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 *************************************************** Public Comment: Report of Possible Process Options for Further Consideration of the ICM Application for the .XXX sTLD http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-26mar10-en.htm Watch out for domain name scams http://blogs.theage.com.au/digital-life/gadgetsonthego/2010/03/29/watchoutford.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Why the Fair Use Defense of Free Speech or Parody Under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act Needs Judicial Review by the United States Supreme Court by Monique B. Lampke Abstract: This Article suggests the time is ripe for the United States Supreme Court to interpret the fair use defense of free speech or parody under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (?ACPA?). The ACPA was enacted in 1999 to protect consumers from ?cybersquatting,? or when a non-trademark holder registers a domain name of a trademark and attempts to: (1) sell the name either to the holder for a ransom or to the highest bidder; or (2) divert or confuse consumers. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1574367 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Russia To Debate Internet Governance Issues [news release] First Russian Internet Governance Forum co-sponsored by the Coordination Center for ccTLD .RU and the RF Ministry of Telecom and Mass Media will be held on 13-14 May 2010 at Expocenter at Krasnaya Presnia. http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=676 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Public Comment: Report of Possible Process Options for Further Consideration of the ICM Application for the .XXX sTLD On 19 February 2010, the Independent Review Panel issued its Declaration in the Independent Review filed by ICM Registry challenging ICANN's denial of ICM's application for the .XXX sTLD. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-26mar10-en.htm Remote Participation Technologies Enable a Policy Win for Nairobi by David Olive During the run-up to ICANN?s Nairobi meeting, some corners of the community raised concerns. Many community members could not make it to Nairobi for a variety of reasons, and some interest groups, such as the Registries, were going to be under-represented as physical participants. Some folks predicted that overall low attendance would slow progress in certain areas because policy work would not be able to advance. http://blog.icann.org/2010/03/remote-participation-technologies-enable-a-policy-win-for-nairobi/ ICANN Formalizes Relationship with ccTLD Manager for Georgia (.GE) ICANN has announced today that it has signed an exchange of letters with the country code top level domain (ccTLD) manager for .GE, Caucasus Online LLC., on 22 March 2010. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-25mar10-en.htm WIPO Letter on Registration Abuse Policies Working Group Initial Report ... The Arbitration and Mediation Center of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO Center) submits these comments on the ?Registration Abuse Policies Working Group Initial Report? which discusses inter alia, registrar and registry conduct that may be seen as abusive of third-party rights. http://wipo.int/export/sites/www/amc/en/docs/icann260310rap.pdf WIPO Letter on the February 2010 revision of ICANN?s Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure ... From its role in initiating the Post-Delegation concept, WIPO remains encouraged by the ICANN view that DNS stakeholders including ICANN, registries, registrars, registrants, and brand owners, can benefit from a PDDRP mechanism. Having said that, we have outstanding concerns that the current ICANN staff PDDRP misses an important chance to make a more meaningful difference. We are concerned that the current PDDRP does little to engage registries on infringing behavior within their domains while at the same time reducing registry exposure, including through appropriately drawn safe harbors which would aim to provide a degree of predictability for good-faith actors. http://wipo.int/export/sites/www/amc/en/docs/icann260310pddrp.pdf ICANN and XXX - Stuck In An Infinite Loop or A Maze? by Michele Neylon The ICANN board meeting in Nairobi led to a number of surprises. EOI was killed off, "vertical integration" was shunted back to a GNSO workgroup to "sort it out", while the much awaited "decision" on .xxx morphed into this: http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2010/03/27/icann-and-xxx---stuck-in-an-infinite-loop-or/ Vertical Integration - Post-Nairobi by Michele Neylon The ICANN Board's statement on vertical integration at Nairobi has left pretty much everyone in an awkward position. Either it is a masterful move by the board or or an act of madness. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2010/03/23/vertical-integration---post-nairobi/ New TLD Timeline Revised ICANN has stated that it is "on track" with its new TLD plans, but if you were hoping to register something like .film or .blog anytime soon you would be disappointed. http://www.newtldguide.com/2010/03/new-tld-timeline-revised.html BeckStrom: Did ICANN?s Beckstrom Say That .Net?s Are Basically Worthless? Several People Say Yes According to several sources during Verisign?s celebration of the 25th anniversary of the first domain registration, ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom was quoted by several people in attendance as saying that .NET, is ?worthless?. http://www.vrytek.com/beckstrom-did-icann?s-beckstrom-say-that-net?s-are-basically-worthless-several-people-say-yes/ Current ICANN Policy Precludes the ITU Becoming an IP Address Registry Lost in all the discussion around the recent ITU meeting (TIES account required of course) is any discussion of the current policy regarding the formation of new RIRs. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100327_current_icann_policy_precludes_itu_becoming_ip_address_registry/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** Africa: Heralding the birth of dot.africa generation Organisations and individuals operating in Africa will soon have a variety of internet domain names to pick from, including ?.africa.? This follows a decision by the ICANN board to expand the gTLD space from four ? ?.com,? ?.org,? ?.net? and ?.biz? ? to 21. http://www.ethiopian-news.com/dot-africa/ Network Solutions, GoDaddy cease registering Web sites in China Two major Internet domain name registration companies have ceased registering Web sites in China in response to intrusive new government rules that require applicants to provide extensive personal data, including photographs of themselves. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032501739.html Review of three .nz policies As part of the ongoing review of .nz policies, three policies are now being reviewed. The policies being reviewed are: Process on de-authorisation of a Registrar - Consultation, Transfer to another Registrar - Consultation and Roles and Responsibilities - Consultation http://dnc.org.nz/story/review-three-nz-policies http://www.domainpulse.com/2010/03/28/review-of-three-nz-policies/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/nz-reviews-three-policies.html Domainz may pocket InternetNZ cuts On February 23, InternetNZ - the body which controls ?.nz? internet addresses, announced it would cut its wholesale pricing by 16%, effective July1. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/domainz-may-pocket-internetnz-cuts-120610 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** US military warns of 'increasingly active' cyber-threat from China On the same day that Google Inc. and the GoDaddy Group Inc. complained about China to a congressional committee, U.S. Navy Admiral Robert Willard appeared before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee with an even stronger warning about cyber-threats posed by China. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9174242/Military_warns_of_increasingly_active_cyber_threat_from_China_ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/032710-military-warns-of-increasingly-active.html European conference sets agenda for cybercrime fight The Council of Europe has called for a worldwide implementation of its Convention on Cybercrime to fight the growing problem of economic crime on the web. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/26/cybercrime_conference/ CENTR Comment in response to the consultation on the Domain Name System-Computer Emergency Response Team (DNS-CERT) Business Case We have read with interest the business case for the DNS-CERT. All CENTR members are deeply involved in maintaining security and stability of the DNS, often beyond the scope of their own activity as top level domain managers. Therefore we fully support the renewed focus on Security in the ICANN strategic plan and share some of the goals of the DNS-CERT business case. However we would like to highlight some concerns in relation to this initiative. https://www.centr.org/main/news/5548-CTR.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** WIPO: Dope-Vaporizer Seller Not Bogarting Domain Names The German producer of a popular device used to vaporize marijuana is claiming a North American dealer is bogarting its domain names http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/volcano/ Evictions of cybersquatters on the rise under UN resolution process [news release] Some of the teams playing in this year?s World Cup soccer competition in South Africa participated in the thousands of cybersquatting trademark cases resolved quickly under the auspices of the United Nations intellectual property agency, according to figures released today. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34167 Watch out for domain name scams If you own a domain name, there's no shortage of scammers waiting to rip you off. http://blogs.theage.com.au/digital-life/gadgetsonthego/2010/03/29/watchoutford.html ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** IPv6: Beware of Dirty, Muddy IPv4 Addresses as the Pool Dries Up by Yves Poppe Mid March a special plenary session of the Canadian standard committee isacc was convened in Ottawa to review the final report of the Canadian IPv6 Task Group. It was unanimously approved and the essence of its 66 pages are seven recommendations for Government, Industry, Service and Content providers, and the regulator, CRTC to proceed with diligence, even some sense of urgency. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100328_ipv6_beware_of_dirty_muddy_ipv4_addresses_as_the_pool_dries_up/ Yahoo proposes 'really ugly hack' to DNS Network engineers from Yahoo are pitching what they admit is a "really ugly hack" to the Internet's Domain Name System, but they say it is necessary for the popular Web content provider to support IPv6, the long-anticipated upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol. http://www.techworld.com.au/article/341178/yahoo_proposes_really_ugly_hack_dns http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/341178/yahoo_proposes_really_ugly_hack_dns/ ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** 2009 ARIN Annual Report Now Available The ARIN 2009 Annual Report is now available. ARIN publishes annual reports to document the operations and activities of the organization for the community. https://www.arin.net/announcements/2010/20100326.html Go Daddy, Rival Not Offering New China Domain Names Go Daddy Group Inc., the world?s largest registrar of domain names, has joined rival Network Solutions LLC in refusing to offer new domain names in China because of what Go Daddy describes as increased Internet spying by the government on its citizens. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=aP2x3fKguQf4&pid=20601087 After DNS problem, Chinese root server is shut down [IDG] A China-based root DNS server associated with networking problems in Chile and the U.S. has been disconnected from the Internet. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9174278/After_DNS_problem_Chinese_root_server_is_shut_down http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/telecommunications/after-dns-problem-chinese-root-server-is-shut-down http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/032610-after-dns-problem-chinese-root.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** MusicVideos.com Tops This Week's Domain Sales Chart and Ranks Among the Five Biggest Transactions Reported This Year MusicVideos.com changed hands for $250,000 through Sedo.com to easily claim the #1 position on this week's Top 20 domain sales chart. Buyer Merlin Kaufmann did not have the domain for long. He told me he has already flipped it to another buyer at an undisclosed price. The domain was sold by search engine giant Yahoo. This sale ties for fifth place on our Year To Date Sale Chart. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2010/20100324.htm ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** OECD: Developments in Cable Broadband Networks The cable television market has changed drastically in recent years. The threat to cable from non-traditional video sources has pushed cable operators to upgrade their networks to support higher bandwidth data services and new video content and applications. This report examines developments in cable markets including the growth of cable voice services, recent consolidation trends and the transitions toward all-IP infrastructure models. http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2009doc.nsf/LinkTo/dsti-iccp-cisp(2009)9-final ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** First-ever National Study: Millions of Americans Rely on Library Computers for Employment, Health, and Education Nearly one-third of Americans age 14 or older ? roughly 77 million people ? used a public library computer or wireless network to access the Internet in the past year, according to a national report released today. In 2009, as the nation struggled through a recession, people relied on library technology to find work, apply for college, secure government benefits, learn about critical medical treatments, and connect with their communities. http://cis.washington.edu/usimpact/2010/03/22/opportunity-for-all-groundbreaking-study-reveals-how-people-use-internet-access-at-the-public-library/ Advertising and the future of the Internet by Milton Mueller Two presentations at the recent IETF meeting in California underscore the way the Internet?s architecture is being shaped increasingly by advertising-driven content distribution networks. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2010/3/27/4490970.html The Times and Sunday Times websites to charge from June The Times and The Sunday Times will start charging for their websites from June, it was confirmed today. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7076987.ece Times and Sunday Times websites to start charging from June ... Assuming that only 5% of daily users convert to the paywall system ? a standard metric for paywalls ? that would bring in ?1.83m if they each buy a ?1 daily pass. At a 10% conversion, it would net ?3.66m per month for the two papers. If more chose the weekly pass, the revenues would be lower. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/26/times-website-paywall Murdoch Finalizes Paywall for Two British Papers News International, the British arm of News Corp., said Friday that two of its publications, The Times and The Sunday Times of London, would begin charging readers using its Web sites in June. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/business/media/27paper.html Times and Sunday Times websites to charge from June ... James Harding, editor of The Times, agreed that NI's paywall strategy was a risk. "But it's less of a risk than just throwing away our journalism and giving it away from free," he told the BBC. ... The media industry uses a general yardstick that about 5% of visitors to news websites are likely to pay for content. Latest figures show that The Times and Sunday Times had 1.22m daily users. However, Claire Enders, of media research company Enders Analysis, says that anyone who believes the Times papers will get a 5% conversion is in "dreamland". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8588432.stm Is the Guardian beating its head against a paywall? by Tim Luckhurst, professor of journalism at the University of Kent and head of its Centre for Journalism ... At The Guardian strategy is led by the editor, Alan Rusbridger. He envisages a future in which the newspaper will harness the internet to provide quality reporting, commentary and analysis to millions of readers. No longer just a newspaper for British social democrats, The Guardian will become a global brand. Launched in 19th century Manchester to "zealously enforce the principles of civil and religious Liberty" The Guardian has journeyed far from its origins in Mancunian Nonconformism. Fifty years ago it was hardly available outside Manchester and central London. Today, its internet edition has as many readers in America as in the UK, and readership is spreading. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/is-the-guardian-beating-its-head-against-a-paywall-1928815.html Murdoch launches the debate: will we pay for news on the net? ... News International's move, being watched closely by other newspaper businesses, represents a challenge to the culture of the internet. Michael Wolff, biographer of Mr Murdoch and founder of the news aggregation site Newser.com, said the media mogul's gamble ? which offers free online access to subscribers to the two newspapers ? was designed to preserve sales of the print products. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/online/murdoch-launches-the-debate-will-we-pay-for-news-on-the-net-1928751.html UK, French Newspapers to Charge for Content ... Le Monde in France said earlier this week it will begin charging for some content on March 29. It will offer a package subscription to its Web site, print edition and access to content via Apple's iPhone. That will cost ?19.90 (US$26.46) per month for the first three months, then ?29.90 per month. Access to the paper solely through the iPhone will cost ?15 (US$19.95) per month. http://www.pcworld.com/article/192558/.html The internet went high-speed 10 years ago, changing the way we live, work, shop and play - for both better and worse It has revolutionised the way we live, allowing friends and families across the world to chat and share photos instantly, watch television programmes online and download films and albums at the touch of a button. Credited as one of the greatest aids to modern democracy and free speech, it is also vilified for creating a generation of couch potatoes and cyber-criminals. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/broadband-the-first-decade-1929515.html Introducing UK broadband's first customer, 10 years on The UK's first broadband customer celebrates 10 years with the faster internet connection this week. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8589853.stm Web now an extension of ourselves, NZ survey finds For some of us, it has become easier to talk online than face-to-face. And for many New Zealanders, an international survey shows, the internet has changed from a source of information into an extension of ourselves. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10634616 A British police force isses 22 pages of guidance on how to use the internet A police force has issued officers with 22 pages of guidance on how to write e-mails and use the internet. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7527325/Police-force-isses-22-pages-of-guidance-on-how-to-use-the-internet.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Defeating the Dark Side of Social Networking Companies can't rein in the conversations happening on social networks and blogs, but they can respond to their most vocal customers http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2010/tc20100325_074058.htm uk: Quarter of eight-to-12-year-olds on Facebook, MySpace or Bebo A quarter of UK internet users aged eight to 12 had profiles on Facebook, Bebo or MySpace last year, research has found, although the lowest minimum age set on any of the sites is 13. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/26/eight-year-olds-facebook-bebo Facebook proposes changes to its terms and policies [IDG] Facebook is proposing tweaks to its site governance documents so that they will be consistent with new services the social networking company plans to roll out. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/341183/facebook_proposes_changes_its_terms_policies/ Facebook dismisses syphilis link The social network says that a correlation with the rise of venereal disease is not the same as causation. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7519772/Facebook-dismisses-syphilis-link.html Facebook privacy policy shift fires critics Facebook on Friday announced another round of changes to its privacy policy, including amendments that could allow the site to share user information automatically with third-party websites. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/685aef6e-3929-11df-8970-00144feabdc0.html uk: Teachers warn of attacks by parents on networking sites Parents are using social networking sites to form online campaigns targeting school staff, teachers will warn this week. Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) say they are alarmed at the detrimental effect the sites can have on those working in education, from incidents of harassment to pupils wanting to be their "friend" online. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/mar/28/teachers-social-networking-harassment nz: Facing up to Facebook - the realities of internet usage in the workplace Facebook has hit the news at least twice this week. These stories serve as clear reminders, to employers and employees, of the perils of internet and email usage in the workplace. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10635065 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Sweden ranked world's most networked economy [AFP] Nordic countries have the most linked-up economies this year, with Sweden taking the lead of the Global Information Technology report ranking, the World Economic Forum said Thursday. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/sweden-ranked-worlds-most-networked-economy-20100325-r03w.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Who is watching the watchers? A government initiative to stop people viewing websites containing images of child sexual abuse has some concerned about its merits. Chris Barton, of the NZ Herald, looks at the potential effects. http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/99139/who-watching-watchers British courts rapped for giving 'too short' jail terms to paedophiles who offend online Paedophiles convicted of downloading images of child abuse from the internet are not receiving rehabilitation treatment because the sentences they are given are too short, public protection experts warn today. A dossier collected by the probation union, Napo, reveals that typical sentences given to online paedophiles often fall far short of recommendations made by court-appointed experts who prepare pre-sentencing reports for judges. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/28/online-child-pornography-sentences-rehabilitation us: FTC Seeks Comment on Children's Online Privacy Protections; Questions Whether Changes to Technology Warrant Changes to Agency Rule [news release] In light of rapidly evolving technology and changes in the way children use and access the Internet, the Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on the costs and benefits of an FTC rule designed to protect children online. http://ftc.gov/opa/2010/03/coppa.shtm Monitoring Kids' Cellphone Activity [sub req'd] Tracking service Net Nanny Mobile aims to help parents remotely monitor their kids' mobile phone activity. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704100604575146012393386350.html au: Stephen Conroy and US at odds on net filter The Obama administration has questioned the Rudd government's plan to introduce an internet filter, saying it runs contrary to the US's foreign policy of encouraging an open internet to spread economic growth and global security. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/stephen-conroy-and-us-at-odds-on-net-filter/story-e6frg996-1225846614780 http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/special-features/stephen-conroy-and-us-at-odds-on-net-filter/story-e6frg1ac-1225846711798 au: Fears web filter will cast net too wide The federal government's mandatory internet filtering policy is under fire from academics worried that it will lead to censorship of news and current affairs. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/fears-web-filter-will-cast-net-too-wide/story-e6frg996-1225846626626 au: Conroy to debate filter opponents tonight Communications Minister Stephen Conroy will hit the radio airwaves live tonight to debate the government's proposed mandatory internet service provider level filtering scheme with dissenters such as outspoken Internode engineer Mark Newton. http://www.zdnet.com.au/conroy-to-debate-filter-opponents-tonight-339302091.htm How spam filters dictated Canadian magazine's fate After 90 years, one of Canada's oldest magazines, The Beaver, is changing its name. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8528672.stm ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** us: Mobs Are Born as Word Grows by Text Message It started innocently enough seven years ago as an act of performance art where people linked through social-networking Web sites and text messaging suddenly gathered on the streets for impromptu pillow fights in New York, group disco routines in London, and even a huge snowball fight in Washington. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/us/25mobs.html In Japan, teenage cellphone culture makes real connections It's a sunny day in Harajuku, Tokyo's trendy shopping district, and Saya Kato, a high school student, is waiting for a friend to accompany her into La Foret, one of the city's citadels of fashion. Exquisitely attuned to the style of the moment, Kato is wearing a filmy vest over a T-shirt and shorts, sporting a straw fedora and carrying not one but two cellphones. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/26/AR2010032602218.html China Unicom drops Google on Android handsets China Unicom is to stop using Google search on Android handsets. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8587026.stm IPhone App to Sidestep AT&T For a little $1 iPhone app, Line2 sure has the potential to shake up an entire industry. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/technology/personaltech/25pogue.html uk: Mobile phone bills are slashed by ?1billion Britain?s mobile-phone companies will this week be ordered to slash call charges by at least ?1 billion a year. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article7078798.ece Vodafone presses US partner over dividend Vodafone has stepped up talks with its American partner, Verizon, in an attempt to restart dividend payments from Verizon Wireless, their fast-growing US joint venture. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article7078799.ece ********************** SPAM ********************** GSMA Launches SMS Spam Reporting Service [IDG] The falling cost of text messaging is making mobile-phone users a more attractive target for spammers, according to the GSM Association. To counter this, it wants its mobile-network-operator members to "crowd-source" spam reports from their customers to help them identify and cut off spammers abusing SMS (Short Message Service). http://www.pcworld.com/article/192469/.html http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/032510-gsma-launches-sms-spam-reporting.html ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Rwanda's laptop revolution Rwanda has a plan to prevent any return to the genocide of 1994: connect 100,000 children to the outside world with their own laptops http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/mar/28/rwanda-laptop-revolution ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Chinese city is world?s hacker hub A city in eastern China has been identified as the world capital of cyber-espionage by an American internet security company. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article7078760.ece US military warns of 'increasingly active' cyber-threat from China On the same day that Google Inc. and the GoDaddy Group Inc. complained about China to a congressional committee, U.S. Navy Admiral Robert Willard appeared before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee with an even stronger warning about cyber-threats posed by China. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9174242/Military_warns_of_increasingly_active_cyber_threat_from_China_ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/032710-military-warns-of-increasingly-active.html European conference sets agenda for cybercrime fight The Council of Europe has called for a worldwide implementation of its Convention on Cybercrime to fight the growing problem of economic crime on the web. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/26/cybercrime_conference/ British anti-terror police seek help from internet cafes Police battling the threat of terrorism have unveiled a new tactic - they are targeting internet cafes. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8582823.stm Apple snags iPad trademark from Fujitsu When Apple first announced the iPad, it did not own the trademark on the name. Now, after some negotiating with Fujitsu, it does, and just in time for its touch-screen tablet to go on sale next week. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20001294-260.html Apple gets iPad trademark just in time [IDG] Just in time for the long-awaited iPad to go on sale, Apple has acquired the trademark on its name. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/032710-apple-gets-ipad-trademark-just.html nz: Concern at 'extreme' website [Dominion Post] High-profile supporters are backing away from an animal rights website amid concerns about extreme content and calls for vigilante justice. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/national/3519819/Concern-at-extreme-website http://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-newspapers/west-coast-6013/news-6662/3519881/Vigilante-concerns http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/3519881/Concern-at-extreme-animal-rights-website ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Facebook facing privacy concerns from European regulators Swiss and German privacy authorities are examining whether Facebook infringes personal rights by allowing users to post content, including photos and e-mail addresses, of others who haven't signed up for the site. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/03/facebook-privacy-europe.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Closing the frontier: China is not the only country censoring online China may be public enemy number one when it comes to internet censorship. But ask executives at Silicon Valley's leading companies about other countries that cause them concern and the first name that springs to many lips may seem surprising: Australia. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dc381fdc-3ac9-11df-b6d5-00144feabdc0.html What Happens as Google Uncensors Search in China? As Google began offering uncensored search results in China early Tuesday morning, it was unclear how much impact the company?s move would have toward the company?s stated goal: to ?meaningfully increase access to information for people in China.? http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/what-does-google-achieve-by-uncensoring-chinese-search-results/ We're staying in China, says Microsoft, as free speech row with Google grows Hopes that Google's forthright stand on censorship in China would inspire other companies to follow suit appeared unfounded today, with the move instead threatening to widen the rift between some of the world's most powerful internet companies. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/mar/25/china-microsoft-free-speech-google Google Gets Little U.S. Corporate Support in Internet Fight With China Google is using Internet freedom as a rallying cry in its confrontation with China. http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-47243820100326 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/technology/27iht-google.html China and Google by Nicholas Kristof Americans tend to think of China as this vast, unstoppable, titanic force. Some would add menacing. But the confrontation unfolding today between China and Google is a reminder that the Politburo sees the situation very differently. They see a fragile China besieged on all sides, challenged at home, desperately needing to churn out economic growth to sustain its political model. In short, they see vulnerability where we tend to see invincibility ? and that?s one reason they took so tough a line on Google. ... The truth is that many young Chinese can hop over the Great Firewall with proxy software or with a VPN, but it?s a nuisance. And in any case, news gets transmitted by email and text message and word of mouth. I can?t help thinking that the regime is going to make itself needlessly unpopular among young people when it takes away their Google. They may put up without an opposition political party, but life without an uncensored search engine ? that?s tough! http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/china-and-google/ Beyond Google's clash with China, we must find rules for a global village by Timothy Garton Ash Google versus China is a defining story of our time. Like lion confronting crocodile, the global soft power of the American internet company faces the territorial hard power of the Chinese state. Contributing to this clash are the biggest revolution in information technology since Johannes Gutenberg invented the moveable-type printing press in the 15th century, and the biggest global power shift since the geopolitical rise of the west, which some historians also trace back to the 15th century. Be sure of one thing: there will be no clear winner for some time. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/mar/24/china-google-censorship-netizens-freedom Google v China: the tech giant learns how to talk to power Google knows how to get the US government onside to resolve its problem: The Google boys may be politically naive, but they're learning fast. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/mar/28/google-china-censorship Google's Tangled Chinese Web: Partner Defections, Ongoing Censorship Complicate Plan to Keep Some Business Google Inc.'s plan to keep some of its China business while avoiding censorship is looking increasingly complicated as more Chinese partners turn away from the U.S. Internet giant and it becomes apparent that some remaining operations will continue to be censored. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703409804575143602108255496.html Brin Drove Google to Pull Back in China Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin pushed the Internet giant to take the risky step of abandoning its China-based search engine as that country's efforts to censor the Web and suppress dissidents smacked of the "totalitarianism" of his youth in the Soviet Union. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704266504575141064259998090.html China and the internet: Tricks to beat the online censor The biggest challenge for someone inside China who wants to get around the Great Firewall is the teleological one: how do you search for information that is itself banned? Of necessity - because the Chinese government monitors internet use inside the country, and the data passing across the fibre-optic cables at three points where it goes international - such knowledge tends to spread by word of mouth. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/25/china-internet-how-to-beat-censorship Editorial: China vs. the Internet - Google, Go Daddy and others are pushing back against censorship efforts by Beijing. You go, Go Daddy. Like Google Inc., the leading registrar of Internet domain names is pushing back against Chinese censorship, announcing Wednesday that it will stop selling domain names based in China. The company says the Chinese government demanded that it identify its customers, a clearly unacceptable requirement that would have allowed officials not just to block sites they didn't like but to go after the owners. Rival domain registrar Network Solutions said it has pulled out of China for the same reason. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-google25-2010mar25,0,6664104.story How China's internet generation broke the silence One cold but sunny autumn day, a young white-collar worker in Shanghai received an anxious phone call from his family. The authorities were requisitioning their farmland for development. ... It would indeed grab attention; but not quite as he had expected. Wang's story exemplifies the growing power of the internet in China: the airing of grievances; the ability to reach a wider audience; the use of satire to discuss serious topics. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/24/china-internet-generation-censorship Google test offers peek at China net filters [AP] Type "Falun Gong" in Chinese into Google's search engine from Beijing, and the Web browser suddenly becomes unresponsive for about a minute. Make the same search from Hong Kong, and you'll get plenty of links to the spiritual movement banned by the Chinese government. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-test-offers-peek-at-china-net-filters-1928321.html Dell and Go Daddy threaten to follow Google out of China Two major US technology companies, Dell and Go Daddy, have threatened to pull out of China in the wake of Google's departure from the country. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7517291/Dell-and-Go-Daddy-threaten-to-follow-Google-out-of-China.html uk: Controversial DVD censoring system to be launched in UK A controversial new DVD system that can censor films is to be released in the UK later this year. http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_10070000/newsid_10072300/10072386.stm ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Google Searches for a Foreign Policy Nations have interests. So do global information companies. And they?re not always the same - When Google announced last week that it would shut its censored online search service in China, it was doing more than standing up to a repressive government: it was showing that, with the United States still struggling to develop a foreign policy for the digital age, Internet companies need to articulate their own foreign policies. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/weekinreview/28landler.html The Trouble with China Google couldn't find a way to work within Beijing's limits, and employees of mining giant Rio Tinto wound up behind bars. What's the key to succeeding in the world's largest marketplace? http://www.newsweek.com/id/235408 Fighting intensifies over how to enforce America's intellectual property laws Barack Obama may be the country's most tech-friendly president ever, as comfortable discussing Net neutrality as Swiss neutrality. But his administration is caught in at least three pitched battles over intellectual property that could leave tech advocates wondering why they were so optimistic about his presidency. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/03/acta-net-neutrality-and-intellectual-property-enforcement-strategy.html Ofcom welcomes new European telecoms regulation body [news release] Ofcom today welcomed the formation of a new organisation to shape, coordinate and influence European telecoms regulation. Called the Body of European Regulations in Electronic Communications (BEREC), it is made up of 27 regulators from the European Union member states. It meets for the first time today in Brussels to elect a Chairman and Vice Chairmen, who will serve a 12 month term. BEREC replaces the European Regulators' Group, with beefed-up powers formalised under European legislation, but remains very clearly a body of independent national regulators. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2010/01/nr_20100128 EU defends itself from attack on ACTA The European Commission attempted to dispel rumours today (22 March) regarding draconian new anti-counterfeiting laws being negotiated under the global Anti-Counterfeiting and Trade Agreement (ACTA) talks. http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/eu-defends-itself-attack-acta-news-368771 Toward an ACTA Super-Structure: How ACTA May Replace WIPO by Michael Geist For the past two years, most of the ACTA discussion has centered on two issues: (1) substantive concerns such as the possibility of three strikes and a renegotiation of the WIPO Internet treaties; and (2) transparency issues. The leak of the comprehensive ACTA text highlights the fact that a third issue should be part of the conversation. The text reveals that ACTA is far more than a simple trade agreement. Rather, it envisions the establishment of a super-structure that replicates many of the responsibilities currently assumed by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Given the public acknowledgement by negotiating countries that ACTA is a direct response to perceived gridlock at WIPO, some might wonder whether ACTA is ultimately designed to replace WIPO as the primary source of international IP law and policy making. http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4910/125/ http://publicacta.org.nz/toward-an-acta-super-structure-how-acta-may-replace-wipo/ ACTA's Anti-Camcording Provision Faces Opposition From Australia, NZ, Switzerland The leaked comprehensive ACTA draft reveals that a proposed anti-camcording provision has failed to receive significant support. Proposed by the U.S. and Japan, the provision states: http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4904/125/ The EU ACTA Consultation: European Commission vs. European Parliament The European Commission hosted a fascinating consultation on ACTA today. Luc Devigne, the lead European negotiator, opened with a brief presentation and proceeded to field questions for over an hour. The full consultation video is available online. The discussion touched on many issues including Devigne arguing that the WTO consistently blocked any attempt to address IP enforcement issues and stating that the treaty is limited to enforcement and not new substantive provisions (this assumes that anti-circumvention rules are a matter of enforcement, not substance). http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4894/125/ Writers' Union of Canada: Flexible Fair Dealing Legalizes Theft The Charlie Angus fair dealing motion has stirred up considerable anger from the Writers' Union of Canada. The organization's copyright committee is urging its members to write to their Members of Parliament to protest motion, advising them to use speaking points that include equating flexible fair dealing with theft, claiming it will result in tens of millions in losses, and would constitute an attack on Canadian culture. Speaking points provided to members include: http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4903/125/ Fair is Fair: Fix Fair Dealing Say Library, Education, Creator, and Consumer Groups More than 25 library, education, creator, and consumer groups have issued a public letter calling on Industry Minister Tony Clement and Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore to adopt a flexible fair dealing approach. The letter argues for a "such as" approach to fair dealing by making the current list of fair dealing categories illustrative rather than exhaustive. The group points to three arguments - flexible fair dealing advances the balanced objectives of the Copyright Act, is consistent with Canadian values of fairness, and is consistent with international law. http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4906/125/ ACTA: harmless or horror? [IDG] Is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) a harmless attempt to quietly harmonise intellectual property laws and enforcement around the world, or a threat to civil liberties that will require fundamental legislative changes to implement? http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=98172F94-1A64-6A71-CE2A725F9D7DC634 nz: ... RedACTA That Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is curious stuff. Apparently, we have to take part in the negotiations to introduce what appears to be US-style Digital Millennium Copyright Act legislation in New Zealand, without the civil rights safeguards our American cousins enjoy. The reason for the participation is to provide, err, certainty for exporters through harmonised intellectual property standards. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/fryup/fryup-danger-ads Greenpeace, Nestl? in battle over Kit Kat viral A video clip which shows an office worker opening a Kit Kat chocolate bar and finding an orangutan's finger has been re-posted on video-sharing Web site YouTube, a day after it was removed at the request of food giant Nestl?. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/19/indonesia.rainforests.orangutan.nestle/ Handling bad PR can be sticky, Nestle finds Nestle is set to enter the marketing textbooks on how not to manage public relations in a digital age after its response to a Greenpeace video that highlighted the company's alleged use of palm oil from deforested areas in Indonesia. http://www.smh.com.au/business/media-and-marketing/handling-bad-pr-can-be-sticky-nestle-finds-20100325-qzxp.html au: A mollycoddling internet policy is just feeding the trolls by Colin Jacobs, vice-chairman of Electronic Frontiers Australia Some people have weird hobbies. Duct tape art, for instance, or the pensioner in Birmingham who has collected more than 5000 bars of soap. http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/a-mollycoddling-internet-policy-is-just-feeding-the-trolls-20100328-r535.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Global Telecom Industry Ripe for Consolidation Naguib Sawiris, the chief executive of Orascom, the Egyptian group that runs wireless phone networks around the world, believes the global industry of mobile operators is about to enter a turbulent period of Darwinian struggle. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/technology/companies/29iht-telco.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2010 --------- 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 FlanneryReceived on Sun Mar 28 2010 - 19:27:47 UTC
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