[APPLe list] general internet news - 20 April

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

**********************************************************

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

**********************************************************


Don't forget to check out http://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.


***************************************************

The domain name news is supported by auDA

***************************************************


Economic indicators: Googling the future - Internet search data may be useful for forecasters
http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13497048

Google: The Recession Takes Its Toll
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090416_292549.htm

Digging up dirt: Facebook spies for hire
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/web/digging-up-dirt-facebook-spies-for-hire/2009/04/17/1239475038317.html

Telstra cracks down on Twitter, Facebook mischief
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/20/2547223.htm

Worldwide PC sales down 7%: IDC
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25341310-5013040,00.html

Major German online companies agree to block child porn websites
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4185666,00.html

To censor or protect: Blocking child porn is the easy sell, but will Australian government web filtering go too far?
http://www.theage.com.au/national/to-censor-or-protect-20090418-aav5.html

Internet regulation in France: Trois strikes and you're out - Will France pass a controversial law against file-sharing?
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13496729

Has online piracy reached a tipping point?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10222810-93.html

Pirate Bay owners pledge to fight again after court jails them for copyright theft
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/18/pirate-bay-prison-sentences-sweden

Editorial: The Pirate Bay ruling - A Swedish court rules against a wesbsite notorious for bootlegged content. But the war rages on.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-ed-pirate18-2009apr18,0,6182385.story

Why no one should be shocked by The Pirate Bay verdict
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/why-no-one-should-be-shocked-by-the-pirate-bay-verdict.ars

Pirate Bay convictions are legally insignificant outside Sweden
http://out-law.com/page-9954

The Pirate Bay Verdict and the Future of File Sharing
http://www.pcworld.com/article/163339/.html

Phishers get more wily as cybercrime grows
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE53G1H820090417

Will New Regulations Kill Pharma Ads On Google?
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/17/pharmaceutical-advertising-google-technology-paidcontent.html

Google avoids £100m UK tax: website hailed as a ‘paragon’ is accused of adding to the public’s burden
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6122329.ece

Google is accused of UK tax avoidance
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/20/google-uk-tax-avoidance

'Broadband for all' plan given new push by UK government
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/18/broadband-access-gordon-brown-carter

Germany breaks up child porn ring
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8003129.stm


**********************
RESEARCH PAPERS
**********************
Internet Filtering: Rhetoric, Legitimacy, Accountability and Responsibility by T. J. McIntyre & Colin Scott [Regulating Technologies]
Abstract: This paper argues that the automatic and opaque nature of internet filtering, together with the fact that it is generally implemented by intermediaries, raises new problems for the law and in particular may tend to undermine aspects of freedom of expression.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1103030

Ascertaining Cyber Jurisdiction in Cyber Space: Jurisprudential Understanding and a Comparative Analysis by Anand Singh - ICFAI Law School
Abstract: ... In this paper an attempt has been made to challenge and analyse the current paradigm being used for determination of cyberspace jurisdiction in India. The rapid growth of e-commerce and the vulnerability of the netizen's make the task all the more challenging. The absence of a single determinant for ascertaining jurisdiction over cyber space and the practices employed by the various developed countries poses an uphill task on the face of our judiciary. However competitive legislation and suitable administration ensuring content filtration and strict surveillance is prototypical for building confidence and instilling faith in the system.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1366018

Sex, Kids, and Crime in Cyberspace: Some Reflections on Crossing Boundaries by Bert-Jaap Koops
Abstract: This contribution sketches some contours of the landscape of sex, minors, and crime in cyberspace, illustrated by a varied casuistry of case-law emerging in the Netherlands. It discusses exposure to indecency, self-representation, viewing child porn online, grooming, and webcam sex abuse. It also highlights four types of boundaries - of nations, age, consent, and decency - in this landscape, that pose challenges to regulators, because in cyberspace, borders have a tendency to shift and blur. This implies that a debate is needed on the regulatory tilt of cybersex policy, which needs to take into account the co-evolution of technology, society, and regulation, and the need for empirical research and theoretical reflection.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1365986

Hate Crime in Cyberspace: The Challenges of Substantive Criminal Law by Audrey Guinchard [Information and Communication Technology Law]
Abstract: Hate crime evokes hate speech, but to assimilate one with the other would not do justice to the diversity of behaviors encompassed by the expression "hate crime". A first overview of the notion is necessary in order to highlight the key features of offenses involving hatred. A particular emphasis will be given to the specificity of cyberspace hate crimes both in the UK and in France. This comparison will enable us to tackle the main issue cyber-hate raises: that of the legitimacy and practicality of criminalizing behaviors related to hatred on the internet. The debates may not be specific to hate crimes but they are acute for at an international level, crime notably limits a freedom of expression which does not have the same meaning both legally and culturally. The Convention on cyber crime will also be looked at, especially that its critics argue that it did not go far enough into protecting victims of hate crimes at an international level. 
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1375589

**********************
INTERNET USE
**********************
Economic indicators: Googling the future - Internet search data may be useful for forecasters
Claims of clairvoyance, particularly when they come from economists, deserve a sceptical reception. Hal Varian, a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley who also happens to be Google’s chief economist, has no such pretensions, but he does believe that data on internet searches can help predict certain kinds of economic statistics before they become available.
http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13497048

OPINION: As the web cripples papers, an internet licence fee could help deliver the news
Two great anxieties are running Britain's media ragged as Gordon Brown's visions of Digital Britain take shape. One, stretching back over anxious decades, is the BBC's fear of losing its licence fee (or watching it sliced away by competitors short of advertising). The other, transfixing both national and regional press, sees internet websites taking over print's role without providing anything approaching traditional newspaper revenue streams: no cover price, few subscriptions, only fatally cheap ads. These are the ways that worlds end - unless somebody comes up with a bright idea. So tie these two ends together.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/19/internet-licence-fee

Google: The Recession Takes Its Toll
It's official now: Even Google can't escape the recession. With its first-quarter results on Apr. 16, the leader in Web search revealed its first quarter-on-quarter decline in sales, reflecting cutbacks in online ad spending. Thanks to cost cutting, Google handily beat profit expectations, but it offered no assurance that overall business conditions would turn around anytime soon.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090416_292549.htm

Google's Revenue Growth Slows on Pullback in Advertising
Google Inc. felt the pain of the recession in the first quarter, posting its first revenue decline in consecutive quarters since going public nearly five years ago.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123991260142626435.html

Google’s Profit Is Up 8%, Beating Analysts’ Estimates
The slumping economy has broken Google’s streak: The Internet search giant said Thursday that it had its first decline in revenue compared with the previous quarter since it went public in 2004, as marketers reined in their online advertising budgets.
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/17/technology/companies/17google.html

UK business helps Google increase second quarter profits, despite fall in revenue
Google, the internet giant, has seen its quarter on quarter revenues fall for the first time in five years - although it managed to increase profits, helped in part by the recovery of its UK business.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/17/google-digital-media

Microsoft: The Internet needs more trust to grow
The Internet needs to be more trustworthy if it wants to grow, according to Microsoft's senior security executive, Scott Charney.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131715
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/163311/.html

**********************
SOCIAL NETWORKING
**********************
Digging up dirt: Facebook spies for hire
Large companies and government departments are employing a new Sydney-based company to dig up dirt on staff by spying on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube posts.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/web/digging-up-dirt-facebook-spies-for-hire/2009/04/17/1239475038317.html
http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/web/digging-up-dirt-facebook-spies-for-hire/2009/04/17/1239475038317.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2345266/Facebook-spies-dig-up-dirt-on-Aussies

Twitter's U.S. users nearly double in March
Twitter Inc. continues to be on a roll. The micro-blogging site had a 131% increase in U.S. visitors just from February to March of this year, according to online traffic tracker comScore Inc. Twitter had 9.3 million visitors last month -- 5 million more than it did in February.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131679
http://computerworld.com.au/article/299654/

Telstra cracks down on Twitter, Facebook mischief
Telstra is the first major Australian company to tell its employees how to behave on social media like Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/20/2547223.htm

Telstra staff on notice after Twitter gaffe
After being embarrassed by one of its employees on micro-blogging site Twitter, Telstra will today release a new policy governing how staff can talk about the company online, even in private conversations.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25357606-15306,00.html

Telstra lays down rules on worker web use
Telstra has become the first major Australian company to set guidelines on employee use of Facebook, Twitter and similar websites.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/04/19/1240079538773.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/04/19/1240079538773.html

MySpace logs on to phone charging
An application developed for MySpace that enables people to recharge their pre-paid mobile phone credit from the social networking website is becoming a new source of e-commerce and advertising revenue.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25357607-15306,00.html

**********************
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
**********************
NZ ICT spend beats recession, up to $19.3bn
New Zealand computer and communication equipment buyers have not been put off by the recession, with new figures showing a 3 per cent rise in ICT sales during the 2008 financial year.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10567562

NZ ICT industry not slowing down
What global financial crisis? New Zealand's information and communications technology industry continued to grow at the same pace in the 2008 financial year as the year before, according to the country's official statistics organ.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/NZ-ICT-industry-not-slowing-down/0,139023166,339296030,00.htm

NZ ICT industry continues to grow [news release]
Total sales of goods and services from New Zealand's information and communication technology (ICT) industry increased 3 percent to $19.3 billion in the 2008 financial year, Statistics New Zealand said today. This was similar to the growth rate in sales of ICT goods and services reported the previous year.
http://www.stats.govt.nz/products-and-services/media-releases/information-communication-technologies-supply-survey/information-and-communication-technology-supply-survey-2008-mr.htm

MI5 seeks Q - applications in invisible ink optional
For years Britain's foreign intelligence service, MI6, had a Q - a figure, in fact and fiction, "whose team is responsible for innovative technology and gimmicks and gadgets and things like that," as one of its officers puts it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/18/mi5-recruit-scientific-adviser

Worldwide PC sales down 7%: IDC
Global shipments of personal computers slid 7.1 per cent in the first quarter, industry tracker IDC said, although falling prices and the increasing popularity of netbooks helped keep sales from slipping even further.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25341310-5013040,00.html

The PC Doesn’t Have to Be an Anchor
For years, portable computers were second-class citizens in the Republic of Computing. These were the auxiliary machines, adjuncts to the muscle machines on or below the desk. They were expensive, underpowered and, in the early years, much too large for anyone then to call them “laptops” or “notebooks.” In 1983, the Compaq Portable weighed 28 pounds, more than enough to set one’s shoulder throbbing halfway down an airport concourse; it cost $2,995 for one floppy-drive or $3,950 for two.
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/19/business/19digi.html

Study Finds Some Youths 'Addicted' to Video Games
A new study concludes that children can become addicted to playing video games, with some skimping on homework, lying about how much they play and struggling, without success, when they try to cut back.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/19/AR2009041902350.html

************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
************************************************
Major German online companies agree to block child porn websites
German internet providers have grudgingly agreed to block websites containing child pornography. Critics say their deal with the government won't make much of a difference. Five of Germany's eight major internet service providers - Deutsche Telekom's T-Online, Vodafone's Arcor, Kabel Deutschland, Telefonica's O2 and Alice's Hansenet - signed the legally binding agreement with the government and the Federal Crime Office on Friday, agreeing to install software to block consumer access to child pornography sites. The five companies together cover around 75 percent of the German market.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4185666,00.html

Germany bids to block child porn sites [AFP]
The German government has signed agreements with key Internet service providers to block access to child porn sites, family affairs minister Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/germany-bids-to-block-child-porn-sites-20090418-aaee.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/germany-bids-to-block-child-porn-sites-20090418-aaee.html
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/314465.asp

To censor or protect: Blocking child porn is the easy sell, but will Australian government web filtering go too far?
When Cliff Fogarty received what seemed like "3000 calls from the media" he knew something was wrong. Journalists told him his Maroochydore boarding kennels website was on a secret Government blacklist of illegal internet sites. "I thought, What? You've got to be kidding," he says incredulously. "We didn't know we were on it."
http://www.theage.com.au/national/to-censor-or-protect-20090418-aav5.html
http://www.smh.com.au/national/to-censor-or-protect-20090418-aav5.html
http://www.watoday.com.au/national/to-censor-or-protect-20090419-ab5e.html
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/to-censor-or-protect-20090419-ab0r.html

Google tips FCC about new YouTube comment filtering system
Google has told the FCC that YouTube is testing a new filtering system for video comments. Is this a response to pressure from groups like the Parents Television Council?
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/google-developing-new-you-tube-comment-filtering-system.ars

**********************
ONLINE TV & MUSIC
**********************
Internet regulation in France: Trois strikes and you're out - Will France pass a controversial law against file-sharing?
Hollywood’s bible, Variety magazine, always refers to France as Gaul, a “land of wine, baguettes and amour”. But America’s media industry may soon start taking France more seriously. The French government is trying to pass a harsh new law that would cut off internet access for people who download pirated music and films. Media bosses reckon other countries might follow suit.
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13496729

Has online piracy reached a tipping point?
For years, digital technology and the Internet have provided a virtual buffet of digital video, music, news and other content from which millions have feasted on for free.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10222810-93.html
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62053334,00.htm

How Charter Communications warns accused file sharers
AT&T made news last month for acknowledging that it had begun sending warning notices to customers accused of illegal file sharing by the music industry.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10222853-93.html

Pirate Bay owners pledge to fight again after court jails them for copyright theft
The music, film and entertainment industries were celebrating a rare victory over internet copyright pirates last night after a Swedish court handed down prison sentences and hefty fines to four men behind the world's most notorious filesharing website.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/18/pirate-bay-prison-sentences-sweden

You won't stop us, vow Pirate Bay owners despite jail terms
The Swedish owners of the illegal file-sharing website The Pirate Bay defiantly vowed to keep it open for business last night despite facing a year in jail for allowing millions of internet users to illegally download music, movies and computer games for free.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/you-wont-stop-us-vow-pirate-bay-owners-despite-jail-terms-1670410.html

Editorial: The Pirate Bay ruling - A Swedish court rules against a wesbsite notorious for bootlegged content. But the war rages on.
The entertainment industry scored another victory in its battle against online piracy Friday when a Swedish court convicted the operators of the Pirate Bay -- one of the Web's most popular tools for finding bootlegged movies, songs, software and games -- of aiding and abetting copyright infringement. The site operators had gleefully mocked copyright law, simultaneously making them prime targets for music and movie conglomerates and folk heroes to millions of Internet users who swap digital goods. Yet their extreme behavior made them seem more important than they are, and the court's ruling isn't likely to be as helpful in combating rampant piracy as the industry's improving efforts to make content available online. ... Today's challenge is to create compelling authorized sources of music, movies and games online that make better use of the Net than the bootleggers do. If the industry is going to win over the Pirate Bay's customers, it will be through
 user-friendly online movie and music outlets such as Hulu and Spotify, not the courts.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-ed-pirate18-2009apr18,0,6182385.story

Four Convicted in Sweden in Internet Piracy Case
A Swedish court has convicted four men linked to an Internet file-sharing service, the Pirate Bay, of violating copyright law, giving the music and movie industries a prominent victory in their campaign to curb online piracy.
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/18/business/global/18pirate.html
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/18/world/europe/18copy.html

Why no one should be shocked by The Pirate Bay verdict
The Pirate Bay verdict last week, crowed about by content owners, caused a very different reaction among self-styled digital pirates. "Sweden is also presently a country in RAGE because of the clearly political motivated and big money—oops, I meant Big Content manipulation of our legal system," wrote one.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/why-no-one-should-be-shocked-by-the-pirate-bay-verdict.ars

Pirate Bay prosecution could spawn flurry of lawsuits
The entertainment industry yesterday hailed the successful prosecution of the four founders of the illegal file-sharing website Pirate Bay, as a major victory in its battle to recoup billions of pounds in lost revenue.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/5170170/Pirate-Bay-prosecution-could-spawn-flurry-of-lawsuits.html

Pirate Bay prosecution could spawn flurry of lawsuits
The entertainment industry yesterday hailed the successful prosecution of the four founders of the illegal file-sharing website Pirate Bay, as a major victory in its battle to recoup billions of pounds in lost revenue.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/5170170/Pirate-Bay-prosecution-could-spawn-flurry-of-lawsuits.html

Pirate Bay founders defy year's jail sentence and order to pay £2.5 million
Four men behind a file-sharing website that has hundreds of thousands of British users were sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay £2.5 million in damages yesterday for helping internet users to download music, films and computer games.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6111777.ece

Pirate Bay convictions are legally insignificant outside Sweden
EDITORIAL: A court in Sweden has found the co-founders of file-sharing site The Pirate Bay guilty of copyright offences. Each of them has been sentenced to one year in prison. But while the ruling has symbolic significance outside Sweden, it has little legal significance.
http://out-law.com/page-9954

The Pirate Bay Verdict and the Future of File Sharing
The verdict against the founders of The Pirate Bay is being hailed by many as a triumphant win against illegal file-sharing. The four men involved in the BitTorrent tracking site were found guilty on Friday of being accessories to violating copyright law. A Swedish court sentenced each of them to a year in jail and a collective fine of $3.6 million.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/163339/.html

File sharers sentenced to prison
... Gregor Pryor, lawyer at UK-based Reed Smith, said: “The reality is that this means next to nothing. The history of anti-piracy litigation, starting with Napster and then working your way to Kazaa and now Pirate Bay, shows a different type of technology each time.”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/675bb2ea-2b35-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html

Four Guilty in Web Piracy Case
The operators of a notorious file-sharing Web site were found guilty of copyright infringement by a Swedish court, a key legal victory for the entertainment industry that nonetheless may do little to stem the piracy of entertainment on the Internet.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123996047873328827.html

The Pirate Bay verdict: guilty, with jail time
The Pirate Bay "spectrial" has ended in a guilty verdict, prison sentences for the defendants, and a shared 30 million kronor ($3.5 million) fine. According to the Swedish district court, the operators of the site were guilty of assisting copyright infringement, even though The Pirate Bay hosted none of the files in question and even though other search engines like Google also provide direct access to illegal .torrent files.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/the-pirate-bay-verdict-guilty-with-jail-time.ars

What does the Pirate Bay verdict mean for innovation?
It's the jewel in the crown of internet piracy, but is the verdict against Pirate Bay a pyrrhic victory?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/apr/17/pirate-bay-startups

Pirate Bay defendant: we can't and won't pay
One of the co-founders of The Pirate Bay website said today that the one-year prison sentences handed down by a Swedish judge are "weird and bizarre" and insisted that the defendants "can't pay and wouldn't pay" the $3.6m (£2.4m) fine.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/17/pirate-bay-verdict-peter-sunder-kolmisoppi-online-press-conference

Pirate Bay guilty verdict, a year in jail: Google next?
... Following the verdict, it will be interesting to see whether the organisations behind the case -- the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries and the Motion Picture Association of America -- will now try to get Google and YouTube into court. There is no shortage of links to copyright information on Google. There is a difference, in that linking to torrent files is a byproduct of Google's ubiquitous search strategy, rather than its purpose. Still, it would be interesting to see Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt jailed as well.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/apr/17/piratebay-guilty-verdict

Pirate Bay Defendant Disappointed With Google
One of several founders of the Pirate Bay file-sharing Web site convicted in Sweden of copyright infringement and sentenced to jail time said Friday that he was disappointed with the lack of support from Google.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/drm/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216700029

Copyright and piracy wars: something for nothing
"Home taping is killing music," the record labels chanted almost 30 years ago. The plea fell on deaf ears: the techniques for getting something for nothing have become ever more complex with the universality of the internet over the past 10 years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/18/internet-piracy-copyright-wars-pirate-bay

Swedish antipiracy law: Traffic down, ISP rebels
Immediately following the enactment of a new Swedish antipiracy law on April 1, Internet traffic in Sweden plummeted--and it has yet to return to prior levels.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10220679-93.html

Why The Pirate Bay Decision Does Not Mean Canada Needs Copyright Reform by Michael Geist
In the wake of this morning's Pirate Bay decision, the Canadian Recording Industry Association is unsurprisingly continuing its lobby efforts by sending out messages to MPs and media that the case is evidence that Canada must update its copyright laws.
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3863/125/

Video Sites Duke It Out for Content: YouTube, Hulu Race to Sign Deals for Movies, Shows That Draw Advertising
Google Inc.'s video-sharing site YouTube created a new area of its site devoted to premium content, with the addition of hundreds of full-length movies and thousands of full-length TV episodes to fill it. But the move is only the latest salvo in a war with an obvious target: Hulu.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123991223381926379.html

Appeals court blocks Internet streaming order in RIAA music piracy case
In a victory for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), a federal appeals court in Boston today overturned a ruling by a trial judge that would have allowed some courtroom proceedings in a high-profile music piracy case to be streamed live over the Internet.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131716

au: Record stores ask music lovers to snub downloads
The Australian Music Retailers Association is urging music lovers to today step away from their computers and walk into a music shop to celebrate Record Store Day.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/18/2546369.htm

TV battle now shifts to downloads
After years of turning a blind eye, a deaf ear and the other cheek to growing cries from consumers for catch-up television services, almost all TV operators are now falling over themselves to oblige in what is shaping as a battle for internet supremacy.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,,25355436-7582,00.html

Italians Look to Small Screen
There has been a conspicuous shift in the Italian film industry — from the big screen to the computer screen. Several of the best-known Italian directors have turned their lenses to making short movies for the Internet. Some have been lured by commercial projects, others by the opportunity to tell poignant stories in a condensed form. And in a country with one of the lowest levels of Internet access in Europe, for many it is the first time they have flirted with the medium.
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/20/technology/internet/20cine.html

Don Henley battles Republicans over YouTube video
YouTube has become the battleground in a copyright fight between singer Don Henley and a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in California. Henley, one of the founders of rock group The Eagles, has filed a lawsuit accusing Senate candidate Charles DeVore of violating his copyright. DeVore allegedly used two of Henley's hit songs "The Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" in two YouTube campaign videos without authorization.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10222772-93.html

German Composer Sues Google/YouTube
German composer Frank Peterson has filed a lawsuit at the Higher District Court in Hamburg against Google/YouTube, claiming that his music videos and other audiovisual repertoire were used illegally.
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i27945265e8c95425efc47d45a1c1f594

**********************
MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
Despite Profit Decline, Optimistic Words at Nokia
Nokia, the world’s largest cellphone maker, reported its worst quarterly profit in more than a decade on Thursday, but company’s shares rallied after its chief executive suggested the worst for the global industry may be over.
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/17/technology/companies/17nokia.html

Nokia profits fall as smartphones lose out to iPhone
Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, saw profits plunge more than 90% in the first three months of the year as cash-strapped consumers held onto their existing handsets.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/apr/16/nokia-profits-fall

Mobile phone fraud leads to prize fight
Engineers are to compete for funds to develop fraud-proof mobile phones to herald the way for their use as electronic wallets. Four out of five phones in use in the UK contain data which can be used by criminals to access bank accounts, steal identity or sell on personal data, yet only four in 10 people lock their mobiles using a PIN.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/19/mobile-technology-fraud

au: CSIRO notches up more patent wins
The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO) has had some more wins in an ongoing legal battle over the use of patented Wi-Fi technology.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/20/2547443.htm

**************************
ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
**************************
Apple users no longer safe from malware, suggest experts
It may be time to dump one of the canards of the technology world - that Macs are safe from viruses. Earlier this year, reports of a possible Mac attack started appearing but now experts have confirmed that malware targeting Apple is out in the wild - and that it works.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/apr/16/apple-osx-trojan

World's First Mac Botnet? Not Quite.
This morning, as I scrolled down the list of security Web sites I normally check via my RSS reader, I noticed several items referencing news about the "world's first Mac botnet." As I read on, it became clear this was neither news nor a first.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/04/worlds_first_mac_botnet_hardly.html

Phishers get more wily as cybercrime grows
Phishing scams have grown up from the unsophisticated swindles of the past in which fake Nigerian princes e-mailed victims, who would get a big windfall if they just provide their bank account number.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE53G1H820090417
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-39089420090417

Terrorists using Internet as a weapon: experts [AFP]
"Computer-savvy" terrorists are using the Internet as a new weapon but national authorities must be aware of individual rights when combating the threat, speakers at an international conference said Thursday.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/terrorists-using-internet-as-a-weapon-experts-20090417-a92w.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/terrorists-using-internet-as-a-weapon-experts-20090417-a92w.html

Report: Britain's prime minister backs efforts to combat piracy
Gordon Brown, Britain's prime minister, is backing efforts by copyright holders to combat digital piracy and protect premium content on the Web, according to reports.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10222503-93.html

Opposition to Google Books Settlement Jells
With a May 5 deadline for filing objections to the Google books settlement looming, opposition to and criticism of the settlement continues to cement.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/opposition-to-google-books-settlement/

Estonia leads the way in countering cyber-attacks 
Estonia, which recently suffered what appeared to be the largest political cyber-attack ever seen on EU soil, is organising an EU ministerial meeting on the protection of vital infrastructure against cyber-crime, the European Commission has announced.
http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/estonia-leads-way-countering-cyber-attacks/article-181172

U.S. cybersecurity review done, heads to Obama soon
President Barack Obama will soon receive the results of a 60-day review of cybersecurity that should weigh in on whether he should name a cybersecurity czar, the White House said on Friday.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-39109620090418

Federal cybersecurity review drawing to a close
A 60-day review of federal cybersecurity efforts that President Barack Obama ordered in February is scheduled to end this week, although it's unclear when the much-anticipated findings will be publicly released.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131710
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/041609-federal-cybersecurity-review-drawing-to.html

Control of Cybersecurity Becomes Divisive Issue
The National Security Agency has been campaigning to lead the government’s rapidly growing cybersecurity programs, raising privacy and civil liberties concerns among some officials who fear that the move could give the spy agency too much control over government computer networks.
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/17/us/politics/17cyber.html

Role of Bush NSA Plan Under Review
The Bush administration planned last year to direct the National Security Agency, which specializes in spying electronically on foreign adversaries, to take the techniques it has employed to defend military computer networks and use them to protect U.S. government civilian networks, according to current and former officials.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041604291.html

Will New Regulations Kill Pharma Ads On Google?
Google executives have singled out health as an ad category that has been performing well. “Health, for example, has seen strong growth in the U.S. and it’s now one of our largest verticals,” Jonathan Rosenberg, Google’s senior vice president for product management, said in his introductory remarks on the company’s earnings call Thursday.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/17/pharmaceutical-advertising-google-technology-paidcontent.html

Google's Trademark Tussle
It's vexing for a company to see its brand name disparaged. It can be downright infuriating when that brand is used to drum up business for a rival.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090414_278741.htm

**********************
CENSORSHIP
**********************
au: Adam Internet defends antisemitic hosting
Adelaide-based ISP Adam Internet has defended its decision to continue to provide web hosting services to a holocaust denier, despite a federal judge ordering years ago that his site be taken down.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Adam-Internet-defends-antisemitic-hosting/0,130061791,339296016,00.htm

**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
Google avoids £100m UK tax: website hailed as a ‘paragon’ is accused of adding to the public’s burden
Google, the internet giant with the motto “don’t be evil”, avoids paying more than £100m a year in UK tax despite pulling in annual revenues of more than £1.25 billion.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6122329.ece

Google is accused of UK tax avoidance
Google has joined the list of companies facing criticism over tax avoidance after public accounts showed it paid only £600,000 in UK corporation tax despite local revenues of more than £1.25bn.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/20/google-uk-tax-avoidance

ACCAN consumer telco advocacy body gets heads
An ex-ACCC deputy chair and the chief of the Consumers’ Telecommunications Network (CTN) have been appointed to the Government’s newly-formed consumer telecommunications representative body.
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=101186

Advocate to raise consumer voice in communications sector [news release]
Australia's new peak communications consumer representation body today announced the appointment of advocate Mr Allan Asher as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer.
http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/026

Obama Picks Technology And Performance Officers
President Obama has named Virginia Technology Secretary Aneesh P. Chopra to be the nation's first chief technology officer. The president announced the choice yesterday in his weekly radio and Internet address, adding Chopra to a small group of advisers whose aim it is to enhance and modernize the delivery of government services.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/18/AR2009041801980.html

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Discusses Efforts to Reform Spending, Government Waste; Names Chief Performance Officer and Chief Technology Officer [news release and announcement]
In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced that Jeffrey Zients, a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur, will join the administration as the Chief Performance Officer, and that Aneesh Chopra, Virginia’s Secretary of Technology, will serve as the Chief Technology Officer.  Zients will also serve as Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget.  He will work to streamline processes, cut costs, and find the best practices throughout the government.  As Chief Technology Officer, Chopra will promote technological innovation to help the country meet its goals from job creation, to reducing health care costs, to protecting the homeland.  Together with Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, they will help give all Americans a government that is effective, efficient, and transparent.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Weekly-Address-President-Obama-Discusses-Efforts-to-Reform-Spending-Government-Waste-Names-Chief-Performance-Officer-and-Chief-Technology-Officer/

DOJ: U.S. government exceeded surveillance authority [IDG]
The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) exceeded its surveillance authority of U.S. residents under a far-reaching telephone and Internet communications wiretap program, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131708
http://www.pcworld.com/article/163270/.html

us: Is a Crackdown Looming for Parenting Blogs?
A number of Juggle readers are parent-bloggers themselves — and many of you read mom- or dad-blogs regularly. In many cases, parent-bloggers review products, such as diapers, toys and baby gear, and often receive free samples or services from companies hoping to see their wares get real parents’ seal of approval.
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/04/17/is-a-crackdown-looming-for-parenting-blogs/?mod=rss_WSJBlog?mod=

**********************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
**********************
'Broadband for all' plan given new push by UK government
The government has proposed putting tens of millions of pounds behind Lord Carter's ambition to offer everyone in Britain access to broadband by 2012, and is also looking to bring mobile phone services to the entire country as part of a major push to create a digital economy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/18/broadband-access-gordon-brown-carter

British Government considering support for broadband, says Lord Mandelson
The trade secretary, Lord Mandelson, has indicated that the government is considering "pump priming" financial intervention to ensure next-generation broadband is available to all UK households.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/17/digital-britain-broadband-lord-mandelson

Mandelson hints at £1bn plan to supply rural homes with superfast broadband
More than £1 billion of taxpayers’ money could be deployed to help to connect 12.5 million homes in small towns and rural areas to superfast broadband, amid fears that phone companies are unable to afford to do so.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article6115609.ece

Fresh Hope for US Broadband
On the campaign trail and in the White House, President Barack Obama has embraced the idea of providing high-speed Internet access to every community in America. But the plans for universal broadband have gotten off to a rocky start. Some technology executives complain that the $7.2 billion allocated in the federal stimulus plan isn't half the amount needed to do the job. Telecom companies, including AT&T (T) and Verizon Communications (VZ), are so wary of the program's potentially onerous rules—the strings that usually come attached with federal money—that they may sit out the first round of grants.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090415_352958.htm

au: Federal Government looks to cash in on mobile spectrum
The Federal Government has released a request for tender seeking a valuation of its mobile spectrum assets in the lead up to spectrum auctions.
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=101171
http://www.crn.com.au/News/101171,federal-government-looks-to-cash-in-on-mobile-spectrum.aspx

us: As Costs Fall, Companies Push to Raise Internet Price
Internet service providers want to end the all-you-can-eat plans and get their customers paying à la carte. But they are having a hard time closing the buffet line. Faced with rising consumer protest and calls from members of Congress for new regulations, Time Warner Cable backed down last week from a plan to impose new fees on heavy users of its Road Runner Internet service.
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/20/business/20isp.html

**********************************
ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
**********************************
Germany breaks up child porn ring
Police in Germany have said they have broken up a child pornography network suspected of involving around 9,000 people in more than 90 countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8003129.stm

Global child porn ring smashed [AFP]
German police say they have smashed a global child porn ring of some 9000 suspected pedophiles in 92 countries.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/global-child-porn-ring-smashed-20090417-a93z.html
http://www.theage.com.au/world/global-child-porn-ring-smashed-20090417-a93z.html

au: Porn major Kenneth Chapman free
A former army major who led a UN mission in East Timor was yesterday released on a 12-month suspended jail sentence for downloading more than 1000 images of child porn.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25349430-2862,00.html

uk: Jail for GP with 90,000 child images
Derby A GP who downloaded nearly 90,000 indecent images of children was jailed for three years.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6115886.ece

uk: Internet child porn trial told of image haul
A major police investigation into paedophiles using the internet to swap child porn uncovered almost 125,000 vile photos and video clips, a trial has heard.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Internet-child-porn-trial-told.5180069.jp

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The domain name news is supported by auDA

For information on subscriptions to the domain name and/or general internet news please contact me. For archives of postings to the list, see http://lists.technewsreview.com.au/pipermail/technewsreview/. Also see http://technewsreview.com.au/ for recent updates.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(c) David Goldstein 2009




 ---------


David Goldstein
http://davidgoldstein.tel/
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
COOGEE NSW 2034
AUSTRALIA
email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au
phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)


"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery



      Enjoy a better web experience. Upgrade to the new Internet Explorer 8 optimised for Yahoo!7. Get it now.