********************************************************** Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre Nanyang Technological University, Singapore http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/
********************************************************** 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. *************************************************** Most Chinese Say They Approve of Government Internet Control http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/246/report_display.asp Net is playground for parents as well as children http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/07/internet.children Google and Yahoo to share web ads http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7339864.stm Study Gives High Marks to U.S. Internet http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/technology/09internet.html PayPal mandatory, says eBay Australia http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23515926-15306,00.html Japanese phone company testing scent downloads [AP] http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/04/07/mobile.scent.ap/ UK bank details 'for sale for £5' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7335844.stm Social Networking Accounts Prized By Cybercrooks http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/04/social_networking_accounts_pri.html Online crooks target social networking sites [AAP] http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/08/1207420373759.html Search engines warned over data http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7335359.stm Google defends user data policy after EU report http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0731190420080408 Australian Labor to revamp Privacy Act http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23510978-15306,00.html Privacy fears as Google hits the road in Australia http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/09/1207420533151.html uk: Phorm warned about web data rules http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7339263.stm Why ISPs loathe the BBC iPlayer http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/07/iplayer.isps BBC iPlayer 'risks overloading the internet' http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3716781.ece Indonesia bans YouTube, MySpace http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/10/2212779.htm NZ copyright laws updated for digital world [NZPA] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10502960 http://www.stuff.co.nz/4470672a6160.html News Corp. May Join Yahoo Bid With Microsoft http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/technology/10google.html Report: Yahoo, AOL may combine forces; News Corp. talking to Microsoft [IDG] http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9076398 Aust internet lagging behind the world: Telstra http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/10/2213217.htm Kiwis still paying high phone prices - report http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10503260 ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Most Chinese Say They Approve of Government Internet Control Many Americans assume that China's internet users are unhappy about their government's control of the internet, but a new survey finds most Chinese say they approve of internet regulation, especially by the government. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/246/report_display.asp ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Net is playground for parents as well as children Parents are far more likely to use the internet regularly than adults without children, according to research published today, and what they are doing online varies with the age of their offspring. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/07/internet.children Internet’s a family affair [news release] Research announced today from the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) reveals that adults who live with children are more engaged online than those who don’t, indicating that family needs and wants are shaping web behaviour. The first ever ‘Digital Families’ Report, the latest in the EIAA Mediascope Europe series, reveals interesting insights into the digital lifestyles of Europe’s online families. The research shows that almost three-quarters (73%) of people living with children are logging on to the internet each week, compared with only half (52%) of those without. They are also engaging in a wider range of digital activities than those that live without children, ever extending the depth and complexity of their experience. This increases the opportunity for brands to engage with their audience online and means that marketers must develop targeted and effective online strategies to appeal to today’s online families and meet their specific lifestyle needs. http://eiaa.net/news/eiaa-articles-details.asp?lang=1&id=163 Google and Yahoo to share web ads Yahoo and Google, the world's two biggest search engines, have announced a two week experiment that will see them share advertising space. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7339864.stm UK online ad spend set to topple TV Online advertising spending in the UK shot up by 38 per cent to £2.8bn last year, and is on track to knock TV off the number one spot by the end of next year, according to figures published today. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/online-ad-spend-set-to-topple-tv-805711.html Study Gives High Marks to U.S. Internet Contradicting earlier studies, conventional wisdom and politicians’ rhetoric, European researchers say that the Internet infrastructure of the United States is one of the world’s best and getting better. The Global Information Technology Report issued on Wednesday found that the United States now ranked fourth in the world behind just three European nations: Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. Last year the United States was ranked seventh. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/technology/09internet.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/04/09/technology/net.php World Economic Forum Report: Assessing the State of the World's Networked Readiness (pdf) http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/technology/09internet_networkreadiness.pdf Kiwi ICT stacks up well in global survey New Zealand has again placed 22nd in a global survey that ranks countries on their ability to benefit from new information and communications technology. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10503243 The Battle for Mobile TV Standard Dominance The European Union, as a bloc, may be backing Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H) as its preferred mobile TV technology, but whether European consumers embrace that platform remains to be seen. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/The-Battle-for-Mobile-TV-Standard-Dominance-62472.html New player joins online Scrabble battle The online battle for the hearts of Scrabble players has intensified after RealNetworks, one of the official rights holders of the game, rolled out an authorised version on Facebook to rival the popular Scrabulous application. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/08/digitalmedia.web20 RealNetworks introducing Scrabble version on Facebook RealNetworks is quietly introducing a version of Scrabble on Facebook, despite pledging to save Scrabulous, the wildly popular, unauthorized online version of the board game. http://iht.com/articles/2008/04/07/business/scrabble.php eBay Australia to accept cash and PayPal only New security changes to auction website eBay Australia will affect the way buyers purchase goods, and funnel more funds into its coffers. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/09/1207420470674.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/09/1207420470674.html PayPal mandatory, says eBay Australia Online auction website eBay is using Australia as a guinea pig to trial a new policy where all other modes of payment are barred except its own transaction gateway, PayPal. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23515926-15306,00.html BBC announces Nintendo Wii deal The BBC's iPlayer video service will soon be available via the Nintendo Wii. The video download and streaming service that lets people catch up with BBC programmes will soon be a channel on the hugely popular game console. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7338344.stm Japan develops brain and eye pills for gaming fans Gaming addicts with sore eyes and tired brains may be able to perk up with "Game Suppli," a new Japanese supplement developed specifically for the country's thousands of fanatic players. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN0731190420080410 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Facebook Reportedly Near Accord Over Origin Facebook may soon close an uncomfortable chapter in its brief history: a legal dispute over its origins. According to a person briefed on the talks, the company is completing a settlement of a suit brought by three former Harvard students who contend that the original idea for the social networking site belonged to them. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/technology/08facebook.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/04/08/business/facebook.php SpongeBob is the real threat to our kids online Ask a parent what they're most afraid of when their kids go online and the answer is unlikely to be SpongeBob SquarePants. Few fear that their children will be indoctrinated into a bizarre new society by Nickelodeon's box-shaped poriferan. They're being naive. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/10/games.news MySpaceTV lands global TV distribution deal A company founded by Rupert Murdoch's daughter will help News Corp's MySpace distribute Web shows on television and DVDs outside the United States, as the world's largest social network seeks an audience away from the computer. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0929275920080410 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/10/AR2008041000318.html Call to increase online data protection for teens The rules that limit websites and marketers from collecting data on children under 13 may spread to teens as old as 18 if a group of child advocates has its way. http://software.silicon.com/applications/0,39024653,39186061,00.htm ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Japanese phone company testing scent downloads [AP] Japanese cell phone users will test a new service that allows them to download fragrances, major telecommunications company NTT Communications Corp. said Monday. Twenty participants using "Mobile Fragrance Communications" can download files of specific scents accompanied by music or video clips, the company said in a statement. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/04/07/mobile.scent.ap/ NTT Com to Pilot Test Mobile Fragrance Communication Service [news release] NTT Communications (NTT Com) announced today that it will conduct a pilot test of its new Mobile Fragrance Communication (Kaori Tsushin Mobile) service, a mobile version of an existing service for enjoying downloaded audiovisual content together with specific fragrances that are emitted by a dedicated device. The pilot test will run from April 10 to 20. http://www.ntt.com/release_e/news08/0004/0407.html ********************** SPAM ********************** Spam levels remain steady in March Spam accounted for 96.63 per cent of all email scanned in March, making it the third consecutive month that junk mail levels have remained steady. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2213719/spam-drops-march ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Africa Goes Wireless Naabala is a traditional East African Maasai warrior. He has a bright red shukha blanket draped over his shoulder and a baton-like weapon, called a conga, tucked in his belt. As we walk together, his many necklaces jangle as he tells us about his first lion hunt - at the age of 16 - stopping only to show us which plants cure fever and which ones are poisonous. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-kielburger-and-marc-kielburger/africa-goes-wireless_b_95896.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Thieves of identity data offering sales discounts [AP] Fierce competition among identity thieves has driven the prices for stolen data down to bargain-basement levels, which has forced crooks to adopt mainstream business tactics to lure customers, according to a new report on Internet security threats. Credit card numbers were selling for as little as 40 cents each and access to a bank account was going for $10 in the second half of 2007, according to the latest twice-yearly Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec Corp., to be released today. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/08/BURJ101BUI.DTL http://news.smh.com.au/online-crooks-face-tough-competition/20080408-24jw.html http://news.theage.com.au/online-crooks-face-tough-competition/20080408-24jw.html UK bank details 'for sale for £5' British bank account details are on sale online for as little as £5 in so-called cyber-crime supermarkets, a report says. Criminals are also targeting social networking sites, according to a web security firm report into online crime. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7335844.stm Social Networking Accounts Prized By Cybercrooks Cyber criminals increasingly are moving away from trying to break into computers directly, choosing instead to target Internet users where they spend much of their time online -- at social networking Web sites, new data suggests. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/04/social_networking_accounts_pri.html Malware count blows past 1M mark Symantec Corp.'s malware tally topped 1 million for the first time in the second half of 2007 as the number of new malicious code threats skyrocketed, the company said in its semiannual report on the state of security. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9075518 Online crooks target social networking sites [AAP] Social networking websites are fast becoming a key target for online fraud, according to a new report. The latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report for the second half of 2007 reveals there were 87,963 "phishing hosts" for that period, an increase of 167% from the first half of 2007. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/08/1207420373759.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/08/1207420373759.html Symantec Report Reveals Malicious Attacks Focused Toward Trusted Web Sites [news release] The latest Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), Volume XIII released today by Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) concludes that the Web is now the primary conduit of attack activity, as opposed to network attacks, and that online users can increasingly be infected simply by visiting everyday Web sites. The report is derived from data collected by millions of Internet sensors, first-hand research and active monitoring of hacker communications and provides a global view of the state of Internet security. In the past, users had to visit intentionally malicious sites or click on malicious email attachments to become a victim of a security threat. Today, hackers are compromising legitimate Web sites and using them as a distribution medium to attack home and enterprise computers. Symantec noticed that attackers are particularly targeting sites that are likely to be trusted by end users, such as social networking sites. http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20080407_01 Google to Help Curb Web Porn in Brazil [AP] The head of Google in Brazil said Wednesday the Internet giant will take actions to stop child pornography and hate crimes on a social-networking Web site used here — but he did not offer to provide user information to officials. http://news.smh.com.au/google-to-help-curb-web-porn-in-brazil/20080410-2527.html http://news.theage.com.au/google-to-help-curb-web-porn-in-brazil/20080410-2527.html 'Crimeware as a service' the next big thing 'Crimeware as a service', where criminals use online cybercrime services instead of running their own servers and software, is the latest development in internet crime, according to a report. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1170711916;fp;2;fpid;1 Websites and designers face prosecution in new French anorexia law Promoting extreme thinness will become a criminal offence punishable by a jail sentence under a government-backed law that was tabled yesterday in France to combat anorexia nervosa. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3715030.ece Regulations not making data safer, says RSA chief An increasingly complex and cumbersome regulatory environment may be forcing many companies to focus their information security efforts purely on meeting compliance and audit goals rather than on understanding and addressing business requirements, warned Art Coviello, president of EMC Corp.'s RSA security group. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9075878 ye: Prosecution questions cyber gang Sana’a city’s General Prosecution on April 8 began investigating a gang specializing in web piracy, the first such investigations to occur in Yemen. The Ministry of Defense’s 26sep.net web site reports that the General Department for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime arrested three gang members after a local web hosting company, Rawasi, reported to security authorities about the destruction of several Yemeni web sites by the gang. http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1145&p=local&a=4 au: Telstra-ACCC deal puts heat on Google Telstra has settled a dispute with the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission over the actions of its classified advertising division, which leaves search engine giant Google as the sole target of the competition watchdog's case. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23510634-5013040,00.html US courts chip away at Web sites' decade-old legal shield For more than a decade, Web site operators have enjoyed a broad legal shield against lawsuits filed over material posted by their users, which has let user-driven sites like YouTube and MySpace.com flourish. http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9911501-7.html Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, 2007 Pakistan has finally passed an IT crimes bill meant to generally regulate the Internet sector and also punish those using the web for terrorism. The legislation was put into law on December, 3I 2007. The law stipulates penalties of anywhere from six months imprisonment to the death penalty for 17 types of cyber crimes. The bill covers such high-tech crimes of cyber terrorism, criminal access, criminal data access, data damage electronic fraud, electronic forgery, misuse of electronic system or electronic device, unauthorised access to code, misuse of encryption, misuse of code, cyber stalking. http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=2030 http://www.uniquepakistan.com/index.php/200804093012/General/INTERNET_LAW_Pakistans_Prevention_of_Electronic_Crimes_Ordinance.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Search engines warned over data Search engines should delete personal data held about their users within six months, a European Commission advisory body on data protection has said. The recommendation is likely to be accepted by the European Commission and could lead to a clash with search giants like Google, Yahoo and MSN. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7335359.stm Search engines must delete data after six months, say watchdogs Search engines must delete search logs after six months if they are to comply with data protection laws, according to a committee of EU countries' privacy watchdogs. Google has said that the findings do not take account of commercial reality. http://out-law.com/page-9021 EU warns Google over keeping search records Search engines would be forced to delete personal information they collect about their users after six months under new guidelines put forward by European authorities. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3705743.ece Google defends user data policy after EU report Google Inc on Monday defended a policy of retaining data on Web users for up to 18 months as necessary to improve search results, responding to an EU report that saw no need for search services to keep personal data beyond six months. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0731190420080408 http://uk.reuters.com/news/archive/technologyNews?date=04092008 Independent Leading article: In search of online privacy It will come as no surprise to anyone who has used the internet that online search engines retain a history of our previous searches and the identity of our computer. Indeed, it often makes our life easier to find that a page we have previously visited remembers us. But how long would most of us estimate that websites hold this information for? A day, perhaps? A week? http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-in-search-of-online-privacy-806284.html EU wants to slash search data retention period to six months The EU's top data protection experts have concluded that search engines should only keep user data for six months and should be forced to treat IP addresses as "personal information." http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080407-eu-issues-tough-data-protection-finding.html Civil liberties groups challenge Data Retention Directive in ECJ European civil liberties groups have lodged an objection to the EU's Data Retention Directive with the European Court of Justice, claiming that the Directive breaches a fundamental right to privacy guaranteed in the European Convention on Human Rights. http://out-law.com/page-9030 Australian Labor to revamp Privacy Act The Rudd Government is ready to overhaul the 20-year-old Privacy Act and build a privacy regime to serve modern Australia, Special Minister of State John Faulkner has told a business breakfast marking the 1988 introduction of federal privacy laws. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23510978-15306,00.html Privacy fears as Google hits the road in Australia Highly detailed panoramic street-level photos of much of Australia will soon be published by Google, but the executive in charge of the project is making no assurances that private homes, faces and number plates will be obscured. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/09/1207420533151.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/09/1207420533151.html uk: Phorm warned about web data rules Ad-targeting system Phorm must be "opt in" when it is rolled out, says the Information Commissioner Office (ICO). European data protection laws demand that users must choose to enrol in the controversial system, said the ICO in an amended statement. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7339263.stm Phorm’s All-Seeing Parasite Cookie Cookies have gotten a bad rap. They are a little bit of Internet technology that has been associated in some strands of popular discussion with the darkest strains of Big Brother online. In fact, cookies do help some Internet companies track some information about users, but there have been significant limitations on what they could see. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/phorms-all-seeing-parasite-cookie/ Tangled up in the new web: Privacy, safety, plus ads and restrictions: it's Web 3.0, Annalee Newitz reports. Web 2.0 is well established, and sites such as YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and Digg have turned the internet from a static source of information into a huge, interactive digital playground. But where to next? What will the next stage of web culture - which some people call Web 3.0 - be like? The expectation seems to be that profound changes are on the way. If Web 2.0 is about generating and sharing your own content, Web 3.0 will make information less free. Privacy fears, new forms of advertising, and restrictions imposed by media companies will mean more digital walls, leading to a web that's safer but without its freewheeling edge. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/08/1207420317402.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/08/1207420317402.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Why ISPs loathe the BBC iPlayer Charles Dunstone certainly has an eye for publicity. The head of Carphone Warehouse (and of its "free" broadband service TalkTalk) last week threw back the request from the BPI, which represents the music industry, that TalkTalk begin implementing the "three strikes and you're out" policy. This is the policy mooted to tackle people who download (well, perhaps upload too; or upload only; it's not clear) copyrighted material they don't own. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/07/iplayer.isps BBC and ISPs clash over iPlayer A row about who should pay for extra network costs incurred by the iPlayer has broken out between internet service providers (ISPs) and the BBC. ISPs say the on-demand TV service is putting strain on their networks, which need to be upgraded to cope. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7336940.stm Internet firms clash with BBC over iPlayer More than 40m BBC programmes have been watched on the corporation's iPlayer, raising fresh concerns from internet companies that the system's success could halt broadband connections. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/10/bbc.internet BBC iPlayer 'risks overloading the internet' The success of the BBC's iPlayer is putting the internet under severe strain and threatening to bring the network to a halt, internet service providers claimed yesterday. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3716781.ece uk: Carphone Warehouse 'irresponsible and unreasonable', says BPI Music industry body the BPI has labelled Carphone Warehouse irresponsible and unreasonable over its refusal to ban customers over illegal file-sharing amid reports that it will seek an injunction against the company to enforce claimed legal rights. http://out-law.com/page-9024 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Egypt bloggers prepare second strike on regime Galvanised by their call for a general strike on Sunday, Egypt's cyber dissidents have set a new date for anti-regime action on May 4 as an 80th birthday present for President Hosni Mubarak. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/08/2210591.htm Indonesia bans YouTube, MySpace Indonesia's Information Minister Mohammad Nuh has ordered internet providers to ban access to popular sites like YouTube and MySpace. The ban aims to prevent Indonesians from accessing a Dutch anti-Islam film. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/10/2212779.htm Indonesia blocks access to YouTube over anti-Koran film At least four Indonesian firms providing Internet services have blocked access to the YouTube Web site for carrying a Dutch lawmaker's film that accuses the Koran of inciting violence, an information ministry official said on Tuesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKJAK31369920080408 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6236929.html Indonesia Blocks Web Access Over Film [AP] Indonesian Internet companies blocked access to YouTube and MySpace on Tuesday, heeding a government order aimed at stopping people from watching an anti-Islam film by a Dutch lawmaker. http://news.smh.com.au/indonesia-blocks-web-access-over-film/20080408-24o8.html http://news.theage.com.au/indonesia-blocks-web-access-over-film/20080408-24o8.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ uk: Pupils posing as paedophiles in cyber-bullying, police warn Children as young as 10 may be posing as predatory paedophiles on internet networking sites to frighten boys and girls they have fallen out with, police revealed yesterday. Officers have warned parents and children to be vigilant after as many as nine youngsters in Padstow, Cornwall, were targeted through the networking sites Bebo and MSN. http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2272143,00.html au: Girl assaulted by Internet 'friends', two arrested Two 20-year-old Sydney men have been arrested over the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl they allegedly met on a social networking website. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/10/2213456.htm http://au.news.yahoo.com/080410/21/16fcx.html Virginia first US state to require Internet safety lessons [AP] On the screen at the front of the classroom, Virginia assistant attorney general Gene Fishel flashed an online social-networking profile of "hotlilflgirl," a 15-year-old who says she enjoys being around boys and wants to meet new people. http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/vaapwire.apx.-content-articles-AP-2008-04-06-0016.html http://www.newsvirginian.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WNV/MGArticle/WNV_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355212240 us: Disturbing Trend: Teens Consenting To Sex Parties CBS station KTVT-TV in Dallas has an exclusive look at the troubling trend of local teenagers taking part in sex parties. One Dallas family wants you to know what happened to them. http://cbs13.com/national/teen.sex.choices.2.690044.html us: 'Teen girl bashed to make YouTube video' Eight teenage girls charged in the United States with beating another teenage girl so they could allegedly post the attack on YouTube were typical "cewebrities", a leading Australian psychologist said today. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23510505-2,00.html http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,23510986-948,00.html nz: Tech-savvy parents can help put the boot into cyber bullies Whenever new technology appears, bullies quickly take advantage of it, twisting it to intimidate and humiliate. Cyber bullies exploit every new gadget and craze that comes along, inflicting immeasurable damage upon others. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10503061 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** NZ copyright laws updated for digital world [NZPA] A bill that brings copyright laws into the digital age was passed by Parliament yesterday, but has already copped criticism. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10502960 http://www.stuff.co.nz/4470672a6160.html There are concerns a new copyright law will threaten free speech The Copyright New Technologies Amendment Act, passed on Tuesday, is designed to update and clarify copyright law, and keep up with advances in technology. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200804092258/2ebc886c ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* News Corp. May Join Yahoo Bid With Microsoft Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation is in talks with Microsoft about joining in its contested bid for Yahoo, according to people involved in the discussions. The combination, which would join Yahoo, Microsoft’s MSN and News Corporation’s MySpace, would create a behemoth that would upend the Internet landscape. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/technology/10google.html Report: Yahoo, AOL may combine forces; News Corp. talking to Microsoft [IDG] Yahoo is in talks with Time Warner on a deal to combine Internet operations with AOL, while News Corp. is in talks with Microsoft to jointly bid for Yahoo, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9076398 Yahoo attacks Microsoft bid tactics Yahoo today attacked Microsoft as it again rejected its takeover offer, paving the way for a hostile bid for the internet firm. A joint letter published by the Yahoo chairman, Roy Bostock, and its chief executive, Jerry Yang, this morning accuses Microsoft of "mischaracterising the nature of our discussions" in the letter it published on Saturday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/07/yahoo.microsoft Yahoo! chairman Roy Bostock presses Microsoft to up bid Yahoo! said today it was willing to enter into advanced negotiations with Microsoft about a potential takeover, if the software giant was prepared to up the value of its bid for the search engine. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article3698825.ece Yahoo Rejects Microsoft Bid Again Yahoo on Monday reiterated its rejection of a takeover offer from Microsoft, again calling it too low. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/technology/07cnd-soft.html The Yahoo! Deal - Yahoo!'s Strip Tease Will it be Google or AOL? Yahoo! executives are willing to team up with competitors to craft a new future for their company--provided those competitors don't include Microsoft. But Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer still has a card to play: He's enlisted the support of Rupert Murdoch to create a partnership that would involve combining Yahoo!, Microsoft's MSN and News Corp. social-networking site MySpace. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/04/09/yahoo-google-microsoft-tech-ebiz-cx_ec_0409goog.html As Deadline Looms, Comments Roll In for FTC's Behavioral Ad Principles It's crunch time for behavioral targeting stakeholders, as the deadline looms for public comment on the Federal Trade Commission's proposed self-regulation principles on the practice. The consensus so far, among marketers and Web companies at least, is this: The document should more narrowly define behavioral targeting, and draw a clearer distinction between first and third-party ad targeting systems. http://clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3629057 ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Aust internet lagging behind the world: Telstra Telstra says Australia is still falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to internet speeds, despite the completion of its new broadband project. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/10/2213217.htm Kiwis still paying up for phone services New Zealanders are still paying high prices for both mobile and fixed-line phone services by international standards, the Commerce Commission says. Releasing its 2007 telecommunications market monitoring report today the commission said, however, there were signs of increasing competition with most average retail prices falling. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4473581a10.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/4473581a13.html Kiwis still paying high phone prices - report The prices paid by many New Zealanders for mobile and fixed line services are high by international standards, the Commerce Commission says. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10503260 Commerce Commission releases 2007 telecommunications market monitoring report [news release] The Commerce Commission has released its 2007 telecommunications monitoring report analysing the state of New Zealand telecommunications markets. This is the first annual monitoring report after recent amendments to the Telecommunications Act empowered the Commerce Commission to monitor competition in telecommunications markets and their performance and development. The report also benchmarks the performance of the New Zealand telecommunications markets against OECD data. http://www.comcom.govt.nz/MediaCentre/MediaReleases/200708/commissionreleases2007telecommunic.aspx Wireless Services Expand Net for Sierra Leone Though the purchasing power of many young Sierra Leoneans is still a limiting factor, the advent of wireless services in Sierra Leone has enabled more people to embrace the use of the Internet. Many young people are opting for the most affordable services offered by major ISPs (Internet service providers) in the country. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/144347/wireless_services_expand_net_for_sierra_leone.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** CTIA: FCC chair vows to quash Skype open-access petition FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told CTIA Wireless this week that he will urge his fellow commissioners to dismiss a petition filed by Skype Ltd. last year that asked the commission to force carriers to completely open up their networks. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/040208-fcc-to-quash-skype-open-access.html http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9075681 Canadian regional firms likely to vie for wireless spectrum [Reuters] Canada's established wireless companies should ready themselves for the possibility of at least one new national competitor following the spectrum auction that kicks off next month, but the arrival of several smaller and nimbler regional players is also likely, analysts say. In all, 27 companies have been listed by Industry Canada as qualified bidders in the auction that starts May 27. Of those, the potential new entrants are a varied bunch. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080409.wgtcdnwireless0409/BNStory/Technology/ China's 3G Failure China Mobile will start selling heavily subsidized TD-SCDMA phones in eight cities from April 1. Officially it's a trial, because 3G licenses have not yet been issued. In reality it marks the commercial launch of 3G in China. http://businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2008/gb2008049_075033.htm In-flight texting plans for Air NZ Air New Zealand passengers may soon be able to send text messages during flights. The airline has indicated change is on the books to the New Zealand aviation regulations prohibiting cellphone use in-flight, with proposals to allow in-flight text messaging. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10503218 British airlines to pioneer mobile calls this summer One of the last refuges from the mobile phone will be breached before the end of the year after the European Commission yesterday set out the rules for in-flight mobile use. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3701547.ece WiMAX takes its place in the mobile broadband patchwork - Motorola takes the lead Much of the 4G picture remains cloudy, but one thing is clear – the next generation of wireless networks will be based on the OFDMA/MIMO/IP combination shared by the most prominent contenders, LTE and Mobile WiMAX. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/09/wimax_mobile_broadband/ WiMax offers inroad to mobile broadband WiMax may offer fixed and smaller operators a better chance to enter the mobile broadband market over HSPA (high-speed packet access), said a Huawei executive at this week's WiMax Forum Congress Asia 2008. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62040034,00.htm ********************** VoIP ********************** uk: 3 to push VoIP and instant messaging The smallest mobile-phone operator in the UK, 3, is to heavily promote IP telephony and instant messaging on its network, its chief executive has said. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39381833,00.htm ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** nz: Challenge over child porn images A computer systems administrator has challenged an investigation that used sophisticated recovery software to find deleted child pornography files on his home computer. Defence counsel Tony Garrett asked whether what was recovered from the computer -- deleted files or fragments that had not yet been overwritten by other material -- was still a computer file. http://nz.news.yahoo.com/080408/3/4t0y.html NZ Judge attacks child porn delays A judge has criticised authorities for "unacceptable" delays that are allowing known users of child pornography to continue their offending. But the Department of Internal Affairs says it is working "flat out" to combat the plague of child pornography with the resources it has. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10502841 NZ Man with child porn sentenced for year An Ashburton man who was caught with child pornography will spend the next year behind bars. Robert Fraser plead guilty to 14 charges involving possession, distribution and making objectionable publications. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/1693908 NZ: Challenge over child porn images [NZPA] A computer systems administrator has challenged an investigation that used sophisticated recovery software to find deleted child pornography files on his home computer. Defence counsel Tony Garrett asked whether what was recovered from the computer -- deleted files or fragments that had not yet been overwritten by other material -- was still a computer file. http://nz.news.yahoo.com/080408/3/4t0y.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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 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
