Featured Blogs

5 Myths About DMCA ‘Take-Down’ Notices

The so-called notice-and-take-down provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provide both a very effective tool for copyright owners to get infringing content removed from the Internet as well as an important protection for service providers (such as website hosting companies) that may inadvertently publish infringing material, either directly or via user-generated content. more

DNS, My God It’s Full of Stars…

Since my last post about DNS subversion we have had some good feedback. We had 29 responses, I agree a small sample, but what we found is very interesting. Let's remind ourselves of what we are looking at? Does your ISP redirect DNS queries? Specifically, if you try to make a port 53 UDP or TCP connection to a server outside of your ISP's network does it get there? more

Closing in on the Google Hackers

Joseph Menn has an article on CNN.com wherein the crux of the story is that US experts are closing in on the hackers that broke into Google last month. It is believed by some that the Chinese government sponsored these hackers. China, naturally, denied involvement. My own take is that tools today are sophisticated enough such that you don't necessarily need state sponsorship in order to launch a cyber attack. more

Sanctions & The Regulation of IP Transfers

The early stages of internet development operated in a culture of independence from outside influence. In fact, as though to commemorate the spirit of the times, in 1996, John Perry Barlow wrote "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace." In it, he told governments they "have no sovereignty where we gather." He went on to state, "Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere, but it is not where bodies live." more

Choosing the Right Path to a Permanent Accountability Framework for ICANN

Over the next month, the ICANN Board will consider its options for ensuring that some framework is in place to ensure ICANN's accountability to the global Internet community after the approaching expiration of its Memorandum of Understanding and Joint Project Agreement (MOU/JPA) with the U.S. Department of Commerce. We analyze these options in our new paper... more

What to Expect at ICANN 59, Johannesburg

I'm excited! Not because of the 30 hours that it will take me to get to Johannesburg, but because this ICANN meeting will be the second time we've put the Meeting B Policy Forum to the test. If the second time is a charm then hopefully we'll have cemented the Policy Forum into the ICANN meeting structure, and we can start a conversation about having two Policy Forums each year and one AGM meeting. more

The Canoe Tipping Point

Google has successfully created a nationwide (worldwide) fine-grained, targeted ad market by using queries to its search engine. The cable industry would like to be able to use its cable and broadband subscriber data to create a nationwide, fine-grained, targeted ad market. This race has substantial implications for the future of online video -- and online activity generally. more

Addressing Infringement: Developments in Content Regulation in the US and the DNS

Over the course of the last decade, in response to significant pressure from the US government and other governments, service providers have assumed private obligations to regulate online content that have no basis in public law. For US tech companies, a robust regime of "voluntary agreements" to resolve content-related disputes has grown up on the margins of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the Communications Decency Act (CDA). more

Hiding in Plain Sight: Post-Breach

The majority of network breaches begin and end with the installation of malware upon a vulnerable device. For the rest, once that initial malware beachhead has been achieved, the story is only just beginning. The breach disclosures that make the news are often confusing as they're frequently compiled from third-hand reports, opinions and technical assumptions. More often than not, they include a discussion about the malware - how advanced it was, etc. - and whether any 0-day vulnerabilities were likely used by the mysterious attacker. more

The Importance of IPRC in Asia Pacific

I believe and strongly support Internet Principle and Right Coalition (IPRC) Charter is an important edition of document supplementing the principles and rights of individual internet users in any developing and least developed country. Especially in Asia Pacific region where the need and use of such document is immense, as there is a gap in recognition and awareness of rights of internet users. more

America Closing Down Its Copper Network - So What’s Next?

We have reported in the past on the rapid decline of the copper telecoms network in the USA. A decade ago BuddeComm predicted that it would be impossible to move two customer access networks in parallel towards the new fibre future, the one operated by the telcos and the other operated by the cable companies. At that stage we indicated that a possible outcome could be that the telcos would upgrade their networks to FttH and that the cable companies would become the key tenants on that network. more

Mobile Broadband in Africa and the GCC Countries

The story of the growth of pre-paid mobile voice and SMS in Africa and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council is well known. The challenge is to move to mobile broadband, which is seen as having potentially explosive growth. Operators will need to create new value propositions, they face significant internal challenges and risk being displaced by rivals moving faster or better able to understand and meet the needs of customers... more

The Danger of Weaponising the DNS in the Ukraine Russia Conflict and Good News

As we watch the Ukraine and Russia conflict over boundaries and territories, I chanced upon a YouTube video showing the region of Europe and how, for the last 1000 years, national boundaries and names of nations have changed where in 1142, you had nations like Muslim Spain, Kievan Rus. In 1143 the Kievan Rus included modern-day Ukraine and Crimea, and in 1163 bulk of Central and Southern Europe was the Holy Roman Empire... more

Draft 0.5 of the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook

We all remember the nightmare of following the multiple versions of the "AGB" from the ICANN new gTLD program, and the time it took to get to the final version, which then took to allowing applicants to submit their new gTLD application, and which then took them to wait for their application to proceed... Welcome to version 0.5 of the next Applicant Guidebook. more

The Role of Mobile Broadband in the Overall Telecoms Market

The fixed broadband network is the infrastructure needed to meet the needs, both economic and societal, of developed markets. While some people in some developed markets have abandoned their fixed telephone connection in favour of all-mobile solutions, the majority (90% plus) still have both a fixed and a mobile connection... And so wireless broadband and FttH will develop, in a complementary and harmonious way. There are several reasons for this. more