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. Also, apologies for those who noticed that I got the date wrong on Monday's edition of the news, and for who it caused a minor inconvenience! *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** New Web address endings could be start of turf wars http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-04-06-web-site-domain-names_N.htm Dot.ca turns 10, an ideal time for public review by Michael Geist http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/614167 CNNIC Releases Statistical Report on State of Internet in China http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=7750 Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914805204099085.html Internet-wide problem to be revealed at conference [IDG] http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/FE10989534005DE6CC257591007799D7 Pentagon Bill To Fix Cyber Attacks: $100M [AP] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10565852 Retailer cites own keyword advertising as evidence of domain name owner's abuse http://out-law.com/page-9936 nz: Country channel wins fight over name http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10565573 How the Internet Got Its Rules http://nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07crocker.html Google's sale of trade mark as keyword may be 'use in commerce', says US Court of Appeals http://out-law.com/page-9931 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** New Web address endings could be start of turf wars A sea change may be coming to cyberspace with Web addresses ending in anything from .a to .z. That has businesses increasingly worried they will have to spend millions to guard their brand names. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-04-06-web-site-domain-names_N.htm http://www.wzzm13.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=107703&catid=82 The Lowdown on cyberspace "turf wars" USA Today just published an article about the potential turf wars brewing over ICANN's plans to start rolling out an unlimited number of new global TLD extensions as soon as the end of this year. The article by Charisse Jones pointed out that many in the mainstream business community are unhappy about the plan because it could cost them millions of dollars to protect their trademarks and brand names in esoteric extensions that they have no interest in using. http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/04-07-09.htm New Web domains will cost businesses [UPI] Businesses say they are worried they will have to spend millions to guard their brands with the coming of many new World Wide Web address suffixes. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/07/New-Web-domains-will-cost-businesses/UPI-83771239113065/ http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/62809.html Latest plan for domain names is as doomed as .coop and .mobi Will a plan to allow unlimited top-level domain names on the Web next year succeed? On the face of it, the plan has legs: Instead of .com addresses, people and busineses could create new endings such as "spiderman.movie," "wired.magazine," or "the.industry.standard" -- in theory, opening up many more possible URLs and reducing the competition for .com domains. http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/04/08/latest-plan-domain-names-doomed-coop-and-mobi New Web Address Rules Change dot-Everything As domain regulations shift, you could own .anything and .everything The web is about to get a whole lot bigger: ICANN, the entity in charge of how web domains operate today, has announced a landmark change to the way web addresses will work. http://www.nbcwashington.com/around_town/the_scene/Get-Ready-for-Ferrets-New-Web-Address-Rules-Change-Everything.html My ICANN New gTLD Applicant Guidebook Version 2 Feedback The deadline to submit comments to ICANN about its New gTLD Applicant Guidebook Version 2 is April 13. Yesterday I formally submitted my comments to ICANN. These comments generally summarize articles on Domain Name Wire, including ICANN Shouldn?t Regulate Morality and Community and Geo Rules Should be Nixed from New TLDs. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/04/07/my-icann-new-gtld-applicant-guidebook-version-2-feedback/ New TLDs 'could boost branding' Businesses could benefit from one of the biggest branding opportunities ever once new top-level domains (TLDs) are launched next year, it has been suggested. http://www.globalgold.co.uk/web-hosting-news/domains-news/new-tlds-could-boost-branding-19111202.html Telstra rivals cheer Rudd plan The galaxy of telecommunications and internet companies that live in Telstra's shadow -- even those that spent millions of dollars bidding to get involved in the national broadband network -- yesterday welcomed the Government's move to ditch the tender and build the network itself. ... Paul Twomey, the chief executive of ICANN, which looks after the internet naming system, said the outcome had taken the best targets and lessons on functional separation from around the world. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25307363-15306,00.html Bill Lets Obama Turn Off the Internet Two bills introduced giving the President the power to deem a private network part of the nation?s critical infrastructure and shut it down for cybersecurity reasons also gives the Commerce Secretary the power to access network data outside of oversight. ... The recommendations in the report, ignored by the previous administration, are sweeping and demanding. The principle minds behind it hailed from the CIA, the US Navy, Microsoft, Sun, AT&T, ICANN, Lockheed Martin, Cisco, and GE?among a slew of others?and likely those minds felt confident they?d get a more sympathetic ear from the new President. And they were likely right. They?d get that from Congress, too. http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/04/07/bill-lets-obama-turn-off-the-internet Cybersquatting complaints rise to 2,300 in 2008 A record number of cybersquatting complaints were filed last year, a trend which is expected to skyrocket in 2010 when a far wider selection of domain names becomes available. http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/897322/Cybersquatting-complaints-rise-2300-2008/ Canadian Internet Registration Authority President Appointed Vice-Chair of the Country Code Names Supporting Organisation Council [news release] Byron Holland, President and CEO, Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has been appointed Vice-Chair of the Country Code Names Supporting Organisation Council (ccNSO) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) as the North American representative for a 12 month term. http://www.cira.ca/supporting-organisation-council/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Dot.ca turns 10, an ideal time for public review by Michael Geist The 10-year anniversary of an important milestone in the history of the Internet in Canada passed last month without any notice. On March 11, 1999, the government of Canada wrote to the fledgling Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) to establish the terms under which the new not-for-profit organization would manage the dot-ca domain name space. The government articulated a vision of the dot-ca domain as a "key public resource" and called on CIRA to act in an open and transparent manner. http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/614167 http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3828/159/ http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3829/135/ CNNIC Releases Statistical Report on State of Internet in China CNNIC, the China Internet Network Information Center, released its 23rd statistical report on the internet development in China in January. The report found there were 13.572 million registered .CN domain names, the highest of any country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) in the world. Today there are approximately 14.5 million .CN domain names. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=7750 http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/08/cnnic-releases-statistical-report-on-state-of-internet-in-china/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/cnnic-releases-report-on-state-of-internet-in-china.html 3m .eu domain names registered New statistics have revealed that there are now more than three million registered .eu domain names in Europe. http://www.globalgold.co.uk/web-hosting-news/domains-news/3m-eu-domain-names-registered-19108851.html Russia's .RU Celebrates 15th Anniversary Russia?s ccTLD is celebrating its 15th anniversary today (Tuesday). In 15 years the Russian ccTLD has existed, it has reached two million registered domain names with some 40 million internet users in the country. Today there are 2,027,086 domain names registered. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=7738 http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/07/russias-ru-celebrates-15th-anniversary/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/russias-.ru-celebrates-15th-anniversary.html Russian .ru domain celebrates 15th anniversary [RIA Novosti] Russia's country code top-level domain .ru name celebrated its 15th anniversary on Tuesday. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090407/120957706.html Russian internet: 15 years online Russia?s national internet domain .RU celebrates 15 years of operating on World Wide Web. http://www.russiatoday.com/Sci_Tech/2009-04-07/Russian_internet__15_years_online.html ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** US takes steps to create infrastructure against cyber attacks The US Congress is taking up legislation to dramatically bolster the government's response to the growing threat of international computer espionage and cyber terrorism, a move that would give the president broad authority to sever from the internet private computer networks at risk of attack. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/07/cyber-security-legislation-usa Chinese and Russian cyberspies 'penetrate US electrical grid' Foreign spies have infiltrated the US electrical grid, leaving behind software programs that could disrupt the system in a time of war, American national security officials have claimed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5123177/Chinese-and-Russian-cyberspies-penetrate-US-electrical-grid.html Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914805204099085.html Electric grid breaches symptomatic of deeper cybersecurity gaps A Wall Street Journal report about the discovery of malicious software on computers that control the nation's power grid highlights a far more widespread problem, former intelligence officials and other security specialists said on Wednesday. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090408_1423.php Internet-wide problem to be revealed at conference [IDG] Organizers of next week's Black Hat Europe conference are promising a security presentation that could impact anyone who uses the Internet, but no details have been released yet. http://www.pcworld.com/article/162696/.html http://www.itworld.com/security/65963/internet-wide-problem-be-revealed-conference http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/FE10989534005DE6CC257591007799D7 http://computerworld.com.au/article/298467/ http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/298467/ Pentagon Bill To Fix Cyber Attacks: $100M [CBS/AP] The Pentagon spent more than $100 million in the last six months responding to and repairing damage from cyber attacks and other computer network problems, military leaders said Tuesday. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/07/tech/main4926071.shtml http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10565852 Growing threat from cyber attacks: US general [AFP] Cyber attacks pose an increasingly serious and costly threat to US government and commercial networks, a US general warned on Tuesday. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/growing-threat-from-cyber-attacks-us-general-20090408-a01r.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/growing-threat-from-cyber-attacks-us-general-20090408-a01r.html Fake software may be behind PC attacks Computer users' growing fear of worms and viruses could be behind a recent spike in attacks on PCs via bogus security software, according to a Microsoft Corp report published on Wednesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE5371A520090408 Conficker wakes up, updates via P2P, drops payload The Conficker worm is finally doing something--updating via peer-to-peer between infected computers and dropping a mystery payload on infected computers, Trend Micro said on Wednesday. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10215678-83.html Industry group calls for public-private cybersecurity standards The federal government should establish minimum standards of cybersecurity for both public and private organizations, rather than focus primarily on requirements for protecting government computer networks, according to recommendations from an association of intelligence and security professionals. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090407_6245.php Where's Obama On Cyber Security? Though now-President Obama said during campaign trail that he would appoint a top cybersecurity czar that would be charged with coordinating government efforts to protect the country's networks, it remains to be seen whether this person will indeed be appointed and what role they will play in the administration. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/04/wheres-obama-on-cyber-security.php How NIST put DNSsec into play The digital signing of the .gov top-level domain in February completed the first step of the implementation of DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in the government?s Internet space. The next step is for agencies to sign their second-level domains by the end of the year. http://www.gcn.com/Articles/2009/04/06/NIST-DNSsec-in-play.aspx Walk, don't run, to DNSsec deployment Deploying the Domain Name System Security Extensions is a complicated process, but agencies must do it this year. The advice from those who have experience with the process is to walk before you run. http://www.gcn.com/Articles/2009/04/06/NIST-DNSsec-lessons.aspx Group wants government cybersecurity CEO A group of senior professionals from the defense, intelligence, national security and telecommunications industries recommends that the Obama administration create a single position at the White House level to align policy, laws and resources for cybersecurity. http://fcw.com/Articles/2009/04/07/industry-cybersecurity-recommendations.aspx ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Retailer cites own keyword advertising as evidence of domain name owner's abuse Clothes shop Oasis has lost its bid to gain control of the domain name oasis.co.uk because any behaviour abusive of its trade marks on the site was the result of its own actions, a dispute resolution panel has ruled. http://out-law.com/page-9936 nz: Country channel wins fight over name The Country Channel has held on to its internet domain name after a British internet TV channel with a similar name tried to force a change. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10565573 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** How the Internet Got Its Rules Today is an important date in the history of the Internet: the 40th anniversary of what is known as the Request for Comments. Outside the technical community, not many people know about the R.F.C.?s, but these humble documents shape the Internet?s inner workings and have played a significant role in its success. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07crocker.html International organization ENUM Federation established Initiated by five European countries, ENUM Federation, an interest group of legal entities, was established in the Czech Republic on 30 March. Representatives of the largest ENUM registries of the old continent: Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic, established an organization in Prague whose major objective will be to jointly promote and support the development of the ENUM system which provides a framework for calling ordinary telephone numbers over the Internet without being charged per minute. http://www.nic.cz/page/638/international-organization-enum-federation-established/ Why DNS Is Broken, Part 1: Trust So this Internet thing, as we discussed in our last article, is broken. I promised to detail some of the specific things that are broken. Implicit trust is the Achilles heel of the Internet. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090408_why_dns_is_broken_part_1_trust/ TLD Rights Protection Mechanisms Potential trademark Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPM) at the 2nd level can be divided into three main areas?each defined by their time relative to Top-Level Domain (TLD) launch. These areas are: http://www.circleid.com/posts/tld_rights_protection_mechanisms/ ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Google's sale of trade mark as keyword may be 'use in commerce', says US Court of Appeals A US court was wrong when it ruled that Google's selling of a trade marked term to a competing company to be used as a trigger for advertising was not 'use in commerce'. The appeals court has said that the use could infringe the trade mark. http://out-law.com/page-9931 One Big Result for Sedo with Result.com The domain name results.com was the only big seller in the week to March 30, 2009 for Sedo, selling for US$500,000. Apart from this great sale, the only other sale of note, and the only other sale for the week above US$50,000 was babyshop.com. http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/07/resultcom-one-big-result-for-sedo/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/one-big-result-for-sedo-with-result.com.html Oversee.Net Appoints New Staff, Board Members Oversee.net has announced a number of new appointments including a new Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, Elizabeth Murray, as well as Allen Morgan, Venture Partner at Mayfield Fund, and Scott Jarus, CEO of Cognition Technologies, Inc., as company directors. http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/07/overseenet-appoints-new-staff-board-members/ Sedo 2008 Revenue Falls to ?54.7 Million Most people in the domain business would be happy to have their 2008 revenue be only 12.6% lower than 2007. Sedo has done just that. According to its parent company AdLINK?s annual report, Sedo?s revenues fell from ?62.6 in 2007 to ?54.7 in 2008. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/04/08/sedo-2008-revenue-falls-to-eur-547-million/ ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Classified adverts booming online The traditional advertising market may be in decline, but online classifieds are bucking the trend, according to research. Online monitoring firm Hitwise has found that visits to classified advertising websites are booming. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7987631.stm Technology and Great Teachers are Essential for the U.S. As President Obama returns from a week abroad and an immersion into the issues of the world, he'll again take to defending the merits of his stimulus plan and his budget on the home-front. Underlying one of his biggest priorities, education reform, sits the kernel idea that investing in education will produce long-term economic gains for our country. So aside from simply wanting American children to be better educated, we must ensure that we can fill our seat at the global "big kids table" for decades to come. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-g-katz/technology-and-great-teac_b_183778.html Newspapers set to merge or die, ABC chief ABC head and former Fairfax newspaper executive Mark Scott has painted a bleak picture of the future of newspapers, predicting Melbourne will become a one-newspaper city amid mergers, closures and cost-cutting. http://www.theage.com.au/national/newspapers-set-to-merge--or-die-abc-chief-20090409-a0zp.html http://www.smh.com.au/national/newspapers-set-to-merge--or-die-abc-chief-20090409-a0zp.html Google addresses newspaper woes The majority of newspapers should be online, says Google boss Eric Schmidt, amid criticism it should share some of the millions it makes from newslinks. Media owner Rupert Murdoch has questioned if aggregators like Google should pay to use content. The Associated Press is to sue to protect its content as a time when the industry is losing readers to the web. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7988561.stm Is Yahoo a Better Friend to Newspapers Than Google? On Tuesday, Eric Schmidt, Google?s chief executive, told newspaper executives to think of the search engine company as their friend and potential partner. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/is-yahoo-a-better-friend-to-newspapers-than-google/ Google boss tells papers how to run their websites [AFP] Google chief executive Eric Schmidt told worried US newspaper owners on Tuesday they need to work with the web giant as they struggle to find a new business model for the ailing industry. http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/biztech/were-a-partner-not-a-rival-says-google-boss/2009/04/08/1238870006666.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/were-a-partner-not-a-rival-says-google-boss/2009/04/08/1238870006666.html Google Insists It?s a Friend to Newspapers It had the makings of a high-tension face-off: Eric E. Schmidt, Google?s chief executive, spoke Tuesday at a convention of newspaper executives at a time when a growing chorus in the struggling industry is accusing Google of succeeding, in part, at their expense. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/08/technology/internet/08google.html The A.P.?s Real Enemies Are Its Customers If The Associated Press could completely win its war on search engines and news aggregators, it?s hard to see that the news association or the newspaper companies that own it would be even the slightest bit better off. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/the-aps-real-enemies-are-its-customers/ Google boss tells papers to stick with ad revenue [AP] Google's chief executive has told newspaper publishers that they should continue to rely on advertising but seek new ways to reach readers. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10565834 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703073.html A.P. to Take On Web Aggregators Taking aim at the way news is spread across the Internet, The Associated Press said on Monday that it will demand that Web sites obtain permission to use the work of The A.P. or its member newspapers, and share revenue with the news organizations, and that it will take legal action those that do not. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/07/business/media/07paper.html AP to Fight Illegal Use of Content on Web Sites The Associated Press said Monday it is launching an initiative to better control its newspaper members' material online. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123905948579094887.html How internet porn is damaging relationships When a person decides that it is easier to satisfy sexual urges with a laptop, primary relationships inevitably suffer. In 2006, almost 40 per cent of UK couples with relationship difficulties blamed pornography, at least in part, for their problems. In the US in 2003 the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers declared the internet to be a significant factor in two divorces out of three. http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/article6027924.ece Lost in the Real World, Found via Cyberspace Rhonda Surman and her husband were hiking around some Bronze Age ruins in western Scotland last year when they glimpsed sunlight reflecting off burnished metal. It was an Olympus digital camera, lying on the ground. ... Plenty of people like Ms. Surman are acting on the same impulse these days and embracing a new role: digital Samaritan. The Internet may allow bad guys to stalk people or steal their identities. But it also makes it easier to give something back, because of sites and tools that can help people reunite strangers with lost valuables like wallets, cellphones and cameras. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/08/technology/internet/08samaritan.html Hard luck pornographers, the internet may be your downfall So I've started twittering. I resisted for some time, not really getting it, but now a combination of feeling left out, being badgered by friends, and not wishing to appear fuddy or indeed duddy has made me dive headlong into that overpopulated cyber bird's-nest. There was a specific catalyst. I dipped my toe into the Twitter waters late last Sunday night, by posting an opinion about how Jacqui Smith claiming her husband's porn bill on expenses was the funniest news story of recent memory, and the responses back were so entertaining it made me think that this was a global cocktail party conversation I'd be happy to keep listening to. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6029233.ece ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Social not-working: Facebook snitches cost jobs Be careful when deciding which colleagues to add as a Facebook friend as one throwaway status update about your employer could see you facing the sack. http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/web/social-notworking-facebook-snitches-cost-jobs/2009/04/08/1238869963400.html http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/web/social-notworking-facebook-snitches-cost-jobs/2009/04/08/1238869963400.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2323715/Beware-the-Facebook-snitch/ Drivers using internet chat sites while driving A British study has found that some people like to talk on Twitter or Facebook while they are driving. http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=62123 http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2327113/Twitter-the-new-driving-menace Facebook set to hit milestone today - 200 millionth user Just a few months after its fifth anniversary, Facebook Inc. Wednesday is set to welcome its 200 millionth user. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131295 http://computerworld.com.au/article/298720/ http://www.pcworld.com/article/162820/.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/298720/ Facebook reaches 200 million users [AP] In less than eight months, Facebook has doubled its user base by signing up 100 million people from around the world, officially hitting 200 million today. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/04/09/1239222965525.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/04/09/1239222965525.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ BT blocks up to 40,000 child porn pages per day Between 35,000 and 40,000 attempts to access child pornography sites via BT Retail's broadband network are blocked every day, it was revealed today. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/07/bt_cp_figures/ us: Morris, Thierer Named To Web Safety Panel The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is pulling together the membership of its Online Safety and Technology Working Group, which was created under the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/04/morris-thierer-named-to-web-sa.php eu: Proposal to revise Framework Decision on child pornography Proposal for a COUNCIL FRAMEWORK DECISION on combating the sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, repealing Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0135:FIN:EN:PDF au: Cyber kids at serious risk from pedophiles Australian parents are rolling out the welcome mat for pedophiles by allowing their children unfettered access to the internet, a parenting expert has warned. http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,25303028-5005370,00.html au: Focus put on cyber bullying Gaining a more in-depth knowledge of the nature of cyber bullying was the topic of a staff development workshop at Warren Central School last week. http://warren.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/focus-put-on-cyber-bullying/1483367.aspx ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Plan to Curb Internet Piracy Advances in France French lawmakers are poised to approve a law to create the world?s first surveillance system for Internet piracy, one that would force Internet service providers in some cases to disconnect customers accused of making illegal downloads. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/09/business/global/09net.html Digital Piracy Spreads, and Defies a Fix Less than a week after a pirated copy of the unreleased movie ?X-Men Origins: Wolverine? popped up on the Internet, federal legislators and entertainment executives presented an extraordinarily bleak picture of the damage digital piracy can inflict, and the grim prospects for limiting it. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/07/business/media/07piracy.html uk: Amazon to challenge iTunes with 29p MP3 music downloads The giant online retailer Amazon declared an MP3 price war yesterday by slashing the price of many top-selling downloads in an attempt to grab a bigger slice of the legal music download market. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/apr/08/amazon-itunes-music-downlads-mp3 Does YouTube actually make any money? While the video sharing website is so phenomenally popular that it has become the second biggest search engine in the world ? there's still precious little information on whether the money is rolling in. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/apr/07/youtube-video-losses ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Fall in number of global new mobile subscribers The number of net new mobile phone subscribers in the world fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2008 and the growth of mobile data revenues stalled for the first time, providing further evidence of the impact of the global economic downturn on the mobile telecoms sector. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b87fac8c-246c-11de-9a01-00144feabdc0.html iPhone Skype may be tip of the iceberg for carriers [IDG] Though mobile operators say they want more open phone platforms and are moving toward packet-based 4G networks, they are stuck between a future of being "dumb pipes" like DSL or cable operators and a present in which the bulk of their revenue still comes from the sale of voice minutes. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131327 Apple Sued Over Touch-Screen Rights The Taiwanese company Elan Microelectronics has sued Apple, alleging infringement of two of its touch screen patents, an Elan spokesman said Wednesday. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/09/technology/companies/09apple.html APAC users laud mobile data services Growing interest in mobile broadband, wider device choice and applications such as push e-mail, are driving demand for mobile data services in the Asia-Pacific region, say industry players. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62052920,00.htm Femtocell standard is finalised [IDG] The 3GPP has published the first femtocell standard, the Femto Forum, an industry organization involved in the standardization process, announced today. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131230 http://computerworld.com.au/article/298491/ http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/998991C933BDC9C8CC2575910077C735 4G Wireless May Reach $5 Billion In 2013 Fourth-generation Long Term Evolution likely will be deployed rapidly and its infrastructure market alone should reach $5 billion in 2013, according to a new report by Infonetics Research. http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/3G/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216403208 au: Switching off: life without mobile phones Could you live without your mobile? For most, keeping up with technology is a way of life, but modern-day Luddites are tuning out and dropping off the electronic merry-go-round. http://www.theage.com.au/news/executive-style/management/switching-off-the-mobile/2009/04/06/1238869883694.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/executive-style/management/switching-off-the-mobile/2009/04/06/1238869883694.html Apple Sued Over Touch-Screen Rights Taiwanese firm Elan Microelectronics has sued Apple Computer alleging infringement of two of its touch-screen patents, a company spokesman said Wednesday. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/09/technology/companies/09apple.html UK mobile operators told to share The government may intervene in a dispute between UK mobile operators over the way spectrum is allocated. At stake is the government's pledge to provide universal broadband to all areas of Britain. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7988537.stm ********************** SPAM ********************** Spam overwhelms e-mail messages More than 97% of all e-mails sent over the net are unwanted, according to a Microsoft security report. The e-mails are dominated by spam adverts for drugs, and general product pitches and often have malicious attachments. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7988579.stm Microsoft Security Intelligence Report Shows Rogue Security Software a Top Threat to Internet Users [news release] Microsoft Corp. today released the sixth volume of its Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, which showed a significant increase in rogue security software and evidence that threats are predominantly targeting common third-party desktop applications. This version of the report also showed that the No. 1 reason for data breaches remains lost and stolen computer equipment. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/apr09/04-08RogueSecuritySoftwarePR.mspx Spam levels soar as Easter approaches Spam levels rose by a third last month to reach nearly 85 per cent of all email traffic, the highest since the McColo shutdown last year, according to the Threat Forecast and Report (PDF) from email and web security firm MXLogic. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2239904/spam-again-amid-easter-warnings http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2239904/spam-again-amid-easter-warnings http://mxlogic.com/pdf/forecast/threatforecast0409.pdf ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Australian government moves on e-security as spy concerns increase E-security will be brought under the federal Government's umbrella as it seeks to boost protection against a surge in "foreign" spying on private and public networks. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25299890-15306,00.html PartyGaming admits bank fraud PartyGaming, the online gambling company that became a sought-after stock on the FTSE 100 index in the UK, on Tuesday admitted to bank fraud and contravening other US laws as it paid a forfeiture of $105m (?79m) in order to escape prosecution by US authorities. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1163d48e-2343-11de-996a-00144feabdc0.html Party time is back for online gaming Online gambling operators were limbering up for a wave of potential consolidation yesterday after PartyGaming agreed a $105m (?71.3m) settlement with prosecutors over its activities in the US, paving the way for deals in the troubled sector. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/apr/08/online-gambling-partygaming-settlement FBI Claims ISP Stole Millions From AT&T, Verizon [IDG] The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has raided a Dallas collocation facility, investigating a fraud in which telecommunication giants AT&T and Verizon Communications were duped into providing more than 120 million minutes of telephone service to criminals, the FBI claims. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/162745/.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** us: Privacy Forum Adds Corporate Backers The Future of Privacy Forum, one of the newest voices in the sometimes heated digital age privacy debate on Capitol Hill and within the high-tech and telecommunications industries, added a handful of new supporters Wednesday. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/04/privacy-forum-adds-corporate-b.php Phorm eyes launch after hard year Online advertising firm Phorm is pressing ahead with plans to launch more than a year after it first drew criticism from some privacy advocates. Phorm executives will meet with members of the public on Tuesday, following a similar meeting in 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7988154.stm ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** UK authorities deny prototype intercept database According to the U.K. Home Office, no prototype database has been built by either the Home Office or the intelligence services, to test whether all U.K. citizens' communications information can be stored. http://blogs.zdnet.co.uk/news-blog/#10012526 http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62052971,00.htm uk: Internet data to be stored from today Internet service providers will have to store details of web and email traffic and details of internet phone calls for 12 months from today as expanded European legislation comes into effect. http://out-law.com/page-9929 UK ISPs start storing user data under EU directive Details of user e-mails, website visits and net phone calls will be stored by internet service providers (ISPs) from Monday under an EU directive. The plans were drawn up in the wake of the London bombings in 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7985339.stm Internet data-retention law comes into force Internet service providers will have to retain details of internet communications, including email, under UK law which came into force on Monday. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39637592,00.htm http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62052925,00.htm nz: Anti-counterfeiting agreement mirrors S92A Participants negotiating the proposed international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) have released a joint statement which lets in a few chinks of light on a discussion widely criticised for its secrecy. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/A29F86EC7B21DD41CC257591007FF099 ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Microsoft fined $546m for software patent infringement [Dow Jones] A US federal court jury has ordered Microsoft to pay $US388 million ($546 million) to Uniloc USA Inc and Uniloc Singapore Private for infringing a software patent. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25312541-5017997,00.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** FCC Broadband Proposal May Miss Out on Stimulus The Federal Communications Commission will embark today on a nearly year-long project aimed at bringing high-speed Internet to every U.S. home, a process that many hope will bring an agency long focused on arcane telephone rules into the digital age. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703996.html Long battle ahead for Rudd's broadband The Federal Government faces an uphill task of winning the financial and political backing it needs for its new broadband plan. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/08/2537762.htm Pressure mounts to reveal broadband costs The Federal Government is under increasing pressure to show how much its ambitious $43 billion plan for a national broadband network will cost for households and whether it is commercially viable. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/08/2538204.htm Australia Moves to Build High-Speed Network The Australian government said on Tuesday that it would create a publicly owned company to build a national high-speed broadband network worth 43 billion Australian dollars, or $31 billion, in one of the largest state-sponsored Internet infrastructure upgrades in the world, reports The New York Times. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/08/technology/internet/08broadband.html Kevin Rudd's $43bn fast web gamble as Government warns Telstra to co-operate or face break-up The global recession has forced Kevin Rudd to scrap plans for a high-speed national broadband network funded by the private sector and wager at least $21.9billion of taxpayers' money to fund his election pledge to bring internet speeds into the 21st century. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25306413-601,00.html Kiwis surprised by Aussie NBN spend The reaction across the pond in New Zealand to the Federal Government's $43 billion network announcement is one of surprise at the size of the proposed investment, and "the Aussies trumped us again". http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Kiwis-surprised-by-Aussie-NBN-spend/0,130061791,339295899,00.htm Sol's game dials trouble It is one of the most spectacular own-goals in Australian corporate history. The ugly, aggressive and totally unnecessary war by Telstra on successive federal governments will result in what the company has always feared most: the loss of its hugely profitable fixed-line monopoly. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25306410-7583,00.html Rudd's $43bn plan to deliver fast internet A $43 billion national broadband network with 100 times the present speed will be built by the Government in the single largest infrastructure project in Australian history. http://www.theage.com.au/national/rudds-43bn-plan-to-deliver-fast-internet-20090407-9zol.html http://www.smh.com.au/national/rudds-43bn-plan-to-deliver-fast-internet-20090407-9zol.html Australia vs. U.S. in broadband stimulus plans When it comes to broadband, Australia isn't messing around. Earlier this week the Australian government announced a new plan to build a new fiber-optic communications network that will cost the government about 43 billion Australian dollars or roughly $31 billion in U.S. money. The new national network, which will be built by a yet-to-be-named state-controlled company, will provide broadband speeds of 100 Mbps to about 90 percent of Australian homes, schools, and businesses by 2018. The other 10 percent will get broadband access via wireless technology. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10215603-38.html Telstra rivals cheer Rudd's broadband network plan The galaxy of telecommunications and internet companies that live in Telstra's shadow -- even those that spent millions of dollars bidding to get involved in the national broadband network -- yesterday welcomed the Government's move to ditch the tender and build the network itself. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25305584-5018507,00.html Rivals cheer end of a 'monopoly' Telstra's competitors reacted joyously to the news that the Government will control the proposed new national broadband network. http://business.theage.com.au/business/rivals-cheer-end-of-a-monopoly-20090407-9zn7.html http://business.smh.com.au/business/rivals-cheer-end-of-a-monopoly-20090407-9zn7.html State Liberals defy Malcolm Turnbull on broadband Senior Liberals in two states have delivered Malcolm Turnbull an embarrassing rebuff, rejecting his staunch opposition to Kevin Rudd's proposed $43 billion high-speed broadband service. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25311783-601,00.html National Broadband Network will 'transform' Tasmanian economy: Premier David Bartlett Tasmania's economy will be "transformed" by the first roll-out of the National Broadband Network in the same way hydro-electricity revolutionised the island last century, Premier David Bartlett said today. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25308532-5013404,00.html Telstra starts talks on broadband Telstra chairman Donald McGauchie has met a senior adviser to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to discuss the implications of the Government's sweeping proposal to build a $43 billion high-speed broadband network. http://www.theage.com.au/national/telstra-starts-talks-on-broadband-20090408-a0tr.html http://www.smh.com.au/national/telstra-starts-talks-on-broadband-20090408-a0tr.html Liberals go on attack as Nationals splinter on broadband network Kevin Rudd's broadband plan is based on an unpopular technology and breaks his promise to provide coverage for 98 per cent of the nation, Malcolm Turnbull has declared. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25306321-5018507,00.html Rudd's $43bn broadband plan is just another sham Finally, reality has mugged the Federal Government's flawed $4.7 billion broadband policy, with the Government abandoning the tender under the guise of a visionary $43 billion fibre-to-the-home network. http://business.theage.com.au/business/rudds-43bn-broadband-plan-is-just-another-sham-20090407-9znl.html http://business.smh.com.au/business/rudds-43bn-broadband-plan-is-just-another-sham-20090407-9znl.html Infrastructure bonds to pay for broadband project The Rudd Government will use debt -- infrastructure bonds -- to fund the bulk of the nation's largest ever infrastructure project: an ambitious $43 billion national broadband network. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25305624-5018507,00.html Telco?s not down for the count yet Wham-bam. Take that, Telstra. And that, too. The Government has belatedly retrieved its tattered broadband promise from a botched process and magically transformed it into a - very expensive - vision of ?historic nation-building?. http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/houserules/index.php/theaustralian/comments/telcos_not_down_for_the_count_yet/ $43 billion will tame Telstra Telstra could be forced to sell off its high-speed cable network and its stake in Foxtel under a regulatory regime set to be introduced as the new national broadband network is built. http://business.theage.com.au/business/43-billion-will-tame-telstra-20090407-9zns.html http://business.smh.com.au/business/43-billion-will-tame-telstra-20090407-9zns.html The dilemmas facing Telstra's chiefs The decision to leapfrog current thinking around high-speed broadband services over copper services and move directly to a fibre-to-the-home network will be seen as a watershed event for Australia by future generations. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25303231-5018507,00.html NZ Telecom cuts prices - and angers rivals Competition in the broadband market is forcing Telecom to slash its wholesale price, angering rival network builders. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10565388 Foreign telecom barriers hindering competition: US [AFP] The United States said Monday that foreign barriers to telecommunications services and equipment were hindering its effort to compete globally. http://tech.yahoo.com/news/afp/20090406/tc_afp/ustradetelecom_20090406222103 http://www.todayonline.com/articles/312436.asp Hong Kong Court Approves PCCW Privatization Plan The High Court in Hong Kong on Monday approved the $2 billion privatization of PCCW, clearing the way for one of city?s most prominent businessmen to assume full control over the telecommunications giant. http://nytimes.com/2009/04/06/business/global/06iht-pccw.html ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Former ALP committee president pleads guilty to child porn charges The former president of a Victorian ALP policy committee has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges after police raids last year uncovered Australians who accessed images through a hacked website based in Europe. http://www.watoday.com.au/national/former-alp-committee-president-pleads-guilty-to-child-porn-charges-20090407-9v7i.html au: Customs alarmed by child porn rise Record amounts of child pornography are being seized at Australia's borders, much of it brought in by overseas students and foreign workers employed in remote mining areas. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25300943-2702,00.html au: Pedophile Glenn Hitchen caged for 18 years A NSW man who systematically sexually abused a young girl and exchanged photographs of the acts with pedophiles around the world will spend at least 18 years behind bars. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25307896-2702,00.html http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25307896-5013404,00.html au: Policeman on child porn charges [AAP] A SOUTH Australian police officer has been arrested for accessing child pornography. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,25313249-1246,00.html au: Brisbane teenager faces internet child pornography charges A TEENAGER from Brisbane's northside has been charged with 13 internet child pornography offences following a tip-off from FBI agents. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,25312954-952,00.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (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 Wed Apr 08 2009 - 22:13:36 UTC
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