Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for an archive of the last three months of the news! And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** European Dialogue on Internet Governance - Strasbourg, 20-21 October 2008 European actors interested in Internet Governance issues will meet in Strasburg on 20-21 October 2008, to discuss openly and freely their ideas, experiences and concerns in a fully multi-stakeholder format. The main themes on the Agenda of the 3rd IGF to be held in Hyderabad in December will be addressed with a particular emphasis on issues surrounding security, privacy, and openness on the Internet (concerns such as cutting Internet access, the privacy and security of popular internet banking and commerce applications, etc). Other themes will include universal access, as well as managing Internet critical resources. http://eurodig.org/ ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Paris Briefing Note - overall summary of the meeting As with previous meetings, we have prepared a ?briefing note? for Paris to act as a broad summary of what happened over the five days. It has been published on the Paris meeting site and we republish it below. http://blog.icann.org/?p=345 ICANN consultations on the Registrar Accreditation Agreement ICANN has started a new round of consultations with regard to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement. The consultation is open through 4 August 2008. I submitted the following comment: http://patrick.vande-walle.eu/internet/icann/icann-consultations-on-the-registrar-accreditation-agreement/ Have TLD strategies been spoilt by choice? Domain name governance may rank alongside intelligent compression, enterprise resource planning and dynamic configuration in the sexy technology list, but it?s probably one of the most important ways IT can support the business. http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/comment/2222015/tld-strategies-spoilt-choice-4126453 http://www.whatpc.co.uk/itweek/comment/2222015/tld-strategies-spoilt-choice-4126453 Web addresses to get more Leeway Online addresses would soon look a lot more diversified as the organization that oversees web identities is expected to approve a proposal to create an unlimited number of so-called top-level domains ? the familiar suffixes like '.com' at the end of Web addresses. http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=87668 New options for web addresses soon to be available Internet users will soon have more options for selecting the name of their web site. Traditional endings like ".com" or ."org" will soon be supplemented with many new ones, such as ".sports," ".perfume," or ".paris." http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/220096,new-options-for-web-addresses-soon-to-be-available.html http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2008/July/theworld_July1093.xml§ion=theworld&col= http://www.monstersandcritics.com/tech/news/article_1418157.php/New_options_for_web_addresses_soon_to_be_available After the A website with just the kind of domain name you want - and in the language of your choice. A World Wide Web with domains ranging from .dubai to .doctors, from .paris to .perfume, from .la to .love. http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Internet/10230486.html ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Hot-or-Not Contest Winners Confirm Global Appeal for .Asia Domains [news release] DotAsia Organisation announced today the successful completion of the 5 Weekly Hot or Not Domains AppraisalContests. Winning domains for the 5 weeks were: Resorts.Asia, Careers.Asia, Southeast.Asia, SEO.Asia and Vodka.Asia. The winners came from 5 different countries: Hong Kong (China), Australia, US, Israel and Indonesia. Contest entry period ended July 13th with just under 1,000 submissions. The competition now moves to its most anticipated round, the Grand Prize with a cash prize of US$10,000. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/20/hot-or-not-contest-winners-confirm-global-appeal-for-asia/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/hot-or-not-contest-winners-confirm-global-appeal-for-.asia.html China upgrades global domain name "China" will formally enter the global Internet in 2009. The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) officially launched "China's domain name global escalation action" on July 16, according to Chinanews.com. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6453625.html CNNIC Begins Global Chinese Domain Name Movement China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) formally announced the start of ?a Global Chinese language domain movement.? http://www.redlinechina.com/main/?q=node/967 ICANN approves new .INFO policy As reported earlier, Afilias had submitted a proposal to ICANN for the .INFO gTLD that would allow them to shut down domain names at will if they consider them abusive. http://www.domainnamenews.com/icann-policy/icann-approves-new-info-policy/1740 is: Registration and renewal fees by creditcard ISNIC customers can now pay registration and renewal fees for .is domains by creditcard. The last step of the registration process now allows the registrant to select to pay the fees using a creditcard. The registrant can also register the card details with ISNIC and register his/her domains for automatic renewal. In this case the renewal fee will be debeted to the card 60 days prior to its expiry date, automatically. http://www.isnic.is/news/index.php 1.5 Million .it Domain Registrations .it, the Italian ccTLD, has passed 1.5 million registrations. .it is the fifth ccTLD in Europe and the seventh in the world to reach this milestone. Today there are more than 1,553,000 names registered. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5471 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/18/15-million-it-domain-registrations/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/1.5-million-.it-domain-registrations.html 30,000 .ME registrations Montenegro's new Internet suffix has drawn 30,000 registrations during the initial part of its launch, the Sunrise for trademark holders and the Landrush. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/215/30-000-me-registrations.php GoDaddy?s Domain Registration Totally Screws .me Earlier this year GoDaddy won the rights to distribute domains under the extension .me, which belongs to the country of Montenegro. After a number of private distribution periods for corporations, the highly desirable extension finally went on sale this morning for $20 dollars a year (with a minimum 2 year purchase - nice). And now, things are rapidly descending into chaos. http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/17/godaddys-domain-registration-totally-screws-me/ Domain .Me Dotted With Problems Registrar GoDaddy began offering the .me domains from registration, but the process overwhelmed the company with issues. http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/07/17/domain-me-dotted-with-problems GoDaddy's New .Me Domains Turning Into Circus Seems GoDaddy is having some problems with their just launched .me domains. People were applying left and right for them and obviously GoDaddy seemed to have a "box office" hit with the new domain extension. http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/080717-154429 GoDaddy Offers .Me Domain Names. It?s a Big .Fail So Far. A few hours ago at 11am ET one of the better domain extensions to debut in recent memory - .me ? went on sale at GoDaddy for $19.99/yr. Since then, chaos has ensued, as apparently purchases are either not going through, or going through but the domain name remains available for others to buy. As an illustration of the problem this creates, according to the Twitter message below, at least 8 or 9 people are claiming to have receipts for the domain name aweso.me. http://mashable.com/2008/07/17/godaddy-offers-me-domain-names-it%E2%80%99s-a-big-fail-so-far/ .ME Launch Not Without Problems For Some The widely anticipated launch of the .ME domain on Thursday made waves across the Internet, and some of those waves were negative. Over here at Tucows, all systems were go, and resellers were able to register names without difficulty as soon as the Registry opened for business. All in all, it was a successful launch from our perspective. http://about.tucows.com/2008/07/18/me-launch-not-without-problems-for-some/ GoDaddy domain registration proves troubleso.ME A number of internet users who rushed to secure a .ME domain name registration through GoDaddy.com yesterday, 17 July, have been left disappointed and temporarily out of pocket. http://news.icm.ac.uk/technology/godaddy-domain-registration-proves-troublesome/569/ Registration opens for .me domains Registrations for the .me top level domain started yesterday afternoon, giving users a new crack at getting a personalised web address. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2222056/me-domain-opens http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2222056/me-domain-opens .ME TLDs available today ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, has officially opened the doors for registration of .ME domains today. http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/07/17/me-tlds-available-today/1 .me Extends Personalization of the Internet Since the creation of social networking the internet has been the medium of choice for expressing one?s personality. With last month?s introduction of the .me domain, the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of the southern European country, , the web is now more personal than ever! http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1788 Bloggers rush for .me domain name Online bloggerscan now personalise their own web pages after the .me internet domain address was launched yesterday afternoon. http://www.which.co.uk/news/2008/07/bloggers-rush-for-me-domain-name-152478.jsp RegistryPro to Open Pre-Registration on July 21 and Announces Firm Relaunch Date for .Pro TLD on September 8, 2008 [news release] RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .Pro top-level domain (TLD) on the Internet, announced today it will begin accepting pre-reservations for .Pro domain names from new registrants from July 21 through August 31, 2008. This Pre-Registration Period is the second phase of the registry?s highly anticipated transition to new registration parameters. Originally scheduled for July, the new relaunch date for .Pro has now been confirmed for September 8, 2008. http://registrypro.pro/pressreleasses/2008/0716.html uk: Nominet Internet governance research We are currently using an external research agency to carry out research into the perception of Nominet and its role in Internet governance. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5234 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** DNS flaw discoverer says more permanent fixes will be needed The security researcher who recently discovered a heretofore unknown flaw in the Internet's core Domain Name System (DNS) protocol warned IT managers on Thursday to expect more security fixes aimed at mitigating the issue over the coming months. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1457798528;fp;2;fpid;1 http://computerworlduk.com/management/online/e-business/news/index.cfm?newsid=10115 http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148616/more_fixes_needed_says_finder_of_dns_flaw.html Despite patch, today's systems still vulnerable to 2002 flaw For the last week, I've written that Dan Kaminsky undertook unprecedented action in coordinating a variety of vendors in secret over the last six months. Ari Takanen, co-founder and chief technology officer of Codenomicon, wrote to challenge that notion. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9993596-57.html Huge rise in malware this year Malware has risen by a staggering 278 percent in the first half of 2008, thanks in part to the large number of websites comprised last month, so says a new study by ScanSafe. And it warns that things are only going to get worse, especially after Dan Kaminsky goes public with details about his 20 year-old DNS vulnerability. http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=102180 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** A new era for Olympic coverage coming in the form of athlete blogs [Canadian Press] Reaching out to an Olympic athlete used to be as unattainable for the average couch potato as the gold medal itself. ... For example, a domain name like sevignyOlympic.com isn't allowed, while sevigny.com/Olympic is fine - but only during the Olympics themselves. http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/Canada/article/86157 us: Altru domain name case settled [AP] Altru Health System has lost an attempt to bar a Grand Forks resident from using a domain name including the word "Altru." http://www.jamestownsun.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D92109KG0 http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D92109KG0 Are You Master Of Your Domain? [reg req'd] In February 2008, MarkMonitor, Inc released its latest Brandjacking Index. The Index summarises data collected by the US company on how popular brands are abused online. Significantly for trade mark and brand owners, the Index indicates that cybersquatting increased by 33% over 2007. Studies into the practice have found that cybersquatters are now targeting more popular consumer brands over a wider range of industries. Trade mark owners and brand name users must remain vigilant in monitoring use of their brands online to ensure that their interests are not diluted by unauthorised use. http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=63294 Getting a domain name out of Network Solutions' clutches is much too difficult One of my domain names was registered long ago with Network Solutions. Network Solutions charges several times as much per year for registrations as other registrars, so of course I want to transfer away. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/30095 ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Circular dependencies, DNS and impediments to IPv6 adoption by Leo Vegoda It is sometimes said that ISPs do not offer IPv6 transport and equipment vendors offer just partial IPv6 support because there is no customer demand. The counter argument is often made that consumers can only buy what is on offer so people prefer to buy production quality services and equipment. http://blog.icann.org/?p=344 Internode first Australian ISP to offer IPv6 service Australian broadband ISP Internode claims to have become the first in the country to give national direct access to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) as part of its standard service. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1411851291 http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1411851291 Internode invests in IPv6 service Internet service provider Internode has invested in Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) as part of its standard service, for end users. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=80648 Shim6 Host-Based IPv6 Multihoming: Ready for Testing The Internet architecture was designed in the 1970s as a small internetwork to serve the needs of researchers. For the last 30 years, the Internet continued to grow and we are now getting close to hitting the limits of the 32 bits IPv4 addressing space. http://www.circleid.com/posts/87191_shim6_host_based_ipv6_multihoming/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** The Danger of a Domain Registrar ?Run on the Bank? We?ve seen a lot of ?runs on the bank? recently. Rumors spread that a bank is about to collapse. Nervous customers start pulling their money out of the bank, thus fulfilling the prophecy that the bank will collapse. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/17/the-danger-of-a-domain-registrar-run-on-the-bank/ Domain Name Stocks Pummeled in 2008 It?s been a rough year for stock markets, and domain name companies? stocks are having a tough run as well. The good news is that two ?pure play? domain companies? stocks are performing much better than the market overall. Here?s a quick run down of domain related stocks and how they are doing year-to-date as of yesterday?s close. For comparison, the S&P 500 is down 15% this year. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/17/domain-name-stocks-pummeled-in-2008/ Russia to create internet addresses in cryillic Russia will be able to create its first Internet addresses using the Cyrillic alphabet next year, communications ministry official Vladimir Vassiliev told Interfax news agency. http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=87737 Ex-Microsoft manager gets 22 months for fraud [IDG] The woman formerly responsible for managing Microsoft's Internet domain names has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for bilking her employer out of US$1 million in fake registration fees. ... According to court filings, Gudmundson used her corporate American Express card for domain-name registration fees, but would then submit copies of invoices that carried inflated charges. She also billed Microsoft for domain name registrations that had already been paid for by its Expedia online travel service. Microsoft sold off Expedia in 2001. http://www.itworld.com/news/53688/ex-microsoft-manager-gets-22-months-fraud http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/inews/F95E2E2DE7B8ABDACC25748C0071A281 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/071808-ex-microsoft-manager-gets-22-months.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** US economy: Lacklustre Google and Microsoft results puncture Wall Street's fragile good cheer American stocks completed their best two-day percentage gain since 2002 today but Wall Street's fragile good cheer subsided after the bell as earnings from Google and Microsoft failed to live up to investors' expectations. ... But after the close of trading, Google released earnings which showed weakness in the number of "paid clicks" as internet users choose advertising links. Although Google's profits were up by 35% to $1.25bn, the figures did not deliver the blowaway gains which investors have grown accustomed to seeing at the internet search company. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/17/google.microsoft Google Deliberately Sells Fewer Ads ? and May Have Gone Too Far Listening to Google?s executives on their conference call with investors Thursday afternoon, you?d never know that the company?s second-quarter results fell short of expectations and its shares plummeted 10 percent in after-hours trading. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/google-deliberately-sells-fewer-ads-and-may-have-gone-too-far/ Google UK not immune to economic downturn Google's UK turnover fell in the second quarter, its first decline since it began reporting as a public company in 2004, as the dominant internet search engine showed that it was not immune to the impact of the economic slowdown. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article4360186.ece Two Heads Are Better Than One: How Key Partnerships Are Helping Skip Hoagland Develop A GeoDomain Empire With PPC revenues tanking there is a lot of talk among domain owners about developing but, even now, not a lot of action. Why? Because development is hard work and undertaking the task with just a single domain can sap all of a person's available time with no guarantee their developed site will be a hit with web surfers. Since the typical domainer has hundreds or even thousands of names in their portfolio, developing en masse looks more like an impossible dream than a real possibility. http://dnjournal.com/cover/2008/july.htm The Value Of A Sale Includes The Overall Value Of Your Time, And More Over the years I?ve seen many declare they have closed on a great deal or that development paid off big time however, when examining closer, you see it isn?t as sweet as first presented. What I?m talking about is those who tend not to value their time as you would value yours. They will go on and on spending their time to achieve something, and sometimes succeed to a certain degree, but if we look back at all time spent for the project, then add costs, effort, risk, and other essential elements, the picture isn?t as bright anymore. http://www.conceptualist.com/2008/07/17/the-value-of-a-sale-includes-the-overall-value-of-your-time-and-more/ Internet Domain Auction Threatens 285 U.S. TV Stations [news release] Domain names using the call letters of 285 U.S. TV stations -- including major affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX -- will be auctioned to the public by GoDaddy.com over the next few days, according to an investigative report released by AndyPurdy.com. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/07/prweb1121114.htm Two Historic Domains Go Up for Sale: Audio.org & Video.org [news release] Active Internet a leading provider of internet technology services located in Lake Worth, Florida is selling off two of the most coveted domains in history, Audio.org and Video.org. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/07/prweb1116314.htm Google: Weathering the Economy? One quarter after defying skeptics with a surprisingly strong performance, Google released second-quarter results that disappointed investors. Earnings unveiled by the company on July 17 slightly missed analysts' expectations and sent Google's stock tumbling. Yet in spite of worries that Google may finally be succumbing to the economic malaise, sales were on target and the search giant held fast to assurances that it's seeing little impact. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2008/tc20080717_091172.htm All five TRAFFIC auction providers revealed According to some insider sources the two remaining auction providers for the Targeted T.R.A.F.F.I.C. auction in New York are Bido.com and Sedo. http://www.domainnamenews.com/domain-auction/all-five-traffic-auction-providers-revealed/1734 Rumor Watch: Google to Restrict Domain Parking Here?s an update on Google?s domain parking program. I usually don?t write about rumors, but Julia Mackenzie of IsItMeOrIsEveryoneElseStupid.com has never floated a rumor without it being true. She?s reporting that a reliable source informed her that Google is going to lay the hammer down on domain parking. Essentially, the company will only serve parking ads to domains it believes have a chance of receiving type-in traffic and conversions: http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/19/rumor-watch-google-to-restrict-domain-parking/ ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Zimbabweans use blogs, text messages for info ... Increasingly, Zimbabweans are going online and using cell phone text messages to share stories of life and death in a country where independent traditional media have been all but silenced, and from which reporters from most international media have been barred. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001117.html Profit rises at eBay but sales slow Even eBay, the online marketplace that built its reputation as a place for bargain hunters, is vulnerable to the slumping economy. Gross merchandise volume, the total sum of all transactions on the eBay marketplace, grew only 8 percent from the year-ago quarter, the company reported Wednesday, a steep slowdown compared with the robust double-digit growth in previous quarters. http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/17/technology/ebay.php Tech giants tackle information overload Your BlackBerry buzzes with a text from your boss, snapping you out of your Twitter-surfing trance. Your friend calls you and tells you to check out his Facebook profile, as you respond to your spouse's instant message about dinner plans. All the while, your in-box is overflowing with new e-mail messages. If humans were like computers, our screens would be frozen--overloaded by information and too much multitasking. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-9993917-92.html Pope Warns of Dangers of TV and the internet ... He told young people that every day, they not only must face up to the challenges thrown up by the degradation of the physical environment but also those created by the erosion of the social environment. He said alcohol and drug abuse were prevalent problems but warned about the "exaltation of violence and sexual degradation, often presented through television and the internet as entertainment". http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/16/1216162959930.html?page=fullpage UK online sales boom as shoppers desert high street Out of every ?1 spent by British shoppers 17p is now going to online retailers, as consumers switch away from traditional shops in favour of picking and paying at their home computer http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/18/retail.internet French papers join to sell digital reader Paul-Fran?ois Fournier, an executive at France T?l?com in Paris, thinks he may have found a way to help revive the ailing newspaper industry. It comes in a black plastic rectangular box with a screen half the size of a sheet of copy paper. http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/20/technology/paper21.php The Mobile Web: It?s Not Just for Smartphones The iPhone and BlackBerry are the only devices consumers are using these days to access the mobile Web? According to AdMob, mobile surfing is far more mainstream than what many people might think. ... Motorola and Samsung, according to the company?s research, are two popular brands for mobile Web browsing in the United States. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/the-mobile-web-its-not-just-for-smartphones/ Get computer-savvy or get out, Medvedev tells Russian Govt staff The Russian president has warned that government officials who cannot use a computer could soon be out of a job. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/18/russia.computing us: To Save Gas, Shoppers Stay Home and Click A number of retailers are experiencing double-digit sales growth on their shopping Web sites at a time when simply filling up a gas tank to head to the mall can seem like a spending spree. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/19/business/19shop.html au: 2008 Communications Consumer Dialogue to focus on building communities through communications [news release] Australia?s communications consumer, industry and government representatives will gather in Sydney later this month to share their thoughts on how technology can build stronger communities and cross social boundaries. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311248 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Thought control: it's the computer world's latest game plan First came the joystick. Then came the motion-sensing Wii remote. Now get ready for another radical and rather unsettling leap in video games technology: thought control. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article4354041.ece Say goodbye to the computer mouse It's nearly 40 years old but one leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered. A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the computer mouse in the next three to five years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7508842.stm ********************** SPAM ********************** Report: 81.5 percent of all e-mails sent in June were spam Almost everyone hates spam. The only people that don't hate it are the ones that make vast amounts of money from sending it. The profits they turn are so large that regardless of what spam fighters do, the amount of spam keeps increasing. According to web security firm MessageLabs, spam accounted for 81.5 percent of all e-mail traffic in June. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080717-report-81-5-percent-of-all-e-mails-sent-in-june-were-spam.html China officially sets up anti-spam message alliance The Internet Society of China (ISC) on Thursday officially set up the country's first anti-spam text message alliance, the latest move to address the long-time headache for the country's 574 million-plus mobile phone users. http://en.ce.cn/National/Local/200807/18/t20080718_16207789.shtml ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Huge rise in malware this year Malware has risen by a staggering 278 percent in the first half of 2008, thanks in part to the large number of websites comprised last month, so says a new study by ScanSafe. And it warns that things are only going to get worse, especially after Dan Kaminsky goes public with details about his 20 year-old DNS vulnerability. http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=102180 "Wi-Fi Squatting" a Crime ? By the Victim It?s a federal offense in the U.S. to use someone else?s unsecured wireless network for illicit purposes. It?s a crime in Germany, too ? committed by the network owner. We?ve always thought that so-called Wi-Fi squatting was largely a victimless crime. We?ve done it, and, based on the comments our previous posts on the topic received, so have most of this blog?s readers. The FBI has told us that it isn?t a federal offense to squat, as long as the squatter doesn?t use the connection to do anything illegal. Wi-Fi squatting is against the law in some states, however: A few unlucky folks have been arrested for checking email or surfing the Web while parked in a car outside a coffee shop or library. http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/07/18/wi-fi-squatting-a-crime-by-the-victim/ uk: Huge rise in card fraud as criminals find rich pickings online The criminal classes are proving adaptable to changing times, yesterday?s crime reports disclose. While homes are more secure through burglar alarms and vehicles bristle with sophisticated security devices, the internet and the wide use of credit cards is providing rich pickings. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4354276.ece Man accused of blocking San Fran's computers A computer technician charged with launching a cyber-coup against the city of San Francisco was expected to plead not guilty late yesterday to four charges of computer tampering. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/18/hitechcrime.internet Losses likely to rise from latest Romanian crime ring [IDG] The losses caused by a cybercrime ring broken up on Tuesday by Romania could reach into the millions of euros, an official with the General Inspectorate of the Romanian National Police said on Thursday. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1311301329 ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Log-deleting search engine Ixquick wins award A search engine that deletes all data relating to users after 48 hours has been awarded the first privacy award of a European body set up to promote privacy. The award was presented by European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx. http://out-law.com/page-9277 uk: 'No decision' on giant database No decision has been taken to create a huge database containing details of all phone calls, e-mails and internet use, security minister Lord West says. The Information Commissioner has warned that such a database could be a "step too far for the British way of life". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7511671.stm Congress accuses American Phorm of 'beating consumers' When US Congressman Ed Markey asked NebuAd CEO Bob Dykes whether his Phorm-like ad targeting system should require an opt-in, Dykes refused to answer. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/17/house_nebuad_hearing/ ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** EU moves to free up music rights Music download stores like Apple's iTunes could soon be able to operate one shop for the whole of Europe, under new rules brought in by EU regulators. Currently, iTunes has to negotiate the right to sell music with a different society in every European state. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7510166.stm EU says music collecting societies must compete Societies that collect music copyright fees for artists from the Rolling Stones to the Arctic Monkeys must end deals to stop competing against each other across borders, the European Commission said on Wednesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKBRU00666420080716 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** EU urged to help combat Internet 'censorship' The EU has been urged to tackle alleged internet ?censorship? in countries like Iran and north Korea. Dutch ALDE MEP Jules Maaten said ?more and more authoritarian states? were censoring the Net by blocking websites and filtering search engines so users cannot search for certain words or topics. http://www.theparliament.com/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/eu-urged-to-help-combat-internet-censorship/ ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Safer Internet Forum 2008, Luxembourg, 25 - 26 September [news release] This year's Safer Internet Forum will take place in Luxembourg on September 25 and 26. The Forum is open for stakeholders from NGOs, governments, researchers, industry representatives, including Internet Service Providers, mobile network operators, social networking sites, software developers. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/si_forum/forum_sepet_2008/index_en.htm Children from around the world discuss internet safety Children from around the world are meeting in London to discuss how they can better protect themselves from the dangers posed by the internet. More than 150 teenagers from 19 different countries will attend the five-day conference and voice their opinions to government and industry. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7510935.stm Aussie teenagers tackle cyber crime at global forum Faced with the danger of online predators, fraudsters and bullies, a group of Australian teenagers are putting their heads together with others from around the world to tackle internet crime. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/18/1216163114672.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/07/18/1216163114672.html Australian Federal Police hire teens to spot online crime TEENS as young as 14 have been recruited by the Australian Federal Police to help fight online crime - recognition they are more net savvy than veteran agents. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24035771-5001021,00.html UK fails to bar internet access to child porn Almost a million UK households could access websites known to host images of child sex abuse despite a government pledge made two years ago to stop access to paedophile sites. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jul/20/childprotection.censorship UK 'Teen date' website faces criticism A Newsbeat investigation has uncovered a dating website specifically for teenagers which campaigners fear will become a "playground for paedophiles". http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7512000/7512463.stm Survey says 11% of kids have online sex chats 11 percent of children have had a sexually explicit conversation online, according to a survey by The Carphone Warehouse. The Mobile Life survey, which polled 6,000 adults and children about their web and mobile habits also revealed that a quarter of 11 to 18 years olds had visited adult websites and 10 percent had met people they first interacted with online. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=13753 Parents na?ve about kids' surfing New research has uncovered a disconnect between parents' understanding of their children's online activity and what the youngsters are actually doing on the internet. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2222023/parents-naive-kids-online nz: Keep Up With Technology, Warns Internet Expert With eight out of 10 bullying incidents in schools linked to cyber and text bullying, parents and boards of trustees must keep up with the play, warns an internet safety expert. http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/keep-technology-warns-internet-expert/5/1272 nz: Schools 'plagued' by cyber bullying Bullying using the internet and mobile phones is the most common form of harassment among young people, a conference for school trustees has been told. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200807200622/246a13f4 Online Content Regulation in Australia If you are a parent whose child knows how to use a computer and browse the World Wide Web, then you're probably worried about what your child sees online. http://techtree.com/India/News/Online_Content_Regulation_in_Australia/551-91208-643.html Australia unveils online code of conduct Australia on Wednesday unveiled a new code of conduct to regulate online and mobile phone content which will call for classifications similar to those for films, a government spokesman said. http://manilatimes.net/national/2008/july/18/yehey/techtimes/20080718tech1.html au: Industry Code of Practice to make internet a safer place for children [news release] The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today welcomed the release of the Content Services Code, a new industry code of practice for providers of online and mobile phone content. The new code was approved by the Australian Communications and Media Authority on 10 July 2008. http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2008/057 http://egovmonitor.com/node/20033 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** eu: Mobile content services face Brussels inquiry Hundreds of websites across Europe offering "free" or "cheap" mobile phone services such as ringtones and wallpaper are conning young people into taking out expensive contracts, the European commission warned yesterday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/18/telecoms.eu Four in five ringtone sites breach consumer laws, says Commission A European Commission investigation has found that four in five websites selling mobile phone services such as ringtones appear to breach consumer protection rules. http://out-law.com/page-9276 EU clampdown on ring-tone scams [news release] EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva today announced the results of an EU-wide investigation into websites offering mobile phone services such as ring-tones and wallpapers. The enquiry, which was carried out on more than 500 websites across the 27 Member States, Norway and Iceland, found that 80% of the sites checked need to be further investigated for suspected breaches of EU consumer rules. Many of the websites target children and young people. Problems found included: unclear price information where prices are incomplete did not include taxes or customers are unaware that they are signing up to a subscription. Large numbers of websites do not provide some of the required contact information about the trader. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1169 GSMA warns against text-roaming price caps Mobile-operator industry body, the GSMA, has poured cold water on plans by European Commission telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, to create a single market for mobile text services in Europe and cap the cost of sending an SMS for EU citizens travelling in Europe. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39448518,00.htm ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** German telecoms watchdog rebuffed by EU court [Reuters] A telecoms regulator cannot force an operator to levy unjustified charges on competitors using its network, the European Union's top court said on Thursday in a ruling that bolsters new entrants in the sector. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL1780512420080717 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080717/wr_nm/eu_telecoms_germany_dc_1 Cuba and Venezuela to lay undersea Internet cable A new undersea fiber-optic cable being laid between Cuba and Venezuela will help provide high-speed Internet access to Cuban citizens by 2010. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-9994491-94.html The way ahead for the Broadcasting Communication: Speech by Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Competition Policy The Broadcasting Communication has been a great success. It has provided enhanced legal certainty on the Commission's policy in this sector. Already 23 state aid decisions have been taken on the basis of this instrument. But past success cannot make us complacent. In the seven years of the Broadcasting Communication, our media markets have changed dramatically. Technological advances, particularly digitalisation, are driving convergence and have changed consumption patterns. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/08/396 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Hold off on WiMax investments, Gartner cautions Businesses should hold off on investing in WiMax until the technology is more widely deployed across the United States and until vendors produce more dual-mode cellular/WiMax handsets, says a new report from Gartner Research. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/18/Hold_off_on_WiMax_investments_Gartner_cautions_1.html http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/52CB5CFDE6E8CF37CC25748C0072563B ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Animal porn viewed by 'beast' man A TASMANIAN computer technician who considered himself a beast has been given a suspended jail sentence after being caught possessing bestiality images. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24035333-5006788,00.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 Start at the new Yahoo!7 for a better online experience. www.yahoo7.com.auReceived on Sun Jul 20 2008 - 15:32:19 UTC
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