Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! Headlines from the November 29 edition of the news include: ICANN gets test results on internationalised domains | 6 week IDNwiki report - user statistics by Tina Dam | An Important Step toward the Implementation of IDN Top-Level Domains: New Versions of IDNA Protocol Revision Proposals Posted | fr: The AFNIC proposes a new framework for access to data concerning .fr domain names ("Whois data") | uk: Nominet sees opportunities and risks | uk: Nominet plots one registry to rule them all | Reputation of UK Brands Dramatically Affected by Phishing Attacks according to Survey Commissioned by Cloudmark | uk: Phishing affects consumer confidence| How Do You Tell a Domain Name From A Typo? | UK headed for cyber 'cold war' | Attackers use search-engine optimization to hijack prominent terms | au: Cyber spy force to shield parliament | State Of Typosquatting (and How Google Benefits From It) | Bodog Patent Case Gets Technical - are domain names property to be asked in court | Dell Takes Cybersquatters to Court And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Pondering the Politics of Private Procedures: The Case of ICANN by Jay P. Kesan & Andres A. Gallo http://ssrn.com/abstract=1028128 The emerging Internet governance mosaic: connecting the pieces by William H. Dutton & Malcolm Peltu http://www.internet-institute.ox.ac.uk/resources/publications/FD5.pdf http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/resources/publications/FD5.pdf ICANN New Delhi meeting website online http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=3298 au: Many websites may be outside the law http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22818331-37574,00.html Government of Barbados wins management of .BB domain http://www.domainesinfo.fr/english/141/government-of-barbados-wins-management-of-bb-domain.php Breizh: Breton domain name feasibility study http://www.agencebretagnepresse.com/fetch.php?id=8753&title=Breizh:%20BRETON%20INTERNET%20DOMAIN%20STUDY CENTR magazine Domain Wire now available online https://www.centr.org/main/news/3692-CTR.html .nz Newsletter - November 2007 http://dnc.org.nz/index.php?clsid=1&catid=34 Nominet releases first Domain name industry report http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=3300 UK ENUM project starts http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7107973.stm Lapsed domain names 'bought in seconds' http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/news/2204115/laosed-dommain-names-bought ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Pondering the Politics of Private Procedures: The Case of ICANN by Jay P. Kesan & Andres A. Gallo Abstract: ... Among the results of our analysis we can highlight the following: first, as a result of the reform process, the private sector consolidated its political position in the ICANN structure, at least in the short run. With the new Bylaws, the private sector retained some of the power they had before and even gained more power. Among the winners of the reforms are: the GNSO constituencies, which gained important power spaces in the new design, ASO members, which had some gains, but more importantly, are still debating their future with a possibly more expansive relationship with ICANN, and the ccNSO, which were recognized as an independent Supporting Organization. Nonetheless, the inside-out attempt to reform proved to be weak because it failed to bring outside constituencies to the governance body and created opposition from the international community. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1028128 The emerging Internet governance mosaic: connecting the pieces by William H. Dutton & Malcolm Peltu Abstract: The report highlights key Internet governance issues raised in relation to the authors' three-tier typology. The distinctive design and governance characteristics that underpin the global Internet phenomenon are then outlined, to indicate valuable governance lessons that can be built on. The crucial need for balance in inherently political multi-stakeholder processes is then addressed. This is assisted by an analytical framework for understanding the dynamics underlying such processes, which involve outcomes from decisions taken by many actors within overlapping and interacting policy arenas. The conclusion recommends an approach to improving international coordination of Internet governance activities. http://www.internet-institute.ox.ac.uk/resources/publications/FD5.pdf http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/resources/publications/FD5.pdf Gaining a Stake in Global Internet Governance: The EU, ICANN and Strategic Norm Manipulation by George Christou & Seamus Simpson [sub req'd] The global governance of the Internet and the influence that the EU is able to exert in international governance institutions are two important topics that this article brings together in the context of the EU's relationship with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), created in 1999 to manage strategically valuable technical resources and functions of the Internet. Employing Schimmelfennig's model of rational action in international institutional contexts, the article explores how the EU acted to secure its interests within an organizationally constrained environment. While ICANN was formed through an essentially rationalist process where the EU accepted a less than first-best outcome in return for a stake in its governance, a dialectical relationship thereafter developed where the EU accepted and adapted ICANN's key norms but also asserted its material interests through rhetorical action due to its relatively weak position at ICANN's inception. http://ejc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/22/2/147 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN New Delhi meeting website online ICANN have launched the website for their New Delhi meeting. The meeting, to be held from February 10-15 2007, is to be hosted by the Department of Information Technology, Government of India, as well as the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). An outline of the agenda, information on hotels and the venue along with registration are all available on the website at http://del.icann.org http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=3298 http://www.domainpulse.com/2007/11/22/icann-new-delhi-meeting-website-online/ ie: Food site cooks up a storm at Golden Spiders ... Meanwhile, Denis Jennings was awarded the Internet Hero gong on the night. Jennings was involved in a strategic decision with the US National Science Foundation that ultimately led to the creation of the internet as we know it today. This year Jennings was nominated to the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the first Irishman ever to sit on the ICANN board. http://www.enn.ie/article/10123488.html ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** au: Many websites may be outside the law Thousands of Australian businesses are unwittingly breaking copyright laws via their websites, warns a Brisbane intellectual property law specialist. McCullough Robertson partner Malcolm McBratney says recent developments in IP law indicate businesses will be liable for infringements even if they're unaware of them. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22818331-37574,00.html Government of Barbados wins management of .BB domain At ICANN's latest board meeting, a resolution was passed granting .BB, the country code domain for Barbados, to the local government. According to the official database listing ccTLD managers, the IANA, .BB's current operator is the local office of Cable & Wireless. http://www.domainesinfo.fr/english/141/government-of-barbados-wins-management-of-bb-domain.php be: Code of conduct principles incorporated in the Registrar agreement [news release] The code of conduct for DNS BE registrars is no longer applicable. A number of vital terms and conditions from the code of conduct have indeed been incorporated in the latest version of the registrar agreement, that has been signed by all registrars. http://www.dns.be/en/home.php?n=411 Accented characters in .be (Belgium) domains Characters with accents are to reportedly appear in domain names with the .be country code. DNS Belgium, the operating body for the Internet address extension, explains that the move is part of a progression towards IDNs. http://www.melbourneitcbs.com/news.php?article=2&title=Accented%20characters%20in%20.be%20%28Belgium%29%20domains&year=2007&month=11 Breizh: Breton domain name feasibility study A pre-feasibility study into adopting a Breton domain name - .bzh ? is currently being undertaken by Briezh. The organisation commissioned to undertake the study, Breton Prospective, flew to Los Angeles for a meeting this month with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to discuss how the .Bzh domain name would be created and what it would look like. http://www.agencebretagnepresse.com/fetch.php?id=8753&title=Breizh:%20BRETON%20INTERNET%20DOMAIN%20STUDY CENTR magazine Domain Wire now available online The CENTR magazine Domain Wire is now available online. This issue contains an overview of the Domain Name System, an update on the Internet Governance Forum and everything you always wanted to know about Internationalised Domain Names. https://www.centr.org/main/news/3692-CTR.html .nz Newsletter - November 2007 The November 2007 .NZ newsletter is now available. It includes .nz domain name statistics as at 31 October 2007 where the number of active .nz domain names increased from 300,397 to 305,446, a net increase of 5,049. Other topics covered include InternetNZ and ICANN in Exchange of Letters, consultation on Internationalised Domain Names in .nz, a breakdown on statistics for .nz domain registrations by 2LD and server availability. http://dnc.org.nz/index.php?clsid=1&catid=34 UK ENUM project starts When finished the UK's national Enum directory will make looking up net phone numbers like finding a website. Initially the directory will target the UK's net telephony networks so calls can cross between them more easily. But the directories are expected to one day hold details of the many different ways almost anyone can be contacted. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7107973.stm Nominet releases first Domain name industry report Nominet has released their first ?Domain name industry report?. The key themes examined in the report are: an analysis of global domain name statistics; registrant statistics and trends within the UK and a close look at the UK registrar market. The findings of the report show that the domain name industry both globally and in the UK is healthy. The report demonstrates the extent of the uptake of the Internet in the UK. It reveals areas of potential future growth and gives pointers as to current trends in domain name registration and the changing nature of the UK registrar market. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=3300 http://www.domainnews.com/registries/2007112319/ http://www.domainpulse.com/2007/11/23/nominet-releases-first-domain-name-industry-report/ uk: Spec eases VoIP adoption: UK Enum is on the way next year, says Nominet UK domain name registry Nominet has won the race to be the country?s registry for Enum, a new standard designed to allow seamless communication between voice-over-IP (VoIP) servers. http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/news/2204258/spec-eases-voip-adoption-3674814 http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2204258/spec-eases-voip-adoption-3674814 http://www.computing.co.uk/itweek/news/2204258/spec-eases-voip-adoption-3674814 ********************** - DOMAIN SECURITY ********************** DNS hacked again Amit Klein recently released details on DNS server cache poisoning attacks that affect both BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) and Windows DNS servers. It goes to show that every time you think a problem with a well-known protocol or service has been solved, it may not be. http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20071123/tc_infoworld/93597_4 Lapsed domain names 'bought in seconds' Website owners have been warned to keep their registration up to date because lapsed domain names are being snapped up within 10 seconds of becoming available. Re-registration, which has to be done every two years, can cost as little as ?5 but you can pay ten times as much to get an address back - and sometimes far more. Names are regularly sold for more than ?100,000, and some for as much as ?1m. http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/news/2204115/laosed-dommain-names-bought ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Netcraft November 2007 Web Server Survey In the November 2007 survey we received responses from 149,784,002 sites. This is an increase of increase of 7.0M sites since last month, and represents growth of over 40 million sites since the start of the year. Much of the growth in sites this year has come from the increasing number of blogging sites, in particular at Live Spaces, Blogger and MySpace. Instead this month, the growth mainly comes from traditional hosting providers, with large numbers of new domains at GI Partners and InterServer. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2007/11/23/november_2007_web_server_survey.html The RIPE NCC to Sign the e164.arpa (ENUM) Zone [news release] As previously announced to the DNS and ENUM Working Groups at RIPE 55, the RIPE NCC will sign the e164.arpa (ENUM) zone on 26 November 2007 and support for secure delegations will be provided on 25 March 2008. http://ripe.net/news/ripe-ncc-signs-e164-arpa.html ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** A Domainer?s Christmas List Looking for something for that domainer on your holiday list? Domainers can be hard people to shop for. Domain Name Wire lists a few domain-related gifts for your friends. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/11/25/a-domainers-christmas-list/ ********************** - AFTERMARKET ********************** Optimization Above and Beyond Keyword Selection When optimizing a portfolio, many domainers center their attention exclusively on the advertising keyword. While advertising keyword selection is paramount to maximizing a domain?s earning potential, there are several other optimization areas that deserve attention and can add an extra boost to a portfolio?s overall performance. http://www.sedo.co.uk/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1588&tracked=&partnerid=&language=e GreatDomains combines 2 Premium Auctions Events On November 29, 2007, GreatDomains will launch another Premium Auction Event in their series of live auctions powered by Sedo. This auction will combine their November and December auctions, which would normally fall on holidays, to bring you one large selection of premium .COM and .NET domain names. http://www.sedo.co.uk/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1590&tracked=&partnerid=&language=e Network Solutions Releases White Paper Detailing Pros and Cons of Pay Per Click Advertising and Search Engine Optimization [news release] When it comes to which form of search engine marketing is most effective, the argument between search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click advertising (PPC) can become as passionate and heated as a political debate. If a business owner is new to search engine marketing, it is easy to get overwhelmed and lost in the sea of opinions on both sides. With Network Solutions? new white paper, ?PPC vs. SEO ?Friends or Foes?,? business owners will discover the benefits to both solutions in driving traffic to their Web sites. http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=NetworkSolutions&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=219254&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True&Merge= ClintonExposed.com Listed for Sale on Ebay ClintonExposed.com, one of the hottest internet domain names has now been listed for sale on Ebay. The domain name was recently listed on Ebay as a result of the incredible amount of interest in the dot com domain name. http://www.domainpulse.com/2007/11/26/clintonexposedcom-listed-for-sale-on-ebay/ http://www.domainnews.com/aftermarket/2007112613/ ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Cybercrime Havens: Challenges and Solutions by Susan W. Brenner and Joseph J. Schwerha IV In May 2000, the Love Bug virus raced around the world, shutting down business and government computers in over 45 countries and causing billions of dollars in damage. The FBI quickly traced the virus to the Philippines, where they identified Onel de Guzman as its likely author. But since the Philippines then had no cybercrime law, disseminating the virus was not a crime in that country. De Guzman therefore could not be prosecuted in the Philippines, and he could not be extradited for prosecution in the United States because extradition treaties require that conduct have been criminalized by the country seeking extradition and the country holding the suspect. No one was ever prosecuted for the Love Bug. http://www.abanet.org/buslaw/blt/2007-11-12/schwerha.shtml Results of the OECD online public consultation on the future of the Internet economy The OECD recently invited public comments on issues such as convergence, innovation and trust, all of which will be discussed at the June 2008 OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy. This consultation provided an opportunity for all interested stakeholders to contribute to the discussions from a wide range of viewpoints and expertise. Responses are now available on line. http://www.oecd.org/document/15/0,3343,en_21571361_38415463_39414351_1_1_1_1,00.html Why We Don't Know Enough About Broadband in the U.S. Half of all Americans now have broadband at home, according to the Pew Internet Project's September 2007 survey, marking the first time that as many as 50% of respondents say they have high-speed internet connections at home. This milestone in broadband adoption occurs at a time of close scrutiny of the data gathered by government agencies on broadband deployment. This article puts the rate of home broadband adoption in historical context before discussing in detail the issues surrounding broadband data collection and current legislation that seeks to make improvements. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/226/report_display.asp ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Mobile Web: So close yet so far On the surface, the mobile Web is a happening place. There's the iPhone in all its glory. More than 30 companies have signed up for the Open Handset Alliance from Google, which aims to bring the wide-open development environment of the Internet to mobile devices. Nokia, which owns nearly 40 percent of the world market for cell phones, is snapping up Web technology companies and has made an eye-popping $8.1 billion bid for Navteq, a digital mapping service. There are also the requisite start-ups chasing the market. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/technology/25proto.html http://www.news.com/2100-1041_3-6220000.html China online users more likely to be Web "addicts" [Reuters] Chinese Internet users are more likely to depend on their online experiences, and see the Web as a key to socializing and sharing opinions, than their U.S. counterparts, according to a study released on Friday. A survey of more than 2,100 Internet users aged 16 to 25 years old in both countries showed that about 42 percent of users in China said they at times felt "addicted" to their Web use compared with 18 percent of U.S. users. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2227963620071123 SG$2.5m initiative to equip Singapore's senior citizens with infocomm skills Senior citizens and the underprivileged here will not be left behind by the digital divide. This was the promise of Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Vivian Balakrishnan at the launch of a new three-year $2.5 million initiative on Saturday to equip senior citizens here with the required infocomm skills. The Silver Infocomm Initiative will train 30,000 senior citizens in courses ranging from basic computer appreciation to setting up a wireless network at home to blogging. http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Singapore/STIStory_180179.html http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/313497/1/.html UK 'slow' on ultra-fast internet Broadband industry leaders are to meet ministers to discuss how to stop the UK dropping into the internet "slow lane". More than half of all UK homes now have a broadband connection, at an average speed of 4 Mbps. But the broadband summit will hear other countries are moving more quickly to build ultra-fast networks that can deliver speeds of as much as 100 Mbps. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7112373.stm au: Think before pressing the send button Australians are impulsive email users and oblivious to online etiquette, new research has found. The study among a representative sample of full-time workers in all Australian states found the majority are trigger-happy emailers who often send communications to the wrong person or in the wrong tone because they don't stop to think. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/25/1195962828236.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/11/25/1195962828236.html NZ Online advertising grows 23% quarterly A report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released this morning says $40 million was spent in online advertising in the third quarter of 2007, up 23% quarter on quarter. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/C0CF11F5000A6867CC25739F00209519 za: Milestone for Country Internet News24.com, the breaking news and information service in the 24.com network of sites, has recorded more than one million unique South African visitors in a month - the first South Africa website to do so. This is according to international statistics group Nielsen//NetRatings' list of the most visited local Internet sites for October 2007. http://allafrica.com/stories/200711260534.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** uk: Privacy warning for young users of networking sites Official guidance for millions of people who use networking sites will be published today by the information commissioner amid growing concerns that young people are being naive about the personal details they put online. The watchdog fears that most youngsters do not realise that the information they place on websites such as MySpace and Bebo leaves an electronic footprint which could be traceable to them in the future. In a survey by the Information Commissioner's Office almost 60% of young people aged 14-21 said they did not realise the information they placed online could be permanently linked to them. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/nov/23/news.facebook uk: Young warned over social websites Millions of young people could damage their future careers with the details about themselves they post on social networking websites, a watchdog warns. The Information Commissioner's Office found more than half of those asked made most of their information public. Some 71% of 2,000 14 to 21-year-olds said they would not want colleges or employers to do a web search on them before they had removed some material. The commission said the young needed to be aware of their electronic footprint. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7108627.stm New front in the battle against identity theft Millions of young people have made themselves vulnerable to identity theft as well as putting their future academic and professional prospects at risk by recklessly posting personal information on the internet, Britain's privacy watchdog warns in a report published today. http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article3187110.ece 4.5 million young Brits? futures could be compromised by their electronic footprint [news release] As many as four and a half million* young people (71%) would not want a college, university or potential employer to conduct an internet search on them unless they could first remove content from social networking sites, according to new research by the Information Commissioner?s Office (ICO). But almost six in 10 have never considered that what they put online now might be permanent and could be accessed years into the future. http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/pressreleases/2007/social_networking_press_release.pdf Is Facebook Overrated? Whether you realize it or not, social networking is something you do every day. Each time you tell a friend about a good movie, bore a neighbor with pictures from your kid's birthday party or catch up on gossip at work, you are reaching out to people you know to share ideas, experiences and information. The genius of social-networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook lies in their ability to capture the essence of these informal exchanges and distill them online into an expanding matrix of searchable, linked Web pages. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686825,00.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Oz Study Confirms iPods Boost Learning Yet more evidence has emerged indicating that using popular technologies such as iPods and MacBooks boosts learning and attainment in schools. An Australian research project has found that teachers and pupils all drew benefit from use of these technologies in the classroom. Research on the part of the Victorian Department of Education was conducted across six months at Heathmont College, using Apple solutions and the Studywiz managed learning environment. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,139883-c,mp3players/article.html Tracking the media audience, wherever it may be The French media consumer is about to enter a brave new world where broadcasters and advertisers can study and dissect their habits wherever they are. Early next year, M?diam?trie, a French audience survey company, will roll out a new system using inaudible tones emitted from television broadcasts that can give a richer view of the popularity of shows by demographic group and format. http://iht.com/articles/2007/11/25/technology/measure26.php ********************** SPAM ********************** Despite filters, tidal wave of spam bears down on e-mailers Why, in 2007, is spam worse than ever? Let exasperated consumers count the ways: PDF spam. MP3 spam. Pump-and-dump spam. E-card spam. It may sound like a broken record, but spam continues to do just that -- break records. This year marks the first time the total number of spam e-mail messages sent worldwide, 10.8 trillion, will surpass the number of person-to-person e-mails sent, 10.5 trillion, according to market researcher IDC. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2007-11-22-spam_N.htm ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Mozambique Govt Praised for Computer Policies to Reduce Digital Divide Mozambique has been praised as one of the Commonwealth members that has made good strides in reducing the digital divide, through the implementation of policies to expand access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). According to Mozambican Foreign Minister Alcinda Abreu, Mozambique received praise for its computerisation drive during sessions behind closed doors of the Commonwealth summit in Kampala. http://allafrica.com/stories/200711260569.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Amazon surrenders on One-Click shopping monopoly Amazon.com has proposed changes to its controversial patent for shopping with a single mouse click that will narrow its monopoly to websites that also offer a shopping cart model. It follows a successful campaign by a New Zealand performance artist. http://out-law.com/page-8659 NZ Lawyers to gather for Internet law conference A group of New Zealand technology law specialists will convene in Auckland early next year to examine the latest developments in Internet law. The e-Law Conference, hosted by legal publisher LexisNexis, is being held February 18 & 19, 2008 at Auckland?s Heritage Hotel. http://www.cyberlaw.org.nz/?p=29 ISPs Fear Trend Toward Liability For Content by Monika Ermert [sub req'd] The rising trend of holding ISPs, host and platform operators liable for third party violations of laws relating to copyright, competition and the protection of minor laws is of increasing concern to industry associations like the Association of the German Internet Economy, known as Eco. http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=840 Philippines mulls over cybercrime law The government is taking its time passing an anti-cybercrime law, which observers say, will safeguard the country from becoming a haven for crimes such as phishing or identity theft, and child pornography and prostitution. According to local media reports, congressman and anti-cybercrime advocate Joseph Santiago, said Congress has yet to act on a "hanging" bill aimed at curbing cybercrime in the Philippines. Santiago said the bill was submitted for approval as early as two years ago. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62034883,00.htm ************************** PRIVACY ************************** au: Google's candid camera snaps Australia Take extra-special care of your appearance when walking around Australian capital city streets this summer, as one nose pick or bum scratch could be immortalised on Google Maps forever. Google-branded cars with roof-mounted cameras have just begun traversing our streets, taking highly detailed panoramic street-level photos for a new Maps feature called Street View. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/23/1195753275851.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/11/23/1195753275851.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Yo! Singapore censor rap hits YouTube [Reuters] Singapore's Media Development Authority, which regulates and censors media and the arts, has scored an unexpected hit on YouTube with a rap video about the city-state's media ambitions. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKSP16636020071123 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10478438 Syrian Facebook users blocked Facebook users in Syria say the authorities have blocked access to the social networking web site as part of a crackdown on political activism on the internet. "Facebook helped further civil society in Syria and form civic groups outside government control. This is why it has been banned," women's rights advocate Dania al-Sharif said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/24/2100029.htm Syria blocks Facebook in Internet crackdown [Reuters] Syrian users of Facebook said on Friday the authorities had blocked access to the social network Web site as part of a crackdown on political activism on the Internet. "Facebook helped further civil society in Syria and form civic groups outside government control. This is why it has been banned," women's rights advocate Dania al-Sharif told Reuters. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/23/AR2007112301259.html ru: RF Prosecutor General's Office intends to impose internet censorship Ivan Sydorouk, RF Deputy Prosecutor General, approves of the necessity to develop a system to control the information published on the internet including the foreign sites. On November 19th speaking at the meeting of the Federation Council Committee for Legal and Judicial Affairs RF Deputy Prosecutor General said extremist materials have been recently widely spread on the internet and MM, Russian News&Information Agency Novosti informs. http://eng.cnews.ru/news/line/indexEn.shtml?2007/11/20/275812 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ In child pornography, fight harder: It's more barbaric than you think. We need to keep cracking down. Millions of children around the world are being sexually abused and molested. Billions of dollars are changing hands as part of a growing crime wave of child pornography. This is anything but a victimless crime. Children ? some as young as infants ? are being barbarically assaulted for the sexual gratification of their abusers and those who view their photos. While inroads have been made in the fight against child pornography, the problem remains severe. We have much more to do. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1126/p09s01-coop.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** France Sets Sanctions Against Internet Piracy [Reuters] Internet users in France who frequently download music or films illegally risk losing Web access under a new anti-piracy system unveiled on Friday. The three-way pact between Internet service providers, the government and owners of film and music rights is a boon to the music industry, which has been calling for such measures to stop illicit downloads eating into its sales. Under the agreement -- drawn up by a commission headed by the chief executive of FNAC, one of France's biggest music and film retailers -- service providers will issue warning messages to customers downloading files illegally. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL2346825720071123 http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/reuters-piracy.html France unveils anti-piracy plan French web users caught pirating movies or music could soon be thrown offline. Those illegally sharing files will face the loss of their net access thanks to a newly-created anti-piracy body granted the wide-ranging powers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7110024.stm au: Broadband high on Rudd agenda KEVIN Rudd will lead with an iron fist, coming down hard on ineffective ministers and taking control of the agenda in crucial portfolios. Labor insiders yesterday said Mr Rudd would be an "evidence-based" leader, whose intellect would mean he would make considered decisions. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22821507-15306,00.html UK minister leads push for faster broadband Telecoms executives have been summoned to a meeting today with the government and the regulator, Ofcom, to thrash out a plan to stop Britain slipping behind in the global broadband league. The summit, organised by Stephen Timms, the competitiveness minister and former e-commerce minister, will tackle how to increase internet access speeds, paving the way for services such as high-definition internet TV, and who will pay the ?7bn or so for the infrastructure. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/26/telecoms.internet ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Consumer Web Access Could Be Shut Down For Sharing Illegal Content by Mira Veda Have you ever downloaded a song or movie without paying for it? Maybe you thought it wasn't really stealing because when you think about it, music seems like its free right? You hear it in your car, free right? In stores while you shop, free right? At the restaurants and clubs...all free right? Not on your life. Music is not free. Most of the music you hear is paid for whether its on the radio or in a store, you may not be aware of this because as you run around in your day, music is being gifted to you. What you don't realize is the Recording Industry is losing billions in sales because that 'gift' of music somehow actively encourages unlawful peer-to-peer file swapping. Individual sense of entitlement creeps in and Record companies are big ugly money mongers anyways, right? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mira-veda/consumer-web-access-could_b_74029.html French record industry, ISPs in entente to boot off file-sharers The French President today trumpeted a new plan by some of the country's ISPs and its record and film industries to shut off illegal file-sharers' internet access. http://out-law.com/page-8661 ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* AMD v Intel: Oil money and hafnium New twists in the long-running battle between the two biggest chipmakers: Faster chips are the fuel of the computer industry. So the announcement on November 16th that Mubadala Development, an investment arm of oil-rich Abu Dhabi, would pay about $622m for 8.1% of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a leading maker of microprocessors, seems somehow fitting. The deal is an unexpected twist in the race between AMD and Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, in which Intel is again making the running. http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10180738 A mass movement is needed to tackle the state's snoopers by Henry Porter There's no time to crow over the government's loss of 25 million people's details; no time to rejoice at the obvious mortification of Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling, his sidekick, Andy Burnham, Jacqui Smith and Harriet Harman. These people will not be deterred by the calamity of last week. They are shameless. In a month or two they will bounce back. The ID card scheme will be relaunched and Jacqui Smith will continue with her plans to demand 53 pieces of information from people before they travel abroad. The Children's Index, the Children's Assessment Framework, the National Health database, the ever-expanding police DNA database will all continue to scoop up information. Why? Because the control of the masses is coded in the deepest part of Labour's being. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2216588,00.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** OECD Broadband Portal The OECD broadband portal provides access to a range of broadband-related statistics gathered by the OECD. Policy makers must examine a range of indicators which reflect the status of individual broadband markets in the OECD. The OECD has indentified five main categories which are important for assessing broadband markets. http://www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband au: Time to end broadband drought - Fairfax chief THE chief executive of Fairfax Media, David Kirk, has called on the winner of today's federal election to build a broadband network that will reach all Australian households. Speaking to the NSW Farm Writers Association, Mr Kirk said: "Regional and rural Australia are in the midst of a second drought - a drought in broadband deployment". http://business.smh.com.au/time-to-end-broadband-drought--fairfax-chief/20071123-1cgx.html InternetNZ disappointed by TNZ draft separation plan [sub req'd] http://www.telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=193805 Telecom draft separation plan disappoints - InternetNZ [news release] InternetNZ (the Internet Society of New Zealand Inc) today responded to Telecom?s draft operational separation plan, filing a detailed submission that exposes serious deficiencies in Telecom?s proposed approach. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/mediareleases/tcomopsep ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Taiwan promotes powerful UMPC for WiMax Taiwan has developed a powerful ultramobile PC that can fit in your hand and carries a speedy 1GHz microprocessor on board. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1362170312;fp;2;fpid;1 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2007 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery Make the switch to the world's best email. Get the new Yahoo!7 Mail now. www.yahoo7.com.au/worldsbestemailReceived on Thu Nov 29 2007 - 15:36:03 UTC
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