********************************************************** Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre Nanyang Technological University, Singapore http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/
********************************************************** 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 *************************************************** Vint Cerf talks up the next-generation internet http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2227019/vint-cerf-previews-generation Cyber sex causes depression: study http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/09/26/1222217466074.html Movie, TV viewing shifting online: study [AFP] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/27/2375858.htm Japan home owners to be offered 16Gbit/s Internet connection [IDG] http://techworld.com/networking/news/index.cfm?newsid=104916 Number of cell phone subscribers to hit 4 billion this year, UN says [news release] http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28251 New era dawns at home of the internet http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4842964.ece Half world's population 'will have mobile phone by end of year' http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/26/mobilephones.unitednations Mobile Phones and Cancer: More Research Needed http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc20080925_833994.htm Electrosensitivity-Mind your phone: Sham radiation can cause real pain http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12295230 The Interphone study: Mobile madness http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12295222 Notorious ISP Intercage goes dark again [IDG] http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/09/26/Notorious_ISP_Intercage_goes_dark_again_1.html au: Man loses $20k in online love scam [AAP] http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4708739a28.html London police close file on BT's Phorm trials http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7634210.stm US ISPs endorse user opt-in on Web tracking, deflect calls for privacy laws [IDG] http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9115612 Unlimited mobile music would cut piracy and CD sales http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/digitalmusic.telecoms Indie labels cry foul at MySpace Music launch http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/26/myspace.digitalmusic ‘One-stop shop’ to keep British children safe on internet http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4842548.ece UK children at greater risk from online predators as they spend more time indoors http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3088260/UK-children-at-greater-risk-from-online-predators-as-they-spend-more-time-indoors.html US Congress takes up online threats to children http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10052502-38.html US Congress sending child porn bills to president [AP] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7831093 Rivals Microsoft and Google Take Top Honors in Asia http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122237391170376181.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** The Mass Age of Internet Law by Daithi Mac Sithigh [Information and Communication Technology Law] Abstract: This article addresses the topical question of how the increased availability of (and popular interest in) "user-generated content" (UGC) influences the development of cyberlaw. While recognising that the Web has been 'user-generated' since its creation, it is argued that the commercial and critical interest in small-scale and individual contributions to the audio/video Web, and the use of such material by established media providers (online and offline) presents a challenge to those who are interested in Internet regulation and the evolution of Web media law. Differing perspectives on the future of Internet regulation are considered in the light of how they relate to understanding the UGC challenge. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1271863 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Vint Cerf talks up the next-generation internet Google's chief internet evangelist Vint Cerf has set out his view of the internet's future to coincide with the search giant's 10th birthday. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2227019/vint-cerf-previews-generation Cyber sex causes depression: study People who seek out cyber sex have "alarmingly high" rates of depression, anxiety and stress and typically devote hours a day to the covert activity, a study shows. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/09/26/1222217466074.html Movie, TV viewing shifting online: study [AFP] Couch potatoes may be a thing of the past as a study has found the number of people watching video on their computers has doubled over the past year. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/27/2375858.htm Quarter of workers' time online is personal Most people spend more than 25 per cent of their time online at work on personal activities. And 80 per cent of emails sent by volume in the workplace are personal. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10534055 Japan home owners to be offered 16Gbit/s Internet connection [IDG] Japanese telecommunications carrier KDDI is to start offering 1Gbit/s fibre optic Internet hook-ups for less than the current price of a connection one tenth the speed. http://techworld.com/networking/news/index.cfm?newsid=104916 Number of cell phone subscribers to hit 4 billion this year, UN says [news release] The number of mobile cellular subscribers worldwide will reach the 4 billion mark by the end of 2008, the head of the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) announced today. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28251 Murdoch declares war in the last great battle of the barons The Wall Street Journal and New York Times are locking horns in the old press tradition. But the fight is looking increasingly irrelevant as their readership deserts them for the internet, writes Paul Harris http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/28/newscorporation.wallstreetjournal ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Social networking-Facebook for suits: Websites that encourage business networking are thriving Among the few firms benefiting from the upheaval in the financial markets are professional social networks—websites that help with business networking and job-hunting. On LinkedIn, the market leader, members have been updating their profiles in record numbers in recent weeks, apparently to position themselves in case they lose their jobs. The two most popular sites, LinkedIn and Xing, have been growing at breakneck speed and boast 29m and 6.5m members respectively. And, in contrast to mass-market social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, both firms have worked out how to make money. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12304861 MI6 seeks recruits on Facebook MI6 is using the social networking site Facebook to recruit the next generation of spies. The Secret Intelligence Service, which has traditionally scoured the country's elite universities for recruits, launched a series of online adverts this month as part of its attempts to attract people from a variety of backgrounds. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/facebook.workandcareers ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** New era dawns at home of the internet The dawn of a new internet age has begun. A network of supercomputers, known as the Grid, is to revolutionise the speed at which information is downloaded to personal computers. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4842964.ece Half world's population 'will have mobile phone by end of year' The world's love affair with the mobile phone shows no sign of abating, with the head of the UN's agency for information and communication technologies predicting that there will be 4 billion mobile phone users - or more than half of the planet's estimated 6.7 billion inhabitants - by the end of this year. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/26/mobilephones.unitednations Mobile Phones and Cancer: More Research Needed A large-scale study of the long-term effects of cell-phone use needs to be carried out, medical professionals said at a congressional hearing http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc20080925_833994.htm Electrosensitivity-Mind your phone: Sham radiation can cause real pain Whether mobile phones can cause cancer remains moot. But they are also accused by some of causing pain. A growing number of people around the world claim to be “electrosensitive”, in other words physically responsive to the electromagnetic fields that surround phones and the other electronic devices that clutter the modern world. Indeed, at least one country, Sweden, has recognised such sensitivity as a disability, and will pay for the dwellings of sufferers to be screened from the world’s electronic smog. http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12295230 The Interphone study: Mobile madness The threat to human health from mobile phones, if any, is much disputed. A shame, then, that a massive multinational study on the question has ended in chaos http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12295222 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Scrabulous brothers can continue with game, says Delhi court The brothers behind the Scrabble-aping Facebook game Scrabulous can continue to make their game because the Scrabble game itself is not protected by copyright, a Delhi court has said. http://out-law.com/page-9452 German gamer admits killing British rival, claim Germans A German internet wargame enthusiast who has confessed to murdering a Briton he met online was in love with the victim's girlfriend and had tried to woo her, German police claimed yesterday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/27/games.ukcrime Man questioned over gamer's murder [PA] A man has been questioned in Germany over the murder of a British computer games enthusiast he allegedly met on the internet, police said. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-questioned-over-gamers-murder-943125.html Gamer arrested over computer link to knife murder of Matthew Pyke A German computer gamer is being questioned by police over the murder of a university student after an apparent argument on an online discussion site. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4828367.ece Notorious ISP Intercage goes dark again [IDG] Accused of being home to online scammers, San Francisco Internet service provider Intercage has been unplugged from the Internet ... for the second time this week. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/092608-notorious-isp-intercage-goes-dark.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151591/notorious_isp_intercage_goes_dark_again.html http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/09/26/Notorious_ISP_Intercage_goes_dark_again_1.html au: Man loses $20k in online love scam [AAP] An Australian man has been stripped of $20,000 and left red-faced after his female friend turned out to be a man, in an online romance scam. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4708739a28.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/09/28/1222540223551.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/09/28/1222540223551.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** London police close file on BT's Phorm trials The City of London Police have said there will be no formal investigation of BT over its secret trials of an ad monitoring system. BT trialled the Phorm system - which monitors web browsing habits in order to better target ads - without the consent of users last summer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7634210.stm US ISPs endorse user opt-in on Web tracking, deflect calls for privacy laws [IDG] Three of the four largest Internet service providers in the U.S. promised today that they will adopt policies requiring them to get meaningful permission from customers before tracking their online activities for targeted advertising purposes. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9115612 http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151518/large_isps_endorse_customer_optin_for_web_tracking.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1036594361 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Unlimited mobile music would cut piracy and CD sales The introduction of unlimited mobile music services such as Nokia's Comes With Music and Sony Ericsson's PlayNow plus could result in British consumers downloading a staggering 2.1bn tracks a year, according to new research. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/digitalmusic.telecoms Indie labels cry foul at MySpace Music launch MySpace, the social networking site, last night launched its long-awaited music service, which offers millions of streaming tracks on demand in the US, and revealed plans to launch it worldwide. But it provoked a furious reaction from the largest independent record labels, which accused it of leaving them out in the cold. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/26/myspace.digitalmusic MySpace Music launch disappoints excluded indie labels The launch of MySpace Music ran into controversy on Thursday after the leading independent music trade body complained that its small music label members had been shut out and treated like second class citizens. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-35661620080926 http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE48O96N20080925 New Lobbying Group Calls for Internet Filtering A just-formed lobbying group of content producers, equipment makers and internet gatekeepers said Thursday that internet service providers should embrace filtering. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/entertainment-l.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** China: A Forbidden City of words The Chinese authorities have blacklisted certain words on the internet. But you can't, ultimately, suppress communication http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/28/china.internet ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ ‘One-stop shop’ to keep British children safe on internet Help is at hand for parents who fear for their children’s safety while using the internet with the launch today of a government scheme aimed at keeping children safe in cyberspace. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4842548.ece UK children at greater risk from online predators as they spend more time indoors British children are at greater risk from online predators than those elsewhere in Europe because their paranoid parents keep them cooped up indoors, a report claims. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3088260/UK-children-at-greater-risk-from-online-predators-as-they-spend-more-time-indoors.html US Congress takes up online threats to children Amid an economic crisis, Congress found some time this week to address online threats to children. The Protect Our Children Act, introduced by Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., made it through the Senate on Thursday. Separate bills authored by Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton were folded into the legislation, which authorizes more than $320 million for the Justice Department over the next five years for, among other things, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The bill would affect how Internet companies report online child pornography to authorities, and it approves funds for law enforcement to focus on online child exploitation. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10052502-38.html US Congress sending child porn bills to president [AP] Congress is sending President Bush several bills that would tighten laws on child pornographers' use of the Internet. The House on Friday passed by 418-0 a measure clarifying that images obtained over the Internet were subject to federal interstate commerce laws. The bill was in response to a federal court ruling that prosecutors must show that images kept on a computer had crossed state lines. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7831093 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/26/AR2008092602437.html http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080926/ap/d93elue80.html http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/sep/26/congress-sending-child-porn-bills-to-president/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080926.wgtpornobill0926/BNStory/Technology/ Daddy's internet secret Daisy, five, loves the CBeebies website, but sometimes, when she's looking for Balamory, a site for 'best blow jobs' pops up. That's because her father likes to visit sex sites. Emma Cook talks to mothers who fear online porn is threatening family life http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/27/family.internet YouTube hands tied in shooting Finnish police are working with YouTube to avoid future shootings but talks could hit a brick wall as videos can't be pre-screened. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24402223-15306,00.html Won’t someone think of the children’s speech?: Internet Technical Safety Task Force by Wendy Seltzer I’m at Berkman for the open meeting of the Internet Technical Safety Task Force, a group convened at the pressing of state attorneys general to address children’s safety on social networking sites. The day kicked off with statements from Mass and Conn. attorneys general, to be followed by presentations from technology companies offering “solutions” and suggestions. http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2008/09/23/internet-technical-safety-task-force.html Comparing Children's Online Opportunities and Risks across Europe: Cross-national Comparisons for EU Kids Online [Quicklinks] Cross-national Comparisons (D3.2). The first part of this report compares findings from various European studies to address some key research questions and hypotheses. These allow us to reach some general conclusions (i.e. cross-national similarities) which hold across the European countries examined. The second part considers factors that might help to explain the patterns that we found. http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/EUKidsOnline/Reports/ReportD3-2CrossnationalComparisonFINAL2.pdf Supporting families, searching for online safety solutions As Vint Cerf wrote last December, "Google is dedicated to supporting parents' efforts to educate and protect their children when they go online." Through policies like YouTube's Community Guidelines and easy-to-use technologies like SafeSearch, Google helps families safely enjoy the freedom of expression that is so essential to the Internet. http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2008/09/supporting-families-searching-for.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** NZ ICT group delivers detailed election wishlist A group of Auckland-based ICT industry figures has delivered its policy wish-list to the politicians of major parties, setting out an agenda for progress in ICT development that is far more specific than in many strategy documents seen to date. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/BF25FB342D8389E3CC2574CC000FBF2A NZ Government buckles over Copyright Act amendment The government has bowed to ICT industry pressure, announcing a four-month moratorium on Section 92A of its new Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act. http://www.netguide.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=703&Itemid=16 nz: ICT winners, losers and also-rans It's been a big week for the local ICT industry. First, the government backed down on its copyright legislation thanks to an unprecedented united outcry from industry bodies; then the three main parties (and Act) fronted up for the first political debate of the election - and it was on ICT; and finally, the second annual Open Source Awards were held in Wellington. http://www.itbrief.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2582&Itemid=808 nz: Members passing motions There's not much difference between the parties’ ICT policies. Where they differ is on implementation issues: It was a dark, stormy night in Avalon, one of the most peculiar public erections in the Lower North Island, where 1,282 square metres of studio space in total and a large number of cameras wait for live television shows to happen. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/fry/3B14E62C5644AB72CC2574D0000BBBA9 nz: Copyright Act change shifts software rights A change in New Zealand’s copyright law will see software developers owning their software by default, even when that software is commissioned, and that has led one industry leader to warn of potential abuse. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/85C5E5DB6BD35585CC2574CF0017C13F nz: ICT issues debated at online forum, amendment delayed The backdown on the controversial section 92A of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Bill was one of the insights yielded in the TVNZ 7 and online election debate, jointly organised with InternetNZ, conducted last week. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/50B30BBBB9F67EBFCC2574CF00180175 ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Rivals Microsoft and Google Take Top Honors in Asia Three years ago, Google Inc. had a marginal physical presence in Asia -- a handful of staff in sales offices in Japan, Korea and Australia. Flash forward to 2008: The company has 2,000 employees in 15 offices in the region, plus 11 research-and-development centers, where engineers churn out products and services for Asian markets as well as Internet users world-wide. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122237391170376181.html TelstraClear and TradeMe cosy up TelstraClear will let residential broadband customers surf Trade Me and watch videos posted on its Clear.net portal without that counting toward their data traffic caps for three months, in a move that may pave the way for more tie- ups between carriers and content providers. http://www.businessday.co.nz/industries/telco_it/4709661 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4709567a27483.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4709567a28.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** EC call for 'universal' broadband Brussels is considering making broadband access available for all. The fast growth of broadband has led the European Commission to bring forward a review of the basic telecoms services Europeans can expect. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7637215.stm ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** India Adds Over 9 Million Mobile Subscribers in August India added 9.16 million mobile subscribers in August, taking the total number of mobile subscribers to over 305 million, according to data released Wednesday by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The country added 9.22 million mobile subscribers in July. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151470/india_adds_over_9_million_mobile_subscribers_in_august.html Europe-wide wireless broadband on the way EU politicians have backed measures to help create a wireless broadband service that could work across Europe. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62046510,00.htm More texting than phone calls in the US In the fourth quarter of 2007, American cellphone subscribers for the first time sent text messages more than they phoned, according to Nielsen Mobile. Since then, the average subscriber’s volume of text messages has shot upward by 64 percent, while the average number of calls has dropped slightly. http://nytimes.com/2008/09/29/technology/29drill.html ********************** VoIP ********************** VoIP system users can be targeted in attacks Jason Ostrom of VoIP Hopper on Saturday plans to release his next-generation VoIP sniffer at Toorcon in San Diego to help raise awareness of the type of vulnerabilities businesses face as they adopt unified communications (UC) technology. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10052393-83.html ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** uk: NZer jailed for child porn A New Zealand-born fitness coach with the England cricket team has been jailed in Britain for six months for downloading "disgusting" child porn movies. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10534722 Kiwi born cricket coach jailed over child porn videos A New Zealand-born fitness coach with the England cricket team was jailed in Britain overnight for six months for downloading "disgusting" child porn movies. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10534516 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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 Yahoo!7 Mail! http://au.yahoo.com/y7mail _______________________________________________ APPLe mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/apple
