Organization

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and two other US-based crime-fighting organizations, released its 2011 Internet Crime Report [pdf]. The report showed continued high levels of online crime, having received more than 300,000 complaints for the third year in a row, representing nearly $500m in losses. The reports accepts complaints from across the world, although over 90 percent came from within the United States. The most complained about state was California, although the state also had the lowest level average loss at $14.73. Interesting, the highest average loss came from the seat of power, Washington DC, with $1,119.70.

ICANN has named the independent objector for its new gTLD process. Professor Alain Pellet will act "solely in the interests of the public who use the global Internet" by lodging objections to applications for new Internet extensions that he feels are "objectionable". Pellet is a leading European lawyer and was a member of the United Nations International Law Commission from 1990 to last year. He has also been a lawyer at the International Court of Justice [full bio]. The job of Independent Objector was created to tackle concerns there would be applications for offensive Internet extensions that no one was in a position to object to, such as dot-nazi.

A court in the Hague has ordered the Netherlands' Pirate Party to stop helping people overcome blocks to file-sharing site The Pirate Bay. Anti-piracy group Brien complained the political party was helping users find ways to access the site, despite an earlier ruling ordering two of the country's largest ISPs to block it. The court also upheld an order banning the party from offering a proxy to enable people find links to The Pirate Bay without visiting the site itself. The Pirate Party describes the ruling as a win for Brien and a loss for democracy and a free Internet.

It's time for Internet organizations to ditch the palace politics and grow up

Starting next week, the United Nations in Geneva will host a series of back-to-back meetings with a broad focus: deciding the ways in which the future of the Internet will be decided.

Most meetings are open and attendance is free. And yet, despite the low barriers to entry, one key demographic is largely missing: business.

For example, of the 300 people registered with an online website covering the first of four conferences (the WSIS Forum), only 26 identify themselves as coming from the private sector, and of them, only 11 are not from specialist Internet infrastructure companies.

The same pattern is repeated at the conference that follows: consultations over the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). And business numbers will fall even further for the last two: "enhanced co-operation" and the annual meeting of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD).

The UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) was forced to take its website offline following a cyberattack. At the same time, outgoing head of the military's head of cyber-security admitted that top-secret systems had been hacked. Major General Jonathan Shaw wants to see more innovative approaches, including hiring 'white hat' hackers. Meanwhile, an official US government report revealed that the country remained vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Following the high-profile failure of the SOPA legislation, and scrutiny of far softer CISPA proposed laws, US authorities are reportedly looking at expanding existing legislation - the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) - to allow surveillance of new online services. It may be an easier route than introducing new legislation but industry groups are already vying to fight any unnecessary changes.

Controversial efforts to clampdown on piracy by seizing domain names have been dealt a blow after one owner succeeded in forcing the US government to admit it has no evidence of infringement, despite having suspended his name - Dajaz1.com - for over a year. Previously sealed court papers revealed that music industry body RIAA had been providing authorities with list of domains that held copyrighted material. However, it turned out that the material on Dajaz1.com had been provided by the music industry itself as part of a broader promotional effort.

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure gave a speech where he warned that the world needed to "move beyond the rhetoric and the fear of the unknown" over revision of the international telecommunication regulations (ITRs). The ITU is reaching out the business around the world and a proper review of the ITRs would mean greater broadband access worldwide, he argued. The speech comes in response to a US-led campaign which claims the United Nations is trying to take control of the Internet.