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 *************************************************** What ICANN Can Learn from Humpty Dumpty by Michael D. Palage http://www.circleid.com/posts/what_icann_can_learn_from_humpty_dumpty/ ICANN hires Defcon founder as security chief http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20058434-245.html Turkey forbids ?forbidden? from Internet domain names http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-forbids-8216forbidden8217-from-internet-domain-names-2011-04-28 Australijskie miasta z w?asnymi domenami? D?uga rywalizacja pomi?dzy australijskimi miastami Sydney i Melbourne przenosi si? tak?e do domenowego ?wiata. W?adze obu metropolii chc? bowiem posiada? w?asne domenowe rozszerzenie. http://gospodarka.gazeta.pl/gospodarka/1,60488,9506468,Australijskie_miasta_z_wlasnymi_domenami_.html http://e-biznes.pl/2011/04/australijskie-miasta-z-wlasnymi-domenami/ Apple May Have Snapped Up iCloud.com http://gigaom.com/apple/apple-may-have-snapped-up-icloud-com/ Apple Rumoured To Pay $4.5m For iCloud.com http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=14464 Media Corp takes ?1.1m hit on gambling.com http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e0fb69b4-71e8-11e0-9adf-00144feabdc0.html Gambling.com Gives Owner $1.8m Loss On Sale http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=14463 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** The Second Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF-2011) The 2nd Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF-2011) is to take place on 12 May 2011 at Expocentr Krasnaya Presnya in Moscow. RIGF-2011 is co-sponsored by the Coordination Center for ccTLD .RU and the RF Ministry of Telecommunications and Mass Media. http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=1415 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Jeff Moss Appointed ICANN Chief Security Officer Jeff Moss, founder of DEF CON, the world?s largest hacker conference, and Black Hat, a global technical security conference, has been named Vice President and Chief Security Officer of ICANN. http://icann.org/en/news/releases/release-28apr11-en.pdf Translations of the April 2011 Discussion Draft of the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook Are Available ICANN posted the translations today for public comment on the April 2011 Discussion Draft of the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook in the 5 UN languages: http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-29apr11-en.htm Public Comment: Community Input Requested on Academia Representation on NomCom On 21 April 2011, the ICANN Board approved the initiation of a 30-day period of public comment to obtain community input to inform the BGC's future work on the feasibility of identifying an entity to make appointments to the NomCom as called for in Article VII, Section 2.8.c of the Bylaws. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30apr11-en.htm What ICANN Can Learn from Humpty Dumpty by Michael D. Palage I have been an active participant in the ICANN "grand experiment" from the beginning. An experiment in which a private sector led organization was entrusted by the Internet community and governments to be a trustee of a global public resource. However, at no time during my twelve years of participation in ICANN have I been more concerned about the long term viability of this organization than I do now heading into the Singapore meeting. Failure of the ICANN Board to do the right thing in Singapore will have a profound impact on the future of the private sector led model. http://www.circleid.com/posts/what_icann_can_learn_from_humpty_dumpty/ ICANN hires Defcon founder as security chief Jeff Moss, founder of the Defcon hacker conference and an advisor to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has been named chief security officer for the nonprofit ICANN. http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20058434-245.html ICANN Names Computer Hacker as Security Chief [AP] Jeff Moss, a prominent computer hacker who founded the annual Black Hat and DefCon security conferences in Las Vegas, has been hired as the chief security officer for the organization that coordinates names of the world's Web sites. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13483638 Ex-hacker hired to protect the internet Jeff Moss, founder of Def Con, the world?s largest hacker conference, has been hired as VP and Chief Security Officer of ICANN. http://www.techday.co.nz/netguide/news/ex-hacker-hired-to-protect-the-internet/19984/1/ ICANN hires hacker Dark Tangent as security chief Noted white-hat hacker Jeff ?Dark Tangent? Moss is to join ICANN as its new chief security officer. http://domainincite.com/icann-hires-hacker-dark-tangent-as-security-chief/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** .CO Registry to Expand Exclusive List of Accredited Registrars .CO Internet SAS, the Registry operator of the .CO top level domain, today announced the launch of a competitive Request for Proposal (?RFP?) process to help identify and select a limited number of additional Accredited Registrar partners to sell .CO domain names. http://www.cointernet.co/media/press-releases/co-registry-expand-exclusive-list-accredited-registrars Should We Expect .Com Price Increases, Too? VeriSign is in the process of trying to renew its contract with ICANN to run .net. It includes significant price increases similar to its current contract. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/04/29/should-we-expect-com-price-increases-too/ Over 1 million .mobi domains registered The .mobi top-level domain now reportedly has more than a million registered domains. http://domainincite.com/over-1-million-mobi-domains-registered/ .SE launches its business blog today The first installment of .SE?s (The Internet Infrastructure Foundation) business blog is being published today. People who are interested can follow general developments in the Internet world. Bloggers include some of Sweden?s foremost experts in areas ranging from security and infrastructure issues to Internet usage in Sweden and how domains and the Internet are controlled. http://www.iis.se/en/pressmeddelanden/se-lanserar-sin-foretagsblogg-idag Turkey forbids ?forbidden? from Internet domain names A total of 138 words have been banned from Turkish Internet domain names and now tens of thousands of Turkish websites face closure. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-forbids-8216forbidden8217-from-internet-domain-names-2011-04-28 More government domain name censorship? The government of Turkey has reportedly just kicked off a Draconian crackdown on domain names that contain words relating to sex and pornography. http://domainincite.com/more-government-domain-name-censorship/ Domains registered in Vietnamese The exclusive online global domain name registrar, Dot VN Inc, began providing general registrations for Viet Nam's native language internationalised domain name (Vietnamese IDN) on Thursday. http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Economy/210875/Domains-registered-in-Vietnamese.html ICM adds another .xxx registrar DomainMonster has become the latest registrar, the first in the UK, to announce support for ICM Registry?s upcoming .xxx porn-only top-level domain. http://domainincite.com/icm-adds-another-xxx-registrar/ ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** Australijskie miasta z w?asnymi domenami? D?uga rywalizacja pomi?dzy australijskimi miastami Sydney i Melbourne przenosi si? tak?e do domenowego ?wiata. W?adze obu metropolii chc? bowiem posiada? w?asne domenowe rozszerzenie. http://gospodarka.gazeta.pl/gospodarka/1,60488,9506468,Australijskie_miasta_z_wlasnymi_domenami_.html http://e-biznes.pl/2011/04/australijskie-miasta-z-wlasnymi-domenami/ Email from Rod Beckstrom to Ra?l Echeberr?a re .LAC United Domains Announcement http://icann.org/en/correspondence/beckstrom-to-echeberria-28apr11-en.pdf ICANN Investigates United Domains? Pre-Registration of New TLDs There are a number of web sites accepting ?pre-registrations? for new top level domain names. Since no one can apply for these new TLDs yet, it?s all speculative on the part of the services. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/04/29/icann-investigates-united-domains-pre-registration-of-new-tlds/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Treat cyber crime as an act of war: IT lecturer A war is raging right now in cyberspace and Australians need to arm themselves accordingly against online criminals, according to one expert. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/384922/treat_cyber_crime_an_act_war_it_lecturer/ Internet companies must be held accountable, warns European Commission The EU will steer a tough course on insulating the Internet from cyberattacks, policymakers have warned. But observers argue that concrete actions are slow to come. http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/internet-companies-held-accountable-warns-commission-news-504386 fr: DNSSEC opened to registrars Last April 19, AFNIC opened DNSSEC to all its registrars. Now, they will be able to use their automated EPP or Extranet interface to communicate signature elements concerning domain names to AFNIC. http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/282/dnssec-opened-to-registrars ARIN DNSSEC Changes Completed On 27 April, ARIN placed Delegation Signer (DS) records into in-addr.arpa and ip6.arpa. Now DNSSEC validation will occur from the root down if you properly set up your DNSSEC-aware recursive resolver. https://www.arin.net/announcements/2011/20110428.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Full Tilt Poker Reclaims Domain Name, and Typos Too Full Tilt Poker might have been involved in a high-level battle over its domain name with the FBI, but that was far from the only fight over URLs that Pocket Kings ? the company which owns FTP ? has been engaged in recently. According to a report at DomainNameWire.com, Full Tilt Poker has spent most of April regaining control of misspelled versions of its primary website, winning a dozen domain names in total. http://www.internet-poker.co.uk/Poker-News/Poker-Sites/Full-Tilt-Poker-Reclaims-Domain-Name-and-Typos-Too~4147.html ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** The other IP address transfer market: mergers by Brenden Kuerbis The recent Nortel bankruptcy proceeding provided some clarity concerning the legacy space holders property rights in IP addresses. Another transfer likely involving legacy space is in the works. CenturyLink, which became the third-largest telecommunications company in the United States after acquiring regional bell company Qwest in April 2011 for $12.2 billion in stock, has agreed to acquire Savvis, Inc. for $2.5 billion in stock and cash. Savvis has substantial v4 address space and data center assets, much of which it got in a 2004 acquisition of Cable & Wireless. According to ARIN's Whois, 66 of Savvis's 130 address blocks indicate registration dates prior to ARIN's formation. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/4/29/4806145.html ca: IPv6, are you prepared? The Canadian Internet Registration Authority?s (CIRA) Director of Information Technology, Jacques Latour, will be a presenter at the Ottawa IPv6 Summit on April 29, 2011. http://www.cira.ca/news/news-releases/ipv6-are-you-prepared/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Verisign Reports 12% Year-Over-Year Revenue Growth in First Quarter 2011 VeriSign ... reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011. ... erisign Registry Services ended the quarter with approximately 108 million active domain names in the adjusted zone for .com and .net, representing a 9% increase year-over-year; In the first quarter, Verisign processed a record 8.3 million new domain name registrations, representing an approximately 3% increase year-over-year. http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/news-events/press-room/articles/index.xhtml?artLink=aHR0cHM6Ly9wcmVzcy52ZXJpc2lnbi5jb20vZWFzeWlyL2N1c3RvbXJlbC5kbz9lYXN5aXJpZD1BRkMwRkYwREI1QzU2MEQzJnZlcnNpb249bGl2ZSZwcmlkPTc0OTY1MiZyZWxlYXNlanNwPWN1c3RvbV85Nw== ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Apple rumoured to have bought iCloud domain name Apple?s long-awaited online storage service for iTunes could be named iCloud, if only rumours are to be believed. Apple has reportedly purchased the domain name icloud.com for $4.5 million, technology blogger Om Malik reported. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/8481671/Apple-rumoured-to-have-bought-iCloud-domain-name.html Apple May Have Snapped Up iCloud.com What will be the name of Apple?s cloud-based music service? No one knows. However, a tipster of mine says that it might be iCloud. Why? Because the Cupertino-based computing giant is rumored to be a likely buyer of the domain iCloud.com. http://gigaom.com/apple/apple-may-have-snapped-up-icloud-com/ Apple may have purchased iCloud.com domain for $4.5M - rumor In what may serve as further evidence of an impending cloud-based iTunes service, a new report claims Apple has purchased the iCloud.com domain from the Swedish company Xcerion for $4.5 million. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/04/28/apple_may_have_purchased_icloud_com_domain_for_4_5m_rumor.html Apple Rumoured To Pay $4.5m For iCloud.com The cloud is going to be big, and it's a reasonable bet that Apple's version of the cloud will be... "iCloud". Especially with rumours Apple recently bought icloud.com, according to a report on GigaOm, for about $4.5 million in a sale that will no doubt be one of the year's biggest. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=14464 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/04/29/apple-rumoured-to-pay-45m-for-icloudcom/ Media Corp takes ?1.1m hit on gambling.com Type ?gambling? into Google, and gambling.com appears near the top of the page, with the SAS-style tagline ? Who Dares Wins. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e0fb69b4-71e8-11e0-9adf-00144feabdc0.html Sedo brokers most expensive domain name of the year Sedo, the online domain specialist, today announced that it has brokered the sale of gambling.com for $2.5 million, the highest price for a web address this year. UK based Media Corp sold the domain through Sedo to an unnamed UK company. http://www.sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e&id=362 Gambling.com Gives Owner $1.8m Loss On Sale It is not always the case that it is just a case of buy a domain name, wait a while, and sell it for a profit. The Financial Times today has a story on gambling.com that was sold recently by Media Corporation, an Aim-quoted advertising network and online gaming group, for $2.5m, or a $1.8m paper loss. The website currently serves as a portal to gambling sites. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=14463 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/04/29/gamblingcom-gives-owner-18m-loss-on-sale/ ********************** REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** How Public Schools Can Constitutionally Halt Cyberbullying: A Model Cyberbullying Policy that Survives First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, and Due Process Challenges by Naomi Goodno [Wake Forest Law Review] Abstract: There have been all too many recent cases where children are taking their lives because of cyberbullying. One hearbreaking case involved Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman, who leaped to his death after his roommate secretly taped him having a ?sexual encounter? with another young man and posted it on the Internet. Schools, courts, and legislatures are struggling with how to deal with such tragedies. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1825179 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** William and Kate bring BBC website to its knees The popularity of the royal wedding proved too much for the BBC website which crashed on Friday under sheer weight of traffic. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/apr/29/william-kate-bbc-website William and Kate's World Wide Wedding The marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton was an event for the internet age. Great traditions of state were celebrated by the modern institutions of the web. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13236856 Royal wedding breaks internet records [AFP] Britain's royal wedding broke records for live streaming on Friday, internet firms said, causing some websites to falter under the strain as hundreds of millions watched online. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10722520 Royal Wedding: Facebook a hub for nearly 3 million in U.K., U.S. The royal wedding found a couple million friends on Facebook. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/04/royal-wedding-facebook-a-hub-for-millions-celebrating-online.html Internet Providers Ready Receiving Lines for Royal Wedding The British monarchy is promising to make the coming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton an Internet-friendly event, with a live feed on YouTube and updates via Twitter, Facebook and an official royal-wedding website. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703367004576289140783981856.html Quality Time, Redefined It was a vision of family togetherness out of a Norman Rockwell painting, if Rockwell had worked in the era of WiFi. After a taco dinner one Wednesday in March, Dianne Vavra and her family retreated to the living room of their Cape Cod-style house in Huntington, N.Y., where they curled up on the spacious beige sofa amid hand-stitched quilts as an icy rain pelted the windows. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/fashion/01FAMILY.html au: Poll reveals the rebel surfers of the internet [AAP] Frequent internet users are less likely to respect the law, serve on a jury or do volunteer work, a study has found. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/poll-unveils-the-rebel-surfers-of-the-internet/story-e6frg6nf-1226046430345 au: Internet not isolating, poll shows [AAP] Frequent internet use does not make people more selfish or more socially isolated, says a survey. http://www.theage.com.au/national/internet-not-isolating-poll-shows-20110428-1dys6.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/frequent-net-users-more-likely-to-flout-law-20110429-1dzco.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** How private is your profile? [news release] With social networking increasingly becoming a part of everyday lives, the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) are reminding people to take care with what they share online and to familiarise themselves with their social networking sites' privacy policies and settings. http://www.vic.gov.au/news-detail/how-private-is-your-profile.html How Twitter is bringing footballers back to the fans As the third decade of football's digitally driven global boom approaches there are a great many things that look, if not broken beyond repair, then at least in need of a vigorous reconditioning. The breakdown of the relationship between fans and players was one of the tragedies of the atomised modern game. But against all expectations it has been Twitter ? the most laconic, celebrity-driven and, for many, gallopingly inane of the social networking media ? that has begun to hurl the odd significant grappling hook across the divide. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/01/footballers-twitter Average Kiwi has 124 Facebook friends The average New Zealand Facebook user has 124 friends according to a new poll. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10722880 How to Thwart Cyberbullies on Facebook Analysis: ZoneAlarm Social Guard is a good start toward getting Facebook creeps and other threats away from your kids. http://www.pcworld.com/article/226800/.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Apple's Chinese workers treated 'inhumanely, like machines' An investigation into the conditions of Chinese workers has revealed the shocking human cost of producing the must-have Apple iPhones and iPads that are now ubiquitous in the west. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/30/apple-chinese-workers-treated-inhumanely Apple factories accused of exploiting Chinese workers The spate of suicides made headlines around the world. Last May, seven young Chinese workers producing Apple iPads for consumers across the globe took their own lives, prompting an investigation into working conditions at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, southern China. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/30/apple-chinese-factory-workers-suicides-humiliation Opinion: Were humans harmed in the making of your shiny gadget? Imagine a label, one that reads: "An actual, living, breathing human used their own hands to help make this product." This is just what the (western) world needs, a label affixed to consumer goods. We need this urgent reminder because in those seconds when we decide to purchase another piece of life's apparatus we are strikingly effective at suppressing any ethical doubt over its provenance. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/01/lucy-siegle-human-cost-consumerism Project to track US cellphones, TVs for recycling A new international project will try to track discarded U.S. cellphones, TVs and other electronic waste to help recycle everything from gold to rare earths and protect human health, U.S. and U.N. officials said on Sunday. http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/05/01/idINIndia-56689220110501 nz: Future perfect? As cellphones become smartphones, with built-in GPS and apps that both inform our friends where we are and alert us to nearby products or services we might want to buy, we will never leave our social networks behind. Technology is changing what we wear. It is helping conquer terminal diseases. It is connecting every imaginable object to the internet. It is helping combat climate change. It is creating machines that can make themselves. It is helping build a computer with a bigger brain than every existing computer put together. It will help us colonise space, build cars that can find the nearest petrol station, and create toilets that will diagnose our illnesses. Culture asked nine experts how how our lives will change thanks to technology. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/technology/4948073/Future-perfect ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Facebook opened up to NSW school teachers NSW public school teachers have been granted permission to use Facebook, Twitter and other social media in the classroom. Students are still blocked. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-opened-up-to-school-teachers-20110428-1dyxa.html Tweet new deal for NSW teachers The New South Wales Government has lifted a long-standing ban on public school teachers using social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter at work. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/29/3203136.htm Call to school kids in use of social media Primary school students should be receiving lessons in how to make the most of social media and how to protect themselves from its dangers and pitfalls, says a US specialist. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/call-to-school-kids-in-use-of-social-media/story-e6frg996-1226046541044 nz: Talking, not banning, key to online safety Banning children from social networking sites like Facebook is not the way to keep them safe, online experts say. http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/life-style/news/talking-not-banning-key-to-online-safety/3950065/ uk: Facebook bullying of headteachers on rise, says poll A fifth of headteachers have been bullied by pupils or parents on Facebook and other social networking sites, a poll has found. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/apr/30/facebook-bullying-headteachers-rise-poll Lessons on Cyber Bullying I don?t like admitting this, but I?m a little scared. Yesterday was the annual Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work event at our Dow Jones campus. My son had a great time. I left with a knot in my stomach after one of the presentations. http://blogs.wsj.com/wsjam/2011/04/29/lessons-on-cyber-bullying/ ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** On-Demand Viewing Poses a Test for Broadcasters Television viewers who miss their favorite show or want to check out the buzz surrounding a new series are increasingly turning to video-on-demand, whether on television sets, computers or tablets like the iPad. But the growing technology has created a balancing act for broadcast and cable executives weighing how to offer more programming without threatening traditional ad dollars and syndication rights. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/business/media/02episodes.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** au: APF urges criminal penalties for smartphone privacy breaches Smartphone vendors should face criminal penalties if they fail to adequately protect personal data, according to Australia's privacy watchdog. The call comes in the wake of recent revelations that Apple's iPhones and iPads log location data, and of the Sony PlayStation Network data breach. http://www.zdnet.com.au/apf-urges-criminal-penalties-for-smartphone-privacy-breaches-339314170.htm Google Sued by Android Phone Users Over Alleged Tracking of Location Data Two Android phone users sued Google Inc. over claims their phones secretly recorded and stored data about their movements. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-29/google-sued-by-android-phone-users-over-alleged-tracking.html Google sued over Android data location collection Two Michigan women are suing Google over location data collected by Android devices, a week after Apple was named in a lawsuit citing privacy violations with the iPhone logging similar data. http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20058493-245.html Google tracks you too, internal e-mails show A series of internal e-mails from last year highlights how important location data is to Google, and likely gives more ammunition to privacy advocates over how these companies track your every move. http://www.pcworld.com/article/226808/.html http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/384916/google_tracks_too_internal_e-mails_show/ FTC Said to Contact Companies About Google Investigation The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is preparing an investigation of Google Inc.?s dominance of the Internet search industry by alerting high-tech companies to gather information for the probe, three people familiar with the matter said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-29/google-said-to-be-subject-of-ftc-probe-into-web-search-industry-dominance.html Apple 'dropped the ball' on iPhone location tracking issue, says expert Apple's explanation about how and why iPhones track users' locations was too late, too little, a crisis communications expert said today. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9216256/Apple_dropped_the_ball_on_iPhone_location_tracking_issue_says_expert Apple, Google will testify to Senate on location tracking Representatives from both Apple and Google will testify at a Congressional hearing next month on consumer privacy and smartphones, two U.S. senators confirmed on Thursday. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9216285/Apple_Google_will_testify_to_Senate_on_location_tracking http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/226668/.html ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Is technology the key to accelerating development? Wireless and broadband are offering new hope to some LDCs [news release] With information and communication technology (ICT) widely acknowledged as a key driver of development across other social and economic sectors, the Brussels LDC III conference in 2001 set clear 10-year targets for improved ICT access in Least Developed Countries. http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2011/Advisory-05.aspx ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Treat cyber crime as an act of war: IT lecturer A war is raging right now in cyberspace and Australians need to arm themselves accordingly against online criminals, according to one expert. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/384922/treat_cyber_crime_an_act_war_it_lecturer/ Internet companies must be held accountable, warns European Commission The EU will steer a tough course on insulating the Internet from cyberattacks, policymakers have warned. But observers argue that concrete actions are slow to come. http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/internet-companies-held-accountable-warns-commission-news-504386 Symantec Announces April 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report [news release] Symantec Corp. today (26/4) announced the publication of its April 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report. This month analysis reveals that targeted attacks intercepted by Symantec.cloud rose to 85 per day, the highest figure since March 2009 when the figure was 107 per day in the run-up to the G20 Summit held in London that year. Simultaneously, in the aftermath of the Rustock botnet takedown, global spam volumes continued to fall and decreased by 6.4 percentage points since March to 72.9 percent in April. MessageLabs Intelligence also revealed that shortened URLs have become increasingly popular recently, being used to lure people to click on advertising links; a practice known as click-fraud. http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20110426_01 The cyberplague that threatens an internet Armageddon In 1971, Bob Thomas, an engineer working for Bolt, Beranek and Newman, the Boston company that had the contract to build the Arpanet, the precursor of the internet, released a virus called the "creeper" on to the network. It was an experimental, self-replicating program that infected DEC PDP-10 minicomputers. It did no actual harm and merely displayed a cheeky message: "I'm the creeper, catch me if you can!" Someone else wrote a program to detect and delete it, called ? inevitably ? the "reaper". http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/may/01/malware-cyberplague-internet-meltdown Online reputations in the dirt: Serious glitches at Sony and Amazon have revived worries about the risks of handling data online They are two of the biggest names in technology and each is grappling with a huge and highly embarrassing debacle. On April 26th Amazon?s finance chief, Thomas Szkutak, said the firm was still trying to get to the bottom of a glitch that caused numerous websites it hosts for other businesses to crash or run painfully slowly during the previous week. The same day, Sony of Japan revealed that names, addresses, passwords and possibly credit-card details of 77m accounts were stolen when hackers gained access to the network it runs in 60 countries for its PlayStation online-gaming system, as well as for Qriocity, a service offering music, films and television shows. http://www.economist.com/node/18620636?story_id=18620636 Sony PlayStation comes under EU scrutiny While Sony is left wondering how hackers got access to 77 million users' information, several EU data protection authorities have begun examining whether the company has been collecting excessive data from its users. http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/sony-playstation-comes-eu-scrutiny-news-504354 PlayStation Network credit card details were encrypted Sony has revealed that credit card details held on its PlayStation Network were stored in securely encrypted files. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13231307 PlayStation Network: hackers claim to have 2.2m credit cards Hackers in underground online forums are claiming to have access to credit card details stolen from Sony's PlayStation Network in mid-April, though security researchers say it is not possible to verify the claims. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2011/apr/29/playstation-network-hackers-credit-cards Hackers claim to have stolen PSN credit card info Hackers claiming to have credit card information stolen from Sony's PlayStation Network last week are trying to sell them on underground Internet forums, but the veracity of the claims could not be confirmed. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20058513-83.html au: Sony cyber theft a wake-up call for Australians The theft of personal records belonging to 77 million gamers worldwide has prompted a security expert to warn that Australia is particularly vulnerable to computer hacking. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/sony-cyber-theft-a-wake-up-call/story-e6frg6nf-1226046537882 1.6m Australian PlayStation accounts affected: Sony Almost 1.6 million Australian accounts are among those affected by the hacking of Sony's PlayStation network and multimedia services. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/m-australian-playstation-accounts-affected-sony/story-e6frgakx-1226048293366 PlayStation hack: 1.5m Aussie accounts exposed Sony has revealed over 1.5 million Australian user accounts including potentially 280,000 credit card numbers are in the hands of hackers as it struggles to contain the reputational damage caused by one of the world's biggest privacy breaches. http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/games/playstation-hack-15m-aussie-accounts-exposed-20110502-1e3pc.html http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/playstation-hack-15m-aussie-accounts-exposed-20110502-1e3pc.html 300,000 Kiwis' details may have been exposed by breach The Privacy Commissioner is watching Sony closely after the hacking of its PlayStation Network. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/4949523/300-000-Kiwis-details-may-have-been-exposed-by-breach nz: Internal Affairs warns scammers may target PlaystationNetwork users DIA says PlayStation Network users they may be targeted by scammers after the theft of personal information by a hacker. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/internal-affairs-warns-scammers-may-target-playstationnetwork-users-aw-91847 The Dangerous Side of Online Romance Scams [FBI iC3 news release] The IC3 is warning the public to be wary of romance scams in which scammers target individuals who search for companionship or romance online. Someone you know may be "dating" someone online who may appear to be decent and honest. http://www.ic3.gov/media/2011/110429.aspx au: New internet law to be tested by Skype sex claims The charge laid against two young men involved in the Australian Defence Force Academy Skype scandal is a relatively new offence created to deal with crimes committed on the internet and social media sites. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/new-internet-law-to-be-tested-by-skype-sex-claims/story-e6frg6nf-1226047248774 nz: Internal Affairs antispam unit warns on Sony scams The Department of Internal Affairs? Anti-Spam Compliance Unit has issued a warning that Sony PlayStation users may be targeted by scammers following the theft of personal details on Sony?s PlayStation Network by hackers. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/internal-affairs-antispam-unit-warns-on-sony-scams ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Data Privacy, Put to the Test Big Oil. Big Food. Big Pharma. To the catalog of corporate ?bigs? that worry a lot of us little people, add this: Big Data. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/business/01stream.html Opt-In Rules Are a Good Start Facebook seems to have finally learned its lesson: Permission is everything. Many Web site visitors are willing to share personal information about themselves ? provided that their consent is obtained first. Consent cannot be presumed, however. Sneaky is not O.K. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/business/01digi.html Editorial: Internet privacy: At every turn, our privacy is compromised by technology A pattern is emerging. A researcher discovers that a product or service offered by a large (generally US-based) company contains a security flaw or a feature that compromises the privacy of internet users. The revelations are confirmed by other experts across the internet. The company responsible then goes through a predictable series of steps: first, "no comment", followed by indignant denial, then a PR-spun "explanation" and, eventually, an apology of sorts plus a declaration that the bug will be fixed or the intrusive practice terminated. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/01/observer-editorial-internet-privacy New FBI Documents Provide Details on Government?s Surveillance Spyware EFF recently received documents from the FBI that reveal details about the depth of the agency's electronic surveillance capabilities and call into question the FBI's controversial effort to push Congress to expand the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) for greater access to communications data. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/CIPAV_Pot TomTom NZ weighs in on row over speeding data being sold to police Sat-nav maker TomTom is facing a potential customer backlash following the revelation it sold information about speeding customers to Dutch police. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/tomtom-nz-weighs-row-over-speeding-data-being-sold-police-ck-91871 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** (Western) Internet Censorship Providers Last month the OpenNet Initiative published a report that shines light on one of the more sensitive business practices of Western Internet security and filtering companies. These companies ? including McAfee (an Intel subsidiary), Websense, and Netsweeper ? promote their filtering technologies in the West as tools for parents and schools trying to shield children from online pornography and employers looking to maintain a professional work environment. But they also appear to make their software and URL categorization services available to state-run ISPs and telecoms in Middle Eastern and North African countries, such as Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Sudan, and Tunisia. These ISPs and telecoms, and the governments behind them, use the software to filter out Internet content that they don?t want their citizens to see. http://futureoftheinternet.org/western-internet-censorship-providers China's Great Leap Backward by Nicholas D. Kristof Since China is in the middle of its harshest crackdown on independent thought in two decades, I thought that on this visit I might write about a woman named Cheng Jianping who is imprisoned for tweeting. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/opinion/28kristof.html uk: Facebook accused of removing activists' pages Facebook has removed dozens of profiles from its site, causing an outcry from campaigners trying to organise anti-austerity protests this weekend. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/29/facebook-accused-removing-activists-pages ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** uk: Cyber-stalking laws: police review urged A senior police officer is calling on the government to review whether laws governing cyber-stalking in the UK are fit for purpose. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/13200185 au: Another state decides against shield laws to protect bloggers: the new media faces a fresh legal rebuff NSW has become the second state to reject the push by the federal Greens to extend journalists' shield laws beyond the news media to amateur bloggers and anyone else who publishes news. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/another-state-decides-against-shield-laws-to-protect-bloggers-the-new-media-faces-a-fresh-legal-rebuff/story-e6frg97x-1226046549889 nz: ISPs could recoup just $2 per copyright notice Internet service providers may end up being able to recoup as little as $2 for sending out detection, warning or enforcement notices under the controversial online file-sharing amendments to the Copyright Act; but they may persuade government to let them charge as much as $28. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/isps-could-recoup-just-2-per-copyright-notice nz: Ministerial discussion document asks: how the heck will the internet file-sharing law work? To quickly recap, the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act passed on April 14 and comes into effect from September 1. http://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/ministerial-discussion-document-asks-how-heck-will-internet-file-sharing-law-work New Zealands Three Strikes Law was Pushed, Bought and Paid for by the US ? Wikileaks The slow trickle of leaked diplomatic cables from Wikileaks may not be in the headlines as much as it was when it started, but revelations keep pouring out of the website. Recently, new diplomatic cables published on the site revealed just how, not only influential the US was, but just how much control the US had over the passage of the three strikes law in New Zealand. http://www.zeropaid.com/news/93326/new-zealands-three-strikes-law-was-pushed-bought-and-paid-for-by-the-us-wikileaks/ ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* au: Websites cave in to agencies over auto-refreshing Yahoo7 and Sensis Digital Media have become the first two top-five internet publishers to buckle under a wave of pressure from advertisers and media agencies to put a stop to the contentious website practice of auto-refreshing. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/websites-cave-in-to-agencies-over-auto-refreshing/story-e6frg996-1226048032197 Microsoft falls behind Apple for first time in 20 years Microsoft's quarterly profits and revenues were eclipsed for the first time in 20 years by Apple as a slowdown in the PC business and continuing huge losses in its search division held it back. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/28/microsoft-falls-behind-apple PC Sales Off, Games Buoy Microsoft Microsoft, once the dominant technology company, saw revenue from its core operating system software slip in the first three months of the year as consumers begin to shift to buying tablet computers that do not run on Microsoft software. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/technology/29microsoft.html Fry Up: Departure Lounge ... Other departures this week include REANNZ CEO Donald Clark (parental responsibilities) and InternetNZ policy director Jordan Carter (political aspirations). http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/fryup/fry-up-departure-lounge ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** uk: Permit on spectrum shake-up questioned Two of the UK?s leading mobile operators are rapidly shaking up their use of Britain?s airwaves because of the data demands of bandwidth-hungry smartphone users. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/df1debe8-7446-11e0-b788-00144feabdc0.html nz: Telcos serving consumers better: report The Commerce Commission has given a mixed report on the state of the telecommunications industry saying investment was down but prices had fallen and services improved. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4940864/Telcos-serving-consumers-better-report nz: Telecom's share of market drops slightly Telecom?s total share of the local telecommunications market fell to 57 percent last year, a loss of almost two percentage points compared with the 2008-2009 year. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/telecoms-share-of-market-drops-slightly nz: New Zealand at bottom of heap, with Tanzania, for mobile calls Watchdog's annual report has ominous signs for Vodafone and Telecom ahead of next Thursday's ruling on mobile price regulation. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/comcom-report-highlights-low-mobile-voice-use-net-pricing-ck-91840 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2011 ------ David Goldstein email: david§goldsteinreport.com web: http://goldsteinreport.com/ http://davidgoldstein.tel/ 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 FlanneryReceived on Sun May 01 2011 - 23:09:14 UTC
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