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 *************************************************** New gTLDS: Briefing Papers for ICANN Board-GAC Consultations http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-6-21feb11-en.htm New gTLD Program: Public Comment Summary & Analyses and Supporting Documents http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22feb11-en.htm Analysis: IDN ccTLD Fast Track First Annual Review http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-8-21feb11-en.htm Libya Internet Curfew Could Affect .ly Domains, Possibly http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/libya-internet-curfew-could-affect-ly-domains-possibly-21822 New TLDs could come quicker than expected http://domainincite.com/new-tlds-could-come-quicker-than-expected/ ICANN names date for Applicant Guidebook http://domainincite.com/icann-names-date-for-applicant-guidebook/ Can Domain Name Seizures Sink Rogue Websites? [New York Law Journal] http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202482933436 Importance of Domain Names Will Continue Despite Social Networking Options http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13796 New gTLDs Likely to Have Limited Impact on Existing Domain Aftermarket: Sedo http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13814 Melbourne IT flags $2m datacentre spend http://www.zdnet.com.au/melbourne-it-flags-2m-datacentre-spend-339310052.htm Melbourne IT expects underlying earnings lift [AAP] http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/377525/melbourne_it_expects_underlying_earnings_lift/ Sex.com Most Expensive Domain To Date: Guinness World Records http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13815 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** New gTLDS: Briefing Papers for ICANN Board-GAC Consultations In preparation for the ICANN Board-GAC consultation in Brussels on 28 February and 1 March 2011, ICANN has prepared briefing papers to address the 12 topics identified in the GAC's Cartagena communiqu? as "...outstanding and require additional discussion between the Board and the GAC." As some of the topics were considered to overlap or be inter-related, more than one topic is covered in some of the briefing papers. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-6-21feb11-en.htm New gTLD Program: Public Comment Summary & Analyses and Supporting Documents ICANN is publishing today the summaries and analyses of public comment on the previous version of the Applicant Guidebook and on other previously published New gTLD Program papers. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22feb11-en.htm Analysis: IDN ccTLD Fast Track First Annual Review ICANN would like to thank all participants for taking part in the first annual review of the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process. The review of the process is being conducted to ensure that the process functions as well as possible for the Internet community and its users, and as such participation is very important. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-8-21feb11-en.htm Public Comment: Draft Proposal for the Study of Issues Related to the Delegation of IDN Variant TLDs Explanation/Background: The delegation and management of Variant TLDs remains an important issue. The ICANN community seeks to develop solutions to enable the delegation of Variant TLDs for the benefit of users in different regions. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-5-21feb11-en.htm 2011-2014 Strategic Plan ICANN produces a three-year Strategic Plan that is reviewed and updated annually. Leading up to the publication of this 2011- 2014 Strategic Plan, many community consultations were held to receive input. These included meetings with the ccNSO Strategy and Operations Planning Group, GNSO leadership, ALAC, and RALOs (separately). http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-7-21feb11-en.htm Call for Public Comments: The Security, Stability and Resiliency of the DNS Review Team The Security, Stability & Resiliency of the DNS Review Team was launched in October 2010 in line with the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) provisions i.e section 9.2 which stipulates that: ICANN will organize a review of its execution of the above commitments no less frequently than every three years. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-9-21feb11-en.htm Public Comment: Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B Working Group Presents Proposed Final Report: Nine (9) Recommendations for Community Consideration The GNSO Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) Part B Policy Development Process Working Group was tasked to address five issues focusing on issues related to domain hijacking, the urgent return of an inappropriately transferred name and "lock status". Following review of the public comments received on the Initial Report and further deliberations, the Working Group now presents its proposed Final Report which contains nine (9) recommendations to address the five charter questions it was tasked with. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-21feb11-en.htm Public Comment: Proposed New GNSO Policy Development Process As part of GNSO Improvements, the Policy Development Process (PDP) Work Team (WT) was tasked to develop recommendations for a new GNSO policy development process. ICANN's policies have wide-ranging impact on how domain names are handled in the gTLD environment, so the method of developing the policies matters. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-21feb11-en.htm Public Comment: Proposed ICANN Meeting Dates 2014 - 2016 While ICANN continues to examine the overall structure of its meeting dates and geographic rotation, it is important to move forward with future planning. In an effort to secure the dates for ICANN meetings through 2016, staff recommendations have been developed for public review and comment. Approving the meeting dates is important to prevent conflicts with other community events and to allow all participants sufficient time to plan their travel and attendance. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-4-21feb11-en.htm Public Comment: Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery Working Group Presents Its Proposed Final Report The GNSO Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery (PEDNR) Policy Development Process Working Group was tasked to address questions in relation to what extent registrants should be able to renew their domain names after they expire. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-21feb11-en.htm To Serve the Public Interest You First Have to Define 'Public Interest' by Steve DelBianco In the ancient parable, six blind men are asked to describe an elephant, with each coming up with wildly different answers, depending on which part of the animal they touched. Now, while I would hesitate to call participants in the ICANN process "blind men," I am starting to think that "public interest" is their elephant. ICANN is on the threshold of completing its first major obligation under the Affirmation of Commitments it signed with the U.S. Government in 2009. http://www.circleid.com/posts/to_serve_the_public_interest_you_first_have_to_define_public_interest/ ICANN Policies Are Biggest Issue Facing Domain Industry in 2011 A non-scientific survey of over 1,500 people in the domain name industry suggests that ICANN policy decisions represent the biggest issue facing their businesses in 2011. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/02/22/icann-policies-are-biggest-issue-facing-domain-industry-in-2011/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** al: Domain name regulation focuses on anti-cybersquatting measures With the development of an increasingly global economy and the ever-growing use of the Internet, the measures taken by small economies such as Albania for the protection of intellectual property against internet-based infringements should be convergent with globally accepted instruments. http://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?g=2b44a680-7d05-481a-bf59-beccec015f59 Libya Internet Curfew Could Affect .ly Domains, Possibly As strife-torn Libya interrupts Internet access, bit.ly users worry about the fate of their URL shortening service ... Bit.ly CEO John Borthwick wrote on Quora, a Q&A site: ?Should Libya block Internet traffic, as Egypt did, it will not affect bit.ly or any .ly domain,? he wrote. ... However, Kim Davies, manager for root zone services at ICANN, working on Internet governance and core infrastructure,disagreed and replied to Borthwick?s posting. He pointed out that it is a ?sense of false confidence? to say that country-code domains are ?impervious? to government-mandated shutdowns. http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/libya-internet-curfew-could-affect-ly-domains-possibly-21822 Why Libya can't shut down bit.ly Libya intermittently shut off some Internet access to its citizens over the weekend, leading some to believe that link-shortening sites like bit.ly, which uses the Libyan ".ly" suffix, would be affected. http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/21/technology/bitly_libya_service/ ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** A Tribute to the STI (Special Trademarks Initiative Team) by Kathy Kleiman In the ICANN world, our relations are often a little tumultuous, as policy-making bodies can be. As I look back on my experiences over the last decade at ICANN (and many committees, working groups and task forces), one stands out for its quality, dedication, professionalism and hard work. That's the Special Trademarks Initiatives Working Team, or the STI. I was proud to be a part of the Team as an Non-Commercial Stakeholders Group (NCSG) representative, and this tribute reflects my high regard for the Team and the recommendations it produced. http://www.circleid.com/posts/a_tribute_to_the_sti_special_trademarks_initiative_team/ Winners and losers in the next Applicant Guidebook Who?s going to be happy, and who won?t be, after ICANN publishes the next version of its Applicant Guidebook for new top-level domains in April? http://domainincite.com/winners-and-losers-in-the-next-applicant-guidebook/ New TLDs could come quicker than expected New top-level domains may arrive a month earlier than previously projected, after ICANN revealed it is considering reducing the first-round application window to 60 days. http://domainincite.com/new-tlds-could-come-quicker-than-expected/ Trojan TLDs to get more scrutiny ICANN has proposed a new policy for its new top-level domain program that would make it harder for community-based TLDs to liberalize their registration policies after they launch. http://domainincite.com/trojan-tlds-to-get-more-scrutiny/ ICANN names date for Applicant Guidebook ICANN has put a tentative date on the release of its Applicant Guidebook for new top-level domains. http://domainincite.com/icann-names-date-for-applicant-guidebook/ ICANN prepares for trademark fight with GAC ICANN thinks the benefits of new top-level domains will outweigh the costs, and it preparing for a scrap when it meets its Governmental Advisory Committee in Brussels next week. http://domainincite.com/icann-prepares-for-trademark-fight-with-gac/ Here Come the .Brand Top Level Domain Names .Brand domain names are on their way, but how they?re used is still an open question. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/02/21/here-come-the-brand-top-level-domain-names/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Unprotected home computers vulnerable to hijack Protect your home computer or you could unwittingly help to launch a cyber attack, experts are warning. They say the rise in such attacks risks undermining critical national infrastructure and the future of the global economy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9393765.stm Cybercrime cost estimate is 'sales exercise', say experts Cybercrime experts have questioned a ?27 billion (US$43.8 billion) annual cybercrime cost figure released by the Cabinet Office in a report last week, saying it is little more than a sales exercise for Detica, the company that researched the report. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-threats/2011/02/18/cybercrime-cost-estimate-is-sales-exercise-say-experts-40091866/ http://www.zdnetasia.com/cybercrime-cost-estimate-is-sales-exercise-say-experts-62206857.htm ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Can Domain Name Seizures Sink Rogue Websites? [New York Law Journal] In the early 1800s, a debate festered in our young democracy over the appropriate response to pirates operating from Africa's Barbary Coast and attacking American ships, destroying or capturing them and impressing our sailors into lengthy terms of slavery. Their release was only obtained after a hefty ransom was paid by the U.S. government. After many years of paying the demanded ransoms, at the direction of President Jefferson, America's fledgling Navy and a Marine expeditionary force executed a bold raid on Tripoli that eventually ended the pirate threat. http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202482933436 http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202483008246 nz: Directory services settle ?typosquatting? dispute NZ Post?s local information and directory service, Localist has settled a dispute with Yellow Pages Group over possession and use of certain web domain names. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/directory-services-settle-typosquatting-dispute nz: Yellow Pages legal action settled NZ Post says it has settled legal action against Yellow Pages, which it had accused of registering websites and Google search terms in an attempt to divert internet traffic away from its rival Auckland directory, Localist, which will be launched later this year. http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/business/national-business/4698309/Localist-web-stoush-settled http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/business/4698309/Yellow-Pages-legal-action-settled http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/4698309/Localist-web-stoush-settled http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/business/4698309/Localist-web-stoush-settled NZ Post reiterates intention to act against Yellow for Localist ?squat? A NZ Post spokesman says the company still intends to proceed with court action on against Yellow, owner of the Yellow Pages directory service over alleged ?typo-squatting? tactics against Post?s new rival operation Localist. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/nz-post-reiterates-intention-to-act-against-yellow-for-localist-squat nz: Directory firm claims 'cheating' New Zealand Post's new directories business Localist is suing Yellow Pages Group over allegations Yellow breached the Fair Trading Act by buying up similar web addresses and Google adwords in a deliberate attempt to divert online searches from Localist to itself. ... Knowles said he had first been made aware of the issue last November when he was told by his executive team the Yellow Pages Group had bought a range of internet domain names which were almost identical to the Localist internet address. The addresses include www.locallists.co.nz and www.localists.co.nz. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10707904 NZ Post seeing red over Yellow's acts NZ Post is taking Yellow Pages to the High Court at Auckland, claiming the company is trying to stymie the launch of its own directory service, Localist, which will go head-to-head with the Yellow Pages in Auckland later this year. ... Localist chairman and former Kiwibank boss Sam Knowles, said in an affidavit that he found out Yellow Pages had registered a range of website with names "almost identical to our domain name" in November and met with Mr Cotterill that month. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/4685485/NZ-Post-seeing-red-over-Yellows-acts http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/4685485/NZ-Post-seeing-red-over-Yellows-acts http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/business/4685485/NZ-Post-seeing-red-over-Yellows-acts vn: Domain name: the war without end The domain name war has become stiffer and more and more Vietnamese enterprises are experiencing troubles due to bad management of their domain name. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/science-technology/5088/domain-name--the-war-without-end.html ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** The potential impact on Middle East enterprises that are not IPv6-ready is immense, says networking expert When the Internet was created in the 1970s, no-one would have imagined just how ubiquitous its use would be. Today, nearly every man, woman and child ?connects? on a daily basis and even humble domestic devices such as refrigerators and cookers can be connected to the Internet to aid daily life. http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=51237 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Importance of Domain Names Will Continue Despite Social Networking Options Domain names will continue to be important in a company?s branding and image said Sedo?s Tim Schumacher on day one of the Domain Pulse conference in Vienna last Thursday. However there are alternative means of promoting a company or brand such as social networking services, said Sabine Hoffman from marketing company ambuzzador, that can be complementary to using a domain name. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13796 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/02/22/importance-of-domain-names-will-continue-despite-social-networking-options/ http://domainnews.com/en/importance-of-domain-names-will-continue-despite-social-networking-options.html New gTLDs Likely to Have Limited Impact on Existing Domain Aftermarket: Sedo The impact of new generic Top Level Domains on the price of existing gTLDs and ccTLDs is likely to be limited, said Tim Schumacher, CEO of leading domain name marketplace Sedo, following the Domain Pulse conference in Vienna last week. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13814 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/02/23/new-gtlds-aftermarket-sedo/ http://domainnews.com/en/new-gtlds-likely-to-have-limited-impact-on-existing-domain-aftermarket-sedo.html Three Domain Conferences in Three Different Countries Will Run Over the Next 10 Days + Guinness Book of World Records Recognizes Sex.com Sale as Biggest Ever ... The action then shifted across the Atlantic to Vienna, Austria where the 8th Domain Pulse conference was staged by Nic.at Feb. 17-18. http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2011/dailyposts/20110222.htm Melbourne IT flags $2m datacentre spend After releasing a lacklustre profit announcement today, Australian-based managed services player Melbourne IT has outed plans for datacentre investment and consolidation before the year is out. http://www.zdnet.com.au/melbourne-it-flags-2m-datacentre-spend-339310052.htm Melbourne IT expects underlying earnings lift [AAP] Domain name registrar and IT services provider Melbourne IT Ltd expects underlying earnings to rise in 2011, after booking a lower full year net profit in 2010. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/377525/melbourne_it_expects_underlying_earnings_lift/ http://www.techworld.com.au/article/377525/melbourne_it_expects_underlying_earnings_lift/ ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** SnapNames Increases Starting Bid For Backorders For All Deleting Domain Names SnapNames has increased the starting bid for backorders for all deleting domain names from $59 to $69 as of 15 February they have announced. http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/02/22/snapnames-increases-starting-bid-for-backorders-for-all-deleting-domain-names/ Sex.com Most Expensive Domain To Date: Guinness World Records The sale of sex.com for $13 million on 17 November 2010 has been officially acknowledged as the ?most expensive internet address domain name? by the Guinness World Record, Sedo announced. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13815 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/02/23/sexcom-most-expensive-domain-guinness-world-records/ ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Home Internet May Get Even Faster in South Korea South Korea already claims the world?s fastest Internet connections ? the fastest globally by far ? but that is hardly good enough for the government here. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/technology/22iht-broadband22.html Web acts as virtual crisis centre for Christchurch quake victims Christchurch earthquake victims are using the web as a virtual crisis centre, harnessing it for everything from finding and offering accommodation to locating missing people. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/web-acts-as-virtual-crisis-centre-for-christchurch-quake-victims-20110223-1b4iq.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/web-acts-as-virtual-crisis-centre-for-christchurch-quake-victims-20110223-1b4iq.html Offline companies hit back in online chart Established brands such as John Lewis and Argos now account for half the places in the UK's top 50 web brands, according to new statistics. It includes media brands such as the BBC, Sky and the Telegraph. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12535508 China Mobile and Xinhua launch Internet search engine China Mobile Ltd, the world's biggest mobile operator, and state-run Xinhua News Agency have jointly launched an Internet search engine, the companies said on Tuesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/oukin-uk-chinamobile-xinhua-idUKTRE71L1Z620110222 Blogs Wane as the Young Drift to Sites Like Twitter ... The Internet and American Life Project at the Pew Research Center found that from 2006 to 2009, blogging among children ages 12 to 17 fell by half; now 14 percent of children those ages who use the Internet have blogs. Among 18-to-33-year-olds, the project said in a report last year, blogging dropped two percentage points in 2010 from two years earlier. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/technology/internet/21blog.html OPINION: Is the internet changing us? Nothing has changed society as much as the internet. Everyone now seems to be more connected and it has completely transformed the way we work. http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/management/blogs/management-line/is-the-internet-changing-us/20110212-1ar53.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion/4682964/Is-the-internet-changing-us Google, Yahoo! BabelFish use math principles to translate documents online Early one morning in 2007, Libby Casey was trying to do her laundry in a guesthouse in Reykjavik, Iceland. When she couldn't figure out how to use the washing machine, she opened up the instruction manual. ... Up to that point, researchers working on machine translation used linguistic models. By getting a computer to understand how a sentence worked grammatically in one language, the thought was, it would be possible to create a sentence meaning the same thing in another language. But the differing rules in different languages made it difficult. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/21/AR2011022102191.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Twitter apps restored over the weekend Twydroid and UberTwitter, now called UberSocial, are back in the Android and BlackBerry stores. The two popular apps were shut down by Twitter on Friday for violating the micro-blogging service's terms of service. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2011/02/twitter_apps_restored_over_the.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** China to overtake US gaming market Powered by social networks and mobiles, Chinese video games are set to topple America?s lead as the world?s largest gaming market, according to research by Digi-Capital, a boutique investment bank. http://blogs.ft.com/fttechhub/2011/02/china-games/ ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: Censorship review report due by end of year The Australian Law Reform Commission was expected to complete its review of the National Classification System before the end of the year, according to Department of Communications officials. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/248963,censorship-review-report-due-by-end-of-year.aspx http://www.securecomputing.net.au/News/248963,censorship-review-report-due-by-end-of-year.aspx au: Voluntary filtering on track for mid-2011 Stephen Conroy's Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy tonight said voluntary filtering of the internet for child abuse material by three of Australia's largest internet service providers was on track to kick off in the middle of this year. http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/strategy/45341-voluntary-filtering-on-track-for-mid-2011 http://delimiter.com.au/2011/02/22/voluntary-filtering-on-track-for-mid-2011/ http://www.zdnet.com.au/voluntary-filter-set-to-start-mid-year-339310108.htm uk: Ad regulator says collection of third party data from children is sometimes acceptable There are some circumstances in which it is acceptable for companies to collect data from young people about other people, the advertising regulator has said. http://out-law.com/page-11790 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Free Trove of Music Scores on Web Hits Sensitive Copyright Note Humanity?s musical treasures ? Beethoven piano sonatas, Schubert songs, Mozart symphonies and the like ? come to life in performance. But they truly survive as black marks on a page, otherwise known as scores. Now a Web site founded five years ago by a conservatory student, then 19 years old, has made a vast expanse of this repertory available, free. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/arts/music/22music-imslp.html Online TV service Ivi loses a round in court A federal judge in New York ordered Internet TV service Ivi to shut down Tuesday, finding that it violated the copyrights of a group of broadcasters and Major League Baseball. It was yet another example of a tech company trying in vain to stretch the boundaries of copyright law to avoid paying as much for content as its more conventional competitors. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/02/online-tv-service-ivi-loses-the-first-round-in-court.html TV Industry Taps Social Media to Keep Viewers' Attention By the time the first ballot is opened at the Academy Awards next Sunday, millions of people will be chatting about the awards show on the Internet. And ABC will be ready. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/business/media/21watercooler.html au: Digital pirates given free ride The federal government does not believe the film industry's claimed $240 million in losses to digital piracy is serious enough to warrant immediate legislative action against pirates, telling the industry to go back to the negotiating table with ISPs. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/digital-pirates-given-free-ride-20110221-1b1vi.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/digital-pirates-given-free-ride-20110221-1b1vi.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Mobile phone use increases brain activity, study suggests Taking a call on a mobile phone seems to boost activity in parts of brain closest to the device, but there's no evidence of harm http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/22/mobile-phone-use-brain-activity Study indicates cellphones affect brain activity, but implications are unclear Are cellphones safe? That question has gotten a lot of attention, but so far there has been no convincing evidence that those ubiquitous devices cause health problems. A new federal study may stir things up further, but the bottom line again is that the study raises more questions than it answers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/22/AR2011022206978.html Cellphone Use Tied to Changes in Brain Activity Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have found that less than an hour of cellphone use can speed up brain activity in the area closest to the phone antenna, raising new questions about the health effects of low levels of radiation emitted from cellphones. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/cellphone-use-tied-to-changes-in-brain-activity/ Cell phone calls alter brain activity - U.S. study Spending 50 minutes with a cell phone plastered to your ear is enough to change brain cell activity in the part of the brain closest to the antenna. http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/idINIndia-55080520110222 Is this the start of a Mac-lash? That Apple makes money from apps is not news. But it's the way it works that has hacked off fanboys and disenchanted developers. Ian Burrell examines how loyalty has been tested to the limit ... "Apple has brilliantly managed to sew us up in this Apple world, but in some ways they are the most rigid authoritarian leader brand. It's our way or the highway with Apple." http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/is-this-the-start-of-a-maclash-2220593.html Apple is dictating all the terms - and we shouldn't have to accept them Once, the currency of wisdom seemed to consist in knowing who one's father was. Latterly, in these business obsessed times, knowing your own customers seems to have become more important. Which, of course, was the promise of the internet for harassed newspaper owners. So much for the anonymous news stand buyers ? the future, instead, would consist of joyous readers in a harmonious (and more profitable) relationship with publishers, their contact information visible for the first time. Plus, readers would probably be prepared to pay as much or almost as much as in the costly ink-on-dead-trees era. ... There are other questions about Apple's dominance. Apple has made it hard for some content creators to get their work on to its App Store. For example, the American satirical cartoonist Mark Fiore found his work rejected because "it ridicules public figures". He only got on to the App Store last year after winning a Pulitzer Prize and a mini-media outcry. Not everybody, though, can do that to get past Apple's move into content censorship. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2011/feb/21/apple-control-media-business-dan-sabbagh No longer the Apple of publishers' eye Apple's move to take a greater share of cash from newspaper app subscriptions may instead allow Google to take a bite http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2011/feb/21/apple-newspaper-app-subscriptions FTC looking into Apple's in-app purchasing policy The Federal Trade Commission will review how Apple markets games with in-app purchases, but not for the reason you may think. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20035058-260.html FTC says it will look into Apple's marketing of in-app purchases to kids The Federal Trade Commission will investigate Apple's marketing of iOS games with in-app purchases to children. The decision comes after a wave of complaints about kids running up huge bills on their parents' iTunes accounts. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz acknowledged in a letter to US Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) that the FTC shares his concern over the phenomenon, saying the Commission would dig deeper into it. http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/02/ftc-says-it-will-look-into-apples-marketing-of-in-app-purchases-to-kids.ars 'Mega' Payments Race Pits Google, Visa Against Phone Operators Deutsche Telekom AG, France Telecom SA and other mobile operators, who lost the battle for online applications stores to Apple Inc. and Google Inc., say they have a fighting chance of winning the corner convenience store. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-20/-mega-payments-race-pits-google-visa-against-phone-operators.html After iPad's Head Start, Rival Tablets Are Poised to Flood Offices The billboards promoting the iPad have a simple message: The tablet is a device for leisure, to be held on one?s lap while lounging on a couch in casual clothes, to watch a film or read a magazine. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/technology/21tablet.html Chinese workers appeal to Apple over health worries Chinese workers at a factory making touch screens on contract for Apple have urged the U.S. company to help address their grievances over a chemical poisoning they said could still harm their health. http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/idINIndia-55062020110222 http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/oukin-uk-apple-wintek-idUKTRE71L22520110222 China mobile subscriber total rises to 853 million in January China Mobile, China's largest mobile carrier, said its total mobile subscribers rose to about 589.3 million in January, including 22.6 million 3G subscribers. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/21/oukin-uk-china-mobile-idUKTRE71K20J20110221 Telstra takes steps against bandwidth hogs Telstra will use quality-of-service technology on its planned LTE wireless network to prevent heavy bandwidth users from clogging the network. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/telstra-takes-steps-against-bandwidth-hogs/story-e6frgakx-1226009683543 ********************** SPAM ********************** FTC asks court to shut down text spammer [IDG] The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has asked a judge to shut down an alleged text-messaging spam operation that sent out 85 text messages per minute at its peak, the agency said Wednesday. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/377739/ftc_asks_court_shut_down_text_spammer/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/022311-ftc-asks-court-to-shut.html FTC Asks Court to Shut Down Text Messaging Spammer [news release] The Federal Trade Commission asked a federal judge to shut down an operation that allegedly blasted consumers with millions of illegal spam text messages, including many messages that deceptively advertised a mortgage modification website called ?Loanmod-gov.net.? The FTC is asking the court to freeze the defendant?s assets. http://ftc.gov/opa/2011/02/loan.shtm ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Google Belgian Copyright Appeal May Decide Search Engines' Fate in Europe Google Inc. is fighting a Belgian ruling blocking it from publishing links to local newspapers on its online news service at a hearing today that could decide the fate of search engines and referencing services in Europe. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-23/google-belgian-copyright-appeal-could-determine-european-policy.html Cyber criminals find new targets on unsuspecting sites The proportion of websites secretly harbouring malware has reached one in 3,000 according to security firm Kaspersky. It found a surge in the number of web-based attacks in 2010, with more than 580 million incidents detected. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12539993 Security to Ward Off Crime on Phones More consumers are buying smartphones. So, more criminals are taking aim at those devices. Criminals still prefer PCs for stealing personal data, bank and credit card account numbers as well as for running scams. However, most PC attacks focus on Microsoft?s decade-old Windows XP operating system, which is slowly being replaced by the more secure Windows 7. Over the next few years, hackers will have to find new targets. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/technology/personaltech/24basics.html Vultures circle Christchurch - an email scam warning The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has reported an email scam involving the Christchurch earthquake relief effort. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/vultures-circle-christchurch-email-scam-warning-ck-86768 'Disgusting' quake emails target people eager to donate Scammers are apparently already attempting to take advantage of people wanting to donate to quake recovery funds. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/canterbury-earthquake/69295/'disgusting'-quake-emails-target-people-eager-to-donate nz: Earthquake Charity Scam Sadly, Scamwatch and NetSafe have already received reports of scammers using the Christchurch earthquake as an opportunity to prey on the good will of New Zealanders. http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/earthquake-charity-scam/5/83143 Scam Alert - Christchurch earthquake: scam emails already surfacing [news release] Sadly, Scamwatch and NetSafe have already received reports of scammers using the Christchurch earthquake as an opportunity to prey on the good will of New Zealanders. http://consumeraffairs.govt.nz/scam-news/scam-alert-42 Unprotected home computers vulnerable to hijack Protect your home computer or you could unwittingly help to launch a cyber attack, experts are warning. They say the rise in such attacks risks undermining critical national infrastructure and the future of the global economy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9393765.stm Cybercrime cost estimate is 'sales exercise', say experts Cybercrime experts have questioned a ?27 billion (US$43.8 billion) annual cybercrime cost figure released by the Cabinet Office in a report last week, saying it is little more than a sales exercise for Detica, the company that researched the report. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security-threats/2011/02/18/cybercrime-cost-estimate-is-sales-exercise-say-experts-40091866/ http://www.zdnetasia.com/cybercrime-cost-estimate-is-sales-exercise-say-experts-62206857.htm us: Can You Frisk a Hard Drive? If you stand with the Customs and Border Protection officers who staff the passport booths at Dulles airport near the nation?s capital, their task seems daunting. As a huge crowd of weary travelers shuffle along in serpentine lines, inspectors make quick decisions by asking a few questions (often across language barriers) and watching computer displays that don?t go much beyond name, date of birth and codes for a previous customs problem or an outstanding arrest warrant. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/weekinreview/20laptop.html Westboro Baptist Church targeted by Anonymous Hacker group Anonymous appears to have singled out its next target - the controvesial anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in the US. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12523184 ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Google's Snowmobile Hits Swiss Slopes as Street View Faces Legal Challenge A Google Inc. camera-equipped snowmobile is setting out to chart Swiss ski slopes on the internet even as the company?s Street View service faces a court challenge over privacy concerns. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-22/google-hits-swiss-slopes-as-street-view-faces-legal-challenge.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/googles-snowmobile-hits-swiss-slopes-as-street-view-faces-legal-challenge-20110223-1b4fg.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/googles-snowmobile-hits-swiss-slopes-as-street-view-faces-legal-challenge-20110223-1b4fg.html Web users need more cookie control, says EU info security advisor Internet users should have more control over the information web publishers gather about them, the European Union's information security advisor has said. Users should be careful of a new breed of 'supercookies' that are hard to control, said its report. http://out-law.com/page-11791 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** China Co-Opts Social Media to Head Off Unrest: Government allows networking sites-if they block or remove controversial material China's domestic security chief, Zhou Yongkang, added his voice to calls for tighter Internet controls as censors ratcheted up temporary online restrictions, a day after a failed attempt to use social-networking sites to start a "Jasmine Revolution" in China. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703610604576158290935677316.html Russia blames Google for stirring Egypt unrest - WSJ Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's deputy blamed Google Inc in an interview published on Tuesday for stirring up trouble in the revolution that ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/idINIndia-55067820110222 Libya faces internet blackouts amid protests Libya is the latest North African country to experience internet trouble as democratic protests continue to sweep the region. http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/02/22/libya.internet/index.html Libya's Internet hit with severe disruptions Libya's Internet links have been severely disrupted as chaos spreads across the country, with a defiant Col. Moammar Gadhafi today vowing to die a "martyr" rather than relinquish his grip on power. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20035079-281.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Google Trying to Avoid Antitrust Fight in Europe At the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the hottest ticket in recent years has invariably been an invitation to Google?s lavish private party, and 2011 was no exception. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/business/global/21google.html Google faces new complaint in anti-trust probe A new complaint about Google's alleged anti-competitive behaviour has been filed by specialist French search engine 1plusV. It follows similar complaints from price comparison site Foundem and legal search engine ejustice.fr last year. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12540731 Google Faces New Antitrust Charges in Europe Google faced new accusations Tuesday that it was blocking a smaller European search service from competing on the Internet by restricting the use of Google?s powerful system for attracting advertisers. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/technology/23google.html French site Ejustice.fr charges Google with fresh abuse Google has continued to thwart rivals despite complaints of anticompetitive behaviour filed with EU antitrust regulators last year, the creator of French legal search engine Ejustice.fr said on Tuesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/oukin-uk-google-ejustice-idUKTRE71L22F20110222 http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/idINIndia-55064720110222 Google says working with EU over rivals' concerns Web search giant Google said on Tuesday it was working with the European Commission to address competition concerns after a rival renewed complaints of anticompetitive behaviour. http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/idINIndia-55065720110222 French search company lobs new antitrust complaint at Google French search company 1PlusV has added to the European dogpile on Google, accusing the search giant of keeping the little guys down when it comes to advertising on AdSense. 1PlusV says it has filed a new complaint with the European Commission to supplement an earlier complaint against Google. The Commission says it plans to give Google a chance to respond before moving forward. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/french-search-company-lobs-new-antitrust-complaint-at-google.ars Net neutrality faces uncertain future after House vote [IDG] Late last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a budget bill that included a prohibition on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission enforcing net neutrality rules, but it's unclear whether that provision will survive. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9210720/Net_neutrality_faces_uncertain_future_after_House_vote http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/022211-net-neutrality-rules-face-uncertain.html us: Groups Urge Court To Reject Net Neutrality Challenge Almost half a dozen advocacy groups waded into Verizon's lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission's network neutrality rules Tuesday, seeking to protect regulations that many of the groups had criticized for not going far enough. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/02/groups-urge-court-to-reject-ne.php it: Consultation on new framework for online copyright protection There are only a few more days until the end of the consultation on a new framework for protecting copyright online. Although the Communications Authority (AGCOM) requires all parties to submit their comments by March 3 2011, the debate over this controversial topic seems certain to continue. Stakeholders may have further opportunities to contribute, and some have already called for a further series of consultations, arguing that the issues addressed by AGCOM are too generic and will require additional guidance once the regulations are published. http://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?g=d7118965-ccf2-4bde-a0d8-80af43cb75b8 America, the UN and the Future of Communications In May of this year, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and other UN organizations such as UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD, are scheduled to convene in Geneva to talk about regulation of the growth and development of the Internet. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-m-eger/the-us-and-the-un-and-the_b_825559.html au: Data retention should last one year: AG Bilateral talks with the United States to unify data retention legislation could lead to Australia keeping logs of its citizens' online lives for a year. http://www.zdnet.com.au/data-retention-should-last-one-year-ag-339309726.htm ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* Q. & A. with Rebecca MacKinnon: Internet in China The Chinese Communist Party can move like a gazelle when it senses that its grip on social stability might be at stake. Within days of Mubarak?s downfall, Beijing had rounded up liberal activists, slowed the Web to a crawl, and poured security forces into areas that it thought could be used for the kind of online organizing that is sweeping the Middle East. Smack in the middle of that, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a speech on ?Internet freedom? last week, and she singled out China and other authoritarian countries for facing a ?dictator?s dilemma? in their attempts to control the Internet. For analysis, I turned to Rebecca MacKinnon, who knows as much as anyone about the Internet in China. She is a Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and co-founder of Global Voices Online, an international citizen media project. (Her book ?Consent of the Networked? will be published next year by Basic Books.) http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2011/02/internet-in-china.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** au: Wireless camp uninformed about cable, says NBN boss The man responsible for rolling out the national broadband network, Mike Quigley, has bluntly rejected opposition claims the $36 billion project is threatened by Telstra's plans for a super-fast wireless network. http://www.theage.com.au/business/nbn-chief-denies-superfast-wireless-threat-20110222-1b42n.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/wireless-camp-uninformed-about-cable-says-nbn-boss-20110222-1b43f.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/wireless-camp-uninformed-about-cable-says-nbn-boss-20110222-1b43f.html au: NBN Co rejigs plan for mainland rollout NBN Co is replanning parts of its strategy to connect the second batch of mainland sites to the $36 billion project while the agreement for Telstra's participation in the new network is finalised. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/nbn-co-rejigs-plan-for-mainland-rollout/story-fn4htb9o-1226010708444 au: NBN raises labour concerns The head of the company building Australia's National Broadband Network will go back to the Gillard government for advice on whether to proceed if labour shortages blow out the cost of the fibre network. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/nbn-raises-labour-concerns/story-fn59niix-1226010402211 Labour shortage could delay NBN The chief executive of the National Broadband Network company, Mike Quigley, says labour shortages could put pressure on the $36 billion NBN rollout. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/23/3146096.htm Phone network hit by Christchurch quake Communications problems in Christchurch could get worse before they get better, following today's earthquake. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4688732/Phone-network-hit-by-Christchurch-quake Phone networks still fragile Telecom says widespread power outages mean large parts of its network are still working off backup power and prolonged mains power issues will mean more services are likely to go down as back-up batteries and generators run down. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4693191/Phone-networks-still-fragile Tuanz, InternetNZ win more time to grapple with sweeping telco bill Tuanz and InternetNZ - some-time rivals in the world of telecommunications lobbying - have succeeded in their bid to get the deadline for submissions on the Telecommunications Amendment Bill extended. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/tuanz-internetnz-claim-credit-telco-bill-delayed-ck-86776 nz: Extension granted on submissions to telco bill TUANZ and InternetNZ have been successful in their bid for an extension to submissions on the supplementary order paper that would govern the process for structurally separating Telecom if it is a successful bidder in the Ultra Fast Broadband plan. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/extension-granted-on-submissions-to-telco-bill nz: Bill allows govt to buy Telecom shares, assets ? and Chorus to co-invest with lines companies ... Luckily, InternetNZ policy director Jordon Carter did notice and, in another display of cooperation (what's happening here) his findings have been broadcast by Tuanz chief executive Paul Brislen. http://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/bill-allows-govt-buy-telecom-shares-assets-%E2%80%93-and-chorus-co-invest-lines-companies Huawei U-turn on US deal saves blushes Huawei?s unexpected decision to capitulate to US demands to unwind a $2m patent deal has spared the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker from a potentially devastating judgment from President Barack Obama on the threat the company posed to US security. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/28c1e442-3d20-11e0-bbff-00144feabdc0.html ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR ONLINE CHILD PROTECTION ********************************** Matthew Miles burnt USB to hide child porn from police, court told [Courier-Mail] A BRISBANE dad set fire to a computer flash drive containing child pornography he had downloaded from the internet just hours before police searched his home, a court has been told. http://www.news.com.au/matthew-miles-burnt-usb-to-hide-child-porn-from-police-court-told/story-e6freoof-1226009494275 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2011 --------- 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 Wed Feb 23 2011 - 15:36:12 UTC
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