How to create and protect your brand identity online

Phishing
is an attempt to fraudulently acquire personal details, such as usernames and passwords. Attacks are often aimed at customers of internet banking. Consumers tricked by a phishing attack often hold the company, itself a victim of the crime, at fault, and customer loyalty can drop.

Spamming
affects almost every email user and is the practice of sending unsolicited bulk emails. It is cheap and easy to set up a spam campaign, but very difficult to track the senders and hold them accountable. Traditionally a nuisance, spamming has recently developed to spread viruses, which allow the spammer access to a computer.
To protect against receiving or unwittingly distributing spam, it is vital to have an up-to-date spam filter in place.

What can be done to protect your online brand?
Over the last few years, the domain name market has grown considerably in value. Domain name trading sees domain names being actively bought, sold and stored, sometimes for huge profit.
If you believe that you are the victim of cybersquatting, there are a number of options available to individuals and businesses, such as pursuing litigation through the courts or via dispute resolution services.
Dispute resolution services are a cost-effective, efficient method of resolving conflicts that can arise over disputed ownership of a domain name. There are various online dispute resolution policies available, including Nominet’s Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) for .uk domain names, and the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) for .com, .net and others.
The dispute resolution service for .uk domain names seeks to settle domain name disputes using mediation between the parties, and where this is not possible, through an independent expert decision. The service is quick, efficient and cheaper than attempting to solve the matter through the courts.
The success of using the practice of mediation for online dispute resolution has meant that it is now possible for individuals and businesses to protect themselves from potential cyber threats cost-effectively. The challenge is to ensure that resolution services adapt to what is a rapidly changing online environment.

Protecting against broader security threats
Nominet’s Best Practice Challenge 2008 recently highlighted that the UK is leading the way by developing best-in-class security initiatives. Here are two examples:
Barclays’ recent PINsentry authentication device, which protects customers from phishing and fraud when they log on to online banking.
The Business Crime Reduction Centre, which helps enterprises in South Yorkshire by assessing their security needs and offering crime-prevention solutions.
Meanwhile, internet stakeholders and the government are also collaborating to make the internet a safer place to do business. Recently, the UK government gave the go-ahead for a centralised police eCrime unit to tackle online crime. Launched in June 2008, the department will target all illegal internet activity, including fraud. Key to the success of this initiative is voluntary involvement from industry organisations and commercial companies.

Global industry initiatives focus on security
Over the last 12 months, several industry and government initiatives have taken place, thereby demonstrating the industry’s commitment to improving online security.
The recent OECD ministerial meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy resulted in a declaration signed by communications ministers from over 40 countries, including the UK. The declaration was a commitment to work closely with business, civil society and technical experts to make the internet a safer place for businesses and consumers through ongoing development and industry self-regulation.
The International Governance Forum (IGF) is another global initiative that encourages multistakeholder dialogue in internet governance, including security. It is a United Nations’ initiative that aims to bring together countries to discuss ongoing issues, share best practice and support ongoing development.
In March 2008, the UK was the first country to launch an IGF at a national level. The UK IGF opens up the dialogue about internet governance, including security issues and best practice, to a UK audience. It provides a vehicle for these views to be presented back to an international audience at the full IGF meetings. The next one of these is in December in India.

Moving forward
Industry is working hard to improve the safety of the internet. However, individual companies have an important role to play to protect both themselves and their customers.
Despite the good work and the progress, brand protection and security is an ongoing battle. It’s an issue that needs constant monitoring and discussion to keep abreast of the ever-changing landscape, and give companies the best chance of survival in an increasingly competitive economic climate.
The internet economy grows stronger by the day. Where once it was peripheral, it can now stand at the heart of a business’s success. Companies ignoring the risks posed by cybercrime do so at their peril.

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