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 *************************************************** Internet governance issues arise in Pacific (includes audio report) http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201009/s3003339.htm Obama seeks action on online pharmacies domain names http://www.securingpharma.com/40/articles/567.php co: How to Become an Internet Land Baron http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-snow/how-to-become-an-internet_b_705175.html ITU head: Cyberwar could be 'worse than tsunami' http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-threats/2010/09/03/itu-head-cyberwar-could-be-worse-than-tsunami-40089995/ The future of the internet: The internet has been a great unifier of people, companies and online networks. Powerful forces are threatening to balkanise it http://www.economist.com/node/16941635?story_id=16941635 au: UNSW reassures reliability to users after outages http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/359457/unsw_reassures_reliability_users_after_outages/ ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Internet governance issues arise in Pacific (includes audio report) An important workshop on Internet governance and communications technology was held in Fiji last week, but at least one invitee refused to attend due to Fiji's strict media censorship. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201009/s3003339.htm ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Obama seeks action on online pharmacies domain names US President Barack Obama has called for a meeting with ICANN and other stakeholders to see what can be done about rogue online pharmacies peddling illegal medicines. http://www.securingpharma.com/40/articles/567.php ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** The .CA Registry (CIRA) and ?Public Interest? by Zak Muscovitch The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (?CIRA?) operates Canada?s .CA domain name registry in the ?public interest?. Where does this authority come from and what is the ?public interest?? During the current 2010 election for CIRA?s Board of Directors, these questions should be raised and debated. CIRA has an important role to fill as the operational manager of the registry, but has an equally important role to fill in terms of governing the .CA space in the public interest. http://www.domainnamenews.com/cctlds/ca-registry-cira-public-interest/8022 co: How to Become an Internet Land Baron When entrepreneur Juan Diego Calle asked the Colombian government to let him sell their Internet real-estate, he knew it was a long shot. The Harvard-educated Colombian native was battling over only two letters of the alphabet, but his request was tall: Let me commercialize the nation's Internet identity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-snow/how-to-become-an-internet_b_705175.html Huffington Post Spotlight on .CO Registry and Juan Calle .CO Registry Founders ProgramThere was a neat article today on Huffington Post about Juan Calle and the .CO Registry. Aside from the mildly insulting comment that seems to equate domain parking with cybersquatting, it?s a pretty good article about the Registry and its marketing efforts, which have been led by Lori Anne Wardi and her marketing team. http://www.elliotsblog.com/huffington-post-spotlight-on-co-registry-and-juan-calle-5789 .KE Domain Names Hit 14,000 The .KE domain names hit the 14,000 mark on the 1st September 2010. http://www.kenic.or.ke/ 12 firms to register ?dot tz? domain name A total of 12 IT companies have been certified as ?Dot tz? (.tz) accredited registrars as part of efforts by the Tanzania Information Network Centre (.tzNIC) to make services readily available in the country. http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/business/13-local-business/3956-12-firms-to-register-dot-tz-domain-name ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** ITU head: Cyberwar could be 'worse than tsunami' International cyberwar would be "worse than a tsunami" and should be averted by a global cybersecurity peace treaty, according to the head of the International Telecommunications Union. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-threats/2010/09/03/itu-head-cyberwar-could-be-worse-than-tsunami-40089995/ DHS to expand cybersecurity program for researchers The Homeland Security Department asked on Wednesday for comments on the latest version of forms that determine who is eligible to access a repository of computer and network data for cybersecurity research and development. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100903_1096.php U.S. National Science Foundation funds research on social impact of network surveillance technologies by Milton Mueller Syracuse University Professor Milton Mueller was awarded $304,000 by the U.S. NSF for his research on ?Deep Packet Inspection and the Governance of the Internet.? The research grant was made by the Science, Technology and Society program of the Social, Economic and Behavioral Science Directorate of NSF. The research will take place over two academic years, 2010-11 and 2011-2012. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2010/8/30/4617647.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Revealed: how new domain registries are preparing to protect trademarks [reg req'd] It will take many long years before the trademark community ever starts to feel comfortable in the domain name world. The impending launch of infinite new gTLDs will only prolong this problem. But companies intending to apply to run new gTLD registries have told WTR that they are keen to offer rights protection mechanisms and will learn from the recent successful re-launch of the '.co' ccTLD. http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=13b6dd8f-87da-444d-905a-d578b6eadcfe Web address customers 'should check domain history' Businesses should check on the history of a web portal when purchasing online real estate from a domain name consultancy, it has been suggested. http://www.globalgold.co.uk/web-hosting-news/domains-news/domain-news-web-address-customers-should-check-domain-history-800051292 ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** IPv6 Transition Poses New Security Threats The countdown to the saturation of the IPv4 address supply is now down to a matter of months: and along with the vast address space of the next-generation IPv6 architecture comes more built-in network security as well as some new potential security threats. http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerability_management/security/perimeter/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227300083 Retooling Vulnerability Scanning, Penetration Testing for IPv6 IPv6 brings some welcome security and other features, but there are some 'gotchas' for IP professionals that may not be immediately apparent. http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerability_management/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227300150 IPv6 Prep Warnings Get More Urgent Service providers are banging the drum for the coming shift to IPv6, hoping to convince business customers that they need to prepare well in advance of the exhaust of IPv4 addresses, expected to happen in 2011. http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=196456 Analysis: What's holding back IPv6? Buying a nice address on the Internet will soon cost a bomb. The number of addresses available under IPv4, the predominate protocol for routing requests between hosts on today's internet, is dwindling rapidly. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/231050,analysis-whats-holding-back-ipv6.aspx ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** The future of the internet: The internet has been a great unifier of people, companies and online networks. Powerful forces are threatening to balkanise it The first internet boom, a decade and a half ago, resembled a religious movement. Omnipresent cyber-gurus, often framed by colourful PowerPoint presentations reminiscent of stained glass, prophesied a digital paradise in which not only would commerce be frictionless and growth exponential, but democracy would be direct and the nation-state would no longer exist. One, John-Perry Barlow, even penned ?A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace?. ... Not every request or barrier has a sinister motive. Australia?s firewall is a case in point, even if it is a clumsy way of enforcing the law. It would be another matter, however, if governments started tinkering with the internet?s address book, the Domain Name System (DNS). This allows the network to look up the computer on which a website lives. If a country started its own DNS, it could better control what people can see. Some fear this is precisely what China and others might do one day. http://www.economist.com/node/16941635?story_id=16941635 au: UNSW reassures reliability to users after outages The University of New South Wales has sought to reassure students of its reliability, after its domain name registration expired, resulting in outages in all external-facing UNSW websites and email bounce backs. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/359457/unsw_reassures_reliability_users_after_outages/ ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Want to Bid on Sex.com? Deposit $1 Million. We might never see an auction for Sex.com. But if we do, expect to put up a significant deposit if you wish to bid. http://domainnamewire.com/2010/09/02/want-to-bid-on-sex-com-deposit-1-million/ .CO landrush auctions could top $10 million The ongoing .co landrush auctions could finish up raising more than $10 million for .CO Internet, according to some quick back-of-the-envelope calculations. http://domainincite.com/co-landrush-auctions-could-top-10-million/ Sedo Launches New Search! We proudly invite you to check out the new innovations we?ve added to the domain search on Sedo.com. https://sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2695 ********************** REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Cell phones and American adults Overview: Texting by American adults has increased substantially over the past year, but still does not approach the magnitude of text messages exchanged by adolescents. Some 72% of adult cell phone users send and receive text messages now, up from 65% in September 2009. Fully 87% of teen cell users text. Teens text 50 messages a day on average, five times more than the typical 10 text messages sent and received by adults per day. http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Cell-Phones-and-American-Adults.aspx ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** The future of the internet: The internet has been a great unifier of people, companies and online networks. Powerful forces are threatening to balkanise it The first internet boom, a decade and a half ago, resembled a religious movement. Omnipresent cyber-gurus, often framed by colourful PowerPoint presentations reminiscent of stained glass, prophesied a digital paradise in which not only would commerce be frictionless and growth exponential, but democracy would be direct and the nation-state would no longer exist. One, John-Perry Barlow, even penned ?A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace?. http://www.economist.com/node/16941635 The web's new walls: How the threats to the internet?s openness can be averted When George W. Bush referred to ?rumours on the, uh, internets? during the 2004 presidential campaign, he was derided for his cluelessness?and ?internets? became a shorthand for a lack of understanding of the online world. But what looked like ignorance then looks like prescience now. As divergent forces tug at the internet, it is in danger of losing its universality and splintering into separate digital domains. http://www.economist.com/node/16943579 Online advertising still doesn't pack a fraction of print's punch You can have opinion (and hope, and aspiration) or you can have facts. Benedict Evans, at Enders Analysis, has just trawled through all the data of newspaper finances present and future ? and he has concluded that one current print reader is worth four times as much as any prospective online website reader. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2010/sep/05/preston-online-advertising YouTube Ads Turn Videos Into Revenue Last month, a YouTube user, TomR35, uploaded a clip from the AMC series ?Mad Men? in which Don Draper makes a heartfelt speech about the importance of nostalgia in advertising. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/technology/03youtube.html Craigslist Blocks Access to 'Adult Services' Pages Craigslist, the popular Web site for classified ads, has blocked access to its ?adult services? section and replaced the link with a black label showing the word ?censored.? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/technology/05craigs.html Craigslist stops offering links to 'adult services' ads One of the world's biggest providers of Internet classified advertising abruptly shut down the "adult services" section of its U.S. Web sites this weekend, apparently in response to criticism from prosecutors that it had become a tool for prostitution. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/04/AR2010090401719.html Internet an equalizer for people with disabilities [AFP] Sally Harrison is developmentally disabled, but on Facebook the 35-year-old woman is just like anyone else. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/internet-an-equalizer-for-people-with-disabilities-20100906-14wa4.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/internet-an-equalizer-for-people-with-disabilities-20100906-14wa4.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Mining social networks: Software: From retailing to counterterrorism, the ability to analyse social connections is proving increasingly useful Telecoms operators naturally prize mobile-phone subscribers who spend a lot, but some thriftier customers, it turns out, are actually more valuable. Known as ?influencers?, these subscribers frequently persuade their friends, family and colleagues to follow them when they switch to a rival operator. The trick, then, is to identify such trendsetting subscribers and keep them on board with special discounts and promotions. People at the top of the office or social pecking order often receive quick callbacks, do not worry about calling other people late at night and tend to get more calls at times when social events are most often organised, such as Friday afternoons. Influential customers also reveal their clout by making long calls, while the calls they receive are generally short. http://www.economist.com/node/16910031 Facebook: Teens want to unfriend their cyber-stalking moms More than three-quarters of parents on Facebook are friends with their kids -- to many of those kids' dismay, Tiffany Hsu writes. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/08/facebook-teens-want-to-defriend-their-cyberstalking-moms.html au: Mother's worst nightmare: Facebook won't shut down stalker A Sydney mother-of-three, her daughter and daughter's friends have been subjected to a two-week ordeal at the hands of a Facebook stalker and they have been unable to get the social networking company to intervene. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/mothers-worst-nightmare-facebook-wont-shut-down-stalker-20100902-14rr7.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/4092154/Facebook-won-t-shut-down-stalker http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/mothers-worst-nightmare-facebook-wont-shut-down-stalker-20100902-14rr7.html Facebook to roll out security feature Facebook is rolling out a new security feature that lets users log out of their accounts remotely from another computer. It follows the news of a Sydney mother-of-three, her daughter and daughter's friends being subjected to a two-week ordeal at the hands of a Facebook stalker they have been unable to get the social networking company to do anything about. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-to-roll-out-security-feature-20100903-14svb.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-to-roll-out-security-feature-20100903-14svb.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/4091513/Facebooks-new-security-feature-remote-logouts Facebook adds new remote log-out security feature Facebook users who log in from multiple devices will soon have a way to make sure they are only logged in on the computer they are currently using. http://www.zdnetasia.com/facebook-adds-new-remote-log-out-security-feature-62202660.htm Brands loosen grip on social media MORE companies are handing over the control of their social media activity to external agencies in a trend that concerns even those who earn business out of it. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/brands-loosen-grip-on-social-media-20100903-14spq.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/brands-loosen-grip-on-social-media-20100903-14spq.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Memristor revolution backed by HP Electronics giant HP has joined the world's second-largest memory chip maker Hynix to manufacture a novel member of the electronics family. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11165087 Tiny solar cells fix themselvesDevice containing nanometre-scale solar cells A mix of chemicals borrowed from plants with tiny tubes of carbon can spontaneously create tiny, self-repairing solar cells. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11181753 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ eu: Not Just a Picture Conference To mark the end of the pilot phase of the European Financial Coalition, we are pleased to announce the Not Just a Picture Conference will be taking place on the 15-16th September 2010, at the Concert Noble in Brussels. http://www.ceop.police.uk/EFC/Public-Library/Latest-News/Final-conference/ The role of technology in the sexualisation of children: Thursday 23rd September 2010, Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision, Hilversum Understanding the risks: The internet is a natural part of life for children. It?s part of the world in which they grow up, a place to meet and play, to share experiences and explore. A place to learn about the world, good and bad. http://www.ceop.police.uk/Documents/Netherlands_FLYER.pdf au: School uses anti-bullying app after suicide A school district in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is hoping a specialized software application will help stop tragedies like the one that befell Phoebe Prince, an Irish-born teen who committed suicide in January after an alleged bullying campaign by fellow students. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/359534/school_uses_anti-bullying_app_after_suicide/ ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Online television: Old-media firms are firmly in control of internet video Like stallholders in a busy market, technology companies hawked their online-video services this week. In Berlin, Sony announced it would begin selling films over the internet to Europeans. In San Francisco, Apple unveiled a smaller, cheaper Apple TV, a set-top box designed to play videos. It also said some television shows would be available ? la carte for 99 cents. YouTube, a video-streaming website owned by Google, is trying to cut deals with studios that would allow it to rent newly released films. Amazon too is reportedly trying to build a subscription service. But while technology companies are making all the noise, old-media firms are quietly steering the market. http://www.economist.com/node/16944911 Apple, Google to clash in music space by Christmas Google Inc is in talks with music labels on plans for a download store and a digital song locker that would allow its mobile users to play songs wherever they are as it steps up its rivalry with Apple Inc, according to people familiar with the matter. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE68151J20100902 Google's music entreaties fall favorably on record companies' ears Google Inc., which is developing a digital music service, is finding a warm welcome at record companies that are hoping the technology company can loosen Apple Inc.?s grip on the digital music market with its iTunes music store. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/09/googles-entreaties-music-to-record-companies-ears.html Apple's move pushes TV toward Internet delivery The slow-moving struggle to unplug TV viewing from its traditional business model just got more interesting -- and messier. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/01/AR2010090106419.html Internet TV just around the corner Internet television, or IPTV, is coming to a living room near you. http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/business/4092871/Internet-TV-just-around-the-corner http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4092871/Internet-TV-just-around-the-corner A New Digital Battlefield TV shows are emerging as a new front in the war over digital media between Amazon.com and Apple amid their ongoing battles over electronic books and online music. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703431604575468051468814036.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Mobile internet in emerging markets: How the mobile internet will transform the BRICI countries Buying a mobile phone was the wisest $20 Ranvir Singh ever spent. Mr Singh, a farmer in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, used to make appointments in person, in advance, to deliver fresh buffalo milk to his 40-odd neighbours. Now his customers just call when they want some. Mr Singh?s income has risen by 25%, to 7,000 rupees ($149) a month. And he hears rumours of an even more bountiful technology. He has heard that ?something on mobile phones? can tell him the current market price of his wheat. Mr Singh does not know that that ?something? is the internet, because, like most Indians, he has never seen or used it. But the phone in his calloused hand hints at how hundreds of millions of people in emerging markets?perhaps even billions?will one day log on. http://www.economist.com/node/16944020 Taiwan's HTC: iPhone's quiet challenger [AP] East Asia is the world's electronics factory, yet unless they are Japanese, producers are largely anonymous. Now HTC Corp, a Taiwanese maker of smart phones, is moving out of the shadows and trying to establish its own brand name as it competes with Apple's iPhone. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/4100199/Taiwans-HTC-iPhones-quiet-challenger http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/taiwans-htc-iphones-quiet-challenger-20100905-14vti.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/taiwans-htc-iphones-quiet-challenger-20100905-14vti.html BlackBerry should share data: UN [AP] Blackberry's Canadian manufacturer should give law enforcement agencies access to customer data, the United Nations telecommunications chief said. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/blackberry-should-share-data-un/story-e6frgakx-1225913667884 More U.S. Adults Embrace Texting, Survey Finds A survey released Thursday found that U.S. adults are following teens in embracing text messaging, with 72 percent of adults saying they have sent or received text messages compared with 65 percent in a September 2009 survey. Adults, however, still have a ways to go to catch up to the 87 percent of teens who reported using their mobile phones for texting. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/09/more-us-adults-embrace-texting.php Pew: Adults text, but teens do it five times as much Nearly three-quarters of adult mobile phone users text message others, but the average teenager sends and receives five times as many messages as an adult, Pew Internet found in a recent study. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20015588-17.html Israeli mobile phone interconnect fees slashed 80 percent Israel's telecom regulator on Thursday ordered mobile phone operators to cut fees they charge each other to connect calls by nearly 80 percent, a move the companies say will hurt profits and revenue. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE68134D20100902 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************* UN reveals global disparity in broadband access The global disparity in fixed broadband access and cost has been revealed by UN figures. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11162656 Developing world leaps digital divide The number of internet users in five emerging economies will nearly double by 2015, a new report says. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/03/3001556.htm The growth of the Internet in Africa The Internet has achieved less penetration in Africa than on any other inhabited continent. In part this is a product of the majority's drastically low disposable income in most countries, but it is also a reflection of extremely poor digital infrastructure outside of a few comparatively developed countries, such as Egypt, Morocco, Mauritius, and South Africa. Nevertheless, new investments are occurring every year - and because Africa is so far behind, Internet in Africa will likely appear to grow extremely rapidly over the coming decade. http://www.helium.com/items/1941257-growth-of-the-internet-in-africa ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Austria far-right says anti-mosque web game banned Austrian authorities have banned a far-right online game where players eliminate animated mosques and Muslims, the political party behind the game said on Friday. http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-51275120100903 jp: No. of Internet crime cases hits record high in 1st half Police responded to a record 2,444 Internet crime cases nationwide in the first half of this year, a National Police Agency survey showed Thursday. The number, up 586 or 31.5% from a year earlier, represented a new high since the NPA started gathering statistics for Internet crimes, defined as crimes which use a computer network, on a half-year basis in 2004. http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/no-of-internet-crime-cases-hits-record-high-in-1st-half Record 2,444 Internet crimes handled in first half Police responded to a record 2,444 Internet crime cases nationwide in the first half of this year, a National Police Agency survey showed Thursday. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100903a3.html Texas Probes Google on Ranking of Search Results The Texas attorney general has opened an antitrust investigation into how Google ranks search results, the first United States case to strike at the heart of the company?s main search business. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/04/technology/04google.html Texas Attorney General Investigates Google Search Google said Friday that the Texas attorney general, Greg Abbott, is conducting an antitrust review of its search business. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/texas-attorney-general-investigates-google-search/ Google faces Texas AG inquiry, settles privacy suit Google Inc said on Friday it was the target of an investigation by the Texas Attorney General's office into the fairness of its search engine rankings. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE68253J20100904 http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-51275620100904 Texas attorney general to investigate complaints about Google's search engine [AP] Google's methods for recommending Web sites are being reviewed by the Texas state attorney general in an investigation spurred by complaints that the company has abused its power as the Internet's dominant search engine. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090305857.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/texas-opens-inquiry-into-google-search-rankings-20100904-14uso.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/texas-opens-inquiry-into-google-search-rankings-20100904-14uso.html Texas watchdog reviews Google?s practices The company faces the first broad antitrust probe of its core search business, in its latest fight to contain legal challenges prompted by its spreading influence on online life http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/587ea3c2-b7b1-11df-8ef6-00144feabdc0.html Texas Launches Antitrust Probe Of Google Google revealed Friday that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is conducting an antitrust probe of the Internet firm, focusing on whether the company manipulates its search results. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/09/texas-launches-antitrust-probe.php German court rules against YouTube over copyright A German court ruled Friday that Google Inc.'s subsidiary YouTube LLC must pay compensation after users uploaded several videos of performances by singer Sarah Brightman in violation of copyright laws. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090303415.html Google Loses German Court Ruling Over YouTube Videos [Bloomberg] Google Inc.?s YouTube video service lost a Hamburg court ruling over copyrighted material that was posted online without permission for rebroadcast. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-09-03/google-loses-german-court-ruling-over-youtube-videos.html Nigerian scam tops list of decade's online cons We've all received e-mails from deposed Nigerian princes asking for help in getting lots of money out of their country. But that's just one of several scams that made Panda Security's list of the most frequent online cons of a decade. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20015433-83.html Libel tourism is a very rare thing in UK courts, finds study Just three out of 83 defamation cases reported in the UK in the past year involved libel tourism, according to a study. Concern about foreign residents suing foreign publishers in UK courts greatly outweighs its actual occurrence, the figures suggest. http://out-law.com/page-11343 au: PS3 hack ban upheld by court as free version released Sony's battle to block the distribution of a hack for its PlayStation 3 (PS3) has been won in an Australian court but lost on the internet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11176441 ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Google to Simplify Its Privacy Policies It?s no secret that privacy policies on the Web are incomprehensible to most of the public. They?re long, convoluted and contain acronyms and language that require a master?s degree if you want to figure out what the company is doing with your personal information. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/google-to-simplify-its-privacy-policies/ Google Aims To Make Privacy Policies More Understandable Google said Friday that it is "simplifying and updating" its privacy policies to make them more understandable for users. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/09/google-aims-to-make-privacy-po.php Google Helps Users Learn What it Knows About Them Ever wondered what Google knows about you? The Internet giant on Friday made it easier to understand and control the information it collects. http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/09/03/google-helps-users-learn-what-it-knows-about-them/ us: Google Privacy Practices Blasted Consumer Watchdog, a group that has been a sharp critic of Google's privacy practices in the past, is at it once again. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9183539/Consumer_group_lampoons_Google_CEO_over_privacy_issues http://www.pcworld.com/article/204882/.html Google: Trimming our privacy policies Long, complicated and lawyerly?that's what most people think about privacy policies, and for good reason. Even taking into account that they?re legal documents, most privacy policies are still too hard to understand. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/trimming-our-privacy-policies.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Saudi telecom shuts websites violating Fatwa edict [AP] Saudi Arabia's telecom regulator has shut down three websites that were violating a government decree limiting the issuance of religious edicts to the country's most senior group of clerics, authorities said Saturday. http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2010/09/04/saudi_telecom_shuts_websites_violating_fatwa_edict/ http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/saudi-telecom-shuts-websites-over-edict-20100905-14vm2.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Net Neutrality: The Struggle for What We Already Have For something that seems so simple and straightforward, ?net neutrality? has sure created one big mess. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/04/business/04nocera.html us: FCC asks for public comment on net neutrality proposals American net users are being asked to help decide what ISPs can do to the web traffic flowing over their networks. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11163136 How Neutral Is the Internet? Whether the Internet is truly a democratic forum was called into question this week in a dispute about Internet traffic management between AT&T and the consumer advocacy group Free Press, National Journal.com reported. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/09/how-neutral-is-the-internet.php Google warned on China plans Google?s technological lead over Baidu has eroded, the company?s former China head has said, highlighting the increasing challenges western internet companies face in the world?s most populous internet market http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/310ccbe2-b915-11df-99be-00144feabdc0.html ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* Australian pedestrian death rise blamed on iPods Death by iPod is being blamed as a contributing factor to the 25 per cent rise in the number of pedestrian fatalities in NSW. http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mp3s/pedestrian-death-rise-blamed-on-ipods-20100905-14w4d.html http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/mp3s/pedestrian-death-rise-blamed-on-ipods-20100905-14w4d.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** au: National Broadband Network is a 'soft target' for cyber crooks, say police Cyber criminals will target Australia's high-speed broadband network, police have warned. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/network-soft-target-for-cyber-crooks/story-fn59niix-1225914507805 http://www.news.com.au/technology/network-is-a-soft-target-for-cyber-crooks/story-e6frfro0-1225914541370 nz: Telco networks robust in Christchurch earthquake Telecom makes 300 payphones available free of charge http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/telco-networks-robust-in-christchurch-earthquake Christchurch IT firms continue operations after quake Canterbury Software Summit postponed; essential staff only at Jade centre http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/christchurch-it-firms-continue-operations-after-quake Cable and Wireless Worldwide in SingTel's sights Singapore Telecoms, the sovereign wealth-backed mobile phone-to-pay TV giant, is considering a bid for FTSE 100 group Cable & Wireless Worldwide. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/cable-and-wireless-worldwide-in-singtels-sights-2070603.html SingTel mulls bid for C&W Worldwide [Reuters] Singapore Telecommunications is considering a bid for FTSE 100 group Cable & Wireless Worldwide, The Independent reported Sunday. http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20100906004231/Article/ http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/singtel-mulls-bid-for-cw-worldwide/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (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 Sep 05 2010 - 19:18:38 UTC
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