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********************************************************** Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, already online! And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Zimbabweans use blogs, text messages for info http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001117.html Profit rises at eBay but sales slow http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/17/technology/ebay.php Tech giants tackle information overload http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-9993917-92.html Pope Warns of Dangers of TV and the internet http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/16/1216162959930.html?page=fullpage UK online sales boom as shoppers desert high street http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/18/retail.internet Thought control: it's the computer world's latest game plan http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article4354041.ece Say goodbye to the computer mouse http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7508842.stm Man accused of blocking San Fran's computers http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/18/hitechcrime.internet Log-deleting search engine Ixquick wins award http://out-law.com/page-9277 Children from around the world discuss internet safety http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7510935.stm UK fails to bar internet access to child porn http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jul/20/childprotection.censorship Parents naïve about kids' surfing http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2222023/parents-naive-kids-online nz: Keep Up With Technology, Warns Internet Expert http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/keep-technology-warns-internet-expert/5/1272 nz: Schools 'plagued' by cyber bullying http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200807200622/246a13f4 eu: Mobile content services face Brussels inquiry http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/18/telecoms.eu Hold off on WiMax investments, Gartner cautions http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/52CB5CFDE6E8CF37CC25748C0072563B ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Zimbabweans use blogs, text messages for info ... Increasingly, Zimbabweans are going online and using cell phone text messages to share stories of life and death in a country where independent traditional media have been all but silenced, and from which reporters from most international media have been barred. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001117.html Profit rises at eBay but sales slow Even eBay, the online marketplace that built its reputation as a place for bargain hunters, is vulnerable to the slumping economy. Gross merchandise volume, the total sum of all transactions on the eBay marketplace, grew only 8 percent from the year-ago quarter, the company reported Wednesday, a steep slowdown compared with the robust double-digit growth in previous quarters. http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/17/technology/ebay.php Tech giants tackle information overload Your BlackBerry buzzes with a text from your boss, snapping you out of your Twitter-surfing trance. Your friend calls you and tells you to check out his Facebook profile, as you respond to your spouse's instant message about dinner plans. All the while, your in-box is overflowing with new e-mail messages. If humans were like computers, our screens would be frozen--overloaded by information and too much multitasking. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-9993917-92.html Pope Warns of Dangers of TV and the internet ... He told young people that every day, they not only must face up to the challenges thrown up by the degradation of the physical environment but also those created by the erosion of the social environment. He said alcohol and drug abuse were prevalent problems but warned about the "exaltation of violence and sexual degradation, often presented through television and the internet as entertainment". http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/16/1216162959930.html?page=fullpage UK online sales boom as shoppers desert high street Out of every £1 spent by British shoppers 17p is now going to online retailers, as consumers switch away from traditional shops in favour of picking and paying at their home computer http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/18/retail.internet French papers join to sell digital reader Paul-François Fournier, an executive at France Télécom in Paris, thinks he may have found a way to help revive the ailing newspaper industry. It comes in a black plastic rectangular box with a screen half the size of a sheet of copy paper. http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/20/technology/paper21.php The Mobile Web: It’s Not Just for Smartphones The iPhone and BlackBerry are the only devices consumers are using these days to access the mobile Web? According to AdMob, mobile surfing is far more mainstream than what many people might think. ... Motorola and Samsung, according to the company’s research, are two popular brands for mobile Web browsing in the United States. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/the-mobile-web-its-not-just-for-smartphones/ Get computer-savvy or get out, Medvedev tells Russian Govt staff The Russian president has warned that government officials who cannot use a computer could soon be out of a job. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/18/russia.computing us: To Save Gas, Shoppers Stay Home and Click A number of retailers are experiencing double-digit sales growth on their shopping Web sites at a time when simply filling up a gas tank to head to the mall can seem like a spending spree. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/19/business/19shop.html au: 2008 Communications Consumer Dialogue to focus on building communities through communications [news release] Australia’s communications consumer, industry and government representatives will gather in Sydney later this month to share their thoughts on how technology can build stronger communities and cross social boundaries. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311248 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Thought control: it's the computer world's latest game plan First came the joystick. Then came the motion-sensing Wii remote. Now get ready for another radical and rather unsettling leap in video games technology: thought control. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article4354041.ece Say goodbye to the computer mouse It's nearly 40 years old but one leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered. A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the computer mouse in the next three to five years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7508842.stm ********************** SPAM ********************** Report: 81.5 percent of all e-mails sent in June were spam Almost everyone hates spam. The only people that don't hate it are the ones that make vast amounts of money from sending it. The profits they turn are so large that regardless of what spam fighters do, the amount of spam keeps increasing. According to web security firm MessageLabs, spam accounted for 81.5 percent of all e-mail traffic in June. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080717-report-81-5-percent-of-all-e-mails-sent-in-june-were-spam.html China officially sets up anti-spam message alliance The Internet Society of China (ISC) on Thursday officially set up the country's first anti-spam text message alliance, the latest move to address the long-time headache for the country's 574 million-plus mobile phone users. http://en.ce.cn/National/Local/200807/18/t20080718_16207789.shtml ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Huge rise in malware this year Malware has risen by a staggering 278 percent in the first half of 2008, thanks in part to the large number of websites comprised last month, so says a new study by ScanSafe. And it warns that things are only going to get worse, especially after Dan Kaminsky goes public with details about his 20 year-old DNS vulnerability. http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=102180 "Wi-Fi Squatting" a Crime – By the Victim It’s a federal offense in the U.S. to use someone else’s unsecured wireless network for illicit purposes. It’s a crime in Germany, too – committed by the network owner. We’ve always thought that so-called Wi-Fi squatting was largely a victimless crime. We’ve done it, and, based on the comments our previous posts on the topic received, so have most of this blog’s readers. The FBI has told us that it isn’t a federal offense to squat, as long as the squatter doesn’t use the connection to do anything illegal. Wi-Fi squatting is against the law in some states, however: A few unlucky folks have been arrested for checking email or surfing the Web while parked in a car outside a coffee shop or library. http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/07/18/wi-fi-squatting-a-crime-by-the-victim/ uk: Huge rise in card fraud as criminals find rich pickings online The criminal classes are proving adaptable to changing times, yesterday’s crime reports disclose. While homes are more secure through burglar alarms and vehicles bristle with sophisticated security devices, the internet and the wide use of credit cards is providing rich pickings. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4354276.ece Man accused of blocking San Fran's computers A computer technician charged with launching a cyber-coup against the city of San Francisco was expected to plead not guilty late yesterday to four charges of computer tampering. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/18/hitechcrime.internet Losses likely to rise from latest Romanian crime ring [IDG] The losses caused by a cybercrime ring broken up on Tuesday by Romania could reach into the millions of euros, an official with the General Inspectorate of the Romanian National Police said on Thursday. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1311301329 ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Log-deleting search engine Ixquick wins award A search engine that deletes all data relating to users after 48 hours has been awarded the first privacy award of a European body set up to promote privacy. The award was presented by European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx. http://out-law.com/page-9277 uk: 'No decision' on giant database No decision has been taken to create a huge database containing details of all phone calls, e-mails and internet use, security minister Lord West says. The Information Commissioner has warned that such a database could be a "step too far for the British way of life". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7511671.stm Congress accuses American Phorm of 'beating consumers' When US Congressman Ed Markey asked NebuAd CEO Bob Dykes whether his Phorm-like ad targeting system should require an opt-in, Dykes refused to answer. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/17/house_nebuad_hearing/ ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** EU moves to free up music rights Music download stores like Apple's iTunes could soon be able to operate one shop for the whole of Europe, under new rules brought in by EU regulators. Currently, iTunes has to negotiate the right to sell music with a different society in every European state. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7510166.stm EU says music collecting societies must compete Societies that collect music copyright fees for artists from the Rolling Stones to the Arctic Monkeys must end deals to stop competing against each other across borders, the European Commission said on Wednesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKBRU00666420080716 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** EU urged to help combat Internet 'censorship' The EU has been urged to tackle alleged internet ‘censorship’ in countries like Iran and north Korea. Dutch ALDE MEP Jules Maaten said “more and more authoritarian states” were censoring the Net by blocking websites and filtering search engines so users cannot search for certain words or topics. http://www.theparliament.com/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/eu-urged-to-help-combat-internet-censorship/ ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Safer Internet Forum 2008, Luxembourg, 25 - 26 September [news release] This year's Safer Internet Forum will take place in Luxembourg on September 25 and 26. The Forum is open for stakeholders from NGOs, governments, researchers, industry representatives, including Internet Service Providers, mobile network operators, social networking sites, software developers. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/si_forum/forum_sepet_2008/index_en.htm Children from around the world discuss internet safety Children from around the world are meeting in London to discuss how they can better protect themselves from the dangers posed by the internet. More than 150 teenagers from 19 different countries will attend the five-day conference and voice their opinions to government and industry. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7510935.stm Aussie teenagers tackle cyber crime at global forum Faced with the danger of online predators, fraudsters and bullies, a group of Australian teenagers are putting their heads together with others from around the world to tackle internet crime. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/18/1216163114672.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/07/18/1216163114672.html Australian Federal Police hire teens to spot online crime TEENS as young as 14 have been recruited by the Australian Federal Police to help fight online crime - recognition they are more net savvy than veteran agents. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24035771-5001021,00.html UK fails to bar internet access to child porn Almost a million UK households could access websites known to host images of child sex abuse despite a government pledge made two years ago to stop access to paedophile sites. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jul/20/childprotection.censorship UK 'Teen date' website faces criticism A Newsbeat investigation has uncovered a dating website specifically for teenagers which campaigners fear will become a "playground for paedophiles". http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7512000/7512463.stm Survey says 11% of kids have online sex chats 11 percent of children have had a sexually explicit conversation online, according to a survey by The Carphone Warehouse. The Mobile Life survey, which polled 6,000 adults and children about their web and mobile habits also revealed that a quarter of 11 to 18 years olds had visited adult websites and 10 percent had met people they first interacted with online. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=13753 Parents naïve about kids' surfing New research has uncovered a disconnect between parents' understanding of their children's online activity and what the youngsters are actually doing on the internet. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2222023/parents-naive-kids-online nz: Keep Up With Technology, Warns Internet Expert With eight out of 10 bullying incidents in schools linked to cyber and text bullying, parents and boards of trustees must keep up with the play, warns an internet safety expert. http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/keep-technology-warns-internet-expert/5/1272 nz: Schools 'plagued' by cyber bullying Bullying using the internet and mobile phones is the most common form of harassment among young people, a conference for school trustees has been told. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200807200622/246a13f4 Online Content Regulation in Australia If you are a parent whose child knows how to use a computer and browse the World Wide Web, then you're probably worried about what your child sees online. http://techtree.com/India/News/Online_Content_Regulation_in_Australia/551-91208-643.html Australia unveils online code of conduct Australia on Wednesday unveiled a new code of conduct to regulate online and mobile phone content which will call for classifications similar to those for films, a government spokesman said. http://manilatimes.net/national/2008/july/18/yehey/techtimes/20080718tech1.html au: Industry Code of Practice to make internet a safer place for children [news release] The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today welcomed the release of the Content Services Code, a new industry code of practice for providers of online and mobile phone content. The new code was approved by the Australian Communications and Media Authority on 10 July 2008. http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2008/057 http://egovmonitor.com/node/20033 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** eu: Mobile content services face Brussels inquiry Hundreds of websites across Europe offering "free" or "cheap" mobile phone services such as ringtones and wallpaper are conning young people into taking out expensive contracts, the European commission warned yesterday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/18/telecoms.eu Four in five ringtone sites breach consumer laws, says Commission A European Commission investigation has found that four in five websites selling mobile phone services such as ringtones appear to breach consumer protection rules. http://out-law.com/page-9276 EU clampdown on ring-tone scams [news release] EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva today announced the results of an EU-wide investigation into websites offering mobile phone services such as ring-tones and wallpapers. The enquiry, which was carried out on more than 500 websites across the 27 Member States, Norway and Iceland, found that 80% of the sites checked need to be further investigated for suspected breaches of EU consumer rules. Many of the websites target children and young people. Problems found included: unclear price information where prices are incomplete did not include taxes or customers are unaware that they are signing up to a subscription. Large numbers of websites do not provide some of the required contact information about the trader. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1169 GSMA warns against text-roaming price caps Mobile-operator industry body, the GSMA, has poured cold water on plans by European Commission telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, to create a single market for mobile text services in Europe and cap the cost of sending an SMS for EU citizens travelling in Europe. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39448518,00.htm ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** German telecoms watchdog rebuffed by EU court [Reuters] A telecoms regulator cannot force an operator to levy unjustified charges on competitors using its network, the European Union's top court said on Thursday in a ruling that bolsters new entrants in the sector. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL1780512420080717 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080717/wr_nm/eu_telecoms_germany_dc_1 Cuba and Venezuela to lay undersea Internet cable A new undersea fiber-optic cable being laid between Cuba and Venezuela will help provide high-speed Internet access to Cuban citizens by 2010. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-9994491-94.html The way ahead for the Broadcasting Communication: Speech by Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Competition Policy The Broadcasting Communication has been a great success. It has provided enhanced legal certainty on the Commission's policy in this sector. Already 23 state aid decisions have been taken on the basis of this instrument. But past success cannot make us complacent. In the seven years of the Broadcasting Communication, our media markets have changed dramatically. Technological advances, particularly digitalisation, are driving convergence and have changed consumption patterns. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/08/396 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Hold off on WiMax investments, Gartner cautions Businesses should hold off on investing in WiMax until the technology is more widely deployed across the United States and until vendors produce more dual-mode cellular/WiMax handsets, says a new report from Gartner Research. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/18/Hold_off_on_WiMax_investments_Gartner_cautions_1.html http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/52CB5CFDE6E8CF37CC25748C0072563B ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Animal porn viewed by 'beast' man A TASMANIAN computer technician who considered himself a beast has been given a suspended jail sentence after being caught possessing bestiality images. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24035333-5006788,00.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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 Start at the new Yahoo!7 for a better online experience. www.yahoo7.com.au _______________________________________________ APPLe mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/apple
