[DNS] auDA domain name news - 21 February

From: David Goldstein <david> Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:25:12 +1100 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:11 UTC

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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Interview: ICANN willing to get China more involved in Internet management [Xinhua]
<http://www.nzweek.com/business/interview-icann-willing-to-get-china-more-involved-in-internet-management-49577/>

Concerns Grow As To Whether Closed Generic TLDs Should Be Monopolised By Global Giants
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/18/concerns-closed-tlds-monopolised/>

Domain Pulse 2013: New TLDs Face Problems Getting Registrar "Shelf Space," European Registrar Survey
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/19/domain-pulse-tlds-problems-shelf-space/>

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GOVERNANCE
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Internet, privacy, communications technologies on agenda for world summit
Ten years after the World Summit on the Information Society, world leaders and high-level participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs, intergovernmental organisations and other groups will meet in Paris later this month to take stock of progress towards the goals set by that summit.
<http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/market/58751-internet-privacy-communications-technologies-on-agenda-for-world-summit>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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Frequently Asked Questions | Specification 11 of the Revised New gTLD Registry Agreement: Public Interest Commitments - What is the purpose of Specification 11 of the Revised New gTLD Registry Agreement?
The purpose of Specification 11 is to ensure new gTLD registry operators use only registrars that have signed the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (which is under negotiation), and to allow applicants the opportunity to make specific public interest commitments.
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/agb/base-agreement-specs-pic-faqs>

ICANN Appoints First URS Provider
The National Arbitration Forum (FORUM) has secured the first appointment by ICANN to administer the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS).
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-20feb13-en.htm>

Now Available: Instructions for Governments to Request Objection Funding
ICANN has released instructions and a request form for eligible governmental entities to request funding for filing objections. The Government Objection Funding Instructions provides the following:
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-20feb13-en>

Preliminary Issue Report on Uniformity of Reporting
Purpose (Brief): At its October meeting last year the GNSO Council requested an Issue Report on the current state of uniformity in the mechanisms to initiate, track, and analyze policy-violation reports. ICANN Staff is also explicitly requested to provide its recommendation(s) on how this issue can be further addressed outside of a PDP if recommendations in relation to this issue do not require consensus policies to implement.
http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/uofr-20feb13-en.htm

Christine Willett, ICANN, to Heather Dryden, GAC
Re: ICANN gTLDs objection funding for governments
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/willett-to-dryden-19feb13-en>

Stephen D. Crocker to Jon Leibowitz
Re: Resignation as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission
http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/crocker-to-leibowitz-20feb13-en

On second thought, let?s NOT kill all the lawyers by Milton Mueller
The ?Independent Objector? (IO) is one of those unique ICANN creations that shows just how complicated and fraught with politics the simple act of coordinating TLD assignments can become. The IO is a special officer mandated by ICANN to review applications for new TLDs and ?object to highly objectionable gTLD applications? that would be contrary to ?the best interests of the public who use the global Internet.?
<http://www.internetgovernance.org/2013/02/12/on-second-thought-lets-not-kill-all-the-lawyers/>

Going To ICANN 47 Durban? Check The Hotel Restrictions!
ICANN?s first public meeting of 2013 will be held in Beijing in April, but they?ve opened registration for the subsequent one in Durban, South Africa in July.
<http://www.internetnews.me/2013/02/20/going-to-icann-47-durban-check-the-hotel-restrictions/>

ICANN letting registrar negotiations hold new TLDs hostage
Last week I wrote about how ICANN?s latest proposed registry agreement for new TLD operators.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/20/icann-letting-registrar-negotiations-hold-new-tlds-hostage/>

ICANN boss Chehade in China charm offensive
The new CEO of ... ICANN is in China this week as part of on-going efforts to reach out to the world?s biggest online population at a time when the country?s crackdown on web freedoms has reached new heights.
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/18/icann_ceo_china_charm_offensive/>

Interview: ICANN willing to get China more involved in Internet management [Xinhua]
?China has a huge role to play in the global Internet. Without China and without complete Chinese participation in ICANN, ICANN frankly does not have a global legitimacy,? Fadi Chehade, the newly appointed ICANN president, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.
<http://www.nzweek.com/business/interview-icann-willing-to-get-china-more-involved-in-internet-management-49577/>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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New periodical: The .at-report.
The world of domains is changing constantly. Even insiders can hardly track all developments in detail. Published three times a year, the .at-Report will keep you abreast of all the latest developments, trends and issues in the .at zone. The reports are structured in two parts: They open with facts and figures about the .at zone, from new registrations to geographical analysis broken down by province and statistics regarding the usage of .at-domains.. The last page in each issue will be given over to a different topical question.
<http://www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/at_report/>

ca: B.C. man wages fight against Craigslist [Canadian Press]
For more than a year, a retiree from Delta, B.C., has been leading a one-man crusade against offensive and racist comments he says he has found on the website Craigslist. ... The Canadian Human Rights Commission said it can?t comment on any specific complaints because it wants to ensure ?the confidentiality of the dispute resolution process and to protect the rights of both respondent and complainant.? Michael Stewart, a spokesman for the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, said his member-driven organization, which manages domain names ending with .ca, doesn?t specify where an individual should live or where their servers must be located.
<http://metronews.ca/news/canada/564411/b-c-man-wages-fight-against-craigslist/>
<http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/craigslist-crusader-after-internet-haters/article8797573/>
<http://thetyee.ca/CanadianPress/2013/02/18/Internet-Hate-22100441/>
<http://www.680news.com/2013/02/18/b-c-man-wages-crusade-against-racist-offensive-comments-on-craigslist/>

Hackers may have stolen .edu domain passwords
Owners of .edu domain names have been told to change their passwords after hackers compromised a server belonging to registry manager Educause.
<http://domainincite.com/11917-hackers-may-have-stolen-edu-domain-passwords>

Did You Know the Latest New TLD Land Rush Opened Today? Say Hello to .PW
You've been hearing about ICANN's impending (it always seems to impending) launch of hundreds of new gTLDs for many years now, but new gTLDs come in more than one flavor.
<http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2013/dailyposts/20130218.htm>

Manwin Asks Judge to Dismiss ICM Registry's Counterclaims
Manwin urged a federal judge in oral arguments Friday to dismiss counterclaims brought by ICM Registry, arguing the .XXX operator did not have standing to bring counterclaims in the antitrust suit because it cannot show it was injured.
<http://newswire.xbiz.com/view.php?id=159735>

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 - NEW TLDS
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Concerns Grow As To Whether Closed Generic TLDs Should Be Monopolised By Global Giants
With the launch of the first of the new TLDs coming later in 2013, there are growing concerns about the ability of large global businesses to monopolise the use of "closed generic" TLDs.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=19827>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/18/concerns-closed-tlds-monopolised/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/en/concerns-grow-as-to-whether-closed-generic-tlds-should-be-monopolised-by-global-giants.html>

Pile up! GM cancels two more new gTLD bids
Is General Motors bowing out of ICANN?s new gTLD program completely? It?s certainly looking that way, following the withdrawal of two more of its five original applications.
<http://domainincite.com/11909-pile-up-gm-cancels-two-more-new-gtld-bids>

Two more dot-brand gTLD bids withdrawn
General Motors has withdrawn its bid for .gmc and Hartford Fire Insurance Company dropped .thehartford.
<http://domainincite.com/11902-two-more-dot-brand-gtld-bids-withdrawn>

GM seeks .Buick, .Chevy domain names, withdraws .Chevrolet, .GMC, .Cadillac
General Motors Co. wants .Buick and .Chevy as top-level Internet domain names ? the equivalent of .com and .org. But it has withdrawn applications for .Chevrolet, .GMC and .Cadillac.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130220/AUTO01/302200322

Dot charity applicant promises 'aggressive stance toward improper use'
One of the companies that has applied to manage the dot charity domain has insisted that it will ?maintain an aggressive stance toward improper use? of the name.
<http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/it/news/content/14487/dot_charity_applicant_promises_aggressive_stance_toward_improper_use>

.transformers gTLD bid transforms into pile of burnt cash
It was Hasbro?s only application, and it?s the first example of an applicant that paid to participate in ICANN?s new gTLD prioritization draw last December subsequently withdrawing its bid.
<http://domainincite.com/11923-transformers-gtld-bid-transforms-into-pile-of-burnt-cash>

Iranian org not happy about .eco bids
The Iran-based treaty organization ECO, the Economic Cooperative Organization, has registered its displeasure with ICANN that several companies have applied for .eco as a gTLD.
<http://domainincite.com/11934-iranian-org-not-happy-about-eco-bids>

ALAC To Submit Objection Against .health
ICANN?s ALAC plans to submit an objection against .health Why? Their rationale is as follows: Objection statements on community grounds will be drafted for the applications for .health given that the four tests for community objection grounds were passed.
<http://www.internetnews.me/2013/02/16/alac-to-submit-objection-against-health/>

Despite Pushback, ICANN on Track with TLDs
ICANN has been moving full-steam ahead under new CEO Fadi Cherhade, announcing that April 23rd will be the approval date for the first TLDs for delegation.
<http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2013/02/20/ICANN-TLDS-022013.aspx>

ICANN?s debating what?s in a domain name
Should a company be allowed to run a generic term such as tire, insurance or book as a domain and wall off its use from competitors?
<http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/icanns-debating-whats-in-a-domain-name-87816.html>

Thinking Carefully About New gTLD Objections: Community (3 of 4) by Don Moody
My third installment regarding gTLD objections - and understanding exactly what's required for an objector to prevail - moves to the more complex community-based objections. For those getting their first exposure to this unwieldy beast, pull up a chair and get comfortable. The community objection involves multifaceted elements, each having its own set of defining factors and often using similar terminology in different contexts. As such, it can be very confusing and one can easily lose track of the bigger picture.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130219_thinking_carefully_about_new_gtld_objections_community_3_of_4/>

You Must Start Your Campaign To Complain About A Generic Top Level Domain By March 13
The window for objecting to the approximately 1,900 new gTLD applications that are being considered for introduction to the Internet domain name system closes on March 13, 2013.
<http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/222796/>

ICANN New gTLD Program SWOT Analysis: WEAKNESSES (Part 2) by Jean Guillon
The SWOT analysis (alternatively SWOT Matrix) is a structured planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. The following is an attempt to apply the SWOT Analysis to ICANN's new gTLD program.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130219_icann_new_gtld_program_swot_analysis_weaknesses_part_2/>

ALAC likely to object to five .health gTLDs
ICANN?s At-Large Advisory Committee is planning to formally object to four applications for the .health gTLD and one for .??, which means ?.healthy? in Chinese.
<http://domainincite.com/11900-alac-likely-to-object-to-five-health-gtlds>

Protecting your ?.trademark?: ICANN clarifies procedure for objecting to new gTLDs
It has been almost two years since ICANN announced that it would accept applications for the registration of new gTLDs, increasing the number of domain name endings beyond .com, .net, and .gov. ICANN currently is conducting its initial evaluation of the approximately 1,917 applications it received and is expected to release the results at the end of March.
<http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ea2d7ee0-8bb6-4651-be41-c0abfc0018ce>

Domain Complaints ? The Public?s Concern and ICANN?s Request Regarding Closed Generic Domains
ICANN?s system for new gTLDs presents a number of issues that have yet to be resolved ? and ICANN has recently asked the public to help with a solution to one of them. About 1900 applications for new gTLDs are currently pending. Only about 40% of these are applications for brand names. A large percentage of the others are what many would consider ?generic? words ? applications for .app, .insurance, .search, and .book, for example. If allowed to register as closed domains, a single player could control the entire domain string related to a ?generic? word ? and prevent others from registering within it.
<http://www.infolawgroup.com/2013/02/articles/international-2/domain-complaints-the-publics-concern-and-icanns-request-regarding-closed-generic-domains/>

Public Interest Registry Opens Call For Expressions Of Interest For .NGO and .ONG Domain Registrations
Public Interest Registry ? the not-for-profit operator of the .ORG domain ? today announced that it is accepting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from organizations that wish to obtain a domain ending in .NGO or .ONG. Interested parties who submit an EOI online will receive alerts and updates on the status and registration process of .NGO/.ONG domains when they become available in 2014.
<http://pir.org/news/press/eoi>

PIR starts pre-registration for .ngo domain names
Public Interest Registry has become the first major gTLD registry to start taking pre-registrations for a not-yet-approved gTLD.
<http://domainincite.com/11914-pir-starts-pre-registration-for-ngo-domain-names>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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How America and Europe are trying to bolster their cyber-defences
Within a week of each other, both the European Commission and the White House have set out a series of new rules designed to stem the rising tide of cyber-attacks against public and private victims. The most dangerous of these are aimed at what is termed critical national infrastructure. The targets may be physical (such as electricity grids) or virtual, such as the computer networks used by the financial system.
<http://www.economist.com/news/international/21571868-how-america-and-europe-are-trying-bolster-their-cyber-defences-barricades>

China Won't Cut Its Cyberspying
President Obama registered his serious concern in the State of the Union address over cyberespionage by what he called ?our enemies.? His remarks on Feb. 12 came two days after leaks from a U.S. intelligence estimate named China ? again ? as the most serious menace in the cyberdomain.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/opinion/global/china-wont-cut-its-cyberspying.html>

Uniting for Cyberdefense
The discussion on cyberthreats has finally gone public. For years, governments have treated damage from cyberattacks as classified information, while the private sector has kept damage secret in order not to scare off customers and investors.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/opinion/global/uniting-for-cyberdefense.html>

Editorial: China?s Cybergames
Washington has not had much success persuading Beijing to rein in its hackers even though American officials and security experts have long known that China is the main source of cyberattacks on the United States. Two recent developments, however, should raise the political costs for China and may cause it to alter its calculus. Refusal to change its conduct could make its relations with the United States even more difficult than they are.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/opinion/chinas-cybergames.html>

Report ties 100-plus cyber attacks on U.S. computers to Chinese military
A U.S. security firm has tied more than a hundred cyber attacks on U.S. corporations to China?s military, according to a report released Tuesday.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/report-ties-100-plus-cyber-attacks-on-us-computers-to-chinese-military/2013/02/19/2700228e-7a6a-11e2-9a75-dab0201670da_story.html>

China military unit 'behind prolific hacking'
A secretive branch of China's military is most likely one of the world's "most prolific cyber espionage groups", a US cyber security firm has said.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21502088>

Industry Experts to Congress: We Can Remove Personally Identifiable Information Before Reporting Cybersecurity Threats
On Thursday, the House of Representatives Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing on CISPA, the newly introduced ?cybersecurity? legislation that would allow companies to pass sensitive user data directly to the government without a judge?s oversight. No members of the civil liberties community were invited to testify. But while Internet freedom advocates were barred from voicing our concerns at the hearing, there was one important fact brought to light during the testimony of industry representatives: experts from the financial industry and the business roundtable confirmed that it?s possible for them to remove data that identifies users from cybersecurity data before sharing it with the government.
<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/02/industry-experts-congress-we-can-remove-personally-identifiable-information>

us: CISPA, the Privacy-Invading Cybersecurity Spying Bill, is Back in Congress
It's official: The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act was reintroduced in the House of Representatives yesterday. CISPA is the contentious bill civil liberties advocates fought last year, which would provide a poorly-defined "cybersecurity" exception to existing privacy law.
<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/02/cispa-privacy-invading-cybersecurity-spying-bill-back-congress>

Cyber attacks on Australian business more targeted and coordinated [news release]
New national survey results from more than 250 major businesses shows cyber attacks are becoming increasingly targeted and coordinated, with one in five experiencing an electronic attack in the last year.
<http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.au/Mediareleases/Pages/2013/First%20quarter/18February2013-CyberattacksonAustralianbusinessmoretargetedandcoordinated.aspx>

Phishing by proxy
Netcraft's toolbar community has reported an increase in the deployment of malicious scripts which direct webmail and online banking traffic through rogue proxy servers. These proxies allow attackers to steal usernames and passwords when forms are submitted, or use victims' cookies to hijack already-authenticated sessions.
<http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2013/02/14/phishing-by-proxy.html>

uk: Personal details of millions of Britons at risk of cyber attack
Confidential information about millions of Britons stored on Indian computer systems could be open to cyber attack from terrorists, fraudsters and hostile nations such as China, the Government will admit today.
<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/personal-details-of-millions-of-britons-at-risk-of-cyber-attack-8500431.html>

nz: 'Turkish hackers' breach lab sites
Three New Zealand lab services "got off lightly" when so-called "Turkish hackers" breached their websites, a cybercrime expert says.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8331177/Turkish-hackers-breach-lab-sites>
<http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/hackers-breach-lab-sites-5347088>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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The Person Who Owns the Domain Name of Guy Fieri?s Times Square Restaurant Did Something Amazing With It
That Guy Fieri's American Kitchen and Bar is a big joke is no big secret. But now it's also an actual joke. It seems Fieri forgot to purchase his own restaurant's full domain name (the official American Kitchen & Bar website can be found at the abbreviated guysamerican.com), so someone else did ? and they wasted no time in turning it into the best parking spot on the Internet.
<http://gawker.com/5985479/the-person-who-owns-the-domain-name-of-guy-fieris-restaurant-did-something-amazing-with-it>

Guy Fieri Parody Shows Why You Should Secure Your Domain Name
At GuysAmericanKitchenandBar.com, they're serving up "two jumbo Big Gulp Slurpee cups filled with nacho cheese and tied to each other with 25 bacon strips fashioned into a giant bow." If you're among the fans of this and other generously portioned culinary delights, tough luck ? the website is a parody.
<http://mashable.com/2013/02/20/guy-fieri-domain-name/>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Regional TLDs To Appeal To Sense Of Identity Say 2013 Domain Pulse Speakers
Domain Pulse 2013 got underway today (Monday) in the Swiss city of Davos, bathed in sunshine and snow, to greet the more than 200 attendees who are attending the annual event for the German speaking domain name community.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=19828>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/18/regional-tlds-sense-of-identity/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/en/regional-tlds-to-appeal-to-sense-of-identity-say-2013-domain-pulse-speakers.html>

Domain Pulse 2013: New TLDs Face Problems Getting Registrar "Shelf Space," European Registrar Survey
The annual and growing Registrar Atlas, a survey of registrars across a growing number of Europe countries, has found that registrars are still reluctant to devote shelf space to new TLDs when they are introduced. The theme is one that has been picked up by the survey for the last three years.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=19841>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/19/domain-pulse-tlds-problems-shelf-space/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/en/domain-pulse-2013-new-tlds-face-problems-getting-registrar-qshelf-spaceq-european-registrar-survey.html>

Demand Media considers spinning off domain name business
Demand Media, parent company of eNom and Name.com, is considering splitting its business in two.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/19/demand-media-considers-spinning-off-domain-name-business/>

Google: Don't Let Bad Sites On Your Domain Name
This may be obvious to many of you but hosting bad sites on your own domain name is not a good idea.
<http://www.seroundtable.com/google-bad-domains-16379.html>

Demand Media mulls eNom spin-off
Are the synergies between domain name registrars and content farms not all they were cracked up to be?
<http://domainincite.com/11930-demand-media-mulls-enom-spin-off>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Go Daddy to Auction 42 Single- & Two-Character .ORG Domain Names
Go Daddy Auctions is to auction off 42 single and two character domain names such as A.ORG from 18 to 28 March. Go Daddy and Public Interest Registry (PIR) have teamed up to auction the domain names.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/19/go-daddy-auction-org-domains/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/en/go-daddy-to-auction-42-single-a-two-character-org-domains.html>

Survey: domainers have a new favorite domain parking company
Less than two years after opening his own domain parking platform, domain investor Frank Schilling is at the top of the heap.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/19/survey-domainers-have-a-new-favorite-domain-parking-company/>

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INTERNET USE
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Google's Flu Snafu and the Reliability of Web Data
The Web is full of data?much of it meaningful?but there?s some question as to how much we should actually rely on it. The latest evidence comes at Google?s expense, with some researchers questioning the validity of Google?s Flu Trends algorithm. They say the service, which estimates the number of flu cases around the world by analyzing trends on Google?s search engine, vastly overestimated this year?s season in the U.S. compared with more traditional methods of measuring flu cases.
<http://gigaom.com/2013/02/14/googles-flu-snafu-and-the-reliability-of-web-data/>
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-15/googles-flu-snafu-and-the-reliability-of-web-data>

Any two Web pages are separated by just 19 clicks, study finds
Any two pages among the estimated 14 billion on the Web are connected by 19 clicks or less, according to a new study of the make up of the Internet.
<http://www.pcworld.com/article/2028714/any-two-web-pages-are-separated-by-just-19-clicks-study-finds.html>

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SOCIAL MEDIA
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Quitters Never Win: The Costs of Leaving Social Media
Forget Lolcats. If we quit using sites like Facebook, we'll miss opportunities for self-expression, personal growth, learning, support, and civic exchange.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/02/quitters-never-win-the-costs-of-leaving-social-media/273139/>

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Disruptions: On the Fast Track to Routine 3-D Printing
Will the future be printed in 3-D? At first glance, looking at past predictions about the future of technology, prognosticators got a whole lot wrong. The Web is a garbage dump of inaccurate guesses about the year 2000, 2010 and beyond. Flying cars, robotic maids and jet packs still are nowhere near a reality.
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/disruptions-3-d-printing-is-on-the-fast-track/>

Weapons made with 3-D printers could test gun-control efforts
Twenty minutes into his State of the Union address last week, President Obama entered the realm of uber-geekery ? three-dimensional printing. The magical devices capable of printing prosthetics, violins and even aircraft parts have the potential, the president said, ?to revolutionize the way we make almost everything.?
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/weapons-made-with-3-d-printers-could-test-gun-control-efforts/2013/02/18/9ad8b45e-779b-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html>

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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Half of Facebook parents joined to spy on kids?
You think half those adults on Facebook are there because they love Facebook? No, no. These are merely parents engaged in covert operations.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57569806-71/half-of-facebook-parents-joined-to-spy-on-kids/>

uk: Stop porn on the net corrupting adolescents? idea of sex
VIOLENT online porn is set to be banned in Iceland ? and some say Britain should follow its lead.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4805478/Stop-porn-on-the-net-corrupting-adolescents-idea-of-sex.html

nz: World Wide Web ? watch it
Queenstown families are being educated on internet safety and the dangers of cyber bullying this week.
<http://www.scene.co.nz/world-wide-web--watch-it/307101a1.page>

nz: Cyber safety topic at parents' evening
Cyber safety will be one of the issues raised at a parents' evening in Wakatipu High School on Thursday. The evening will begin in room D7 at 7pm with a brief presentation from principal Steve Hall, who will outline some of the key objectives for 2013.
<http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/246383/cyber-safety-topic-parents-evening>

nz: Telecom advises everyone to change email passwords
... Internet watchdog NetSafe warns the attack could affect customers from other providers who were on mailing lists of those affected and a huge amount of detailed personal information could have been downloaded by hackers.
<http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/128349/telecom-advises-everyone-to-change-email-passwords>

nz: Facebook pedator accused in court
A Facebook user accused of creating a fake profile to sexually groom young girls has appeared in court.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Facebook-pedator-accused-in-court/tabid/423/articleID/287366/Default.aspx

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ONLINE TV, MUSIC & PIRACY
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nz: Third 'Skynet' judgment for Elton John, Coldplay
The Recording Industry Association is not admitting to any disappointment over the size of awards handed down by the Copyright Tribunal against people caught illegally sharing music.
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/8333418/Third-Skynet-judgment-for-Elton-John-Coldplay>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Cellular data traffic keeps doubling every year
Worldwide mobile data traffic doubled over the past year and is expected to continue growing at a similar rate due to expanding smartphone sales and video traffic, telecom equipment maker Ericsson said in research released today.
<http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/02/cellular-data-traffic-keeps-doubling-every-year/>

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SPAM
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nz: Telecom 'confident' Xtra spam attack is fixed
Telecom says it is confident a spam attack affecting thousands of Xtra email accounts has been fixed after more than a week of frustration for many customers.
<http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/cancelling-email-passwords-necessary-stop-spam-5343823>

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Hyperlinking should not infringe copyright, say academics
Posting a link to copyrighted content should not be regarded as a communication of that work to the public, a group of leading academics has said.
<http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2013/february/hyperlinking-should-not-infringe-copyright-say-academics/>

uk: Internet platforms can assume the role of publisher and become liable for defamation, rules Court of Appeal
Online publishing platforms could be held liable for defamation after the Court of Appeal ruled that it was possible in some circumstances to consider those platforms as publishers themselves.
<http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2013/february/internet-platforms-can-assume-the-role-of-publisher-and-become-liable-for-defamation-rules-court-of-appeal/>

Google Says Gmail Security Measures Have Reduced Account Hijacks By 99 Percent
Gmail accounts are high-priority targets for attackers of all stripes, particularly spam crews and state-sponsored attackers who use them to monitor the activities of activists and journalists. Hijacking those accounts can be quite useful for spammers and malware gangs as well, but Google said that it has put security measures in place that have greatly reduced the number of successful hijack attempts.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/google-says-gmail-security-measures-have-reduced-account-hijacks-99-percent-021913>

Identity fraud in US reaches highest level in three years [IDG]
U.S. consumers experienced the highest level of identity theft in three years in 2012, although much of the fraud losses were absorbed by banks and merchants, according to a new survey.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9236999/Identity_fraud_in_US_reaches_highest_level_in_three_years>
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/022113-identity-fraud-in-us-reaches-266891.html>

nz: NetSafe boss warns stolen Yahoo Xtra data could be used for future attacks
Telecom GM tries to draw line under affair, saying "final batch" of 60,000 affected customers passwords are being cancelled | Expert says passwords should have been cancelled a week ago | Helplines overwhelmed as thousands of shut-out customers attempt to reset their passwords.
<http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/telecom-now-says-75000-affected-yahoo-xtra-attack-ck-136010>

nz: Man arrested over fake Facebook profile [APNZ]
A 20-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly using fake Facebook profiles to send inappropriate messages to at least two young teenage girls.
<http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/246268/man-arrested-over-fake-facebook-profile>
<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10866246>

nz: Internet ban over Facebook charges
A 20-year-old Hutt Valley man has been ordered off the internet after allegedly inappropriately contacting young girls on a social networking website.
<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10866333>

nz: Telecom advises everyone to change email passwords
Telecom says everyone in New Zealand with an email address should change their passwords out of fear a cyber attack could get even worse.
<http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/128349/telecom-advises-everyone-to-change-email-passwords>

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SECURITY
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How America and Europe are trying to bolster their cyber-defences
Within a week of each other, both the European Commission and the White House have set out a series of new rules designed to stem the rising tide of cyber-attacks against public and private victims. The most dangerous of these are aimed at what is termed critical national infrastructure. The targets may be physical (such as electricity grids) or virtual, such as the computer networks used by the financial system.
<http://www.economist.com/news/international/21571868-how-america-and-europe-are-trying-bolster-their-cyber-defences-barricades>