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 May 1 edition of the news include: Web in infancy, says Berners-Lee | Are gadgets killing the internet? | uk: Ofcom: BBC not accountable for 'web meltdown' | Is Balkanization of the Internet inevitable? | ca: Domain name policy balances privacy with public access by Michael Geist | Quarter million domain names for .mx | Battling Brandjackers: Study finds declines in domain kiting and pay-per-click abuses against the world's strongest brands by Ihab Shraim, MarkMonitor | Interpol: Olympics cyberattack not a major threat | MySpace stripped of myspace.co.uk domain victory | Google readies for action against Dutch smut site | Domainer Loses LH.com to Airline Giant Lufthansa | Opportunists Profit From Domain Names and Tragedy in Austria | A Case of Network Identity Theft? | Melbourne IT acquires VeriSign Digital Brand Management And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Stark warning for internet's future http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7364901.stm The Future of the Internet: And How to Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain: The Sunday Times review by Tom Standage http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article3806571.ece Spanish government's domain names held to ransom over water http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/25/wspain125.xml Cybersquatters plague London's mayoral race http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/25/digitalmedia.london08 Seinfeld Isn?t Laughing about JerrySeinfeld.com http://domainnamewire.com/2008/04/24/seinfeld-isnt-laughing-about-jerryseinfeldcom/ ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Celebrity in Cyberspace: A Personality Rights Paradigm for Personal Domain Name Disputes by Jacqueline D. Lipton [Washington and Lee Law Review] Abstract: ... This Article suggests that if personal names merit legal protection in cyberspace, it should be under an appropriate set of legal rules, rather than through further expansion of trademarks. This Article develops a new framework for personal domain name disputes based on the theories underlying the right of publicity tort. Unlike trademark law, this tort is aimed at the protection of individual names and likenesses. It has not been utilized much in cyberspace largely because of time, cost, and jurisdictional disadvantages of litigation as opposed to the quicker and cheaper, but trademark-based, Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP"). This article suggests the creation of a new personal domain name dispute resolution policy ("PDRP") that combines the procedural advantages of the UDRP with the theory underlying the right of publicity tort. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1124596 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Stark warning for internet's future With the second billion of the planet's citizens due to go online in the next 10 years and an avalanche of online-enabled devices hitting the market with each passing year it would be understandable to assume that the internet is in a healthy position. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7364901.stm The Future of the Internet: And How to Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain: The Sunday Times review by Tom Standage The internet is falling! You may recently have read that it could soon be overwhelmed by an ?exaflood? of streaming video, as people flock to YouTube and the BBC's iPlayer. This is just the latest version of an idea that keeps reappearing in different guises. In 1995 Robert Metcalfe, an American networking guru, predicted that the internet would soon collapse. It didn't, and Metcalfe duly ate his words, after liquidising them in a blender. More recently there have been claims that spam and viruses will bring down the internet. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article3806571.ece Zittrain's 'U.S. 1.0' advice for Web 2.5 Jonathan Zittrain recently published a terrific book with the suggestive title The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It. But as I settled into my seat to report on his talk at the Web 2.0 Expo here Thursday, the Internet stopped me. Dead in my tracks. http://www.news.com/8301-10787_3-9928035-60.html Bringing Up Broadband: Higher Traffic, Higher Costs Back in the days of dial-up, Internet users were content to watch text download onto screens, one excruciating line at a time. Nowadays, people get annoyed if they have to wait more than a few seconds for downloads to their PCs, laptops or mobile devices. They also want Hollywood-quality video feeds for everything from TV shows and blogs to breaking news. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/62672.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Securing the Internet's DNS: Internet's .arpa, .org, and .uk domains soon to adopt DNSSEC The Internet is slowly inching closer to ratcheting up the security of its Domain Name System (DNS) server architecture: ICANN plans to go operational with the secure DNS technology, DNSSEC, later this year in one of its domains. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=152032 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** .Asia Auctions for Landrush Applications commences [news release] DotAsia Organisation announces the start of its auctions for domains receiving more than one application during the Landrush period. The 45,000 auctions will be scheduled over an 8-10 week period allowing for participants of multiple auctions to better manage the process. To spark interest in appraisal of domain names, DotAsia is also launching the Hot or Not Domains Appraisal Contest. Correctly identifying the domain name that fetches the highest winning bid will make you a winner of cash prizes. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/04/27/asia-auctions-for-landrush-applications-commences/ http://dotasia.org/pressreleases/DotAsia-PR-2008-04-22-LC_EN.pdf Chinese registry clarifies transfer rules The Chinese registry is determined to ensure that local registrars do not block their customers wishing to transfer names away. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/195/chinese-registry-clarifies-transfer-rules.php England wants its own domain After reading this post's title, your first thought is probably "the English already have their own domain with .CO.UK, don't they?" Well it appears they don't agree. http://www.stephanevangelder.com/index.php?url=archives/70-England-wants-its-own-domain.html Re-release of .nl numeric domain names [news release] Between Friday 11 April and Monday 21 April, registrars that took part in the original landrush for numeric domain names were given the chance to take part in an online poll to help decide how relinquished numeric domain names should be re-released for registration. http://www.sidn.nl/ace.php/c,728,5601,,,,Re-release_of_numeric_domain_names.html?ACE_Id=7bc5e0ef3d984f86df33820c1850d083 The .su Boom Tucked away in one of the Web's dark corners, the Soviet Union continues to thrive as an internationally recognized entity. http://www.popsci.com/entertainment-gaming/article/2008-04/su-boom .SU Domains Live On What happens to the ccTLD extension when a country ceases to be? Apparently, the answer is ?it?s complicated.? When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the ccTLD .su should have gone with it. But more than 15 years later, .su domains continue to be sold despite ICANN?s efforts to shut the domain down. http://about.tucows.com/2008/04/21/su-domains-live-on/ uk: Greedy Domainer Slime Over on the Nanog mailing list , IETF regular Randy Bush, known as much for his extreme language and hot temper as his technical acumen and support for the Internet in the developing world, asks voting members of Nominet to help keep "the greedy domainer slime" off the Nominet Board of Directors. http://www.namebrief.com/content/view/29/1/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** .ORG pushes forward with DNSSEC by Brenden Kuerbis In early April, Public Interest Registry (PIR) submitted a service proposal announcing its intention to begin offering secure DNS extensions in the 4th quarter of 2008, and seeking to amend its registry contract with ICANN. If approved by ICANN, .ORG would likely be the Internet?s first secure production gTLD zone. One interesting wrinkle is PIR's proposed language regarding data escrow of DNSSEC related data, specifically key material. PIR's request is another testament to the strength of a distributed, and not centralized, approach to DNSSEC. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/4/25/3659794.html Hackers warn UK high street chains High street chains will be the next victims of cyber terrorism, some of the world's elite hackers have warned. They claim it is only a "matter of time" before the likes of Tesco and Marks & Spencer are targeted. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7366995.stm China worries hackers will strike during Beijing Olympics [IDG] While CNN recently faced distributed denial-of-service attacks from Chinese hackers angry about the television network's coverage of a recent Chinese crackdown in Tibet, Chinese security officials remain worried hackers will strike while the Olympic Games are being held in Beijing. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1924884527;fp;2;fpid;1 Researchers 'poison' Storm botnet A group of German researchers has unveiled the first publicly released research attempting to actively disrupt a peer-to-peer botnet - using as their case study the notorious Storm worm. http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=12094 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/04/25/Researchers-poison-Storm-botnet_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,145171-c,worms/article.html Cyber-Attacks and Cyber-Disasters: Are You Prepared? Have you seen the recent television commercial that shows the Pentagon and says, "This building gets attacked 3 million times a day." The sad news is that it's true. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Cyber-Attacks-and-Cyber-Disasters-Are-You-Prepared-62725.html http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/62725.html US Justice Dept. Sees Surge In Global Crime Networks At least three times this year, from a computer station in Romania, a hacker nicknamed Vladuz posed as an eBay customer service representative in a bid to steal sensitive information from Americans who visited the popular auction Web site. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/23/AR2008042303624.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Spanish government's domain names held to ransom over water A cybersquatter is holding the Spanish government to ransom by refusing to give up the domain names of several government ministries unless they agree to transfer water to all of Spain?s drought stricken regions. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/25/wspain125.xml Cybersquatters plague London's mayoral race Boris Johnson has been more proactive in protecting his online image than bitter rival Ken Livingstone as cybersquatters take advantage of intense interest in the London mayoral elections. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/25/digitalmedia.london08 Cybersquatters rush to capitalise on mayoral election Online cybersquatters are rushing to cash in on voters looking for information about London mayoral election candidates ? though they have largely ignored Brian Paddick. http://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2215228/cybersquatters-rush-capitalise Internet squatters facing eviction When Alicia Navarro began casting about for a memorable name for her new company, she confronted a brutal reality. All her brilliant ideas for an Internet domain name were taken. "I came up with so many gems, only to be devastated to find that the domain name was not available," Navarro, a former executive at Vodafone, said. "It means that Internet entrepreneurs are having to come up with ridiculous words to name their businesses ? Twango, Yugma, Stikkit, Rootly." http://iht.com/articles/2008/04/27/business/TYPO.php Microsoft calls for 'msn-ing' to be erased from Dutch dictionary A day before the lawsuit against Carola Eppink (Unicaresoft), Microsoft requested the Dutch dictionary 'Van Dale' remove the verb 'msn-ing' from the latest edition. http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=30754 Not master of his own domain Jerry Seinfeld isn?t the master of his own domain name, after being targeted by alleged cybersquatters. http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2008/04/25/6684/not_master_of_his_own_domain Seinfeld Isn?t Laughing about JerrySeinfeld.com Comedian Jerry Seinfeld or his management company or Sony is going after the domain name JerrySeinfeld.com, currently owned by Anything.com LTD. The case commenced on April 22 and will be handled by National Arbitration Forum. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/04/24/seinfeld-isnt-laughing-about-jerryseinfeldcom/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Domain pulse 2008: Videos online! [news release] ... As of now most of the presentations are also available as YouTube-videos. More information as well as links to the presentations as PDF or YouTube-video can be found at the Domain Pulse Website www.domainpulse.at. The videos of the presentations are also available in a collected form as YouTube-playlists External Link. http://www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/nicat_news/news_view/period/1209368323///article/81/domain-pulse-2008-videos-online/ 10th ENUM Day on 18 April 2008 On 18 April 2008 the 10th ENUM Day of DENIC took place in Frankfurt am Main. The presentations held are available at our ENUM Day website. http://www.denic.de/en/denic/news/news_84.html Proposed Revision to the ARIN Policy Development Process [news release] On 8 April 2008, at ARIN XXI in Denver, Colorado, Scott Bradner presented a proposed policy development process to replace the current Internet Resource Policy Evaluation Process (IRPEP). We invite the entire community to review and comment on the proposed new PDP. http://arin.net/announcements/20080425.html The End of End-to-End? by Geoff Huston One of the major principles of the architecture of the Internet was encapsulated in a paper by Saltzer, Reed and Clark, ?End-to-End Arguments in System Design?. This paper, originally published in 1981, encapsulated very clearly the looming tension between the network and the application: http://www.circleid.com/posts/the_end_of_end_to_end/ .ORG, The Public Interest Registry Launches New Online Resource Center [news release] .ORG, The Public Interest Registry is pleased to announce the launch of the .ORG Resource Center. Committed to improving the online experience of the .ORG Community, the Registry has created a comprehensive library of information, interactive tools, examples and guides to help community members harness the power of the Internet and social networks to advance their mission. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/04/24/public-interest-registry-launches-new-online-resource-center/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/public-interest-registry-launches-new-online-resource-center.html Baidu fends off Google in China ... Baidu also announced an exclusive deal under which users of major ISP China Netcom will be redirected to a Baidu search page when they enter a nonexistent or incorrectly-formed domain name. http://www.computing.co.uk/vnunet/news/2215189/baidu-q108-profits-rise http://www.channelweb.co.uk/vnunet/news/2215189/baidu-q108-profits-rise Google Registers Bizarre Domain Names Google has been registering some downright strange domain names. Some it registers are obviously protecting its brand and preventing cybersquatters from getting them, while others might indicate future projects that may come to light. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=4729 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/04/24/google-registers-bizarre-domain-names/ Google Registers Weird Domain Names Is Google getting into the burrito business? Why else would the company register bayareaburritos.com and thesecretofburritos.com? http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/04/google_register.html The computer helper: Understanding IP addresses - Feature In today's world of networked computers, IP addresses are everywhere. That's because every computer that's connected to a network has one. You may even have been asked what yours is. Few people, though, know what an IP address is - or what it's used for. Read on for answers to common questions about IP addresses. Q: What is an IP address? http://earthtimes.org/articles/show/201695,the-computer-helper-understanding-ip-addresses--feature.html Taiwan market: Sparq to start E.164 VoIP services in July New Century InfoComm Tech (Sparq), one of three small operators of fixed-line telecommunication services in Taiwan, plans to start E.164-format VoIP services in July, according to the company. http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20080425PD203.html Brand Complementors: Implementing a Cooperative Domain-Name Use by Alex Tajirian The essay expands a cooperative solution to third-party use of brands in domain names. Like any approach that depends on cooperation, the solution will require both sides to change behavior but also allow both sides to take credit for the resulting benefits, i.e. a triangular solution. If not immediately addressed, the problem of third-party use can become a major threat to the industry. But we already know one thing: when it comes to this issue, legal action and bullying don?t work. http://www.circleid.com/posts/cooperative_domain_name_use/ Fees for using '.com' and '.net' to go up Oct. 1 [AP] Fees for using two of the most common suffixes for Internet addresses are going up for a second consecutive year. http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/18324554.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** The Content/Noncontent Distinction in Internet Surveillance Law by Matthew J. Tokson - University of Chicago - Law School Abstract: Whether a component of an Internet communication is classified as "content" or "envelope" information determines in large part the privacy protection it receives under Constitutional and statutory law. Courts and Internet law scholars have yet to offer a means of determining the content/envelope status of unique aspects of Internet communications from email subject lines to Web browsing data. As a result, the level of legal protection afforded to such communications remains a vexing and unresolved question of Internet law. This article develops a legal framework for distinguishing content from envelope information in unique areas of Internet communications. Drawing on a practical analysis of the structure of the Internet and an evaluation of relevant common law and Fourth Amendment doctrines, the Article proposes that information which can reveal the underlying text or subject matter of an Internet communication must be classified as content. The Article identifies several areas where application of this principle is necessary to resolve difficult questions about the legal status of an Internet communication, and gives, for the first time, a comprehensive account of the content status of Internet communications, from email body text to website IP addresses. The proposed framework provides a judicially manageable and normatively attractive means for courts to determine the legal status of novel communications technologies, present and future. Ultimately, resolving the content/envelope distinction has the potential to clarify other unanswered and controversial questions in Fourth Amendment and statutory privacy law. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1123304 The Perpetration and Prevention of Cybercrimes by Stanley Kratchman, Jacob Lawrence Smith and Murphy Smith [Internal Auditing] Abstract: A major problem facing e-business is its vulnerability to cybercrime. Cybercrime includes any criminal activity committed on the Internet, such as phishing, spoofing, botnet, and denial of service attacks that cause e-business websites to lose money. This article describes how some common cybercrimes are perpetrated and provides examples of some companies affected. In addition, some guidance is offered on preventing crimes. Understanding types of cybercrime and basic prevention techniques will benefit internal auditors, as they can help evaluate whether a company has adequate defenses against cybercrime. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1123743 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** China Tops US for Internet Population Lead [IDG] China has proclaimed itself the world's largest Internet market, with 221 million Internet users, state media reported Thursday. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145108/china_tops_us_for_internet_population_lead.html http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9080583 China reports it's tied US for most Internet users [AP] By some measures, China has tied the United States as the online population leader with its government reporting that the number of Internet users there has soared to 221 million. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-chinatech25apr25,1,1865051.story http://news.smh.com.au/china-reports-its-tied-us-for-most-internet-users/20080424-28cv.html http://news.theage.com.au/china-reports-its-tied-us-for-most-internet-users/20080424-28cv.html Europe leapfrogs US in broadband take-up The number of European broadband users has topped the 100 million mark, according to the European Commission's latest study on broadband usage. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2215263/europe-leapfrogs-broadband http://www.pcw.co.uk/vnunet/news/2215263/europe-leapfrogs-broadband One in five Britons don't know how to use email One in five adult Britons is unable to open a word processing document on a computer, and just under 20 per cent still cannot use e-mail, a survey suggests. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3808251.ece The internet addiction phenomenon in Greece According to recent results of a survey conducted by the Greek Node?s partner, the Adolescent Health Unit (A.H.U.) of the Second Department of Paediatrics at the University of Athens, among 1021 adolescents in Attica, 1% of Greek youngsters are addicted to the internet and 18.2% of adolescents are at risk of being a web addict. http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0408/addiction_greece.htm A Google Prototype for a Precision Image Search Google researchers say they have a software technology intended to do for digital images on the Web what the company?s original PageRank software did for searches of Web pages. http://nytimes.com/2008/04/28/technology/28google.html The mobile future is calling Developers are being asked to devise applications for mobile devices so users can "access it, mix it up, save it, and store it". The plea to harness the creativity of the internet and apply it on mobile phones was made by Mitchell Baker the chair of Firefox developer Mozilla. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7366403.stm Mobile phone trio agree internet project Two of the world?s largest mobile phone operators on Thursday signalled their determination to profit more from the growing popularity of wireless internet. Vodafone, the world?s largest operator by revenue, and China Mobile, the largest by number of customers, announced a research project aimed at speeding the roll-out of mobile internet services. Softbank, Japan?s third largest mobile operator, is also part of the project, to be known as the joint innovation lab. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c9d4b706-1217-11dd-9b49-0000779fd2ac.html When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web It's almost like Googling someone: Log on to Facebook. Join the Washington, D.C., network. Search the Web site for your favorite school system. And then watch the public profiles of 20-something teachers unfurl like gift wrap on the screen, revealing a sense of humor that can be overtly sarcastic or unintentionally unprofessional -- or both. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/27/AR2008042702213.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** McKinsey: ignore Second Life at your peril Virtual worlds such as Second Life will become an indispensible business tool and vital to the strategy of any company intent on reaching out to the video-game generation, one of the world's leading consultancies has said. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3803056.ece Class war hits social networking sites: Facebook for toffs, MySpace for plebs, claims report New research into social networking sites claims to have uncovered sharp online class divisions. The college educated turn more to Facebook, according to the report, while MySpace caters largely for those who leave school early. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2192887/class-war-hits-social Social networking applications can pose security risks [AP] Sarah Brown is unusually cautious when it comes to social networking. The college sophomore doesn't have a MySpace page and, while she's on Facebook, she does everything she can to keep her page as private as she can. http://news.smh.com.au/social-networking-applications-can-pose-security-risks/20080428-28xa.html http://news.theage.com.au/social-networking-applications-can-pose-security-risks/20080428-28xa.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/27/AR2008042701073.html A few social networking privacy tips [AP] A few ways social networkers can help protect their privacy: http://news.smh.com.au/a-few-social-networking-privacy-tips/20080428-28x9.html http://news.theage.com.au/a-few-social-networking-privacy-tips/20080428-28x9.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** France to require apartments to come wired The French government said Thursday that it planned to require builders to install fiber-optic cables in new apartment buildings to increase the introduction of fast broadband Internet. http://iht.com/articles/2008/04/24/technology/fiber.php Urban miners look for precious metals in cell phones Thinking of throwing out your old cell phone? Think again. Maybe you should mine it first for gold, silver, copper and a host of other metals embedded in the electronics -- many of which are enjoying near-record prices. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKT13528020080427 ********************** SPAM ********************** Two thirds of Britons say they have been victims of mobile spam Research commissioned by messaging security firm Cloudmark shows 66% of UK mobile phone users have received spam text messages. http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/04/24/230419/two-thirds-of-britons-say-they-have-been-victims-of-mobile.htm Google's pointers on countering Web spam It's no secret that spam now pollutes Web sites as well as email in-boxes. But Web site operators can take actions to combat it, a Google expert in the area said Friday. http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9929073-7.html Get ready for the 30th anniversary of email spam In 1978, the first unsolicited e-mail was sent, to hundreds of users of the government computer network Arpanet. The phenomenon would later be demarkated as "spam" and revered as one of the most lucrative and controversial trends in Internet history. http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/37140/113/ ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** FBI's Net surveillance proposal raises privacy, legal concerns The FBI director and a Republican congressman sketched out a far-reaching plan this week for warrantless surveillance of the Internet. During a House of Representatives Judiciary Committee hearing, the FBI's Robert Mueller and Rep. Darrell Issa of California talked about what amounts to a two-step approach. Step 1 involves asking Internet service providers to open their networks to the FBI voluntarily; step 2 would be a federal law forcing companies to do just that. http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9929085-38.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Office snooping software attacked by privacy groups Companies are coming under fire from privacy campaigners for rolling out a computer program which enables them to track the communications and contacts of their staff. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3815236.ece Identity theft isn't just personal, it's corporate Do you know where your personal and corporate identity information resides or may be lurking? According to two Canadian security experts, personal and corporate identity theft is quickly becoming commonplace in the market and more vigilance and formal corporate policies are needed in order to help combat this issue. http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/Home/News.asp?id=48130 http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;473871739;fp;2;fpid;2 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Australian music industry opens new front on piracy Australia's largest internet provider has shrugged off threats of legal action by the music industry as record labels overseas continue to drag ISPs through the courts in a desperate battle to stop music piracy. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/25/1208743215717.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/25/1208743215717.html nz: BigPond makes a splash Meanwhile, across the Tasman, the country's largest internet provider Telstra BigPond has said it is prepared to fight legal challenges from the music industry if it tries to force the ISP to shut down customers who are downloading pirated content. ... New Zealand ISPs currently have no legal obligation to scan their networks for sources of illegal material and downloaders of pirated content. But the Copyright Amendment Act passed this month introduced a "notice and takedown" system whereby ISPs have to take down content when approached by copyright holders claiming the content is being used in breach of the Copyright Act. http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/griffins-tech-blog/2008/4/28/long-tentacles-law/ ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Russians face internet Iron Curtain Russian government officials are proposing tough censorship laws for the country's 29 million internet users. State newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported that prosecutors have proposed an amendment to bring the internet under the same rules as traditional media "within a month". http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2215216/russians-face-iron-curtain Bloggers offer glimpse of uncensored Cuba [AP] Only a month has passed since ordinary Cubans won the right to own computers, and the government still keeps a rigid grip on Internet access. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/28/BU6510B8A0.DTL http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24316406/ http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/388199.html Spain's military banned from websites showing models or giving sports results When Spain's Socialist leader appointed a pregnant Defence Minister the conservative Spanish military establishment mostly grinned and bore it. But many members of the armed forces are now angry about Carme Chac?n's first act in office - banning them from websites featuring football or naked women. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3818636.ece Saudi Activist Blogger Freed After 4 Months in Jail Without Charge Saudi Arabia's most popular blogger has been released after serving four months in prison without charge. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042601470.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/27/1209234704740.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/27/1209234704740.html Israeli soldier jailed for Facebook photo A member of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has been jailed for 19 days after posting a picture of himself on Facebook without permission. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2215177/soldier-jailed-facebook-photo ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ uk: Schools vow to delete the cyber bullies Headteachers are being told to draw up new rules on mobile phone use in city schools amid a growing number of cyber- bullying cases. http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Schools-vow-to-delete-the.4020792.jp au: ACMA flooded with child porn complaints Horrified computer users have alerted Australia's online regulator to more than 1200 web pages depicting child porn over the past three years. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=453741 au: Bishop uses YouTube to warn of internet dangers The Catholic Bishop of Wollongong is appearing in a YouTube video warning parents and adults of the dangers the internet poses to young people. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/28/2228777.htm nz: Parents use spyware to keep watch on kids New Zealand parents are spying on their children with special software secretly reading every Google search, website hit, chatroom conversation, email and MSN message and even every keystroke the child makes. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sundaystartimes/4498614a6870.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/eveningstandard/4498614a6407.html Internet porn ?encourages teenagers to have sex early' Exposure to internet pornography leads teenagers to lose their virginity at a "much younger" age, researchers have found. A peer reviewed study from the journal CyberPyschology and Behaviour revealed that males aged between 12 and 17 who regularly viewed porn had sex at an earlier stage in their lives and were more likely to initiate oral sex, apparently imitating what they had watched. http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2228388.0.internet_porn_encourages_teenagers_to_have_sex_early.php ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** uk: 'Extreme porn' law could criminalise millions Analysis: If you use the internet for any purpose that might be construed as other than respectable ? be afraid. Be very afraid. Almost unreported, the UK Criminal Justice Bill is slowly wending its way toward becoming law. It includes a section (Clause 63) on "extreme pornographic images" that may, or may not, affect a very large proportion of the adult population in the UK. But that ? the Bill's uncertain scope ? is part of the problem. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/25/justice_bill_extreme_pron/ ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* The Real Threat to Google Google's biggest threat may not be Microsoft or Yahoo!. No, one of the most formidable challenges facing Google is likely sitting in your pocket or purse. It's your cell phone, and it will put added pressure on Google and other Internet companies to revamp the way they handle online marketing. As more people use cell phones and their tiny glass screens to gain access to the Internet, Google and its fellow online advertisers will have less space, or what's called ad inventory, to place marketing messages for customers. Google makes money selling ad inventory. And its ad inventory is diminished on a cell phone. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2008/tc20080427_580014.htm Yahoo! and Microsoft: Still No - Yahoo!'s Jerry Yang braces himself for Microsoft's hostility Even by the low linguistic standards of earnings calls, Yahoo!'s have long been stultifying. Jerry Yang, the internet company's boss and co-founder, and his top lieutenants read a prepared statement of banalities and clich?s in a robotic monotone, then recycle them when pretending to answer questions from Wall Street analysts?until the tedium overwhelms all concerned. This week, however, Mr Yang had listeners hanging on his every word. That is because he spoke four days before Microsoft was due, on April 26th, to carry out its threat to turn its takeover offer for Yahoo! hostile, by launching a proxy battle to oust Mr Yang and the other directors. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11090055 Microsoft/Yahoo deadline passes with no deal Yahoo failed to agree to an acquisition deal with Microsoft by Saturday, the deadline Microsoft had set for wrapping up negotiations. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/C2CB02F26784422ACC25743800764C4D Microsoft issues final threat to scotch Yahoo deal Microsoft Corp gave Yahoo Inc no hope of a higher takeover price, saying it was ready to go hostile or even call off its bid if Yahoo maintains "unrealistic expectations" of a better deal. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2435171420080425 Google optimistic regulators won't bar Yahoo: source Google Inc believes regulators would not bar a potential business deal with Yahoo Inc because it would be "non-exclusive" and falls short of an outright merger, a person familiar with Google's thinking said on Friday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN2543490820080425 Microsoft Shows Gains, but Also Weaknesses Microsoft?s pursuit of Yahoo may have run into some bumps, but its big software business is humming along smoothly. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/technology/25soft.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/04/24/technology/24cndsoft.php Microsoft considers hostile bid for Yahoo! Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, is considering launching a hostile bid for Yahoo as early next week if Yahoo does not begin talks soon, chief financial officer, Chris Liddell, said yesterday after the world?s biggest software maker reported an 11 per cent drop in its third-quarter profit to $4.39 billion. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3812281.ece Microsoft?s New Threat to Yahoo: We?ll Buy Someone Else Microsoft made one thing clear on its conference call with investors this afternoon: We tech bloggers don?t have to work this weekend. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/microsofts-new-threat-to-yahoo-well-buy-someone-else/ Microsoft Presses Yahoo on Deal Microsoft yesterday reported strong quarterly earnings and warned that there is no reason to raise its bid for Yahoo and that "speed is of the essence" for completing a deal. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/24/AR2008042402481.html Final threat: Microsoft ready to get hostile [Reuters] Microsoft gave Yahoo no hope of a higher takeover price, saying it was ready to go hostile or even call off its bid if Yahoo maintains "unrealistic expectations" of a better deal. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10506215 Microsoft: Yahoo ?unrealistic?; Deadline stands; Quarter mixed Microsoft CFO Christopher Liddell said Thursday that Yahoo had ?unrealistic expectations? about the price it could fetch and reiterated the software giant could walk away from the deal. http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8604 ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Across the Tasman, two cables better than one When state-owned Kordia said this month that it was working on a plan for a fibre optic cable across the Tasman, its significance was less to do with faster international internet access than with security. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=93&objectid=10506086 New Zealand Herald Editorial: Broadband initiative a sound line David Skilling, the outgoing head of the New Zealand Institute think-tank, is fond of noting that distance from markets will be much less a tyranny for this country if there is no skimping on investment in technology, especially that involving high-speed access to the internet. Only last month, this credo led him to outline an ambitious plan to lay swathes of fibre-optic cable to jump-start broadband capability. Doubtless he is delighted that soon afterwards much of the thrust of his FibreCo model has been adopted by the National Party. Details are scant but it is clear that pragmatism is underpinning a drive for faster and cheaper broadband. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=93&objectid=10506542 Number of mobile phones now exceeds Australia?s population [news release] For the first time, there is now more than one mobile service for every Australian, with 21.26 million mobile phone services in operation at 30 June 2007, a 7.6 per cent increase from 19.76 million the year before, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority Communications Report 2006-07, released today. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311135 Number of Mobile Phones Now Exceeds Australia's Population For the first time, there is now more than one mobile service for every Australian, with 21.26 million mobile phone services in operation at 30 June 2007, a 7.6 per cent increase from 19.76 million the year before, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority. http://cellular-news.com/story/30809.php ********************** VoIP ********************** Skype tests application for mobile phones EBay-owned Skype has released into open beta testing a client for mobile phones that supports phone calls, chat, and other features of the popular VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) application. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/04/25/Skype-tests-application-for-mobile-phones_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145113/skype_tests_application_for_mobile_phones.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2008 --------- 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 Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address. www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mailReceived on Thu May 01 2008 - 05:30:13 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:09 UTC