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 *************************************************** New gTLD Program: ICANN Seeks Independent Objector http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-21nov11-en.htm New gTLD Customer Service Center Expands to Offer More Services http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-4-21nov11-en.htm Savvy entrepreneurs set to profit from new web address system: Research reveals commercial potential of the new Top-Level Domain program http://ariservices.com/news-savvy_entrepreneurs_set_to_profit_from_new_web_address_system.php Small & Medium Businesses Want To Register Domains In New gTLDs Finds ARI http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/11/23/small-medium-businesses-want-to-register-domains-in-new-gtlds-finds-ari/ Sedari And CoCCA Form Joint Venture For dot Sydney and dot Melbourne bids http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/11/22/sedari-and-cocca-form-joint-venture-for-dot-sydney-and-dot-melbourne-bids/ Joint venture bids for Aussie city gTLDs http://domainincite.com/joint-venture-bids-for-aussie-city-gtlds/ FBI plays down claim that hackers damaged US water pump http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15854327 Why SOPA endangers America's Internet leadership http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/11/why-sopa-endangers-americas-internet-leadership.ars Overstock's .COnfusion http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2011/11/14/overstocks-confusion au: Dodge the dodgy websites http://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/dodge-the-dodgy-websites-20111124-1nvqi.html ********************** - ICANN ********************** New gTLD Program: ICANN Seeks Independent Objector ICANN is seeking expressions of interest from persons or organizations to serve as the Independent Objector for the New gTLD Program. The Independent Objector shall act in the public interest when determining whether to file an objection to a given application for a new gTLD. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-21nov11-en.htm New gTLD Customer Service Center Expands to Offer More Services In anticipation of the opening of the New gTLD application round on 12 January 2012, ICANN is expanding the New gTLD Customer Service Center. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-4-21nov11-en.htm Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part C Policy Development Process The Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part C Policy Development Process Working Group is requesting your input on its Charter Questions to help inform its deliberations. The Charter Questions are: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-21nov11-en.htm Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B ? Recommendation #8 and #9 Part 2 ? Staff Proposals The Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B presented its recommendations to the GNSO Council earlier this year. For two of those recommendations, recommendation #8 concerning the standardization and clarification of Whois status messages regarding Registrar Lock status and recommendation #9 part 2 concerning a new provision to lock and unlock domain names, the GNSO Council requested ICANN staff to provide proposals. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-22nov11-en.htm Preliminary Issue Report on 'Thick' Whois ICANN Staff is seeking comments on its Preliminary Issue Report on 'Thick' Whois. Specifically, this Report addresses not only a possible requirement of 'thick' WHOIS for all incumbent gTLDs in the context of the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP), but also considers any other positive and/or negative effects that are likely to occur outside of IRTP that would need to be taken into account when deciding whether a requirement of 'thick' WHOIS for all incumbent gTLDs would be desirable or not. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-21nov11-en.htm Implementation Notice - Version 3.0 of IDN Guidelines Following the ICANN Board's acceptance at the October 2011 meeting in Dakar, Senegal, ICANN is today providing notice of implementation for version 3.0 of the Guidelines for Implementation of Internationalized Domain Names. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-22nov11-en.htm Nominating Committee Convenes in Dakar The 2012 ICANN Nominating Committee (NomCom) has convened and met for the first time on 28 ? 29 October 2011, immediately following the 42nd International ICANN Public Meeting in Dakar, Senegal. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22nov11-en.htm Accountable and transparent ? but only when it suits us The real measure of accountability is not when an organization provides you with information it has no concerns over, but rather when it doesn?t wish to provide the information but feels obligated to do so. Here are some facts: http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/11/22/accountability-only-when-it-suits ICANN and Monopolies by Jay Daley One thing that ICANN clearly lacks is a set of well documented and often referenced founding principles. This leaves the awkward position where everyone who has been around since the beginning has a different position on what those principles should have been and all those that have joined later know that there is something fundamental missing. The missing principle vexing me this week is that of fair competition. Even now, long after the gTLD vote, the argument still runs on. http://www.circleid.com/posts/icann_and_monopolies/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** WinWith.eu registration competition starts Two iPad 2 devices can be won each week by anyone who validly registers .eu domain names between 24 November and 25 December 2011 and enters the WinWith.eu Christmas competition, hosted by the .eu registry, EURid. http://www.eurid.eu/en/content/winwitheu-registration-competition-starts EURid Launches Win An iPad Competition For Registrants The .EU registry, EURid, has launched a competition where anyone who validly registers a .EU domain name between 24 November and 25 December 2011. http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/11/23/eurid-launches-win-an-ipad-competition-for-registrants/ UK court systems set to adopt judiciary.uk domain names England and Wales's judicial system are to change their websites so that they end with the domain name judiciary.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15860533 Porn sites sue internet regulator over .xxx web address Two of the internet's biggest pornography firms are suing the net's address regulator, Icann, over its introduction of the .xxx suffix. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15816630 ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** Savvy entrepreneurs set to profit from new web address system: Research reveals commercial potential of the new Top-Level Domain program Savvy entrepreneurs around the world are poised to make multi-million dollar annual returns from the fast-approaching new TLD program, according to new research out today. The findings identified significant revenue potential for entrepreneurs to own industry-specific TLDs such as .shop, .law or .hotel and commercialise them by on-selling second-level domains to relevant businesses (e.g. retailername.shop or lawfirm.law). http://ariservices.com/news-savvy_entrepreneurs_set_to_profit_from_new_web_address_system.php Small & Medium Businesses Want To Register Domains In New gTLDs Finds ARI Small and medium-sized businesses have expressed an interest in registering appropriate new domain names when industry-specific gTLDs relevant to their business are introduced. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16407 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/11/23/small-medium-businesses-want-to-register-domains-in-new-gtlds-finds-ari/ FairWinds Partners Offers Full Suite of New gTLD Consulting Services to Help Brand Owners Navigate the New Generic Top-Level Domain Name (gTLD) Space The introduction of new gTLDs presents an array of unprecedented opportunities and challenges for brand owners, who will need to adapt their digital strategies to the resulting changed addressing nomenclature standard for new domains. http://www.fairwindspartners.com/en/newsroom/press-release/fairwinds-offers-gtld-services CADNA Submits Proposal to ICANN Aimed at Improving New gTLD Program for Brands Following its "What?s at Stake: The Reality of ICANN?s New gTLD Program for Brands" conference earlier this month in New York City, CADNA has submitted a proposal to ICANN asking the Board of Directors to take steps to make the New gTLD Program less detrimental to businesses. http://www.cadna.org/en/newsroom/press-release/cadna-icann-proposal-improving-gtld-brand-program CADNA Asks ICANN For More Considerations For Brand Owners The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) and its sister organisation FairWinds Partners are taking a dual approach to dealing with new gTLDs. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16403 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/11/22/cadna-asks-icann-for-more-considerations-for-brand-owners/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/cadna-asks-icann-for-more-considerations-for-brand-owners.html Wal-Mart, Kraft, adidas, Reebok, Toyota and J.M. Smucker Company Join Coalition to Oppose ICANN?s Top Level Domain Expansion Program Six major marketers, including the world's largest retailer and the second-largest food company, have joined CRIDO, the Coalition for Responsible Internet Domain Oversight, which is opposing ICANN's TLD Expansion program. http://www.ana.net/content/show/id/22399x Sedari And CoCCA Form Joint Venture For dot Sydney and dot Melbourne bids Sedari, a consultancy for new gTLD applicants, registry operator Council of Country Code Administrators (CoCCA) along with Sydney-based Cloud Registry have formed a joint venture to bid for the contract to apply for four new TLD applications for the New South Wales and Victorian Governments. http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/11/22/sedari-and-cocca-form-joint-venture-for-dot-sydney-and-dot-melbourne-bids/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/cocca-and-sedari-form-joint-venture-for-dot-sydney-and-dot-melbourne-bids.html Joint venture bids for Aussie city gTLDs Cloud Registry, CoCCA and Sedari have teamed up to bid for the proposed Australian city TLDs .melbourne and .sydney. http://domainincite.com/joint-venture-bids-for-aussie-city-gtlds/ GMO wins .tokyo deal GMO Registry says it has won local government backing to apply to ICANN for the city TLD .tokyo. http://domainincite.com/gmo-wins-tokyo-deal/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** FBI plays down claim that hackers damaged US water pump US officials have cast doubt over reports that a water pump in Illinois was destroyed by foreign hackers. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they had "found no evidence of a cyber intrusion". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15854327 DHS sees no evidence of cyberattack on Ill. water facility The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today said there is nothing to suggest that a recent pump failure at a Springfield, Ill. water utility was caused by a cyberattack as previously reported by an industrial control systems security expert. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9222144/DHS_sees_no_evidence_of_cyberattack_on_Ill._water_facility U.S. probes cyber attack on water system Federal investigators are looking into a report that hackers managed to remotely shut down a utility's water pump in central Illinois last week, in what could be the first known foreign cyber attack on a U.S. industrial system. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/cybersecurity-attack-idUKN1E7AK0NA20111121 Experts caution against overreacting to potential water plant hack An ongoing investigation into the possible hack of a U.S. water plant should trigger a methodical analysis of the security of the nation's industrial systems to avoid jumping to the wrong conclusions, former federal cybersecurity officials say. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20111121_7267.php Secret net Tor asks users to sign up to cloud services People involved in a project to maintain a secret layer of the internet have turned to Amazon to add bandwidth to the service. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15834476 UK banks stress-test cyber-defences A simulation run by the Treasury, the Bank of England and the FSA has tried to gauge the effect of a cyberattack on banking systems in the UK, as London gets ready to host the Olympics http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-management/2011/11/22/uk-banks-stress-test-cyber-defences-40094482/ ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** What's My Name Again? In the past we've written about members of Congress and other elected officials who do not own their names as domain names. In many cases, the officials' names have been registered by opportunistic squatters and host pay-per-click ads. But every so often, an official's name is registered by a competing candidate or the opposite political party. http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2011/11/18/whats-my-name-again ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Boost in IPv6 use is only one step to solution [IDG] Support for IPv6 has grown by almost 20 times in the past year by one measure, but most websites still can't be reached without IPv4, the current Internet Protocol, which is near running out of unclaimed addresses. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/112211-boost-in-ipv6-use-is-253375.html http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/408200/boost_ipv6_use_only_one_step_solution http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9222082/Boost_in_IPv6_use_is_only_one_step_to_solution IPv6 Deployment from a Different Perspective by Mirjam Kuehne Often when looking at IPv6 deployment statistics, the size of the organisation or the network is not taken into account. In this article, we look at IPv6 deployment of Local Internet Registries (LIRs) per country in correlation to the size of the LIR. When looking at IPv6 deployment at the LIR level, we can look at the following two metrics. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20111122_ipv6_deployment_from_a_different_perspective/ IPv6 Adoption Grows By 1900% - Primarily Due to Domain Name Registrar Support The percentage of zones under .com, .net and .org that support IPv6 has increased by 1,900% over the past 12 months according to a new census conducted by the Measurement Factory, sponsored by Infoblox. According to the census, this dramatic increase can be primarily attributed to the introduction of support of IPv6 by a single domain name registrar, Go Daddy. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20111121_ipv6_adoption_grows_by_1900_primarily_due_to_domain_name_registrar/ APNIC to pre-approve IPv4 transfers Asia Pacific internet registry APNIC will require members to justify their eligibility for transfers of remaining IPv4 addresses, in a bid to encourage direct trading between address holders. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/280998,apnic-to-pre-approve-ipv4-transfers.aspx ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Surprise! Microsoft quietly opposes SOPA copyright bill Microsoft has long been one of the most ardent proponents of expanding U.S. copyright law. But that enthusiasm doesn't extend to the new Stop Online Piracy Act, which its lobbyists are quietly working to alter, CNET has learned. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57330078-281/surprise-microsoft-quietly-opposes-sopa-copyright-bill/ http://www.zdnet.com.au/microsoft-quietly-opposes-sopa-bill-339326773.htm Why SOPA endangers America's Internet leadership Last Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution ahead of a forthcoming summit between Europe and the United States. It included a section on "the need to protect the integrity of the global Internet and freedom of communication by refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names." http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/11/why-sopa-endangers-americas-internet-leadership.ars SOPA goes for House debate Dec. 15 The House Judiciary Committee chairman plans to move a hotly debated anti-piracy and counterfeiting bill for markup on Dec. 15, according to a Hill aide. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/sopa-goes-for-house-debate-dec-15/2011/11/21/gIQAKRIriN_blog.html How SOPA would affect you When Rep. Lamar Smith announced the Stop Online Piracy Act last month, he knew it was going to be controversial. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57329001-281/how-sopa-would-affect-you/ How the Internet Evolves to Overcome Censorship Last week?s congressional hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, drew attention to the fact that Congress has it within its power to censor the Internet. Dozens of sites across the web blacked-out their logos in opposition to the bill. Social blogging service Tumblr took it farther, redacting all content on its users? dashboards and asking them to phone their members of Congress, resulting in over 87,000 calls. http://techland.time.com/2011/11/21/how-the-internet-evolves-to-overcome-censorship/ SOPA?s ugly message to the world about America and internet Innovation Imagine a country where the government is able to shut down Web sites at the slightest provocation, where elected representatives invoke fears of "overseas pirates" to defend the interests of domestic industries, and where Internet companies like Google must cave in to the demands of government censors or risk being shut down. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/sopas-ugly-message-to-the-world-about-america-and-internet-innovation/2010/12/20/gIQATlhEYN_blog.html us: Net neutrality is too regulatory, but Stop Online Piracy isn't? [IDG] Several Republicans in the U.S. Congress who voted this year to overturn net neutrality rules -- with most opponents arguing the rules would create the first-ever regulation of the Internet -- have now signed on to sponsor one of two bills that would allow the U.S. Department of Justice to seek court orders to shut down websites accused of infringing copyright. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/112211-net-neutrality-is-too-regulatory-253405.html us: Cautious Optimism Follows SOPA Hearings: Don't Get Cocky Crisis averted, so far. Last week's hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was stacked in favor of the Internet blacklist bill but we seem to have come out unscathed. http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2011/11/cautious-optimism-follows-sopa.php RIPE questions registration freeze related to botnet bust [IDG] A Dutch organization responsible for allocating IP addresses to network providers in Europe is questioning an order by police to not allow changes to the registrations of four blocks of addresses that were used until recently by a known criminal network. http://www.techworld.com.au/article/408380/ripe_questions_registration_freeze_related_botnet_bust/ http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9222132/Internet_registry_questions_freeze_related_to_botnet_bust http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/408380/ripe_questions_registration_freeze_related_botnet_bust/ de: Filtering and blocking closer to the Internet? With protests against draft US legislation like the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act ongoing and the European Parliament voting on 17 November for a resolution to request that the United States should be ?refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names,? politicians are talking a lot about technology for the internet domain name system. But at the same time, engineers are getting more political and are intensively discussing technology providing the tools for blocking ? by governments and private parties. ... But what about the governance of increased private manipulation and also filtering that is enabled by better tools, asked Peter Koch, a DNS expert at Denic, the registry for the .de. country code TLD of Germany. http://genevalunch.com/blog/2011/11/21/filtering-and-blocking-closer-to-the-internet/ Overstock's .COnfusion Remember a few months back when online retailer Overstock.com started promoting a new domain name O.co? It began by touting it as its "new shortcut," but recently launched an advertising push declaring "Overstock.com is now O.co." It even had the name of the Oakland NFL/MLB stadium, the Overstock.com Coliseum, changed to the O.Co Coliseum. http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2011/11/14/overstocks-confusion Overstock Finds Public Not Ready For O.CO Domain And Retreats To .COM... For Now Admitting they were a little too hasty in abandoning their overstock.com domain name for o.co, Overstock have now recommenced using their original domain name. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16404 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/11/22/overstock-finds-public-not-ready-for-o-co-domain-and-retreats-to-com-for-now/ au: Dodge the dodgy websites For those hoping to avoid the Christmas crush by shopping online, there are some simple ways to ensure you don't get burnt, consumer group Choice says. ... How to avoid a costly mistake ... Ensure domain name matches the website name http://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/dodge-the-dodgy-websites-20111124-1nvqi.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Monte Cahn files third ammended complaint against Oversee.net Moniker founder Monte Cahn has filed a third amended complaint against his former employer Oversee.net. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/11/23/monte-cahn-files-third-ammended-complaint-against-oversee-net/ EuroDNS Announces Launch of Domain Marketplace EuroDNS, a domain name Registrar, recently announced the deployment of Afternic's unique 'Instant Transfer' technology for domain sales. Effective immediately, the company website allows its customers to purchase a secondary market domain name directly from the Domain Listing Service (DLS) of Afternic. http://www.webhosting.info/news/1/eurodns-announces-launch-of-domain-marketplace_1121119258.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** China's microblog user population tops 300 million China now has more than 300 million registered microblog users, according to statistics released Monday at the 11th China Internet Media Forum in the central province of Hubei. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-11/21/c_131260977.htm China records 300 million registered microblog users China has more than 300 million registered microbloggers, state media said on Monday, one of its fastest growing groups of internet users that the government has vowed to control. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/oukin-uk-china-microblogs-idUKTRE7AK1OA20111121 http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/idINIndia-60648120111121 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Facebook users average 3.74 degrees of separation There are on average 3.74 degrees of separation between any one Facebook user and another, a study suggests. The number of degrees represents the number of people in a friendship chain, excluding the people at either end. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15844230 Separating You and Me? 4.74 Degrees The world is even smaller than you thought. Adding a new chapter to the research that cemented the phrase ?six degrees of separation? into the language, scientists at Facebook and the University of Milan reported on Monday that the average number of acquaintances separating any two people in the world was not six but 4.74. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/technology/between-you-and-me-4-74-degrees.html Six degrees of separation? More like 4.74 Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon may be the name of the game but it takes less than that to connect any two users on Facebook. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-23/six-degrees-of-separation-on-facebook/3688262 Identity and the internet: From pixels to persona A push to ban pseudonyms in social networking is raising concerns that profits are being put above privacy http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0585597c-1435-11e1-85c7-00144feabdc0.html http://www.todayonline.com/Commentary/EDC111123-0000047/Identity-and-the-Net--From-pixels-to-persona ********************************* CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY ********************************* us: Parents help kids violate COPPA Parents are helping their children circumvent the Children?s Online Privacy Protection Act and many are unfamiliar with the law, according to the results of a new study. http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=14302e61-163c-41c6-b2a7-3036247408a1 nz: Key launches tech programme for South Auckland kids Prime Minister John Key today launched the High Tech Youth Academy (HTYA) at Kia Aroha College, in South Auckland, less than a week out from the general election. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/key-launches-tech-programme-for-south-auckland-kids nz: NZ teachers caught by pupils' cyber traps It's a trap. It's called cyber baiting and more than a tenth of New Zealand's teachers have fallen foul of it or know another teacher who has. http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/technology/6024685/NZ-teachers-caught-by-pupils-cyber-traps http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/6024685/NZ-teachers-caught-by-pupils-cyber-traps nz: Online con artist fleeces man of thousands Police are searching for a woman who stole more than $5000 from an old man she met in person after the pair chatted online. http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/6020382/Online-con-artist-fleeces-man-of-thousands ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** The Facebook Phone: It?s Finally Real and Its Name Is Buffy After years of considering how to best get into the phone business, Facebook has tapped Taiwanese cellphone maker HTC to build a smartphone that has the social network integrated at the core of its being. http://allthingsd.com/20111121/the-facebook-phone-its-finally-real-and-its-name-is-buffy/ ********************** ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL ********************** CHOGM nations unite for battle on cybercrime Commonwealth leaders have endorsed a blueprint to fight cybercrime that is estimated to cost more than $300 billion a year globally. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/chogm-nations-unite-for-battle-on-cybercrime/story-e6frgakx-1226201805164 Despite controversy, cybercrime treaty endures [IDG] Delegates from around the world are meeting in France this week to discuss the only international treaty dealing with cybercrime, a treaty that has come under fire from some countries but defended by others as a crucial tool in fighting electronic crime. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/408124/despite_controversy_cybercrime_treaty_endures/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/112111-despite-controversy-cybercrime-treaty-253347.html ********************** SECURITY ********************** FBI plays down claim that hackers damaged US water pump US officials have cast doubt over reports that a water pump in Illinois was destroyed by foreign hackers. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they had "found no evidence of a cyber intrusion". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15854327 DHS sees no evidence of cyberattack on Ill. water facility The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today said there is nothing to suggest that a recent pump failure at a Springfield, Ill. water utility was caused by a cyberattack as previously reported by an industrial control systems security expert. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9222144/DHS_sees_no_evidence_of_cyberattack_on_Ill._water_facility U.S. probes cyber attack on water system Federal investigators are looking into a report that hackers managed to remotely shut down a utility's water pump in central Illinois last week, in what could be the first known foreign cyber attack on a U.S. industrial system. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/11/21/cybersecurity-attack-idUKN1E7AK0NA20111121 Experts caution against overreacting to potential water plant hack An ongoing investigation into the possible hack of a U.S. water plant should trigger a methodical analysis of the security of the nation's industrial systems to avoid jumping to the wrong conclusions, former federal cybersecurity officials say. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20111121_7267.php Secret net Tor asks users to sign up to cloud services People involved in a project to maintain a secret layer of the internet have turned to Amazon to add bandwidth to the service. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15834476 UK banks stress-test cyber-defences A simulation run by the Treasury, the Bank of England and the FSA has tried to gauge the effect of a cyberattack on banking systems in the UK, as London gets ready to host the Olympics http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-management/2011/11/22/uk-banks-stress-test-cyber-defences-40094482/ ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** 20-Year Sentence for Text Messages Against Thai King A retired truck driver was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for sending cellphone text messages that a court deemed insulting to Thailand?s monarchy. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/world/asia/20-year-term-for-text-messages-against-thai-king-bhumibol.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Surprise! Microsoft quietly opposes SOPA copyright bill Microsoft has long been one of the most ardent proponents of expanding U.S. copyright law. But that enthusiasm doesn't extend to the new Stop Online Piracy Act, which its lobbyists are quietly working to alter, CNET has learned. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57330078-281/surprise-microsoft-quietly-opposes-sopa-copyright-bill/ http://www.zdnet.com.au/microsoft-quietly-opposes-sopa-bill-339326773.htm Why SOPA endangers America's Internet leadership Last Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution ahead of a forthcoming summit between Europe and the United States. It included a section on "the need to protect the integrity of the global Internet and freedom of communication by refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names." http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/11/why-sopa-endangers-americas-internet-leadership.ars SOPA goes for House debate Dec. 15 The House Judiciary Committee chairman plans to move a hotly debated anti-piracy and counterfeiting bill for markup on Dec. 15, according to a Hill aide. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/sopa-goes-for-house-debate-dec-15/2011/11/21/gIQAKRIriN_blog.html How SOPA would affect you When Rep. Lamar Smith announced the Stop Online Piracy Act last month, he knew it was going to be controversial. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57329001-281/how-sopa-would-affect-you/ How the Internet Evolves to Overcome Censorship Last week?s congressional hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, drew attention to the fact that Congress has it within its power to censor the Internet. Dozens of sites across the web blacked-out their logos in opposition to the bill. Social blogging service Tumblr took it farther, redacting all content on its users? dashboards and asking them to phone their members of Congress, resulting in over 87,000 calls. http://techland.time.com/2011/11/21/how-the-internet-evolves-to-overcome-censorship/ SOPA?s ugly message to the world about America and internet Innovation Imagine a country where the government is able to shut down Web sites at the slightest provocation, where elected representatives invoke fears of "overseas pirates" to defend the interests of domestic industries, and where Internet companies like Google must cave in to the demands of government censors or risk being shut down. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/sopas-ugly-message-to-the-world-about-america-and-internet-innovation/2010/12/20/gIQATlhEYN_blog.html us: Net neutrality is too regulatory, but Stop Online Piracy isn't? [IDG] Several Republicans in the U.S. Congress who voted this year to overturn net neutrality rules -- with most opponents arguing the rules would create the first-ever regulation of the Internet -- have now signed on to sponsor one of two bills that would allow the U.S. Department of Justice to seek court orders to shut down websites accused of infringing copyright. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/112211-net-neutrality-is-too-regulatory-253405.html us: Cautious Optimism Follows SOPA Hearings: Don't Get Cocky Crisis averted, so far. Last week's hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was stacked in favor of the Internet blacklist bill but we seem to have come out unscathed. http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2011/11/cautious-optimism-follows-sopa.php Ready for Singapore's new data protection law Like I've always said, it has taken some time to come but when it comes, it will arrive in full splendor. http://www.zdnetasia.com/blogs/ready-for-singapores-new-data-protection-law-62302956.htm nz: Party political promises for the ICT industry The election takes place on November 26, so what are the political parties offering in terms of ICT policy? http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/party-political-promises-for-the-ict-industry ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* Mixed Results as Google Enters Microsoft's Turf ... What?s happening at Journal Communications is one small win for Google and its cloud computing challenge to Microsoft?s lucrative Office division, maker of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. But more than 4 1/2 years after Google Apps for business made its debut, the question remains how much of a dent Google is making in Microsoft?s business. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/technology/google-enters-microsoft-offices-turf-with-mixed-results.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** European telecoms look for turnround There has been little cheer for investors in the large European groups providing telecoms equipment, a business that can be as mundane as it is arcane. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/342c1080-15f8-11e1-a691-00144feabdc0.html nz: Commerce Commission completes access reviews The Commerce Commission has published its decisions on changes to the Standard Terms Determinations (STDs) which govern the terms under which a telco must provide access to its services. http://www.techday.co.nz/telecommunicationsreview/news/commerce-commission-completes-access-reviews/21582/6/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2011 --------- David Goldstein email: goldstein_david at 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 Thu Nov 24 2011 - 02:09:27 UTC
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