[DNS] domain name news - 13 November

[DNS] domain name news - 13 November

From: David Goldstein <goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au>
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:04:24 -0800 (PST)
Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news.


And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Termination of Registrar EstDomains to Go Ahead
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-12nov08-en.htm

Why the DNS is broken, in plain language by Kim Davies
http://blog.icann.org/?p=395

ICANN to terminate notorious registrar's credentials after all
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/13/estdomains_loses_icann_appeal/

DNS creator says flaws in protocol put firms at risk
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2230433/dns-creator-flaws-protocol-put-4343055

Survey: One DNS Server in 10 Is 'trivially Vulnerable' [IDG]
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153576/dns_servers_vulnerable.html

Domain name vibrators.com sells for $1m
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6464

Kredit.de Defies Credit Squeeze Selling for ?900,000
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6472


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GOVERNANCE
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East Africa prepares for global Internet Governance Forum
Representatives from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda gathered in Nairobi to discuss common issues regarding Internet governance in preparation for next month's global Internet Governance Forum.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111008-east-africa-prepares-for-global.html

Q&A: Jonathan Zittrain
Internationally renowned cyberlaw scholar Jonathan Zittrain?s new book carries the provocative title, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It. Oliver Lindberg asks him exactly what he means
http://www.netmag.co.uk/zine/discover-interview/q-a-jonathan-zittrain

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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Termination of Registrar EstDomains to Go Ahead
The termination of ICANN-accredited registrar EstDomains is to go ahead, effective 24 November 2008. On 28 October 2008, ICANN sent a notice of termination to EstDomains, Inc. (EstDomains) based on an Estonian Court record reflecting the conviction of EstDomains' then president, Vladimir Tsastsin, of credit card fraud, money laundering and document forgery.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-12nov08-en.htm

Why the DNS is broken, in plain language by Kim Davies
At ICANN?s meeting in Egypt last week, I had the opportunity to try and explain to various non-technical audiences why the Domain Name System (DNS) is vulnerable to attack, and why that is important, without needing a computer science degree to understand it. Here is the summary.
http://blog.icann.org/?p=395

Compliance with IDN technical requirements by Tina Dam
One of the main IDN related topics from the just-finished ICANN meeting in Cairo that I think deserves some additional attention was: "Why Compliance with IDN technical requirements are a necessity on a global scale". Overall compliance with technical standards are important for TLD registry operators in order to keep their TLD stable and secure and in that way function and work well for their consumers and communities. Per ICANN Bylaws, interoperability of the Internet is a core value, which requires that technical standards are complied with. In some instances failure to comply with technical standards will only affects the corresponding TLD in isolation and does not interfere with other TLDs - when moving to the topic of IDN TLDs however this fact changes very quickly.
http://blog.icann.org/?p=408

ICANN to terminate notorious registrar's credentials after all
After a brief delay, the non-profit group that oversees the internet's address system has decided to proceed with plans to revoke the credentials of EstDomains, a domain name registrar with a reputation for catering to cyber criminals.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/13/estdomains_loses_icann_appeal/

Obama to make call on ICANN
US president-elect Barack Obama has already pitched himself as tech-savvy about broadband speed and the like, so he looks well-placed to deal with possibly the biggest technology challenges of his first year in office: the future of ICANN, the domain names organisation that helps run the internet.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24632209-5013641,00.html

ICANN: The Importance of IDN Compliance
ICANN Director of the IDN Program Tina Dam wrote about the importance of compliance with IDN technical requirements on the ICANN blog today. It?s a must read for anyone who has invested in international domain names (domains that use non-roman/latin characters) or considering them as new IDN TLDs are introduced.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/12/icann-the-importance-of-idn-compliance/

The Lowdown on tiered pricing
The specter of tiered domain pricing has reared its ugly head again. Most will remember a major battle two years ago when the prospect of ICANN  allowing Verisign to charge varying prices for domain name registrations and renewals (based on how much they alone thought the individual domains were worth) caused an uproar in the domain community. Verisign already uses that model with the .tv registry (which they administer under an agreement with the island of Tuvalu). Many blame that pricing scheme for stunting the potential growth of .tv, so when the possibility of variable pricing was raised when the .biz/.info/.org contracts came up for renewal two years ago the domain community rose up in arms and stopped it.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/11-12-08.htm

$185,000 to apply for your own gTLD
The internet authority ICANN has set out how applicants will be able to apply to register new top-level domains, as part of plans that could see up to 500 new TLDs launched in the next two years
http://managingip.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=2043507

Hundreds Of New TLDS Expected In Draft "Streamlined" Internet Naming Policy
ICANN has released a draft of policies intended to ease the process for parties seeking to create new top-level Internet domains (TLDs). New TLD examples might be .SHOES or .SUMMER or a dot followed by a trademark, as in .FOLEY. ICANN is receiving comments on these new policies until December 8, 2008. The final policies should be in place in early 2009, and new TLDs could start appearing online under the "streamlined" procedure by the end of 2009.
http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=69510

New gTLD Application
ICANN has formulated a plan for allocating new top-level domain names.
http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2216

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Gov't to permit Japanese suffix for domain names
The communications ministry has begun to study the possibility of allowing the use of Kanji and other Japanese characters for Japan as a country code in Internet domain names, ministry officials said Monday. Currently, ??.jp?? is the code assigned to Japan by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers which manages domain names or addresses on the Internet.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/technology/view/govt-to-permit-japanese-suffix-for-domain-names

CO.NL Operator unveils opening steps [news release]
The .CO.NL Operator announces today its official Launch dates for the Grandfather period, Trademark Sunrise, Landrush and Go Live. Anyone willing to secure a .CO.NL domain name will be able to submit their requests through the numerous Registrars that have already partnered with the Operator to allow their customers to benefit from this new alternative.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/11/12/conl-operator-unveils-opening-steps/

sg: Launch of Single Character Domain Names [news release]
On 12 November 2008, SGNIC announced the launch of single character domain names ("Allocation Exercise"). The Allocation Exercise will commence on 1 December 2008 and end on 27 March 2009.
http://nic.net.sg/newsroom/20081111175020.html

Single character domain names possible from next year in Singapore
Single character domain names such as www.a.sg and www.b.sg will be possible in Singapore come next year.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/389419/1/.html

Single Letter Domain Names Coming ? To Singapore
SGNIC ? the Singapore Network Information Centre ? has announced it will release single-character domain names (SCDN) for each of the 26 letters of the English alphabet.
http://www.telecomasia.net/article.php?type=article&id_article=11295

Single Letter Domain Names Coming ? To Singapore
Single letter domain names to be allocated for .sg country code domain name.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/12/single-letter-domain-names-coming-to-singapore/

dotMobi and .tel Are Complementary Domains: There is No Overlap by dotMobi
When the .mobi domain launched in September 2006, people quickly understood it was a Top-Level Domain (TLD) designed to locate mobile content in the same way?for example?that .se locates Swedish content or .museum helps users recognize genuine museum activity. In short, think "mobile phone" when you think ".mobi".
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081110_dotmobi_and_tel_domain_names_no_overlap/

Telnic: A $35 Million Investment Gone Awry
A new top level domain, .tel, is getting ready to rollout in the first part of next year. The registry behind the domain ? Telnic ? has raised a stunning $35 million in outside capital before even launching the domain name.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/10/telnic-a-35-million-investment-gone-awry/

tel: A deterrent for cybersquatters [sub req'd]
That kind of cybersquatting will not work on .tel domain names said Justin Hayward, communications director of Telnic, the registry behind .tel.
http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20081112084811926

Rebel Nominet director calls for the heads of Chairman and CEO
A bitter boardroom battle at Nominet, the not-for-profit company in charge of the .uk domain registry, has escalated, with non-executive director Jim Davies calling for the resignation of its Chairman and CEO.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/10/nominet_resignation_call/

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 - DNS SECURITY
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DNS inventor decries security in-fighting
Years of in-fighting over the DNSSEC standard have left Internet users unnecessarily exposed to malware. That's according to DNS (Domain Name System Security Extension) inventor, Paul Mockapetris, who said that the 15 years in which the DNSSEC standard was debated by the IETF was far too long-winded a process and meant that security issues in the standard DNS infrastructure had not been addressed. He added that the Kaminsky flaw identified earlier this year was an example of the vulnerabilities in the infrastructure.
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?NewsID=106900
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/11/11/DNS_inventor_decries_security_infighting_1.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153667/security_dns.html

DNS creator says flaws in protocol put firms at risk
Businesses will face ever greater threats to their security unless flaws in some of the building blocks of the internet are rectified, security experts have warned.
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2230433/dns-creator-flaws-protocol-put-4343055
http://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2230433/dns-creator-flaws-protocol-put-4343055

DNS inventor blames wrangling for insecure interweb
The inventor of the domain name system has blamed technical and political wrangling for delays in improving internet infrastructure security.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/12/mockapetris_interview/

DNSSEC moves forward a little
VeriSign intends to DNSSEC-sign the internet?s root zone and then the .edu, .com and .net zones ? which are operated by the former domain monopolist ? said VeriSign's Pat Kane, Vice-president of Naming Services, at the 33rd meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in Cairo last week. Microsoft executive Shyam Seshadri explained at the meeting how Vista?s successor Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2's DNS server will support DNSSEC signatures and their validation.
http://www.heise-online.co.uk/networks/DNSSEC-moves-forward-a-little--/news/111944

One in four public DNS servers insecure
One in four public-facing domain name system (DNS) servers on the internet are still vulnerable to the Kaminsky flaw, according to the fourth annual survey of DNS servers by network services vendor Infoblox.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2230170/four-public-dns-servers
http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2230170/four-public-dns-servers

Survey: One DNS Server in 10 Is 'trivially Vulnerable' [IDG]
More than 10 percent of the Internet's DNS (Domain Name System) servers are still vulnerable to cache-poisoning attacks, according to a worldwide survey of public-facing Internet nameservers.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153576/dns_servers_vulnerable.html
http://www.itworld.com/security/57552/survey-one-dns-server-10-trivially-vulnerable
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?NewsID=106883
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9119724
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111008-dns-server-kaminsky.html

Survey: 1 in 4 DNS servers still vulnerable to Kaminsky flaw
Despite industry efforts to lock down DNS servers, one in four remain vulnerable to cache poisoning due to the well-documented Kaminsky flaw identified earlier this year and another 40% could be considered a danger to themselves and others, recent research shows.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/BAD70BF8685A3142CC2574FE0014D465

Distributed DoS attacks surging in scale, ISPs report
Massive distributed denial-of-service attacks against ISPs and their customers doubled in intensity over the past year, according to a new survey.
http://computerworld.com.au/article/266970/

25% Of DNS Servers Still Vulnerable To Kaminsky Flaw
Security researchers say that DNS will remain a primary exploit target because many people don't understand the Internet's domain name system.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212001825

One in ten DNS servers still vulnerable to poisoning
Four months after researchers warned of a nasty design flaw in the net's address lookup system, more than 10 per cent of the servers used to resolve domain names on the internet remain "trivially vulnerable" to attack, a new study concludes.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/10/dns_server_survey/

Systems for critical industries wide open to cyberattacks
The networks used to manage the industries that the nation relies on, such as energy, transportation and chemicals, are vulnerable to cyberattacks, according to a survey of executives that operate critical infrastructure.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20081111_2143.php

ISPs under strain from barrage of DDoS attacks
Internet service providers now spend most of their IT security resources detecting and mitigating distributed denial-of-service attacks, according to a report from Arbor Networks.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39549409,00.htm
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62048177,00.htm

ISPs Raise Concerns over SPAM Attacks and IPv6 Security
Arbor Networks has just released its latest annual worldwide Infrastructure Security Report. The study reveals that almost half of ISPs now consider their DNS services vulnerable, while others have expressed concern about "emerging threats" from IPv6 and VoIP.
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/news/EkkyulFEZkpdBSzIvm.html

ISPs fear IPv6 security threats
The survey polled around 70 IP network operators across the globe, reporting a continued rise in smaller scale and more sophisticated attacks, including service-level and application targeted attacks, DNS poisoning and route hijacking.
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/News/128114,isps-fear-ipv6-security-threats.aspx

Study: Internet service providers facing more, larger threats
Internet service providers (ISPs) are facing more security threats, while attacks are becoming larger and more sophisticated.
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/News/128163,study-internet-service-providers-facing-more-larger-threats.aspx

DDoS Attacks Getting More Powerful, ISPs Report Concern Over New Threats and Budget Pressures
Massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against ISPs and their customers have almost doubled over the past year, according to a new security report.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081111_ddos_attacks_more_powerful_isp_report/

Don't Blame TCP/IP: Recently disclosed threats to the Internet's IP infrastructure turn spotlight on the protocols -- but protection hinges more on politics and business than technology
A potentially lethal DNS cache-poisoning flaw. A man-in-the-middle Internet routing attack. And a mysterious denial-of-service attack using the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): These recently exposed threats to the Internet are potentially lethal, but do they signal a security meltdown of the underlying Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocols?
http://www.darkreading.com/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212001576

Study: Critical Infrastructure Often Under Cyberattack [IDG]
Computer systems that run the world's critical infrastructure are not as secure as they should be and insiders are mad. That's according to a new survey released Monday that asked management, network engineers and administrators in nine infrastructure industries about the state of cyber security in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153645/study_critical_infrastructure_often_under_cyberattack.html
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/11/11/Critical_infrastructure_often_under_cyberattack_1.html

Study: Critical infrastructure often under cyberattack [IDG]
Computer systems that run the world's critical infrastructure are not as secure as they should be, according to a new survey.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9119838

Study: DDoS attacks threaten ISP infrastructure
Internet service providers now spend most of their IT security resources detecting and mitigating distributed denial-of-service attacks, concludes a report from Arbor Networks.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10093699-83.html

Survey: Energy industry at risk of cyberattack
Critical infrastructure insiders from Europe and North America say energy industry is the worst prepared for cyberattacks while financial services industry is best prepared.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62048184,00.htm

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Kentucky's Legal Bet: A Case of Pushing the States' Rights Envelope
A Kentucky court case that seeks to regulate access to online gambling could have a dramatic impact on the conduct of e-commerce that would go far beyond whether Americans get to indulge in games of chance on the Web. Can a state court seize a domain name if a Web site is found in violation of local laws?
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/65111.html
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/must-read/65111.html
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/must-read/65111.html

Domain Names that Infringe upon Commercial Enterprises' Trademarks
The administrative panel at the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center has decided several cases involving trademarks of commercial enterprises and the use of those trademarks in domain names registered by third parties. Complainants in these cases argued that the use of their trademarks in third party's domain names infringes upon their commercial enterprise's trademark and that the domain names had to be transferred to the complainants. The WIPO panel has found that in these cases there is trademark infringement when it is clearly obvious that the domain name was registered in bad faith and the registrant had no legitimate rights to use the disputed domain name.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=articles&id=C3394585-848C-447A-986C-515E365CA2C8

Rock Group Wants ThirdEyeBlind.net
Rock group Third Eye Blind has filed a UDRP claim to get the domain name ThirdEyeBlind.net. The claim was filed by lead vocalist Stephan Jenkins? production company. Third Eye Blind?s official web site is the short and simple 3eb.com.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/10/rock-group-wants-thirdeyeblindnet/

The UDRP and You
Actions for trademark infringement under the UDRP are quite common and are often selected by trademark owners when filing a dispute.
http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2218

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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ISPs fear IPv6 security threats
Over half of internet service providers believe that new threats could emerge with the deployment of the new Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), according to the latest annual worldwide Infrastructure Security Report from Arbor Networks.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2230250/isps-fear-ipv6-security-threats
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=88772
http://www.whatpc.co.uk/vnunet/news/2230250/isps-fear-ipv6-security-threats

African governments must buy IP addresses before depletion [IDG]
As they grapple to build national data backbones with the imminent arrival of fiber optics, are African governments forgetting something?
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/111108-african-governments-must-buy-ip.html?hpg1=bn
http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/News/c35109f4-d938-4928-833c-e7d79e2f1fde.html

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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The U.S.-Peru Trade Promotional Agreement and its Implication for E-commerce
... The US/Peru TPA also addressed digital age matters; the agreement contains provisions specifically related to e-commerce co-operation between these two countries.  There will be no discriminatory treatment of digital products, there will be no customs duties on digital products, and both countries will continue cooperating to implement new policies regarding e-commerce.  Additionally, the agreement requires Peru to implement a dispute resolution mechanism to solve trademark disputes involving domain names.  The "first-in-time," "first-in-right" principle was adopted to solve trademark disputes in Peru.  A very important accomplishment in this agreement was that copyright owners maintain rights over temporary copies of their works on computers.  Only authors, composers, and other copyright holders have the right to publish their works online.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=2169

Do You Really Own Your Domain Name?
Just because you pay the domain name bill doesn't mean you own it. That's right. You may not be the legal owner. Whoever is the legal owner of your domain name, that person has total control over it including ? what Web site it points to, what domain name registrar maintains it, changing information about your domain name account, controlling who administers it, and being able to sell it.
http://blog.inc.com/e-commerce/2008/11/do_you_really_own_your_domain.html

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Domain name vibrators.com sells for $1m
The domain name vibrators.com sold for US$1 million to PriveCo, a small company selling adult goods, and is set to be one of year?s biggest sales.
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6464
http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/11/10/vibratorscom-sells-for-1m/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/vibrators.com-sells-for-1m.html

Vibrators.com Sells for $1 Million
Domain Name News received word today that PriveCo Inc has purchased Vibrators.com for $1 Million. The Michigan based company has been running the website at Vibrators.com since 2002.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/domain-sales/vibratorscom-sells-for-1-million/3144#more-3144

Kredit.de Defies Credit Squeeze Selling for ?900,000
The domain name kredit.de recently sold for ?892,000 (~US$1,133,000/~A$1,701,000), a remarkable sale given the state of the current financial markets. This makes it the largest reported sale for any .de domain name and, according to Domain Name Journal, the third largest sale for the year to date, outshining the $1 million sale of vibrators.com announced earlier this week.
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6472
http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/11/12/kreditde-defies-credit-squeeze-selling-for-e900000/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/kredit.de-defies-credit-squeeze-selling-for-900-000.html

kredit.de sells for US$1.13m
Sedo just announced the highest selling .DE sale with kredit.de (?credit?) selling for 892,500 Euro (=1,134,867 USD). The new owner of the domain is Unister GmbH from Leipzig, Germany, which operates portals such as geld.de (money), auto.de (cars) and preisvergleich.de (price comparison).
http://www.domainnamenews.com/domain-sales/kreditde-sells-for-113-million-usd/3138

Auction Results: Games.mobi Headlines Lackluster .Mobi Auction
If you believe in .mobi, the top level domain for mobile devices, then today was a great buying opportunity for you. The Sedo .mobi auction concluded with many domains selling at discounts of 50%-90% of what they would have sold for just 6 months ago.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/12/auction-results-gamesmobi-headlines-lackluster-mobi-auction/

What's Old Is New Again for Driving Web Site Traffic
Direct navigation -- when someone gets to a site simply by typing in a generic name -- is a reliable and inexpensive way to drive traffic to your site, suggests Jeremiah Johnston, chief operating officer for the domain name marketplace Sedo.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/65095.html

Thought Convergence is Converging the Domain Ecosystem
There are lots of companies playing one or two angles of the domain name business: sales, monetization, registration, etc. Thought Convergence, however, is making a play to own the entire life of the domain from research to registration all the way through sales. That puts it in a class with another Los Angeles domain icon: Oversee.net.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/11/10/thought-convergence-is-converging-the-domain-ecosystem/

Expand your Portfolio with Extensions
The .com extension remains the top seller of top-level domains (TLDs) with almost every word in the Webster?s Dictionary already registered with a .co
http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2219

Rethinking Your Domain Portfolio
How to do more with the domains you own
http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2215

Last Call for Sedo's .mobi Auction!
Sedo's .mobi Auction closes tomorrow at approximately 12 PM EST. Top names like bank.mobi and blackjack.mobi have already met their reserve and other premium names like software.mobi and media.mobi are just shy of their reserve and expected to end in a sale tomorrow.  Don't miss your chance to own such valuable properties on the mobile web!
http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2212

An "all-in.com" Beats the Rest for Top Sedo Sale of the Week
Sedo?s top sales for the week to 3 November have been released, with the top Sedo sale of the week going to all-in.com that sold for US$40,000. Other five-figure sales (in US$) were bret.com ($15,501), fliq.com ($10,100), games4u.co.uk (?9,000/~$14,000), meeting.me (?8,900/~$11,300) and shortaddress.net (?10,000/~US$12,700).
http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/11/11/an-all-incom-beats-the-rest-for-top-sedo-sale-of-the-week/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/an-all-in.com-beats-the-rest-for-top-sedo-sale-of-the-week.html

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INTERNET USE
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Google Uses Searches to Track Flu?s Spread
There is a new common symptom of the flu, in addition to the usual aches, coughs, fevers and sore throats. Turns out a lot of ailing Americans enter phrases like ?flu symptoms? into Google and other search engines before they call their doctors.
http://nytimes.com/2008/11/12/technology/internet/12flu.html
http://iht.com/articles/2008/11/11/business/google.php

Google search engine flags flu activity in U.S.
Search engine giant Google launched a new tool on Tuesday that will help U.S. federal health experts track the annual flu epidemic.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-36453220081111

Passwords are not broken, but how we choose them sure is
I've been reading a lot about how passwords are no longer good security. The reality is more complicated. Passwords are still secure enough for many applications, but you have to choose a good one. And that's hard. The best way to explain how to choose a good password is to describe how they're broken. The most serious attack is called offline password guessing. There are commercial programs that do this, sold primarily to police departments. There are also hacker tools that do the same thing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/nov/13/internet-passwords

Under Obama, Web Would Be the Way
Armed with millions of e-mail addresses and a political operation that harnessed the Internet like no campaign before it, Barack Obama will enter the White House with the opportunity to create the first truly "wired" presidency.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/10/AR2008111000013.html

China's online vigilantes hunt human flesh
Forget the FBI, Interpol or Jack Bauer. No one tracks down a miscreant as fast as China's online vigilantes. Lin Jiaxiang, a maritime safety official from Shenzhen, recently became the latest target of the charmingly named "human flesh search engine" - the mass internet pursuit, some say witchhunt, of those accused of bad behaviour. In Lin's case, security camera footage of his row with a man whose 11-year-old daughter he was accused of grabbing led to his swift identification and sacking.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/10/china-internet

China offers therapy to 4 million internet addicts
Chinese hospitals will open special units to treat internet addiction after surveys revealed that over four million teenagers spend more than six hours a day online.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3437769/China-offers-therapy-to-4-million-internet-addicts.html

Internet addiction made an official disorder in China
China could become the first country to classify internet addiction as a clinical disorder and plans to lead the world by registering the condition with the World Health Organisation.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5125324.ece

Net addiction declared disorder
Do you spend more than six hours a day on the internet, suffer withdrawal symptoms if your server crashes and obsessively check your email? You could have internet addiction disorder.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4757839a20475.html

Are You Nuts?! China Will Classify Game Addiction As Mental Illness
China's first Diagnostic Criterion of Internet Addiction has recently passed the expert appraisal stage and in the criterion, game addiction is formally defined as the diagnostic area of mental illness.
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2008/11/11/7960-are-you-nuts-china-will-classify-game-addiction-as-mental-illness/

uk: Jury's out on the net generation
Can the jury system survive the internet? I'm putting the question a little more provocatively than did Lord Judge, the lord chief justice, last week, but I'm not being unfair to him. If the concerns he raised in his speech at the University of Hertfordshire have any validity - and I believe they have - the future of the jury system, as we know and cherish it, is in danger.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/nov/10/writ-large-jury-system-internet

**********************
SPAM
**********************
Major Source of Online Scams and Spams Knocked Offline
A U.S. based Web hosting firm that security experts say was responsible for facilitating more than 75 percent of the junk e-mail blasted out each day globally has been knocked offline following reports from Security Fix on evidence gathered about criminal activity emanating from the network.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/11/major_source_of_online_scams_a.html

Host of Internet Spam Groups is Cut Off
The volume of junk e-mail sent worldwide dropped drastically today after a Web hosting firm identified by the computer security community as a major host of organizations allegedy engaged in spam activity was taken offline, according to security firms that monitor spam distribution online.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/12/AR2008111200658.html

Spam Volumes Drop by Two-Thirds After Firm Goes Offline
The volume of junk e-mail sent worldwide plummeted on Tuesday after a Web hosting firm identified by the computer security community as a major host of organizations engaged in spam activity was taken offline.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/11/spam_volumes_drop_by_23_after.html

Spam Volume Drops When ISPs Terminate McColo
If you notice a bit less spam in your inbox this week, thank Brian Krebs, who covers security for The Washington Post.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/client/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212002194

Study shows how spammers cash in
Spammers are turning a profit despite only getting one response for every 12.5m e-mails they send, finds a study. By hijacking a working spam network, US researchers have uncovered some of the economics of being a junk mailer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7719281.stm

Spammers making a profit
ASHLEY HALL: Ever wondered how the companies that send out junk emails make any money when most people delete the emails without reading them?
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2418104.htm

Spam Campaigns Work, But Don't Generate Big Profits
It's a question all computer users ask from time to time, as we delete yet another advertisement that has squeaked past our spam filters:
http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212001611

Study: Viagra Spam Is Profitable, but Margins Are Tight [IDG]
One of the most notorious networks of hacked computers used for sending spam could be generating as much as US$3.5 million per year peddling drugs such as Viagra, according to new research.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153575/viagra_spam_study.html
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?NewsID=106896
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/266701/study_viagra_spam_profitable_margins_tight

Researchers hack spam network for study
Researchers from University of California, Berkeley and UC, San Diego (UCSD) have published a report detailing how they hacked a spamming network to collect data on the economics of the problem.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2230180/researchers-hack-spam-network

**************************
ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
**************************
UK data retention laws: what they mean for ISPs
If you think you're making a private call, or sending a discreet message, think again. Under an anti-terrorism law passed in late 2001 in the wake of the atrocities of September 11, details of every website visited and the transmission of every email sent and every phone call made in the UK can be retained and made available to authorities. This may give individuals privacy concerns but for telcos and internet service providers faced with the consequent storage and retrieval requirements, it is cause for financial concern.
http://out-law.com/page-489

Cybercriminals target Facebook users
Facebook has been infiltrated by Nigerian scammers and other cyber criminals who use compromised accounts to con users out of cash.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/11/10/1226165454265.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/11/10/1226165454265.html

Facebook 'infiltrated by Nigerian fraudsters'
Criminals are hijacking Facebook accounts to con other members of the social networking site into sending them money, in the latest cyber scam.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/3438012/Facebook-infiltrated-by-Nigerian-fraudsters.html

How a Facebook scam leads to a Chinese email harvesting site - and back again
Reports of your friends - and everyone else's friends - being adrift in a war-torn place where strangely enough they can somehow manage to update their Facebook profile to say "Send money!" are exaggerated.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2008/nov/11/facebook-scam-email-china

Facebook hit by Nigerian 419 scam
Scammers are trawling Facebook for victims using a convincing twist on the notorious 'Nigerian 419' scam. Normally, 419 scams are easy to spot and involve email requests for money from supposedly rich individuals in countries such as Nigeria, from which the fraud gets its name. The latest Facebook attack is much craftier, however, because it hijacks the identities of real people known to Facebook members, asking for money under an apparently plausible guise.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/5F778C44DCA2E9B6CC2574FE00154E3E
http://computerworld.com.au/article/266860/
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153665/facebook_hit_by_nigerian_scam.html

uk: Catching up with the 'internet pimps'
Nine people from Thailand have been jailed for up to two-and-a-half-years for their part in exploiting women who were advertised in "online brothels". They are thought to have made millions of pounds from women trafficked from Asia to the UK for use in the sex trade.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7720605.stm

Internet sex gang members jailed
Two brothers who led an internet sex gang which made millions by exploiting trafficked women have been jailed. The gang, which smuggled hundreds of Asian women into Britain to work as prostitutes, made at least ?3.2m during its five-year span.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7725386.stm

us: Jury in MySpace Cyberbullying Trial Might Not Be Told Of Teen's Suicide
A federal judge in Los Angeles is considering whether to prohibit evidence of a Missouri teen's suicide from being introduced in the trial of a woman charged with creating a MySpace account that was allegedly used to harass the teen.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/11/suicide-evidenc.html

us: Suicide evidence likely out of MySpace hoax trial [AP]
Prosecutors in the trial of a woman accused of a MySpace hoax that allegedly led a 13-year-old girl to kill herself will likely be prohibited from presenting evidence of the suicide, a federal judge said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10542633

**********************
ONLINE TV & MUSIC
**********************
Is our Internet future in danger?
Signs point to a bandwidth shortage, and avoiding that may mean you'll pay more for broadband usage: The digital Disneyland of the future -- where we freely work and play online -- may be at risk. Why? Because, some argue, broadband carriers can't support it. The Internet's "free ride" culture has led to more people downloading gigabytes of data at practically no cost. Even if broadband infrastructure's capacity doubled or tripled, there's no avoiding the equivalent of an abrupt work stoppage.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/11/11/46FE-broadband-limits_1.html

**********************
CENSORSHIP
**********************
South Korea cracks down on Net rumours [AFP]
South Korean police have rounded up more than 2,000 people for spreading malicious rumours on the Internet during a crackdown sparked by the suicide of an actress, officials say.
http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=529187
http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2885&iArticleId=4704736

Burma blogger jailed for 20 years
A Burmese blogger has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for posting a cartoon of the military leader Than Shwe.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7721271.stm

Argentine judge: Google, Yahoo must censor searches
If an Argentine sports fan tried searching Yahoo Argentina for one of his country's most beloved athletes--soccer star Diego Maradona--these days, he'd be out of luck. Both Yahoo and Google are locked in a legal battle with dozens of fashion models and other public figures like Maradona over whether the Internet companies should have to censor search results relating to those persons' names.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10094597-38.html

Maradona rubbed from Yahoo! web by Argentinian judge
Following a judge's temporary restraining order, Yahoo! Argentina has blocked all web searches for the country's most famous son: notorious football cheat Diego Maradona.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/13/yahoo_and_maradona/

Report: Italy charges Google officials over taunting video
Italian prosecutors reportedly filed defamation and breach of privacy charges against four former and current Google officials and set a February 3 hearing date, according to a Reuters report.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10086965-93.html

China considers media freedoms to stem unrest
The Chinese government is considering loosening its grip over the media and allowing citizens to let off steam as the economy unravels.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3447904/China-considers-media-freedoms-to-stem-unrest.html

************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
************************************************
What children need is censorship
The difference between a child and an adult is that children are more vulnerable to the effects of everything from sunburn and alcohol to ideas and images. And while free speech may seem a laudable aim between adults, the concept is now being used primarily by commercial interests to speak freely to our children. It all sounds very open and honest, but what children need is censorship.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/11/internet-digitalmedia

au: Canberra calls net filter trial
The federal Government has released details of its long-awaited call for expressions of interest on live internet-service-provider content filtering trials. The Government is asking all ISPs to participate, as their feedback is important.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24632210-15306,00.html

Conroy coy on filtered web content
THE federal Government has been urged to come clean over grey areas in its internet filtering plan after Broadband and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy pointed to "unwanted content" being censored.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,,24641171-5013040,00.html

Greens accuse Conroy of fudging facts over content filter trials
Federal Communications minister Senator Stephen Conroy has dodged a question by the Greens asking why he said in an October Senate estimates hearing that countries such as Sweden and Canada had mandatory Internet filtering systems similar to those now being trialled in Australia, when in fact they don?t.
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/267102/greens_accuse_conroy_fudging_facts_over_content_filter_trials
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/267102/
http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/267102/

Optus, iiNet put filters to the test
Telcos critical of the government's clean-feed Internet scheme will respond to a call to trial the technology over the holiday season.
http://computerworld.com.au/article/267223/
http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/267223/
http://www.cio.com.au/article/267223/optus_iinet_put_filters_test

Govt urged to provide internet filtering details
The Greens are pushing the Federal Government to provide more details about a plan for an internet filtering system.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/11/2416871.htm

Opinion: Filter advocates need to check their facts
One of the minor irritants associated with the recent internet censorship debate has been the continual need to correct basic factual errors promulgated by the Government's supporters.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/10/2414895.htm

Net censorship plan backlash
As opposition grows against the Government's controversial plan to censor the internet, the head of one of Australia's largest ISPs has labelled the Communications Minister the worst we've had in the past 15 years.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/11/11/1226318639085.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/11/11/1226318639085.html

**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
Obama preparing comprehensive technology policy
Barack Obama's Internet-fueled campaign has transformed the way Americans choose a president. Now, the president-elect's administration plans to change the way Americans - and government - use technology.
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/11/11/obama_brings_cyber_sensibility_to_office/
http://iht.com/articles/2008/11/12/style/otech.php

U.S. issues Internet gambling rule
The U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve issued a final rule on Wednesday aimed at stopping illegal Internet gambling, two days after a leading Democratic lawmaker called for a delay because of the problems he said it would cause for banks.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE4AB8QP20081112

**********************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
InternetNZ, TUANZ eye closer relationship [NZPA]
Advocacy groups InternetNZ and the Telecommunications Users Association of NZ (TUANZ) are looking to work more closely together.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4757523a13.html

InternetNZ and TUANZ hold amalgamation talks
The possible amalgamation of "some functions or organisational attributes" is on the table in talks between TUANZ and InternetNZ.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/51AB8CDA28147921CC2574FE000734A9

InternetNZ, TUANZ explore union
TUAN and InternetNZ could amalgamate some functions of the two groups, according to a joint statement released today.
http://www.itbrief.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3060&Itemid=808

**********************
MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
Demand for mobile video pushes UK operators to an expensive upgrade
The timing could hardly be worse. Mobile phone operators have spent billions of pounds rolling out 3G services for comparatively little return; now, amid a financial downturn and at the onset of a global recession, they are gearing up to do it all again.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article5119742.ece

Mobile phone shopping makes wallets redundant in Japan
Japanese office worker Satoshi Tada pays for shopping, wins free food and gets store discounts all by waving his cell phone.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-36436220081111
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE4AA0R020081111
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/10/AR2008111003259.html

Apple iPhone 3G biggest selling handset in US
Apple's iPhone 3G became the most popular mobile phone in the United States during the third quarter of this year, according to industry analysts.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/3419110/Apple-iPhone-3G-biggest-selling-handset-in-US.html

Aust. industry body drafts premium services code of conduct
The Australian Communication Alliance has drafted an industry code of practice for mobile premium services, which would see providers obligated to provide live help-lines during business hours.
http://www.telecomasia.net/article.php?type=article&id_article=11275

**********************************
ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
**********************************
au: Windsor man on child porn charges
Police have charged a 41-year-old man over pornographic images of children found at his South Windsor home, north-west of Sydney.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/11/13/1226318805329.html


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(c) David Goldstein 2008



 ---------


David Goldstein
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
COOGEE NSW 2034
AUSTRALIA
email: Goldstein_David &#167;yahoo.com.au
phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (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



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Received on Thu Nov 13 2008 - 01:04:24 UTC

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