Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news.


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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Amnesty criticises Global Network Initiative for online freedom of speech
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/oct/30/amnesty-global-network-initiative

Who is Responsible in Our Cloudy World? by Bill Thompson
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081102_who_responsible_in_cloudy_world/

Principles for a better Web by Colin Maclay, Acting Executive Director, and Caroline Nolan, Research Associate, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2008/10/30/principles-for-a-better-web/

Independent Reviewer's Report on the ICANN Board
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-02nov08-en.htm

More Mechanisms for Transparency and Accountability
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-02nov08-en.htm

ICANN Delays Shutting Down Spammy Estonian Registrar [IDG]
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153042/spammy_registrar.html

Dispute over .africa domain
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/118223

NZRS replaces .nz name server
http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/nzrs-replaces-.nz-name-server
http://nzrs.net.nz/notices/news.shtml#ns_replacement

Cyberattacks target UK's national infrastructure
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39534286,00.htm

Google should use its own technology to defeat typosquatting, says lawyer
http://out-law.com/page-9549


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GOVERNANCE
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Amnesty criticises Global Network Initiative for online freedom of speech
The human rights campaign group has explained why it isn't part of the new industry-backed plan to protect freedom of expression online
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/oct/30/amnesty-global-network-initiative

Who is Responsible in Our Cloudy World? by Bill Thompson
A number of large technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!, have announced that they have signed up to a voluntary code of conduct on how they do business in countries that curtail freedom of expression like China and Singapore... It's not surprising to see this sort of self-regulation being proposed as otherwise political initiatives like the Global Online Freedom Act, passed in one US Senate committee but currently floating in legislative limbo, could actually make it into law.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081102_who_responsible_in_cloudy_world/

Principles for a better Web by Colin Maclay, Acting Executive Director, and Caroline Nolan, Research Associate, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
More than one billion people are online, with three times that amount connected via mobile devices, just one indication of how integrated digital technologies are with lives and livelihoods around the globe. While governments have for the most part encouraged these developments, they are increasingly aware of technology?s capacity to disrupt existing power structures and accordingly ambivalent. As governments seek to control information and online activities, private actors ? information and communication technology (ICT) firms in particular ? are increasingly called upon to assist in those efforts.
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2008/10/30/principles-for-a-better-web/

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 - ICANN
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Independent Reviewer's Report on the ICANN Board
ICANN's Board has been provided with the Boston Consulting Group/Colin Carter & Associates' independent review of the Board. This report will be used to inform ICANN's effort to develop detailed proposals for improving the Board's structure and processes. The Board has not had an opportunity to discuss the Report, but will consider it along with the ICANN community. As with other independent reviews of ICANN structures, the Board invites public input on the Report, and encourages the community to post their comments to the public forum that has been opened on this topic for the next 60 days. The independent evaluators will discuss the Report in a public workshop in Cairo scheduled for 1800 on Monday in Al Saraya 2,3,4.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-02nov08-en.htm

ICANN Formalizes Relationship with ccTLD Manager for Cocos (Keeling) Islands (.cc)
ICANN has announced today that it has signed an exchange of letters with the ccTLD manager for .cc-Cocos (Keeling) Islands, eNIC Cocos (Keening) Islands Pty Ltd.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-31oct08-en.htm

More Mechanisms for Transparency and Accountability
In recent years, ICANN has taken many steps to improve transparency and accountability in its operations. Most notably, a detailed budget process and disclosure process has been developed
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-02nov08-en.htm

ICANN Cairo: Working Session on Single-Character Names Added to Schedule
ICANN has added an open Working Session on Single-Character Second-Level Domain Names to the schedule for Wednesday 5 November 2008, from 1700-1800 Cairo Time. The working session will be in Al Saraya 2-4.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-02nov08-en.htm

Fast Track Receives Over 50 Responses
Following the recommendation from the IDNC WG Final report, ICANN sent letters to all countries and territories requesting information about their interest in participating in the Fast Track process.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-01nov08-en.htm

What?s happening with Whois compliance activities? by Stacy Burnette
Whois has been a complex issue within ICANN, and continues to receive attention at the policy level. While this important policy work goes on, ICANN still has the clear responsibility to enforce existing Whois provisions in the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA), and to better understand the real world status of Whois accuracy and Whois related services (e.g. privacy and proxy registration services). So, what is ICANN doing for Whois compliance? Here is a recent survey of activities:
http://blog.icann.org/?p=384

New level of interaction at SSAC meeting tomorrow by Kieren McCarthy
We?re always trying to improve the quality of remote participation at ICANN meetings and tomorrow in Cairo will see a first trial of the most interactive session we have ever run.
http://blog.icann.org/?p=393

Embed ICANN meeting chatrooms on your site by Kieren McCarthy
Over the past four meetings, we have experimented with different approaches to chatrooms as a way of providing remote participants with an opportunity to interact in real time with a meeting.
http://blog.icann.org/?p=387

Um.whatever
Prepare for chaos when people can start adding anything they want to a Web address. Icann, the obscure group that metes out Internet addresses, has an uncanny ability to stir up controversy. The current plan of the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names & Numbers, approved in June, is to allow custom domain names to anyone who asks for one. Addresses ending in com or org will be pass?. By the middle of next year applicants will be able to register everything from ".soup" to ".nuts."
http://www.forbes.com/technology/forbes/2008/1117/038.html

Icann opens internet to new languages
Middle Eastern internet professionals are gathering in Cairo this week to discuss the most significant change to the structure of the internet since its inception.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081102/BUSINESS/17968009/-1/NEWS

ICANN Delays Shutting Down Spammy Estonian Registrar [IDG]
The overseer of the Internet's addressing system said on Wednesday it will delay shutting down a dodgy Estonian domain registrar pending a review.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153042/spammy_registrar.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153042/.html
http://nytimes.com/external/idg/2008/10/30/30idg-ICANN-delays-sh.html
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1511784188

ICANN tackles Estonian spamming registrar [IDG]
Web overloard ICANN is to delay shutting down a dodgy Estonian domain registrar pending a review.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=106353

Scandal-hit EstDomains fighting for life
Scandal-hit registrar EstDomains is facing closure. EstDomains was notified by Icann that it would be stripped of its accreditation due to the legal troubles of its chief executive. Vladimir Tsastsin was convicted in February of credit card fraud, forgery and money laundering in Estonia.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2229394/estdomains-fighting-life
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/16/20081030/ttc-scandal-hit-estdomains-fighting-for-6315470.html

ICANN Targeting Notorious Domain Name Seller
The net's authority over domain names is set to pull the plug on an Estonia-based seller of domain names that security researchers say has been a refuge for cyber-criminals for years.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/icann-targeting.html

EstDomains Challenges ICANN De-Accreditation
Domain registrar EstDomains might remain an accredited domain registrar after all.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/10/30/estdomains-challenges-icann-de-accreditation/

ICANN web site is blocked in Egypt by Milton Mueller
I am in Cairo for the ICANN meeting. My hotel is far away from any free internet access, so I attempted to use the ($10/day) hotel service. The first thing I did was try to access the ICANN site to check the meeting schedules. I was shocked: a page came up with the hotel logo that said, "Site blocked."
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/11/2/3958979.html

Economic analysis of Registry-registrar integration by Milton Mueller