Hello Australia!

Today I'm trying out a new "format" for the domain and general internet news, thanks to a belated suggestion from a client! The new format is an attempt to get around the problem of URLs sometimes breaking when they are longer than one line.

So I'm trialling ditching the html and adding "<" and ">" at the beginning and end respectively of URLs, seeing both if it works and the time it takes.

If all goes well, and there are no complaints, I'll continue in this format.

Regards,
David


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Why the UN?s push to control the Internet isn?t over
<http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/why-the-uns-push-to-control-the-internet-isnt-over/>

Is it time for the internet to get the plumber in?
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jan/13/internet-needs-to-get-rebuilders-in>

Board Chairman Steve Crocker on 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm2zjPIJc4k

Early Warnings?.of Corruption in ICANN by Milton Mueller
<http://www.internetgovernance.org/2013/01/11/early-warnings-of-corruption-in-icann/>

".ch" survives DDoS attack unscathed
<http://www.switch.ch/about/news/2013/ddos.html>

InternetNZ's departing CEO looking for next career opportunity
<http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/internetnzs-departing-ceo-looking-for-next-career-opportunity>

Crocker sees new gTLDs going live ?towards the end of the year?
<http://domainincite.com/11555-crocker-sees-new-gtlds-going-live-towards-the-end-of-the-year>

Anger as ICANN delays key new gTLDs milestone
<http://domainincite.com/11581-anger-as-icann-delays-key-new-gtlds-milestone>

Don?t panic! Crocker clarifies ?end of year? new gTLD comments
<http://domainincite.com/11568-dont-panic-crocker-clarifies-end-of-year-new-gtld-comments>

Fight over new sports gTLDs gets real ugly
<http://domainincite.com/11545-fight-over-new-sports-gtlds-gets-real-ugly>

The routing security battles intensify by Milton Mueller and Brenden Kuerbis
<http://www.internetgovernance.org/2013/01/09/the-routing-security-battles-intensify/>

Cybercrime Attacks on Business Bank Accounts Are Dropping
<http://www.cio.com/article/726162/Cybercrime_Attacks_on_Business_Bank_Accounts_Are_Dropping>

European Cybercrime Centre opens for business
<http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/European-Cybercrime-Centre-opens-for-business-1780747.html>

au: Spy agency ASIO wants powers to hack into personal computers
<http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/spy-agency-asio-wants-powers-to-hack-into-personal-computers/story-fncvk70o-1226552661701>

Gun Parts Store Registers SenatorFeinstein.com Domain Name
<http://www.inquisitr.com/478941/gun-parts-store-registers-senatorfeinstein-com-domain-name/>

Melbourne IT companies in the Fair Work Ombudsman's firing line
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/446100/melbourne_it_companies_fair_work_ombudsman_firing_line/>


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GOVERNANCE
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Why the UN?s push to control the Internet isn?t over
Last month, a majority of the members of the International Telecommunications Union voted for a murky proposal, suggesting that the ITU has the power to regulate the Internet. The proposal was passed despite vociferous objections by the US and other developed countries. In the end, 55 countries refused to sign on, while 89 did sign the resolution.
<http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/why-the-uns-push-to-control-the-internet-isnt-over/>

The Coming Age of Internet Sovereignty? BY Scott J. Shackelford, Assistant Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business
In few places on Earth is censorship undertaken more vigorously than it is in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Take Amazon.com. At one level, Amazon.cn, allegedly the world's largest Chinese online bookstore, resembles its American counterpart, selling everything from the Twilight series to Battlestar Galactica. But dig deeper, and differences multiply. A search in early 2011 revealed only a single hit for "human rights in China": Alexandra Harney's The China Price. Perhaps most telling was a query conducted by the New York Times in 2010 for "censorship" and "China," that returned a result for a book entitled, When China Rules the World.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-j-shackelford/internet-sovereignty_b_2420719.html>

Is it time for the internet to get the plumber in?
A system created to link researchers has grown into part of everyday life. But are its foundations still secure?
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jan/13/internet-needs-to-get-rebuilders-in>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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Investment Policy - New gTLD
1. PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT: This documents sets out the Investment Policy agreed by the ICANN Board of Directors for the investment of cash on hand (funds) pertaining to the New gTLD program. This document has been prepared jointly with ICANN's external financial advisors.
<http://www.icann.org/en/about/financials/investment-policy-new-gtld>

Patrick Kane, Senior Vice President and General Manager, VeriSign, Inc., to Maguy Serad, Jack Khawaja, and Karla Valente
Verisign Declines Voluntary Participation in the .net Contractual Compliance Audit
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/kane-to-serad-et-al-08jan13-en>

Fellowship Application Round Opens for ICANN 47 in Durban, South Africa - How Do I Apply for the Fellowship Program
The Fellowship Program has demonstrated success in its mission to build capacity in the ICANN multi-stakeholder environment through focused interactive engagement between newcomers to ICANN and community members at each of the ICANN meetings.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-11jan13-en.htm>

Board Chairman Steve Crocker on 2013
New gTLDs, Application Fees and Beyond Beijing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm2zjPIJc4k

Early Warnings?.of Corruption in ICANN by Milton Mueller
New TLD applications raise high financial stakes for the applicants. Those seeking new TLDs will have invested at least half a million dollars to prepare and submit their proposal, and many of the companies involved have raised millions more in backing from investors or venture capital firms. In aggregate, applicants plunked down about $250 million in application fees alone.
<http://www.internetgovernance.org/2013/01/11/early-warnings-of-corruption-in-icann/>

Vietnamese Registrar Mat Bao Has Two Breaches At Once
Today?s list of 10 registrars that received breach notices included Vietnamese registrar Mat Bao. What makes this quite interesting is that the company had already got a breach notice back in December.
<http://www.internetnews.me/2013/01/12/vietnamese-registrar-mat-bao-has-two-breaches-at-once/>

ICANN Compliance Sends Breach Notices To 10 Registrars
ICANN?s Compliance team has been busy.This evening they published 10 breach notices that had been sent to registrars. All of the registrars in question have ignored ICANN?s notifications to them about the audit program. However several of them also owe ICANN accreditation fees as well.
<http://www.internetnews.me/2013/01/12/icann-compiance-sends-breach-notices-to-10-registrars/>

Loopholes and Ambiguities in Contracts that ICANN Oversees by George Kirikos
ICANN oversees the creation of many contracts. Its highest paid contractor has historically been the law firm of Jones Day, and of course ICANN has many lawyers on staff. In the past I've identified loopholes in proposed contracts, and those were corrected before they were exploited. However, are there other loopholes sitting in existing contracts waiting to be exploited, or ambiguities with major financial consequences depending on their interpretation?
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130109_loopholes_and_ambiguities_in_contracts_that_icann_oversees/>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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ca: UPEI celebrates 25 years of being first .ca website
There may be more than 2 million .ca domain names but 25 years ago UPEI was breaking new ground by registering the first.
<http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2013-01-13/article-3155654/UPEI-celebrates-25-years-of-being-first-.ca-website/1>

UPEI.ca celebrates groundbreaking anniversary
The University of P.E.I. is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its website ? and the 25th anniversary of the first dot.ca page on the internet.
<http://news.ca.msn.com/local/pei/upeica-celebrates-groundbreaking-anniversary>
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2013/01/11/pei-website-anniversary.html>

.Cat Registry Whois Now Respects EU Privacy Laws
The .cat domain registry has changed their whois policy and output so that it is compliant with Spanish and EU privacy laws. As of January 7th private individuals who register (and use) .cat domain names can opt to have their details removed from public whois. 
<http://www.internetnews.me/2013/01/10/cat-registry-whois-now-respects-eu-privacy-laws/>

".ch" survives DDoS attack unscathed
Since this morning (Thursday) all the Swiss name servers have been systematically abused in a bid to stop other websites from operating. "Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)" attacks are nothing new, but this is the first time that the .ch infrastructure has been abused. Thanks to the high-quality operation of Switzerland's Internet by the SWITCH Foundation and SWITCH's rapid intervention, all .ch websites have remained accessible all the time.
<http://www.switch.ch/about/news/2013/ddos.html>

.CO sets sights on changing ?the fabric of the Internet?
For the millions of people who equate the Web with .com, .CO Internet is out to change that mindset.
<http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/13/3179294/co-sets-sights-on-changing-the.html>

In major snub, Verisign refuses to let ICANN audit .net
Verisign has delivered a significant blow to ICANN?s authority by refusing to take part in its contractual compliance audit program.
<http://domainincite.com/11560-in-major-snub-verisign-refuses-to-let-icann-audit-net>

InternetNZ's departing CEO looking for next career opportunity
Departing InternetNZ CEO Vikram Kumar, who is resigning from his position at InternetNZ at the end of this month, says he has not been offered another job; he is leaving simply because he considers it the right time to move on and broaden his perspective.
<http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/internetnzs-departing-ceo-looking-for-next-career-opportunity>

Digital rights campaigners warn of Nominet gaining 'monopoly over trust and security' with new .uk domain offering
Nominet would have a monopoly over 'trust' and security in the UK domain space under plans to create a '.uk' domain the Open Rights Group (ORG) has warned.
<http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2013/january/digital-rights-campaigners-warn-of-nominet-gaining-monopoly-over-trust-and-security-with-new-uk-domain-offering/>

Direct.uk consultation closes today
We would like to remind stakeholders that our consultation on a potential new .uk domain name service closes today.
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/directuk-consultation-closes-today>

.co.za Domain Price Hike Expected to Push Registrars, ISPs to Use EPP System
Registering a .co.za domain will cost 50 percent more starting on March 1, 2013, but only ISPs and registrars using UniForum SA?s legacy domain registration system will be hit with the increase.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/co-za-domain-price-hike-expected-to-push-registrars-isps-to-use-epp-system>

Price hike for .co.za domains
UniForum SA is increasing the price of .co.za domain names by 50%, but only on its legacy system. But the price on its new registration system is set at a significantly lower level in an effort to encourage registrants to move from one to the other.
<http://www.techcentral.co.za/price-hike-for-co-za-to-kick-in/37397/>

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 - NEW TLDS
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Crocker sees new gTLDs going live ?towards the end of the year?
ICANN chairman Steve Crocker has put a tentative date of ?towards the end of the year? for the first approval and delegation of new gTLDs, months later than some applicants were expecting.
<http://domainincite.com/11555-crocker-sees-new-gtlds-going-live-towards-the-end-of-the-year>

Anger as ICANN delays key new gTLDs milestone
New gTLD applicants could barely disguise their anger tonight, after learning that ICANN has delayed a key deliverable in the new gTLD program ? originally due in October ? until March.
<http://domainincite.com/11581-anger-as-icann-delays-key-new-gtlds-milestone>

Policy versus implementation? shouldn?t that be complexity versus simplification? by St?phane Van Gelder
ICANN has just published a paper that attempts to frame what is policy and what is implementation. Now, if you?re a normal person, your natural response would be ?who cares??.
<http://domainincite.com/11570-policy-versus-implementation-shouldnt-that-be-complexity-versus-simplification-guest-post>

Don?t panic! Crocker clarifies ?end of year? new gTLD comments
ICANN chairman Steve Crocker has clarified comments made during a recent interview in which he said he expected new gTLDs to be delegated ?towards the end of the year?.
<http://domainincite.com/11568-dont-panic-crocker-clarifies-end-of-year-new-gtld-comments>

Is .home back on ICANN?s new gTLD risk list?
While most new gTLD applicants were focused on delays to the program revealed during last Friday?s ICANN webinar, another bit of news may also be a cause for concern for .home applicants.
<http://domainincite.com/11590-is-home-back-on-icanns-new-gtld-risk-list>

Fight over new sports gTLDs gets real ugly
Roar Domains, a New Zealand marketing firm whose gTLD applications are backed by the official international bodies for both sports, is promising to pull out all the stops to kill off its competition.
<http://domainincite.com/11545-fight-over-new-sports-gtlds-gets-real-ugly>

IFFOR Launches Policy Engine for New gTLDs
The International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR) has launched a new policy service specifically for operators of new gTLDs.
<http://www.xbiz.com/news/158355>

And Now IFFOR Is Going Into The New gTLD Business
Yesterday We wrote about IFFOR, the over $1.4 Million it should have raised from .XXX registrations and renewals and the $10K in grants it Awarded.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2013/01/10/and-now-iffor-is-going-into-the-new-gtld-business/>

Predicted ?go live? date for online expansion shifts again [registration]
The timeframe for the launch of the first new gTLDs has proven somewhat fluid over the past year. As the programme has progressed - and timings have shifted - estimates for when the first gTLD will go live has changed from early 2013 to quarter two, then perhaps August. Last night the prediction shifted again, with ICANN?s chairman of the board claiming that the first root delegations will occur ?towards the end of the year I think?. However, the pace of delegation could be speedier than anticipated.
<http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=0ca6de26-1607-4326-b25b-14d2cb222d6c>

ICANN Update: Dates for Clarifying Questions and Contention Sets Announced
During today?s new gTLD applicant update webinar, ICANN made some important announcements regarding the timing of upcoming milestones in the new gTLD application evaluation process. Specifically, ICANN stated that Contention Sets would be announced on March 1.
<http://www.gtldstrategy.com/policy-updates/icann-update-dates-for-clarifying-questions-and-contention-sets-announced>

The two sides of the Trademark Clearinghouse
The priority draw for new gTLDs, held by ICANN on 18 December 2012 in Los Angeles, determined the order in which evaluation results will be released for the 1,930 applications. Internet users are likely to see the first new TLDs appear from the religion, technology and automotive sectors as early as July next year.
<http://www.netnames.com/blog/2013/01/the-two-sides-of-the-trademark-clearinghouse/>

Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress in New York, March 2013
Now that the new generic TLD preliminary draw has taken place and it is likely the first new gTLD launches will take place in 2013, a conference on marketing and strategy has been announced for New York in March.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/01/11/digital-marketing-gtld-strategy-congress/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/en/digital-marketing-a-gtld-strategy-congress-in-new-york-march-2013.html>

The Internet is Not Going to Break and 4 Other gTLD Myths Refuted
The internet?s abuzz with hype and gossip about the future of TLDs and we?re here to help. Whether you?re worried about trademark infringement, administrative rights, search engine recognition, squatters or getting a gTLD of your own, don?t let the hype get you down. Here?s 5 gTLD myths debunked
<http://www.name.com/blog/ntlds/2013/01/the-internet-is-not-going-to-break-and-4-other-gtld-myths-refuted/>

First gTLDs to launch later than expected
The first new gTLDs will probably launch towards the end of 2013, according to the chairman of the board at ICANN.
<http://www.worldipreview.com/news/first-gtlds-to-launch-later-than-expected>

More on Private Auctions for New gTLDs by Peter Cramton
My recent post on private auctions for new gTLDs under contention generated many responses from applicants. Here I follow-up with answers to the questions raised... Many, but certainly not all, applicants have a strong motivation to participate in a private auction. This incentive is especially strong for domains for which the community, geographic, and other factors are not compelling.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130112_more_on_private_auctions_for_new_gtlds/>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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The routing security battles intensify by Milton Mueller and Brenden Kuerbis
An important debate about the implications of BGPSEC - a new protocol that would use a hierarchical Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) to validate Internet route announcements ? is taking place in the IETF?s Secure Inter-domain Routing (SIDR) Working Group.
<http://www.internetgovernance.org/2013/01/09/the-routing-security-battles-intensify/>

Cybercrime Attacks on Business Bank Accounts Are Dropping
Attacks by cybercriminals to steal funds electronically from commercial bank accounts appear to be less successful of late than in previous years, according to a survey of 100 large and small financial institutions.
<http://www.cio.com/article/726162/Cybercrime_Attacks_on_Business_Bank_Accounts_Are_Dropping>
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/446185/cybercrime_attacks_business_bank_accounts_dropping/>

European Cybercrime Centre opens for business
The European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) will officially start operating on 11 January with a mission to protect European citizens and businesses from cybercrime. "Cybercriminals are smart and quick in using new technologies for criminal purposes; the EC3 will help us become even smarter and quicker to help prevent and fight their crimes" said European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstr?m at the launch of the EC3 project ahead of the official opening of the centre at Europol, the European Police Office, in the Hague.
<http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/European-Cybercrime-Centre-opens-for-business-1780747.html>

eu: Cybercrime centre Chief: 'We will focus on criminal groups or networks who steal your money'
New mobile flying quads are amongst innovations that will be at the disposal of the new European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), according to chief Troels ?rting.
<http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/chief-cyber-defender-swarmers-be-interview-516969>

US petition seeks to make DDoS ?a legal form of protesting?
An online petition to make distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks a legalised form of free speech has been created on the whitehouse.gov website.
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/446234/us_petition_seeks_make_ddos_legal_form_protesting_/>

Petition asks White House to make DDoS attacks a form of protest
The petition also requests that anyone who has been punished for DDoS attacks should be ?immediately released.?
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/petition-asks-white-house-to-make-ddos-attacks-a-form-of-protest/2013/01/11/fe285f86-5b8b-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html>

Experts unsure whether Iran is behind bank DDoS attacks
Though U.S. officials blamed Iran for an ongoing stream of distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) against major U.S. banks, security experts say there's not enough evidence yet to assign blame.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9235636/Experts_unsure_whether_Iran_is_behind_bank_DDoS_attacks_>

 Monitoring Bank DDoS Attacks Tough Task for Third Parties
While data is not readily available on the attacks hitting financial institutions, defenders dealing with the incidents say that the attacks are effective and costly
<http://www.darkreading.com/security-monitoring/167901086/security/attacks-breaches/240146155/monitoring-bank-ddos-attacks-tough-task-for-third-parties.html.html>

Bank DDoS Attacks Using Compromised Web Servers as Bots
Bank DDoSA rash of politically and socially motivated distributed denial-of-service attacks against major U.S. banks has been able to intermittently disrupt online and mobile banking services. The attackers have been able to fire unprecedented amounts of traffic at the likes of Wells Fargo, Bank of America, PNC and many others, temporarily denying customers access to their accounts online.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/bank-ddos-attacks-using-compromised-web-servers-bots-011113>

Banks seek NSA help amid cyber attacks
Major U.S. banks have turned to the National Security Agency for help protecting their computer systems after a barrage of assaults that have disrupted their Web sites, according to industry officials.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/banks-seek-nsa-help-amid-attacks-on-their-computer-systems/2013/01/10/4aebc1e2-5b31-11e2-beee-6e38f5215402_story.html>

A Distributed Denial of Service Attack Isn?t an Act of Civil Disobedience
Two years ago, I sat in an online chat room with a group of people who claimed to be part of the hacktivist group Anonymous. I left the chat window open after we were done talking and later found a transcript of them taking down, among other sites, then-Senator Joe Lieberman?s (I-Conn.) website in retaliation for the senator?s rhetoric about Julian Assange.
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-11/a-distributed-denial-of-service-attack-isnt-an-act-of-civil-disobedience>

Zero-Day Java Exploit Debuts in Crimeware
The hackers who maintain Blackhole and Nuclear Pack ? competing crimeware products that are made to be stitched into hacked sites and use browser flaws to foist malware ? say they?ve added a brand new exploit that attacks a previously unknown and currently unpatched security hole in Java.
<http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/01/zero-day-java-exploit-debuts-in-crimeware/>

India's cybersecurity brochure proposal criticized by hardware firms
Government proposal for all hardware to include brochure to raise awareness against cyberthreats draws concerns over supply chain logistics.
<http://www.zdnet.com/in/indias-cybersecurity-brochure-proposal-criticized-by-hardware-firms-7000009688/>

au: Spy agency ASIO wants powers to hack into personal computers
Spy agency ASIO wants to hack into Australians' personal computers and commandeer their smartphones to transmit viruses to terrorists.
<http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/spy-agency-asio-wants-powers-to-hack-into-personal-computers/story-fncvk70o-1226552661701>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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The "Center" of UDRP Conflict
Does owning a trademark for a phrase, regardless of its specificity, entitle the trademark holder to that domain name? That is, essentially, the question that Manhattan Center Studios posed when it filed a UDRP complaint against James Lawson with the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) over the domain name ManhattanCenter.com.
<http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2013/01/07/center-udrp-conflict>

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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IPv6 can boost mobile performance, battery life, proponents say [IDG]
IPv6, the next version of the Internet Protocol, could make life easier and battery life longer for electronics-addicted consumers.
<http://www.cio.com.au/article/446252/ipv6_can_boost_mobile_performance_battery_life_proponents_say/>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Gun Parts Store Registers SenatorFeinstein.com Domain Name
In the aftermath of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, US Senator and gun control supporter Dianne Feinstein plans to introduce legislation banning so-called assault weapons, but in the meantime a firearms and military supply store that supports Second Amendment rights has registered her domain name.
<http://www.inquisitr.com/478941/gun-parts-store-registers-senatorfeinstein-com-domain-name/>

us: Gun parts store registers SenatorFeinstein.com, uses it to promote gun rights
California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein ? a staunch supporter of gun control ? may soon regret not registering her own domain name, since senatorfeinstein.com will now be run by a firearm parts and accessories store that will use the site to promote gun rights.
<http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/11/gun-parts-store-registers-sen-feinsteins-domain-name-uses-it-to-promote-gun-rights/>

The "Art" of Choosing a Domain Name
New York-based startup Artsy has garnered attention from the media and investors for its Pandora-esque artwork discovery engine, but now issues with its Syrian domain name are causing the company problems. In the midst of the violent conflict in Syria, the company's principle domain name has suffered outages, and on Friday, Artsy announced plans to move operations to Artsy.net.
<http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2013/01/08/art-choosing-domain-name>

Me First
Launching a new brand can be tricky, whether you're a new enterprise making your move onto the global stage or an established corporation looking to expand your offerings or broaden your image. One thing that can help ensure the success of a fledgling brand, though, is a great domain name to support it.
<http://www.gtldstrategy.com/marketing-strategies/me-first>

Neustar Receives Exceptional Customer Satisfaction Ratings in 2012 NPAC Performance Survey
Neustar, Inc., the United States? Local Number Portability Administrator (LNPA), earned a near-perfect score in an independent customer survey for its performance in 2012. Neustar scored 3.9 out of a possible 4.0 in overall customer focus, with an average score of 3.84 out of 4.0 across all surveyed categories. The report measures all aspects of Neustar?s service, including customer satisfaction, operational excellence and neutrality.
<http://www.neustar.biz/about-us/news-room/press-releases/2013/neustar-receives-exceptional-npac-customer-satisfaction-ratings-in-2012-performance>

Internet Society Seeks Nominees to Join Other Historic Figures in Internet Hall of Fame
The Internet Society today announced that nominations for the second annual Internet Hall of Fame will be accepted January 11 through February 18, 2013. The nomination form will be available on the Internet Hall of Fame website.
<http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-seeks-nominees-join-other-historic-figures-internet-hall-fame>

Melbourne IT companies in the Fair Work Ombudsman's firing line
The Ombudsman is seeking entitlement pay of $717 and $16,571 for allegedly underpaid employees and additional pay for a sacked employee.
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/446100/melbourne_it_companies_fair_work_ombudsman_firing_line/>

**********************
 - WEBHOSTING
**********************
Netcraft January 2013 Web Server Survey
Apache continued its decline in market share that began in mid-2012, now having 100 million fewer hostnames than in June 2012: it still retains a clear majority at 55.26% of the market. Both within the million busiest sites and on the internet as a whole, nginx has continued its ascendance, increasing its market share to 12.77% and 12.64% respectively. Where the version is known, the widest deployed version of nginx is the current stable branch (1.2.x) but the bulk of Apache users are still using the 2.2.x branch of Apache httpd despite the new features available in the 2.4.x branch which has been available since February 2012.
<http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2013/01/07/january-2013-web-server-survey-2.html>

DomainInvest Rolls Out New Affiliate Program Aimed at Building Hosting.co.uk Into an Industry Favorite
DomainInvest.lu, a Luxembourg based company co-founded by well-known domain industry veterans Frederick Schiwek, Markus Schnermann (who was the subject of a May 2009 DN Journal Cover Story) and Xavier Buck, is making a big push into the domain hosting business. Schiwek told me it is something they have been planning since 2009 when they acquired the category defining Hosting.co.uk domain name for approximately ?37,000.
<http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2013/dailyposts/20130109.htm>

Digital Realty Trust Acquires Australian Data Center for $12.4 Million
Data center operator Digital Realty Trust announced on Thursday it recently acquired an established data center in Macquarie Park, New South Wales for $12.43 million in an effort to expand its Australian footprint.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/digital-realty-trust-acquires-australian-data-center-for-12-4-million>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
**********************
Why $1.2 million for Rockies.com didn?t pass my sniff test
This week you may have wondered why I didn?t cover the purchase of Rockies.com by Major League Baseball.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/01/11/why-1-25-million-for-rockies-com-didnt-pass-my-sniff-test/>

DomainNameSales Goes on a Tear With a Hand in EVERY ONE of This Week's 11 Biggest Domain Sales
It should be a very Merry Christmas at DomainNameSales.com (DNS). The domain aftermarket sales platform founded by industry legend Frank Schilling simply shot the lights out this past week either solely or jointly ringing up ALL of the 11 biggest sales and 16 of 20 on our latest weekly all extension Top 20 Sales Chart.
<http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2012/20121226.htm>

Silver.com Strikes Gold - Closes 2012 Sales Season in One of the Year's Three Biggest Deals
The 2012 domain sales season has come to a close - and it ended with a bang as Silver.com changed hands for $875,000 in the year's third biggest sale (our final 2012 Top 100 Chart is here). The owners of precious metals dealer JM Bullion bought the domain from a private seller in a deal brokered by WebsiteProperties.com that took only a week to negotiate.
<http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2012/20130109.htm>

Major League Baseball Denies It Paid Seven Figures For Rockies.com
Acccording to baseballamerica.com Major League Baseball is now denying that it paid seven figures for the domain name Rockies.com.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2013/01/11/major-league-baseball-denies-it-paid-seven-figures-for-rockies-com/>

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INTERNET USE
**********************
Women in developing countries lag in Internet use - Intel report
More needs to be done to boost women's and girl's lagging online access, tech giant Intel Corp said in a report to be released later on Thursday that calls for doubling the number of female Internet users in developing nations over the next three years.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/10/uk-intel-women-internet-idUKBRE90904X20130110>
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/10/internet-access-women-india-developing-idINDEE90902820130110>

Study: Women lagging in Internet adoption in many countries [IDG]
Women and girls lag behind men in Internet access in many parts of the world, causing them to miss out on the economic and social benefits of being online, according to a new report from Intel.
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/011013-study-women-lagging-in-internet-265724.html>

Intel Announces Groundbreaking 'Women and the Web' Report with UN Women and State Department - Report calls for doubling the number of women and girls in developing countries who are online to 1.2 billion in 3 years [news releasee]
Intel Corporation released a groundbreaking report on "Women and the Web," unveiling concrete data on the enormous Internet gender gap in the developing world and the social and economic benefits of securing Internet access for women. To better understand the gender gap, Intel commissioned this study and consulted with the U.S. State Department's Office of Global Women's Issues, UN Women and World Pulse, a global network for women. The report issues a call to action to double the number of women and girls online in developing countries from 600 million today to 1.2 billion in 3 years.
<http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2013/01/10/intel-announces-groundbreaking-women-and-the-web-report-with-un-women-and-state-department>

Anonymous comments, gutless trolls, and why it's time we all stop drinking this digital poison
Why is anonymity, the bane of every newspaper Letters Editor in the world, accepted as cyber-journalism - the more hateful, the more understandable?
<http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/anonymous-comments-gutless-trolls-and-why-its-time-we-all-stop-drinking-this-digital-poison-8446788.html>

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SOCIAL MEDIA
**********************
Facebook 'Friends,' and Why We Should Lose the Scare Quotes
With every click on Facebook, you leave a little trail of your social life. Now researchers are saying they can piece those clues together, and pick out who your closest friends are.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/01/facebook-friends-and-why-we-should-lose-the-scare-quotes/267014/>

Twitter under fire in France over offensive hashtags
Twitter is coming under increasing pressure from the French government over homophobic, racist and anti-semitic tweets which Paris says contravene its laws on hate-speech.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jan/09/twitter-france-offensive-hashtags>

Twitter move to Australia 'imminent'
SOCIAL networking giant Twitter is being tipped to "imminently" open its first Australian office as part of plans to help combat cyber bullying.
<http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/twitter-move-to-australia-imminent/story-fn59niix-1226551986518>

The Internet, As Seen By High Schoolers
Kids these days. Just what are they up to online? Intrigued by one tenth-grader's musings (via her brother) on trends in the tech world, investor Garry Tan conducted an informal survey of how 1,000 teens and twenty-somethings are using social media.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bianca-bosker/the-internet-as-seen-by-high-schoolers_b_2443626.html>

Mystery Solved: Why It Costs $100 to Send Mark Zuckerberg a Facebook Message
There?s a theory floating around on the Internet today that Facebook is testing a new way of making money: charging a lot of money to send messages to popular people on Facebook.
<http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/01/11/mystery-solved-why-it-costs-100-to-send-mark-zuckerberg-a-facebook-message/>

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
**********************
Fastest Wi-Fi ever is almost ready for real-world use
In a quiet suite removed from the insanity of the Consumer Electronics Show expo floor, a company aiming to build the fastest Wi-Fi chips in the world demonstrated its vision of wireless technology's future.
<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/01/fastest-wi-fi-ever-is-almost-ready-for-real-world-use/>

*********************************
CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
*********************************
Facebook is part of a high-tech posse fighting child pornography
Emily Vacher's work at Facebook offers a jarring juxtaposition to the Menlo Park company's whimsically decorated cubicles and upbeat, thumbs-up logo. She is the force behind the effort to stop pedophiles from sharing child pornography on the world's biggest social networking site.
<http://www.mercurynews.com/mike-cassidy/ci_22357778/cassidy-facebook-is-part-high-tech-posse-fighting>

Microsoft tip on child porn case is only the beginning
Watching the team of cops assembled in the big church parking lot in the cold morning sunshine, it occurred to me: No matter how much modern crime-fighters rely on high-tech gizmos, gadgets and software, police work still comes down to knocking on doors and confronting bad guys.
<http://www.mercurynews.com/mike-cassidy/ci_22357784/cassidy-microsoft-tip-child-porn-case-is-only>

nz: Sordid web pages continue to flourish
Palmerston North's filthy Facebook pages are continuing to plague the city in cyberspace.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/8170051/Sordid-web-pages-continue-to-flourish>

nz: Scam a warning to the lonely
The tragic tale of a former Taranaki finance manager who was scammed out of almost $1 million while looking for love online is a warning to vulnerable older residents in Marlborough to wise up online, NetSafe operations manager Lee Chrisholm says.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/8161425/Scam-a-warning-to-the-lonely>

nz: Online anorexia glorification hampering cure
Internet sites glorifying eating disorders are compounding what is a serious psychiatric problem.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/central-leader/8162399/Online-anorexia-glorification-hampering-cure>

au: App 'grooming' children to gamble
Gambling critics want changes to legislation after a virtual poker machine game available to children became Australia's highest grossing phone application for 2012.
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-14/phone-gambling-games/4463562>

Australian Education moves to ensure CyberSafety in schools
Last year the Australian Government sponsored eSmart a national pilot to increase cybersafety in schools. The research, conducted by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, involved 164 government and non-government schools in urban, rural and remote regions.
<http://www.theinformationdaily.com/2013/01/13/australian-education-moves-to-ensure-cybersafety-in-schools>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
Japan's Philanderers Stay Faithful to Their 'Infidelity Phones': Cads Attracted to How Outdated Device Hides Calls, Texts; Juggling Three Girlfriends
Over the past few years, as many people rushed to trade in their old phones for smartphones, Japan's philanderers have remained faithful to one particular brand: Fujitsu Ltd.'s older "F-Series" phones, which feature some attractive stealth privacy features.
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204755404578102581637364040.html>

Google Gains From Creating Apps for the Opposition
... While some of its Internet services were built into the iPhone from the start, Google has stepped up its presence in the last eight months, pumping out major new iPhone apps or improving old ones. It also has expanded efforts to hire developers to make more such apps.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/technology/google-gains-from-creating-apps-for-the-opposition.html>

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SPAM
**********************
ca: Government caves to lobbying pressure on anti-spam law by Michael Geist
Canada?s anti-spam legislation was back in the news last week as the government unveiled revised regulations that may allow for the law to finally take effect next year. Canada is one of the only developed economies in the world without an anti-spam law and lengthy delays have created considerable uncertainty.
<http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1314404--government-caves-to-lobbying-pressure-on-anti-spam-law>

Industry Canada Issues Revised Anti-Spam Regulations
On Jan. 5, Industry Canada published the long-awaited revised version of its Electronic Commerce Protection Regulations. These Regulations, together with the final Regulations previously published by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), will provide the requirements for complying with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) when it comes into force.
<http://www.mondaq.com/canada/x/215708/>

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
**********************
Top Ten Internet Law Developments of 2012 by Eric Goldman
I'm pleased to share my list of top 10 developments of 2012... I'm surprised whenever I read about a new European ruling that's adverse to a Silicon Valley company, because at this point I assume that everything Silicon Valley companies do in Europe is already illegal. Google, Facebook and other Silicon Valley players are under constant legal attack in Europe on countless fronts. Everyone might be happier if the Silicon Valley players just got out of Europe altogether.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130111_top_ten_internet_law_developments_of_2012/>

nz: Fresh copyright conundrum from Dotcom
OPINION: Kim Dotcom's new Mega file-sharing service could cannibalise the revenues of other online businesses by substituting advertisements on websites with ads served up by Mega. ... That is important, says Vikram Kumar, the outgoing chief executive of InternetNZ, though he says he can no longer speak on behalf of the influential society after this week announcing he would quit at the end of the month.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/technology/8171556/Fresh-copyright-conundrum-from-Dotcom>

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SECURITY
**********************
Cybercrime Attacks on Business Bank Accounts Are Dropping
Attacks by cybercriminals to steal funds electronically from commercial bank accounts appear to be less successful of late than in previous years, according to a survey of 100 large and small financial institutions.
<http://www.cio.com/article/726162/Cybercrime_Attacks_on_Business_Bank_Accounts_Are_Dropping>
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/446185/cybercrime_attacks_business_bank_accounts_dropping/>

European Cybercrime Centre opens for business
The European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) will officially start operating on 11 January with a mission to protect European citizens and businesses from cybercrime. "Cybercriminals are smart and quick in using new technologies for criminal purposes; the EC3 will help us become even smarter and quicker to help prevent and fight their crimes" said European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstr?m at the launch of the EC3 project ahead of the official opening of the centre at Europol, the European Police Office, in the Hague.
<http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/European-Cybercrime-Centre-opens-for-business-1780747.html>

eu: Cybercrime centre Chief: 'We will focus on criminal groups or networks who steal your money'
New mobile flying quads are amongst innovations that will be at the disposal of the new European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), according to chief Troels ?rting.
<http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/chief-cyber-defender-swarmers-be-interview-516969>

US petition seeks to make DDoS ?a legal form of protesting?
An online petition to make distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks a legalised form of free speech has been created on the whitehouse.gov website.
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/446234/us_petition_seeks_make_ddos_legal_form_protesting_/>

Petition asks White House to make DDoS attacks a form of protest
The petition also requests that anyone who has been punished for DDoS attacks should be ?immediately released.?
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/petition-asks-white-house-to-make-ddos-attacks-a-form-of-protest/2013/01/11/fe285f86-5b8b-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html>

Experts unsure whether Iran is behind bank DDoS attacks
Though U.S. officials blamed Iran for an ongoing stream of distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) against major U.S. banks, security experts say there's not enough evidence yet to assign blame.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9235636/Experts_unsure_whether_Iran_is_behind_bank_DDoS_attacks_>

 Monitoring Bank DDoS Attacks Tough Task for Third Parties
While data is not readily available on the attacks hitting financial institutions, defenders dealing with the incidents say that the attacks are effective and costly
<http://www.darkreading.com/security-monitoring/167901086/security/attacks-breaches/240146155/monitoring-bank-ddos-attacks-tough-task-for-third-parties.html.html>

Bank DDoS Attacks Using Compromised Web Servers as Bots
Bank DDoSA rash of politically and socially motivated distributed denial-of-service attacks against major U.S. banks has been able to intermittently disrupt online and mobile banking services. The attackers have been able to fire unprecedented amounts of traffic at the likes of Wells Fargo, Bank of America, PNC and many others, temporarily denying customers access to their accounts online.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/bank-ddos-attacks-using-compromised-web-servers-bots-011113>

Banks seek NSA help amid cyber attacks
Major U.S. banks have turned to the National Security Agency for help protecting their computer systems after a barrage of assaults that have disrupted their Web sites, according to industry officials.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/banks-seek-nsa-help-amid-attacks-on-their-computer-systems/2013/01/10/4aebc1e2-5b31-11e2-beee-6e38f5215402_story.html>

A Distributed Denial of Service Attack Isn?t an Act of Civil Disobedience
Two years ago, I sat in an online chat room with a group of people who claimed to be part of the hacktivist group Anonymous. I left the chat window open after we were done talking and later found a transcript of them taking down, among other sites, then-Senator Joe Lieberman?s (I-Conn.) website in retaliation for the senator?s rhetoric about Julian Assange.
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-11/a-distributed-denial-of-service-attack-isnt-an-act-of-civil-disobedience>

Zero-Day Java Exploit Debuts in Crimeware
The hackers who maintain Blackhole and Nuclear Pack ? competing crimeware products that are made to be stitched into hacked sites and use browser flaws to foist malware ? say they?ve added a brand new exploit that attacks a previously unknown and currently unpatched security hole in Java.
<http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/01/zero-day-java-exploit-debuts-in-crimeware/>

India's cybersecurity brochure proposal criticized by hardware firms
Government proposal for all hardware to include brochure to raise awareness against cyberthreats draws concerns over supply chain logistics.
<http://www.zdnet.com/in/indias-cybersecurity-brochure-proposal-criticized-by-hardware-firms-7000009688/>

au: Spy agency ASIO wants powers to hack into personal computers
Spy agency ASIO wants to hack into Australians' personal computers and commandeer their smartphones to transmit viruses to terrorists.
<http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/spy-agency-asio-wants-powers-to-hack-into-personal-computers/story-fncvk70o-1226552661701>

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CENSORSHIP
**********************
Google boss, ex-US governor urge N Korea openness
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has urged North Korea to end its self-imposed isolation and allow its citizens to use the internet.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20967413>

North Korea must open up to internet, says Google's Eric Schmidt as visit ends
Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, has warned North Korea that it risks continued isolation and economic backwardness unless it quickly loosens its grip on access to the internet.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/10/north-korea-internet-schmidt-visit>

Google Chief Urges North Korea to Embrace Web
Eric E. Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, returned from a four-day visit to North Korea on Thursday with a message for the reclusive nation?s young new leader: embrace the Web or else.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/world/asia/eric-schmidt-bill-richardson-north-korea.html>

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
Google set for Brussels showdown: accused of giving undue prominence to its own services following complaints from rivals
Brussels is moving towards a regulatory showdown with Google after the European commission's competition chief accused the company of diverting internet users to its own services.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jan/10/google-brussels-europe-regulatory-showdown>

EU says Google must change search results presentation - FT
Google will be forced to change the way its search results are presented in Europe or face antitrust charges for "diverting traffic" to its own services, The Financial Times reported the European Union's antitrust chief as saying.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/10/eu-google-idINDEE9090GX20130110>
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/10/uk-eu-google-idUKBRE90917A20130110>

An ad-block shock - France v Google: Xavier Niel is playing rough with the internet giant
In 2011 Google spent over ?100m ($130m) on grand 19th-century digs in Paris which look a little like the Elys?e Palace, the official home of the president. That may have been a mistake. The firm?s deep coffers have now attracted the attention of Xavier Niel, an entrepreneur who delights in making pots of money at the expense of the establishment.
<http://www.economist.com/news/business/21569414-xavier-niel-playing-rough-internet-giant-france-v-google>

us: FCC, stakeholders align on communications policy -- for now
Peace appears to be breaking out between mobile Internet users and regulators. During the three-day Innovation Policy Summit here at CES, members of Congress, FCC commissioners, industry representatives, and consumer groups found little to disagree on, whether the topic was incentive auctions for more broadband spectrum, retiring legacy copper networks in favor of native IP, sharing government spectrum in the 5 GHz band for high-speed Wi-Fi, or the continuing threat of international efforts to turn Internet governance over to repressive national governments so they can destroy it.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57563446-38/fcc-stakeholders-align-on-communications-policy-for-now/>

NCC Urges Nigeria To Collaborate With Other Countries On Internet Crimes
Dr Sylvanus Ehikioya, Director, New Media and Information Security, Nigerian Communications Commission, says Nigeria must collaborate with other countries to check Internet crimes.
<http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/44744/2013/01/11/ncc_urges_nigeria_collaborate_other_countries_internet_crimes.html>

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MISCELLANEOUS
**********************
European Newspapers Seek Royalties for Linking and Citing to News Content
Expanding copyright to allow rent seeking for linking would break the fabric of the Internet. Links and citations to articles do not infringe copyright, as links do not copy, distribute, or perform any copyrighted work. Despite some desperate assertions of the contrary, copyright protection of links is not enshrined in law. Newspapers, however, are pushing for legislation to support this dangerous claim, regardless of the implications it would have for free speech.
<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/european-newspapers-seek-royalties-simply-linking-and-citing-news-content>

InternetNZ's departing CEO looking for next career opportunity
Departing InternetNZ CEO Vikram Kumar, who is resigning from his position at InternetNZ at the end of this month, says he has not been offered another job; he is leaving simply because he considers it the right time to move on and broaden his perspective.
<http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/internetnzs-departing-ceo-looking-for-next-career-opportunity>

Could ad-jacking software save Kim Dotcom?
Kim Dotcom's new Mega file-sharing service could cannibalise the revenues of other online businesses by substituting advertisements on websites with ads served up by Mega. ... That is important, says Vikram Kumar, the outgoing chief executive of InternetNZ, though he says he can no longer speak on behalf of the influential society after this week announcing he would quit at the end of the month.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/8171556/Fresh-copyright-conundrum-from-Dotcom>
<http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/could-adjacking-software-save-kim-dotcom-20130114-2coos.html>
<http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/could-adjacking-software-save-kim-dotcom-20130114-2coos.html>

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
nz: Trans-Pacific cable prices cut 20pc
The price of internet connection to the rest of the world is dropping again as New Zealand's only international cable owner, Southern Cross Cables, announces a 20 per cent cut in its capacity prices.
<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10859054>

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ONLINE CHILD ABUSE ARRESTS/COURT CASES
**********************************
Argentina police raid international paedophile ring
Police in Argentina say they have broken up an international network of paedophiles who swapped pornographic images and videos of children.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20996174>

------
David Goldstein

 email: david at goldsteinreport.com

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

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