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 March 20 edition of the news include: OECD Resources on Policy Issues related to Internet Governance | ICANN proposes new anti-domain tasting solution | Porn-friendly .xxx domain backer loses suit against federal agencies | New Languages Added to ICANN?s IDN Wiki | Canada kicks off Countdown to One Million Internet Domain Names | .es Marches Towards One Million Registrations | uk: Climate change and cyber attacks among security threats | us: Feds Get Guilty Plea From Operation Bot Roast | NZ key member of FBI cyber specialists | SS.com Sold For US$1.25 Million And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** The Internet's Space Shortage http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/03/14/internet-dod-ip-tech-inter-cx_ag_0314internet.html Rising use of Internet challenges its capacity http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/technology/13net.html Address by ICANN Chairman to Public Meeting on the Midterm Review of the JPA http://icann.org/jpa/chairman-address.html .nz Dispute Resolution Service - Policy Review [news release] http://dnc.org.nz/story/30298-29-1.html The Secret China-U.S. Hacking War http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/The-Secret-ChinaUS-Hacking-War/ Botnet scams are exploding http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2008-03-16-computer-botnets_N.htm us: Bush calls for tighter cybersecurity http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2008-03-13-cybersecurity_N.htm 'Akill' charged with University of Pennsylvania attack http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/3C6E71E28CF43B23CC25740C0010807C Have People Stopped Clicking on Google Ads?Or did a Web-traffic firm get the numbers wrong? http://www.slate.com/id/2185926/ Trade in web names worth millions http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/16/internet Casino.de sold for ?400,000 http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=4253 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** The Internet's Space Shortage The Internet often seems like a limitless landscape, connecting billions of hyperactive endpoints, with more added by the minute. But ask some of the engineers quietly working to keep those billions of nodes seamlessly connected and they'll tell you the Internet is far from infinite. In fact, it may be starting to get a bit crowded. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/03/14/internet-dod-ip-tech-inter-cx_ag_0314internet.html Rising use of Internet challenges its capacity Caution: Heavy Internet traffic ahead. Delays possible. For months there has been a rising chorus of alarm about the surging growth in the amount of data flying across the Internet. The threat, according to some industry groups, analysts and researchers, stems mainly from the increasing visual richness of online communications and entertainment ? video clips and movies, social networks and multiplayer games. Moving images, far more than words or sounds, are hefty rivers of digital bits passing through the Internet's pipes and gateways, requiring, in industry parlance, more bandwidth. Last year, by one estimate, the video site YouTube, owned by Google, consumed as much bandwidth as the entire Internet did in 2000. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/technology/13net.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/03/12/business/net.php The Internet Traffic Challenge: The Policy Dimension ... "You can't deal with the future of American competitiveness and economic health without a broadband policy," said Mr. Irving, co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, a coalitition of nonprofits and corporations, including telecom carriers and equipment makers. "The reality is that carriers, Web companies, media content providers and consumers are all going to have to pay a bit more." http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/the-internet-traffic-challenge-the-policy-dimension/ Global Service Provider Identity (SPID): Licensing the Internet? by Brenden Kuerbis A briefing last month to House and Senate members and staff of the Homeland Security Committee by VeriSign?s Vice President for Regulatory Affairs and Standards, the recent chair of the NRC?s Committee on Improving Cybersecurity Research in the US, and a former Chief Scientist of the FCC, raises some interesting questions and concerns about governance, competition policy, and civil liberties. In the joint presentation on international and domestic defenses against cyber attacks and supporting documents, VeriSign?s Tony Rutkowski argued that, ?the widespread deployment of wireless platforms, Internet Protocol networks, and application-based services ? combined with a government switch from common carrier to information services regulation by imposing only minimal public network service mandates ? has produced some significant ?cybersecurity? vulnerabilities.? http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/3/10/3572625.html The Net Crash! A few days ago I came across an article that talked about the future of the internet. The substance of the article, was embodied in the theory that possibly the internet at this current level of annual expansion (50%) will not be able to sustain itself. The increase in the users and in the amount of data transfered is mind-boggling, and depending on what spectrum of the net argument one situates himself into, the belief is that the net will crash soon, or that massive investments into its capital infrastructure will perhaps save one of the most drastic revolutionary tool that has been a source of new wealth for last 15 years or so. The question that eludes many and has been a source of conflict namely who controls this trivial thing called the internet?! The answer is, believe it or not an NGO called ICANN based in California! http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NzQ0NTM3NDk3 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Comment Period Extended on Travel Support Policies ICANN has extended the public comment period on the development of Travel Support policies for volunteers who make ICANN?s community-based work possible. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-13mar08.htm Proposed Contract Amendments from RegistryPro Posted for Public Comment ICANN has received a proposal from Registry Services Corporation, operator for the .PRO top-level domain, requesting a set of changes to the .PRO registry agreement. These changes are being posted for public comment prior to consideration by the ICANN Board of Directors. .PRO is a restricted TLD, currently available for registration by credentialed professionals and related entities. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-14mar08.htm Address by ICANN Chairman to Public Meeting on the Midterm Review of the JPA On Thursday 28 February 2008, the U.S. Government's Department of Commerce held a public meeting in Washington DC to review the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between it and ICANN at its mid-point. The following address was given by ICANN. http://icann.org/jpa/chairman-address.html Joint Project Agreement - ICANN's Response ICANN have published their response to the Joint Project Agreement (JPA)on their website, along with their submission. They have also published ICANN?s address to the U.S. Government's Department of Commerce (DoC) public meeting in Washington DC on February 28, 2008 that reviewed the JPA between the DoC and ICANN at its mid-point. The address, by Peter Dengate Thrush, addresses a number of issues with the highlights being: http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=4249 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/03/15/joint-project-agreement-icanns-response-2/ I Shadow: Last Rogue Registrar Standing The trouble with new security rules or practices is that they?re mostly aimed at cracking down on abusers, but only the good guys follow them. That?s the quandary with stamping out DNS abuse by the more sophisticated bot herders who use fast-flux and double-flux technology to evade detection. http://www.darkreading.com/blog.asp?blog_sectionid=342&doc_id=148376 ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** Dot AND for Andaluc?a? A proposal made by one of Spain's political parties during the recent presidential elections shows that "community" suffixes are going mainstream. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/178/dot-and-for-andalucia.php It's sex and more sex in the Asian domain name scramble Whoever said that porn did not dominate the Internet? The 'Landrush' period for .asia domain names has just closed. almost 300 domain names beginning with 'sex' received more than one request for registration and will be auctioned to the highest bidder. And 14 organisations claimed prior right to use sex.asia. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/17135/53/ .Asia is Hot for Sex The .asia domain recently became available for registrations, and according to iTWire domain names for porn sites are proving most popular. It says that more than 300 domain names beginning with 'sex' had multiple requests and will have to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/03/asia_is_hot_for_porn.html .ASIA hits the half mil DotAsia's launch process is now over, with only the go-live phase remaining (when the extension will be open to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis). http://www.stephanevangelder.com/archives/40-.ASIA-hits-the-half-mil.html .au (Australia) policy restrictive A number of experts believe that the current auDA policy is restrictive and limits the transfer of domain ownership in all but a few highly-specified circumstances, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported. http://www.melbourneitcbs.com/news.php?article=4&title=.au%20%28Australia%29%20policy%20restrictive&year=2008&month=03 CZ.NIC Now Managing 400,000 Domains [news release] The CZ.NIC association, administrator of the .CZ national top-level domain, registered yesterday at 22.20 the 400,000th domain. The domain registration speed has increased significantly since the last year's 2 October when the association launched their own registration system for the .CZ and .ENUM domains named FRED (http://fred.nic.cz). Over 74,000 domains have been registered in this system from the last year's October. http://www.nic.cz/page/446/cz.nic-now-managing-400,000-domains/ http://www.domainnews.com/registries/2008032828/400000-cz-domain-names/ http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/03/16/400000th-cz-domain-name-registered/ Numeric .gp domain names available soon Nic.gp (Guadeloupe) have announced 1 and 2 digit domain names will be available for registration soon, although no date is given. One hundred domain names will be available from 00.gp to 99.gp as will ten domain names from 0.gp to 9.gp. http://www.domainnews.com/registries/2008032829/numeric-gp-domain-names-available-soon/ http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/03/16/400000th-cz-domain-name-registered/ MYNIC Seminar - Internet and DNS Security ... MYNIC Berhad will be hosting a one and half day open seminar entitled "MYNIC Seminar - Internet and DNS Security" in conjunction with the World Cyber Security Summit and World Congress on Information Technology 2008 (WCIT) which will be held from 18th - 22nd May 2008. http://mynic.net.my/newhp/announcements/mynic-13mar08.html nl: SIDN responds to numerical domain name landrush claims SIDN, the .nl registry, has been looking into allegations the landrush for numerical domain names was poorly organised and disenfranchised many who participated in the landrush. SIDN has commenced an internal investigation into the complaints that come from a small number of the 500 participants in the landrush. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/03/16/sidn-landrush-reponse/ http://www.domainnews.com/registries/2008032830/sidn-landrush-reponse/ .nz Dispute Resolution Service - Policy Review [news release] At the time the Dispute Resolution Service was implemented, it was agreed that there would be a review sometime after its first year of operation. This consultation has now closed. Submissions are available to view. http://dnc.org.nz/story/30298-29-1.html Serbia's .RS Launced Domaines.Info has exclusive stats on the new extension's first week. http://www.webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=24884 uk: New DRS experts appointed [news release] Nominet has announced they have appointed 14 new independent experts to join their Dispute Resolution Service panel. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=4845 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** The Secret China-U.S. Hacking War ... Recent reports have the U.S. military not quite blaming the Chinese military for a long string of cyber-attacks against U.S. military computers. It sure sounds like they believe it, but they're not quite saying it. Also left unsaid is how much actual damage and compromise has happened already. http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/The-Secret-ChinaUS-Hacking-War/ Botnet scams are exploding Two days after actor Heath Ledger died, e-mails began moving across the Internet purportedly carrying a link to a detailed police report divulging "the real reason" behind the actor's death. Ledger had been summarily drafted into the service of a botnet. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2008-03-16-computer-botnets_N.htm us: Bush calls for tighter cybersecurity A sudden spike in the number of successful attacks against federal government information systems and databases has led President Bush to propose a multibillion-dollar response. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2008-03-13-cybersecurity_N.htm ru: DDos attacks on Kommersant through search engines The site of a popular business newspaper Kommersant has been attacked on both sides: on the one hand, the resource outage resulted from DDos attacks, on the other ? from the search engine spam. According to experts, either the Nashi Movement or its sponsor from power agencies might be behind the attacks. http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2008/03/13/291792 'Akill' charged with University of Pennsylvania attack Owen Walker, the 18-year-old alleged ring-leader of an international botnet coding group, has been charged with attacking the computer system of the University of Pennsylvania. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/3C6E71E28CF43B23CC25740C0010807C Cyber Storm II: US holds largest ever simulated cyber-attack exercise [AFP] US officials said Thursday that "real and growing" threats to US computer and telecommunications networks were behind the holding of the largest-ever cyber-security exercises this week. http://news.smh.com.au/us-holds-largest-ever-simulated-cyberattack-exercise/20080314-1zeg.html http://news.theage.com.au/us-holds-largest-ever-simulated-cyberattack-exercise/20080314-1zeg.html LSDigital drops federal botnet confession A US-based hacker has admitted he reaped thousands of dollars by breaking into corporate computers in Europe and making them part of a botnet that automatically installed adware. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/14/bot_herder_cops_plea/ Developers hope for wider use of the DKIM anti-spam protocol The developers of the Domain Keys Identified E-mail (DKIM) standard of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) are hoping that their anti-spam protocol will become more widely used by companies and ISPs. At the IETF meeting in Philadelphia, Cisco engineer Jim Fenton, one of the authors of DKIM, said that although some work still remained to be done, for example on "Author Sending Practice" (ASP), the basic specification was stable. Besides Cisco, Google for instance uses DKIM for its Gmail accounts. Yahoo uses the protocol to a limited extent. ... This awarding practice is now however coming under heavy fire from ICANN. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/105048 Pentagon cyber attack more serious than previously assumed The cyber attack on parts of the Pentagon network last June may have had more serious consequences for network security than previously publicised. According to a report in US Government Executive magazine, Dennis Clem, CIO of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, conceded last week that an "amazing amount" of data was stolen. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/104819 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Domains, Domain Disputes and Brands The effective management, resolution of disputes and enforcement of rights in domain names is an area fraught with commercial, legal and practical difficulties. This conference identifies a carefully selected range of important issues, from the IP implications of mergers, acquisitions and reconstructions through to how to deal with speculative and abusive registrations and causes of action in the courts. The conference will appeal to all those who need to keep up-to-date with all the latest developments, including: Trade marks and online branding, Internet IP management - the proactive approach, Valuing domain names , The URDP, Nominet?s .uk dispute resolution service, eu domain disputes and Domain name recovery through litigation. http://www.clt.co.uk/brochures/CF38248.pdf ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Reporters Without Border Ran Out of Border! The virtual community that often have access to Internet found that Reporters Without Borders website called to launch the First Online Free Expression Day on March 12. According to them, this is an action to denounce the cyber-censorship around the world and growing repression of bloggers and the shutting down of websites in the global network. ... Online Freedom? It is really funny the fact that ICANN got involved, technically and directly censuring websites and supporting the US policy which implements the Helms Burton and the Torricelli Acts for making official the state-sponsored terrorism against Cuba. http://www.cadenagramonte.cubaweb.cu/english/news/march_08/140308_02.asp American Airlines Sticks to .Com for Mobile Site The world?s largest airline has launched its mobile web site and opted to use .com instead of .mobi. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/03/14/american-airlines-sticks-to-com-for-mobile-site/ ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Have People Stopped Clicking on Google Ads?Or did a Web-traffic firm get the numbers wrong? On the morning of Feb. 26, the investment firm Bear Stearns sent out an alert about some unwelcome news for Google. According to comScore, a leading Web-analytics company, the company's domestic paid clicks?that is, the number of times people in the United States clicked on a Google ad?were down 0.3 percent compared to last year and down 12 percent since October. By 7:16 a.m., former tech-securities analyst (and Slate contributor) Henry Blodget reported the news on Silicon Alley Insider under the headline "Google Disaster." As news of the comScore report circulated, Google got killed on Wall Street: The stock opened the day down $25 a share and continued to fall, sinking to an 11-month low of $464.19 before staging a modest comeback. http://www.slate.com/id/2185926/ Trade in web names worth millions Speculators are the latest breed of dotcom entrepreneur, buying up website domain names - and making their fortune by dealing in them: Neil Stanley goes to bed each night knowing he will wake up a little richer. All over the world, the clicks of computer mice are depositing a few more pounds into his account. His secret is that he was smart enough to ask: what's in a name? http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/16/internet Domain Names: What?s Hot, What?s Not What are the hottest trends in domain names right now? Where are things headed south? Here?s a quick look. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/03/14/domain-names-whats-hot-whats-not/ Ofindo launches domain-finding site Luxembourg-based Ofindo.com has launched the world?s first website, which allows users to search for the best place to register domain names. http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=29857 Google Unveils Ad Inventory Management Tool With its acquisition of DoubleClick finally approved in the U.S. and Europe, Google is beginning the process of integrating and adjusting its advertising services. http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206903500 Google Lets Advertisers Opt Out of Domain Parking Sites Google Adwords has added a new feature that allows advertisers to exclude ads from showing up on domain parking sites. This will affect parked domains on any of Google?s ad feeds, regardless of whether it is the ?search? feed or ?content? feed. Examples of domain parking companies using Google include DomainSponsor and Sedo. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/03/13/google-lets-advertisers-opt-out-of-domain-parking-sites/ Stomping Out Click Fraud Critical to Industry Survival Austin, Texas based click fraud prevention company Click Forensics just picked up a $10 million venture funding round, bringing its total raised to $15 million. Click fraud is a big problem, and I like Click Forensics? two prong approach: help advertisers block (and get refunded) for fraudulant traffic, but also help publishers improve traffic quality sent to advertisers. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/03/13/stomping-out-click-fraud-critical-to-industry-survival/ ********************** - AFTERMARKET ********************** Casino.de sold for ?400,000 Following hot on the heels of the record-breaking sale of fund.com for almost US$10 million comes the sale of casino.de for ?400,000 (US$591,000). It is inaccurately claimed to be the record price for a .de domain name ? the record goes to another gambling-related domain name, poker.de, that sold for ?695,000 in 2007. However it is the fifth highest reported domain name sale of 2008 with all five sales by private sale. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=4253 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/03/16/casinode-sold-for-e400000/ http://www.domainnews.com/aftermarket/2008032826/casinode-sold-for-e400000/ Year's Biggest Sale To Date Leads the Weekly Domain Sales Parade Illinois data recovery company ESS Data Recovery purchased DataRecovery.com for $1,659,000 this week in the largest domain sale reported thus far in 2008. It was also the year's second 7-figure sale, joining Cruises.co.uk ($1,099,798) at that lofty level. There were also a pair of six-figure sales this week. Florida-based Elysium Internet, Inc. purchased Auditors.com for $125,000 in a private transaction and Skyport.com produced $101,000 at Sedo.com. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales03-11-08.htm New Spitzer Domain Name Registrations You really have to hand it to mankind. When the chips are down for the Governor of New York, the people rise up, show their support and??..register a sh*tload of domain names. For a list of the domains registered, see: http://dailybull.com/domains/new-spitzer-domain-name-registrations.php Hecta Media Purchases Over 60,000 Domain Names Hecta Media Inc., a web consolidator, has recently purchased $1.9 million worth of domain names and websites. http://www.domainnamenews.com/domain-sales/hecta-media-purchases-over-60000-domain-names/1477 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** On blogs and Web sites, by e-mail and video, the Iraq war is fought on the Internet The black-shrouded Web site opens with a soldier's silhouette and the pounding rhythm of Nine Inch Nails: "Into the fire you can send us," the words go. "From the fire we return." ... Al-Qaida militants, conservative bloggers, peace activists, Iraqi civilians and the U.S. military all use the Internet to distribute their versions of the truth. They often engage in e-mail debates, but more often sink to slurs and threats when challenging an opposing point of view. http://news.smh.com.au/on-blogs-and-web-sites-by-email-and-video-the-iraq-war-is-fought-on-the-internet/20080315-1zmd.html http://news.theage.com.au/on-blogs-and-web-sites-by-email-and-video-the-iraq-war-is-fought-on-the-internet/20080315-1zmd.html http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/On_blogs_and_Web_sites_Iraq_war_is_fought_on_the_Internet/articleshow/msid-2867747,curpg-2.cms Chinese race past Americans to top of world internet league China has more internet users than any other country in the world, according to researchers at the Beijing-based analysts BDA. The research group said China had leapfrogged the US to become the world's most powerful nation online. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/14/internet.china China has world's largest online population China now has the largest number of internet users in the world, a Chinese research firm has calculated. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/15/china_largest_online_population/ China surpasses the US to become the world's largest Internet population - BDA [news release] China has surpassed the United States to become the world's largest internet market as measured by number of users, consulting and research firm BDA (www.bdaconnect.com) confirmed today. http://www.bdachina.com/WebUI/pressInfo.aspx?id=200704260844565402&idIndex=810&child=1 IDC Finds Online Consumers Spend Almost Twice as Much Time Using the Internet as Watching TV [news release] If you have an Internet connection, chances are you are spending much more time surfing the Web than watching TV. A new IDC study of consumer online behavior found that the Internet is the medium on which online users spend the most time (32.7 hours/week). This is equivalent to almost half of the total time spent each week using all media (70.6 hours), almost twice as much time as spent watching television (16.4 hours), and more than eight times as much time as spent reading newspapers and magazines (3.9 hours). http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS21096308 Older Canadians and the Internet [news release] The Canadian Inter§ctive Reid Report explores, in some depth, the differences between how Canadian adults aged 55 and older and those aged 18 to 54 use the Internet and attempts to provide some explanation as to why these differences exist. In 2005, Canadians aged 55 and older accounted for 24% of the overall population. In the next 25 years, this population is expected to double.1 In 2003, households with at least one member aged 55 or older spent 71% of their income on personal expenditures, about $144 billion.2 Jump ahead 10 years and assume that these households spend exactly the same, but there are 50% more of them. This puts their personal consumption at well over $215 billion, and climbing. Knowing that the typical online purchaser tends to be younger, how much are Canadian marketers missing by assuming that all Canadian Internet users approach this medium in the same way? http://www.ipsos.ca/pdf/interactive/Ipsos_Older_Canadians_Internet.pdf Yahoo makes semantic search shift Yahoo has announced its adoption of some of the key standards of the "semantic web". The technology is widely seen as the next step for the world wide web and it involves a much richer understanding of the masses of data placed online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7296056.stm In-flight Internet cleared for take-off I?ve been skeptical of plans for in-flight broadband access. Let?s face it, the airlines don?t have a great track record here. No one used those sad phones in the seatbacks. And Boeing?s Connexion service?once offered by a few international carriers?is gone. But this time it may finally happen. http://blogs.zdnet.com/computers/?p=138 For a New Brand, Pepsi Starts the Buzz Online A beverage marketer known for pouring money into splashy ads in the traditional media is taking an unconventional approach with a new product. The decision by the North American division of Pepsi-Cola, part of PepsiCo, is another sign of the growing use of new media to introduce brands in mainstream categories like packaged goods. Such shifts in media-planning habits by companies like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble and Unilever are the reason that spending for ads online is increasing far faster than for any other medium. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/business/media/14adco.html E-commerce to double year on year E-commerce will double every year for the next three years, according to a report from Forrester Research. By 2004, 100m Europeans will shop online and sales to business and the general public will reach EUR1.6 trillion (US$1.61 trillion). http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/4136/e--commerce-to-double-year-on-year.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Bebo rides high on second dotcom wave The history of Bebo is a typical dotcom success story. Founders meet at university, establish business in living room, then three years of massive internet growth later sell it to international conglomerate for $850m (?417m) ? cash. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar/13/bebo.sale AOL to buy Bebo for $850m AOL, part of the Time Warner media empire, is to acquire leading social networking website Bebo in an $850m (?417m) cash deal. Bebo, founded by British-born Michael Birch and his partner Xochi in 2005, claims to have around 40 million monthly users worldwide. The surprise deal marks a major push by AOL to grow its social media business, which consists of AIM, a cross between messaging and social networking, and personal communications network ICQ. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar/13/bebo.digitalmedia AOL acquires Bebo social network Time Warner's AOL internet division is buying the social networking site Bebo for $850m (?417m) in cash. Bebo is the third-biggest social networking site in the US, behind MySpace and Facebook. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7294174.stm Time Warner's AOL buys Bebo for $850m cash AOL, the struggling internet portal owned by the media giant Time Warner, said today that it had bought Bebo, the young social networking site with a global audience of 7.1 million people, for $850 million in cash. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3545883.ece AOL to buy social networking site Bebo AOL, looking for friends on the Internet, has found one in Bebo, an online social network popular with millions of British teenagers. http://iht.com/articles/2008/03/13/technology/aol.php AOL Buying No. 3 Social Networking Site Bebo lacks the hundred million friends of MySpace and the charmed social status of Facebook. But it is the third most popular social networking Web site in the United States and, to the besieged Internet company AOL, it is worth $850 million. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/technology/14aol.html AOL to buy Bebo for $850M [IDG] AOL will buy Bebo, a social networking site popular in the U.K., for $850 million in cash, the companies said today. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9068299 AOL buys Bebo for $899 million Time Warner's AOL is to acquire social networking site Bebo.com for $US850 million ($899 million), hoping to establish a foothold in the social media sector of the internet. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23373262-15306,00.html Putting A Price On Bebo AOL's acquisition of social-networking site Bebo, announced Thursday, is the latest example of hazy math when it comes to valuing Web companies with little or no revenues. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/03/13/aol-time-warner-tech-cx_wt_0313bebo.html Takeover nets Bebo founders millions Michael and Xochi Birch, husband and wife co-founders of Bebo, are expected to leave the company but will walk away with several hundred million dollars from AOL's $850m (?417m) takeover. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar/13/bebo.birches AOL & Bebo - the kiss of death? Bebo has been ripe for acquisition for what, in terms of the breakneck speeds of the technology industry, is a very long time. Even the relentless Silicon Valey rumour mill seemed to tire of speculation, when regular reports of discussions with Yahoo, Google and Microsoft dried up. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/digitalcontent/2008/03/aol_bebo_the_kiss_of_death.html Bebo: Randy Falco?s $850 Million Rescue Plan for AIM AOL has announced it will spend $850 million in cash to buy Bebo, the social network that dominates the United Kingdom and is an also-ran in most of the rest of the world. The deal keys on instant messaging, which is closely related to social networking as a method of communication among young (and not so young) people. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/randy-falcos-850-million-rescue-plan-for-aim/ Social networking meets old media: Maybe the ad model can work Now that two of the three largest social networks are now subsidiaries of traditional media companies?Time Warner and News Corp, which own Bebo and MySpace, respectively?we?re about to see whether the marriage of Web 2.0 with old media will have a happy ending. http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8222 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Tablet PCs will replace textbooks and other predictions from Bill Gates Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates today outlined a future of computing akin to a Whole Earth Catalog for technology. The computing systems of the future will be more natural, responsive and capable of easily recognizing objects and people. They will also be completely customizable, he said. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9068406 Gates: Next Decade to Bring Huge Software Advances [IDG] The coming decade will bring even more advances in software and computing than the last 10 years, bringing new ways to watch television, to use telephones and to input information into computers, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates predicted Thursday. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,143423-c,futuretechnology/article.html Technology laggards play pivotal role in keeping the beat of innovation Every time he has fired up his Netscape Web browser since mid-February, John Uribe has been greeted with a message urging him to switch to one of Netscape's two successors, Firefox or Flock. ... The technology industry thrives on its ability to sell new products to consumers at an ever-increasing pace, and it has turned many upgrades into painless, one-click operations. But million of users of nearly every type of Internet service and technology, from Netscape and AOL dial-up to old e-mail systems, still prefer to ignore the pitches and sit still - or at least move ahead at their own pace. http://iht.com/articles/2008/03/12/technology/inertia.php Cuba lifts ban on computer and DVD player sales [Reuters] Communist Cuba has authorized the unrestricted sale of computers and DVD and video players in the first sign that its new president, Raul Castro, is moving to improve Cubans' access to consumer goods. http://www.reuters.com/article/internalReutersGenNews/idUSN1329909720080313 http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206903420 Google exec praises, criticizes Apple iPhone While lauding Apple's iPhone as being innovative in the mobile space, a Google official Thursday later cited disadvantages of the device, which is expected to compete with upcoming Google-backed Android phones. Speaking at the eComm conference in Mountain View, Calif., Google's Rich Miner, group manager for mobile platforms, discussed the long-standing obstacles to mobile application deployment and how they are being overcome. Apple's iPhone was cited for its innovations. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/03/13/Google-exec-praises-criticizes-Apple-iPhone_1.html ********************** SPAM ********************** He bit into some Nigerian spam - to fight it Martin Lee knew all the reasons you shouldn't respond to spam e-mails. As a software engineer who studies how to block such messages, he'd warned against answering them himself. But he couldn't resist. Lee was struggling to figure out how to stop an especially persistent form of spam - the type that informs recipients they've won the lottery or are sought for a new job, which can masquerade as legitimate e-mails and evade spam filters. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/13/MNTTVEAI9.DTL us: King of Spam pleads guilty; faces 26 years in prison [IDG] The notorious spammer authorities dubbed "the King of Spam" is facing a possible 26-year jail sentence after pleading guilty in Seattle on Friday to charges of fraud and tax evasion. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9068778 us: "Spam king" pleads guilty to felony fraud Robert Soloway, crowned the "spam king" by federal prosecutors for having sent millions of unwanted e-mails around the globe, pleaded guilty Friday to felony mail fraud, fraud in connection with electronic mail and failing to file a tax return in 2005, the year he made at least $300,000 through his junk e-mail business. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004283998_spamking15m.html 'Spam king' pleads guilty Seattle's own spam king saw his reign come to an end Friday in U.S. District Court. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/355083_spamking15.html Niue, Tokelau, 'among worst spam senders' New Zealand territories Niue and Tokelau are among the three worst offenders for relaying spam per head of population, according to security software firm Sophos. The company said Niue and Tokelau came in second and third respectively, on a per capita basis behind British territory Pitcairn Island in its survey of countries emitting spam during the last quarter of 2007. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4442486a28.html Measures sought against VoIP spam Over the next six to twelve months the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is to assess possible measures against "spit" (spam attacks against internet telephony connections). At the 71st meeting of the IETF in Philadelphia the proponents of a first draft architecture had a tough time with their proposal because reliable figures are not yet available for the current threat to internet telephony. However in the end, a majority of the developers did approve the setting up of a "reconnaissance group", tasked with documenting potential threat scenarios and possible countermeasures. A previous proposal for a regular IETF working group on countermeasures to VoIP spam had failed. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/104928 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** An ICT revolution in Papua New Guinea A quiet revolution is taking place in Papua New Guinea which promises to bring about massive development to our beloved country. This is the development of what is known as PNGARNet, short for Papua New Guinea Academic and Research Network, which is being spearheaded by our universities, in particular the Divine Word University in Madang. http://www.thenational.com.pg/031408/wkender4.htm ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** McAfee Warns of Mass Web Attack - At least 10,000 pages affected, researchers warn McAfee has uncovered a script injection attack on some 10,000 Web pages, apparently designed to help attackers steal passwords from online gamers. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=148373 http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/index.php/2008/03/ ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** California Internet sales tax bill faces long odds [Reuters] A California bill that could lead to a tax on Internet music downloads faces slim odds of success, but the Democrat who wrote it says a debate over taxing such online retail transactions is overdue. http://www.news.com/2100-1027_3-6234520.html Pirate Party rejects Swedish plan to snitch on file-sharers The Swedish ministers of Justice and Culture made a statement in a Swedish newspaper editorial late last week calling for the government to establish a legal framework that would enable courts to order ISPs to reveal the IP addresses of file-sharers. The Swedish Pirate Party issued a response on its own web site, condemning the government for making a "declaration of war against an entire young generation of voters... on behalf of the American film and record companies." http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080316-pirate-party-rejects-swedish-plan-to-snitch-on-filesharers.html Japan to strip Internet for illegal downloaders: report [AFP] Japanese companies plan to cut off the Internet connection of anyone who illegally downloads files in one of the world's toughest measures against online piracy, a report said Saturday. http://news.smh.com.au/japan-to-strip-internet-for-illegal-downloaders-report/20080315-1zn4.html http://news.theage.com.au/japan-to-strip-internet-for-illegal-downloaders-report/20080315-1zn4.html Rising Sun sets on illegal downloaders Japan is planning to cut off internet connections for those who illegally download files. The country's four ISP organisations have agreed to disconnect those who repeatedly use file-sharing software like Japanese-developed Winny, the Daily Yomiuri reports. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10498507 Online video site Hulu goes live - at last Top executives at the UK's biggest commercial broadcasters will be keeping a watchful eye on the US today as Hulu, the online video joint venture between News Corporation and NBC, finally goes live. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar/12/newscorporation.newscorporationbusiness How Hulu's Design Gets It Right It's a sleek-looking, fun-to-use media service?and, no, it isn't from Apple Hulu.com, which launched to the public Mar. 13, is Hollywood's long-awaited entry into free, on-demand Web video. The joint venture between News Corp. and General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal division allows users to stream full-length episodes of some 250 television series online, such as NBC's The Office and Fox's 24, as well as films from Warner Bros. and Lionsgate, and content from major sports leagues. http://businessweek.com/innovate/content/mar2008/id20080314_167647.htm YouTube Coming to TV, With TiVo the Gateway ... The blurring of the television and the computer, envisioned by technology enthusiasts for years, advanced another step on Wednesday when TiVo, the popular maker of digital video recorders, announced an agreement with YouTube that will deliver millions of Web videos directly to users? TV screens. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/technology/13tivo.html $5 a month for legal P2P could happen sooner than you think With P2P file-swapping still proceeding almost unchecked and CD sales swirling down the toilet, music labels have shown an increased willingness to consider new business models over the last couple of years, even going so far as to drop their once-ubiquitous DRM. One intriguing idea that has been bandied about is levies: pay your ISP, say, five bucks a month,and you can legally listen to all the music you can find. Though such an arrangement raises plenty of questions (should the levy be compulsory, or can people opt out of it?), stakeholders across North America are at least open to the idea. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080313-5-a-month-for-legal-p2p-could-happen-sooner-than-you-think.html BBC iPlayer targeted by hackers Hackers have found a way around the anti-piracy settings on the iPlayer, the BBC's internet TV service, meaning that millions of viewers were potentially able to download programs from the site and keep them indefinitely. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3546963.ece ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Syria expands "iron censorship" over Internet [Reuters] Syrian authorities have ordered Internet cafe users to reveal their identity, the latest measure in their "iron censorship" of cyberspace, a Syrian monitoring group said on Thursday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL138353620080313 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10498219 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080313/wr_nm/syria_internet_dc_2 Turkey blocks YouTube access [AP] Turkey blocked access to the popular video-sharing Web site YouTube on Thursday in response to a video clip deemed insulting to the country's revered founding father, state-run media said. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/03/13/turkey.youtube.ap/ http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/C/CHINA_YOUTUBE_BLOCKED China blocks YouTube over Tibet protest videos [AP] Internet users in China were blocked from seeing YouTube.com on Sunday after dozens of videos about protests in Tibet appeared on the popular U.S. video Web site. http://iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/16/business/AS-TEC-China-YouTube-Blocked.php http://news.smh.com.au/china-blocks-youtube-over-tibet-videos/20080316-1ztb.html http://news.theage.com.au/china-blocks-youtube-over-tibet-videos/20080316-1ztb.html Chinese seethe on Web over rare riots in Tibet [Reuters] China's carefully controlled media may have remained largely silent on the unrest in Tibet, but a look at Chinese blogs reveals a vitriolic outpouring of anger and nationalism directed against Tibetans and the West. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKSHA28769020080315 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10498666 Russian blogger insults police, faces jail time [AFP] A Russian blogger faces up to two years in prison for insulting the police on the Internet in the first case of its kind in Russia, a spokesman for local prosecutors said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/12/2187993.htm uk: Ban on 'sadistic' video game overturned Manhunt 2, which was refused release in the UK last year, will now go on sale in June following an appeal by the publisher. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3555023.ece uk: Banned 'sadistic' video game cleared for adults only A controversial video game, banned for being "sadistic, brutal and bleak", has finally been granted a certificate after a nine-month court battle. Manhunt 2 became the first game to be banned in a decade, after it was refused a rating by the British Board of Film Classification last June. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/15/games ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Ban junk food advertising on internet, say UK campaigners Food and drink companies should be banned from marketing unhealthy snacks and drinks to young children via new media such as social networking sites and text messaging, a coalition of international consumer groups and health bodies recommends today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/15/advertising.food Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age by Robin M. Kowalski, Susan P. Limber, Patti W. Agatston DESCRIPTION: Using studies involving over 3500 middle-school students, the authors have researched current information on the nature and prevalence of Cyber Bullying. It affects millions of children a year throughout the world, taking place with the use of e-mail, chat rooms, blogs, instant messaging and other digital messaging systems. This essential text will provide prevention techniques and strategies for parents, educators, psychologists and policy makers to address this epidemic. http://www.tes.co.uk/reviewbank/product.aspx?productId=3402&title=Cyber%20Bullying:%20Bullying%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age&sitestat=reviewbank.from.search_results.productID.3402 us: National CyberTipline Marks 10 Years of Operation The CyberTipline, www.cybertipline.com, the nation?s system for reporting suspected sexual exploitation of children will celebrate 10 years of operation this week. Operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the CyberTipline has processed more than 570,000 reports of sex crimes against children, some as young as two weeks old. http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=3549 ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Yahoo!'s options - Deconstructing Jerry: A subtle gesture by Yahoo! allows Microsoft to keep things polite, for now ... There are worse fates for Mr Yang than selling. He is 39, recently became a father, and he has a promising golf game. He is reluctant to cave in to Microsoft, but he probably has no choice, given his duty to his shareholders. He needs to explore all the alternatives and put up a bit of a struggle first, if only for the sake of his own pride. As any parent knows, the most painful part is always letting go. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10853551 Report: Microsoft, Yahoo enter tentative discussions [IDG] Microsoft and Yahoo executives met for the first time on Monday to discuss Microsoft's initial $44.6 billion cash and stock bid for the company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/03/14/Microsoft-Yahoo-enter-tentative-discussions_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,143454-c,yahoo/article.html They Call This Intellectual Property? The already arduous road to patenting a great idea is getting even longer. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court raised the bar on what the law defines as the "standard of obviousness" in patent cases. In short, if a business or technique is so obvious that anyone could have invented it, it shouldn't merit a patent. While stricter standards may ease some of the pressure on the increasingly swamped U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the new regulations--and more being debated in the coming months--could add costs and complications down the road, too. http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/10/patent-smucker-newton-ent-tech-cx_mf_0310smallbizoutlookpatent.html Companies see red over rights to the color magenta or use of stripes For nearly six months, Erwin Giesbers has gazed every day at the cheerful company flags flapping in the breeze and pondered the hazards of choosing official corporate colors in a screaming shade of magenta. His company, Compello - an information technology firm in the Dutch town of Zwolle - is locked in a legal struggle with the German giant, Deutsche Telekom, which is pressing the company to get rid of the vivid hues because it claims trademark rights to the color magenta. http://iht.com/articles/2008/03/16/technology/STRIPE17.php ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** au: Libs hit out at Labor 'broadband ram raid' The Liberals have stepped up their campaign against Labor's proposed use of the Communications Fund to finance its fibre-to-the-node network, accusing the government of a "smash and grab raid" on the future of Australia's infrastructure. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Libs-hit-out-at-Labor-broadband-ram-raid-/0,130061791,339286819,00.htm ********************** VoIP ********************** au: VoIP uptake 'a current frontier issue' at ATUG Despite reported customer satisfaction in Internet and VoIP services, improvements can be made to support the uptake of telecommunications technology in Australian homes and businesses, according to Lyn Maddock, deputy chair of ACMA. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/71972,voip-uptake-a-current-frontier-issue-at-atug.aspx ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Top cop faces child pornography charge One of New South Wales' most senior police commanders has been charged with possessing child pornography after being investigated by the force's corruption watchdog. Superintendent Vivian "Rex" Little, who has worked in a number of regions across the state, was issued with a court attendance notice after an investigation by the Police Integrity Commission. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23372209-421,00.html http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23369382-5001021,00.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2008 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address. www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mailReceived on Thu Mar 20 2008 - 04:43:05 UTC
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