Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for an archive of the last 3 months of news! And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Asia Pacific Internet Community to descend on NZ for APNIC 26 http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5575 ICANN Plans for Disaster: A Registry Failure http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/ICANN-Plans-For-Disaster-A-Registry-Failure/ ICANN To Offload Domains from De-Accredited Registrar http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/31/icann-to-offload-domains-from-de-accredited-registrar/ AusRegistry Now Provides .ae Registry Services http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/03/ausregistry-now-provides-ae-registry-services/ CNNIC Releases the 22nd Statistical Report on the Internet Development in China - With the Largest Amount of both Netizens and ccTLDs in the World, a Big Internet Power Is Taking Shape http://www.cnnic.net.cn/html/Dir/2008/07/31/5247.htm Second .sport gTLD Proposal Launched http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5576 au: Registry ready to take on the world http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24128535-15306,00.html Dark Blue Sea June 2008 Quarterly Update http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/previewDocument.ac?docID=GCA00866716DBS DBS: Domain Parking Continues Downward Spiral http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/04/dbs-domain-parking-continues-downward-spiral/ ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Asia Pacific Internet Community to descend on NZ for APNIC 26 Later this month, InternetNZ and APNIC will jointly host APNIC 26, one of the most important meetings in 2008 for the Asia Pacific Internet community to discuss issues relating to domain names and internet governance for the region. APNIC 26 is being held in Christchurch from 25 to 29 August 2008. The five-day meeting will continue the ongoing policy development process for the allocation of Internet resources, such as IP addresses in the Asia Pacific region. It also gives members of the Internet technical community the opportunity to continue to contribute to the ongoing development of the Internet, the importance of which is recognised by both the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and the OECD. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5575 http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/asia-pacific-internet-community-to-descend-on-nz-for-apnic-26.html http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/04/asia-pacific-internet-community-to-descend-on-nz-for-apnic-26/ ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Plans for Disaster: A Registry Failure It's hard for most of us to imagine VeriSign failing, but for some of the other companies in the registry business, the possibility is real. The ICANN is finally taking steps to figure out what to do if a registry fails. http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/ICANN-Plans-For-Disaster-A-Registry-Failure/ Victory for civil society representation in ICANN by Milton Mueller The small working group created at the Paris meeting has come to an agreement about the voting distribution in ICANN?s policy making Council for domain names (the GNSO Council). It remains to the ICANN Board and staff to accept and implement this proposal, but the Board is expected to follow the consensus of the working group. (If it does not, you will hear about it here!) http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/7/31/3817694.html New NTIA Letter Worth Reading by Bret Fausett This new letter from the NTIA to ICANN is worth reading (and worthy of dusting off the ol' ICANN.blog for a quick post). The letter, dated yesterday, essentially says that whatever happens with the JPA and ICANN's existential internal examinations, it won't affect the authority of the United States over the root zone. http://blog.lextext.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/31/3818429.html US Government wants to retain control of DNS root zone The US government has again emphasised that it will not give up its supervisory role in the management of the root zone of the DNS. In a letter to the ICANN, the US Department of Commerce explains that, although it is "open to operational efficiency measures that address governments' legitimate public policy and sovereignty concerns" with respect to the management of their country domains, it has no plans to change its own role, or the roles of ICANN and VeriSign. VeriSign is at present entrusted with passing system changes to the 13 authoritative root servers. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/113758 http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/US-Government-wants-to-retain-control-of-DNS-root-zone--/111227 Serbian Experts Criticize New Internet Surveillance Measures Recently, chatting on the internet, talking on Skype (visual and audio communication through the web), or just sending a simple e- mail have become subject to clearly regulated surveillance by the Serbian security services. The Republican Telecommunications Agency [RATEL] has recently adopted the "Technical Conditions for Internet Web Subsystems, Units, Equipment, and Installation," which came into force on July 12. http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews+articleid_2463409~title_Serbian-Experts.html US Government wants to retain control of DNS root zone The US government has again emphasised that it will not give up its supervisory role in the management of the root zone of the DNS. http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/US-Government-wants-to-retain-control-of-DNS-root-zone--/111227 US Not Giving Up Oversight of Domain Name Root Zone File The United States Government has said it has no intention of giving up its oversight role of the authoritative root zone file, the file that stores the database of how domain names are reached on the internet. http://www.technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5558 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/31/us-not-giving-up-oversight-of-domain-name-root-zone-file/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/us-not-giving-up-oversight-of-domain-name-root-zone-file.html ICANN To Offload Domains from De-Accredited Registrar When RegisterFly lost its ICANN accreditation, GoDaddy swooped in to take over the registration of RegisterFly clients? domain names. It was a nice pickup for GoDaddy of nearly 1 million domain names. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/31/icann-to-offload-domains-from-de-accredited-registrar/ ICANN Formalizes Relationship with ccTLD Manager for Thailand ICANN has announced today that it has signed an exchange of letters with the ccTLD manager for .th-Thailand, Thai network Information Center Foundation. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-01aug08-en.htm The Billion-Dollar Domain Babies The latest ICANN plan to allow the global populace to assemble an entire domain name like www.yourname.yourname as their free choice is a revolutionary and timely decision. This now opens doors to cyber-brands like "my.ibm," "hotel.chicago," "it.jobs," "play.poker," "fly.usa" or "go.dell." Applicants will submit a non-refundable fee of US$100,000 to $500,000 for each name idea, and businesses are already jumping to get started. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/The-Billion-Dollar-Domain-Babies-64042.html Icann formalises pact with Thailand ccTLD manager [sub req'd] http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=224890 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** AusRegistry Now Provides .ae Registry Services AusRegistry International, a wholly owned subsidiary of AusRegistry, the Registry Operator for all commercial and non-commercial .au domain names (including .com.au and .gov.au), went live in the United Arab Emirates providing the Registry Software Services for the .ae ccTLD on August 3. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/03/ausregistry-now-provides-ae-registry-services/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/ausregistry-now-provides-.ae-registry-services.html TRA to promote .ae domain name The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) will start the registration and licensing process for the domain name .ae, said a top official of the authority. http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20080803032344/secIndustries/pagTelecoms%20&%20IT Region-wide Businesses, Events and Initiatives Embrace .Asia Domains [news release] DotAsia Organisation announced today that auction proceeds for the .Asia Sunrise and Landrush auctions reached US$7 Million after surpassing the US$6 Million mark 2 weeks ago. The top 10 list also continues to experience constant changes and exciting developments. Four new domains entered into the Top 10, including ?homes.asia? (US$32,000) and ?gold.asia? (US$34,125 and ongoing), while ?buy.asia? (US$72,000 and ongoing) jumped into 3rd position. Making way for these were ?vodka.asia? (US$25,000), ?diamond.asia? (US$28,000) and ?spa.asia? (US$23,200). Into the final week of the auctions, ?discover.asia? remains at the top having closed at US$112,111. Live auction ticker and commentary can be found on http://www.think.asia, as the .Asia Hot-or-Not Domains Appraisal Contest awaits its Grand Prize winner of US$10,000. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/04/region-wide-businesses-events-and-initiatives-embrace-asia-domains/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/region-wide-businesses-events-and-initiatives-embrace-.asia-domains.html CIRA's Whois Debacle by Michael Geist I've written in the past about the hugely disappointing CIRA decision to backtrack on its WHOIS policy and create backdoor access for special interests. CIRA has now posted the minutes (1, 2, 3) associated with the decision-making process and the deep divide within the board becomes immediately evident. The minutes show a split board vote on the issue, two days of debate, supplementary comments from five board members explaining their vote, concerns about the lack of transparency, and a decision-making process that violated the central tenets of policy making. http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3237/125/ CNNIC Releases the 22nd Statistical Report on the Internet Development in China - With the Largest Amount of both Netizens and ccTLDs in the World, a Big Internet Power Is Taking Shape by the end of June 2008, the amount of netizens in China had reached 253 million, surpassing that in the United States to be the first place in the world. This is according to a newly released Suvery Repot by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). http://www.cnnic.net.cn/html/Dir/2008/07/31/5247.htm The AFNIC published its response to the public consultation on the management of the French Internet domains [news release] On April 28th, 2008, the public authorities started a public consultation about the management of French Internet domains: .fr, .re, .gp, .mq, etc. The AFNIC today published the response which it submitted to the authorities. http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/general/CP20080704_en "I Love .SG" National Day Promotion! SGNIC has announced a promotion for the month of August as part of the nation's 43rd birthday with the cost of .sg domain names capped at SGD$5 or less. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/04/i-love-sg-national-day-promotion/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/i-love-.sg-national-day-promotion.html "I Love .SG" National Day Promotion! Pay SGD$5 or less for a domain name during August 2008! [news release] Singapore turns 43 this August and SGNIC joins in the celebration for our nations's birthday! From 1 August till 31 August 2008, registration fees for domain names under the ".sg" and ".per.sg" extensions will be capped at a maximum price of SGD$5.00!! This promotion will be available at all participating registrars. http://nic.net.sg/newsroom/20080801104848.html Second .sport gTLD Proposal Launched ICANN's recent announcement they will begin a process to approve more gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains) has generated significant interest with a number of proposals mooted. One TLD that seems to be popular is .sport with two proposals announced. The second is dotSport LLC, a consortium led by its founder and chief executive officer Ron Andruff (former CEO and founder of Tralliance Corporation, the .travel Registry). http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5576 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/04/second-sport-gtld-proposal-launched/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/second-.sport-gtld-proposal-launched.html .tel launch raises questions There are many common features in the Telnic Sunrise Policy and the old .eu Sunrise Policy (examples: right to register the transliteration of a trademark with special characters, or the nominal part of a logo when the word element is predominant), though it will be slightly easier to provide the validation agent with the documentary evidence in .tel applications. http://domaine.blogspot.com/2008/07/tel-launch-raises-questions.html uk: Registrar satisfaction telephone survey [news release] Nominet is currently using an external research agency to carry out a telephone survey about our customer service levels. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5498 New Nominet DRS Policy and Procedure and online system go live [news release] The new DRS Policy and Procedure are now effective and we have incorporated the DRS process into our online services. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5478 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Cyveillance Reports Significant Increase in Phishing Attacks [news release] Cyveillance, the world leader in cyber intelligence, today announced that 367 unique brands were first-time victims of targeted phishing attacks during the first half of 2008, representing an 80 percent increase over the second half of 2007. As noted in Cyveillance?s upcoming 1H 2008 ?Online Financial Fraud and Identity Theft Report?, this increase in phishing attacks on new brands represents close to 20 percent of all new attacks since 2005. http://cyveillance.com/web/news/press_rel/2008/2008-07-31.asp ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** June Court Decision Detrimental to Domaining Practices by Eric Goldman In a June court ruling, domainer Navigation Catalyst and registrar Basic Fusion lost a cybersquatting lawsuit to Verizon. ... This is an extremely interesting and potentially precedent-setting case regarding domaining and domain name tasting. The court condemns both practices, leading to a preliminary injunction against the domainer and its registrar based on the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA). http://www.circleid.com/posts/88214_court_decision_detrimental_to_domaining/ ADR picking up in internet and e-commerce law Although internet law and e-commerce have been lagging behind other areas of law with respect to alternative dispute resolution, things are beginning to change, Michael Erdle tells Law Times. http://www.lawtimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4192&Itemid=82 ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Used but Unallocated by Leo Vegoda In February I commented about how we have been doing some research into the use of unallocated address space on the Internet. I hoped that I could give a report on the results sooner than this but the work has now been done and the results have been made public. http://blog.icann.org/?p=347 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** au: Registry ready to take on the world Local domain name registrar AusRegistry has taken its first global expansion steps and has signed a deal to provide services in the Middle East. Over the weekend it began providing registry software and database maintenance services for the .ae domain name in the United Arab Emirates. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24128535-15306,00.html Netcraft July 2008 Web Server Survey In the July 2008 survey we received responses from 175,480,931 sites. The web has grown by 3.14 million sites over the past month, with Apache web servers increasing by 2.2 million and Microsoft IIS by 1.4 million. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2008/07/07/july_2008_web_server_survey.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Dark Blue Sea June 2008 Quarterly Update Dark Blue Sea Ltd released an update on its quarterly performance for the three months to 30 June, 2008. As advised with the release of the March 2006 quarterly cash flow statement, the Company will no longer lodge Appendix 4C statements with the Australian Stock Exchange. The company has previously announced some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) coincident with these releases. It is the company's intention to continue to release these KPIs on a quarterly basis. http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/previewDocument.ac?docID=GCA00866716DBS DBS: Domain Parking Continues Downward Spiral Australian domain name company Dark Blue Sea, which runs Fabulous, reported another drop in domain parking revenue in its latest quarterly update. Just two months ago Domain Name Wire wrote about how the company?s parking revenue from its 600,000 domains was down 18% in just one quarter. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/04/dbs-domain-parking-continues-downward-spiral/ A New Flavor For Delicious Yahoo's bookmark-sharing site Delicious finally launched its long-awaited 2.0 version, almost two and a half years after Yahoo bought the site. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2008/08/a_new_flavor_for_delicious.html Should you join the internet ?land grab?? In June, the governing body for internet domain names approved a ?land grab? for new web addresses, allowing Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Cyrillic characters to be used for the first time. So should you start defensively registering domains to avoid being gazumped by cybersquatters? http://www.realbusiness.co.uk/news/internet-business/5352161/should-you-join-the-internet-land-grab.thtml Del.icio.us Rebrands as Delicious.com: A Lesson for Entrepreneurs Social bookmarking site Delicious has flipped the switch on its brand, encouraging users to visit the easy-to-remember Delicious.com instead of the often typod del.icio.us. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/01/delicious-rebrands-as-deliciouscom-a-lesson-for-entrepreneurs/ Domain Parking Pages to Be Excluded From Google's Advertising Network? The following news story has been posted without confirmation. Even so, how long will it be before Google and Yahoo eliminate certain domains from its network in order to get click fraud under control. At the recent T.R.A.F.F.I.C Conference in Orlando, a Google executive made an appearance and warned domainers that Google was going ot be taking more aggressive action against click fraud. The suggestion is that some domainers create clicks, through software programs or human schemes, on the ads on their parked pages in order to fraudulently create adword revenue. Of course, advertisers using the Google adwords program are getting better at auditing click fraud and asking for refunds from Google. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/08/domain-parking.html 5 Ways to Make More Money with Domain Parking As domain parking revenue drops, sitting around and complaining won?t do you any good. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/01/5-ways-to-make-more-money-with-domain-parking/ The Bad Image of Domainers Eric Goldman, Assistant Professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law and Director of the school?s High-Tech Law Institute, made a post about domain lawsuits on his blog yesterday. http://www.dmueller.com/2008/08/03/domain-names-domains/the-bad-image-of-domainers/ Pair of 6-Figure .Org Sales Soar to Top Spot on DN Journal's Weekly Top 20 Chart Six-figure .org sales are rare but we saw a pair of them this week with Ringtones.org and Revolution.org commanding $120,000 apiece. Only one .org sale this year was higher - Sexe.org ("sex" in French) which sold for $151,400 last month. Ringtones.org was sold in Moniker's live auction at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East in May and just closed this past week. Revolution.org changed hands at Sedo.com, a venue that placed more names on our weekly Top 20 chart than any other with nine. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales07-29-08.htm Microsoft tries to one-up Google PageRank Though a distant third place to Google, Microsoft thinks it can teach its rival a thing or two about searching the Internet. A big part of Google's rise to search engine leadership was an algorithm called PageRank that assesses a specific page's importance by how many other Web pages link to it and by the importance of those linking pages. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9999038-93.html Domainer's Magazine Raises the Bar in the Domain Media Industry [news release] Domainer's Magazine has launched a new website that allows viewers to post their own articles, comment on articles and view real time auctions from several top auction houses in real time. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/04/domainers-magazine-raises-the-bar-in-the-domain-media-industry/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/domainers-magazine-raises-the-bar-in-the-domain-media-industry.html Fabulous and TRAFFIC Down Under Donating All Profits to ICA DomainNameNews has learned that Fabulous.com and TRAFFIC will be announcing later today that they are donating all profits from the forthcoming TRAFFIC Down Under domain conference to the Internet Commerce Association (ICA). http://www.domainnamenews.com/events/fabulous-and-traffic-down-under-donating-all-profits-to-ica/1902 ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Broadband Growth and Policies in OECD Countries Broadband plays a critical role in the workings of the economy and society. It connects consumers, businesses, and governments and facilitates social interaction. Hence, broadband policies are now a vital instrument to ensure the competitiveness of OECD countries and to address pressing societal concerns. This report examines broadband developments and policies, and highlights challenges such as connecting users to fibre-based networks or coverage of rural areas. It also outlines emerging issues that may need policy attention as we move to next-generation networks. The findings are also relevant to emerging and developing economies designing broadband strategies. http://www.oecd.org/document/1/0,3343,en_2649_34223_40931201_1_1_1_1,00.html http://213.253.134.43/oecd/pdfs/browseit/9308021E.PDF (ebook download) Determinants of Behavioral Intentions in The Mobile Internet Services Market by Pavlos A. Vlachos & Adam Vrechopoulos [Journal of Services Marketing] Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the theoretical and empirical meaningfulness of a composite model of behavioral intentions in a pure mobile internet services context.This paper starts by investigating the influence of seven service quality determinants on overall service quality perceptions, employing a qualitative research design. Next, these determinants are embedded in a holistic nomological framework depicting the complex interrelationships between prominent service evaluation constructs and behavioral intentions. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1180802 Predicting Web Page Status by Pant, Gautam and Srinivasan, Padmini Abstract: The World Wide Web has become a key intermediary between producers and consumers of information. Web's linkage structure has been exploited by contemporary search engines to decrease the search cost for consumers while usually also rewarding the producers of higher status Web pages. In addition to influencing visibility and accessibility, in-links, as marks of recognition, accord status to a Web page. In this paper we show how Web page status may be predicted at least in part by page location and topic specificity. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1186962 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** uk: Only broadband will do for monks with an internet habit Choose to be a monk and you accept that your life will be a spartan existence dominated by prayer, chastity and reflective solitude, far from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. But such a traditional perception of monastic life is being challenged by a community of Catholic monks who live in a century-old abbey on Caldey Island, off Pembrokeshire in south-west Wales. Sick of being hindered by the limitations of their ancient dial-up internet connection, the tech-savvy brothers have installed a rapid wireless broadband receiver inside the abbey tower. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/only-broadband-will-do-for-monks-with-an-internet-habit-882621.html UK: broadband suppliers blame slowdown on housing crisis Britain's broadband boom is stuttering as consumers grapple with rising price and the crumbling housing market. Four of the UK's big six providers yesterday announced that the past three months saw demand for high-speed internet access down on the previous quarter and down on last year. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/aug/01/internetphonesbroadband.internet Bruised S.Korean government takes on "infodemics" South Korea's unpopular young government is having second thoughts about the benefits of running the world's most wired society. ... Now the government is working on new rules to rein in the excesses of its netizens and bring some control to the information -- and disinformation -- that bombards the nation's computer screens. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-34799920080803 http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKSEO7244220080803 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/04/2323139.htm Life without Web virtually impossible for New Zealanders Studies have revealed our love-hate relationship with the Internet, with most unable to imagine life without it - except for the 16 per cent who have never ventured online. The New Zealand World Internet Project report issued by AUT University has unveiled the first real insight in to the culture of Kiwis' Internet use. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4642068a28.html http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4641838a6479.html InternetNZ encouraged by broadband subscriber growth [news release] InternetNZ (The Internet Society of New Zealand Inc) is encouraged by a Statistics New Zealand survey that shows the number of broadband subscribers has increased 10.7 percent to 891,000. http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/ispsurvey Nearly two million subscribers online in NZ The latest figures from Statistics New Zealand show 1.5 million subscribers are now hooked up to the internet and most have broadband. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10524903 Increase in broadband users pleasing - InternetNZ The rising numbers of broadband fast internet users is encouraging, although large numbers of New Zealanders still rely on "last century" dial-up internet, says InternetNZ. http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/15982/increase-broadband-users-pleasing-internetnz The Google Killer engine has arrived ... er, no it hasn't Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. We saw two examples of this last week. The first came when a new search engine - Cuil (www.cuil.com) - was unveiled. The launch was an old-style PR operation. Some influential bloggers and mainstream reporters had been briefed in advance, and whispers were circulating in cyberspace that this would be Something Big. Cuil would be the 'Google Killer' everyone had been waiting for. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/03/google Study revives six degrees theory A US study of instant messaging suggests the theory that it takes only six steps to link everyone may be right - though seven seems more accurate. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7539329.stm Six degrees separate people with PCs A study into electronic communication records has given credence to the theory that any two people on the planet have only "six degrees of separation" between them - though researchers suggest the actual number may be closer to seven. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24123151-5013404,00.html au: AARNet hikes high-speed net links Researchers and academics in Australia have been given a ten-fold bandwidth boost thanks to a network upgrade by Australia's Academic and Research Network (AARNet). The improvements will see users' 1Gbps link increased to 10Gbps. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24124325-15306,00.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** au: AFP to use MySpace, Facebook to find missing persons The Australian Federal Police will use online social networking sites to try to reduce the number of missing persons in the country. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/04/2323861.htm Computer games move into guerrilla marketing Two weeks ago, an e-mail landed in the inbox of Ben Stiller, the Hollywood actor. With the release of Tropic Thunder, an upcoming action comedy, would he allow his image to be used in a computer game to be distributed on Facebook? http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article4454170.ece ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** au: Substitution of fixed-line by mobile services is now emerging, but prospects for convergence of fixed and mobile services low in the short-term, says ACMA [news release] The substitution of mobile services for fixed line is established and growing in Australia, according to research released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. However the prospects for convergence of fixed-line and mobile services into a single seamless service - apparent in some overseas markets - are low in the short term. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311281 Microsoft sees end of Windows era Microsoft has kicked off a research project to create software that will take over when it retires Windows. Called Midori, the cut-down operating system is radically different to Microsoft's older programs. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7540282.stm Midori musings: Thoughts on a "post-Windows" OS The big excitement in Microsoftland this week has been further news of Midori. Midori is claimed to be Microsoft's "post-Windows" operating system?a new platform for the future. The SD Times claims to have seen internal Microsoft documents describing the company's plans for the new OS, and it says that Midori will be a commercial derivative of the Singularity project. Say hello to a cloud-computing-ready .NET OS. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080804-midori-musings-thoughts-on-a-post-windows-os.html Cloud Computing, Microsoft's Midori, and the End of Windows Cloud computing, which offloads applications from local PC installations to the Internet or company networks, stands poised to free business from many uncomfortable tethers. For one thing, those local PC installations, and the operating systems they require, can be a royal pain to manage and update. Not to mention the potential for data loss with local storage - sure, you can create good backup policies and train users to store files on network drives, but you're still going to run into situations where a drive blows and someone loses a critical document. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/blogs/larkin_on_the_web/149373/cloud_computing_microsofts_midori_and_the_end_of_windows.html ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Taiwan helps open 41 digital centers in APEC initiative Taiwan will have helped establish 41 digital opportunity centers in seven developing nations by the end of this year under an APEC initiative to bridge the digital divide, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2008/08/03/2003419259 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** F.C.C. Vote Sets Precedent on Unfettered Web Usage The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold the complaint against Comcast, the nation?s largest cable company, saying that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine, requires Comcast to end such blocking this year. http://nytimes.com/2008/08/02/technology/02fcc.html Australian online movie fans face scrutiny Internet users who download illegal copies of the latest movies and television shows could get warning letters in the mail. The film production industry is pressuring Australian internet providers to start sending "we know what you're doing"-type letters to customers who are tracked downloading copyright content, warning them they face disconnection or even legal action if they continue. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/08/03/1217701901151.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/03/1217701901151.html EFF urges judge to dismiss MySpace case The Electronic Frontier Foundation is opposing the prosecution of a Missouri mom who allegedly created a fake MySpace account to harass a teenage neighbor, saying the prosecutors' misuse of a federal law that targets computer fraud could turn millions of Americans into criminals. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10006165-93.html Olympic ticket scams just the start, says researcher Scammers have duped hundreds of people out of thousands of dollars each using bogus Olympic ticket-selling sites, reports said today. A security expert warned that more will follow. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9111539 Beijing Games hit by Internet ticket scam Sports fans around the world have been swindled by an international Internet scam which offered thousands of bogus tickets for the Beijing Games, Olympic officials said on Monday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKPEK25562820080804 No compensation for ticket victims Beijing Olympic organisers have said they can do nothing to compensate people who bought tickets from websites that have turned out to be fakes. The Australian Olympic Committee also said it was powerless to provide replacement tickets. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/04/1217701946454.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/08/04/1217701946454.html nz: Sniffing out copyright thieves Some argue that online copyright stifles creative freedom. Others believe that copyright is an impossible concept in an online world. And then there are those that claim they are losing millions, if not billions, of dollars annually to internet pirates. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4642976a28.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Web Filtering Moves to the Cloud For those of you spending your workdays posting videos of the cat to YouTube or trading messages with friends on Facebook, you?d better start cultivating another pastime. Web filtering software is moving to the cloud ? that all-knowing, pervasive, sometimes unreliable cluster of computers in the digital ether ? and it?s going to watch your every move online and tattle to your boss. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/web-filtering-moves-to-the-cloud/ Australian privacy advocates say Google's gone too far Google is back in the privacy firing line over its latest internet mapping blitz, which will make Australian streets some of the most scrutinised in the world. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24129794-5013404,00.html nz: Privacy talks pave way for Google's Street View in NZ Google will launch a New Zealand edition of its controversial Street View application within the next few months after agreeing to protect the identity of people filmed in public places, following talks with the privacy commissioner. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4642693a28.html http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4642693a27483.html http://businessday.co.nz/industries/telco_it/4642668 nz: Internet giant upsets privacy groups Privacy groups are keeping a close eye on internet giant Google as it prepares to publish images of thousands of Kiwi homes on its Street View website. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10524966 Google accused on privacy views Google has been accused of "hypocrisy" over its stance on personal privacy. In court documents defending a lawsuit brought against its Street View mapping tool it has asserted that "complete privacy doesn't exist." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7536549.stm US lawmakers Demand Info on Web Tracking Practices [AP] A congressional committee wants the nation's largest telecommunications and Internet companies to explain whether they target online advertising based on consumers' search queries and Web surfing habits. http://nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Web-Tracking.html Google StreetView: Privacy doesn't exist Google has been accused of hypocrisy after the search engine defended its Street View tool by saying "complete privacy doesn't exist." http://www.itworld.com/security/54021/google-streetview-privacy-doesnt-exist US Congress wants privacy answers from Google, MS, AOL "Committee on Energy and Commerce" and "rampage" don't often appear in the same sentence, but the House committee is certainly on a tear when it comes to behavioral advertising. Not content with firing off a bipartisan list of sharp questions to ISPs who installed NeduAd traffic analysis hardware, the Committee on Friday expanded its nastygram list to include "33 leading Internet and broadband companies" including Google, Microsoft, Time Warner, AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast. Legislation on the issue could be coming. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080804-congress-wants-privacy-answers-from-google-ms-aol.html ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** F.C.C. Vote Sets Precedent on Unfettered Web Usage The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold the complaint against Comcast, the nation?s largest cable company, saying that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine, requires Comcast to end such blocking this year. http://nytimes.com/2008/08/02/technology/02fcc.html uk: Illegal filesharing: Government hits back at BPI over last-minute letter A hardline letter sent by the BPI at the 11th hour threatened to undermine a deal to tackle illegal filesharing, prompting the government to express its displeasure of the music industry body in a terse response to record label executives. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/31/digitalmedia.downloads IETF tackling P2P data traffic Previously, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has refrained from standardising peer-to-peer (P2P) applications used for filesharing, TV streaming, and other applications. Now the working group is tackling ways to make data traffic between P2P users more effective. At the Dublin developers' meeting there were opponents of an application layer traffic optimisation (ALTO) protocol who could not be won over. However, Jon Peterson, an IETF Area Director for Real-time Applications and Infrastructure, warned that the problem should not be put off. He underscored this by pointing to the interest of P2P companies like BitTorrent. http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/113590 ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Russian Security Service to keep an eye on the Internet Russia?s presidential apparatus, the government, and the Federal Security Service will create mass media and internet monitoring systems. The project is estimated at 100m rubles ($4.3mln). Some experts think the system will help fight extremism, others fear some officials will use it in their own interests. http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2008/07/31/310211 Restrictions on Net Access in China Seem Relaxed The Chinese authorities appear to have lifted some of the restrictions that blocked Web sites for journalists working at the Olympic Village although other politically sensitive sites, including those on Tibet, remained inaccessible on Friday morning. http://nytimes.com/2008/08/01/sports/olympics/01censor.html China lifts ban on Tiananmen sites Websites on sensitive subjects such as the bloody crackdown on democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989 were accessible in the Chinese capital yesterday as the authorities lifted more internet restrictions in order to meet their Olympic Games commitments. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/03/china.humanrights IOC denies deal on internet curbs Olympic officials have denied agreeing to curbs on internet access for foreign journalists covering the Beijing Games. Reporters found a number of politically sensitive websites blocked earlier this week, and some senior Olympic officials said they had been aware of it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7538434.stm IOC convinces China to unblock net The International Olympic Committee bowed to world media outrage yesterday and forced China to begin unblocking the internet for the Olympic Games. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24115540-601,00.html Chinese Government relaxes Olympic internet censorship [AAP] The Chinese appear to have relaxed censorship of the internet for Olympic journalists as human rights groups demand better access. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/beijing_olympics/story/0,27313,24112127-5014197,00.html China lifts internet firewall in time for Olympics China has opened crevices in the Great Firewall that blocks access to many internet sites, allowing the public to see some quarters of cyberspace that it has long blocked. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4441127.ece China lifts more internet curbs China unblocks more websites in a bid to end a row over internet access for Olympic journalists, a week before the Games open. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7536583.stm Chinese netizens rail against Great Firewall The current fad in China for push-ups is not inspired by the approach of the Olympic Games; nor is it part of a campaign to improve physical fitness. In a country that employs a vast bureaucracy to monitor all types of internet activity and where posting a comment critical of the authorities can land you in re-education camp, people have to choose their words very carefully. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/01/1217097503184.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/08/01/1217097503184.html Inside the Great Firewall of China With 253 million people online, China now has the most internet users of any country. Beijing employs a vast bureaucracy of censors and a phalanx of technically advanced filters to police how its citizens use the internet. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/31/1217097481138.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/07/31/1217097481138.html Sudan Authorities Block Youtube [news release] On 29 July 2008, ANHRI denounced the government's decision to block the YouTube website ( http://www.youtube.com ). Since 22 July, Internet users in Sudan have been unable to access the site, instead receiving an error message stating that the site was blocked by the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC). http://allafrica.com/stories/200808040076.html uk: Birmingham Council faces legal threat over internet filtering Birmingham City Council could be facing legal action after it installed an internet filtering system that breaks religious discrimination rules. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2223151/birmingham-council-faces-legal-filtering http://www.computeractive.co.uk/vnunet/news/2223151/birmingham-council-faces-legal-filtering Grand Theft Auto withdrawn in Thailand after copycat killing One of the largest video game distributors in Asia has halted sales of the Grand Theft Auto IV in Thailand after a teenager confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver while trying to recreate a scene from the game. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4457144.ece Thailand bans Grand Theft Auto IV Copies of Grand Theft Auto IV have been pulled in Thailand after a teenager confessed to murdering a taxi driver. The 18-year-old high school student is accused of stabbing the cab driver to death by trying to copy a scene from the game. http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7540000/7540623.stm Thailand halts Grand Theft Auto sales after murder A Thai video game distributor halted sales of "Grand Theft Auto" on Monday after a teenager confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver while trying to recreate a scene from the controversial game. http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSBKK22888820080804 http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKBKK22888820080804 Thai slaying highlights world's struggles with violent games Games are increasingly being made for adults, but that causes friction around the world as different cultures deal with the new art form. After a GTA-inspired killing in Thailand, we look at a few controversies in gaming around the globe. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080804-thai-slaying-highlights-worlds-struggles-with-violent-games.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ nz: Become net savvy, parents told With kids becoming increasingly internet savvy, parents are being urged to be more aware of what they are up to. There are concerns about photos taken by young people of themselves, being used as pornography on the net. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1976696 nz: Expert: Why kids don't tell on cyber-bullies Many young people keep quiet about online bullying for fear they will not be allowed to keep using computers, says a bullying expert. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10524874 nz: Naming abusers complex issue Naming people charged with child sex offences can pressure them into reoffending, a psychologist specialising in rehabilitating cyber-sex criminals told the Otago Daily Times. http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/15824/naming-abusers-complex-issue nz: Online safety Arguably, no single innovation has changed the shape of modern life quite as much. http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/15999/online-safety Australian net censorship to cost users Internet users could be forced to subsidise the federal Government's quest to censor the internet, with early estimates indicating the scheme could cost $60 million a year. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24128728-15306,00.html Filtered Internet to inflate access costs, slow speeds Broadband costs will rise and access speeds may suffer if the government's national Internet content filtering scheme is mandated, according to network experts. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1597671662 http://www.cio.com.au/index.php/id;1597671662 http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1597671662 Child porn filters to cut Aussie broadband speeds The Federal Government is distancing itself from some results in this week?s ISP-level content filtering study, as industry criticism mounts over the test methodology. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=81630 Aussie 'net filtering trial set for failure, say critics A glowing report on the government's national internet content filtering scheme has again outraged telecommunications providers and privacy advocates who declared the results biased and worthless. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/0432344F475D00E5CC2574980001C123 au: Minister welcomes advances in internet filtering technology [news release] The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy today welcomed a report demonstrating advances in internet content filtering technologies. http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2008/minister_welcomes_advances_in_internet_filtering_technology Australian Study - ISP Level Filters Improved, but Insufficient for P2P The timing couldn't have been better. A new study coming out of Australia has concluded that content filtering technology has shown significant improvement, but couldn't tell the difference between legal and illegal content over a file-sharing network. http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9680/Australian+Study+-+ISP+Level+Filters+Improved,+but+Insufficient+for+P2P/ ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Travellers to US warned of laptop seizure threat [IDG] Travellers to the United States are being warned that US agents now have the authority to seize and retain their laptops indefinitely, according to a new policy detailed in documents issued by the US Department of Homeland Security. http://techworld.com/mobility/news/index.cfm?newsid=102280 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** WiMAX not ready for prime time, says Forrester While WiMAX has the potential to deliver mobile broadband services to U.S. companies, its success will depend largely on how well and quickly the Sprint-Clearwire coalition builds out its nationwide network, says a new report from Forrester Research. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/080408-wimax.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2008 --------- David Goldstein 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 Find a better answer, faster with the new Yahoo!7 Search. www.yahoo7.com.au/searchReceived on Mon Aug 04 2008 - 17:37:32 UTC
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