[DNS] auDA domain name news - 15 August

[DNS] auDA domain name news - 15 August

From: David Goldstein <david>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:41:12 +1000
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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Upcoming Webinars Hosted by IBM: Trademark Database for Sunrise and Claims
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-12aug13-en>

USPTO Consults On Whether gTLDs Can Be Trademarks
<http://www.domainnews.com/uspto-consults-on-whether-gtlds-can-be-trademarks.html>

Clashes, Collisions, Delays and Decisions: ICANN, NTIA, Verisign and ANA Weigh In on ?Name Collisions? and the Readiness of the New gTLD Program
<http://www.reedsmith.com/Clashes-Collisions-Delays-and-Decisions-ICANN-NTIA-Verisign-and-ANA-Weigh-In-on-Name-Collisions-and-the-Readiness-of-the-New-gTLD-Program-08-13-2013/>

A Look at Closed vs. Open New gTLDs by Alex Tajirian
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130812_a_look_at_closed_vs_open_new_gtlds/>

That .gov outage this morning? Blame an error in domain name security - Corrupted data made Internet think .gov DNS was not really .gov.
<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/08/that-gov-outage-this-morning-blame-an-error-in-domain-name-security/>


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 - ICANN
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Upcoming Webinars Hosted by IBM: Trademark Database for Sunrise and Claims
Trademark Database Sunrise service went live on 9 August 2013, with the Trademark Claims service scheduled to go live in September. To provide additional information to prospective new gTLD registry operators, ICANN partner IBM will be hosting a series of webinars on the Trademark Clearinghouse Database Sunrise & Claims services.
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-12aug13-en>

Honoring Africa?s DNS Industry Leaders by Pierre Dandjinou
The future of the Internet in Africa is being shepherded by the pioneers and visionaries who grab opportunity and mold it into reality. It is crafted by those with the desire to shape the continent for the better and see their ideals come to life. It is these luminaries, some well-known and some not, that have allowed for the Internet to grow so vibrantly throughout Africa.
<http://blog.icann.org/2013/08/honoring-africas-dns-industry-leaders/>

Letter from Christine Willett, Vice President, gTLD Operations, ICANN, to Anudith Nakornthap
Issue: Application for ".thai" New gTLD
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/willett-to-nakornthap-13aug13-en>

Letter from Andy Burton, Cloud Industry Forum, to Stephen Crocker, Fadi Chehad?, and Cherine Chalaby regarding the New gTLD application for .CLOUD
Issue: Cloud Industry Forum's Opposition to Google's Amendment to the .cloud gTLD
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/burton-to-crocker-et-al-02aug13-en>

Letter from David Tennenhouse, Microsoft Corporation, to Cherine Chalaby regarding dotless domains
Issue: NGPC Consideration of Dotless Domains
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/tennenhouse-to-chalaby-12aug13-en>

Letter from Carolin Silbernagl, dotHIV, to Akram Atallah
Issue: Ensuring Progress in New gTLD Delegation: Strings with low risk of rename collision and affected by GAC Advice, Category 1
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/silbernagl-to-atallah-10aug13-en>

Fellowship Program Brings Global Voices Together at ICANN | Fellows Announced for Buenos Aires Meeting
35 fellows from 27 countries have been selected to participate in ICANN's Fellowship program at the 48th Public Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 17-21 November 2013.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-12aug13-en.htm>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Nic.ar Implementing Security And Privacy Enhancements
The Argentinian ccTLD manager, nic.ar, is implementing new security and privacy enhancements and as a result will be offline for five days from 14 August, with normal service including the changes resuming on 20 August.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/08/15/nic-ar-security-privacy-enhancements/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/nic-ar-implementing-security-and-privacy-enhancements.html>

New Terms And Conditions For .AT Domains
New terms and conditions for .at domain names come into effect on 1 October when Terms 2013, version 3.0 will become valid. The registry, nic.at, says the benefits for registrants will be:
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/08/12/new-at-terms-and-conditions/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/new-terms-and-conditions-for-at-domains.html>

.CO Make It Ridiculously Easy? To Get A Domain And Website
Encouraging many small businesses in particular to get online has proven difficult. For those without an interest in technology, the idea of registering a domain name, building a website and all the considerations that go with it are sometimes too complex and/or too expensive.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=20832>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/08/13/co-make-it-ridiculously-easy-to-get-a-domain-and-website/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/co-make-it-ridiculously-easy-to-get-a-domain-and-website.html>

Introducing: POP.co
As I hinted in my blog post celebrating the third anniversary of the .CO domain, I?m super excited today to announce the launch of our new company: POP! Online LLC. Simply put, POP.co is a ridiculously easy way to launch a business or idea online. In less than a minute, you get a custom web page and an email address powered by Google Apps ? all on your very own .CO domain name. And that?s not even the half of it.
<http://www.go.co/blog/2013/08/12/introducing-pop/>

>From The Founders of .Co, Pop.Co Is A Fast, Simple Way To Launch Businesses Online
The company behind the .co domain has been working to associate .co websites with startups and innovation. Now its founders are trying to make it as easy as possible to start a business online with a new company called Pop.co.
<http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/12/pop-co-launch/>

Test driving .co?s new Pop.co
.Co continues to innovate around how people register domain names and get online. Yesterday it launched a new company, Pop.co, to make the process of getting your domain and a basic web presence insanely easy.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/13/pop-co/>

The Netherlands hosts more porn sites than any European country
The Netherlands is Europe's virtual red light district, hosting more porn websites than any other European country, according to new research.
<http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/08/the_netherlands_hosts_more_por.php>

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 - NEW TLDS
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USPTO Consults On Whether gTLDs Can Be Trademarks
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is looking into whether new gTLDs should be allowed trademarks.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=20841>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/08/13/uspto-gtlds-trademarks/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/uspto-consults-on-whether-gtlds-can-be-trademarks.html>

New US trademark rules likely to exclude many dot-brand gTLDs
The US Patent and Trademark Office plans to allow domain name registries to get trademarks on their gTLDs.
<http://domainincite.com/14139-new-us-trademark-rules-likely-to-exclude-many-dot-brand-gtlds>

USPTO considers trademarks for top level domain names
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is seeking feedback on a plan to allow companies to trademark TLDs ? albeit under limited circumstances.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/12/uspto-considers-trademarks-for-top-level-domain-names/>

Clashes, Collisions, Delays and Decisions: ICANN, NTIA, Verisign and ANA Weigh In on ?Name Collisions? and the Readiness of the New gTLD Program
Last week, ICANN was busy with nothing less than the security and stability of the Internet. At ICANN?s recent meeting in Durban, those of us attending heard a drumbeat of studies, presentations and concerns regarding "name collisions": the conflicts that will arise when new gTLDs go live and conflict with existing top-level extensions in private networks.
<http://www.reedsmith.com/Clashes-Collisions-Delays-and-Decisions-ICANN-NTIA-Verisign-and-ANA-Weigh-In-on-Name-Collisions-and-the-Readiness-of-the-New-gTLD-Program-08-13-2013/>

A Look at Closed vs. Open New gTLDs by Alex Tajirian
The essay analyzes some of the strengths and weaknesses of closed and open new gTLDs. The success of the gTLD to a large degree rests on the successful design and implementation of an effective digital business model. A closed gTLD is one whose owner uses it for exclusive content - for example, the use of .book exclusively for Amazon books. Conversely, if Amazon opens up .book, other book sellers and libraries would be able to set up sub-domains, sites where they controlled content.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130812_a_look_at_closed_vs_open_new_gtlds/>

First string confusion decisions handed down, Verisign loses against .tvs
The International Centre for Dispute Resolution has started delivering its decisions in new gTLD String Confusion Objections, and we can report that Verisign has lost at least one case.
<http://domainincite.com/14149-first-string-confusion-decisions-handed-down-verisign-loses-against-tvs>

First 12 New TLD string confusion objections denied
The International Centre for Dispute Resolution has issued its first 12 decisions regarding string confusion objections for new TLDs.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/13/first-12-new-tld-string-confusion-objections-denied/>

IPC wants Uniform Rapid Suspension provisions in .org, .biz, and .info contracts
Intellectual Property groups already asking for way to add URS to existing TLDs.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/14/ipc-wants-uniform-rapid-suspension/>

dotShabaka Diary ? Day 3
Here?s the third installment of dotShabaka Registry?s journal, charting its progress towards becoming one of the first new gTLDs to go live, written by general manager Yasmin Omer.
<http://domainincite.com/14154-dotshabaka-diary-day-3>

Demand Media gains $1.2 million from new TLD ?withdrawals?
Demand Media recorded a gain of $1.2 million last quarter from withdrawals of its interest in new TLD applications.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/12/demand-media-gains-1-2-million-from-new-tld-withdrawals/>

Scripps Networks loses second new TLD objection, this one for .diy
Scripps Networks has lost its second legal rights objection against a TLD application, this time losing .diy.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/12/scripps-networks-loses-second-new-tld-objection-this-one-for-diy/>

CentralNic earmarks IPO money for new gTLDs
CentralNic this morning formally confirmed that it plans to float on the Alternative Investment Market in London and said the money raised will help it buy stakes in new gTLDs.
<http://domainincite.com/14146-centralnic-earmarks-ipo-money-for-new-gtlds>

First private auction participation
The directors of Top Level Domain Holdings (AIM: TLDH) are pleased to announce that the Company will be participating in four private auctions starting Tuesday, 13 August for the contested strings .guide, .casa, .??(?web address? in Chinese) and .fishing. In each instance the Company will be bidding against single competitors, there being just two companies participating in each of the four auctions.
<http://www.tldh.org/2013/08/first-private-auction-participation/>

TLDH commits to four private gTLD auctions
Top Level Domain Holdings has committed four of its applied-for gTLDs to private auctions due to kick off tomorrow.
<http://domainincite.com/14117-tldh-commits-to-four-private-gtld-auctions>

TLDH to participate in 4 private domain auctions
Top Level Domain Holdings announced today that it will participate in 4 private auctions to settle TLD contention sets.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/12/tldh-to-participate-in-4-private-domain-auctions/>

New gTLD Application Tracker 3.0 launched
While we?ve added several smaller requested features to the DI PRO New gTLD Application Tracker over the last few months, the time has come for the second big update to the service.
<http://domainincite.com/14129-new-gtld-application-tracker-3-0-launched>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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BIND Vulnerablilty Enables DNS Cache Poisoning Attack
A vulnerability in the BIND domain name system (DNS) software could give an attacker the ability to easily and reliably control queried name servers chosen by the most widely deployed DNS software on the Internet, according to new research presented at the Woot Conference in Washington D.C. today.
<http://threatpost.com/bind-vulnerablilty-enables-dns-cache-poisoning-attack/101988>

That .gov outage this morning? Blame an error in domain name security - Corrupted data made Internet think .gov DNS was not really .gov.
This morning, citizens trying to reach US government websites got a bit of a surprise?the entirety of the .gov TLD appeared to be offline. The reason: a hiccup in the Domain Name Service Security Extension (DNSSEC) information being distributed by .gov's registry.
<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/08/that-gov-outage-this-morning-blame-an-error-in-domain-name-security/>

DNSSEC administration likely cause of .gov outage
A government website outage that lasted for hours the morning of Aug. 14 was likely caused by a failure to update a cryptographic key necessary for DNSSEC, says cybersecurity researcher Johannes Ullrich.
<http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/dnssec-administration-likely-cause-gov-outage/2013-08-14>

Why .gov went dark
Government domain websites were down for several hours Aug. 14, probably because of a technical problem related to security.
<http://fcw.com/articles/2013/08/14/gov-domains-outage.aspx>

N.S.A. Leaks Make Plan for Cyberdefense Unlikely
Even while rapidly expanding its electronic surveillance around the world, the National Security Agency has lobbied inside the government to deploy the equivalent of a ?Star Wars? defense for America?s computer networks, designed to intercept cyberattacks before they could cripple power plants, banks or financial markets.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/us/nsa-leaks-make-plan-for-cyberdefense-unlikely.html>

Companies ?critical? to UK to receive support against cybercrime
Companies deemed critical to the UK?s infrastructure are to receive support in preventing and combating serious cyber attacks.
<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aa88a330-0438-11e3-8aab-00144feab7de.html>

us: Cyberattacks need to be fought with laws at federal and state levels, ABA House resolves
The ABA House of Delegates approved a resolution calling for the modification of or creation of laws at all levels of government to fight hacking by governments or others into computer systems and networks used by lawyers and law firms. Further, it urges the U.S. government to work with other nations and groups ?to develop legal mechanisms, norms and policies? to deter, prevent and punish such breaches. Speaking on behalf of the resolution, Judith Miller, co-chair of the Cybersecurity Legal Task Force that developed it, said that this is just the beginning of an expected series of resolutions for the policy-making body to consider concerning cyber threats.
<http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/cyberlaw_resolution/>

Disruptions: As New Targets for Hackers, Your Car and Your House
Imagine driving on the freeway at 60 miles per hour and your car suddenly screeches to a halt, causing a pileup that injures dozens of people. Now imagine you had absolutely nothing to do with the accident because your car was taken over by hackers.
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/taking-over-cars-and-homes-remotely/>

Watering-Hole Attack Compromises Key Tibetan Site
In what has become a familiar scenario over the last couple of years, attackers have compromised a key Tibetan web site and loaded it with code that redirects some users to a third-party site that installs an APT-style backdoor.
<http://threatpost.com/watering-hole-attack-compromises-key-tibetan-site/101964>

The Increasing Failure of Malware Sandboxing
The past 3 years have seen many organizations adopt and deploy in-house dynamic sandboxing technologies tasked to detect and block specific classes of malware. Most advocates of the approach will point to malware samples that were detected via the sandbox, but missed by conventional antivirus signature systems, and seek to justify the investment through these simple metrics.
<http://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/the-increasing-failure-of-malware-sandbo/240159977>

IT Security Industry To Expand Tenfold
Governments around the world have commandeered the Internet, as Bruce Schneier so succinctly points out in The Atlantic. How is that going to impact the IT security industry? This $60 billion industry researches, develops, and sells firewalls, anti-malware, authentication, encryption, and 80 other categories of products. With each advance in the threat levelrepresented by hackers, cyber criminals, and cyber spies there has been a new batch of vendors which come on the scene to counter threats that bypass previous technologies and spending has increased.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardstiennon/2013/08/14/it-security-industry-to-expand-tenfold/>

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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Researchers demonstrate how IPv6 can easily be used to perform MitM attacks
When early last year I was doing research for an article on IPv6 and security, I was surprised to learn how easy it was to set up an IPv6 tunnel into an IPv4-only environment. I expected this could easily be used in various nefarious ways.
<http://www.virusbtn.com/news/2013/08_12.xml>

IPv6 Adoption On The Rise
After my previous article about Cisco LISP and the IPv6 transition, I fully expected to hear about all the ways that LISP could improve things. I had argued the merits of tunnel services over LISP as a transition tool.
<http://www.networkcomputing.com/ipv6/ipv6-adoption-on-the-rise/240159963>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Video: IETF Chair Jari Arkko Summarizes The Activities of IETF 87 In Berlin by Dan York
The 87th meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in Berlin, Germany, concluded on August 2, 2013. IETF Chair Jari Arkko recently published his summary of IETF 87 on the IETF Blog highlighting what he felt were some of the more important aspects of what was a very successful IETF meeting. I also had the privilege of interviewing Jari on video about the meeting.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130813_ietf_chair_jari_arkko_summarizes_activities_of_ietf_87_in_berlin/>

What's Up With WEIRDS? by John Levine
The IETF WEIRDS working group is defining a follow-on to WHOIS. Since this is the IETF, it's working on the technical issues about which it can deal with, not policy which is up to ICANN and the country registries. Somewhat to my surprise, the group is making steady progress. We've agreed that the basic model is RESTful, with queries via http, and responses as JSON data structures. The protocol is named RDAP for Registration Data Access Protocol, or maybe RESTful Data Access protocol.
<http://jl.ly/ICANN/weirds13.html>

UK web domain firm CentralNic eyes London IPO
A British company that sells website addresses has become the latest technology firm to resist the attractions of New York to seek a listing in London.
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/10238383/UK-web-domain-firm-CentralNic-eyes-London-IPO.html>

Former Go Daddy lawyer to run for Arizona governor
Former Go Daddy general counsel Christine Jones wants to run for Governor of Arizona, it emerged last week.
<http://domainincite.com/14123-former-go-daddy-lawyer-to-run-for-arizona-governor>

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 - WEBHOSTING
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How UK Web Filtering Could Affect Web Hosts
The UK government recently unveiled a strategy to make adult-oriented content harder for youth to access via filtering, and also make illegal content more difficult to find via search. This was brought to the world?s attention in a speech by PM David Cameron calling for greater protections on childhood innocence.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/how-uk-web-filtering-could-affect-web-hosts>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Sedo Revamps Q2 2013 Domain Market Study with Infographic as Market Shows Preparation for "Dot Anything" gTLD Expansion
Leading Internet Domain Name Marketplace Powers Second Quarter Transactions Worth $17.5 Million, Representing 160 Countries and 118 Different Extensions
<https://sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&id=573&session=5ebd2962606cd338afc9649f14fb41a0>

Sedo Sales Plateau in Q2 With Increased Marketplace Competition
Sedo powered 9,589 transactions with a mean average price of $1,830 across all sales and a median price of $551 according to the latest Sedo Domain Market Study for the second quarter of 2013.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/08/14/sedo-sales-plateau/>

Sedo revenue down 17% but rebound in number of domains for sale and parked
Sedo?s revenue continues downward trend but company reports a rebound in domains for sale and parked since the end of 2012.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/14/sedo-revenue-down-17-but-rebound-in-number-of-domains-for-sale-and-parked/>

Sedo?s Q2 market study plus where the top 10 sold domains are now
Sedo released its second quarter market study today in a new infographic format.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/08/13/sedos-q2-market-study-plus-where-the-top-10-sold-domains-are-now/>

Sedo .Eu Domain Auction Ends Thursday 13.Eu Highest Bidded Domain
Sedo.com is holding a domain name auction of some good .EU domain names which ends at Thursday Noon EST.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2013/08/12/sedo-eu-domain-auction-ends-thursday-13-eu-highest-bidded-domain/>

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INTERNET USE
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What to Ask of Big Data to Inform Your Marketing Strategy
Big data has quickly become a marketing buzzword, tool, and trend, with several publications naming 2013 the year of big data. But here's the catch when it comes to effectively incorporating big data analytics into your marketing strategy: it cannot give you the answers you want unless you ask it the right questions.
<http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2288685/what-to-ask-of-big-data-to-inform-your-marketing-strategy>

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SOCIAL MEDIA
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Facebook reveals daily users for U.S. and UK, data aimed at advertisers
One out of three people in the United States - more than 128 million - visit Facebook every day, and about 24 million in the United Kingdom do the same, the company said on Tuesday, releasing regional data for the first time as a way of helping advertisers understand how people use the social network.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/08/13/facebook-users-idINDEE97C0DC20130813>
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/13/uk-facebook-users-idUKBRE97C0Y520130813>

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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nz: Schools urged to ban Ask.fm
Schools are being urged to block social networking site Ask.fm following its links to cyber bullying of New Zealand students and the recent suicides of two British teenagers.
<http://techday.com/educate/news/schools-urged-to-ban-ask-fm/168002/>

nz: Editorial: Scamdalous behaviour
The good people behind NetSafe must surely find themselves having to find variations on the phrase, "No, seriously ..." Beware naked online chat sessions, they say.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/opinion/9032423/Editorial-Scamdalous-behaviour>

Net scammers dupe Kiwis out of $4.4m [APNZ]
New Zealanders lost more than $4.4 million to internet scams in the last year as cyber criminals became better organised, more resourceful and turned to blackmail.
<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/crime/news/article.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10911640>
<http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/268520/kiwis-scammed-tune-44million>

nz: Naked web-scam victim relives ordeal
A "young man looking for some fun" thought he'd struck it lucky when an attractive woman he met on an internet chat site suggested they strip off in front of their webcams.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/9041291/Naked-web-scam-victim-relives-ordeal>

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ONLINE TV, MUSIC & PIRACY
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New Breaking Bad series already a global hit? for BitTorrent downloads
The return of Breaking Bad generated lots of buzz on social networks, while viewers in the UK were able to get the latest episode from Netflix and iTunes within hours of its US airing.
<http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/13/breaking-bad-bittorrent-downloads-piracy>

Unauthorised YouTube adverts exposed by security firm
A London-based team of security researchers has exposed a scheme which inserted unauthorised adverts into Google's YouTube.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23696805>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Once Dominant, BlackBerry Seeks to Avoid Oblivion
It is an unforgiving law of modern business: adapt or die. Make that: adapt fast ? or die even faster. Like countless gee-whiz companies that captured and lost imaginations and dollars, BlackBerry, a giant of the pre-iPhone era, has faded with remarkable speed. After enduring years of dwindling sales, the company said on Monday that it was exploring ?strategic options? ? business code for searching for a savior.
<http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/08/12/blackberry-to-explore-strategic-alternatives-including-a-sale-again/>

Samsung Brazil violated labour laws, prosecutors allege
Public prosecutors in Brazil have begun legal action against South Korean electronics giant Samsung, alleging that it has been violating labour laws at its factory in the Amazon region.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23689836>

Brazil sues Samsung over labour violations
Samsung Electronics Co is facing a lawsuit from the government of Brazil, which is seeking damages over poor working conditions at the technology company's Brazilian assembly lines.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/14/brazil-sues-samsung-labour-violations>

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SPAM
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Perth spammer fined $95,000 by NZ court
A prolific WA spammer who sent hundreds of thousands of unsolicited spam messages to New Zealand email accounts has been fined $95,000 ($A84,000).
<http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/18499240/perth-spammer-fined-95-000-by-nz-court/>

Aussie spammer fined $84,000 by NZ court
A prolific Australian spammer who sent hundreds of thousands of unsolicited spam messages to New Zealand email accounts has been fined $NZ95,000 ($A84,037).
<http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/523715/aussie_spammer_fined_84_000_by_nz_court/>
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/523715/aussie_spammer_fined_84_000_by_nz_court/>

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Lavabit Founder Says He Had ?Obligation? to Shut Service
Ladar Levison was not yet 20 years old when Congress passed the Patriot Act after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. It gave him a start-up idea: an e-mail service for what he thought of as ?a tech-savvy crowd? that cared about privacy.
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/12/lavabit-founder-says-he-had-obligation-to-shut-service/>

When Lawyers Cut Their Clients Out of the Deal
?We always knew this settlement would get a tremendous amount of attention,? Scott A. Kamber told the federal appeals court in San Francisco a couple of years ago. He was defending a novel bargain he had struck with Facebook on behalf of millions of users whose privacy he said the company had violated. The settlement?s central innovation was to cut Mr. Kamber?s clients out of the deal.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/us/supreme-court-may-hear-novel-class-action-case.html>

Meet Darknet, the hidden, anonymous underbelly of the searchable Web
There?s a place lurking beneath the Internet you use every day. It?s a hidden underbelly, home to both rogues and political activists, and accessed only with the help of specially designed anonymizing software. It?s a secretive place, where Arab Spring dissidents can hide their digital tracks, a place where whistleblowers can reach out safely to scoop-seeking media outlets. And, yes, it?s also a dangerous place, where a lot of illicit, underground nastiness occurs.
<http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046227/meet-darknet-the-hidden-anonymous-underbelly-of-the-searchable-web.html>

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PRIVACY
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Google: don't expect privacy when sending to Gmail
People sending email to any of Google's 425 million Gmail users have no "reasonable expectation" that their communications are confidential, the internet giant has said in a court filing.
<http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/14/google-gmail-users-privacy-email-lawsuit>

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CENSORSHIP
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UNESCO calls for research proposals: case studies on the role of Internet intermediaries in promoting freedom of expression on Internet
UNESCO launches a call for research proposals in order to identify principles for good practices and processes related to Internet intermediaries (such as Internet service providers, search engines, online media, and social media) that can protect freedom of expression by ensuring that any of limitations of this right are consistent with international standards. This project contributes to promoting online freedom of expression through assembling and analyzing empirical data, encouraging self-regulation and providing practical recommendations to industry, States and policy makers.
<http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/unesco_calls_for_research_proposals_case_studies_on_the_role_of_internet_intermediaries_in_promoting_freedom_of_expression_on_internet/back/18256/>

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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The NSA Is Commandeering the Internet: Technology companies have to fight for their users, or they'll eventually lose them by Bruce Schneier
It turns out that the NSA's domestic and world-wide surveillance apparatus is even more extensive than we thought. Bluntly: The government has commandeered the Internet. Most of the largest Internet companies provide information to the NSA, betraying their users. Some, as we've learned, fight and lose. Others cooperate, either out of patriotism or because they believe it's easier that way.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/the-nsa-is-commandeering-the-internet/278572/>

What NSA reforms?
President Obama?s message about the government?s massive electronic surveillance programs came through loud and clear: Get over it.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-what-nsa-reforms/2013/08/12/62e04e0c-037f-11e3-9259-e2aafe5a5f84_story.html>

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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ACCC to crackdown on broadband claims [AAP]
MISLEADING speed claims by broadband providers would be stamped out under a new proposal from Australia's competition watchdog.
<http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/accc-to-crackdown-on-broadband-claims/story-e6frgakx-1226697506714>

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David Goldstein

 email: david at goldsteinreport.com

 web:   http://goldsteinreport.com / http://davidgoldstein.tel/
 phone: +61 418 228 605 ? mobile / +61 2 9663 3430 - office/home

"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery
Received on Thu Aug 15 2013 - 04:41:12 UTC

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