[DNS] domain name news - 8 January

[DNS] domain name news - 8 January

From: David Goldstein <goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au>
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2010 05:36:15 -0800 (PST)
Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news.


And see my website - http://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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IANA Business Excellence Explained
http://blog.icann.org/2010/01/iana-business-excellence-explained/

ICANN Made Huge Strides - Beckstrom
http://www.champion.com.ng/index.php?news=25233

New Lobbyist For ICANN
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/new-lobbyist-for-icann.php

Australian Anti-Govt Censorship Website Learns .AU Registration Rules
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10000

CNNIC Suspends New Foreign .CN Registrations Indefinitely
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/010610_CNNIC_Suspends_New_Foreign_CN_Registrations_Indefinitely

US energy set to form new group to protect electric grid from cyberattacks
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100105_8555.php


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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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IANA Business Excellence Explained
For the last couple of years the ICANN community and board have set staff a strategic priority of excelling in core operations. In the current draft strategic plan for 2010-2013 the emphasis has focused on the IANA Department, with a headline priority of excelling ?in IANA and other core operations?. At the same time, ICANN staff has been working hard on making sure that the IANA functions are delivered to an increasingly high standard.
http://blog.icann.org/2010/01/iana-business-excellence-explained/

ICANN Made Huge Strides - Beckstrom
Chief executive officer of ICANN, Mr. Rod Beckstrom, has declared the just ended 2009 as a year of huge strides for the ICANN community.
http://www.champion.com.ng/index.php?news=25233
http://allafrica.com/stories/201001060732.html

ICANN ready in March 2010
Preparations for ICANN Meeting, scheduled for Kenya in March, are underway. The international event, which is poised to attract major players in the cyber sector, is scheduled for the capital, Nairobi, from 7-12 March.
http://news.myjoyonline.com/technology/201001/40204.asp
http://www.modernghana.com/news/257958/1/icann-ready-in-march-2010.html

ICANN Taking Applications for International Domains
ICANN is taking applications for domain names in non-Latin alphabets and hopes to approve a few early this year. While some have raised security issues around the potential for domain spoofing, the organization's senior director for of IDNs says protective measures are in place at both the technical and procedural levels.
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netsp/article.php/3856711

ICANN Moves Ahead with International Domains
At some point in early 2010, the world will see the first full domain names in a non-Latin based alphabet. The first IDNs for use as ccTLDs are now being considered as part of the process begun in November by Internet governance organization ICANN.
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3856681

ICANN ready in March 2010
Preparations for ICANN Meeting, scheduled for Kenya in March, are underway. The international event, which is poised to attract major players in the cyber sector, is scheduled for the capital, Nairobi, from 7-12 March.
http://www.itnewsafrica.com/?p=3477

IDN Scaremongering: Mashable and Times Online Screw Up by Michele Neylon
IDNs might be a slightly "hot" topic at the moment following on from ICANN's launch of the IDN ccTLD program recently.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/idn_scaremongering_mashable_and_times_online_screw_up/

How Not to Develop Public Policy by David Maher
Some of ICANN's current proceedings on the introduction of new generic top level domains (gTLDs) provide a case study on how not to develop public policy. In particular, the Rights Protection Mechanism proceedings, with serious implications for trademark owners, have followed a course that does not correspond to the ideal of ICANN's bottom-up, consensus-based processes for policy development. More importantly, these proceedings are effectively unilateral developments in international law without the benefit of treaties or international conventions.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/how_not_to_develop_public_policy/

Poor IDNs. The Media Will Never Understand.
They sky is falling! The sky is falling! Or so the headlines read. Last week I mentioned an article in The London Times about the introduction of domain names with non-Roman characters. As I noted, the article was completely wrong. It said that non-Roman characters will be allowed for the first time ?to the left of the dot?, i.e. the second level domain name. Tell that to the people who?ve already registered millions of such names.
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/01/04/poor-idns-the-media-will-never-understand/

ICANN?s introduction of non-Latin domains could earn phishers millions
A couple months ago, ICANN announced that they would finally extend the URL protocol to allow domain names that use non-Latin alphabets. This has wide implications: it will expand the Internet in hugely significant ways, not just in accessibility terms but as far as the breadth of domain names that are possible.
http://www.geek.com/articles/news/icanns-introduction-of-non-latin-domains-could-earn-phishers-millions-2010014/

How Non-Latin Domain Names Could Be Used to Steal Your Money
Unicode is great because it supports multiple languages simultaneously, bringing international understanding, universal peace, and planetary love. And so is ICANN's decision to allow domain names that use non-Latin alphabets. Until both combine to steal your credit card numbers.
http://gizmodo.com/5439471/how-non+latin-domain-names-could-be-used-to-steal-your-money
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/01/how-non-latin-domain-names-could-be-used-to-steal-your-money/

Security and Non-Latin Domain Name Characters
I haven't made any hard predictions for 2010 yet, but it could be the first year of Internationalized Domain Name security threats.
http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2010/01/security_and_non-latin_domain.php

Non-Latin domains on the way [sub req'd]
Seven jurisdictions have applied to launch non-Latin country-code top-level domains.
http://www.managingip.com/Article/2365129/Non-Latin-domains-on-the-way.html

New Lobbyist For ICANN
The group that manages the Internet's address system has hired a new Washington-based lobbyist. Jamie Hedlund will take over at the end of the month as the ICANN's vice president for government affairs for the Americas, according to an ICANN insider.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/new-lobbyist-for-icann.php
http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/new-lobbyist-for-icann.php

ICANN Appoints New Washington-based Lobbyist
ICANN has appointed a new vice president for government affairs for the Americas reports Tech Daily Dose. The new Washington-based lobbyist, Jamie Hedlund, will commence at the end of January.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10013
http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/01/06/icann-appoints-new-washington-based-lobbyist/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/icann-appoints-new-washington-based-lobbyist.html

ICANN gets new lobbyist
Jamie Hedlund will soon take over as ICANN's lobbyist, replacing Paul Levins who is moving back to his native Australia.
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/personnel-notes/74517-icann-gets-new-lobbyist

Changes in the ICANN Board's Operational Activities by Michael D. Palage
One of the more interesting developments in this new year is the proposed changes in how, or perhaps more accurately, when the ICANN Board will undertake its activities. Historically, the ICANN Board has held monthly teleconferences (Special Board Meetings), with the exception of those months when the ICANN Board meet in person as part of a regional meeting (Regular Board Meeting).
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100105_changes_in_the_icann_boards_operational_activities/

Ante raised in Internet name game
With over 1.6 billion Internet users worldwide, and only 22 generic top-level domains (the two or more letters that come after the dot at the end of a domain name: .com, .net, .org, .gov), Web site naming rights can disappear faster than the click of a mouse.
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529970

Tucows Takes Over Domains from 1stDomain.net
Following the de-accreditation of domain name registrar 1stDomain.net, Tucows has been selected by ICANN to take over its customers? domain management.
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/01/05/tucows-takes-over-domains-from-1stdomain-net/

2010 Domain Name Wire Survey Opens
Now in its fifth year, the 2010 Domain Name Wire survey will collect the opinions of hundreds of domain name owners and service providers around the globe. The survey is open until February 4, 2010. Not much has changed about the structure of this year?s survey. You?ll be asked questions about: ... Your opinion on ICANN
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/01/05/2010-domain-name-wire-survey-opens/

The fate of WIPO, ACTA, and other intellectual property pushes in the international economy
... But certain issues are the responsibility of other organizations, such as ICANN's rulings on domain names and trademarks. All these organizations are stringently insulated from the public
http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/01/the-fate-of-wipo-acta-and-othe.html

The most viewed stories and galleries on Technology for 2009
... # 3: The issue of who "controls" the internet is always contentious - an the US's retreat from its control of Icann was an important one in September, which we announced as US relinquishes control of the internet
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/jan/01/guardian-technology-top-ten-most-viewed-stories-galleries-2009

The Big Bang of Business Naming
... ICANN has so many new great offerings, and the complexity demands dedicated efforts to minimize huge losses currently taking place where massive marketing campaigns are not producing sales.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/The-Big-Bang-of-Business-Naming-69020.html

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Australian Anti-Govt Censorship Website Learns .AU Registration Rules
The registrants of the domain name StephenConroy.com.au have finally read the rules on .AU domain registration following their initial controversial registration of the domain name.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10000
http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/01/05/australian-anti-govt-censorship-website-learns-au-registration-rules/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/australian-anti-govt-censorship-website-learns-.au-registration-rules.html

au: Stephenconroy.com.au resurfaces
Australia's domain name regulator AuDA would not take down stephenconroy.com.au today after it was registered for a second time by a company to voice their opinion on censorship of the internet in Australia.
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/163885,stephenconroycomau-resurfaces.aspx

auDA admits defeat - stephenconroy.com.au will stand
Chris Disspain, CEO of the Australian Domain Authority (auDA) has agreed that Sapia's registration of stephenconroy.com.au is valid and will be upheld.
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/30327/53/

Australian Gripe Site Back Up After Domain Name Deleted
Stephen-Conroy.comWhat happens when you register a .au domain name for a gripe site about a politician behind Australia?s push for net censorship? It gets censored.
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/01/04/australian-gripe-site-back-up-after-domain-name-deleted/

Aussie net filter satire site back after domain deletion
A site that was combination parody and protest, stephen-conroy.com, saw its domain registration deleted late last month. Its creators, however, simply waited for it to reappear in the pool of available domains, and grabbed it again.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/aussie-net-filter-satire-site-back-after-domain-deletion.ars

Anti-Stephen Conroy website back online
A website that was taken offline by the domain name regulator .au Domain Administration, is now back online and continuing its protest against the Government?s internet filtering policy.
http://mumbrella.com.au/anti-stephen-conroy-website-back-online-14948

Oz senator Stephen Conroy ?Senator of Facism?
And it seems the domain wars have begun
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/33544

Stephenconroy.com.au resurfaces
Australia's domain name regulator AuDA would not take down stephenconroy.com.au today after it was registered for a second time by a company to voice their opinion on censorship of the internet in Australia.
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/News/163885,stephenconroycomau-resurfaces.aspx

CNNIC Suspends New Foreign .CN Registrations Indefinitely
In its latest attempt to save the reputation of China's domains, the administrative agency responsible for China's Internet affairs, CNNIC, has announced an indefinite suspension all ".CN" registrations from overseas registrars.
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/010610_CNNIC_Suspends_New_Foreign_CN_Registrations_Indefinitely

CNNIC excludes oversea registrars from .CN registrations
CNNIC, the official registry for .CN, announced that all oversea registrars will no longer be allowed to register .CN domains starting with January 6, 2010, 18:00 PM (Beijing Time). The registration stop is planned to be temporarily. According to the Chinese registry, difficulties in handling the comprehensive new application material are the reason for this drastic development. The new application material is required since the middle of December 2009, when CNNIC suddenly changed its registration policies.
http://www.rrpproxy.net/show_news.php#news1104

Report: China Halts Overseas Registrars from Registering .CN Domains
According to a report at RRPproxy, .Cn registry CNNIC has temporarily halted overseas registrars from registering .cn domain names on behalf of registrants. The move comes after CNNIC cracked down on registrations last month to clean up the .cn namespace.
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/01/05/report-china-halts-overseas-registrars-from-registering-cn-domains/

Price Increase For .CN Chinese Website Domain Names
The China Internet Network Information Center has announced that it has increased the price for .CN domain names, and the new price policy went into effect on January 1, 2010.
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2010/01/07/11337-price-increase-for-cn-chinese-website-domain-names

51.com, IT168 Domain Names Suspended
Chinese social networking site 51.com and Chinese IT portal IT168 became inaccessible at approximately 4:00 PM on December 5. 51.com suggested it might be the case that an overseas domain management organization such as ICANN had mistakenly decided the domain name had expired, causing the resolution failure. 51.com said it is still discussing the problem with Xinnet.
http://www.marbridgeconsulting.com/marbridgedaily/2010-01-05/article/32615/51com_it168_domain_names_suspended

ie: Businesses warned over scam letters
Businesses have been warned to exercise vigilance after the re-emergence of scam letters from a company posing as an Irish internet registration body.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2010/0107/1224261823763.html

KENIC launches automated .ke registry system
The .ke domain names have been launched by the Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) with a new registry for their registration and management. Also included are three lower-priced second level Internet domains and a new registry system.
http://africa.bizcommunity.com/Article/111/16/43477.html
http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/111/16/43477.html

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 - DNS SECURITY
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US energy set to form new group to protect electric grid from cyberattacks
A public-private group the Energy Department is forming to better secure the nation's electric grid from cyberattacks must be given strong regulatory and budgetary authority to drive sweeping changes to computer networks, security specialists said.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100105_8555.php

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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IPv4 Runs Low Faster Than IPv6 Is Adopted
On the Seinfeld episode, "The Dealership," Kramer takes a test drive. The salesman asks about gas and Kramer responds, "There's still some overlap between the needle and the slash below the "E"...I've been in the slash many times. This is nothing. You'll get used to it." 
http://www.networkcomputing.com/data-center/ipv4-runs-low-faster-than-ipv6-is-adopted.php

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Kenya braces for AFTLD
KENYA is bracing itself to host the 2010 edition of the African Top Level Domains Organization (AFTLD). The event?s organizers, African Telecommunications Union (ATU), confirmed that the East African country will host the weeklong-event which is scheduled for Nairobi from 1st March.
http://www.itnewsafrica.com/?p=3463

Internet Drug Traffic, Service Providers and Intellectual Property
You could call this Part Three in our series on Illicit Internet Pharmacy. Part One being What's Driving Spam and Domain Fraud? Illicit Drug Traffic, Part Two being Online Drug Traffic and Registrar Policy. There are a few facts I'd like to list briefly so everyone is up to speed. The largest chunk of online abuse at this time is related to illicit international drug traffic, mostly counterfeit and diverted pharmaceuticals. ... So, folks may wonder why if there is an abundance of research data as well as legal authority. Reason is simple: no enforcement. Many IP attorneys have expressed their lack of faith in WIPO and ICANN enforcement. Brand holders feel that chasing IP violators on the Internet is like swatting at gnats.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100104_internet_drug_traffic_service_providers_and_intellectual_property/

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Leisure.com sold by Sedo for a lazy $150,000
After last week?s two six-figure .DE domain sales (?150,000 each), including one internationalised domain name, there is only one Sedo sale of note in sales to the week ending 4 January. Leisure.com was sold for $150,000 with the second-biggest sale of the week trailing far behind ? find.net ($25,000). The biggest ccTLD sale of the week goes to booking.com.ar that sold for ?14,500.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/01/05/leisurecom-sold-by-sedo-for-a-lazy-150000/

TRAFFIC Las Vegas 2010 Partial Auction Inventory
[news release] Today Latona?s Domain Brokerage & Auction House released a partial list of domain names that will be hitting the auction block later this month at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas. The Premium Live Auction will be on January 22, 2010. it will start at 4:00pm PST and end at 7:00pm PST. The Latona?s Extended Auction will begin on January 23 and go until January 29.
http://www.domainnews.com/en/rick-latona-releases-t.r.a.f.f.i.c.-las-vegas-2010-partial-auction-inventory.html
http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/01/05/rick-latona-releases-traffic-las-vegas-2010-partial-auction-inventory/

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RESEARCH PAPERS
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Internet, broadband, and cell phone statistics [Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project]
Overview: In a national survey between November 30 and December 27, 2009, we find: 74% of American adults use the internet; 60% of American adults use broadband connections at home; 55% of American adults connect to the internet wirelessly.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Internet-broadband-and-cell-phone-statistics.aspx

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INTERNET USE
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Teenagers risk death in internet strangling craze with online videos showing children how to throttle each other in pursuit of highs
Children are posting videos on the internet showing them choking other youngsters to the point of collapse, in a craze that doctors warn has led to brain damage and death.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/teenagers-risk-death-in-internet-strangling-craze-1858987.html

Snowed-in Brits boost adultery website
Britons snowed in by the wintry weather have been flocking to an extra-marital dating site in recent days.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE60539M20100106
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/07/2787086.htm
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/3212437/

Pew Survey: U.S. Tech Use Flat Lines
The Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project has identified some flat lines in Americans technology use in a report released Tuesday that examined Internet, broadband, and cell phone use nationally. The percentage of U.S. adults who use the Internet is just a point higher than it was back in 2006, clocking in this year at 74 percent, the survey found.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/us-tech-use-flat-lines.php

Americans use of Internet, broadband and wireless flat lines
The Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project has identified some flat lines in Americans technology use in a report released on Tuesday that examined Internet, broadband, and cell phone use nationally.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100105_8768.php

Despite Risks, Internet Creeps Onto Car Dashboards
To the dismay of safety advocates already worried about driver distraction, automakers and high-tech companies have found a new place to put sophisticated Internet-connected computers: the front seat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/technology/07distracted.html

Internet-enabled TVs to feature ?app stores?
"App stores" are coming to the television as developers and content providers move their software and services to the big screens of internet-connected TVs.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d5015ae0-fb03-11de-94d8-00144feab49a.html

Breaking Up in a Digital Fishbowl
... A new dating order has emerged in the era of social media. Couples who used to see each other?s friends only at parties now enjoy 24-hour access to their beloved?s confidants thanks to Facebook. Sharing passwords to e-mail accounts, bank accounts and photo-sharing sites is the new currency of intimacy. And courtship ? however brief or intense ? is wantonly scrutinized by the whole world on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/fashion/07breakup.html

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Social networking, social death? Managing your business' and staff's reputation online
Social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter raise a variety of issues for businesses. Key amongst these is managing and responding to the reputational risk these sites pose to your business and your staff. This article offers some practical tips for managing and responding to those risks.
http://mondaq.com/australia/article.asp?articleid=91512

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Microsoft and HP show off 'slate' PC
Microsoft and HP have teamed up to introduce a slate computer ahead of Apple's much rumoured device launch.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8444672.stm

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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Child porn victims getting younger - NZ Internal Affairs
Children as young as a few months old are being targeted by New Zealand's child pornography offenders, as they continue to seek even younger victims.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/child-abuse/news/article.cfm?c_id=146&objectid=10612529

Child-porn FBI agent honoured in Queensland
AN FBI agent has received an award from Queensland police for his help cracking the "world's worst" child pornography ring.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/child-porn-fbi-agent-honoured-in-queensland/story-e6frg6nf-1225816069820

New scanners break child porn laws
The rapid introduction of full body scanners at British airports threatens to breach child protection laws which ban the creation of indecent images of children, the Guardian has learned.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jan/04/new-scanners-child-porn-laws

uk: Schoolchildren told to avoid Wikipedia
Children should use Google and Yahoo to improve their essays, according to the official exams watchdog. Ofqual said putting keywords into internet search engines was a ?good starting point? when researching pieces of coursework and dissertations. 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/6943325/Schoolchildren-told-to-avoid-Wikipedia.html

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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Internet pirates find 'bulletproof' havens for illegal file sharing
Internet pirates are moving away from safe havens such as Sweden to new territories that include China and Ukraine, as they try to avoid prosecution for illegal file sharing, according to experts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/05/internet-piracy-bulletproof

Internet pirates flee to 'bulletproof' Ukraine
Internet pirates are moving from traditional safe havens such as Sweden to new countires including China and Ukraine as they attempt to evade prosecution for file sharing.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/6934204/Internet-pirates-flee-to-bulletproof-Ukraine.html

France three strikes law delayed by govt's own data watchdog
France's "three strikes" law threatening Internet disconnections for repeat copyright infringers should have been in effect by now, but it hasn't yet become law due to one French privacy agency.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/france-three-strikes-law-delayed-by-govts-own-data-watchdog.ars

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Mobile-phone culture: The Apparatgeist calls - how you use your mobile phone has long reflected where you live. But the spirit of the machines may be wiping away cultural differences
Technologies tend to be global, both by nature and by name. Say ?television?, ?computer? or ?internet? anywhere and chances are you will be understood. But hand-held phones? For this ubiquitous technology, mankind suffers from a Tower of Babel syndrome. Under millions of Christmas trees North and South Americans have been unwrapping cell phones or celulares. Yet to Britons and Spaniards they are mobiles or m?viles. Germans and Finns refer to them as Handys and k?nnyk?t, respectively, because they fit in your hand. The Chinese, too, make calls on a sho ji, or ?hand machine?. And in Japan the term of art is keitai, which roughly means ?something you can carry with you?.
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15172850

Mobile phone radiation 'protects' against Alzheimer's
After all the concern over possible damage to health from using mobile phones, scientists have found a potential benefit from radiation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8443541.stm

Mobile phones 'may prevent Alzheimer's'
Mobile phones may improve memory and protect against Alzheimer's disease, scientists have discovered.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/mobile-phones-may-prevent-alzheimers-1860137.html

Mobile phone use may reverse Alzheimer's [AFP]
The electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phones could protect against and even reverse Alzheimer's disease, according to a US study.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/07/2787526.htm

Nicolas Sarkozy given 'impenetrable' superphone
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has been presented with a super-phone with "impenetrable" encryption levels compared to commercial handhelds such as the Blackberry.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/6944236/Nicolas-Sarkozy-given-impenetrable-superphone.html

Google Moves to Keep Its Lead as Web Goes Mobile
Google?s expected unveiling on Tuesday of a rival to the iPhone is part of its careful plan to try to do what few other technology companies have done before: retain its leadership as computing shifts from one generation to the next.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/technology/internet/05google.html

Google Rolls Out Nexus One, Its Rival to the iPhone
Google stepped up its attack on the smartphone market on Tuesday, introducing a new touch-screen handset called Nexus One that is widely seen as a rival to Apple?s iPhone.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/technology/internet/06google.html

Google Shakes but Doesn?t Upend the Cellphone Market
... And now Google wants to shake up the way we buy cellphones ? by letting you shop for the phone and the service independently, on a new Google Web site (Google.com/phone).
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/technology/personaltech/06pogue.html

Google's new phone to protect mobile advertising base
Google has said it is defending its online advertising empire with the launch of its own brand mobile phone. ... "It's all about the mobile web, and advertising is their bread and butter," said analyst Michael Gartenberg.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8442712.stm

Google unveils Nexus One phone
Google has unveiled an own-brand smartphone called the Nexus One. The wraps were taken off the handset at an invitation-only event held at Google's Mountain View HQ.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8442205.stm

Google unveils 'Nexus One' smartphone
Google unveiled its entry into the mobile phone marketplace Tuesday with a smartphone dubbed the "Nexus One."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/05/AR2010010500948.html

Google's new approach to buying a mobile phone [news release]
Android was developed with one simple idea: Open up mobile devices to enable greater innovation that will benefit users everywhere.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/our-new-approach-to-buying-mobile-phone.html

Rivals left hanging as Apple hits three billion App Store downloads
Owners of Apple?s iPhone and iPod touch devices have downloaded more than three billion applications from the company?s App Store in less than 18 months, trouncing the last benchmark figure by a billion.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article6977063.ece

Nokia asks court to bar US imports of Apple's Macs, iPhones, iPods
Nokia last week asked a federal court to block Apple from importing virtually any of Apple's current hardware into the U.S., including the iPhone, iPod and Mac lines.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9143083/Nokia_asks_court_to_bar_U.S._imports_of_Apple_s_Macs_iPhones_iPods
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/331326/

Nokia Fires New Patent Lawsuit at Apple in Growing Battle [IDG]
Mobile phone maker Nokia has filed a new U.S. lawsuit accusing Apple of patent infringement, according to court documents, escalating the legal battle between the companies.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/185868/.html

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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US energy set to form new group to protect electric grid from cyberattacks
A public-private group the Energy Department is forming to better secure the nation's electric grid from cyberattacks must be given strong regulatory and budgetary authority to drive sweeping changes to computer networks, security specialists said.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100105_8555.php

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PRIVACY
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US regulators to scrutinize cloud privacy
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is to discuss the impact of cloud computing on consumer privacy.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39971354,00.htm
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62060368,00.htm

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CENSORSHIP
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China enjoys a burst of Internet freedom as Great Firewall falls -- briefly
For a couple of precious hours Monday, the Chinese government's Web censoring system, popularly known as the Great Firewall, was lifted. Suddenly, Internet users had access to websites that had been banned for months, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-china-firewall5-2010jan05,0,7971353.story

Chinese Censorship Equals Protectionism and May Violate its WTO obligations
Beijing's methods to censor the Internet are becoming ever more repressive. In recent weeks, at least 700 Web sites seem to have been shut down or blocked?on top of tens of thousands of foreign online services that already were inaccessible. Individuals have been banned from registering new domain names in China, and authorities are turning the heat up on existing domains. This is correctly viewed as a major free-speech problem, but that's only part of the damage Beijing is doing. Blocking the Internet blocks commerce and trade, and China's latest moves may well run afoul of its World Trade Organization commitments.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704842604574641620942668590.html

US cybersitter sues China for piracy over Green Dam censorship software
A small California company that was one of the first to bring an internet porn filter to market sued the government of China and several major computer companies on Tuesday, accusing them of misappropriating its censorship program for use in the controversial ?Green Dam? project.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ad29902-fa81-11de-a532-00144feab49a.html

US company sues China for Green Dam 'code theft'
An American company has filed a $2.2bn (?1.4bn) lawsuit in the US accusing Beijing of stealing lines of code from its internet filtering software.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8442771.stm

Suit Says 2 Chinese Firms Stole a Web-Blocking Code
A software company in California has sued two Chinese technology firms, charging that they stole its computer code to make an Internet-monitoring program that China?s government sought to install on every computer in the country last year before backing down.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/technology/companies/07censor.html

US software firm sues China over Green Dam piracy
A US firm is suing China for alleged piracy of internet filtering software, claiming that lines of code were copied for the controversial Green Dam censorship program.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/06/china-sued-piracy-green-dam

China sued for ?stealing? Cybersitter software program
A US maker of software that helps parents to filter internet content for their children is suing the Chinese Government for allegedly stealing its technology and using it to block sites deemed politically undesirable.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6978393.ece

CyberSitter files lawsuit against China over Green Dam [IDG]
Web software filtering vendor CyberSitter has filed a US $2.2 billion lawsuit against the Chinese government, two Chinese software markers and seven major computer manufacturers for their distribution of Green Dam Youth Escort, a controversial Web filtering package the Chinese government had mandated to be installed on computers sold there.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/010510-cybersitter-files-lawsuit-against-china.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/185917/.html
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/331390/

Cybersitter suit accuses China, PC makers of software piracy
A California company filed a software piracy lawsuit on Tuesday against the Chinese government, two Chinese software developers, and seven PC manufacturers alleging that they illegally copied code from its Web content filtering program and distributed that code as part of a censorship effort sponsored by the Chinese government.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10425599-245.html

Facebook blocks social network 'suicide' website [AFP]
Facebook said Monday that it is blocking a website called "Web 2.0 Suicide Machine" that helps users delete their social network profiles.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/facebook-blocks-social-network-suicide-website-20100105-lqwk.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/facebook-blocks-social-network-suicide-website-20100105-lqwk.html

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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Government charts Digital Britain progress
The Government claims that a quarter of the recommendations in the Digital Britain report published six months ago have already been implemented. Others, including the passing of controversial legislation, are progressing, it said.
http://out-law.com/page-10644

France considers "Google tax" to pay creative work
France could start taxing Internet advertising revenues from online giants such as Google, using the funds to support creative industries that have been hit by the digital revolution, a newspaper reported on Thursday.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-45218920100107

**********************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
Telcos eye 4G networks in government spectrum sale
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone Hutchison have begun formulating responses to the federal government's proposed auction of broadcast spectrum, which is expected to lead to the creation of a high-speed 4G mobile broadband network. 
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/telcos-eye-4g-networks-in-government-spectrum-sale/story-e6frg8zx-1225816750118

US DOJ calls for FCC to release spectrum, focus on wireless broadband
The Department of Justice said wireless broadband services may be an attractive option for users without high-speed Internet access and could provide more competition to cable, fiber and DSL services. But such options can?t be possible unless federal regulators release more spectrum for mobile broadband services.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/01/doj_calls_for_fcc_to_release_s.html

FCC asks Congress to extend deadline for broadband plan by one month
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it won't meet the deadline set by Congress to create a plan to bring affordable high-speed Internet access to all U.S. homes. Instead, it has asked Congress to extend the deadline by one month. The FCC was supposed to hand a national broadband plan to Congress on Feb. 17.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/01/the_federal_communications_com_1.html

Huawei slams critics making spying allegations
China's leading telecommunications equipment maker, Huawei, has once again been forced to dismiss spying allegations and stake its claim in the $43 billion national broadband network bonanza.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/huawei-slams-critics/story-e6frgakx-1225816221125

us: NTIA Gives Broadband Input
As the FCC works toward developing a national broadband plan by a congressionally mandated Feb. 17 deadline, the Obama administration Monday weighed in with its views, urging the commission to identify spectrum for wireless broadband in an effort to increase competition in the residential broadband market.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/ntia-gives-broadband-input.php

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ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR ONLINE CHILD PROTECTION
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au: Father denies beach murder of web girl, 15
A VICTORIAN has denied killing a teenage girl he and his youngest son met through the internet, telling a jury she was alive and with somebody else when they left her at a beach where her body was later found.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/father-denies-beach-murder-of-web-girl-15/story-e6frg6nf-1225816069586

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(c) David Goldstein 2009



 ---------


David Goldstein


email: goldstein_david&#167;yahoo.com.au
web:   http://davidgoldstein.tel/
http://goldsteinreport.com/


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Received on Thu Jan 07 2010 - 05:36:15 UTC

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