News

From 30 September a new .nz registration option launches, giving people more choice when it comes to representing themselves online.
 
Shorter, simpler, more representative names directly at .nz can now be registered – for example, anyname.nz. This is in addition to, for example, .co.nz, .org.nz, .maori.nz, etc.
 
Registering one of these new, shorter .nz names is called registering directly at the second level.
 
Most people who already have a .nz domain name will be able to get the shorter version of their name before anyone else and take advantage of a six-month period of time starting at 1pm today – called the Preferential Registration Eligibility (PRE) period – to register or reserve the shorter version.
 
The PRE period begins today at 1pm and ends at 1pm, 30 March 2015.
 
Other .nz domain name holders may find their name is ‘conflicted’ – which means they may have the .co.nz version, while others may have .org.nz, .net.nz, or other versions. In cases like these, an online tool is available from 1pm today for those involved to lodge a preference for who might get the new, shorter version of the name.

The latest of CENTRs 'DomainWire Stat Report' is available (Edition 9 - September 2014).  The report provides a global status update on top level domains (legacy gTLDs, new gTLDs and ccTLDs) with a focus on European ccTLDs.  

Included in the report:;

• Global Status of Domain Names
• Top 20 ccTLDs list
• European ccTLD overview 
• High growth ccTLDs for the quarter 
• Article: "Registrar Security on Authentication"

The Malta Internet Foundation announces a competition to stimulate the design and development of innovative apps which exploit mobile technology and which address a clear need that is demonstrably relevant to the Maltese context. Submissions should address any of the following areas:

Norid is negotiating with the Dutch registry, SIDN, about a collaboration to make the .bv top-level domain available to the Dutch market.

Norid have been in dialogue with SIDN for a while about a possible joint effort to utilize .bv in the Netherlands. SIDN is now examining the market potential, and the further process will be decided on when the market analysis is ready.

In addition to the top-level domain (TLD) .no, Norid is responsible for .bv (Bouvet Island) and .sj (Svalbard and Jan Mayen). For the last several years they have considered innovative and efficient ways to make use of them in the growing domain market. Regarding .bv, Norid continue to receive emails from Dutch companies that want to register .bv domain names. In the Netherlands, the abbreviation 'BV' is the equivalent of UK's 'Ltd and Norway's 'AS', which explains the attraction for Dutch companies.

The Simplerinvoicing Foundation and SIDN (.nl) will be working closely together to expedite the introduction and adoption of electronic invoices that conform to the European standard (PEPPOL). SIDN will initially take over a number of operational tasks from Simplerinvoicing, with a view to assuming full responsibility for management of the Simplerinvoicing package system in due course. By entering into the partnership, the Simplerinvoicing Foundation aims to further professionalise and future-proof the administration of e-invoicing standards and the fulfilment of its governance tasks.

Read further

This article sourced from SWITCH

Joining forces to confront cybercrime. With this in mind, Internet providers, banks and other partners have founded the Swiss Internet Security Alliance (SISA). SISA has launched a security check which allows users to verify and optimize their devices.

Swiss online services are seen as secure and trustworthy. In order to be able to live up to this reputation in the future, leading representatives of the Swiss economy have founded the Swiss Internet Security Alliance(SISA). This cross-sector partnership underscores its members' commitment to security for their services and their customers.

Offering more security
The founding of the Swiss Internet Security Alliance is a sign of its members’ commitment to making the Internet a secure place in Switzerland. The association brings together expert knowledge from representatives of various sectors and promotes information-sharing amongst competitors. "The cooperative exchange allows us to recognize threats more quickly and to combat them more effectively. All companies and users stand to benefit from a consistently high security standard" says Florian Schütz, representative of the banks on the SISA board.

Overcoming challenges together
The Swiss Internet Security Alliance’s focuses on its main assets - the knowledge, experience and technical expertise of its members. Its members asut, Centralway, Credit Suisse, cyscon Schweiz, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hostpoint, Migros Bank, PostFinance, Raiffeisen, Sunrise, Swisscard, Swisscom, SWITCH, UBS, upc cablecom and Viseca have longstanding experience in dealing with online security. "Cybercrime’s increasing professionalism is a challenge for all service providers. Thanks to in-depth collaboration, Switzerland is keeping pace with developments and can improve its security in a sustainable way", says Serge Droz, Head of Security, SWITCH. The association is open to other interested parties.

Comprehensive security check
Upon founding the association, the Swiss Internet Security Alliance is launching a security check. "Thanks to the Swiss Security Check, users can simply and independently verify and optimize their devices’ security", says Philipp Rütsche, CEO at cyscon Schweiz. "Regularly checking the security of devices with Internet access should be as normal as taking your car to be serviced." The Swiss Security Check provides protection on three levels. Users with outdated or incorrectly configured software who are therefore subject to a security risk, will find this out within seconds. If there is suspicion of malware, the malware cleaner helps with the diagnosis and resolution of the problems. A cyber vaccine completes the protection and keeps electronic pests at bay.

The Swiss Security Check is free and can be accessed at www.swiss-isa.ch.

In the past CENTR has received regular requests from the registrar community to join the CENTR membership during one of our meetings. On 30 September we are organising a meeting between European ccTLD registries and registrars.

CENTR has published its latest ccTLD newsletter for September 2014 - this edition includes:

• IANA stewardship transition: Let's make it work for ccTLDs"
• New gTLDs: Is the Jury still out?
• QnA with Sascha K

“Only by pursuing a policy of multilingualism in Internet access can we give effect to our policy of an Internet that is truly global, and truly accessible to all,” states European Commission Vice-President, Neelie Kroes, in the foreword of the IDN World Report 2014 produced by EURid with UNESCO in cooperation with Versisign and the country code Top Level Domain regional organisations (CENTR, LACTLD, APTLD and AFTLD).

The annual report is being presented today during a workshop at the Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, which takes place from 2 to 5 September.

Nominet is boosting the security of the UK namespace to help protect it from attack and exploitation. As part of this, they will be offering two-factor authentication access to Online Services (OS) to registrars later on this year. Two-factor authentication is a two-step verification process and provides an extra layer of security to users accessing online systems. Read further