Hi auDA and Australia! Here is the second "news" for 2012, and as of this week, back into the usual swing of things with news in your inbox twice per week, normally on Mondays and Thursdays. I hope everyone had an enjoyable festive break! Cheers David *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Internet Access Is Not a Human Right by Vint Cerf http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/opinion/internet-access-is-not-a-human-right.html ICANN Stands Ready for New gTLD Launch by Rod Beckstrom http://blog.icann.org/2012/01/icann-stands-ready-for-new-gtld-launch/ A New Challenge for Web Freedom: A vast increase of top-level domain names will put the Internet's self-regulating body to a test. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203471004577145132261409846.html US government spoon-feeds ICANN its gTLD medicine http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/01/03/usg-spoon-feeds-icann Non-Latin Top Level Domain names grew in 2011 http://gcn.com/articles/2012/01/05/internationalized-domain-name-growth.aspx Name-Calling on the Internet Is Serious Business: Susan Crawford http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-06/name-calling-on-the-internet-is-serious-business-susan-crawford.html Web-Name Fight Shows Limits to U.S. Power Over Internet Guardian http://webfarm.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-05/web-name-expansion-battle-shows-limits-to-u-s-sway-over-internet-guardian.html Web-Name Expansion Must Ease Corporate Concerns, U.S. Says http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-04/web-name-expansion-should-accommodate-company-concerns-u-s-.html ICANN chairman sees little value in delaying new domain-name program http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20120104_4335.php NTIA Asks ICANN, Nicely, To Consider Poor, Beleaguered Trademark Holders http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/01/05/ntia-asks-icann-nicely-to-consider-poor-beleaguered-trademark-holders/ US government spoon-feeds ICANN its gTLD medicine http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/01/03/usg-spoon-feeds-icann Strickling drops last-minute bombshell on new gTLDs http://domainincite.com/strickling-drops-last-minute-bombshell-on-new-gtlds/ US pressured Spain to implement online piracy law, leaked files shows http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/05/us-pressured-spain-online-piracy Sopa and Pipa: don't let big business break the internet http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/08/online-piracy-challenge-sopa-pipa Dudu.com Sold For $1m... to Dudu http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/01/06/dudu-com-sold-for-1m-to-dudu/ ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Internet Access Is Not a Human Right by Vint Cerf ... It is no surprise, then, that the protests have raised questions about whether Internet access is or should be a civil or human right. The issue is particularly acute in countries whose governments clamped down on Internet access in an attempt to quell the protesters. In June, citing the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, a report by the United Nations? special rapporteur went so far as to declare that the Internet had ?become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights.? Over the past few years, courts and parliaments in countries like France and Estonia have pronounced Internet access a human right. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/opinion/internet-access-is-not-a-human-right.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Stands Ready for New gTLD Launch On Tuesday 3 January 2012, our executive team met with Michael Salazar, New gTLD Program Director, to review ICANN?s readiness to open the application window for the new gTLD program on Thursday, 12 January, as planned. http://blog.icann.org/2012/01/icann-stands-ready-for-new-gtld-launch/ Letter from IGO Counsel, Legal Counsels of Public International Intergovernmental Organizations to Rod Beckstrom, Steve Crocker and Kurt Pritz Protection Against the Misleading Use of the Names and Acronyms of International Intergovernmental Organizations in the Domain Name System http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/igo-counsels-to-beckstrom-crocker-pritz-04jan12-en.pdf Letter from Lawrence Strickling, The Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, United States Department of Commerce to Steve Crocker New gTLD Program http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/strickling-to-crocker-03jan12-en.pdf http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/ntia_letter_on_gtld_program_jan_3_2012.pdf Initial Report on Universal Acceptance of IDN TLDs Purpose (Brief): The Initial Report reflects the preliminary stocktaking by the WG members of policy and other considerations relating to the Universal Acceptance of IDN TLDs. The WG is now seeking public comment on its Initial Report and will closely review all submitted comments to revise and assess its prelimanary stocktaking as part of the process to report on identified issues to the ccNSO and GNSO Councils. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-06jan12-en.htm Fellowship Application Round Opens for ICANN International Public Meeting 44 in Prague, Czech Republic ICANN is now accepting online applications for the 16th round of the Fellowship program. Successful candidates will participate in the ICANN meeting to be held in Prague, Czech Republic from 24-29 June 2012. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-06jan12-en.htm A New Challenge for Web Freedom: A vast increase of top-level domain names will put the Internet's self-regulating body to a test. The Internet is celebrated as a machine that runs by itself, but this is not quite accurate. The Web does have oversight, just not by any multinational organization, national government or regulator. It's run by a small, private, nonprofit institution that is rarely in the news. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203471004577145132261409846.html US government spoon-feeds ICANN its gTLD medicine ICANN needs to address the issue of defensive registrations, improve its communications, and make sure that reforms to two of its most important functions go well if it is to remain viable as an organization, the United States government has warned. http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/01/03/usg-spoon-feeds-icann Non-Latin Top Level Domain names grew in 2011 The number of TLDs for countries on the Internet using non-Latin scripts and alphabets increased by 26 to 30 over the past year, according to ICANN. http://gcn.com/articles/2012/01/05/internationalized-domain-name-growth.aspx Fight brewing over thick .com Whois This year is likely to see a new fight over whether Verisign should be forced to create a ?thick? Whois database for .com and its other gTLDs. http://domainincite.com/fight-brewing-over-thick-com-whois/ Trademark Clearinghouse coming in October ICANN plans to have the Trademark Clearinghouse for new gTLDs up and running by October, according to documents released after this Thursday?s meeting of its board of directors. http://domainincite.com/trademark-clearinghouse-coming-in-october/ ICANN CEO job ad in The Economist Having spent the last six months mulling over the qualities its ideal CEO would possess, ICANN has started advertising the position to a wider audience. http://domainincite.com/icann-ceo-job-ad-in-the-economist-image/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** .aeDA continues its efforts in protecting intellectual property rights related to domain names As part of its commitment toward the local internet community in the UAE, the .ae Domain Administration (.aeDA) of the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) continues to implement the best international practices in protecting Intellectual Property Rights for its registrants. http://tra.gov.ae/news_.aeDA_continues_its_efforts_in_protecting_intellectual_property_rights_related_to_domain_names-368-1.php .CO Internet Recognized as World Finance 100 Business Leader .CO Internet S.A.S. today was recognized in the World Finance 100 listing, alongside industry heavyweights 3M, Apple, Facebook, IBM, Google, Microsoft, and others. http://www.cointernet.co/media/press-releases/co-internet-recognized-world-finance-100-business-leader AFNIC and the MAEE : call for projects to develop the Internet in Africa The MAEE has made a grant of 400 K? to AFNIC's International College Fund in support of the call for projects to develop the Internet in Africa. http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/5527/show/afnic-and-the-maee-call-for-projects-to-develop-the-internet-in-africa.html Revamping Dot-Gov ... With the birth of the Internet, the "outside" became effectively limitless, which has resulted in a new set of challenges. While the government is publishing more information than ever through about 18,000 websites, it's become increasingly difficult for agency information to reach the public. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20120103_9677.php IEDR records 12.9% net growth in .ie domains for 2011 The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the managed registry for Ireland?s official internet address .ie, today reported its registration statistics for 2011 which show continued growth for Ireland?s top level internet domain. Overall the total number of .ie domains grew by 12.9% net in 2011 to 173,145 at year end. http://www.iedr.ie/index.php/component/content/article/50-general/289-wednesday-4th-january-2012-iedr-records-129-net-growth-in-ie-domains-for-2011 Legal dispute about co.no The upcoming lawsuit about the co.no domain will among other things decide if there in real terms has been an illegal transfer of co.no and whether the current use of the domain is in breach of the domain name policy for .no. Another important issue is whether or not the domain is used in a way that may cause confusion with official category domains, e.g. co.uk and co.nz. http://www.norid.no/nytt/co-tvist.en.html sg: Special names for a limited period! Grab it now! >From 3 January 2012 to 31 January 2012, a selected group of Premium Domain Names (?PDNs?) will be released for application at a base price ranging from $642 to $21,400 (including GST). If the name has multiple applications, it will be allocated to the applicant with the highest bid. http://nic.net.sg/news/special-names-limited-period-grab-it-now-2 ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** Name-Calling on the Internet Is Serious Business: Susan Crawford More than 5 billion additional people will connect to the Internet in the next 20 years, and most of the newcomers will not speak English. This next generation will use the Internet in ways we cannot imagine, and its innovations will change the world. But if the debate in Washington over the creation of new domain names goes the wrong way, Internet policy won?t help the free flow of speech online. The U.S. can help by having the courage to stay the course. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-06/name-calling-on-the-internet-is-serious-business-susan-crawford.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-05/name-calling-on-the-internet-is-serious-business-susan-crawford.html Web-Name Fight Shows Limits to U.S. Power Over Internet Guardian A plan to add hundreds of top-level Internet domains beyond .com is proceeding over objections from U.S. officials, illustrating limits in the government?s ability to sway the nonprofit that manages the Web?s address system. http://webfarm.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-05/web-name-expansion-battle-shows-limits-to-u-s-sway-over-internet-guardian.html Web-Name Expansion Must Ease Corporate Concerns, U.S. Says The nonprofit group that manages the Internet?s address system needs to take steps to ease corporate concerns over a program to add hundreds of TLDs beyond .com and .net, the U.S. Commerce Department said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-04/web-name-expansion-should-accommodate-company-concerns-u-s-.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-05/web-name-expansion-must-ease-corporate-concerns-u-s-says.html CADNA Calls for Changes Before the New gTLD Program Moves Forward CADNA is strongly encouraged by the level of attention that the New gTLD Program has recently received from the U.S. Congress, the Obama Administration and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. http://www.cadna.org/en/newsroom/press-release/kickoff-and-letter-to-icann ICANN chairman sees little value in delaying new domain-name program With a week to go before his group rolls out a program that could dramatically increase the number of Internet addresses available to the public, the chairman of ICANN says he sees no reason to delay despite growing calls to slow down the process. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20120104_4335.php NTIA Asks ICANN, Nicely, To Consider Poor, Beleaguered Trademark Holders Various arms of the US government have been asking ICANN to reconsider and even delay the introduction of new gTLDs, however the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has been reticent to criticise the organisation and has generally offered ICANN support. Until now. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16639 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/01/05/ntia-asks-icann-nicely-to-consider-poor-beleaguered-trademark-holders/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/ntia-asks-icann-nicely-to-consider-poor-beleaguered-trademark-holders.html US government spoon-feeds ICANN its gTLD medicine ICANN needs to address the issue of defensive registrations, improve its communications, and make sure that reforms to two of its most important functions go well if it is to remain viable as an organization, the United States government has warned. http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/01/03/usg-spoon-feeds-icann ICANN adds confusion over second new gTLD round ICANN?s board of directors met on Thursday to discuss the imminent launch of the new gTLDs program. http://domainincite.com/icann-adds-confusion-over-second-new-gtld-round/ Internet address regime launches expansion of domain names One of the biggest changes to the internet since its inception 30 years ago will begin this week. From Thursday, anyone will be able register any web address suffix for $185,000 (?119,000). http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/08/internet-address-regime-expanded The Race to Nab Web Addresses: Entrepreneurs See Opportunity in Domain-Name Opening This week will bring the long-awaited opening up of a new realm of Web addresses in which just about any word?such as dot-furniture or dot-arcticvacations?can serve as a domain name. And to some, that spells opportunity. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204124204577149033198903356.html Commerce Dept. Treads Lightly in Dispute Over Rollout of Top-Level Domains The Commerce Department this week waded into the growing controversy over ICANN's plan to unleash hundreds of new TLDs on the Internet. But for those that have warned that Icann's plan could have severe unintended consequences for businesses and consumers, Commerce's letter to Icann may barely cause a ripple. http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/commerce-dept-treads-lightly-dispute-over-rollout-top-level-domains-137318 ICANN confirms possible new Applicant Guidebook With just a week left before ICANN begins to accept new gTLD applications, the organization has confirmed that it might release a new draft of the Applicant Guidebook. http://domainincite.com/icann-confirms-possible-new-applicant-guidebook/ Strickling drops last-minute bombshell on new gTLDs Larry Strickling, the man most responsible for overseeing ICANN in the US administration, has given an unexpected last-minute boost to opponents of the new gTLDs program. http://domainincite.com/strickling-drops-last-minute-bombshell-on-new-gtlds/ ICANN chair says new gTLD program ?will run smoothly? ICANN chairman Steve Crocker has again said he expects the new gTLDs program to kick off next week as planned, and that he expects it to ?run smoothly?. http://domainincite.com/icann-chair-says-new-gtld-program-will-run-smoothly/ High-security .bank spec published BITS, the technology arm of the Financial Services Roundtable, has published a set of specifications for new ?high-security? gTLDs such as .bank and .pay. http://domainincite.com/high-security-bank-spec-published/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** NASK implements DNSSEC Starting from December 2011 NASK offers the .pl domain in DNSSEC secured form. It is the beginning of implementation the solution that make it more difficult for criminals to deceive users by directing them to fake websites. http://www.nask.pl/newsID/id/759 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** MasterCard files UDRP on ?priceless? geo domains MasterCard recently registered several ?priceless? domain names including the names of major cities and has filed cybersquatting complaints on seven more belonging to third parties. http://domainincite.com/mastercard-files-udrp-on-priceless-geo-domains/ au: Woolworths Limited v. Cracka IP Pty Ltd - Case No. DAU2011-0028 1. The Parties: The Complainant is Woolworths Limited of New South Wales, Australia, represented by Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Australia. The Respondent is Cracka IP Pty Ltd of New South Wales, Australia. ... 7. Decision: For all the foregoing reasons, in accordance with paragraphs 4(i) of the Policy and 15 of the Rules, the Panel orders that the Domain Names ... be transferred to the Complainant. http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2011-0028 Schark Holdings Pty Ltd and Surf Coast News Australia Pty Ltd v. Nicholas Soames - Case No. DAU2011-0032 1. The Parties: The Complainants are Schark Holdings Pty Ltd. and Surf Coast News Australia Pty Ltd, both of Victoria, Australia, represented by Coulter Roache Lawyers, Australia. The Respondent is Nicholas Soames of Victoria, Australia. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar: The disputed domain name <surfcoastnews.com.au> is registered with Melbourne IT Ltd. (the ?Registrar?). ... 7. Decision: For all the foregoing reasons, the Complaint is denied. http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2011-0032 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Anti-internet piracy law adopted by Spanish government The Spanish government has approved tough new legislation which could see websites deemed to be trading in pirated material blocked within ten days. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16391727 US pressured Spain to implement online piracy law, leaked files shows The US ambassador in Madrid threatened Spain with "retaliation actions" if the country did not pass tough new internet piracy laws, according to leaked documents. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/05/us-pressured-spain-online-piracy How the US pressured Spain to adopt unpopular Web blocking law Though a deeply divided Congress is currently considering Internet website censorship legislation, the US has no such official policy?not even for child porn, which is voluntarily blocked by some ISPs. Nor does the US have a government-backed "three strikes" or "graduated response" system of escalating warnings to particular users accused of downloading music and movies from file-sharing networks. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/how-the-us-convinced-spain-to-adopt-internet-censorship.ars Spain passes SOPA-like law that U.S. allegedly pushed for An anti-piracy law passed in Spain on January 3 has striking similarities to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that is stirring controversy in the U.S. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57353248-38/spain-passes-sopa-like-law-that-u.s-allegedly-pushed-for/ Al Gore slams SOPA in now-deleted YouTube video Former presidential candidate Al Gore has joined conservatives at the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform in expressing reservations about controversial Hollywood-backed copyright legislation. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57354080-281/al-gore-slams-sopa-in-now-deleted-youtube-video/ Sopa and Pipa: don't let big business break the internet The key to survival ? in business as in the jungle ? is to be able to learn from your mistakes. The strange thing is that some industries haven't yet figured that out. Chief among them are the so-called "content" industries ? the ones represented by huge multimedia corporations which own movie studios, record labels and publishing houses. ... But the most worrying aspect of these bills is that they would distort the architecture of the internet in ways that would cripple its capacity for enabling innovation ? something that has been eloquently pointed out to senators and congressmen by many of the network's original architects. The reason for their concern is that the proposed legislation would tamper with the Domain Name System (DNS) which is one of the core components of the net. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/08/online-piracy-challenge-sopa-pipa us: Lawmakers seem intent on approving SOPA, PIPA [IDG] Early this year, the U.S. Congress appears likely to move forward with two controversial copyright enforcement bills, even with vocal and widespread opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act in the Internet community. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/010512-lawmakers-seem-intent-on-approving-254572.html United Domains gets Punk?d Members of ICANN community and competing domain registrars find themselves as new United Domains account holders. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/01/05/united-domains-gets-punked/ Judge allows fraud claim in Monte Cahn vs. Oversee.net to move forward, nixes two others The judge overseeing Monte Cahn vs. Oversee.net has handed down a mixed bag to both parties in his latest ruling. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/01/06/monte-cahn-oversee/ 2011 Domain Name Year In Review ? Who?d A Thunk It? by Elisa Cooper Wow. That?s all I can really say. Who would have ever believed that .XXX would finally be approved AND launched, total domains registrations would continue to grow at 10% year over year, ICANN would be in the process of preparing for the launch of new gTLDs in the face of harsh criticism, and that both Go Daddy and Group NBT would be acquired by private equity firms. https://www.markmonitor.com/mmblog/2011-domain-name-year-in-review-?-who?d-a-thunk-it/ Netcraft January 2012 Web Server Survey In the January 2012 survey we received responses from 582,716,657 sites, a growth of 4.9% or 27.2M sites on last month. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2012/01/03/january-2012-web-server-survey.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** New Year Kicks into High Gear as Sedo Brokers Sale of dudu.com for $1 Million Sedo, the leading online domain marketplace and monetization provider, today announced the successful negotiation of a $1 million sale for the domain name dudu.com. A memorable, short and brandable name, the sale of dudu.com to social media network DUDU was brokered, after three months of negotiations, by Sedo?s international sales team. http://www.sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e&id=419 Dudu.com Sold For $1m... to Dudu The domain name dudu.com was sold for $1 million to Dubai-based social media network DUDU in a sale negotiated over three months by Sedo to close out 2011. The sale was Sedo's second largest public sale in 2011, topped only by gambling.com, which sold for $2.5 million. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16649 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/01/06/dudu-com-sold-for-1m-to-dudu/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/duducom-sold-for-1m-to-dudu.html A .Net Gives That Extension a Rare Win in This Week's Domain Sales Race Things were a bit quieter in the domain aftermarket this past week - no surprise since it was also the biggest holiday week of the year encompassing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Still, even though there were no six-figure sales, it was a respectable showing with every domain on our latest all extension Top 20 Sales Chart hitting five figures. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20120104.htm ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Internet Access Is Not a Human Right by Vint Cerf ... It is no surprise, then, that the protests have raised questions about whether Internet access is or should be a civil or human right. The issue is particularly acute in countries whose governments clamped down on Internet access in an attempt to quell the protesters. In June, citing the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, a report by the United Nations? special rapporteur went so far as to declare that the Internet had ?become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights.? Over the past few years, courts and parliaments in countries like France and Estonia have pronounced Internet access a human right. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/opinion/internet-access-is-not-a-human-right.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Stands Ready for New gTLD Launch On Tuesday 3 January 2012, our executive team met with Michael Salazar, New gTLD Program Director, to review ICANN?s readiness to open the application window for the new gTLD program on Thursday, 12 January, as planned. http://blog.icann.org/2012/01/icann-stands-ready-for-new-gtld-launch/ Letter from IGO Counsel, Legal Counsels of Public International Intergovernmental Organizations to Rod Beckstrom, Steve Crocker and Kurt Pritz Protection Against the Misleading Use of the Names and Acronyms of International Intergovernmental Organizations in the Domain Name System http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/igo-counsels-to-beckstrom-crocker-pritz-04jan12-en.pdf Letter from Lawrence Strickling, The Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, United States Department of Commerce to Steve Crocker New gTLD Program http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/strickling-to-crocker-03jan12-en.pdf http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/ntia_letter_on_gtld_program_jan_3_2012.pdf Initial Report on Universal Acceptance of IDN TLDs Purpose (Brief): The Initial Report reflects the preliminary stocktaking by the WG members of policy and other considerations relating to the Universal Acceptance of IDN TLDs. The WG is now seeking public comment on its Initial Report and will closely review all submitted comments to revise and assess its prelimanary stocktaking as part of the process to report on identified issues to the ccNSO and GNSO Councils. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-06jan12-en.htm Fellowship Application Round Opens for ICANN International Public Meeting 44 in Prague, Czech Republic ICANN is now accepting online applications for the 16th round of the Fellowship program. Successful candidates will participate in the ICANN meeting to be held in Prague, Czech Republic from 24-29 June 2012. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-06jan12-en.htm A New Challenge for Web Freedom: A vast increase of top-level domain names will put the Internet's self-regulating body to a test. The Internet is celebrated as a machine that runs by itself, but this is not quite accurate. The Web does have oversight, just not by any multinational organization, national government or regulator. It's run by a small, private, nonprofit institution that is rarely in the news. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203471004577145132261409846.html US government spoon-feeds ICANN its gTLD medicine ICANN needs to address the issue of defensive registrations, improve its communications, and make sure that reforms to two of its most important functions go well if it is to remain viable as an organization, the United States government has warned. http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/01/03/usg-spoon-feeds-icann Non-Latin Top Level Domain names grew in 2011 The number of TLDs for countries on the Internet using non-Latin scripts and alphabets increased by 26 to 30 over the past year, according to ICANN. http://gcn.com/articles/2012/01/05/internationalized-domain-name-growth.aspx Fight brewing over thick .com Whois This year is likely to see a new fight over whether Verisign should be forced to create a ?thick? Whois database for .com and its other gTLDs. http://domainincite.com/fight-brewing-over-thick-com-whois/ Trademark Clearinghouse coming in October ICANN plans to have the Trademark Clearinghouse for new gTLDs up and running by October, according to documents released after this Thursday?s meeting of its board of directors. http://domainincite.com/trademark-clearinghouse-coming-in-october/ ICANN CEO job ad in The Economist Having spent the last six months mulling over the qualities its ideal CEO would possess, ICANN has started advertising the position to a wider audience. http://domainincite.com/icann-ceo-job-ad-in-the-economist-image/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** .aeDA continues its efforts in protecting intellectual property rights related to domain names As part of its commitment toward the local internet community in the UAE, the .ae Domain Administration (.aeDA) of the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) continues to implement the best international practices in protecting Intellectual Property Rights for its registrants. http://tra.gov.ae/news_.aeDA_continues_its_efforts_in_protecting_intellectual_property_rights_related_to_domain_names-368-1.php .CO Internet Recognized as World Finance 100 Business Leader .CO Internet S.A.S. today was recognized in the World Finance 100 listing, alongside industry heavyweights 3M, Apple, Facebook, IBM, Google, Microsoft, and others. http://www.cointernet.co/media/press-releases/co-internet-recognized-world-finance-100-business-leader AFNIC and the MAEE : call for projects to develop the Internet in Africa The MAEE has made a grant of 400 K? to AFNIC's International College Fund in support of the call for projects to develop the Internet in Africa. http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/5527/show/afnic-and-the-maee-call-for-projects-to-develop-the-internet-in-africa.html Revamping Dot-Gov ... With the birth of the Internet, the "outside" became effectively limitless, which has resulted in a new set of challenges. While the government is publishing more information than ever through about 18,000 websites, it's become increasingly difficult for agency information to reach the public. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20120103_9677.php IEDR records 12.9% net growth in .ie domains for 2011 The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the managed registry for Ireland?s official internet address .ie, today reported its registration statistics for 2011 which show continued growth for Ireland?s top level internet domain. Overall the total number of .ie domains grew by 12.9% net in 2011 to 173,145 at year end. http://www.iedr.ie/index.php/component/content/article/50-general/289-wednesday-4th-january-2012-iedr-records-129-net-growth-in-ie-domains-for-2011 Legal dispute about co.no The upcoming lawsuit about the co.no domain will among other things decide if there in real terms has been an illegal transfer of co.no and whether the current use of the domain is in breach of the domain name policy for .no. Another important issue is whether or not the domain is used in a way that may cause confusion with official category domains, e.g. co.uk and co.nz. http://www.norid.no/nytt/co-tvist.en.html sg: Special names for a limited period! Grab it now! >From 3 January 2012 to 31 January 2012, a selected group of Premium Domain Names (?PDNs?) will be released for application at a base price ranging from $642 to $21,400 (including GST). If the name has multiple applications, it will be allocated to the applicant with the highest bid. http://nic.net.sg/news/special-names-limited-period-grab-it-now-2 ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** Name-Calling on the Internet Is Serious Business: Susan Crawford More than 5 billion additional people will connect to the Internet in the next 20 years, and most of the newcomers will not speak English. This next generation will use the Internet in ways we cannot imagine, and its innovations will change the world. But if the debate in Washington over the creation of new domain names goes the wrong way, Internet policy won?t help the free flow of speech online. The U.S. can help by having the courage to stay the course. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-06/name-calling-on-the-internet-is-serious-business-susan-crawford.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-05/name-calling-on-the-internet-is-serious-business-susan-crawford.html Web-Name Fight Shows Limits to U.S. Power Over Internet Guardian A plan to add hundreds of top-level Internet domains beyond .com is proceeding over objections from U.S. officials, illustrating limits in the government?s ability to sway the nonprofit that manages the Web?s address system. http://webfarm.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-05/web-name-expansion-battle-shows-limits-to-u-s-sway-over-internet-guardian.html Web-Name Expansion Must Ease Corporate Concerns, U.S. Says The nonprofit group that manages the Internet?s address system needs to take steps to ease corporate concerns over a program to add hundreds of TLDs beyond .com and .net, the U.S. Commerce Department said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-04/web-name-expansion-should-accommodate-company-concerns-u-s-.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-05/web-name-expansion-must-ease-corporate-concerns-u-s-says.html CADNA Calls for Changes Before the New gTLD Program Moves Forward CADNA is strongly encouraged by the level of attention that the New gTLD Program has recently received from the U.S. Congress, the Obama Administration and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. http://www.cadna.org/en/newsroom/press-release/kickoff-and-letter-to-icann ICANN chairman sees little value in delaying new domain-name program With a week to go before his group rolls out a program that could dramatically increase the number of Internet addresses available to the public, the chairman of ICANN says he sees no reason to delay despite growing calls to slow down the process. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20120104_4335.php NTIA Asks ICANN, Nicely, To Consider Poor, Beleaguered Trademark Holders Various arms of the US government have been asking ICANN to reconsider and even delay the introduction of new gTLDs, however the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has been reticent to criticise the organisation and has generally offered ICANN support. Until now. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16639 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/01/05/ntia-asks-icann-nicely-to-consider-poor-beleaguered-trademark-holders/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/ntia-asks-icann-nicely-to-consider-poor-beleaguered-trademark-holders.html US government spoon-feeds ICANN its gTLD medicine ICANN needs to address the issue of defensive registrations, improve its communications, and make sure that reforms to two of its most important functions go well if it is to remain viable as an organization, the United States government has warned. http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/01/03/usg-spoon-feeds-icann ICANN adds confusion over second new gTLD round ICANN?s board of directors met on Thursday to discuss the imminent launch of the new gTLDs program. http://domainincite.com/icann-adds-confusion-over-second-new-gtld-round/ Internet address regime launches expansion of domain names One of the biggest changes to the internet since its inception 30 years ago will begin this week. From Thursday, anyone will be able register any web address suffix for $185,000 (?119,000). http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/08/internet-address-regime-expanded The Race to Nab Web Addresses: Entrepreneurs See Opportunity in Domain-Name Opening This week will bring the long-awaited opening up of a new realm of Web addresses in which just about any word?such as dot-furniture or dot-arcticvacations?can serve as a domain name. And to some, that spells opportunity. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204124204577149033198903356.html Commerce Dept. Treads Lightly in Dispute Over Rollout of Top-Level Domains The Commerce Department this week waded into the growing controversy over ICANN's plan to unleash hundreds of new TLDs on the Internet. But for those that have warned that Icann's plan could have severe unintended consequences for businesses and consumers, Commerce's letter to Icann may barely cause a ripple. http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/commerce-dept-treads-lightly-dispute-over-rollout-top-level-domains-137318 ICANN confirms possible new Applicant Guidebook With just a week left before ICANN begins to accept new gTLD applications, the organization has confirmed that it might release a new draft of the Applicant Guidebook. http://domainincite.com/icann-confirms-possible-new-applicant-guidebook/ Strickling drops last-minute bombshell on new gTLDs Larry Strickling, the man most responsible for overseeing ICANN in the US administration, has given an unexpected last-minute boost to opponents of the new gTLDs program. http://domainincite.com/strickling-drops-last-minute-bombshell-on-new-gtlds/ ICANN chair says new gTLD program ?will run smoothly? ICANN chairman Steve Crocker has again said he expects the new gTLDs program to kick off next week as planned, and that he expects it to ?run smoothly?. http://domainincite.com/icann-chair-says-new-gtld-program-will-run-smoothly/ High-security .bank spec published BITS, the technology arm of the Financial Services Roundtable, has published a set of specifications for new ?high-security? gTLDs such as .bank and .pay. http://domainincite.com/high-security-bank-spec-published/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** NASK implements DNSSEC Starting from December 2011 NASK offers the .pl domain in DNSSEC secured form. It is the beginning of implementation the solution that make it more difficult for criminals to deceive users by directing them to fake websites. http://www.nask.pl/newsID/id/759 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** MasterCard files UDRP on ?priceless? geo domains MasterCard recently registered several ?priceless? domain names including the names of major cities and has filed cybersquatting complaints on seven more belonging to third parties. http://domainincite.com/mastercard-files-udrp-on-priceless-geo-domains/ au: Woolworths Limited v. Cracka IP Pty Ltd - Case No. DAU2011-0028 1. The Parties: The Complainant is Woolworths Limited of New South Wales, Australia, represented by Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Australia. The Respondent is Cracka IP Pty Ltd of New South Wales, Australia. ... 7. Decision: For all the foregoing reasons, in accordance with paragraphs 4(i) of the Policy and 15 of the Rules, the Panel orders that the Domain Names ... be transferred to the Complainant. http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2011-0028 Schark Holdings Pty Ltd and Surf Coast News Australia Pty Ltd v. Nicholas Soames - Case No. DAU2011-0032 1. The Parties: The Complainants are Schark Holdings Pty Ltd. and Surf Coast News Australia Pty Ltd, both of Victoria, Australia, represented by Coulter Roache Lawyers, Australia. The Respondent is Nicholas Soames of Victoria, Australia. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar: The disputed domain name <surfcoastnews.com.au> is registered with Melbourne IT Ltd. (the ?Registrar?). ... 7. Decision: For all the foregoing reasons, the Complaint is denied. http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2011-0032 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Anti-internet piracy law adopted by Spanish government The Spanish government has approved tough new legislation which could see websites deemed to be trading in pirated material blocked within ten days. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16391727 US pressured Spain to implement online piracy law, leaked files shows The US ambassador in Madrid threatened Spain with "retaliation actions" if the country did not pass tough new internet piracy laws, according to leaked documents. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/05/us-pressured-spain-online-piracy How the US pressured Spain to adopt unpopular Web blocking law Though a deeply divided Congress is currently considering Internet website censorship legislation, the US has no such official policy?not even for child porn, which is voluntarily blocked by some ISPs. Nor does the US have a government-backed "three strikes" or "graduated response" system of escalating warnings to particular users accused of downloading music and movies from file-sharing networks. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/how-the-us-convinced-spain-to-adopt-internet-censorship.ars Spain passes SOPA-like law that U.S. allegedly pushed for An anti-piracy law passed in Spain on January 3 has striking similarities to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that is stirring controversy in the U.S. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57353248-38/spain-passes-sopa-like-law-that-u.s-allegedly-pushed-for/ Al Gore slams SOPA in now-deleted YouTube video Former presidential candidate Al Gore has joined conservatives at the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform in expressing reservations about controversial Hollywood-backed copyright legislation. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57354080-281/al-gore-slams-sopa-in-now-deleted-youtube-video/ Sopa and Pipa: don't let big business break the internet The key to survival ? in business as in the jungle ? is to be able to learn from your mistakes. The strange thing is that some industries haven't yet figured that out. Chief among them are the so-called "content" industries ? the ones represented by huge multimedia corporations which own movie studios, record labels and publishing houses. ... But the most worrying aspect of these bills is that they would distort the architecture of the internet in ways that would cripple its capacity for enabling innovation ? something that has been eloquently pointed out to senators and congressmen by many of the network's original architects. The reason for their concern is that the proposed legislation would tamper with the Domain Name System (DNS) which is one of the core components of the net. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/08/online-piracy-challenge-sopa-pipa us: Lawmakers seem intent on approving SOPA, PIPA [IDG] Early this year, the U.S. Congress appears likely to move forward with two controversial copyright enforcement bills, even with vocal and widespread opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act in the Internet community. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/010512-lawmakers-seem-intent-on-approving-254572.html United Domains gets Punk?d Members of ICANN community and competing domain registrars find themselves as new United Domains account holders. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/01/05/united-domains-gets-punked/ Judge allows fraud claim in Monte Cahn vs. Oversee.net to move forward, nixes two others The judge overseeing Monte Cahn vs. Oversee.net has handed down a mixed bag to both parties in his latest ruling. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/01/06/monte-cahn-oversee/ 2011 Domain Name Year In Review ? Who?d A Thunk It? by Elisa Cooper Wow. That?s all I can really say. Who would have ever believed that .XXX would finally be approved AND launched, total domains registrations would continue to grow at 10% year over year, ICANN would be in the process of preparing for the launch of new gTLDs in the face of harsh criticism, and that both Go Daddy and Group NBT would be acquired by private equity firms. https://www.markmonitor.com/mmblog/2011-domain-name-year-in-review-?-who?d-a-thunk-it/ Netcraft January 2012 Web Server Survey In the January 2012 survey we received responses from 582,716,657 sites, a growth of 4.9% or 27.2M sites on last month. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2012/01/03/january-2012-web-server-survey.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** New Year Kicks into High Gear as Sedo Brokers Sale of dudu.com for $1 Million Sedo, the leading online domain marketplace and monetization provider, today announced the successful negotiation of a $1 million sale for the domain name dudu.com. A memorable, short and brandable name, the sale of dudu.com to social media network DUDU was brokered, after three months of negotiations, by Sedo?s international sales team. http://www.sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e&id=419 Dudu.com Sold For $1m... to Dudu The domain name dudu.com was sold for $1 million to Dubai-based social media network DUDU in a sale negotiated over three months by Sedo to close out 2011. The sale was Sedo's second largest public sale in 2011, topped only by gambling.com, which sold for $2.5 million. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16649 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/01/06/dudu-com-sold-for-1m-to-dudu/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/duducom-sold-for-1m-to-dudu.html A .Net Gives That Extension a Rare Win in This Week's Domain Sales Race Things were a bit quieter in the domain aftermarket this past week - no surprise since it was also the biggest holiday week of the year encompassing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Still, even though there were no six-figure sales, it was a respectable showing with every domain on our latest all extension Top 20 Sales Chart hitting five figures. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20120104.htm ********************** - NON-ENGLISH NEWS ********************** ********************** - German News ********************** US-Regierung hat Bedenken gegen neue Domains Die US-Regierung hat im Namen von vielen Unternehmen die Icann aufgefordert, ihre Pl?ne zu neuen gTLDs zu ?berarbeiten. Die Icann will k?nftig jedes Wort als gTLD akzeptieren. http://www.golem.de/1201/88836.html Tipps zum Kauf und der Registrierung von Domains ... Die Registrierung der Domain ?bernehmen im Regelfall die Komplettanbieter oder ausschlie?lich auf Domains spezialisiert Unternehmen wie z.B. United Domains . Der Domainname wird hierzu bei der zust?ndigen NIC registriert. F?r Endungen mit .de ist die DENIC zust?ndig. http://www.lvz-online.de/nachrichten/multimedia/tipps-zum-kauf-und-der-registrierung-von-domains/r-multimedia-a-120282.html Millionen-Poker um neue Internet-Adressen Der Adressraum im Internet wird radikal erweitert, hunderte Adress-Endungen kommen hinzu. SAP, Linde und RWE bewerben sich um die neuen TLDs, viele andere Dax-Konzerne scheuen die Millionenkosten. http://www.wiwo.de/technologie/digitale-welt/neue-top-level-domains-millionen-poker-um-neue-internet-adressen/6026866.html dudu.com f?r 1 Million US-Dollar verkauft ? Vermittlung durch Sedo Wie die in K?ln ans?ssige Firma Sedo meldet, wurde der Domainname dudu.com f?r 1 Million US-Dollar an einen K?ufer aus Dubai vermittelt. Hier der Text der Pressemitteilung von Sedo: http://www.dvmag.de/verkauf-dudu-com-1-million-us-dollar/ ********************** - French News ********************** Les facettes de l?Internet chinois Les festivit?s qui entourent traditionnellement le Nouvel An chinois vont bient?t commencer. ? cette occasion, DomainesInfo a souhait? vous faire d?couvrir comment les Chinois utilisent l?Internet dans le pays le plus connect? du monde. http://www.domainesinfo.fr/extension/2429/chine-les-facettes-de-l-internet-chinois.php ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Can We Really Unplug? The illusion of Internet freedom by Katie Roiphe How many people made New Year?s resolutions to spend less time on the Internet? Yet another friend recently recommended that I try Freedom, the popular program that ?locks? you off the Internet. The ubiquitousness of this program, which calls itself ?a simple productivity application,? feels ominous to me. It somehow brings to mind the Ionesco play, Rhinoceros, where one by one the townspeople turn into rhinoceroses. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/roiphe/2012/01/why_is_the_freedom_app_so_popular_.html Top 1% of Mobile Users Consume Half of World?s Bandwidth, and Gap Is Growing The world?s congested mobile airwaves are being divided in a lopsided manner, with 1 percent of consumers generating half of all traffic. The top 10 percent of users, meanwhile, are consuming 90 percent of wireless bandwidth. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/technology/top-1-of-mobile-users-use-half-of-worlds-wireless-bandwidth.html Mobile browsing reaches all-time high If you haven't whipped your Web site into shape for easy viewing on small-screen devices, you'd better get cracking. That's because the use of mobile devices reached an all-time high in December, accounting for 7.7 percent of browser usage according to Net Applications' measurements of daily visits to its network of 40,000 Web sites. That may still be a small fraction of total Web traffic, but it's a large and growing population in absolute numbers. http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-57350968-264/mobile-browsing-reaches-all-time-high/ http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/mobile-working/2012/01/04/browsing-on-tablets-and-phones-hits-all-time-high-40094743/ Internet Activism Increases in Russia The recent opposition rallies in Moscow, like their counterparts in the Arab world last year, grew suddenly and unexpectedly from chatter over social networks. But they also showed the power of the Internet to raise money for anti-Kremlin causes. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203899504577130242623440740.html Newspapers, Paywalls, and Core Users by Clay Shirky This may be the year where newspapers finally drop the idea of treating all news as a product, and all readers as customers. http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2012/01/newspapers-paywalls-and-core-users/ ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Some Countries Are More Social Than Others, Survey Finds In the big cities of India and China, it seems, people can?t help being social. Nearly everyone who uses the Internet there is also active on social networks, according to a vast global survey by Forrester Research, and most of them do much more than read and watch what?s posted online. Three out of four of them write blog posts or upload pictures and music. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/some-countries-are-more-social-than-others-survey-finds/ Worm steals 45,000 Facebook passwords, researchers say A computer worm has stolen 45,000 login credentials from Facebook, security experts have warned. The data is believed to have been taken largely from Facebook accounts in the UK and France, according to security firm Seculert. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16426824 Ramnit malware takes aim at Facebook A repurposed piece of financial malware is being blamed for the loss of some 45,000 Facebook user credentials. http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2135629/ramnit-malware-takes-aim-facebook Facebook Ramnit Worm Swipes 45,000 Usernames, Passwords Facebook users have a new threat to look out for. It's called the "Ramnit" worm, and it has compromised 45,000 user accounts. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/facebook-ramnit-worm_n_1186796.html Facebook, Twitter battle 'social' spam Facebook and Twitter are building up their forces to fight an emerging enemy: "social" spam. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203686204577112942734977800.html http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/facebook-twitter-battle-social-spam/story-fnay3ubk-1226237108998 Does Facebook?s Timeline Violate Its FTC Settlement? Facebook may be in hot water over privacy again. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public interest group, has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate possible privacy violations in the new Facebook Timeline feature. http://mashable.com/2012/01/06/facebook-timeline-epic/ EPIC Submits Comments on FTC Facebook Privacy Settlement EPIC submitted comments to the FTC on a proposed settlement with Facebook. The settlement follows from complaints filed by EPIC and other consumer and privacy organizations in 2009 and 2010 over Facebook?s decision to change its users' privacy settings in a way that made users' personal information more widely available to the public and to Facebook's business partners. http://epic.org/2011/12/epic-submits-comments-on-ftc-f.html ********************************* CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY ********************************* us: EPIC Submits Comments on Children's Online Privacy Rule EPIC submitted comments to the FTC on a proposed rule for the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The proposed rule would revise the definition of Personally Identifiable Information to include identifiers such as cookies, IP addresses, and geolocation information. http://epic.org/2011/12/epic-submits-comments-on-child.html ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** us: Full Album Sales Showed a Little Growth in 2011 For the beleaguered music industry, any positive news about sales is cause for celebration. And in 2011, the numbers were slightly up. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/business/media/complete-album-sales-showed-slight-growth-in-2011.html Editorial: A fair block on Internet piracy Billions of dollars are lost each year to online piracy, which stifles the ability of writers, songwriters and others in the creative arts to earn the royalties they are due and drains profits from legitimate manufacturers. Consumers often find themselves saddled with shoddy products and no prospect of obtaining a refund. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-fair-block-on-internet-piracy/2011/12/16/gIQAIkn3WP_story.html Google and Apple to go head to head over 'smart' TVs Google and Apple are preparing a rematch of the battle they fought for dominance of the smartphone market, but this time the contest between them will be for control of our television sets. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/06/google-apple-smart-tv ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Apps downloads hit record high in last week of December For the first time in a single week, more than a billion apps have been downloaded, according to a study. Analytics firm Flurry said 1.2 billion apps were downloaded in the last week of December. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16391730 Uganda gov't asks millions of mobile phone users to register SIM cards to curb crime The Ugandan government has urged all mobile phone users in the East African country to register their SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards a move it says will help curb crime. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2012-01/04/c_131341893.htm Google data suggests about 42m Android devices activated in December Roughly 42m Android devices using Google's services were activated during December, according to calculations by the Guardian using data which suggest that there are now just less than 280m active "Google Android" devices. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/05/google-42m-android-activated-december 'Europe's biggest' free wi-fi zone set for London Mobile operator O2 is to provide free internet to "millions" of residents and visitors in central London by launching Europe's largest free wi-fi zone. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16440911 HTC's Decline Is Samsung?s Gain Samsung Electronics on Friday posted record fourth-quarter profits, citing high sales of its Android devices, while HTC, another major Android player, reported a drop in profits, its first decline in two years. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/htc-samsung/ Android could grab 50 percent of smartphone market this year Android could own half of the global smartphone market this year. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57353681-93/android-could-grab-50-percent-of-smartphone-market-this-year/ Windows Phone to revive Nokia this year, says analyst Microsoft's Windows Phone will be the linchpin to drive a recovery for Nokia throughout 2012, says Credit Suisse analyst Kulbinder Garcha. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57354010-93/windows-phone-to-revive-nokia-this-year-says-analyst/ Apple's Siri uses three times more data than earlier iPhones Siri, the sultry-voiced do-it-all software assistant for the iPhone 4S, might be responsible for a flood of traffic hitting wireless networks. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/apples-siri-uses-three-times-more-data-than-earlier-iphones/2012/01/06/gIQAi9YpfP_story.html ********************** SPAM ********************** 'Spam capital' India arrests six in phishing probe Police in India say they have arrested six foreign nationals suspected of defrauding hundreds of people using text message and email scams. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16392960 ********************** ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL ********************** FBI warns of new Zeus-based malware in phishing scam So long as people click on unsolicited attachments in email, scammers will invent new ways to take their money, identities and more. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/010612-gameover-malware-254623.html ********************** SECURITY ********************** Symantec Confirms ?Segment? of Source Code Was Stolen Hackers have stolen some of the programming code for two of Symantec?s antivirus products for businesses. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/symantec-confirms-segment-of-source-code-stolen/ Hacker group threatens to release Symantec AV source code Symantec is investigating an Indian hacking group's claims that it accessed source code used in the company's flagship Norton Antivirus program. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223190/Hacker_group_threatens_to_release_Symantec_AV_source_code Cyberattack Exposes 20,000 Israeli Credit Card Numbers and Details About Users The credit card details of more than 20,000 Israelis were exposed on the Internet in two waves this week by a hacker or team of hackers who said they were Saudis. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/07/world/middleeast/cyberattack-exposes-20000-israeli-credit-card-numbers.html Israel vows to hit back after credit cards hacked Israel said on Saturday the online publication of thousands of its citizens' credit card details by a hacker claiming to be Saudi was comparable to terrorism, and vowed to hit back. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/01/07/oukin-uk-israel-hacking-idUKTRE8050LO20120107 http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/01/07/israel-hacking-idINDEE80604P20120107 New slow-motion DoS attack: just a few PCs, little fear of detection Qualsys Security Labs researcher Sergey Shekyan has created a proof-of-concept tool that could be used to essentially shut down websites from a single computer with little fear of detection. The attack exploits the nature of the Internet's Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), forcing the target server to keep a network connection open by performing a "slow read" of the server's responses. http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2012/01/new-slow-motion-dos-attack-just-a-few-pcs-little-fear-of-detection.ars us: EPIC Urges Court to Order Disclosure of CyberSecurity Authority EPIC filed papers urging a federal court to order the National Security Agency to disclose National Security Presidential Directive 54, a key document governing national cybersecurity policy. http://epic.org/2011/12/epic-urges-court-to-order-disc.html au: Cyber attacks to rise warn federal police The Australian Federal Police has warned that online attacks on companies are becoming more common, in the wake of the offshore cyber attack which forced the ANZ and St George banks to shut down their online broking sites. http://www.theage.com.au/business/business-under-cyber-threat-20120108-1pq17.html http://www.smh.com.au/business/cyber-attacks-to-rise-warn-federal-police-20120108-1pq3x.html ********************** PRIVACY ********************** More web users aim to thwart prying eyes [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] ... Shields represents a fast-growing demographic: people who are taking steps to thwart the industry that anonymously tracks their movements in the virtual world. That industry has spawned a counter-industry of companies that create free anti-tracking software. Several of the companies behind the best-known programs -- Ghostery, Adblock Plus and Do Not Track Plus -- reported major jumps in usage in 2011. http://www.ajc.com/news/more-web-users-aim-1288374.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Belarus passes law to enforce tighter internet controls [AP] The government in Belarus has approved a law tightening official control over the internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/06/belarus-law-tighter-internet-controls Belarus said to restrict access to foreign websites [IDG] Belarus has introduced a law that imposes restrictions on citizens and residents in the country visiting or using foreign websites, according to Global Legal Monitor, an online publication of the Law Library of Congress in Washington. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223095/Belarus_said_to_restrict_access_to_foreign_websites http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/247188/belarus_said_to_restrict_access_to_foreign_websites.html Belarus puts restrictions on foreign internet sites A new law in Belarus will restrict access to foreign websites and force internet clubs and cafes to report users visiting sites registered abroad. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16407235 Iran clamps down on internet use Iran is clamping down heavily on web users before parliamentary elections in March with draconian rules on cybercafes and preparations to launch a national internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/05/iran-clamps-down-internet-use Iran's internet cafe clampdown is an effective way to dissuade dissidents The dream of dictatorships ? to control communications within their borders ? has got harder and harder as the internet has become more and more pervasive. Fifteen years ago, cutting off the internet was easy: internet providers used modems and you could simply seize them. Now it's more complex: smartphones may even be able to connect to telephone data services across borders. A determined person can get a message out in all sorts of ways: one of the smartest is to hide coded data inside the pixels of what looks like a perfectly innocent photograph, a method called steganography. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/05/iran-internet-cafe-clampdown-effective Iran Mounts New Web Crackdown: Rule Calls for Surveillance Cameras in Internet Cafes; Launch of National Internet Is Seen Nearing Iran is mounting new clampdowns on Internet expression, including rules that will impose layers of surveillance in the country's popular Internet cafes, as Tehran's political establishment comes under increasing strains from economic turmoil and threats of more international sanctions. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203513604577142713916386248.html China Issues Rules on Web Competition China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released new regulations covering competitive practices in the country's booming Internet industry, saying they will help protect the rights of both companies and users. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203462304577134183638627156.html Thailand Continues Massive Crackdown of Online Speech In Thailand, details of the most recent victim of l?se majest? laws emerged this week, adding to a long year of crackdowns on free speech in the country. Alongside the news coverage, Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) published new analyses demonstrating the magnitude of measures the Southeast Asian state has taken to block websites it deems politically offensive. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/thailand-continues-massive-crackdown-online-political-speech Iran Further Retreats from the World, Belarus Reigns in E-Commerce, and Turkey Democratizes Site Filtering Late last week, the Iranian government descended deeper into authoritarianism, ordering the takedown of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's website. Rafsanjani, who heads an advisory body to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had previously refused to remove content critical of the government. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/week-censorship U.S. Government Threatens Free Speech With Calls for Twitter Censorship EFF has witnessed a growing number of calls in recent weeks for Twitter to ban certain accounts of alleged terrorists. In a December 14th article in the New York Times, anonymous U.S. officials claimed they ?may have the legal authority to demand that Twitter close? a Twitter account associated with the militant Somali group Al-Shabaab. A week later, the Telegraph reported that Sen. Joe Lieberman contacted Twitter to remove two ?propaganda? accounts allegedly run by the Taliban. More recently, an Israeli law firm threatened to sue Twitter if they did not remove accounts run by Hezbollah. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/us-government-calls-censor-twitter-threaten-free-speech ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Anti-internet piracy law adopted by Spanish government The Spanish government has approved tough new legislation which could see websites deemed to be trading in pirated material blocked within ten days. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16391727 US pressured Spain to implement online piracy law, leaked files shows The US ambassador in Madrid threatened Spain with "retaliation actions" if the country did not pass tough new internet piracy laws, according to leaked documents. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/05/us-pressured-spain-online-piracy How the US pressured Spain to adopt unpopular Web blocking law Though a deeply divided Congress is currently considering Internet website censorship legislation, the US has no such official policy?not even for child porn, which is voluntarily blocked by some ISPs. Nor does the US have a government-backed "three strikes" or "graduated response" system of escalating warnings to particular users accused of downloading music and movies from file-sharing networks. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/how-the-us-convinced-spain-to-adopt-internet-censorship.ars Spain passes SOPA-like law that U.S. allegedly pushed for An anti-piracy law passed in Spain on January 3 has striking similarities to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that is stirring controversy in the U.S. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57353248-38/spain-passes-sopa-like-law-that-u.s-allegedly-pushed-for/ Al Gore slams SOPA in now-deleted YouTube video Former presidential candidate Al Gore has joined conservatives at the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Tax Reform in expressing reservations about controversial Hollywood-backed copyright legislation. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57354080-281/al-gore-slams-sopa-in-now-deleted-youtube-video/ Sopa and Pipa: don't let big business break the internet The key to survival ? in business as in the jungle ? is to be able to learn from your mistakes. The strange thing is that some industries haven't yet figured that out. Chief among them are the so-called "content" industries ? the ones represented by huge multimedia corporations which own movie studios, record labels and publishing houses. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/08/online-piracy-challenge-sopa-pipa us: Lawmakers seem intent on approving SOPA, PIPA [IDG] Early this year, the U.S. Congress appears likely to move forward with two controversial copyright enforcement bills, even with vocal and widespread opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act in the Internet community. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/010512-lawmakers-seem-intent-on-approving-254572.html au: Where does Roxon stand on copyright? New Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has yet to be tested in her new role in the dangerous territory of copyright enforcement, but there are clues as to where she may stand. http://www.zdnet.com.au/where-does-roxon-stand-on-copyright-339328991.htm ********************** MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Will Google be forced to ban its own browser from its index? The problem has arisen after Google paid Unruly Media, an international media agency, to get a number of paid bloggers to promote a video for its Chrome browser featuring a US flour company. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/03/google-ban-browser-index Google Demotes Chrome in Rankings After Paid Bloggers Promoted Web Browser Google Inc. demoted its Chrome browser in Web-search rankings after an advertising effort for the tool ran afoul of its own rules governing paid promotions. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-03/google-denies-authorizing-bloggers-to-promote-chrome-browser.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** au: NBN a catalyst for acquisitions in a saturated telco market Three letters dominated the telecommunications sector last year, and NBN will get even more attention this year as the industry prepares for a dramatic new era of competition in which scale and innovation will be king. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/nbn-a-catalyst-for-acquisitions-in-a-saturated-telco-market/story-fn91v9q3-1226235971979 us: Lawmakers Call On State To Probe Telco Firms' Dealings With Iran A group of House and Senate lawmakers want the State Department to investigate whether some telecom companies,including the Chinese tech firm Huawei, may have violated a U.S. law barring companies that export sensitive telecommunications technology to Iran from doing business with the U.S. government. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/01/lawmakers-call-on-state-to-pro.php China Telecom taps Everything Everywhere for UK push China Telecom has signed a deal with Everything Everywhere to launch mobile services in the UK, targeted specifically at Chinese residents, businesses and visitors. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/mobile-it/2012/01/05/china-telecom-taps-everything-everywhere-for-uk-push-40094752/ Telef?nica connects: A Spanish digital venture in London Telef?nica, Spain?s dominant telecoms firm, has two problems. One is that the Spanish economy is in a mess; the other is that most of its business is old-fashioned fixed-line telephony. It moved away from that generally shrinking business in 2005 when it bought the O2 network, formerly known as BT Cellnet, based in Slough. Now it is moving deeper into Britain. Telef?nica is forming a new digital-services division, with a 300-strong headquarters in London and offices around the world in places like Silicon Valley, S?o Paulo, Tel Aviv and Madrid. The firm recently found office premises in Regent Street in the heart of the West End, and expects that staff will move in by summer. http://www.economist.com/node/21542405 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2012 ------ David Goldstein email: david at goldsteinreport.com web: http://goldsteinreport.com/ http://davidgoldstein.tel/ 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 Mon Jan 09 2012 - 05:51:07 UTC
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