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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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GAC Advice on New gTLDs Issued During ICANN 48 Buenos Aires
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-11dec13-en>

Review Of .AU Finds It Is Working Well, But Room For Improvement
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/12/11/review-of-au-finds-working-well/>

ICANN floats new rules for dot-brands
<http://domainincite.com/15255-icann-floats-new-rules-for-dot-brands>

ICANN?s Trademark Clearinghouse Extends Claims Service for IP Infringement Notifications
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/icanns-trademark-clearinghouse-extends-claims-service-ip-infringement-notifications>

TMCH extends Trademark Claims indefinitely, kinda
<http://domainincite.com/15293-tmch-extends-trademark-claims-indefinitely-kinda>

The Pirate Bay Moves to .AC After Domain Name Seizure
<http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-moves-to-ac-after-domain-name-seizure-131210/>

uk: Initiative puts squeeze on advertising revenues of copyright infringing websites
<http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2013/december/initiative-puts-squeeze-on-advertising-revenues-of-copyright-infringing-websites/>


**********************
GOVERNANCE
**********************
China eyes Internet governance co-op with ROK
China's top Internet regulators hailed the importance of Internet safety and eyed further cooperation with the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Internet governance, at the Second China-ROK Internet Roundtable in Seoul on Tuesday.
<http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-12/10/content_17164376.htm>
<http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-12/10/content_17164409.htm>

China eyes Internet governance collaboration with South Korea
Top regulators from China hailed the importanece of Internet safety and are looking for closer collaboration with South Korea on Internet governance, according to China Daily.
<http://www.zdnet.com/cn/china-eyes-internet-governance-collaboration-with-south-korea-7000024112/>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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GAC Advice on New gTLDs Issued During ICANN 48 Buenos Aires
The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) has issued further advice to the ICANN Board in the GAC Buenos Aires Communiqu? regarding certain New gTLD applications.
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-11dec13-en>

Stephen D. Crocker, Chair | ICANN Board of Directors, to Heather Dryden
Protection of IGO-INGO Identifiers in All gTLDs
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/crocker-to-dryden-11dec13-en>

A Day of Engagement in Egypt by Baher Esmat
This week ICANN President and CEO Fadi Chehade made a short visit to my hometown, Cairo. We had several meetings with different groups of youth, academics, civil society, business leaders and top government officials. Discussions were mainly about trends in Internet and technology, and the potential role of Egypt as a leading country in the region.
<http://blog.icann.org/2013/12/a-day-of-engagement-in-egypt/>

Just a Normal Week for an ICANN Ambassador by Nigel Hickson
One is never bored at ICANN. Indeed the hectic pace hardly allows the mind to drift at all! I point to last week as an example.
<http://blog.icann.org/2013/12/just-a-normal-week-for-an-icann-ambassador/>

Stacey King, Sr. Corporate Counsel | Amazon.com, to Steve Crocker, Fadi Chehad?, and Cherine Chalaby
New gTLD Applications for .AMAZON and IDN Equivalents
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/king-to-chehade-et-al-03dec13-en>

ICANN 48 in Buenos Aires: What Happened and What's Next? by Kiran Malancharuvil
Last month, some of my colleagues at MarkMonitor and I traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina for ICANN 48. With the recent delegation and launch of the first new gTLDs, the atmosphere had an air of both excitement and anxiety. In my opinion, there is much to be done before brand owners should begin to feel comfortable in the post-new gTLD Internet environment, which brings a host of new challenges, as companies attempt to scale monitoring and enforcement to the new (huge) domain name space.
<https://www.markmonitor.com/mmblog/icann-48-buenos-aires-what-happened-and-whats-next/>

Official wants Jamaica to focus more on the Internet
President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN, Fadi Chehade' has expressed the need for a greater participation of Caribbean states at the global level in decisions made about the future role of the Internet.
<http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Official-wants-Jamaica-to-focus-more-on-the-Internet_15604631>

Jetpack Domains hit with ICANN breach notice
A small Californian registrar has been sent a contract breach notice by ICANN.
<http://domainincite.com/15257-jetpack-domains-hit-with-icann-breach-notice>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Review Of .AU Finds It Is Working Well, But Room For Improvement
The .au policy and regulatory body auDA engaged consultants to review the governance for .au in 2011, and is now working to introduce changes recommended or undertaking further consultations in the case of the future of its foundation.
<http://www.domainnews.com/review-of-au.html>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/12/11/review-of-au-finds-working-well/>

Verisign is testing lower .com prices on deleted domain names
Verisign is testing lower wholesale prices for deleting .com domain names later this month.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/10/verisign-is-testing-lower-com-prices-on-deleted-domain-names/>

Indonesia: Get ready for anything.id
The Indonesia Internet Domain Name Administrator (PANDI) says that they are drafting the newest regulation regarding the use of the ccTLD .id (known as "anything.id") which will be finished and released at the beginning of 2014.
<http://www.managingip.com/IssueArticle/3282782/Archive/Indonesia-Get-ready-for-anythingid.html>

Vietnam considers legalizing domain name trading
Domain name traders have leaped for joy when the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) made public the draft circular on the ?.vn? domain name transfer.
<http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/science-it/91249/vietnam-considers-legalizing-domain-name-trading.html>

Vietnam tops Southeast Asia for national domain registration
Vietnam tops among the Southeast Asian nations for national domain registration and activation, with over 90,000 new ".vn" national domains were activated in the first 11 months of 2013.
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/11/c_132959113.htm>

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 - NEW TLDS
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ICANN floats new rules for dot-brands
Dot-brand gTLDs could get big exemptions to the standard new gTLD Registry Agreement under new rules published for public comment by ICANN over the weekend.
<http://domainincite.com/15255-icann-floats-new-rules-for-dot-brands>

ICANN?s Trademark Clearinghouse Extends Claims Service for IP Infringement Notifications
ICANN?s Trademark Clearinghouse announced on Wednesday that it will offer an ongoing claims service for trademark holders to receive notifications of potential intellectual property infringement.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/icanns-trademark-clearinghouse-extends-claims-service-ip-infringement-notifications>

TMCH extends Trademark Claims indefinitely, kinda
The Trademark Clearinghouse is to give the intellectual property lobby something that it?s been crying out for for years ? an indefinite extension of parts of the Trademark Claims service.
<http://domainincite.com/15293-tmch-extends-trademark-claims-indefinitely-kinda>

Go Daddy to take $2,500 profit on Donuts? first-day domains
Donuts? pricey Early Access Program for its new gTLDs could prove quite lucrative for registrars.
<http://domainincite.com/15280-go-daddy-to-take-2500-profit-on-donuts-first-day-domains>

GoDaddy Launches Pre-Registration for 14 New gTLDs
Pre-registration is available for 14 new domain name extensions from GoDaddy, the company announced Wednesday.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/godaddy-launches-pre-registration-14-new-gtlds>

GAC kills off two more new gTLD bids
A new gTLD applicant has withdrawn two of its Chinese-language applications after failing to secure the necessary government support.
<http://domainincite.com/15276-gac-kills-off-two-more-new-gtld-bids>

German geo .ruhr enters the root
Verisign today delegated the new gTLD .ruhr to the DNS root zone, making it the 35th new gTLD to go live.
<http://domainincite.com/15274-german-geo-ruhr-enters-the-root>

Verisign loses new TLD objection against .brand applicant M-NET
Verisign, the registry for .net domain names, has lost a string confusion objection it brought against M-Net and its application for the TLD .mnet.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/10/verisign-loses-new-tld-objection-against-brand-applicant-m-net/>

Hardheaded governments vs. Amazon.com
One of the more peculiar new TLD battles is the one between Amazon.com and and governments of the Amazon area, including Brazil and Peru.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/10/hardheaded-governments-vs-amazon-com/>

ICANN will have to make a call on .islam
ICANN is going to have to decide whether to approve the new gTLDs .islam and .halal, after the Governmental Advisory Committee punted the issue.
<http://domainincite.com/15259-icann-will-have-to-make-a-call-on-islam>

gTLD Registry Agreement under the microscope as brands make their voices heard [registration]
ICANN?s new gTLD Registry Agreement has become the centre of attention of brand owners, with the organisation opening a new comment period on proposals to tweak the agreement to better reflect the operating nature of ?.brands?. Meanwhile, the Intellectual Property Owners Association has voiced trademark owner concerns over elements of the current agreement.
<http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=3b671b66-c7f3-41da-8802-63d444a5ec61>

How to .DOWNLOAD Banging Tunes, Sick Movies and Nasty Apps by Jean Guillon
TeenSpeak is being rivalled by GeekSpeak: most Internet Geeks know what "the cloud" is. They know because they are "Internet Geeks", most Internet users don't profess to the same level of 'Geekdom'. Now while I don't claim to be an Internet Geek, I do like to think of myself as an educated Internet user; and the way I think of "the Cloud" is of a computer, plugged in somewhere, and holding lots of "computer things" for the use of anyone, anywhere. You may have heard the expression: "it is hosted in the cloud".
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20131209_how_to_download_banging_tunes_sick_movies_and_nasty_apps/>

.Music, .Song, and .Tunes new TLD objections against Amazon.com dismissed
An International Chamber of Commerce panelist has ruled against the American Association of Independent Music?s (A2IM) community objections to Amazon.com?s bids to run the .music, .song, and .tunes domain names.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/09/music-song-tunes-amazon-domains/>

.UNO Sunrise Commences 15 December
Dot Latin will begin the sunrise phase for .UNO on Sunday 15 December, 2013. The launch is being organised by Sedo, who was selected to bring the TLD to market.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/12/11/uno-sunrise-commences/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/uno-sunrise-commences.html>

Godaddy Opens Up Pre-Registrations on 14 Donuts New gTLD?s With 6 Levels Up to $12,569.99 Per Domain
Godaddy.com is now taking Pre-registrations on 14 new gTLD?s of Donuts.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2013/12/10/godaddy-opens-up-pre-registrations-on-14-donuts-new-gtlds-with-6-levels-up-to-12569-99-per-domain/>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Identify DDoS Attacks with Monitoring of Internal Applications (Part 1 of 3) by Donald Lee
Most cloud DDoS mitigation services are offered on demand meaning that customers can enable the service when they are the victim of a DDoS attack. But how can a company find out -- quickly -- that it is under attack? Sometimes it is difficult to know. In this three part series, we will examine multiple monitoring tools companies can use to capture DDoS, which can help determine whether you are under a DDoS attack.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20131209_identify_ddos_attacks_with_monitoring_internal_applications_part_1/>

How I busted another click fraud (and auction fraud) scheme
Every once in a while, someone running a click fraud scam slips up. And sometimes they slip up in a big way: by accidentally tipping me off about it.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/09/how-i-busted-another-click-fraud-and-auction-fraud-scheme/>

ENISA lists top cyber-threats in this year?s Threat Landscape Report [news release]
The EU?s cyber security Agency ENISA has issued its annual Threat Landscape 2013 report, where over 200 publicly available reports and articles have been analysed. Questions addressed are: What are the top cyber-threats of 2013? Who are the adversaries? What are the important cyber-threat trends in the digital ecosystem?
<http://www.enisa.europa.eu/media/press-releases/enisa-lists-top-cyber-threats-in-this-year2019s-threat-landscape-report>

Hacking The Zero-Day Vulnerability Market
Private brokers sell zero-day bugs for anywhere between $40,000 and $160,000 -- and in some cases as much as $1 million, a new study says
<http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerability/hacking-the-zero-day-vulnerability-marke/240164591>

Tougher Cybersecurity Standards Forecast
Increased demand for better cybersecurity standards from government agencies and from consumers will force companies in 2014 to take more decisive actions to protect against the legal, financial and public image risks, according to Kroll Inc.'s third annual Cyber Security Forecast.
http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202631212086>

Chinese minister urges closer cooperation with S. Korea on cybersecurity
China's top Internet regulator has called for South Korea to enhance bilateral cooperation on security for computer networks and the Internet and "build a new international order that can safeguard cybersovereignty," state media reported Wednesday.
<http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2013/12/11/85/0301000000AEN20131211004500315F.html>

Crypto weakness in Web comment system exposes hate-mongering politicians
Investigative journalists have exploited a cryptographic weakness in a third-party website commenting service to expose politicians and other Swedish public figures who left highly offensive remarks on right-wing blogs, according to published reports.
<http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/12/crypto-weakness-in-web-comment-system-exposes-hate-mongering-politicians/>

Banks shouldn't rely on mobile SMS passcodes, security firm says [IDG]
A widely used security feature intended to protect access to online bank accounts is becoming increasingly ineffective, as cybercriminals develop advanced malicious software for Android devices, according to a report released Wednesday.
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/121213-banks-shouldn39t-rely-on-mobile-276855.html>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Tony Willoughby finds another company guilty of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking
World Intellectual Property Organization panelist Tony Willoughby has found Aero Club of New Delhi, India guilty of reverse domain name hijacking in a UDRP.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/09/tony-willoughby-finds-another-company-guilty-of-reverse-domain-name-hijacking/>

UDRP Panel Fails To Order Transfer Of Domain Back From Ex-Employee
The Law Firm Dr. Khalid Alnowaiser of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, just lost its bid to get the domain name lfkan.com in a UDRP
<http://www.thedomains.com/2013/12/09/udrp-panel-fails-to-order-transfer-of-domain-back-from-ex-employee/>

Stop Using GoDaddy
I?m gonna tell you a story about something that happened to me in the hopes it will keep it from happening to you or prevent you from needing to deal with the same kind of stupid crap logic. I purchased a domain name to use on a project I was working on. Someone had a problem with me owning the domain name because they thought it would negatively effect them. Whether that is true or not isn?t important really. This person filed a complaint with WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) over the right to the domain name which they have the right to do if they wish.
<http://atheiststoday.com/blogs/reapercussions/?p=2890>

Company behind UDRPSearch.com sues after being hit with a UDRP
Virtual Point, the company that runs the UDRP search and aggregation site UDRPSearch.com, has filed a federal lawsuit after being hit with a UDRP.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/11/stabletable-udrp/>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
**********************
The Pirate Bay Moves to .AC After Domain Name Seizure
Following pressure from the entertainment industry the domain registry of Sint Maarten appears to have seized The Pirate Bay?s .SX domain name. The torrent site itself hasn?t been taken down and has quickly relocated to a new address on Ascension Island?s .AC ccTLD. The Pirate Bay team informs TorrentFreak that this UK-controlled domain isn?t their final destination and they will sail to a safer haven in the near future.
<http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-moves-to-ac-after-domain-name-seizure-131210/>

TLD Hopping Pirate Bay Forced To Move Once Again
Following the seizure of its .sx domain name, The Pirate Bay has once more been forced to change its domain, this time moving to .ac, the ccTLD for Ascension Island.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=21518>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/12/11/tld-hopping-pirate-bay/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/tld-hopping-pirate-bay.html>

Pirate Bay once again forced to change domain name
On Tuesday, a Dutch anti-piracy group announced (Google Translate) that it had compelled The Pirate Bay to again alter its domain name?this time from thepiratebay.sx to thepiratebay.ac. The .sx TLD is used by the Dutch Caribbean territory of Sint Maarten, while the latter is used by the British Atlantic territory of Ascension Island.<http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/12/pirate-bay-once-again-forced-to-change-domain-names/>
<http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/12/pirate-bay-once-again-forced-to-change-domain-names/>

Pirate Bay sets sail for Ascension Island after SX domain name seized by authorities
Just like their seafaring historical counterparts, internet pirates are adept at staying a step ahead of the law. This week The Pirate Bay ? the web?s most notable file-sharing website ? was almost captured in the Caribbean, before retreating to regroup at a tiny island in the South Atlantic.
<http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/pirate-bay-sets-sail-for-ascension-island-after-sx-domain-name-seized-by-authorities-8998792.html>

uk: Police crackdown on pirate site ads
Websites illegally hosting copyrighted content have been targeted by City of London Police.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25299593>

uk: Initiative puts squeeze on advertising revenues of copyright infringing websites
Major brands have cut their advertising on copyright infringing websites during a pilot initiative to squeeze the revenues generated by such sites, the City of London Police (CoLP) has said.
<http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2013/december/initiative-puts-squeeze-on-advertising-revenues-of-copyright-infringing-websites/>

uk: Malware+pr0n surge follows police op to kill illicit streaming sites
City of London Police are claiming credit for the suspension of 40 ad-funded websites that provided unauthorised access to copyright-protected content ? but may have caused a rise in the number of web ads carrying malware or promoting pornography.
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/10/streaming_website_clampdown/>

French Government Spoofs Google Certificate
Google revoked digital certificates for some of its domains that had been fraudulently signed by an intermediate certificate authority with links to ANSSI, France?s cyber-defense agency.
<http://threatpost.com/french-government-spoofs-google-certificate/103128>

Win free tickets to NamesCon Las Vegas (even if you?ve already paid)
We?ve got five (FIVE!) free tickets to NamesCon to give away to lucky DI readers.
<http://domainincite.com/15264-win-free-tickets-to-namescon-las-vegas-even-if-youve-already-paid>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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High End Domain Buyers Took a Thanksgiving Break But Bargain Hunters Kept Registers Ringing in the Mid-Range
America's four-day Thanksgiving weekend cut the U.S. work week in half (except for store clerks who had to put in overtime to take care of holiday shoppers). High domain buyers were among those taking some time off and that left the door open for MediaOptions.com to take the lead position on our latest weekly all extension Top 20 Sales Chart with their $29,000 sale of RentByOwner.com.
<http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2013/20131211.htm>

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INTERNET USE
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Australians more reliant on high-speed broadband
Australians downloaded 59 per cent more data via fixed-line broadband connections in the June quarter of 2013 compared with the same time last year, and there are now more than 11.19 million smartphone users in the country, according to an Australian Communications and Media Authority report tabled by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.
<http://www.afr.com/p/technology/australians_more_reliant_on_high_0qIDcbtkRsF70cXLZUs5gP>

Australia?s mobile digital economy ? ACMA confirms usage, choice, mobility and intensity on the rise [news release]
Australia?s digital economy again grew strongly during 2012?13 with increases in internet usage, consumer choice and mobile access to the internet. Key insights into Australia?s rapidly-changing communications and media market are contained in the ACMA Communications report 2012?13 tabled in Federal Parliament today.
<http://acma.gov.au/theACMA/Library/Corporate-library/Corporate-publications/australia-mobile-digital-economy>

uk: Media agencies to divert 15% of digital budgets to mobile next year, says IAB
Media agencies are upping their mobile investment, with an average 15 per cent of total digital budgets to be diverted to mobile next year, according to the latest research from Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK.
<http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/12/10/mobile-ad-budgets-increasing-across-media-agencies-according-iab-survey>

Mobile browser usage share hits 20% for the first time
Mobile devices generated 20% of the world's browsing activity last month, the first time that the surging category reached the 1-in-5 milestone, according to a Web analytics company.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9244639/Mobile_browser_usage_share_hits_20_for_the_first_time>
<http://www.computerworld.co.nz/article/533818/mobile_browser_usage_share_hits_20_first_time/>

Mobile Cements Status as Primary Shopping Channel
Reports from Adobe,IBM, Skava and Kenshoo invariably confirm that mobile shopping is taking front seat,as demonstrated by soaring figures during Thanksgiving and Black Friday this year.
<http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2317172/mobile-cements-status-as-primary-shopping-channel>

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SOCIAL MEDIA
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Facebook develops 'sympathise' button
Facebook has devised a "sympathise" button as an alternative to the "like" button for use in certain situations.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25299597>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
Worker Deaths Raise Questions at an Apple Contractor in China
Last September, a young Chinese laborer named Shi Zhaokun began working long hours at a huge manufacturing plant that produces Apple?s new iPhone 5C.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/business/international/worker-deaths-raise-questions-at-an-apple-contractor-in-china.html>

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
**********************
Alleged revenge porn Web site operator arrested in California
Recent years have seen the rise of "revenge porn" sites, in which explicit images of people are posted online without their consent. Today, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced that the state has arrested a man authorities say is the operator of a such a revenge porn Web site.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/12/10/alleged-revenge-porn-web-site-operator-arrested-in-california/>

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PRIVACY & SURVEILLANCE
**********************
NSA surveillance: tech companies demand sweeping changes to US laws
The world's leading technology companies have united to demand sweeping changes to US surveillance laws, urging an international ban on bulk collection of data to help preserve the public's ?trust in the internet?.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/nsa-surveillance-tech-companies-demand-sweeping-changes-to-us-laws>

Tech Giants Issue Call for Limits on Government Surveillance of Users
Eight prominent technology companies, bruised by revelations of government spying on their customers? data and scrambling to repair the damage to their reputations, are mounting a public campaign to urge President Obama and Congress to set new limits on government surveillance.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/technology/tech-giants-issue-call-for-limits-on-government-surveillance-of-users.html>

Technology firms seek government surveillance reform
Leading global technology firms have called for "wide-scale changes" to US government surveillance.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25297044>

NSA uses Google cookies to pinpoint targets for hacking
The National Security Agency is secretly piggybacking on the tools that enable Internet advertisers to track consumers, using "cookies" and location data to pinpoint targets for government hacking and to bolster surveillance.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/12/10/nsa-uses-google-cookies-to-pinpoint-targets-for-hacking/>

Snowden docs had NYTimes exec fearing for his life
Informing the American people about how their government spies on them can be risky business for journalists. Rajiv Pant, chief technology officer at The New York Times, thought he could be killed for it.
<http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/09/technology/security/snowden-new-york-times/index.html>

Eight tech giants have sided with citizens over spies, but it's not enough
Whose side are you on? That is the question MP Keith Vaz asked Alan Rusbridger last week when he challenged the Guardian editor?s patriotism over publishing Edward Snowden?s NSA and GCHQ leaks.
<http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/tech-giant-companies-open-letter-white-house>

State surveillance of personal data is theft, say world's leading authors
More than 500 of the world's leading authors, including five Nobel prize winners, have condemned the scale of state surveillance revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden and warned that spy agencies are undermining democracy and must be curbed by a new international charter.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/surveillance-theft-worlds-leading-authors>

State surveillance of personal data: what is the society we wish to protect? by Tom Stoppard
What in principle would justify the scope of the surveillance revealed by the Snowden leak? Would it be enough, for example, if it could be shown that a specific potential act of terrorism had been prevented by, and could only have been prevented by, the full breadth and depth of what we now have learned is the playing field of the security services?
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/state-surveillance-data-tom-stoppard>

NSA, CIA, other intelligence agencies target online games, reports say
Part of the appeal of online games ? particularly massive, multiplayer titles such as World of Warcraft or Second Life ? is that they let players escape into a separate, virtual world. But recent news reports indicate that agents from the National Security Agency, FBI, CIA, and British Government Communications Headquarters have been scoping out these and other online gaming communities in search of real-world threats.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/nsa-cia-other-intelligence-agencies-target-online-games-reports-say/2013/12/09/dc4cf9d4-60e0-11e3-94ad-004fefa61ee6_story.html?tid=hpModule_88854bf0-8691-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394>

New documents show how the NSA infers relationships based on mobile location data
Everyone who carries a cellphone generates a trail of electronic breadcrumbs that records everywhere they go. Those breadcrumbs reveal a wealth of information about who we are, where we live, who our friends are and much more. And as we reported last week, the National Security Agency is collecting location information in bulk ? 5 billion records per day worldwide ? and using sophisticated algorithms to assist with U.S. intelligence-gathering operations.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/12/10/new-documents-show-how-the-nsa-infers-relationships-based-on-mobile-location-data/>

Cyber security conference warns GCHQ exacerbates ?identity theft and fraud?
An Edinburgh cyber security conference has heard that British residents and businesses are being made ?more vulnerable to identity theft and fraud? as a result of the actions of government spy agency GCHQ.
<http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/12/10/cyber-security-conference-warns-gchq-exacerbates-identity-theft-and-fraud>

Amnesty to take legal action against UK security services
The human rights group Amnesty International has announces that it is taking legal action against the UK government over concerns its communications have been illegally accessed by UK intelligence services.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/amnesty-international-legal-action-uk-security-services>

NZ judge: Kim Dotcom is likely still being spied upon
A New Zealand court judge on Wednesday affirmed that it is likely that Kim Dotcom and his family have been and continue to be under surveillance.
<http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/12/nz-judge-kim-dotcom-is-likely-still-being-spied-upon/>

Australian police to adopt technology capable of collecting emails [AAP]
Controversial new technology capable of collecting and storing emails and other information sent via computer in real time will be rolled out by the Australian Federal Police next year.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/australian-police-to-adopt-technology-capable-of-collecting-emails>

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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Secret TPP Intellectual Property Agreement Misses Deadline
Negotiators on a secret trade treaty, which includes controversial intellectual property proposals, could not meet their year-end deadline for an agreement this week at Singapore.
<http://www.cio.com/article/744482/Secret_TPP_Intellectual_Property_Agreement_Misses_Deadline>

Why the TPP matters to the internet and IP
For the US, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is clearly a priority. It is promoted as a 21st-century agreement that will eventually include all of the Asia-Pacific countries. The implications would be felt by everyone living in the region, some more than others. It is more than a trade agreement; it will shape our future and how we create, access, and share information and technology. However, details have been sketchy and most of us would have only viewed the leaked copy of the intellectual property chapter released by WikiLeaks.
<http://www.zdnet.com/why-the-tpp-matters-to-the-internet-and-ip-7000024116/>

TPP talks pushed to 2014 as Singapore negotiations fail
Negotiation talks over the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have failed to result in an agreement between the affected 12 nations, pushing the issue beyond the original expectation that it would be finalised by the end of this year.
<http://www.zdnet.com/tpp-talks-pushed-to-2014-as-singapore-negotiations-fail-7000024158/>

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ONLINE CHILD ABUSE ARRESTS/COURT CASES
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Australian paedophile Peter Truong jailed for 30 years in US after trafficking adopted son to Boy Lovers Network
A Queensland man who trafficked his adopted son to an international paedophile network has been sentenced to 30 years in jail by a US court.
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-10/peter-truong-jailed-over-global-paedophile-ring/5146366>

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David Goldstein

 email: david at goldsteinreport.com

 web:   http://goldsteinreport.com/ / http://davidgoldstein.tel/
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9663 3430 - office/home

"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery