auDA Domain Name News - 2 February
02/Feb/2012
auDA Domain Name News is compiled by David Goldstein on auDA's behalf. The views expressed in the news items linked from auDA's website (Linked Documents), do not necessarily reflect the views of auDA. auDA does not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information contained in the Linked Documents, and assumes no liability to any person for any reliance placed upon any information contained in the Linked Documents.
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GOVERNANCE
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Are the days of hands-off Internet policies numbered?
The Internet will be a major topic of discussion when world leaders convene late this year to review and revise the 24-year-old regulations governing international telecommunications.
gcn.com/articles/2012/02/01/internet-governance-world-conference-changes.aspx
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DOMAIN NAMES
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- ICANN
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Reduce "Unreachable" Whois Registrations By 50% In 1 Year?
Review Team Asks for Community Comment on Draft Recommendations that Could Bring Big Changes to Whois: Whois allows you to look up the name and contact information of whoever operates any website domain – or at least, it should. But it isn't always accurate. In some cases, Whois contact information is patently false, listing as website operators.
www.icann.org/en/reviews/affirmation/whois-rt-reducing-unreachable-27jan12-en.htm
Selecting ICANN's Next CEO - Letter 2 by Jean-Jacques Subrenat
In November 2011, a group of "friends of ICANN" from various countries sent a letter to the Chair of ICANN's Board, expressing concern about the process used previously, and suggesting improvements. Towards the end of 2011, the ICANN Board set up a Search Committee, chaired by George Sadowsky, and some significant improvements have been integrated into the selection process.
www.circleid.com/posts/selecting_icanns_next_ceo_letter_2/
Reducing Unreachable ICANN Registrations BY Wout de Natris
Recently ICANN published a report on inaccurate registration data in her own databases. Now the question is presented to the world how can we mitigate this problem? There seems to be a very easy solution. ... The question to this answer seems simple. To know who has registered with an organisation. This makes it possible to contact the registered person or organisation, to send bills and to discuss policy with the members.
www.circleid.com/posts/reducing_unreachable_icann_registrations/
Mickey Mouse Whois ban threat sparks privacy fears
The days of pretending to be Mickey Mouse or Daffy Duck when you register a domain name could be numbered, following demands placed on ICANN by law enforcement agencies and governments.
www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/30/whois_identity_privacy/
ICANN Publishes Draft Final Report On Whois Policy
ICANN has published a DRAFT of final report of the “Whois Policy Review Team’s”, whose mission was to “review the extent to which ICANN’s Whois policy and its implementation are effective, meet the legitimate needs of law enforcement, and promote consumer trust.”
www.thedomains.com/2012/01/30/icann-publishes-draft-final-report-on-whois-policy-opens-it-up-for-public-comment/comment-page-1/
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- ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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AFNIC partners with the forthcoming Barcamp on E-reputation
AFNIC is supporting the forthcoming Barcamp dedicated to E-reputation, taking place in Paris on 11 February 2012.
www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/5652/show/afnic-partners-with-the-forthcoming-barcamp-on-e-reputation.html
.me beating .co in start-ups?
The .co TLD may have more registrations, but more tech start-ups are opting for .me domain names, according to an informal study.
domainincite.com/me-beating-co-in-start-ups/
Nominet proposes new code of rules for members
The internet registry for .uk domain names has proposed a new code that would allow it to prevent members associating themselves with its brand if they display a lack of professionalism, integrity or accountability.
www.out-law.com/en/articles/2012/january-/nominet-proposes-new-code-of-rules-for-members/
vn: International domain names best for business expansion
Businesses should buy international domain names now if they planned to penetrate the world market to avoid costs later on, said Nguyen Tu Quang, general director of internet security company Bkav.
vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Economy/220176/international-domain-names-best-for-business-expansion.html
xxx: Major UK companies still not blocking porn namesakes
The XXX domain suffix was launched last September to provide a voluntary ‘responsible’ home for adult sites; but daily.co.uk has noted that 90% of the UK’s fastest growing companies have not yet protected their brands.
www.infosecurity-us.com/view/23609/major-uk-companies-still-not-blocking-porn-namesakes/
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- NEW TLDS
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ARI Registry Services signs 21 contracts in the first week of applications
ARI Registry Services today announced it signed contracts to provide technical registry services for 21 new TLDs within the first week of applications opening.
ariservices.com/news-ari_signs_21_contracts_in_the_first_week_of_applications.php
goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=16840
www.domainpulse.com/2012/01/30/ari-registry-services-signs-21-contracts-in-the-first-week-of-applications/
www.domainnews.com/en/ari-registry-services-signs-21-contracts-in-the-first-week-of-applications.html
ARI signs up 21 new gTLD clients
ARI Registry Services says it signed up 21 new gTLD clients in the first week after ICANN opened the program earlier this month.
domainincite.com/ari-signs-up-21-new-gtld-clients/
ARI signs contracts for 21 new gTLDs
ARI Registry Services signed 21 gTLD clients within one week of the application period opening on January 12, chief executive Adrian Kinderis said today.
www.managingip.com/Article/2969549/News-In-Brief-Trade-marks/ARI-signs-contracts-for-21-new-gTLDs.html
ICANN advertises new gTLDs on Twitter
ICANN has really ramped up the social marketing of its new gTLD program for the last few weeks, and today it started plugging new gTLDs with some Twitter advertising.
domainincite.com/icann-advertises-new-gtlds-on-twitter/
Value or Love for New gTLDs? by Alex Tajirian
ICANN has started its historic and controversial program to expand the number of gTLDs. This essay outlines the factors needed for the program to create economic value, warns against a cognitive trap that complicates selection of a new gTLD and considers the value contribution of the registries. I will not go into relevant macro measures, but I examine the problems associated with the popular measure of simply counting the number of registrations.
www.circleid.com/posts/value_or_love_for_new_gtlds/
StarHub to Acquire '.starhub' New Top-Level Domain
StarHub, a fully integrated info-communications company in Singapore, today announced it will apply for its own branded slice of Internet real estate as part of the revolutionary new TLD program, which is set to change the way Internet users navigate the web.
www.ariservices.com/news-starhub_to_acquire_starhub_new_tld.php
StarHub applies for TLD name
StarHub has became the first local telco to join others seeking to apply for their own branded domain name, following in the footsteps of other corporate brands such as Canon, Deloitte and Hitachi.
www.zdnetasia.com/starhub-applies-for-tld-name-62303682.htm
StarHub confirms dot-brand gTLD bid
Singapore telecommunications firm StarHub will become the fifth company to publicly reveal plans for a “dot-brand” gTLD.
domainincite.com/exclusive-starhub-confirms-dot-brand-gtld-bid/
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- DNS SECURITY
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4 Ways to Prevent Domain Name Hijacking
On the night of Monday, January 23, the hacktivist group UGNazi hijacked Coach.com, the Internet domain name of luxury goods manufacturer Coach. For several hours, fashionistas who wanted to ogle Coach's new Willis handbag on Coach.com or get a deal on its Penelope shoulder bag at Coachfactory.com were redirected to UGNazi's cryptic website. Imagine the confusion--and frustration--the redirect must have caused in their coiffed little heads--not to mention the wear and tear on their manicured nails as they typed and retyped coach.com and coachfactory.com into their browser windows.
www.cio.com/article/699206/4_Ways_to_Prevent_Domain_Name_Hijacking_
www.networkworld.com/news/2012/020112-4-ways-to-prevent-domain-255616.html
www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/249160/4_ways_to_prevent_domain_name_hijacking.html
au: Aussie domain reseller Netfleet hacked
Customers of Sydney-based domain trader Netfleet may have had their personal details and encrypted credit cards compromised after hackers infiltrated the reseller’s database, CRN has learned.
www.crn.com.au/News/288912,aussie-domain-reseller-netfleet-hacked.aspx
au: Hackers infiltrate domain name auction house
COMPUTER hackers have penetrated the database of Australia's biggest internet domain name auction house, possibly accessing client home addresses and encrypted credit card numbers.
www.smh.com.au/it-pro/security-it/hackers-infiltrate-domain-name-auction-house-20120201-1qtgk.html
www.brisbanetimes.com.au/it-pro/security-it/hackers-infiltrate-domain-name-auction-house-20120201-1qtgk.html
www.watoday.com.au/it-pro/security-it/hackers-infiltrate-domain-name-auction-house-20120201-1qtgk.html
www.theage.com.au/it-pro/security-it/hackers-infiltrate-domain-name-auction-house-20120201-1qtgk.html
Cybersecurity report: All countries lag behind the bad guys [IDG]
The US and UK are relatively well prepared for cyberattacks, compared to many other developed nations, but everyone has more work to do, according to a new cybersecurity study from McAfee and Security & Defence Agenda (SDA).
www.computerworld.com.au/article/413846/cybersecurity_report_all_countries_lag_behind_bad_guys/
www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223836/Cybersecurity_report_All_countries_lag_behind_the_bad_guys
www.networkworld.com/news/2012/013012-cybersecurity-report-all-countries-lag-255498.html
Israel tops cyber-readiness poll but China lags behind
Israel, Finland and Sweden are seen as leading the way in "cyber-readiness", according to a major new security report.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16787509
China, India lag in cyber-readiness
China and India are lagging behind in cyberdefense and the ability to defend themselves against emerging attacks.
www.zdnetasia.com/china-india-lag-in-cyber-readiness-62303654.htm
U.S. lags Finland, Sweden and Israel in cybersecurity
The United States and China are less prepared for disruptive computer attacks than smaller countries such as Finland and Israel, according to the first-ever ranking of individual nations' cybersecurity postures.
www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20120130_9902.php
57% Believe a Cyber Arms Race is Currently Taking Place, Reveals McAfee-Sponsored Cyber Defense Report [news release]
McAfee and the Security & Defence Agenda (SDA) today revealed the findings from a report; Cyber-security: The Vexed Question of Global Rules that paints, for the first time, a global snapshot of current thinking about the cyber-threat and the measures that should be taken to defend against them, and assesses the way ahead. The SDA, the leading defense and security think-tank in Brussels, interviewed leading global security experts to ensure that findings would offer usable recommendations and actions. The report was created to identify key debate areas and trends and to help to governments and organizations understand how their cyber defense posture compares to those of other countries and organizations.
www.businesswire.com/news/mcafee/20120130005063/en/57-Cyber-Arms-Race-Place-Reveals-McAfee-Sponsored
US House Panel Approves Cyber Bill As Senate Version Faces Delay
A House subcommittee kicked off this year's cybersecurity agenda by approving a bill designed to protect "critical infrastructure" from cyberattacks, even as a Senate bill waits in the wings.
techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/02/house-panel-approves-cyber-bil.php
Google, Facebook, Bank Of America Behind New Email Security Standard
Google, Microsoft, Facebook, the Bank of America, and PayPal are among a group of 15 companies that have banded together to help fill a major security gap in email, today releasing a specification for curbing phishing and other abuses of legitimate email domains.
www.darkreading.com/authentication/167901072/security/application-security/232500733/google-facebook-bank-of-america-behind-new-email-security-standard.html
Technology Companies Confront a Scourge of the Internet
For all the engineer-poaching and trash-talking going around Silicon Valley these days, there has also been a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes collaboration.
bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/technology-companies-pair-up-to-confront-the-scourge-of-internet/
Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Bank of America team to wipe out phishing
Can industry heavyweights Google, PayPal, Microsoft and AOL -- along with 11 others in high-tech such as Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as the financial world's Bank of America and Fidelity Investments -- succeed in stopping phishing attacks right in their tracks? In uniting behind an effort called DMARC.org unveiled today, the group says it can through policy-based steps filter out spoofed email that attackers use for phishing.
www.networkworld.com/news/2012/013012-dmarc-255432.html
www.computerworld.com.au/article/413760/google_microsoft_facebook_bank_america_team_wipe_phishing/
us: Senate Cyber Legislation Facing Industry Resistance Over Cost
A Senate measure aimed at compelling operators of vital U.S. utility and other networks to strengthen cybersecurity drew resistance from some business groups concerned that the bill would raise companies’ costs.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-31/senate-cyber-legislation-facing-industry-resistance-over-cost.html
Cybersecurity Disaster Seen in U.S. Survey Detecting Insufficient Spending
Companies including utilities, banks and phone carriers would have to spend almost nine times more on cybersecurity to prevent a digital Pearl Harbor from plunging millions into darkness, paralyzing the financial system or cutting communications, a Bloomberg Government study found.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-31/cybersecurity-disaster-seen-in-u-s-survey-citing-spending-gaps.html
G'Day mate: Australia, New Zealand shake hands on cybersecurity
Australia and New Zealand signed an agreement on Sunday that expands their cooperation on cybersecurity.
www.infosecurity-us.com/view/23544/gday-mate-australia-new-zealand-shake-hands-on-cybersecurity/
Joint Statement with the Prime Minister of New Zealand [news release]
Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and John Key met for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ meeting in Melbourne on 29 January. Their meeting was followed by the second Joint Meeting of Australian and New Zealand Cabinet Ministers. ... The Prime Ministers announced further steps to deepen cooperation on national security and emergency management cooperation. They agreed: to strengthen cooperation against the shared and growing challenge of cyber security through a regular Australia New Zealand Cyber Dialogue;
www.pm.gov.au/press-office/joint-statement-prime-minister-new-zealand
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- DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Verizon to cybersquatters: Get off our Verizon-like domains
Verizon has filed a lawsuit against a Web site and domain name registrar, alleging that they are exploiting its name by placing ads on Verizon-like Web addresses.
news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57368498-94/verizon-to-cybersquatters-get-off-our-verizon-like-domains/
Did you know...You must prove rights in a domain name complaint under New Zealand's DRSP?
At the end of May 2011, New Zealand's Dispute Resolution Service Policy (DRSP) for .nz domain name registrations celebrated its fifth birthday. In that time, 76 complaints have resulted in transfer orders for the subject domain name(s), while 13 complaints were dismissed by experts.
www.mondaq.com/NewZealand/x/162772/
Cybersquatters face jail time in the Philippines
Cybersquatting is about to be criminalized in the Philippines, and you’re not going to believe the penalties.
domainincite.com/cybersquatters-face-jail-time-in-the-philippines/
James Brown estate doesn’t “feel good” after domain dispute
The estate of James Brown has lost a domain arbitration case for the domain name JamesBrown.com.
domainnamewire.com/2012/02/01/james-brown-com/
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- IPv4/IPv6
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au: WORLD IPv6 DAY – “Best School Day Ever!”
“The successful Australian test of IPv6 – the next generation of Internet Protocol – has cleared the way for full implementation”, said Narelle Clark, Vice President of the Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) and coordinator of Australia's activities.
www.isoc-au.org.au/Media/ISOC-AU_World_IPv6_Day_20110608.pdf
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- MISCELLANEOUS
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Spain Declares War on Online Pirates: A controversial anti-Internet-piracy law passes in Spain
As 2012 began—and less than two months after winning control over the Spanish parliament—the right-leaning Partido Popular passed a controversial new anti-Internet-piracy law that will impose strict penalties on website owners who fail to remove copyrighted material from their sites. ... The Sinde law will be just as tough to enforce, according to Professor Sanz: "Even blocking domain name system [DNS] sites," she says, "would just encourage users to use alternative and unregulated DNS servers. In other words, there is a real problem of applying the law because it [is] so easy to circumvent the technical barriers used to block users from reaching the websites."
spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/internet/spain-declares-war-on-online-pirates
.eu’s General Manager speaking at Domain Pulse 2012, Germany
EURid, the .eu registry, is attending the Domain Pulse 2012 conference in Hamburg, Germany (13-14 February 2012) where Marc Van Wesemael, General Manager, will present .eu’s recent website usage research. The study reveals that different TLDs have clearly different profiles.
www.eurid.eu/en/content/eu-s-general-manager-speaking-domain-pulse-2012-germany
Moniker and SnapNames join Key-Systems stable
KeyDrive has acquired rival registrar Moniker and rival aftermarket player SnapNames from Oversee.net, according to a statement on the company’s web site.
domainincite.com/moniker-and-snapnames-join-key-systems-stable/
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- DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Go Daddy Joins SedoMLS Network, Doors Open at DOMAINfest Global Today & DomainAdvisors Racking Up Big Sales Off the Radar
The SedoMLS Network announced a major expansion this morning - a new partnership with the world's leading registrar, Go Daddy. Domains that are listed at Sedo with Buy Now prices are now available to Go Daddy customers, many of them end users who can now purchase premium names directly from within their Go Daddy account. With no need to leave GoDaddy, or even create a Sedo account before buying, the rate of sales conversions is expected to take a significant jump.
www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2012/dailyposts/20120130.htm
6 questions to be answered at DOMAINFest this week - A preview of the week ahead in Santa Monica.
The largest domain name conference, DOMAINfest, takes place in Santa Monica this week. There’s a lot to look for in the 2012 edition. Here are six questions that will be answered before the end of the week.
domainnamewire.com/2012/01/30/domainfest-2012/
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