Hello all, Have a great christmas and new year, and I look forward to sending you the news early in 2009! And thanks to auDA for its support in 2008. Don't forget to check out http://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, including over the christmas and new year period. Cheers David *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** IGF Workshop Report: "The Future of ICANN: After the JPA, What?" by Brenden Kuerbis http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/12/15/4022207.html Revamped Whois Inaccuracy Reporting System Goes Live http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-19dec08-en.htm US Govt Advises ICANN Not to Risk DNS "Security and Stability" in gTLD Expansion http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6866 US Department of Commerce Doesn't Like ICANN's New Domain Plan by John Levine http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081221_us_department_commerce_icann_tld_plan/ au: The big guys in retail http://www.smartcompany.com.au/Blog/Chris-Thomas-blog/20081219-The-big-guys-in-retail-.html Europe pioneers IPv4 address transfer markets by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/12/20/4029818.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Connecting the next billion users Click reporter David Reid travelled to Hyderabad for the Internet Governance Forum - where governments and net users discuss what's next for the web. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/7790655.stm One Good Outcome from the Wall Street Journal: Google Flap by Milton Mueller On Monday the Wall Street Journal published an article alleging that Google was trying to arrange a "fast lane for its own content" with telecom carriers and contending that Google and Professor Lessig were in the midst of changing their position on network neutrality policy. The WSJ reporters received a lot of flak for the piece?justifiably so. There was no real "news" in this news article. Google's deals for edge caching and similar services such as Akamai, which speed up content delivery, have been around for years. Lessig's comments at an unspecified "conference" happened months ago. The WSJ's sudden interest in the topic seemed more like an attempt to poison the well as the Obama Administration and its net neutrality-friendly team ascends to power. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/12/17/4024793.html http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081219_one_good_outcome_wsj_story/ IGF Workshop Report: "The Future of ICANN: After the JPA, What?" by Brenden Kuerbis ICANN, which coordinates and sets policy for the global DNS and IP addressing, is linked to the US Government through a Joint Project Agreement (JPA) that expires in September 2009. The JPA and its renewal process provides what, during WSIS, became known as "political oversight" over ICANN. The US government says that it is committed to "completing the transition" to private sector coordination of the DNS, which implies an expiration of the JPA. During the 2008 mid-term review, ICANN made it clear that it also strongly supports an end to the JPA. ICANN's call was supported by some stakeholders. Other parties, however, expressed concerns about its accountability without some kind of governmental oversight. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/12/15/4022207.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Revamped Whois Inaccuracy Reporting System Goes Live A redesigned system for receiving reports of inaccurate domain name registration data has gone live today. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-19dec08-en.htm ICANN Releases Upgraded Invalid Whois Reporting System ICANN has updated its Whois Data Problem Report System (WDPRS), which anyone can use to submit reports of inaccurate whois information on a domain name. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/12/22/icann-releases-upgraded-invalid-whois-reporting-system/ What's in a Domain Name? The Changing Internet Generic, top-level domain names, or gTLD, such as .com or .net, are the sorters of the Internet. They serve the single purpose of identifying the database in which a domain name is registered. The .gov component of whitehouse.gov, for instance, identifies the domain name as registered in the "government" database. The .com in microsoft.com identifies that domain name as registered in the "commercial" database. http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1202426840648 US Govt Advises ICANN Not to Risk DNS "Security and Stability" in gTLD Expansion The United States Department of Commerce has advised ICANN not to ?jeopardise the security and stability of the DNS? if it goes ahead with its plan to introduce new gTLDs. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=6866 http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/us-govt-advises-icann-not-to-risk-dns-security-and-stability.html http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/12/22/us-govt-advises-icann-not-to-risk-dns-security-and-stability/ US Department of Commerce Doesn't Like ICANN's New Domain Plan by John Levine ICANN's authority to manage top level of the DNS comes from a two-year Joint Project Agreement (JPA) signed with the US Department of Commerce in 1997, since extended seven times, most recently until September 2009. Since the DoC can unilaterally cancel the JPA which would put ICANN out of the DNS business, when DoC speaks, ICANN listens. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081221_us_department_commerce_icann_tld_plan/ U.S. Says Go Slow In Expanding .Com, .Net The U.S. government urged Internet standard-setters to move slowly on a proposal to relax rules on domain names such as .com or .edu, over concerns about economic costs and security. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE4BI4WR20081219 http://in.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idINTRE4BI4WR20081219 http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/data/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212501510 http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/news/gizmos/story.html?id=e5122ed2-6fdb-49c9-8566-57c9c45616cb US Govt says not so fast for new gTLDs The U.S. Government has joined the chorus saying "Not so fast!" to ICANN's plan to start rolling out an unlimited number of new global domain extensions next year. In a report just released this afternoon, Reuters reporter Kim Dixon said the U.S. Department of Commerce, the branch that oversees ICANN, sent a letter to the domain name system's oversight body yesterday (Dec. 18) stating "It is unclear that the threshold question of whether the potential consumer benefits outweigh the potential costs has been adequately addressed." http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2008/dailyposts/12-19-08.htm U.S. government urges caution over ICANN domain name expansion Back in June of this year ICANN proposed plans to relax the rules on top level domain names. Companies and individuals would therefore be allowed to create and run any domain they wish for a price. Such plans could lead to the introduction of .apple, .cola and .geek to name a few examples. http://www.geek.com/articles/news/us-government-urges-caution-over-icann-domain-name-expansion-20081222/ Analysis: U.S. Government Has Domainers? Backs You?ve probably read a lot about ICANN?s introduction of new top level domains. Now, as reported over at DNJournal, the U.S. Government is weighing in. Domainers should be happy with its response. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/12/19/analysis-us-government-has-domainers-backs/ ICANN Sets the Schedule to Kill Domain Tasting by John Levine Domain tasting, as everyone probably knows by now, is the disreputable practice of registering lots of domains, seeing how much traffic they get, and then using the five day Add Grace Period (AGP) to refund the 99.9% of them that aren't worth paying for. A related abuse is front running, registrars speculatively grabbing domains that people inquire about to prevent them from using a different registrar. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081218_icann_schedule_to_kill_domain_tasting/ Commerce Dept. Adds Concerns About New TLDs The Commerce Department on Thursday expressed concern with a plan from the Internet's governing body to expand the number of TLDs. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2337320,00.asp Generic top-level domains could cause havoc The introduction of gTLDs could wreak havoc across the internet if not implemented carefully and with suitable regulations in place to help minimise the risk of abuse. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2232738/generic-top-level-domains-cause http://www.whatpc.co.uk/vnunet/news/2232738/generic-top-level-domains-cause http://www.itnews.com.au/News/91312,generic-toplevel-domains-could-cause-havoc.aspx IDN new gTLDs confirmed by ICANN It's now official: IDNs will be available at the very start of the new gTLD process. This was confirmed by ICANN in a document published this week listing responses to the major questions asked during the Cairo public forum. In it, ICANN staff says: "It should be noted that IDN applications will be accepted as part of the new gTLDs process (?) There are additional criteria that need to be considered for IDNs (?) However, applications for IDNs will be accepted and will be introduced at the same time as other gTLDs." http://stephane-vangelder.com/archives/172-IDN-new-gTLDs-confirmed-by-ICANN.html ICANN Upgrades Domain Name Whois Inaccuracy Reporting System Today ICANN announced the launch of a new Whois inaccuracy reporting system (WDPRS) in an effort to improve the reporting system that allows general public to file reports against active domain names with inaccurate Whois information. The new WDPRS, which was first introduced in 2002, has a number of advantages over the previous system ICANN reports in a statement on Friday. http://www.circleid.com/posts/icann_whois_inaccuracy_reporting_system/ ICANN Sets Limits On Domain Refunds ICANN has put the final nail in the coffin of domain tasting by imposing limits on the number of domains registrars can return within the five-day grace period. http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/12/19/icann-sets-limits-on-domain-refunds Proposed .AERO Sponsorship Agreement Posted for Public Comment The proposed .AERO Sponsorship Agreement is posted for public comment. The current agreement was due to expire on 17 December 2006 and was renewed a number of times, similarly to the other proof-of-concept sTLDs, to permit adequate time to satisfactorily conclude the renewal negotiation. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-19dec08-en.htm Finland represented in ICANN [news release] Juhani Juselius, Head of the Domain Name Unit at FICORA, has been elected to the 18-member ccNSO Council of ICANN. The Council has three European members for the 2009-2012 term. http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2008/P_44.html Extra! Extra!Revamped Whois Inaccuracy Reporting System Goes Live Say what you will about ICANN, but they have been consistently stepping up to the plate during the last half of 2008. In todays news alert, ICANN has announced that the new and improved Whois Inaccuracy Reporting System has gone live. http://www.namesmash.com/?p=187 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** au: The big guys in retail ... Harvey Norman should probably buy some misspells, such as www.harvynorman.com.au (the .com?s already taken) and forward them through to the main site. It?s funny, when I looked up that particular misspell, Google returned a page from the Australian Domain Name Authority which has a list of thousands of other brand misspells. http://www.smartcompany.com.au/Blog/Chris-Thomas-blog/20081219-The-big-guys-in-retail-.html be: Alternative dispute resolution for domain names without cost if complaint is justified Having the rights on a .be domain name, and it being registered by someone without legitimate interest, you can start an alternative dispute resolution. http://www.dns.be/pdf/Pressrelease_en_20081216.pdf The General Asssembly and the Collegium Members ElectionIn the course of CZ.NIC?s General Assembly w With effect from 13 December 2008 the following persons were re-elected on behalf of the chamber of domain name holders: JUDr. PhDr. Marek Anto? and Mgr. Jan Redl, on behalf of the ISP chamber Mgr. Ondrej Filip was re-elected, Ing. Petr Kune? was elected as a new member; the registrar chamber elected Ing. Zdenek Bruna and Marek Erneker among its members. http://www.nic.cz/page/620/the-general-asssembly-and-the-collegium-members-electionin-the-course-of-cz.nics-general-assembly-w/ Cybersquatting And EU Registrations On The Increase A increasing number of .eu domain names have been registered as the number of complaints filed with WIPO under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) has soared. http://uk.webhostdir.com/news/showNews.aspx?ID=30099 Image of fi-domain name surveyed FICORA has surveyed the interestness of private persons towards the fi-domain name and what their image of the fi-domain name is. The survey was implemented by an e-mail questionnaire sent to current customers and a questionnaire intended to potential customers on two websites. http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2008/P_43.html There?s More .Me To Go Around At Second Public Auction The .ME Registry announced today five highly coveted .ME domains will go up for LIVE auction at DOMAINfest Global ?09 in Hollywood, CA. DOMAINfest Global ?09 is set to take place Jan. 27-30, 2009 at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. http://www.nic.me/index.php?page=12&news=109 nl: Internet industry compensated own CO2 emissions SIDN, the .nl registry, and internet service providers Computel Standby and Nxs Internet, and Waag Society planted the first trees in a new Internet wood taking shape at Eerbeek. Later in December, plots of land at Winterswijk, Groenlo and Vorden totalling 3.8 hectares will also be planted. By supporting the project, the enterprises are hoping to focus attention on the CO2 emissions associated with the Internet industry. The aim is to encourage other ISPs to look for ways of cutting CO2 emissions. http://www.sidn.nl/ace.php/c,728,6017,,,,Internet_industry_compensated_own_CO2_emissions.html Public Interest Registry Opens Call for Nominations for its Advisory Council .ORG, The Public Interest Registry, the premier domain where people turn to find credible information, get involved, fund causes and support advocacy, announces it is seeking Internet leaders to fill four (4) open seats on the .ORG Advisory Council. http://pir.org/index.php?db=content/News&tbl=Press&id=15 Big brands buy into online .tel directory listing Telnic Limited, the Registry Operator for the new .tel top level domain-driven directory service, announced today that it had received thousands of applications from leading brands for the new, mobile-optimized contacts directory on the internet within the first hours of opening registration period for trademark owners. http://telnic.com/downloads/Successful_Sunrise.pdf uk: Nominet Renewals research We are currently sending out a survey request to find out why people renew or do not renew .uk domain names. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5872 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** As phishing evolves, criminals switch to malware [IDG] The scammers began to see serious problems with their phishing scams sometime around April. That's when they started realizing that more and more of their phoney "phishing" e-mails were being blocked. Security researchers had spent the previous year closely studying botnet networks of infected computers and they were getting pretty good at blocking many of the fraudulent e-mail messages that were being sent from these systems. http://www.pcworld.com/article/155713/.html http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/271453/ http://computerworld.com.au/article/271453/ Cyber Security Reaches "Tipping Point" in 2008; Attacks on Critical Infrastructure Systems and Cyber Warfare Will Increase in 2009 [news release] The year 2008 was a time security threats and malicious activity reached a tipping point, and 2009 stands to be the year critical infrastructure systems become prime targets for cyber criminals and the global financial crisis will be exploited for a variety of malicious activities, according to a new report released today from VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN) iDefense Security Intelligence Services. https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=460870&releasejsp=custom_97 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Disclaimer in Trademark Registration Sinks UDRP Action A trademark owner who notices that someone else has registered a domain name incorporating the owner's mark can file an arbitration action under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP for short). This often serves as a quicker and less expensive alternative to pursuing the cybersquatter in court. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20081218_disclaimer_trademark_registration_udrp/ GoDaddy Moves To Close Shady Standard Tactics Subsidiary Earlier this month, we reported on The Go Daddy Group doing everything it could to keep the public from knowing about its subsidiary Standard Tactics, which it used for domain warehousing. Although the practice wasn?t necessarily against the Terms & Conditions of ICANN, they sure went through a lot of trouble to make sure Standard Tactics couldn?t easily be identified as a GoDaddy company. http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/18/godaddy-moves-to-close-shady-standard-tactics-subsidiary/ Microsoft sues cybersquatters Microsoft has decided to drag a group of US cyber squatters into court to stop them using variations of its name in their scams. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/090/1050090/microsoft-sues-cybersquatters ACLU Discusses Kentucky Internet Gaming Brief There have been several major organizations that have filed briefs in the ongoing legal battle in Kentucky, each looking to impart its unique viewpoints on the court. Among them is the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, which submitted a 15 page brief outlining its opinion of the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names. The ACLU of Kentucky?s Bill Sharp sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss its submission. http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/aclu-discusses-kentucky-internet-gaming-brief-847/ Firms should look out for cybersquatting It seems that almost everything in the physical world has a cyber equivalent, but there is one cyber-prefixed term that website owners should look out for - cybersquatting. http://www.zerostrategy.com/brand-and-reputation-management/651123-firms-should-look-out-for-cybersquatting/ ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Europe pioneers IPv4 address transfer markets by Milton Mueller The European regional Internet address registry, RIPE-NCC, has finally passed an IPv4 address transfer policy. This means that a legal market for trading in rapidly-depleting IPv4 address resources will go into effect for any member of RIPE-NCC. To discourage speculation, the proposal retains a simple form of needs assessment and prevents buyers of address resources from reselling them for two years. RIPE's decisive action contrasts markedly with the contentious drama surrounding IPv4 transfer markets in the North American region. After months and months of debate ARIN is still paralyzed and riven by ideological disagreements. However, the implementation of the idea in the European region will provide a chance to prove the concept. It is also possible that the RIPE market will turn into a global one, as addresses can be transferred by any RIPE member, and it is (we think) possible for Internet service providers from outside the region to join RIPE. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/12/20/4029818.html IPv6 Makes Slow Progress The Internet needs saving because, eventually, there will need to be enough IP addresses to connect mobile Internet devices for every person on the planet, all computers, and all network devices, with enough space left over to connect TVs, video players, and even alarm clocks to the Internet. http://www.informationweek.com/news/infrastructure/ipv6/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212501014 ISOC invests USD 70000 in internet projects including IPv6 Monday [reg req'd] Approximately USD 70000 will be invested in community-based internet projects around the world to tackle issues ranging from IPv6 deployment to provide... http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=651057 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** The Internet's 100 oldest dot-com domains The Internet's been around in some form for decades. It wasn't until the mid-80s, though, that the Web as we know it started coming together -- and those precious dot-com domains started getting snatched up. http://www.pcworld.com/article/155743/.html http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/122208-the-internets-100-oldest-dot-com.html InternetNZ appoints David Farrar to Executive Board InternetNZ has appointed KiwiBlog and NBR blogger David Farrar to its Executive Board. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/internetnz-appoints-david-farrar-executive-board-39247 Internet Commerce Association - 2008 Annual Report As the year comes to a close I?m happy to announce the release of the Internet Commerce Association?s 2008 Annual Report. The ICA has been very active in the last year and this 11-page PDF report highlights the growth of our membership since our founding two years ago and provides a summary of ICA activities and outreach over the past 12 months. http://www.internetcommerce.org/Internet_Commerce_Association_2008_Annual_Report ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** au: Google Adwords And The Use Of Competitors' Trade Marks On The Internet [reg req'd] This paper will examine the interesting and complex legal questions involved in assessing and applying legal principles to online interaction and competition. The focus is on AdWords and the use of a competitor's trade marks on the internet. We examine the position in Australia with a focus on the competition regulator's challenge to Google's AdWord practices, together with a survey of some interesting and contrasting approaches in the USA and the UK. http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=71436 Analysis: U.S. Government Has Domainers? Backs You?ve probably read a lot about ICANN?s introduction of new top level domains. Now, as reported over at DNJournal, the U.S. Government is weighing in. Domainers should be happy with its response. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/12/19/analysis-us-government-has-domainers-backs/ Past Week Produces a Trio of Six-Figure Sales Including One of the Year's Ten Biggest Country Code Transactions After America's Thanksgiving Holiday break the week before last buyers were back in the market over the past seven days with ccTLDs again drawing a lot of attention from domain shoppers. A trio of six-figure sales paced the action, led by Sedo's $300,000 sale of SC.com. The buyer was the Standard Chartered Bank, a firm that operates primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales12-16-08.htm How Acquiring and Developing High Quality Domain Names Gave Warren Royal Control Over His Own Destiny The precipitous plunge in parking revenue over the past year has left many domain owners looking for lifejackets. The PPC meltdown has made development the buzzword for 2008 and with no rebound in parking revenue in site, the cacophony will only get louder in 2009. http://dnjournal.com/cover/2008/december.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Australian broadband connections soar to 4.3 million: ABS During 2007/08, an additional 800,000 Australian households signed up for Broadband Internet, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. As of June 30 2008 the total Broadband connections were at 4.3 million (52% of all households), an increase of 22% on last years total. http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs§.nsf/latestProducts/8146.0Media%20Release12007-08 Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2007-08: Main findings - Household access to computers and the internet In 2007-08, 67% of Australian households had home Internet access and 75% of households had access to a computer. Between 1998 to 2007-08, household access to the Internet at home has more than quadrupled from 16% to 67%, while access to computers has increased by 31 percentage points to 75%. http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs§.nsf/mf/8146.0 Australia still lagging behind in broadband stakes Broadband internet connections in Australia have jumped by 22 per cent in the past year, but there are still concerns about internet speed. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/18/2450620.htm au: Tas computer use lagging behind New figures from the Bureau of Statistics show Tasmania's rate of internet access is the lowest in the country, for broadband in particular. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/19/2450847.htm Repairs begin on undersea cable A French ship has begun repairing two undersea cables in the Mediterranean that were severed on Friday, disrupting internet and phone communications. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7795320.stm Web partially restored after cable cut [AFP] A French ship on Saturday took experts to repair broken undersea Mediterranean cables that caused severe disruption to telephone and internet services across the Middle East and Asia, France Telecom said. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/21/1229794224240.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/21/1229794224240.html Robot sub to find severed undersea internet cable [BBC] A French crew has begun to repair two undersea cables in the Mediterranean that were severed on Friday, disrupting internet and phone communications. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/22/2453286.htm Internet service still spotty in parts of Mideast [AP] Spotty Internet service continued to plague the Middle East as it began its work week Sunday, with service providers rerouting data detoured by severed underwater cables. http://news.theage.com.au/technology/internet-service-still-spotty-in-parts-of-mideast-20081221-7322.html http://news.smh.com.au/technology/internet-service-still-spotty-in-parts-of-mideast-20081221-7322.html Severed cable disrupts Middler East web access Internet and phone communications between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia have been seriously disrupted after submarine cables were severed. It is thought the FLAG FEA, SMW4, and SMW3 lines, near the Alexandria cable station in Egypt, have all been cut. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7792688.stm Egypt gov't says 80 pct of Internet capacity is back More than 80 percent of Egypt's Internet capacity has been restored, the government said on Sunday, two days after breaks in cables under the Mediterranean disrupted the service in the Arab country. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-37135320081221 Damaged cables cause internet outages for millions Millions of web users across the Middle East are struggling to get online after damage to undersea cables connecting Europe, Africa and Asia took down a major route for internet traffic. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/19/undersea-cables-cut Damaged undersea cables disrupting service Parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe experienced Internet and telephone outages Friday when three undersea cables between Italy and Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea were damaged. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10127123-94.html Undersea cable cuts disrupt Internet access [IDG] Internet and telephone traffic between Europe, the Middle East and Asia was hampered today after three major underwater data lines were cut, according to France Telecom. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9124093 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/121908-undersea-cable-cuts-disrupt-internet.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/155796/.html Software that opens worlds to the disabled One computer program would allow vision-impaired shoppers to point their cellphones at supermarket shelves and hear descriptions of products and prices. Another would allow a physically disabled person to guide a computer mouse using brain waves and eye movements. http://iht.com/articles/2008/12/18/technology/18software.php New guidelines boost web access The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has announced a new standard to make sites more accessible to older and disabled people. Version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) will apply to text, images, audio and video. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7789622.stm Chinese internet porn sensation detained by police A Chinese woman who became an online sensation after posting a homemade pornographic film of herself on the internet has been detained in Shanghai, according to state media. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-37130420081221 http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE4BK0BH20081221 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Cyberbullying cases picking up due to MySpace suicide law "Cyberbullies" in Missouri are suddenly facing a flurry of legal activity thanks to an changes made to the state's harassment laws to include cyberbullying. The update was approved by state lawmakers in August in the wake of the high-profile "MySpace suicide" case, which involved a 13-year-old girl and the 49-year-old mother of an ex-friend. Now, Missouri is prosecuting the first handful of individuals for harassing others using various technology, although critics insist that such laws do nothing to actually stop bullies. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081221-cyberbullying-laws-picking-up-after-myspace-suicide-case.html us: Mo. begins prosecuting under cyberbullying law [AP] A 21-year-old woman accused of sending a vulgar text message to a 17-year-old girl is one of the first cases brought under a law against cyberbullying spurred by the suicide of a teenage girl following cruel messages on the Internet. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/20/mo-begins-prosecuting-under-cyberbullying-law/ http://www.thestate.com/166/story/627454.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/20/AR2008122000359.html au: Internet filtering plan may extend to peer-to-peer traffic, says Stephen Conroy THE Federal Government's controversial internet censorship scheme may extend to filter more online traffic than was first thought, Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy revealed today. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24833959-2,00.html au: OK, OK... now online child abuse laws are getting scary I got an absolute kicking after writing last week that that guy who got busted with the pictures of Bart and Lisa from the Simpsons having sex deserved what was coming to him. http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/12/19/OK_OK_now_online_child_abuse_laws_are_getting_scary ie: New guide warns parents of bullying by mobile phone PARENTS CAN help protect their children and teenagers from mobile phone-based bullying, according to a new guide produced by the Irish Cellular Industry Association (ICIA). http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1217/1229035813621_pf.html Web sites offer tools to combat cyberbullying [The Wall Street Journal] Parents worried about cyberbullying and other harmful behavior among children online are getting new help from some of the sites most popular with young people. http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/bal-bully1222,0,6881159.story ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** UK anti-piracy plan to make ISPs liable for illegal downloads A radical plan to tackle internet piracy, which would make broadband providers legally liable for music and films downloaded from unlicensed websites by their customers, is being considered by the government. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/21/piracy-isps-internet-music-industry Australian copyright lawsuit against iiNet kicks off A landmark court battle between iiNet and the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) kicked off this week with the national internet service provider pledging to vigorously defend itself against claims that it authorised piracy among its users. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24822857-5013040,00.html Warner Music Content Disappears From YouTube Warner Music Group Corp.'s videos and songs began disappearing from the YouTube videosharing Web site early Saturday after talks to renegotiate a licensing deal stalled. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122980193788724073.html Warner stops the music on YouTube James Blunt, Madonna and Led Zeppelin are set to disappear from YouTube after their record company, Warner Music Group, fell out with the video-sharing site in a row over royalties. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/22/warner-music-youtube Warner Music Removes Its Videos From YouTube as Licensing Talks Stall It is about to become a little more difficult to watch music videos by Madonna, Metallica and Kid Rock. http://nytimes.com/2008/12/22/business/media/22warner.html Chris Anderson theory contradicted as study reveals 10m digital music tracks unsold The internet was supposed to bring vast choice for customers, access to obscure and forgotten products - and a fortune for sellers who focused on niche markets. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5380304.ece RIAA Confirms It Will Take Piracy Fight to ISPs The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on Friday confirmed that it will abandon its practice of suing individuals for online piracy in favor of working with Internet service providers to track down offenders. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2337294,00.asp RIAA shifts gears on music piracy, says it won't file more suits In a surprise about-face, the Recording Industry Association of America said today that it will no longer pursue its controversial legal strategy of filing large numbers of lawsuits against individuals for alleged music piracy. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9124097 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/121908-riaa-shifts-gears-on-music.html Target of RIAA lawsuit says music piracy case has been an ordeal To hear Joel Tenenbaum's version of the story, at least, it isn't hard to see why the Recording Industry Association of America's campaign against music piracy has earned the RIAA so many enemies ? perhaps contributing to the trade group's decision this week to stop filing lawsuits against people like Tenenbaum. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9124118 RIAA drops lawsuits; ISPs to battle file sharing The music industry's highly controversial strategy of suing customers for file sharing has mostly ended. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10126914-93.html Lawsuits or not, the RIAA still doesn't understand us Today is an important day for file sharers: the RIAA has abandoned its mass lawsuit policy. In fact, the organization claims it will stop suing individuals who pirate music (except for the most egregious offenders) and instead, lean on ISPs to battle piracy. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10127017-17.html Music Industry Drops Effort to Sue Song Swappers [AP] The group representing the U.S. recording industry said Friday it has abandoned its policy of suing people for sharing songs protected by copyright and will work with Internet service providers to cut abusers' access if they ignore repeated warnings. http://nytimes.com/aponline/2008/12/19/technology/AP-Music-Downloading-Lawsuits.html RIAA's New Piracy Plan Poses a New Set of Problems The Recording Industry Association of America is taking a dangerous step with its decision to stop suing suspected music sharers and start cutting off their Internet access instead. While the discontinuation of the lawsuit practice has its merits, the move opens up a whole new can of worms -- one that could have serious implications for our future rights as consumers of information. http://www.pcworld.com/article/155820/.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** China says $41 billion to be spent on 3G Chinese telecom operators will spend about $41 billion on next generation (3G) mobile networks over the next two years, the government said on Friday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE4BI1E120081219 ACMA considers amending the rules for managing VoIP numbers [news release] The Australian Communications and Media Authority has released a public discussion paper seeking comment on proposals to amend its numbering plan to help better manage phone numbers used by services based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311581 ACMA moots tightening the rules covering VoIP phone numbers If you live out the back of Wup-Wup and want a CBD phone number that's no problem with today's VoIP services but the ACMA says that geographic phone numbers should reflect the location of the service to which they relate. It's also unhappy with a number of other aspects of telephone numbering for VoIP services and is canvassing changing the rules. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22415/127/ ********************** SPAM ********************** Kiwis nail a Mr Big of the spam world A New Zealand man living in Australia has agreed to pay fines totalling $92,715 after admitting his role in an international spam email operation said to be responsible for sending out billions of unsolicited emails in recent years. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/22/1229794316883.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/22/1229794316883.html Kiwi spammer gets hefty fine [NZPA] A Queensland-based New Zealander will be nearly $110,000 out of pocket after admitting his part in an international spam email operation. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4800893a28.html http://www.nzherald.co.nz/connect/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501833&objectid=10549401 $100k penalty for Kiwi spammer One of three New Zealand citizens has admitted his part in an international spamming operation and will pay a penalty of $100,000 plus costs of $7,666. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/51E464D9C8D31326CC257527002029BD Sunshine Coast-based New Zealand spammer fined $92,000 A NEW Zealander based in Queensland has been fined $NZ110,000 ($A92,715) in Christchurch for his part in an international spam e-mail operation. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,24835398-3102,00.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Chinese court fines Web user in 'cyber-violence' case In the first case involving cyberviolence and a "human flesh search engine" in China, a court has fined a Web site and an Internet user for posting personal and intimate details about an unfaithful husband, his mistress and a spurned wife who committed suicide. http://iht.com/articles/2008/12/19/asia/china.php uk: In the clutches of a cyberstalker The ?gentle soul? Jemma Rayner met through internet dating soon started menacing her with e-mails and calls. Days after his conviction, she reveals her chilling struggle to shake him off http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article5374418.ece CheckFree.com Hijack May Have Affected 160,000 Users Online bill pay giant CheckFree.com said the hijacking of its Web site this month affected an estimated 160,000 people, a disclosure that offers the most detailed account yet of the true size and scope of a brazen type of attack that experts say may become more common in 2009. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/12/checkfreecom_hijack_may_have_a.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Japanese protest against Google Street View [AFP] A group of Japanese journalists, professors and lawyers demanded Friday that the US Internet search giant Google scrap its "Street View" service in Japan, saying it violates people's privacy. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/21/1229794224275.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/21/1229794224275.html Phorm is out to alter world of online advertising In its short life, Phorm has managed to create more controversy than should be possible for a company worth ?40 million. Kent Ertugul, its founder, modestly promises to revolutionise online advertising through software that monitors where people surf. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article5367153.ece ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** The Australian great porn war Government plans to introduce mandatory internet filtering have enraged - and mobilised - the blogosphere, and no one knows where it will end, reports Nigel Bowen. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/18/1229189814605.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/18/1229189814605.html Aussie System Admin Guild says NO to net filtering The System Administrators Guild of Australia (SAGE-AU) has sent an open letter to Australia?s Minister for Communications, stating that it is ?unable to support the Federal Government?s proposed Internet filtering initiative?, explaining the reasons why and outlining its ?significant concerns?. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22408/127/ Conroy expands ISP filter tests to examine P2P and BitTorrent traffic Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has broken his silence on the controversial ISP content filter trials to start before the end of the year, saying they will now cover new filter technologies that can examine peer-to-peer and BitTorrent traffic. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=91593 Telstra leads the charge against Oz government's plans to censor the Internet Telstra, Australia's incumbent telco and the country's biggest ISP says it will not participate in the Labour government's contentious scheme to trial a series of filtering systems that will sieve all Internet traffic and block access to sites the administration deems to be "inappropriate". http://web20.telecomtv.com/pages/?newsid=44287&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10&view=news Sting in the Scorpions tale is the exposure of Wiki's weakness by Seth Finkelstein The Internet Watch Foundation's considering an image on Wikipedia - the cover of the heavy metal band Scorpions' album Virgin Killer - to be a "potentially illegal indecent image of a child" set off a chain of events which created a media firestorm. The ham-fisted, over-broad, secretive aspects of the IWF blacklisting action, as well as the freedom of expression and censorware questions, have been widely examined and condemned, so I won't belabour those points. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/18/wikipedia-jimmy-wales China unblocks access to New York Times Web site The Chinese government unblocked the Web site of The New York Times on Monday, allowing Internet users in mainland China to view the site after access had been stopped for more than three days. http://iht.com/articles/2008/12/22/technology/22webchina.php China Blocks Access to New York Times?s Web Site Chinese authorities have begun blocking access from mainland China to the Web site of The New York Times even while lifting some of the restrictions they had recently imposed on the Web sites of other media outlets. http://nytimes.com/2008/12/20/world/asia/20china.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/12/20/technology/times.php ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** us: Bush E-Mails May Be Secret a Bit Longer The required transfer in four weeks of all of the Bush White House's electronic mail messages and documents to the National Archives has been imperiled by a combination of technical glitches, lawsuits and lagging computer forensic work, according to government officials, historians and lawyers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/20/AR2008122002102.html Kurth rises as opponent to Reding The incoming chairman of the European Union's top advisory panel on telecommunications, Matthias Kurth, said EU regulators broadly opposed a plan before European lawmakers to give Brussels veto power over prices and rules within national markets. http://iht.com/articles/2008/12/22/technology/kurth.php ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* iGod: Could Apple survive without Steve Jobs? He shaped the company in his own image, turning it into the world's most influential consumer brand. But now rumours of ill-health and uncertainty over the succession have sent Apple's stock tumbling. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/igod-could-apple-survive-without-steve-jobs-1202195.html http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10548918 Apple founder's withdrawal from key trade show stokes health fears For a dozen years it has been the launchpad for some of the most high-profile new technologies in the world - including the first glimpses of the iMac and the iPhone. But Apple has shocked the hi-tech industry with the news that its chief executive, Steve Jobs, will no longer be making his keynote annual address to the industry at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/18/apple-steve-jobs-expo-health ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Missed opportunities in Australia's copper evolution by Kenneth Davidson Telstra is the ideal choice to deliver our high-speed broadband network: THE telecommunications chickens are coming home to roost in a way that spells bad news for the Federal Government unless it can show some understanding of how the fixed network was built and how it should be developed. http://business.theage.com.au/business/missed-opportunities-in-coppers-evolution-20081221-731t.html Telstra NBN compo could hit $80bn The Government could face a compensation claim of more than $80 billion if Telstra is forced to provide access to its infrastrure. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24822692-15306,00.html au: Government could face massive broadband compo claim The federal government could face a compensation claim of more than $80 billion if Telstra is forced to provide the company that builds the national broadband network access to its existing infrastructure. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/18/1229189787944.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/18/1229189787944.html au: Huawei calls espionage claims 'ludicrous' Networking vendor denies that it has links to the China's government that could cause security problems for Australia's future National Broadband Network. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Huawei-denies-ludicrous-espionage-claims/0,130061791,339293911,00.htm http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10126078-83.html nz: Challenges abound for fibre A Fibre to the home rollout in New Zealand will be beset with challenges that cast doubt on the viability of some of the proposals, an InternetNZ report released this week shows. http://www.businessday.co.nz/industries/telco_it/4798249 Challenges abound for NZ fibre rollout A Fibre to the home rollout in New Zealand will be beset with challenges that cast doubt on the viability of some of the proposals, an InternetNZ report released this week shows. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/86F0A6BC9DAEBF9ACC25752300699C1F Pipe patches up financing for Pacific submarine cable A group of large Australian telco service users have reached an agreement to rescue Pipe Network's $200 million Sydney to Guam cable project. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24823349-15306,00.html Pipe's submarine cable to proceed Pipe Networks' undersea fibre-optic cable network linking Australia to Guam and international internet backbones will go ahead, the company announced this morning. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Pipe-s-submarine-cable-to-proceed/0,130061791,339293923,00.htm U.S. should spend $44 billion on broadband [IDG] The U.S. government should spend $44 billion to improve its broadband infrastructure and extend broadband to rural and other underserved areas, a media reform advocacy group recommended Wednesday. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/12/18/US_should_spend_44_billion_on_broadband_1.html Swedish Regulator Wants to Unbundle Fiber Access [IDG] Swedish incumbent TeliaSonera will have to open up its fiber network to competitors, according to a new proposal from local telecommunications regulator PTS (Post och Telestyrelsen). http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/155674/.html NZ internet group suggests utility expansion for broadband [sub req'd] New Zealand internet advocacy group InternetNZ has published a report that proposes utility expansion to improve New Zealand's broadband infrastructure. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=650906 ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Former teacher Edward Graham Dunn jailed over child porn [AAP] A FORMER primary school teacher has been jailed for more than three years for possessing pornographic images of children, some as young as three months old. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24819915-5005961,00.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 Stay connected to the people that matter most with a smarter inbox. Take a look http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/smarterinboxReceived on Mon Dec 22 2008 - 08:51:33 UTC
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