At the fifteenth anniversary conference of the Day of Internet Domains of Serbia (DIDS 2025), held today in Belgrade, a large number of domestic and international experts gathered to exchange knowledge and visions about the future of the digital space. Under the slogan “Back to the Future”, this year’s conference provided a comprehensive insight into the trends and challenges that will shape the Internet in the years ahead.

Back to the Future: Towards a Stronger Internet

The keynote lecture “Back to the Future: Towards a Stronger Internet” was held by Polina Malaja. The lecture began with a review of the history of the Internet and the key principles that enabled its exponential growth – openness, interoperability and decentralized structure.

Malaya analyzed how the original vision of the Internet as a decentralized network gradually evolved into the present state, where we witness the rise of large technological corporations and the general trend of centralization. “The Internet rests on a set of basic principles that have enabled it to grow exponentially and scalable, and to become the cornerstone of the modern information society,” said Malaya.

The key part of the lecture was devoted to the analysis of the challenges that the Internet is facing today – from threats to privacy and market competition, to new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (XR), which could significantly change the Internet ecosystem. Malaya specifically warned of the dangers of Internet fragmentation, which could threaten its global nature.

Concluding her presentation, Malaya presented a vision of a brighter future of the Internet, which is based on a return to the basic principles – openness, security and inclusiveness, with an emphasis on the promotion of competition and diversity on the global network.

Expert panel on the future of the Internet

The panel discussion “The Future of the Internet: Regulations, Technologies and Business Horizons” brought together distinguished experts: Christian Kaufman from ICANN, Rastko Petaković from the Karanović & Partners office, Mika Tasić, a creative technologist from England, and the panel was moderated by Danko Jevtović, a member of the RNIDS Board of Directors.

The discussion raised the important issue of different approaches to internet regulation around the world. Rastko Petaković spoke about regulations and privacy protection, referring to the European approach that aims to standardize privacy on the Internet and protect users’ rights. The panelists contrasted this approach with the control model applied by some countries, such as China, where the emphasis is on centralized Internet governance.

Mika Tasić raised the topic of data monetization, pointing to today’s digital society where monetization and data are unclear to many. “It is the main force behind how technology will develop in the future. The future of the Internet depends a lot on money,” Tasić pointed out. He particularly emphasized the paradox of the modern Internet – users have become workers and consumers at the same time, while large technology companies make the most money through the collection and use of their data.

Kaufman referred to the historical dimension, recalling how 20-25 years ago it was believed that the Internet would improve democracy and other aspects of life, before governments began to interfere in the regulation of the Internet, introducing various forms of surveillance and blocking. The common conclusion of the panelists was that we should keep the positive aspects of the Internet and work on a multistakeholder model that will allow the Internet to remain global and universal.

The digital development index reveals the potential of the Serbian digital economy

Predrag Milićević and Nikola Jovanović presented the project “Index of Digital Development of Serbia”, which measures the digitization of domestic companies through objective indicators. Their research showed that Serbia’s digital index currently stands at 46.97 out of a possible 100, which indicates significant room for digital progress.

It is interesting that two thirds of companies have their own websites and that even 79% use social networks for business purposes. Facebook is by far the most popular social platform among Serbian companies with 80%, while LinkedIn is used by 31% of companies. Milićević particularly emphasized the practical value of the index.srb site, which enables companies to evaluate their digital capacities in comparison with similar companies.

In his lecture “Digital transformation the Serbian way”, Ivan Minić offered a refreshing view of the challenges of business digitization in Serbia. With a touch of humor, Minic pointed out the phenomenon of quick adoption of business terms without a real understanding of their meaning.

Through a series of examples, Minic presented successful cases of domestic companies that accepted digitization and implemented it in a way adapted to the local context. These examples made a complex topic more accessible to the public and showed that there are positive principles by which companies in Serbia can be guided in the process of digital transformation, adapting to global trends specificities of the local market.

The success of the “Local on the Internet” humanitarian initiative

Marijana Borković presented the “Local on the Internet” project, a humanitarian initiative of RNIDS that has been continuously developing since 2020. Through the sale of branded products, the project collects funds to support young talents, which has already produced impressive results.

Particularly inspiring was the story of two students from the second year of the Mathematical Gymnasium who, thanks to this project, visited the European Laboratory for Nuclear Research (CERN) with a group of students, a professor and the director. That unique experience connected them to the world of top scientific research and provided them with an insight into the most modern scientific trends, which is an invaluable experience for the future development of the students of the Mathematical Gymnasium.

A new collection of Lokalac brand products, created in cooperation with the Dechko Tzar brand, was also presented at the conference. Borković also announced the future plans of the project, which include support for the Lice Ulice association and the creation of murals in Belgrade, showing how the initiative is continuously developing and expanding the area of ​​its social influence.

In the continuation of the program, an introductory film about good examples of the use of the .rs domain was shown, after which Ivan Stanimirović and Miomir Popeskov held a presentation “domain.rs case study: How a brand is created”. They shared practical advice on how an internet domain can become the core of a successful brand strategy, often overcoming the limitations of traditional SEO optimization.

The conference was concluded with a dynamic DIDS quiz that tested the participants’ knowledge of Internet domains, digital trends and Internet history, which rounded off this year’s DIDS program in a fun and interactive way.

The fifteenth edition of the DIDS conference once again confirmed its position as a key event for the digital community in Serbia, combining expert insights, practical examples and inspiring initiatives that together shape the country’s digital future. A delayed recording of the conference can be viewed on the RNIDS YouTube channel.