general internet news - 23 November

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

Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the most recent edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!

And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for recent updates with RSS feeds.

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Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/

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us: Justice, ACLU argue 1998 online porn law before U.S. judge (AP)
http://iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/20/america/NA_GEN_US_Internet_Blocking.php

au: Security firms clash over phishy e-mails
http://zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Security_firms_clash_over_phishy_e_mails/0,130061744,339272270,00.htm

us: Libel ruling boosts net providers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6167930.stm

us: 'Tis the season to send spam
http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6136901.html

nz: Ihug still fighting to sort out spam fiasco
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/DA2189F09441164ACC257229000DE7BD

us: Newspapers to link up with Yahoo
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/20/business/yahoo.php

Google shares going gangbusters
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/11/22/1163871450484.html

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CENSORSHIP, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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us: Justice, ACLU argue 1998 online porn law before U.S. judge (AP)
Justice Department attorneys, defending a law aimed at keeping online pornography from minors, argued that software filters often block valid sites - on gay rights or sexual health, for example - that teens might seek out.
http://iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/20/america/NA_GEN_US_Internet_Blocking.php
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20795644%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/16061406.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2006-11-21-internet-blocking_x.htm
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6137425.html

au: Pedophiles sprung in chat rooms
A LOCAL firm has developed a system to alert parents by email or SMS if it spots a pedophile lurking in a chat room frequented by children.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20792142%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

Egypt arrests another blog critic
Police in Cairo have detained a blogger whose posts have been critical of the Egyptian government.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6164798.stm

vn: Cyber-dissident arrested and beaten by police in Hanoi during APEC summit
While the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit was taking place in Hanoi, Vietnamese police arrested cyber-dissident Pham Hong Son at his home on 17 November, took him to a police station and beat him there, returned him to his home several hours later and thereafter prevented him from going out, he told The Mercury News.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18715

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CYBERCRIME, CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY
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au: Security firms clash over phishy e-mails
Banks and security experts cannot agree if it is safe for banks to use e-mail for communicating with their customers because the medium has been hijacked by criminals who try and fool online banking users into divulging their log-in details.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Security_firms_clash_over_phishy_e_mails/0,130061744,339272270,00.htm

nz: Way clearing for Hager book release
The way may be clearing for author Nicky Hager to release his book on the National Party. His claimed expose of the party's wheeling and dealing under the leadership of Dr Don Brash is currently blocked from sale because of a High Court injunction.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411366/897067

us: Libel ruling boosts net providers
Bloggers and US internet providers cannot be liable for posting defamatory comments written by third parties, the California Supreme Court has ruled.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6167930.stm

us: Web publishers receive immunity on defamation
The California Supreme Court said Monday that Internet publishers could not be held liable for posting defamatory comments written by others, a victory for online companies like Google and America Online.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/20/business/techbrief.php
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-11-21-website-libel_x.htm
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/21/he_said_she_said_ok_online/

us: Epidemic or easy target?
The U.S. attorney general says online predators are a significant problem. Politicians and local law enforcement have made them a target. But reliable statistics are hard to come by, and some observers wonder whether the scope of the problem justifies the money and attention devoted to it.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/92338

us: Internet can be a dangerous place for youths; law enforcement paying closer attention
Not only are there inappropriate sites for teens on the World Wide Web, it can also be a dangerous place for youths, especially with a rise of sexual predators lurking around online.
http://kinston.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=40575&Section=Local

us: Judge Tosses Out Suit Against Craigslist
A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit against Craigslist, saying the online classified site is protected from liability even if the housing ads it carries are discriminatory.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/11/22/1163871446822.html

uk: Absent enemies
Today 55,000 young people will be absent from school because they are being bullied - that is one-third of all truancies. These shocking figures are findings from research published this week by the charity Beatbullying (BB). To mark Anti-Bullying Week, it has commissioned a hard-hitting TV advertisement in an attempt to raise awareness about the links between bullying and truancy. The research also found that there are strong, irrefutable links between persistent truancy and a young person's opportunities in later life.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,,1952783,00.html

uk: Cyber-bullying 'on the increase'
Charity workers in the East Midlands say they are now getting hundreds of calls about so-called cyber-bullying.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/6167460.stm

nz: Action urged on cyber-bullying
An internet safety group wants Christchurch teachers to take responsibility for preventing text and internet harassment and bullying in schools.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3867548a11275,00.html

Nigerian scams cost Britons millions (Reuters)
Internet scams, credit card fraud and money laundering operations originating in Nigeria cost Britons millions of pounds a year, a report on Monday said.
http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=14030851

uk: Databases could be danger to young, says study
New government databases containing details on every child in England could increase dangers to children, says report.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Society/children/story/0,,1953932,00.html

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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us: CDT Releases "Lame Duck" Internet Watch List
CDT on Monday issued a special lame duck edition of its "Internet Watch List," which identifies seven legislative efforts that threaten the Internet and fundamental civil liberties in the waning days of the 109th Congress. Unfortunately bills that would greatly expand the authority to wiretap innocent Americans; stifle socially valuable speech online; and limit access to worthwhile social networking tools remain very much in play despite the short legislative calendar. CDT is urging lawmakers, journalists and activists to remain vigilant to ensure that none of these misguided measures become law.  November 20, 2006
http://www.cdt.org/press/20061120press-lameduck.php

au: $66,000 fine to protect privacy
After three years of delays, a massive database containing personal information on every Australian with a phone number could soon be protected. A Bill before federal Parliament includes fines up to $66,000 or two years imprisonment for anyone misusing personal information in the Telstra-managed phone directory.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20792270%5E15347%5E%5Enbv%5E15306-15319,00.html

au: Poddies copyright crooks
NEW copyright legislation is likely to cause more problems than it solves, lawyers have warned. The Government has failed to fix problems with the old Act, they say.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20792269%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

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SPAM
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us: 'Tis the season to send spam
In addition to plenty of turkey, a record amount of spam will be served up this holiday season. Mass e-mailers traditionally bump up their activity as the year winds down. But this year, the amount of junk messages could be unprecedented, companies that make spam-busting tools say.
http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6136901.html

nz: Ihug still fighting to sort out spam fiasco
Hard-hit by an avalanche of incoming spam messages, ISP Ihug has decided to introduce further checks on servers wanting to send email to its customers. From now on, email servers must have matching reverse and forward pointing records in the Domain Name System (DNS) for messages to be accepted by Ihugʼs SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) servers.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/DA2189F09441164ACC257229000DE7BD

'Pump-and-Dump' Spam Surge Linked to Russian Bot Herders
The recent surge in e-mail spam hawking penny stocks and penis enlargement pills is the handiwork of Russian hackers running a botnet powered by tens of thousands of hijacked computers.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2060235,00.asp

P2P as a New Spam Medium, Moving From PoC to Full Operations
Spam on P2P networks used to be mainly with advertising inside downloaded movies and pictures (mainly pornographic in nature), as well as by hiding viruses and other malware in downloaded warez and most any other file type (from zip archives to movie files). Further, P2P networks were in the past used for harvesting by spammers. Today, P2P has become a direct to customer spamvertizing medium. This has been an ongoing change for a while. As we speak, it is moving from a proof of concept trial to a full spread of spam, day in, day out.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/p2p_spam_poc_to_full_operations/

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INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE
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Get out of MySpace
Media companies are in a tither about online social networking but Jonathan Weber struggles to see the point
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17949-2443367,00.html

Wikis are spreading into new realms
Buoyed by the growth of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the wiki model of shared writing and editing is spreading into surprising new realms, from accounting, real estate and academic research to cake design and even intelligence gathering.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/293238_wikis22.html

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
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Internet Extends Reach Of Bangladeshi Villagers
Cellphone-Linked Computers Help Break Rural Isolation - how the internet is benefiting those living in rural Bangladesh.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/21/AR2006112101725.html

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FILE SHARING
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The A$65,000 question: do you own an iPod?
Owning an iPod, camera phone or a DVD recorder might be enough to land you in jail or lumbered with a large fine under the Federal Government's proposed new changes to the copyright laws, experts warn.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/11/20/1163871308087.html

Casino Royale becomes victim of global internet piracy
The new James Bond film was freely available on file-sharing websites within hours of general release, with estimates of 250,000 copies downloaded through torrent sites as of 21 November.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Technology/news/story/0,,1953884,00.html

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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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us: Newspapers to link up with Yahoo
A consortium of U.S. newspaper chains representing 176 daily papers plans to form a partnership with Yahoo that will start with shared ads and extend eventually to news content.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/20/business/yahoo.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/20/technology/20yahoo.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1024_3-6137100.html

Google shares going gangbusters
Google's share price surpassed $US500 for the first time, marking another milestone for the internet search leader.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/11/22/1163871450484.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/technology/22google.html

Battle lines forming in battle for traditional media's Web advertising
Major Internet sites are showing a strong and growing interest in the advertising business and traditional ad firms are starting to get worried.
http://iht.com/articles/2006/11/21/business/adco.php

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VoIP
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au: How many VoIP providers are there really
The ACMA says there are 118 VoIP providers in Australia, research company Market Clarity puts the number at almost double that. Who's right?
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/7326/127/

ae: TRA yet to approve VoIP
The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has categorically denied any suggestion that VoIP will be liberalised within the country.
http://khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2006/November/business_November603.xml&section=business

VoIP gets ready to make some noise
Although there have been rumblings of acquisitions in the VoIP market and there is bound to be some consolidation, it is set for long-term growth when end-users finally understand its true benefits. This is where the channel can step in, says Mark Dye
http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn/analysis/2169027/voip-gets-ready-noise

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Check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the most recent edition of the domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!

The domain name news is supported by auDA.

Also see http://internews.tv/mailman/admin/internetnews_internews.tv for an archive and to subscribe to the domain name and general internet news and http://technewsreview.com.au/ for recent news updates.

Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>.

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(c) David Goldstein 2006


--------- 
David Goldstein
 address: 4/3 Abbott Street
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           AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)
 
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