Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! Headlines from the 16 August edition of the news include: Web TV demands high-power broadband | Major attack hits internet's 'root' servers | Major website blackout blamed on massive attack | IT security: Too big for government | Making money out of typos - Icann must act | PICISOC returns to its origin: Honiara, Solomon Islands | PM opens PacINET 2007 | Nominet registrant satisfaction survey 2007 | Turkish newspaper Hurriyet wins right to domain name, UN panel rules | Does Success Hinge on a Domain Name? And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** ICANN Request for Information on Domain Tasting http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-10aug07.htm ICANN Launches Latest Consultation on New TLDs http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-10aug07.htm Editorial: ICANN's WHOIS Policy Shift Would Be Criminal Negligence http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=300493 Opinion: The Return of the IPv4 Shortage by Larry Seltzer http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2168465,00.asp 2,500,000 .nl domain names registered http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2307 nz: Third consultation on RMC Policy Review http://dnc.org.nz/story/30287-29-1.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Protecting Browsers from DNS Rebinding Attacks by Collin Jackson, Adam Barth, Andrew Bortz, Weidong Shao & Dan Boneh [Stanford University] ABSTRACT: DNS rebinding attacks subvert the same-origin policy of browsers and convert them into open network proxies. We survey new DNS rebinding attacks that exploit the interaction between the browser and browser plug-ins such as Flash and Java LiveConnect. These attacks can be used to circumvent firewalls and are highly cost-effective for sending spam e-mail and defrauding pay-per-click advertisers, requiring less than $100 to temporarily hijack 100,000 IP addresses. We show that a well-known, existing defense against these attacks, called ?DNS pinning,? is ineffective in modern browsers. The primary focus of this work, however, is the design of strong defenses against DNS rebinding attacks that protect modern browsers. For the near-term, we suggest easy-to-deploy defenses that prevent large-scale exploitation by patching individual plug-ins and improving the robustness of browser DNS pinning strategies. For the longterm, we propose two solutions, circumvention-resistant firewalls and host name authorization, that fix the root cause of DNS rebinding vulnerabilities by preventing the attacker from naming a target server. http://crypto.stanford.edu/dns/dns-rebinding.pdf http://www.circleid.com/posts/070809_defending_networks_dns_rebinding_attacks/ ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Request for Information on Domain Tasting In view of the increase in domain tasting (definitions below), the GNSO Council recently considered an Issues Report on Domain Tasting and resolved to form an ad hoc group for further fact-finding on the effects of this practice. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-10aug07.htm ICANN Launches Latest Consultation on New TLDs ICANN is taking another step towards its goal of bringing new gTLDs online with today?s launch of a public consultation on a key report from ICANN?s GNSO. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-10aug07.htm Editorial: ICANN's WHOIS Policy Shift Would Be Criminal Negligence There?s a move afoot to help criminals obscure their illegal online activities. ICANN is considering making it possible for anyone to avoid putting Web site ownership and contact information into the Internet?s WHOIS database. This seemingly minor change to the already loose requirements for Web site registration is being advocated by an unholy alliance of privacy ideologues, primarily in the European Union, and greedy ISPs. The former group argues that the less that is known about a Web site owner, the better that person?s rights are protected. The ISPs supporting the change see it as a way to generate more business, though most of it is likely to be from crooks who, ironically, rip off Internet users by violating their privacy. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=300493 ICANN Investigating Domain Tasting by Michele Neylon ICANN has announced that it is seeking input and feedback on the topic of domain tasting. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2007/08/11/icann-investigating-domain-tasting/ http://www.circleid.com/posts/070811_icann_investigating_domain_tasting/ Introduction of new gTLDs Pages 31 to 37 of ICANN GNSO Final Report on Introduction of New GTLDs are like an inventory of national trademark laws and international texts regarding protection of distinctive signs. http://domaine.blogspot.com/2007/08/introduction-of-new-gtlds.html Public Input Made Easier With One-Stop Comment Page ICANN is making it easier for the community to review all of the issues in the consultation phase and to provide their comments with a new public comment page on the ICANN website. ?This new webpage aims to provide a quick and simple entry point for people to read up and comment on ICANN?s ongoing processes, and thereby enhance and increase participation from the Internet community,? said Paul Levins, ICANN?s Executive Officer and Vice President, Corporate Affairs. ?Like the recent launch of the ICANN Monthly Magazine, the page should also help people understand what issues are being discussed at ICANN, and how interested stakeholders can contribute.? http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-09aug07.htm What Zittrain Doesn't Get by Milton Mueller Dawn Nunziato has developed a strong paper on the connection between Internet governance and freedom of expression. Her law review article, published on SSRN and freely available here, argues that the Internet governance regime centered around ICANN "has failed to implement substantive norms of democratic governance, most importantly, protection for freedom of expression." In her article, she challenges "the prevailing idea that ICANN's governance of the Internet's infrastructure does not threaten free speech." http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2007/8/6/3142881.html Response to Professor Zittrain by Milton Mueller If I may summarize your rejoinder, you make the following points: 1) Too much time is spent on ICANN, diverting scarce time and attention from more important venues; 2) Censorship of public labels would have "near zero effect" on access to content; 3) We are guarding the wrong door, the strongest threats to freedom of expression come from private firms, such as Google or Myspace or ISPs. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2007/8/7/3145104.html PacINET 2007 To Tackle Key ICT Issues [news release] Delegates at PacINET 2007 are expected to tackle a wide range of Information and Communications Technology development issues affecting the Pacific when they meet in Honiara, Solomon Islands, this week. http://scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00424.htm Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) [news release] Some 200 local, regional and international delegates are expected in the Solomon Islands this week for PacIN 2007. PacINET is the annual gathering of ICT experts organised by the Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC). http://www.tonga-now.to/Article.aspx?ID=3845&Mode=1 ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** The Return of the IPv4 Shortage by Larry Seltzer Opinion: Do you think that the address shortage is an urban legend? It may not be. Most people have long considered it a myth. Many years ago I was told dismissively, by smart people, that "we'll never run out of IP addresses!" But now people who really should know not only see it happening, they see the pool of IPv4 addresses exhausting in "late 2009 / early 2010." Yikes! That's just around the corner! http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2168465,00.asp ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** IT & Media - new Registrar for .gw TLD: Global Web [news release] IT & Media, Corp. a US Company with headquarter in Lisbon, Portugal has acquired the rights of Guinea-Bissau?s ccTLD .gw, after negotiations with their Government. IT & Media is the sole agent to market and sell .gw domain names worldwide. IT & Media is going to turn the ccTLD .gw into a Global Web Domain. ... In October 2007, a Sunrise Period for .gw - global web Domain names - will commence. During this period only companies and trademarks can register their names. http://www.pr.com/press-release/47980 2,500,000 .nl domain names registered On 8 August, the 2,500,000th .nl domain name was registered. Since 2003 SIDN say there has been a strong increase in the number of .nl domain names registered. In December 2003 the one millionth domain name was registered and the two millionth in August 2006. SIDN note that despite the introduction of the .eu ccTLD, the .nl ccTLD registrations have increased by 25%. http://www.sidn.nl/ace.php/c,727,5314,,,,2_500_000ste_nl-domeinnaam_geregistreerd.html [in Dutch] nz: Third consultation on RMC Policy Review InternetNZ, through the Domain Name Commission, is currently reviewing the Registering, Managing and Cancelling Domain Names policy. An initial call for comments on the policy review resulted in four submissions being received. These can be seen at http://dnc.org.nz/rmc-review. A second call for comments on some of the proposals raised as a result of the initial consultation was undertaken. http://dnc.org.nz/story/30287-29-1.html .ru approaches 1 million registrations The .ru ccTLD has passed 950,000 registrations and should reach one million registrations in September according to a recent article from CNews. By passing one million registrations, the .ru ccTLD will be the eighth largest, behind .de, .uk, .cn, .eu, .nl, .it and .us with .ca and .dk close behind. http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2007/08/09/262125 http://globedomains.com/2007/08/10/ru-is-closing-in-on-1-million-registrations/ Enhancing Quality and Value for usTLD [news release] With the .us TLD bids being reviewed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the public needs a clear and accurate description of what "quality" registry stewardship really means for a TLD like the usTLD. http://dnalliance.us/archives/000042.html Security and Stability for the usTLD The DNS has come under progressively sophisticated and frequent attacks in the past few years. Increasingly, capable criminals are constantly developing advanced cyber-attacks that both harm users and allow attackers to profit from such activity. As the Internet continues to scale, more users rely on DNS for the exchange of information and day-to-day online transactions and expect 24x7 access and availability. Domains that host government sites, like usTLD, are natural targets for bad actors that launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) and other attacks. Attacks generating interruptions or degradation of service for these critical assets can inflict significant economic damage and weaken security. http://dnalliance.us/archives/000045.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Leftist sets up fake KKK site to smear Fred? ... There?s no deception, really, unless you?re a halfwit MSNBC producer; they?re simply trying to capitalize on the domain name confusion to goof on any supporters of their hate object who might stumble onto their site instead. The fact that the domain was obviously deliberately chosen to resemble the domain of the official campaign site is actually the biggest giveaway, and probably what raised Ed?s suspicion in the first place. http://hotair.com/archives/2007/08/09/leftist-sets-up-fake-kkk-site-to-smear-fred/ ru: Cybersquatters register domain name similar to that of Uralsvyazinform Most users who peruse Russian web-pages were sent out a letter that stated a new domain name uralsvyazinform.com (an almost identical copy of uralsvyazinform.ru, the name of the Urals? major telecommunication provider) had been registered recently. Uralsvyazinform.com is currently hosting a dating site and a link offering to buy this domain name. http://en.urbc.ru/daynews.asp?ida=166383 New York Domain Name Bill to Become Law On the surface this isn?t a big deal. After all, registering a famous person?s name will likely land you on the losing end of a UDRP. Also, the bill hasn?t kept up with the times. It has a penalty for registering a person?s name with the intent to sell the domain to that person. It mentions nothing of registering someone?s name and profiting off of pay-per-click revenue. Furthermore, other states have laws similar to this one. But there are three things the author has previously pointed out about this bill that are worrisome, these being The law can be twisted to violate free speech; It flies in the face of established internet governance and The bill is was championed as a way to protect identity theft. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/08/09/new-york-domain-name-bill-to-become-law/ http://domainnamenews.com/legal-issues/new-york-state-makes-their-own-domain-laws/814 Domain Law Takes Effect A measure sponsored by Senator Betty Little (R,C,I-Queensbury) aimed at preventing a person from registering a domain name that is similar to or the same as another living person or business with the specific intent to profit from selling the domain name to that person or business has been signed into law. http://northcountrygazette.org/news/2007/08/10/domain_law/ http://www.csccorporatedomains.com/industry-news.asp?ItemID=18240333 http://www.csccorporatedomains.com/industry-news.asp?ItemID=18241549 http://domaine.blogspot.com/2007/08/ny-it-is-now-crime-to-register-name-of.html ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Evesham ex-employee registers Geemore.com Disillusioned ex-Evesham Technology workers now have a new website where the 150 or so redundant staff can vent their spleens, look for new jobs and talk about the good old days at the firm. Geemore.com has been setup with a forum for staff to stay in touch on all things Evesham-related. Surprisingly, despite the fact that Evesham is now a trading name for Geemore Ltd, nobody at the firm appeared to have had the foresight to register the domain names Geemore.com and Geemore.co.uk. http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/08/09/evesham_geemore_forum_website_dte/ Greater Transparency in Domain Name Pricing Tucows issued a press release today wherein they announced lower domain name pricing and enhanced services. http://www.zunmi.com/html/news/6/20070808/2681.html Sex.com (The Book) Is Worth the Wait Kieren McCarthy?s entertaining chronicle about the Sex.com theft is an engaging read. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/08/11/sexcom-the-book-is-worth-the-wait/ Austin company files for public stock offering for creditcards.com In a little more than three years, CreditCards.com Inc. has gone from an expensive piece of Web real estate to filing for an initial public offering that could raise $115 million. http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/other/08/11/0811creditcards.html http://www.247wallst.com/2007/08/ipo-filing-cred.html http://domainnamewire.com/2007/08/10/creditcardscom-files-for-ipo/ ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Domain Roundtable Conference to Kick Off 12 August in Seattle, Washington [news release] Name Intelligence presents its 3rd Annual Domain Roundtable Conference from August 12 - 15, 2007, in Seattle, Washington. The event, being held at the newly-renovated Seattle Sheraton Hotel, boasts the largest ever live domain auction, nTag wireless networking devices, and parties every night hosted by top sponsors at some of Seattle hottest clubs. An event not to be missed by veterans of the industry and professionals new to the domaining scene. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/08/prweb545625.htm http://emediawire.com/releases/2007/8/emw545625.htm http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/081007_Domain_Roundtable_Starts_Monday.cfm Why domain tasting is great! In the light that there has been an enormous amount of press on how bad domain tasting is I'm going to propose a contrary view and argue that it's healthy for the industry. Domain tasting is great, I love it!! Let's get some healthy debate happening here therefore I'll throw down the gauntlet to the other side and invite them to argue their case why domain tasting is bad in the forum. http://whizzbangsblog.com/content/view/240/86/ ********************** - DOMAIN SALES ********************** Sedo to Hold Live .UK Auction [news release] Sedo will assist the world's first live auction for .co.uk domain names. The event will take place at the Domain Focus conference in London on September 6 to 7. Sedo's event at Domain Focus marks the first time that an auction will be focused on a particular regional TLD. http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/080907_Sedo_to_Hold_Live_.UK_Auction.cfm "No to Hillary for President" Domain to be Auctioned New Dimensions Media Group announced it will sell the Internet domain No to Hillary for President.com (www.notohillaryforpresident.com) via E-Bay auction at 2pm (PST) on August 15th. http://emediawire.com/releases/2007/8/emw545968.htm http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/8/prweb545968.htm Pharmacy.com Finally in Play, FairWinds Partners to Broker [news release] FairWinds Partners, an Internet strategy consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., has been hired as the exclusive broker for the sale of Pharmacy.com. http://sev.prnewswire.com/electronic-commerce/20070810/NEF01810082007-1.html http://prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-10-2007/0004643413 ********************** OTHER INTERNET NEWS ********************** ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** zw: Govt Plans Cyber War Against Online News Zanu PF has blacklisted 41 online publications, including websites for American-owned CNN and the US Embassy in Harare, which it claims have launched a cyber war to promote a regime change agenda against President Robert Mugabe's government, the Zimbabwe Independent can reveal. http://allafrica.com/stories/200708100646.html All communications can now be intercepted under new law signed by Mugabe Reporters Without Borders regrets that the Interception of Communications Act was finally signed into law by President Robert Mugabe on 3 August. It enables the government to intercept phone calls, emails and faxes with the declared aim of protecting national security. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=17623 uk: MoD issues gag order on armed forces Sweeping new guidelines barring military personnel from speaking about their service publicly have been quietly introduced by the Ministry of Defence, the Guardian has learned. Soldiers, sailors and airforce personnel will not be able to blog, take part in surveys, speak in public, post on bulletin boards, play in multi-player computer games or send text messages or photographs without the permission of a superior if the information they use concerns matters of defence. http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,,2145930,00.html http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2231437.ece au: Google's photos of Sydney go all fuzzy Much of Sydney's CBD as it appears in the satellite images on Google Maps Australia has been fuzzed out, just weeks before the APEC summit. Google says the imagery was downgraded as a result of a "commercial issue" with a supplier, but the move has aroused speculation it was done at the request of police in order to minimise the risk of a terrorist attack during the September summit. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/13/1186857396182.html Social network sites are urged to ban ?hardcore? anorexia videos Charities involved with eating disorders have called for tighter controls on the internet after it emerged that popular social networking sites such as MySpace and YouTube were being used to promote anorexia. Pro-anorexia websites, on which girls exchange extreme dieting tips and view ?thinspiration? videos featuring alarmingly thin women, have existed for some years. But they have always been difficult to find and the people posting on them have remained anonyomous. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2231398.ece Google News: Will More Voices Lend Clarity or Distortion? Citizen journalism took another step forward this week as Google News is making it possible for its U.S. users to comment on stories. Here's the catch: Those users must be directly or indirectly involved with that story. On one hand, this could be a valuable service to readers in that people involved in a story, but who weren't quoted or interviewed by reporters in the original story, can offer new details that lend a different perspective. Readers could benefit from a more three-dimensional view of events. On the other hand, however, this could open the door to users who want to purposely distort information that might be difficult for reporters to confirm. It also could allow too many users in, to the point that all perspective on events disappears in a cacophony of contradictory comments. http://redmondmag.com/reports/article.asp?EditorialsID=542 Google lets subjects of news stories comment on articles about them [AP] Google introduced an experimental feature this week on its Google News Web site in the United States to allow any person mentioned in a news story that is linked there to submit a written response. http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/09/technology/google.php ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: Howard's net porn crusade John Howard is going to spend $189 million "cleaning up the internet" for Australian families, blocking pornography, upgrading the search for chatroom sex predators and cutting off terror sites. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22219587-601,00.html http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22218715-15306,00.html http://www2.skynews.com.au/news/article.aspx?id=183630 http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/AU-189m-govt-porn-blocking-plan-unveiled/0,130061733,339281091,00.htm http://www.telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=179634 http://smarthouse.com.au/Home_Office/Security_And_Support/P5G3A3A6 Australia declares war on net porn Within the last 24 hours the Australian Commonwealth Government announced that they would be spending AUS$189m (US$162m) on a range of packages and programs designed to protect Australian Internet users against all that the Internet has to offer, under the name Netalert. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/11/australia_gov_internet_protection/ au: ISP-level filters 'unworkable' ISPs have labelled the Federal Government's radical plan to force them to filter web content at the request of their users as unworkable. Communications Minister Helen Coonan admitted feasibility studies surrounding the proposal had yet to be conducted and that the Government would "only introduce filtering measures that are shown to be workable". http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530595566.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530595566.html http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530595566.html Coonan backflip on ISP filters The announcement of ISP-level internet filtering as part of the federal Government's NetAlert package has seen a major reversal on the technology, which the government last year derided as having "questionable benefits". Communications Minister Senator Helen Coonan today announced a $189 million package of measures to improve the safety of using the internet. As well as increased funding for the federal Police to track down online predators and national security threats, the package included $84.8 million to provide households with either internet filtering software packages or pre-filtered internet connections from an internet service provider. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22221132-15306,00.html Backflip on internet filter A federal government report last year derided the idea of an internet pornography filter now being proposed by John Howard, describing it as expensive, system-clogging and of "questionable benefit". http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22224981-11949,00.html Libraries' commitment to internet safety already evident [news release] The Australian Library and Information Association has rejected the description of public library filtering efforts as an "abject failure" made by The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, the Hon Helen Coonan this morning in her announcement regarding new moves to enforce internet filtering through the 'NetAlert - Protecting Australian Families Online' program. http://alia.org.au/media.room/2007.08.10.html Cyber safety kit for parents and schools Every parent and school will receive a cyber safety program for computers and mobile phones under a package being developed by the national school parents organisation. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22224982-5013404,00.html au: Australia to provide Internet filters to thwart perverts [AFP] Australia will provide a free Internet filtering service and access to a hotline in a bid to thwart perverts seeking to contact children, Prime Minister John Howard said Friday. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530598606.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530598606.html Closing doors on net porn Editorial: When our political leaders start using MySpace and YouTube as campaigning tools, it signals Australians of all ages have opened their doors to the worldwide web. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22223847-24218,00.html au: IIA Response to Government Filtering Policy In relation to the announcement today by the Federal Government expanding the Australian internet filter scheme, the IIA's response is as follows: We support many elements of this scheme and are, for now, keeping an open mind on other elements pending their better definition. http://iia.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=584&Itemid=32 au: Veto for parents on web content ISPs will be forced to filter web content at the request of parents, under a $189 million Federal Government crackdown on online bad language, pornography and child sex predators. ... In a separate development, convicted sex offenders in NSW will have to register their email address with police as part of State Government efforts to stop them using the internet to prey on children. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/09/1186530533147.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/09/1186530535350.html au: Howard pitch for family vote with internet filter Prime Minister John Howard has made a strong pitch for the Christian and family vote with a $189 million package to provide a free internet filter for every Australian family in a bid to fight pornography and foul language online. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530542829.html Dodgy content, sex predators caught in Aussie safety net [AAP] The Australian Federal Police will receive A$43.5 million for more officers to detect and investigate online child sex predators. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Govt-funds-fight-against-online-predators-/0,130061744,339281096,00.htm http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10457004 NetAlert gives public libraries free filtering Australian public libraries will receive free ISP security filtering to help protect users from online dangers as part of the Federal Government's $189 million National Filtering Scheme announced yesterday. http://crn.com.au/story.aspx?CIID=89076 http://securecomputing.net.au/news/58624,netalert-gives-public-libraries-free-filtering.aspx http://itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=58624 Mixed response to Govt internet porn protection The Internet Industry Association says it is pleased the Government's expanded cyber-safety scheme empowers parents rather than enforcing censorship. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/10/2002034.htm ACS Oks NetAlert The Australian Computer Society has thrown its support behind the Protecting Australian Families Online program. http://itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=58816 http://crn.com.au/story.aspx?CIID=89284 au: Girls warned of cyber stalkers New fears about cyber predators have emerged after two girls were followed home from an exclusive private school shortly after one of them put up her profile on social networking website MySpace. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/11/1186530679411.html au: Schools face cyber epidemic The majority of parents would not want mobile phones banned from NSW schools, despite students using them to film violence or bullying, Education Minister John Della Bosca says. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22233601-5006009,00.html http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22235884-15306,00.html Cyber Divide Widens: Kids Outsmarting Their Parents The gap is widening between what kids do online and what their parents think they do. A new study shows that children are online twice as much as their parents think they are and nearly one-quarter are getting away with forbidden online activities, according to security company Symantec, which commissioned Harris Interactive to do the poll. Parents also may be disconcerted to learn that the survey showed that 23% of children have had an encounter with a stranger on the Internet and 7% reported having met someone in the real world from the Internet. http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201400137 Symantec Survey Finds Kids Outsmart Parents When it Comes to the Internet Symantec announced results from a Symantec poll conducted by Harris Interactive that revealed a significant digital divide between parents and their cyber-savvy children. According to the June 2007 poll, parents of children who access the Internet think their child is online six hours a week, on average, but children admit to spending an average of 11.4 hours online a week, and nearly a quarter (23 percent) of children report doing things online that their parents would not condone. http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20070809_01 EU children know of Internet perils: report Children in Europe are increasingly aware of the risks associated with using the Internet but are unlikely to turn to their parents for advice if they encounter difficulties, a new study shows. http://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=166200&version=1 http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22236116-15306,00.html http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN1227122520070813 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Who Owns the Concept if No One Signs the Papers? Who owns a bright idea? If the technology associated with an idea is new and the opportunities it offers are valuable, it will have many authors ? most of whom may argue over ownership. When disputes over the provenance of an idea become particularly turbid, disappointed entrepreneurs will look to the courts, which often are of little help. As Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Stanford Law School, said, ?The general rule is that ideas are free unless strapped down by contract or patent.? In practice, a great idea is owned by whoever expresses that idea most successfully. Consider the case of Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Facebook, the fast-growing social networking Web site, who is being sued by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, twin brothers who were founders of ConnectU, another social network. http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/12/business/12stream.php http://nytimes.com/2007/08/12/business/yourmoney/12stream.html Storm Worm Attack Shifts To Malicious Web Pages The virulent Storm worm which has been hammering the Internet has changed tactics, opening up a new attack vector. Researchers at SecureWorks discovered late Wednesday that the Storm worm authors have taken their full attention off of e-mail-based attacks and have started creating malicious Web pages. E-mail-based attacks -- phony e-cards and fake news alerts -- have worked exceedingly well, helping the attackers build up a botnet at least 1.7 million strong, according to SecureWorks. http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201311245 'Second Life' Sex Machine Spawns Lawsuit (AP) Kevin Alderman didn't bring sex to "Second Life." He just made it better. The 46-year-old entrepreneur recognized four years ago that people would pay to equip their online selves - which start out with the smooth anatomy of a Barbie or Ken doll - with realistic genitalia and even more to add some sexy moves. http://www.latimes.com/technology/ats-ap_technology10aug10,1,3365614.story http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/11/1186530633486.html The Net Gets Real on Copyrights The Harry Potter ending is the latest example of how Web sites are more willing to take down copyrighted material and identify infringers http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2007/tc20070722_692668.htm au: African internet bride scam victim home safe A South Australian farmer held hostage in Africa for 12 days in an internet bride scam has returned home, saying he's lucky to be alive. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22233643-2,00.html http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/12/2002846.htm http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/11/2002620.htm http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/13/1186857402324.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Google explains privacy policy on YouTube Google has posted a video on YouTube that explains aspects of its privacy policy. Peter Fleischer, Google's global privacy counsel, said in a blog post on Wednesday that Google had launched the video to explain "cookies, IP addresses, and logs" to "non-techies". YouTube is owned by Google. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62030636,00.htm au: Naked fury over fake Watson site on MySpace THE Australian Cricketers Association is furious that some of Australia's leading players are being lampooned and misrepresented on the MySpace website. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22220252-15306,00.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Advertisers find new headaches in lawless world of social Web sites First came the soaring ascent of online social networking sites and now comes old fashioned soul searching about a sprawling universe where staid advertisements can scrape up against profiles of giddy young professionals and pages devoted to self-proclaimed angry "straight, white men." While sites like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Habbo Hotel have a powerful allure, the companies that run them are finding themselves on the front lines of criticism about fast-evolving standards. Some of the criticism in Britain involves advertising for junk food that is migrating to the sites from children's television programming, where such ads are now banned, and corporate concern about employees distracted by time-sapping virtual networking. http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/12/business/social13.php uk: Peers want crackdown on web's 'wild west' The government and police must act to improve online security and stop the internet becoming a "playground of criminals", a parliamentary committee warns today. A report from the House of Lords science and technology select committee accuses both business and government of creating an image of the net as a "wild west", with millions of internet users unnecessarily exposed to crime. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/10/crime.politics Internet is becoming as lawless as the Wild West, report peers The internet has become a playground for criminals in which highly specialised gangs steal money from bank accounts, according to a Parliamentary report published today. A huge underground economy is making a living from e-crime, which fuels the perception of the internet as a lawless ?Wild West?, the peers report said. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2231564.ece Britain publishes restrictions covering online gambling ads Littlewoodscasino.com, William Hill Casino and Interpoker.com are among about 1,000 gambling Web Sites based outside Britain that are to be banned from advertising in the country when new laws take effect next month. http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/09/technology/gamble.php http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6201710.html http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2145763,00.html William Hill Casino relocates ahead of advertising ban William Hill is set to transfer its online gambling operation from the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean to Gibraltar. City sources said the William Hill Casino move comes ahead of the introduction of a Government ban on the advertising in the UK of gambling websites that operate outside of the European Economic Area or so-called "white-listed" territories. http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2856771.ece au: MP lashes out over fake MySpace profile A federal MP has hit out at MySpace for allowing a "offensive, vulgar and inflammatory" fake site to be set up in his name. MySpace is a social networking website that allows people to set up free personalised web pages. Stewart McArthur, the government's deputy whip, said the fake page - which has since been taken down - had included his photograph. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/09/1186530526713.html ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** uk: Internet groups warn BBC over iPlayer plans Some of the largest broadband providers in the UK are threatening to "pull the plug" from the BBC's new iPlayer unless the corporation contributes to the cost of streaming its videos over the internet. http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2856766.ece http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f3428cd4-48fb-11dc-b326-0000779fd2ac.html Can Net greedy-guts have their cake and eat it? It is hard to imagine, but the internet is filling up. Less than a decade ago, pioneering companies stuck huge pipes in the ground to cope with demand for data traffic that never arrived. Well, with the popularity of video sharing sites such as YouTube, as well as the dawn of internet broadcasting, internet capacity is starting to look a wee bit stretched. There is no need for alarm just yet, but the likes of BT and Tiscali, as well as AOL in the US, are firmly of the opinion that the media companies that are responsible for all this bandwidth-hungry content should contribute to the costs of upgrading the network. http://news.independent.co.uk/business/comment/article2856776.ece Japanese grannies go high-tech [AFP] "My husband isn't home tonight. Would you like to..." reads the suggestive email on the computer screen. Obviously, the sender has no idea that the recipient is 78-year-old grandmother Kikue Kamata. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/13/2003066.htm http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/13/1186857391477.html Google Isn't Always The Best Search Choice Google has turned into a household verb, but that doesn't make it the last word in Web search. On one level, it can't be: Web searching isn't even 15 years old, and there's no reason to think that somebody couldn't do it better than Google. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/08/AR2007080802311.html ********************** SPAM ********************** UC-San Diego computer scientists shed light on Internet scams [news release] Computer scientists from UC San Diego have found striking differences between the infrastructure used to distribute spam and the infrastructure used to host the online scams advertised in these unwanted email messages. This discovery should aid in the fight to reduce spam volume and shut down illegal online businesses and malware sites. http://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-08/uoc--usd080607.php 57% of spam scam sites hosted in US A detailed investigation into the distribution and usage of webservers to host the various 'scams' pushed by spam campaigns has found that the vast majority of such scams use only a single server per scam, with 57.4% of these servers based in the US. http://www.virusbtn.com/news/2007/08_09a.xml We're in the grip of a spam epidemic [AAP] Spam has hit an all-time high and is expected to increase thanks to a volatile virus that uses infected computers to spread the unsolicited emails. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530603509.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Universal Music to sell songs without copying constraints A power struggle between Steve Jobs and Universal Music Group has accomplished what years of consumer complaints could not: sales of thousands of songs in an unrestricted digital format from the world's biggest record company. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-music10aug10,1,2598446.story http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/business/10music.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/10/1186530573642.html Lawsuit: Music Publishers v. YouTube Doesn't Solve the Problem The National Music Publishers Association has joined an existing lawsuit accusing YouTube of copyright infringement. Since their purchase of YouTube, it has been open season on Google. Rights-holders know that Google is truly made-of-money and aggrieved content owners now have a target with very deep pockets to sue. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelly-palmer/lawsuit-music-publishers_b_59979.html ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Is Your Printer Making You Sick? A recent Australian study will have you thinking twice about waiting for those printouts ? not for the sake of the paper, but for your health. In the small study, published in the Aug. 1 issue of Environmental Science and Technology, researchers found that nearly 30% of the 62 printers they tested ? including laser printers from Canon, HP, Toshiba and Ricoh ? emitted high levels of ultrafine toner particles, which were potentially as hazardous as cigarette smoke. In one Brisbane office, the authors found, the concentration of particulate matter per square inch was five times higher during working hours than nonworking hours, and about 3.5 times higher inside than outside, where a freeway ran 130 yards from the building. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650602,00.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/10/AR2007081000383.html A touch of death about the iPhone touchscreen? In the latest of a series of complaints, iPhone users are reporting that sections of the screen go dead http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article2236383.ece FTC Offers Tips for Laptop Security [news release] Consumers can take many measures to make their laptop secure from hackers, viruses, and other potential threats, such as installing firewalls, updating antivirus software, and using strong passwords. Now, the Federal Trade Commission is offering tips for protecting laptops from theft. http://ftc.gov/opa/2007/08/laptopsecurity.shtm ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** EU considers telecom 'superregulator' Following its success in cutting mobile phone roaming fees, the European Commission is weighing a plan that could force some former EU phone monopolies to legally reorganize to open their networks to greater competition. http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/12/business/telecom13.php http://nytimes.com/2007/08/13/business/worldbusiness/13telecom.html Telecoms in Africa: Not so EASSy A plan to run a submarine cable down Africa's east coast runs into difficulty: The East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy), a project to wire up several African countries with high-speed optical fibre, is not living up to its name. The plan, hatched in 2003, was simple enough: lay an 9,900km (6,200-mile) submarine cable along the east coast of the continent, from Sudan to South Africa, touching at several points along the way, and then link it up with the rest of the world. But the scheme has become entangled in disagreements between operators and governments over its business model. http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9621946 au: Telstra and Labor talk broadband Telstra is holding detailed discussions with the Labor Party about its proposals for a high-speed broadband network. The informal talks are in contrast to the breakdown in the relationship with the Howard Government and Communications Minister Helen Coonan. ... But The Australian has learnt that Telstra's head of regulatory affairs, Phil Burgess, has been in regular contact with Opposition communications spokesman Stephen Conroy and other senior ALP figures. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22219570-2702,00.html au: Fibre to the home comes to Canberra Canberra telco TransACT will be deploying fibre-to-the-home in the city from this month, with more FTTH tenders on the table. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Fibre-to-the-home-comes-to-Canberra/0,130061791,339281119,00.htm http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1670681232;fp;2;fpid;1 nz: Cunliffe rules out rural line hike Communications Minister David Cunliffe says Telecom would not be allowed to raise its phone line rental charges in small towns and rural areas above the rate of inflation to reflect the higher prices the Commerce Commission suggests should apply there for access to the local loop. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4161446a28.html nz: TelstraClear third player in mobile market TelstraClear is promising big changes to the New Zealand telecommunications market following the signing of a deal to use Telecom's network for a new nationwide mobile service. The two companies said an agreement approving the move was signed today by Telecom acting chief executive Simon Moutter http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10457438 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Paris moves ahead with free Wi-Fi plans Paris is abuzz with open Wi-Fi hotspots, but picking out the signals among all that competing noise is no easy matter http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/09/paris-wi-fi_1.html There?s a revolution in the air, and it?s the end for untidy living rooms Homes may be transformed into wireless entertainment ?hubs? after Ofcom announced a relaxation of restrictions on wireless technology. From Monday Ofcom will remove the requirement to hold a licence to operate equipment using approved Ultra-Wideband. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2231565.ece +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2007 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (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 Flannery ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sick of deleting your inbox? Yahoo!7 Mail has free unlimited storage. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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