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 - it will be online soon - slight hiccup today! Headlines from today's news include: Berners-Lee: Challenge of the Web is 'creative connectivity' | How Many TLD Applications Will ICANN Receive? | Consultation on Proposals to Reform ICANN Meetings | ICANN Launches Subscription-Based Policy Update | CIRA Creates Backdoor WHOIS Exceptions for Police and IP Owners | .ES Approaches One Million Domain Names | Dot-What? Will_This_Name_Happen.nyc? | MP appointed to head internetNZ board | Russia's president calls for Cyrillic Internet domain And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Berners-Lee: Challenge of the Web is 'creative connectivity' | How Many TLD Applications Will ICANN Receive? | Consultation on Proposals to Reform ICANN Meetings | ICANN Launches Subscription-Based Policy Update | CIRA Creates Backdoor WHOIS Exceptions for Police and IP Owners | .ES Approaches One Million Domain Names | Dot-What? Will_This_Name_Happen.nyc? | MP appointed to head internetNZ board | Russia's president calls for Cyrillic Internet domain nz: Authorisation of Registrars (AOR) Policy Review http://dnc.org.nz/story/30310-29-1.html McAfee names '.hk' world's most dangerous domain [IDG] http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=534A7CB0-17A4-0F78-31CC53E9319EDA8D Hong Kong is most dangerous place on the web http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4065819.ece McAfee, Inc. Names Most Dangerous Domains to Surf and Search on the Web [news release] http://mcafee.com/us/about/press/corporate/2008/20080604_181010_g.html Online brand-jacking increasing http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1240 MarkMonitor Examines Online Risks in Travel Including Scams Aimed at Online Shoppers and Sales of Questionable Aircraft Parts [news release] http://markmonitor.com/pr080602 NZ Web host shuts off suddenly http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1501833&objectid=10514026 Excluding Keyword Categories From Your Parked Pages In Order To Avoid Cybersquatting Violations http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/06/excluding-keywo.html Israel.com Has NOT Sold: Erroneous reports suggested domain name sold over the weekend. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/06/02/israelcom-has-not-sold/ ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Policy brief: The future of the Internet economy Major changes are affecting the scope and scale of the Internet. As a result, the Internet is increasingly high on the policy agenda in many OECD and non-OECD countries. This policy brief reviews likely future developments in the Internet economy and how policy-makers can help the Internet to adapt to evolving requirements caused by convergence, continue to drive innovation, and be trustworthy. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/20/41/40789235.pdf Who will pay as the Internet grows? Last Christmas, the BBC started an online service called iPlayer that streams live television programs and a backlog of shows from the previous week to online audiences. Through April, Britons had watched 75 million episodes of programs like "Doctor Who" and "The Apprentice." http://iht.com/articles/2008/06/08/technology/neutral09.php Tim Wu: iPhone central to "future of the Internet" At a conference this weekend, Tim Wu, the Columbia Law School prof who has done so much to popularize ideas about wired and wireless network neutrality, called Apple's iPhone the device "at the center of the battle for the future of the Internet." http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080608-tim-wu-iphone-central-to-future-of-the-internet.html Upcoming Event: GigaNet Workshop on Global Internet Governance by Brenden Kuerbis Initiated in spring 2006 in conjunction with the UN Internet Governance Forum, the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet) is hosting several events this year, including an upcoming international workshop on "Global Internet Governance: An Interdisciplinary Research Field in Construction" in Paris, 23 June 2008, from 08:30 to 13:30, concurrent with the ICANN-Paris meeting. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/6/5/3730236.html Zittrain's "Future of the Internet" Reviewed by Milton Mueller This is a book about Internet governance, despite the fact that the author refuses to use that term and, near the end of the book, rather testily distances himself from the Internet Governance Forum and related attempts to develop and reform global Internet governance. Despite that, the book is a well-researched and well-constructed analysis of the architectural issues underlying some of the policy problems (and opportunities) facing the Internet. It is worth reading ? and worth critiquing ? for the debate will shed light on some of the key choices we have to make regarding the governance of the Internet. Although Zittrain inevitably couches his argument in terms of technical architecture, ?tools? and ?code,? the problems the book raises are often more political than technical. His analysis suffers a bit from the lack of a more sustained and self-conscious engagement with the political, international and institutional aspects of Internet governance. This blog post conducts a full review. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/6/2/3725290.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Seeks Expressions of Interest from Registrars to Receive Names from Two De-Accredited Registrars Request For Information: ICANN Seeks Expressions of Interest from Registrars to Receive Bulk Transfer of Names from De-Accredited Registrars Best Registration Services, Inc. dba Bestregistrar.com and DotForce Corp. dba DotForce.com http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-06jun08-en.htm ICANN Opens Public Comment Period for Draft/Interim Terminated Registrar Transition Procedure 0.1 In consultation with the community, ICANN has developed this draft/interim procedure for managing transition of gTLD domain name registrations from a de-accredited registrar to an accredited gaining registrar. This process is currently being used by ICANN staff to facilitate transition of gTLD registrations of de-accredited registrars and is being posted until 7 July 2008 for public comment for further refinement. Along with ICANN?s Registrar Data Escrow, Registry Failover, and Contractual Compliance programs, this procedure is intended to enhance protection of registrants. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-06jun08-en.htm STEP Report on PIR's Request to Implement DNSSEC in .ORG On 21 April 2008, ICANN referred Public Interest Registry (PIR)'s proposed implementation of DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in .ORG to the Registry Services Technical Evaluation Panel (RSTEP). In accordance with the Registry Services Evaluation Policy (RSEP), the RSTEP had 45 calendar days to review the proposal and prepare a written report on whether the proposed Registry Service creates a reasonable risk of a meaningful adverse effect on Security or Stability. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-05jun08-en.htm Internationalized Domain Name Program Adds Two Languages Thai and Urdu are the newest languages available on ICANN wikipages set up for the global testing of IDNs. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-05jun08-en.htm IDN wiki - adding Urdu and Thai by Tina Dam As you may know by now ICANN has launched an IDN wiki, with fully localized addresses, which is managed by a GREAT wiki team (consultants to ICANN) and a GREAT group of moderators that have volunteered to assist is supporting the various languages that the wiki currently is enabled in. http://blog.icann.org/?p=326 UNESCO encourages Governments to participate in the next meeting of ICANN [news release] UNESCO encourages Governments to participate in the next meeting of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) of ICANN, to be held in Paris from 22 to 26 June 2008, in Le Meridien Montparnasse (19, rue du Commandant Mouchotte, 75014 Paris). http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=27011&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://egovmonitor.com/node/19269 New ICANN process for de-accreditation of Registrars Under the light of the recent de-accreditations for registrars Bestregistrar.com and DotForce, where ICANN is looking for a new home for it?s 5,800 registrants, a proposal for an Interim Terminated Registrar Transition Procedure has now been published for comments. http://www.domainnamenews.com/icann-policy/new-icann-process-for-de-accreditation-of-registrars/1637 ICANN Makes Urdu Available! ?As of today, June 5, 2008,? writes Khalil Ahmad, CEO & Chairman PakNIC Limited, ?we are proud to let you know that ICANN has officially announced the availability of URDU on the ICANN wikipages setup for global testing of IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names) today!.? http://netxpress.com.pk/index.php?s=icann+makes+urdu&x=0&y=0 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** ccTLD Spotlight: .AE United Arab Emirates - A look at the .AE country code domain name. Overview: United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven states in the middle east, including Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. This oil-rich territory uses the country code domain name .AE. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/06/05/cctld-spotlight-ae-united-arab-emirates/ The dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence Announced [news release] Today, at the conclusion of the ICA Extraordinary General Assembly in Rome, Paul Hazen, President of dotCooperation LLC announced plans for the dotCoop Global Award for Cooperative Excellence to be awarded for the first time next year (2009) at the ICA GA in Glasgow, Scotland in October. http://www.nic.coop/news/display.asp?id=124 EURid launching ad campaign and IDNs The .EU registry will run a new advertising campaign in selected European countries at the end of June and is working on introducing accented domains next year. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/206/eurid-launching-ad-campaign-and-idns.php FICORA introduces new .fi root name server [news release] FICORA has introduced a secondary name server for the .fi country code. The new name server is distributed on ten name servers in Europe, Asia and the United States by using anycast technology. FICORA intends to increase the number of name servers to 16 by the end of the year. http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2008/P_11.html fi: Unusual amounts of malware in networks [news release] There is currently more malware than usual in Finnish networks. The malware in question allow unauthorized remote access to the user's computer. http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2008/P_10.html ie: A registrar who reigns as king of his domain In recent weeks, the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) passed the 100,000 mark in the number of .ie domains registered. David Curtin is chief executive of the IEDR. http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/a-registrar-who-reigns-as-king-of-his-domain-1398734.html Now, China pounces on Indian domains After flooding Indian market with cheap goods, Chinese companies are waging a war of another kind. This time, they are registering Indian domain names to bank upon brand recall from Indian customers. http://infotech.indiatimes.com/News/Now_China_pounces_on_Indian_domains_/articleshow/3102480.cms http://infotech.indiatimes.com/News/China_pounces_on_Indian_domains_/articleshow/3102480.cms MYNIC Whois Service MYNIC has announced they will upgrade their Whois Service on 4th June 2008 at 8.30 am. http://mynic.net.my/newhp/announcements/mynic-03Jun08.html .NU Domain to launch numbers-only domain names .NU Domain, the registry for numbers-only domain names, will begin accepting registration of numeric domain names on 10 June. http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=31608 Register your favorite digits now as a URL in the .NU domain While numerically-named sites such as 123.net and 1337.com already exist, on June 10 the landrush will begin for the .NU domain which is being marketed in the US as the "number domain." http://www.betanews.com/article/1212786642 .NU Domain Launches Numeric Domain Names [news release] .NU Domain -manager the .nu top level domain name- will begin accepting registration of Numeric Domain Names on June 10, for the first time allowing registration of numbers-only .nu domain names - such as 247.nu, 123.nu and 3663.nu (the English word "food" on a phone keypad.) Initial registration - the "Landrush" - for .NU Domain's numbers-only domain names will start at 12:01 UTC on June 10, on a first-come, first-served basis. http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/.nu-domain-launches-numeric-domain-names.html http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/06/06/numeric-domain-names/ 20,000 .rs domains registered Belgrade, 22nd May 2008 ? A total of 20,134 .rs domains have been registered until 20th May 2008, at 01:00 pm, i.e. 72 days from the beginning of the registration of the new national Internet domain of Serbia. This data shows a large interest of the Internet community to start using the new national domain as soon as possible. This trend is expected to continue. The statistics on the number of registered domains, which is updated on a daily basis, can be found at www.rnids.rs. The beginning of operation of the new .rs domain and the replacement of the old national domain began on 10th March. Six months from this date, the owners of old .yu domains have the priority right to register the same domain name with .rs prefix. http://rnids.rs/en/node/67?lang=en ISP Opens the .SL Domain Registration Freetown-based wireless Internet service provider AFcom Wednesday opened registration for the .sl Sierra Leone domain name. http://www.cio.com/article/384414/ISP_Opens_the_.SL_Domain_Registration su: It's back in the USSR with domain names [AP] Web sites ending in the Soviet '.su' have been rising -- in nostalgia or with eye toward profit. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/BIZ04/806060308 Connecting .NYC: What Is it? ? Community Presentation by Tom Lowenhaupt For those wanting to know more about the .nyc proposal, Tom Lowenhaupt gives a video presentation in this ISOC New York public forum where he explains all you need to know about the proposed gTLD. http://domainpulse.com/2008/06/08/connecting-nyc-what-is-it-%e2%80%93-community-presentation-by-tom-lowenhaupt/ http://domainnews.com/en/general/connecting-.nyc-what-is-it-community-presentation-by-tom-lowenhaupt.html ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Hong Kong Tops McAfee's Riskiest Web Domains Chart In an effort to illuminate the Web's darkest, most dangerous back alleys, security firm McAfee has released a report warning consumers to steer clear of sites with domain name extensions that are havens for scammers. Hong Kong's .hk domain topped the list of undesirables, but the group responsible for registering .hk sites claims it has already improved safety practices there. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/63274.html ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** ARIN Caribbean Sector Meeting Report [news release] On 21 May, ARIN held a Caribbean Sector Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the active policy proposals in the ARIN region in order to gain a Caribbean perspective on ARIN policies and procedures. ARIN members in the Caribbean and other interested Caribbean Internet stakeholders were invited to the event. The report of that meeting, which includes presentations and summary notes, is now available. http://www.arin.net/announcements/20080602.html In Appeal to Angry Clinton Voters, Republicans Prep ClintonsForMcCain.com The Republican National Committee appears ready to roll out the red carpet for Hillary Clinton supporters, over a newly-registered internet domain ClintonsForMcCain.com. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/republican-nati.html Republican National Committee Launches ClintonsforMcCain.com Even as Hillary Clinton prepares to endorse Barack Obama on Saturday, the Republican National Committee is throwing open its doors to her supporters. http://www.gaywired.com/Article.cfm?ID=19212 VeriSign dips following analyst downgrade [AP] Shares of VeriSign Inc., which runs some of the Internet's core systems, moved lower Thursday after an analyst downgraded the stock, citing its recent gains and predicting not enough new catalysts on the horizon to drive it up further. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/05/ap5087209.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** How Much Is a Top Level Domain SEO Worth? Registering a domain name is the first thing to do when starting a website. And yet even here we come across a very controversial issue: which TLD to choose? We do not want to make a mistake at the very start, so we should consider each point. http://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-much-is-a-top-level-domain-seo-worth/7053/ Sumo.com Wrestles Its Way to the Top of DN Journal's Expanded Two-Week Domain Sales Chart If you feel like you are seeing double this week - you are. There was no sales column last week because we were away covering the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East conference in Orlando (our comprehensive show review will be published this weekend). To bring you back up to speed this week's report includes all sales reported to us since the last report two weeks ago. We've also expanded all of our charts from 20 to 40 positions to make sure the top sellers don't get lost in the flood of sales data. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales06-03-08.htm Register.com and SnapNames.com Renew Exclusive Agreement for Domain Name Auction Services [news release] SnapNames?, an Oversee.net? company and the world?s largest source of expired and deleting domain names, and Register.com, a leading provider of domain registration and web services for small business, today announced the renewal of their exclusive agreement. Under the terms of the deal, domain names registered with Register.com but surrendered by their previous registrants are made available exclusively on the SnapNames auction platform at www.snapnames.com. http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080605/20080605005373.html Hecta Media announces domain portfolio acquisition Hecta Media Inc (HCTA.L: News, Chart, Quote ), the web consolidator, said it has exercised its option to acquire the first of two additional portfolios of domain names for a cash consideration of US$734.8 thousands to be financed from existing cash balances. http://rttnews.com/Content/QuickFacts.aspx?Node=B1&Id=624793 Second MyID .CA auction to start today The second MyID .CA domain auction starts today at 1pm EDT and will run until June 12th. The auction features 101 .CA domains. In the first auction 24 (out of a total of 77) names were sold for a total of $158,000.00 CAD. Also Pool.com will start the premium auction for betting.ca today. http://www.domainnamenews.com/cctlds/second-myid-ca-auction-to-start-today/1634 Selling Domain Names to Maintain Cash Flow At the last TRAFFIC conference in Orlando I had a conversation with one of the more successful domainers. We chatted about parking and the drop in parking revenue, and also discussed sales. He told me he is starting to sell some of his portfolio: http://domainnamewire.com/2008/06/06/selling-domain-names-to-maintain-cash-flow/ 33 Great Marketplaces for Selling Your Domain Names (and Websites) Are you ready to market your domain names to the whole world? Here are the most popular forum communities, online auctions and social networks to maximize exposure to your domain and website sales. http://www.dotsauce.com/2008/06/04/domain-marketplaces/ Over 200,000 Domains Added to Afternic The inventory at Afternic is constantly changing. Thousands of new expiring domains are listed in the Afternic Auctions section and there are always new portfolios being added by our members. Just in the past week several substantial portfolios were added that should keep you busy looking for the best deals. http://afternicdlsblog.com/2008/06/04/over-200000-domains-added-to-afternic/ Everything is A- OK.net at Afternic OK.net is in auction right now - closing at approx. 10 AM EST Tuesday June 3. http://afternicdlsblog.com/2008/06/02/everything-is-a-oknet-at-afternic/ Advisory: Sell Your 3 Letter Domains There is a mantra among domainers: "shorter is better." And to a large extent, when speaking about domain names, this is true (although some say that it's not how short your domain is, but what you do with it, that matters). http://www.domainbits.com/3-letter-domains/ ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** OECD report on communications convergence and impact on competition OECD has just issued a new report on convergence and next generation networks and their potential impact on policies and regulations. The report addresses issues of competition in the new fibre environment, convergence of video, voice and data services, the rapid growth of new technologies, such as HDTV and mobile television, and the related demand for spectrum, as well as new possible "divides" between urban and rural areas created by the uneven development of high-speed fibre networks. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/25/11/40761101.pdf Anomalies in Internet Law by Pieter Kleve & Richard V. De Mulder Proceedings of the 22nd Bileta conference, University of Hertfortshire: Hatfield Modern information technology has brought a flood of new possibilities. It has become a lot cheaper and easier to communicate with other people anywhere in the world and to send each other music files, video clips, texts and pictures. Rather than just enjoying these new possibilities, many governments, companies and even individuals try to stop others from using these new technologies to their full potential. Of course these "frustrating agents" have good reasons for their efforts: their interests are harmed or potentially harmed. The music industry, as well as other "content" providers, has been very active in trying to stop new technologies being applied. Furthermore, governments have constantly tried to forbid or restrict the use of new technologies, often referring to interests such as crime control, security and privacy. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1138822 MP3: The End of Copyright as We Know it? by Pieter Kleve & Feyo Kolff Abstract: New technology provides the music industry with ways to run its business more efficiently by distributing music over the Internet. But this technology is also posing a threat to the music industry, as music is infinitely copied amongst users. Copy protection systems will not provide a lasting solution because the protection scheme will eventually be by-passed. Copyright legislation can only try to keep up by differentiating between commercial and personal, non-commercial use of music. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1138651 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Turkmenistan opens internet access to citizens [AP] Turkmenistan has begun allowing private citizens to connect to the Internet in the latest sign the reclusive Central Asian nation is opening up to the world. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/06/06/1212259067728.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/06/06/1212259067728.html Microsoft's Ballmer on Yahoo and the Future - in 10 years all media delivered via internet In an animated discussion with Washington Post editors and reporters yesterday, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer offered his far-ranging views of upcoming changes in technology and the media. Among other things, he confirmed that Microsoft's discussions with Yahoo have continued, predicted that in 10 years all media will be delivered via the Internet and professed that he is confused by Google's moves in the mobile-phone market. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/04/AR2008060403770.html Report: Online groceries to fuel growth in eCommerce [news release] Online sales in the EU are growing fast, notably thanks to social networking websites, whose users are "more inclined" to visit eCommerce sites, according to a new report on the digital world. It further identifies food products and 3D as the potential next big e-markets. http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/report-online-groceries-fuel-growth-ecommerce/article-173101 EU promises to act on high-speed Internet networks Under heavy pressure from the industry and the European Parliament, the Commission will "soon" come out with a proposal to spur EU investment in Next Generation Networks (NGNs), Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding told EurActiv. http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/eu-promises-act-high-speed-internet-networks/article-172990 Rummaging through the internet: New online search - "hyperwords" Computing: New techniques to navigate and gather information online promise to revolutionise web browsing: The web has changed in many ways since it first emerged in the mid-1990s. The first web pages contained only text, and there was a big debate about whether pictures should be allowed. Today, by contrast, it is quite normal for pages to be bursting with photos, animated graphics, video clips, music and chunks of software, as well as text. In one respect, however, the web is unaltered: the clickable hyperlinks between pages are still the way users get from one page to another. http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11482527 Bits, Bands and Books By PAUL KRUGMAN ... In 1994, one of those gurus, Esther Dyson, made a striking prediction: that the ease with which digital content can be copied and disseminated would eventually force businesses to sell the results of creative activity cheaply, or even give it away. Whatever the product ? software, books, music, movies ? the cost of creation would have to be recouped indirectly: businesses would have to ?distribute intellectual property free in order to sell services and relationships.? http://nytimes.com/2008/06/06/opinion/06krugman.html us: More laws, collaboration required for online safety [IDG] Washington state's attorney general is only half-joking when he suggests that perhaps sites like Facebook and MySpace should require members to use a credit card to sign up for access as a way to prove their identity. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9094058 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/06/05/More-laws-collaboration-required-for-online-safety_1.html http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/060508-more-laws-collaboration-required-for.html China takes broadband crown from U.S. China experienced a 28 percent increase in fixed broadband subscribers over last year, ending the quarter with 71.6 million subscribers -- 1.4 million more than the U.S. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/06/06/China-takes-broadband-crown-from-US_1.html http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;596966506 Keep It Short, Make It Instant: Instant Messaging Some of us find those bouncing or flashing icons on computer screen to be disruptive and distracting. But apparently, many workers believe instant messaging causes less interruption than other forms of communication like phone calls, e-mail and talking face to face. Instant messaging means an increase in the number of conversations. http://nytimes.com/2008/06/07/technology/07online.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Faithbook launches on Facebook to tackle extremism Facebook is usually used to arrange parties and keep in touch with friends, but now religious leaders have ambitions to combat extremism and encourage multi-faith understanding through the social networking site. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4057686.ece UK web users 'fear media intrusion' Almost 80% of social networking site users would be more careful about the details they put online if they knew the media might use them, a poll says. The Press Complaints Commission said 89% of the 1,000 people polled wanted guidelines on what the media could use. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7436942.stm ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** IBM aims to cool chips with water A network of tiny pipes of water could be used to cool next-generation PC chips, IBM researchers say. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7439406.stm Hair-thin hosepipes to speed up computing Cooling microchips with water travelling through a network of ultrathin pipes may help to increase computing speeds http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4073652.ece US Military Supercomputer Sets Record The Roadrunner supercomputer costs $133 million and will be used to study nuclear weapons. The new machine is more than twice as fast as the previous fastest supercomputer, the I.B.M. BlueGene/L, which is based at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. http://nytimes.com/2008/06/09/technology/09petaflops.html ********************** SPAM ********************** UK Phone watchdog plans text spam clampdown PhonepayPlus, the regulator responisble for the premium rate and phone-paid services industry, is planning to clamp down on the black market in lists of mobile numbers in response to growing anger at text spam. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/06/phonepayplus_text_spam/ ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** The rise of the low-cost laptop In November 2005, at the World Summit on the Information Society conference in Tunisia, Nicholas Negroponte, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, unveiled a small, cute, lime-green computer. The "$100 laptop" caused quite a stir among those interested in economic development. Dr Negroponte and his non-profit venture, One Laptop Per Child, hoped that the combination of clever design and the scale efficiencies of manufacturing would make it possible to make the laptops for $100 each. Governments in the developing world, he predicted, would order millions of the laptops and give them to schoolchildren, triggering a revolution in education. ... But in one respect the XO Laptop has undoubtedly made an impact: by helping to spawn a new market for low-cost laptops. http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11482468 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** US Groups appeal to Congress on ISP snooping A coalition of privacy groups today asked Congress to investigate Internet service providers that have begun tracking individual Web surfing in order to show targeted ads. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/06/groups-appeal-t.html US Groups call for investigation of ISP ad targeting [IDG] Fifteen U.S. and Canadian privacy and consumer groups have called for a congressional investigation into a Missouri broadband provider's plans to deliver targeted advertisements to its subscribers. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/060608-groups-call-for-investigation-of.html nz: Web rage attack prompts warning to TradeMe users TradeMe users are being warned not to give out their addresses after a buyer drove nearly 40km to assault and threaten a man at his home after a trade went sour. http://stuff.co.nz/4576655a10.html Sportingbet jail fear amid US internet betting talks Sportingbet, the internet bookmaker, admitted yesterday for the first time that the US Department of Justice (DoJ) had raised the issue of prison sentences during negotiations over a settlement. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/leisure/article4069678.ece us: Billionaire Henry T. Nicholas III built 'sex cave under mansion' What is a man to do with $2.3 billion? If you are Henry T. Nicholas III, one of the original dot-com billionaires ? whose fortune survived the crash of 2000 ? the answer is simple: build a ?sex cave? under your house, maintain a fully stocked warehouse of drugs, get high on your two private jets, keep a brothel?s worth of prostitutes on the payroll and, during the boring moments, spike your colleagues? drinks with Ecstasy. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4083455.ece Nicholas indictment also alleges prostitutes, mile-high drug use Broadcom founder Henry Nicholas One of the two indictments against the Broadcom founder that were unsealed today alleged that Nicholas put Ecstasy in the drinks of unsuspecting high-tech executives, bought prostitutes for customers of the Irvine-based chip company and both used and distributed illicit drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamines. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/06/nicholas-indict.html au: Conroy launches service to warn of e-crimes The Rudd Government will today launch a no-cost, no-jargon internet service that alerts computer users to cyber threats. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23819648-15306,00.html Aust Gov grants $1.2M to train luddites The federal government has today launched a $1.2 million national security alert service to round-out its plans to sanitise Internet feeds to families and small businesses. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;243744875 http://cio.com.au/index.php/id;243744875 au: Minister launches National E-security Awareness Week [news release] The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today launched National E-security Awareness Week to highlight the simple steps Australians should take to stay smart online. http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2008/minister_launches_national_e-security_awareness_week Cyberattack alert service helps Aussies Stay Smart The Federal government has launched a new security alert service for small business and home users, aimed at helping Australians protect themselves from cyberattacks. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Cyberattack-alert-service-helps-Aussies-Stay-Smart/0,130061744,339289661,00.htm http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62042374,00.htm au: Qld Police net online fraudsters More than 20 online auction fraudsters have been caught by Queensland police, including one man who sold non-existent holidays to about 3000 victims. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23820777-16123,00.html us: In Turnabout, Antitrust Unit Looks at Intel A global legal battle between the two largest makers of computer processors took an abrupt turn this week when the Federal Trade Commission opened a formal antitrust investigation of the Intel Corporation. http://nytimes.com/2008/06/07/technology/07chip.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** UK is not a surveillance society, MPs claim The Home Affairs Committee has called on the government to follow a "minimum data, held for the minumum time" approach to British citizens' personal information in its long-awaited report into surveillance. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/08/home_affairs_report_surveillance/ uk: Call to prosecute BT for Phorm ad trial BT should face prosecution for its "illegal" trials of a controversial ad-serving technology, a leading computer security researcher has said. Dr Richard Clayton at the University of Cambridge made his comments after reviewing a leaked BT internal report. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7438578.stm BT Phorm trial leak rekindles row Documents leaked of a 2006 secret ad-serving test show BT should be prosecuted, argues a University of Cambridge security expert, though BT says it is perfectly legal http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39430496,00.htm Watching while you surf Online advertising: New ad-targeting systems, which determine users? interests by monitoring which websites they visit, are proving controversial http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11482452 ca: Lack of basic privacy and security measures causing major data breaches, Privacy Commissioner says [news release] Too many data breaches are occurring because companies have ignored some of the most basic steps to protect personal information, says the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart. The Commissioner?s 2007 Annual Report on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) was tabled today in Parliament. http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2008/nr-c_080603_e.asp ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Who will pay as the Internet grows? Last Christmas, the BBC started an online service called iPlayer that streams live television programs and a backlog of shows from the previous week to online audiences. Through April, Britons had watched 75 million episodes of programs like "Doctor Who" and "The Apprentice." http://iht.com/articles/2008/06/08/technology/neutral09.php True or false: Is file swapping legal? Students at one Missouri university don't just have to take surprise quizzes on economics, chemistry, or Spanish these days. They also get pop quizzes on digital copyright law. The online test aims to prevent piracy and violation of copyright laws, and if students want access to peer-to-peer file sharing, they have to ace it. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9961128-7.html UK ISP bows to record industry, to send P2P warning letters British ISP Virgin Media has come to an agreement with the BPI, which represents the record industry, to warn filesharers on its network about the dangers of copyright infringement. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080606-uk-isp-bows-to-record-industry-to-send-p2p-warning-letters.html Canadian Tories eye $500 fine for illegal downloads The federal Conservatives are set to introduce new copyright legislation as soon as this week that will include provisions to target users with a $500 fine for all illegal files transferred online, a move that legal experts say could see Canadians sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars if found guilty of infringement. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=558674 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Net lags suggest Thai govt monitoring traffic Thailand's Internet is stuttering with a series of unexplained outages and slowdowns that suggest that the government is running a far-reaching program to monitor its citizens' online activities, one similar to the US Carnivore e-mail policeware program. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62042297,00.htm ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Online child abuse: First a look, then a touch too far Is the internet encouraging child porn viewers to take their perversity a step further, asks Tom Allard. It's a question that has troubled investigators and psychologists grappling with the explosion of web-enabled sexual crimes against children. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/06/06/1212259115436.html The $100 Distraction Device: Why giving poor kids laptops doesn't improve their scholastic performance. More than three decades ago, Commodore introduced the PET, the world's first personal computer, apparently so-named to take advantage of the '70s craze for pet rocks. My ever-doting and education-obsessed parents brought home a PET for me and my siblings, hoping to put us at the vanguard of the digital revolution-to-be. The results were mixed at best. Though the machine was entirely unsuited to mindless fun?it had 4 kilobytes of memory and a tiny green display of monochrome ASCII characters?my friends and I found a way to turn this supposedly educational device into a toy. We spent endless hours watching a little green cursor race around the screen in a rudimentary, freestyle version of Pac-Man. Once an early edition of Space Invaders appeared, I think my parents came to regret their attempt to prepare us for the computer age. http://www.slate.com/id/2192798/ uk: Time taken to shut child abuse sites criticised Child protection experts have called for greater efforts to patrol child abuse websites after a study revealed that it takes a month on average to take them down from the internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/06/internet.childprotection Child abuse sites take a month to shut down Child pornography websites take an average of a month to be closed down after being reported compared to just 3.5 hours for financial scam sites, research has revealed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2082006/Child-abuse-sites-take-a-month-to-shut-down.html uk: Experts head for cyberbully event A conference to advise schools on how to tackle the problem of cyberbullying is being held in Cumbria. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/7439376.stm us: A rallying cry against cyberbullying Lawmakers and Internet executives are perking up to the growing problem of kid bully fights on the Web. Legislators are newly arming themselves with laws that will protect kids from being repeatedly harassed via the Internet, text messages, or other electronic devices. In recent weeks, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) proposed a federal law that would criminalize acts of so-called cyberbullying. And Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt was scheduled Friday to sign into state law a similar measure, but the event was postponed because of inclement weather in St. Louis. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9962375-7.html Privacy Advocates Express Concern About Child Privacy Online [news release] As Canadian youth spend more time online, they run the risk of losing control of their personal information and, potentially, facing complications at home, school or work. Canada?s privacy commissioners and ombudspersons issued a joint resolution today expressing their commitment to work together to improve the state of online privacy for children and young people. http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2008/nr-c_080604_e.asp Children's Online Privacy: Resolution of Canada's Privacy Commissioners and Privacy Oversight Officials As a human being, every child has a right to privacy. The vast majority of Canadian children and young people are online, connecting to the Internet from their homes, their schools, and increasingly, from their wireless devices. They are predominantly using the Internet for social interaction ? sharing their own photos and videos, discussing what is happening in their lives, and interacting with others. http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2008/res_080604_e.asp ca: Privacy Advocates to Express Concern About Child Privacy Online [news release] Canada?s privacy commissioners and ombudsmen representing federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions will host a press conference to announce a joint resolution about child privacy online. http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2008/ma_am/ma_080603_e.asp ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** nz: Cunliffe may yet weigh in on internet peering ICT Minister David Cunliffe may yet force internet service providers to restore full peering ? to improve broadband efficiency ? if more of them don?t move of their own accord. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/14D3F1E0B4440C0DCC2574620075AC5F Swedish gov't to vote on allowing e-mail, phone monitoring [IDG] Sweden is about to vote on a bill that will allow local authorities to monitor all types of wired traffic, including e-mails, fax messages and telephone calls. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/060508-swedish-govt-to-vote-on.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,146750-c,businesscenter/article.html uk: Voluntary code for internet speed The way broadband speeds are advertised is to be regulated under a voluntary code published by Ofcom. It wants companies to publish accurate estimates of the maximum connection speeds people can expect before they buy broadband packages. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7437097.stm Broadband advertising: Call for code to be extended to mobile internet Senior industry figures are calling for the new code of practice for advertising broadband services to be extended to mobile internet providers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/06/mobile.broadband Customers misled about broadband speeds, says Ofcom Ofcom has encouraged internet service providers (ISPs) to sign up to a voluntary code which would regulate how they advertise broadband speeds to customers. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4072760.ece Code agreed on broadband ads More than 30 broadband providers including BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk have signed up to a voluntary code of conduct designed to prevent consumers being mis-sold high-speed internet access packages. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/06/telecoms.telecoms UK Government rejects more web regulation: Forcing ISPs to monitor content will not work The government has rejected calls for greater web content monitoring in response to mounting pressure in the Commons for ISPs to be required to act as policemen. http://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2218531/government-rejects-web Clarity for consumers on broadband speeds: UK?s first authoritative survey under way [news release] A new Code of Practice to ensure that internet service providers (ISPs) offer greater clarity over customers? broadband line speeds was published today by Ofcom. Some 37 ISPs, covering over 90 per cent of broadband customers, have already agreed to honour both the letter and the spirit of the Code to give consumers a clearer understanding of the speeds they can get and to ensure that they are on an appropriate broadband package. http://ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2008/06/nr_20080605 us: Adviser Says McCain Backs Bush Wiretaps A top adviser to Senator John McCain says Mr. McCain believes that President Bush?s program of wiretapping without warrants was lawful, a position that appears to bring him into closer alignment with the sweeping theories of executive authority pushed by the Bush administration legal team. http://nytimes.com/2008/06/06/us/politics/06mccain.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/06/06/america/06mccain.php http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5824061.html German government approves plod-spyware law The German government yesterday passed a controversial anti-terror law that would grant police the power to monitor private residences, telephones and computers. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/05/germans_approve_spyware_law/ nz: Mapping out the digital future, version 2.0 The Government's second grand vision of New Zealand's digital future is being knocked into shape for release some time around the middle of the year. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=93&objectid=10514778 ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Icahn Presses Yahoo to Sell to Microsoft Carl C. Icahn told Yahoo on Friday that it should offer to sell the company to Microsoft for $34.375 a share, or about $48.7 billion. http://nytimes.com/2008/06/07/technology/07yahoo.html Yahoo tries to overcome image as takeover bait Yahoo has been very much in the headlines these days, much to its chagrin. But on Wednesday the company set out to make news of its own, describing a menu of deals in the online advertising realm. http://iht.com/articles/2008/06/05/business/05adco.php Icahn calls for removing Yang as Yahoo chief The billionaire investor Carl Icahn is stepping up the pressure on Yahoo, vowing to remove Jerry Yang, its chief executive, if he succeeds in replacing the company's board with his own slate of directors. http://iht.com/articles/2008/06/04/business/yahoo.php The Yahoo! Deal: Icahn Puts A Price On Yahoo! Shareholder activist and billionaire Carl Icahn on Friday put a value on Yahoo!'s head: $34.375 a share. And Yahoo!'s chairman immediately doused the proposal with cold water. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/06/06/yahoo-icahn-microsoft-tech-ebiz-0606icahn.html Icahn's Plan For Yahoo! In a letter to Yahoo! Friday, Carl Icahn tells Chairman Roy Bostock to sell the company to Microsoft for $34.375 per share and scrap its "poison pill" severance plan that would add more than $2 billion to acquisition costs. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/06/06/yahoo-icahn-plan-tech-ebiz-cx_wt_0606yahoo.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** nz: Vodafone aims for 50Mbps with new broadband service Vodafone said today it is launching a fixed line broadband in New Zealand that will also offer home phone lines. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/vodafone-aims-50mbps-with-new-broadband-service Broadband 'game has changed' but still isn't perfect Vodafone's new network joining the high-speed broadband race should be a warning to Telecom, says Orcon boss Scott Bartlett. www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501833&objectid=10514858 au: Telstra slams broadband pricing claims TELSTRA has slammed claims the price it would charge consumers to use the proposed national broadband network would be 15 per cent higher than other suppliers. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23815096-16123,00.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Mobile internet primed for 'explosive' growth Mobile internet access in Thailand is expected to experience explosive growth this year, thanks to a greater variety of high-feature handsets and increasing number of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and Edge users. http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/09Jun2008_biz42.php ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Police 'screwed up' porn bust STATE police fear dozens of child pornography suspects could escape justice because the Federal Police "screwed up" one of the nation's biggest pedophile busts. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23819546-2,00.html Suicide taunt to suspects A DAY after one of the men arrested in a national pedophile crackdown tried to kill himself, a politician has sparked outrage by encouraging people accused of child pornography to commit suicide. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/06/06/1212259115328.html More charges laid over Australian child porn bust Queensland police have charged another two men overnight as part of Operation Centurion, a major national child pornography investigation. The latest arrests bring the number of Queenslanders charged to 44. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/07/2268012.htm Child pornography bust Ninety people have been charged in what police have described as one of Australia's biggest child pornography cases. A million images were seized and 1,500 Australians are being investigated. Police say there are more arrests to come. http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2266498.htm Pambula Beach man arrested in child porn sting A man from the New South Wales far south coast has been caught up in a major police pornography investigation. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2267406.htm Pensioner arrested in child porn investigation A 49-year-old pensioner from south-east South Australia has been arrested as part an ongoing investigation by the South Australian Police Child Exploitation Investigation Section and the Australian Federal Police.[MORE] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2267344.htm Central Qld homes raided in child porn investigation Police have confirmed they have raided about 20 homes throughout the central region in relation to child pornography.[MORE] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2267320.htm Far north Qld pair charged in child porn operation Two far north Queenslanders charged as part of a worldwide police operation targeting internet child pornography are due to face court next month.[MORE] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2267277.htm Police defend flagging more child porn arrests Australian Federal Police have defended their decision to flag further arrests in a major operation targeting internet paedophiles.[MORE] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2267278.htm Illawarra men charged in child porn operation An international police operation tracking the posting of child pornography on the internet has netted at least four people from the Illawarra.[MORE] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2267016.htm Blackall man to face court over child porn A central western Queensland man is one of 40 Queenslanders charged during an international investigation into internet child pornography.[MORE] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2266728.htm Porn bust not compromised: AFP The Australian Federal Police deny that media coverage of a major porn bust has compromised the investigation.[MORE] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2266646.htm More under investigation over child porn At least another 70 people in Queensland are being investigated in a crackdown on internet child pornography. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/06/2266635.htm Australian commits suicide after major child porn bust: reports [AFP] An Australian teacher killed himself and another attempted suicide after they were caught up in a major police swoop on Internet child pornography, reports said Friday. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080606/wl_afp/australiainternetcrimechildpornography_080606052908 Hundreds remain child porn suspects [AAP] HUNDREDS more people remain under suspicion of child pornography crimes after 90 Australians were caught in a police net as part of a massive global crackdown. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23813533-5007133,00.html Hunt for internet predators finds Brisbane 16-year-old A BRISBANE 16-year-old has been caught in an international police investigation of peoople suspected of downloading child pornography from a Croatian website. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,23826718-3102,00.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2008 --------- 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 Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address. www.yahoo7.com.au/mailReceived on Wed Jun 11 2008 - 20:06:39 UTC
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