Domain Name Commission wins injunction against US data scraper

New Zealand’s Domain Name Commission has won a preliminary injunction against a US-based company that scrapes registration data, potentially breaching the privacy of .nz domain owners. The case was heard earlier this week in the US District Court in Seattle.

The Domain Name Commission is the not-for-profit organisation that regulates the .nz domain. It reports to InternetNZ.

Ruling blocks collection of personal data

The ruling means DomainTools can no longer collect personal information about .nz domain owners. In many cases, domain registry information is publicly available, as was previously the case with the New Zealand registry. However, earlier this year, the Domain Name Commission gave New Zealand domain owners the option to keep their address and phone number private.

Seattle-based DomainTools describes its business as “helping security analysts turn threat data into threat intelligence.” As part of its operations, it collects domain ownership records to help security analysts evaluate threats. Its database, which it sells to clients, includes historic .nz domain ownership records.

More than 20,000 NZ domains opt for privacy

In some cases, ownership record information is now withheld from the public. The Domain Name Commission says more than 20,000 domain names now use the privacy option.

Domain Name Commissioner Brent Carey says: “The ruling allows the commission to continue balancing online accountability with respect for individual privacy.

“The ruling temporarily puts an end to DomainTools’ bulk harvesting of .nz domain holders’ personal information and selling that data for a profit. This is a step in the right direction to ensure that any person or company looking to build a business on domain name data, in violation of our terms of use, cannot do so.”

Overseas registries watching closely

While the injunction applies only to New Zealand domains, it is likely to attract interest from overseas registries.

DomainTools told the court it fears this lawsuit may trigger further legal action, with other registries moving to protect their clients’ privacy. The judge agreed this was a possibility.

Carey says he looks forward to presenting the full case in court. He says the commission wants to prevent DomainTools from building a secondary .nz database offshore, outside the control of the Domain Name Commission.

Vodafone upgrades Pāmu farms connections

Vodafone says it has improved the internet connections on 125 Pāmu (formerly Landcorp) farms around the country. The company says this is the second largest rural connectivity project in the country after the government sponsored Rural Broadband Initiative. It covers more than 300,000ha of farmland. That's 100,000ha of Pāmu paddocks and another 200,000ha managed by Pāmu.

Pāmu East Coast business manager Victoria Magazinovic says: “Since the new connection was put in place we have a weekly video conference with other farms to catch up on how everything is tracking.

She says: “Vodafone has also helped us extend the connection to the woolshed so the weights and EID (electronic identification) information can be uploaded to Farm Management System in real time, allowing other farms to see our results”.

Business-class fibre from Chorus

Chorus has added a wholesale business-class fibre service to its portfolio that will, from early next year, including a 10Gbps option. The company's chief customer officer Ed Hyde says he expects the new higher speed option will help businesses be more effective.

He says: "This service will allow employees to work more effectively through video conferencing, better connect to important business tools in the cloud and help businesses trade more effectively on a global scale. It’s also about running bandwidth-intensive businesses, using multimedia software and tapping into hosted or cloud based applications. This is where the service comes onto its own.”

Vocus Communications’ GM Susie Stone said that the “demand for bandwidth is increasing at a staggering pace. A 10Gbps circuit will allow businesses to access services and technology that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.

More importantly, it will be affordable, so will appeal to a range of sectors – from smaller, like animation studios that have massive uploading requirements, to large organisations with hundreds of seats”.

Network for Learning names upgrade partners

Eight IT support companies have been drafted by Network for Learning to help it upgrade internet services to almost 2500 schools nationwide. The managed network upgrade started earlier this month and is due to complete by October 2019.

The companies will visit schools and move them to a new combined firewall and internet filter. The upgrade also gives schools better reporting tools and an easier path to getting more bandwidth.

Network for Learning says it is a low impact upgrade taking from five minutes to an hour with little impact on connectivity. The companies already appointed, with more to follow are: AIS Corporation, Cyclone Computers, Isometric Solutions, New Era IT, Norrcom, Smart Computer Systems, Schooled Up IT Limited and Telco Technology Services.

Palisade takes stake in Hawaiki Submarine Cable

Australia's Palisade Investment Partners has taken a "significant" ownership interest in the now-operational Hawaiki Submarine Cable.

Neither party has said how much money is involved or revealed the size of Palisade's holding in the business, but CommsDay reports it includes board representation. Palisade joins a number of New Zealand-based investors including Hawaiki founder Remi Galasso, Sir Eion Edgar, Malcolm Dick and Greg Tomlinson. The two say the transaction will allow Palisade and Hawaiki to explore investment in future data infrastructure developments.

Palisade managing director Roger Lloyd, says: “This transaction has been structured to support Hawaiki’s growth and deliver an attractive risk-return profile for our investors.”

Kacific appoints Matteo Catanuto to head sales in New Zealand and the Pacific

Satellite operator Kacific has hired Matteo Catanuto as vice-president sales for New Zealand and the Pacific Region. Catanuto joins the company after working as a sales director at Digicel Samoa. He has previously worked in sales in New Zealand at Spark Digital, Orcon and TelstraClear. Kacific plans to launch a satellite in the region next year.

InternetNZ to take NetHui to regions

Next month InternetNZ will hold NetHui events in Manawatū, West Coast and Southland. Andrew Cushen, director of InternetNZ Outreach and Engagement says the taking the event to regional New Zealand makes for a wider range of conversations and gives smaller communities a chance to connect with each other, with government and those in the internet sector.

Speakers lined up for the regional Nethui sessions include local representatives as well as Caitlin Metz from the Rural Connectivity Group and Tuanz CEO Craig Young. The Manawatū event will have Lisa Warbrick and Daphne Luke discussing a Māori view of technology.