Singapore tests the domain name system to identify AI agents
Singapore tests with 4 companies if the domain name system can identify AI agents, before a decision on a registry.
On 4 November 2026, Jasmin Lau, a minister of Singapore, told Parliament that the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) works with 4 companies. They test if the domain name system, the address book of the internet, can identify AI agents on different platforms. The result helps the government make a decision on a registry of agents for Singapore. No test results were given.
How it works
The domain name system changes website names into internet addresses. IMDA tests it to identify agents on different platforms. The 4 companies are:
- GoDaddy, a web hosting company
- Infoblox, a cybersecurity company
- Cloudflare, a web security company
The plan
Lau says that the government uses systems that are in use at this time. It adds standards for all only where industry cannot do the work. Tin Pei Ling, a member of Parliament, wants an open registry. In it, a person can check the identity of an agent and its permissions.
What is not known
The government has not made a decision on a registry. Other tools are in use. Visa has a protocol to tell good agents from bad bots, and Google has one for payments by agents. An agency of Singapore also makes an internal registry to monitor the agents of government agencies.
Insight: The same 4 companies are in both Singapore projects
On 14 October 2026, 4 companies showed the Chain of Trust, an open system to check agents, made with IMDA. They are the same 4 companies as in the new work. At this time, most platforms check agents with closed systems. This reads as: Singapore selects an open system before a government registry. The companies that operate the address book can become the gate. Look for standards from IMDA.
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