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 18 October edition of the news include: Internet preparing to go into outer space | ICANN Posts Next Draft of Accountability and Transparency Frameworks and Principles for Consultation | My Name, My Language, My Internet: IDN Test Goes Live | Maori domain names coming to New-Zealand? | AC/DC win domain name battle | Internet Hijacker, Mousetrapper, John Zuccarini Settles FTC Charges | us: Internet Hijacker, Mousetrapper Settles FTC Charges | Pirates commandeer anti-piracy domain name And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Russian plans for development of Information Society by Veni Markovski http://blog.icann.org/?p=173 The problems of viewing IDNs by Kim Davies http://blog.icann.org/?p=208 Thoughts on the Domain Name Price Increases by Tucows' Elliot Noss http://about.tucows.com/2007/10/11/thoughts-on-the-domain-name-price-increases/ .Asia registry to crack down on phishy domains [IDG] http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/11/dot-asia-registry-to-crack-down-on-phishy-domains_1.html U.S. Government Seeks to deny the Internet to its enemies http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202402122 Shadowy Russian Firm Seen as Conduit for Cybercrime http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101202461.html eBay most common brand in phishing scams http://securecomputing.net.au/news/62952,ebay-most-common-brand-in-phishing-scams.aspx The Golden Keys of E-Commerce: Opinion by Naseem Javed http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/59754.html Report from the TRAFFIC Domain Name Conference http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2007/10/11/report-from-the-traffic-domain-name-conference How much is that premium domain name worth? http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2968 'Porn.com' Keeps Title as 'WallStreet' Fails to Sell http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aeAu3dVDDK3c ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** 62 Days + Almost 3 Billion Pings + New Visualization Scheme = the First Internet Census Since 1982 Researchers at the University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute, one of the birthplaces of the Internet decades ago, have just completed and plotted a comprehensive census of all of the more 2.8 billion allocated addresses on the Internet -- the first complete effort of its kind in more than two decades, they say. http://isi.edu/news/news.php?story=178 Summary report of IGF Advisory Group Meeting meeting - Sept 07 The Advisory Group met in Geneva on 4-5 September to prepare the second meeting of the IGF to be held in Rio de Janeiro on 12-15 November 2007. The agenda, as adopted by the Advisory Group, is published on the IGF Web site. Below is a summary of the discussions under each agenda item. http://intgovforum.org/Summary.AG.05.09.07.rtf Russian plans for development of Information Society by Veni Markovski Some of the Russian media reported in July 2007 that the Russian government plans to build its own Internet, independent of the World Wide Web, which will service Russia and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries, such as Armenia, Moldova and the Ukraine. http://blog.icann.org/?p=173 uk: Nominet announces best practice challenge winners The winners of the best practice challenge will now be showcased at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Rio de Janeiro next month. http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/129491/nominet-announces-best-practice-challenge-winners.html Nominet Best Practice Challenge winners announced At a ceremony in London today we were delighted to have Stephen Timms, the Minister of State for Competitiveness at the UK Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform announce the winners of our Best Practice Challenge 2007 for Internet Governance. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=4512 http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=4515 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** The problems of viewing IDNs by Kim Davies ... What I would like to talk about is some of the difficulties we face today in expressing scripts in a consistent way over the Internet. The fact is, whilst we are at the best time in history for having computers represent many different languages clearly and consistently, we are still a long way from the level of support needed to give us strong confidence that people can always see what we intend them to see. http://blog.icann.org/?p=208 What's the Hindi Word for Dot-Com? Long-dominated by English, the language of its founders, the Internet is about to take a big step toward becoming a truly world-wide Web. Starting on Monday, Web surfers will be able to test Internet addresses in 11 languages that don't use the Roman alphabet -- the 26 letters used in English and most other European languages. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119204776102055002-mcBcLO94Mv6voPIrNpXs0YNMxe0_20071109.html http://www.handelszeitung.ch/de/news/news_detail.asp?pkNewsNr=227572 ICANN to test domain names in 11 languages ICANN is launching an evaluation of IDNs that will allow Internet users to test top-level domains in 11 languages. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9042479 New languages crack Roman alphabet's Internet address dominance [AFP] The roman alphabet will lose some of its dominance of the Internet beginning Monday when the organisation overseeing website addresses starts testing 11 new languages for domain names. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/12/1191696163483.html http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-news.html?id=071012074050.yac6lbj8 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/12/1191696163483.html http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthScience/Roman_alphabet_to_lose_hold_on_net/articleshow/2453996.cms ICANN begins testing URLs with non-Roman characters It's been a long time coming. A little over seven years ago, ICANN, the organization that assigns Internet domain names, committed to the idea of providing support for internationalization of those names. Last year, we reported that, after three years of development, tests of the system were under way. ICANN has now announced that the first sites using fully internationalized domain names will be accessible to Internet users starting Monday. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071011-icann-begins-testing-urls-with-non-roman-characters.html http://www.cscprotectsbrands.com/news.asp?newsId=18311624 ICANNs global IDN test plan ICANN wants every Internet user to help in testing Internationalized (non ASCII) Domain Names as part of an evaluation program being launched on October 15, 2007. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/116/icann-s-global-idn-test-plan.php Users' help needed for the Internet's big change ICANN is set to launch a trial in preparation for enabling domain names to be written in scripts other than roman (as used for English, French and most European languages), and is calling for users to help with the evaluation. http://itwire.com.au/content/view/14842/1054/ Other alphabets take on English domain Is the World Wide Web truly worldwide? Depends on whom you ask. Since the Internet came into widespread use, those among the 70 percent of the world that doesn't speak English have argued the Web is inaccessible. So next week the nonprofit group contracted by the U.S. government to run the Internet will begin testing domain names in other alphabets. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003944086_weblanguage12.html ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** Thoughts on the Domain Name Price Increases by Elliot Noss I wanted to share some thoughts with all of you on a dark day in Internet history. On October 15th the price of a .com will increase by $0.42, marking the first price increase in the history of the modern Internet. Worse, this now signals a near-annual event that will take place in all major gTLDs. It is simply wrong. http://about.tucows.com/2007/10/11/thoughts-on-the-domain-name-price-increases/ GoDaddy Increases .Com Prices 12% Registrar tacks on $1.04 to domain registration prices. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/10/13/godaddy-increases-com-prices-12/ CENTR welcomes 2 new full members The 34th CENTR General Assembly (Paris, 9-10 September 2007) accepted the membership application from nic.tr Domain Name Registration, the registry for the .tr country code for Turkey, and from SK-NIC, the registry for the .sk country code for the Slovak Republic. https://www.centr.org/docs/2007/10/GA34_new_members.html AFNIC welcomes its european counterparts for the CENTR's General Assembly in Paris [news release] Invited by the AFNIC, the next CENTR General Assembly will take place in Paris on the 9th and 10th of October 2007 and will bring together more than 30 top-level domain registries. http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/general/NN20071008_en The Sun Rises in Asia on 9 October -- Priority .Asia Domain Name Registration Starts for Trademark Holders [news release] DotAsia is expecting a positive response among organisations keen on registering their preferred and registered domain names when it officially opens the first two stages of Sunrise period on Tuesday, 9 October, 2007. DotAsias over 110 accredited registrars around the world will start accepting priority registrations from registered trademarks and service marks holders as well as governments in the region until end of the month. http://dotasia.org/pressreleases/DotAsia-PR-2007-10-08-ENG.pdf "Razzia sur le .asia" Congratulations to the French registrar MailClub for being the first company in the world to have a live .asia name. mailclub.asia is now the older name registered in this extension! http://domaine.blogspot.com/2007/10/razzia-sur-le-asia.html New .asia domain opens to trade mark holders A new TLD has been launched this week. The first 'sunrise' period for .asia names is only for holders of registered trade marks. Where a name has more than one qualifying applicant, an auction will be held to determine the winner. http://out-law.com/page-8543 .Asia Internet Domain Name Launched The new Internet domain .asia is now available for governments and companies to register, with those looking to expand their business in the region snapping up www.name.asia addresses. http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=3711517 .Asia registry to crack down on phishy domains [IDG] The registry for the new .asia TLD plans to ban domain names that are consistently used for phishing sites. DotAsia Organization has agreed to implement a policy to ban domain names associated with phishing, said Laura Mather, of the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), a consortium of companies and government groups that studies phishing. She is also a senior scientist at MarkMonitor. http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/11/dot-asia-registry-to-crack-down-on-phishy-domains_1.html http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;466962656;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/101107-asia-registry-to-crack-down.html New Asian Domains to Be Protected Phishers Banned With the new domain name coming soon, the registrars are already looking to ban domain names that are frequently used for Phishing. http://www.webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=22597 UK registry endorses .ASIA Nominet CEO speaks out in favour of Asia's new extension, launching today. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/114/uk-registry-endorses-asia.php auDA releases remaining geographic names in com.au and net.au [news release] In 2005 auDA held a ballot for the allocation of geographic names in com.au and net.au. A number of geographic names were not allocated in the ballot and have remained on auDA's Reserved List. These names will be released at 2pm AEST on Sunday 21 October 2007. http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-09102007/ Australia's regional names up for grabs >From October 21, Australian registry auDA is completing the release of >geographic names. The names will be available on a first come, first served >basis. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/115/australia-s-regional-names-up-for-grabs.php Ozzie Interweb in shock loss A local, virtually secret, version of the internet funded by Australian web users is an expensive flop. Anyone who has bought an ".au" internet address has contributed to the $1.7 million that the administrator auDA has spent on creating the Community Geographic Domain Name system. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/11/1191696082664.html in: Domain names biz pick up in India Property dealing is becoming big business on the net, not the real properties but virtual ones such as domain names. Acquiring domain names on the net is the in-thing. There are those who acquire domain names to make money reselling them later or using them as a marketing tool. http://www.ndtvprofit.com/homepage/storybusinessnew.asp?template=&whichstory=n&id=41095 ********************** - DOMAIN SECURITY ********************** U.S. Government Seeks to deny the Internet to its enemies Cyberspace may become a more active battlefield in the Bush administration's war on terrorism. The new National Strategy for Homeland Security, issued earlier this week by the White House, places a greater emphasis on the "uninterrupted use of the Internet and the communications systems, data, monitoring, and control systems that comprise our cyberinfrastructure." ... Exactly how the government expects to deny the Internet to terrorists isn't spelled out. One possible way might be through the United State's de facto control of the Domain Name System, though it's unlikely that card would be played outside of a confrontation with a major world power. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202402122 http://itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=63021 Shadowy Russian Firm Seen as Conduit for Cybercrime An Internet business based in St. Petersburg has become a world hub for Web sites devoted to child pornography, spamming and identity theft, according to computer security experts. They say Russian authorities have provided little help in efforts to shut down the company. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101202461.html eBay most common brand in phishing scams PayPal and eBay are easily the most common brands used in online scams, a PhishTank report reveals. http://securecomputing.net.au/news/62952,ebay-most-common-brand-in-phishing-scams.aspx ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** India Inc battles cyber squatters in court Cyber squatting has turned out to be a major money spinner for squatters. An investment of just US$100 (Rs 4,000) can fetch you $4 million or even $40 million. And this is turning out to be a menace for India Inc. Most companies in fact refuse to pay up now and instead go to the courts against them. http://infotech.indiatimes.com/Tech_News/News/India_Inc_battles_cyber_squatters_in_court/articleshow/2456504.cms http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/India_Inc_battles_cyber_squatters_in_court/articleshow/2456504.cms Cybersquatting Moving With The times? [reg req'd] Cybersquatting the practice of registering internet domain names that are based on another entitys brands or company name - is as prevalent as ever. As online business models have developed and converged, the cybersquatters methods have adapted accordingly. http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=53168 FCC.com Victory: WIPO Panel Declares Spanish Company "Reverse Domain Name Hijackers" FCC.comIn a brilliant victory for domain name owners, a WIPO panel has declared that a Spanish company's attempt to appropriate the domain name FCC.com from its legitimate owner without just compensation constitutes a "Reverse Domain Name Hijacking" attempt. http://www.dailydomainer.com/2007170-fcccom-victory-wipo-panel-declares-spanish-company-reverse-domain-name-hijackers.html Changes planned in NAF supplemental rules The National Arbitration Forum recently proposed to amend its UDRP supplemental rules, writes John Berryhill (who discusses these changes on the INTA list). http://domaine.blogspot.com/2007/10/changes-planned-in-naf-supplemental.html BODOG PATENT CASE A DRAW THUS FAR? Bodog Entertainment Group, S.A. and 1st Technologies LLC lawyers had their first clash before a Nevada judge this week in their now 7 week old dispute over alleged patent infringements, which led to Bodog being deprived of its domains and whacked with a $49 million default judgement. http://www.online-casinos.com/news/news5467.asp ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** The Golden Keys of E-Commerce: Opinion by Naseem Javed Today, in order to have a commanding e-commerce presence with universal access, domain names must be treated like very special golden keys. Without an effective domain name, the entire exercise of Internet-centric commerce becomes almost useless. Super success in cyber-branding lies in the sophisticated creation, development and ownership of these powerful and magical keys, so that they may open the door to an undiscovered universe of billions of unknown customers around the world. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/59754.html Domain name industry faces an identity crisis The domain name industry is highly profitable, but its leaders voiced concerns about its future at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Domain Conference & Expo in Hollywood on Wednesday. Distresses brought up included the public's lack of understanding of the industry and the need for transparency in how companies measure the worth of a domain name. http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/267525.html The Donald Trump of Internet domains? Typically, entrepreneurs develop an idea and then struggle to come up with a name. Rob Monster is looking at it the opposite way, starting with a good name and then searching for the business concept. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/venture/archives/123506.asp Rob Monster announces launch of Domain Strategies and west coast HQ for Internet Real Estate Group [news release] Domain Strategies, Inc. announced today the launch of a new website to connect Domain Owners with visionary entrepreneurs and smart capital in order to unlock the true business potential of premium domain names. http://domainstrategies.com/pr/2007-10-11.pdf Meet the Lawyers IP Discussion Do domainers know where to draw the line? There is no question that the TM laws and how they are applied online are NOT consistent with the decision making for offline enterprise. http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2007/10/12/meet-the-lawyers-ip-discussion Netcraft October 2007 Web Server Survey In the October 2007 survey we received responses from 142,805,398 sites, an increase of 7.6 million sites since last month. This continues the strong gains seen last month, a rate of over 5% monthly growth, with MySpace, Microsoft Live.com, and Google's Blogger each gained over 1 million sites this month. Benefitting from the gains at MySpace and Microsoft Live, Microsoft-IIS now hosts over 50 million sites. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2007/10/11/october_2007_web_server_survey.html Fox News Reports on Record Domain Name Industry Growth According to a report by Fox News, the domain name industry is booming with a growth it has not experienced since 1999. The domain name industry is currently valued at $2 billion with 90,000 domain names being purchased per day. To date, there is one domain name registered to every two Americans. http://www.domain-disputes.com/news.htm http://youtube.com/watch?v=JKf5ODUwmsY ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Report from the TRAFFIC Domain Name Conference CEOs and Presidents from the top companies in the domain and traffic space discuss the state of our industry. Also covered will be the future direction of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. shows, plus why the industry is increasingly important to Wall St. while getting the cold shoulder from Madison Ave, and how that translates to Main St and the Vertical markets found there. Divyank Turakhia President of Skenzo, Monte Cahn, CEO Moniker.com/DomainSystems.com, Ammar Kubba CEO TrafficZ.com, Tim Schumacher, CEO Sedo, Jeff Bennett COO NameMedia, Sigmund Solares CEO Parked.com, Dan Warner COO Fabulous.com and Jerry Nolte CEO Domainers Magazine. http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2007/10/11/report-from-the-traffic-domain-name-conference Colorado Organization Launches Domain Name Auction Site In the prevailing climate of rising domain name values, owners have nonetheless been plagued by an absence of visibility and liquidity for their names. Kioio.com, a Colorado-based company, is creating a unique auction venue to provide greater exposure for the domain holdings of its community and to make it easier for users to sell names valued at $500 or more. http://www.domainpulse.com/2007/10/12/another-domain-name-auction-site-launch/ http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007101213/another-domain-name-auction-site-launch/ ********************** - DOMAIN SALES ********************** How much is that premium domain name worth? SoldNames has a list of the top 100 premium domain name sales. Top of the list of course is sex.com listed as being sold for US$14 million in 2006. It's interesting to peruse their list. Porn.com, Business.com, Diamond.com and Beer.com round out the top 5. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2968 http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007101209/how-much-is-that-premium-domain-name-worth/ http://www.domainpulse.com/2007/10/11/how-much-is-that-premium-domain-name-worth/ What's in a domain name? It's said everyone loves chocolate, but only one bidder at a domain name auction Friday loved ChocolateCandy.com enough to spend $26,500 on it. http://www.miamiherald.com/business/technology/story/270131.html 'Porn.com' Keeps Title as 'WallStreet' Fails to Sell The WallStreet.com Web address failed to sell at an auction in Florida today after bids fell below owners' expectations, leaving Porn.com as the most expensive domain name sold this year. http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aeAu3dVDDK3c http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/story.html?id=2e98122e-3baf-4648-8525-fefb60e6593a Going once ... wallstreet.com goes nowhere at auction As it turns out, porn is much more exciting than Wall Street. About three times as exciting. Yesterday, the Web address wallstreet.com went up for auction, but, in the end, failed to sell when the top bid turned out to be $3-million (U.S.), well below the site's reserve price of between $4-million and $5-million, a spokeswoman for moniker.com told Bloomberg. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071013.RTICKERSECONDARY13/TPStory/Business Wallstreet.com sale may top that of Porn.com The website address Wallstreet.com is set to go on sale today in an auction that is expected to rival the record sale price fetched by Porn.com. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/10/12/bcnwall112.xml 'Porn.com' Price May Be Shattered by 'WallStreet.com' (Update1) Forget the randy jokes. The question of whether money is hotter than sex may be answered today as the WallStreet.com Web address goes on sale. http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a5VIwyeFIQ2U Wallstreet.com domain set for record sale A sale of domain names on Friday is likely to see Wallstreet.com fetch at least $10m, making it the most costly URL on the internet and surpassing the earlier record set by Porn.com earlier this year http://www.ft.com/cms/s/72ccda56-78a2-11dc-aaf2-0000779fd2ac.html Wall Street lined with gold Just in case you were in any doubt that business was better than sex, todays auction of the internet domain name WallStreet.com is likely to set the record straight once and for all. http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/channel/TechnologyInnovation/news/744847/wall-street-lined-gold/ Live Domain Auction Nets $7.8M, Computer.com Sells for $2.2M 132 domains sell during Monikers TRAFFIC auction. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/10/13/live-domain-auction-nets-78m-computercom-sells-for-22m/ Highly Successful dotMobi Online Auction Confirms Strong Demand for .mobi Domains On October 3, dotMobi successfully closed its first-ever online auction with dozens of names purchased, and more than $850,000 generated for the creation of mobile content tools like ready.mobi and site.mobi. http://www.sedo.com/presse/presse_071005_e.php4?tracked=1&partnerid=21172&language=e Dot-mobi domains go to highest bidders: Auction generates $850,000 The first dot-mobi auction has closed on a high, with domain name marketplace Sedo.com selling 100 mobile web addresses to the highest bidders. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/11/dotmobi_domain_auction/ http://enn.ie/article/136993.html http://www.intomobile.com/2007/10/14/first-dotmobi-online-auction-successfully-closed.html Hosting.mobi Sells for US$101,000 First Sedo .mobi auction nets $850,000. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/10/11/hostingmobi-sells-for-101000/ ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Broadband Big Brothers Few images capture the ugliness of Myanmar's recent military crackdown quite like the photos of a Buddhist monk's mud-covered corpse displayed in a slide show on the Web site of the Democratic Voice of Burma, a Burmese advocacy group based in Norway. The outraged messages posted in response show the Web's power to connect supporters around the world with the long-suffering citizens of an isolated and repressed country. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/10/12/internet-respessive-regimes-tech-cx_ag_1012netregimes.html Burma Restores Some Internet Access [AP] Myanmar's ruling junta restored Internet access but kept foreign news sites blocked, partially easing its crackdown as a U.N. envoy arrived in Thailand on Sunday to rally neighboring governments around demands for democratic reforms in the country. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3728282 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/14/AR2007101400208.html China's Internet controls tightened ahead of sensitive political congress [AP] At first, Liu Xiaoyuan just fumed when his online journal postings disappeared with no explanation. Then he decided to do something few if any of China's censored bloggers had tried. He sued his service provider. "Each time I would see one of my entries blocked, I'd feel so furious and indignant," said Liu, a 43-year-old Beijing lawyer. "It was just so disrespectful." http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/12/1191696145356.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/12/1191696145356.html A "Journey to the Heart of Internet censorship" on eve of party congress In partnership with Reporters Without Borders and Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a Chinese Internet expert working in IT industry has produced an exclusive study on the key mechanism of the Chinese official system of online censorship, surveillance and propaganda. The author prefers to remain anonymous. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23924 Turkmenistani Government urged to pursue liberalisation after opening website to comments Reporters Without Borders voiced surprise and hope today on learning that it became possible yesterday for the public to post comments on the government website, www.turkmenistan.gov.tm, which has sections in English and Russian as well as Turkmen. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23952 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ uk: Software to target cyber-bullying New computer software to tackle cyber-bullying is being rolled out across schools in London. The software monitors computer activity on the internet, instant messaging, e-mail and other applications for inappropriate behaviour. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7039217.stm uk: Dr Tanya Byron seeks views on internet and video games [news release] Clinical psychologist Dr Tanya Byron has launched a "call for evidence" to gather information advice and views about the risks to children and young people of exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and video games. http://iwf.org.uk/media/news.211.htm ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Japanese woman 'found killer on internet' Police in Japan have arrested a man on suspicion of carrying out a woman's request to kill her after she contacted him via the internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,,2189375,00.html Survey finds widespread violations of EU consumer law on Internet Hundreds of airline and travel Web sites in Europe could be breaking the law by adding extra charges to the advertised price of flights or publishing ticket conditions in languages customers cannot understand. http://iht.com/articles/2007/10/12/europe/ticket.php The video bait-and-switch Not long after Los Angeles musician Lani Trock began posting videos of herself singing and playing guitar online, a message arrived in her in-box offering a bit of time-tested advice about how the young musician could grow her fan base. "If you want more viewers . . . change you [sic] tags!" wrote the user, whose sobriquet was JapaneseBeachGirls. The tags he was referring to are keywords that creators attach to their videos so that search engines -- and the people using them -- can quickly find the type of video they're looking for. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-ca-webscout14oct14,1,1422388.story ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Google's Evil EyeDoes the Big G know too much about us? by Michael Agger Except for a moody period in my early 20s, I have not kept a journal. Yet, like many people, I do have a place where I regularly confide my fears, insecurities, and dreams: "cell phone cancer link," "michael agger slate," "pennsylvania farm for sale." Google is always willing to listenand to cough up details about high-school classmates. Although I knew that Google was recording my searches, tucking them away on some server somewhere, I never really worried about it. Maybe I should have. http://www.slate.com/id/2175651/ ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** The German Supreme Court is skeptical about covert online searches After the hearing pertaining to the Constitutional Protection Act from the state of North Rhine/Westphalia (NRW), experts do not believe that the controversial regulation, which would allow IT systems to be searched online, stands much of a chance. In a number of critical questions, the Court's First Chamber indicated to the government of NRW that its Act was not clearly formulated, thus violating the requirement that regulations be clear. The Court's president Hans-Jürgen Papier also announced that a ruling would be handed down on the general constitutionality of covert online searches "far beyond" the current NRW case. He said that "basic issues of liberty and security" have to be weighed off against each other in light of the changing nature of recent terrorist threats. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/97237 Fixing the US's fraying Internet infrastructure In our industrial and information society, our daily lives depend on things we take for granted: electricity, fresh water, communications and our road system. The infrastructure underlying each has a limited useful life and is designed to meet the expected demand when deployed. But demand changes, and without proper planning and investment all infrastructure will eventually fail. http://www.news.com/2010-1034_3-6212819.html http://news.zdnet.com/2010-1035_22-6212819.html Bush and the Phone Companies: Partners in Crime by Timothy Karr Phone companies have opened a new front in their campaign against the free flow of information. This time they've found a powerful ally in the White House. AT&T and Verizon have already shown their disdain for free speech and Net Neutrality, and their eagerness to let government spies lurk on our phone calls. Now, their lobbyists have teamed with President George Bush to strong arm Congress into granting full immunity for a disturbing array of illegal and unconstitutional acts. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/bush-and-the-phone-compan_b_67992.html Former Phone Chief Says Spy Agency Sought Surveillance Help Before 9/11 The phone company Qwest Communications refused a proposal from the National Security Agency that the companys lawyers considered illegal in February 2001, nearly seven months before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the former head of the company contends in newly unsealed court filings. The executive, Joseph P. Nacchio, also asserts in the filings that the agency retaliated by depriving Qwest of lucrative outsourcing contracts. http://nytimes.com/2007/10/14/business/14qwest.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119240248793758652.html Illegal US Government Surveillance Opens Door to More Privacy Violations The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) told a congressional committee today that the government's illegal dragnet electronic surveillance opens the door to even more privacy violations for ordinary Americans. http://www.eff.org/press/releases/2007/10#005482 us: FCC Faces High-Speed Internet Access Decision [Reuters] U.S. regulators are expected to decide on Thursday whether to grant a request by AT&T to lift some regulations that govern what it can charge rivals for access to the company's high-speed Internet lines. The Federal Communications Commission is facing a deadline of midnight on Thursday to rule on a petition by AT&T to scale back the regulations. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138330-c,internetlegalissues/article.html us: House panel votes to extend Net tax ban [IDG] A U.S. House of Representatives committee has voted to extend an Internet tax moratorium for four years, but declined to make the tax ban permanent, as some lawmakers had advocated. http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/11/House-panel-votes-to-extend-Net-tax-ban_1.html uk: Internet will banish bureaucracy, says Cameron David Cameron sought to drive home the message that he, not Gordon Brown, represents the future in a speech laying claim to the internet as a tool of conservatism today. The day after telling Mr Brown to make way in the first Commons question time since the Prime Minister called off an autumn election, the Tory leader travelled to California to address a conference at the headquarters of Google, the global search-engine. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2641255.ece Swiss to pioneer 'unbreakable' encryption method in upcoming elections [AP] A new "unbreakable" encryption method will be keep votes safe for citizens in the Swiss canton of Geneva in the country's upcoming national elections, officials said Thursday. The city-state will use individual particles of light - or quantum technology - to encrypt election results as they are sent to the capital on Oct. 21, said Nicolas Gisin of the University of Geneva. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/12/1191696134876.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/12/1191696134876.html au: Labor fires first tech shots in official election fight On the first official day of the federal election campaign, Labor has placed IT at the centre of its agenda for growth, arguing that improved broadband and better government tendering processes will be essential to Australia's future competitiveness. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Labor-fires-first-tech-shots-in-official-election-fight/0,139023166,339282932,00.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** 61 Billion Searches Conducted Worldwide in August [news release] The Asia-Pacific region, which includes large markets such as China, Japan and India, saw 258 million unique searchers conduct 20.3 billion searches. Europe reported the second-most searchers (210 million) and searches (18 billion), followed by North America, with 206 million searchers and 16 billion searches. The Latin American region demonstrated the heaviest search activity per person, with more than 95 searches per searcher in August. The search market in the Middle East-Africa region is the most underdeveloped thus far, with the fewest searchers (30 million), searches (2 billion), and searches per searcher (70). ... Google Sites ranked as the top worldwide search property in August with 37.1 billion searches conducted. Of that total number, 31 billion occurred at the Google search engine and 5 billion occurred at YouTube.com. Yahoo! Sites ranked second with 8.5 billion searches, while Baidu.com, a Chinese language search engine, followed in third place with more than 3.2 billion searches. Microsoft Sites ranked in fourth place worldwide, while Korea's NHN Corporation, which owns Naver.com, ranked fifth with 2 billion searches worldwide. http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1802 Google 'dominates world search' Google powered more than half of all search requests carried out around the world in August, according to a report. A global study by analysts comScore revealed that more than 61 billion searches were performed by more than 750 million users in the month. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7039114.stm http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/5FED1A95DEAB2DC8CC257371000E0AE2 Survey finds 75 pc of Kiwis shop online Three quarters of New Zealanders say they now shop online, according to research by Visa International. http://nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=19207 Skype in deal with 3 to offer free mobile telephone calls in the UK The attack on the mobile phone market from some of the internets biggest names is escalating, with Skype planning to offer free mobile calls to Britons. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article2648590.ece ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Internet2 Goes Nationwide Internet2 has gone nationwide. At its annual fall member meeting this month, the nonprofit advanced network consortium announced that it had completed its new nationwide network infrastructure, which has an initial capacity of 100Gbps and bandwidth-on-demand capabilities. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138335-c,broadband/article.html Plasma TVs: The SUVs of the Living Room That sleek flat-panel TV may look small, but it could well be a big power hog. When the Australian government wanted to create a six-star system to rate the energy efficiency of television sets, it found that most of the big plasma sets wouldnt meet its minimum requirements. They could be banned as a result. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/plasma-tvs-the-suvs-of-the-living-room/ ********************** SPAM ********************** us: Porn spammers jailed for five years One of the world's first successful prosecutions against internet 'spammers' has seen two men sentenced to five years in jail in Arizona. The two, who sent millions of unsolicited pornographic emails and netted millions of dollars, were the subjects of the first US prosecution under new federal anti-spam laws, US Department of Justice officials said. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/14/internet.crime http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/us/14spam.html [AP] Two Men Sentenced for Running International Pornographic Spamming Business [news release] Two men have been sentenced to more than five years in prison for organizing and running an international pornographic spamming business that grossed over $1 million, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Dan G. Knauss of the District of Arizona announced today. Jeffrey A. Kilbride, 41, of Venice, Calif., and James R. Schaffer, 41, of Paradise Valley, Ariz., were sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell of the District of Arizona in a hearing that began on Sept. 24, 2007, and concluded yesterday. Kilbride was sentenced to 72 months in prison and Schaffer was sentenced to 63 months in prison. Kilbride received a higher sentenced based on the courts finding that he had obstructed justice by attempting to prevent a government witness from testifying at trial. Kilbride and Schaffer were fined $100,000 and ordered to pay $77,500 in restitution to AOL Inc. Judge Campbell also ordered the defendants to jointly forfeit more than $1.1 million, the amount of illegal proceeds from their spamming operation. http://justice.gov/opa/pr/2007/October/07_crm_813.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Legal downloads rise by 80 percent [Reuters] Legal digital downloads of music and video in Britain rose by 80.6 percent during the past year to 112 million pounds, researchers said on Friday. The market is predicted to grow to 163 million pounds in 2007, retail analysts Verdict Research said in a report "UK Music and Video Retailers 2007". http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL1230596220071012 If the RIAA Wins, You Really Lose! by Shelly Palmer Last week the RIAA won its lawsuit against Jamie Thomas, a Minnesota woman who put 24 songs in her Kazaa shared folder. The judgment, now being appealed, was for US$222,000 ($9,250 per song). It's a big number, and because it's so big, it is excellent fodder for sensationalists on both sides of the issue. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelly-palmer/if-the-riaa-wins-you-rea_b_68215.html A blockbuster for Radiohead's "In Rainbows"? The British music Web site Gigwise is reporting that Radiohead has sold 1.2 million digital copies of its latest album, "In Rainbows," since sales began on Tuesday. If true (and that might be a big "if"; see below), the number would be a blow-out, suggesting the wisdom of the band's decision to sell its wares directly to fans without the aid of a record label. http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/10/11/radiohead_sales/ Online music: The slow death of digital rights How can the music industry make money online? Events in recent days have hinted at the diverging strategies of record labels and the musicians themselves. Earlier this month a jury in America sentenced a mother of two who makes US$36,000 a year to pay $222,000 in damages for having made copyrighted songs available on a file-sharing network. Then on October 10th Radiohead, one of the world's most successful rock bands, made good on their promise to bypass record labels altogether by making their new album available online -- and letting fans set the price they are willing to pay for it. http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9963252 Radioheads Warm Glow I didnt pay anything to download Radioheads In Rainbows last Wednesday. When the checkout page on the bands Web site allowed me to type in whatever price I wanted, I put 0.00, the lowest I could go. My economist friends say this makes me a rational being. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/opinion/14sun3.html Commercial music downloads in Germany grew by 37 percent in Q3 According to figures released by Media Control 9.3 million "digital products" were sold in and downloaded from the Internet in Germany in the third quarter of 2007. This amounts to a 37.1 percent rise when compared with the same period of the year before. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/97283 ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* A new private jet for Google's founders Google is expanding the fleet of aircraft that has privileges to take off from a NASA airfield near the company's Californian headquarters http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2639522.ece Once king, BBC staggers into digital age Television viewers in Whitehaven, England, who tune in to BBC Two the old-fashioned way will be out of luck as of Wednesday. The town is the first in England where analog broadcasts are to be turned off, under a nationwide plan to replace them with digital hookups. BBC Two is the first channel to be switched. On the same day in London, the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, is set to meet with the BBC Trust, the board that oversees the publicly funded broadcaster, to update members on a scandal over misleading video footage of Queen Elizabeth. http://iht.com/articles/2007/10/14/business/bbc15.php ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** au: Bare facts about 'naked DSL' Australian ADSL broadband providers are gearing up to launch "naked DSL" plans, enabling users to for the first time bypass costly line rental charges. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/12/1191696156893.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** uk: Wireless computer network risks to be investigated The government has ordered a wide-ranging investigation into wireless computer networks amid concerns over the potential health risks they pose for millions of schoolchildren and office workers. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) will spend two years conducting lab tests and monitoring exposure levels to the wireless signals in classrooms, homes and offices, before compiling a health risk report on the technology. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/13/internet.internetphonesbroadband http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7042334.stm ********************** VoIP ********************** us: House bill would give VoIP companies direct access to 911 system A U.S. House committee is moving toward consideration of a bill that would allow voice-over-IP telephone carriers to connect directly to the nation's 911 system backbone. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9042278 ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** French child porn raids net 300 Police in France have arrested more than 300 people suspected of trading in child pornography over the internet. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7040839.stm http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL1237594420071012 us: Former Motivational Speaker Re-Sentenced to 20 Years for Transporting Child Pornography [news release] Michael Fortino, 47, a motivational speaker whose original prison sentence was recently vacated, was re-sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison for transporting child pornography, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Robert Balfe for the Western District of Arkansas announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge Jimm Larry Hendren also ordered Fortino to pay a $250,000 fine, serve a lifetime of supervised release, and forfeit contraband-containing computer equipment seized in the investigation. http://justice.gov/opa/pr/2007/October/07_crm_817.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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? 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