auDA Domain Name News - Nov 03
03/Nov/2008
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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Amnesty criticises Global Network Initiative for online freedom of speech
The human rights campaign group has explained why it isn't part of the new industry-backed plan to protect freedom of expression online
www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/oct/30/amnesty-global-network-initiative
Who is Responsible in Our Cloudy World? by Bill Thompson
A number of large technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!, have announced that they have signed up to a voluntary code of conduct on how they do business in countries that curtail freedom of expression like China and Singapore... It's not surprising to see this sort of self-regulation being proposed as otherwise political initiatives like the Global Online Freedom Act, passed in one US Senate committee but currently floating in legislative limbo, could actually make it into law.
www.circleid.com/posts/20081102_who_responsible_in_cloudy_world/
Principles for a better Web by Colin Maclay, Acting Executive Director, and Caroline Nolan, Research Associate, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
More than one billion people are online, with three times that amount connected via mobile devices, just one indication of how integrated digital technologies are with lives and livelihoods around the globe. While governments have for the most part encouraged these developments, they are increasingly aware of technology’s capacity to disrupt existing power structures and accordingly ambivalent. As governments seek to control information and online activities, private actors – information and communication technology (ICT) firms in particular – are increasingly called upon to assist in those efforts.
blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2008/10/30/principles-for-a-better-web/
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DOMAIN NAMES
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- ICANN
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Independent Reviewer's Report on the ICANN Board
ICANN's Board has been provided with the Boston Consulting Group/Colin Carter & Associates' independent review of the Board. This report will be used to inform ICANN's effort to develop detailed proposals for improving the Board's structure and processes. The Board has not had an opportunity to discuss the Report, but will consider it along with the ICANN community. As with other independent reviews of ICANN structures, the Board invites public input on the Report, and encourages the community to post their comments to the public forum that has been opened on this topic for the next 60 days. The independent evaluators will discuss the Report in a public workshop in Cairo scheduled for 1800 on Monday in Al Saraya 2,3,4.
icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-02nov08-en.htm
ICANN Formalizes Relationship with ccTLD Manager for Cocos (Keeling) Islands (.cc)
ICANN has announced today that it has signed an exchange of letters with the ccTLD manager for .cc-Cocos (Keeling) Islands, eNIC Cocos (Keening) Islands Pty Ltd.
icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-31oct08-en.htm
More Mechanisms for Transparency and Accountability
In recent years, ICANN has taken many steps to improve transparency and accountability in its operations. Most notably, a detailed budget process and disclosure process has been developed
icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-02nov08-en.htm
ICANN Cairo: Working Session on Single-Character Names Added to Schedule
ICANN has added an open Working Session on Single-Character Second-Level Domain Names to the schedule for Wednesday 5 November 2008, from 1700-1800 Cairo Time. The working session will be in Al Saraya 2-4.
icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-02nov08-en.htm
Fast Track Receives Over 50 Responses
Following the recommendation from the IDNC WG Final report, ICANN sent letters to all countries and territories requesting information about their interest in participating in the Fast Track process.
icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-01nov08-en.htm
What’s happening with Whois compliance activities? by Stacy Burnette
Whois has been a complex issue within ICANN, and continues to receive attention at the policy level. While this important policy work goes on, ICANN still has the clear responsibility to enforce existing Whois provisions in the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA), and to better understand the real world status of Whois accuracy and Whois related services (e.g. privacy and proxy registration services). So, what is ICANN doing for Whois compliance? Here is a recent survey of activities:
blog.icann.org/?p=384
New level of interaction at SSAC meeting tomorrow by Kieren McCarthy
We’re always trying to improve the quality of remote participation at ICANN meetings and tomorrow in Cairo will see a first trial of the most interactive session we have ever run.
blog.icann.org/?p=393
Embed ICANN meeting chatrooms on your site by Kieren McCarthy
Over the past four meetings, we have experimented with different approaches to chatrooms as a way of providing remote participants with an opportunity to interact in real time with a meeting.
blog.icann.org/?p=387
Um.whatever
Prepare for chaos when people can start adding anything they want to a Web address. Icann, the obscure group that metes out Internet addresses, has an uncanny ability to stir up controversy. The current plan of the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names & Numbers, approved in June, is to allow custom domain names to anyone who asks for one. Addresses ending in com or org will be passé. By the middle of next year applicants will be able to register everything from ".soup" to ".nuts."
www.forbes.com/technology/forbes/2008/1117/038.html
Icann opens internet to new languages
Middle Eastern internet professionals are gathering in Cairo this week to discuss the most significant change to the structure of the internet since its inception.
www.thenational.ae/article/20081102/BUSINESS/17968009/-1/NEWS
ICANN Delays Shutting Down Spammy Estonian Registrar [IDG]
The overseer of the Internet's addressing system said on Wednesday it will delay shutting down a dodgy Estonian domain registrar pending a review.
www.pcworld.com/article/153042/spammy_registrar.html
nytimes.com/external/idg/2008/10/30/30idg-ICANN-delays-sh.html
computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1511784188
ICANN tackles Estonian spamming registrar [IDG]
Web overloard ICANN is to delay shutting down a dodgy Estonian domain registrar pending a review.
www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=106353
Scandal-hit EstDomains fighting for life
Scandal-hit registrar EstDomains is facing closure. EstDomains was notified by Icann that it would be stripped of its accreditation due to the legal troubles of its chief executive. Vladimir Tsastsin was convicted in February of credit card fraud, forgery and money laundering in Estonia.
www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2229394/estdomains-fighting-life
uk.news.yahoo.com/16/20081030/ttc-scandal-hit-estdomains-fighting-for-6315470.html
ICANN Targeting Notorious Domain Name Seller
The net's authority over domain names is set to pull the plug on an Estonia-based seller of domain names that security researchers say has been a refuge for cyber-criminals for years.
blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/icann-targeting.html
EstDomains Challenges ICANN De-Accreditation
Domain registrar EstDomains might remain an accredited domain registrar after all.
domainnamewire.com/2008/10/30/estdomains-challenges-icann-de-accreditation/
ICANN web site is blocked in Egypt by Milton Mueller
I am in Cairo for the ICANN meeting. My hotel is far away from any free internet access, so I attempted to use the ($10/day) hotel service. The first thing I did was try to access the ICANN site to check the meeting schedules. I was shocked: a page came up with the hotel logo that said, "Site blocked."
blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/11/2/3958979.html
Economic analysis of Registry-registrar integration by Milton Mueller
From the ICANN does good department, ICANN has released a report by Charles Rivers Associates on the economic relationship between registries and registrars. All in all the report takes a fairly cautious approach to its recommendations and its main benefits lie in the introduction of more rigorous economic analysis into the ICANN policy dialogue. In the full post, we summarize the recommendations, and will review the whole report in greater detail and report anything of note later.
blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/10/25/3946626.html
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- ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Dispute over .africa domain
IP address registry AfriNIC has had to postpone its planned November meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa due to disagreement over the future location of a .africa address zone. According to AfriNIC, the hosts, the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation, have cancelled the ninth meeting of the African address registry at short notice. The organisation has thus found itself forced to divert to Mauritius. The reason for the Ethiopian cancellation appears to be wrangling over the operation of the planned .africa TLD.
www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/118223
The Berlin Domain .berlin
When Dirk Krischenowski, Founder and CEO says at ICANN meeting in Paris that .berlin is the mothership of all cityTLDs
au.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux9B7lxVMUM
ca: Phishing Attack Warning for Domain Name Holders
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) received reports of phishing scam e-mails designed to collect information relating to domain name registrations. The e-mails were made to appear to be coming from various domain name Registrars.
cira.ca/en/media-room/news/237.html
CIRA Starts Domain Name System Security (DNSSEC) Implementation
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) started the process of implementing DNSSEC, a set of extensions used to add an additional layer of security to the Domain Name System (DNS) - the service that translates domain names into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
cira.ca/en/media-room/news/236.html
New 12-month validity period for fi-domain names
FICORA will improve its fi-domain name service by introducing a 12-month validity period for domain names as of the beginning of next year. After the change will have entered into force on 5 January 2009, it will be possible to apply for, renew or transfer a fi-domain name to another holder either for one or three years.
www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2008/P_35.html
Results of .FR public consultation published
The French government has published a six page summary of the answers received to its consultation on .FR's future. Next step: an official RFP for the job of running the French registry.
domainesinfo.fr/english/231/results-of-fr-public-consultation-published.php
Publication of the synthesis of the public consultation on French TLDs
AFNIC welcomes this important new stage in the process designed by the Decree of February the 6th 2007, that must lead to the formal appointment of the registries for .fr and overseas Internet TLDs.
www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/203/publication-of-the-synthesis-of-the-public-consultation-on-french-top-level-domains.html
The AFNIC publishes its first decisions in regards to its specific dispute resolution procedure for obvious breaches of the stipulations of the decree of February 6th, 2007
The AFNIC published its first decisions to apply the procedure opened on July 22nd to resolve the cases of obvious breaches of the stipulations of the decree of February 6th, 2007.
www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/204/the-afnic-publishes-its-first-decisions-in-regards-to-its-specific-dispute-resolution-procedure-for-obvious-breaches-of-the-stipulations-of-the-decree-of-february-6th-2007.html
.IS Registration rules changed.
Registering .IS domains no longer requires the domain's administrative contact to be icelandic. The registration steps are simple: First you need a username (NIC- handle) from ISNIC. To create your "NIC-handle" select "Contacts/register" from the menu (left). Once you have verified your username you can login, and then select "Domains/register" from the menu. Further explanations can be found in the FAQ.
www.isnic.is/news/index.php
NZRS replaces .nz name server
New Zealand Registry Services (NZRS) is pleased to announce that the authoritative name server for the .nz Domain Name System (DNS) has been replaced.
www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/nzrs-replaces-.nz-name-server
nzrs.net.nz/notices/news.shtml#ns_replacement
Huge demand for .tel from registrars as 100 sign up with Telnic
Today at SYSTEMS 08, Telnic Limited, the Registry Operator for the new .tel TLD announced that one hundred ICANNaccredited registrars had signed an agreement to sell .tel domain names well in advance of its launch.
telnic.com/downloads/100_Registrars_Announcement.pdf
uk: Independent Corporate Governance Review
In response to a letter from the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), we are announcing an independent review of our current corporate governance structure, to be benchmarked against established best practice corporate governance standards.
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5701
www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=5702
Nominet reviews corporate governance structure
UK domain name registrar Nominet has launched an independent review of its existing corporate governance structure.
telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=643195
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- DNS SECURITY
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Tech industry group battles botnets [IDG]
Several ISPs and Internet companies will meet in San Francisco early next year to adopt a common strategy for combating botnets, the remotely controlled networks that are used to carry out distributed denial-of-service attacks and massive spam campaigns.
nytimes.com/external/idg/2008/10/30/30idg-Tech-industry-g.html
www.pcworld.com/article/153121/group_battles_botnets.html
Cyberattacks target UK's national infrastructure
Sustained cyber-espionage attacks are being waged on companies that play a key role in the Britain's national infrastructure, a UK cyber-defence chief has warned.
news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39534286,00.htm
New Phishing Attacks Target Legitimate Web Domain Owners
A new brand of phishing attack now under way and aimed at legitimate Web site domain owners could be the result of efforts to shut down a notorious domain registrar popular among spammers and malware writers, security experts say.
www.darkreading.com/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=211800362
New guide launched to beat the phishers
The anti phishing working group (APWG) launched a new best practice guide for registrars today, aimed at making it more difficult for online criminals to register domains for purposes such as creating phishing sites.
www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2229526/guide-launched-beat-phishers
www.techcentral.ie/article.aspx?id=12752
www.itnews.com.au/News/88115,new-guide-launched-to-beat-the-phishers.aspx
Web Domain Owners targetted by New Phishing Attacks
Legitimate Web Site domain owners are being prone to a new brand of phishing attack and could be the result of efforts to shut down a notorious domain registrar popular among spammers and malware writers, security experts say.
www.webhostdir.com/news/showNews.aspx?ID=28734
Network Solutions Proactive in Fighting Recent Phishing Attack
Emails from NetworkSolutions to their client base reveal that Network Solutions is taking measures to alert and keep customers informed on the recent NSI phishing scam. It appears as well that NSI is taking necessary defensive measures to combat any unauthorized access to customer domain names resulting from the phishing attempts.
www.domainnamenews.com/registrars/network-solutions-proactive-in-fighting-recent-phishing-attack/3046
Anti-phishing best practices recommendations for domain registrars
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), in consultation with the ICANN Registrar Constituency and several domain name registrars, has published a "best practices" advisory for registrars to help them implement mechanisms to make it more difficult to register and use domains for illicit uses such as phishing, a confidence scheme used to dupe consumers out of personal financial information.
www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=6702
eNom Phishing Attacks Continue and Morph
Domain registrar eNom, the second largest domain registrar in the world, continues to be hit with phishing attacks. The first attack resembled an inaccurate whois report. The new one is a routine maintenance reminder.
domainnamewire.com/2008/11/01/enom-phishing-attacks-continue-and-morph/
Phishers Attempting to Steal Domain Names.
In recent days, a number of bogus emails from what appears to come from several Domain Registrars have been received in email inboxes.
chatmag.com/news/110108_phishing_stealing_domain_names.html
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- DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Google should use its own technology to defeat typosquatting, says lawyer
Google should use its own search engine technology to identify typosquatters and cut off their advertising income, a US lawyer has said. He said that Google had the technical know-how to tell typosquatted domain names from genuine ones.
out-law.com/page-9549
Net gaming sites appeal domain name seizures
Internet gambling companies and online commerce groups want the state Court of Appeals to toss the state's lawsuit that resulted in the seizure of 141 online gambling Web site domain names by the state.
www.kentucky.com/181/story/576327.html
iMEGA Calls The Kentucky Sentence A Judiciary Mistake
The highly esteemed Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) recently appealed against the decision of the Kentucky court to seize 141 domains of online gaming sites.
www.pokerstrategy.com/news/world-of-poker/iMEGA-Calls-The-Kentucky-Sentence-A-Judiciary-Mistake_11393
Boycott Kentucky: Internet Community Expresses Outrage Over Domain Seizures
A website calling itself www.boycottkentucky.com orchestrated a campaign Friday to have angry Web users call Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear's office en masse.
www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/boycott-kentucky-internet-community-expresses-outrage-over-domain-seizures-110108.html
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- IPv4/IPv6
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Last IPv4 blocks are given out
The last remaining IPv4 address blocks have been allocated. IP address administrators (the Regional Internet Registries or RIR) of all five regions (AfriNIC, APNic , ARIN, LacNIC and RIPE) have agreed on how the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) should allocate them. The last five blocks available are to be allocated one each to the five RIRs. This was the conclusion reached by the specialists meeting in Dubai at the 57th session of Réseaux IP Européens (RIPE), which is responsible for Europe and parts of Asia. The existing stock of IPv4 addresses held by the IANA will probably only last until January 2011. The individual registries can continue issuing their remaining addresses to internet service providers until December 2011.
www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/118224
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- MISCELLANEOUS
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Going Offshore? Watch Out for Australia, Too.
Last week I wrote about a growing movement for transferring domain names away from United States registrars to other countries. I argued that:
domainnamewire.com/2008/10/30/going-offshore-watch-out-for-australia-too/
Netcraft October 2008 Web Server Survey
In the October 2008 survey we received responses from 182,226,259 sites, which reflects growth of 948 thousand since last month.
news.netcraft.com/archives/2008/10/29/october_2008_web_server_survey.html
"NRO Regrets the Lost Opportunity for Ethiopia to Host an AfriNIC Training and Meeting Event"
The Number Resource Organisation (NRO), is an organization formed by the five Regional Internet address Registries which are responsible for the management of IP address space (IPv4 and IPv6) around the world.
www.nro.org/documents/press_release_301008.html
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- DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Media General Purchases Richmond.com
Media General, an independent communications company and parent of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, has purchased Richmond.com for an undisclosed amount of money.
www.domainnamenews.com/domain-sales/media-general-purchases-richmondcom/3067
Domainer Mardi Gras Schedule: Risk Management for the Modern Domainer
The Domainer Mardi Gras will be held from 19 to 21 February in New Orleans. Following dramatic changes in 2008 in the life of a domainer in 2008, today’s Modern Domainer is being feeling the effects of rising domain name registration fees, approval of new TLDs, changes in monetisation rules by advertising network providers, new tax implications and by an increase in domain name related lawsuits.
www.domainpulse.com/2008/11/01/domainer-mardi-gras-schedule-risk-management-for-the-modern-domainer/
Back on Track - $300,000 Country Code Sale Leads a Solid Week in the Domain Aftermarket
With the domain aftermarket coming off its slowest week of the year there was a lot of interest in whether or not it would snap back this week. It did - with one of the year's five biggest ccTLD sales leading the way. Nokta sold FreeCreditReport.co.uk through the AfternicDLS for a whopping $300,000 to take the top spot on our new chart and Nokta also nailed down the #5 spot with a $70,000 sale of the plural version, FreeCreditReports.co.uk, also through the AfternicDLS.
dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales10-21-08.htm
Domain Industry Growth amidst the Recession
Surprising as it may seem, the domain industry seems to be unfazed by the recent economic turmoil that has been plaguing the world. Proof of this can be seen in the increase of industry blogs related to domaining. More and more domainers, it seems, are finding the need to communicate their “secrets” to the world.
domainersmagazine.com/20080917134/domainer-s-magazine-news/domain-industry-growth-amidst-the-recession.html
US Justice Department Investigates $164 Million Domain Portfolio Sale
At the Beverly Hills office of criminal defense lawyer Edward M. Robbins Jr., anxious new clients are showing up with an unexpected problem. The clients put money in Swiss bank accounts, where it was supposed to stay secret. But now those depositors fear the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department will gain access to their bank records, Robbins said.
fragerfactor.blogspot.com/2008/11/justice-department-investigates-164.html
SarahPalin.com Lands on Afternic
An auction for SarahPalin.com has started on domain name aftermarket Afternic.com. The auction will end November 7 and is currently $501 with three bids.
domainnamewire.com/2008/11/02/sarahpalincom-lands-on-afternic/
