Telegram is an encrypted messaging service. It uses the domain name t.me for users to create short links to their profiles so that you can share your telegram link without having to give anyone your mobile phone number. So a user whose username (handle) is john would be reachable via https://t.me/john and so on. At some point in the last 24 hours the French government … [Read more...] about Telegram Links Being Blocked in France
Whois is Officially Dead (Bonus – so is the fax!)
For the last few years registries of both names and numbers have been rolling out new technologies. One of the areas that was long due an upgrade was the protocol for displaying registration data. For the past 30 or so years both names and numbers have used "whois" to tell you who a domain or IP address was linked to. Sure, it "worked", but it was far from ideal. Every registry … [Read more...] about Whois is Officially Dead (Bonus – so is the fax!)
Parler is Officially “Gone”
I've written about Parler a few times in the past. To recap Parler marketed itself as social network for free speech extremists. While the marketing pitch might have used the "free speech" angle, the reality is that the social network pandered to and attracted the far right. Late last year controversial musician Ye announced that he was going to buy the platform, but … [Read more...] about Parler is Officially “Gone”
IGF 2023 Call For Proposals
This year's IGF is being held in Kyoto, Japan. The call for session proposals is now open. This year's theme is "The Internet We Want - Empowering All People". If you're interested in proposing a session full details on the process is available here. The deadline for submissions is May 19th at 2359 UTC. The event will be "hybrid" but depending on your location the … [Read more...] about IGF 2023 Call For Proposals
Registration for ICANN 77 Washington DC Now Open
If you're planning on attending the ICANN public meeting in Washington DC this June then read on... The event will be held in Washington DC at the Marriott Marquis. If you're intending to go in person you'll need to register before June 7th. In common with the last few meetings it'll be "hybrid" with "in person" registration closing about a week before the meeting. … [Read more...] about Registration for ICANN 77 Washington DC Now Open
Nominet Registry Advisory Council Election 2023
Nominet has had a variety of different bodies that were designed to let members provide input into the organisation's running. The most recent is the "UK Registry Advisory Council" or UKRAC. The idea is that its members are elected by members on the basis of one member, one vote and the members of the RAC need to slot into one of three tranches, with two representatives in … [Read more...] about Nominet Registry Advisory Council Election 2023
ICANN’s Cancún Meeting Was Almost Normal
ICANN 76 was held in Cancún, Mexico last week. While the event was not without its issues the attendance numbers were quite high with "on site" attendees outnumbering "remote" participants. ICANN's Interim CEO Sally Costerton published a brief blog post with some numbers: ICANN had originally planned to hold a meeting in Cancún back in March 2020, but pulled the plug on … [Read more...] about ICANN’s Cancún Meeting Was Almost Normal
Middle East DNS Forum to be Held in Istanbul
The Middle East DNS Forum will be held this year in Istanbul. In common with other events it'll be in a hybrid format. Events like this usually have a variety of topics on the agenda that are reflective of what industry is looking at. So I'd expect to see topics around DNS Abuse, cybersecurity, IDNs / universal acceptance, as well as other topics. Of course the value with … [Read more...] about Middle East DNS Forum to be Held in Istanbul
Gandi Merges with TWS to Form “Your.Online”
French hosting provider and domain name registrar Gandi has merged with Dutch hosting provider TWS (Total Web Solutions). Over the past couple of years TWS has been expanding quite aggressively via acquisitions in the European market. However it looks like the Gandi deal is the biggest one they've been involved with so far. Instead of simply slotting Gandi into the existing … [Read more...] about Gandi Merges with TWS to Form “Your.Online”
Anguilla Offline due to Fibre Issue
Anguilla is an island in the Caribbean. It's also the home to the .ai country code domain name. With "AI" being such a hot topic over the last few years the country code has attracted quite a bit of attention from users with no links to the island. Unfortunately it appears as if the island has been cut off from the rest of the global internet due to a fibre cut. NetBlocks … [Read more...] about Anguilla Offline due to Fibre Issue