[DNS] domain name news - 10 January

[DNS] domain name news - 10 January

From: David Goldstein <goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au>
Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2011 18:45:11 -0800 (PST)
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.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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A Walled Wide Web for Nervous Autocrats: Beijing and Moscow see American 
information technology as a threat. They want systems of their own: by Evgeny 
Morozov is a visiting scholar at Stanford University and a fellow at the New 
America Foundation. His new book is "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet 
Freedom."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576065641376054226.html

auDA passes on Groupon domain scandal
http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/strategy/44266-auda-passes-on-groupon-domain-scandal


nz: Predictions 2011: Privacy, IPv6 and Security
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/predictions-2011-privacy-ipv6-and-security


How Much Governance Does The Internet Need? To Be Answered At 2011 Domain Pulse
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13340

Poker.com.au domain sells for $100,000, but expert says price reduced by online 
gambling laws
http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20110107-poker-com-au-domain-sells-for-100-000-but-expert-says-price-reduced-by-online-gambling-laws.html



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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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VeriSign Gives ICANN $500k for Sponsorship
I?ve written before about the relationship between ICANN and sponsors of its 
meetings. It looks like ICANN has upped the ante for its Spring meeting in San 
Francisco.
http://domainnamewire.com/2011/01/05/verisign-gives-icann-500k-for-sponsorship/

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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New Domain Name Developments in China & Hong Kong
This article summarises the development of the domain name regimes in China and 
Hong Kong in the past 12 months and gives a quick overview of the new measures 
and policies adopted by the respective administrative bodies, i.e. China 
Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) and Hong Kong Internet Registration 
Corporation Limited (HKIRC).
http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=119412

co. and fr: Two delegations in discussion
The ccTLD. Co (Colombia) and. Fr (France) now have something in common: they saw 
in the last year restructured its delegations. This had a clear impact either, 
particularly at the level of increase in the number of domain registrations, 
both as regards the legal framework applicable to the headquarters: in Colombia 
there were 8000 domains on a minute, France's Constitutional Court declared 
unconstitutional current law governing the registration of domains.
https://online.dns.pt/dns_2008/do?com=DS;2217917768;111;+PAGE(4000002)+K-NOTICIA(1168)+K-CAT-CODIGO(LNH)+RCNT(1);


DENIC to Release Remaining Nine Short .DE Domains for Registration via Fax
On January 12, 2011 at 10:00 CET (4am EST), the German Network Information 
Center, DENIC, will release nine domains for registration:
http://www.domainnamenews.com/cctlds/denic-release-remaining-short-de-domains-registration-fax/8583


ee: Over 40,000 domains registered in new procedure
Today, January 4th, 2011, the number of domains registered in accordance with 
the new procedure in the register of the Estonian Internet Foundation has 
exceeded 40,000. On the 5th of January, 2011, the 6-month transition period will 
expire during which everyone can re-register their domains that were registered 
prior to the 5th of July, 2010, in accordance with the old procedure.
http://www.eestiinternet.ee/eng/news/over-40000-domains-registered-in-new-procedure


NiRA releases 50,000 free .ng domains for Nigerians
Nigeria internet Registration Association (NiRA), managers of the Nigerian name 
space on the internet, the dot ng domain name has released 50, 000 free domain 
names for Nigerians as part of efforts to identify with the Golden Jubilee 
celebrations of the country.
http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=26723

Half a million Norwegian domain names
Yesterday Linge Holding AS registered linge-compagniet.no as the 500 000th 
domain in Norid's database. Like most Norwegian businesses, they chose .no.
http://www.norid.no/nytt/pressemelding20110104.en.html

.SE?s Internet fund finances 20 new development projects ? apply now to get your 
chance
Starting today and until 13 February, the Internet fund is again open for 
applications. Among the 20 Internet development projects approved for financing 
during the autumn, there is everything from a study on the use of social media 
at school to the development of support for DNSSEC in Tinydns. Nine of the 
projects are part of a special initiative for digital inclusion.
http://www.iis.se/en/pressmeddelanden/ses-internetfond-finansierar-20-nya-utvecklingsprojekt-?-ansok-nu-for-att-sjalv-fa-chansen


SO: Postponing the Land Rush launch
SO registry regretfully announces the postponement of the Land Rush phase by a 
week to January 17th, 2011, for precautious measures.
http://soregistry.so/news/detail.html?nid=9

Registered Rights sunrise for .uk short domains ends on 17 January
The Registered Rights sunrise phase for previously reserved short domain names, 
including some valuable one character and two letter combinations, will soon be 
coming to a close.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8104

Registered Rights sunrise for 'short'.uk domains to close on 17 January
10 days left for trade mark holders to apply for previously unavailable .co.uk, 
.me.uk, .org.uk and .net.uk domains
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=8105

Nominet Chief Executive awarded OBE
Lesley Cowley, Chief Executive of Nominet, has been awarded an OBE in the New 
Year Honours List for services to the internet and e-commerce.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=8101

Venezuelan Domains Jump in Price
The cost of .VE domain names to registrars jumped in price by over 50 per cent 
on 5 January and is set to jump in price again even further in coming days in 
rises that will see the prices charged to registrars almost double.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/01/07/venezuelan-domains-jump-in-price/
http://domainnews.com/en/venezuelan-domains-jump-in-price.html

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 - DNS SECURITY
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A Walled Wide Web for Nervous Autocrats: Beijing and Moscow see American 
information technology as a threat. They want systems of their own: by Evgeny 
Morozov is a visiting scholar at Stanford University and a fellow at the New 
America Foundation. His new book is "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet 
Freedom."
At the end of 2010, the "open-source" software movement, whose activists tend to 
be fringe academics and ponytailed computer geeks, found an unusual ally: the 
Russian government. Vladimir Putin signed a 20-page executive order requiring 
all public institutions in Russia to replace proprietary software, developed by 
companies like Microsoft and Adobe, with free open-source alternatives by 2015.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576065641376054226.html

China's $90bn ups cyberwar stakes
Last year, Northrup Grumman released a report warning that China had a mighty 
cyber arsenal which it could use in a possible future cyber conflict. News last 
week that Chinese defence spending could be double the public figure could mean 
that such claims are true, and perhaps even conservative.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/china-s-90bn-ups-cyberwar-stakes-339308397.htm

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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auDA passes on Groupon domain scandal
Australia's domain name regulator late last week said the scuffle between US 
online coupon giant Groupon and local imitator Scoopon was out of its 
jurisdiction, because the Australian company had registered the "Groupon" 
business name in Australia as well as the local domain name associated with it.
http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/strategy/44266-auda-passes-on-groupon-domain-scandal

http://delimiter.com.au/2011/01/10/auda-passes-on-groupon-domain-scandal/

Groupon Addresses Australian Cybersquatting Problem
Groupon has addressed a question in their blog titled Why Groupon Isn?t in 
Australia. The short answer is a cybersquatter / competitor has registered 
Groupon.com.au and the Groupon Pty Ltd business name as well as filed for a 
trademark for Groupon.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/legal-issues/groupon-offers-286000-grouponcomau-trademark/8564


Groupon sues Australia's Scoopon [Wall Street Journal]
GROUPON co-founder and CEO Andrew Mason said the company was suing Australian 
competitor Scoopon for allegedly "domain squatting".
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/groupon-sues-australias-scoopon/story-e6frg90x-1225982858482


Cybersquatting Groupon in Australia: International Trademarks are also important 
in Protecting Your Domain Name
The deal-of-the-day website known as Groupon files a trademark lawsuit against 
the two Australian brothers, Gabby and Hezi Leibovitch, who started the clone 
website called Scoopon in Australia.
http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2011/01/cybersquatting-groupon-in-australia-international-trademarks-are-also-important-in-protecting-your-domain-name-the-deal-of-t.html


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 - IPv4/IPv6
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Potential Impacts on Communications from IPv4 Exhaustion & IPv6 Transition by 
Robert Cannon, Federal Communications Commission; Cybertelecom
Abstract: The Internet is in transition. The original address space, IPv4, is 
nearly exhausted; the Internet is in the progress of migrating to the new IPv6 
address space.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1735456

nz: Predictions 2011: Privacy, IPv6 and Security
Top of Martin Cocker's list for 2011 is managing privacy obligations, 
?especially with reference to the use of cloud computing, and the growing use of 
social networking in larger organisations.? ... He also mentions the adoption of 
IPv6, which may be on the technology roadmap for major users but which is, he 
says, ?just not intuitive like IPv4.?
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/predictions-2011-privacy-ipv6-and-security


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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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How Much Governance Does The Internet Need? To Be Answered At 2011 Domain Pulse
Internet governance is the key theme of the upcoming Domain Pulse conference to 
be held in Vienna from 17 to 18 February.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13340
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/01/06/how-much-governance-does-the-internet-need-to-be-answered-at-2011-domain-pulse/

http://domainnews.com/en/how-much-governance-does-the-internet-need-to-be-answered-at-2011-domain-pulse.html


Domain pulse 2011 - agenda available [news release]
The agenda for the domain pulse 2011 in Vienna is now online at 
domainpulse.at/en/agenda.
http://www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/nicat_news/news_view/article/81/domain-pulse-2011-agenda-verfuegbar/


RIPE NCC Resource Certification Service Launch
The RIPE NCC is proud to announce the production launch of the RIPE NCC resource 
certification service.
http://ripe.net/news/2011-certification.html

Implementation of RIPE Policy Proposal 2007-01: Phase Three
Phase Three of the policy implementation "Contractual Requirements for Provider 
Independent Resource Holders in the RIPE NCC Service Region" (2007-01) is 
scheduled to begin in mid-January 2011.
http://ripe.net/news/2007-01-phase3-implementation.html

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Poker.com.au domain sells for $100,000, but expert says price reduced by online 
gambling laws
The local domain name market has continued to heat up with Poker.com.au selling 
for $US100,000. But one industry expert says the site's value may have been 
reduced because of Australia's restrictions on online gambling.
http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20110107-poker-com-au-domain-sells-for-100-000-but-expert-says-price-reduced-by-online-gambling-laws.html


888.com Purchases Poker.com.au Domain
Poker domain names continue to be a hot item around the world. Just this week, 
gambling company 888.com purchased the domain poker.com.au for $100,000, a 
significant price considering the current ban on gambling advertisements in 
Australia.
http://www.internet-poker.co.uk/Poker-News/Poker-Industry/888-com-Purchases-Poker-com-au-Domain~3973.html


Auction heightens the voltage on electricity.com.au
We recently saw hardware.com.au snapped up by Bunnings rival Woolworths after 
they failed to renew the highly sought after domain, and today was SPI?s turn, 
failing to renew electricity.com.au which achieved a sale price of $31,000 at 
auction.
http://www.coopermills.com.au/wordpress/index.php/2011/01/auction-heightens-the-voltage-on-electricity-com-au/


6-Figure 2-Letter .Com Sale Gives Sedo Top Spot on This Week's Domain Sales 
Chart
Sedo secured the top spot on this week's domain sales chart with their $101,000 
sale of JF.com. With one week to go in the 2010 sales season, that is the 82nd 
publicly reported sale of six figures or more this year. Sedo went on to sweep 
13 of the 20 entries on our new weekly all extension Top 20 Sales Chart.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2010/20110105.htm

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INTERNET USE
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America Playing Catch-Up in a Digital Library Race
America stood at the forefront of the public library movement in 1731, when 
Benjamin Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia, our first 
successful lending library. ... Lending libraries may have been the newfangled 
democratizing factor of their day. Centuries later, though, the United States 
finds itself trailing Europe and Japan in creating the modern equivalent: a 
national digital library that would serve as an electronic repository for the 
nation?s cultural heritage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/business/09stream.html

Bold newspapers: Britain?s embattled newspapers are leading the world in 
innovation
By most conventional measures, Britain?s newspapers look doomed. Young readers 
are abandoning them for the internet and television. The Daily Express and the 
Daily Mirror, both tabloids, have shed about two-thirds of their circulation 
since the mid-1980s. Yet Evgeny Lebedev, co-owner of the Independent and the 
Evening Standard, is optimistic. ?People are hailing the death of newspapers,? 
he says. ?But if you go into the Tube, you?ll see almost everybody is reading 
one.?
http://www.economist.com/node/17853358?story_id=17853358

Cyberspace When You're Dead
Suppose that just after you finish reading this article, you keel over, dead. 
Perhaps you?re ready for such an eventuality, in that you have prepared a will 
or made some sort of arrangement for the fate of the worldly goods you leave 
behind: financial assets, personal effects, belongings likely to have 
sentimental value to others and artifacts of your life like photographs, 
journals, letters. Even if you haven?t made such arrangements, all of this will 
get sorted one way or another, maybe in line with what you would have wanted, 
and maybe not.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09Immortality-t.html

Cyber sex on offer as adult industry adapts [AFP]
Porn fans are being enticed with cyber sex and virtual affairs as the adult 
entertainment industry adapts to survive in the Internet Age.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cyber-sex-on-offer-as-adult-industry-adapts-20110109-19jy2.html

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cyber-sex-on-offer-as-adult-industry-adapts-20110109-19jy2.html


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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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uk: Twitter endorsements face OFT clampdown
How does a celebrity declare their affiliations to certain brands in fewer than 
140 characters? Many may have to learn, after a clampdown by the government's 
consumer watchdog on non-declared endorsements in blogs and on social networking 
sites such as Twitter.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/09/oft-clampdown-covert-twitter-endorsements


Is Facebook really worth $50 billion? And will its new financing scheme fall 
foul of regulators?
In 2009 Rolling Stone described Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, as ?a great 
vampire squid? that likes to stick its ?blood funnel? into anything that can 
make it money. This week the squid inked yet another high-profile deal. Together 
with Digital Sky Technologies (DST), a Russian group, Goldman invested a total 
of $500m in Facebook, valuing the world?s most popular social network at a 
whopping $50 billion. The bank is also planning to set up a fund it will manage 
that will pump up to $1.5 billion more from wealthy investors into the company.
http://www.economist.com/node/17853336?story_id=17853336

Facebook ? king of the internet or the next MySpace?
'Your Facebook page is your interface with the universe," declared one analyst 
last week following Goldman Sachs swoop on the social-network site.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/facebook-ndash-king-of-the-internet-or-the-next-myspace-2179584.html


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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Greenpeace ranks 'greenest' electronics [AFP]
Environmental group Greenpeace handed out grades Thursday to what it said were 
the world's "greenest" consumer electronics makers, as the annual gadget 
industry trade show opened here on Thursday.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/greenpeace-ranks-greenest-electronics-2178268.html


Greenpeace Product Survey Showcases the Greenest Consumer Electronics [news 
release]
A new Greenpeace product survey released at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las 
Vegas grades the greenest desktop computers, notebooks, netbooks, computer 
monitors, mobile phones, smartphones and televisions available on store shelves 
in the first quarter of 2011. (1)
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Showcasing-the-greenest-electronics/


Green Electronics Survey #3: Getting greener, but not there yet [news release]
Greenpeace congratulates the electronics industry on making progress the many 
technical hurdles it has been facing - but we also show that the industry hasn't 
finished finding green solutions just yet.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/publications/reports/Towards-green-electronics-Getting-greener-but-not-there-yet/


Swept Away By the Next Computing Wave
If the deluge of tablet announcements coming out of the giant Consumer 
Electronics Show in Las Vegas shows one thing, it is that the next wave of 
computing has finally started to form. If this new wave is about to break 
then?to over-extend the metaphor?which companies will ride it and which risk 
being swept away?
http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2011/01/07/swept-away-by-the-next-computing-wave/


Arm deal 'will end Microsoft and Intel's dominance'
Microsoft's decision to make its new operating system run on Arm chips will 
leave it playing catch-up in the growing tablet computer market, says analyst
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/07/microsoft-arm-deal-for-windows-analysis


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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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au: Mandatory ISP filter still on the agenda: Gillard
The Federal Government?s mandatory internet service provider (ISP) level filter 
is still on the agenda, according to the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/372634/mandatory_isp_filter_still_agenda_gillard/


Child abusers using global spam: Italy [AFP]
Italian police on Friday warned of a new system by which thousands of Internet 
users around the world have received spam emails for business offers that 
actually click through to child abuse material.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/child-abusers-using-global-spam-italy-20110108-19j1n.html

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/child-abusers-using-global-spam-italy-20110108-19j1n.html


NZ websites hacked for child porn links [ONE News]
Dozens of New Zealand based websites are infected with malicious software which 
directs users to child abuse material.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/nz-websites-hacked-child-porn-links-3994513

NZ websites being targeted by child porn peddlers
New Zealand is among 30 countries being targeted by child porn peddlers who are 
setting up links on business websites that click through to child abuse 
material.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10698548
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=124698
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10698548

nz: Online shops becoming porn targets
Online businesses in 30 countries are being targeted by child porn peddlers who 
hack into sites and divert links
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=188549

Kinderpornoring kapert Online-Shop
Laut Europol wurden ungesch?tzte Server mit Malware gehackt
http://www.futurezone.at/stories/1665214/

Software Filters Cyberbullying Messages Sent to Kids
A North Texas teenager who was bullied said she hopes new software can help 
other kids.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40956647

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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Special Report: Music Industry?s Lavish Lobby Campaign For Digital Rights
The music industry has spent tens of millions of dollars to lobby government 
officials worldwide during the past decade, but whether or not the initiative 
has helped to shape a viable legal and commercial framework is a subject of 
debate.
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2011/01/06/special-report-music-industrys-lavish-lobby-campaign-for-digital-rights/


Sony aims to "redefine" TV with 3D tech, Internet convergence
During a press briefing yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Sony 
offered a glimpse of its product roadmap and showcased its plans to "redefine" 
television. Sony CEO Howard Stringer says that the future of video entertainment 
will be driven forward by 3D content, Internet connectivity, and the ability to 
consume media across multiple devices. Sony's product demos illustrated how the 
company is tackling all three of those areas.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/01/sony-aims-to-redefine-tv-with-3d-tech-internet-convergence.ars


Thousands of stolen iTunes accounts for sale in China
Tens of thousands of fraudulent iTunes accounts are for sale on a major Chinese 
website, it has been revealed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12127603

TVs Make Play for Web Games At CES
Hammered by ever-slimming profit margins, TV makers are turning online to 
videogames as another way to incorporate Web-delivered entertainment.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730704576065741553527956.html

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Smartphones Lure Sticky Fingers in Paris
Aggravated robberies are up more than 40 percent in the Paris public transport 
system, and the government places blame for the rise on the attractiveness of 
smartphones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/world/europe/09paris.html

uk: Mobile phone firms get go-ahead for 3G switchover
UK regulator Ofcom has given the go-ahead for mobile operators to use their 2G 
spectrum for 3G mobile broadband.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12126952

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SPAM
**********************
Global spam e-mail levels suddenly fall
The amount of junk e-mail being sent across the globe has seen a dramatic fall 
in recent months. The volume of spam has dropped steadily since August, but the 
Christmas period saw a precipitous decline.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12126880

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
**************************
A Walled Wide Web for Nervous Autocrats: Beijing and Moscow see American 
information technology as a threat. They want systems of their own: by Evgeny 
Morozov is a visiting scholar at Stanford University and a fellow at the New 
America Foundation. His new book is "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet 
Freedom."
At the end of 2010, the "open-source" software movement, whose activists tend to 
be fringe academics and ponytailed computer geeks, found an unusual ally: the 
Russian government. Vladimir Putin signed a 20-page executive order requiring 
all public institutions in Russia to replace proprietary software, developed by 
companies like Microsoft and Adobe, with free open-source alternatives by 2015.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576065641376054226.html

Book review: Politics and the internet - Why dictators are going digital: The 
Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom. By Evgeny Morozov
When thousands of young Iranians took to the streets in June 2009 to protest 
against the apparent rigging of the presidential election, much of the coverage 
in the Western media focused on the protesters? use of Twitter, a microblogging 
service. ?This would not happen without Twitter,? declared the Wall Street 
Journal. Andrew Sullivan, a prominent American-based blogger, also proclaimed 
Twitter to be ?the critical tool for organising the resistance in Iran?. The New 
York Times said the demonstrations pitted ?thugs firing bullets? against 
?protesters firing tweets?.
http://www.economist.com/node/17848401?story_id=17848401

The Net Delusion: How Not to Liberate the World by Evgeny Morozov ? review
On 21 January 2010, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton made a speech at the 
delightfully named Newseum ? America's leading "interactive museum of news" ? 
announcing "internet freedom" as a core foreign policy concern. "Information 
freedom," she argued, "supports the peace and security that provide a foundation 
for global progress." Evgeny Morozov has a blunt riposte to such ambitions: they 
smack of "excessive optimism and empty McKinsey-speak," not to mention a 
"creative use of recent history".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/09/net-delusion-morozov-review

China's $90bn ups cyberwar stakes
Last year, Northrup Grumman released a report warning that China had a mighty 
cyber arsenal which it could use in a possible future cyber conflict. News last 
week that Chinese defence spending could be double the public figure could mean 
that such claims are true, and perhaps even conservative.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/china-s-90bn-ups-cyberwar-stakes-339308397.htm

Study: A third of all malware in history created in 2010
More than a third of all malware that has ever existed was created by criminal 
gangs in 2010 alone according to the latest PandaLabs Annual Report.
http://news.techworld.com/security/3255584/a-third-of-all-malware-in-history-created-in-2010-says-report/

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/010611-study-a-third-of-all.html

Piracy concerns over Apple's new Mac download store
Pirates have targeted Apple's new software download service just one day after 
it launched.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12135460

us: Commerce announces new shop to oversee online security
The Obama administration is creating an office that will coordinate with the 
private sector to establish a secure pathway for people, organizations and 
computer programs to execute online transactions, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke 
announced on Friday.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110107_2695.php

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PRIVACY
**************************
Privacy Policies Are Dead, Privacy Watchdog Says
Privacy policies are dead, says Fran Maier, President of privacy auditing firm 
TrustE, and it's time for the web to move into an era of "just in time" 
notifications whenever new types of data are being collected or when our data is 
being used in new ways.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/privacy_policies_are_dead_privacy_watchdog_says.php

http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2011/01/07/07readwriteweb-privacy-policies-are-dead-privacy-watchdog-38373.html


au: Vodafone customers exposed in privacy breach
The personal details of millions of Vodafone customers, including their names, 
home addresses, driver's licence numbers and credit card details, have been 
publicly available on the internet in what is being described as an 
''unbelievable'' lapse in security by the mobile phone giant.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/mobile-security-outrage-private-details-accessible-on-net-20110108-19j9j.html

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/mobile-security-outrage-private-details-accessible-on-net-20110108-19j9j.html


au: Vodafone denies client data on internet was open to all
THE Privacy Commissioner has vowed to probe allegations that personal details of 
Vodafone clients were readily available on the internet.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/telecommunications/vodafone-denies-client-data-on-internet-was-open-to-all/story-fn4iyzsr-1225984888256


Vodafone may be liable on privacy breach
VODAFONE faces compensation payments to up to 4 million customers after 
confirming it is investigating a security breach that has put billing and call 
records on a publicly accessible website protected only by passwords that change 
monthly.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/vodafone-may-be-liable-on-privacy-breach-20110109-19jup.html

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/vodafone-may-be-liable-on-privacy-breach-20110109-19jup.html


Google Street View 'broke South Korea privacy law'
Google broke South Korean privacy law when its Street View cars collected emails 
and other personal information from the country's homes and businesses, the 
country's police authority said today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/06/google-streetview-south-korea

S. Korean police say Google collected private data illegally [IDG]
South Korea has concluded that Google illegally collected personal data while 
collecting information for its Street View map service, an official at the 
country's National Police Agency (NPA) said on Thursday.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/010611-s-korean-police-say-google.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/215768/.html

**********************
CENSORSHIP
**********************
US tells Twitter to hand over WikiLeaks supporter's messages
A member of parliament in Iceland who is also a former WikiLeaks volunteer says 
the US justice department has ordered Twitter to hand over her private messages.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/08/us-twitter-hand-icelandic-wikileaks-messages


US 'wants Twitter details of Wikileaks activist'
An Icelandic MP who once worked with Wikileaks says US officials have subpoenaed 
her personal details from the social networking website Twitter.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12141530

U.S. Subpoenas Twitter Over WikiLeaks Supporters
Prosecutors investigating the disclosure of thousands of classified government 
documents by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks have gone to court to demand the 
Twitter account activity of several people linked to the organization, including 
its founder, Julian Assange, according to the group and a copy of a subpoena 
made public late Friday. ... Technology and telecommunications companies receive 
thousands of subpoenas and court orders every year in which the authorities 
demand a broad range of information about their customers, from the content of 
their e-mails, to the Internet Protocol addresses of their computers, to their 
files that are stored online and location data from their cellphones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/world/09wiki.html

WikiLeaks demands Google and Facebook unseal US subpoenas
WikiLeaks has demanded that Google and Facebook reveal the contents of any US 
subpoenas they may have received after it emerged that a court in Virginia had 
ordered Twitter to secretly hand over details of accounts on the micro-blogging 
site by five figures associated with the group, including Julian Assange.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/08/wikileaks-calls-google-facebook-us-subpoenas


DOJ sends order to Twitter for Wikileaks-related account info
The U.S. Justice Department obtained a court order directing Twitter to turn 
over information about the accounts of activists with ties to Wikileaks, 
including an Icelandic politician, a legendary Dutch hacker, and a U.S. computer 
programmer.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20027893-281.html

**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
Opinion: Murdoch the monopolist? Not in a digital future
The debate over whether Rupert Murdoch should be allowed total control of Sky is 
far too simplistic in an age where Google, Apple ? or some techies from 
California ? can achieve greater dominance in a globalised media
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/09/murdoch-monopolist-not-in-digital-future


European Commission may compel ISPs to combat users' IP infringement
Rates of intellectual property infringement in the EU are "alarming", according 
to the European Commission. It says that an EU law on IP rights has had some 
effect, but that the legal measure was not designed to deal with online piracy.
http://out-law.com/page-11703

uk: 'Laughing stock' libel laws to be reformed, says Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg will tomorrow set out the most ambitious plans yet to relax Britain's 
libel laws, saying he will back a raft of reforms including a statutory public 
interest defence. ... The bill will also update defamation laws on the internet 
so as to provide greater defence for internet service providers. Government 
sources said they were still working on details of how to handle libel on the 
internet.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/jan/06/libel-laws-nick-clegg

Copyright comes a cropper in the digital age
The big stage hit in America last year was a novel, "the most remarkable 
achievement in theatre this decade", according to the New York Times. Gatz was a 
word-for-word presentation of F Scott Fitzgerald's jazz age masterpiece, The 
Great Gatsby, by an experimental group, the Elevator Repair Service.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/09/robert-mccrum-copyright-law-kindle

Industry Says Net Rules Are a Work in Progress [sub req'd]
Regulators' new rules for Internet lines are likely the start of a greater 
effort by the government to more closely oversee such channels, broadband 
industry lobbyists said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730704576066364189797414.html

Digital agenda: Connecting the EU
High-speed Internet for all - including on mobile phones - and lower consumer 
prices are the main highlights of the European Commission's digital agenda, a 
five-year plan to ensure higher connectivity for EU citizens and business.
http://www.broadband-europe.eu/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?ItemID=755

Ofcom: Draft work programme for 2011/12 [news release]
In 2011/12 Ofcom will take on new responsibilities as defined by Parliament. But 
Ofcom will aim to meet its objectives for significantly less money as part of 
the overall reduction in public expenditure.
http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/01/07/draft-work-programme-for-201112/

uk: Opinion: Net neutrality ignores business users
The net neutrality debate has been hijacked by an argument about consumer and 
intellectual property rights. As usual, the needs of business users have largely 
been sidelined, says Nick White.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/regulation/2011/01/07/net-neutrality-ignores-business-users-40091351/


*********************************
MISCELLANEOUS
*********************************
How an Irish telecoms tycoon became Haiti's only hope of salvation
On Tuesday, exactly one year after an earthquake levelled Port-au-Prince and 
more than 200,000 people were buried alive, the iconic Iron Market will reopen. 
But this isn't the work of the Haitian elite ? it's all down to Denis O'Brien, 
CEO of a mobile-phone company
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/09/haiti-anniversary-denis-obrien-vulliamy


Against Headphones
One in ?ve teenagers in America can?t hear rustles or whispers, according to a 
study published in August in The Journal of the American Medical Association. 
These teenagers exhibit what?s known as slight hearing loss, which means they 
often can?t make out consonants like T?s or K?s, or the plinking of raindrops. 
The word ?talk? can sound like ?aw.? The number of teenagers with hearing loss ? 
from slight to severe ? has jumped 33 percent since 1994.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09FOB-medium-t.html

**********************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
uk: Mobile?chief?attacks spectrum allocation ruling
The head of 3, the UK?s smallest mobile network operator, has signalled that his 
business could be sold after accusing ministers and regulators of distorting 
competition in the telecoms industry.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/29d9c5bc-19ed-11e0-a8d8-00144feab49a.html

FCC eyes broadcast spectrum auction as soon as 2012
The U.S. government could put more wireless airwaves on the market as early as a 
year from now if lawmakers give the country's telecom regulator authority to 
give broadcasters part of the proceeds.
http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-54015120110108

Auction plan is most likely to succeed, FCC head says [IDG]
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission decided to push forward on its 
proposal for an incentive spectrum auction, despite likely criticism from some 
corners, because it thought the plan would be the quickest way to get wireless 
spectrum in use by mobile broadband providers, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski 
said.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/010811-auction-plan-is-most-likely.html

Britain plans mobile spectrum auctions in 2012
Britain plans to auction more radio spectrum in 2012 to mobile telecoms 
operators who need it to handle increasing amounts of data traffic, 
communications regulator Ofcom said in a draft annual plan on Friday.
http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-54005720110107

Ofcom opens up more frequencies for 3G services [news release]
Ofcom has today introduced a new measure that will help mobile phone operators 
to increase mobile broadband speeds, deliver improved in-building coverage and 
widen mobile broadband coverage in rural areas.
http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/01/06/ofcom-opens-up-more-frequencies-for-3g-services/


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

(c) David Goldstein 2011



 
---------
David Goldstein
email: goldstein_david&#167;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



      
Received on Sun Jan 09 2011 - 18:45:11 UTC

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