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 *************************************************** WSIS Stocktaking report: Tracking progress towards the WSIS targets and the MDGs: For the first time, report looks at the impact of social media on development http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/20.aspx CEO Commends Russia for Bringing Cyrillic to Internet?s Top-level Domain Names http://icann.org/en/news/releases/release-13may10-en.pdf Op-Ed Contributors: The Content of Their Characters ... Has the World Wide Web just become a little wider? Three writers offer their answers. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/opinion/16domain.html Russian presidential site gets first address in Cyrillic domain after official launch http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100513/159002507.html Crypto guru Whit Diffie takes ICANN security job [IDG] http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/051410-crypto-guru-whit-diffie-takes.html Background of the Partial Failure of the Name Service for .de Domains http://www.denic.de/en/denic-in-dialogue/news/2733.html?cHash=e4d02e85ca Partial Disturbance of the DNS Service for .de Domains http://www.denic.de/en/denic-in-dialogue/news/2731.html?cHash=ed9220a2f0 Celebrity Domain Name Disputes http://www.domaintimes.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=176:celebrity-domain-name-disputes&catid=8:news-a-events&Itemid=5 The internet is running out of addresses [Reuters] http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-48471420100513 IPv6: D-Day coming for ISPs http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/051310-ipv6-judgment-day.html Record number of domain names sold in Q1 2010 http://www.sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e&id=316 Dating.com Big SnapNames Sale at DOMAINfest http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/05/14/datingcom-big-snapnames-sale-at-domainfest/ ********************** REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Intellectual Property and Its Protection in Cyberspace by Vijaykumar Shrikrushna Chowbe [The IUP Journal of Intellectual Property Rights] Abstract: The advent of Information Technology (IT) and computers have created a new world in the cyberspace giving rise to various legal challenges and at times solutions. Intellectual Properties (IP) such as copyrights, trademarks, designs, layout and circuit designs in the current digital environment, are interwoven with the electronic technology. The changed environment demands more affirmative protective laws to guard new inventions and creations and also to save the real owners from economic losses. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1603808 Copyright Infringement in Cyberspace and Network Security: A Threat to E-Commerce by Tabrez Ahmad [The IUP Journal of Cyber Law] Abstract: The growth of information and digital technology has rapidly increased the number of internet users. Many countries, including India, have enacted legislations to regulate the activities related to Internet. The Government of India has passed Information Technology Act in 2000 and further amended it on October 27, 2009, which gave fillip to cyber law. Though the amended Act contains considerable changes, the issues such as copyright, payment issues, media convergence, domain name, cybersquating and jurisdiction still remain unsolved. Infringement over Internet and piracy of copyrighted works are considered as big threats hampering the growth of the Internet, e-commerce and digital economy. Dissemination of computer virus, hacking and disabling the network system are still the challenging tasks for corporate houses, service providers, and the internet users. This paper suggests that there is a need for an appropriate legislation, policies and strong legal institutions to effectively enforce cyber laws for the promotion of e-commerce and reduction of copyright related disputes. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1603755 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** WSIS Stocktaking report: Tracking progress towards the WSIS targets and the MDGs: For the first time, report looks at the impact of social media on development The 2010 World Summit on the Information Society Stocktaking report, released today, confirms that information and communication technology (ICT) development projects are helping countries make significant progress towards achieving the WSIS connectivity targets and MDGs by 2015. http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/20.aspx ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** CEO Commends Russia for Bringing Cyrillic to Internet?s Top-level Domain Names Russia is becoming an increasingly important player in the global Internet community according to Rod Beckstrom, ICANN?s President and Chief Executive Officer. Beckstrom made the point earlier today while addressing the opening session of the Russian Internet Governance Forum in Moscow. http://icann.org/en/news/releases/release-13may10-en.pdf Remarks by Rod Beckstrom, President and CEO, ICANN | Keynote Speech | The Future of ICANN: Toward a Global Internet | Russian Internet Governance Forum | 13 May 2010 It?s particularly fitting that I address the future of ICANN, the Internet and its governance at the Russian IGF. There is an old Russian proverb: [??? ???????, ???? ?? ????? ? bez pastuha, ovtsi ne stado] without a shepherd, sheep are not a flock. Russia has taken a leading role in the advancement of the global Internet, and has just achieved a milestone by becoming the first country to be approved for a Cyrillic internationalized domain name. http://icann.org/en/ceo/beckstrom-speech-igf-moscow-13may10-en.pdf IDN ccTLDs ? The First Four by Tina Dam The last week has been focused on historic IDN accomplishments and news: The first four IDN ccTLDs have been introduced and are all functioning. The corresponding countries are: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Russian Federation, and Egypt. http://blog.icann.org/2010/05/idn-cctlds-?-the-first-four/ Public Comment: Draft Advisory on the Effect of Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) Subsection 3.7.7.3 ICANN has observed community comment concerning the interpretation of RAA Subsection 3.7.7.3. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-14may10-en.htm Op-Ed Contributors: The Content of Their Characters This month, the organization that governs Internet domain names began allowing addresses without any Latin characters. Countries that use Cyrillic and Arabic characters were the first to change, with others on the way. Has the World Wide Web just become a little wider? Three writers offer their answers. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/opinion/16domain.html Goddess English of Uttar Pradesh by Manu Joseph, deputy editor of the Indian newsweekly OPEN and author of the forthcoming novel ?Serious Men? A fortnight ago, in a poor village in Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, work began on a temple dedicated to Goddess English. Standing on a wooden desk was the idol of English ? a bronze figure in robes, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and holding aloft a pen. About 1,000 villagers had gathered for the groundbreaking, most of them Dalits, the untouchables at the bottom of India?s caste system. A social activist promoting the study of English, dressed in a Western suit despite the hot sun and speaking as if he were imparting religious wisdom, said, ?Learn A, B, C, D.? The temple is a gesture of defiance from the Dalits to the nation?s elite as well as a message to the Dalit young ? English can save you. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/opinion/16joseph.html A Web Smaller Than a Divide by Sinan Antoon, an assistant professor of Arabic literature at New York University and author of the novel ?I`jaam: An Iraqi Rhapsody? At first glance, there?s a clear need for expanding the Web beyond the Latin alphabet, including in the Arabic-speaking world. According to the Madar Research Group, about 56 million Arabs, or 17 percent of the Arab world, use the Internet, and those numbers are expected to grow 50 percent over the next three years. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/opinion/16Antoon.html Search Engine of the Song Dynasty by Ruiyan Xu, author of the forthcoming novel ?The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai? Baidu.com, the popular search engine often called the Chinese Google, got its name from a poem written during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The poem is about a man searching for a woman at a busy festival, about the search for clarity amid chaos. Together, the Chinese characters bi and d? mean ?hundreds of ways,? and come out of the last lines of the poem: ?Restlessly I searched for her thousands, hundreds of ways./ Suddenly I turned, and there she was in the receding light.? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/opinion/16xu.html Russian presidential site gets first address in Cyrillic domain after official launch The Russian president and government's websites have become the first to use addresses in Cyrillic Internet domain (.??) after it was officially launched in Russia, the director of Russia's Coordination Center for the National Internet Domain said on Thursday. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100513/159002507.html Cyrillic Domain Names Become Operational On The Internet It was a big day for Russian Internet users. The first Internet domains using the Cyrillic script were launched on May 13 after Russia was officially assigned the .?? (.rf, for "Russian Federation") domain by the global Internet governing body. http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=32798&t=Cyrillic+Domain+Names+Become+Operational+On+The+Internet Cyrillic Domains Due to Operate Soon Internet domain names using Cyrillic characters may start working this week after the world governing body for Internet domain names officially delegates the .?? domain to Russia. http://www.sptimesrussia.com/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=31434 http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=31434 Russia launches Cyrillic top-level domain Russia yesterday acquired the Cyrillic top-level domain .??, as reps from ICANN handed over the corresponding administration certificate at an internet forum in Moscow. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/14/rf_tld/ Another Internationalized Domain Name Goes Live The group that manages the Internet's address system announced Thursday more progress in its effort to implement internationalized Internet addresses with the implementation of changes that will allow users to type domain names using Cyrillic letters. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/05/another-internationalized-doma.php IP Justice Statement to ICANN on Need to Respect Decision of Independent Review Panel on .XXX Domain IP Justice supports the swift adoption of the decision of the Independent Review Panel (IRP) by ICANN and the inclusion of the applied for .xxx domain name into the root. http://ipjustice.org/wp/2010/05/10/ip-justice-statement-to-icann-on-need-to-respect-decision-of-independent-review-panel-on-xxx-domain/ Crypto guru Whit Diffie takes ICANN security job [IDG] Six months after leaving his job at Sun Microsystems noted cryptographer Whitfield 'Whit' Diffie has landed a new gig, this time as a security adviser to the corporation that manages the Internet. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/051410-crypto-guru-whit-diffie-takes.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/196345/.html Cryptography pioneer Whit Diffie joins ICANN staff [AP] Cryptography pioneer Whit Diffie has joined the staff of the Internet's key oversight agency for domain names. http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cryptography-pioneer-whit-diffie-joins-icann-staff-20100515-v4vk.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cryptography-pioneer-whit-diffie-joins-icann-staff-20100515-v4u3.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cryptography-pioneer-whit-diffie-joins-icann-staff-20100515-v4vk.html ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** CZ.NIC BIRD Project Receives International Award One of the largest internet peering centres in the world, London-based LINX, has granted the LINX Awards 2010 to the Czech project BIRD, developed by the employees of CZ.NIC Laboratories. http://www.nic.cz/page/749/cz.nic-bird-project-receives-international-award/ Background of the Partial Failure of the Name Service for .de Domains Starting about 13:30 (CEST) on Wednesday, 12 May 2010, DENIC faced the situation that, depending on the service location and the domain queried, users sometimes received the incorrect reply ?domain does not exist?. In such cases, the respective user could not reach the .de domain concerned via the domain?s address, and e-mails from or to this address were rejected or not sent. http://www.denic.de/en/denic-in-dialogue/news/2733.html?cHash=e4d02e85ca Partial Disturbance of the DNS Service for .de Domains Today at around 1:30 p.m. (CEST), DENIC, the manager of the country-code TLD .de, noted that the .de DNS service partially sent out ?NX?, i.e. ?non-existent domain? responses for parts of its overall domain inventory, although the relevant domains are actually existing. As a result, using this service the pertinent domains could no longer be accessed. http://www.denic.de/en/denic-in-dialogue/news/2731.html?cHash=ed9220a2f0 Millions of German domain names off the grid for more than an hour Reports of a major resolution failure on the .DE zone are coming out of Germany. It appears that for about 1.5 hours around lunchtime (in Europe) today, there was a problem with the nameservers used to support the .DE zonefile. http://stephanevangelder.com/archives/323-Millions-of-German-domain-names-off-the-grid-for-more-than-an-hour.html Major outage hits Internet users in Germany Internet sites in Germany faced massive disruptions Wednesday due to a major DNS outage. Email traffic was also affected. http://www.onenewspage.com/news/Internet/20100513/10967055/Major-outage-hits-Internet-users-in-Germany.htm German Internet Down German internet users were a little put out on Wednesday after most of the German internet was unavailable from 1.30pm to 2.50pm. According to the German internet authority DENIC, the problem was caused by the upload of new zonefiles that were empty. http://ww2.elitetele.com/telecom-news/disaster-recovery/german-internet-down/15176 IEDR to host major European conference for Europe's leading domain registries The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the managed registry for Ireland's official internet address .ie today announced it will host CENTR; a major international conference which will see over 150 representatives from 58 Internet Registries gather in Dublin from 2nd - 4th June for the 42nd General Assembly where policy issues affecting the operation and technical management of the internet will be addressed. http://www.iedr.ie/NEWS/2010/News-20100514.php .nz Domain Names with macrons - Internationalised Domain Names Welcome to this new section of our website which will allow you to apply for variations of your existing .nz domain name. Beginning in M?ori Language week 2010 (26 July - 01 August), registrations of .nz domain names which include macrons over the vowels will be available to everyone on a first-come, first-served basis. http://dnc.org.nz/story/nz-domain-names-macrons Selected proposals for the Cyrillic domain name of Serbia which will go to public voting The working group for the introduction of the Cyrillic ccTLD, which is supposed to represent Serbia online, has reviewed all proposals for the new Cyrillic domain name. http://rnids.rs/en/node/67?lang=en uk: Reserved short domains consultation update Our consultation on the release of two letter, one character and other reserved .uk domain names has now been running for two months, and has just under one month left to run (closing on 8 June). http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=7300 uk: Nominet News - latest issue We are pleased to announce that we have published the latest issue of our Nominet News electronic newsletter. This is an interesting and useful source of information about the .uk domain name industry for all Nominet members, registrars and other stakeholders. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=7424 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Two-Thirds Of All Phishing Attacks Generated By A Single Criminal Group, Researchers Say; 'Avalanche' syndicate accounted for 66 percent of phishing in the second half of 2009, APWG reports Like convenience stores and fast-food restaurants, phishing is no longer a mom-and-pop operation, according to a study released today. A single crime syndicate dubbed "Avalanche" was responsible for some 66 percent of the phishing traffic generated in the second half of 2009, according to a report published by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG). http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerability_management/security/cybercrime/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224701763 Single group did 66% of world's phishing A single criminal operation was responsible for two-thirds of all phishing attacks in the second half of 2009 and is responsible for a two-fold increase in the crime, a report published this week said. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/13/avalanche_phishing_attacks/ us: House panel to consider cybersecurity overhaul A House committee as early as next week plans to vote on legislation that would overhaul federal cybersecurity by creating permanent cyber czar and White House chief technology officer positions, as well as possibly tying security performance to pay, Democratic aides said. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100513_9021.php ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Celebrity Domain Name Disputes Read an article by Neil Brown on the Arbitration of Celebrity Domain Name Disputes published in the International Trade and Business Law Review. The Review is published under the auspices of the Murdoch University School of Law, Perth, Western Australia. http://www.domaintimes.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=176:celebrity-domain-name-disputes&catid=8:news-a-events&Itemid=5 ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** The internet is running out of addresses [Reuters] The world will soon run out of internet addresses unless organisations move to a new internet protocol version, according to the head of the body that allocates IP addresses. http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-48471420100513 http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64C4GE20100513 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/14/2899079.htm http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/internet-running-addresses-3541317 http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/3697493/World-running-out-of-internet-addresses http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37133743/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/ IPv6: D-Day coming for ISPs John Curran has a message for ISPs: Don't expect to be bailed out if you haven't already started the upgrade to IPv6. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/051310-ipv6-judgment-day.html http://www.itworld.com/networking/107698/ipv6-d-day-coming-isps fr: The DNSwitness platform helps measure the deployment of IPv6 OECD recently published a report entitled "Measuring Deployment of IPv6". This eagerly-awaited report had the benefit of receiving input from a large number of contributors (operators/ISPs, content providers, DNS operators, etc.). http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/250/the-dnswitness-platform-helps-measure-the-deployment-of-ipv6 Dublin Castle Summit to Address IPv6 Migration The world is running out of IP addresses issued under version 4 of the Internet Protocol (IPv4). An IP address is the unique identifier for each laptop, PC, Mac or mobile internet enabled phone. Just like a telephone number it allows these devices to communicate with one another. http://news.suite101.com/article.cfm/dublin-castle-summit-to-address-ipv6-migration-a237911 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Call for Nominations: 2010 Jonathan B. Postel Service Award The Internet Society (ISOC) is now accepting nominations for the 2010 Jonathan B. Postel Service Award. This annual award is presented to an individual or organization that has made outstanding contributions in service to the Internet community. https://www.arin.net/announcements/2010/20100514.html Help Determine Where ARIN Will be in 2012! Bring the ARIN meeting to your own backyard! ARIN is looking for organizations interested in sponsoring network connectivity for our 2012 Public Policy and Members Meetings. A quality network is critical to the success of the ARIN meeting, and by sponsoring you have a terrific opportunity to make ARIN XXIX or XXX a local event for you and your community! ARIN meetings have seen a healthy increase in remote participation, and we require a sturdy network as a backbone to our live webcasts, transcripts, and chat rooms to provide a level playing field for remote participants and attendees. https://www.arin.net/announcements/2010/20100511.html Netcraft May 2010 Web Server Survey In the May 2010 survey we received responses from 206,026,787 sites. Four of the five major web servers gained hostnames since last month. Google lost for the second month in a row with a drop of 1.4M hostnames, predominantly caused by expired sites in its blogging system. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2010/05/14/may_2010_web_server_survey.html The Sad State of WHOIS, and Why Criminals Love It Fergie I'm not even sure how to begin this post, but let me tell you -- my head explodes when I try to contact WHOIS "contacts" about criminal activity - FAIL. I think ICANN wants to do the right thing here, and has stated on multiple occasions that inaccurate WHOIS data is reason for registrar termination. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100513_sad_state_of_whois_and_why_criminals_love_it/ ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Record number of domain names sold in Q1 2010 Sedo, the leading online domain marketplace and monetization provider, today announced the results of its Q1 2010 Domain Market Study, revealing domain industry trends and changes, based on Sedo?s marketplace. Nearly 12,000 domains changed hands via the Sedo marketplace during the quarter, accounting for more than $23 million in transactions. This marked Sedo?s highest quarter for domain sales since 2008 and represents an 18.6 percent increase in the number of sales compared to Q4 2009. http://www.sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e&id=316 O'Brien: Catching up with Gary Kremen after Sex.com Here's something that I'd never expected to say about Gary Kremen, 46, founder of Match.com and one of Silicon Valley's most mercurial entrepreneurs and investors: He seems downright serene these days. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15081993 http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/nationalbreaking/ci_15081993 http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_15081993 Dating.com Big SnapNames Sale at DOMAINfest Dating.com was the top seller at DOMAINfest Ft. Lauderdale, selling for an impressive $1.75 million, SnapNames and Moniker announced. BoardGames.com was another big seller and the only other six-figure sale, selling for $450,000. Total sales from the live auction were almost $2.4 million. http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/05/14/datingcom-big-snapnames-sale-at-domainfest/ Biggest Domain Sale Reported So Far This Year Tops Our Latest Chart Followed By 2nd Biggest ccTLD Sale ... It has been a very busy fortnight for the domain aftermarket with the biggest sale of the year to date setting the pace. That is Photo.com, a top tier generic name that changed hands for $1,250,000 at Moniker.com. We also saw the second biggest country code sale reported thus far in 2010 with Sedo moving Software.de (German ccTLD) for ?235,025 ($303,182). http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2010/20100512.htm Internet domain names bring in millions auction While love may be blind, it sure isn't cheap. Dating.com , a domain name that could lead to happiness, romance or heartbreak for thousands, sold for $1.75 million and was the largest sale at the DomainFest auction at the W Fort Lauderdale Hotel. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/15/1630439/internet-domain-names-bring-in.html ********************** REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** The Italian Google-Case: Privacy, Freedom of Speech and Responsibility of Providers for User-Generated Contents by Giovanni Sartor & Mario Viola de Azevedo Cunha Abstract: In a recent decision of the Tribunal of Milan three Google executives were convicted for violating data protection, in connection with the on-line posting of a video showing a disabled person being bullied and insulted. This paper, after illustrating the facts of the case and the reasoning of the judge, discusses the main issue at stake, namely, the role and responsibilities of providers of platforms for user-created contents with regard to violations of data privacy. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1604411 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** The Battle for the Internet by Bernard Kouchner, foreign minister of France and founder of M?decins Sans Fronti?res In 2015, 3.5 billion people ? half of mankind ? will have access to the Internet. There has never been such a revolution in freedom of communication and freedom of expression. But how will this new medium be used? What obstacles will the enemies of the Internet come up with? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/opinion/14iht-edkouchner.html Broadband makes women happy Though men are stereotyped as gadget hounds, information technology actually brings more happiness to women worldwide. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/05/broadband-makes-women-happy.ars Information Technology can make you 'happier' [news release] A new global study from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, shows that access to information technology has a ?statistically significant, positive impact on life satisfaction?. http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.35482 Facebook top publisher of display ads: comScore [AFP] Facebook has passed Yahoo! to become the top US publisher of display ads on the Web, another milestone for the fast-growing social network, according to figures released on Thursday. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/facebook-top-publisher-of-display-ads-comscore-1973249.html Americans Received 1 Trillion Display Ads in Q1 2010 as Online Advertising Market Rebounds from 2009 Recession comScore released an overview of the U.S. online display advertising market for Q1 2010, which showed strong gains following softness for much of 2009. Data from comScore?s Ad Metrix services shows that U.S. Internet users received a record 1.1 trillion display ads during the first quarter, marking a 15-percent increase versus year ago. Total U.S. display ad spending in Q1 reached an estimated $2.7 billion, with the average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) equal to $2.48. http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/5/Americans_Received_1_Trillion_Display_Ads_in_Q1_2010_as_Online_Advertising_Market_Rebounds_from_2009_Recession ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Facebook Privacy Policy Explained: It's Longer Than The Constitution Recent changes to Facebook's privacy policies have made users' information far more public than ever before: much personal data is now public by default, some of which is being shared with third-party sites. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/12/facebook-privacy-policy-s_n_574389.html Price of Facebook Privacy? Start Clicking Pop quiz: Which is longer, the United States Constitution or Facebook?s Privacy Policy? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/technology/personaltech/13basics.html Facebook Privacy: A Bewildering Tangle of Options To manage your privacy on Facebook, you will need to navigate through 50 settings with more than 170 options. Facebook says it wants to offer precise controls for sharing on the Internet. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/12/business/facebook-privacy.html 'Firestorm of anger' hits Facebook after EU condemns privacy policy A friend of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg asked him, back in 2004, after the 19-year-old had casually mentioned in an online conversation that 4,000 people had uploaded their personal information to his fledgling website: "How did you manage that?" He typed back: "They just submitted it. I don't know why. They 'trust me'," then indiscreetly described them as "dumbfucks". http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/firestorm-of-anger-hits-facebook-after-eu-condemns-privacy-policy-1973942.html http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10645497 EU watchdog slams Facebook privacy settings EU privacy regulators have joined a growing chorus of watchdogs that are worried by changes to the privacy settings of popular social networking site Facebook. http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/eu-watchdog-slams-facebook-privacy-settings-news-494168 Facebook's Washington Problem: the social network is facing a privacy backlash that could prompt congressional hearings Facebook, the ever-expanding social networking site, delights millions of users with its innovative ways to stay in touch. At the same time, the six-year-old online phenomenon continually tests their tolerance for sacrificing privacy. Now it has provoked a new skirmish?this time with members of the U.S. Congress. On May 12 aides to Senator Charles Schumer (D?N.Y.) met in Washington with Elliot Schrage, Facebook's public relations and policy chief, to discuss concerns about the company's privacy policies. Schumer has had talks with colleagues about holding congressional hearings, according to a person familiar with the proceedings. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_21/b4179033066628.htm Facebook Should Follow Its Own Principles About a year ago, Facebook suffered a tremendous consumer backlash over its changes to the Terms of Service. To quell the uproar, Facebook introduced a set of Principles. Through a "Facebook site governance" vote, users voted on whether these Principles should serve as the foundation for governing the site." At the time, the company trumpeted the success of the vote, by which about 75% of voters selected the new Facebook Principles: "We strongly believe that our proposed documents satisfied the concerns raised in February." As Facebook explains, the Principles are "the foundation of the rights and responsibilities of those within the Facebook Service." A year later, the foundation is cracking. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/05/facebook-should-follow The High Price of Facebook: You pay for it with your privacy If you don't spend your days glued to tech blogs, you might not know about the latest trend among hipster techies: quitting Facebook. These folks, including a bunch of Google engineers, are bailing out because Facebook just changed its rules so that much of your personal profile information, including where you work, what music you like, and where you went to school, now gets made public by default. Some info is even shared with companies that are special partners of Facebook, like Yelp, Pandora, and Microsoft. And while there are ways to dial back on some of this by tinkering with your privacy settings, it's tricky to figure out?intentionally so, according to cynics. http://www.newsweek.com/id/237993 Facebook loses friends as privacy campaign grows It's a fitting congruity that the simplest way to gauge Facebook's current woes comes via that other unchallenged behemoth of the internet, Google. Type "How do I ..." into the search engine and one of the first suggestions it comes up with continues: "... delete my Facebook account?" Today it was the ninth top-ranked search term, bringing more than 18m results. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/14/facebook-privacy-campaign-delete-account What Facebook Doesn't Tell You About Privacy Let us be perfectly clear: While Facebook has received a lot of criticism lately about its new privacy policies and Open Graph concept, which allows them to partner with other sites which will also have access to some Facebook user data, Facebook isn't explicitly keeping secrets from you. But some security professionals and users continually knock the site for what they say are less-than-clear explanations about where your data is going, and how secure the site really is. http://www.csoonline.com/article/593371/4_things_Facebook_doesn_t_tell_you_about_your_privacy_and_security http://www.pcworld.com/article/196221/.html Well, These New Zuckerberg IMs Won't Help Facebook's Privacy Problems Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his company are suddenly facing a big new round of scrutiny and criticism about their cavalier attitude toward user privacy. http://www.businessinsider.com/well-these-new-zuckerberg-ims-wont-help-facebooks-privacy-problems-2010-5 Facebook unveils new security features Facebook took the wraps off Thursday on two new security features aimed at protecting users from phishers and other online scammers. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9176752/Facebook_unveils_new_security_features Facebook rolls out security improvements to combat spam and scams on site [AP] Facebook's millions of users are a lucrative target for Internet criminals looking to steal passwords and more. To combat malicious attacks, phishing scams and spam, the online social network is rolling out new security features. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/13/tech/main6480694.shtml http://www.brandonsun.com/lifestyles/breaking-news/facebook-rolls-out-security-improvements-to-combat-spam-and-scams-on-site-93724974.html http://www.startribune.com/science/93706254.html http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/article.jsp?content=b3352671 Facebook Issues Statement On Zuckerberg IMs And Privacy Originally, Facebook did not want to comment on our story about Mark Zuckerberg's attitude toward privacy or the instant-message exchange we published earlier. http://blogs.forbes.com/firewall/2010/05/13/facebook-issues-statement-on-zuckerberg-ims-and-privacy/ EU privacy watchdogs say Facebook changes 'unacceptable' Europe's privacy watchdogs have issued a rebuke to Facebook, telling the social networking site that changes it made to the site's privacy settings late last year were 'unacceptable'. http://out-law.com/page-11017 Facebook privacy tweaks are 'unacceptable', says EU European data protection advisers have said it was 'unacceptable' for Facebook to make some of its users' data public without their permission at the end of last year. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-management/2010/05/13/facebook-privacy-tweaks-are-unacceptable-says-eu-40088929/ Europe slams Facebook's privacy settings [AFP] Europe slammed as unacceptable the changes by social networking website Facebook to its privacy settings, that would allow the profiles of its users to be made available to third party websites. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/europe-slams-facebooks-privacy-settings-20100514-v207.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/europe-slams-facebooks-privacy-settings-20100514-v207.html New Facebook features to prevent crime [AP] Facebook's millions of users are a lucrative target for internet criminals looking to steal passwords and more. To combat malicious attacks, phishing scams and spam, the online social network is rolling out new security features. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/new-facebook-features-to-prevent-crime-20100514-v2mp.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/new-facebook-features-to-prevent-crime-20100514-v2mp.html Zynga?s FarmVille at loggerheads with Facebook in row over money It was a union between two of the web?s coolest young things: FarmVille, among the world?s most popular online games, and Facebook, which has rapidly grown into the largest social network, in large part because users play FarmVille on the site. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article7125932.ece ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** What makes an iPad tick? Take a look inside? It is the most over-hyped device since the iPhone and now that the iPad is finally nearing its UK launch date of 28 May, there's just one question: is it worth buying? If you already own an iPhone or an iPod Touch and wish it had a much bigger screen, the answer is probably yes ? if you can afford ?429 for even the most basic model. If you already own a notebook PC and would like something smaller, the answer could well be no; you'd be better of with a netbook at less than half the price. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/16/buy-or-nor-to-buy-ipad Barack Obama's rant against technology: America?s president joins a long (but wrong) tradition of technophobia ?With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations?none of which I know how to work?information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment.? In a speech to students at Hampton University on May 9th, Mr Obama did not just name-check some big brands; he also joined a long tradition of grumbling about new technologies and new forms of media. http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=16109292 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: Cyber-safety committee speaks out on ISP filtering The Joint Committee on Cyber-Safety is set to release details of public hearings and submissions into mandatory filtering as well as other cyber-safety issues. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/346716/cyber-safety_committee_speaks_isp_filtering/ au: Monitor internet use, warns Keneally [AAP] NSW Premier Kristina Keneally has offered her condolences to the family of a young Sydney woman allegedly murdered after befriending two men on Facebook. http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/7243762/monitor-internet-use-warns-keneally/ http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/technology-news/monitor-internet-use-warns-keneally-20100517-v6xj.html http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/national/7243762/monitor-internet-use-warns-keneally/ http://www.watoday.com.au/breaking-news-national/monitor-internet-use-warns-keneally-20100516-v62t.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/monitor-internet-use-warns-keneally-20100516-v62t.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/monitor-internet-use-warns-keneally-20100516-v62t.html Monitor internet use, warns Keneally NSW Premier Kristina Keneally says the death of a young Sydney woman is a reminder for parents to monitor their children's internet habits. http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Technology/2010/05/17/Monitor_internet_use_warns_Keneally_462796.html http://bigpondnews.com/articles/National/2010/05/16/Keneally_internet_warning_to_parents_462730.html au: Facebook teen killed Nona Belomesoff was offered what she thought was a dream job working with the NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service. Instead the 18-year-old was allegedly lured to her death in south-west Sydney by a man who befriended her on Facebook by claiming to work for the animal welfare group. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/facebook-teen-killed-20100515-v5da.html http://www.theage.com.au/national/teenager-found-dead-after-meeting-new-facebook-friend-20100515-v5ix.html au: Police tell teens to remove Facebook photos Police have urged all teenagers to remove their profile pictures from Facebook and the names of the schools they attend. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/police-tell-teens-to-remove-facebook-photos/story-e6freuzr-1225867471110 http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/cops-and-family-of-nona-belomesoff-put-out-facebook-teen-warning-remove-photos-and-schools-you-attend/story-e6freuy9-1225867440829 http://www.news.com.au/national/police-tell-teens-to-remove-facebook-photos/story-e6frfkvr-1225867471110 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/police-issue-photo-warning-to-teenagers-to-get-faces-off-facebook/story-e6frf7l6-1225867491518 Kids beware - the web never forgets [Independent] The 'look at me!' generation has made narcissism a virtue. But the young people living their lives on YouTube and social networking sites may regret it when their youthful indiscretions are preserved for posterity. Michael Bywater reports. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10645207 uk: Online security: Become a cyber-savvy parent - online security can be managed, says Emma Mahony. Noobs? "Mum, listen. Noobs are 20-year-old losers with no life, no wife and no job. They just lie on the couch all day gaming," explains my 12-year-old son. I am pressing him about the potential hazards of online gaming with strangers. "But what if they are bad people?" I ask. "If they dared do anything weird, my friends or I would just mute them out of the game, or trash their rep by making them lose a star," he continues, slightly exasperated. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/7714843/Online-security-Become-a-cyber-savvy-parent.html jp: 25% of child porn images not deleted on Internet sites About 25% of child pornography images posted on the Internet have not been deleted, despite requests made last December for Internet service providers to do so, an analysis by the National Police Agency showed Friday. http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/25-of-child-porn-images-not-deleted-on-internet-sites ca: Hunt for online child pornographers With every click of the mouse, there are creeps waiting to pounce on your child. Any parent who doubts the experts' warnings that dangerous predators lurk everywhere online should spend a few minutes with Det. Randy Norton. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/05/15/13958531.html ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Pirate Bay ISP hit with German injunction; must stop hosting Major movie studios have won yet another round against The Pirate Bay, this time cutting off one of the site's chief ISPs, Cyberbunker. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/05/pirate-bay-isp-hit-with-german-injunction-must-stop-hosting.ars Pirate Bay ISP bashes Hollywood's "clueless idiots" Sven Olaf Kamphuis runs CB3ROB, the German ISP that helps host The Pirate Bay and has just been hit with an injunction by a Hamburg court. Unless CB3ROB stops hosting the site, it faces massive financial penalties, and Kamphuis even risks jail time. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/05/pirate-bay-isp-bashes-hollywoods-clueless-idiots.ars iiNet Australian copyright case to resume in August Hollywood's landmark copyright battle against Perth internet provider iiNet will resume in the Federal Court on August 2. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/iinet-case-to-resume-in-august/story-e6frgakx-1225866923054 Court dates set for iiNet appeal Dates for the Australian Federation against Copyright Theft (AFACT) appeal of the iiNet verdict have been set for 2-5 August, with Justices Emmett, Jagot and Nicholas set to preside. http://www.zdnet.com.au/court-dates-set-for-iinet-appeal-339303186.htm ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Mobile phone-cancer link study inconclusive Experts who studied almost 13,000 mobile phone users over 10 years hoping to find out whether the devices cause brain tumours say their research gave no clear answer. A study by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the largest ever to look at possible links between mobile phones and brain cancer, threw up inconclusive results but researchers said suggestions of a link demanded deeper examination. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/17/2900955.htm Industry study shows brain tumour link to heavy mobile phone usage A long-awaited international study of the health risks of mobile phones has linked extended mobile phone use to an increased risk of developing brain tumours. The 10-year Interphone study, the world's biggest study of the health effects of mobile phones, found while there was no increased risk of cancer overall, those in the top 10 per cent of phone use are up to 40 per cent more likely to develop glioma, a common type of brain cancer. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/brain-tumour-link-to-mobiles/story-e6frg6n6-1225867464272 Cellphone cancer study inconclusive; researcher urges more study A large international study into the link between cellphone use and two kinds of brain cancer produced inconclusive results, according to a report to be released Tuesday in Geneva. But researchers of the report noted flaws in the methodology of the long-awaited study. And they urge more investigation into the topic to account for how cellphone use is affecting the health of youths, who are among the fastest growing population of cellphone users. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/05/cell_phone_cancer_study_produc.html Largest cellphone-cancer study to date clarifies little The largest study to examine a potential link between cellphone use and cancer is already stirring up controversy, two days ahead of its actual release. After many years of ambiguous and sometimes conflicting results, the Interphone study was an attempt to provide a definitive measure of any risks associated with heavy cellphone use. But even the study's authors spent several years arguing over how to interpret the data that came in, before finally producing a report that's due to be published Monday evening, US time. A number of newspapers, however, have released stories on Interphone ahead of its general availability, and they suggest that the final product won't do much to clarify the health risks. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/05/largest-cellphone-cancer-study-to-date-clarifies-little.ars Heavy mobile users risk cancer People who use their mobile phones for at least 30 minutes a day for 10 years have a greater risk of developing brain cancer, a landmark study has found. The chance of suffering from a malignant tumour is increased by more than a third with prolonged use, according to a long-awaited report by the World Health Organisation. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article7127799.ece WHO study has no clear answer on phones and cancer Experts who studied almost 13,000 cell phone users over 10 years, hoping to find out whether the mobile devices cause brain tumors, said on Sunday their research gave no clear answer. A study by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the largest ever to look at possible links between mobile phones and brain cancer, threw up inconclusive results but researchers said suggestions of a possible link demanded deeper examination. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64F1MV20100516 Landmark study set to show potential dangers of heavy mobile phone use Prolonged mobile phone use could be linked to a type of cancer, the largest investigation of its kind will show next week. A landmark study will include some evidence that those who regularly hold long conversations on handsets are at increased risk of developing potentially fatal brain tumours. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7725169/Landmark-study-set-to-show-potential-dangers-of-heavy-mobile-phone-use.html Mobile phones linked to brain cancer risk A major international study has been unable to rule out links between mobile phone use and brain tumours. In the largest study of its kind, evidence was found that people who used their mobile phones for at least 30 minutes a day for 10 years faced an increased risk of developing brain cancers, but the results were inconclusive. http://www.theage.com.au/national/mobile-phones-linked-to-brain-cancer-risk-20100517-v6zl.html Mobile Phones Now Used More for Data Than for Calls Liza Colburn uses her cellphone constantly. She taps out her grocery lists, records voice memos, listens to music at the gym, tracks her caloric intake and posts frequent updates to her Twitter and Facebook accounts. The one thing she doesn?t use her cellphone for? Making calls. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/technology/personaltech/14talk.html Six suicides this year by Chinese iPhone factory workers [AP] Taiwan's Foxconn Technology, a contract maker of the iPhone and other consumer electronics, insisted its treatment of workers is world class after a female employee became the company's sixth Chinese worker to commit suicide this year. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/six-suicides-this-year-by-chinese-iphone-factory-workers-20100513-v1w1.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/six-suicides-this-year-by-chinese-iphone-factory-workers-20100513-v1w1.html Adobe's row with Apple over Flash technology escalates Adobe has launched its latest salvo in an ongoing dispute with Apple. The co-founders of Adobe have published an open letter in which they say that Apple threatens to "undermine the next chapter of the web". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10113915.stm Adobe hits back at Apple in Flash war Adobe Systems is hitting back at Apple in the technology companies? war over web video formats, with an advertising campaign and a letter from its founders. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9d01fc6e-5e93-11df-9266-00144feab49a.html We love Apple, say Adobe ads, as companies' battle enters new phase The Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal were both carrying full-page "We Love Apple" adverts on Friday morning, but the space was not bought by the Californian technology giant but by Adobe, the web technology firm that is locked in a bitter dispute with Steve Jobs. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/14/we-love-apple-adobe-ads Adobe fights Apple with pro-Flash ad campaign Adobe Systems may not have a chief executive with Steve Jobs' high profile, but it does have money. And on Thursday it began spending some of it on an effort to rebut the Apple CEO's crticisims of Adobe's Flash technology. http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20004884-264.html Adobe escalates feud with Apple over Flash Adobe today countered recent attacks by Apple against its Flash technology with a Web-based ad campaign and an open letter written by the firm's co-founders. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/346532/adobe_escalates_feud_apple_over_flash/ Global ad industry eyes boost from mobile devices The global advertising industry is eager to capitalise on booming use of mobile phones for Internet access as more enhanced devices are coming to the market to get more consumers reachable online. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-48485120100514 65,000 Android phones shipping every day: Google [AFP] At least 65,000 mobile phones powered by Google's Android operating system are being shipped every day, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said Thursday. http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/65000-android-phones-a-day-20100514-v2qs.html http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/65000-android-phones-a-day-20100514-v2qs.html Google Admits Defeat in Selling Nexus One Direct Google?s flagship Nexus One phone debuted earlier this year to much fanfare. The phone was not only flashy ? evocative of Apple?s iPhone in many respects ? but Google was also using it to try to change the dynamics of the wireless industry by selling it directly from its Web store and bypassing the powerful wireless carriers. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/google-concedes-defeat-on-selling-nexus-one-direct/ ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Copyright piracy case over Haiti earthquake photos distributed online When an earthquake struck Haiti in January, the pictures taken by veteran photojournalist Daniel Morel became the iconic images of the disaster, reproduced countless times all over the world. ... Now those images are at the centre of an unprecedented court battle, with Morel alleging global newsagency Agence France-Presse distributed them in breach of his copyright after downloading them from the microblogging site Twitter. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/high-stakes-in-photo-battle-made-in-hell/story-e6frg996-1225867462953 Wi-fi owner fined for lax security in Germany German citizens are responsible for the security of their own private wireless connections, a court has ruled. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10116606.stm Cars' Computer Systems Called at Risk to Hackers Automobiles, which will be increasingly connected to the Internet in the near future, could be vulnerable to hackers just as computers are now, two teams of computer scientists are warning in a paper to be presented next week. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/science/14hack.html Australian Wikileak founder's passport confiscated Julian Assange, the Australian founder of the whistleblower website Wikileaks, says he had his passport taken away from him at Melbourne Airport and was later told by customs officials that it was about to be cancelled. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/australian-wikileak-founders-passport-confiscated-20100516-v6dw.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/australian-wikileak-founders-passport-confiscated-20100516-v6dw.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/3705570/Wikileaks-founders-passport-confiscated Kiwis go unrewarded for low piracy rates New Zealand has the fourth lowest rate of software piracy in the world after the US, Japan and Luxembourg, but is not being rewarded with correspondingly lower prices for popular software. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/3703560/Kiwis-go-unrewarded-for-low-piracy-rates nz: E-Mails Threatening to Kill are Fake, Warns Police According to New Zealand police, an e-mail, which scares its recipient of getting him killed, is totally fraudulent. Otago Daily Times reported this on May 6, 2010. http://www.spamfighter.com/News-14395-E-Mails-Threatening-to-Kill-are-Fake-Warns-Police.htm us: White House asks public for game changing cybersecurity ideas The Obama administration will open next week a web-based forum to discuss a cybersecurity research and development agenda, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Thursday. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100514_8658.php http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/05/white-house-seeks-public-input.php Google offers plan to address Italian antitrust complaints [AFP] Internet giant Google has moved to address complaints that it has abused its dominant position and failed to share advertising revenue with Italian newspapers, Italy's antitrust regulator said Friday. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/google-offers-plan-to-address-italian-antitrust-complaints-20100515-v4ud.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/google-offers-plan-to-address-italian-antitrust-complaints-20100515-v4ud.html Key security actors, strategies, & good practices in Europe mapped [news release] The EU Agency, ENISA, (the European Network and Information Security Agency) launches comprehensive study: European countries are highly varied in how prepared they are for dealing with the cybercrime, attacks and network resilience. This is a key finding of an updated and extended 2nd edition of ?Country Reports?, published today. The Reports provide a comprehensive 750 pages-plus overview of the status of Network and Information Security [NIS] in 30 European Countries, including identification of stakeholders and trends. http://www.enisa.europa.eu/media/press-releases/eu-agency-maps-key-online-security-actors-strategies-good-practices-in-europe ************************** PRIVACY ************************** A Californian's gruesome death photos are at the forefront of an Internet privacy battle A car crash victim's father is suing the CHP over the wide dissemination of pictures of his daughter's body. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-death-photos-20100515,0,7898781.story Google to stop capturing wifi data Google says it will no longer collect wifi network information for its Street View mapping service after "mistakenly" gathering personal wireless data. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/15/2900267.htm Google admits wi-fi data collection blunder Google has admitted that for the past three years it has wrongly collected information people have sent over unencrypted wi-fi networks. The issue came to light after German authorities asked to audit the data the company's Street View cars gathered as they took photos viewed on Google maps. .. John Simpson, from the Consumer Watchdog, told the BBC: "The problem is [Google] have a bunch of engineers who push the envelope and gather as much information as they can and don't think about the ramifications of that." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8684110.stm Google accidentally gathered WiFi data Google reversed course on Friday and admitted it had accidentally collected information sent over unsecured wireless networks in homes it had photographed for its Street View service. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/8a23b394-5fab-11df-a670-00144feab49a.html WiFi data collection: An update Nine days ago the data protection authority (DPA) in Hamburg, Germany asked to audit the WiFi data that our Street View cars collect for use in location-based products like Google Maps for mobile, which enables people to find local restaurants or get directions. His request prompted us to re-examine everything we have been collecting, and during our review we discovered that a statement made in a blog post on April 27 was incorrect. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/wifi-data-collection-update.html Google Data Admission Angers European Officials European privacy regulators and advocates reacted angrily Saturday to the disclosure by Google, the world?s largest search engine, that it had systematically collected private data since 2006 while compiling its Street View photo archive. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/technology/16google.html Germany slams Google for inadvertent data collection Germany has rebuked Internet search giant Google after the company admitted it accidentally collected personal data about unsecured Wi-Fi networks with its Street View mapping system. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5576837,00.html Google Says It Collected Private Data by Mistake Google said on Friday that for more than three years it had inadvertently collected snippets of private information that people send over unencrypted wireless networks. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/15/business/15google.html Google halts Street View Wi-Fi data collection Google said Friday it will no longer collect WiFi network information for its Street View mapping service after "mistakenly" gathering personal wireless data. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/google-halts-street-view-wifi-data-collection-20100515-v4wg.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/google-halts-street-view-wifi-data-collection-20100515-v4wg.html Google cars gathered home data without telling Google has collected personal wireless internet data from New Zealand homes through cars sent around the country for its Street View project. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/national/3695543/Google-cars-gathered-home-internet-data-without-telling http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/3695625/Google-cars-gathered-home-data-without-telling http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/google-data-gathering-in-nz-questioned http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/business/3695625/Google-cars-gathered-home-data-without-telling http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/business/3695625/Google-cars-gathered-home-data-without-telling http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/business/3695625/Google-cars-gathered-home-data-without-telling http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/business/3695625/Google-cars-gathered-home-data-without-telling http://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-newspapers/west-coast-6013/news-6662/3695625/Google-cars-gathered-home-data-without-telling http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/3695625/Google-cars-gathered-home-data-without-telling http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/business/national-business/3695625/Google-took-home-data http://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-newspapers/west-coast-6013/news-6662/3695625/Google-took-home-data How much does Google know about us? Questions are being asked about whether internet giants like Google have too much information about individual users. ... Martin Cocker, Executive Director of internet safety organization Net Safe, said he was ambivalent about the idea. On one hand, the data was publicly available. "On the other hand, these wireless points ? they're ours. We didn't expect they'd be used in this way." http://www.3news.co.nz/How-much-does-Google-know-about-us/tabid/412/articleID/155854/Default.aspx?ArticleID=155854 ?Google Knows About You, More Than You Do? The thing that bugs people is the way Google does these things and tells people about them later. http://topnews.co.uk/24535-google-knows-about-you-more-you-do Google admits collecting Wi-Fi data through Street View cars Google has been accidentally gathering extracts of personal web activity from private wifi networks through the Street View cars it has used since 2007, it said last night. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/15/google-admits-storing-private-data Google admits its Street View cars spied on wi-fi activity Google?s Street View cars have been spying on people?s internet use for three years, the search giant admitted last night. It had been scooping up snippets of people?s online activities broadcast over unprotected home and business wi-fi networks. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article7127478.ece ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** China restores internet access in Xinjiang China has restored access to the internet in the far western region of Xinjiang, ending 10 months of blocked or limited access. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8682145.stm http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/15/2900333.htm China restores internet to Xinjiang China has restored full internet access in the north-west Xinjiang region, ending 10 months of blocked or limited access following ethnic rioting there last July that led to many deaths. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/14/china-restores-internet-access-xinjiang China allows Internet access in Xinjiang 10 months after riots China restored full Internet access in its far western Xinjiang region Friday, the local government said, ending 10 months of blocked or limited access following deadly ethnic rioting there last July. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64D0M220100514 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Europe to Offer 5-Year Plan for Telecom Industry On Wednesday, Neelie Kroes, the new European commissioner for the digital agenda, plans to introduce a five-year plan for the telecommunications industry in Europe, encompassing issues like digital copyright, data protection, net neutrality and e-commerce. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/technology/17kroes.html Most countries now have national information technology strategies ? UN [news release] The lead United Nations agency on information and communication technology (ICT) issues today reported that more than 80 per cent of countries have met the global target of creating national e-strategies by this year. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34658&Cr=telecom&Cr1= au: eBay sellers can drop PayPal: ACCC EBay Australia sellers will no longer be forced to offer PayPal as a payment mechanism following the intervention of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/ebay-sellers-can-drop-paypal-accc/story-e6frgakx-1225866235856 us: Technology bill undone by porn provision House Democrats pulled an $85 billion technology bill on Thursday after Republicans attached an unrelated provision that would have prevented agencies from paying the salaries of government employees caught watching pornography on the job. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100514_6716.php us: AT&T Backs Call For Legislation AT&T Friday applauded Rep. Rick Boucher's call for firms to bring their ideas to Congress for how to address their concerns with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's proposal to reclassify broadband service. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/05/att-backs-call-for-legislation.php InternetNZ targets seminars at Copyright (Infringing File Sharing Amendment) Bill InternetNZ (Internet New Zealand Inc) will host seminars this month on the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing Amendment) Bill, to assist with submissions to the Select Committee. http://internetnz.net.nz/news/media-releases/2010/internetnz-targets-seminars-copyright-infringing-file-sharing-amendment-bil India security jitters rattle growing China ties India's ban on imports of Chinese telecommunications equipment over spying fears underscores deep mistrust of its neighbour but is unlikely to derail cooperation between the world's two fastest growing economies. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-48499820100514 ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Telstra separation bill delayed The Senate has delayed the introduction of theTelecommunications Legislation Amendment (Competition and Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2009today (12 May). http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/051310-telstra-separation-bill.html http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=920B4183-1A64-6A71-CE4E256C486B3C55 nz: Telecom ups ante in battle for broadband Telecom has launched its first major advertising campaign for its network business, Chorus, as telcos and lines companies pitch for a slice of the Government's $1.5 billion ultra-fast broadband plan. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10645402 4G wireless technology slowly starts out in Scandinavia [AFP] Launched in the capitals of tech-savvy Sweden and Norway in December, fourth generation wireless technology is getting off to a slow start in Scandinavia, analysts say. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100516/tc_afp/swedennorwayusjapantelecomstechnologymobile4g_20100516232220 http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/4g-wireless-technology-slowly-starts-out-in-scandinavia-20100517-v6ym.html What WiMAX 2 promises WiMAX isn't taking the challenge from LTE lying down. Faced with a growing number of operators planning to launch 4G LTE services over the next year, WiMAX's creators at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and its industry boosters are moving aggressively to upgrade the mobile data standard in time for a commercial launch in the U.S. as early as 2012. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/051310-wireless-wimax.html us: Tracking the Landline's Demise A new CDC survey shows that wireless phones are catching on more and more in U.S. homes, especially among younger users http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2010/tc20100513_987669.htm +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2010 --------- 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 "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 FlanneryReceived on Sun May 16 2010 - 20:59:45 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:10 UTC