Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news. And see my website - http://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** US government rescinds 'leave internet alone' policy: Strickling speaking, the Naughties are dead by Kieren McCarthy http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/27/internet_3_dot_0_policy/ Survey Shows Brands Don?t Register Defensively in New gTLDs http://www.mindsandmachines.com/2010/02/survey-shows-brands-dont-register-defensively-in-new-gtlds/ Nominet Passes Governance Test With Flying Colours by Kieren McCarthy http://kierenmccarthy.com/2010/02/25/nominet-passes-governance-test-with-flying-colours/ uk: Nominet members vote for constitutional change http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2258553/nominet-changes-constitution au: Pamela's cheeky ad deemed a touch too much http://www.theage.com.au/national/pamelas-cheeky-ad-deemed-a-touch-too-much-20100227-pa8z.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** US government rescinds 'leave internet alone' policy: Strickling speaking, the Naughties are dead by Kieren McCarthy The US government?s policy of leaving the Internet alone is over, according to Obama?s top official at the Department of Commerce. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/27/internet_3_dot_0_policy/ ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Are you hosting a gathering of stakeholders that will remotely participate in the Nairobi meeting? The staff have been informed that there are groups of stakeholders getting together to meet and remotely participate in the Nairobi meeting. Since we thought it would interest many in the community to know of these gatherings, a nd because we want to ensure that groups like this are able to make the most of the group remote participation experience, we?d like to find out if there are similar meetings we haven?t heard about. http://blog.icann.org/2010/02/are-you-hosting-a-gathering-of-stakeholders-to-participate-remotely-in-the-nairobi-meeting/ Survey Shows Brands Don?t Register Defensively in New gTLDs Summary: A survey of the domain registration behavior of Fortune 100 companies reveals that they have not registered many of their trademarks in recently created generic top-level domains (gTLDs). A sample of 1043 brands were registered in less than 30% of the eight new open gTLDs created after 2001. If historical registration data is a guide, brands are unlikely to undertake many defensive domain name registrations in the proposed new gTLDs, and furthermore are unlikely to be the victims of cybersquatting. http://www.mindsandmachines.com/2010/02/survey-shows-brands-dont-register-defensively-in-new-gtlds/ Accountability wins! Independent Review Panel upholds ICM Registry - .XXX is alive. by Milton Mueller In a historic decision, ICANN's Independent Review Process has dealt ICANN's past leadership a severe rebuke. The three judge panel upheld ICM Registry's claim that ICANN treated its application for a .xxx top level domain in an unfair and discriminatory manner. The panelists ruled that the ICANN Board had decided on June 1, 2005 that the .XXX sTLD application met the required sponsorship criteria, and that its "reconsideration of that finding was not consistent with the application of neutral, objective and fair documented policy." If one understands what was at stake in this case, one realizes that this "defeat" for ICANN's past President and Board Chair (and the Bush Administration) is actually a great victory for ICANN as an institution. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2010/2/20/4461417.html Watch out: .xxx is coming to an Internet near you soon So I think there is a real chance that the Internet extension .xxx will appear on the Internet some time this year. Of course, you really can never know since overseeing body ICANN is a complex beast, but following the first use of the organization?s Independent Review Process (IRP) and the resulting panel declaration, I don?t actually see that many obstacles in the path of .xxx: all the arguments have been had and pretty much rejected by a very distinguished set of judges. And of course the current chairman of ICANN was emphatically of the view that dot-xxx should have been approved at the time it was officially rejected back in 2007. http://kierenmccarthy.com/2010/02/23/watch-out-xxx-is-coming-to-an-internet-near-you-soon/ .XXX Registry to ICANN: ?We Must Protect Our Rights? Fresh off an independent review victory over ICANN, .XXX top level domain name applicant ICM Registry is asking ICANN to get the show on the road. http://domainnamewire.com/2010/02/27/xxx-registry-to-icann-we-must-protect-our-rights/ Switching on the Light: Expression of Interest for New TLDs by Richard J Tindal They say late converts are the most passionate believers. Until now I haven't supported the Expression of Interest (EOI) for new TLDs, the proposed mechanism to measure the number and type of likely applications. Not because it won't work (I think it'll work fine) but because I didn't think it was necessary. I've changed my mind. Here's why. http://www.circleid.com/posts/switching_on_the_light_expression_of_interest_tlds/ Could .Jobs Get a Boost and Help Future gTLDs? I read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald today about the former President of Monster.com, Bill Warren, who is now working as the Executive Director of DirectEmployers Association, an organization that intends to utilize a network of domain names across the .Jobs domain extension. The effort could give a boost to the .Jobs domain extension, which has been around for a while but hasn?t made inroads in consumer awareness. http://www.elliotsblog.com/could-jobs-get-a-boost-and-help-future-gtlds-2847 Minds and Machines Launch New City TLD Site Minds and Machines have launched a new site targetted at prospective candidates for "city TLDs". The site provides information on what they predict will be the application process for a city that wants to run their own domain space. http://www.newtldguide.com/2010/01/minds-and-machines-launch-new-city-tld-site.html ICANN's Domain name mediator loses fight with Air Canada A Canadian official in charge of settling disputes for the worldwide agency that assigns Internet domain names has lost a personal grievance of his own against Air Canada after an argument over an in-flight meal. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Domain+name+mediator+loses+fight+with+Canada/2623651/story.html ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Bulgaria Decides to Register Cyrillic Domain '.????' ('.bg') Bulgaria's official Cyrillic domain name suffix is to be ".??" (BG). An application for registration has been submitted to the world body that regulates domain names. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=113583 http://www.novinite.com/newsletter/print.php?id=113583 VeriSign?s Plans for ?.Com IDNs? Become Clearer For years, domainers have been investing in Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) that use non-Latin characters. But these have all been IDN at the second level only, as there currently aren?t any top level domain names in non-Latin characters. So an internet user has to type the second level domain using one character set and then append ?.com? to the end. http://domainnamewire.com/2010/02/26/verisigns-plans-for-com-idns-become-clearer/ Domain br.de successfully registered The registration procedure for the br.de domain is finalised, and assignment of the domain to a holder is complete. http://www.denic.de/en/denic-in-dialog/news/2532.html?cHash=bfed236ee6 Domain br.de will be made available for registration on 18 February 2010 Due to a temporary injunction issued against DENIC, the domain br.de was excluded from the release of two-character domains effected in autumn 2009. http://www.denic.de/en/denic-in-dialog/news/2530.html?cHash=cb30518676 DENIC Releases BR.DE Domain Name DENIC have allowed the registration of the two-letter domain name BR.DE. The domain was excluded from the release of two-character domains affected in autumn 2009. Upon DENIC?s objection, this temporary injunction was now rescinded. The domain name was subsequently registered at 15:00 on 18 February http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/27/denic-releases-brde-domain-name/ President Clinton to Keynote at 25 Years of .Com Policy Impact Forum VeriSign, the operator of.com, announced today that President Bill Clinton will deliver the opening keynote address at its Policy Impact Forum in Washington D.C. on March 16. This event is part of a larger industry-wide campaign led by VeriSign recognizing 25 years of Internet innovation. https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=590585&releasejsp=custom_97 IE Domain Registry Makes Minor Change to Registration Process by Michele Neylon The IEDR, which runs the registry for the .ie ccTLD, has announced an upcoming change to its registration processes. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2010/02/27/ie-domain-registry-makes-minor-change-to-regi/ Why I believe 1 and 2 character domains should be allowed in .INFO I posted this to the ICANN comments. If you feel strongly one way or another about 1-2 character domains being released in .INFO, I encourage you to comment as well. http://blog.jothan.com/icann/tld/domain/why-i-believe-1-and-2-character-domains-should-be-allowed-in-info/ no: Change in the domain name policy, 8 March 2010 The list of organization types that may register domain names within .no (appendix E) is due for an update. Pensjonskasser: "Pensjonskasser" are independent organizations in accordance with the requirements set in the .no domain name policy. The organization type "pensjonskasse" will therefore be added to appendix E. http://www.norid.no/regelverk/forslag/2010-02-24/index.en.html NASK report: new domain every 30 seconds NASK has published a report which summarizes the situation in the market of Polish Internet domains in Poland in 2009. Last year ended with 1.63m registered .PL domains, a 25% growth compared to the end of 2008. In 2009, NASK recorded a growth in new domains, by more than 2,600 a day on average, which means one domain registered in Poland every 30 seconds. http://www.nask.pl/newsID/id/606 Nominet Passes Governance Test With Flying Colours by Kieren McCarthy The dot-uk registry Nominet has passed a crucial governance test with flying colours, voting yes on eight Board resolutions with more than 93 percent member support. http://kierenmccarthy.com/2010/02/25/nominet-passes-governance-test-with-flying-colours/ http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100225_nominet_passes_governance_test_with_flying_colours/ uk: Nominet members vote for constitutional change Nominet has voted to change its constitution in a bid to avoid heavy-handed regulation by the government. The .uk registry has billed the move as a defining moment for the UK domain name market. http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2258553/nominet-changes-constitution http://uk.news.yahoo.com/16/20100225/ttc-nominet-members-vote-for-constitutio-6315470.html UK registry to implement DNS security protocol [IDG] Nominet, the U.K.'s domain name registry, will begin implementing a security protocol on Monday designed to protect the DNS (Domain Name System). http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022610-uk-registry-to-implement-dns.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/190285/.html http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022610-uk-registry-to-implement-dns.html http://www.itworld.com/internet/98053/uk-registry-implement-dns-security-protocol uk: Nominet to get unelected board members Nominet members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a raft of measures designed to avoid the government taking control of the .uk registry. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/25/nominet_egm/ UK Internet industry takes .uk forward Members of Nominet, the national registry for .uk domain names, have voted to change the organisation's constitution in a defining moment for the UK domain market and the UK Internet industry. Each of the proposed changes was supported by over 90% of the member votes cast. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=7190 Extraordinary General Meeting results We are pleased to announce that at our Extraordinary General Meeting yesterday our members voted to change our constitution. Each of the proposed changes was supported by over 90% of the member votes cast and so all resolutions were carried. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=7191 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** How US domain registrar helped Iranian cyber army hack Baidu [IDG] A hacker who took down top Chinese search engine Baidu.com last month broke into its account with a U.S. domain name registrar by pretending to be from Baidu in an online chat with the registrar's tech help, according to a lawsuit filed by Baidu. http://news.techworld.com/security/3213599/how-us-domain-registrar-helped-iranian-cyber-army-hack-baidu/ Domain Protection and Cyber Armies When Baidu.com was hacked last month by the Iranian Cyber Army. They felt that Register.com was to blame. However, as one might imagine the situation is not black and white and is a good lesson in the importance of IP protection on-line. http://www.namesmash.com/?p=476 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** AFNIC CEO elected as new CENTR Chair Mathieu Weill, AFNIC?s CEO, has replaced Andrzej Bartosiewicz from the Polish registry NASK as CEO of CENTR as his two-year term was coming to an end. http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/27/afnic-ceo-elected-as-new-centr-chair/ AFNIC CEO elected as new CENTR Chair CENTR is the Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries, gathering more than 50 registries such as DENIC for Germany (.de), Nominet for the United Kingdom (.uk) or Switch for Switzerland (.ch). http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/242/afnic-ceo-elected-as-new-centr-chair Be Heard! APNIC Community Consultation Internet address management may be on the brink of change. The ITU (International Telecommunications Union) is studying the creation of an alternative International Internet Registry model to operate in parallel to the existing RIR model. http://ripe.net/news/2010-be-heard.html uk: Mandelson criticised for backing Google plan Lord Mandelson has been accused of backing multinationals over British start-ups after the business secretary publicly endorsed a joint venture led by Google and BT to build small business websites for free. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfde9268-2245-11df-9a72-00144feab49a.html au: Pamela's cheeky ad deemed a touch too much A commercial featuring Pamela Anderson in a gold bikini rubbing against another scantily clad woman while being sprayed with a white liquid has ''crossed the line'' in bad taste and been banned from Australian television. The company responsible for the ad, Crazy Domains, which registers internet domain names, is fighting the decision. A spokesman for the Perth company said the ad was no worse than some music video clips. http://www.theage.com.au/national/pamelas-cheeky-ad-deemed-a-touch-too-much-20100227-pa8z.html http://www.smh.com.au/business/marketing/dressing-down-over-ad-that-goes-too-far-in-boardroom-20100227-pa43.html http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/crazy-domains-to-fight-pammys-ad-ban-20100226-p8y3.html How keyword domains can boost search strategy Nora Nanayakkara, business development director at Sedo, says brands should think more about their website addresses to optimise search better. http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/opinion/how-keyword-domains-can-boost-search-strategy/3010206.article Good domain names 'can boost SEO' Businesses could enhance their online marketing campaigns by choosing the right domain names for their websites, according to one expert. http://www.directnews.co.uk/news/search-engine/seo-development/good-domain-names-can-boost-seo--$1361777.htm ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** No Blockbusters But the Middle of the Market Boomed Over the Past Seven Days No six-figure sales were reported over the past week but that dearth of deals at the high end of the market was offset by a flood of solid five-figure sales in the mid range. In fact we had almost enough of those to fill two Top 20 charts. In addition to the 20 domains that did make our weekly leader board, we logged 18 more five-figure sales. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2010/20100224.htm SnapNames Class Action Lawsuit Dismissed A lawsuit against Snapnames and parent company Oversee.net that was requesting class action status has been voluntarily dismissed. http://domainnamewire.com/2010/02/27/snapnames-class-action-lawsuit-dismissed/ Sedo Announces Travel Domain Auction Sedo, the leading online domain marketplace and monetization provider, today announced it will hold its Travel and Geographical domain-themed auction, featuring premium addresses with a broad selection of extensions. Large and small to medium-sized travel industry organizations alike and domain investors will have the opportunity to acquire some of the most desirable properties, including Belgium.com, VisitSpain.net, Tourism.biz, and Souvenirs.net. This Sedo auction will run from 9 a.m. EST on March 5, 2010 to 9 a.m. EST on March 12, 2010. http://www.sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e&id=303 New Domain Aftermarket Sites In the last couple of months, I have learned about several new domain aftermarket sales websites. Most of the new sites haven?t been started by amateurs, but rather by professional domain investors who make their living in the domain space. Here are a few of the newer aftermarket websites: http://www.elliotsblog.com/new-domain-aftermarket-sites-0383 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** When the net's wisdom of crowds turns into an online lynch mob The internet's great advantages ? speed, access and shared communication ? can also have drawbacks, as Richard Dawkins found out last week. Here, author James Harkin reflects on the nature of discourse when everyone has their say http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/28/richard-dawkins-wisdom-of-crowds Australian researchers say 8pc of gamers addicted [The Dominion Post] Australian researchers believe about 8 per cent of people who play computer games may be suffering symptoms of addiction. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/3388257/Boffins-say-8pc-of-gamers-addicted Hello, stranger: the ups and downs of Chatroulette [AP] A new Web sensation called Chatroulette feels like a throwback to the early 1990s, when online chat rooms brimmed with lonely strangers looking for meaningful connections, meaningless sex, or something in between. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/hello-stranger-the-ups-and-downs-of-chatroulette-20100301-pbdm.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/hello-stranger-the-ups-and-downs-of-chatroulette-20100301-pbdm.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** What's on your mind? The ugly face of social networking sites Two families were riven with grief over their loved ones' lives cut short. Friends of the two dead children were struggling to comprehend what had just happened. So too their local communities. Emotions were already red raw. But it wasn't over. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/whats-on-your-mind-the-ugly-face-of-social-networking-sites/story-e6frg6z6-1225834624774 Facebook 'could influence jurors' A civil libertarian says Australia must follow the lead of the United States and allow lawyers to question jurors to ensure they have not been influenced by the internet. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/26/2830766.htm Faceless no more: Facebook admits errors The deaths of two Australian schoolchildren were felt half a world away at the Facebook headquarters in California's Silicon Valley last week. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/faceless-no-more-facebook-admits-errors/story-e6frg996-1225835350571 au: Facebook apologises for offensive postings [AAP] Facebook plans to apologise to Queensland Premier Anna Bligh over offensive postings on the popular social networking site. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-apologises-for-offensive-postings-20100226-p74g.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-apologises-for-offensive-postings-20100226-p74g.html au: Dealing with the dark side of Facebook It was the fortnight when Queenslanders saw Facebook's dark side. It began with the posting of sickening pornographic images on a site set up to pay tribute to slain schoolboy Elliott Fletcher. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/technology-news/dealing-with-the-dark-side-of-facebook-20100226-p8w7.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/dealing-with-the-dark-side-of-facebook-20100226-p8w7.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/dealing-with-the-dark-side-of-facebook-20100226-p8w7.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Internet safety: Whose job to teach kids about it? The proverbial ?village? could be doing a better job of raising America?s young people to be safe and ethical online, a new cybersafety survey suggests. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0226/Internet-safety-Whose-job-to-teach-kids-about-it http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100226/ts_csm/283406_1 Get Online Day Telecentre-Europe is planning to celebrate the eSkills Week 2010 through a pan-European initiative focused to bring people online in all European countries. The initiative called Get Online Day will be coordinated by Telecentre-Europe and implemented with the assistance of national partners through telecentres. The date adopted for the one-day event is 4 March 2010. http://www.telecentre-europe.org/content/get_online_day.php au: The Greens split on ISP filtering Mandatory filtering advocate, Dr Clive Hamilton, has maintained his strong support for a clean feed despite joining the Australian Greens to become its candidate in the seat of Higgins. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/323758/greens_split_isp_filtering/ au: Oz censorship debate censored on Comms minister's website If you?re planning to censor free speech on the internet, what better approach to take than to, er, censor debate about how you?re planning to censor free speech on the internet? Brilliant. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/25/aus_censorship_censorship/ au: Internet filtering may be exploited by hackers The Federal Government?s proposed ISP-level filtering policy may be exploited by hackers targeting legitimate websites, according to Arcsight CEO, Tom Reilly. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/337695/internet_filtering_may_exploited_by_hackers/ au: K. Rudd: Internet filter not perfect, but we?re ploughing ahead The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has conceded the proposed mandatory Internet filtering scheme is not perfect but is adamant about its role to reduce inappropriate content in cyberspace. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/337685/k_rudd_internet_filter_perfect_we_re_ploughing_ahead/ Rudd: We won't apologise for filter Prime Minister Kevin Rudd this morning threw more wood on the fiery debate about the government's internet filtering plans, saying it wouldn't apologise for pushing ahead with the initiative. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Rudd-We-won-t-apologise-for-filter/0,130061791,339301378,00.htm Filter Bill could await election: Ludlam Greens Senator Scott Ludlam today predicted legislation around the Federal Government's internet filtering project would have to wait until after the next federal election. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Filter-Bill-could-await-election-Ludlam/0,130061791,339301393,00.htm au: Police alert over child `sexting' SOUTH Australian children, some still in primary school, are becoming the new producers and distributors of child pornography, police have warned. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/police-alert-over-child-sexting/story-e6frea6u-1225834576604 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Piracy problems overshadow rising digital music sales Piracy accounts for 95 percent of global music downloads. As governments begin to change legislation, legal alternatives are growing fast. But can this be enough to lure music fans back onto the straight and narrow? http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5272948,00.html P2P use down, but 24M fewer people bought music in '09 vs '07 The number of music buyers in the world tanked in 2009 compared to just two years prior, according to market research firm NPD Group. Speaking at the Digital Music Forum: East conference in New York this week, NPD analyst Russ Crupnick said that the number of people buying any kind of music?CD or online?dropped by 24 million between 2007 and 2009. Still, total spending per user was up over that same period of time and P2P use was down, meaning the industry still has hope. http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2010/02/p2p-use-down-but-24m-fewer-people-bought-music-in-09-vs-07.ars ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Its Smartphones Selling Weakly, Palm Cuts Its Forecast; Shares Fall [Reuters] Jon Rubinstein, Palm's chief, with Pre and Pixi smartphones at the Consumer Electronics Show last month. The new phones have been slow to catch on. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/technology/26palm.html Palm Under Pressure After Sales Shortfall Palm may be running short of options. The smartphone maker on Feb. 25 cut a key revenue forecast and said demand for its flagship Pre device isn't meeting expectations, refueling speculation that Palm may soon need to seek a buyer. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2010/tc20100225_755804.htm Nokia Plots Its Comeback Plan [Bloomberg] Sitting in a meeting room that looks out on a frozen Baltic bay, Nokia Oyj Chief Executive Officer Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo mentions a biography he's reading. It's about Mauno Koivisto, the president who butted heads with his own Social Democratic Party en route to opening Finland's 1992 bid to join the European Union. http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2010/gb20100225_055544.htm Apple admits using child labour in China Apple has admitted that child labour was used at the Chinese factories that build its computers, iPods and mobile phones. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7330986/Apple-admits-using-child-labour-in-China.html Apple: Underage Workers May Have Built Your iPhone That iPhone you adore may have been built by a child. Nearly a dozen underage teens were working for Apple-contracted facilities in 2009, the company has revealed. The news was posted to Apple's Web site under a section labeled "Supplier Responsibility." http://www.pcworld.com/article/190384/.html http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9163278/Apple_Underage_Workers_May_Have_Built_Your_iPhone http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/337800/apple_underage_workers_may_built_your_iphone http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022810-apple-underage-workers-may-have.html ********************** SPAM ********************** NZ Government gets tough on spam [Sunday Star Times] The government is stepping up its war on spammers, as it loses patience with New Zealand businesses flooding email and cellphone inboxes with unwanted messages. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/3384893/Government-gets-tough-on-spam ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Microsoft's foiling of botnet gets mixed response Security experts are split over the effectiveness of Microsoft's efforts to shut down a network of PCs that could send 1.5 billion spam messages a day. The firm persuaded a US judge to issue a court order to cripple 277 internet domains used by the Waledac botnet. Botnets are usually armies of hijacked Windows PCs that send spam or malware. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8537771.stm Microsoft Battles Cyber Criminals Microsoft Corp. launched a novel legal assault to take down a global network of PCs suspected of spreading spam and harmful computer code, adding what the company believes could become a potent weapon in the battle against cyber criminals. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575086523786147014.html Cracking Down on Botnets Botnets - networks of compromised computers controlled by hackers known as ?bot-herders? - have become a serious problem in cyberspace. Their proliferation has led some to worry that the botnet problem is unsolvable. Under the control of a hacker or group of hackers, botnets are often used to conduct various attacks ranging from denial of service attacks on websites, to spamming, click fraud, and distribution of new forms of malicious software. http://microsoftontheissues.com/cs/blogs/mscorp/archive/2010/02/24/cracking-down-on-botnets.aspx Twitter phishing hack hits BBC, PCC ... and Guardian ... and cabinet minister ... and bank Thousands of Twitter users have seen their accounts hijacked after a viral phishing attack which sends out messages saying "this you??" or "hey, i've been having better sex and longer with this here" and other sex-related "direct" messages. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/26/twitter-hack-spread-phishing Microsoft, Researchers Team Up And Tear Down Major Spamming Botnet Waledac -- the spamming botnet formerly known as Storm -- was downed yesterday in a sneak attack by a team from Microsoft, Shadowserver, the University of Washington, Symantec, and a group of researchers from Germany and Austria who had first infiltrated the botnet last year. http://www.darkreading.com/insiderthreat/security/client/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223100750 Microsoft shuts down global spam network Microsoft has won court approval to shut down a global network of computers which it says is responsible for more than 1.5bn spam messages every day. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8537741.stm Mike McConnell on how to win the cyber-war we're losing The United States is fighting a cyber-war today, and we are losing. It's that simple. As the most wired nation on Earth, we offer the most targets of significance, yet our cyber-defenses are woefully lacking. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022502493.html nz: Minister To Launch Fraud Awareness Week 2010 Minister of Consumer Affairs Heather Roy invites all media to attend next week's official launch of Fraud Awareness Week 2010 at the Vodafone New Zealand HQ in Auckland. http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/minister-launch-fraud-awareness-week-2010/5/40070 nz: Warning over net meds Pharmacy academics have given warning about the dangers of buying imported prescription drugs on the internet following a study of some seized at the border. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10628587 Fifa warns of fake World Cup tickets being sold on the internet Thousands of fake or bogus tickets for the football World Cup this summer in South Africa are being sold on websites including Gumtree for many times their face value, an investigation by The Times has found. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/leisure/article7043046.ece There?s more to the Google-Italy case than meets the eye by Milton Mueller Intermediary liability has become one of the critical flashpoints of Internet governance. A few weeks ago, we celebrated an Australian court decision that denied a bid by copyright holders to make ISPs liable for copyright infringement by people who happened to be using their networks. Yesterday, we learned of an Italian court decision that seems to have pointed in the opposite direction. Google executives were convicted of a privacy violation because of a video that one of their millions of users posted. The decision raises major concerns as it seems to require Internet intermediaries to monitor user generated content, which would be a disaster for the freedom and openness of the Internet. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2010/2/25/4466212.html Italian Conviction of Google Execs Threatens Global Internet Freedom [news release] Today, an Italian court in the Vivi Down case convicted David Drummond, Google?s senior vice president of corporate development, Peter Fleischer, global privacy counsel, and George Reyes, a former chief financial officer, of privacy violations for failing to prevent the posting of a video uploaded by a user on the Google Video service. The three men were cleared of a defamation charge. http://www.cdt.org/pr_statement/italian-conviction-google-execs-threatens-global-internet-freedom Nigeria cybercrime ranking stirs fears about investments A new report by the Internet Crime Complaint Center has named Nigeria, Africa's largest telecom market by investment and subscription, as number three in the world and the top African nation in the U.S. agency's cybercrime rankings. http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2010/02/11/nigeria-cybercrime-ranking-stirs-fears-about-investments ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Redrawing the Route to Online Privacy On the Internet, things get old fast. One prime candidate for the digital dustbin, it seems, is the current approach to protecting privacy on the Internet. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/technology/internet/28unbox.html Editorial: Google: Privacy.com In a Milan court this week both prosecution and defence agreed on one fundamental thing: some videos of an autistic schoolboy being bullied by his classmates posted online were disgusting. That is why, when alerted to their presence on its video-sharing site, Google removed them within 24 hours. So far, so simple ? except that that action was not good enough for the Italian court. On Wednesday it convicted three Google executives of violating privacy and gave them six-month suspended sentences. This is an analogue verdict in a digital age. If allowed to stand, it poses a serious threat to the development of the internet and to freedom of speech. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/26/google-italy-privacy-editorial EU privacy body wants changes to Google Street View EU data protection authorities have urged U.S. Internet search giant Google to shorten the period it stores images from its controversial Street View web service because of privacy concerns. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE61O6DZ20100225 Google warned by EU over Street View map photos [AP] European Union data privacy regulators are telling Google Inc. to warn people before it sends cameras out into cities to take pictures for its Street View maps, adding to the company's legal worries in Europe. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/google-warned-by-eu-over-street-view-map-photos-20100226-p73e.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/google-warned-by-eu-over-street-view-map-photos-20100226-p73e.html EU orders Google to ditch Street View images after 6 months The European Union has ordered Google to delete images captured for its Street View service after six months. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3213716 http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9162798/EU_orders_Google_to_ditch_Street_View_images_after_6_months http://www.pcworld.com/article/190344/.html With Google Buzz, your closest circle of friends is wide open Google Buzz is the loudest party I've ever been forced to attend. It's not because there are too many people invited but because of all the chatter. I'm following only 40 others. And even if I wanted to follow a few hundred more, my network's too small. But these 40 contacts all have their own friends, and even though I've never met most of them, Google is making me hear their thoughts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/26/AR2010022606639.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** The Google Three, Italy and Silvio Berlusconi: the web may be global but sovereign states still make up the rules God is everywhere, at least according to those who believe in Him. So is the internet: it's global, ubiquitous and has ? according to its evangelists ? slipped the surly bonds of nation states. The trouble is that those who use it have to reside within legal jurisdictions. ... Whatever the outcome, though, the legal spat is just the latest symptom of an underlying structural problem, namely the mismatch between the internet's global reach and the fact that we live in a world of sovereign states. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/28/the-networker-john-naughton US lawmaker urges support for Global Online Freedom Act A week before Senate lawmakers turn their attention to issues of Internet freedom, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., is making another push to round up support in the House for his Internet freedom bill. Smith circulated a letter to his colleagues this week in an effort to increase the bill's co-sponsors. The bill currently has nine bipartisan cosponsors. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100225_1487.php Google and antitrust: Microsoft and other rivals cry foul against the internet-search giant It was only a matter of time before Google, the technology titan of the internet age, found itself in antitrust trouble. On February 24th it emerged, through a post on one of Google?s official blogs, that the European Commission has launched a preliminary investigation into the firm?s online search and advertising businesses?the first antitrust inquiry Google has faced in Brussels, other than in merger cases. http://www.economist.com/business-finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15576821 How Anti-Competitive Is Google? On Wednesday, the European Commission announced it was looking into complaints that Google disadvantages competitors by lowering their search rankings. The accusations are just the most recent in an ever-growing list of grievances with Google. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,680259,00.html Google explains search rankings after complaints in Europe [IDG] Google has offered a general explanation of how it ranks its search results, one day after the European Commission said it was looking into antitrust complaints against the company. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9162618/Google_explains_search_rankings_after_complaints_in_Europe nz: 'Three strikes' downloader bill welcomed [NZPA] Internet New Zealand has welcomed a new bill changing copyright laws but says the penalty of suspending a user's account for breaches won't work. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/3377967/ http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/3378493/ http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/three-strikes-online-copyright-abusers-3383024 http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/national-news/3377967/ http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/copyright-abusers-get-three-warnings-termination-119205 $15,000 penalty for web downloads Anyone caught breaching copyright by downloading films and music from the internet will face large penalties and could even be disconnected by their internet service under new legislation. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10628593 Rudd considers online content ombudsman Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the idea of an ombudsman to monitor online content is worth considering. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/26/2830899.htm Net tsar to issue clean-up orders after Facebook backlash The Prime Minister weighed in yesterday as - following cyber attacks on tribute pages for two children killed in tragic acts of violence - Facebook told Queensland Premier Anna Bligh it was unable to block pornography or other obscene material. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/net-tsar-to-issue-clean-up-orders-after-facebook-backlash/story-e6frg6nf-1225834934020 Online ombudsman for Facebook woes? Facebook memorial sites for Queensland murder victims Trinity Bates and Elliott Fletcher have been deluged by pornographic and obscene messages in the past fortnight. This prompted state premier Anna Bligh to demand answers from Facebook over the "sickening incidents". http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/online-ombudsman-for-facebook-woes/story-e6frgakx-1225834756343 Rudd flags internet ombudsman Mr Rudd's remarks follow a week in which tribute Facebook pages for slain Queensland children Elliott Fletcher and Trinity Bates were flooded with pornographic images and news emerged of a Facebook group appearing to mock the 2003 disappearance of child Daniel Morcombe. http://www.theage.com.au/national/rudd-flags-internet-ombudsman-20100226-p97l.html Australia mulls Net ombudsman [AFP] Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Friday he would consider introducing an Internet ombudsman after Facebook tributes to two dead children were defaced with pornography. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/australia-mulls-net-ombudsman-20100226-p8wd.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/australia-mulls-net-ombudsman-20100226-p8wd.html Rudd eyes online ombudsman Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said he will look into the idea of appointing an online ombudsman after Facebook tribute pages were defaced with pornography. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Rudd-eyes-online-ombudsman/0,139023166,339301362,00.htm Prime Minister Kevin Rudd considers cyber sheriff for illegal content PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd will investigate appointing an online ombudsman after Facebook tribute pages were defaced with pornography and offensive comments. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/prime-minister-kevin-rudd-considers-cyber-sheriff-for-illegal-content/story-e6frf7jo-1225834911613 ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* Google Undergoes Global Growing Pains For attorneys at Google, this is no vacation itinerary. Rather, it's part of a growing list of sites around the world where Google's widening empire is under fire. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2010/tc20100224_084405.htm The data deluge: Businesses, governments and society are only starting to tap its vast potential Eighteen months ago, Li & Fung, a firm that manages supply chains for retailers, saw 100 gigabytes of information flow through its network each day. Now the amount has increased tenfold. During 2009, American drone aircraft flying over Iraq and Afghanistan sent back around 24 years? worth of video footage. New models being deployed this year will produce ten times as many data streams as their predecessors, and those in 2011 will produce 30 times as many. http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15579717 Data, data everywhere: Information has gone from scarce to superabundant. That brings huge new benefits, says Kenneth Cukier, but also big headaches When the Sloan Digital Sky Survey started work in 2000, its telescope in New Mexico collected more data in its first few weeks than had been amassed in the entire history of astronomy. Now, a decade later, its archive contains a whopping 140 terabytes of information. A successor, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, due to come on stream in Chile in 2016, will acquire that quantity of data every five days. http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15557443 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2010 --------- David Goldstein email: goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au web: http://davidgoldstein.tel/ http://goldsteinreport.com/ phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - office/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 FlanneryReceived on Sun Feb 28 2010 - 15:45:47 UTC
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