general internet news - January 22

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

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Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/

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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!


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OECD: High-speed broadband is changing people’s use of the Internet
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/44/11/39869349.pdf

Americans spend more time online, have positive view of the Net
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9057701

Despite The Internet, Google Generation Lacks Analytical Skills
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205901358

uk: One pound in six was spent online last year
http://out-law.com/page-8811

China's Internet population tops 200 million [IDG]
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/18/China-Net-population-tops-200-million_1.html

Academia holds social study on social networking
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080120/BUSINESS/439775054

nz: The dangers of Facebook
http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/ScienceTechnologyNews/Story/tabid/412/articleID/43846/cat/73/Default.aspx

nz: Is Facebook evil? I don't think so
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10487977

Study children and cell phones, experts advise [Reuters]
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6226723.html

Mobile phone radiation wrecks your sleep
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article3353768.ece

Facebook faces privacy questions in UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7196803.stm

uk: 'Parents don’t understand risks posed by internet'
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3207399.ece

uk: Mobile firms face tough rules on internet access for children
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article3221526.ece

au: New laws cover red-light content in red tape
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/New-laws-cover-red-light-content-in-red-tape/0,130061791,339285183,00.htm

eu: Reding distances herself from Sarkozy proposal to tax the Net
http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/21/technology/reding.php

UK government targets extremist websites
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2242273,00.html

UK Government continues to pressure ISPs for Internet filtering
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number6.1/uk-isp-filtering

Google Spreads Its Wealth to World-Improving Projects
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Google-Spreads-Its-Wealth-to-World-Improving-Projects-61256.html

FBI rings warnings over VoIP phishing cons
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/21/fbi_vishing_warning/


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RESEARCH PAPERS
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OECD: High-speed broadband is changing people’s use of the Internet
The Internet is part of everyday life for a billion people and is driving major changes in people's lives. This study analyses the use of Internet and broadband in detail, showing that people’s socio-economic standing has a direct bearing on how they use the Web.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/44/11/39869349.pdf

OECD: Economic and social impacts of ICT: what do official statistics tell us?
Policy makers everywhere want to know about the social and economic impacts of ICT. This paper examines what official statistics tell us about these impacts and suggests areas for future work.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/25/39869939.pdf

OECD: Changing television markets
By changing the distribution model for video content, television delivered over Internet Protocol (IPTV) is increasing pressure for a review of broadcast regulatory frameworks so as not to stifle innovation and the diffusion of new services. This paper examines current market trends and regulation for IPTV and also provides information on developments in the provision of IPTV service in a number of OECD countries.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/11/23/39869088.pdf

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INTERNET USE
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Americans spend more time online, have positive view of the Net
Americans are spending more time online than ever before and many view the Internet as a more important source of information than TV, radio and newspapers, according to a new survey released today. Last year, Internet users in the U.S. spent an average of 15.3 hours per week online, up more than one hour per week since 2006, according to the survey (pdf format) by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future. That was the highest level in the survey's seven-year history. Each year, The Digital Future Project surveys more than 2,000 people in the same U.S. households to find out how online technology affects users and nonusers.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9057701
http://www.digitalcenter.org/pdf/2008-Digital-Future-Report-Final-Release.pdf

Despite The Internet, Google Generation Lacks Analytical Skills
While the so-called "Google Generation" grew up with the Internet, having a sizable chunk of the world's information at their fingertips has failed to make them better thinkers, according to a university study. Young people born after 1993 are certainly familiar with computers and the Web and use both with ease, but a study conducted by the University College London found that they lacked the critical and analytical skills necessary to assess the information they found mostly through search engines.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205901358

uk: One pound in six was spent online last year
One in six pounds spent shopping last year was spent on the internet. Online retail sales in 2007 were over 50% higher than in 2006, according to data from UK trade body the Interactive Media in Retail Group.
http://out-law.com/page-8811

Christmas online sales 'rise 50%'
UK online sales rose by more than 50% in the three months to Christmas, according to an industry survey.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7193714.stm

Thumbs Race as Japan’s Best Sellers Go Cellular
Until recently, cellphone novels — composed on phone keypads by young women wielding dexterous thumbs and read by fans on their tiny screens — had been dismissed in Japan as a subgenre unworthy of the country that gave the world its first novel, “The Tale of Genji,” a millennium ago. Then last month, the year-end best-seller tally showed that cellphone novels, republished in book form, have not only infiltrated the mainstream but have come to dominate it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/world/asia/20japan.html

Child’s Play, From Clicks to Downloads
To all those traditional developmental stages in a child’s life, like learning to walk, talk and read, we can now add technological milestones like using a mouse, downloading music and surfing the Internet. This becomes clear from a new report by the NPD Group, a market research firm, that measures the amount of digital content that children consume for their entertainment each month. The ages covered are 2 to 14. These days, somewhere between talking and reading, many tiny toddlers are hoisting themselves up to a screen and making their first fumbling moves toward technological mastery.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/business/20count.html

YouTube Sucking In More Viewers
Online videos are becoming the primary form of media entertainment for many people. Web surfers spent about an hour more per month watching videos in November compared with January, according to the latest comScore Video Metrix. Specifically, they watched an average of 3.25 hours, or 195 minutes, of online video during the month, representing a 29 percent gain from 2.52 hours, or 151 minutes, watched in January 2007.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/YouTube-Sucking-In-More-Viewers-61287.html

Google Gains Video Viewing Market Share
Google's investments in YouTube and its own video search software are paying page view dividends. The search engine has gained more than 2 market share percentage points in online video watching, according to ComScore's latest compilation of monthly video watching. Google's online video market share grew to 31.3% from October to November.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205901461

New York Times Bits Debate: Responding to Readers on Filtering
We’ve covered a lot of ground so far in our debate this week on copyright, piracy and digital filtering. Our debaters, Tim Wu, of Columbia Law School, and Rick Cotton, the general counsel of NBC Universal, have had a lot to say. What is amazing to me is how many very thoughtful comments we have gotten to the posts from all over the world. So rather than throw out an entirely new topic for the debate today, I’ve culled some of the more interesting ideas and questions that have been raised to throw back at the panelists to help clarify and sharpen the arguments. Because they are coming from such different places, I’ve asked different questions to each. Today’s batch relates to the topic of filtering of content by Internet service providers. I’ll do the same thing tomorrow related to the fair use discussion.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/bits-debate-responding-to-readers-on-filtering/index.html

210 million Internet users in China
The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the "21st Report of China Internet Development" on January 17th in Beijing. By December 31, 2007, the total number of Internet users in China reached 210 million (only 5 million less than the United States); ranked second in the world; and the number is expected to become the world's largest in early 2008.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90877/6341926.html

China's Internet population tops 200 million [IDG]
The number of Internet users in China soared past 200 million in 2007, a new report from the country's quasi-government Internet overseer said Thursday.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/18/China-Net-population-tops-200-million_1.html

Number of Chinese internet users now 210 million, could overtake US this year [AP]
China's online population has soared to 210 million people and could surpass the United States this year to become the world's biggest, the government said Friday. The figure reported by the official China Internet Network Information Center was a 53 percent jump from 137 million Chinese Internet users reported at this time last year.
http://news.theage.com.au/china-says-number-of-internet-users-rises-to-210-million-could-overtake-us-this-year/20080118-1mru.html
http://news.smh.com.au/china-says-number-of-internet-users-rises-to-210-million-could-overtake-us-this-year/20080118-1mru.html

China flags crackdown on 'undesirable' online games [Reuters]
China said it would issue new rules cracking down on "undesirable" elements of online games amid fears of growing Internet addiction as the number of players soar, state media reported on Thursday.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6226599.html

Online news causes teenage angst
Do young people read news on the net? According to a US survey, they do. But it's the way they go about it that we need to take on board. Here is a key quote from one of the study's authors: "We found teens are unlikely to follow serious news online, but that they will click on news stories that appeal to them when they find them on other sites... Teen after teen told researchers that they'll view news stories 'if something catches my eye.'"
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/greenslade/2008/01/online_news_causes_teenage_ang.html

Are newspapers a cleaner read online?
A provocative subject for someone who earns their crust in this particular sector. Tree-death in the guise of the dissemination of information (even the eco variety) doesn't get good press these days, whereas the internet gets much praise for being an ecologically virtuous alternative. This is a shame, because it's not altogether true. According to the recent report 'An Inefficient Truth' (incidentally, can we move on from this eco pun now?) by Global Action Plan, the UK's IT carbon footprint is similar to the aviation industry's.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,2242291,00.html

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Why brothers' Facebook homage to Scrabble spells L-A-W-S-U-I-T
It is Facebook's most popular game, giving 2.4 million Scrabble addicts worldwide a way to get their fix online. But the web addiction that is Scrabulous may be shut down after the makers of the board game claimed the electronic version was a breach of copyright. ... Experts say the real risk to Scrabulous is legal, not electronic. Hasbro last year sold the rights to publish Scrabble online to another company, Electronic Arts. The game has been one of the biggest money-spinners in toy history: 100m sets have been sold since its debut in the 1950s.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/17/internet.facebook.scrabulous

Fans fight for Scrabulous future
The threat to the hugely popular Scrabulous game has galvanised Facebook members into mounting a vigorous defence campaign. In little more than a day more than 13,000 people have signed up to a Save Scrabulous group on Facebook.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7193416.stm

Scrabulous rankles Scrabble's creators [AP]
The companies that make Scrabble are trying to shut down Scrabulous, an online version of the game that is one of the most popular applications on the social networking site Facebook.
http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/17/business/scrabble.php

Academia holds social study on social networking
First to Facebook were the teens. Then came the money, the market researchers and the media. And now come ... the academics. In the last six months, Rochester Institute of Technology scored $150,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop courses in computer-based social networking, Cornell got $2 million for research, and the University of Michigan added a "social computing" concentration to its School of Information. You can now major in MySpace, sort of.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080120/BUSINESS/439775054

nz: The dangers of Facebook
An alarming number of New Zealanders are putting themselves at risk of identity theft. Facebook is the gateway to the world - but you enter at your own risk.
http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/ScienceTechnologyNews/Story/tabid/412/articleID/43846/cat/73/Default.aspx

nz: Is Facebook evil? I don't think so
The Sunday Star Times really went to town on social networking website Facebook.com yesterday in an alarmist spread of stories that labelled the website "evil" and "part of a project by a small group of backers to spread their ideas of free-rule, borderless capitalism and extreme liberalism".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10487977

Unclear if latest YouTube craze has deep sociological meaning
I can't tell if I'm early or late to the MRirian craze. By the time I discovered the YouTube starlet -- yesterday afternoon, when she was flagged by Choire Sicha, who's heading up Kottke.org for a spell -- the video below, one of a few dozen she's posted during the last couple years, had already been seen about half a million times.
http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/01/18/youtube_meme/

From MySpace to YourSpace: MySpace's evolution under Murdoch
Two years ago, Chris DeWolfe, the co-founder and chief executive of MySpace, was talking about international expansion with Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corporation bought the social networking site in 2005. According to Mr. DeWolfe, an entrepreneur used to moving at Internet velocity, he suggested that MySpace could expand to “four or five” countries in the next year. “What about 13?” Mr. Murdoch said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/technology/21myspace.html

MySpace Bug Leaks 'Private' Teen Photos to Voyeurs
A backdoor in MySpace's architecture allows anyone who's interested to see the photographs of some users with private profiles -- including those under 16 -- despite assurances from MySpace that those pictures can only be seen by people on a user's friends list. Info about the backdoor has been circulating on message boards for months.
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/01/myspace

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Study children and cell phones, experts advise [Reuters]
Researchers should study more children and pregnant women in trying to figure out if cell phones or other wireless devices could damage health, the U.S. National Research Council advised on Thursday.
http://www.news.com/2100-1039_3-6226723.html
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6226723.html

Mobile phone radiation wrecks your sleep
Radiation from mobile phones delays and reduces sleep, and causes headaches and confusion, according to a new study. The research, sponsored by the mobile phone companies themselves, shows that using the handsets before bed causes people to take longer to reach the deeper stages of sleep and to spend less time in them, interfering with the body's ability to repair damage suffered during the day.
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article3353768.ece

Mobiles linked to disturbed sleep
Using a mobile phone before going to bed could stop you getting a decent night's sleep, research suggests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7199659.stm

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
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ng: How Mobile Phones Can Transform Emerging Economies
If I had told you ten years ago that by the end of 2007 there would be an international network of wirelessly-connected computers throughout the developing world, you might well have said it wasn't possible. ... Along with the internet, with which it is rapidly merging, this is the most astonishing technology story of our time, and one that has the power to revolutionise access to information across the developing world.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4841&Itemid=0
http://allafrica.com/stories/200801210807.html

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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China asks help over Internet piracy
China said Thursday it faced "very big difficulties" coping with rampant piracy on the Internet and called for international help to make an ongoing crackdown more effective.
http://news.smh.com.au/china-asks-help-over-internet-piracy/20080117-1mkz.html
http://news.theage.com.au/china-asks-help-over-internet-piracy/20080117-1mkz.html

Britain, a destination for "libel tourism"
You're an investment bank in Iceland with a complaint about a tabloid newspaper in Denmark that published critical articles in Danish. Whom do you call? A pricey London libel lawyer. That is called libel tourism by lawyers in the media trade. And Britain remains a comfortable destination for the rich in search of friendly courts, which have already weighed complaints from people who consider themselves unfairly tarred with labels like tax dodger, terrorist financier or murky Qaeda operative.
http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/20/business/libel21.php

More Charges in MySpace Cyber Stalking Case
More charges have been filed in the case of a convicted hacker under federal supervision who allegedly hijacked an internet celebrity's MySpace account and demanded nude photos and "phone sex" for its return.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/more-charges-in.html

nz: Huntly arrest a warning to net daters
Netsafe says the arrest of a Huntly man is a timely reminder for women to take precautions when meeting men on internet dating sites.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411419/1546175

China says struggling to control online piracy [Reuters]
China is struggling to contain a surge in online piracy, specifically cases involving the illegal downloading of movies, music and books, and needs tougher punishments, a senior official said on Thursday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKPEK3665020080117

FBI warns of rise in phone-based 'vishing' attacks [IDG]
With consumers finally getting wise to phishing attacks, scammers are hitting the phones. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center warned Thursday that so-called "vishing" attacks are on the rise. These are scams where criminals send an e-mail or text message to a victim, saying there has been a security problem and the victim needs to call his or her bank to reactivate a credit or debit card.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9057918
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/18/FBI-warns-of-rise-in-phone-based-vishing-attacks_1.html

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PRIVACY
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Google spars with European lawmakers over privacy [Reuters]
Google attacked European parliamentarians and privacy advocates on Monday for trying to have competition authorities consider the handling of personal information in its $3.1 billion takeover of rival DoubleClick.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL215785220080121
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6227031.html
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=55&objectid=10488104

Privacy Debate Runs Hot in Germany
Ten years ago, Germany introduced a highly controversial eavesdropping law, which was later overturned by the courts. A decade later, however, advocates argue people's right to privacy is continuing to be eroded.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3063735,00.html

Facebook faces privacy questions in UK
Facebook is to be quizzed about its data protection policies by the Information Commissioner's Office. The investigation follows a complaint by a user of the social network who was unable to fully delete their profile even after terminating their account.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7196803.stm

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CENSORSHIP
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us: Should AT&T police the Internet?
A decade after the government said that AT&T and other service providers don't have to police their networks for pirated content, the telecommunications giant is voluntarily looking for ways to play traffic cop.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6226523.html
http://www.news.com/2100-1034_3-6226523.html

China flags crackdown on "undesirable" online games [Reuters]
China said it would issue new rules cracking down on "undesirable" elements of online games amid fears of growing Internet addiction as the number of players soars, state media reported on Thursday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKPEK3508320080117

Chinese bloggers rise up over village killing
A wave of cyber-protest has forced Chinese authorities to act after a man was beaten to death for filming a scuffle between officials and villagers
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3211853.ece

Turkey Bans YouTube for Second Time [AP]
A Turkish court has again blocked access to the popular video-sharing Web site YouTube because of clips allegedly insulting the country's founding father, according to reports Sunday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/20/turkey-bans-youtube-for-s_n_82406.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-01-20-turkey-youtube_N.htm
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004135840_apturkeyyoutube20.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/20/ap/middleeast/main3732957.shtml

Brazil bans popular video games seen to incite violence [AFP]
Brazil this week imposed a ban on popular role-playing computer games "Counter-Strike" and "EverQuest," claiming they incited violence and were "harmful to consumers' health."
http://news.smh.com.au/brazil-bans-popular-video-games-seen-to-incite-violence/20080119-1mv7.html
http://news.theage.com.au/brazil-bans-popular-video-games-seen-to-incite-violence/20080119-1mv7.html

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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uk: 'Parents don’t understand risks posed by internet'
Children cannot be protected from risk but parents must be educated in the dangers posed by the internet, the Government’s parenting guru has said. Tanya Byron, the clinical psychologist and television personality, described details of the report that Gordon Brown asked her to conduct into the impact of violent computer games and the internet on children.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3207399.ece

uk: Mobile firms face tough rules on internet access for children
A scheme to prevent children accessing pornography, gambling and other adult services on the latest mobile phones is to be reviewed by the telecoms regulator. The inquiry has been triggered by complaints from charities about the project, which was launched at the request of the Home Office. It could lead to the voluntary code being replaced with tough new rules.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article3221526.ece

uk: Soaring number of teachers say they are 'cyberbully' victims
Soaring numbers of teachers are calling helplines for advice on how to cope after being “cyberbullied” on the internet by their pupils.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article3213130.ece

au: New laws cover red-light content in red tape
The Australian Communications and Media Authority will introduce changes to the regulation of restricted content available online and via mobile next week, despite an overwhelming negative response from the media and industry.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/New-laws-cover-red-light-content-in-red-tape/0,130061791,339285183,00.htm

Australian ISPs Oppose Filtering Legislation
ISPs in Australia have opposed an internet-filtering scheme to crack down on "objectionable material" on the internet. The Australian minister for broadband, Senator Stephen Conroy, last week asked all ISPs in Australia to filter "objectionable material" as defined by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. However, ISPs, IT managers, and civil liberties organization Electronic Frontiers Australia jointly rebutted the proposed legislation, saying it would be economically unfeasible to monitor and maintain.
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=4627C0D2-3CB3-4D10-B791-A649ADBF1BFF

Australia Restricted Access System Declaration 2007
New rules for restricting access to age restricted content (commercial MA15+ content and R18+ content) either hosted in Australia or provided from Australia will commence from 20 January 2008. The new rules made by ACMA on 20 December 2007 are specified in the Restricted Access System Declaration 2007 (PDF 38 kb, Word 127 kb), and in the Explanatory Statement to the Declaration (PDF 37 kb, Word 95 kb) and are made in accordance with the new regulation of content framework under Schedule 7 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 which also commences on 20 January 2008.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1964
http://www.net4now.com/isp_news/news_article.asp?News_ID=6308

Australian government plans to censor net content
Internet freedom may be to be under threat in Australia when the new Labour government introduces censorship guidelines to combat child pornography and violent websites.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6592.html

uk: Crackdown on schoolgirl bullying epidemic
An educational psychologist warns that bitchiness between girls can wreck lives, as the head of Cheltenham Ladies' College labels girls 'emotional dodgem cars': ... Jade suffered terribly for many months and felt that there was nowhere she could hide; not at home, not in her bedroom. Wherever she went she was bombarded with threatening text messages while internet sites such as Bebo or MSN would be filled up with nasty gossip. As the cyber-bullying swelled, girls she had once thought of as best friends were too afraid to walk alongside her at school or in the town.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2243671,00.html

Child porn case tests right against self incrimination
Can the government force you to reveal a password to unlock encrypted files on your computer that are known to contain child pornography? Or would doing so constitute a violate your Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination? That's the issue in front of a US federal district court in Vermont in what is believed to be the first case to test the issue in the U.S.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1316401982;fp;2;fpid;1
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1316401982;fp;2;fpid;1

Some of my best friends are cyberpenguins
One of the most valuable, yet bewildering, facets of parenthood is that it often makes you feel as if you have pressed an existential “fast forward” button. Everything seems to happen so quickly. Personally, I feel as if I am still learning to breathe my way through that first contraction, but no. Here I am with a four-year-old and a seven-year-old, already, and the four-year-old wants her own Frank Sinatra CD “because you godda love Frank”, and the seven-year-old wants her own e-mail address, so she can join Club Penguin.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/caitlin_moran/article3215915.ece

MySpace, States Sign Kids Online Safety Pact
MySpace Inc. and 49 state attorneys general last week culminated two years of discussions by agreeing to a new set of principles aimed at stepping up online safety on MySpace and other social networking sites.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=311249

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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eu: Reding distances herself from Sarkozy proposal to tax the Net
The European Union telecommunications commissioner, Viviane Reding, distanced herself Monday from a proposal by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to impose a tax on Internet and mobile phone access, saying it might not be the best way to expand access to new media.
http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/21/technology/reding.php

All of Singapore just a eclick away
As part of iGov2010 master plan the government is rolling out several E-initiatives to make the city state, as the most connected and the competent E-governed state. 8 December 2007 witnessed the launch of a mobile service that provides business users and citizens a convenient access to contact information of government agencies. The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) have jointly launched the service. The Singapore Government Directory Interactive (SGDI) mobile service is designed such that the information can be accessed via SMS. This is aimed to serve people constantly on the move who need information quickly.
http://www.ciol.com/EC/News-Reports/All-of-Singapore-just-a-eclick-away/21108102932/0/

UK communications act timetable revised
The culture secretary, James Purnell, has confirmed that he is likely to bring forward legislation to deal with rapid pace of change in the communications industry. Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention, Purnell said that with the advent of his new convergence thinktank, plus Ofcom's second review of public service broadcasting, the timetable for a new communications act will probably change.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/18/television.channel4

UK government targets extremist websites
The government will target extremist websites that "groom" terrorists, the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, said today, as part of the government's strategy of tackling radical groups. In her first major speech on terrorism, Smith said there was a consensus on the need to gather information about terrorist suspects; to protect Britain's borders and infrastructure; to prepare for terrorist incidents; and to prevent radicalisation.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2242273,00.html

UK home secretary targets internet extremism
The home secretary has outlined plans to target websites promoting extremism, as part of efforts to stop people being drawn towards radical groups. Jacqui Smith said she wanted to use technology to stop "vulnerable people" being "groomed for violent extremism". "Because something is difficult, that is no reason not to have a go at it," she added. "The internet can't be a no-go area for government."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7193049.stm

How online extremists evade capture
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3204806.ece

uk: Ways sought to combat militants on Web [Reuters]
The government wants the Internet industry to help combat militant Islamism on the Web in the same way it cooperates in fighting sex crime against children, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said on Thursday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL1770926220080117

UK Government continues to pressure ISPs for Internet filtering
On 8 January 2008, at the launching of the government consultation on new copyright exceptions, Lord Triesman, the UK minister for intellectual property, threatened the ISPs with the introduction of new legislation to force them to block illegal filesharing in case they cannot find a voluntary agreement together with the music and film industries by the end of summer.
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number6.1/uk-isp-filtering

uk: BBC is told it may have to share licence fee with other channels
The BBC could be forced to share the licence fee with rival broadcasters after the Government signalled that the corporation’s exclusive right to public funding would come to an end. James Purnell, the Culture Secretary, suggested that the £3.4 billion licence fee could be carved up in future between the BBC and commercial broadcasters committed to making quality, public-service programmes.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article3204551.ece

uk: Minister mulls sharing of BBC licence fee
James Purnell, the culture secretary, raised for the first time on Thursday the prospect of the BBC sharing its licence fee with other broadcasters and even internet content providers. Outlining possible findings of his department’s review of public service broadcast funding, which will form the basis of a new Communications Act in 2011, he said it would have to confront the “huge elephant in the room”, the question of BBC funding.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c579bedc-c54f-11dc-811a-0000779fd2ac.html

Indian government set to tighten Cyber laws [UNI]
The Indian government said it will accomodate as many recommendations given by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology as possible to to deal with data crime, transmission of pictures and other kinds of cyber crime. "The department will accommodate most of the recommendations made by the Standing Committee. The IT law will be strengthened to deal with data crime, transmission of pictures and other kinds of cyber crime," Minister of State for Telecommunications Shakeel Ahmed told reporters while inaugurating Electronics and Information Technology Exposition (ELITEX) 2008 here.
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG5_sub.asp?ccode=ENG5&newscode=12787

EU readying next round of phone charge battles
Last May, lawmakers passed the European Union's first price controls on mobile phone calling charges, sharply reducing the roaming fees Europeans have to pay when traveling within the 27-country bloc. Now lawmakers in Brussels have begun work on a new set of proposals to regulate the European telecommunications industry, with controls on two other prices - the wholesale fees carriers charge one another and the retail mobile data charges - possible this year.
http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/20/technology/mobile21.php

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FILE SHARING
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au: Internet cafes clean out after raid
A raid by the Australian Federal Police on an internet cafe in the Sydney CBD, which allegedly offered large volumes of pirated music and movies for sale, has forced competing cafes to clean up their act swiftly.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/01/17/1200419959751.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/01/17/1200419959751.html

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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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Google Spreads Its Wealth to World-Improving Projects
Putting its money where its mouth is -- and where its corporate parent's future may lie as well -- Google's charitable arm, Google.org, on Thursday announced $25 million worth of new grants across what it now says are the five core areas that it will focus on going forward. Google.org will concentrate its monetary giving and related work on the five areas, including three new focuses: the prediction and prevention of catastrophic events; using information to improve public services around the world; and fostering the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Google-Spreads-Its-Wealth-to-World-Improving-Projects-61256.html

Google.org Opens Its Wallet--A Little
Google.org, Google's philanthropic venture, has started stating its ambitions and placing some of its $2 billion in funding. In keeping with the search giant's style, the initial investments are low and the ambitions are global. Google.org's five "core initiatives" over the next five to 10 years include identifying infectious diseases and droughts early in their spread; getting information on essential public services to poor populations in developing nations; promoting growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the developing world.
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/01/17/google-philanthropy-disease-tech-cz_qh_0117googorg.html

Q&A: A 'Do-Googler' Takes Aim At Big Problems
Google does not fancy itself a typical company, so no surprise that its $2 billion philanthropic arm, Google.org, a corporation that makes grants and for-profit investments, aims to be different. Like Google, it thinks big. Its aims include solving climate change with electric power generation at prices cheaper than coal; ending global poverty by fostering small businesses and raising awareness of social services; and eradicating new diseases with better information sharing and search. Sheryl Sandberg, Google's vice president of online sales and operations, and a founding Google.org board member, spoke with Forbes' Silicon Valley bureau chief Quentin Hardy about what Google.org hopes to do.
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/01/17/google-philanthropy-sandberg-tech-cz-qh_0117googqa.html

Google starts living up to a pledge
Google said Thursday that it had come up with a plan that began to fulfill the pledge it made to investors when it went public nearly four years ago to reserve 1 percent of its profit and equity to "make the world a better place."
http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/17/business/google.php

Doing philanthropy the Google way
Even in philanthropy, Google follows its own rules. With its funding of renewable energy and early warning systems for drought and infectious diseases, Google.org is innovating and disrupting the world of corporate philanthropy just like Google did by turning online ads into big business, pushing desktop data into the Internet cloud, and jumping into the mobile and wireless spectrum industries.
http://www.news.com/2100-1030_3-6226728.html
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6226728.html

Nation of hoarders: 30 million PCs rot in Australia
In 2008, seven million PCs will be available for recycling. Of those, just 500,000 will be recycled, 1.6 million will be sent to landfill, and the remaining 5.4 million PCs will collect dust in garages. ZDNet Australia asks why Australians treat old PCs like last night's leftovers by covering, storing and deferring the purge until the item's value flatlines.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/hardware/soa/Nation-of-hoarders-30-million-PCs-rot-in-Australia/0,130061702,339284960,00.htm

uk: Schools sign up for software to tackle internet plagiarism
More than 100 schools and colleges have turned to the computer software universities use to combat plagiarism because of growing alarm at sixth-form pupils cheating in their coursework.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/1419education/story/0,,2243323,00.html

What Bugs Apple Fans
It was a moment that showed the two sides of Steve Jobs. It was the mid-1990s, before Jobs' triumphant return to the company he founded. Newton Munson rode in an elevator with Jobs and two of his employees at NeXT, the computer company Jobs founded after leaving Apple. Jobs was telling the pair off. Loudly. Munson was going to speak up, but then he thought better of it. The feisty Jobs was giving their work his full attention, Munson realized. "That probably was a wonderful day for them," says Munson, now director of information technology and networking services at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and one of thousands of Apple fans who gathered this week at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco.
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/01/18/jobs-apple-passion-tech-personal-cx_bc_0118jobs.html

Are you suffering from password pressure?
Few things make you feel more helpless than sitting blank-faced at a screen, looking at a flashing cursor and a message saying "PASSWORD INCORRECT" in a disapproving tone. But that was the one for your bank, wasn't it? Or was it? And if it was, then what's your eBay one, again?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/17/security.banks

Yahoo! seeks an end to multiple logins
The curse of needing a separate login and password for different websites may soon be a thing of the past. Yahoo! has announced that it will put its weight behind a system that allows users to have a single sign-on for any website which requires registration.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3206110.ece

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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au: Telstra's CDMA cut-off gets Ministerial reprieve
The CDMA cut-off date has been pushed back several months after the Federal Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, said on Friday that he was not convinced as yet of the "equivalence" between Telstra's Next G and older CDMA network.
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;395879005
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;395879005;fp;2;fpid;1
http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;395879005;fp;4194304;fpid;1
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/news/0AD14940D9F350C0CC2573D700034B1F

nz: Telecom's broadband plan under scrutiny
Telecom's plan to increase broadband speeds by shortening the copper loops connecting homes to the internet has come under further scrutiny in a report released by internetNZ.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=93&objectid=10488036

Meeting to establish global standards for IPTV industry
More than 1,200 IPTV-oriented companies have met in Seoul, Korea to work on the next phase of efforts to establish global standards for the IPTV industry. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) anticipates that a consensus on standards will increase simplification and integration for IPTV manufacturers, service providers and customers.
http://www.iptv-watch.co.uk/18012008-meeting-to-establish-global-standards-for-iptv-industry.html

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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us: FCC Resumes Testing of Internet Devices [AP]
Federal regulators said they will try again to test prototypes on Jan. 24 for transmitting high-speed Internet service over unused television airwaves.
http://news.smh.com.au/fcc-resumes-testing-of-internet-devices/20070809-saa.html
http://news.theage.com.au/fcc-resumes-testing-of-internet-devices/20070809-saa.html

Are Cell Phone Health Issues Really Settled? [Reuters]
Researchers should study more children and pregnant women in trying to figure out if cell phones or other wireless devices could damage health, the U.S. National Research Council has advised.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141507-c,cellphones/article.html

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VoIP
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2008 - the year VoIP gets hacked?
With VoIP rapidly becoming a commodity feature in everything from TV set-top boxes to barcode scanners, Sipera's VIPER Lab predicts that 2008 will be the year it all goes pear-shaped - a prediction borne out by Cisco's first security fix of the year.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/17/voip_security_2008/

FBI rings warnings over VoIP phishing cons
Fraudsters are turning to VoIP systems to craft more convincing phishing attacks. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Centre (IC3) warned last week of an "alarming" rise in the volume of so-called vishing attacks targeting US financial institutions and consumers.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/21/fbi_vishing_warning/

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ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
**********************************
au: Man arrest over child pornography
Detectives from the Cyber Predator Team have charged a 29-year-old man with possessing child pornography.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/080118/21/15kdt.html

au: South West man charged after child porn find
A 29-year-old man from WA’s South West has been charged after a sting involving WA cyber predator detectives and Australian Federal Police agents.
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=146&ContentID=55040

au: Prosecutor caught with child porn walks out of jail
The disgraced former NSW deputy Crown prosecutor Patrick Power walked to freedom yesterday after six months of isolation in Long Bay jail and publicly apologised for indulging in child pornography.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/01/18/1200620210414.html

au: Child porn prosecutor freed from jail [AAP]
DISGRACED former NSW crown prosecutor Patrick Power apologised today when he was released from a Sydney jail after serving six months for possessing child pornography.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23070984-911,00.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/18/2141385.htm
http://au.news.yahoo.com/080118/21/15k9b.html

au: Backpacker refused bail over child porn [AAP]
A German backpacker who allegedly entered Australia carrying hundreds of child pornography images on his computer hard drive has been refused bail.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/080121/2/15l1m.html
http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=452984

au: Man charged with using internet to lure NZ girl
A 43-year-old Canberra man has been arrested for internet offences involving a 14-year-old girl in New Zealand.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/22/2143501.htm

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(c) David Goldstein 2008

 
--------- 
David Goldstein
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           AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au
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"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





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