Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the online archive of the domain name news! And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Vint Cerf blasts ISPs for hurting national interests http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/07/23/tech-cerf.html Vint Cerf Caught Off Guard, Nevertheless Says What Needs to Be Said About Our Misguided Policy http://www.circleid.com/posts/87246_vint_cerf_caught_off_guard_fortune_brainstorm/ New Zealand's internet future and how to fix it http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10523942 Who Should Solve This Internet Crisis? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701172.html Domain Name Security Paper Released http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-24jul08-en.htm China tops 250 million Internet users [IDG] http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072408-china-tops-250-million-internet.html Attacks begin on net address flaw http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7525206.stm First DNS attacks reported http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2222592/first-dns-attacks-reported Google Counts More Than 1 Trillion Unique Web URLs [IDG] http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148964/google_counts_more_than_1_trillion_unique_web_urls.html Villas.com Sells for ?305,000 http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/villas.com-sells-for-305-000.html French Prefer Cars to Porn http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/french-prefer-cars-to-porn.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** An Analysis of the UDRP Experience: Is it Time for Reform? by Pablo Cortes [Computer Law and Security Report] Abstract: ICANN with the UDRP has achieved in developing a transparent global online dispute resolution procedure based on contractual adherence that allows trade mark owners to fight efficiently cybersquatting. This paper may be divided in two main parts. First, the interpretation of the UDRP policy is discussed at the light of UDRP panel decisions. Secondly, this paper evaluates the UDRP rules, which have been harshly criticized for the use of proceedings that are seen in favour of complainants. From the creation of the UDRP up until now the UDRP has not shown any intentions of reform despite all the existing criticisms. After nearly one decade of experience it appears clear that the UDRP needs to be reviewed if it aims to provide, not only an efficient but a fair procedure. This article concludes by considering the main steps towards reforming ICANN's UDRP. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1010088 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Vint Cerf blasts ISPs for hurting national interests Vint Cerf, who developed the technical principles on which the internet works, has blasted telephone and cable companies for harming national interests by holding investments in their networks to ransom. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/07/23/tech-cerf.html Google Wants You To Be Your Own ISP The Internet is too slow for Google and the nation's telecom and cable companies are to blame. At least that's how Google sees it. In an interview with journalist Tom Foremski at the Fortune Brainstorm conference in Half Moon Bay, Google VP of engineering and chief Internet evangelist Vint Cerf slammed AT&T, Verizon, and the cable companies for failing to invest in network infrastructure. http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209600668 Vint Cerf Caught Off Guard, Nevertheless Says What Needs to Be Said About Our Misguided Policy This morning's mail brought news of a 3 minute 45 second video clip of very candid and very outstanding remarks from Vint Cerf. Vint says very clearly what needs to be said and what needs to be grasped and acted on by the new president and congress next year. The clip was captured, blogged and up loaded to YouTube by Tom Foremski proprietor of IMHO for ZDNet. http://www.circleid.com/posts/87246_vint_cerf_caught_off_guard_fortune_brainstorm/ EU internet proposals raise civil liberty fears Civil liberty groups claim the new "telecoms package" due to go before the European Parliament in September will result in the loss of individual freedom on the internet, and breach the fundamental principles of human rights in Europe. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eu-internet-proposals-raise-civil-liberty-fears-877988.html Debate on the Future of Global Internet Regulation A debate, entitled "The Internet ? How It is Governed Today and How it May Be Governed Tomorrow: A VIP Panel Discusses the Internet Governance Forum of the United Nations and the Global Debate About the Control and Future of the Internet" will feature Paul Twomey, President & CEO of ICANN, Richard Beaird, Senior Deputy U.S. Coordinator, Information and Communications Policy, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC, Bill Graham, Strategic Global Engagement, ISOC, and Markus Kummer, Executive Coordinator, Internet Governance Forum. http://domaine.blogspot.com/2008/07/debate-on-future-of-global-internet.html New Zealand's internet future and how to fix it A group of experts has descended on Queenstown for a three-day Netsafe conference that aims to unlock the mysteries of our internet future. Cybercitizens: Risks, Rights and Responsibilities of Participation in the Information Age covers internet safety and law and plays host a range of experts on aspects of web life. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10523942 Who Should Solve This Internet Crisis? The Internet was in crisis. Its electronic "pipes" were clogged with new bandwidth-hogging software. Engineers faced a choice: Allow the Net to succumb to fatal gridlock or find a solution. The year was 1987. About 35,000 people, mainly academics and some government employees, used the Internet. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701172.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Domain Name Security Paper Released For many years, the Internet community has been developing and enhancing a Domain Name System (DNS) security technology called DNSSEC. ICANN's strategic and operating plans call for ICANN to be operationally ready to deploy DNSSEC at the root level and work with relevant stakeholders to determine how this should be implemented. With input from many stakeholders, ICANN has prepared a document describing this path to operational readiness for signing the root. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-24jul08-en.htm ICANN ALAC Review: Final Report by Independent Evaluator Released ICANN is posting the summary and final report of the Independent Review of the ALAC submitted by Westlake Consulting. These documents will be available shortly in multiple languages. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-25jul08-en.htm IANA: First release of XML formatted registries As first announced in April 2008, IANA is improving the formatting of its protocol registries by migrating the source format of these registries to structured XML format. We are pleased to announce the first set of migrated registries have now come online. http://www.iana.org/reports/2008/xml-registry-launch.html ICANN Releases Paper on Domain Name Security by Patrik F?ltstr?m Today ICANN releases a paper with the title "DNSSEC § ICANN - Signing the root zone: A way forward toward operational readiness". The paper explains in more detail than earlier documents what ICANN view on signing of the root zone is. I think the key points mentioned in this paper are true, and in general, I think this document is a good read. It is not long, and summarizes what I would call the current view is. http://www.circleid.com/posts/87241_icann_paper_domain_name_security_dnssec/ Does ICANN Still Keep Some Things Hidden? by Milton Mueller ICANN has made major strides towards increasing its transparency, but the point about openness and transparency is that you do it all the time, not just when its convenient or when the results won't challenge you. In that regard we find it interesting that ICM Registry's precedent-setting call for an Independent Review Panel has not seen the light anywhere on ICANN's website. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/7/23/3807148.html ICANN: Yes, we're toothless For any of us who have been frustrated by ICANN's seeming unwillingness to enforce many of the issues surrounding domain registration, we now have some answers: ICANN admits that the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) is missing authority over many issues that "were not contemplated when the RAA was written." http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/07/24/icann-admits-its-toothless Is This Only Sloppy Wording by ICANN? by Patrik F?ltstr?m So I wrote earlier [also here on CircleID] that I though it was good stuff when ICANN released a paper on DNS Security. Yes, I think it was good this paper was released, and yes it points out correctly how important DNSSEC is. http://www.circleid.com/posts/is_this_only_sloppy_wording_by_icann/ ICANN Extends 'Www' Options Internet regulators have brought the curtain down on the 'dot com' era, paving the way for companies to apply for a wide range of new domain names. http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1494621/icann_extends_www_options/ Impact of new ICANN extensions on UK businesses: Do UK businesses really need to worry? ICANN?s recent announcement that businesses can now apply for domain extensions outside of the TLDs (top level domains) currently in use, like .uk, .com or .org, has caused a huge buzz in the business community. But should companies really start defensively registering extensions and stumping up the cash for an ICANN application? Wouldn?t it make more sense (and be far more cost effective) to concentrate on strengthening their digital assets through domain names? http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2119 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** au: auDA's Industry Competition Advisory Panel releases issues paper for public consultation auDA's Industry Competition Advisory Panel is currently reviewing auDA?s competition model for the Australian domain name industry. The Panel has released an Issues Paper, June 2008 which sets out the current situation and canvasses the issues and possible options for change. http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-30062008/ auDRP - Dispute Resolution Policies for the .au domain extenstion auDA does not handle auDRP complaints. Complaints under the policy may be submitted to any auDA approved dispute resolution service provider (listed below in alphabetical order). Complaints are determined by a panel (single- or three-member) appointed by the Provider from its listed panelists. Each Provider follows the auDRP Rules, as well as its own supplemental rules. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/07/audrp---dispute.html LinkedIn's New Purchase of .au ccTLD Shows Increase In Australian TLD Popularity Builder.au reports that LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals, has joined an increasing number of companies that have sought to register their trademarks on the Australian (.au) ccTLD. Several months ago LinkedIn contacted Australian marketing firm Clear Blue Day, the previous registrant of linkedin.com.au, and requested that Clear turn over the domain name. Instead, Clear negotiated a deal whereby they received an advertising campaign on LinkedIn?s website in exchange for the domain name. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/07/linkedins-new-p.html .CN phishing sites to be stopped resolution [news release] In order to tackle phishing activities using CN domain names and to protect online safety, Anti-phishing Alliance of China (APAC) was founded on July 18, 2008. Its founding members include Chinese banks, securities companies, e-commerce companies, CN registry and registrars, as well as scholars. CNNIC, the registry of .CN, was appointed as the secretariat of APAC. http://www.cnnic.net.cn/html/Dir/2008/07/23/5232.htm China tops 250 million Internet users [IDG] China reasserted itself as the world's largest Internet market with 253 million total users by the end of June, the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) said Wednesday in its semiannual report. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072408-china-tops-250-million-internet.html China tops US for Internet user China has the world's largest number of Internet users, passing the United States by the end of June, a government-backed center said in a report today. Another 43 million netizens joined in the first half of this year, lifting the number of Chinese Internet users to 253 million, China Internet Network Information Center said in its 22th Internet Development Report today. ... The number of registered domain names that ended with .cn surged to nearly 12.19 million by July 22 ?again the world's biggest, followed by Germany, the report said. http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=368002&type=National gp: 1-digit domain closed [news release] All 1-digit domain names are registered, registration is closed for 1-digit domain names. http://www.nic.gp/ .ME is Spreading Around the World, More Than 50,000 New Names in Open Registration [news release] The .ME Registry officially opened for live, real-time registrations July 17, 2008 and was met with huge international demand. More than 50,000 new domain names were registered in the first two days, with the first "live" name registered being: yusu.me. http://www.afilias.info/news/press_releases/pr_articles/2008-07-22-01 http://www.nic.me/index.php?page=12&news=93 Craze after Montenegro Internet Domain .ME More than 50,000 new web names have been registered using the .me domain as Montenegro seeks to cash in on selling off its domain name for general use. http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/2485/2/ my: Launch of Reseller Application Process [news release] MYNIC is pleased to announce the commencement of the application process for the Reseller Programme. Currently MYNIC has 31 appointed Resellers located throughout Malaysia, including Penang, Johore, Sabah and Sarawak. http://mynic.net.my/readnews.php?id=72 Changes to .mx Registration Policies NIC Mexico, the registry for Mexico?s ccTLD, has announced changes to its programme for registrars and is releasing new tools to allow for a greater number of registrars worldwide. There are also changes that affect all .mx domain names, current and future. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/24/changes-to-mx-registration-policies/ Prices Slashed for Dot-Pro Domains [news release] Effective July 21, 12:00 pm Eastern Time, dot-pro domain names can be registered on a first-come, first-served basis for just $49 for one year. http://www.encirca.com/html/press/dot_pro_land_rush_at_encirca.pdf Dot-travel provider to step up promotion push [news release] Tralliance Corporation plans to step up its activity in the UK to raise the profile of the dot-travel top level domain name in the coming weeks. http://www.travel.travel/index.php/2008/07/22/travolution-72208-dot-travel-provider-to-step-up-promotion-push/ New Nominet DRS Policy and Procedure and online system [news release] As announced on 27 June 2008 we are changing the DRS Policy and Procedure, together with bringing the DRS process into our online services. http://www.nic.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5462 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Attacks begin on net address flaw Attack code that exploits flaws in the net's addressing system are starting to circulate online, say security experts. The code could be a boon to phishing gangs who redirect web users to fake bank sites and steal login details. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7525206.stm First DNS attacks reported The first attacks to use the so-called Kaminsky DNS vulnerability have surfaced, according to reports. A user named James Kosin sent details of the attack to a Fedora Linux mailing list. http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2222592/first-dns-attacks-reported Web Sites Attacked in Ex-Republics Government Web sites in two former Soviet republics, Lithuania and Georgia, came under cyber attacks over the weekend, according to Lithuanian officials and an Internet watchdog group. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/24/world/europe/24briefs-WEBSITESATTA_BRF.html Kiwi ISPs rush to lock out DNS criminals New Zealand ISPs are hurriedly patching their servers to avoid attacks from phishers and domain spoofers as the global DNS emergency rolls on. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/2240D52757999C2FCC25749300406F4C Darkness in the cloud If a seismograph were monitoring cybersecurity tremors, it certainly would have spiked earlier this month with the news that a pervasive vulnerability had been discovered that could allow hackers to redirect Internet traffic. As Government Computer News? William Jackson first reported July 8 (GCN.com Quickfind 1162), a number of vendors and security researchers have been scrambling secretly over the past six months to fix a design flaw in the Internet?s Domain Name System. http://www.gcn.com/print/27_18/46738-1.html World's biggest ISPs drag feet on critical DNS patch More than two weeks after security researchers warned of a critical defect in the net's address lookup system, some of the world's biggest internet service providers - including AT&T, Time Warner and Bell Canada - have yet to install a patch inoculating their subscribers against attacks, according to an informal survey of Register readers. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/25/isps_slow_to_patch/ Security Wars: China Establishes Alliance To Fight Phishing Websites Formed by Chinese banks, securities institutions, e-commerce websites and domain name management and service organizations, the China Anti-phishing Website Alliance has been founded to fight phishing websites through better management of domain names and domain name servers. http://www.chinatechnews.com/2008/07/25/7069-security-wars-china-establishes-alliance-to-fight-phishing-websites/ Kaminsky (finally) provides DNS flaw details In his first public comments since his Domain Name System (DNS) cache poisoning flaw was made public, Dan Kaminsky said in a conference call on Thursday he doesn't want to parse who said what when. He just wants everyone to understand that they must patch their systems now. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-9998906-83.html Details, Exploits of Web-Wide DNS Vulnerability Revealed The much-discussed vulnerability in the Internet's Domain Name System is out -- and so are exploits that take advantage of it. The flaw's founder, Dan Kaminsky of IoActive, held a Webcast today in which he gave details on his findings, and revealed that attacks have been developed to exploit it. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=159985 Early leak exposes DNS flaw details Security researchers are rushing to patch a flaw in the domain name system (DNS) servers that direct internet traffic, after details of how it worked were revealed online where they could be exploited by hackers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/24/news.internet DNS exploit code is in the wild As of Wednesday, an exploit code allowing someone to attack the domain name system (DNS) was available in various places on the Internet. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-9998406-83.html Researchers unleash DNS attack code Security researchers have released attack code that can silently redirect users to unintended sites using a critical flaw in the Internet's Domain Name System. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110622 Attack code released for DNS bug [IDG] Hackers have released software that exploits a recently disclosed flaw in the Domain Name System (DNS) software used to route messages between computers on the Internet. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/24/Attack_code_released_for_new_DNS_attack_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148854/attack_code_released_for_new_dns_attack.html http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=102222 Exploit code for Kaminsky DNS bug goes wild When Dan Kaminsky disclosed a critical flaw in the net's address lookup system earlier this month, he said it was crucial internet service providers and other organizations install patches immediately. He wasn't kidding. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/24/dns_exploit_goes_wild/ The DNS bug and you: Find out if you are at risk from the DNS bug and, if so, what to do about it You know a bug is Big News when it makes National Public Radio's "All Things Considered", the network's afternoon drive-time show. That's what happened Friday, when Dan Kaminsky, the security researcher who uncovered a critical flaw in the Doman Name System (DNS) software used to direct traffic on the Internet, gave a synopsis of the problem and what has been done to fix it. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/28/FAQ_The_DNS_bug_and_you_1.html Internet on alert The Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCert) on July 23 issued an urgent announcement about a serious security error associated with the global domain name system (DNS). http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2008/07/795321/ Is your home system vulnerable to a DNS cache poisoning? On Wednesday, an exploit code allowing someone to attack the domain name system (DNS) became available. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-9998625-83.html Pavietnam hacked, nearly 8,000 .vn websites crippled The domain server of PAvietnam, a large hosting service provider in Vietnam, was controlled by hackers in the morning on July 27, which deadlocked around 8,000 websites based on Pavietnam?s server. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2008/07/795917/ US government security data compromised The security of data held by the CIA, the FBI and the US Department of Defense was compromised earlier this year after a partner agency allowed zone transfer access of its Domain Name Services. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2222630/us-government-security-compromised http://www.whatpc.co.uk/vnunet/news/2222630/us-government-security-compromised ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Even porn execs have bitter domain-name battles The Fed love a good porn investigation. Allegedly, John Gray, CEO of the strip-club-industrial complex Spearmint Rhino, has been illegally taking control of domains owned by his former business partner, Michael Ninn, best known for the kind of arty, high-gloss hardcore films that almost take themselves too seriously to be porn. http://valleywag.com/5028975/even-porn-execs-have-bitter-domain+name-battles The NBA name game has turned into a guessing game for cybersquatters across the country Purchasing a domain name can be like buying a lottery ticket. Others simply want to start a Web site. A study of domain names reveals many people, and companies, have tried to predict the nickname of a possible NBA team in Oklahoma City as far back as two years ago. http://newsok.com/the-nba-name-game-has-turned-into-a-guessing-game-for-cybersquatters-across-the-country/article/3274047 Are You Master Of Your Domain? 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 Bakers wins Narnia domain name battle Baker & McKenzie has prevailed over a Scottish family in a fight over the narnia.mobi domain name, after a decision from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=133922&d=415&h=417&f=416 Scrabble maker Hasbro sues over 'Scrabulous' Facebook game This is the lawsuit we all knew was coming: Hasbro, which sells the Scrabble board game, has sued over the wildly popular knockoff on Facebook called Scrabulous. ... The lawsuit names as defendants Kolkata, India-based RJ Softwares, its CEO Rajat Agarwalla, and Jayant Agarwalla, who launched Scrabulous two years ago. It asks the court to yank the Scrabulous game from Facebook, disable the scrabulous.com domain name, and grant Hasbro damages and attorneys fees. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9998723-93.html ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** New Publication: Scarcity in IP addresses: IPv4 Address Transfer Markets and the RIRs by Mark Costa Abstract: We are running out of Internet addresses. A newly released paper by the IGP evaluates address transfer policies that Internet governance agencies are considering as a response to the depletion of the IPv4 address space. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/7/22/3804985.html AARNet begins planning IPv6 roll-out The Australian National Research and Education Network (AARNet) recently held discussions with a group of government and academic leaders over the roll-out of IPv6 in Australia. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1393936622 http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;1393936622 http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1393936622 IPv6... Unstoppable Road to Hyperconnectivity: Blame It On Opiates! by Yves Poppe Some think IPv6 with its myriad addresses will accelerate the evolution of a hyperconnected world. But could a world where everything and everybody is sensed, monitored, located, to augment our quasi real-time interaction with the world outside our little selves, lead to total dependency, if not to gradual stupidity of the human race? Not surprisingly, a favourite topic for (late night) Internet Conference bar discussions. http://www.circleid.com/posts/87275_ipv6_unstoppable_road_hyperconnectivity_opiates/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Google Counts More Than 1 Trillion Unique Web URLs [IDG] In a discovery that would probably send the Dr. Evil character of the "Austin Powers" movies into cardiac arrest, Google recently detected more than a trillion unique URLs on the Web. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148964/google_counts_more_than_1_trillion_unique_web_urls.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;2073502291 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072508-google-counts-more-than-1.html Curious Histories of Generic Domain Names In this brave new Web 2.0 world, it's almost a badge of honor to have a Web site name that only hints at what the user will find there (see Flickr) or is so opaque as to offer no clue at all as to what the Web site is about (see del.icio.us). It's easy to forget the first Internet gold rush of the mid-to-late '90s, when dot-com domain names based on ordinary (and, investors hoped, marketable) nouns and verbs were snapped up by hopeful companies from the humble geeks who had purchased them (often ironically) in the early '90s. The weird and wooly history of the Web can best be traced through some of its most generic domains. Here's a sampling that trace the arc from the geeks to the entrepreneurs and into a more staid corporate world. http://www.itworld.com/five-generic-domain-names-history-080123 Steal Away Domain "kiting" is a new term that can now cause us to worry. For years, we have heard of people who purchased domain names, like cocacola.com, and thought that they would hold those names hostage and then sell them back to companies for handsome profits. http://www.dentaleconomics.com/display_article/335041/54/none/none/Dept/Steal-Away Internet company wants lawsuit dismissed GoDaddy, the Internet?s largest registrar of domain names, wants a federal judge in Texarkana to dismiss a lawsuit claiming it has profited at the expense of customers. http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/localnews/2008/07/28/internet-company-wants-lawsuit-dismissed-51.php The Right Domain Name Can Win New Clients When Kimberlee Williams, co-owner of marketing consultancy Femworks LLC, tried to register www.femworks.com as the company?s domain name, she ran into a problem familiar to small-business owners. Someone who had already registered the name, but was not using it, was selling the Internet address for an inflated price, referred to as the after-market. http://www.njbiz.com/weekly_article.asp?aID=020822702.374828.978380.4547817.5278481.807 ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Villas.com Sells for ?305,000 The Sedo auction for Villas.com has just closed with the name selling for ?305,000, making it the eighth biggest sale to date in 2008 according to Domain Name Journal?s Year to Date sales chart, assuming money changes hand. The auction was contested by two bidders once the bidding got past ?155,000. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/24/villascom-sells-for-e305000/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/villas.com-sells-for-305-000.html French Prefer Cars to Porn If domain name sales are anything to go by, the French are more interested in cars to sex. In recent days there are reports auto.fr and voitures.fr were sold for ?150,000. This compares to the ?30,000 for porn.fr in January 2008. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/24/french-prefer-cars-to-porn/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/french-prefer-cars-to-porn.html DomainRegistration.com Closes at More Than $376,000 In One of the Year's Top Dozen Domain Sales A trio of nice six-figure sales highlighted the past week in the domain aftermarket. The leader of that pack, DomainRegistration.com booked a bountiful $376,480 to complete a sale process that began with a winning bid in Moniker's live auction at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East conference in May. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales07-22-08.htm Click Fraud, Botnets and Parked Domains - All Inclusive by Dancho Danchev It gets very ugly when someone owns both, the botnet, and the portfolio of parked domains actively participating in pay per click (PPC) advertising programs, where the junk content, or the typosquatted domain names are aiming to attract high value and expensive keywords in order for the scammer to earn higher on per click percentage. This is among the very latest tactics applied by those engaged in click fraud activites. Hypothetically, the cost to rent the botnet and commit click fraud would be cheaper than sharing revenue on per click basis with "human clickers" who earn money based on how many ads they click given a set of scammer's owned sites, where the customer support represents a do-it-yourself proxy switching application changing their IP on the fly. http://www.circleid.com/posts/87281_click_fraud_botnets_parked_domains/ Click fraud harder to detect, but rate stays flat Click fraud, in which advertisers have to pay for bogus clicks on text ads, dropped only a smidgen to 16.2 percent of clicks in the second quarter from 16.1 percent in the first, according to new data from Click Forensics, a company that monitors such activity. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9998222-93.html Aussie domain aftermarket stalls A month after Australia's domain name regulator started to allow domains ending in .au to be on-sold, companies are attempting to auction Australian domains for as much as AU$1 million. However, buyers have remained reluctant to pay top-dollar for the internet addresses. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Aussie-domain-aftermarket-stalls/0,130061791,339290816,00.htm Wishing Well Promotion-Win Cash and Promote Change! In the domain industry, we deal with property that can?t be touched and we build relationships with people we may never meet. With this question in mind, we created SedoCares; a new Sedo team that will be proactively working on social and environmental issues. http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2117 Google Ad Planner by Jay Westerdal I have been playing with Google Ad Planner for about a week now and it is by far the best third party metrics tool out there. I can now directly query Google for how popular a website is and how many users they have. http://blog.domaintools.com/2008/07/google-ad-planner/ .Me Domain Name Auctions to Last a Loooong Time I haven?t been paying much attention to the .me domain name auctions, but Michael Berkens has. Some of the domains are being bid up rather high, including Insure.me (135 bids, $26,130), Hug.me (74 bids, $13,016), Secure.me (93 bids, $7,540) and Portland.me (230 bids, $6,151). http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/28/me-domain-name-auctions-to-last-a-loooong-time/ Ex-Marchex Employees In Trouble For Setting Up Copycat Sites Marchex has sued two ex-employees for deceptively creating and running competing websites. The pair - Eric Thoreson and Casey Manion - have agreed to pay Marchex $100,000 in legal fees and deactivate their competing sites. http://www.domainnamenews.com/legal-issues/ex-marchex-employees-in-trouble-for-setting-up-copycat-sites/1820 ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** "Yahoo! For Good" and the Right to Privacy of Internet Users: A Critique by Surya Deva [Journal of Internet Law] Abstract: Against the backdrop of internet censorship in China and the disclosure of e-mail users' personal information by Yahoo! to the Chinese authorities, this article assesses the efficacy of privacy data laws in protecting the right to privacy of internet users. The assessment is made with reference to how the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of Hong Kong fared in making Yahoo! accountable for alleged privacy breaches of its customers. The article critically examines the report of the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner which exonerated Yahoo! and its subsidiaries from the charge of disclosing personal data in breach of the Privacy Ordinance. It also explores various steps that Yahoo! could have taken to fulfil its social responsibilities in China. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1165483 The Google Dilemma by James Grimmelmann [New York Law School Law Review] Abstract: Web search is critical to our ability to use the Internet. Whoever controls search engines has enormous influence on all of us; whoever controls the search engines, perhaps, controls the Internet itself. This short essay (based on talks given in January and April 2008) uses the stories of five famous search queries to illustrate the conflicts over search and the enormous power Google wields in choosing whose voices are heard on the Internet. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1160320 EU Tackles Cybercrime by Sylvia Kierkegaard [Cyber Warfare and Cyber Terrorism] Abstract: The growing importance of information and communication infrastructure opens up new opportunities for criminal activities, The European Union has therefore taken a number of steps to fight harmful and illegal content on the Internet, protect intellectual property and personal data, promote electronic commerce and tighten up the security of transactions. However, in spite of the EU initiatives, many observers believe that cybercrime requires an international response that should include countries that are havens for cybercriminals. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1162402 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Ex-Google employees launch rival search engine New search engine Cuil.com has gone live today, aiming to challenge the dominance of search giants Google. Former Google workers Tom Costello, Anna Patterson and Russel Power all helped to develop the new site, which claims to index more webpages than the search engine of their former employer. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/exgoogle-employees-launch-rival-search-engine-879172.html Former Employees of Google Prepare Rival Search Engine In her two years at Google, Anna Patterson helped design and build some of the pillars of the company?s search engine, including its large index of Web pages and some of the formulas it uses for ranking search results. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/28/technology/28cool.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/28/business/cool.php Ex-Google staff launch rival search engine, Cuil A group of former Google employees is hoping to outmanouvre their old boss by developing a rival search engine they claim provides a more comprehensive guide to the web. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4416977.ece Search site aims to rival Google Former staff from Google launch Cuil, a rival search engine that aims to beat the web giant at returning relevant results. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7528503.stm Cuil shows us how not to launch a search engine Google challenger Cuil launched last night in blaze of glory. And it went down in a ball of flames. Immediately after launch, the criticism started to pile on: results were incomplete, weird, and missing. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10000670-2.html Google Counts More Than 1 Trillion Unique Web URLs [IDG] In a discovery that would probably send the Dr. Evil character of the "Austin Powers" movies into cardiac arrest, Google recently detected more than a trillion unique URLs on the Web. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148964/google_counts_more_than_1_trillion_unique_web_urls.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;2073502291 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072508-google-counts-more-than-1.html Boom times ahead for mobile web The world of mobile internet devices is set to explode in the next four years says chip maker Intel. Research carried out for the company suggests portable net-enabled devices will grow to 1.2 billion by 2012 as the need to be connected increases. Intel's predictions were unveiled as it launched a series of chips designed for portable web-browsing gadgets. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7522305.stm Online services tearing down walls, sharing content [Billboard] It might indeed be true that everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten. Take the first lesson: Share everything. It's right there at the top of the list, but only now is the digital entertainment industry taking notice. Once littered with walled gardens and content silos, the digital landscape is beginning to sprout a customer-friendly ecosystem of shared content and traffic. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2530807020080725 http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4634059a28.html Kiwis keen but slow internet users The most striking New Zealand statistic in a study of international internet use published yesterdat is arguably the 35% of users here still on dial-up modems. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/02EC2F9898CA7608CC2574940070D278 Nearly every Kiwi online in 25 years - NetSafe speaker Almost every New Zealander will be on the internet within 25 years, a visiting expert predicts. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of internet penetration in the world, at 80.5 per cent in March this year, according to the International Telecommunications Union the seventh-ranked country on monitoring website internetworldstats.com. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4633164a28.html http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4633164a27483.html World Internet Project survey impresses - InternetNZ [news release] InternetNZ (the Internet Society of New Zealand Inc) welcomes the first report of the World Internet Project New Zealand longitudinal study, released today. The study by AUT University involved 1500 Internet and non-Internet using New Zealanders, and complements studies undertaken in 28 countries over seven years. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/wip2007 Kiwis top of international survey for blogging A new study has revealed one in 13 New Zealanders has a weblog, making us the keenest bloggers out of 15 countries surveyed for a world research project. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10524003 Broadband to reach 77% of U.S. households by 2012, Gartner says The United States will close its digital divide significantly within the next four years, with 77% of U.S. households having a broadband Internet subscription, according to a new Gartner study. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072408-broadband-penetration-gartner-study.html Asia among world's highest broadband penetration South Korea and Hong Kong are two of the top three markets in the world with the highest household broadband penetration. Korea topped the Gartner study with 93 percent penetration in 2007, with this figure expected to hit 97 percent in 2012. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62044184,00.htm Gartner Says 17 Countries to Surpass 60 Percent Broadband Penetration into the Home by 2012 [news release] Worldwide consumer broadband connections will grow from 323 million connections in 2007 to 499 million in 2012, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide consumer broadband connections penetrated 18 percent of households in 2007, and by 2012, households with a broadband connection will reach 25 percent. http://gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=729907 ABCe: Guardian.co.uk breaks 20m user barrier Guardian.co.uk has become the first UK newspaper site to attract more than 20 million unique users in a month. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/24/abcs.digitalmedia China becomes biggest net nation China now has the world's largest net-using population, say official figures. More than 253 million people in the country are now online, according to statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7528396.stm China says has more people surfing the Web than US [AP] China's booming Internet population has surpassed the United States to become the world's biggest, with 253 million people online despite government controls on Web use, according to government data reported Friday. http://news.smh.com.au/technology/china-says-has-more-people-surfing-the-web-than-us-20080424-28cv.html http://news.theage.com.au/technology/china-says-has-more-people-surfing-the-web-than-us-20080424-28cv.html China tops US for Internet user China has the world's largest number of Internet users, passing the United States by the end of June, a government-backed center said in a report today. Another 43 million netizens joined in the first half of this year, lifting the number of Chinese Internet users to 253 million, China Internet Network Information Center said in its 22th Internet Development Report today. http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=368002&type=National Now ISPs Want to Serve You Ads, Too Just what we need: another way to get bombarded with personalized ads. Consumers are already spoon-fed ads based on the searches they conduct with tools like Google (GOOG) and Yahoo! (YHOO); wireless service providers can send coupons, using call logs to track subscriber tastes and navigation tools to determine their whereabouts; and cable companies tailor local marketing messages to a viewer's neighborhood or city. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2008/tc20080723_417500.htm ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Cyber-nationalism: The brave new world of e-hatred "Nation shall speak peace unto nation.? Eighty years ago, Britain?s state broadcasters adopted that motto to signal their hope that modern communications would establish new bonds of friendship between people divided by culture, political boundaries and distance. http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11792535 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Limit mobile phone use, cancer expert tells staff The head of a leading cancer research institute has reignited the controversy over the health risks of using mobile phones by sending a warning to staff that they should limit the use of the devices because of the risk of cancer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/25/mobilephones.health Mobile phones do fry your brain, warns cancer specialist [AP] The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between increased tumours and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the US Food and Drug Administration. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10523331 http://www.thestate.com/360/story/469463.html http://businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D923QJSG0.htm http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/23/cancer.cell.phones.ap/ http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/24/business/cellphone.php Warning on mobile phone risk 'alarmist' THE safety of mobile phones has again been called into question after a US cancer expert sent 3000 staff a memo urging them to limit the length of calls and to prevent children using the devices "except for emergencies". http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24074106-5013404,00.html Mobile use on planes moves step closer Widespread use of mobile phones on UK airlines moved a step closer today following a ruling by the communications watchdog Ofcom. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/28/transport.theairlineindustry Touch takes hold, but it's no mouse-killer ... It could be that there's more going on than a few product launches, but there will be practical issues. Richard MacKinnon, a business psychologist for the people assessment company Talent Q, has a postgraduate diploma in ergonomics and says touchscreens are unlikely to be suited for use over long periods of time. They also inadvertently promote poor posture, and reduced productivity through reduced typing speeds. "Touchscreens can have a place in entertainment scenarios, but in the office environment? I don't think we're there yet," he says. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/24/news.computing ********************** SPAM ********************** Fighting off the great spam attack The internet is under attack like never before, with spam accounting for 80 per cent of all emails sent worldwide, many of them money-making scams run by criminal gangs. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/85/story.cfm?c_id=85&objectid=10523672 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** EBay, British luxury goods group to discuss counterfeit sales Intellectual property lawyers from eBay Inc. and Walpole British Luxury, a group that represents the British luxury goods industry, are meeting Monday in London to discuss ways they can work together to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods online. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110645 http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;186461566 Software group weighs piracy lawsuit against eBay [IDG] A trade group representing hundreds of software vendors is considering a lawsuit against eBay for what it calls widespread sales of counterfeit software on the auction site. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148935/software_group_weighs_piracy_lawsuit_against_ebay.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;472832980 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/25/Software_group_weighs_piracy_lawsuit_against_eBay_1.html The Briton facing 60 years in US prison after hacking into Pentagon When he wakes up this morning, Gary McKinnon will be 72 hours from learning whether he is on the fast track to a 60-year prison sentence, thanks to his obsession with aliens. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/27/internationalcrime.hacking Report: Taliban using sophisticated media network [AP] The Taliban have created a sophisticated media network to undermine support for the Afghan government, sending threats by text message and spreading the militia's views through songs available as ring tones, according to a report released Thursday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7675494 http://iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/24/asia/AS-Afghan-Taliban-Media.php Libel: Ex-friend's Facebook revenge costs ?22,000 in damages at high court After Grant Raphael had a row with his old school friend Mathew Firsht, he wanted revenge. He disseminated a web of lies via Facebook, to cause Firsht stress and humiliation. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/25/law.facebook uk: 'Fake Facebook profile' victim awarded ?22,000 A businessman who had his personal life laid bare in a fake profile on the social networking website Facebook has been awarded ?22,000 in a libel case he brought against a former school friend. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4389538.ece uk: Facebook libel case damages won A businessman whose personal details were "laid bare" in fake entries on the Facebook social networking website has won a libel case at the High Court. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7523128.stm Google to face charges in Italy over Down's syndrome video Google is to face criminal charges in Italy over a video which appeared on one of its sites showing a disabled teenager being taunted by his peers. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4397511.ece Italy prepares to charge Google execs Italian prosecutors are preparing to file charges against four current or former Google Inc executives over a 2006 video on the Internet provider's Italian-language site, court sources said on Friday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL573071020080728 Woman Accused in MySpace Suicide Case Seeks to Have All Charges Dismissed The lawyer for a Missouri mother accused of creating a fake MySpace page to harass a 13-year-old girl is arguing that charges should be tossed out of court because if she is guilty, then so are millions of Internet users every day. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072301542.html us: Dismissal of federal Internet suicide case sought [AP] An attorney for a Missouri woman charged in a MySpace hoax that allegedly led a 13-year-old girl to commit suicide filed motions Wednesday to dismiss the federal case. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/23/financial/f154531D70.DTL Irish Man (27) prosecuted over obscene Bebo messages A man has been prosecuted for putting offensive and obscene messages on social networking site Bebo in what is believed to be the first case of its kind to come before the Irish courts. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/man-27-prosecuted-over-obscene-bebo-messages-1399572.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** How a fraudster stole my identity on Facebook The first I knew about it was a phone call. My girlfriend admonished me for succumbing to the temptations of Facebook, a website whose poisoned fruits I had previously said I found unappealing. I stood accused of two crimes: a lack of willpower and a failure to confess. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/how-a-fraudster-stole-my-identity-on-facebook-876804.html http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10523466 Residents in Spain fined for putting prostitute clients on YouTube Some lauded them as plucky local heroes who harnessed new technologies to tackle problems that the authorities ignored. Others saw them as snoops with no regard for people's privacy. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4393682.ece ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** uk: Illegal downloaders to get warning letter in government clampdown Internet service providers have struck a deal with government and the music industry to help clamp down on illegal downloading. The deal, to be announced later today, is thought to include an agreement for ISPs to send out hundreds of thousands of letters to account holders responsible for illegal downloading. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/24/digitalmedia.piracy Surprise in the post for illegal music downloaders Thousands of parents will learn of their children's illegal downloading habits when warning letters arrive at their homes in a battle against internet piracy. A government-backed drive is targeting the worst offenders of the estimated 6.5 million web users involved in illicit file-sharing of music and films. Britain's six largest internet service providers, or ISPs, have joined the scheme, amid estimates that the practice could cost the music industry ?1bn in the next five years. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/24/musicindustry.piracy uk: Net firms pledge no spying in filesharing crackdown Internet service providers have pledged not to "spy" on the web habits of customers as part of an agreement with the government to punish illegal sharing of music and films. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/25/downloads.piracy http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/24/digitalmedia.piracy1 Music companies to police illegal downloads No sooner had Britain?s six biggest internet service providers (ISPs) agreed to monitor illegal file sharing than the web was abuzz with suggestions to get around the scheme. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article4393540.ece Music industry to tax downloaders Internet users could face an annual charge of up to ?30 to download music, under plans to be unveiled today that aim to tackle illegal file-sharing. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/music-industry-to-tax-downloaders-875757.html Parents to be punished for children?s net piracy Parents whose children download music and films illegally will be blacklisted and have their internet access curbed under government reforms to fight online piracy. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4387283.ece Net firms in music pirates deal Six of the UK's biggest net providers have agreed a plan with the music industry to tackle piracy online. The deal, negotiated by the government, will see hundreds of thousands of letters sent to net users suspected of illegally sharing music. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7522334.stm Q&A: Music and file-sharing Hundreds of thousands of UK net users could soon find a letter on their mat from their net supplier saying their account is being used to illegally share files. The letters are one of the most tangible elements of an anti-piracy plan brokered by the government. Here we explain some of the background to the agreement. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7522962.stm ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Australians asked to help monitor the Great Firewall of China Amnesty International has developed a tool designed to monitor the extent of internet censorship in China, and is asking Australians to help use it. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;56386717 us: Editorial - The Censors Lose in Court The $550,000 fine that the Federal Communications Commission imposed on CBS for Janet Jackson?s ?wardrobe malfunction? during the 2004 Super Bowl was a serious setback to freedom of expression. A federal appeals court threw out the fine last week, ruling that the agency violated its own standards for what constitutes indecency. It is a well-reasoned decision, and we hope that the Supreme Court, which will soon be taking up a similar case, will take as strong a stand for free speech. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28mon3.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ One third of Aussie children not watched on web ONE third of Australian households say they do not supervise their children's internet use and less than half have an internet content filter installed, according to a report. http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,24071668-5014108,00.html http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24071668-2,00.html http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24075097-5006301,00.html au: Children surf Net unfettered One-third of Australian children are unsupervised when they surf the internet and have no filter on their computers, research says. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/children-surf-net-unfettered/1226305.aspx au: ISPs crucial to child pornography blocks THE Federal Government's internet service provider-level web filtering regime could kick off in earnest next year. The Government yesterday released the findings of its much-anticipated report on a service provider-level web filtering trial conducted in Tasmania by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24092793-15306,00.html au: Conroy welcomes ISP filtering THE federal Government will embark on the next step of its internet filtering strategy after initial trials proved successful, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said. Senator Conroy today released the findings of a recently concluded ISP-level internet filtering trial conducted in Tasmania by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in a closed environment. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24088205-15306,00.html au: Thousands of WA kids suffering ... "This State Government is part-funding a world-first study into cyber bullying, which is currently under way in WA." But Mr Collier said public schools were under-prepared to deal with behavioural problems in students. He said it was a disgrace that the public education system had just one psychologist for every 2000 students. http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,24083319-948,00.html au: BitTorrent hole in ISP filter tests The results of ISP-level content filtering tests released today by the federal government have revealed that the products tested could filter websites with illegal content or block entire peer-to-peer networks such as BitTorrent, but could not identify illegal content shared on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/BitTorrent-hole-in-ISP-filter-tests/0,130061791,339290888,00.htm au: Australian Government Tests ISP-Level Internet Content Filtering Australian Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy today announced the release of a report demonstrating advances in Internet content filtering technologies: Closed Environment Testing of ISP-Level Content Filtering. http://www.govtech.com/gt/381385?topic=117691 ISP level net filtering: don't get too excited Communications minister Stephen Conroy, hell-bent on foisting ISP level Internet filtering on all Australian consumers, is pretty pleased with the report of a trial of ISP level filtering handed to him recently to him by the ACMA, but it leaves many questions as to the practicalities of ISP level filtering unanswered. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/19685/1095/ nz: Spotlight on suicide website A young woman has taken her own life after researching how on the internet, sparking calls to introduce greater moderation of websites. Her father will share details of his family's story as the opening speaker of the three-day internet Safety Group NetSafe's conference in Queenstown on Monday. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10523615 nz: Suicide sites add shock to parents' grief The parents of a primary school teacher who died after Googling "how to commit suicide" are calling for action over dangerous online information. http://stuff.co.nz/4632902a11.html NZ host to internet safety conference The first ever International conference about safety online is being held in Queenstown this week. The conference, which began on Monday and runs for three days, hosts international experts from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1948763 http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=141562 nz: Guide to keeping kids safe online For kids, the internet is not just for fun. It's fast becoming an indispensible tool for learning and socialising. Unfortunately it can also be a haven for explicit content, as well as a hunting ground for online bullies and predators. http://stuff.co.nz/4628394a28.html nz: Southland teen to advise UN on internet At the age of 16 Hannah Lobb has just returned from England helping develop a United Nations' child-protection policy. Tomorrow she speaks at an internet safety conference in Queenstown. http://stuff.co.nz/southlandtimes/4633192a6568.html nz: Teen returns from congress The Internet could become a safer place for youngsters, thanks partly to Richmond teenager Courtney Russ. On Thursday she returned from the International Youth Advisory Congress in London, where about 150 young people from all over the world met to discuss Internet safety. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/nelsonmail/4634062a6510.html US Court Nixes Law Aimed at Protecting Kids Online Proponents of the beleaguered Child Online Protection Act suffered yet another blow Tuesday when a federal appeals court deemed the law unconstitutional once again. The 1998 law, known as "COPA," aims to keep children from viewing pornographic materials on the Internet by making it a crime for commercial Web site operators to let children access "harmful" material. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Court-Nixes-Law-Aimed-at-Protecting-Kids-Online-63917.html us: Court Nixes Law Aimed at Protecting Kids Online The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Child Online Protection Act, or COPA, is unconstitutional. The Act violates the First Amendment and is too broad, the court said. Free speech groups that worked to fight COPA, including the ACLU and EPIC, applauded the decision. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/63917.html us: FTC Press Briefing to Discuss Report on Food Marketing To Children The Federal Trade Commission will release a report examining industry expenditures in marketing food and beverages to children and adolescents. http://ftc.gov/opa/2008/07/foodmark.shtm ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** EU internet proposals raise civil liberty fears Civil liberty groups claim the new "telecoms package" due to go before the European Parliament in September will result in the loss of individual freedom on the internet, and breach the fundamental principles of human rights in Europe. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eu-internet-proposals-raise-civil-liberty-fears-877988.html us: Big Cable: FCC Internet policy should apply to colleges too A cable industry group is trying to convince the FCC to apply its network management rules to colleges and universities?despite the fact that campus Internet is for students and staff only, not a general public promised fast and always-on Internet connections. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080724-big-cable-fcc-internet-policy-should-apply-to-colleges-too.html us: The netroots: Don?t mention FISA ... The cruellest cut came on July 9th, when Mr Obama voted for a new Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This gives the executive new powers of warrantless wiretapping and provides retroactive immunity for telecoms companies that worked with the Bush administration to spy on Americans. During the primaries, he had promised to support a filibuster against such a provision. http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11792644 CDT Applauds Appeals Court Ruling on COPA: Court affirms earlier decision ruling COPA unconstitutional [news release] The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld a lower court ruling striking down a controversial law that required Web operators to restrict access to large amounts of constitutionally protected speech. http://cdt.org/press/20080722press.php ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Microsoft limbers up to fight for online future Microsoft has an impressive collection of modern photography in the lobby of its conference centre in Redmond, Washington. Among the artists is David Maisel whose aerial photographs of Los Angeles give a disturbing, apocalyptic, bird?s eye view of the sprawling metropolis. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article4406824.ece Microsoft: What Web Strategy? Microsoft has all but shut the door on the prospect of resuming talks to buy all or part of Yahoo!. Speaking at the company's annual meeting for analysts on July 24, Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said a Yahoo deal at this point "essentially makes no sense." http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2008/tc20080724_447840.htm ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** nz: Opinion: A new era of broadband transparency Most of you will have read or at least heard about the first quarterly Epitiro/IDC Broadband Index report published a couple of weeks ago by the Commerce Commission. All of us involved in producing it were excited by the level of interest it generated. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/FC0B9D68D98E9E21CC25748D000CF604 Asia outstrips Europe, US in fibre rollout Asian countries continue to surpass Europe and North America in the adoption of fibre-to-the-home technology, according to a new global ranking study by the FTTH Councils of Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39452517,00.htm ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** nz: Former teacher faces 22 child porn charges A former schoolteacher who left New Zealand five years ago while facing child pornography charges appeared in the Christchurch District Court yesterday. http://stuff.co.nz/4634522a11.html au: Murray Bridge man on child porn charges A MURRAY Bridge man has appeared in the District Court charged with numerous counts of possessing child pornography. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24089642-2682,00.html au: 35,000 child porn images - no jail A MAN with a chronic fear of women has walked from the Adelaide District Court with a suspended prison term after admitting downloading 35,000 child pornography images. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24071332-2,00.html au: Federal Labor MP Janelle Saffin's son on child porn charge THE son of a Federal Labor MP has been charged with possessing child pornography after police discovered a several "offensive images" on his home computer. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24074042-5007132,00.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 Find a better answer, faster with the new Yahoo!7 Search. www.yahoo7.com.au/searchReceived on Mon Jul 28 2008 - 16:32:53 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:09 UTC