Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! Headlines from the March 6 edition of the news include: Nato says cyber warfare poses as great a threat as a missile attack | Dot.au land rush blocked | Businesses and Consumers Worldwide Add Nearly 33 Million Internet Domain Names in 2007, Increasing Total Registrations to More Than 153 Million | One Million .jp Domain Names | A Wave of the Watch List, and Speech Disappears | Swiss bank drops lawsuit against Wikileaks | Stevens Joins Snowe and Nelson to Introduce Anti-Phishing Legislation | Senate antiphishing bill outlaws...what's already illegal | Frank Schilling Talks Cybersquatting & Domain Monetization - What is Legitimate Domaining? And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** The FCC, Comcast, and Net Neutrality http://businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080225_498413.htm Holes in the net make 'cloud computing' pie in the sky http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/02/security.internetphonesbroadband Midterm Review of the Joint Project Agreement : Comments of CENTR https://www.centr.org/main/4139-CTR/version/1/part/12/data/CENTR-NTIA-2008-FINAL%20_2_.pdf Karl Auerbach's comments to NTIA's "mid-term review" of its ICANN "JPA" agreement. http://www.cavebear.com/cbblog-archives/000332.html Network Solutions Presents at NTIA Mid-Term Review of ICANN [news release] http://newsroom.networksolutions.com/2008/network-solutions-presents-at-ntia-mid-term-review-of-icann/ auDA introduces new rules to block domain hogs http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/auDA-introduces-new-rules-to-block-domain-hogs/0,130061791,339286376,00.htm rs: Start of .rs domain names registration [news release] http://rnids.rs/?lang=en YouTube Hijacking: A RIPE NCC RIS case study http://ripe.net/news/study-youtube-hijacking.html Researchers Name Top Six Spamming Botnets http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=147240 Six botnets behind 85% of all spam, says Marshal http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;481069848;fp;2;fpid;1 Judge Reverses His Order Disabling Wikileaks Web Site http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/us/01wiki.html Wikileaks Ruling Leaves Big Questions Unanswered http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/wikileaks-ruling-leaves-big-questions-unanswered/ us: ICA Posts Position Paper and Analysis of Snowe ?Anti-Phishing? Legislation http://www.circleid.com/posts/831125_ica_position_paper_anti_phishing_legislation/ ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** The FCC, Comcast, and Net Neutrality The Feb. 25 hearings may not lead to broad regulation, but they did shine a light on broadband providers' "network management techniques" http://businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080225_498413.htm Net Neutrality Tornado Bearing Down on Comcast Tension appears to be rising days after a hearing that was meant to help clear the air over the flap involving Comcast's management of Internet traffic. Some groups claim the public was deliberately shut out of the hearing by Comcast, and New York State investigators are asking the cable company to turn over records relating to its practices. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Net-Neutrality-Tornado-Bearing-Down-on-Comcast-61887.html US civil rights groups: FCC should allow network management [IDG] The U.S. Federal Communications Commission should allow broadband providers to manage their networks and slow "bandwidth hogs," despite concerns that such practices arbitrarily target some customers, said a coalition of seven civil rights groups. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/29/Civil-rights-groups-FCC-should-allow-network-management_1.html Commentary: Internet exposure shifts balance of power From fake photos forging the appearance of rare animals to real pictures exposing the sex life of a number of Hong Kong celebrities, individual Internet players have proved that they are no less powerful than the world's leading news broadcasters in riveting people's attention. http://en.ce.cn/National/Politics/200802/28/t20080228_14665920.shtml Holes in the net make 'cloud computing' pie in the sky Here's a phrase you will be hearing a lot in the next few years: 'cloud computing'. Its etymology is vague, but it probably dates from the moment when someone casually illustrated the global network beyond the individual PC by drawing a cloud and writing 'internet' on it. No matter. What cloud computing means is a scenario in which users obtain computing services not from the PCs on their desks, but from servers located elsewhere on the internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/02/security.internetphonesbroadband On the Hunt for Critical Internet Resources by Geoff Huston I?m writing this column in November, and that means that its time for the travelling circus known as the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to come down to earth, unpack its tents and sell tickets for its annual song and dance routine. The script for this year?s show has been changed, and after being excluded from the main arena last year at the Athens gig, the headline act of ?Critical Internet Resources? is taking a starring role this year in Rio. Some folk are even saying that it?s the single most contentious issue to be scheduled at this year?s IGF show. http://www.potaroo.net/ispcol/2007-12/cir.pdf ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Makes Presentation to Department of Commerce Midterm Review Public Meeting ICANN made its presentation on the Midterm Review of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between itself and the United States Department of Commerce at a public meeting held today in Washington, DC. "I think that after almost 10 years of experience of this model the question before us is very stark: Are we going to complete the White Paper?s vision of private sector management of the Internet?s system of unique identifiers? I believe the overwhelming view from virtually all participants is that transition is the goal and the interest is in settling how we get there," ICANN Chair Peter Dengate Thrush said. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-28feb08.htm ICANN Opens Comment Period on Proposed Add Grace Period Modifications for NeuStar and Afilias ICANN is today opening public comment periods on requests submitted by NeuStar, the .BIZ registry, and Afilias, the .INFO registry, to modify terms regarding the add grace period (AGP) in their respective registry agreements. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-27feb08.htm No more ?Various Registries? by Leo Vegoda Last week we improved the format of the IANA IPv4 Address Space Registry. It is now much easier to see which address space is available for allocation to RIRs and which address space is reserved for Multicast and Future Use. http://blog.icann.org/?p=279 DNSSEC on IDN .test zones by Richard Lamb Yesterday ICANN began DNSSEC signing the IDN .test zones. Over the next few days, we will be testing and carefully monitoring the system. It is not expected that DNSSEC or the testing will have any effect on normal DNS operations. Any user experiences or problems or feedback should be reported to <richard.lamb§icann.org>. This deployment is intended to demonstrate certain capabilities and also provide both ICANN and those interested in DNSSEC an opportunity to gain further experience with this new technology. http://blog.icann.org/?p=280 Anti-Phishing act to outlaw Whois-Privacy? by Frank Michlick For those of you who haven?t heard about it already, Sen. Ted Stevens is proposing the Anti-Phishing Consumer Protection Act of 2008 (APCPA), which is also being supported by CADNA. We were first alerted to this topic by Michael Berkens? post on The Domains. A recent article by Larry Fischer points out these are the reasons why this act is a bad idea: http://www.domainnamenews.com/icann-policy/anti-phishing-act-to-outlaw-whois-privacy/1456 One Internet, two modes of governance by Brenden Kuerbis On Monday the NTIA released the agenda for the upcoming public meeting in Washington DC covering the Mid-term Review of the JPA between DoC and ICANN. And yesterday, in Geneva, the Internet Governance Forum opened its first preparatory meeting for the upcoming Forum in Hyderabad, India from December 3-6. It?s too early to draw conclusions, but the structure of the meetings suggests two distinct operational modes of Internet governance. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/2/27/3549041.html Midterm Review of the Joint Project Agreement : Comments of CENTR ... CENTR believes that the NTIA?s initiative in calling its Notice of Inquiry is well-timed. With 18 months left to run of the JPA, continuing multi-stakeholder dialogue is needed, for example through the NoI and within the ICANN process, in order to arrive at a shared vision of what a post-transition ICANN would entail, as well as how and when transition will be triggered. https://www.centr.org/main/4139-CTR/version/1/part/12/data/CENTR-NTIA-2008-FINAL%20_2_.pdf Karl Auerbach's comments to NTIA's "mid-term review" of its ICANN "JPA" agreement. Karl Auerbach's comments to NTIA on "The Continued Transition of the Technical Coordination and Management of the Internet's Domain Name and Addressing System: Midterm Review of the Joint Project Agreement" are now online at http://www.cavebear.com/archive/public/ntia-jpa-2008.html. http://www.cavebear.com/cbblog-archives/000332.html Privatization Fears at ICANN Mid-Term Review ?Lack of Accountability?, ?Malign Oligarchy?, ?Regulatory Capture? ? these were some of the concerns raised during the ICANN review open meeting held February 28th at the Department of Commerce (DOC) in Washington, DC. The concerns come as ICANN moves closer to full privatization. http://www.domainnamenews.com/icann-policy/privatization-fears-at-icann-mid-term-review/1463 ICANN Midterm Review The following is Internet Commerce Association's comments to NTIA for ICANN's Midterm review. http://www.internetcommerce.org/ICANN_midterm_review Network Solutions Presents at NTIA Mid-Term Review of ICANN [news release] Network Solutions presented to the Department of Commerce (DOC), National Telecommunications and Internet Administration (NTIA) on Thursday, February 28, 2008, in Washington, DC. The meeting was held to review the mid-term Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between the DOC and ICANN. The NTIA consulted with several interested stakeholders regarding the mid-term review, including representatives from the Internet Society, government, business, registries and users, but Network Solutions was the only registrar invited to share insights at the hearing. Signed by ICANN on September 29, 2006, the JPA outlines a three-year term with a required mid-term review of ICANN?s progress in meeting the responsibilities to transition the Internet?s Domain Name System to a more autonomous existence under ICANN?s governance. http://newsroom.networksolutions.com/2008/network-solutions-presents-at-ntia-mid-term-review-of-icann/ Network Solutions faces front running law suit One of the internet's biggest sellers of domain names is being sued for allegedly forcing consumers to buy addresses from it to the exclusion of other providers. The US class action law suit also claims that addressing authority ICANN is facilitating the alleged abuse. http://out-law.com/page-8895 Bad flavor: ICANN, Network Solutions sued for domain tasting A class-action lawsuit has been launched against domain registrar Network Solutions and ICANN over the controversial practice of domain tasting. The suit was initiated on behalf of Chris McElroy, a search engine optimization specialist who goes by the handle NameCritic. McElroy has long been an extremely vocal critic of ICANN and is a regular participant on the organization's mailing lists. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080226-bad-flavor-icann-network-solutions-sued-for-domain-tasting.html Internet company sued for holding names [AP] A company that sells Internet addresses is being sued for its controversial practice of holding a domain name in reserve if someone checks for its availability but does not buy it right away. http://businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8V2Q9402.htm http://www.cbc.ca/cp/technology/080228/z022808A.html http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iea20eovm8F-icM7MNNnG92iKjQA Network Solutions Taken to Court for Domain Name Tasting A Los Angeles-based law firm representing search engine expert Chris McElroy filed suit against domain registrar Network Solutions last Monday, alleging that the company created an illegal monopoly by temporarily holding domain names that potential customers searched for on its web site. http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=10871 Online Company Sued For Buying And Exploiting Domain Names A lawsuit has been filed against Network Solutions because it buys up domain names that people search for to ensure that they don't shop around other domain services. http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/27/online_company_sued_for_buying_and_exploiting_domain_names/ ICANN Targeted by Lawsuit, Yahoo Network Solutions found itself a target of a class action lawsuit Feb. 28 charging the domain registrar with bilking consumers through a scheme forcing them to buy domain names from Network Solutions instead of competitors that charge less. http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Government/ICANN-Targeted-by-Lawsuit-Yahoo/ ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** Last chance for airports to register their IATA codes as aero-domains [news release] At the recent .aero council (DAC) meeting, it was recommended that SITA release 3-letter airport codes (location identifiers) ? which have been reserved exclusively for airport use since 2002 ? for registration by eligible members of the aviation community on a first-come-first-served basis. As a result, airports have a limited time to register their respective codes as aero-domains. http://www.firmenpresse.de/pressrelease578.html auDA introduces new rules to block domain hogs In a series of reforms announced this week, the Australian Domain Name Administrator (auDA) has regulated against domain traders by outlawing the practice of registering a domain name for the sole purpose of reselling it. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/auDA-introduces-new-rules-to-block-domain-hogs/0,130061791,339286376,00.htm http://www.builderau.com.au/news/soa/auDA-introduces-new-rules-to-block-domain-hogs/0,339028227,339286376,00.htm .com.br (Brazil) Liberation Process NIC Brazil has released the list of domains that are available during The Liberation Process which is open until 2 March 2008. During this time more than 90,000 domain names ending in .com.br will be available and 6,000 ending in .br. http://www.melbourneitcbs.com/news.php?article=1&title=.com.br%20%28Brazil%29%20Liberation%20Process&year=2008&month=03 Improved privacy protection introduced for.eu WHOIS [news release] To improve privacy protection, EURid has made a minor change to the web WHOIS service. Now when you search for a name in WHOIS, you will immediately see if the name is: Available, Not available for registration or Not allowed. http://eurid.eu/content/view/245/33/lang,en/ fr: Join your colleagues in Paris at a valuable INTA roundtable! This discussion will focus on recent developments in France on cyber squatting, with a focus on the new rules enacted by AFNIC and on recent Court decisions. http://www.inta.org/index.php?option=com_intaevents&task=eventdetails&id=1081 ng: Nira to Shun Frivolous Complaints Early this month, the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA) released some 14 policy-documents for comments by the Internet community. One of these was the NIRA complaints' policy, which tends to set the association's policy on handling of complaints made about domain names, registrars and resellers in the .ng second level domains. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802270711.html Numeric .nl domain names available From tomorrow, numeric .nl names can be registered, and new dispute resolution rules are applicable to all .nl domain names. http://domaine.blogspot.com/2008/02/cctld-news.html nl: SIDN sees strong demand for number domains [reg req'd] http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=205553 no: Questionable methods for selling domain names [news release text in Norwegian only] http://www.norid.no/nytt/domenesalg.html Numeric domains coming to .PRO RegistryPro plans to open .PRO to three character numeric domains such as 123.PRO. http://www.domainesinfo.fr/english/173/numeric-domains-coming-to-pro.php RegistryPro/NCC Group Partnership Ensures Continued Security of .Pro Top-Level Domain [news release] RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .Pro TLD, announced today it has entered a new data escrow partnership with NCC Group, Inc. to secure critical .Pro registration information. http://registry.pro/pressreleasses/2008/0225.html rs: Start of .rs domain names registration [news release] Serbian National Register of Internet Domain Names (RNIDS) informs Serbian and international public that registration of the new Internet domain names of the Republic of Serbia with .rs extension, will commence on Monday, March 10, 2008 at 12h noon. RNIDS will accept requests for registration of new .yu domain names until Friday, February 29, 2008. http://rnids.rs/?lang=en http://www.economy.co.yu/eng/index.php?action=news&subact=full&id=746 .se (Sweden) system change Starting January 2009 the .se registry will move from a registry - end user based system to a registry - registrar system. Among other things this means that a chosen registrar will have full management rights over domain names assigned to its account. http://www.melbourneitcbs.com/news.php?article=3&title=.se%20%28Sweden%29%20system%20change&year=2008&month=03 uk: Nominet PAB election - voting starts [news release] Voting in the Policy Advisory Body election starts February 29 and Nominet urges you to cast your vote. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=4826 uk: Nominet registrant satisfaction survey 2008 [news release] Nominet is conducting a registrant satisfaction survey to measure levels of satisfaction with their support services. They have contracted an independent market research company called the Leadership Factor to carry out this research on their behalf. This survey forms part of our ongoing programme of registrant satisfaction research and the results will be used to make further improvements to our systems and services. This will be the sixth survey that we have carried out. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=4809 uk: Nominet Foundation Trustees [news release] Nominet is currently recruiting for Trustees for the Nominet Foundation. The Nominet Foundation will use part of the surpluses made by Nominet to provide public benefits for UK Internet stakeholders through a variety of education, research and development projects. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=4822 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Security Protocol Failures by Phillip Hallam-Baker [This article is a condensed version of the argument made in The dotCrime Manifesto: How to Stop Internet Crime, in which the question of how to fix these problems is considered.] The Internet is insecure, so what went wrong? Contrary to widely held belief, the reasons for Internet security protocol failure are not primarily technical. Failure to understand the risk model and to meet the actual user requirements are much more significant causes of security failure. The economics of security protocol deployment and security usability engineering are also key: a protocol might as well not exist if it is not used. http://www.isoc.org/tools/blogs/ietfjournal/?p=176 Doing Business Securely in an Insecure World by Randy Bush What real improvements in Internet security have we achieved? The Net certainly is not a safe place as long as there are phishing, DDoS attacks, and cross-site script HTML attacks. However, although those are serious problems, we should not ignore the ways in which we have been successful in making the Net a safer place, and we should try to take some lessons from those successes. http://www.isoc.org/tools/blogs/ietfjournal/?p=177 The Perfect Attack by Jo?o Damas and Frederico Neves ... In this article we visit one type of attack: a type that may not be the most directly profitable for the attackers but one that has proved especially threatening to potential victims. What is especially insidious about this type of attack is that it is often launched for the purpose of attracting the attention of potential customers for the attackers, who initiate these attacks to demonstrate their skill. In fact, there is general consensus within the Internet security community that attracting business is the key motivator behind attacks on root servers, since such attacks always make headlines even if the damage is minimal. http://www.isoc.org/tools/blogs/ietfjournal/?p=178 us: Congress Grills White House Cybercrats Since hackers penetrated Pentagon servers last June, pilfering untold amounts of sensitive data, the Bush administration has pledged billions to plug the holes in government cyber-security. But in testimony before a congressional committee on Thursday, administration officials said little that eased concerns about the effectiveness, the cost or the intrusiveness of the monitoring program they are building. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/02/28/cybersecurity-espionage-einstein-tech-security-cx_ag_0228cyber.html YouTube Hijacking: A RIPE NCC RIS case study On Sunday, 24 February 2008, Pakistan Telecom (AS17557) started an unauthorised announcement of the prefix 208.65.153.0/24. One of Pakistan Telecom's upstream providers, PCCW Global (AS3491) forwarded this announcement to the rest of the Internet, which resulted in the hijacking of YouTube traffic on a global scale. http://ripe.net/news/study-youtube-hijacking.html RIPE NCC Publishes Case Study of youtube.com Hijack As you may be aware from recent news reports, traffic to the youtube.com website was ?hijacked? on a global scale on Sunday, 24 February 2008. The incident was a result of the unauthorised announcement of the prefix 208.65.153.0/24 and caused the popular video sharing website to become unreachable from most, if not all, of the Internet. http://www.circleid.com/posts/822811_ripe_ncc_case_study_youtube_hijack/ Pakistan site swipe exposes web fragility The biggest question in the world of technology this week shouldn?t be why the Pakistani government blocked YouTube, but how it managed to prevent the rest of the planet seeing the site and are they capable of doing it again. http://atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/JC01Dj02.html IPv6 Transition Tools and Tui by Geoff Huston If IPv6 really is an inevitable component of our networked future, then is there something an ISP could do today, within the scope of a day or two of effort, that is less ambitious than the full dual stack deployment across the entire network, yet enables some degree of useful and working IPv6 support for its customers? Or, to put it another way, is there a small step that would at least kick start an ISP into the area of IPv6 support? http://www.potaroo.net/ispcol/2008-02/tui.pdf DNSSEC - Once More, with Feeling! by Geoff Huston So where are we on this DNSSEC deployment agenda? Within reach? Or a bit of a stretch goal, but still plausible? Or maybe its so far out there that a manned mission to Pluto will happen first! http://www.potaroo.net/ispcol/2008-01/dnssec4.pdf Cybersquatters launch 10,000 attacks a week on top brands Top brands face up to 10,000 "brandjacking" incidents a week from cybersquatters who are trying to pass off fake sites as genuine, according to new statistics from researcher MarkMonitor. http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/02/28/229627/cybersquatters-launch-10000-attacks-a-week-on-top-brands.htm Researchers Name Top Six Spamming Botnets Researchers with Marshal?s TRACE team have identified six botnets that together are currently responsible for distributing 85 percent of all spam, Dark Reading has learned. And the results might surprise you. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=147240 Six botnets behind 85% of all spam, says Marshal Marshal?s TRACE team, headquartered in Auckland, claims it has identified six botnets that are responsible for 85% of all spam. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/C70ED4E3A608806CCC25740100186FC6 http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;481069848;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;481069848;fp;2;fpid;1 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Judge Reverses His Order Disabling Wikileaks Web Site A federal judge on Friday withdrew his earlier order disabling a Web site that allows the anonymous posting of documents to discourage unethical behavior in governments and corporations. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/us/01wiki.html Judge Says Wikileaks Site Can Have Its Web Address Back A federal judge in San Francisco said on Friday that he would withdraw an order that shut down the Web address for Wikileaks.org, a site that allows anonymous posting of documents to assist ?peoples of all countries who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations.? http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/judge-says-wikileaks-can-have-its-web-address-back/index.html Wikileaks Ruling Leaves Big Questions Unanswered Free speech advocates immediately hailed as a victory the decision on Friday of a federal judge to withdraw a prior order turning off the Web address of the site Wikileaks.org. But the reasoning of United States District Judge Jeffrey S. White also means that the court may dodge having to grapple with some of the meaty First Amendment questions posed by the case and touched on repeatedly at a lengthy hearing in San Francisco. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/wikileaks-ruling-leaves-big-questions-unanswered/ Wikileaks back online after federal judge's ruling After spending more than three hours hearing arguments from a raft of attorneys from both sides of the fence, a federal judge here has ruled in favour of Wikileaks. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Wikileaks-back-online-after-federal-judge-s-ruling/0,139023166,339286428,00.htm Wikileaks back on the Web after judge ends injunction In a move sure to be welcomed by privacy and civil rights advocates, a California District Court judge on Friday lifted a previous permanent injunction that he had issued two weeks ago to disable the controversial Wikileaks.org whistleblower Web site. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/03/01/news-wikileaks-injunction-released_1.html Injunction against website is lifted Saying he may have violated free speech rights, a federal judge reversed field Friday and lifted an injunction that had effectively shut down a website that publishes documents alleging corporate and government misdeeds. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-wikileaks1mar01,1,7765617.story WikiLeaks Wins Back Its Domain A federal judge dissolves an injunction but a Swiss bank's litigation against the community-driven document sharing site will proceed. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206901172 Wikileaks judge reverses takedown order Civil libertarians scored a decisive victory on Friday when a federal judge reversed two controversial orders meant to disable Wikileaks, a website devoted to disclosing confidential information exposing unethical behavior. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/01/wikileaks_judge_reverses/ Wikileaks gets legal help after domain name deletion Wikileaks.org, a Web site that specializes in posting leaked documents often provided by whistleblowers, had its domain name yanked by a federal judge in California earlier this month. http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9880958-38.html EFF, ACLU Move to Intervene in Wikileaks Case The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California (ACLU-Northern California) Tuesday filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit where a federal judge ordered the disabling of one of the domain names associated with "Wikileaks," a website designed to give whistleblowers a forum for posting materials of public concern. http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/02/26-0 Bank Julius Baer & Co v. Wikileaks On February 6, 2008, Swiss bank Julius Baer filed suit in federal district court against "Wikileaks" -- a website designed to give whistleblowers a forum for posting materials of public concern -- for hosting 14 allegedly leaked documents regarding personal banking transactions of Julius Baer customers. Also sued was Wikileaks' domain name registrar, Dynadot LLC. On February 15, following a stipulation between Julius Baer and Dynadot, the court issued a permanent injunction, disabling the wikileaks.org domain name and preventing that domain name from being transferred to any other registrar. http://www.eff.org/cases/bank-julius-baer-co-v-wikileaks Legal aid for whistle-blower site Freedom of speech and digital rights groups plan to argue on its behalf at a legal hearing on 29 February. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7268581.stm Rights groups seek to intervene in Wikileaks case In a motion filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), and a Wikileaks user asked the court for permission to intervene in the case. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/28/Rights-groups-seek-to-intervene-in-Wikileaks-case_1.html US district court judge orders shutdown of whistleblower web site In an extraordinary act of censorship, lawyers representing the Swiss bank Julius Baer (BJB) obtained an injunction against the Dynadot corporation, US domain name registrar for the Wikileaks web site. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/feb2008/wiki-f28.shtml Closing of Wikileaks site backfires on bank [AP] An effort at damage control has snowballed into a public relations disaster for a Swiss bank seeking to crack down on a renegade website for posting classified information about some of its wealthy clients. http://iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/28/business/NA-FIN-US-Wikileaks-Shutdown.php http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_8383177 http://news.smh.com.au/wikileaks-case-due-back-in-court/20080220-1t8h.html http://news.theage.com.au/wikileaks-case-due-back-in-court/20080220-1t8h.html US election sparks cyber-squatting frenzy The lead up to the US presidential election has seen a dramatic surge in cyber-squatters keen to cash in on the public's thirst for information. NetNames said that over 1,900 domain names related to the presidential candidates have been registered as online speculators try to cash in on the heightened media coverage. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2210913/us-elections-cyber-squatting http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2210913/us-elections-cyber-squatting http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=71217 Brand-jacking: business battles online scammers What's in a name? If it's a big brand name, plenty. The top 100 global brands have a combined value of $1.2 trillion, estimates consultancy Interbrand. That's bound to attract online scammers. The value of a brand lies largely in the trust that's been built up in consumers over many years. But online con-men and counterfeiters can capitalize on that trust in an instant with scams that hurt brand owners and consumers alike. And their scams just keep getting more sophisticated. http://www.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/03/02/digitalbiz.brandjacking/ US Elections Spark 'Cybersquatting' Frenzy, According to NetNames Study [news release] The most eagerly followed US election race in decades has triggered an avalanche of 'cybersquatter' activity as online speculators try to cash in on the heightened media coverage of the 2008 presidential race by registering over 1,900 domain names related to the presidential candidates, a report by NetNames has revealed. http://www.centredaily.com/business/technology/story/436097.html http://www.wallstreet-online.de/nachrichten/nachricht/2287574.html UK Gay Website Triumphs in ?Cyber Squatting? Case In what will be seen as refreshing news for the internet community, a ?cyber squatter? has not only relinquished a domain name he has been sitting on for four years, but has also been refused payment of the $12,000 fee he was demanding for it by the official escrow-holding intermediaries. http://www.gaywired.com/article.cfm?section=132&id=18342 National Arbitration Forum Reports Rise in Domain Name Disputes [news release] The National Arbitration Forum, an international provider of alternative dispute resolution services, administered a total of 1,805 domain name disputes in 2007, up from 1,658 disputes in 2006. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/02/prweb725794.htm UDRP: The Liabilities for the Corporations and/or their Lawyers This post is based on the scenario that a trademark.tld domain name is registered with a UK ICANN accredited registrar, (they have an exclusive UK jurisdiction clause in their contracts), the trademark.tld criticism website located at that domain name is strictly non-commercial, the servers are located in the UK, and the registrant is a British citizen. In the above circumstances, the corporations and/or their lawyers are taking a big risk when they use the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policies (UDRP) in order to silence criticism at trademark.tld. http://www.circleid.com/posts/udrp_liabilities_corporations_lawyers/ Tucows Fights off Car Dealership Domain registrar Tucows has successfully defended against an arbitration proceeding over the domain name Batchelor.com, which the registrar acquired with its NetIdentity purchase. NetIdentity holds nearly 40,000 surnames and offers email addresses at those names, such as tom§lastname.com. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/02/28/tucows-fights-off-car-dealership/ Airbus sues over domain ownership Airbus, the leading aircraft manufacturer, has applied for arbitration in a domain-name dispute against a Beijing individual in Hong Kong. http://www.china.org.cn/business/2008-02/29/content_11153677.htm ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** IPv6 Hour... One, Two, Three, IPv4 Switched Off! by Yves Poppe It happened in San Jose, it happened in Taiwan and soon it will happen in Philadelphia! A nightmare? A conspiracy? No, no, it was just the IPv6 hour. One hour of pure IPv6 LAN for NANOG attendees with a NAT-PT as valve to the crowded teeming world of the IPv4 internet... At 12 noon, Tuesday February 19th it happened! While Mac, Vista, Linux and Unix can breathe AAAA, Windows XP however cannot do DNS over IPv6 transport. What to do to avoid all these Windows XP users. http://www.circleid.com/posts/82283_ipv6_hour_ipv4_switched_off/ IPv6 Over Satellite: Pie in the Sky? by Dan Campbell I am writing this from the Satellite 2008 conference in Washington, D.C. As I make my way through the exhibits, I see many vendors advertising IP capabilities in their hardware products or network services. But when asked about IPv6 support, the common reply is a not so believable "it is on our roadmap" followed by a somewhat vague delivery date. Although IPv6 development has been slow across the board, it appears to be moving even more slowly in the satellite world. http://www.circleid.com/posts/82277_ipv6_over_satellite/ What Makes For a Successful Protocol? by Dave Thaler and Bernard Aboba HTTP/HTML versus Gopher. IPv4 versus IPX. Interdomain IP Multicast versus application-layer overlays. As we learned from the more mainstream VHS-versus-Betamax-format war, the reasons that one technology or protocol takes off while another one crashes and burns are obvious only in retrospect. http://www.isoc.org/tools/blogs/ietfjournal/?p=175 IPv6 in Slovak Academic Network by Peter Svec The main reason for developing a new internet protocol was based on lack of address; however this was not the only reason. Unfortunately, many people think of IPv6 only as enormous address space, but there are a lot of other advantages, for example... authorizations and authentication function are implemented directly in the protocol and are mandatory... automatic configuration of network interfaces based on their physical address... protocol itself recognizes data streams which must be transmitted in real time, and the data must be processed with highest priority. http://www.circleid.com/posts/ipv6_in_slovak_academic_network/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Domain pulse 2008 [news release] On February 21st and 22nd 2008 the conference Domain pulse 2008 took place in Vienna. The expert meeting Domain pulse is the most significant event in Europe ? especially in the German-speaking region - regarding current issues and trends on domain names and the Internet. The registries of Austria (nic.at - Registry for .at), Germany ( DENIC - Registry for .de) and Switzerland ( SWITCH - Registry for .ch and .li) organise the Domain Pulse conference each year, alternating between each country. This year?s Domain pulse was hosted by nic.at in Vienna. http://www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/nicat_news/news_view/period/1204490675///article/81/domain-pulse-2008/ us: Snowe Bill Threatens Domain Name Registrants On February 25, 2008 U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe introduced S. 2661, the ?Anti-Phishing Consumer Protection Act of 2008? (APCPA). The bill was also cosponsored by Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Ted Stevens (R-AK). It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. No hearings have yet been scheduled on this proposal. http://www.internetcommerce.org/Snowe_Bill_Threatens_Domain_Name_Registrants ICA Posts Position Paper and Analysis of Snowe ?Anti-Phishing? Legislation The Internet Commerce Association (ICA) has posted a position paper and analysis of S. 2661, introduced on 2/25/08 in the US Senate. While we are firmly opposed to phishing and other criminal activities that may utilize domain names we are very concerned about the provisions of the proposal that appear to provide trademark owners with a means to avoid both UDRP and ACPA actions and alternatively bring private claims against domain names with a lower burden of proof and the potential for far higher monetary damages, without even requiring an allegation that the DN was in any way being utilized in a phishing scheme. http://www.circleid.com/posts/831125_ica_position_paper_anti_phishing_legislation/ Netcraft February 2008 Web Server Survey Growth is up again this month, with the February 2008 survey receiving responses from 158,209,426 sites. This is an increase of 2.6 million sites, compared with last month's unusually low growth of only 354 thousand. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2008/02/06/february_2008_web_server_survey.html GSMA To Pilot A Carrier ENUM Service For Mobile Operators [news release] The GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade association for mobile operators, is preparing to pilot a service that will simplify the transmission of instant messages, MMS, emails, video and other Internet Protocol (IP)-based communications between mobile phones and between mobile and fixed-line phones. http://www.gsmworld.com/news/press_2008/press08_18.shtml Directi to set up internet domain registry; Also looking at multilingual domain names Mumbai-based Directi, the tenth largest domain name registrar, is planning to set up its own Internet domain name registry. http://www.ciol.com/News/News-Reports/Directi-to-set-up-internet-domain-registry/28208104049/0/ VeriSign Still Very Attractive VeriSign, Inc. reported $386.4 million in revenue during Q4, down 5.4% year-on-year and up 2.4% sequentially. GAAP EPS came in at ($0.88) for the quarter. Pro-forma EPS was $0.30, up from $0.26 in Q3, beating our estimate by a penny. The EPS upside to our model was due to interest income. http://biz.yahoo.com/zacks/080228/11721.html GoDaddy Spends $580,000 on Federal Lobbying Domain registrar GoDaddy.com spent $580,000 in federal lobbying last year, according to data obtained by Domain Name Wire from the Center for Responsive Politics. This is up from $460,000 spent in 2006. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/02/28/godaddy-spends-580000-on-federal-lobbying/ ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Google and the online advertisers Concern about a possible slowdown in the growth of Google's main money maker, textual ads linked to Internet searches, is weighing on the company's stock price. Among ad agencies, though, interest in the use of search engines as marketing tools is unabated. http://iht.com/articles/2008/03/02/business/AD03.php Report adds to Google anxiety Investors searching for another reason to worry about the U.S. economy found it in Google. Shares of Google Inc. on Tuesday slumped nearly 5% to their lowest point in almost a year on fears that even the mighty Internet giant is susceptible to the economic slowdown. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-search27feb27,1,5475157.story GoDaddy Files Patent for Filtering Ads on Trademark Domains GoDaddy has filed a patent for a technology that would filter ads from domain names containing trademarks. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/02/26/godaddy-files-patent-for-filtering-ads-on-trademark-domains/ Is Google Ad Traffic Really Dropping? A report by Internet market researcher ComScore detailing a 7 percent decline in the number of times U.S. consumers clicked on ads next to Google search results in January sent analysts scurrying to explain the decline. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142896-page,1/article.html A New Era of Growth, Liquidity and Recognition? I'm continually amazed to see how many new domainers are joining the industry every month. Let's face it: Domaining is the perfect business, and word is spreading quickly around the world. There are no barriers to entry, there's a thriving wholesale and growing retail market, and you don't have to be a superstar to make a nice income. http://www.dailydomainer.com/2008177-a-new-era-of-growth-liquidity-and-recognition.html ********************** - AFTERMARKET ********************** Big Day for Online Domain Name Auctions Sedo?s February Great Domains auction and Moniker?s TRAFFIC silent auction both end today. Will the industry be cheering at the end of the day, or will the results be a dissapointment? Pressure is on both companies to perform. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/02/28/big-day-for-online-domain-name-auctions/ Great Domains Auction With all the concern lately about the domain market softening, I watched the auction that ended today at GreatDomains closely. Except for a few good names, there did not seem to be very enthusiastic bidding. http://www.domainbits.com/great-domains-auction/ Flood of Completed Live Auction Sales Put Dozens of High Dollar Domain Deals on the Books Dozens of sales from the recent SnapNames Live auction at the DOMAINfest Global conference in Hollywood, California were completed over the past week, adding a lot of muscle to our new sales charts. As we have done in the past when special event sales produce a huge block of transactions, we are expanding our usual Top 20 chart to 40 positions. Even that move does not make room for all of the five-figure and higher sales reported as 73 transactions at that lofty level were concluded. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales02-19-08.htm DataRecovery.com sold for $1.7 million ESS Data Recovery, Inc. yesterday announced the purchase of the generic domain DataRecovery.com. ESS Data Recovery paid $1.7 million for the domain name, which makes this the highest reported domain sale of the year. http://www.dmueller.com/2008/02/29/domain-names-domains/datarecoverycom-sold-for-17-million/ ESS Data Recovery Purchases Web Domain Name "datarecovery.com" [news release] In an effort to set itself apart from the growing number of new data recovery companies, ESS Data Recovery Inc. today announced the purchase of the domain datarecovery.com. http://www.essdatarecovery.com/press_release_datarecoverycom.asp ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** OECD: Measuring Security and Trust in the Online Environment: A View Using Official Data This paper reviews available official statistics on trust and security in the online environment. It discusses whether security concerns are an obstacle to Internet use and examines how people and companies protect their equipment and networks. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/47/18/40009578.pdf OECD: Measuring User-Created Content: Implications for the ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals Surveys User-created content (UCC) on line is emerging as a significant area of economic and social activity worthy of consideration for official measurement. This paper reviews recent measurement work on UCC undertaken in OECD countries. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/44/58/40003289.pdf A Portrait of Early Adopters: Why People First Went Online - and Why They Stayed Our canvassing of longtime internet users shows that the things that first brought them online are still going strong on the internet today. Then, it was bulletin boards; now, it's social networking sites. Then, it was the adventure of exploring the new cyberworld; now, it's upgrading to broadband and wireless connections to explore even more aggressively. Yet there are changes in their activities and motives. In the early days, most internet users consumed material from websites. These days they are just as likely to produce material. One common refrain is that they think more change lies ahead and they are eager to watch and participate. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/240/report_display.asp ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** us: Over 50% of companies have fired workers for e-mail, Net abuse [IDG] Think you can get away with using e-mail and the Internet in violation of company policy? Think again. A new survey found that more than a quarter of employers have fired workers for misusing e-mail and one third have fired workers for misusing the Internet on the job. The study, conducted by the American Management Association (AMA) and The ePolicy Institute, surveyed 304 U.S. companies of all sizes. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9065659 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/28/companies-fire-workers-for-e-mail-net-abuse_1.html British digital kids ditch homework for networking British 15-to-19-year-olds admit spending significantly less time doing homework than they used to as a result of their use of social-networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, according to research published today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/03/socialnetworking YouTube goes live to take on TV YouTube, the popular video sharing website, is set to challenge established TV broadcasters by offering its own live channels. The plans would enable YouTube's millions of users to chat from their bedrooms, perform music or report on a breaking news story to a worldwide audience in real time. A birthday party or wedding could be broadcast live to family and friends who are unable to attend. The truly committed could start a 24-hour 'lifecast' of their daily activities reminiscent of television's Big Brother. ... But [Bill Thompson, a technology commentator] warned that, with the iPlayer already pressuring home internet connections, mass streaming on YouTube could stretch the network to breaking point. 'If 10 million people are trying to stream live video, it may be the point at which internet bandwidth becomes an issue. If you've got a family of four and two teenagers are trying to stream video to YouTube, your emails aren't going to be delivered, potentially.' http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/02/youtube.realitytv Lightning internet on way for Australia Most Australian homes will have broadband communication speeds up to 100 times faster than what is currently available, under the Rudd Government's plan to wire Australia for the 21st century. ... But by deploying VDSL (Very High Speed DSL) technology, Senator Conroy said the new network would be able to carry up to 25 megabits per second. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/03/01/1204227055167.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/03/01/1204402249626.html Aust internet speed OK: Wozniak One of the co-founders of Apple has described the targeted data transmission speeds of Australia's national broadband network as "adequate ... though not ultimate". http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23309430-15306,00.html The porn supremacy Where does the adult entertainment industry go with the increasing spread of porn into popular culture? Suzy Freeman-Greene examines the evidence of two new books. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/02/28/1203788544143.html More Americans Go Online for News [Reuters] Young people rely first on Web sources, but many are online editions of traditional media, Poynter study finds. Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN2824760420080301 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,143017-c,researchreports/article.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6232574.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Harvard Law Researchers to Helm Social Net Safety Group Some legal minds are getting together to see what can be done to make sure that social networking Web sites like MySpace are exclusively kids' space. Researchers at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society have been chosen to head up the Internet Safety Technical Task Force -- at the behest of 49 state attorneys general -- to look into possible technology-aided barriers to throw in front of predators and online bullies looking to hang out on Web sites the minors frequent. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Harvard-Law-Researchers-to-Helm-Social-Net-Safety-Group-61882.html Cyberspace confessions come back to bite Social networking sites are the ultimate in keeping friends together, but their rapid growth is prompting fears about what strangers can do with the seemingly innocent information that is posted. http://stuff.co.nz/4420572a28.html Websites ?should face charges over happy-slapping videos? YouTube should be prosecuted for carrying ?happy-slapping? clips on its site, experts on internet safety say. They told MPs yesterday that after a court case this month, a legal precedent had been set that will allow those who video assaults to be prosecuted. A 15-year-old girl was found guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter after she used a mobile phone to film a man being kicked and punched to death ? the first conviction of its kind. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3441614.ece au: Blogging boosts your social life: research Blogging can help you feel less isolated, more connected to a community and more satisfied with your friendships, both online and face-to-face, new Australian research has found. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/03/2178512.htm http://au.news.yahoo.com/080303/21/160vq.html nz: Cyberspace confessions come back to bite Social networking sites are the ultimate in keeping friends together, but their rapid growth is prompting fears about what strangers can do with the seemingly innocent information that is posted. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4420572a11275.html NZ kids use net for bullying Schoolchildren as young as 10 are using internet sites to bully and harass their classmates. Intermediate schools say pupils are using social networking website Bebo to create a false profile and post offensive information about their peers. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/4419261a22398.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Green computing finds its place at Cebit [IDG] Cebit is taking on a green tinge this year, with the Climate Savers Computing Initiative playing a central role at the trade show, which opens March 4 in Hanover, Germany. The climate initiative aims to reduce IT's carbon dioxide emissions from computer operations by 50 percent between 2007 and 2010. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/29/Green-computing-finds-its-place-at-Cebit_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142991-c,technology/article.html ********************** SPAM ********************** Researchers Name Top Six Spamming Botnets Researchers with Marshal?s TRACE team have identified six botnets that together are currently responsible for distributing 85 percent of all spam, Dark Reading has learned. And the results might surprise you. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=147240 Six botnets behind 85% of all spam, says Marshal Marshal?s TRACE team, headquartered in Auckland, claims it has identified six botnets that are responsible for 85% of all spam. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/C70ED4E3A608806CCC25740100186FC6 http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;481069848;fp;2;fpid;1 First spam felony conviction upheld: no free speech to spam Virginia's Supreme Court on Friday upheld the first US felony conviction for spamming. The spammer will serve nine years in prison for sending what authorities believe to be millions of messages over a two-month period in 2003. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080302-first-spam-felony-conviction-upheld-no-free-speech-to-spam.html E-Marketers Getting Crafty in Spam-Flooded World Even in a post CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) world, where legal protections and technological advances give consumers more control than ever over their inboxes, e-mail remains a key component of many interactive marketing strategies. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/61892.html Virginia Supreme Court Rejects First Amendment Challenge to Spam Statute by Venkat Balasubramani Thanks to Prof. Goldman I see that the Virginia Supreme Court issued its opinion in Jaynes, the state-law criminal spam case that has wound its way through the courts there. It affirms the conviction and rejects the various challenges to Virginia's spam statute... As a side note I should say that it's not often one is actually excited to read an order in a case you're not involved with. This is definitely one of those instances where the excitement is palpable... The news reports billed the case as the first felony conviction for sending spam. http://www.circleid.com/posts/82293_virginia_court_first_amendment_spam_jaynes/ Spam King trial set to start next month [IDG] Notorious spammer Robert Soloway will get his day in court next month when his criminal trial kicks off in Seattle. Soloway was arrested in May and charged with sending out tens of millions of unsolicited messages; so many, in fact, that investigators called him the "Spam King," and his arrest was hailed as a major blow in the fight against spam. Many of Soloway's unsolicited messages were sent out using hacked "zombie" computers infected with botnet software, prosecutors allege. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9065758 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Ask the economists: Internet and development - towards a Wider World Web? What benefits would the Internet bring to the developing world? And what impact would the arrival of several billion new users have on the Internet as we know it today? Click here to read the questions and answers from this online debate with OECD economist Sam Paltridge. http://www.oecd.org/document/29/0,3343,en_2649_37441_40067741_1_1_1_37441,00.html Web desktop targets 'cybernomads' A virtual desktop aimed at users who access the web via cybercafes is attracting interest from organisations set up to bridge the digital divide. Offered by Luxembourg-based start-up Jooce, it is being billed as a way of personalising any computer. Jooce is targeting the estimated 500 million people who log on to the internet from a cybercafe every day. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7267534.stm ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Online Scrabble Craze Leaves Game Sellers at Loss for Words The latest bane of office productivity is Scrabulous, a virtual knockoff of the Scrabble board game, with over 700,000 players a day and nearly three million registered users. The extremely popular game Scrabulous is played primarily on the Facebook social-networking site. Fans of the game are obsessive. They play against friends, co-workers, family members and strangers, and many have several games going at once. Everyone seems to love the online game -- everyone, that is, except the companies that own the rights to Scrabble: Hasbro, which sells it in North America, and Mattel, which markets it everywhere else. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/business/02game.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/03/02/business/scrabble.php http://www.news.com/2100-1043_3-6232770.html Australians duped out of more than $700 million in online scams The Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce (ACFT) kicked off its Fraud Fortnight initiative this week, amid initial findings that Australians have dished out more than $700 million falling for online scams. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;770100811;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;770100811;fp;2;fpid;1 New Zealand Teen Charged in Cyber Crime A New Zealand teenager allegedly at the center of an international cyber crime network appeared Friday in court where he was charged with computer hacking crimes. Computer programmer Owen Thor Walker, 18, was charged with two counts of accessing a computer for dishonest purpose, damaging or interfering with a computer system and possessing software for committing crime, and two counts of accessing a computer system without authorization. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022902149.html 18-year-old alleged botnet king appears in New Zealand court - Owen Thor Walker charged with computer crimes [news release] Experts at SophosLabs, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis center, have reminded organizations of the threat posed by zombie networks after a teenager was accused of being at the center of an international cybercrime network. 18-year-old Owen Thorn Walker, a computer programmer from Hamilton, New Zealand, has been charged with two counts of accessing a computer for dishonest purposes, damaging with a computer system, possessing software for committing crimes, and two counts of accessing a computer system without permission. If found guilty, Walker could face up to 10 years in jail. http://sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2008/02/nz-teen-charged.html 'Safe' websites stealing info THE next time you visit a website you could be exposing yourself to identity theft and fraud without even knowing it, thanks to a new internet security threat called "drive-by downloading." http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23301090-5014239,00.html German Court Prohibits Government Surveillance of PCs Government surveillance of personal computers violates the individual right to privacy, Germany's highest court found Wednesday, in a ruling that German investigators say will restrict their ability to pursue terrorists. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/61852.html German Court Endorses Online Privacy Rights [IDG] Digital rights activists Wednesday celebrated reports of a decision by Germany's Constitutional Court that limits authorities' ability to secretly collect data from individuals' personal computers. The ruling allows security authorities to use techniques such as spy software only in certain cases, and only with judicial permission. The decision, by Germany's highest court, is widely seen as establishing a right to privacy. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142905-c,onlineprivacy/article.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142905-page,1/article.html German high court throttles government net snooping Germany's highest court set tough new restrictions on the government's ability to intercept internet communications in a landmark ruling that said data stored on computers was covered under constitutional guarantees to personal privacy. "Collecting such data directly encroaches on a citizen's rights, given that fear of being observed ... can prevent unselfconscious personal communication," presiding judge Hans-Juergen Papier said, according to the Associated Press. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/27/german_privacy_ruling/ Senate antiphishing bill outlaws...what's already illegal Using the Internet to steal someone's account information by masquerading as a bank, brokerage, or credit card company has been illegal for many, many years. Back in 2004, the Justice Department won a criminal conviction against a phishing scammer who pretended to be AOL's billing center. The Federal Trade Commission has been busy filing civil lawsuits. http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9879859-38.html Interpol to create database for intellectual property crimes In a bid to curtail intellectual property (IP) crimes, the Interpol has joined hands with the US Chamber of Commerce to create a full-fledged database for all the member-countries. http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=27186 http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Interpol-launches-intellectual-property-crime-database/277433/ ca: How the media can misrepresent the Web A couple of weeks ago, Canadian media outlets reported that, across the country, 44,970 computers were actively engaged in trading child pornography - 15,140 of them in Ontario. The numbers came from cyber-sleuthing done by Flint Waters, a special agent for the Wyoming Attorney General and commander of the Internet Sex Crimes Against Children task force in the U.S. Waters developed software that can track IP addresses associated with child porn images traded on peer-to-peer networks. http://www.rabble.ca/news_full_story.shtml?x=68092 Intellectual property safer in Korea Contrary to views that protection for intellectual property rights is weaker in Korea than for general property rights, the country's ranking is higher for intellectual property rights protection, according to a survey by the Property Rights Alliance, an international think tank and lobbying group. http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2886747 Steps to protect your intellectual property Intellectual property rights protect creations of the mind. Ruvini Rendle, an intellectual property specialist at law firm Duncan Cotterill, demystifies some of the major forms of intellectual property. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4422896a1864.html HK star's nude photos lead to arrests in China [Reuters] China has arrested two more people for posting nude photos of Hong Kong pop stars on the Internet, state media said on Saturday. The two were sentenced to five days detention for spreading at least 10 photos of singer and actor Edison Chen in bed with female celebrities, a scandal that has touched off a media frenzy in Hong Kong and feverish downloading of the photos. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKPEK13703920080301 http://www.news.com/2100-1030_3-6232709.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6232709.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** More teenagers ignoring CDs, report says ... For the first time last year, nearly half of all teenagers bought no compact discs, a dramatic increase from 2006, when 38% of teens shunned such purchases, according to a new report released Tuesday. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-music27feb27,1,2860590.story U.S. judge pokes hole in file-sharing lawsuit [IDG] Legal experts say a recent U.S. court ruling could force the music industry to provide more evidence against people accused of illegal file sharing. The ruling was handed down in a case filed a year ago against Christopher David Brennan of Waterford, Conn., by plaintiffs Atlantic Recording, Electra Entertainment Group, Interscope Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, and BMG Music. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/26/US-judge-pokes-hole-in-file-sharing-lawsuit_1.html Peter Griffin: ISPs in danger of becoming data cops Serious discussions are going on in Europe and America about the shape of the internet and the debate keeps coming back to the F word - file-sharing. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10494976 Chinese music industry groups file suit against Baidu [Reuters] Two industry groups representing China's local musicians and songwriters have filed a lawsuit against the country's Web search leader, Baidu.com Inc, accusing it of copyright violation. The move signaled that domestic artists as well as international firms are disgruntled at the firm's free music search service. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKSHA8649720080229 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142939-page,1/article.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6232379.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** In Pakistan vs. YouTube, it's not all about technology by Declan McCullagh The flap earlier this week in which Pakistan Telecom knocked YouTube.com off the Internet for two hours seems almost inexplicable. It's not like when a court in Turkey blocked access to YouTube from within the country, or when China restricts Western news sites. http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9880244-38.html French Police extends the Internet blacklist French Internal Affairs Minister, Mich?le Alliot-Marie, announced on 14 February 2008 new measures to fight against cybercrime, including extending the websites blacklist and pushing for computer online investigations, without the permission of the country of the hosting company. http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number6.4/french-internet-blacklist ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ How Dangerous Is the Internet for Children? A few years ago, a parenting magazine asked me to write an article about the dangers that children face when they go online. As it turns out, I was the wrong author for the article they had in mind. The editor was deeply disappointed by my initial draft. Its chief message was this: ?Sure, there are dangers. But they?re hugely overhyped by the media. The tales of pedophiles luring children out of their homes are like plane crashes: they happen extremely rarely, but when they do, they make headlines everywhere. The Internet is just another facet of socialization for the new generation; as always, common sense and a level head are the best safeguards.? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/technology/personaltech/28pogue-email.html EU extends net safety programme The European Commission is spending 55m euros (?42m) on making the net a safer place for children. The money will be spent over four years on educational efforts and ways to protect children from inappropriate content and cyber bullying. It will also research the ways that children use the net on computers and other devices such as mobile phones. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7270790.stm An even safer internet for children [news release] Today, the European Commission proposed a new Safer Internet programme to enhance the safety of children in the online environment. Encompassing recent communications services from the Web 2.0, such as social networking, the new programme will fight not only illegal content but also harmful behaviour such as bullying and grooming. With a budget of ?55 million, the programme, which builds further on the successful Safer Internet programme started in 2005, will run from 2009 to 2013. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/310 EU backs self-regulation of web THE EUROPEAN UNION has proposed that industry, parents and regulators should create a Safer Internet Programme to provide a system of self-regulating the Internet to protect children. http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/27/ec-backs-self-regulation-web EU?s Safer Internet plan to target content harmful to kids Back when the dot-com boom was first booming, the European Union created a four-year Safer Internet Action Plan, designed to limit illegal and harmful activities on the 'Net. That plan got a two-year extension, and then morphed into the four-year Safer Internet plus Programme. With that program's term coming to a close at the end of 2008, the EU has decided to drop the plus and add a year, as they approved a new Safer Internet Programme, which will receive ?55 million over the course of the next five years. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080228-eus-safer-internet-plan-to-target-content-harmful-to-kids.html Safer Internet Day sees NZ launch ?Cybercitizenship Pathway? [news release] Today is International Safer Internet Day and NetSafe has marked the occasion by launching the ?Cybercitizenship Pathway? - a pioneering initiative to help teachers integrate online safety and security education into their classroom programmes. http://www.netsafe.org.nz/isgnews/sid_cybercitizenship_pathway.aspx nz: NetSafe launches schools programme to mark Safer Internet Day In case you didn't know, today is Safer Internet Day, an annual event that involves over 40 nations and kicks off a week-long blogathon highlighting safety issues facing children online. http://m-net.net.nz/2194/latest-news/latest-news/netsafe-launches-schools-programme-to-mark-safer-internet.php Childnet gives evidence to Culture, Media and Sport Committee on harmful content on the Internet Childnet gave evidence on Tuesday 26th February 2008 to the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee in response to their inquiry on Harmful Content on the Internet and in Video Games. http://www.childnet-int.org/news/ Australia moving ahead with plans to erect ISP porn filters Australia is preparing to launch a public test of Internet filtering systems designed to block pornographic content at the ISP level even though government-funded studies from 2006 show that ISP-level filtering won't work. Plans for the filtering were first revealed last year as part of a $189 million anti-porn initiative that was announced by lawmakers at an event hosted by the Australian Christian Lobby and broadcast to over 700 Australian churches. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080227-government-reports-say-89-million-porn-filter-wont-work.html Australian Government Calls Porn Filters A Failure The Australian government is calling its $85 million plan to filter online pornography a failure. http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/02/20/australian-government-calls-porn-filters-a-failure au: R rating for games dismissed as 'porn' The head of Australia's videogames industry body says there is a way to solve the R18+ videogame rating issue but the South Australian attorney-general has dismissed it as "pornography". http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23295683-16123,00.html Free internet filter take-up disappointing [sub req'd] http://www.telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=204978 MySpace picks Harvard scholars to lead task force on Internet safety [AP] Leading Internet scholars at Harvard Law School will head a task force exploring the safety of users at MySpace and other popular online hangouts amid growing fears that youngsters have become targets of sexual predators. http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_8393034 us: Proposed Utah bill would give special designation to ISPs that block porn A bill introduced this month in the Utah House of Representatives would give Internet service providers that block access to pornographic material a special designation and an official seal that they could display on their Web sites and use in their promotional materials. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9065226 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Japan seeking to govern top news Web sites A Japanese government panel is proposing to govern "influential, widely read news-related sites as newspapers and broadcasting are now regulated." http://iht.com/articles/2008/02/27/technology/wireless28.php Bush Calls Surveillance Bill an ?Urgent Priority? Using some of his toughest language in weeks, President Bush prodded Congress on Thursday to pass his preferred version of surveillance legislation, asserting that every day of delay could put the country in danger. Mr. Bush said again that renewing the surveillance legislation is ?a very urgent priority,? and that it must include controversial provisions that would shield telecommunications companies from wholesale lawsuits over their assistance in monitoring the phone calls and e-mail messages of suspected terrorists without warrants. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/washington/28cnd-bush.html ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* EU fine sends message to Microsoft and others The European antitrust regulator levied a record ?899 million fine against Microsoft on Wednesday in a ruling designed to send a clear message to the world's biggest software maker - and to any other company - of the dangers of flouting its competition rulings. http://iht.com/articles/2008/02/27/business/msft.php The EU's New Heat on Microsoft Will Microsoft's struggle with the European Union's antitrust watchdog never end? The announcement Feb. 27 that the European Commission is slapping more than $1.3 billion in new fines on the software maker is the clearest signal yet that the battle between Redmond and Brussels is far from over. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080227_967982.htm EU fines Microsoft record $1.4bn The European Commission has fined US computer giant Microsoft for defying sanctions imposed on it for anti-competitive behaviour. Microsoft must now pay a record 899m euros ($1.4bn; ?680.9m) after it failed to comply with a 2004 ruling that it abused its position. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7266629.stm Ten years of legal wrangling between Microsoft and EU The milestones since the EU began investigating Microsoft's business practices in 1988 http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/27/microsoft.europe1 Top ten: Biggest company fines by the EU The biggest individual company fines under EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/27/microsoft.europe2 Microsoft fined record $1.4bn by EU The European Commission fined Microsoft a record ?899 million (?673 million, $1.4 billion) today for defying sanctions imposed on the company for abusing its dominant position in the software market. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3445288.ece Europe Fines Microsoft $1.3 Billion European antitrust regulators on Wednesday fined Microsoft $1.3 billion for failing to comply with a 2004 judgment that the company had abused its market dominance. The new fine by the European Commission was the largest it has ever imposed on an individual company, and brings the total in fines imposed on Microsoft to about $2.5 billion, in current exchange rates. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/business/worldbusiness/28msoft.html New York Times under fire for slow switch to online A battle is brewing over the future of America?s most influential paper: Last month, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr, publisher of The New York Times, was spotted lunching with top lawyer Martin Lipton at the 21 Club, a former speakeasy that is now a favoured dining spot for Manhattan fatcats. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article3465299.ece ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** NZ Govt rejects Telecom separation plan The Government has rejected Telecom?s plans to split itself into three businesses and has told the telecommunications company to try again. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4420632a6425.html NZ Telecom's separation knock-back With Telecom's plan for handling operational separation getting the thumbs down from the Government on Friday it is up in the air as to whether everything will be drafted, lawyered and approved by the March 31 "separation day" everyone initially had in mind. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10495762 Telecom NZ's operational separation plan knocked back New Zealand's communications minister, David Cunliffe has rejected the operational separation regime proposed by Telecom New Zealand. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16942/127/ Deutsche Telekom reports 61% surge in data traffic Deutsche Telekom said Thursday that the level of wireless data traffic on its high-speed cellphone networks surged 61 percent in the final three months of 2007 from the previous quarter. The jump was driven by data-intensive applications like the mobile Internet search function from Google and devices like the Apple iPhone. The spike has been long awaited by operators as a lucrative new source of revenue. http://iht.com/articles/2008/02/28/technology/telekom.php Australia?s communications industry proposes blueprint for broadband policy development [news release] Australia?s communications industry has agreed on a series of ?fundamental principles? that should be the basis for development of policy governing the broadband environment. The Board of Communications Alliance, the industry?s peak representative body, has signed off on the principles and will advocate that the Federal Government adopt them as the framework for its broadband policy development. http://commsalliance.com.au/__data/page/21733/Broadband_framework_rls_-_final.pdf ACMA report claims high satisfaction rates for telco services Four out of five Australians are satisfied with their telecommunications services, according to an Australian Communications and Media Authority report. Despite the 81 per cent satisfaction rate, there is notable differences in satisfaction levels between households, small and medium enterprises and the rural sector. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;184421416;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;184421416 http://www.cio.com.au/index.php/id;184421416 Farmers not happy with phones, internet Four out of five Australians are happy with their phone and internet services but farmers are a lot less satisfied, research shows. http://news.smh.com.au/farmers-not-happy-with-phones-internet/20080228-1viv.html http://news.theage.com.au/farmers-not-happy-with-phones-internet/20080228-1viv.html http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/farmers-not-happy-with-phones-internet/20080228-1viv.html http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/farmers_not_happy_with_phones_internet_541582 Farmers 'less satisfied' with telco services: survey A report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority says most people are satisfied with their telco services - except for farmers, who report problems with their internet and mobile phone connections. http://ibnnews.org/localnews/farmers_less_satisfied_with_telco_services_29208_4058047120577_0000.html ACMA: Consumers ?happy? with telco services ? but not farmers The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released a nearly year-old report providing a ?snapshot of consumer satisfaction? with landline, mobile, VoIP and Internet services. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16904/1103/ Consumers express overall satisfaction with telecommunication services but mobile and internet services of concern to rural sector [news release] A report released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority suggests that four out of five Australians (81 per cent) are generally satisfied with their telecommunications services, although there are notable differences in satisfaction levels between households, small and medium enterprises and the rural sector. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_310989 Australians Are "Generally Satisfied" With Their Telecoms Services A report released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority suggests that four out of five Australians (81 per cent) are generally satisfied with their telecommunications services, although there are notable differences in satisfaction levels between households, small and medium enterprises and the rural sector. http://www.cellular-news.com/story/29603.php uk: Ofcom set to ban 'unfair' charges Telecom and internet firms will soon have to stop levying extra charges that the regulator Ofcom says are unfair. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7268721.stm Telstra's Next G handset ticks: now in 'shades of blue' Telstra is now providing more nuanced information on Next G handset performance than simply blue ticking those handsets it recommends for use in areas of low signal strength. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16900/127/ Finnish TV goes Digital [news release] Television broadcasts in Finland are all-digital as of 1 March 2008. Analogue television transmissions ended also in cable television networks at the end of February 2008. The number of digital receivers in households has increased substantially: surveys by Finnpanel indicate that 89% of all Finnish households currently have a set-top box or a digital television. Altogether 78 per cent of cable TV households have access to digital broadcasts. http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/P_22.html New ratification for the European Convention on Transfrontier Television On 13 February 2008, Montenegro ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (CETS No. 132). This Convention is the first international treaty creating a legal framework for the free circulation of transfrontier television programmes in Europe, through minimum common rules, in fields such as programming, advertising, sponsorship and the protection of certain individual rights. http://www.coe.int/T/E/Human_Rights/media/ Committee of Ministers adopts declarations on children's activities on the internet and on the digital dividend In its declaration on protecting the dignity, security and privacy of children on the internet, the Committee of Ministers asks member states to work together to explore the feasibility of removing or deleting content created by children and traces of their online activities within a reasonably short period of time, if such content and traces can cause them prejudice. "We are determined to ensure that our children can use the internet safely, and that the internet cannot be used against them", said Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. http://www.coe.int/T/E/Human_Rights/media/ ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Online chat results in child sex charges A Victorian man who arranged to meet an underaged teenage girl for sex has been charged by police. http://news.theage.com.au/online-chat-results-in-child-sex-charges/20080229-1vs3.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2008 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address. www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mailReceived on Thu Mar 06 2008 - 12:53:34 UTC
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