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://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** China ready to pull the plug on IGF by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/5/14/4185706.html ICANN: apply public health response model to e-security http://computerworld.com.au/article/303543/ Will Obama Re-nationalize ICANN? by Milton Mueller http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/5/15/4187216.html auDA blocks Bottle customer transfer http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/auDA-blocks-Bottle-customer-transfer/0,130061791,339296445,00.htm Is the U.S. ready for government-sponsored cyberattacks? http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/051409-cyberwar-readiness.html Saviour or sellout? The verdict on Nick Bolton http://smallbusiness.smh.com.au/growing/finance/saviour-or-sellout-the-verdict-on-nick-bolton-620521031.html http://smallbusiness.theage.com.au/growing/finance/saviour-or-sellout-the-verdict-on-nick-bolton-620521031.html Google change could stir more advertiser angst http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10242104-93.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** China ready to pull the plug on IGF by Milton Mueller The Peoples Republic of China cast a pall over the consultations of the Internet Governance Forum yesterday by announcing that it opposes extending the life of the Forum for another 5 years. "When it comes to Internet governance, [developing country] points of view are not sufficiently reflected in [Internet Governance Forum] discussions," China's representative said, "which is why we don't agree that the IGF should continue its mandate after the five years are up. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/5/14/4185706.html China Calls for an End to the Internet Governance Forum There's been a global argument going on for some time now over how the Internet should be governed. Many governments, including China but also many others, are not happy that the "root" of the Internet is controlled by ICANN, which ultimately answers to the U.S. Department of Commerce. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090514_china_calls_for_end_to_internet_governance_forum/ China says no to endless IGF At the Internet Governance Forum consultations currently going on in Geneva, the Chinese delegation has voiced its opposition to a 5 year extension of the IGF. http://stephanevangelder.com/archives/229-China-says-no-to-endless-IGF.html EU Commission Hearing on Internet Governance by Lesley Cowley I participated in a public hearing in Brussels last week on the Future of Internet Governance. The hearing brought together representatives from Internet players such as ISOC, ICANN, IGF, CENTR etc. with business and civil society representatives to gather inputs on key questions posed by The Commission. These will inform its ?official? position on Internet Governance, which should be announced shortly. http://blog.nominet.org.uk/insight/2009/05/eu-commission-hearing-on-internet-governance/ Who Controls the Internet? The United States, for now, and a good thing, too. In order to please our European allies and our Third World critics, the Obama administration may be tempted to surrender one particular manifestation of American "dominance": central management of key aspects of the Internet by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Other countries are pushing for more control. http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/515zoozk.asp ICC urges focus on economic development issues at Internet Governance Forum ICC/ BASIS stressed the importance of Internet governance issues that will promote economic growth, build human and institutional capacities, and address development needs at the open consultations of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). http://finchannel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37322&Itemid=16 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Advisory: OnlineNIC Transfer Issues Resolved - Recent Court Orders Permit Transfers to Resume Customers of registrar OnlineNIC who had problems with previous transfer requests should now be able to transfer their domains to a different registrar if they wish. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-15may09-en.htm Bulk Transfer of Parava Domains to Tucows Tucows Inc. has been selected to manage the name registrations previously managed by Parava Networks, Inc. (dba 10-Domains.com). Parava's former registrant-customers should soon receive notices of the transfer from Tucows since it is now implementing procedures to receive the bulk transfer of names from Parava. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-14may09-en.htm ICANN: apply public health response model to e-security The greatest threats to the Internet are not cyber threats, but the threat of inappropriate public policy, says ICANN president and chief executive, Paul Twomey. http://computerworld.com.au/article/303543/ http://cio.com.au/article/303543/ http://techworld.com.au/article/303543/ Will Obama Re-nationalize ICANN? by Milton Mueller Speaking at a Technology University of Delft conference on the internationalization of infrastructures, Professor Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger made some unique and provocative observations about the future of the ICANN tether to the U.S. government. Mayer-Schoenberger was trying to predict the position of the three main players: the EU, the US and China. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/5/15/4187216.html http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090517_will_obama_re_nationalize_icann/ WIPO Letter to IRT on Draft IRT Report http://wipo.int/export/sites/www/amc/en/docs/icann100509.pdf Rival views don?t compute To The Editor: Re ?The battle of .nyc... and also .sucks, .chat, .weather, .art...? (news article, May 6): Thank you to The Villager for taking the time to understand the complexity of this issue, and for treating all views fairly as you did. Several people have come up to me and said that it is one of the best articles they have seen in The Villager on any topic, and that they learned a lot from it. Coming from people who are not technically adept, it?s a clear indication that you communicated this obscure topic in a very accessable way. http://www.thevillager.com/villager_315/letterstotheeditor.html Did Parava Bilk Customers from Renewal Fees? What?s a warning sign that your domain name registrar is about to leave you in a lurch? You pay it to renew your domain many years in advance, but it only renews it for one year at a time. Apparently a lot of Parava customers have experienced that. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/05/15/did-parava-bilk-customers-from-renewal-fees/ NRO and ICANN Reaffirm Commitment to Relationship The Number Resource Organization (NRO) and ICANN have reaffirmed their commitment to each other in an exchange of letters. http://nro.net/news/nro-icann-exchange-letters2009.html Managing the internet There is a search after new model for the functioning of ICANN, the European Commission wants to be interested http://english.etrend.sk/news-summaries/managing-the-internet/167591.html ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** auDA blocks Bottle customer transfer Australia's domain name regulator appears to have reversed a decision by Bottle Domains to switch its customers to another business with which the troubled domain reseller appears to be associated. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/auDA-blocks-Bottle-customer-transfer/0,130061791,339296445,00.htm New Report Shows .INFO Domain Safest from Phishing Attacks Afilias, a global provider of Internet infrastructure services, today announced that a new Global Phishing Survey released by the Anti-Phishing Work Group (APWG) revealsinfo domain that the .INFO domain is the gTLD safest from phishing attacks. The results of the Survey show that, during the second half of 2008, .INFO had the lowest phishing rates and the lowest average attack duration among the gTLDs measured. .INFO's phishing durations were half the world average. http://www.afilias.info/news/2009/05/13/new-report-shows-info-domain-safest-phishing-attacks http://info.info/news/2009/05/13/new-report-shows-info-domain-safest-phishing-attacks Financial Domains have an impact on .INFO in Q1 2009 Now that tax season has passed, you are either celebrating or crying about your tax return! While you have been poring over IRS documents, elsewhere on the Web people have been registering .INFO domains. Over 500 new tax related domains have been registered in the .INFO domain just since March 1, 2009 and nearly 1300 since the beginning of 2009. They join the more than 8000 other ?tax? related .INFO domains that exist in the .INFO registry today. http://info.info/news/2009/05/12/financial-domains-have-impact-info-q1-2009 Nigeria Attains Full Control of .ng ccTLD The Nigerian Internet community has effected the redelegation of the .ng ccTLD and attained full local management of the domain. The President, Internet Registration Association of Nigeria , Engr Ndukwe Kalu, disclosed this in a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday. http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=143666 Help shape the future of the domain name industry in the UK! Nominet is holding a series of open meetings that gives you the opportunity to have your say about potential changes to the self-regulation model of the domain name industry in the UK. Today the future of that self-regulatory model is at stake and Nominet wants to ensure maximum participation from all those with an interest in .uk. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=6455 uk: BERR response letter Following the recent independence governance review of Nominet we have received a letter of response from BERR. They have said:"If Nominet's members implement in full the changes proposed in the report, we are confident that Nominet will remain a beacon of industry self-regulation, protecting the wider public interest, without the need for intervention by government." http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=6481 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** DHS requests funding to continue far-reaching secure Internet protocol work by Brenden Kuerbis DHS will present its 2010 budget request before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today, including a reported $400 million to protect critical infrastructure and cyber networks from attack. $11 million of this was requested to fund DHS's Information Infrastructure Security (IIS) Program and Secure Protocol Project, including work on securing the Internet?s Domain Name System (DNS) and routing infrastructure. Despite the relatively small amount of funding, SPP work is intended to, and if successful could, have far reaching impact on the Internet. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/5/11/4182711.html Is the U.S. ready for government-sponsored cyberattacks? If there?s a sudden cyberattack on the U.S. Navy, Jim Granger could be among the first to know since it?s his job to keep watch. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/051409-cyberwar-readiness.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/165033/.html Analyst: cyberwarfare arms race with China imminent A congressional commission that reviews economic and security relations between the United States and China held a hearing last month on Chinese intelligence activities that impact national security. During this hearing, security expert Kevin G. Coleman of the Technolytics Institute think tank gave a presentation on Chinese cyber-espionage efforts. http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2009/05/analyst-cyberwarfare-arms-race-with-china-imminent.ars ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Interoute Adopts IPv6 for IP Address Availability European data network operator Interoute is reportedly adopting Ipv6 Internet Protocol, to meet the growing demands of IP addresses. http://ip-pbx.tmcnet.com/topics/ip-pbx/articles/56163-interoute-adopts-ipv6-ip-address-availability.htm ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Internet Society, African internet leaders gather in Cairo for INET regional conference Leading African and international technologists and policy makers will gather in Cairo on Monday, 18 May, for the INET Africa Regional Conference, organized by the Internet Society, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt, to explore emerging issues of regional Internet governance. http://www.isoc.org/tools/blogs/membernews/?p=880 Saviour or sellout? The verdict on Nick Bolton ... At the same time, Bolton made money from an investment in Melbourne IT, which had a monopoly on internet and website domain names in Australia. With deregulation of that market looming, Bolton saw an opportunity. "I started Bottle Domains at the age of 19 and became a competitor to Melbourne IT." He timed his investment well. By the following year, Bottle was an established player, and Bolton dropped out of uni to run his new business from his St Kilda flat. http://smallbusiness.smh.com.au/growing/finance/saviour-or-sellout-the-verdict-on-nick-bolton-620521031.html http://smallbusiness.theage.com.au/growing/finance/saviour-or-sellout-the-verdict-on-nick-bolton-620521031.html An Ailing GM Registers Domain Name in Case of Bankruptcy In early April, General Motors inconspicuously secured some virtual real estate that it could potentially use as an information clearinghouse should the company end up seeking bankruptcy protection in the near future. http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1690146/an_ailing_gm_registers_domain_name_in_case_of_bankruptcy/ Are you ready to play the domain game? Been kicking yourself for years because you missed out on registering yourname.com? Hoping against hope that it will become available and you can snag it? Well, the new dot-tel (.tel) domain may be your chance to redeem yourself, or just another way to waste some money. It all depends on how this thing takes off. http://www.businessedge.ca/article.cfm/newsID/19741.cfm TRA/.aeDA is the official 971 ENUM operator Telephone Number Mapping (ENUM, from E.164 NUmber Mapping) is a suite of protocols and technologies used to unify the telephone numbering system E.164 with the Internet addressing system (DNS) by using a technical methods called indirect lookup method. UAE is allocated the country code (1.7.9.e164.arpa) to represent UAE telephone code (971). http://aeda.ae/eng/viewnews.php?Newsid=52 ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** High End of the Market Missing This Week But Low to Mid Range Marches On The price tag on this week's #1 domain is the lowest I recall for a chart topper in a very long time. A British ccTLD, GGG.co.uk, leads the pack after selling at Sedo.com for ?17,700 ($26,904). Another Sedo sale, B4.com at $26,002 was right behind. While the high end of the market was missing in action, the low to mid range (favored by small to medium sized businesses) continues along its merry way. Median prices have remained almost unchanged over the past year despite the severe recession. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/05-19-09.htm Google change could stir more advertiser angst Google's love-hate relationship with the advertisers that pay its bills could hit another rocky patch following its latest AdWords policy change. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10242104-93.html Google Revises Trademark Policy To Allow Brand Names In More Ads Google has revised its trademark policy to make it easier for advertisers to include brand names in the text of their ads. Until now, companies could not run ads with a trademarked brand name in the text if they did not own the trademark. http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/15/google-trademark-policy-technology-paidcontent.html The Allure of Adult Domains The old adage ?sex sells? is as tried and true in the world of domain names as it is in selling beer, cars, and all other sorts of consumer products. http://sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2387 Number of .INFO Domain Aftermarket Sales Spike in Q1 2009 Despite issues with the global economy, .INFO domain name aftermarket sales appear to be fairing well. According to DNJournal.com data, the number of aftermarket sales of .info domains jumped in the first quarter of 2009. Specifically, the number of .info aftermarket sales in February and March were nearly triple that of the same month a year ago. http://info.info/news/2009/05/12/number-info-domain-aftermarket-sales-spike-q1-2009 Snapnames Makes Searching For Domain Names Easier Than Ever Snapnames has announced a number of improvements to its website, improving the overall search experience so domainers can have an easier time finding valuable soon-to-be-available domain names. http://www.domainnamenews.com/news/snapnames-searching-domain-names-easier/5103 Afternic Gets a Major Overhaul A new look and new promotion levels have arrived on domain name aftermarket Afternic. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/05/17/afternic-gets-a-major-overhaul/ Return to Silicon Valley: Three Years After A Landmark Show in Santa Clara T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Came Back for an Encore The T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference returned to the site of one of its greatest triumphs April 27-30 when the 2009 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley show was staged in Santa Clara, California. Three years before, in the same location, T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Co-Founders Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu produced an event that played a key role in launching a phenomenal boom in the domain business. http://dnjournal.com/events/2009/traffic-silicon-valley-review.htm ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Anti-Censorship, Benevolent Payloads and Human Rights by Alana Maurushat [UNSW Law Research Paper] Abstract: Computers and robots have long been used in ?physical? environments where it is too dangerous, hostile, or difficult for humans to perform tasks. What about situations where the danger stems from political and legal environments? This paper will look at the ethical and legal use of a computer worm to perform anti-censorship tasks. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1402425 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Google blames outage on system error and online traffic jam Google Inc. is blaming this morning's Google Apps service outage on a system error that caused a major traffic jam. The company reported that the outage, which started a little before 11 a.m. EDT, caused about 14% of Google users to face slow service or interruptions. The problem affected all Google products, including Google Search, Google News, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Reader. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133109 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/051409-google-blames-outage-on-system.html Google Stumbles Google gasped Thursday morning--and many others on the Internet shuddered. By mid morning in New York City, the Google outage seemed to be system-wide: its search, calendar, e-mail ... everything associated with the company seems slow or entirely down. http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/14/google-down-internet-slow-internet-technology-google.html Google change could stir more advertiser angst Google's love-hate relationship with the advertisers that pay its bills could hit another rocky patch following its latest AdWords policy change. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10242104-93.html Google Revises Trademark Policy To Allow Brand Names In More Ads Google has revised its trademark policy to make it easier for advertisers to include brand names in the text of their ads. http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/15/google-trademark-policy-technology-paidcontent.html Pay Walls Alone Won?t Save Newspapers Will May 2009 mark the beginning of the end for the free, unfettered Internet? From all the wailing on the Web ? and the fist-pumping in some old-media redoubts ? it might seem so. http://nytimes.com/2009/05/18/business/media/18iht-cache18.html Guatemala police arrest Twitter user for 'inciting financial panic' Police in Guatemala have arrested a Twitter user and confiscated his computer for "inciting financial panic" after he urged people to remove funds from a state-owned bank. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/15/guatemala-twitter-jean-anleu-fernandez Twitter message leads to arrest after 'financial panic' in Guatemala A man has been arrested for inciting "financial panic" after he posted a Twitter message. Jean Ramses Anleu Fernandez urged people in Guatemala to boycott a bank in the aftermath of a political scandal. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6296438.ece Online Shopping Growth Flattens As Even America's Rich Cut Back For a little while at the beginning of the year, online shoppers tentatively started filling their virtual shopping carts. But they have cut back once again this spring ? especially the older and wealthier people. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/online-shopping-growth-flattens-as-even-the-rich-cut-back/ Singaporeans enticed to get married via Facebook race Singapore rewarded 10 young dating couples on Saturday for being the most popular "Beautifully Imperfect" pairs online, the latest bid by the city-state to get its citizens married at a younger age. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-39674820090517 Fast Growing U.K. Online Newspaper Market Attracting Even Larger Audiences from Beyond the Pond [news release] comScore released the results of a study examining domestic and worldwide visitation to leading U.K. newspaper sites, based on data from the comScore World Metrix audience measurement service. In total, 15.9 million people in the U.K. visited a newspaper Web site in March, representing a 43-percent reach of the country?s online population. http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/5/U.K._Newspaper_Sites_Aattract_Visitors_from_Around_the_World Wolfram Alpha: The search is on It is the curse of every internet search engine to be compared to Google, master of the universe and supreme ruler over two-thirds of such searches. Since newcomers never measure up to the breadth and depth of the billions of pages that Google has indexed over the past decade, most of these comparisons end with an easy win for the incumbent. Pretenders to the throne, nevertheless, keep appearing. http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13643997 Study: Tech Gadgets Suck Up Too Much Juice The energy consumption from communications technologies and consumer electronics devices, including computers, mobile phones, and televisions, could be reduced by more than 50 percent through the use of energy-efficient technologies that exist today. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133119 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Social networking: Haven for hatred? An anti-racism group says the phenomenon of social networking online is proving a boon for extremists and race-hate groups. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/14/2570795.htm Confronting Hate Speech on the Web On Wednesday morning, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center delivered a presentation to the students of New York?s Independence High School about the spread of hatred on the Internet. This was not your typical PowerPoint deck: Cooper?s tour through the darker recesses of the Web included YouTube videos depicting burning Korans; an image gallery belong to a Greek skinhead group on photo-sharing site Photobucket; and a controversial poem posted to IslamOnline.net entitled ?How to Behead.? http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/archives/2009/05/confronting_hat.html Hackers attack Facebook users Hackers launched an attack on Facebook's 200 million users on Thursday, successfully gathering passwords from some of them in the latest campaign to prey on members of the popular social networking site. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE54D6HP20090514 http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-39634620090515 Facebook members hit by another phishing scam In what's just the latest Facebook phishing scam, hackers on Thursday broke into accounts and sent e-mails to friends urging them to log on to fake Facebook sites, according to new reports and anecdotes from members. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10241573-83.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** §Thinking Digital: Future computer interfaces of today The afternoon talks at Thinking Digital began with a YouTube star, Johnny Chung Lee. I along with millions of others have seen Johnny create a multi-touch white board with the WiiMote from the Nintendo Wii. It's a brilliant hack, and he basically showed how almost anyone could create a multi-touch whiteboard for $100 and a weekend of work. It's being used all over the world, especially in places where these boards could be useful but were previously unaffordable. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/may/14/digital-media-media-events-conferences ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Cyberbullying laws won't save your children Is it better or worse to bully someone if you're using the Internet? Worse apparently, according to lawmakers on the most recent ?Won?t somebody please think of the children?!? crusade in vogue. I, personally, would rather be bullied online, because it's super-duper hard for anyone to IM you a purple nurple. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30751310/ au: Mobile phones blamed for schoolyard violence Fight! Ten years ago, the schoolyard chant would have drawn a small crowd of students to watch pupils slugging it out before teachers broke it up. Nowadays, spectators potentially number in their millions. http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,25492006-948,00.html Slur-Filled Web Site Hurtful but Not Illegal Before the digital age, there was simply nasty writing on the restroom wall. Now, in the say-it-all era of the Internet, the darker side of teenage expression has found a new place to fester. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/16/AR2009051602191.html Protecting Children in Cyberspace - Jamaican Office of the Prime Minister The Internet, cyberspace, represents one of the greatest technological advancements of the 20th century and plays an important role in all aspects of life but most importantly communication, education, commerce and entertainment. It has radically changed global social interactions. Many of you have witnessed children sitting beside each other but communicating via texting, instant messaging or by e-mail. The larger the group, the more the children seem to have fun. Their fascination with the social networking websites such as Hi5, Facebook and MySpace is unabated. Videos, audios and text are exchanged in real time and have rapidly replaced the need for personal interface as we knew it a few years ago. http://www.jis.gov.jm/officePM/html/20090516T200000-0500_19648_JIS_PROTECTING_CHILDREN_IN_CYBERSPACE_.asp ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Pirated pop keeps stars popular File-sharing sites help make popular acts more popular, finds a study. The research, by industry body PRS for Music, showed the most pirated pop songs tend to be those at the top of the music charts. There was little evidence that file-sharing sites helped unsigned and new bands find an audience, it found. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8049495.stm P2P study: Music crackdown is bad for business A study of P2P music exchanges to be revealed this week suggests that the ailing music business is shunning a lucrative lifeline by refusing to license the activity for money. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/13/long_tail_p2p/ http://out-law.com/page-10016 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Mobile phones do not cause stress, study shows The apparent scourge of the 24/7 lifestyle, the mobile phone, keeps users "perpetually available" but does not make people any more rushed or pressured for time, according to a study of more than 1000 workers. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/05/17/1242498639380.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/05/17/1242498639380.html ********************** SPAM ********************** FTC Sues to Halt Car-Warranty Phone Spam The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to shut down a telemarketing campaign that has been making hundreds of millions of allegedly deceptive "robocalls" to sell vehicle warranty extensions. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124232907674020647.html Judge Blocks Warranty Phone Spam [AP] A federal judge has issued two temporary restraining orders designed to stop what officials describe as a wave of deceptive "robo-calls" warning people their auto warranties are expiring and offering to sell them new service plans. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124248434552127039.html us: FTC sues to stop auto warranty 'robo-calls' Federal regulators filed lawsuits Thursday against several companies they say are behind a national wave of spam "robo-calls" that warn people their auto warranties are expiring and offer service plans. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-05-14-car-warranty-calls_N.htm ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** EBay wins French case over liability for fakes Cosmetics firm L'Or?al has failed in its bid to hold eBay responsible for the sale of counterfeit goods in France. A French court said that the online auction site had done all that it had to to stop counterfeit sales. http://out-law.com/page-10013 Australian man charged over 'anti-Semitic' YouTube video [AP] Police have charged a man who allegedly posted a video on YouTube with inciting racism under a so-far untested Australian state law, officials said today. A newspaper report said the video targeted Jews. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/man-charged-over-antisemitic-youtube-video-1684769.html Hong Kong tech jailed for stealing sex-with-starlet photos [DPA] A computer technician was jailed for eight and a half months today for stealing photos of a Hong Kong pop star having sex with starlets that would be seen by millions of people via the internet. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/05/13/1241894033965.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/05/13/1241894033965.html FTC Warns Internet Peddlers that Potentially Bogus H1N1 Influenza Products May Violate Federal Law [news release] The Federal Trade Commission has warned Web site operators who made claims that their products can prevent, treat, or cure the Influenza A/H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, that they must have scientific proof to support their claims. The FTC told the companies, whose products include dietary supplements, air filtration devices, and cleaning agents, that without scientific proof they are violating federal law and must drop the claims or face further action. http://ftc.gov/opa/2009/05/swineflu2.shtm ************************** PRIVACY ************************** nz: Privacy consultation pays off, says researcher New Zealand could well be a force for the evolution of a positive attitude on the apparent conflict between privacy interests and the needs of national security, says InternetNZ cyberlaw fellow Cynthia Laberge. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/02C7DE931F86DCE1CC2575B6006D5A25 nz: Privacy week prompts vendors to defend IT It was supposed to be a discussion on privacy ? part of Privacy Awareness Week last week in Wellington ? but the audience and moderator Diane Edwards had to work to keep that focus. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/26D5369BB5926514CC2575B5000481AB ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** The Censors Right Here at Home Internet censorship used to be pretty easy to spot. When China blocks YouTube or prohibits anything on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, it's not hard to figure out what's going on. But as governments and commercial firms get savvier about the Internet, censorship is getting more subtle. A slow Web site could be an accidental glitch or something more intentional. http://www.newsweek.com/id/197907 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** New Mood in Antitrust May Target Google For decades, the nation?s biggest antitrust cases have centered on technology companies. And they have all been efforts by the government to deal with powerful companies with far-reaching influence, like AT&T, the telephone monopoly; I.B.M., the mainframe computer giant; and Microsoft, the powerhouse of personal computer software. http://nytimes.com/2009/05/18/technology/companies/18antitrust.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** BT to speed up next-gen broadband rollout BT is planning to double the pace of its forthcoming next-generation broadband fibre rollout, bringing up to 100Mbps broadband within reach of more than a million premises next year. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39652599,00.htm Commission shelves NGN recommendation The European Commission will shelve its long-awaited recommendation to boost investment in optical fibre networks, at least until the end of the year, an EU official told EurActiv. http://euractiv.com/en/infosociety/commission-shelves-ngn-recommendation/article-182347 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2009 --------- David Goldstein email: goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au web: http://davidgoldstein.tel/ http://goldsteinreport.com/ phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - office/home mail: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA "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 Need a Holiday? Win a $10,000 Holiday of your choice. Enter now.http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylc=X3oDMTJxN2x2ZmNpBF9zAzIwMjM2MTY2MTMEdG1fZG1lY2gDVGV4dCBMaW5rBHRtX2xuawNVMTEwMzk3NwR0bV9uZXQDWWFob28hBHRtX3BvcwN0YWdsaW5lBHRtX3BwdHkDYXVueg--/SIG=14600t3ni/**http%3A//au.rd.yahoo.com/mail/tagline/creativeholidays/*http%3A//au.docs.yahoo.com/homepageset/%3Fp1=other%26p2=au%26p3=mailtaglineReceived on Sun May 17 2009 - 20:09:20 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:10 UTC