[DNS] domain name news - 14 March

[DNS] domain name news - 14 March

From: David Goldstein <goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au>
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:08:12 -0700 (PDT)
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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Commerce Department: ?Foreign devils made us do it? by Milton Mueller
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/3/7/4765678.html

Issue guide to ICANN San Francisco
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/03/13/icann-sf-rundown

IP Enforcement Permeates ICANN, US Internet Policy
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2011/03/13/ip-enforcement-permeates-icann-us-internet-policy/

Geist: Governments' ominous thirst to control the web
http://www.thestar.com/article/953151--geist-governments-ominous-thirst-to-control-the-web

Congratulations Australia ? 2 million .au domains!!
http://blog.auda.org.au/2011/03/08/congratulations-australia-2-million-au-domains/

.au reaches 2 million domain names
http://www.coopermills.com.au/wordpress/index.php/2011/03/au-reaches-2-million-domain-names/

au: Scams: It?s Personal ? Fighting fraud on the home front
http://blog.auda.org.au/2011/03/07/scams-it?s-personal-fighting-fraud-on-the-home-front/

People, Companies & TLDs in the News: Bhavin Turakhia, Alexa Raad, .TV, .AU and Fabulous.com
http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2011/dailyposts/20110311.htm

ICANN Board & GAC Meeting: Brussels
http://gibc.biz/2011/03/icann-board-gac-meeting-brussels/

Why does ICANN ignore the trademark experts?
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=74db5244-6225-41bf-a93c-4bac0abb7699

Civil Liberties and Industry Groups Release Cybersecurity White Paper
http://cdt.org/pr_statement/civil-liberties-and-industry-groups-release-cybersecurity-white-paper

Proxy-Privacy User Higher for Illicit Domains by Garth Bruen
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20110310_proxy_privacy_user_higher_for_illicit_domains/

Action stations as cyber attacks on Australia soar
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/action-stations-as-cyber-attacks-on-australia-soar-20110312-1bs0t.html
http://www.smh.com.au/national/action-stations-as-cyber-attacks-on-australia-soar-20110312-1bs0t.html

UK helps Australia's cyber-spy unit get to work
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-threats/2011/03/11/uk-helps-australias-cyber-spy-unit-get-to-work-40092111/

Can Domain Name Seizures Sink Rogue Web Sites? [New York Law Journal]
http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202483008246

Google starts letting search users block domains in results [IDG]
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9214139/Google_starts_letting_search_users_block_domains_in_results

Hide sites to find more of what you want
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/hide-sites-to-find-more-of-what-you.html


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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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ICANN 40 ? Silicon Valley Meeting Schedule Changes
Continuing discussions between the Board and the Governmental Advisory Committee have resulted in schedule changes for ICANN's upcoming meeting Silicon Valley ? San Francisco Public Meeting.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-10mar11-en.htm

October 2012 ICANN Meeting to be Held in Toronto, Canada
ICANN is pleased to announce that the 14-19 October 2012 ICANN Public Meeting will be held in Toronto, Canada.
http://blog.icann.org/2011/03/october-2012-icann-meeting-to-be-held-in-toronto-canada/

Former President Clinton to Address ICANN?s 40th Public Meeting
I am delighted to confirm that President Bill Clinton will address ICANN?s Silicon Valley-San Francisco meeting at 6pm on March 16.
http://blog.icann.org/2011/03/former-president-clinton-to-address-icanns-40th-public-meeting/

Letter from Jeffrey J. Neuman, Neustar, to Rod Beckstrom
Request to Amend the .BIZ Registry Agreement to Enable Neustar to Serve as Both a Registry and Registrar for New gTLDs
http://icann.org/en/correspondence/neuman-to-beckstrom-10mar11-en.pdf

IDN ccTLD Request From Bangladesh Successfully Passes String Evaluation
ICANN is pleased to announce the successful completion of String Evaluation on proposed IDN ccTLD string for Bangladesh.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-10mar11-en.htm

Commerce Department: ?Foreign devils made us do it? by Milton Mueller
The slowly dawning knowledge that the US Commerce Department has been pushing to give national governments more power over ICANN has generated cognitive dissonance in this country. Isn't this supposed to be the land of Internet freedom, not the land of intergovernmental control? Wasn?t it the Commerce Department who created a private sector governance agency in the first place? The NTIA is now compounding the confusion by claiming that its newly aggressive stance toward ICANN is an attempt to stave off a takeover by the UN or some other intergovernmental conspiracy.
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/3/7/4765678.html

Issue guide to ICANN San Francisco
ICANN?s 40th meeting starts next week in San Francisco. Here is a guide to the most important topics, listed in order of importance, with added commentary, background and links to relevant resources.
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/03/13/icann-sf-rundown

IP Enforcement Permeates ICANN, US Internet Policy
The push for ever more far-reaching intellectual property enforcement in the domain name system was heavily criticised at a conference of the Non-Commercial User Constituency (NCUC) of ICANN Friday.
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2011/03/13/ip-enforcement-permeates-icann-us-internet-policy/

Geist: Governments' ominous thirst to control the web
A simmering battle over governance of the Internet is set to take centre stage in California this week as ICANN, a California-based non-profit corporation with the principal responsibility for maintaining the Internet's domain-name system, holds one of its regular meetings in Silicon Valley.
http://www.thestar.com/article/953151--geist-governments-ominous-thirst-to-control-the-web
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/953151--geist-governments-ominous-thirst-to-control-the-web

In cyberspace, a war over names
For those who value the free flow of information on the Internet, there?s only one thing more frightening than having the U.S. government control the Web. That would be having the United Nations in charge instead.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51161.html
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11071/1131721-473.stm

Governments, New TLDs, WHOIS, XXX, Clinton and Porn Stars
I'll be heading off to San Francisco tomorrow morning to attend ICANN 40. Unless you're an internet policy "geek" it's pretty hard to get people excited about an ICANN meeting.
http://blog.blacknight.com/governments-new-tlds-whois-xxx-clinton-and-porn-stars.html

Concerns About ICANN's Bylaws Shouldn't Bog Down Board/GAC Discussions by R. Shawn Gunnarson
The Brussels meeting between the ICANN Board of Directors and the GAC became contentious over what constitutes a "bylaws consultation," what that designation means, and whether future meetings between the parties should be labeled as such. At the risk of going over familiar ground, it may be useful to review what the bylaws say about ICANN's duty to consult with the GAC.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/concerns_about_icanns_bylaws_shouldnt_bog_down_board_gac_discussions/

Neustar wants to be a registrar ASAP
Neustar, registry manager for the .biz and .us TLDs, has put the wheels in motion to acquire an ICANN registrar accreditation as soon as possible.
http://domainincite.com/neustar-wants-to-be-a-registrar-asap/

Did ICANN Shun .Mobi for San Francisco Meeting?
.Mobi frequently creates and sponsors mobile meeting web sites for domain conferences. ICANN.mobi was featured as the official mobile site of the last conference in Cartagena.
http://domainnamewire.com/2011/03/11/did-icann-shun-mobi-for-san-francisco-meeting/

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Congratulations Australia ? 2 million .au domains!!
We?re very excited to announce that .au has reached a significant milestone ? two million domain names! All Australians should be proud of the strong online community we have created.
http://blog.auda.org.au/2011/03/08/congratulations-australia-2-million-au-domains/

.au reaches 2 million domain names
Domain Name regulator auDA and .au Registry operator Ausregistry today announced that Australia had 2 million .au domain names.
http://www.coopermills.com.au/wordpress/index.php/2011/03/au-reaches-2-million-domain-names/

au: Scams: It?s Personal ? Fighting fraud on the home front
auDA is proud to once again partner with the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce (ACFT) for National Consumer Fraud Week. This important initiative raises business and consumer awareness of the economic, personal and social threats posed by fraud.
http://blog.auda.org.au/2011/03/07/scams-it?s-personal-fighting-fraud-on-the-home-front/

People, Companies & TLDs in the News: Bhavin Turakhia, Alexa Raad, .TV, .AU and Fabulous.com
... Australia's .au country code TLD reached a major milestone this week when it hit 2 million registrations.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2011/dailyposts/20110311.htm

AFNIC Satisfaction Survey: Registrars still satisfied with the services of the .fr Registry
In order to assess the quality of its services, AFNIC conducted a satisfaction survey with its registrars in the last quarter of 2010. Methodology: Following on from the first survey of the Quality of Service rendered to registrars in 2009, AFNIC renewed the initiative at year-end 2010 as part of a continuous improvement process for its indicators.
http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/276/afnic-satisfaction-survey-registrars-still-satisfied-with-the-services-of-the-fr-registry

What Would Happen if Employ Media Loses .Jobs?
Last month ICANN surprised many observers by sending a breach notice to .jobs registry Employ Media. This was a shock because ICANN?s board had approved recent changes to how .jobs operates. The breach notice seems to attack some of those very changes that were contemplated by the board.
http://domainnamewire.com/2011/03/10/what-would-happen-if-employ-media-loses-jobs/

.PRO Surges Passed 100,000 Registered Names
RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .PRO TLD on the Internet, today announced it has surpassed 100,000 registered names for the first time in its seven-year history. News of the milestone came one day after industry leader Key-Systems was announced as the newest authorized .PRO registrar.
http://registry.pro/press-releases/2011/0310.shtml

Investigation into allocation of domain names in IDN TLD .?? has been put iut to March
The Coordination Center took part in a regular meeting of the Federal Antimonopoly Service. It was envisaged that the meeting will deal with the investigation of domains registration by ZAO ?RCITS? (RU-CENTER) with signs of violation of antimonopoly legislation at bottom.
http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=1315

RU-CENTER Launches RUCLID
On the eve of the ICANN Meeting in San Francisco RU-CENTER officially launches RUCLID (Russian Cultural and Linguistic Internet Domains) - the initiative for introduction of TLDs intended for cultural and linguistic communities living in Russia.
http://www.nic.ru/news/en/2011/ruclid.html

sa: Sunrise phase for registering second level domains is now over
SaudiNIC would like to inform all of it is valued clients that the sunrise phase of registering 2LDs under (.sa) is now over . SaudiNIC disabled the application form used to apply for 2LD , and all the requests that did not reach SaudiNIC accurately and completely was cancelled.
http://saudinic.net.sa/page.php?page=9&lang=1

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 - NEW TLDS
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ICANN Board & GAC Meeting: Brussels
Two days of meetings in Brussels between the ICANN Board and the GAC were another step forward on the way toward launching the new TLD program. Despite contention, argumentation, testy exchanges and disagreement, there was more ?agree to disagree? than outright conflict. The GAC must be aware that the Board will proceed with the application program even though there is another consultation during the upcoming ICANN meeting in San Francisco.
http://gibc.biz/2011/03/icann-board-gac-meeting-brussels/

ICANN to skip stakeholders for more GAC talks
ICANN stakeholder groups will miss out on their usual formal sit-down with the board of directors at the San Francisco meeting next week, due to talks between the board and governments.
http://domainincite.com/icann-to-skip-stakeholders-for-more-gac-talks/

WIPO Letter of March 9, 2011 concerning WIPO Center Observations on GAC rights protection scorecard and ICANN Board questions
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center observations in connection with GAC scorecard on rights protection and corresponding ICANN Board questions
http://wipo.int/export/sites/www/amc/en/docs/icann090311.pdf

Why does ICANN ignore the trademark experts?
The tortuous treatment of trademarks during ICANN?s gTLD process will inflict new degrees of pain next week. Government advisers are preparing for another two days of consultation with ICANN?s board in San Francisco. But read between the lines in papers and letters recently published, and a systemic lack of understanding of trademark rights becomes apparent.
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=74db5244-6225-41bf-a93c-4bac0abb7699

Brussels? biggest winner? by Michael Palage
Analyzing the aftermath of last week?s ICANN Board-GAC non-bylaws consultation in Brussels, the biggest winner may be Rod Beckstrom. Many who attended the meeting or followed it remotely may have found it unusual how little he spoke during the three-day session. Why was Rod so quiet in Brussels?
http://domainincite.com/brussels-biggest-winner/

Inquiring About the "Unthinkable" by Michael D. Palage
There has been no shortage of speculation within the ICANN community regarding the continued show down between the ICANN Board and its GAC over new gTLDs and the pending expiration of the IANA contract this September.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20110310_inquiring_about_the_unthinkable/

ICANN staff grilled over new TLDs
ICANN?s San Francisco meeting kicked off this morning with staff members responsible for the new TLDs program answering ? and trying to answer ? stakeholder questions.
http://domainincite.com/icann-staff-grilled-over-new-tlds/

AfTLD takes on .africa
Africa Top Level Domains (AfTLD) organisation has today announced its decision to seek a mandate from the African Union (AU) Commission and to apply to ICANN to manage the .africa registry. AfTLD has listened attentively to many calls in Africa asking AfTLD to play a leading role in developing, managing and running the .africa TLD for the region. AfTLD has responded by first undertaking a detailed assessment of the new gTLD landscape and making a commitment to work with the A Commission, ICANN and others to secure a mandate to run .africa.
http://www.aftld.org/html/english/news_dotafrica.html

Alexa Raad Launches Consultancy For New Domain Name Landscape
When Alexa Raad resigned as the CEO of Public Interest Registry, the .ORG registry, a few months ago there were many who wondered where she was going next. Now we have the answer.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/03/11/alexa-raad-launches-consultancy-for-new-domain-name-landscape/
http://domainnews.com/en/alexa-raad-launches-consultancy-for-new-domain-landscape.html

dotMusic and ICANN execs form TLD consultancy
Constantine Roussos, best known his campaign for .music, has teamed up with ICANN veteran Tina Dam to launch MyTLD.com, promising to help applicants with their TLD bids.
http://domainincite.com/dotmusic-and-icann-execs-form-tld-consultancy/

Neustar and Valideus Join Forces to Provide Brand Owners with High-Quality Domain Registry Solutions
Neustar Inc. and Valideus, a consultancy group providing dedicated management services for the new gTLDs, today announced a strategic partnership to provide Valideus' European and worldwide brand owners with all of the services required to register their own company or brand names as a gTLD.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/neustar-and-valideus-join-forces-to-provide-brand-owners-with-high-quality-domain-registry-solutions-106510593.html

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Civil Liberties and Industry Groups Release Cybersecurity White Paper
For the first time, industry groups and civil liberties interests have come together to advocate a comprehensive, common approach to cybersecurity. That approach is reflected in today's release of a cybersecurity white paper that rejects government mandates and advocates for a stronger partnership between industry and government.
http://cdt.org/pr_statement/civil-liberties-and-industry-groups-release-cybersecurity-white-paper

Proxy-Privacy User Higher for Illicit Domains by Garth Bruen
WHOIS issues are looming large for the ICANN meeting next week, starting with an all-day WHOIS Policy Review on Sunday (background). WHOIS is a subject that has been the recent topic of a number of issues including a debacle over potentially disclosing the identities of compliance reporters to spammers and criminal domainers.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20110310_proxy_privacy_user_higher_for_illicit_domains/

China's cyber abilities worry U.S. - spy chief
China's growing capabilities in cyber-warfare and intelligence gathering are a "formidable concern" to the United States, the top U.S. intelligence official told a Senate panel on Thursday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/10/oukin-uk-china-usa-cyber-idUKTRE7295XF20110310
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/03/10/idINIndia-55477420110310

Swiss Security Day 9 March 2011
Responsibility for computer security cannot be left solely in the hands of security companies and manufacturers. The consumers themselves must assume their share of responsibility in this matter too. The consumers themselves must assume their share of responsibility in this matter too. Along with the Swiss Security Day partners, SWITCH-CERT is promoting private individuals' awareness of the dangers.
http://www.switch.ch/about/news/2011/ssd2011.html

Luxembourg domain registry upgrades to DNSSEC
Luxembourg's .lu domain registry Fondation Restena has enabled DNSSEC domain name security extenstions for all .lu domain names, reports Internet Society Luxembourg (ISOC-Luxembourg), which said it was the first to add DNSSEC extensions to its domain name, ISOC.lu.
http://www.telecompaper.com/news/luxembourg-domain-registry-upgrades-to-dnssec

Action stations as cyber attacks on Australia soar
More than 400 cyber attacks have affected Australian government networks in the past year, figures reveal.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/action-stations-as-cyber-attacks-on-australia-soar-20110312-1bs0t.html
http://www.smh.com.au/national/action-stations-as-cyber-attacks-on-australia-soar-20110312-1bs0t.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/action-stations-as-cyber-attacks-on-australia-soar-20110312-1bs0t.html

UK helps Australia's cyber-spy unit get to work
The UK is helping Australia's secret service to set up a special unit dedicated to fighting online threats, continuing an ongoing cybersecurity partnership between the countries.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-threats/2011/03/11/uk-helps-australias-cyber-spy-unit-get-to-work-40092111/

GCHQ aims to protect critical private networks from hackers
GCHQ is planning to constantly monitor Britain's most vital private computer networks for potentially damaging cyber attacks, in a major expansion of the Cheltenham-based spy agency?s responsibilities.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/8366810/GCHQ-aims-to-protect-critical-private-networks-from-hackers.html

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Tips to avoid Japanese earthquake phishing scams [AP]
In the wake of the devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan Friday, the global online community is banding together to offer support and donations through charities? websites such as the Red Cross. ... Often, cybercrooks will set up donation websites that appear legitimate. As seen following the February earthquake in New Zealand, scammers will mimic the logo and design of trusted sites like PayPal or the Red Cross to gain your trust. One way scam artists carry out their tricks is by creating domain names that are similar to commonly visited sites, but are misspelled, such as faecbook.com or twitr.com. The trick, called ? typosquatting,? is especially effective when events ? such as the Japan earthquake ? are sure to draw loads of Internet traffic to specific sites like the Red Cross.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42036358/ns/technology_and_science-security/

Can Domain Name Seizures Sink Rogue Web Sites? [New York Law Journal]
In the early 1800s, a debate festered in our young democracy over the appropriate response to pirates operating from Africa's Barbary Coast and attacking American ships, destroying or capturing them and impressing our sailors into lengthy terms of slavery. Their release was only obtained after a hefty ransom was paid by the U.S. government. After many years of paying the demanded ransoms, at the direction of President Jefferson, America's fledgling Navy and a Marine expeditionary force executed a bold raid on Tripoli that eventually ended the pirate threat.
http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202483008246

Letter from Erik Wilbers, WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center, to the ICANN Board
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Observations in Connection with GAC Scorecard on Rights Protection and Corresponding ICANN Board Questions
http://icann.org/en/correspondence/wilbers-to-board-09mar11-en.pdf

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Google Tool Will Let Users Block Sites From Search Results
Google Inc., owner of the most popular Internet search engine, unveiled a tool that will let users block unwanted websites as the company aims to improve the quality of its search results.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-10/google-unveils-tool-to-let-users-block-unwanted-sites-from-search-results.html

Google starts letting search users block domains in results [IDG]
Google is adding a feature to its search engine that lets users block out all links from specific domains in their query results.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9214139/Google_starts_letting_search_users_block_domains_in_results
http://www.pcworld.com/article/221850/.html

Hide sites to find more of what you want
Over the years we?ve experimented with a number of ways to help you personalize the results you find on Google, from SearchWiki to stars in search to location settings. Now there?s yet another way to find more of what you want on Google by blocking the sites you don?t want to see.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/hide-sites-to-find-more-of-what-you.html

VeriSign Domain Tag Cloud Gives Insight Into Latest Domain Registrations
VeriSign domain tag cloudHere?s an interesting new beta tool from VeriSign: the Verisign Domain Tag Cloud. The tool gives some insight into current domain name registration trends. It?s like a tag cloud but the tags are words used in recent domain name registrations. The bigger the word, the more frequently it occurred in domains that were registered over a specific time period.
http://domainnamewire.com/2011/03/10/verisign-domain-tag-cloud-gives-insight-into-latest-domain-registrations/

Netcraft March 2011 Web Server Survey
In the March 2011 survey we received responses from 298,002,705 sites, a growth of just over 13M hostnames on last month's survey; a continuation of the steady growth which has been seen since July last year.
http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2011/03/09/march-2011-web-server-survey.html

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Charile Sheen-inspired domain name registrations booming
The travails of Charlie Sheen are good business for Scottsdale-based Go Daddy. The company said Tuesday it resgistered nearly 1,000 Sheen-related damain names in a little less than a week starting Jan. 28.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/BusinessBuzz/121591

Won.com Wins This Week's Domain Sales Race With 6-Figure Sale at Moniker/SnapNames
Over the past week Oversee.net's aftermarket twins, Moniker/SnapNames, closed a number of sales from their live domain auction at DOMAINfest Global, helping them take seven places on our latest weekly all extension Top 20 Sales Chart, including the top two positions and six of the first eight. Won.com led the way with a $115,000 sale - a transaction that is the 5th biggest reported so far in 2011. SocialMusic.com secured the runner-up position with a $60,558 sale. 
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20110309.htm

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REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS
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Aiming at Copyright Infringers and Hitting the Digital Economy by William H. Dutton [Prometheus]
Abstract: This article was written as a response to a piece by Birgitte Andersen, which raised concerns over the implications of the UK's Digital Economy Bill. I focus on several reasons why the Bill would not achieve its intended objectives, and is likely to have other, unanticipated negative impacts.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1778422

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INTERNET USE
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Google Tool Will Let Users Block Sites From Search Results
Google Inc., owner of the most popular Internet search engine, unveiled a tool that will let users block unwanted websites as the company aims to improve the quality of its search results.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-10/google-unveils-tool-to-let-users-block-unwanted-sites-from-search-results.html

Google starts letting search users block domains in results [IDG]
Google is adding a feature to its search engine that lets users block out all links from specific domains in their query results.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9214139/Google_starts_letting_search_users_block_domains_in_results
http://www.pcworld.com/article/221850/.html

Hide sites to find more of what you want
Over the years we?ve experimented with a number of ways to help you personalize the results you find on Google, from SearchWiki to stars in search to location settings. Now there?s yet another way to find more of what you want on Google by blocking the sites you don?t want to see.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/hide-sites-to-find-more-of-what-you.html

Consumers willing to spend on digital content
Consumers are becoming increasingly willing to pay for content they won't actually keep. New research suggests people are investing an average of $US81 ($80) a month through a range of devices and media channels.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/consumers-willing-to-spend-on-digital-content/story-e6frg996-1226020736140

Addicted? Really? Mental-health specialists disagree over whether to classify compulsive online behaviour as addiction-and how to treat it
Craig Smallwood, a disabled American war veteran, spent more than 20,000 hours over five years playing an online role-playing game called ?Lineage II?. When NCsoft, the South Korean firm behind the game, accused him of breaking the game?s rules and banned him, he was plunged into depression, severe paranoia and hallucinations. He spent three weeks in hospital. He sued NCsoft for fraud and negligence, demanding over $9m in damages and claiming that the company acted negligently by failing to warn him of the danger that he would become ?addicted? to the game.
http://www.economist.com/node/18304258?story_id=18304258

Google aids Japan quake victims
Google has launched a version of its Person Finder service for people caught up in the Japanese earthquake.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12711244

Google Sets Up People-Finding Internet Service After Earthquake Hits Japan
Google Inc. says it has set up an online database to help locate people in Japan after the country was struck by its strongest earthquake in at least a century.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-11/google-says-creates-people-tracking-service-for-japan-earthquake.html

Web to overtake printed press as source of EU information: Survey
A growing number of EU citizens say they use the Internet to get information about the European Union, while daily newspapers are significantly losing ground and television remains the primary source of EU news, a Union-wide poll reveals.
http://www.euractiv.com/en/pa/web-overtake-printed-press-source-eu-information-survey-news-502827

Google's U.S. Search-Engine Market Share Falls, Bing Gains, ComScore Says
Google?s share of searches in the U.S. market declined in February while that of Microsoft?s Bing increased, according to research firm ComScore Inc.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-11/google-u-s-search-share-falls-bing-rises-analyst-says.html

Bing-powered searches rise as Google loses share
Microsoft's Bing search engine is on the rise, while Google's still-dominant market share has dropped to about two-thirds of all U.S. searches, according to new data from Experian Hitwise.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/031111-bing-google.html

comScore Releases February 2011 U.S. Search Engine Rankings [news release]
comScore released its monthly comScore qSearch analysis of the U.S. search marketplace. Google Sites led the explicit core search market in February with 65.4 percent of searches conducted.
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/3/comScore_Releases_February_2011_U.S._Search_Engine_Rankings

Google monthly share of searches at 67 percent [news release]
Experian Hitwise announced today that Google accounted for 66.69 percent of all U.S. searches conducted in the four weeks ending Feb. 26, 2011. Bing-powered search comprised 28.48 percent of searches for the month, with Yahoo! Search and Bing receiving 14.99 percent and 13.49 percent, respectively. The remaining 69 search engines in the Hitwise Search Engine Analysis report accounted for 4.68 percent of U.S. searches.
http://www.hitwise.com/us/press-center/press-releases/experian-hitwise-reports-bing-search-increase/

Where Google?s Algorithm Overhaul Is Good News
When Google declared it had re-engineered its search formula two weeks ago, the spotlight was understandably on the likely losers.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/where-googles-algorithm-overhaul-is-good-news/

au: Internet fuelling problem gambling, says expert
Experts at the University of Sydney say the rise of online sports betting is fuelling problem gambling.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/11/3162154.htm

I was a games addict
Children are falling asleep in the classroom after playing computer games all night, a concerned teacher warned this week. Recovered addict Tom Meltzer knows why they're hooked
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/mar/11/i-was-games-addict

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
**********************
Facebook Users Who Are Under Age Raise Concerns
The fake ID has gone digital, and spread to elementary school. Across the nation, millions of young people are lying about their ages so they can create accounts on popular sites like Facebook and Myspace. These sites require users to be 13 or older, to avoid federal regulations that apply to sites with younger members. But to children, that rule is a minor obstacle that stands between them and what everybody else is doing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/technology/internet/12underage.html

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
**********************
Microsoft Kinect 'fastest-selling device on record'
Microsoft has sold more than 10 million Kinect sensor systems since launch on 4 November, and - according to Guinness World Records - is the fastest-selling consumer electronics device on record.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12697975

Study: The iPad is the Biggest Problem with iPad Magazines
The future of magazines may be digital - but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good thing for magazines. A new study suggests that iPad magazines have one major drawback when compared to their print editions: The iPad itself.
http://techland.time.com/2011/03/10/study-the-ipad-is-the-biggest-problem-with-ipad-magazines/

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
************************************************
Friends to help police bullying and abuse on Facebook
Facebook users who are being bullied or abused can now report the problem to friends, as well as site moderators.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12701138

au: Educating the educators on bullying
It cut the incidence of youth bullying by half in Finland and now it is being introduced into West Australian schools. The program achieving such success does not focus on the bully or even the victim but puts the quiet bystander firmly in the spotlight.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/10/3160837.htm

Obama takes on bullies at White House anti-bullying summit
Partly it?s because he grew up being teased about his big ears, and partly it?s because he has two young daughters: For President Obama, the nation?s bullying problem is one he takes personally.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2011/0310/Obama-takes-on-bullies-at-White-House-anti-bullying-summit

ACMA supports Safer Internet Day 2011
With more Australians using social networking than ever before, staying safe online was the core message of this year?s Safer Internet Day. Almost 9 million Australians accessed social networking sites from their home computers alone in June 2010, and up to 25 per cent of these users were under the age of 18.
http://www.saferinternet.org/web/guest/blog?p_p_id=homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_pos=2&p_p_col_count=3&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_action=detail&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_articleId=173670

Making online safety a national issue - Austrian strategies for awareness raising in schools
Austria has been implementing a national strategy for awareness raising focusing on the major target groups of children, teachers and parents for many years now. The measures set within the Saferinternet.at school campaign aim to ensure that all of these target groups are reached at the same time, and are provided with necessary tools and knowledge for guiding and empowering them in the networked society.
http://www.saferinternet.org/web/guest/blog?p_p_id=homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_count=1&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_action=detail&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_articleId=173400

Hold the date ? EU Kids Online Conference 2011
EU Kids Online, the pan-European study which looked at risks and safety on the internet from the perspective of children aged 9-16 and their parents, has announced the date of its 2011 conference.
http://www.saferinternet.org/web/guest/blog?p_p_id=homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_count=1&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_action=detail&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_articleId=173474

Apple changes policy for in-app purchases
Apple took a step toward child-protecting the iPhone and iPad, saying Thursday that it has tightened security measures for purchases made within applications.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/10/AR2011031005809.html

INHOPE: 44 Prozent gemeldeter Kinderpornos nach zwei Tagen gel?scht
Der internationale Verbund von Internet-Beschwerdestellen INHOPE hat f?r 2010 erstmals einen eigenen Jahresbericht herausgegeben. ?ber ein neu eingerichtetes Datenbanksystem, das INHOPE Report Management System (IHRMS), hat die International Association of Internet Hotlines demnach im vergangenen Jahr 24.047 Hinweise auf Inhalte im Netz verarbeitet, die einen sexuellen Missbrauch von Kindern zeigen.
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/INHOPE-44-Prozent-gemeldeter-Kinderpornos-nach-zwei-Tagen-geloescht-1206931.html

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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Editorial: Movie piracy: We need a hi-tech solution to illegal downloads
The famous dictum of digital guru Stewart Brand, "information wants to be free", is usually quoted without its binding caveat: "Information also wants to be expensive, and that tension will not go away."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/13/film-piracy-illegal-downloads-internet

Illegal movie downloads 'threaten the future of British film market'
Illegal downloading is threatening the film industry's ability to operate in Britain, a leading expert in digital copyright has warned.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/13/illegal-downloads-threaten-british-film

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Google Android App Attack: Tracking Clues
Computer security researchers trying to crack the recent major software attack on Google?s Android Market for wireless applications are examining digital fingerprints to try to figure out how and why the attack was perpetrated.
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/03/10/tracking-the-clues-in-the-google-android-app-attack/

Asia-Pacific smartphone sales to top 100 million [AFP]
Sales of smartphones such as Apple's iPhone4 are set to top 100 million units for the first time this year in the Asia Pacific market - excluding Japan, an industry analyst said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10711593
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/smartphone-sales-to-top-100-mn-in-asiapacific-analyst-20110310-1bpv7.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/smartphone-sales-to-top-100-mn-in-asiapacific-analyst-20110310-1bpv7.html

Wall Street Journal surprised by online success [Dow Jones]
The speed with which readers took to the iPad version of The Wall Street Journal took officials at Dow Jones by surprise, the company's chief executive said.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/journal-surprised-by-online-success/story-e6frg8zx-1226019996002

Wall Street Journal claims 200,000 tablet subscribers
The Wall Street Journal has added 200,000 paying subscribers via tablets such as the iPad and Kindle, according to Les Hinton, head of the newspaper's publisher, Dow Jones.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2011/mar/11/wallstreetjournal-ipad

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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Opinion: Lessons from Anonymous on cyberwar
"Cyberwar" is a heavily loaded term, which conjures up Hollywood inspired images of hackers causing oil refineries to explode.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/20113981026464808.html

US Court Rules Against Privacy in Battle Over Twitter Records
A federal magistrate judge in Virginia ruled today that the government can collect the private records of three Twitter users as part of its investigation related to WikiLeaks, and that those users and the public can be prevented from seeing some of the documents that the government submitted to the court to justify obtaining their records. The court denied the government's request to conduct last month's hearing about the records in secret, however, and the court made public all of the documents related to the users' legal challenge. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union plan to appeal the decision on behalf of their client Birgitta Jonsdottir, an Icelandic parliamentarian.
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2011/03/11

Internet Crime Complaint Center's (IC3) Scam Alerts
This report, which is based upon information from law enforcement and complaints submitted to the IC3, details recent cyber crime trends and new twists to previously-existing cyber scams.
http://www.ic3.gov/media/2011/110310.aspx

Tips On Avoiding Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes
Recently several natural disasters, including tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes, have devastated lives and property. In the wake of these events that have caused emotional distress and great monetary loss to numerous victims, individuals across the nation often feel a desire to help these victims, frequently through monetary donations.
http://www.ic3.gov/media/2011/110311.aspx

New internet security statistics from Eurostat
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, launched a series of statistics concerning internet security to coincide with Safer Internet Day 2011.
http://www.saferinternet.org/web/guest/blog?p_p_id=homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_count=1&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_action=detail&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_articleId=173491

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PRIVACY
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Anonymous no more: It is becoming ever more difficult to browse the internet without leaving behind digital footprints that reveal your identity
Way back in the early days of the web, in 1993, the New Yorker ran a cartoon featuring two dogs sitting in front of a computer. The internet-savvy canine is saying to its friend: ?On the internet, nobody knows you?re a dog.? This joke captured the freewheeling anonymity of the early stages of internet adoption, but it doesn?t work now. Today websites often know a great deal about their visitors, including their names and interests.
http://www.economist.com/node/18304046?story_id=18304046

Data Mining: How Companies Now Know Everything About You
Three hours after I gave my name and e-mail address to Michael Fertik, the CEO of Reputation.com, he called me back and read my Social Security number to me. "We had it a couple of hours ago," he said. "I was just too busy to call."
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2058114,00.html

us: Proposed Bill Would Put Curbs on Data Gathering
Sens. John McCain and John Kerry are circulating proposed legislation to create an "online privacy bill of rights," according to people familiar with the situation, a sign of bipartisan support for efforts to curb the Internet-tracking industry.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704629104576190911145462284.html

EU, US Officials Say They're Getting Closer On Privacy
Top privacy regulators agreed Thursday that the United States and the European Union are moving closer in their approaches to protecting consumer privacy. But they still remain at odds over whether a U.S. national law is needed to ensure companies follow widely agreed upon privacy principles.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/03/eu-us-officials-say-theyre-get.php

Mozilla CEO On The Best Way To Protect Our Privacy Online
Amidst new concerns over the safety of personal data on the web, Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs argued that technological tools, rather than government regulation, should be used to better safeguard users? privacy online.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/11/mozilla-ceo-on-how-to-protect-online-privacy_n_834227.html

US Senators Push Facebook To Rethink Privacy Policy
Dear Mark Zuckerberg: protect my privacy, please? Four Democratic senators have written Mark Zuckerberg a letter on Wednesday asking the Facebook head to reconsider plans that would allow third party applications to request access to users' phone numbers and addresses.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/11/senators-facebook-privacy_n_834238.html

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CENSORSHIP
**********************
Opinion: Web's identity crisis: Tool of freedom or repression?
The same Internet that has empowered freedom-starved people across the Middle East to unseat despots is the same one that enabled Julian Assange, with just a keystroke on his WikiLeaks site, to put countless lives at risk through the dissemination of thousands of stolen, classified diplomatic cables.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/0311/Web-s-identity-crisis-Tool-of-freedom-or-repression

au: Censors speak: classification system broken
The classification system for video games, movies, apps and other content is broken and needs to be updated for a modern digital world in which anyone can easily access any material over the internet, former members of the Classification Board say.
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/censors-speak-classification-system-broken-20110311-1bqgg.html
http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/censors-speak-classification-system-broken-20110311-1bqgg.html
http://www.watoday.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/censors-speak-classification-system-broken-20110311-1bqgg.html

U.S. funding tech firms that help Mideast dissidents evade government censors
The Obama administration may not be lending arms to dissidents in the Middle East, but it is offering aid in another critical way: helping them surf the Web anonymously as they seek to overthrow their governments.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/09/AR2011030905157.html

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
Opinion: Why it's time to get off the fence about net neutrality
Here's a tale of two societies. The South Korean communications commission is planning to boost broadband speeds in that country tenfold by the end of 2012. That means Koreans will get one gigabit per second (Gbps) connections by next year, which is 200 times as fast as the 5Mbps ADSL connection which is common in the UK. Meanwhile, back in the middle ages (aka Whitehall next Wednesday), a ministerial summit on "net neutrality" convened by the culture secretary Ed Vaizey will hear how Britain's internet service providers (ISPs) plan to throttle still further the measly internet access they provide to the citizens of the UK in order to boost their bottom lines and reduce competition.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/mar/13/government-must-keep-net-neutrality-principle

au: IIA to develop copyright guide for courts
Australia's peak internet industry body has moved rapidly to protect its members from liability for online piracy following the Federal Court's latest ruling in a landmark copyright trial.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/iia-to-develop-industry-copyright-code/story-e6frgakx-1226019713655

IIA to develop industry code on copyright
The Internet Industry Association (IIA) has revealed it will produce an industry code defining the industry's obligations to follow up on copyright claims.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/379518/iia_develop_industry_code_copyright/

IIA starts on ISP piracy code of practice
The organisation representing Australia's internet industry today revealed it would "immediately" start working on a new industry code of practice to detail internet service and hosting providers' rights and obligations when dealing with alleged copyright infringements by their users.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/iia-starts-on-isp-piracy-code-of-practice-339311188.htm

IIA Fastracks Industry Copyright Code [news release]
In the wake of the landmark iiNet appeal decision, the Internet Industry Association today announced it would immediately start work on an industry code of practice for internet intermediaries, including ISPs, search, hosting and social media providers.
http://iia.net.au/

us: Long The Darling Of The Technology Community, Google Faces Increasing Criticism
Reps. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Joe Barton, R-Texas, cochairmen of the Bipartisan Privacy Caucus and longtime members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, don't agree on much. But after Google was caught last month collecting Social Security information from children who took part in its annual doodling contest, the lawmakers set aside their differences. In a scathing joint statement, they called the action "unacceptable," National Journal reported.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/03/google-comes-under-increasing.php

Senate anitrust subcommittee chair to focus on Google
Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), chairman of the anitrust subcommittee, said he will put special focus on Google in the current session, examining its bid to expand through acquisitions and search industry practices.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2011/03/senate_anitrust_subcommittee_c.html

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MISCELLANEOUS
*********************************
Google's Quest to Build a Better Boss
In early 2009, statisticians inside the Googleplex here embarked on a plan code-named Project Oxygen. Their mission was to devise something far more important to the future of Google Inc. than its next search algorithm or app. They wanted to build better bosses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/business/13hire.html

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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NTT Docomo, Japan Phone Operators Report Poor Services After Earthquake
NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp. and Softbank Corp., the three largest mobile-phone operators in Japan, said their services were disrupted across many regions after an earthquake shook buildings across the nation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-11/ntt-docomo-japan-phone-operators-report-poor-services-after-earthquake.html
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-11/japan-phone-operators-report-poor-services-after-earthquake.html

Telecom Operators Report Damaged Undersea Cables
The earthquake in Japan Friday damaged undersea cables on and could affect connectivity of calls made between China and Japan, said a spokesman for the parent company of Chinese network operator China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703597804576194031436599272.html

Europe's Consumers Could Lose in Auctions of Internet Spectrum
In Europe, the digital dividend may not pay off as well as it should.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/technology/14spectrum.html


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

(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


      
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