread on the internet.
The RIW 2018 participants were welcomed by Russian Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Konstantin Noskov and State Duma Deputy and Chairman of the Committee for Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications Leonid Levin. Noskov noted that the internet is very important for the country’s digitalization: “Speaking about the internet, we speak about the entire economy,” he said. In his remarks, Leonid Levin touched upon topics related to international cybersecurity. He said that Russia complies with the principles of multistakeholderism, which were discussed at the Internet Governance Forum in Paris just a week ago. Levin also stressed that the domain’s 25th anniversary is a chance to think about the way Runet has been developing and have a glimpse into the internet’s future in Russia and the world.
Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Andrey Vorobyev said in his speech that over five million domain names registered in the .RU domain over the last 25 years are a good indicator that show the Russian ccTLD’s place in the global domain space. “There were two registration declines over the domain’s history, but it does not stop it from being one of the world’s largest domain zones. Don’t forget that the Cyrillic .РФ domain now manages over 800,000 domain names and is the biggest IDN domain,” Vorobyev said. He also noted the active work of competent organizations cooperating with the Coordination Center and the trend to coordinate efforts between all Russian registries to provide information security. In conclusion, Andrey Vorobyev invited everyone to the 3rd Eastern European DNS Forum, which the Coordination Center and ICANN will hold in Moscow on December 4–5.
The Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ traditionally supports the Russian Internet Week, and this year has become the forum’s special partner. The Coordination Center’s stand represents accredited registries that hold contests and competitions. Visitors can win souvenirs and prizes. Additionally, RIW visitors can take part in the Explore the Internet & Govern It quiz dedicated to the domain’s 25th anniversary. The quiz questions are dedicated to the history of .RU and Runet in general: interesting trivia as well as important events, figures, companies, and services. On the first day of the RIW 2018, winners of the DOT-Journalism contest will be awarded at the Coordination Center’s stand. The center’s experts also take part in the RIW 2018 business program.
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