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general internet news - 1 March
Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for a more recent edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!
And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for regular updates.
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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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au: YouTube ban for Victorian schools
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/03/01/1172338754827.html
An Increasing Number of Bloggers end up in Prison
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1694
Fragrant future beckons for web
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6404067.stm
nz: Law to tackle unwanted spam passed
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/3976318a28.html
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CENSORSHIP
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An Increasing Number of Bloggers end up in Prison
For three years, Egyptian blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Suleiman allegedly used his blog as a platform to criticize religious and authoritarian practices in his country, as well as Egypt?s highest religious institutions including the Sunni University of Al-Azhar, where he attended law school. In November, law enforcement authorities arrested the 22-year-old student. Last week, an Alexandria (Egypt) judge sentenced him to four years in prison, three for disparaging Islam and one for defaming President Hosni Mubarak in his online journal.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1694
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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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au: YouTube ban for Victorian schools
Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Mary Bluett said a ban on video-sharing website YouTube in state schools is likely to have little effect.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/03/01/1172338754827.html
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,21306297-2,00.html
http://iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/01/technology/AS-TEC-Australia-YouTube-Ban.php
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AUSTRALIA_YOUTUBE
http://derstandard.at/?id=2788173 (German)
http://futurezone.orf.at/it/stories/175359/ (German)
au: Why not ban the Internet at schools?
The State Government of Victoria Australia has taken what I would consider to be a most stupid and ill-informed step by banning video sharing site YouTube from schools. The reason given - to prevent cyber bullying - is equally stupid and ill-informed.
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/10076/1023/
uk: Teens arrested over web bullying
Two teenagers have been arrested and reprimanded by police for "cyber bullying" on a young people's website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/6390477.stm
us: COPPA Protects Children But Challenges Lie Ahead (news release)
In a report to Congress, the Federal Trade Commission says the Children?s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Commission?s COPPA Rule, have been effective in protecting the privacy and security of young children online without unduly burdening Web site operators. The report does not recommend any changes to COPPA or to the Commission?s Rule, but does note that, because widespread age verification technology is not available, age falsification remains a risk on general audience Web sites not intended for children?s use. The report also identifies social networking sites and mobile Internet access as new and emerging issues in children?s online privacy.
http://ftc.gov/opa/2007/02/copparpt.htm
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CYBERCRIME, CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY
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us: Justices Decline Case on 200-Year Sentence for Man Who Possessed Child Pornography
An Arizona man who received a 200-year prison sentence for possessing 20 pornographic images of children failed Monday to persuade the Supreme Court to consider whether the sentence was unconstitutionally excessive.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/washington/27scotus.html
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/20070227-091105-5551r/
us: Cybercops drowning in data
Cyberinvestigators are nearly drowning in the massive amounts of digital data seized from criminal suspects, a government official said Wednesday.
http://news.com.com/2100-7348_3-6162882.html
My PC is being held to ransom
Is it legal to lock people out of their own computers? Michael Pollitt examines an online billing system that uses what could be considered strongarm tactics.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2023190,00.html
us: Search Engines Can Decline Ads (sub req'd)
Internet search engines can refuse to run advertisements by choice, a federal judge ruled recently in handing Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. a major legal victory.
http://users1.wsj.com/lmda/do/checkLogin?mg=wsj-users1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB117263683571521753.html
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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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us: A Pugnacious Porn Prosecutor
In 2005, Bush's Justice Department decided it would start taking pornography prosecutions seriously. After several far-right groups complained that the administration failed to take on porn aggressively in its first term, Alberto Gonzales announced that the DoJ would devote considerable resources to a war on smut, described at the time as "one of the top priorities" of Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-benen/a-pugnacious-porn-prosecu_b_42297.html
us: Senate GOP calls for child porn crackdown
State Senate Republicans passed new measures Tuesday they say will protect children from sexual predators and pornography.
http://www.wnyt.com/x12256.xml?sb=x183&ag=x995
U.S. presidential hopefuls flock to YouTube (Reuters)
Top White House candidates unveiled their own YouTube video channels on Thursday, pushing the 18-month-old Web video-sharing site even farther into the U.S. political mainstream.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2825410720070301
us: CDT Reiterates Call for Balanced Internet Neutrality Policy
In comments filed today with the Federal Trade Commission, CDT highlighted ways in which the FTC could play a constructive role in a broader policy framework for Internet neutrality that benefits consumers as well as innovators. CDT filed the comments in connection to the commission's Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy Workshop, which concluded earlier this month. The comments address the importance of preserving an Internet without gatekeepers, and offer several specific recommendations to the FTC going forward.
http://www.cdt.org/speech/net-neutrality/200702028ftcneutrality.pdf
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SPAM
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nz: Law to tackle unwanted spam passed
The Government's anti-spam bill was passed last night with a promise it would help stem the avalanche of unwanted e-mails clogging New Zealand in-boxes.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/3976318a28.html
InternetNZ welcomes long awaited anti-spam law (news release)
http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2007-02-28-spamlaw
cn: No Holiday for China's Spam Fighters
Local officials are trying to combat Internet fraud, but in a nation reliant on unprotected, pirated software, they still have a long way to go
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2007/gb20070221_774722.htm
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INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE
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Fragrant future beckons for web
Within a decade the net will be able to deliver smells as fast as it does data, predicts a report. The forecast came in a wide-ranging survey produced by the South Korean government to find out what consumers will want from future technologies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6404067.stm
Fragrant web provides a sniff of the future
A smelly internet and a robot that makes tea are among this week's ideas from the Far East
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article1452343.ece
Internet use by black people is growing
The number of black South Africans using the Internet has increased dramatically as schools and businesses connect.
http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2884&iArticleId=3708152
Active Home Internet Users by Country, January 2007
The active home Internet user population dropped in 10 countries by 2.4 million users in January.
http://clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3625119
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DIGITAL DIVIDE
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U.N. officials, Silicon Valley tech leaders discuss digital divide
Officials from the United Nations met Wednesday with Silicon Valley executives to discuss the ?digital divide? ? the growing gap between the world's wealthiest and most computer literate people and the impoverished masses without Internet access.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070228-1433-ca-brf-bay-digitaldivide.html
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FILE SHARING
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Record labels target students
The music industry is adopting new tactics in its battle with students who download and share music illegally
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1456567.ece
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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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Microsoft puts up roadblocks on Vista for Mac owners
After years of delays and billions in development and marketing efforts, it would seem that Microsoft would want anyone who possibly can to buy its new Windows Vista operating system.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/02/28/business/ptvista.php
Internet renegades go by the book
The renegade Internet entrepreneurs who started the file-sharing service Kazaa and the online phone service Skype have started a Web video venture that is doing everything by the book.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/02/27/business/joost.php
EU warns Microsoft of possible further fines (Reuters)
The European Commission warned Microsoft on Thursday it faced further fines in its antitrust case for seeking unreasonable prices from software makers for interoperability information.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKBRU00547920070301
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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WhyMax? A much-hyped wireless technology is about to be put to the test
FOR the 60,000 people attending at 3GSM, the wireless industry's annual trade show that took place in Barcelona last week, WiMax was everywhere: on huge banners, on the lips of executives and on products in display cases. Everywhere, that is, except in the real world. The vaunted new wireless technology promises to combine the speed of broadband internet access with the ubiquity of mobile phones. Even as mobile operators start to upgrade their networks to the latest enhanced third-generation (3G) equipment, WiMax boosters say their technology is superior. Now that WiMax networks are starting to pop up around the world, the industry will soon find out if they are right.
http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8748628
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VoIP
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Wireless VoIP Threatens Telco Business
The combination of wireless and Internet calling will force traditional mobile-phone companies to adapt as sales of dual-mode handsets rise, a report says. Traditional phone operators will be forced to change their approach as wireless VoIP technology surges over the next few years, say analysts.
http://businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2007/gb20070228_763163.htm
VoIP operators turn up the heat on African telcos
Over the last year, the cost of phoning from Africa to international destinations in Europe and North America has fallen dramatically under pressure from cheaper prices available in the grey market using Voice over IP (VoIP), according to a new report published by Balancing Act this month.
http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2884&iArticleId=3706249
Regulation of VOIP Services in the United Kingdom
The proliferation of VoIP services has impacted the UK communication market over the last five years. VoIP services deliver significant consumer benefit through reducing the cost of delivering existing telecommunications services. Since the development of VoIP services is still in its infancy, the future development of these services and technology is, at present, unclear.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1695
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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.
See http://lists.technewsreview.com.au/mailman/listinfo/technewsreview for an archive of recent newsletters and to subscribe to the domain name and general internet news. Also see 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 2007
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David Goldstein
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
COOGEE NSW 2034
AUSTRALIA
email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au
phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)
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