Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news. And see my website - http://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** US House panel: ITU should stay away from Internet regulation [IDG] http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/062012-house-panel-itu-should-stay-260360.html The U.N. vs. the Internet: The fight escalates http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57456550-38/the-u.n-vs-the-internet-the-fight-escalates/ ICANN may renew Verisign?s .com deal this weekend http://domainincite.com/9545-icann-may-renew-verisigns-com-deal-this-weekend ICANN may have to operate without a chief during gTLD rollout http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/19/icann_leadership_vaccuum/ Delays likely as governments demand gTLD timetable rethink http://domainincite.com/9494-delays-likely-as-governments-demand-gtld-timetable-rethink ICANN Delegation Timeline Revealed by Adrian Kinderis http://www.ariservices.com/icann_delegation_timeline_revealed.php ARI: digital archery is a lottery and we can prove it http://domainincite.com/9510-ari-digital-archery-is-a-lottery-and-we-can-prove-it Sedo Predicts Ten Most Effective New gTLDs http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=18004 Proposed New IETF Standard Would Create a Nationally Partitioned "Internet" by Milton Mueller http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120619_proposed_ietf_standard_creates_nationally_partitioned_internet/ Chinese operators hope to standardize a segmented Internet [IDG] http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9228200/Chinese_operators_hope_to_standardize_a_segmented_Internet ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** US House panel: ITU should stay away from Internet regulation [IDG] A U.S. House of Representatives committee has told the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to keep its hands off the Internet. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9228291/House_panel_says_ITU_should_keep_hands_off_Internet http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/428209/house_panel_itu_should_stay_away_from_internet_regulation/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/062012-house-panel-itu-should-stay-260360.html The U.N. vs. the Internet: The fight escalates The House is expected to advance a resolution condemning efforts by the U.N. to insert itself into governance of the Internet. But some interpret leaked documents as suggesting that the U.S. is being far too tepid in its responses to a key international communications treaty being negotiated in secret. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57456550-38/the-u.n-vs-the-internet-the-fight-escalates/ US House Committee Votes To Prevent U.N. Internet Regulation As expected, the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution aimed at preventing any efforts to hand the United Nations more power to oversee the Internet. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/06/house-committee-votes-to-preve.php Will the Internet Always Be Run By Unelected Technocrats? Xenophobes and technocrats have found something they can agree on: The United Nations shouldn?t be in charge of the Internet. http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/06/20/internet_governance_us_house_resolution_tells_un_to_butt_out.html EuroDIG: Will Governments Let Civil Society Rescue Net Governance? The roles of governments, civil society and industry in ruling the internet ? and other spaces ? seems to be in a profound change. With governments in cross-border law enforcement situations increasingly unable to protect fundamental rights, as European Parliament Member Marietje Schaake said during a session of the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) in Stockholm last week, it seems to be civil society that can do something about it. http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/06/18/eurodig-will-governments-let-civil-society-rescue-net-governance/ Ethiopia Shows That Congress Is Right to Be Worried About UN Control of the Internet by Steve DelBianco Today a key committee in the US Congress approved a resolution opposing United Nations "control over the Internet." While some in the Internet community have dismissed the bipartisan effort as mere political grandstanding, recent actions by some UN Member States show that lawmakers have good reason to be worried. Last month, UN voting member Ethiopia made it a crime -- punishable by 15 years in prison - to make calls over the Internet. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120620_ethiopia_shows_congress_right_to_be_worried_un_control_of_internet/ Kiwi appointed to Internet Society board Keith Davidson becomes first Kiwi to be appointed to board of international internet governance organisation http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/kiwi-appointed-to-internet-society-board Kiwi 'Internet Luminary' Keith Davidson appointed to ISOC board InternetNZ has announced that Wellington-based 'Internet Luminary' Keith Davidson has been elected to the 12 member board of ISOC, having been co-chair of ISOC's Advisory Council for the past two years. http://www.itwire.com/it-people-news/people/55341 http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=9693 2012 Internet Society Board of Trustees Election Results Message from Jason Livingood, Chair of Internet Society Election Committee: On behalf of the Internet Society?s Election Committee, I wish to extend our appreciation and thanks to all of the nominees and final candidates for the Board of Trustees. http://www.internetsociety.org/news/2012-internet-society-board-trustees-election-results ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Next CEO to be Announced at Prague News Conference Board Chairman Dr. Stephen Crocker will introduce the next President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN at a news conference on Friday, 22 June in Prague, Czech Republic. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-3-18jun12-en.htm Letter from Heather Dryden, Governmental Advisory Committee, to Stephen Crocker Processing of Applications for New gTLDs http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/dryden-to-crocker-17jun12-en Call for Volunteers: Developing the Process for Root IDN Table Creation and Maintenance ICANN is seeking volunteers to work on advancing IDN capabilities in the DNS. The project 2.1 "Root IDN Table Process" part of the IDN Variant TLD Program, is designed to develop, in consultation with the community, the process to define: http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-18jun12-en.htm ICANN Relocates Offices in Brussels, Los Angeles ICANN staff in Brussels, Belgium, and Los Angeles, California, took a break from unpacking moving boxes to share a virtual toast with colleagues in Silicon Valley, California, and Washington D.C. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-18jun12-en.htm IDN ccTLD Request From Mongolia Successfully Passes String Evaluation ICANN is pleased to announce the successful completion of String Evaluation on proposed IDN ccTLD string for Mongolia. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-20jun12-en.htm ICANN may renew Verisign?s .com deal this weekend ICANN?s board of directors is set to vote on Verisign?s .com registry agreement at a meeting in Prague this Saturday. http://domainincite.com/9545-icann-may-renew-verisigns-com-deal-this-weekend ICANN may have to operate without a chief during gTLD rollout Domain name policy manager ICANN is set to be left with a vacant CEO's office for two or three months, according to sources close to the organisation. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/19/icann_leadership_vaccuum/ ICANN Teases With New CEO Announcement Announced This Friday ICANN has sent out an announcement teasing with the announcement they will announce a new CEO preceding the ICANN meeting in Prague next week. http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/18/icann-new-ceo/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/icann-teases-with-new-ceo-announcement-announced-next-week.html ICANN CEO to be announced Friday ICANN will reveal the identity of its new CEO at a press conference this coming Friday. http://domainincite.com/9482-icann-ceo-to-be-announced-friday Making ICANN Relevant, Responsive and Respected by Jean-Jacques Subrenat Understandably, just now new gTLDs are uppermost in the minds of people in the domain name business. For the general Internet user, some other issues retain their crucial importance: upholding the global public interest, enhancing governance within ICANN and beyond, making the Multi-Stakeholder Model (MSM) truly efficient, sustainable, and equitable. "Making ICANN Relevant, Responsive and Respected" ("R3") sets out to identify the main challenges facing the Internet community, especially in ICANN, and offers recommendations in each of the areas explored. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120619_making_icann_relevant_responsive_and_respected/ WHOIS Review and Beyond 3.7.8 by Garth Bruen We have posted our support of the WHOIS Policy Review Team Report with two important comments. First, on page 79 of the report it is confirmed that the RAA is unenforceable on WHOIS inaccuracy (we wrote about this while at the last ICANN meeting) because the language of RAA 3.7.8 has no enforcement provision. It is now time for ICANN to confirm this problem officially. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120618_whois_review_and_beyond_378/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Spring clean at '.no' registry Under the Norwegian domain name policy, only companies registered in the Register of Legal Entities may register '.no' domain names. For foreign companies, the most common solution for fulfilling the local presence requirement is to register a Norwegian branch office. http://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?g=228e3979-ddf9-4661-b33d-ef65a0642225 ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** Rulers of their own domains Here?s a tip: go poke through the applications for ICANN?s new TLD program ? you know, the one that will allow companies to have their own .whatever denomination, instead of just .com or .org or .fr. It makes for fascinating reading. http://blogs.ft.com/material-world/2012/06/20/rulers-of-their-own-domains/ Delays likely as governments demand gTLD timetable rethink If you think you?ll be able to launch your new gTLD in the first quarter of 2013, you can pretty much forget it. http://domainincite.com/9494-delays-likely-as-governments-demand-gtld-timetable-rethink GAC Threatens Further Delays To New gTLD Approvals ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee has written to ICANN advising of concerns with the approach to processing new gTLD applications, with the implication the programme will be even further delayed. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=18000 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/19/gac-threatens-delays/ ICANN Delegation Timeline Revealed by Adrian Kinderis Today, the team at ARI Registry Services decided to tread where no-one has tread before and map out the likely timeline to new gTLD delegation with batching. The exercise took some time, given that the information provided in the Applicant Guidebook is limited and there hasn?t been any specific public data made available. However, we have presented what we believe to be the likely scenario should ICANN proceed under the current batching model, assuming a first batch of 500 applications. http://www.ariservices.com/icann_delegation_timeline_revealed.php http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=17999 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/19/icann-delegation-timeline-revealed/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/icann-delegation-timeline-revealed-by-adrian-kinderis.html ICANN may let new TLD applicants modify their applications ICANN is considering allowing applicants for new TLDs to make changes to their applications. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/19/icann-may-let-new-tld-applicants-modify-their-applications/ ARI: digital archery is a lottery and we can prove it ARI Registry Services has tested ICANN?s digital archery system and concluded that it?s little better than a ?lottery?. http://domainincite.com/9510-ari-digital-archery-is-a-lottery-and-we-can-prove-it Sedo Predicts Ten Most Effective New gTLDs It's open to a lot of debate, but Sedo has come up with a list of ten gTLDs they believe will be the most effective of the 1409 that were applied for and the 1930 applications submitted. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=18004 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/19/sedo-predicts-most-effective-gtlds/ Domain horse trading event in Prague next week I talked to Top Level Domain Holdings (TLDH) Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush about 15 minutes after ICANN?s ?big reveal? news conference ended last week. He told me he had already received an email from another applicant for a TLD that TLDH had applied for, saying basically ?let?s talk?. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/18/domain-horse-trading-event-in-prague-next-week/ Three more digital archery services launch With a little over a week left before ICANN shuts down its digital archery new gTLD batching mechanism, three more companies are vying for applicants? business. http://domainincite.com/9503-three-more-digital-archery-services-launch Another digital archery service launches. Here?s how you should pay for one of these services. I just got a press release from an outfit called Digital Archery Hotshots, the latest company to offer digital archery solutions for ICANN?s batching process. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/19/digital-archery/ The TLD Song: an instant classic I may not agree with all of Lauren Weinstein?s views on ICANN?s new gTLD expansion, but damn, the man can spoof a Gilbert & Sullivan song. http://domainincite.com/9489-the-tld-song-an-instant-classic Amusing Albeit Misinformed "TLD Song" Opposition to new TLDs takes many forms, usually based on misinformation. It includes the idiocy of American advertisers and this somewhat amusing "song" called "The TLD Song (With Apologies to Tom Lehrer and Gilbert & Sullivan)" by Lauren Weinstein. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=17994 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/19/tld-song/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/amusing-albeit-misinformed-qtld-songq.html ICANN apologizes for gTLD privacy snafu ICANN?s top brass have sent personal apologies to the people whose home addresses were exposed when it published their new gTLD applications last week. http://domainincite.com/9467-icann-apologizes-for-gtld-privacy-snafu Early .Green backer fights three other applicants for domain name DotGreenCompetition to run the TLD .green is heating up (and heating up is not a word revered by the green community). http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/20/early-green-backer-fights-three-other-applicants-for-domain-name/ Nine Organizations Seek Legal Domain Names, But Only One Is a Law Firm Nine organizations are seeking to obtain new Web domain names with a legal connection, but only one is a law firm. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/nine_organizations_seek_legal_domain_names_but_only_one_is_a_law_firm/ More Russian Web Address Endings Coming Web addresses ending in .skolkovo, .yandex and even .vodka could soon appear if ICANN approves applications for the registration of such TLDs. There are currently around two dozen web address endings, but that number could soar to over a thousand within months. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/more-russian-web-address-endings-coming/460538.html SnapNames throws hat into domain sunrise and landrush auction ring SnapNames and Moniker have announced they will support sunrise and landrush auctions for new TLD registries. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/20/snapnames-throws-hat-into-domain-sunrise-and-landrush-auction-ring/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** The Unintended Consequences of Undeclared Cyberwar The latest mysterious cyber weapon detected in recent weeks is called Flame. It is being described by security researchers as ?the most sophisticated cyber weapon yet unleashed.? http://allthingsd.com/20120620/the-unintended-consequences-of-undeclared-cyberwar/ Botnet Metrics and Calibration by Gunter Ollmann As ISP's continue to spin up their anti-botnet defenses and begin taking a more active role in dealing with the botnet menace, more and more interested parties are looking for statistics that help define both the scale of the threat and the success of the various tactics being deployed... To overcome this problem there are several initiatives trying to grapple with this problem at the moment.. Obviously, if every ISP was using the same detection technology, in the same way, at the same time, it wouldn't be such a difficult task. Unfortunately, that's not the case. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120618_botnet_metrics_and_calibration/ Google bots detect 9,500 new malicious websites every day Google adds a staggering 9,500 new websites every day to its running list of malicious Internet destinations so the company can warn end users before they visit the sites, a member of the company's security team said. http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/06/google-detects-9500-new-malicious-websites-daily/ Google: We Find 9,500 New Malicious Sites Every Day It's no secret that the Web is full of malicious content, but Google on Tuesday published some statistics that reveal just how breathtaking the scale of that danger really is. http://www.cio.com/article/708738/Google_We_Find_9_500_New_Malicious_Sites_Every_Day Open Letter to Internet Companies: Tell Us How Much We Are Being Surveilled Google just unveiled the latest figures in its Transparency Report, which explains how often the company gives your private data to the government. Despite our criticism of the report?s lack of ?transparency,? we applaud it nevertheless. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/06/open-letter-surveillance/ Safe Browsing?protecting web users for five years and counting Five years ago, we launched Safe Browsing, an initiative designed to keep people safe from malicious content online. Our primary goal was to safeguard Google's search results against malware (software capable of taking control of your computer) and phishing (fraudulent websites that entice users to give up their personal information). We also wanted to help educate webmasters on how to protect their own sites. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/safe-browsingprotecting-web-users-for.html Cybersecurity education should start early Educating students on cybersecurity should start as early as possible, considering they are being exposed to the latest technologies at an increasingly young age, say industry watchers. They suggest an integrated, holistic approach for the curriculum but are divided as to whether hacking skills need to be taught. http://www.zdnetasia.com/cybersecurity-education-should-start-early-62305154.htm ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Olympic tickets: police draw up hitlist in crackdown on black market A hitlist of 30 international websites and 970 individuals ? many linked to serious organised crime ? are being targeted by police investigating the multimillion-pound black market in sports tickets in the runup to the Olympic Games. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jun/19/olympic-tickets-police-black-market Another Win for Domain Owner Rights - Italian Company Loses Both UDRP & a 2nd Attempt to Take Name Through a Lawsuit Less than a week after Rick Schwartz scored an important UDRP win against a Brazilian company that tried to hijack one of his domains, comes word from Ari Goldberger's law fim, ESQwire.com, of a double-pronged victory for one of their clients, Didier Madiba of Wilmington, Delaware based Fenicius LLC, over Mediaset S.P.A., a company owned by Italian media magnate and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2012/dailyposts/20120619.htm ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Proposed New IETF Standard Would Create a Nationally Partitioned "Internet" by Milton Mueller For those worried about the threat of a state-based takeover of the Internet, there is no need to obsess over the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) exclusively. Three Chinese engineers are proposing a way to alter Internet standards to partition the Internet into autonomously administered national networks, using the domain name system (DNS). The idea was not proposed in the ITU; no, it was sent to a multi-stakeholder institution, the granddaddy of the Internet itself, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120619_proposed_ietf_standard_creates_nationally_partitioned_internet/ Chinese operators hope to standardize a segmented Internet [IDG] A technology draft written by employees at China Mobile and China Telecom and submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force describes how the Internet could be split into several parts using the Domain Name System and in the process give countries more control over their own segment of the network. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9228200/Chinese_operators_hope_to_standardize_a_segmented_Internet China proposes to split up the DNS A trio of Chinese techies have proposed a new IETF standard to enable governments to break up the Domain Name System along national borders. http://domainincite.com/9474-china-proposes-to-split-up-the-dns TLDH posts six-month loss Top Level Domain Holdings has posted a loss of $2.2 million in its latest interim financial report. http://domainincite.com/9536-tldh-posts-six-month-loss ********************** - WEBHOSTING ********************** Mozilla Creates New Hosting Competition with In-Browser Website Builder Tool Thimble Mozilla launched on Monday its new tool for anyone to create and host web pages and other projects from within its browser, according to a blog post by Mozilla. http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/mozilla-creates-new-hosting-competition-with-in-browser-website-builder-tool-thimble Go Daddy Targets India as ?Priority Market? with First International Executive Web hosting provider Go Daddy announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Rajiv Sodhi as managing director of Go Daddy India to support its international expansion in the market. http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/go-daddy-targets-india-as-priority-market ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Facebook provides rare peek at how site is policed Facebook Inc offered a rare peek on Tuesday at one facet of the elaborate system it uses to police its 900 million-user social network, as it attempts to keep it free of content it deems offensive, illegal or just plain inappropriate. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/facebook-reports-idINDEE85J01R20120620 Louise Mensch launches rival to Twitter Tory MP Louise Mensch has made her debut as an internet entrepreneur, with the launch of a new social network hoping to win over Twitter addicts "who find Twitter frustrating". http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jun/19/lousie-mensch-rival-twitter Tory MP Louise Mensch launches rival to Twitter Conservative MP Louise Mensch has launched a microblogging site to rival Twitter. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18518162 >From Russia with likes: Kremlin to launch Facebook-style social network The Kremlin is planning to create its own Facebook-style social network, where users with personal accounts will be able to upload content and discuss the issues of the day. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/19/russia-kremilin-facebook-social-network Seizure of social media accounts Social media accounts are part of everyday life and typically offer many functions, from communication to data storage. It was thus only a matter of time before state investigators became interested in the data stored in such accounts. http://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?g=e4d1767d-2e86-4c35-a72a-15a7ec3eefad Harvard And MIT Create EdX To Offer Free University Courses To The World One of the America?s most prestigious universities is offering free online courses to anyone in world, providing they have an Internet connection. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/06/20/harvard-and-mit-create-edx-free-university-courses_n_1612143.html nz: Facebook asks users to provide mobile numbers to improve security ... The US-based LinkedIn acknowledged that some of its 160 million members' have had their passwords compromised after British security company Sophos found more than six million of the encrypted passwords in a file online. InternetNZ chief executive Vikram Kumar recommended all members changed their passwords as there was no guarantee that more passwords had not been leaked. http://www.telecomtiger.com/Corporate_fullstory.aspx?passfrom=breakingnews&storyid=14669§ion=S162 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Faster than a speeding petaflop: IBM flies past Japanese rival to win battle of the supercomputers The US has regained the crown for having the world's fastest supercomputer thanks to a new machine so powerful that it can simulate nuclear bombs and power plant accidents ? eliminating the need to conduct dangerous underground tests. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/faster-than-a-speeding-petaflop-ibm-flies-past-japanese-rival-to-win-battle-of-the-supercomputers-7858857.html IBM supercomputer overtakes Fujitsu as world's fastest IBM's Sequoia has taken the top spot on the list of the world's fastest supercomputers for the US. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18457716 ********************************* CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY ********************************* us: Coalition to Facebook: Please don't market to our kids No ads for our tweens on Facebook. That's the gist of a letter written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg from a coalition of consumer, privacy and child-advocacy groups. http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-kids-on-facebook-20120618,0,4824449.story nz: NetSafe launches cyber security phone app New Zealand?s cyber safety and security organisation, NetSafe, is launching a new free app for Android-powered smartphone and tablet owners. http://money.msn.co.nz/businessnews/national/8486843/netsafe-launches-cyber-security-phone-app au: Safety in numbers the key to beating cyber bullying ''I HATE you'' is not the sort of comment teenagers scrolling for the latest gossip want to see on their Facebook newsfeed. How much worse, then, to find ''we hate you'' or be the target of a group defriending? http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/safety-in-numbers-the-key-to-beating-cyber-bullying-20120619-20m7p.html http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/technology-news/safety-in-numbers-the-key-to-beating-cyber-bullying-20120619-20m7p.html au: Conroy scrutinises Facebook for u-13s FEDERAL broadband minister Stephen Conroy has called for an investigation of the impact of letting kids under 13 use Facebook. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/senator-conroy-has-asked-his-cyber-safety-group-for-advice-on-letting-under-13s-use-facebook/story-fn4htb9o-1226401537532 Habbo Hotel opens separate site to seek users' views Troubled children's social network Habbo Hotel has moved to deal with fallout from revelations that the service was frequented by paedophiles. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18518785 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** uk: The Pirate Bay says BT block already breached BT has joined other UK internet service providers (ISPs) in blocking access to The Pirate Bay, a ban the group says users have already circumvented. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18518777 U.K.'s largest ISP blocks The Pirate Bay, but to no avail British Telecom became the final broadband provider in the U.K. to block customer access to the The Pirate Bay following an April court order forcing the move. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57457001-93/u.k.s-largest-isp-blocks-the-pirate-bay-but-to-no-avail/ ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Smartphone users 'risking health' with overuse of devices People are risking their health by working on smartphones, tablets and laptops after they have left the office, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18490433 A constant craving for mobile: Our love affair with mobile devices is more than just a distraction ? it may be changing our personalities When you wake up, do you check your emails on your phone in the time it takes your laptop to start up? Do you sometimes feel a buzz in your pocket when there is nothing there? Do you keep your Blackberry on the table at a restaurant, like a digital side plate? Do you struggle to finish a page of a book before your hand twitches and your brain starts imagining the status updates you're almost certainly not missing out on? http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/a-constant-craving-for-mobile-7858608.html Nokia's Mobile Patents Are Its Last Line of Defense - The company has made key inventions over the years. Nokia may have failed to develop a smart phone that challenges either Apple or Android, but the once-dominant Finnish company?which last week announced it would lay off 10,000 workers and shut two R&D facilities and a manufacturing site?has a rich store of intellectual property that may determine its future. http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428270/nokias-mobile-patents-are-its-last-line-of/ Apple, Google to Face Off in Key Smartphone Hearing Apple Inc will try to salvage a high-profile lawsuit against Google Inc's Motorola Mobility unit on Wednesday at a crucial hearing in the smartphone patent wars between the two tech companies. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/apple-google-lawsuit-idINDEE85J03W20120620 http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/uk-apple-google-lawsuit-idUKBRE85J07H20120620 Apple violated a Samsung patent, Dutch court rules A Dutch court has ordered Apple to pay damages to Samsung over a patent violation in the Netherlands, the latest twist in the global legal battle waged by the two rival phone and computer makers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jun/20/apple-violated-samsung-patent Dutch court orders Apple to pay Samsung damages over patent A Dutch court ordered Apple Inc to pay damages to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd over a patent violation in the Netherlands, the latest twist in the global legal battle waged by the two rival phone and computer makers. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/apple-samsung-ruling-idINDEE85J0B020120620 http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/oukin-uk-apple-samsung-ruling-idUKBRE85J0T220120620 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Billions miss out on the internet, says Google's Eric Schmidt [AP] Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt has warned that vast numbers of the world's population are missing out on the advantages brought by the internet. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/billions-miss-out-on-the-internet-says-googles-eric-schmidt/story-e6frgakx-1226402413199 Google's Schmidt warns 'Net revolution leaves many behind Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt warned that the World Wide Web isn't as worldwide as it needs to be. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9228300/Google_s_Schmidt_warns_Net_revolution_leaves_many_behind ********************** ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL ********************** Are Nigerian scammers' crazy e-mails actually very clever? An analysis from Microsoft Research suggests that Nigerian scammers need to sound as ridiculous as possible, so that only the most gullible will reply to them. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57457223-71/are-nigerian-scammers-crazy-e-mails-actually-very-clever/ More BigLaw Firms Add Internet and Privacy Law Practices Online companies that need guidance on data privacy issues are spurring more large law firms to expand their Internet and privacy law practices. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/more_biglaw_firms_add_internet_and_privacy_law_practices/ Olympic tickets: police draw up hitlist in crackdown on black market A hitlist of 30 international websites and 970 individuals ? many linked to serious organised crime ? are being targeted by police investigating the multimillion-pound black market in sports tickets in the runup to the Olympic Games. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jun/19/olympic-tickets-police-black-market Governments Should Invest More in Catching Cybercriminals, Researchers Say [IDG] Improving the ability of law enforcement agencies to catch cybercriminals should be a priority when governments decide how their cybersecurity budgets get spent, according to University of Cambridge security engineering professor Ross Anderson. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/257810/governments_should_invest_more_in_catching_cybercriminals_researchers_say.html Arrests in Japan over mobile porn virus Six men have been arrested in Tokyo for creating a virus that targeted users of Android mobile phones. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18490110 CAPTCHA systems easy to foil, security firm finds Imperva study finds CAPTCHAs, designed to keep spambots off Web sites, can easily be broken by humans and can turn people away if they are difficult or annoying to complete. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57455551-83/captcha-systems-easy-to-foil-security-firm-finds/ ********************** SECURITY ********************** The Unintended Consequences of Undeclared Cyberwar The latest mysterious cyber weapon detected in recent weeks is called Flame. It is being described by security researchers as ?the most sophisticated cyber weapon yet unleashed.? http://allthingsd.com/20120620/the-unintended-consequences-of-undeclared-cyberwar/ Botnet Metrics and Calibration by Gunter Ollmann As ISP's continue to spin up their anti-botnet defenses and begin taking a more active role in dealing with the botnet menace, more and more interested parties are looking for statistics that help define both the scale of the threat and the success of the various tactics being deployed... To overcome this problem there are several initiatives trying to grapple with this problem at the moment.. Obviously, if every ISP was using the same detection technology, in the same way, at the same time, it wouldn't be such a difficult task. Unfortunately, that's not the case. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120618_botnet_metrics_and_calibration/ Google bots detect 9,500 new malicious websites every day Google adds a staggering 9,500 new websites every day to its running list of malicious Internet destinations so the company can warn end users before they visit the sites, a member of the company's security team said. http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/06/google-detects-9500-new-malicious-websites-daily/ Google: We Find 9,500 New Malicious Sites Every Day It's no secret that the Web is full of malicious content, but Google on Tuesday published some statistics that reveal just how breathtaking the scale of that danger really is. http://www.cio.com/article/708738/Google_We_Find_9_500_New_Malicious_Sites_Every_Day Open Letter to Internet Companies: Tell Us How Much We Are Being Surveilled Google just unveiled the latest figures in its Transparency Report, which explains how often the company gives your private data to the government. Despite our criticism of the report?s lack of ?transparency,? we applaud it nevertheless. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/06/open-letter-surveillance/ Safe Browsing?protecting web users for five years and counting Five years ago, we launched Safe Browsing, an initiative designed to keep people safe from malicious content online. Our primary goal was to safeguard Google's search results against malware (software capable of taking control of your computer) and phishing (fraudulent websites that entice users to give up their personal information). We also wanted to help educate webmasters on how to protect their own sites. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/safe-browsingprotecting-web-users-for.html Cybersecurity education should start early Educating students on cybersecurity should start as early as possible, considering they are being exposed to the latest technologies at an increasingly young age, say industry watchers. They suggest an integrated, holistic approach for the curriculum but are divided as to whether hacking skills need to be taught. http://www.zdnetasia.com/cybersecurity-education-should-start-early-62305154.htm ********************** PRIVACY ********************** Google Responds to New British Investigation of Street View What did Google know about the data-scooping its Google Street View cars did, and when did Google know it? http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/google-responds-to-new-british-investigation-of-street-view/ ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Gulf states crack down on Twitter users Gulf states are cracking down on alleged politically and religiously offensive messages on Twitter, in a move that is alarming rights campaigners and highlights the surging regional popularity of the site. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1e647122-a8d1-11e1-be59-00144feabdc0.html Google reveals 'alarming' increase in government requests to censor content US authorities are leading the charge as governments around the world pepper Google with more demands to remove online content and turn over information about people using its Internet search engine, YouTube video site and other services. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/google-reveals-alarming-increase-in-government-requests-to-censor-content-7858510.html Google reports 'alarming' rise in censorship by governments There has been an alarming rise in the number of times governments attempted to censor the internet in last six months, according to a report from Google. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jun/18/google-reports-alarming-rise-censorship Google reveals 'terrorism video' removals Google has revealed it removed about 640 videos from YouTube that allegedly promoted terrorism over the second half of 2011 after complaints from the UK's Association of Chief Police Officers. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18479137 Google's Censorship Juggle Google Inc. received more than 1,000 requests from governments around the world in the second half of last year to take down items such as YouTube videos and search listings, and it complied with them more than half the time, according to information provided by the company. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303836404577472571954977012.html Google: U.S. censorship requests doubled in last half of 2011 Google on Sunday released its regular report of censorship requests it receives from governments around the world with warning words. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/google-us-censorship-requests-doubled-in-last-half-of-2011/2012/06/18/gJQAWnPPlV_story.html More transparency into government requests About two years ago, we launched our interactive Transparency Report. We started by disclosing data about government requests. Since then, we?ve been steadily adding new features, like graphs showing traffic patterns and disruptions to Google services from different countries. And just a couple weeks ago, we launched a new section showing the requests we get from copyright holders to remove search results. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/more-transparency-into-government.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Governments will start 'lashing back' as internet grows Governments pose the biggest threat to global innovation, a senior adviser to Hillary Clinton has warned. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18527852 For Content Regulation the Answer Lies in Self-Regulation [Computerworld] Taking some pages out of history, the discussion on content regulation has always been contentious. Speeches, posters, publications, radio, television or more recently the internet have always evoked strong reactions. This is primarily due to the fact that content regulation is considered a violation of the basic human right of freedom of speech. This is the right on which civilizations, societies, and even governments are built and is enshrined in the basic tenets of a democracy. http://www.cio.com/article/708808/For_Content_Regulation_the_Answer_Lies_in_Self_Regulation EFF announces "Defend Innovation" patent reform project The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has announced the launch of a new patent reform project called "Defend Innovation". According to the digital rights advocacy organisation, the aim of the project is to promote various suggested "fixes" for the American patent system and bring them before legislators. http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/EFF-announces-Defend-Innovation-patent-reform-project-1622447.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** APAC surpasses Europe in IPTV subscription for first time The Asia-Pacific region has surpassed Europe to become the largest IPTV market for the first time in the first quarter of 2012, according to latest figures from the Broadband Forum. http://www.zdnetasia.com/communicasia/apac-surpasses-europe-in-iptv-subscription-for-first-time-62305167.htm Proposal for Australia NZ common telecom market, regulator Proposals to create a single economic market in telecommunications between Australia and New Zealand will be considered as part of reforms by the productivity commissions of both countries, with Telstra urging the commissioners to consider a common trans-Tasman telecom regulatory regime. http://www.commsday.com/commsday/2012/proposal-australia-nz-common-telecom-market-regulator/ au: Govt delays 4G spectrum auction to 2013 Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has flagged a delay in the "digital dividend" spectrum auction to April 2013, allowing more time to prepare waterfront 4G spectrum for auction. http://www.zdnet.com.au/govt-delays-4g-spectrum-auction-to-2013-339339929.htm Communications watchdog considers early release of digital dividend spectrum The communications watchdog is considering making the digital dividend spectrum crucial for 4G mobile services available early in some areas. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/telecommunications/communications-watchdog-considers-early-release-of-digital-dividend-spectrum/story-fn4iyzsr-1226402400803 NBN Co to split 30-year undertaking NBN Co has bowed to pressure from the telecommunications industry, and will release a revised access undertaking to address issues that the industry has been raising since last year. http://www.zdnet.com.au/nbn-co-to-split-30-year-undertaking-339340016.htm Mergers of European Mobile Carriers Expected to Grow European mobile telephone operators are primed to enter a long-awaited phase of consolidation. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/business/global/mergers-of-european-mobile-carriers-expected-to-grow.html EU Urges More Investment in Telecommunications Infrastructure Failure to invest more in broadband and other telecommunications infrastructure risks undermining Europe?s economy, the European Union said. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-18/eu-urges-more-investment-in-telecommunications-infrastructure China to speed up TD-LTE development China will speed up the development of TD-LTE, the nation's fourth-generation (4G) telecommunications technology, during the next two years, an official with the country's top economic planning agency said Wednesday. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-06/20/c_131666501.htm --------- 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 FlanneryReceived on Wed Jun 20 2012 - 22:43:53 UTC
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