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://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** .nz Search Functionality Consultation http://dnc.org.nz/story/nz-additional-search-functionality-consultation DNS remains vulnerable one year after Kaminsky bug http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/072409-kaminsky-bug-one-year-later.html Independent commission plans second report on cybersecurity requirements http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090724_5986.php ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Sydney Gala photos up We have posted photos taken at the Sydney Gala last month. You should be able to see them in a slideshow below. http://blog.icann.org/2009/07/sydney-gala-photos-up/ Tiny Web Host Claims Big ICANN Registrars Block Domain Transfers Berkeley, Calif. Web hosting service Tiger Technologies has accused several big Internet domain name registrars of unjustifiably blocking customers who want to transfer domain names from one registrar to another. http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218600521 Are you listening, ICANN? by Milton Mueller A wonderful thing is happening on the ICANN public comment board. Public interest groups from all over the world have mobilized to express support for the NCUC charter proposal. What seemed to be an obscure procedural issue months ago has attracted worldwide attention. Civil society groups are objecting strongly to the ICANN management's attempt to manipulate and control its allegedly "bottom up" policy making structures. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/7/23/4265044.html IGP files comments on proposed Noncommercial Stakeholder Group charter by Brenden Kuerbis The IGP filed comments today in ICANN's second proceeding on GNSO Stakeholder Group Charters. In its comments IGP identified both substantive issues in the revised NCSG charter proposal drafted by ICANN policy staff, as well as procedural flaw in ICANN's proceeding. In light of these concerns, IGP asked that ICANN immediately drop its attempt to impose its revised NCSG charter proposal, and instead reinstate the original Noncommercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) charter proposal submitted by the NCUC for consideration by the Board. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/7/23/4264694.html The 2009 NCUC Membership Drive: "Tell 'em Kieren sent you!" by Milton Mueller A few days ago we described the discrimination and barriers ICANN?s Board and staff have unjustly placed on civil society representation in ICANN. In a reply on our blog, ICANN?s Director of Public Participation, Kieren McCarthy, made an attempt to be constructive. After implying that hundreds of thousands of people should be actively involved in the GNSO, he stated, ?Now if you want my help in getting those people in, just ask - that's my job after all. But I've never been asked by anyone in ICANN ?to help them go get more people. I'd be happy to do so.? http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/7/21/4262409.html A Framework for Selecting New TLDs Your corporate domain names send implicit messages (signals) through their TLDs and their second-level words. Shape your domain names so to send the right messages and to avoid sending unintentionally confusing messages. The post focuses on a framework to help bidders determine which TLDs send messages that are potentially profit generating. http://www.circleid.com/posts/a_framework_for_selecting_new_tlds/ New ICANN Chief Delighted to Head "Most Complex Organisation" In an open letter to the domain name constituency, new ICANN CEO and President Rod Beckstrom has expressed his delight at commencing the new position but also saying it is ?without doubt ... the most complex organisation? he has ever come across. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=8738 http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/07/23/new-icann-chief-delighted-to-head-most-complex-organisation/ Rod Beckstrom?s ICANN Message: Our Take The New CEO of ICANN Rod Beckstrom Posted a ?Message From The CEO? on ICANN site a few days ago. We welcome Mr Beckstrom to his new position and agree with him when he says: http://www.thedomains.com/2009/07/26/rod-beckstroms-icann-message-our-take/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Argentine Government and Banks Create ?banco.ar?. The Argentine government, in cooperation with the banking industry in the country, has agreed to create the second level domain ?banco.ar? with the aim of hindering virtual fraud against users of home banking in Argentina. http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/07/23/argentine-government-and-banks-create-bancoar/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/argentine-government-and-banks-create-banco.ar.html Trademark Attorneys Warn Companies About the Upcoming .CM Cybersquatting Possibilities In light of recent announcements regarding Cameroon's country code Top-Level Domain, .CM, being opened to public registration, Tresa Baldas reports on Law.com: "Trademark attorneys are warning companies about a new target for cybersquatters known as '.cm,' which is the country code?or top level domain?for the West African nation of Cameroon. http://www.circleid.com/posts/attorneys_warn_companies_cm_domain_name_cybersquatting/ fr: One year on from its launch, AFNIC's PREDEC procedure is hitting its stride On 22 July 2008, AFNIC set up a procedure (commonly known as PREDEC) for obvious breaches of the stipulations of the decree of 6 th February 2007. One year on and the results of the procedure are overwhelmingly positive : 92 claims were filed with the .fr registry, which delivered 64 rulings. The procedure has become standard practice in legal firms and intellectual property consultancies and has even taken hold as an integral part of the French legal scene in the same way as other ADR proceedings. http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/226/one-year-on-from-its-launch-afnic-s-predec-procedure-is-hitting-its-stride Afilias Launches New ?Deals? Page to Highlight Special .INFO Domain Sales Afilias - a global provider of Internet infrastructure services and registry for the .INFO domain, today announced that is has added a new service aggregating .INFO Authorized Registrar special offers and sales on .INFO domain names. http://www.info.info/news/2009/07/21/afilias-launches-new-%E2%80%98deals%E2%80%99-page-highlight-special-info-domain-sales SIDN joins GOVCERT.NL From 1 August 2009, SIDN is joining GOVCERT.NL ? the Dutch government?s Computer Emergency Response Team. Security is an important issue for the government. And that doesn?t mean only physical security: the government is also responsible for improving security in the virtual world. Although SIDN is a private organisation, as the registry for the .nl domain it plays an influential role in the community. So, in future, SIDN will be able to count on the support and expertise of GOVCERT.NL in an emergency, just like a governmental organisation. http://www.sidn.nl/ace.php/c,728,6070,,,,SIDN_joins_GOVCERT_NL.html?ACE_Id=20554c2961782d3531e0b2027c9c460f Market for .pl domains in the second quarter The second quarter of 2009 ended with 1 438 023 active names in the .pl domain. Nearly 200 000 new domains were registered during the last three months, which means that Poland is still sixth in the TLD ranking for the European Union countries. http://www.nask.pl/newsID/id/537 New domain name .ngo would be for charities only [sub req'd] Human rights charity Article 25 proposes internet scheme to be funded by philanthropists http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/Channels/Communications/login/922487/ .nz Search Functionality Consultation Currently it is only possible to search .nz domain names by a specific domain name using the WHOIS search. Comments are sought on a proposal to expand the .nz search functionality to include a search by registrant and also a wildcard-type search of a domain name. It is proposed to limit the nature and eligibility of the searches as outlined below. http://dnc.org.nz/story/nz-additional-search-functionality-consultation ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Time to advise Europe on security. Call for new Experts to the EU Agency ENISA?s Permanent Stakeholders? Group [news release] Do you feel you have the competence to be one of the Experts advising ENISA? The European Network and Information Security Agency, i.e. the EU Agency ENISA, is launching the call for new members to its Permanent Stakeholders? Group (PSG). The PSG advises the Executive Director in e.g. drawing up a proposal for the Agency?s work programme, and all issues related thereto. http://enisa.europa.eu/pages/02_01_press_2009_07_17_psg_call.html DNS remains vulnerable one year after Kaminsky bug A year has passed since security researcher Dan Kaminsky disclosed a serious flaw in the DNS that makes it possible for hackers to launch cache poisoning attacks, where traffic is redirected from a legitimate Web site to a fake one without the Web site operator or end user knowing. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/072409-kaminsky-bug-one-year-later.html http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/dns-remains-vulnerable-one-year-after-kaminsky-discovered-bug-629 http://www.cio.com/article/498044/DNS_Remains_Vulnerable_One_Year_After_Kaminsky_Bug http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=AD1ABE3B-1A64-6A71-CEBD81EADED3E52D Independent commission plans second report on cybersecurity requirements The commission that provided the Obama administration with widely lauded recommendations for cybersecurity policies will develop recommendations for how the government can address possible issues such as privacy protection that could hinder the implementation of a plan to protect federal computer networks, commission members and industry representatives said on Thursday. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090724_5986.php us: Cybersecurity Panel Enters New Phase A blue ribbon panel of high-tech and security experts whose December report spurred a flurry of cybersecurity hearings and legislation is entering a new phase that its co-chairs hope will inform and influence the Obama administration, CongressDaily's AM Edition reported. The Center for Strategic and International Studies' Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency has begun examining "foundational problems" that are key to fixing the nation's security vulnerabilities with the goal of releasing recommendations this year, Microsoft Vice President Scott Charney said at a Thursday briefing. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/07/cybersecurity-panel-enters-new.php ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** IP address crunch worries ISPs The current version of IP addresses allotted to websites - IPV4 - is almost getting exhausted. This version can accommodate only a limited number of IP addresses, which is likely to be exhausted by 2011-12. http://infotech.indiatimes.com/News/IP-address-crunch-worries-ISPs/articleshow/4823457.cms ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Domain Name Registrations in Latin America Continue to Boom Today there are more than 4.5 millions of registered Domains Names across Latin America according to statistics from Latino Americann. To date in 2009 there has been a growth in domain registrations of ten per cent, and in June the growth was 1.64 per cent. http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/07/23/domain-name-registrations-in-latin-america-continue-to-boom/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/domain-registrations-in-latin-america-continue-to-boom.html AusRegistry Sets Out to be Leading Registrar in the New gTLD World AusRegistry International, the registry for .AU and .AE ccTLDs, is one of the contenders to significantly gain from the proposal by ICANN to introduce a potentially unlimited number of new generic Top Level Domains. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=8737 http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/07/23/ausregistry-sets-out-to-be-leading-registry-in-the-new-gtld-world/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/ausregistry-sets-out-to-be-leading-registrar-in-the-new-gtld-world.html Network Solutions Says Hackers Accessed 573,000 Card Accounts Web services provider Network Solutions disclosed Friday that hackers broke into its servers and stole information on more than 573,000 debit and credit card accounts from its customers over the past three months. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/24/AR2009072403527.html Network Solutions warns merchants after hack [IDG] Criminals may have stolen more than half a million credit card numbers from merchant servers hosted by Networks Solutions, the Internet hosting company warned Friday. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/072509-network-solutions-warns-merchants-after.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/169071/.html http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135905/Network_Solutions_warns_merchants_after_hack http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=B2BCA375-1A64-67EA-E4C48AB441B305A5 http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/07/25/network-solutions-warns-merchants-after-hack http://www.itworld.com/security/72485/network-solutions-warns-merchants-after-hack http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/169071/.html What Happens When a Registrar loses ICANN Accreditation? Recently two ICANN accredited registars, Maxim Internet and Lead Networks, were bounced for not complying with the RAA. The domain names registered through Maxim were recently transferred to NameScout. http://www.namesmash.com/?p=309 ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Sedo to unveil new Price Suggestion Tool Sedo has been beta testing an iteration of the feature that had been labeled Auto Appraisal Tool. In a newsletter sent to clients this afternoon they said the new name for the public rollout in August (the exact date has not been set) will be Price Suggestion Tool. http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/20090724.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** For Mozilla and Google, Group Hugs Get Tricky Boxes lined the cubicles and hallways in the offices of Mozilla on a recent afternoon, and its chief executive, John Lilly, seemed a bit disoriented as he looked for a place to sit. Mozilla, which makes the Firefox Web browser, had just moved from one end of this city to the other, mainly to gain more space for its growing work force. http://nytimes.com/2009/07/26/technology/companies/26mozilla.html Virtual worlds for children: Online playgrounds - There is life in virtual reality after all Remember Second Life, the virtual world that was supposed to become almost as important as the first one? Now populated by no more than 84,000 avatars at a time, it has turned out to be a prime example of how short-lived internet fads can be. Yet if many adults seem to have given up on virtual worlds, those that cater to children and teenagers are thriving. Several have even found a way to make money. http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14098380 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Monetising social networks: Tweeting all the way to the bank - Can virtual communities make billions of dollars from their millions of connections? Whenever the founders of Twitter, a social-networking service, have been asked about how much revenue they expect to generate from their creation, they have politely deflected the question. So when a hacker recently leaked documents after gaining access to the private e-mail accounts of a Twitter employee and the wife of one of its founders, the blogosphere was abuzz. The haul included a spreadsheet showing revenues reaching $140m by the end of 2010, up from $4.4m this year. Twitter dismissed the document as out of date, but it showed the firm?s owners believe it has the potential to mint serious money. http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14098313 The Salacious Story Behind Facebook: What the company doesn't want you to know about its ignominious start In The Accidental Billionaires , author Ben Mezrich takes the story of the founding of Facebook ?back at Harvard in 2004?and weaves it into a story full of sex, betrayal, and the hunt for the venture capital that currently keeps the site afloat. To write the story, Mezrich spoke with former classmates (and some enemies) of Mark Zuckerberg, the young entreprenuer who founded Facebook five years ago. Unsurprisingly, it's a book that the company and Zuckerberg are staying far away from; they didn't speak to Mezrich, and journalists writing about Facebook are (politely) asked not to broach the topic. Mezrich spoke with NEWSWEEK's Kurt Soller about his new book, why so many of Zuckerberg's former classmates are upset, and about Aaron Sorkin's plans to adapt the book into a movie. http://www.newsweek.com/id/207953 The Father of Social Networking: The next goal? To finally turn the company profitable. It's the stuff of dotcom legend. Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg and a few friends hack into the university's photo ID database and create a site for students to rate and/or berate their classmates' pictures. Since Facebook's launch in 2004, it's become a cultural phenomenon that's outgrown its Ivy League origins, into middle America and started to expand into countries around the world. NEWSWEEK's Dan Lyons spoke with Zuckerberg about Facebook's rapid growth, how it's reshaped how we think about privacy and whether the site can get too big for its own good. http://www.newsweek.com/id/207897 Facebook at Age Five: five years after its inception, a look at whether it can last another five. First, a confession from the sometimes-embarrassing world of Web 2.0: when I joined Facebook, it was just another site, one of the many social networks I thought would prepare me, then a high school senior, for college life. It was April 2004, just two months after geeky guys in a Harvard dorm had created the site. For me, joining up was little more than the next thing on my to do list before moving away from home: I used the same profile information I had already logged on Friendster; the picture, me with a white-boy afro, came cropped from my MySpace profile. http://www.newsweek.com/id/207843 Does Facebook Make Workers Less Productive? About 77% of employees have Facebook accounts and nearly two-thirds access the site during work hours, according to a new report from Nucleus Research. The survey of 237 randomly-selected office workers found that employees used Facebook at work for an average of 15 minutes per day. That adds up to nearly 1.5% of total lost productivity across the entire employee population. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/technology_at_work/archives/2009/07/does_facebook_m.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Wireless power system shown off A system that can deliver power to devices without the need for wires has been shown off at a hi-tech conference. The technique exploits simple physics and can be used to charge a range of electronic devices. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8165928.stm ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: ISPs give clean feed filter a technical green-light More than half of the Internet service providers (ISPs) taking part in the Federal Government?s ISP filtering trial have reported minimal speed disruptions or technology problems. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/312354/ au: Target cyber bullies, not censorship, expert says The Federal Government should focus on stopping cyber bullying instead of pushing ahead with its controversial plan to filter the internet, an internet rights expert says. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/24/2634917.htm 'Depression not web killed Chanelle' When renowned child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg visits the Geelong high school where 14-year-old Chanelle Rae last week became the fourth student this year to kill herself, he will carry a blunt message to parents. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25832122-2702,00.html Looking for a way to talk about suicide It is one of Australia's better good news stories, but you probably haven't heard about it: teenage suicide rates have fallen dramatically from 508 in 1997 to an average of 300 a year. But this welcome change is unlikely to be of any comfort to the four grieving families in Geelong (or others elsewhere) now mourning the loss of a child who has taken their own life. http://www.theage.com.au/national/looking-for-a-way-to-talk-about-suicide-20090724-dw8h.html au: How parents can help keep their children safe Victoria's chief child psychiatrist has urged parents to remove computers from children's bedrooms, following the suicides of four Geelong teenagers, one of which had links to cyber bullying. http://www.theage.com.au/national/how-parents-can-help-keep-their-children-safe-20090725-dww8.html Teens' view of cyber threats Imagine if someone hacked into your email account and sent abusive messages to all your friends. Your social circle would disappear overnight. Or what if your most private pictures were posted on the internet for all to see and comment on? http://www.theage.com.au/national/teens-view-of-cyber-threats-20090725-dww9.html Spate of teen suicides challenges reporting taboo There was a time when suicides were not reported by the media. Counter-intuitive in a profession dedicated to disclosure, it was one of the media's great taboos and to some extent still is. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25838641-7582,00.html nz: Drive to keep kids safe on the Net Three organisations are teaming up in an effort to help parents protect their children from the dangers of technology. Telecom, police and Net Safe are joining forces to ensure young people are aware of how to stay safe online, and through text messaging. Their pamphlet, Keeping Kiwi Kids Safer in Cyberspace is being distributed to schools. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10586587 nz: Online safety for children promoted It's hoped parents will make a concerted effort to protect their children from the dangers of technology. Telecom has teamed up with police and Net Safe to produce the Keeping Kiwi Kids Safer in Cyberspace pamphlet. http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/online-safety-children-promoted-2870862 nz: Telecom, police and Net Safe have teamed up to distribute a pamphlet on 'Keeping Kiwi Kids Safe in Cyberspace' It is hoped parents will make a concerted effort to protect their children from the dangers of technology. http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=103032 nz: Concerns over effectiveness of child porn filtering system Some internet users ? and providers ? are concerned about the imminent launch of a filtering system aimed at blocking sites containing child pornography. http://www.3news.co.nz/News/National/Concerns-over-effectiveness-of-child-porn-filtering-system/tabid/423/articleID/113844/Default.aspx?ArticleID=113844 Initiative taken by three organizations to keep kids safe on Net With the aim to aid parents protect their children from the dangers of technology, three organizations -Telecom, police and Net Safe - are joining hands together in an initiative called Keeping Kiwi Kids Safer in Cyberspace. Their target would be to make sure that young people are aware of how to stay safe online. It is through text messaging that all schools are receiving their ?net safety? notes. http://topnews.net.nz/content/2304-initiative-taken-three-organizations-keep-kids-safe-net Kiwi Kids Urged To Keep Safe Online More than half of kiwi teens say they spend two hours or more a day on the Internet and texting friends* and key organisations are joining forces to ensure they are aware of how to stay safe. http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/kiwi-kids-urged-keep-safe-online/5/19103 Telecom issues safe online advice brochure [news release] Telecom New Zealand, together with Netsafe and the New Zealand Police, have published a pamphlet for parents and caregivers about how to keep children safe online. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/ Teen's death puts spotlight on cyber bullying The suicide of a 14-year-old girl in southern Victoria last week has pushed the issue of cyber bullying into the spotlight. The child?s mother has blamed the suicide on the Internet. The case, the fourth suicide in six months among students from the same school, has highlighted the severe impact of cyber bullying on young people. http://www.techworld.com.au/article/312190/ http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/07/23/teens-death-puts-spotlight-cyber-bullying http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=A83907ED-1A64-67EA-E43C717DFF3477E4 http://www.cio.com.au/article/312190/ http://www.infoworld.com/t/internet/teens-death-puts-spotlight-cyber-bullying-465 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/072309-teens-death-puts-spotlight-on.html ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Legal Tripwires Could Scuttle Pirate Bay Buyout [AP] The would-be buyer of Web site The Pirate Bay backpedaled in a Dutch court Tuesday, saying that it is uncertain whether the purchase will ever be completed. Lawyer Ricardo Dijkstra said Sweden's Global Gaming Factory X would only buy The Pirate Bay if it can turn it into a "legitimate business." http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Legal-Tripwires-Could-Scuttle-Pirate-Bay-Buyout-67694.html French Anti-Piracy Sanctions Delayed The French music business has expressed its disappointment after the National Assembly president's decision to postpone until September the vote on the sanctions side of the Creation and Internet law. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i04ac5aa7296d367ceac32033a87c823d Australians tops in illegal downloads The proportion of young Australians illegally downloading music has risen in the past year. But British youngsters are shunning the practice, two surveys show. According to the youth marketing agency Lifelounge, which surveyed 1662 Australian adults aged 18-30, a hefty 34.4 per cent illegally download music. This compares with last year's figure of 30.4 per cent. http://business.theage.com.au/business/australians-tops-in-illegal-downloads-20090724-dw8z.html http://business.watoday.com.au/business/australians-tops-in-illegal-downloads-20090724-dw8z.html BBC Dumps Commercial Internet-TV Plan British Broadcasting Corp. and two other TV networks ended an ill-fated attempt to establish a commercial Internet TV service in the U.K. Thursday, agreeing to sell the technology behind the scheme to Arqiva Ltd. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124836281964876093.html Plug pulled on suspected British pirates Web users suspected of file-sharing are being cut off without warning by ISP Karoo, based in Hull.Karoo, the only ISP in the area, makes customers sign a document promising not to repeat the offence in order to get their service restored. Some customers have had their accounts suspended for more than two years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8166640.stm British ISP pulls the plug on illegal filesharers Internet users in Hull risk having their connection cut if they illegally share files, under a controversial "three strikes and out policy" operated by the only internet service provider in the area. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/24/hull-isp-pulls-plug-filesharers ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Skype singled out as threat to Russia's security Russia's most powerful business lobby moved to clamp down on Skype and its peers this week, telling lawmakers that the Internet phone services are a threat to Russian businesses and to national security. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE56N42Z20090724 http://in.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idINTRE56N41I20090724 Final Frontier for Wireless Hard to Break Through With a vast, unserved population, Africa used to be a no-lose proposition for mobile phone operators looking for new customers. But after a wave of investment, the wireless industry?s final frontier is showing signs of age. http://nytimes.com/2009/07/27/technology/27iht-telecom27.html The man who is allergic to Wi-Fi A club DJ, Steve Miller, has revealed he has been forced into exile by a powerful allergy to Wi-Fi internet waves which leaves him feeling dizzy, sick and disorientated. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/5898353/The-man-who-is-allergic-to-Wi-Fi.html Kenya to register mobile users to cut crime Kenya will soon require all mobile phone users to register SIM cards in an effort to curb criminal activity such as sending hate messages and making ransom demands, a senior official said on Thursday. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-41270420090723 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Internet Plan Targets Three Billion Users in Rural Areas An ambitious $650 million undertaking by Internet giant Google and international bank HSBC will see Internet services extended to nearly three billion people in rural areas across the world. ... The project's objective is to extend internet services to users in areas that are not covered by current offerings, such as fibre optic networks and satellites, which are traditionally accessible in urban and peri-urban areas. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/-/539550/628842/-/u8wvrmz/-/index.html http://allafrica.com/stories/200907230988.html East Africa finally joins broadband revolution The jigsaw is finally complete. East Africa shed its tag as the only major inhabited coastline excluded from the global broadband map today when an undersea fibre-optic cable linking it to networks in Europe and India went live. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jul/23/east-africa-broadband-revolution East Africa gets high-speed web The first undersea cable to bring high-speed internet access to East Africa has gone live. The fibre-optic cable, operated by African-owned firm Seacom, connects South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Europe and Asia. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8165077.stm Internet Flurry As Kenya Goes Live On Seacom Cable The connection of Kenya and eastern Africa to the rest of the world via the 17,000-km Seacom fibre optic cable on Friday was marked by excitement. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/629306/-/ul2ena/-/index.html http://allafrica.com/stories/200907250003.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** au: Twitter: the new crime-fighting tool? Northern Territory police are considering using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to fight crime. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/26/2636471.htm au: MIFF website hacked amid Chinese film row Police are investigating attacks on the website of the Melbourne International Film Festival. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/26/2636571.htm Time to advise Europe on security. Call for new Experts to the EU Agency ENISA?s Permanent Stakeholders? Group [news release] Do you feel you have the competence to be one of the Experts advising ENISA? The European Network and Information Security Agency, i.e. the EU Agency ENISA, is launching the call for new members to its Permanent Stakeholders? Group (PSG). The PSG advises the Executive Director in e.g. drawing up a proposal for the Agency?s work programme, and all issues related thereto. http://enisa.europa.eu/pages/02_01_press_2009_07_17_psg_call.html DNS remains vulnerable one year after Kaminsky bug A year has passed since security researcher Dan Kaminsky disclosed a serious flaw in the DNS that makes it possible for hackers to launch cache poisoning attacks, where traffic is redirected from a legitimate Web site to a fake one without the Web site operator or end user knowing. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/072409-kaminsky-bug-one-year-later.html http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/dns-remains-vulnerable-one-year-after-kaminsky-discovered-bug-629 http://www.cio.com/article/498044/DNS_Remains_Vulnerable_One_Year_After_Kaminsky_Bug http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=AD1ABE3B-1A64-6A71-CEBD81EADED3E52D Independent commission plans second report on cybersecurity requirements The commission that provided the Obama administration with widely lauded recommendations for cybersecurity policies will develop recommendations for how the government can address possible issues such as privacy protection that could hinder the implementation of a plan to protect federal computer networks, commission members and industry representatives said on Thursday. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090724_5986.php ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Advocates Ask Google for Privacy Guarantees in Online Library Three advocacy groups have asked Google to commit to protect the privacy of readers in its book search service, which is poised for a major expansion under a pending class-action settlement. The groups, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley, have asked Google to limit the data it collects about users? reading habits, to commit to protect reader records by handing them over only in response to subpoenas or court orders, and to put into effect measures giving users control of their data. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/advocates-ask-google-for-privacy-guarantees-in-online-library/ EFF urges members to pressure Google on books privacy [IDG] Digital liberties group the Electronic Frontier Foundation is urging its supporters to pressure Google to build significant privacy protections into its Book Search service, with the EFF suggesting the service gives Google access to new personal information. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/072309-eff-urges-members-to-pressure.html http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135857/EFF_urges_members_to_pressure_Google_on_books_privacy http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/312274/ us: Experts Debate Information, Privacy Center for Democracy and Technology President Leslie Harris and Google public policy chief Alan Davidson on Friday dismissed a recent Technology Policy Institute report that argues there is a trade-off between increasing Internet privacy protections for consumers and the free flow of Web-based goods and services. Harris said "In Defense of Data: Information and the Costs of Privacy" should be renamed "In Defense of Straw Men." "Privacy and having a robust marketplace online are not inconsistent," she said at a Capitol Hill event sponsored by TPI. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/07/experts-debate-information-pri.php us: White House Wants Cookie Feedback NextGov reports that Bev Godwin, director of online resources and interagency development for the White House new media team, asked the public on Friday to weigh in on the decade-old federal policy that does not allow agencies to use persistent cookies on their Web sites. The reason has to do with privacy, but it makes it harder for agencies to create Web services like those in the private sector. The White House wants the public to tell them what they think. White House Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra and Michael Fitzpatrick, associate administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, provided details on the administration's Open Government blog and the Office of Science and Technology Policy's blog. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/07/white-house-wants-cookie-feedb.php ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** How China polices the internet On the night of January 29 this year, five peasants were delivered into Jinning detention centre, a dark little facility in the province of Yunnan in south?western China. They were accused of illegal logging, a lucrative sideline for many farmers in this impoverished region. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e716cfc6-71a1-11de-a821-00144feabdc0.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Canada: We actually want to hear from public on copyright In 2008, the Canadian government discovered a new "third rail" of politics: copyright reform. Long considered a wonky subject of interest only to legislators and rightsholders, interest in copyright has exploded in recent years, and Canadians showed a keen interest in talking about term length, time shifting, DRM circumvention rules, format shifting, mashups, remixes, the public domain, and the levies that Canadians currently pay on things like blank CD-Rs. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/canada-we-actually-want-to-hear-from-public-on-copyright.ars ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* For Some, Move To Windows 7 Will Be Tough On October 22, Microsoft will finally release a new version of Windows that will be as good as the deeply disappointing Windows Vista should have been when it came out in January 2007. The new edition, called Windows 7, is a big improvement over both Vista and the sturdy, 2001-vintage Windows XP still widely in use. It will give Apple?s long-superior Mac OS X operating system a run for its money (though Apple might maintain its edge with a new version, called Snow Leopard, due in September). http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204900904574304283334746634.html Microsoft?s Revenue Falls 17%; PC Slump Continues Microsoft has closed out perhaps its most difficult year as a public company in less than stellar fashion. On Thursday, the company significantly missed Wall Street?s fourth-quarter revenue target and reported the first decline in full-year revenue in its 34-year history. http://nytimes.com/2009/07/24/technology/companies/24soft.html Microsoft Can?t Evade Downturn?s Tight Grip Microsoft, the once-swaggering giant of the personal computer industry, has been humbled, both by the recession and by problems of its own making. http://nytimes.com/2009/07/24/technology/companies/24soft.html Google faces property ads war Google is facing the greatest challenge yet to its might in Australia as two of its largest media customers threaten to pull their business in retaliation against the internet company's decision to enter the real estate listings market. http://business.theage.com.au/business/google-faces-property-ads-war-20090726-dxga.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Vodafone continues with cost-cutting drive Vodafone, the mobile phone operator, expects to be two thirds of the way through its ?1 billion cost-cutting drive by the end of its current financial year next March, the company said in a trading statement this morning. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article6725847.ece China telecoms market to surpass Japan by 2014 China's telecommunications market is on track to generate US$187 billion by 2014, fueled by mobile uptake in its rural areas and 3G, according to Pyramid Research. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62056357,00.htm ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** Australia Post manager helped run child porn ring An Australia Post worker found to have almost 80,000 child porn files in his home computer was a "core member" of a sophisticated online child pornography ring, a court has heard. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/australia-post-manager-helped-run-child-porn-ring-20090724-dvpx.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2009 --------- David Goldstein email: goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au web: http://davidgoldstein.tel/ http://goldsteinreport.com/ phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - office/home mail: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA "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 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Access Yahoo!7 Mail on your mobile. Anytime. Anywhere. Show me how: http://au.mobile.yahoo.com/mailReceived on Sun Jul 26 2009 - 17:06:27 UTC
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