Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news. And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Vint Cerf talks up the next-generation internet http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2227019/vint-cerf-previews-generation IANA TAR: Pressure by ICANN to be independent? by Brenden Kuerbis http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/9/24/3896210.html RFP for New gTLDs to be Published by ICANN http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6045 Portland, Oregon, Jumps in With .pdx gTLD Proposal http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6060 au: Cyber war game report highlights security holes [AAP] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/compute/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501832&objectid=10534377 Chicago 2016 Dot-Com-troversy Heats Up http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/olympic_bids/1216133762.html Kentucky Governor: All Your Gambling Sites Belong to Us by John Levine http://www.circleid.com/posts/kentucky_gambling_domain_sites/ The internet is running out of addresses ? not http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2008/sep/25/internet us: Domain Name Registrars Required to Help Fight Child Porn http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6044 ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Seizing Domain Names to Enforce Judgments: Looking Back to Look to the Future by Juliet M. Moringiello [Univeristy of Cincinnati Law Review/Widener Law School Legal Studies Research] Abstract:In this article, I analyze the opinion in Network Solutions, Inc. v. Umbro International, Inc., the case that sparked much discussion about whether an internet domain name can be considered "property" of the registrant. I argue that for the purposes of creditors' rights laws, the characterization of a domain name as property or not is essentially irrelevant because under the laws governing creditors' rights, almost any right with monetary value can be made available to creditors. The thesis of this article is that judges can rework existing laws governing creditors' remedies to account for new technologies. Courts have been adapting such remedies to novel assets for more than a century, and there is nothing inherent in domain names to suggest that courts cannot do the same with respect to them. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1270651 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Vint Cerf talks up the next-generation internet Google's chief internet evangelist Vint Cerf has set out his view of the internet's future to coincide with the search giant's 10th birthday. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2227019/vint-cerf-previews-generation http://itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=85551 Francis Gurry of Australia Appointed as WIPO Director General [news release] The General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) appointed by acclamation on September 22, 2008, Mr. Francis Gurry, a national of Australia, as Director General of WIPO for a six-year term that begins on October 1, 2008 and runs through September 2014. Member states as a whole congratulated Mr. Gurry on his appointment and highlighted his wealth of experience in intellectual property and the professionalism that he brings to this position. http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2008/article_0045.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** IANA TAR: Pressure by ICANN to be independent? by Brenden Kuerbis Last June IGP reported on efforts to develop a trust anchor repository (TAR) to help bootstrap the deployment of DNSSEC. A TAR would provide a centralized location where top level registries could place public key information pertaining to their zone?s trust anchor. The key information could be accessed by secure resolvers to initiate the validation of signed zone data. The TAR idea had been floated by several actors in lieu of the difficulty of getting DNSSEC deployed at the root. It seems that the TAR concept continues to gain traction. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/9/24/3896210.html NameSmash Interview: Antony Van Couvering and the Dawn of the Expanded TLD System There is a lot of ground to cover in time for the approaching storm of new TLDs. Over the coming year we will be regularly consulting with experts in the domain community to paint the clearest picture of what?s to come. This round, we sat down with Antony Van Couvering, Principal of Names§Work.com (Van Couvering?s consulting company) to pick his brain on what the initial effects of this massive change may look like. http://www.namesmash.com/?p=143 ICANN Cairo Meeting Schedule Posted ICANN today posted the schedule for its public Meeting to be held in Cairo 2-7 November. The meeting, which also serves as ICANN?s 2008 annual general meeting, takes place at the InterContinental CItyStars Hotel, Cairo. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-26sep08-en.htm RFP for New gTLDs to be Published by ICANN An initial draft version of the RFP for new gTLDs, an ?Applicant Guidebook?, is due to be published by ICANN prior to their Cairo meeting in early November. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6045 http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/rfp-for-new-gtlds-to-be-published-by-icann.html http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/09/27/rfp-for-new-gtlds-to-be-published-by-icann/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Help cz.nic write a book about IPv6 [news release] Association CZ.NIC, administrator of the highest-level domain .CZ, launched today a project intended for the expert community interested in the IPv6 area. http://www.nic.cz/page/512/help-us-write-a-book-about-ipv6/ Changes in Policies for .co Coming [news release] The Ministry of Communications in Colombia has prepared a resolution for regulating the management of the .co (Colombia) ccTLD. Currently the ministry is preparing a process for a tender that will see the .co ccTLD registry run by a third party. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/09/28/changes-in-policies-for-co-coming/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/changes-in-.co-policies-coming.html Domaincheck: DENIC makes available new information service for querying domains [news release] Starting 23 September 2008, DENIC will place at disposal an implementation of the so-called "Domaincheck" service. So DENIC will be the first domain registry to break new ground in this field: It plans to substitute the high-performance Domaincheck (DCHK) for the known information service whois in the medium term. The DCHK specification, published at the start of 2008, is based on the IRIS standard (Internet Registry Information Service), which needed several years of intensive work to be established. As a member of the IETF Working Group CRISP (Cross Registry Information Service Protocol), DENIC's employee Marcos Sanz took a leading role in formulating IRIS. http://www.denic.de/en/denic/presse/press_90.html de: DENIC provides Domaincheck service [news release] Since 23 September 2008, DENIC provides a new information service called Domaincheck (DCHK, which is the abbreviation for Domain Availibility Check). It serves for querying the status of .de and ENUM domains. In the long run, the new service shall replace the currently known domain status query via whois. http://www.denic.de/en/denic/news/news_87.html fr: The AFNIC carries on anycast deployment [news release] The AFNIC goes on with reinforcing its service level on the French country-code Top Level Domains it administrates. http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/general/NN20080922_en A French Court rules that the registration of a domain name may amount to a violation of a trademark coexistence agreement You can read my comment of the Eurostar, SNCB, SNCF vs. Eurostar Diamond Traders case on e-Competitions. Litigants disputed the registration of the name eurostar.eu. http://domaine.blogspot.com/2008/09/french-court-rules-that-registration-of.html is: Administrative contact regulation change [news release] The Board of ISNIC has agreed to modify the requirement for foreign registrations (Rule 2.3.1). Foreign registrants will here after be able to designate a registered agent as before, however the agent list will also include foreign agents who have a service agreement with ISNIC. http://www.isnic.is/news/index.php .ORG the Most Secure Domain? The .ORG, Public Interest Registry (PIR) gTLD (generic top level domain) is perhaps best known as the non-profit registry for millions of organizations. It could also soon be known as a more secure domain space too, as .ORG adopts the DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions), a set of extensions used to add an additional layer of security to the Domain Name System (DNS). http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3774131/ORG+The+Most+Secure+Domain.htm Portland, Oregon, Jumps in With .pdx gTLD Proposal The Greater Portland region in the United States state of Oregon has put its hand up for a gTLD with a push from the local community for the .pdx gTLD. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6060 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/09/28/portland-oregon-jumps-in-with-pdx-gtld/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/portland-oregon-jumps-in-with-.pdx-gtld.html .biz.tr, .info.tr and .tv.tr [news release] nic.tr announces a price reduction for .biz.tr, .info.tr and .tv.tr domains from 25 YTL to 15 YTL. The price reduction will take effect as from 13 October 2008. https://www.centr.org/main/news/4574-CTR.html https://www.nic.tr/announcebox.php?PHPSESSID=120030011958172145252326104&ann_id=605 [Turkish] ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** au: Cyber Storm II: Security simulation offers insights [news release] A detailed report outlining Australia?s involvement in the recent international cyber security exercise, Cyber Storm II, was released today by Attorney-General Robert McClelland. http://iia.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=673&Itemid=32 au: Cyber war game report highlights security holes [AAP] The quick and ferocious nature of cyber attacks on government must be recognised in the next generation of security, a previously unreleased report from the Australian Attorney-General's Department urges. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/compute/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501832&objectid=10534377 Locking Down The Cloud: Why DNS Security Must Be Improved Flaws in DNS are giving rise to exploits that could make moving computing functionality into the cloud a risky proposition. Say you're using a software-as-a-service CRM offering. When a salesperson types your SaaS provider's URL, how do you know his browser is linked to the vendor's server, and not a rogue? http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210603893 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Chicago 2016 Dot-Com-troversy Heats Up The Chicago 2016 bid's attempt to quickly take control of the coveted Chicago2016.com domain name from entrepeneur Steve Frayne has failed and it will now be up to U.S. Federal courts to sort out the mess - a procedure that could take months or years http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/olympic_bids/1216133762.html Kentucky commandeers world's most popular gambling sites The state of Kentucky has seized control of some of the world's most popular gambling domain names courtesy of a state judge who issued a secret ruling last week ordering registrars to transfer 141 internet addresses to the state's top law enforcement official. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/26/gambling_domain_seizure/ Kentucky judge postpones forfeiture hearing In an anticlimactic twist in what was a highly anticipated court hearing, a judge has postponed today's forfeiture hearing on the state of Kentucky's lawsuit seeking seizure of 141 online gaming domain names for seven days. http://www.pokerlistings.com/kentucky-judge-postpones-forfeiture-hearing-31021 Kentucky Governor: All Your Gambling Sites Belong to Us by John Levine According to news reports, the governor of Kentucky has filed a suit in state court to seize 141 gambling domain names. His claimed authority is a 1974 law against "gambling devices", on the theory that a domain is a "device", and online gambling is taking money away from in-state horse racing and the lottery. The judge sensibly has said that he doesn't understand all the issues, and has given all sides a week to submit briefs. Two domains, highrollerslounge.com and luckypyramidcasino.com have been reassigned to the state, probably by a registrar who didn't understand the issues either. I have to say that this is a phenomenally bogus case. http://www.circleid.com/posts/kentucky_gambling_domain_sites/ Negotiations under way in online casinos lawsuit [AP] Settlement negotiations are under way in a legal dispute over whether online casinos can be forced to block access to Web sites in states that object to them. http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9079992 http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20080926&id=9196051 Kentuckians blocked from online gambling sites [AP] Gamblers in Kentucky will no longer be able to access some online casinos because of a legal fight being led by the state's governor. http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/537815.html http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/sep/27/gambling-web-sites-calling-off-kentucky-bets/ ICA responds to Kentucky seizure order The Internet Commerce Association is aware of the extreme concern of ICA members regarding the action of Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear ordering the seizure of 141 gaming related domain names. It appears that there may be no statutory basis for this unprecedented action, that Kentucky may lack sufficient jurisdictional grounds and that it also may violate the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution. http://www.internetcommerce.org/ICA_resonds_to_Kentucky_seizure_order Online Gambling Sector Awaits Kentucky Decision A group of lawyers have descended upon the commonwealth of Kentucky Thursday morning to block efforts by that state's Governor, Governor Steve Beshear, in seizing up to 141 domain names. Among those in attendance at a Thursday hearing, The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association President, Edward Leyden. http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/online-gambling-sector-awaits-kentucky-decision-092508.html ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** The internet is running out of addresses ? not Google's "internet evangelist" Vint Cerf has been in the UK and in the headlines this week, visiting the British Computer Society and The Guardian, among others. Both the Times and the Telegraph have picked up the scary "news" that the Internet will run out of IP addresses by 2010, warns Vint Cerf, or just a touch less accurately, Father of the internet: 'web is running out of addresses'. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2008/sep/25/internet We may run out of web addresses Vint Cerf, the "father of the internet", has warned that the world is on the verge of running out of the web addresses that allow computers to identify and communicate with each other. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthSci/We_may_run_out_of_web_addresses/articleshow/3528500.cms http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/sep/25web.htm http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-26091.html Which region is taking the lead in IPv6 deployment? by Leo Vegoda IPv6 is in the news because the mainstream media have started to pick up the fact that IPv4 will be fully allocated in the next two or three years. And IPv6 deployment is important if we want to keep the Internet growing sustainably. http://blog.icann.org/?p=365 Tech boom means China will run out of IP addresses by 2011 In the West, we're always told that we're IPv6 laggards and that large parts of Asia are already running the new protocol. But apparently, China has some work to do before the whole country is IPv6-ready, too. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080925-tech-boom-means-china-will-run-out-of-ip-addresses-by-2011.html China running out of IP addresses Chinese officials are calling for a mass migration to IPv6 after disclosing that they have only 830 days' worth of IPv4 resources left. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2226849/china-running-ip-addresses IPv6... Finally Getting Closer to Home Presentations at successive IPv6 related forums, summits and other conferences tend to become rather repetitive and some even in need of an urgent slide dust-off. http://www.circleid.com/posts/2008928_ipv6_finally_getting_closer/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** us: Domain Name Registrars Required to Help Fight Child Porn Domain name registrars are being brought into the fight against child pornography in the United States, with registrars being included among those required to report child pornography. Failure to do so will be a federal crime. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6044 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/09/27/domain-name-registrars-required-to-help-fight-child-porn/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/domain-name-registrars-required-to-help-fight-child-porn.html Vint Cerf visit to Nominet's Oxford office by Lesley Cowley We were delighted to welcome one of the ?fathers of the internet?, Vint Cerf, to the Nominet offices in Oxford earlier today. As many will be aware, Vint was the co-designer of TCP/IP and basic infrastructure of the internet. http://blog.nominet.org.uk/insight/2008/09/vints-visit-to-oxford/ CADNA's Atlanta Forum: Global Brands Come Together at CNN Center [news release] The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) held its eighth educational forum on online Brand Abuses and Internet Governance on Tuesday, September 23. Hosted by CADNA, Turner Broadcasting System, and Alston & Bird at the CNN Center in Atlanta, the event featured expert advice on proactive, preventative and reactive online domain name strategies available to brand owners and provided a forum for frank discussion. http://www.cadna.org/en/newsroom/press-releases/global-brands-come-together New domain suffixes good news for Group NBT Internet domain name management firm Group NBT says its business has thus far remained immune from the effects of the economic downturn. http://www.sharecast.com/cgi-bin/sharecast/story.cgi?story_id=2353826 http://www.cityam.com/index.php?news=21587 Cybersquatters: Gives the Web a Bad Name Again Homesteading or squatting, pioneers or nesters, what you call a practice all depends on your point of view. Cybersquatting, as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO 2008) recently acknowledged, is still with us and growing. According to WIPO, the number of cybersquatting cases filed through its domain name resolution service in 2007 set a new record. Cybersquatting, or cyberpiracy as U.S. legislation calls it, is the practice of registering as domain names the service names or trademarks of others toward the end of profiting by the sale of the domain names to others or by the use of the domain names for other purposes. http://redorbit.com/news/technology/1569939/gives_the_web_a_bad_name_again/ nz: Slingshot's misfire cuts off phones Internet service provider Slingshot is in the firing-line from disgruntled customers after letting the domain name for their iTalk service expire, cutting off their phones. http://www.businessday.co.nz/industries/telco_it/4709686 http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlboroughexpress/4708975a6422.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4708975a11.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** German Country Code Domain Draws Over $118,000 in the Week's Top Sale Sedo.com rang up a gargantuan country code sale this week, collecting ?84,000 ($118,440) for Suchmaschinenoptimierung.de ("search engine optimization" in German). That deal also ranks among 2008's top ten ccTLD sales, landing at #6 on the year to date Country Code Top 100. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales09-23-08.htm GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE ? TOP .ME NAMES UP FOR BID [news release] The stage is set for what promises to be a milestone auction for the popular, new top-level domain, .ME. The catchy TLD has proven to be the Internet?s fastest debut-seller, ever. The public gets their first chance to bid on an impressive list of premium .ME domain names in a LIVE auction at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Conference in New York City Thursday. http://www.nic.me/index.php?page=12&news=102 ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** The Mass Age of Internet Law by Daithi Mac Sithigh [Information and Communication Technology Law] Abstract: This article addresses the topical question of how the increased availability of (and popular interest in) "user-generated content" (UGC) influences the development of cyberlaw. While recognising that the Web has been 'user-generated' since its creation, it is argued that the commercial and critical interest in small-scale and individual contributions to the audio/video Web, and the use of such material by established media providers (online and offline) presents a challenge to those who are interested in Internet regulation and the evolution of Web media law. Differing perspectives on the future of Internet regulation are considered in the light of how they relate to understanding the UGC challenge. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1271863 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Vint Cerf talks up the next-generation internet Google's chief internet evangelist Vint Cerf has set out his view of the internet's future to coincide with the search giant's 10th birthday. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2227019/vint-cerf-previews-generation Cyber sex causes depression: study People who seek out cyber sex have "alarmingly high" rates of depression, anxiety and stress and typically devote hours a day to the covert activity, a study shows. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/09/26/1222217466074.html Movie, TV viewing shifting online: study [AFP] Couch potatoes may be a thing of the past as a study has found the number of people watching video on their computers has doubled over the past year. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/27/2375858.htm Quarter of workers' time online is personal Most people spend more than 25 per cent of their time online at work on personal activities. And 80 per cent of emails sent by volume in the workplace are personal. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10534055 Japan home owners to be offered 16Gbit/s Internet connection [IDG] Japanese telecommunications carrier KDDI is to start offering 1Gbit/s fibre optic Internet hook-ups for less than the current price of a connection one tenth the speed. http://techworld.com/networking/news/index.cfm?newsid=104916 Number of cell phone subscribers to hit 4 billion this year, UN says [news release] The number of mobile cellular subscribers worldwide will reach the 4 billion mark by the end of 2008, the head of the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) announced today. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28251 Murdoch declares war in the last great battle of the barons The Wall Street Journal and New York Times are locking horns in the old press tradition. But the fight is looking increasingly irrelevant as their readership deserts them for the internet, writes Paul Harris http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/28/newscorporation.wallstreetjournal ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Social networking-Facebook for suits: Websites that encourage business networking are thriving Among the few firms benefiting from the upheaval in the financial markets are professional social networks?websites that help with business networking and job-hunting. On LinkedIn, the market leader, members have been updating their profiles in record numbers in recent weeks, apparently to position themselves in case they lose their jobs. The two most popular sites, LinkedIn and Xing, have been growing at breakneck speed and boast 29m and 6.5m members respectively. And, in contrast to mass-market social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, both firms have worked out how to make money. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12304861 MI6 seeks recruits on Facebook MI6 is using the social networking site Facebook to recruit the next generation of spies. The Secret Intelligence Service, which has traditionally scoured the country's elite universities for recruits, launched a series of online adverts this month as part of its attempts to attract people from a variety of backgrounds. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/facebook.workandcareers ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** New era dawns at home of the internet The dawn of a new internet age has begun. A network of supercomputers, known as the Grid, is to revolutionise the speed at which information is downloaded to personal computers. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4842964.ece Half world's population 'will have mobile phone by end of year' The world's love affair with the mobile phone shows no sign of abating, with the head of the UN's agency for information and communication technologies predicting that there will be 4 billion mobile phone users - or more than half of the planet's estimated 6.7 billion inhabitants - by the end of this year. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/26/mobilephones.unitednations Mobile Phones and Cancer: More Research Needed A large-scale study of the long-term effects of cell-phone use needs to be carried out, medical professionals said at a congressional hearing http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc20080925_833994.htm Electrosensitivity-Mind your phone: Sham radiation can cause real pain Whether mobile phones can cause cancer remains moot. But they are also accused by some of causing pain. A growing number of people around the world claim to be ?electrosensitive?, in other words physically responsive to the electromagnetic fields that surround phones and the other electronic devices that clutter the modern world. Indeed, at least one country, Sweden, has recognised such sensitivity as a disability, and will pay for the dwellings of sufferers to be screened from the world?s electronic smog. http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12295230 The Interphone study: Mobile madness The threat to human health from mobile phones, if any, is much disputed. A shame, then, that a massive multinational study on the question has ended in chaos http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12295222 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Scrabulous brothers can continue with game, says Delhi court The brothers behind the Scrabble-aping Facebook game Scrabulous can continue to make their game because the Scrabble game itself is not protected by copyright, a Delhi court has said. http://out-law.com/page-9452 German gamer admits killing British rival, claim Germans A German internet wargame enthusiast who has confessed to murdering a Briton he met online was in love with the victim's girlfriend and had tried to woo her, German police claimed yesterday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/27/games.ukcrime Man questioned over gamer's murder [PA] A man has been questioned in Germany over the murder of a British computer games enthusiast he allegedly met on the internet, police said. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-questioned-over-gamers-murder-943125.html Gamer arrested over computer link to knife murder of Matthew Pyke A German computer gamer is being questioned by police over the murder of a university student after an apparent argument on an online discussion site. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4828367.ece Notorious ISP Intercage goes dark again [IDG] Accused of being home to online scammers, San Francisco Internet service provider Intercage has been unplugged from the Internet ... for the second time this week. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/092608-notorious-isp-intercage-goes-dark.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151591/notorious_isp_intercage_goes_dark_again.html http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/09/26/Notorious_ISP_Intercage_goes_dark_again_1.html au: Man loses $20k in online love scam [AAP] An Australian man has been stripped of $20,000 and left red-faced after his female friend turned out to be a man, in an online romance scam. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4708739a28.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/09/28/1222540223551.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/09/28/1222540223551.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** London police close file on BT's Phorm trials The City of London Police have said there will be no formal investigation of BT over its secret trials of an ad monitoring system. BT trialled the Phorm system - which monitors web browsing habits in order to better target ads - without the consent of users last summer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7634210.stm US ISPs endorse user opt-in on Web tracking, deflect calls for privacy laws [IDG] Three of the four largest Internet service providers in the U.S. promised today that they will adopt policies requiring them to get meaningful permission from customers before tracking their online activities for targeted advertising purposes. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9115612 http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151518/large_isps_endorse_customer_optin_for_web_tracking.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1036594361 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Unlimited mobile music would cut piracy and CD sales The introduction of unlimited mobile music services such as Nokia's Comes With Music and Sony Ericsson's PlayNow plus could result in British consumers downloading a staggering 2.1bn tracks a year, according to new research. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/digitalmusic.telecoms Indie labels cry foul at MySpace Music launch MySpace, the social networking site, last night launched its long-awaited music service, which offers millions of streaming tracks on demand in the US, and revealed plans to launch it worldwide. But it provoked a furious reaction from the largest independent record labels, which accused it of leaving them out in the cold. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/26/myspace.digitalmusic MySpace Music launch disappoints excluded indie labels The launch of MySpace Music ran into controversy on Thursday after the leading independent music trade body complained that its small music label members had been shut out and treated like second class citizens. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-35661620080926 http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE48O96N20080925 New Lobbying Group Calls for Internet Filtering A just-formed lobbying group of content producers, equipment makers and internet gatekeepers said Thursday that internet service providers should embrace filtering. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/entertainment-l.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** China: A Forbidden City of words The Chinese authorities have blacklisted certain words on the internet. But you can't, ultimately, suppress communication http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/28/china.internet ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ ?One-stop shop? to keep British children safe on internet Help is at hand for parents who fear for their children?s safety while using the internet with the launch today of a government scheme aimed at keeping children safe in cyberspace. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4842548.ece UK children at greater risk from online predators as they spend more time indoors British children are at greater risk from online predators than those elsewhere in Europe because their paranoid parents keep them cooped up indoors, a report claims. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3088260/UK-children-at-greater-risk-from-online-predators-as-they-spend-more-time-indoors.html US Congress takes up online threats to children Amid an economic crisis, Congress found some time this week to address online threats to children. The Protect Our Children Act, introduced by Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., made it through the Senate on Thursday. Separate bills authored by Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton were folded into the legislation, which authorizes more than $320 million for the Justice Department over the next five years for, among other things, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The bill would affect how Internet companies report online child pornography to authorities, and it approves funds for law enforcement to focus on online child exploitation. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10052502-38.html US Congress sending child porn bills to president [AP] Congress is sending President Bush several bills that would tighten laws on child pornographers' use of the Internet. The House on Friday passed by 418-0 a measure clarifying that images obtained over the Internet were subject to federal interstate commerce laws. The bill was in response to a federal court ruling that prosecutors must show that images kept on a computer had crossed state lines. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7831093 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/26/AR2008092602437.html http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080926/ap/d93elue80.html http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/sep/26/congress-sending-child-porn-bills-to-president/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080926.wgtpornobill0926/BNStory/Technology/ Daddy's internet secret Daisy, five, loves the CBeebies website, but sometimes, when she's looking for Balamory, a site for 'best blow jobs' pops up. That's because her father likes to visit sex sites. Emma Cook talks to mothers who fear online porn is threatening family life http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/27/family.internet YouTube hands tied in shooting Finnish police are working with YouTube to avoid future shootings but talks could hit a brick wall as videos can't be pre-screened. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24402223-15306,00.html Won?t someone think of the children?s speech?: Internet Technical Safety Task Force by Wendy Seltzer I?m at Berkman for the open meeting of the Internet Technical Safety Task Force, a group convened at the pressing of state attorneys general to address children?s safety on social networking sites. The day kicked off with statements from Mass and Conn. attorneys general, to be followed by presentations from technology companies offering ?solutions? and suggestions. http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2008/09/23/internet-technical-safety-task-force.html Comparing Children's Online Opportunities and Risks across Europe: Cross-national Comparisons for EU Kids Online [Quicklinks] Cross-national Comparisons (D3.2). The first part of this report compares findings from various European studies to address some key research questions and hypotheses. These allow us to reach some general conclusions (i.e. cross-national similarities) which hold across the European countries examined. The second part considers factors that might help to explain the patterns that we found. http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/EUKidsOnline/Reports/ReportD3-2CrossnationalComparisonFINAL2.pdf Supporting families, searching for online safety solutions As Vint Cerf wrote last December, "Google is dedicated to supporting parents' efforts to educate and protect their children when they go online." Through policies like YouTube's Community Guidelines and easy-to-use technologies like SafeSearch, Google helps families safely enjoy the freedom of expression that is so essential to the Internet. http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2008/09/supporting-families-searching-for.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** NZ ICT group delivers detailed election wishlist A group of Auckland-based ICT industry figures has delivered its policy wish-list to the politicians of major parties, setting out an agenda for progress in ICT development that is far more specific than in many strategy documents seen to date. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/BF25FB342D8389E3CC2574CC000FBF2A NZ Government buckles over Copyright Act amendment The government has bowed to ICT industry pressure, announcing a four-month moratorium on Section 92A of its new Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act. http://www.netguide.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=703&Itemid=16 nz: ICT winners, losers and also-rans It's been a big week for the local ICT industry. First, the government backed down on its copyright legislation thanks to an unprecedented united outcry from industry bodies; then the three main parties (and Act) fronted up for the first political debate of the election - and it was on ICT; and finally, the second annual Open Source Awards were held in Wellington. http://www.itbrief.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2582&Itemid=808 nz: Members passing motions There's not much difference between the parties? ICT policies. Where they differ is on implementation issues: It was a dark, stormy night in Avalon, one of the most peculiar public erections in the Lower North Island, where 1,282 square metres of studio space in total and a large number of cameras wait for live television shows to happen. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/fry/3B14E62C5644AB72CC2574D0000BBBA9 nz: Copyright Act change shifts software rights A change in New Zealand?s copyright law will see software developers owning their software by default, even when that software is commissioned, and that has led one industry leader to warn of potential abuse. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/85C5E5DB6BD35585CC2574CF0017C13F nz: ICT issues debated at online forum, amendment delayed The backdown on the controversial section 92A of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Bill was one of the insights yielded in the TVNZ 7 and online election debate, jointly organised with InternetNZ, conducted last week. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/50B30BBBB9F67EBFCC2574CF00180175 ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Rivals Microsoft and Google Take Top Honors in Asia Three years ago, Google Inc. had a marginal physical presence in Asia -- a handful of staff in sales offices in Japan, Korea and Australia. Flash forward to 2008: The company has 2,000 employees in 15 offices in the region, plus 11 research-and-development centers, where engineers churn out products and services for Asian markets as well as Internet users world-wide. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122237391170376181.html TelstraClear and TradeMe cosy up TelstraClear will let residential broadband customers surf Trade Me and watch videos posted on its Clear.net portal without that counting toward their data traffic caps for three months, in a move that may pave the way for more tie- ups between carriers and content providers. http://www.businessday.co.nz/industries/telco_it/4709661 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4709567a27483.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4709567a28.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** EC call for 'universal' broadband Brussels is considering making broadband access available for all. The fast growth of broadband has led the European Commission to bring forward a review of the basic telecoms services Europeans can expect. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7637215.stm ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** India Adds Over 9 Million Mobile Subscribers in August India added 9.16 million mobile subscribers in August, taking the total number of mobile subscribers to over 305 million, according to data released Wednesday by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The country added 9.22 million mobile subscribers in July. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151470/india_adds_over_9_million_mobile_subscribers_in_august.html Europe-wide wireless broadband on the way EU politicians have backed measures to help create a wireless broadband service that could work across Europe. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62046510,00.htm More texting than phone calls in the US In the fourth quarter of 2007, American cellphone subscribers for the first time sent text messages more than they phoned, according to Nielsen Mobile. Since then, the average subscriber?s volume of text messages has shot upward by 64 percent, while the average number of calls has dropped slightly. http://nytimes.com/2008/09/29/technology/29drill.html ********************** VoIP ********************** VoIP system users can be targeted in attacks Jason Ostrom of VoIP Hopper on Saturday plans to release his next-generation VoIP sniffer at Toorcon in San Diego to help raise awareness of the type of vulnerabilities businesses face as they adopt unified communications (UC) technology. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10052393-83.html ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** uk: NZer jailed for child porn A New Zealand-born fitness coach with the England cricket team has been jailed in Britain for six months for downloading "disgusting" child porn movies. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10534722 Kiwi born cricket coach jailed over child porn videos A New Zealand-born fitness coach with the England cricket team was jailed in Britain overnight for six months for downloading "disgusting" child porn movies. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10534516 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (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 Make the switch to the world's best email. Get Yahoo!7 Mail! http://au.yahoo.com/y7mailReceived on Sun Sep 28 2008 - 21:39:00 UTC
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