A network node in an information centric network (ICN), comprising a receiver configured to receive a request for content from a user, wherein the request comprises a name, wherein the name uniquely identifies the content associated with the name, wherein the name provides persistently locatable routing to the content, wherein the name provides meaning to an application, and wherein the name comprises a security verifier, a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to determine a next hop to which to forward the request based on the name, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to forward the request to the next hop.