********************************************************** Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre Nanyang Technological University, Singapore http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/
********************************************************** Don't forget to check out my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Emerging markets help Nokia to win race for mobile supremacy http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article3256298.ece au: Mobile phones and young brains http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/01/26/1201368996791.html Web vigilantes attack Scientology website http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3250934.ece Scientology Writes; Gawker Rises http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/business/media/28cruise.html jp: Land of the online death pact fights to save lives from the web http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3248107.ece uk: Scramble to curb suicide websites http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3254272.ece uk: Classmates seek help as another girl in Bridgend tries to commit suicide http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3248103.ece uk: Suicide: a teen’s way to instant fame http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article3255942.ece Suicide 'axis' crosses Welsh valleys http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2247541,00.html Yes, AT&T is losing its mind (and might filter the Internet) http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/01/24/att_filtering/ China's mobile network: a big brother surveillance tool? [AFP] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/28/2147712.htm jp: 76% consider Internet filtering necessary for minors http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/426229 us: Bush Order Expands Network Monitoring http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/25/AR2008012503261.html nz: Website falls foul of new electoral law http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4377691a28.html From today, feel free to download another 25 million songs - legally http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3261591.ece French plan email warnings for illegal downloads http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/735ff0c2-ccf6-11dc-8df7-000077b07658.html All this online sharing has to stop http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/25/music.filesharing Web disconnection threat to downloaders http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/25/media.internet Music industry takes a swipe at ISPs http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3247758.ece nz: ISPs try to turn torrent http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4373936a28.html ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Newspaper Web sites draw record viewers [Reuters] A record number of readers visited U.S. online newspaper sites last year, according to figures released on Thursday, confirming the Web as one of the few bright spots for the struggling newspaper industry. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2424356120080125 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Emerging markets help Nokia to win race for mobile supremacy The buzz around mobile-phone maker Nokia is unmistakable, like a ringtone breaking the quiet of a church service or a cinema screening. While rivals, notably Motorola, are foundering, the Finnish giant’s market share passed 40% at the end of 2007 and could already be closer to 42%, say analysts. Either way, chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo is hungry for more. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article3256298.ece Nokia Increases Profit and Market Share Nokia said that it had extended its dominant share of the global mobile phone market to a record 40 percent in the fourth quarter as profit surged 44 percent on rising sales. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/technology/24cnd-nokia.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/24/technology/nokia.php au: Mobile phones and young brains Australian scientists are investigating if children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of radiation from mobile phones. A study of 110 adults at the Australian Centre for Radiofrequency Bioeffects Research, partly funded by the Federal Government, confirmed mobile phones cause a change in brain function by altering brainwaves known as alpha waves. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/01/26/1201368996791.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/01/26/1201368996791.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Web vigilantes attack Scientology website A shadowy internet group has succeeded in taking down a Scientology website after effectively declaring war on the Church and calling for it to be destroyed. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3250934.ece Hackers hit Scientology with online attack [IDG] A group of hackers calling itself "Anonymous" has hit the Church of Scientology's Web site with an online attack. The attack was launched Jan. 19 by Anonymous, which is seeking media attention to help "save people from Scientology by reversing the brainwashing," according to a Web page maintained by Anonymous. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9059338 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141839/article.html Scientology Writes; Gawker Rises ... At Scientology’s request, YouTube and other sites took down the copyrighted video, but Gawker refused, instead posting and mocking the reproachful letter sent by a Los Angeles lawyer representing the church. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/business/media/28cruise.html jp: Land of the online death pact fights to save lives from the web In the country where the world's first internet suicide pact was forged, the battle to save lives is a desperate one. Cyberpatrols, web whistle-blowers and a special online suicide-watch police division have become the new front line in Japan's half-decade battle with a scourge that first came to light on its shores. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3248107.ece uk: Scramble to curb suicide websites The dangers of internet sites that encourage suicide and discussion about taking your own life are to be part of an official review of child safety on the web. The Ministry of Justice is also examining new curbs in the law to stop internet sites giving out information about different ways of committing suicide. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3254272.ece uk: Classmates seek help as another girl in Bridgend tries to commit suicide A dozen pupils at a Bridgend secondary school have asked for counselling after the attempted suicide of a 15-year-old girl. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3248103.ece uk: Suicide: a teen’s way to instant fame Suicide is far from painless, both for the people who do it and for the ones they leave behind. The cluster of seven suicides in Bridgend, south Wales, has left scores of grieving relatives and friends and the rest of us stunned at the thought that these young people - some pictured partying just days earlier - could take their own lives. http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article3255942.ece Suicide 'axis' crosses Welsh valleys Bridgend, the south Wales town thrust into the spotlight after 13 of its young people killed themselves in the past year, is part of a Welsh valleys axis with higher than average levels of suicide, particularly among young men, it has emerged. Statistics show that Merthyr Tydfil and the Rhondda, Cynon and Taff valleys are also battling with a problem that has, so far, defeated experts. And as police review the spate of recent deaths in Bridgend, The Observer can reveal that far from being an isolated pocket, the rash of suicides has been a concern in the area for some time. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2247541,00.html Bridgend deaths: Police warn of Bebo 'internet suicide cult' For millions of teenage fans, the internet site Bebo is a place to swap photos, gossip and while away the long hours of boredom that are part and parcel of growing up. But for a significant minority, the social networking site is more, much more. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/bridgend-deaths-police-warn-of-bebo-internet-suicide-cult-774532.html Antipiracy group's tactics violate Swiss law Logistep, which supplies information on suspected file sharers to law firms around the world for use in copyright violation cases, has until Feb. 9 to respond to charges http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/25/Antipiracy-group-tactics-violate-Swiss-law_1.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Yes, AT&T is losing its mind (and might filter the Internet) In a thoroughly enjoyable Slate piece last week Tim Wu, law professor extraordinaire, asked the only question a reasonable soul can muster after hearing about AT&T's unnecessary, infeasible, legally dubious, and most likely financially calamitous attempt to stem copyright infringement in the United States by closely scrutinizing the traffic that passes over its Internet lines: Has AT&T "simply lost its mind?" Yesterday we got something of an answer: AT&T may not yet have lost its mind, but keep the doctors on speed dial because things aren't looking good. http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/01/24/att_filtering/ US censors Arctic scientists' findings as it prepares for oil and gas auction [This article isn't about the internet] The United States has blocked the release of a landmark assessment of oil and gas activity in the Arctic as it prepares to sell off exploration licences for the frozen Chukchi Sea off Alaska, one of the last intact habitats of the polar bear. Scientists at the release of the censored report in Norway said there was "huge frustration" that the US had derailed a science-based effort to manage the race for the vast energy reserves of the Arctic. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/us-censors-arctic-scientists-findings-as-it-prepares-for-oil-and-gas-auction-771714.html uk: MPs press for ban on SS camp ‘video nasty’ FILMS with graphic violence, including one simulating the rape, torture and incineration of concentration camp victims, are being freely sold on the high street, prompting demands by MPs for a reform of the censorship laws. SS Experiment Camp is one of a clutch of violent films banned 20 years ago by the director of public prosecutions that have been approved for general release by Britain’s film censors and are on sale in shops. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3257530.ece China's mobile network: a big brother surveillance tool? [AFP] Serious concerns were raised in Davos last week about the ability of the Chinese government to spy on the country's 500 million mobile phone users. The head of China's biggest mobile phone company, which has more than 300 million subscribers, stunned delegates by revealing that the company had unlimited access to the personal data of its customers and handed it over to Chinese security officials when demanded. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/28/2147712.htm http://www.todayonline.com/articles/234557.asp http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Chinas_mobile_network_a_big_brother_surveillance_tool_999.html http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/2008/01/28/140851/Is-mobile.htm ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Internet law gives free rein to paedophiles [AFP] Scores of paedophiles are going unpunished in Greece where an outdated privacy law forbids the disclosure of suspect details, the head of the Greek police unit against electronic crime has revealed. http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2885&iArticleId=4220992 San Jose councilman chides head librarian on porn-filter report San Jose City Councilman Pete Constant accused the city's head librarian Wednesday of foot-dragging and shoddy research on his proposal to filter pornography out of library computers. http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_8063065 jp: 76% consider Internet filtering necessary for minors About 76% of Japanese people responding to a government survey feel that Internet filtering is necessary to restrict minors under 18 years old from accessing dating service or pornography websites, the Cabinet Office said Saturday. In the survey on securing safety on the Internet, the Cabinet Office said a total of 76.3% of the respondents either said it is "necessary" or "rather necessary" to use Internet filtering. http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/426229 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** us: Bush Order Expands Network Monitoring President Bush signed a directive this month that expands the intelligence community's role in monitoring Internet traffic to protect against a rising number of attacks on federal agencies' computer systems. The directive, whose content is classified, authorizes the intelligence agencies, in particular the National Security Agency, to monitor the computer networks of all federal agencies -- including ones they have not previously monitored. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/25/AR2008012503261.html us: Veto of Wiretap Measure Is Threatened The White House warned Democratic leaders yesterday that President Bush would veto a proposal to extend an expiring surveillance law by 30 days, saying that Congress should quickly approve a Senate bill favored by the Bush administration. The move is aimed at forcing Congress to renew and expand the Protect America Act -- which is due to expire at the end of the day Thursday -- and escalates a national security showdown between Democrats and the White House just before the president's annual State of the Union address. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/26/AR2008012601770.html us: Cheney Pushes for Permanent Warrantless Wiretapping Power Storm clouds are roiling anew over Washington this week as the impending expiration of the Protect America Act brings surveillance legislation to the forefront of congressional attention once again. Not least among the rumbles of thunder was an address delivered Wednesday by Vice President Dick Cheney at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, in which he urged Congress to make permanent changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 that were only temporarily provided last summer by the Protect America Act, which is set to expire next week. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Cheney-Pushes-for-Permanent-Warrantless-Wiretapping-Power-61370.html Bush orders NSA to snoop on US agencies Not content with spying on other countries, the NSA (National Security Agency) will now turn on the US's own government agencies thanks to a fresh directive from president George Bush. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/27/bush_nsa_internal/ cn: SARFT Issues New Mobile Media Broadcasting Standard China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has issued a circular on its website on the release of a new mobile multimedia broadcasting standard for data broadcasting. http://www.chinatechnews.com/2008/01/28/6340-sarft-issues-new-mobile-media-broadcasting-standard/ uk: Crackdown on sales of violent video games VIDEO games will get movie-style age ratings under a Government plan to tackle the growing fear that exposure to on-screen sex and violence is warping a generation of children. http://news.scotsman.com/scitech/Crackdown-on-sales-of-violent.3715425.jp nz: Website falls foul of new electoral law A 21-year-old man has taken down his website after the Electoral Commission said it breached new electoral laws. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4377691a28.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** From today, feel free to download another 25 million songs - legally With CD sales in free fall and legal downloads yet to fill the gap, the music industry has reluctantly embraced the file-sharing technology that threatened to destroy it. Qtrax, a digital service announced today, promises a catalogue of more than 25 million songs that users can download to keep, free and with no limit on the number of tracks. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3261591.ece http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23119698-15306,00.html French plan email warnings for illegal downloads Legislation allowing the French government to send email warnings to anyone downloading music tracks without paying for them should be passed by the summer, a senior official said on Sunday. ... After two warnings, another breach would mean internet service providers would have to block a person’s web access. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/735ff0c2-ccf6-11dc-8df7-000077b07658.html All this online sharing has to stop The IFPI - the International Federation of Phonographic Industries - is the global music industry organisation whose very name tells you how long ago progress overtook it. On Thursday it published its digital music report for 2008, which says boldly that "the spread of unlicensed music on ISP networks is choking revenues to record companies and investment in artists, despite a healthy increase in digital sales in 2007, up approximately 40% on the previous year". (If you're wondering, those sales were $2.9bn (£1.45bn) for the year, including ringtones.) http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/25/music.filesharing Digital music sales up worldwide [AP] Record companies' revenue from digital music sales rose 40% to $2.9 billion over the past year, but the growth is still failing to cover losses from collapse of international CD sales, the music industry's global trade body said Thursday. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2008-01-24-digital-music_N.htm Web disconnection threat to downloaders Internet users who illegally share music could face having the plug pulled on their web connection after record labels yesterday called for new legislation to tackle digital piracy. New figures showed music sales continued to decline, down by about 10% in 2007 as strong growth in digital revenues failed to offset the continuing slump in CD sales and the effects of piracy. Global sales via the internet and mobile phones grew by 40% to an estimated $2.9bn (£1.48bn). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/25/media.internet Music industry takes a swipe at ISPs The music industry took a firm swipe at internet service providers (ISPs) today, accusing them of being in large part responsible for the dramatic loss in profits record labels have suffered as a result of illegal downloading. In a strongly worded statement, the IFPI - the music industry body - called for the EU to draw up legislation that would place obligations on ISPs to monitor the traffic across their networks, and to suspend the accounts of customers who broke the law. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3247758.ece Global music sales fell around 10 pct in 2007 [Reuters] Sales of music fell at a faster rate in 2007 than 2006 despite digital sales soaring, and the gatekeepers of the Web must act if the industry is to beat piracy, the international trade body said on Thursday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL2336020420080125 Illegal downloads outnumber bought music 20 to 1 [Reuters] Illegally downloaded tracks now outnumber legally bought music tracks by 20 to 1, the international trade body said today. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10488757 nz: ISPs try to turn torrent CallPlus has upped the ante in the cold war between Internet service providers and peer-to-peer file sharing services that threaten to slow down web surfing. The junior telco has invested in Cisco equipment that will let it "throttle" the bandwidth available for BitTorrent traffic, sources say. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4373936a28.html ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Overwhelming Response to eLA 2008 Call for Papers! To date, more than 380 proposals have been received for eLearning Africa 2008! The deadline for submitting proposals was Friday, December 7th, 2007 and although the Call for Papers is now officially closed, we still welcome submissions. Late submissions will be considered although preference is given to proposals received by the deadline. Please refer to the “Call for Papers” section for more details. The 3rd International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training will take place from May 28 to 30, 2008 in Accra, Ghana under the Patronage of the Ghanaian Minister for Education, Science and Sports, the Hon. Prof. Dominic K. Fobih. http://elearning-africa.com/ Microsoft exceeds profit expectations and issues bright forecast Microsoft reported quarterly sales and profit gains that surpassed Wall Street's expectations and delivered an optimistic outlook on Thursday, suggesting that a weakening economy would not slow it down. http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/25/technology/msft.php ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** nz: Incentives favour Telecom, say users Last-minute changes to staff incentives under Telecom's planned split could be to the detriment of opening up the industry to greater competition, industry and user groups say. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=93&objectid=10488911 InternetNZ recommends Minister not accept draft Undertakings [news release] InternetNZ has responded to Telecom’s amended operational separation plan, advising the Government that significant amendments will still be needed to meet the requirements of the Telecommunications Act and ensure long term benefits to end users. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/opsep250107 au: Telstra sends Next G evangelists to the bush In an effort to persuade lingering CDMA users to switch to Next G, Telstra has enlisted the help of "coverage advocates" to spread the word across Australia. http://www.cnet.com.au/mobilephones/phones/0,239025953,339285391,00.htm http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Telstra-sends-Next-G-evangelists-to-the-bush/0,130061791,339285391,00.htm ********************** VoIP ********************** Patently Absurd - Verizon's VoIP patent lawsuit Fresh off its court victory versus Vonage Holdings Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. is now taking aim at the cable industry with a VOIP patent suit filed against MSO Cox Communications Inc. It appears Verizon hopes to use its IP (intellectual property) to thwart VOIP competition from cable operators. Not content with life as a 10-ton gorilla, Verizon is working to make itself over into a patent troll, too. http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=144045 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Check out http://auda.org.au/domain-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/technewsreview/. Also see http://technewsreview.com.au/ for recent updates. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2008 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery 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
