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 May 15 edition of the news include: Do We Need Two Internets? by Bill Thompson | The U.S. Congress and "free speech principles on the Internet" [cough] by Milton Mueller | CEOs warned: Wake up to cyberthreats [Video] | Algorithm Helps ICANN Manage Top-level Domains | A Place for African ccTLDs | ICANN Unanimously Approves RegistryPro Proposal to Expand .Pro | The State of Cyber-Security: Forbes special report | Nato allies agree to cyber defence unit | VeriSign wins patent for Internet typo redirection And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** US warns China of 'technological isolation' [AFP] http://news.smh.com.au/us-warns-china-of-technological-isolation/20080509-2ci1.html Academic says gadgets threaten Internet's future http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501833&objectid=10509015 ICANN attacks 'fat and happy' IPv4 users http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39413760,00.htm Fees for '.org' domain names to increase 10 pct [AP] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/09/financial/f075923D74.DTL One million .pl domain names http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=4885 IPv6 hype suggests real problems http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10008100o-2000469549b,00.htm Trademarks and International Domain Names http://legalblawg.com/index.php/2008/05/09/trademarks-and-international-domain-names/ Will ARIN Establish a Gatekeeper? by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/5/9/3682004.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** US warns China of 'technological isolation' [AFP] The United States warned China Thursday that it risked "technological isolation" for developing unique technical standards of its own that also are shutting out foreign competition. http://news.theage.com.au/us-warns-china-of-technological-isolation/20080509-2ci1.html http://news.smh.com.au/us-warns-china-of-technological-isolation/20080509-2ci1.html Academic says gadgets threaten Internet's future The rise of gadgets like the iPhone, Blackberry and Xbox threatens to unravel the decades of innovation that helped to build the Internet, a leading academic has warned in a new book. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKL0875110620080508 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501833&objectid=10509015 http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145738/tethered_gadgets_stagnate_the_net_researcher_says.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN attacks 'fat and happy' IPv4 users Big businesses need to start planning now to handle changes that will take place when a new version of the internet's fundamental routing protocol becomes ubiquitous, or risk losing online customers, according to ICANN. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39413760,00.htm http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/ICANN-IPv4-will-run-out-by-2011/0,139023166,339288828,00.htm http://www.builderau.com.au/news/soa/ICANN-IPv4-will-run-out-by-2011/0,339028227,339288828,00.htm ICANN: Start planning for IPv6 [Video] Paul Twomey, president and chief executive of ICANN, advises chief executives to start discussions with internet service providers on moving to systems compatible with internet protocol version 6. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39413765,00.htm Pakistan: A Case for Small Government ... ICANN is a practical example of such an international organization for the internet. It is designed to handover the administration of the internet from the government to private enterprise. It manages domain names and IP addresses for the internet and the World Wide Web for much of the world. http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/61083 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** As of now prepayment at nic.at! As of 04/30/2008 10:00am nic.at will introduce prepayment for end customers. For the completion of a registration, a payment during the registration-process will be obligatory in the future. http://www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/nicat_news/news_view/period/1210478258///article/81/ab-sofort-vorauszahlung-bei-nicat/ Australia: Domain Name Transfer Made Easier [reg req'd] As of 1 June 2008, a new and more flexible registrant transfer policy comes into effect, allowing domain name registrants to transfer their domain name licence to another eligible entity for any reason. The new policy has been approved by the Australian domain name administrator .au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA) - the policy authority and industry self-regulatory body for the .au domain space. http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=60284 ch/li: Your e-mail address is crucial to SWITCH [news release] As of 8 May 2008, we will add your e-mail address to our address database ? if it is not already registered. As soon as you update the address entry in your account, you will therefore be requested to enter your e-mail address. http://switch.ch/about/news/2008/benutzerkonto.html The allure of the .com domain name A TLD is the final part of a domain name -- the letters that come after the dot. The most famous is .com, but there are others -- .net, .org, .tv and .us, for example. But none holds as much allure as the .com extension. http://thestandard.com/news/2008/05/06/allure-com-domain-name http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9083999 DNSSEC Protecting Czech ENUM Domains [news release] The CZ.NIC association prepared the 0.2.4.e164.arpa domain to be signed by a digital signature in April, publishing the signature key to the superior domain e164.arpa, managed by the RIPE organization. http://www.nic.cz/page/454/dnssec-protecting-czech-enum-domains/ .KN changing hands Currently managed by the University of Puerto Rico, the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis' Internet suffix will soon have a new registry. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/199/kn-changing-hands.php .ME General Sunrise begins for eligible Trademark holders [news release] Today, May 6th, General Sunrise begins for all eligible Trademark holders anywhere in the world. http://www.nic.me/index.php?page=12&news=82 dotMobi Acquires Mowser Assets [news release] dotMobi announced it has acquired the intellectual property assets of Mowser, a San Mateo, Calif.-based mobile browsing company. http://mtld.mobi/node/1032 Mowser purchased by dotMobi; is there a need for a .mobi domain? A couple of weeks ago, Russell Beattie announced that Mowser was at the end of its life. His post took on a life of its own into a discussion of the mobile web and approaches to the internet on mobile devices. I heard today that Mowser will continue to live on as the service has been purchased by dotMobi. You can check out the press release for details. I?m glad that things worked out for Russell and wish him all the best in the future. http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=1084 Fees for '.org' domain names to increase 10 pct [AP] Wholesale fees for Internet addresses ending in ".org" will increase 10 percent Nov. 9. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/09/financial/f075923D74.DTL http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/05/09/fees_for_org_domain_names_to_increase_10_pct/ http://news.smh.com.au/fees-for-org-domain-names-to-increase-10-pct/20080510-2cs1.html http://news.theage.com.au/fees-for-org-domain-names-to-increase-10-pct/20080510-2cs1.html .org owners facing 10% hike in registration fees this fall Organizations that own .org domains may soon find themselves paying a bit more to renew, transfer, and register new domains. The company that operates the .org domain, Public Interest Registry (PIR), has decided to raise wholesale rates from $6.15 to $6.75 per domain this year?a 10 percent fee increase, following last year's 2.5 percent increase. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080510-org-owners-facing-10-hike-in-registration-fees-this-fall.html One million .pl domain names There are now one million .pl domain names registered, with the magical one million barrier crossed on May 6. This is the eighteenth ccTLD to pass this mark quickly following .ca in recent weeks. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=4885 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/05/09/one-million-pl-domain-names/ One million names in the .pl domain A millionth .pl domain has been registered in the national internet domain register kept by NASK (Scientific and Academic Computer Network). Head of the NASK Internet Domains Division, Andrzej Bartosiewicz, informs that the domain has been registered on 6 May 2008. http://nask.pl/newsID/id/472 http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/.pl-registrations-reach-the-one-million-mark.html http://poland.pl/news/article,One_million_names_in_the_pl_domain,id,327618.htm ICANN okays .PRO derestriction The suffix for professionals has ICANN's green light to make itself more accessible to a higher number of professionals. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/200/icann-okays-pro-derestriction.php pt: Internet Domain Registration for ?Sucursais na Hora? (On the Spot Branches) [news release] Following on from what is already the case for Firms and Associations, since 17th April Internet.pt domain registration is now automatically provided when creating an "On the Spot Branch?. https://online.dns.pt/dns_2008/do?com=DS;2217917768;111;+PAGE(4000002)+K-NOTICIA(986)+K-CAT-CODIGO(LNH)+RCNT(1); ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** DARPA Plans Cyberwar 'Matrix' Police officers practice their firearm skills on a shooting range, so why shouldn't government computer security experts have the same kind of training ground? The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, on Monday issued a call for research proposals to develop the National Cyber Range, or NCR, a virtual network environment for cyberwar simulation. http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/virtualworlds/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207601201 How Estonia's attacks shook the world The idea that attacks on computer systems could provide an alternative method of spreading terror and disruption has been a concern for governments since IT systems began to proliferate. http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/security/soa/How-Estonia-s-attacks-shook-the-world/0,139023764,339288625,00.htm Belgium accuses China of cyberattacks It's not just the US and UK who are crying foul over China's behavior in cyberspace - now the government of tiny Belgium has accused hackers from the country of targeting its systems. http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=101438 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,145732-c,security/article.html http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;726798155;fp;2;fpid;1 India and Belgium decry Chinese cyber attacks Belgium and India have joined the growing ranks of countries voicing concerns about cyber attacks originating from China. Earlier this week, officials from both countries said computer networks inside their borders are routinely targeted by hackers trying to ferret information that could benefit the Chinese government. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/08/belgium_india_china_warnings/ Management group warns CEOs of data-breach risks Top-level managers and chief executives often do not realise the impact that IT-security incidents can have on their organisations, according to influential group the British-North American Committee. In a report entitled Cyber Attack: A Risk Management Primer for CEOs and Directors, launched on Wednesday, the British-North American Committee (BNAC) said that chief executives underestimate the scale of data-security problems and fail to recognise the consequences of data breaches for business. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39412987,00.htm ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** IPv4 addresses as "hot goods"? With IPv4 addresses in short supply, they could become increasingly interesting and marketable goods. The Regional Internet Registries (RIR), the guardians of IP address allocation, are viewing this with concern. If they officially permit transfers or sales in the future, they will be implicitly accepting commercialisation and privatisation. Any attempt to insist on the return of addresses to the RIRs could drive trading, which is probably inevitable, underground. After a rumour went round that IP address blocks had turned up on eBay, the RIRs were compelled to begin discussing how to handle IPv4 black-marketeering. http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/IPv4-addresses-as-hot-goods--/110699 Google explains its IPv6 strategy The next steps on the road towards the implementation of IPv6 as the new internet protocol include greatly improved peering, less tunnelling of IPv4 data traffic, and proper monitoring. At least, that's the way developer Lorenzo Colitti, one of those handling Google's IPv6 strategy, saw it in his presentation for providers and network experts at the 56th meeting of RIPE, the regional IP Registry for Europe. Google's search engine can already be brought to life at ipv6.google.com with a dancing logo. http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/Google-explains-its-IPv6-strategy--/110705 EU Commission promotes IPv6 Twenty-five per cent of all European users should have the opportunity to use IPv6 by the end of 2010, and should be able to access most of their normal services and content with it. The EU Commission will set this goal in a statement, to be published at the end of May, on the new internet protocol and progress in the net. http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/EU-Commission-promotes-IPv6--/110672 http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/107616 IPv6 hype suggests real problems IPv6 is getting the kind of support that, in my experience, usually goes with a failed standard. ICANN is trying to scare us into adopting it, saying that "the people using new network applications are using IPv6". As far as I know that isn't true - there are backbones that can do IPv6, and at the moment all our IPv4 traffic is tunnelling through them. That's not the same thing at all. http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10008100o-2000469549b,00.htm ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Trademarks and International Domain Names In the past, the lettering in domain names was limited to alphanumeric characters (that is, English-based ASCII characters). This created an access barrier to internet users who only understood Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, or other alphabets which could not be incorporated into domain names. For example, Pepsi must still rely on www.pepsi.co.jp for their Japanese website and does not have an option to use Japanese characters. International Domain Names (IDNs) seek to resolve this problem. The goal is to further internationalize the web and increase both accessibility and efficiency. http://legalblawg.com/index.php/2008/05/09/trademarks-and-international-domain-names/ Will ARIN Establish a Gatekeeper? by Milton Mueller If you?re reading this within an hour after it was posted, you?ve got about 17 hours to comment on an important change being proposed at ARIN, the manager of Internet Protocol addresses for the North American region. ARIN is proposing a new ?Policy Development Process.? (Sound familiar?) A step by step description of the proposal can be found here. The essence of the change is that the ARIN Advisory Council would manage and dispose of all policy proposals. The new PDP proposal is an example of the increasing formalization of IP address policy making. This trend, which is probably inevitable, will continue. Everyone interested in Internet governance needs to understand that and be attuned to the consequences. ARIN?s Advisory Council will become more of a gatekeeper for policy proposals. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/5/9/3682004.html A Patent for SiteFinder-Like Resolution by Christopher Parente I saw an interesting news item that broke Monday courtesy of DomainNameNews and SlashDot that hasn?t been broadly covered yet. I?m surprised no one has posted on this yet on CircleID, so here goes. Apparently VeriSign has been awarded a patent for the resolution of mis-typed domain names. http://www.circleid.com/posts/85760_verisign_patent_sitefinder_resolution/ 2Connect MD on RIPE NCC board Fahad Al Shirawi, managing director and chief executive officer 2Connect, has been elected to the board of RIPE NCC at a general meeting held in Berlin, which was attended by over 111 members from across the world. http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093196188 May ARIN Report Now Available The ARIN Report is a periodic publication that informs the ARIN community about recent and future activities. In the May 2008 issue you will find articles about ARIN & CAIDA Survey Report, ARIN XXI, Denver, CO 6-9 April 2008, revised PDP, IPv6 Event and more. http://arin.net/announcements/20080509.html VeriSign Reports First Quarter 2008 Results [news release] VeriSign, Inc. reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. VeriSign reported revenue of $354 million for the first quarter of 2008. On a GAAP basis, VeriSign reported a net loss of $19 million and a net loss per share of $0.09. These GAAP results reflect a $25.5 million impairment on certain assets held for sale as well as a restructuring charge of $26.5 million for both continuing and discontinued operations. http://www.verisign.com/static/043702.pdf Tucows Financial News Release, Q1 2008 Tucows Inc. announced its financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2008. All figures are in U.S. dollars. http://about.tucows.com/investors/financials/tucows-financial-release-2008-q1.php Net gains for The Hour - Strombo talk show gets new fans via YouTube, CBC.ca [Canadian Press] George Stroumboulopoulos has been quietly amassing a devout Internet following that reaches beyond Canada's borders with his low-key CBC talk show, "The Hour." ... "Ten years from now, the cable channel isn't going to be nearly as important as the domain name. CBC.ca, that's the television channel of the future. We don't worry about where people are watching us, as long as they're watching us." http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/entertainment/article/31120 ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Six Figure Sale of MeetPeople.com Leads this Week's Domain Sales Pack People love to meet online and that fact helped Rick Latona close a $100,000 sale of MeetPeople.com this week to take the #1 spot on our weekly Top 20 sales chart. SearchEngines.com ran a close second at $92,500. Moniker.com had auctioned that domain off at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. West in February but the deal wasn't completed until this week. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales05-06-08.htm Selling Domain Names on eBay Is it worth trying to sell domain names on eBay? An experiment with Headcase.com. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/05/09/update-selling-domain-names-on-ebay/ israel.com on the block Israel is being sold off to the highest bidder. The Internet domain name israel.com is expected to fetch at least $5.5 million when it is sold at auction, said Monte Cahn, CEO of Moniker.com, which is running the sale. http://www.nypost.com/seven/05082008/news/worldnews/israel_com_on_the_block_109869.htm Israel.com headed for auction [UPI] A Pompano Beach, Fla., Internet domain-selling business said Israel.com is expected to sell for at least $5.5 million when it goes on the auction block May 23. http://upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2008/05/08/israelcom_headed_for_auction/4840/ http://social.moldova.org/stiri/eng/117817/ Inside Microsoft's War Against Google With Yahoo off the table, Microsoft plans to challenge Google's online-ad juggernaut alone. A behind-the-scenes look at its provocative strategy http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_20/b4084036492860.htm Advocacy groups take aim at Google-Yahoo partnership An online advertising partnership between Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. is facing opposition from consumer and civic groups that didn't wait for an official deal announcement to voice their discontent. http://businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D90IC1200.htm Alarm at Google Yahoo partnering Regulators in the US are being urged to investigate any potential online advertising and search partnership between Google and Yahoo. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7393486.stm Google addresses antitrust issue on Yahoo ad deal Google's top executives on Thursday gave a glimpse into how it might try to deflect antitrust concerns of a possible ad-sharing deal with rival Yahoo, advising observers to look at the overall ad market. http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9939473-7.html Google-Yahoo: Deal or No Deal? Will Google and Yahoo come together on a search advertising partnership? The two companies have been discussing an agreement under which Google would deliver some ads alongside Yahoo?s search results. Since Google on average earns much more than Yahoo for every search, the deal, at least in theory, would boost Yahoo?s revenue. The two companies conducted a two-week experiment to make sure that was indeed true and both companies have called the test a success. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/google-yahoo-deal-or-no-deal/ Odd coalition opposes Google-Yahoo ad plan Internet search king Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. have yet to agree on a deal to put some Google ads next to Yahoo search results. But their discussions have already provoked objections from an unusually diverse set of Washington players. In fact, it is safe to say that the American Corn Growers Assn. has never before joined forces with the Dominican American Business Network. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-google10-2008may10,0,7614776.story What's in a domain? Gift for Jenna, hubby Matthews resident Jeff Jones has offered first daughter Jenna Bush an unusual wedding gift to celebrate her nuptials, planned for today. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1067620.html http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/617880.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Interconnection and Competition Among Asymmetric Networks in the Internet Backbone Market by Eric Jahn & Jens Prufer [Information Economics and Policy] Abstract: We examine the interrelation between interconnection and competition in the Internet backbone market. Networks that are asymmetric in size choose among different interconnection regimes and compete for end-users. We show that a direct interconnection regime, peering, softens competition as compared to indirect interconnection since asymmetries become less influential when networks peer. If interconnection fees are paid, the smaller network pays the larger one. Suffiently symmetric networks enter a Peering agreement while others use an intermediary network for exchanging traffic. This is in line with considerations of a non-U.S. policy maker. In contrast, U.S. policy makers prefer that relatively asymmetric networks peer. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1131151 Child Pornography: A Comparative Study of India, USA and EU by Dyutimoy Mukherjee [Calcutta Criminology Law Journal] Abstract: Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar international sex trade industry. INTERPOL has cited Germany as one of the major producers of child pornography, with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as the major distribution centers. United States is one of the largest markets of demand for child pornography, though more interest has shifted to South East Asia in recent years. The development of child pornography is fuelled by mainly two factors, the inception and availability of home movies, videos, digital cameras, computers and software, which made the making of child pornography relatively cheap and secondly, the development of Internet technology, which has increased ease of production and distribution of this material to amazing heights. There is constant debate as to how the child pornography industry can be stopped. One of the major aspects of the debate is answering seemingly simple question: how does one define the age of a minor? This is because; different countries set different age for "hardcore" pornography and "soft-core" pornography. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1129686 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** au: 3G services largely unused: report A third of Australian consumers own a 3G-capable phone but two thirds of these do not use the available 3G services, a new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority has revealed. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/05/09/1210131230265.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/09/1210131230265.html http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4521638a26834.html Half retail purchases involve online by 2012 By 2012 almost half of all retail purchases will in some way involve the internet but many retailers are failing to integrate the web into their operations, according to an American cross-channel retailing expert. Deloitte principal Kasey Lobaugh says that while 7% of purchases in the US are made online - a figure forecast to increase to 11% by 2012 - another 38% of consumers are expected to use multiple channels in making their purchase decision. Often this involves customers browsing and comparing prices online before making the purchase in store. http://smallbusiness.theage.com.au/growing/finance/wider-world-of-web-913330294.html http://smallbusiness.smh.com.au/growing/finance/wider-world-of-web-913330294.html Penthouse Gets Pious: Internet porn is forcing adult magazines to diversify their business Christian dating web site BigChurch.com's motto is "Bringing people together in love and faith." A pointed quote from the Old Testament ("A man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Gen. 2:24) precedes the site's Bible-verse search library. Further testimonial from a fresh-faced woman leaves little doubt as to the site's higher purpose: "I feel like my prayers of finding a respectable man have been answered! Thanks BigChurch!!" http://www.newsweek.com/id/136306 us: Comcast Considers Pinching Pipes on Broadband Plans In a move sure to renew debate over how broadband access should be sold, Comcast is reportedly mulling a cap on how much data a customer buying its basic high-speed Internet access package can use each month. Comcast, the No. 2 provider of high-speed Web access in the U.S., would establish a preset monthly data usage level and then charge a fee for users who exceed that level. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Comcast-Considers-Pinching-Pipes-on-Broadband-Plans-62931.html uk: Touts score ?10m off finals fans Tickets for football's biggest matches resold online at inflated prices up to 2,000 per cent higher http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/may/11/championsleague.uefa ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Brits addicted to social networking It seems that Britons are more addicted to poking and tweeting and writing on each other's walls than anyone else in Europe. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace reached 9.6 million users in the UK in 2007, according to a new report from Datamonitor. This puts it ahead of bigger countries, including France with 8.9 million and Germany with 8.6 million. Spain is in fourth place with just 2.9 million. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/digitalcontent/2008/05/brits_addicted_to_social_netwo.html The future of social networking: mobile phones Picture this: a young woman goes to a party. She doesn't know anyone but it's fine because she has her mobile with her. A few clicks and she accesses the profiles of a dozen people at the party, including their pictures. She's in luck: two of them turn out to be friends of friends. She messages them and they start to chat. ... This is not science fiction - it is the future of social networking and it is just around the corner. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3897340.ece It?s not all just geek talk and texts ? phones are first with the news Northern Virginia is a relatively quiet place. Seismically speaking. So when the ground started rumbling violently on Tuesday afternoon, the locals had an idea something was wrong. But what? For the first few minutes, there was no official news except for a series of ?Tweets? ? mini alerts broadcast by wired locals tapping what they saw, felt and heard into their mobile phones and on to their Twitter web pages. Twitter, a popular micro-blogging site that counts more than a million users, became the only news source on a fast-breaking story in those tense first minutes. About 90 minutes later, a local radio station was able to report what Twitter users had been Tweeting all along ? it was a rare earthquake, measuring 1.8 on the Richter scale, that had hit the East Coast. This was not a first. Twitter users used the technology to offer on-the-ground reportage of the San Diego wildfires last autumn and specific detail from the US presidential election trail. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3896667.ece GodTube, Where Networking Is More Spiritual Than Social GodTube.com, a YouTube knockoff for the evangelical set, seems to be one step closer to building a kingdom on earth. http://nytimes.com/2008/05/12/business/media/12tube.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/05/11/business/tube12.php us: Facebook agrees child safety plan Facebook is to add a slew of new safeguards to protect young users from sexual predators and cyber bullies. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7391170.stm Facebook Agrees to Devise Tools to Protect Young Users The social network Facebook has reached an agreement with 49 state attorneys general to institute a broad set of principles intended to protect young users from online predators and inappropriate material. http://nytimes.com/2008/05/09/technology/09face.html Facebook, 49 states agree on user privacy plan The social networking website follows MySpace in acting on safety concerns. Protections will include controls on age and minors' contact with unknown adults. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-facebook9-2008may09,0,3437798.story Facebook's statement on its new safety agreement http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-facebookbox9-2008may09,0,7182655.story Facebook steps up safeguards Popular social networking site Facebook has bowed to pressure to step up its safeguards against bullies and sexual predators. The move has been welcomed by internet watchdogs in New Zealand but they warn there are other ways predators can get to children on the net. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1773726 Facebook, MySpace work with states for predator safeguards With all the commotion over the rise of social networking sites, parental groups and government bodies have been asking for someone to think of the children. In response to rising concerns that Facebook and MySpace have become beacons for sexual predators and bullies, these two leading sites have agreed to add over 40 new safeguards aimed at protecting young users. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080508-facebook-myspace-work-with-states-for-predator-safeguards.html MySpace Turns Social Network Sharing the Right Direction Amid all the initiatives in which Internet companies are supposed to make friends with each other?such as Facebook?s Platform and Google?s rival OpenSocial initiative?the announcement today by MySpace may well be the most useful to ordinary people and thus the most important. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/myspaces-open-approach-to-opening/ MySpace to let users share profile data with other sites [AP] Social networking site MySpace said Thursday that it would soon enable users to quickly share profile data with websites operated by Yahoo Inc., EBay Inc. and others. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-myspace9-2008may09,0,2920396.story http://news.smh.com.au/myspace-to-allow-users-to-share-data-with-yahoo-others/20080509-2cew.html http://news.theage.com.au/myspace-to-allow-users-to-share-data-with-yahoo-others/20080509-2cew.html Can Facebook Build a Better Passport? It didn?t take long for Facebook to react to the announcement by MySpace Thursday that it would enable other Web sites to tap into information about its users and their friends. Facebook?s announcement, in a blog post Friday afternoon, is a bit sketchy on the details and has all the appearance of being rushed to match MySpace. Still, what the company calls Facebook Connect offers many of the same capabilities and a few more, too. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/can-facebook-build-a-better-passport/ Facebook users let their bosses in [Reuters] While many Facebook users may be secretly surfing the social networking site on the job, many Canadians say they are willing to let their employer look at their profiles, according to a poll released this week. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10509149 Spanish teenagers to take embarrassing ailments to Second Life doctors Spanish health authorities launched a virtual portal through the Second Life website yesterday designed to help young people too embarrassed to speak to a doctor about sexually transmitted disease or a drug problem. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/may/10/secondlife.spain Facebook: Friends with Money The social network taps a fresh source of funds for $100 million and will buy more servers to support its growth in users and applications http://businessweek.com/technology/content/may2008/tc2008059_855064.htm ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Burma's emergency telecoms delay Foreign aid workers dedicated to delivering emergency telecoms in disaster areas have been prevented from going into cyclone-hit Burma. Like many charity groups, the T?l?coms Sans Fronti?res (TSF) organisation has so far been denied entry visas by the military-run government. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7393026.stm Emergency in Burma: T?l?coms Sans Fronti?res Asia still on standby A T?l?coms Sans Fronti?res team is presently on stand-by and ready to deploy to Burma following the deadly passage of category 3 cyclone Nargis. ... Electricity and communications have been cut off and the military-based government has declared a state of emergency in 5 regions: Rangoon, Irrawaddy, Pegu, Mon and Karen states. http://tsfi.org/tsfispip/article.php3?id_article=224 Australians prefer mobiles over landlines: study A report has found that nearly half of all households use mobile phones instead of fixed-line phones as their main voice communication. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/09/2240229.htm Australians giving fixed phones the flick [AAP] Australian phone users are turning their backs on the standard landline and reaching for the mobile, a government report says. http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=481198 http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/aussies_giving_fixed_phones_the_flick_546570 http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/aussies-giving-fixed-phones-the-flick/20080509-2ckk.html http://news.smh.com.au/aussies-giving-fixed-phones-the-flick/20080509-2ckk.html http://news.theage.com.au/aussies-giving-fixed-phones-the-flick/20080509-2ckk.html http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=560420 http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Aussies-giving-fixed-phones-the-flick-EGH28 Mobiles Challenge Fixed Line Phones According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), 90 per cent of household consumers have both a fixed line phone and mobile phone, with nearly half (45 per cent) preferring to use mobiles as their main voice communications. http://smarthouse.com.au/Accessories/Mobile_Phones/U8W3X3E3 Australians Increasingly Prefer Mobiles to Landlines A report released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority shows that 90 per cent of household consumers have both a fixed line phone and mobile phone, with nearly half (45%) preferring to use mobiles as their main voice communications. http://cellular-news.com/story/31029.php Fixed phone lines to go way of the dodo? New report from ACMA indicates pent-up interest in dropping fixed telephone line services. Could this be the big break Naked DSL's been waiting for? http://www.crn.com.au/News/75602,fixed-phone-lines-to-go-way-of-the-dodo.aspx Singapore homes to be wired up with fibre optic link Besides phone and cable points, Singapore homes will soon get one more jack in the wall -- for a thin fibre optic cable to hook up to ultra-fast broadband. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southeastasia.asp?parentid=92031 Video games don't create killers, new book says Playing video games does not turn children into deranged, blood-thirsty super-killers, according to a new book by a pair of Harvard researchers. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0725760620080509 ********************** SPAM ********************** Symantec's The Spam Report Symantec's monthly spam report for the month of April 2008 shows that while spam may have reached its 30th birthday at the start of May, there's no sign of volumes of unwanted mail slowing down. http://www.itp.net/news/518831-the-spam-report-may-2008 Spam Moves to Cellphones and Gets More Invasive If you thought spam on your computer was a bother, brace yourself: spammers want to find you on your cellphone. http://nytimes.com/2008/05/10/technology/10spam.html ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Digital divide a threat to Indonesia's unity: president [AFP] The yawning divide between the haves and the have-nots of the digital revolution is a "threat to national unity" and even world security, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Friday. http://news.theage.com.au/digital-divide-a-threat-to-indonesias-unity-president/20080509-2cqp.html http://news.smh.com.au/digital-divide-a-threat-to-indonesias-unity-president/20080509-2cqp.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Extremists hone Internet skills: US Senate report Al Qaeda and other radical groups have dramatically increased their use of the Internet in recent years to lure and train recruits worldwide, a U.S. Senate report warned on Thursday. http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN0841712720080508 http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN0841712720080508 Fake media file snares PC users Almost 500,000 people have been caught out by a booby-trapped media file, says security firm McAfee. The fake file poses as a music track, short video or movie and has been widely seeded on file-sharing networks to snare victims. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7389529.stm Half a million computers infected with 'malware' in just seven days Experts are warning internet users to be on their guard after more than half a million computers were infected with a single piece of malicious software. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/may/09/internet.hacking France Says Canada Considering "Three Strikes and You're Out" ISP Policy by Michael Geist Last month I wrote about the pressure to adopt "graduated response," a policy that is better described as "three strikes and you're out" for ISP subscribers. While Canada has yet to take a public position on the issue, a new French document cites Canada as an example of a country that is negotiating an ISP three strikes policy. In particular, the latest Olivennes bill draft submitted by the Conseil d'Etat, states: http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2915/125/ B.C. Court of Appeal Upholds Dismissal of Crookes Cyberlibel Suit by Michael Geist The British Columbia Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court decision that dismissed a libel suit launched by Wayne Crookes against Yahoo!, MySpace, and a group of individuals. The court rejected the view that a court should presume that something posted online on a restricted access site has been widely read by people in the local community. http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2914/125/ Comprehensive ranking of the world's IP jurisdictions [news release] New research has for the first time established a statistical ranking of 22 of the world's leading economies and trading nations in relation to protecting and enforcing intellectual property. The Global Intellectual Property Index (GIPI), launched today by European law firm Taylor Wessing, presents a statistical comparison to date of how jurisdictions are viewed in terms of ?IP competitiveness?. Jurisdictions are rated as places in which to obtain, exploit, enforce and attack the three main types of IP: trademarks, patents and copyright. It is most useful to consider the results of the GIPI in terms of five groupings or ?tiers? of IP competitiveness. There are five tiers with three countries on tier one (UK, USA, Germany) and six countries on tier two (Netherlands, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, France). http://www.taylorwessing.com/news/recent-news/details/comprehensive-ranking-of-the-world-s-ip-jurisdictions.html Dutch want banks help to fight illegal Web casinos Dutch authorities intend to crack down on illegal online casinos and are calling on banks to stop providing financial services to them, a Justice Ministry spokeswoman said on Saturday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKL1049768220080510 http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL1049768220080510 ************************** PRIVACY ************************** us: Internet Archive Wins David-and-Goliath Privacy Tussle With FBI The Internet Archive revealed Wednesday that the FBI dropped an effort to secretly obtain information about the online activities of one of the digital library's users. The Archive revealed that it had been served a National Security Letter by the FBI last year about one of its patrons. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/62927.html Bell Canada Hit With Privacy Complaint Over Deep Packet Inspection Practices by Michael Geist CIPPIC has filed a privacy complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada over Bell's deep packet inspection practices. With CAIP raising the privacy issue in its submission to the CRTC, it was only a matter of time before the Privacy Commissioner was asked to intervene. CIPPIC highlights several privacy concerns with Bell's network management practices including: http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2916/125/ ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** How Viacom can sink the pirates Sumner Redstone, who controls the twin media giants Viacom and CBS, is leaning on Internet service providers and online media outlets to do his heavy lifting. Speaking at the Seoul Digital Forum 2008, the 84-year-old media mogul came down particularly hard on YouTube, equating the video platform with piracy and demanding that ISPs and web sites do more to police content. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080508-how-viacom-can-sink-the-pirates.html Asian ISPs prepare for video explosion Most network infrastructures today may be coping well with the increases in Internet traffic, but any existing overcapacity would very quickly be consumed by the advent of video. The good news is, ISPs in the Asia-Pacific region are already preparing for an online video explosion. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62041158,00.htm ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** China won't guarantee Olympic web freedom China will not guarantee it won't censor the internet over this summer's Beijing Olympics, nor can it guarantee to stamp out piracy of Olympic-branded goods, officials said. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKPEK14583520080508 http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4518154a28.html China refuses to guarantee open Internet during Olympics China is refusing to guarantee that it won't censor the Internet during this summer's Olympic Games, but insists that the international media will still be able to function normally. Officials from China's Technology Ministry took a somewhat odd opportunity to speak about its censorship plans during a press conference after the Olympic torch relay crossed Mount Everest. They said that while the government would be able to "guarantee as much [access] as possible," there's no way that China would turn off the Great Firewall entirely during the Games. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080508-china-refuses-to-guarantee-open-internet-during-olympics.html Government steps up Internet censorship, blocking access to collaborative news website and filtering email Reporters Without Borders condemns the Tunisian government?s censorship of the international French-language news website Come4news, to which access has been blocked in Tunisia since 10 March. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=26918 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Childnet helps parents get web savvy Internet awareness charity Childnet International has produced an interactive learning resource for parents who want to know more about the internet, so that they can guide their children through it safely. http://www.silicon.com/publicsector/0,3800010403,39215329,00.htm Kids' websites 'exploiting' youngsters Children are frequently manipulated by commercial websites claiming to be child friendly, according to research released this week. A study released by Consumer Reports WebWatch and the Mediatech Foundation found that it is common for children as young as two and a half to go online, and that the most popular children's sites are "moderately" to "heavily" commercialised. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2216186/children-manipulated-commercial-sites Cyber bullying an issue for Australian youth, poll finds Cyber bullying is affecting more than one in five young Australians, a youth survey has found. The internet plays a critical role in the lives of 15- to 20-year-olds, with 64 per cent having a social network site such as MySpace or Facebook, the poll found. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/05/09/1210131251440.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/09/1210131251440.html http://stuff.co.nz/4521636a28.html au: Crackdown on pupils cyber-defaming teachers Students who defame their teachers on internet sites will be automatically suspended and possibly expelled in a crackdown launched by schools. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,23675282-3102,00.html NZ cartoon policeman and dolphin to warn UK children about online paedophiles Child abuse experts are targeting children as young as five for the first time to teach them about the dangers of online paedophiles. Pupils in primary schools across the country will be introduced to Hector?s World, a series of five animated characters including Hector the dolphin and PC Jim, who will explore how to use the internet safely. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3892949.ece Child web-safety guide launched New teaching resources aimed at helping primary school children surf the web safely have been launched. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7389584.stm Cartoon dolphin to teach children about online paedophiles Cartoons starring an animated policeman and a dolphin are to be used for the first time to warn children as young as five about the dangers of online paedophiles. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1938641/Cartoon-dolphin-to-teach-children-about-online-paedophiles.html NZ animations used to warn UK kids about paedophiles (+ photos) New Zealand computer animations in which a dolphin named Hector warns children as young as five about the dangers of on-line paedophiles are to be used in Britain. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10509167 NZ cartoon to teach UK children An animated Hector's Dolphin created in New Zealand is set to take the online safety message to thousands of 5 to 7-year-olds in the United Kingdom. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10509249 NZ software to help keep British kids safe Kiwi-designed software that uses animated characters to help keep children safe in cyberspace is spreading internationally, with British authorities poised to introduce it in schools. http://stuff.co.nz/4516592a28.html NZ animation to warn UK kids of online paedophiles New Zealand computer animations in which a dolphin named Hector warns children as young as five about the dangers of online paedophiles are to be used in Britain. http://tv3.co.nz/NZanimationtowarnUKkidsofonlinepaedophiles/tabid/412/articleID/55291/cat/73/Default.aspx NZ?s Hector Protector? swims north to help UK children stay safe [news release] Today, in a London primary school, New Zealand?s internationally recognised online safety education, Hector?s World? is being launched as the core online-safety resource for 5-7 year olds throughout the United Kingdom. UK law enforcement agency, CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) has chosen the NZ-born educational resource as their key resource for keeping younger children safe from sexual abuse and grooming online. http://netsafe.org.nz/keeping_safe.php?pageID=274 Children and web porn Anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with the Internet knows that it is clogged with sexual imagery and pornography, the Nelson Mail said in an editorial on Thursday. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/nelsonmail/4516357a23218.html us: FTC: Kids Finding It Harder to Buy M-rated Video Games [IDG] Teenagers in the U.S. are having a more difficult time buying M-rated mature video games in stores than in past years, according to the results of an undercover operation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145654/ftc_kids_finding_it_harder_to_buy_mrated_video_games.html IWF Welcomes CEOP?s Online Safety Programme For 5-7 Year Olds [news release] Children as young as five years old are the focus of a new online safety programme being launched today, Thursday 8th May 2008, by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre. http://iwf.org.uk/media/news.232.htm ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** au: RBA wary of eBay's PayPal push The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has raised concerns about online retailer eBay's attempt to change its payment system. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/09/2240239.htm UK mother's porn law campaign ends Jane Longhurst, 31, was strangled by Graham Coutts, 39, from Hove, Sussex. He was jailed for at least 26 years. Her mother Liz, from Berkshire, backed by Reading West MP Martin Salter, campaigned for three years to ban violent online porn. The ban is part of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/berkshire/7389476.stm uk: Extreme porn bill gets final reading It must be ever so vexing to pass a law that you think will make you the most popular boy in class ? only to be greeted by a mass chorus of ?you still stink!?. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/08/crime_bill_passes/ ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Microsoft looks at $15bn takeover of Facebook Microsoft is believed to have approached Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, over a possible acquisition of the social networking site. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3890497.ece Facebook users give thumbs down to Microsoft Microsoft will likely meet with stern resistance from within the Facebook community should its reported approach to the fast-growing social networking site gather momentum. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3893228.ece News Corp no longer in active talks to divest MySpace News Corporation, parent company of The Times, said last night that it was no longer in active negotiations about a possible divestment of MySpace, its social networking site, in the week after Microsoft abandoned its pursuit of Yahoo! http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article3890283.ece Google: We Like Yahoo, and We Like It Independent Will you do a search advertising deal with Yahoo? How will you do it in a way that avoids antitrust objections? Are you relieved that Microsoft withdrew its offer for Yahoo? http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/google-we-like-yahoo-and-we-like-it-independent/ Silicon Valley executives join forces against Yahoo!'s Yang Eric Jackson, the dissident investor seeking to oust Jerry Yang as chief executive of Yahoo!, is today holding emergency talks with Silicon Valley executives closely linked to Microsoft's failed $45.7bn (?24bn) bid to buy the troubled internet company. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/may/11/yahoo.microsoft Yahoo! chief searches for some allies The long-drawn-out and ultimately abortive takeover battle between Microsoft and Yahoo! was lowered into the grave of history last week. But the saga is far from over. Shareholders in both companies are unhappy, while questions about the viability of Jerry Yang, the Yahoo! chief executive, and Steve Ballmer, his Microsoft counterpart, are growing louder by the day. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/may/11/yahoo.microsoft1 Microsoft and Yahoo! No deal: Microsoft walks away from Yahoo!, and both companies lose Rather as John McCain cannot be displeased to have seen Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama fighting it out, Google has for the past three months enjoyed watching its only two serious rivals, Yahoo! and Microsoft, tear each other to pieces. Yahoo!, once an internet pioneer, has fallen far behind Google in web search and related advertising. Microsoft still dominates desktop computing but lags behind Google as software moves online. So Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's boss, dared ask Yahoo!: what would be wrong with making, if not exactly a dream team, at least a joint effort out of it? http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11332396 Advocacy groups take aim at Google-Yahoo partnership An online advertising partnership between Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. is facing opposition from consumer and civic groups that didn't wait for an official deal announcement to voice their discontent. http://businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D90IC1200.htm Inside Microsoft's War Against Google With Yahoo off the table, Microsoft plans to challenge Google's online-ad juggernaut alone. A behind-the-scenes look at its provocative strategy: It's April, and Microsoft's top U. S. salesman for online advertising, Keith Lorizio, is visiting clients in New York City. In a midtown office tower, he sits down with Nicholas Utton, the gregarious chief marketing officer at online broker E*Trade. Utton is plenty impressed with Microsoft's technology, and he's a big advertiser on the company's MSN Money site. But when it comes to Internet search sites, the largest and most lucrative advertising market online, Utton makes it clear that Microsoft is, as he sees it, way behind front-runner Google. "They're not getting much of our search dollars," he says. http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_20/b4084036492860.htm Microsoft starts appeal against ?899m EC fine Microsoft yesterday raised the stakes again in its long-running legal battle with the European commission by lodging an appeal against the record ?899m fine imposed on it this year. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/may/10/microsoft.microsoft Microsoft?s battle with Europe goes on as fine is challenged Microsoft has lodged an appeal against a record ?899 million (?713 million) fine handed out in February by the European Commission for defying sanctions imposed on the company for abusing its dominant position in the software market. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3904904.ece Can Craigslist Stay Oddball? The Web phenom was never into maximizing profits. A scrap with eBay may change things: For years, I've been amused to watch craigslist?the stupefyingly successful, mostly free online classified ad site?leave many business types red-faced and exasperated. Here is a homely, text-heavy site that's among America's top 10 in monthly page views and time spent on it. Yet to a remarkable degree it staunchly refuses to turn on any moneymaking machinery. It's also very tough to beat, as many newspapers with double-digit revenue declines have discovered, since it's hard to compete with free. http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_20/b4084075556029.htm ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** WI-FI SECURITY: Some Advice from the FBI You?re at the airport waiting for your flight. With time to kill, you?re thinking of connecting your laptop to the airport's Wi-Fi to check your office e-mail...do some personal banking...or shop for a gift for your spouse. http://www.fbi.gov/page2/may08/wifi_050608.html Free Sydney broadband quietly shelved on day of boating crash The NSW State Government would have known a year ago that its promised free wireless broadband network for the Sydney business district and surrounding centres was unviable, analysts said, but chose to announce its decision to scrap the project on the day six people were killed in the Sydney Harbour boat tragedy. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/09/1210131264199.html UWB in doubt after TI pulls out Ultra-wideband, the fast short-range wireless link which was supposed to be in handsets and PCs by now, is on the brink of failure after Texas Instruments pulled out of the technology. http://techworld.com/mobility/news/index.cfm?newsID=101449 ********************** VoIP ********************** Slow growth in VoIP take up in Australia A new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority has revealed that half of the people who own a 3G phone do not use the 3G services - which include mobile internet, video calling and music streaming. http://www.voip-news.co.uk/2008/05/09/slow-growth-in-voip-take-up-in-australia/ Hungary - VoIP consultation [reg req'd] The Hungarian Communications Authority (NHH) has issued a consultation document to IP-based voice service providers, seeking responses by 30 May 2008. http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2008/hunvoipconsultation.htm ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** US arrests paedophile suspect after global manhunt [AFP] US immigration agents arrested a suspected paedophile just two days after Interpol launched a global hunt for a man who abused South-East Asian boys, the police agency said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/09/2239610.htm Global manhunt leads to US child sex arrest [AP] A rare international alert seeking a man shown in dozens of raw child porn images quickly led to the arrest of a small-time actor, who painted faces at children's parties and performed as "the best Santa Claus anyone has ever seen." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/global-manhunt-leads-to-us-child-sex-arrest-824854.html http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1738772,00.html Suspected pedophile actor nabbed in US An actor who played Santa Claus and painted children's faces was arrested on child sex charges in the US on Thursday after an international manhunt, just the second time Interpol sought the public's help to find a suspected pedophile. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/09/1210131202259.html Interpol appeal unmasks US actor as child abuse suspect A man matching the description of a suspected child abuser who became the target of an international manhunt earlier this week has been arrested in the US. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/08/operation_ident_arrest/ nz: Man met teen sex targets online Three Auckland girls fell victim to a sexual predator who groomed them over the internet. This was revealed yesterday as their attacker was sentenced to five years in jail. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10509001 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (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 May 15 2008 - 02:57:06 UTC
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