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 *************************************************** The new IANA: An important milestone by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/11/16/4940638.html .uk domain names suspended to protect shoppers from online fraud http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8870 Nominet claws back cops' automatic .UK takedown power http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/18/dotuk_takedown_refresh/ Manwin?s Attack on .XXX is Really an Attack on New TLDs http://domainnamewire.com/2011/11/16/manwins-attack-on-xxx-is-really-an-attack-on-new-tlds/ New gTLDs and the 1% by Antony Van Couvering http://www.mindsandmachines.com/2011/11/new-gtlds-and-the-1/ SOPA's latest threat: IP blocking, privacy-busting packet inspection http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57328045-281/sopas-latest-threat-ip-blocking-privacy-busting-packet-inspection/ SOPA, controversial online piracy bill, gains support as lobbying intensifies http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/online-piracy-bill-gains-support-as-lobbying-intensifies/2011/11/16/gIQAX16VSN_story.html SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) debate: Why are Google and Facebook against it? http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sopa-stop-online-piracy-act-debate-why-are-google-and-facebook-against-it/2011/11/17/gIQAvLubVN_story.html European Parliament joins criticism of SOPA [IDG] http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/244247/european_parliament_joins_criticism_of_sopa.html ********************** - ICANN ********************** The new IANA: An important milestone by Milton Mueller Is there such a thing as a Freudian typo? If so, the new IANA contract certainly contains one. On page 9, it requires the Contractor to promptly notify the NTIA of "any outrages." They meant outages, of course. But we like the proposed language much, much better. IGP has been almost solely responsible for ICANN's outrage notification function for the past six years, and we would be happy to share that duty with others. All kidding aside, the new IANA contract solicitation, which was posted by the U.S. Commerce Department November 10, represents a milestone in ICANN's relationship to the U.S. government. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/11/16/4940638.html So you want to run IANA? An applicant's guide So, you want to be in charge of the most crucial contract on the Internet? Have the entire domain name system at your fingertips? Well, now's your chance. http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/11/17/iana-applicant-guide The impact of public comment on the final IANA contract The US government took an unusual approach to the renewal of the crucial IANA contract and opted to provide two periods of public comment on its renewal. http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/11/17/iana-public-comment-impact European Commission gives qualified thumbs-up to IANA rebid The European Commission has given the process of rebidding for the IANA contract a qualified thumbs-up, claiming credit for some key changes but also complaining about the requirement that the winning contractor be based in the United States, and again raising the issue of 'applicable law'. http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/11/14/analysis-of-eu-response-to-iana-rfp ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** be: Watch out for false online business directories DNS.be received several complaints of Belgian businesses and organisations, who received a letter asking to check their company and website details. After the check they are asked to sign and send the letter back to the sender so that these details can be included in an online business directory. http://dns.be/en//watch_out_for_false_online_business_directories it: Letters sent by the "Registro italiano in internet per le imprese" Once again a great deal of users notices are arriving at the Registry: the users have received some letters from another entity, the so-called "Registro italiano in Internet per le imprese", which, through surface-mail mailings, (seemingly to ask the verifications of the data dealing with user activities) proposes a contract to adhere to in order to receive a service after payment. http://www.nic.it/everything-on.it/news/letters-sent-by-the-registro-italiano-in-internet-per-le-imprese Experts say domain .?? has emerged as an independent and popular project On 14 November 2011, at the ITAR-TASS press center the Coordination Center for TLD RU held a press conference ?Domain .?? ? a year in the open access? dedicated to the 1st anniversary of the launch of the new Cyrillic domain .??. http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=2028 Russia's Cyrillic Internet success As Russia opens up its .?? (.RF in Cyrillic) domain to foreign (non-Russian) applicants (the new rules apply from November 11, 2011), comes another reminder of the country's incredible success with its IDN ccTLD. http://stephanevangelder.com/archives/383-Russias-Cyrillic-Internet-success.html .uk domain names suspended to protect shoppers from online fraud As part of a Metropolitan Police initiative, Nominet has worked alongside a number of registrars to suspend .uk domain names involved in selling counterfeit goods. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8870 Britons risk becoming nation of 'accidental outlaws' That?s the conclusion of an extensive online study exploring what actions Britons believe to be illegal on the Internet. It found that, on average, only 44% of people were able to correctly identify illegal activities when presented with a range of possible online scenarios including defamation, copyright infringement and hacking. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=8863 Nominet claws back cops' automatic .UK takedown power UK cops hoping to swiftly shutdown .uk websites accused of being involved in counterfeiting will have a harder time under proposed changes to Nominet policy. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/18/dotuk_takedown_refresh/ Another 2,000 .uk fraud domains taken down Nominet has suspended over 2,000 .uk domain names allegedly being used to sell counterfeit goods on the instruction of the Metropolitan Police. http://domainincite.com/another-2000-uk-fraud-domains-taken-down/ uk: The Domain Business by Phil Kingsland Yesterday at our annual .uk registrar conference we launched the Domain Business, our new site which takes the place of our annual Domain Name Industry Report. It brings you all the latest domain name statistics and trends. http://blog.nominet.org.uk/insight/2011/11/the-domain-business/ Porn Firm Fights Web Costs One of the largest purveyors of pornography on the Web has filed suit to block or overhaul the new dot-xxx suffix on Internet addresses, accusing organizations that assign online addresses of running a monopoly that creates unnecessary costs. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203611404577042531003406376.html Lawsuit Gives Domain Managers a XXX Headache The group that manages the Internet?s address system has a new headache over its efforts to expand the number of new TLDs?this one over the .xxx domain. http://nationaljournal.com/tech/lawsuit-gives-domain-managers-a-xxx-headache-20111117 XXX marks the lawsuit from peeved porn giant Manwin Licensing International says the new .xxx domain should be removed from the Web, alleging "monopolistic conduct" and "price gouging" by ICANN and the ICM registry. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-57326708-17/xxx-marks-the-lawsuit-from-peeved-porn-giant/ Why the Lawsuit Against .XXX Maybe the Best Sales Tool Ever For New gTLD Applicants by Michael Berkens "There is a serious danger that ICM will establish and monopolize such a distinct market. As consumers seeking adult content become more aware of the .XXX TLD, registering and displaying websites in other generic TLDs may not easily be substituted for registration in the .XXX TLD." No that statement is not from the ICM Registry's sales material. http://www.circleid.com/posts/why_lawsuit_against_xxx_maybe_the_best_sales_tool_for_new_gtld_applicants/ Playboy.com Fights Back Against New .XXX Rules [Wall Street Journal] One of the largest purveyors of pornography on the Web has filed suit to block or overhaul the new dot-xxx suffix on Internet addresses, accusing organizations that assign online addresses of running a monopoly that creates unnecessary costs. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/18/playboycom-fights-back-against-new-xxx-rules/ Manwin?s Attack on .XXX is Really an Attack on New TLDs Manwin Licensing, the company behind YouPorn, has sued .xxx registry ICM Registry for violating the Sherman Act (i.e. monopoly). http://domainnamewire.com/2011/11/16/manwins-attack-on-xxx-is-really-an-attack-on-new-tlds/ YouPorn challenges new gTLDs with review demand YouPorn operator Manwin is demanding a review of .xxx, and ICANN?s TLD program by association, in a new Independent Review Panel request. http://domainincite.com/youporn-challenges-new-gtlds-with-review-demand/ ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** New gTLDs and the 1% by Antony Van Couvering While Occupy Wall Street and other groups representing the so-called 99% are getting most of the press, the 1% is raising its profile as well, at least when it comes to gTLDs. They are complaining that introducing global choice and competition to the Internet will cost them money. The chief of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) now says that it has "spent the last few months" considering the new gTLD program, and has found it lacking. They want ICANN to shut the whole thing down. http://www.mindsandmachines.com/2011/11/new-gtlds-and-the-1/ Why brands need their own TLD ? the Mulberry-sale site that scammed me by Jennie-Marie Larsen, Chief Marketing Officer, Sedari As a seasoned Internet user, even an old ?domainer?, I was there when ICANN launched the first round of new TLDs. I remember the criticism we received from the media back then. We were invited to countless roundtable discussions, press conferences, and local Internet events at which we were expected to answer the key media question: ?why are new TLDs necessary??. Dot BIZ, .INFO, and four more were the test bed new TLDs ? I represented .BIZ in EMEA. http://www.sedari.com/thoughts/why-brands-need-their-own-tld-?-the-mulberry-sale-site-that-scammed-me/ CADNA asks for new gTLDs second round The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse, having spent quite a lot of time and effort opposing ICANN?s new TLD program, wants ICANN to name the date for a second round. http://domainincite.com/cadna-asks-for-new-gtlds-second-round/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** ISC patches BIND denial-of-service flaw that crashed servers worldwide [IDG] The Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), an organization that maintains several software products critical for Internet infrastructure, has released a patch for an actively exploited denial-of-service vulnerability in the widely used BIND DNS server. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/111711-isc-patches-bind-denial-of-service-flaw-253226.html Bind 9 DNS software suffers unexpected crashes Some of the most widely used DNS software, Bind 9, is suffering unexpected crashes, prompting some security experts to speculate whether servers are suffering from zero-day attacks. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/security-bullet-in-10000166/bind-9-dns-software-suffers-unexpected-crashes-10024832/ pl: SECURE 2011 ? trends in security Four parallel workshops, 38 speakers, over 200 participants ? so just a few numbers describing the Secure 2011 Conference that has been held for the fifteenth time. From the beginning, the conference organizers are NASK and CERT Polska, operating in the framework of the institution.. The conference was under the patronage of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Interior and Administration. http://www.nask.pl/newsID/id/756 http://www.secure.edu.pl/en/index.php .eu makes domain name security easy EURid, the .eu TLD registry, has launched a new service for registrars that greatly simplifies signing and managing .eu domain names enabled for the Internet security protocol DNSSEC. http://www.eurid.eu/en/content/eu-makes-domain-name-security-easy ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Anonymous "dimnet" tries to create hedge against DNS censorship With concern mounting over the potential impact of the Stop Online Piracy Act and claims that it could make the Domain Name Service more vulnerable, one group is looking to circumvent the threat of domain name blocking and censorship by essentially creating a new Internet TLD outside of ICANN control. Called Dot-BIT, the effort currently uses proxies, cryptography, and a small collection of DNS servers to create a section of the Internet's domain address space where domains can be provisioned, moved, and traded anonymously. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/11/anonymous-bit-dimnet-tries-to-be-a-hedge-against-dns-censorship.ars EU Adopts Resolution Against Stop Online Piracy Act & Seizing Of Domain Names The European Parliament has adopted a resolution which criticizes domain name seizures of ?infringing? websites by US authorities and seems to opposes the passage of the Stop Online Piracy Act. http://www.thedomains.com/2011/11/17/eu-adopts-resolution-against-stop-online-piracy-act-seizing-of-domain-names/ ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Go Daddy Has Lion's Share of IPv6 Address Space The surprising results of an IPv6 census conducted by the Measurement Factory and sponsored by Infoblox are that the lion's share of actual working IPv6 nodes are being hosted by Go Daddy. I know, any excuse to plug their spokesmodel Danica Patrick is shameless, but what is really going on here? http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2011/11/godaddy-accounts-for-lions-sha.php ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** SOPA's latest threat: IP blocking, privacy-busting packet inspection A little-noticed portion of a controversial House of Representatives copyright bill could require Internet providers to monitor customers' traffic and block the addresses of Web sites suspected of copyright infringement, a significant expansion of requirements in an earlier version of the bill. ... Protect IP, the earlier Senate version, wouldn't require AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and other ISPs to block their customers from visiting the numeric IP addresses of off-limits Web sites. And it didn't contemplate deep packet inspection. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57328045-281/sopas-latest-threat-ip-blocking-privacy-busting-packet-inspection/ SOPA breaks DNSSEC, and won?t work anyway: Sandia National Labs It isn?t actually news as such: while the DoE?s own Sandia Labs has warned that the notorious Stop Online Piracy Act is a threat to the deployment of secure DNS ? DNSSEC to its friends ? the fragility of the protocol has been discussed for ages. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/20/sopa_breaks_dnssec/ SOPA, controversial online piracy bill, gains support as lobbying intensifies Several lawmakers expressed support Wednesday for a controversial bill aimed at curbing online piracy as lobbying over the issue reached a fever pitch. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/online-piracy-bill-gains-support-as-lobbying-intensifies/2011/11/16/gIQAX16VSN_story.html SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) debate: Why are Google and Facebook against it? Big names from Silicon Valley went head-to-head with media giants at a House hearing Wednesday on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which would punish companies for posting pirated content online. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sopa-stop-online-piracy-act-debate-why-are-google-and-facebook-against-it/2011/11/17/gIQAvLubVN_story.html Internet Community Shut Out of Stop Online Piracy Act Hearing - Again This morning, EFF?s staff and concerned netizens across the country tuned into the live webcast of the House Judiciary Committee?s hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261). At least we tried to. Unfortunately, we were confronted with an incredibly poor webcast stream for much of the hearing. We find it ironic and deeply concerning that Congress is unable to successfully stream video of an event this important to all Internet users, even as they are debating a dangerous plan to change the Internet in fundamental ways and deputize Internet intermediaries to act like content police. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/public-shut-out-stop-online-piracy-act-hearings-again An Explosion of Opposition to the Internet Blacklist Bill On the eve of the House Judiciary Committee's hearing on the Stop Internet Piracy Act?where five witnesses will appear in favor of the bill to just one against?a broad group of tech companies, lawmakers, experts, professors, and rights groups have come out against the bill. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/explosion-opposition-internet-blacklist-bill What's On the Blacklist? Three Sites That SOPA Could Put at Risk Proponents of the latest disastrous IP bill , the ?Stop Online Piracy Act? (SOPA) insist it only targets the ?worst of the worst?: so-called ?rogue? foreign websites that profit from pirating U.S. intellectual property. But the broad definitions and vague language in the bill could place dangerous tools into the hands of IP rightsholders, with little opportunity for judicial oversight. One very possible outcome: many of the lawful sites you know and love will face new legal threats. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/whats-blacklist-three-sites-sopa-could-put-risk European Parliament joins criticism of SOPA [IDG] The European Parliament has added its voice to those criticizing the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the United States criticizing the use of domain name seizures by U.S. authorities on copyright 'infringing' websites. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/244247/european_parliament_joins_criticism_of_sopa.html http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/407924/european_parliament_joins_criticism_sopa http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/111811-european-parliament-joins-criticism-of-253284.html Opinion: US State Department not for internet freedom - The SOPA bill will help private companies cut off internet sites only to protect their profits. The US State Department is once again undermining its own Internet Freedom Initiative - this time by giving the green light to a copyright bill that will adversely affect online free speech around the world. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/20111116141248301243.html Strange bedfellows: Nancy Pelosi, Ron Paul join SOPA opposition We've already written about the wide variety of groups outside of Congress, including legal scholars, high-tech investors, and network engineers, that oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the PROTECT IP Act. More recently, we've seen growing opposition within Congress itself. The latest SOPA opponent: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/11/strange-bedfellows-nancy-pelosi-ron-paul-join-sopa-opposition.ars House Judiciary To Mark Up Online Piracy Bill By Year's End House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said Thursday that he is planning to mark up controversial legislation before the end of the year that would crack down on piracy and counterfeiting on foreign websites. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/11/house-judiciary-to-mark-up-onl.php European Parliament resolution on the EU-US Summit of 28 November 2011 The European Parliament, ... A. whereas, although many global challenges in the field of foreign policy, security, development and the environment call for joint action and transatlantic cooperation, the current economic crisis has leapt to the fore as the main challenge to be addressed today; ... 25. Stresses the need to protect the integrity of the global internet and freedom of communication by refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names; http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=P7-RC-2011-0577&language=EN Filtering and Blocking Closer To The Core Of The Internet? With protests against draft US legislation like the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act ongoing and the European Parliament voting on 17 November for a resolution to request that the United States should be ?refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names,? politicians are talking a lot about technology for the internet domain name system. But at the same time, engineers are getting more political and are intensively discussing technology providing the tools for blocking ? by governments and private parties. http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2011/11/20/filtering-and-blocking-closer-to-the-core-of-the-internet/ RIPE NCC Intends to Seek Clarification from Dutch Court on Police Order to Temporarily Lock Registration The RIPE NCC intends to take the Dutch public prosecutor to court over a police order it received on 8 November 2011 to lock a registration of four IP address blocks in the RIPE Registry until 22 March 2012. http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/about-ripe-ncc-and-ripe/ripe-ncc-to-seek-clarification-from-dutch-court-on-police-order-to-temporarily-lock-registration ARIN Online User Survey Results ARIN conducted a survey on ARIN Online usage this fall, and solicited direct feedback from the community at the ARIN Online User Forum at ARIN XXVIII in Philadelphia, PA. While the response rate was lower than desired, the majority of the feedback was favorable, and the comments are being taken into account in future planning. https://www.arin.net/announcements/2011/20111116.html A blip on the radar. Some in the domain industry (read: domainers) are up in arms about the recent announcement by Overstock.com that it would slow down its rebranding to O.co. Given the amount of speculation and commenting going on about this within that community, I felt it was appropriate to reach out to Overstock.com and get a clear picture of what is going. http://www.cointernet.co/blog/blip-radar ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Oversee.net: We Don?t Owe Monte Cahn Anything for $13M Management Incentive Plan It?s been a busy week full of filings in the case of Monte Cahn v. Oversee.net. Monte is suing his former employer on a number of counts, including alleging that he?s owed money under a $13 million Management Incentive Plan (MIP). http://domainnamewire.com/2011/11/17/oversee-net-we-dont-owe-monte-cahn-anything-for-13m-management-incentive-plan/ Five $50,000+ Sales Give Moniker/SnapNames Top Spots on This Week's Domain Sales Chart After a quartet of six-figure sales last week none broke free of five-figure gravity this week but there were more solid sales in that range than usual - almost enough to fill two Top 20 charts. Moniker/SnapNames led the charge, sweeping the first five spots on our latest all extension leader board with a quintet fronted by QuoteBaby.com at $89,965. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20111116.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Australian digital marketing: 25 killer statistics Econsultancy recently launched its inaugural State of Digital Marketing in Australia survey, in association with Marketing Magazine, as part of an effort to benchmark a variety of elements within the region. http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/8301-australian-digital-marketing-twenty-five-killer-statistics Internet shopping proves what economists think: it's all about price by Ross Gittins The critics of economists often accuse them of trying to change the world to make it more like their textbooks. But now the mountain is coming to Muhammad. The internet, and the electronic commerce it promotes, is making real-life markets work more the way economists assume they do. http://www.smh.com.au/business/internet-commerce-will-foster-price-competition-20111120-1np8p.html http://www.theage.com.au/business/internet-shopping-proves-what-economists-think-its-all-about-price-20111120-1npb8.html Tablet use up during mornings and evenings UK and US only lag Singapore in breadth of adoption of smartphone adoption, research finds http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/nov/18/tablet-smartphone-use-breakfast-evening ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** There are no free lunches on the internet Twitter users will eventually discover ? as users of Facebook and Google already have ? that there is no such thing as "free" on the web http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/nov/20/free-internet-twitter-google-facebook uk: Man given four years for Facebook incitement A man was jailed for four years today for setting up a Facebook event inciting violent disorder during the summer riots. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-given-four-years-for-facebook-incitement-6263008.html uk: Social media users must disclose payments, say ad trade bodies Social media users that have been paid to promote products must tell readers that this is the case, according to new advertising guidelines. The businesses that pay them must make sure that notice is given, the guidelines said. http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2011/november/social-media-users-must-disclose-payments-say-ad-trade-bodies/ ********************************* CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY ********************************* sg: 13% of kids face cyber threats on cell phones: survey A latest survey has found that 13 percent of children worldwide are exposed to dangers such as cyber-bullying and sexually explicit images due to the growing popularity of mobile phones, local daily Straits Times reported on Friday. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sci/2011-11/18/c_131254835.htm nz: Pupils film teacher meltdowns School students are deliberately goading their teachers to breaking point, then posting film of the resulting meltdowns online. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10766900 nz: Schools told to get wise to cyber-baiting Schools and teachers are being told to develop social media strategies as cases of cyber-baiting and inappropriate online relationships rise. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/schools-told-get-wise-cyber-baiting-4551040 nz: ... Cyberbaiting The latest edition of the Norton Online Family Report has highlighted "cyberbaiting" - where students taunt their teachers until they provoke a reaction then film it and post it online - as a growing issue. Sean Lyons from Netsafe joins Breakfast to discuss how alarming the trend is http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/monday-november-21-4550924 Norton Online Family Report Identifies Issues of ?Cyberbaiting? and Overspending [news release] The latest edition of the Norton Online Family Report sheds new light on the realities and risks of growing up in the digital age. This year?s report identifies the new issue of ?cyberbaiting,? a growing phenomenon where kids taunt their teachers, then capture the distressed reactions via cell phone videos. http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20111117_01 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Cheap music service coming to NZ Spotify, a cheap music-streaming service that has proved popular in Europe, is preparing to launch in New Zealand and Australia. ... InternetNZ chief executive Vikram Kumar said its impending arrival was "brilliant". "The model of a fixed low monthly fee for all-you-can-eat type services is something New Zealanders quickly need. Bring on [video streaming service] Netflix as well." http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/5996144/Cheap-music-service-coming-to-NZ ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Secretive North Korea Opens Up to Cellphones [Reuters] Secretive North Korea is expected to register the 1 millionth cellphone user on its new 3G network by the end of the year, barely four years after people were thrown into prison camps, or possibly even executed, for owning one. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/11/20/world/asia/international-us-korea-north-cellphone.html Butt out! Pakistan telecom watchdog drafts rude text message ban Guardians of linguistic purity have long warned against the pernicious impact that text messaging may have on the young, but Pakistan officials have taken such concerns to a new extreme by demanding that mobile phone operators block all text messages using offensive words. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/17/butt-out-pakistan-telecom-text-ban Android malware explodes, jumps five-fold since July Malware targeting Google's Android mobile operating system exploded in the last several months, its volume quintupling since July, Juniper Networks said today. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9222015/Android_malware_explodes_jumps_five_fold_since_July ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Visa to Offer Mobile Payments in Developing Nations Visa has been hard at work on a mobile digital wallet that it hopes to roll out early next year. But that?s not the only mobile market the credit card company has its eye on. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/visa-to-offer-mobile-payments-in-developing-nations/ ********************** ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL ********************** Righthaven Case Ends in Victory for Fair Use - Newspaper Publisher Caves at Last, Agrees Excerpts of Articles Do Not Infringe Copyright In a victory for fair use, the publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Stephens Media, filed papers yesterday conceding that posting a short excerpt of a news article in an online forum is not copyright infringement. The concession will result in entry of a judgment of non-infringement in a long-running copyright troll case that sparked the dismissal of dozens of baseless lawsuits filed by Righthaven LLC. https://www.eff.org/press/releases/righthaven-case-ends-victory-fair-use au: Google being sued over 'ripoff' site A former senior South Australian Health Department researcher is suing Google, claiming she has been defamed on websites administered by the international company. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/google-being-sued-over-ripoff-site/story-e6frgakx-1226200582207 ********************** SECURITY ********************** Cyberattack on Illinois water utility may confirm Stuxnet warnings A state report claims that a foreign cyberattack disabled a water pump at an Illinois water utility, say experts who have seen the report. After discovery of the Stuxnet cyberweapon a year ago, many experts predicted that cyberattacks on US infrastructure were imminent. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/1118/Cyberattack-on-Illinois-water-utility-may-confirm-Stuxnet-warnings Foreign hackers targeted U.S. water plant in apparent malicious cyber attack, expert says Foreign hackers caused a pump at an Illinois water plant to fail last week, according to a preliminary state report. Experts said the cyber-attack, if confirmed, would be the first known to have damaged one of the systems that supply Americans with water, electricity and other essentials of modern life. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/foreign-hackers-broke-into-illinois-water-plant-control-system-industry-expert-says/2011/11/18/gIQAgmTZYN_blog.html uk: Banks to be tested with simulated cyber attack Banks in London, already on high alert for how to deal with a break-up of the euro zone, will on Tuesday be tested to see how they would cope with a cyber attack on their operations. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/11/18/uk-fsa-tests-idUKTRE7AH24B20111118 us: Leahy Wants Cybercrime Measure Included in Controversial Defense Bill Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is looking for any way possible to gain approval for increased cybercrime penalties, including hitching the measure to a contentious defense authorization bill that could be dead in the water. http://nationaljournal.com/tech/leahy-wants-cybercrime-measure-included-in-controversial-defense-bill-20111117 Cyber warfare not theoretical, can actually kill Cyber warfare is already a reality and here to stay despite suggestions that such attacks will not lead to fatality, note security insiders, who warn that cyberattacks can actually lead to loss of lives as technology is increasingly integral to daily life. http://www.zdnetasia.com/cyber-warfare-not-theoretical-can-actually-kill-62302921.htm ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Syrian Websites Hosted in Canada, US [AP] Several websites belonging to the government of Syria are being hosted by servers in the United States and Canada, according to a report by Canadian researchers. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/11/17/world/middleeast/AP-CN-Canada-US-Syria-Websites.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/syrian-websites-hosted-in-canada-us-20111118-1nlqv.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/syrian-websites-hosted-in-canada-us-20111118-1nlqv.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** SOPA, controversial online piracy bill, gains support as lobbying intensifies Several lawmakers expressed support Wednesday for a controversial bill aimed at curbing online piracy as lobbying over the issue reached a fever pitch. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/online-piracy-bill-gains-support-as-lobbying-intensifies/2011/11/16/gIQAX16VSN_story.html SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) debate: Why are Google and Facebook against it? Big names from Silicon Valley went head-to-head with media giants at a House hearing Wednesday on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which would punish companies for posting pirated content online. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sopa-stop-online-piracy-act-debate-why-are-google-and-facebook-against-it/2011/11/17/gIQAvLubVN_story.html SOPA's latest threat: IP blocking, privacy-busting packet inspection A little-noticed portion of a controversial House of Representatives copyright bill could require Internet providers to monitor customers' traffic and block the addresses of Web sites suspected of copyright infringement, a significant expansion of requirements in an earlier version of the bill. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57328045-281/sopas-latest-threat-ip-blocking-privacy-busting-packet-inspection/ Internet Community Shut Out of Stop Online Piracy Act Hearing - Again This morning, EFF?s staff and concerned netizens across the country tuned into the live webcast of the House Judiciary Committee?s hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261). At least we tried to. Unfortunately, we were confronted with an incredibly poor webcast stream for much of the hearing. We find it ironic and deeply concerning that Congress is unable to successfully stream video of an event this important to all Internet users, even as they are debating a dangerous plan to change the Internet in fundamental ways and deputize Internet intermediaries to act like content police. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/public-shut-out-stop-online-piracy-act-hearings-again An Explosion of Opposition to the Internet Blacklist Bill On the eve of the House Judiciary Committee's hearing on the Stop Internet Piracy Act?where five witnesses will appear in favor of the bill to just one against?a broad group of tech companies, lawmakers, experts, professors, and rights groups have come out against the bill. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/explosion-opposition-internet-blacklist-bill What's On the Blacklist? Three Sites That SOPA Could Put at Risk Proponents of the latest disastrous IP bill , the ?Stop Online Piracy Act? (SOPA) insist it only targets the ?worst of the worst?: so-called ?rogue? foreign websites that profit from pirating U.S. intellectual property. But the broad definitions and vague language in the bill could place dangerous tools into the hands of IP rightsholders, with little opportunity for judicial oversight. One very possible outcome: many of the lawful sites you know and love will face new legal threats. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/whats-blacklist-three-sites-sopa-could-put-risk European Parliament joins criticism of SOPA [IDG] The European Parliament has added its voice to those criticizing the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the United States criticizing the use of domain name seizures by U.S. authorities on copyright 'infringing' websites. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/244247/european_parliament_joins_criticism_of_sopa.html http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/407924/european_parliament_joins_criticism_sopa http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/111811-european-parliament-joins-criticism-of-253284.html Opinion: US State Department not for internet freedom - The SOPA bill will help private companies cut off internet sites only to protect their profits. The US State Department is once again undermining its own Internet Freedom Initiative - this time by giving the green light to a copyright bill that will adversely affect online free speech around the world. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/20111116141248301243.html Strange bedfellows: Nancy Pelosi, Ron Paul join SOPA opposition We've already written about the wide variety of groups outside of Congress, including legal scholars, high-tech investors, and network engineers, that oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the PROTECT IP Act. More recently, we've seen growing opposition within Congress itself. The latest SOPA opponent: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/11/strange-bedfellows-nancy-pelosi-ron-paul-join-sopa-opposition.ars House Judiciary To Mark Up Online Piracy Bill By Year's End House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said Thursday that he is planning to mark up controversial legislation before the end of the year that would crack down on piracy and counterfeiting on foreign websites. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/11/house-judiciary-to-mark-up-onl.php eu: Parliament pushes for keeping Internet open The European Parliament adopted yesterday (17 November) a clear-cut position on net neutrality, giving the priority to maintaining an open Internet for all rather than increasing its use for commercial purposes. http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/parliament-pushes-keeping-internet-open-news-509053 nz: Computerworld 25 years: Second draft of history ... Fighting Rogers?s bill was the prime motivation behind the Network Society, of which I was one of five founders, alongside famed rocket-man and Aardvark site proprietor Bruce Simpson. The bill died a quiet death and the Network Society was absorbed into the new Internet Society, which took over management of the .nz domain. Government interests had been quietly instrumental in the formation of what is now InternetNZ. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/computerworld-25-years-second-draft-of-history ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* Wikipedia hosts India conference amid expansion push Hundreds of people are gathering in Mumbai for India's first Wikipedia conference. The three-day event is part of the online encyclopedia's plans to expand in the sub-continent. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15803308 ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** nz: National?s plan to boost broadband demand would be run by MED The National party would put in place a five-point action plan coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Development to promote the benefits of faster broadband, if elected for a second term. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/nationals-plan-to-boost-broadband-demand-would-be-run-by-med nz: Subsea cable rivals quiet on progress The two companies vying to lay new submarine communications cables to New Zealand to break the Southern Cross Cable's near monopoly over international internet links have failed to report any progress in the past two months. http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/business/5996362/Subsea-cable-rivals-quiet-on-progress http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5996362/Subsea-cable-rivals-quiet-on-progress India expects to unveil new telecoms policy in Jan India expects to unveil a new telecoms policy in January, the country's telecoms secretary R Chandrasekhar told reporters on Friday. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/18/india-telecoms-idUSI8E7LE02720111118 India Investigators Search Vodafone, Airtel Offices in Probe [Bloomberg] India?s federal investigators searched offices of telecommunications carriers Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Vodafone India Ltd. in a probe into alleged irregularities in allocations of spectrum in 2001 and 2002. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-19/india-investigators-search-vodafone-airtel-offices-in-probe.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2011 --------- David Goldstein email: goldstein_david at 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 FlanneryReceived on Mon Nov 21 2011 - 01:37:30 UTC
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