News Briefs

FCC Chairwoman Wants Broadband Standard Boosted to 100Mbps Across the United States

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has proposed that the US standard for broadband be redefined to a minimum of 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speeds, up from the current 25Mbps/3Mbps. more

Berners-Lee: Ted Cruz Wrong About How Free Speech Is Censored on the Internet

"Sen. Ted Cruz wants to engineer a United States takeover of a key Internet organization, ICANN, in the name of protecting freedom of expression," said Tim Berners-Lee and Daniel Weitzner in a co-op piece today in the Washington post. more

FTC Proposes a Do-Not-Track List for the Web

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed on Wednesday a do-not-track list for the Web. "The proposal, which would allow consumers to opt out of having their online activities tracked, was included as part of the agency's preliminary report on consumer privacy," reports Gautham Nagesh in The Hill. "The report is intended as a framework for any potential privacy legislation from Congress but stops short of explicitly calling for a legislative solution." more

Canadian Government Proposes Mandated Surveillance Capabilities at ISPs

Government of Canada has introduced a new bill that could allow the police to access ISP's user data without warrant. According to Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, "the Government has taken another shot at lawful access legislation today, introducing a legislative package called the Investigative Powers for the 21st Century (IP21C) Act that would require mandated surveillance capabilities at Canadian ISPs, force ISPs to disclose subscriber information such as name and address, and grant the police broad new powers to obtain transmission data and force ISPs to preserve data." more

Los Angeles Court Rejects Demand for Preliminary Injunction Preventing ICANN Delegating .AFRICA

"A Los Angeles court has rejected a demand for a preliminary injunction preventing ICANN delegating .africa, meaning the new gTLD can go live soon," Kevin Murphy reporting Domain Incite. more

ICANN to Push Ahead with New .Africa TLD Despite Ongoing Court Case

"Internet overseer ICANN will push ahead with a new ".africa" top-level domain, despite having twice been ordered not to because of serious questions over how it handled the case," Kieren McCarthy reporting in The Register more

Web.com to Acquire Network Solutions

Internet's oldest domain name registrar, Network Solutions, today announced that it has agreed to be acquired by Web.com. Network Solutions was founded in 1979 and pioneered the domain name registration business. In addition to domain name registration, the company also offers services such as web site design and hosting, e-commerce solutions, online security products, SSL certificates, and search engine marketing and optimization. According to Network Solutions, the company manages over 7 million domains, 3 million email boxes and more than 400,000 web sites. more

Close to 7.9 Million Domain Names Registered in Q2 2016

VeriSign, in its latest latest Domain Name Industry Brief, reports approximately 7.9 million new domain name registrations in the second quarter of 2016 which brings total number of domain name registrations to approximately 334.6 million across all top-level domains (TLDs) as of June 30, 2016. more

Phishers Using New Web-Based Technique ‘In-Session Phishing’ to Steal User Data, Researchers Warn

Security researchers have identified a new phishing attack method designed to trick users into surrendering confidential information after they have logged on to an online banking, brokerage, or other sensitive website. The technique, called In Session Phishing, can be used to inject into all major browsers legitimate looking Pop Up messages using malicious JavaScript that request passwords, account numbers, etc., on behalf of the trusted website. more

AusRegistry Celebrates 30th Anniversary of .au

It's been 30 years since the .au country code top-level domain was first deployed to give Australians their own national TLD. Over 3 million .au domain names have since been registered. more

Rwanda Gets Control Over Its Domain .RW

After a seven-year long process of transferring Rwanda's Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), ".rw" from Belgium, finally Rwandans can now manage their national identity, reports AllAfrica. more

FCC Reports Site Attacked Over Net Neutrality Comments, Senators Seek Evidence

In follow up to FCC's report that the agency's online comment system was subjected to multiple DDoS attacks over the weekend, U.S. federal lawmakers are demanding answers as to what exactly happened. more

Amazon Announces Project Kuiper Customer Terminals with Speeds up to 1Gbps

Amazon has announced the development of a range of customer terminals for its broadband satellite network, Project Kuiper. The company's first device is a "standard" customer terminal that measures less than 11 inches square and one inch thick and weighs less than five pounds. more

US Seeks to Intervene in EU vs Facebook Case

At a hearing in the Irish High Court, the US government has sought to intervene in the case between a privacy activist and Facebook. Consequently, the court has been adjourned for two weeks to give it - and other parties - time to file a motion in this regard. more

Activist Hackers Target Government Websites Amid Escalating Israel-Hamas War

Hackers have intensified attacks on government websites and media outlets, both on the Israeli and Palestinian sides. more