[DNS] domain name news - 17 August

[DNS] domain name news - 17 August

From: David Goldstein <goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au>
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:46:22 -0700 (PDT)
Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news.


And see my website - http://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Google's Cerf urges wider Internet access
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090813_8044.php

ICANN says new policy has killed 'domain tasting' [IDG]
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/inews/8F6AE6A672FE82A8CC257612000B66FA

auDA reviews Domain Renewal, Expiry and Deletion Policy
http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-10082009/

.DE Regains Number One ccTLD Ranking From .CN
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=8913

.nz Search Functionality
http://dnc.org.nz/story/nz-additional-search-functionality-consultation

The U.S. Needs a Cybersecurity Czar Now
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090813_393090.htm

OECD Communications Outlook 2009
http://www.oecd.org/document/44/0,3343,en_2649_34225_43435308_1_1_1_1,00.html
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/32/43472431.pdf

Australia leads the way in IPv6 adoption: OECD
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/314963/


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RESEARCH PAPERS
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Internet Governance and the Jurisdiction of States: Justification of the Need for an International Regulation of Cyberspace by Joanna Kulesza [III GigaNet Symposium Working Paper]
Abstract: The issue of Internet governance is taking a forever more important place in the debate on the future shape of international society. Regarding the fact that national governments have decided to regulate the international cyberspace with state laws, it seems quite certain that the starting point for all considerations of Internet governance should be the analysis of the existing rules upon which the regulating states base their competences - the rules of international jurisdiction. The paper thoroughly discusses the traditional principles of international jurisdiction, shows their practical applications known so far and contrasts them with new circumstances, specific for the Internet, in which these rules should be used. It analyses the territoriality principle, effects principle, active and passive personality principle, protective principle and the universality principle. It discusses their use in traditional international law, including a
 brief look at the specific concept of international spaces with their unique jurisdictional regime. It than goes on to examine each of the discussed principles for their applicability to the Internet.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1445452

The International Experience in Regard to Procedures for Settling Conflicts Relating to Copyright in the Digital Environment by Karim Benyekhlef & Fabien Gelinas [Copyright Bulletin]
Abstract: This piece is the abridged version of a report to UNESCO Member States prepared at the request of the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Copyright Committee. The piece outlines the early experiments and the legal challenges of online dispute resolution after placing them in the historical context of transnational regulation. It is one of the very first attempts to explore the similarities between today's normative digital environments and the borderless trade environments that prevailed before the concept of the nation-state had gained ascendancy.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1446880

New Technologies and the Need of a Uniform Legal System by Joanna Kulesza
Abstract: The paper presents the grounds for a creation of a legitimate international regime to govern the World Wide Web. It derives from the propositions and experiences of the WSIS and the WGIG. The controversies surrounding ICANN are thoroughly discussed and the most urging problems of international law, emanating from its mandate, are presented.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1446768

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GOVERNANCE
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Google's Cerf urges wider Internet access
In the world according to Vint Cerf, Google's "chief evangelist" and one of the Internet's pioneers, broadband will be treated like a utility, with new infrastructure providing maximum benefit to the public and entrepreneurs seeking to harness it.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090813_8044.php

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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All our financial information at the click of a button
One of the consistent pieces of feedback I receive as ICANN?s Chief Financial Officer is that people want to know what it is that the organization is spending its money on. We have been been working hard to come up with ways of showing this clearly, especially so over the past year.
http://blog.icann.org/2009/08/all-our-financial-information-at-the-click-of-a-button/

New ICANN policy stops domain tasting
ICANN has won a major battle over the abusive tactic of domain tasting, said the organization in a report released Wednesday.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10309051-38.html

ICANN says new policy has killed 'domain tasting' [IDG]
ICANN is declaring victory over an abusive trend in registering domain names.
http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/icann-says-new-policy-successful-has-killed-domain-tasting-abusive-trend-547
http://news.techworld.com/networking/121180/
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/inews/8F6AE6A672FE82A8CC257612000B66FA
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=121179

Domain tasting wiped out by ICANN rule change
The organisation responsible for the internet's addresses says that it has almost completely put a halt to domain name tasting, a practice engaged in by cybersquatters.
http://out-law.com/page-10282

Icann claims victory in domain tasting fight : System abuse down over 99 per cent
Icann has said that rule changes on the registration of domains have led to a 99.7 per cent fall in ?domain tasting?, where domains are bought for short periods to see if they are popular.
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2247836/icann-claims-victory-domain
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/16/20090814/ttc-icann-claims-victory-in-domain-tasti-6315470.html
http://www.crn.com.au/News/152996,icann-claims-victory-in-domain-tasting-fight.aspx

ICANN cuts out domain tasting scam
Internet domain name registry ICANN says the practice of "domain tasting" has been virtually eliminated. "Domain tasting" exploits a loophole in registration laws that allowed a web site to be registered for five days without payment.
http://www.v3.co.uk/computing/news/2247882/icann-cuts-domain-tasting-scam
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/16/20090814/ttc-icann-cuts-out-domain-tasting-scam-6315470.html

"Domain tasters" bitter as new fees put an end to their games
"Domain tasters" take advantage of a five-day domain name grace period to perform risk-free cybersquatting. Since ICANN upped the penalty for excessive cancellations, however, the practice has essentially disappeared.
http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/08/escalating-penalties-bring-domain-tasting-to-a-crashing-halt.ars

ICANN cuts out domain tasting scam
Internet domain name registry ICANN says the practice of "domain tasting" has been virtually eliminated. "Domain tasting" exploits a loophole in registration laws that allowed a web site to be registered for five days without payment.
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2247882/icann-cuts-domain-tasting-scam

ICANN: 'Domain tasting' practice declined to near-zero in April
Perhaps you've noticed this yourself: Whenever you mis-type a URL with a name that's maybe one letter off from the proper one, you no longer get directed to a site with a zillion ads that masquerades as the real one that you've never seen before, and that you may never see again. While the practice of cybersquatting hasn't necessarily subsided, the Web had been suffering from a plague of domain tasters -- sites that set up shop on sound-alike URLs for five days at a time, or even less, knowing they could revoke their URL registrations within that "add grace period" (AGP) without paying a fee.
http://www.betanews.com/article/ICANN-Domain-tasting-practice-declined-to-nearzero-in-April/1250191814

ICANN cuts out domain tasting scam
Internet domain name registry ICANN says the practice of "domain tasting" has been virtually eliminated.
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/153057,icann-cuts-out-domain-tasting-scam.aspx

The House Committee Letter on ICANN: All politics is local by Milton Mueller
On August 4 the U.S. House Committee that oversees the Commerce Department published their opinion about ICANN and the impending expiration of its Joint Project Agreement (JPA) with the Commerce Department. The gist of the letter was that the Congressional committee, headed by powerful Democrat Henry Waxman of California, wants something like the JPA to become a permanent part of the global Internet.
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/8/9/4283282.html

Comment on the Kleiman/Komaitis Proposal on Multiple IP Clearinghouses for the New gTLD Process by Jeff Neuman
This comment is being presented in my own personal capacity and does not represent the views of my employer, NeuStar, Inc., and its subsidiaries or affiliates, or the Implementation Recommendations Team.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/comment_on_kleiman_komaitis_proposal_multiple_ip_clearinghouses_for_gtld/

Examininng Value in New ICANN TLDs on Search and Navigation, Companies, Domain Registries
I outline the implications for value presented by ICANN's proposed introduction of new TLDs on user search and navigation, companies, and registries. Value creation for a stakeholder is the result of the introduction of useful new tools. Value destruction occurs when new tools makes stakeholders worse off. This is in contrast to the transfer of money between two parties in a transaction that involves existing assets. Value transfers include selling counterfeit products and siphoning traffic away from the legitimate brand owner.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/examininng_value_in_new_icann_tlds/

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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auDA reviews Domain Renewal, Expiry and Deletion Policy
auDA is reviewing the Domain Renewal, Expiry and Deletion Policy (2006-07). This policy governs when domain names in the open 2LDs can be renewed, and what happens when domain names expire or are deleted.
http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-10082009/

.DE Regains Number One ccTLD Ranking From .CN
With .CN (China)?s official statistics for domain name registrations on a downward spiral, according to figures provided by CNNIC, .DE (Germany) has regained its position as the ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) registry with the most registrations.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=8913
http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/08/16/de-regains-number-one-cctld-ranking-from-cn/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/de-regains-number-one-cctld-ranking-from-.cn.html

cz: The first thousand of DNSSEC-signed domains
Statistical data compiled by CZ.NIC, the administrator of the top level domain .CZ, show that the DNSSEC security technology has been protecting more than 1,000 .CZ domains since yesterday. DNSSEC increases the security of the Domain Name System and thus protects information stored therein from forging and abuse. The Czech Republic is one of six countries that use the DNSSEC security technology for their national domain.
http://www.nic.cz/page/664/the-first-thousand-of-dnssec-signed-domains/

Dispute Arises Between .ECO TLD Bidders
In what is surely a sign of things to come, a dispute has broken out between potential bidders for the .ECO TLD as both sides make their mark and try to elbow their way to the front of the queue.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=8895
http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/08/14/dispute-arises-between-eco-tld-bidders/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/dispute-arises-between-.eco-tld-bidders.html

eco: Green domain sparks war of words
The battle to take control of a new internet domain aimed at environmental groups has escalated. One of the consortiums preparing a bid to control .eco, as it is known, has published a 17-page analysis of a rival group's plan challenging its viability.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8199802.stm

eco: Green domain sparks war of words
The battle to take control of a new internet domain aimed at environmental groups has escalated. One of the consortiums preparing a bid to control .eco, as it is known, has published a 17-page analysis of a rival group's plan challenging its viability.
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/24392

.nz Search Functionality
Currently it is only possible to search .nz domain names by a specific domain name using the WHOIS search. Comments are sought on a proposal to expand the .nz search functionality to include a search by registrant and also a wildcard-type search of a domain name. It is proposed to limit the nature and eligibility of the searches as outlined below.
http://dnc.org.nz/story/nz-additional-search-functionality-consultation

Highly Sought After Domains Coming to .PRO in Q4 of 2009
RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .PRO top-level domain on the Internet, announced today it reached an agreement with ICANN that allows for the release and allocation of one-, two- and three-character names. The availability of these several thousand names?like i.pro, pr.pro and 777.pro?is expected to generate significant interest from registrants all over the world.
http://registry.pro/press-releases/2009/0811.shtml

Telnic announces new advertising record for .tel domains
Telnic Limited announced at Domain Convergence that it will shortly be delivering a new solution for text-based advertising listings for the .tel domain, enabling .tel domain owners to use more traditional and measurable domain monetization techniques.
http://telnic.com/downloads/AdRecord.pdf

Digital Britain implementation plan: Government seeks control of UK internet domains
The government wants to reserve the right to allocate internet domain names under the implementation plan for Digital Britain published today. The implementation plan is intended to give effect to its new information-based industrial policy proposed in the final Digital Britain report in June.
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/08/13/237317/digital-britain-implementation-plan-government-seeks-control-of-uk-internet.htm

uk: Response to Digital Britain implementation plan
Following Ministerial changes, today the government has set out the future governance arrangements and overall programme plan for the delivery of the actions contained in the Final Digital Britain Report (released in June). ... Nominet remains a strong proponent of industry self-regulation as it ensures our ability to continue to innovate and respond quickly to market conditions, yet we recognise the need to retain the Government?s trust and confidence in us and we are committed to working with our members to ensure this remains the case.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=6681

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 - DNS SECURITY
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The U.S. Needs a Cybersecurity Czar Now
The White House must appoint someone who can not only guard against cyberattack and protect critical infrastructure but also prevent intellectual-property theft
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090813_393090.htm

Why nobody wants to be the cybersecurity czar
Articles abound about how the Obama administration can't fill the cybersecurity czar position. Industry "experts" love to hypothesize as to why people don't want to accept the position. Quite often, they conclude that the problem is that the position has been neutered, that the cybersecurity czar will wield no real power. But the reality is much simpler than that: It comes down to money.
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/08/13/why-nobody-wants-be-cybersecurity-czar

ISC, Afilias and Neustar Bring Secure DNS One Step Closer
In an enlightened example of cooperation among competitors to improve online security, Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) today announced that Afilias and Neustar, Inc. are working with ISC to support ISC?s DNSSEC Look-aside Validation (DLV) registry by providing secondary DNS service for the DLV zone.
http://www.afilias.info/news/2009/08/05/isc-afilias-and-neustar-bring-secure-dns-one-step-closer

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Mirabella Beauty Products Guilty of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking
California beauty products company Mirabella Beauty Products, LLC has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking by a three person arbitration panel.
http://domainnamewire.com/2009/08/14/mirabella-beauty-products-guilty-of-reverse-domain-name-hijacking/

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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OECD Communications Outlook 2009
... The Internet is expanding but current IPv4 addresses are running short: The growth in broadband subscriptions has helped fuel the expansion of the Internet and also been one source of its growing pains. The number of Internet hosts worldwide grew at 33% compounded annually between 1998 and 2008 to reach 540 million hosts in January 2008. Over half of all hosts (287 million) had a generic, top-level domain rather than one tied to a country code. ... This growth in the number of networks, and devices attached to those networks has led to a shortage of unique Internet addresses used to identify individual devices connected to the Internet. As a result, there is a need for all network operators to upgrade to a new Internet addressing scheme, Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6). Based on allocation trends, experts estimate that the addresses in the current scheme (IPv4) will run out in 2011 or early 2012 (January 2009 projections).
http://www.oecd.org/document/44/0,3343,en_2649_34225_43435308_1_1_1_1,00.html
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/32/43472431.pdf

Australia leads the way in IPv6 adoption: OECD
Australia is one of the countries leading the way in IPv6 adoption, according to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report which calls for more network operators to follow its lead as IPv4 is running out.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/314963/
http://www.techworld.com.au/article/314963/

Internet addresses to run out by 2011
Experts have warned that internet addresses based on the current scheme (IPv4) will run out in 2011 or by early 2012, according to a report from the OECD.
http://www.itp.net/news/564791-internet-addresses-to-run-out-by-2011
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/564791-internet-addresses-to-run-out-by-2011

IPv6, Phone Numbers and Analogies by Derek Morr
My local area code (814) is running out of phone numbers. When discussing IPv6 with non-technical folks, I frequently use the hypothetical scenario of running out of phone numbers as an analogy for IPv4 address depletion. The conversation usually goes like this: "Imagine if we were running out of phone numbers. One way of solving that problem would be to make them bigger. Instead of ten digits, what if we made then thirty digits? If we did that, how many other things would we have to change? Some mundane things like business cards, letterhead, and phone books. But also more substantial things..."
http://www.circleid.com/posts/ipv6_phone_numbers_and_analogies/

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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What If a Domain Registry Shuts Down?
I saw a thread on a .Mobi domain discussion forum that posed the question, ?When will dotMobi shut down?? I know discussions about certain domain extensions are always hot button topics, so I want to refrain from the discussion about specific extensions. However, I want to ask if you have ever considered what would happen to your domain names if a registry were to shut down? I?m not talking about a registrar like RegisterFly.com, but a registry that manages an entire domain extension.
http://www.elliotsblog.com/what-if-a-domain-registry-shuts-down-1208

ICA Endorses Paperless UDRP
On August 12 the ICA filed a comment letter with ICANN endorsing a proposal from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to move to an almost entirely paperless UDRP, also known as eUDRP. The majority of UDRP complainants and respondents already use electronic means for all of their filings.
http://www.internetcommerce.org/node/202

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Strong Sedo Sales Topped By Server.com
A few six-figure sales for Sedo over the last two weeks topped by the sale of server.com selling for US$770,000. Other six-figure sales were payment.com ($250,000), payments.com ($150,000) and jesus.net ($124,337). There were also a few strong ccTLD sales, especially among .DE domains, such as grafikkarte.de (?52,360/~$74,500), payment.de ($50,000) and loterie.fr (?35,000/~$49,750).
http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/08/16/strong-sedo-sales-topped-by-servercom/

Yahoo! Change May Hurt Domain Parking Revenue
Yahoo! just announced changes to its pay-per-click advertising program that will change the amount advertisers pay for clicks based on click quality. The company says it plans to ?expand the adjustments? it already makes to click charges based on the quality of traffic the advertising source delivers.
http://domainnamewire.com/2009/08/14/yahoo-change-may-hurt-domain-parking-revenue/

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RESEARCH PAPERS
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New Technologies and the Need of a Uniform Legal System by Joanna Kulesza
Abstract: The paper presents the grounds for a creation of a legitimate international regime to govern the World Wide Web. It derives from the propositions and experiences of the WSIS and the WGIG. The controversies surrounding ICANN are thoroughly discussed and the most urging problems of international law, emanating from its mandate, are presented.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1446768

New Technologies and the Need of a Uniform Legal System by Joanna Kulesza
Abstract: The paper presents the grounds for a creation of a legitimate international regime to govern the World Wide Web. It derives from the propositions and experiences of the WSIS and the WGIG. The controversies surrounding ICANN are thoroughly discussed and the most urging problems of international law, emanating from its mandate, are presented.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1446768

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INTERNET USE
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Google's Cerf urges wider Internet access
In the world according to Vint Cerf, Google's "chief evangelist" and one of the Internet's pioneers, broadband will be treated like a utility, with new infrastructure providing maximum benefit to the public and entrepreneurs seeking to harness it.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090813_8044.php

Google monster
The search giant has the power to make or break the media, Julian Lee writes, but the industry seems powerless to kill off the beast it helped create.
http://business.smh.com.au/business/google-monster-20090814-el49.html
http://business.theage.com.au/business/google-monster-20090814-el49.html

Click tricks? Google's 'ad inflation'
The world's most powerful internet company, Google, has been accused of overcharging its advertising clients and inflating the number of hits to their websites.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/16/2657212.htm

Those secret herbs and spices
Google turned the advertising model on its head. Rather than interrupt people with ads it came up with the novel idea of serving up an ad in response to a specific inquiry. Instead of giving the top spot to the advertiser prepared to pay the most, it came up with a blind auction model.
http://business.smh.com.au/business/those-secret-herbs-and-spices-20090814-el4h.html

Battle lines are drawn for the war of web search dominance
"The dust of exploded beliefs," said the wit Geoffrey Madan in one of his more celebrated aphorisms, "may make a fine sunset." He made the observation in a pre-internet age, but he might just as well have been commenting on the blogosphere's reaction last week to Facebook's sudden acquisition of FriendFeed, a web 2.0 service in which many geeks had invested fond hopes.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/aug/16/media-business-social-networking-facebook

Google and Microsoft: The Battle Over College E-Mail
College students used to complain about dining-hall mystery meat. Their new gripe? Puny e-mail inboxes.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1915112,00.html

The Paper That Doesn?t Want to Be Free
Not long ago, when other media executives were convinced that the only way to succeed on the Web was to give away their content, The Financial Times played the eccentric. ?We were regarded as slightly freakish,? says John Ridding, the newspaper?s chief executive.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/business/media/17ft.html

Australian newspapers hold up amid slump
The Australian newspaper market has defied international trends and the economic downturn with only a slight circulation fall in the June quarter.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25925958-7582,00.html

Microsoft: Firefox's billion claim is 'interesting math'
A senior Microsoft executive has called into question the claim by rival web browser Firefox that it has been downloaded a billion times.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/13/microsoft-internet

Microsoft: Breaking up with IE 6 hard to do
It's been roughly eight years since Microsoft released Internet Explorer 6, but in many ways the company is still very much tied to the aging product.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10309072-56.html

Asia broadband subs to hit 182m in 2009: Frost
Asia-Pacific fixed broadband subscribers are projected to grow 17.3% to 182 million by the end of the year, according to research from Frost & Sullivan.
http://www.telecomasia.net/content/asia-broadband-subs-hit-182m-2009-frost

Asia-Pac broadband subs to hit 182 million this year, says Frost & Sullivan [news release]
Asia-Pacific's fixed broadband subscribers are expected to grow 17.3 percent to reach 182 million users by the end of 2009, clocking estimated billings of US$44.9 billion, a rise of 13.3 percent over 2008.
http://frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?docid=176931717

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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ANALYSIS - Facebook to face off with new Web rivals
Facebook's vision of becoming a "utility" that offers activities to keep people online for hours could set it on a collision course with the Web's giants.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-41770620090814
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE57E1CB20090815

2 Million More Australians Go Social in 2009 [news release]
comScore released a study on social networking usage in Australia, which found that more than 70 percent of Internet users in Australia visited a social networking site in June, up 29 percent from the previous year. Facebook continued to show significant growth, while Twitter came onto the social networking scene with a bang in 2009, quickly amassing a significant following. The study also found that social networking users are ubiquitous across the Web, comprising nearly 90 percent of the audience base of the top Internet properties in Australia in June.
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/8/2_Million_More_Australians_Go_Social_in_2009

Facebook: A new battleground for cyber-crime 
Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace will soon become the most insidious places on the Internet, where users are most likely to face cyber attacks and digital annoyances, according to Web security firm Sophos.
http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/facebook-new-battleground-cyber-crime/article-184380

Facebook Cornering Market on E-Friends : Fight to Own Social Media Heats Up
Facebook just bought the rights to nearly everything you do online. And it cost them only $47.5 million.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/15/AR2009081500040.html

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Netscape Founder Backs New Browser
... Mr. Andreessen appears to want a rematch. Now a prominent Silicon Valley financier, Mr. Andreessen is backing a start-up called RockMelt, staffed with some of his close associates, that is building a new Internet browser, according to people with knowledge of his investment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/technology/internet/14browser.html
http://news.cnet.com/Netscape-founder-backs-new-browser/2100-1032_3-6249974.html

RockMelt: Netscape's Andreesen Backing Stealth Facebook Browser
Netscape founder Marc Andreesen is backing a new browser dedicated to browsing Facebook, called RockMelt, according to rumors we've heard from reputable sources. A semi-independent desktop client for Facebook? Doesn't seem far fetched at all.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/rockmelt_netscapes_andreesen_backing_stealth_facebook_browser.php
http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2009/08/13/13readwriteweb-rockmelt-netscapes-andreesen-backing-stealt-74542.html

Microsoft announces new Zune to take on iPod
Microsoft has announced that the latest version of its answer to the Apple iPod, the Zune portable media player, will go on sale in the United States on September 15.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6796061.ece

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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Facebook flirts, ex-girlfriends - danger, danger [AP]
Alice Connors-Kellgren was surprised by her boyfriend's new Facebook profile picture a few weeks ago: He was kissing another girl on the cheek. The picture was up only briefly. And she figures it was just a friend. But she plans to discuss it with him when they're back together this fall at Cornell University.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10590776

Teen 'sexting' fad on rise in NZ
Parents are being warned that explicit photos of their teens could end up online as a disturbing new trend hits our shores. The "sexting" phenomenon - the taking and sending of intimate photos of oneself on a cellphone - has made headlines overseas and now tech-savvy Kiwi teens are getting in on the act.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10591012
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10591012

NSW DET: School Internet filter not fail-proof
The NSW Department of Education has refuted allegations that its Internet filter slipped up last month but has admitted that the system is not fail-proof.
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/314988/

New Worries About Children With Cellphones
Three years ago, when my older son, Ben, was entering middle school, I wrote a column recounting a debate with my husband about getting him a cellphone. Was he too young? Were we being overly indulgent? How would we hold out against his younger brother, Gabriel, who immediately began badgering for his own phone?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/your-money/15shortcuts.html

Sex offenders in Illinois prohibited from using social networking sites
American sex offenders face new crackdowns on their online activity after officials in Illinois made it illegal for those convicted of sex crimes to use social networking sites.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/13/illinois-sex-offender-social-networking

Should Illinois sex offenders be kicked off the Net?
If you believe its sponsors, a new Illinois law will keep sex offenders from recruiting children on the Internet. "If the predator is supposed to be a registered sex offender, they should keep their Internet distance as well as their physical distance," said sponsor Bill Brady, a Republican state senator, according to the Chicago Tribune. "The object is to protect innocent individuals on the Internet from sex offenders."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10309431-38.html

New law keeps sex offenders off MySpace, Facebook
The governor of Illinois signed into law yesterday a bill that banishes sex offenders from social networking sites. The law, designed to protect children from predators who use sites such as Facebook and MySpace to lure potential victims, is the first of its kind. While some are lauding the legislation as a positive step in stopping sex offenders, others are saying it undermines the criminal justice system and sits on the border between justified and inhumane.
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/314861/
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/315017/

Keep Kids Safe Online: ZuiTube Videos for Kids
If you're a parent, you might be familiar with KidZui, a child-safe Web browser. ZuiTube is its YouTube-oriented offspring, offering more than 60,000 parent/teacher-approved videos for kids.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/081409-keep-kids-safe-online-zuitube.html

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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The Net closes in on internet piracy
Seven million people could be criminalised under government plans to crack down on internet piracy, to be included in this autumn's Queen's Speech. The illicit downloading of music and films on the internet, a practice engaged in by one in 12 of the population, could lead to severe restrictions on internet access and a fine of up to ?50,000.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-net-closes-in-on-internet-piracy-1772820.html

Tom Watson: Heavy-handed regulation will not help to nurture creative talent in the digital age
In tough times there's nothing strange in businesses coming to the Government for help. But there's one type of industry that was established in the lobby chamber long before the credit crunch: publishers and distributors of information goods and, in particular, the music industry.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/tom-watson-heavyhanded-regulation-will-not-help-to-nurture-creative-talent-in-the-digital-age-1772821.html

Millions at risk of prosecution in internet piracy purge
Millions of parents whose teenage children illegally download films and pop songs face having their internet connection cut off and fines of up to ?50,000.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6038870/Millions-at-risk-of-prosecution-in-internet-piracy-purge.html

Mandelson targets web pirates after dinner with mogul
Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, ordered officials to draw up draconian regulations on internet piracy just days after he had a private dinner with a Hollywood mogul who is a critic of illegal file-sharing.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article6797844.ece

61% of young adults illegally download music
Nearly two thirds of 14- to 24-year-olds illegally download music over peer-to-peer (p2p) networks, says UK Music. According to research, which was carried out by the University of Hertfordshire on behalf of the music body, 75 percent of teens also admitted to sending digital music files by e-mail, Bluetooth, Skype, or MSN to friends and family, while 86 percent revealed that had copied CDs for friends.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=120846
http://www.pcworld.com/article/170274/.html

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Mobile-phone group seals deal to be bank for millions in Africa
Mobile-phone banking group Monitise has signed a deal that will bring financial services to millions of people in Africa for the first time.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/aug/13/african-mobile-banking-launch

Europeans Moving to Cut Fees for Calls to Mobile Phones
The next frontier for lower mobile calling rates in Europe is cracking a 20-year-old system of connection fees that has rewarded bigger operators and has artificially raised rates to consumers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/business/global/17terminate.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/technology/17iht-terminate.html

Cutting the cord: America loses its landlines
Much has been made of the precipitous decline of America?s newspapers. According to one much-cited calculation, the country?s last printed newspaper will land on a doorstep sometime in the first quarter of 2043. That is a positively healthy outlook, however, compared with another staple of American life: the home telephone. Telecoms operators are seeing customers abandon landlines at a rate of 700,000 per month. Some analysts now estimate that 25% of households in America rely entirely on mobile phones (or cellphones, as Americans call them)?a share that could double within the next three years. If the decline of the landline continues at its current rate, the last cord will be cut sometime in 2025.
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14214847

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SPAM
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Will Users Donate a Penny Per Email to Fight Spam, Yahoo Wonders
Yahoo?s researchers want you to voluntarily slap a one-cent stamp on your outgoing e-mails, with proceeds going to charity, in a bid to cut down on spam. Can doing good really do away with spam, which consumes 33 terawatts of electricity every year, not to mention way too much of our time?
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/yahoo_penny_email/

Yahoo pitches paid mail to slow spam
Yahoo is proposing a new paid mail service as a way to sidestep spam. The company is trying out a new service known as CentMail. The site allows users to purchase packs of 500 virtual stamps at a cost of $5, or one cent per stamp.
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2247893/yahoo-pitches-paid-mail-slow

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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Internet security: Fear in the fast lane
One of Australia's leading figures in online law enforcement says the internet offers so many opportunities for crime that he expects "at some stage there will be real debate on the benefit of the internet".
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/17/2657529.htm

Fear in the Fast Lane: Broadcast: 17/08/2009 - ABC TV's Four Corners, available online shortly afterwards
Australia may be one of the most internet-connected countries on earth, with a super-fast broadband network on the way. But now the experts are warning there's danger with cyber crooks roaming the super highway.
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2009/s2655088.htm

Australian Charged With Infecting 3,000 Computers [AP]
A 20-year-old Australian man has been charged with infecting more than 3,000 computers around the world with a virus designed to capture banking and credit card data, police said Thursday.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/13/world/AP-AS-Australia-Cyber-Crime.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2751998/
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/australian-charged-with-infecting-3000-computers-20090813-ejno.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/australian-charged-with-infecting-3000-computers-20090813-ejno.html

Adelaide youth arrested for virus attack [AAP]
A 20-year-old Adelaide man has been charged with infecting 3,000 computers worldwide with viruses designed to capture banking details.
http://www.cnet.com.au/adelaide-youth-arrested-for-virus-attack-339297920.htm

Computer Hacking Made Easy
Botnet attacks like the one that took down Twitter are becoming so easy and cheap, almost anyone can do it
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_34/b4144036807250.htm

The U.S. Needs a Cybersecurity Czar Now
The White House must appoint someone who can not only guard against cyberattack and protect critical infrastructure but also prevent intellectual-property theft
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090813_393090.htm

Why nobody wants to be the cybersecurity czar
Articles abound about how the Obama administration can't fill the cybersecurity czar position. Industry "experts" love to hypothesize as to why people don't want to accept the position. Quite often, they conclude that the problem is that the position has been neutered, that the cybersecurity czar will wield no real power. But the reality is much simpler than that: It comes down to money.
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/08/13/why-nobody-wants-be-cybersecurity-czar

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PRIVACY
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Online, your private life is searchable
When Maya Rupert wrote an article frowning at several Southern states for officially celebrating Confederate History Month, Internet critics lined up to fire back. But this time, they arrived with more than harsh words. The 28-year-old Los Angeles attorney's detractors dug up a photo of her and posted it, along with details of political contributions she'd made, in an online discussion of the article she wrote for the L.A. Watts Times. They called their finds evidence of her bias on the emotionally charged subject.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover-privacy16-2009aug16,0,5663794.story

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CENSORSHIP
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Weighing the issue of internet freedom
The freedom of the internet is largely taken for granted in Western democracies. When such issues are discussed, it is usually in the context of condemning censorship in countries such as China, Burma and Iran.
http://www.v3.co.uk/computing/comment/2247772/weighing-issue-internet-freedom-4778979

Blogger's Case Could Test the Limits of Political Speech
Internet radio host Hal Turner disliked how three federal judges rejected the National Rifle Association's attempt to overturn a pair of handgun bans. "Let me be the first to say this plainly: These Judges deserve to be killed," Turner wrote on his blog on June 2, according to the FBI. "Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty. A small price to pay to assure freedom for millions."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/15/AR2009081500869.html

US tests system to beat web censorship in China and Iran
The US government is covertly testing technology in China and Iran that will allow citizens to by-pass internet censorship set up by their governments. The "feed over email" (FOE) system will deliver news using a technology that evades web-screening technologies employed by restrictive regimes.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6026538/US-tests-system-to-beat-web-censorship-in-China-and-Iran.html

China backs down over Green Dam internet monitoring software
China has dropped plans to force all its computer users to install controversial Green Dam internet monitoring software following a storm of protest at home and abroad.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6020565/China-backs-down-over-Green-Dam-internet-monitoring-software.html

China scales back screening plan
China has scaled back its plans to install controversial net filtering software on its citizens' computers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8198931.stm

China drops Green Dam web filtering system
Chinese officials appear to have retreated from their controversial plan to install an internet filtering system on computers in the country.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/13/china-drops-web-censorship

China Scales Back Software Filter Plan
Chinese officials retreated on Thursday from a plan to install so-called anti-pornography software on every computer sold here, saying instead that Internet cafes, schools and other public places must use the program, but that individual consumers will be spared.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/world/asia/14censor.html

Q+A - China's backdown over Internet filter plans
China has confirmed its backdown from a plan to preinstall controversial "Green Dam" filtering software on all personal computers sold in the country, though it will still be rolled out in schools and Internet bars.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-41755120090814

China backtracks on PC software filters
Beijing has stepped back from attempts to force the installation of a filtering software on all personal computers produced or sold in China, finally defusing a controversy that caused uproar in the industry and threatened to spark friction over trade with the country.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8836165c-8839-11de-82e4-00144feabdc0.html

China ditches compulsory Green Dam plans
China has ditched plans to force foreign and domestic computer manufacturers to install internet filtering technology in computers sold inside its borders.
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2247816/china-ditches-compulsory-green

China Will Not Enforce Green Dam Porn Filter Plan [IDG]
China said Thursday it will not force PC makers to bundle an Internet filtering program with computers sold in the country, backing down from a plan that stirred global controversy.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/170129/.html

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Asia web connections set to resume by end of Thursday
Up to 90 percent of all voice call and Internet services from parts of East Asia that were disrupted after Typhoon Morakot damaged undersea cables will resume by the end of Thursday, a senior Chunghwa Telecom official said.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-41731620090813
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE57C0U220090813

Australian broadband won't come cheap
The first national broadband network rollout, in Tasmania, will cost an estimated $20,000 for each premises that takes up the superfast internet connection -- and business leaders say its impact may be minimal.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25938987-5018020,00.html
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25939757-15306,00.html

Southern Cross Cable says prices fall and capacity rises [NZPA]
Southern Cross Cable Network today hit out at suggestions that it exploits its position as the only submarine cable provider to New Zealand.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/southern-cross-cable-says-prices-fall-and-capacity-rises-107489

nz: Orcon acquires two ISPs, making it our fourth largest
State-owned ISP's acquisition slurge continues as it snaffles up another 9000 customers.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/orcon-acquires-two-isps-making-it-our-fourth-largest-isp-107486

nz: Editorial: It's time to call bluff on mobile phone charges
It has been three years since we have heard the sort of fighting talk now coming from the telecommunications industry. In 2006, it was Telecom warning of dire consequences if the previous Government opened its network to competitors. Its bluff was called, much to the benefit of consumers and the economy. Now, it is Telecom and Vodafone, the big two in the mobile phone market, which are predicting costly repercussions for consumers if the termination charge that rivals pay to gain access to their networks is regulated. Their bluff, too, should be called, and soon.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10590876

Adelaide to get $3m WiMax network
Metropolitan Adelaide will get a WiMax wireless broadband network to cover the city's blackspot areas that cannot get ADSL2+ in a joint state and federal government project with ISP Adam Internet.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/314973/
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/081409-adelaide-to-get-3m-wimax.html

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ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
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au: Cyber seduction sting snares priest
The senior priest at one of Sydney's largest Catholic parishes has been charged after a police sting in which he allegedly groomed a 13-year-old girl for sex over the internet, only to discover the girl was an undercover detective.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/cyber-seduction-sting-snares-priest-20090814-el7a.html

au: Priest arrested over internet grooming
A 54-year-old Sydney Catholic priest has been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to groom detectives who were masquerading as a 13-year-old girl, sending them a series of sexually explicit chat-room messages.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-priest-groomer-caught-on-webcam-court-told-20090814-ek4t.html
http://www.theage.com.au/national/priest-arrested-over-internet-grooming-20090814-eklx.html

Priest facing online sex grooming charge [AAP]
The Catholic Church has suspended a Sydney priest facing serious criminal charges of grooming a child for sex.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5813867/priest-facing-online-sex-grooming-charge/

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(c) David Goldstein 2009


 ---------


David Goldstein


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web:   http://davidgoldstein.tel/
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Received on Sun Aug 16 2009 - 22:46:22 UTC

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