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 *************************************************** A Walled Wide Web for Nervous Autocrats: Beijing and Moscow see American information technology as a threat. They want systems of their own: by Evgeny Morozov is a visiting scholar at Stanford University and a fellow at the New America Foundation. His new book is "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576065641376054226.html auDA passes on Groupon domain scandal http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/strategy/44266-auda-passes-on-groupon-domain-scandal nz: Predictions 2011: Privacy, IPv6 and Security http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/predictions-2011-privacy-ipv6-and-security How Much Governance Does The Internet Need? To Be Answered At 2011 Domain Pulse http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13340 Poker.com.au domain sells for $100,000, but expert says price reduced by online gambling laws http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20110107-poker-com-au-domain-sells-for-100-000-but-expert-says-price-reduced-by-online-gambling-laws.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** VeriSign Gives ICANN $500k for Sponsorship I?ve written before about the relationship between ICANN and sponsors of its meetings. It looks like ICANN has upped the ante for its Spring meeting in San Francisco. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/01/05/verisign-gives-icann-500k-for-sponsorship/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** New Domain Name Developments in China & Hong Kong This article summarises the development of the domain name regimes in China and Hong Kong in the past 12 months and gives a quick overview of the new measures and policies adopted by the respective administrative bodies, i.e. China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) and Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC). http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=119412 co. and fr: Two delegations in discussion The ccTLD. Co (Colombia) and. Fr (France) now have something in common: they saw in the last year restructured its delegations. This had a clear impact either, particularly at the level of increase in the number of domain registrations, both as regards the legal framework applicable to the headquarters: in Colombia there were 8000 domains on a minute, France's Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional current law governing the registration of domains. https://online.dns.pt/dns_2008/do?com=DS;2217917768;111;+PAGE(4000002)+K-NOTICIA(1168)+K-CAT-CODIGO(LNH)+RCNT(1); DENIC to Release Remaining Nine Short .DE Domains for Registration via Fax On January 12, 2011 at 10:00 CET (4am EST), the German Network Information Center, DENIC, will release nine domains for registration: http://www.domainnamenews.com/cctlds/denic-release-remaining-short-de-domains-registration-fax/8583 ee: Over 40,000 domains registered in new procedure Today, January 4th, 2011, the number of domains registered in accordance with the new procedure in the register of the Estonian Internet Foundation has exceeded 40,000. On the 5th of January, 2011, the 6-month transition period will expire during which everyone can re-register their domains that were registered prior to the 5th of July, 2010, in accordance with the old procedure. http://www.eestiinternet.ee/eng/news/over-40000-domains-registered-in-new-procedure NiRA releases 50,000 free .ng domains for Nigerians Nigeria internet Registration Association (NiRA), managers of the Nigerian name space on the internet, the dot ng domain name has released 50, 000 free domain names for Nigerians as part of efforts to identify with the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the country. http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=26723 Half a million Norwegian domain names Yesterday Linge Holding AS registered linge-compagniet.no as the 500 000th domain in Norid's database. Like most Norwegian businesses, they chose .no. http://www.norid.no/nytt/pressemelding20110104.en.html .SE?s Internet fund finances 20 new development projects ? apply now to get your chance Starting today and until 13 February, the Internet fund is again open for applications. Among the 20 Internet development projects approved for financing during the autumn, there is everything from a study on the use of social media at school to the development of support for DNSSEC in Tinydns. Nine of the projects are part of a special initiative for digital inclusion. http://www.iis.se/en/pressmeddelanden/ses-internetfond-finansierar-20-nya-utvecklingsprojekt-?-ansok-nu-for-att-sjalv-fa-chansen SO: Postponing the Land Rush launch SO registry regretfully announces the postponement of the Land Rush phase by a week to January 17th, 2011, for precautious measures. http://soregistry.so/news/detail.html?nid=9 Registered Rights sunrise for .uk short domains ends on 17 January The Registered Rights sunrise phase for previously reserved short domain names, including some valuable one character and two letter combinations, will soon be coming to a close. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=8104 Registered Rights sunrise for 'short'.uk domains to close on 17 January 10 days left for trade mark holders to apply for previously unavailable .co.uk, .me.uk, .org.uk and .net.uk domains http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=8105 Nominet Chief Executive awarded OBE Lesley Cowley, Chief Executive of Nominet, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List for services to the internet and e-commerce. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=8101 Venezuelan Domains Jump in Price The cost of .VE domain names to registrars jumped in price by over 50 per cent on 5 January and is set to jump in price again even further in coming days in rises that will see the prices charged to registrars almost double. http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/01/07/venezuelan-domains-jump-in-price/ http://domainnews.com/en/venezuelan-domains-jump-in-price.html ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** A Walled Wide Web for Nervous Autocrats: Beijing and Moscow see American information technology as a threat. They want systems of their own: by Evgeny Morozov is a visiting scholar at Stanford University and a fellow at the New America Foundation. His new book is "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom." At the end of 2010, the "open-source" software movement, whose activists tend to be fringe academics and ponytailed computer geeks, found an unusual ally: the Russian government. Vladimir Putin signed a 20-page executive order requiring all public institutions in Russia to replace proprietary software, developed by companies like Microsoft and Adobe, with free open-source alternatives by 2015. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576065641376054226.html China's $90bn ups cyberwar stakes Last year, Northrup Grumman released a report warning that China had a mighty cyber arsenal which it could use in a possible future cyber conflict. News last week that Chinese defence spending could be double the public figure could mean that such claims are true, and perhaps even conservative. http://www.zdnet.com.au/china-s-90bn-ups-cyberwar-stakes-339308397.htm ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** auDA passes on Groupon domain scandal Australia's domain name regulator late last week said the scuffle between US online coupon giant Groupon and local imitator Scoopon was out of its jurisdiction, because the Australian company had registered the "Groupon" business name in Australia as well as the local domain name associated with it. http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/strategy/44266-auda-passes-on-groupon-domain-scandal http://delimiter.com.au/2011/01/10/auda-passes-on-groupon-domain-scandal/ Groupon Addresses Australian Cybersquatting Problem Groupon has addressed a question in their blog titled Why Groupon Isn?t in Australia. The short answer is a cybersquatter / competitor has registered Groupon.com.au and the Groupon Pty Ltd business name as well as filed for a trademark for Groupon. http://www.domainnamenews.com/legal-issues/groupon-offers-286000-grouponcomau-trademark/8564 Groupon sues Australia's Scoopon [Wall Street Journal] GROUPON co-founder and CEO Andrew Mason said the company was suing Australian competitor Scoopon for allegedly "domain squatting". http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/groupon-sues-australias-scoopon/story-e6frg90x-1225982858482 Cybersquatting Groupon in Australia: International Trademarks are also important in Protecting Your Domain Name The deal-of-the-day website known as Groupon files a trademark lawsuit against the two Australian brothers, Gabby and Hezi Leibovitch, who started the clone website called Scoopon in Australia. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2011/01/cybersquatting-groupon-in-australia-international-trademarks-are-also-important-in-protecting-your-domain-name-the-deal-of-t.html ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Potential Impacts on Communications from IPv4 Exhaustion & IPv6 Transition by Robert Cannon, Federal Communications Commission; Cybertelecom Abstract: The Internet is in transition. The original address space, IPv4, is nearly exhausted; the Internet is in the progress of migrating to the new IPv6 address space. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1735456 nz: Predictions 2011: Privacy, IPv6 and Security Top of Martin Cocker's list for 2011 is managing privacy obligations, ?especially with reference to the use of cloud computing, and the growing use of social networking in larger organisations.? ... He also mentions the adoption of IPv6, which may be on the technology roadmap for major users but which is, he says, ?just not intuitive like IPv4.? http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/predictions-2011-privacy-ipv6-and-security ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** How Much Governance Does The Internet Need? To Be Answered At 2011 Domain Pulse Internet governance is the key theme of the upcoming Domain Pulse conference to be held in Vienna from 17 to 18 February. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=13340 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/01/06/how-much-governance-does-the-internet-need-to-be-answered-at-2011-domain-pulse/ http://domainnews.com/en/how-much-governance-does-the-internet-need-to-be-answered-at-2011-domain-pulse.html Domain pulse 2011 - agenda available [news release] The agenda for the domain pulse 2011 in Vienna is now online at domainpulse.at/en/agenda. http://www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/nicat_news/news_view/article/81/domain-pulse-2011-agenda-verfuegbar/ RIPE NCC Resource Certification Service Launch The RIPE NCC is proud to announce the production launch of the RIPE NCC resource certification service. http://ripe.net/news/2011-certification.html Implementation of RIPE Policy Proposal 2007-01: Phase Three Phase Three of the policy implementation "Contractual Requirements for Provider Independent Resource Holders in the RIPE NCC Service Region" (2007-01) is scheduled to begin in mid-January 2011. http://ripe.net/news/2007-01-phase3-implementation.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Poker.com.au domain sells for $100,000, but expert says price reduced by online gambling laws The local domain name market has continued to heat up with Poker.com.au selling for $US100,000. But one industry expert says the site's value may have been reduced because of Australia's restrictions on online gambling. http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20110107-poker-com-au-domain-sells-for-100-000-but-expert-says-price-reduced-by-online-gambling-laws.html 888.com Purchases Poker.com.au Domain Poker domain names continue to be a hot item around the world. Just this week, gambling company 888.com purchased the domain poker.com.au for $100,000, a significant price considering the current ban on gambling advertisements in Australia. http://www.internet-poker.co.uk/Poker-News/Poker-Industry/888-com-Purchases-Poker-com-au-Domain~3973.html Auction heightens the voltage on electricity.com.au We recently saw hardware.com.au snapped up by Bunnings rival Woolworths after they failed to renew the highly sought after domain, and today was SPI?s turn, failing to renew electricity.com.au which achieved a sale price of $31,000 at auction. http://www.coopermills.com.au/wordpress/index.php/2011/01/auction-heightens-the-voltage-on-electricity-com-au/ 6-Figure 2-Letter .Com Sale Gives Sedo Top Spot on This Week's Domain Sales Chart Sedo secured the top spot on this week's domain sales chart with their $101,000 sale of JF.com. With one week to go in the 2010 sales season, that is the 82nd publicly reported sale of six figures or more this year. Sedo went on to sweep 13 of the 20 entries on our new weekly all extension Top 20 Sales Chart. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2010/20110105.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** America Playing Catch-Up in a Digital Library Race America stood at the forefront of the public library movement in 1731, when Benjamin Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia, our first successful lending library. ... Lending libraries may have been the newfangled democratizing factor of their day. Centuries later, though, the United States finds itself trailing Europe and Japan in creating the modern equivalent: a national digital library that would serve as an electronic repository for the nation?s cultural heritage. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/business/09stream.html Bold newspapers: Britain?s embattled newspapers are leading the world in innovation By most conventional measures, Britain?s newspapers look doomed. Young readers are abandoning them for the internet and television. The Daily Express and the Daily Mirror, both tabloids, have shed about two-thirds of their circulation since the mid-1980s. Yet Evgeny Lebedev, co-owner of the Independent and the Evening Standard, is optimistic. ?People are hailing the death of newspapers,? he says. ?But if you go into the Tube, you?ll see almost everybody is reading one.? http://www.economist.com/node/17853358?story_id=17853358 Cyberspace When You're Dead Suppose that just after you finish reading this article, you keel over, dead. Perhaps you?re ready for such an eventuality, in that you have prepared a will or made some sort of arrangement for the fate of the worldly goods you leave behind: financial assets, personal effects, belongings likely to have sentimental value to others and artifacts of your life like photographs, journals, letters. Even if you haven?t made such arrangements, all of this will get sorted one way or another, maybe in line with what you would have wanted, and maybe not. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09Immortality-t.html Cyber sex on offer as adult industry adapts [AFP] Porn fans are being enticed with cyber sex and virtual affairs as the adult entertainment industry adapts to survive in the Internet Age. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cyber-sex-on-offer-as-adult-industry-adapts-20110109-19jy2.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/cyber-sex-on-offer-as-adult-industry-adapts-20110109-19jy2.html ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** uk: Twitter endorsements face OFT clampdown How does a celebrity declare their affiliations to certain brands in fewer than 140 characters? Many may have to learn, after a clampdown by the government's consumer watchdog on non-declared endorsements in blogs and on social networking sites such as Twitter. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/09/oft-clampdown-covert-twitter-endorsements Is Facebook really worth $50 billion? And will its new financing scheme fall foul of regulators? In 2009 Rolling Stone described Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, as ?a great vampire squid? that likes to stick its ?blood funnel? into anything that can make it money. This week the squid inked yet another high-profile deal. Together with Digital Sky Technologies (DST), a Russian group, Goldman invested a total of $500m in Facebook, valuing the world?s most popular social network at a whopping $50 billion. The bank is also planning to set up a fund it will manage that will pump up to $1.5 billion more from wealthy investors into the company. http://www.economist.com/node/17853336?story_id=17853336 Facebook ? king of the internet or the next MySpace? 'Your Facebook page is your interface with the universe," declared one analyst last week following Goldman Sachs swoop on the social-network site. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/facebook-ndash-king-of-the-internet-or-the-next-myspace-2179584.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Greenpeace ranks 'greenest' electronics [AFP] Environmental group Greenpeace handed out grades Thursday to what it said were the world's "greenest" consumer electronics makers, as the annual gadget industry trade show opened here on Thursday. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/greenpeace-ranks-greenest-electronics-2178268.html Greenpeace Product Survey Showcases the Greenest Consumer Electronics [news release] A new Greenpeace product survey released at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas grades the greenest desktop computers, notebooks, netbooks, computer monitors, mobile phones, smartphones and televisions available on store shelves in the first quarter of 2011. (1) http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Showcasing-the-greenest-electronics/ Green Electronics Survey #3: Getting greener, but not there yet [news release] Greenpeace congratulates the electronics industry on making progress the many technical hurdles it has been facing - but we also show that the industry hasn't finished finding green solutions just yet. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/publications/reports/Towards-green-electronics-Getting-greener-but-not-there-yet/ Swept Away By the Next Computing Wave If the deluge of tablet announcements coming out of the giant Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas shows one thing, it is that the next wave of computing has finally started to form. If this new wave is about to break then?to over-extend the metaphor?which companies will ride it and which risk being swept away? http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2011/01/07/swept-away-by-the-next-computing-wave/ Arm deal 'will end Microsoft and Intel's dominance' Microsoft's decision to make its new operating system run on Arm chips will leave it playing catch-up in the growing tablet computer market, says analyst http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/07/microsoft-arm-deal-for-windows-analysis ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: Mandatory ISP filter still on the agenda: Gillard The Federal Government?s mandatory internet service provider (ISP) level filter is still on the agenda, according to the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/372634/mandatory_isp_filter_still_agenda_gillard/ Child abusers using global spam: Italy [AFP] Italian police on Friday warned of a new system by which thousands of Internet users around the world have received spam emails for business offers that actually click through to child abuse material. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/child-abusers-using-global-spam-italy-20110108-19j1n.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/child-abusers-using-global-spam-italy-20110108-19j1n.html NZ websites hacked for child porn links [ONE News] Dozens of New Zealand based websites are infected with malicious software which directs users to child abuse material. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/nz-websites-hacked-child-porn-links-3994513 NZ websites being targeted by child porn peddlers New Zealand is among 30 countries being targeted by child porn peddlers who are setting up links on business websites that click through to child abuse material. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10698548 http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=124698 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10698548 nz: Online shops becoming porn targets Online businesses in 30 countries are being targeted by child porn peddlers who hack into sites and divert links http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=188549 Kinderpornoring kapert Online-Shop Laut Europol wurden ungesch?tzte Server mit Malware gehackt http://www.futurezone.at/stories/1665214/ Software Filters Cyberbullying Messages Sent to Kids A North Texas teenager who was bullied said she hopes new software can help other kids. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40956647 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Special Report: Music Industry?s Lavish Lobby Campaign For Digital Rights The music industry has spent tens of millions of dollars to lobby government officials worldwide during the past decade, but whether or not the initiative has helped to shape a viable legal and commercial framework is a subject of debate. http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2011/01/06/special-report-music-industrys-lavish-lobby-campaign-for-digital-rights/ Sony aims to "redefine" TV with 3D tech, Internet convergence During a press briefing yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Sony offered a glimpse of its product roadmap and showcased its plans to "redefine" television. Sony CEO Howard Stringer says that the future of video entertainment will be driven forward by 3D content, Internet connectivity, and the ability to consume media across multiple devices. Sony's product demos illustrated how the company is tackling all three of those areas. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/01/sony-aims-to-redefine-tv-with-3d-tech-internet-convergence.ars Thousands of stolen iTunes accounts for sale in China Tens of thousands of fraudulent iTunes accounts are for sale on a major Chinese website, it has been revealed. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12127603 TVs Make Play for Web Games At CES Hammered by ever-slimming profit margins, TV makers are turning online to videogames as another way to incorporate Web-delivered entertainment. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730704576065741553527956.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Smartphones Lure Sticky Fingers in Paris Aggravated robberies are up more than 40 percent in the Paris public transport system, and the government places blame for the rise on the attractiveness of smartphones. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/world/europe/09paris.html uk: Mobile phone firms get go-ahead for 3G switchover UK regulator Ofcom has given the go-ahead for mobile operators to use their 2G spectrum for 3G mobile broadband. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12126952 ********************** SPAM ********************** Global spam e-mail levels suddenly fall The amount of junk e-mail being sent across the globe has seen a dramatic fall in recent months. The volume of spam has dropped steadily since August, but the Christmas period saw a precipitous decline. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12126880 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** A Walled Wide Web for Nervous Autocrats: Beijing and Moscow see American information technology as a threat. They want systems of their own: by Evgeny Morozov is a visiting scholar at Stanford University and a fellow at the New America Foundation. His new book is "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom." At the end of 2010, the "open-source" software movement, whose activists tend to be fringe academics and ponytailed computer geeks, found an unusual ally: the Russian government. Vladimir Putin signed a 20-page executive order requiring all public institutions in Russia to replace proprietary software, developed by companies like Microsoft and Adobe, with free open-source alternatives by 2015. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576065641376054226.html Book review: Politics and the internet - Why dictators are going digital: The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom. By Evgeny Morozov When thousands of young Iranians took to the streets in June 2009 to protest against the apparent rigging of the presidential election, much of the coverage in the Western media focused on the protesters? use of Twitter, a microblogging service. ?This would not happen without Twitter,? declared the Wall Street Journal. Andrew Sullivan, a prominent American-based blogger, also proclaimed Twitter to be ?the critical tool for organising the resistance in Iran?. The New York Times said the demonstrations pitted ?thugs firing bullets? against ?protesters firing tweets?. http://www.economist.com/node/17848401?story_id=17848401 The Net Delusion: How Not to Liberate the World by Evgeny Morozov ? review On 21 January 2010, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton made a speech at the delightfully named Newseum ? America's leading "interactive museum of news" ? announcing "internet freedom" as a core foreign policy concern. "Information freedom," she argued, "supports the peace and security that provide a foundation for global progress." Evgeny Morozov has a blunt riposte to such ambitions: they smack of "excessive optimism and empty McKinsey-speak," not to mention a "creative use of recent history". http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/09/net-delusion-morozov-review China's $90bn ups cyberwar stakes Last year, Northrup Grumman released a report warning that China had a mighty cyber arsenal which it could use in a possible future cyber conflict. News last week that Chinese defence spending could be double the public figure could mean that such claims are true, and perhaps even conservative. http://www.zdnet.com.au/china-s-90bn-ups-cyberwar-stakes-339308397.htm Study: A third of all malware in history created in 2010 More than a third of all malware that has ever existed was created by criminal gangs in 2010 alone according to the latest PandaLabs Annual Report. http://news.techworld.com/security/3255584/a-third-of-all-malware-in-history-created-in-2010-says-report/ http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/010611-study-a-third-of-all.html Piracy concerns over Apple's new Mac download store Pirates have targeted Apple's new software download service just one day after it launched. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12135460 us: Commerce announces new shop to oversee online security The Obama administration is creating an office that will coordinate with the private sector to establish a secure pathway for people, organizations and computer programs to execute online transactions, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced on Friday. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110107_2695.php ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Privacy Policies Are Dead, Privacy Watchdog Says Privacy policies are dead, says Fran Maier, President of privacy auditing firm TrustE, and it's time for the web to move into an era of "just in time" notifications whenever new types of data are being collected or when our data is being used in new ways. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/privacy_policies_are_dead_privacy_watchdog_says.php http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2011/01/07/07readwriteweb-privacy-policies-are-dead-privacy-watchdog-38373.html au: Vodafone customers exposed in privacy breach The personal details of millions of Vodafone customers, including their names, home addresses, driver's licence numbers and credit card details, have been publicly available on the internet in what is being described as an ''unbelievable'' lapse in security by the mobile phone giant. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/mobile-security-outrage-private-details-accessible-on-net-20110108-19j9j.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/mobile-security-outrage-private-details-accessible-on-net-20110108-19j9j.html au: Vodafone denies client data on internet was open to all THE Privacy Commissioner has vowed to probe allegations that personal details of Vodafone clients were readily available on the internet. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/telecommunications/vodafone-denies-client-data-on-internet-was-open-to-all/story-fn4iyzsr-1225984888256 Vodafone may be liable on privacy breach VODAFONE faces compensation payments to up to 4 million customers after confirming it is investigating a security breach that has put billing and call records on a publicly accessible website protected only by passwords that change monthly. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/vodafone-may-be-liable-on-privacy-breach-20110109-19jup.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/vodafone-may-be-liable-on-privacy-breach-20110109-19jup.html Google Street View 'broke South Korea privacy law' Google broke South Korean privacy law when its Street View cars collected emails and other personal information from the country's homes and businesses, the country's police authority said today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/06/google-streetview-south-korea S. Korean police say Google collected private data illegally [IDG] South Korea has concluded that Google illegally collected personal data while collecting information for its Street View map service, an official at the country's National Police Agency (NPA) said on Thursday. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/010611-s-korean-police-say-google.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/215768/.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** US tells Twitter to hand over WikiLeaks supporter's messages A member of parliament in Iceland who is also a former WikiLeaks volunteer says the US justice department has ordered Twitter to hand over her private messages. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/08/us-twitter-hand-icelandic-wikileaks-messages US 'wants Twitter details of Wikileaks activist' An Icelandic MP who once worked with Wikileaks says US officials have subpoenaed her personal details from the social networking website Twitter. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12141530 U.S. Subpoenas Twitter Over WikiLeaks Supporters Prosecutors investigating the disclosure of thousands of classified government documents by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks have gone to court to demand the Twitter account activity of several people linked to the organization, including its founder, Julian Assange, according to the group and a copy of a subpoena made public late Friday. ... Technology and telecommunications companies receive thousands of subpoenas and court orders every year in which the authorities demand a broad range of information about their customers, from the content of their e-mails, to the Internet Protocol addresses of their computers, to their files that are stored online and location data from their cellphones. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/world/09wiki.html WikiLeaks demands Google and Facebook unseal US subpoenas WikiLeaks has demanded that Google and Facebook reveal the contents of any US subpoenas they may have received after it emerged that a court in Virginia had ordered Twitter to secretly hand over details of accounts on the micro-blogging site by five figures associated with the group, including Julian Assange. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/08/wikileaks-calls-google-facebook-us-subpoenas DOJ sends order to Twitter for Wikileaks-related account info The U.S. Justice Department obtained a court order directing Twitter to turn over information about the accounts of activists with ties to Wikileaks, including an Icelandic politician, a legendary Dutch hacker, and a U.S. computer programmer. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20027893-281.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Opinion: Murdoch the monopolist? Not in a digital future The debate over whether Rupert Murdoch should be allowed total control of Sky is far too simplistic in an age where Google, Apple ? or some techies from California ? can achieve greater dominance in a globalised media http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/09/murdoch-monopolist-not-in-digital-future European Commission may compel ISPs to combat users' IP infringement Rates of intellectual property infringement in the EU are "alarming", according to the European Commission. It says that an EU law on IP rights has had some effect, but that the legal measure was not designed to deal with online piracy. http://out-law.com/page-11703 uk: 'Laughing stock' libel laws to be reformed, says Nick Clegg Nick Clegg will tomorrow set out the most ambitious plans yet to relax Britain's libel laws, saying he will back a raft of reforms including a statutory public interest defence. ... The bill will also update defamation laws on the internet so as to provide greater defence for internet service providers. Government sources said they were still working on details of how to handle libel on the internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/jan/06/libel-laws-nick-clegg Copyright comes a cropper in the digital age The big stage hit in America last year was a novel, "the most remarkable achievement in theatre this decade", according to the New York Times. Gatz was a word-for-word presentation of F Scott Fitzgerald's jazz age masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, by an experimental group, the Elevator Repair Service. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/09/robert-mccrum-copyright-law-kindle Industry Says Net Rules Are a Work in Progress [sub req'd] Regulators' new rules for Internet lines are likely the start of a greater effort by the government to more closely oversee such channels, broadband industry lobbyists said. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730704576066364189797414.html Digital agenda: Connecting the EU High-speed Internet for all - including on mobile phones - and lower consumer prices are the main highlights of the European Commission's digital agenda, a five-year plan to ensure higher connectivity for EU citizens and business. http://www.broadband-europe.eu/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?ItemID=755 Ofcom: Draft work programme for 2011/12 [news release] In 2011/12 Ofcom will take on new responsibilities as defined by Parliament. But Ofcom will aim to meet its objectives for significantly less money as part of the overall reduction in public expenditure. http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/01/07/draft-work-programme-for-201112/ uk: Opinion: Net neutrality ignores business users The net neutrality debate has been hijacked by an argument about consumer and intellectual property rights. As usual, the needs of business users have largely been sidelined, says Nick White. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/regulation/2011/01/07/net-neutrality-ignores-business-users-40091351/ ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* How an Irish telecoms tycoon became Haiti's only hope of salvation On Tuesday, exactly one year after an earthquake levelled Port-au-Prince and more than 200,000 people were buried alive, the iconic Iron Market will reopen. But this isn't the work of the Haitian elite ? it's all down to Denis O'Brien, CEO of a mobile-phone company http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/09/haiti-anniversary-denis-obrien-vulliamy Against Headphones One in ?ve teenagers in America can?t hear rustles or whispers, according to a study published in August in The Journal of the American Medical Association. These teenagers exhibit what?s known as slight hearing loss, which means they often can?t make out consonants like T?s or K?s, or the plinking of raindrops. The word ?talk? can sound like ?aw.? The number of teenagers with hearing loss ? from slight to severe ? has jumped 33 percent since 1994. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09FOB-medium-t.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** uk: Mobile?chief?attacks spectrum allocation ruling The head of 3, the UK?s smallest mobile network operator, has signalled that his business could be sold after accusing ministers and regulators of distorting competition in the telecoms industry. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/29d9c5bc-19ed-11e0-a8d8-00144feab49a.html FCC eyes broadcast spectrum auction as soon as 2012 The U.S. government could put more wireless airwaves on the market as early as a year from now if lawmakers give the country's telecom regulator authority to give broadcasters part of the proceeds. http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-54015120110108 Auction plan is most likely to succeed, FCC head says [IDG] The U.S. Federal Communications Commission decided to push forward on its proposal for an incentive spectrum auction, despite likely criticism from some corners, because it thought the plan would be the quickest way to get wireless spectrum in use by mobile broadband providers, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/010811-auction-plan-is-most-likely.html Britain plans mobile spectrum auctions in 2012 Britain plans to auction more radio spectrum in 2012 to mobile telecoms operators who need it to handle increasing amounts of data traffic, communications regulator Ofcom said in a draft annual plan on Friday. http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-54005720110107 Ofcom opens up more frequencies for 3G services [news release] Ofcom has today introduced a new measure that will help mobile phone operators to increase mobile broadband speeds, deliver improved in-building coverage and widen mobile broadband coverage in rural areas. http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/01/06/ofcom-opens-up-more-frequencies-for-3g-services/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2011 --------- 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 Jan 09 2011 - 18:45:11 UTC
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