The sessions focused on the promotion of multilingualism on the internet and the use of Russian-language domain names and email addresses.
Maria Kolesnikova, Chief Analyst at the Coordination Center, delivered a lecture titled ‘This Multilingual Internet!... The Birthday of the Russian-Language Domain .РФ.’ In her presentation, she discussed Russia’s national domains, the structure of the internet addressing system, and the use of the Russian and other national languages online. She emphasized the importance of promoting multilingualism as a key principle for the continued development of the global internet. She highlighted that the Cyrillic national domain .РФ, with over 760,000 registered domain names, ranks first among internationalized domain names (IDNs) worldwide in terms of the number of second-level domains. She also noted that approximately 500 new domains are registered under .РФ each day, amounting to more than 15,000 new registrations per month. Moreover, the .РФ domain is considered one of the safest globally – in 2024, it accounted for just 0.6% of reported malicious websites.
Vadim Mikhailov, Infrastructure Consultant at the Coordination Center, gave students an overview of the history and key principles behind the internationalization of domain names and email addressing, along with the associated security risks. He highlighted several major trends in this field, including the growing adoption of internationalization, the increasing inclusiveness of the global network, broader access to standards and tools, and the rising importance of multilingual support. Mikhailov emphasized that in the near future, the ability to support internationalization will become a necessary skill for all developers and system administrators.
Yevgeny Pankov, Data Analyst at the Coordination Center, explored modern forms of phishing, reviewed real-world attack cases, and provided practical advice on how to avoid falling victim to online scams. At the conclusion of the session, he hosted a quiz based on the educational game Explore the Internet & Govern It.
“We value our close collaboration with St. Petersburg universities and believe that such engagements help students and faculty stay informed about current trends in the evolution of the domain space and the internet as a whole,” Maria Kolesnikova said. “Our experience shows that maintaining ongoing connections with institutions that educate future IT professionals is essential. As experts, we are always ready to share our knowledge and insights with students. I am confident that these May sessions will serve as an excellent foundation for expanding our cooperation further.”
As a reminder, in March 2024, the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ and the Bonch-Bruevich St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications signed a cooperation agreement to jointly implement educational, methodological, and research initiatives, as well as organize academic events. Additionally, representatives from the university regularly participate in the Summer School on Internet Governance, hosted by the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ.
