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********************************************************** 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 *************************************************** Do We Need a New Internet? http://nytimes.com/2009/02/15/weekinreview/15markoff.html How TV ads are taking the net by storm http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/15/tv-ads-internet Royal website gets a makeover worthy of the digital age http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5716197.ece Facebook hits 175 million user mark http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10164458-93.html Big ISPs snub internet filter trial http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/12/2489244.htm Pirate Bay founders walk the plank over free downloads http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5741830.ece Team behind Pirate Bay filesharing site to stand trial in Sweden over copyright infringement http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/14/pirate-bay-trial Telecom industry faces moment of truth http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE51C21620090213 Italy police warn of Skype threat http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7890443.stm Facebook pays $65m to settle rival's claim http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/13/facebook-inventor-claim-payout US Agency Skeptical of Internet Privacy Policies http://nytimes.com/2009/02/13/technology/internet/13privacy.html Where you've been on Net not private, Canadian judge rules http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1285658 uk: £46m taxpayers' bill for companies to store web use details http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/13/data-storage-privacy-home-office ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** In the Name of the Children: Government Regulation of Indecency on the Radio, Television and the Internet -- Let's Stop the Madness by Eric Segall [Georgia State University College of Law, Legal Studies Research Paper] Abstract: For a long time the Supreme Court of the United States has assumed that the government has a compelling interest in protecting children from non-obscene, sexually explicit speech. In addition, the Court has also held that radio and television broadcasting receive less First Amendment protection than other forms of media such as cable and satellite television and the internet. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1341112 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Do We Need a New Internet? Two decades ago a 23-year-old Cornell University graduate student brought the Internet to its knees with a simple software program that skipped from computer to computer at blinding speed, thoroughly clogging the then-tiny network in the space of a few hours. http://nytimes.com/2009/02/15/weekinreview/15markoff.html Electronic books and newspapers: An iTunes moment? The growing popularity of electronic books could offer hope for newspapers http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13109596 How TV ads are taking the net by storm As apiece of entertainment, it runs the gamut from highbrow to lowbrow. The latest TV commercial from chocolate maker Cadbury, in which two schoolchildren's eyebrows "dance" along to a funky soundtrack, has been hailed as proof that - for advertisers - the internet, not television, is now king. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/15/tv-ads-internet Royal website gets a makeover worthy of the digital age She regularly e-mails her grandchildren, enjoys listening to her iPod, and has become something of a YouTube phenomenon. Today, the Queen burnishes her growing technological credentials by relaunching the royal website, with new features that even the most web-savvy whizzkids would be proud of. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5716197.ece The royal website: Now with Queen-tracker map and corgi updates I first stumbled on the official royal family website back in 2004 when I wanted to track down a good chronology of kings and queens. What I found was an extremely slick, well designed and informative site that was quite ahead of its time in terms of usability. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/feb/12/royalsandthemedia-internet Queen to launch new-look website The Queen is to relaunch her website at a Buckingham Palace reception in the company of the world wide web's inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7885005.stm Royal watchers can track British Queen on website More than 30 years after she sent her first email, the Queen will unveil a new version of her website on Thursday that allows her subjects to keep track of the royal family using an online map. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE51B35Y20090212 41% of Brits won't shop online Over 40 percent of Brits refuse to shop online because they are concerned about security, says CyberSource. Research by the company revealed that over a third of those surveyed know someone that has been a victim of online fraud. In response to this a number of web users that do shop online said they take steps to protect themselves against ID theft. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=110767 UK teens spend two hours a week watching web porn UK teenagers spend around two hours a week watching porn online, says Cyber Sentinel. Resarch by the parental-control software company revealed that in total young Britons spend 31 hours a week surfing the web, spending as much time looking at pornography as they do watching videos on Google's YouTube. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=110704 http://computerworld.com.au/article/276342/ http://www.pcworld.com/article/159396/.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/276342/ ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Twitter? It’s What You Make It Writing can be solitary work, but not when you write a tech column. Feedback pours in so quickly — by e-mail, on blogs, in online comments — that it’s almost real-time performance art. http://nytimes.com/2009/02/12/technology/personaltech/12pogue.html http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/10/technology/ptpogue12.1-426702.php Twitterers Worldwide Gather for Twestival Twitter has been co-opted by celebrities and companies like Starbucks and Bank of America. Now, the San Francisco-based service, which allows people to post updates, or “tweets,” up to 140 characters in length, is being adopted to organize an global fund-raising event called Twestival. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/twitter-communities-worldwide-gather-for-twestival/ Facebook hits 175 million user mark A little more than a month after announcing it had 150 million active users, Facebook has reached 175 million active users--the statistic the social-networking site prefers to use, rather than registered accounts overall. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10164458-93.html MySpace 'can't win over Facebook' Rupert Murdoch will not be happy but the co-founder of MySpace's parent company before it was sold to News Corp in 2005, says the global battle against Facebook is over. Facebook, said the Los Angeles-based Brett Brewer, will dominate MySpace in worldwide user numbers. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/02/12/1234028158976.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/02/12/1234028158976.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4845701a28.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** How Google Decides to Pull the Plug Google recently set the blogosphere abuzz by announcing that it was pulling the plug on several products. The victims included Lively, a virtual world that was Google’s answer to Second Life; Dodgeball, a cellphone service aimed at young bar-hoppers who wanted to let their friends know where they were hanging out; Catalog Search, which scanned paper product catalogs so they could be searched online; and Notebook, a simple tool that allowed people to take notes on Web sites they had visited. http://nytimes.com/2009/02/15/business/15ping.html Video games are good for children - EU report Children who spend hours every day on their Playstation or Xbox video consoles may not be rotting their brains, as many parents fear. A report from the European parliament concluded yesterday that computer games are good for children and teach them essential life skills. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/12/computer-games-eu-study Videogames seen good for children Videogames can be good for children, encouraging creativity and cooperation, a European Union report concluded Wednesday which ran counter to the violent reputation of some titles. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE51A60H20090211 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ ITU and European Commission mark Safer Internet Day: Focus on protecting children online [news release] ITU and the European Commission have joined forces to mark Safer Internet Day. This year, the focus is on protecting children online. http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2009/01.html us: Teens, Nude Photos and the Law Ask yourself: should the police be involved when tipsy teen girls e-mail their boyfriends naughty Valentine's Day pictures? http://www.newsweek.com/id/184814 Content filter pilots debunk critics Internet Service Providers (ISPs) participating in the government's clean-feed Internet pilot have supported the scheme and poured cold water on claims the technology will not work. http://computerworld.com.au/article/276594/ http://webwereld.nl/internationaal-nieuws/55281/content-filter-pilots-debunk-critics.html http://www.techworld.com.au/article/276594/content_filter_pilots_debunk_critics http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/021209-content-filter-pilots-debunk.html Filters an insult to democracy by Andrew Kellerman, Digital Liberty Coalition DURING 2009 while the rest of the world seeks faster networking infrastructure, we are taking a huge leap back in time. Whether the current government is courting a certain senate seat or has become completely detached from reality and the average Australian has yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain; this filter is not what any educated Australian would want. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25049509-5013046,00.html Big ISPs snub internet filter trial The Federal Opposition says the Government's internet filtering trial will lack credibility because the country's biggest ISPs are not taking part. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/12/2489244.htm ISP filtering gathers pace INTERNET service providers have set their own timetables to fire the starter's gun for live filtering trials. Since most ISPs need time to gather customers, both business and residential, and install equipment for the tests, their start dates will vary. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25043812-15306,00.html Federal crackdown on cyber bullying The Federal Government will target the growing scourge of cyber-bullying in a review of its key anti-harassment policy for schools. The National Safe Schools Framework, developed in 2002 to give schools guidelines to deal with bullying, violence, harassment, child abuse and neglect, will be overhauled to better cover covert forms of intimidation. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/federal-crackdown-on-cyber-bullying-20090211-84bs.html au: Internet filtering pilot announced: six ISPs on board Communications minister, Stephen Conroy, has announced six ISPs will participate in the first phase of the Federal Government’s controversial plan to introduce mandatory filtering of Australia’s Internet feed. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/276465/ http://computerworld.com.au/article/276465/ http://www.techworld.com.au/article/276465/ eu: Sites in network pervert pact SEVENTEEN social networking websites have signed a pact aimed at curbing cyber-bullying and stopping paedophiles grooming kids online. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2229977.ece uk: Kids online: Parents need to regulate, says Ofcom Parents should take greater responsibility for what their children get up to on the internet, according to Jeremy Olivier, Ofcom’s Head of Convergent Media. Richard Mollett, Director of Public Affairs for the BPI went a step further. He said: “When it comes to copyright issues, parents may no longer be able to use ignorance as an excuse.” http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/12/isp_self_reg/ ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Pirate Bay founders walk the plank over free downloads Four men behind the hugely popular Pirate Bay filesharing website are to appear in court in Stockholm today for helping millions of internet users to make illegal downloads of music, films, games and software. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5741830.ece Internet piracy trial of the decade to begin A courtroom in Stockholm is set to stage the internet piracy trial of the decade. Four men behind the hugely popular Pirate Bay filesharing website are about to go before a judge for enabling millions of internet users to make illegal downloads of music, movies, games and software. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5724543.ece Team behind Pirate Bay filesharing site to stand trial in Sweden over copyright infringement The most high-profile anti-piracy case in recent years begins on Monday when four men behind the world's largest filesharing website will stand trial in Sweden. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/14/pirate-bay-trial Pirate Bay Trial to Start on Monday [IDG] The trial against four people involved in running The Pirate Bay, one of the most widely used BitTorrent trackers for music, movies and software, will start on Monday in Stockholm. http://www.pcworld.com/article/159519/ http://computerworld.com.au/article/276673/ http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/7F84062B8C403B69CC25755E006B3011 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Mobile data demand up despite economy: survey Consumer demand for data services on mobile phones, such as accessing email or browsing the Web on the go, is rising despite the global economic downturn, a survey released Monday found. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE51E26B20090215 Telecom industry faces moment of truth The world's mobile telecom industry will gather in the Spanish city of Barcelona next week, hoping to find ways to outwit the downturn, powerful new rivals and software developers threatening to steal their thunder. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE51C21620090213 What to expect from Mobile World Congress 2009 On 16 February, the world's mobile-phone industry will gather in Barcelona to show off its latest products, announce roadmaps and debate the pressing issues of the day at the Mobile World Congress. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39616085,00.htm WiMax and LTE Supporters Prepare for Battle [IDG] Supporters of rival technologies WiMax and LTE (Long Term Evolution) will do their best to show momentum behind their respective technologies at Mobile World Congress. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/159533/.html Inflated mobile prices prompt EU to legislate As the Bulgarian telecoms regulator drags its feet on bringing down mobile telephone rates, Brussels is preparing legislation that will require all national regulators to make mobile prices reflect costs better, a European Commission spokesperson told EurActiv. http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/inflated-mobile-prices-prompt-eu-legislate/article-179373 WiMax Florishes -- but Globally, Not Locally, Intel Says [The Industry Standard] Intel is continuing its effort to build support around WiMax. However, there are signs that growth has stalled in the United States. http://www.pcworld.com/article/159569/.html ********************** SPAM ********************** Spam Surges as Valentine's Day Nears Feb. 14 is a favorite holiday for spammers, who are relying on an old standby in these down times: male insecurities http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2009/gb20090211_772307.htm ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** One Laptop Per Child looks to lower price The One Laptop Per Child Foundation was established to bring the world's poor children a $100 laptop and, according to its founder, Nicholas Negroponte, the organization is still determined to reach that goal. http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/family/articles/2009/02/11/cheaper_cheap_laptop_promised/ http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/laptop.php au: ANU helps close digital divide Researchers from the Australian National University are working on a new project to help close the digital divide between developed and developing nations. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/16/2492067.htm ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Italy police warn of Skype threat Criminals in Italy are increasingly making phone calls over the internet in order to avoid getting caught through mobile phone intercepts, police say. Officers in Milan say organised crime, arms and drugs traffickers, and prostitution rings are turning to Skype in order to frustrate investigators. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7890443.stm Judge Seeks Further Briefing on Constitutionality of Telecom Immunity Today Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the Northern District of California federal court asked for further briefing on a key constitutional question in the litigations brought against AT&T and the other telecommunications carriers for their involvement in the NSA's warrantless wiretapping. The Court noted that the FISA Amendments Act, the law passed by Congress last summer that allows the Attorney General to seek retroactive and prospective immunity for the telecommunications carriers, appears to contain "literally no guidance for the exercise of discretion" by the Attorney General in invoking the immunity provisions. This issue was raised by EFF and the other attorneys representing the customers of the major telecommunications companies in attacking the statute as unconstitutional. The Constitution forbids Congress from writing laws that grant unlimited discretion to the Executive Branch. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/02/judge-seeks-further-briefing-constitutionality-tel Facebook pays $65m to settle rival's claim Facebook paid $65m (£45m) to squash allegations that its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, stole the idea that has grown to become the world's largest social networking site, with more than 150 million users, it has been revealed. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/13/facebook-inventor-claim-payout http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/12/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-ex-classmates Facebook, ConnectU reportedly reach $65 million settlement Facebook Inc. reportedly paid out $65 million to settle a lawsuit filed against it by the founders of ConnectU Inc. The suit had charged that Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg pilfered their business ideas while a student at Harvard University. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127805 ENISA: Mapping the key stakeholders and NIS situation in each EU Member State in its first edition of ‘Country Reports’. [news release] The EU Agency ENISA [European Network and Information Security Agency] today launched its first, comprehensive 600 pages ‘Country Reports’ on the status of Network and Information Security [NIS] in 30 European Countries, including mapping of stakeholders and trends. http://enisa.europa.eu/pages/02_01_press_2009_02_13_country_reports.html Amazon blocks sale of rape videogame Online retail giant Amazon has yanked from its virtual shelves a Japanese computer game that lets players simulate raping girls. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/13/2491032.htm Nigerian scammers release Aussie hostage [AAP] An Australian man taken hostage in Gambia by Nigerian internet scammers has been released and his captors arrested. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Nigerian-scammers-release-Aussie-hostage/0,130061744,339294962,00.htm ************************** PRIVACY ************************** US Agency Skeptical of Internet Privacy Policies The Federal Trade Commission had some sharp words for Internet companies Thursday, saying that they are not explaining to their users clearly enough what information they collect about them and how they use it for advertising. http://nytimes.com/2009/02/13/technology/internet/13privacy.html CDT Applauds Significant Forward Steps in FTC Behavioral Advertising Guidelines The Federal Trade Commission today issued a report outlining self-regulatory guidelines for the online advertising industry. http://cdt.org/press/20090212press.php FTC Sticks With Online Advertising Self-regulation [IDG] A new report by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has expanded the agency's guidelines for online marketers engaged in behavioral advertising, but critics suggested the report doesn't do enough to protect consumer privacy. http://www.pcworld.com/article/159458/.html FTC Staff Revises Online Behavioral Advertising Principles [news release] Federal Trade Commission staff today issued a report describing its ongoing examination of online behavioral advertising and setting forth revisions to proposed principles to govern self-regulatory efforts in this area. The key issue concerns how online advertisers can best protect consumers’ privacy while collecting information about their online activities. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/02/behavad.shtm Canadian judge: No warrant needed to see ISP logs A Superior Court in Ontario, Canada has ruled that IP addresses are akin to your home address, and therefore people have no expectation of privacy when it comes to their online activities being accessed by law enforcement. This means that, in Canada, police can potentially request information from your ISP about online activities, and can do so without a warrant. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/02/canadian-judge-no-expectation-of-privacy-in-online-tasks.ars Where you've been on Net not private, Canadian judge rules An Ontario Superior Court ruling could allow police to routinely use Internet protocol addresses to find out the names of people online, without any need for a search warrant. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1285658 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** uk: £46m taxpayers' bill for companies to store web use details Taxpayers face a £46m bill for the cost of communications companies storing details of all personal email and internet use, the Home Office has revealed. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/13/data-storage-privacy-home-office us: Sprint Official Is Tapped to Shape Telecom Policy The Obama administration has tapped a Washington executive of Sprint Nextel Corp. to help run an agency that shapes telecommunications policy and will dole out billions of dollars in federal stimulus money to wireless providers. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123457465562786657.html us: Rep. Boucher Calls for Internet Ad Regulation In an interview Friday, Rep. Rick Boucher, (D-Va.) called for Congress to take a tougher stance in regulating online ad-targeting, despite the FTC’s endorsement of industry self-regulation. http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/02/13/rep-boucher-calls-for-internet-ad-regulation/ ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Google Ends Its Project for Selling Radio Ads Google entered the radio advertising business with grand ambitions three years ago. On Thursday, those ambitions fizzled. http://nytimes.com/2009/02/13/technology/companies/13google.html http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/12/technology/13google.php Google withdraws from radio-ad market Google is to stop selling advertising on broadcast radio at the end of May. The decision to stop its audio ads service is the second defeat in as many months for the internet search giant in its efforts to expand beyond the online ad market. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article5721690.ece ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** nz: Joyce pledges public say on fibre Communications Minister Steven Joyce has promised the Government will call for public submissions on its plan to invest up to $1.5 billion in a fibre optic access network. http://www.businessday.co.nz/industries/telco_it/4849259 'Doomsday' plan to renationalise BT The government is believed to have drawn up a contingency plan that would involve the wholesale renationalisation of BT, should the company get into financial difficulty, because of the public purse's exposure to the telecom giant's mammoth pension scheme. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/15/bt-plan-nationalise Ofcom ultimatum over broadband access on mobile phones A fresh dispute is set to break out between the telecoms regulator and five mobile phone companies over how to divide up a key slice of spectrum that allows broadband access on mobile phones. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article5728856.ece nz: Chris Barton: $1.5 billion fibre-optic man has chance to leave a legacy Another year, another Government and the bothersome broadband baton is passed to another Communications and Information Technology Minister - Steven Joyce, former radio station entrepreneur and National Party campaign manager of Hollow Men fame. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10556268 US Broadband Program Oversight Questioned Congress has targeted more than $6 billion to wire rural America with Internet service as part of the nearly $790 billion stimulus plan. But the bill would place much of those funds in an Agriculture Department program that has been criticized for its past management of grants, raising concerns among some public interest groups. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/11/AR2009021103832.html ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** Victoria fires: Man, 39, charged over fatal Churchill fire A 39-YEAR-OLD man has been charged over the Churchill fire in Victoria's east which claimed 21 lives and destroyed scores of homes. The Herald Sun reports the suspect, who cannot be named, was charged at Morewell Magistrates' Court with one count of arson causing death and one count of intentionally lighting a bushfire. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25048866-662,00.html http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,25048866-2,00.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 Make Yahoo!7 your homepage and win a trip to the Quiksilver Pro. Find out more _______________________________________________ APPLe mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/apple
