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general internet news - 18 April
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au: Internet porn filter trial for Tasmania
http://www.examiner.com.au/story.asp?id=338401
uk: Court rules that an email address is not a
signature
http://www.out-law.com/page-6839
us: A Sinister Web Entraps Victims of Cyberstalkers
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/17/technology/17stalk.html
sg: Will Singapore's ban on political blogs work?
http://internetinasia.typepad.com/blog/2006/04/will_singapores.html
cn: Google Defends China Policy
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,70651-0.html
Has file sharing cost the music industry £1.1bn?
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1752260,00.html
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CENSORSHIP, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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au: Internet porn filter trial for Tasmania
Tasmanians will be the first in Australia to trial an
Internet pornography and violence filter that could be
introduced across Australia if successful.
http://www.examiner.com.au/story.asp?id=338401
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200604/s1614695.htm
http://theage.com.au/text/articles/2006/04/11/1144521340635.html
http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18801464%255E3462,00.html
sg: Will Singapore's ban on political blogs work?
According to Asst Prof Cherian George at the School of
Communication and Information, NTU one of the big
questions to be answered in the upcoming Singapore
General Elections is the role of new media
technologies in the elections. As TV, radio and other
print media is highly regulated here, observers were
interested in seeing the role of blogs in these
elections. However, these hopes were dashed when
Singapore banned political discussions on blogs and
podcasts during the election period.
http://internetinasia.typepad.com/blog/2006/04/will_singapores.html
cn: Google Defends China Policy
Google CEO Eric Schmidt defended the search engine's
cooperation with Chinese censorship Wednesday, as he
announced the creation of a Beijing research center
and unveiled a Chinese-language brand name.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,70651-0.html
http://news.com.com/Chief+says+Google+wont+fight+Chinese+censorship/2100-1030_3-6060698.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/13/business/worldbusiness/13google.html
http://iht.com/articles/2006/04/12/business/google.php
Phony kids, virtual sex
In the increasingly popular, adults-only virtual world
called "Second Life," a player can pretend to be a
bear, an elf or just about anything else he or she
imagines. But even in the open-minded "Second Life"
community, what people consider to be acceptable may
have its limits. Some of the virtual world's biggest
fans are shaking their heads over what users call "age
play."
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6060132.html
us: A Sinister Web Entraps Victims of Cyberstalkers
(reg req'd; sub req'd after a few days)
The problem of personal information on the Internet
being used to stalk is not easily legislated away and
can be devastating to those who are targeted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/17/technology/17stalk.html
us: Porn is a right, not a sin
Porn is a huge problem, Eric Vogeler shouts from his
mountaintop. It's being "piped" directly into our
homes. Something needs to be done. What exactly is
your point, Vogeler? That porn is like a hardcore drug
and should be illegal for adults? He sites Jeffrey
Santivor's testimony before the Senate in claiming the
opioids released during viewing enable it to do "what
heroin can't." Nice quote, but you forgot to quote the
response by Joe Herbert. Herbert, a neuroscientist at
the University of Cambridge, says the brain responds
to rewards and the idea that porn can be compared to a
hard drug is "complete rubbish."??
http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/paper244/news/2006/04/13/LettersToTheEditor/Porn-Is.A.Right.Not.A.Sin-1847563.shtml?norewrite200604130348&sourcedomain=www.dailyutahchronicle.com&200604130345
us: NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN,
THE ADVERTISING COUNCIL AND MYSPACE PARTNER TO PROMOTE
ONLINE SAFETY (news release)
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®
(NCMEC), the Advertising Council and News Corporation,
parent company of Fox Interactive Media and MySpace,
announced today a joint effort to promote online
safety through the deployment of a series of national
public service advertisements (PSAs). The PSAs, part
of an ongoing Ad Council campaign, will begin running
today through News Corporation?s broad network of
distribution channels, and are designed to raise
awareness about Internet safety and education.
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2343
it: Sharing is the watchword of the Italian 'digital
generation'
A recent survey shows that 91% of young Italians surf
the net, and 42% are ?frequent users?. The results
also suggest that this new digital generation is
sharing thoughts, photos and music more than ever
before.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/it3.htm
dk: Young Danes call for online caution
Ten new pieces of advice from the Danish child
ambassadors for safer internet, inaugurated on Safer
Internet Day 2006, show a good understanding of the
precautions children must take on the internet.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/dk2.htm
it: Italian law addresses online child pornography
On 6 February 2006, the Justice Commission of the
Italian Parliament approved a bill entitled
?Provisions on the fight against sexual exploitation
of children and on child pornography on the internet."
The new law also conforms to the provisions of a
December 2003 EU Council decision.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/it1.htm
INHOPE stakeholders face challenges together
An INHOPE event entitled "Online danger: facing the
challenges together" brought together more than 70
stakeholders from 24 countries and highlighted the
need for cooperation to successfully tackle the
problem of illegal content on the internet.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/inhope.htm
si: Young Slovenians appoint safer internet ambassador
On 8 April 2006, the Slovenian Awareness Node SAFE-SI
and other partners participated in the twelfth
Computer Festival, where pupils from primary and
secondary schools took part in competitions relating
to computer programming, digital photography and
website design.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/si.htm
Private lives gain public audience
The internet is no longer a world of special interest
newsgroups and email. The trend has long since moved
to sharing and broadcasting, with young people in
particular keen to show their face and find their
voice. But how to balance the desire to share with the
need for privacy?
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/eun.htm
dk: It's all about attitude, not about being a porn
star!
A short preview of a Danish research project was given
by the two researchers, Laura Richardt and Mette Gram
in March 2006. The aim of the project is to map the
chat culture of a particular group of young girls
between 14 and 16, who seem to be girls without
limits.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/dk1.htm
eu: Stop-it presents third Annual Activity Report
Stop-It, the Italian hotline funded by the EU Safer
Internet Programme, looked at file sharing, spam, mms
and sms. These were identified as providing an
increase in opportunities for young people to
encounter potential abusers, or to see child
pornography images on the internet.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/it2.htm
cz: A night with Andersen 2006
On 31 March 2006, the Czech Republic held a major
event called "A night with Andersen". Almost 500
public libraries in different towns, schools and
hospitals opened doors during the night for children
to read books, chat on the internet and share fairy
tales.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/cz.htm
au: Australians wise up to IT
A youth internet safety campaign, ?Wise Up to IT? has
been created by NetAlert in Australia and will be
launched on 7 April 2006.
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0406/au.htm
us: There's no 'XXX' in this book
A Bible publisher has rejected a request by an
anti-pornography Internet ministry to put its "Jesus
Loves Porn Stars" brand on the covers of the New
Testament.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/3770087.html
cn: China Internet group calls for censorship
China's official Internet industry association is
calling on its members to help the government suppress
material deemed subversive or immoral.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060413.gtcensorapr13/BNStory/Technology/home
China warns on 'unhealthy' websites
Chinese websites are being urged to suppress material
that could harm state interests or damage social
morality.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1753269,00.html
cn/us: Yahoo ! employees get chance to see Chinese
detainee videos outside company?s headquarters
A Reporters Without Borders team stationed itself with
a video player outside Yahoo !?s California
headquarters on 7 April and stopped employees as they
left the building, offering to show them videos filmed
in China of people criticising Yahoo !?s cooperation
with the Chinese police. Reporters Without Borders
wants Yahoo ! to stop cooperating with the Chinese
authorities in the arrests of activists and
journalists.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16999
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6060667.html
http://zdnet.com.com/1606-2_2-6060644.html
Französische Provider führen Internet-Filter ein
Mehrere französisische Internet-Serviceprovider (ISPs)
bieten seit Anfang April ihren Kunden leicht zu
installierende, kostenlose Jugendschutzfilter an. Dies
geben französische Aktivisten der European Digital
Rights Initiative (EDRI) bekannt. Die französische
Providerorganisation Associations des Fournisseurs
d'Access et de Service de l'Internet (AFA) zählt in
einer Pressemitteilung Filterangebote der Provider
Alice, AOL, Club Internet und Wanadoo auf. Andere
AFA-Mitglieder sollen dem Beispiel bald folgen.
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/72014
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CYBERCRIME, CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY
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au: Program to search for crime data
SOUTH Australian police have unveiled the latest
computer program to help in the fight against
terrorism. The Zero Skills Analysis Program (ZSAP)
will also be used to investigate a range of other
offences, including child pornography, counterfeiting
and identity fraud.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18769235-1246,00.html
au: Cyber stalking warning
POLICE are warning young people to take caution online
as the number of cyber stalking cases soars. So far,
28 cyber-stalking cases have been reported to Victoria
Police this year, compared with 34 for the whole of
2005.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18788136%255E11869,00.html
au: Police nab online scam suspects
A woman and man have been charged in Sydney over an
alleged internet auction scam.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18803684%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html
uk: Court rules that an email address is not a
signature
A High Court judge has ruled that the presence of a
sender's email address in the header of an email does
not amount to a signature ? although a typed name
would have sufficed to form a binding contract.
http://www.out-law.com/page-6839
ng: Fight Against Cybercrime, Legislation As Rescue
A computer crime as well as cyber survey conducted
recently indicated that Nigeria is the most internet
fraudulent country in Africa. Besides, the same report
further stated that the giant of Africa is ranked
third among others identified with cyber fraud and
computer crime in the world.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200604140071.html
Terrorists' Web Chatter Shows Concern About Internet
Privacy
Terrorist groups, which for years have used the
Internet and its various tools to organize and
communicate, are paying more attention to addressing
security and privacy concerns similar to those of
other Web users, counterterrorism experts say.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/12/AR2006041201968.html
us: Home's no longer safe...
Cyberspace criminals lure children out of their homes.
More this week on the burning issue of paedophilia.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2006/04/17/stories/2006041700190300.htm
us: BEHIND THE NUMBERS: Hate Crimes Task Force Nets
Results
FBI statistics tell us there were 7,649 hate crime
incidents reported in the U.S. in 2004. Behind those
numbers are hateful and hurtful crimes that exact a
terrible toll not only on victims, but on families and
communities.
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/april06/hatecrimes041006.htm
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SPAM
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au: ACMA welcomes Federal Court spam decision (news
release)
The Australian Communications and Media Authority
welcomes the decision of Justice Nicholson in the
Federal Court in Perth today concerning the
contraventions of the Spam Act 2003 (Spam Act) by
Clarity1 Pty Ltd of Perth and Mr Wayne Mansfield, its
managing director.
http://www.acma.gov.au/ACMAINTER.65640:STANDARD:372004565:pc=PC_100519
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INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE
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Podcasting shakes up local media
Downloadable content may mean more viewers, but it has
some TV and radio affiliates worried.
http://csmonitor.com/2006/0417/p02s02-ussc.html
Internet's power play
Television and the web. Not since Antony and Cleopatra
have we seen such an uneasy, unholy union. Consumers
are hungry for it. Broadcasters are terrified of it.
And well they should be - if the internet has its way,
broadcast television could soon be tumbleweed in the
dust. "You'd give it 15 years?" quipped one senior -
cyber-savvy - television executive when The Guide put
the point on the table last week. "I'm not sure I'd
give it that long."
http://smh.com.au/news/breaking/internets-power-play/2006/04/17/1145126040247.html
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DIGITAL DIVIDE
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in: Rural UP on verge of a cyber boom
Government seeks to improve information access in
rural areas by providing 50,000 villages with Internet
kiosks
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=43109
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FILE SHARING
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BitTorrent battles over bandwidth
Net providers are trying to cope with the demand
placed on networks by BitTorrent file-sharing
software.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/4905660.stm
Has file sharing cost the music industry £1.1bn?
Not according to a back-of-the-envelope calculation by
Jupiter Research's Mark Mulligan, who reckons the true
figure is closer to £290m.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1752260,00.html
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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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Google launches Chinese service
Google has launched its Chinese service with bullish
growth forecasts and a robust defence of its decision
to limit user access to certain internet sites.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4903434.stm
Google acts to organise your life
Google has launched its latest salvo against rivals
such as Yahoo and Microsoft, unveiling a free online
calendar service.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4905904.stm
Google entices Microsoft users with web diary
Google is set to open a new front in its competition
with Microsoft?s traditional desktop software with the
launch of a test version of an online calendar, a
service that extends Google?s reach further into
personal-productivity software.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/38c110ca-ca7a-11da-852f-0000779e2340.html
Screens, Tablets, email: but is Bill happy at his
work?
Bill Gates may be the world's richest man, but the
technology he uses to do his job is probably not much
different from yours
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/insideit/story/0,,1752291,00.html
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(c) David Goldstein 2006
David Goldstein
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
COOGEE NSW 2034
AUSTRALIA
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