[DNS] domain name news - 3 January

From: David Goldstein <david> Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 11:28:19 +1100 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:11 UTC

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.

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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Governments, Privatization, and ?Privatization?: ICANN and the GAC by Jonathan Weinberg
http://www.mttlr.org/voleighteen/weinberg.pdf

.TK Becomes Third Largest ccTLD With A Little Help From Phishing
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/12/26/tk-becomes-third-largest-cctld-with-a-little-help-from-phishing/

ICANN Chair: We will not delay or restrict new gTLD program
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/12/30/icann-chair-no-delay-to-gtld-program

TLD Expansion: ICANN Must Not Back Down by Milton Mueller
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/12/29/4968272.html

au: Thousands of domain registrar's customer details exposed
http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/security-it/thousands-of-domain-registrars-customer-details-exposed-20111223-1p8us.html

IPv6 doomsday won't hit in 2012, experts say [IDG]
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/411245/ipv6_doomsday_won_t_hit_2012_experts_say/

China readies IPv6 move
http://www.zdnetasia.com/china-readies-ipv6-move-62303323.htm

Go Daddy eats humble pie after SOPA boycott
http://domainincite.com/go-daddy-eats-humble-pie-after-sopa-boycott/

Go Daddy accused of blocking domain transfers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/godaddy-accused-of-blocking-domain-transfers/2011/12/27/gIQABUVPKP_story.html

Go Daddy Backtracks On SOPA Support Following Boycott Threats
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/12/24/go-daddy-backtracks-on-sopa-support-following-boycott-threats/

APNIC: Editorial comments on draft documents
http://www.apnic.net/publications/news/2011/final-editorial-comments-on-draft-documents

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REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS
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Governments, Privatization, and ?Privatization?: ICANN and the GAC by Jonathan Weinberg
What kind of organization, then, is ICANN? It is in form a private body, a California-based ? 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.5 Yet when it comes to ICANN, the usual lines between what is private and what is public have always been blurred. In this Essay, I will address the relationship between ICANN and national governments, and how that relationship has changed over time. I?ll discuss the changing nature of ICANN?s relationship with the U.S. government, as well as the evolution of other national governments? policy-making role within ICANN.
http://www.mttlr.org/voleighteen/weinberg.pdf

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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Apply Now for ICANN's Leadership Positions: Apply Now to Join the ICANN Board, the Councils of GNSO and ccNSO, and the ALAC
ICANN's Nominating Committee (NomCom) invites Statements of Interest and candidate recommendations from the Internet community for key leadership positions to fulfill ICANN's technical and policy coordination role. Interested individuals are invited to submit a Statement of Interest to the Nominating Committee for the following positions:
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-23dec11-en.htm

IDN Variant Issues Project: Draft Integrated Issues Report
On 20 April 2011, ICANN announced the IDN Variant Issues Project to explore the benefits and risks associated with the potential inclusion of IDN variant TLDs in the DNS root zone. This project was initiated in response to a 2010 ICANN Board of Directors resolution.
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-23dec11-en.htm

Continued Operations Instrument Guidelines Available for New gTLD Applicants
As part of the new gTLD program, all new gTLD applicants are required to provide a cost estimate for funding critical registry functions on an annual basis in case of registry failure.
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-23dec11-en.htm

Fellowship Program Brings Global Voices Together at ICANN
Global input and ideas will be on the rise at the 43rd Public Meeting of ICANN thanks to ICANN's on-going Fellowship program.
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-4-23dec11-en.htm

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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CZ.NIC Has Announced New Prices for .CZ Domain
As of 1 January and then also as of 1 February 2012, the prices for services under .CZ domains will change.
http://www.nic.cz/page/983/cz.nic-has-announced-new-prices-for-.cz-domain/

fr: Call for a Public Consultation to collect the opinions of the Internet community
Publication by the French Ministry for the Digital Economy of a public consultation on the procedures for managing the Internet domains of France
http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/5496/show/call-for-a-public-consultation-to-collect-the-opinions-of-the-internet-community.html

dotMobi company remains in the Afilias brand family
Afilias Limited, a global provider of top level domain registry services, today dismissed the report of a recent Google investment of $200 million in the article "Google?s mobile moves make money ... and sense" in the Dec. 18, 2011 issue of The Telegraph (UK).
http://www.afilias.info/news/2011/12/19/media-advisory-dotmobi-company-remains-afilias-brand-family

New service has been introduced on the site ?Domains of Russia?
Statistical online resource ?Domains of Russia? has got a new section ?Internet penetration in Russia?. The section demonstrates distribution of the monthly online audience across the federal okrugs and regions in Russia.
http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=3365

Group-IB to help combating cibercrime in domains .?? and .RU
The Coordination Center for TLD RU and Group-IB have signed an agreement on combating cyber threats in domains .?? and .RU.
http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=3366

.SRB domain registration begins
At the 13 December Assembly, the Board of Governors, reached a decision on starting .SRB domain registration, determining St Sava?s Day, 27 January 2012, as the commencement date. The Cyrillic Internet domain .SRB is a new, second ccTLD of the Republic of Serbia and, after the Russian .RF, the second world?s Internet domain in Cyrillic eligible for registration.
http://rnids.rs/en/what-s-new/srb-domain-registration-begins/id/3428

.TK Becomes Third Largest ccTLD With A Little Help From Phishing
The latest Verisign Domain Name Industry Brief noted that the ccTLD for Tokelau's ccTLD, .TK entered the top ten largest top level domain rankings as the seventh largest, moving ahead of .NL (Netherlands) which moved from seventh to eighth. It also sees .TK becoming the world's third largest ccTLD behind .DE (Germany) and .UK (United Kingdom).
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16599
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/12/26/tk-becomes-third-largest-cctld-with-a-little-help-from-phishing/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/tk-becomes-third-largest-cctld-with-a-little-help-from-phishing.html

Changes to .ltd.uk & .plc.uk and December Board communique
Nominet is proposing to change the rules of registration for .ltd.uk and .plc.uk domain names to ensure that each company is entitled to a unique domain name while at the same time reducing the potential for abuse.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8918

Dot VN, Inc.'s Subsidiary, Hi-Tek Multimedia, Inc., Receives Award From Vietnamese Government for Development of Vietnamese Native Language Domain Names
Dot VN, Inc., announced today that the Company?s wholly owned subsidiary Hi-Tek Multimedia, Inc. (?HMI?) received an award from the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (?VNNIC?) for the successful re-launch and wide spread adoption of the Vietnamese Native Language Domain Names.
http://www.dotvn.com/downloads/NewsRelease/Dec2011/DotVNNewsRelease-Dec282011.pdf

Vatican.xxx Domain Mystery Buyer Revealed: Site Not Porn After All
The domain Vatican.xxx has not been registered by pornographers as the Vatican feared but was in fact removed from the registry of available names before the public launch of the dot-triple-X domain earlier this month, a representative for ICM Registry has revealed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/vatican-xxx-domain-porn-site-buyer_n_1167735.html

U. of Illinois says no to buying .xxx domain names [AP]
The University of Illinois won't be buying Internet domain names with the suffix '.xxx,' but that doesn't mean you should.
http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=16395498
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/sns-ap-il--illinois-xxxdomain,0,1979201.story

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 - NEW TLDS
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ICANN Chair: We will not delay or restrict new gTLD program
ICANN will not delay the launch of its much anticipated program to create hundreds, possibly thousands, of new Internet extensions, nor run a limited ?pilot program?, its chairman has told .Nxt.
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/12/30/icann-chair-no-delay-to-gtld-program

Editorial: Expanding Internet Domains
... But a plethora of new suffixes is just as likely to cause confusion for consumers and enable malefactors to use the new arenas for deception. Icann expects 500 to 1,000 applications in next year?s 90-day application window. Before it approves any of them, it needs to slow down and put in place better safeguards against consumer fraud.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/opinion/expanding-internet-domains.html

Rockefeller Calls For Scaled-Back Domain-Name Plan
Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., made a last push on Wednesday to get the international organization that helps oversee the Internet to reevaluate its plans to expand the number of TLDs.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/12/rockefeller-calls-on-us-offici.php

Senate Commerce chair joins 'pilot program' pressure group
The chair of the US Senate Commerce Committee, John Rockefeller, has joined the list of US institutions putting pressure on ICANN to limit its new gTLD program to a "pilot program".
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/12/29/rockefeller-adds-to-pilot-program-pressure

TLD Expansion: ICANN Must Not Back Down by Milton Mueller
ICANN's plan to open up the domain name space to new top level domains is scheduled to begin January 12, 2012. This long overdue implementation is the result of an open process that began in 2006. It would, in fact, be more realistic to say that the decision has been in the works 15 years; i.e., since early 1997. That is when demand for new top-level domain names, and the need for other policy decisions regarding the coordination of the domain name system, made it clear that a new institutional framework had to be created.
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/12/29/4968272.html
http://www.circleid.com/posts/tld_expansion_icann_must_not_back_down/

Businesses may call for more new gTLD trademark protections
It?s open season on ICANN at the moment, and as the number of letters opposing the new gTLD program flittering between Washington DC and Marina del Rey becomes confusingly voluminous many groups think they?ve found another opportunity to demand last-minute changes.
http://domainincite.com/businesses-may-call-for-more-new-gtld-trademark-protections/

Senate Commerce chair joins 'pilot program' pressure group
The chair of the US Senate Commerce Committee, John Rockefeller, has joined the list of US institutions putting pressure on ICANN to limit its new gTLD program to a "pilot program".
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/12/29/rockefeller-adds-to-pilot-program-pressure

New Generic Top-Level Domain Program: A New Era of Risk for Trademark Owners and the Internet by Eric Null & Dennis S. Prahl [Trademark Reporter]
Abstract: This article will briefly explain domain names and how the Internet functions. It will then explain the New gTLD Program in detail. It will analyze the problems an increased number of gTLDs and the concomitant increase in new domain names will present to trademark owners, and will explain and critique the measures available for entities to protect themselves from infringement. It will then discuss the effectiveness of alternative remedies for trademark infringement post-delegation, and lastly will provide Best Practices for trademark owners, including those planning and not planning to apply for a gTLD.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1976382

Domain Industry: Predictions for 2012
... The Honorable Neil Brown QC, UDRP Arbitrator and Mediator ? My prediction is that there will be more applications for new gTLDs than has been anticipated. There has been a widely held view that many companies will hold back and just keep an eye on other applications and see if there are any that affect them. ... The consumer will therefore be more likely to go to a website where it is clear what it stands for, rather than any other website. Companies will have worked that out and realized that it is a great marketing tool.
http://www.elliotsblog.com/domain-industry-predictions-for-2012-2833

ICANN?s Internet Users Representatives Decry New Top Level Domain Implementation by Fred Felman
Surprisingly, and adding to the rapidly growing field of objections to ICANN?s proposed expansion of the domain naming system, the group that represents individual Internet users in the ICANN community, the ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee, posted their draft advice on new gTLDs. The post emphasized their support for the concept while decrying the implementation of the current program.
https://www.markmonitor.com/mmblog/icann?s-internet-users-representatives-decry-new-top-level-domain-implementation/

New gTLD failure risk bond capped at $300k
New generic top-level domain applicants will have to find between $18,000 and $300,000 per gTLD to cover the risk of their business failing, according to ICANN.
http://domainincite.com/new-gtld-failure-risk-bond-capped-at-300k/

CADNA calls for mandatory .xxx-style sunrises
The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse has asked ICANN to make one-time trademark blocks, much like those offered by .xxx operator ICM Registry, mandatory in most new top-level domains.
http://domainincite.com/cadna-calls-for-mandatory-xxx-style-sunrises/

Row over Wales v Cymru web domain name
A CYMRU versus Wales row is brewing over a new internet domain name for the country. The Welsh Government is backing moves for a "dot com" name for Wales to boost the country's profile abroad and is asking for bidders to come forward with proposals.
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Row-Wales-v-Cymru-web-domain/story-14259252-detail/story.html

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Thousands of domain registrar's customer details exposed
More than 28,000 Melbourne IT customers have had their details emailed to others in an embarrassing privacy breach by the domain registrar.
http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/security-it/thousands-of-domain-registrars-customer-details-exposed-20111223-1p8us.html
http://www.watoday.com.au/it-pro/security-it/thousands-of-domain-registrars-customer-details-exposed-20111223-1p8us.html
http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/security-it/thousands-of-domain-registrars-customer-details-exposed-20111223-1p8us.html

DNS Policy is Hop by Hop; DNS Security is End to End by Paul Vixie
The debate continues as to whether ISPs can effectively filter DNS results in order to protect brand and copyright holders from online infringement. Its noteworthy that there is no argument as to whether these rights holders and their properties deserve protection nobody is saying content wants to be free and there is general agreement that it is harder to protect rights in the Internet era where perfect copies of can be made and distributed instantaneously. What were debating now is just whether controlling DNS at the ISP level would work at all and whether the attempt to insert such controls would damage Secure DNS (sometimes called DNSSEC).
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121012_dns_policy_is_hop_by_hop_dns_security_is_end_to_end/

Insurance Against Cyber Attacks Expected to Boom
Sony is still awaiting the final tally for losses related to its data breaches earlier this year. At last count, it had compromised 100 million customer accounts, and Sony anticipated the debacle would cost $200 million. With 58 class-action suits in the works, that may be wishful thinking. Now for the really bad news: Sony?s losses aren?t insured.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/insurance-against-cyber-attacks-expected-to-boom/

Phishing Attack Trends Report - 1H 2011
http://www.antiphishing.org/reports/apwg_trends_report_h1_2011.pdf

Japan developing cyber weapon: report [AFP]
Japan has been developing a virus that could track down the source of a cyber attack and neutralise its program, the daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/japan-developing-cyber-weapon-report/story-e6frgakx-1226234630603

Financial terrorism: Policymakers worry about attacks on America?s financial system
The financial industry has done such a good job of bringing itself to its knees over the past four years that it is easy to overlook the threats it faces from outside. High among them is electronic attack. In 2010 Symantec, a cybersecurity firm, estimated that three-quarters of all ?phishing? attacks, in which people are deceived into surrendering private details such as account numbers, are aimed at the finance sector. Bob Greifeld, the boss of NASDAQ, has described his bourse as being under ?literally constant attack?.
http://www.economist.com/node/21542186

us: Hackers Breach the Web Site of Stratfor Global Intelligence
While the rest of the world engaged in merriment and good cheer, hackers used the holidays to attack a United States research group that puts out a daily newsletter on security issues.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/technology/hackers-breach-the-web-site-of-stratfor-global-intelligence.html

'Anonymous' hack victims face repeat attacks
Victims of a hack attack on a US-based security think-tank have been warned against speaking out for fears they could be targeted again.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16338680

'Anonymous' hackers hit US security firm Stratfor
The activist hacker group Anonymous says it has stolen thousands of emails, passwords and credit card details from a US-based security think-tank.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16330396

Anonymous targets US security thinktank Stratfor
The loose-knit hacking movement Anonymous claims to have stolen thousands of credit card numbers and other personal information belonging to clients of US-based security thinktank Stratfor. One hacker said the goal was to pilfer funds from individuals' accounts to give away as Christmas donations, and some victims confirmed unauthorised transactions linked to their credit cards.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/dec/25/anonymous-security-thinktank-stratfor

Internet security: A cyber-remedy for poison 
WHY should you care about the domain name system (DNS)? This inherently dull bit of the internet's plumbing turns the names used to label a single server or a collection of servers (like economist.com, say) into machine-readable numeric addresses (like 64.14.173.20).
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/12/internet-security

uk: The cybersnoops are always one step ahead of ministers
Most people would assume ? and certainly hope ? that the emails of a serving Chancellor could not be read by a newspaper looking for a story. Because if a journalist can access someone like Gordon Brown's personal correspondence just imagine what the Chinese are reading.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/the-cybersnoops-are-always-one-step-ahead-of-ministers-6283992.html

Stuxnet weapon has at least 4 cousins -researchers
The Stuxnet virus that last year damaged Iran's nuclear program was likely one of at least five cyber weapons developed on a single platform whose roots trace back to 2007, according to new research from Russian computer security firm Kaspersky Lab.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/12/29/cybersecurity-stuxnet-idINDEE7BS00F20111229

McAfee: Security threats to mature in 2012
McAfee released its online security threat predictions for 2012 today, predicting that much of what has already been started in 2011 will only mature in the new year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/mcafee-says-anonymous-will-reorganize-or-disband-in-2012/2011/12/28/gIQAT0hQOP_story.html

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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U.K. jeweler beats back online counterfeiters
Jewelry retailer Links of London has taken action against 230 web sites that were using its name to attract online shoppers or selling counterfeit versions of Links items. The campaign has increased traffic to Links of London?s e-commerce site and reduced its online advertising costs.
http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/12/27/uk-jeweler-beats-back-online-counterfeiters

uk: Websites targeting Olympics visitors closed down by police
Detectives from the UK's leading cyber crime unit have identified hundreds of websites that could be used to dupe visitors to next year's London Olympics.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/dec/26/olympics-cybercrime-met-websites

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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IPv6 doomsday won't hit in 2012, experts say [IDG]
Next year will see one more regional Internet registry run out of IPv4 addresses, but 2012 will be more of a year to prepare for the inevitable shift to IPv6 than an Internet doomsday, according to networking experts.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/411245/ipv6_doomsday_won_t_hit_2012_experts_say/
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223064/IPv6_doomsday_won_t_hit_in_2012_experts_say
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/247091/ipv6_doomsday_wont_hit_in_2012_experts_say.html
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/122911-ipv6-doomsday-wont-hit-in-254439.html

cn: Wide use of new Internet system eyed
CHINA targets to adopt the large-scale commercial use of the next-generation Internet system by 2015 after putting it on trial in 2013.
http://english.people.com.cn/90882/7686589.html

China readies IPv6 move
China is set to roll out IPv6 over the next few years as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the nation's Web infrastructure, according to Chinese government officials.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/china-readies-ipv6-move-62303323.htm

New Internet protocol to undergo test
China is likely to test a new Internet protocol in the next few years in an attempt to further develop the country's Internet, senior officials from the State Council said on Friday. 
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-12/24/content_14319900.htm

ARIN IPv6 Fee Waiver Extended
The ARIN Board of Trustees has extended the current IPv6 fee waiver of 25% for IPv6 registration services fees though 31 December 2012.
https://www.arin.net/announcements/2011/20111219.html

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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GoDaddy Pulls SOPA Support Following Customer Backlash
After an outcry from customers, Internet domain name registrar GoDaddy.com has withdrawn its support for controversial legislation aimed at strict enforcement of copyrights online.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/godaddy-sopa_n_1168000.html

Go Daddy eats humble pie after SOPA boycott
Go Daddy lost tens of thousands of domain name registrations totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost recurring revenue due to yesterday?s SOPA-related boycott.
http://domainincite.com/go-daddy-eats-humble-pie-after-sopa-boycott/

GoDaddy stumbles into an anti-SOPA brushfire
NameCheap, whose chief executive last week likened the Stop Online Piracy Act to "detonating a nuclear bomb" on the Internet, said Monday that GoDaddy has intentionally thrown up technical barriers to prevent its customers from leaving. GoDaddy lost over 70,000 domains last week.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57348677/godaddy-stumbles-into-an-anti-sopa-brushfire/

Go Daddy accused of blocking domain transfers
Users of domain registrar Namecheap who've been trying to transfer domains in from GoDaddy in the wake of its SOPA revolt in the past couple days have been running into a bit of a speed bump: Namecheap alleges in customer service emails that GoDaddy is blocking its WHOIS requests, which means it needs to "manually insert WHOIS details into the form."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/godaddy-accused-of-blocking-domain-transfers/2011/12/27/gIQABUVPKP_story.html

Go Daddy Backtracks On SOPA Support Following Boycott Threats
Go Daddy has backtracked on its support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA that is aimed at stopping illegal file sharing. The legislation is currently working its way through the US Congress.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16596
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/12/24/go-daddy-backtracks-on-sopa-support-following-boycott-threats/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/go-daddy-backtracks-on-sopa-support-following-boycott-threats.html

GoDaddy pulls its support from SOPA [IDG]
Giant domain name registrar GoDaddy.com has pulled its support from the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act after owners of several websites announced they would take their business elsewhere.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9222997/GoDaddy_pulls_its_support_from_SOPA
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/411074/go_daddy_faces_boycott_threat_from_sopa_opponents/
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/122311-godaddy-pulls-its-support-from-254396.html

Go Daddy No Longer Supports SOPA
Go Daddy is no longer supporting SOPA, the "Stop Online Piracy Act" currently working its way through U.S. Congress.
http://www.godaddy.com/newscenter/release-view.aspx?news_item_id=378

21,000 domains transfer out of Go Daddy in 1 day
Domain registrar Go Daddy lost over 21,000 domains yesterday. It could be a coincidence--or it could be the result of the company's p.r. debacle over its support for the Stop Online Piracy Act.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57348183-93/21000-domains-transfer-out-of-go-daddy-in-1-day/

Go Daddy lost 21,054 domains yesterday in wake of SOPA PR disaster
It?s going to get worse before it gets better for domain registration company Go Daddy. Yesterday, we reported that Go Daddy had reversed its decision to support SOPA. Its customer service reps are even taking to the phones to beg you to keep your domains with the company.
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2011/12/24/go-daddy-lost-21054-domains-yesterday-in-wake-of-sopa-pr-disaster/

Whois throttling returns to bite Go Daddy on the ass
Go Daddy has been accused by a competitor of ?thwarting? domain name transfers in violation of ICANN rules. The problem has reared its head due to the ongoing SOPA-related boycott of the company?s services, and appears to be related to Go Daddy?s decision earlier this year to throttle Whois queries.
http://domainincite.com/whois-throttling-returns-to-bite-go-daddy-on-the-ass/

How Lamar Smith will respond to your SOPA complaint
As I mentioned in a previous post, I live in Lamar Smith?s district in Texas. His office is literally a couple miles from mine. Smith is the sponsor of Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I wrote to him a week ago via his web site expressing how I didn?t like the SOPA bill because it reinforces the idea that America owns the internet.
http://domainnamewire.com/2011/12/27/how-lamar-smith-will-respond-to-your-sopa-complaint/

Dirty Tricks Played by the Domain Registrars by Umakant Mishra
Abstract: With the popularity of Internet, the number of websites are increasing in exponential rate. Everybody needs a website and every website needs a domain name and a hosting server. Domain names often represent a business organization or a commercial brand. Hence, changing domain names may affect business strategy and result in serious business loss. Unfortunately, the domain registrars sometimes take advantage of customers? ignorance and weakness and extract more money by troubling them in domain registration, domain renewal and domain transfer.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1974978

APNIC: Editorial comments on draft documents
APNIC seeks editorial comments on the following draft documents: APNIC Definitions Document, Membership Agreement, NIR Membership Agreement & Nature of the document review.
http://www.apnic.net/publications/news/2011/final-editorial-comments-on-draft-documents

Monte Cahn gets a court victory as judge denies summary judgment
The court presiding over Monte Cahn vs. Oversee.net has given a victory to the former Moniker CEO in its final act of 2011.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/01/01/monte-cahn-gets-a-court-victory-as-judge-denies-summary-judgment/

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Two Sales That Rank Among the Year's 20 Biggest Top This Week's Domain Sales Chart 
Two high end domain sales, one that soared all the way into the top ten for 2011 and another that reached the year's top 20, lead our latest weekly domain sales chart. 3D.com set the pace with a solid $500,000 sale at Sedo that tied for the 8th biggest sale reported so far this year.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20111228.htm

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REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS
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OECD: Digital Divide: From Computer Access to Online Activities ? A Micro Data Analysis You or your institution have access to this content
This study addresses issues of digital divide among households and individuals by using micro-data analysis of ICT usage patterns. The analysis includes data from 18 European countries, Korea and Canada. Inequalities in computer and Internet use are analysed in a two-step approach. First, the paper tries to better quantify and understand the factors that separate the ?haves? and the ?have-nots?. Second, it tries to explain observed differences in the frequency and type of Internet use as a result of the socio-economic characteristics of households and individuals.
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/digital-divide-from-computer-access-to-online-activities-a-micro-data-analysis_5kg0lk60rr30-en

FCC Regulation Versus Antitrust: How Net Neutrality Is Defining The Boundaries by Babette E.L. Boliek
Abstract:This Article challenges the various jurisdictional theories that underpin the FCC?s net neutrality regulation. The assertion of jurisdic-tion by the FCC over any aspect of the Internet ecosystem has raised populist, congressional, and even judicial rhetoric to a crescendo and re-sulted in a recent vote to defund the FCC?s efforts. This Article places the current crisis squarely in the context of the long-standing jurisdictional struggle between regulation and antitrust law.
http://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/schools/law/bclawreview/pdf/52_5/02_boliek.pdf

Copyrights in Cyberspace: A Roundup of Recent Cases by Michael L. Rustad With Kip Bodi, Jesse Gag, Jack Lindsay, Stephanie McVay, & Brooke
I. Introduction Decades from now, we will remember 2010 for the BP oil spill and the year 2011 because of a slow recovery from the steepest economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.1 Nevertheless, it is reasonably certain that intellectual property (IP) lawyers will still remember some of the remarkable copyright cases included in this roundup of cyberspace?related cases. For the past two decades, copyright law has been accommodating to the digital age. While the World Wide Web did not become part of mainstream American culture until the mid?1990s, the widespread use of the Internet dramatically changed the course of copyright law.
http://www.jhtl.org/publications/V12N1/Rustad%20-%20Copyrights%20in%20Cyberspace.pdf

Online Social Networking and the Right to Privacy: The Conflicting Rights of Privacy and Expression by Althaf Marsoof
Abstract: The advancement of Information Technology has hastened the ability to disseminate information across the globe. In particular, the recent trends in ?Social Networking? have led to a spark in personally sensitive information being published on the World Wide Web. While such socially active websites are creative tools for expressing one's personality it also entails serious privacy concerns. Thus, Social Networking websites could be termed a double edged sword.
http://ijlit.oxfordjournals.org/content/19/2/110.abstract

The Relationship Between the ISP Safe Harbors and Liability for Inducement by R. Anthony Reese
The extent to which online service providers can be held liable for copyright infringement committed by users of their services is one of the more complicated and contentious copyright issues of our day. Courts have struggled with how to apply common-law doctrines of secondary liability to online activity. 
http://stlr.stanford.edu/2011/09/the-relationship-between-the-isp-safe-harbors-and-liability-for-inducement/

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INTERNET USE
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The Year on the Web: Social networking grew up in 2011, becoming more of a fundamental underpinning of the Web.
We've been living in the age of social media for a long time, but 2011 was the year that all the information we share online began to accrete into something greater than the sum of its parts. It is creating a layer of intelligence that anyone can mine in Web searches and that content creators can use to hone their services.
http://www.technologyreview.com/web/39398/

Using Google's Data to Reach Consumers
The viruses that Google researchers usually focus on are those that strike computers, but in recent years, they have studied those that infect people, too. Google correlated billions of flu-related Web searches from 2003 to 2008 with actual Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data over the same period. Then, because Web searchers? Internet addresses indicated location, Google devised a formula to estimate regional flu activity based solely on searches, with a reporting lag of only about a day, outdoing C.D.C. flu reports, which typically are published a week or two after outbreaks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/business/media/using-googles-data-to-sell-thermometers-to-mothers.html

Volkswagen silences work e-mail after hours
The thrill of getting a work-issued mobile phone is often quickly eclipsed by its constant reminders that you?ve still ? always ? got work to do.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/volkswagen-silences-work-e-mail-after-hours/2011/12/23/gIQAz4HRDP_story.html

Volkswagen turns off Blackberry email after work hours
Volkswagen has agreed to stop its Blackberry servers sending emails to some of its employees when they are off-shift. The carmaker confirmed it made the move earlier this year following complaints that staff's work and home lives were becoming blurred.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16314901

VW agrees to kick the "Crackberry" habit
The backlash against twenty-four-hour connectivity has started. Carmaker Volkswagen has agreed to deactivate e-mails on German staff Blackberry devices out of office hours to give them a break.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/12/23/oukin-uk-volkswagen-blackberry-idUKTRE7BM11520111223
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/12/23/volkswagen-blackberry-idINDEE7BM08W20111223

As Web sites come and go, so too could the information you entrust them with
As a flood of family photos, videos and holiday greetings hits the Internet this time of year, online users will be swarming the social-networking and photo-sharing sites that have become the personal scrapbooks of our time.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-web-sites-come-and-go-so-too-could-the-information-you-entrust-them-with/2011/12/22/gIQAjcnXOP_story.html

Logging In With a Touch or a Phrase (Anything but a Password)
Passwords are a pain to remember. What if a quick wiggle of five fingers on a screen could log you in instead? Or speaking a simple phrase?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/technology/logging-in-with-a-touch-or-a-phrase-anything-but-a-password.html

au: Churches urge compassion and iPhone moderation
In a festive season that has seen consumer demand spike for the latest technologies, religious leaders have warned that gadgets and social networking websites are detracting from human interaction.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/churches-urge-compassion-and-iphone-moderation/story-e6frg6nf-1226229724082

Internet Explorer Down, But Primed for Rebound
To quote LL Cool J, ?Don?t call it a comeback.? Yes, Internet Explorer has been consistently shedding market share to rival browsers -- primarily Google Chrome -- but that is part of a calculated risk by Microsoft, and 2012 could be the year the tide turns.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/247165/internet_explorer_down_but_primed_for_rebound.html

Chrome Nears 20% Share, IE Resumes Slide
After a one-month pause, Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) resumed its usage share slide in December, dropping to a new low and setting the stage for a fall below 50% as early as March.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223087/Chrome_nears_20_share_IE_resumes_slide
http://www.pcworld.com/article/247159/chrome_nears_20_share_ie_resumes_slide.html

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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A Dispute Over Who Owns a Twitter Account Goes to Court
How much is a tweet worth? And how much does a Twitter follower cost? In base economic terms, the value of individual Twitter updates seems to be negligible; after all, what is a Twitter post but a few bits of data sent caroming through the Internet? But in a world where social media?s influence can mean the difference between a lucrative sale and another fruitless cold call, social media accounts at companies have taken on added significance.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/technology/lawsuit-may-determine-who-owns-a-twitter-account.html

Man sued for keeping company Twitter followers
A man is being sued for keeping Twitter followers that he attracted while working for a US mobile news website.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16338040

Company sues ex-employee for his Twitter followers
A Twitter user is being sued for ?217,000 by his former employer for taking his online followers with him when he switched jobs. Noah Kravitz, a writer from Oakland, California, amassed 17,000 followers on the social networking site when he worked for PhoneDog, a website providing news and reviews about mobile phones.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/dec/27/company-sues-ex-employee-twitter

Foursquare plans to put its data to work
Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley has seen the future for his social-media company ? and it is data. Lots of it. The 100-person company is in the midst of a major evolution as it feverishly adds more users and competes with the likes of everyone from Facebook to Google.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-12-28/foursquare-dennis-crowley/52259138/1
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/foursquare-plans-to-put-its-data-to-work-20111230-1pf9u.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/foursquare-plans-to-put-its-data-to-work-20111230-1pf9u.html

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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uk: Schools head hails 'magic' of learning via smartphone - traditional textbooks will disappear in the age of electronic devices, says Girls Schools' chief
The death of classroom textbooks is predicted today by the new leader of the country's top girls' schools. In future, pupils will access texts through smartphones and e-readers, Louise Robinson, the incoming president of the Girls' Schools Association, said in her first interview.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/schools-head-hails-magic-of-learning-via-smartphone-6282186.html

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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Keeping children safe on their new internet technology
If you are reading this on Christmas Day, there is a good chance you are excitedly trying out a brand new computer, or maybe a fancy smartphone.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16305561

uk: CEOP Appeal to Potential Victims of Online Abuse [news release]
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre is currently involved in an ongoing criminal investigation, conducted with national and international partners, which has resulted in the arrest and detention of an individual in Kuwait for the suspected sexual abuse of children.
http://ceop.police.uk/Media-Centre/Press-releases/2011/CEOP-APPEAL-TO-POTENTIAL-VICTIMS-OF-ONLINE-ABUSE/

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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Internet distributors are changing the TV syndication game
TV production studio executives have been wary of Internet distribution, fearing it would lead to increased piracy and destroy secondary markets. But video streaming services are becoming a boon.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-comedy-syndication-20111231,0,2613458.story

UK album sales fell in 2011 but digital downloads rose
Digital music sales continued to rise in the UK in 2011, but not by enough to prevent an overall decline in album sales, according to the BPI.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16382648

UK music sales decline for seventh successive year despite downloads
Despite the best efforts of Adele and Coldplay, the increasing popularity of digital downloads and even a modest resurgence in vinyl, music sales in the UK declined for a seventh successive year in 2011.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jan/02/uk-music-sales-decline-2011

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Text Messaging Is in Decline in Some Countries
Perhaps to the chagrin of cellphone carriers, all signs point to text messaging?s continuing its decline in several parts of the world.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/text-messaging-is-in-decline-in-some-countries/

Row over cancer risk of mobiles
Australian brain surgeon Charlie Teo is one of 16 world experts who have accused a global newspaper of publishing "technical errors and misleading statements" in an article that rubbished the idea mobile phones cause cancer.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/row-over-cancer-risk-of-mobiles/story-e6frg8y6-1226232885270

Is Windows Phone's consumer focus killing it?
Charlie Kindel, a 21-year Microsoft veteran who left the company in September 2011 to start his own company, described on Monday his views on why the smartphone operating system had failed to take the world by storm, in spite of being "superior" to Android.
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/12/is-windows-phones-consumer-focus-killing-it.ars

Windows Phone Marketplace hits 50,000-app mark
Nearly a year and two months after its launch, Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace has hit a new milestone.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57348866-94/windows-phone-marketplace-hits-50000-app-mark/

Windows Phone 7 Marketplace Hits 50,000 Apps, Still Lags
The Windows Phone 7 Marketplace has passed the 50,000-app mark, according to third-party figures from All About Windows Phone, a significant milestone in Microsoft?s quest to re-conquer the mobile space. But despite the number of Windows Phone 7 apps growing at a brisk pace, the market share of the platform was just 1.5 percent in the third quarter of 2011, Gartner figures show.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/247076/windows_phone_7_marketplace_hits_50000_apps_still_lags.html

Mobile App Downloads Set Records on Christmas
While some customers couldn?t rely on Best Buy to deliver their goods on time for the holidays, mobile app stores didn?t disappoint. Christmas day downloads of Apple iOS and Android apps more than doubled compared to years past, shattering records, according to a report.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/27/app-stores-christmas/

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SPAM
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ca: Antispam Law Draws Backlash by Terry Zink
I was reading in the Canadian Lawyer Mag that businesses in Canada are now coming to grips with the Canadian Antispam law that was passed last year. Canada's antispam law is much tougher than most jurisdictions. Aside from the penalties of the law, which are steep, what differentiates it the most from the US law is that Canada's law is an opt-in law; marketers who send commercial email must be able to demonstrate that they received consent in writing in order to market to people. As expected, people who are most affected by the law - marketers - are upset about the lack of wriggle room and how it could affect their business.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20111230_antispam_law_draws_backlash/

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Business is booming in market for cyber-spyware [Bloomberg]
The intelligence operative sits in a leather club chair, laptop open, one floor below the Hilton Kuala Lumpur?s convention rooms, scanning the airwaves for spies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/business-is-booming-in-market-for-cyber-spyware/2011/12/21/gIQAqxycDP_story.html

uk: Websites targeting Olympics visitors closed down by police
Detectives from the UK's leading cyber crime unit have identified hundreds of websites that could be used to dupe visitors to next year's London Olympics.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/dec/26/olympics-cybercrime-met-websites

uk: Officers investigate computer scam
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) are investigating a computer scam which attempts to extort money from unsuspecting members of public by impersonating law enforcement agencies.
http://content.met.police.uk/News/Officers-investigate-computer-scam/1400005613694/1257246745756

China seeks to combat hi-tech crimewave
The Chinese government is cracking down on home-grown cyber thieves seeking to steal online banking details. The crackdown combats phishing by ensuring that the websites of legitimate banks appear at the top of search results.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16357238

China urges tighter Internet security after series of data leaks
The Chinese government is working with domestic Internet search engines like Baidu Inc and Sohu.com and financial institutions to prevent phishing attacks on unsuspecting Chinese web users.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/12/30/china-internet-idINDEE7BT04G20111230

Singapore Press Sues Yahoo, Claiming Copyright Violations Amid Countersuit
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd., embroiled in a legal tussle with Yahoo! Inc. as both accused each other of copyright infringement, said the Internet company ?deliberately? reproduced its news content without permission.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-28/singapore-press-says-yahoo-used-news-content-without-permission.html

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SECURITY
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Insurance Against Cyber Attacks Expected to Boom
Sony is still awaiting the final tally for losses related to its data breaches earlier this year. At last count, it had compromised 100 million customer accounts, and Sony anticipated the debacle would cost $200 million. With 58 class-action suits in the works, that may be wishful thinking. Now for the really bad news: Sony?s losses aren?t insured.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/insurance-against-cyber-attacks-expected-to-boom/

Phishing Attack Trends Report - 1H 2011
http://www.antiphishing.org/reports/apwg_trends_report_h1_2011.pdf