**********************************************************
Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
http://www.ntu.edu.sg
/sci/sirc/
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Don't forget to check out my website - http://technewsreview.c
om.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.
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How the Queen became very well connected
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/dec/2
3/youtube.monarchy
Facebook is so last year - welcome to the hit websites of
2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2
007/dec/24/facebook.socialnetworking
China on the Web: An Accident Waiting to Happen?
http://ecommercetimes.c
om/story/China-on-the-Web-An-Accident-Waiting-to-Happen-6086
7.html
Media literacy: do people really understand how to make the
most of blogs, search engines or interactive TV?
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleases
Action.do?reference=IP/07/1970&format=HTML&aged=0&am
p;language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Filtering, etiquette questions arise as airlines introduce
in-flight Internet access [AP]
http://news.theage.com.au/filtering-etiquette
-questions-arise-as-airlines-introduce-inflight-internet-acc
ess/20071225-1iw3.html
ABS study shows 43% of all Australian households have
broadband
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1626
262405;fp;2;fpid;1
Forrester Research: 71 Percent Of European Households To
Have Broadband By 2013 [news release]
http://ww
w.forrester.com/ER/Press/Release/0,1769,1188,00.html
Pump-and-dump scam spam switches on video
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
054219
nz: Hitting the delete button
http://tv
nz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1520668
User-friendly Apple shows a blogger its ruthless core
htt
p://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/dec/23/apple
Think censor: Apple's lawyers shut down rumor site
http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/12/20/apple_censor/
Dog Owner Takes On China's Web Censors
http://www.washingtonpost.co
m/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/25/AR2007122501150.html
Thousands sought in Germany over child porn
http://
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7159331.stm
New laws set to curb minors online in Australia [AAP]
http://w
ww.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,22959950-7582,00.h
tml
Fate of Google Deal Now in E.U. Hands - Regulators Probe
DoubleClick Merger
http://www.washingtonpost.co
m/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/21/AR2007122102227.html
EU group says Google-DoubleClick deal will harm privacy
http://www.inf
oworld.com/article/07/12/20/EU-says-Google-DoubleClick-deal-
will-harm-privacy_1.html
U.S. approves Google-DoubleClick takeover
http://iht.com/articles/2007/12/20/technology/google.php
UK Government thinktank to tackle media convergence issues
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/dec/21/ofcom.th
inktanks
Germany set to prohibit online gambling [Bloomberg]
http://iht.com/articles/2007/12/27/business/gamble.php
uk: Illegal film and TV downloaders could lose their links
to the web
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/
tol/news/tech_and_web/article3097544.ece
Putting NZ high-speed plans in fast lane
http://www.stu
ff.co.nz/4337312a13.html
inCode announces Top 10 Wireless Predictions for 2008 [news
release]
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=3542
au: ACMA report identifies size of VoIP market in Australia
- Currently 269 VoIP providers in local market
http://www.net4now.com/isp_news/news_article.asp?Ne
ws_ID=5987
**********************
RESEARCH PAPERS
**********************
Cyber Warfare and the Dilemmas of International Law [Icfai
Journal of International Relations]
Abstract: Information Technology (IT) is affecting almost
all spheres of life. Individuals and societies worldwide,
have to adjust to its continuous impact. The military is no
exception. Traditional concepts are increasingly becoming
outdated. There arises the need for new military thinking,
dubbed Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). The core of RMA
is information warfare, which has various versions and
stages such as network-centric warfare (NCW),
knowledge-centric warfare (KCW), etc. Today, it is entirely
possible to 'defeat' a militarily powerful enemy by
manipulating its command and control (C2) information.
Since, the defence establishments have come to depend on
computer networks to speedily coordinate commands to their
armed forces and guide "smart weapons" and a whole
array of other tasks, paralyzing or corrupting their
computer data with a successful "cyber attack"
would lead to "defeat" without having a shot
fired. In the light of the above
reality, the conventional concepts of the laws of war turn
out to be inadequate. Definitions of terms, such as
"war", "armed conflict", "use of
force" and "attack", need thorough revision.
For instance, it is conceivable that a cyber attack is
launched by civilian experts on the government without
direct involvement. The attack on computers are in the
civilian, even commercial, and private domain. An attack on
key targets such as power supply, transportation, health
care, banking and financial transactions and military C2,
would lead to a catastrophe on an unthinkable scale. It
would be equivalent to consequences unleashed by an attack
with weapons of mass destruction (WMD). But would such an
"attack" qualify as such under International Law?
The latter needs "platform-centric warfare",
"kinetics" (use of traditional force or violence),
and engagement of the military to be activated. In our
hypothetical case, no trace of these indicators are to be
found.
The need of the hour, hence, is to switch to
"effects-based" legal concepts.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=104
6001
The Law of Unintended Consequences – embedded business
models in IT regulation by Chris Reed [Warwick University
Journal of Information, Law & Technology]
This article attempts to identify the structural defects in
IT regulation which have produced these unintended
consequences, and discusses how those defects might be
remedied in future regulation. It concentrates on IT
regulation at the European Union level, both because that
regulation has wide geographical application and because it
often serves as a model for other countries’ regulation.
It should be noted that the structural defects identified
are not unique to EU regulation, and some examples from
other jurisdictions are given to demonstrate this.
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/jilt/2007_2/
reed
Web 2.0 and User-Generated Content: legal challenges in the
new frontier by Dr Carlisle George & Dr Jackie Scerri
[Warwick University Journal of Information, Law &
Technology]
Abstract: The advent of Web 2.0 has enabled a host of new
services and possibilities on the Internet. Among many new
possibilities, users can easily upload online content that
can be accessed, viewed and downloaded by other users around
the globe. This has resulted in an explosive growth of
User-Generated Content (UGC) which although creating
exciting opportunities for users, presents many challenges,
especially related to law and regulation. This paper
discusses Web 2.0, UGC and the legal /regulatory challenges
that have arisen in this new ‘frontier’ characterised by
having a liberating democratic ethos (on one hand) but also
sometimes tainted with illegal activity and disregard for
accepted norms. Citing various researched case studies and
legal cases, the paper highlights possible ‘dangers’
where traditional legal rules may be inadequate to address
certain types of online activity, and discusses many of the
legal challenges which this new
frontier brings. These challenges are widespread and relate
to intellectual property, liability, defamation,
pornography, hate speech, privacy, confidentiality and
jurisdiction among others. The paper also discusses the role
of intermediaries (web hosts and service providers) and
whether they can aid in effectively policing the new Web 2.0
frontier. Finally the paper attempts to discuss possible
solutions for the way forward.
Keywords Web 2.0, Internet, User Generated Content, Legal
Rules, Protection
Regulating Cyberstalking by Subhajit Basu & Richard
Jones [Warwick University Journal of Information, Law &
Technology]
Abstract: Through the use of examples of cyber stalking the
paper will consider the nature of regulation required in
relation to this behaviour in cyberspace. The paper will
consider the differences between off line and cyber
stalking, and review how these differences affect the
regulation of such activities. The paper will review the
boundaries between public and private law, between national
and international law and between state law and self
regulation, and consider whether the traditional positivist
methodology of law, within these boundaries offers an
adequate intellectual framework in which to consider the
nature and form of regulation in cyberspace.
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/jilt/2
007_2/basu_jones
Key Words: Cyberspace, Cyber-stalking, Cyber-harassment,
Regulation, Anonymity, Jurisdiction, Positivism
Factors Affecting Internet Shopping Behaviour in Singapore:
Gender and Educational Issues by Tak-Kee Hui & David Wan
[International Journal of Consumer Studies]
Abstract: Despite the increasing number of online users and
products that are being offered on the Web, there is
relatively little work that specifically examines the role
of gender and educational level on the attitudes of Internet
users in the Singapore context. Our findings reveal that
there is a general consensus amongst Singaporeans that the
Internet is a convenient medium for information search or
making purchases. The better-educated respondents seem to be
less concerned with security issues. They also perceive that
Internet shopping provides better prices and more cost
savings. Females indicate a strong dislike for not being
able to savour a physically fulfilling shopping experience
online.
http://ssrn.com/abst
ract=1061917
Social Media and Search by Junghoo Cho & Andrew Tomkins
[IEEE Computer Society]
The past few years have witnessed the rapid rise of social
media Web sites such as Flickr, del.icio.us, YouTube,
Myspace, and Facebook, as well as the proliferation of
“mashup” applications created when users combine
services from multiple sources. These sites contain
user-generated content in various forms, from plain text to
rich multimedia. In fact, most publicly available text
content created during the next 24 hours will be generated
by end users, rather than professional writers, journalists,
corporate communications departments, or others whose job it
is to create and publish content. Furthermore, end users
will generate an additional two orders of magnitude more
text that they will send privately to other users through a
communications channel such as email.1 The emergence of user
content as the dominant content form on the Web raises
various questions about the most effective approach to
processing it.
http://www.computer.org/portal/site/dsonline
/menuitem.9ed3d9924aeb0dcd82ccc6716bbe36ec/index.jsp?&pN
ame=dso_level1&path=dsonline/2007/12&file=w6gei.xml&
amp;xsl=article.xsl&
The Internet economy: Towards a better future
Can you remember life before the Internet? Though quite a
new technology, for many of us a world without the web has
become as unthinkable as a world without telephones. But
what of the future? Can the benefits of this extraordinary
technology be multiplied, and how can the thornier
challenges be met?
http:
//www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/2330/The_Inter
net_economy:_Towards_a_better_future_.html
**********************
INTERNET USE
**********************
How the Queen became very well connected
The Queen has taken a bold stride into cyberspace by
launching her own channel on the video-sharing website
YouTube. The Royal Channel launched as Buckingham Palace
seeks to promote Britain's monarch to a youthful global
audience. While aides were utterly convinced it was the way
forward, the 81-year-old Queen - who only recently mastered
emailing and had never used a personal computer until two
years ago - was not immediately acquainted with the YouTube
phenomenon. But after the concept was explained to her by,
among others, her granddaughters Princesses Beatrice and
Eugenie - both avid Facebook fans - she personally approved
the channel's go-ahead after viewing its contents.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/dec/2
3/youtube.monarchy
Facebook is so last year - welcome to the hit websites of
2008
For many in the dotcom world, 2007 was dominated by one
story: the rise of Facebook. The success of the social
networking service has increased optimism about the internet
industry. After all, if Microsoft is prepared to buy a 1.6%
share for $240m (£121m), there is evidence that good ideas
can be worth a lot of money. It is no surprise then that
investors are looking for the next big thing - and these are
some of the favourites.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2
007/dec/24/facebook.socialnetworking
China on the Web: An Accident Waiting to Happen?
With some 1.3 billion people in its emerging economy, the
lure of China's market is compelling. "The temptation
is huge, not just for corporations but for the U.S.
government itself," Morton Sklar, executive director of
the World Organization for Human Rights USA, told the
E-Commerce Times. "We are dependent on China in so many
ways, it makes it more difficult for us to criticize
them."
http://ecommercetimes.c
om/story/China-on-the-Web-An-Accident-Waiting-to-Happen-6086
7.html
Media literacy: do people really understand how to make the
most of blogs, search engines or interactive TV?
The media are changing, and so is citizens' use of such
media. New information and communication technologies make
it much easier for anybody to retrieve and disseminate
information, communicate, publish or even broadcast. The
ability of people to critically analyse what they find in
the media and to make more informed choices – called
'media literacy' – therefore becomes even more essential
for active citizenship and democracy. Following an EU-wide
survey last year, the European Commission has announced
today its plans to encourage the development of media
literacy and the exchange of good practice across Europe.
http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleases
Action.do?reference=IP/07/1970&format=HTML&aged=0&am
p;language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Filtering, etiquette questions arise as airlines introduce
in-flight Internet access [AP]
Seat 17D is yapping endlessly on an Internet phone call.
Seat 16F is flaming Seat 16D with expletive-laden chats.
Seat 16E is too busy surfing porn sites to care. Seat 17C
just wants to sleep. Welcome to the promise of the Internet
at 33,000 feet - and the questions of etiquette, openness
and free speech that airlines and service providers will
have to grapple with as they bring Internet access to the
skies in the coming months.
http://news.theage.com.au/filtering-etiquette
-questions-arise-as-airlines-introduce-inflight-internet-acc
ess/20071225-1iw3.html
http://news.smh.com.au/filtering-etiquette-quest
ions-arise-as-airlines-introduce-inflight-internet-access/20
071225-1iw3.html
h
ttp://iht.com/articles/2007/12/25/business/air.php
In-flight Internet builds on Boeing plan
Airlines and service providers seeking to deliver high-speed
Internet services to passengers say they've learned from
Boeing Co.'s 2006 decision to pull the plug on its ambitions
to outfit its planes with a similar service. Analysts say
Boeing's failed Connexion online service was costly to
install and operate, resulting in large expenditures before
getting a single paying customer. An industrywide downturn
triggered by the 2001 terrorist attacks made the system an
even tougher sell to struggling airlines.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-internet25dec25,1,41517.story
China's Mobile Internet Income Will Reach 52.2 Billion in
2011
According to Analysys International's latest report, in 2011
the scale of China's Wireless Application Protocol market
will reach 52.2 billion. From 2007 to 2011, the average
annual compound growth rate of the WAP market will be 44%.
From 2003 to 2011, the average annual compound growth rate
of mobile operator's income will be 84% and the average
annual compound growth rate of service providers will be
57%.
http:/
/www.chinatechnews.com/2007/12/26/6231-chinas-mobile-interne
t-income-will-reach-522-billion-in-2011/
Google stands firm on Reader sharing as users' ire grows
Google Inc. yesterday said it would consider tweaking a new
sharing feature of its Reader service, the only concession
thus far to a users' revolt that's been building on blogs
and message forums for nearly two weeks. On Dec. 14, Google
announced that Reader, its RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
feed service, would link with contacts from Google Talk, the
company's instant messenger, and Gmail, its Web-based e-mail
service. Any feed tagged to "Share" in Reader
would be visible to any Talk or Gmail contact.
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
054398
ABS study shows 43% of all Australian households have
broadband
Nearly half of Australian households have broadband
connections, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed on
Thursday. The ABS' Household Use Of Information Technology
study shows broadband connections jumped over a million to
3.5 million in the past year. All up this comprises 43% of
all households. The total number of Australians in 2006-07
who had home Internet access was 64%. The proportion of
households with dial-up Internet access decreased from 51%
to 32% during this twelve-month period.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;
1626262405;fp;2;fpid;1
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1626
262405;fp;2;fpid;1
au: Broadband internet a hit at home
The number of Australian households wired with broadband
internet access has hit 3.5 million, representing 43 per
cent of all homes. A million more households have signed-up
for broadband internet since 2005/06, the Australian Bureau
of Statistics said.
http://ww
w.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22954235-16123,
00.html
au: Household Use of Information Technology, Australia,
2006-07
For information on Australians's use of new technology
including households with broadband, see the ABS report at:
http://abs.gov.au/AUSS
TATS/abs .nsf/ProductsbyReleaseDate/ACC2D18CC958BC7BCA2568A900
1393AE
uk: Logging on to the sales becomes a new Christmas Day
tradition
Despite the credit squeeze and warnings of a recession,
thousands of Britons began sale-shopping on Christmas Day
this year thanks to online technology. In a continuing
cultural shift that many commentators say has helped turn
Christmas from a religious season of goodwill to a
consumerist one of acquisition, many retailers began their
online sales early yesterday.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/ar
ticle3284882.ece
Britain, a nation online
Internet shopping signalled its growing domination of
Britain’s consumer habits yesterday as millions began
their annual sales hunt from their armchairs. More than 3.5
million shoppers – 770,000 more than attended Anglican
church services – racked up total online sales of around
£53 million in what was retailers’ busiest Christmas Day
ever.
http://business.timesonl
ine.co.uk/tol/business/money/consumer_affairs/article3095543
.ece
us: Labor Board Restricts Union Use of E-Mail
The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that employers
have the right to prohibit workers from using the
company’s e-mail system to send out union-related
messages, a decision that could hamper communications
between labor unions and their membership.
htt
p://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/us/23labor.html
Forrester Research: 71 Percent Of European Households To
Have Broadband By 2013 [news release]
Residential broadband penetration in Western Europe is set
to rise by 48 million households over the next six years,
from 44 percent penetration at the end of 2007 to 71 percent
by the end of 2013, according to a new study by Forrester
Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR). Over the same period,
Forrester projects the continual marginalization of dial-up
services, which will account for only two percent of all
online connections. The impact of of emerging technologies
such as WiMAX and FTTH will be limited to eight percent of
all Internet connections.
http://ww
w.forrester.com/ER/Press/Release/0,1769,1188,00.html
comScore Ranks Top Web Sites in France for November [news
release]
... Google was the most visited property in France in
November, with 19.6 million unique visitors age 15 or older,
reaching 69 percent of the total French Internet audience.
It was followed by Microsoft Sites which attracted nearly 18
million unique visitors, a 64 percent reach. The fastest
growing of the top ten properties was multi-channel
retailer, Groupe PPR, owner of sites such as Laredoute.fr
and Fnac.com. The property grew 10 percent from October,
attracting 10.7 million unique visitors in November, a 38
percent reach and its largest ever online audience.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1982
comScore Ranks Top Web Sites in U.K. for November [news
release]
... Google was the most visited property in November, with
29 million unique visitors age 15 or older, and reaching 89
percent of the total U.K. Internet audience. Google was
followed by Microsoft Sites, which attracted 27.3 million
unique visitors, an 84 percent reach. Online pure play
retailer Amazon Sites was the fastest growing top ten
property, increasing total traffic 13 percent to 16.2
million unique visitors – its highest ever U.K. audience.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1977
**********************
SOCIAL NETWORKING
**********************
Social networking sites in the Netherlands join forces in
protecting the privacy of teenagers
Most Dutch teenagers don’t mind that people can see the
personal information they put online via social networking
sites. To make teenagers more aware of the possible risks
and to protect their online privacy more effectively popular
social networking sites in the Netherlands will join forces
next year to produce guidelines.
http://www.saferintern
et.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/1207/dutch_social_netw
orks.htm
About Facebook
When one of America's largest electronic surveillance
systems was launched in Palo Alto a year ago, it sparked an
immediate national uproar. The new system tracked roughly 9
million Americans, broadcasting their photographs and
personal information on the Internet; 700,000 web-savvy
young people organized online protests in just days. Time
declared it "Gen Y's first official revolution,"
while a Nation blogger lauded students for taking privacy
activism to "a mass scale." Yet today, the
activism has waned, and the surveillance continues largely
unabated.
http://w
ww.thenation.com/doc/20080107/melber
Online social networking frenzy points to Internet's future
Online social networking websites saw their ranks swell and
values soar this year as everyone from moody teenagers and
mellow music lovers to mate-seeking seniors joined online
communities.
http://news.
smh.com.au/online-social-networking-frenzy-points-to-interne
ts-future/20071227-1j2h.html
http://ne
ws.theage.com.au/online-social-networking-frenzy-points-to-i
nternets-future/20071227-1j2h.html
**********************
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
**********************
4G inches closer with Nokia Siemens tests
The fourth generation of mobile broadband has moved closer
to reality, following fresh trials by Nokia Siemens
Networks. Nokia Siemens Networks' tests, announced last
week, involved Long Term Evolution (LTE), a potential
successor to 3G. Offering theoretical data rates of up to
173 megabits per second, LTE is in something of a race to
market with mobile WiMax, only promises which around 70Mbps
but has a significant head start. The fastest currently
available mobile broadband, HSDPA, offers around 7.2Mbps.
http://w
ww.news.com/2100-1039_3-6223917.html
http:
//news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6223917.html
Japan's NTT DoCoMo To Tie Up With Google, Sources Say
Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc is considering a tie-up with Google,
adopting the Web giant's search and e-mail features in its
mobile phone Internet service.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle
.jhtml?articleID=205202960
Inside Apple Stores, a Certain Aura Enchants the Faithful
... The party inside [the Midtown Manhattan] store and in
203 other Apple stores around the world is one reason the
company’s stock is up nearly 135 percent for the year. By
contrast, high-flying Google is up about 52 percent, while
the tech-dominated Nasdaq index is up 12 percent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/business/27apple.html
**********************
SPAM
**********************
Pump-and-dump scam spam switches on video
Pump-and-dump stock scammers have begun spiking their spam
with high-quality video clips -- the latest move in a
long-running scheme that in the past has relied on image
files, PDF documents and even robotic audio to dupe
consumers, a security company said today.
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
054219
Spam's New Nemesis: 'Trust-Based' Messages
... Spammers sent nearly 11 trillion spam e-mails in 2007,
edging out legitimate messages. And more of those unwanted
pitches are getting through even the most elaborate
corporate filtering systems. But help is on the way, says
David Crocker, who has been contributing to e-mail standards
since the 1970s. A new Internet standard called Domain Keys
Identified Mail, or DKIM, uses software and special codes to
discern messages from companies and people we know, or who
are already vetted by a third party screener.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/ar
ticles/newstex/IBD-0001-21797691.htm
nz: Hitting the delete button
Experts say the volume of unwanted emails will get much
worse over the next few months despite expensive efforts to
stamp them out.
http://tv
nz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1520668
**********************
DIGITAL DIVIDE
**********************
OLPC struggles to realize ambitious vision
Greeted with fanfare and kudos when its prototype PC was
shown off by Nicholas Negroponte and United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan more than two years ago at the
World Symposium on the Information Society in Tunis, the One
Laptop Per Child project is now beset by waning orders and
competition from commercial vendors that threaten to
sideline the nonprofit effort.
http://www.pcworld.
com/article/id,140698-c,notebooks/article.html
http://www.washingtonpost.co
m/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/20/AR2007122001197.html
**************************
ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
**************************
Cyber Crime 2.0
The year 2007 may go down in the annals of Internet crime as
the year when organized cyber criminals finally got serious
about their marketing strategies -- crafting cyber schemes
that were significantly more sophisticated and stealthy.
Security experts say criminals are increasingly trying to
ensnare Internet users by lurking on familiar Web sites and
using purloined data to craft scam e-mails that are more
believable, and thus more likely to entice an unsuspecting
user.
http://www.washingtonpost.co
m/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/20/AR2007122001266.html
Digital Vigilantes: The White Knight of Phish-Busting
Until just a few months ago, Gary Warner did not have the
kind of day job you'd expect from an anti-phishing crusader.
He didn't work for a security vendor or a bank, or any kind
of company you'd expect to care about phishing. Warner's
career as a cyber-sleuth began on Halloween 2000. That's
when his company's Web site was defaced by a hacker named
Pimpshiz as part of a pro-Napster Internet graffiti
campaign. "My boss came to me and said, 'Find out who
did this and put them in jail,'" said Warner, who was
at the time an IT staffer with Energen, a Birmingham,
Alabama oil and gas company.
http://www.pcworld.
com/article/id,140736-c,cybercrime/article.html
Russians close to prosecuting 'Pinch' Trojan authors [IDG]
Russia may soon prosecute the authors of the
"Pinch" Trojan, an easy-to-use malicious software
program available on the Internet that steals a variety of
data. Nikolay Patrushev, who heads Russia's Federal Security
Services, said earlier this week that Pinch's authors had
been identified and would be taken to court, according to a
blog posting by Russian security vendor Kaspersky Lab.
http://www.in
foworld.com/article/07/12/21/Russians-close-to-prosecuting-P
inch-Trojan-authors_1.html
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
053922
http://www.pcworld.
com/article/id,140757-c,trojanhorses/article.html
Storm botnet drops strippers, switches to New Year's
greeting
Just a day after unleashing spam featuring Christmas
strippers, the Storm botnet switched gears yesterday and
began duping users into infecting their own PCs by
bombarding them with messages touting the new year, said
security researchers.
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
054119
U.S. court of appeals hands Google a patent setback [IDG]
Google Inc.'s browser tool bar is back in court on patent
infringement charges, after a U.S. court of appeals
overturned part of a lower court decision. Google's AdSense
contextual advertising service, though, is in the clear.
Hyperphrase Technologies LLC filed suit against Google in
April 2006, alleging that Google's AdSense and the AutoLink
function of its tool bar infringed on four Hyperphrase
patents relating to the contextual linking and presentation
of information. The U.S. District Court for the Western
District of Wisconsin rejected the allegations in a summary
judgment in Google's favor; Hyperphrase appealed.
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
054279
http://www.infoworl
d.com/article/07/12/27/court-of-appeals-hands-Google-patent-
setback_1.html
http://www.pcworld.
com/article/id,140857-c,browsers/article.html
Lawsuit against Google revived [Bloomberg]
Google Inc., owner of the most frequently used Internet
search engine, must answer a Wisconsin company's lawsuit
over a browser toolbar feature that generates Web links from
computer search data, a federal appeals court decided
Wednesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit revived part of HyperPhrase Technologies'
lawsuit, throwing out a lower court ruling that Google's
AutoLink feature didn't infringe the company's patents.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-google27dec27,1
,1276258.story
User-friendly Apple shows a blogger its ruthless core
Visitors to ThinkSecret.com, a well-known site which
publishes rumours and gossip about forthcoming Apple
products, found an intriguing notice on the front page last
Thursday.
htt
p://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/dec/23/apple
With deal, Apple settles last of lawsuits to stop leaks
Apple put to rest the last of a series of lawsuits it
brought in a losing and costly effort to put a stop to Web
leaks about its product plans. The suits raised questions
about whether independent Web publishers should be accorded
the same legal protections as traditional journalists. They
were aimed at the gaggle of Apple enthusiasts who have made
both a sport and a business out of pre-empting Steven Jobs's
big product announcements.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/12/21/business/apple.php
Apple plugs website leak in deal with student
The technology group Apple has come in for criticism after
forcing a website dedicated to reporting on the company's
activities to close down.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/dec/22/
internet.apple
Apple shuts down rumours website
Apple has settled a legal row with tip site Think Secret
that will see the website shut down. The legal battle
between Apple and the site blew up in January 2005 when
Think Secret revealed details of the Mac Mini before its
official unveiling. Apple brought the lawsuit to make the
fan site reveal who had leaked details about the cut-down
computer.
htt
p://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7155332.stm
Apple snuffs out Think Secret site
One of the web's highly rated technology news sites is
shutting down after reaching a legal settlement in a
long-running lawsuit brought by Apple. Think Secret, an
Apple rumour website run by Harvard student Nicholas
Ciarelli since 1998, has issued a terse three sentence
statement giving few details about the agreement reached
between the two opposing parties but clearly running up the
white flag.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/12/21/1197740480
967.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/12/21/1197
740480967.html
Apple suit picks off Mac rumour site
Apple and a popular website that published company secrets
about the maker of the Mac computer, the iPhone and the iPod
have reached a settlement that calls for the site to shut
down.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.
cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10483693
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/i
dUKN2019586620071220
Think censor: Apple's lawyers shut down rumor site
In December, 2005, Nicholas Ciarelli, a well-connected young
tech journalist who went by the pen name Nick de Plume,
published a juicy bit of dish on his Web site. According to
"highly reliable sources," Apple would soon be
releasing "a bare bones, G4-based iMac without a
display," he wrote. Ciarelli's site, Think Secret, was
known as among the more reliable in the vibrant online
community of Apple rumor pages, which seek to feed an ardent
community's hunger for inside information from a company
legendary for keeping its lips sealed. This latest piece was
big news, and it got even bigger when Apple went on the
offensive -- the company filed suit against Think Secret and
"unnamed individuals" who'd given the site its
secrets.
http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/12/20/apple_censor/
The Global Pillage: Internet piracy is best tackled by the
industry itself
People hear want they want to hear. And, these days, they
also watch what they want to watch and read what they want
to read, at a time of their choice, and without paying. The
unchecked rise of downloading of films, music and even books
means that millions of people worldwide now get their
entertainment easily, online and without entering a shop or
cinema. The creative industries are suffering mightily as a
consequence; the main US film studios lost an estimated $2.3
billion (£1.15 billion) to internet piracy in 2005, and the
British music industry says it has lost £1.1 billion since
2005. As a great deal of online downloading is illegal, it
is understandable that industries want to press for the
enforcement of laws broken and to stem the loss of profit.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comm
ent/leading_article/article3097604.ece
us: Man held over teenage web porn star killing
A man has been arrested over the gruesome killing of a US
student who lived a double life as a web sex starlet. Israel
Mireles, 24, was arrested in Mexico over the death of Emily
Sander and would be extradited to the US, police said
yesterday.
http://www.news.com.au
/story/0,23599,22957416-2,00.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/natio
n/la-na-studentdeath19,1,4194728.story
uk: How online fraudsters helped themselves on Christmas Day
While families settled down to a day of unwrapping presents
and second helpings of turkey and mince pies, criminals were
also indulging in another form of seasonal cheer in the most
fraud-ridden Christmas Day in Britain’s online history.
http://business.timesonl
ine.co.uk/tol/business/money/consumer_affairs/article3095537
.ece
uk: Crackdown urged on rip-off web ticket touts
Internet auction sites such as eBay are colluding with
ticket touting gangs to obtain seats for top sports events
and concerts, which are then sold to fans at rip-off prices,
an inquiry by MPs has found. Web-based black market ticket
agencies collaborate with rings of touts who obtain large
numbers of seats then sell them online, the Culture, Media
and Sport select committee will claim next month.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/dec/23/
crime.internet
**************************
PRIVACY
**************************
Google's DoubleClick Deal Brings Greater Focus on Privacy
Nearly lost in the news about the U.S. Federal Trade
Commission's approval on Thursday of Google's acquisition of
DoubleClick was another action by the agency: the
publication of a proposed set of privacy principles
governing online behavioral advertising. The release of the
privacy principles is an important and welcome step, said
Peter Swire, a senior fellow at the Center for American
Progress, a liberal think tank, and a law professor at Ohio
State University. Although some privacy groups blasted the
FTC for approving Google's DoubleClick deal, the acquisition
has helped place focus on the entire online advertising
industry's privacy practices, Swire said.
http://www.pcworld.
com/article/id,140770-c,onlineprivacy/article.html
Google replies to lawmaker's concerns on privacy [IDG]
Google has responded to a congressman's series of questions
about its privacy practices, with the company defending its
use of consumer data. Representative Joe Barton, a Texas
Republican, sent a letter to Google Chairman and CEO Eric
Schmidt Dec. 12, after privacy groups raised questions about
the implications of Google's $3.1 billion acquisition of
online ad server DoubleClick.
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
054118
http://www.info
world.com/article/07/12/24/Google-replies-to-lawmakers-quest
ions-on-privacy_1.html
**********************
CENSORSHIP
**********************
uk: Manhunt 2 to face court challenge
British censors win the right to fight the release of video
game Manhunt 2 in the High Court.
htt
p://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7156169.stm
Dog Owner Takes On China's Web Censors
Outraged that his Internet posting about dogs had been
banned, Chen Yuhua wrote to the mayor of Beijing. No answer.
He wrote to the city council. Still no answer. When all else
failed, he consulted a lawyer, studied China's civil code
and marched into court with a lawsuit.
http://www.washingtonpost.co
m/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/25/AR2007122501150.html
Watchdog: Beijing Threatens Free Speech [AP]
A Beijing city regulation clamping down on people who send
text messages that "spread rumors" or
"endanger public security" is a threat to freedom
of expression, a watchdog group said Monday. China Human
Rights Defenders, an international network of activists and
rights monitoring groups, said the recent regulation on text
messages "raises serious concerns over the restriction
of freedom of expression in China."
http://news.smh.com.au/watchdog-
beijing-threatens-free-speech/20071225-1ivr.html
http://news.theage.com.au/wat
chdog-beijing-threatens-free-speech/20071225-1ivr.html
Vietnam must regulate blogs, say officials
Vietnam needs to control blogs to prevent the spread of
subversive and sexually explicit content, communist
government officials said according to a state media report
Wednesday.
http://news.smh.com.au/vietna
m-must-regulate-blogs-say-officials/20071226-1j0y.html
http://news.theage.com.au/
vietnam-must-regulate-blogs-say-officials/20071226-1j0y.html
************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
************************************************
Students Wanted for International Online Meeting to be Held
in bond [news release]
An International Youth Advisory Congress on Online Safety
and Security will be held in bond, England from July 16 to
July 22, 2008. Twenty students will be selected to represent
the United States at the conference. Students between the
ages of eleven and sixteen who are Internet-savvy and wish
to be considered for one of the twenty U.S. spots have until
January 25, 2008, to submit an application. A total of 300
students from Australia, Canada, the European Union, and the
United States will attend the conference.
http://www.
missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?Languag
eCountry=en_US&PageId=3492
Thousands sought in Germany over child porn
German prosecutors are investigating 12,000 suspected
members of a child sex abuse network on the internet - the
biggest in the country's history. A senior public prosecutor
said the suspects were accused of downloading or possessing
illegal images of children. The investigation, which has
been going on for several months, also points to suspects in
about 70 other countries.
http://
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7159331.stm
New laws set to curb minors online in Australia [AAP]
New restrictions on online chatrooms, websites and mobile
phone content will be introduced within a month to stop
children viewing unsuitable material. From January 20 new
laws will be in effect, imposing tougher rules for companies
that sell entertainment-related content on subscription
internet sites and mobile phones. It is the first time
content service providers will have to check that people
accessing MA15-plus content are aged over 15 years and those
accessing R18-plus and X18-plus content are over 18.
http://w
ww.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,22959950-7582,00.h
tml
http://
www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22959799-50
01028,00.html
http://
www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22959484-50
01021,00.html
http://www.zdn
et.com.au/news/communications/soa/New-laws-block-kids-access
-to-Web-mobile-content/0,130061791,339284729,00.htm
New rules for age-restricted internet and mobile content
[news release]
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has
determined new rules that for the first time implement a
uniform approach for restricting access to MA15+ and R18+
content accessed through the internet or by mobile phones.
The new Restricted Access Systems Declaration places
obligations on all content service providers to check that
individuals accessing restricted content provided in
Australia are at least 15 years of age for MA15+ content or
18 years of age for R18+ content. The new rules, which come
into effect on 20 January 2008, arise from legislation
passed in July 2007.
http
://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_310907
Australia to enforce a "ratings system" on web,
track users
While Aussies may be proud to be among the first to ring in
the New Year, more than a few aren't happy about the
impending enforcement of new age verification rules online
by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
The rules are meant to protect children from online content,
but what the Communications Legislation Amendment (Content
Services) Act of 2007 actually does is put a serious burden
on adults to self-police, while making it much harder for
online publishers to freely share their work. Worse yet,
it's another misguided attempt to make the Internet into a
playground for children where they won't need supervision.
http:
//arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071223-australia-to-enforc
e-a-ratings-system-on-web-track-users.html
Safety top reason for buying children cell phones [Reuters]
Most parents who are thinking of buying cell phones for
their children this Christmas are doing so for safety
reasons, according to a new survey. An online poll of 339
parents found that 78 percent were considering getting a
cell phone for their children so they could be in contact
with them in case of an emergency.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/i
dUKN2016984820071220
http:
//news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6223675.html
**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
EU Internet Gaming Companies Seek Formal Probe Of U.S. Trade
Practices
A trade association representing European Internet gambling
companies is filing a formal complaint against the United
States, charging that the country discriminates by
prosecuting foreign gambling companies. The Remote Gambling
Association alleges that the U.S. Department of Justice has
discriminated and violated World Trade Organization rules by
threatening and prosecuting criminal cases, seeking
forfeitures and enforcing other penalties on foreign gaming
companies, while not prosecuting U.S. online gaming
operators, primarily those who facilitate racetrack betting.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle
.jhtml?articleID=205200326
Fate of Google Deal Now in E.U. Hands - Regulators Probe
DoubleClick Merger
European regulators are investigating whether a proposed
merger of the Internet search engine Google and the dominant
online advertiser DoubleClick would violate competition
regulations, even as U.S. authorities approved an American
marriage between the two companies Thursday. The European
Commission's "initial market investigation indicated
that the proposed merger would raise competition concerns in
the markets," the commission said in a statement
announcing its recent decision to launch an investigation.
http://www.washingtonpost.co
m/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/21/AR2007122102227.html
EU group says Google-DoubleClick deal will harm privacy
European consumer groups warned the European Commission
Thursday that Google's plan to take over the online
advertising company DoubleClick, currently under
investigation, would erode consumers' privacy and would push
up prices for online goods and services. In a letter to
competition commissioner Neelie Kroes, BEUC, the
pan-European Union consumer group, together with three
national associations, urged the Commission to use its
powers to block the deal in its current form.
http://www.inf
oworld.com/article/07/12/20/EU-says-Google-DoubleClick-deal-
will-harm-privacy_1.html
European lobby rejects Google-Doubleclick merger [Reuters]
Continent's top consumer group says the planned takeover's
intrusion into individual privacy is over the top. Google's
planned takeover of online ad giant DoubleClick for $3.1
billion will harm European citizens through greater
intrusion into their privacy, the continent's top consumer
group said Thursday. "The Google/DoubleClick merger
would harm consumer welfare by creating a structure that
almost certainly will be less respectful of user
privacy," the BEUC said Thursday in a letter to the
European Commission this week.
http://w
ww.news.com/2100-1030_3-6223610.html
Microsoft’s Arguments Against Google-DoubleClick Marriage
It is well known that Microsoft has been leading a heated
effort to block Google from purchasing DoubleClick. Not only
did Microsoft hire the public relations firm
Burson-Marsteller to create a group called the Initiative
for Competitive Online Marketplace to fight the deal, but
the tech giant has also had its team of antitrust lawyers
and lobbyists knocking on the doors of the Federal Trade
Commission. Their efforts apparently did not succeed — the
commission approved the merger on Thursday — but they are
bound to take their same bullets overseas to try to convince
the European Commission, which could still block the deal.
http://bits.bl
ogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/microsofts-arguments-against-goog
le-doubleclick-marriage/
Google Closes In on DoubleClick Deal
Score one for Google. The Federal Trade Commission ruled
Dec. 20 that it would not block Google's (GOOG) proposed
$3.1 billion acquisition of leading online ad-serving and
tracking firm DoubleClick. The 4-1 decision in Google's
favor marked a major win for the Web search Goliath, which
is battling to expand its considerable share of the $30
billion online advertising market beyond tiny text ads
related to Web queries.
http://businessweek.com/technology/conte
nt/dec2007/tc20071220_235248.htm
FTC OKs Google-DoubleClick deal [IDG]
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will not try to
block Google Inc.'s acquisition of online ad-serving vendor
DoubleClick Inc., the agency said today. The commission
voted 4-1 to approve the deal after an eight-month
investigation. "After carefully reviewing the evidence,
we have concluded that Google's proposed acquisition of
DoubleClick is unlikely to substantially lessen
competition," the majority wrote in a statement.
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
053726
Privacy groups say Google-DoubleClick merger will hurt
consumers
Google Inc.'s pending $3.1 billion acquisition of online
ad-serving vendor DoubleClick Inc. will hurt consumers,
according to two privacy groups opposed to the wholesale
approval of the deal. The responses came after the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission voted 4-to-1 today to approve the
deal, saying Google's proposed acquisition of DoubleClick is
unlikely to substantially lessen competition. In the wake of
its decision, the FTC also proposed new principles to
address important consumer privacy concerns associated with
online behavioral advertising.
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
053804
Q&A: Rotenberg fears Internet 'privacy meltdown' from
Google-DoubleClick combo
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said today that it won't
try to block Google Inc.'s planned acquisition of online
ad-serving vendor DoubleClick Inc., or seek to impose any
privacy protection requirements in return for allowing the
$3.1 billion deal to go through. The Electronic Privacy
Information Center (EPIC) was one of three privacy groups
that previously had filed a petition asking the FTC to put a
stop to the acquisition unless Google made significant
changes to its data privacy policy. In an interview with
Computerworld that was conducted before the FTC announced
its decision, Marc Rotenberg, executive director of
Washington-based EPIC, contended that the combination of
Google and DoubleClick would give the search engine giant
"the deepest and broadest profile of Internet users of
any company in the world" -- with virtually no legal
limits on how it could use that data. Excerpts from the
interview follow:
http://computerworld.co
m/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9
053799
U.S. approves Google-DoubleClick takeover
The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday that it had
cleared Google's proposed takeover of DoubleClick, the
digital marketing company, saying that the deal was
"unlikely to substantially lessen competition" in
the Internet advertising realm.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/12/20/technology/google.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/business/21adco.html
FTC approves Google deal despite privacy concerns
In approving Google Inc.'s $3.1-billion purchase of
DoubleClick Inc. on Thursday, federal regulators determined
that there was plenty of competition in the fast-growing
Internet advertising world.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-google21dec21,1
,6523727.story
FTC allows Google-DoubleClick merger to proceed
In a 4-1 vote, regulators give their blessing to the
controversial union, despite outcry from competitors and
privacy advocates. The Federal Trade Commission announced
Thursday that Google's controversial $3.1 billion merger
proposal with DoubleClick can proceed, despite earlier
complaints raised by competitors and privacy advocates. FTC
regulators had been reviewing the proposed merger for eight
months for possible antitrust violations, after Google
announced plans in April to acquire the online ad-serving
company. The commission, in issuing its decision to let the
merger move forward, said the companies are not direct
competitors in any relevant market.
http://w
ww.news.com/2100-1024_3-6223631.html
http:
//news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6223631.html
US Regulators OK Google-DoubleClick Deal [AP]
With U.S. antitrust clearance for its DoubleClick purchase,
Google's focus now turns to European regulators, who are
expected to be more critical of the top search engine
linking up with a market leader in online advertising. The
proposed $3.1 billion transaction, which is strongly opposed
by privacy advocates, cannot be completed without approval
from the European Commission, whose review deadline is April
2. The Federal Trade Commission said that the deal won't
significantly lessen competition in the online advertising
market, rebuffing complaints from Microsoft Corp. and
AT&T Inc. that it would give Google a dominant position.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynam
ic/stories/G/GOOGLE_DOUBLECLICK_ANTITRUST?SITE=FLTAM&SEC
TION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-12-20-17-15-42
FTC Blesses Google-DoubleClick Union Despite Privacy Furor
Google received an early holiday present from federal
regulators Thursday, as the FTC granted a wish the search
giant has had on its list since April -- approval to
complete its purchase of interactive advertising agency
DoubleClick. The FTC approved the deal after its
investigation found that Google's $3.1 billion purchase of
DoubleClick would be "unlikely to substantially lessen
competition," as some rivals had argued.
http://ecom
mercetimes.com/story/FTC-Blesses-Google-DoubleClick-Union-De
spite-Privacy-Furor-60874.html
The Internet economy: Towards a better future
Can you remember life before the Internet? Though quite a
new technology, already a world without the web has become
as unthinkable for many of us as a world without telephones.
But what of the future? Can the benefits of this
extraordinary technology be multiplied, and how can the
thornier challenges be met? The Future of the Internet
Economy will be the subject of the first OECD ministerial
meeting ever to be hosted in Asia. Taking place 17-18 June
2008 in Seoul, Korea (see below), it will examine the
implications of the rapid growth in the use of the Internet
for our economies and societies and the policies needed for
continued growth.
http:
//www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/2330/The_Inter
net_economy:_Towards_a_better_future_.html
UK government cracks broadband whip
Broadband firms could face formal action if they fail to
give consumers accurate information about the speed they
will get when they sign up. The warning comes from Ofcom as
it moves to ensure that net firms do not oversell broadband
in advertising.
htt
p://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7151132.stm
UK Government thinktank to tackle media convergence issues
John Willis, the chief executive of TV production company
Mentorn, and the former Ofcom partner Robin Foster are to
join a government-appointed thinktank that will investigate
the rapid pace of change in the media. Willis and Foster
will be joined on the "convergence thinktank" by
BT veteran Chris Earnshaw and digital media specialist Tess
Read.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/dec/21/ofcom.th
inktanks
Clinton Would Crack Down on Computer-Generated Cartoon Sex
Hillary Clinton is still outraged that Rockstar Games left a
sexually-themed mini game nestled in its best-selling Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2005.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/12/clinton-wo
uld-c.html
Germany set to prohibit online gambling [Bloomberg]
Online gambling will be banned in Germany starting Jan. 1 as
part of an accord with states that preserves the country's
state monopoly for lotteries and most forms of betting. All
16 German state legislatures voted by mid-December to
approve the new online-betting laws, which the states
negotiated after the Federal Constitutional Court overturned
earlier rules.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/12/27/business/gamble.php
**********************
FILE SHARING
**********************
uk: Illegal film and TV downloaders could lose their links
to the web
Internet users who download pirate films or television
series could soon see their service suspended as political
pressure grows on broadband service providers to stop
illegal downloads. The Government has given notice of its
concern at the “huge cumulative effect” of illegal
downloads and called on internet service providers (ISPs) to
examine ways to reverse the trend.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/
tol/news/tech_and_web/article3097544.ece
BitTorrenters seek sanctuary in Pirate Bay
Despite a series of law enforcement and other attacks on
illegal file-sharing this year the number of people using
the anti-copyright BitTorrent tracker Pirate Bay has almost
doubled. TorrentFreak reports that Pirate Bay has leapt from
about 4.3 million users at the end of 2006 to more than 8
million at the end of this year. The number of files being
tracked for download has risen to 915,000 from 576,000.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/27/pirate_
bay_traffic_boost/
Group warns of sites offering unlicensed music [IDG]
People who received MP3 players as holiday gifts may want to
steer clear of some Web sites that claim to offer legal
music but don't have licensing agreements with major music
labels, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) said.
CDT, a consumer rights group, has published a list of more
than 30 MP3 download sites that don't have licensing deals
with major U.S. music labels. The sites, which charge
between $20 and $35 for subscriptions, say they offer music
from artists signed to the major labels, CDT said.
http://www.infowo
rld.com/article/07/12/27/Group-warns-of-sites-offering-unlic
ensed-music_1.html
http://www.pcworld.
com/article/id,140872-c,mp3players/article.html
**********************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
Putting NZ high-speed plans in fast lane
The Government's digital strategy - which many hope will
transform the economy and guide New Zealand up the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's
economic and information technology rankings - is in the
slow lane. At least, that's what some of the 500 delegates
to last month's Digital Future Summit in Auckland are
saying. Though they gave the strategy, now two and a half
years old, a "pass", they are concerned that it
has largely overlooked the business sector.
http://www.stu
ff.co.nz/4337312a13.html
**********************
MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
inCode announces Top 10 Wireless Predictions for 2008 [news
release]
inCode, a VeriSign Company, announced its Top 10 predictions
for the game-changing events that will shape the wireless
industry in 2008. The predictions cover major trends ranging
from who will win the communication standard wars, what role
Google will play in the wireless world after January's
spectrum auction and whether or not consumers will finally
open up to digital content and mobile advertising. The
predictions, first created in 2003 by inCode, a global
business and technology consultancy acquired by VeriSign in
November 2006, are designed to help wireless industry
players, partners and consumers better plan for the coming
year.
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=3542
http://www.verisign.com/press_releases/pr/page_043246.
html
**********************
VoIP
**********************
au: ACMA report identifies size of VoIP market in Australia
- Currently 269 VoIP providers in local market
While there is a high level of awareness and interest in
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in Australia,
take-up is still comparatively low, according to research
released by the Australian Communications and Media
Authority (ACMA) yesterday. The research found that 81 per
cent of Internet households were aware of VoIP but only 15
per cent of respondents (being persons 18 years and over)
and 13 per cent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) had
used a VoIP service.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;8
91100978;fp;2;fpid;1
http://w
ww.cio.com.au/index.php/id;891100978
http://www.net4now.com/isp_news/news_article.asp?Ne
ws_ID=5987
VOIP in Australia: awareness and interest high, take-up low
[news release]
While there is a high level of awareness of and interest in
VoIP services among Australian consumers, take-up is still
comparatively low, according to research released by the
Australian Communications and Media Authority today. The
research found that 81 per cent of Internet households were
aware of VoIP but only 15 per cent of respondents (being
persons 18 years and over) and 13 per cent of small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) had used a VoIP service.
http
://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_310902
ACMA's VoIP report: unanswered questions
The Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA)
has published the results of research into the supply and
demand of VoIP services in Australia, saying it needs to
understand new services to guide its regulatory decisions,
but there is little in the results to offer any guidance.
http:/
/www.itwire.com/content/view/15878/1095/
**********************************
ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
**********************************
Australian police arrest 31 men on child pornography charges
[AP]
Police acting on an Interpol tip off have arrested 31 men on
child pornography charges in a large-scale Australiawide
investigation since August, an officer said Thursday.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asia
pcf/12/19/australia.child.porn.ap/index.html
Three WA men arrested for child pornography
Three West Australian men are among 24 arrested in five
states on child pornography charges. The Australian Federal
Police say the arrests are a major victory against child
pornography rings using the internet.
http://
au.news.yahoo.com/071220/21/15brn.html
Child pornography arrests now number 31 [AAP]
A TOTAL of 31 men have now been arrested on child
pornography offences in a massive Australia-wide operation
involving state and federal police. Police have arrested 24
men in the latest phase of their investigation - 10 in NSW,
seven in Victoria, three in Queensland, three in Western
Australia and one in South Australia.
http://www
.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22953867-911,00.h
tml
Twenty-four men arrested over child porn
Images of infants being raped and tortured were allegedly
downloaded by 24 men arrested by state and federal police in
a strike against a child pornography ring.
http://wauchope.yourguide.com.au/articles/1149477.html
http://news.smh.com.au/twentyfo
ur-men-arrested-over-child-porn/20071220-1i6c.html
au: Man charged over 16,000 child porn images [AAP]
A 40-year-old Melbourne man has been charged over the
alleged importation of more than 16,000 images of child
pornography.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/12/24/1198344946
178.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/12/24/1198
344942009.html
Child porn blitz nets two dozen
TWENTY-four men, including a 70-year-old retiree from
Victoria, have been arrested by Federal Police for
downloading explicit child pornography from US-based
websites. NSW authorities have also rescued a child at risk
of abuse by one of the men, said Kevin Zuccato, the acting
national manager of the AFP's high-tech crime operations
unit yesterday.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/12/20/1197
740469149.html
24 Busts in Australia For Child Porn, Including YMCA Head,
is "Tip of Iceberg"
Police in Australia have arrested 24 people for possessing
child pornography after an online sting code-named Operation
Irenic, lasting 6 months. "Twenty-four arrests is an
excellent result but I think it is the tip of the
iceberg," said an official.
http://ww
w.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=67290
Melbourne man charged with possession of 16,000 child
pornography files
A 40-year-old Bentleigh man will appear in Melbourne
Magistrates Court today to face charges in relation to the
alleged importation of more than 16,000 images of child
pornography.
http://l
awfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=16532
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Check out http://auda.org.au/do
main-news/ for the most recent edition of the domain
news, including an RSS feed - already online!
The domain name news is supported by auDA
For information on subscriptions to the domain name and/or
general internet news please contact me. For archives of
postings to the list, see http://lists.technewsreview.com.au/pipermail/techne
wsreview/. Also see http://technewsreview.c
om.au/ for recent updates.
Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and
BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw
/>.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(c) David Goldstein 2007
---------
David Goldstein
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
COOGEE NSW 2034
AUSTRALIA
email: Goldstein_David yahoo.com.au
phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)
"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the
problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being
part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery
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