APNIC warns members of fake election phone calls • The Register

The Asia Pacific Community Data Centre (APNIC) – the regional web registry for 56 nations within the area – has warned that members could also be receiving faux cellphone calls from individuals purporting to be from the group forward of the election of members to the org’s govt council.

A post by the APNIC Secretariat titled “Callers impersonating APNIC: Election rip-off warning” states that the group “is conscious of experiences of Members receiving unsolicited phone calls (‘chilly calls’) to encourage voting for sure candidates within the upcoming EC election, and the calls are reported to be from individuals claiming to signify APNIC.”

“These calls are NOT from APNIC. The APNIC Secretariat won’t ever name Members to debate EC election candidates,” the put up continues, earlier than asking members to report any such approaches.

The thread through which the above put up was made has notched up two replies, every alleging unsolicited calls completely different blocs of candidates. One other thread claims that one member has acquired unsolicited marketing campaign e-mail from Lu Heng – a candidate who has acquired an endorsement from a Morocco-based group known as Quantity Useful resource Society (NRS) – and that the message included promoting for an IP deal with leasing service.

NRS is a Morocco-based group that advocates for reform of web registries “and opposing any bureaucratic practices that might hinder the soundness of the web.” It has no apparent connection to APNIC.

The Register subsequently contacted Lu Heng to ask if he is aware of why NRS selected to help his candidacy and people of others employed by Larus Restricted – an organization he serves as CEO and which payments itself as capable of “Lease on-demand IP Addresses inside 48 hours.”

Lu mentioned he believes NRS merely needs to enhance web governance and to lend its help to his candidacy.

Nonetheless The Register can reveal a beforehand unreported hyperlink between Larus and NRS: an October 27, 2021, Wayback Machine snapshot of the NRS’s net web page lists the group’s deal with as “Flat A3, 11/F, TML Tower, Tsuen Wan, N.T, Hong Kong SAR.”

Larus Restricted’s web site at present lists its deal with as “A3, 11/F, TML Tower, Tsuen Wan, N.T, Hong Kong SAR.”

The Register has requested Lu Heng to elucidate the shared deal with. We’ve got additionally requested NRS for touch upon its motivation for supporting candidates within the APNIC election, however haven’t acquired a response on the time of writing.

Lu Heng has additionally been recognized as CEO of an entity known as Cloud Innovation, which on its web site states that it “companions with LARUS” to delegate IP addresses.

The African Community Data Centre (AFRINIC) is in litigation with Cloud Innovation.

Lu has additionally been criticized by the American Registry for Web Numbers (ARIN), which has expressed concern about what it described as “deceptive and inconsistent” conduct and of creating “doubtlessly false statements” to the group.

Concern concerning the NRS-aligned slate of candidates for the APNIC election emerged earlier this week when, as The Register reported, veteran telecoms engineer Karl Kloppenborg sought to invoke mechanisms that permit APNIC to vary eligibility for the council after nominations for the vote had been confirmed.

In dialog with The Register, Lu mentioned his solely curiosity in APNIC is to enhance its governance and construction, and by doing so to make sure web entry for all.

He described all regional web registries as an oddly centralized supply of authority given the decentralized nature of the web, and argued that they’re successfully redundant and may subsequently be reformed.

When The Register pointed Lu to the criticisms of his previous actions talked about above, he mentioned they’re false and motivated by self-interest of registry employees and officers.

Voting in APNIC’s election commenced earlier this week, and closes on March 2. The Register is watching.

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