Hi all, This is the 1000th edition of the domain name news since it commenced in September 2002. Which means the 10th anniversary of the news is coming up in a couple of months too. So thanks to you the readers, because without your interest auDA wouldn't support the news. And thanks to auDA too. So long may it continue! Happy reading! Cheers David *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Widespread Participation Is Key in Internet Governance https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/widespread-participation-key-internet-governance Farewell, My Friends by Rod Beckstrom http://blog.icann.org/2012/06/farewell-my-friends/ Following Public Comment Process, ICANN Board Authorizes .COM Contract, FY13 Operating Budget and Plan http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-28jun12-en.htm Cometh the hour, Cometh the man http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/06/27/cometh-hour-cometh-man Afnic Wins Bid To Run .FR Registry http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/28/afnic-wins-bid-to-run-fr-registry/ Governments probe domain land-snatch: many.gTLDs.suck http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/29/domain_land_grab_under_the_microscope/ Digital Archery Terminated - But It's Unlikely To Be Back! http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/29/digital-archery-terminated/ ICANN: new gTLDs will not kill the internet http://domainincite.com/9637-icann-new-gtlds-will-not-kill-the-internet ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Widespread Participation Is Key in Internet Governance Several governments are pushing for proposals that seek to draw borders around the global Internet. With big decisions at stake, it?s critical that Internet users understand the threats and have a meaningful say in the final outcome. At a panel held in Washington, D.C. June 26 to highlight global threats to Internet governance, much of the discussion revolved around multistakeholder processes, or the involvement of all stakeholders in Internet policy making discussions on equal footing. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/widespread-participation-key-internet-governance Understanding Internet Governance ARIN is happy to introduce its new and improved Internet Governance content. This section of the website has been reworked to include more details on ARIN?s Internet Governance activities, ways that organizations can get involved and stay informed, and background, membership, and contact information for many key Internet Governance bodies, including regional and global organizations. https://www.arin.net/announcements/2012/20120627.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Farewell, My Friends by Rod Beckstrom Today, July 1st, 2012 I pass the ICANN CEO baton to Akram Atallah, who joined us as Chief Operating Officer some two years ago. We are extremely pleased to see Akram stepping up into this position until Fadi Chehad? joins in the fall. It has been a great pleasure and honor to serve ICANN as President and CEO. http://blog.icann.org/2012/06/farewell-my-friends/ Following Public Comment Process, ICANN Board Authorizes .COM Contract, FY13 Operating Budget and Plan After months of consultations, open public comment processes and discussion, the ICANN Board of Directors made several resolutions at its 23 June meeting. These included authorization of renewal of its agreement with Verisign for operation of .COM, adoption of ICANN's operating budget and plan for fiscal year 2013 and approval for delegation of a new internationalized ccTLD. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-28jun12-en.htm Cometh the hour, Cometh the man One of the problems with the "multi-stakeholder" model used to decide many Internet policies is that by definition it contains a large number of diverse groups, making it extremely difficult to manage. http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/06/27/cometh-hour-cometh-man ICANN Opens Registrations For Toronto Meeting For anyone getting ICANN withdrawal pangs, you can start preparations for the next ICANN meeting to be held in Toronto, Canada, the 45th ICANN meeting, by registering now! http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=18082 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/29/icann-registrations-toronto/ Registration for ICANN 45 in Toronto is Open Just as the 44th ICANN meeting in Prague ended yesterday, ICANN has opened registration for the 45th ICANN meeting in Toronto, to be held Oct 14-19th 2012. http://www.domainnamenews.com/events/registration-for-icann-45-in-toronto-is-open/11854 ICANN: Why Being in the Know is Key Early this morning, at 7:30 AM Prague time, a group of new gTLD applicants and members of the gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group (RySG) gathered in a meeting room to adopt the charter for a new group, the New TLD Applicant Group, or NTAG. http://www.gtldstrategy.com/ongoing-strategies/icann-why-being-in-the-know-is-key ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** .ASIA as One of the First Wave of New gTLDs Goes Live with Chinese, Japanese & Korean IDN Registrations DotAsia is pleased to announce the successful "Go-Live" launch for Chinese, Japanese & Korean IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) registrations for the .Asia TLD on June 21, 2012. http://www.idn.asia/main/2012/06/asia-as-one-of-the-first-wave-of-new-gtlds-goes-live-with-chinese-japanese-korean-idn-registrations.html be: Legal reports We have noticed that a number of law-related topics keep cropping up time and again in the questions asked by registrants, registrars and third parties (such as lawyers, resellers, web-designers, etc.). http://dns.be/en//legal_reports2 be: Financial report 2011 As from today you will find on our website the DNS.be financial report in which we look back at our activities in 2011. http://dns.be/en//2011_financial_report CIRA to act as a catalyst for a faster, better performing Internet The Canadian Internet Registration Authority, CIRA, the organization that manages the .CA Internet domain, is embarking on a new initiative to help create a more robust and economical domestic Internet for all Canadians by facilitating the development of more Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) across the country. http://www.cira.ca/news/news-releases/ixp/ CIRA partners with MediaSmarts for landmark research study Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is pleased to announce it has partnered with MediaSmarts (formerly known as Media Awareness Network) for the third phase of its landmark research study, Young Canadians in a Wired World. http://www.cira.ca/news/news-releases/cira-partners-with-mediasmarts-for-landmark-research-study/ .cat Develops Innovative Application for Children with Autism Thanks to more than 50,000 .cat registered domains, the puntCAT aid program has helped to develop an innovative iPad application for children with autism and other special needs. http://centr.org/news/06-26-2012/2166/cat-develops-innovative-application-children-autism ICANN approves renewal of '.com' database contract [AP] The agency that oversees Internet addresses has renewed a contract for operating the database of ".com" names. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/ICANN-approves-renewal-of-com-database-contract-3670332.php http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/ICANN-approves-renewal-of-com-database-contract-3670332.php Changes in the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Internet Foundation Yesterday, on 25 June, Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Juhan Parts appointed new members of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Internet Foundation: Marika Priske, Tiit Vapper and Lauri Almann. http://www.internet.ee/eng/news/changes-in-the-supervisory-board-of-the-estonian-internet-foundation Fee changes to .eu dispute proceedings The Czech Arbitration Court (CAC) and .eu registry EURid today announce a special fee reduction to make the .eu Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process even more accessible to the European public. The cost of a basic proceeding is cut by 50% and the new fee structure is valid for six months from 1 July 2012. http://www.eurid.eu/en/content/fee-changes-eu-dispute-proceedings Afnic Wins Bid To Run .FR Registry The tender to determine who runs the .FR registry has been won by Afnic according to an order by Fleur Pellerin, Junior Minister for the Digital Economy, who appointed Afnic for a new five year term. http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/28/afnic-wins-bid-to-run-fr-registry/ AFNIC continues as the registry for the .fr TLD In an Order, Ms Fleur Pellerin, Junior Minister for the Digital Economy, appointed Afnic as the registry for the .fr TLD for a new five year team. http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/6097/show/afnic-continues-as-the-registry-for-the-fr-tld.html Partial success in the co.no case S?r-Tr?ndelag District Court has found partially in favour of Norid in the co.no lawsuit. The judgement sustains Norid's decision to put co.no on the list of forbidden domain names. http://www.norid.no/nytt/pressemelding20120629.en.html RNIDS - Annual Report 2011 By publishing the first edition of the Annual Report, the Register of National Internet Domain Names of Serbia (RNIDS) begins a new phase of transparency in its operations and implements the best practices of the European national Internet domain names registers. http://rnids.rs/en/what-s-new/rnids--annual-report-2011/id/3831 sg: Special names for a limited period! Grab it now! >From 2 July 2012 to 31 July 2012, 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). http://nic.net.sg/news/special-names-limited-period-grab-it-now-4 uk: Update on Registrar Agreement consultation Nominet is grateful to everyone who responded to the initial consultation on the review of the .uk Registrar Agreement (RA) which closed on 7 June. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=9377 ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** Governments probe domain land-snatch: many.gTLDs.suck Governments have started to put ICANN's massive TLD name expansion under scrutiny, after the revelation of 1,930 applications for new naming suffixes two weeks ago. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/29/domain_land_grab_under_the_microscope/ Digital archery is dead, but uncertainties remain ICANN has killed off its unpopular ?digital archery? scheme, which it had planned to use to rank and batch new TLD applications for evaluation. http://domainincite.com/9651-digital-archery-is-dead-but-uncertainties-remain Digital Archery Terminated - But It's Unlikely To Be Back! ICANN killed off the controversial digital archery process for selecting the order in which applicants for new gTLDs will be selected. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=18076 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/06/29/digital-archery-terminated/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/digital-archery-terminated-but-its-unlikely-to-be-back.html ICANN Cancels Digital Archery Program, has No Immediate Alternative [IDG] The Digital Archery contest, devised by ICANN to determine which gTLD applications would be handled first, was canceled on Thursday, the chair of the gTLD Program Committee announced during the ICANN 44 summit in Prague. No alternative was announced. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/062912-icann-cancels-digital-archery-program-260570.html http://www.cio.com/article/709587/ICANN_Cancels_Digital_Archery_Program_has_No_Immediate_Alternative http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9228659/ICANN_cancels_Digital_Archery_program_has_no_immediate_alternative ICANN Officially Kills Digital Archery ICANN has officially killed off the Digital Archery program in an announcement today. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/06/28/icann-officially-kills-digital-archery/ ICANN: new gTLDs will not kill the internet One of ICANN?s Governmental Advisory Committee?s ongoing inexplicable obsessions is that the introduction of new TLDs risks toppling the internet. http://domainincite.com/9637-icann-new-gtlds-will-not-kill-the-internet .UHOH With the Public Meeting in Prague taking place less than two weeks after ICANN?s big reveal of the 1,930 new gTLD applications, it?s no surprise that certain applications and applicants were discussed openly during various sessions. For example, during the Public Forum on Thursday afternoon, a 14-year-old girl from China (ICANN?s youngest participant ever?) stepped up to the open microphone to express her support for an open, unrestricted .KIDS gTLD. http://www.gtldstrategy.com/technical-details-vendor-advice/uhoh Argentinian GAC Opposes New TLD Application The Argentinian GAC member speaking in the ICANN public forum today forcibly voiced their objection to a new TLD application. http://www.internetnews.me/2012/06/28/argentinian-gac-opposes-new-tld-application/ What If New gTLD Applicants Held Private Auctions Where Losing Applicants, Not ICANN Gets The Money by Michael Berkens Over the last week at ICANN the arguably best idea coming out of the ICANN meeting is the concept that applicants for new gTLD strings with more than one application, hold a private auction amongst themselves with the winning amount going to the other losing applicants instead of to ICANN. As a backdrop, under the Guidebook multiple applicants for a new gTLD extension are encouraged to work together and come to an agreement to resolve the conflict. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/06/29/hottest-new-idea-out-of-icann-meeting-private-auctions-where-losing-applicants-not-icann-gets-the-money/ ICANN Suspends Digital Archery Today, ICANN announced the temporary suspension of the Digital Archery system. ARI Registry Services applauds this development, as it's a clear signal ICANN is listening, considering and acting upon constructive feedback from the community. We encourage ICANN to not only reassess the Digital Archery system, but also the need to proceed with batching at all. http://www.ariservices.com/news-icann_suspends_digital_archery.php Microsoft, Yahoo and others involved in new dot-brand gTLD group HSBC, Microsoft, Yahoo and jewelry maker Richemont have told ICANN they plan to form a new GNSO stakeholder group just for single-registrant gTLD registries. http://domainincite.com/9655-microsoft-yahoo-and-others-involved-in-new-dot-brand-gtld-group .radio gTLD applicant joins the GAC The European Broadcasting Union, which is one of four applicants for the .radio TLD, has asked to join ICANN?s Governmental Advisory Committee as an observer. http://domainincite.com/9640-radio-gtld-applicant-joins-the-gac Some .mobi owners concerned about .mobile domain applications Some owners of .mobi domain names are concerned about confusion and competition if one of the applicants for a .mobile domain name should be approved. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/06/28/some-mobi-owners-concerned-about-mobile-domain-applications/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** U.S. Critical Infrastructure Cyber Attack Reports Jump Dramatically U.S. critical infrastructure companies saw a dramatic increase in the number of reported cyber-security incidents between 2009 and 2011, according to a new report from the U.S. Industrial Control System Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). http://www.darkreading.com/advanced-threats/167901091/security/attacks-breaches/240003029/u-s-critical-infrastructure-cyber-attack-reports-jump-dramatically.html Report: Dutch Government Was Unprepared for SSL Hack [IDG] The Dutch government was unprepared to handle an SSL hack that caused the government's communication infrastructure to be vulnerable for months, the Dutch Safety Board said in report on Thursday. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/258505/report_dutch_government_was_unprepared_for_ssl_hack.html Cybercrime disclosures rare despite new SEC rule [AP] Hackers broke into computers at hotel giant Wyndham Worldwide Corp. three times in two years and stole credit card information belonging to hundreds of thousands of customers. Wyndham didn't report the break-in in corporate filings even though the Securities and Exchange Commission wants companies to inform investors of cybercrimes. http://washingtonexaminer.com/cybercrime-disclosures-rare-despite-new-sec-rule/article/feed/2007543 http://www.afr.com/p/technology/cyber_crime_disclosures_rare_despite_tR48xlUpuDmCHILX3EDiVK DDoS insurance? Sorry you?re not covered for that... by Miguel Ramos, Senior Security Consultant at Neustar, a provider of managed DNS services Think back to your history classes and ponder the Maginot Line, the pre-World War II French military fortifications. Hailed as a brilliant innovation and utterly impregnable, the line was quickly outflanked by a cunning and determined foe. http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-06/25/ddos-attack-insurance us: Ad Biz Claims It Must Disregard User Privacy Choices to Safeguard "Cybersecurity" At a hearing yesterday, the Senate Commerce Committee took up the issue of online tracking, the browser-based Do Not Track flag, and, in an unlikely turn of events, cybersecurity. The hearing included testimony from Ohio State University Law School?s Prof. Peter Swire, Mozilla?s Alex Fowler, the Association of National Advertisers? Bob Liodice, and TechFreedom?s Berin Szoka. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/ad-biz-claims-it-must-disregard-user-privacy-choices-safeguard-cybersecurity ITU-IMPACT to hold Arab region cross-border cyber drill - First region-wide test of cybersecurity capabilities [news release] ITU and its cybersecurity partner, the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT), are organizing the first UN-backed cross border cyber drill designed to test the Arab region?s cyber response capabilities and improve readiness and reaction in the event of a theoretical future cyber attack. http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/44.aspx Cybercrime moves to the cloud: Researchers say criminals are moving their malware heavy lifting from end user PCs to servers in the cloud The same flexibility and freedom companies get from having their software and services hosted in the cloud is enabling cybercriminals to conduct highly automated online banking theft -- without doing much of the necessary information processing on their victims' own computers. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57464177-83/cybercrime-moves-to-the-cloud/ ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Cybersquatters Beware: KeepAlert Helps Companies Identify Online Brand Attacks We?re broadcasting from the International Trademark Association Conference in Washington D.C. Over 9,000 trademark attorneys and in-house counsel from around the world are here to talk about brands, brand protections, trademarks, trademark registration. Today, we?re talking, again, with Anthony Don, CTO of keepalert.com a monitoring platform that helps trademark owners and their lawyers gather information about brand attacks on the internet, help them prioritize that information, assess that information and capture that information for future use. Anthony, welcome to the show. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2012/06/cybersquatters-beware-keepalert-helps-companies-identify-online-brand-attacks.html Man suing for the right to use 'Google' in 750 urls A New York business owner is suing for the right to use the term "Google" in the URL for his professional website, claiming that the word has becoming a legally generic term. http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/261457/250/Man-suing-for-the-right-to-use-39Google39-in-750-urls Apple seeks iPad3.com domain name The company doesn't own the iPad3.com domain name, and Apple now wants an arbitration panel to transfer ownership. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57464015-37/apple-seeks-ipad3.com-domain-name/ Scout24 Holding GmbH and Scout24 International Management AG v. IP Matters Corp - Case No. DCH2012-0008 1. The Parties: The Claimants are Scout24 Holding GmbH (First Claimant) of M?nchen, Germany and Scout24 International Management AG (Second Claimant) of Baar, Switzerland, represented by Zulauf B?rgi Partner, Switzerland. The Respondent is IP Matters Corp of Tokyo, Japan. 2. Domain Name: The dispute concerns the following domain name: <imoscout24.ch>. ... 7. Expert Decision: For the above reasons, in accordance with paragraph 24 of the Rules of Procedure, the Expert orders that the disputed domain name <imoscout24.ch> be transferred to the Second Claimant (Scout24 International Management AG). http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DCH2012-0008 ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Global IPv6 Survey extended The 2012 Global IPv6 Deployment Survey has been extended to Friday, 13 July. http://www.apnic.net/publications/news/2012/ipv6-survey-extended ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Call for speakers for the 5th International Conference for ccTLD registries and registrars of CIS, Central and Eastern Europe The 5th International Conference for ccTLD registries and registrars of CIS, Central and Eastern Europe, hosted by the Coordination Center for TLD RU/??, will be held on 11-13 September 2012. This year, the conference will be held in Budva, Montenegro. http://centr.org/news/cis/06-26-2012/2165/call-speakers-5th-international-conference-cctld-registries-and-registrars- Afilias Participates in Global Test of Multilingual IDN Email On June 19, 2012, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) conducted the first public multilingual Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) email trials -- and Afilias was one of the sponsoring participants. IDN email allows people to use almost any language in their email addresses for their user name, second-level IDN domain name and top-level IDN. http://registrypro.pro/blogs/vhedderel/afilias-participates-global-test-multilingual-idn-email ARIN XXX Registration Now Open Registration is now open for the ARIN XXX Public Policy and Members Meeting, 24-26 October 2012 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in Dallas, Texas. https://www.arin.net/announcements/2012/20120626.html SnapNames Announces Partnership with NameRich.cn, a Leading Domain Name Aftermarket Service Provider Moniker? and SnapNames?, both KeyDrive S. A. companies and leading providers of domain name solutions, announced today a new strategic partnership with NameRich.cn, a leading Chinese domain name aftermarket service provider. https://www.moniker.com/domainnewsresources/news/snapnames_announces_partnership_with_namerich.cn_a_leading_domain_name_afte SnapNames Announces Partnership with Dnbiz, a Leading Chinese Domain Name Buying & Selling Market Moniker? and SnapNames?, both KeyDrive S. A. companies and leading providers of domain name solutions, announced today a new international partnership with Dnbiz, a leading Chinese domain name buying and selling marketplace. https://www.moniker.com/domainnewsresources/news/snapnames_announces_partnership_with_dnbiz_a_leading_chinese_domain_name_bu ********************** - WEBHOSTING ********************** SA dominates web hosting in Africa South Africa and Egypt together account for 80 of the top 100 websites hosted in Africa, according to a recent report from Pingdom, a company that focuses on uptime monitoring. http://businesstech.co.za/news/internet/16722/sa-dominates-web-hosting-africa/ Webhost Refuses To Censor Its Own ?Pirate Bay? Anti-Censorship Tool A webhost has come under pressure from Dutch anti-piracy outfit BREIN for providing a Wordpress-based anti-censorship tool which unblocks, among other sites, The Pirate Bay. The Hollywood-funded group says that in the face of the host?s refusal to comply with the takedown, it is now considering filing a criminal complaint. A lawyer specializing in IT law has today described the threat as ?baseless.? http://torrentfreak.com/webhost-refuses-to-censor-its-own-pirate-bay-anti-censorship-tool-120630/ ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** MovingCompany.com Arrives at Top Spot on This Week's Sales Chart After Selling for Six Figures Through Moniker MovingCompany.com did not sell when Moniker.com listed the domain in their Spring Auction but the name's exposure in that event helped the company's brokerage unit find a buyer after the auction and close a big $195,000 sale that is the 7th biggest sale reported so far this year. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2012/20120627.htm New Domain Value Indicators tool gives insight into value Buyers reach a faster decision by viewing quantitative statistics via any domain?s offer page Today saw the introduction of a new feature?the Domain Value Indicators tool, which provides greater insight into a domain?s value for both buyers and sellers. https://sedo.com/us/news/3072/New-Domain-Value-Indicators-tool-gives-insight-into-value/ Sedo Launches New Domain Value Indicators Feature - New Tool Explains Domain Values through Quantitative Analysis This morning, Sedo, the leading domain marketplace and online monetization provider, announced the launch of a new feature that provides quantitative analysis of domains listed for sale on Sedo?s marketplace. This new feature?Domain Value Indicators?offers buyers valuable insight into any domain?s worth by presenting a selection of core statistics on the individual domain name, and how these values compare to other domains listed at Sedo. https://sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&id=474 Sedo Adds New Domain Value Data, Moniker/Snapnames Targets Chinese Buyers & ICANN Shoots an Arrow Through Digital Archery's Heart Several topics to touch on today. Sedo has started making more information available about the domains for sale on their popular aftermarket platform. The new initiative, dubbed Domain Value Indicators, provides a selection of core statistics on each name, as well as how these values compare to other domains listed at Sedo. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2012/dailyposts/20120628.htm ********************** REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Final ICTNET Conference on the Economic Impact of ICT: Policy Drivers and Economic Evidence (OECD, Paris, 25-26 June 2012) Background and objectives: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have put policy makers in a fast-changing environment, where new technologies and new businesses practices call for a continuous rethinking of their policies. http://www.oecd.org/document/59/0,3746,en_2649_37441_50160251_1_1_1_37441,00.html ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Minitel: The rise and fall of the France-wide web France is switching off its groundbreaking Minitel service which brought online banking, travel reservations, and porn to millions of users in the 1980s. But then came the worldwide web. Minitel has been slowly dying and the plug will be pulled on Saturday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18610692 France says farewell to the Minitel ? the little box that connected a country It is known as the "Little French Box", a 1980s design classic now seen as the ultimate in beige plastic kitsch. But once it was an audacious precursor to the world wide web, introduced the first cybersex into people's living rooms and had a user-friendly design that may have inspired Steve Jobs's first Macintosh computer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jun/28/minitel-france-says-farewell Farmers mourn death of French proto-internet Three decades after it launched, the Minitel - a French forerunner to the internet that at its height was installed in 9 million homes - will shut down for good on Saturday. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-29/french-internet-precursor-shuts-down/4099492 Caveat emptor.com: Online firms are getting better at calculating how much they can sting you for. Here?s how to pay less The internet was supposed to be the consumer?s friend. By making it easy to shop around, it would drive prices lower. But online sellers of all sorts of goods and services are taking a keen interest in new software that promises to help them spot customers who are well off, or whose money is burning a hole in their pockets, so as to charge them more. http://www.economist.com/node/21557755 Personalising online prices: How deep are your pockets? Businesses are offered software that spots which customers will pay more In many types of face-to-face retailing, it pays to size up your customer and tailor your offering accordingly. In a 2006 study of Fulton fish market in New York, Kathryn Graddy of Oxford University found that dealers regularly charged Asian buyers less than whites because the Asians had proved, over time, more willing to reject high prices, and readier to band together to boycott dealers who ripped them off. http://www.economist.com/node/21557798 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Twitter boss pledges to tackle abuse on its site Twitter is to introduce measures to help curb the proliferation of "hate speech" and trolling on its service. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18623047 Twitter's Mobile Ads Begin to Click: Majority of Revenue on Social Network Comes from Phones; One Advertiser Calls Results Staggering Twitter Inc. is showing early signs of success selling advertising on mobile devices, an area that is bedeviling Internet companies including Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304458604577491170573156612.html Take that Facebook ? LinkedIn is making a mint from your personal information For every hour a single user spends on its site LinkedIn racks up $US1.30 in revenue. Facebook, with its many hundreds of millions of users, manages just 6.2 US cents. http://www.brw.com.au/p/sections/professions/take_that_facebook_linkedin_information_LetNU4AR2JaTDiZxoVBiRN ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** New-tech moguls: the modern robber barons? Are today's captains of industry ? the wealthy and powerful figures who control the digital universe ? any different from the ruthless corporate figures of the past? http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/01/new-tech-moguls-robber-barons Wearable computing: Google advances its plan to bring smart glasses to the masses Google has an ambitious vision for spectacles. On June 27th Sergey Brin (pictured above), one of the company?s co-founders, revealed the next stage of Project Glass, its effort to create wireless-connected glasses that allow their wearers to do a host of things, including receiving and responding to messages, and taking and sharing photos and videos. The goal is to get prototypes in the hands of software developers early next year and then to sell a more polished set of specs to consumers in late 2013 or early the following year. http://www.economist.com/node/21557818 ********************************* CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY ********************************* uk: Online pornography: opt-in system planned to protect children Internet users would have to actively "opt-in" to view pornographic or harmful content when they sign up for broadband or buy new mobile phones under plans favoured by David Cameron. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9359848/Online-pornography-opt-in-system-planned-to-protect-children.html uk: Internet pornography: safety plans do not go far enough - charities David Cameron?s favoured model for blocking internet pornography does not go far enough to protect children, charities have warned. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/9363026/Internet-pornography-safety-plans-do-not-go-far-enough-charities.html uk: Automatic bar on net porn considered The government is to consider putting extra pressure on computer users to filter out pornography when setting up internet accounts. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18616909 uk: TalkTalk's internet filter could give children access to porn, says magazine A study by a computer magazine has found that the internet porn filtering system offered by TalkTalk, one of the biggest internet service providers, could potentially give children access to hard-core pornography. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jun/28/talk-talk-internet-filter-porn Smartphones raise the stakes in bullying THE rise of smartphones has outpaced traditional wisdom on how parents should monitor teenagers' use of technology and created a powerful new venue for cyber-bullying, according to an Australian psychologist who has conducted the most detailed study yet of children's behaviour towards each other. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/smartphones-raise-the-stakes-in-bullying-20120629-218af.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/smartphones-drive-latest-wave-of-cyberbullying-20120629-21809.html Studie: Cybermobbing unter Kindern eher selten Nur drei Prozent waren oft oder sehr oft Opfer von Cybermobbing. http://futurezone.at/digitallife/9857-studie-cybermobbing-unter-kindern-eher-selten.php Social networking sites for kids equally dangerous Sites targeted at adolescents will attract predators and may not necessarily be any safer than other popular platforms, say security observers, following recent rapes involving children using various social networking platforms. http://www.zdnetasia.com/social-networking-sites-for-kids-equally-dangerous-62305278.htm nz: Cyberbullying: Pregnant 16-Yr-Old Bully Ignores Court, Says Victim to Suffer ?til Death "F... the restraining order, she's dead," a pregnant 16-year-old student in Geelong posted on Facebook after she was arrested Wednesday. http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/357700/20120629/bully-pregnant-geelong-cyberbullying.htm nz: Principal takes on internet access drive Lincoln High School principal Linda Tame is helping lead a new Crown-owned company charged with providing schools with affordable ultrafast internet access. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/7202291/Principal-takes-on-internet-access-drive us: FTC Offers Video Game Primer to Help Parents If your kids play video games, the Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, wants you to know there are resources to help you learn about the games and put limits on what your kids can access. http://ftc.gov/opa/2012/06/videogames.shtm International strategy launched [news release] Establishing an international arm to tackle online child sexual abuse content is at the heart of the Internet Watch Foundation?s (IWF) new three-year strategy. http://www.iwf.org.uk/about-iwf/news/post/328-international-strategy-launched ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** uk: New measures to protect online copyright and inform consumers [news release] Internet users will be encouraged to download music and films through legal channels under measures outlined today by Ofcom. http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2012/06/26/new-measures-to-protect-online-copyright-and-inform-consumers/ ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad ... In the last decade, Apple has become one of the mightiest, richest and most successful companies in the world, in part by mastering global manufacturing. Apple and its high-technology peers ? as well as dozens of other American industries ? have achieved a pace of innovation nearly unmatched in modern history. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html Investigation finds widespread abuses at Apple China factories A rights group said it had found "deplorable" conditions at Apple suppliers in China, following a probe of several firms that make the US technology giant's hugely popular products. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/9362207/Investigation-finds-widespread-abuses-at-Apple-China-factories.html Before IPhone and Android Came Simon, the First Smartphone In the 1995 techno thriller, The Net, Sandra Bullock plays a software programmer who unwittingly uncovers a plot to gain access to the world's most sensitive computers. The bad guy, played by Jeremy Northam, tries to kill Bullock literally and virtually -- by stealing her identity. (For a hacker, Bullock's character is remarkably dim; when she finally catches on to what's happening, she whines: "Our whole lives are on the computer.") Apple gets the customary product cameo as the movie imagines a world in which ordering pizza online or accessing a database from a laptop computer in a car is commonplace. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-29/before-iphone-and-android-came-simon-the-first-smartphone ********************** ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL ********************** Businesses and cyber-security - A spook speaks: Its cost may be hard to count, but cybercrime has companies worried Like blooms on a peculiar plant, speeches by the head of the British security service are rare; and when they do appear, they draw attention. On June 25th Jonathan Evans, the director-general of MI5, burst into oratorical flower for the first time in 21 months. After commenting on preparations for the Olympic games and on counter-terrorism, Mr Evans turned to cyber-security?where the ?front line?is as much in business as it is in government.? States as well as criminals were up to no good, he said: in particular, a ?major London listed company with which we have worked? had lost revenue of ?some ?800m? ($1.2 billion) to state-sponsored cyber-attack. The firm in question had lost intellectual property and had been put at a disadvantage in commercial negotiations. http://www.economist.com/node/21557817 Why won?t the Obama administration reveal how many Americans? emails the NSA has collected and reviewed without a warrant? Since last year, a few members of Congress?led by Senator Ron Wyden?have been trying to get the Obama administration to answer a simple question: how many Americans? phone calls or emails have been and are being collected and read without a warrant under the authority of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (FAA)? Unfortunately, no one else in the government seems to want that question answered. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/why-wont-obama-administration-reveal-how-many-americans-phone-calls-or-emails "Cyber Heist" Using Malware To Siphon Up To Two Billion From Banks A new generation of bank heist has arrived -- no balaclava or bags of banknotes necessary. Security firms McAfee and Guardian Analytics have released a 20-page analysis on a global financial fraud ring entitled "Operation High Roller," a series of highly-organised cyber bank attacks, whose aim was to systematically siphon money from high-balance accounts. http://worldcrunch.com/cyber-heist-using-malware-siphon-two-billion-banks/5741 Friday Hearing in Megaupload Case Over Users' Rights [news release] The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), assisted by retired federal judge and former State Department legal adviser Abraham D. Sofaer, will ask a federal judge Friday to order the return of data to Kyle Goodwin, a Megaupload user who lost all access to his files when the cloud storage service was shut down by the U.S. government. https://www.eff.org/press/releases/friday-hearing-megaupload-case-over-users-rights Apple pays $60 mln to settle China iPad trademark dispute Apple Inc has paid $60 million to Proview Technology (Shenzhen) to end a dispute over the iPad trademark in China that saw the world's most valuable technology company engaged in a protracted legal tussle with a near-bankrupt Chinese firm. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/apple-china-idINDEE86101H20120702 Apple Settles an iPad Dispute in China A Chinese provincial court said on Monday that Apple had settled a lawsuit there by agreeing to pay $60 million for the legal rights to use the iPad trademark in China, according to Xie Xianghui, a lawyer for the Chinese company involved. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/business/global/apple-settles-an-ipad-trademark-dispute-in-china.html ********************** SECURITY ********************** U.S. Critical Infrastructure Cyber Attack Reports Jump Dramatically U.S. critical infrastructure companies saw a dramatic increase in the number of reported cyber-security incidents between 2009 and 2011, according to a new report from the U.S. Industrial Control System Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). http://www.darkreading.com/advanced-threats/167901091/security/attacks-breaches/240003029/u-s-critical-infrastructure-cyber-attack-reports-jump-dramatically.html Report: Dutch Government Was Unprepared for SSL Hack [IDG] The Dutch government was unprepared to handle an SSL hack that caused the government's communication infrastructure to be vulnerable for months, the Dutch Safety Board said in report on Thursday. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/258505/report_dutch_government_was_unprepared_for_ssl_hack.html Cybercrime disclosures rare despite new SEC rule [AP] Hackers broke into computers at hotel giant Wyndham Worldwide Corp. three times in two years and stole credit card information belonging to hundreds of thousands of customers. Wyndham didn't report the break-in in corporate filings even though the Securities and Exchange Commission wants companies to inform investors of cybercrimes. http://washingtonexaminer.com/cybercrime-disclosures-rare-despite-new-sec-rule/article/feed/2007543 http://www.afr.com/p/technology/cyber_crime_disclosures_rare_despite_tR48xlUpuDmCHILX3EDiVK DDoS insurance? Sorry you?re not covered for that... by Miguel Ramos, Senior Security Consultant at Neustar, a provider of managed DNS services Think back to your history classes and ponder the Maginot Line, the pre-World War II French military fortifications. Hailed as a brilliant innovation and utterly impregnable, the line was quickly outflanked by a cunning and determined foe. http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-06/25/ddos-attack-insurance us: Ad Biz Claims It Must Disregard User Privacy Choices to Safeguard "Cybersecurity" At a hearing yesterday, the Senate Commerce Committee took up the issue of online tracking, the browser-based Do Not Track flag, and, in an unlikely turn of events, cybersecurity. The hearing included testimony from Ohio State University Law School?s Prof. Peter Swire, Mozilla?s Alex Fowler, the Association of National Advertisers? Bob Liodice, and TechFreedom?s Berin Szoka. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/ad-biz-claims-it-must-disregard-user-privacy-choices-safeguard-cybersecurity ITU-IMPACT to hold Arab region cross-border cyber drill - First region-wide test of cybersecurity capabilities [news release] ITU and its cybersecurity partner, the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT), are organizing the first UN-backed cross border cyber drill designed to test the Arab region?s cyber response capabilities and improve readiness and reaction in the event of a theoretical future cyber attack. http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/44.aspx Cybercrime moves to the cloud: Researchers say criminals are moving their malware heavy lifting from end user PCs to servers in the cloud The same flexibility and freedom companies get from having their software and services hosted in the cloud is enabling cybercriminals to conduct highly automated online banking theft -- without doing much of the necessary information processing on their victims' own computers. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57464177-83/cybercrime-moves-to-the-cloud/ ********************** PRIVACY ********************** eu: Energy smart meters are a threat to privacy, says watchdog European Data Protection Supervisor warns 'massive collection of personal data' could be accessed without safeguards http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/01/household-energy-trackers-threat-privacy Study: 86% of Top Websites Expose Visitors to Third-party Tracking Cookies How prevalent is the use of tracking cookies that get planted on your computer after browsing a website so it can keep track of what you're doing? Turns out that not only do the major websites like to plant their own tracking cookies on you, they're also happy to stick a lot of third-party cookies on you, too. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/062812-tracking-cookies-260544.html http://www.cio.com/article/709475/Study_86_of_Top_Websites_Expose_Visitors_to_Third_party_Tracking_Cookies http://www.pcworld.com/article/258541/study_86_of_top_websites_expose_visitors_to_thirdparty_tracking_cookies.html us: Rockefeller Says He Doesn't Trust Industry to Regulate Itself on Privacy Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. said Thursday that he doesn't trust that companies can self-regulate themselves when it comes to protecting consumer privacy online and will continue to press for legislation. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/06/rockefeller-says-he-doesnt-tru.php http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2012/06/rockefeller-says-he-doesnt-trust-industry-regulate-itself-privacy/56521/ us: Privacy self-regulation efforts are working, senators told [IDG] The online industry doesn't need new privacy legislation because it is doing a good job of protecting users' privacy, an executive of an advertising trade group told U.S. lawmakers Thursday. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9228639/Privacy_self_regulation_efforts_are_working_senators_told Facebook, LinkedIn boost privacy drive-watchdog Technology groups Facebook and LinkedIn have agreed to beef up their international privacy and compliance teams in response to demands from the Irish regulator, the deputy Data Protection Commissioner told Reuters. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/28/ireland-facebook-linkedin-idINDEE85R0HT20120628 http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/06/28/oukin-uk-ireland-dataprotection-idUKBRE85R14420120628 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** China blocks access to Bloomberg and Businessweek sites Web users in mainland China are unable to access Bloomberg's websites, after they were blocked by local authorities. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18648050 China blocks Bloomberg for exposing financial affairs of Xi Jinping's family China appears to have blocked access to the Bloomberg website after it detailed the multimillion-dollar assets of relatives of the man expected to become president. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/29/china-bloomberg-xi-jinping China censors block Xi web searches China?s online censors went into overdrive on Friday, blocking internet searches and references to Xi Jinping, the man anointed as the country?s president-in-waiting, after US news service Bloomberg published a forensic report on the fortune amassed by his relatives. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/103a9a4e-c1f5-11e1-8e7c-00144feabdc0.html Sudan Continues Crackdown, Arresting More Bloggers Sudan may not have "pulled a Mubarak" and shut off the Internet, but that hasn't stopped the government's attempts to silence vocal citizens online. Four days after we first reported his arrest, Usamah Mohammed Ali (better known as §simsimt) remains in detention, his whereabouts unknown, while Maha El-Sanosi was released over the weekend only to be arrested again today. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/sudan-continues-crackdown-arresting-more-bloggers ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** France may extend TV licence fee to computer screens The French government is considering extending the television licence fee to include computer screen owners to boost revenues for public-sector broadcasting operations, the culture minister said on Saturday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/01/france-tv-licence-computer-screens If Europe rejects ACTA, will it actually go away? On Thursday, the fifth and final European Union Parliamentary committee voted to reject the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). This signifies a major blow to ACTA, but its standing in the EU still comes down to the European Parliament vote scheduled during the first week of July. After this final vote decides the agreement?s adoption in Europe, however, the future of ACTA for the rest of the signatory countries unfortunately remains cloudy. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/if-europe-rejects-acta-will-it-actually-go-away New E.U. Guidelines to Address Cloud Computing The European Commission?s panel on privacy is expected on Monday to endorse the concept of cloud computing as legal under the Continent?s privacy law and to recommend for the first time that large companies and organizations police themselves to assure that personal information kept in remote locations is protected. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/technology/new-eu-guidelines-to-address-cloud-computing.html Italian regulator threatens Apple with new fines: source Italy's competition regulator is threatening Apple Inc with further fines of up to ?300,000 if it does not offer local customers a free two-year warranty as demanded by Italian law, a source close to the watchdog said on Sunday. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/01/apple-italy-antitrust-idINDEE86008020120701 Proposal for an International Convention on Online Gambling by Marketa Trimble [Internet Gaming Regulation Symposium] Abstract: The proposal, which will be published as a chapter in a volume from the Internet Gaming Regulation Symposium co-organized by the William S. Boyd School of Law of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in May 2012, presents the outline of an international convention ('Convention') that will facilitate cooperation among countries in enforcement of their online gambling regulations while allowing the countries to maintain their individual legal approaches to online gambling. http://ssrn.com/abstract=2089935 Internet Society Highlights the Internet as an Unparalleled Platform for Innovation in The Global Innovation Index 2012 [news release] Internet Society President and Chief Executive Officer, Lynn St. Amour, authored a chapter for The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2012 that highlights the Internet as an unprecedented catalyst for innovation and change. The GII, co-published by INSEAD, the leading international business school, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, recognizes the role of innovation as a driver of economic growth and prosperity to both developed and emerging economies. https://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-highlights-internet-unparalleled-platform-innovation-global-innovation-index-0 nz: Targeting Dotcom may backfire on Hollywood: InternetNZ The copyright industry upped the ante by getting the New Zealand government involved in its fight against Kim Dotcom, but yesterday?s High Court decision declaring the search and seizure of Dotcom?s property illegal shows the move could backfire on them says Internet New Zealand CEO Vikram Kumar. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/megaupload-arrest-warrants-ruled-illegal nz: Watchdog release final broadband barriers report ? pundit sees fibre connection cost as critical issue The Commerce Commission's final version of its report on barriers to broadband update takes in areas ranging from connection cost to video content. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/watchdog-release-final-broadband-barriers-report-?-pundit-sees-fibre-connection-cost-critica nz: No UFB full disclosure requirements for Chorus until 2014 ? regulator The Commerce Commission, recently accused by the investment community of over-enthusiastically regulating Chorus, has revealed a relaxed timetable for regulatory disclosure for the Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) roll-out. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/no-ufb-disclosure-requirements-chorus-until-2014-commerce-commission-ck-122400 ********************** MISCELLANEOUS ********************** nz: Targeting Dotcom may backfire on Hollywood: InternetNZ The copyright industry upped the ante by getting the New Zealand government involved in its fight against Kim Dotcom, but yesterday's High Court decision declaring the search and seizure of Dotcom's property illegal shows the move could backfire on them says Internet New Zealand CEO Vikram Kumar. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/megaupload-arrest-warrants-ruled-illegal http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/tech-industry/3366988/targeting-dotcom-may-backfire-on-hollywood-internetnz/ nz: Executive Appointments Wellington internet expert Keith Davidson has been made a trustee of the Internet Society (Isoc). Elected to Isoc?s 12-strong board, he will oversee internet policy, governance, technology and development work. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/appointments-df-p-122258 nz: InternetNZ offers $100,000 in grants for internet research InternetNZ is offering $100,000 for policy and legal-related research projects, with a funding cap of $20,000 per project. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/internetnz-offers-100000-in-grants-for-internet-research ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** eu: Wave goodbye to mobile internet rip-offs from 1 July; voice and SMS prices to fall also [news release] >From 1 July 2012, using mobile internet to access maps, videos, photos, social networks and email will be much cheaper while travelling in other EU member states. A new EU regulation means that, for the first time, there will be a maximum charge for "data roaming" - downloading data from the internet when using a mobile connection. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/709 us: Ryan Harris Given 3-Year Sentence For Helping Thousands Steal Internet Service Internet service providers are increasingly looking for ways to charge customers more money for faster speeds and access to more data. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/29/ryan-harris-hacker-internet-service_n_1637759.html au: We will not cancel the NBN: Turnbull Nearly two years after Tony Abbott vowed to tear down the beginnings of the national broadband network and to "demolish" it, the Coalition now says it will not roll back or cancel it, if it comes to power at the next election. http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/government-it/we-will-not-cancel-the-nbn-turnbull-20120629-217f3.html http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/government-it/we-will-not-cancel-the-nbn-turnbull-20120629-217f3.html ------ David Goldstein email: david at 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 Mon Jul 02 2012 - 06:32:58 UTC
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