[DNS] auDA Domain News - 27 January

From: David Goldstein <david> Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 14:31:02 +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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The Snowden effect
<http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2014/01/internet-governance>

Internet Governance 2020 - Geopolitics and the Future of the Internet - Remarks by Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda, Deputy Assistant Secretary and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
<http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/rm/2014/220576.htm>

BCG Study: Countries that Expand Internet Access and Use Can Spur Digital Economy Growth
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-24jan14-en.htm>

100 New gTLDs in the Internet, Thousands of New Ideas by Akram Atallah
<http://blog.icann.org/2014/01/100-new-gtlds-in-the-internet-thousands-of-new-ideas/>

Chehad?: Biggest Threat To Internet Is Fragmentation; Time To End US Oversight
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/26/chehade-threat-internet-fragmentation/>

Collisions Ahead: Look Both Ways before Crossing by Burt Kaliski
<http://blogs.verisigninc.com/blog/entry/collisions_ahead_look_both_ways>

Top 10 Digital & gTLD Trends for 2014
<http://info.wolfedomain.com/blog/bid/366082/Top-10-Digital-gTLD-Trends-for-2014>

Scotland to get digital identity with .scot domain
<http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/scotland-to-get-digital-identity-with-scot-domain-1-3281858>

China Blames Massive Internet Blackout On Hackers
<http://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/china-blames-massive-internet-blackout-o/240165552>

More DNS protection needed in China, say experts [Xinhua]
<http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1103&MainCatID=11&id=20140124000046>

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GOVERNANCE
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The Snowden effect
News that Microsoft will allow foreign customers to have their personal data stored on servers outside America raised more than a few eyebrows at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. ?People should have the ability to know whether their data are being subjected to the laws and access of governments in some other country and should have the ability to make an informed choice of where their data resides,? the Financial Times quoted Brad Smith, the firm's general counsel.
<http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2014/01/internet-governance>

Internet Governance 2020 - Geopolitics and the Future of the Internet - Remarks by Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda, Deputy Assistant Secretary and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
Thank you very much. I appreciate the invitation to help frame and initiate the discussion that the experts on the panel will conduct. It is an impressive panel with folks that have lived through the more than decade long debate over Internet governance, what it means, and where it is headed. I am familiar with their work and it helps inform my own.
<http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/rm/2014/220576.htm>

A Victory for an Unfettered Internet: After another court loss, the FCC should abandon its 'net neutrality' regulation goal
A federal appeals court in Washington slapped the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday for overstepping its legal authority by trying to regulate Internet access. The FCC is now a two-time loser in court in its net-neutrality efforts. Has the government learned its lesson, or will the agency take a third stab at regulating the Internet? The answer to that question will affect the Internet?s growth in the 21st century.
<http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-427129/>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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WEBINAR: ICANN Strategy Panel on ICANN Multistakeholder Innovation
You are invited to an update on the activities of the Strategy Panel on ICANN Multistakeholder Innovation. The work of the ICANN Strategy Panels will inform ICANN's new, overarching vision and five-year strategic plan.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-23jan14-en.htm>

BCG Study: Countries that Expand Internet Access and Use Can Spur Digital Economy Growth
Greasing the Wheels of the Internet Economy is a new report by Boston Consulting Group, commissioned by ICANN. The report takes a look at Internet access and use around the world, and the economic importance of an open single Internet. The report's "e-friction" index describes and quantifies factors that inhibit the growth and maturity of the Internet economy. It measures obstacles to access to, and engagement with, the Internet for both individuals and businesses across four components; Infrastructure, Industry, Individual and Information.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-24jan14-en.htm>

New Contracting Statistics Released
Below are the key Contracting statistics, as of 24 January 2014:
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-24jan14-en>

100 New gTLDs in the Internet, Thousands of New Ideas by Akram Atallah
In the last 11 weeks, the number of new gTLDs introduced into the Internet?s root has increased five-fold over the number introduced in the entire last quarter century. 
<http://blog.icann.org/2014/01/100-new-gtlds-in-the-internet-thousands-of-new-ideas/>

WHOIS Resources Enhanced by New WHOIS Primer and Global Lookup Tool by Margie Milam
Marking another milestone in ICANN?s ongoing commitment to improve WHOIS based on recommendations from WHOIS Review Team, I am pleased to announce that the WHOIS Primer is now live and available in all six UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). The WHOIS Primer is designed to help the average domain name user better understand the framework surrounding WHOIS.
<http://blog.icann.org/2014/01/whois-resources-enhanced-by-new-whois-primer-and-global-lookup-tool/>

ICANN Family Grows with 2 New Members from Seoul by Kuek Yu-Chuang
A Memorandum of Understanding was inked by ICANN and KISA (Korea Internet and Security Agency) at the ICANN48 Buenos Aires Meeting in November last year, to serve the purpose of a collaborative boost to engagement efforts in the region and to implement a language localization pilot project.
<http://blog.icann.org/2014/01/icann-family-grows-with-2-new-members-from-seoul/>

Peter J. Murray, CEO | International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), to Stephen D. Crocker, Fadi Chehad?, and Cherine Chalaby
Safeguards for Health Domains
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/murray-to-crocker-et-al-21jan14-en>

Burt Kaliski Jr. and Patrick S. Kane to Akram Atallah, Senior Vice President and CTO | VeriSign, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Naming Services | VeriSign, Inc., and John Crain
Alternate Path Still Lacking Technical Justification 	 
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/kaliski-kane-to-atallah-crain-17jan14-en>

Yves Daccord and Bekele Gelata, Chairman | International Committee of the Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to Steve Crocker
Protection of the Red Cross, Red Crescent and Red Crystal Designations and Names from Registration as Top or Second Level Domain Names
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/daccord-gelata-to-crocker-14-jan14-en>

10 January 2014 	Stacey King, Sr. Corporate Counsel | Amazon.com, to Steve Crocker, Fadi Chehad?, and Cherine Chalaby
The New gTLD Application for .AMAZON
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/king-to-crocker-et-al-10jan14-en>

Fadi Chehad?: If We Fragment The Internet, 'It Will Not Be The Internet As We Know It'
Fadi Chehad?, CEO Of ICANN, told HuffPost Live at Davos he thinks the "biggest threat" to innovation is a fragmented Internet. "The biggest threat is to start building walls that create frictions. Frictionless Internet, where innovation is permissionless... is critical," he said.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/fadi-chehade-davos_n_4635949.html>

Chehad?: Biggest Threat To Internet Is Fragmentation; Time To End US Oversight
Internet governance has reared its head to become a hugely important issue in the last 12 months, Fadi Chehad?, CEO Of ICANN, told HuffPost Live at Davos, and he thinks the "biggest threat is to start building walls that create frictions. Frictionless internet, where innovation is permissionless... is critical," he said. He also believes now is the time to end the US government's oversight of the internet.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=21775>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/26/chehade-threat-internet-fragmentation/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/chehade-threat-internet-fragmentation.html>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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European ccTLD News - January 2014
CENTR has published its latest ccTLD newsletter for January 2014 with articles and stats: Article: "Governing the Net - What happened in 2013 and what?s coming up in 2014", A look back at what CENTR did in 2013, QnA with Albert Chang (CIRA), Domain Name Statistics, Coming up at CENTR & Members News
<http://centr.org/news/european-cctld-news-january-2014>

Have You Registered Your .CA In French?
In January 2013, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority ("CIRA") announced its ability to support French character .CA domain names ("French Domain Name"). This means the use of French characters to the left of ".CA". So organizations can now register domain names in both English and French. I asked David Fowler, Director of Marketing and Communications at CIRA, about the status of the French Domain Name offering and the benefit of having a French Domain Name for not-for-profit and charitable organizations.
<http://www.mondaq.com/canada/x/288490/>

Check if your .be domain name has variants
>From 22 January DNS Belgium enables a .be registrant to request a list of domain names that have similarities with your domain name. You can also view the details of the registrant of this domain names.
<http://dns.be/en/check-if-your-be-domain-name-has-variants>

EURid compensates CO2 emissions through wind turbine construction
To compensate for the CO2 emissions of its offices in 2012, EURid, the registry for the .eu TLD, has purchased verified CO2 credits that will go towards the construction of 75 wind turbines in the region of Gujarat, India.
<http://www.eurid.eu/en/news/jan-2014/eurid-compensates-co2-emissions-through-wind-turbine-construction>

Web version of Swedes and the Internet 2013 available in English
.SE?s report ?Swedes and the Internet 2013? is Sweden?s most important study on individuals? internet use and has been published since 2000. For the first time we have also released the report as a web version.
<http://www.soi2013.se/en/>

Nominet Sued By Cartier Over Alleged Intellectual Property Infringements
Nominet has found itself being sued by Cartier International AG over 12 websites which contain content Cartier believes infringe their intellectual property (IP) rights. The case is being seen as a test case, which is highlighted by Cartier choosing not to go through any established dispute resolution procedures.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=21750>
<http://www.domainnews.com/nominet-sued-cartier-intellectual-property-infringements.html>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/23/nominet-sued-cartier-intellectual-property/>

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 - NEW TLDS
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Collisions Ahead: Look Both Ways before Crossing by Burt Kaliski
Many years ago on my first trip to London, I encountered for the first time signs that warned pedestrians that vehicles might be approaching in a different direction than they were accustomed to in their home countries, given the left-versus-right-side driving patterns around the world. (I wrote a while back about one notable change from left-to-right, the Swedish "H Day," as a comment on the IPv6 transition.)
<http://blogs.verisigninc.com/blog/entry/collisions_ahead_look_both_ways>

Top 10 Digital & gTLD Trends for 2014
As digital marketers approach 2014, it?s not hard to see that we are in an age of digital transformation. Technology is not only being developed but adopted at an accelerating rate. Access to data is changing how we approach all facets of our business ? everything must be supported by data that is so much more easily available. In 2014, the internet will begin to undergo its long-awaited expansion with thousands of new TLDs launching and changing the landscape of possibilities. After studying at length the gTLD applications, studying shifts in consumer behavior and interviewing industry experts, a few clear digital trends begin to emerge for 2014.
<http://info.wolfedomain.com/blog/bid/366082/Top-10-Digital-gTLD-Trends-for-2014>

Scotland to get digital identity with .scot domain
Scots will have their own online identity from this summer, it will be confirmed today, after a near decade-long campaign which was backed by famous names including Sir Sean Connery and Sir Tom Farmer.
<http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/scotland-to-get-digital-identity-with-scot-domain-1-3281858>

Scotland breaks away from UK at last ? in cyberspace [registration]
SCOTS might not yet have independence from Britain but the country is to win independence in cyberspace this summer, following a campaign by Sir Sean Connery and other prominent compatriots.
<http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/article1367786.ece>

Ten more new gTLDs go live
Donuts, Afilias and Atgron were the beneficiaries of 10 new gTLD delegations yesterday.
<http://domainincite.com/15628-ten-more-new-gtlds-go-live>

.wed ( Wedding )
The .wed TLD has been added to the internet root servers. CoCCA is pleased to be able to support this Atgron initiative by providing Atgron with ICANN - compliant registry services.
<http://nic.wed/>

.ruhr: First New Geographical TLD Starts
The Internet became a bit more colorful today, with regiodot GmbH celebrating the launch of the new domain ending .ruhr, the first of the new domain endings with geographical reference to cities or regions. ?With the introduction of .ruhr, Germany is at the starting gates for the largest expansion of domain names in the history of the Internet?, said the delighted lawyer Thomas Rickert, Director Names and Numbers at eco ? Association of the German Internet Industry.
<http://international.eco.de/2014/press-releases/ruhr-first-new-geographical-top-level-domain-starts.html>

Brand protection technology: what is it and how does it work? [Memeburn]
Approximately 1 400 new gTLDs are about to become available. This is a development of paramount proportions that has not been seen since the birth of the web. Many brands see WWW as a sort of Wild Wild Web, where scammers, cyber pirates and counterfeiters run amok to devalue brands such as yours by utilising tactics that leave money on the table, namely yours, by driving traffic to their sites and hence causing brands large and small major losses. Some need to deal with scores, hundreds and even thousands of these online schemes every month.
<http://za.news.yahoo.com/brand-protection-technology-does-044536634.html>

OK-Kosher wins right to ?dot-kosher? domain over competitors? objection
Last week, the world got one step closer to the day when web sites can end not just with .com, .net, or .org -- but with the suffix ?.kosher? as well.
<http://www.jewishjournal.com/thenon-prophet/item/ok_kosher_wins_right_to_dot_kosher_domain_over_competitors_objection>

Why Google wants to give you 101 alternatives to .com
Hundreds of new TLDs (the last bit of a web address, like .com) will hit the web this year. Of nearly 2,000 proposed domains, 101 belong to Google, one of the largest single applicants. That?s odd, for Google has worked hard to make domain names as irrelevant as possible. 
<http://qz.com/165705/why-google-wants-to-give-you-101-alternatives-to-com/>

SPECIAL: Video Interviews from NamesCon 2014 in Las Vegas
CircleID in collaboration with the team from Dyn Inc. and ICANNWiki, brings you the following interviews conducted during NamesCon 2014 held in Las Vegas (13-15 January).
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140123_special_video_interviews_from_namescon_2014_in_las_vegas/>

Gripe sites and PPC banned in new gTLD
New gTLD registry Plan Bee expects to ban gripe sites in its forthcoming .build registry. Its Acceptable Use and Takedown Policy, published this week, is among the strictest I?ve seen.
<http://domainincite.com/15633-gripe-sites-and-ppc-banned-in-new-gtld>

Porn won?t be allowed on the home page of .Sexy websites
Anyone who wants to register a .sexy domain name to build their porn empire, take note: you can?t have nudity on the ?home page? of your domain name.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/23/porn-wont-be-allowed-on-the-home-page-of-sexy-websites/>

.Build constructs niche presence online with ARI Registry Services
The building and construction industry is set for the biggest digital evolution in its history with the global launch of the .build TLD over the weekend.
<http://www.ariservices.com/news-.Build-constructs-niche-presence-online-with-ARI-Registry-Services.php>

ARI Registry Services supports .luxury to delegation
A new premium corner of Internet real estate was switched on this week when ARI Registry Services facilitated the delegation of the .luxury TLD to the Internet?s authoritative root zone servers.
<http://www.ariservices.com/news-ARI-Registry-Services-supports-.luxury-to-delegation.php>

Uniregistry bans front-page porn in .sexy
Uniregistry, which will shortly launch the gTLD, has banned front-page nudity in the .sexy space.
<http://domainincite.com/15637-uniregistry-bans-front-page-porn-in-sexy>

Trademark Clearinghouse using .uno to plug new gTLDs to Spanish markets
New gTLD registry Dot Latin has scored an early anchor tenant win, as the Trademark Clearinghouse has agreed to use two .uno domain names to market rights protection mechanisms in Spanish-speaking markets.
<http://domainincite.com/15643-trademark-clearinghous-using-uno-to-plug-new-gtlds-to-spanish-markets>

GoDaddy Seizes on .UNO Domain, Expanding into Latin America
GoDaddy is the first major domain sales company to take advantage of the new .UNO domain extension, the new global web extension dedicated to Spanish-speaking businesses and internet users. The company, known in the U.S. for its "racy" Super Bowl commercials, is using the .UNO domain to expand its business into Latin America, hoping to grow in tandem with the expected wave of internet commerce as Latin America progressively arrives on the internet.
<http://www.latinpost.com/articles/6276/20140122/godaddy-seizes-on-uno-domain-expanding-into-latin-america.htm>

Uniregistry?s new TLD launch plans are different from the others
Frank Schilling?s Uniregistry is taking a very different approach to launching its domain names than most other registries.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/24/uniregistry-new-tld-launch-plans/>

Advantages of gTLD Portfolio Ownership by Alex Tajirian
The essay outlines the advantages to owners of managing a portfolio of gTLDs. The advantages can lead to concentrations of ownership in a few hands, which is unavoidable but not necessarily harmful to consumers. Moreover, some of the advantages can lead to profitable complementary business models. Beyond the obvious advantage of economies of scale that lead to reductions in operating costs, there are a number of other sources of advantage.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140124_advantages_of_gtld_portfolio_ownership/>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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China Blames Massive Internet Blackout On Hackers
Chinese officials Wednesday blamed a country-wide Internet outage on a hack attack. But security and networking experts suspect that the country's Internet infrastructure was compromised when Chinese government censors inadvertently blocked every website in the world.
<http://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/china-blames-massive-internet-blackout-o/240165552>

More DNS protection needed in China, say experts [Xinhua]
Internet experts in China called for intensified efforts to safeguard the country's domain name system (DNS) after it malfunctioned on Tuesday, leaving users unable to access many websites.
<http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1103&MainCatID=11&id=20140124000046>

More Details Surface on Major Internet Outage in China
After first reporting about a major issue that left millions Chinese internet users unable to access websites for several hours, new details have emerged. A government agency responsible for internet issues, the China Internet Network Information Center, has said there was a problem in the country?s DNS servers (which are responsible for blocking traffic to blacklisted websites).
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/details-surface-major-internet-outage-china>

Half the internet lacks DNS security extensions
Just over half of the internet (51 percent) remains insecure insofar as many TLDs have failed to sign up to use domain name system security extensions (DNSSEC), including intensive internet using countries such as Italy (.it), Spain (.es) and South Africa (.za), leaving millions of internet users open to malicious redirect to fake websites, reports Ultra Electronics AEP.
<http://www.scmagazineuk.com/half-the-internet-lacks-dns-security-extensions/article/330999/>

DNSSEC surpasses 50% implementation milestone
ICANN has announced that majority of TLDs in the root have DNSSEC and the overall implementation of the DNS Security Extensions has surpassed 50 percent milestone.
<http://www.techienews.co.uk/975153/dnssec-surpasses-50-implementation-milestone/>

Where Did China's Web Traffic Really Go?
An Internet outage in China that briefly knocked most of the country offline this week has sparked a hunt for answers. The sleuthing has even led to the American heartland, generating headlines that said most of China?s Web traffic ended up at a house in Cheyenne, Wyo. Were it only that simple. In five questions, we try to clear the air.
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-24/where-did-chinas-web-traffic-really-go-hint-not-a-little-house-on-the-prairie>

Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report: Threat Intelligence Offers View into Network Compromises
Thanks to extensive detection telemetry and analytics, we have a clear view into the attackers and malicious actors that are infiltrating Internet infrastructure and using trusted applications as a foothold for gaining access to networks. As explained in the Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report, online criminals continue to develop more sophisticated methods for breaching security protections?all of which require extra vigilance and a holistic view of threats and how they?re managed.
<http://blogs.cisco.com/security/cisco-2014-annual-security-report-threat-intelligence-offers-view-into-network-compromises/>

Computer security: Spam in the fridge - When the internet of things misbehaves
?The internet of things? is one of the buzziest bits of jargon around in consumer electronics. The idea is to put computers in all kinds of products?televisions, washing machines, thermostats, refrigerators?that have not, traditionally, been computerised, and then connect those products to the internet.
<http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21594955-when-internet-things-misbehaves-spam-fridge>

Critical Infrastructure Protection Bill Passed in Committee
The National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2013 would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to better protect the country against potentially destructive cyber attacks targeting national utilities and other critical infrastructure systems.
<http://threatpost.com/critical-infrastructure-protection-bill-passed-in-committee/103804>

FBI warns retailers to prepare for more cyber-attacks in wake of Target breach
The FBI has warned US retailers to prepare for further cyber-attacks after discovering about 20 hacking cases in the past year that involved the same kind of malicious software used against Target Corp in the holiday shopping season.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/23/fbi-warns-retailers-cyber-attacks-target-breach>

Investigation of password crackers busts site feds say hacked 6,000 accounts
An international law-enforcement crackdown on paid password cracking services has resulted in at least 11 arrests, including the operators of an alleged cracker-for-hire site in the US that prosecutors said compromised almost 6,000 e-mail accounts.
<http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/01/investigation-of-password-crackers-turns-up-site-feds-say-hacked-6000-accounts/>

Neiman Marcus Says 1.1M Cards Compromised in Data Breach
The attackers who penetrated the Neiman Marcus network last year were on the network for at least three months and made off with credit and debit card data belonging to 1.1 million customers.
<http://threatpost.com/neiman-marcus-says-1-1m-cards-compromised-in-data-breach/103835>

Stolen Access Data from 16 Million Internet Users Discovered: German Federal Office for Information Security
During the recent examination of a botnet, the Federal Office for Information Security in Germany (BSI) came across the complete access details for email, online shops and social networks for around 16 million Internet users.
<http://international.eco.de/2014/press-releases/stolen-access-data-from-16-million-internet-users-discovered-german-federal-office-for-information-security.html>

Global cybercrime dominated by 50 core groups, CrowdStrike report finds
Cybercrime in 2013 was dominated by a core of around 50 active groups, including Russian and Chinese ?threat actors? whose activities are only now coming to light, a report from monitoring firm CrowdStrike has found.
<http://news.techworld.com/security/3498393/global-cybercrime-dominated-by-50-core-groups-crowdstrike-report-finds/>
<http://www.pcworld.com/article/2091054/most-cybercrime-comes-from-a-few-core-groups-report-says.html>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Konga.com to sue Rocket Internet over domain names
Nigerian e-commerce platform Konga.com is to sue Rocket Internet, owner of rival company Jumia, after Rocket acquired a number of Konga domain names across Africa.
<http://www.humanipo.com/news/39218/konga-com-to-sue-rocket-internet-over-domain-names/>

Crime and Punishment
While the UDRP is a great tool for brandowners seeking to reclaim a domain name that infringes upon their trademark, it is not completely free from abuse itself. Time and again I have seen inexperienced complainants and their lawyers get tripped up by the basic requirement that a trademark must already exist before the domain was acquired by the respondent in order to find bad faith registration. Such flawed cases are routinely denied by panels and, even worse, complainants are slapped with a charge of reverse domain name hijacking (RDNH).
<http://domainnamestrategy.com/2014/01/21/crime-and-punishment/>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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APRICOT 2014 is moving to Malaysia
Following the decision to move APRICOT 2014 from Bangkok earlier this week, APIA and APNIC announce today that APRICOT 2014 will now be held in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Petaling Jaya is a satellite city of Kuala Lumpur and is accessible via Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
<http://www.apnic.net/publications/news/2014/apricot-2014-is-moving-to-malaysia>

Best Practices for Battling Online Counterfeiters
Now that the holiday shopping season is behind us, it?s an opportune time to evaluate the lessons learned and prepare your brand for continued success in digital channels. An alarming trend we continue to notice is the increasing number of savvy counterfeiters targeting online shoppers, especially bargain hunters. Follow the best practices below to ensure your customers aren?t being lured by the counterfeiters? clutches.
<https://www.markmonitor.com/mmblog/best-practices-for-battling-online-counterfeiters/>

DomainSponsor Announces DomainFest Conference
DomainSponsor?, the online monetization business of Oversee.net? and organizer of the critically acclaimed DomainFest? series of conferences, will host its annual DomainFest conference from March 31 to April 3, 2014, at the luxurious Loews Hotel in Hollywood, Calif.
<http://oversee.net/news/515>

DomainFest Is Back
Well, it never really went away. It just seems to have been put back, or delayed, a few months. Whatever the reason, for the ninth year what the organisers describe as the most respected domain and online advertising conferences will return from 31 March to 3 April. And it is coming back to Hollywood. DOMAINfest say they will continue to offer an incredible agenda, including expert speakers, numerous networking opportunities and fantastic entertainment.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/24/domainfest-is-back/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/domainfest-is-back.html>

DomainFest returns to Hollywood, plans conference for end of March
DomainSponsor?s annual DomainFest conference is changing its branding back to DomainFest and has set its dates for 2014.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/23/domainfest-2014/>

Domain name conference planned in Hong Kong to coincide with INTA meeting
DotAsia and Momentum Events are planning a domain name conference in Hong Kong May 13-14, coinciding with the International Trademark Association (INTA) annual meeting taking place in the same city.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/23/domain-name-conference-hong-kong-inta/>

Network Solutions Will Not Auto-Enroll Customers in $1,850 Domain Security Program
Some customers of domain name registrar Network Solutions were sent an email this week about a new security program called ?WebLock? costing $1,850 for the first year. Based on the text of the email, however, it appeared to many that the service was added to their account and they would be charged for it unless they phoned to opt-out.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/network-solutions-will-auto-enroll-customers-1850-domain-security-program>

Do you need solid-gold domain name security?
If you have a high-profile web site and protecting your brand means protecting your domain name, then it makes sense to expend some resources in order to prevent a hijack of the site. Registrar Network Solutions, part of Web.com, is now offering such a service. called WebLock. The launch hasn't gone well so far.
<http://www.zdnet.com/do-you-need-solid-gold-domain-name-security-7000025467/>

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 - WEBHOSTING
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Web Hosting Sales and Promos Roundup ? January 24, 2014
In the week ending January 24, 2014, Exabytes is offering a discount on its small business web hosting plan and Lunarpages is offering a ?buy one get one year free? deal. Escalate Hosting is offering a limited time offer of $1.89 per month on hosting (expires at the end of the day) and Advanced Internet Technologies is offering a free year of services for a Cisco ASA 5505 Firewall.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/web-hosting-sales-promos-roundup-january-24-2014>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Interest in Bitcoin Reflected by Domain Registrations
Bitcoin, the crypto-currency that has captured the imaginations of technologists and economists around the world, has received a considerable amount of attention over the past couple of weeks. 
<http://blogs.verisigninc.com/blog/entry/interest_in_bitcoin_reflected_by>

Really Useful Grabs Tube.xxx and Tubes.xxx for $750,000
JT, Chairman of Really Useful and formerly a founding member of YouPorn.com, has acquired the keyword category leading domains Tube.xxx and Tubes.xxx for an all cash deal of $750,000 USD. JT has already amassed an impressive collection of .XXX keyword domains such as Teen.xxx, Orgasms.xxx, Erotic.xxx, Casting.xxx, BDSM.xxx, Mature.xxx, PublicSex.xxx and Czech.xxx; some of which are live and others that are scheduled to launch this year.
<http://www.icmregistry.com/media/press/?article=36>

Irish software company buys Teamwork.com domain for US$675,000
Cork software company TeamworkPM has reinvested its profits into acquiring the Teamwork.com domain name for US$675,000 (?500,000).
<http://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/item/35474-irish-software-company-buys/>

2014 Domain Sales Season Gets Underway With a Big Canadian ccTLD Sale Leading the Charge
And they are off! The 2014 domain sales season is underway with the first week of reported sales now in the books. With the New Year's Eve/Day holiday cutting into the opening work week one might expect slow going in the aftermarket but quite a few respectable sales were announced.
<http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2014/20140115.htm>

Google patents ad tech linking restaurant to taxi ride
Google has patented a way of linking online ads to free or discounted taxi rides to the advertising restaurant, shop or entertainment venue.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25878075>

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INTERNET USE
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Screen Time Study Finds Education Drop-Off
With children spending more time in front of screens than ever, parents sometimes try to convince themselves that playing Angry Birds teaches physics, or that assembling outfits on a shopping app like Polyvore fires creativity.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/us/screen-time-study-finds-education-drop-off.html>

Online stores think local to grow global
Cash on delivery among ways ecommerce groups tailor services
<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6d338714-84f0-11e3-8968-00144feab7de.html>

New study demonstrates Canadian youth have similar habits online as adults [news release]
YouTube has been chosen as the number one site to visit by Canadian youth according to a study of Canadian children?s and teens? Internet use by MediaSmarts, a Canadian digital and media literacy organization.
<http://www.cira.ca/news/news-releases/new-study-demonstrates-canadian-youth-have-similar-habits-online-as-adults/>

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SOCIAL MEDIA
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Facebook: reports of its demise are greatly exaggerated
A striking study by researchers at Princeton University this week made headlines for its claim that Facebook would lose 80% of its users by 2017. Now, in an effort to point out flaws in the study, a Facebook analyst has applied similar methodology to predict the impending doom of Princeton University.
<http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/24/facebook-princeton-university-demise>

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ONLINE TV, MUSIC & PIRACY
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The connected television debate in OECD countries by Rudolf Van der Berg of the OECD?s Science, Technology and Industry Directorate.
Thirty years ago last week, a US Supreme Court decision in the ?Betamax case? clarified that even though a video cassette recorder (VCR) could be used for copyright infringement, the manufacturer was not liable for infringement by the purchasers. The decision was by the narrowest of margins ? 5-4 ? but it stands to this day. Nonetheless, despite widespread take-up of VCR?s in all OECD countries, their legal status often remained unclear. The copyright law of Australia, for example, deemed recordings of broadcasted content for personal use to be illegal until 2006, when the law was amended to reflect common use over many years.
<http://oecdinsights.org/2014/01/23/the-connected-television-debate-in-oecd-countries/>

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PRIVACY & SURVEILLANCE
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Watchdog Report Says N.S.A. Program Is Illegal and Should End
An independent federal privacy watchdog has concluded that the National Security Agency?s program to collect bulk phone call records has provided only ?minimal? benefits in counterterrorism efforts, is illegal and should be shut down.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/us/politics/watchdog-report-says-nsa-program-is-illegal-and-should-end.html>

Independent review board says NSA phone data program is illegal and should end
An independent executive branch board has concluded that the National Security Agency?s long-running program to collect billions of Americans? phone records is illegal and should end.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/independent-review-board-says-nsa-phone-data-program-is-illegal-and-should-end/2014/01/22/4cebd470-83dd-11e3-bbe5-6a2a3141e3a9_story.html>

Justify GCHQ mass surveillance, European court tells ministers
Ministers have been ordered to justify GCHQ's mass surveillance programmes by judges at the European court of human rights who have fast-tracked a case brought by privacy and human rights campaigners.
<http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/24/justify-gchq-mass-surveillance-european-court-human-rights>

US privacy board dissenters defend balancing act of NSA surveillance
Not every member of the US government?s independent privacy board signed on to its scathing Thursday report finding that bulk collection of US phone records is illegal and ought to end.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/23/us-privacy-boards-dissenters-nsa-surveillance-balance>

Snowden says US NSA engages in industrial espionage - TV
The U.S. National Security Agency is involved in industrial espionage and will grab any intelligence it can get its hands on regardless of its value to national security, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden told a German TV network.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/26/security-snowden-germany-nsa-idINDEEA0P07620140126>

German TV: Snowden says NSA also spies on industry [AP]
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden claimed in a new interview that the U.S. agency is involved in industrial espionage.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20140126/nsa-surveillance-snowden/>

Snowden won't return to U.S. without amnesty, says legal adviser
Edward Snowden would be willing to enter talks with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to negotiate his return to the United States but not without a guarantee of amnesty, his legal adviser said on Sunday.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/26/usa-security-snowden-amnesty-idINDEEA0P09520140126>

Editorial: End the Phone Data Sweeps
Once again, a thorough and independent analysis of the government?s dragnet surveillance of Americans? phone records has found the bulk data collection to be illegal and probably unconstitutional. Just as troubling, the program was found to be virtually useless at stopping terrorism, raising the obvious question: Why does President Obama insist on continuing a costly, legally dubious program when his own appointees repeatedly find that it doesn?t work?
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/opinion/end-the-phone-data-sweeps.html>

Google Pushes Back Against Data Localization
The big tech companies have put forth a united front when it comes to pushing back against the government after revelations of mass surveillance. But their cooperation goes only so far.
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/google-pushes-back-against-data-localization/>

The Holes in Microsoft?s Data Protection Pledge
Microsoft wants to keep its customers? data from the prying eyes of U.S. spies and cops. But the company may not be able to honor its pledge.
<http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/01/22/the-holes-in-microsofts-data-protection-pledge/>

Microsoft to shield foreign users? data
Option offered in wake of US spying
<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e14ddf70-8390-11e3-aa65-00144feab7de.html>

One Planet, One Internet: A Call To the International Community to Fight Against Mass Surveillance
The Snowden revelations have confirmed our worst fears about online spying. They show that the NSA and its allies have been building a global surveillance infrastructure to ?master the internet? and spy on the world?s communications. These shady groups have undermined basic encryption standards, and riddled the Internet?s backbone with surveillance equipment.
<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/01/february-11-day-we-fight-back-calling-international-community>

David Goldstein

 email: david at goldsteinreport.com

 web:   http://goldsteinreport.com / http://davidgoldstein.tel/
 phone: +61 418 228 605 ? mobile / +61 2 9663 3430 - 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