some internet news

[David Goldstein <goldstein_david@yahoo.com.au>]

Mugabe versus the internet (Geoffrey Robertson, The Guardian)
Andrew Meldrum, the Guardian's correspondent in Zimbabwe, is on trial
in Harare, accused of "publishing falsehoods" in this newspaper's
online service. His case is important, not only as the first test of
the Mugabe government's repressive media laws, but because it amounts
to an attempt to inflict these laws on the rest of the world.
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/internetnews/story/0,7369,739026,00.html

ISPs want caller ID
INTERNET service providers are pressing Telstra to provide another
weapon in the war against spam by activating caller line
identification for all dial-up internet connections.

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,4570253%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

EFA alarm over email snoop law
CIVIL liberties groups and community legal organisations say clauses
in the Federal Government's proposed anti-terror laws that could
increase the power of governments to intercept email, and extend the
use of existing surveillance systems.

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,4570031%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

Web's not there yet: design guru
THE web is "halfway there" in terms of ease of use - but Australia is
still three years behind the US, according to usability guru Jakob
Nielsen.

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,4570239%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

Big guns race to roll out tablet PCs
TABLET PCs are about to hit the market in a variety of sizes and form
factors, from clamshell laptops to slim, slate-like devices.

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,4558404%5e16681%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

It's a Tablet. It's a Notebook. From Microsoft, a New Hybrid.
When Microsoft announces that machines using its Tablet PC software
will be introduced on Nov. 7, the emphasis will be on using pen-based
features to enhance conventional notebook computers.
 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/25/technology/25SOFT.html
 http://news.com.com/2100-1001-938986.html

Peruvian lawmaker's effort could ban Microsoft on government
computers
Computer software could make Bruno Crespo's job much easier -- if
only he had the cash.
Crespo, the chief administrator of Callao, the port city that abuts
Lima, has a long wish list: a new tax database, a computerized
property registry and modernized desktop programs for 200 PCs, half
of which run on Windows 95.

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3531007.htm

U.K. jumps into Wi-Fi networking 
The United Kingdom got its first public Wi-Fi hot spots Monday. 
It was one of the last countries in Western Europe where wireless
local area networks (LANs) using Wi-Fi standards hadn't penetrated
into cafes or airports. But two weeks ago, the British government
lifted a ban on the commercial use of the 2.4GHz bandwidth, where
Wi-Fi networks broadcast their signals.
 http://news.com.com/2100-1033-938814.html

BT launches wireless trial
BT's wireless broadband network trial goes live, offering fast net
access to people close to one of its public 'hotspots'.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_2062000/2062101.stm

Warning over password security
Internet users are urged to change their passwords regularly, as a
survey suggests many choose words which are guessed easily.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2061000/2061780.stm

The end of the revolution
"Ruling the Root" documents the sorry tale of how the Internet was
brought to heel.
 http://www.salon.com/tech/books/2002/06/14/root/print.html

Privacy worries fuel domain name concerns
Web users are worried that changes to a list of who owns which .co.uk
web domain will put their personal privacy at risk.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2037000/2037948.stm

VeriSign cleans up Web address auctions 
VeriSign said Friday that it will clean up its domain name auctions
on eBay, some of which appear to have violated the Web address
registry's stated corporate policies.
 http://news.com.com/2100-1023-938379.html

VeriSign nixes bogus messages
VeriSign has agreed to stop sending false notices that tell customers
of rival registrars their domain names will soon expire.
 http://news.com.com/2100-1023-937940.html

Old net name to get new owner
The hunt for a new owner of the dot.org net domain has begun.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2062000/2062246.stm

In Fights Over .Com Names, Trademark Owners Usually Win
Decisions made through an arbitration system set up to resolve
disputes over Internet addresses have substantially broadened the
rights of trademark holders in cyberspace.
 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/24/technology/24MARK.html
 http://dcc.syr.edu/markle%5Cmhome.htm

Questions Surround Domain Names
With Congress busy investigating failures within United States
intelligence agencies that have national and global consequences, the
shortcomings of the organization charged with managing the Internet's
address system may seem trivial by comparison.
 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/17/technology/17NECO.html

From BNA Internet Law News...
THE ICANN REFORM BLUEPRINT - TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
As ICANN meets in Bucharest this week, the Committee on
ICANN Evolution and Reform has issued its "Blueprint for
Reform."  The Committee acknowledges that there is a wide
range of opinions but that now "is the time to make
choices."  The Committee's choices include establishing a 25
cent fee for every domain name registered to help fund
ICANN; no at-large participation at the board level; a
restructured board of 15 voting members (8 of which would be
selected by a Nomination Committee) and 5 non-voting members
including one seat for the GAC; changing the DNSO General
Assembly to the GNSO General Assembly with no voting power;
the creation of a country code supporting organization for
those ccTLDs that sign agreements with ICANN; and the
elimination of the independent review board.  In other words
-- charge users for every domain they register while
removing their right to directly influence the board
composition process and cutting back on accountability
mechanisms.
Blueprint at
http://www.icann.org/committees/evol-reform/blueprint-20jun02.htm

Coverage at
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,53410,00.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24829-2002Jun21.html

GOVERNMENTS REACT TO ICANN REFORM ACTIVITIES
Reaction to the current round of ICANN reform continues to
come in -- the German government has become one of the first
governments to issue a position paper, the EU
Telecommunications Council has endorsed guidelines for
discussion concerning ICANN reform, while several U.S.
congressmen have sent Department of Commerce Secretary
Donald Evans a letter expressing their concern with the
current state of affairs.
<http://www.icannwatch.org/article.php?sid=821>
<http://www.icannwatch.org/article.php?sid=822>
http://forum.icann.org/reform-comments/general/pdf00027.pdf

DOT-CA DISPUTE RESOLUTION POLICY OPERATIONAL
Several months after receiving board approval, the dot-ca
dispute resolution policy is now operational.  Two providers
-- Resolution Canada and the British Columbia International
Commercial Arbitration Centre -- are providing dispute
resolution services.  Providers at
<http://www.bcicac.com/cfm/index.cfm?L=105&P=225>
<http://www.resolutioncanada.ca/>
Final policy at
http://www.cira.ca/official-doc/95.policy__final___November_29__2001___en.pdf

NOMINET CALLS FOR BETTER DRS COMPLAINTS
Nominet, the dot-uk administrator, has called on
complainants and their advisors to improve the quality of
their complaints.  Nominet's dispute resolution service has
dealt with over 350 complaints and deemed a substantial
number invalid due to failure to comply with the requisite
procedure.
http://www.nic.uk/news/improved-complaints.html

PERUVIAN LAWMAKER WANTS GOVERNMENT TO GO OPEN SOURCE ONLY
Peruvian Congressman Edgar Villanueva is pushing for new
legislation that would obligate all public institutions in
that country to convert exclusively to open-source software.
 The Congressman has apparently coordinated similar
initiatives in several other countries.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3531007.htm

Danish Deep-Link Decision Due 
Are websites required to link to a newspaper's online front door, or
can they link directly to the story? A judge may rule as early as
Monday.
 http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,53419,00.html

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