Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news. And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Internet self-administration forum faces scrutiny http://www.heise-online.co.uk/networks/Internet-self-administration-forum-faces-scrutiny--/news/111951 AGP Deletes Down by 84% http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-13nov08-en.htm ICANN drops bad domain registrar, but on technicality [IDG] http://www.itworld.com/internet/57767/icann-drops-bad-domain-registrar-technicality Execution date set for EstDomains http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2230516/execution-date-set-estdomains Tour??s ITU still pushing for an Internet counter-revolution by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/11/11/3972346.html China Rockets Past 13 Million Domain Name Registrations http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6493 Nominet director quits over boardroom rift http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/13/nominet_director_resigns/ Nominet top brass reject resignation call http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/14/nominet_no_resignations/ EFF: Kentucky domain seizures flawed on many levels http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081114-eff-kentucky-domain-seizures-flawed-on-many-levels.html Groups ask Kentucky court to reverse domain seizures [IDG] http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111408-groups-ask-kentucky-court-to.html Have You Implemented a Domain Name Strategy? What Every Business and IP Owner Should Know http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/11/have-you-implem.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Internet self-administration forum faces scrutiny At the preparatory summit for the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Berlin, representatives from governments, business, and civil society stepped forward in defence of preserving the platform for global debate about internet policy decisions. http://www.heise-online.co.uk/networks/Internet-self-administration-forum-faces-scrutiny--/news/111951 East Africa seeks to raise awareness on Internet governance [IDG] East Africa ICT stakeholders have launched an Internet governance course targeting policy makers to address gaps exposed at this week's regional meeting. http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/11/13/east-africa-seeks-raise-awareness-internet-governance http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111308-east-africa-seeks-to-raise.html Africa discusses Internet governance Representatives from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda gathered in Nairobi to discuss common issues regarding Internet governance in preparation for next month's global Internet Governance Forum, reports Networkworld. http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/business/2008/0811130908.asp?S=All%20Africa%20News&A=AFN&O=FRGN Funds hitch hampers ICT development in East Africa Lack of funds for implementing key Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programmes has been identified as a key factor hampering the setting up of digital villages and access to internet services across East Africa. http://waltainfo.com/walnew/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4569&Itemid=47 http://www.afriquenligne.fr/news/africa-news/funds-hitch-hampers-ict-development-in-east-africa-2008111215849.html Hyderabad to host Internet Governance Forum The third edition of the Internet Governance Forum will be held in Hyderabad from December 3 to December 6, 2008. http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14797012 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** AGP Deletes Down by 84% In June 2008, the ICANN Board approved the FY09 Budget that contained a provision on AGP deletes. The provision is that domain names deleted during the AGP will be included as transactions if they exceed the maximum of (i) 10% of that registrar's net new registrations in that month, or (ii) fifty (50) domain names, whichever is greater. Therefore the per-transaction fee, currently US$0.20, will be assessed on all AGP deletes that exceed the defined threshold. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-13nov08-en.htm ICANN drops bad domain registrar, but on technicality [IDG] An Estonian company that registers domain names will have its accreditation revoked in about two weeks, the Internet's addressing authority said Wednesday. http://www.itworld.com/internet/57767/icann-drops-bad-domain-registrar-technicality http://www.macworld.com/article/136786/2008/11/icann.html http://computerworld.com.au/article/267316/ http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/267316/ http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/267316/ http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/feature/61E86174E4836F86CC257500006ADB77 http://www.techworld.com.au/article/267316/icann_drops_bad_domain_registrar_technicality http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111308-icann-drops-bad-domain-registrar.html http://www.cio.com/article/462567/ICANN_Drops_Bad_Domain_Registrar_but_on_Technicality http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/11/13/icann-drops-bad-domain-registrar-technicality http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153799/icann_drops_bad_domain_registrar_but_on_technicality.html http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/267316/ ICANN Shutting Down EstDomains Nov. 24 Widely regarded as a haven for spammers and cybercriminals, EstDomains must now designate a recipient for the 281,000 domain registrations it manages. http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/data/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212002478 Execution date set for EstDomains ICANN has decided to go ahead with its plan to shut down EstDomains. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2230516/execution-date-set-estdomains http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=89011 http://www.whatpc.co.uk/vnunet/news/2230516/execution-date-set-estdomains http://www.computeractive.co.uk/vnunet/news/2230516/execution-date-set-estdomains http://uk.news.yahoo.com/16/20081114/ttc-execution-date-set-for-estdomains-6315470.html ICANN: Termination of Registrar EstDomains to Go Ahead The termination of ICANN-accredited registrar EstDomains is to go ahead, effective 24 November 2008. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081113_icann_terminates_domain_registrar_estdomains/ ICANN Puts EstDomains Registrar Back on Chopping Block After initially staying the execution of embattled registrar EstDomains, ICANN has decided to shut it down Nov. 24. EstDomains has long been linked to cyber-criminals by security researchers. http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/ICANN-Puts-EstDomains-Registrar-Back-on-Chopping-Block/ ICANN Pulls Over Crooked Estonian Registrar ICANN will revoke the credentials of EstDomains, an Estonian domain name registrar on November 24. The final decision was made based on the recent ruling of an Estonian court: EstDomains President Vladimir Tsastsin has been found guilty of credit card fraud, money laundering and document forgery. Or, according to ICANN's book of rules: http://news.portalit.net/fullnews_icann-pulls-over-crooked-estonian-registrar_1796.html ICANN cries wolf again with EstDomains It seems ICANN is once again threatening to de-accredit EstDomains, a URL registrar and hosting service, according to a letter posted on ICANN's site on Wednesday. http://thestandard.com/news/2008/11/13/icann-cries-wolf-again-estdomains Malware, mayhem, and the McColo takedown ... The Internet's allegedly governing bodies haven't been any better at framing the problem and figuring out how to address it. ICANN has been, Sergeant says ruefully, "glacially slow" at clamping down on bad registrars, and though some security folk are rejoicing that ICANN will finally deliver on its death sentence for notorious registry EstDomains.com, it's mainly of interest as another vector of address, rather than as a strong measure to shut off the spam tap. http://www.betanews.com/article/Malware_mayhem_and_the_McColo_takedown/1226622403 ICANN Cuts EstDomains, Spam Down 75% ICANN moves forward with de-accreditation of EstDomains, related spam host cut off. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/14/icann-cuts-estdomains-spam-down-75/ Finally, EstDomains to be Terminated by ICANN After an on-again, off-again saga, EstDomains has been advised of irrevocable termination of their status of ICANN-accredited registrar. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/21712/53/ ICANN pulls plug on registrar favoured by cyber crooks ICANN, the organization responsible for managing the assignment of domain names and IP addresses, has announced it will pull the plug on Estonian domain registrar EstDomains - long known to be favoured by cybercriminals for their domain registrations - on 24 November. http://www.virusbtn.com/news/2008/11_14.xml ICANN Drops Bad Domain Registrar, but on Technicality http://www.webhost.org.in ICANN Drops Bad Domain Registrar, but on Technicality. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaecGrDmuk ICANN Shutting Down EstDomains http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=iXS0Ko_ncCg The Harsh Reality of Spam and Online Security... Should I Stay or Should I Go? ... He has shone the spotlight of national media on some real embarrassments, situations like ICANN dragging their feet regarding the decertification of rogue registrar EstDomains, a service much-favoured by malware authors and spammers (they are now offline), Atrivo, a California-based ISP which played a pivotal role in sustaining the Storm botnet (they are now offline) and Krebs played a part in the latest victory for us good guys on the net, with his piece on McColo, a host for botnet command-and-control technologies (yes, they too are now offline!) http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081113_reality_of_spam_online_security/ My Spammers Didn't Get the Memo That They Were Toast It has been a week that seemed like the good guys might finally be winning -- something -- in the cybercrime war. First, there were reports of a 65-plus percent drop in spam volume after a Web hosting firm known for hosting botnets, spammers, and child pornography was taken down. Then ICANN on Wednesday finally terminated domain hosting provider EstDomains, which is notorious for harboring spammers and malware writers. But I'm having trouble celebrating. http://darkreading.com/blog/archives/2008/11/my_spammers_did.html Despite McColo shutdown, expect Spam deluge to resume ... But now the tide is beginning to turn. First came the news that ICANN had decided to de-accredit EstDomains, an ISP notorious in the security community for serving as a haven for malware authors and spammers. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com.au/articles/27743-Despite-McColo-shutdown-expect-Spam-deluge-to-resume ITU and ICANN - a loveless forced marriage ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Tour? has called for better collaboration between the ITU and ICANN. "Our members have unnecessarily attacked and criticised each other and I think we should put an end to that," said Tour? on Thursday at the 33rd ICANN meeting in Cairo. According to Tour?, the two organisations need to get to know each other better and learn to love each other, as telecommunications and the internet are ultimately condemned to a "forced marriage". http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/118646 Tour??s ITU still pushing for an Internet counter-revolution by Milton Mueller The speech by the International Telecommunication Union?s Hamadoun Tour? brought the ongoing power struggle over Internet governance into the open. Toure spoke openly of the ongoing ?war? between ICANN and the ITU. He demanded a stronger role for governments in ICANN, dismissing ICANN?s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) as ?cosmetic? (quite wrong, as I will show later). He correctly accused the UN Internet Governance Forum of ?avoiding issues? but also rather harshly dismissed it as a ?waste of time.? I commend Secretary General Tour? for his forthrightness, which is all too rare in international organizations. Unfortunately, his blunt speech supports the wrong cause. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/11/11/3972346.html Proposal for Signing the DNSSEC Root The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is soliciting comments on signing the DNSSEC root. Ignore the caption on the page: this is not about DNSSEC deployment, which is already happening just fine. It's about who gets to sign the root zone. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081113_proposal_signing_dnssec_root_zone/ ICANN Must Address Domain Tasting Ripple Effects A registrar who also engages in domain tasting can inadvertently create ripple effects throughout the domain name industry. Thus, domain name owners must exert pressure on ICANN to reduce this risk. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081115_icann_domain_tasting_ripple_effects/ Overture to Take Over Internet Governance: ITU at ICANN Meeting, Cairo by Sivasubramanian Muthusamy ITU is 143 years old and it has done a lot of good work. But it is so huge and powerful that it has been monopolizing (or mono-unionizing) Telecommunications for the last 143 years. ITU's hold over communications has been sweeping. But during the last ten years, ITU's member Telcos have seen several challenges from the open Internet architecture. Alternate telecommunication technologies such as email and Internet telephony have been formidable challenges to the ITU. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081115_take_over_internet_governace_itu_icann/ Domain Name Tasting Down 84% Domain tasting is down 84% since ICANN implemented its 20 cent fee. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/14/domain-name-tasting-down-84/ Great interest in the introduction of new top-level domains More than 1,000 participants from 144 countries took part in the ICANN meeting in Cairo in early November. The most controversial issues among the participants were the introduction of new gTLDs as well as questions concerning TLDs with national characters (IDN). http://www.norid.no/internasjonalt/icann/icann33.en.html Russia to get first IDN national suffix Russia is set to become the first country to be awarded a non-Latin domain as part of ICANN's IDN fast-track process with .P? (.RF), for Russian federation in Cyrillic characters. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/235/russia-to-get-first-idn-national-suffix.php ICANN Palabras de Bienvenida a M?xico http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=eBNOLZII97U Summit on the Global Agenda - Paul Twomey http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=csr8HNScNSE ICANN Cairo November 2008 http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=yYVGBDcJeMQ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Changes To The .CA WHOIS Privacy Policy As we are reaching a critical point in the evolution of the internet, we will begin to see several agencies making changes to the way they do business. Barrister & Solicitor Lorraine Fleck, has been keeping an eye on the changes that The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) have been making regarding the privacy of its registrants. She imparts important information for .ca holders that they may not have noticed after the jump. http://www.namesmash.com/?p=166 China Rockets Past 13 Million Domain Name Registrations The ccTLD .cn (China) has rocketed past the 13 millionth registration this month. At end October, there were 12915737 registrations and with an average of over 400,000 domain name registrations per month over the past year will have easily past the figure now. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6493 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/11/15/china-rockets-past-13-million-domain-name-registrations/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/china-rockets-past-13-million-domain-name-registrations.html Will .Com Domain Name Fees Soar? Upset about VeriSign increasing your .com registration fees 7% a year? Imagine if they could raise them by whatever they want. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/13/will-com-domain-name-fees-soar/ de: Provider Change with AuthInfo - Fast, Secure, and Reliable [news release] As from December 2008, DENIC and the DENIC members will make available a new procedure to domain holders who want to change their provider. The central feature of this new procedure is the transmission of a password, which is called AuthInfo. The AuthInfo is valid exclusively for this specific action and is related to one specific domain. http://www.denic.de/en/denic/presse/press_91.html Hamburg joins growing list of potential CityTLDs With the first round of new TLD applications set to open in September 2009, more potential applicants are making themselves known. One is .HAMBURG for the German city of Hamburg. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/236/hamburg-joins-growing-list-of-potential-citytlds.php A new top level domain for communications launches .tel, a new TLD, is about to launch with a Sunrise period reserved for registration for trademark owners to commence on 3 December. Following this period, open registration then commences in a Landrush period on 3 February 2009. In both periods, applications will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis, with a validation fee (where Deloitte assesses the validity of the trademark) applying in Sunrise and a premium price applying in Landrush. General registration commences on 24 March 2009 for the remaining domain names. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6489 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/11/14/a-new-top-level-domain-for-communications-launches-tel/ .Tel Has Benefits, But Many Challenges The first time I wrote about .tel was back in 2006 when it was approved by ICANN. I wasn?t a big fan of it back then. I wrote about it again earlier this week, and said I still think this domain extension is a longshot. Earlier today I talked with Justin Hayward, communications director for .tel backer Telnic. My general opinion is the same, but there are some ways, if executed well, .tel could work out. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/13/tel-has-benefits-but-many-challenges/ Dot Tel Domains Demonstration Tutorial - See the future now! In 2009, the new dot tel domain names will be available. This fatastic video demo show the power and many uses of the dot Tel... http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=T0IZScHp9NI Nominet director quits over boardroom rift One of Nominet's four non-executive directors has resigned amid accusation and counter accusation of wrongdoing at the not-for-profit company that runs the .uk registry. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/13/nominet_director_resigns/ Nominet top brass reject resignation call The executives in charge of Nominet, the not-for-profit company responsible for the .uk web address registry, have rejected calls from elected directors to resign and face a vote of confidence from members. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/14/nominet_no_resignations/ UK IGF web site launch The UK Internet Governance Forum is a collaborative partnership between Nominet, the UK Department for Business, key parliamentarians and other organisations taking a leading role in making the Internet a better place. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5724 ENUM Registrar information day We are holding our second ENUM registrar information day on Wednesday 3 December 2008 at the Thorpe Park Hotel in Leeds. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5723 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Denial-of-Service Attacks Intensify Massive distributed denial-of-service attacks against ISPs and their customers doubled in intensity over the past year, according to a new survey. http://www.pcworld.com/article/153956/.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** EFF: Kentucky domain seizures flawed on many levels In September, the state of Kentucky won a legal victory in its fight to control gambling within its borders, as a judge ordered the seizure of the domain name registrations of a variety of online gambling outfits. Although the ruling targeted 141 sites, the legal challenge has been accepted by two of the businesses targeted, which have filed an appeal in the case. Their appeal has now been joined by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, ACLU, and the Center for Democracy and Technology, who use an amicus brief to argue that the initial seizure ruling was flawed on several levels. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081114-eff-kentucky-domain-seizures-flawed-on-many-levels.html Groups ask Kentucky court to reverse domain seizures [IDG] Three civil liberties groups have filed a petition asking a Kentucky court to reverse a judge's ruling that could lead to the seizure of 141 domain names related to gambling Web sites. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111408-groups-ask-kentucky-court-to.html http://www.cio.com/article/463217/Groups_Ask_Kentucky_Court_to_Reverse_Domain_Seizures http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153930/.html http://www.itworld.com/business/57877/groups-ask-kentucky-court-reverse-domain-seizures Watchdogs decry Kentucky's 141-site net casino land grab Three civil liberties groups urged a Kentucky appeals court to overturn the seizure of domain names for some of the world's most popular gambling sites, arguing the move is based on "incorrect factual assumptions" and violates Free Speech guarantees and other provisions of the US Constitution. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/14/kentucky_domain_name_grab_amicus/ ACLU Defends Online Casinos From Kentucky Courts The organizations argue that Judge Thomas Wingate's decision to force the forfeiture of Internet casino domain names ignores several provisions ofthe Constitution, including the Commerce Clause, the Due Process Clause, and the First Amendment. http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/kentucky-gambling-case-draws-aclu-42314.htm ACLU Joins PPA in filing Briefs in Kentucky Domain Case The Poker Players Alliance joined the Kentucky office of the ACLU, Network Solutions, Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Democracy and Technology in filing Amicus briefs in the Kentucky Court of Appeals yesterday protesting a judge?s that Kentucky has the right to seize domain names used to gamble and play poker online. http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/article/5529/aclu-joins-ppa-in-filing-briefs-in-kentucky-domain-case Kentucky Attorney General Asks to be Dismissed From Petition Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway wants no part in a case involving Governor Stephen Beshear's attempts to have 141 online gambling domain names removed. On Friday, it surfaced that the Attorney General asked to have his name removed from the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association's court filings in this matter. http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/kentucky-attorney-general-asks-be-dismissed-petition-111408.html Groups Urge Court To Vacate Domain Name Seizure Three public interest groups have filed a friend-of-the court brief urging a Kentucky appeals court to overturn a lower court ruling that authorized the seizure of more than 100 Internet domain names associated with Web sites operating around the globe. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2008/11/groups_urge_court_to_vacate_do.php ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Have You Implemented a Domain Name Strategy? What Every Business and IP Owner Should Know Have you implemented a domain name strategy? Many established businesses and entrepreneurial start-ups fail to account for their use of domain names in their general business planning. A comprehensive and effective domain name strategy can often boost profits and extend your marketing to new niches, all while defending from would-be cybersquatters and others that would seek to cash in on your business?s goodwill. An effective domain name strategy consists of a plan to protect your trademarks in domain names, to register generic domain names related to your business niche, to defensively register domain names similar to your trademarks, to monitor for confusingly similar domain names, and to handle cybersquatters and typosquatters through legal and extra-legal means. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/11/have-you-implem.html Obama transition team names FCC review leaders President-elect Brack Obama's transition team on Friday announced who will lead the transition project's review of the Federal Communications Commission, the office of the United States Trade Representative, and a number of other agencies, departments, and executive offices. The new team members will review the agencies and offices to aid the new administration in its planning decisions. Obama's transition group first announced the formation of the teams on Wednesday. Susan Crawford, a communications law and Internet law professor at the University of Michigan, is a leader of the FCC review team. Crawford was until recently on the ICANN board of directors. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10097760-38.html RIPE NCC Statement on Changes in the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2009 Recent conversations on the RIPE mailing lists and at the recent RIPE NCC General Meeting have highlighted a number of concerns from members concerning the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2009. These concerns refer particularly to the changes laid out in RIPE Policy Proposal 2007-01, relating to charges for Direct End User (PI and ASN) assignments. http://ripe.net/news/charging-scheme.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Yes, Recession will Hurt Pay-Per-Click I?ve written it many times, but now we?re starting to see the affects: pay-per-click is hurting. I?m not talking about just domain name parking income. We?ve known for a while that payouts to domain owners have been in the dumps. I?m talking about how pay-per-click isn?t immune to downturns. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/13/yes-recession-will-hurt-pay-per-click/ Aftermarket.com Traffic Down Under Auction Underway The Aftermarket.com live auction at the Traffic Down Under conference in Australia has begun. Domains are finalized and bidding is now available on the Aftermarket.com site. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/14/aftermarketcom-traffic-down-under-auction-underway/ Reboot: How Domains Helped Australian Entrepreneur Michael Gilmour Bounce Back Bigger Than Ever After Losing a Fortune Overnight In many ways, Michael Gilmour's journey through life has been the quintessential boom to bust to boom again saga that serial entrepreneurs so closely identify with. After working hard his whole life he was worth millions only to suddenly find himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, flat broke almost overnight. http://dnjournal.com/cover/2008/november.htm Completed Live Auction Sales Dominate This Week's Domain Sales Chart Another big wave of completed live auction sales from the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference dominates this week's domain sales chart. To make room for all of those sales we expanded our usual Top 20 chart to 30 positions this week. Moniker.com alone piled up 13 chart entries from their live sale. Aftermarket.com and RickLatona.com also notched multiple chart entries from their live auctions at the conference. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales11-11-08.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Divorced - for having an affair in Second Life As divorce cases go, it is as explosive and sordid as it gets: a woman catches her husband having sex with a prostitute, forgives him, but finally throws in the towel after discovering he has been unfaithful again. Yet absolutely none of it happened in real life. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/divorced--for-having-an-affair-in-second-life-1017946.html Second Life affair leads to couple's real-life divorce For its many devotees, the Second Life virtual world is a place where the everyday constraints of normal life drop away and vivid fantasies can be played out. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/nov/14/second-life-virtual-worlds-divorce Woman divorces husband after virtual affair A woman is divorcing her husband after she caught him having an affair with another woman in an online virtual reality game. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/3451728/Woman-divorces-husband-after-virtual-affair.html Real and virtual chase for Second Life divorce couple It was a story that unfolded in two very different venues. Half of it took place in a Cornish seaside resort - an old-fashioned media footrace for a decent story. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/nov/15/secondlife-digitalmedia The net generation: The kids are alright ... The man who christened the ?net generation? in his 1997 bestseller, ?Growing Up Digital?, has no time for such views. In the past two years, Don Tapscott has overseen a $4.5m study of nearly 8,000 people in 12 countries born between 1978 and 1994. In ?Grown Up Digital? he uses the results to paint a portrait of this generation that is entertaining, optimistic and convincing. The problem, he suspects, is not the net generation but befuddled baby-boomers, who once sang along with Bob Dylan that ?something is happening here, but you don?t know what it is?, yet now find that they are clueless about the revolutionary changes taking place among the young. http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12591038 One Million UK Kids Make Illicit Online Purchases Nearly one million UK children are using their parents' credit cards to shop online without their knowledge, says CPP. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=106945& http://www.pcworld.com/article/153842/.html Pirated articles costing publishers [AP] The audience for unauthorized copies of newspaper articles online is nearly one and a half times larger than the readership on the newspapers' own Web sites, a study released Thursday found. http://iht.com/articles/2008/11/13/business/papers.php Say Goodbye to BlackBerry? Yes He Can, Maybe Sorry, Mr. President. Please surrender your BlackBerry. Those are seven words President-elect Barack Obama is dreading but expecting to hear, friends and advisers say, when he takes office in 65 days. http://nytimes.com/2008/11/16/us/politics/16blackberry.html Google Increases U.S. Search Dominance in October [IDG] Google continued to increase its U.S. search share dominance in October, widening its lead over Yahoo and Microsoft. http://www.pcworld.com/article/153869/.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Tech Industry, Long Insulated, Feels a Slump The technology industry, which resisted the economy?s growing weakness over the last year as customers kept buying laptops and iPhones, has finally succumbed to the slowdown. http://nytimes.com/2008/11/15/technology/15tech.html Study: OpenOffice five times more popular than Google Docs Confirming recent comments by Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer, an independent study released Friday found OpenOffice.org's free office suite to be five times more popular among adult U.S. internet users than Google Docs. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9120418 Devices Become You: Sociologist Sherry Turkle on digital infatuations, Google and the iPhone Do you love your cellphone? Your laptop? And--be honest now--did you ever expect to have an emotional relationship with a gadget? Sherry Turkle figured you would. Turkle, a psychoanalytically-trained sociologist and psychologist who teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has spent decades studying technology's effect on relationships and one's sense of self. Her favorite mantra: We think with objects we love. We love objects we think with. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/11/14/sherry-turkle-love-tech-personal-cx_ew_1114turkle.html ********************** SPAM ********************** Hosting firm shutdown forces botnets to relocate The shutdown Tuesday of a California-based hosting company not only knocked down spam volumes but has also put a dent in malware-spreading botnets and other criminal activity, researchers said today. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9120162 http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153879/.html Spam traffic plunges after report blames server hosting company The number of such e-mails falls about two-thirds worldwide after Internet providers cut off a server company accused of enabling nefarious activity. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-spam14-2008nov14,0,1102514.story Spam plummets as gang leaves net The closure of a web hosting firm that is believed to have had spam gangs as clients has led to a drastic reduction in junk mail. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7725492.stm Spam plummets after hosting service shuttered Spam volumes plunged by more than 40% after a major bot hosting network was shut down, researchers at IronPort Systems Inc. said Wednesday. http://computerworld.com.au/article/267169/ http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/267299/ Spam drops 75% as major host shut down Global spam levels have dropped by as much as 75 per cent following the shutdown of a US web host that provided the backbone for most of the world's spam. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/11/14/1226318899436.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/11/14/1226318899436.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** uk: Denial of Service and distributing hacking tools finally criminalised A law criminalising denial of service attacks and the supply of hacking tools has been brought into force in England and Wales after a number of delays. The law was already in force in Scotland. http://out-law.com/page-9592 Internet drug peddlers raided in nine countries Authorities in nine countries have raided businesses suspected of supplying medicines illegally over the Internet in an unprecedented global swoop coordinated by Interpol, officials said on Thursday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE4AC3W320081113 NZ internet drug peddlers targeted in global raids New Zealand is one of nine countries involved in global raids targeting businesses suspected of supplying medicines illegally over the internet. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10543025 uk: Facebook vigilantes identify mother of Baby P The identity of the 27-year-old mother of Baby P was last night being circulated on the internet with the names of her boyfriend and the third man convicted of causing the child's death, after online vigilantes began a campaign calling for violent retribution against them. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/facebook-vigilantes-identify-mother-of-baby-p-1019501.html us: Judge: Evidence of suicide OK at Web hoax trial Evidence from the suicide of a Missouri girl can be used by prosecutors against a woman charged with helping to create a false Internet identity that was used to harass the teenager, a federal judge ruled Friday. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/14/AR2008111403060.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Google and Europe at odds over privacy When Google began hiring in Zurich for its new engineering center in 2004, local officials welcomed the U.S. company with open arms. Google's arrival is still bearing fruit for Zurich: 450 employees, about 300 of them engineers, work in Google's seven-story complex in a converted brewery on the outskirts of the placid mountain metropolis. http://iht.com/articles/2008/11/16/technology/google17.php Is There a Privacy Risk in Google Flu Trends? When Google released its Flu Trends service earlier this week, the Drudge Report flashed a headline that read: ?SICK SURVEILLANCE: GOOGLE REPORTS FLU SEARCHES, LOCATIONS TO FEDS.? http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/does-google-flu-trends-raises-new-privacy-risks/ Privacy groups target Google Flu Trends Google's recent announcement that it may have found a way to predict U.S. flu trends has led to the inevitable expressions of concern from some privacy groups. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10097979-38.html us: Can One Lawsuit Kill Behavioral Ads? A lawsuit filed against NebuAd may cause the death of online behavioral advertising, or in the very least, provide a cautionary tale to ISPs. http://www.pcworld.com/article/153878/.html http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111408-can-one-lawsuit-kill-behavioral.html ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** US law professor fires back at song-swapping lawsuits [AP] The music industry's courtroom campaign against people who share songs online is coming under counterattack. http://news.theage.com.au/technology/law-professor-fires-back-at-songswapping-lawsuits-20081117-687q.html http://news.smh.com.au/technology/law-professor-fires-back-at-songswapping-lawsuits-20081117-687q.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/16/AR2008111600985.html http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TEC_MUSIC_DOWNLOADING ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Facebook Pulls Italian Neo-Nazi Pages After Outcry Facebook said on Friday it had removed several pages from its site used by Italian neo-Nazis to incite violence after European politicians accused the Internet social networking site of allowing a platform to racists. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE4AD3KZ20081114 http://nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-us-italy-facebook-racists.html YouTube pulls Columbine videos YouTube has removed a number of videos glorifying the Columbine High School killers, after a BBC investigation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7730679.stm ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ ITU launches Child Online Protection initiative [IDG] The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in collaboration with several U.N. agencies, Thursday launched an initiative to safeguard children, the Internet's most vulnerable users. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111308-itu-launches-child-online-protection.html ITU launches initiative to protect children online [news release] ITU launched a new initiative today to safeguard children, the most vulnerable users of the Internet. Addressing ITU?s high-level meeting on cybersecurity by video message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "We have to protect against cyberthreats, especially when they target children. I welcome the ITU?s ?Child Online Protection? initiative and urge all States to support it." http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2008/33.html eu: Public Consultation: Age Verification, Cross Media Rating and Social Networking Results: A summary report of the results of the public consultation on social networking is now available. The responses to the public consultation came from industry actors and associations, child welfare organizations, public administration bodies, researchers and universities and a number of individuals. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/public_consultation/index_en.htm Online Age Verification for Children Brings Privacy Worries WHEN it comes to protecting children on the Internet and keeping them safe from predators, law enforcement officials have vocally advocated one approach in particular. They want popular sites, like the social network MySpace, to confirm the identities and ages of minors and then allow the young Web surfers to talk only with other children, or with adults approved by parents. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/business/16ping.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/11/16/business/ping17.php UK Web providers to be named and shamed over offensive content Politicians are ready to introduce league tables naming and shaming the speed with which internet service providers take down offensive material. The culture minister, Barbara Follett, and her Tory shadow, Ed Vaizey, have backed the idea that web providers must be embarrassed into dealing with violent, sexually explicit web content. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/nov/15/internet-children Liability for cyberbullying outside playground gates The continued verbal and physical intimidation of a less powerful or popular student by another student or a group has, in days gone by, been seen as inevitable presence in education. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/14/2419488.htm Australian net filter could block 10,000+ sites A blacklist of around 10,000 sites will be tested during the Australian government's upcoming live ISP-level filtering trial, suggesting that if the policy is approved by parliament the number of censored sites could reach at least five figures. http://www.telecomasia.net/article.php?type=article&id_article=11299 Australia planning to block 10,000 websites The websites will be blocked as part of a government-sponsored trial of its filter technology that will start before Christmas and last six weeks. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/3456216/Australia-planning-to-block-10000-websites.html au: Government unveils EoI for Content Filtering 'Live' Pilot [news release] The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has called for Expressions of Interest from ISPs interested in participating in a 'live' pilot to test a range of content filtering solutions in a real world environment, with the cooperation of ISPs (including mobile telephone operators) and their customers. http://iia.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=684&Itemid=32 Australische Regierung will Internetfilter mit einer Blacklist von 10000 URLs testen Trotz Kritik will die australische Regierung am Plan festhalten, die Internetprovider des Landes zu verpflichten, f?r alle Internetnutzer Filter zu installieren. Die Telekommunikations-Regulierungsbeh?rde ACMA soll eine Liste mit URLs von Websites mit illegalen und nicht f?r Kinder geeigneten Inhalten erstellen. Bislang wurden von der Beh?rde 1300 Websites im Ausland f?r die Blacklist ausgemacht. http://www.heise.de/newsticker/Australische-Regierung-will-Internetfilter-mit-einer-Blacklist-von-10000-URLs-testen--/meldung/118871 Australien will 10.000 Websites blockieren Die australische Regierung will die Internetprovider des Landes verpflichten, ein Filtersystem f?r "ungew?nschte Webinhalte" zu installieren. Die zust?ndige Telekommunikationsbeh?rde Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) hat bereits begonnen, alle zu blockierenden Sites in einer Blacklist aufzulisten. http://www.zdnet.de/news/tkomm/0,39023151,39199001,00.htm Brazil Congress approves tougher child-porn law [AP] Brazilian lawmakers have approved a measure toughening prison terms for people convicted on Internet child-pornography charges. http://iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/11/news/LT-Brazil-Child-Pornography.php Making the Internet safe for kids, one vid at a time When you first look at it, KidZui seems a bit like a kiddified Flock, a Web browser with social networking rolled in. Children using Windows or Macs can find their favorite YouTube videos, rate content using tags, and share opinions, all from a colorful interface with big buttons and clear, clean labeling. http://www.download.com/8301-2007_4-10097709-12.html Violent video games alter childrens's heart rates: study A new Swedish study shows that playing violent video games can alter children?s heart rates, raising concerns about violent games? long term physiological effects on youngsters. http://www.thelocal.se/15700/20081114/ ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** US Lawmaker plans bill on Web neutrality A senior U.S. lawmaker plans to introduce a bill in January that would bar Internet providers like AT&T Inc from blocking Web content, setting up a renewed battle over so-called network neutrality. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE4AC7SU20081114 Telcos: Don't mess up the Internet with regulation A congressional staffer said Net neutrality and broadband legislation will surely be reintroduced in the next Congress, but representatives of the telecom industry say there are better ways to keep the Internet open. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62048268,00.htm us: Opponents of Internet gambling ban like their odds in '09 Critics of long-awaited regulations issued this week by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Board to enforce a federal ban on Internet gambling are betting on the Obama administration and Congress to overturn the rules. Lawmakers and financial services firms have complained that the proposed rules were vague, burdensome and not likely to stop millions of Americans from online betting, but the Bush administration worked hard to finish the guidelines, which stemmed from 2006 legislation, before the end of the term. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20081114_9319.php ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** InternetNZ: Nats must keep Broadband Investment Fund While it waits to see how the new government will spend $1.5 billion allocated to a new broadband network, Internet New Zealand has already decided one thing. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/internetnz-nats-must-keep-broadband-investment-fund-37855 nz: Telecom: ComCom demands waste of $18m Telecom has baulked at accounting rules the Commerce Commission wants to impose on the company, saying they go well beyond obligations set out in the Telecommunications Act and would cost $18 million to implement. http://www.businessday.co.nz/industries/4763628 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4763646a28.html Who's the fastest Kiwi ISP? [Reuters] Orcon has come up tops in the latest survey of Kiwi internet speeds. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4763638a28.html Telecom Warily Waits on 'Wired' U.S. President President-elect Barack Obama famously made the Web a pillar of his campaign, so it is not surprising that the man called the nation's first "wired" president has championed the idea of an open Internet. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/13/AR2008111303830.html Telecoms switchers baffled by pricing info, say British MPs British punters are getting short-changed by telecoms companies because they struggle to get enough information to properly decide which tariff or deal to accept. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/13/pac_ofcom/ Gartner: Carriers should partner with Google on network initiatives In the 1960s, the rock band The Kinks sang, "I'm a lover, not a fighter." Today, one industry analyst said the nation's telecom carriers would benefit from showing some love toward Google Inc. instead of fighting over issues such as Net neutrality, white-space spectrum usage and selling software as a service over carrier networks. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9120200 European Commission raises serious doubts about proposed Spanish broadband regulation The European Commission has informed the Spanish telecoms regulator, Comisi?n del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT), that it has serious doubts that the draft measures on the Spanish wholesale broadband access market, notified under the Electronic Communications Framework Directive, are compatible with EU law. http://www.broadband-europe.eu/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?ItemID=403 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Wireless at warp speed: White space promises to put WiFi on steroids How much would you pay for unlimited access to WiFi hotspots that stretched for miles instead of a few hundred feet, provided unbroken connections even deep inside buildings, and offered broadband speeds ten times faster than today?s wimpy connections found in coffee shops, hotel lobbies, airport lounges and homes? How about nothing, or next to nothing? That could be on the cards within a couple of years, thanks to a decision taken this past week by America?s Federal Communications Commission (FCC). http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12581204 Most Mobile Users? Asia [MIS Asia] Asia will be home to more than half of the world's mobile connections by 2011, according to research house Ovum. Last year (2007), Asia accounted for 42 percent of global mobile connections. http://www.pcworld.com/article/153886/.html African Wireless Growth to Continue at More Moderate Pace, Ericsson Exec Says Zimbabwe?s economy is in the grip of hyperinflation and political turmoil and has all but collapsed. Yet incredibly, wireless networks continue to expand there?albeit it at a slower rate. ?We are doing business in Zimbabwe,? says Jan Embro, Johannesburg-based president of Swedish telco equipment maker Ericsson?s operations in sub-Saharan Africa. http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/europeinsight/archives/2008/11/african_wireles.html Asia to dominate global mobile base in 2013 Asia will be home to more than half the world's mobile subscribers in five years, but average revenues will be lower due to emerging markets, says Ovum. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62048281,00.htm Carriers' future uncertain in 'Wild West' of mobile Web Carriers and ISPs will soon face a do-or-die moment for their mobile Internet revenue streams, as increased competition and open networks take away their ability to tightly control what users download and how they experience the wireless Web, said panelists at a Mass Network Communications Council breakfast Thursday morning. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9120218 http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153880/.html Smartphones drive demand for Web browsing Mobile Web usage is on the rise as more fully featured browsers come to market on smartphones. Smartphones, which are designed to handle more sophisticated applications, are growing in popularity. In fact, Apple's iPhone was named the most popular phone during the third quarter of 2008, surpassing sales of Motorola's Razr, according to the NPD Group. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10096614-94.html DoCoMo's $2.7 Billion Investment in India Japan's DoCoMo is struggling with sales at home, so it's betting on the Indian cellular market with a 26% stake in Tata Teleservices http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/nov2008/gb20081112_170510.htm ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Friends dob in man over child porn [AAP] A 30-year-old man faces child pornography charges after concerned friends took his computer into a local police station. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=2&ContentID=108335 Man charged after child porn found on computer Sydney police say they have charged a man with child pornography, after two people handed in a computer they had borrowed from him. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/16/2420999.htm +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (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 Make the switch to the world's best email. Get Yahoo!7 Mail! http://au.yahoo.com/y7mailReceived on Sun Nov 16 2008 - 18:04:16 UTC
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