Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!
Headlines from the 10 September edition of the news include: US backing for two-tier internet | Net neutrality hopes hit by DoJ criticism | Guess Who's Afraid of an Open Internet? | Bush Administration Restates Position on Proposed Internet Traffic Policing Rules | Ten things that finally killed Net neutrality | InternetNZ to host APNIC meeting | Vint Cerf On Bandwidth And The Future Of Internet Television | US tip-off foiled German bomb plot, reports say | Germans Say U.S. Officials Helped to Foil Bombing Plot | F.B.I. Data Mining Reached Beyond Initial Targets | Fraudster Who Impersonated a Lawyer to Steal Domain Names Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud | The Hubbub Over Hulu | Lulu site sues News Corp And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** CONFERENCE: Dialogue Forum on Internet Rights, Rome, 27 September 2007 http://www.dfiritaly2007.it/ CONFERENCE: Pan-European conference on ethics and human rights in the information society [news release] https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1178895&Site=DC&BackColorInternet=F5CA75&BackColorIntranet=F5CA75&BackColorLogged=A9BACE China hosts nearly half of all malware sites http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6205896.html uk: Titan Rain - how Chinese hackers targeted Whitehall http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/04/news.internet cn: Army sets sights on targets in space and cyberspace http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/05/internet.hacking China flexes muscles of its 'informationised' army http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/05/hacking.internet Invisible arms race: The internet balance of power http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2934356.ece China tops list of cyber-hackers seeking UK government secrets http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2393979.ece Several countries trying to hack into US military system: Pentagon http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/04/1188783222981.html China denies Pentagon cyber-raid http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6977533.stm http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2388375.ece More on WHOIS Privacy by John Levine http://www.circleid.com/posts/more_on_whois_privacy/ Court junks $11m judgment against Spamhaus http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/04/spamhaus_e360_appeal/ Spamhaus Appeal: They Win on Substance by John Levine http://www.circleid.com/posts/79318_spamhaus_project_block_list_e360/ Kenya wants ICANN Africa 2008 http://domainesinfo.fr/english/096/kenya-wants-icann-africa-2008.php au: auDA Panel releases draft recommendations for public consultation http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-06092007/ eh: Desert Storm http://domainesinfo.fr/english/095/desert-storm.php .eh dispute - Morocco or Frente Polisario? ICANN to decide http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2536 .ASIA Sunrise Policies - Registry Policies Document http://www.dotasia.org/policies/DotAsia-Sunrise-Policies--COMPLETE-2007-08-10.pdf Australian Businesses Expected to Welcome Crackdown on 'Domain Tasting': Intellectual Property Expert [news release] http://www.hunthunt.com.au/PageSys/DocView.aspx?DocumentID=904 World's Biggest Domain Name and Internet Traffic Conference Announces T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007, October 9-13 http://prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-04-2007/0004655648 Gibraltar.com sells for US$360,000 http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2007/domainsales09-04-07.htm ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** CONFERENCE: Dialogue Forum on Internet Rights, Rome, 27 September 2007 The Italian Government, in the framework of the Internet Governance Forum process, and in cooperation with the UN and the IGF Secretariat, will organize a Dialogue Forum on Internet Rights, to be held in Rome on 27 September 2007. The Government of Italy invites all stakeholders - Governments, private sector, civil society, academic and technical communities, and international organizations - to attend the meeting. http://www.dfiritaly2007.it/ http://www.innovazionepa.it/dfir/ CONFERENCE: Pan-European conference on ethics and human rights in the information society [news release] On 13 and 14 September the Council of Europe will host a pan-European conference on the ethical dimensions of the information society, organised in conjunction with UNESCO and the French Commission for UNESCO. The aims of the conference are: to identify ethical and human rights issues connected with information and communication technologies and the way ICT are used; to raise stakeholders' awareness of these issues; to contribute to the UNESCO code of ethics project and make operational recommendations; to promote the development of regional and inter-regional networks and co-operation. https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1178895 http://egovmonitor.com/node/14129 Priorities set for upcoming Internet Governance Forum in Rio [news release] Business is well represented this week in Geneva during the latest round of preparatory meetings for the next session of the Internet Governance Forum. The IGF, which will convene in Rio de Janeiro from 12-15 November, was established in 2006 by the UN Secretary-General to discuss issues of crucial importance to the global development of the Internet. ICC is engaged at the IGF through its initiative, Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS). http://iccwbo.org/iccbgbca/index.html http://ag-ip-news.com/GetArticle.asp?Art_ID=4888 IT for Changes Substantive Inputs for the UN-IGF, Rio: Four Critical Issues for the IGF, Rio, from a Southern Perspective We provide our brief inputs as listed below in four areas which we understand would be key issues, especially from a Southern perspective, for the UNs Internet Governance Forums (IGF) second meeting in Rio, in November, 2007. These are: 1. Development Agenda in Internet Governance; 2. Public Domain and the Internet; 3. Governance of Critical Internet Resources and 4. Role of the IGF. http://intgovforum.org/Substantive_2nd_IGF/IT%20for%20change_Four%20Critical%20Issues%20for%20the%20IGF%20Rio.pdf http://intgovforum.org/Substantive_2nd_IGF/IT for change_Four Critical Issues for the IGF Rio.pdf Highway Africa begins next week Over 500 delegates from across the continent are expected to gather at the 11th Highway Africa conference, in Grahamstown, from 9 to 12 September, says conference organiser Chris Kabwato. http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/computing/2007/0709031501.asp?S=All%20Africa%20News&A=AFN&O=FRGN Video's download revolution Vint Cerf, one of the founders of the internet, debunks claims that ever increasing amounts of data will cause the internet to collapse. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/video/2007/sep/03/vint.cerf ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - DOMAIN SECURITY ********************** China hosts nearly half of all malware sites China is host to almost half of the world's malware-infected Web sites. According to a report released Monday by antivirus company Sophos, China--including Hong Kong--hosted 44.8 percent of the world's infected sites in August. The U.S. ranked a distant second, hosting 20.8 percent of sites that contain malicious code. http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6205896.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6205896.html uk: Titan Rain - how Chinese hackers targeted Whitehall Chinese hackers, some believed to be from the People's Liberation Army, have been attacking the computer networks of British government departments, the Guardian has learned. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/04/news.internet cn: Army sets sights on targets in space and cyberspace The People's Liberation Army strategists have made little secret of their desire to establish cyber warfare units capable of mounting just such sorts of mission as the hacking of international government targets. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/05/internet.hacking China flexes muscles of its 'informationised' army When the presidents of the world's remaining superpower and the nation fast challenging for the title, George Bush of the United States and Hu Jintao of China, meet in Sydney tomorrow they had been scheduled to be talking about matters of mutual interest: trade and global warming. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/05/hacking.internet Invisible arms race: The internet balance of power Claims that China has been hacking into the West's military computers have led to concern that future global conflicts may be fought in cyberspace. Clifford Coonan investigates ... One internet commentator points out how the US controls the domain name system, and could do a lot of damage to China by simply removing the "cn" domain. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2934356.ece China tops list of cyber-hackers seeking UK government secrets China leads the list of countries hacking into government computers that contain Britains military and foreign policy secrets, Whitehall sources said yesterday. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2393979.ece Several countries trying to hack into US military system: Pentagon Several nations and groups are trying to break into the US military's computer system, the Pentagon said Tuesday after reports China's military had successfully hacked into the network. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/04/1188783222981.html Cyber crime tool kits go on sale Malicious hackers are producing easy to use tools that automate attacks to cash in on a boom in hi-tech crime. On sale, say security experts, are everything from individual viruses to comprehensive kits that let budding cyber thieves craft their own attacks. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6976308.stm China denies Pentagon cyber-raid China has denied reports that its military hacked into the computer network of the US Department of Defense in Washington. A foreign ministry official said the claims "reflected Cold War mentality". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6977533.stm http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2388375.ece http://news.com.com/2100-7348_3-6205871.html [Reuters] http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9034340 Chinese military hacked into Pentagon The Chinese military hacked into a Pentagon computer network in June in the most successful cyber attack on the US defence department, say American officials. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9dba9ba2-5a3b-11dc-9bcd-0000779fd2ac.html http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=9978 http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22366215-5013040,00.html Bind 8 DNS server retired by serious security flaw Users are advised to upgrade to Bind 9.4 as a vulnerability in Bind 8 could misdirect users to fraudulent sites even if users typed in the correct URL http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136832-c,webauthoringsoftware/article.html http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/09/05/Serious-flaw-for-Bind-8-DNS-server_1.html http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=9998 ********************** - ICANN ********************** More on WHOIS Privacy by John Levine Last week I wrote a note the ICANN WHOIS privacy battle, and why nothing's likely to change any time soon. Like many of my articles, it is mirrored at CircleID, where some of the commenters missed the point. One person noted that info about car registrations, to which I roughly likened WHOIS, are usually available only to law enforcement, and that corporations can often be registered in the name of a proxy, so why can't WHOIS do the same thing? http://www.circleid.com/posts/more_on_whois_privacy/ Court junks $11m judgment against Spamhaus An appeal court has quashed an $11m judgment against anti-spam organisation Spamhaus in favour of controversial email marketing outfit e360 Insight. The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit also lifted an injunction, imposed last September, that barred Spamhaus from listing either e360 Insight or its principal David Linhardt as a source of spam. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/04/spamhaus_e360_appeal/ http://theinquirer.net/?article=42083 Spamhaus Appeal: They Win on Substance by John Levine The Seventh Circuit has issued its opinion in the continuing saga of E360 Insight vs. the Spamhaus Project. While it is not a complete victory for Spamhaus, they did about as well as anyone could have hoped for under the circumstances. E360 won on the procedural issue, while Spamhaus won on the substance. The procedural issue was whether the default judgement against Spamhaus was properly granted last September. The court session was so odd that the appeals decision quotes several pages of the transcript. http://www.circleid.com/posts/79318_spamhaus_project_block_list_e360/ Kenya wants ICANN Africa 2008 The Kenyan government is bidding to host next year's November ICANN meeting, to be held in Africa. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/096/kenya-wants-icann-africa-2008.php ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** au: auDA Panel releases draft recommendations for public consultation auDA's 2007 Names Policy Panel is currently reviewing the policy framework for .au domain names, including: whether .au should be opened up to direct registrations (eg. domainname.au); whether the policy rules for domain names should be changed and whether registrants should be allowed to sell their .au domain names. The Panel has released its Draft Recommendations for public consultation. The closing date for submissions is Friday 19 October 2007. The Panel is due to provide its final recommendations to the auDA Board in November. http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-06092007/ ch: Switch to discontinue Swiss ENUM registry trial [sub req'd] http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=182474 eh: Desert Storm Is Western Sahara a part of Morocco or is it truly independent? Never really settled in the real world, an old dispute now has repercussions on the Internet as two governments fight for one of the last unassigned country codes. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/095/desert-storm.php http://www.circleid.com/posts/dispute_western_saharas_domain_eh/ .eh dispute - Morocco or Frente Polisario? ICANN to decide A debate over whether Western Sahara is part of Morocco or is independent in its own right is somewhat contentious geographically, but in the world of ccTLDs it's also significant according to an article in DomainesInfo. The country code for .eh has been left unassigned, one of the very few in this situation. Quoting Wikipedia, DomainesInfo notes, "This 'territory of northwestern Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria in the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of desert flatlands." http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2536 http://domainpulse.com/2007/09/04/eh-dispute-morocco-or-frente-polisario-icann-to-decide/ http://domainnews.com/registries/2007090413/eh-dispute-morocco-or-frente-polisario-icann-to-decide/ .ASIA Sunrise Policies - Registry Policies Document Executive Summary: This document sets out the Sunrise policies and process for the launch of the .ASIA Registry. These policies and process are designed to ensure an orderly and equitable allocation of domains to qualified parties before the Registry is opened for general registrations. The Sunrise process is separated into 3 main phases: Sunrise 1 provides priority for governments in the community to reserve and register domains; Sunrise 2 allows Registered Mark owners to obtain domains corresponding to the marks they own; and Sunrise 3 allows registered companies, organisations and other entities in the DotAsia Community to obtain domains corresponding to their entity names. http://www.dotasia.org/policies/DotAsia-Sunrise-Policies--COMPLETE-2007-08-10.pdf DotMobi domain brings changes Access to the Internet via cellphones has been available for a number of years. The experience is generally frustrating, as the Web sites accessed are mostly customised for PC viewing and not for the small screens of cellphones. http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/2007/0709041400.asp?A=CEL&S=Cellular&O=FPPN ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** us: Bodog Loses Precious Search Rankings Once the leader in online gambling search rankings, Bodog.com has now been excluded from Google Search. As previously feared, the affect this will have on Bodog is of a massive scale. The company had some of the best search engine rankings in online gambling, including online poker. http://www.gambling911.com/Bodog-090407.html us: Web sites donated A former Bridgeton police officer accused of cyber-squatting for purchasing Web site names like www.bridgetonpd.org and www.cityofbridgeton.org and refusing to turn them over without a fee said he has "donated" the sites to the city. http://www.nj.com/news/bridgeton/local/index.ssf?/base/news-10/11889655128630.xml&coll=10 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Australian Businesses Expected to Welcome Crackdown on 'Domain Tasting': Intellectual Property Expert [news release] Hunt & Hunt says the investigation by ICANN into the practice of domain tasting will be welcomed by Australian businesses. Domain tasting is the controversial process by which users register domain names to test their effectiveness in collecting additional traffic and then cancel registration before fees become due. The call for the investigation follows the discovery that less than one per cent of .org domain names end up being registered. http://www.hunthunt.com.au/PageSys/DocView.aspx?DocumentID=904 Three Questions for CADNA A little over a month ago CADNA issued its first press release and disclosed its members. CADNAs members are Fortune 500 companies who want to fight against the unsavory practices of typosquatting and cybersquatting. One of their goals is to stop domain tasting (registering domains only to return them within 5 days for a full refund). http://domainnamewire.com/2007/09/05/three-questions-for-cadna/ Indian firm touts 'alternative internet' An Indian technology firm has unveiled details of what it claims is a virus and spam-free "internet alternative". NetAlter Software said that it has patented a "true P2P" system that offers a domain-less alternative to the web and the internet. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2197891/indian-firm-touts-alternative http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2197891/indian-firm-touts-alternative http://www.computing.co.uk/vnunet/news/2197891/indian-firm-touts-alternative http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0904/netalter.html The Perfect Domain Name Every good site should have a worthy Domain Name. Here are a few easy steps to help anyone narrow down their search. http://domaininformer.com/guides/Choose_Domain/articles/070904theperfectdomain.html ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** World's Biggest Domain Name and Internet Traffic Conference Announces T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007, October 9-13 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. announced T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007, October 9-13, 2007 in Hollywood, Florida. Presented by the World Association of Domain Name Developers, the conferences, held at three different locations annually, bring together domain owners, search engine companies, leading registrars, pay-per-click aggregators, sponsors, Wall Street investors, the financial and advertising communities as well as analysts and experts on targeted Internet traffic for stimulating discussions of strategies, best practices, trends and networking. http://prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-04-2007/0004655648 ********************** - DOMAIN SALES ********************** Gibraltar.com sells for US$360,000 Sedo sold Gibraltar.com for US$360,000 last week, by far the largest sale according to Ron Jackson's Domain Name Journal. This sale easily outdid the next largest sale, rey.com (sold by Afternic/BuyDomains), which sold for $80,000, closely followed by spend.com (HuntingMoon.com) and sub.com (Moniker/ T.R.A.F.F.I.C.), selling for $77K and $71K respectively. Number.net ($16K - Sedo) was the first non-.com domain in 19th place, and nail4you.de (10K - Sedo), in 24th place. Meister.com ($30,000 - Sedo) was 10th and Sprachen.net (8,650 - Sedo) was in 29th place. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2007/domainsales09-04-07.htm ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** au: Future directions in technology-enabled crime : 2007-09 [Australian Institute of Criminology] Abstract: Over the next two years, Australians will use information and communications technologies at an ever-expanding rate. They will make use of computers and mobile devices to communicate, share information, and work and play with people across the globe. What opportunities for criminal exploitation of these new technologies will arise? This publication identifies the risks and considers their implications for policing, policy and law making. If we can understand the opportunities for crime and predict their likely trajectory, government and industry can develop effective responses before they are realised. Some will lie in developing more secure technologies. Others will require education of the public. Where prevention fails, police and the courts need to be well-equipped to take effective steps to bring criminals to justice. This report comprehensively examines the risks of technology-enabled crime and provides a workable platform for response. http://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi2/tandi341.html The future of technology-enabled crime in Australia [Australian Institute of Criminology] Abstract: As our use of information and communication technologies increases and evolves, incidents of technology-enabled crime are likely to continue. Based on what we know today, this paper summarises a range of potential challenges that regulators and law enforcement agencies need to bear in mind. Key areas identified include infrastructure risks, the use of wireless and mobile technologies, more sophisticated malware, new identification and payment systems, computer-facilitated fraud, exploitation of younger persons, intellectual property infringement, and industrial espionage. Successful prosecution and appropriate sentencing for these crimes will require coordinated policing and on-going legislative reform. http://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi2/tandi341.html Next-generation networks set to transform communications [news release] ITU has released a major publication, Trends in Telecommunication Reform: the Road to NGN. In its 8th edition, Trends reports on the evolution of circuit-switched telecommunication into "next-generation" networks, as operators around the world fight to remain competitive. The Report aims at enabling regulators and policy-makers in developing countries to better understand the changes transforming the ICT sector so they can evolve their policy and regulatory frameworks to leverage todays technological and market developments. http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2007/20.html ICT in Africa: Forging a competitive edge Information and communication technologies (ICT) essential for creating new skills and generating growth and technological change are critical for Africas overall economic development. ICT products are themselves part of the higher-value, high-tech products that are growing fastest in international trade and that can sustain faster growth of incomes. They are both enablers of competitiveness and a key sector in their own right. http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/connect/africa/2007/media/kit/africa_ict.html http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2007/Advisory-06.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Will China Take Over the Web or Be Ensnared in It? With some 1.3 billion people in its emerging economy, the lure of China's market is compelling. "The temptation is huge, not just for corporations but for the U.S. government itself," Morton Sklar, executive director of the World Organization for Human Rights USA, told the E-Commerce Times. "We are dependent on China in so many ways, it makes it more difficult for us to criticize them." http://ecommercetimes.com/story/59164.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Czech Bill On Child Porn Faces Resistance; Unlike Most of E.U., Possession Is Legal When Austrian authorities announced in February that they had uncovered an online child pornography ring, pedophiles around the world suddenly became potential targets of criminal investigations -- but not the ring's 63 customers in the Czech Republic, where downloading and possessing such images is not a crime. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/02/AR2007090201155.html uk: Brown widens review of impact media violence has on children The impact of media violence on children will be the focus of a wider than expected government review being launched today. It may lead to new voluntary controls over excessive violence and sex on children's television and the internet and in video games. Gordon Brown stressed that he did not see the review leading to state censorship, but hoped it would lead to a common agreement between parents, programme makers and internet providers that new controls are necessary. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2162535,00.html Censorship in Belarus - Lukashenko's customised Internet Internet-community "Third Way" prepared a birthday present for Belarusian acting president A. Lukashenko - the most advanced version of the Internet - LuNet. The event, "Give Lukashenko his Lunet", that has started today, is intended to show how dangerous and absurd are Lukashenka's demands of control over the Internet in Belarus. Lunet consists of Lundex search engine, LuTube video service, LuJournal blog service and the most "honest" portal tut.lu. http://e-belarus.org/news/200708301.html http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2558 au: Anorexics snared in web trap Dangerous eating disorders are being promoted and glorified on popular social networks such as Facebook and YouTube - and health experts feel powerless to stop it. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/01/1188671840507.html http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4187541a28.html au: 'Big Mother' watches over net A new government program protecting kids from internet nasties is not Big Brother but more like Big Mother, Olympic swimmer Kieren Perkins said. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22361057-15306,00.html http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Government-Big-Mother-monitors-kids-Web-usage/0,130061733,339281765,00.htm au: Perkins appointed NetAlert Parent Ambassador The Australian Government has appointed former swimming great, Kieren Perkins, as the Parent Ambassador of its NetAlert program to help promote the online security initiative to homes, public libraries and schools. http://itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=60435 http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/02/2021648.htm http://securecomputing.net.au/news/60435,perkins-appointed-netalert-parent-ambassador.aspx http://crn.com.au/News/60435,perkins-appointed-netalert-parent-ambassador.aspx au: Cyber filters arent foolproof, say police Internet content filters could falsely reassure parents their children are protected from dangerous content and online predators, WAs top cybercop has warned, as the Federal Government rolled out a $22 million education and awareness campaign this week as part of its $189 million net safety program. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=39648 au: Porn still common on corporate networks Local security reseller, SelecTech Solutions, applauds the Governments NetAlert security program but warns illicit content still trickles onto PCs through USB sticks and camera phones at home and at the enterprise. http://itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=60515 us: AT&T Offers Parental Control Service [AP] It may be something of a teenage nightmare: limits on when a wireless phone can make and receive calls and to whom, restrictions on text messages and talk time, and set allowances for ring tones and other downloads _ all at a parent's fingertips. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/04/1188783219763.html http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-parental4sep04,1,4645153.story ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Freebies Lure Users into Disclosing Information The personal details of thousands of mostly U.S.-based PC users have been discovered stashed on a server located in France, another indication of use of the Internet to collect personal data on a vast scale. The Web page, which was live as of Monday morning, does not contain financial details of the users. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136698-c,onlineprivacy/article.html http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/09/04/Free-gift-offers-dupe-users-into-giving-personal-data_1.html au: Cyber crime will spread: study Cyber criminals will try to exploit the Federal Government's proposed health and welfare access card, interfere with e-passports and engage in "industrial espionage", a federal study predicts. The criminals will move away from a scatter-gun approach and start targeting specific companies and people, the Australian Institute of Criminology report on directions in technology crime warns. It says the access card planned by the Federal Government will be a "likely target". http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/05/1188783320037.html http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/06/2025409.htm au: New crimes in a technology-enabled environment [news release] Serious concerns exist about the ways in which new technologies are likely to be misused in the years to come. Today, Dr Toni Makkai, Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology, released two publications looking at the future environment in which Australians will use information and communications technologies and how this environment will provide opportunities for illegality and infringement of current regulatory controls. The reports are 'Future directions in technology-enabled crime: 2007-09', the most recent publication in the AIC's Research and public policy series, and 'The future of technology-enabled crime in Australia', number 341 in the Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice series. http://aic.gov.au/media/2007/20070905.html Google Ad Trademark Suit Dismissed [AP] A home decor merchant has dropped a federal lawsuit attacking Google Inc.'s practice of connecting some online ads to trademarks, handing the Internet search leader its latest legal victory on the prickly issue. American Blind & Wallpaper Factory Inc. agreed to abandon the nearly 4-year-old case without receiving any payment from Google, according to a settlement dated Aug. 31. The truce also stipulated that Google won't change its long-standing policy that let advertisers place ads tied a rival's trademark. http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/163439.html http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/04/google_ad_trademark_suit_dismissed/ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GOOGLE_SETTLEMENT American Blinds drops trademark infringement suit against Google Score one for Google Inc. After almost four years, American Blinds & Wallpaper Factory Inc. (ABWF) has dropped its federal trademark infringement lawsuit against Google. And Google doesn't have to pay any money to settle the dispute, according to the agreement. American Blinds also said it won't file any more lawsuits against Google if Google doesn't change its current trademark policy. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9034322 uk: Titan Rain - how Chinese hackers targeted Whitehall Chinese hackers, some believed to be from the People's Liberation Army, have been attacking the computer networks of British government departments, the Guardian has learned. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/04/news.internet cn: Army sets sights on targets in space and cyberspace The People's Liberation Army strategists have made little secret of their desire to establish cyber warfare units capable of mounting just such sorts of mission as the hacking of international government targets. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/05/internet.hacking China flexes muscles of its 'informationised' army When the presidents of the world's remaining superpower and the nation fast challenging for the title, George Bush of the United States and Hu Jintao of China, meet in Sydney tomorrow they had been scheduled to be talking about matters of mutual interest: trade and global warming. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/05/hacking.internet Invisible arms race: The internet balance of power Claims that China has been hacking into the West's military computers have led to concern that future global conflicts may be fought in cyberspace. Clifford Coonan investigates ... The experts tell of how cyber spies breach supposedly unbreachable firewalls as smoothly as a skilled jewel thief, before swooping on a hard drive, snatching the secret files, and sending them to a third country, usually somewhere in Asia such as South Korea or Hong Kong. Then they make good their escape, often leaving no trace of the raid. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2934356.ece China tops list of cyber-hackers seeking UK government secrets China leads the list of countries hacking into government computers that contain Britains military and foreign policy secrets, Whitehall sources. The emergence of Beijing as one of the most hostile state hackers has been highlighted in the United States this week, with allegations that the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army tried to extract secrets from a computer in the Pentagon office of Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2393979.ece Several countries trying to hack into US military system: Pentagon Several nations and groups are trying to break into the US military's computer system, the Pentagon said Tuesday after reports China's military had successfully hacked into the network. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/04/1188783222981.html Cyber crime tool kits go on sale Malicious hackers are producing easy to use tools that automate attacks to cash in on a boom in hi-tech crime. On sale, say security experts, are everything from individual viruses to comprehensive kits that let budding cyber thieves craft their own attacks. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6976308.stm China denies Pentagon cyber-raid China has denied reports that its military hacked into the computer network of the US Department of Defense in Washington. A foreign ministry official said the claims "reflected Cold War mentality". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6977533.stm http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2388375.ece http://news.com.com/2100-7348_3-6205871.html [Reuters] http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9034340 Chinese military hacked into Pentagon The Chinese military hacked into a Pentagon computer network in June in the most successful cyber attack on the US defence department, say American officials. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9dba9ba2-5a3b-11dc-9bcd-0000779fd2ac.html http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=9978 http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22366215-5013040,00.html China hosts nearly half of all malware sites China is host to almost half of the world's malware-infected Web sites. According to a report released Monday by antivirus company Sophos, China--including Hong Kong--hosted 44.8 percent of the world's infected sites in August. The U.S. ranked a distant second, hosting 20.8 percent of sites that contain malicious code. http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6205896.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6205896.html au: Online shopping complaints on the rise There has been a significant increase in the number of complaints in New South Wales by people who shop online. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/05/2024356.htm au: Police bust Brisbane cyber-criminal gang [AAP] Queensland Police believe they have smashed the Australian arm of an international credit card fraud network after a tip-off from the US Secret Service. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Police-bust-Brisbane-cyber-criminal-gang-/0,130061744,339281781,00.htm ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Large databases are not safe enough, says expert Large databases do not adequately protect sensitive personal information according to a statistics professor in the US who says that individuals can still be identified despite attempts to anonymise them. http://out-law.com/page-8442 au: ID support up amid privacy fears Support for a unique identifier for dealing with government agencies has risen, but there is less tolerance for the misuse of personal information, a Privacy Commissioner's survey has found. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22356769-15319,00.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Germany eyes tighter terror laws German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has called for new anti-terror measures following a failed bomb attack on two trains last month. Mr Schaeuble proposed increased monitoring of the internet and more video surveillance. ... Mr Schaeuble said he was drawing up proposals to tighten anti-terror laws. "More security cameras should be used where it is sensible. We need to step up monitoring of the Internet, for which we need more experts with the right language skills," he said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5279110.stm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Japan to fight Google search dominance Alarmed by the global dominance of Google and other foreign internet services, Tokyo is spearheading a project to try to seize the lead in new search technologies for electronic devices http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b3046d5c-5b1d-11dc-8c32-0000779fd2ac.html Europe broadband access up 16 pct in 6 months [Reuters] The take-up of broadband Internet lines in Europe increased by 16 percent in the six months to March, new telecoms operators said on Tuesday in a report calling for more competition in the sector. Some 84 million homes were connected to the Internet via fast broadband in the European Union's 15 oldest member states, up from 73 million six months earlier, a survey by the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) showed. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL0411675720070904 uk: BT passes 4 million broadband customers [Reuters] BT Group said on Monday it had signed up more than 4 million customers to its broadband service, cementing its position as the country's leading supplier. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39289042,00.htm http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL3175149320070903 BT is first to gain 4 million broadband subscribers http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2921893.ece Four million and counting - BT Retail passes broadband milestone [news release] BT Retail today became the UKs first broadband supplier to pass the four million customer mark. http://btplc.com/News/Articles/Showarticle.cfm?ArticleID=58787d21-0acd-4589-ab1d-f5991e2c501f ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Social Network Sites: Popular But Not Profitable Despite generating a hefty media buzz, social networking sites like MySpace.com and YouTube Inc. have not yet figured out how to use that publicity to generate significant advertising revenue, according to a report released last week by IDC. The Framingham, Mass.-based research firm predicts that while the barriers keeping companies from advertising brands on sites featuring unfiltered user-generated content may eventually be solved by some social networks, others may never be able to attract significant advertising, the report noted. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136686-c,industrynews/article.html The Social Web: Are Sites Cashing In on Advertising? "If anything, we may be raising our estimates for social network ad spending based on the good results at Fox Interactive and also the increasing popularity of Facebook, which is becoming one of most popular sites on the Internet," Debra Aho Williamson, a senior analyst with eMarketer, told the E-Commerce Times. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/KW2eDJJWiYLsmp/The-Social-Web-Are-Sites-Cashing-In-on-Advertising.xhtml Facebook lets members publicize themselves [Reuters] Facebook said it plans to let users tell the rest of the world how to find them on the site. Starting later on Wednesday, Facebook will begin notifying members they have a choice over whether to keep their listings private or to allow Facebook to make their name and profile picture available when outsiders search the site. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6206047.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** ITU: World now has 4B phone lines [AP] Largely because of the mobile phone boom in developing countries, telephone service has quadrupled in the past decade to 4 billion lines worldwide, according to a report Tuesday from the ITU. The International Telecommunications Union counts 1.27 billion fixed lines and 2.68 billion mobile accounts. The total number of people represented by those figures is unclear because many people, particularly in industrial countries, have both kinds of service. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/09/05/1188783265261.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/05/1188783265261.html China, India lead surge in mobile subscribers: report [AFP] Asia's booming economic powerhouses of China and India are leading a fresh surge in mobile phone use with nearly 200 million new subscribers between them in the first quarter of 2007, the United Nations telecommunications agency said on Tuesday. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/05/1188783255896.html Green doesn't matter for gadget geeks Manufacturers at Europe's biggest consumer electronics touted their green credentials in vain to customers more interested in bigger and brighter screens. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10461563 Nokia to Take on Apple at its Own Game If Apple encroached on Nokia's turf when it introduced its much-heralded iPhone, Nokia is striking back by taking aim at Apple's dominance in the digital music biz. On Wednesday Aug. 29, in a gala event in London, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo announced that his company will soon fire up its long-anticipated music downloading service. The Nokia Music Store will go live later this year as a crucial component of a new Nokia website called Ovi. Competing against downloading sites like Apple's iTunes, it will let consumers download millions of songs directly onto their PCs and Macs or, unlike iTunes, straight onto their phones via mobile airwaves. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1658484,00.html ********************** SPAM ********************** NZ spam traffic rises as ban takes effect Spam traffic was worse than ever yesterday, the first day of legislation banning the practice. Anti-spam specialists SMX recorded a major spike in traffic, peaking at 1am one hour after the law came into effect. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4191477a28.html nz: Act provides teeth to fight big, bad spam Complaints about criminal spam in particular will be dealt with more forcefully from Wednesday when the anti-spam act, more formally known as the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act, comes into force. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/C754A069EA07EA02CC257348000B0523 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10461589 NZ Spam Code of Practice released InternetNZ, the Telecommunications Carriers Forum, the Marketing Association and The ISP Association of New Zealand today released of the ISP Spam Code of Practice. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/60CF568AEA4ADCD9CC25734D00042EAD http://m-net.net.nz/1897/latest-news/latest-news/isps-will-cut-services-to-spammers-under-voluntary-c.php nz: Spam laws won't get it all ... but some believe the impact on inboxes will be minimal. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1334494 ISP Spam Code of Practice launched [news release] InternetNZ (The Internet Society of New Zealand Inc), the TCF (Telecommunications Carriers Forum), the Marketing Association, and ISPANZ (The ISP Association of New Zealand) are pleased to announce the release of the ISP Spam Code of Practice. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/mediareleases/ispspamcode ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Sweden mulls forcing Internet providers to crack down on file-sharers Swedish ISPs could be required by law to cut off customers who share large amounts of copyright music and films online under a new proposal presented to the government Monday. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/04/1188783183002.html au: Napster AU$400m legal bill hits media giant [AAP] Napster, one of original and best-known music sharing brands, has become a thorn in the side of its parent Bertelsmann because of its AU$400 million legal bill. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Napster-AU-400m-legal-bill-hits-media-giant/0,130061733,339281813,00.htm Napster Trial Ends Seven Years Later, Defining Online Sharing Along the Way Defining the online sharing world along the way, the Napster lawsuit concluded Friday after seven years of intense litigation. Bertelsmann AG agreed Friday to pay the National Music Publishers Association $130 million to settle the Napster case's final copyright claims, Bertelsmann attorney Bruce Rich said in an interview. "Bertelsmann is very pleased to have the last piece of the litigation behind it at this point," Rich said. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/08/napster-trial-e.html ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* The wiki way: how the internet will change the way we live and work Don Tapscott, the author of an eye-opening new book called Wikinomics, says that we have barely begun to imagine how the internet will change the way we live and work. He tells Oliver Burkeman how everything from gold mining to motorcycle manufacturing is being transformed - and why huge companies as we know them may simply cease to exist. http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2162394,00.html Wikinomics - Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams [book extract] WikinomicsWikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams looks at how companies are beginning to use mass collaboration of knowledge to gain success. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2007/09/wikinomics_don_tapscott_and_anthony_d_williams.html Microsoft Is Rebuffed by Standards Body on Office Open XML Microsofts bid to extend its dominance in digital documents to the new field of open-format documents was unexpectedly rebuffed today when a global technical panel refused to designate its Office Open XML as an international standard. The underlying code of an open document format is public, allowing developers to improve upon it and create new products that use it without having to pay royalties. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/04/technology/04cnd-soft.html Microsoft's bid for 'open' document format is unexpectedly rebuffed A global panel of software experts Tuesday unexpectedly rebuffed Microsoft's bid to get its open document format, Office Open XML, recognized as an international standard, complicating the software maker's effort to extend its dominance to the burgeoning field of "open" documents. Following five months of electronic balloting, Microsoft failed to meet the two voting criteria to win a designation as an approved standard from the International Organization for Standardization, known as the ISO, based in Geneva, and the International Electrotechnical Commission. http://iht.com/articles/2007/09/04/technology/msft.php http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136711-c,unresolvedtechstandards/article.html http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0443877620070905 ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** au: Wheels falling off Telstra sale The widespread ramifications of the Howard Government's politically expedient decision to flog Telstra last year are rapidly becoming apparent. Many senior figures in the Government now admit privately that Telstra should have been structurally separated before the sale went ahead. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22357292-5013038,00.html au: Few takers for broadband auction THE federal Government's newly announced wireless broadband spectrum auction appears set to flop if it fails to win interest from the Optus-Elders joint venture, which has won $958 million from the public purse to build a massive WiMax network in the bush. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22357289-15306,00.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** us: What's Behind the Epidemic of Municipal Wi-Fi Failures? The dream of wireless networks bathing U.S. cities in free and pervasive internet access has come to an end, at least for now. As the number of failed or stalled municipal wireless projects continues to rise, the focus has shifted from closing the so-called digital divide to why plans for such networks, in only a year's time, seem to be dissolving almost daily. http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2007/09/muni_wifi ********************** VoIP ********************** uk: Businesses urged to tackle VoIP and Wi-Fi threats Businesses are failing to secure their Wi-Fi and VoIP networks adequately, leaving themselves open to growing security threats. IT body the National Computing Centre (NCC) is warning that, although organisations are addressing IT security generally, through virus protection, spam blocking and firewalls, newer technologies are being neglected. The NCC research found 40 percent of respondents either haven't secured their wireless network at all or have done so only partially. Just 15 percent have VoIP security in place. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39289098,00.htm http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Wi-Fi-and-VoIP-must-be-locked-down-business-warned/0,130061791,339281829,00.htm http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=9985 Independent IT survey shows the security of WiFi networks, VoIP and USB devices still to be addressed by many [news release] A new survey by the National Computing Centre reveals that virtually all organisations are now addressing external IT security threats through measures such as virus detection, spam blocking and firewalls, but the security of WiFi networks, Voice over Internet technologies (VoIP) and liabilities posed by small USB storage devices still have to be addressed by many. http://www.ncc.co.uk/aboutncc/press_rel/IT_Strategy_2007.cfm The VoIP Risk Factor Security experts believe it's just a matter of time until widespread attacks on VoIP systems begin to materialize. But there has yet to be a major event to make the IT industry sit up and take notice. Still, as VoIP adoption continues to grow, vendors and integrators are stressing the importance of building layers of security into VoIP deployments. Last November, the SANS Institute, in its annual ranking of the Top 20 security threats, for the first time included VoIP servers and phones, in recognition of the fact that collaboration technologies that weave VoIP into messaging systems provide new pathways for hackers to exploit. http://crn.com/security/201803219 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2007 --------- 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 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sick of deleting your inbox? Yahoo!7 Mail has free unlimited storage. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- List policy, unsubscribing and archives => http://dotau.org/
