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 *************************************************** Web worlds collide in war for followers http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3422fc06-d88d-11df-8e05-00144feabdc0.html Challenger, defender or both? ITU Secretary General Tour? talks Internet http://gibc.biz/2010/10/challenger-defender-or-both-itu-secretary-general-toure-talks-internet/ Iran?s Arabic domain choice approved http://domainincite.com/irans-arabic-domain-choice-approved/ uk: Cyberwarfare defence spending to rise despite cuts http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/17/cyberwarfare-defence-spending-increase-cuts IPv4: And then there were 12 http://blog.icann.org/2010/10/and-then-there-were-12/ Hackers waiting for IP addresses to run out http://www.securecomputing.net.au/News/235242,hackers-waiting-for-ip-addresses-to-run-out.aspx URL shorteners, domain hacks and quasi-gTLDs: what are ccTLDs really about? by Jon Lawrence, Business Development Consultant, AusRegistry International http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=575 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Web worlds collide in war for followers A phony war being waged between some of the biggest companies on the web broke out into the open this week. The worlds of internet search and social networking have finally collided ? with long-term implications both for the experience of using the web, as well as the online competitive landscape. The opening salvo in the battle was fired on Wednesday, with news of an alliance between Facebook and Microsoft?s Bing search engine. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3422fc06-d88d-11df-8e05-00144feabdc0.html Challenger, defender or both? ITU Secretary General Tour? talks Internet Last week, Malinese representative Hamadoun Tour? was selected to a second term as Secretary-General of the ITU. It will be a difficult four years for the man who has to navigate the organisation through a crisis of identity and purpose, as well as a reduction in its funds. Surprisingly, but probably crucially, he is quite upbeat about the challenges ahead when we met him during the second week of the ITU?s three-week Plenipotentiary in Guadalajara. http://gibc.biz/2010/10/challenger-defender-or-both-itu-secretary-general-toure-talks-internet/ ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Public Comment: Allow the Allocation of Numeric-Only (Excluding Single-Digit) Domains in .TEL ICANN is today opening a public comment period on a proposed amendment from Telnic Ltd. to Appendices 6 and S of the .TEL Registry Agreement. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-14oct10-en.htm Hogan Lovells becomes registrar Law firm Hogan Lovells has been accredited by Icann as a domain name registrar. It claims to be the first law firm to have taken such a step. ... He told Managing Internet IP the move would enable the firm to service clients on gTLDs and sunrise periods "but also, and importantly, be positioned to assist our key clients when new gTLDs are launched in 2011". http://www.managingip.com/Article/2693449/Latest-News-Magazine/Hogan-Lovells-becomes-registrar.html WIPO Activities Related to New gTLDs These pages seek to provide a distillation of WIPO?s Activities Related to New gTLDs designed to assist in the prevention and resolution of domain name-related trademark abuse. http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/newgtld/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Iran?s Arabic domain choice approved Iran?s choice of Arabic-script top-level domain has passed the string approval stage of ICANN?s internationalized domain name process, making a delegation likely before long. http://domainincite.com/irans-arabic-domain-choice-approved/ Iran's Top-Level Domain Approved by ICANN, That is .IRAN in Non-Latin ICANN announced today its approval of non-Latin string evaluation of Iran. This approval will allow the availability of Iran's top-level domain in its own native language, Persian, also known as Farsi (that is, the domain name .IRAN, in non-Latin characters). http://www.circleid.com/posts/20101015_iran_non_latin_top_level_domain_approved_by_icann/ Registering domains within co.no The domain co.no is registered by the Norwegian organization ELINEWEB AS. It appears to be run by the company CoDNS BV, which is offering sub-domains of co.no to other entities. http://www.norid.no/nytt/co.en.html Norid Trying To Scare Prospective Registrants of co.no domains? Norid, the domain name registry for Norway (.no), has a page on their site about co.no which is worth reading. http://www.dnsnews.me/2010/10/11/norid-trying-to-scare-prospective-registrants/ .SE?s statement concerning One.com In. SE's letter to PTS, we answer questions about the closure of One.com for new registrations as of September 14, 2010 http://www.iis.se/en/pressmeddelanden/se-svar-gallande-one-com IDNs coming next week! IDNs for .si will become available in just a couple of days. Registrations will start on 20.10.2010 at 10:00. Contact your registrar for timely registration of your .si IDN. Supported character list can be found here. http://www.registry.si/news/news-item/article/idns-coming-next-week/285.html Will ITU object to phone number .tel domains? Should Telnic be allowed to let people register their phone numbers as .tel domain names? http://domainincite.com/will-itu-object-to-phone-number-tel-domains/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** uk: Cyberwarfare defence spending to rise despite cuts A significant rise in resources devoted to cyberwarfare, intelligence gathering and special forces will be signalled tomorrow when the government reveals full details of a defence review that will impose sweeping cuts on the armed forces' more traditional forms of firepower. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/17/cyberwarfare-defence-spending-increase-cuts Cyber-attacks are 'key threat to UK security' [PA] Britain's new National Security Strategy is today expected to name terrorism and cyber-attacks on vital computer networks as the biggest threats to the UK in the immediate future. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cyberattacks-are-key-threat-to-uk-security-2109628.html Terrorism and cyber attacks are key threats to Britain, says report Britain faces an increased threat from terrorism, cyber attack and small-scale wars, a National Security Strategy will say. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8070022/Terrorism-and-cyber-attacks-are-key-threats-to-Britain-says-report.html Call to define rules of cyber war Nations need to define the rules of engagement for acts of cyber terror. The call for clarity was issued by Michael Chertoff, former head of the US Department of Homeland Security, at the RSA security conference in London. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11545040 uk: Strategic defence review to prioritise cyber security A major increase in resources devoted to combating the threat posed by internet attacks will feature in next week's strategic defence and security review, the government's cyber tsar signalled today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/13/strategic-defence-review-cyber-security Editorial: Cyber warfare: Low blows There are 1,000 emails a month trying to penetrate or disable government computer networks. Losses from online banking fraud reached ?39m in the first half of 2009, a rise of more than 50% over the year before. Whichever way you look at it, the director of GCHQ, Iain Lobban, was not exaggerating when he said this week that Britain's critical infrastructure faced a real and credible threat from cyber attack. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/14/cyber-warfare-gchq-espionage us: Defense, Homeland Security Reach Cybersecurity Compromise The heads of the Defense and Homeland Security departments on Wednesday formally agreed to coordinate on cybersecurity in a newly established office, amid a debate over whether the Pentagon, Homeland Security or the White House should have chief responsibility for protecting information networks, Nextgov.com reported. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/10/defense-homeland-security-reac.php ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Law, politics and internet addresses: Shortened web links are convenient, but they come at a price Physical investment in Libya would merit much due diligence. On the internet, this is not yet standard. The woes of vb.ly, a website that used Libya?s .ly domain name, highlight a neglected problem for web businesses and users. http://www.economist.com/node/17249654 ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** And then there were 12 This week we allocated two more /8s, this time to APNIC, the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for the Asia Pacific region. There are now just 12 unallocated unicast IPv4 /8s. http://blog.icann.org/2010/10/and-then-there-were-12/ Hackers waiting for IP addresses to run out Cyber criminals are ready to pounce when current IPv4 web addresses run out and firms migrate to IPv6, a security firm warns. http://www.securecomputing.net.au/News/235242,hackers-waiting-for-ip-addresses-to-run-out.aspx http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/235242,hackers-waiting-for-ip-addresses-to-run-out.aspx IPv6 Momentum? by Craig Labovitz Last month, the Obama administration sponsored one of the first high-level government workshops on IPv6. At the meeting, the administration's Chief Information Officer, Vivek Kundra, announced a remarkable 2012 deadline for federal agencies to support IPv6. So with a high-level US government mandate and a recent spade of vendor and carrier IPv6 announcements (e.g. VeriSign, Hurricane Electric), is the 15 year old IPv6 migration effort finally gaining momentum? http://www.circleid.com/posts/ipv6_momentum/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** URL shorteners, domain hacks and quasi-gTLDs: what are ccTLDs really about? by Jon Lawrence, Business Development Consultant, AusRegistry International The Twitterverse is awash with catchy URL shortening services, which allow what would otherwise be long URLs to fit within the strict character limit of individual Tweets. Before the Twitter phenomenon really took hold, tinyurl.com was one of the more popular services; now much shorter options are available, using various ccTLDs which have the significant advantage of being only two characters after the dot. http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=575 Netcraft October 2010 Web Server Survey In the October 2010 survey we received responses from 232,839,963 sites. Again this month Apache increased its market share by approximately 1 percentage point, gaining 5.5M hostnames, while Microsoft and Google lost 1.3M and 400k hostnames respectively. Microsoft's losses in Active Sites were much smaller, at just over 100k, while Google lost 150k. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2010/10/12/october-2010-web-server-survey.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Half Million Dollar Sale at Sedo and .CO Landrush Auction Sales Dominate This Week's Domain Sales Chart Sedo rang up one of the year's 10 biggest sales to date to take the top spot on our new weekly all extension domain sales leader board. They did it with IPO.com, a name that changed hands for an even $500,000. Sedo also claimed the runner-up position with AirTickets.com at $80,000 and wound up sweeping 11 of the 20 chart entries overall. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2010/20101006.htm us: Stearns to speak to domain-name industry An influential Florida Republican will become the highest-ranking government official to address the domain-name industry in Miami Beach next week. http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/124475-stearns-to-speak-to-domain-name-industry ********************** REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Thinking Through Active Defense in Cyberspace by Jay P. Kesan & Carol M. Hayes [Illinois Public Law Research Paper] Abstract: In this article, we take a forward-looking approach to the issue of active defense in cyberspace. Active defense typically occurs in the following way: the victim of a cyber attack detects an intrusion, identifies the source of the attack, and sends the data back at the attacker with the goal of interrupting the attack, thereby mitigating the harm to the victim?s system. Building on our earlier work that active defense is socially optimal when accurate technology exists and civil litigation, criminal prosecution, and purely defensive strategies would be ineffective or impractical, we now discuss the domestic and international law implications of permitting active defense and offer recommendations for who should be responsible for active defense and under what circumstances. We recommend further improvement of the current technology available for active defense in order to ensure that any cyber counterstrikes have a strong chance of hitting the attacker. We stress the importance of any active defense regime being compatible with notions of self-defense under international humanitarian law and domestic law, though we reject the common conclusion that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act could be read broadly to prohibit any sort of activity on the Internet that might cause harm to another computer owned and operated by a private citizen. We also discuss the implications of permitting active defense by private firms and conclude that there may be too many potential harms to permit private firms to engage in active defense in the absence of controlling government oversight. However, the need for a more centralized response to cyber attacks raises the question of whether a government entity should be responsible for conducting cyber counterstrikes, and if so, what legal considerations would arise in the event of government-controlled active defense. Additionally, we examine the sort of controls that might be put in place to ensure the protection of oblivious third parties whose compromised computers might be inadvertently harmed by a cyberattack victim?s choice to employ active defense. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1691207 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Are we smarter or stupider with the internet? [Sunday Star Times] Is the internet making us stupid? Sarah Harvey searches for the answer: Our online reading habits are making us stupid and unable to read anything longer than a paragraph or two, according to research in London. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/4241832/Are-we-smarter-or-stupider-with-the-internet S.Korea widens lead in global broadband quality South Korea has surpassed Hong Kong and Japan in broadband quality for the second consecutive year, setting a new global benchmark for speed and penetration, a study said on Monday. http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-52254720101018 UK net is "not ready" for future The UK is slowly climbing up the broadband world rankings, but is still not "ready for tomorrow," according to a global study of net services. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11551200 Third annual broadband study shows global broadband quality improves by 24% in one year [news release] The results of the third annual study of the quality of broadband connections around the globe reveals continued improvements worldwide, with more countries already prepared for the applications of tomorrow than in previous years and two thirds of the countries analyzed meeting or surpassing today's needs. Overall, thanks to a range of investments in infrastructure, global broadband quality has improved by 50% in just three years and penetration of broadband continues to improve, with about half of the households (49%) of the countries investigated now having access to broadband (up from 40% in 2008). http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2010/prod_101710.html Get Britons Online internet use campaign under way A major drive to get more people to use the internet has started, with the aim of persuading reluctant users that the web can save them money and time. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11562798 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Google Determined to Crack the Social Code Google has been stunningly adept at devising computer algorithms to help people search the Internet. But when it comes to building features for social networking, the company has been much less effective. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/technology/18google.html Facebook 'encourages to children to spread gossip and insults' Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are undermining children?s moral development by rewarding the use of ?inneuendo, half-truth and insult?, according to a leading headmaster. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8067093/Facebook-encourages-to-children-to-spread-gossip-and-insults.html Facebook works to remove anti-gay hate speech [AP] Facebook is working with a gay-advocacy group to reduce the amount of hate speech and bullying on the online social hub. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/facebook-works-to-remove-antigay-hate-speech-20101016-16nwt.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/facebook-works-to-remove-antigay-hate-speech-20101016-16nwt.html Facebook and Skype deal to dial friends and family Skype is integrating with Facebook to make it easier to call and video chat with friends and family on the social network. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11547799 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Poll Confirms Ubiquity Of Tech Gadgets A new poll released Thursday confirms what most of us probably already know: cell phones, laptops, Mp3 players and other tech gadgets are becoming an ubiquitous part of most U.S. households. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/10/poll-confirms-ubiquity-of-tech.php Americans and their gadgets Overview: In recent years the digital world has expanded far beyond the desktop, and consumers can now choose from an array of devices capable of satisfying their need for ?anytime, anywhere? access to news, information, friends and entertainment. http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Gadgets.aspx ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Half off! France "fights piracy" by subsidizing digital music France has decided to try something... novel. The country will attempt to prop up the digital music industry by subsidizing legal music consumption by young people. Under the initiative, citizens between 12 and 25 years old will be able to purchase a "carte musique"?a prepaid card usable on subscription-based music websites. The card will come with ?50 worth of credit, but customers only have to pay ?25. The rest will be paid by the French government. http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2010/10/france-to-fight-piracy-prop-up-music-industry-with-new-subsidy.ars French to bankroll music-buying French people aged 12-25 are to be encouraged to buy music via a state-subsidised scheme. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11549874 French music download subsidy cleared by Europe A French scheme to subsidise music downloads for young people has been given the green light by the European Commission, which has said that the measure does not breach its rules on state aid. http://out-law.com/page-11454 Germany Is the Last Holdout in YouTube's European Music Quest In Europe, YouTube is still perceived in some circles as an illicit conduit for bootleg music. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/technology/18euroyoutube.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Will Apple's Culture Hurt the iPhone? If you want a smartphone powered by Google?s Android software, you could get Motorola?s Droid 2 or its cousin, the Droid X. Then there is the Droid Incredible from HTC, the Fascinate from Samsung and the Ally from LG. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/technology/18apple.html FCC takes first step toward mobile broadband fund [IDG] The U.S. Federal Communications Commission took the first step Thursday toward long-advocated reform of a huge program that subsidizes traditional phone service by proposing a new fund to pay for mobile service in rural areas. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9191198/FCC_takes_first_step_toward_mobile_broadband_fund Prisons and mobile phones: If mobile phones can?t be kept out of prisons, can they be made useless? The striking thing about mobile phones in American prisons is not that they exist?though they do, in great numbers?but the ingenuity used to get and keep them. There are the usual entry methods: from visitors, corrupt guards or in packages hurled over the fence. But phones often take more exotic paths. In South Carolina a potato gun was used to fire phones over prison walls from a distance of a third of a mile. In Mississippi a suspiciously heavy and bounceless basketball in the recreation yard was found to contain 19 phones and chargers. http://www.economist.com/node/17257847?story_id=17257847 Toddlers' Favorite Toy: The iPhone The bedroom door opened and a light went on, signaling an end to nap time. The toddler, tousle-haired and sleepy-eyed, clambered to a wobbly stand in his crib. He smiled, reached out to his father, and uttered what is fast becoming the cry of his generation: ?iPhone!? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/fashion/17TODDLERS.html au: Push to kill mobile 'bill shock' Mobile carriers would be forced to notify customers before slugging them with excess usage fees and other extra charges under tough new rules being considered by the Australian government and regulators. http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/push-to-kill-mobile-bill-shock-20101018-16pux.html http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/push-to-kill-mobile-bill-shock-20101018-16pux.html http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/push-to-kill-mobile-bill-shock-20101018-16pux.html ********************** SPAM ********************** Spam nation: U.S. tops list of spam-relaying countries Spam nation. Let's face it, that's what they should call us, and it's not the eatin' spam, it's the e-mail spam. The United States of America is the top spam-belching nation in the entire world ? by far. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/101410-spam.html ACMA meets with international anti-spam partners ACMA has kicked off a week-long series of anti-spam meetings and workshops with regulators, law enforcement and experts from more than 13 other countries. http://www.securecomputing.net.au/News/235585,acma-meets-with-international-antispam-partners.aspx http://www.itnews.com.au/News/235585,acma-meets-with-international-anti-spam-partners.aspx ACMA hosts global anti-spam pow-wow The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will this week host a series of meetings between international anti-spam regulators. http://www.zdnet.com.au/acma-hosts-global-anti-spam-pow-wow-339306647.htm ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Mobile phones help lift poor out of poverty: UN study Mobile phones -- spreading faster than any other information technology -- can improve the livelihoods of the poorest people in developing countries, a United Nations report released on Thursday said. http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-52199820101014 http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE69D4WX20101014 UN highlights importance of ICT sector in creating opportunities for the poor [news release] Services and goods associated with information and communications technologies (ICTs) are creating opportunities for the poor, but those sources of income are unevenly distributed and not always sustainable, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said today in a new report. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36451 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** uk: Cyberwarfare defence spending to rise despite cuts A significant rise in resources devoted to cyberwarfare, intelligence gathering and special forces will be signalled tomorrow when the government reveals full details of a defence review that will impose sweeping cuts on the armed forces' more traditional forms of firepower. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/17/cyberwarfare-defence-spending-increase-cuts Cyber-attacks are 'key threat to UK security' [PA] Britain's new National Security Strategy is today expected to name terrorism and cyber-attacks on vital computer networks as the biggest threats to the UK in the immediate future. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cyberattacks-are-key-threat-to-uk-security-2109628.html Terrorism and cyber attacks are key threats to Britain, says report Britain faces an increased threat from terrorism, cyber attack and small-scale wars, a National Security Strategy will say. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8070022/Terrorism-and-cyber-attacks-are-key-threats-to-Britain-says-report.html Call to define rules of cyber war Nations need to define the rules of engagement for acts of cyber terror. The call for clarity was issued by Michael Chertoff, former head of the US Department of Homeland Security, at the RSA security conference in London. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11545040 uk: Strategic defence review to prioritise cyber security A major increase in resources devoted to combating the threat posed by internet attacks will feature in next week's strategic defence and security review, the government's cyber tsar signalled today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/13/strategic-defence-review-cyber-security Editorial: Cyber warfare: Low blows There are 1,000 emails a month trying to penetrate or disable government computer networks. Losses from online banking fraud reached ?39m in the first half of 2009, a rise of more than 50% over the year before. Whichever way you look at it, the director of GCHQ, Iain Lobban, was not exaggerating when he said this week that Britain's critical infrastructure faced a real and credible threat from cyber attack. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/14/cyber-warfare-gchq-espionage us: Defense, Homeland Security Reach Cybersecurity Compromise The heads of the Defense and Homeland Security departments on Wednesday formally agreed to coordinate on cybersecurity in a newly established office, amid a debate over whether the Pentagon, Homeland Security or the White House should have chief responsibility for protecting information networks, Nextgov.com reported. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/10/defense-homeland-security-reac.php The Case For Wiretapping The Internet The directors of National Intelligence and the FBI say tech-savvy extremists pose a growing threat, setting the stage for a national debate over the need for Internet eavesdropping http://www.darkreading.com/security_monitoring/security/government/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227900053 us: Cyber czar: Threat protection is a shared responsibility The government, individual users and the private sector all play critical roles in protecting the nation against cyber threats, a senior White House official said Friday. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20101015_9224.php Britons urged to act on identity fraud Only 7% of people are confident that the companies they deal with treat their data responsibly, a survey marking the start of National Identity Fraud Prevention Week found. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/oct/18/britons-identity-fraud Criminals plunder Australians' identity from websites Organised criminals are stealing Australians' identities by plundering the information they place on websites and using it to commit fraud, according to the head of the nation's elite criminal intelligence agency. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/criminals-plunder-websites-20101017-16p46.html http://www.watoday.com.au/technology/social-networking-sites-a-boon-for-criminals-intent-on-fraud-20101017-16p6e.html The Internet Skeptic Evgeny Morozov discusses cybersecurity and how software meant to help Iranian political dissidents put them at risk http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2010/tc20101014_792952.htm FTC Files Comments on FCC's Proposed Cyber Security Certification Program The Federal Trade Commission has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission in response to the FCC?s proposal to establish a voluntary program under which communications service providers would be certified if they adhere to a set of cyber security objectives or practices. http://ftc.gov/opa/2010/10/fcc.shtm AU: Warning about scam phone calls [news release] The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy today reinforced warnings about an increase in the number of scam telephone calls. http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2010/079 Hackers turn attention to corporate data theft Financial services, professional services, media and technology companies are the most vulnerable to information theft, says the Kroll annual survey of corporate fraud http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/4927f4e2-da1a-11df-bdd7-00144feabdc0.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Facebook in Privacy Breach: Top-Ranked Applications Transmit Personal IDs, a Journal Investigation Finds Many of the most popular applications, or "apps," on the social-networking site Facebook Inc. have been transmitting identifying information?in effect, providing access to people's names and, in some cases, their friends' names?to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies, a Wall Street Journal investigation has found. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304772804575558484075236968.html Privacy a priority, says Facebook director Randi Zuckerberg [AFP] User privacy is the priority for internet social networking site Facebook, the company's director of market development said in Dubai. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/privacy-a-priority-says-facebook-director-randi-zuckerberg/story-e6frgakx-1225940133676 http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/privacy-a-facebook-priority-says-director-randi-zuckerberg-20101018-16pca.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/privacy-a-facebook-priority-says-director-randi-zuckerberg-20101018-16pca.html Many Germans Opt Out of Google's Street View Google on Friday said that it remained on course to begin its Street View mapping service in Germany this year despite the thousands of people who have asked the company to delete their properties. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/16/technology/16streetview.html German ministers slam Facebook for privacy glitch [AFP] German ministers criticised social networking site Facebook on Sunday for failing to respect privacy, following a report of a serious flaw that allowed non-subscribers access to private data. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/german-ministers-slam-facebook-for-privacy-glitch-20101018-16pdv.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/german-ministers-slam-facebook-for-privacy-glitch-20101018-16pdv.html Little Brother is Watching In George Orwell?s ?1984,? that novel of totalitarian politics whose great mistake was to emphasize the villainy of society?s masters while playing down the mischief of the masses, the goal of communications technology was brutal and direct: to ensure the dominance of the state. The sinister ?telescreens? placed in people?s homes spewed propaganda and conducted surveillance, keeping the population passive and the leadership firmly in control. In the face of constant monitoring, all people could do was sterilize their behavior, conceal their thoughts and carry on like model citizens. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/magazine/17FOB-WWLN-t.html Global Privacy Enforcement Network Launches Website Thirteen privacy enforcement agencies around the world have joined forces to launch the ?Global Privacy Enforcement Network? (GPEN), a network designed to facilitate cross-border cooperation in the enforcement of privacy laws. In developing this network, the participating agencies recognized the need for greater international cooperation in this area. In the Action Plan launching the network, the founding privacy enforcement authorities stressed that ?it is important that government authorities charged with enforcing domestic privacy laws strengthen their understanding of different privacy enforcement regimes as well as their capacities for cross-border cooperation.? https://www.privacyenforcement.net/ us: Encryption Debate Centers On Privacy A top State Department official on Wednesday said despite global concerns about covert cybercrime, presidential administrations should not prohibit people from encoding their Internet messages, or rendering them indecipherable to law enforcement officials, Nextgov.com reported. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/10/encryption-debate-centers-on-p.php ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Microsoft Moves to Help Nonprofits Avoid Piracy-Linked Crackdowns Microsoft is vastly expanding its efforts to prevent governments from using software piracy inquiries as a pretext to suppress dissent. It plans to provide free software licenses to more than 500,000 advocacy groups, independent media outlets and other nonprofit organizations in 12 countries with tightly controlled governments, including Russia and China. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/world/17russia.html Big names on letter calling for China to end censorship Retired VIPs in the Communist Party draft a tough call for freedom, an act that resulted in imprisonment for Liu Xiaobo, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-censorship-20101014,0,5621288.story Holding Nokia Responsible for Surveilling Dissidents in Iran EFF has long pointed out that technology companies are complicit in human rights violations when they knowingly sell customized human surveillance technologies to repressive regimes that are then used to target people for arrest, torture, and disappearance. Now a lawsuit filed recently against Nokia Siemens in Virginia by Isa Saharkhiz, an imprisoned Iranian dissident, and his son Mehdi Saharkhiz, brings this issue to the fore. The lawsuit accuses the Nokia Siemens Network of: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/10/saharkhiz-v-nokia ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** US studying Australian Internet security program [AP] The US government is reviewing an Australian program that will allow internet service providers to alert customers if their computers are taken over by hackers and could limit online access if people don't fix the problem. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/us-admires-australian-botnet-plan-20101016-16oih.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/us-admires-australian-botnet-plan-20101016-16oih.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/16/AR2010101600655.html http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/us-mulls-canberra-net-policy/story-fn4htb9o-1225940069987 US eyes Australian government web plan [sub req'd] As the US government looks to improve internet security for American organisations, it?s turning to an Australian plan centered on internet service providers. http://www.afr.com/p/business/technology/us_eyes_australian_government_web_3ZlNGn23yg8NqyZPdzTyDI nz: The devil is in the press release The devil may not be in the details but a press release. In this case, Minister Simon Power ordering a review of ?new media? by the Law Commission, it is even more so given that he used the same words in response to Parliamentary questions. The review is a good step. Asking the Law Commission to lead it is also good. They have both the credibility and skills do a thorough job and develop balanced perspectives. And first talking about the issues and defining real problems before looking at possible solutions is good. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/news/blog/2010/devil-press-release ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* WikiLeaks says funding has been blocked after government blacklisting The whistleblowing group WikiLeaks claims that it has had its funding blocked and that it is the victim of financial warfare by the US government. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/oct/14/wikileaks-says-funding-is-blocked AOL, Firms Explore an Offer for Yahoo AOL Inc. and several private-equity firms are exploring making an offer to buy Yahoo Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, devising a bold plan to marry two big Internet brands facing steep challenges. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703673604575550661101743360.html Microsoft's Bing Gets a Social Lift From Facebook Facebook and Microsoft announced a partnership on Wednesday that will give the results on Microsoft?s Bing search engine a social twist ? and could help both companies compete against a common adversary, Google. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/technology/14bing.html Facebook, Microsoft Deepen Search Ties Microsoft Corp. and Facebook Inc. unveiled a plan to improve the results of Microsoft's Bing search engine by tapping into peoples' social connections on Facebook, amping up the rivalry with Google Inc. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703673604575550342284601912.html Google's profits lifted by higher advertising revenues Google's latest quarterly results have beaten market expectations after it posted a 32% rise in profits. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11545463 Google?s Income Rises 32%, Topping Forecast Google has spent the last few months arguing to anyone who will listen that its new advertising businesses ? including ads with images and video and on cellphones ? will fuel its next phase of growth. On Thursday, the company finally gave some numbers to support the claim. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/technology/15google.html Yahoo used to be a giant. Now it's down to its last hurrah Will somebody please put Yahoo, the fading internet star, out of its misery? The Silicon Valley company, destined to labour in the shadows of Google and Facebook, recruited Goldman Sachs this week to defend itself against circling predators. Top name in the bidders' frame is AOL, another blast from the Web 1.0 past. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/oct/17/andrew-clark-yahoo ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Fibre optic cables' data capacity may soon be reached Technology may stretch the capacity of the fibre optic cables used to carry data sooner than has long been thought, according to a report in Science. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11544459 ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR ONLINE CHILD PROTECTION ********************************** au: Couple jailed for internet rape of son A couple who filmed themselves sexually abusing their nine-year-old son and posted the images on the internet have been sentenced to jail. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/15/3039272.htm au: Couple jailed for sex with 9 yr-old son [AAP] A married Sydney couple have been jailed for "disturbing" sex crimes against their nine-year-old son. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10680779 nz: Child porn found on mislaid drive A Christchurch man caught with child porn after he mislaid a USB drive at work has been sentenced to six months prison. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/4239853/Child-porn-found-on-mislaid-drive nz: Former teacher censured over child porn A former Christchurch secondary school teacher who fled New Zealand to avoid court appearances for peddling child pornography has been censured by the industry body. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/4239851/Former-teacher-censured-over-child-porn +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (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 Mon Oct 18 2010 - 02:17:00 UTC
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