general internet news - 8 September

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

This war on terrorism is bogus
Massive attention has now been given - and rightly so - to
the reasons why Britain went to war against Iraq. But far
too little attention has focused on why the US went to war,
and that throws light on British motives too. The
conventional explanation is that after the Twin Towers were
hit, retaliation against al-Qaida bases in Afghanistan was
a natural first step in launching a global war against
terrorism. Then, because Saddam Hussein was alleged by the
US and UK governments to retain weapons of mass
destruction, the war could be extended to Iraq as well.
However this theory does not fit all the facts. The truth
may be a great deal murkier.
...
The document also calls for the creation of "US space
forces" to dominate space, and the total control of
cyberspace to prevent "enemies" using the internet against
the US. It also hints that the US may consider developing
biological weapons "that can target specific genotypes
[and] may transform biological warfare from the realm of
terror to a politically useful tool".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1036571,00.html

Of monkeys and penguins
SCO, for anyone who has never heard of the company, is
pronounced “skoh”, as in Scopes. Indeed “the SCO case” of
2003 sounds increasingly like the famous Scopes Monkey
Trial of 1925, which pitted religious fundamentalists
against progressives wanting to teach Darwin alongside the
Bible in American classrooms. The SCO case plays the same
role in a culture war now consuming the software industry.
On one side are the equivalents of the
fundamentalists—buttoned-down types clinging to proprietary
and closed computer systems. Facing them are today's
evolutionists—the pony-tailed set championing collaboration
and openness in the form of Linux, an operating system that
anybody can download and customise for nothing. The 1925
trial had a monkey as its symbol; the 2003 case has the
Linux trademark, a cute penguin.
 http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=2020889

SCO's next target: SGI?
SCO Group, which has sued IBM for more than $3 billion for
allegedly moving Unix code into Linux, may also have
Silicon Graphics in its crosshairs.
 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5072061.html

SCO to send out Linux invoices
The SCO Group is turning up the heat in its attempt to
impose Unix license fees for Linux use: It plans to begin
sending invoices to companies before the month is out.
 http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-5070583.html

Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) - Legal
Definitions of Child Pornography, Obscenity and "Harmful to
Minors" By Mary Minow
Mary Minow is a library law consultant with LibraryLaw.com.
She is coauthor with Tomas Lipinski of The Library's Legal
Answer Book (ALA: 2003)*.  This article is not intended to
replace legal advice. For a particular fact situation,
consult an attorney.
 http://www.llrx.com/features/updatecipa.htm

Youth, Pornography, and the Internet - Dick Thornburgh and
Herbert S. Lin, Editors, Committee to Study Tools and
Strategies for Protecting Kids from Pornography and Their
Applicability to Other Inappropriate Internet Content,
National Research Council (available for purchase only)
The Internet has changed the way we access the world. This
is especially true for kids, who soak up new technologies
like eager little sponges. They have access to an enormous
array of material, including educational links, sports
info, chat rooms—and, unfortunately, pornography. But we
must approach our need to protect children with care to
avoid placing unnecessary restrictions on the many positive
features of the Internet.
 http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10261.html

Australian Judge Finds L.A. Webmaster Liable
In an unusual Internet case crossing international borders,
an Australian judge imposed $61,000 in damages against a
Los Angeles man earlier this week for defaming a Perth
journalism professor on a series of Web sites.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-cyber4sep04,1,6659398.story

Web quandary for regulators
The issue of Internet regulation has long been tied to the
question of Internet service-provider liability. As the
gateways to the Internet, ISPs were quickly identified as a
potential "choke point" in the system that could
effectively be used to regulate Internet activity.

http://www.torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1061763008874

School system blocks access to teacher-rating site
Students don't get to grade teachers at school, and Shelby
County educators are making sure it stays that way.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-09-04-teacher-rate-site_x.htm

Parents regulate Web time
Stephen Pearson saw his children's grades slip. His older
daughter was falling asleep in school, after staying up
until the wee hours chatting with friends online. Pearson
quickly learned that despite the Internet's reputation as a
trove of knowledge, kids can easily squander their online
time playing games, downloading music and messaging friends
and strangers alike about parties, crushes and other
school-age obsessions.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20030902/localnews/173429.html

.au - FOI may reveal banned website list
CHILD sex offenders could use Freedom of Information laws
to access hardcore child pornography on the Internet,
forcing the Federal Government to change the law.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7160761%255E421,00.html

Aiming at Pornography to Hit Music Piracy
The recording industry, struggling to curb music piracy, is
shining the spotlight on another demon lurking on the
Internet: pornography.
 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/07/technology/07PORN.html

ID theft hit 9.9 million Americans last year, says FTC
The United States Federal Trade Commission released survey
results on Wednesday showing that almost ten million
Americans were victims of identity theft last year, with a
cost to consumers and business of around $53 billion.

http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=idthefthitmil1062767355
 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/04/politics/04IDEN.html

.th - Webmaster complains over censorship of erotic police
site
The owner of a gay website showcasing pictures of Thai
police in their snug-fitting brown uniforms has complained
over police efforts to block access, a report said
yesterday.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/04/1062548933223.html

Workplace monitoring needs EU regulation, says study
The growth of new information and communication
technologies such as e-mail and the internet has created
new privacy and monitoring issues for employers and
employees alike – and a new report argues the need to
address these at EU level.

http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=workplacemonitoring1062768977

.UK - Blair target of malicious worm
"We've had enough" message launches Downing Street DoS
attack.
 http://www.silicon.com/news/500013-500001/1/5881.html

Computer antivirus strategies in crisis
New weapons to foil viruses and worms are desperately
needed, reveals the first analysis of the effectiveness of
antivirus software.
 http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994119

.au - Money launderers go online
LEGISLATION may be needed to help police and the Tax Office
keep track of transactions made using internet-based
payment services, a government watchdog has warned.

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,7134699%5E15319%5E%5Enbv%5E15306,00.html

Repent Downloaders and Get Amnesty
Internet users who promise to stop illegally copying music
will be able to avoid prosecution under an amnesty program
to be unveiled by the recording industry next week, a
source close to the matter said Friday.

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=3396175

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-riaa5sep05222421,1,1679633.story

China Web Site Pulls Plug on Sensitive Entry
In China, what happened yesterday may be politically
sensitive today because the present can mirror the past.
The Web site of the People's Daily (www.people.com.cn) has
pulled the plug on a politically sensitive entry in its
"Today in History" column -- the resignation of Deng
Xiaoping as chairman of the Central Military Commission on
September 4, 1989.

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=3393025

.za - SA Websites Fail the Privacy Test
THE need for stricter data protection laws was highlighted
this week with research proving that SA websites are lax in
the amount of care they show towards the privacy of their
customers.
 http://allafrica.com/stories/200309050006.html

Man Charged With Raping Girl He Met on Internet
A 20-year-old Long Island man was arraigned on charges of
rape and sodomy after authorities said he formed an online
relationship with the girl.
 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/05/nyregion/05NET.html

CONFERENCE: The University of Ottawa Law & Technology
Journal will sponsor a major symposium on intellectual
property and cyberlaw issues on October 3 and 4, 2003. The
symposium, which will bring together leading scholars from
across Canada and the U.S. will present new scholarship on
a wide range of cutting-edge issues including copyright,
patents, e-commerce, and Internet law. Panelists from each
country will be paired to provide a comparative perspective
on these emerging issues. The symposium will also feature a
"policy lunch" with policy makers from Industry Canada and
Canadian Heritage. Papers will be published in the
inaugural edition of the UOTLJ.
 http://www.commonlaw.uottawa.ca/tech/html/symposium.html

ABA Section of Business Law to Announce Global Internet
Jurisdiction Survey
As businesses worldwide gravitate to the Internet, there is
an increasing realization that jurisdictional risks – the
question of whose law applies – may present the toughest
compliance and regulatory challenges.  In recent months,
new European Union online tax rules have created potential
new liability and risk for U.S. businesses, legislators
have struggled to develop anti-spam initiatives with global
reach, and cases such as Yahoo! France and Dow Jones v.
Gutnick have illustrated the liability threat for posting
content online when rules are different in each country.
 http://www.abanet.org/media/aug03/080403.html

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=====
David Goldstein
 address: 2/4 Dundas Street
             COOGEE NSW 2034
             AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David@yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 0015 - home

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