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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Who should run the internet? Internet governance is under attack; it may have to mend its ways to survive
http://www.economist.com/node/21530955

Internet governance: In praise of chaos - Governments? attempts to control the internet should be resisted
http://www.economist.com/node/21531011

UN-backed forum discusses Internet security, openness and privacy [news release]
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39903

What is the role of private sector in the IGF?
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/enterprise/3307122/what-is-role-of-private-sector-in-igf/

Sixth IGF closes with call for non-binding recommendations
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/internet/3307509/sixth-igf-closes-with-call-for-non-binding-recommendations/

Lifting the Veil on How GAC works: the UDRP Review incident by Milton Mueller
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/9/29/4909356.html

Domainers Ready to Meet in Europe, Important .AU Election Imminent in Australia and Canada Gets Its Own Domain Forum 
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2011/dailyposts/20110929.htm

uk: Single-letter web addresses fetch ?39,000 in domain name auction
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/8803146/Single-letter-web-addresses-fetch-39000-in-domain-name-auction.html

.uk domain names suspended in international operation
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8753

Brand gTLDs will change the way companies engage with customers on the Internet by Pat Kane, Verisign
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=15957

New Top-Level Domains, not Facebook, the future for online brands by Adrian Kinderis
http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=865

Homeland Security tries to shore up nation?s cyber defenses
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/homeland-security-tries-to-shore-up-nations-cyber-defenses/2011/09/27/gIQAtQ6bDL_story.html

Google Analytics Premium: the lowdown
http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/8084-google-analytics-premium-the-lowdown

Biggest Australian Country Code Sale Reported to Date Tops This Week's Domain Sales Chart
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20110928.htm


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GOVERNANCE
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Who should run the internet? Internet governance is under attack; it may have to mend its ways to survive
Netheads build, run and protect the internet. They often profit from it too. More than 2,000 of them from more than 100 countries descended on Nairobi this week for the latest IGF), a conference organised under United Nations auspices. The ponderous official theme was the internet ?as a catalyst for change?, with a lot of nodding to WikiLeaks and the Arab spring. The reality outside the conference hall, the UN headquarters in the Kenyan capital, was more striking. Kenyans nowadays often go online on their mobile phones. Surfing the web is getting faster and cheaper by the day. The internet is no longer a geeks? affair in the rich world, but woven into the fabric of business and life even in the poor one.
http://www.economist.com/node/21530955

Internet governance: In praise of chaos - Governments? attempts to control the internet should be resisted
For something so central to the modern world, the internet is shambolically governed. It is run by a hotch-potch of organisations with three- to five-letter acronyms. Many of their meetings, both online and offline, are open to the public. Some?like the IGF, which held its annual meeting in Nairobi this week?are just talking shops. Decision-making is slow and often unpredictable.
http://www.economist.com/node/21531011

Internet governance - A pangolin internet
The IGF is supposed to be a poster child of the ?multi-stakeholder? model. It is not your tightly choreographed international meeting. No decisions are taken, all attendees have the same right to speak?be they government officials or hacktivists.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2011/09/internet-governance

UN-backed forum discusses Internet security, openness and privacy [news release]
The largest international Internet governance meeting ever wrapped at the United Nations office in Nairobi, Kenya, today with 2,000 experts discussing security, openness and privacy as inextricably interconnected issues that cannot be dealt with separately.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39903

I don?t like to be too diplomatic. That is not my style: Neelie Kroes talks Internet governance
?I am Dutch. I am straightforward. I love to use clear language,? Neelie Kroes explains on the terrace of the United Nations compound in Nairobi on the second day of the IGF. ... As EC Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Kroes is one of the world?s most influential voices when it comes to Internet governance. And she used that voice in her ?very clear? speech the previous day to tackle many of the current hot topics in the field - in particular the role of governments in domain name system overseer ICANN.
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/09/30/kroes-interview-igf

What is the role of private sector in the IGF?
IGF has been a favorable internet governance platform and has preconditioned the internet to provide continued investment, innovation and development to businesses.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/enterprise/3307122/what-is-role-of-private-sector-in-igf/
http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=18F40C5D-1A64-67EA-E469D02AFFC6E52C
http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2011/09/29/what-role-private-sector-igf

Sixth IGF closes with call for non-binding recommendations
The sixth IGF came to a close on Friday evening after a successful five days of sessions at the United Nations Offices in Nairobi (UNON), Kenya. The IGF has been touted as the largest attracting over 2,000 participants in Nairobi and another 300 remote participants from across the world.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/internet/3307509/sixth-igf-closes-with-call-for-non-binding-recommendations/
http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2011/09/30/sixth-igf-closes-with-call-non-binding-recommendations

Internet firms co-opted for surveillance -experts
Internet companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook are increasingly co-opted for surveillance work as the information they gather proves irresistible to law enforcement agencies, Web experts said this week.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/09/30/idINIndia-59637820110930
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/30/us-internet-security-idUSTRE78T2GY20110930
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/09/30/oukin-uk-internet-security-idUKTRE78T1KI20110930

Poor nations urged to tap Web fast for growth
With online business increasingly driving economic growth, developing nations' top priority should be the infrastructure their citizens need to get connected, delegates at an Internet conference in Nairobi said this week.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/09/30/oukin-uk-internet-governance-development-idUKTRE78T1DO20110930
http://www.canada.com/business/Poor+nations+urged+fast+growth/5483303/story.html

UN forum discusses on internet security, privacy [IANS]
The largest international Internet governance meeting ever wrapped at the United Nations office in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday with 2,000 experts discussing security, openness and privacy as inextricably interconnected issues that cannot be dealt with separately.
http://www.newkerala.com/news/2011/worldnews-79555.html

NRO to Lead Key Internet Infrastructure Discussions at 2011 IGF
The Number Resource Organization, made up of the world?s five Regional Internet Registries, will lead key discussions about Internet infrastructure at the IGF this week. NRO representatives will host two workshops, and invite all stakeholders to participate to learn more about critical Internet resources and multi-stakeholder Internet governance processes:
http://www.nro.net/news/nro-to-lead-key-internet-infrastructure-discussions-at-2011-igf

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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Geographic Regions Review ? Draft Final Report
Geographic diversity is a fundamental component of the ICANN organization. The ICANN Bylaws (Article VI Section 5) currently define five geographic regions as Africa, North America, Latin America/Caribbean, Asia/Australia/Pacific and Europe.
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-30sep11-en.htm

The Initial Comment Period for "Phase II of Public Comments Process Enhancements" Ends on 30 September 2011
As an initial test of the "Reply Cycle" concept introduced within this solicitation, the comment forum on this topic will be extended for an additional 15 days (15 October). During this "Reply" period, contributors are asked to address only previously posted comments.
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep11-en.htm

Fellowship Application Round Opens for ICANN International Public Meeting 43 in San Jose, Costa Rica
ICANN is now accepting online applications for the 15th round of the Fellowship program. Successful candidates will participate in the ICANN meeting to be held in San Jose, Costa Rica from 11-16 March 2012.
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-30sep11-en.htm

Lifting the Veil on How GAC works: the UDRP Review incident by Milton Mueller
In multistakeholder settings, national governments often claim that they should have special status because they represent ?the public interest? in policy deliberations. But how true is that claim? Do governments actually intervene in these processes with a judicious, impartial eye toward policy solutions that are the best for everyone? Or do they tilt the scales toward the stakeholder group that lobbies them most aggressively and is most likely to give their bosses campaign contributions?
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/9/29/4909356.html

US and EU could see power diluted in ICANN
A proposed shakeup of how ICANN divides the world into geographic regions could shift power away from US and European Union citizens.
http://domainincite.com/us-and-eu-could-see-power-diluted-in-icann/

First video of ICANN?s new gTLDs outreach
Here?s what I believe is the first publicly available video from ICANN?s ongoing new TLDs marketing road-trip, which kicked off earlier this month.
http://domainincite.com/first-video-of-icanns-new-gtlds-outreach/

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Domainers Ready to Meet in Europe, Important .AU Election Imminent in Australia and Canada Gets Its Own Domain Forum 
... Organizers have put together sessions dedicated to the European domain business including market trends in the host country, Poland, and the latest report from NASK, the administrator of Poland's .pl ccTLD. There will also be sessions devoted to startups and alternative investing including presentations on how to invest in wine, green energy or real estate. ... In another important event in another part of the domain world, auDA, the administrator of Australia's .au ccTLD will be holding their annual meeting on Monday, October 17, 2011 when four new directors will be elected to the auDA board.
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2011/dailyposts/20110929.htm

nl: One more week to enter for the SIDN Internet Awards 2011!
Entries for the second annual round of SIDN Internet Awards are open until noon on Wednesday 5 October 2011. It couldn?t be easier to enter for an award in one of the five categories: Internet and sustainability, The power of the network, Government and citizens in dialogue, A secure internet and Knowledge transfer in the digital world.
https://www.sidn.nl/en/news/news/article/schrijf-u-nu-in-voor-de-sidn-internet-awards-2011-1/

Domain names in domain .?? hit 900,000!
On 30 September 2011 the national domain zone .?? hit 900,000 registered domain names. It took less than 11 months from the launch of the open registration (11 November 2011).
http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=1840

Single-letter domain names fetch average of ?39,000
Internet investors and speculators have spent tens of thousands of pounds to buy just one or two letters in online addresses, after a new set of UK domain names went under the hammer.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/8c996da4-eb8b-11e0-a576-00144feab49a.html

uk: Single-letter web addresses fetch ?39,000 in domain name auction
Household name companies and online investors have paid tens of thousands of pounds for some of the shortest internet addresses ever.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/8803146/Single-letter-web-addresses-fetch-39000-in-domain-name-auction.html

.uk domain names suspended in international operation
In response to an international operation by law enforcement agencies, Nominet, along with a number of registrars, have taken action to suspend .uk domain names selling medicines illegally.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8753

Nominet to donate ?4m to Nominet Trust
Following another successful financial year for the registry, Nominet will make a charitable donation to Nominet Trust of ?4m.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8751

Nominet suspends fake pharma domains
Nominet, the .uk address registry, has suspended hundreds of internet domain names as part of a global police crackdown on crime gangs peddling fake pharmaceuticals.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/30/nominet_suspends_fake_pharma_addresses/

Fake medicines seized in global raid
More than ?5 million worth of counterfeit and illegal medicines has been seized across the globe this week. ... More than 12,000 gTLDs and sub domains have been suspended and they have requested a further 500 domain names on the UK domain tree be shut down.
http://www.onmedica.com/newsarticle.aspx?id=d3975e36-b287-4a00-a83a-be073bbf2225

uk: Business Intelligence launched today
Today we launch our beta version of Business Intelligence, a new service for registrars, offering interactive and dynamic reporting of data about their .uk domain names.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8704

At a XXX-roads: The adult industry is seeking respectability?and profits
BANNERS bearing lewd phrases like ?Pussycash? and ?Want filthy mobile dollars?? belied the unprovocative topics that quickened the conversation at a swish London hotel recently. The foyer was abuzz with talk of ?click-through ratios?, ?conversion rates? and ?monetising traffic? at XBIZ EU, an international conference on how to profit from pornography.
http://www.economist.com/node/21530956

Top-Level Domains: Fourth Horseman of the Tech Apocalypse
In this fourth and final installment in the series covering the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Class of 2011, we conclude with what may be a monumental change involving TLDs on the internet. A TLD is the string of letters immediately to the right of the final "dot" in an internet domain -- e.g., "com" in .com or "info" in .info. The word or string of letters and/or numbers appearing immediately to the left of the "dot" is known as a second level domain -- e.g., "apple" in apple.com.
http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202517315804

EnCirca Issues .XXX Sunrise Advisory Regarding Application Failures Caused by Common, Correctable Errors - 50 percent of Sunrise applications contain errors
EnCirca, Inc., ICANN registrar for .XXX, is issuing this advisory to trademark owners to warn about common errors trademark owners are making with their .XXX sunrise applications and to assist applicants successfully secure their domain. Sunrise began September 7 and continues until October 28, 2011.
http://www.encirca.com/html/press/EnCirca_Issues_xxx_Sunrise_Advisory.pdf

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 - NEW TLDS
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Brand gTLDs will change the way companies engage with customers on the Internet by Pat Kane, Verisign
For more than 25 years now, the world has been familiar with gTLDs and ccTLDs. TLDs are the characters on the right side of the "dot" in a domain name. An example of this is .com, which is the most common gTLD in use today while examples of ccTLDs include .in, .ru, .au among the approximately 250 cc TLDs that exist.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=15957
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/09/30/brand-gtlds-will-change-the-way-companies-engage-with-customers-on-the-internet-by-pat-kane-verisign/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/brand-gtlds-will-change-the-way-companies-engage-with-customers-on-the-internet-by-pat-kane-verisign.html

New Top-Level Domains, not Facebook, the future for online brands by Adrian Kinderis
Adrian Kinderis, CEO of AusRegistry International, explains why brand owners should ?dislike? the idea of a heavy Facebook presence and instead should consider creating their own new TLD for their brand.
http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=865
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=15986
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/10/03/new-top-level-domains-not-facebook-the-future-for-online-brands-by-adrian-kinderis/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/new-top-level-domains-not-facebook-the-future-for-online-brands-by-adrian-kinderis.html

Dot brand versus dot com: Internet domains go head to head
Business is good. Your bathroom fittings company has replaced the conveniences in half the homes in your neighbourhood. But there's one small fly in your ointment. You were a bit late to the game when it came to the internet. And when you finally decided to go online, bloggsbogs.com was already taken. You're pretty sure this must be the reason you haven't made quite the splash you wanted in other towns. Is there another way?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15084318

Will URS really be as cheap as ICANN says?
I?m having a hard time believing that trademark holders will be able to enforce their rights in new TLDs for just $300.
http://domainincite.com/will-urs-really-be-as-cheap-as-icann-says/

Even without Al Gore, don?t count Minds + Machines out of the .eco race
Minds + Machines may have lost the support of Al Gore for its .eco bid, but it should not necessarily be dismissed as a contender for the .eco TLD.
http://domainincite.com/even-without-al-gore-dont-count-minds-machines-out-of-the-eco-race/

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Report of Security Vulnerabilities Reveals No Suspicious Server Activity
The RIPE NCC has completed a thorough security investigation following an email we received concerning Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities on some of our web services and a possible compromise on one of our servers.
http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/about-ripe-ncc-and-ripe/report-of-security-vulnerabilities-reveals-no-suspicious-server-activity

Homeland Security tries to shore up nation?s cyber defenses
... ?We?re connecting equipment that has never been connected before to this global network,? said Greg Schaffer, acting deputy undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security?s National Protection and Programs Directorate. ?As we do, we have the potential for problems. That, indeed, is a space our adversaries are paying attention to. They are knocking on the doors of these systems. In some cases, there have been intrusions.?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/homeland-security-tries-to-shore-up-nations-cyber-defenses/2011/09/27/gIQAtQ6bDL_story.html

China urges int'l cooperation to address network security challenges
A senior Chinese official said Thursday that countries are in urgent need of strengthening international cooperation while boosting their respective capacities in addressing the growing network security challenges.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131167969.htm

Microsoft Downs Domain that Bred Botnet that Targeted Macs
Mac users can thank Microsoft for taking down a small but dangerous botnet. Last week, at the request of Microsoft, a Virginia federal judge ordered VeriSign to shut down nearly two dozen domains linked to servers that controlled the Kelihos botnet. One of those domains -- cz.cc -- had hosted machines that distributed waves of fake Mac antivirus software for weeks last spring, according to Microsoft and several security companies.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/240950/microsoft_downs_domain_that_bred_botnet_that_targeted_macs.html

International Internet Security Workshop Begins in Prague
On 3 and 4 October the Hotel Jalta in Prague is hosting an international Internet security workshop organized by EUROPOL and ENISA in cooperation with CSIRT.CZ, the national computer security incident response team in the Czech Republic.
http://www.nic.cz/page/936/international-internet-security-workshop-begins-in-prague/

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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The UDRP and WIPO ? INTA Conference Paper 2011
This paper was prepared by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center in August 2011 to provide an overview of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy and WIPO?s role in relation thereto, for the purpose of informing discussion at the September 2011 INTA Conference on Trademarks and the Internet on the issue of whether it would be wise to review and make changes to the UDRP, at least at this time.
http://wipo.int/export/sites/www/amc/en/docs/wipointaudrp.pdf

Domain name is personal property and a ?real and substantial connection? to jurisdiction: Ontario CA
Tucows.com, a Nova Scotia tech company with a principal office in Ontario, bought over 30,000 domain names from an operation called Mailbank Inc. in 2006, including renner.com.
http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=f2768f4d-59b6-40a7-b59e-71ae536842d2

Full Tilt Poker Acquisition Contingent On "Favorable Resolution" Of DOJ Charges
Groupe Bernard Tapie announced today that the firm has inked an exclusive deal to acquire Full Tilt Poker and all of the embattled online gambling outfit?s assets. Former Full Tilt players will be happy to learn that the agreement includes the repayment of all Full Tilt Poker customers owed money by the company. Tapie, a French buyout concern, claims a particular expertise in the ?salvation of financially distressed businesses?, citing over 40 companies that it has successfully returned to profitability. Despite this wealth of experience, it is clear resurrecting cash-strapped Full Tilt will prove to be a unique challenge for the firm.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwindurgy/2011/09/30/full-tilt-poker-acquisition-contingent-on-favorable-resolution-of-doj-charges/

Typosquatting High Traffic Trademark Protected Domain Names: Is typosquatting worth $100,000 in liability? 
Harvard University recently performed a study that estimated the amount of profit Google is generating from ad placements on typosquatted domain names. The report alleges that Google potentially earns $500 million a year in revenue from the advertisements that are placed on the misspelled popular trademark domain names. But is it worth the liability?
http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2011/09/typosquatting-high-traffic-trademark-protected-domain-names.html

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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Pricing and Efficiency in the Market for IP Addresses by Benjamin G. Edelman & Michael Schwarz [Harvard Business School NOM Unit Working Paper]
Abstract: We consider market rules for the transfer of IP addresses, numeric identifiers required by all computers connected to the Internet. Excessive fragmentation of IP address blocks causes growth in the Internet's routing table, which is socially costly, so an IP address market should discourage subdividing IP address blocks more than necessary.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1934217

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Irish Tech Supremos Launch Weekly Podcast
Two of Ireland's best known technology minds have launched a weekly podcast focussing on technology issues, including domain names. With an Irish flavour, Michele Neylon and Conn ? Mu?neach?in have launched Technology.ie focusing on what they know best - the tech industry.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=15969
http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/09/30/two-irish-tech-supremos-launch-weekly-podcast/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/irish-tech-supremos-launch-weekly-podcast.html

German toilet provider has Best. Domain. Ever.
A few of us attending the newdomains.org conference in Munich this week spotted what is possibly the most inadvertently funny domain name in the history of the internet.
http://domainincite.com/german-toilet-provider-has-best-domain-ever/

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Google Analytics Premium: the lowdown
Google still has its free analytics product, but now it has announced a paid-for version of Google Analytics, called Premium, which will be a $150,000 per year product.
http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/8084-google-analytics-premium-the-lowdown

Biggest Australian Country Code Sale Reported to Date Tops This Week's Domain Sales Chart
The biggest Australian ccTLD sale reported to date set the pace in the domain aftermarket this past week. InvestmentProperty.com.au went to a new owner for AUD 125,001 ($127,501) via NetFleet.com.au. In addition to being a record-setting sale this one is notable because this was a dropped domain - the previous owner lost it because they did not pay the small renewal fee. Ouch!
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20110928.htm

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INTERNET USE
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China Internet users exceed 500 million
A senior government official said Thursday that China's Internet users has exceeded 500 million -- an Internet popularization rate close to 40 percent.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131167919.htm

Can Free Web Content Save The Guardian?
The Guardian has been losing money for years. But whereas the New York Times has begun charging for online content, the British daily has staked its future on giving away its journalism for free. The media world is watching with bated breath.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,789108,00.html

Chrome poised to take No. 2 browser spot from Firefox
Google's Chrome is on the brink of replacing Firefox as the second-most-popular browser, according to one Web statistics firm.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9220396/Chrome_poised_to_take_No._2_browser_spot_from_Firefox
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/092911-chrome-poised-to-take-no-251412.html

Coupon Sites Are a Great Deal, But Not Always to Merchants
Like businesses across the land, the Madison Avenue spa Wellpath tried to drum up customers by running heavily discounted coupons on deal-of-the-day Web sites. But the Internet coupon fad is shrinking faster than fat from a weight-loss laser. Coupons for the spa drew women from around the metropolitan area eager to see their bulges melt and their wrinkles removed. Once.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/business/deal-sites-have-fading-allure-for-merchants.html

**********************
SOCIAL NETWORKING
**********************
Facebook Use By Country: See Who Spends The Most Time Social Networking
Data monitoring and analysis firm Experian has released the results of a study examining the Facebook habits of users in eight countries across the globe.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/facebook-use-by-country_n_987722.html

Twitter tweets our emotional states
A new study in the journal Science examined the contents of more than 500 million tweets sent in 84 countries over two years, looking for signs of good moods and bad. It found what a lot of us could tell by looking at our own lives.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/twitter-tweets-our-emotional-states/2011/09/28/gIQAVb9r7K_story.html

Twitter shows we get up happy but get grumpier as day wears on
People around the world wake up feeling enthusiastic and alert but become slowly more negative throughout the working day, according to a study of Twitter messages.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8796655/Twitter-shows-we-get-up-happy-but-get-grumpier-as-day-wears-on.html

Wake up, it's a beautiful morning, confirms Twitter [AP]
Twitter confirms it: people tend to wake up in a good mood and are happiest at weekends.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/sep/29/twitter-study-reveals-human-mood-swings
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/if-youre-happy-and-you-know-it-did-you-tweet-20110930-1kzrg.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/if-youre-happy-and-you-know-it-did-you-tweet-20110930-1kzrg.html

Twitter Study Tracks When We Are :)
However grumpy people are when they wake up, and whether they stumble to their feet in Madrid, Mexico City or Minnetonka, Minn., they tend to brighten by breakfast time and feel their moods taper gradually to a low in the late afternoon, before rallying again near bedtime, a large-scale study of posts on the social media site Twitter found.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/science/30twitter.html

Facebook Timeline: Privacy Settings You'll Want to Set [CIO]
If you care to keep your past in the past, Facebook's new version of the profile, called Timeline, makes that a little more difficult.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/240891/facebook_timeline_privacy_settings_youll_want_to_set.html

Facebook 'to track porn browsing'
Facebook has come under fire after revelations that adult sites could show up in people's Facebook account timelines.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10756151

Click, and Facebook revises privacy
One morning this week, Facebook told me a friend had used a dating application the night before, one called Are You Interested? It told not just me, but all those it recognises as his friends.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/click-and-facebook-revises-privacy-20110930-1l1cr.html

Facebook to be investigated over privacy concerns
Facebook is to be investigated by the Irish privacy regulator into how it handles users' data across Europe.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/sep/30/facebook-investigation-privacy-concerns

Facebook under pressure over privacy - source
Facebook faces regulatory scrutiny in Ireland, site of its European headquarters, over its handling of personal information, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/09/30/oukin-uk-facebook-data-protection-idUKTRE78T07520110930
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/09/30/idINIndia-59629920110930

Privacy group asks FTC for Facebook inquiry
The Electronic Privacy Information Center is asking the Federal Trade Commission to look into Facebook's tracking of users after they log off the service.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/09/privacy-groups-file-letter-with-ftc-asking-for-facebook-probe.html

Facebook Chronicles A Lost Generation: Most of the Battered Young Are Waiting For Someone Else to Change the System
Is there a revolution brewing in America? Many observers say the regime changes in the Middle East and North Africa were ignited by social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Frustrated and with little hope for their economic future, young people vented, organized and took to the streets.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203405504576599391521124376.html

Senior Chinese official says social networks bring conveniences, challenges for social management
A senior government official said Thursday that as more and more people share information via social networks, both conveniences and new challenges have emerged for social management.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131167999.htm

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
**********************
The dark side of Apple: one man's monologue of misery
... He interviewed scores of workers and toured the factories while posing as a US businessman and was shocked to learn that people were literally being worked to death to meet Western gadget lust. From long hours to inhumane and robotic working and living conditions to suicide and child labour, Daisey saw things that switched off his innate desire to always have the latest piece of kit.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/the-dark-side-of-apple-one-mans-monologue-of-misery-20110930-1l0hg.html
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/the-dark-side-of-apple-one-mans-monologue-of-misery-20110930-1l0hg.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/5712910/The-dark-side-of-Apple-misery-monologue

Kindle Fire: the tablet that knows your next move
On Wednesday, the tablet wars began. Up to then, all talk of a "tablet market" was misleading: it was essentially an iPad market.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/02/kindle-fire-ipad-tablet-wars

UN reports agreement on ways to assess green impact of information technologies [news release]
The United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) today said that agreement has been reached on a globally-recognized set of methodologies to assess the environmental impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs), and on preparing a report on guidelines on the use of minerals from conflict areas.
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2011/34.aspx
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39877

Energy bills and emissions still rising due to gadget addiction, says report
Energy-conscious home owners may religiously switch appliances off at the plug, insulate their houses and turn off lights in empty rooms, but our obsession with gadgets means energy bills and emissions are still rising, according to a report on UK home energy use.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/03/energy-bills-emissions-rising-says-report

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
*********************************
Alarm over secret Facebook accounts that allow children to slip safety net
Are you a parent who keeps an eye on who posts what on your child's Facebook account? Perhaps you know their password and sneak a look at their messages from time to time? You may even enjoy the trusted privilege of being a "friend".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/oct/02/facebook-children-bullying-fake-names

Teens start sexting to fit in - study
Teenagers are feeling pressure to send sexual images of themselves and others by mobile phone in what is becoming a potentially pervasive practice of ''sexting'', according to government-funded research.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/5713501/Teens-start-sexting-to-fit-in-study
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/teens-start-sexting-as-a-way-to-fit-in-says-study-20110929-1kzew.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/teens-start-sexting-as-a-way-to-fit-in-says-study-20110929-1kzew.html

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
Samsung is said to propose end Apple patent fight in Australia
Samsung Electronics and Apple are locked in an international patent battle in Europe, the U.S., Asia and Australia that has lasted for months and resulted in some sales bans of Samsung phones and tablets.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/09/samsung-makes-an-offer-to-end-apple-patent-battle-in-australia.html

au: Apple, Samsung told to simplify cases [Dow Jones]
Apple and Samsung Electronics will have to simplify their cases if the Federal Court is to rule by next week on a temporary injunction on Samsung's tablet release in Australia.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/world/apple-samsung-told-to-simplify-cases/story-e6frg90o-1226153995241

Google, Motorola Deal Examined By Department Of Justice, Again [AP]
The U.S. Justice Department is taking a closer look at Google's proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of cellphone maker Motorola Mobility, raising the hurdle that must be cleared before the deal can be completed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/google-mototola-department-of-justice_n_987162.html

BlackBerry Maker's Issue: Gadgets for Work or Play?
As Research In Motion Ltd. executives prepared early this year for the launch of their first tablet, the PlayBook, one big question loomed: Who was the device for?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204422404576597061591715344.html

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
**********************
Internet divide grips Europe's crisis-riven south: Report
Northern European countries are reaping more than twice the benefits than their crisis-riven southern counterparts from the internet as a contributor to their net GDP, according to a new survey. 
http://www.euractiv.com/specialreport-small-business-driving-eu-growth/internet-divide-grips-europes-crisis-riven-south-repo

Hailing the Google bus in India
Like the travelling fairs that still roam India, a snazzy white bus trundles along the subcontinent's B-roads, stopping in small towns for a few days at a time and inviting locals into another world. But in place of tightrope-walking girls and performing monkeys, its main attraction is access to the internet. For some visitors, it is their first time online.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/10/internet-developing-countries

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
**********************
us: ISP lawsuit: Net neutrality rules aren't strong enough [IDG]
A North Carolina ISP has filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules, with the ISP arguing the regulations aren't strong enough for wireless and mobile broadband providers like itself.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9220437/ISP_lawsuit_Net_neutrality_rules_aren_t_strong_enough
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/402727/isp_lawsuit_net_neutrality_rules_aren_t_strong_enough/

Dumped computers exploited in overseas fraud
Criminal networks are feeding off Australians' lust for new technology by skimming data from computers dumped in Africa and Asia - and using it for blackmail, fraud and identity theft.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/dumped-computers-exploited-in-overseas-fraud-20111001-1l2rj.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/dumped-computers-exploited-in-overseas-fraud-20111001-1l2rj.html

One in five Swedes have suffered identity theft on the Internet
Forty percent of Swedes are comfortable using user name and password to log in to Internet services, while ten percent consider this procedure unsafe, according to a new survey conducted by .SE.
https://www.iis.se/en/pressmeddelanden/en-av-fem-har-rakat-ut-for-kontostold

us: Righthaven's Losing Streak Continues in Colorado
In what is becoming a well-settled pattern, Righthaven again finds itself on the losing end of a motion, with its case thrown out and owing the defendant ? here, Leland Wolf, proprietor of the It Makes Sense Blog ? costs and attorneys' fees for bringing a baseless copyright case.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/09/righthavens-losing-streak-continues-colorado

Symantec Announces September 2011 Symantec Intelligence Report - Polymorphic Malware Rate Peaks at 72% in September; Cyber Criminals Ambush Blogging Platform to Push Pills [news release]
Symantec Corp. announced the results of the September 2011 Symantec Intelligence Report, now combining the best research and analysis from the Symantec.cloud MessageLabs Intelligence Report and the Symantec State of Spam & Phishing Report. This month?s analysis reveals that a deluge of malicious email-borne malware has left a clear mark on the threat landscape for September. Approximately 72% of all email-borne malware in September could be characterized as aggressive strains of generic polymorphic malware, first identified in the July Symantec Intelligence Report. At the end of July, this rate was 23.7%, in August it fell slightly to 18.5% before soaring to 72% in September.
http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20110927_01

Channel Islands Regulator in the Dark Over Full Tilt
The top official at the Channel Islands regulator that licensed Full Tilt Poker to run an online-poker business said he became aware the site had major financial problems only after the U.S. government in April indicted company executives and filed charges against Full Tilt.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204612504576606190941153786.html

Cyber crime unit saves UK economy ?140m in six months [Press Association]
A Metropolitan police unit claims to have saved the economy more than ?140m in the past six months and is on course to exceed its four-year "harm reduction" target, the force said on Sunday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/02/cyber-crime-unit-met-police

Singapore opens up use of computer evidence
Among a raft of changes proposed to Singapore's Evidence Act, the removal of sections 35 and 36 concerning computer evidence is one that all technologists should look out for.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/blogs/singapore-opens-up-use-of-computer-evidence-62302315.htm

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SECURITY
**********************
Homeland Security tries to shore up nation?s cyber defenses
... ?We?re connecting equipment that has never been connected before to this global network,? said Greg Schaffer, acting deputy undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security?s National Protection and Programs Directorate. ?As we do, we have the potential for problems. That, indeed, is a space our adversaries are paying attention to. They are knocking on the doors of these systems. In some cases, there have been intrusions.?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/homeland-security-tries-to-shore-up-nations-cyber-defenses/2011/09/27/gIQAtQ6bDL_story.html

China urges int'l cooperation to address network security challenges
A senior Chinese official said Thursday that countries are in urgent need of strengthening international cooperation while boosting their respective capacities in addressing the growing network security challenges.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131167969.htm

Microsoft Downs Domain that Bred Botnet that Targeted Macs
Mac users can thank Microsoft for taking down a small but dangerous botnet. Last week, at the request of Microsoft, a Virginia federal judge ordered VeriSign to shut down nearly two dozen domains linked to servers that controlled the Kelihos botnet. One of those domains -- cz.cc -- had hosted machines that distributed waves of fake Mac antivirus software for weeks last spring, according to Microsoft and several security companies.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/240950/microsoft_downs_domain_that_bred_botnet_that_targeted_macs.html

nz: National Cyber Security Centre open for cyber warfare protection
The National Cyber Security Centre opened yesterday. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Steven Joyce said the global threat from cyber instrusions was real and growing, and that New Zealanders and the economy was not immune.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/national-cyber-security-centre-open-cyber-warfare-protection-aw-101476

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PRIVACY
**********************
There's little privacy in a digital world
Users of TVs, computers and smartphones leave technological fingerprints wherever they go, and companies are lapping up the data. ... "Essentially, each of us is being tailed," said Kevin Bankston, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Whether you went to the family planning clinic or a psychiatrist, or to be treated at the cancer specialists' office," data gleaned from cellphones alone reveal "an enormous amount about us." ... But regulatory efforts are drawing resistance from companies such as Google Inc. and Facebook that rely on personal information to sell advertising, and so far, none of the bills has passed. Privacy observers say it may be years before legal protections catch up to industry practices.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-no-privacy-20111002,0,1002453.story

Read the small print: Amazon's iPad rival hit by privacy fears
It has been heralded as the first real challenge to the Apple iPad's stranglehold on the tablet computer market. But only hours after its launch and more than two months before it appears in shops, privacy concerns have surfaced about the Kindle Fire.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/read-the-small-print-amazons-ipad-rival-hit-by-privacy-fears-2363379.html

Australia's Privacy Commissioner will not investigate Facebook
Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim will not investigate Facebook after the social network assured him it had fixed a major privacy flaw.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/australias-privacy-commissioner-will-not-investigate-facebook/story-e6frgakx-1226156749063

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CENSORSHIP
**********************
Facebook refuses to take down rape joke pages
Women's rights activists in Britain and the US have accused Facebook of promoting rape and "rape culture" after the social networking site refused to take down pages on which users made jokes and apparent confessions about sexual assault.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/sep/30/facebook-refuses-pull-rape-jokepages

Opinion: On Newspapers, Public Discourse, and the Right to Remain Anonymous
In a recent Washington Times editorial titled ?Internet trolls, Anonymity and the First Amendment,? Gayle Falkenthal declared that ?the time has come to limit the ability of people to remain anonymous? online. She argued that any benefit to online pseudonyms has long since dissipated and anonymous commenters have polluted the Internet ?with false accusations and name-calling attacks.? Newspapers, she wrote, should ban them entirely.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/09/newspapers-public-discourse-and-right-remain

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
Italian Internet activists protest proposed law [IDG]
Italy's Internet activists gathered in front of Rome's ancient Pantheon Thursday to protest a new law they say will throttle freedom of expression on the Web.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/092911-italian-internet-activists-protest-proposed-251416.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/240840/italian_internet_activists_protest_proposed_law.html

nz: Solid scrum in danger of being wheeled: ACTA vs TPPA
Back in April 2010, with the negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement due to take place in Wellington in secrecy, many of us were concerned. We came together under the banner of the acta.net.nz coalition and organised PublicACTA on Saturday, 10th April 2010.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/solid-scrum-danger-being-wheeled-acta-vs-tppa-ck-101746

Law changes required before NZ ratifies ACTA
For New Zealand to ratify the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), it will need to make ?minor? changes to copyright and trademark law, says trade minister Tim Groser.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/law-changes-required-before-nz-ratifies-acta

ACTA tweaks done, beware TPP axe: NZ lawyer
Intellectual property and ICT lawyer Rick Shera on his blog calls the ACTA changes to NZ law ?minor tweaks?, but cautions, as he has before, that US pressure for more far-reaching changes in ACTA could be renewed with the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement (TPP), still in progress.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/acta-tweaks-done-beware-tpp-axe-nz-lawyer

Australia to sign ACTA tomorrow
Trade Minister Dr Craig Emerson is travelling to Tokyo today to sign the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in the hopes of stemming global piracy.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/australia-to-sign-acta-tomorrow-339323413.htm

Business Community Lauds Countries? Signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement [news release]
Today, 15 organizations representing companies around the world publicly applaud Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States for signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). ACTA is a plurilateral trade agreement aimed at improving intellectual property enforcement against counterfeiting and piracy internationally.
http://www.inta.org/Press/Pages/ACTAsigned.aspx

Countries start signing anti-counterfeiting accord that was negotiated secretly
Japan and other countries that have already completed the required domestic procedures will sign the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in a ceremony in Tokyo on 1 October. Governments have until May 2013 to sign the accord, which 37 countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland and the European Union, negotiated without consulting their public or civil society.
http://en.rsf.org/countries-start-signing-anti-29-09-2011,41078.html

us: Verizon Sues To Overturn 'Net Neutrality' Rules [AP]
Verizon Communications, the largest U.S. cell phone carrier, is suing to overturn new government regulations governing the flow of Internet traffic.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/02/verizon-sues-to-overturn-net-neutrality_n_991329.html

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MISCELLANEOUS
*********************************
Amazon: Walmart of the web - The internet giant?s new tablet computer fits its strategy of developing big businesses by charging small prices
A couple of years after it launched its website in 1995, Amazon was the subject of an unflattering report entitled "Amazon.Toast". The pundit who penned it predicted that the fledgling online bookseller would soon be crushed by Barnes & Noble, a book-retailing behemoth which had just launched its own site.
http://www.economist.com/node/21530980

Italian Software Maker Contests Microsoft's Purchase of Skype
Reviving arguments that have dogged Microsoft in Europe for nearly two decades, an Italian software maker is asking European officials to block Microsoft?s $8.5 billion purchase of Skype, the Internet phone service, unless it is removed from Microsoft?s ubiquitous Windows Office platform.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/technology/italian-software-maker-contests-microsofts-purchase-of-skype.html

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
Europe to Study Telecommunications Leasing Charges
The European commissioner for digital technology was expected to begin an in-depth review Monday of the charges that the Continent?s largest telecommunications operators impose for leasing access to their national landline networks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/technology/internet/europe-to-study-telecommunications-leasing-charges.html

Google-backed M-Lab servers to measure NZ internet performance
Measurement Lab and Victoria University are bringing three M-Lab servers to New Zealand to help measure the state of New Zealand internet.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/google-backed-m-lab-servers-measure-nz-internet-performance-aw-101631

au: Labor's National Broadband Network opens for business
Labor's $36 billion National Broadband Network is officially open for business.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/telecommunications/labors-national-broadband-network-opens-for-business/story-fn4iyzsr-1226153815548

Tougher rules for UK broadband advertising
ISPs face changes to the way they advertise broadband services. From April next year, providers will no longer be able to advertise maximum speeds for net packages unless 10% of customers can actually get them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15105760

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(c) David Goldstein 2011


------
David Goldstein

 email: david§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 Flannery