Domain Names
11 December 2006
Can domain name registrars just say no to blatant phishers? Watchdog group calls issue 'complex' Network World
This story from Network World looks at the recent comments by F-Secure's Mikko Hypponen "that registrars should simply refuse to issue domain names that are obviously intended for phishing." Dave Jevans, chairman of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, responds to these comments noting the issue is complex, but that's it's not possible for a registrar to know beforehand whether a site will be used for phishing or not. To vet every site will cost money, and that not every registrar has "the same vetting abilities or policies."
ICANN Conference in Sao Paulo Bears Much Fruit eWeek
eWeek reports on a teleconference held by Paul Twomey and Vint Cerf to report on last week's meeting in Sao Paulo. The article notes a number of developments, chief among these being the Latin American and Caribbean RALO. Other developments were the approval of .asia with Vint Cerf being quoted as saying "it's a relief to have that out of the way". Also announced was ICANN board members agreed to a "three-year strategic plan that calls for an increase in international participation". Paul Twomey was noted as saying transparency is a top priority. The strategic plan is also noted as a priority.
09 December 2006
ICANN and DotAsia Organization Sign .ASIA Registry Agreement ICANN
ICANN and DotAsia Organization, the sponsoring organization for the .ASIA top-level domain, announce the signing of the .ASIA Registry Agreement, yesterday 6 December 2006 at the ICANN Annual Meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil. On 18 October 2006, the ICANN Board approved the designation of the .ASIA sponsored top-level domain and authorized the President to implement the Agreement. DotAsia is the first gTLD registry with a headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region.
08 December 2006
Can banks elude online sharks? The Guardian
This article in The Guardian looks at phishing and the ease in which criminals can buy and/or register domain names that to the consumer will look like a legitimate domain name with logos copied from the companies website. Mikko Hypponen from F-Secure says that TLDs such as ".com, .net and .uk are already a lost cause. We can't fix those any more." One way to fix this is to have a TLD such as .bank or .secure, something supported by Hypponen, and to have stringent background checks for organisations wanting to register in one of these TLDs. The article says Paul Twomey has invited the financial sector to make its case. For now though it's up to the banks to protect themselves and check for illegitimate domains, something Barclays among many others does now.
ICANN Reviews Revoking Outdated Suffixes Sydney Morning Herald/AP
Over the past few years, the Internet has seen new domain names such as ".eu" for Europe and ".travel" for the travel industry. Now, the key oversight agency is looking to get rid of some such as ".su", ".yu", ".tp", ".gb" and "cs".
dotMobi Extends Deadline for Premium Name RFPs Circle ID
Due to strong interest from multiple leading brands, dotMobi is extending the deadline for the first round of its Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
za: Illegal domain name parking rampant in SA My Broadband
Because of an impasse in the law, so-called domain name parking is rampant in South Africa leaving many local companies powerless to acquire their rightful domains.
07 December 2006
ICANN to discuss IDNs, kiting, this week in São Paulo InfoWorld/IDG
ICANN will discuss key projects and initiatives at a meeting this week in São Paulo, including the internationalization of the domain name system and a new, lucrative Web site registration practice that some object to.
IDN Laboratory Test Design Plans ICANN
Following the engagement of Autonomica AB, as announced on 19 October 2006, ICANN is pleased to provide more detailed information about the IDN test plans. The IDN testing plans are divided into two phases. The first phase includes laboratory testing that is designed to clarify and document any issues that may arise, if any, when inserting puny-code strings representing top level domains into the root zone. The second phase is an expansion of the laboratory test and will function as a pre-deployment testing primarily for application and user-interface testing.
05 December 2006
Deal signed on .com domain future BBC
The US government has given its blessing to a controversial deal over the future of the lucrative .com net domain.
Europeans Moderate GAC Principles, But... by Milton Mueller Comments Circle ID
A U.S.-led Task Force in ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) released version 3 of its "Whois Principles" in preparation for the ICANN meeting in Brazil, where it will be debated and finalized.
ICANN Releases Beta TLD Verification Tool ICANN
ICANN released a beta version TLD Verification Tool. This verification tool has been developed in response to problems reported by gTLD registries and end-users of the non-acceptance of some existing TLDs. These problems occur in some current applications because: 1) they do not recognize any TLD of more than three characters; or, 2) they rely on legacy information where only com/net/org and a handful of ccTLDs are recognized as valid.
DRAFT Procedure for Potential Conflicts between Whois Requirements and Privacy Laws ICANN
ICANN is launching a public comments period on the Procedure for Dealing with Potential Conflicts Between Whois Requirements and Privacy Laws.
Demand for .travel Domain Names on the Rise Circle ID
With little more than 30 days remaining until the expiration of .travel Place Name Priority Rights, Tralliance Corporation, the .travel Registry, reports a surge in domain name requests and has established a hotline for potential registrants to expedite the domain name application process.
cym: Welsh domain debate hots up Ping Wales
Since Ping Wales' interview in October with dotCYM campaigner, Siôn Jobbins, the campaign for a Welsh domain name has grown in popularity but has also raised many questions as to its objectives and its potential consequences for Wales.
04 December 2006
ICANN Rejects `.travel' Search Plan Sydney Morning Herald/AP
ICANN said it has rejected a proposed search service to help guide people who mistype ".travel" Web addresses or seek nonexistent ones.
Price rise on the cards for .com Computer Business Review
The price of a .com domain name registration is likely to go up, after the US government gave price-raising powers to VeriSign Inc, the company that runs .com.
03 December 2006
NTIA Approves New .Com Domain Name Registry Agreement National Telecommunications and Information Administration news release
The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved a new .com domain name registry agreement between ICANN and VeriSign Inc. The new agreement allows VeriSign to operate the .com domain through 2012.
02 December 2006
ICANN São Paulo Remote Participation Website ICANN
In a further attempt to improve outreach, participation and transparency, ICANN has built a remote participation website for its São Paulo meeting, which commences December 2, at http://sp.icann.org/. The site is being run as a pilot with a view to making it a permanent feature of ICANN meetings in the future. ICANN has commissioned Kieren McCarthy, a well-known journalist and ICANN observer, to develop the site, following his involvement in a similar site (http://igf2006.info) for the Internet Governance Forum in Athens in November.
VeriSign Still .Com Master Internet News
VeriSign has emerged again as the .com master nine months after submitting its revised deal to the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC).
Net Agency Rejects '.travel' Search Plan The Mercury News/AP
ICANN said it has rejected a proposed search service to help guide people who mistype ".travel" Web addresses or seek nonexistent ones.
Domain Registrations Hit 112 Million Circle ID
VeriSign is reporting that over 112M domains have been registered as of the end of Q3 2006. A record number of domain names are now registered, at 112 million, which is 30% higher than just one year ago and 6% higher than the previous quarter. The five largest TLDs remain .com, .de (Germany), .net, .uk (Britain), and .org.
President's Strategy Committee Releases Draft Recommendations for Community Consideration and Announces Process for Further Consultations ICANN
ICANN's President's Strategy Committee was established in December 2005 to provide observations and recommendations concerning strategic issues facing ICANN, and hence contribute to ICANN's strategic planning process, which occurs in bottom-up consultation with the ICANN community.
01 December 2006
Demand for .travel Domain Names on the Rise Circle ID
With little more than 30 days remaining until the expiration of .travel Place Name Priority Rights, Tralliance Corporation, the .travel Registry, reports a surge in domain name requests and has established a hotline for potential registrants to expedite the domain name application process.
Review of ICANN Regions ICANN
One of the core values underlying ICANN's structure and operations is support for broad and informed participation reflecting the geographic diversity of the Internet at all levels of policy development and decision making. This support is implemented by numerous requirements for geographic diversity reflected in ICANN's bylaws, in the operating procedures of ICANN entities and in its culture. These requirements are framed in terms of Geographic Regions, as provided in Article VI, Section 5 of the bylaws.
