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 1 October edition of the news include: Internet pipes not ready to burst, researcher says | Mouse click could plunge city into darkness, experts say | The Race to Stay Ahead of Internet Demands | Another National Internet Threatened: Russia by Milton Mueller | ICANN after Vint Cerf | Kiwi may be in running to head the global internet | APNIC: Apster September edition now available | Dot-Name Becomes Cybercrime Haven | .Name Registrar Defends Pay for Whois Policy | Advocates: Time to get .nyc domain name | Every Domainer Is Subsidizing Tasting... Abolish Registration Grace Period by Alex Tajirian | Televisions.com sells for US$215,000 In last week's Top Reported Sale And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Internet pipes not ready to burst, researcher says | Mouse click could plunge city into darkness, experts say | The Race to Stay Ahead of Internet Demands | Another National Internet Threatened: Russia by Milton Mueller | ICANN after Vint Cerf | Kiwi may be in running to head the global internet | APNIC: Apster September edition now available | Dot-Name Becomes Cybercrime Haven | .Name Registrar Defends Pay for Whois Policy | Advocates: Time to get .nyc domain name | Every Domainer Is Subsidizing Tasting... Abolish Registration Grace Period by Alex Tajirian | Televisions.com sells for US$215,000 In last week's Top Reported Sale VeriSign Completes Key Milestones in Initiative to Strengthen and Diversify Critical Internet Infrastructure [news release] http://www.verisign.com/press_releases/pr/page_042847.html VeriSign: DoS attack could shut down internet http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39289635,00.htm Simulated Cyberattack Shows Hackers Blasting Away at the Power Grid http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/09/simulated-cyber.html US Congressmen Call For Investigation On Government Cyberattacks http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202101028 A guide to the online use of trademarks - a European perspective [reg req'd] http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2007/LNPprotectionoftrademarksonline20march2007.htm CADNA Responds to ICANN Tasting Survey [news release] http://www.cadna.org/press-release-september-24.html ICANN Nominating Committee Announces New Board Members and Supporting Organisation Roles http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-25sep07.htm .nz Domain Name Registrations Hit 300,000 [news release] http://dnc.org.nz/story/30291-29-1.html High demand for NZ domain names http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10466029 http://stuff.co.nz/4215731a28.html http://nz.news.yahoo.com/070926/3/1tge.html http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=185618 Cybersquatters target iPhone http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e0af403a-6c82-11dc-a0cf-0000779fd2ac.html Facebook wins domain dispute http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2814 Web-Address Theft Is Everyday Event: Short or Memorable Domain Names Can Fetch Millions of Dollars http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119068079815138145-Z_ilmlIpmb_u6F5HymtKczYVTcE_20071024.html CMS Cameron McKenna Technology Annual Review 2006 http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2007/techannualrevmarch2007.htm A guide to the online use of trademarks - a European perspective [CMS Cameron McKenna] [reg req'd] http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2007/LNPprotectionoftrademarksonline20march2007.htm ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Q&A: Internet Pioneer Vint Cerf Looks Spaceward Vint Cerf may be best known for his role in the creation of the Internet, but his earliest professional years were spent in the space industry, during the heady years of the Apollo missions. While Cerf was in high school, his father worked at North American Aviation, a company that over the years created the X-15 rocket plane, the Saturn V rocket, and the Space Shuttle orbiter. During some summers in high school and college in the early 1960s, Cerf worked for two North American Aviation subsidiaries, including Rocketdyne, which created rocket engines. "I have a T-shirt that says, 'I am a rocket scientist,'" says Cerf, now chief Internet evangelist at Google. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2007/tc20070921_413514.htm Internet Pioneers' Next Frontier For the Internet's innovators, it seems, there's no path like the one from cyberspace to space. In announcing the Google Lunar X Prize on Sept. 13, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin joined a growing brigade of tech luminaries who have put their Web wealth to work in an area where they've little expertise: trying to transform space travel from a largely government affair to a civilian, profitable business. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2007/tc20070921_629080.htm ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - DOMAIN SECURITY ********************** VeriSign Completes Key Milestones in Initiative to Strengthen and Diversify Critical Internet Infrastructure [news release] VeriSign announced it has completed key milestones and is on track to expand and diversify the capacity of its critical Internet infrastructure by 10 times by the year 2010. http://www.verisign.com/press_releases/pr/page_042847.html VeriSign Flexes DNS Security Muscle All might seem quiet on the DNS front since the February attack that crippled two of the Internet's 13 DNS root servers. But inside VeriSign, which maintains some of those core servers, there have been plenty of skirmishes. "There have been a number of attacks on the DNS infrastructure over the last six months, but not to the extent of previous ones," says Ken Silva, chief security officer at VeriSign, which said today that it's ahead of schedule in Project Titan, its $100 million-plus DNS infrastructure security and capacity upgrade. "They haven't gone quiet just because you're not reading about them." http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=134775 VeriSign: DoS attack could shut down internet Denial-of-service attacks are growing faster than bandwidth is being added to the internet, according to VeriSign. Criminal groups selling services online are increasingly threatening the fabric of the internet, as the size of the compromised networks of computers they control increases, according to VeriSign. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39289635,00.htm Simulated Cyberattack Shows Hackers Blasting Away at the Power Grid AP has obtained a video made for the Department of Homeland Security that shows a simulated hacker attack on a power station that doesn't end well for a turbine. In the video the latter goes spinning out of control and spits out pieces of the turbine as well as smoke before it, presumably, dies a noisy, dramatic death. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/09/simulated-cyber.html US Congressmen Call For Investigation On Government Cyberattacks Unisys, a major government IT contractor, reportedly is being investigated for allegedly failing to detect cyberattacks, and then covering up its failings. http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202101028 Contractor Blamed in DHS Data Breaches The FBI is investigating a major information technology firm with a $1.7 billion Department of Homeland Security contract after it allegedly failed to detect cyber break-ins traced to a Chinese-language Web site and then tried to cover up its deficiencies, according to congressional investigators. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/23/AR2007092301471.html US Homeland Security Cyber Attacks Probed [AP] A top homeland security lawmaker has called for an investigation into possible cyber attacks on computer systems at the Homeland Security Department. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he believes Unisys Corp - the company that holds the $1.7 billion contract to build parts of the Homeland Security Department's computer network - is at fault for these network break-ins. Thompson chairs the House Homeland Security committee and asked the department's inspector general to investigate. http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/182222.html http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CYBER_ATTACKS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-09-24-13-04-20 us: New activist tool: Cyber sit-ins Civil disobedience gets an update, as protestors stage DoS-like attacks on Web sites to gain attention for their causes http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/09/24/New-activist-tool-cyber-sit-ins_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137613-c,security/article.html A guide to the online use of trademarks - a European perspective [reg req'd] Trade marks on the Internet may be used to distinguish the goods and services of one undertaking from those of another, or without reference to relevant goods and services. Trade marks can be used on the Internet without reference to goods or services in domain names, links, metatags, pop-up ads, framing and spam messages. Such use of trade marks may be legally justified or may constitute a trade mark infringement. Whether an infringement has occurred will depend on the purpose and intention of the use of the mark, and the likely impact on the trade mark holder?s business. Overview of the guide: The guide serves to highlight the ways in which trade marks can be infringed on the Internet, methods of protecting trade marks, and importantly, how trade mark holders can assert their rights. As the technology evolves, the ways in which trade marks can be infringed keep developing and changing, presenting trade mark holders seeking to protect their rights with new challenges. This publication provides guidance on the relevant law in a number of EU member states as well, as in Switzerland and Russia. http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2007/LNPprotectionoftrademarksonline20march2007.htm pe: Government Reports Telefonica del Peru Internet & Cellular Phone Service to be Lacking When telephone landlines and cellular phone lines crashed and left millions without any means of communication, including Peru's government and military, after the earthquake on August 15, Peru's government began investigations of phone companies across the country. ... Apart from the claims Telefonica del Peru has to deal with from the Ministry of Communications, Peru's Supervising Entity for Private Telecommunications Investments (OSIPTEL) has recently reported that Telefonica's internet service provider (ISP), Speedy, has an extremely overloaded DNS. http://livinginperu.com/news/4785 ********************** - ICANN ********************** CADNA Responds to ICANN Tasting Survey [news release] ICANN?s Domain Tasting Ad Hoc group, who is tasked with examining the impact of domain tasting, recently conducted a survey intended to gather industry opinions and experiences with the Add Grace Period (AGP). The AGP is a five-day period during which registrants are able to cancel their domain and recuperate registration fees paid to the registry. http://www.cadna.org/press-release-september-24.html ICANN Nominating Committee Announces New Board Members and Supporting Organisation Roles The 2007 Nominating Committee received 93 Statements of Interest, drawn from all five of the geographic regions during an open nominating period that ran from 1 February 2007 to 18 May 2007. 12 candidates were female and 81 were male. 25 candidates were from North America, 23 candidates were from Europe, 23 were from Asia/Australia/Pacific, 13 were from Africa and 11 were from Latin America/Caribbean. Some candidates are counted in more than one region due to dual citizenship. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-25sep07.htm ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** Putting the finishing touches to .ASIA The first .ASIA sunrise opens in less than a month's time. Domaines.Info recently met with the registry to get the latest details on the launch of Asia's own Internet suffix. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/104/putting-the-finishing-touches-to-asia.php au: ACCC investigates online business claims The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is taking part in an international sweep of internet business claims. Business websites ending in .au will be subject to checks on product claims by the ACCC. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/26/2044257.htm Algerian Internet service providers complain of sector's underdevelopment ISPs say Algeria has not caught up with the rest of the region in internet use. They blame the authorities for not encouraging the development of the Information Technology (IT) sector. Algeria has 5,000 domain names, while Tunisia has 16,000. http://magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/09/26/feature-02 .nz Domain Name Registrations Hit 300,000 [news release] InternetNZ through the Domain Name Commission is pleased to announce that the number of registrations of domain names under the .nz top level domain has reached 300,000. http://dnc.org.nz/story/30291-29-1.html High demand for NZ domain names The number of locally registered internet domain names has hit 300,000. InternetNZ, the internet Society of New Zealand, said the rate of growth of registrations with the .nz suffix was showing no sign of slowing, which was good for people operating in the .nz domain space. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10466029 http://stuff.co.nz/4215731a28.html http://nz.news.yahoo.com/070926/3/1tge.html http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=185618 Domain tasting goes legit with .pl NASK, the .pl registry, have announced a new domain tasting service, enabling registrants to test traffic of a domain name before registration. To take advantage of the service, choose a domain name and contact a registrar and you have five days to test the domain name. http://domainpulse.com/2007/09/25/domain-tasting-goes-legit-with-pl/ http://domainnews.com/aftermarket/2007092520/domain-tasting-goes-legit-with-pl/ Malaysia opens .MY at second level Up to now, domain names in Malaysia were restricted to third level extensions such as .COM.MY or .NET.MY. The second level .MY domain will become available in March 2008. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/105/malaysia-opens-my-at-second-level.php Tuvalu misses out on full benefits of its internet domain name, says envoy The main representative of Tuvalu in Europe says the Tuvaluans are not seeing enough of the benefits from their internet domain name dot TV. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35416 uk: New Nominet Consultation On An Important Change To Its Dispute Resolution Service [reg req'd] Nominet held an open consultation last year on reforming the Dispute Resolution Service. The consultation generated 128 responses, many of them detailed, including a large number of responses from domainers. In light of the responses to the original consultation, Nominet produced a paper which suggested a number of changes to the DRS. One of the proposed changes is the introduction of a default transfer system, which would provide an automatic transfer of domain names in the event a response to a DRS complaint is not received from the domain name registrant. http://mondaq.com/article.asp?article_id=52610 DotMobi to launch premium name auction series DotMobi has announced the first in a series of three monthly online auctions for premium domain names, including ask.mobi, atm.mobi, cars.mobi, love.mobi and moto.mobi. http://dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=27045 DotMobi signs up 700,000 addresses and new CEO [news release] DotMobi has appointed Trey Harvin, longtime Internet and technology veteran, as CEO of dotMobi and David Ryder as VP of Marketing and Sales. http://mtld.mobi/node/805 dotMobi to Release Highly Desired Names via T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Auction in October On Friday, October 12, dotMobi will auction a select group of domains at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. EAST 2007 at a live auction hosted by Moniker. The .mobi names scheduled for auction cross a variety of categories, including entertainment, finance, food, government, health, internet and retail. http://domainpulse.com/2007/09/27/dotmobi-to-release-highly-desired-names-via-traffic-auction-in-october/ http://domainnews.com/general/2007092710/monikers-domain-name-auction-returns-at-traffic-east-2007/ http://www.circleid.com/posts/792515_dotmobi_moniker_traffic_auction_2007/ ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** kr: Samsung, local food company wrangle over Internet domain name [AFP] Samsung Electronics, South Korea's best-known company and one of the world's leading manufacturers of mobile phones, is embroiled in a court battle with a local food supply chain over an Internet domain name, news reports said here Wednesday. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/09/26/1190486375581.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/26/1190486375581.html Cybersquatters target iPhone Long before Apple?s keenly awaited iPhone handset goes on sale in the shops, internet opportunists are already making money from the product. The US technology company has fallen victim to ?cybersquatting? in the UK as a number of variations of the iPhone name have been registered as internet domains, in the hope of making money from mis?directing people to these websites. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e0af403a-6c82-11dc-a0cf-0000779fd2ac.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/26/niphone126.xml http://utalkmarketing.com/Article.aspx?id=3000 Facebook wins domain dispute Facebook has won a domain dispute against Privacy Ltd. Disclosed Agent for YOLAPT, a business from the Isle of Man. The disputed domain name <face-book.com>. The domain was registered in October 2004 and ?provides, inter alia, advertising for and links to other commercial websites offering social networking and information services.? http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2814 http://domainpulse.com/2007/09/27/facebook-wins-domain-dispute/ http://domainnews.com/general/2007092716/facebook-wins-domain-dispute/ Domain Name Theft Is Everyday Event: Short or Memorable Domain Names Can Fetch Millions of Dollars Like real-world theft, the hijacking of an Internet address can happen quickly and with little warning. New York computer consultant Ronen Inowlocki knows firsthand. In July, a thief connived to take control of the yyy.com address that Mr. Inowlocki has owned for years. Mr. Inowlocki is still fighting to get it back, and can't access the "§yyy.com" email addresses he had used to communicate with clients. Meanwhile, the thief shifted the Internet address, also known as a domain, to a service in Germany and lists a mailing address in Iceland as his contact info. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119068079815138145-Z_ilmlIpmb_u6F5HymtKczYVTcE_20071024.html http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0925biz-Domaintheft25-ON.html ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Verizon Business Pushes Its Deployment Of IPv6 The telecom said it will complete its North America migration in 2008 and move into the Asia-Pacific and European regions in late 2008 to 2009. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202101479 Verizon Business to Deploy Next-Generation Internet Protocol Across Company's Global Public IP Network [news release] With almost two decades of experience building one of the most expansive Internet backbones in the world, Verizon Business is using its engineering expertise to deploy the Internet's next-generation protocol, known as IPv6, on the company's public IP network worldwide. http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2007/verizon-business-to-deploy.html ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** CMS Cameron McKenna Technology Annual Review 2006 The CMS Cameron McKenna Technology Annual Review is now available to download. The Technology Annual Review summarises some of the most important (and, we hope, interesting) technology related legal news from 2006. It contains short and easy to read news updates on computer crime, spam, copyright in computer games, domain names, ID cards, internet libel and defamation, email signatures, things that are grossly offensive, software patents, eBay, Google, nude sunbathers, and much much more. http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2007/techannualrevmarch2007.htm A guide to the online use of trademarks - a European perspective [CMS Cameron McKenna] [reg req'd] Trade marks on the Internet may be used to distinguish the goods and services of one undertaking from those of another, or without reference to relevant goods and services. Trade marks can be used on the Internet without reference to goods or services in domain names, links, metatags, pop-up ads, framing and spam messages. Such use of trade marks may be legally justified or may constitute a trade mark infringement. Whether an infringement has occurred will depend on the purpose and intention of the use of the mark, and the likely impact on the trade mark holder?s business. Overview of the guide: The guide serves to highlight the ways in which trade marks can be infringed on the Internet, methods of protecting trade marks, and importantly, how trade mark holders can assert their rights. As the technology evolves, the ways in which trade marks can be infringed keep developing and changing, presenting trade mark holders seeking to protect their rights with new challenges. This publication provides guidance on the relevant law in a number of EU member states as well, as in Switzerland and Russia. http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2007/LNPprotectionoftrademarksonline20march2007.htm Playing the Name Game: Sometimes, It's a Losing Effort With all the games people play with Internet company names, it's quite possible that someday no one will be able to spell anything correctly ever again. Perhaps it's already happening. Ever wonder how many times gross misspellings like "Del.icio.us" or "Flickr" show up on eighth-grade spelling tests? Besides wreaking havoc on this country's educational efforts, is there a reason for all these ridiculous names and spellings? Naming companies, like naming newborn infants, tends to follow set patterns, which leads to a crowd of the same-named duly sheared of their individuality. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/NDdnftTiFbXmJN/Playing-the-Name-Game-Sometimes-Its-a-Losing-Effort.xhtml http://technewsworld.com/story/NDdnfsxvci293z/Playing-the-Name-Game-Sometimes-Its-a-Losing-Effort.xhtml us: Army blocking commercial domain names The Army is blocking emails across the country to and from Army servers and commercial customers of Time Warner Cable's domain name management service. http://news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=121170 ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** DomainSponsor Expands Domain Leasing Program Parking company leases domain portfolios for 6-12 months, pays cash up front to owner. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/09/18/domainsponsor-expands-domain-leasing-program/ http://oversee.net/news_details.php?id=334 Oversee.net?s DomainSponsor Presents Second Annual DOMAINfest Global [news release] DomainSponsor announced the second annual DOMAINfest Global event will feature the first Domainer Town Hall Meeting, an innovative auction, and a series of continuing education courses. The conference is scheduled for January 21-23, 2008 and will return to the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, California. DOMAINfest was created specifically to respond to the needs of domainers operating in today?s business environment. http://www.circleid.com/posts/792411_overseenets_domainsponsor_domainfest/ Moniker's Domain Name Auction Returns at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007 [news release] Coming off the huge success of its live and silent auctions at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. NYC which collectively generated more than $12 million in domain sales, Moniker.com, the first and only provider of Domain Asset Management, announced that its next live domain auction will be held at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007 in Hollywood Beach at the Westin Diplomat Resort on October 12, 2007 at 2p.m. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-25-2007/0004669404&EDATE= Moniker Releases Initial TRAFFIC Domain Name Auction List List includes 3800 domain names ranging from no reserve to over US$5M. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/09/25/moniker-releases-initial-traffic-domain-name-auction-list/ ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Burmese Junta tries to shut down internet and phone links The Burmese junta was last night desperately trying to shut down internet and telephone links to the outside world after a stream of blogs and mobile phone videos began capturing the dramatic events on the streets. http://www.guardian.co.uk/burma/story/0,,2177667,00.html Burma cyber-dissidents crack censorship Burma's bloggers are using the internet to beat censorship, and tell the world what is happening under the military junta's veil of secrecy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7012984.stm Technology gives world rare view of Myanmar's rage [Reuters] Secret networks of dissident citizen reporters operating beneath the noses of government spies in army-ruled Myanmar are giving the world unprecedented glimpses of the biggest anti-junta protests in two decades. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKBKK21818020070926 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10466250 http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9039018 Experts doubt EU plan to block bomb recipes on Web [Reuters] A European Union proposal to stop people from accessing bomb-making instructions online is fraught with technical difficulties, if not downright unworkable, Internet practitioners say. http://www.news.com/2100-7348_3-6209682.html http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL1918081920070924 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137528-page,1/article.html us: Verizon Rejects Abortion Rights Group?s Messages Saying it had the right to block ?controversial or unsavory? text messages, Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon?s mobile network available for a text-message program. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/27/us/27verizon.html http://www.news.com/2100-1039_3-6210265.html http://iht.com/articles/2007/09/27/america/27verizon.php ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Parents worry about Web but don't stop kids' use [Reuters] Most U.S. parents said their children had encountered "issues" like bad language, sex or advertising online over the past year, but they are not stopping their kids' Internet use, according to a new study. A survey of 411 parents of children aged between 6-18 who use the Internet found 71% admitted their child had encountered at least "one issue" with the Internet within the past year. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2533269120070925 http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4215636a28.html http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10466024 http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9039019 us: 1 in 3 Parents Say Kids Online Too Much [AP] A third of parents believe children spend too much time online, and mothers worry far more than fathers about whether certain Internet sites are appropriate for kids, according to a new survey. Researchers for the nonprofit Common Sense Media and education foundation Cable in the Classroom also found that one in four parents worried that time spent online kept children from exercising or enjoying the outdoors. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/27/1190486432453.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/09/27/1190486432453.html au: Industry 'using web to promote teen smoking' ... Professor Simon Chapman from the University of Sydney says that about a third of the top 50 video responses to a Google search on the word smoking showed teenagers indulging in the habit. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/27/2044750.htm http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22491655-661,00.html http://www2.skynews.com.au/news/article.aspx?id=191848 Vodafone to block Australian kids from chatrooms Vodafone Australia will lock children out of its mobile phone chatrooms from early next year in an effort to protect them from sexual predators. The mobile phone carrier has been monitoring its mobile chatrooms to protect children from online predators since late 2004. But spokesman Greg Spears said yesterday it was no longer economically sustainable for the carrier to continue providing the service. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22483541-5013404,00.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** German Researchers to Test New Anti-Hacker Law A German security firm, fed up with the ambiguity and confusion surrounding the country's controversial new anti-hacker law, says tomorrow it will challenge the law head-on -- by reinstating a hacking tool it had removed from its Website last month for fear of prosecution. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=134646 UK politician's website down after legal row Boris Johnson's website was shut down today following legal action by Uzbek billionaire and Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov. The Tory candidate for London mayor and Daily Telegraph columnist was among a number of bloggers whose sites were disabled because of allegations made about Usmanov by a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray. http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2174406,00.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Global web privacy rules needed in 5 years-Google [Reuters] National regulators need to agree on a basic set of global privacy protections for the Internet within the next five years, a senior official with web searcher Google said on Monday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN2429959320070924 http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/24/global_web_privacy_rules_needed_in_5_years_google/ Google says Street View will comply with privacy laws Google Street View application, which has raise privacy concerns because of the street-level views of locations it provides, will respect the local laws of the countries wherever it is available, the company's privacy counsel said Monday in a company blog. Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer appears to be responding to concerns raised by Canada's privacy commissioner about the implications of Street View. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9038579 http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;23542671;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/25/1190486289551.html Seeking the key to web privacy In the lobby of Google?s headquarters in Mountain View, California, computer screens display lists of the words being entered into the company?s search engine. Although Google says the system is designed to filter out any scandalous or potentially compromising queries, the fact that even a fraction of searches can be seen by visitors to the world?s biggest search company is likely to come as a shock to internet users who think of web browsing as a private affair. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a2081b34-69ff-11dc-a571-0000779fd2ac.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Digital debates - Guardian Leader New technology is often dogged by old arguments. Regulation of the internet, widening access to technology - these issues and many more are as regular as dogs round a racetrack. The review of how the UK's internet infrastructure should be upgraded is being launched today, on the same morning that the blockbuster video game Halo 3 is released in Britain, but the debate began sometime in the era of Pacman. In the early 1980s BT offered to run new lines into homes as long as it could pipe television and videos down them. Margaret Thatcher declined - so in the age of broadband almost all home internet users still rely on age-old copper wire, albeit much improved, while those things of the future, optic fibres, remain just there - in the future. http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,2176996,00.html Critics slam Aust government net block plan Internet industry experts say the federal Government's bill requiring service providers to block access to overseas sites blacklisted by the federal police commissioner could inadvertently block access to popular sites such as Facebook and slow internet speeds to a snail's pace. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22475465-15306,00.html http://webwereld.nl/articles/48033/australian-gov-t-seeks-to-ban-more-web-sites.html ca: Attempts to regulate online hate in Canada Though free speech is generally protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, hate speech is outlawed by the Canadian legislation like the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act, among others. Sections 318 through 320 of the Canadian Criminal Code criminalize hate speech and have been upheld as constitutional by the country?s Supreme Court. The Canadian Human Rights Act is a civil measure that targets hate speech. However, it may be difficult to use these laws to prosecute many of the hate web sites themselves due to jurisdictional issues, because these sites can, and do, find homes in the United States, where they are protected by the First Amendment. This article provides an overview of Canadian laws applicable to hate speech, including online hate speech. http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=articles&id=F6BDECB1-E833-49D3-8ACB-48FA165E60FC Europe puts brakes on Google deal Google?s $3.1 billion (?1.5 billion) acquisition of DoubleClick is likely to be delayed for months by the European Commission, advisors close to the internet search giant believe. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2525217.ece EU to Review Google-DoubleClick Merger as Microsoft Meddles The European Union is preparing to weigh in on Google's proposed acquisition of DoubleClick in October. In the meantime, Microsoft reportedly is mounting a lobbying effort to persuade U.S. regulators either to reject the merger outright or to encumber it with stringent restrictions. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/i61dV7be6NPyR2/EU-to-Review-Google-DoubleClick-Merger-as-Microsoft-Meddles.xhtml EU to Review Google Bid for DoubleClick [AP] European Union regulators will decide before November whether to clear Google Inc.'s $3.1 billion takeover bid for online ad tracker DoubleClick or study the issue further. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/24/1190486226585.html http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/182099.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/24/AR2007092400284.html US Senate Hearing To Examine Emerging Google-opoly This Thursday's Senate hearing on the Google-DoubleClick deal could portend more government scrutiny of the online search company and even imperil the entire targeted online-ad model, according to some experts. http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202101072 Europe does antitrust its way Transatlantic sniping among antitrust enforcement officials last week highlighted the growing rift between how the United States and the European Union police the world's largest companies. ... The conflict is more than symbolic. Some antitrust experts say Europe's tougher approach, designed to help consumers by strengthening companies that compete against dominant firms, could backfire, leading to higher prices and discouraging companies from developing innovative products. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-antitrust24sep24,1,5376463.story Free-market think tank urges EU to unbundle Windows The Globalisation Institute, a European think-tank run by free market advocates, today went on the offensive against Microsoft, calling on the EU to require all PCs to be sold without operating systems. http://out-law.com/page-8491 http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39289596,00.htm U.S. Warrantless Spying Program Targeted Americans, Which Violates Constitution, Chief Spy Says The Bush Administration has carefully described its warrantless wiretapping program by saying it involved international phone calls and emails where at least one party was suspected of ties to terrorist groups and one party was inside the country. Most, including this reporter, have assumed that this meant that the program eavesdropped on the communications of Americans who emailed or called a suspected terrorist outside the country. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/09/us-warrantless-.html US Justice Dept.'s warrantless eavesdropping rejected The U.S. Department of Justice asserts it doesn't need to obtain a wiretap court order to listen to which touch tones are pressed when people are on the phone. ... At issue in this case is not whether the FBI can legally eavesdrop on a telephone conversation between two Americans. It can--if it obtains a wiretap order from a judge. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6210080.html us: Clash over Internet access tax heats up A monthly phone bill of $50 now includes as much as $10 in taxes. And some in Congress warn that consumers soon could be hit with similar assessments for high-speed Internet access. For nearly a decade, the lines carrying the Internet into homes and businesses have been a virtual tax-free zone. But that could change Nov. 1 when a federal ban on Internet access taxes expires. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-nettax27sep27,1,6444451.story pg: The need for PNG to improve its ICT The overwhelming response to my two articles on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Papua New Guinea, from both within the country and abroad, shows the urgent need for the country to improve its ICT in this rapidly-globalised world. http://www.thenational.com.pg/092607/w3.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Australia's broadband penetration is healthy regardless of world ranking The war of legitimacy that erupted several months back over whether the OECD's broadband ranking for Australia (at 16) is more accurate than Market Clarity's ranking (as high as 6) is unnecessary, according to research by Ovum. http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1119606718;fp;2;fpid;1 Why mobile Japan leads the world A combination of an urban lifestyle and infrastructure advantages mean that the fixed internet is being left behind by the mobile http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/27/guardianweeklytechnologysection.mobilephones ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Australian employers disagree over Facebook use and misuse Australian companies are divided on how to deal with the phenomenal rise of social networking website Facebook. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/24/2041517.htm Facebook goes from zero to $10bn in three years ... According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is poised to buy a 5% stake in the firm for between $300m and $500m. That would make Facebook worth up to $10bn in all and turn its founder Mark Zuckerberg, 23, into one of the wealthiest men in California's Silicon Valley. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/24/news.facebook http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202101148 us: NY blasts Facebook over sexual predators, subpoenas docs Facebook's safety controls and procedures are deficient and fail to properly protect minors from adult sexual predators in the company's social-networking site, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo charged Monday. http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;2106544508;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/25/facebook_subpoena/ ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Technology industry shows resilience in economic slowdown It's beginning to look like 2001 in the general economy, with consumers tightening their purse strings and businesses shedding jobs. But in the technology business, which suffered more than any other in the last meltdown, there are fewer signs of strain this time around. http://iht.com/articles/2007/09/25/business/outlook.php http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/09/23/can_tech_survive_a_downturn/ TV on cellphone screens? No thanks, say Europeans [Reuters] Europeans' interest in watching mobile television is as tiny as cellphone screens, a new study showed on Monday, even though the industry has been buzzing about offering TV on handsets for years. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL2436545720070924 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070924.wgteurocell0924/BNStory/Technology/ ********************** SPAM ********************** NZ anti-spam law causing email havoc Anti-spam legislation has not worked, says an Auckland email specialist. Jerry Flay, of email marketing firm Inbox believes that there are ways to combat the rising tide of spam, but the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act is not one of them. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10466226 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Phone credit low? Africans go for "beeping" [Reuters] If you are in Sudan it is a "missed call." In Ethiopia it is a "miskin" or a "pitiful" call. In other parts of Africa it is a case of "flashing," "beeping" or in French-speaking areas "bipage." Wherever you are, it is one of the fastest-growing phenomena in the continent's booming mobile telephone markets -- and it's a headache for mobile operators who are trying to figure out how to make some money out of it. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKHEA92325720070926 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=93&objectid=10466032 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/25/AR2007092502099.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Amazon Pounces on iTunes With MP3 Store After years of speculation and preparation, Amazon.com launched its digital music store Tuesday, debuting Amazon MP3 and promising a wide selection of music unfettered by DRM restrictions. The e-tail giant launched what it's calling a public beta of the download store with 2 million songs available from 180,000 different artists. Given the DRM-free nature of the music, Amazon's massive customer base and its reputation for creating winning shopping experiences, the e-tailer's download offering may be in the best position yet to give the iTunes Music Store a run for its money. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Jtc3vijGBHI8BR/Amazon-Pounces-on-iTunes-With-MP3-Store.xhtml http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/style/26amazon.html?ref=technology Amazon store selling unrestricted music Web retailer Amazon.com Inc. launched its much-anticipated digital music store Tuesday with nearly 2.3 million songs, none of them protected against copying. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-amazon26sep26,1,2451340.story ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Microsoft Takes Aim at Google?s Ad Supremacy Microsoft has used its might, clout and smarts to take on any number of products and services ? the browser, the operating system, the portable music player, to name just three ? with varying degrees of success. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/26/technology/26adco.html Google sets sights on Europe growth Google is planning to expand its staff by a third, with most of the new hirings in Europe, as the internet search company tries to avoid being seen as an aggressive American multinational http://www.ft.com/cms/s/70e8b86e-6c58-11dc-a0cf-0000779fd2ac.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** EU officials debate plan to split telecommunications companies [Reuters] Sharp divisions have emerged within the European Commission over plans to overhaul EU telecommunications rules and allow regulators to force a splitting of the services and network arms of telecommunications companies, internal EU documents show. http://iht.com/articles/2007/09/25/business/telecom.php EU divided over telecom regulation [IDG] Internal divisions within the European Commission about the shape of a policy review for the telecommunications industry due this quarter sparked sharp criticism from industry analysts Tuesday. http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/09/25/EU-divided-over-telecom-regulation_1.html NZ Government unveils Telecom separation blueprint Communications Minister David Cunliffe has released the Government's long-awaited separation determination that will form the blueprint for the split of Telecom New Zealand into three operational units. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/8FE3013B041A3DC2CC25736100772C20 InternetNZ welcomes Operational Separation [news release] InternetNZ welcomes the Government?s Operational Separation Determination, released today by Minister of Communications David Cunliffe. Executive director Keith Davidson says ?This is another important milestone in the leveling of the playing field for the telecommunications industry. The Government is to be congratulated for its bold move to proceed with the operational separation plan largely as originally envisaged. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/mediareleases/opsepdet uk: Ofcom opens door for 10 times faster broadband connections British internet users can look forward to surfing the web at more than 10 times the speed currently available after Ofcom, the communications watchdog, called on the telecoms industry yesterday to spend billions on next-generation networks to keep pace with countries such as France, Germany and the US. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/27/1 http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL2686378820070926 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7013022.stm ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** China plans to submit 4G telecom technology standards to ITU between 2008-09 China plans to submit home-grown fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology standards to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) between 2008 and 2009, according to Wen Ku, director of the Department of Science & Technology at the Ministry and Information Industry. http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-news/item.do?newsId=50702089037248 http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/09/25/afx4151478.html ********************** VoIP ********************** Dutch VoIP growth slows down, despite 1 mln cable VoIP users The total Dutch consumer telephony market grew by 2,000 connections during the second quarter of this year to 5.999 million, despite a 3.6 percent drop in PSTN/ISDN connections to 3.8 million, according to Telecompaper's quarterly update on the Dutch fixed telephony market. http://telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?id=185573 ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: 'Paedophile mum' snares 'porn offenders' A male police officer posed on the internet as a mother with paedophile tendencies and access to young children to snare child porn offenders in Australia and the United States, police say. http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=421193 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22476842-26397,00.html au: Passenger accused of looking at child porn A man has been charged with downloading child porn in a first-class lounge at Melbourne Airport's domestic terminal in view of other passengers. The Australian Federal Police said yesterday the Sydney man - a 44-year-old from Naremburn - was seen downloading images at a free internet terminal on Friday. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/24/1190486226423.html au: Former cop found guilty of child sex internet charge A jury has taken just seven minutes to find a former Northern Territory police officer guilty of using the internet to try to lure a child into sexual activity. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/25/2042864.htm au: 'Santa' could be jailed on child porn charges A man who has worked as a Father Christmas is waiting to find out whether he will be jailed for downloading nearly 2,000 images of child pornography. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/27/2045033.htm http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22491528-5006301,00.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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 Mon Oct 01 2007 - 12:07:21 UTC
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