Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!And see 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/
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th: Legal experts, webmasters slam govt for illegally blocking websites
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=76168Program shows CIA behind Wikipedia entries
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/16/2007049.htmEurobarometer: Are Europe's children too confident in tackling online risks?
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1227How Safe is ?Social Networking?? [news release]
http://enisa.europa.eu/pages/02_01_press_2007_08_16_social_net.htmlWeb watchdog warns of social
network perils
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62031044,00.htmPull down the walled gardens by Michael Geist
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6944653.stmau: Facebook labelled a A$5b waste of time
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/19/1187462087940.htmlhttp://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22273758-2,00.htmlAmerican Airlines Sues Google Over Search Words [Reuters]
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201801009my: Laws in cyberspace
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2007/8/14/technology/20070814115330&sec=technologynz: Online, your PC is the weakest link
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10458405nz: Privacy and Technology in the 21st Century
http://privacy.org.nz/library/privacy-and-technology-in-the-21st-centuryTerror law puts Britons at risk
of surveillance by US agents
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2151854,00.htmlnz: Web issues over banking code
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/12/story.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=10458545http://www.thesheet.com/nl05_news_selected.php?act=2&stream=1&selkey=2396http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4171089a28.htmlNormal service resumes on Skype
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/20/1187462124551.htmlFibre optic networks to break light speed?
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Fibre-optic-networks-to-break-light-speed-/0,130061791,339281235,00.htmGoogle Won't Go Dark to Go Green
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2007/tc20070814_994723.htmA death penalty for spammers? No, the solution is social change
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/16/guardianweeklytechnologysection.commentSpammers find new ways to slip through
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2007-08-15-spam_N.htmau: Pirated Simpsons video filmed on mobile
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/17/1186857730452.htmlRecord industry dismay as allofmp3.com boss is acquitted by Russian court
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2271673.eceS'porean incurs wrath
after prosecuting downloaders
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62031019,00.htmGreenest Vendor? Still Toshiba
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136093-c,recycling/article.htmlAt 25, compact disc faces retirement [AP]
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/16/business/cd.phpCONFERENCE: Broadband Europe 2007
http://www.broadbandeurope.biz/**********************
CENSORSHIP
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China Cracks Down on News Media as Party Congress Nears
China?s government said Wednesday that it was cracking
down on ?false news reports, unauthorized publications and bogus journalists.? ... People?s Daily, the official voice of the Communist Party, said the party Central Committee?s propaganda department, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the State Press and Publication Administration jointly warned that ?those who intentionally fabricated news that caused public anxiety and tarnished the nation?s image would be harshly dealt with or even prosecuted if they broke the law.?
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/16/world/asia/16china.htmlChinese Websites Punished For Publishing Porn
As a result of publishing pornographic novels, 348 websites in China have either been punished or will soon be punished. These websites have been accused of spreading 40 obscene novels that according to local media are harmful to teenagers'
minds and bodies and may lure them to commit deviant crimes.
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/08/16/5765-chinese-websites-punished-for-publishing-porn/China jails Internet writer for subversion
A Chinese court jailed a dissident Internet writer for four years on subversion charges on Thursday for posting anti-government articles online, his disbarred lawyer said, the latest case in a government crackdown on dissent.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKPEK17915520070816 [Reuters]http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/17/1186857753921.html [AFP]http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/18/1186857801930.htmlcn: Cyber-dissident gets four years for ?inciting government?s overthrow?
Reporters Without Borders said it was ?appalled? by the four-year prison sentence which a court in the southeastern province of Zhejiang imposed today on cyber-dissident Chen Shuqing for posting articles critical of the government on the Internet.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18898th: Legal experts, webmasters slam govt for illegally blocking websites
Internet law experts and webmasters yesterday lashed out at what they said was the government's illegal blocking of websites and the use of threats and intimidation tactics against webmasters by government officials. Paiboon Amornpinyokiart, an internet and
IT law expert, said nowhere in the controversial Cyber Crime Act -- which was pushed through by the military-appointed government and took effect on July 19 -- does it say the government has the authority to freely block websites. The law says any move to block a website must be backed by a court order.
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=76168vn: Cyber-dissident?s prison sentence cut from five years to four on appeal
Reporters Without Borders notes that a Ho Chi Minh City court reduced cyber-dissident Le Nguyen Sang?s five-year prison sentence to four years on appeal yesterday.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=22058Program shows CIA behind Wikipedia entries
The world according to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia is
in a constant state of update, as tens of thousands of contributors work to ensure the site's content is correct. But now an innovation on the site has confirmed a long-held suspicion: that Wikipedia is a prime target for spin-doctoring. A new identification program on the site reveals that some of the most prolific contributors to Wikipedia are the CIA, the British Labour Party and the Vatican - and they are not just updating their own entries.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/16/2007049.htmhttp://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2172052,00.asphttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10458340http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/16/AR2007081601727.htmlWikipedia and the art of censorship
The secret of Wikipedia's phenomenal success is that anyone can edit the millions of comments, facts and statistics published on the pages of the world's most popular online encyclopaedia. But that of course is also its greatest weakness. The chance to rewrite history in flattering and uncritical terms has proved too much of a temptation for scores of multinational companies, political parties and well-known organisations across the world.
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2874112.ece************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT
REGULATION
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Eurobarometer: Are Europe's children too confident in tackling online risks?
Can parents trust their 13 year old daughter when she surfs the web? Do they know for sure that their 11 year old son's mobile phone conversation is safe? A Commission survey of children from all over Europe has looked into how they use new media. It shows that the use of internet and mobile phones has become almost self-evident for Europe's young generation. In general, they also know the risks of using the internet and mobile phones. However, when facing trouble online, minors will ask an adult only as a last resort.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1227au: Protest greets sexualisation inquiry
An inquiry into the sexualisation of children in the media has
attracted a storm of protest from TV networks and ad agencies.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22251252-17061,00.htmlnz: Hector's World Teachers' Forum Launched [news release]
An online forum has just been launched for teachers using Hector?s World cybersafety resources with their students. Managing Director of Hector?s World Ltd. Liz Butterfield says, ?We have established this forum because the best experts on how to get the greatest learning impact with Hector?s World resources are the teachers.?
http://netsafe.org.nz/isgnews/isgnews_default.aspxhttp://netsafe.org.nz/Doc_Library/download/hwl_teachers_forum_launched10august07.pdfau: Cyber safety hotline goes live
The Federal Government's NetAlert website and telephone hotline, where families can download free internet filters and obtain net safety advice, has been launched.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/08/20/1187462133791.htmlhttp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/20/1187462133791.htmlhttp://www.smarthousenews.com.au/Computing/Support?Article=/Computing/Support/V6S9P8S7au: At the library ... just surfing the net for, er, porn
Explicit pornography can be viewed in many Victorian public libraries ? including the State Library ? because some decline to install internet filters on the basis that it imposes overly strict censorship. Graphic movies showing penetrative sex are easily accessible online because libraries believe current filtering software can block legitimate research. The result is that there is little to stop deviants accessing child pornography and other sites offering free sexual images.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/08/18/1186857841912.htmlau: SA girls victims of online
attacks
Sexually explicit photographs and malicious fabricated profiles of South Australian schoolgirls and women on the internet are a "significant problem", police say.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22272436-5006301,00.htmlau: State school conference focuses on internet safety
Parents attending a state schools conference have expressed concern about internet safety.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/19/2008919.htmau: Brawls for Internet tipped to end in death
A leading child psychologist and anti-bullying campaigner says it is "only a matter of time" before a student dies in a schoolyard fight recorded for the Internet. "Fights are being staged exclusively for the purposes of being
filmed on mobile phones and uploaded to YouTube," Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, a founding member of the National Coalition Against Bullying, said.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22261894-2,00.htmlau: Porn access at library
Queanbeyan children could potentially access pornography on the city's library computers. The computers, provided by the Queanbeyan City Council, are lacking internet filtering mechanisms such as firewalls.
http://queanbeyan.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=1039057nz: Society Raises Concerns Over Dissemination of Objectionable Internet Content [news release]
On Thursday night last week The Australian Prime Minister John Howard announcded a A$189 million package to deal with the growing problems of
internet porn and dissemination of, and availability of, objectionable content to minors via ISPs. The Society is asking whether our government has taken any similar action. It most recently raised its serious concerns with the Minister of Justice, the Hon. Mark Burton, in a letter dated 1 June 2007, and has received no response to questions it has raised about Government policies addressing the problem.
http://spcs.org.nz/content/view/158/1/http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00171.htmuk: Children use cashcards to buy porn
Children are using new pre-paid 'credit cards' to buy alcohol and pornography and gamble online, The Observer has learnt. Children's charities and politicians claim that the cash cards are being used by under-18s to buy age-restricted goods and
services over the web.
http://money.guardian.co.uk/news_/story/0,,2151915,00.htmlhttp://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2151878,00.htmlus: Most teen hackers more curious than criminal
A large minority of teenagers commit computer crimes such as hacking and software piracy, but it's done mostly out of curiosity and a hunger for excitement rather than wanting to cause trouble, a psychologist reported over the weekend.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-08-19-teen-hackers_N.htm**********************
SOCIAL NETWORKING
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How Safe is ?Social Networking?? [news
release]
Myspace, Twitter, Facebook ? Social Networking is the web success story of the new century. The statistics are mind-bending ? Myspace claimed its 100 Millionth user in August 2006. But a recent ENISA workshop put the question - ?how safe are social networks?? According to the experts, there is a lot to be concerned about; from specialised social networking worms spreading through Myspace profiles to identity theft, extortion, spear-phishing and even recruitment of terrorists ? social networking has it all. But the biggest threat is to personal privacy.
http://enisa.europa.eu/pages/02_01_press_2007_08_16_social_net.htmlWeb watchdog warns of social network perils
The European watchdog for web and information security, Enisa, has warned of the dangers of social networking sites. Academics and industry experts
discussed the risks of using social networking websites at Enisa's How safe is "Social Networking"? workshop, with personal security emerging as the main concern.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62031044,00.htmFighting antisocial behavior on social networking sites
With social networking sites exploding in growth, most young users are well aware of the risks and the seamy side of the territory. But according to new surveys, many children and teens still cannot resist meeting strangers they have befriended online.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/19/business/social20.phpPull down the walled gardens by Michael Geist
Internet law professor Michael Geist says the walled gardens of social networks should be
pulled down.
Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have become part of the daily routine for millions of internet users. The popularity of these networks, however, has resulted in an unfortunate by-product - the mushrooming number of requests that come from dozens of these sites.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6944653.stmau: Facebook labelled a A$5b waste of time
The next time you see an employee hunched intently over the computer, don't imagine he or she is slaving over the office accounts or a report for the next shareholders meeting. Employees are more likely to be whiling away the hours on the social networking site Facebook, a report says.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/19/1187462087940.htmlFacebook time-wasters could cost A$5 billion a year
Facebook could cost employers up to $5 billion a year in productivity. The rise of the "underground intranet" in workplaces has resulted in more time-wasting by employees.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22273758-2,00.htmlhttp://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Facebook-costs-businesses-AU-5bn-SurfControl/0,130061733,339281297,00.htmhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10458802The technology disconnect
In the midst of a new revolution there's a temptation to confuse data transfer with human communication, Hugh Mackay writes in the second and final extract from his new book.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/19/1187462087992.htmlAnimal cruelty films on YouTube
YouTube has become a forum for animal cruelty, with viewers flocking to watch clips such as one of a tethered goat being fed to a python by laughing onlookers.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2284380.eceBebo Becomes the Most Visited Social Networking Site in the UK
comScore released a study of UK traffic in July to a selection of leading social networking sites. UK property Bebo.com became the most visited social networking site from within the UK in July, attracting 10.6 million unique visitors, an increase of 63 percent over the start of the year. It was closely followed by social networking behemoth Myspace.com, which enjoyed a 25 percent increase in traffic over the same time period, to reach 10.1 million unique visitors in July.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1571Sophos Facebook ID probe shows 41% of users happy to reveal all to
potential identity thieves Research highlights dangers of irresponsible behavior on social networking sites [news release]
Sophos is warning social networking users of the dangers of allowing strangers to gain access to their online profiles, following new research into the risks of identity and information theft occurring through global phenomenon Facebook. Compiled from a random snapshot of Facebook users, Sophos's research shows that 41% of users, more than two in five, will divulge personal information - such as email address, date of birth and phone number - to a complete stranger, greatly increasing their susceptibility to ID theft.
http://sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2007/08/facebook.html**************************
ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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Skies Aren't So Friendly For
Google
American Airlines wants Google to stop engaging in one of its biggest business practices. The airline wants Google to stop selling keyword-based sponsored search results tied to any of its trademarks and is seeking punitive damages over the alleged infringement.
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3695021American Airlines Sues Google Over Search Words [Reuters]
The airline accuses Google of violating trademark laws with its practice of selling search terms such as "American Airlines" or "AA.com" to other companies for advertising.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201801009http://nytimes.com/2007/08/18/technology/18google.htmlhttp://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6203229.htmlhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN1725026420070817Airline Sues Google Over Keyword Ads [AP]
American Airlines is suing Google Inc. over the Internet company's sale of keywords ads for rivals triggered by its own trademarks.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/18/1186857810418.htmlLawsuit Challenges Google?s Keyword Ads
Google and other search engines have been on the receiving end of a dozen or so lawsuits challenging a common
practice in search advertising: the use of someone?s trademark, say Mercedes Benz, to show an ad for a competitor, say a BMW dealer. In that case, the BMW dealer would be buying ads tied to the search keyword ?Mercedes Benz? from Google. So far the legal scorecard favors search engines. They have won several of these cases, and while they have suffered some adverse rulings they have yet to definitively lose a case.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/lawsuit-challenges-googles-keyword-ads/American Airlines Sues Google over Keyword Ads
Suit claims that the search company is infringing on the airline's trademarks by using them as keyword triggers for paid advertisements by other companies.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136092-c,techindustrytrends/article.htmlAmerican Airlines Sues Google Over Keyword Ads by Eric Goldman
Well, this is interesting. It's not unusual for a trademark owner to sue Google for keyword-triggered ads--been there, done that. However, the fact that American Airlines pulled the trigger catches my attention. Many trademark owners who have sued Google had relatively obscure brands. Rescuecom? JTH Tax? Check-n-Go? Even American Blinds is hardly a household name. In contrast, American Airlines is an extremely well-known trademark owner with a big portfolio of trademarks. Further, American Airlines apparently decided it was worth going to war over this issue--and is prepared to pay the big bucks to litigate this case accordingly. If this lawsuit runs its course, I expect this to be a hard-fought and expensive
lawsuit.
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2007/08/american_airlin.htmmy: Laws in cyberspace
Bloggers are not above the law. They can be sued or prosecuted, like anyone else. Bloggers are sometimes accused of telling lies and described as rumour-mongers who can cause disharmony amongst the people and therefore cause damage to the country. To some people, it appears that there are no laws in cyber space and that the law of the jungle prevails. This is far from the truth because bloggers are certainly not above the law.
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2007/8/14/technology/20070814115330&sec=technologySwedish Market Court Dismisses Claim In Internet Deep
Linking Case
This article concerns the recent Swedish Market Court decision to dismiss a claim against a "buy and sell-site" for deep linking to adverts on a competing site and permitting the use of a competitor?s name as a Google keyword. In a decision from mid-2006, the Swedish Market Court as court of final instance ruled in proceedings brought by "Blocket", the largest "buy and sell-site" in Sweden.
http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=50936us: Travelocity fined for booking trips to Cuba
The online travel company paid $182,750 to the U.S. government for allegedly booking trips from the U.S. to Cuba over a five-year period against federal regulations.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9031100Russian 'used US rich list for cyber crime'
A Russian has been accused of using the list of the 400 richest Americans compiled each year by Forbes magazine to identify victims in his plan to steal millions via a computer in his Moscow bedroom. Igor Klopov, 24, and four alleged accomplices have been charged with conspiracy, grand larceny, forgery and identity theft after he was lured from Moscow to New York by secret service agents posing as bullion dealers with $7 million in gold bars.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/18/wcyber118.xmlSpouse cyberspying dangerous, possibly
illegal
Increasing use of stealthy surveillance software for computers and phones is raising legal concerns and alarm among those who help victims of domestic violence. "These commercial surveillance packages, such as Spector from SpectorSoft, are turning up in domestic violence cases," says Cindy Southworth, director of technology at the Washington, D.C.-based organization National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). The group gets many calls from women who say their abusers know too much. "We advise women, if you're researching an escape plan or trying to find a new job, don't do it on your home PC."
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1227440269;fp;2;fpid;1nz: Online, your PC is the weakest link
Under a new code of practice introduced by members of the New Zealand Bankers' Association, online customers could find
themselves out of pocket if they are defrauded and do not have up-to-date software.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10458405**************************
PRIVACY
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nz: Privacy and Technology in the 21st Century
A free forum in Wellington on 28 August, as part of Privacy Awareness Week.
http://privacy.org.nz/library/privacy-and-technology-in-the-21st-centuryuk: ICO Guidance On Collecting Personal Information On Websites (reg req'd)
The Information Commissioner?s Office (ICO) recently published a ?Good Practice Note? on the collection of personal information using websites1. This provides some practical guidance which will be
relevant to any business that collects or processes personal data via its website.
http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=51182**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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Terror law puts Britons at risk of surveillance by US agents
A new law swept through Congress by the US government before the summer recess is to give American security agencies unprecedented powers to spy on British citizens without a warrant. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was approved by Congress earlier this month to help the National Security Agency in the fight against terrorism. But it has now emerged that the bill gives the security services powers to intercept all telephone calls, internet traffic and emails made by British citizens across US-based networks.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2151854,00.htmlus: Concerns Raised on Wider Spying Under New Law
Broad new surveillance powers approved by Congress this month could allow the Bush administration to conduct spy operations that go well beyond wiretapping to include ? without court approval ? certain types of physical searches on American soil and the collection of Americans? business records, Democratic Congressional officials and other experts said. Administration officials acknowledged that they had heard such concerns from Democrats in Congress recently, and that there was a continuing debate over the meaning of the legislative language. But they said the Democrats were simply raising theoretical questions based on a harsh interpretation of the legislation.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/19/washington/19fisa.htmlU.S. Defends Surveillance to 3 Skeptical Judges
Three federal appeals court judges hearing challenges to the National Security Agency?s surveillance programs appeared skeptical of and sometimes hostile to the Bush administration?s central argument Wednesday: that national security concerns require that the lawsuits be dismissed.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/16/washington/16nsa.htmlCONFERENCE: ANACOM Conference: Regulating Convergence - Converging Regulation
September 07, Portugal: Bringing together a number of key national and international figures from the world of communications regulation, this conference will be a unique opportunity for wide-ranging debate on the challenges faced by regulation and regulators.
Such challenges come from issues that include next generation network implementation and access, competition from emerging markets, the development of new business models, the possible application of new regulation institutional models, as well as radio spectrum policies. Finally, the implications of these new realities for citizens in general must not be forgotten, especially within the scope of providing the universal service of electronic communications.
http://www.anacom.pt/template2.jsp?categoryId=246762nz: Web issues over banking code
New Zealand's main banks are moving quickly to hose down potentially damaging wording in a new code of banking practice produced by the New Zealand Bankers Association, wording that implies consumers will be responsible for the security of online banking.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/12/story.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=10458545http://www.thesheet.com/nl05_news_selected.php?act=2&stream=1&selkey=2396http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4171089a28.htmlBotswana Cyber Crime Bill on the Cards
Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi has told Parliament that for the ICT Policy to succeed in business and other development transactions, her ministry will in the next few days present a cyber crime bill. Parliament approved the ICT policy on Monday unanimously.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708160248.htmlbw: Who is Responsible for Government Information?
Parliament appears to have busied itself with consideration of the ICT policy at the instigation of the line ministry. Therein lies the problem. Who is really responsible for government information? And what is 'government information' anyway?
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708160241.html**********************
INTERNET USE
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Radio days are here again as Britons tune, click and plug into digital age
In a world of digital TV, video-on-demand and the iPod, radio risked being left behind. There is something rather old-fashioned about switching on your "wireless", a term more likely to refer to broadband internet these days. But the latest audience figures
published yesterday reveal that we are more in love with the radio than ever before. It is just that we are not listening to it in quite the same way as we used to.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2150602,00.htmlComment: Worldwide and wireless
While across the land radio station executives look to the usual explanatory suspects in the wake of yesterday's Rajar quarterly audience figures - any minute now I expect someone from London's ailing Capital Radio to blame the miserable weather or stock market wobbles - one thing is beyond doubt: the way we listen to radio in Britain is changing. In 2003, 900,000 of us tuned in via digital radio. Yesterday's Rajars, the first to measure how people listen as well as what they listen to, revealed that 12 million people now access digital radio through DAB sets, satellite or digital
television, and the internet. Podcast downloads are up too, with a jump from 1.9m downloads of radio material to 2.7m, and there is also a steady increase in the number of listeners aged 15 and over tuning into radio via their mobile phones.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2150715,00.htmlInternet radio 'set for rapid growth'
Terrestrial radio will be almost wiped out by 2020 as exponential growth in WiFi lets listeners enjoy Internet stations anytime, anywhere from their mobile phones, according to an entrepeneur in the field.
http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/20/business/business_30045681.phpWeb threatens traditional news organizations
The Internet is a threat to traditional news organizations, which no
longer have the advantage of being the first to report breaking news online, according to a Harvard University study released yesterday. Researchers at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics & Public Policy found that nontraditional media Web sites, including aggregators, bloggers, search engines and service providers, were growing faster than Web sites connected to traditional news media outlets, such as newspapers. The researchers studied the traffic of 160 news sites for one year, from April 2006 to April 2007.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9031378Editorial Observer: Wiring the Frog, or Personal Tales From the Electronic Present
A year and a half ago, I began an editorial essay like this one with these words: ?I do not own a BlackBerry
or a pager. I don?t chat or instant-message or text-message. My cellphone could connect to the Web if I let it, but I don?t.? The essay went on to talk about the addiction of e-mail, as if that were somehow a racy new form of interhuman conversation. What an idiot.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/16/opinion/16observer.htmlU.S. uses Web to reach Muslim youth
The U.S. State Department chose a novel way to publicize baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr.'s appointment this week as its special sports envoy. It went on YouTube. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes, who appears in the video, said Thursday it was part of her campaign to bring a positive image of the United States to a skeptical global audience ? particularly in the Muslim world. Children are a chief target.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-08-17-online-media-muslim-youth_N.htmOnline 'hooligans' casting a dark cloud over the blogosphere
Blogs are still generating news scoops, particularly in the United States. And marketers are trying to figure out how to include blogs in their ad campaigns. But blogs are also attracting attention because of the spread of "cyberbullying."
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/19/business/blogs20.phpNormal service resumes on Skype
Skype said its internet phone service has returned to normal after a software bug left many users unable to log on for two days.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/20/1187462124551.htmlhttp://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1677935675;fp;2;fpid;1http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/18/skype-its-alive_1.htmlSkype outage hits 220 million users
Skype, the online phone company, was today working to fix an outage that left its 220 million users unable to make cheap calls over the internet.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2277632.eceError in Skype?s Software Shuts Down Phone Service
Skype?s 220
million users, some of them small businesses that had given up their landlines, were left without a way to call colleagues, customers and friends.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/17/business/17ebay.htmlhttp://iht.com/articles/2007/08/16/business/skype.phphttp://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/skypes-bad-day/Skype outage disables millions of users
Skype is experiencing software problems that have disconnected service for millions of users.
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;408597100;fp;2;fpid;1**********************
NEW
TECHNOLOGIES
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Fibre optic networks to break light speed?
German scientists claim to have broken the light speed barrier, which could blow away the known limitations of modern networking but the technology is unlikely to make it into a product -- if at all -- until most administrators working today have retired.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Fibre-optic-networks-to-break-light-speed-/0,130061791,339281235,00.htmGoogle Won't Go Dark to Go Green
Eco-friendly Web developers are designing in dark colors to save energy. But going black only saves watts on old-style CRT monitors, not LCDs
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2007/tc20070814_994723.htm**********************
SPAM
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A death penalty for spammers? No, the solution is social change
A recent New Yorker piece suggested that there are more than 170,000,000,000 emails sent every day. Of these billions, most are spam: something between 100bn and 150bn spam messages are sent every single day. That means that if Bill Gates were to put everyone on Earth online tomorrow, there would be spam enough for everyone: the newest born Bushman baby in the world could expect to get 20 offers of penis enlargement in her first day out of the womb.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/16/guardianweeklytechnologysection.commentSpammers find new ways to slip through
Just when it appeared tech firms had the upper hand against spam, spammers have unleashed new forms of the meddlesome e-mail to trick filters.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2007-08-15-spam_N.htm**********************
DIGITAL DIVIDE
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Broadband revolutionizes education on remote Maldives atolls [AFP]
The standard of education was falling in the Maldives before broadband Internet access brought a quiet online revolution to classrooms in the Indian Ocean atoll nation. Now Asina Ahmed hooks up to the Internet and uses a smart board with a
touch-sensitive screen to liven up a maths class for a group of young Maldivian children on remote Rashdoo Island.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/17/1186857745228.htmlTalks Seek to Hook Up 80 Percent of African Continent to Internet
A technology conference opens this morning in Nairobi top on its agenda being finding ways of hooking 80 per cent of Africa's population to the Internet and telephone services. The meeting brings together ministers, regulators, company executives and high-level officials from various development agencies to discuss the technological divide that has been blamed for the slow pace of economic progress in Africa.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708190074.html**********************
FILE
SHARING
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uk: Bandwidth threat as on-demand TV grows
Eyebrows were raised this week when the BBC's iPlayer suddenly lurched towards confrontation. Just two weeks after the video-on-demand software became publicly available, internet service providers were going on the offensive - claiming that they could be forced to throttle such services in order to save bandwidth.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/16/guardianweeklytechnologysection.it1Now it's operators v handset makers
The battle for control of your mobile phone is about to enter an interesting stage. You may think that you are in charge. After all, you press all the buttons. But in reality the operators have been calling the shots for years. They have been trying to keep you within their walled gardens of paid-for
services and charging by the amount of data consumed, leaving you with open-ended bills. They have even been fiddling with handsets to discourage use of the wireless connection appearing in an increasing number of handsets that can make near-free phone calls if you are in a Wi-Fi area.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/16/guardianweeklytechnologysection.comment1Can Universal turn the tide against Apple's iTunes?
Nobody knows, but in a six-month experiment the world's biggest music label will try to switch people away from iTunes, the world's biggest music download store. Pick a side! The bait for the switch is copy protection, known as DRM (digital rights management). Users who continue to shop online at Apple's iTunes Store will still get their Universal music encumbered with Apple's DRM. If they
go to a different store, they can buy unprotected MP3s of the same tracks for the same price, or less.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/16/guardianweeklytechnologysection.drmau: Pirated Simpsons video filmed on mobile
A 21-year-old man from the western Sydney suburb of Prairiewood faces up to five years' imprisonment after he was charged with uploading a pirated copy of The Simpsons Movie on the internet.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/17/1186857730452.htmlRecord industry dismay as allofmp3.com boss is acquitted by Russian court
The record industry today attacked a decision by a Russian court to clear a music website boss of copyright infringement in a test case for the
country's fight against piracy. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said it was "extremely disappointed" that the court had failed to convict Denis Kvasov, who ran the download site allofmp3.com, claiming that the site was "in clear violation of Russia's law."
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2271673.ecehttp://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2007-08-16-allofmp3-case-thrown-out_N.htmS'porean incurs wrath after prosecuting downloaders
The director of a Singaporean anime distribution house has received death threats after taking action to crack down on illegal downloaders, according to local news reports.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62031019,00.htm*********************************
COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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Greenest Vendor? Still Toshiba
Environmental agency praises five Toshiba notebooks as the most environmentally friendly: Mirror, mirror on the wall; who is the greenest vendor of them all? Toshiba of America has had five of its notebooks rated gold by EPEAT, the environmental agencies top green rating. and claims that this is more gold-rated notebooks than any other supplier can boast.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136093-c,recycling/article.htmlAt 25, compact disc faces retirement [AP]
An engineering marvel in August 1982, the compact disc turns 25 years old
Friday. In an age of iPods and MP3 players, however, its future is increasingly in doubt.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/16/business/cd.phphttp://www.latimes.com/technology/ats-ap_technology10aug16,1,3758836.storyCompact disc hits 25th birthday
Exactly 25 years ago the world's first compact disc was produced at a Philips factory in Germany, sparking a global music revolution.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6950845.stmCompact Disc is 25 Years Old
An obsolete form of optical media known as the "Compact Disc" celebrates its 25th birthday tomorrow. In a press release issued Thursday, Philips said a staggering 200
billion of them were produced (194 billion accounted for by AOL signup disks) since the first one was stamped off the production line on Aug. 17, 1982.
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/08/compact-disk-is.html**********************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
CONFERENCE: Broadband Europe 2007
December 2007, Belgium: Broadband technology has become widely available, evolving out of the labs, into the hands of policy makers, politicians and the general public. As governments and large-scale business users demand ever more diverse and advanced applications for broadband technologies; innovative companies find outlets for their hardware and software solutions; commercial opportunities are created; and end users get the products they require. BroadBand Europe is uniquely placed to spotlight all these developments. As the
only established annual global forum, that is organised in Europe, by European organisations; BroadBand Europe is at the heart of European broadband technology and policy development. The event 2007 will also feature an international trade-show, enabling to present future initiatives and policies, to discuss technology requirements with R&D and industry experts, to meet professionals from around the world, and to discover future applications.
http://www.broadbandeurope.biz/au: Costello to block Labor's broadband
Peter Costello has moved to undermine Labor's commitment to build a national broadband network by derailing its funding. Mr Costello has announced that laws will be made to prevent money being taken from the Future Fund other than for what it was intended.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22258944-7582,00.html**********************
VoIP
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China's VoIP Growth Outpaces Its PSTN
The volume of IP calls in China was almost 110 billion minutes up to September 2006, which is an 11.8% increase year-over-year, according to a report from ReportLinker.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201800565**********************************
ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
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au/us: Sailor guilty of net grooming
A sailor in the US Navy has pleaded guilty to using the internet to groom a 14-year-old Australian girl for sex in a police sting operation.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/20/1187462141758.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
