Topics

• Access Providers
• Broadband
• Censorship
• Cyberattack
• Cybersquatting
• DNS
• DNSSEC
• Domain Names
• Domain Registries
• Enum
• Internet Governance
• Internet Protocol
• IP Addressing
• IPTV
• IPv6
• Law
• Mobile
• Multilinguism
• Net Neutrality
• P2P
• Policy & Regulation
• Privacy
• Regional Registries
• Security
• Spam
• Top-Level Domains
• VoIP
• Web
• Web Hosting
• Whois
• Wireless

Sections

• Blogs
• News
• Comments
• Industry

Access Tools

• RSS Feeds
• Email Updates
• Desktop
• Mobile

Law, Spam / May 16, 2008 9:51 AM PST

Wow, Sanford Wallace Owes a Lot of Money

Last September MySpace sued ur-spammers Sanford "Spamford" Wallace and Walt "Pickle Jar" Rines were for egregious violations of CAN SPAM. Neither responded, so as was widely reported, earlier this week the court granted a default judgement. Since they sent a lot of spam, the statutory damages came to an enormous $235 million. Even for Spamford, that's a lot of money. ›››

Access Providers, Broadband, Wireless / May 14, 2008 4:31 PM PST

White Space for Internet Use Interfering with Wireless Patient Devices?

There is a germ of truth (perhaps a prion-sized germ or maybe just an amino acid) in the idea that transmitters in "white spaces" in the TV band *might* disrupt patient monitoring equipment if designed by a lunatic who believes in sending massive pulses of energy in a whitespace in the TV band (perhaps amplified by a large parabolic dish antenna the size of a trashcan lid or larger, aimed at the patient monitor system. But that risk is completely shared with zillions of other potential radiators of energy in the entire electromagnetic spectrum... GE, of course, owns NBC. There is a MAJOR conflict of interest at the corporate level of GE... ›››

Cyberattack, Internet Governance, Mobile, Policy & Regulation, Security / May 14, 2008 1:22 PM PST

Do We Need Two Internets?

Jonathan Zittrain's recent book, The Future of the Internet -- And How to Stop It, has spurred a lot of discussion both online and offline, with blog posts lauding his insights or criticising his over-apocalyptic imagination. The book itself makes fascinating reading for those who have watched the network grow from its roots in the research community into today's global channel for communications, commerce and cultural expression... One of the reasons that Zittrain puts forward for the growing popularity of closed or, as he prefers 'tethered', devices, is that they are less vulnerable to hacking, security flaws, malware and all the other perils that face any internet-enabled system. ›››

Cyberattack, Privacy, Security, Spam / May 13, 2008 9:58 AM PST

Are Botnets Run by Spy Agencies?

A recent story today about discussions for an official defense Botnet in the USA prompted me to post a question I've been asking for the last year. Are some of the world's botnets secretly run by intelligence agencies, and if not, why not? Some estimates suggest that up to 1/3 of PCs are secretly part of a botnet. The main use of botnets is sending spam, but they are also used for DDOS extortion attacks and presumably other nasty things like identity theft. But consider this... ›››

Access Providers, Broadband, Mobile, Wireless / May 10, 2008 4:55 PM PST

The New Clearwire

The new Clearwire could be game-changing, but the rules of the game may not be quite as Clearwire presents them. I have been wondering since last July whether something significant would happen in the Google/Sprint world. The deal announcement earlier this weekseems to be that key development... In a nutshell, Sprint will contribute its substantial spectrum licenses in the 2.5 GHz range and its WiMAX-related assets and intellectual property. Google, Intel, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks will invest a total of $3.2 billion. ›››

Access Providers, Broadband / May 10, 2008 6:20 AM PST

NGN is Not the Internet, and Never Will

I see and hear a lot of confusion about next generation networks (NGN). In most cases people are using the term roughly as the ITU-T defines it: "A Next Generation Network (NGN) is a packet-based network able to provide services including Telecommunication Services and able to make use of multiple broadband, QoS-enabled transport technologies and in which service-related functions are independent from underlying transport-related technologies." but many people don't realize how little this has to do with the Internet... ›››

DNS, Domain Names / May 07, 2008 4:52 PM PST

A Patent for SiteFinder-Like Resolution

I saw an interesting news item that broke Monday courtesy of DomainNameNews and SlashDot that hasn't been broadly covered yet. I'm surprised no one has posted on this yet on CircleID, so here goes. Apparently VeriSign has been awarded a patent for the resolution of mis-typed domain names. This was at the heart of the controversy back in 2003 around their SiteFinder Service. Amidst a storm of criticism ICANN insisted VeriSign shut down the service, and the company eventually agreed. ›››

Security, Spam / May 07, 2008 8:11 AM PST

Coders, Crackers and Bots, Oh My!

There are more than just blue, black and white hat hackers. There are a few more types of folks out there that don't fit into the above categories. This article is taken from Stratfor with some commentary by myself... Many of the hackers described in my previous post are also coders, or "writers," who create viruses, worms, Trojans, bot protocols and other destructive "malware" tools used by hackers... ›››

Security, Spam / May 07, 2008 7:45 AM PST

Black Hats, White Hats, Crackers and Bots

One of the other web sites I subscribe to is Stratfor. It's a global intelligence website and doesn't really have much to do with spam. But I like politics so I read it. They have some articles which you can get for free, but the better stuff you have to pay for. About two weeks ago, they ran a three-part series on Cyberwarfare. The first article was the title of this post, which you can access here (requires registration). In the article they described different types of cybercriminals and not-so-criminals which they referred to under the umbrella as "hackers." ›››

Access Providers, Broadband, Mobile, Wireless / May 07, 2008 6:02 AM PST

Sprint’s Big Deal: New Life for WiMax

The Wall Street Journal is reporting the terms of a yet unannounced deal which will finance a massive rollout of WiMax by a Sprint-Clearwire joint venture. Outside funding is to be provided by Intel, Google, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable as well as Bright House, a small cable company. Assuming the deal is for real, this is good news for US users of broadband and, indirectly, other users around the world. ›››

Access Providers, Broadband, Net Neutrality, Policy & Regulation, Wireless / May 05, 2008 2:02 PM PST

700 MHz Update: Will VZ Comply with the Rules?

Last Friday (HT: IPDemocracy), Google filed a petition [PDF] asking that the Commission ensure that Verizon understands what those "open platform" requirements for the C Block really mean. Verizon has taken the position in the past that its own devices won't be subject to the "open applications" and "open handsets" requirements of the C Block rules, and Google says it is concerned that Verizon doesn't plan to follow those requirements in the future. This is big. Here's the background... ›››

Spam / May 04, 2008 10:44 AM PST

Jeremy Jaynes Gets One More Chance

n 2004 Jaynes became the country's first convicted spam felon under the Virginia anti-spam law. He's been appealing his conviction ever since, most recently losing an appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court by a 4-3 decision in February. As I discussed in more detail at the time the key questions were a) whether the Virginia law had First Amendment problems and b) whether Jaynes had standing to challenge it. The court answered No to b), thereby avoiding the need to answer a), the dissent answered Yes to both. ›››

Cybersquatting, DNS, Domain Names, Policy & Regulation, Privacy, Spam, Whois / May 02, 2008 9:54 AM PST

New CIRA Whois Policy Strikes Balance Between Privacy and Access

My weekly technology law column focuses this week on the new CIRA whois policy that is scheduled to take effect on June 10, 2008. The whois issue has attracted little public attention, yet it has been the subject of heated debate within the domain name community for many years. It revolves around the whois database, a publicly accessible, searchable list of domain name registrant information (as in "who is" the registrant of a particular domain name). ›››

Spam / Apr 30, 2008 8:29 AM PST

Colorado Has a New Spam Law

The governor of Colorado recently signed a new anti-spam law [PDF] into effect. Since CAN SPAM draws a tight line around what states can do, this law is mostly interesting for the way that it pushes as firmly against that line as it can. Other observers have already done a legal analysis of the way it's worded to avoid being tossed out as the Oklahoma law was in Mummagraphics, and to make it as easy as possible for suits to meet the falsity or deception limits in CAN SPAM. To me the most interesting part of this law is its one-way fee recovery language... ›››

DNS, Top-Level Domains / Apr 29, 2008 3:49 PM PST

Fun and Games In the ccTLD World

There must be something in the air. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but there are a lot of things going on in the ccTLD world at the moment. In the UK Nominet's Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being held this week. This would normally provoke a yawn from most people -- it's an AGM -- how exciting can that be? This year's AGM looks like it could be quite entertaining, although it probably isn't going to be particularly beneficial for its membership. ›››

IPv6 / Apr 28, 2008 8:02 AM PST

IPv6… Becoming a Hot Topic Again?

Is IPv6 a hot topic again in the wake of the increased coverage of the looming IPv4 address depletion? This was the theme of a coffee break discussion we had at the recent MENOG3 conference in Kuwait. With as many opinions as participants, I turned to "Google Trend" to help me get a better feel... Using IPv6 as search word and varying the time line indeed provided some interesting perspective and tidbits on when and where IPv6 seems to be or have been a hot topic indeed. ›››

Cybersquatting, DNS, Domain Names, Law, Security / Apr 26, 2008 10:25 AM PST

Brand Complementors: Implementing a Cooperative Domain-Name Use

The essay expands a cooperative solution to third-party use of brands in domain names. Like any approach that depends on cooperation, the solution will require both sides to change behavior but also allow both sides to take credit for the resulting benefits, i.e. a triangular solution. If not immediately addressed, the problem of third-party use can become a major threat to the industry. But we already know one thing: when it comes to this issue, legal action and bullying don't work. ›››

Start Your AdAds

Sponsored LinksMarketplace

Industry Updates

May 17, 2008 5:28 PM PST

Hostway to Offer Cable Companies Additional Revenue Streams at NCTA’s Cable Show ‘08

Hostway will participate in the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's Cable Show '08 as an exhibitor offering attendees additional revenue streams through its white label Web hosting program. ›››

May 15, 2008 11:28 AM PST

Overstock.com Chooses NeuStar’s UltraDNS for Managed DNS Service

NeuStar, Inc. has announced that Overstock.com, a popular online closeout retailer, has chosen NeuStar's UltraDNS Managed DNS Service to provide Overstock.com with a global DNS infrastructure that significantly enhances end-user experience and operational security -- and protects revenue in the highly competitive online retail market. ›››

May 14, 2008 11:37 AM PST

Inside Your Domain Portfolio

We've seen a lot of changes in the domain industry over the last year, some positive, some challenging. Whether you're an old pro or just beginning, this spring is a great time to take inventory and make sure your domain business is on the right track for success this year and beyond. ›››

May 14, 2008 11:32 AM PST

Sedo at Domain Roundtable 2008, San Francisco

Domain Roundtable 2008 was an all-around successful event for Sedo. The conference was attended by the domain industry's best and brightest and the Sedo team was right there in the thick of it. ›››

May 14, 2008 11:27 AM PST

Sedo’s New Brokerage Application

Have you ever wanted to buy or sell a domain or a portfolio of domains but just didn't have the time to market it, manage and negotiate the best possible price? You can now request this premium service and work with an experienced Sedo domain broker. ›››

May 13, 2008 3:00 PM PST

ICANN Unanimously Approves RegistryPro Proposal to Expand the .Pro TLD

RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .Pro top level domain (TLD), has received approval from ICANN to greatly expand the scope and availability of the .Pro TLD. The newly ratified terms of service increases the number of professionals who are eligible for the TLD, extends the availability globally, and streamlines the registration process. ›››

May 06, 2008 10:16 AM PST

Oversee.net’s DomainSponsor Presents 3rd Annual DOMAINfest Global

The third annual DOMAINfest Global, the premier conference and networking event for the domain name industry, will be held at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California from January 28-30, 2009. Event registration will open later this year. ›››

May 02, 2008 10:21 AM PST

.NL Auction Sneak Peak!

Join Sedo for our much anticipated .NL auction, being held from May 2nd 4pm (EST) until May 9th at approximately 4pm (EST). As the worth of the .NL continues to increase, so does the demand. ›››

Apr 30, 2008 10:01 AM PST

dotMobi Requests Proposals for find.mobi

dotMobi today announced that is accepting proposals for find.mobi, a consumer-facing mobile search tool; find.mobi was created by dotMobi's research and development team to demonstrate an operational mobile search engine that made the most of the mobile web and needs of on-the-go users. ›››

Apr 28, 2008 2:08 PM PST

dotMobi Offers Prime Selection of Generic Domain Names to Spur Mobile Web Growth

As part of its ongoing series of unique methods of allocating Internet domain names, dotMobi is bringing 16 "premium names" to market at Moniker's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East Auction on May 23, 2008. ›››

Start Your AdAds