********************************************************** 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. *************************************************** Broadband: Open up those highways http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10534573 Europe funds internet TV standard http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7259339.stm More Australian women using porn, says author [AAP] http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=27&ContentID=60324 Pakistan lifts YouTube ban [AFP] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/27/2173501.htm YouTube cut off over offensive cartoons http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3427816.ece Finnish scandal unmasks censorship tactics by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/2/21/3537295.html us: Computer-Generated Child Porn Hinders Law Enforcement [AP] http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Computer-Generated-Child-Porn-Hinders-Law-Enforcement-61812.html uk: MPs get web filter 'dark ages' warning http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/feb/26/microsoft.digitalmedia Australian net filter at test phase http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,,23274585-5013040,00.html au: Education 'as effective as internet filtering' http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23272997-5014239,00.html Japan cracks down on child porn [Reuters] http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/02/25/1203788248226.html us: F.C.C. to Act on Delaying of Broadband Traffic http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/technology/25cnd-fcc.html The FCC, Comcast, and Net Neutrality http://businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080225_498413.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Broadband: Open up those highways In eras past, economic success depended on creating networks that could shift people, merchandise and electric power as efficiently and as widely as possible. Today's equivalent is broadband: the high-speed internet service that has become as vital a tool for producers and distributors of goods as it is for people plugging into all the social and cultural opportunities offered by the web. http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10534573 Europe funds internet TV standard The European Union is spending 14m euros (£10.5m) to create a standard way to send TV via the net. An additional 5m euros (£3.7m) is being contributed to the project by 21 other partners including the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7259339.stm au: Bare facts about porn Despite numerous polls during the past decade that show one in three adults has looked at sexually explicit material - videos, DVDs, magazines or the internet - porn is a topic rarely debated or openly discussed. How often does a colleague talk about the X-rated DVD he saw the night before? http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23253774-28737,00.html More Australian women using porn, says author [AAP] The traditional stereotype of a porn user is a dysfunctional middle aged man in a grubby raincoat, but that is being challenged by an unlikely newcomer to the scene, according to a new book on pornography in Australia. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=27&ContentID=60324 Germans Like to Keep it Simple in Online Communities Online communities are multiplying like crazy, but most people prefer to keep it simple and just use them to keep in touch with friends, according to a new study in Germany. They're not interested in fancy features. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3141259,00.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Australian laws could scuttle iPhone deals The release of Apple's iPhone in Australia could be illegal under current trade practices laws, according to a group of Queensland law researchers. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/02/25/1203788250342.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/02/25/1203788250342.html Firefox crosses 500 million download mark Firefox downloads crossed the 500 million threshold last week. It's an arbitrary but interesting milestone for the open-source Web browser, whose development is overseen by Mozilla but that's also developed and extended by a large number of outside programmers. In September 2007, Firefox crossed the 400 million download mark, indicating an average rate a bit shy of 20 million per month at present. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62038109,00.htm Taliban issue ultimatum to Afghan mobile operators [Reuters] Taliban insurgents on Monday gave Afghan mobile phone operators three days to shut down their networks at night or face attack, as the rebels said international forces used the mobile phones to track them down. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKISL25211120080225 Nokia phone shows off wearable electronics It can be used as a keyboard, and it can even be used as a bracelet - but it's really a phone which Nokia thinks can lead the way in the next generation of mobile technology. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/25/1 Google Chips In to Build Trans-Pacific Telecom Cable Google is joining five other companies to lay a 6,200-mile undersea cable linking the US and Japan. Its partners in the so-called Unity cable project are telecommunications providers Bharti Airtel, Global Transit, KDDI, Pacnet and SingTel. Construction, to cost about $300 million, will begin immediately. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Google-Chips-In-to-Build-Trans-Pacific-Telecom-Cable-61840.html Google to invest in undersea cable to Asia [Bloomberg] Google will help build a $300 million undersea cable system with five other companies, becoming the only online search operator with its own network, Singapore Telecommunications said Tuesday. http://iht.com/articles/2008/02/26/business/google.php ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Works On Nepad Internet Cable Set to Start Soon Africa's dream to have faster and cheaper internet connections like the West is now closer to reality. This follows the approval of the Kigali Protocol on policy and regulatory framework for development of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Nepad's Information and Communication Technology Broadband Infrastructure Network (NBIN), by Malawi last week. http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/business_power/Works_on_Nepad_internet_cable_set_to_start_soon.shtml http://allafrica.com/stories/200802252071.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** us: Latest E-Mail Scam Offers Reprieve -- at a Price -- From Killer-for-Hire If only real hit men were so courteous. In recent months, authorities said, about a dozen Fairfax and Stafford county residents have received e-mails telling them that they are about to be killed. There is a twist: The killer offers a way out. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/25/AR2008022502612.html Aussie govt hunts outsourcer for e-threat warnings The Australian government hopes to make its national e-security alert service useful to Australian businesses by outsourcing its provider of threat information. The government's current threat update service--accessible via staysmartonline.gov.au--is updated at most twice per month and is sourced entirely from the U.K. government's IT Safe service. In contrast, the U.S.-Cert service--run by the country's Federal government--is updated once a day, if not more. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62038170,00.htm ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Pakistan lifts YouTube ban [AFP] Pakistan says it has lifted a ban on YouTube, after the website removed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, adding that an earlier worldwide outage sparked by its actions was unintentional. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/27/2173501.htm YouTube cut off over offensive cartoons Pakistan blocked access to YouTube yesterday because the website was carrying cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have sparked protests by Muslims across the world. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3427816.ece YouTube outage might have been caused by Pakistan [Reuters] Pakistani Internet service providers may have inadvertently blocked the popular YouTube Web site across the world at the weekend when they restricted local access to the site, a telecommunications official said. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKISL30210920080226 YouTube outage blamed on Pakistan Pakistan's attempts to block access to YouTube have been blamed for a near global blackout of the site on Sunday. Google, the owner of YouTube, blamed the outage on "erroneous internet protocols", sourced in Pakistan. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7262071.stm Finnish scandal unmasks censorship tactics by Milton Mueller For some time it has been known that law enforcement authorities in Norway and Finland have prepared lists of alleged child pornography web sites, and demanded that local Internet service providers block access to them. This model of blocking access was avidly picked up by Internet law enforcement authorities in other countries, including the Netherlands, where pressure has been placed on ISPs to block these sites or risk being publicly smeared as aiding and abetting child abuse. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/2/21/3537295.html ma: The Fake Prince of Facebook On the morning of February 5, plainclothes officers in Morocco picked up Fouad Mourtada in Casablanca, blindfolded him, and took him to the police station, where they reportedly tortured him until he lost consciousness. His crime: He had created a Facebook profile of Crown Prince Moulay Rachid, the King's brother. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080310/lalami Yang asks U.S. to seek release of jailed Chinese writers Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang is asking U.S. officials to secure the release of political dissidents jailed for using the Internet to share information about life in China. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62038112,00.htm Chinese Websites Sign Internet Video Agreement Eight websites have signed the Self-discipline Convention on Internet Audio and Video Program in Beijing to promote the long-term development of the online audio and video industry and create a good environment for growth of the industry. http://www.chinatechnews.com/2008/02/27/6436-chinese-websites-sign-internet-video-agreement/ Web censorship around the world Pakistan's attempts to block access to YouTube have been blamed for a near global blackout of the site on Sunday. It pulled the plug because it said the site featured clips which were offensive to Islam. The ban on YouTube has now been lifted. But Pakistan isn't the only country in the world which has censored or still censors what people can or cannot read online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7264000/7264277.stm ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ us: Computer-Generated Child Porn Hinders Law Enforcement [AP] Each week, about 100,000 sexually explicit images of children arrive on CDs or portable disk drives at Michelle Collins' office. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Computer-Generated-Child-Porn-Hinders-Law-Enforcement-61812.html uk: MPs get web filter 'dark ages' warning A Microsoft executive told MPs today that forcing software companies to install internet content filtering technology with high-security settings as standard to all computers would send the UK back to the "dark ages". http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/feb/26/microsoft.digitalmedia Developments in internet filtering report - ACMA report released http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib310554/developments_in_internet_filters_1streport.pdf Australian net filter at test phase The federal Government's plan to have internet service providers filter pornography and other internet content deemed inappropriate for children is going full-steam ahead. The Government wants to evaluate content filters in a controlled environment http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,,23274585-5013040,00.html au: Education 'as effective as internet filtering' Better education about online safety would be just as effective as internet filtering to prevent children from accessing inappropriate material on the web, according to a report by Australia's communications watchdog. http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23272997-5014239,00.html Education could be more effective in ensuring kids' safety online [ANI] Improved education about online safety, not internet filtering, could be more effective in preventing children from viewing inappropriate material on the web, according to a report by Australia's communications regulator. http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=27075 http://story.malaysiasun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/d805653303cbbba8/id/331296/cs/1/ http://www.dailyindia.com/show/219584.php/Education-could-be-more-effective-in-ensuring-kids-safety-online http://www.thecheers.org/news/World-news/news_13291_Education-could-be-more-effective-in-ensuring-kids-safety-online.html http://www.topnews.in/education-could-be-more-effective-ensuring-kids-safety-online-222528 http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/education-could-be-more-effective-in-ensuring-kids-safety-online_10021333.html Aussie internet censorship Australian IT reports that an Australian federal government agency has built a blacklist of illegal online gambling sites that has caught some industry players off guard. http://www.online-casinos.com/news/news6311.asp au: Costs threaten net nasty blocking plan The future of the $189 million NetAlert cyber-safety strategy initiated by the Howard government is in doubt. The centrepiece of the strategy, the $84.8 million national filter program, has been labelled a failure by the Rudd Government, as it looks to trim costs. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,,23274587-5013040,00.html au: Betting page ban list confusion The federal Government has built a blacklist of illegal online gambling sites that has caught some industry players off guard. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23274589-15306,00.html ISP porn filters now ready for testing Expressions of interest close today for vendors hoping to secure a contract with the federal government and ACMA to provide an ISP-level filtering program, as part of a government effort to limit access to restricted and illegal online content. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/ISP-porn-filters-now-ready-for-testing/0,130061791,339286308,00.htm au: Web feud leads to alleged hit-and-run A schoolyard feud that extended to live computer messaging on the internet allegedly escalated into a terrifying hit-and-run that left a 15-year-girl with a crushed ankle and three teenagers facing serious charges. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23264911-421,00.html Free internet filter take-up disappointing [sub req'd] http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=204978 Japan cracks down on child porn [Reuters] Japan's ruling party plans to ban possession of child pornography after pressure from Washington to fall in with industrialised countries that have stepped up the fight against sexual exploitation of children. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/02/25/1203788248226.html us: When Blocking Porn Isn't Enough Last year, Security Fix looked at a free service that helps parents and other network administrators block adult Web sites for all of the PCs they control, without installing any software. Now, the company and community that built that service has expanded it to allow administrators to filter a wide range of online content, from hate speech sites and social networking forums to sites promoting drugs and alcohol. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/02/when_blocking_porn_isnt_enough_1.html us: PBS Kids makes play for 3-year-olds online PBS Kids on Friday unveiled a test version of an educational game site for kids age 3 to 6, in one of the first advertising-free efforts aimed at small children and their parents online. http://www.news.com/2009-1024-6230870.html us: Teachers strike back at students' online pranks Tech-savvy teenagers are increasingly paying a heavy price – including criminal arrest – for parodying their teachers on the Internet. Tired of fat jokes and false accusations of teacher-lounge partying or worse, teachers and principals are fighting back against digital ridicule and slander by their students – often with civil lawsuits and long-term suspensions or permanent expulsions. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0225/p01s02-usgn.html uk: Spot where there isn't a pervert The map shows where child porn has been downloaded 14 million times in last 3 years in the UK. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/2402_pervert.shtml ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* The militarisation of space: Disharmony in the spheres A hushed, dimmed hall in the nerve centre that controls America's air operations from Somalia to Afghanistan is dominated by giant video screens tracking coalition aircraft. Blue dots show the location of ground forces, with “troops in contact” highlighted for priority air support. Smaller screens show live black-and-white footage, relayed by satellite from unmanned drones which, in their turn, are remotely controlled by pilots in America. http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10533205 ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** us: F.C.C. to Act on Delaying of Broadband Traffic The head of the Federal Communications Commission and other senior officials said on Monday that they were considering taking steps to discourage cable and telephone companies from discriminating against content providers as the broadband companies go about managing heavy Internet traffic that they say is clogging their networks. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/technology/25cnd-fcc.html The FCC, Comcast, and Net Neutrality As Comcast Executive Vice-President David Cohen began his remarks at a hearing held by the Federal Communications Commission at Harvard Law School on Feb. 25, he knew he was in for a rough day. "It's a pleasure to be here as a participant and hopefully not as the main course for your meal." http://businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080225_498413.htm N.Y. Attorney General Subpoenas Comcast on Broadband [AP] The New York attorney general's office has requested information from Comcast Corp. on the company's handling of Internet traffic. "We have requested information from the company via subpoena," Jeffrey Lerner, a spokesman for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, said Tuesday. Comcast said it was cooperating with the AG's office. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Comcast-Data-Discrimination.html http://news.smh.com.au/ny-ag-subpoenas-comcast-on-broadband/20080213-1rzb.html http://news.theage.com.au/ny-ag-subpoenas-comcast-on-broadband/20080213-1rzb.html au: Telstra CDMA switch-off set for 28 April: Conroy Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has hinted that Telstra could be given the formal go ahead to close its CDMA network on 28 April, after Telstra confirmed its plan to address the government's criticisms over the replacement Next G network. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Telstra-CDMA-switch-off-set-for-28-April-Conroy/0,130061791,339286302,00.htm ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** eu: "Draft Recommendation on the implementation of privacy, data protection and information security principles in applications supported by Radio Frequency Identification (RFID): your opinion matters!". BACKGROUND: Following a first public consultation on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) held in 2006, the Commission has, through its Communication of 15th March 2007(1), committed itself to address some of the issues expressed by stakeholders regarding the risks to privacy, data protection and security by adopting a Recommendation on this matter. Given the importance of this subject, the Commission has decided to put up for public consultation all the articles that are currently being considered in its draft Recommendation. http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/ipm/forms/dispatch?form=RFIDRec +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (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 Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address. www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mail _______________________________________________ APPLe mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/apple
