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********************************************************** Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents: An Emerging Public Health Problem http://www.jahonline.org/article/PIIS1054139X07003643/abstract Australian internet access doubles since 2001: ABS [news release] http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/Latestproducts/8146.0.55.001Media%20Release12006 Australian internet take up rate slow, but improving http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/30/2106002.htm As ISPs choke file-sharing, users look elsewhere http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;551769779;fp;2;fpid;1 Global cellphone use hits 50 per cent http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10479279 Facebook backs down over controversial advertising system http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/nov/30/facebook.beacon Facebook's Beacon more intrusive than earlier thought, CA says [IDG] http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/30/CA-says-facebooks-Beacon-more-intrusive-than-previously-thought_1.html Police raid NZ botmaster blamed for 1 million infections http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/02E722450BA41720CC2573A3000EACC6 FBI Bot Roast breaks up botnets and locks up botherders http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10479311 18yo Kiwi hacker caught in international cyber crime dragnet http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10479258 nz: Internet scams on rise http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=128437 Google Making Street View Anonymous [IDG] http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/30/Google-working-to-make-Street-View-anonymous_1.html Studies highlight difficulties in defining, dealing with cyberbullying http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071129-studies-highlight-difficulties-in-defining-dealing-with-cyberbullying.html Online bullying a growing part of US teen Internet life http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/12/02/1196530477410.html nz: Bad news from down under for lurking internet sharks. http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/1107/hectors_world.htm European Commission calls for an all-inclusive digital society http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1804 Google to Join Spectrum Auction http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/technology/01google.html nz: 'Separation day' can't come soon enough http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4309451a28.html 'Broadband bonds' an option http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4309446a28.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents: An Emerging Public Health Problem Abstract: Adolescents’ access to and use of new media technology (e.g., cell phone, personal data assistant, computer for Internet access) are on the rise, and this explosion of technology brings with it potential benefits and risks. Attention is growing about the risk of adolescents to become victims of aggression perpetrated by peers with new technology. In September 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a panel of experts in technology and youth aggression to examine this specific risk. This special issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health presents the data and recommendations for future directions discussed at the meeting. The articles in the Journal support the argument that electronic aggression is an emerging public health problem in need of additional prevalence and etiological research to support the development and evaluation of effective prevention programs. http://www.jahonline.org/article/PIIS1054139X07003643/abstract ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Australian internet access doubles since 2001: ABS [news release] Internet access in Australia has nearly doubled since 2001, according to an analysis of census information released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In 2001, just over a third (35%) of homes across Australia had internet access; in 2006, that had grown to nearly two-thirds (63%). Nationally, two-thirds (66%) of homes in major cities have internet access, compared to under half (42%) for very remote Australia. Broadband is used by 46% of homes in major cities and 24% in very remote Australia. http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/Latestproducts/8146.0.55.001Media%20Release12006 Patterns of internet access in Australia, 2006 [report] There has been significant growth in Australia's access to/use of the Internet between 2001 and 2006. In 2001, 35% of Australian dwellings had access to the Internet in the week prior to the Census date. In 2006, 63% of Dwellings had access to the Internet. http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ProductsbyReleaseDate/3C0259A57BF969BFCA2573A10017B6BC Australian internet take up rate slow, but improving Internet access across the the Territory lags behind the rest of the country, according to the latest report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/30/2106002.htm "Boosting European Prosperity Through the Widespread Use of ICT" After a long period over which Europe was catching up to the United States in productivity, this trend has reversed. Lower levels of investment in information and communications technology (ICT) and less effective use of existing ICT explain a significant share of the lower rates of productivity growth in the European Union over the last decade when compared to the United States. The report argues that regaining robust productivity growth will be critical for EU nations over the next several decades as they struggle with a myriad of challenges, including an aging population. http://itif.org/index.php?id=90 As ISPs choke file-sharing, users look elsewhere As ISPs constrict file-sharing services such as Bittorrent, new data shows that users are moving to file-hosting Web sites to avoid the bandwidth lockdown. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;551769779;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;551769779;fp;2;fpid;1 Global cellphone use hits 50 per cent Worldwide mobile telephone subscriptions reached 3.3 billion - equivalent to half the global population - 26 years after the first cellular network was launched, research firm Informa said. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10479279 Nearly one mobile phone subscription per EU inhabitant In the EU's 27 Member States there were 96 mobile phone subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants ('subscriptions' include pre-paid cards). In 1996 there were just 7 - an increase of almost fourteen times. In 13 EU countries the average is over 100 - in Luxembourg, for example, there are 158, in Lithuania 127, and in Italy 122. Romania (62), Poland (76) and France (77) have the fewest mobile phones per 100 inhabitants. Germany is positioned right in the middle. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/99748 Publishers Seeking Web Controls [AP] The desire for greater control over how search engines index and display Web sites is driving an effort launched yesterday by leading news organizations and other publishers to revise a 13-year-old technology for restricting access. Currently, Google, Yahoo and other top search companies voluntarily respect a Web site's wishes as declared in a text file known as robots.txt, which a search engine's indexing software, called a crawler, knows to look for on a site. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902207.html comScore Ranks Top Web Sites in Germany for October ... Google was the most visited property in Germany, with 23.1 million unique visitors age 15 or older, reaching 69 percent of the total German Internet audience. It was followed by eBay which attracted 17.4 million unique visitors, a 52 percent reach. T-Online Sites and Yahoo! Sites were the fastest growing of the top ten properties in Germany, both growing their visitor base by 8 percent from September to October. T-Online attracted 13.8 million visitors while Yahoo! reached 12.1 million. http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1927 comScore Ranks Top Web Sites in France for October ... Google was the most visited property in France, with 19.2 million unique visitors age 15 or older, reaching 69 percent of the total French Internet audience. It was followed by Microsoft Sites which attracted 17.7 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 September, attracting 9.7 million unique visitors in October, a reach of 35 percent of the Internet users in France. http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1926 comScore Ranks Top Web Sites in U.K. for October ... Google was the most visited property in October, with 29.1 million unique visitors age 15 or older, and reaching 90 percent of the total U.K. Internet audience. Google was followed by Microsoft Sites, which attracted 27.4 million unique visitors, an 85 percent reach. Wikipedia continued to be the fastest growing property in the top ten most visited properties in October, increasing by seven percent to attract its highest ever U.K. audience of 14.2 million unique visitors. http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1925 comScore Releases Top Japanese Web Rankings for October ... Yahoo! Sites remained the top-ranked property in Japan with 41.3 million visitors, followed by Google Sites with 31.7 million visitors and Microsoft Sites with 29.4 million visitors. http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1919 comScore Releases Top Canadian Web Rankings for October ... Microsoft Sites captured the top position in Canada with 22.2 million visitors, followed closely by Google Sites with 22 million visitors. Yahoo! Sites, with 16.8 million visitors, ranked third for the month. Social networking site Facebook.com continued to grow, gaining 4 percent to reach 14.4 million of the 23.7 million Canadians online. http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1918 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Facebook retreats on online tracking Faced with its second mass protest by members in its short life span, Facebook, the enormously popular social networking Web site, is reining in some aspects of a controversial new advertising program. Within the last 10 days, more than 50,000 Facebook members have signed a petition objecting to the new program, which sends messages to users' friends about what they are buying on Web sites like Travelocity.com, TheKnot.com and Fandango. The members want to be able to opt out of the program completely with one click, but Facebook won't let them. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/technology/30face.html http://iht.com/articles/2007/11/30/technology/30face.php Facebook backs down over controversial advertising system Facebook has made a U-turn over its controversial new advertising system Beacon after protests by users. The social networking site, which has more than 55 million users worldwide, came in for heavy criticism after it launched a system that published details on Facebook of individuals' activities on other websites. The system, called Beacon, allows other websites to tell your friends and family about some of your activities elsewhere on the internet – for example revealing that you have bought a particular DVD. In return for feeding the information back to Facebook, the other websites get a free advertisement for their services. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/nov/30/facebook.beacon Facebook caves on privacy-invading ads, kind of Along with many other Facebook users, I've been agitating for the social network to shut down or improve Beacon, the ad program that sends your friends Facebook alerts about your activity across the Web. Yesterday Facebook made some changes to the program. They go far in addressing the worst aspect of the system: Now if you do not give Facebook permission to alert your friends about your activity on one of Facebook's advertisers' sites, Facebook will not send out an alert. Previously, if you did not give Facebook permission -- that is, if you did nothing -- Facebook assumed you were OK with Beacon ads. http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/11/30/facebook_caves/ Protests force Facebook to change Facebook members have forced the social networking site to change the way a controversial ad system worked. More than 50,000 Facebook users signed a petition calling on the company to alter or abandon its Beacon advertising technology. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7120916.stm Facebook's Beacon more intrusive than earlier thought, CA says [IDG] A CA security researcher is sounding the alarm that Facebook's controversial Beacon online ad system goes much further than anyone has imagined in tracking people's Web activities outside the popular social networking site. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9050418 http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/30/CA-says-facebooks-Beacon-more-intrusive-than-previously-thought_1.html Facebook To Members: Don't Worry, Be Happy! Facebook is starting to act less like an idealistic Internet start-up, and more like a $15 billion company. The latest sign? It seems to be toughening up and resisting its critics. In the past week, the site's Beacon advertising program, which notifies a user's friends when he or she has made purchases at certain online retailers, incited 46,000 Facebook members to stage a digital sit-in by joining a Facebook group created by MoveOn.org called "Facebook: stop invading my privacy!" But, in a post Thursday, Facebook spokesperson Paul Janzer wrote that the social networking site would modify, not cancel, the controversial program. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/11/29/facebook-advertising-MoveOn-technology-internet-cx_ag_1129facebookcrit.html Australians unleash true selves online Australians are facing an online identity crisis, using the web and social networking sites to unleash their alter egos, new research suggests. Symantec's Identity Survey, conducted by Woolcott Research, found Australians typically had more than 10 virtual identities. They included profiles on sites like MySpace and YouTube, email accounts, game avatars and characters in virtual worlds. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/30/1196394603400.html au: Social networking for pre-teens As an adaptable and moderately well-travelled avatar, I'm not remotely fazed about being reborn as a portly, lime-green penguin named Bonbon99. Nor am I apprehensive about strapping a turbo-thrust thingo to my back and launching myself across the South Pole in search of adventure. What does alarm me, as I negotiate my first hour of playtime in the virtual ice wonderland of Club Penguin (www.clubpenguin.com), is what's going on simultaneously in the real world. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/27/1196036899881.html Making Facebook Safer by Matthew Hall Facebook has agreed to add safeguards to protect children from sexual predators, obscene content and harassment after New York prosecutors threatened the site with fraud charges for failing to live up to its own safety and complaints response claims. Investigators with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo posed as young teenagers and set up profiles on Facebook. According to a statement from the Attorney General ‘s office, "they received online sexual advances from adults within days and found widespread pornographic and obscene content." http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=54524 Facebook Woos Advertisers Facebook's pitch to local business owners: Try our new advertising products; you'll like them! Even as concerns continue to rise about the role of advertising on social networks, Facebook's vice president of product marketing and operations, Chamath Palihapitiya, was wooing hundreds of chief executives, marketers and business development gurus at the Kelsey Group research firm's Interactive Local Media Conference held in Los Angeles on Thursday. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/11/29/facebook-advertising-widgets-technology-internet-cx_rr_1129facebook.html ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Africa: Improving Internet Connectivity for Rural Communities Promoting faster telephone and internet connectivity for rural communities in the 18 Commonwealth African countries - that is the aim of a Commonwealth Connects project known as the Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative (COMARCI). The £1.2 million project was launched in Kampala, Uganda, on 22 November 2007 on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, with a £50,000 seed funding from the Government of Malta through the Commonwealth Connects programme. It involves collaboration with the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and the International Telecommunications Union. http://allafrica.com/stories/200711300944.html http://appablog.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/improving-internet-connectivity-for-rural-communities-in-commonwealth-africa/ ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Arrests made in NZ botnet crackdown Police in New Zealand have questioned a teenager believed to be the ringleader of an international cyber-crime group. The group is alleged to have infiltrated more than one million computers and skimmed millions of dollars from people's bank accounts. The teenager, who is 18, cannot be named for legal reasons but was known by an alias as "Akill". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7120251.stm Police raid NZ botmaster blamed for 1 million infections Police have raided the home of the alleged ringleader of an international group of cybercriminals said to be responsible for infecting more than one million computers. The raid was conducted earlier this week at the New Zealand residence of the alleged botmaster, known online as AKILL. It was part of a joint effort by New Zealand police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/02E722450BA41720CC2573A3000EACC6 http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1357849711;fp;2;fpid;1 ‘Bot Roast II' nets 8 individuals [news release] The FBI today announced the results of the second phase of its continuing investigation into a growing and serious problem involving criminal use of botnets. Since Operation ‘Bot Roast’ was announced last June, eight individuals have been indicted, pled guilty, or been sentenced for crimes related to botnet activity. Additionally, 13 search warrants were served in the U.S. and by overseas law enforcement partners in connection with this operation. This ongoing investigative effort has thus far uncovered more than $20 million in economic loss and more than one million victim computers. http://www.ic3.gov/media/2007/071129.htm http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov07/botnet112907.html New Zealand Questions Top Cyber Suspect [AP] Police questioned the suspected teenage kingpin of an international cyber crime network accused of infiltrating 1.3 million computers and skimming millions of dollars from victims' bank accounts, officials said. Working with the FBI and police in the Netherlands, New Zealand police raided the home of the 18-year-old in the North Island city of Hamilton and took him into custody along with several computers, said Martin Kleintjes, head of the police electronic crime center. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CYBER_ATTACKS_ARRESTS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-11-30-01-59-52 FBI Nabs Eight in Second 'Bot Roast' The FBI said today that it has nailed eight individuals in the second phase of its anti-botnet initiative, dubbed "Operation Bot Roast." Eight men have been indicted, plead guilty, or been sentenced for crimes related to botnet activity, the FBI said. Additionally, 13 search warrants were served in the U.S. and by overseas law enforcement partners in connection with the operation. Operation Bot Roast so far has uncovered more than $20 million in economic losses and more than one million victim computers, the agency said. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=1urne40194 Second helping of FBI's Bot Roast serves eight The FBI on Thursday announced that eight individuals have been indicted, pled guilty or have been sentenced to prison over the last few months for crimes related to botnet activity. In addition, it said that 13 search warrants were served in the U.S. and by overseas law enforcement authorities on individuals thought to be connected with botnet-related activities. Among those whose residences were searched was an individual in New Zealand using the online username AKILL, and who is believed to the leader of an international botnet coding group, according to the FBI's statement. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9050178 FBI Bot Roast breaks up botnets and locks up botherders Hamilton teen 'AKILL', who being questioned for allegedly running huge botnets to commit cyber criminal acts, was caught as a result of the FBI's ongoing 'Bot Roast' operation. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10479311 18yo Kiwi hacker caught in international cyber crime dragnet An 18-year-old Waikato man is at the centre of an international cyber crime operation. The New Zealander, who goes by the cyber ID 'AKILL', is currently being interviewed by police and an expert from the FBI. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10479258 Hamilton teen alleged cyber underworld king-pin A teenager being interviewed by police in Hamilton was allegedly an international cyber-crime leader whose services were used by other cyber criminals for their own malicious means. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10479291 nz: Internet scams on rise Internet users are being warned to never respond to emails which asks for personal details. http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=128437 Hidden dangers in visiting porn sites Online pornography hunters' Internet adventures are already fraught with danger from malicious code many porn sites use to commandeer visitors' machines or steal personal data. http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2885&iArticleId=4152501 au: Merchants of Porn A Melbourne business is using cash-in-hand payments to lure teenage women into performing prohibited sex acts on camera. Porn websites run by the company are making millions of dollars a year from selling access to the resulting photographs and videos. Many of those photographs and videos contain explicit material classified as prohibited content in Australia. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22857379-2862,00.html The new battleground in cybercrime In an age where "data equals money," fortune has replaced fame as hackers' key motivation. Criminals are willing to pay top dollar for personal, financial, and corporate data collected by Trojans and other "crimeware." The evidence is out there. Price lists discovered on the black market reveal that criminals are willing to pay $5,000 for a financial report, $500 for a credit card with PIN, and $150 for a driver's license ID. http://news.zdnet.com/2010-1009_22-6220766.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** RFID Technology: Lisbon Conference has set a milestone in forging the 'Internet of Things' The Conference and Exhibition "On RFID: The Next Step to the Internet of Things" held in Lisbon on 15-16 November 2007, closed with a wide consensus on the need for Europe to analyse, assess and develop common strategies for optimising the shift of RFID technology into an 'Internet of Things', whilst safeguarding sensitive information and protecting the privacy of individuals. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=3745 Google Making Street View Anonymous [IDG] Google is making changes to its European launch of Street View to protect the privacy of those it photographs, may do the same for U.S. version. In the face of ethical concerns, Google is considering changes to its Street View Google Maps feature that would protect the privacy of those it photographs. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140164-page,1/article.html http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/30/Google-working-to-make-Street-View-anonymous_1.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** OSCE holds regional conference on media self-regulation [news release] Voluntary media self-regulation as the only viable and credible mechanism to uphold journalistic ethics and guarantee editorial professionalism is the focus of a two-day OSCE conference beginning Monday in Skopje. http://osce.org/item/28581.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Studies highlight difficulties in defining, dealing with cyberbullying Bullying in one form or another has analogs in other primates, so it has probably been an issue for as long as there have been humans. Only recently have authorities recognized that it presents both a discipline problem in schools and public health issue in terms of childhood development. As more of childhood takes place online, reports have suggested that bullying has followed it there, leading to problems at schools and attempts to address it via legislation. A recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health explores the topic in depth, with results that suggest both that the extent of the problem may depend on how cyberbullying is defined and that the term may actually encompass more than one phenomenon. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071129-studies-highlight-difficulties-in-defining-dealing-with-cyberbullying.html Germany launches child-friendly Internet search engine The German government on Thursday launched a secure Internet search engine to allow children to surf the Web without any risk of them finding violent or sexual content. The www.FragFinn.de site offers a mix of games, information and links to approved, children-friendly websites and is being promoted as a first in Europe. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/30/1196037106743.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/11/30/1196037106743.html Online bullying a growing part of US teen Internet life US researchers warn that bullies are taking their hurtful ways from real-world schoolyards to the "cyber" world by targeting teens with nasty e-mail, text messaging, and online chat. The number of children ages 10 to 17 that say they were abused by "cyber bullies" climbed 50 percent, from six percent in 2000 to nine percent in 2005, according to a new report from the US centres for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/12/02/1196530477410.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/12/02/1196530477410.html nz: Bad news from down under for lurking internet sharks. Hectors World Ltd. in New Zealand has taken the initiative to launch a new web site aimed at kids featuring Hector Protector the bottlenose dolphin and his under-water friends. http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/1107/hectors_world.htm Austrian government and Saferinternet.at intensify internet safety awareness-raising Internet safety has become a high priority on the political agenda in Austria. Three ministers and two state secretaries together with Saferinternet.at presented a programme of new activities. http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/1107/awareness_raising_in_austria.htm Safer Internet, new media and the European framework on safer mobile use by children The Czech Safer Combined Node launched the first international conference of projects supported by the EC Safer Internet Plus programme in Central and Eastern Europe. For the first time representatives of different types of project – awareness nodes, helplines and hotlines met to exchange experiences, share the best practices and discuss hot operational topics. http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/1107/cee_sic.htm Monitoring email could spot insider threats Beware, very soon big brother will be able to follow you to work. Software is being designed to allow companies to flag up employees who are potential saboteurs, industrial spies or data thieves. It might also flag up whistle-blowers. US companies surveyed earlier this year said at least one-third of damage to business due to cybercrime was committed by insiders. "Many of the biggest financial losses tend to be due to trusted insiders, individuals who steal or who disable computer systems," says Gilbert Peterson at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in Ohio. http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/mg19626325.800 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** European Commission calls for an all-inclusive digital society Despite technological progress and enhanced competition, more than one in three Europeans are still excluded from fully benefiting from the digital society. Benefits of €35-85 billion over five years could be generated if society would be made more inclusive, websites more accessible and broadband Internet made available to all EU citizens. Today, the Commission presents its e-Inclusion initiative to Council, calling on Member States to support a number of key actions, including an awareness campaign for 2008 "e-Inclusion, be part of it!" e-Accessibility legislation, similar to that of the USA, is also under consideration. http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1804 Statement on Canadian Government Identity Theft Measures The Privacy Commissioner of Canada today released the following statement in response to the Government’s proposal to address identity theft: “The federal government’s planned amendments to the Criminal Code appear to take concrete steps to address identity theft. Identity theft is a crime that can have devastating financial and personal repercussions for an individual and their family. http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2007/nr-c_071122_e.asp ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Telecoms in India: Full-spectrum dominance India's fast-growing mobile-phone operators vie for capacity on the airwaves: MUMBAI's trains are famous for carrying what is officially called a “super-dense crush load” of passengers during rush hour. Judging by the complaints of some of India's mobile operators, its airwaves are just as overcrowded. The operators added more than 8m mobile-phone subscribers in October, bringing the total to over 217m. India has met its ambitious target, set two years ago, of 250m fixed and mobile-phone connections. But the government is sadly unprepared. It has not given India's mobile operators enough space on the radio spectrum to carry calls crisply and reliably. India, the operators complain, faces a “spectrum crunch”. http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10214756 EU Declines to Set Mobile TV Standard European Union nations on Thursday asked the European Union not to call for a Nokia-backed mobile TV standard for Europe. The European Commission had asked all 27 EU governments to support DVB-H, or Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds, and to look for ways to mandate its use to help push forward the rollout of broadcasts to mobile phones. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/30/1196037100559.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/11/30/1196037100559.html EU tunes in to DVB-H Mobile TV has moved one step nearer to widespread roll-out as the European Commission officially selects DVB-H as the standard for Europe. Despite opposition from some countries, DVB-H is to be added to the official list of standards whose use all 27 EU Member States have to actively support and encourage. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/30/eu_gives_dvb_h_thumbs_up/ Google Heads For The Airwaves Google cranked up the heat on U.S. phone carriers Friday, announcing that it will bid on coveted wireless spectrum in the upcoming Federal Communications Commission auction in January. Google will compete directly against major communications players such as Verizon Communications and AT&T, both of which are expected to bid in the Jan. 24 auction. Google said it plans to file its application to participate in the highly anticipated auction on Monday. "We believe it's important to put our money where our principles are," Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said in a statement. "Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today's wireless world." http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/11/30/google-spectrum-auction-tech-wire_wt_1130googlespec.html Google will bid for mobile web spectrum The company has confirmed that it wants a share of 'the last beachfront property in the radio spectrum' http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2978543.ece Google to bid for 700MHz spectrum [IDG] Google intends to bid on wireless spectrum in the 700MHz band when the U.S. Federal Communications Commission begins auctioning that resource in late January, the company announced Friday. http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/30/Google-to-bid-for-700MHz-spectrum_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/140157/google_to_bid_for_700_mhz_spectrum.html Google to Join Spectrum Auction Seeking to shake up the wireless industry, Google said Friday that it was preparing to take part in the federal government’s auction of radio frequencies that could be used to deliver the next generation of Internet and mobile phone services to consumers. Google said it would file its application on Monday to bid on the valuable 700-megahertz spectrum, which is being vacated by television networks as they convert their signals to digital. The formal bidding process is scheduled to begin on Jan. 24. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/technology/01google.html nz: 'Separation day' can't come soon enough Telecom handed Wellington a consolation prize when it announced its network arm would be based in the capital, having insisted on an Auckland base for chief executive Paul Reynolds. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4309451a28.html 'Broadband bonds' an option Discussions about debt and duplication dominated the Digital Summit in Auckland, after Finance Minister Michael Cullen said that the Government might consider issuing an infrastructure bond to fund public investment in broadband infrastructure. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4309446a28.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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 Make the switch to the world's best email. Get the new Yahoo!7 Mail now. www.yahoo7.com.au/worldsbestemail _______________________________________________ APPLe mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/apple
