YGGDRASIL: A Constitutional DNS Layer for User Safety, Privacy, and the Sovereign Internet
Year: 2026
Type: report
Abstract: YGGDRASIL proposes a constitutional DNS layer designed to protect user safety, privacy, and sovereignty against the growing threat of internet fragmentation and authoritarian control. This paper presents a framework for a decentralized, rights-preserving Domain Name System that operates as a constitutional infrastructure layer — one governed by immutable user rights rather than by state actors, corporations, or centralized authorities. The system draws inspiration from the Norse mythological world-tree Yggdrasil as a metaphor for a resilient, interconnected, and self-sustaining network architecture. YGGDRASIL integrates constitutional principles directly into DNS resolution logic, enforcement of user privacy, resistance to censorship, and defense against sovereign internet fragmentation ("splinternet") initiatives. Key contributions include: (1) a formal constitutional DNS governance model that encodes user rights at the protocol level; (2) a layered trust architecture combining cryptographic attestation, distributed consensus, and user-controlled resolver policies; (3) mechanisms for detecting and mitigating state-level DNS hijacking, filtering, and manipulation; and (4) a practical implementation roadmap compatible with existing internet infrastructure while providing a migration path toward a fully sovereign, user-protective DNS commons. This work is part of the broader Project-AI research initiative and is intended to serve as a reference architecture for open, rights-preserving internet infrastructure. GitHub: https://github.com/Project-AI
Author: Karrick, Jeremy
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7154484635