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 11 October edition of the news include: Researchers Map the Internet | On Its Way: One of the Biggest Changes to the Internet | IDNs - A Script for Every Surfer | New Delhi Chosen as Site of ICANN?s 31st Public Meeting | We [ICANN] *are* listening to you - the proof! by Kieren McCarthy | The Launch of .ASIA - a free web seminar | Bidding starts for .asia domain rights | NSA's Lucky Break: How the U.S. Became Switchboard to the World And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA. *************************************************** Governments shouldn't cut Internet: UN telecoms chief http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/06/1191091396583.html OECD: Mobilizing Civil Society for the Internet Ministerial by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2007/10/5/3273492.html Net Neutrality a Must for Working Americans http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/net-neutrality-a-must-for_b_67331.html What Direction is the Internet Headed? http://webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=22533 Internationalised Domain Names set for launch [AP] http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/05/1191091322391.html Anthony Doesburg: Web body looks for new lord of the domain names http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10467934 Ireland?s real net pioneer: Meet the Irishman whose key decisions in the Eighties led to the web as we know it today http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/irelandrsquos-real-net-pioneer-1115628.html What's the point of the .asia top-level domain? http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/10/08/whats_the_point_of_the_asia_toplevel_domain.html Companies prepare to head off risk of cyber-squatters in new ?.asia? domain http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2609729.ece sex.asia likely to be Internet domain in demand [Reuters] http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKL058948120071005 CNNIC Exposes Chinese Domain Name Registration Violators http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/10/08/5936-cnnic-exposes-chinese-domain-name-registration-violators/ California: Apology After Sites? Shutdown http://nytimes.com/2007/10/05/us/05brfs-APOLOGYAFTER_BRF.html US Feds pull the domain name plug on State of California [IDG] http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9040858 Federal 'fix' knocks ca.gov for a loop http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/20192 Bad things lurking on government sites [IDG] http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9041023 us: Pennsylvania proposes to ban cybersquatting http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1_1cyber.6075316oct05,0,4227590.story http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2919 Cheap domain names fuel cybersquatting http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62033034,00.htm ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Governments shouldn't cut Internet: UN telecoms chief UN telecommunications agency chief Hamadoun Toure said Friday that no government had the right to cut their citizens off from the Internet, following recent incidents in Myanmar. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/06/1191091396583.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/06/1191091396583.html OECD: Mobilizing Civil Society for the Internet Ministerial by Milton Mueller A series of meetings in Ottawa, Canada this week started setting the foundation for civil society participation in the Seoul Ministerial on The Future of the Internet Economy. IGP is involved in this initiative, along with APC and EPIC's Public Voice, as part of the reference group coordinating civil society participation. Preparatory meeting were joined to a "Technology Foresight Forum" on "The Participative Web" (a.k.a. Web 2.0). http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2007/10/5/3273492.html Internet's unsung guardians labor in obscurity to keep Web moving Ask Derek Schlecht what he does for a living and he'll tell you he's an IBX site engineer. He may then hit you with a string of technical jargon about cooling units and backup power systems. What Schlecht's job really is, though, is keeping the Internet running. Not the whole Internet, of course. By the very nature of the Web, there is no central control room. Schlecht's responsibility is to maintain a small piece of it. And it's thanks to thousands of people like him around the world that your home page shows up when you log on in the morning. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/06/BUR6S4N9R.DTL Net Neutrality a Must for Working Americans Some of the most powerful voices in labor are throwing their full support behind Net Neutrality-- calling it crucial to the success and vitality of our democracy. In a blog post at SavetheInternet.com, Jim Hoffa, the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, called on Congress to pass legislation that would "ensure that discrimination and economic injustice does not return in a 21st Century form." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/net-neutrality-a-must-for_b_67331.html What Direction is the Internet Headed? The architecture of the Internet has always been driven by a core group of designers, but the form of that group has changed as the number of interested parties has continued to grow. With the success of the Internet, has come a proliferation of stakeholders - stakeholders now with an economic as well as an intellectual investment in the network. We now see, in the debates over control of the domain name space and the form of the next generation IP addresses, a struggle to find the next social structure that will guide the Internet in the future. The form of that structure will be harder to find, given the large number of concerned stakeholders. http://webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=22533 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Internationalised Domain Names set for launch [AP] Sample addresses in nearly a dozen languages will be added to the internet's central directories as early as next week, paving the way for web surfers around the world to get online without knowing any English. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/05/1191091322391.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/05/1191091322391.html http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/191634.html http://www.tech2.com/india/news/internet/sample-nonenglish-domains-coming-soon/18641/0 Interweb goes multi-lingual OUR INTERWEB RULERS have woken up to the fact that most of the planet doesn't speak English and have prepared a bunch of IP domans in languages other than the Queen's vernacular. http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/10/04/interweb-goes-mulit-lingual Anthony Doesburg: Web body looks for new lord of the domain names In the virtual world of the internet, ICANN might be said to be the equivalent of the United Nations. The US-based ICANN was set up in 1998 and, for most of that time, it has been chaired by American Vint Cerf, widely considered the "father" of the internet. At a meeting in Los Angeles late this month, Cerf will be stepping down, leaving the chairmanship open to one of ICANN's 20 or so other directors. One of those is Peter Dengate Thrush, a Kiwi who has been associated with ICANN from its inception and who continues to have deep involvement with New Zealand internet governance. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10467934 Ireland?s real net pioneer: Meet the Irishman whose key decisions in the Eighties led to the web as we know it today When people think of the founding fathers of the internet, they think of inventors such as Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf who created TCP/IP protocols that the internet runs on, as well as creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee. Few realise that it was an Irishman whose strategic decision in the Eighties with the US National Science Foundation (NST) that led to the creation of the internet as we know it. http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/irelandrsquos-real-net-pioneer-1115628.html Where have you gone? Public participation on .post conundrum by Kieren McCarthy There is a letter from the Universal Postal Union (UPU) to ICANN concerning the use of their sTLD .post that may well have important implications for the future evolution of the domain name system. ... The comment period closes in one day (6 October) and so far there have so far been no comments at all from the community. http://blog.icann.org/?p=203 ICANN calls for comment on .post ICANN has expressed concern that there have been no comments on a recent letter regarding the sponsored TLD .post. http://www.cscprotectsbrands.com/news.asp?newsId=18306321 ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** What's the point of the .asia top-level domain? ... Curb your enthusiasm at the back. Oh, you were standing up to leave? Can't blame you. In what must have domain registrars around the world rubbing their hands with glee and ordering new yachts, we now have another TLD that nobody can quite remember asking for (is it like the gherkin in a fastburger?) which will coin it from all the companies that feel they have to register their name just to make sure that nobody else does. Which especially means all the banks and other brands, but which equally means that typosquatters and phishers can have a new way to play havoc with everyone's lives. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/10/08/whats_the_point_of_the_asia_toplevel_domain.html Companies prepare to head off risk of cyber-squatters in new ?.asia? domain The opening tomorrow (9 October) of a new Asian TLD is expected to trigger a flurry of ?defensive registrations? by companies that will not use their new ?.asia? web addresses but are determined to prevent cyber-speculators and counterfeiters from exploiting them. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2609729.ece Businesses advised to register .asia domains Businesses with a presence in Asia which wish to protect trademarks have been advised that they should consider registering for .asia domain names. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39289872,00.htm http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62033110,00.htm Internet names for Asia launched On 9 October the sunrise period for the domain opens that lets governments and companies register interest in specific domain names. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7033924.stm http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c508a2f8-75c0-11dc-b7cb-0000779fd2ac.html http://www.netimperative.com/2007/10/08/Asia_domain Asian domain up for grabs The first round of the registration period for the new top-level .asia domain opens 9 October, promising organisations that are based in or trade with countries in that region a greater online presence. http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2200450/asian-domain-grabs http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/news/2200450/asian-domain-grabs http://www.computing.co.uk/itweek/news/2200450/asian-domain-grabs After .eu, Asia gets its own address in cyberworld After .com, .org, .net and a host of other domains, Asia is next in line to get its own domain name. Due for its ?sunrise? launch tomorrow for trademark owners, ?.asia? is aimed at providing another option to domain-name seekers. http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=300705 http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Internet_/Corporate_India_plays_safe_with_asia_domain/articleshow/2441118.cms http://infotech.indiatimes.com/Tech_News/News/Corporate_India_plays_safe_with_asia_domain/articleshow/2441118.cms www.sex.asia likely to be Internet domain in demand [Reuters] The Internet address www.sex.asia is likely to be the domain name most in demand next week when dot Asia Web sites are launched, Europe's .eu Internet domain registrar EURid said on Friday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKL058948120071005 http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL058948120071005 http://redherring.com/Home/22931 http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/2007/10/08/125792/Big-demand.htm sex.asia likely to be Internet domain in demand sex.asia is likely to be the domain name most in demand thisweek when dot Asia Web sites are launched, Europe's .eu Internet domain registrar EURid said on Friday. http://itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=62591 Cybersquatting escalates in Asia Instances of cybersquatting are growing in Asia, fueled largely by the availability of inexpensive Internet domain names, according to a domain-name registrar. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6212187.html dot eu welcomes dot asia to the Internet [news release] EURid, the European registry for .eu, welcomes the arrival of .asia to the Internet. The pioneering .eu domain, which is available to 490 million Europeans in 27 countries, was the first top-level Internet domain for a broad, multi-country region. The launch of .asia next week reflects the growing interest in regional top-level domains, which some regional supporters hope will eventually include Africa and Latin America as well. http://www.eurid.eu/images/Documents/Press_releases/dot%20eu%20welcomes%20dot%20asia.pdf CNNIC Exposes Chinese Domain Name Registration Violators In order to regulate the domain name registration industry and protect users' interest, the China Internet Information Network Center, the supervisor of the implementation of China's Internet Domain Name Registration Industry Self-Discipline Convention, has published the second batch of domain name violators. http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/10/08/5936-cnnic-exposes-chinese-domain-name-registration-violators/ Register .es domains with Spanish language characters [news release] As of 2 October, it is possible to register .es domains with characters such as ?, ?, accent marks, diaresis and others characteristic of the Spanish official languages. http://www.domainpulse.com/2007/10/05/register-es-domains-with-spanish-language-characters/ Accents for Spanish domains Spain has just opened up its namespace to IDNs. In the first 24 hours, 2,000 registration requests were received for .ES IDNs. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/112/accents-for-spanish-domains.php ie: IEDR and Comreg [news release] Seven years ago the Oireachtas gave the Minister certain powers in relation to the .ie namespace. These powers were never exercised by him, and in May 2007 these powers and others were transferred to Comreg. Following this transfer, Comreg has now decided to do a health check on .ie registry operations. Independent international consultants Jim Reid and Eva Frolich have been appointed to carry out the health check. The consultants will do this work as Agents of Comreg, whose authorization derives from the Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act 2007. http://www.iedr.ie/NEWS/News-04Oct2007.php Burma Internet Shutdown ... The connection between Myanmar and the rest of the world appears to be turned back on, at least temporarily. The 45 megabit per second circuit connecting Myanmar to Kuala Lumpur that is Myanmar?s primary connection to the Internet came back up at 14:27 UTC today. It had mostly been ?hard down,? indicating either that it had been unplugged or that the router it was connected to was turned off, with the exception of a few brief periods since September 28. Myanmar?s ccTLD, .MM, disappeared. It?s served by three name servers, ns0.mpt.net.mm, ns.net.mm, and ns-mm.ripe.net. http://www.circleid.com/posts/710413_myanmar_internet_shutdown/ nl: SIDN increases registry fees from 1 January 2008 by an average of 2 per cent SIDN has decided to increase its registry fees from 1 January 2008 by an average of 2 per cent. The move is necessitated by rising costs. http://www.sidn.nl/ace.php/c,728,5342,,,,SIDN_increases_registry_fees_from_1_January_2008_by_an_average_of_2_per_cent.html uk: Nominet plans to slash expert fees Nominet is considering changes to its dispute resolution policy that could see it reduce fees by more than two-thirds for its expert decision service. An expert decision costs the claimant ?750, whether the claim is contested or not. But now Nominet is considering lowering that fee to ?200 if the other side fails to submit any documentation. It would also automatically award the contested domain name to the claimant. http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=129238 uk: EPP beta launched [news release] Nominet has launched their beta test version of Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP). This beta testing phase, operating on a test data set, will run for approximately two months. Following the beta phase, we will launch a fully operational version of EPP with our live data set. The beta version will continue to be available for you to test your implementation. Information about EPP is available. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=4497 ********************** - DOMAIN SECURITY ********************** California: Apology After Sites? Shutdown The agency in charge of security for state and federal Web sites with a .gov domain name apologized ?to the citizens of California? for ordering a shutdown of the state government Internet system after spotting a minor hacker attack on a Marin County Web site. http://nytimes.com/2007/10/05/us/05brfs-APOLOGYAFTER_BRF.html US Feds pull the domain name plug on State of California [IDG] The federal government pulled the plug on the domain name used by the State of California on Tuesday, setting into motion a chain of events that threatened to grind government business to a standstill within the state. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9040858 http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/04/Feds-pull-domain-name-plug-on-California_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138048-pg,1/article.html Federal 'fix' knocks ca.gov for a loop Even the government shudders when someone says they're from the government and they're here to help. Case in point: A hacker's diversion of traffic from a California county government Web site to a porn purveyor spiraled into IT chaos yesterday after a countermeasure applied from Washington essentially "deleted the ca.gov domain." http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/20192 Bad things lurking on government sites [IDG] The U.S. federal government took steps earlier this week to shut down Web sites in California in order to protect the public from hacked Web sites, but new incidents show that the problem is not going away any time soon. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9041023 http://www.intergovworld.com/article/71a9080e0a0104080021477cefe684d4/pg1.htm Rock Phish may be using fast flux in phishing attacks The elusive "Rock Phish" group continues to be innovative. The group appears to have started using the "fast flux" method to fool researchers and elude detection, according to new security research. Cambridge University security researchers Richard Clayton and Tyler Moore tracked 30,000 phishing reports that came in through Phish Tank, a clearinghouse that tracks phishing sites, between February and April 2007. They found a link between Rock Phish and the fast flux approach. http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/04/Rock-Phish-using-fast-flux-phishing-attacks_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138079-pg,1/article.html The threat of political phishing Later today, I will be presenting as part of a panel on the subject of political phishing at the Anti-Phishing Working Group eCrime Researchers Summit. During the panel discussion, I will be speaking about the threats to the online fundraising model used by political candidates in the United States. While attacks in the wild have yet to be seen, there are a number of factors which make online campaign giving particularly vulnerable to phishing attacks. http://www.cnet.com/8301-13739_1-9791723-46.html us: Man Arrested For Using Botnet To Launch DoS Attacks The alleged hacker used connections at a McDonald's and Best Buy to launch denial-of-service attacks and then heckle his victims. http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202201173 us: Dept of Homeland Security caused 'mini-DDoS' A contractor for the US Department of Homeland Security has initiated "a mini denial of service" against thousands of security professionals, according to Marcus H Sachs, the director of the SANS Internet Storm Center, a community that monitors global security threats. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39289832,00.htm ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** us: Pennsylvania proposes to ban cybersquatting Pennsylvania has a proposal to ban cybersquatting. The proposal follows Republican Jason Gherghel's decision to register various combinations domain names of his opponent, Melinda Kantner, prompting the bill, says the state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-Schuylkill. http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1_1cyber.6075316oct05,0,4227590.story http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2919 Don't Fight The Big Guys Imagine battling eBay, a $1.8 billion (sales) company and one of the 600 largest public companies in the world. For Perfume Bay, an online fragrance retailer with annual sales $17 million, that's reality. In pursuit of making itself the only Bay on the Net, eBay has dragged Perfume Bay, as well as BrickBay.com and BidBay.com, through years of costly legal fees and emotional hardship. "We are making sure that Perfume Bay cannot be confused with eBay in any way and that customers are clear that if they purchase something off of Perfume Bay, they are not protected in any way by the consumer protection programs eBay has in place," says Catherine England, an eBay spokeswoman. http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/2007/10/05/lawsuits-litigation-sba-ent-cx_ll_1005lawsuit.html http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2918 How Entrepreneurs Can Survive Trademark Lawsuits From the Department of Nightmares comes this story of a David-and Goliath lawsuit. Apparently, online perfume retailer Perfume Bay has been embroiled in litigation with online auction site eBay (also spelled ebaY in its logo) for about the past three years. According to the Orange County Register, which profiled the case last month, Perfume Bay grossed $17 million last year; eBay grossed $6 billion. http://legal.entrepreneur.com/2007/10/04/69/ us: County exec candidates fight war of domains After being wooed for months by a Democratic Party power structure searching for any viable candidate, State Sen. Lena Taylor filed papers this week to run for Milwaukee County executive. The Milwaukee Dem may find it hard to get a Web site with a catchy address, however, since her opponents have been busy gobbling up domain names. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics100307.html us: Fraud or all's-fair-in-politics? [AP] Linda McCulloch is running for secretary of state in Montana, but a Web site bearing her name makes no mention of why the Democrat is qualified for the job. Instead, it says "Bad Grades. Bad Candidate." McCulloch's domain name, www.lindamcculloch.com, was bought by Republicans, which some people are calling "political cyberfraud." Others say such Web sites are fair and protected under the First Amendment. http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/10/07/news/state/36-fraud.txt us: Mayor Poston gets his name back A Web site address with Mayor Wayne Poston's name that last week forwarded visitors to former mayor Bill Evers' campaign site, now goes directly to the Poston campaign site. http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/166070.html ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** FairWinds Provides Outsourced Domain Name Administration to Multinational Corporations [news release] Strategy consultants FairWinds Partners announced the introduction of a premium domain name administration outsourced solution for leading brand owners. The service offers proactive strategic recommendations and decision-making support along with the oversight and administration of all internal and external activities needed to ensure expert domain name management and to extract maximum value from the web-brand interplay. http://www.fairwindspartners.com/press-release-october-04.html Rwanda Turns Off: Growing repression threatens an economic boom ... Google is teaching the government how to take advantage of its free online applications, and has even sent engineers to Rwanda to help local institutions offer the programs under their own domain names. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21162104/site/newsweek/ NameJet Launches, Collaboration Between eNom, Network Solutions SnapNames competitor launches, backed by Network Solutions and eNom. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/10/05/namejet-launches-collaboration-between-enom-network-solutions/ ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Cheap domain names fuel cybersquatting Instances of cybersquatting is growing in Asia, fueled largely by the availability of inexpensive Internet domain names, according to an Internet domain name registrar. Janna Lam, managing director of Singapore-based IP Mirror, told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail interview: "Cybersquatting has always been a [worldwide] trend and is now catching up in Asia... The main cause [for this growth] is the low prices of Internet domain names." http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62033034,00.htm http://www.news.com/2100-1030_3-6212187.html http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2917 CNET Report Calling all Domainers ?Cybersquatters?, Blaming Cheap Domains Despite strong criticisms from the domain name industry against labeling all Domainers as ?Cybersquatters?, comes the latest CNet report saying: http://www.circleid.com/posts/cnet_report_calling_domainers_cybersquatters/ How to Improve Your Parking Income, Video Leonard Holmes of ParkQuick creates domain parking video. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/10/06/how-to-improve-your-parking-income-video/ NameJet Launches New Service to Purchase Deleted and Expired Domain Names NameJet, a new secondary market domain name auction services company, has launched a Web marketplace that consolidates an exclusive inventory of deleted and expired domain names from top domain name registrars Network Solutions and eNom and makes them available for auction. This new service allows customers to create an account, manage backorder requests, and participate in auctions for domain names that have recently become available for registration. http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007100814/namejet-launches-new-service-to-purchase-deleted-and-expired-domain-names/ http://www.domainpulse.com/2007/10/08/namejet-launches-new-service-to-purchase-deleted-and-expired-domain-names/ ********************** - DOMAIN SALES ********************** Sedo Defies End of Summer Slowdown with 7 of the Week's 10 HIghest Reported Domain Sales Through most of the summer we commented frequently on how the perennial "summer doldrums" seemed to be taking a vacation this year. However, the slow season for domain sales finally arrived in September and persisted through the opening day of autumn Sunday (Sept. 23) which was the final day of our latest 7-day reporting period. There were no six-figure sales in the past week and the top reported sale, Puss.com at $71,458, was the culmination of a transaction that actually began back in July when Moniker auctioned off the name at the Internext conference in Miami (the deal was just concluded this week). http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2007/domainsales10-02-07.htm Hosting.mobi Sells for $101k! by Michele Neylon The first of the dotmobi premium auctions finished earlier this evening, although the full sale results don't seem to be available as yet hosting.mobi is listed as having fetched $101,000! http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2007/10/03/hostingmobi-sells-for-101k/ ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Just half US adults with chronic conditions use the internet [news release] About a fifth of American adults say that a disability, handicap, or chronic disease keeps them from participating fully in work, school, housework, or other activities. Half (51%) of those living with a disability or chronic disease go online, compared with 74% of those who report no chronic conditions. Fully 86% of internet users living with disability or chronic illness have looked online for information about at least one of 17 health topics, compared with 79% of internet users with no chronic conditions. E-patients with chronic conditions are more likely than other e-patients to report that their online searches affected treatment decisions, their interactions with their doctors, their ability to cope with their condition, and their dieting and fitness regimen. http://www.pewinternet.org/press_release.asp?r=143 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Monks Are Silenced, and for Now, Internet Is, Too It was about as simple and uncomplicated as shooting demonstrators in the streets. Embarrassed by smuggled video and photographs that showed their people rising up against them, the generals who run Myanmar simply switched off the Internet. ... The efficiency of this latest, technological, crackdown raises the question whether the vaunted role of the Internet in undermining repression can stand up to a determined and ruthless government -- or whether Myanmar, already isolated from the world, can ride out a prolonged shutdown more easily than most countries. http://nytimes.com/2007/10/04/world/asia/04info.html Downloading the Burma uprising: Did it help? When protesters took to the streets of Burma two decades ago, activists relied on fax machines to tell the world what was going on. In last month's uprising in the isolated police state, they photographed and uploaded the demonstrations via cellphone. Images and videos bounced from Internet cafes to foreign blogs and international media, then sometimes back again to Burma by satellite TV and shortwave radio. The leap in technology didn't prevent the military from choosing ? as it did in 1988 ? to launch a violent crackdown. But it did make it harder for the regime to act quickly and secretly, say Internet-savvy activists. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1003/p02s01-usfp.html Myanmar's Net Curtain Begins To Lift After a week-long Internet blackout intended to block all communication about the government's brutal political repression, Myanmar's Net users are regaining limited access to the outside world. Researchers at the OpenNet Initiative reported Friday that the country's only Internet service provider, Myanmar Infotech, had begun relaying data again sometime Thursday, raising hopes that political dissidents will manage to smuggle out more information about the recent violence. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/10/05/internet-censorship-burma-tech-cx_ag_1005myanmar.html Internet Access Restored In Myanmar [AHN] Internet users in Myanmar on Friday said they can access the world wide web again, according to reports. Internet connections were severed last week, reportedly to help end a sweeping tide of dissent that threatened to topple the military junta in control of Myanmar. http://allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008740439 Exiled bloggers take up Burma opposition fight Although the internet was restored in Burma late on Friday for the first time in more than a week, the bloggers who had previously supplied graphic accounts of the growing protest movement remained silenced. In their stead, exiled bloggers have continued to hound the government. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/07/wburma407.xml ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: Why parents need not panic about stranger danger online by Michael Duffy Three weeks ago I suggested a large part of the Government's $22 million NetAlert campaign was fraudulent. Advertisements have sprung up claiming a large proportion of children who use social networking sites are approached by strangers online, strongly implying these strangers are pedophiles. But in the research on which the ads are based, the word "stranger" has such a broad meaning that it includes friends of friends and spam. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/05/1191091360758.html http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/10/05/1191091360758.html au: Negar Salek: Casting a net over online perpetrators As our children delve further into the online world, the Federal Government launches a safety program to protect them from danger The Federal Government used National Child Protection Week, [2-8 September] as the launch pad for the promotional activity of its $189 million NetAlert online safety program, announced in August. http://crn.com.au/Feature/3880,negar-salek-casting-a-net-over-online-perpetrators.aspx au: Covert smoking ads targeting teens, says expert Teenagers are being encouraged to take up smoking through pro-tobacco "stealth marketing" on popular websites such as YouTube and MySpace, an Australian expert says. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22544961-2,00.html nz: Teenage girls posting 'dangerous' photos online New Zealand girls as young as 13 are offering scantily-clad photos of themselves online and teenagers are posting contact details on personal pages - all of which are available to gangs, paedophiles and others with sinister motives. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10468350 nz: 275 text-bullying complaints so far An Internet Safety watchdog has fielded 275 text-bullying complaints this year, referring nearly half to police because of criminal content and threats. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4225962a28.html uk: Virtual playgrounds for children: BBC joins world of cyber kids [AFP] Cyber playgrounds for digitally-savvy kids look set to be the cool new space after the BBC unveiled its children's online virtual world at the MIPCOM audiovisual trade show taking place in southern France. Children "don't want passive viewing experiences any more," Marc Goodchild, who heads the BBC's Children's Interactive and On-Demand, told a MIPCOM conference. "They want to recreate their playground experiences at home." http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/09/1191695849213.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/09/1191695849213.html uk: IWF welcomes INHOPE Report on Global Internet Trends [news release] INHOPE, the International Association of Internet hotlines, reports there has been a global increase in child sexual abuse content on the Internet with 9,600 confirmed reports of child sexual abuse content processed per month. http://iwf.org.uk/media/news.210.htm uk: IWF welcomes CEOP?s advice programme for parents [news release] Over 1.1 million children in schools across the UK have now attended interactive sessions as the battle against child sex predators using the internet gathers pace. But one fundamental challenge remains ? the need to bring technophobic parents up to speed with what their children are doing online ? and teach parents how to protect them. http://iwf.org.uk/media/news.209.htm ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Global approach needed on cybercrime: experts Telecoms and computer executives, legal officials and UN agencies on Friday warned that the world needed to take a global approach to tackling cybercrime and security issues on the Internet. ITU chief Hamadoun Toure said individual national or regional approaches to tackle spam, hackers, remote attacks on computer systems and use of the Internet for crime would inevitably be flawed. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/06/1191091393334.html Police smash ?1bn international internet fraud gang British police yesterday hailed the arrest of an international gang of fraudsters as a landmark victory against internet crime, following a sting across four countries. More than ?8.5m worth of fake cheques and other fraudulent documents were seized in a series of overnight raids across the UK in a joint operation overseen by Britain's Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca). http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2184135,00.html Bloggers beware when you criticize the rich and powerful When a billionaire born in Uzbekistan and an outspoken former British ambassador clashed over a scorching blog, the first outcome was the Internet equivalent of a smackdown. The daily Web log, or blog, of the former U.K. ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, vanished after Murray's British Internet provider received a flurry of ominous legal letters demanding the removal of "potentially defamatory" information about Alisher Usmanov, a mining mogul with a rising stake in the English soccer club Arsenal. http://iht.com/articles/2007/10/07/business/net08.php au: Hunters kill off zombie threat LOCAL zombie hunters are leading a bid to smash vast criminal robot networks by identifying and cleaning infected PCs one by one. The powerful International Telecommunication Union has taken up the Australian Internet Security Initiative as a practical way for nations to defeat botnets through the routine identification and shut-down of rogue machines. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22552836-15306,00.html Web Heavies Form Blockade Against Phishers Yahoo, eBay and PayPal are teaming up to improve protections against phishing attacks, the companies announced Thursday. The companies have adopted a new e-mail authentication technology, developed by Yahoo and known as "DomainKeys Identified Mail," that uses cryptography to verify the domain of the sender. By allowing e-mail providers to validate an e-mail's originating domain -- ensuring that an e-mail apparently from PayPal really is from PayPal, for instance -- the technology makes blacklists and whitelists more effective. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/lvayP8XdW0zFyI/Web-Heavies-Form-Blockade-Against-Phishers.xhtml au: New lab tackles cyber crime A lab designed to crack down on cyber crime was launched yesterday in Ballarat in central Victoria. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/04/2050959.htm nz: Abused women in fear of texts, emails Breaches of protection orders by text messaging and the internet are a growing problem for people trying to escape abusive relationships, social groups say. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4229324a28.html British MPs call for identity fraud tsar An "identity fraud tsar" should be appointed to oversee attempts to tackle the crime, a group of MPs has said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7031137.stm us: Chess Group Officials Accused of Using Internet to Hurt Rivals A lawsuit filed in federal court last week accuses two officers of the nation?s leading chess organization of posting inflammatory remarks on the Internet under false names in order to win election to the group?s board. http://nytimes.com/2007/10/08/nyregion/08chess.html Understanding Internet Defamation The law of Defamation has come under renewed scrutiny with the advent of the Internet. This is largely because it is the nature of the Internet to give the average, anonymous person an opportunity to express their opinion well-beyond any previously defined venue. Consider the fact that a person of modest means now has the ability to publish a statement, article, or news item across the world in an instant, without an editor checking the facts. Thereafter, the item will linger on the 'Net for months, or even years, impossible to recover and amend, if the "facts" are erroneous. Therefore, it is inevitable that problems are going to arise. http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1874 us: Target ruling may force retailers to adjust Web sites [Computerworld] A federal court judge's ruling this week that Target.com, the home page of retailer Target Corp., must be accessible to blind persons under California laws, could extend state and federal disabilities statutes to the Internet. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9041002 us: Judge allows class action over Target Web site [Reuters] A federal judge in California has allowed a class action lawsuit to proceed against Target brought by plaintiffs claiming the discount retailer's Web site is inaccessible to the blind. http://www.news.com/2100-1030_3-6211758.html FCC won't probe disclosure of phone records [Reuters] The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission declined to investigate reports that phone companies turned over customer records to the National Security Agency, citing national security concerns, according to documents released on Friday. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6212116.html Unlocking Apple's iPhone is legal, ethical, and just plain fun by Tim Wu Apple is not happy with its customers. Disobedient iPhone owners are unlocking their iPhones (modifying them to work with carriers other than AT&T) and installing "unauthorized" third-party apps. Last week the company struck back with a software update that acts much like a virus. It wrecks the operation of third-party applications and can turn unlocked iPhones into "bricks." Is Apple on the right side of this fight? Is it really wrong or illegal to unlock your iPhone? Well, I figured, there's only one way to find out. http://www.slate.com/id/2175304/ Viruses 'hit 1m China computers' Almost one million Chinese computers were hit by viruses during last week's national holidays, state media has reported. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7033415.stm ************************** PRIVACY ************************** au: Privacy question so moot it'll be a hoot for lawyers by Richard Ackland Hands up those who have a nosy little camera in their mobile phones. More than half, I bet. Not only that but every second citizen is scrambling to get their mug and personal details onto Facebook or YouTube or MySpace or Bebo or any of the burgeoning manifestations of "social networking". http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/04/1191091275213.html Privacy Threats No Longer "Terra Incognita" by Michael Geist Last week the privacy world gathered in Montreal for the most important global privacy conference on the calendar. The International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioner's conference brings together hundreds of privacy commissioners, government regulators, business leaders, and privacy advocates who spend three days grappling with emerging issues. I was privileged to be asked to provide some concluding remarks in the final plenary and my weekly technology law column is a shortened version of that address. http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2274/135/ Canadian Privacy Commissioner Welcomes Government Action on Identity Theft [news release] The federal government?s plan to amend the Criminal Code to better address identity theft is a welcome first step towards stopping the explosion of a costly and emotionally devastating fraud, says Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2007/nr-c_071002_e.asp ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** au: All talk but no ICT policy THE technology industry has been left hanging for substantive IT policy announcements after the federal government and opposition declared they would not reveal specific plans for the sector before an election is called. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22534989-15306,00.html au: Broadband a political football BROADBAND in Australia may be slow and clunky, but the old bush telegraph has been working overtime in the past week, peddling confident rumours and speculation that Helen Coonan won't be the Communications Minister even if the Howard Government is re-elected, Austar is in play and Kevin Rudd is about to portray himself as a media hero. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22530018-5013046,00.html Google more than Australian watchdog can chew Until the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's action against Google is explained more coherently and expanded upon in court, it is hard to pin down precisely what the big brains at the competition watchdog view as misleading and deceptive conduct by the internet search and advertising firm. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22552835-5013640,00.html International Expertise Of The Belarusian Draft Law On Information, Informatization And Information Protection On March 7, 2007 Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus publicized the Draft law on information, informatization and information protection developed by Ministry of communications and informatization and by the State Information Security Centre. The draft law stipulates major principles of the state policy in the sphere of informatization and information protection: public access to information, issues of information exchange, information protection, obligations and rights of the hardware and software owners. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2909 Malaysia to Get High Speed Broadband Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak last week unveiled plans to embark on an ambitious initiative to roll out high-speed broadband services across the country. The government official also revealed that incumbent fixed-line carrier Telekom Malaysia has been awarded the mega broadband project. http://businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb2007104_831833.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Global computer usage, cell phone ownership jump [IDG] Increased computer usage and better e-mail and Web access may narrow the digital divide, although globalization critics may perceive such changes as a threat to local cultures and economies, a new Pew Research Center study suggests. The globalization survey released Thursday by Pew Research Center said that while technology inequality between countries has lessened, an ongoing backlash threatens globalization. http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/05/Global-computer-usage-and-cell-phone-ownership-jump_1.html Google says closing gap with China rival [Reuters] Web search leader Google said on Thursday it is closing the gap with rival Baidu in China, after years of trying to increase market share in the world's second-largest Internet arena. ... Baidu led China's market in the second quarter with a 58.1 percent share, but rising only about 1 percentage point from the previous quarter's 57 percent, while Google gained a 22.8 percent market share, up around 4 percentage points from the previous quarter, according to Analysys International. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6211718.html Official Saudi website for fatwas Saudi Arabia has launched an official website to publish Islamic legal rulings, or fatwas. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7032140.stm ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** au: MySpace willing to back sex predators operation Social networking website MySpace says comparing user profiles with a national database of sex predators would be a useful development to improve internet safety. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/09/2054440.htm au: Scammers target social networking sites, police warn Police warn internet-based social networking and dating sites are providing fertile ground for online scammers and fraudsters. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/09/2054265.htm uk: Identity theft warning to web networkers An advertising campaign to warn of the dangers of disclosing too much personal information should be launched on social networking websites, according to a report by MPs on identity theft. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/06/1 The Fakebook Generation: Op-Ed Contributor ... Facebook did not become popular because it was a functional tool ? after all, most college students live in close quarters with the majority of their Facebook friends and have no need for social networking. Instead, we log into the Web site because it?s entertaining to watch a constantly evolving narrative starring the other people in the library. ... For young people, Facebook is yet another form of escapism; we can turn our lives into stage dramas and relationships into comedy routines. Make believe is not part of the postgraduate Facebook user?s agenda. As more and more older users try to turn Facebook into a legitimate social reference guide, younger people may follow suit and stop treating it as a circus ring. But let?s hope not. http://nytimes.com/2007/10/06/opinion/06mathias.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Room for improvement for Finns in safer use of mobile phone - Information security guidelines provide advice for consumers in plain language [news release] In recent years, mobile phone users may have become victims of malicious software and minor virus epidemics. Information security attacks against mobile phones have so far been infrequent, but annoying for the users. http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/lehdistotiedotteet/2007/P_8.html ********************** SPAM ********************** Spam accounts for 70 percent of emails Spam in the form of HTML email is still rampant, while PDF, image and e-card spam is on the decline, a new report finds. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39289868,00.htm France kicks off nationwide spam fight [IDG] France is hoping to shut down spammers more quickly through a system that makes it easier for users to notify ISPs when unsolicited e-mails are coming from their network. The French government funded the development of an open-source toolbar for Microsoft's Outlook and Mozilla's Thunderbird e-mail programs that people can use to report suspected spam, said John Graham-Cumming, an Englishman who built the software for the project, called Signal Spam. http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/05/France-kicks-off-nationwide-spam-fight_1.html Spam menace spreads to Briton's mobile phones The scourge of spam has spread to mobile phones, with Britons being bombarded by more than one million unwanted text messages every day. A report from uSwitch.com, the consumer website, also showed that security groups are losing their battle with the criminal gangs behind conventional e-mail spam. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article2591888.ece uk: Bluetooth spam on the way as watchdog gives marketers green light The Information Commissioner will no longer regulate the use of Bluetooth mobile technology, prompting fears of a wave of 'bluetooth spam'. The Commissioner no longer considers the wireless connection technology to be covered by the UK's privacy laws. http://out-law.com/page-8533 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Cell Phones Help Narrow Digital Divide Increased computer usage and better e-mail and Web access may narrow the digital divide, although globalization critics may perceive such changes as a threat to local cultures and economies, a new Pew Research Center study suggests. The globalization survey released last week by Pew Research Center said that while technology inequality between countries has lessened, an ongoing backlash threatens globalization. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138146-pg,1/article.html http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=10948 Study: US Disabled Less Likely to Be Online [AP] Americans with disabilities and other chronic conditions are less likely to use the Internet, but those who are online are among the most avid consumers of health-related information, a new study finds. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/09/1191695855142.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/09/1191695855142.html http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/194999.html http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/INTERNET_HEALTH ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Music industry has Aussie pirates in the crosshairs The anti-piracy arm of the Australian music industry has threatened to start suing individuals for illegal downloading if internet providers do not exert more control over their users. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/08/1191695804646.html us: EFF to Weigh in on First RIAA Downloading Trial Appeal The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is litigating the government's secret wiretap program, said Monday it will lend a legal hand to Jammie Thomas, the nation's first pirate to lose a federal jury trial in a case brought by the Recording Industry Association of America. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/10/eff-to-weigh-in.html Woman ordered to pay for file-sharing will appeal [IDG] Jammie Thomas, who was ordered to pay $220,000 for downloading and sharing copyrighted music files, is appealing the case http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/08/Woman-ordered-to-pay-for-file-sharing-will-appeal_1.html us: Labels Win Suit Against Song Sharer In a crucial legal victory for record labels and other copyright owners, a federal jury yesterday found a Minnesota woman liable for copyright infringement for sharing music online and imposed a penalty of $222,000 in damages. The verdict against Jammie Thomas of Brainerd, Minn., brought an end to the first jury trial in the music industry?s protracted effort to rein in piracy with lawsuits against individual computer users. Since 2003, record labels have brought legal action against about 30,000 people, accusing them of trafficking in copyrighted songs. http://nytimes.com/2007/10/05/business/media/05music.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7029229.stm A jury deliberates the first file-sharing trial If Jammie Thomas is found guilty of downloading 24 songs, she could face millions in fines. Is this the outrage to finally prompt a change in copyright laws? http://www.salon.com/tech/machinist/blog/2007/10/04/file_sharing_suit/ us: Record Companies Win Music Sharing Trial [AP] The recording industry won a key fight Thursday against illegal music downloading when a federal jury ordered a Minnesota woman to pay $222,000 for sharing copyrighted music online. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/05/1191091340084.html http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-copyright5oct05,1,3431071.story http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/05/1191091340084.html RIAA wins key victory, accused file sharer must pay $220,000 A Minnesota woman must pay $220,000 to six of the top music labels after a federal jury found on Thursday that she violated their copyright. http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9791383-7.html Ok computer: Why the record industry is terrified of Radiohead's new album Radiohead are the latest ? and greatest ? band to shun the conventional CD release. Their new album is available online ? and you don't have to pay for it http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/features/article3027709.ece ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Inside the Googleplex Japanese massage chairs, scooter parking in the corridors, a room dedicated to lego and a plethora of purple lava lamps. It can only be the self-conscious wackiness of Google, which had an open day at its New York office this week. http://business.guardian.co.uk/onamerica/story/0,,2184350,00.html Google: Search and Data Seizure Should we be worried about Google? Ten years after the search engine was launched by two Stanford University graduate students, Google has become an empowering force and a adopted behavior that has transformed the way we access news and information, shop for goods and services and--increasingly--how we engage in politics. Who would have imagined four years ago, that Google and its subsidiary YouTube would co-sponsor debates in which ordinary citizens could directly engage with presidential candidates? http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071015/chester us: Google and I.B.M. Join in ?Cloud Computing? Research Even the nation?s elite universities do not provide the technical training needed for the kind of powerful and highly complex computing Google is famous for, say computer scientists. So Google and I.B.M. are announcing today a major research initiative to address that shortcoming. http://nytimes.com/2007/10/08/technology/08cloud.html Google, IBM promote 'cloud' computing at universities [IDG] Google Inc. and IBM have teamed up to offer a curriculum and support for software development on large-scale distributed computing systems, with six universities signing up so far. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9041438 For Google, advertising and phones go together For more than two years, a large group of engineers at Google has been working in secret on a mobile phone project. As word about their efforts has trickled out, expectations in the tech world for what has been called the Google phone, or GPhone, have risen, the way they do for Apple loyalists ahead of a speech by Steven P. Jobs. But the GPhone is not likely to be the second coming of the iPhone ? and Google's goals are very different from Apple's. http://iht.com/articles/2007/10/08/business/08googlephone.php http://nytimes.com/2007/10/08/business/media/08googlephone.html Google advances on Europe At five o?clock on a Friday afternoon at Google?s engineering centre in Zurich, the Heidi song comes over the loudspeakers. ?Hei-diii, Hei-diii, deine Welt sind die Bergen...Halaladidi halaladidi...? The yodelling is a signal that Google?s weekly ?Thank God It?s Friday? meeting is about to begin ? time for several hundred software engineers and support staff to collect in the canteen for a beer. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/29104cf4-6c45-11dc-a0cf-0000779fd2ac.html Google shares cross $600 threshold for first time [Reuters] Shares of Web search leader Google hit a new benchmark of $600 in early trading on Monday, fueled by investor confidence in the strength of its Internet advertising technology. http://www.news.com/2100-1014_3-6212289.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Wi-fi sharing plan launched in UK The UK's wireless net credentials are boosted with the launch of a wi-fi sharing community backed by BT. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7027871.stm McDonald's to offer free Wi-Fi in restaurants The fast food chain McDonald's is to introduce free high speed wireless internet access at most of its 1,200 restaurants by the end of the year in a move which will make it the UK's biggest provider of such a service. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/06/internet http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL0572055620071005 BT invites homeowners to share their broadband with passers-by Homeowners are being invited to share their internet connections with passers-by in return for the right to access the network via other people?s connections. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2599604.ece ********************** VoIP ********************** VoIP Quality Improving, Study Says VOIP and PacketCable have continued to improve, but both services still lag behind PSTN, according to a study by Keynote Systems. ... "Our key finding here is that there has been significant improvement for VOIP services, but there is still a difference in terms of quality of calls," says Rajeev Kutty, VOIP product manager at Keynote. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/138027/voip_quality_improving_study_says.html ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** Interpol in rare sex abuse appeal Interpol has launched an unprecedented global public appeal to help identify a man shown sexually abusing children in photographs posted on the internet. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7033182.stm Hundreds respond to Interpol appeal to identify pedophile [Reuters] Interpol said on Monday it was hopeful of identifying a serial pedophile after posting his picture on the Internet in an unprecedented public appeal that drew hundreds of responses from around the world. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6212344.html http://www.news.com/2100-1028_3-6212344.html Interpol in rare global appeal for Web paedophile [Reuters] Interpol on Monday launched an unprecedented worldwide public appeal to track down a man shown sexually abusing children in images posted on the Internet. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL0513314820071008 http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2007/10/08/interpol_in_rare_global_appeal_for_web_pedophile/ Interpol Hunts Suspected Pedophile [AP] He apparently traveled the world sexually abusing young boys, but remained unidentifiable - until now. Police in Europe have unscrambled digitally altered images found on the Internet to reveal the face of a man shown abusing boys in Vietnam and Cambodia. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/09/1191695851386.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/09/1191695851386.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/10/08/international/i121001D82.DTL Interpol Unscrambles Digitally Masked Face of Pedophile, Issues Global Appeal Interpol agents now have a clearer image of a man suspected of sexually abusing children in Vietnam and Cambodia. Thanks to image enhancement software, the international cops were able to unscramble digital images that the suspect posted of himself online. The photos had a blurred swirl over the man's face. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/hmBZyv1sFE1JqL/Interpol-Unscrambles-Digitally-Masked-Face-of-Pedophile-Issues-Global-Appeal.xhtml au: Farmer used internet child porn ro escape stresses A FARMER who accessed and transmitted child pornography on the internet was looking for fantasy to escape stresses in his private life, a court was told today. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22535355-2682,00.html us: NJ Nabs 41 in Online Child Porn Sweep In one of the most sweeping domestic law enforcement actions against online child pornography in recent times, New Jersey officials arrested 41 people and charged them with possession or distribution of graphic images of child molestation. Dubbed "Operation Silent Shield," the roundup was the culmination of a two-month investigation. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/iDYGVWZUai9suF/NJ-Nabs-41-in-Online-Child-Porn-Sweep.xhtml +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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.htmlReceived on Thu Oct 11 2007 - 04:54:22 UTC
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