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.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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July 2010 ? June 2013 Strategic Plan Posted
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-22feb10-en.htm

CEO Comments on Strategic Plan by Rod Beckstrom
http://blog.icann.org/2010/02/ceo-comments-on-strategic-plan/

Community Support for IDN ccTLDs by Tina Dam
http://blog.icann.org/2010/02/community-support-for-idn-cctlds/

Plan for top-level pornography domain gets reprieve by Kieren McCarthy
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/23/icann_dot_xxx_decision_to_be_reconsidered/

Will Stonewalling on .xxx Be Beckstrom's First Big Mistake? by Milton Mueller
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100222_will_stonewalling_on_xxx_be_beckstroms_first_big_mistake/

What ICANN?s chair said about .xxx at the time
http://kierenmccarthy.com/2010/02/23/what-icanns-chair-said-about-xxx-at-the-time/

ICM Registry Wins Review of .XXX Application, Hopes To Offer Names in 2010
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10450

China tightens internet controls
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8530378.stm

China Tightens Domain Name Registration Rules For Individuals
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10464

Norway Considers New gTLDs Such as .OSLO
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10439

Experts warn of catastrophe from cyberattacks
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10458759-245.html

Microsoft Wins Court Order to Block 'Botnet' Network
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575086523786147014.html

Internet Tops 192 Million Domain Name Registrations
https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=589249&releasejsp=custom_97

Domain Name Registrations Continue to Grow, Now Top 192 Million
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10449

Melbourne IT sees investments crimping growth until 2011 [AAP]
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/a/-/tech/6842374/melbourne-it-sees-investments-crimping-growth-until-2011/


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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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July 2010 ? June 2013 Strategic Plan Posted
After extensive consultation with the community, including a workshop in Seoul as well as a first time ever survey conducted last Fall, the Strategic Plan [PDF, 947 KB] is being posted following its approval by the ICANN Board at its February meeting. In the joint communication from ICANN's Chairman and CEO [PDF, 73 KB], it is noted that the Strategic Plan sets out ICANN's priorities for the next three years and is used as the basis for shaping ICANN's annual operating plan and budget.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-22feb10-en.htm

CEO Comments on Strategic Plan by Rod Beckstrom
The ICANN meeting in Seoul was my first meeting as CEO, and coincided with the kickoff of the ICANN Strategic planning process, an essential basis for ICANN?s operational and budget planning process. Based on my experience with other organizations and Boards, I was interested in taking the planning processes of past years, and evolving it into an approach that identified key strategic focus areas that captured ICANN?s mission and mandate, namely:
http://blog.icann.org/2010/02/ceo-comments-on-strategic-plan/

Mitigating Malicious Conduct in New gTLD - Zone File Access and High Security Zone TLD
In one of many efforts to mitigate the potential for malicious conduct in new gTLDs, ICANN formed the Zone File Access (ZFA) Advisory Group and the High Security Top-Level Domain Advisory Group (?HSTLD AG?) following an announcement on 3 December 2009 
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22feb10-en.htm

Landmark Step in ICANN?s Use of Accountability Mechanisms by Rod Beckstrom
On Friday (19 February), we received the Declaration of the Panel from the first ICANN Independent Review Process (IRP), ... . This is a landmark step in ICANN?s use of the accountability mechanisms built into our bylaws. ICM?s initiation of the Independent Review process marks the first time the process has been used since its creation about six years ago.
http://blog.icann.org/2010/02/landmark-step-in-icanns-use-of-accountability-mechanisms/

Community Support for IDN ccTLDs by Tina Dam
One area of the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process about which questions have arisen is community support for the IDN ccTLD and how such support can be demonstrated. I have provided some clarification here that I hope is helpful to present and future IDN ccTLD Fast Track participants.
http://blog.icann.org/2010/02/community-support-for-idn-cctlds/

CodyCorp Domains Transferred to eNom
An estimated 22 domain names previously sponsored by registrar CodyCorp.com Inc. have been transferred to ICANN-accredited registrar eNom, Inc. following the termination of CodyCorp's registrar accreditation agreement.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-23feb10-en.htm

Plan for top-level pornography domain gets reprieve by Kieren McCarthy
A plan to create a specific area of the Internet for pornography has been given a reprieve by a distinguished panel of judges.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/23/icann_dot_xxx_decision_to_be_reconsidered/

Will Stonewalling on .xxx Be Beckstrom's First Big Mistake? by Milton Mueller
The .xxx controversy is a legacy of the Bush era. In the dark period of WSIS and the Iraq invasion, ICANN's independence was fatally undermined when a political appointee of the Bush administration, in response to an email campaign from rightwing groups in the Bush "base", issued a direct threat to Paul Twomey that if ICANN approved the .xxx Top-Level Domain (TLD) it would not put it in the root.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100222_will_stonewalling_on_xxx_be_beckstroms_first_big_mistake/

What ICANN?s chair said about .xxx at the time
On Friday, there was a very interesting decision made by an independent panel of eminent retired judges with respect to an application five years ago for a ?.xxx? Internet extension that would be used purely for online pornography.
http://kierenmccarthy.com/2010/02/23/what-icanns-chair-said-about-xxx-at-the-time/

Plans for '.xxx' porn net domain revived
Nearly three years after plans to create a new internet domain specifically for pornography were blocked, the idea could be back on the table once again.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/23/porn-internet-domain-xxx-icann

ICM Registry Wins Review of .XXX Application, Hopes To Offer Names in 2010
ICM Registry, the applicant for .XXX generic Top Level Domain, hopes to begin offering .XXX domain names in 2010 following an independent review of its application to, and subsequent refusal by, ICANN.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10450
http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/23/icm-registry-wins-review-of-xxx-application-hopes-to-offer-names-in-2010/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/icm-registry-wins-review-of-.xxx-application-hopes-to-offer-names-in-2010.html

ICM Registry Hopes to Offer .XXX Domains This Year
After winning an independent review against ICANN for denying ICM Registry?s application for a .xxx top level domain name, the registry says it hopes to begin offering .xxx domain names later this year. It has already opened up a process on its web site to pre-reserve names.
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/02/22/icm-registry-hopes-to-offer-xxx-domains-this-year/

Will ICANN On Now Approve .XXX? ICM Says Yes; ICANN Seems To Say No
As we wrote about over the weekend the independent panel that reviewed ICANN?s handling of the application of ICM Registry to run the .xxx registry, ruled that since ICANN voted to approve the application it should have allowed it to move forward without the additional review it understook.
http://www.thedomains.com/2010/02/22/will-icann-on-now-approve-xxx-icm-says-yes-icann-seems-to-say-no/

Why The ICA Objected To The Contract To Run The .XXX Extension In 2007 & Still Does
Back In February 2007 the Internet Commerce Association (the?ICA?) wrote to ICANN objecting to the contract ICANN was considering entering into the ICM Registry to run the .xxx extension.
http://www.thedomains.com/2010/02/24/why-the-ica-objected-to-the-contract-to-run-the-xxx-extension-in-2007-still-does/

Independent Review Finds ICANN Screwed Up In Approving... Then Rejecting .xxx
If you haven't followed the .xxx saga, it's been a bit convoluted. While it's still not at all clear why we need top level domains at all any more (or, if we must have them, why they should be limited to the ones chosen by ICANN), for many years, ICANN has been in charge of reviewing various proposals to expand the available top level domains (things like .com, .net, .org, etc.).
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100222/0253398249.shtml

Expression of Interest for New TLDs: Time to shine!!
I guess I should start this entry by coming clean. An admission of sorts if you will. I never really believed that the Expression of Interest round for new TLDs would deliver any real value.
http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=312

Law agencies call for tighter domain registration controls
Report highlights major problem with accuracy of information, resulting in problems tracking down criminals who set up bogus websites
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2258412/moves-tighten-domain-name

AusRegistry International to attend APTLD, AfTLD and ICANN Nairobi Meetings
Over the coming weeks, I will be attending a number of international conferences as we continue to work with our clients and share our knowledge with other industry experts.
http://www.ausregistry.com/blog/?p=317

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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China tightens internet controls
China has tightened controls on internet use, requiring anyone who wants to set up a website to meet regulators and produce ID documents. The technology ministry said the measures were designed to tackle online pornography, but internet activists see it as increased government censorship.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8530378.stm

China seeks identity of Web site operators
Web site operators will need to offer photographs of themselves and meet Internet service providers (ISPs) in person under new guidelines announced by the Chinese government this week, according to published reports.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10458420-245.html
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62061378,00.htm

China imposes new rules for personal websites
In a move that will give the government new powers to police the Internet, China will require individuals seeking to establish personal websites to verify their identities with regulators and have their photographs taken.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-china-internet25-2010feb25,0,1247575.story

China Tightens Domain Name Registration Rules For Individuals
In what is being described by Chinese government officials as a means of tackling online pornography, individual domain name registrants are now able to register domain names, but are being forced to meet regulators and produce identity documents. Online activists are describing the new requirements as added censorship for Chinese internet users.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10464
http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/24/registration-rules-chinese-individuals/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/china-s-domain-name-registration-rules-tightened-for-individuals-tightened.html

China further tightens rules for domain name owners [IDG]
Web site owners in China will have to start submitting personal photos to register their sites with the government under new trial regulations, China's latest move in an Internet clampdown focused on porn.
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/337190/china_further_tightens_rules_domain_name_owners/
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/337190/china_further_tightens_rules_domain_name_owners

cn: China changes web registration rules [AP]
In a new move to tighten control on internet use, China's technology ministry says it has lifted a ban on individuals operating websites but imposed more stringent registration requirements.
http://www.3news.co.nz/China-changes-web-registration-rules/tabid/412/articleID/143293/Default.aspx

China launches strict new Internet controls it says are aimed at eliminating online porn [AP]
China's technology ministry moved to tighten controls on Internet use Tuesday, saying individuals who want to operate Web sites must first meet in person with regulators.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/sns-ap-as-china-internet-controls,0,4272993.story
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20100223&id=11140486
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/technology/sns-ap-as-china-internet-controls,0,1395162.story

Dispute Resolution Related to Domain Names Registered under .hu
Upon registering a name within the Hungarian country code top-level domain .hu, applicants sign a declaration, by virtue of which they accept the authority of the Occasional Arbitration Court and the procedure for settling disputes established thereby.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=articles&id=927D1EB7-3472-48CC-9917-23C05B9480A9

Norway Considers New gTLDs Such as .OSLO
A working group has been formed by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communicationsto consider whether there is a demand in the country for new generic Top Level Domainssuch as .OSLO or .TRONDELAG. The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority will chair the group.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10439
http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/22/norway-considers-new-gtlds-such-as-oslo/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/norway-considers-new-gtlds-such-as-.oslo.html

Nominet gives registrars powers to suspend use of .uk domain names for illegal activity
Nominet ? the registry in charge of setting the rules for the ?.uk? domain names ? has introduced new procedures that would enable registrars to suspend the use of domain names that are used for illegal activity. Registrars are businesses authorised by the relevant registry (in this case, Nominet) to obtain registrations on behalf of their customers.
http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=5d9a6179-5dae-4d8c-9bbf-32cbd260f92f

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Experts warn of catastrophe from cyberattacks
Computer-based network attacks are slowly bleeding U.S. businesses of revenue and market advantage, while the government faces the prospect of losing in an all-out cyberwar, experts told Senators in a hearing on Tuesday.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10458759-245.html

Security expert: U.S. would lose cyberwar [IDG]
The U.S. government, if confronted in a cyberwar today, would not come out on top, a former U.S. director of national intelligence said Tuesday.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9161278/Security_expert_U.S._would_lose_cyberwar

Determining the motives for cyberattacks can be tricky
Agencies responding to real-time coordinated cyberattacks must focus not only on eliminating the immediate threat, but on identifying the attackers' motives, a former Defense Department official said during a cybersecurity exercise on Tuesday.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100223_6274.php

FCC Wants Info To Help Curb Cyber Attacks
Collecting more data from broadband service providers could help the FCC play a strong role in protecting the nation from attacks waged online, James Barnett, the FCC's bureau chief for public safety and homeland security, said Tuesday.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/02/fcc-wants-info-to-help-curb-cy.php

Microsoft Wins Court Order to Block 'Botnet' Network
Microsoft Corp. has won a court order aimed at taking down a global network of PCs that the company accuses of spreading spam and harmful computer code. A federal judge in Alexandria, Va., granted a request by Microsoft to deactivate 277 Internet addresses, or domain names, that the Redmond Wash., company links to a "botnet," an army of tens of thousands of PCs around the globe infected with malicious code that allows them to be harnessed for nefarious purposes.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575086523786147014.html

Court order helps Microsoft tear down Waledac botnet [IDG]
With the help of a U.S. federal judge, Microsoft has struck a blow against one of the Internet's worst sources of spam: the notorious Waledac botnet. Microsoft said late Wednesday that it had been granted a court order that will cut off 277 .com domains associated with the botnet. This will effectively knock the brains of Waledac off the Internet, by removing the command-and-control servers that criminals use to send commands to hundreds of thousands of infected machines.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022510-court-order-helps-microsoft-tear.html
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/190212/.html

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Internet Tops 192 Million Domain Name Registrations
The Internet added 11 million domain name registrations in the fourth quarter of 2009, reflecting a steady pace of Internet growth a quarter-century after the birth of .com. Those findings and more are featured in the latest Domain Name Industry Brief published by VeriSign.
https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=589249&releasejsp=custom_97

Domain Name Registrations Continue to Grow, Now Top 192 Million
There were 192 million domain names registered around the world at the end of 2009, an increase of eleven million registrations over the previous quarter, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief published by VeriSign.
http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10449
http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/23/domain-name-registrations-continue-to-grow-now-top-192-million-verisign/

Domain Name Registration Now 192 Million Worldwide
New domain name registrations in the fourth quarter of 2009 reached 3.7 million domain name registrations per month totaling close to 11 million new domain name registrations across all of the Top-Level Domains (TLDs) in the last quarter of 2009, according the latest Domain Name Industry Brief by VeriSign.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/domain_name_registration_now_192_million_worldwide/

Melbourne IT sees investments crimping growth until 2011 [AAP]
Domain name registrar and IT services provider Melbourne IT posted a 3.8 per cent lift in annual net profit, and said infrastructure investment in 2010 would crimp profit growth until 2011.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/a/-/tech/6842374/melbourne-it-sees-investments-crimping-growth-until-2011/
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-business/melbourne-it-posts-38-lift-in-profit-20100223-ow1l.html

Melbourne IT revenues up 8 per cent in 2009
Online services provider, Melbourne IT has recorded an eight per cent rise year-on-year in revenues for its full financial year to 31 December 2009.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/337158/melbourne_it_revenues_up_8_per_cent_2009/

IT service provider warns on profit
Domain name registrar and IT services provider Melbourne IT posted a 3.8 per cent lift in annual net profit, and said infrastructure investment in 2010 would crimp profit growth until next year.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/it-service-provider-warns-on-profit/story-e6frg8zx-1225833614742

Melbourne IT looks on the low side [sub req'd]
Domain name registrar and information technology services company Melbourne IT expects to deliver low growth this year as it continues its business transition and installs new IT systems.
http://www.afr.com/p/business/technology/melbourne_it_looks_on_the_low_side_kQlHSvt4XcKEjOIcV8FZ9J

Melbourne IT profit up 3.8pc [sub req'd]
Domain name registrar and IT services provider Melbourne IT Ltd posted a 3.8 per cent lift in annual net profit, and said infrastructure investment in 2010 would crimp profit growth until 2011.
http://www.afr.com/p/business/technology/melbourne_it_profit_up_pc_0WhBX02rhqNVyeHbxP3dBL

Netcraft February 2010 Web Server Survey
In the February 2010 survey we received responses from 207,316,960 sites. The biggest change of the month belongs to Apache with a 1.6M increase in hostnames. It was closely followed by Microsoft which saw a growth of 1.1M.
http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2010/02/03/february_2010_web_server_survey.html

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Here?s What Happens to Value of Domains When New gTLDs are Released
In general, domainers are opposed to new TLDs. I don?t think this has anything to do with the concept of new top level domain names. After all, many domainers have embraced each new TLD as it comes to the market (much to the detriment of our pocket books). It has more to do with the baggage (e.g. new trademark rules) that are coming along with new TLDs.
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/02/24/heres-what-happens-to-value-of-domains-when-new-gtlds-are-released/

Are catchy domain names worth paying big sums for?
If you've got a massive fortune set aside that you're desperate to fritter away on something of questionable value, you could always put $1m down as a deposit for the right to bid on the domain name Sex.com, which comes up for auction in New York on 18 March. It's a chance to own a piece of virtual real estate with a colourful history involving a five-year legal battle and a midnight flit to Mexico to escape justice. All you'll find there today, however, is a nondescript page offering a link to "sexy lingerie". If it's racy entertainment that you're after, a kitchenware catalogue might be a more arousing alternative.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/rhodri-marsden-are-catchy-domain-names-worth-paying-big-sums-for-1908290.html

Sex sells - but is sex.com worth $20m?
The rights to one of the most notorious adult sites on the internet are up for sale just four years after they changed hands for a record $14m (NZ$20m), with auctioneers hoping that sex can sell all over again.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10628224

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RESEARCH PAPERS
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OECD: Indicators of broadband coverage
Comparing data on broadband coverage across OECD countries still faces some challenges because of the use of different metrics across countries. This report aims at providing information on the advantages and pitfalls of existing indicators used to measure broadband coverage, considering coverage related to different types of technologies (e.g. xDSL, cable modem, FTTH/B, 3G, satellite, WiMAX). Every technology capable of providing high speed Internet access involves specific issues when measuring availability.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/41/39/44381795.pdf

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INTERNET USE
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F.C.C. Takes a Close Look at America's Unwired
For many Americans, having high-speed access to the Internet at home is as vital as electricity, heat and water. And yet about one-third of the population, 93 million people, have elected not to connect.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/technology/internet/23net.html

Google search share slips in China, Bing tiny in 2009 [IDG]
Google lost a slice of its search share in China to rival Baidu.com last year, as Yahoo also slipped and Bing proved unpopular in the country, according to a local consultancy.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9160518/Google_search_share_slips_in_China_Bing_tiny_in_2009
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022310-google-search-share-slips-in.html

British Library warns UK's web heritage 'could be lost'
The UK's online heritage could be lost forever if the government does not grant a "right to archive", a group of leading libraries has said. The British Library, along with other institutions, has been archiving UK websites since 2004 but has only been able to cover 6,000 of an estimated 8m.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8535384.stm

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Facebook urged to act after memorial sites defaced [Reuters]
Cyber attacks on Facebook pages set up to pay tribute to two murdered Australian children has prompted calls for the social networking site to be more accountable for its users.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE61O29N20100225
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-urged-to-act-after-memorial-sites-defaced-1910209.html

Queensland police urge Facebook to clean up sites
Facebook has put up the shutters after coming under renewed pressure over the defacing of an online memorial for murdered schoolgirl Trinity Bates, the second such outrage in a week.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/queensland-police-urge-facebook-to-clean-up-sites/story-e6frg6n6-1225833622929

Bligh steps up pressure on Facebook over Trinity Bates and Elliott Fletcher
Annz Bligh has intensified pressure on social networking giant Facebook, challenging the company in parliament to take responsibility for offensive material posted on tribute sites for murdered children Elliott Fletcher and Trinity Bates.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/bligh-steps-up-pressure-on-facebook-over-trinity-bates-and-elliott-fletcher/story-e6frg6n6-1225834440162

Bligh hits out at 'sick' net sites
Anna Bligh has called on Facebook to explain what it will do to block the "sickening" hijacking of internet memorials after web vigilantes set up hate sites against the accused killer of Queensland girl Trinity Bates.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/state-politics/bligh-hits-out-at-sick-net-sites/story-e6frgczx-1225834063831

Trinity's murder inflames Facebook debate
Queensland police are calling for calm after the death of a young girl in Bundaberg and the appearance in court of the man charged with her abduction and murder.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/25/2829635.htm

Feelings and Facebook: grief in social media
What could be more horrific, more life freezing, than the violent death of a child? What could possibly alleviate the sense of loss for the surviving family?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/25/2830154.htm

Morcombe's mother slams 'sick' site
A Brisbane student who set up a Facebook group offering to return missing Sunshine Coast boy Daniel Morcombe if the group attracted a million members has been suspended from his school.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/morcombes-mother-slams-sick-site-20100225-p55h.html
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/morcombes-mother-slams-sick-site-20100225-p55h.html

Moderator abandons Facebook vigilante site after threats
Threats have forced a Queensland woman to remove herself as administrator from an online vigilante page created after the death of a Bundaberg schoolgirl.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/moderator-abandons-facebook-vigilante-site-after-threats-20100225-p44x.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/moderator-abandons-facebook-vigilante-site-after-threats-20100225-p44x.html

Twitter users send 50 million tweets a day, 600 tweets per second
New figures from the folks at Twitter show that people are tweeting furiously. Three years ago, the microblogging company was handling 5,000 tweets per day, according to Kevin Weil, the analytics lead at Twitter Inc. Since then, though, that number has gone up -- by a lot.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9161118/Twitter_users_send_50_million_tweets_a_day
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022310-twitter-users-send-50-million.html

Twitter users creating 50 million 'tweets' a day [Relax News]
Twitter users are creating 50 million of messages of 140 characters or less each per day, the micro-blogging service said Monday.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/twitter-users-creating-50-million-tweets-a-day-1908036.html

The Truth About Twitter's 50 Million Daily Tweets
For a service focused on brevity, Twitter sure is generating an awful lot of in-depth discussion these days.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/190089/.html
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022310-the-truth-about-twitters-50.html

Yahoo partners with Twitter to boost social features [Reuters]
Yahoo plans to integrate Twitter into its collection of websites, as the company seeks to enhance the appeal of its online properties with popular social networking features.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-46422020100224
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/yahoo-partners-with-twitter-to-boost-social-features-1908930.html

Yahoo Gets Closer to Twitter
Yahoo is announcing a partnership with Twitter on Wednesday that will bring the services of both companies closer together.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/yahoo-gets-closer-to-twitter/

Twitter feeds to show on Yahoo mail, homepage, more
Yahoo and Twitter announced a deal to put Twitter feeds on Yahoo homepages, e-mail accounts, Yahoo Sports and other sites in a broad content-sharing agreement that also includes Twitter in Yahoo search results.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9161378/Twitter_feeds_to_show_on_Yahoo_mail_homepage_more
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022410-twitter-feeds-to-show-on.html

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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ACMA: Mobile internet new risk for kids
The increased use of mobile internet devices, coupled with fast moving social media environments presented a new set of risks to both children and adults, new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority has found.
http://www.itwire.com/it-policy-news/government-tech-policy/37108-acma-mobile-internet-new-risk-for-kids

ACMA to develop a parental lock standard for digital television receivers
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is seeking industry and public comment on the determination of a technical standard that will make parental lock a required feature for digital television receivers. A parental lock is a feature of digital television receivers which allows controlled access to programs based on their classification, for example, G, PG, M or MA.
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_312055

Mandating parental lock capability in domestic reception equipment
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) is seeking comment on issues associated with the determination of a technical standard that will make parental lock a required feature of digital television receivers. The parental lock feature enables users to control access to television programs based on their classification, for example, G, PG, M or MA.
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_312054

au: Labor split as Kate Lundy proposes 'opt out' to Conroy ISP filter
A split has emerged in Labor ranks over Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's filter plan to limit internet porn after a backbencher confirmed she would seek to amend the legislation.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/labor-split-as-kate-lundy-proposes-opt-out-to-conroy-isp-filter/story-e6frgczf-1225833745627

Stephen Conroy sticks with porn filter plan
Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is set to reject a Labor backbench push to soften the government's internet porn filter plan.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/stephen-conroy-sticks-with-porn-filter-plan/story-e6frg6nf-1225834057002

Opposition grows to internet filter
Backbench MPs on both sides of politics opposed to the government's internet filtering proposal are vigorously lobbying their colleagues, creating a potential roadblock to the plan backed by the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/opposition-grows-to-internet-filter-20100224-p3ma.html
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/opposition-grows-to-internet-filter-20100224-p3ma.html

Bullying report calls for schools to publish information
A new Queensland alliance of parents, teachers and child advocates will try to prevent 'modern' schoolyard violence.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/23/2827770.htm
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/6842173/bullying-report-calls-for-schools-to-publish-information/

Schools leaving students at the mercy of psychological bullying
QUEENSLAND schools are failing to properly deal with the two worst kinds of bullying and often don't even check how their existing anti-bullying measures are working, the Government's own expert has warned.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,26761013-3102,00.html

au: Film puts bullying in spotlight
A small film produced by a group of teenagers has become a powerful tool in the fight to squash school yard bullying.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,26767789-3102,00.html

au: Keyboards give cowards a launchpad for attacks
ONE in five young people have experienced cyber bullying, the latest research shows. The sobering statistic shows cyber bullying victims are twice as common as previously thought.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/keyboards-give-cowards-a-launchpad-for-attacks/story-e6frf7l6-1225833662991

au: Schoolyard bullying to be tackled
Teachers, parents and academics from across Queensland have pledged to work together to find the best ways to tackle schoolyard violence and cyber bullying.
http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=432381

nz: Anything goes on new video chat website
Alarm bells are ringing over the latest internet video chat site. It is called Chat Roulette, and like its dangerous namesake, it too was invented by a Russian.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Anything-goes-on-new-video-chat-website/tabid/412/articleID/143616/Default.aspx

More adolescents suffer cyber bullying now [IANS]
Around 10 percent of all adolescents in grades 7-9 are victims of Internet bullying, says a new study.
http://sify.com/news/more-adolescents-suffer-cyber-bullying-now-news-international-kcxpagagbgi.html
http://www.malaysianews.net/story/604758

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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Water-Cooler Effect: Internet Can Be TV's Friend
Remember when the Internet was supposed to kill off television? That hasn?t been the case lately, judging by the record television ratings for big-ticket events. The Vancouver Olympics are shaping up to be the most-watched foreign Winter Games since 1994. This year?s Super Bowl was the most-watched program in United States history, beating out the final episode of ?M*A*S*H? in 1983. Awards shows like the Grammys are attracting their biggest audiences in years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/business/media/24cooler.html

Studios appeal iiNet copyright case
Television and movie studios are appealing against a judgment which found internet service provider iiNet was not responsible for illegal movie downloads by its customers.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/25/2830134.htm

AFACT to appeal iiNet decision
Hollywood's landmark legal bid to make internet companies responsible for online copyright infringement is to enter another lengthy round.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/afact-appeals-iinet-decision/story-e6frgakx-1225834283998

Movie studios appeal against iiNet piracy ruling [AFP]
Hollywood film studios today lodged an appeal against a landmark legal judgment which found an Australian Internet provider was not responsible for illegal movie downloads by its customers.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/movie-studios-appeal-against--iinet-piracy-ruling-20100225-p4vx.html
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/technology-news/movie-studios-appeal-against--iinet-piracy-ruling-20100225-p4vx.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/hollywood-lodges-appeal-in-internet-piracy-case-20100225-p5me.html

AFACT: Judge wrong on BitTorrent
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft has today slammed Federal Court Judge Dennis Cowdroy's understanding of copyright law in its appeal against his decision in iiNet's favour.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/AFACT-Judge-wrong-on-BitTorrent/0,130061791,339301356,00.htm

Malone: Appeal won't stop piracy
iiNet managing director Michael Malone has said he's disappointed that the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has decided to appeal the Federal Court's decision in the recent copyright court case.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Malone-Appeal-won-t-stop-piracy/0,130061791,339301345,00.htm

10 billionth song downloaded from Apple's iTunes [AFP]
The 10 billionth song has been downloaded from Apple's iTunes, seven years after the launch of the online store which provided a lifeline to the struggling music industry.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/10-billionth-song-downloaded-from-apples-itunes-20100225-p4xu.html
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/10-billionth-song-downloaded-from-apples-itunes-20100225-p4xu.html

Apple close to selling 10 billion iTunes songs
The company is giving away a $10,000 iTunes gift voucher to whoever downloads the billionth song. A counter on the Apple website is tracking progress towards the landmark, with the magic number expected to be reached by Friday.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7307653/Apple-close-to-selling-10-billion-iTunes-songs.html

ITunes Reaches 10 Billion Song Milestone
The iTunes Store reached a historical milestone on Wednesday when the ten billionth song (you read it correctly--that's ten followed by nine zeroes) was downloaded by an as-of-yet unnamed--but soon to be very lucky--person.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/190199/.html
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/190187/.html

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Apple Bans Some Apps for Sex-Tinged Content
Apple has started banning many applications for its iPhone that feature sexually suggestive material, including photos of women in bikinis and lingerie, a move that came as an abrupt surprise to developers who had been profiting from such programs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/technology/23apps.html

Apple's Ban on Sexy Apps is Selective
Apple has banned sexy apps from its app store -- but the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit app, the Playboy app, and the FHM app (which features sexy "girl of the week" photos) are still hanging around.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/190003/.html

App 'Censorship' Has German Tabloid Fighting Mad
The idea is simple enough: German tabloid Bild wanted to allow readers to undress their daily page one girl on their iPhones. But the app has run afoul of Apple's decency standards, leading the paper to accuse the US computer giant of censorship. The case seems far-fetched, but Apple's criteria remain inscrutable.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,679976,00.html

Apple pulls sexually explicit apps from iTunes
Apple purged several sexually explicit applications from iTunes this week. Parents had complained that children were getting hold of apps such as Naughty Trivia and Sexy Scratch Off in the freewheeling online marketplace.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/23/AR2010022305170.html

Apple purges soft-core porn apps after complaints from parents
Apple has purged thousands of risqu? iPhone applications from its online App Store to try to clean it up before the sale of the first Apple iPad tablets.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article7036908.ece

Handset market rebounding in 2010 - Gartner
The cellphone market will rebound more strongly than expected this year as improving economies boost spending on new gadgets and handset vendors push cheap smartphones, research firm Gartner said on Tuesday.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-46394620100223
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE61M1NW20100223

Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales to End Users Grew 8 Per Cent in Fourth Quarter 2009; Market Remained Flat in 2009 [news release]
Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totalled 1.211 billion units in 2009, a 0.9 per cent decline from 2008, according to Gartner, Inc. In the fourth quarter of 2009, the market registered a single-digit growth as mobile phone sales to end users surpassed 340 million units, an 8.3 per cent increase from the fourth quarter of 2008.
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1306513

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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US experts close in on Google hackers
US analysts believe they have identified the Chinese author of the critical programming code used in the alleged state-sponsored hacking attacks on Google and other western companies, making it far harder for the Chinese government to deny involvement.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a6f5621c-1f21-11df-9584-00144feab49a.html

US 'closes in on Google hackers'
Investigators say they are closing in on the source of the cyber attacks that hit a number of US companies, including Google, according to reports. The Financial Times suggests that US officials have tracked the author of the code used to attack the company. The paper says the alleged hacker is a Chinese "freelance security consultant in his 30s" who had published extracts of the attack code on the web.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8527944.stm

US links China to Google cyber attacks - report
Investigators are closing in on the source of internet attacks that hit a string of US companies, most notably Google.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/22/internet-attacks-us-china-google

FTC warns 100 organizations about leaked data via P2P
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has notified nearly 100 organizations that data from their networks has been found on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, the agency said on Monday.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10457932-245.html

FTC Warns Firms Of Data Exposure On P2P Sites
The FTC announced Monday that it has notified 100 groups that personal information, including sensitive data about customers and employees, has been exposed on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, making the data available to users of those networks and possibly exposing those affected to identity theft of fraud. The FTC also said it has opened investigations of other companies whose customer or employee information has been exposed on P2P networks.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/02/ftc-warns-firms-of-data-exposu.php

Survey: Cyberattacks cost APAC firms
Cyberattacks are costly affair in the Asia-Pacific region, where companies hit by security attacks suffered losses averaging US$763,000 each in 2009, according to a study released Tuesday.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62061360,00.htm

Cyber attacks frequent on Asia Pacific enterprises [MIS Asia]
Three quarters of Asia Pacific enterprises -- and two thirds of businesses in Singapore - have experienced cyber attacks in the past 12 months, according to new global research.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022410-cyber-attacks-frequent-on-asia.html

Experts warn of catastrophe from cyberattacks
Computer-based network attacks are slowly bleeding U.S. businesses of revenue and market advantage, while the government faces the prospect of losing in an all-out cyberwar, experts told Senators in a hearing on Tuesday.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10458759-245.html

Security expert: U.S. would lose cyberwar [IDG]
The U.S. government, if confronted in a cyberwar today, would not come out on top, a former U.S. director of national intelligence said Tuesday.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9161278/Security_expert_U.S._would_lose_cyberwar

Determining the motives for cyberattacks can be tricky
Agencies responding to real-time coordinated cyberattacks must focus not only on eliminating the immediate threat, but on identifying the attackers' motives, a former Defense Department official said during a cybersecurity exercise on Tuesday.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100223_6274.php

FCC Wants Info To Help Curb Cyber Attacks
Collecting more data from broadband service providers could help the FCC play a strong role in protecting the nation from attacks waged online, James Barnett, the FCC's bureau chief for public safety and homeland security, said Tuesday.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/02/fcc-wants-info-to-help-curb-cy.php

Microsoft Wins Court Order to Block 'Botnet' Network
Microsoft Corp. has won a court order aimed at taking down a global network of PCs that the company accuses of spreading spam and harmful computer code.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575086523786147014.html

Court order helps Microsoft tear down Waledac botnet [IDG]
With the help of a U.S. federal judge, Microsoft has struck a blow against one of the Internet's worst sources of spam: the notorious Waledac botnet.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022510-court-order-helps-microsoft-tear.html
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/190212/.html

Australian legal precedent on internet publishing
In an Australian first, a Perth man has won a Supreme Court injunction to prevent a former colleague from publishing defamatory information about him on the internet. Naturopath David Woolcott took Hilbert Seeger to court after Doctor Seeger sent 5 emails containing defamatory statements to colleagues.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/25/2830540.htm

au: Cyber poison-penner hunted down and sued
Legal counsel Martin Bennett has a short message for those who allow themselves to attack reputations over the internet, imagining they are safe under the cloak of anonymity. ''You can be hunted down and found,'' he said yesterday.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/cyber-poisonpenner-hunted-down-and-sued-20100224-p3n7.html
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/cyber-poisonpenner-hunted-down-and-sued-20100224-p3n7.html

us: Facebook sex pest gets long jail term [AP]
A US teenager convicted of using Facebook to blackmail dozens of classmates into sex was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/facebook-sex-pest-gets-long-jail-term-1910188.html

Report: Teen gets 15 years for Facebook blackmail
A Wisconsin teenager convicted of using Facebook to blackmail classmates into sex was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to an Associated Press report.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10459536-93.html

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PRIVACY
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Justice Michael Kirby wins award for work on OECD Privacy Guidelines
The Honourable Michael Kirby has been selected by EPIC as the 2010 recipient of the International Privacy Champion Award. Justice Kirby was recognised for his leading role in the development of the OECD Privacy Guidelines in 1980. This year the OECD is marking the 30th Anniversary of the Guidelines with a series of events, in preparation for a review in 2011 to assess whether the Guidelines need to be revised. The award was announced on 28 January - a key day in the privacy calendar for raising awareness about privacy issues with events held throughout Europe and North America.
http://www.oecd.org/document/35/0,3343,en_2649_34223_44488739_1_1_1_1,00.html

Italian Court Finds Google Violated Privacy
Three Google executives were convicted Wednesday of violating Italian privacy laws in a case that the company says could undermine freedom of expression on the Internet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/technology/companies/25google.html

Google Italy ruling threatens YouTube pursuit of profitability
The judgment by a Milan court against Google's employees throws a bucketful of sand into the machinery of YouTube, the video site that the search engine company bought for $1.65bn in October 2006. The clear implication of its decision is that every video should be screened before it is put on to the site ? and with more than 20 hours of video uploaded every minute worldwide (Google does not break down the figure for Italy), monitoring all that content, even for a single country, could prove enormously expensive.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/24/google-italy-youtube-video-analysis

Larger Threat Is Seen in Google Case
Three Google executives were convicted of violating Italian privacy laws on Wednesday, the first case to hold the company?s executives criminally responsible for the content posted on its system.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/technology/companies/25google.html

Google executives convicted in Italy over abuse video
Google responded furiously today after an Italian court found three of its executives guilty of violating the privacy of a child with autism who was shown being bullied in a video posted on its site.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/24/google-video-italy-privacy-convictions

Editorial: Italy's harmful conviction of Google - a judge sends the wrong message about who is responsible for material posted to Internet sites.
In September 2006, four students at a school in Turin, Italy, beat and humiliated an autistic classmate. A fifth student captured the incident on her cellphone camera, then posted the digital footage to Google Video. It spent two months as one of the site's most popular clips before Google took it down at the request of Italian police.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-google25-2010feb25,0,2273173.story

Serious threat to the web in Italy
In late 2006, students at a school in Turin, Italy filmed and then uploaded a video to Google Video that showed them bullying an autistic schoolmate. The video was totally reprehensible and we took it down within hours of being notified by the Italian police. We also worked with the local police to help identify the person responsible for uploading it and she was subsequently sentenced to 10 months community service by a court in Turin, as were several other classmates who were also involved. In these rare but unpleasant cases, that's where our involvement would normally end.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/serious-threat-to-web-in-italy.html

Hold the panic on Italian Google verdict
Will an Italian court's decision to convict three Google executives of invasion of privacy have widespread effects on the Internet beyond Italian borders?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10459230-265.html

Google to appeal Italian court ruling
Google has confirmed that it will appeal against the conviction of three employees who were found guilty of violating Italian privacy laws
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7307442/Google-to-appeal-Italian-court-ruling.html

Groups Voice Alarm Over Google Conviction
Internet privacy and tech groups said the conviction Wednesday of three Google executives by an Italian court for privacy violations could have far-reaching implications for the future of global Internet freedom.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/02/groups-voice-alarm-over-google.php

Google Italy bosses found guilty
An Italian court has convicted three Google executives in a trial over a video showing a teenager with Down's Syndrome being bullied. The Google employees were accused of breaking Italian law by allowing the video to be posted online. Judge Oscar Magi absolved the three of defamation but convicted them of privacy violations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8533695.stm

Three Google execs convicted of privacy violations [AP]
Three Google executives were convicted of privacy violations today in allowing a video of an autistic boy being abused to be posted online ? a case that has been closely watched for its implications on Internet freedom.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/three-google-execs-convicted-of-privacy-violations-1908871.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/24/AR2010022401170.html

Google execs convicted in Italy for Down's video
A Milan court convicted three Google Inc executives on Wednesday for violating the privacy of an Italian boy with Down's syndrome by letting a video of him being bullied be posted on the site in 2006.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-46419220100224
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE61N2AT20100224

Google executives convicted in Italy of violating privacy laws over bullying video
Three Google executives have been convicted of violating privacy laws after footage of a disabled Italian boy being bullied was posted on You Tube.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7305616/Google-executives-convicted-in-Italy-of-violating-privacy-laws-over-bullying-video.html

Street View dismisses German privacy fears
Google has dismissed German privacy fears over Street View, saying it will launch the service in the country by the end of the year, AFP reports.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/23/street_view_germany/

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CENSORSHIP
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US Group Urges Funding For Anti-Censorship Technology
A group of pro-democracy leaders representing closed societies like China, Cuba, Iran and Vietnam urged Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Tuesday to stand behind her call for Internet freedom by funding technologies that can bypass firewalls aimed at blocking access to some Web sites and information.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/02/group-urges-funding-for-antice.php

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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Google is slave to the algorithm; baffled at charge of search bias
There will be confusion and pain in Mountain View following the ?European commission's decision to begin preliminary investigations into whether Google has abused its dominance of internet search by (it is claimed) submerging results from rival sites. Not ?because Google's executives will think they have done any such thing ? and it's entirely possible that they haven't. But because to them the idea that Google, the company where the algorithm rules above all, should do such a labour intensive thing as suppress particular sites is pretty much unthinkable. It goes against everything Google stands for ? which is the machine, not the man.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/24/google-slave-to-the-algorithms

Google faces anti-monopoly probe by European Commission on whether it penalises competitors in search rankings
Google is facing a preliminary anti-monopoly probe by the European Commission into its dominant position in online browsing and digital advertising following allegations that it demotes competing websites to the lower echelons of customers' search results.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/24/google-monopoly-probe-european-commission

Google faces European competition inquiry
The European Commission is looking into complaints about Google's behaviour, the company has revealed. The complaints were made by UK price comparison site Foundem, French legal search engine ejustice.fr, and Microsoft's Ciao.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8533551.stm

New Complaints Filed Against Google in Europe
Google revealed Wednesday that it has come under scrutiny from antitrust regulators in Europe, after three companies complained about its growing market power in online search and advertising.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/technology/companies/25antitrust.html

EU launches antitrust inquiry into Google 'dominance'
The European Commission has launched a preliminary antitrust inquiry into Google after three companies complained that the US giant's dominant search engine penalises potential competitors and keeps advertising prices artificially high.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article7038845.ece

Google under investigation for alleged breach of EU competition rules
The European Commission has launched an anti-trust investigation against Google after three online companies alleged that the internet giant?s search functions were penalising their businesses.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7301299/Google-under-investigation-for-alleged-breach-of-EU-competition-rules.html

Google Says It Faces Competition Complaints in Europe [Bloomberg]
Google Inc., owner of the world?s most popular Internet search engine, faces European antitrust scrutiny after three companies filed complaints about unfair competition.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-23/google-faces-competition-complaints-from-european-companies.html

UK broadband tax condemned as 'unfair' by MPs
A government proposal to charge people with fixed phone lines 50p per month to help fund ultra-fast broadband has been condemned as "unfair" by MPs. The cross-party Business Innovation and Skills Committee said most of those who would pay the tax would not benefit from the faster broadband service. The focus should be on providing basic broadband for all and allowing markets to deliver higher speeds, it said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8529015.stm

British plans to cut off internet connections of illegal filesharers dumped
The government has backed away from its proposals in the Digital Economy Bill to cut off people who have illegally shared files online.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/22/plans-cut-off-connections-illegal-filesharers

uk: Mandelson could decide length of internet suspensions for filesharers
A government minister, not parliament, will decide on the maximum period for which people found guilty of illicit filesharing can have their accounts suspended if the Digital Economy bill becomes law.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/23/mandelson-decide-internet-suspension

Proposed broadband tax branded unfair
The government's proposal for a tax on fixed telephone lines to pay for increased broadband speeds in areas with poor access is unfair and unwise, a parliamentary committee said on Tuesday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE61M00T20100223

UK government rules out file-sharer disconnections
The government has ruled out terminating the broadband accounts of people who file-share copyrighted material online.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,40050754,00.htm

EU Data Protection Supervisor Warns Against ACTA, Calls 3 Strikes Disproportionate by Michael Geist
Peter Hustinx, the European Data Protection Supervisor, has issued a 20-page opinion expressing concern about ACTA. The opinion is a must-read and points to the prospect of other privacy commissioners speaking out. Moreover, with the French HADOPI three strikes law currently held up by its data protection commissioner, it raises questions about whether that law will pass muster under French privacy rules.
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4809/125/

nz: So long Section 92A - new copyright bill revealed
After much controversy last year, Section 92A of the Copyright Act has finally been repealed and a new version introduced to Parliament by the Minister of Commerce, Simon Power.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10628193

Anti-piracy bill moves closer to reality
The government?s proposed changes to New Zealand?s copyright legislation moved a step closer to reality yesterday when the Section 92A amendment bill was introduced into parliament.
http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/feature/A6AF069831578E5ACC2576D300791896

New Zealand Introduces File-Sharing Amendment Bill
Following widespread objections, New Zealand?s Section92A ?guilty upon accusation? anti-piracy law was scrapped last year. Today, The Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill will be introduced, which repeals Section 92A and replaces it with a ?three-notice? regime, backed up by $15,000 fines and 6 month Internet suspensions.
http://torrentfreak.com/new-zealand-introduces-file-sharing-amendment-bill-100223/

New Zealand tries again with anti-piracy copyright laws
The New Zealand Government has tabled in Parliament its second attempt at amending its copyright laws to counter illegal downloading.
http://www.itwire.com/it-policy-news/regulation/37118-new-zealand-tries-again-with-anti-piracy-copyright-laws

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MISCELLANEOUS
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Thousands of authors opt out of Google book settlement
Former children's laureates Quentin Blake, Anne Fine and Jacqueline Wilson, bestselling authors Jeffrey Archer and Louis de Berni?res and critical favourites Thomas Pynchon, Zadie Smith and Jeanette Winterson have all opted out of the controversial Google book settlement, court documents have revealed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/23/authors-opt-out-google-book-settlement

uk: Microsoft tops Superbrands list overtaking rival Google
Microsoft has toppled its internet rival Google from the prized top spot in a survey of the UK's strongest 500 business brands published today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/feb/24/microsoft-google-top-business-superbrands

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Commercial networks in Haiti cause problems for local ISPs [IDG]
While the communications networks that aid groups set up quickly following the earthquake in Haiti were surely critical to rescue efforts, the new networks have had some negative effects on the local ISP community.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9160298/Commercial_networks_in_Haiti_cause_problems_for_local_ISPs

Senator Stephen Conroy's NBN threat to Telstra
The Rudd government has backflipped on one of its key promises about the operation of the new national broadband network in an attempt to bolster the economic credentials of the massive $43 billion project and to enforce Telstra's co-operation.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/conroys-nbn-threat-to-telstra/story-e6frg9hx-1225834079721
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(c) David Goldstein 2010


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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


"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