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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Interview: ICANN willing to get China more involved in Internet management [Xinhua]
<http://english.people.com.cn/202936/8130725.html>

au: Breach of Code of Practice by Crazy Domains
<http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-12022013/>

Governments to reveal new gTLD objection shortlist next week
<http://domainincite.com/11891-governments-to-reveal-new-gtld-objection-shortlist-next-week>

Chehade names the date: ICANN to approve first new gTLDs on April 23
<http://domainincite.com/11877-chehade-names-the-date-icann-to-approve-first-new-gtlds-on-april-23>


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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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Expert Working Group on gTLD Directory Services Members Selected
Background: On 13 December 2012, Fadi Chehad?, ICANN's President and CEO, announced the creation of an Expert Working Group on gTLD Directory Services (EWG) and invited volunteers to submit applications to indicate their interest in serving on it. The EWG is the first step in fulfilling the ICANN Board's directive to help redefine the purpose and provision of gTLD registration data. This project is designed to provide a foundation for the creation of a new global policy for gTLD directory services, and requisite contract negotiations, as appropriate.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-14feb13-en.htm>
<https://www.myicann.org/news/topics/2/page/1/articles/23742>

GAC Announcements:
During the week of February 18th, 2013, the GAC will post its list of applications for consideration by the GAC as a whole in Beijing, in the context of developing GAC advice as outlined in the Applicant Guidebook
<https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/Governmental+Advisory+Committee>

Composition of the Accountability & Transparency Review Team 2 (ATRT 2)
To help ensure ICANN's multi-stakeholder model remains transparent and accountable, and to improve its performance, ICANN organizes community reviews of its accountability and transparency commitments no less frequently than every three years, consistent with section 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC).
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-15feb13-en.htm>

Whois Registrant Identification Study, Draft Report
Purpose (Brief): This study, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, uses Whois to classify entities that register gTLD domain names, including natural persons, legal persons, and Privacy/Proxy service providers. Using associated Internet content, the study classifies entities using those domains, and observed potentially commercial activities. Findings will help the community understand how Registrants identify themselves in Whois.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/whois-regid-15feb13-en.htm>

Composition of the Accountability & Transparency Review Team 2 (ATRT 2)
Background: To help ensure ICANN's multi-stakeholder model remains transparent and accountable, and to improve its performance, ICANN organizes community reviews of its accountability and transparency commitments no less frequently than every three years, consistent with section 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-15feb13-en.htm>

Interview: ICANN willing to get China more involved in Internet management [Xinhua]
"China has a huge role to play in the global Internet. Without China and without complete Chinese participation in ICANN, ICANN frankly does not have a global legitimacy," Fadi Chehade, the newly appointed ICANN president, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.
<http://english.people.com.cn/202936/8130725.html>

Interview with Fadi Chehad?
Interview with Fadi Chehad? | New gTLD Target Date, Amsterdam and Off to Asia | 13 Feb 2013
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kymny74B9dM>

ICANN Terminates Lime Labs, DomainMonger & DomainsToBeSeen
ICANN?s compliance team has been busy of late. Earlier today they followed through on 3 previous breach notices and terminated 3 registrars: Lime Labs LLC Central Registrar Inc DBA DomainMonger.com R. Lee Chambers Company LLC d/b/a DomainsToBeSeen.com.
<http://www.internetnews.me/2013/02/11/icann-terminates-lime-labs-domainmonger-domainstobeseen/>

Registrars might have to adopt new RAA in order to sell new top level domains
In October I wrote about negotiations for a new registrar accreditation agreement (RAA). ... It is periodically updated. When it?s updated, ICANN provides some sort of incentive to existing registrars to abandon their existing RAA before it expires and adopt a new one.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/14/registrars-might-have-to-adopt-new-raa-in-order-to-sell-new-top-level-domains/>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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au: 5 clever things you can do running your own business at home
... 1. Use your own domain name for your email and website, helps you look professional: Nothing screams amateur hour more than writing bobsfinance at gmail.com or bobsfinance at bigpond.com on your business cards. These might seem like the easiest options, but it's not hard to secure your own domain name from a domain name registrar (you'll find a list of accredited registrars at auda.org.au).
<http://www.bit.com.au/Guide/333226,5-clever-things-you-can-do-running-your-own-business-at-home.aspx>

au: Breach of Code of Practice by Crazy Domains
auDA has found that Crazy Domain breached the .au Domain Name Suppliers? Code of Practice (2004-04) by advertising private registration services for .au domain names.
<http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-12022013/>

The .CZ Domain Celebrates Its 20th Birthday
On Sunday, 13 January 2013, it will be exactly 20 years since the family of top-level national domains was extended by the .CZ suffix.
<http://www.nic.cz/page/1319/the-.cz-domain-celebrates-its-20th-birthday/>

fr: Focus on the growth rates of the major extensions worldwide
Which extension has the highest growth rate? Find out all of this ? and more ? in this month?s issue of the Afnic Industry Report on Domain Names.
<http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/6694/show/focus-on-the-growth-rates-of-the-major-extensions-worldwide.html>

uk: Registrants warned to be wary of pressured selling practices
Nominet has recently become aware of attempts to persuade unsuspecting users to pay for domain name products which are not available yet and may not become so. Typical attempts use pressure selling techniques, claiming a very limited opportunity to secure a new version of a registrant?s existing domain name.
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/registrants-warned-be-wary-pressured-selling-practices>

uk: Registrants warned to be wary of pressured selling practices
Nominet has recently become aware of attempts to persuade unsuspecting users to pay for domain name products which are not available yet and may not become so. Typical attempts use pressure selling techniques, claiming a very limited opportunity to secure a new version of a registrant?s existing domain name.
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/registrants-warned-be-wary-pressured-selling-practices>

uk:  Nominet appoints Jill Finney as Chief Commercial Officer
Nominet UK, the not-for-profit internet organisation best known running for the .uk infrastructure, today announces the appointment of Jill Finney as its new Chief Commercial Officer.
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/press-releases/nominet-appoints-chief-commercial-officer>

uk: Nominet appoints Chief Commercial Officer
We are pleased to announce that Jill Finney has been appointed as our first Chief Commercial Officer.
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/nominet-appoints-chief-commercial-officer>

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 - NEW TLDS
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Governments to reveal new gTLD objection shortlist next week
ICANN?s Governmental Advisory Committee will next week reveal its shortlist of new gTLD applications that face possible death-by-government.
<http://domainincite.com/11891-governments-to-reveal-new-gtld-objection-shortlist-next-week>

Chehade names the date: ICANN to approve first new gTLDs on April 23
ICANN expects to approve the first new gTLDs on April 23, just 68 days from now.
<http://domainincite.com/11877-chehade-names-the-date-icann-to-approve-first-new-gtlds-on-april-23>

ICANN names date for first new gTLDs
ICANN has named 23 April as the date when the organization will formally approve the first of thousands of new Internet extensions.
<http://news.dot-nxt.com/2013/02/15/icann-names-date-first-new-gtl>

New gTLDs: first ICANN approvals for end of April! by St?phane Van Gelder, Registry Relations and Strategy Director for NetNames
ICANN CEO Fadi Chehad? has set 23 April 2013 as the date the first of the new gTLDs will be able to move to the delegation phase. ?We are now targeting to be able to recommend for delegation the first new gTLD as early as the 23rd of April,? Chehad? said in a video interview recorded on February 13.
<http://www.netnames.com/blog/2013/02/new-gtlds-first-icann-approvals-for-end-of-april/>

April 23 for a new TLD approval? Will anyone be able to sell them?
ICANN CEO Fadi Chehad? has disclosed a target date of April 23 to recommend for delegation the first new top level domain.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/15/april-23-for-a-new-tld-delegation-will-anyone-be-able-to-sell-them/>

New gTLD Target Date is April 23? Or is it? by Pinkard Brand
I detect some delight in the domain name community today resulting from Video interview with ICANN CEO Fadi Chehad?. In that interview Chehad? states "We are now targeting to be able to recommend for delegation the first new gTLD as early as the 23rd of April..." On the surface this sounds like very good news.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130215_new_gtld_target_date_is_april_23_or_is_it/>

Cybersquatters Get Rich New Territories With Generic Domains
Later this year, the organization that hands out domain names for internet sites will release the first in a  wave of new ?generic? top-level domains like .art, .insurance and .sport that will allow companies to further customize their Web addresses.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2013/02/14/cybersquatters-get-rich-new-territories-with-generic-domains/>

Setting the PIC
ICANN made some serious waves during its most recent New gTLD Applicant Update webinar when it announced, among other notices, that it has proposed a series of significant changes to the baseline form of the new gTLD Registry Agreement and would be opening those changes up to Public Comments. The Registry Agreement, or RA, as we?ve discussed previously on this blog, is the contract that all new gTLD applicants must enter into with ICANN in order to operate their new gTLDs.
<http://www.gtldstrategy.com/policy-updates/setting-the-pic>

String Similarity and the New gTLDs ? Does ICANN Have Too Many Similar Extensions in the Running?
One of the most pressing concerns with nTLDs is whether or not the launch of so many in such a relatively short amount of time will complicate the functionality of the Internet for everyday users. Wrapped up in this worry, is the focus on string similarity, or how close a proposed nTLD can be in meaning, sound, or visual representation to another, or to an existing gTLD.
<http://www.name.com/blog/ntlds/2013/02/string-similarity-and-the-new-gtlds-does-icann-have-too-many-similar-extensions-in-the-running/>

.GMC Becomes 15th New gTLD Application To Be Withdrawn: General Motors
Add General Motors to the list of companies that have withdrawn an application for a New gTLD as .GMC becomes the 15th withdrawn New gTLD application.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2013/02/16/gmc-becomes-15th-new-gtld-application-to-be-withdrawn-general-motors/>

Internet trademark clearinghouse to be launched in March
A trademark clearinghouse will be launched in March to prepare for a major change in the way Internet and email addresses are structured and assigned.
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2013-02/14/c_132168680.htm>
<http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/761534.shtml>

Protecting Your ?.trademark?: ICANN Clarifies Procedure for Objecting to New gTLDs [news release]
It has been almost two years since ICANN announced that it would accept applications for the registration of new generic top level domain names (gTLDs), increasing the number of domain name endings beyond .com, .net, and .gov. ICANN currently is conducting its initial evaluation of the approximately 1,917 applications it received and is expected to release the results at the end of March.
<http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/protecting-your-trademark-icann-clar-62024/>

New gTLDs: who will be the owner of the intellectual property rights of Trademark Clearinghouse data?
On October 26, 2012, ICANN?s President, Fadi Chehad?, said that he has continued to negotiate the contracts with IBM and Deloitte, the companies responsible for the technical implementation of the Trademark Clearinghouse. Additional terms will be added to the contracts. One of them will specify that ICANN will retain ?all intellectual property rights in the Trademark Clearinghouse data?.
<http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=70cc80bd-60c9-4643-aff9-486a104305f9>

ICANN Deadline Fast Approaching For Objections To New Top-Level Domains
The deadline is fast approaching for third parties to object to any of the nearly 2,000 new gTLDs currently under review by ICANN for potential launch later this year. Trademark owners and other interested organizations have until March 13, 2013 to participate in ICANN's formal objection process.
<http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/221648/>

New gTLDs: deadlines approach for formal objections
The process for approving or denying the applications for new gTLDs continues to move forward. Two deadlines are nearing for the submission of objections to specific applications.
<http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e9897fbc-05a3-42de-adce-cdf459064a88>

Llandysul's '.cymru' internet name bid
LLANDYSUL wants to be one of the first villages to use the .cymru internet domain name. The community council is to develop its own website, to give information on the council's responsibilities and who the councillors are for different areas.
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Llandysul-s-cymru-internet-bid/story-18156490-detail/story.html

UK procedures for detecting and responding to online trademark infringement
In World Trademark Review, Nick Bolter discusses UK procedures for detecting and responding to online trademark infringement
<http://www.edwardswildman.com/newsstand/detail.aspx?news=3538>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Cybercrime Network Based in Spain Is Broken Up
Europol, the European police agency, said Wednesday that it had dismantled one of the most efficient cybercrime organizations to date, led by Russians who had managed to extort millions of euros from online users across more than 30 countries ? mostly European ? by persuading them to pay spurious police fines for abusive use of the Internet.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/business/global/europol-takes-down-cybercrime-gang-in-spain.html>

EU Cybersecurity Agency Warns About Over-reliance on Cloud [IDG]
The growth in cloud computing is a double-edged sword, Europe's top cybersecurity agency warned on Thursday.
<http://www.cio.com/article/728840/EU_Cybersecurity_Agency_Warns_About_Over_reliance_on_Cloud>
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/453781/eu_cybersecurity_agency_warns_about_over-reliance_cloud/>
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/021413-eu-cybersecurity-agency-warns-about-266717.html>

New ENISA report: The double-edged sword of Cloud computing in Critical Information Infrastructure Protection [news release]
ENISA has launched a new report looking at Cloud computing from a Critical Information Infrastructure Protection (CIIP) perspective, and identifying that Cloud computing is critical given the concentration of users and data and its growing use in critical sectors, such as finance, health and insurance.
<http://www.enisa.europa.eu/media/press-releases/new-enisa-report--the-double-edged-sword-of-cloud-computing-in-critical-information-infrastructure-protection>

Cyber attacks against media on the rise, rights group says
Cyber attacks against journalists and media organizations around the world have increased over the past few years as criminal hackers provide a cheap and easy way of censoring the press, a media rights group said on Thursday.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/uk-media-cyberattacks-idUKBRE91D1K620130214>
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/media-cyberattacks-idINDEE91D0K720130214>

Facebook was targeted by 'sophisticated' hackers
Facebook has revealed it was the target of a "sophisticated attack" by hackers last month, but found no evidence any user data had been compromised.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21481101>

Facebook Said to Work With FBI on Malware Attack Probe
Facebook Inc., operator of the largest social network with more than 1 billion members, is working with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to probe a malware attack, people with knowledge of the matter said.
<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-15/facebook-targeted-by-sophisticated-attack-using-malware.html>

Facebook Says Employee Laptops Compromised in 'Sophisticated' Attack
Laptops belonging to several Facebook employees were compromised recently and infected with malware that the company said was installed through the use of a Java zero-day exploit that bypassed the software's sandbox. Facebook claims that no user data was affected by the attack and says that it has been working with law enforcement to investigate the attack, which also affected other unnamed companies.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/facebook-says-employee-laptops-compromised-sophisticated-attack-021513>

Why Obama?s Cyber Defense Order Won?t Amount to Much
There?s been a lot of rhetoric recently about the threat that cyberattacks pose to national infrastructure, but President Obama?s new executive order?with its focus on voluntary standards and information sharing?is unlikely to provide much protection. The executive order requires that new information-sharing, standards-setting, and R&D plans get up and running over the next few months to two years.
<http://www.technologyreview.com/news/511256/why-obamas-cyber-defense-order-wont-amount-to-much/>

Obama Cybersecurity Executive Order A First Step, But More Is Needed, Some Say
Obama's executive order focuses on information sharing and works toward the establishment of cybersecurity standards, but some question whether it goes far enough
<http://www.darkreading.com/compliance/167901112/security/news/240148564/obama-cybersecurity-executive-order-a-first-step-but-more-is-needed-some-say.html>

Security Leaders to Convene at 20th Annual Network and Distributed System Security Symposium [news release]
The Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium, February 24-27 in San Diego, will bring together security researchers, technology experts, and practitioners from the private and public sectors who design, develop, exploit, and deploy the technologies that define network and distributed system security.
<http://www.internetsociety.org/news/security-leaders-convene-20th-annual-network-and-distributed-system-security-symposium>

Europol Takes Down Ransomware Gang in Spain, UAE
A ransomware ring was taken down Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates and Spain by Europol and Spanish law enforcement, smashing an operation that netted more than ?1 million annually.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/europol-takes-down-ransomware-gang-spain-uae-021413>

Flaws in Emergency Alert System Hardware Allow Remote Login, Zombie Alert Insertion
There are a set of easily exploited vulnerabilities in the appliances used in the emergency alert system (EAS) that could be used by attackers to log in to these boxes remotely and send fake emergency alerts like the one that interrupted a TV broadcast in Montana on Monday. The vulnerabilities include authentication bypasses and other bugs that a researcher says can be used to compromise the ENDEC machines that are responsible for sending out alerts over the EAS on TV and radio.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/flaws-emergency-alert-system-hardware-allow-remote-login-zombie-alert-insertion-021413>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Ron Paul's Domain Name Dilemma
RonPaul.com would be the intuitive destination for Internet users searching for the official website of former Texas Representative Ron Paul. Visitors to the site soon discover that it is not an official page but rather a fan page, a fact that is clearly displayed across the top of the site, which was first registered in 2000 and started as a fan site in 2008. Now, Ron Paul wants control of the site, as well as RonPaul.org, which the site's owners also hold.
<http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2013/02/14/ron-pauls-domain-name-dilemma>

Decisions: Trademark Protection Company Can't Protect Its Own Mark
Dutch company Merk-Echt describes itself as a "trademark agency" committed to protecting its clients' intellectual property and combating trademark infringement.  You would think that a firm dedicated to trademark matters would have its own trademark and domain portfolio in order, but a recent UDRP filing reveals otherwise.
<http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2013/02/11/decisions-trademark-protection-company-cant-protect-its-own-mark>

Gucci Wins The Rights to 129 Domain Names In One UDRP
Talk about getting a bang for your buck. Gucci just won the rights to 129 domain names in one UDRP.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2013/02/15/gucci-wins-the-rights-to-12-domain-names-in-one-udrp/>

ALDI Stores v. Peter Gerard Colless - Case No. DAU2012-0032
1. The Parties: The Complainant is ALDI Stores of Michinbury, New South Wales, Australia, represented by Cullens Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys , Australia. The Respondent is Peter Gerard Colless of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar: The disputed domain name <aldionline.com.au> is registered with Crazy Domains Pty Ltd.
<http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2012-0032>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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The RIPE NCC's Case Against the State of the Netherlands Dismissed
On 29 November 2012, the RIPE NCC appeared in court after it filed a summons against the state of the Netherlands following a police order on 8 November 2011 to temporarily "lock" a set of specific registrations in the RIPE Database. The RIPE NCC filed this summons because it wanted the Dutch court to clarify what the RIPE NCC's obligations are for such orders in future.
<http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/ripe-nccs-case-against-the-state-of-the-netherlands-dismissed>

Internet Society?s President and Chief Executive Officer Lynn St. Amour to Step Down in February 2014
Internet Society President and Chief Executive Officer Lynn St. Amour today announced that she will leave the Internet Society in February 2014 at the conclusion of her contract.  St. Amour joined the Internet Society in 1998 as Executive Director of its Europe, Middle East, and Africa division.  She became Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer in 1999 and was appointed President and CEO in March of 2001.
<http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society%E2%80%99s-president-and-chief-executive-officer-lynn-st-amour-step-down-february-2014>

A little domain name imagination
What do the ubiquitous woman?s magazine Cosmopolitan, the British comedian and writer Dave Gorman, a pot of Greek yogurt and sports TV channel ESPN have in common? Well, you?ll have to wait and see.
<http://www.netnames.com/blog/2013/02/a-little-domain-name-imagination/>

Harlem Shake Key-Systems Edition
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxMxt_gcTFo>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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ICM Registry Secures additional $185,000 Order For Premium .XXX Domains from IRIS
ICM Registry, the registry operator for the .XXX top-level domain (TLD) for online adult entertainment, today announced IRIS SARL, based in Luxembourg, has secured an additional 25 Premium Domains in a deal worth $185,000. This is the second significant order from IRIS who previously acquired $650,000 of premium Names back in September 2012.
<http://www.icmregistry.com/press/icm-registry-secures-additional-185000-order-for-premium-xxx-domains-from-iris/>

Sedo Posts Year's 2nd Six-Figure Sale to Top This Week's Domain Sales Chart
Sedo claimed the top spot on this week's Domain Sales Chart after banking $112,651 for Torrents.com. That is also the second highest sale of the New Year, trailing only last week's $375,000 sale of Booker.com on our early 2013 Year to Date Sales Chart.
<http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2013/20130130.htm>

Tucows: fewer big domain sales, but good numbers on lower priced domains
Tucows generates less revenue from its portfolio but sales of $2,000-$3,000 domains still strong.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/14/tucows-fewer-big-domain-sales-but-good-numbers-on-lower-priced-domains/>

Death of Parking Pronouncements Premature? Oversee Says PPC Earnings Are Improving
... One of the many interesting points Ms. Domeyer made was that the company saw good year over year growth in domain monetization with the average PPC revenue in 4Q-2012 coming in a little better than the same quarter a year earlier. In a time when the "parking is dead" mantra is frequently repeated, that was bit of unexpected news. Lest you think the reported increase is company hype, I can tell you that the next day, a close friend who operates a popular monetization service that divides traffic across multiple parking platforms, told me he was seeing a significant increase in DomainSponsor's performance.
<http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2013/dailyposts/20130214.htm>

New domain parking company adds a charitable twist
A domain industry vet has started a new parking company with a charitable twist. ... At a high level, Rikimu is a domain parking service with a charitable element: the company donates 5% of its share of revenue to charity.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/14/new-domain-parking-company-adds-a-charitable-twist/>

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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Next generation of social media 'exposing girls to sexual abuse'
A new breed of social media websites is leaving young people open to cyber bullying, with anonymous users able to bombard others with sexually explicit messages and demands.
<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/online/next-generation-of-social-media-exposing-girls-to-sexual-abuse-8493945.html>

Facebook accused of making payments to 'independent' charity advising it on child protection
Facebook has been accused of making financial contributions to charities that independently advise it on child protection.
<http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-accused-of-making-payments-to-independent-charity-advising-it-on-child-protection-8490238.html>

Facebook's new promoted-post feature sparks privacy concerns
Facebook announced the launch of a new feature on Friday that allows users to pay to promote their friends' posts. In return for a fee, Facebook promotes the post so that more people see it.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/feb/15/facebook-new-feature-privacy-concerns>

Facebook Says Hackers Breached Its Computers
Facebook admitted that it was breached by sophisticated hackers in recent weeks, two weeks after Twitter made a similar admission. Both Facebook and Twitter were breached through a well-publicized vulnerability in Oracle?s Java software.
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/facebook-admits-it-was-hacked/>

Facebook highlights privacy protection for minors on Graph Search
As Facebook continues the slow rollout of a tool to let users search out others by using common interests or other personal information, the site emphasized Thursday that minors will get special privacy protections.
<http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/14/tech/social-media/facebook-graph-search-minors/index.html>

Facebook's Graph Search bars adults snooping for minors
In an effort to quell privacy fears, the social network rolls out rules on how its search tool displays results for users under the age of 18.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57569544-93/facebooks-graph-search-bars-adults-snooping-for-minors/>

nz: Editorial : The making of a dummy
So you get an email from someone you know well enough. It contains only a link to a website. It takes just an unthinking moment to click on it to find out what it is that your good buddy wants to show you. Open it and kapow. You'll soon be feeling like a dummy.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/opinion/8301849/Editorial-The-making-of-a-dummy3E

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ONLINE TV, MUSIC & PIRACY
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Pirate Bay to sue antipiracy site for pirating its design
The folks behind Pirate Bay are upset over a new Web site from antipiracy group CIAPC that looks just like their own site.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57569410-38/pirate-bay-to-sue-antipiracy-site-for-pirating-its-design/>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Android dominated smartphone sales in 2012
Android continues to dominate in the battle to be the top smartphone system in the world, thanks in part to Samsung, which reigned as the top phone manufacturer for 2012.
<http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/14/tech/mobile/smartphone-sales-apple-android/index.html>

Android and Apple extend smartphone dominance [AFP]
Android-powered smartphones and Apple's rival iPhone have extended their near duopoly with a whopping 91 per cent of the global market in the fourth quarter, a survey found.
<http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/android-and-apple-extend-smartphone-dominance/story-e6frgakx-1226578370109>

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Google countersues BT over patents
BT's plan to make millions of dollars from licensing its patent portfolio by suing web giants including Google has run into a problem: Google and its phone subsidiary Motorola Mobility are countersuing it for patent infringement, calling the lawsuit filed in 2011 by BT "meritless" and accusing it of using shell companies to file other suits.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/feb/14/google-countersues-bt-over-patents>

uk: Google must act quickly on libellous Blogger posts, says appeal court
Google may have to act quicker to remove potentially libellous posts from its Blogger platform following a court of appeal ruling in London.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/feb/14/google-libel-blogger-posts>

uk: Probe launched into Twitter photos of 'James Bulger killer Jon Venables'
Photographs on Twitter allegedly showing an adult Jon Venables are being investigated by the Attorney General, his office revealed today.
<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/probe-launched-into-twitter-photos-of-james-bulger-killer-jon-venables-8495083.html>

uk: Jon Venables Twitter 'photographs' investigated
The attorney general has launched an investigation after photographs purporting to show killer Jon Venables were allegedly posted on the internet.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/14/jon-venables-twitter-photograph-investigated>

Symantec Intelligence Report: January 2013
In this month?s report, we find that the email malware rate has dropped significantly since December, where only one in 400 emails containing a virus in January. This is the lowest virus rate we?ve seen since 2009. It could indicate that email virus distributors took a break after the holiday season, or that they have continued to migrate away from email as a choice for malicious payload delivery. We?ll watch this trend carefully to see if it continues to drop off.
<http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/symantec-intelligence-report-january-2013>

us: Could fake profiles on dating sites be illegal under Computer Fraud and Abuse Act? Perhaps
Amy Webb thought she knew what she wanted in a man and created 10 separate JDate profiles for him, collecting female responses to determine what her competition was. She wrote a book, Data, A Love Story, detailing her findings.
<http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/could_cat_fishing_on_dating_sites_be_illegal_under_cfaa_perhaps/>

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SECURITY
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Cybercrime Network Based in Spain Is Broken Up
Europol, the European police agency, said Wednesday that it had dismantled one of the most efficient cybercrime organizations to date, led by Russians who had managed to extort millions of euros from online users across more than 30 countries ? mostly European ? by persuading them to pay spurious police fines for abusive use of the Internet.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/business/global/europol-takes-down-cybercrime-gang-in-spain.html>

EU Cybersecurity Agency Warns About Over-reliance on Cloud [IDG]
The growth in cloud computing is a double-edged sword, Europe's top cybersecurity agency warned on Thursday.
<http://www.cio.com/article/728840/EU_Cybersecurity_Agency_Warns_About_Over_reliance_on_Cloud>
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/453781/eu_cybersecurity_agency_warns_about_over-reliance_cloud/>
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/021413-eu-cybersecurity-agency-warns-about-266717.html>

New ENISA report: The double-edged sword of Cloud computing in Critical Information Infrastructure Protection [news release]
ENISA has launched a new report looking at Cloud computing from a Critical Information Infrastructure Protection (CIIP) perspective, and identifying that Cloud computing is critical given the concentration of users and data and its growing use in critical sectors, such as finance, health and insurance.
<http://www.enisa.europa.eu/media/press-releases/new-enisa-report--the-double-edged-sword-of-cloud-computing-in-critical-information-infrastructure-protection>

Cyber attacks against media on the rise, rights group says
Cyber attacks against journalists and media organizations around the world have increased over the past few years as criminal hackers provide a cheap and easy way of censoring the press, a media rights group said on Thursday.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/uk-media-cyberattacks-idUKBRE91D1K620130214>
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/media-cyberattacks-idINDEE91D0K720130214>

Facebook was targeted by 'sophisticated' hackers
Facebook has revealed it was the target of a "sophisticated attack" by hackers last month, but found no evidence any user data had been compromised.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21481101>

Facebook Said to Work With FBI on Malware Attack Probe
Facebook Inc., operator of the largest social network with more than 1 billion members, is working with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to probe a malware attack, people with knowledge of the matter said.
<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-15/facebook-targeted-by-sophisticated-attack-using-malware.html>

Facebook Says Employee Laptops Compromised in 'Sophisticated' Attack
Laptops belonging to several Facebook employees were compromised recently and infected with malware that the company said was installed through the use of a Java zero-day exploit that bypassed the software's sandbox. Facebook claims that no user data was affected by the attack and says that it has been working with law enforcement to investigate the attack, which also affected other unnamed companies.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/facebook-says-employee-laptops-compromised-sophisticated-attack-021513>

Why Obama?s Cyber Defense Order Won?t Amount to Much
There?s been a lot of rhetoric recently about the threat that cyberattacks pose to national infrastructure, but President Obama?s new executive order?with its focus on voluntary standards and information sharing?is unlikely to provide much protection. The executive order requires that new information-sharing, standards-setting, and R&D plans get up and running over the next few months to two years.
<http://www.technologyreview.com/news/511256/why-obamas-cyber-defense-order-wont-amount-to-much/>

Obama Cybersecurity Executive Order A First Step, But More Is Needed, Some Say
Obama's executive order focuses on information sharing and works toward the establishment of cybersecurity standards, but some question whether it goes far enough
<http://www.darkreading.com/compliance/167901112/security/news/240148564/obama-cybersecurity-executive-order-a-first-step-but-more-is-needed-some-say.html>

Security Leaders to Convene at 20th Annual Network and Distributed System Security Symposium [news release]
The Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium, February 24-27 in San Diego, will bring together security researchers, technology experts, and practitioners from the private and public sectors who design, develop, exploit, and deploy the technologies that define network and distributed system security.
<http://www.internetsociety.org/news/security-leaders-convene-20th-annual-network-and-distributed-system-security-symposium>

Europol Takes Down Ransomware Gang in Spain, UAE
A ransomware ring was taken down Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates and Spain by Europol and Spanish law enforcement, smashing an operation that netted more than ?1 million annually.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/europol-takes-down-ransomware-gang-spain-uae-021413>

Flaws in Emergency Alert System Hardware Allow Remote Login, Zombie Alert Insertion
There are a set of easily exploited vulnerabilities in the appliances used in the emergency alert system (EAS) that could be used by attackers to log in to these boxes remotely and send fake emergency alerts like the one that interrupted a TV broadcast in Montana on Monday. The vulnerabilities include authentication bypasses and other bugs that a researcher says can be used to compromise the ENDEC machines that are responsible for sending out alerts over the EAS on TV and radio.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/flaws-emergency-alert-system-hardware-allow-remote-login-zombie-alert-insertion-021413>

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PRIVACY
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If You?re Collecting Our Data, You Ought to Protect It
... By now, reports of lost or stolen business devices are so common that many people open data-breach notices from their banks, insurers, medical institutions, schools and state agencies with something like resignation. In fact, negligence by employees and contractors has been a more common cause of corporate data breaches in the United States than malicious attacks, according to a study of 2011 done by the Ponemon Institute, a research center on data security, and financed by Symantec, a data security company. Institutions, companies and government agencies often devote more resources to collecting information about employees and consumers than to protecting it, security specialists say.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/technology/if-youre-collecting-our-data-you-ought-to-protect-it.html>

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CENSORSHIP
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China's 'Wall' Hits Business: Firms Say Censorship Slows Web Connections, Curbs Access to Services
Fredrik Bergman ran into a problem when a client in Sweden tried to transfer files to his firm's headquarters here: Each time, the firm lost its Web connection for an hour or so.
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323926104578277511385052752.html>

Egyptian regulator appeals against court's YouTube ban
Egyptian authorities appealed on Thursday against a court order banning the video file-sharing site YouTube for a month over an amateur video that denigrates the Prophet Mohammad, saying the ruling was unenforceable.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/egypt-youtube-idINDEE91D0H720130214>
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/net-us-egypt-youtube-idUSBRE91804Q20130214>

Iceland considers pornography ban
Iceland could become the first Western democracy to attempt censorship of the internet under radical proposals to block online pornography.
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/iceland/9866949/Iceland-considers-pornography-ban.html>

Iceland's bid to ban web porn: Nation could become first western country to block filth over fears of effects on children
Iceland could become the first Western democracy to block all internet porn under radical new proposals.
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2277769/Icelands-bid-ban-web-porn.html>

Can Iceland lead the way towards a ban on violent online pornography?
Small, volcanic, with a proud Viking heritage and run by an openly gay prime minister, Iceland is now considering becoming the first democracy in the western world to try to ban online pornography.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/16/iceland-online-pornography>

UK 'will follow Iceland's lead over ban on internet porn'
One of the world's leading anti-pornography campaigners predicts that Britain will be next in following Iceland's lead and looking at a ban on internet pornography.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2013/feb/16/uk-iceland-ban-internet-porn>

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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A First Step on Continent for Google on Use of Content
Publishers in France say they have struck an innovative agreement with Google on the use of their content online. Their counterparts elsewhere in Europe, however, say the French gave in too easily to the Internet giant.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/technology/a-first-step-on-continent-for-google-on-use-of-content.html>

us: Privacy groups protest CISPA bill
In what is turning out to be a repeat of last year, privacy rights groups launched an assault against the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), barely a day after the controversial legislation was reintroduced in Congress on Wednesday.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9236800/Privacy_groups_protest_CISPA_bill_>

us: Lawmakers, business execs defend privacy in CISPA [IDG]
Privacy and digital rights groups are overstating the privacy concerns in a controversial cyberthreat information bill introduced this week in the U.S. Congress, the bill's sponsors and leaders of some business groups said.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9236797/Lawmakers_business_execs_defend_privacy_in_CISPA>

au: Technology pricing inquiry has geoblocking in its sights
Australians could gain easier legal access to films and television shows under proposals being considered by a federal parliamentary committee.
<http://www.afr.com/p/national/technology_pricing_inquiry_has_geoblocking_sA3MdqmkK5lTwOGGnsUfrL>

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MISCELLANEOUS
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Internet Society?s President and Chief Executive Officer Lynn St. Amour to Step Down in February 2014
Internet Society President and Chief Executive Officer Lynn St. Amour today announced that she will leave the Internet Society in February 2014 at the conclusion of her contract.  St. Amour joined the Internet Society in 1998 as Executive Director of its Europe, Middle East, and Africa division.  She became Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer in 1999 and was appointed President and CEO in March of 2001.
<http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society%E2%80%99s-president-and-chief-executive-officer-lynn-st-amour-step-down-february-2014>

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Alcatel-Lucent Unveils World's Most Powerful Broadband Infrastructure
... The future won?t necessarily be slow, however. Last week, Alcatel-Lucent and France T?l?com-Orange announced they had successfully deployed the world?s most powerful broadband infrastructure, an optical-link, 400 gigabits-per-second line between Paris and Lyon. The first users will be French researchers in need of blazing-fast Internet access. Businesses and consumers will come online later.
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-15/alcatel-lucent-unveils-worlds-most-powerful-broadband-infrastructure>

Skype calls now equivalent to one-third of global phone traffic
New research from TeleGeography, a telecom market analysis firm, shows that worldwide Skype usage is now equivalent to over one-third of all international phone traffic?a record level.
<http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/02/skype-calls-now-equivalent-to-one-third-of-global-phone-traffic/>

Skype breaks records, traffic grows by 44 percent
Microsoft's Skype is making some serious headway into the international phone traffic scene. New data from telecom market research firm TeleGeography shows that Skype broke records in 2012 by hosting the same amount of calls as one third of the world's phone traffic.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57569547-75/skype-breaks-records-traffic-grows-by-44-percent/>
---------
David Goldstein

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

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