Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's
edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already
online!


Headlines from the June 5 edition of the news include:
McAfee names '.hk' world's most dangerous domain | Hong Kong is most
dangerous place on the web | McAfee, Inc. Names Most Dangerous Domains
to Surf and Search on the Web | Online brand-jacking increasing |
MarkMonitor Examines Online Risks in Travel Including Scams Aimed at
Online Shoppers and Sales of Questionable Aircraft Parts | Excluding
Keyword Categories From Your Parked Pages In Order To Avoid
Cybersquatting Violations | Israel.com Has NOT Sold: Erroneous reports
suggested domain name sold over the weekend


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


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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ccNSO Council's Re-election of Peter Dengate Thrush as an ICANN Director
http://icann.org/minutes/secretarys-notice-16may08.htm

New .au policies allowing domain transfers commence
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/new-.au-policies-allowing-domain-transfers-commence.html

New .au registrant transfers policy - implementation update [news release]
http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-31052008/

Censorship: A Threat to the Stability and Security of the DNS? by Robert Guerra
http://www.circleid.com/posts/censorship_threat_dns_stability_security/

U.S., China Lead in Hack Attacks
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/052908-akamai-stateoftheinternet-report.html

'State Of The Internet' Shows Attacks, Network Speeds Up
http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/data/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208400869

Domain name record altered to hack Comcast.net [IDG]
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/146461/

The Human Hands Behind the Google Money Machine
http://nytimes.com/2008/06/02/technology/02google.html

Internet domain name 'Israel.com' sold for $5.88 million
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/989326.html

America.com, diamantes fail to make reserve
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5137


**********************
RESEARCH PAPERS
**********************
10 Years Later by Geoff Huston
In 1998 any lingering doubts about the ultimate success of the Internet were dispelled. There was nothing else left standing in the data communications landscape that could serve our emerging needs for data communications. IP was now the communications technology of the day, if not the coming century, and the industry message of the time was to adopt the Internet or imperil your entire future in this business. By 1998 the job was apparently done, and the Internet had prevailed. But the story was not over. Communications continued to drive our world, and the Internet continued to evolve and change. What has happened in the last decade of the Internet? What aspects of internet technology has changed, and why?
http://www.potaroo.net/ispcol/2008-06/10years.html

The End of End to End? by Geoff Huston
The model of a clear and simple Internet where end hosts can simply send packets across a transparent network is largely an historical notion. These days we sit behind a dazzling array of so-called "middleware", including Network Address Translators, Firewalls, Web caches, DNS interceptors, TCP performance shapers, and load balancers, to name but a few. So the question is: Have we gone past the end-to-end argument? Are we heading back to a world of bewilderingly complex and expensive networks?
http://www.potaroo.net/ispcol/2008-05/eoe2e.html

Models of Internet Governance by Lawrence B. Solum [Illinois Public Law Research Paper/U Illinois Law & Economics Research Paper]
Abstract: Internet governance is a large, complex, and ambiguous topic. When we think about regulation of the Internet, we might be thinking about a narrow but important set of questions about specific institutions, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN): these institutions can be said to govern the technical infrastructure and architecture of the Internet. We might also be thinking about a much broader and perhaps more compelling set of questions about policy issues that implicate the Internet: these questions include the regulation of online gambling, child pornography, freedom of speech, and the future of commerce and implicate nation states and international organizations. Internet governance implicates both the narrow questions about Internet infrastructure or architecture and the broad questions about regulation of applications and content. Moreover, the broad and narrow
 questions are related. Regulation of the technical infrastructure of the Internet has implications for the regulation of applications and content.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1136825

Cybersquatting: Prevention better than cure? by Mairead Moore [ International Journal of Law and Information Technology Advance Access]
Abstract: ... This paper examines the various legal mechanisms that have been employed to deal with cybersquatting by examining firstly, the reaction of the Courts and secondly, the reaction of the registering authorities. Finally the paper looks at some of the more recent attempts to curb cybersquatting at the registration level by the employment of phased registration periods and additionally some radical solutions suggested in some circles will also be examined. The paper concludes that while the reactive strategies developed by the Courts and the registering authorities are effective once cybersquatting is committed, the real solution must surely lie in preventative action at the registration stage if the battle to curb cybersquatting is finally to be won.
http://ijlit.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ean005

Beyond Europe: The Internet, Regulation, and Multistakeholder Governance?Representing the Consumer Interest? by Christopher T. Marsden [Journal of Consumer Policy]
Abstract: The ?Internet,? as a global self-regulated and interconnected network of institutions driven by educational and subsequently commercial priorities, has evolved into an element within a broader ?global information society.? Industry, treated benevolently by market-led governments, has created co- or self-regulatory institutions or compacts, but as consumers have eagerly embraced the broadband Internet the scheme of governance must embrace respect for the social and economic rights and responsibilities of consumers at national, European and global levels. This paper shows how existing divisions between public-sector, private-sector, and civil-society institutions and responsibilities have rapidly become eroded and it portrays the emerging agenda for ?multistakeholder governance.? The involvement of the consumer on a more legitimised and consensual level than is permitted under industry-led regulation is as yet a novel approach, but
 this paper draws on case studies which demonstrate the salience of these issues to consumers as citizens, and it concludes by preparing an agenda for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies to adopt more sophisticated patterns of participatory co- and self-regulation.
http://springerlink.com/content/p7636403v7426531/

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GOVERNANCE
**********************
OECD and YouTube launch ?Future of the Internet? initiative
How can the Internet make the world a better place?" This is the question OECD is asking the public on YouTube. YouTube users can share their opinion with the leaders and opinion shapers attending the OECD Ministerial meeting on the "Future of the Internet" in Seoul, Korea on 17-18 June 2008.
http://www.oecd.org/document/3/0,3343,en_2649_34223_40713859_1_1_1_1,00.html

EU Parliament discusses network neutrality
A new regulatory regime for access to what has been termed Next Generation Networks (unified carrier networks for multimedia broadcasts, data and voice over IP) is being discussed by the European Parliament. It could reduce the risk of loss of network neutrality by rewarding competitors who jointly invest in new networks.
http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/EU-Parliament-discusses-network-neutrality--/110833

Net neutrality bill hits Canada's House of Commons
The NDP has followed through with its promise to introduce legislation to the House of Commons that seeks to keep the internet open and free from control by service providers.
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/05/28/tech-netbill.html

The Future of the Internet - And How to Stop It: A Conversation with Jonathan Zittrain
Jonathan Zittrain, professor of Internet governance and regulation at Oxford University, was online for the Washington Post this week to answer questions about his new book: The Future of the Internet - And How to Stop It. The transcript is available from:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/05/14/DI2008051401291.html

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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ccNSO Council's Re-election of Peter Dengate Thrush as an ICANN Director
Pursuant to ICANN Bylaws Article X, section 3(9), the ccNSO Council has confirmed the re-election of Peter Dengate Thrush for ICANN Board seat 11. His new term will run from May 2008 until six months after the conclusion of ICANN's annual meeting in 2010.
http://icann.org/minutes/secretarys-notice-16may08.htm

ICANN looks to lend a hand in spam fight
The administrative body in charge of the Internet's mapping of IP addresses says it has sent compliance letters to registrars commonly used by spammers, although it admits it can do little to stop spam itself.
http://www.betanews.com/article/ICANN_looks_to_lend_a_hand_in_spam_fight/1212085128

Internet overseer cracks down on domain use [UPI]
ICANN is trying to crack down on shady Web pages used by spammers and hackers.
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/may/31/internet-overseer-cracks-down-on-domain-use/

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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APTLD Kuala Lumpur Meeting Communiqu?
APTLD members and supporters met in Kuala Lumpur for a series of meetings in late May, with over 110 people from 27 ccTLDs and 27 other organisations participating in a range of workshops and seminars. Two days of APTLD members meetings were preceded by an Attack & Disaster Response Planning (ADRP) workshop and the MYNIC World Cyber Security Seminar, and followed by a day of APTLD organised workshops on ccTLD policy development, marketing and registry software options.
http://www.aptld.org/kl2008/files/APTLD%20KL%202008%20Communique.pdf

More information on the APTLD Kuala Lumpur Meeting is available from:
http://www.aptld.org/kl2008/

.ar IDNs Available Before August
NIC Argentina has recently advised registrars IDNs will be available for registration starting sometime before August 2008). The Argentinean IDN launch will comprise four stages:
http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/05/29/ar-idns-available-before-august/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/.ar-idns-available-before-august.html

New .au policies allowing domain transfers commence
auDA have introduced new policies that allow for registrants to buy and sell .au domain names subject to certain conditions.
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/new-.au-policies-allowing-domain-transfers-commence.html

New .au registrant transfers policy - implementation update [news release]
The new registrant transfers policy will take effect on 1 June 2008. In December 2007, the auDA Board approved a recommendation from the 2007 Names Policy Panel that the registrant transfers policy be relaxed to allow a registrant to transfer their domain name licence to another eligible entity, for any reason. The new Transfers (Change of Registrant) Policy (2008-08) will take effect on 1 June 2008. auDA has also published a brochure explaining the key feature of the new policy.
http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-31052008/

.cr (Costa Rica) transfer deadline 31 May 2008
Holders of a third level domain name under the categories .ac.cr, .co.cr, .ed.cr, .fi.cr, .go.cr, .or.cr, or .sa.cr the Costa Rica Registry, NIC-Costa Rica has provided until 31 May 2008 to register your name as .cr. After 31 May 2008, .cr is open to all applicants.
http://www.melbourneitdbs.com/news.php?article=0&title=.cr%20%28Costa%20Rica%29%20transfer%20deadline%2031%20May%202008&year=2008&month=06

.eu Internet addresses on the rise in Bulgaria [news release]
EURid announced ICDSoft Ltd has become the first accredited .eu registrar in Bulgaria. The new .eu registrar should make it easier for Bulgarians to register .eu domain names, which are increasingly popular. The number of .eu domain names registered by residents of Bulgaria increased more than threefold between March 2007 and March 2008, from 1976 to 6356.
http://www.eurid.eu/en/content/eu-internet-addresses-rise-bulgaria

Ovidio Dropping .eu domains?
The number of Cyprus registered domains has fallen dramatically since the first of the month. On 01 April 2008 it was 90,363. This morning (29 April) it is 52,509. A quick check of some Ovido Limited domains registered during the April 2006 landrush shows that they are now in Quarantine and scheduled for deletion.
http://blog.whoisireland.com/2008/04/29/ovidio-dropping-eu-domains/

it: Letters sent by the "Registro italiano in internet per le imprese" - the ccTLD .it and the IIT-CNR have absolutely no involvement
During these last few days a great deal of users notices are arriving at the Registry: the users have received some letters from another entity, the so-called Registro italiano in Internet per le imprese, which, through surface-mail mailings, (seemingly to ask the verifications of the data dealing with user activities) proposes a contract to adhere to in order to receive a service after payment.
http://www.nic.it/en/novita/comunicazioni.html

Mexico - Over 250 Thousand Domains Registered
The Mexican NIC has announced that they've broken the 250 thousand mark.
http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2008/05/30/mexico-over-250-thousand-domains-registered/

.PRO on its way to becoming just another TLD
Realizing there are more professional vocations in the world than just medicine, the law, and two others, ICANN is easing its earlier restrictions on the .PRO top-level domain.
http://www.betanews.com/article/PRO_on_its_way_to_becoming_just_another_TLD/1212184812

.ltd.uk and .plc.uk domain names with special characters [news release]
Following recommendation from the Policy Advisory Body, Nominet has suspended the registration of any new .ltd.uk or .plc.uk domain names where the registered company name includes characters which cannot be represented in the DNS. This is pending a more detailed report from the PAB.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5100

Nominet registrant transfer is going online [news release]
On 25 June we will be replacing the current registrant transfer process with a paperless online version.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5103

Nominet Web domain manager - new system for registrars [news release]
On 25 June we will be releasing a new system for registrars. Web domain manager is a browser based interface for the registration and management of domain names. The system has been designed to complement our existing registrar tools: EPP and the automaton.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5101

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Censorship: A Threat to the Stability and Security of the DNS? by Robert Guerra
Censorship practices by governments and other private actors are becoming more increasingly more sophisticated, and their effects are increasingly being felt globally. A case in point, the YouTube incident in Pakistan was a recent example affecting both users and the DNS at a national and global level. Likely other incidents will occur in the near future. As such, I believe censorship should be considered as a threat to the stability and security of the DNS. In the context of Internet governance discussions, I believe the issue should be raised both at ICANN and the Internet Governance forum. Do others agree?
http://www.circleid.com/posts/censorship_threat_dns_stability_security/

Estonian DDoS attacks "highly organised" but spontaneous
An analysis by Gadi Evron of Afilias of the background and evolution of the Estonian DDoS attacks in May 2007 is downloadable from Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO).
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/108518

An Anatomy of an Internet Attack ? in Real English
The Web site for Internet-television company Revision 3 was ?attacked? over Memorial Day weekend by an organization dedicated to stopping people from illegally distributing copyrighted material. The incident is notable not just because it provides insight into the extremes to which copyright holders are willing to go to protect their work, but also because Revision 3 CEO Jim Louderback wrote a remarkably clear account of how the attack happened.
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/05/30/an-anatomy-of-an-internet-attack-in-real-english/

U.S., China Lead in Hack Attacks
China and the United States were the two largest sources of Internet-attack traffic during the first quarter of 2008, accounting for 30% of such traffic, according to Akamai Technologies.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/052908-akamai-stateoftheinternet-report.html
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/146522/us_china_lead_in_hack_attacks.html
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1356779001

'State Of The Internet' Shows Attacks, Network Speeds Up
China and the United States accounted for the greatest percentage of Internet attacks in the first quarter of this year, according to a report released this week.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/data/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208400869

China and U.S. lead in Internet attacks
China and the U.S. lead the world as the two biggest sources of Internet attack traffic, according to a report published by the content distribution company Akamai.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9955344-7.html

Domain name record altered to hack Comcast.net [IDG]
Hackers knocked Comcast.net offline late Wednesday night, preventing customers from getting to their Comcast Web mail and account records on the company's Internet portal. The criminals somehow got their hands on passwords used to alter domain-name registration information with Comcast's registrar, Network Solutions, said Susan Wade, a Network Solutions spokeswoman.
http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=372E7AF4-17A4-0F78-31894DC4E445D6D9
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/146461/

How was Comcast.net hijacked?
It?s official, even a pothead can social engineer Network Solutions. In an in-depth interview with the hijackers, featuringComcast?s DNS records hijacked, redirect to hacked page some screenshots showing they had access to the complete portfolio of over 200 domain names controlled by Comcast, the details of how they did it, and why they did it are now coming straight from the source of the attack:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1224

Comcast Hackers Speak Out
Yesterday we wrote that a recent attack on Comcast?s Web site was a throwback to a more innocent time when computer hackers were mostly vandals out for notoriety, not identity-stealing criminals looking for a quick profit. Not surprisingly, the alleged culprits are a pair of teenagers who are convinced that they?ll soon be arrested and now say the hack wasn?t worth it.
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/05/30/comcast-hackers-speak-out/

Comcast Outage Traced to Teenage Hackers
The hackers responsible for Wednesday's attack on Comcast say they were angry with the company, and "wanted to take them out," according to a news report.
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=155221

Comcast Hijackers Expose Flaws in Internet's DNS
Teen hackers Defiant and EBK apparently used "social engineering" to disrupt Comcast Web sites and redirect user e-mail. Defiant and EBK used the Domain Name System and registrar Network Solutions to reroute and deface Comcast sites. Defiant and EBK took comcast.net down for more than two hours and put obscenities in the WHOIS information.
http://www.enterprise-security-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60039

Acronym Domain Name Owners Stave Off Attacks
Owning short domain names comes with risks. They are prized domains, and many people want to get their hands on them. The owner of Ace.com recently won its case, but the assaults continue. Here are several recent cases that domain owners managed to win.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/05/29/acronym-domain-name-owners-stave-off-attacks/

Analysis: Crackdown on domain name crooks
ICANN is trying to crack down on shady Web pages used by spammers and hackers. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers sent letters this week to some of the biggest sellers of Internet real estate, warning that those who failed to fulfill their obligations under the rules could be shut down.
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Analysis/2008/05/29/analysis_crackdown_on_domain_name_crooks/8781/
http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/05/29/analysis_crackdown_on_domain_name_crooks/7755/

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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UniversityofTexas.com Handed Over to University
Last month I wrote about a UDRP arbitration request by The University of Texas, which was seeking to get the domain name UniversityofTexas.com. After The University of Texas? Board of Regents filed the UDRP with National Arbitration Forum, owner Global Access decided to hand it over.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/05/29/universityoftexascom-handed-over-to-university/

Choosing the arbitration tribunal and enforcing the arbitration award
Choosing the right arbitration tribunal is fundamental for those involved in domain name disputes. As Martin Hunter and Alan Redfern said in an edition of the International Commercial Arbitration: "Once a decision to refer a dispute to arbitration has been made, nothing is more important than choosing the right arbitral tribunal. It is a choice which is important not only for the parties to the particular dispute but also for the reputation and standing of the arbitral process itself. It is, above all, the quality of the arbitral tribunal that makes or breaks the process." This article provides basic information about an arbitration panel and the arbitration process.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=articles&id=668F961B-FD9B-478B-B847-68B91EBB4CA3

Citizen Hawk's anti-cybersquatting strategy
Citizen Hawk's purpose is straightforward enough: it helps businesses whose Web sites have been targeted by cybersquatters -- people who buy up domain names that are similar to that of a legitimate Web site.
http://www.vator.tv/news/show/citizen-hawk-int-08-10

Court suspends Ingushetiya.ru
Kuntsevsky Court of Moscow has suspended the website Ingushetiya.ru. Thus, the court satisfies the petition of the Prosecutor?s office of the Republic of Ingushetia seeking an injunction against the website operations.
http://eng.cnews.ru/news/line/indexEn.shtml?2008/05/26/301758

Independent media threatened in Ingushetia
Reporters Without Boders today deplored the ?dangerous? hounding of independent media outlets in the southeastern Russian republic of Ingushetia after a Moscow court yesterday ordered the suspension of Ingushetyia.ru (www.ingushetiya.ru), the country?s only news website in the Ingushetian language, which is spoken by most people in some parts of northern Caucasus (including Ingushetia, Chechnya and Kazakhstan).
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=27196

WIPO Orders Cancellation of Multiple Domain Registrations
I keep a close eye on the WIPO UDRP decisions, as sometimes they can be very interesting. In most cases decisions are either upheld or denied and when they are upheld the normal followup would be for the domain in question to be transferred to the IP holder.
http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2008/05/26/wipo-orders-cancellation-of-multiple-domain-r/

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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Sample XML Registry for IPv4 Address Space
IANA is currently engaged in a project to convert the protocol registries IANA maintains to XML to provide the community with improved ways of viewing registry information. Here is an example of the registry with XML as the source, provided as a demonstration to the community.
http://www.iana.org/reports/2008/xml-registry-sample.html

EU calls for net address upgrade
Work to migrate Europe to the net's new addressing system must speed up, says the European Commission. The call to action is contained in a plan sent to the European Parliament urging governments and top websites in the region to head the migration. It warns that internet-based innovation could be derailed as the current pool of addresses is used up.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7427360.stm

IPv6 migration hits CIO radar
IT managers have been advised to ensure forthcoming network kit purchases support the next generation of the internet protocol after the European Commission (EC) announced plans to force the pace of migration to IPv6.
http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/news/2217903/ipv6-migration-hits-cio-radar
http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2217903/ipv6-migration-hits-cio-radar

**********************
 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Q&A with Register.com CEO Larry Kutscher
Register.com provides domain-name registration, Web design and marketing services primarily for small and medium-sized businesses. Washingtonpost.com's Small Business Blog chatted about Web strategy with CEO Larry Kutscher, who joined the firm in late 2006 after executive positions with Dun and Bradstreet, Goldman Sachs and American Express.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/small-business/2008/05/qa_with_registercom_ceo_larry.html

Netcraft May 2008 Web Server Survey
In the May 2008 survey we received responses from 168,408,112 sites. The total number of sites has increased by 2.7 million, with 554 thousand new sites being hosted by the Dutch company XL Internet Services. Similar growth is seen at Akamai, a web content and application delivery company, where 531 thousand new sites have appeared.
http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2008/05/06/may_2008_web_server_survey.html

AfrISPA 2008 Members Meeting & AGM
The 2008 AfrISPA Members meeting will take place in South Africa in September 2008. The meeting will be held immediately after the iweek event which is an annual event organized by ISPA - South Africa. The members will thereafter travel to Botswana for the Annual General Meeting.
http://www.afrispa.org/

**********************
 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
**********************
The Human Hands Behind the Google Money Machine
If Google were the United States government, the data that streams onto Nicholas Fox?s laptop every day would be classified as top secret. Mr. Fox is among a small group of Google employees who keep a watchful eye on the vital signs of one of the most successful and profitable businesses on the Internet. The number of searches and clicks, the rate at which users click on ads, the revenue this generates ? everything is tracked hour by hour, compared with the data from a week earlier and charted.
http://nytimes.com/2008/06/02/technology/02google.html

America.com, diamantes fail to make reserve
The domain name America.com, up for auction last week on Sedo, failed to reach its reserve price. The highest bid was US$1.71 million. It had been hoped the domain name would reach a price of between $3.5 million and $7 million. Other premium domain names that were up for grabs last week on Sedo included diamantes.com and cognac.com.
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5137
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/america.com-diamantes-fails-to-make-reserve.html

America.com not sold
The geographic domain name America.com, which had been put up for auction at Sedo, has not been sold because the reserve price has not been met. The highest bid placed was a petty $1,710,000, although many expected America.com to fetch mid seven figures (including me). What is even worse is that only three bidders were involved and it was only Bidder 3 who raised the bid little by little from $25,000 to the highest bid, probably because he tried to find out what the reserve price was. The other two bidders were not willing to offer more than a few thousand dollars.
http://www.dmueller.com/2008/05/29/domain-names-domains/americacom-not-sold/

Me.com Could Be Apple's Rebranded .Mac Mobile Me Site
How's this for an Apple coup? On Friday Mark reported that Apple could be positioning .Mac for a serious overhaul, which was known in rumor mill circles at the time as Mobile Me. Today we received another update as MacRumors discovered that the Netcraft page for Me.com lists Kenneth Eddings, the official technical contact for many Apple domain names, as the DNS admin for the site.
http://gizmodo.com/394458/mecom-could-be-apples-rebranded-mac-mobile-me-site

Me.com - A Future Apple Project
Me.com logoMacRumors.com is reporting a rumor that Apple is the new owner of the domain name Me.com. It?s unclear why the company purchased the domain name, but rumors center around it possibly being used as a rebranding of the popular .mac services.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/miscellaneous/mecom-a-future-apple-project/1623

Sedo Great Domains and Moniker Silent Auctions End Today (May 29)
Domainers will spend the day entering fighting each other for the top bid: both Sedo?s Great Domains auction and Moniker?s silent auction for TRAFFIC Orlando end today.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/05/29/sedo-great-domains-and-moniker-silent-auctions-end-today/

2008 GeoDomain Expo Coming to Chicago
It seems like everywhere you look, domainers are talking about ?Geo? domains. Those in the geo space will tell you it?s been hot since the beginning, but they probably enjoy finally getting the respect they deserve. And that will be on display at this year?s GeoDomain Expo in Chicago July 11-12 at W Chicago - City Center. (There is a cocktail party the evening of July 10.)
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/05/29/2008-geodomain-expo-coming-to-chicago/

Long Live the Neodomainers: The Domain Game, Good or Bad
David Kesmodel's to be released book The Domain Game, irrespective of how it is received, will undoubtedly catapult the industry into a new era: that of the neodomainers, the super crunchers. To analyze the impact of the book on the industry, let's look at stylized exchange scenarios featuring a domainer as intermediary (an intermediary in that he or she acquires from the seller and then hopes to resell to the buyer).
http://www.circleid.com/posts/neodomainers_the_domain_game/

CV.ca Smashes Records as MyID Auction Ends Successfully
The MyID auction ended as a resounding success. The domain CV.ca closed at $53,300 (Canadian) - making it the third largest dot ca domain sale of all time. There were several other great sales. The most contested domain was Diploma.ca, which closed at $17,352 (Canadian). Another highly contested domain was Income.ca, which closed at $25,299. All of this is likely DNJournal material, as soon as payment is made.
http://www.domainbits.com/myid-results/

Canadian Domain Auction Scene
Pool is continuing with their one-at-a-time premium dot ca domain auction format. Their next auction is for Dates.ca, which is obviously a top of the line domain.
http://www.domainbits.com/cdn-auctions/

What's A Dot Asia Domain Worth?
The sunrise dot asia domains are finished and so are some of the initial landrush auctions. This gives us some idea what domainers are valuing dot asia domains at - and perhaps what you should bid if you're involved in an upcoming .asia auction.
http://www.domainbits.com/dot-asia/

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RESEARCH PAPERS
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Economics of malware: Security decisions, incentives and externalities
While originating in criminal behaviour, the magnitude and impact of the malware phenomenon is also influenced by the decisions and behaviour of legitimate market players. This working paper is based on qualitative empirical research into the incentives of market players when dealing with malware.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/53/17/40722462.pdf

Consumer empowerment in communication services
Improving the ability of consumers to choose between competing suppliers is important for well functioning markets. The report examines how to increase market flexibility for consumers in communication services, and improve access to information.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/25/2/40679279.pdf

Pornography, Coercion, and Copyright Law 2.0 by Ann Bartow [Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law]
Abstract: The lack of regulation of the production of pornography in the United States leaves pornography performers exposed to substantial risks. Producers of pornography typically respond to attempts to regulate pornography as infringements upon free speech. At the same time, large corporations involved in the production and sale of pornography rely on copyright law's complex regulatory framework to protect their pornographic content from copying and unauthorized distribution. Web 2.0 also facilitates the production and distribution of pornography by individuals. These user-generators produce their own pornography, often looking to monetize their productions themselves via advertising revenues and subscription models. Much like their corporate counterparts, these user-generators may increasingly rely on copyright law to protect their creations in the future.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1137973

Privacy Protection and the Right to Information: In Search of a New Symbiosis in the Information Age by Pieter Kleve & Richard V. De Mulder [Cyberlaw, Security & Privacy]
Abstract: The dichotomy between personal privacy and free access to information, which has come increasingly to the fore with the advance of information technology, justifies a reconsideration of these traditional values and interests. In this article, it is contended that privacy, as a constitutional right, is subject to changing norms as a result of the advent of the information society. In today's information society, citizens weigh the importance of protecting privacy against the advantages of free access to information. The criterion they use is a rational one: an evaluation of which option provides the individual with the most benefit. The protection of privacy is no longer an unconditional good. For state organisations to champion privacy at any cost is, therefore, out of step with this development. A new balance has to be established between the citizen's right to privacy and their right to know, taking into account this shift in values. In order
 to prevent on the one hand overzealous protection and, on the other, the abuse of information, it is necessary to set up the monitoring function in a new way.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1138287

The Amazing Diversity Framework of the Intellectual Property Rights Harmonisation by Pieter Kleve, Richard V. De Mulder & Kees van Noortwijk
Abstract: ... In this paper, a number of EU directives in the field of intellectual property will be discussed. It will be argued that, for example, the harmonisation of the intellectual property rights with respect to 'chips', software and databases, as well as the attempt to create a more general harmonisation of copyright, the 'internet directive', have led to more problems than were solved by them. Attempts to produce harmonisation in these fields have led to 'disharmonisation', while the new social problems arising from globalisation have hardly been dealt with. The standard legal interpretation of concepts in one country is often different from that in another country, leading to differences in judicial decisions and legislation between countries.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1138324

Analysis of Internet Policies and Civil Rights In Italy, Serbia and Burma-Myanmar: A Technological and Legal Approach by Marcella Atzori, Francesco Aymerich, Gianni Fenu & Simone Surcis [Second International Conference on the Digital Society]
Abstract: This work will be consider the relationship between state authority, Internet policies and civil rights in three countries: Italy (EU), Serbia (Europe) and Burma-Myanmar (Asia). It will provide an overview about the debate existing in these countries, where it is possible to point out a common trend of restrictions of civil rights due to surveillance and control actions of the authorities on the ICTs. If, in the extreme case of Burma-Myanmar, these actions consist in a ban on using the Internet freely for the citizens, in the other countries they create legal contradictions not easily solved, which may prefigure increasing restrictive measures for the future and risks for the e-democracy.
http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/ICDS.2008.26

Love Actually! Older Adults and their Romantic Internet Relationships by Sue Malta [Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society]
abstract: This research was inspired by two stereotypes: first, that older adults don?t do computers ? and certainly not the Internet and, secondly, that older adults don?t do sex ? they are asexual. The results clearly show these stereotypes to be flawed. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted via synchronous computer-mediated-communication (private chat). The sample consisted of older adults (61 ? 85 years) who had all used the Internet to meet potential romantic partners, either through their involvement in online discussion groups or via online dating sites. For the most part, the relationships described were meaningful, intimate and long-lasting. The majority were involved in ongoing sexual activity with their partners, and for some, cyber-sex was or had been an integral part of their relationships. Additionally, a proportion enjoyed flirting online with others and some were also involved in extra-dyadic relationships;
 indicating that sex and intimacy outside of primary, committed relationships was just as compelling an activity for these older adults as for younger Internet users.
http://www.swin.edu.au/sbs/ajets/journal/V5N2/V5N2abstract_malta.htm

Unanticipated and contingent influences on the evolution of the internet by Glenn Kowack [interactions]
Abstract: Some years ago I read an 1880s-era newspaper article about one of the first demonstrations of long-distance telephony. The reporter wrote: ?What might this new device be used for? Well, people at a party in Manhattan might call people at a party in New Jersey. Or, a young man might use the telephone to ?pop the question? to his true love.? When the telephone was first deployed, many had difficulty seeing its value. Life and work were accommodated to the infrastructures of the time: markets were local, modern cities were densely constructed so that related businesses were near each other. How would the telephone compete with other technologies?
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1330526.1330551

Direct Marketing, Mobile Phones, and Consumer Privacy: Ensuring Adequate Disclosure and Consent Mechanisms for Emerging Mobile Advertising Practices by Nancy J. King [Federal Communications Law Journal]
Advertisers are poised to deliver advertising to cell phones in the U.S. This emerging advertising context is called mobile advertising. It will generate a host of privacy and personal data issues for consumers and for mobile advertisers, mobile phone manufacturers, and mobile carriers. This Article focuses on the existing federal regulatory environment applicable to mobile advertising and consumer privacy, the role of federal administrative agencies that enforce consumer privacy regulation, and the potential for industry self-regulation, particularly privacy policies, to enhance consumer privacy. It assesses the adequacy of the existing federal consumer privacy regulation as well as potential consumer remedies under contract theories and privacy tort laws. Concluding that meaningful disclosure of privacy practices and obtaining adequate consumer consent are essential privacy concerns in mobile advertising, the Article identifies weaknesses in the
 current regulatory system and offers simple suggestions for regulatory improvements to bolster consumers? privacy protections.
http://www.law.indiana.edu/fclj/pubs/v60/no2/King.pdf

Should Anti-Cyberbullying Laws Be Created? by Matthew C. Ruedy [North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology]
In 2006, thirteen-year-old Megan Meier met a teenage boy named Josh Evans on the social networking website MySpace. The two had an amicable relationship until Josh began making derogatory comments to Megan. The correspondence ultimately resulted in her suicide. Months later, ?Josh? was revealed to be the collective creation of forty-seven-year-old Lori Drew, her teenage daughter, and her part-time employee, Ashley Grills. Megan?s suicide has pushed forward legislation for the criminalization of cyberbullying, which can be defined as action or behavior on the Internet intended to hurt or harass another person. This Comment discusses the issues and challenges associated with creating cyberbullying laws, from the decision to create such laws in the first place, to the difficult First Amendment restrictions posed by the ?true threat? and ?imminent incitement? doctrines.
http://www.ncjolt.org/content/view/187/62/

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INTERNET USE
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The Human Hands Behind the Google Money Machine
If Google were the United States government, the data that streams onto Nicholas Fox?s laptop every day would be classified as top secret. Mr. Fox is among a small group of Google employees who keep a watchful eye on the vital signs of one of the most successful and profitable businesses on the Internet. The number of searches and clicks, the rate at which users click on ads, the revenue this generates ? everything is tracked hour by hour, compared with the data from a week earlier and charted.
http://nytimes.com/2008/06/02/technology/02google.html

au: Clerical error exposes Google as anonymous eBay critic
The Australian competition watchdog has accidentally revealed Google as the anonymous source of a submission that is highly critical of eBay's proposal to force its users onto the PayPal payments system.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/30/1211654272331.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/05/30/1211654272331.html

Google caught ?anonymously? bashing eBay
If you thought the Google Checkout party last year caused some tension between them and eBay, listen to this. eBay Austrailia is toying with the idea of only accepting Paypal and Cash on Delivery for auction items. After their plans were announced, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission asked for public comments.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=1059

'Bebo and Facebook' party wrecks Brits' ?4.4m Spanish home
A British family?s ?4.4 million Spanish home has been wrecked by 400 teenagers after their 16-year-old daughter used social networking sites to invite people from across the Costa del Sol to drink a ?lot of alcohol?.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4030058.ece

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
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Mobile telecoms: Halfway there - Promoting mobile phones to the world's poorest
Sometime in the next few months, the number of mobile phones in use will exceed 3.3 billion, or half the world's population. No technology has ever spread faster around the globe: the mobile phone took less than two decades to reach this degree of penetration. But the ever-restless wireless industry has already set its sights on getting the other half connected. Two recent reports analyse how to add the ?next billion? to the subscriber list.
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11465558

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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Google - defender of the net, or an 'infringement factory'?
YouTube has landed Google in a copyright confrontation with media giant Viacom that may cost it more than the $1.65bn it paid for the site in the first place.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/google--defender-of-the-net-or-an-infringement-factory-837640.html

British newspaper websites liable in France for privacy invasion
Two British newspaper publishers have been fined in French courts because they violated French privacy laws. The publishers were liable because the articles were viewed in France on the internet.
http://out-law.com/page-9155
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/30/british_publishers_fined_in_france/

UK police e-crime unit must make arrests says industry
The e-crime police unit promised by the government must result in visible arrests of cybercriminals and look beyond fraud. That is the verdict of members of the IT industry and parliament, who told Computerworld UK they welcomed the fact the e-crime unit that has finally been given the go-ahead.
http://thestandard.com/news/2008/05/30/uk-police-e-crime-unit-must-make-arrests-says-industry
http://www.cio.co.uk/concern/security/news/index.cfm?articleid=2856

A quarter of US PCs infected with malware: OECD [AFP]
An OECD study into online crime says that increased activity by cyber criminals has left an estimated one-in-four US computers infected with malware. The report, entitled Malicious Software (malware): a Security Threat to the Internet Economy, gives an impression of two worlds engaged in an uneven war of virus invasion and belated defence.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/06/02/1212258708582.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/06/02/1212258708582.html

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PRIVACY
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Canadian group charges that Facebook violates privacy laws
A Canadian public policy group today filed a complaint charging Facebook Inc. with 22 separate violations of a Canadian personal information protection law.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9091358

Facebook 'violates privacy laws'
A Canadian privacy group has filed a complaint against the social networking site Facebook accusing it of violating privacy laws. The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic has listed 22 separate breaches of privacy law in its country.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7428833.stm

Italian regulator warns of mobile Internet privacy concerns [news release]
Searching on the Internet via a mobile phone poses higher privacy-related concerns than traditional computer-based queries, according to the Italian authority for the protection of personal data.
http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/regulator-warns-mobile-internet-privacy-concerns/article-172783

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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Internet celebrates 2 years of futility battling Pirate Bay
Over the weekend, The Pirate Bay "celebrated" its second anniversary of being raided by the Swedish police. On May 31, 2006, law enforcement seized all of the popular torrent tracker's servers and backups, and arrested two of the site's operators. The site didn't stay down for long, though?just a few days later, everything was business as usual for The Pirate Bay. A court date in Sweden has yet to be set, and support for the site appears to be stronger than ever.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080601-internet-celebrates-2-years-of-futility-battling-pirate-bay.html

UK ISPs urged to tackle online piracy
Talks between ISPs and the television and film industries about how to address online piracy have broken down again.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/isps-urged-to-tackle-online-piracy-835875.html

The Real Fight Over Fake News
"The Daily Show" is a bellwether for the evolution of Internet video. It is also one of those programs that signify for people why they pay so much money for cable.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/the-real-fight-over-fake-news/

Back Talk: Billy Bragg
... What's the best way to monetize that [downloading online music] contribution?
The way that the music industry has done it so far is to go after the users. I prefer a different model. Users don't pay for radio. But that doesn't mean it's not being paid for. The business is paying because it uses the songs to attract advertising, and it pays some of the advertising revenue to the content providers. Rather than trying to criminalize their audiences, we should be looking at the business models that use music to attract advertisers and build community. People have said that websites give people free publicity. But I don't see how that's different than radio. Radio still pays a royalty. It's music and the ability to hear and exchange music that's driving a lot of the technology. Everyone says that music has value--I think they question whether it has a price. The users have found that it's very easy to get music, and unfortunately business has decided that music doesn't have a price anymore.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080616/backtalk

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CENSORSHIP
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au: Board clears Henson net images
Images declared "absolutely revolting" by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, at the height of the Bill Henson controversy have been cleared for general release.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/06/01/1212258645397.html

au: Now Henson net cast over the web
Online photographs used by media websites to report on the investigation into Bill Henson have been referred to the Classification Board, the Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, said.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/29/1211654185774.html

Chinese bloggers slip censors' net to attack smiling party boss
Angry Chinese internet users have launched an online campaign against an official in the earthquake zone who is accused of grinning too much in the midst of the disaster.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/01/china.humanrights

Court suspends Ingushetiya.ru
Kuntsevsky Court of Moscow has suspended the website Ingushetiya.ru. Thus, the court satisfies the petition of the Prosecutor?s office of the Republic of Ingushetia seeking an injunction against the website operations.
http://eng.cnews.ru/news/line/indexEn.shtml?2008/05/26/301758

Independent media threatened in Ingushetia
Reporters Without Boders today deplored the ?dangerous? hounding of independent media outlets in the southeastern Russian republic of Ingushetia after a Moscow court yesterday ordered the suspension of Ingushetyia.ru (www.ingushetiya.ru), the country?s only news website in the Ingushetian language, which is spoken by most people in some parts of northern Caucasus (including Ingushetia, Chechnya and Kazakhstan).
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=27196

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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Fighting the Web Bullying That Led to a Suicide
When Tina Meier?s 13-year-old daughter, Megan, committed suicide in October 2006 after being bullied on the Internet, her grief was so encompassing that she said she felt at times she could not breathe. Ms. Meier said she had trouble being around loved ones who reminded her of her child. Even today, recollections of those first holidays after Megan?s death are foggy at best.
http://nytimes.com/2008/06/01/us/01internet.html
http://www.semissourian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080529/NEWS03/695255483
http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/634624.html
http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2008/05/30/news_state/215state21bully.txt

au: Better broadband may boost bullying
THE Rudd Government has admitted its high-speed broadband network could lead to an increase in cyber-bullying and other online crimes against children.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23787118-911,00.html

Cyprus, Latvia and Lithuania join INHOPE [news release]
Cyprus, Latvia and Lithuania join INHOPE in the global fight against online child sexual abuse content and INHOPE AGM 2008 appoints new Board members.
http://iwf.org.uk/media/news.233.htm

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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InternetNZ gives thumbs up to Digital Development Council [news release]
InternetNZ (the Internet Society of New Zealand Inc) welcomes the launch today of the Digital Development Council by Minister of Communications and IT David Cunliffe.
http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/digdevcouncil

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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uk: Cost of broadband looks set to rise
The cost of broadband looks set to rise after Ofcom announced that it plans to review the prices that BT charges its rivals to gain access to its lines in order to provide internet access and fixed line telephony.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/may/30/btgroupbusiness.bt

Broadband prices could rise after Ofcom review of BT charges
Broadband bills are likely to rise after Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, said it was reviewing the amount that BT can charge operators for access to its telecoms services.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article4036318.ece

nz: National would give BIF the biff
National and Labour have traded blows over broadband after opposition communications spokesman Maurice Williamson said National would scrap the Government's $325 million Broadband Investment Fund before any grants were distributed.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4568528a28.html

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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FCC considers offering spectrum for free wireless Internet
The winner of the 25Mhz piece of spectrum in the 2155MHz band would be required to use a specified amount of the spectrum to deliver free wireless Internet access. The operator could choose to use any technology, but in that range, WiMax or many of the mobile technologies would make sense.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/05/29/FCC-considers-offering-spectrum-for-free-wireless-Internet_1.html
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9090958
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,146445-c,businesscenter/article.html

The Dawn of Free Internet Access?
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/05/the-dawn-of-fre.html

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VoIP
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Secret messages could be hidden in net phone calls [sub req'd]
The next time your internet (VoIP) phone call sounds a bit fuzzy, it might not be your ISP that's to blame. Someone could be trying to squeeze a secret message between the packets of data carrying the caller's voice.
http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/mg19826586.000-secret-messages-could-be-hidden-in-net-phone-calls.html

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(c) David Goldstein 2008

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David Goldstein
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
COOGEE NSW 2034
AUSTRALIA
email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au
phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)


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