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. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Global Internet group cautions against UN takeover http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-48782120100525 New domains break down language barriers [AP] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10647358 Russian companies to create sites with Cyrillic domain - .?? http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/05/25/8405418.html First Russian-language web addresses go live http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64O54R20100525 Adult entertainment industry veteran explains .xxx domain http://www.alligator.org/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article_2ac016ce-67ab-11df-82c4-001cc4c002e0.html Domain disputes filings on course for record http://www.managingip.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=2577675 Sedo Finds Domain Name Marketplace Growing Rapidly in 2010 http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=11382 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Public Comment: April 2010 DNS-CERT Operational Requirements & Collaboration Analysis ICANN is today opening a public comment period on the April 2010 DNS-CERT Operational Requirements and Collaboration Analysis Workshop Report [PDF, 123 KB] (with Minority Statement). In advance of the ICANN Brussels meeting, ICANN is seeking comments on the potential requirements identified in the workshop report, DNS Security response gaps. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-24may10-en.htm Global Internet group cautions against UN takeover Adding more international oversight could trip up technological change needed by ?plumbers? who determine Internet domains from .com to .misr http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-48782120100525 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/icann-head-warns-against-putting-internet-addresses-under-un-control/article1579820/ ICANN cautions against UN takeover The head of the US-monitored organisation in charge of assigning global Internet addresses such as .com and .net has cautioned against proposals to put the group under UN or other international control. http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2884&iArticleId=5486603 New domains break down language barriers [AP] The use of non-Latin characters in Internet addresses is a key step to opening up the web and making it more "personalised" for billions of users, the head of the non-profit body that oversees Internet addresses said. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10647358 http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/new-net-domains-break-language-barriers-20100525-w8d1.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/new-net-domains-break-language-barriers-20100525-w8d1.html http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-technology/new-net-domains-break-language-barriers-20100525-w8d1.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/05/24/financial/f100915D93.DTL http://www.latimes.com/technology/sns-ap-ml-tec-egypt-internet-names,0,4277548.story http://www.3news.co.nz/Non-Latin-characters-open-up-the-web/tabid/412/articleID/157550/Default.aspx?ArticleID=157550 An exclusive interview with Rod Beckstrom president and CEO of ICANN An exclusive interview with Rod Beckstrom president and CEO of ICANN discussing the Internationalized Domain Names Fast Track Process using non-Latin languages to write the domain names on the internet, Arabic is one of these Languages. http://www.coupongeni.com/2010/05/an-exclusive-interview-with-rod-beckstrom-president-and-ceo-of-icann/ .Sport Whines Again: Please Don?t Allow .Football! Last August the so-called .Sport Policy Advisory Council (basically a group that wants to launch the .sport top level domain name) told ICANN it was unhappy with the idea that there could be individual sports (such as .baseball) as top level domains. At the time, the .Sport Policy Advisory Council wrote: http://domainnamewire.com/2010/05/25/sport-whines-again-please-dont-allow-football/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** DotAsia Requests ICANN Reduce Fees In a letter to ICANN?s Kurt Pritz, DotAsia has requested ICANN reduce the Registry-Level Operator Transaction Fee in an effort to assist its outreach within Asia to help get more people online. http://www.domainnews.com/en/dotasia-requests-icann-reduce-fees.html http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/05/26/dotasia-requests-icann-reduce-fees/ Bulgaria Mulls 4 New Cyrillic Internet Domain Names Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications will propose 4 new versions for a Bulgarian domain in Cyrillic. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=116559 Russian companies to create sites with Cyrillic domain - .?? Russian companies are due to create their first website in the Cyrillic domain of the Worldwide Web, namely .??. Over 12,000 sites have been reserved in the Internet?s first Cyrillic domain area, of which number state agencies account for some 4%, while trademark owners, for the remaining 96%. The first sites with email addresses in Russian, namely ?????????.?? and ?????????????.?? came into being on May 13th. http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/05/25/8405418.html First Russian-language web addresses go live Russia launched its first Cyrillic Web addresses on Tuesday as part of a global move by the Internet's administrators to boost access for users of non-Latin scripts. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64O54R20100525 http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINTRE64O50K20100525 http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE64O1W420100525 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/first-cyrillic-web-addresses-go-live/406836.html http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/russian-language-web-addresses-created-3567967 Almost 500 Cyrillic .?? Domain Names Registered As of Tuesday 25 May there were 476 .?? domain names registered, Yulia Ovchinnikova of Russia's Coordination Center for the National Internet Domain said in a report on RIA Novosti. .?? is the Cyrillic Top Level Domain for Russia. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=11406 http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/05/26/almost-500-cyrillic-??-domain-names-registered/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/almost-500-cyrillic-.??-domains-registered.html .?? Domains Delegation Launched From May 25, 2010 .?? domains will pass delegation. From this moment all users, who registered .?? domains for the Sunrise registration period will be able to place sites on them. http://www.nic.ru/news/en/2010/rfdeleg.html Some 500 Russian language sites begin operating on Cyrillic Internet domain Russia's new Cyrillic alphabet Internet domain (.??) has launched so far 476 sites, Yulia Ovchinnikova of Russia's Coordination Center for the National Internet Domain said on Tuesday. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100525/159154817.html Cyrillic URLs get full launch in new Russian national domain A host of Internet sites using Cyrillic web addresses in the .?? top-level domain will be accessible from Tuesday onward, Russia's Coordination Center for the National Internet Domain said. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100525/159144076.html 87% of firms want one-letter '.co.uk' domain names Nearly nine in ten (87 percent) of UK businesses are in favour of one- or two-letter domain names, says Nominet. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3224789 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/052610-87-of-firms-want-one.html Adult entertainment industry veteran explains .xxx domain As a 20-year veteran of the adult entertainment industry, I can tell you this isn't about controlling access to adult material. This is about money, plain and simple. http://www.alligator.org/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article_2ac016ce-67ab-11df-82c4-001cc4c002e0.html ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Businesses could use US cyber monitoring system [AP] A U.S. government computer security system that can detect and prevent cyber attacks should be extended to private businesses that operate critical utilities and financial services, a top Pentagon official said Wednesday. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/businesses-could-use-us-cyber-monitoring-system-20100527-wew0.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Domain disputes filings on course for record The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, one of four Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy providers, has experienced a record number of filings in the first four months of this year. http://www.managingip.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=2577675 ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** The Digital Divide on IP Addresses by Peter van Eijk We are running out of IPv4 Internet addresses, but who is using them all up? The IP address space usage per capita differs greatly between nations, which points to a digital divide. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100524_the_digital_divide_on_ip_addresses/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Don't Rely on Initial TLD Registration Volumes by Alex Tajirian When deciding to register a given domain name under any of the new ICANN-proposed top-level domains (TLDs), remember that a relatively high initial registration volume does not necessarily imply that the domain names will command high market value or that demand for them will grow. Below are some of the reasons: http://www.circleid.com/posts/dont_rely_on_initial_tld_registration_volumes/ ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Sedo Finds Domain Name Marketplace Growing Rapidly in 2010 Nearly 12,000 domain names changed hands for a total value of more than $23 million according to the latest quarterly report from Sedo, the leading online marketplace for domain names. The sales in quarter one 2010 marked Sedo's highest quarter for domain sales since 2008 and represents an 18.6 per cent increase in the number of sales compared to Q4 2009. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=11382 http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/05/24/sedo-finds-domain-name-marketplace-growing-rapidly-in-2010/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/domain-name-marketplace-growing-rapidly-in-2010-sedo-finds.html SnapNames' former VP admits "improper" conduct, says reimbursement offer rejected The former SnapNames vice president being sued by his old company for $33 million acknowledges in a legal filing today that he engaged in "improper" conduct by creating a fake account to bid in online auctions. http://blog.oregonlive.com/siliconforest/2010/05/snapnames_former_vp_admits_wro.html Nelson Brady Comes Clean in Response to SnapNames Lawsuit Nelson Brady has responded to a lawsuit filed by Oversee.net and Snapnames regarding the company?s bidding scandal. Brady admitted to many of Oversee?s allegations. The response does not implicate any other employees in the scheme, indicating that Brady acted alone and other employees did not know about his activities. http://domainnamewire.com/2010/05/26/nelson-brady-comes-clean-in-response-to-snapnames-lawsuit/ Former SnapNames executive admits improperly bidding in online auctions A former SnapNames.com executive admitted in a federal court filing Wednesday that he improperly bid on Internet domain name auctions using a false identity. http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/05/24/daily27.html ********************** REPORTS & RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Reputation Management and Social Media Online: Pew Study Overview: More than half (57%) of adult internet users say they have used a search engine to look up their name and see what information was available about them online, up from 47% who did so in 2006. Young adults, far from being indifferent about their digital footprints, are the most active online reputation managers in several dimensions. For example, more than two-thirds (71%) of social networking users ages 18-29 have changed the privacy settings on their profile to limit what they share with others online. http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Reputation-Management.aspx ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Google says it helps generate $54 billion for businesses and nonprofits A report by the Internet giant says $14 billion of that economic activity is in California, where it is based. Critics say the report is an attempt to spruce up its image as it faces greater scrutiny. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-google-impact-20100526,0,589782.story Will the iPad Save the Publishing Industry? Many in the publishing industry hope that the new iPad from Apple will save newspapers and magazines. But the sense of euphoria is far from universal. Many question what the tablet means for the future of journalism. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,696782,00.html US ranks 26th in new broadband index [IDG] South Korea has the fastest home Internet service in the world, with a downstream speed 100 times faster than the average in Sudan, the operator of Speedtest.net reported on a new Web site that compiles results from consumers running its online test. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177351/US_ranks_26th_in_new_broadband_index http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/197143/.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** au: AFP wants Facebook cop Australian Federal Police (AFP) are calling for the social networking site Facebook to employ a law enforcement expert in Australia. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/26/2909452.htm Facebook 'hindering the police' The operators of Facebook have been hampering criminal investigations and putting lives at risk by withholding information from law enforcement agencies, according to the Australian Federal Police. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/facebook-hindering-the-police-20100525-wb0y.html Facebook 'hindering the police' Facebook's woeful relationship with law enforcement bodies is hampering police investigations and putting lives at risk, the Australian Federal Police says. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-hindering-the-police-20100525-wb8u.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-hindering-the-police-20100525-wb8u.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/3738883/Aussie-police-blast-Facebook Facebook reveals new privacy controls following intense criticism from users Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a simplified method for controlling privacy on the giant social network tonight, acknowledging it had become too complicated but insisting his company was not trying to force people to share their data. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/26/facebook-new-privacy-controls-data Facebook Bows to Pressure Over Privacy Ever since Facebook was founded in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, its chief executive, has pushed its users to share more information about themselves. Time and again, users have pushed back, complaining that some new feature or setting on the site violated their privacy. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/technology/27facebook.html Q and A: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook?s Chief Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook?s founder and chief executive, held a press conference on Wednesday to showcase new simplified privacy settings for the Facebook Web site and platform. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/qa-mark-zuckerberg-facebooks-chief-executive/ Facebook reveals 'simplified' privacy changes Social network Facebook has said it will offer a one-stop shop for privacy settings in response to user concerns. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10167143.stm Facebook responds to privacy concerns Facebook has announced efforts to better guard the privacy of its more than 400 million users, addressing mounting pressure on the world's most popular online social network to protect personal data exchanged on its site. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/27/2910428.htm Facebook CEO announces revamped privacy settings Facebook's founder presented new one-click options Wednesday to help subscribers protect their privacy, responding to a torrent of complaints that it had become far too hard to determine and control levels of protection. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/26/AR2010052605145.html Do Facebook's new privacy settings let it off the hook? There was a distinct tension in Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's rhetoric as he unveiled major changes to the massive social network's much-maligned member privacy controls in a press conference on Wednesday. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20006054-36.html http://www.zdnetasia.com/do-facebook-s-new-privacy-settings-let-it-off-the-hook-62200309.htm Should Government Take On Facebook? There have been growing complaints about Facebook, its privacy settings and disclosure of users? personal information to third parties. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook?s founder and chief executive, made a new pledge this week to add privacy controls that are simpler to use. http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/should-government-take-on-facebook/ Facebook privacy settings to be made simpler Social network giant Facebook will roll out a new set of privacy settings to all its users starting on 26 May. The company said it will post the details on its blog. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10157454.stm Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg pledges easier privacy Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that Facebook "missed the mark" over recent privacy concerns. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10145863.stm Facebook 'missed the mark' on privacy [AFP] Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg says that the social network "missed the mark" with its privacy controls and will be revealing simpler features in the coming weeks. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/25/2908208.htm From Facebook, answering privacy concerns with new settings by Mark Zuckerberg Six years ago, we built Facebook around a few simple ideas. People want to share and stay connected with their friends and the people around them. If we give people control over what they share, they will want to share more. If people share more, the world will become more open and connected. And a world that's more open and connected is a better world. These are still our core principles today. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/23/AR2010052303828.html Editorial: Facebook Responds Facebook built its base of nearly 500 million users on the notion that it was a place for people to connect with each other and post their likes, dislikes, photos, activities with as wide a circle as they chose to define. Facebook, in turn, used that information to show users advertisements based on their tastes. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/opinion/25tue2.html Facebook to tweak privacy settings, says Zuckerberg Facebook is to revise its privacy settings within weeks to make it simpler for people to keep their information private, according to Mark Zuckerberg, its founder and chief executive of the giant social network. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/24/facebook-revise-privacy-zuckerberg Facebook CEO: privacy controls "missed the mark" Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the Internet social network will roll out new privacy settings for its more than 400 million users, amid growing concerns that the company is pushing users to make more of their personal data public. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64N3WV20100524 Friend or foe? FACEBOOK suddenly knows what it's like to feel the cold hard sting of rejection. At the heart of the mounting backlash against the world's biggest social networking site is a philosophical conflict over privacy - what it is, whether it matters, and who has the right to control it. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/friend-or-foe-20100526-we80.html Facebook CEO says mistakes made, privacy changes coming In the midst of a beating from users up-in-arms about its privacy policies, Facebook Inc. said on Monday that its engineers are working on making its privacy settings easier to use. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177254/Facebook_CEO_says_mistakes_made_privacy_changes_coming Facebook told to set up warning system after new sex scam [AFP] A major computer security firm urged Facebook on Tuesday to set up an early-warning system after hundreds of thousands of users were hit by a new wave of fake sex-video attacks. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/facebook-told-to-set-up-warning-system-after-new-sex-scam-20100525-waaf.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/facebook-told-to-set-up-warning-system-after-new-sex-scam-20100525-waaf.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Commercial filters on the side of web censorship GOVERNMENT firewalls and censorship are not the only threat to online freedom, with commercial filters increasingly blocking user access to websites, Tor Project founder Roger Dingledine warns. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/commercial-filters-on-the-side-of-web-censorship/story-e6frgakx-1225871515849 au: Conroy delays internet filter bill Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says he plans to introduce legislation for the Federal Government's internet filter in the second half of the year. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/24/2907994.htm Conroy unlikely to reveal secret filter forum results The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has announced the closure of an online forum used by the Australian Government and Internet service providers in discussing the implementation of the Government's proposed mandatory Internet filter. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/347631/conroy_unlikely_reveal_secret_filter_forum_results_/ http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=CFEC9089-1A64-6A71-CEE2E07896F166E5 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/052510-conroy-unlikely-to-reveal-secret.html Filtering by computer fails on judgment by George Williams, Professor of Law at the University of NSW The plan to filter the internet for material refused classification under Australian law is legally flawed. Australia's classification law is not compatible with the Rudd government's proposal, and in fact has its own problems that make it unsuitable as a basis for any internet "clean feed". http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/filtering-by-computer-fails-on-judgment-20100524-w7w1.html http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/politics/filtering-by-computer-fails-on-judgment-20100524-w7w1.html Site Helps Parents Know Kids' Online Presence Except for rare situations where children are taking extreme risks, I'm not an advocate of spying on your kids. But there is a difference between snooping and accessing publicly available information by or about your child. If you can find it online without hacking into their private accounts, so can other people. And if your child is posting inappropriate publicly available content, or if people are saying things about your child in public, you have a right to know about it. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/site-helps-parents-know-k_b_588015.html http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_15135519 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** us: Apple Is Said to Face Inquiry About Online Music The Justice Department is examining Apple?s tactics in the market for digital music, and its staff members have talked to major music labels and Internet music companies, according to several people briefed on the conversations. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/technology/26apple.html With iTunes, Apple has thrown weight around Investigators for the Department of Justice began asking questions about Apple's business practices involving digital music at least three weeks ago, multiple music industry sources told CNET. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20006019-261.html Eircom to cut broadband over illegal downloads Eircom will from today begin a process that will lead to cutting off the broadband service of customers found to be repeatedly sharing music online illegally. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0524/1224271013389.html Big Irish crackdown on net piracy The Irish Republic has begun a piracy crackdown which could see customers cut off from the net for a year. The country's biggest net firm Eircom has begun sending letters to those identified as illegal file-sharers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10152623.stm Irish ISP launches pilot program aimed at file sharers [IDG] Irish ISP Eircom launched a three-month pilot program on Monday that will see those who repeatedly share files under copyright cut off from their Internet service. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/347627/irish_isp_launches_pilot_program_aimed_file_sharers/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/052410-irish-isp-launches-pilot-program.html Apple controls 70% of U.S. music download biz Apple Inc.'s iTunes music store controls a dominant share of the U.S. digital music market, a retail industry analyst said today. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177395/Apple_controls_70_of_U.S._music_download_biz ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** I want the iPad porn-free, says Apple's Steve Jobs Having survived liver cancer and being fired by Apple, not to mention negotiations with some of the planet's toughest business brains, Steve Jobs is hardly shy of a battle ? and his latest target is pornography. He wants to keep it off Apple products. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/may/25/ipad-porn-free-steve-jobs Yahoo and Nokia join forces in bid to challenge Google and Apple Beleaguered and overshadowed by powerful competitors, the internet company Yahoo and the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia are pooling their expertise in an effort to regain an edge in crucial services such as maps, chat, navigation and email. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/24/yahoo-nokia-join-forces Yahoo and Nokia: Two brands that are so last century Although Nokia can trace its lineage back much further than Yahoo, both companies rose to prominence in the 1990s, only to fall from grace in the noughties. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/24/nokia-yahoo-google-apple-telecommunications ********************** SPAM ********************** Spam continues to plague Asian economies When Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates infamously predicted in 2004 that spam could be eradicated in two years, he probably did not expect the onslaught that was to come. http://www.zdnetasia.com/spam-continues-to-plague-asian-economies-62200283.htm ca: New anti-spam laws could be in place by end of year [The Canadian Press] The long wait for protection against identity theft and anti-spam legislation may be nearing an end. http://www.thestar.com/business/article/814278--new-anti-spam-laws-could-be-in-place-by-end-of-year http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=b3457284 http://www.brandonsun.com/business/breaking-news/federal-government-says-new-anti-spam-laws-could-be-in-place-by-end-of-year-94848914.html Ottawa brings back spam-blocking bill [The Canadian Press] The federal government is re-introducing legislation to stop unwanted spam on computers and cell phones and guard against identity theft. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100525/national/anti_spam_law_2 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** ITU calls for broadband Internet access for half the world?s population by 2015; New ITU report reviews progress towards global information society targets [news release] ITU?s World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report 2010 was launched today at the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-10), which is currently meeting in Hyderabad. The report provides a mid-term review of the progress made in creating a global information society by 2015, a commitment that governments agreed upon at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) which took place in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005. http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/25.aspx More than one in four use Internet worldwide, says ITU [IDG] About 26 per cent of the world's population were online at the end of 2009, and mobile telephony is booming with the number of mobile subscribers likely to reach the 5 billion mark this year, according to a report released Tuesday by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/347791/more_than_one_four_use_internet_worldwide_says_itu/ http://www.techworld.com.au/article/347791/more_than_one_four_use_internet_worldwide_says_itu http://www.cio.com.au/article/347791/more_than_one_four_use_internet_worldwide_says_itu/ http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/347791/more_than_one_four_use_internet_worldwide_says_itu/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/052510-more-than-one-in-four.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/197066/.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Businesses could use US cyber monitoring system [AP] A U.S. government computer security system that can detect and prevent cyber attacks should be extended to private businesses that operate critical utilities and financial services, a top Pentagon official said Wednesday. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/businesses-could-use-us-cyber-monitoring-system-20100527-wew0.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Internet privacy worries are eroding, Pew finds Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's vision for a less private Internet is slowly coming to fruition, a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project suggests. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/348036/internet_privacy_worries_eroding_pew_finds/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/052610-internet-privacy-worries-are-eroding.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/197245/.html Google faces German Street View data blunder deadline Google has not handed over sensitive data requested by German authorities, despite a deadline of 26 May. Dr Johannes Caspar, the Information Commissioner for Hamburg, Germany, told BBC News that there was "no sign" of the requested hard disk http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10161393.stm U.S. lawmakers want more Google Street View info Three U.S. lawmakers, concerned that Google Inc may have violated U.S. privacy laws, want to know how much personal data the company has gathered through its project to photograph streets across the country and how it plans to use that information. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64P71W20100526 http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-48824920100526 Facebook, Google and Twitter: custodians of our most intimate secrets We've handed our personal database to internet companies with hardly any questions asked http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/25/personal-secrets-to-internet-companies FTC Taking 'Close Look' At Google Wi-Fi Incident FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz says his agency is taking a "very, very close look" at Google's recent admission that it had been collecting more Wi-Fi data as part of its Street View service than it previously disclosed. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/05/ftc-taking-close-look-at-googl.php Privacy fears mount as ad targeting grows [AFP] In the quest for better targeted advertising, marketers are using high-tech tools that can pinpoint a person's location, demographics and habits, raising the hackles of privacy activists. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/privacy-fears-mount-as-ad-targeting-grows-20100527-wgl2.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/privacy-fears-mount-as-ad-targeting-grows-20100527-wgl2.html au: Conroy slams 'creepy' Google Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has lashed out at Google, accusing the internet giant of the single biggest breach of privacy in history. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/25/2908415.htm 'Put your money where your mouth is', Conroy told The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has not referred Google's Wi-Fi data bungle for police investigation despite claiming the company deliberately spied on Australians. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is-conroy-told-20100526-wd22.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is-conroy-told-20100526-wd22.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/no-moves-to-probe-google-spying-20100526-we7d.html Google irked by minister's 'creepy' jibe US internet group defends itself after communications minister labels its collection of WiFi data ?the single biggest breach in the history of privacy? http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9a45a802-67e1-11df-af6c-00144feab49a.html Google returns fire after Conroy privacy attack The internet giant Google today dismissed the Communications Minister's withering critique of its record on privacy. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/25/2908952.htm Google hits back at Conroy Google has hit back at Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's criticism of its record on privacy, questioning his commitment to plans to censor the internet. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/google-hits-back-at-conroy-20100526-wbj3.html 'Petulant' Conroy accuses Google of 'single greatest privacy breach' The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has accused Google of launching "the single greatest breach in the history of privacy". http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/petulant-conroy-accuses-google-of-single-greatest-privacy-breach-20100525-w937.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/petulant-conroy-accuses-google-of-single-greatest-privacy-breach-20100525-w937.html Conroy savages Facebook 'privacy' Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has launched a scathing attack on social networking site Facebook and its founder for their ''complete disregard'' for privacy. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/conroy-savages-facebook-privacy-20100525-w8bt.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/minister-slams-facebook-breaches-20100524-w89g.html Conroy: Google Wi-Fi spy was 'deliberate' Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has accused Google of deliberately collecting payload data from unsecured Wi-Fi networks. http://www.zdnet.com.au/conroy-google-wi-fi-spy-was-deliberate-339303408.htm Australia minister attacks 'creepy' Google in Web row [AFP] Australia's communications minister has called Google's privacy policy "a bit creepy" in personal attacks against the head of the company and fellow Web giant Facebook in an Internet filtering row. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/australia-minister-attacks-creepy-google-in-web-row-20100525-waby.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/australia-minister-attacks-creepy-google-in-web-row-20100525-waby.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Internet isn't the agent of regime change some hoped for For years, technologists have predicted the Internet would provide the masses with free speech that would challenge totalitarian regimes. But so far the Web has been a weak tool in the fight against censorship, technology experts said on Monday. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100525_5807.php Internet censorship proves counterproductive in curtailing terrorist recruitment Federal authorities should rely on the Internet to identify and track terrorist threats and to launch counterterrorism campaigns, but not censor websites as a means to quell online recruitment by extremist groups, civil liberty advocates told a House panel on Wednesday. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100526_9746.php France and Netherlands plan Internet anti-censorship drive [AFP] France and the Netherlands have joined forces to develop an international code of conduct against Internet censorship, the Dutch foreign ministry said Tuesday. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/france-and-netherlands-plan-internet-anticensorship-drive-20100526-wbc1.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/france-and-netherlands-plan-internet-anticensorship-drive-20100526-wbc1.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** NZ Search Bill to get major ?plain language? revision The Select Committee considering the Search and Surveillance Bill is embarking on an extensive redrafting of the bill to clarify its meaning in a number of areas that have led to public concern. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/search-bill-to-get-major-plain-language-revision Revised copyright bill still flawed: InternetNZ seminar Termination of internet accounts as a penalty for persistent copyright infringement through music and movie downloading could put people in peril of breaking the law in more serious ways, lawyer Rick Shera has told a seminar on the Copyright (infringing File-Sharing) Bill, now before Parliament. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/revised-copyright-bill-still-flawed-internetnz-seminar Consumer group calls for antitrust investigation of Google The US Department of Justice should launch a broad antitrust investigation into Google's search and advertising practices and consider a wide array of penalties, including possibly breaking the company up, a consumer group said on Wednesday. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/newmedia/consumer-group-calls-for-antitrust-investigation-of-google Google ramps up spending to influence Washington A decade ago, Google took over the World Wide Web. Now, the Internet behemoth wants to conquer something even bigger -- Washington. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100526_6920.php Google tries its hand at influence in Washington When someone as influential as Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV requests your presence at a hearing, Washington insiders know it's more of a summons than an invitation. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/25/AR2010052504496.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** EU says telecoms market 'too fragmented' Businesses and consumers across the EU are plagued by high prices because of inconsistent application of EU telecoms rules, the European Commission says. Mobile phone call charges range from 0.04 euro per minute in Latvia to 0.24 in Malta, a Commission report says. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/10156717.stm Telecoms: citizens and businesses pay the price for inconsistent application of EU rules Consumers, businesses and the EU economy as a whole are denied the full economic benefits of a truly single and competitive EU-wide telecoms market because of inconsistent application of EU telecoms rules, according to the European Commission's annual report on the Single European Electronic Communications Market. Most Member States' markets have become more competitive, but remain national in dimension. Moreover, the level of competitiveness varies strongly between Member States. Although Europe's telecoms sector weathered the financial storm in 2009 (0% growth compared to a 4.2% EU-wide economic decline), consistent enforcement of existing rules and investment in innovative services hold the key to future growth. In its Digital Agenda for Europe (IP/10/581), a flagship initiative under the Europe 2020 strategy (IP/10/225), the Commission urges the telecoms industry and EU governments to join forces to bring high-speed internet access and interactive communications services for all citizens and businesses. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/602 US Communications Law to be Reviewed Two top Democratic legislators said Monday that they would begin a process to modernize telecommunications laws that were last overhauled in 1996 but barely mention the Internet. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/technology/25broadband.html US Democrats to launch effort to rewrite Telecom Act [IDG] Four leading Democratic lawmakers will begin a process of rewriting the 14-year-old law that is the regulatory framework for the U.S. telecommunications and broadband industries, with the group ready to hear proposals starting in June, they said Monday. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177275/Democrats_to_launch_effort_to_rewrite_Telecom_Act Telecom NZ in uncharted territory A structural split of Telecom would would be a global first for any telecommunications incumbent, an analyst says. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10647258 Data hunger boosts Thai telecom services Although the political turmoil of recent weeks will inflict heavy losses on many businesses, telecom companies have seen a windfall from massive demand for data services, especially social networking such as Facebook and Twitter. http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/telecom/37636/data-hunger-boosts-telecom-services Germany moves on 4G mobile communications Fewer bidders paid far less for mobile phone frequencies in Germany's most recent spectrum auction. But new rules and a new technology could see them deliver more. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5603789,00.html ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR ONLINE CHILD PROTECTION ********************************** nz: Child porn and bestiality images earn jail term [NZPA] Storing child pornography and images of bestiality on his computer has landed an Ashburton man in jail. http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/107932/child-porn-and-bestiality-images-earn-jail-term http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/7300727/child-porn-and-bestiality-images-earn-jail-term/ us: Feds bust child porn 'social networking site' [AP] Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that they had broken up a major online international child pornography ring that at its peak had more than 1,000 members trading millions of sexually explicit images. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37367583/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/05/26/national/a141007D84.DTL +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2010 --------- David Goldstein email: goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au web: http://davidgoldstein.tel/ http://goldsteinreport.com/ phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - office/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 FlanneryReceived on Wed May 26 2010 - 22:59:39 UTC
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