[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
general internet news - 5 April
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 in between postings.
**********************************************************
Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/
**********************************************************
Thailand blocks access to YouTube
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6528303.stm
uk: Plan to tighten child abuse law
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6518103.stm
uk: Cyber bullying threat to teachers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6522501.stm
Don't use WEP, say German security researchers
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/A3B06D499807B743CC2572B300823425
Web-Browsing Habits Enforce Gender Stereotypes
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130404-c,techindustrytrends/article.html
Internet advertising to overtake radio next year
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/broadband/article1605109.ece
Launch of Information Society Watch
http://is-watch.net/
nz: Comment sought on three way split of Telecom (AAP)
http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Comment_sought_on_three_way_split_of_Telecom/0,130061791,339274714,00.htm
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/1049626
nz: Peering pressure on big players
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10432686
***********
CENSORSHIP
***********
Thailand blocks access to YouTube
Thailand's government bans access to the YouTube website over material critical of the country's king.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6528303.stm
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6173130.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/05/1175366357507.html
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-04-04-thailand-youtube_N.htm
th: Getting a clearer picture of YouTube block
It seems interesting to note than when something as blatant as censoring YouTube occurred, nobody seems to be responsible for it, or for finding out who did it. The Ministry of ICT (MICT) said it was not their fault while the TOT and CAT also denied responsibility.
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=67019
th: Online bid to oust Prem 'not insulting to King'
Thai police have decided there was no cause to accuse activists who launched an online campaign against Privy Council chief Prem Tinsulanonda of breaking the law against insulting the monarchy.
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southeastasia.asp?parentid=67001
th: ICT ministry to shut down controversial websites
The Information and Communications Technology Ministry has ordered staff to shut down any websites deemed to be violating the orders issued by the leaders of the Sept 19 coup. ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said the ministry had the authority to block any websites considered to have committed lese majeste or seen as a threat to national security.
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southeastasia.asp?parentid=67016
kr: Korean ministry blocking porn sites
While I've previously posted stories on this topic, this article in Stars and Striples, the US Army newspaper, there are some quotes from US servicemen based in Korea on how the blocking of porn will efffect them!
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=44868
************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
************************************************
uk: Plan to tighten child abuse law
Ministers are planning to tighten the law to make it an offence to possess computer-generated or cartoon images depicting child sex abuse. It is currently an offence to possess indecent photographs and pseudo-photographs of children.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6518103.stm
http://out-law.com/page-7934
uk: Cyber bullying threat to teachers
Teachers are calling for much tougher restrictions to protect staff from "cyber bullying" by pupils. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers has warned of the distress caused to teachers by anonymous, malicious comments on websites.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6522501.stm
uk: Teachers fear growing 'cyberbullying' by pupils
Growing numbers of teachers are becoming the victims of cyberbullying by their pupils, a conference heard yesterday. Youngsters are photographing their teachers in the classroom and then placing obscene images of them on websites - or posting derogatory comments about their teaching ability.
http://education.independent.co.uk/news/article2418438.ece
uk: Teachers urge web firms to act against cyber-bullying
Teachers are trying to shame website providers and mobile phone companies into stopping pupils posting malicious and demeaning video clips and insults against school staff online.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Education/schools/story/0,,2049632,00.html
us: Cases of abuse over the internet end up before the US courts
Cyber-bullying has emerged as a significant problem in the US, prompting many states to consider introducing laws to protect students and teachers. The move towards legislation comes against a dramatic rise in the bullying of teachers over the internet or by text message which is seeing schools increasingly end up in court.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/8709e51c-e249-11db-af9e-000b5df10621.html
us: The Ad Council partners with the U.S. Department of Justice and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to help prevent online sexual exploitation (news release)
The Ad Council together with The U.S. Department of Justice and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) today announced a new phase of their Online Sexual Exploitation public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to educate teenage girls about the potential dangers of posting and sharing personal information online.
http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=3111
http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/104610
uk: Police probe ‘web torture’ at top school
One of Britain’s top independent schools is under police investigation over allegations of pupil bullying involving the use of internet images of torture, murder and child pornography. Officers are examining computers taken from the school, in southeast England, for any evidence of such extreme websites being viewed.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article1596698.ece
us: Florida targets online predators
Florida lawmakers have introduced the Cybercrimes Against Children Act of 2007. Senate and House committees unanimously approved the bill. The act strengthens penalties for distributing child pornography and for those who lie about their age to seduce children over the Web. It would create a separate penalty for pedophiles who first contact children online, then sexually abuse them--so called "travelers." Offenders would face up to 15 years in prison, three times what the current law allows.
http://itnews.com.au/newsstory.aspx?CIaNID=49058
***************************************
CYBERCRIME, CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY
***************************************
eu: Monitoring of employee breached human rights, says European court
The monitoring by a Welsh college of an employee's email, phone and internet use was a breach of her human rights, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. The UK Government must pay £3,000 damages and legal costs in the case.
http://out-law.com/page-7936
it: Web Content, Personal Data Handling, Free Speech, Providers’ Liability In The Internet Environment (reg req'd)
In recent years Internet Provider’s liability has more and more shifted to the centre of an intense debate involving exponents of conflicting interests.: Pressure Groups are active lobbying for industry’s or businesses’ (economic) interests or advocating in favour of widely recognized principles (freedom of speech, no barriers to information, pluralism, cultural exchange, etc.).
http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=47392
us: Persecutors may not Need to Provide Expert Opinion Testimony in Child Pornography Prevention Act Cases to Meet their Burden of Proof.
A recent 2007 decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (US v. Rodriguez-Pacheco) held that the prosecution needs not to provide expert opinion testimony to prove that a particular pornographic image depicted a real child- instead of a virtual image- to meet its burden of proof of preponderance of evidence at sentencing. This holding is interesting (and somehow tactful) complement to the United States Supreme Court decision on Free Speech Coalition case (535 US 234), where the Supreme Court granted First amendment protection to virtual –no real- child pornography images.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1724
E-Commerce Update February 2007 — International developments
The third Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy (congress), held in Geneva on 30 to 31 January 2007, has called for more resources to fight counterfeiting and piracy. According to Dr Kamil Idris, Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), counterfeiting and piracy ‘is a global phenomenon which requires global action’. Fellow convenors of the congress, namely the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the World Customs Organization, agreed that implementing effective intellectual property systems will require the joint efforts of governments, businesses and intellectual property organisations.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1725
au: Gang rape filmed on mobile phone
A teenager was brutally raped by a gang of boys who filmed the scene on their mobile phones, then sent the footage to school friends, police said yesterday. Five boys have been charged with aggravated sexual assault of the 17-year-old girl, and distributing a video of the attack.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/04/1175366325678.html
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21503940-2,00.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/04/1175366303906.html
Don't use WEP, say German security researchers
German researchers have published details of a way to break WEP security on wi-fi networks in under 60 seconds
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/A3B06D499807B743CC2572B300823425
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130385-c,networksecurity/article.html
**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
EU gets connected with €22.5m BT deal
The European Commission has signed BT to supply internet access with a budget of up to €22.5m over up to eight years. BT will be responsible for supplying, implementing and managing a range of internet access services - at least 17 sites for the EC - collectively called the Internet Access and Associated Service.
http://networks.silicon.com/broadband/0,39024661,39166650,00.htm
http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=23407
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39286606,00.htm
Deutsche Telekom ordered to grant rivals access to its network cables
The German telecommunications regulator has decided to order Deutsche Telekom to grant rivals access to its network cables, according to a decision set to be published Wednesday.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/04/03/technology/deutsche.php
http://infoworld.com/article/07/04/04/HNgermantelecom_1.html
Can the internet be truly neutral?
Net Neutrality is dividing opinion. For some it is a cause worth fighting for, but others claim it's a red herring that's impeding progress. Andrew Orlowski investigates
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2049763,00.html
*****************************
INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE
*****************************
Web-Browsing Habits Enforce Gender Stereotypes
When it comes to Internet use, men tend to devote more time each week to playing games and researching techie gadgets, while women log on to chat with friends, shop and plan vacations. Forrester Research's most recent study of how Europeans use technology surveyed 22,662 consumers in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden to learn more about what drives men and women to the Internet. The survey found that while women have been catching up with men in their Internet use -- 54 percent of European women use the Internet compared with 62 percent of men -- the activities they partake in vary widely from those of their male counterparts.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130404-c,techindustrytrends/article.html
Internet advertising to overtake radio next year
Global spending on internet advertising increased from $18.7 billion in 2005 to $24.9 billion last year, as world takes UK's lead
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/broadband/article1605109.ece
uk: Broadband kills off consumer ISDN
BT is to withdraw ISDN services from consumer use later this year. ISDN proved very popular with people working from home who needed access to data connections faster than available dial-up modem speeds. ... But there is one group for whom ISDN has not lost its lustre - broadcasters. Although slow by broadband speeds, ISDN is proving usefulFor them it has proved to be a boon when filing reports away from base. Unfortunately the technology is being discontinued all over the world leaving many broadcasters with a problem of what to replace it with.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6519681.stm
uk: More than half of adults have broadband
More than half of all adults in the UK now have broadband at home, according to a new report by the telecoms regulator, after growing competition helped to push down prices by as much as 75% over the last few years.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2048889,00.html
France caters to market for the most simple of computers
The Minitel, a French government-sponsored minicomputer that was wired into 14 million French homes at its peak in the mid-1990s, had a limited service offering, a black-and-white screen and slow connection speeds that doomed it to near-extinction in the face of the Internet. Now, a French Internet service provider, Neuf Cegetel, has taken inspiration from the Minitel to develop a computer based on a similar low-cost model, aimed at people who are unable or unwilling to buy a computer. In a gesture to high-technology enthusiasts, however, the system uses the open-source software beloved by many engineers and programmers.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/04/02/technology/neuf.php
How Webkinz is getting children hooked on the Web
If you have or know a child around 6 to 8 years old, then you have probably heard of Webkinz, and chances are you too may have been bitten by the bug. Webkinz are small plush toys that virtually live in the online Webkinz World created by a tightlipped toy company called Ganz. Vaughan, Ontario-based Ganz declined to answer any of our technical questions about the security of its Web site or the network infrastructure used to support it. The company did say it has sold more than 1 million Webkinz.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9015401
You Call It the Net. TiVo Calls It a Trove. Mining the Net in TiVo-Land to Stay Ahead
TiVo has been quietly adding features that take the machine well beyond its original function as a video recorder.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/technology/05pogue.html
***************
DIGITAL DIVIDE
***************
Launch of Information Society Watch
IT for Change has launched a beta version of ‘Information Society Watch’, a resource portal providing a Southern perspective on information society (IS) issues. IS Watch attempts to address the imperative of catalysing new perspectives, frameworks and concepts rooted in the development experience of the global South. It is a response to the need for building a Southern discourse on the information society phenomenon, which so far has mostly been interpreted by Northern actors. IS Watch is directed at scholars, activists, NGOs and government officials. It offers resources and analytical tools for unpacking the structural and political dimensions of the information society, to enable social change actors to reinterpret their work in relation to the new realities. Organised along a simple scheme that serves those who may be looking for practical and theoretical aspects on the information society, IS Watch has three key focus areas: Information Society Policies, ICT for
Development and Society & Culture.
http://is-watch.net/
us: Tribes' digital divide addressed in memorial
Swaths of Indian land in Arizona are cut off from cell phone service and the Internet, which creates problems in emergencies and attempts to communicate in an information economy, a state lawmaker says.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/business/46813.php
************
FILE SHARING
************
EMI takes locks off music tracks
Music giant EMI is taking software locks off its digital music sold via download sites such as iTunes. The "premium" versions of EMI tracks will lack the digital locks common to songs available via many online sites.
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6516189.stm
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/news/article2414761.ece
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Business/story/0,,2048730,00.html
http://iht.com/articles/2007/04/03/business/music.php
eu: Apple may face £330m fine
Apple faces a fine of more than £300 million after the European Commission issued a formal objection to the higher prices it charges to download music from iTunes in Britain compared with the Continent.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article1605136.ece
*********************************
COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
*********************************
Brilliantly boring
A website that shows a large piece of cheese as it (very slowly) matures is getting thousands of hits a day. What is it about dull- as-ditchwater webcam footage that can be so strangely gripping? Oliver Burkeman dissects the cult of banality on the net while Alexandra Topping picks some of the classics of the genre
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2048813,00.html
us: Topix taps web readers to bolster news (Reuters)
Web news search site Topix, owned by three top US newspaper publishers on Monday will begin recruiting users to report local news that traditional outlets do not sufficiently cover in a bid for more readers. Registered readers will be able to submit news to the site from their computers and mobile phones. The service is the latest attempt to engage "citizen journalists" and expand on local news offered by city and small town newspapers.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/02/1175366134835.html
Google and Microsoft 'in race for DoubleClick'
Google has been flagged as a rival to Microsoft in a $2 billion race to buy DoubleClick, the largest broker of display advertising on the internet.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article1602272.ece
Research points the finger at PowerPoint
If you have ever wondered why your eyes start glazing over as you read those dot points on the screen, as the same words are being spoken, take heart in knowing there is a scientific explanation. It is more difficult to process information if it is coming at you in the written and spoken form at the same time. The Australian researchers who made the findings may have pronounced the death of the PowerPoint presentation.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/03/1175366240499.html
Google goes offline for advertising revenues
Following its conquest of YouTube last year, Google is now aiming for a piece of the old-fashioned tube. The Internet search giant was set to announce Tuesday that it will begin selling television ads on the 125 national satellite channels distributed in the United States by EchoStar Communications' DISH Network.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/04/03/business/google.php
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2049166,00.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/03/1175366241026.html
Apple condemned for consigning toxic computers to China
Apple has been rated worst among major electronics firms for its environmental policies by the pressure group Greenpeace. In a new survey of 14 major companies, Apple was put bottom of the list for its policies on the elimination of toxic substances and recycling.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2418417.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6525307.stm
Chinese company tops Greenpeace "Green Ranking" of electronics industry (news release)
The latest Greenpeace ranking of electronic manufacturers' recycling and toxic content policies has a couple of surprises: Lenovo leaps to the number one spot, and Apple stays in last place.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/chinese-company-tops-greenpeac
*******************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
*******************
nz: Comment sought on three way split of Telecom (AAP)
The New Zealand Government is seeking public comment on a three-way split of Telecom. Communications Minister David Cunliffe today released a consultation document on the separation of Telecom.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Comment_sought_on_three_way_split_of_Telecom/0,130061791,339274714,00.htm
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/1049626
nz: Peering pressure on big players
It isn't just our groaning, overburdened infrastructure and stifled competitive environment that have been throttling New Zealanders' internet experience. Another aspect contributing to our failure to get the most out of the internet relates to a concept called peering and a three-year standoff involving the two largest providers of internet services.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10432686
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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/>.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(c) David Goldstein 2007
---------
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)
"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery
Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com
