Google To Push Websites With HTTPS In Search Rankings For More Secure Web

In an effort to push security, Google announced they are starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal in their search results.

Over the past few months Google has been running tests taking into account whether sites use secure, encrypted connections as a signal in their search ranking algorithms and the results have been positive.

For now it’s only a very lightweight signal — affecting fewer than one percent of global queries, and carrying less weight than other signals such as high-quality content — while webmasters are given time to switch to HTTPS. But over time, Google say they may decide to strengthen it because they’d like to encourage all website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe on the web.

In the coming weeks, Google will publish detailed best practices to make TLS adoption easier, and to avoid common mistakes. Google have provided some basic tips to get started:

• decide the kind of certificate you need: single, multi-domain, or wildcard certificate
• use 2048-bit key certificates
• use relative URLs for resources that reside on the same secure domain
• use protocol relative URLs for all other domains
• check out their Site move article for more guidelines on how to change your website’s address
• don’t block your HTTPS site from crawling using robots.txt
• allow indexing of your pages by search engines where possible. Avoid the noindex robots meta tag.

In their announcement Google note that security is a top priority for them. They note they invest a lot in making sure that their services use industry-leading security, like strong HTTPS encryption by default. That means that people using Search, Gmail and Drive, for example, automatically have a secure connection to Google.

For more information and a few more links, see the Google blog announcement at:
googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal_6.html

ICANN Grants Data Retention To French And German Registrars

ICANN announced yesterday it has granted four more data retention waivers to registrars domiciled in France and Germany due to their inability to sign ICANN’s 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement.

The registrars involved were ingenit GmbH & Co. KG, 1API GmbH, RegistryGate GmbH (all German) and MAILCLUB SAS (French). For all three, as with other requests, there were legitimate concerns that they would violate data retention laws in their countries.

In the case of MAILCLUB, ICANN noted that “pursuant to Section 3 of the Data Retention Specification of the 2013 RAA, which provides that if a registrar is subject to the same applicable law that gave rise to ICANN’s request to grant a previous data retention waiver under the 2013 RAA, a registrar may request that ICANN grant a similar waiver, which request shall be approved by ICANN, unless ICANN provides Registrar with a reasonable justification for not approving such request.” ICANN “determined that it is appropriate to grant Registrar a data retention waiver similar to the waiver previously granted to OVH SAS.”

Registrar’s Waiver Request cites the previous data retention waiver granted by ICANN to OVH SAS, on the basis of OVH SAS’s contention that compliance with the data collection and/or retention requirements of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA violates applicable law in France.

In the announcement, ICANN agreed “that following Registrar’s execution of the 2013 RAA, for purposes of assessing Registrar’s compliance with the data retention requirement of Paragraph 1.1 of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA, the period of ‘two additional years’ in Paragraph 1.1 of the Data Retention Specification will be deemed modified to ‘one additional year.’”

For the German registrars, ICANN noted that “shall remain obliged to retain all data elements specified in Articles 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 of the Specification for the duration of its sponsorship of the Registration and for a period of two (2) additional years thereafter; however, Registrar will be permitted to block the data elements specified in Articles 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 of the Specification in accordance with blocking requirements under applicable law (see Sec. 35 para. 3 German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG) at the earliest after one year following the end of the Registrar’s sponsorship of the Registration, provided that the rights of data subjects under Sec. 35 para 2 second sentence BDSG shall remain unaffected.”

There are also changes regarding Articles 1.2.1, 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 in the ICANN announcements for the German registrars.

In relation to the German requests, ICANN noted “that the provisions of Section 3 of the Specification will apply to similar waivers requested by other registrars that are located in Germany and subject to German law.” So it can be expected there will be further requests from registrars required to sign the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement.

ICANN/IANA: ICG Announces Second Conference Call

ICANN: Community Priority Evaluation Panel Process Document Released

ICANN has published the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) process documents for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE). This document provides detail of the process the EIU employs to perform the CPE.

 

• View CPE Panel Process Document [PDF, 314 KB]
• View CPE Page

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-07aug14-en

New York Mayor Urges Residents To Show Their Affiliation With A .NYC Domain

The Landrush period for the .nyc gTLD commenced on 4 August with New York City’s mayor Bill de Blasio urging New Yorkers to get their .nyc domains.

The Landrush for the Big Apple’s gTLD is available to all businesses, organisations and residents with a physical address in New York City who will have an equal opportunity to reserve a .nyc domain in advance of the official public launch on October 8.

The 60-day “landrush” phase offers New Yorkers a chance to reserve the .nyc domain names that are most important to protect or extend their business, brand or identity online. New Yorkers can apply for a .nyc web by visiting OwnIt.nyc.

“The new .nyc domain presents a unique opportunity for New Yorkers, our small businesses, and organisations throughout the five boroughs to brand their identity, showcase their affiliation with the City — and to ‘own’ who they are online,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “As we continue to expand Internet access and put New York City on the digital map, this is a chance for more New Yorkers to claim their piece of the City’s high-demand digital real estate.

The gTLD also received support from a number of other local politicians, business people and community leaders.

“The opening of ‘.nyc’ domain names to the public is another step in New York’s effort to use technology to help connect businesses and community groups with the public,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Small business owners, neighbourhood groups, and private citizens now have the chance to claim a domain name signifying that they are part of this City’s vibrant and growing tech community.”

“Technology at its best helps make the world more accessible, and today’s public reservation phase for .nyc is a prime example of that,” said Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Anne M. Roest. “We’re pleased to play a role in helping New Yorkers and New York City small businesses own a virtual piece of our city, and look forward to helping build .nyc into a brand as great as the place it is named after.”

“A strong online presence is critical for success in today’s digital world, and the .nyc domain allows businesses in New York City to leverage New York City’s world-class identity and let buyers from markets around the globe know that they call New York City home,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. “I encourage New York City’s businesses to “own it,” and also to learn more about free services available to help small businesses build an online presence at nyc.gov/nycbusiness.”

“As the first U.S. city to acquire its own top-level domain, New York has an exciting opportunity to galvanise its reputation as the city of possibility. With .nyc, local organisations, small businesses, and individuals can label themselves as a uniquely New York brand. Neighbourhoods, too, can benefit from .nyc branding to identify unique products and services, and attract tourism. As a City Council member in 2008, I introduced the resolution that supported the .nyc acquisition. Now, as Manhattan Borough President, I’m thrilled to encourage local service providers and vendors of locally made goods to seize this opportunity to create unique .nyc domain names that identify their neighbourhood roots,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer.

“I’m excited to see the .nyc web address taking another significant step forward with this landrush phase. This is a great way for New York City small businesses to improve their brands and grow their online identities, and I encourage people to take full advantage of this opportunity,” said Council Member Vacca, Chair of the Committee on Technology.

“The best city in the world is about to get better with its own dot NYC domain — and it is only for New Yorkers. Businesses can show that they are local and proud New Yorkers by getting their dot NYC,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “This opportunity to support our City’s small businesses and grow jobs with dot NYC is thanks to Thomas Lowenhaupt, who has made his singular vision into a reality through years of unwavering advocacy; the understanding and support of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer during her years in the Council; and the leadership on technology of Mayor Bill de Blasio. I look forward to working with all of them to make sure that businesses know that if they want to make sure they have a chance to reserve their dot NYC, the landrush over the next 60 days is the best time to do it, before they miss out and dot NYC is first come, first served.”

To raise awareness of the landrush phase, the City’s official registry, Neustar, is teaming up with business groups, community partners, and City agencies on a five-borough outreach campaign to celebrate the people, places and ideas that make New York unique; promote the new .nyc domain; and encourage New Yorkers to “own it.” The campaign will kick off with “Moment to Own It” countdown, enlisting New Yorkers to help identify and reveal the City’s top 100 ‘Own It’ moments. The campaign will include digital and social media outreach, signage on bus shelters and newsstands, radio and other targeted advertising, as well as special events to engage small businesses, organisations and residents across the five boroughs.

“The launch of the .nyc domain is an important moment in New York City’s history, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it,” said Lisa Hook, President and CEO of Neustar, Inc. “We hope that individuals and organisations from across the City will take advantage of landrush by registering for a piece of their own .nyc digital real estate, and that they will share their unique New York City stories with us during our ‘Moment to Own It’ campaign.”

“This is a significant milestone for our organisation and our diverse membership,” said Mark Jaffe, President & CEO of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce. “We look forward to being one of the first local business groups to adopt a .nyc web address, and we’ll be encouraging our entire database of 30,000 businesses to enhance their New York City presence by securing their brand on .nyc.”

In a further effort to inspire meaningful use and development of the .nyc namespace, the City of New York is also launching Neighborhoods.nyc, an open application process for community groups to receive a premium neighborhood domain name like Harlem.nyc, Astoria.nyc or ParkSlope.nyc. The City has reserved roughly 400 neighborhood names for use by community groups to develop new online hubs for civic engagement, online organising, and information-sharing. The first set of neighborhood names will become available in late 2014 and will be licensed through a competitive application process. In order to be eligible for a .nyc neighborhood name, organisations must be registered as a not-for-profit, public benefit corporation or local development corporation, and be located within the neighborhood for which the .nyc domain name is sought. To learn more, visit Neighborhoods.nyc.

“The roll out of .nyc neighborhoods names is yet another economic development tool community based organisations, like BIDs, can utilise to support local economies throughout the five boroughs,” said Tim Laughlin, Executive Director of the Lower East Side Business Improvement District and Chair of the NYC BID Association’s .nyc Working Group. “The opportunity to create dynamic digital destinations in individual neighborhoods will further our ability to help small business owners grow and succeed in an increasingly digital world.”

During the landrush phase of .nyc, a domain name will be allocated to an applicant if there is only one applicant for that particular domain name. If two or more people apply for the same .nyc domain name during this period, an online auction will determine who is assigned the name. The .nyc web address will then become available to the general public on a first come, first-served basis, starting on October 8, 2014.

For more information about .nyc and the application process, visit OwnIt.nyc.