[DNS] auDA Domain News - 2 April

From: David Goldstein <david> Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2013 12:13:22 +1100 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:11 UTC

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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Consumers unaware of new top-level domains
<http://www.retail-digital.com/online_retailing/consumers-unaware-of-new-top-level-domains>

Chehade says ?no delay? as Verisign drops a security bomb on ICANN
<http://domainincite.com/12465-chehade-says-no-delay-as-verisign-drops-a-security-bomb-on-icann>

Verisign blasts ICANN for rushed generic top-level domain name rollout
<http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/03/verisign-blasts-icann-for-slow-generic-top-level-domain-name-rollout/>

Cyberattacks Seem Meant to Destroy, Not Just Disrupt
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/technology/corporate-cyberattackers-possibly-state-backed-now-seek-to-destroy-data.html>

WIPO Misleads Again On 2012 Cybersquatting Statistics
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/03/31/wipo-misleads-cybersquatting/>

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GOVERNANCE
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What the WCIT fight is about
The World Conference on International Telecoms (WCIT) gathering in Dubai in December attracted controversy before, during and after. Here's why.
<http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/industry-insights/telecoms/what-the-wcit-fight-is-about>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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New gTLD Program Posts Next Set of Initial Evaluation Results
Building upon last week's release of results for the first 30 applications, today ICANN released Initial Evaluation (IE) results for the next set of applications with priority numbers 31-60.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-29mar13-en.htm>

Changes to the Public Forum by Steve Crocker
As we go into the Beijing meeting, I am struck by the manner in which ICANN meetings are defined by the open exchange of ideas.
<http://blog.icann.org/2013/04/changes-to-the-public-forum/>

ICANN Board-Stakeholder Action List
The attached ICANN Board-Stakeholder Action List sets out what the board heard in Toronto where board action was required, what the proposed action was, and what we've done since the ICANN 45 Meeting.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-29mar13-en.htm>

WHOIS & What?s to Come by Margie Milam, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives
In October ICANN?s President & CEO, Fadi Chehad?, announced an ambitious plan for tackling one of ICANN?s most controversial issues?WHOIS. Undeterred by the decade?s long debate, and encouraged by the WHOIS Review Team?s Report, he challenged the notion that WHOIS couldn?t be fixed, and instead suggested a fresh approach. In line with this vision, the ICANN Board approved a two-pronged strategy to adopt the WHOIS Review Team (RT)?s recommendations to fully enforce the existing WHOIS policy and to follow the SSAC?s recommendations to redefine the purpose and scope of data directory services. When complete, ICANN hopes to transform the current antiquated WHOIS system into one that is better suited for the needs of tomorrow?s Internet.
<http://blog.icann.org/2013/03/whois-whats-to-come/>

GAC draft gTLD agenda for Beijing and advice to the ICANN Board on controversial or sensitive strings and applications
As the New gTLD Program moves forward, the GAC is making preparations for delivering further advice on new gTLDs. This advice constitutes a key element of the overall process as outlined in the Applicant Guidebook (AG).
<https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/Governmental+Advisory+Committee>

Approved Resolution | Meeting of the New gTLD Program Committee
1. Approval to Enter Agreement with IBM for Trademark Clearinghouse
<http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/documents/resolutions-new-gtld-26mar13-en.htm>

ICANN Gives an Update on Whois
Fake Whois information has long been a source of frustration to anyone looking to deal with domain names that are infringing on trademarks and misleading customers, so ICANN's recent update on its efforts to improve Whois are an important read.
<http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2013/03/29/icann-gives-update-whois>

ICA Comments on ACDR?s Revised Application to Provide UDRP Services
Several weeks ago, ICA intervened with ICANN?s Board to request that the revised application of the Arab Center for Dispute Resolution (ACDR) be withdrawn from its Consent Agenda and put out for public comment. (see. The Board complied, which we appreciate, in light of the fact that the application had lain dormant for two and a half years. Last Friday ICA filed its comment on the revised ACDR proposal.
<http://internetcommerce.org/ACDR-UDRP_Comment_Letter>

All about the ICANN / Afnic meeting
Couldn?t attend the ICANN / Afnic meeting on 26/02/2013? Catch the video!
<http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/6801/show/all-about-the-icann-afnic-meeting.html>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Priority message to all our customers and registrars
Dear Madam / Sir, you are aware of the severe problems arising from the fake registry system run by Ertan Ulutas and assistants and their partial control of some of the root name-servers registered with IANA for the zones administered by AdamsNames Limited.
<http://adamsnames.com/?page_id=202>

ca: Canadians Win for Internet Usage Worldwide
Are you reading this article online? If so than you are among the vast majority of Canadians using the internet. (If you?re not, tumblerridgenews.com)
<http://www.tumblerridgenews.com/index.php/features/10001-canadians-win-for-internet-usage-worldwide>

Lululeather and .EH among Canadian twists on April Fool's Day
The internet company that manages .CA domain names announced Monday that it will be migrating all its sites to "something that truly represents Canada ? the .EH (dot eh). What is .CA? It could stand for Cambodia or Cameroon," said Byron Holland, President and CEO of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority in his video announcement.
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2013/04/lululeather-and-eh-among-canadian-twists-on-april-fools-day.html>

The.nlyst 10 now out: survey of end users of .nl domain names
The tenth edition of The.nlyst is out this week. The.nlyst is SIDN's quarterly magazine for everyone with a professional or personal interest in the .nl domain and the internet. The latest edition focuses on a periodic SIDN-sponsored survey of trends in the way that the internet and domain names are used.
<https://www.sidn.nl/en/news/news/article/thenlyst-10-now-out-survey-of-end-users-of-nl-domain-names/>

Additional level of security added for registration of .sg domain names - VerifiedID at SG
The Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC) will soon plans to implement VerifiedID at SG, a pilot scheme that aims to enhance the trustworthiness of .sg domain names, by minimising identity theft incidences and the use of fake identities to register .sg domain names.
<http://nic.net.sg/news/additional-level-security-added-registration-sg-domain-names-verifiedidsg>

uk: Board communiqu? and QC's opinion published
A communiqu? from the Board and accompanying QC?s opinion have been published.
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/board-communiqu?-and-qcs-opinion-published>

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 - NEW TLDS
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Consumers unaware of new top-level domains
Afilias Limited today announced the results of research on consumer attitudes towards the hundreds of new gTLDs which show that 75% of UK and US customers are now aware of new extensions; including those of heavyweight brands like Google, Nike and Microsoft.
<http://www.retail-digital.com/online_retailing/consumers-unaware-of-new-top-level-domains>

Chehade says ?no delay? as Verisign drops a security bomb on ICANN
Verisign today said that the new gTLD program presents risks to the security of the internet, but ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade told DI that he?s not expecting any new delays.
<http://domainincite.com/12465-chehade-says-no-delay-as-verisign-drops-a-security-bomb-on-icann>

Verisign: New gTLD Security and Stability Considerations (PDF)
<http://www.verisigninc.com/assets/gtld-ssr-v2.1-final.pdf>

Verisign blasts ICANN for rushed generic top-level domain name rollout
Remember those new gTLD names that ICANN has been talking about for years now? That system, once in place, would allow not only sites like yourname.com, but yourname.yourname.
<http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/03/verisign-blasts-icann-for-slow-generic-top-level-domain-name-rollout/>

Verisign to ICANN: not ready for new TLDs
Verisign has sent a report to ICANN (and filed it with the Securities and Exchange Commission) that basically says that the internet isn?t prepared new TLDs yet.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/03/28/verisign-to-icann-youre-not-ready-for-new-tlds/>

Verisign doesn't think the net is ready for a thousand new TLDs by John Levine
Yesterday Verisign sent ICANN a most interesting white paper called New gTLD Security and Stability Considerations. They also filed a copy with the SEC as an 8-K, a document that their stockholders should know about.
<http://jl.ly/Internet/vznewtld.html>

First new gTLDs could be seen as early as July
Crucial steps such as the launch of the new gTLD program?s landmark Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs), the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) and the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) are on course. The TMCH?s systems went live yesterday as planned and July 1st is seen as the go-live date for the sunrise and claims components of this unique database of prior rights which all new gTLD operators will be contractually bound to use.
<http://www.netnames.com/blog/2013/03/first-new-gtlds-could-be-seen-as-early-as-july/>

Directi, Tucows, Namecheap Form Alliance to Manage .Online Registry
Domain industry veterans Directi, Tucows and Namecheap announced on Thursday they have formed an alliance in which they will work together to manage the .online registry.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/directi-tucows-namecheap-form-alliance-to-manage-online-registry>

How ICANN is changing business website domain names forever
Forget ?.com? ? your next domain name could end with ?.melbourne?, ?.???, or even ?.transformers?. The internet is about to expand massively with up to 2,000 new TLDs being added to the familiar ?.com? and ?.au?.
<http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/054866-how-icann-is-changing-business-website-domain-names-forever-2.html>

Brands Facing Dot-Com Domain Identity Crisis
Companies looking to protect their brand identity on the Internet from phishers and cybersquatters will soon be faced with a dot-com identity crisis.
<http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/brands-facing-dot-com-domain-identity-crisis-148291>

Citing New Afilias Survey Retail Trade Magazine Says Consumers Have No Clue What New gTLDs Are
RetailDigital - an online trade magazine that describes itself as the Global Portal for Retailers - published a story by Shukti Sharma today titled "Consumers Unaware of New TLDs." Citing new research from registry services provider Afilias, the article said 75% of U.S. and UK consumers are oblivious to new web extensions (in conjunction with YouGov, Afilias polled 2,000 UK and 2,000 US consumers for a report titled ?dot Brand or dot What??
<http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2013/dailyposts/20130329.htm>

Domain News: Open vs. Closed gTLDs
As ICANN works to launch the new gTLDs, the domaining community, among many others, has become increasingly concerned with the issue of ?opened? and ?closed? gTLDs. The argument includes apprehension about whether or not a private company should have the ability to own a new gTLD and close ownership to any other parties.
<http://www.afternic.com/blog/domain-news-open-vs-closed-gtlds/>

The Different Types of New gTLDs: Which One is Right for You?
The amount of new gTLD applications is at once exciting and terrifying (kind of like my second cup of coffee every morning). Exciting, because you?re going to have more options than ever to find the right domain name for you. Terrifying, because there are tons of applications and it can be overwhelming to figure out which nTLDs are going to offer the best choices.
<http://www.name.com/blog/ntlds/2013/03/the-different-types-of-new-gtlds-which-one-is-right-for-you/>

Outrageous and stupid numbers about new top level domains
... The article is about how much it will cost brands to protect their brands when new TLDs come online. It liberally quotes Bob Liodice, president and CEO of the Association of National Advertisers, and that shows in the ridiculous numbers the article quotes.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/04/01/outrageous-and-stupid-numbers-about-new-top-level-domains/>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Meeting Brings Together RIRs and Law Enforcement Agencies
The UK Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the RIPE NCC, together with the other Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), organised a dedicated meeting for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for the third time on 13 March.
<http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/industry-developments/meeting-brings-together-rirs-and-law-enforcement-agencies>

Critical denial-of-service flaw in BIND software puts DNS servers at risk [IDG]
A flaw in the widely used BIND DNS (Domain Name System) software can be exploited by remote attackers to crash DNS servers and affect the operation of other programs running on the same machines.
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/032913-critical-denial-of-service-flaw-in-bind-268229.html>

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SECURITY
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Provocateur Comes Into View After Cyberattack
Sven Olaf Kamphuis calls himself the ?minister of telecommunications and foreign affairs for the Republic of CyberBunker.? Others see him as the Prince of Spam.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/30/business/global/after-cyberattack-sven-olaf-kamphuis-is-at-heart-of-investigation.html>

Cyberattacks Seem Meant to Destroy, Not Just Disrupt
American Express customers trying to gain access to their online accounts Thursday were met with blank screens or an ominous ancient type face. The company confirmed that its Web site had come under attack.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/technology/corporate-cyberattackers-possibly-state-backed-now-seek-to-destroy-data.html>

Cyber Attack Thought to Originate in Russia
A massive cyber attack targeting a European spam-fighting group that slowed some global Internet traffic to a crawl appears to have been launched by a gang of hackers from Russia and neighboring countries, says the head of a Russian firm specializing in defending against such attacks.
<http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/03/28/cyber-attack-thought-to-originate-in-russia/>

When spammers go to war: Behind the Spamhaus DDoS
Over the last ten days, a series of massive denial-of-service attacks has been aimed at Spamhaus, a not-for-profit organization that describes its purpose as "track[ing] the Internet's spam operations and sources, to provide dependable realtime anti-spam protection for Internet networks." These attacks have grown so large?up to 300Gb/s?that the volume of traffic is threatening to bring down core Internet infrastructure.
<http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/03/when-spammers-go-to-war-behind-the-spamhaus-ddos/>

Open DNS Resolvers Center Stage in Massive DDoS Attacks
For some perspective on what 300 Gbps of traffic represents, let?s just pretend that your company, as a potential customer, put this massive volume of bits and bytes in front of 20 of the leading Internet service providers. Chances are, all but three or four will tell you ?Thanks, but no thanks, we can?t handle your business.?
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/open-dns-resolvers-center-stage-massive-ddos-attacks-032813>

Attacks Used the Internet Against Itself to Clog Traffic
An escalating cyberattack involving an antispam group and a shadowy group of attackers has now affected millions of people across the Internet, raising the question: How can such attacks be stopped?
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/technology/attacks-on-spamhaus-used-internet-against-itself.html>

Brace for more mega-DDoS attacks, security experts warn [Computer News Middle East]
Distributed Denial of Service attacks like the one that resulted from an altercation between a Dutch company and Spamhaus last week are on the rise, according to a report by security firm Kaspersky Labs.
<http://www.pcworld.com/article/2032425/brace-for-more-mega-ddos-attacks-security-experts-warn.html>

How the Spamhaus DDoS attack could have been prevented
Internet engineers have known for at least 13 years how to stop major distributed denial of service attacks. But, thanks to a combination of economics and inertia, attacks continue. Here's why.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57576947-83/how-the-spamhaus-ddos-attack-could-have-been-prevented/>

DDoS Attack Against Spamhaus Overhyped, Says Website Watcher Keynote
Much of the news reporting about the massive denial-of-service attack against anti-spam service Spamhaus over the past week or so went way too far in describing it as creating a slowdown on the Internet itself, says one company monitoring website performance.
<http://www.cio.com/article/730903/DDoS_Attack_Against_Spamhaus_Overhyped_Says_Website_Watcher_Keynote>
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/457639/ddos_attack_against_spamhaus_overhyped_says_website_watcher_keynote/>
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/032813-spamhaus-keynote-268213.html>

Internet slows down after DNS attack on Spamhaus
Hundreds of thousands of Britons are unsuspecting participants in one of the internet's biggest cyber-attacks ever ? because their broadband router has been subverted.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/mar/27/cyber-attack-spamhaus-slows-down-internet>

Misconfigured, Open DNS Servers Used In Record-Breaking DDoS Attack
This was not your typical hacktivist DDoS attack: a massive, 300 gigabits-per-second traffic attack against volunteer spam filtering organization Spamhaus spread yesterday to multiple Internet exchanges and ultimately slowed traffic for users mainly in Europe.
<http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerability-management/167901026/security/attacks-breaches/240151862/misconfigured-open-dns-servers-used-in-record-breaking-ddos-attack.html>

Spamhaus attacks expose huge open DNS server dangers
Massive distributed denial of service attacks on Spamhaus this week focused widespread attention on the huge security threats posed by millions of poorly configured Internet Domain Name System (DNS) servers.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9237951/Spamhaus_attacks_expose_huge_open_DNS_server_dangers>

DDoS attack against Spamhaus later targeted Tier 1 providers [IDG]
A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack of unprecedented scale that targeted an international spam-fighting organization last week ended up causing problems for Internet users around the world, experts say.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9237939/DDoS_attack_against_Spamhaus_later_targeted_Tier_1_providers>

The digital arms trade: The market for software that helps hackers penetrate computer systems
It is a type of software sometimes described as ?absolute power? or ?God?. Small wonder its sales are growing. Packets of computer code, known as ?exploits?, allow hackers to infiltrate or even control computers running software in which a design flaw, called a ?vulnerability?, has been discovered. Criminal and, to a lesser extent, terror groups purchase exploits on more than two dozen illicit online forums or through at least a dozen clandestine brokers, says Venkatramana Subrahmanian, a University of Maryland expert in these black markets. He likens the transactions to ?selling a gun to a criminal?.
<http://www.economist.com/news/business/21574478-market-software-helps-hackers-penetrate-computer-systems-digital-arms-trade>

Global Market for Cybersecurity Solutions to Grow to $870M by 2017: IDC Report
Industry research firm IDC has reported a significant increase in the number of online attacks last year on the websites of top financial firms and other important organizations.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/global-market-for-cybersecurity-solutions-to-grow-to-870m-by-2017-idc-report>

S. Korea, US step up cyber warfare partnership
The two governments will work on a draft deterrence strategy to fend off unexpected attacks, and South Korea will also increase personnel for its Cyber Command unit.
<http://www.zdnet.com/s-korea-us-step-up-cyber-warfare-partnership-7000013331/>

Anti-cyber threat alliance formed in the UK
The UK government has launched a new "Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership" (CISP) to improve the UK economy's defence against cyber attacks.
<http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Anti-cyber-threat-alliance-formed-in-the-UK-1832044.html>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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WIPO Misleads Again On 2012 Cybersquatting Statistics
Trademark holders filed a record 2,884 cybersquatting cases covering 5,084 domain names with the WIPO Center in 2012 under procedures based on the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). This represents an increase of 4.5 percent over the record established in 2011.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=20038>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/03/31/wipo-misleads-cybersquatting/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/en/wipo-misleads-again-on-2012-cybersquatting-statistics.html>

WIPO Offers Insights on Domain Name Trends
As I noted in an earlier post, WIPO received a record number of domain name disputes in 2012. Now, in a report and press conference, WIPO not only has confirmed this statistic, but it has provided some interesting new insights into the trends surrounding cybersquatting.
<http://isenbergondomains.com/2013/03/28/wipo-offers-insights-on-domain-name-trends/>

Cybersquatting cases reach record in 2012: UN [AFP]
The number of cases of alleged cybersquatting handled by the World Intellectual Property Organisation jumped five per cent to reach a record 2,884 last year, the head of the UN agency said on Thursday.
<http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/technology/story/cybersquatting-cases-reach-record-2012-un-20130328>
<http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/business-it/cybersquatting-cases-reach-record-high-20130329-2gy5b.html>
<http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/business-it/cybersquatting-cases-reach-record-high-20130329-2gy5b.html>

gTLD trademark disputes on the rise as Clearinghouse opens for business [registration]
This week the Trademark Clearinghouse opened for business. While trademark owners consider their strategies, the list of gTLD applications subject to legal rights objections has grown ? with applications from such brands as Coach, Merck and Amazon under scrutiny. Elsewhere though, there was good news for Amazon as it prepares for the expanded online space.
<http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=0e466175-dd1b-456f-afd4-a2bbc655db4c>

Decisions: Adjudication Situation
Sometimes UDRP complaints come along that are obvious attempts at gaining control of a domain name to which the Complainant simply does not have rights. A complaint filed by Adjudicate Today Pty Limited against the domain Adjudicate.org.au, filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) against The Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators, is a clear example of this form of over-reaching.
<http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2013/03/25/decisions-adjudication-situation>

US Court about Free Speech Rights in Texas Domain Lawsuit The Legal Brief by Laura Lipinski
The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decided that a domain name may be protected speech under the First Amendment in an opinion released October of 2012 in the Texas case Gibson v. Texas Dept. of Insurance ? Division of Worker?s Compensation.
<https://sedo.com/us/news/3258/US-Court-about-Free-Speech-Rights-in-Texas-Domain-Lawsuit/>

Trump seeks damages in 'cybersquatting' case
Donald Trump is seeking $400,000 in damages from a Brooklyn man over four websites that use the real estate mogul's name and brand.
<http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/31/us/new-york-trump-lawsuit/>

Lawsuit: cybersquatters tried to dupe suppliers out of $60,000+ of merchandise
Usually when a cybersquatter grabs a domain similar to a company?s name, the cybersquatter just hopes to make a few bucks from a parked page.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/04/01/lawsuit-cybersquatters-tried-to-dupe-suppliers-out-of-60000-of-merchandise/>

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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A lightbulb that does IPv6: You know you want it
Mesh-networking standard ZigBee now has support for IP, allowing embedded devices (from 'leccy meters to lightbulbs) to be directly addressed as long as the addresser is using IPv6.
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/29/zigbee_ip/>

What Happened to IPv6?
One could feel the excitement building as June 6, 2012, approached. This was to be World IPv6 Launch Day, the day the Internet Society would replace the old IPv4 with a new, permanent Internet address protocol. While heavy hitters like Bing, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Comcast and AT&T joined the parade, few others noticed the event.
<http://www.govtech.com/wireless/What-Happened-to-IPv6.html>

TRA Hosts IPV6 Roadshow
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), for the 3rd time, hosts the IPv6 Roadshow, a training course specifically designed to build the capacities of the UAE?s ICT sector to meet the standards of the IPv6.
<http://tra.gov.ae/news_TRA_Hosts_IPV6_Roadshow-500-1.php>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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How ARIN and U.S. Commerce Department were duped by the ITU by Milton Mueller
ARIN is the Internet numbers registry for the North American region. It likes to present itself as a paragon of multistakeholder governance and a staunch opponent of the International Telecommunication Union?s encroachments into Internet governance. Surely, if anyone wants to keep the ITU out of Internet addressing and routing policy, it would be ARIN. And conversely, in past years the ITU has sought to carve away some of the authority over IP addressing from ARIN and other RIRs.
<http://www.internetgovernance.org/2013/03/28/how-arin-and-u-s-commerce-department-were-duped-by-the-itu/>

Why everyone should register a domain name
We've all become avid social media users, but it's smart to have a web identity that you ? not corporations ? control
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/28/why-everyone-should-register-domain-name>

Price Matters: Why Brands Should Incorporate Discount Terms in Their Search Strategy
Everyone likes a good deal on the web but US consumers appear to be particularly in love with shopping for a bargain. Internet Retailer reported the results of a recent survey which found that 75% of participating US consumers cited price as the prime motivation in making a purchase online. Rakuten, a large Asian e-commerce site, surveyed 5,300 consumers in a dozen countries and found that globally 61% of all respondents selected price as the top factor in purchase decisions.
<https://www.markmonitor.com/mmblog/price-matters-why-brands-should-incorporate-discount-terms-in-their-search-strategy/>

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INTERNET USE
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OECD: Protecting and empowering consumers in the purchase of digital content products
The spread of broadband, mobile devices and online and mobile payments usage are driving the expansion in digital content products. These can be downloaded, streamed or accessed through Internet Protocol (IP) TV on a range of channels including online retail platforms and social media. While consumer demand for these products has increased rapidly in recent years, a number of challenges undermine confidence in the market. Issues requiring policy attention include: inadequate disclosures about product usage or interoperability limitations; product access and quality problems; unclear rules on the collection, usage and sharing of data provided by consumers as a condition for purchasing products; and inadequate dispute resolution and redress mechanisms.
<http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k49czlc7wd3-en>

The paywalls go up ? but papers still aren't secure
The free news model is dying in the US, where more and more media groups are charging. But that revenue doesn't nearly replace what has been lost on print advertising and cover price
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/mar/31/paywalls-go-up-papers-still-arent-secure>

Papers Worldwide Embrace Web Subscriptions
Newspapers, once reluctant to try to charge readers for access to their Web sites, have begun doing so in droves. Across many of the developed economies of America, Europe and Asia, so-called pay walls are proliferating as publishers struggle to make up for dwindling revenue on their print products.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/business/media/more-newspapers-are-making-web-readers-pay.html>

IT group Atos eliminates e-mails in Austria
The death of e-mail has been predicted many times since the advent of social media. And there have been multiple attempts at this, for example by Google. The IT service provider Atos is now stepping up to the plate and wants to eliminate internal e-mails in Austria by the end of June 2013. Employees will be moved to the enterprise social software blueKiwi ZEN. Not everyone is enthusiastic about this plan.
<http://futurezone.at/english/14807-it-group-atos-eliminates-e-mails-in-austria.php>

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SOCIAL MEDIA
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Facebook research: What our usage reveals about us
Facebook is hot?or not, depending when and whom you ask. But there?s no shortage of people talking about the merits and demerits of the social network, especially researchers who love to dig into how it?s helping or hurting its users.
<http://www.techhive.com/article/2032700/facebook-research-what-our-usage-reveals-about-us.html>

Youth flock to mobile messaging apps, may be threat to Facebook
Create personal profiles. Build networks of friends. Share photos, videos and music.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/04/01/mobile-apps-facebook-idINDEE93000Q20130401>
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/31/uk-mobile-apps-facebook-idUKBRE92U09A20130331>

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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Apps help parents monitor children's Internet use
With smartphone and tablet users getting younger, new apps can help parents of 2-to-13-year-olds monitor and control their children's use of the Internet.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/04/01/apps-children-internet-monitoring-idINDEE93009B20130401>
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/04/01/uk-apps-children-idUKBRE9300BV20130401>

Pedophiles coerce kids using Kik smartphone app [AAP]
PEDOPHILES are using a relatively new smartphone application to try and coerce young children into performing sex acts, police have warned.
<http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/pedophiles-coerce-kids-using-kik-smartphone-app/story-e6frgakx-1226608130656>

nz: Peeping Toms click to techno snooping
Women and girls are being spied on in the toilets of shopping malls, fastfood restaurants and cinemas and even while napping in their lounges or showering in their own homes.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/national-news/8491374/Peeping-Toms-click-to-techno-snooping>
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/8491374/Peeping-Toms-click-to-techno-snooping>

nz: Principals push to seize phones in bullying epidemic
Cyber bullying is reaching epidemic proportions in secondary schools, prompting principals to throw their support behind extraordinary measures that could give them the powers to search and seize pupils' phones and iPads.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8497535/Principals-push-to-seize-phones-in-bulling-epidemic>

au: Online apps take bite of illegal betting
Apple Australia may be breaching federal online gambling laws by offering apps such as PokerStars which allow Australians to bet on casino style games with real money.
<http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/online-apps-take-bite-of-illegal-betting-20130331-2h1eb.html>
<http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/online-apps-take-bite-of-illegal-betting-20130331-2h1eb.html>

au: No one wins when children play with gambling apps
CASINO-style social media gambling apps are grooming children under 13 with inflated odds that experts fear is nurturing the next generation of problem gamblers and skewing their expectations when it comes to real money.
<http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/no-one-wins-when-children-play-with-gambling-apps/story-e6freuy9-1226609948728>

Apple refines friendly stalker features in iOS
Find My Friends adds geofences so you're alerted when Elvis has left the suburb.
<http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/computers/blogs/gadgets-on-the-go/apple-refines-friendly-stalker-features-in-ios-20130401-2h3gz.html>
<http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/blogs/gadgets-on-the-go/apple-refines-friendly-stalker-features-in-ios-20130401-2h3gz.html>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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The Messaging Apps Taking on Facebook, Phone Giants
On a recent Saturday, Johan Dijkland, a 23-year-old student in Emmen, Netherlands, opened a free messaging app called Line on his iPhone. Then he tapped on a virtual sticker of a sleepy panda with a "good night" speech bubble and pressed send to a friend.
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323466204578382733261211950.html>

Telekom Austria turns unlimited data model on its head
Telekom Austria has announced new mobile deals abandoning the unlimited data packages that have become commonplace and instead offering free voice and text messages.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/03/28/telekom-austria-tariffs-data-idINDEE92R09920130328>

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
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Mobile banking: Safaricom widens its banking services from payments to savings and loans
SWAHILI continues to creep into the language of global finance. M-PESA, a thriving money-transfer system run by Safaricom, a Kenyan mobile-phone operator, and named after the word for ?cash?, has already entered the lexicon. Having persuaded millions of Kenyans to send cash through an SMS network, Safaricom is now trying to tempt them into a savings-and-loans service called M-Shwari, after the Swahili for ?cool? or ?calm?.
<http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21574520-safaricom-widens-its-banking-services-payments-savings-and-loans-it>

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Bitcoin miners hit back at cyber-thieves
Cyber-thieves are attempting to cash in on the rising value of the bitcoin virtual currency.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21964881>