Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! Headlines from the 6 September edition of the news include: CONFERENCE: Dialogue Forum on Internet Rights, Rome, 27 September 2007 | CONFERENCE: Pan-European conference on ethics and human rights in the information society | China hosts nearly half of all malware sites | uk: Titan Rain - how Chinese hackers targeted Whitehall | cn: Army sets sights on targets in space and cyberspace | China flexes muscles of its 'informationised' army | Invisible arms race: The internet balance of power | China 'tops list' of cyber-hackers seeking UK government secrets | Several countries trying to hack into US military system: Pentagon | China denies Pentagon cyber-raid | More on WHOIS Privacy by John Levine | Court junks $11m judgment against Spamhaus| Spamhaus Appeal: They Win on Substance by John Levine | Kenya wants ICANN Africa 2008 | au: auDA Panel releases draft recommendations for public consultation | .eh dispute - Morocco or Frente Polisario? ICANN to decide | .ASIA Sunrise Policies - Registry Policies Document | Australian Businesses Expected to Welcome Crackdown on 'Domain Tasting': Intellectual Property Expert | World's Biggest Domain Name and Internet Traffic Conference Announces T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007, October 9-13 | Gibraltar.com sells for US$360,000 And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Vint Cerf of Google on the internet's future http://video.ft.com/specials/?clipid=1359_FT0384 Japan will research Net replacement http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2007-08-29-japan-rebuilding-internet_N.htm Internet pipes can't keep up in YouTube age http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/083007-internet-traffic-increase.html Buzz of Google's 'intellectual bumblebee' http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/30/guardianweeklytechnologysection.google Malicious Web: Not just porn sites - The New Zealand Honeynet Project http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9033998 Public Comments Require Changes in ICANN new gTLD Policy by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2007/8/30/3195588.html Inside Views: Acting To Protect Freedom of Expression At ICANN by Dan Krimm http://ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=730&res=1920_ff Court tosses $11 million judgment against Spamhaus http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9769724-7.html auDA reviews community geographic domain names policy http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-28082007/ China sale spurs domain name boom http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/08/30/tech-domain-china.html Is .EU squatter an accredited registrar? http://domainesinfo.fr/english/094/is-eu-squatter-an-accredited-registrar.php EURid blocks 10,000 .EU names http://domainesinfo.fr/english/093/eurid-blocks-10-000-eu-names.php .ru to pass 1,000,000 domains in September http://novayagazeta.ru/data/2007/color33/01.html (in Russian) Heavy metal domain dispute over pantera.com http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2514 Bodog loses domain but strikes back http://www.casinowire.com/2007/08/30/111230-bodog-loses-domain-but-strikes-back/ 'China Barbie' takes on Mattel http://atimes.com/atimes/China/IH31Ad01.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Vint Cerf of Google on the internet's future Vint Cerf talks to Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson about the need to expand internet capacity, improve stability and address the concerns of user privacy. Other issues covered include IPv6 with "more address space" being something that he would have done differently had he his time over again; that a secure and stable network is the most important issue on the internet, with privacy also a very important issue. Vint also answers FT reader's questions. http://video.ft.com/specials/?clipid=1359_FT0384 Consultations on Internet Governance Forum to be held in Geneva on 3 September With preparations well under way for the second Internet Governance Forum, taking place in Rio de Janeiro from 12 to 15 November, participants of the event will gather in Geneva at the Palais des Nations on Monday, 3 September to discuss the details of the agenda and programme of the four-day meeting in Brazil. http://egovmonitor.com/node/14020 Working Draft for the IGF Second Annual Meeting; Conference Room Paper; Submitted to the Open Consultations; Prepared by the IGF Secretariat This background paper is conceived as an input into the discussion of the second IGF meeting. It is organized in terms of the five broad key themes of the Rio de Janeiro meeting. It summarizes the 28 submissions that were received from 12 different contributors prior to the consultations of 3 September. It also draws on earlier contributions and papers and will be completed following the consultations. http://intgovforum.org/Rio_Meeting/CRP.03.09.07.rtf UN convenes conference on the Internet Representatives from the UN will be heading to Rio de Janeiro this coming Monday to discuss the agenda and programme for November's IGF. http://theinquirer.net/?article=42027 Japan will research Net replacement Japan plans to start research on new networking technology that could one day replace the Internet amid its growing quality and security problems, according to the nation's communications ministry. U.S. and European researchers already have started similar efforts to rebuild the underlying architecture of the Internet. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2007-08-29-japan-rebuilding-internet_N.htm http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/158600.html http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070829.wgtnetrevamp0829/BNStory/Technology/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20070829.wgtnetrevamp0829 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=54977 Internet pipes can't keep up in YouTube age The Internet needs a massive investment to keep up with the demands of YouTube fans, billions of e-mails and wireles access, a university study states. If the network that carries Internet traffic were a highway, it would be as if every car owner, "rushed out and traded in their cars for massive 20-wheel trucks," stated the report from University of California-San Diego Professor Michael Kleeman, a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg Center for Communication. In the report, titled "Point of Disconnect," Kleeman writes that there needs to be a massive expansion of network capacity in the United States, and even though network operators are making those investments it still may not be enough to keep up with demand. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/083007-internet-traffic-increase.html http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;15189526;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136651-c,broadband/article.html Buzz of Google's 'intellectual bumblebee' It was almost certainly one of the simplest interviews that Google has ever conducted. The Silicon Valley giant, famous for its punishing hiring process and exacting standards, received a short email asking a straightforward question. "Do you need any help?" it said. A one-word response - "yes" - was enough to secure a job with the company. It was unusual in many respects, of course: the man saying yes was Google chief executive Eric Schmidt - and the man asking the question was Vint Cerf, the pioneering researcher commonly regarded as one of the founding fathers of the internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/30/guardianweeklytechnologysection.google The man who invented the 21st century: Vint Cerf created the internet. Now he wants to solve the mystery of disappearing socks It was only when he reached the middle of nowhere that Vint Cerf realised what he had done. This is somewhat ironic, given the pan-global nature of his career to date, but it was in a one-horse town at least 100 miles from anywhere you ever heard of that he began to fully appreciate the implications of the whirlwind he had unleashed. Driving through the desolate stretches of the mid-American wilderness on his way to a houseboat holiday, the full-time inventor of the internet and part-time gourmet suddenly remembered that if he was to cook the perfect paella that evening, he was going to need to score some saffron. http://www.sundayherald.com/life/people/display.var.1658530.0.0.php Vint Cerf in call to preserve data for posterity The man who created the internet and the protocols on which it still functions highlighted the dangers we face with ever changing file formats, applications and operating systems. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/08/30/cnnet130.xml Internet has to stay open, says Cerf [sub req'd] Any threat to open access to the internet would be ?a hazard to innovation? and a deterrent to investment, one of the founding fathers of the internet has warned. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/fc7d2cb8-5725-11dc-9a3a-0000779fd2ac.html Internet Governance Forum to be held in Geneva With preparations well under way for the second IGF, taking place in Rio de Janeiro from 12 to 15 November, participants of the event will gather in Geneva at the Palais des Nations on Monday, 3 September to discuss the details of the agenda and programme of the four-day meeting in Brazil. http://mediaforfreedom.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=4089 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** Net "out of IPv4 addresses by 2011" says Cerf Last week Google's Internet Evangelist and co-creator of the TCP/IP protocol told a packed auditorium at the University of Buenos Aires that the Net as we know it will run out of spare IPv4 addresses by 2011. http://theinquirer.net/?article=42065 IP extends its reach in data storage It is 15 years since internet pioneer Vint Cerf tore off his shirt to reveal a T-shirt bearing the slogan "IP on everything" at a meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force. But while Internet Protocol has become a de facto standard for voice and data traffic in general networking, it has failed to make an impression on the ramparts of storage networking. http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2007/08/31/226468/ip-extends-its-reach-in-data-storage.htm ********************** - DOMAIN SECURITY ********************** Malicious Web: Not just porn sites The New Zealand Honeynet Project, which produced Capture-HPC, also produced an excellent white paper about using Capture-HPC to identify malicious Web servers. On the group's Web site, you'll find that paper, the captured data, and the tools for anyone to inspect and replicate. The New Zealand Honeynet Project inspected more than 300,000 URLs (nearly 149,000 hosts) for three weeks and found 306 malicious URLs served from 194 malicious servers. Here is what ComputerWorld thinks are the most interesting points: http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9033998 ********************** - ICANN ********************** Public Comments Require Changes in ICANN new gTLD Policy by Milton Mueller The ICANN comment period on its new gTLD policy is over. The comments reflect overwhelming opposition to the Council's attempt to impose a standard of "morality and public order" on new TLD strings. The vast majority of comments -- about 60 of the 75 or so comments -- criticized the policy of censoring TLD strings and asked ICANN to stick to technical and operational criteria. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2007/8/30/3195588.html Updated Proposed .MUSEUM sTLD Registry Agreement Posted for Public Comment An updated version of the proposed .MUSEUM sponsorship agreement is posted today for public comment. The amendment from the previous draft agreement is a result of significant collaboration between the registry sponsor and community members. The updated agreement is posted today with the intention of submitting it to the ICANN Board for approval after the 30-day comment period. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-31aug07.htm IANA Report on Redelegation of the .DM TLD IANA received a request for the redelegation of the .DM (Dominica) TLD. ... IANA Recommendation: According to RFC 1591 and ICP-1, IANA needs to respect the ability for a local Internet community as well as local law and local government to make decisions about the operation of a TLD. In its research, IANA believes that there are strong grounds for reassignment of the domain name under the relevant criteria. The current operators have clearly stated that they are no longer managing the domain and that the proposed operators have been the entity in charge for a number of years already. IANA therefore concludes that the .DM domain should be redelegated to the DotDM Corporation as per their request. The Board subsequently passed a resolution regarding the redelegation of the .DM domain to DotDM Corporation and it is approved. http://www.iana.org/reports/dm-report-31jul2007.html Inside Views: Acting To Protect Freedom of Expression At ICANN by Dan Krimm The continuing saga at ICANN about policy for approving new gTLDs is entering what may be its final stages this summer. There has been a stream of controversy surrounding the ?.xxx? gTLD proposal that was rejected by the ICANN Board of Directors at its March 2007 meeting in Lisbon, and ICANN?s GNSO has continued to work on recommendations for a uniform policy to govern gTLDs, through a special New gTLDs Committee that was set up in a Policy Development Process in December 2005. http://ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=730&res=1920_ff Court tosses $11 million judgment against Spamhaus At least for now, Spamhaus, the popular British spam-blacklisting organization, won't have to cough up $11.7 million as part of a spat with an Illinois e-mail marketing company. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Thursday vacated a lower court's decision last fall to award the damages and to impose an injunction, which required the organization to cease causing any e-mail sent by e360insight or Linhardt to be "blocked, delayed, altered, or interrupted in any way" and to publish an apology. http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9769724-7.html Spamhaus off the hook for $11 million judgment Last year, Spamhaus found itself on the wrong end of a $11.7 million default judgment awarded to online marketing firm e360insight after it decided not to fight the case due to its belief that US courts had no jurisdiction over the group because of its location in the UK. Yesterday, an appeals court overturned the award, sending the case back down to a lower court. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070831-spamhaus-off-the-hook-for-11-million-judgment.html Kenya bids to host top IT conference Kenya has submitted a bid to host the African round of the Icann meeting set for November next year. The bid was submitted by the board of the Kenya Information Centre (Kenic) on behalf of the private sector and the Government. http://eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143973832 ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** Melbourne-based Web Hosting Provider Smartyhost Claims 40,000 Customers Melbourne-based web hosting provider Smartyhost claims it currently caters for 40,000 customers and predicts it will be the biggest hosting in provider in Australia by the end of 2007, it was reported recently. The company expects to have in excess of 50,000 customers by Christmas 2007. http://hostsearch.com/news/smartyhost_news_6298.asp auDA reviews community geographic domain names policy Community geographic domain names are domain names registered within the eight Australian state and territory 2LDs: act.au, qld.au, nsw.au, nt.au, sa.au, tas.au, vic.au, wa.au. http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-28082007/ au: CTC teaches cyber safety with auDA Foundation grant Eeveryone from our Kindergartens to senior citizens are getting online and surfing the net these days, and the Bombala CTC has just received auDA Foundation funding to make sure we are all staying 'Cyber Safe'. http://bombala.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=general&story_id=1044124 2007 CIRA Board of Directors Election Campaign Forum Starts August 28, 2007 [news release] The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) launched its online 2007 Board of Directors Election Campaign Forum. The Campaign Forum provides Candidates, CIRA Members, and the general public an opportunity to discuss viewpoints, concerns, and Candidate positions related to how Candidates will serve Canada?s Internet community if elected as a Director in the 2007 CIRA Board of Directors Election. http://cira.ca/news-releases/208.html SWITCH discontinuing ENUM trial as of 30 September 2007 Over the past four years, SWITCH has acted as the registry for the ENUM trial in Switzerland. http://switch.ch/about/news.html?id=148 China sale spurs domain name boom An aggressive price promotion in China of website domain names with the ".cn" TLD helped spur a fivefold increase in the number of websites using the suffix, according to VeriSign's 2007 Domain Name Industry Brief. The price promotion led to a 402 per cent growth in domain names registered with ".cn" from the previous year. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/08/30/tech-domain-china.html Is .EU squatter an accredited registrar? Following .EU registry EURid's locking down of some 10 000 .EU domains apparently owned by a Chinese individual, new evidence suggests that a Chinese registrar may also be involved. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/094/is-eu-squatter-an-accredited-registrar.php EURid blocks 10,000 .EU names A large number of .EUs registered by a single owner have been blocked by EURid. The European registry has doubts over the owner's eligibility as a European citizen. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/093/eurid-blocks-10-000-eu-names.php EURid Blocks 10K Buycool.com/Zheng .eu Domains EURid has blocked over 10K .eu domains that were registered by Chinese cybersquatting/cyberwarehousing operation Buycool.com/Blogdo.com/Zheng Qingying. French domain news site Domainsinfo.fr broke the story about how EURid is finally taking action. http://blog.whoisireland.com/2007/08/28/eurid-blocks-10k-buycoolcomzheng-eu-domains/ .ru to pass 1,000,000 domains in September This article in Russian on the reaching the milestone of 1,000,000 .ru registered domain names. The article also discusses the history of .su, saying it will remain as a historical monumnet with around 5,000 domain registrations. The article includes information on who uses the internet in Russia, and that MSN, followed by Google and Yahoo! are the most popular websites. http://novayagazeta.ru/data/2007/color33/01.html dotMobi to Release Sex.Mobi In a post today dotMobi CEO, Neil Edwards announced that dotMobi would be releasing approximately 500 premium domain names to auction in the next few months. And yes, that includes Sex.Mobi. http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2007/08/30/dotmobi-to-release-sex-mobi Marriott.mobi, ZAGAT.mobi and Travelocity.mobi lead way for travelers [news release] As North America approaches one of its busiest travel weekends, several new .mobi sites are providing travelers with the information they need while on the road. http://mtld.mobi/node/781 '.tv? Gains Popularity on YouTube Boom Not many South Koreans are aware of the location of the country named Tuvalu. But its Internet country code ``.tv'' is becoming ever more popular with the rise of video-sharing Web sites. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/biz_view.asp?newsIdx=8664&categoryCode=123 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Heavy metal domain dispute over pantera.com The first heavy metal domain dispute TechNewsReview is aware of. There are reports ?the surviving members of Pantera are involved in a legal battle with their former webmaster over? Pantera.com. Pantera.com was once the band's official web site, but since February 2003 the official web site has been located at www.officialpantera.com. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2514 http://domainnews.com/litigation/2007090206/heavy-metal-domain-dispute-over-panteracom/ http://domainpulse.com/2007/09/01/heavy-metal-domain-dispute-over-panteracom/ Surviving PANTERA Members Involved In Legal Dispute Over Web Site Domain Name The surviving members of PANTERA are involved in a legal battle with their former webmaster over the Pantera.com domain name, which once served as the band's official web site. http://roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=79831 http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=28587 Bodog loses domain but strikes back The well established online gaming group Bodog.com has reacted against recent infringement claims by opening a new site. The ongoing battle with 1st Technology LLC saw a ruling by a Seattle judge on August 1st. Bodog were ordered that all domains were to be defaulted and transferred to 1st Technology LLC, a leading technology licensing company headed by Dr Scott Lewis. The reason behind this ruling is an alleged patent infringement. http://www.casinowire.com/2007/08/30/111230-bodog-loses-domain-but-strikes-back/ Bodog Loses Domain Name in Patent Suit: Poker Now on NewBodog.com Bodog owner Calvin Ayre was forced to launch a new gambling and poker web site Tuesday evening, due to a legal order in a patent infringement dispute with 1st Technology LLC of Las Vegas Nevada, causing the loss of most of his Bodog.com domain names; so to play online poker at Bodog you will now need to go to www.newbodog.com. http://www.pokerpages.com/poker-news/news/bodog-loses-domain-name-in-patent-suit-poker-now-on-newbodogcom--29947.htm Bodog domain name settlement imminent? Turns out we were wrong when we reported that opportunist Mel Molnick stole the Bodog.com domain name from Calvin Ayre's Bodog Entertainment, sorry Mel. Instead, Scott Lewis PhD. from Silicon Valley fame actually took control of the Bodog domain name portfolio after receiving a $48 million dollar default judgment against the online betting giant earlier this month. http://point-spreads.com/industry/083107-bodog-domain-name-settlement-imminent.html Gambling Site Loses Domain Name Online gambling site Bodog.com has lost its domain name when a dispute over the ownership of the domain name bodog.com placed the Web site temporarily out of commission. The site is now up and running at its new address, newbodog.com. http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/083107_Gambling_Site_Loses_Domain_Name.cfm 'China Barbie' takes on Mattel Mattel, which makes Barbie dolls, was forced this month to recall millions of toys that were made in China because of lead paint and loose magnets. So what's Mattel's next step in recovering from possible lost revenues? To attack porn star "China Barbie" of ChinaBarbie.com, of course. Rather than focusing on its own legal problems, the major US corporation has decided to take aim at suing US porn queen China Barbie for her comparatively nominal monetary assets. http://atimes.com/atimes/China/IH31Ad01.html in: PSU?s old website hosts dating, porn links ... The PSU has now filed complaints with the police and cautioned National Informatics Centre (NIC). ?The website (www.ciwtc.com) was not really hacked but taken over by a Russian company as our domain name had expired. We learnt of some pornographic links displayed on the website and told National Informatics Centre, which blocked the links. So no damage has been done,? said Praful Tayal, CMD of CIWTC. http://www.indianexpress.com/story/214160.html http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=254326 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** EuroDNS Celebrates .eu Domain's 2.5 Million Registrations [news release] Only 16 months after its official appearance, the .eu domain has recorded 2.5 million registrations for the second time -- after a brief consolidation. The same number had been reached in the spring, but as the year ended, some of the domains registered in the opening phase had not been claimed by their owners, which pushed the number of total registrations below 2.5 million. For Frederick Schiwek, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for leading domain registrar EuroDNS SA, reaching the 2.5 million mark ?proves that the common Internet suffix is clearly on the road to success in Europe.? http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/8/prweb550380.htm International web-use explosion fuels domain name growth Increased international use of the internet has driven the number of domain names registered globally to 138 million, according to a report from VeriSign, the firm that operates the .com and .net domains. http://securecomputing.net.au/news/60306,international-webuse-explosion-fuels-domain-name-growth.aspx http://scmagazine.com/us/news/article/734620/international-web-use-explosion-fuels-domain-name-growth/ Sex.com book review ... This is a story for modern times. It is a story of sleazy porn kings, a con man who was determined to make his fortune in the new goldfields of cyberspace and a net-savvy businessman who fought and fought until he finally won. The twisting plot and the extraordinary, often implausible, cast of characters make this seem more like a fictional thriller written by John Grisham than a true story. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/31/1188067344463.html More value with Tucows domains A couple of weeks ago, we made a pretty big announcement that represented a fundamental shift in the way we think about domain name pricing. If you missed it, you can read all about it here. We made a couple of changes that day. First, we included more transparency in the pricing structure for domains that gives you a clear understanding of where your domain dollars are going. Second, we dropped our prices and added features to help you stay competitive in the domains marketplace. Since that announcement went out, we?ve been working hard to build in several additional improvements all of which went live over the past weekend (25-26/8). http://about.tucows.com/2007/08/27/more-value-with-tucows-domains/ ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Domain Names: The Latest Real Estate Deals Since the world economy is constantly evolving, one has to be aware of which industries are coming into being and what names would lead Internet surfers to their sites. Then, it's a matter of registering the name and keeping it active until either you are approached to sell it or you go to a broker who will sell it for you. Increase customer confidence with Extended Validation SSL from VeriSign. EV triggers the address bar to turn green in Microsoft IE7, which helps prove site identity and helps reduce phishing attack threats. To learn more, read our white paper. Many of us have thought of "locking up" a killer domain name or Web address. Then, all we'd have to do is find a buyer. Some people with whom I speak tell me that all of the good domain names have been registered. Personally, I think that an enterprising and savvy person can still make a big score in online "real estate." http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/58985.html Network Solutions Newest White Paper Addresses the Benefits to Online Merchants of Using Pay Per Click Internet Advertising to Drive Sales [news release] As consumers grow increasingly comfortable with shopping online, there is a higher demand for businesses to provide an e-commerce storefront in addition to their traditional brick-and-mortar store. The winter holiday season traditionally provides the biggest upswing in an online retailer?s business, however it is necessary to start planning a tailored online marketing strategy as early as July and August. Network Solutions wants to assist and educate small businesses about how they can increase their online sales during this potentially profitable shopping season, via their new white paper, ?Guide to Driving Sales with Pay Per Click.? http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=NetworkSolutions&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=204822&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True&Merge= ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** YouTube ban lifted in Thailand Thailand's military junta has finally lifted a ban on the video sharing website YouTube, four months after it was blocked for posting offensive images of King Bhumipol. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/31/2020944.htm http://iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/31/asia/AS-GEN-Thailand-YouTube-Ban.php Thailand YouTube accessible again [news release] Reporters Without Borders has asked Google to explain how its video-sharing website came to be unblocked. "We note the unblocking of the video-sharing site but we ask Google to make public the contents of a compromise referred to by the Thai Information and Communications Ministry? the worldwide press freedom organisation said. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=21599 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: A good night's sleep remains a dream for many children AUSTRALIAN children get half an hour's less sleep a day on average than they did 20 years ago because of changed family lifestyles and the temptations of computer games and online chat. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/31/1188067367880.html au: Mandatory Server Level Filtering The Internet Industry Association has previously expressed its support for the Government's Protecting Australian Families Online scheme, now restyled the NetAlert initiative. This scheme has bipartisan political support in Australia. http://iia.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=587&Itemid=32 nz: Vodafone assurance over adult phone content Telecommunications company Vodafone says the adult content which some of its mobile phone users can now subscribe to is more tightly regulated than similar material on the internet. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200709021057/vodafone_assurance_over_adult_phone_content ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Is it Legal to Unlock Your iPhone? EFF reports, quoting Jennifer Granick, the Stanford Law School professor who obtained the DMCA exemption in 2006 for cell phone unlocking, that "fter my clients' long, successful battle before the U.S. Copyright Office to exempt phone unlocking from the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, have iPhone customers won the freedom to tinker with their cool new handsets? The answer, unfortunately, is that we still don't know." http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005418.php us: EFF Documents Shed Light on FBI Electronic Surveillance Technology The Electronic Frontier Foundation has obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act that reveal the inner workings of the FBI's Digital Collection System Network (DCSNet), a software suite that allows the Bureau to conduct surveillance on a wide variety of digital devices. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005415.php uk: Gangs and gun crime rekindle the debate on tighter internet regulation Three Scottish teenagers from Glasgow?s Xcross gang put a video on YouTube in which they gloated over the killing of a 21-year-old father. ... Caught by the police, the three stars of the disturbing internet movie pleaded guilty to culpable homicide last week, allowing the story of their online bragging to be told. Plastered all over the Scottish newspapers last week, it is hardly surprising that the shock that such videos exist have begun to lead to calls for better regulation of the video-sharing website. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article2357805.ece nz: Scams getting more sophisticated, Netsafe warns An internet safety organisation says more people are being caught up in increasingly convincing scams. Netsafe says more sophisticated methods are being used as people become familiar with more common scams. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200709020917/scams_getting_more_sophisticated,_netsafe_warns nz: Increasingly Believable Internet Scams Catch Kiwis [news release] New Zealand?s Internet Safety Group, NetSafe has experienced an upsurge in calls from New Zealanders caught in internet scams. NetSafe Executive Director Martin Cocker says, ?Even people who are well aware of common scams and who are cautious with online transactions can be fooled. Some people have lost money, others have contacted us before doing a deal ? just to check if what they are about to do is legitimate." http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0709/S00006.htm au: Watchdog presses ISPs to clamp down on illegal net use The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft is pressing ahead with its proposal to have internet service providers send warning notices to customers who have been identified as illegal downloaders, and disconnect the services of repeat offenders. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/30/1188067260345.html au: Online dating warning after woman 'held captive' Police are warning internet users to be careful when they form relationships in cyberspace, after arresting a man who allegedly held a Perth woman captive after meeting her online. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/30/2019122.htm http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22331471-5006789,00.html Unlocking iPhone may open up legal issues Hackers have figured out how to unleash the Apple iPhone from having to rely exclusively on AT&T for its celluar network, but people hoping to make money from the procedure could face legal problems. http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/30/technology/iphone.php Bloggers battered by viral storm Google's Blogger site is being used by malicious hackers who are posting fake entries to some blogs. The fake entries contain weblinks that lead to booby-trapped downloads that could infect a Windows PC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6970368.stm Storm Hits Blogger Careful whose blog you're reading these days: Researchers have discovered the Storm Trojan nestled in hundreds of blog sites in Google's Blogger network. This Storm infection is not simple comment spam, where spammers post their junk messages and malware as blog comments. "These are blogs that post spam," says Alex Eckelberry, CEO of Sunbelt Software, who has been studying the posts. He says he hasn't seen any legitimate blogs bites being hacked and sprinkled with Storm, but he's still researching the trend. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=132793 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** German spyware plans trigger row German government plans to spy on terror suspects by deploying malicious e-mails have drawn sharp criticism. The e-mails would contain Trojans - software that secretly installs itself on suspects' computers, allowing agents to search the hard drives. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6973018.stm Germany Wants to Spy on Suspects Via Web [AP] German officials on Friday defended a proposal to use "Trojan horse" software to secretly monitor potential terror suspects' hard drives, amid fierce debate over whether the measures violate civil liberties. Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble wants to include the measure in a broader security law being considered by conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government. http://iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/31/europe/EU-GEN-Germany-Trojan-Horses.php http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/G/GERMANY_TROJAN_HORSES http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/01/1188067391180.html German government sees itself in good company with online searches The German Ministry of the Interior sees itself as being in good company with its demand for covert online searches. According to a response, seen by heise online, issued by the Ministry of the Interior to a series of questions from the German Ministry of Justice, explicit rules for the performance of covert investigations of IT systems by security services are already in place in Romania, Cyprus, Latvia and Spain. The ministry, headed by Wolfgang Sch?uble of the CDU, does not give details of the precise form of the relevant legislation, data protection provisions or the form in which online surveillance, which has been the source of a great deal of controversy within the ruling coalition in Germany, is applied in practice. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/94988 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Japan will research Net replacement Japan plans to start research on new networking technology that could one day replace the Internet amid its growing quality and security problems, according to the nation's communications ministry. U.S. and European researchers already have started similar efforts to rebuild the underlying architecture of the Internet. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2007-08-29-japan-rebuilding-internet_N.htm http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/158600.html http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070829.wgtnetrevamp0829/BNStory/Technology/ http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=54977 Israeli porn sites favorites of Muslim surfers Operators of a number of porn sites report that between 2 percent and 10 percent of their users are from Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. Some Israeli porn websites even go so far as to offer services in Arabic. http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/33429/format/html/displaystory.html au: World's oldest blogger At 107 she is probably the world's oldest blogger and cyber granny Olive Riley may also lay claim to being the oldest YouTube user. From her Central Coast home, the great-grandmother of seven files her The Life of Riley blog (or blob as she calls it), which has won her thousands of fans across the world. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22338858-5006784,00.html Internet pipes can't keep up in YouTube age The Internet needs a massive investment to keep up with the demands of YouTube fans, billions of e-mails and wireles access, a university study states. If the network that carries Internet traffic were a highway, it would be as if every car owner, "rushed out and traded in their cars for massive 20-wheel trucks," stated the report from University of California-San Diego Professor Michael Kleeman, a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg Center for Communication. In the report, titled "Point of Disconnect," Kleeman writes that there needs to be a massive expansion of network capacity in the United States, and even though network operators are making those investments it still may not be enough to keep up with demand. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;15189526;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136651-c,broadband/article.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Why Facebook Is the Future On Aug. 14 a computer hacker named Virgil Griffith unleashed a clever little program onto the Internet that he dubbed WikiScanner. It's a simple application that trolls through the records of Wikipedia, the publicly editable Web-based encyclopedia, and checks on who is making changes to which entries. Sometimes it's people who shouldn't be. For example, WikiScanner turned up evidence that somebody from Wal-Mart had punched up Wal-Mart's Wikipedia entry. Bad retail giant. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1655722,00.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Cellphones look to gain a greater voice in an Internet world The cellphone world, dominated by giant telecommunications corporations, is colliding head-on with the Internet, where hackers abound and a good idea can grow into a Google - spawning a full-fledged mobile media industry. The intersection of the wireless world with the Internet's openness has long been anticipated, but it is edging closer to reality as new technologies, devices and consumer behavior finally chip away at the telephone's long legacy as a device used for talking. http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/30/business/cell.php The internet?s chattering class go wild for ?Gphone? Speculation hit fever pitch yesterday over the possible shape of Google?s next foray into telecoms as a host of blogs carried pictures of what was claimed to be a low-cost, internet-enabled handset - the ?Gphone?. The well-regarded Engadget site said that Google would make an announcement as soon as next week. Reports said that the Gphone would retail for as little as $100 (?50) when it makes its debut in United States. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article2364231.ece ********************** SPAM ********************** nz: Spam law brings more junk mail Consumers are being inundated with last-ditch, mass spamming efforts as companies seek permission to keep sending them messages after a new anti-spam law kicks in. The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act comes into effect on Wednesday, and after that date commercial promotions from New Zealand can not be sent by email or text unless they have consent from the person receiving it. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10461094 nz: Sean Lynch: New law slams the door on spam The Government's new anti-spam law comes into effect next Wednesday, September 5, and will have far-reaching implications for anyone who sends commercial, promotional-type messages by email, text or other electronic means. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10460837 PDF spam levels plummet PDF spam is hardly registering on email security vendors' spamometers It appears that PDF spam has had its 15 minutes of fame. Having reached its peak volume on August 7 at nearly 30% of all spam messages sent, PDF spam today is hardly registering on email security vendors' spamometers. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/E77968CC14DF2706CC257347000EC4FB Sophos reports on the rise and fall of PDF spam Is PDF spam simply not working for the spammers? [news release] Experts at SophosLabs reported a dramatic decrease in the amount of spam email using PDF file attachments to spread their unwanted messages. According to research done by Sophos, levels of PDF spam have dropped from a high of close to 30% of all spam earlier this month to virtually zero. http://sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2007/08/pdf-spam.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Net charges may hit BBC's iPlayer The BBC'S iPlayer could be hit by an industry-wide move to charge companies and consumers according to the size of files downloaded online. Major internet service providers are believed to be considering plans to introduce a pricing system designed to ease broadband congestion. If the move goes ahead, the cost of running services like the iPlayer, which allow users to download television programmes or watch them online, will increase hugely. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2160454,00.html File-sharers forced to play fair Researchers have found a way to enforce good manners on file-sharing networks by treating bandwidth as a currency. The team has created a peer-to-peer system called Tribler in which selfless sharers earn faster upload and download speeds but leechers are penalised. The technology is being assessed by a European broadcasting body looking at ways of piping TV across the net. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6971904.stm NBC Universal, Apple in battle over content available on iTunes Apple Inc. escalated a dispute with NBC Universal over the pricing of television shows by announcing today it would not sell any of NBC's programs for this fall season on iTunes. Earlier, NBC had told Apple that it would no longer allow its programs to be sold via iTunes at the end of the year. NBC Universal-controlled television programming accounts for an estimated 40 percent of the video downloads on iTunes. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-nbc1sep01,1,3556180.story http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN3120885820070831 http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/31/itunes uk: High prices questioned as Apple launches TV download service Apple made its first foray into British television yesterday, and immediately found itself facing questions over the costs of its video downloads, which observers said were forcing British consumers to pay much higher prices than their US counterparts. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/30/uknews.news uk: Music stars set to reap YouTube windfall More than 50,000 music artists from Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen to Sir Paul McCartney and Spamalot creator Eric Idle will now get paid when their tracks are used as backing music for clips on YouTube, in a new deal between the music industry and the website. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/30/youtube.netmusic http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/30/business/youtube.php http://nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Britain-YouTube-Music.html http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2355094.ece ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* ECONOMIST LEADER: Who's afraid of Google? Rarely if ever has a company risen so fast in so many ways as Google, the world's most popular search engine. This is true by just about any measure: the growth in its market value and revenues; the number of people clicking in search of news, the nearest pizza parlour or a satellite image of their neighbour's garden; the volume of its advertisers; or the number of its lawyers and lobbyists. Such an ascent is enough to evoke concerns?both paranoid and justified. http://economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=9725272 Inside the Googleplex It is rare for a company to dominate its industry while claiming not to be motivated by money. Google does. But it has yet to face a crisis. ... And that, in a nutshell, sums up Google today: it dominates the internet and guides people everywhere, such as Marge, to the information they want. But it also increasingly frightens some users by making them feel that their privacy has been intruded upon (though Marge, technically, could not have seen Homer in real time, since Google's satellite pictures are not live). And it is making enemies in its own and adjacent industries. The grand moment of Marge googling herself, for example, was instantly available not only through Fox, the firm that created the animated television show, but also on YouTube, a video site owned by Google, after fans uploaded it in violation of copyright. http://economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9719610 Wikipedia aims to roll over Google The online encyclopedia will use the power of the people to take on Google and Yahoo http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article2367254.ece Google News Becomes A Publisher Instead of links, Google wants to carry articles from news agencies like The Associated Press to promote "the definitive original copy and give credit to the original journalist." http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201803549 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/01/1188067403819.html How To Make A Microserf Smile While Google was turning heads with its employee perks, an unlikely manager took on morale in Redmond http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_37/b4049065.htm Microsoft to battle Google with software delivered through the Internet The empire is preparing to strike back - again. Microsoft this week will make available free software that connects its Windows operating system to software delivered through the Internet, Brian Hall, a Microsoft executive said. The strategy is a major departure for a giant software firm that sells packaged software that runs on the personal computer. Microsoft designed the strategy to help shield its hundreds of millions of software customers from competitors, from Salesforce.com to Google, who already offer software applications over the Internet. http://iht.com/articles/2007/09/02/business/cloud.php ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Asia-Pacific telcos to target new markets--analyst Investment strategies of telecommunications operators in the Asia-Pacific region will target new markets and new industries in the future, according to technology consulting firm Ovum. Major regional investors such as SingTel, Telekom Malaysia, NTT DoCoMo, Telstra, SK Telecom Vodafone and Hutchison are entrenched in the region and are keen to expand their exposure to growth markets. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=85589 nz: Access price 'will hurt telecommunications network' Telecom says its copper wire network will suffer a slow deterioration, unless the Commerce Commission raises the prices it is planning to let the telco charge its competitors for access to its network. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10460865 nz: Unrest over telco plan A proposal to allow telcos to install equipment on road reserve outside people's homes without requiring consent under the Resource Management Act has run into stiff opposition from dozens of individuals, several councils and the Green Party. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4187774a28.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** us: Municipal Wi-Fi - Reality bites: American cities' plans for ubiquitous internet access are running into trouble It was supposed to democratise the internet and turn America's city-dwellers into citizen-surfers. In 2004 the mayors of Philadelphia and San Francisco unveiled ambitious plans to provide free wireless-internet access to all residents using Wi-Fi, a technology commonly used to link computers to the internet in homes, offices, schools and coffee-shops. Across America, hundreds of cities followed suit. Yet many municipal Wi-Fi projects have since been hit by mounting costs, poor coverage and weak demand. This week Chicago became the first big city to abandon its plans for a city-wide network. ?Everyone would like something for free,? says Chuck Haas of MetroFi, a supplier of municipal Wi-Fi systems. But the numbers do not add up. http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9726651 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2007 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sick of deleting your inbox? Yahoo!7 Mail has free unlimited storage. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.htmlReceived on Thu Sep 06 2007 - 08:28:11 UTC
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