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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Interview with ICANN Chief Security Officer Jeff Moss 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jLhHCwzX0w

What Do We Do About Fake Renewals?
http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/fake-renewal-notices-report-21mar12-en.htm

15 Millionth .DE Domain Means Flowers
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/04/21/15-millionth-de-flowers/

Proposed amendments to the .nz Authorisation Agreement
http://dnc.org.nz/story/proposed-amendments-nz-authorisation-agreement

TAS down for at least another week
http://domainincite.com/tas-down-for-at-least-another-week/

ICANN Some Days From Reopening TAS As Time Consuming Identification Of What Happened Continues
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/04/21/icann-icann-tas-reopening/

ICANN vows to fight TAS bug ?monkey business?
http://domainincite.com/icann-vows-to-fight-tas-bug-monkey-business/

Europe Leads the Way in IPv6 Adoption
http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/announcements/europe-leads-the-way-in-ipv6-adoption

Calculating The 5,000 Most Frequently Used Domain Name Prefixes and Suffixes
http://www.leandomainsearch.com/top-domain-name-prefixes-and-suffixes

Australian Court Dismisses Appeal in ISP Copyright Infringement Case ... ruling may be applicable to web hosting providers
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/australian-court-dismisses-appeal-in-isp-copyright-infringement-case


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GOVERNANCE
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Conceptualising accountability and recourse - 2011 - Internet rights and democratisation [Association for Progressive Communications]
Introduction: The modern foundations of international human rights rest on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Charter of the United Nations (UN). [The United Nations officially came into existence after ratification of the Charter on 24 October 1945. ] The UDHR affirmed human rights are universal, inalienable and interconnected. The human rights framework recognises both the right of states to govern and the duty of states to respect, protect and promote human rights.
http://giswatch.org/en/internet-rights/conceptualising-accountability-and-recourse

?Feeble? governance? The push to discredit multistakeholder institutions
If you think the United Nations (UN) is about to subordinate Internet freedoms to governments, consider this. Compare the ineffectual and bureaucratic UN, which lacks any real operational leverage over the Internet, to the Washington, DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Now, there?s a real threat to bring the states back in.
http://www.internetgovernance.org/2012/04/18/feeble-governance-the-push-to-discredit-multistakeholder-institutions/

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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Interview with ICANN Chief Security Officer Jeff Moss 
In this video interview, ICANN's Vice President and Chief Security Officer Jeff Moss describes the glitch that led ICANN to take offline the application system for new gTLDs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jLhHCwzX0w

TAS Interruption - Update (22 April 2012) by Akram Atallah, COO
ICANN continues to work diligently to test the fix for the technical glitch that required the temporary suspension of the TLD application system, or TAS, and to identify affected applicants so that we can reopen the system as soon as possible.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-22apr12-en.htm

TAS Interruption - Update (21 April 2012)
Today ICANN has posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to respond to questions about the temporary suspension of the TLD application system.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-21apr12-en.htm

TAS Interruption - Update (20 April 2012) - Statement by Akram Atallah, COO
... Until that process is complete, we are unable to provide a specific date for reopening the application system. In order to give all applicants notice and an opportunity to review and complete their applications, upon reopening the system we will keep it open for at least five business days.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-20apr12-en.htm

The TAS Interruption: What Now?
ICANN took the TLD Application System (TAS) offline on 12 April. What happened? What is ICANN doing about it? Chief Security Officer Jeff Moss responds.
http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/video/cso-tas-19apr12-en

TAS Interruption - Update (18 April 2012) by Akram Atallah, COO
... As reported earlier, we believe that we have fixed the glitch. We continue to test the solution and to conduct research to determine which file names and user names were potentially viewable, as well as which applicants had the ability to see them.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-18apr12-en.htm

Period of 19-29, April 2012: Public Comment Periods Approaching Closing Date
The Following Public Comment periods are approaching their Comment or Reply Period Close dates, April 19-29 2012. As a member of the ICANN community, your timely feedback is critical to our accountability and transparency efforts. For your convenience, we have included direct links below to comments that will soon close.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-19apr12-en.htm

What Do We Do About Fake Renewals?
Deceivers send fake renewal notices to domain name registrants. How big is the problem? What should be done about it? Have your say!
http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/fake-renewal-notices-report-21mar12-en.htm

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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.at report: security for the .at zone
In February nic.at introduced the security standard DNSSEC for the .at zone - that's why the latest .at report is dedicated to this topic. And although DNSSEC deals with encryption, we tried to treat the topic as little cryptic as possible!
http://www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/nicat_news/news_view/article/81/at-report-sicherheit-fuer-die-at-zone/

nic.at launches DNSSEC security standard for .at-domains
Leap day on the Internet: 29 February 2012 is also a special day for the .at-zone. At 11.35 a.m., the local domain registry nic.at activated the security extension DNSSEC for .at-domains.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/04/22/nic-at-launches-dnssec-for-at-domains/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/nicat-launches-dnssec-security-standard-for-at-domains.html

15 Millionth .DE Domain Means Flowers
As earlier reported, the 15 millionth .DE domain name was registered on 18 April, at precisely 12:56 CEST. Maybe the gift for 15 million domains is flowers, as the domain name to take the gong was floristennetzwerk.de, which means "florists' network."
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=17529
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/04/21/15-millionth-de-flowers/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/15-millionth-de-domain-means-flowers.html

DENIC and Netnod Team Up for Further Name Service Enhancement of .DE [news release]
German TLD .de operator DENIC and the Swedish-based Internet infrastructure organisation Netnod have entered into a strategic partnership to further strengthen the .de Name Service. By making use of Netnod?s extensive infrastructure to complement DENIC?s own worldwide DNS network, DENIC?s operation of the domain name system for .de, in its role as a crucial resource of the Internet, will be additionally secured.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/04/19/denic-and-netnod-team-up-for-further-name-service-enhancement-of-de/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/denic-and-netnod-team-up-for-further-name-service-enhancement-of-de.html

DENIC and Netnod Team Up for Further Name Service Enhancement of .de
The operator for the German .DE ccTLD announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Swedish based Netnod, adding Netnods 35+ worldwide DNS locations to their own network.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/up-to-the-minute/denic-and-netnod-team-up-for-further-name-service-enhancement-of-de/10385

Germany?s .De crosses 15 million domain mark
.De registry DENIC has announced that Germany?s country code domain name has hit a major milestone: 15 million domains currently registered.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/04/19/germanys-de-crosses-15-million-domain-mark/

FICORA's domain name register open for public use
The domain name register has been opened for public use. This allows searches of large amounts of information about several domain names at once. The self-service is provided free of charge. Earlier, information was only disclosed on one-time basis against payment.
http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2012/P_19.html
https://domain.fi/info/en/index/tietoa/ajankohtaista/2012/P_19.html

Proposed amendments to the .nz Authorisation Agreement
DNCL is seeking the views of Registrars, and other interested parties, on proposed amendments to the current Authorisation Agreement that DNCL signs with authorised .nz Registrars. The amendments add a new clause to the Agreement relating to .nz domain name take down requests.
http://dnc.org.nz/story/proposed-amendments-nz-authorisation-agreement

nz: Zone Transfer Policy Amendments Notification
This is to advise of an update to the Zone Transfer Policy (ZTP) to govern the use of the zone data by .nz. The amended policy will take effect from Monday 14 May 2011.
http://dnc.org.nz/story/zone-transfer-policy-amendments-notification

uk: Notice of Annual General Meeting and introduction of a Members' Code
We are pleased to announce that papers for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) have been posted or emailed to members.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=9211

Lawley Says ICM Registered 250,000 .XXX Names [Video]
Stuart Lawley, chief executive officer of ICM Registry LLC, talks about the creation and sale of new top-level Internet domain names including .XXX, which is limited to adult-oriented websites. He speaks with Bloomberg's Cory Johnson on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." Bloomberg's Jon Erlichman also speaks.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/91151787/

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 - NEW TLDS
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Are brands taking the right approach to defensive domain registrations?
While the trademark community continues to look at the issue of protection at the second level of new gTLDs, the latest industry research provides an insight into how defensive registrations are currently approached by brand owners ? and how prevalent the cybersquatting problem actually is.
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=988a95fd-3942-4b96-9ad0-5d31341bcdb2

TAS down for at least another week
The TLD Application System will be offline for another week, possibly more, as ICANN struggles to deal with the fallout from its embarrassing data leakage bug.
http://domainincite.com/tas-down-for-at-least-another-week/

ICANN Some Days From Reopening TAS As Time Consuming Identification Of What Happened Continues
ICANN, having thought they were almost there in resolving the technical glitch that forced them to close the TLD application system, or TAS, on 12 April, seem to be still some way from reopening the TAS. However they do believe they have indentified what caused the issue and developed a patch to fix it.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=17527
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/04/21/icann-icann-tas-reopening/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/icann-some-days-from-reopening-tas-as-time-consuming-identification-of-what-happened-continues.html

ICANN vows to fight TAS bug ?monkey business?
ICANN chief security officer Jeff Moss has pledged to fully disclose what new gTLD application data was leaked to which users via the TLD Application System security bug.
http://domainincite.com/icann-vows-to-fight-tas-bug-monkey-business/

Web address regulator ICANN still hasn't fixed IT glitch
The regulator in charge of the world's internet addresses is facing fresh embarrassment after an IT glitch delayed its highly-publicised battle for addresses for the second time.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/9217487/Web-address-regulator-ICANN-still-hasnt-fixed-IT-glitch.html

Icann security chief rules out malicious attack behind gTLD submission glitch
Icann has revealed more details on the problems afflicting its submission system for gTLDs that forced it to take the system offline and extend the submission deadline.
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2169392/icann-security-chief-rules-malicious-attack-gtld-submission-glitch

ICANN Explains Domain Name Database Glitch;Outage Continues
The organization that manages the Internet's domain name system said on Friday it is trying to make sure it has completely solved a technical glitch that shut down a database for applicants wanting to register new TLDs.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/04/icann-explains-domain-name-dat.php

Russia has filed an application for .???? (.children)
Smart Internet Foundation has filed an application for a new gTLD, .???? (Russian for "children"). Technical Center of Internet has aided the foundation in completing and filing an application for the domain.
http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=3635

Where ICANN has failed and how it can save itself over TAS [subscription]
For an organization that repeatedly promises to improve its accountability and transparency, ICANN remains dangerously comfortable with providing only the barest details of a crucial software failure it suffered this week.
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/04/19/icann-tas-failure

Navigating the Five Stages of TAS Grief by Elisa Cooper
When I predicted earlier this year that ICANN would, ?open the new gTLD application period without any glitches? (and yes, those are my exact words), I could not have been any more wrong.
https://www.markmonitor.com/mmblog/navigating-the-five-stages-of-tas-grief/

A new, more customer-friendly type of web address is coming - what it will cost
The word "dotcom" has always been synonymous with the internet and domain names. But, despite being the most popular, the .com domain has for a long time been only one of many TLDs, and a new programme from ICANN will see the number of available TLDs explode well into the hundreds.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/new-more-customer-friendly-type-web-address-coming-what-it-will-cost-ck-117324

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Cyber war and peace: Greater dependence on networked computers and communication leaves the US more vulnerable to attack than others by Joseph S Nye, a former assistant US secretary of defence, is a professor at Harvard University and author, most recently, of The Future of Power
Two years ago, a piece of faulty computer code infected Iran's nuclear programme and destroyed many of the centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Some observers declared this apparent sabotage to be the harbinger of a new form of warfare, and United States Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta has warned citizens of the danger of a "cyber Pearl Harbour" attack on the US. But what do we really know about cyber conflict?
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cyber-war-and-peace
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/04/201241510242769575.html

Google warns 20,000 websites they could be infected with malware [IDG]
Google has warned 20,000 websites that they might be hacked and injected with JavaScript redirect malware, Google said.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226356/Google_warns_20_000_websites_they_could_be_infected_with_malware
http://www.pcworld.com/article/254071/google_warns_20000_websites_that_could_be_infected_with_malware.html

Protecting users from malware hosted on bulk subdomain services
Over the past few months, Google?s systems have detected a number of bulk subdomain providers becoming targets of abuse by malware distributors. Bulk subdomain providers register a domain name, like example.com, and then sell subdomains of this domain name, like subdomain.example.com.
http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/protecting-users-from-malware-hosted-on.html

Cyber-attack cripples US website covering Bo Xilai scandal [AP]
A cyber-attack has crippled a US-based website that has reported extensively on China's biggest political turmoil in years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/20/cyber-attack-boxun-com-bo-xilai

FBI: Hundreds Of Thousands May Lose Internet In July [AP]
For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/hundreds-of-thousands-may-lose-internet-in-july_n_1441260.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/hundreds-of-thousands-may-lose-internet-in-july-20120421-1xd7z.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/hundreds-of-thousands-may-lose-internet-in-july-20120421-1xd7z.html

us: A Divided Congress Confronts A Rising Cyberthreat
... The incident from February, documented by one of the government's emergency cyber-response teams, shows the persistent threat of electronic attacks and intrusions that could disrupt the country's most critical industries.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/22/congress-cybersecurity_n_1443796.html

CIRA participates in development of online DNSChanger Malware Checker for Canadians
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), in collaboration with Public Safety Canada and the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), has developed an online DNS Checker to screen users? computers for the DNSChanger malware.
http://www.cira.ca/news/news-releases/dnschanger-checker/

Site covering Bo Xilai scandal led to Name.com DDoS, eNom rejects domain as well
Name.com got hit with a massive distributed denial of service attack at the end of last week, and it appears this is because a site covering the downfall of Chinese Communist Party official Bo Xilai was registered with its service.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/04/22/bo-xilai-domain/

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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Europe Leads the Way in IPv6 Adoption
The RIPE NCC, the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, has published the league table of the Top 20 countries leading the roll-out of IPv6 networks globally. Norway takes the top spot, after a huge community effort to promote the need to become IPv6 ready within the country. The second and third positions are taken by the Netherlands and Malaysia. Six of the top 10 countries are located in the RIPE NCC service region (Europe, Central Asia and parts of the Middle East).
http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/announcements/europe-leads-the-way-in-ipv6-adoption

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Calculating The 5,000 Most Frequently Used Domain Name Prefixes and Suffixes
Domain name prefixes and suffixes ? the keywords you add before or after a term to generate the domain name ? are at the core of Lean Domain Search. For example, when you search for cloud, Lean Domain Search pairs it with the suffix +hub to generate cloudhub, the prefix new+ to generate newcloud, and 1,998 other prefixes and suffixes to form all of the search results.
http://www.leandomainsearch.com/top-domain-name-prefixes-and-suffixes

Fascinating: top domain prefixes and suffixes
Lean Domain Search has analyzed the top prefixes and suffixes to domain names. Using a methodology that covered over 50 million domain names, the site compiled a list of the top 5,000 prefixes and suffixes.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/04/20/fascinating-top-domain-prefixes-and-suffixes/

A Quick Primer on Internet Peering and Settlements by Geoff Huston
The business world today features many complex global service activities which involve multiple interconnected service providers. Customers normally expect to execute a single paid transaction with one service provider, but many service providers may assist in the delivery of the service.
http://www.potaroo.net/ispcol/2012-04/interconnection-primer.html

ARIN: Version 11.0 of Registration Services Agreement Posted
ARIN is pleased to announce the release of Version 11.0 of its Registration Services Agreement (RSA). On 26 March 2012, ARIN concluded its consultation with the community with regards to RSA Version 11.0. The revisions found in version 11.0 were based on the information received from the community over the past year, experience executing RSAs, and comments in response to the open consultation.
https://www.arin.net/announcements/2012/20120420.html

Web Fest .ME Honors 2012 Web Innovations
.ME Registry and Web Fest are proud to host the opening of Web Fest. ME Conference, Eastern Europe?s largest Internet festival. The 2012 Web Fest. ME Conference is set to take place Sept. 20 and 21 in Budva, Montenegro.
http://www.domain.me/web-fest-me-honors-2012-web-innovations

RIPE NCC Competition - Win a Fatboy
Want to win a Fatboy in the colour of your choice? We've just launched a photo competition for the RIPE NCC Webinars where we offer you just that.
http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/about-ripe-ncc-and-ripe/ripe-ncc-competition-win-a-fatboy

RIPE NCC General Meeting April 2012
The RIPE NCC General Meeting (GM) was held 18-19 April 2012 adjacent to the RIPE 64 Meeting in Ljubljana. There were 99 attendees, excluding RIPE NCC staff and observers from the other Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).
http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/about-ripe-ncc-and-ripe/ripe-ncc-general-meeting-april-2012

RIPE NCC Looks to the Next 20 Years as it Celebrates 20th Anniversary
The RIPE NCC, the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, will be discussing the future of the Internet and the impact of IPv6, as it celebrates 20 years of serving the technical community at the RIPE 64 Meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/announcements/ripe-ncc-looks-to-the-next-20-years-as-it-celebrates-20th-anniversary

Nominations Sought for 2012 Jonathan B. Postel Service Award
The Internet Society is soliciting nominations of qualified candidates for the 2012 Jonathan B. Postel Service Award by 31 May. This annual award is presented to an individual or organization that has made outstanding contributions in service to the data communications community.
http://www.internetsociety.org/news/nominations-sought-2012-jonathan-b-postel-service-award

nz: Domain names are mostly irrelevant
Okay, that title was a little bombastic. My beef isn't with domain names in general, but with generic ones like "sport.com" that people worry way too much about. When was the last time you were looking for a website to help you with something, and you just typed "thatthing.com" into your address bar? I would hope the answer is never.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/blogs/f5/6788912/Domain-names-are-mostly-irrelevant

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 - WEBHOSTING
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Australian Court Dismisses Appeal in ISP Copyright Infringement Case
... The ruling may be applicable to web hosting providers as well, since like ISPs, web hosts can?t necessarily control what customers use their services for. Also, it is nearly impossible to police hosting customers and ensure they aren?t using a hosting service to infringe copyrights.
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/australian-court-dismisses-appeal-in-isp-copyright-infringement-case

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Meet the 'Mann' who registered 14,962 domains in 24 hours
For years, Mike Mann has been snapping up Internet domain names and selling them off to the highest bidder.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57418250-93/meet-the-mann-who-registered-14962-domains-in-24-hours/

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INTERNET USE
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Bridging the News Industry's Digital Divide
A time-travel fantasy of mine is being a fly on the wall at a newspaper or magazine boardroom at the dawn of the World Wide Web. At some point in 1993 or 1994, editors and business-side people of print publications huddled and, somehow without the help of peyote, exclaimed: ?Bingo! Put it all out there on Netscape for free and let?s see what happens. Nothing ventured, right??
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-20/bridging-the-news-industrys-digital-divide

Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important?
Facebook and Google want to link online and offline personas, while 4Chan and other social sites prefer people to play with the freedom of pseudonyms
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/19/online-identity-authenticity-anonymity

Free speech haven or lawless cesspool ? can the internet be civilised?
>From hard porn to broken injunctions, the unfettered web has played havoc with the law. But moves are afoot to tame it
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/19/free-speech-haven-lawless-cesspool

The Internet has become too big to fail, says In-Q-Tel's Dan Geer
The growth of electronic health record systems and the push to integrate digital technology into electrical grids is adding security threats and "new failure modes to the world we live in," Dan Geer, chief information security officer at CIA venture capital arm In-Q-Tel, warned on Wednesday. He spoke as keynote speaker at security conference SOURCE Boston.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20120420_6886.php

Pitcairn Island to double bandwidth to 512kbps among 48 people
Pitcairn Island, one of the world?s most isolated, storied, and fascinating communities has doubled its Internet access to 512kbps, to be shared among its 48 residents.
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2012/04/pitcairn-island-to-double-bandwidth-to-512-kbps-amongst-48-people.ars

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Social predators still gaming the system on Facebook
Despite an increasingly severe crackdown by the ubiquitous social network, malicious activity and spam on Facebook are still both widespread and profitable, according to Barracuda research scientist Daniel Peck.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/042012-facebook-security-258522.html

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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au: Govt cybersafety film nabs NY film gong
A cybersafety film developed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to combat cyber bullying has taken out a New York film award.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/govt-cybersafety-film-nabs-ny-film-gong-339336291.htm

nz: Underage Facebook users prove vulnerable
Up to half of children aged 10 to 12 are using Facebook, even though the social networking site is supposedly restricted to those 13 and older.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/6786407/Underage-Facebook-users-prove-vulnerable
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/technology/6786407/Underage-Facebook-users-prove-vulnerable

'Revenge porn' website IsAnyoneUp.com closed by owner
The owner of a notorious "revenge porn" blog has closed the website, selling its domain to an anti-bullying group.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-17784229

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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au: iiNet wins landmark copyright case against Hollywood studios
The High Court has spared internet service providers liability for millions of acts online piracy carried out routinely by Australians prompting celebration across the sector.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/iinet-wins-landmark-copyright-case/story-e6frgakx-1226334090530

Illegal downloading 'more like trespass than theft'
An expert on white collar crime says the entertainment industry's efforts to label illegal downloading as theft are not being taken seriously.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-20/illegal-downloading-more-like-trespass-than-theft/3963688

AFACT, iiNet call for amendments to copyright law
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) and iiNet, have called on the Federal Government to update the Copyright Act of 1968 to suit the current digital environment.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/422190/afact_iinet_call_amendments_copyright_law/

iiNet, AFACT plot the way forward
Following his High Court victory today against Hollywood, iiNet CEO Michael Malone said that he would like to walk away from discussions with rights holders over the best way to deal with copyright infringement.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/iinet-afact-plot-the-way-forward-339336379.htm

Landmark Australian internet piracy case will influence NZ
Beating back an appeal from Hollywood studios, the Australian High Court rules internet service provider iiNet is not responsible for customers who download pirated films and TV shows.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/landmark-australian-internet-piracy-case-has-nz-ramifications-ck-117285

Film distributor loses copyright appeal against Aussie ISP
Australia?s High Court has found in favour of ISP iiNet in dismissing an appeal by Roadshow Films, seeking to hold the ISP liable for copyright infringement by its customers in downloading copies of movies distributed by Roadshow.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/film-distributor-loses-copyright-appeal-against-aussie-isp

iiNet wins download test case
A gang of major Hollywood movie studios has failed in a last ditch effort to convince the High Court that internet service provider iiNet authorised the breach of copyright laws by its customers, who are alleged to have pirated films and television shows on a huge scale online.
http://www.afr.com/p/national/iinet_wins_download_test_case_Wcb9OGJtE5Epg6r7u2Br8M

Hollywood loses final appeal in piracy case
A damaging blow has been dealt to the giants of the film industry in the High Court today after it decided to dismiss their copyright infringement appeal case against internet service provider (ISP) iiNet in a landmark ruling.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/hollywood-loses-final-appeal-in-piracy-case-20120420-1xb12.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/hollywood-loses-final-appeal-in-piracy-case-20120420-1xb12.html

de: YouTube loses court battle over music clips
YouTube could face a huge bill for royalties as it loses a court battle in Germany over music videos. A court in Hamburg ruled that YouTube is responsible for the content that users post to the video sharing site.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-17785613

GEMA seeks YouTube deal after German copyright case
German royalties collections body GEMA hopes a landmark court ruling last week will force Google's YouTube into talks over copyrighted content that could result in GEMA getting a share of the website's advertising revenues.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/22/oukin-uk-youtube-germany-idUKBRE83J0NH20120422
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/04/22/youtube-germany-idINDEE83L06B20120422

Google?s YouTube Must Help Detect Illegal Uploads, Court Says
Google Inc. partly lost a German copyright infringement suit over how much it must do to remove illegal music videos from its YouTube website.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-20/google-s-youtube-must-help-detect-illegal-uploads-court-says.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/google-partly-loses-copyright-suit-in-germany/2012/04/20/gIQAtC9dVT_story.html

YouTube could face huge royalty bill for music in German case
A German court ruled today that Google-owned YouTube is solely responsible for the content that users upload and post on the video-sharing Web site, a decision that could have massive implications for the company.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57417974-93/youtube-could-face-huge-royalty-bill-for-music-in-german-case/

YouTube loses music clip copyright battle in court
YouTube must take down copyrighted clips of music, a German court has ruled, in a move that could be a step towards forcing it to pay large sums in royalties.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/20/youtube-music-clip-copyright-court

Google Ordered to Stop Copyright Violations on YouTube
In a provisional victory for musicians, filmmakers and other creators of art and entertainment, a court in Hamburg on Friday ordered Google to install filters on its YouTube service in Germany to detect and stop people from gaining access to material for which they do not own the rights.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/21/technology/google-ordered-to-stop-copyright-violations-on-youtube.html

nz: File sharing crackdown - one of the first 'third strike' notices withdrawn
In a twist that may hearten those who fear the new 'three strikes' file sharing law Draconian, Telecom has gone into bat for a customer sent an enforcement notice (a notice that sits third in the 'three strike' warning process, and leads directly to a date with the Copyright Tribunal and a possible $15,000 fine if unchallenged).
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/first-enforcement-notice-issued-under-15k-fine-under-?three-strikes-law-ck-117089

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Phone data shows romance 'driven by women'
A study of mobile phone calls suggests that women call their spouse more than any other person. That changes as their daughters become old enough to have children, after which they become the most important person in their lives.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17729478

Nokia Posts $1.2 Billion Loss as Phone Sales Tumble
Nokia, struggling to reinvent its smartphone business around Microsoft?s Windows Phone software, said Thursday that it might have to cut prices of its cheaper Lumia models to keep its new phones competitive in some markets.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/technology/nokia-posts-loss-as-smartphone-sales-tumble.html

Nokia Plots Cheaper Lumia: Stung by Lower-Priced Asian Smartphones, CEO Plans to 'Deeply' Lower Prices of New Handsets
Nokia Corp.'s newly launched Lumia smartphones are a central plank of its turnaround strategy, but early returns show these devices aren't exactly winning over consumers in a brutally competitive market.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303425504577353371141520382.html

Apps become key to mobile advertising - report
Ads within smartphone applications such as the popular puzzle game Angry Birds are turning into a key driver for mobile advertising, as apps become the main distribution method for media on mobile phones, according to a report.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/20/oukin-uk-mobile-advertising-apps-idUKBRE83J1EW20120420

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Patent lawsuits aimed at big and small operators threaten web freedoms
In the first week of February, Sir Tim Berners-Lee stood in front of a jury in east Texas. His task was daunting: he had to invalidate a set of patents claimed by a company called Eolas and the University of California. If he failed, almost everyone running a website with moving pictures or streaming video would have to pay a stipend to those two for each use.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/18/patent-lawsuits-big-small

Death of anonymity on the web: battle lines drawn
Facebook and Google want to link online and offline personas, while 4Chan and other social sites prefer people to play with the freedom of pseudonyms.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/death-of-anonymity-on-the-web-battle-lines-drawn-20120420-1xaul.html
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/death-of-anonymity-on-the-web-battle-lines-drawn-20120420-1xaul.html

us: Apple, Google, others to face antitrust suit over staff poaching
Apple, Google, Intel, Pixar and other high-tech companies will face an antitrust lawsuit that alleges they illegally conspired not to poach each other?s staffers.
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-apple-google-others-to-face-antitrust-suit-over-staff-poaching-20120419,0,4630280.story

Ebook price-fixing: Apple, publishers face class action in Montreal
All Canadians who have bought electronic books in the past two years could be rewarded if Apple and book publishers are found guilty of price fixing, says a local lawyer.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Ebook+price+fixing+Apple+publishers+face+class+action+Montreal/6492438/story.html

Europe's high court says ISPs can hand over alleged pirate data
The European Court of Justice laid down a law interpretation today that could have a profound impact on the prosecution of alleged pirates in Sweden.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57416395-93/europes-high-court-says-isps-can-hand-over-alleged-pirate-data/
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/regulation/2012/04/20/court-rules-swedish-isps-can-hand-over-customer-data-40155063/

au: Man jailed over nude Facebook photos
A jilted boyfriend who put nude pictures of his former lover on Facebook has been sentenced to six months jail - a landmark social media-related conviction for Australia and one of just a handful in the world.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/man-jailed-over-nude-facebook-photos-20120421-1xe2c.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/exlover-punished-for-facebook-revenge-20120421-1xdpy.html

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SECURITY
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Cyber war and peace: Greater dependence on networked computers and communication leaves the US more vulnerable to attack than others by Joseph S Nye, a former assistant US secretary of defence, is a professor at Harvard University and author, most recently, of The Future of Power
Two years ago, a piece of faulty computer code infected Iran's nuclear programme and destroyed many of the centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Some observers declared this apparent sabotage to be the harbinger of a new form of warfare, and United States Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta has warned citizens of the danger of a "cyber Pearl Harbour" attack on the US. But what do we really know about cyber conflict?
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cyber-war-and-peace
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/04/201241510242769575.html

Google warns 20,000 websites they could be infected with malware [IDG]
Google has warned 20,000 websites that they might be hacked and injected with JavaScript redirect malware, Google said.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226356/Google_warns_20_000_websites_they_could_be_infected_with_malware
http://www.pcworld.com/article/254071/google_warns_20000_websites_that_could_be_infected_with_malware.html

Protecting users from malware hosted on bulk subdomain services
Over the past few months, Google?s systems have detected a number of bulk subdomain providers becoming targets of abuse by malware distributors. Bulk subdomain providers register a domain name, like example.com, and then sell subdomains of this domain name, like subdomain.example.com.
http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/protecting-users-from-malware-hosted-on.html

Cyber-attack cripples US website covering Bo Xilai scandal [AP]
A cyber-attack has crippled a US-based website that has reported extensively on China's biggest political turmoil in years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/20/cyber-attack-boxun-com-bo-xilai

FBI: Hundreds Of Thousands May Lose Internet In July [AP]
For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/hundreds-of-thousands-may-lose-internet-in-july_n_1441260.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/hundreds-of-thousands-may-lose-internet-in-july-20120421-1xd7z.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/hundreds-of-thousands-may-lose-internet-in-july-20120421-1xd7z.html

us: A Divided Congress Confronts A Rising Cyberthreat
... The incident from February, documented by one of the government's emergency cyber-response teams, shows the persistent threat of electronic attacks and intrusions that could disrupt the country's most critical industries.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/22/congress-cybersecurity_n_1443796.html

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PRIVACY
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Me and my data: how much do the internet giants really know?
To briefly state the obvious, the internet giants are seriously big: Google is not only the world's largest search engine, it's one of the top three email providers, a social network, and owner of the Blogger platform and the world's largest video site, YouTube. Facebook has the social contacts, messages, wallposts and photos of more than 750 million people.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/22/me-and-my-data-internet-giants

us: Privacy watchdog demands full FCC report on Google Street View
The Electronic Privacy Information Center is demanding that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission release the complete report on its Google Street View investigation.
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-privacy-watchdog-asks-fcc-for-full-report-on-google-street-view-20120419,0,5502841.story

EPIC Demands Details of Federal Communications Commission's Google Investigation
EPIC has filed a FOIA request for the unredacted version of the FCC's Google Street View report. The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will fine Google $25,000 for obstructing an investigation concerning Google Street View and federal wiretap law.
http://epic.org/2012/04/epic-demands-details-of-federa.html

nz: Privacy conflict and future tech relevance discussed at TPPA meeting
While most ICT industry interest in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA) has centred on the chapter on intellectual property, the projected international agreement has a chapter dealing with e-commerce, which also presents significant challenges in a number of areas.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/privacy-conflict-and-future-tech-relevance-discussed-at-tppa-meeting

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CENSORSHIP
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Google's Sergey Brin: state filtering of dissent threatens web freedom
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has hit back at critics of his exclusive comments to the Guardian about the importance of the open web, and emphasised that he thinks "government filtering of political dissent" poses the biggest threat to internet freedom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/18/google-sergey-brin-web-freedom

Time for Technology Companies to Stand Up for Human Rights - EFF White Paper Outlines How Businesses Can Avoid Assisting Repressive Regimes [news release]
It's time for technology companies that sell surveillance and filtering equipment to step up and ensure they aren't helping governments in committing human rights violations. In a white paper released today entitled "Human Rights and Technology Sales," EFF outlines how corporations can avoid assisting repressive regimes.
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/time-technology-companies-stand-human-rights

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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Don?t Be Evil, but Don?t Miss the Train
... How is it that Google, a company chockablock with brainiac engineers, savvy marketing types and flinty legal minds, keeps getting itself in hot water? Google, which stood up to the Death Star of Microsoft? Which changed the world as we know it?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/technology/dont-be-evil-but-dont-miss-the-tech-train.html

Google shutting out rivals, claims Russian search engine Yandex
The co-founder of Russia's leading search engine, Yandex, has accused Google of abusing its dominance to shut out competitors in cyberspace.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/19/google-rivals-russian-search-engine

EU regulator warns against Internet restrictions
The European commissioner responsible for regulating the Internet warned Web service providers on Thursday against tampering with customers' Internet access based on how much they pay or which services they use.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/19/oukin-uk-eu-internet-idUKBRE83I0UM20120419

Internet needs no 'digital handcuffs', says Kroes
Open standards in procurement, less restrictive copyright regimes, and net neutrality can all play a part in freeing internet users from potential 'digital handcuffs', according European Commission digital agenda chief Neelie Kroes.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/security-bulletin-10000166/internet-needs-no-digital-handcuffs-says-kroes-10025921/

us: Lawmakers Want Government Using Data Like Google, Facebook
Federal, state and local governments could learn a thing or two from major Internet companies, using data to improve public benefits such as health care and education, lawmakers said at a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing on Thursday.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/04/social-services-officials-stan.php

Stop Cyber Spying Week Launches to Protest CISPA - Internet Advocacy Coalition Announces Twitter Campaign to Fight Privacy-Invasive Bill [news release]
Civil liberties organizations are launching a week of Internet-wide protests today against the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA), the controversial cybersecurity legislation that would negate existing privacy laws and allow companies to share user data with the government without a court order.
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/stop-cyber-spying-week-launches-protest-cispa
http://en.rsf.org/etats-unis-internet-advocacy-coalition-16-04-2012,42283.html

Hungary mulls tax on phone calls, Internet use - website
Hungary is considering a new tax on phone calls and Internet usage which could yield up to 50 billion forints ($221.38 million) a year and would help plug budget holes, website Origo.hu reported on Friday, citing economy ministry sources.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/20/oukin-uk-hungary-budget-tax-idUKBRE83J0KW20120420

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MISCELLANEOUS
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How Google Dominates Us by James Gleick
... The business of finding facts has been an important gear in the workings of human knowledge, and the technology has just been upgraded from rubber band to nuclear reactor. No wonder there?s some confusion about Google?s exact role in that?along with increasing fear about its power and its intentions.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/aug/18/how-google-dominates-us/

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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ITU supporting broadband development in the Americas
ITU?s Regional Development Forum for the Americas region is meeting in Mexico City this week to discuss the latest developments in broadband with CEOs and other board-level officials representing many of the world?s most dynamic ICT companies.
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/18.aspx

nz: More analysts weigh in on 4G claim
A claim the Government could seek $500 million from mobile phone companies for 15-year rights to the "digital dividend" radio spectrum that will be freed up by the closure of analogue television has been backed up by data collected by experts in Britain.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/6788509/More-analysts-weigh-in-on-4G-claim

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(c) David Goldstein 2012

---------
David Goldstein

email: david at goldsteinreport.com
web:  http://davidgoldstein.tel/
         http://goldsteinreport.com/
phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - office/home

"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery