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[APPLe list] general internet news - 26 January
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Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/
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Websites 'must be saved for history'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jan/25/preserving-digital-archive
Google's GDrive 'will make the PC redundant'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/google/4337830/Googles-GDrive-will-make-the-PC-redundant.html
Internet users worldwide surpass 1 billion in December
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10149534-93.html
Global Internet Audience Surpasses 1 billion Visitors, According to comScore [news release]
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=2696
Behind Google's Glowing Earnings
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090122_568291.htm
Pope launches Vatican on YouTube
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7846446.stm
Cybercrooks Target Social Networks [MIS Asia]
http://mis-asia.com/news/articles/social-networking-sites-a-hotbed-for-cyber-crime
UK Twitter traffic up 974 per cent in a year
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/twitter/4307715/Twitter-traffic-up-974-per-cent-in-a-year.html
Why Britain is suddenly all a-twitter
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/why-britain-is-suddenly-all-atwitter-1513423.html
Flexible display screens: Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12971020
Challenging Assumptions About Online Predators
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012400182.html
UK music pirates will not be disconnected from the internet
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5586761.ece
Is music's future on the Isle of Man?
http://iht.com/articles/2009/01/23/business/isle26.1-414052.php
Obama’s New ‘BlackBerry’ May Run Windows
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/obama-may-carry-top-secret-pda/
564 million 3G subscribers in Asia Pacific by 2013: Frost & Sullivan
http://mis-asia.com/news/articles/564-million-3g-subscribers-in-asia-pacific-by-2013-frost-_and_-sullivan
Mobile phone market to shrink in 2009
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE50M1N820090123
Mystery virus hits 15 million PCs around the world
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/mystery-virus-hits-15-million-pcs-around-the-world-1515314.html
Google ready to pursue its agenda in Washington
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-google24-2009jan24,0,5572738.story
Ignorance no excuse over new NZ copyright law
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4827443a13.html
Obama Administration Outlines Cyber Security Strategy
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/01/obama_administration_outlines.html
White House Technology Agenda
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/technology/
Obama Plan Says Cyber Infrastructure Is 'strategic' [IDG]
http://www.pcworld.com/article/158199/.html
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RESEARCH PAPERS
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The influence of market development and policies on telecommunication investment
Players in communication markets are no longer the traditional alternative operators providing voice services, but a range of service providers including Internet Service Providers and cable television service providers who provide VoIP services and broadband access. This paper assembles some evidence on developments in investment by incumbent and alternative telecommunications operators during the period 2000-2005.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/34/36/42037713.pdf
Internet Law in a Nutshell by Michael L. Rustad [Suffolk University Law School Research Paper]
Abstract: This clear, handily organized primer is ideally suited for law students or lawyers who need a brief exposition of the core cases and statutes shaping Internet law, technologies, and policies. The book begins with a clear review of the history, technology, and competing theories of the Internet that enables a deeper understanding of case law and statutory developments discussed in the substantive chapters. The book covers a broad array of Internet law topics including the history of the Internet to the rapidly evolving Web 3.0, competing theories of Internet governance, cyber jurisdiction and enforcement of judgments, choice and conflicts of law, cybertorts, online contracting and licensing, the protection of online intellectual property assets, the protection of online privacy, criminal liability for Internet activity, and European Community Directives such as the E-Commerce Directive, Brussels Regulation, and Rome I Regulation. This nutshell
is the first student outline, study guide, or brief exposition of the law of the Internet. The emphasis on topics such as licensing and e-commerce transactions makes it an indispensable legal resource for anyone who works online, including high-tech and e-commerce companies, old economy businesses with websites, Internet developers, software programmers, graphic artists and individuals with websites. The Preface, Outline, and Chapter One are available to download here.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1329092
Statement by European Academics on the Inappropriateness of Imposing Increased Internet Regulation in the EU by Martin E. Cave, Nico Van Eijk, Luigi Prosperetti, Richard Collins, Alexandre De Streel, Pierre Larouche & Tommaso M. Valletti
Abstract: The European institutions are currently debating the desirability of imposing restrictions on the way in which internet service providers (ISPs) in the EU can manage their networks and develop their offerings, under the broad heading of 'network neutrality'.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1329926
Playing Hide and Seek: How to Protect Virtual Pornographers and Actual Children on the Internet by Audrey Rogers [Villanova Law Review]
Abstract: This Article considers the Supreme Court's suggestion that creating a market for virtual pornography is not only innocuous to actual children, but could actually protect them, and recommends a mechanism to regulate the virtual pornography market in a manner that balances the rights of virtual pornographers with the prosecution of actual child pornographers. Part II traces the events leading up to the Free Speech decision, commencing with the enactment of the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 (CPPA). Part III discusses the Free Speech opinion and the post-Free Speech cases. Part IV examines the PROTECT Acts -- the legislative response to the Supreme Court's decision. Part V concludes that regulation of the virtual pornography industry is the most effective method of protecting children and free speech rights. Building upon existing statutory record-keeping provisions and adapting them to virtual pornography can best accomplish such
regulation.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1330590
Protecting Children on the Internet: Mission Impossible? by Audrey Rogers
Abstract: Congress's latest effort to protect children from on-line predators banned the pandering or soliciting of child pornography regardless of whether the images were actual or virtual. My paper discusses last term's Supreme Court decision in United States v. Williams that upheld the prohibition and ruled that an offer to engage in illegal activity is unprotected speech. I place Williams within the larger context of the classic impossibility defense that differentiates between factually and legally frustrated attempts, and show how the majority and dissenting opinions fall into these two camps. I propose that the revival of the impossibility debate sparked by Internet cases is misguided and that, in fact, the Internet provides the best reason for rejecting impossibility as a bar to prosecuting predators.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1330628
Child Pornography's Forgotten Victims by Audrey Rogers [Pace Law Review]
Abstract: The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that possession of child pornography is not a victimless crime. It will illustrate the problem and explain the harm suffered by its victims. It will then trace factors that may have contributed to the perception that possession of child pornography is a victimless offense. The first factor is the dual nature of the child pornography laws that addresses both actual and future harm. When this duality is applied to possessors, their link to actual harm appears attenuated because the possessor is not involved in the acts of sexual abuse inherent in producing the images. The second factor is that a number of scholars have criticized generally possession offenses as a tool for preemptive prosecutions, but they have not exempted child pornography from their condemnation. Finally, technology itself is a cause. The growth of the Internet and the ability to find images from the comfort of one's home further
weakens the connection between the victim and the viewer; this distance is exacerbated by a general sense that nothing is real in cyberspace.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1331126
Internet Safety Technical Task Force Report by Danah Boyd
A year ago, I teamed up with John Palfrey and Dena Sacco to co-direct the Internet Safety Technical Task Force. I came to this project with the strong conviction that policy concerning children's safety should be grounded in data. In other words, rather than focus on what might be, it would behoove us to take a look at what is and propose solutions to address known problems in ways that align with the logic and social conditions in which kids live. For years, I had been watching policy unfold that would do nothing to help the hurting kids that I met. I was frustrated and wanted to make a difference.
http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2009/01/20/internet_safety.html
Youth perspective essential
I've been reading social media scholar danah boyd's PhD dissertation, "Taken Out of Context: American Teen Sociality in Networked Publics," the result of her 2.5-year enthnograpic study of how teens use social-network sites. The study is unique in a couple of ways: she was like an embedded reporter, not a data cruncher, and she approached her fieldwork very differently than most adults - "with the belief that the practices of teenagers must be understood on their own terms."
http://netfamilynews.org/2009/01/youth-perspective-essential.html
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INTERNET USE
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Websites 'must be saved for history'
Historians face a "black hole" of lost material unless urgent action is taken to preserve websites and other digital records, the head of the British Library has warned.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jan/25/preserving-digital-archive
We're in danger of losing our memories
We have to make sure digital doesn't mean ephemeral, says Lynne Brindley, the head of the British Library
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jan/25/internet-heritage
Google plans to make PCs history
Google is to launch a service that would enable users to access their personal computer from any internet connection, according to industry reports. But campaigners warn that it would give the online behemoth unprecedented control over individuals' personal data.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jan/25/google-drive-gdrive-internet
Google's GDrive 'will make the PC redundant'
Google is on the verge of launching a system that experts believe could make the personal computer as we know it virtually redundant.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/google/4337830/Googles-GDrive-will-make-the-PC-redundant.html
Internet users worldwide surpass 1 billion in December
... Global Internet usage reached over 1 billion unique visitors in the month of December, with 41.3 percent coming from the Asia-Pacific region, according to a report released Friday by comScore.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10149534-93.html
Global Internet Audience Surpasses 1 billion Visitors, According to comScore [news release]
comScore, Inc. reported that total global Internet audience (age 15 and older from home and work computers) has surpassed 1 billion visitors in December 2008, based on data from the comScore World Metrix audience measurement service.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=2696
Number of Internet users tops one billion: comScore [AFP]
The global number of Internet users has surpassed one billion with China accounting for the largest population of Web surfers, digital research firm comScore Inc. reported on Friday.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/number-of-internet-users-tops-one-billion-comscore-20090124-7our.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/number-of-internet-users-tops-one-billion-comscore-20090124-7our.html
Behind Google's Glowing Earnings
The search giant's better-than-expected results encouraged analysts, but investors still see tough times ahead in online advertising
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090122_568291.htm
Britannica reaches out to the web
The Encyclopaedia Britannica has unveiled a plan to let readers help keep the reference work up to date.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7846986.stm
Pope launches Vatican on YouTube
Pope Benedict XVI has launched his own dedicated channel on the popular video sharing website, YouTube.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7846446.stm
Pope becomes one of world's oldest YouTube stars
Pope Benedict on Friday became one of the oldest people to have his own YouTube channel, and he cautioned the young to use new media wisely and to avoid on-line obsession that can isolate them from real-life.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-37643920090125
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE50M3A620090123
Staff Finds White House in the Technological Dark Ages
If the Obama campaign represented a sleek, new iPhone kind of future, the first day of the Obama administration looked more like the rotary-dial past.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR2009012104249.html
Tech-savvy Obama keeps online lifeline
Barack Obama is likely to become America's first emailing president, as part of sweeping changes to the way the White House uses technology aimed at making his presidency the most open and connected in history.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23/obama-white-house-barackobama
Barack Obama to use BlackBerry as president, according to reports
Barack Obama could become the first sitting US president to use email, after reports suggested he may be in line for a new spy-proof smartphone. ... But after concerns about security and legal issues, close advisers and government agents have been delaying a decision on whether Obama would be able to use a similar device while in office.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/21/barack-obama-blackberry-national-security
Obama clings to his BlackBerry [Bloomberg News]
President Barack Obama has overruled the concerns of the U.S. Secret Service and the National Security Agency and will keep his BlackBerry, a spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said Thursday.
http://iht.com/articles/2009/01/22/technology/22bamaberry-414102.php
Obama plans to keep his BlackBerry [IDG]
President Barack Obama will keep his beloved BlackBerry, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said on Thursday.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/09/01/22/Obama_plans_to_keep_his_BlackBerry_1.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/158172/.html
EBay’s Income Declines 31% as Economy Reduces Traffic
The turbulent economy battered eBay, and the online marketplace reported its profit fell 31 percent and that it had its first revenue decline since it started in 1995.
http://nytimes.com/2009/01/22/technology/companies/22ebay.html
ENISA survey on resilience of communication networks shows downtime is only 10 hours per year [news release]
The EU Agency ENISA [the European Network and Information Security Agency] launches a report on resilience of communication networks. The survey reveals a better than expected network availability, with only 10 hours downtime a year. Availability is vital not only to business, but also to private consumers. Service providers show a higher level of service to both actors than expected.
http://enisa.europa.eu/pages/02_01_press_2009_01_22_network_resilience.html
Are you an internet addict?
If you suffer withdrawal symptoms when away from your email or find yourself surfing the net late into the night — every night — help is at hand. Internet addiction is now considered a clinical disorder in some parts of the world.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4827686a28.html
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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Cybercrooks Target Social Networks [MIS Asia]
The distribution of malware on social networking sites first occurred in small amounts towards the end of 2007, but that trend appears to be on the rise.
http://mis-asia.com/news/articles/social-networking-sites-a-hotbed-for-cyber-crime
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/158271/.html
UK Twitter traffic up 974 per cent in a year
The latest figures from Hitwise shows Twitter's popularity has grown tenfold among UK users. Traffic to microblogging service Twitter has increased by 974 per cent in the last year, according to the latest figures from Hitwise.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/twitter/4307715/Twitter-traffic-up-974-per-cent-in-a-year.html
Why Britain is suddenly all a-twitter
It was established as a communication tool for geeks and now counts showbusiness stars and the American President among its users.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/why-britain-is-suddenly-all-atwitter-1513423.html
Twitter to hit the big time with explosion in microblogging
Twitter, the fast-growing microblogging and social media site, is about to change gears.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5565696.ece
Revolution, Facebook-Style
Only a few hours after Israel’s first air strike against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip late last month, more than 2,000 protesters marched through the streets of downtown Cairo, carrying Palestinian flags. This began what would become weeks of protests, in which thousands of Egyptians of all different political leanings gathered in Egypt’s main cities, in public squares and at mosques and universities. Hundreds were arrested. In every city, the biggest presence at the protests was the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist political organization, active in many countries throughout the Middle East, that seeks to govern according to Islamic law. Other, smaller demonstrations were put together, sometimes spontaneously, by leftist groups and student organizations.
http://nytimes.com/2009/01/25/magazine/25bloggers-t.html
uk: Wife murdered over Facebook status
A man who murdered his estranged wife after becoming "enraged" when she changed her marital status to single on Facebook is beginning a life sentence in prison.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/facebook/4326179/Wife-murdered-for-changing-Facebook-status.html
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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Apple's holier-than-thou attitude may be its salvation
Umberto Eco once wrote an intriguing essay about the differences between the Apple Macintosh and the PC. "The fact is," he wrote, "that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. The Macintosh is... cheerful, friendly, conciliatory; it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach - if not the kingdom of heaven - the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: The essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/25/apple-umberto-eco-obama-microsoft
Flexible display screens: Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me
Over the years, the screens on laptops, televisions, mobile phones and so on have got sharper, wider and thinner. They are about to get thinner still, but with a new twist. By using flexible components, these screens will also become bendy. Some could even be rolled up and slipped into your pocket like a piece of electronic paper. These thin sheets of plastic will be able to display words and images; a book, perhaps, or a newspaper or a magazine. And now it looks as if they might be mass produced in much the same way as the printed paper they are emulating.
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12971020
Brussels to launch new 'green ICT' plan
The European Commission will publish an action plan in March to boost the role of ICT in helping to green the EU economy. But extra effort from the technology industry may be necessary.
http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/brussels-launch-new-green-ict-plan/article-178747
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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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Challenging Assumptions About Online Predators
Are your kids safe online? A recent report about this sensitive subject is stirring up controversy. The study, released by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, finds that it's far more likely that children will be bullied by their peers than approached by an adult predator online.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012400182.html
Internet Porn The Victor At The Supreme Court In ACLU v. Mukasey
Efforts to fight Internet regulation scored a major victory yesterday, as the Supreme Court rejected the Bush administration's appeal of a 3rd Circuit decision that overturned the Child Online Protection Act. COPA, fi required owners of websites with "material harmful to minors" to take it upon themselves to prevent minors from getting access to their sites. The 3rd Circuit, however, ruled that it unnecessarily tramples on the First Amendment to place the burden on the website operators, when tools for parents to control what their children see online exist. Jack Balkin explains:
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/risky-business/2009/01/22/internet-porn-the-victor-at-the-supreme-court-in-aclu-v-mukasey.html
Supreme Court Ends Government's Ten-Year Quest for Internet Censorship Standard
The Supreme Court Wednesday dealt the final blow to the government's 10-year campaign to place onerous restrictions on Internet content. The Court declined to hear the government's appeal of lower court rulings that declared the Child Online Protective Act as unconstitutional.
http://cdt.org/press/20090121press.php
us: Rules to curb online bullying raise concerns - Do new laws and policies sparked by Missouri teen’s suicide go too far?
Avery Doninger has put off going to college so she can volunteer with AmeriCorps — at least when she’s not in court. Doninger, 18, graduated from Lewis Mills High School in Burlington, Conn., last June, but she has not left it behind. She is at the center of a landmark free-speech case, stemming from her days at the school, that appears headed for the Supreme Court.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28629118/
us: Conn. AG to MySpace: Turn over sex offender data
The Connecticut attorney general's office on Friday served MySpace a subpoena demanding that MySpace hand over the identities of registered sex offenders it claims the social-networking site discovered and subsequently removed from its roster of members.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10149435-38.html
us: FTC to Host Advertising Literacy Forum; Workshop Examines Kids in a Commercial World [news release]
The Federal Trade Commission staff will host a workshop on March 12, 2009 to gather input for its advertising literacy initiative, which will educate and empower tweens to be better informed consumers of information. This initiative seeks to raise awareness among tweens, or preadolescents, about advertising and marketing messages; improve their ability to read, analyze, and appreciate advertisements; and show them the benefits of being an informed consumer. The initiative addresses interest from Congress, researchers, parents, and consumer groups about kids as consumers in a commercial world.
http://ftc.gov/opa/2009/01/literacy.shtm
au: Hey, Senator - leave us discerning viewers of pornography alone
The famous maxim "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" was never actually uttered by Voltaire. It was the work of an upright lady named Evelyn Hall, summarising his attitudes in her book, The Friends Of Voltaire. An exacting biographer, she was aghast to find the quote misattributed. And she might rethink writing it at all in the era of the internet. In any case, Stephen Conroy probably wouldn't let her.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/01/23/1232471591602.html
au: Government dodges questions on axed NetAlert web filter funding
THE Rudd Government has dumped a $125 million program to provide families with web filtering software as it prepares to test a mandatory web censorship scheme.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24963394-2,00.html
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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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Music pirates will not be disconnected from the internet
Internet service providers will not be forced to disconnect users who repeatedly flout the law by illegally sharing music and video files, The Times has learnt.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5586761.ece
Is music's future on the Isle of Man?
A generation ago, the Isle of Man gave the world the Bee Gees. Now it says it wants to help the wounded music industry stay alive.
http://iht.com/articles/2009/01/23/business/isle26.1-414052.php
us: RIAA gets a chance to overturn video streaming order in music piracy case
A federal appeals court in Boston has agreed to hear a motion filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) that seeks to prevent courtroom proceedings in a music piracy case from being streamed live on the Internet.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9126662
Pirates 'streaming' Hollywood's latest into your home
British cinema goers will have to wait until it opens next week to see if The Curious Case of Benjamin Button deserves the Oscar and Bafta nominations showered upon it. But thousands of people across the UK have already watched the film on their computers at home, thanks to the latest internet piracy phenomenon: live "streaming" of movies on YouTube-style websites.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/pirates-streaming-hollywoods-latest-into-your-home-1515330.html
Slicing Decades of Video for New Life on the Web
Media companies are rushing to repackage their videos for the Internet, and some say they can hardly keep up with advertiser demand for more. Video clips of TV shows and behind-the-scenes outtakes are omnipresent online — but how do they get there?
http://nytimes.com/2009/01/26/technology/internet/26vault.html
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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Obama’s New ‘BlackBerry’ May Run Windows
Nobody’s saying anything official or on the record about this, but reports popping up all across the Web indicate that while President Obama may be able to keep a mobile phone/e-mail device while in office, that device may be something more exotic than a BlackBerry from Research in Motion.
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/obama-may-carry-top-secret-pda/
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/obamas-new-blackberry-may-actually-run-windows/
564 million 3G subscribers in Asia Pacific by 2013: Frost & Sullivan
The Asia-Pacific's 3G subscriber base is expected to top 564 million by 2013, according to analyst firm Frost & Sullivan. This accounts for about 18.2 percent of all mobile users.
http://mis-asia.com/news/articles/564-million-3g-subscribers-in-asia-pacific-by-2013-frost-_and_-sullivan
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/158290/.html
Libya's wireless web access leap
Libya's only internet service provider is launching its first commercial wireless network which it says is one of the most advanced in the world.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7845905.stm
WiMax Forum looks toward roaming [IDG]
The WiMax Forum kicked off an initiative on Thursday that someday may be critical for making WiMax a true rival to cellular networks.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/012309-wimax-forum-looks-toward.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/158198/.html
WiMAX Forum announces launch of Global Roaming Program
The WiMAX Forum® today announced the launch of its Global Roaming Program that allows operators and vendors to easily obtain the information required to establish WiMAX roaming services. The program is now live and can be easily accessed through a link on the WiMAX Forum public web site at www.wimaxforum.org or directly at www.wimaxroaming.org .
http://www.wimaxforum.org/news/pr/view?item_key=1ec407931e9b967e2148ccd227cb8363886eef3d
Mobile phone market to shrink in 2009
The global mobile phone market will shrink 9 percent in 2009, its first decline since 2001 and with the first half set to be especially grim as economic slowdown chokes consumer spending, Strategy Analytics (SA) said.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE50M1N820090123
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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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Keywords - debate intensifies as Dutch court raises questions with the ECJ [reg req'd]
The controversy over whether keywords sold by search engines can infringe trade marks has intensified, after the Dutch Supreme Court referred five questions on the subject to the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”).
http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2009/keydutchjan09.htm
British Police will not target offenders against law on violent porn
Officers will not actively target members of the public to track down those who own violent pornography banned under a new law, police chiefs admitted yesterday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/26/police-offenders-law-violent-porn
Worm infects millions of computers worldwide
A new digital plague has hit the Internet, infecting millions of personal and business computers in what seems to be the first step of a multistage attack. The world's leading computer security experts do not yet know who programmed the infection, or what the next stage will be.
http://nytimes.com/2009/01/23/technology/internet/23worm.html
http://iht.com/articles/2009/01/23/technology/23worm.php
Mystery virus hits 15 million PCs around the world
A mysterious computer virus, the purpose of which has yet to become apparent, is spreading so fast that it has already infected more than 15 million computers around the world. Some six million machines have been contaminated in the past three days alone by the virus, a worm known as Downadup, Conficker or Kido.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/mystery-virus-hits-15-million-pcs-around-the-world-1515314.html
British hacker wins right to challenge US extradition
The British computer hacker Gary McKinnon has today won permission to launch a fresh high court challenge against attempts to extradite him to America.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jan/23/british-hacker-gary-mckinnon
UK Pentagon hacker can challenge U.S. extradition
A British computer expert accused by the United States of the "biggest military hack of all time" won the right on Friday to launch a new legal challenge against plans to extradite him.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-37644020090125
COMBATING CYBER CRIME: Global Network Operates 24/7 [news release]
Cyber crooks have become so organized and businesslike that they use online forums to advertise illegal wares, buy and sell computer viruses, and traffic in stolen identities—all for huge profits.
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan09/fordham_011409.html
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PRIVACY
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U.K. Orders ISPs To Archive Private E-mail Records
In less than two months, British Internet service providers will be required to maintain records on U.K. citizens' e-mail traffic.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/privacy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212902214
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CENSORSHIP
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So Conroy's Internet filter won't block political speech, eh?
Stilgherrian writes: "Freedom of speech is fundamentally important in a democratic society and there has never been any suggestion that the Australian Government would seek to block political content," intoned Senator Stephen Conroy on Tuesday. Yet the very next day, ACMA added a page from what's arguably a political website to its secret blacklist of Internet nasties.
http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20090123-So-Conroys-internet-filter-wont-block-political-speech-eh-.html
China says Internet crackdown to be "long-lasting"
China sought Friday to portray its Internet crackdown as a campaign to protect youth from filth and nothing to do with stifling political dissent, with an official promising long-lasting action against "vulgarity."
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE50M19P20090123
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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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Google ready to pursue its agenda in Washington
The executives and employees of Google Inc., whose whose headquarters is in Mountain View, Ca., overwhelmingly supported Obama's candidacy. Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt is now as likely as any corporate chieftain to get his calls to the White House returned.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-google24-2009jan24,0,5572738.story
Ignorance no excuse over new NZ copyright law
Thousands of New Zealand businesses are unaware they could be in breach of a copyright internet law to come into force next month, says Business New Zealand.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4827443a13.html
Copyright issue: Select Committee got it right, says ISPANZ - Section 92A must be stopped [news release]
The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPANZ) respectfully requests that the Government not bring into force Section 92A of the Copyright Act on February 28. Section 92A is poorly constructed law designed to force ISPs to cut off the Internet access of those accused of repeat infringement of Copyright.
http://ispanz.org.nz/press_release35
Obama Administration Outlines Cyber Security Strategy
President Barack Obama's administration has sketched out a broad new strategy to protect the nation's most vital information networks from cyber attack and to boost investment and research on cyber security.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/01/obama_administration_outlines.html
White House Technology Agenda
President Obama and Vice President Biden understand the immense transformative power of technology and innovation and how they can improve the lives of Americans. They will work to ensure the full and free exchange of information through an open Internet and use technology to create a more transparent and connected democracy. They will encourage the deployment of modern communications infrastructure to improve America's competitiveness and employ technology to solve our nation's most pressing problems -- including improving clean energy, healthcare costs, and public safety.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/technology/
Obama Plan Says Cyber Infrastructure Is 'strategic' [IDG]
The Obama administration has published a high-level plan to protect U.S. computer networks, saying it considers cyber infrastructure "a strategic asset" and will appoint a cyber adviser who will report directly to the president.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/158199/.html
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9126641
House panel backs $3 billion Internet stimulus
The House Energy and Commerce Committee backed including about $3 billion in grants to expand Internet service as part of a larger economic stimulus bill, including a provision requiring "open access" in wireless service and on the Internet.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE50L67O20090122
us: High-Speed Internet Grants Find Support in House
The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday approved rules for billions in government funds to spur high-speed Internet networks in unserved and underserved areas.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123265622888307299.html
us: House panel moves forward with broadband stimulus [IDG]
A U.S. House of Representatives committee took the first step toward including more than $37 billion of technology-related spending in a massive economic stimulus bill by approving a new program aimed at bringing broadband to rural and other underserved areas.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9126626
US cybersecurity ills will be a tough nut for Obama to crack
The Obama administration has published an overview of its plans to boost homeland security. Major items on the agenda range from defeating global terrorism to modernizing and protecting national infrastructure. One area that is of particular interest to technology enthusiasts is the new president's strategy for increasing network security.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20090122-us-cybersecurity-ills-will-be-a-tough-nut-for-obama-to-crack.html
New national cyber adviser to report to Obama
The administration of President Barack Obama will be hiring a new national cyber adviser, according to the agenda for homeland security released on his first full day in office.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10148263-83.html
us: New Mexico Mayor takes on cyberstalkers
New Mexico is taking another look at cyberstalking with legislation that could mean serious prison time for those who use the Internet to harass someone.
http://kob.com/article/stories/S758147.shtml?cat=502
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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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Apple Mac 25th Anniversary: The cult of Mac is still going strong
The Apple Macintosh was launched 25 years ago, and laid the foundations for a computing revolution
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/apple/4317083/Apple-Mac-25th-Anniversary-The-cult-of-Mac-is-still-going-strong.html
Apple's first Macintosh turns 25
The Macintosh - the first Apple computer to bear the name - turns 25 on 24 January. The machine debuted in 1984 and kicked off a product line that were Apple's flagship computers for many years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7846575.stm
Microsoft and Google: Internet Giants Return to Basics
Microsoft and Google have more in common than the dominance of their respective markets. Both are also essentially one-trick ponies that have used their prodigious cash flows to pursue many side projects in attempts to diversify. And neither has had much success.
http://nytimes.com/2009/01/22/technology/22views.html
Hate Vista? You May Like the Fix
For an operating system that took five years to create, Windows Vista’s reputation went down in flames amazingly quickly. Not since Microsoft Bob has anything from the software giant drawn so much contempt and derision. Not every company lives to see the day when its customers beg, plead and sign petitions to bring back the previous version of its flagship product.
http://nytimes.com/2009/01/22/technology/personaltech/22pogue.html
Microsoft Slams on the Brakes
With no recovery in sight, CEO Ballmer is cutting costs. But without long-promised innovation, the giant will struggle to outperform the world economy
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090122_057653.htm
Microsoft Slashes Jobs as Sales Fall
With sales of computers deteriorating by the day, the PC industry’s dominant players — Microsoft and Intel — have arrived at the stark realization that the slump in sales could last a long time, perhaps years.
http://nytimes.com/2009/01/23/technology/companies/23soft.html
Microsoft to cut 5,000 jobs in its first major layoff
Worried by a rapid decline in orders for personal computers, Microsoft, the world's largest software company, initiated the first broad layoffs in its history Thursday and warned of waning technology spending in the months and even years to come.
http://iht.com/articles/2009/01/22/technology/msft.4-413931.php
Microsoft cuts jobs and tech firms feel the pain
The world's largest software company, Microsoft, is slashing 5,000 jobs in the first radical cutbacks in its 34-year history as the global economic downturn sinks its teeth into the once dynamic, historically resilient technology industry.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/23/microsoft-job-losses
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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au: Govt urged to release broadband report
The Federal Opposition has renewed calls for the Government to release a new report on its proposed national broadband network.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/22/2472326.htm
Oz broadband report spurs bidder talks
The federal Government will begin negotiating with bidders to build the $15 billion national broadband network, after receiving advice from its expert panel yesterday.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24951469-15306,00.html
UK 'broadband for all' plan under threat
Last week's dire profit warning from BT has put the company's plans to build a new super-fast broadband network for 10 million British homes in jeopardy. The warning also appears to have made it critical that the rest of the telecoms industry now help meet the estimated £3.5bn cost of realising the government's ambition to bring some form of broadband to every home by 2012.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/25/telecommunications-broadband-bt-richard-wray-business
US Broadband Bill Disappoints Nearly Everyone
Critics say there's not enough money in the bill and that distributing funds through grants instead of tax credits will hamper job creation
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090116_733609.htm
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ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
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uk: Jail for 400,000 porn images man
A man from Merseyside who had one of the "largest collections" of child pornography ever found in the UK has been jailed, a court has heard.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/7848469.stm
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(c) David Goldstein 2009
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David Goldstein
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