Don't forget to check out my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.**********************************************************
Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/**********************************************************
zw: Mugabe Snooping Law Exposes Increased Repression
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708061683.htmlzw: All communications can now be intercepted under new law signed by
Mugabe [Reporters sans frontières news release]
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=17623US Senate Asks FTC to Oversee Internet Safety
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2167596,00.aspnz: Tell Internet Bankers Where To Go!
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/08/tell_internet_bankers_where_to.htmlPrivacy review supports data disclosure laws in Australia
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1565774494;fp;2;fpid;1Viruses, Spyware, Phishing Cost U.S. Consumers $7 Billion
Over Two Years
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201203030Study: Search engine privacy policies improving
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/08/Study-says-search-engine-privacy-policies-improving_1.htmlGoogle Maps redraw the realm of privacy
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-google7aug07,1,5407348.storyus: Bush signs controversial surveillance bill
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2142619,00.htmlACLU Seeks
Court's Spying Rulings [Reuters]
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201307097au: Web savvy Kevvy puts Johnny on the spot
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/07/1186252695997.htmlnz: Tell Internet Bankers Where To Go!
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/08/tell_internet_bankers_where_to.htmlCost-conscious consumers transform European mobile phone market
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/06/technology/web-discount.phpConflict
over digital content moves to cellphones
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/06/technology/web-wireless.phpnz: Minister says Kiwi broadband not 'third world' service
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10456311Researchers: Take anti-spam fight to the Web
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/07/UC-researchers-take-anti-spam-fight-to-Web_1.htmlHuge Spam Spike in Progress
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135679/article.htmlMore Parties Join
Google Copyright Lawsuit
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2167597,00.aspCool electronic gear may be emitting too much heat
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-heat4aug04,1,515041.storyIt's not easy being green; Minimising heat and power waste
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/08/green_it_hurdles/Technology companies try to go green by cutting the energy used by data centers [AP]
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/08/business/greentech.phpFormer Miss Austrlia to sex up IT industry
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4157506a28.html**********************
RESEARCH PAPERS
**********************
Why It Will Be Hard to Close the Broadband Divide [Pew Internet & American Life Project]
When you look at the data on Americans without broadband at home, it suggests that it will take time to get these holdouts off the digital sidelines.
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/220/report_display.aspCDT report Identifies Beginnings of Competitive Marketplace for Search Privacy [news release]
In a trend that could substantially benefit Internet users, the largest Internet search companies are beginning to aggressively compete with one another to offer stronger privacy protections, according to a report published today by the Center for Democracy and
Technology (CDT).
http://cdt.org/press/20070808press.phpCDT report Tracks and Compares Competition for Search Privacy
A report published today by CDT tracks the efforts of the leading Internet search companies as they begin to aggressively compete with one another to offer stronger privacy protections. In a string of recent announcements, the companies announced steps they were taking to delete old user data, strip the personally identifiable information out of stored search records, and, in one case, give users the option to have all of their search records deleted. CDT's Search Privacy Practices report details and compares the revamped privacy policies of the five largest search providers and offers recommendations for both the industry and lawmakers for how to strengthen privacy protections further.
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/20070808searchprivacy.pdfGlobal Information Society 2007 - The digital divide: a review of ICTs in Africa, Asia and Latin America
The Global Information Society Watch 2007 report - the first in a series of annual reports- looks at state of the field of information and communication technology (ICT) policy at local and global levels and particularly how policy impacts on the lives of people living in developing countries. ... The report concludes that when it comes to ICTs for development, there are some conspicuous similarities between the countries. Excluding Spain, the other twenty-one countries each show obvious evidence of the ?digital divide? which impacts on the majority of people negatively. According to Brazilian authors RITS, the absence of a people-orientated policy framework in Brazil runs the risk of condemning the vast majority
of people to ?eternal disconnection.? The report also includes provocative, analytical essays on five international institutions (including ICANN and the World Intellectual Property Organisation) questioning the extent to which they allow all stake-holders to participate in their processes.
http://www.eldis.org/go/display&type=Document&id=32835**********************
CENSORSHIP
**********************
zw: Mugabe Snooping Law Exposes Increased Repression
Last week Friday Robert Mugabe signed into law the Interception of Communications Bill, which in principle allows his government to spy on the private communications of ordinary citizens. As Zimbabweans debate the implications of the new law, it has emerged that many Internet Service Providers face possible collapse because of the huge financial costs of buying and
installing monitoring equipment on their platforms. Under the law ISP's have to meet the costs themselves.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708061683.htmlzw: All communications can now be intercepted under new law signed by Mugabe [Reporters sans frontières news release]
Reporters Without Borders regrets that the Interception of Communications Act was finally signed into law by President Robert Mugabe on 3 August. It enables the government to intercept phone calls, emails and faxes with the declared aim of protecting national security.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=17623http://allafrica.com/stories/200708061381.htmlWikipedia says it's
politically neutral, but it's blocked in China
Politics is an irritant to Wikipedians, an annoying human tic that stops people from agreeing on facts and spreading reliable information.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/06/business/wiki.phpYahoo faces scrutiny in China case
A US congressional committee is investigating whether Yahoo intentionally misled Congress over its role in exposing the identity of a Chinese journalist who was sent to prison for a decade
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/cfa21b40-4519-11dc-82f5-0000779fd2ac.htmlAustralian classification changes go too far [news release]
"The proposed amendment to classification laws, currently before the Senate, aimed at restricting the publication of material that 'advocates'
terrorism, are unnecessary, dangerous and inimical to essential freedom of communication. It is a further egregious example of the government's consistent tendency to legislate limits on the public's access to information," says Professor Ken McKinnon, the Chairman of the Australian Press Council.
http://presscouncil.org.au/pcsite/activities/guides/gpr280.htmlau: ABC Radio National MEDIA REPORT with Antony Funnell ? Censorship [Thursday 9 August]
New tighter classification rules for publications, films and computer games are before Parliament. We?ll hear why the Australian Press Council says the new laws are dangerous.
http://abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/us: Content Makers Are Accused of Exaggerating Copyright
An association of computer and
communication companies, including Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, on Wednesday accused several professional sports leagues, book publishers and other media companies of misleading and threatening consumers with overstated copyright warnings. In a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, the group, the Computer and Communications Industry Association, said that the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NBC and Universal Studios, DreamWorks, Harcourt and Penguin Group display copyright warnings that are a ?systematic misrepresentation of consumers? rights to use legally acquired content.?
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/02/business/media/02copyright.htmlDirectory firm wants ex-workers' Facebook page shut down
The freedom of internet bloggers to take revenge on previous employers is facing a challenge after an investigation
into a Facebook page which encourages ex-call centre operators to let off steam.
Facebook, which has mushroomed to 30 million users worldwide, is being asked to close down the Survivors of 118 118 page because of its high level of abuse.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/07/1Innovative Approach to Censorship
Imagine this scenario. Two reputable American scholars write a book about how certain ostensibly charitable organizations are financial pass-throughs for radical terrorist groups. The book, which is amply documented, is published by a major academic press in Great Britain. Soon after the book appears, a wealthy Saudi sheik sues the publisher (not the authors) for libel. The publisher, evidently fearful of the cost and burden of litigation, promptly announces that it is withdrawing the book from circulation. It requests that all
copies of the book be returned by booksellers and libraries so that the book may be pulped, destroyed, never read by anyone. The publisher issues a statement of apology, acknowledging serious (but undefined) errors in the book, and makes a financial award to the sheik, who pledges to give the money to UNICEF (the sheik is a multi-billionaire).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-ravitch/innovative-approach-to-ce_b_59472.html************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
************************************************
US Senate Asks FTC to Oversee Internet Safety
Members of Congress last week turned their attention to online child predators with the introduction of a bill intended to strengthen public awareness about Internet safety. The measure,
introduced by the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, calls on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to oversee a government-directed public awareness campaign, directs the Commerce Department to establish an online safety and technology working group, requires schools that receive e-rate funding to include tutorials on the detriments of "cyberbullying" and strengthens child pornography enforcement.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2167596,00.asptw: I-Link helps parents with online safety
Parents may save their children from predatory strangers they meet on the Internet by learning to pay more attention, a non-governmental organization said during a press conference yesterday. I-Link Community Service Association held a news conference in Taipei by to release a short film and survey results on children's Internet
safety.
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-eastasia.asp?parentid=75396When cyberbullying hits teens by Eric J. Sinrod
I recently wrote about a report that indicates teenagers generally are taking some privacy steps to protect themselves from online risks. That report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project was somewhat of a relief to read. However, another recent Pew report examines a different threat faced by teens: cyberbullying. About one-third of teenagers on the Internet report that they have been targets of "menacing" online activities, such as receiving threatening messages, having their private e-mails or instant and text messages forwarded without consent, having an embarrassing photo posted without permission, or having rumors spread about them online. On top of this, girls are more likely than boys to be
targets.
http://news.com.com/2010-1030_3-6201365.htmlhttp://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6201365.html**************************
CYBERCRIME & CYBERSECURITY
**************************
us: Judge Slaps Publicity-Seeking Pedophile With Restraining Order
Jack McClellan, the self-professed pedophile who has attracted international attention for his Web site with pictures of kids and tips for other pedophiles, is now barred from coming any closer than 30 feet of any minor in California. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Melvin Sandvig on Friday placed a temporary restraining order against McClellan, who admits he is attracted to young girls but has never been arrested for any related crime. An Aug. 24 hearing is scheduled to examine the matter
further.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58695.htmlCalifornian Can Be Sued in N.J. for Alleged Libel on Internet [New Jersey Law Journal]
New Jersey's long-arm jurisdiction over Internet disputes just got a little longer. A state appeals court ruled Thursday that a California resident accused of making libelous statements in a Web-based forum can be sued in New Jersey because the material was "targeted" toward a New Jersey audience.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1186132001827Court Says Hasta la Vista to Schwarzenegger's Violent Video Game Law
A California state law prohibiting the sale of violent video games to minors was declared unconstitutional Monday by a U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte on the grounds that it violates the First
Amendment. The law, which was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005 but had not yet been implemented because of a suit brought by video game makers, would have made it illegal for retailers to sell or rent violent video games to minors. It also would have required makers of the games to label particularly violent ones with the number "18."
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58718.htmlhttp://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6201092.htmlViruses, Spyware, Phishing Cost U.S. Consumers $7 Billion Over Two Years
U.S. consumers lost $7 billion over the last two years to viruses, spyware, and phishing schemes, according to Consumer Report's latest State of the Net survey. The survey, based on a national sample of 2,000 U.S. households with Internet access, suggests that
consumers face a 25% chance of being victimized online, which represents a slight decline from last year.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201203030Hackers: Social networks vulnerable [AP]
Social networking websites such as MySpace.com are increasingly juicy targets for computer hackers, who are demonstrating a pair of vulnerabilities they claim expose sensitive personal information and could be exploited by online criminals.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/hacking/2007-08-06-hacking-social-networks_N.htmUndercover hack rumbled by hackers
An NBC reporter dicovered what it was like to be pursued by the 'geek paparazzi' after she
tried unsuccessfully to go undercover at a hackers conference. Michelle Madigan, a reporter with Dateline, was apparently hoping to get one of the delegates at DefCon to confess to having committed a crime while being filmed on a hidden camera. But her cover was blown when she unwittingly confided her plans to a DefCon insider, resulting in scores of hackers and other reporters pursuing her through the conference car park armed with video cameras.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2209397.ecehttp://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/08/06/security-hacking-challenge-tech-cx_ag_0806toughhack.htmlHow an undercover NBC reporter was outed by hackers
The
BlackHat and DEFCON hacker gatherings that occur every year in Las Vegas would seem ripe for televised national pillorying. The security experts who attend, after all, discuss such seemingly unmentionable subjects as how easily you can pick the locks in the White House; why al-Qaida videos aren't real; and how to easily break into Gmail. Hackers point out the vulnerabilities in an effort to increase security -- but TV reporters can be a little dull to such nuance.
http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/08/06/dateline_defcon/index.htmlau/nl:Africa: Six arrested over internet scam
Six men have been arrested in the Netherlands over an alleged internet scam that cost an Australian $US1.5 million ($1.76 million), police said Wednesday. The six, taken into custody last week, are believed to be part of a west African network, police said
in a statement. Five of them are from West Africa, including two Nigerians, it added.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/09/1186530476914.html419-lite scammers target pet lovers
Email con-men are targeting animal lovers in new variants of advance fee fraud scams. Bogus offer that began circulating earlier this week typically pose as hunts for a new home for a puppy called Timi. The purported owners don't want any money themselves, or so they claim, but there's the small matter of export costs, inoculations and other "incidental expenses". Inevitably, the value of such expenses escalate with little sign of the doggy concerned as the scam reveals its true colours.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/08/shaggy_dog_scam/us:
Court finds vote-swapping over the Internet is legal
A federal appeals court in California has ruled that vote-swapping Web sites are legal and are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/08/vote-swapping-legal_1.htmlPolice arrest French teen over Potter translation
Sixteen-year-old suspected of posting his own translation on Net, months before release of official French-language version.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6201432.htmlau: Nine loses electronic program guide case
The Nine Network has lost its bid to retain control over how and when people consume its television shows in a landmark court judgment today. In a David and Goliath battle played out before
the Federal Court, Nine alleged Sydney-based IceTV's electronic program guide (EPG) - an online TV guide subscribers can use to schedule television recordings from their computer, personal video recorder or mobile phone - breached its copyright.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/09/1186530493565.html**************************
PRIVACY
**************************
Privacy review supports data disclosure laws in Australia
The Federal Government is set to introduce data disclosure laws in Australia as early as 2008. The push for data disclosure laws in Australia is part of a review of the Privacy Act being undertaken by the Australian Law Reform Commission which began early this year. A discussion paper, recommending the introduction of these laws which would force organizations to notify customers of security breaches, will be
released next month with the final report to be delivered to the Federal Attorney General, Philip Ruddock, in March 2008.
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1565774494;fp;2;fpid;1Study: Search engine privacy policies improving
The Center for Democracy and Technology praised many search-engine providers for recent changes to their privacy policies with some policies setting limits on data retention. But the CDT remains concerned that in many cases, search-engine users have little control over their data and that most major search engines retain query data indefinitely, officials of the group said Wednesday.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/08/Study-says-search-engine-privacy-policies-improving_1.htmlGoogle Maps redraw the realm of privacy
As street-level photos are added to the site, fears of intrusion arise.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-google7aug07,1,5407348.storyIs Google Map Street View an Invasion of Privacy?
Few months ago, you could see the photograph of a woman on her underwear just by clicking on Google Map Street View. The woman's picture was taken in real time when she was in her car with the door open. After numerous complaints, Google removed the image from its Google Map Street View feature. Google Map Street View is one of Google"s most recent creative features. It allows
users to obtain a virtual and 'real time? view of some of the United States streets. Besides being able to see street-level photographs, Google?s street view allows users to talk virtual walks, find restaurants, shops, or any point of interest (maybe your foe?s house), and explore other city point of interests like landmarks, cityscapes, etc. This is great; but scary.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1823Israeli Labor Tribunal Sets forth the Scope of Employee's Privacy in Email
An employee's right to privacy in his email correspondence in the workplace is not absolute. The Israeli Regional Labor Tribunal sets forth criteria for answering the question: When may an employer read his employees' email. Before email overtook our lives and became the communications method of
choice even when the sender and the recipient are in adjacent room, matters of certain sensitivity were left to be discussed in person and not over the telephone. A judgment handed by the Israeli Regional Labor Tribunal of Tel-Aviv Jaffa, by the Hon. Judge Sigal Davidov-Motolla, clarifies that these days, such sensitive information should be left out of the email as well - especially when is it email used in the workplace
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1824us: FTC to Examine Targeted Advertising
Following a series of complaints by privacy groups, the Federal Trade Commission will host a town hall meeting on targeted advertising.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135581-c,adsvisitortracking/article.html**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
us: Bush signs controversial surveillance bill
US intelligence agencies will no longer need a warrant to eavesdrop on US citizens' international phone calls and emails after George Bush signed a temporary surveillance bill yesterday. The measure gives the National Security Agency - which is responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications - and other agencies broader authority to monitor phone conversations, emails and other private communications that are part of a foreign intelligence investigation.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2142619,00.htmlBush
Signs Law to Widen Legal Reach for Wiretapping
President Bush signed into law on Sunday legislation that broadly expanded the government?s authority to eavesdrop on the international telephone calls and e-mail messages of American citizens without warrants.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/06/washington/06nsa.htmlhttp://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6200914.htmlhttp://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6200898.htmlACLU Seeks Court's Spying Rulings [Reuters]
The American Civil Liberties Union said it is asking a federal court to disclose its recent legal opinions on the Bush administration's authority to engage in secret wiretapping of Americans. ... The ACLU said such an unusual
disclosure was needed because of legislation adopted by Congress over the weekend to temporarily expand the government's power to conduct electronic surveillance without a court order in tracking foreign enemy suspects.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201307097White House Challenges Critics on Spying
The White House maintained Monday that the surveillance measure signed into law by President Bush over the weekend did not give the government any sweeping new powers to eavesdrop on Americans without court warrants.
...
The new measure, signed into law by the president on Sunday, allows intelligence officials to eavesdrop without a warrant on international phone calls or e-mail messages to or from an American inside the United States, but only if they conclude that the ?target? is outside this
country. The legislation gives broad discretion to the attorney general and the director of national intelligence, rather than a judge, in deciding how those complicated surveillance decisions are made.
Critics of the measure, which expires in six months, maintain that whether or not an American on United States soil is considered the ?target? of an eavesdropping operation, the effect is the same: an end run around constitutional rights. But administration officials heatedly disputed that interpretation.
...
They said the legislation did not authorize ?a driftnet? aimed at eavesdropping on large volumes of phone calls and e-mail messages inside the United States. But they declined to discuss in detail the N.S.A.?s broader efforts tracing and analyzing the patterns of American communications ? who is calling and e-mailing whom ? without actually listening to or reading the content of the conversations.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/07/washington/07nsa.htmlEditorial: The Fear of Fear Itself
It was appalling to watch over the last few days as Congress ? now led by Democrats ? caved in to yet another unnecessary and dangerous expansion of President Bush?s powers, this time to spy on Americans in violation of basic constitutional rights. Many of the 16 Democrats in the Senate and 41 in the House who voted for the bill said that they had acted in the name of national security, but the only security at play was their job security.
...
While serving little purpose, the new law has real dangers. It would allow the government to intercept, without a warrant, every communication into or out of any country, including the United States. Instead of explaining all this to American voters ? the minimal benefits and the enormous risks ? the Democrats have
allowed Mr. Bush and his fear-mongering to dominate all discussions on terrorism and national security.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/07/opinion/07tue1.htmlBush Signs Sweeping Surveillance Measure Into Law
President Bush on Sunday afternoon signed into law a controversial measure giving U.S. government officials increased authority to listen in on international communications without first obtaining a warrant. S. 1927 updates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by permitting warrantless surveillance of any targets located abroad, even if they are communicating with someone in the U.S.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58686.htmlhttp://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201203376au: Web savvy Kevvy puts Johnny on the spot
Digital marketers have urged Prime Minister John Howard to "do it well or don't bother" when it comes to campaigning on the internet. All of the major political parties have adopted the web as part of their campaign arsenal in the lead up to the federal election, creating profiles on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, uploading video clips to YouTube and modernising their websites.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/07/1186252695997.htmlnz: Tell Internet Bankers Where To Go!
In July, the NZ Bankers' Association's new Code of Banking Practice came into effect. To paraphrase their new internet banking rules, if
you any lose money as a result of using internet banking, tough luck!
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/08/tell_internet_bankers_where_to.htmluk: Government alarm over web ads
The government's central advertising body, the Central Office of Information, has reportedly tightened up its web advertising guidelines following last week's row over major brands advertising alongside contentious content on Facebook.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2142708,00.htmluk: Betting firms agree ad code
The gambling industry has agreed a new marketing code that includes a pre-9pm watershed ban on TV advertising and an end to branding on children's replica football shirts.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2143445,00.htmlITU-T FG IPTV Focus Group Meetings Accept 46 IPTV-related Standard Technologies Proposed By Korea
Korea ITU-R Committee said on August 6 that the ITU-T FG IPTV accepted 46 standards related to IPTV technologies proposed by Korean scientists in its focus group meetings held in Geneva, Switzerland for 9 days, July 23~31.
http://oranews.co.kr/news/view.asp?idx=19723&msection=2&ssection=102**********************
INTERNET USE
**********************
Steamy sex films, now moving to cellphones
When staid Deutsche Telekom struck a deal last winter to tap a vast catalogue of steamy sex films for mobile telephone customers, the news was treated like it was
radioactive.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/06/technology/web-adult.phpnz: Minister says Kiwi broadband not 'third world' service
New Zealand is definitely not a third world broadband market, and the Government is driving a 'revolution' in telecommunications, according to Communications Minister David Cunliffe.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10456311Study: More Time Spent With Paid Media (AP)
A study finds that U.S. consumers are increasingly shifting their attention away from traditional, advertising-supported media in favor of entertainment such as the Internet, video games and cable TV, which consumers pay for. As a result, the boom in online advertising is expected to
continue, with all Internet advertising spending - including ads on Web sites of traditional media outlets - overtaking print newspaper advertising in 2010 as the largest advertising category, according to a report released Tuesday by Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a media investment firm.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/08/1186252743036.htmlhttp://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/139944.htmlhttp://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MEDIA_CONSUMPTION?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-08-07-19-42-28More time spent on Web
than newspapers, study finds (Reuters)
U.S. consumers this year will spend more of their day surfing the Internet than reading newspapers or going to the movies or listening to recorded music, according a study released on Tuesday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN0721570920070807Net scores at Beijing 2008
Beijing 2008 is set to be the first properly streamed and socially networked summer Olympics, with official internet partner Yahoo7 breaking new ground by showing some events live and exclusive on the internet.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22212269-15318,00.htmlhttp://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2196239/games-embraces-webChina tries to cure Net addicts at summer camp [Reuters]
China is launching an experimental summer camp for 40 young adults to try to wean them off their Internet addiction, state media said Tuesday. The 10-day program will accept those aged between 14 and 22 once they have undergone a psychological test and evaluation, the China Daily said.
http://news.com.com/2100-1043_3-6201133.htmlhttp://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6201133.htmlhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKPEK2267112007080775% of
the people who download Firefox don't become active users
According to the Mozilla wiki: "In order for Firefox to reach our market share goals, we need to improve our ability to retain users. Currently, approximately 50% of the people who download Firefox actually try it and about 50% of those people continue to use it actively."
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2007/08/08/75_of_the_people_who_download_firefox_dont_become_active_users.htmluk: Can football save mobile TV?
It seems people aren't mad about squinting at a tiny screen after all. But things might be about to kick off.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2142170,00.htmlWeb 2.0
set to boom in Asia-Pacific
Expect Internet businesses in the Asia-Pacific region to start ringing the cash registers in two to three years, according to a new study released by IDC.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62030357,00.htm**********************
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
**********************
Cost-conscious consumers transform European mobile phone market
Across Europe, experts say, growing ranks of cost-conscious consumers like Knight are transforming the Continent's mobile phone market by bypassing established networks and forcing big operators to reinvent themselves to stay competitive. The pressure to "go low" is now so great that T-Mobile, the wireless unit of Deutsche Telekom, last month created its own discount brand, Congstar. Unlike T-Mobile, Congstar lets consumers create their own monthly
flat-rate packages by selecting the individual wireless networks they call most.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/06/technology/web-discount.phpConflict over digital content moves to cellphones
For many consumers, the restrictions that companies put on what they can do with their digital content, whether it be music, video clips or pictures, are akin to stipulating that a book you purchase can only be read in your house and cannot be loaned to a friend. For the producers who make that content or companies like Microsoft who restrict access to it with technology called digital rights management, or DRM, guaranteeing that the content cannot be illegally copied is fundamental for encouraging the creation of songs and videos that people want to buy. These competing views have been tussling for years over digital content on computers - only
now the battlefield has moved to the cellphone.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/06/technology/web-wireless.phphttp://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6200906.htmlhttp://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6200906.htmlus: Prototype Internet Device Fails FCC Test [AP]
The government gave a failing grade to a prototype device that Microsoft Corp., Google Inc., Dell Inc. and other technology companies said would beam high-speed Internet service over unused television airwaves. In a 85-page report, the Federal Communications Commission on July 31 said the devices submitted by the technology coalition could not reliably detect unused TV spectrum, and could also cause
interference.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/08/AR2007080801140.htmlhttp://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2007-08-08-prototype-fails-fcc-test_N.htmDell expands Linux PC sales to Europe, China [Reuters]
Dell will expand sales of consumer PCs loaded with the Linux by releasing them in the U.K., France, Germany and China.
http://news.com.com/2100-7344_3-6201372.htmlhttp://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135677-c,linux/article.htmlMozilla Pushes Security in Firefox
3.0
Mozilla's next update to Firefox will probably include a tool that would automatically block sites suspected of harboring malware, among other upgrades.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135708/article.htmlhttp://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9029727New iMac: thin, silver ? and green
Apple has revamped its flagship home computer with a recyclable aluminium casing and software that lets users do spreadsheets
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article2221733.ecehttp://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1650853,00.htmlhttp://www.salon.com/tech/machinist/feature/2007/08/07/new_imacs/index.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/08/07/apple-jobs-imac-tech-cx_bc_0807apple.htmlNo surprises from Steve, just new iMacs for our iLife and iWork
Apple product announcements are usually greeted with hyperbole, but this week's had already been discussed on the net by the time Steve Jobs took the stage at the company's Californian HQ on Tuesday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/09/guardianweeklytechnologysection.appleApple issues updates for brand-new iMacs
Well, that was fast: Just a day after rolling out the new 20- and 24-inch iMacs, Apple has issued an update containing, as the company puts it, "important bug fixes." A new version of Boot Camp was also released.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9029738**********************
SPAM
**********************
Researchers: Take anti-spam fight to the Web
According to researchers at the University of California, San Diego, anti-spam fighters could really hurt the spammers' bottom line if they target the Web sites used to
host their scams rather than simply trying to block the mail server used to send out unsolicited commercial e-mail.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/07/UC-researchers-take-anti-spam-fight-to-Web_1.htmlHuge Spam Spike in Progress
A massive spam blast that started Tuesday is still in progress and shows no sign of abating, a security company said. "The scale of this stock pump-and-dump spam campaign is like nothing we've seen before," said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos PLC. Similar to countless other e-mail campaigns in both delivery method and intent -- the message arrives as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and baits the scam by touting quick money to be made on an up-and-coming, if completely unknown, stock.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135679/article.html**********************
DIGITAL DIVIDE
**********************
Botswana ICT Policy In Line With Vision 2016
Kgalagadi South MP, Mr Neo Moroka, has welcomed the Draft National ICT policy as it is in line with two Vision 2016 pillars. Supporting the draft policy in parliament on Thursday, Mr Moroka said the country could become an educated and informed nation as well as an innovative and creative one through implementation of the policy. He said Botswana is part of a competitive and globalised village and that the policy would result in a timely dissemination of information and spread of communication technology. I believe all the relevant ministries who are major stakeholders in this policy should come on board to realise this policy, said Mr Moroka.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708070712.htmlIntel?s Approach to Laptops for Poor Children
Intel may be a nose ahead of the One Laptop Per Child program, which is still testing its machine. Intel's $225 Classmate PC is being used in pilot projects in 25 countries.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/intels-approach-to-laptops-for-poor-children/Lenovo to sell US$199 PC in rural China
Lenovo Group said Friday it will sell a basic personal computer aimed at China's vast but poor rural market and priced as low as US$199.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/hardware/0,39042972,62030401,00.htm**********************
FILE
SHARING
**********************
More Parties Join Google Copyright Lawsuit
English soccer's Premier League Ltd and music publisher Bourne & Co said on Monday that eight more parties have joined their lawsuit charging Google and its YouTube online service with deliberately encouraging copyright infringement. The new parties include the National Music Publishers' Association, which is the largest U.S. music publishing trade association, the Rugby Football League, the Finnish Football League Association and author Daniel Quinn.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2167597,00.asphttp://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0641084820070806http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22202429-15306,00.htmlhttp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/07/1186252667274.htmlMusic Publishers Pile On to Viacom's YouTube Suit
A group of music publishing companies said Monday it is joining a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google's video-sharing site YouTube. The National Music Publishers' Association said it was joining the lawsuit out of concern that many songwriters weren't receiving proper compensation when their music appeared on YouTube videos.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58707.html*********************************
COMMENT, MICROSOFT &
DEVELOPMENTS
*********************************
Guardian eyes US in bid to become global liberal voice
It may appear ironic that a media group with liberal values is making cold, hard marketing decisions with its very liberalness. But the Guardian Media Group, whose publications are frequently critical in their coverage of the US administration, is doing just that as it attempts to position itself in the US through its website.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1348a9b8-4376-11dc-a065-0000779fd2ac.htmlThe Internet Marketing Situation In China
Recently I had breakfast with a friend in China. He asked me about the Internet, "Why should my company go on the net?" An easily answered question I thought, but there was more to it. He totally trusted the Internet and believed that it can help his company achieve a lot in brand awareness and
image. So, why the question? Turns out that the rest of his organization was not convinced of what the Internet can achieve and he is the only one who wants to go online. His next questions were, "What is the Internet interest in China? What would make the Chinese audience responds to what is on the net?" Let's go even further: Why is the Internet going to be huge in China? And what are the differences between Internet in China and the rest of the world.
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/08/02/5711-the-internet-marketing-situation-in-china/Cool electronic gear may be emitting too much heat
Temperatures are rising and electronic gadgets are failing as more and more power is crammed into less and less space.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-heat4aug04,1,515041.storyIt's not easy being green; Minimising heat and power waste
Green is the new black, it would seem. With many organisations now trying to "out-green" the competition, we are rapidly running into the problem seen with the majority of bandwagons - just how real are some of the arguments coming in from the vendors on the topic?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/08/green_it_hurdles/Technology companies try to go green by cutting the energy used by data centers [AP]
The extremely air-conditioned computer farms known as data centers are the gas-guzzling automobiles of the technology world. Some require 40 or 50 times more power than comparably sized office space.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/08/business/greentech.phpFormer Miss Austrlia to sex up IT industry
Microsoft is hiring a former Miss Australia to encourage young people to get involved in the computer industry.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4157506a28.htmlCisco lifts goals on internet optimism
Cisco Systems on Tuesday raised its long-term growth targets, reflecting continuing optimism around a new generation of collaborative technologies, such as high-end teleconferencing, that Cisco says are poised to usher in a ?second phase of the internet?. John Chambers, chief executive, said on Tuesday that the world?s biggest maker of networking equipment would raise its long term sales growth target to 12-17 per cent per year, from its previous level of 10-15 per
cent.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/cd2fc90e-4530-11dc-82f5-0000779fd2ac.htmlCisco's Web 2.0 enthusiasm helps profits climb
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/08/cisco_q4_sales_jump/Cisco Profit Up 25%; Routers and Switches in Demand (AP)
Profit at Cisco Systems jumped 25 percent in its fiscal fourth quarter as the company, which makes network equipment, continued to have strong sales of the routers and switches that direct traffic over the Internet. ... Cisco is profiting from widespread network upgrades as Internet service providers and other companies increase capacity to handle increasingly bandwidth-heavy downloads, particularly video.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/08/technology/08cisco.htmlMicrosoft $1.5bn MP3 fine dropped
A US district court has overturned a decision ordering Microsoft to pay phone firm Alcatel-Lucent $1.52bn for infringing music patents.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6934363.stmhttp://ecommercetimes.com/story/58712.htmlLeaked Vista hotfix packs now official, ready to download
Microsoft released the two Windows Vista updates that had leaked to the Internet at the end of July, but it won't say when it will begin pushing them to users via Windows Update.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9029618All humanity - just a click away [AFP]
Spock.com, a US web firm, is preparing to launch an internet search engine it hopes will track down the names of the world's 6 billion people. Spock.com says it has already indexed 100 million people and is adding a million names a day on the invitation-only, beta version of its website, which will be available to the public this month.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/07/1186252708801.htmlhttp://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/07/1999066.htmNew York Times to end paid Web service
(Reuters)
The New York Times Co. plans to stop charging Internet users for access to its columnists and Op-Ed pieces on a section of its Web site known as TimesSelect, The New York Post reported on Tuesday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN0721952120070807http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9029300Dell eyes PCs running Linux, Windows simultaneously
Dell is developing consumer PCs that can run multiple versions of Microsoft's Windows and Linux software at the same time, the personal computer maker's chief technology officer, Kevin Kettler, told Reuters.
Users of the new Dell PCs would be able to simultaneously run multiple,
software-generated computers on one machine, using an increasingly popular technology known as virtualization that allows greater flexibility and computing security.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/08/1186530408502.htmlUnmasked: the blogger who parodied Jobs and ridiculed Silicon Valley
A mystery that has consumed Silicon Valley for more than a year has been solved. Since last summer, a blog by "Fake Steve Jobs" has parodied the Apple chairman as a megalomaniac and poked fun at an array of his tech industry peers. And since day one, industry insiders have gossiped and guessed about who might be behind the wicked satire of Apple's growing dominance of the digital world. ... But now, thanks to the killjoy detective work of a New York Times reporter, the real fake Steve Jobs has been unmasked: he is Daniel Lyons, a technology writer
for Forbes magazine, based in Boston, far from the frenzy he has created in Silicon Valley.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2841347.eceAsia/Pacific: The Australian's website awarded
The Australian's website was named online newspaper of the year at the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers Association awards last night.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22213668-7582,00.html**********************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
au: Labor: There is no future without fibre
Labor Communications spokesperson Stephen Conroy has restated the Opposition's commitment to a pan-Australian fibre-to-the-node network, while accusing the government of wasting taxpayers'
money with a planned WiMax rollout
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Labor-There-is-no-future-without-fibre-/0,130061791,339280954,00.htmau: Coonan opens up broadband race
THE federal Government is poised to unveil the guidelines and timetable for the $5 billion-plus residential broadband network that has been at the centre of its escalating dispute with Telstra.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22201656-16123,00.htmlau: No high-speed broadband before election
A decision on who will build a high-speed broadband network in capital cities and large regional centres will not be made before the federal election.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/No-high-speed-broadband-before-election/0,130061791,339281041,00.htmau: Broadband plan a block, says Labor
The federal Government's rural broadband plan has no other purpose than to block Labor's own strategy for connecting 98 per cent of the country to fibre-to-the-node technology, opposition frontbencher Simon Crean said.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22215255-15306,00.htmlau: Bandwidth relief in sight
Australian consumers can expect by late next year relief from the international bandwidth drought that has been driving up internet access costs. Network infrastructure specialist, Pipe Networks, has
selected Tyco Telecommunications to supply a new undersea cable linking Australia to Guam that is expected to break an international bandwidth duopoly suppressing local internet download quotas.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22215138-15306,00.htmlus: FCC Announces Final Assignment of Digital Television Channels [news release]
Commission takes another step to facilitate the digital transition Washington, DC ? Today, the FCC released a new DTV Table which provides television stations across the country with their final channel assignments for broadcasting following the DTV transition on February 17, 2009.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-275789A1.pdfLebanese gov't to
probe phone network set up by Hezbollah: report
Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said authorities would launch a "speedy" probe into the set up of a new phone line network by Hezbollah in south Lebanon, local Naharnet news website reported on Wednesday.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6235127.html**********************
MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
The riddle of 3G
It had a catchy name, seemed like a good cause and was going to do wonders for bridging the much-talked-about digital divide between the rich and poor. But was the "3G for All" campaign to promote the production of an inexpensive, feature-rich third-generation cellphone missing the point about why most people still use their phones only to talk and send text messages?
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/08/technology/ptend09.php**********************************
ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
**********************************
us: Prosecutors: Teacher morphed pictures of students' faces onto porn [AP]
Child porn found on the computer of an elementary school teacher was altered to show the faces of his students on some of the images, prosecutors said.
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6573158http://thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070808/NEWS01/70808008http://www.sanluisobispo.com/breakingnews/story/112649.html+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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.
For information on subscriptions to the domain name and/or general internet news please contact me. For archives of postings to the list, see http://lists.technewsreview.com.au/pipermail/technewsreview/. Also see http://technewsreview.com.au/ for recent 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
