[APPLe list] general internet news - 25 May

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

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

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Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, already online!


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


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Web Classified Ads Double in Use Over Last Four Years
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/05/22/web-classified-ads-double-in-use-over-last-four-years/

Pornographic videos flood YouTube
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8061979.stm

Learning, and Profiting, from Online Friendships
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_22/b4133032573293.htm

Walking the Cyberbeat: To make Facebook advertiser-friendly, its 'porn cops' delete risqué content and enforce decorum.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/195621

Twitter passes Bebo and Linkedin while MySpace heads earthwards
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/may/21/twitter-myspace-bebo-nytimes-growth-decline

Indonesian Muslim clerics frown at Facebook [AFP]
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/indonesian-muslim-clerics-frown-at-facebook-20090523-bihy.html

Gadget boom sends electric bills soaring
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/24/gadgets-appliances-climate-change-emissions-targets

The High Cost of Selling Cheap Music Services
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/the-high-cost-of-selling-cheap-music-services/

1000 web users a day face disconnection under French law [AP]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10573938

In South Korea, All of Life Is Mobile
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/25/technology/25iht-mobile.html

English cricket calls for tough new laws on ticket touts
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/may/22/ticket-touts-twenty20-ashes-cricket

EBay win against L'Oreal in UK High Court [IDG]
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/052209-ebay-win-against-loreal-in.html

Ebay Prevails in U.K. Ruling on Counterfeits
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124299592214947123.html

DNS attack downs Internet in parts of China [IDG]
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133376

In Germany, widespread spying is back, this time electronically by corporations
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-germany-spying23-2009may23,0,1524773.story

Iranian government blocks Facebook access
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/24/facebook-banned-iran

Mystery over Australia's Google's missing millions
http://business.theage.com.au/business/google-silent-on-disparity-20090523-bigq.html


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RESEARCH PAPERS
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Online Classifieds Use Doubles in Past Four Years: Pew survey
Overview: The number of online adults who have used online classified ads has more than doubled in the past four years. Almost half (49%) of internet users say they have ever used online classified sites, compared with 22% of online adults who had done so in 2005. On any given day about a tenth of internet users (9%) visit online classified sites, up from 4% in 2005.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/7--Online-Classifieds.aspx

OECD: The role of communication infrastructure investment in economic recovery
Policy makers need to evaluate the costs and benefits of any public investment in telecommunication infrastructure and select projects which can stimulate current demand but simultaneously expand the productive capacity of the economy in the longer term.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/4/43/42799709.pdf

Coppa 2.0: The New Battle Over Privacy, Age Verification, Online Safety & Free Speech by Berin Michael Szoka & Adam D. Thierer [Progress & Freedom Foundation Progress on Point Paper]
Abstract: Online privacy, child safety, free speech and anonymity are on a collision course. The 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) already mandates certain online privacy protections for children under 13, but many advocate expanding online privacy protections for both adolescents and adults. Furthermore, efforts continue at both the federal and state levels to institute new regulations, such as age verification mandates, aimed at ensuring the safety of children online. There is an inherent tension between these objectives: Attempts to achieve perfectly “safe” online environments will likely require the surrender of some privacy and speech rights, including the right to speak anonymously.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1408204

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INTERNET USE
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Web Classified Ads Double in Use Over Last Four Years
Almost half of Internet users have used online classified ads, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/05/22/web-classified-ads-double-in-use-over-last-four-years/

Google Earth maps out discrimination against burakumin caste in Japan
A handful of innocent-looking antique maps, one offensive word and tens of thousands of offended “untouchables” have plunged Google into an unspoken class war that has raged in Japan for centuries.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6337499.ece

Pornographic videos flood YouTube
Video-sharing website YouTube has removed hundreds of pornographic videos which were uploaded in what is believed to be a planned attack. The material was uploaded under names of famous teenage celebrities such as Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8061979.stm

YouTube besieged by porn videos
YouTube is deleting thousands of sexually explicit videos after it was hit by an organised attack yesterday in a prank known as "Porn Day".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/may/22/youtube-porn-day

Ad Revenue on the Web? No Sure Bet
For anyone with a crazy idea for a Web business, the way to make it pay was once obvious: get a lot of visitors and sell ads. Since 2004, venture investors have put $5.1 billion into 828 Web start-up companies, and most of them are supported by ads, according to the National Venture Capital Association.
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/25/technology/start-ups/25startup.html

Illegal drug business on Internet is ‘the new frontier’
People can’t buy heroin or cocaine online, but a few clicks of the mouse get them darned close. For every CVS, Walgreens or Costco filling legitimate prescriptions over the Internet, dozens of shadowy Web sites sell painkillers and other powerful drugs to addicts, pushers and kids looking to get high.
http://www.bradenton.com/news/breaking_news/story/1460608.html

ABCe: Guardian.co.uk takes top spot
The exclusive video of a policeman assaulting the man who died in last month's London G20 protests helped make guardian.co.uk the most popular UK newspaper website in April, with its second highest ever number of unique users.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/may/21/abce-guardian-telegraph

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Learning, and Profiting, from Online Friendships
A question: If you have 347 followers on the Twitter microblogging service, what are the chances that they'll click on the same online ad you clicked on last night? Advertisers are dying to know. Or, say you and a colleague exchange e-mails on a Saturday night. Can managers assume that you have a tight working relationship? Researchers at IBM and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are investigating.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_22/b4133032573293.htm

Walking the Cyberbeat: To make Facebook advertiser-friendly, its 'porn cops' delete risqué content and enforce decorum.
It's just before lunchtime in the sunny, high-tech headquarters of Facebook in Palo Alto, Calif., and Simon Axten is cuing up some porn. A photo of a young couple sloppily making out pops onscreen. It's gross, but not against the rules, so Axten punches a key to judge the image appropriate. Next up: a young woman in panties only, covering her breasts with her hands. "That's pretty close," Axten says, pondering the image. There's nothing arbitrary about his judgments: at Facebook, they have developed semiformal policies like the Fully Exposed Butt Rule, the Crack Rule and the Nipple Rule. In this photo there's no visible areola, he decides, so it stays. The next photo is a male clad only in a black thong and angel wings. Utterly nonplussed, Axten OKs the picture. After delivering a verdict on 75 of the 438,848 outstanding photos flagged by Facebook users—buff guy soaping up in the shower (OK); girl blowing an epic cloud of pot smoke (he deletes it); an
 underage user drinking from two liquor bottles at once (ditto)—Axten is off to a meeting. It's just another day at the office of the world's fastest-growing social-networking site.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/195621

Twitter passes Bebo and Linkedin while MySpace heads earthwards
Though you may think that Twitter gets, oh, far too much attention, the reality is that this is something that is growing fast. Damn fast. So fast that it has recently left not only the New York Times but also Digg - remember Digg? - and social networks Bebo and LinkedIn in its rear-view mirror.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/may/21/twitter-myspace-bebo-nytimes-growth-decline

Indonesian Muslim clerics frown at Facebook [AFP]
Indonesian Islamic clerics warned Muslims on Friday not to use popular Internet networking sites like Facebook for flirting or gossiping.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/indonesian-muslim-clerics-frown-at-facebook-20090523-bihy.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/indonesian-muslim-clerics-frown-at-facebook-20090523-bihy.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2434630/

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Step forward on Australia's e-waste law
Mandatory recycling of old electronic equipment is a step closer, with the nation's environment ministers agreeing to consider new laws aimed at keeping dangerous and bulky e-waste out of landfill.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25523583-15306,00.html

$35 waste tax to keep Australia's old TVs, coputers out of landfill
Australians face a new tax on electronic goods such as televisions and computers next year - in return for guarantees the electronic waste will not be dumped in landfill or shipped overseas. ... A meeting of environment ministers in Hobart yesterday agreed a national "e-waste" recycling scheme would start after November.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/35-waste-tax-to-keep-old-tvs-out-of-landfill-20090522-bia9.html

UK 'worst electrical recycler' in Europe
A study on recycling suggests Britons are the worst in Europe when it comes to recycling electrical equipment. Computer manufacturer Dell found that fewer than half of UK residents regularly recycled old hardware, compared with more than 80% of Germans.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8063115.stm

Gadget boom sends electric bills soaring
Britain's addiction to power-hungry gadgets could raise electricity bills by £100 per year for every household and hamper progress in meeting the country's greenhouse gas emissions targets, according to experts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/24/gadgets-appliances-climate-change-emissions-targets

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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Optus starts filtering trials
The nation's second-largest ISP has fired the starter's gun on its live internet filtering trial, a program by the federal Government as part of its bid to censor the web. The trial will conclude in early July after some six weeks of testing.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25521790-5013040,00.html

Australia’s impotent censors
Over the last six months, I have been keeping a close watch on events “down under”. The Australian government has proposed — to widespread dismay from individuals and Internet providers alike — the installation of a hi-tech firewall that will block all inappropriate content, US-hosted child abuse, for instance, at point of entry.
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2009/05/australias-impotent-censors/

ITU/MIC Strategic Dialogue, 2-3 June 2009 - Safer Internet Environment for Children, Tokyo, Japan
Children and young people can benefit greatly from being online, but they also face increasing dangers in cyberspace. As a result, a global response is needed from all segments of society in order to address what has become a global issue.
http://www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/cop/meetings/2009-june-2-3.html

Guidelines proposed for Child Online Protection (COP) initiative - Focus on children, parents, teachers, policy-makers and industry [news release]
Guidelines for the protection of children in cyberspace were presented as drafts for discussion on Monday, 18 May in connection with the theme for the 2009 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The draft guidelines will be reviewed at the Strategic Dialogue on Safer internet Environment for Children in Tokyo, 2−3 June.
http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2009/14.html

UK National Centre For Tackling the Sexual Abuse of Children Announces Record 3RD Year Results [news release]
346 children have been safeguarded in the last three years, the UK’s national centre for tackling the sexual abuse of children – the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre - announced today.
http://ceop.gov.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/2009/ceop_20052009.asp

IWF Welcomes CEOP’s 3rd Annual Review [news release]
CEOP reports that 139 children were safeguarded in the last 12 months while over 700 suspected offenders have been arrested since the organisation was launched in April 2006. 334 suspected offenders were arrested in the last year alone.
http://iwf.org.uk/media/news.260.htm

Russia and South Africa join INHOPE [news release]
New alliance welcomed as Russia and South Africa join forces with the INHOPE network in the fight against online child sexual abuse content.
http://iwf.org.uk/media/news.259.htm

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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The High Cost of Selling Cheap Music Services
After writing about how Napster renegotiated its deals with record labels to offer its music subscription service at a lower price, I called RealNetworks, which offers the Rhapsody service, to see if its executives were excited about cutting similar deals that would allow it to offer its own $5-a-month music service. For years, after all, people trying to popularize music subscriptions — which allow you to listen to anything you want for a monthly fee — have been telling me the concept is great but the price the record labels want is too high.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/the-high-cost-of-selling-cheap-music-services/

YouTube strikes deal with UK broadcasters to test pre-roll ads
Channel 4 is one of several UK broadcasters that have struck a deal with the video-sharing site YouTube to split advertising revenue in a trial that will see pre-roll advertising run around TV shows and clips on the site.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/may/21/youtube-channel-4-pre-roll-advertising-trial

1000 web users a day face disconnection under French law [AP]
A thousand French internet users a day could be taken off-line following approval of President Nicolas Sarkozy's pet project - an unprecedented law to cut the internet connections of people who repeatedly pirate music and movies.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10573938
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2432501/
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2009-05-21-french-internet-piracy_N.htm
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/new-french-law-on-internet-piracy-meets-skepticism-20090522-bhc5.html

Pirate Bay: Sweden searches for an unbiased judge
The search for unbiased judges in the high-profile Pirate Bay case in Sweden seems never-ending. Finding legal authorities who are not connected to the people involved in the case is apparently difficult in a country that counts only 9 million inhabitants.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10248264-38.html
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62054311,00.htm

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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In South Korea, All of Life Is Mobile
It has been a while since the mobile phone became more than just a phone, serving as a texting device, a camera and a digital music player, among other things. But experts say South Korea, because of its high-speed wireless networks and top technology companies like Samsung and LG, is the test case for the mobile future.
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/25/technology/25iht-mobile.html

The mobile playground is now open
The mobile games industry had a shaky start - but the latest platforms are opening up the market and creating new opportunities: In 2006 the world's largest games company, Electronic Arts, signed its biggest-ever deal and acquired the mobile games company Jamdat for $680m (then £395m).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/21/mobile-games-industry

North Korea starts 'limited' mobile internet service [AP]
North Korea has begun limited internet service for mobile phone users, a government website reported, months after launching an advanced network in cooperation with an Egyptian telecommunications company.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10573976

Apple bans iPhone program over sex claims
A British-made iPhone program has been banned by Apple - because it could allow people to read the Kama Sutra.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/may/21/apple-iphone

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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Clickjacking: Hijacking clicks on the Internet
What if you reached to grab a newspaper out of a news stand and you found a rock in your hand instead? How about opening the front door to a grocery store and ending up on a boat?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10247327-83.html
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62054310,00.htm

English cricket calls for tough new laws on ticket touts
The England and Wales Cricket Board has called for tough new laws against ticket touts, after private investigators employed by the board tracked down more than 1,900 "black market" tickets for the ICC World Twenty20 made available through internet sites such as eBay.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/may/22/ticket-touts-twenty20-ashes-cricket

EBay win against L'Oreal in UK High Court [IDG]
EBay Inc. cannot be held legally accountable for the sale of fake L'Oreal goods, including perfumes and face creams, on its Web site, according to a decision in the U.K. High Court.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133422
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/052209-ebay-win-against-loreal-in.html

Ebay Prevails in U.K. Ruling on Counterfeits
The British High Court on Friday ruled eBay Inc. can't be held legally accountable for the sale of counterfeit L'Oreal SA products through its online marketplace.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124299592214947123.html

EBay wins UK court trademark battle vs L'Oreal
EBay has won a UK court battle against French cosmetics group L'Oreal, which had claimed the online marketplace was jointly liable for trademark infringements committed by its users.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-39827320090522
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE54L2XH20090522

Fake Goods Not eBay's Problem, London Court Rules [AP]
A British court on Friday ruled that Internet marketplace eBay is not liable for bogus beauty products sold on its Web site, dealing a blow to cosmetics company L'Oreal's campaign against the online auction giant.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/ebay-wins-court-fight-against-loreal-in-uk-20090522-bieg.html
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Fake-Goods-Not-eBays-Problem-London-Court-Rules-67140.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/ebay-wins-court-fight-against-loreal-in-uk-20090522-bieg.html
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/corporatenews/2009-05-22-ebay-loreal_N.htm

'Operational' Cyber Approach Needed
Ahead of a comprehensive Obama administration review of the U.S. government's cybersecurity posture, consulting firm Gartner said Thursday that the country needs to take a more operational approach toward the problem rather than focusing on strategies to drive higher spending or higher visibility for security. Although there is a definite role for government to play in accelerating progress toward higher levels of cybersecurity, it will be more akin to trying to deal with global warming than dealing with telephone, banking, or automotive industry policies, Gartner Vice President John Pescatore said. "Different approaches are required to ensure reliable and secure services in cyberspace than on old telecom networks, and the development of public policy has to proceed very differently, as well," he said in a press release. Government policy that attempts to force top-down solutions onto an inherently peer-to-peer problem will always fail, he said.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/05/operational-cybersecurity-appr.php

us: Experts make push for cybersecurity coordination center
President Obama should create a national cybersecurity coordinating center with public and private sector representation that can provide near real-time warnings and share threat data with government and industry stakeholders about high-tech attacks against critical infrastructure, a panel of experts said Thursday.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090522_5667.php

Kaspersky impressed by botnet slickness
Cybercrime fighter Eugene Kaspersky can't help but be impressed by the slick operations behind the Conficker botnet, and says that it could have been worse had the botnet been after more than just money.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10246721-83.html
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62054273,00.htm
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-303959.html

Cybersecurity Groups Launch "Chain of Trust" Initiative to Combat Malware [news release]
Three of the world's leading cybersecurity groups today launched a new initiative to combat malicious software (malware) by establishing a "Chain of Trust" among all organizations and individuals that play a role in securing the Internet.
http://cdt.org/press/20090519press.php

DNS attack downs Internet in parts of China [IDG]
An attack on the servers of a domain registrar in China caused an online video application to cripple Internet access in parts of the country late on Wednesday.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/165319/.html
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133376

US Judge Backs Craigslist in South Carolina Case [AP]
A federal judge on Friday blocked South Carolina's attorney general from making any move to prosecute Craigslist Inc. executives for ads that lead to prostitution arrests while the company pursues a lawsuit against the state.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124302848649848301.html

Unlikely Allies Say U.K. Libel Laws Limit Speech
The American Civil Liberties Union may not often see eye-to-eye with the American Center for Democracy, a research group with neoconservative credentials. But the two organizations are united on at least one thing: their distaste for British libel laws, which they say are being exploited to suppress free speech in Britain and beyond.
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/25/business/media/25iht-libel.html

'Gumblar' PC virus targets Google users, warn experts
A computer virus that targets Google users is mutating rapidly, turning it into what some are calling the biggest threat to online security today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/22/gumblar-google-malware

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PRIVACY
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In Germany, widespread spying is back, this time electronically by corporations
Hundreds of thousands of employees have had their mobile phone, e-mail and computer records secretly searched. Companies say they did it to expose misconduct.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-germany-spying23-2009may23,0,1524773.story

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CENSORSHIP
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UK Telegraph lawyers shut down Tory MP's blog
Nadine Dorries, the Conservative frontbencher who claimed the Daily Telegraph's revelations on expenses could drive MPs to suicide, has had her blog shut down by lawyers acting for the newspaper.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/may/23/dorries-tory-mp-blog-taken-down

au: COMMENT: Web filtering pulls plug on euthanasia debate by Michael Duffy
They held a debate last week at the Oxford Union on the subject of voluntary euthanasia. Dr Philip Nitschke, the advocate of legalisation, was invited to speak. He accepted but the invitation was cancelled by union president Corey Dixon.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/web-filtering-pulls-plug-on-euthanasia-debate-20090521-bh0s.html

Microsoft blocks Messenger in US-embargoed countries
Microsoft this week decided to turn off its Windows Live Messenger service for five countries: Cuba, Syria, Iran, Sudan, and North Korea. All five of these countries have a few things in common, but the one that apparently concerns Microsoft is that the US has put embargoes on each of them. Users in these countries get the following error: "810003c1: We were unable to sign you in to the .NET Messenger Service." The user is not informed as to the actual reason for the block. Currently, it's not clear how broad the block is or how long it will last.
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/05/microsoft-blocks-messenger-in-us-embargoed-countries.ars

Iran 'blocks access to Facebook'
Iran's government has blocked access to social networking site Facebook ahead of June's presidential elections, according to Iran's ILNA news agency.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8065578.stm

Iranian government blocks Facebook access
Iran has blocked access to Facebook, prompting government critics to condemn the move as an attempt to muzzle the opposition before next month's presidential election.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/24/facebook-banned-iran

Iran bans Facebook ahead of election
Iran has blocked the use of the popular social networking site Facebook in a move critics claim is an attempt to muzzle the opposition ahead of next month's election.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/5378082/Iran-bans-Facebook-ahead-of-election.html

Facebook decries Iranian ban [AFP]
Facebook on Saturday said it had received reports its wesbite had been blocked in Iran, lamenting the apparent government bar as "a shame."
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/facebook-decries-iranian-ban-20090524-bj2t.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/facebook-decries-iranian-ban-20090524-bj2t.html

Cuba's cyberwar intensifies [AFP]
Cuban bloggers are fighting a cyberwar with the government to give their own version of reality on the communist island, from hotels and using memory sticks and laptops obtained from abroad.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cubas-cyberwar-intensifies-20090523-bihx.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cubas-cyberwar-intensifies-20090523-bihx.html

Anyone can browse the Internet... unless they are Cuban
On the anniversary of the Republic of Cuba’s creation on 20 May 1902, Reporters Without Borders calls for continued diplomatic efforts that could help improve access to news and information on the island. When Raúl Castro was installed as president on 24 February 2008, he said he wanted to do away with “the excess of prohibitions and regulations” but Cubans are still denied the Internet access enjoyed by foreign visitors and 24 journalists are still in prison.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=31386

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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EU consults on state aid rules for high-speed Internet
The European Commission yesterday (19 May) launched a public consultation on draft guidelines that will determine when governments can grant public funds for rolling out high-speed broadband networks.
http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/eu-consults-state-aid-rules-high-speed-internet/article-182537

High-level OECD Conference: ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change, 27-28 May 2009
On 27-28 May 2009 the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will host a high-level OECD Conference on how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can improve environmental performance and mitigate climate change in all sectors of the economy. The theme of “Green ICTs” will be discussed in the context of the economic crisis and the role of innovation for green growth.
http://www.oecd.org/document/15/0,3343,en_2649_34223_40472783_1_1_1_37441,00.html

Samuel gives broadband network the nod
The head of Australia's consumer watchdog has sparked a row with the Opposition by giving an extraordinary endorsement of the Federal Govern-ment's plans to build a new national broadband network.
http://business.smh.com.au/business/samuel-gives-broadband-network-the-nod-20090521-bh2m.html
http://business.theage.com.au/business/samuel-attacked-for-nbn-support-20090521-bh5q.html

ACCC chief welcomes broadband network
The head of Australia's competition watchdog has praised the Government's $43 billion broadband proposal.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/21/2577443.htm

NBN announcement 'momentous' says ACCC [news release]
"The most momentous policy initiative in the Australian telecommunications sector since the introduction of full competition over a decade ago," was how Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, described the National Broadband Network announcement to the ATUG 2009 Regional Conference in Canberra today.
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/873252/fromItemId/142

ACCC Samuels endorses Telstra break-up
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Graeme Samuel yesterday endorsed Telstra's structural separation, which has drawn strong criticism from the Liberals.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/ACCC-Samuels-endorses-Telstra-break-up/0,130061791,339296578,00.htm

Pro-internet piracy party on course for EU seats
The Pirate Party, a single-issue Swedish group that campaigns to encourage internet copyright infringement, is on course to win several seats in the European parliament.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6342810.ece

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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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Mystery over Australia's Google's missing millions
Google is refusing to explain the gulf between the revenues filed in its latest accounts and the almost $1 billion paid by Australian companies to the technology giant to buy up search terms on the internet.
http://business.smh.com.au/business/mystery-over-local-googles-missing-millions-20090522-biav.html
http://business.theage.com.au/business/google-silent-on-disparity-20090523-bigq.html

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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nz: With mobile broadband pricing, geography is destiny
A 1GB mobile data plan might cost as twice as much in New Zealand as Australia. But as one reader points out, New Zealand has roughly the same geographical area as the UK.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/chris-keall/with-mobile-broadband-pricing-geography-destiny

au: Pipe dream coming true for net users
When cable ship Tyco Durable set off from Sydney's northern beaches to lay a 9000km undersea fibre-optic link to Guam, via Papua New Guinea, last Tuesday, it carried much more than the hopes of its main investor, Pipe International.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25533252-5013040,00.html

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David Goldstein


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