[APPLe list] general internet news - August 8

[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 www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, already online!


And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Search closing in on e-mail as most popular online activity: report
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9111962
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/258/report_display.asp

Daily Search Engine Usage Reaching Email Usage
http://www.circleid.com/posts/88613_daily_search_usage_reaching_email/

IOC puts Beijing Games highlights on YouTube
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/05/2325161.htm

nz: Study finds low level of Maori internet use
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/6EA74C85B0D31049CC25749A0080FE3F

Facebook: Children evade social websites' age limits
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/07/socialnetworking.facebook

Spam levels continue to rise
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2223406/spam-150bn-messages-day

150 Billion Spam Mails A Day
http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/17498/150-billion-spam-mails-a-day

us: E-Mail Hacking Case Could Redefine Online Privacy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080503421.html

au: Internet crime rife, says Keelty [AAP]
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Internet-crime-rife-says-Keelty/0,130061744,339291120,00.htm

au: Woman role-played kids in net porn
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24143379-5006784,00.html

au: Google Street View told: keep off, private
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/07/1217702214157.html

Two in three parents want junk food ads junked [AAP]
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4645475a7773.html

Conroy's filtering plan: security worries
http://www.zdnet.com.au/blogs/securifythis/soa/Conroy-s-filtering-plan-security-worries/0,139033343,339291036,00.htm


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INTERNET USE
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Search closing in on e-mail as most popular online activity: report
Almost half of all Internet users now use search engines on a typical day, according to a new study released Wednesday, that showed search engines are drawing ever closer to the all-time dominant Internet application -- e-mail.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9111962

Search Engine Use
The percentage of internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of just under one-half (49%). With this increase, the number of those using a search engine on a typical day is pulling ever closer to the 60% of internet users who use email, arguably the internet's all-time killer app, on a typical day.
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/258/report_display.asp

Daily Search Engine Usage Reaching Email Usage
Use of search engines on a daily bases has been steadily rising from about one-third in 2002 to current rate of just under 50% according to a recent report by Pew Internet & American Life Project. With this increase, the search engine use will soon be reaching that of email which is currently 60% of internet users. The study also points out that these "new figures propel search further out of the pack, well ahead of other popular internet activities, such as checking the news, which 39% of internet users do on a typical day, or checking the weather, which 30% do on a typical day."
http://www.circleid.com/posts/88613_daily_search_usage_reaching_email/

YouTube to stream Olympics, but not in the UK
YouTube will offer coverage of select Olympic events under a deal it has struck with the International Olympic Committee. As part of the deal, the video-sharing site, which is owned by Google, will stream about three hours of recorded content per day on a dedicated Olympic channel.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4463794.ece

IOC puts Beijing Games highlights on YouTube
Clips and highlights of Olympic events are to be made available on the video-sharing site YouTube, owned by Google, under an agreement with the International Olympic Committee.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/05/2325161.htm
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-34837120080805

YouTube to carry Olympic videos for some countries [IDG]
The Olympic video channel will be available in countries where exclusive broadcast or online rights to the Beijing games have not been sold
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/08/05/YouTube_to_carry_Olympic_videos_1.html

nz: Study finds low level of Maori internet use
AUT University’s Professor Allan Bell, reporting New Zealand statistics from the World Internet Project (WIP), says younger people and those identifying as Asian are the groups with the highest proportion of internet users.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/6EA74C85B0D31049CC25749A0080FE3F

N.Korea Likely to Provide Internet Service from 2009
It seems likely that North Korea will finally join the worldwide web and provide Internet service from next year.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808070011.html

Spanish speakers struggle to find web content
Users whose native tongue is not English are having a particularly hard time evaluating the credibility of websites, according to new research.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2223460/spanish-speakers-struggle-web

Report: Only half of US Netizens use a search engine daily
Believe it or not, some Internet users still don't use a search engine during the course of a typical day. That number is shrinking, however, according to new data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Almost half of all Internet users today use a search engine on an average day—a number that has increased from only a third of Internet users in 2002. The trend may seem predictable, but it also means that there's still plenty of room for Google and its competitors to grow.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080807-report-only-half-of-us-netizens-use-a-search-engine-daily.html

Firefox growth slows, IE holds steady
Mozilla's Firefox fell short of breaking the 20 per cent market share bar in July, a Web metrics firm said Tuesday, as the open-source browser's growth slowed dramatically.
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;2098632318
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9111678

Mozilla invites people to design Web's future [IDG]
Mozilla is inviting people to take part in a new conceptual series that aims to envision the future design of Web technologies, including browser and user-interface innovations, the company said Tuesday.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/080508-mozilla-invites-people-to-design.html

AOL Is Moving Closer To Jettisoning Dial-Up
AOL is finally in a position to shed the dial-up-access business that once offered tens of millions of people their first glance at the Internet.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/04/AR2008080402116.html

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Hi-tech criminals target Twitter
Micro blogging site Twitter is the latest target of cyber criminals who are increasingly finding fertile ground on social networks. A fake Twitter profile with a malicious payload has been spotted by security firm Kaspersky.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7543014.stm

Facebook: Children evade social websites' age limits
Nearly a quarter of children between the ages of eight and 12 are evading the age restrictions imposed by social networking sites Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, a poll of young people revealed last night.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/07/socialnetworking.facebook

Social network sites 'flout their own ban on underage users'
Hundreds of thousands of children aged between 8 and 12 are using Facebook, Bebo and other social networking sites in clear breach of their age-restriction policies.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4474087.ece

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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An Energy Diet for Power-Hungry Household PCs
In its drive to go green, the technology industry has so far focused mainly on big targets like corporations and especially computer data centers, the power-hungry computing engine rooms of the Internet economy. Next come the hundreds of millions of desktop and laptop personal computers in households worldwide.
http://nytimes.com/2008/08/06/technology/06green.html

BT injects life into its network
Insights from artificial life could soon be helping run BT's networks. The telecommunications firm wants to give its networks life-like abilities so they can self-regulate, recover from injury and respond to changing demands.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7547251.stm

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SPAM
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Spam levels continue to rise
Spam sent to UK internet users has nearly quadrupled since the beginning of the year, and most of it was sent from within the UK.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2223406/spam-150bn-messages-day
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2223501/spam-levels-continue-rise

Spam around 150bn messages a day
Although down in recent months, around 150bn spam messages are sent every day, according to the latest quarterly Secure Computing Internet Threats Report.
http://itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=81987

150 Billion Spam Mails A Day
A new report says that a total of 150 billion spam mails every day — and yes, penis enlargement products are still number one.
http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/17498/150-billion-spam-mails-a-day

Spammers leverage interest in Olympics [IDG]
Public interest in the Olympic Games is helping spammers, who are using text related to the games in e-mails to get users to click through to their malware and phishing Web sites, or to go to product sites, according to an executive at Symantec.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/08/07/Spammers_leverage_interest_in_Olympics_1.html
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/080708-spammers-leverage-interest-in.html

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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us: E-Mail Hacking Case Could Redefine Online Privacy
A federal appeals court in California is reviewing a lower court's definition of "interception" in the digital age, in a case that some legal experts say could weaken consumer privacy protections online.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080503421.html

U2 warn fans not to buy tickets to imaginary gigs
It's a lesson for everyone - don't purchase imaginary things. Don't try to buy dreams on eBay, live unicorns by mail order, or that Radiohead/Pet Shop Boys collaboration from some shyster in Soho. These things do not exist. Nor, we are advised, do tickets to U2 concerts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/aug/05/u2.warn.fans.fake.tickets

Rumours (Unfounded)
Just a note to correct reports that tickets are becoming available for planned U2 shows. The reports are mistaken, there are no tour dates for the band at the moment - so please don't buy tickets for U2 shows you see advertised.
http://www.u2.com/news/index.php?mode=full&news_id=2245

uk: Internet chat more likely slander than libel, says High Court
Defamation on internet bulletin boards is more like slander than libel, a High Court judge has ruled. Mr Justice Eady said that bulletin board discussions are characterised by "give and take" and should be considered in that context.
http://out-law.com/page-9330

Facebook and StudiVZ battle over Germany
Facebook, the American giant in social networking, tried to buy StudiVZ in an effort to crack the German market. After it was rebuffed, it sued, claiming StudiVZ had stolen its look.
http://iht.com/articles/2008/08/07/technology/social.php

Russian Gang Hijacking PCs in Vast Scheme
A criminal gang is using software tools normally reserved for computer network administrators to infect thousands of PCs in corporate and government networks with programs that steal passwords and other information, a security researcher has found.
http://nytimes.com/2008/08/06/technology/06hack.html

Spanish hacker jailed for sending out ex-manager's private emails
A hacker has been jailed for two years in Spain for revealing hundreds of private emails written by a former colleague. The emails, which were taken from the former manager's work computer, divulged details of his sex life.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/06/hacking.email

InternetNZ ACTA submission
I am just reading the InternetNZ newsletter The Browser and I would like to bring attention to the InternetNZ ACTA submission.
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/freitasm/5556

au: Internet crime rife, says Keelty [AAP]
From Olympic ticketing scams to sophisticated operations stealing credit card details, the internet has become a place where criminals can operate undetected, according to Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Internet-crime-rife-says-Keelty/0,130061744,339291120,00.htm

au: Woman role-played kids in net porn
A SYDNEY woman was high on ice and in a "fantasy world" when she play-acted the roles of children depicted in horrific pornographic images, a judge has been told. Suzanne McDonald gave evidence in the New South Wales District Court today of how she played the role of the abused children while communicating with men on internet dating sites.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24143379-5006784,00.html

Ice, child porn and role play: tears in court
A 40-year-old travel agent has broken down in a Sydney court as she acknowledged the devastating effect caused by her possession and distribution of child pornography. Suzanne McDonald, of Surry Hills in inner Sydney, was giving evidence in the NSW District Court at her sentencing hearing.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/07/1217702229338.html

Woman downloaded porn to role-play with men, court told
A Sydney court has heard a 40-year-old woman downloaded pornographic images of children because she was role-playing with men she met on the internet.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/07/2327982.htm

Woman Sentenced for Web Site With 'obscene' Stories [IDG]
A Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to five years of probation, including six months of home detention, and forfeiture of her computer after pleading guilty Thursday to obscenity charges for running a Web site that featured text stories that were sexual and violent in nature.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/149547/woman_sentenced_for_web_site_with_obscene_stories.html

Geheimniskrämerei um Anti-Piraterie-Abkommen
Auch nach der zweiten Verhandlungsrunde zum geplanten internationalen Anti-Piraterie-Abkommen (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ACTA) legen die verhandelnden Regierungen keine Details offen. ... Die neuseeländische Registry InternetNZ schrieb in einer Stellungnahme, konkrete Anmerkungen zu ACTA seien aufgrund der fehlenden Informationen kaum möglich. Von Seiten der IT-Wirtschaft gibt es Kritik, dass Rechteinhaber besser informiert worden seien als etwa die betroffene IT-Branche.
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/Geheimniskraemerei-um-Anti-Piraterie-Abkommen--/meldung/113843

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PRIVACY
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au: Google Street View told: keep off, private
Privacy activists and individuals have accused Google of deceiving the public by breaking its promises only to photograph public roads for its Street View mapping tool and to promptly remove images flagged as inappropriate.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/08/07/1217702214157.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/07/1217702214157.html

US Lawmakers Seek Data On Targeted Online Ads-Panel Concerned About Privacy on Web
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is expanding its inquiry into potential privacy violations of online advertising that is targeted based on consumers' Web-surfing activities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/04/AR2008080402096.html

UK questioned on online ad system
The UK government has until the end of August to respond to a letter from the European Union about a controversial system which monitors web traffic. EU commissioner Viviane Reding has asked the UK government to clarify whether the Phorm system is in breach of European data laws.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7542810.stm

Consumers Should Set Online Privacy Ground Rules
Finding the right balance between privacy and convenience online is best left to individual consumers; they are more vested than anyone in protecting their personal information. More control will enable them to decide what information they want to share and how they want to share it.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Consumers-Should-Set-Online-Privacy-Ground-Rules-64077.html

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CENSORSHIP
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South Korea braced for web clampdown
The editor-in-chief of South Korea's leading citizen-journalist-based portal, OhmyNews, believes the country's new prime minister will fail with a radical plan to introduce regulation to put the brakes on the world's most wired nation - but could smother democracy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/05/digitalmedia.korea

Dick Pound slams IOC over internet censorship
Dick Pound, the former anti-doping chief, has criticised the International Olympics Committee (IOC) for allowing the Chinese authorities to censor internet sites, claiming it had done considerable damage to the organisation.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4463311.ece

Chaos aims to crack China's wall
It was John Gilmore, founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who said that the internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. For years, the Chinese authorities have done their best to prove him wrong. Now, with the Beijing Olympics upon us, a group of hackers has launched an attempt to stamp out censorship there - and they want your help to do it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/07/censorship.hacking

German hackers poke hole in great firewall of China
German hackers have constructed a route around the great firewall of China. The Chaos Computer Club said its technology will help athletes and journalists travelling to Beijing for the Olympic Games to circumvent censorship.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/07/torbrowser_olympics/

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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Porn sites to be filtered in Sri Lanka
To protect children from internet pornography, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to immediately filter all websites containing obscene and pornography materials.
http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-6990.html

Two in three parents want junk food ads junked [AAP]
Most Australian parents oppose the use of celebrities and toys to promote junk food to children and want to see tougher advertising regulations, a survey shows.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/08/05/1217702036094.html
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4645475a7773.html
http://stuff.co.nz/4645475a19716.html
http://www.skynews.com.au/health/article.aspx?id=255797

Conroy's filtering plan: security worries
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has welcomed "improvements" in ISP filtering technologies, but will a broad-scale roll-out make ISPs a thief's favourite target?
http://www.zdnet.com.au/blogs/securifythis/soa/Conroy-s-filtering-plan-security-worries/0,139033343,339291036,00.htm

uk: ISPs must self police on content says MP's report
Internet Service Providers are being urged by an influential all-party Commons committee to set up an industry-wide body to ensure service providers maintain agreed minimum standards of child safety across the internet in the UK.
http://www.webactivemagazine.co.uk/computing/news/2223231/isps-self-police

us: Cablevision To Block Child Porn Sites - NY AG [Dow Jones]
Cablevision Systems Corp. is the latest Internet provider to reach an agreement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to block access to bulletin boards and Web sites that distribute child pornography.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200808051536DOWJONESDJONLINE000457_FORTUNE5.htm

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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UK Government proposes hybrid computer game regulation
The Government wants to standardise the way that computer games are classified in a bid to protect children from unsuitable material. Against the wishes of games trade body ELSPA, the Government wants film censors to have a role in classification.
http://out-law.com/page-9327

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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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The Yahoo! Saga-Shareholders Disgusted With Yahoo! Board
Did Yahoo! hide how angry its shareholders are at the company? After revealing late Tuesday that it had grossly downplayed the number of shareholder votes that opposed the re-election of Chief Executive Jerry Yang and other members to the board, Yahoo! has some serious explaining to do.
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/08/06/yahoo-yang-governance-tech-cx_wt_0806yahoo.html

IBM exec predicts the future of Linux, open source
With LinuxWorld showcasing the popularity of the open source operating system, and with open source in general finding its legs in the enterprise, Bob Sutor, IBM's vice president of open source and standards, made a slate of predictions for Linux and open source during his keynote address on Wednesday at the Black Hat conference.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/080708-black-hat-keynote-ibm-open-source-predictions.html

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Euro Telcos Ramp Up IPTV Subs
Telco TV services are continuing to prove popular across Western Europe, according to the latest financial reports from the region's leading incumbent carriers.
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/110/31871

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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WiFi Nearing Takeoff-Airlines Compete to Offer Web Surfing in the Skies
Wireless Internet access is about to move out of coffee shops and airport lounges and into airplanes. After years of talking about what customers wanted and waiting for new technology, Delta Air Lines said it will begin offering broadband Internet service on domestic flights as early as October. Delta is trying to outmaneuver rival JetBlue, known for outfitting planes with satellite TV, and American Airlines, which is planning to launch Internet service later this year. Other airlines, including Continental, Southwest and Virgin America, are planning tests or have them underway.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080501793.html

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ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
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au: FBI child porn sting snares Tassie man
AN international sting involving the FBI has collared a Hobart public servant collecting child pornography in what the prosecution described as the worst case in Tasmania.
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24141190-3462,00.html


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(c) David Goldstein 2008



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