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 *************************************************** au: Cities battle over geographic internet domains http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/cities-battle-over-geographic-internet-domains/story-e6frgakx-1226044678166 Sydney, Melbourne Likely To Apply For Own gTLDs http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=14419 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/04/26/sydney-melbourne-likely-to-apply-for-own-gtlds/ http://domainnews.com/en/melbourne-sydney-likely-to-apply-for-own-gtlds.html Aussies to back city TLD bids http://domainincite.com/aussies-to-back-city-tld-bids/ ICANN RAA v Luxembourg Courts: EuroDNS Disputes 'Unfounded' Breach Notice http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=14385 Righthaven Defies Court, Ignores Domain Name Ruling http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/righthaven-defies-court-ignores-domain-name-ruling au: Do you really own a domain name? http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2011/04/26/do-you-really-own-your-domain-name/ Native IPv6 traffic rises ahead of test day, analysis shows [IDG] http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/042111-native-ipv6-traffic-rises-ahead.html ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Current State of the UDRP Webinar Announcement You are invited to participate in a webinar on the current state of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). The ICANN Policy Staff is holding this Webinar on Tuesday 10 May at 15:00 UTC. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-21apr11-en.htm Location Recommendations Now Being Accepted for ICANN's 2013 Meetings in Asia/Australia/Pacific, Africa and Latin America/Caribbean ICANN is actively seeking locations for its three public meetings to be held 7-12 April 2013 in Asia Pacific, 14-19 July 2013 in Africa, and 17-22 November 2013 in Latin America. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-25apr11-en.htm Public Comment: Proposed .MOBI Contract Amendment "Additional Equitable Allocation Options for .MOBI One and Two-Character Domains" ICANN is today opening a public comment period on a proposed amendment from mTLD Top Level Domain, Ltd. to Appendices 6 and 7 of the .MOBI Registry Agreement. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-25apr11-en.htm Silicon Valley Fellowship Program Reached Successful Conclusion The 40th ICANN Public meeting marked the 12th round of the ICANN Fellowship Program. Successful participants came from 20 countries, representing each of the ICANN regions, coming from 20 countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Bolivia, Congo, Egypt, Gambia, India, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Marshall Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, and Yemen. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22apr11-en.htm Is ICANN really that toothless? A criticism that I often hear of ICANN is that it is a toothless body with no real ability to regulate the domain name system. A couple of recent episodes seem to indicate that ICANN actually takes enforcing rules very seriously. http://stephanevangelder.com/archives/366-Is-ICANN-really-that-toothless.html Two-horse race for ICANN board seat A seat on ICANN?s board of directors opens up in June, and two people have been nominated to fill it. Avri Doria and Bill Graham will face a ballot to see who will replace Rita Rodin Johnson, whose term expires at the end of ICANN?s Singapore meeting, June 24. http://domainincite.com/two-horse-race-for-icann-board-seat/ ICANN advised against director salaries ICANN?s legal staff advised its board of directors against rushing to grant themselves a pay packet, according to documents released today. http://domainincite.com/icann-advised-against-director-salaries/ Three more countries get IDNs Citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Serbia will soon be able to use domain names in their local Arabic and Cyrillic-based languages, after ICANN approved internationalized domain names for the three nations. http://domainincite.com/three-more-countries-get-idns/ The price of ICANN transparency: $2.6m ICANN has estimated that it will need an extra $2.6 million on its fiscal 2012 budget to cover the cost of becoming more transparent and accountable. http://domainincite.com/the-price-of-icann-transparency-2-6m/ ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** ch: Malware: SWITCH cleans up more than 700 Swiss websites For a good four months now, SWITCH has been blocking Swiss websites if they are spreading malicious software and infecting the computers of internet users with malware as they surf. More than 700 Swiss websites have had malware cleaned off them since November 2010 in this way. A unique process anywhere in the world. Surprised, but grateful, is the reaction of most website holders when SWITCH informs them that they are spreading malicious software via their website. http://www.switch.ch/about/news/2011/malware180411.html ICANN Board of Directors supported request to delegate Cyrillic domain .??? to RNIDS At the session held on 21 April, the Board of Directors of ICANN supported the request to delegate the management of the Cyrillic domain .??? to RNIDS. http://rnids.rs/en/node/67?lang=en EC Vice-President on 5 years of .eu: .eu ?a real and tangible success? Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, hailed the .eu top-level domain as ?a real and tangible success? in her speech at a dinner hosted on 12 April 2011 to celebrate the top-level domain?s fifth birthday. http://www.eurid.eu/en/content/ec-vice-president-5-years-eu AFNIC Plans to Launch at Least 3 ccTLDs in 2011 Mathieu Weill, CEO of AFNIC, which runs the French ccTLD .FR, said in an interview with David Goldstein that a new law will allow ? perhaps compel ? AFNIC to offer registrations for at least the following ccTLDs: http://www.mindsandmachines.com/2011/04/afnic-plans-to-launch-at-least-3-new-cctlds-in-2011/ .Jobs Foes Question ICANN Commitment to Contract Compliance JOBS Charter Compliance Coalition, made up mostly of job board operators, is calling into question ICANN?s commitment to contract compliance after ICANN gave a short reprieve to .jobs operator Employ Media. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/04/21/jobs-foes-question-icann-commitment-to-contract-compliance/ Niue to set up own internet service Niue's ongoing frustration with poor internet service has led the government to fund the setting up of a better one. The Polynesian island of Niue sold it's internet domain name, .nu, to the Internet Users Society of Niue. http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201104/3198828.htm http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201104/3198828.htm Niue: the myth of the ?Wifi Nation? The tiny Pacific island of Niue is commonly referred to as the world?s first and only ?Wifi Nation?. There was a lot of feel-good press coverage back in 2003, when the Massachusetts-based manager of the .nu country-code top-level domain started deploying wireless internet on the island. http://domainincite.com/niue-the-myth-of-the-wifi-nation/ sa: New updates to the rules and regulations documents As a part of the continues effort to develop and enhance the local domain names (domain names that end with .sa or .????????) services, SaudiNIC has recently published a number of new documents. those new documents are: http://saudinic.net.sa/page.php?page=9&lang=1 .XXX domain available for sale to the porn industry After 10 years of intense legal wrangling, the domain name ?.xxx? is now available for purchase, giving pornography a new home on the Internet. http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/xxx-domain-available-for-sale-to-the-porn-industry/6213.htm ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** au: Cities battle over geographic internet domains A long rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne has moved to the web, as both vie to be the first Australian city to operate its own international top-level domain. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/cities-battle-over-geographic-internet-domains/story-e6frgakx-1226044678166 Sydney, Melbourne Likely To Apply For Own gTLDs The Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne have expressed an interest in applying for the .SYDNEY and .MELBOURNE generic Top Level Domains with governments in both cities saying they will apply for the new gTLDs when ICANN commences the application process. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=14419 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/04/26/sydney-melbourne-likely-to-apply-for-own-gtlds/ http://domainnews.com/en/melbourne-sydney-likely-to-apply-for-own-gtlds.html Aussies to back city TLD bids Australian authorities are planning to back bids for .melbourne and .sydney top-level domains, according to a report in The Australian. http://domainincite.com/aussies-to-back-city-tld-bids/ Top 3 New Requirements to the TLD Evaluation Criteria and What They Mean for Applicants by Alexa Raad Three sections of the redlined version of the Draft Evaluation Criteria for new Top-Level Domains (TLDs) caught my attention. It seems ICANN wants to ensure it has information to not only evaluate and score responses, but to conduct a post-launch analysis of the program's success in terms of expanded competition, consumer choice and trust. That additional information means more work by both the applicant and for ICANN. But it's a good move because pre-launch preparation and thought staves off mishaps and misfortunes later. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20110425_top_3_new_requirements_to_the_tld_evaluation_criteria/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** GCHQ details cyber-defence focus Intelligence agency GCHQ will concentrate on information assurance and threat intelligence with its share of the government's ?650m cybersecurity funding, ZDNet UK has learned. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/security/2011/04/21/gchq-details-cyber-defence-focus-40092607/ Iran 'uncovers Stars espionage virus' Officials in Iran say they have found a computer virus designed to target the country's government institutions. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13188351 Iran says it has detected second cyber attack Iran has been targeted by a second computer virus in a "cyber war" waged by its enemies, its commander of civil defence said on Monday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/04/25/oukin-uk-iran-computer-virus-idUKTRE73O1P720110425 New cyber attack targets Iran [AFP/BBC] Iranian leaders say the country has been targeted by a new computer virus, 10 months after its nuclear program was hit in a separate cyber attack. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/26/3200226.htm To win the cyberwar we have to reinforce the cloud Many challenged my grim assessment early last year, when I called for America to develop a new strategy to address the kinds of cyberattacks that could cripple our nation?s infrastructure. If there were a cyberwar, I told Congress, we would lose. The unfortunate truth is that, a year later, we are no better prepared ? and the stakes have risen. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/078bf734-6e9b-11e0-a13b-00144feabdc0.html ke: DNSSEC Workshop In collaboration with Network Startup Resource Centre (NSRC), Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) will be holding a public awareness workshop on DNSSEC on Monday, 2nd May 2011.The main objective of the workshop will be to build capacity for the local Internet community. http://www.kenic.or.ke/ ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** ICANN RAA v Luxembourg Courts: EuroDNS Disputes 'Unfounded' Breach Notice ICANN has accused EuroDNS of breaching their Registrar Accreditation Agreement according to a letter dated 20 April. The breach, disputed by EuroDNS, involves the domain name facebok.com, that a WIPO Panel ordered to be transferred to Facebook, the complainant. However EuroDNS finds themselves caught between a rock and a hard place with a court case initiated in their own country, Luxembourg, preventing them from doing so. And accusing ICANN of not responding to issues raised in the case before slapping them with the breach notice. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=14385 http://www.domainpulse.com/2011/04/25/icann-raa-v-luxembourg-courts/ http://domainnews.com/en/icann-raa-v-luxembourg-courts-eurodns-disputes-unfounded-breach-notice.html Registrar threatened over ?stolen? Facebook domain ICANN has threatened to terminate the domain name registrar EuroDNS for failing to transfer a typo domain lost in a UDRP case to Facebook. http://domainincite.com/registrar-threatened-over-stolen-facebook-domain/ ICANN Sends Breach Notice to EuroDNS Over Facebook UDRP ICANN has sent a Notice of Breach to popular European domain name registrar EuroDNS for its failure to transfer a client domain name after an adverse UDRP decision. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/04/21/icann-sends-breach-notice-to-eurodns-over-facebook-udrp/ Bad Faith Cybersquatting Found by 4th Circuit as a Matter of Law In a recent case decided on April 18, 2011, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court?s finding of bad faith cybersquatting by defendant as a matter of law and award of $80,000 in statutory damages. The decision titled Newport News Holdings Corporation v. Virtual City Vision Incorporated VCV can be found here. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2011/04/bad-faith-cybersquatting.html GoDaddy Takes Down Righthaven Domain Righthaven is the subject of a bit of irony as it has had its domain taken down by registrar GoDaddy. If you go to Righthaven.com, you will see the message from the image above. http://www.webpronews.com/godaddy-takes-down-righthaven-domain-2011-04 Righthaven Defies Court, Ignores Domain Name Ruling Last Friday, the Chief Judge of the federal court in Nevada, which is overseeing more than 200 Righthaven copyright cases, dismissed Righthaven's meritless claim to seize its victim's domain names. In each case so far, Righthaven contended that the mere hosting of any infringing material means that the entire domain name was forfeit to the copyright troll. Chief Judge Hunt rejected that claim, explaining that the "Court finds that Righthaven?s request for such relief fails as a matter of law and is dismissed." http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/righthaven-defies-court-ignores-domain-name-ruling RightHaven.com Taken Down for Invalid Whois Righthaven LLC, a company that enforces licensing of content created by their clients, has in the past taken possession of domain names owned by alleged infringers. Recently a judge dismissed one of their claims on a defendant?s domain name. http://www.domainnamenews.com/legal-issues/righthavencom-invalid-whois/9232 Righthaven Gets Punked By Invalid Whois Copyright enforcer Righthaven LLC has been punked thanks to allegedly invalid whois information. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/04/21/righthaven-gets-punked-by-invalid-whois/ Porsche Wins Rights to Cyrillic Script Internationalized Domain Name Porsche has won a UDRP for the domain name ?????.com, which is xn--e1arcf4b.com in punycode. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/04/21/porsche-wins-rights-to-cyrillic-script-internationalized-domain-name/ Morgan Stanley Sues Cybersquatters and Phishers Morgan Stanley already has the domain names ? but it wants more than that. The bank has filed a lawsuit against the owners of five domain names that it says were used for cybersquatting and phishing. http://domainnamewire.com/2011/04/25/morgan-stanley-sues-cybersquatters-and-phishers/ au: Do you really own a domain name? ... Noosaville candle maker Kim McLaughlin is hoping a shock disagreement with her previous web developers does not escalate into a fight, but only time will tell. She hired Gold Coast web developers to build her website two years ago but severed ties with them 12 months ago as she was unhappy with their services. In recent weeks, the company contacted her requesting payment of $90 to renew the domain name registration of her A Little Bit Tarty website. http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2011/04/26/do-you-really-own-your-domain-name/ ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Native IPv6 traffic rises ahead of test day, analysis shows [IDG] With World IPv6 Day approaching on June 8, the next-generation Internet protocol could finally be trickling into use as carriers gain the confidence to use it in its native mode, a new traffic analysis by Arbor Networks has suggested. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/042111-native-ipv6-traffic-rises-ahead.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/225896/.html Opinion: The IPv6 magic trick A magician in a long black coat walks out on stage. A voice booms: ?The great Mephisto will now saw his beautiful assistant in half?. The audience breathes in. The saw cuts through the box. The magician pushes the two halves of the box containing his assistant apart. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/384037/opinion_ipv6_magic_trick_/ Need IPv4 Addresses? Get 'em Here A vibrant market for buying and selling IPv4 addresses is emerging, and policymakers are clarifying the rules associated with how network operators can monetize this precious Internet addressing resource. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/042511-ipv4-sales.html http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/226189/.html With no (or few) more IPv4 addresses, where's the IPv6 traffic? When it became clear that 32-bit IP addresses just wouldn't cut it for a growing Internet, the Internet Engineering Task Force did what its name suggests and created a new version of IP. IPv6 has so many addresses that it will resist our best efforts to waste all of them for many decades, if not centuries. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/with-no-or-few-more-ipv4-addresses-wheres-the-ipv6.ars ARIN sets new speed record for policy making by Milton Mueller It's racing season, and not just for cars. Some people have accused ARIN of not following its specified transfer policy in its handling of the Nortel-Microsoft IPv4 address trade. But the complainers are just not up to speed. With a few strokes of the keyboard, ARIN has brought its transfer policy into alignment with what's really going on in the world. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/4/20/4799783.html LRSA Requirement Modified for 8.3 Transfers Based on ARIN?s Public Policy Mailing List (arin-ppml§arin.net) discussion in February 2011 and concurrent interest from ARIN?s Board of Trustees, the procedure requiring a Legacy or standard Registration Services Agreement (Legacy RSA or RSA) for resources being transferred has been revised. Effective immediately, the transferor of legacy address space is not required to have the resources under a current registration services agreement with ARIN. https://www.arin.net/announcements/2011/20110420.html NIC Chile will participate in the World IPv6 Day NIC Chile announces its participation next June 8th, 2011 at the "World IPv6 Day", a campaign led by the Internet Society (ISOC), which will also include the participation of large Internet content providers like Google, Yahoo, Facebook; and infrastructure providers and networks such as Akamai, Comcast, among others. http://nic.cl/anuncios/2011-04-21-eng.html ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Berners-Lee, BBC, Vodafone focus on web's potential With the web becoming increasingly important to business, culture and society every day, the future development of cyberspace is something that we all have an interest in. http://www.silicon.com/technology/networks/2011/04/21/berners-lee-bbc-vodafone-focus-on-webs-potential-39747322/ M.I.T. Media Lab Names Joichi Ito New Director For centuries diplomas have been synonymous with the nation?s universities. That makes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology?s decision to name a 44-year old Japanese venture capitalist who attended, but did not graduate, from two American colleges as the director of one of the world?s top computing science laboratories an unusual choice. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/science/26lab.html Joichi Ito named new Media Lab Director Joichi ?Joi? Ito was named as the new director of the MIT Media Lab in an announcement yesterday. He will be the fourth director of the Media Lab, founded in 1985. Ito will take over the directorship from Franklin H. Moss PhD ?77, who has held the position for the past five years. http://tech.mit.edu/V131/N22/medialab.html ARIN XXVII Meeting Report Now Available >From 10-13 April, the ARIN community took part in the ARIN XXVII Public Policy and Members Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The report of that meeting, which includes presentations, summary notes, and transcripts of the entire meeting, is now available on the ARIN website at: https://www.arin.net/announcements/2011/20110422_arinxxvii.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Two More 6-Figure Sales and Six ccTLD Sales Take Places on This Week's Top 20 Chart For the second week in a row a pair of six-figure sales set the pace on our all extension Top 20 Sales Chart. Also for the second straight week MediaOptions.com claimed the top spot on the elite list. Last week they scored big with AutoInsurance.org at $440,000. This time they did it with a two-letter .com - HX.com - at $125,000. The AfternicDLS took the number two spot with (name deleted due to NDA request) delivering $110,000. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20110420.htm Boston.net up for sale The domain name is being sold by Sedo of Cambridge, Mass., for Hawaii businessman Patrick Hsieh. http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2011/04/21/bostonnet-up-for-sale.html State of the Industry Too: Optimism Back in Style With Record Breaking Crowd at DOMAINfest Global Last month we published our annual State of the Industry Cover Story in which 19 well-known domain business experts identified 2010's most important trends and predicted what lies ahead for us here in 2011. Oversee.net President & CEO Jeff Kupietzky also presents a State of the Industry address of his own at the annual DOMAINfest Global conference. http://dnjournal.com/cover/2011/february.htm ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Internet Addiction: A Public Health Crisis? by Michael Friedman, L.M.S.W., Adjunct Associate Professor, Columbia University's schools of social work and public health The growing use of the Internet in everyday life has raised concerns that large numbers of people have become "Internet addicts" and that the Internet is dehumanizing us. Despite the credibility of some of the people who raise these concerns, the evidence is anything but conclusive. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-friedman-lmsw/internet-addiction-should_b_851684.html Berners-Lee, BBC, Vodafone focus on web's potential With the web becoming increasingly important to business, culture and society every day, the future development of cyberspace is something that we all have an interest in. http://www.silicon.com/technology/networks/2011/04/21/berners-lee-bbc-vodafone-focus-on-webs-potential-39747322/ NY Times gains online subscribers, but woes linger New York Times Co's risky attempt to charge fees to website readers looks to be paying off, although it still faces stiff challenges in turning around a fall-off in print advertising revenue at its core business. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/04/21/oukin-uk-newyorktimes-idUKTRE73K4VA20110421 NYT Gets 100,000 Paid Digital Subscriptions in First Three Weeks of Paywall Here's an encouraging sign for the New York Times: Within three weeks of its paywall being in place, the paper had more than 100,000 paid digital subscribers in place - More than a third of the way towards its own target of 300,000 subscribers within the first year of the service. http://techland.time.com/2011/04/21/nyt-gets-100000-paid-digital-subscriptions-in-first-three-weeks-of-paywall/ Study of a billion web searches reveals what we are really looking for online (apparently it's overweight, old women) Men are more interested in pornography featuring elderly and fat women than previously thought, according to a new book that says people?s sexual desires have become more exotic. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1380234/Study-billion-web-searches-reveals-really-looking-online.html?ITO=1490 US States Seek to Make It Safer to Find Love Online [AP] Something just didn't seem right when Ilana Angel met her Internet date at a bar. He furtively looked around the room and immediately suggested they go someplace else in his car, leaving hers behind at the bar. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/04/21/us/AP-US-Online-Dating-Safety.html Have trade magazines got a shelf life? It helps to have a sense of perspective if you are a senior trade magazine publishing executive, on the front line of the media industry's struggle to fashion viable new business models as traditional print circulations and advertising revenue drain away. David Levin, United Business Media chief executive, draws a comparison between the situation the trade press finds itself in today and 1912, "when there were a lot of blacksmiths about and we were about to get the motor car". http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/apr/25/trade-magazines-online-only ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** uk: Pupils are not your Facebook friends, net privacy expert warns teachers Teachers are being warned not to "friend" pupils on Facebook amid concerns over the blurring of boundaries between school staff's professional and private lives. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/apr/24/pupils-facebook-friends-net-privacy-teachers Filtering the Social Web to Present News Items News events as varied as the commercial jet landing in the Hudson River and the uprisings in Egypt have demonstrated that people armed with cellphones ? not professional reporters ? are often the first source of breaking news, uploading Twitter posts, photos and video to the Web. But the result can leave people drowning in too much information. ... Storify, based in San Francisco, is one of several Web start-ups ? including Storyful, Tumblr and Color ? that are developing ways to help journalists and others sift through the explosion of online content and publish the most relevant information. Investors are also betting there is a market for filtering the social Web for high-quality posts. Khosla Ventures has invested $2 million in Storify. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/technology/internet/25storify.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Apple named 'least green' tech company Apple has come bottom of the most comprehensive green league table of technology companies because of its heavy reliance on "dirty data" centres. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/21/apple-least-green-tech-company New Greenpeace report digs up the dirt on Internet data centres For most of us, when we think about our environmental footprint, the first things that spring to mind are how to commute to work, the kind of bags we use for grocery shopping, or the detergents we wash our clothes with. But how often do we consider the energy we use when surfing or searching the web? And how how much polluting, dirty energy does our Facebook profile generate? http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/New-Greenpeace-report-digs-up-the-dirt-on-Internet-data-centres/ Apple Is Tech's 'Least Clean' Company: Greenpeace Moving to the cloud could be making acid rain. While U.S. companies are not required to disclose energy information, such as carbon emissions, a report by Greenpeace revealed the high cost of the data centers tech companies rely upon to deliver their services. Apple was the least green of all, with its data centers at 54.5 percent reliance on coal, followed by Facebook at 53.2 percent and IBM with 51.6 percent. Yahoo, Google and Amazon were highlighted for their clean energy use. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/21/apple-green-ranking-greenpeace_n_851939.html Cloud computing and Internet use suck energy, emit CO2, says Greenpeace Clicking on all those viral videos, chain emails, celebrity tweets and paparazzi photos online sucks up enough energy to rank the Internet ?- if it were a country -? fifth in the world for electricity use. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/04/greenpeace-report-cloud-and-internet-use-sucks-energy-emits-co2.html S. Korea's LG unveils 'smart fridge' that suggests recipes [AFP] South Korea's LG Electronics Tuesday unveiled a refrigerator which suggests recipes as it forecast a bright future in the potentially lucrative market for "smart" household appliances. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/s-koreas-lg-unveils-smart-fridge-that-suggests-recipes-2274307.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Children Fail to Recognize Online Ads, Study Says A thin banner with those words, or some variation of them, appears on various game sites that are aimed at children and sponsored by food companies like General Mills. The companies say such banners alert players that the games are a form of advertising, meant to encourage loyalty to cereals or junk food whose images often appear somewhere in the game. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/children-fail-to-recognize-online-ads-study-says/ Cyber-stalking: The internet allows the malicious to menace their victims Leandra Ramm is a mezzo-soprano with more on her mind than music. Someone?a deranged Singaporean cyber-stalker, she claims?has posted around 4,000 internet messages in the past five years, depicting her as a talentless, sex-crazed swindler. He has also created a blog under her name and has left obscene messages on her own website. http://www.economist.com/node/18584386 Japan Internet providers block child porn [AFP] A group of Japanese internet service providers started blocking access to child porn websites on Thursday as part of efforts to crack down on the spread of sexually explicit images of children. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/japan-internet-providers-block-child-porn-20110422-1dqtz.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/japan-internet-providers-block-child-porn-20110422-1dqtz.html uk: Social network warning for teachers [PA] Schools are snooping on social networking sites, and googling potential candidates before appointing new staff, teachers have been warned. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/social-network-warning-for-teachers-2274310.html us: FTC: kids thwarted 87% of the time on M-rated game purchases The Federal Trade Commission has released a report tracking compliance with established rating systems across multiple forms of media, and the results follow past trends: video games are the best-regulated form of media in terms of keeping adult content away from children. The easiest form of media for children to buy? Music CDs with the parental advisory label. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/04/ftc-kids-thwarted-87-of-the-time-on-m-rated-game-purchases.ars us: Internet Porn at The Library: New Debate About Free Access Ray Floyd is a frequent visitor to the New York Public Library and The Brooklyn Public Library as well. On occasion, he has noticed an unexpected sight: the guy next to him using a library computer to access pornography. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42758301 ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Canadian broadcasters face threat of web-based TV services Canadian media companies have woken up to the threat of Internet-delivered TV services such as Netflix. And from the point of view of industry watchers, it?s about time. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/canadian-broadcasters-face-threat-of-web-based-tv-services/article1987697/ Hulu to shake up Aussie TV market Disruptive TV streaming service Hulu is preparing to launch in Australia with sources close to the project flagging it might launch with or without the support of the commercial free-to-air TV networks. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/hulu-to-shake-up-aussie-tv-market-20110421-1dpq3.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/hulu-to-shake-up-aussie-tv-market-20110421-1dpq3.html Kids have easy access to explicit music but have a harder time getting violent video games For a kid, scoring a music CD with explicit lyrics is easy. But good luck when it comes to getting that new, blood-splattered horror game. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/04/ftc-2011-sting-operation-music-retailers-is-worst-offender-but-games-were-most-compliant.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Google, a Giant in Mobile Search, Seeks New Ways to Make It Pay In early 2008, in the early days of the iPhone era, Google engineers began noticing something unusual in the search engine?s logs. Owners of these new phones were doing a huge number of Web searches. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/technology/25mobile.html Youth, Mobility and Poverty Help Drive Cellphone-Only Status It?s not quite the stuff of bragging rights, but Arkansas and Mississippi find themselves at the top of a new state ranking: They have the highest concentrations of people in the nation who have abandoned landlines in favor of cellular phones. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/us/21wireless.html Wireless Substitution: State-level Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January 2007?June 2010 Abstract: Objectives?This report presents state-level estimates of the percentage of adults and children living in households that did not have a landline telephone but did have at least one wireless telephone. National estimates for the 12-month time period from July 2009 through June 2010 indicate that 23.9% of adults and 27.5% of children were living in these wireless-only households. Estimates are also presented for selected U.S. counties and groups of counties, for other household telephone service use categories (e.g., those that had only landlines and those that had landlines yet received all or almost all calls on wireless telephones), and for 12-month time periods since January?December 2007. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr039.pdf Samsung sues Apple after accusations of 'copying' Samsung Electronics is suing Apple, claiming its rival violated its patent rights, days after Apple accused Samsung of "slavishly" copying designs of its iPad and iPhone. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13167573 Samsung counter-sues Apple over battle for ?100bn smartphone industry Samsung Electronics has hit back against Apple with a tit-for-tat lawsuit a week after the US group accused its South Korean rival of "slavishly" copying designs of its iPhone and iPad. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/22/samsung-apple-lawsuits-smartphones Samsung counter sues Apple over iPhone, iPad Samsung Electronics Co filed patent lawsuits against Apple over the U.S. firm's iPhone and iPad in a tit-for-tat case after Apple claimed Samsung's smartphones and tablets "slavishly" copied its products. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/04/22/oukin-uk-samsung-apple-idUKTRE73L0DD20110422 http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/04/22/idINIndia-56512320110422 Jihadists use mobiles as propaganda tools Islamic militants have developed sophisticated ways of spreading propaganda via mobile, a study suggests. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13149571 The Really Smart Phone Researchers are harvesting a wealth of intimate detail from our cellphone data, uncovering the hidden patterns of our social lives, travels, risk of disease?even our political views. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704547604576263261679848814.html http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/the-market-for-really-smart-phones/story-e6frg90x-1226043715478 Apple, Google Collect User Data Apple Inc.'s iPhones and Google Inc.'s Android smartphones regularly transmit their locations back to Apple and Google, respectively, according to data and documents analyzed by The Wall Street Journal?intensifying concerns over privacy and the widening trade in personal data. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703983704576277101723453610.html Inquiries Grow Over Apple's Data Collection Practices The controversy surrounding the security of Apple?s iPhone and iPad escalated Thursday as some European governments said they would investigate whether the company had violated privacy laws by collecting and storing users? geographic location data. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/technology/22data.html iPhones and Android phones building vast databases for Google and Apple Apple and Google are using smartphones running their software to build gigantic databases for location-based services, according to new research following the Guardian's revelations that iPhones and devices running Android collect location data about owners' movements. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/22/iphone-android-location-based-services Microsoft collects locations of Windows phone users Like Apple and Google, Microsoft collects records of the physical locations of customers who use its mobile operating system. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20057329-281.html US lawmakers quiz Apple, Google about location tracking [IDG] Minnesota Senator Al Franken and the attorney general of Illinois have separately pressed Apple and Google to provide more information about the location data they collect about their end users. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9216164/Lawmakers_quiz_Apple_Google_about_location_tracking http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/042511-lawmakers-quiz-apple-google-about.html Franken Calls Hearing on Smartphones and Privacy Congress's top privacy cops are officially diving into the growing furor over smart phones that track users' every move. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/04/franken-calls-hearing-on-smart.php http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110425_6691.php Apple, Google tap phone location data -WSJ Apple Inc's iPhones and Google Inc's Android phones send back data about the locations of the users to the technology companies, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/04/22/idINIndia-56512120110422 http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/04/22/oukin-uk-apple-google-privacy-idUKTRE73L0CI20110422 Google Says It Collects Location Data on Phones for Location Services Google said Friday that it collected location data from Android phones, but that it did so anonymously and with user consent. The company said it gathered the data to provide services like maps and searches for shops or restaurants near a person?s location. The company said it also used the information to estimate traffic on various roads. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/google-says-it-collects-location-data-on-phones-for-location-services/ Google Defends Way It Gets Phone Data Amid rising scrutiny of their practices, Google Inc. defended the way it collects location data from Android phones, while Apple Inc. remained silent for a third day. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703387904576279451001593760.html IPhone, IPad Tracking Is Probably a 'Mistake,' Researchers Say The iPhone and iPad?s ability to logs users? whereabouts is probably a mistake that Apple Inc. will eliminate, said the researchers who discovered the feature. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-21/apple-iphone-tracking-is-probably-engineering-mistake-researchers-say.html Germany says wants clarity on iPhone data storage Apple Inc must clear up "a string of open questions" about user data stored by its iPhone, iPad, and other devices, a spokesman for Germany's consumer protection ministry said on Thursday. http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/04/21/idINIndia-56499920110421 Cornell prof warns iPhone, iPad users: "We're selling our privacy" Revelations that iPhones, iPads and other Apple iOS devices track your whereabouts have led a Cornell University professor to warn mobile device users about what they're sacrificing to use such gadgets. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/042111-iphone-data-cornell.html iPhone Location Tracking Draws Fire, Shrugs When word got out that your iPhone records your movements, privacy advocates and conspiracy theorists began wringing their hands. Others simply shrugged. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/042111-iphone-location-tracking-draws-fire.html Android phones record user-locations according to research Smartphones running Google's Android software collect data about the user's movements in almost exactly the same way as the iPhone, according to an examination of files they contain. The discovery, made by a Swedish researcher, comes as the Democratic senator Al Franken has written to Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs demanding to know why iPhones keep a secret file recording the location of their users as they move around, as the Guardian revealed this week. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/21/android-phones-record-user-locations How police have obtained iPhone, iPad tracking logs Law enforcement agencies have known since at least last year that an iPhone or iPad surreptitiously records its owner's approximate location, and have used that geolocation data to aid criminal investigations. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20056344-281.html Apple does not track you but the police may A privacy storm has blown up over the revelation (if that is the right word) that iPhones and 3G iPads keeps data on the movements of their owners, which is backed up to personal computers when the devices are synchronised. http://blogs.ft.com/businessblog/2011/04/apple-does-not-track-you-but-the-police-may/ American mobile phone users wary about privacy, says Nielsen The majority of mobile app users?those who use mobile devices and have used an app in the last 30 days?are cautious about sharing their locations via mobile phone, with the youngest and oldest users showing the most concern for privacy. This research from the Nielsen Company comes on the heels of disturbing revelations about the iPhone's own location-logging practices. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/04/mobile-phone-users-wary-about-privacy-says-nielsen.ars Location Apps Generate Privacy Concerns, Report Says A day after a report that the Apple iPhone and iPad 3G are storing data about users? locations, a new report from the market research firm Nielsen said many Americans have strong concerns about losing some privacy by using location-based mobile services. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/location-apps-generate-privacy-concerns-report-says/ Nokia makes smartphone connection to Microsoft Nokia, the world's biggest standalone mobile-phone company, has finally signed a deal with Microsoft worth billions of dollars which it hopes will help to reverse its falling share of the fast-growing and lucrative smartphone market. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/apr/21/nokia-microsoft-windows-phone-platform-deal S'pore telcos deny creeping 'dead zones' Local mobile operators refute claims of more places in Singapore with no signal reception and stress they will continue to work with consumers to maintain high network coverage. http://www.zdnetasia.com/s-pore-telcos-deny-creeping-dead-zones-62208509.htm China approaches 900 million mobile phone users [IDG] China is on the verge of becoming the first country in the world to have more than 900 million cell phone users, according to government statistics. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/384230/china_approaches_900_million_mobile_phone_users/ http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/226159/.html China Mobile surpasses 600m subscribers China Mobile, the world's largest mobile operator, has surpassed 600 million subscribers after increasing its number of customers in rural areas. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13153351 Instant messaging forecast to hit texting Instant messaging applications for mobile devices, such as BlackBerry Messenger, are becoming so popular that use of text messages by 15-24 year olds will fall by a fifth in many large markets including the UK, analysts predict. http://blogs.ft.com/fttechhub/2011/04/instant-messaging-forecast-to-hit-texting/ Android Malware Sees Explosive Growth The Android vs. iPhone smartphone race is a lot like the Windows vs. Mac rivalry. On one side is a broadly licensed operating system used by many manufacturers. On the other is a locked down and expensive hardware platform. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/226193/.html App developers claim Apple's plans to take a 30 per cent cut for subscription-based apps could stifle production [The Times] Apple is facing a revolt from makers of prominent apps over plans by the iPhone and iPad maker to take a 30 per cent cut from sales of subscriptions for magazines, newspapers, music and other media. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/app-developers-claim-apples-plans-to-take-a-30-per-cent-cut-for-subscription-based-apps-could-stifle-production/story-e6frgakx-1226044830153 Android tablets don't impress developers, gap widens - survey Google's Android platform has lost some allure for software developers still smitten with Apple, while Research In Motion and Microsoft have fallen further behind the two leaders, according to a survey on what devices new apps are likely to be developed for. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/04/26/uk-mobile-developers-idUKTRE73P12H20110426 ********************** SPAM ********************** UK spammers to be fined up to ?500,000 Spammers will be fined up to ?500,000 by the UK's privacy authority for distributing unwanted marketing materials under new rules due in late May. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/regulation/2011/04/21/uk-spammers-to-be-fined-up-to-500000-40092599/ ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** us: Innocent Man Accused Of Child Pornography After Neighbor Pirates His WiFi [AP] Lying on his family room floor with assault weapons trained on him, shouts of "pedophile!" and "pornographer!" stinging like his fresh cuts and bruises, the Buffalo homeowner didn't need long to figure out the reason for the early morning wake-up call from a swarm of federal agents. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/24/unsecured-wifi-child-pornography-innocent_n_852996.html http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/innocent-man-busted-for-child-porn-after-neighbour-leached-wifi-20110426-1dugz.html http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/innocent-man-busted-for-child-porn-after-neighbour-leached-wifi-20110426-1dugz.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/ny-case-underscores-wifi-privacy-dangers-20110424-1dt6o.html http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/ny-case-underscores-wifi-privacy-dangers-20110424-1dt6o.html http://www.detnews.com/article/20110425/BIZ04/104250364/1001/New-York-case-underscores-Wi-Fi-privacy-dangers FBI child porn raid a strong argument for locking down WiFi networks Will it take being accused of downloading child pornography to get people to lock down their WiFi networks once and for all? Although that's not the only reason to keep your network secure, perhaps some users will be scared into doing so after reading a number of horror stories collected by the Associated Press over the weekend. The underlying lesson: keep your WiFi networks locked down, lest you find law enforcement kicking down your door in the middle of the night. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/fbi-child-porn-raid-a-strong-argument-for-locking-down-wifi-networks.ars Wi-Fi security flaw for smartphones puts your credit cards at risk Millions of smartphone users and BT customers who use Wi-Fi wireless internet "hotspot" connections in public are vulnerable to fraud and identity theft, a Guardian investigation has established. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/25/wifi-security-flaw-smartphones-risk US sex webcam roommate to face trial [AP] A man in America has been charged with bias intimidation and other offences after allegedly using a webcam to spy on a same-sex encounter involving his university roommate, who committed suicide shortly afterward in a case that started a national conversation on bullying. http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/us-sex-webcam-roommate-to-face-trial-20110421-1dp9d.html Google loses Linux patent lawsuit, pointing up vulnerability for Android Google has lost a high-stakes lawsuit in Texas that is raising sharp concern that the Internet giant could face more such claims. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/04/google-loses-linux-patent-lawsuit-implications-for-android.html How to Unmask the Internet?s Vilest Characters In June 2009, Lani (a nickname) got a Facebook message from a stranger alerting her to nude photos of herself that had been posted on a Web site called Private Voyeur ? along with her name, her workplace and the city she lives in. The post, titled ?Jap Slut,? was published anonymously by someone who used a proper noun followed by numbers as an Internet handle. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/magazine/mag-24lede-t.html Iran 'uncovers Stars espionage virus' Officials in Iran say they have found a computer virus designed to target the country's government institutions. The malicious software - dubbed Stars - was capable of inflicting minor damage, according to the head of Iran's civil defence organisation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13188351 Iran says it has detected second cyber attack Iran has been targeted by a second computer virus in a "cyber war" waged by its enemies, its commander of civil defence said on Monday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/04/25/oukin-uk-iran-computer-virus-idUKTRE73O1P720110425 New cyber attack targets Iran [AFP/BBC] Iranian leaders say the country has been targeted by a new computer virus, 10 months after its nuclear program was hit in a separate cyber attack. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/26/3200226.htm To win the cyberwar we have to reinforce the cloud Many challenged my grim assessment early last year, when I called for America to develop a new strategy to address the kinds of cyberattacks that could cripple our nation?s infrastructure. If there were a cyberwar, I told Congress, we would lose. The unfortunate truth is that, a year later, we are no better prepared ? and the stakes have risen. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/078bf734-6e9b-11e0-a13b-00144feabdc0.html ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Personal privacy is a thing of the past, so you'd better get used to it Even super-injunctions can't stop us prying while our every movement is tracked by the phone in our pocket: Recent events in the high court suggest that we now have two parallel media universes. In one ? Universe A ? we find tightly knit groups of newspaper editors and expensive lawyers trying to persuade a judge that details of the sexual relations between sundry celebrities and a cast of characters once memorably characterised by a Glasgow lawyer as "hoors, pimps and comic singers" should (or should not) be published in the public prints. ... The omens are not good. Our attitudes to privacy are riven with what psychologists call cognitive dissonance, which is a fancy term for our ability to hold two contradictory beliefs at the same time. We claim to value privacy highly, yet increasingly behave, especially in our online lives, as though we didn't. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/24/john-naughton-personal-privacy-mobile-phones ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** Online gambling: A crackdown on internet poker may be a prelude to legalisation ?Foreign firms that choose to operate in the United States are not free to flout the laws they don?t like simply because they can?t bear to be parted from their profits.? Preet Bharara, the US attorney in Manhattan, did not mince his words on April 15th as he indicted PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, three of the world?s biggest online-gambling companies, on charges of operating illegal gambling businesses, concocting an ?elaborate criminal fraud scheme?, involving tricking and bribing banks, and ?massive money laundering?. At the same time, America?s Department of Justice seized and shut down the firms? main websites, and filed a civil suit for penalties of $3 billion. http://www.economist.com/node/18586698 Online poker sites shut down by FBI For Mark Buchan, it was a bit of extra income to supplement his writing and teaching. Most people lose when they play poker online, but not this classics professor. On a good day, he says, he could make hundreds of dollars an hour from the comfort of his New York home. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/24/online-poker-sites-shut-down-fbi Filesharing: BT and TalkTalk fail in challenge to Digital Economy Act Government plans to curb illegal filesharing received a significant boost on Wednesday, as a judicial review of the controversial Digital Economy Act failed to halt the legislation. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/20/filesharing-bt-talktalk-digital-economy-act UK Digital Economy Act complies with EU law, judge rules A judge has ruled that a controversial UK law protecting the rights of copyright holders on the internet does comply with EU law. http://out-law.com/page-11885 Google and Facebook spending more on lobbying As it faces rising scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators, Google spent more on lobbying in Washington so far this year than in any other quarter since the Internet giant opened a lobbying operation in Washington in 2005. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/04/google-and-facebook-spending-more-on-lobbying.html Facebook?s Q1 Lobbying Tab: $230,000 How serious is Facebook about making friends in Washington? In the first quarter of this year, the social network spent $230,000 in lobbying Washington ? up from roughly $41,400 during the same period last year, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/04/22/facebooks-q1-lobbying-tab-230000/ us: Opinion: The Internet Taxman Cometh Online shoppers could soon find themselves paying more for their purchases if state policymakers succeed in convincing Congress to sign off on a multistate sales tax cartel for the Internet. http://blogs.forbes.com/adamthierer/2011/04/24/the-internet-taxman-cometh/ nz: Copyright change about more than idle threats If you watch videos or listen to music over the internet without paying for it, there is a chance you may get a nasty surprise in the post or your email inbox after September when a controversial change to copyright law will come into force. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/4922854/Copyright-change-about-more-than-idle-threats http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/arts-life/4923503/Internet-law-change-not-an-idle-threat http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/4922854/Copyright-change-about-more-than-idle-threats New Zealanders Plan May 1st Protests of ?Three-Strikes? Marches to take place around the country to fight back against the new Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill that critics believe ?has been unfairly and unjustly brought into law.? http://www.zeropaid.com/news/93174/new-zealanders-plan-may-1st-protests-of-three-strikes/ au: No such thing as a losing bet under proposed change to online gambling GAMBLERS who lose money playing internet poker or online casino games would be able to void unsuccessful credit card bets under legislation to be tabled in Parliament next month. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/no-such-thing-as-a-losing-bet-under-proposed-change-to-online-gambling-20110422-1drgj.html ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* Microsoft founder lashes out at Apple and Google Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, has lashed out at internet rivals such as Apple and described Google as "evil". http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/24/microsoft-paul-allen-rivals-evil Microsoft Sold 350 Million Windows 7 Licenses Microsoft on Friday announced that it has sold over 350 million licenses of Windows 7 in the past 18 months. The milestone points to a momentum in the adoption of Windows 7, but Microsoft didn't break down the numbers into how many copies shipped with new PCs or are upgrades. http://www.pcworld.com/article/226126/.html Windows 7: 350 million licenses sold in 18 months Eighteen months after Windows 7 was released, Microsoft is boasting that it has sold 350 million licenses of its flagship operating system. The platform's sales have barely slowed since the company last bragged about numbers; after 12 months, 240 million licenses had been shipped. http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/04/windows-7-350-million-licenses-sold-in-18-months.ars Windows 7 expands lead over Vista, still dwarfed by Windows XP Windows 7 has expanded its lead over Windows Vista with more than 350 million licenses sold after 18 months on the market, Microsoft said Friday. But Windows XP, older than both Vista and 7, still captures about half of the desktop operating system market with Mac and Linux far behind. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/042211-windows7-350-million.html InternetNZ policy director resigns after making Labour list InternetNZ said today that policy director Jordon Carter had resigned. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/internetnz-policy-director-makes-labour-list-ck-90386 InternetNZ's Jordan Carter resigns InternetNZ policy director Jordan Carter has resigned, to concentrate on his political career. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/internetnzs-jordan-carter-resigns ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Network fixes: Every move you make Wi-Fi or mobile connections do not care whether a user is standing still, running, driving at 100kph or sitting on public transport. This kind of flexibility comes at a price, though. Most devices in motion transmit more slowly than they could because they maintain connections to the nearest base station for longer than they optimally ought to. http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/04/network_fixes us: A Clash Over the Airwaves Dropped calls. Maps that take eons to load. Echoing voices on a mobile phone. And, as iPhone users know, the dreaded ?Cannot Open Page.? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/business/media/22spectrum.html nz: NZ telcos propose Aussie-style alternative to planned broadband legislation New Zealand telcos and user organisations are proposing changes to the enabling legislation for the country's Ultrafast Broadband Network (UFB) that, as it stands, would give providers a ten-year holiday from pricing regulation. Instead they want to see Australian style 'special access undertakings' adopted. http://www.itwire.com/it-policy-news/regulation/46744-nz-telcos-unite-to-lobby-against-nzs-nbn-legislation nz: User groups oppose Telecom request for relief InternetNZ and TUANZ are united in opposing a request by Telecom for a fifth variation to its operational separation requirements. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/user-groups-oppose-telecom-request-for-relief nz: Minister pours cold water on UFB regulatory alternative ICT Minister Steven Joyce appears to have rejected a suggestion by 11 telcos and industry groups that legislation to enact Ultra Fast Broadband be changed to enable regulatory oversight into pricing during the first decade of the build. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/minister-pours-cold-water-on-ufb-regulatory-alternative nz: Industry coalition has alternative to UFB regulatory holiday Industry and consumer groups opposed to the regulatory forbearance period in the draft Telecommunications Amendment Bill, have suggested an alternative way to ensure there is price certainty for UFB partners without sacrificing Commerce Commission oversight on pricing. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/industry-coalition-has-alternative-to-ufb-regulatory-holiday nz: Commerce Commission seeks submissions on changes to UBA pricing scheme The Commerce Commission is seeking submissions on proposed changes to its methodology for calculate Telecom?s unbundled bitstream access (UBA) price. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/commerce-commission-seeks-submissions-on-changes-to-uba-pricing-scheme nz: Telcos propose last option for UFB regulation A group of New Zealand telecommunications firm that oppose the 'regulatory holiday' for ultra-fast broadband (UFB) providers, have submitted a new option for involving the Commerce Commission in UFB price monitoring. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/telcos-propose-last-option-for-ufb-regulation nz: Telco Groups Suggest New Way Forward For UFB Bill The telecommunications and industry group opposed to the UFB Bill is suggesting 'win-win' alternatives to their concerns around a regulatory holiday for successful fibre bidders and loss of Commerce Commission oversight to UFB prices and services. http://www.voxy.co.nz/technology/telco-groups-suggest-new-way-forward-ufb-bill/5/88586 nz: Telcos try last ditch attempt to change broadband bill Opponents of the proposed 'regulatory holiday' for ultra-fast broadband providers have put up a late option for involving the competition watchdog, the Commerce Commission, in UFB price monitoring. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10721573 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2011 ------ David Goldstein email: david§goldsteinreport.com web: http://goldsteinreport.com/ http://davidgoldstein.tel/ 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 Tue Apr 26 2011 - 01:53:57 UTC
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