********************************************************** 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://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 *************************************************** Is technology rewiring our brains? [AP] http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/is-technology-rewiring-our-brains-1051654.html ISPs promise accurate broadband-speed advice http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39570768,00.htm Obama outlines plan to put every child online [IDG] http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/120708-obama-outlines-plan-to-put.html Koobface virus targets Facebook members http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/3568900/Koobface-virus-targets-Facebook-members.html Poorer Nations Go Online on Cellphones http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122844530354182063.html Australian PM to beef up cybersecurity http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Hacker-threat-Rudd-promises-action/0,130061744,339293665,00.htm Marching off to cyberwar: Estonian and Georgian attacks highlight "cyberwar" difficulties http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12673385 Queen's Speech outlaws suicide web sites http://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2231965/queen-speech-outlaws-suicide Google aims to set EU data protection agenda http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/google-aims-set-eu-data-protection-agenda/article-177793 Internet overload: Surviving the exaflood http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12673221 Brit ISPs censor Wikipedia over 'child porn' album cover http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/07/brit_isps_censor_wikipedia/ ISP filtering a pipe dream: Telstra http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24755150-15306,00.html Cash floods in for Australian anti-censorship protests http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/05/1228257282965.html Online child protection moving up the global agenda - but is it understood? [news release] http://redbarnet.dk/Files//Billeder/Enacso/child_protection_on_the_IGF_agenda.doc Berlusconi plans to use G8 presidency to 'regulate the internet' http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/03/berlusconi_g8_internet/ Steve Ballmer: A Deal for Yahoo Would be Better If Done Soon http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122849475068083011.html Commission’s Accounting Separation requirements top-notch – InternetNZ [news release] http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/commission2019s-accounting-separation-requirements-top-notch-2013-internetnz ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Artificial Companions as a New Kind of Interface to the Future Internet by Yorick Wilks [OII Working Paper] Abstract: This research report seeks to connect the future of the Internet to a new, even though relatively developed, technology; that of computer speech and language and its embodiment in a concept I shall call an Artificial Companion. I will argue here that such entities are coming into being and that they will change fairly rapidly from the rather primitive entities now available, largely in Japan, to being entities that will lead to profound social and psychological consequences; they will also constitute a new and much more personal way of dealing with information and its so-called 'overload' upon all of us. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1308528 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Is technology rewiring our brains? [AP] What does a teenage brain on Google look like? Do all those hours spent online rewire the circuitry? Could these kids even relate better to emoticons than to real people? These sound like concerns from worried parents. But they're coming from brain scientists. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/is-technology-rewiring-our-brains-1051654.html uk: Net speed rules come into force Customers will be better informed about the speed of their net connection under new rules. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7764489.stm ISPs promise accurate broadband-speed advice All the major ISPs have signed up to an Ofcom code of practice requiring accurate advice to be given on attainable broadband speeds, but mobile broadband isn't covered http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39570768,00.htm YouTube and Ning Just Say No to Sex A quick Google search for “sex” returns a whopping 67 million pages. A search for “porn” turns up more than 18 million pages. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/youtube-and-ning-just-say-no-to-sex/ Out of the Shadows: pro-anorexia groups on the web After meeting for years on anonymous and secret Web sites, pro-anorexia groups are now moving to more public forums like Facebook. http://www.newsweek.com/id/170528 President 2.0: How will Obama use the power of the web now? Obama harnessed the grass-roots power of the Web to get elected. How will he use that power now? http://www.newsweek.com/id/170347 Obama outlines plan to put every child online [IDG] U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has outlined an ambitious plan to give every child in the U.S. access to the Internet and to connect the nation's hospitals with "cutting edge technology." http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/120708-obama-outlines-plan-to-put.html http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9122778 S.Africa's Internet use rises, but still lags peers The number of South African Internet users increased by 12.5 percent this year, the fastest growth in seven years, but Africa's biggest economy still lags Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco, a report showed on Thursday. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-36871120081204 cn: Users have key role in Net safe, clean Ever found pornographic photos or ads in your e-mail inbox? If so, you were a victim of one of the 10 "worrying trends" in the Chinese online community spelled out by Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, at an Internet media forum in Chongqing on Friday. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-12/06/content_7278172.htm 99% Indian internet users prefer email in English A report says that 99% of the users prefer to use email in English, despite of the fact that rediff provides the service of email in 11 different languages. rediff-300x230 99% Indian internet users prefer email in English In wake of such a situation, if we talk about one language that all the people of India aspire to learn, English comes up as the most obvious answers. English is the language most Indians use while they are communicating over the internet. http://www.freshnews.in/99-indian-internet-users-prefer-email-in-english-102332 Seven in 10 parents spy on kids' web use Seven in 10 parents snoop on their children's online activities, a study by a search engine has found. http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2232083/parents-snoop-children-online Modern sex: Catherine Townsend logs on to the new revolution In the 21st century, technology is allowing people to express their desires and fulfil their fantasies in ways never before possible – and all at the touch of a button. Catherine Townsend logs on to the new sexual revolution http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/sex-industry/modern-sex-catherine-townsend-logs-on-to-the-new-revolution-1050428.html Stars fight search engines over porn links Argentine actress Isabel Macedo heard on the grapevine that her name was appearing on internet porn sites, so she sat down at her computer to Google herself. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/23a3bc82-c488-11dd-8124-000077b07658.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Koobface virus targets Facebook members Computer hackers are targeting the 120 million users of the social networking site Facebook with the 'Koobface' virus, which takes control of a PC's internet searches and can steal sensitive personal information. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/3568900/Koobface-virus-targets-Facebook-members.html OMG, 'Koobface' worm gets up in the grill of Facebook and MySpace fans The "Koobface" software worm tormenting Facebook and MySpace users is still going strong, prompting them to download bogus software that infects their computers, sends spam out to their friends and allows hackers to redirect their Web searches. http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=omg-koobface-worm-gets-up-in-the-gr-2008-12-05 Socialising all over the web? Websites can now let visitors bring along their friends A new button is appearing on some websites. It says “Facebook Connect” and saves visitors from having to fill out yet another tedious registration form, upload another profile picture and memorise another username and password. Instead, visitors can now sign into other sites using their existing identity on Facebook, the world’s biggest online social network. After a soft launch this summer, Facebook Connect was due to make its formal debut on December 4th. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12725272 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Supercomputer is brought a step closer to your desk top The world’s first personal supercomputer - a machine 250 times faster than the average PC – was unveiled yesterday. It will go on sale for more than £4,000, beyond the reach of most consumers but a tiny fraction of what computers with similar capabilities usually cost. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article5289428.ece World's first personal supercomputer unveiled The world's first personal supercomputer, which is 250 times faster than the average PC, has been unveiled. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/3564435/Worlds-first-personal-supercomputer-unveiled.html As the mouse squeaks to a 40th year, its creator roars on For everyone who works in computers, this Tuesday, 9 December, is a significant date. It's the 40th anniversary of the day when Douglas Engelbart, one of the industry's great visionaries, gave an audience of geeks at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco their first glimpse of the technological future that we all now inhabit. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/dec/07/internet ********************** SPAM ********************** Analysis: is spam email dead? [IDG] In October this year spam kings across the globe felt the full force of the law, when two networks responsible for huge amounts of spam were shut down. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=108031 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Poorer Nations Go Online on Cellphones Using cellphones to surf the Internet is booming in emerging markets, showing how countries with poor fixed-line telecommunications have become important drivers of growth for mobile-technology companies. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122844530354182063.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Australian PM to beef up cybersecurity Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has promised to bolster Australia's cyberdefenses to fend off the threat posed by hackers. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Hacker-threat-Rudd-promises-action/0,130061744,339293665,00.htm http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62049094,00.htm Marching off to cyberwar: Estonian and Georgian attacks highlight "cyberwar" difficulties The internet: Attacks launched over the internet on Estonia and Georgia highlight the difficulty of defining and dealing with “cyberwar” http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12673385 Thieves Winning Online War, Maybe in Your PC Internet security is broken, and nobody seems to know quite how to fix it. Despite the efforts of the computer security industry and a half-decade struggle by Microsoft to protect its Windows operating system, malicious software is spreading faster than ever. The so-called malware surreptitiously takes over a PC and then uses that computer to spread more malware to other machines exponentially. Computer scientists and security researchers acknowledge they cannot get ahead of the onslaught. http://nytimes.com/2008/12/06/technology/internet/06security.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/12/05/technology/wbsecure.php The worm turns: A cyber-attack alarms the Pentagon Battlefield bandwidth is low at best, making networks sticky and e-mails tricky. American soldiers often rely on memory sticks to cart vital data between computers. Off-duty, they use the same devices to move around music and photos. The dangers of that have just become apparent with the news that the Pentagon has banned the use of all portable memory devices because of the spread of a bit of malicious software called agent.btz. http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12725712 Microsoft tackles auction pirates Microsoft has launched 63 separate lawsuits against people peddling counterfeit software on auction sites. The legal action targets sellers in 12 nations including the US, UK, Germany and France. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7766607.stm Microsoft targets auctions in counterfeit crackdown [IDG] Microsoft continues to crack down on people it believes are counterfeiting and selling its software. On Thursday the company will add another 63 legal filings in 12 countries against individuals who it says are selling counterfeit Microsoft products. http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/269772/ FBI: Holiday Season Cyber Scammers Target Victims [news release] The FBI is reminding people this holiday season that cyber criminals continue to aggressively seek ways to steal money and personal information. Scammers are using several techniques to fool potential victims including sending unsolicited e-mails that contain attachments such as electronic greeting cards containing malware (malicious software), setting up spoofing websites that look like legitimate commercial sites, and unleashing phishing and vishing attacks where individuals receive e-mails asking for personal data. http://ic3.gov/media/2008/081201.aspx F-Secure: 12 million 'active' bots worldwide There are at least 12 million "active" bots or zombie computers, in the world, according to a new report from security company F-Secure. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62049067,00.htm Jihadist forum calls for 'YouTube Invasion' A jihadist forum has urged supporters to wage a "YouTube Invasion" by uploading propaganda videos to the popular video-sharing website, the SITE Intelligence Group has claimed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3547072/Jihadist-forum-calls-for-YouTube-Invasion.html Queen's Speech outlaws suicide web sites Web sites promoting suicide are to be subject to criminal prosecution in changes to UK law proposed in the Queen's Speech outlining the government's plans for the coming parliamentary year. http://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2231965/queen-speech-outlaws-suicide us: Cyberbullying verdict turns rule-breakers into criminals They couldn't convict her of being a terrible person, so they had to nail her for impersonating one. That was the sorry end of a landmark cyberbullying trial heard in the United States. Lori Drew, the woman whose phony MySpace account may have driven a neighbour's teenaged daughter to suicide, was convicted in a Los Angeles court this week – but not for cyberbullying. http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081204.wgtweb05/GIStory/ Security attacks reach 2.5 billion per day IBM has announced a number of new initiatives which it claims will improve enterprise security and help clients save costs, in response to a massive rise in web-based threats. The company said that its Internet Security Systems (ISS) business had sprung into action after its X-Force division identified two "startling" developments: a 30 per cent increase in network and web-based security incidents over the past 120 days; and a 40 per cent increase in the number of its clients accessing IBM virtual security operations centres. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2232104/ibm-boosts-security-services Brown urged to keep hacker in UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been urged to halt the extradition to the US of computer hacker Gary McKinnon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7768394.stm FTC has a message for vishing victims [IDG] The e-mail looks important: "National 1st Credit Union temporarily suspended your account. Reason: Billing failure." Further down, it tells you to call this number to reactivate: 201-621-5813. http://computerworld.com.au/article/270012/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/120608-ftc-has-a-message-for.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/270012/ ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Google aims to set EU data protection agenda As EU privacy regulators maintain their focus on search engines, Internet giant Google pushed for harmonisation of EU and global rules on data protection during the first meeting of a new European Commission expert group designed to review current legislation. http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/google-aims-set-eu-data-protection-agenda/article-177793 EU's unlikely partner for data privacy review: Google The EU is considering an update of its privacy guidelines, and the European Commission has formed an expert group to advise them that includes executives from Intel and Google. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081207-eus-unlikely-partner-for-data-privacy-review-google.html ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Internet overload: Surviving the exaflood The internet: Predictions that an “exaflood” of traffic will overload the internet have been doing the rounds. But will it really happen? http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12673221 au: Police bust major film and TV piracy operation Two Brisbane men who allegedly facilitated the illegal download of the equivalent of more than 14 million movies and television programs via a video sharing website overseas have been charged with piracy. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/04/1228257209775.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/04/1228257209775.html au: Cops arrest two in Brisbane on pirate film website raid TWO Brisbane men have been arrested over an illegal movie download site that distributed millions of films to punters all around the world. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24751066-15306,00.html Swedish gov't mulls new anti-file sharing law [AP] The Swedish government says it is drafting a law that will allow record and film companies to pursue Internet users sharing music and movies illegally. http://www.miamiherald.com/business/nation/story/798960.html http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008468043_apeuswedenfilesharing.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Brit ISPs censor Wikipedia over 'child porn' album cover Six British ISPs are filtering access to Wikipedia after the site was added to an Internet Watch Foundation child-pornography blacklist, according to Wikipedia administrators. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/07/brit_isps_censor_wikipedia/ British ISPs filtering Wikipedia Internet service providers in the U.K. have begun filtering access to Wikipedia after the site was added to the Internet Watch Foundation's blacklist. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10116543-93.html IWF statement regarding Wikipedia URL ... A Wikipedia web page, was reported through the IWF’s online reporting mechanism in December 2008. As with all child sexual abuse reports received by our Hotline analysts, the image was assessed according to the UK Sentencing Guidelines Council (page 109). The content was considered to be a potentially illegal indecent image of a child under the age of 18, but hosted outside the UK. The IWF does not issue takedown notices to ISPs or hosting companies outside the UK, but we did advise one of our partner Hotlines abroad and our law enforcement partner agency of our assessment. The specific URL (individual webpage) was then added to the list provided to ISPs and other companies in the online sector to protect their customers from inadvertent exposure to a potentially illegal indecent image of a child. http://iwf.org.uk/media/news.249.htm Vietnam bloggers flirt with danger [AP] Last September, when police clashed with Catholic protesters over confiscated church land, the Vietnamese public did not need to rely on the sanitised accounts in the state-controlled media. They could read all about it on the blogs. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10546926 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/06/AR2008120601285.html Vietnam court upholds blogger's jail term [AFP] An appeals court in communist Vietnam on Thursday upheld a blogger's two-and-a-half-year jail sentence for tax fraud in a case media watchdog groups have said was politically motivated. http://news.smh.com.au/technology/vietnam-court-upholds-bloggers-jail-term-20081205-6rsj.html http://news.theage.com.au/technology/vietnam-court-upholds-bloggers-jail-term-20081205-6rsj.html New fears over cyber-snooping in China [AP] Requirements that internet cafes in a southern Chinese city install Chinese-developed operating systems are raising new concerns over cyber-snooping by the authorities, a US government-funded radio station reported yesterday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/04/china-privacy-cyber-snooping Croatia web arrests spark furore Croatia's prime minister has ordered an inquiry following arrests of several opposition activists who made plans via the social networking website Facebook. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7762802.stm ISP filtering a pipe dream: Telstra Telstra chief operating officer Greg Winn says the federal Government's attempt to censor the internet is akin to trying to "boil the ocean". http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24755150-15306,00.html Cash floods in for Australian anti-censorship protests Political activists GetUp have raised over $30,000 in less than a day to support their fight against the Government's plan to censor the internet, a response the group has described as "unprecedented". http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/05/1228257282965.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/05/1228257282965.html http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/12/05/1228257284512.html Govt's web censorship will hurt economy, group says Community advocacy group Get Up says the Federal Government's commitment to internet censorship will slow down speeds and hurt the economy. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/05/2439048.htm ISP filter tests: ideally, someone will get a clue The government has released the spec documents for its proposed compulsory internet filtering system. The problem? They're a confusing mess of vague waffle. http://apcmag.com/Content.aspx?id=3283 Australia's Internet filtering too ambitious, doomed to fail It's tough being a government these days; who has the energy to clean up the Internet after a hard day's work bailing out the financial sector? Not the Australian government, it seems. Rather than actually doing something about illegal content, they just make a list of it and tell ISPs to filter everything that's on the list. Sidestepping the murky political details and—for the moment—the civil liberties problems inherent in this approach, let's take a closer look at the technical aspects of such a plan. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081205-australias-internet-filtering-too-ambitious-doomed-to-fail.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Online child protection moving up the global agenda - but is it understood? [news release] Failure to understand the real challenge of protecting children on the internet has reduced the impact of global internet discussions, according to European child rights NGOs. While welcoming a higher than ever profile for children's issues at the UN's 3rd Internet Governance Forum (3-6 December), the European NGO Alliance on Child Safety Online (eNACSO) has criticized a low level of understanding of children?s right to protection among some other key stakeholders. Speaking in the Forum plenary session, eNACSO representative John Carr emphasized the responsibility of industry in making the internet a safer place for children. Parents must not be left on their own to put in place complex technical solutions to keep their children safe. http://redbarnet.dk/Files//Billeder/Enacso/child_protection_on_the_IGF_agenda.doc in: 7-yr jail proposed for child pornography: IT Ministry [UNI] The Union government has proposed a seven-year jail term for a series of cyber crimes, particularly child pornography, in the Information Technology (IT) Amendment Bill, 2006, which is likely to be tabled in the next session of Parliament, according to a top IT Ministry official.http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG5_sub.asp?ccode=ENG5&newscode=29417 http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG5_sub.asp?ccode=ENG5&newscode=29417 Internet tapping part of IT Act amendment to curb cyber-crimes [PTI] Internet tapping and exemplary punsihment for child pornography will be part of the incorporating stringent provisions in the Centre's proposed amendment to Information Technology Act to deal with a variety of cyber-crimes. http://ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/F0AFAC4D466F89F3652575170047FA2E YouTube's crackdown on suggestive content "It's a bad week for Internet porn,"a Wired blogger reports. Indeed. Given the news from Ning and now with YouTube "cracking down on sexually suggestive content," as VentureBeat reports. http://www.netfamilynews.org/2008/12/youtubes-crackdown-on-suggestive.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Berlusconi plans to use G8 presidency to 'regulate the internet' Italian president and media baron Silvio Berlusconi said today that he would use his country's imminent presidency of the G8 group to push for an international agreement to "regulate the internet". http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/03/berlusconi_g8_internet/ nz: Commission's Accounting Separation Requirements Top-notch InternetNZ has reiterated today its strong support for the Commerce Commission's Disclosure Requirements as released in late October for public comment. http://www.voxy.co.nz/business/commission039s-accounting-separation-requirements-top-notch/5/6228 Indian Govt to amend IT Act in winter session to deal cyber crimes The Union government will be incorporating stringent provisions in the proposed amendment to the Information Technology Act to deal with a variety of cyber crimes, including child pornography. http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-07/488941news.html http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Govt_to_Amend_IT_Act_to_deal_crimes/articleshow/3802201.cms ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* The week in politics: Retroactive immunity, a "call to action" on broadband, and courts on cyberbullying This week's top political tech story was the faceoff between lawyers for the Bush administration and Electronic Frontier Foundation attorneys who want a court to strike down a provision of the FISA Amendment Act granting retroactive immunity to telecoms that participated in the NSA's program of warrantless wiretapping. A judge will now have to decide whether the controversial statute gives the attorney general too much discretion to block claims that implicate the Fourth Amendment. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081206-the-week-in-politics-retroactive-immunity-a-call-to-action-on-broadband-and-courts-on-cyberbullying.html Microsoft to Google: Get Off of My Cloud The world's top software maker plans to build about 20 state-of-the-art data centers as it tries to outpace cloud computing rival Google, BusinessWeek has learned http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2008/tc20081121_382269.htm Steve Ballmer: A Deal for Yahoo Would be Better If Done Soon After a nearly five month search, Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it has found a new executive to lead its charge against Google Inc. in the online search and advertising business: Qi Lu, a technologist who was previously a top executive at Yahoo Inc. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122849475068083011.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** AT&T Slashes 12,000 Jobs as Landline Accounts Dwindle AT&T, the largest phone company in the U.S., announced Thursday that it will cut about 12,000 jobs, or roughly 4 percent of its total workforce, starting this month and through next year. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/65380.html AT&T Layoffs: The Tip of a Telecom Downturn Cutbacks in consumer spending will force telecoms to trim staff and spending—likely spreading the pain to equipment makers as well http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2008/tc2008124_185061.htm Commission’s Accounting Separation requirements top-notch – InternetNZ [news release] InternetNZ has reiterated today its strong support for the Commerce Commission’s Disclosure Requirements as released in late October for public comment. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/commission2019s-accounting-separation-requirements-top-notch-2013-internetnz InternetNZ supports Commerce Commission disclosure regime [sub req'd] New Zealand internet advocacy group InternetNZ reiterated its strong support for the Commerce Commission's disclosure requirements, as released in late... http://telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=648823 http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=241485 nz/au: Southern Cross scoffs at billion-dollar cable savings The consortium that owns the Southern Cross Cable has laughed off a suggestion by state-owned enterprise Kordia that a competing trans-Tasman communications cable could save New Zealanders more than a billion dollars over the next 10 years. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4786044a28.html http://www.businessday.co.nz/industries/telco_it/4786062 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Telstra readies 21M bps mobile broadband service [IDG] Telstra will boost data speeds in its Next G mobile network to 21M bps early next year, and will conduct tests of the faster service this month, equipment vendor Ericsson said Friday. However, customers may have to wait longer for the arrival of compatible phones, which haven't yet caught up with prevous improvements to network performance. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/120508-telstra-readies-21m-bps-mobile.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/155013/.html Nokia warns mobile phone sales falling Nokia, the biggest maker of mobile phones, cut its global handset market forecast for the second time in three weeks yesterday as sales continue to slow more quickly than it expected as consumer spending declines. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article5289257.ece http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24754488-5018020,00.html FBI: Criminals auto-dialing with hacked VoIP systems [IDG] Criminals are taking advantage of a bug in the Asterisk Internet telephony system that lets them pump out thousands of scam phone calls in an hour, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation warned Friday. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/120608-fbi-criminals-auto-dialing-with-hacked.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/155074/.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 your day with Yahoo!7 and win a Sony Bravia TV. Enter now http://au.docs.yahoo.com/homepageset/?p1=other&p2=au&p3=tagline _______________________________________________ APPLe mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/apple
