Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news. And see my website - http://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Updated Security Information on ICANN Nairobi meeting as of 11 February 2010 http://nbo.icann.org/meetings/security-information-11feb10-en.htm Updated Security Information on ICANN Nairobi meeting as of 12 February 2010 http://nbo.icann.org/meetings/security-information-12feb10-en.htm ICANN Nairobi Meeting Subject of Security Threat http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10375 http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/14/icann-nairobi-meeting-subject-of-security-threat/ Public Comment: Registration Abuse Addressed - Registration Abuse Policies Working Group Publishes Initial Report http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-12feb10-en.htm ICANN publishes Salaries of Top Level Employees http://www.domainnamenews.com/icann-policy/icann-publishes-salaries-top-level-employees/7162 Afilias Limited Acquires .Mobi Domain Registry and Expands Market Leadership http://www.afilias.info/mobi+acquisition ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Updated Security Information on ICANN Nairobi meeting as of 11 February 2010 Within the last 24 hours, we received an unclassified report from the United States? Department of State related to the Kenyatta International Conference Center, the venue for our upcoming meeting. http://nbo.icann.org/meetings/security-information-11feb10-en.htm http://blog.icann.org/2010/02/icann-receives-new-information-related-to-security-in-nairobi/ Updated Security Information on ICANN Nairobi meeting as of 12 February 2010 ICANN continues to actively monitor and respond to the possible security threat information posted on the ICANN site yesterday. We continue to actively work with our Kenyan hosts and security providers in the region. As stated in Mr. Sammy Buruchara's message yesterday, and confirmed in further calls with Kenyans today, the meeting hosts are committed to the security of this meeting, and are offering even higher levels of direct coordination among the different agencies providing security. http://nbo.icann.org/meetings/security-information-12feb10-en.htm ICANN Nairobi Meeting Subject of Security Threat ICANN has advised that is has received an unclassified report from the United States? Department of State related to the Kenyatta International Conference Center, the venue for their upcoming meeting. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10375 http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/14/icann-nairobi-meeting-subject-of-security-threat/ Public Comment: Registration Abuse Addressed - Registration Abuse Policies Working Group Publishes Initial Report The Registration Abuse Policies Working Group has published its Initial Report today. The Report includes concrete recommendations to address domain name registration abuse in gTLDs for Community consideration and input. Included are recommendations related to: http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-12feb10-en.htm Invitation for Public Comment: Proposed Strategic Initiatives for Improved DNS SSR and Global DNS-CERT Business Case ICANN is today opening public comment periods on two documents related to DNS security, stability and resiliency ? a Proposed Strategic Initiatives for Improved DNS Security, Stability and Resiliency (SSR) and a Global DNS-CERT Business Case [PDF, 425K]. Both documents are being published for community consideration and input in advance of the ICANN meeting in Nairobi, and ICANN will conduct an open consultation on the papers at the Nairobi meeting. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-12feb10-en.htm ICANN Meeting Conference Center Target of Bomb Threat Security is a major concern for ICANN?s upcoming meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. The situation took a negative turn yesterday, when ICANN received a U.S. State Department notice about a potential terrorist attack on the conference center where the meeting will be held: http://domainnamewire.com/2010/02/12/icann-meeting-conference-center-target-of-bomb-threat/ Why ICANN Nairobi may be a blessing in disguise There is a questionmark over ICANN?s upcoming meeting in Nairobi, Kenya again. This time it has more bite than the usual xenophobia: the COO has published a US Department of State report that lists the conference centre itself as a specific threat from a Somalian insurgency group, Al-Shabaab. In response, a number of Internet companies have already announced they are pulling their people. http://kierenmccarthy.com/2010/02/12/why-icann-nairobi-may-be-a-blessing-in-disguise/ ICANN Nairobi; relocation, relocation? Although I no longer work for ICANN, I?d planned on attending its meeting in Nairobi next month to meet old friends and drum up some work for my new consulting business. The Nairobi meeting is scheduled to run from 7-12 March. The biggest issue on the table is a crucial stage in the addition of new top level domains; the vote by the Board on how to handle expressions of interest. But in the last 24 hours, ICANN?s COO, Doug Brent, has published a security warning that may result in the meeting being cancelled. http://crookedtimber.org/2010/02/12/14645/ ICANN Chief Tweets His Income In what could best be described as a surprising move, ICANN CEO, Rod Beckstrom, tweeted his salary details to the world yesterday afternoon. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2010/02/12/icann-chief-tweets-his-income/ ICANN publishes Salaries of Top Level Employees As a not-for profit Organization, ICANN always had to file and publish some information of how they spent their money. However those filings are hard to read and some cases some of the information has been removed. http://www.domainnamenews.com/icann-policy/icann-publishes-salaries-top-level-employees/7162 NonProfit? ICANN Releases Salaries: Beckstrom Over $2.2 Million Guaranteed; CFO $270K Per, Lawyer $230K Per PLUS PLUS ICANN released its ?compensation practices? today and for an organization that is ?non-profit? there is some serious money being made by the insiders. http://www.thedomains.com/2010/02/11/nonprofit-icann-releases-salaries-beckstrom-over-2-2-million-guaranteed-cfo-270k-lawyer-230k-plus-plus/ Project Title: Adopt-an-Haitian-Internet-Technician-or-Facility by Eric Brunner-Williams I circulated this, and its precursors, notes about the necessity for diesel to keep the generators powering Boutilliers Hill NAP on the Hatian-Dominican Republic Border from failing, earlier this month on the North American Operators Group (NANOG) mailing list. Efforts by former ICANN people, in public service and in the private sector, were critical to bringing the continuity of the surviving infrastructure to the attention of the White House, the Department of State, and the Southern Command. http://www.circleid.com/posts/project_title_adopt_an_haitian_internet_technician_or_facility/ ICANN Board delays EOI decision until Nairobi The Expression Of Interest (EOI) model was up for consideration at the ICANN Board's February 4th meeting, but ended up being pushed back until Nairobi. http://stephanevangelder.com/archives/306-ICANN-Board-delays-EOI-decision-until-Nairobi.html ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Record numbers of new .be domain names in 2009 DNS, the official management body for .be domain names has announced that for the sixth year in a row, a record number of new .be domain names were registered in 2009, with 232 746. That was 4.4% more than in 2008, when 222 919 new domain names were registered. http://www.dns.be/en/home.php?n=440 ".com 25" Nominees Announced as 25th Anniversary of .com Approaches VeriSign ... announced last week it will recognize 25 years of Internet innovation with a year-long celebration of how far the consumer Internet has come, the impact it's had on our daily lives and, more important, what the next 25 years holds. https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=585041&releasejsp=custom_97 Foreign registrants allowed back into China "Let's twist again?" Whenever I hear about China's management of its namespace these days, I can't help but thinking about that old song. China just doesn't seem to know whether it's coming or going anymore. First it barred foreign registrants in a surprise December 2009 move, and now it's decided to allow them back in. http://stephanevangelder.com/archives/304-Foreign-registrants-allowed-back-into-China.html Afilias Limited Acquires .Mobi Domain Registry and Expands Market Leadership Afilias, a global provider of Internet infrastructure services and the registry operator for .INFO, today announced that it has acquired mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd., the sponsoring organization and registry operator for the .mobi top-level domain. Under terms of the private deal, Afilias Limited, an Irish Limited company, has acquired all of the issued and outstanding capital stodotMobick of mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd. (known publicly as dotMobi), and plans to continue operating dotMobi as a wholly owned subsidiary. http://www.afilias.info/mobi+acquisition http://mtld.mobi/node/1744 .Mobi Numbers Aren?t Pretty I read the news yesterday about Affilias buying mTLD Top-Level Domain Ltd., the company that operates the .mobi domain extension. I don?t think I?ve owned more than a couple of non-premium .mobi domain names, so I haven?t followed the market, but according to an article appearing today in paidContent:UK, the .mobi numbers look fairly ugly to me. http://www.elliotsblog.com/mobi-numbers-arent-pretty-7261 Afilias Acquires dotMobi and Becomes 100% Irish Afilias has announced it has acquired mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd., the sponsoring organisation and registry operator for the .MOBI Top Level Domain. http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/12/afilias-acquires-dotmobi-and-becomes-100-irish/ Irish Domain Name Company Buys '.mobi' Suffix [AP] An Irish company is buying a venture that was founded by leading technology and wireless companies and operates the ''.mobi'' Internet domain for mobile Web sites. The company -- Afilias -- already owns ''.info'' and had been running ''.mobi'' and others under contract. Now by owning ''.mobi'' outright, Afilias gets an undisclosed annual fee for each of the nearly 1 million ''.mobi'' names registered. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/irish-domain-name-company-buys-mobi-suffix-20100212-nvgt.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/irish-domain-name-company-buys-mobi-suffix-20100212-nvgt.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/11/business/AP-US-TEC-Mobile-Domain-Name.html http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_14382513 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/11/financial/f104127S91.DTL .PRO Announces Release Plans for One- Two- and Three-Character .PRO Names RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .PRO top-level domain on the Internet, today officially announced plans for the highly anticipated release of one- two- and three-character .PRO domain names over the course of the coming weeks and months. http://registry.pro/press-releases/2010/0210.shtml rs: 55,555th domain registered in Belgrade On 11 February 2010 at 10:54 am, the Serbian National Register of Internet Domain Names (RNIDS) registered the 55,555th domain (inter-stal.co.rs) in Belgrade. http://www.rnids.rs/en/node/67 There will be no special types of domain names in domain .RU any longer At its meeting on 30 September 2009, the Council of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU ruled to abolish special types of second-level domain names in domain .RU. http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=634 uk: Nominet News newsletter launched We are pleased to announce the launch of our new-style Nominet News newsletter which we hope will be an interesting and useful source of information for all Nominet members, registrars and other stakeholders. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=7144 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** OpenDNSSEC software now available to enhance Internet security The OpenDNSSEC project group has announced the availability of its open source software that will make it easier for Internet service providers, web hosting companies and name service operators to enhance Internet security. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=7147 Internet Engineers Continue to Enhance Internet Security The OpenDNSSEC project group today announces the availability of its open source software that will make it easier for Internet service providers, web hosting companies and name service operators to enhance Internet security. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=7146 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Schumacher May Sue Over Domain Name? Michael Schumacher's manager has expressed concern about a website featuring the famous seven time world champion's name. http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=128002&newlang=&topic=8&catid=0 http://www.auto123.com/en/racing-news/formula-1/f1-confusion-around-schumacher-website?artid=115869 http://www.worldcarfans.com/110021124532/manager-concerned-about-schumacher-website Domain Names Dispute Resolution Policy in ASEAN: An Appraisal of the Position in Malaysia and Selected Member Countries by Zinatul A. Zainol [International Journal of Law and Information Technology] Abstract: Out of ten member countries of ASEAN, only Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Laos have some form of Domain Names Dispute Resolution mechanism. The wordings of the respective DRPs are closely modelled from the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), but of course with some variations to reflect the local flavour. Thus, it is not surprising that, in many cases, the parties as well as the panels often refer to previous UDRP cases to support their arguments. To some extent, this ensures greater uniformity in the decisions. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1548286 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** VeriSign Slims Down But Troubling Lawsuit Remains In recent years, VeriSign Inc. has shed over a dozen businesses, thinned its employee ranks and presented a more disciplined image to Wall Street. But the company's narrowed focus has also made it more dependent on a mainstay Internet domain name operation that is both entirely reliant upon a coveted government contract, and clouded by a stubborn legal challenge. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100211-709212.html http://www.marketwatch.com/story/verisign-slims-down-but-troubling-lawsuit-remains-2010-02-11 City TLDs: First things first More and more geographic locations or cities are seeing merit in new gTLDs ? and it?s not just the leading cities of the world who are applying. So far, a combination of 34 continents (Africa -.africa), regions (Venetia ? .vtn), countries (Scotland ? .sco), territories (Yorkshire- .yks), provinces (Leon ? .lli), states (Bavaria ? .bayern) and cities (London ? .london) have announced their intention to bid when ICANN opens its applications. And why wouldn?t they given their unique position of being able to apply for a stake in internet history and an opportunity to invest in the future of its people, its culture and the prospect of developing a true global presence ? and let?s not forget the potential to generate a significant revenue stream if they so desire. http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=284 Internet domain first for UAE The UAE will become one of the first countries to launch domain names in non-Latin characters later this year, the country?s telecommunications regulator says. http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100214/BUSINESS/702149920/1005/business ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Boating.com Docks at $250,000 to Top Domain Aftermarket Action Over the Past Two Weeks ... Starting at the top, a trio of six-figure sales set the pace over the past fortnight, with the AfternicDLS sale of Boating.com at $250,000 leaving all comers in its wake. The next two spots went to a pair of country code domains sold through Sedo.com; Website.de at ?101,150 ($141,610) and Designer.co.uk at ?76,300 ($122,080). http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2010/20100210.htm Expert says very few domains are worth millions Businesses seeking high-quality domain names should be able to access them without breaking the bank, it has been claimed. Earlier this week, IT commentator Laurie Sullivan told Media Post that the most commercially attractive web addresses can sell for millions, meaning they can be prized business assets. http://www.globalgold.co.uk/web-hosting-news/domains-news/expert-says-very-few-domains-are-worth-millions-19612491.html Country Code Domains Lead Sedo Weekly Sales Two European country code domain names topped Sedo?s sales list for the week to 1 February. The domain names, designer.co.uk and lundi.fr sold for ?76,300 (US$119,200) and ?50,000 ($68,700) respectively. http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/12/country-code-domains-lead-sedo-weekly-sales/ Domainer Mardi Gras Moniker & SnapNames Showcase Auction Catalogue Announced Domainer Mardi Gras has announced the availability of the Moniker and SnapNames Showcase Auction catalogue of hand-picked generic and keyword domain names. This auction incorporates a special domain buying and selling opportunity for domain investors and businesses during Domainer Mardi Gras 2010. http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/12/domainer-mardi-gras-moniker-snapnames-showcase-auction-catalogue-announced/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/domainer-mardi-gras-moniker-snapnames-showcase-auction-catalogue-announced.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Estonia Two-and-A-Half Years Later: A Progress Report on Combating Cyber Attacks by Scott Shackelford [Journal of Internet Law] Abstract: Hackers have been online since a Cornell graduate student infected MIT?s burgeoning network with the first Internet worm on November 2, 1988. But recently cyber attacks on states have proliferated both in numbers and severity. The best-known recent example of such a cyber attack was on April 27, 2007. In a matter of hours, the websites of Estonia?s leading banks and newspapers crashed. Government communications were compromised. An enemy had invaded and was assaulting dozens of targets across the country. But this was not the result of a nuclear, chemical, or biological weapon of mass destruction. Nor was it a classical terrorist attack. A computer network was responsible, with attacks coming from thousands of zombie private computers around the world. And this was just the beginning. Flash forward to August 7, 2008 when immediately prior to the Russian army invading Georgia en masse a cyber attack reportedly crippled the IT systems of the Georgian military including air defense. Georgian command and control was forced to resort to U.S. government and Google accounts while Estonian advisors helped to deflect the ongoing cyber onslaught. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1499849 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Print, online fuel each other Newspapers have successfully evolved into influential multi-media brands that are uniquely positioned in the modern media landscape, according to research released by the industry today. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/print-online-fuel-each-other/story-e6frg996-1225830277337 au: Wireless internet eats into`fixed' broadband market Australians are increasingly turning to wireless services to get their broadband internet -- just as the government embarks on a $43 billion plan to deliver the web through a network of cables and wires. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/wireless-internet-eats-intofixed-broadband-market/story-e6frg9hx-1225829348902 comScore Releases ?The 2009 U.S. Digital Year in Review?: Report Summarizes 2009 Digital Marketing Trends and Implications for 2010 [news release] comScore, Inc. ... released The comScore 2009 U.S. Digital Year in Review. The complimentary report recaps key trends in U.S. digital media landscape, including e-commerce, search, online video, online advertising and mobile, with an emphasis on how digital marketers can capitalize on these trends in 2010. http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/2/comScore_Releases_2009_U.S._Digital_Year_in_Review Yahoo talks tough about its search business Web giant Yahoo said it is still in the search game despite falling market share in a business it helped create. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8509655.stm Internet porn? We don't look at it, say Aussies Most Australians say they don't look at online porn and support the idea of an internet filter, a survey has found. Just one in five respondents admitted to looking at legal but sexually explicit material on the internet ? less than the number of people who said they had stumbled across it by accident. http://www.news.com.au/technology/internet-porn-we-dont-look-at-it-say-aussies/story-e6frfro0-1225829120687 World Wide Wait: The faster the internet becomes, the slower it loads pages Ever noticed how long it takes for web pages to load these days? You click on a link and wait and wait, and then wait some more, for the content to trickle in. If nothing has happened after ten seconds or so, your impatient correspondent hits the browser?s stop button followed by the reload key. In desperation, he sometimes loads the link into a second or even a third browser tab as well, and bombards the website?s server with multiple requests for the page. If that fails, he gives up in disgust and reads a newspaper instead. http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15523761 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** OPINION: With Buzz, Google takes another giant step towards turning into Microsoft If, like millions of others, you use Gmail, Google's webmail service, you will have been startled last week by the sudden appearance of a cuckoo in your email nest. When you log in to collect your mail, an invitation to "try Buzz in Gmail?" ? "no setup needed" ? pops up. There's no indication of what this "Buzz" is, but if you click "try" a window opens saying you're now "following" a number of people and that a number of people are "following" you. Below this comes a stream of Twitter-like postings from your followees. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/14/google-gmail-buzz-john-naughton Google v Facebook: generating Buzz - The search giant makes a belated attempt to take on the social-networking site For years Google has stayed on the fringes of the social-networking industry, leaving the field largely to the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Now, however, it is making a determined foray into online friendships. On February 9th the search giant unveiled Buzz, a networking service that will be closely integrated with the firm?s e-mail offering, Gmail. Google no doubt hopes Buzz will help it catch up with the leaders of the networking world?but the chances are slim. http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15501673 Critics Say Google Invades Privacy With New Service When Google introduced Buzz ? its answer to Facebook and Twitter ? it hoped to get the service off to a fast start. New users of Buzz, which was added to Gmail on Tuesday, found themselves with a ready-made network of friends automatically selected by the company based on the people that each user communicated with most frequently through Google?s e-mail and chat services. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/technology/internet/13google.html Google changes Buzz privacy settings--again Perhaps you, like me, have a friend who is always fond of the obvious. Perhaps that friend doesn't work at Google. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10453274-71.html Google tweaks Buzz to address privacy concerns Just two days after launching its Buzz social networking tools, Google last night said it has tweaked the technology address early privacy concerns. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9156178/Google_tweaks_Buzz_to_address_privacy_concerns Buzz gets privacy upgrade Early users of Google Buzz found the settings very complicated, especially the ones that pertain to privacy. In a blog post on Thursday, Google said it built privacy controls into Google Buzz from Day 1 but acknowledged the most strident criticism ? that Google made it difficult to make one's list of followers private ? in tweaking the set-up process for the new social-networking service. http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10452412-265.html http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Buzz-gets-privacy-upgrade/0,130061733,339301034,00.htm us: Lobbyists Embrace Social Media Twitter, Facebook and other types of social media are increasingly becoming important tools for Washington's lobbying community. In a discussion on National Journal's lobbying blog, several lobbyists this week discussed how they have come to rely on these tools to advance causes for their clients. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/02/lobbyists-embrace-social-media.php ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Social networks put minors at risk, EU warns The European institutions launched a campaign yesterday (9 February) to raise awareness of the threats posed by social networking websites such as Facebook for minors under 18. Meanwhile, a new report highlights new risks associated with mobile social networking. http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/social-networks-put-minors-at-risk-eu-warns EU to slam new Facebook privacy settings The European Commission is threatening action against Facebook for recent changes to its privacy settings, which make personal information available by default, going against the EU's drive for more privacy protection on the Internet, especially for minors. http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/eu-slam-new-facebook-privacy-settings au: No, minister: Google rebuffs censor Google has angrily rejected a call from the government to filter YouTube videos, after the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, said if the search engine could censor material for China, it should do the same in Australia. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/no-minister-google-rebuffs-censor-20100211-nv7g.html Google baulks at Conroy's call to censor YouTube Google says it will not "voluntarily" comply with the government's request that it censor YouTube videos in accordance with broad "refused classification" (RC) content rules. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/google-baulks-at-conroys-call-to-censor-youtube-20100211-ntm0.html Google will YouTube in Australien nicht freiwillig zensieren Die australische Regierung will das Internet filtern und hat Google aufgefordert, von sich aus den Zugang zu nach australischer Ansicht klassifizierten Videos zu sperren http://www.heise.de/tp/blogs/6/147063 Australia Internet filtering a test case for global clean-feed Implementation of the Federal Government?s ISP-level filtering could spark worldwide adoption of Internet content filtering, according to IDC head telecommunications analyst, David Cannon. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/330013/australia_internet_filtering_test_case_global_clean-feed/ Cyber attacks against Australia 'will continue' An activist group that temporarily blocked access to key Australian government websites plans to continue its cyber attacks, the BBC has learned. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8513073.stm au: Online risk and safety in the digital economy [news release] The ACMA has provided its third annual report to the Minister for Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy on measures for promoting safety in the online environment. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311304 Stay safe on the net: think before you post [news release] The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy today used international Safer Internet Day to remind people of steps to take to stay safer on the internet. http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2010/008/ UK internet safety campaign 'Click Clever, Click Safe' launched To coincide with Safer Internet Day, the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) has launched its new public awareness campaign: ?Click Clever, Click Safe?. The campaign highlights a new online green cross code: ?Zip it, Block it, Flag it? to help parents, children and young people understand the behaviours that will enable them to enjoy the internet safely. http://www.iwf.org.uk/media/news.282.htm Facebook joins Internet Watch Foundation Facebook has announced today, on Safer Internet Day, that it has become a member of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the independent self-regulatory body funded by the EU and the wider online industry to combat illegal online content. http://www.iwf.org.uk/media/news.281.htm ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Google shuts down music blogs without warning In what critics are calling "musicblogocide 2010", Google has deleted at least six popular music blogs that it claims violated copyright law. These sites, hosted by Google's Blogger and Blogspot services, received notices only after their sites ? and years of archives ? were wiped from the internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/feb/11/google-deletes-music-blogs au: High-tech bust costs web pirate $1.5m fine People who download the latest TV shows, films and games are at risk of prosecution as major distributors use new forensic technology to target individuals who illegally file-share on the internet. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/hightech-bust-costs-web-pirate-15m-fine-20100213-nye1.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Mobile phone operators' war on Apple apps A dozen of the world?s leading mobile-phone operators will this week band together to strike back at Apple?s dominance of mobile applications. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article7026270.ece Microsoft Aims to Get Back in the Game in Mobile After losing ground to Apple and others, the software giant may need an acquisition to avoid losing out in the smartphone market http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2010/tc20100211_194471.htm Facebook Could Transform Mobile Phones With more users accessing social networking sites from mobile phones, Facebook could redefine communications by issuing its own smartphone http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2010/gb20100212_446861.htm Android, LTE set to dominate Mobile World Congress [IDG] An abundance of products based on Google's Android OS as well as modems for the next-generation mobile network technology LTE (Long-Term Evolution) will greet visitors at Mobile World Congress, which starts on Monday in Barcelona. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9155678/Android_LTE_set_to_dominate_Mobile_World_Congress ********************** SPAM ********************** 95 Prozent aller Mails sind Spam Etwa 95 Prozent aller E-Mails sind unerw?nschte Werbemails, sogenannte Spams. Darauf wies der deutsche Branchenverband Bitkom am Sonntag in Berlin hin. Demnach werden von 100 verschickten Mails 80 bereits von den E-Mail-Anbietern aussortiert. Von den verbliebenen 20 Mails seien 15 immer noch unerw?nscht und landeten meist im Spam-Ordner der Kunden. http://derstandard.at/1265852192822/Umfrage-95-Prozent-aller-Mails-sind-Spam ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Racist content on US server is within UK jurisdiction, says Court of Appeal The law of England and Wales applies to material published online, even if it is hosted on a server in another country, the Court of Appeal has ruled. As long as a substantial measure of the activities takes place in England, its law will apply, it said. http://out-law.com/page-10743 Football World Cup fraudsters to be targeted by new cyber-enforcement team Websites selling fake tickets for this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa are to become part of the focus of a new cyber-enforcement team set up by the government to crack down on internet and email scams. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/feb/14/world-cup-internet-fraudsters-crackdown Poland: personal rights of internet users Regular commentators on internet forums may be regarded as public figures and therefore may have to tolerate more critical opinions about their activities. http://www.law-now.com/DirectMail/{0785ECAA-9C70-4DB7-A9A0-BF59B3CB17FB}_dobra_osobiste_internautow_eng.htm Scammers targeting lonely lovebirds People looking for love online this Valentine's Day are being warned to be vigilant after a reported 30 per cent increase in online dating and romance scams. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/12/2817868.htm ACCC: More lonely hearts being scammed online The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is warning lonely hearts to be extra careful this Valentine's Day. Last year, there was a 30 per cent increase in dating and romance scams. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/336080/accc_more_lonely_hearts_being_scammed_online/ Broken hearts put holes in wallets It's not even Valentine's Day and hopeless romantics have already had their hearts broken... and wallets lightened. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/336112/broken_hearts_put_holes_wallets/ Scammers breaking hearts online [news release] As online dating and introductory services become more popular, the ACCC has recorded a 30 per cent increase in the number of people reporting dating and romance scams. http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/913881/fromItemId/142 China Alarmed by Security Threat From Internet Deep inside a Chinese military engineering institute in September 2008, a researcher took a break from his duties and decided ? against official policy ? to check his private e-mail messages. Among the new arrivals was an electronic holiday greeting card that purported to be from a state defense office. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/world/asia/12cyberchina.html Massive cyber attack against US due on Tuesday The US is to come under massive cyber attack on Tuesday as part of a war-game to test the ability of the national infrastructure to cope. http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2257765/massive-cyber-attack-against Paris Courth Orders EBay to Pay Damages To Unit of LVMH A court found that eBay Inc. harmed the image of luxury-brand Louis Vuitton after the online auctioneer paid to have Internet searches directed to its site that included misspellings sometimes used to sell counterfeit goods. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704337004575059523018541764.html eBay loses another suit over Louis Vuitton brand eBay has lost another lawsuit filed against it by luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton Malletier. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10451818-38.html EBay found liable in Louis Vuitton suit [AP] EBay Inc. will pay about $316,500 to Louis Vuitton Malletier for legal costs and damages and stop using Internet search terms the luxury goods maker protested, following a ruling Thursday by the Paris District Court. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/ebay-found-liable-in-louis-vuitton-suit-20100212-nvlo.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/ebay-found-liable-in-louis-vuitton-suit-20100212-nvlo.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/11/financial/f123959S68.DTL ************************** PRIVACY ************************** ca: Privacy Commissioner launches public consultations on privacy implications of cloud computing The Privacy Commissioner of Canada announced today upcoming consultations with Canadians on privacy issues related to cloud computing practices. http://www.priv.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2010/nr-c_100211_e.cfm ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Google Co-Founder Hopeful About Uncensored Search in China Sergey Brin, a Google co-founder, speaking publicly for the first time about the hacking attacks on Google in late 2009, said Friday that the company still hoped to find a way to continue operating its Google.cn search service in China, which it has blamed for the attacks. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/google-co-founder-hopeful-about-uncensored-search-in-china/ Chinese Video Takes Aim at Online Censorship The latest battle over Internet freedom in China is playing out in an online movie that pits an armored blue beast and his band of antiauthoritarian rogues against a sinister force called Harmony that seeks to clean up the Web. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704337004575059114213741090.html Facebook takes down 30 British prisoners' pages after victim taunts Thirty Facebook pages have been taken down because prisoners were using them to taunt their victims, Jack Straw, the justice secretary, has revealed. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/11/facebook-prisoners-taunts-jack-straw Iran accused of blocking opposition communications The US has accused Iran of seeking a "near-total information blockade" to silence anti-government protesters. The allegations came after opposition supporters clashed with security forces as Iran marked the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8511800.stm Iran's connections severed or slowed and Google Mail blocked in latest anti-Internet offensive Reporters Without Borders condemns the government?s latest offensive against the Internet coinciding with celebrations marking the Islamic Revolution?s 31st anniversary. Online access has again been disrupted, as it is whenever opposition protests are expected. http://www.rsf.org/Connections-severed-or-slowed-and.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Google steps up fight for hearts and minds Google is rapidly increasing how much it spends on lobbying in the United States as the internet giant?s size and ambition put it in the firing line. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article7025681.ece +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2010 --------- David Goldstein email: goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au web: http://davidgoldstein.tel/ http://goldsteinreport.com/ phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - office/home "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery __________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo!7: Catch-up on your favourite Channel 7 TV shows easily, legally, and for free at PLUS7. www.tv.yahoo.com.au/plus7Received on Sun Feb 14 2010 - 14:16:56 UTC
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