The UK’s Internet Watch Foundation found 68,092 URLs containing child sexual abuse imagery and hosted on 1,991 domains worldwide according to their latest annual report published Thursday.The IWF, the UK online child sexual abuse charity, found these 68,092 URLs hosting child sexual abuse content were traced to 48 countries, which is an increase from 45 in 2014. And five top level domains (.com, .net, .ru, .org and .se) accounted for 91 percent of all webpages identified as containing child sexual abuse images and videos.And for the first time the IWF saw these new gTLDs being used to share child sexual abuse imagery. The IWF believes many of these domains in new gTLDs have been registered specifically for that purpose.The IWF took action on 436 websites in 2015 using new gTLD domains to share child sexual abuse material. 138 of these were disguised websites.To assist registries and registrars that are members of IWF in taking down domain names that are used to host child sexual abuse content, the IWF has a Domain Alerts service to prevent abuse of their services by criminals attempting to share child sexual abuse imagery. This service appears to have commenced last year.The service works through IWF analysts identifying new child sexual abuse images and videos. Domain registries or registrars are sent immediate alerts if any child sexual abuse material is discovered on any domains registered through or by them.In the domain name business, members include Nominet, who provide registry services for .uk, .wales and .cymru, ICM Registry who operates .xxx, .adult and .porn, Afilias, GoDaddy, Rightside, names.co.uk and DotLondon.The main finding of the report reveals a staggering increase in the number of reports of illegal child sexual abuse images and videos that the IWF removed from the internet last year.68,092 reports were positively identified as containing illegal child sexual abuse imagery and taken down. This is a 417 percent increase in online confirmed reports over two years and an 118 percent increase in illegal child abuse imagery over the previous year.Data from IWF’s 2015 Annual Report, show their analysts have seen a dramatic increase in reports. This is since Prime Minister David Cameron gave his approval for the IWF to start proactively searching for online child sexual abuse imagery in April 2014.The IWF’s annual report is available for download from:
https://www.iwf.org.uk/accountability/annual-reports/2015-annual-report
Tag Archives: .CYMRU
.cymru .wales: 19,000 domain names for Wales
[news release] One year on from launching the first Welsh domain names, over 19,000 people have joined .cymru and .wales.
Today, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates AM will welcome the great progress the .cymru and .wales domain names have made on their 1st anniversary. With over 19,000 registrations so far, .cymru and .wales now rank among the Top 10 European geographic Top Level Domains (geo TLDs) which include .paris, .london and .berlin.*
At an event to mark a year since the .cymru and .wales domain names were launched, the Deputy Minister will hear about the experiences of those that have switched to .cymru and .wales. The Federation of Small Businesses, Football Association Wales and Welsh Government are among the thousands across Wales embracing the new domains.
For the first time in the history of the internet, the domains have provided an opportunity to choose an online home that represents the Welsh people, identity and language. Research highlights that 1 in 30 domain names include a Welsh surname, with Jones being by far the most popular surname used in a web address, followed by Evans and Williams and with many of these choosing a .cymru or .wales for their personal email addresses. Walesâ tourism offering is also making the most of the new domain names, with eco, holiday and hire ranking amongst the most popular words for new .wales and .cymru addresses.**
Welcoming the progress made and noting the importance of .cymru and .wales to Walesâ tourism offering, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism said, âAs we move into an ever-increasing online world, .cymru and .wales are ensuring that Wales stands out digitally. The news that we are keeping up with our neighbours and are now in the European Top 10 is excellent for such a small country, as is the news that keywords such as holiday and hire are the most popular .wales addresses. Both .cymru and .wales provide us with a distinct Welsh presence on the internet, taking Wales to the world and we need to ensure that the domains continue on that path.â
Russell Haworth, CEO, Nominet, the company responsible for running .cymru and .wales, said, âThe welcome for .cymru and .wales has been fantastic. Itâs great to see that businesses, individuals and organisations across Wales have signed up to celebrate their identity with Welsh customers and the Welsh language.â
This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.uk/cymru-wales-19000-domain-names-for-wales/
Premium .CYMRU/.WALES Domains Available End of March
Following the launch of the new .cymru and .wales domains last week, all remaining Premium Names will be available from Tuesday 31st March at 12.00 noon on a first come, first-served basis.
This means that over 3,000 âpremiumâ domain names, which include a number of generic terms, such as thevalleys.wales and weekendbreak.wales will be offered to all.
These will be available to all .cymru/.wales registrars at the standard, wholesale price.
For more information, please click here
This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/premium-names-cymru-and-wales-available-end-march
.CYMRU and .WALES gTLDs Off To Flying Start With 5,000 Registrations In 24 Hours
[news release] New Welsh domain names – .cymru and .wales – have just passed the five thousand mark, selling over a thousand new domains in the first hour yesterday. The new gTLDS went on sale to everyone at noon on St Davidâs Day.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of adults in Wales identify themselves as mainly or partly Welsh, as opposed to simply British, and almost all of this group (97%) express pride in their heritage.* Up until now, there were no dedicated Welsh domain names to choose from and itâs not just about websites, having a domain name means you can have a personalised email address that reflects your online identity.
In a unique approach developed especially for .cymru and .wales by Nominet, both are bilingual and allow the registration of names with the diacritic marks used in the Welsh language. So if youâre proud about being Welsh, or the Welsh connection is important to your business, now you can celebrate that by giving your website a name that ends in .cymru or .wales.
Russell Haworth, CEO, Nominet commented: âItâs been fantastic to be part of bringing .cymru and .wales to life. These new domains are all part of offering more choices after the dot to anyone who wants to make the web more Welsh.”
All .cymru and .wales domains are now available on a first come, first served basis. For more information, please visit http://ourhomeonline.wales/
This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/new-cymru-and-wales-domain-names-get-flying-start
Welsh Top Level Domains Open To All On St. David’s Day
As of today (1 March), St. Davidâs Day, anyone can register a .wales and .cymru domain name on a first come, first served basis.
Support has been strong in Wales with the Welsh Assembly being the first to switch on its new domains back in December. Others to have already taken the opportunity to register their .wales and .cymru domains include the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, the Arts Council for Wales, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion.
Wales is also one of the few countries in the world to have two top level domains as well as the option for using .uk that was their only TLD representing the country previously.
âThese domains are about taking our Welsh passion, pride and provenance to the online world and as a consequence we all now have an opportunity both within Wales and around the world to do exactly that,â said Ieuan Evans MBE, Chair of the .cymru and .wales Advisory Group and former Wales rugby captain.
âIâm thrilled to finally be able to use my own .cymru and .wales web addresses and know that anyone with a connection with Wales will want to do the same and join me in making the web more Welsh.â
“The new domain names create a fantastic opportunity for Wales that support development of businesses, communities and the Welsh language online. It means we could use the top level domain names to establish a strong online presence, which truly reflects our national identity,” Carwyn Jones, First Minister, has previously said.
Time to bid.wales – .cymru and .wales are open to everyone
From 29 December, anyone is able to apply for .cymru and .wales domain names. So if you’re proud about being Welsh, or the Welsh connection is important to your business, now you can celebrate that by giving your website a name that ends in .cymru or .wales. If more than one person wants to register a domain, an auction will determine who will win the registration. Continue reading Time to bid.wales – .cymru and .wales are open to everyone Last Chance For Welsh Businesses To Get Their Priority Applications In For .CYMRU And .WALES Before Christmas Eve
Itâs last orders this week for businesses operating in Wales to make their priority applications for the new .cymru and .wales domain names, applications close at midday on 24 December 2014.
Businesses can show that they are eligible for the domain name and that they actively use it in Wales by supplying advertising / marketing materials, websites, stationery or photographs, or a signed declaration by a UK solicitor or a trademark lawyer. If there is more than one valid application for the same domain name then it will be subject to an auction. Full details of the validation process are here.
The new .cymru and .wales domains have already started going live with the Welsh Assembly being the first to switch on its new domains. Strong backing has come from many organisations, including the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, the Arts Council for Wales, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion.
From 29 December 2014, anyone can apply for domain names that havenât been registered in the earlier phases. Domain names that receive more than one application will go to auction.
For more information, please visit ourhomeonline.wales.
This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/last-chance-welsh-businesses-get-their-priority-applications-cymru-and-wales-christmas
Premium Names Launched For .CYMRU and .WALES
The Premium Names list for the new .cymru and .wales domain names is published today, ready for applications from 29 December 2014 when anyone can apply for domain names that have not been registered in the earlier phases.
Premium names are those with popular terms that will generate high levels of interest. They will all be up for auction with a £50 reserve price plus application and registration fees.
The new .cymru and .wales domains have already started going live. The Welsh Assembly was the first to switch on its new domains and strong backing has come from many organisations, including the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium and the Arts Council for Wales.
General availability begins on St Davidâs Day, March 1st 2015.
This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/premium-names-launched-cymru-and-wales
Welsh Businesses Get Priority For .CYMRU and .WALES From 3 November
Businesses operating in Wales will go straight to the front of the queue for the new .cymru and .wales domain names from today. For those keen to promote their association with Brand Wales, applications open at midday on 3 November and close at midday on 24 December 2014.
Advertising / marketing materials, websites, stationery and photographs can all be used by businesses to show that they are eligible for the domain name and that they actively use it in Wales, or a signed declaration by a UK solicitor or a trademark lawyer. If there is more than one valid application for the same domain name then it will be subject to an auction. Full details of the validation process are here.
The new .cymru and .wales domains have already started going live. The Welsh Assembly was the first to switch on its new domains last month. Strong backing has come from many organisations, including the Welsh government, S4C, Sport Wales, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales, the Scarlets rugby team, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, the Arts Council for Wales, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion.
While Welsh businesses are opting for the new domains to underline their Welsh connections, research has shown that 70% of Welsh consumers also express a preference for .cymru and .wales over other popular domains such as .com.
From 29 December 2014, anyone can apply for domain names that havenât been registered in the earlier phases. Domain names that receive more than one application will go to auction.
General availability begins on St Davidâs Day, March 1st 2015.
For more information, please visit ourhomeonline.wales.
Nominet Launches Rules And Processes For .CYMRU And .WALES
Nominet has published the rules and processes for the launch of .cymru and .wales in September. They have come about following a three-month consultation.
With its own distinctive identity and culture in Wales, and of course our own language, the new gTLDs will be unique. Plus Nominet has worked closely with the Welsh Government every step of the way to ensure that these new domains are good for Welsh businesses, good for Wales and support the Welsh language online.
To begin, there will be a restricted launch phase to benefit businesses active in the Welsh market before the domains are opened up to everyone, but in a unique approach that has been developed especially for .cymru and .wales, both domain spaces will allow the registration of names that use the diacritic marks used in the Welsh language.
For trademark holders, Nominet is recommending submitting their marks to the Trademark Clearing House before the end of July.
Key policy points for .cymru and .wales:
- Domain Resellers who sell the domain names to the public will be required to stock both .wales and .cymru domain names providing equal status to Walesâs two languages and the two domain names. There will be a restricted launch phase that will benefit businesses active in the Welsh market before the domains are opened up on a first come, first served basis.
- Individuals, companies and organisations will be able to choose to register their domain name in either .cymru or .wales or both.
- An innovative partnership has been set up with Gwynedd Councilâs Galw Gwynedd to offer bilingual call centre support to Welsh and English speaking callers. Nominet will also publish a voluntary Welsh Language Scheme.
- In a unique approach especially for these domains, both domain spaces will allow the registration of names that use the diacritic marks used in the Welsh language to mirror non-diacritic domain names.
Commenting on the announcement, Ieuan Evans, Chair of the Nominet Wales Advisory Group said: âThe new .cymru and .wales domains are an exciting opportunity for Wales to reach its full potential online by creating a platform for Brand Wales to become recognised worldwide. We are absolutely committed to making these domains work for everyone in Wales and that they empower people to create and use Welsh language content.â
Jo Golley, leading Nominetâs Wales team says: âPublication of our policy document is the next step in our drive to give Wales an exciting new online platform on which to build the Welsh brand. Having worked for over two years with the Welsh Government and key Welsh businesses and organisations we are confident that we are now well placed to deliver domains which are more relevant to Wales.
âToday we have further been able to clarify our commitment to the Welsh language. The extensive technical measures we have put in place to allow diacritic marks to be used have been taken with the full intent of enabling people to use the range and subtlety of the Welsh language online. These important steps will enable a massive increase in Welsh language domain names on the internet.â
To register interest and for the full policy, go to ourhomeonline.org.uk/sign-up-for-updates