[DNS] domain name news - 15 November

From: David Goldstein <david> Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:59:12 +1100 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:11 UTC

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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Web's freedom threatened by 'worrisome' rules
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/webs-freedom-threatened-by-worrisome-rules-20121115-29dlu.html

US WCIT Ambassador: Some Things Aren't Negotiable [IDG]
http://www.cio.com/article/721635/US_WCIT_Ambassador_Some_Things_Aren_39_t_Negotiable

Azerbaijan is the wrong place to hold a forum on internet freedom
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/13/azerbaijan-forum-internet-freedom-un

Vint Cerf reflects on recent changes, threats to the Internet
http://www.zdnet.com/vint-cerf-reflects-on-recent-changes-threats-to-the-internet-7000007421/

Is ICANN Entering a Bold New Era? by St?phane Van Gelder
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121112_is_icann_entering_a_bold_new_era/

Race for new top level domains now officially a lottery
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/14/gltd_application_process_becomes_a_lottery/

ICANN expecting to approve most new gTLDs?
http://domainincite.com/10994-icann-expecting-to-approve-most-new-gtlds

Melbourne IT scales back HARM proposal
http://domainincite.com/10983-melbourne-it-scales-back-harm-proposal

Six more new gTLD applications yanked
http://domainincite.com/11004-six-more-new-gtld-applications-yanked

cn: Court says domain name can be seized
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2012/11/13/Court%2Bsays%2Bdomain%2Bname%2Bcan%2Bbe%2Bseized/

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GOVERNANCE
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Web's freedom threatened by 'worrisome' rules
The US faces a tough debate with emerging nations such as India and Brazil at an upcoming UN conference discussing global rules for the internet, the US delegation chief says.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/webs-freedom-threatened-by-worrisome-rules-20121115-29dlu.html

US WCIT Ambassador: Some Things Aren't Negotiable [IDG]
The U.S. delegation to an upcoming United Nations telecom treaty-writing conference will not budge on its positions advocating free speech online and opposing broad new regulations for the Internet, the leader of the delegation said Wednesday.
http://www.cio.com/article/721635/US_WCIT_Ambassador_Some_Things_Aren_39_t_Negotiable

Internet Activists on Red Alert Ahead of United Nations Conference
Internet activists are warning that next month?s meeting of the International Telecommunications Union, a United Nations body charged with overseeing global communications, may have significant and potentially disastrous consequences for everyday Internet users.
http://mashable.com/2012/11/14/what-is-the-itu/

International campaign to keep the Internet free and open begins today
An international campaign to preserve the free and open Internet is launching in Canada this week.
http://www.cira.ca/news/news-releases/keep-internet-free-open/

Azerbaijan is the wrong place to hold a forum on internet freedom
Freedom of expression has been at the top of the agenda this week in Baku at the IGF, an annual United Nations "multi-stakeholder" meeting. The IGF has previously been held in less democratic states, such as pre-Arab-spring Egypt, and was set up by the UN world summit on the information society, held in Tunisia (and Geneva). But the Azerbaijan government has been particularly vicious in its attacks on journalists and bloggers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/13/azerbaijan-forum-internet-freedom-un

Growing concern about internet power grab
Next month, nearly 200 countries, including Australia will meet behind closed doors to debate how the internet should be regulated.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/connect-asia/growing-concern-about-internet-power-grab/1044816

Global row as UN body vies for internet control
A global row has broken out over who should control and profit from the internet, after a draft proposal by a United Nations body was published online.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/tech-news/a/-/technology/15358271/global-row-as-un-body-vies-for-internet-control/

Greenpeace warns UN secretary general of Internet 'land grab' plans
Greenpeace and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) have joined forces to lobby against what they say is a move by "certain countries" to use the ITU to take control of the Internet.
http://www.itwire.com/it-policy-news/regulation/57406-greenpeace-warns-un-secretary-general-of-internet-land-grab-plans

'Stop the Net Grab' Opposes UN Control of Internet
Trade unions, Greenpeace and communications corporations including Google on Monday launched a campaign to stop a proposal before the United Nations that would give the UN control of the internet.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/11/12-7

Internet Governance ? Who Rules the Internet?
As part of SaveHosting, and now the I2Coalition, I?ve spent a great deal of time over the last year and a half experiencing different groups who each want a say in how the Internet is governed. I think we?re witnessing a shift from the business oriented ?multi-stakeholder? model of Internet governance that has guided the development of the Internet over the past twenty years, to a more traditional model of regulation. I?m not sure that?s a good thing.
http://www.thewhir.com/blog/internet-governance-who-rules-the-internet

Vint Cerf reflects on recent changes, threats to the Internet
Vinton Cerf, considered by many to be one of the "fathers of the Internet," recently outlined some of the latest changes and most pressing issues for the state of the World Wide Web.
http://www.zdnet.com/vint-cerf-reflects-on-recent-changes-threats-to-the-internet-7000007421/

At the UN-sponsored Internet Governance Forum, where are the startup folks?
Last week, a conference that aimed to determine the future of the Internet quietly took place in Baku, Azerbaijan. Sponsored by the United Nations and hosted by the Azerbaijani government, the 7th Annual IGF focused on ?Internet Governance for Sustainable Human, Economic, and Social Development.?
http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/14/at-the-un-sponsored-internet-governance-forum-where-are-the-startup-folks/

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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Pre-Delegation Testing Provider for New gTLDs - RFP Questions & Answers
Respondents are requested to respond to the Request For Proposals by replying to pre-delegation-testing-bid at icann.org. The period to submit questions about the RFP is now closed. The final response to the RFP is due on 20 November 2012.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-12nov12-en.htm
https://www.myicann.org/news/topics/2/page/1/articles/16835

Preliminary Issue Report on the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) Part D
Purpose (Brief): As a required step in the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Policy Development Process (PDP), ICANN Staff is seeking input on the Preliminary Issue Report on the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part D.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-14nov12-en.htm

ICANN to Convene Europe Regional Registry/Registrar Meeting
On 24-25 January 2013, ICANN and its gTLD registration services providers will meet in Amsterdam for the Europe Regional Registry/Registrar meeting.
http://blog.icann.org/2012/11/icann-to-convene-europe-regional-registryregistrar-meeting/
https://www.myicann.org/news/topics/2/page/1/articles/16825

REMINDER - Accountability & Transparency Review Team 2 (ATRT 2): Call for Volunteer ATRT Members: Representing ICANN Advisory Committees and Supporting Organizations; and Serving as Independent Experts
As prescribed by the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC), ICANN is to organize a review of its accountability and transparency commitments no less frequently than every three years. For full information, please refer to section 9.1 of the AoC.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-14nov12-en.htm

Is ICANN Entering a Bold New Era? by St?phane Van Gelder
When Barack Obama succeeded George W Bush and became America's 44th president, it seemed he could do no wrong. But this was arguably more a consequence of the perceived inadequacies of his predecessor than a realistic reflection on his own abilities. A fact highlighted by Obama being awarded the Nobel peace prize a mere nine months after taking office, before he'd had any real chance of having an impact on America or the world. When Fadi Chehad? was formally introduced as ICANN's next CEO, at the organisation's 44th international meeting in Prague last June, there was an undeniable Obama effect.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121112_is_icann_entering_a_bold_new_era/

MyICANN is a big step forward for transparency at ICANN
ICANN launched a beta of MyICANN during last month?s meeting in Toronto.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/11/12/myicann-is-a-big-step-forward-for-transparency-at-icann/

Icann picks Dundee datacentre to host first Scottish root server
Icann ... is hosting its first internet root server system in Scotland in a 100-rack datacentre in Dundee from IT provider brightsolid online technology.
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240171130/ICANN-picks-Dundee-datacentre-to-host-first-Scottish-root-server

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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After 5 years French Court Finds Registrar EuroDNS & Registry AFNIC Not Responsible For TM Infringing Domain Registrations
Back in 2008, 13 French companies filed suit against the registrar EuroDNS and the French Association for Internet Naming in Cooperation (hereinafter: AFNIC), which runs the .Fr ccTLD
http://www.thedomains.com/2012/11/13/after-5-years-french-court-finds-registrar-eurodns-registry-afnic-not-responsible-for-tm-infringing-domain-registrations/

Dotcom goes for NZ web address
Internet piracy-accused Kim Dotcom says he will use a New Zealand web address for his new file sharing website after his Gabon bid fell over.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Dotcom-goes-for-NZ-web-address/tabid/412/articleID/276498/Default.aspx

Kim Dotcom's Mega pops up AGAIN, now in New Zealand
Embattled internet tycoon Kim Dotcom has emerged with yet another a new domain for the promised revival of his Megaupload file-sharing site, this time located in his adopted home nation of New Zealand.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/12/mega_bounces_back_in_nz/

Kim DotCom: New Zealand will be home to new MegaUpload site
The founder of MegaUpload and accused pirate says that when new cloud storage service goes live, it will be found at Mega.co.nz
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57548265-93/kim-dotcom-new-zealand-will-be-home-to-new-megaupload-site/

Gabon Resists Latest Dotcom Venture, But New Zealand Seems OK To Mega
It keeps a lot to keep Kim Dotcom down. Accused of facilitating online piracy through his venture Megaupload and fighting extradition to the United States, the German now residing in New Zealand has had a minor hiccup with his latest file sharing venture.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=19191
http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/11/13/gabon-resists-dotcom-nz-ok-to-mega/

Mega.co.nz, Mega?s new online home
I?m not sure what to make out of all of this. You may remember that one of the most popular file hosting sites has been taken down by a joint effort of authorities in various countries.
http://www.ghacks.net/2012/11/12/mega-co-nz-megas-new-online-home/

Kim Dotcom finalises new Mega domain name
Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom has used Twitter to announce the domain name for his latest file sharing venture, dubbed Mega. The new site, Mega.co.nz, will replace the now defunct me.ga, which was barred by West African nation and host territory Gabon last week.
http://www.itproportal.com/2012/11/12/kim-dotcom-finalises-new-mega-domain-name/

Kim Dotcom?s Mega gets another domain name
Kim Dotcom has found another domain name for his Mega website after it lost its ".ga" domain name suffix last week.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2223907/kim-dotcom-s-mega-gets-another-domain-name

General Availability for .SX TLD Opens Tomorrow
General availability opens tomorrow for .SX, a ccTLD that is likely draw interest from online adult entrepreneurs who want to latch on to its likely association ? sex.
http://newswire.xbiz.com/view.php?id=156577

Domainindex.com Downgrades .Co.uk From AA To B: Introduction of .uk TLD ?Would Massively Destroy the Value of Existing .co.uk Domains
Domainindex.com, downgraded its rating for .co.uk from AA to B. The step has been taken after the release on October 1, 2012 of a three-month consultation by Nominet, the not-for-profit manager of the .uk infrastructure, into a scheme that would introduce .uk as a TLD.
http://www.thedomains.com/2012/11/13/domainindex-com-downgrades-co-uk-from-aa-to-b-introduction-of-uk-tld-would-massively-destroy-the-value-of-existing-co-uk-domains/

How ?.XXX,? Porn?s Domain Name, Made Hundreds of Millions
The company that pioneered the porn-centric ?.xxx? domain name is making millions.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/13/how-xxx-porn-s-domain-name-made-hundreds-of-millions.html

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 - NEW TLDS
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Applicant Auction for Top-Level-Domains: Resolving Contention Fairly, Efficiently & Transparently by Peter Cramton
The quest for new TLDs took an important step last spring with 1,930 applications to ICANN. 755 of these applications, from 145 different parties, are under contention. ICANN has encouraged these applicants to resolve the contention among them, and has established a last-resort auction in the event agreements among applicants cannot be reached. Here I describe a private auction model, the Applicant Auction, which is an efficient, fair and transparent approach to resolve contentions.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121114_applicant_auction_for_top_level_domains_resolving_contention/

Race for new top level domains now officially a lottery
ICANN has set December 17 as the date on which it will conduct the "prioritization draw" for new gTLDs and has announced the process will officially be a lottery.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/14/gltd_application_process_becomes_a_lottery/

ICANN expecting to approve most new gTLDs?
ICANN appears to be assuming that the vast majority of applications will pass their evaluations and make it at least as far as pre-delegation testing, judging from recent comments.
http://domainincite.com/10994-icann-expecting-to-approve-most-new-gtlds

Melbourne IT scales back HARM proposal
Melbourne IT has published a revised, less-complicated version of its High At-Risk Marks (HARM) proposal for protecting famous brands in the new gTLD program.
http://domainincite.com/10983-melbourne-it-scales-back-harm-proposal

gTLD Applicant Strategy: Clarifying Financial Questions (Part 1) by Phil Buckingham
It is certainly proving to be a long and winding road for the 1923 gTLD applications submitted to ICANN. Glitches, delays and now a very high percentage of applications will very shortly be receiving clarifying (financial) questions on 26 November. Currently a very high percentage of applicants have not scored the required 8 points to pass financial evaluation. This is the next huge challenge for applicants.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20121114_gtld_applicant_strategy_clarifying_financial_questions_part_1/

November ICANN New TLD Applicants (NTAG) Newsletter
ICANN45 TORONTO ? A SUMMARY - ICANN45 held in Toronto, Canada October 13-??18, offered a different feel of progress than the vibe after the previous ICANN44 meeting held in Prague. Prague?s weeklong marathon meeting left an after taste of how is all ?this? going to be done? Toronto?s updated message: ?This? will be done! ?This?, of course, being the introduction of new TLDs. New ICANN CEO and President Fadi Chehade presided over his first ICANN meeting and introduced ICANN?s ?New Season? to conference attendees Monday morning. Centered on structuring communications in a way to engage and communicate with all, Mr. Chehade presented his four objectives as new CEO: Affirmation of Purpose, Operational Excellence, Internationalization and Evolving the ICANN bottom up Multi Stake Holder Model so it keeps working.
http://www.gtldregistries.org/sites/gtldregistries.org/files/NTAG-November_Newsletter.pdf

Six more new gTLD applications yanked
A further six new gTLD applications have been withdrawn from evaluation, bringing the total to 13, according to ICANN.
http://domainincite.com/11004-six-more-new-gtld-applications-yanked

Tucows abandoned two new gTLD bids
Tucows originally applied for six new gTLDs but withdrew two of the applications, it emerged yesterday.
http://domainincite.com/10978-tucows-abandoned-two-new-gtld-bids

Cyrillic Web Domain Ranked World's Largest
Russia may not be the world champion in terms of computer use or Internet access, but when it comes to non-Latin domains the patriotic .?? is the name to beat. The Cyrillic .?? domain has the most registered users and is the most successful internationalized domain experience to date, according to the 2012 World Report on Internationalised Domain Names Deployment, which the .eu registry EURid and UNESCO released this month.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/cyrillic-web-domain-ranked-worlds-largest/471421.html

The Domain Venture Partners new TLD pitch deck
In August a Florida man filed a lawsuit claiming he invested $123,000 into a business to run the .bim new TLD that didn?t get off the ground.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/11/13/the-domain-venture-partners-new-tld-pitch-deck/

Squatting alleged in Web names [Bloomberg]
As the Internet adds valuable new domain names that are luring the likes of Google and Amazon.com, a little-known company called Donuts Inc. is making a grab that opponents say could fuel cybersquatting, the practice of stealing website identities.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121112/BIZ/311129945/1031/BIZ

The top two gTLD applicants outline their rights protection plans - WTR blog [subscription]
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=6b0c9927-5b51-478e-b8f5-421ff63a2db3

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Lockheed says cyber attacks up sharply, suppliers targeted
The Pentagon's No. 1 supplier, Lockheed Martin Corp, on Monday cited dramatic growth in the number and sophistication of international cyber attacks on its networks and said it was contacting suppliers to help them shore up their security.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/13/net-us-lockheed-cyber-idUSBRE8AC02S20121113

Cybersecurity Bill Fails in US Senate [IDG]
The U.S. Senate has voted against moving forward on a cybersecurity bill that supporters have called critical for national security.
http://www.cio.com/article/721643/Cybersecurity_Bill_Fails_in_US_Senate
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/442127/cybersecurity_bill_fails_us_senate/
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9233656/Cybersecurity_bill_fails_in_U.S._Senate

Obama Signs Secret Cybersecurity Directive
President Obama has signed a classified directive aimed at clarifying how the United States responds to cyberattacks, a White House official confirmed on Wednesday.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/techdailydose/2012/11/obama-signs-secret-cybersecurity-directive-14

Cloud Botnets, Search Poisoning and Mobile Attacks Among 2013's Biggest Security Issues
Researchers from the Georgia Tech Information Security Center today released their official 2013 cyberthreats forecast, detailing what they say will be the most serious computer security issues in the coming year.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/111412-security-threat-forecast-264220.html
http://www.cio.com/article/721561/Cloud_Botnets_Search_Poisoning_and_Mobile_Attacks_Among_2013_s_Biggest_Security_Issues

Singapore amends law to counter cyberattacks
Proposed amendments to the Computer Misuse Act will give the government powers to order preemptive measures against planned attacks against critical national infrastructure.
http://www.zdnet.com/sg/singapore-amends-law-to-counter-cyberattacks-7000007248/

sg: Act being amended to stop cyber attacks before they strike
The Government wants pre-emptive powers to thwart potentially crippling cyber attacks, according to proposed amendments to the Computer Misuse Act tabled in Parliament on Monday.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Science%2Band%2BTech/Story/A1Story20121114-383377.html

Cyberwarfare Seen Evolving Ahead of Rules of Engagement [IDG]
As the rhetoric heats up over cyberwar -- including warnings that attacks on the U.S. are imminent and alarms that the U.S. has escalated the risk via malware attacks on Iran's nuclear program -- the rules of engagement are missing in action.
http://www.cio.com/article/721382/Cyberwarfare_Seen_Evolving_Ahead_of_Rules_of_Engagement
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/441825/cyberwarfare_seen_evolving_ahead_rules_engagement/
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9233524/Cyberwarfare_evolves_faster_than_rules_of_engagement

Report warns US electricity grid vulnerable to attack
The electrical grid is vulnerable to terrorist attacks, including cyber strikes, that could cause far more damage than those associated with natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy, according to a report released on Wednesday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/14/us-usa-electricity-attacks-idUKBRE8AD1LL20121114

DDoS Takes Down The Pirate Bay, isoHunt and Others
The Pirate Bay is suffering some downtime this morning due to a DDoS attack that appears to originate from a Twitter user who goes by the handle Zeiko Anonymous. The connection flood targeted at the site originates from a small botnet and isn?t worrying The Pirate Bay team too much. Instead, the BitTorrent site is taking this opportunity to do some database maintenance.
http://torrentfreak.com/ddos-takes-down-the-pirate-bay-121113/

The Pirate Bay hit by DDOS attack
The Pirate Bay has been experiencing downtime in the last 24 hours after being hit by a Distributed Denial Of Service attack, initiated by someone who tweets as Zeiko Anonymous.
http://www.thecmuwebsite.com/article/the-pirate-bay-hit-by-ddos-attack-2/

65% of organizations experience three DDoS attacks a year
Despite the increasing sophistication and severity of cyber attacks, a survey of more than 700 senior IT professionals reveals that organizations are surprisingly unarmed to deal with today?s threat landscape, according to the Ponemon Institute and Radware.
http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=13949

Study Finds More Than 10,000 ID Fraud Rings In the U.S.
The misuse of personally identifiable information (PII) can take many forms, from the filing of fraudulent bank applications with stolen information, to manipulating personal data, to game unsuspecting companies. In a new study released today, ID Analytics' ID: A Labs reveals that this murky underworld is compromised of more than 10,000 identity fraud rings that are operating in the U.S. alone -- many of which are groups of families and friends as opposed to organized crime.
http://www.darkreading.com/identity-and-access-management/167901114/security/attacks-breaches/240134973/study-finds-more-than-10-000-id-fraud-rings-in-the-u-s.html

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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cn: Court says domain name can be seized
IN the first case of its kind in Shanghai, a court ruled that an Internet domain name, as a kind of virtual property, can be seized and auctioned off to pay a debt.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2012/11/13/Court%2Bsays%2Bdomain%2Bname%2Bcan%2Bbe%2Bseized/
http://english.eastday.com/e/121113/u1a6990479.html

ca: Registrant has legitimate interest if domain name is descriptive of ... [registration]
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com%2Fdaily%2FDetail.aspx%3Fg%3De062444f-ae6f-47c9-8f7c-c51980de4e68&ei=hVGkUJ2GAs70mAX88YDAAw&usg=AFQjCNE_zc26GjJFmjZqgXZsWfDsFpk8YQ&sig2=k1qP4_7YrkGYhdoVBWphIw

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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Cisco?s 6Lab Provides Worldwide IPv6 Statistics With Interactive Map, Daily Updates
Want IPv6 deployment statistics? Want to use an interactive map to see the global deployment? Over the past few months, Cisco?s IPv6 Lab has rolled out a very cool new IPv6 statistics site at:
http://www.internetsociety.org/deploy360/blog/2012/11/ciscos-6lab-provides-worldwide-ipv6-statistics-with-interactive-map-daily-updates/

U.S. government honored for pioneering work in IPv6
The IPv6 Forum on Tuesday presented a special award to four U.S. government officials for their pioneering work in promoting IPv6, an emerging upgrade to the Internet?s main communications protocol.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/111412-ipv6-government-264259.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2014000/us-government-honored-for-pioneering-work-in-ipv6.html
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/442044/u_government_honored_pioneering_work_ipv6/

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Goatse.cx opens up again - as an email provider
Notorious shock site of a bygone internet Goatse.cx has pulled opened its doors as an email provider.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/12/goatse_email_addresses_now_open/

Goatse.cx emerges as email provider after $10k sale
Notorious trolling domain goatse.cx is now being used to sell email addresses, part of the reemerging trend for domain owners to monetize their names with vanity email accounts.
http://domainincite.com/10972-goatse-cx-emerges-as-email-provider-after-10k-sale

Companies in the News: MediaOptions, DomainIndex, Nominet and Telnames 
Domain brokerage company MediaOptions.com, whose founder & CEO, Andrew Rosener, was interviewed in our September 2012 Cover Story about the brokerage business, announced a key addition to their management team today. Tess Diaz, one of Go Daddy's longest tenured (6 1/2 years there) and most respected Executive Account Managers, has accepted a new Coordinator of Business Development position with Panama-based Media Options.
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2012/dailyposts/20121113.htm

ConsumerBrands.com: ?Developer of High Quality Domains & Brands? Gets Multimillion Dollar Financing with Black Diamond Ventures
According to a press release out today Consumer Brands, LLC announced the completion of a multimillion dollar financing with Black Diamond Ventures, a well-known and long established private investment group.
http://www.thedomains.com/2012/11/13/consumer-brands-developer-of-high-quality-domains-brands-gets-multimillion-dollar-financing-with-black-diamond-ventures/

Tucows: 14.1 million domains and Ting has 5,000+ accounts
Tucows? total domains under management hit 14.1 million at the end of last quarter, the company announced on its investor conference call last evening.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/11/14/tucows-ting-earnings-call/

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 - WEBHOSTING
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Hong Kong web host jailed for DDoS stunt
A Hong Kong IT business owner has been banged up for nine months after launching distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on a Hong Kong Stock Exchange web site in a botched attempt to market his firm?s anti-DDoS service.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/12/hong_kong_ddos_marketing_blunder/

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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GoDaddy masks expired domain whois to prevent auction circumvention
GoDaddy.com has started masking contact information in whois records of expired domains in an effort to prevent people from circumventing auctions and bothering domain owners.
http://domainnamewire.com/2012/11/13/godaddy-masks-expired-domain-whois-to-prevent-auction-circumvention/

Go Daddy Blocks Whois Info on Expiring Domains, Protects Domain Auction Business
Go Daddy has blocked customers contact information in the Whois database in a move to cut down on emails sent from domain investors to registrants, according to a post on Go Daddy?s support blog on Tuesday.
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/go-daddy-blocks-whois-info-on-expiring-domains-protects-domain-auction-business

ICM has already sold $200k of premium .xxx names
Contrary to some reports, ICM Registry has in fact already seen several sales of premium names from its recently published buy-it-now price list.
http://domainincite.com/11000-icm-has-already-sold-200k-of-premium-xxx-names

How ?.XXX,? Porn?s Domain Name, Made Hundreds of Millions
One of the early American republic?s hottest trades was land speculation. A square acre in swampy Virginia could be a future empire?s swanky capital suburb. And so, many of America?s richest men?and most of its framers?took some part in the feverish prospecting game, carving out tracts that still bear their names.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/13/how-xxx-porn-s-domain-name-made-hundreds-of-millions.html

XXX domain name makes a porn fortune
The British net tycoon behind the porn exclusive ".xxx" domain has made another fortune, as demand for places on the new home for adult content is expected to bring in $200 million this year.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/iv-drip/xxx-domain-name-makes-a-porn-fortune-8315669.html

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INTERNET USE
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Poor web skills costing UK businesses ?19billion per year
Small and medium businesses are losing ?18.8billion per year because they don?t have websites and don?t sell online, a new study has found.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/9662005/Poor-web-skills-costing-UK-businesses-19billion-per-year.html

The coming browser wars
Next gen browsers are the high ground on the maturing cloud battlefield, whether at individual or collaboration scale. Permissions, groups & filters configurations could be centralized in future vendor specific proprietary formats
http://www.zdnet.com/the-coming-browser-wars-7000007289/

NZ online ad spend rises despite challenges
A surge in mobile and online video advertising has helped grow New Zealand's total online ad spend in the face of tough market conditions, latest figures show.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10847323

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SOCIAL MEDIA
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Kiwis reject 'weird' Facebook couples page
Kiwi couples say the idea of a linked page made up automatically for them by Facebook - without their permission - is "weird".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10847260
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10847260

Some irked by Facebook's new pages for couples
Are you "in a relationship" on Facebook? If so, you might wish to go to this link
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/12/tech/social-media/facebook-couples-pages/index.html

Austria court upholds Facebook ban for broadcaster [AP]
A court in Austria has upheld a Facebook ban for state broadcaster ORF after the country' broadcast regulators ruled that its statutes do not allow it a presence on the social media site.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/austria-court-upholds-facebook-ban-for-broadcaster-20121114-29cye.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/austria-court-upholds-facebook-ban-for-broadcaster-20121114-29cye.html

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Super Wi-Fi likely to see success first in Asia
Region has most potential due to rich media and smart devices penetration, but many hurdles still need to be overcome before technology fulfills potential.
http://www.zdnet.com/super-wi-fi-likely-to-see-success-first-in-asia-7000007250/

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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How to protect your child from cyber bullying
Most parents fear their child will be a victim ? or perpetrator ? of bullying. Anita Chopra, an expert on education law, reveals how you can help your child deal with bullies, and what to do if adults at your child?s school aren?t listening. 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/9670574/How-to-protect-your-child-from-cyber-bullying.html

We Don't Need Censorship to Protect Children
I spent last week in Baku, Azerbaijan, where I spoke at the IGF, a United Nations conference for representatives of governments, industry and nonprofit groups to discuss Internet policy issues. It?s not a rule making body but a forum for conversation where every delegate ? including young people from several countries ? exchange views on how ? or whether ? to ?govern? the Internet.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrymagid/2012/11/13/we-dont-need-censorship-to-protect-children/

au: Legal basis shaky for Interpol filter, says IPA
Australian free market thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs has accused the Federal Government of relying on an ?obscure? section of telecommunications law in a way that was never intended to implement its new limited Internet filtering scheme, and warned of the potential for scope creep under the scheme.
http://delimiter.com.au/2012/11/12/legal-basis-shaky-for-interpol-filter-says-ipa/

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ONLINE TV, MUSIC & PIRACY
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Virgin Media finds two-fifths of Brits download or stream illegally
... Figures published in July 2011 by internet consultancy firm Envisional indicated a surge in piracy in recent years, with the number of illegally downloaded films climbing by 30 per cent between 2006 and 2010.
http://www.cable.co.uk/news/virgin-media-finds-two-fifths-of-brits-download-or-stream-illegally-801486084/

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Microsoft, Google to do battle over patent royalty rates [IDG]
Microsoft and Motorola Mobility will face off in court on Tuesday for the start of a patent trial that could help establish how royalty rates are calculated for standards-essential patents.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9233525/Microsoft_Google_to_do_battle_over_patent_royalty_rates

Text Messaging Declines in U.S. for First Time, Report Says
In countries around the world, text-message traffic has been shrinking because Internet-powered alternatives are becoming so widely used. American carriers have fought off the decline ? until now.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/12/text-messaging-declines-united-states/

US mobile users sending fewer text messages: 678 per month [IDG]
Anyone who finds it hard to believe that the average U.S. mobile subscriber sent 696 text messages per month in the second quarter of this year may be relieved to know that this figure fell to 678 per month in the third quarter.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9233523/US_mobile_users_sending_fewer_text_messages_678_per_month

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Lord McAlpine may sue Twitter users who named him
Lord McAlpine may sue the people who named him on Twitter, after he was wrongly implicated in child abuse allegations.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9671493/Lord-McAlpine-may-sue-Twitter-users-who-named-him.html

au: Google to pay damages over underworld link
Google has been ordered to pay a man $200,000 in damages for wrongly linking him to the Melbourne's underworld.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-12/google-to-pay-damages-over-underworld-link/4366800

uk: Internet ban on convicted sex offender 'unreasonable', rule judges
Banning anyone from the internet is an "unreasonable" restriction, two appeal court judges have ruled, suggesting that access to a computer at home has become a basic human right.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/nov/13/internet-ban-convict-unreasonable-judges

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SECURITY
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Lockheed says cyber attacks up sharply, suppliers targeted
The Pentagon's No. 1 supplier, Lockheed Martin Corp, on Monday cited dramatic growth in the number and sophistication of international cyber attacks on its networks and said it was contacting suppliers to help them shore up their security.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/13/net-us-lockheed-cyber-idUSBRE8AC02S20121113