Check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the most recent edition
of the domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! 

The latest news includes a story on the development in Australia of a national personal properties securities register that is to include domain names.

And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for regular updates in between postings.



The domain name news is supported by auDA.


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VeriSign Domain Price Increase Criticized
http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198800874

VeriSign to increase .com, .net domain fees
http://infoworld.com/article/07/04/05/HNverisigntoincreasefees_1.html

Two thirds of the online Europeans are aware of .eu (news release)
http://eurid.eu/images/Documents/Press_releases/eu_awareness_05042007.pdf

Infrastructure ENUM by Geoff Huston
http://www.circleid.com/posts/infrastructure_enum/

Biggest threat to Internet could be a massive virtual blackout
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0407/040507tdpm2.htm

In the wake of RegisterFly, is ICANN taking flight?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/05/icann_registerfly_litigation/

us: DHS could tap data on Internet domain names
http://fcw.com/article98184-04-09-07

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GOVERNANCE
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World Information Society Report 2007: Beyond WSIS - Coming soon!
The second edition of the World Information Society Report: Beyond WSIS is going to be launched on the occasion of the World Information Society Day on 16 May 2007. Published by ITU and UNCTAD, this report looks beyond the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS, Geneva 2003 - Tunis 2005) to the creation of an inclusive, people-centered and development-oriented Information Society, open to all.
http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/newslog/World+Information+Society+Report+2007+Beyond+WSIS++Coming+Soon.aspx

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DOMAIN NAMES
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VeriSign Domain Price Increase Criticized
The Internet is about to get more expensive, without justification some believe. VeriSign, the company that manages both .com and .net domain name registration, said Thursday that the registry fees for domain names will increase starting Oct. 15. The registry fee for domain names -- effectively the wholesale price -- will rise from $6 to $6.42 for .com names and from $3.50 to $3.85 for .net names. This represents the first registry fee increase since ICANN established the fee structure in 1999.
http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198800874

VeriSign to increase .com, .net domain fees
VeriSign is planning to raise the wholesale cost of registering a .com or .net domain name in October to generate more money for infrastructure improvements, the company announced on Thursday.
http://infoworld.com/article/07/04/05/HNverisigntoincreasefees_1.html

Verisign hikes fees for web domains (AP)
Verisign said Thursday it will increase the fees for registering domain names. Effective Oct. 15, the registry fee, the fee for registering .com names will be $6.42, up from $6. The new fee for registering .net domain names will increase to $3.85 from $3.50.
http://businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8OAM81G1.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/06/1175366447038.html
http://iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/05/business/NA-TEC-US-Domain-Names-Prices.php

VeriSign to raise domain fees
VeriSign on Thursday said it that it will increase the fees it charges for Internet domains ending in .com or .net.
http://news.com.com/2100-1030_3-6173825.html
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6173825.html

Domain Name Fee Increase Set
Starting this October 15, VeriSign will increase the registration fee it charges for the popular .com and .net domain names. The .com fee, currently $6, will go to $6.42 while .net will rise to $3.85 from the current $3.50.
http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3670081
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/56750.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/06/icann_verisign_domain_prices/

VeriSign Announces Increase in .Com/.Net Domain Name Fees
VeriSign announced effective Oct. 15, 2007 an increase in registry domain name fees for .com and .net, per its agreements with ICANN.
http://www.verisign.com/press_releases/pr/page_041054.html
http://icann.org/correspondence/bishop-to-twomey-05apr07.pdf

us: Internet Commerce Association Calls Upon Congress to React to Verisign Price Hikes
.Com jumps from $6 to $6.42, .Net leaps from $3.50 to $3.85 - both at the max allowed under ICANN agreement and nary a mention at the ICANN meeting concluding not even one week prior.
http://internetcommerce.org/news/the_internet_commerce_association_ica_calls_upon_congress_to_react_to_verisign_price_hikes

Domain Name Prices To Rise (And Keep Rising?)
This won?t cause the end of the world, and it probably won?t even drive anyone out of business, but Verisign is set to raise domain prices by 7-10%.  More ominous is the possibility that the prices will, from this point on, continue to increase on a yearly basis.  Oh, well - at least the company is being upfront about it.
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/04/06/domain-name-prices-to-rise-and-keep-rising

Two thirds of the online Europeans are aware of .eu (news release)
Just one year after its launch, almost two thirds (63%) of the European online population are aware of the .eu Internet top level domain name and 45 % know that they, as residents of EU, can get their own .eu domain name. These are some of the findings of a survey conducted by the independent company, InSites, on behalf of EURid.
http://eurid.eu/images/Documents/Press_releases/eu_awareness_05042007.pdf

Infrastructure ENUM by Geoff Huston
After much initial fanfare a couple of years ago ENUM has matured to a state where it is currently yet another under-achiever in the technology deployment stakes. ENUM initially presented itself as a very provocative response to the legacy telco position of monopolising public voice services through their exclusive control over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the associated controlling position over the telephone number space (the so-called ?E.164? number space, after the ITU-T recommendation E.164 which recommends country code assignments for switched telephony services). The perception was that ENUM was going to dismantle these levers of control and open up the voice market to a new wave of competitive carriers. If the address plan was the key to the PSTN, then ENUM was intended unlock this network and position the new wave of VOIP carriers to take over any residual treasures of the traditional voice market.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/infrastructure_enum/

Biggest threat to Internet could be a massive virtual blackout
The most serious threat to the Internet infrastructure in the 21st century is a massive virtual blackout known as a "distributed denial of service attack," an outspoken board member for the group that administers Internet addresses said Thursday at a Hudson Institute briefing. This type of high-tech ambush, which occurs when multiple compromised systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted server to make Web pages unavailable, could be devastating for global online communication, said Susan Crawford of ICANN.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0407/040507tdpm2.htm

za: New Panel to Get to Grips With Cybersquatters
Cybersquatters will soon be evicted from internet addresses they have wrongfully registered as a new panel to settle domain name disputes opens for business this week.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200704050715.html
http://www.mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=6081

za: Finally, an end to cybersquatting
You may not be familiar with the term 'cybersquatting', but you are probably familiar with the practice of cybersquatting. Cybersquatting occurs when a third party Internet user registers an Internet domain name incorporating your company?s name or your company?s trade marks. Typically, cybersquatters will then try sell the domain name back to you at an inflated price.
http://www.ictworld.co.za/EditorialEdit.asp?EditorialID=28582

Torment of Typosquatting (video report)
Cybersquatters are increasingly registering mistyped domain names, sending people to websites covered with advertising or even pornography. Microsoft says urgent action must be taken.
http://www.ameinfo.com/116094.html

In the wake of RegisterFly, is ICANN taking flight?
In the aftermath of the ICANN meeting in Lisbon, the RegisterFly disaster continues to inspire both litigation and paranoia. Those connecting the dots are convinced that an ICANN report debated at the Lisbon meetings exploring the possibility of changing ICANN to an international organization along the lines of the International Red Cross is an attempt by ICANN to slither out of this whole mess.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/05/icann_registerfly_litigation/

Remain Master of Your Domain (Name)
The Internet is a wild and wooly place, and the rules change constantly. Unfortunately, as with any frontier, there are individuals looking to profit at others' expense. These people, frequently called "cyber squatters," look for lapsed domain names that typically grab the interest of Web surfers or attract high volumes of traffic. Cyber squatters then often grab up the lapsed domain name and use that Web site for their own purposes.
http://redorbit.com/news/technology/896093/remain_master_of_your_domain_name/

Taiwan Internet hosts rose to 9.77 million in January 2007
Taiwan hosted 9.77 million Internet domain names in January 2007, according to the Focus on Internet News & Data and Innovation Diffusion Enabler & Activator of the Advanced e-Commerce Institute (ACI-IDEA-FIND) under the government-sponsored Institute for Information Industry (III).
http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070410PR208.html

us: DHS could tap data on Internet domain names
The Homeland Security Department wants VeriSign Inc. to allow it access to the so-called master keys of the Internet to allow authorities to better track suspected terrorist activity, according to published reports.
http://fcw.com/article98184-04-09-07
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/30434-1.html
http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/43443-1.html

us: Orso's Suing For Defamation Over Website
Two websites, with two very similar names, have two very different opinions about the work done at a Syracuse auto body shop. The owner of Nick Orso's Body Shop says a disgruntled customer is trying to ruin his good name, so he's going to court, suing for defamation and the case going before a federal judge.
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=d47a56c0-9cf2-4a9a-a63e-6ced16046fdf

How Can We Take Domains Down Faster? by Larry Seltzer
Opinion: Often the best way to thwart an Internet attack is to take down the domain names involved in it, but this is a hard thing to do under current rules. Shortly before the revelation of the .ANI bug and the inevitable development of attack sites that it engendered, a prescient discussion was beginning about better ways to bring these sites down.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2111671,00.asp

Rick Schwartz Opens Domain Name and Traffic Blog (news release)
Rick Schwartz aka "Domain King" has announced the opening of his new blog, http://RicksBlog.com. He says "it is a place that will ruffle some feathers and challenge the staus quo." In Rick's new blog he will disclose things he has learned over the last 12 years on the net.
http://emediawire.com/releases/2007/4/emw516935.htm
http://prweb.com/releases/2007/4/prweb516935.htm
http://ricksblog.com/

aero- more than just a domain name (news release)
Back in the year 2000, when .aero came around, it was considered by some a futuristic but others a totally and utterly crazy idea, to suggest that aircraft engines, seats, spare parts or individual passenger bags could have their own IP addresses or perhaps even a domain name, and, .aero initiative would be the ?glue? where the aviation industry rules meets Internet. Now was it so crazy?
http://www.businessportal24.com/en/_166140.html

China's Baidu.com in domain dispute in Japan (Reuters)
Baidu.com, often described as "China's Google", has bumped up against an obstacle that the real Google has long grown accustomed to: cybersquatters on its first overseas venture.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKSHA27714420070409
http://www.ciol.com/content/search/showarticle1.asp?artid=96251

nz: Couple warn of website problems
A Tuatapere couple who operate jetboat trips on the Wairaurahiri River are warning other small businesses to be aware that the names of their businesses can be registered on the internet by competitors, who may then hive off potential clients. Joyce and Johan Groters have used the name Wairaurahiri Jet for the past 13 years to market their tourism business and it is painted on the side of their jetboat. However, competitors Paul and Gwen Roff, who operate the Hump Ridge Jet on the same river, have outmanouvred them on the internet, buying domain names www.wairaurahirijet.co.nz, wairaurahiri jet.com and wjets.co.nz, all of which take internet users to a website that promotes the Roffs' own tourism business.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4019917a6011.html

auDA Conducts Online Policy Survey (news release)
auDA's 2007 Names Policy Panel is Currently Considering Changes to .au Policy
http://www.webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=20177

UK firms risk losing online brands to Asian rivals
Businesses must act now to secure their Asian internet presence as the new .asia domain name becomes a reality. NetNames is urging British businesses to beat competitors and cybersquatters across Asia out of the starting blocks and protect their brands and trademarks online.
http://www.domaininformer.com/news/press/070405NetNames.html

us: Utah Ban On Trademarked Keywords Rankles Groups
Utah last month enacted Utah SB 236, the "Trademark Protection Act," a law that effectively prohibits the competitive use of trademarked terms as keyword advertising triggers. The new law establishes "an electronic registration mark that may not be used to trigger advertising for a competitor and creates a database for use in administering marks." This electronic registration appears to cover trademarks as well as domain names, which are not necessarily trademarks.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198800360

us: Keith Urban countersues Keith Urban
Keith D. Urban, the painter, has filed court documents claiming that the lawsuit filed by the famous singer Keith Urban about the painter?s Web site is baseless and a tool to intimidate him.
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070405/ENTERTAINMENT06/70405027

Search Engine Ranking Factors v2
This document represents the collective wisdom of 37 leaders in the world of organic search engine optimization. Together, they have voted on the various factors that are estimated to comprise Google's ranking algorithm (the method by which the search engine orders results). The result is a resource of incredible value - although not every one of the estimated 200+ ranking elements are included, it is the author's opinion that 90-95% of the knowledge required about Google's algorithm is contained below. Issues include Keyword Use in Domain Name; Global Link Popularity of Site; Age of Site; TLD Extension of Site (edu, gov, us, ca, com, etc) and Number of Queries for Site/Domain over Time.
http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors
http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2007/04/06/domain-names-choosing-them-alphabetically

Small Business Using DotMobi
The Wall Street Journal has a piece on dotmobi domains, starting with how they are being used by small businesses. One hostelier said he gets 30 to 40 new calls a month from his site, which is probably a positive return on the investment.
http://www.moconews.net/entry/419-small-business-using-dotmobi/#When:06:13:00Z
http://charlotte.com/122/story/76087.html
http://gigaom.com/2007/04/05/who-uses-dot-mobi/

DotMobi survey slams poor websites
Over 900 of the top 1,000 Irish companies' websites are ?unsuitable'? for use on a mobile phone, according to a new survey.
http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=MORE+COMPUTER+NEWS-qqqm=nav-qqqid=22182-qqqx=1.asp

Top-Level Domain for Mobiles Proving Beneficial to Small Businesses
Creating mobile Web sites for small businesses can often be too expensive for these companies, which is why the new dotMobi top-level domain has proved a popular alternative for many of them, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. A .mobi domain is supposed to signify a site that has been formatted for cell phones, smartphones and other mobile devices. The point is to make the mobile Web easier to access and navigate for consumers.
http://www.pdastreet.com/articles/2007/4/2007-4-6-Top-Level-Domain.html

Speculation on generic names is OK
In a UDRP case over fools.com (D2006-1625), the Panel suggests that the fact "that the only other domain names in the Respondent?s portfolio, of which there is any evidence, are all common dictionary words" is a clue of bona fide registration.
http://domaine.blogspot.com/2007/04/speculation-on-generic-names-is-ok.html

Legitimate registration of a name on behalf of another person
The name grundke.de was registered by a web agency. It registered this name for a client, which bears the name "Grundke Optik", and then parked the domain name (which directed to the agency's pages). A third party, which family name is Grundke, sued the agency, and first obtained a motion for dispute from the German domain administration DeNIC which prevented the domain from being transferred.
http://domaine.blogspot.com/2007/04/legitimate-registration-of-name-on.html

A registrar which is required to transfer a domain name is not liable for doing so
The registrar Tucows Inc. and its subsidiary OpenSRS, transferred Robert N.'s name petswarehouse.com. Robert N. alleged this constituted trademark infringement. N. registered this name in 1997, and used it for selling pet supplies and livestock. Four years later, he registered this name as a trademark.
http://domaine.blogspot.com/2007/04/registrar-which-is-required-to-transfer.html

ICANN formalises Libya, Ivory country code Top Level Domain
Following the conclusion of the 28th public session of ICANN in Lisbon. Africa topped the agenda as two out of the three formalised ccTLD managers at the meeting came from the continent. These are Libyan .ly and .ci for Cote d'Ivoire being managed respectively by the General Post and Telecommunications Company and Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouet Boigny, in addition to Russian .ru under the supervision of Coordination Center.
http://www.africa-interactive.net/index.php?PageID=4087

Internet Oversight Agency Creates New Group on Domain Name Privacy
ICANN's WHOIS task force submitted its Final Report on WHOIS Services to Council at ICANN meetings in Lisbon last week. The report endorses the Operational Point of Contact (OPoC) proposal to limit public access to domain name registrants' personal information by allowing registrants to use alternate contact details.
http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_14.07.html

ICANN is considering becoming a private entity
ICANN is considering a change in the way Internet's governing body is organized that could allow it to skirt some potential legal issues.
http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php/id;952783716;fp;2;fpid;1

ICANN To Leave US?
The ?I? in ICANN stands for ?Internet,? but if ICANN has its way, ?International? may become an equally valid interpretation; according to recent reports, ICANN could make a new home for itself in Switzerland.
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/04/05/icann-to-leave-us

How to Use Domain Names to Make Money Online
When people take about topic related to making money online. They generally will mention Google AdSense program, affiliate programs, how to sell products and services through a website and ebay, paid survey and so on. But have you ever heard about making money online with domain names? It is a new concept to profit online and there is a number of people earn a living with domain names. So how domain names can make people money? Good question. Here's how:
http://www.domaininformer.com/guides/General_Information/articles/070405howtouse.html

The world's only fingerprintsearch.com domain name is for sale
Fingerprintsearch.com is a high value domain name that can be used for emerging fingerprint search technologies that are being developed by various organisations to help internet organizations and businesses with their security needs.
http://prbuzz.com/the-worlds-only-fingerprintsearch.com-domain-name-is-for-sale-1815.html

Splitting the Root: It's Too Late by John Levine (republished, originally published 12/05)
One of the consistent chants we?ve always heard from ICANN is that there has to be a single DNS root, so everyone sees the same set of names on the net, a sentiment with which I agree. Unfortunately, I discovered at this week?s ICANN meeting that due to ICANN?s inaction, it?s already too late.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/splitting_root_too_late/

Story from Iran mentioning ICANN
http://www2.irna.ir/fa/news/view/line-12/8601205289091339.htm

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OTHER INTERNET NEWS
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Robert Fisk: The true story of free speech in America
This systematic censorship of Middle East reality continues even in schools: Laila al-Arian was wearing her headscarf at her desk at Nation Books, one of my New York publishers. No, she told me, it would be difficult to telephone her father. At the medical facility of his North Carolina prison, he can only make a few calls - monitored, of course - and he was growing steadily weaker. Sami al-Arian is 49 but he stayed on hunger strike for 60 days to protest the government outrage committed against him, a burlesque of justice which has, of course, largely failed to rouse the sleeping dogs of American journalism in New York, Washington and Los Angeles.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article2430125.ece

There is climate change censorship - and it's the deniers who dish it out
This article on censorship of climate change scientists, by George Monbiot in The Guardian, around the world and in particular the USA, is not specifically on the internet. But it does show how censorship can happen. On internet censorship, it does have this to say: "The guardians of free speech in Britain aren't above attempting a little suppression, either. The Guardian and I have now received several letters from the climate sceptic Viscount Monckton threatening us with libel proceedings after I challenged his claims about climate science. On two of these occasions he has demanded that articles are removed from the internet. Monckton is the man who wrote to Senators Rockefeller and Snowe, claiming that their letter to ExxonMobil offends the corporation's 'right of free speech'."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2053521,00.html

th: YouTube clip deleted but ban stays
The creator of a video that mocked the king of Thailand has deleted the clip, but Thai authorities say site ban remains
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1617749.ece

Malaysia rejects regulation of bloggers
Malaysia has rejected a proposal to order local bloggers to register with the government, saying that existing laws are enough to deter internet users from posting malicious content.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1634326.ece

ru: Putin Tightens Internet Controls Before Presidential Election
President Vladimir Putin has already brought Russian newspapers and television to heel. Now he's turning his attention to the Internet. As the Kremlin gears up for the election of Putin's successor next March, Soviet-style controls are being extended to online news after a presidential decree last month set up a new agency to supervise both mass media and the Web.
http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=a2Zf7wMQnNQ4

uk: Websites urged to act on bullies
Web giants like YouTube are being urged to get tough with the cyber-bullies that use their sites to make pupils' and teachers' lives a misery.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6539989.stm

Agence France-Presse, Google settle copyright dispute
News agency Agence France-Presse has entered into a licensing deal with Google, ending the dispute between the two over AFP's articles appearing on Google News.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6174008.html
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/56765.html

Google-AFP Deal Unclear
Analysis: The resolution of Agence France-Presse's lawsuit against Google closes a two-year litigation process but opens many questions, primarily because the companies provided few details about their settlement and licensing agreement. For example, it's not clear whether the licensing agreement involves Google paying AFP for the right to use its material in Google News. Consequently, all outsiders can do is speculate about which company gave more in settlement negotiations that put an end to the copyright-infringement lawsuit AFP filed in March 2005.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130498-page,1/article.html

Did Google copy Chinese rival Sohu's input system?
Although Google has fought copyright battles with French news agencies and Belgian newspapers, the latest accusation that Google has been copying comes from Chinese search engine rival Sohu.
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/11178/53/

us: Free Speech Battle Over Online Parody of 'Colbert Report'
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked a federal court today to protect the free speech rights of MoveOn.org Civic Action and Brave New Films after their satirical send-up of "The Colbert Report" was removed from YouTube following a baseless copyright complaint from media giant Viacom. The video, called "Stop the Falsiness," was created by MoveOn and Brave New Films as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on Colbert's portrayal of the right-wing media and parodying MoveOn's own reputation for earnest political activism. The short film, uploaded to YouTube in August 2006, includes clips from "The Colbert Report" as well as humorous original interviews about show host Stephen Colbert. In March of this year, Viacom -- the parent company of Comedy Central -- demanded that YouTube take "Stop the Falsiness" down, claiming the video infringed its copyrights.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1728

us: Employee web use a major security risk for companies
Social networking sites are not only biting into workplace productivity -- they can also pose a major security risk, new research shows. In a national survey of more than 800 employees across a range of industries, more than half said they spent at least an hour a week accessing blogs, chat rooms
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10433436

us: Court: MySpace Postings Are Free Speech
A judge violated a juvenile's free-speech rights when he placed her on probation for posting an expletive-laden entry on MySpace criticizing a school principal, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/10/1175971082567.html

Netherlands Distributes Most Animal Pornography
The Netherlands is the biggest distributor of animal pornography worldwide. Of an inventory of 1,500 films, over 80 percent came from Dutch distributors, according to Algemeen Dagblad.
http://www.nisnews.nl/public/070407_2.htm

uk: European Court of Human Rights: Personal calls and Internet usage from work are (maybe) protected
A Welsh university employee has successfully sued the UK government in the European Court of Human Rights over surveillance that was conducted while the woman was an employee at Carmarthenshire College.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070409-european-court-of-human-rights-personal-calls-and-internet-usage-from-work-is-maybe-protected.html

ca: Internet Video, Internet Regulation, and Canadian Content by Michael Geist
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) focuses on the growing push from the Canadian broadcasting community to revisit the CRTC's 1999 New Media decision, in which Canada's broadcasting regulator took a hands-off approach to the Internet.  The support for greater regulation is often couched in Canadian content terms, but I argue that the current changes have the potential to dramatically alter Canadian content production from one mandated by government regulation to one mandated by market survival.
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/1847/135/

us: Fake web advert strips home clean
Everything including the kitchen sink was stripped from a rental home in after an advert on Craigslist invited people to take whatever they wanted free. The landlord of the house in Tacoma, Washington State, says the ad, posted last weekend was fake. ?It said come and take what you want. Everything is free,? Laurie Raye told Seattle?s KING-TV.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1622232.ece
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21513778-2,00.html

First iPod virus discovered
Security researchers have found what they believe to be the first proof-of-concept attack designed specifically to infect Apple's popular iPod portable multimedia devices.
http://weblog.infoworld.com/zeroday/archives/2007/04/first_ipod_viru.html

nz: Bazley report targets Police email and internet abuse
The report of the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct, released last week, highlights concerns about Police use of the internet and email.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/F0D91B62511E62C9CC2572B4000A52D2

Zambian ICT Policy 'Fails to Address Key Issues'
Zambia's new information and communication technology policy could benefit some farmers and rural villagers, but it does not go far enough to address key issues for the country as a whole, say critics.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200704050492.html

Social networking - Joined-up thinking: Social-networking sites are not just for teenagers. They have business uses too
The most avid users of social-networking websites may be exhibitionist teenagers, but when it comes to more grown-up use by business people, such sites have a surprisingly long pedigree. LinkedIn, an online network for professionals that signed up its ten-millionth user this week, was launched in 2003, a few months before MySpace, the biggest of the social sites. Consumer adoption of social networking has grabbed most attention since then. But interest in the business uses of the technology is rising.
http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8960555

Howls of protest as web gurus attempt to banish bad behaviour from blogosphere
Opinion divided over code of conduct meant to rid postings of offensive and abusive comments: Perhaps it was inevitable. When two leading internet pioneers came together this week to propose a set of guidelines that would filter out offensive and abusive comments from blogs, they were met by a torrent of offensive and abusive comments.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2053278,00.html

O'Reilly Proposes Blogging Code of Conduct
On the heels of the posting of death threats against prominent blogger Kathy Sierra, technology publisher Tim O'Reilly has released a draft code of conduct for blogging that calls for an end to anonymous comments and a commitment to online civility.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130522-c,internetnetworking/article.html

Bloggers debate need for code of conduct
Is it too late to bring civility to the Web? The conversational free-for-all on the Internet known as the blogosphere can be a prickly and unpleasant place. Now, a few prominent figures in high technology are proposing a blogger code of conduct to clean up the quality of online discourse. Last week, Tim O'Reilly, a conference promoter and book publisher who is credited with coining the term Web 2.0, began working with Jimmy Wales, creator of the communal online encyclopedia Wikipedia, to create a set of what to many would be common-sense - though already controversial - guidelines to shape online discussion and debate.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/04/09/news/blogs.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/technology/09blog.html

Readers 'need warning on content'
Readers should be warned about blogs that may contain "crude language", a draft blog code of conduct suggests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6540385.stm

Hermione Eyre: A foul trap for all the cyber-innocents
I woke up on Easter Sunday, and checked my email. I found some MySpace friend requests, which I felt I should reply to, and then checked my profile on Facebook, where I saw I had been invited to join Twitter, so I clicked on the link and then ... Well, by the time I logged out it was almost Easter Monday. Christ had died and risen and all I had done was approve a few friend requests and deleted an inane message from a man from Oregon. And lo, I was filled with a great hatred of the online networking community. Joining Facebook is a bit like applying a leech to your lifeblood.
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2437272.ece

uk: Are you surfing away your life on random searches?
A survey shows that millions of Britons are wasting swaths of their lives surfing the web without any real purpose.The research by YouGov found that seven in ten of Britain?s 34 million users fall into the habit of Wilfing ? What Was I Looking For? ? both at work and at home. One in four internet users spends nearly a third of internet time Wilfing ? equivalent to spending an entire working day a fortnight randomly browsing the net.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1632715.ece

Weblog universe divides as expansion slows: study
Online weblogs mushroomed to more than 72 million this year, but growth of the increasingly divided blogging world slowed, an Internet search engine company said on Thursday.
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/181671.asp

How the web became a sexists' paradise
Everyone receives abuse online but the sheer hatred thrown at women bloggers has left some in fear for their lives. Jessica Valenti, editor of Feministing.com, reports.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2051394,00.html

China moves to tackle Internet gaming addiction
China's growing band of young Internet gamers will face virtual penalties if they stay online for more than three hours, under a new set of rules to combat cyber addiction published on Tuesday.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/10/1175971074576.html

Denmark Climbs to the Top in the Rankings of the World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report 2006-2007
For the first time, Denmark tops the rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 2006-2007?s "Networked Readiness Index", as a culmination of an upward trend since 2003. Denmark?s outstanding levels of networked readiness have to do with the country?s excellent regulatory environment, coupled with a clear government leadership and vision in leveraging ICT for growth and promoting ICT penetration and usage.
http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/newslog/Denmark+Climbs+To+The+Top+In+The+Rankings+Of+The+World+Economic+Forums+Global+Information+Technology+Report+20062007+.aspx

China to curb online addiction by docking credits (Reuters)
Internet game operators in China must deter young people from playing more than three hours a day to combat online addiction, according to a circular issued by eight government departments on Monday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKT29847420070409

What do you want to watch? Technology alone will not decide the future of Mobile TV (news release)
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) today, in response to the report of the European Mobile Broadcasting Council, emphasised the need for European policy to consider all the issues which will drive the take-up of new digital services, such as mobile television, and said that it is vital for all players to work together. The EBU urges the European Commission to take account of the following factors which are crucial to the development of the new services market: interoperability and open standards, spectrum and content and copyright.
http://www.ebu.ch/en/union/news/2007/tcm_6-50240.php

Gadgets blur work and home balance (Reuters Life!)
Staying in touch constantly by using laptops, BlackBerrys and other wireless devices has blurred the line between a person's professional and personal life, according to a new survey. Seventy five percent of people questioned in a survey by Yahoo! HotJobs said they used their wireless devices equally for work and personal reasons.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKSCH93983720070409

Porn could be the key to next-generation DVD war (Reuters)
In the battle over next generation DVDs, pornography could prove to be the XXX factor that helps determine a winner. Thirty years ago, VHS toppled Betamax in part because of the adult film industry, and now some see blue movies playing a key role again as backers of HD-DVD and Blu-ray maneuver to make their formats the standard.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0435538720070408

uk: Prince's latest grumble: DVDs
Prince Charles has found something new to grumble about: he doesn't like DVDs. Like many another middle-aged man struggling with new technology, he has confided his difficulties in getting the things to work.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2051619,00.html

au: Telstra, Google in spam spat
Telstra slams Google's spam fighting credentials, claiming it is not proactive in monitoring outgoing Gmail spam.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/10/1175971083629.html

Apple sells 100 million iPods (Reuters)
Apple Inc. has sold its 100 millionth iPod in just over five years, boasting on Monday that the digital device was "the fastest selling music player in history" that appeals to both young and old.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKWEN622620070409

Taming the World Wide Web
A rising tide of companies are tapping Semantic Web technologies to unearth hard-to-find connections between disparate pieces of online data
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2007/tc20070409_248062.htm

The Future of the Web
The next big thing in data management takes skill, time, and experience. These tips should help you get the most out of the Semantic Web
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ceo_tipsheet/2007_4.htm

Q&A with Tim Berners-Lee
The inventor of the Web explains how the new Semantic Web could have profound effects on the growth of knowledge and innovation
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2007/tc20070409_961951.htm

us: McClatchy's Deal With Yahoo Opens Doors
Many newspaper publishers still consider major Internet companies to be a threat, but a deal announced last week to bring foreign news and commentary to Yahoo Inc. from correspondents at McClatchy Co. newspapers could open the way to even more cooperation between print and online media.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/ats-ap_technology13apr05,1,5593851.story

Firefox browser aims to open up the web
The key developers behind forthcoming changes to the Firefox browser reveal their plans for how the popular program will change.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6528849.stm

First Look: Mozilla Thunderbird 2
If you like Thunderbird 1.5, you'll love version 2, now available as a near-final release candidate. Like the new Firefox 2, Thunderbird 2 doesn't introduce any radical changes. But it does introduce inherently useful upgrades that will boost your productivity, particularly if your inbox overflows with e-mail.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130448-c,email/article.html

Good Morning, High-Tech Vietnam
The Indochinese nation is fast emerging as the next Asian country to give China and India a run for global investors' money
http://businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2007/gb20070409_175032.htm

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Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>.

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(c) David Goldstein 2007

 
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David Goldstein
 address: 4/3 Abbott Street
           COOGEE NSW 2034
           AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David &#167;yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)

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