Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news. And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Interview: EU to govern Internet of the future http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/interview-eu-govern-internet-future/article-176172 [English] VeriSign and ICANN Square Off Over the DNS Root http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/who-should-sign.html Naming Rights: Are you plagued by a bad online address? You may soon have a shot at a better one. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122347713051615395.html Latin America Reaches 4 Million Domain Name Registrations http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6193 New Policies Mean .info gTLD to be Safer http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6171 U.S. Gov't Proposes Digital Signing of DNS Root Zone File [IDG] http://www.pcworld.com/article/152133/.html Hackers force Al-Arabiya site name change http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/13/middleeast-internet Kentucky Tests State's Reach Against Online Gambling http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/08/AR2008100802870.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Interview: EU to govern Internet of the future The European Commission will roll out a range of initiatives in the coming months to promote the Internet of the Future, while remaining highly vigilant in protecting citizens and networks, Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding told EurActiv in an interview. http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/interview-eu-govern-internet-future/article-176172 [English] http://euractiv.com/fr/societe-information/entretien-ue-devrait-regir-internet-futur/article-176190 [French] http://euractiv.com/de/informationsgesellschaft/interview-eu-internet-zukunft-regulieren/article-176191 [German] Privacy by design? by Milton Mueller I just returned from the ?Internet of Things, Internet of the Future? conference sponsored by the French Presidency of the EU. At a panel on the privacy implications of RFID, I was struck by the way so many panelists, perhaps 4 or 5 out of 7, invoked ?privacy by design? as a way of responding to RFID privacy threats. They all seemed to agree that it was somehow possible to pre-configure the technology in a way that privacy is structurally protected. Appropriately enough, the next day one of the chief intellectual promoters of this myth, law professor Lawrence Lessig, keynoted the conference. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/10/8/3922137.html Commerce Department asks the world to comment on its plans to retain control of the root by Milton Mueller The U.S. Commerce Department used its presence at a French conference on the ?Internet of things? to announce that it will hold a public consultation on the different proposals to cryptographically sign the DNS root zone file, and determine who will hold the root zone trust anchor for global DNSSEC implementation. The call for public comment will be released later this week. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/10/8/3922078.html Kenya IGF 2008 - 14th October, Jacaranda Hotel: Opening the Internet Governance Debate in East Africa: ?Thinking Globally; Acting Locally? The Kenya ICT Board (KICTB) in conjunction with the Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC), the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), the East African ICT for Development Network (EA ICT4D) and other participating organisations are pleased to announce the Kenya Internet Governance Forum (Kenya IGF) to be held on the 14th of October, 2008 at the Jacaranda hotel in Westlands. The Kenya IGF will offer a central forum through which Internet stakeholders in Kenya can contribute to the global Internet Governance Forum. http://www.kenic.or.ke/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=192 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** VeriSign and ICANN Square Off Over the DNS Root Squareroot The internet has a huge security problem that's temporarily fixed with bent paperclips and some gaffer's tape. Without concerted effort, hackers could easily spoil what little confidence remains in the internet. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/who-should-sign.html Naming Rights: Are you plagued by a bad online address? You may soon have a shot at a better one. Relief may be on the way for small businesses stuck with bad Web addresses. Next year, the organization that oversees the Internet will start selling rights to an unlimited number of new top-level domains -- the suffixes like .com that appear at the end of Web-site names. Domains likely to appear include those that take their names from popular subjects, types of businesses and geographic locations, such as .books, .flowers and .nyc. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122347713051615395.html Proposal To Sign the Root Zone Made Public A proposal to sign the root zone file with Domain Name System Security Extensions, or DNSSEC, technology was released by ICANN today. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-09oct08-en.htm Bengali and Khmer Added to IDN Testing Process: Internationalized Domain Name wikis now cover 17 languages ICANN's efforts to bring the languages of the world online have expanded with the addition of two new languages ? Bengali and Khmer ? to the global testing process. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-09oct08-en.htm Launch of New Domain Name Extensions May Mean More Disputes Earlier this year the Internet's governing body, ICANN, approved a recommendation that could see a whole range of new Internet addresses. The National Arbitration Forum's Internet Legal Counsel discussed this gTLD expansion and UDRP benefits for the Metropolitan Corporate Counsel October issue on International Law, Trade, and Technology. http://arbitration-forum.blogspot.com/2008/10/launch-of-new-domain-name-extensions.html Spam war: Registry operators are taking over the asylum After seeing our coverage of ICANN's wrist slap of two domain registrars for violations of ICANN's policies requiring correct Whois information, Afilias drew our attention to its latest press release. Afilias, which operates the .info generic top-level domain (gTLD): http://thestandard.com/news/2008/10/08/spam-war-registry-operators-are-taking-over-asylum What's in a dot.com name ... .orlando? .disney? .whatever you want? Internet surfers already used to Web addresses ending in .com, .net and .org may soon have to make room for .Disney or .orlando. The change is part of perhaps the biggest expansion ever to Internet addresses, with the makeover of so-called "top-level domains" beginning perhaps as early as next year. But it won't come cheap -- getting a new domain will likely be at least $100,000. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-domains1308oct13,0,1893293.story Cluck, Cluck... ICANN and Contract Compliance Enforcement by John Levine I've always been a fan of co-ops. In New York, we shop at greenstar.coop and my wife banks at alternatives.coop, in the UK we shop at co-operative.coop. So when the .COOP domain opened, I wondered if I could get my own clever domain name, but found that chicken.coop was taken by a small producer co-op in the southern U.S. Drat. http://www.circleid.com/posts/icann_contract_compliance_enforcement/ Icann releases proposal to sign root zone file with DNSSEC [sub req'd] Internet domain registrar Icann has released a proposal to sign the root zone file with Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC). http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=233788 http://telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=640254 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Latin America Reaches 4 Million Domain Name Registrations LatinoamerICANN published its monthly report with domain name statistics in Latin America for September 2008. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6193 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/10/13/4-million-domain-names-registered-in-latin-america/ Cameroon goes second level Cameroon is opening its namespace by making three second level domains (COM.CM, NET.CM and CO.CM) available for public registration. A Sunrise is scheduled this month. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/228/cameroon-goes-second-level.php New Policies Mean .info gTLD to be Safer Afilias have announced policy changes to make .info they hope will be an effective deterrence to abuses such as phishing and spam and make surfing the internet a safer experience. The new policies come into effect on 6 November. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6171 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/10/09/new-policies-mean-info-gtld-to-be-safer/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/new-policies-mean-.info-gtld-to-be-safer.html Afilias announces new policy to make .INFO even safer for Internet users [news release] Afilias, a global provider of registry services, today announced a new registration policy that makes the nature of domain name abuses clear for registrants and registrars, and furthers the power of the registry to take quick and appropriate action regarding .INFO domains used for abusive behavior. This policy will go into effect on 6 November 2008. http://info.info/news/2008/10/07/afilias-announces-new-policy-make-info-even-safer-internet-users http://www.afilias.info/news/press_releases/pr_articles/2008-10-07-01 Keepers of .info TLD move to clean up its act The much-abused .info top-level domain may be making a renewed bid for respectability with policy changes announced this week, in an effort that may make the TLD a little less meaningless. http://www.betanews.com/article/Keepers_of_info_TLD_move_to_clean_up_its_act/1223523184 Heemskerk launches code of conduct to tackle cybercrime SIDN, the .nl registry, is responsible for (amongst other things) the stability and development of the .nl domain on the Internet. By means of self-regulation, .nl has grown into one of the world?s largest and most successful top-level domains, with more than three million registrations. In the Netherlands, various parties are working hard to improve the security and reliability of the Internet. http://www.sidn.nl/ace.php/c,728,5940,,,,Heemskerk_launches_code_of_conduct_to_tackle_cybercrime.html EnCirca Announces Surge in .Pro Domain Registrations EnCirca announces there has been a 100 percent surge in .pro domain registrations since RegistryPro relaunched the domain, one month ago. This enormous surge in registrations demonstrates there is an unmet market demand for professional service firms who wish to develop their online brand. http://www.encirca.com/html/press/EnCirca_Announces_Surge_in_Pro_Domain_Registrations.pdf .SG tops 100,000 names Singapore's registry SGNIC confirms 100,000th .SG name registered. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/227/sg-tops-100-000-names.php .uk registrar conference - Book your place now! We are pleased to announce that this year's .uk registrar conference will be held at Wembley Stadium in London, on Wednesday 19 November 2008. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5648 UK ENUM launch We are pleased to announce the launch of UK ENUM today. We are now able to accept applications to become ENUM registrars and our registration systems are live. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5633 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** U.S. Gov't Proposes Digital Signing of DNS Root Zone File [IDG] The U.S. government is soliciting input on a way to make the Internet's addressing system less susceptible to tampering by hackers. http://www.pcworld.com/article/152133/.html http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?NewsID=105605 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/10/10/US_govt_proposes_digital_signing_of_DNS_root_zone_file_1.html http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;849610534 World Bank under cyberattack? The computer network used by the World Bank Group has suffered a series of at least six intrusions since mid-2007, according to a report. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10063522-83.html http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62047081,00.htm US Air Force pursues Cyber Command again Top Air Force leadership has decided to pursue forming Cyber Command to defend Defense Department networks and to launch cyberattacks against foes after putting the project on hold in August. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20081007_1366.php Air Force to place cyber operations under Space Command The Air Force says it will back off its ambitious plan to set up a separate command for cyber space and has opted to place those operations within an existing organization. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20081008_5723.php Interorganizational wrangling begins as .gov studies DNS fix This past summer, a security researcher described an attack that compromised the Domain Name Server system, which matches server names with IP addresses. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081009-interorganizational-wrangling-begins-as-gov-studies-dns-fix.html Peering into Fast Flux Botnet Activity by Jose Nazario Together with Thorsten Holz, I recently published a paper on fast flux botnet behaviors, "As the Net Churns: Fast-Flux Botnet Observations," based on data we gathered in our ATLAS platform. Fast flux service networks utilize botnets to distribute the web servers to the infected PCs... One of the most well known fast flux botnets has been the Storm Worm botnet, which uses the zombies to spam, send out new enticements to infect users, and to host the malicious website which delivers the malcode. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081009_peering_fast_flux_botnet_activity/ Interorganizational wrangling begins as .gov studies DNS fix This past summer, a security researcher described an attack that compromised the Domain Name Server system, which matches server names with IP addresses. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081009-interorganizational-wrangling-begins-as-gov-studies-dns-fix.html US proposes DNS fix: digital signatures The Commerce Department is considering deploying digital signatures to make DNS less susceptible to hacking, ComputerWorld reports. Under the proposal, DNS records would be signed by DNSSEC (Domain Name and Addressing System Security Extensions). http://government.zdnet.com/?p=4096 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Hackers force Al-Arabiya site name change Sectarian cyber warfare in the Middle East has claimed its highest-profile victim yet, forcing a leading pan-Arab TV station to change its internet domain name. Al-Arabiya Television, based in Dubai, is taking legal action in the US to prevent further hacking after its website was hit by "organized cyber piracy by extremists," the channel said at the weekend. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/13/middleeast-internet Kentucky Tests State's Reach Against Online Gambling An effort by the state of Kentucky to seize more than 140 online gambling Web site names is raising novel legal questions about the physical location of digital property and the reach of local and regional governments on the global Internet. ... Attorneys for the state convinced Judge Thomas Wingate that the gambling Web site names were tangible "gambling devices" that could be seized under Kentucky's gaming statutes. Wingate's order compels the entities that manage the registration of those domains, known as domain registrars, to transfer control over the Web sites to the state. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/08/AR2008100802870.html Playing bad hand Gov. Steve Beshear recently pushed a case through a state circuit court ordering the seizure of 141 Internet gambling sites' domain names, stating that his intention is to prevent these sites from offering services to Kentuckians. This radical approach is disturbing for many reasons. http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/553995.html Kentucky Cannot Go After Registrars In Foreign Countries In regard to the heavily covered Kentucky Internet gambling domain seizure case whereby the commonwealth's governor, Steve Beshear, wants to block 141 gambling websites, a Gambling911.com reader with obvious expertise submitted the following analysis of this matter: http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/kentucky-cannot-go-after-registrars-foreign-countries-100808.html Kentucky seizes two gambling domains, sites fight back Last month, Judge Thomas Wingate of Kentucky's Franklin County Circuit issued an unusual order that, if upheld, could have a tremendous impact on the online gambling industry. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081009-kentucky-seizes-two-gambling-domains-sites-fight-back.html Kentucky Officials: Online Gambling Threatens State's 'Signature Industry' A judge in Kentucky is expected to decide this week whether state officials can shut down more than 140 out-of-state online gambling companies by permanently confiscating their domain names. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=92454 Official GoDaddy Statement on Kentucky Domains Case What is GoDaddy doing with gambling domains? Here?s the official word. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/10/09/official-godaddy-statement-on-kentucky-domains-case/ Kentucky Online Gambling Case Reaches All Corners of Internet Governor Steve Beshear, by trying to eliminate competition for Kentucky gambling enterprises such as horse racing and lotteries, has perpetrated a broad assault on the design of the Internet itself. http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/online-gaming-case-threatens-internet-42226.htm Rediff wins domain name dispute Rediff.com India has won a legal dispute at World Intellectual Rights Organisation which has held that a Canadian company has no legitimate rights to register a domain name using the word 'Rediff.' http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/oct/10rediff.htm Schilling and Berryhill Win Another UDRP Frank Schilling, with help of John Berryhill, successfully defend domain name. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/10/10/schilling-and-berryhill-win-another-udrp/ ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** cn: Expert: national plan to resolve IP shortage In response to recent discussion of IPv4 address depletion, expert from Information Office of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reckons that IPv4 depletion and moving to next generation Internet is not only a challenge but an opportunity to us. We should fully apprehend the seriousness and timing pressure of resolving this issue, and then take action on national strategy plan. http://www.cnnic.net.cn/html/Dir/2008/10/06/5348.htm IPv6: Who?s in charge? Have you ever wondered about the Internet addressing scheme? Where did it come from? Who?s in charge? How is address duplication prevented? All valuable questions; especially since the answers will help us better understand IPv6. | I never cease to be amazed by the Internet and how easily I can digitally communicate with someone, anyone really, in the entire world. It must take a great deal of cooperation to keep the addresses of millions of people who use the Internet straight. You may ask what this has to do with IPv6 and that?s a good question. http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/networking/?p=696 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Commercial Aspects for ccTLDs in LAC Workshop A workshop will be held to look at commercial issues for ccTLDs in Lima, Per? from 25-27 November. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/10/13/commercial-aspects-for-cctlds-in-lac-workshop/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/commercial-aspects-for-cctlds-in-lac-workshop.html ARIN Fraud Reporting Process The documentation of a new ARIN Fraud Reporting Process is now available. This process provides for the reporting of suspected Internet number resource fraud. http://www.arin.net/announcements/20081010.html Protect and Promote your Brand Value Online: Melbourne IT DBS Amsterdam seminar Melbourne IT DBS is hosting a seminar on protecting and promoting your brand online at a seminar in Amsterdam on Tuesday 28th October. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/10/13/protect-and-promote-your-brand-value-online-melbourne-it-dbs-amsterdam-seminar/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/protect-and-promote-your-brand-value-online-melbourne-it-dbs-amsterdam-seminar.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Frager Creative Group: The Best Domain Names Are De Facto Advertising: An Interview with the Dynamic Owen Frager Traverse Legal is proud to sponsor the radio interview of Owen Frager, the Chief Innovation Officer of the Frager Creative Group (pdf) & author of the blog "The Frager Factor." Owen is a domain marketing legend, whose statue within the community is unparalleled. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/10/frager-creative.html T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under Domain Charity Auction Supports ICA Fabulous.com and T.R.A.F.F.I.C., joint organizers of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under domain name conference, will hold a charity auction of ten premium domain names with the revenue to be donated to the Internet Commerce Association (ICA), a non-profit advocate for the domain name industry. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/10/11/traffic-down-under-domain-charity-auction-supports-ica/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/t.r.a.f.f.i.c.-down-under-domain-charity-auction-supports-ica.html Invest.com Rings Up Over $1 Million to Top All Sales Reported Over the Past Two Weeks We were away covering the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference so there was no domain sales report last week. This week we will bring you completely back up to speed by covering all of the notable sales reported since our last column Sept. 16. We have also doubled the length of all three charts, from 20 to 40 positions, to accommodate the top sales from the expanded data pool that we will be wading through this time out. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales10-07-08.htm T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York 2008: Domainers Who Met in Brooklyn Counted Their Blessings While Wall Street Mulled a Meltdown in Manhattan Turmoil in the financial markets could not stop the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. domain conference from completing its 12th successful run with the 2008 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York show Sept. 23-26 at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. http://dnjournal.com/cover/2008/october.htm Aftermarket.com Auction at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under Thought Convergence is proud to announce that Aftermarket.com has been selected as the premier auction house for the upcoming T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under conference, scheduled to take place November 18-20, 2008 in Queensland, Australia. The Aftermarket.com auction will commence on November 20, 2008, beginning at 8:30 AM AEST UTC/GMT +10 hours (Nov 19, 2008, 2:30 PM PST). Those unable to join us Down Under may access and participate in the auction online at this time. http://blog.domaintools.com/2008/10/aftermarketcom-auction-at-traffic-down-under/ ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** EU: Consumers: Commission proposes EU-wide rights for shoppers [news release] The European Commission has today launched proposals for EU-wide rights to make it easier for consumers to shop on the Internet and in the main street. The new proposal will guarantee consumers, wherever they shop in the EU, clear information on price and additional charges and fees before they sign a contract. It will strengthen consumer protection against late delivery and non delivery, as well as setting out tough EU-wide consumer rights on issues from cooling off periods, returns, refunds, repairs and guarantees and unfair contract term. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1474 Amid the Gloom, an E-Commerce War When the e-commerce giant eBay emerged from the last recession seven years ago with an aura of invincibility, its chief executive, Meg Whitman, boasted that ?eBay is to some extent recession-proof.? As the online auctioneer?s revenues and stock price kept climbing, one of its primary rivals, Amazon.com, just limped along. http://nytimes.com/2008/10/12/business/12giants.html Mail and parcel volumes keep rising, UN agency says on World Post Day [news release] Domestic and international mail and parcel volumes continue to grow, despite predictions that they would decline because of the advance of electronic commerce, the United Nations postal agency says today as it observes the annual World Post Day. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28493 uk: FA condemns children's internet hooligan game A new internet craze where young boys create virtual hooligan characters and fight with guns, swords and baseball bats. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3183780/FA-condemns-childrens-internet-hooligan-game.html us: Newspapers? Web Revenue Is Stalling Newspapers, already facing a grim economic forecast, are digesting another piece of bad news: the growth in online advertising they saw as their salvation has slowed to a crawl. http://nytimes.com/2008/10/13/business/media/13adco.html au: Nitschke slammed over online euthanasia manual The launch of an online assisted suicide guide has been condemned as grossly irresponsible by critics and supporters of euthanasia. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/13/2389521.htm Internet-based Pacific TV in works A new internet-based Pacific Island channel is set to be launched as a number of new stations are developed to bring Polynesian culture to a wider audience. The channel - which will stream online from November 1 - will allow users to view Pasifika short films and programmes. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/connect/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501833&objectid=10537152 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** 25 years of mobile phones: An evolution from talk to text Bob Barnett's phone call launched a nearly $150-billion-a-year industry. Twenty-five years ago today, during a media event at Chicago's Soldier Field, the president of Ameritech Mobile Communications made the nation's first commercial cellphone connection. He rang up Alexander Graham Bell's grandson on a Motorola DynaTAC handset that weighed 2 1/2 pounds and retailed for $3,995. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cellphones13-2008oct13,0,594460.story Battle of the Touchscreens: iPhone, Blackberry Storm, Nokia 5800 and Google's G1 Touchscreen mobile phones are officially all the rage ? BlackBerry has just launched its first ever device to do away with a physical keyboard in favour of a touchscreen interface. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/10/08/dltouch108.xml Parents want to be "cool," are using SMS with their kids Hate on the kiddies and their SMS speak all you want, but text messaging is taking off among the masses. AT&T has released data from two studies it recently commissioned, showing that both families and romantic partners are using SMS more and more to communicate. Parents think texting with their kids makes them cool, while lovestruck texters are finding themselves using SMS to flirt and send romantic notes. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081009-parents-want-to-be-cool-are-using-sms-with-their-kids.html Mobile phones to take on Taleban propaganda in Afghanistan A plan to use mobile phones to combat Taleban propaganda in Afghanistan is being considered by the UK Government. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4919589.ece Computers fail the Turing thought test ... Anyone who has ever felt that their computer has a mind of its own will sympathise with the experience of attempting to get some sense out of a piece of software. But what if your laptop really could strike up a conversation unaided? Experts at the University of Reading yesterday claimed to have put that possibility to the test, with a supposedly scientific investigation of whether computers can indeed think for themselves. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/oct/13/artificialintelligenceai-computing ********************** SPAM ********************** 'India is top spam sender in Asia' India is the top spam sender in Asia and the seventh largest in the world, accounting for over four percent of the total global spam, says a study. http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/47469 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Cyberscams exploit consumers' financial unease The rippling financial crisis has sent consumers scurrying to the Internet for answers and advice. Online fraudsters are right behind, devising ways to steal personal information. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/infotheft/2008-10-08-banks-scams-phising-washington-mutual_N.htm Bank turmoil fuels phishing boom Hi-tech fraudsters are taking advantage of the global financial turmoil, say governments and security experts. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7663055.stm ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Adzilla, a Would-Be I.S.P. Snoop, Quits U.S. Market Another company is giving up on the idea that American Internet providers should be able to watch where their customers surf and sell that information to advertisers. This time it is Adzilla, a start-up in Brisbane, Calif., that is closing its North American operations. Its chief executive, Toby Gabriner, has resigned. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/adzilla-a-would-be-isp-snoop-abandons-us-for-asia/ Exclusive: Inside Account of U.S. Eavesdropping on Americans Despite pledges by President George W. Bush and American intelligence officials to the contrary, hundreds of US citizens overseas have been eavesdropped on as they called friends and family back home, according to two former military intercept operators who worked at the giant National Security Agency (NSA) center in Fort Gordon, Georgia. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5987804 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** uk: Fewer people downloading music illegally Fewer people are downloading music from the internet illegally because they are frightened about having their connections cut off, according to new research. Around 39 per cent of music fans currently download tracks from illegal sites, compared to 43 per cent last year, the annual digital music survey of 1,500 people found. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3184011/Fewer-people-downloading-music-illegally.html Music fans back legal downloads Music pirates can be deterred by warnings from their ISP, suggests a survey. Almost 75% of music pirates would stop if told to by their ISP, the survey of 1500 UK consumers found. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7664088.stm ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Korean Star?s Suicide Reignites Debate on Web Regulation ... The police, the media and members of Parliament immediately pointed fingers at the Internet. Malicious online rumors led to Ms. Choi?s suicide, the police said, after studying memos found at her home and interviewing friends and relatives. http://nytimes.com/2008/10/13/technology/internet/13suicide.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/10/12/technology/kstar.php New obscenity charges raise questions in Internet Age [IDG] What 'community standards' apply to content distributed across the entire Internet? A long-standing court test using community standards to determine whether adult content is criminally obscene has been a potential problem area for the U.S. pornography industry. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9116899 Burma's military government paralyses Internet Reporters Without Borders condemns the way the Burmese military government has paralysed the Internet, silencing online dissidents and carrying out regular raids on Internet caf?s, while hacker attacks have blocked access to the leading websites with news and information about Burma for the past few weeks. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=28883 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: No opt-out of filtered Internet Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a watered-down blacklist, experts say. Under the government's $125.8 million Plan for Cyber-Safety, users can switch between two blacklists which block content inappropriate for children, and a separate list which blocks illegal material. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1399635276 http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1399635276 http://techworld.com.au/article/263637/no_opt-_filtered_internet http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;1399635276 Hardcore made easy Got kids? Have they got laptops? You?d better read this. Last week I went out to dinner and my host casually mentioned, while topping up my glass, a website that he said was completely altering the economics of the net, just as music file-sharing sites are sinking the CD industry, free newspapers are making inroads into print circulations, piracy is harming the DVD industry and video killed the radio star. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rachel_johnson/article4880821.ece nz: Teen expelled for hacking school's computer system [NZPA] A pupil at Invercargill's James Hargest College has been expelled after hacking into the school's computer system and accessing sensitive information about pupils and teachers. http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/26798/teen-expelled-hacking-school039s-computer-system http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4724020a27483.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4724020a28.html Cyberbullying: Parents, Tech Companies Join Forces to Keep Kids Safe School bullies have gone hi-tech in recent years in their efforts to ruin the social lives of their fellow students ? but now technology companies are coming to the aid of those victims, trying to help parents fight off a scourge of cyberbullying as the school year gets underway. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,435981,00.html us: Good online-safety law passed Actually, online-safety education is only one part of the just-passed "Broadband Data Improvement Act" designed to improve our understanding of how much of the US has high-speed Internet access so the government can "ensure the continued rollout of broadband access, as well as the successful deployment of the next generation of broadband technology," as one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), put it, ConsumerAffairs.com reports. http://www.netfamilynews.org/2008/10/good-online-safety-law-passed.html ISPs and games providers want to crack down on harmful content The Council of Europe, EuroISPA and the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) ? the European internet service providers' umbrella organisation ? have reached a self-regulation agreement on harmful content. http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/ISPs-and-games-providers-want-to-crack-down-on-harmful-content--/111676 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** uk: Porn, abuse, depravity - and how they plan to stop it Contrary to popular belief, the government and police forces have hitherto not exerted a great deal of direct control over content. But, after a decade of growth in self-regulation and filtering by the industry to avoid government intervention, that may be about to change. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/09/policing_internet_one/ nz: Copyright section could be changed A controversial clause in the Copyright Act due to come into force in February could be changed if ICT groups and copyright owners can reach a compromise. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4725572a27483.html http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4725572a28.html fr: Sarkozy snubbed by Barroso in the three strikes approach Barroso, President of the European Commission has refused French President Sarkozy's request to withdraw Amendment 138 included in the Telecoms Package recently voted by the European Parliament. http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number6.19/barrosso-kicks-sarkozy ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Internet Companies Hammered by Economic Concerns It was another awful day in the stock market with the Dow dropping more than 7 percent and the Nasdaq more than 5 percent. Internet companies were not immune, as a growing chorus of analysts are now saying that the financial crisis and downturn in the economy are going to affect just about everyone in the sector. It is the latest sign that the downturn is going to temper the mood in always-upbeat Silicon Valley. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/internet-companies-hammered-by-economic-concerns/ ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Nigeria Overtakes S?Africa as Largest African Telecoms Market Nigeria has overtaken South Africa to become the Middle East and African region's largest market in the first quarter. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810090396.html REANNZ seeks trans-Tasman cable - New 1TB per second cable specified REANNZ, which operates KAREN (Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network), is seeking registrations of interest to build a new trans-Tasman telecommunications submarine cable. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/930154A2D0D475EECC2574DD0077C014 au: Time to deliver the broadband promises After much debate and deliberation over Australia?s National Broadband Network, we speak to the local ISP community about broadband opportunities and developments. http://crn.com.au/Feature/5120,time-to-deliver-the-broadband-promises.aspx nz: 19 full applications for broadband fund received The Ministry of Economic Development is reporting a strong response to the government's Broadband Investment Fund (BIF) proposal. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/831CCA437EA58B59CC2574E0007C76B0 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Skype blasts CTIA over "open" network claim In a letter to the FCC, Skype's Senior Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs Chris Libertelli blasted the CTIA and Sprint Nextel for telling the FCC that the "entire Internet is open", when in fact, even the most-recently announced handsets still block the Skype application, proving that the claim of openness is false. http://www.telecomasia.net/article.php?type=article&id_article=10733 Sprint's 4G Xohm WiMax: How Fast Is It? With most American mobile data networks busy trying to deliver third-generation (3G) mobile wireless access to traveling businesspeople, Sprint's newly launched Xohm service takes a giant step forward by offering America's first 4G system. Based on WiMax technology, it can deliver broadband data speeds to notebooks, Internet tablets and eventually smartphones. But at the moment, there aren't many devices to connect with, the network is struggling with reliability issues, and the high-speed service is limited to just one city -- Baltimore. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/152155/sprints_4g_xohm_wimax_how_fast_is_it.html Wireless Internet users risk porn trap Thousands of Internet users are at risk of becoming embroiled in child pornography trafficking because of insecure security settings on their wireless connections http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4723294a28.html World's first' WiMax mobile phone spied Mobile phone connections over 3G are like so yesterday. HTC obviously knows this and so has developed what could well be the world?s first WiMax-capable phone. http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/10/10/htc_wimax/ us: FCC report negates free Internet interference claims A Federal Communications Commission engineering report released late Friday essentially backs a plan to create a free wireless Internet service by dismissing concerns about interference for existing providers. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10063866-94.html ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Child porn charges against Ian Hugh Jenkinson dropped THE DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions has dropped child pornography charges against a prominent Adelaide businessman and philanthropist. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24488567-5006301,00.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 Make the switch to the world's best email. Get Yahoo!7 Mail! http://au.yahoo.com/y7mailReceived on Mon Oct 13 2008 - 03:29:18 UTC
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