Afnic Reveals the Results of Its Study of the World’s Domain Name Market in 2018

A new publication of Afnic deals with the overall trends of the Domain Name market in 2018. The publication of ICANN statistics as at the end of last year allows a quantified assessment of 2018, a period of moderate upswing after the "set-down" of 2017. The data on which this study is based come from ICANN reports from information provided by registries in certain frameworks. more

Password Policies Need to Be the Same if We Want Users to Take Our Advice

The other day on Facebook, one of my friends mentioned that today (i.e., that day) was a good day to update his passwords. But he then lamented that some web sites don't allow you to create more than a 12-character password! He was incensed! Well, maybe not incensed but showed contempt for the fact these sites restricted password length. more

The Hidden Costs of Digital Convenience

In today's digital age, the Internet is a ubiquitous presence in our lives, playing a pivotal role in how we communicate, work, learn, and entertain ourselves. However, the convenience and benefits of the Internet come with a hidden cost to the environment, which is often overlooked by end users. This article explores the environmental impact of online activities and highlights the importance of adopting more sustainable digital practices. more

An Optimistic Update From Telesat

Emily Jackson interviewed Dan Goldberg, Telesat President and CEO, in a recent episode of the Down to Business podcast. The interview followed the announcement that the Canadian Government would contribute $85 million (all amounts are in Canadian dollars) to support research and development in support of Telesat's planned constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and another $600 million to subsidize Internet connectivity in rural Canada. more

Internet Governance Calendar During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Internet has become an integral part of our lives. Its growth is dependent upon the interaction of engineers, researchers, and network operators to advance networking technologies, policies, governance mechanisms, and deployment. In this undertaking, the Internet's multi-stakeholder governance has relied heavily upon regular face-to-face meetings and conferences to gather individuals and organizations from numerous participating communities. more

Why Homegrown Subscriber ID Solutions Limit Problem Solving

Most service providers are aware that there needs to be a simple, fast way to identify subscribers. Unfortunately, in reality, mapping IP addresses back to subscribers for identification purposes - such as lawful interception requests or acceptable use policy violations - can be complicated. It usually involves analyzing data sets, completing manual audits, or reliance on multi-step solutions. more

The Great Telco Quality Transformation

The telecoms industry has two fundamental issues whose resolution is a multi-decade business and technology transformation effort. This re-engineering programme turns the current "quantities with quality" model into a "quantities of quality" one. Those who prosper will have to overcome a powerfully entrenched incumbent "bandwidth" paradigm, whereby incentives are initially strongly against investing in the inevitable and irresistible future. more

Reexamining Internet Fragmentation

One of the discussion topics at the recent ICANN 75 meeting was an old favorite of mine, namely the topic of Internet Fragmentation. Here, I'd like to explore this topic in a little more detail and look behind the knee-jerk response of declaiming fragmentation as bad under any and all circumstances. Perhaps there are more subtleties in this topic than simple judgments of good or bad. more

Kaspersky Loses Appeal Against US Government Ban of Its Security Software

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. has upheld the federal government’s ban on anti-virus software from the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab. more

Healthcare Industry Was the Most Common Victim of Third-Party Breaches in 2022

Health care industry was the most common victim of cyberattacks in 2022, according to a report by cyber intelligence firm, Black Kite. The study found a total of 34.9% of cyberattacks occurred in health care, up 1% from the year before, making it the most attacked sector for the second year in a row. more

Do You See What I See? Geotargeting in Brand Infringements

Geotargeting is a well-established online technique for delivering tailored web content based on a user's geographic location. From an internet technology point of view, this is usually based on the user's IP address, which is converted to a physical location through a standard look-up process performed by network infrastructure. Geotargeting is commonly used by websites for several legitimate reasons, including providing users with relevant advertising and other content... more

U.S. Federal Communications Commission Votes 2-1 for Net Neutrality Rollback

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 on Thursday to advance a Republican plan to reverse the Obama administration's 2015 'net neutrality' order. more

In an Eight-Hour Test, Cuba Makes Internet Access Available Nationwide

Cuba's government provided free internet to more than 5 million cellphone users on Tuesday as an eight-hour test prior to launching sales of the service. more

Practical Pointers for Paring Domain Name Portfolios

As we enter the new normal, many legal departments have already begun looking for ways to reduce spend even as they are being asked to register COVID-19 domains. IP maintenance fees for patents, trademarks and domains are a natural place to start. While paring back patent and trademark portfolios can yield some significant savings, it's well-known that most corporate domain name portfolios contain registrations that are no longer needed. more

UK First Country to Implement Cybersecurity Laws for Smart Devices, Including Banning Easily Guessable Default Passwords

Today UK's new consumer protection laws against hacking and cyber-attacks officially take effect. This legislation, a global first, mandates that all internet-connected smart devices - from smartphones and game consoles to connected refrigerators - meet stringent security standards. more