general internet news - 22 January

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

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Web conduct code to be drawn up

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/964230



Companies, Groups Address Global Civil Liberties Challenges (news release)

http://www.cdt.org/press/20070118press-humanrights.php



my: Newspaper sues Internet bloggers for defamation

http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=61629



MySpace is sued over child safety

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6277633.stm



Belgian Newspapers to Challenge Yahoo Over Copyright Issues

http://ecommercetimes.com/story/55249.html



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RESEARCH PAPERS

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Censorship by Proxy: The First Amendment, Internet Intermediaries, and
the Problem of the Weakest Link by Seth F. Kreimer (University of
Pennsylvania Law Review, Nov 2006)

The rise of the Internet has changed the First Amendment drama, for
governments confront technical and political obstacles to sanctioning
either speakers or listeners in cyberspace. Faced with these
challenges, regulators have fallen back on alternatives, predicated on
the fact that, in contrast to the usual free expression scenario, the
Internet is not dyadic. The Internet?s resistance to direct regulation
of speakers and listeners rests on a complex chain of connections, and
emerging regulatory mechanisms have begun to focus on the weak links in
that chain. Rather than attacking speakers or listeners directly,
governments have sought to enlist private actors within the chain as
proxy censors to control the flow of information.

http://www.pennumbra.com/issues/article.php?atid=109



Elephants and Mice Revisited: Law and Choice of Law on the Internet by
Peter P. Swire (University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Jun 2005)

This Article seeks to explain those mysterious mechanisms. It does not
primarily address the prescriptive task of saying what the optimal
rules should be for resolving conflicting national laws that affect the
Internet. Instead, it takes on a descriptive task. It treats choice of
law on the Internet as a dependent variable; the task is to explain
when and how choice-of-law rules actually matter on the Internet. That
choice-of-law question, in turn, overlaps considerably with the even
broader question?when and how does any rule of law actually matter on
the Internet?

http://www.pennumbra.com/issues/article.php?atid=58



Technology and Internet Jurisdiction by Joel R. Reidenberg (University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Jun 2005)

This Essay argues that the initial wave of cases seeking to deny
jurisdiction, choice of law, and enforcement to states where users and
victims are located constitutes a type of ?denial-of-service? attack
against the legal system. Internet separatists use technology-based
arguments to deny the existence of sufficient contacts for jurisdiction
and the applicability of rules of law interdicting certain behavior.
>From this perspective, the attackers seek to disable states from
protecting their citizens online. The Essay next shows that innovations
in information technology will undermine the technological assault on
state jurisdiction. This counterintuitive effect is born out of the
fact that more sophisticated computing enlists the processing
capabilities and power of users? computers. This interactivity gives
the victim?s state a greater nexus with offending acts and provides a
direct relationship with the offender for purposes of personal
jurisdiction and choice of law. Some of these same innovations also
enable states to enforce their decisions electronically and
consequently bypass the problems of foreign recognition and enforcement
of judgments. Finally, the Essay argues that the exercise of state
power through assertions of jurisdiction can and should be used to
advance the development of more granular technologies and new service
markets for legal compliance. Technologies should be available to
enable Internet participants to respect the rule of law in states where
their Internet activities reach. Assertions of state jurisdiction and
electronic enforcement are likely to advance this public policy. 

http://www.pennumbra.com/issues/article.php?atid=57



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CENSORSHIP

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Web conduct code to be drawn up

Technology companies Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Vodafone are in talks
with human rights and press freedom groups to draw up an internet code
of conduct to protect free speech and privacy of Web users.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/964230

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8777/53/



Companies, Groups Address Global Civil Liberties Challenges (news release)

CDT has joined with a broad group of companies, investors, academics,
and human rights groups to address the free expression and privacy
challenges facing companies that do business internationally. That
process -- which aims to produce a set of principles guiding company
behavior when faced with laws, regulations and policies that interfere
with the achievement of human rights -- marks a new phase in efforts
that the groups began in 2006. The joint process represents the merging
of several concurrent efforts by companies, academics and public
interest advocates to address the issues. One of those efforts was a
series of consultations coordinated by CDT last year.

http://www.cdt.org/press/20070118press-humanrights.php



my: Newspaper sues Internet bloggers for defamation

The pro-government New Straits Times is suing two popular internet
bloggers for defamation, in the first case of its kind in Malaysia.

http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=61629



Egyptian blogger stands trial, accused of insulting Islam, inciting strife

An Egyptian blogger went on trial Thursday on charges of insulting
Islam and causing sectarian strife with his Internet writings. Egypt's
first prosecution of a blogger came as Washington has backed away from
pressuring its Mideast ally to improve its human rights record and
bring democratic reform.

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/16491266.htm



Iranian bloggers on web restrictions

Iranian bloggers have reacted with anger and scorn to a new law
requiring them to register their websites and blogsites with the
authorities. It is being seen as the latest attempt by the Iranian
government to control the media.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/syndication/6252737.stm



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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION

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MySpace is sued over child safety

MySpace is being sued by the families of five teenage girls who it is
claimed were sexually assaulted by men they met through the social
networking website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6277633.stm

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1994438,00.html

http://iht.com/articles/2007/01/18/business/techbrief.php

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/18/myspace_sued/



us: MySpace sued over sex predators

Four families have sued News Corp. and its MySpace social-networking
site after their underage daughters were sexually abused by adults they
met on the site, lawyers for the families said.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/01/19/1169095944765.html



us: School Safety: Technology Outpacing the Law

After threatening to assassinate his assistant principal on MySpace.com
last spring, a 15-year-old student at Bednarcik Junior High School in
Oswego, Ill., was charged with harassment through electronic
communication, a felony. His threats on the popular social networking
Web site drew action by the police, but under Illinois law, officials
may discipline students for misbehavior on school property or at
school-sponsored events, but they have little authority over what
students do off campus or online.

http://ecommercetimes.com/story/55261.html



za: SA children increasingly exposed to porn

South African children are increasingly logging on and getting access
to the Internet. Experts warn the more than four million pornographic
websites available online are not strictly viewed by the adult market.

http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,142239,00.html



uk: E-safety in teacher training 16 January 2007 (news release)

Childnet announced today the start of an important pilot programme to
help teachers in their initial teacher training become aware of the
e-safety issues relating to their pupils? use of the internet in both
the classroom and outside of the school.

http://www.childnet-int.org/news/articles/160107.html



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CYBERCRIME, CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY

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After Microsoft and Google, Belgian editors go after Yahoo

After taking action against Microsoft and Google, Belgium's
French-speaking newspapers are seeking redress from another Internet
search engine, Yahoo, their lawyer has said.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/01/18/1169095915054.html

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BELGIUM_YAHOO

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6151609.html



Belgian Newspapers to Challenge Yahoo Over Copyright Issues

A group of Belgian newspapers has asked Yahoo to remove links to their
archived stories from its Web search service, claiming they infringe
copyright laws, their lawyers confirmed Friday. The move follows a
legal challenge by the group against Google that has seen Belgian
newspaper content stripped from Google News pending a court ruling
expected early this year.

http://ecommercetimes.com/story/55249.html



us: Feds offer cybercrime tips to local cops

Police trying to learn how to use the Internet to investigate
everything from cyberstalking to spam and illegal hacking have some new
advice, thanks to the U.S. Department of Justice.

http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6150676.html



us: Pa. Court Withdraws Holding on Internet Viewing of Child Porn

The Superior Court of Pennsylvania has withdrawn its recent
first-impression holding that merely to look at child pornography on
the Internet -- without intentionally saving or downloading any images
viewed -- does not amount to "knowing possession" of child pornography
as proscribed under state law. The court also granted a prosecution
request for an en banc re-argument.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1168941736750



US court withdraws 'legal child porn' opinion

A US court has withdrawn its controversial recent opinion that viewing
child pornography is legal as long as it is not intentionally saved.
The judge had said there was ambiguity in the law over what constitutes
"knowing possession" of material.

http://out-law.com/page-7677



eu: Storm chaos prompts virus surge

Experts say they are surprised how quickly computer virus writers take advantage of the European storms

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6278079.stm



uk: Cyber-bullying affecting 17% of teachers, poll finds

Nearly one-fifth of teachers are being bullied by mobile phone, email
or over the internet, a new survey on cyber-bullying has revealed.

http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,1994403,00.html



au: Net nasties on the rise

International crime gangs are ready to tap our phone calls in the
latest scam to hit the internet. Online fraud is now a multi-billion
global criminal enterprise. Australian companies are spending billions
of dollars a year to combat it. A special investigation has revealed a
sophisticated array of new threats to internet users.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21095165-661,00.html



se: Bank loses US$1.1m to online fraud

Internet fraudsters have stolen around 8m kronor (US$1.1m) from account holders at Swedish bank Nordea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6279561.stm

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39285547,00.htm



Website offers whistleblowers chance to go global

The internet could become even more difficult for governments to
regulate with a new website, Wikileaks, promising to provide a safe
haven for whistleblowers to upload confidential documents.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/01/19/1169095977590.html



Beijing Olympic officials not amused by online pranks (Reuters)

Beijing Games organizers have threatened legal action against online
pranksters who poke fun at official Olympic symbols after a rash of
digital spoofs appeared on the Internet.

http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6151025.html



nl: Dutch prosecutors ask for jail terms for botnet gang

Dutch prosecutors are pursuing jail terms for two men charged in a
large-scale computer hacking scheme in which more than 1 million
computers may have been infected with adware and other malicious
programs.

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/DBE9FE733202F02DCC2572670071FDA9



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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY

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eu: CONFERENCE: Broadband Gap 2007

The Information Society offers enormous benefits to Europe's less
developed regions and rural and isolated areas, yet commercial
investment in broadband infrastructure for these areas is problematic.
Launched by four European Commissioners, this Conference and Exhibition
will investigate how the strategic use of ICT can support regional and
local development, ease infrastructure and geographical handicaps and
make these areas more attractive to business and individuals alike.

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/broadband_gap_2007/index_en.htm



eu: Is a communications collapse possible in Europe? (news release)

The European Commission is seeking feedback on how best to safeguard
our electronic networks against disruption from attack or natural
hazards. This follows today's public presentation of the findings of a
study which identifies a range of important issues for ensuring that
our future networks are sufficiently protected and resilient. As the
services and processes that they support become increasingly
interconnected and interdependent, the consequences of the failure of
or criminal attack on a single network or sub-system could potentially
be propagated more widely and faster than ever before. Protective
measures need to be put in place to ensure that critical services and
infrastructure are not vulnerable to such failures, and that there can
be no "domino effect" that might otherwise result in a major
technological collapse of communications and the many services they
support.

http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/59&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en



us: Cybercrime Treaty: Is It Effective Law Enforcement Or An Affront To U.S. Sovereignty?

The U.S. Senate recently approved an international treaty designed to
combat computer crime. The treaty has been touted by Senate leaders as
enhancing the U.S. ability to cooperate with foreign governments in
fighting terrorism, computer hacking, money laundering and child
pornography, among other crimes. However, a detailed review of the
treaty reveals that it is largely symbolic, because U.S. law already
includes much of what the treaty requires.

http://www.localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/biotech/story/1168048/



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INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE

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Pakistanis like Indian porn

Pakistanis are most inclined towards Indian porn, entertainment and
'masala' websites on the Internet, the rating website Alexa said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/World/Pakistan/Pakistanis_like_Indian_porn/articleshow/1319852.cms

http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=82594



Big Media?s Crush on Social Networking

With a wink and a flirt, big media companies have developed a full-bore teenage crush on social networking businesses.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/business/yourmoney/21frenzy.html



Meet Grace, she'll be running your home: Computers in Microsoft house of the future will suggest recipes and offer fashion tips

The door to the future is unexpectedly plain, a bare wood surface
indistinguishable from thousands of others in Microsoft's functional
headquarters. It gives no clue to the flights of fancy hidden inside.
Step through it and you are immersed in a world of virtual wallpaper,
intelligent fridges, talking recipe books, wardrobes that dispense
fashion advice and the entire human catalogue of art, film and
literature on demand.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1995392,00.html



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DIGITAL DIVIDE

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CONFERENCE: eLearning Africa

This event focuses on ICT for development, education and training in
Africa. It will establish a network of decision makers from governments
and administrations with universities, schools, governmental and
private training providers, industry, and important partners in
development cooperation. This year's edition focuses on "Building
Infrastructures and Capacities to Reach out to the Whole of Africa",
reflecting the significant efforts of African countries to set up their
national and regional ICT infrastructures to create access to
education, training and services for all. The conference will be
accompanied by an exhibition.

http://elearning-africa.com/



sg: Digital divide between homes in public and private estates narrows

The digital divide between income groups in Singapore has narrowed,
according to the 2006 household survey conducted by the Infocomm
Development Authority (IDA).

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/253322/1/.html



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FILE SHARING

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Lobby group tells ISPs to cut off customers

As illegal file-sharing eats into its battered revenues, the music
industry is taking its anti-piracy fight to the world's major internet
service providers. Big names such as BT, Tiscali and NTL will be in the
sights of global lobby group IFPI as it urges them to disconnect
customers who share music illegally or else face government rules.

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1993045,00.html

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/music-industry-declares-war-internet/story.aspx?guid={0D43D22C-F418-4947-95AE-82A44A2B55DB}



Google, Service Providers and the Future of P2P

In a non-operational NANOG discussion about Google bandwidth uses,
several statements were made. It all started from the following post by
Mark Boolootian: "Cringley has a theory and it involves Google, video,
and oversubscribed backbones..." The following comment has to be one of
the most important comments in the entire article and its a bit
disturbing.

http://www.circleid.com/posts/google_service_providers_and_the_future_of_p2p/



Indie labels sign MySpace deal

International independent music labels have grouped together in a deal
that enables them to start selling tunes on MySpace, the social
networking website owned by Rupert Murdoch?s News Corporation.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ca8c1e42-a980-11db-9185-0000779e2340.html



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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS

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Father of internet warns against Net Neutrality

Robert Kahn, the most senior figure in the development of the internet,
has delivered a strong warning against "Net Neutrality" legislation.
Speaking to an audience at the Computer History Museum in Mountain
View, California at an event held in his honour, Kahn warned against
legislation that inhibited experimentation and innovation where it was
needed.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/18/kahn_net_neutrality_warning/



Peaks, valleys and vistas: Microsoft

The launch of a new version of Microsoft Windows, called Vista, is not
quite the event it used to be. Has the software giant reached the
pinnacle of its power?

http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8550569



An end to that blue screen of death? Microsoft's latest upgrades should make PC users happier (AFP)

IT IS an old chestnut, but a telling one: if carmakers built vehicles
as Microsoft produces software, they would come in only one colour, the
dashboard would be incomprehensible and they would crash a lot.
Microsoft's latest products mean that its users should no longer double
as crash-test dummies.

http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8550580



in: Google and Microsoft plan data centres

The internet arms race between Google and Microsoft took a new twist as
the companies announced plans to spend more than $1bn between them on
new data centres to handle future rapid growth in online traffic.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/d4b5a41a-a818-11db-b448-0000779e2340.html



Digital archivists look to porn, Flash for tips

How can society preserve digital art on the Internet the way
brick-and-mortar museums can for Picassos and van Goghs? Oddly enough,
at least one preservationist believes the answer might be found in an
expression that most curators don't consider art--online pornography.

http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/communication/stories/168648.html



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TELECOMMUNICATIONS

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ITU: Voice Revenues in the Telecommunications

The ITU workshop The Future of Voice held on the 15th and 16th of
January 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland looked, inter alia, at the voice
traffic and revenue trends in the last fifteen years. On the global
level, local and national long-distance reported telephone minutes per
capita were growing in the 1990s and stably falling since the beginning
of the new decade. A notable exception of the general rule is the US
experiencing continuous growth in the number of local minutes: in 15
years, the number of local minutes per capita has grown four-fold. The
international outgoing traffic grew significantly over the last fifteen
years: in the Republic of Korea, in 2005 it was 15 times more intensive
than in 1990, in the US ? five times. Even though, since the beginning
of the new century, the international voice traffic tends to slowly
decrease.

http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/newslog/Voice+Revenues+In+The+Telecommunications+.aspx



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ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN

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Arrests and confiscations in Croatian child porn raids

Croatian police said on Friday that they arrested one man and raided
the homes of 23 others in a nation-wide operation against child
pornography carried out with help from Interpol and several European
countries.

http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2885&iArticleId=3639830
 

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(c) David Goldstein 2006
 
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