Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 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 *************************************************** Collaborative Communication: New gTLD Overarching Issues http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-02apr09-en.htm Special Interests Seeking Power In ICANN?s New Stakeholder Group http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/04/04/special-interests-seeking-power-in-icann%E2%80%99s-new-stakeholder-group/ CNNIC Releases the 23rd Statistical Report on the Internet Development in China http://www.cnnic.net.cn/html/Dir/2009/03/23/5512.htm EC Celebrates Third Anniversary of .EU http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=7716 nz: Privacy Policy Review ? Consultation http://dnc.org.nz/story/30336-29-1.html Cyberwarfare: A Chinese ghost in the machine? Identifying the perpetrator of cyber-attacks can be impossible http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13416219 A more detailed look at the proposed Cybersecurity Act of 2009 by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/4/3/4142495.html White House to oversee coordination of cybersecurity efforts http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090403_9076.php Conficker Worm: Not Finished Yet http://pcworld.in/india/news/5963779/ Conficker infections higher than first thought [IDG] http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?NewsID=113778 ARIN's Board declares an emergency by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/3/30/4138389.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Public Comment: Phased Equitable Reallocation of Non-Compliant .INFO Sunrise Domain Names ICANN is today opening a public comment forum on a proposed amendment from Afilias to Appendix 7 of the .INFO Registry Agreement. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-03apr09-en.htm Deadline Approaches for Applications for ICANN Board and Leadership Positions Now is the time to apply to become one of the global leadership volunteers who help the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers coordinate the polices and process that shape the future of the Internet. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-02apr09-en.htm Collaborative Communication: New gTLD Overarching Issues In response to the Public Comments regarding the draft Applicant Guidebook posted 24 October, 2008, ICANN has created a dedicated WIKI space entitled, "New gTLD Overarching Issues." This wiki will enable the community to view and post comments, upload proposals, documents and reports and leave feedback for ongoing dialogue related to the four overarching issues described in earlier postings: http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-02apr09-en.htm ICANN Extends Deadline for Independent Evaluator Applications ICANN is soliciting Expressions of Interest from firms capable of performing independent evaluations as part of the new gTLD process. These entities, to be retained by ICANN, will provide independent evaluation services, assessing applications for new top-level domains (gTLDs). This is an opportunity to play an important role in the next significant evolution of the Internet's domain name space. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-02apr09-en.htm Special Interests Seeking Power In ICANN?s New Stakeholder Group ICANN is in the process of reforming its core bodies, and consumer representatives and others see a possibility to inject more balance into the international organisation?s stakeholder groups long dominated by a range of private sector representatives. http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/04/04/special-interests-seeking-power-in-icann%E2%80%99s-new-stakeholder-group/ Government should keep an eye on domain-name expansion If ICANN has its way, the list of top-level Internet domain names is about to get much longer. Government offices might want to monitor this anticipated expansion in order to protect certain names and citizen expectations. http://gcn.com/articles/2009/04/06/internaut-icann-expanding-domains.aspx ICANN gets "securitized" by Milton Mueller This is no April Fool's joke: here is a bill that is almost a caricature of what the rest of the world fears about U.S. control of the Internet DNS root and ICANN. Legislation unveiled today by Senate Commerce Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, would require a Presidentially appointed cybersecurity advisory panel to ensure that national security would not be compromised before approving the renewal or modification of the contract between the U.S. government and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. According to a summary of the bill, it would "make sure that ICANN does not succumb to foreign pressure" to end its relationship with the U.S. government. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/4/2/4141451.html Comments on ICANN's Studies on New Proposed TLDs by Alex Tajirian I outline some general critical comments on the recent commissioned reports for ICANN's proposed introduction of new TLDs. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090402_comments_icann_studies_new_proposed_tlds/ New top level domain names get a mixed reception Melbourne IT says its corporate clients have had a mixed response to ICANN's proposed new gTLDs with interest in their branding advantages tempered by concerns about costs and added complexity. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/24237/127/ Cable Show 2009: Hill Staffers Agree Satellite Licenses a Top Priority A lot of attention will be paid on the Hill to broadband, privacy and satellite issues and less will be spent on content issues, at least until the Supreme Court decides Fox's profanity appeal. Those were some signals from Capitol Hill this week as key congressional staffers briefed cable operators on their agendas. ... He also said the subcommittee may take a look at ICANN, which has delayed until December its plan to expand the number of top-level domain names. http://dtv.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=705710 http://www.multichannel.com/article/191196-Cable_Show_2009_Hill_Staffers_Tackle_Satellite_License_First.php ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** CNNIC Releases the 23rd Statistical Report on the Internet Development in China On January 13, 2009, China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the ?23rd Statistical Survey Report on the Internet Development in China? in Beijing. According to the report, by the end of 2008, the Internet penetration rate of 22.6% in China had surpassed the global average level of 21.9% for the first time. Meanwhile, the amount of Internet users in China had reached 298 million, with 279 million broadband users. And the registration number of CN domain names reached 13.572 million. The three indexes continued to rank the first in the world. http://www.cnnic.net.cn/html/Dir/2009/03/23/5512.htm Colombia Searches for New .CO Registry Operator The Colombian Ministry of Communications is searching for a new operator of the .CO registry opening a tender for the contract. http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/03/colombia-searches-for-new-co-registry-operator/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/colombia-seeks-new-registry-operator-sought-for-.co.html EC Celebrates Third Anniversary of .EU The European Commission is celebrating three years of the .EU top level domain being made available to all and that there are now more than three million domain names cementing its position in the top ten TLDs. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=7716 http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/04/ec-celebrates-third-birthday-of-eu/ .eu: three years on, three million domain names [news release] Three years after its launch, the .eu top-level internet domain continues to be a success story. There are now more than three million internet domains under Europe's own top-level domain. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/536 Three years of the european internet domain For the three years of its launch, the Internet domain level ".eu" is still a success. There are now more than three million Internet domains within the top level domain of Europe itself. http://euroalert.net/en/news.aspx?idn=8629 After three years, more than three million .eu domains registered There are now more than three million internet domains under Europe's own top-level.Even now ,after three years , .eu top-level internet domain has not stoped its growth.Named the fifth most popular country code top-level domain form the world,the number of .eu domain increased by 2% this first quarter of 2009. http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/after-three-years-more-than-three-million-.eu-domains-registered.html .eu crosses three million domain names [reg req'd] Three years after its launch, there are now more than three million .eu internet domain names. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/ nz: Privacy Policy Review ? Consultation The DNC is now reviewing the Privacy Policy. This policy relates to the collection and use of personal information to effectively operate the DNS. http://dnc.org.nz/story/30336-29-1.html Will .Tel take off? [Fortune Small Business] Imagine this: Your business just relocated and you're frustrated. Whenever potential customers hunt for your phone number online, they come up with digits that are out of date. http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/31/smallbusiness/dot-tel_tale.fsb/ Telnic Launches Multilingual Website Telnic Limited announced the launch of its multilingual website, providing .tel related information in 11 languages including: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Russian. http://telnic.com/downloads/Multilingual_Website.pdf Telnic Highlight Domains In Use Telnic, which recently launched .tel to general registration, has set up a ".tel of the week". The first domain they've chosen is removals.tel. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2009/04/04/telnic-highlight-domains-in-use/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Cyberwarfare: A Chinese ghost in the machine? Identifying the perpetrator of cyber-attacks can be impossible Cyberspace is ideal for spies. Digitally disguised and undeterred by borders or passports, they can pick locks anywhere in the world, pilfer secrets without trace and even leave toxic traps for the unwary. http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13416219 A more detailed look at the proposed Cybersecurity Act of 2009 by Milton Mueller The Rockefeller-Snowe bill emerges from an environment of blind hysteria around cyber-security problems that has developed in recent months. Section 2 contains 150 lines of silly hyperventilating that exaggerate the threats - but more importantly, misconceives the nature of Internet-based threats and the best way to respond to them. The bill succumbs to the tendency to take a national, hierarchical and centralized approach to problems that are best met through the organic evolution of decentralized, flexible, adapative and transnational, private sector-based cooperative solutions that leverage the peer production capabilities of the Internet. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/4/3/4142495.html White House to oversee coordination of cybersecurity efforts Two officials in the Obama administration confirmed on Friday that the White House would oversee the coordination of securing networks governmentwide, identifying more than 250 requirements in an on-going 60-day review of federal cybersecurity initiatives. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090403_9076.php Cybersecurity review closely scrutinizing telecom policy The government may have to take a new approach to securing the nation's telecommunications infrastructure, two senior administration officials said Friday. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10212101-38.html Cybersecurity bill seeks to give president new powers over private-sector networks A wide-ranging cybersecurity bill introduced in the U.S. Senate this week would give the president unprecedented new powers to disconnect government and private-sector networks from the Internet in the event of security emergencies. But that provision is expected to be a hard sell in Congress. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131070 Obama Cyber Review Still Short On Details As the Obama administration crafts a game plan for keeping the nation's computer networks and critical infrastructure secure, the White House is going to anchor the interagency coordination and set a vision for the way forward, administration officials told reporters Friday evening on a conference call about the 60-day cybersecurity review the president ordered earlier this year. The White House does not plan to strong-arm the Homeland Security Department, National Security Agency and other entities that currently control operational aspects of government and private sector IT security, they said. Cybersecurity leadership has been a hot topic among lawmakers, think tanks and tech industry officials recently with at least one prominent report calling for the White House to take charge of that mission. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/04/obama-cyber-review-still-short.php Conficker.c controls 4% of all infected PCs, IBM says As many as one out of every 25 Internet addresses that transmits potentially dangerous data over the Internet is infected with the Conficker.c worm, IBM Corp.'s security arm said today. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131038 Domain-hoarding may have hamstrung Conficker Prior to the April-1st update for the Conficker worm, security researchers scrambled to snatch up domains which the botnet's controllers were thought to be targeting. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2239852/domain-hoarding-hamstrung IBM sees Conficker hitting 4 percent of PCs [IDG] IBM is the second company in two days to suggest that the number of computers infected by the Conficker.C worm may be higher than previously thought. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040309-ibm-sees-conficker-hitting-4.html Conficker Worm: Not Finished Yet April 1 has come and gone, and the Internet has not disintegrated and no major cyber-attacks were reported. But Conficker still remains a threat. Now don't panic, this doesn't mean cyber-Armageddon could strike at any minute, it just means you need to make sure your computer is fully updated if it isn't already. Feel better? Good, then let's take a look at what's going on. http://pcworld.in/india/news/5963779/ http://www.cio.com/article/488013/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040209-conficker-worm-not-finished.html Conficker infections higher than first thought [IDG] Internet infrastructure provider OpenDNS has warned that infections from the Conficker worm may more widespread than previously thought. http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?NewsID=113778 http://www.itworld.com/security/65657/conficker-may-be-more-widespread-previously-thought http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=113742 http://www.pcworld.com/article/162447/.html OpenDNS: 'Conficker' Barely Scratched U.S. The Conficker worm appears to have been quiet, both in activity and in the number of PCs it affected within the United States. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2344342,00.asp Web Sites Disrupted By Attack on Register.com Web site host and domain name registrar Register.com has been the target of a sustained attack this week, disrupting service for thousands of customers. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/04/web_sites_disrupted_by_attack.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** uk: Al Fayed domain name goes back to Harrods Harrods Limited has obtained a transfer of the domain name ?fayed.co.uk? using Nominet?s Dispute Resolution Service, despite the original registrant cheekily transferring the domain name to an alter ego called ?Ahmed Fayed? before the complaint was made in an attempt to prevent Harrods succeeding. http://www.law-now.com/DirectMail/%7B4D75E72F-62C0-4E67-ABC4-513E77311E48%7D_alfayedapril09.htm Google wins domain names from Indian firms at WIPO Google Inc, the world's largest internet company, has clinched victories on disputes on domain names at the WIPO against two Indian entities. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Google-wins-domain-name-case/articleshow/4362304.cms Singers wrestled Sony Corp. over names and won Making it as a jazz singer is daunting enough on its own. So imagine having to battle a giant corporation at the same time. By coincidence, two singers performing separate gigs at the Rrazz Room this week each can claim an unusual notch on their belts. They fought Sony Corp. and won. They did it from opposite sides of the legal battlefield. Sony Holland, who croons at the Rrazz Wednesday through Saturday, had a pretty obvious conflict with Sony Corp. The company didn't actually demand she change her name, but they did contest her Internet domain name, sonyholland.com. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/03/PKJB16P4CQ.DTL Top 10 domain name spats The years have shown us how simple domain names can be wrestled away, lost, squatted on and - incredibly - worth millions. Here we take a look at 10 of the most interesting domain name cases, and try to sort the .cons from the .pros. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/analysis/2239810/top-domain-name-spats ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** ARIN's Board declares an emergency by Milton Mueller At ARIN, yet another intense controversy is swirling around the problem of IPv4 address transfers. At its 18 March 2009 meeting, the Board declared an emergency and revised a transfer policy that we all thought it had adopted a month earlier. The Board explained the new draft policy, 2009-1, with the statement, "The Board has been concerned for some time that the lack of a liberalized transfer policy would create legal risk: that we had not provided a mechanism to improve the efficient utilization of previously-allocated resources, and that this risk was significant enough to jeopardize ARIN?s ability to fulfill its stewardship mission." http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/3/30/4138389.html Will the Internet Implode? Sounds like a crazy question, in this era of Facebook, Twitter and a "digital millennial" generation that's grown up never not knowing the Internet. But there are worrying signs that the Internet's architecture may not be able to scale effectively much longer. I've written previously about the crisis in access capacity: Demand for access bandwidth is growing exponentially, while provider investment is growing linearly. The lines cross -- demand exceeds capacity -- sometime around 2012. And the solution isn't for providers (or even the government) to simply invest more money in access -- because Internet access is a break-even business at best, and a money-losing proposition in many cases. http://www.pcworld.com/article/162621/.html ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** uk: Claudia Lawrence case: city trader questioned over bogus website A City trader is being investigated by police in connection with a bogus website that appealed for cash to help to find Claudia Lawrence, the chef who went missing two weeks ago in York. The Observer can reveal that Maichel Los, a 39-year-old Dutchman, is also behind a complex web of internet companies and domain names asking the public to contribute to worthy causes. ... Los has also registered scores of Dutch and Australian domain names, primarily for companies involved in financial services and gambling. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/05/claudia-lawrence-missing-chef NeuStar Experiences Partial Outage as DynDNS Tries to Turn up the Heat NeuStar's UltraDNS faced attack on two fronts on Tuesday, March 31. One of the attacks was technical -- a massive denial-of-service attack. The second was a rather surprising opening strike from competitor Dynamic Network Services (DynDNS), which launched a full-scale (and in T1R's opinion, misguided) public relations broadside. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090402_neustar_ultradns_partial_outage_dyndns_heat/ Register.com suffers further DOS attack Earlier today we reported that the domain name registrar behemoth Register.com suffered from wide-scale DNS nameserver problems last night. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/638/1051638/register-com-suffers-dos-attack ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Real Estate Auction Company's $1.7 Million Purchase of Auction.com Drops the Hammer on The Past Week's Sales Competition Irvine, California based real estate auction company REDC plunked down $1.7 million to buy Auction.com last week in 2009's third highest domain sale. Only Toys.com at $5.1 million and Fly.com at $1,760,000 have been bigger. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/03-31-09.htm The Next Big Thing in Domain Monetization?: New Companies Are Making the Dream of Affordable Mass Development a Reality Domain name portfolio owners have long dreamed of a day when it would be possible to affordably develop their names en masse. That day is now here, but there are still many questions to be asked. The most important one being "will mass produced mini-sites make more money than the traditional solution, domain parking?" http://dnjournal.com/cover/2009/march.htm Domain Roundtable Conference Agenda Released Organizers of the Domain Roundtable Conference coming up June 14-17 in Washington D.C. have released the agenda for their event. The show opens with a Sunday evening cocktail reception at the Grand Hyatt, followed by two full business days culminating in a three-hour live auction to be staged by Aftermarket.com on June 16th. http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-03-09.htm Rick Latona Adult Domain Auction Yields Mixed Results ... Last night Rick Latona held a live auction with an adult theme. Going under the hammer were a very wide range of not only domain names, but also services (hosting, video editing etc.,) for people working in the adult internet industry. What made this auction a bit more interesting was the fact that it also included several ccTLD names. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2009/04/05/rick-latona-adult-domain-auction-yields-mixed/ Rick Latona Speaks His Mind About Domain Auction Rick Latona?s adult domain name auction at The Phoenix Forum didn?t go as well as expected. In an e-mail interview with Domain Name Wire, Latona says what went wrong and his take on live domain auctions at non-domainer events. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/04/05/rick-latona-speaks-his-mind-about-domain-auction/ Are Domain Names A Sound Investment? While the global economy continues to decline, domain industry is showing an enviable growth, especially when it comes to selling top generic domain names. http://www.domaininformer.com/news/editors/090401-Are-Domain-Names-A-Sound-Investment Google Settles AdWords Lawsuit For $20 Million The list of companies and individuals suing Google for the way it runs its search ad business is a long one: including everyone from biggies like American Airlines to one-off advertiser lawsuits. And settling its latest AdWords-related lawsuit could ultimately cost Google up to $20 million, according to Mediapost. http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/01/google-settles-adwords-lawsuit-technology-paidcontent.html Dark Blue Sea CEO Richard Moore Steps Down Richard Moore, CEO of Dark Blue Sea, and parent company of Fabulous.com, is stepping down from his position as of June 30, 2009 when his current contract expires. Replacing Moore will be Gregory Platz, the current Chief Financial Officer. http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/03/dark-blue-sea-ceo-richard-moore-steps-down/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/dark-blue-sea-ceo-richard-moore-steps-down.html Moore Stepping Down as CEO of Dark Blue Sea Richard Moore is stepping down as chief executive officer of Dark Blue Sea effective at the end of June. Dark Blue Sea is parent company of Fabulous, a popular domain name registrar and domain parking service for domainers. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/04/02/moore-stepping-down-as-ceo-of-dark-blue-sea/ http://darkbluesea.com/announcements/336_CEO_Update_01-04-2009.pdf How To Play the Expired Domain Game in 2009 Because of the economy and faltering parking revenue, you should expect to see more domain names expiring and dropping in 2009 and 2010. Most of these added drops will be of low or mediocre quality, but some of them will be worth backordering. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/04/03/how-to-play-the-expired-domain-game-in-2009/ Bhutan (dot com) up for grabs House rents in Thimphu town are soaring, but there?s a piece of Bhutan?s virtual real estate that?s really going through the roof. The owner of the Internet domain name Bhutan.com is hoping to get $187,000 for the site. And don?t try to negotiate on the price. http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=12230 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Google is just an amoral menace: The ever-growing empire produces nothing but seems determined to control everything If indeed a new era of global responsibility has come into being with measures that actually restrain banks and isolate tax havens, it may be time for the planet's dominant economic powers to focus on the destructive, anti-civic forces of the internet. Exactly 20 years after Sir Tim Berners-Lee wrote the blueprint for the world wide web, the internet has become the host to a small number of dangerous WWMs - worldwide monopolies that sweep all before them with exuberant contempt for people's rights, their property and the past. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/05/google-internet-piracy CNNIC Releases the 23rd Statistical Report on the Internet Development in China On January 13, 2009, China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the ?23rd Statistical Survey Report on the Internet Development in China? in Beijing. According to the report, by the end of 2008, the Internet penetration rate of 22.6% in China had surpassed the global average level of 21.9% for the first time. Meanwhile, the amount of Internet users in China had reached 298 million, with 279 million broadband users. And the registration number of CN domain names reached 13.572 million. The three indexes continued to rank the first in the world. http://www.cnnic.net.cn/html/Dir/2009/03/23/5512.htm Internet Ads Say Goodbye to Glory Days Now even the Internet is heading into recession. Growth in online advertising largely ground to a halt in the final months of last year in major markets like the United States and Britain, according to several reports published last week. And forecasters say it may have gone into reverse since then, as the economic downturn has deepened and marketers have continued to pare their budgets. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/06/technology/internet/06iht-media06.html Death on the Net Twittering, the online activity du jour, was suddenly everywhere last week, even in the mainstream print media. A sure sign, perhaps, that it has peaked, and is on the road to the graveyard for once-fashionable internet crazes. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/death-on-the-net-1662819.html Murdoch says papers should charge on Web Rupert Murdoch, whose media company News Corp owns one of the few U.S. newspapers that makes people pay to read its news on the Web, said more papers will have to start doing the same to survive. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-38862320090403 http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE5320AX20090403 21st century Lent: US Christians go green, give up new media [AFP] From giving up their cars to abandoning their Facebook pages, many Christians in the United States are being called on to help reduce global warming and turn their backs on internet distractions over Lent. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/05/2535330.htm Google dubbed internet parasite by WSJ editor Companies that aggregate mainstream media content without paying a fee are the "parasites or tech tapeworms in the intestines of the internet" and will soon be challenged, Robert Thomson, the Australian-born editor of The Wall Street Journal has warned. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25293711-643,00.html Cyberbullying 'affects 1 in 10 British teachers' More than one in 10 teachers are bullied by pupils and colleagues through text messages, emails and social networking sites, new research shows. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/apr/04/cyber-bullying-schools-teachers-survey au: Online punters rushing to play In 2000 the Federal Government was interested in attitudes to the embryonic online gambling industry. Would Australians cop a ban on all local gambling sites - and if a ban was enforced would punters simply go offshore for their gambling fix? http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/04/03/1238261799374.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/04/03/1238261799374.html Google?s Phone Apps for the Blind, and Everyone Else The featureless glassy screens of touch-screen phones may seem like a forbidding barrier for blind users, who often rely on tactile clues to feel their way around. But a pair of engineers at Google, T.V. Raman, who is blind, and Charles Chen, who is sighted, have developed software that makes the touch-screen T-Mobile G1, which uses Google?s Android software, more accessible to blind users. They hope the technology will also be useful to anyone who needs to operate a phone without looking at the screen, like drivers. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/googles-phone-apps-for-the-blind-and-everyone-else/ Study: surfing the Internet at work boosts productivity People who are able to spend 20 percent or less of their time surfing the Internet at work are more productive than those who don't, according to research from the University of Melbourne. Small Internet breaks help workers focus better, though Internet addicts still have a problem. http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/04/study-surfing-the-internet-at-work-boosts-productivity.ars ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Facebook users unwittingly revealing personal information thanks to way privacy settings work Millions of Facebook users could be unwittingly giving away personal information because of the way in which the social networking website's privacy settings work, researchers said this week. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/02/facebook-profiles-personal-information Facebook lures 200m with poker and pets Spectacular growth in online social gaming is prompting companies such as Google to enter the market and developers to rethink how they design video games. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7503cade-2222-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html Sources: Google In Talks To Acquire Twitter Here?s a heck of a rumor that we?ve sourced from two separate people close to the negotiations: Google is in late stage negotiations to acquire Twitter. We don?t know the price but can assume its well, well north of the $250 million valuation that they saw in their recent funding. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/02/sources-google-in-late-stage-talks-to-buy-twitter/ Twitter Wouldn?t Sell For $1 Billion, Says Source Update to our post last night about Google/Twitter talks: New sources say that Google is interested in acquiring Twitter, and has had talks with the company about a deal. Google?s internal valuation, however, would value the company at a token premium above Twitter?s last round of financing valuation, around $250 million. Some Twitter insiders want the deal, but our sources say CEO Evan Williams wouldn?t sell even for $1 billion. ?He may blink, but he wouldn?t do it,? said one source. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/03/twitter-wouldnt-sell-for-1-billion-says-source/ No Google-Twitter deal is planned, says Stone [IDG] Twitter Inc. co-founder Biz Stone today denied widespread rumors that its acquisition by Google Inc. is imminent. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131060 Google ?on verge? of buying Twitter Google is in ?late stage? talks to buy the microblogging service Twitter, according to reports on the influential technology blog TechCrunch. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/twitter/5099047/Google-on-verge-of-buying-Twitter.html Google 'in late-stage negotiations' to buy social networking site Twitter The internet was abuzz with tweets, blog posts and instant messages yesterday as rumours spread that Google and Twitter, two of the web's biggest names, were close to completing a multimillion-dollar deal. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6031912.ece Google sees voice search as core Google has said it sees voice search as a major opportunity for the company in building a presence on the mobile web. ... "We believe voice search is a new form of search and that it is core to our business," said Vic Gundotra. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7982763.stm Facebook 'good for productivity', in moderation Employers worried that their staff are wasting their time on websites like Facebook, MySpace and YouTube may now be able to relax a bit. A new study has found that workers who surf the net from their office are actually more productive than those who don't. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/02/2533719.htm Why Facebook is just plain wrong Having been online before web browsers existed I'm proud to say that I'm a cyber geriatric and love nothing more than the incredible amount of innovation on offer via the internet. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10565066 UK teenager 'saved by Facebook' A British teenager who took a drugs overdose has been saved after the American girl he was chatting to online raised the alarm. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7983725.stm Facebook friend saves a life A British teenager?s suicide note on Facebook sparked a transatlantic rescue mission which saved his life. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6035862.ece ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** NZ firm claims browser breakthrough A New Zealand software developer is doing its bit to reignite the browser wars by developing a browser alternative called pageQ. The US Patent Office has awarded the firm, Aspiring Software, a patent for the technology. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/devt/3F9B465BC2C9C84ACC25758C0012B9A3 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: ACMA boss Chris Chapman blames media for blacklist 'conspiracy' The head of the media watchdog has accused journalists of whipping up controversy over the Federal Government's secret list of banned websites. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,25297048-2,00.html au: Security distributors and vendors unperturbed by Internet filter trial Potential misconceptions over the Federal Government?s contentious Internet filtering scheme will not affect demand for filtering software, according to security vendors and distributors. http://arnnet.com.au/article/298108/ http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/298108/ http://computerworld.com.au/article/298108/ http://techworld.com.au/article/298108/ http://www.cio.com.au/article/298108/ au: Malicious internet sites can't be silenced, says expert Deakin University internet expert Professor Matt Warren says technology holds no answer to fully protecting children from websites with dark and malicious content. http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2009/04/03/60445_news.html au: Why It?s Legal to View Prohibited Content There?s been some confusion surrounding the government?s use of the phrase ?prohibited content? to describe what?s on the ACMA blacklist. http://newmatilda.com/polliegraph/?p=548 Aussie Senator Admits Error in Internet Censorship Policy A blacklist authored by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) aiming to censor various ?indecent? websites, including online poker sites, leaked last month with the help of anonymous sources. Now, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is beginning to own up to errors within his controversial internet censorship policy following an uproar from the Australian community. http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/aussie-senator-admits-error-in-internet-censorship-policy-1809/ Conroy Backtracks on Internet Censorship Policy The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy has been clarifying more details on his Internet censorship policy. http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/conroy-backtracks-internet-censorship-policy-040109.html Australia?s Communication Minister Senator Stephen Conroy Worst Ever Australian Communications Minister and Senator Stephen Conroy has continued to make waves as his crusade to filter out the Internet from the evils of porn, online poker, religion, YouTube links and political incorrectness continues. http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/australia%E2%80%99s-communication-minister-senator-stephen-conroy-worst-ever-040309.html Australian Censorship Has Poker Sites on Most Dangerous Poker domains such as Poker Stars and Full tilt and partner websites that bare their names have been put on a list of dangerous websites in Australia as the government seeks to secretly censor over 2000 websites. http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/world-of-poker/Australian-Censorship-Has-Poker-Sites-on-Most-Dangerous_17993 au: Swingers site beats internet filters Graphic sexual images which appear to contravene national legislation have been posted on the website of a Sunshine Coast swingers club which can be accessed by any member of the public. http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/apr/06/graphic-swingers-site-beats-internet-filters/ ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Swedish internet use plummets after filesharing curb introduced Internet traffic in Sweden - previously a hotbed of illicit filesharing - has fallen dramatically following the introduction of a law banning online piracy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/04/sweden-pirate-bay-filesharing-internet Internet traffic in Sweden plummets on first day of law banning web piracy Internet traffic in Sweden ? previously a hotbed of illicit filesharing ? has fallen dramatically in the first day of a new law banning online piracy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/02/sweden-internet-traffic-plummets As Sweden's Internet anonymity fades, traffic plunges A new Swedish law that went into effect yesterday makes it possible for rightsholders to go to court and unmask a user based on an IP address. Traffic passing through Sweden's main Internet exchanges fell almost in half in consequence. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/as-swedens-internet-anonymity-fades-traffic-plunges.ars Piracy law cuts internet traffic Internet traffic in Sweden fell by 33% as the country's new anti-piracy law came into effect, reports suggest. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7978853.stm Royalty Dispute Stops Music Videos in Germany YouTube has stopped showing music videos in Germany as a dispute over royalty payments in Europe spreads. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/03/technology/internet/03youtube.html France approves main section of tough anti-P2P bill France's Assembl?e Nationale has been debating a strict, government-backed graduated response bill for several weeks. As the final vote nears, the bill's core section has been adopted and its passage looks likely. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/france-approves-main-section-of-tough-anti-p2p-bill.ars French 'three strikes' antipiracy law passes second reading [IDG] French Internet users who share music or videos without permission from the copyright holders are one step closer to losing their Internet access, after the French National Assembly gave its assent to the so-called Hadopi law on Thursday night. The law had its first reading in the Senate last year. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040309-french-three-strikes-antipiracy-law.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/162573/.html French pass 'three strikes' file-sharing law In a decision that is likely to alarm file-sharers worldwide, an almost empty French National Assembly has finally voted through its "three strikes law" designed to clamp down on file-sharing and illegal downloads. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/03/french_three_strikes/ http://out-law.com/page-9927 Google and Music Labels Bet on Downloads in China Can global music companies make money by giving away songs in China, where piracy is rampant? They certainly hope so. Last Monday, the world?s biggest record labels, including EMI, the Warner Music Group and Vivendi?s Universal Music, said they would seek to profit here by working with Google and offering free downloads of music to anyone inside China. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/06/technology/companies/06music.html au: Yes Minister? No Minister! Conroy's 'improper' gaffe The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, is under fire for potentially prejudicial comments he made about the legal battle between iiNet and the movie studios, saying iiNet's defence "belongs in a Yes Minister episode". http://www.watoday.com.au/technology/yes-minister-no-minister-conroys-improper-gaffe-20090403-9lml.html iiNet slams Communications Minister over copyright case comments The chief executive of iiNet, Michael Malone, is considering legal action against Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy after he ridiculed iiNet's defence against alleged copyright infringements. http://www.smartcompany.com.au/internet/20090403-iinet-slams-communications-minister-over-copyright-case-comments.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Gore: Wireless access to info means power Former Vice President Al Gore sought to link the democratic effects of information sharing with the growth of the wireless industry as the solution to all of life's problems. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-10211700-51.html http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62052886,00.htm RIM Sells 50 Millionth BlackBerry, Stock Soars on Earnings [IDG] Research In Motion Limited (RIM) stock soared in after-market trading after the company posted solid financial results and said it sold its 50 millionth BlackBerry smartphone. http://www.pcworld.com/article/162554/.html http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040309-rim-sells-50-millionth-blackberry.html http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131039 Wireless Carriers Are Wrong to Cripple Skype for iPhone Everybody loves the idea of cheap VoIP calls on cell phones. Everybody, that is, except for wireless carriers who charge usurious fees for voice and data plans. Cellular providers around the globe are placing restrictions on Skype for iPhone and other Internet phone services, and that?s bad news for consumers. http://www.pcworld.com/article/162539/.html The Palm Pre Will Be an iPhone Killer Although a collective sigh may be raised at comparing yet another touch-screen smartphone with Apple's iPhone 3G, Palm's Pre has been generating plenty of buzz since it was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/162528/.html Why Korea Isn't Rushing To 4G Super-wired South Korea easily outranks the U.S. in most measures of broadband. But that might just change. In a surprising twist, with help from Korean companies, the U.S. could win the race to upgrade cellular networks to faster mobile broadband speeds. http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/02/4g-broadband-internet-technology-korea-09-4g.html Group urges FCC to open AT&T's 3G to Skype on iPhone An advocacy group today asked the Federal Communications Commission to decide whether AT&T Inc. and Apple Inc. have broken federal rules by blocking iPhone owners from using the recently released Skype voice-over-IP (VoIP) service on AT&T's 3G wireless network. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131062 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040309-fcc-asked-to-investigate-skype.html ********************** SPAM ********************** us: Senators introduce bill to curb mobile spam Two Senators are attempting to curb unsolicited text messages with a bill to strengthen government oversight of commercial texts. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10211562-38.html Senators Introduce Texting Spam Bill [IDG] Two U.S. senators have introduced a bill aimed at attacking a growing problem: unsolicited commercial text messages or mobile spam. http://www.pcworld.com/article/162587/.html http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131061 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040309-senators-introduce-texting-spam.html Senators Unveil Mobile Anti-Spam Bill Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., introduced legislation Thursday to curb unsolicited text messages or mobile spam which is a growing nuisance for millions of wireless customers. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/04/senators-unveil-mobile-antispa.php Three spammers sentenced in US for advance fee fraud [IDG] Two Nigerians and a Frenchman were sentenced to prison Thursday for swindling people out of more than US$1.2 million in a massive e-mail scam, the U.S. Department of Justice said. http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/298116/ http://computerworld.com.au/article/298116/ ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Korea Bridges Digital Divide: Korea's IT agency has advice for the Obama administration. Dr. Yeongi Son has a message for President Obama: If you're serious about making broadband a priority, establish an agency dedicated to digital divide issues. http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/02/internet-broadband-korea-technology-korea-09-broadband.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** au: Facebook discipline may be illegal: expert Firms who discipline or sack staff for comments made on Facebook and Twitter could be acting illegally, says a veteran lawyer. Stories about NSW Department of Corrective Services threatening to sack prison officers over Facebook posts and Telstra disciplining employee Leslie Nassar for Twitter comments have provoked a series of other examples. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/04/03/1238261779328.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/04/03/1238261779328.html David vs Goliath: CSIRO takes on big business over wi-fi patent The CSIRO's legal win against Hewlett Packard over the use of its patented wireless technology could mean big bucks for the Australian science agency, says a patent attorney. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/02/2533653.htm iiNet tests legality of Conroy slur Perth-headquartered ISP iiNet said it has sought legal advice on Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy's public commentary on its legal defence in a high-profile copyright case before the NSW Federal Court. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25280013-15306,00.html Google Settles AdWords Lawsuit For $20 Million The list of companies and individuals suing Google for the way it runs its search ad business is a long one: including everyone from biggies like American Airlines to one-off advertiser lawsuits. And settling its latest AdWords-related lawsuit could ultimately cost Google up to $20 million, according to Mediapost. http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/01/google-settles-adwords-lawsuit-technology-paidcontent.html Google's Plan for Out-of-Print Books Is Challenged The dusty stacks of the nation?s great university and research libraries are full of orphans ? books that the author and publisher have essentially abandoned. They are out of print, and while they remain under copyright, the rights holders are unknown or cannot be found. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/04/technology/internet/04books.html FBI: Internet Fraud Rates Rose 33% Last Year Internet fraud complaints to the FBI by consumers increased more than 33 percent in 2008 over the previous year, according to figures released this week. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/04/fbi_internet_fraud_rates_rose.html Grappling With Internet Addiction: How Korea is battling Internet addiction and cybercrime. There are plenty of benefits to expanding access to broadband, ranging from educational to environmental gains. Increasingly, there are drawbacks too. http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/02/internet-addiction-security-technology-korea-09-addiction.html NZ publishers line up for slice of $125m Google copyright settlement Google has finalised an out-of-court $US125 million settlement with book publishers for scanning their titles without permission, and the NZ Copyright Council has begun taking local claims on the cash. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/nz-publishers-line-slice-125m-google-copyright-settlement-100042 Computer malware spurred by profit motive It's war out there as hostilities intensify between propagators of computer malware and those in the business of eradicating it. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10565006&ref=rss ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Coy British village tells Google Street View 'spy' to beat a retreat Any villains inspired to check Google Street View to see whether a personal visit to the Buckinghamshire village of Broughton might be profitable, have been confounded. The residents formed a human hoarding to block the camera's view of their streets, then forced its vehicle into ignominious retreat. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/03/google-street-view-broughton Village mob thwarts Google Street View car A spate of burglaries in a Buckinghamshire village had already put residents on the alert for any suspicious vehicles. So when the Google Street View car trundled towards Broughton with a 360-degree camera on its roof, villagers sprang into action. Forming a human chain to stop it, they harangued the driver about the ?invasion of privacy?, adding that the images that Google planned to put online could be used by burglars. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6022902.ece Dotcom companies consider boycott of Phorm's online advertising technology Digital technology company Phorm is facing a major setback, with several of the world's largest dotcom companies considering boycotting its controversial online advertising technology. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/02/dotcom-boycott-advertising-phorm ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** European call for a watch on the watchers Organisations tracking net use should themselves be monitored, say MEPs. The Euro-MPs overwhelmingly backed a statement which called on governments to list internet watching organisations and report on what they do. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7981212.stm Briton's personal web data to be stored for a year The mobile calls, emails and website visits of every person in Britain will be stored for a year under sweeping new powers which come into force on Monday. Privacy campaigners warned last night that the information would be used by the Government to create a giant "Big Brother" super-database containing a map of everyone's private life. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/personal-web-data-to-be-stored-for-a-year-1662237.html Internet records to be stored for a year Details of every email sent and website visited by people in Britain are to be stored for use by the state from tomorrow as part of what campaigners claim is a massive assault on privacy. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/5105519/Internet-records-to-be-stored-for-a-year.html Storing of emails and website addresses: What does it mean for you? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/5105609/Storing-of-emails-and-website-addresses-What-does-it-mean-for-you.html ISPs to record all emails and calls Internet service providers are to keep records of emails and online phone calls under controversial new government regulations that come into force today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/06/internet-data-storage Chinese spies target Australian PM's email, mobile phone Chinese spies have directly targeted Kevin Rudd, repeatedly attempting to infiltrate prime ministerial email and mobile phone communications. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25282389-601,00.html Hi-tech power to shake up defence Kevin Rudd understands that China's massive and sophisticated cyber assault capabilities have long-term implications for Australia's defence. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25282371-5014047,00.html Cyber warfare a real-time threat The Chinese state, especially the People's Liberation Army, has in recent years embarked on a huge cyber assault on Western targets, including Australia. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25282370-5013460,00.html China 'running' spy ring in Australia: Tony Abbott Tony Abbott has intensified a fierce debate over links to Beijing, accusing China of running an extensive spy network in Australia and encouraging rioting when the Olympic torch was paraded through Canberra last year to upstage any pro-Tibet protests. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25282368-5013404,00.html China denies spies targeted Australia PM, Rio Tinto [Reuters] China denied on Friday that its spies attempted to hack into the phone and computer of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during a visit to Beijing, amid growing unease in Canberra over Chinese investment. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/02/AR2009040204338.html US Senators Unveil Mobile Anti-Spam Bill Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., introduced legislation Thursday to curb unsolicited text messages or mobile spam which is a growing nuisance for millions of wireless customers. The measure will provide more government attention to this growing problem and makes modifications to existing laws in order to improve efforts to restrain mobile spam, according to a press release. Specifically, the bill would strengthen powers given to the FCC and the FTC to curb unwanted text messages. It also affords additional consumer protections by banning commercial text messages to wireless numbers listed on the do-not-call registry. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/04/senators-unveil-mobile-antispa.php France Telecom Loses Antitrust Appeal at European Court [IDG] Europe's top court Thursday threw out an appeal by France Telecom against a 2003 European Commission antitrust ruling that found the company guilty of monopoly abuse in the market for Internet access. http://www.pcworld.com/article/162463/.html ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Online gaming in China: Intangible value - Changyou is making a fortune selling items in a virtual world Perhaps it should not be a surprise. In the midst of a global capital shortage, the first company to list this year on New York?s NASDAQ exchange not only needs no money; its source of profit is receiving cash for items that do not exist. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13415293 Clash of the clouds: A familiar-sounding industry spat breaks out over standards Cloud computing may be the next big thing, but its politics are as old as the mainframe. Geeks from the early years of the information-technology (IT) industry would have had no difficulty deconstructing a quarrel that has broken out among IT?s modern giants. At issue is an ?Open Cloud Manifesto?, which was published on March 30th. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13414155 ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Concern on broadband security A $10 billion-plus tender to build a new national broadband network will finally be unveiled this week, but the Opposition is warning that national security concerns must be paramount in determining the winner. http://www.theage.com.au/national/concern-on-broadband-security-20090405-9ta0.html http://www.smh.com.au/national/concern-on-broadband-security-20090405-9ta0.html Several options open on national broadband network Late last year, the Rudd Government rejected Telstra's proposal for a new Telstra-owned national broadband network. That was the easy part. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25285637-5018015,00.html A broadband offer they could refuse Late one flinty Canberra morning, August 11, 2005, a collection of polished and prosperous telecommunications executives arrived to pay a visit. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25285635-5018015,00.html Telstra announces premium SMS consumer safeguards Telstra has moved to head off further industry regulation through announcing plans to implement new safeguards to protect its customers from unwanted subscriptions to premium SMS services. Due to be introduced by the end of June, the safeguards include amending Telstra's Premium SMS Service Provider Conduct Policy to extend the double opt-in arrangement to all subscription services regardless of the method of subscription. http://techworld.com.au/article/298263/ http://computerworld.com.au/article/298263/ Telstra introducing new SMS safeguards for customers Telstra is to introduce additional measures which it says will safeguard its customers from unintentional subscriptions to premium SMS services. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/24268/127/ ACMA proposes new measures for 400 MHz band On Thursday the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced a number of proposals for future spectrum arrangements in the 400MHz band, including a harmonised band for government use and measures to allow more efficient use of this spectrum. http://southgatearc.org/news/april2009/acma_400mhz_proposal.htm ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Teacher sentenced for viewing child porn A former Wollongong High School teacher has been sentenced to 16 months' periodic detention for accessing child pornography images on his home computer. http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/teacher-sentenced-for-viewing-child-porn/1477908.aspx +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2009 --------- David Goldstein http://davidgoldstein.tel/ 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 Enjoy a safer web experience. Upgrade to the new Internet Explorer 8 optimised for Yahoo!7. Get it now.Received on Mon Apr 06 2009 - 02:14:12 UTC
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