[DNS] domain name news - 6 December

From: David Goldstein <david> Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 15:27:08 +1100 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:11 UTC

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Nations Meet to Discuss Web Rules
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323401904578157592874176534.ht
ml

us: House approves resolution to keep Internet control out of UN hands
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/271153-house-approves-resolution
-to-keep-internet-control-out-of-un-hands

Keep the Internet free and open by Vint Cerf
http://googleblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/keep-internet-free-and-open.html

Google?s Vint Cerf: Keep the Internet Free and Open
http://mashable.com/2012/12/03/vint-cerf-open-internet/

The new push to control the internet by Paul Twomey
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4409960.html

Internet revolution in crisis by Milton Mueller
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2012/12/internet-global-itu-wcit/

UN internet regulation talks in Dubai threaten web freedom
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/04/un-internet-regulation-d
ubai-web-freedom

Sir Tim Berners-Lee flags UN net conference concerns
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20594779

The Internet?s Future Depends on Maintaining Its Free Spirit by Vint Cerf
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/508201/the-internets-future-depends-on-
maintaining-its-free-spirit/

Cutting Our Own Net by Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade
Union Confederation
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharan-burrow/cutting-our-own-net_b_2237216.ht
ml

No case made for change on ITRs, says Australia
http://www.investinaustralia.com/news/no-case-made-change-itrs-says-australi
a-12c3

The global battle for internet freedom
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=108516
41

Threat to 189 gTLD applications rumbles on
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=510ba035-0729-4ca5-b
7ec-a0406825a41a

Brazil and Peru take on web giant Amazon in battle for the .amazon domain
name
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242994/Brazil-Peru-web-giant-Amazon
-battle-amazon-domain-name.html

dotHIV Gets Onboard With NZ Bobsled Team Through The Ice Channel
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/12/03/dothiv-nz-bobsled/

uk: Cybercrime to get higher priority
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/03/cybercrime-gets-higher-prio
rity

US Government Needs Cybersecurity Doctrine, Experts Say [IDG]
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9234323/U.S._government_needs_cyberse
curity_doctrine_experts_say

**********************
GOVERNANCE
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Nations Meet to Discuss Web Rules
The question of who rules the Internet and how is being debated at a 12-day
conference in Dubai. The WCIT, which started Monday, aims to draft a new
treaty to underpin international telecommunications regulations. The current
rules were put in place in 1988. The conference is sponsored by the ITU, the
United Nations agency for information and communication technologies.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323401904578157592874176534.ht
ml

us: House approves resolution to keep Internet control out of UN hands
The House on Wednesday unanimously passed a Senate resolution introduced by
Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) that calls on the
U.S. government to oppose United Nations control of the Internet.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/271153-house-approves-resolution
-to-keep-internet-control-out-of-un-hands

Who should control the Internet? House votes ?No? on U.N.
The House unanimously passed a Senate resolution calling on the U.S.
government to oppose the United Nations? control of the Internet.
http://venturebeat.com/2012/12/05/united-nations-internet/

Congress to U.N.: Don't even think about Internet regulations
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution today
aimed at sending a strong message to a United Nations body that's meeting
this week to consider new Internet regulations.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57557331-38/congress-to-u.n.-dont-even-thi
nk-about-internet-regulations/

Congress declares opposition to UN takeover of the Internet
Congress certainly can't agree on much, but we've now discovered what it
will unite for: opposing a United Nations "takeover" of the Internet.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/12/congress-declares-opposition-to-u
n-takeover-of-the-internet/

US fails to shield Google, Facebook from ITU process
Nations gathered in Dubai to discuss revising the world's telecommunications
regulations have reacted coolly to a proposal, put forward by the United
States and Canada, to limit the scope of deliberations.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/12/us-fails-to-shield-google-faceboo
k-from-itu-process/

Keep the Internet free and open by Vint Cerf
Starting in 1973, when my colleagues and I proposed the technology behind
the Internet, we advocated for an open standard to connect computer networks
together. This wasn?t merely philosophical; it was also practical.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/keep-internet-free-and-open.html

Google?s Vint Cerf: Keep the Internet Free and Open
Google vice president and ?father of the Internet? Vint Cerf has a simple
plea for the nations of the world: Keep the Internet free and open.
http://mashable.com/2012/12/03/vint-cerf-open-internet/

The new push to control the internet by Paul Twomey
Some issues are so complex that you can only understand them by looking at
who supports them.
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4409960.html

Internet revolution in crisis
WCIT 12: Milton Mueller asks if governments are turning their backs on the
global internet? A push to change the business model that delivers online
content could stifle innovation and make the net an instrument of
sovereignty, stuck behind national walled gardens
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2012/12/internet-global-itu-wcit/

UN internet regulation talks in Dubai threaten web freedom
It's not surprising that some confusion surrounds a telecommunications
meeting that started this week in Dubai. The gathering, under the auspices
of the United Nations, is called the WCIT. It's seen widely in the internet
community as a power grab by the UN's ITU, an agency that has had
significant impact in the telecom arena for decades via standards-setting
and various treaties among UN member states.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/04/un-internet-regulation-d
ubai-web-freedom

US fails to win early limit on Net controls at global gathering
A U.S. and Canadian proposal to protect the Internet from new international
regulation has failed to win prompt backing from other countries, setting up
potentially tough negotiations to rewrite a telecom treaty.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/12/04/un-internet-treaty-idINDEE8B30C0201
21204

Sir Tim Berners-Lee flags UN net conference concerns
Sir Tim Berners-Lee - inventor of the world wide web - is the latest voice
to raise concerns about a meeting of communication tech regulators in Dubai.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20594779

Berners-Lee warns against changes to Net at UN conclave
If you ask the folks who had a hand in the creation of the Internet, odds
are you'll get a very different read on a regulation idea likely to turn
into a lightning rod for controversy at a highly anticipated meeting of the
UN's ITU.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57557076-93/berners-lee-warns-against-chang
es-to-net-at-un-conclave/

The Internet?s Future Depends on Maintaining Its Free Spirit by Vint Cerf
A great deal has happened in the 50 years since J.C.R. Licklider wrote his
famous ?Inter-Galactic Network? memo?the first conception of what eventually
became the Internet?in April 1963.
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/508201/the-internets-future-depends-on-
maintaining-its-free-spirit/

Eye on Dubai: Predictions on U.N. Internet Regulations
African nations will win treaty language on the need for better Internet
connectivity?but no funding mechanism to help get it done. Middle East
representatives will argue pointlessly about Palestine. And as 193 national
representatives in Dubai weigh whether the U.N. should regulate the
Internet, Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure, who heads the International
Telecommunications Union, will ask everyone to ?be reasonable, consider the
larger picture, and tell delegates that the world is watching.?
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/508286/eye-on-dubai-predictions-on-un-i
nternet-regulations/

Cutting Our Own Net by Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade
Union Confederation
It's probably unintended but ironic nonetheless that the WCIT-12, or World
Conference on Telecommunications, is meeting this week in Dubai, a nation
where workers rights are enjoyed by the privileged few.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharan-burrow/cutting-our-own-net_b_2237216.ht
ml

UN Control of the Internet? An Idea Whose Time Will Never Come by Stewart M.
Patrick
The Persian Gulf is receiving plenty of press this week, as climate
negotiators debate in Doha and political turmoil buffets Bahrain. But
another important drama is unfolding in Dubai, where more than one hundred
and fifty nations are meeting for the Wcit from December 4-13. Topping the
agenda is the future governance of the internet. A bloc of developing
countries and authoritarian states is pushing for a sweeping new treaty that
would wrest authority for regulating the internet from ICANN, and hand it to
International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Fortunately, the United
States, European Union, and private sector have mobilized to block this
nightmare scenario, which would threaten the free and open character of the
internet.
http://blogs.cfr.org/patrick/2012/12/04/un-control-of-the-internet-an-idea-w
hose-time-will-never-come/

The End Of Internet Freedom? U.N. Opens Ten-Day Talks On Web Regulation
A hitherto quasi-anonymous part of the UN (that is, nevertheless, almost 150
years old) is attempting to redraw a quarter century-old communications
treaty that opponents say will mark the end of the free Internet. The
two-week conference in Dubai is led by the ITU, and will see telco
regulators representing 193 different countries sit down and discuss the
thorny subject of Internet regulation.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3003568/end-internet-freedom-un-opens-ten-day-tal
ks-web-regulation
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/the-end-of-internet-freed_n_2230837
.html

The Dubai Debacle: Does It Matter? by Anthony Rutkowski
The second phase of the Dubai Debacle is now well underway. The first of the
ITU-T bodies, the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA)
finished its ten day meeting. The second body, the WCIT completed its second
day. WTSA shapes the ITU T organization and detailed agenda, while the WCIT
gives it a treaty-based construct with regulatory mandates. WTSAs occur
every four years; WCITs every twenty-five - although there is a proposal to
hold them more frequently.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121204_the_dubai_debacle_does_it_matter/

Sovereignty and the Geography of Cyberspace by Bertrand de la Chapelle
The cross-border nature of the Internet challenges an international system
based on separate national jurisdictions. Unfortunately, discussions among
governments on this growing tension easily spiral into ideological
infighting about the application of sovereignty. Early November however,
1600 participants from 100 countries gathered for the 7th annual IGF.
Several sessions showed that it is possible to address the relations between
the Internet and sovereignty in a responsible manner.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121204_sovereignty_and_the_geography_of_cybe
rspace/

WCIT Off to a Flying Start by Paul Budde
This is the report on Day One of the WCIT, directly from Dubai. The
conference started off in a positive way that did not reflect the sometimes
bitter debate that has taken place in the press in recent months - although,
of course, there was a great deal of discussion about the comments made in
the press over that period. All comments were welcomed, as an indication of
the importance of the internet and telecommunications; nevertheless the
Secretary-General, Hamadoun Tour?, was clearly critical of some of the
deliberate misinformation that has been spread before the conference.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121203_wcit_off_to_a_flying_start/

Who controls the internet? The debate is live and clicking by Melissa de
Zwart, Associate Professor, Law School at University of Adelaide
And so the battle for the future of the internet rages on. The focus this
time is not on WikiLeaks, cybercrime treaties, or privacy controls, but the
ITU.
http://theconversation.edu.au/who-controls-the-internet-the-debate-is-live-a
nd-clicking-11187

Saying No to the ITRs by Anthony Rutkowski
The afternoon of 13 December in Dubai is notable for one important deadline
-- "declaration" if a Nation State is willing to accept the obligations of
the resulting treaty instrument and if so, subject to what conditions. It is
worth emphasizing that multilateral treaty instruments are serious
constraints on a Sovereign's powers, and most nations even if they do sign,
make general declarations that provide escape routes to the obligations.
more?
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121205_saying_no_to_the_itrs/

Industry Structure at the Core of WCIT Problems by Paul Budde
At the WCIT in Dubai it is interesting to follow the debates surrounding the
many issues being addressed at this world congress. There are the issues of
internet governance in the broadest sense of the word - these have received
widespread attention. But if we look at the core issues that an organisation
such as the ITU can address then the scope widens - to topics such as the
rules for the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs), and
particularly those in relation to the rules for rates and charges.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121204_industry_structure_at_the_core_of_wci
t_problems/

US fails to shield Google, Facebook from ITU process
Nations gathered in Dubai to discuss revising the world's telecommunications
regulations have reacted coolly to a proposal, put forward by the United
States and Canada, to limit the scope of deliberations.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/12/us-fails-to-shield-google-faceboo
k-from-itu-process/

Former hacker 'Dark Tangent' issues warning over new internet rules
Rules being drawn up in Dubai to dictate the future of the internet will be
technically impossible to implement, an expert from the world's authority on
Web addresses has warned.
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/industry-insights/telecoms
/former-hacker-dark-tangent-issues-warning-over-new-internet-rules

Conference takes up how to govern the Internet
The Internet is a contested space. Just like any place in the physical
world, if it is left unguarded, someone will assert control over it.
http://www.salon.com/2012/12/05/conference_takes_up_how_to_govern_the_intern
et/

Is the UN About to Take Over the Internet?
A couple of weeks ago, some conservatives were panicking that President
Obama was going to use an executive order on cybersecurity to
single-handedly take control of the internet.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/10-lawmakers-UN-internet-takeove
r

Safeguarding a free Internet
On Dec. 3, a major treaty negotiation began in Dubai: The WCIT aims to
update the International Telecommunication Regulations that were last
revised in 1988, before the emergence of the Internet as a part of everyday
life.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/safeguarding-a-free-internet/artic
le5978383/

Warning: The UN is coming for your Internet
An international meeting started Monday in Dubai that could radically change
how you use the Internet. The goal of delegates there is to grab control of
the World Wide Web away from the United States, and hand it to a UN body of
bureaucrats, the International Telecommunications Union or ITU. It?ll be the
biggest power grab in the UN?s history, as well as a perversion of its
power.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/12/04/warning-un-is-coming-for-your-inte
rnet/

Regulation threatens internet freedom [AFP]
INTERNET freedom will not be curbed or controlled, the head of the UN
telecommunications body, Hamadoun Toure, said as a meeting to review the
24-year-old telecom regulations kicked off.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/regulations-threaten-internet-
freedom/story-e6frgakx-1226530190807

No case made for change on ITRs, says Australia
Minister for Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Senator
Stephen Conroy, is in Dubai this week to lead the Australian delegation at
the ITU's WCIT.
http://www.investinaustralia.com/news/no-case-made-change-itrs-says-australi
a-12c3

Internet governing rights: World powers butt heads
There is a heated debate over how the Internet is governed and who exactly
should be in charge of overseeing it. The US and private companies are
clinging on to the status quo, but countries like South Africa are pushing
for reforms.
http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-12-05-internet-governing-rights-worl
d-powers-butt-heads

Editorial: The internet must stay free: Efforts to improve regulation must
not hinder seamless communication or ease of commerce across the world
The internet has changed the way we work and play ? for the better ? because
it is a cheap and efficient way of communicating and trading across the
world. It has succeeded because it has so far been relatively lightly
regulated, allowing entrepreneurs the freedom to deliver essential services
and create new industries.
http://gulfnews.com/opinions/editorials/the-internet-must-stay-free-1.111426
4

Poland reiterates opposition to proposed UN internet regulation
Poland has repeated that it will not support new UN regulations on internet
regulations at a 12-day international conference in Dubai.
http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/120534,Poland-reiterates-opposition-to-pr
oposed-UN-internet-regulation

Internet meeting spurs controversy
Internet freedom could be at stake at a secretive meeting of governments
that begins Monday in Dubai.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2017842/internet-meeting-spurs-controversy.ht
ml
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/120312-internet-meeting-spurs-264730.h
tml

IETF vs. ITU: Internet Standards Face-Off
A battle is brewing between two standards bodies - the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF) and the ITU - over which group will be the primary source
of the underlying communications protocols that allow the Internet to
operate in the future.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/120312-argument-ietf-itu-264594.html
http://www.cio.com/article/722807/IETF_vs._ITU_Internet_Standards_Face_Off
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/telecommunications/ietf-vs-itu-internet-
standards-face-off

Internet hangs in balance as world leaders meet in secret
There's a lot of sky-is-falling doomsday predictions about the WCIT, which
opens Monday in Dubai with some 190-plus nations discussing the global
internet's future.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/12/itc-internet-meetings/
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/03/tech/web/world-conference-international-te
lecommunications/index.html

The dinosaurs' last hurrah?
China and Russia are making their case for stronger state control over the
Internet. The US and EU are right to oppose this, but must push to upgrade
today?s system of Internet governance.
http://www.dw.de/the-dinosaurs-last-hurrah/a-16424564

The global battle for internet freedom
The online clamour - voices battling for internet freedom and others
battling for internet control - became a one sided conversation last week.
The voices of freedom shouted somewhat apoplectically at the voices of
control, which were mostly secret whispers outed by leaks.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=108516
41

ITU chief offers hand of friendship to ICANN
Are ICANN and the International Telecommunications Union going to start
playing nicely? That?s the message coming out of the ITU?s WCIT in Dubai
this morning, when ITU secretary general Hamadoun Toure said the two
organizations are ?complementary?.
http://domainincite.com/11229-itu-chief-offers-hand-of-friendship-to-icann

Regulation threatens internet freedom [AFP]
INTERNET freedom will not be curbed or controlled, the head of the UN
telecommunications body, Hamadoun Toure, said as a meeting to review the
24-year-old telecom regulations kicked off.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/regulations-threaten-internet-
freedom/story-e6frgakx-1226530190807

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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Interim position of the European Commission concerning the applications for
new gTLDs
http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/correspondence/steneberg-to-ican
n-board-27nov12-en.pdf

EXTENSION OF DEADLINE - Accountability & Transparency Review Team 2 (ATRT
2): Call for Volunteer ATRT Members: Representing ICANN Advisory Committees
and Supporting Organizations; and Serving as Independent Experts
To ensure ICANN's oversight of the multi-stakeholder model remains
transparent and accountable (and to improve its performance), ICANN
organizes independent reviews of its accountability and transparency
commitments no less frequently than every three years in accordance with
section 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC),
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-03dec12-en.htm

ICA on the Record at ICANN 45-Toronto by Philip Corwin
While ICANN provides excellent remote participation technologies for its
thrice-yearly public meetings, it?s been our experience that there is no
real substitute for attending in person if you want to get the full picture
of activities and have a meaningful impact. A tremendous amount of
information is gained from hallway and other informal conversations, and it
also allows for one-on-one networking with other participants as well as
ICANN staff and Board members.
http://internetcommerce.org/Toronto_On_Record

ICANN asks court to dismiss Name.Space lawsuit over top level domains
ICANN claims Name.Space released ICANN from claims when it applied for TLDs
in 2000.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/12/04/icann-asks-court-to-dismiss-name-space-
lawsuit-over-top-level-domains/

Senior Demand Media exec ?fired for suing ICANN?
Long-time Demand Media software architect Chris Ambler claims he was fired
when his own company, Image Online Design, sued ICANN over the .web gTLD.
http://domainincite.com/11203-senior-demand-media-exec-fired-for-suing-icann

**********************
 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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ca: Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada: Accenture Corporate Directors
Award
... Deborah Rosati, corporate director, Sears Canada Inc.: Picture 33Deborah
Rosati is a CA who serves on the board of Sears Canada and is an advisor to
Karma Athletics and Boardsuite. With more than 25 years of experience in
financial, operational and strategic management in senior roles in both
public and private corporations, she is focused on corporate governance and
strategy of emerging companies. She has been a chair of Canadian Internet
Registration Authority?s board and served on the board of Ontario Lottery
and Gaming Corp., as well as Axis Investment Fund (acquired by B.E.S.T.
Funds in 2006). Rosati was named a fellow CA in 2009 and received the Top 40
under 40 award in 2001 from the Ottawa Business Journal.
http://business.financialpost.com/2012/12/04/top-100-most-powerful-women-in-
canada-accenture-corporate-directors-award/

Litigation under the .fr, creating new extensions : an AFNIC update for
Unifab
To raise corporate awareness about protecting domain names, Afnic hosted an
information update on the issue at Unifab.
http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/6460/show/litigation-un
der-the-fr-creating-new-extensions-an-afnic-update-for-unifab.html

ng: NIRA Tasks Registrars On 100,000 Domain Names By 2013
The President, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mrs Mary
Uduma, on Tuesday called for the registration of 100,000 domain names by mid
2013.
http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/41739/2012/12/04/nira_tasks_registrars
_100000_domain_names_2013.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/201212050438.html

**********************
 - NEW TLDS
**********************
Threat to 189 gTLD applications rumbles on
Last month Name.Space filed an antitrust and unfair competition lawsuit
against ICANN, seeking an injunction preventing the approval and issuance of
189 new gTLDs. ICANN has filed a motion to dismiss the suit but ? with the
hearing set for February 11 2013 ? applicants for the effected strings face
a wait before learning whether the challenge to their applications will be
allowed.
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=510ba035-0729-4ca5-b
7ec-a0406825a41a

NZ registers no objections to new domain names
New Zealand?s representative on the Governmental Advisory Committee to
internet body ICANN has conveyed no specific objection to proposals for new
gTLDs.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/nz-registers-no-objections-to-new-d
omain-names
http://www.cio.de/news/cio_worldnews/2012/2901470/

Europe Lists gTLD Applications Of Concern Plus Disappointment In Developing
Country Applications
The European Commission has expressed concerns outside the Governmental
Advisory Committee process about a number of new gTLD applications.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=19384
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/12/04/eu-gtld-applications-concern/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/europe-lists-gtld-applications-of-concern-plus-
disappointment-in-developing-country-applications.html

Brazil and Peru take on web giant Amazon in battle for the .amazon domain
name
South America is squaring up to online retailer Amazon in a battle over the
coveted web domain name the firm shares with the continent?s tropical
rainforest.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242994/Brazil-Peru-web-giant-Amazon
-battle-amazon-domain-name.html

South America, Amazon square off in fight over control of .amazon domain
name
Brazil and Peru have lodged formal complaints to the Internet governing body
over Amazon's plan to register the .amazon domain name.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/south-america-amazon-fight-amazon-doma
in-article-1.1213050

gTLD Contention Set Auctions: Private Auction Alternatives by Christa Taylor
Open ascending price or English auctions are the oldest and most common
auction form. Derived from the Latin words augere and auctus, "Auction"
means to 'augment' via 'increasing'. While there are many theoretical types
of auctions (ascending, descending, sealed-bid, second-highest bid, etc.) in
this post we will focus on the two main types of auctions provided by Right
of the Dot and Cramton.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121203_gtld_contention_set_auctions_private_
auction_alternatives/

Namibia supports ZA Central Registry .africa bid
Namibia has become the 40th African country to formally endorse the ZA
Central Registry (ZACR) bid for the rights to administer the proposed
.africa gTLD.
http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/379/86550.html

.africa gTLD applicant caught using fake identity
DotConnectAfrica executive director Sophia Bekele has been rumbled using a
fake identity to post to an ICANN mailing list, but says she did so due to
?hatred? from other posters.
http://domainincite.com/11246-africa-gtld-applicant-caught-using-fake-identi
ty

TLDH Appoints Former ICANN Staffer Salazar To Its Executive
He may have taken the fall for glitches in ICANN?s TLD Application System
failure in June this year, but Michael Salazar has fallen on his feet,
having been appointed chief financial officer for Top Level Domain Holdings,
an applicant for several gTLDs.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/12/04/tldh-appoints-staffer-to-executive/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/tldh-appoints-former-icann-staffer-salazar-to-i
ts-executive.html

Own a piece of the internet - Top brands prepare for huge domain shake-up
Some of the largest companies in the world, including Google, Ford, Samsung,
Nike and Gucci, have moved to secure their brand names in anticipation of
the most significant change to the internet since it was created.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/324593/own-a-piece-of-the-inte
rnet

Making the Most of the Draw: The Applicant Auction Conference by Peter
Cramton
Yes, it is a bit odd that applicants for TLDs need to attend the
Prioritization Draw in person on December 17. Jetting to LAX to observe a
raffle may seem like a waste of time and money. But here is how to make the
most of it. Attend the Applicant Auction Conference at the Marriott Santa
Monica on December 18.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121204_making_the_most_of_the_draw_the_appli
cant_auction_conference/

Confirmed: IDNs will be prioritized in new TLD queue
Applicants for internationalized domain names will get prioritized to the
front of the new TLD queue, ICANN confirmed today.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/12/05/confirmed-idns-will-be-prioritized-in-n
ew-tld-queue/

.ngo websites likely go live in late 2013 or early 2014: Brian Cute
In an interview, Public Interest Registry CEO Brian Cute spoke about
creating and managing .ngo domains
http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/XEhuP2jeN2GqjlSQIhGEvI/The-ngo-domain-crit
ical-in-ensuring-online-rights-for-NGOs.html

If Your In Contention For a New gTLD Your Draw Number Is Only As Good As The
Worst Number Picked By A Competing Applicant
As the ICANN draw of December 17th is less than two weeks away, one issue
that has been debated on Facebook is the importance of the draw for those
new gTLD?s strings in contention.
http://www.thedomains.com/2012/12/05/if-your-in-contention-for-a-new-gtld-yo
ur-draw-number-is-only-as-good-as-the-worst-number-picked-by-a-competing-app
licant/

dotHIV Gets Onboard With NZ Bobsled Team Through The Ice Channel
DotHIV is the exclusive charity-partner for New Zealand's bobsled team in
the lead up to the 2014 Winter Olympics, the gTLD Applicant announced on
World AIDS Day, 1 December. The partnership aims to bring awareness to the
fight against AIDS through the German-based initiative.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=19376
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/12/03/dothiv-nz-bobsled/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/dothiv-gets-onboard-with-nz-bobsled-team-throug
h-the-ice-channel.html

TLDH Board Changes, Annual General Meeting
As previously announced, following the prioritisation draw (?Draw?) to be
held by ICANN on 17 December 2012 in Los Angeles to assign priority numbers
to all new gTLD applications to determine the order in which the
applications will be processed and the initial evaluation results are
released, the Company?s registry business, Minds + Machines, plans to expand
its operational team. A first step in that process was the appointment of
Caspar von Veltheim, who has been responsible for TLDH?s continental
European applications in respect of .NRW and .BAYERN, as an executive
director of TLDH with responsibility for Europe.
http://www.tldh.org/2012/12/board-changes-annual-general-meeting/

TLDH hires ICANN?s former new gTLDs head
Top Level Domain Holdings has hired Michael Salazar, former head of the new
gTLD program at ICANN, as its chief financial officer.
http://domainincite.com/11234-tldh-hires-former-icann-new-gtlds-head

gTLD Contention Set Auctions: Private Auction Alternatives by Christa Taylor
Open ascending price or English auctions are the oldest and most common
auction form. Derived from the Latin words augere and auctus, "Auction"
means to 'augment' via 'increasing'. While there are many theoretical types
of auctions (ascending, descending, sealed-bid, second-highest bid, etc.) in
this post we will focus on the two main types of auctions provided by Right
of the Dot and Cramton.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121203_gtld_contention_set_auctions_private_
auction_alternatives/

**********************
 - DNS SECURITY
**********************
eu: Abuse of .EU domains by malware gangs continues despite Registrar
notification
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how we had been seeing a jump in the
number of malicious .EU domain registrations, for the purpose of infecting
users via drive-by downloads using an exploit kit.
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/12/05/eu-domain-abuse/

uk: Cybercrime to get higher priority
The UK is to develop a new emergency response unit to help give individuals
and companies instant advice when their computer systems and networks come
under sustained attack.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/03/cybercrime-gets-higher-prio
rity

Wary of cyber security laws, UK eyes softly-softly approach
Britain will try to get companies to beef up cyber security by encouraging
investors and shareholders to hold them to account on the issue, but will
reject U.S.-style mandatory reporting of online attacks, government
officials say.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/03/uk-britain-cyber-idUKBRE8B21GU20121
203

UK readies 'cyber reserves' as it battens down the security hatches for 2013
The UK government's cybersecurity strategy is continuing apace, with new
plans to draft additional fresh talent to its cybersecurity and response
teams.
http://www.zdnet.com/uk-readies-cyber-reserves-as-it-battens-down-the-securi
ty-hatches-for-2013-7000008274/

DARPA Looks For Backdoors, Malware In Tech Products
In the wake of concerns about Huawei and ZTE equipment security, defense
research agency seeks help identifying backdoors and malicious capabilities
in software and firmware.
http://www.informationweek.com/security/vulnerabilities/darpa-looks-for-back
doors-malware-in-tec/240143043

Pentagon Deploying DARPA to Wage War on Backdoors
DARPAThe speculation is rampant that certain manufacturers are installing
backdoors in their own products or that foreign and criminal elements are
exploiting weaknesses in the supply chain to compromise IT and networking
equipment somewhere between vendors and their customers.
http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/pentagon-deploying-darpa-wage-war-backdoor
s-120412

DARPA Seeks Revolution, Not Evolution, in Cyberspace Capabilities
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the avant-garde research
and development arm of the Department of Defense - perhaps best known for
its central role in the development of the Internet - is soliciting research
proposals that would help the military improve its cyber battlespace
capabilities such that they match the DoD?s existing superiority in the
other domains of war.
http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/darpa-seeks-revolution-not-evolution-cyber
space-capabilities-120312

DARPA declares war on backdoors
With a call for suggestions for testing software and commodity IT devices,
the US Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) is declaring war on backdoors, which it sees as a widespread
problem.
http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/DARPA-declares-war-on-backdoors-1
761811.html

US Government Needs Cybersecurity Doctrine, Experts Say [IDG]
The U.S. government needs a comprehensive doctrine addressing cybersecurity
instead of the current patchwork of policies and agencies dealing with
cyberthreats, according to a group of experts.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/120412-us-government-needs-cybersecuri
ty-doctrine-264786.html
http://www.cio.com/article/723037/US_Government_Needs_Cybersecurity_Doctrine
_Experts_Say
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9234323/U.S._government_needs_cyberse
curity_doctrine_experts_say

Swiss spy agency warns U.S., Britain about huge data leak
Secret information on counter-terrorism shared by foreign governments may
have been compromised by a massive data theft by a senior IT technician for
the NDB, Switzerland's intelligence service, European national security
sources said.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/04/uk-usa-switzerland-datatheft-idUKBR
E8B30IE20121204

EasyDNS aims to solve denial of service attack failures
New product allows Web site owners to specify backup nameservers that can be
swapped in when their primary nameserver degrades in performance.
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=69503

80 per cent of malware in 2012 were redirects from legitimate sites: Sophos
A recent Sophos threat report, Security Threat Report 2013, has found that
80 per cent of malware attacks in 2012 were redirects from legitimate sites.
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/443916/80_per_cent_malware_2012_were_redire
cts_from_legitimate_sites_sophos/

nz: Ministry creates new position to oversee IT security
The Ministry on Thursday released the second phase of a Deloitte report
ordered after security was breached in its public kiosks.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/122750/ministry-creates-new-position-
to-oversee-it-security

**********************
 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
**********************
eu: Complaint To Brussels Prosecutor Put BitTorrent Domains In Peril
Last Friday a pair of leading BitTorrent sites and a handful of streaming
and linking portals had their domains put on hold by EURid, the European
Registry of Internet Domain Names. Fresh information this week from a source
familiar with the situation suggests that someone filed a complaint against
the sites with the prosecutor in Brussels. In response, some of the affected
sites have been taking steps to mitigate the effects of what could be
pending legal action.
http://torrentfreak.com/complaint-to-brussels-prosecutor-put-bittorrent-doma
ins-in-peril-121205/

**********************
 - MISCELLANEOUS
**********************
iTunes Porn: Apple's Launch Of Russian iTunes Apparently Littered With
Unexpected Pornography
That version of iTunes that was just released in Russia? It was apparently
made to run on OS XXX. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/itunes-porn-apple-russia-launch-por
nography_n_2245452.html

Russian iTunes Store infiltrated by .xxx banners after snafu [NSFW]
Russian iTunes users reportedly got a shock today when they discovered
masses of sexually explicit content from the .xxx gTLD in their iTunes
Store.
http://domainincite.com/11253-russian-itunes-store-infiltrated-by-xxx-banner
s-after-snafu-nsfw

Christmas.com Gets a New Lease on Life With Move to Left of the Dot's
Sub-domain Platform
After spending almost a decade as a parked page, the spectacular potential
of Christmas.com is finally being realized after a move to the Left of the
Dot platform that combines domain development with smart utilization of
sub-domains to take top tier domains to a new level.
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2012/dailyposts/20121203.htm

**********************
 - WEBHOSTING
**********************
Go Daddy among top job creators in America
A Scottsdale domain name registration company is among the best in the
United States when it comes to job creation.
http://ktar.com/22/1592882/Go-Daddy-among-top-job-creators-in-America

Syrian government websites find suitable host in US servers
Being labeled a supporter of terrorism was the last thing on Dennis Henry?s
mind as he walked into work at the HostDime.com web hosting company in
Orlando recently.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/12/05/syrian-govt-websites-found-on-us-comp
any-servers/

Microsoft Sees Largest Gain in Host Names in December 2012 Netcraft Web
Server Survey
A new rootkit that infects web servers running on 64-bit GNU/Linux has been
discovered, according to the Netcraft December 2012 web server survey.
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/microsoft-sees-largest-gain-in-host-
names-in-december-2012-netcraft-web-server-survey

Netcraft December 2012 Web Server Survey
In the December 2012 survey we received responses from 633,706,564 sites -
an increase of over 8 million since November. Microsoft IIS experienced the
largest gain this month, with the movement of an advertising network of 4.7M
Apache hostnames to IIS 7.5 contributing to an overall 8.2M increase - their
largest in over a year. 
http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2012/12/04/december-2012-web-server-survey
.html

**********************
 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
**********************
You might want more money, but there?s usually a price at which it makes
sense.
Domainers typically sell domain names they aren?t using. They?re parked or
have a minisite, but no real business.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/12/04/when-it-makes-sense-to-sell-a-domain-na
me-you-actually-use/

A shady domain broker practice
I want to highlight a domain broker practice that gives the industry a bad
name. 
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/12/05/a-shady-domain-broker-practice/

**********************
INTERNET USE
**********************
Dealers shed light on dark internet's drug trade
Users of the dark internet have shed light on their illegal trades on a
growing online black market, which is helping more and more Australians to
buy drugs and weapons.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-05/dark-internet-linked-to-drug-seizure-s
pike/4410872

Windows 8 takes 1 percent of Web usage as Internet Explorer gains
November saw Firefox climb back up above 20 percent, Internet Explorer grow
further still, and Chrome apparently suffer a surprisingly sharp drop.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/12/windows-8-takes-1-perc
ent-of-web-usage-as-internet-explorer-gains/

Internet use rockets as Australians' dependence grows
Australians, it seems, are increasingly addicted to the internet: a report
from the communications regulator shows we are sucking down hundreds of
thousands more terabytes of data than we were a year ago.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/internet-use-rockets-as-aus
tralians-dependence-grows-20121206-2ax3g.html

Australia?s digital footprint expands [news release]
Australia has moved from baby steps to giant steps in the online world with
its digital footprint expanding rapidly during 2011?12.
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_600127

Yahoo to axe public-chat rooms feature
Yahoo has announced plans to permanently axe the public chat rooms feature
of its messaging tool.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20582550

**********************
SOCIAL MEDIA
**********************
Kiwis spend full working day on social media
More than 2.8 million New Zealanders spent an average eight hours each on
social media sites in October, according to figures out today.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=108520
76

Facebook turns Messenger into a text message killer
The text message might be 20 years old ? but Facebook is now looking to
hurry it into the grave. The giant social network, which has now passed a
billion users, has just announced that it is updating its "Messenger" app
for Android so that anyone can sign up using just their name and phone
number, and then send messages to Facebook contacts via their data plan,
rather than as texts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/04/facebook-messenger-android-
sms-killer

Facebook's new Messenger app: Path to the next billion users?
It may seem odd to talk about user growth for Facebook, which with 1
billion-plus members is already more than three times the size of the entire
U.S. population. But much of what the company does boils down to just that:
How to add the next billion users? And then the billion after that?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57557040-93/facebooks-new-messenger-app-pat
h-to-the-next-billion-users/

Convicted paedophile seeks damages from Facebook
A convicted child sex offender, who won a landmark court case forcing
Facebook to take down a website page monitoring paedophiles, is now seeking
damages.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20585862

U.S. judge gives initial OK to revised Facebook privacy settlement
A U.S. judge on Monday gave his preliminary approval to a second attempt by
Facebook Inc to settle a class action lawsuit which charges the social
networking company with violating privacy rights.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/04/uk-facebook-privacy-settlement-idUK
BRE8B304T20121204
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/12/04/facebook-privacy-settlement-idINDEE
8B301520121204

Facebook users overwhelmingly oppose privacy policy change
With voting open on Facebook's proposed privacy policy changes, more than
110,000 users have weighed in -- and so far, the vote is heavily in favor of
not making the change at all.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9234320/Facebook_users_overwhelmingly
_oppose_privacy_policy_change

Law Students in Austria Challenge Facebook Privacy Policy
An Austrian student group said Tuesday that it planned to challenge
Facebook?s privacy policies in Irish court, alleging that the social
networking giant had failed, despite repeated requests and formal complaints
made by its members, to adapt to the restrictions of European data
protection law.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/technology/austrian-group-plans-court-chal
lenge-to-facebooks-privacy-policies.html

Irish Data Protection Watchdog Faces Legal Challenge Over Facebook Privacy
Audit [IDG]
Privacy campaign group Europe vs. Facebook has threatened to take the Irish
Data Protection Commissioner to court if it is not satisfied with the DPC's
final responses to its 22 complaints about Facebook's privacy policies, and
appealed for donations to cover the costs of such an action.
http://www.cio.com/article/722951/Irish_Data_Protection_Watchdog_Faces_Legal
_Challenge_Over_Facebook_Privacy_Audit
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9234306/Irish_data_protection_watchdo
g_faces_legal_challenge_over_Facebook_privacy_audit

*********************************
CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
*********************************
World powers closing net on child porn
Earlier this year, law enforcement agencies from five EU nations and the
United States worked together to dismantle an international paedophilia
network, and arrested perpetrators and distributors of child-abuse images
and videos. This is not the only such case: two other joint police
crackdowns co-ordinated by Europol over the past two years have resulted in
more than 300 arrests. Suspects were identified in 30 countries, ranging
from the United States to Australia. Teachers and a boy scout leader were
among the suspects arrested.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=108521
85

NZ joins Global Alliance against child sexual abuse online [news release]
Justice Minister Judith Collins has joined with representatives of 48
countries in Brussels at the Ministerial launch of the Global Alliance
against child sexual abuse online.
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/nz-joins-global-alliance-against-child-se
xual-abuse-online

Children Increasingly Targeted For Identity Fraud, Study Says
Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting children for identity theft, and
lower-income families are the most frequent victims, according to a new
study published today.
http://www.darkreading.com/security/privacy/240143818/children-increasingly-
targeted-for-identity-fraud-study-says.html

New Zealand children exploited for pornography
Nearly 30 New Zealand children have been exploited for online pornography in
the last four years, and levels of offending remain steady.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8038977/New-Zealand-children-exploited
-for-pornography

nz: Experts slam 'thinspiration' blogs
Experts warn that online thinspiration blogs are encouraging
life-threatening behaviour among slimmers, with girls as young as six being
treated for severe eating disorders.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/8038873/Experts-slam-thinspirati
on-blogs
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/8036190/Diet-blogs-risking-lives

TVNZ stars in bogus Facebook ads
TVNZ has complained to Facebook after the publication of weight-loss ads
using stars such as Petra Bagust, Toni Street and Shavaughn Ruakere.
http://www.odt.co.nz/source/apnz/237688/tvnz-stars-bogus-facebook-ads
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10851777

nz: Abusive Facebook pages target schools
A Facebook page that compares one of its teachers to a paedophile displays a
Palmerston North school's logo and is among a rash of viral "meme" pages
being circulated among students.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/8043977/Abusive-Facebook-pa
ges-target-schools

ie: Schools ban photos to stamp out cyber bullies
SCHOOLS have been told to ban all students from taking photographs of other
pupils or members of staff under new guidelines to combat cyber bullying.
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/stop-cyber-bullying/schools-ba
n-photos-to-stamp-out-cyber-bullies-3315621.html

**********************
ONLINE TV, MUSIC & PIRACY
**********************
Pirate Bay spin-off site Promo Bay to be unblocked
UK ISPs have been told they no longer have to block a website which had
close links to banned site The Pirate Bay.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20615797

nz: Another file-sharing prosecution fails
Yet another failed file-sharing prosecution by the Recording Industry
Association of New Zealand illustrates the importance of challenging the
Government's newly introduced copyright regime, an internet watchdog says.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/compute/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501832&objectid=108
51718 

Yet Another Contested 3 Strikes File-Sharing Case Dropped By Music Biz
Another file-sharing case brought before New Zealand?s Copyright Tribunal by
the major record labels has been withdrawn at the 11th hour after it was
discovered that none of the?strikes? had been properly delivered to the
account holder. As yet again rightsholders and ISPs delay the implementation
of a similar scheme in the United States, they will seek to avoid the 100%
failure rate in contested cases set by their Kiwi counterparts.
http://torrentfreak.com/yet-another-contested-3-strikes-file-sharing-case-dr
opped-by-music-biz-120103/

**********************
MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
Apps Redirect Text Messages, and Profits, From Cellular Providers
For a long time, opening a cellphone bill was scary for the parents of
teenagers. Charges for texting could reach hundreds of dollars a month,
prompting many families to sign up for unlimited plans. But at perhaps $20 a
month for each family member, that quickly added up, too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/technology/free-messaging-apps-siphon-prof
its-from-cellular-providers.html

iOS v Android: app revenues, downloads and country breakdowns
The geographical and revenue differences between the iPhone and Android
platforms is laid bare by a new report on the app market from App Annie ?
from which we've had specific access to extra information.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/appsblog/2012/dec/04/ios-android-revenu
es-downloads-country

in: Registry to help track cell phones on Govt table
The Government is thinking of setting up a centralised registry with the
identity number of each mobile device in the country.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/registry-
to-help-track-cell-phones-on-govt-table/article4164452.ece

**********************
ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
**********************
nz: Megaupload's Kim Dotcom allowed to seek damages against spy agency [IDG]
New Zealand's High Court ruled Wednesday that Kim Dotcom and a Megaupload
colleague can pursue damages against police and one of the country's spy
services for illegally intercepting their communications.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9234399/Megaupload_s_Kim_Dotcom_allow
ed_to_seek_damages_against_spy_agency

Anonymous target revenge porn site owner Hunter Moore
The former owner of a "revenge porn" website has been threatened by
hacktivist collective Anonymous.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20579728

us: Virginia woman is sued over her Yelp review
... Lawyers say it is one of a growing number of defamation lawsuits over
online reviews on sites such as Yelp, Angie?s List and Trip?Advisor and over
Internet postings in general. They say the freewheeling and acerbic world of
Web speech is colliding with the ever-growing importance of online
reputations for businesses, doctors, restaurants, even teachers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/2012/12/04/1cdfa582-3978-11e2-a263
-f0ebffed2f15_story.html

**********************
SECURITY
**********************
uk: Cybercrime to get higher priority
The UK is to develop a new emergency response unit to help give individuals
and companies instant advice when their computer systems and networks come
under sustained attack.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/03/cybercrime-gets-higher-prio
rity