Showing posts with label ICANN62. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ICANN62. Show all posts

2018-07-29

News Review: 1) More ICANN Mismanagement, 2) ICANN EPDP Update

graphic "News Review" ©2016 DomainMondo.com
Domain Mondo's weekly internet domain news review (NR 2018-07-29) with analysis and opinion: Features •  1) More ICANN Mismanagement, 2)Other ICANN news:  a. EPDP Team UPDATEb. Post-ICANN62 Policy Report, c. Temp Spec Noncompliance? and more, 3) Names, Domains & Trademarks: a. Verisign Q2 Results, b. GDPR & Trademarks, 4) ICYMI, 5) Most Read.

UPDATES:
August 1-2: ICANN's EPDP Team got off to a rocky start at its first meeting on August 1st, both in process and substance. "Dysfunctional" may be the best adjective to describe the working group process trying to deal with the ICANN Temporary Spec developed by ICANN's incompetent management team and approved by the inept ICANN Board right before the European Union's GDPR became enforceable on May 25, 2018. Meeting slides, transcript, and the chat transcript are embed below. Adobe recording here and MP3 here. Three takeaways (emphasis added):
  • Milton Mueller (NCSG):"The main point Alan is that supermajority is defined. In the ePDP it is not. That is dangerous - leaves room for arbitrary decisions that consensus exists when it does not."
  • Milton Mueller (NCSG): "Ashley - a unified access model based on ICANN is NOT part of the temp spec. The temp spec says that registrars will provide access on request. In that sense, we already have access."
  • Kristina Rosette (RySG - Amazon Registry): "If staff isn't already planning to circulate a meeting summary that includes decisions taken (if any) and clear action items, I'd be really appreciative of such a summary. My notes are not at all clear."
Next meetings: Aug 7 and Aug 9 at 13:00 UTC (9:00am EDT).

Meeting (Aug 1, 2018) slides

Meeting transcript:

Chat transcript:

July 31: ICANN Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) re: GDPR & WHOIS: EPDP Team first meeting Wednesday, August 1, 14:00 UTC. Non-members of the EPDP Team, observers and alternates not replacing members, may observe (listen) via live audio cast:
The EPDP Meeting's Draft Agenda has been modified by EPDP Chair Kurt Pritz (embed below):

Editor's note: many of the links in the embed above do not work due to ICANN staff or the EPDP Chair not knowing how to properly format a PDF with active links. Many of the documents are available here.

EPDP mail list here is now being filled with each EPDP member submitting a short bio. List of all EPDP Team members, alternates, and observers is on the wiki here.

Original Post:
1)  More ICANN Mismanagement: 18 Jul 2018 Letter from Dean Marks and Steve Metalitz to Akram Atallah, Cyrus Namazi, Göran Marby, and Cherine Chalaby (pdf) re: Privacy/Proxy Consensus Policy implementation, excerpt (highlighting added):
The letter's final paragraph below (emphasis added):
"Please let us know what steps you are taking to expedite any remaining legal review or formatting issues to incorporate general provisions of the Temporary Specification so that the comprehensive implementation documents developed by the IRT over more than a year of intensive IRT efforts can be finalized. A failure of ICANN to timely implement a multi-stakeholder policy, especially in a post-IANA transition world, seriously undermines ICANN’s credibility, and calls into question this form of governance. We stand ready to assist in the successful conclusion of the implementation process of the policy the board approved almost two years ago. And we believe doing so is in the best interest of ICANN and all of its stakeholders."
More info on Privacy / Proxy here and here.

2) Other ICANN News
graphic "ICANN | Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers"
ICANN's GDPR Train Wreck ©2018 DomainMondo.com (graphic)
ICANN's GDPR Train Wreck
ICANN President & CEO Goran Marby, July 27, 2018: "We aim to prepare another iteration of a potential unified access model to gain as much clarity as possible on the GDPR's application to how non-public registration data may be accessed and used. An updated model will be posted in August." (emphasis added)
a. Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) Update--first EPDP Team meeting 1 Aug 2018 at 14:00 UTC (10:00am EDT in the US) re: EPDP on the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data. EPDP Team meetings, recordings, transcripts, scheduled conference calls are posted on the GNSO Master Calendar; non-member observers can listen in on meetings via audio cast. More info at EPDP Team wiki. List of EPDP Team members, alternates, and observers is on the wiki here. Here's the link to the EPDP Team mailing list

Also note:
•  A committee of the government of India has published a draft data protection law that recommends a data protection authority, right to be forgotten, data localisation, and more--thequint.com:
"The committee recommends that processing (collection, recording, analysis, disclosure, etc) of personal data should be done only for “clear, specific and lawful” purposes. Only that data which is necessary for such processing is to be collected from anyone."
•  The U.S. Government Is Coming to the Incompetent ICANN Management Team's Rescue--Remarks of the U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary Redl at IGF-USA 2018 (Redl is also NTIA Administrator):
"... The most pressing issue facing ICANN right now is updating the WHOIS service in light of the European General Data Protection Regulation, or “GDPR.” The WHOIS is a service that, prior the GDPR’s effective date in May, provided public access to domain name registration information, including contact information for the entity or person registering the domain name ... Unfortunately, European authorities have indicated that the collection and public provision of domain name registration data violates the GDPR. Because of this, as of late May, domain name registries and registrars have stopped providing important domain name registration information contained in the WHOIS. This is an unmitigated victory for the spammers and scammers that plague consumers and businesses. NTIA and the highest levels of the U.S. government are engaging with the European Data Protection Board, the European Commission, and European Member States to provide clarity and guidance to the community as it works to facilitate access and accreditation to WHOIS information, which is now private. This access mechanism is critical to meeting the needs of law enforcement, cybersecurity, and rights protection. NTIA will take a lead role in the process to develop this access mechanism and will fight hard for the important governmental and commercial equities in the WHOIS service ..." (emphasis added)
Editor's note: at least NTIA (unlike ICANN) is competent enough to understand the real issue is not the unnecessary and superfluous administrative and technical contact data (only the contact data for the legal entity or person registering the domain name is necessary), but instead the real issue is, and has always been, access and accreditation, which is where the ICANN management team should have been focused starting in May 2016, 20 days after the GDPR was published.

See also: Submission of GNSO Council Review of the Panama City GAC Communiqué (pdf).

b. Post-ICANN62 Policy Report (pdf) embed below:
Table of Contents:
03 Letter from David Olive
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION/ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATES
04 Address Supporting Organization (ASO)
05 Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO)
08 Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO)
12 At-Large/At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC)
15 Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)
17 Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC)
18 Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC)


Editor's Note: ICANN63, Barcelona, Spain, is Oct 20-25, 2018, only 83 days from now (July 29, 2018).

c.  Temp Spec Non-Compliance? "At this point, Facebook, Inc. is providing ICANN with this information to inform ICANN’s compliance processes, rather than serving as an official complaint against the registrars specified in the attached materials. As a result, it is not authorizing the forwarding of any complaint, attachments, requests or other documentation to the registrars of record"--excerpt from Letter to ICANN Compliance Jul 13, 2018 (pdf).

d. GNSO Council Response (pdf) to the ICANN Board Resolution on the SSAC Advisory on the Use of Emoji in Domain Names (SAC095), excerpt: "the Council feels that the combination of the IDN related requirements contained in the Applicant Guidebook, RA, and RAA effectively prevent the introduction of emoji at the top or any level." 

e. Public comment period ending in August, 2018 (at 23:59 UTC), on the date indicated (subject to change): The Independent Review Process Implementation Oversight Team (IRP-IOT) Draft Recommendations --Close Date 10 Aug 2018.

3) Names, Domains & Trademarks
graphic "Names, Domains & Trademarks" ©2017 DomainMondo.com
a. Verisign (NASDAQ: VRSN) Q2 2018 earnings release and webcast July 26, 2018: Verisign's Chairman reported Verisign and NTIA (U.S. Dept of Commerce) were currently in talks about an amendment to the Cooperative Agreement which includes Amendment 32 on TLD .COM pricing. More info on Verisign's Q2 2018 earnings release and webcast here.

b. GDPR & Trademarks: GDPR brings new challenges for brand protection | boyesturner.com: The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force on 25 May 2018 has brought significant new challenges for brand owners, in terms of their ability to enforce trade mark rights ... GDPR has caused a conflict between the contractual requirements of ICANN to collect and make certain personal data publicly available and the obligations of GDPR to protect personal data ..." (emphasis added)

4) ICYMI Internet Domain News 
graphic "ICYMI Internet Domain News" ©2017 DomainMondo.com
  • India--Meet the father of India’s fight for internet freedom--pingie.com.
  • India--Internet Shutdowns: 2018 the Worst Year Already, Reveals RTI--thequint.com.
  • China--Blockchain Is Helping to Circumvent Censorship in China--slate.com.
  • Vietnam’s New Cybersecurity Law and Push for Internet Sovereignty Reduces Freedom--pogowasright.org.
  • Facebook Confirms It's Working On A New Internet Satellite--wired.com

5) Most Read Posts this past week on DomainMondo.com: 
graphic "Domain Mondo" ©2017 DomainMondo.com



-- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo 

feedback & comments via twitter @DomainMondo


DISCLAIMER

2018-07-01

News Review | ICANN Brought Its GDPR Train Wreck To ICANN62 Panama

graphic "News Review" ©2016 DomainMondo.com
Domain Mondo's weekly internet domain news review (NR 2018-07-01) with analysis and opinion: Features •  1) ICANN Brought Its GDPR Train Wreck To ICANN62 Panama,  2) Other ICANN news: a. New gTLD .AFRICA--ICANN Facing Fraud Allegations in California State Court Trial, b. New gTLD .WEB: Afilias vs ICANN et al? c. SSAC2, and more 3) Names, Domains & Trademarks: IDN homograph attacks, and more, 4) ICYMI: EU, China, and more, 5) Most Read.
 ICANN's GDPR Train Wreck  ©2018 DomainMondo.com
1) ICANN Brought Its GDPR Train Wreck to ICANN62 Panama
 ICANN62 | Panama City  ©2018 DomainMondo.com
ICANN CEO & President Goran Marby and GNSO Chair Heather Forrest at ICANN62
Can you tell which one's "brain just melted"?
"One of the more frustrating aspects of the current GDPR crisis that ICANN has been struggling with, is the repeated assertions from folks who should know better in [ICANN org] senior management, that the GDPR was a complete surprise, that these data protection obligations are new, and that the data protection commissioners are not well informed about ICANN and its role. The GDPR passed in 2016 after years of fractious and well-publicised debate, during which US multinational corporations played an active role in Brussels to influence outcomes. While the size of the fines might be a surprise, the requirements were not. Furthermore, the NCSG and its precursor the NCUC have been bringing data commissioners and their staff to ICANN meetings for the better part of two decades. I myself spoke at an ICANN privacy workshop in 2005 while working for the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and said pretty much the same things I say today. More importantly, Giovanni Buttarelli, now the European Data Protection Supervisor and arguably one of the most important data protection commissioners in the world, came to an ICANN meeting in 2004 when he was working in the Italian Data Protection Authority. He returned in 2017 to the meeting in Copenhagen March 13th and repeated the same messages, yet even then the response from ICANN to the upcoming challenges was still not swift and effective. One wonders why."--Stephanie Perrin, June 21, 2018, ncuc.org (emphasis added). Editor's note: Why? "An Incompetent ICANN Management Team."

See also Working Paper (pdf) on Privacy and Data Protection Issues with Regard to Registrant data and the WHOIS Directory at ICANNInternational Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications, 62nd meeting, 27-28 November 2017, Paris, France.
Editor's note: "Truncated timeframe" = just 4 months for deliberations and publication of the initial EPDP report.
Read more at Synopsis of ICANN62 via a Twitter Feed & GAC Communique, and last week's News Review. Editor's note: details of the EPDP (expedited policy development process) initiated by the GNSO Council as a result of the ICANN Board's adoption of the Temporary Specification, such as scope and working group membership, should be released in the coming weeks (see ICANN video). Follow discussions here and here, and read the transcription (pdf) of the ICANN62 Panama
GNSO Council Wrap-Up meeting, Thursday, 28 June 2018.

Next ICANN meeting: ICANN63, 20th Annual General Meeting, 20-25 Oct 2018, Barcelona, Spain.
ICANN63 | Barcelona  ©2018 DomainMondo.com (graphic)

2) Other ICANN News
graphic "ICANN | Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers"
a. New gTLD .AFRICA--ICANN Facing Fraud Allegations in California State Court Trial:
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Court Calendar for Case BC607494
For more info, read "Dot-Africa saga going to jury trial... thousands of miles away in America | theregister.co.ukICANN faces fraud allegations in continent's top-level-domain dispute" by Kieren McCarthy, 26 Jun 2018. See also ICANN.org's litigation documents page.

b. New gTLD .WEB: Afilias vs ICANN et al?
New gTLD .WEB Reconsideration Request 18-8 to ICANN, from Afilias Domains No. 3 Limited, 22 June 2018: Request 18-8 [pdf 799 KB--18 pages] embed below, and Exhibits 1 to 34 [pdf 130 MB--963 pages]:


c. SSAC2 Review Assessment Report published for community input 21 June 2018, by Analysis Group, the independent examiner performing the second review of ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC)--assessment report [PDF, 761 KB]. Public Comments on the report are encouraged and can be sent to mssi-secretariat@icann.org until 23:59 UTC on 20 July 2018.

Analysis Group will host a webinar on Thursday, 12 July at 20:00 UTC (4pm EDT), during which participants will have the opportunity to provide initial feedback and ask questions. To request dial-in information for the webinar, please send an email to mssi-secretariat@icann.org. The goal of the assessment report is to achieve maximum agreement between the wider ICANN community and the independent examiner as to which areas of the SSAC work well and which may benefit from improvements. No recommendations are included in the assessment report. Recommendations will be included in the final report, expected to be published in November 2018. More info here and also the executive summary [PDF, 85 KB].

Editor's note: I'd like to see the Analysis Group address SSAC's inexplicable failures in regard to new gTLDs--failures subsequently acknowledged, implicitly, by SSAC's ICANN Board liaison--read: More Problems Crop Up With Universal Acceptance of Top Level Domains by Ram Mohan, Feb 07, 2014, particularly in view of ICANN's contract provision with new gTLDs registry operators:
"1.2 Technical Feasibility of String.  While ICANN has encouraged and will continue to encourage universal acceptance of all top-level domain strings across the Internet, certain top-level domain strings may encounter difficulty in acceptance by ISPs and webhosters and/or validation by web applications.  Registry Operator shall be responsible for ensuring to its satisfaction the technical feasibility of the TLD string prior to entering into this Agreement." (emphasis added)
And further, SSAC failing to demand or even recommend that either ICANN or the new gTLDs' registry operators and registrars warn prospective registrants of new gTLDs' domain names "failing to work as expected on the internet."

How could a group of otherwise competent professionals be so irresponsible and negligent? I can only speculate, but I attribute it to "conflicts of interest"--for example, Ram Mohan, a member of the SSAC and ICANN Board (2008-present) is employed by Afilias, a new gTLDs applicant and TLD registry operator, including providing new gTLDs' backend registry services.

What we now know is that apparently no one tested for "technical feasibility" before hundreds of new gTLDs were negligently and irresponsibly delegated by ICANN into the global internet root:
UASG017: Evaluation of Websites for Acceptance of a Variety of Email Addresses
UASG017 (pdf): "Conclusion: There is much work to be done to get many of the world’s websites UA and EAI-ready. Where we thought we could address just a few applications and code repositories, that does not appear to be the case."
But domain name registrants still are not warned that their new gTLDs' domain names may "fail to work as expected on the internet." Occasionally they show up at an ICANN meeting to complain, but no one of consequence at ICANN cares about domain name registrants--"it's all about the money."

Also note:
SSAC2018-017 | SSAC Input to the Chartering of GNSO EPDP (Expedited Policy Development Process) on Temporary Specification of gTLD Registration Data 26 Jun 2018 ssac2018-17-26jun18-en.pdf [pdf 99.1 KB].

Ongoing dysfunction (pdf) in planning for the next round of new gTLDs--ICANN is rushing through the whole process:

d. Information Transparency Initiative (ITI)--How the ITI Technical Infrastructure Works | ICANN.org.

e. GNSO Overtasked?--GNSO active projects list (pdf).

3) Names, Domains & Trademarks
graphic "Names, Domains & Trademarks" ©2017 DomainMondo.com
a. IDN homograph attacks--registration of homographic domain names is akin to typosquatting, the major difference being that in homograph spoofing the perpetrator deceives victims by presenting visually indistinguishable hyperlinks. [Editor's note: ICANN enables and encourages cybercrime and domain name abuse via homograph attacks through its IDN new gTLDs program.] See also:
  • Hackers ‘Using International Characters To Create Scam Sites’--silicon.co.uk
  • "... a problem that exists because of ICANN's failure to generate a coherent and universally applicable set of standards for registration of IDNs to prevent this type of abuse"--techrepublic.com.
  • “Chilling results”: new domain name homograph report shows rising threat to online brands--worldtrademarkreview.com.

b. EURid (eurid.eu), registry operator for ccTLD .eu, and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC.org) team up to fight cybercrime--businesswire.com June 27, 2017.

c. France.com: using a domain name for many years will not necessarily provide a business or any registrant with a right to registration of the domain name as a trade mark--an EU court has ruled against Florida-based France.com which had argued that its 'france.com' mark should also be registered as an EU trade mark. The court reasoned France.com was too similar to an existing trade mark "france" owned by the French government--out-law.com, 26 Jun 2018. [Editor's note: the applicant has already lost the domain name france.com as a result of a separate French legal judgment that resulted in the transfer of the france.com registration to an agency of the French government.]

d. Trademarkers: New data reveals the most prolific trademark applicants in the United States last year--Leading the list was a 71-year-old New York physician with more than 300 applications--Expert suggests [trademark] filers lists “might not be dominated by large corporations in the future”--worldtrademarkreview.com.

e. Who needs GDPR or an EPDP? Free WHOIS Privacy at Namecheap.com--how to add WhoisGuard to your Namecheap domains.

f. F is for Family: branches of Rothschild empire settle dispute over family name ... Under the deal, the groups cannot use the name Rothschild by itself ... Rothschild & Co will stop using the rothschild.com domain name--ft.com.

4) ICYMI Internet Domain News 
graphic "ICYMI Internet Domain News" ©2017 DomainMondo.com
a. European Union: EU votes for copyright law that would make internet a 'tool for control'--TheGuardian.com and ZDnet.com: ​European Union prepares to wreck internet with new copyright law--"If passed, Article 13 will force all websites to check any and all posts for copyright violations. That will include photos, videos, words, tweets, memes, software code, etc, etc. Think about that for a minute, and shudder."

b. China & Internet Governance: "Beijing Wants to Rewrite the Rules of the Internet - Xi Jinping wants to wrest control of global cyber governance from the market economies of the west"--TheAtlantic.com:
"China’s model appeals to these countries because it provides them with tools to take control of an open internet. Online platforms used for terrorism and political dissent threaten national stability. The Edward Snowden revelations and crippling cyber attacks like WannaCry and Mirai create a sense of vulnerability that China’s model promises to fix."   
c. US & Net Neutrality: Lawmakers must level the field for all players in the internet ecosystem--Robert McDowell, former FCC commissioner (2006-13) in Richmond.com.

d. Internet Society: Internet Society Names Andrew Sullivan as New President & CEO  29 June 2018.

e.  UPDATE: Deadline to respond to the NTIA notice of inquiry has been extended to July 17, 2018, 5:00 pm EDT.

5) Six Most Read Posts this past week on DomainMondo.com: 
graphic "Domain Mondo" ©2017 DomainMondo.com



-- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo 

feedback & comments via twitter @DomainMondo


DISCLAIMER

2018-06-28

Synopsis of ICANN62 via a Twitter Feed & GAC Communique

Editor's note: kudos to Samantha Dickinson @sgdickinson:
ICANN62 GAC Communique ((pdf) embed below:


Editor's note: more on ICANN62 here and in this coming weekend's News Review on Domain Mondo. 

feedback & comments via twitter @DomainMondo


DISCLAIMER

2018-06-24

News Review | ICANN62 Panama City, Policy Forum, 25-28 Jun 2018

graphic "News Review" ©2016 DomainMondo.com
Domain Mondo's weekly internet domain news review (NR 2018-06-24) with analysis and opinion: Features •  1) ICANN62 Panama City, Policy Forum, 25-28 Jun 2018, 2)Other ICANN news: a. UPDATE ICANN v. EPAG (Tucows), b.ICANN Handbook for Registry Operators, c. ICANN FY17 Revenue Sources, and more, 3) Names, Domains & TMs: MMX + XXX et al, and more, 4) ICYMI, 5) Most Read.

1) ICANN62 | Panama City | Policy Forum 25-28 Jun 2018
Twitter hashtag #ICANN62  | Time in Panama
ICANN62 schedule (subject to change), schedule times are local Panama (24-hour clock)--highlighted sessions below mostly about GDPR / WHOIS and the upcoming EPDP (Expedited Policy Development Process):

Monday:
Tuesday:





Wednesday:
Thursday:


     See graphic below from the GNSO pre-ICANN62 webinar on June 18:
    For more background info see last week's News Review 2)c. ICANN WHOIS & GDPR: EPDP (Expedited Policy Development Process).

    See also:
    ICANN Meeting & Media Resources:

    2) Other ICANN news
    graphic "ICANN | Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers"
    a. UPDATE: ICANN v. EPAG Domainservices, GmbH (Tucows)--18 June 2018 Letter from Regional Court of Bonn asking EPAG to comment on ICANN's Immediate Appeal (attaching ICANN's Immediate Appeal papers) (in German) [PDF, 444 KB]--English translation:
    Above: English Translation of Letter from Regional Court of Bonn asking EPAG to comment on ICANN's Immediate Appeal (attaching ICANN's Immediate Appeal papers) [PDF, 93 KB] (Unofficial; provided for information purposes only--personal identifiable information has been redacted by ICANN).  ICANN published the above on its website June 22 (UTC) and announced:
    "On 13 June 2018, ICANN appealed the Regional Court's initial decision to reject ICANN's application for an injunction, in which ICANN sought a court order requiring EPAG to reinstate collection of administrative and technical contact data for new domain name registrations. Upon receipt of an appeal, the Regional Court has the option to re-evaluate its decision that is being appealed, or affirm its decision and immediately forward the matter to the Higher Regional Court for consideration of the appeal. In this instance, the Regional Court has decided to revisit its initial decision and has asked EPAG to comment on ICANN's appellate papers within two weeks."
    More background information at News Review | GDPR Effect: ICANN Sues German Domain Name Registrar.

    b. ICANN Global Domains Division (GDD) General Operations Handbook for Registry Operators 01 Jun 2018 | ICANN.org (pdf) [540 KB] Version 1.0:
    Full embed below:
    See also Registry Services Evaluation Policy (RSEP) Request (pdf).

    c. ICANN FY17 Revenue Sources--didp-20180326-1-bopanna-response-01jun18-en.pdf [602 KB] embed below [Editor's note: almost half comes from Verisign + GoDaddy]:

    d. SSAC [Security and Stability Advisory Committee] Bios and Disclosures of Interest 15 June 2018 | ICANN.org.

    e. ICANN Announces Calls-to-Action for Community Participation in ICANN Reviews | ICANN.org 19 June 2018.

    f. CEP and IRP Status Update 20 June 2018 irp-cep-status-20jun18-en.pdf [122 KB].

    3) Names, Domains & Trademarks
    graphic "Names, Domains & Trademarks" ©2017 DomainMondo.com
    a. Minds + Machines Group Limited ("MMX") (AIM: MMX) (domain: mmx.co), registry operator  of new generic Top-Level Domains ("new gTLDs"), announced approval from ICANN allowing the acquisition of ICM Registry LLC (domain: icmregistry.com) which operates 4 gTLDs: .XXX, .SEX, .PORN, .ADULT, which will be added to the MMX portfolio. More info here.

    b. Domain name registrar Web.com Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WEB), including its affiliate registrars Network Solutions and Register.com, announced a pending all cash sale of itself for $1.24B to a private-equity affiliate of Siris Capital (siris.com), shortly after activist investor Starboard Value LP reported a 9.4% stake in Web.com. Under the terms of the pending deal, the Siris affiliate will acquire all of Web.com’s outstanding common stock for $25 per share in cash. More information here.

    c.  GDPR & WHOIS: OpenSRS’ Tiered Access Directory (Gated Whois) | OpenSRS.com.

    d. Domain Name Registrars Scam: The Federal Court in Australia has ordered that domain name registrars Domain Corp Pty Ltd and Domain Name Agency Pty Ltd (also trading as Domain Name Register) pay combined penalties of $1.95 million for breaching the Australian Consumer Law--accc.gov.au, 15 June 2018.

    eDomain Registry Operators and Registrars: Notices of Breach, Suspension, Termination and Non-Renewal | ICANN.org (2013-2018).

    4) ICYMI Internet Domain News 
    graphic "ICYMI Internet Domain News" ©2017 DomainMondo.com
    Must-Read: The Failure of Internet Freedom by Jack Goldsmith (pdf) and The De-Americanization of Internet Freedom | Lawfareblog.com.

    GDPR emails going unopened | cnbc.com: "The GDPR requires companies to send emails to people on their mailing list who have never bought anything, asking permission to keep emailing them. Most Americans are not opening those emails, and some are using them to unsubscribe. As a result, some email marketers stand to lose 80 percent of their marketing lists -- or face huge fines from the EU if they keep trying to email these people without permission."

    5) Four Most Read Posts this past week on DomainMondo.com: 
    graphic "Domain Mondo" ©2017 DomainMondo.com


    -- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo 

    feedback & comments via twitter @DomainMondo


    DISCLAIMER

    Domain Mondo archive