[DNS] domain name news - 20 June

From: David Goldstein <david§goldsteinreport.com> Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:05:08 +1000 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:11 UTC

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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Internet freedom 'is a matter for UN'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/butterworth-and-bowcott-on-law/2011/jun/17/internet-freedom-matter-un

Is the U.S. turning its back on innovation in Internet governance? by Milton Mueller
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/6/14/4838065.html

NTIA Outlines Concerns On New gTLD Registry/Registrar Cross-Ownership
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=15041

Cross-ownership: NTIA delivers another late hit on ICANN by Milton Mueller
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/6/17/4840511.html

GAC gives ICANN final warning on new TLDs
http://domainincite.com/gac-gives-icann-final-warning-on-new-tlds/

EU tells ICANN: you?re not ready to end vertical integration by Kieren McCarthy
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/06/19/ec-letter-icann-vertical-integration

US anti-trust division tells ICANN to slow down on vertical integration by Kieren McCarthy
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/06/16/usg-slow-down-vertical-integration

Councilor: US power over ICANN merely 'moral'
http://www.zdnetasia.com/councilor-us-power-over-icann-merely-moral-62300801.htm

Safeguards against "Phishing" Slow in Coming
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37817/

Germany Arms Itself for Cyber War
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,768764,00.html

U.S. Government In Cyber Fight But Can't Keep Up
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/17/idINIndia-57741220110617

Pentagon building Internet simulator to practice cyberwar
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/061711-national-cyber-range.html

LulzSec leaks Australians' passwords
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/17/3246300.htm

Thousands of Aussie websites exposed in hack attack
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/thousands-of-aussie-websites-exposed-in-hack-attack-20110617-1g6vd.html

Melbourne IT's treasured domain
http://technologyspectator.com.au/industry/internet/melbourne-its-treasured-domain

Australian Liquidator Considers Domain Names As Assets
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=15040

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GOVERNANCE
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Internet freedom 'is a matter for UN'
Council of Europe's head of human rights says privacy and free speech are global issues and the UN should look at them
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/butterworth-and-bowcott-on-law/2011/jun/17/internet-freedom-matter-un

Is the U.S. turning its back on innovation in Internet governance? by Milton Mueller
With its Further Notice of Inquiry (FNOI) on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) contract, the U.S. Commerce Department has signaled its increasing dissatisfaction with ICANN's nongovernmental global governance model.
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/6/14/4838065.html

Internet Founders Gather in New York for Consultation on Network?s Future: Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Vint Cerf, and Lawrence E. Strickling Headline an All-Day Symposium on 14 June
An extraordinary roster of the men and women who have both founded the Internet and are shaping its future will join in a series of keynote addresses and panel discussions at the first INET New York to be held June 14 at the Wharton Ballroom in Manhattan.

http://isoc.org/wp/newsletter/?p=3866

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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IDN Variant TLD Case Study Update - Host Organizations
The IDN variant TLDs issues project is dedicated to identify the issues that need to be solved to facilitate a good and safe user experience before the delegation of IDN Variant TLDs can proceed. Solving the issues identified in the project will be the focus of follow-on projects by ICANN policy development, implementation plans (produced by ICANN staff in consultation with the community), relevant technical work by IETF and other organizations, etc.
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-17jun11-en.htm

Interisle Consulting Group Selected to Conduct Survey to Identify Potential Participants for a gTLD Whois ?Relay? and ?Reveal? Study
I am delighted to report that ICANN has engaged Interisle Consulting Group to survey gTLD domain name registrants, registrars, and privacy and proxy service providers regarding their willingness and ability to participate in future Whois Relay and Reveal studies.
http://blog.icann.org/2011/06/interisle-consulting-group-selected-to-conduct-survey-to-identify-potential-participants-for-a-gtld-whois-relay-and-reveal-study/

Internet Looks to Singapore and ICANN 41 for Fate of New gTLDs
Monday, 20 June, might go down in history books as the day the Internet changed dramatically ? or, it could simply represent another delay in a five-year process.
http://blog.icann.org/2011/06/internet-looks-to-singapore-and-icann-41-for-fate-of-new-gtlds/

Letter from Gerard de Graaf and Linsey McCallum, European Commission Information Society and Media Directorate-General to Rod Beckstrom and Peter Dengate Thrush
Removal of vertical separation between registries and registrars for new and existing gTLDs
http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/eu-to-icann-17jun11-en.pdf

Letter from Lawrence Strickling, United States Department of Commerce, to Peter Dengate Thrush
Regarding cross-ownership issues for registries and registrars
http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/strickling-to-dengate-thrush-16jun11-en.pdf
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/oiahome/NTIA_ICANN_Letter_06162011.pdf

NTIA Outlines Concerns On New gTLD Registry/Registrar Cross-Ownership
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an agency of the Department of Commerce, has expressed its concerns on cross-ownership of registries and registrars for existing and new generic Top Level Domains in a letter from its Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, Lawrence Strickling.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=15041
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/06/17/ntia-outlines-concerns-on-gtld-registryregistrar-cross-ownership/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/ntia-outlines-concerns-on-new-gtld-registryregistrar-cross-ownership.html

Cross-ownership: NTIA delivers another late hit on ICANN by Milton Mueller
June 16 ? two days before the ICANN meeting begins, the day most people going to it are getting onto airplanes for long rides to Singapore ? the Commerce Department has shot another unmanned drone at ICANN?s new TLD process. This one takes the form of a brief, 3 page letter about the new cross-ownership policy from the U.S. Department of Justice?s Antitrust Division.
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/6/17/4840511.html

U.S. Antitrust: Halt Registrar-Registry Integration on Existing Top Level Domain Names
The U.S. Department of Justice?s Antitrust Division has advised ICANN that it should halt its plans to allow some existing top level domain name registries to own registrars.
http://domainnamewire.com/2011/06/17/u-s-antitrust-halt-registrar-registry-integration-on-existing-top-level-domain-names/

CADNA Recommendations Reflected in NTIA Further Notice of Inquiry Regarding IANA Functions
The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) supports the National Telecommunications and Information Administration?s (NTIA) Further Notice of Inquiry concerning the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions. CADNA also appreciates NTIA?s careful review and consideration of the comments provided in response to the previous Notice of Inquiry.
http://www.cadna.org/en/newsroom/press-release/cadna-recommendations-reflected-inquiry-iana-functions

NTIA's IANA Notice contains hidden joke. Or something. by Milton Mueller
Friday the Commerce Department released a "Further Notice of Inquiry" on the important contract between itself and ICANN, known as the IANA contract. The NTIA approach to the IANA contract is a bizarre mixture of sober, reasonable statements and the utterly insane. Of course it's more fun to write about the crazy stuff before launching into a step by step analysis of the whole proceeding, so let's start with the interesting stuff. A later blog post will go into more detail.
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/6/13/4837428.html

GAC gives ICANN final warning on new TLDs
As ICANN?s 41st meeting begins in Singapore, the Governmental Advisory Committee is sticking to its guns on a number of its outstanding demands on new top-level domains.
http://domainincite.com/gac-gives-icann-final-warning-on-new-tlds/

EU tells ICANN: you?re not ready to end vertical integration by Kieren McCarthy
The European Commission has warned ICANN that it should not change the rules on cross-ownership at the top level of the Internet until it has done more work.
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/06/19/ec-letter-icann-vertical-integration

US anti-trust division tells ICANN to slow down on vertical integration by Kieren McCarthy
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has told ICANN its plan to remove existing restrictions between those that run Internet registries and those that sell domain names is ?misguided? and needs more work before it goes ahead.
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/06/16/usg-slow-down-vertical-integration

When multi-stakeholderism became Animal Farm by Emily Taylor
The last two months has seen a flurry of activity on the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook, with the publication of not one, but two, further drafts.
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/06/15/gac-animal-farm

Hot topics for ICANN Singapore
ICANN?s 41st public meeting kicks off in Singapore on Monday, and as usual there are a whole array of controversial topics set to be debated.
http://domainincite.com/hot-topics-for-icann-singapore/

ICANN 41 Singapore Next Week by Michele Neylon 
... While some of the squabbles and debates might seem to be interminably boring there are plenty of topics that have a direct impact on our business and our customers. So what's on the menu for Singapore?
http://blog.blacknight.com/icann-41-singapore-next-week.html

Councilor: US power over ICANN merely 'moral'
Over a year into the signing of the Affirmation of Commitments (AOC) pact with the United States, which positions the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) as a private sector entity, questions over its autonomy remain. Shedding light into the matter, an ICANN councilor noted that while the organization remained under U.S. purview, that power is "moral" and will be lost once exercised.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/councilor-us-power-over-icann-merely-moral-62300801.htm

ICANN plans retreat to regroup under new chair
ICANN?s board of directors will hold a surprise, unprecedented workshop or retreat next Saturday, to address the ?multiple challenges? it faces.
http://domainincite.com/icann-plans-retreat-to-regroup-under-new-chair/

ICANN Hubris Knows No Ends by Michael D. Palage
Despite all signs pointing to a launch of the new gTLDs program in Singapore, it seems like ICANN could not help poking the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) in the eye one last time. In the latest installment of how a California not for profit technical coordinating body knows best, we have the ICANN Evidence of "Use" Requirement for Trademark Protection document.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/icann_hubris_knows_no_ends/

Bring a Responsible Closure to the New gTLD Process - The Home Stretch by Michael D. Palage
Over the course of the last year, the ICANN Board and Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) have constructively worked through a long list of their differences contained in the GAC scorecard. As we near the finish line with Monday's scheduled ICANN Board meeting to approve the Applicant Guidebook, there remains a small handful of issues that will hopefully be resolved in a similar responsible manner during Sunday's ICANN Board/GAC consultation.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/bring_a_responsible_closure_to_the_new_gtld_process_the_home_stretch/

Ensuring Last Minute GAC Safeguards by Michael D. Palage
In light of some changes contained in the most recent Applicant Guidebook as well as some of the proposed contractual provisions contained in the recent IANA Statement of Work, there is a potential growing justification to make some necessary last minute changes to the legal terms and conditions contained in Module 6 of the Applicant Guidebook. Specifically, the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and its individual members have a clearly defined role in the new gTLDs process.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/ensuring_last_minute_gac_safeguards/

."brands" approach with Internet name shake-up
Brand owners will soon be able to operate their own parts of the Web -- such as .apple, .coke or .marlboro -- if the biggest shake-up yet in how Internet domains are awarded is approved.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/17/oukin-uk-internet-names-idUKTRE75G49V20110617
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/17/idINIndia-57763920110617

Internet braces for '.Vegas' and other not-coms [AP]
Coming soon to the Internet: website addresses that end in ".bank," ".Vegas" and ".Canon."
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/internet-braces-for-vegas-and-other-notcoms-20110618-1g8l8.html
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-technology/internet-braces-for-vegas-and-other-notcoms-20110618-1g8l8.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/internet-braces-for-vegas-and-other-notcoms-20110618-1g8l8.html

Beyond '.com,' names for Antarctica, Urdu and more [AP]
Unless you're a Luddite, you're bound to know of ".com," the Internet's most common address suffix. You've also probably heard of ".gov," for U.S. government sites, and ".edu," for educational institutions.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110617/us-tec-beyond-dot-coms-the-names/
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/beyond-com-names-for-antarctica-urdu-and-more-20110618-1g8l9.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/beyond-com-names-for-antarctica-urdu-and-more-20110618-1g8l9.html

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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nic.at flying high on the international scene ? .hamburg secures Austrian expertise
New top level domain .hamburg will be operated using registry technology supplied by nic.at, according to a joint statement issued today by nic.at CEO Richard Wein and Hamburg Top-Level-Domain GmbH CEO Oliver S?me.
http://www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/nicat_news/news_view/article/81/nicat-auf-internationalem-erfolgskurs-oesterreichische-expertise-fuer-hamburg-1/

SWITCH welcomes the decisions of the Competition Commission and the Federal Administrative Court
SWITCH is a private, independent foundation, which supports the 300,000 employees and students of the Swiss universities with its Internet services. A group of hosting providers had lodged complaints with the Competition Commission and the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) in conjunction with SWITCH's subsidiary, switchplus ag.
http://www.switch.ch/about/news/2011/bvger140611.html

The new legal framework for domain names AFNIC hosts a video chat on "Le Journal du Net" on 17 June from 11:00 to 12:00
The law of 22 March 2011 has modified certain aspects of the legal framework for domain names in France, and the main changes will take effect as of 1 July. So that Internet users can fully grasp and understand the issues involved in these major changes, a video chat will be hosted by AFNIC on "le Journal du Net" on Friday, 17 June from 11:00 to 12:00. Mathieu Weill, CEO of AFNIC, and Isabel Toutaud, Legal Affairs and Registry Policy Director, will answers questions from Internet users.
http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/292/the-new-legal-framework-for-domain-names-afnic-hosts-a-video-chat-on-le-journal-du-net-on-17-june-from-11-00-to-12-00

.ME Domain Becoming Increasingly Popular For Mobile Apps
.ME is becoming a domain extension of choice among companies introducing innovative, hip new mobile applications. Internet apps such as Kiip.Me, Blip.Me and Sonar.Me are all perfect examples.
http://www.domain.me/me-domain-becoming-increasingly-popular-for-mobile-apps

nl: DNSSEC survey: knowledge and tools are registrars? main needs
In April 2011, SIDN carried out a survey of its registrars to build up a picture of attitudes to DNSSEC. The survey was prompted by the start of the Implementation of DNSSEC Tier 2 project, i.e. the registrar-level rollout of DNSSEC for .nl domain names.
https://www.sidn.nl/en/news/news/article/dnssec-survey-knowledge-and-tools-are-registrars-main-needs/

EURID and UNESCO cite impressive performance by IDN TLD ??
A joint study by Eurid and focuses on internationalized (nation language-based) national domains (IDNs) and the diversity of languages in the global network. The study tracks back the background of the domains in national scripts, the current state of this particular area of the domain industry, as well as pending problems facing IDNs.
http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=1495

sg: Special names for a limited period! Grab it now!
>From 1 July to 31 July 2011, a selected group of Premium Domain Names (?PDNs?) will be released for application at a base price ranging from $642 to $21,400 (including GST). If the name has multiple applications, it will be allocated to the applicant with the highest bid.
http://nic.net.sg/news/special-names-limited-period-grab-it-now-0

Landrush period for .uk short domains closes
The Landrush application phase for the 2,640 remaining .uk short domains remaining .uk short domains closed at midday (12.00 BST) today. Nominet received a total of 16,592 unique applications and applicants have a week to file payment ahead of the next step in the process.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8451

Recruiting .uk domain name dispute resolution experts
Nominet operates a Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) for .uk domain name disputes. The DRS is an alternative dispute resolution procedure which allows parties to attempt to settle their differences via mediation.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8458

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 - NEW TLDS
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Decision Day for ICANN: The End of the Beginning, or the Beginning of the End? by Steve DelBianco
I've just arrived in Singapore, where ICANN's board will almost surely vote to launch an unprecedented expansion plan for generic top-level domains (gTLDs). As the new gTLDs start lighting-up over the next two years, we'll look back on this week as the "end of the beginning" since it ended several years of planning for the actual expansion. After the vote the real work begins: evaluating applications, implementing new mechanisms, and contract compliance on a scale far greater than ICANN has ever seen.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/decision_day_for_icann_the_end_of_the_beginning_or_the_beginning_of_the_end/

Given Comprehensive TLD Applicant Guidebook, How Ready Are Applicants? Notes from the Field - Part 1 by Alexa Raad
One of the benefits of being a third party (i.e., no financial interest in new Top-Level Domains (TLDs) or applying for any) and independent (i.e., self financed and non-exclusive) is that we at Architelos have the natural incentive, not to mention a survival imperative, to try to gain a broad and deep perspective on the market. While no one can accurately predict the future, I'd like to suggest where I think this market is headed and why. These thoughts are based on our observations over the last six months in hopes that both prospective TLD applicants and service providers will benefit.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/given_comprehensive_tld_applicant_guidebook_how_ready_are_applicants/

Japan gets two new geo TLD projects
BusinessRalliart, a Japanese technology company, has announced that it plans to apply for two geographic top-level domains covering the prefecture of Okinawa.
http://domainincite.com/japan-gets-two-new-geo-tld-projects/

GMO Registry Backs .OKINAWA and .RYUKYU
Japanese Registry GMO Registry has added the Japanese Okinanawan gTLDs of .OKINAWA and .RYUKYU to its list of potential gTLD applicants that it will provide services for upon ICANN approving its Applicant Guidebook, that could possibly be as soon as Monday.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/06/17/gmo-registry-backs-okinawa-and-ryukyu/

Architelos Expands Management Positions As New gTLDs Inch Closer [news release]
Architelos, Inc. today announced that Norbert Grey and Michael Young have joined the company as chief financial officer and chief technology officer, respectively. The two industry veterans raise the profile and increase the breadth of services Architelos is poised to provide. They join co-founders Alexa Raad and John Matson, creating an executive team of industry leaders with successful track records of launching, building and managing new and existing top level domains (TLDs).
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/06/17/architelos-expands-management-positions-as-new-gtlds-inch-closer/

Concern over plans to screen domain names
Dubai Plans by US-based Internet regulators to screen foreign applicants for gLTDs from China, the Arab world and Russia is nothing short of racial profiling, says one critic.
http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidGN_17062011_180615/Concern_over_plans_to_screen_domain_names

Say ?Yes to new Top-Level Domains? at ICANN Singapore
There is less than one week to go until the much anticipated ICANN Singapore meeting where the global Internet community expects the ICANN Board to approve the New gTLD Program and finalise plans for launch.
http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=790

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Safeguards against "Phishing" Slow in Coming
Recent hacker attacks on the International Monetary Fund and other prominent targets have reportedly involved "phishing" e-mails that falsely appear to come from a familiar company or individual and attempt to send victims to a bogus website in order to steal information. (When customized to a particular recipient, these are known as "spear phishing" e-mails.)
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37817/

Deploying New Tools to Stop the Hackers
Trying to secure a computer network is much like trying to secure a building ? the challenge is trying to screen out real threats without impeding the normal traffic that needs to go in and out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/technology/18security.html

Germany Arms Itself for Cyber War
The German government is responding to an increase in Internet threats with a new Cyber Defense Center in Bonn, which opens Thursday. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich is seeking to create better safety standards and defenses for both the private and public sector. If necessary, he says he may consider new laws.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,768764,00.html

U.S. Government In Cyber Fight But Can't Keep Up
The Pentagon is about to roll out an expanded effort to safeguard its contractors from hackers and is building a virtual firing range in cyberspace to test new technologies, according to officials familiar with the plans, as a recent wave of cyber attacks boosts concerns about U.S. vulnerability to digital warfare.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/17/idINIndia-57741220110617
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/16/us-government-cyber-fight_n_878735.html

Pentagon building Internet simulator to practice cyberwar
A model of the Internet where the Pentagon can practice cyberwar games -- complete with software that mimics human behavior under varying military threat levels -- is due to be up and running by this time next year, according to a published report.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/061711-national-cyber-range.html
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9217741/Pentagon_building_Internet_simulator_to_practice_cyberwar

US Builds Cyberwar Virtual Firing Range
Showing how serious it is about the growing threat of cyber attacks, the U.S. government is spending about $500 million on "cyber technologies" to fight back. A portion of this is set aside for a virtual firing range of sorts to test out what they develop.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/230691/.html

US builds net for cyber war games
The United States government is building its own "scale model" of the internet to carry out cyber war games.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13807815

Cyberattacks expose network weaknesses [AFP]
A hacker group was brazenly ramping up its antics as waves of cyberattacks targeting even the US spy agency expose how poorly defended many networks are against Internet marauders.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/cyberattacks-expose-network-weaknesses-2298869.html

Hacker attacks show vulnerability of cloud computing
Outsourcing computer tasks to firms that maintain huge data centers around the world may not be as safe as billed, despite the cloud's potential for cost savings and reducing the hassles of running in-house servers, security experts say.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cloud-security-20110617,0,5779844.story

us: NSA allies with Internet carriers to thwart cyber attacks against defense firms
The National Security Agency is working with Internet service providers to deploy a new generation of tools to scan e-mail and other digital traffic with the goal of thwarting cyberattacks against defense firms by foreign adversaries, senior defense and industry officials say.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/major-internet-service-providers-cooperating-with-nsa-on-monitoring-traffic/2011/06/07/AG2dukXH_story.html

LulzSec hackers claim CIA website shutdown
The hacker group Lulz Security has claimed it has brought down the public-facing website of the US Central Intelligence Agency.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13787229

WikiLeaks: LulzSec DOS teaches CIA a lesson
WikiLeaks has applauded Lulz Security?s (LulzSec) denial of service (DOS) attack on CIA's CIA.gov website, with the Twitter account of the group tweeting that the CIA will now understand the meaning of ?WTF? ? a reference to the CIA's WikiLeaks Task Force, which has been investigating the group's release of classified US government documents.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/390404/wikileaks_lulzsec_dos_teaches_cia_lesson/

Hackers attack Malaysia government websites
Hackers have attacked dozens of government websites in Malaysia, days after a hacking group criticised the country over censorship.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13788817

Malaysia Government Websites Disrupted
Dozens of Malaysian websites, mostly belonging to the government, became inaccessible after hackers threatened to sabotage portals in protest of the Southeast Asian nation?s online censorship policies.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-16/malaysia-government-websites-attacked.html

Danger: hackers at work
In late May, the US media group PBS ran a strange story on its website. "Prominent rapper Tupac has been found alive and well in a small resort in New Zealand," it reported. "The small town ? unnamed due to security risks ? allegedly housed Tupac and Biggie Smalls (another rapper) for several years."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/16/danger-hackers-at-work

Special Report - U.S. in cyber fight but can't keep up
The Pentagon is about to roll out an expanded effort to safeguard its contractors from hackers and is building a virtual firing range in cyberspace to test new technologies, according to officials familiar with the plans, as a recent wave of cyber attacks boosts concerns about U.S. vulnerability to digital warfare.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/16/uk-usa-cybersecurity-idUKTRE75F4ZD20110616

FireEye: Botnet Busters
When Microsoft and Pfizer got fed up with the nastiest junk e-mail blaster on the Web, they called Silicon Valley's cybercrime vigilante
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_26/b4234072712001.htm

Israel Vulnerable to Cyber Attack, Leaders Warn
The outgoing head of Israel's internal security service Shin Bet and the head of the country's cyber task force, among others, warned at a conference on cyber warfare at Tel Aviv University last week that strategic Israeli installations are essentially unguarded against cyber attack.
http://www.technologyreview.com/web/37832/

LulzSec leaks Australians' passwords
The group, which took down the CIA website yesterday, has leaked 62,000 worldwide email addresses and passwords.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/17/3246300.htm

Thousands of Aussie websites exposed in hack attack
Thousands of Australian websites are vulnerable to being taken over by hackers following a break-in at Australian domain registrar and web host Distribute.IT, security experts say.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/thousands-of-aussie-websites-exposed-in-hack-attack-20110617-1g6vd.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/thousands-of-aussie-websites-exposed-in-hack-attack-20110617-1g6vd.html
http://www.watoday.com.au/technology/security/thousands-of-aussie-websites-exposed-in-hack-attack-20110617-1g6vd.html
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/security/thousands-of-aussie-websites-exposed-in-hack-attack-20110617-1g6vd.html

Australian companies warned of possible cyber security breach
Australian companies are warned of the cyber security breach potential now that exposes critical information that now demands more attention.
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/164414/20110617/lulzsec-lulzsec-australia-distribute-internet-websites.htm

Lulzsec gets hacking downunder
Notorious hackivist group Lulzsec has brought down Australian domain registrar and web hosts Distribute.IT and publicly published a list of 62,000 international email addresses and passwords.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/17/lulzsec_release_aus_data/

Thousands of websites exposed in hack attack
Thousands of Australian websites are vulnerable to being taken over by hackers following a break-in at Australian domain registrar and web host Distribute.IT, security experts say.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/5159030/Thousands-of-websites-exposed-in-hack-attack

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Legal Brief - June 2011 ?Dancing? Around the UDRP by Andrea Christensen, Legal Staff, Sedo.com
A recent UDRP panel issued a favorable ruling for domain owners in the case of Dancesoft v. Avyn-Linh Ngo. Dancesoft, the Complainant, owned the domain dancepartner.com and alleged that the domain name dancepartners.com infringed on its rights. The web page associated with dancepartners.com redirected users to another URL, dance.net, which displayed services similar to those offered by Dancesoft.
https://sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2868

Cybersquatting & Domain Dispute Update: Yet Another Risk for Parking Pages
Cybersquatting Law Update: Even something as passive as a web site parking page showing advertising links can subject a defendant to personal jurisdiction in another state. Just ask Navigation Catalyst, Epic Media, Connexus, First Look and Basic Fusion. These California and New York based companies could not extradite themselves from the exercise of personal jurisdiction in Michigan on allegations of mass typo-squatting of incontestable trademarks.
http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2011/06/cybersquatting-domain-dispute.html

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Melbourne IT's treasured domain [sub req'd]
Yesterday's market rout didn't trouble Melbourne IT's shares, maybe because the firm could benefit enormously from the potential liberalisation of top level domain names.
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/TECHNOLOGY-SPECTATOR-pd20110617-HVW5A

Melbourne IT's treasured domain
Melbourne IT?s shares lifted 2.97 per cent yesterday against an almost two per cent decline in the benchmark index. A meeting on Monday of ICANN could explain why.
http://technologyspectator.com.au/industry/internet/melbourne-its-treasured-domain
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/TECHNOLOGY-SPECTATOR-pd20110617-HVW5A

APNIC's new look
At APNIC 31, we previewed a new look for APNIC that reflects the current work at this turning point across the regional and global Internet community.
http://www.apnic.net/publications/news/2011/new-look

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Australian Liquidator Considers Domain Names As Assets
The value of domain names is well known. And following Australian Style, which traded as the registrar Bottle Domains, being placed in liquidation following their recent dispute with auDA, liquidators for the company have put their domain names up for auction viewing the domains as assets of the company. It is possible this is the first time domain names have been considered assets in the liquidation of a company in Australia.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=15040
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/06/17/australian-liquidator-considers-domain-names-assets/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/australian-liquidator-considers-domain-names-as-assets.html

An Abbreviated Holiday Week is Accompanied by Lighter Domain Sales 
The latest week of domain sales included America's big Memorial Day holiday (Monday, May 30) and it looks like buyers took an extended break as the week wore on. It has become rare to see any four-figure sales on our all extension Top 20 Sales Chart but a half dozen of them qualified this time out. Things were slow at the high end of the market too with the biggest reported sale coming in at $50,000. That was iGoldRush.com's $50,000 sale of Soles.com.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20110615.htm

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INTERNET USE
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Internet calls to generate $40 bln by 2015 - report
The market for making phone calls over the Internet is set to more than double to $40 billion within five years, researchers said.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/15/idINIndia-57717320110615
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/5152081/Internet-call-market-set-to-double-report

Prepare for the 'internet of things', where socks stay connected
Facebook that looks more like Flickr, and the ''internet of things'', where ovens email you when they need cleaning and socks have microchips so they can find each other: Welcome to social media and the internet in 2020, as predicted by the top boffin at Yahoo!.

As principal research scientist at Yahoo! San Francisco, Elizabeth Churchill's job is to gaze into the web's crystal ball. And as one of the keynote speakers at the Web 3.0 and the Future of Social Media Forum in Sydney this week, she'll be sharing her visions of the future.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/prepare-for-the-internet-of-things-where-socks-stay-connected-20110618-1g9ac.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/prepare-for-the-internet-of-things-where-socks-stay-connected-20110618-1g9ac.html

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Facebook users 'more trusting, engaged' [AP]
Contrary to popular fears that cultivating Facebook friends will harm people's ability to make friends offline, research suggests that users of social networking sites have higher measures of social well-being.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/5154207/Facebook-users-more-trusting-engaged
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/report-facebook-users-more-trusting-engaged-20110616-1g590.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/report-facebook-users-more-trusting-engaged-20110616-1g590.html

Social networking sites and our lives
Overview: Questions have been raised about the social impact of widespread use of social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter. Do these technologies isolate people and truncate their relationships? Or are there benefits associated with being connected to others in this way? The Pew Research Center?s Internet & American Life Project decided to examine social networking sites in a survey that explored people?s overall social networks and how use of these technologies is related to trust, tolerance, social support, and community and political engagement.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Technology-and-social-networks.aspx

Some findings from a study on social networks from the Pew Internet & American Life Project [AP]
Some findings from a study on social networks from the Pew Internet and American Life Project:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/some-findings-from-a-study-on-social-networks-from-the-pew-internet-and-american-life-project/2011/06/16/AGBc2XXH_story.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/some-findings-from-pews-study-on-social-networks-20110617-1g6cn.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/some-findings-from-pews-study-on-social-networks-20110617-1g6cn.html

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CHILD P.ROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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Digital Agenda: "Best children's online content" competition winners
Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda has presented awards to the creators of the best online content, intelligent games, interactive online magazines or websites aimed at under 12 year olds. The Commission, together with Safer Internet Centres from 14 countries, received 780 projects in response to the "Best children's online content" competition, designed to encourage the creation of quality content and to highlight the existing potential for kids online.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/746

New Zealand th?nh l?p ??i v? s? m?ng
??i ph? v?i cu?c chi?n tranh s? ?ang n?ng l?n h?ng tu?n, New Zealand ??a ra chi?n l??c ph?ng th? ?? b?o v? c?c c? quan nh? n??c tr??c c?c v? t?n c?ng v?o m?ng ch?nh ph?. ... S? h?nh th?nh c?a Trung t?m l? m?t ph?n chi?n l??c an ninh s? New Zealand, bao g?m c? m?t ch??ng tr?nh gi?o d?c ng??i ti?u d?ng v?i c?c t? ch?c nh? Netsafe v? c?ng ?ang xem x?t vi?c h?nh th?nh ??i ph?n ?ng kh?n c?p m?y t?nh (CERT) ?? gi?p ?? x?c ??nh m?i ?e d?a tr?n m?ng v? ph?i h?p ??p tr?.
http://www.ictnews.vn/Home/bao-mat/New-Zealand-thanh-lap-doi-ve-si-mang/2011/06/2SVMC1982177/View.htm

uk: New CEO appointed to the Internet Watch Foundation
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has appointed Susie Hargreaves as its new Chief Executive. She will start in September.
http://www.iwf.org.uk/about-iwf/news/post/306-new-ceo-appointed-to-the-internet-watch-foundation

uk: Anti-stalking laws inquiry launched
A "people's inquiry" has been launched to help reform anti-stalking laws. MPs and peers will focus on cyber-stalking, where victims are harassed through their mobile phones and online, and consider whether the existing laws in England and Wales are tough enough.
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/National-News/Anti-stalking-laws-inquiry-launched-188596.xnf
http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/uk-news/anti_stalking_laws_inquiry_launched_1_3494429

se: School use of YouTube and the need for a SchoolTube investigated [news release]
Today, the SchoolTube report will be presented. The report has studied how such websites as YouTube are used at school and if schools see a need for a national ?SchoolTube.? The study was initiated by Bj?rn Flintberg from the Gothenburg Region Association of Local Authorities and was financed by .SE?s Internet Fund.
http://www.iis.se/en/pressmeddelanden/skoltubenrapport

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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Germany Leads Europe in Online Video Viewing [news release]
comScore ... released April 2011 data from the comScore Video Metrix service, showing that Germany leads in online video viewing across several reporting metrics for the European countries currently reported in comScore Video Metrix (France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey and UK). ?Online video is beginning to compete with traditional television viewing for people?s attention, and Internet users in several European countries are leading the way,? said Mike Read, comScore SVP of Europe. ?Germany is not only the largest European market for online video viewing but also the most engaged at nearly 20 hours per viewer per month, while several other countries are not far behind.?
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/6/Germany_Leads_Europe_in_Online_Video_Viewing

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Advertising Revenue Forecast to Reach $3.3 Billion in 2011
Worldwide mobile advertising revenue is forecast to reach $3.3 billion in 2011, more than double the $1.6 billion generated in 2010, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide revenue will reach $20.6 billion by 2015, but not all types of mobile advertising will generate the same opportunity. Search and maps will deliver the highest revenue, while video/audio ads will see the fastest growth through 2015.
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1726614

uk: Mobile phone firms team up to develop 'wave and pay' system
The nation's biggest mobile phone operators have clubbed together to develop technology that will turn your mobile phone into your wallet, travel card and front-door key.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/16/mobile-phone-wave-and-pay-joint-venture-formed

Mobile networks team up over 'wave and pay'
The rise of UK shoppers paying for goods with a wave of their mobile phones is set to accelerate after the three largest operators teamed up to launch a mobile commerce venture.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/mobile-networks-team-up-over-wave-and-pay-2298681.html

UK mobile phone groups launch ads tie-up
The UK?s leading mobile phone operators have launched a belated initiative to try to stop Apple and Google securing the lion?s share of revenue generated from advertising on handsets.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/78571454-987f-11e0-94d7-00144feab49a.html

Oracle seeks up to $6.1 billion in Google lawsuit
Oracle is seeking between $1.4 billion and $6.1 billion in a patent lawsuit against Google over the lucrative smartphone market, according to a court filing.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/18/uk-oracle-google-lawsuit-idUKTRE75H0G620110618
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/18/idINIndia-57768920110618

Happy customers, no profits: India's mobile industry is magnificent but also a mess
In a Vodafone shop in Mumbai earlier this year, you might have been forgiven for thinking that one of the great clich?s about India wasn?t true. The national cricket team was playing Pakistan; the biggest grudge match in any sport, anywhere. Yet the mobile-phone store was still bustling, with customers debating calling plans, not leg-before-wicket decisions.
http://www.economist.com/node/18836120

au: Mobile premium service providers penalised $375,000
The Federal Court in Sydney has imposed penalties totalling $375,000 against two Australian companies, Global One Mobile Entertainment Ltd and 6G Pty Ltd for false and misleading advertisements for mobile premium services.
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/993025/fromItemId/142

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SPAM
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Spam rates hit five-year low, but phishing is on the rise
Thanks to successful botnet shutdowns, the amount of spam oozing through the Internet has dropped considerably over the past year, driving the overall percentage of unwanted email messages to depths unseen since 2006. Phishing, however, is on the rise, according to Symantec's June 2011 "State of Spam & Phishing Report".
http://www.infoworld.com/t/anti-spam/spam-rates-hit-five-year-low-phishing-the-rise-521

Spam is clogging Amazon's Kindle
Spam has hit the Kindle, clogging Amazon.com Inc.'s top-selling e-reader with material that is far from being book-worthy and threatening to undermine the company's entry into publishing.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/16/idINIndia-57743720110616
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-kindle-spam-20110616,0,7539980.story

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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uk: Facebook juror jailed for contempt
The first juror to be prosecuted for contempt of court for using the internet was jailed for eight months today.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/facebook-juror-jailed-for-contempt-2298323.html

uk: Facebook juror jailed for eight months
The first juror to be prosecuted for contempt of court for using the internet has been sentenced to eight months in jail.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/16/facebook-juror-jailed-for-eight-months

uk: 'Online harassment' over affair leads to landmark court case
A plumber is accused of using Twitter and a string of websites to expose graphic details of his wife's affair with her multimillionaire boss at one of the world's largest financial companies.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/online-harassment-over-affair-leads-to-landmark-court-case-2298064.html

uk: Plumber Ian Puddick cleared of harassing wife's lover on internet
A man has been cleared of harassing his wife's millionaire lover on the internet in "a victory for free speech and the small man".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/17/ian-puddick-internet-cleared-twitter