internet news - 13/2

[David Goldstein <goldstein_david@yahoo.com.au>]

Domain Name News
ICANN Warns Firms Of Domain-Registration Back Doors (Newsbytes)
The organization with authority over some of the Net's most popular
domain-name real estate has issued a warning to authorized Internet
address marketers who let other companies dip into the domain
registration system. 
 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/174465.html

Patriotic '.us' Internet Address Available in April 
Internet users looking to add a patriotic flair to their Web sites
will be able to reserve names ending in ''.us'' by the end of April,
the company responsible for the retooled Internet domain said
Tuesday. 

http://digitalmass.boston.com/news/wire_story.html?uri=/dailynews/043/technology/Patriotic_us_Internet_Address_:.shtml

From BNA Internet Law News
Does AOL Own Right To Sony And Microsoft Names?
ICANNWatch reports on an interesting NAF ICANN UDRP decision
involving domains such as aol-msn.com, microsoft-aol.com, and
aol-sony.com.  A panelist recently transferred the names to AOL,
raising questions about why AOL should have rights in the name of a
major competitor.  Report at
 http://www.icannwatch.org/article.php?sid=544
Decision at
 http://www.arb-forum.com/domains/decisions/102525.htm

Internet News

SaferInternet.org
The 11th Safer Internet newsletter for awareness raisers in the EU
Safer Internet programme is now available.
This newsletter is also available in French and German.
 http://www.saferinternet.org/news/archive.asp

Whispers of Wireless in the Workplace (ABCNEWS.com)
How Businesses Will Change With Wireless Networks
Transportation and logistics companies are on the cutting edge of
using the wireless Internet to change the way they work, with
warehouses and retail stores right behind. All these industries have
one thing in common: the need for workers standing up or on the go to
communicate the location of goods back to a central database. 

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/wirelessworld020212.html

EU OKs law for higher tax on Net sales (CNET)
European Union ministers on Tuesday endorsed a law obliging non-EU
suppliers to impose a higher tax on digital sales to European
consumers to remove a competitive handicap for EU companies, EU
officials said. 
 http://news.com.com/2100-1017-835195.html

Internet mosaic continues to grow (BBC)
The internet is continuing to boom, despite the current global
recession, according to research from analyst firm IDC.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1816000/1816388.stm

Cybercrime Bill Ups the Ante (Wired)
Some forms of illegal hacking would be punished by life imprisonment
under a proposal that Congress will debate on Tuesday. 
A House Judiciary subcommittee will consider the Cyber Security
Enhancement Act (CSEA), which ups the penalties for computer
intrusions, funds surveillance research and encourages Internet
providers to turn over more information to police. 
 http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,50363,00.html

Languages in the palm of your hand (BBC)
If you travel a lot but languages are not your strong point, then a
Russian company might just have the answer. 
It has developed a handy pocket-sized gadget that translates English
phrases into French, German or Spanish. 
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1814000/1814724.stm

Porn Hunters Unwelcome in Canada? (Wired)
Canadian crusaders who hunt down kiddie porn on the Internet are
rankled by a pending crime bill that would criminalize their
activities. 
The proposed legislation would update the country's criminal code to
make it illegal not only to produce, possess and transmit lewd images
of minors, but also merely to seek out websites that publish such
material. 
 http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,50325,00.html
 
Online voting fraud warning (BBC)
Online voting schemes should be tested much more thoroughly before
being rolled out for UK-wide elections, says a new report from an
influential think tank.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_1799000/1799883.stm

Experts Veto ‘Net Elections (Technology Review)
Technical hurdles will prevent Internet voting from replacing the
voting booth anytime soon, experts say. 
The Florida election controversy exposed a need for better voting
technology. But one year later, researchers say the Internet ain’t
it.
 http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/essex020602.asp

Identity In Search Of Security (Newsbytes)
Sometimes I forget who I am when I journey online because I have
created so many weird passwords and log-in names to register at
different Web sites. 
My fondness for multiple personalities comes at the urging of
security experts, who say varying one's Internet identity is the best
way to limit fraud. But I keep hoping someone will develop a powerful
password program to reunite my electronic self, and make my surfing
easier. 
 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/174301.html

Microsoft Putting Its Muscle Behind Web Programming Tools (New York
Times)
After spending three and a half years, five million hours of labor
and $2 billion, Microsoft (news/quote) begins a huge campaign today
to woo millions of computer programmers to use its new generation of
Internet software tools.
 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/13/technology/13SOFT.html

Microsoft, Justice Department Back Cybersecurity Bill (Newsbytes)
Representatives from Microsoft Corp. and the Justice Department on
Tuesday encouraged Congress to pass legislation that could lengthen
sentences for convicted electronic criminals.
 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/174450.html
 http://www.iht.com/articles/47866.html

Job cuts and network investment raise costs (International Herald
Tribune)
Much of the Internet's network devices - from desktop computers to
traffic management systems - have a security flaw that could allow
hackers to shut them down or gain control of the devices, a
government-funded research group warned Tuesday.
 http://www.iht.com/articles/47935.html

Australia’s safer Internet (DCITA news release)
The third biannual report on the operation of the Online Content
Co-regulatory Scheme released today, demonstrates how the Federal
Government’s Online Content legislation is making the Internet safer
for Australian families.
 http://www.dcita.gov.au/cgi-bin/graphics.pl?path=6190

SELF REGULATION.gov.au
This site has been designed as a gateway to self-regulation resources
for industry associations, businesses, consumers and government
organisations.
 http://www.selfregulation.gov.au

Content 'still king' online (Australian IT)
Never forget the importance of content, i-mode guru Takeshi Natsuno
told the Milia interactive conference.
He said developers often forgot this but the better the content the
more subscriber numbers went up.  

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,3768087%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

E.U. Net Use Growing, But Sputtering (Newsbytes)
About 38 percent of European Union residents boasted Internet access
as of December, more than doubling over the 18 percent in March 2000.
The union still has its own digital divide, however, with penetration
rates in southern E.U. nations lagging behind their northern
counterparts.
 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/174426.html

Wi-Fi Is the Guerrilla Revolution of Wireless Computing (Technology
Review)
AT&T Wireless and VoiceStream Wireless breathlessly rolled out new
networks last year that could deliver data to a device at speeds
matching those of a personal computer's dial-up modem. 
At the same time, anyone could have bought a special modem, walked
into a Starbucks with a laptop and hooked up to the Internet
wirelessly at 200 times those speeds on what's called a Wi-Fi
network. 
 http://www.technologyreview.com/offthewire/3001_2.asp

From BNA Internet Law News
Canadian Privacy Commissioner Releases New Decisions
The Canadian privacy commissioner has released a batch of new
decisions under Canada's private sector privacy legislation.  More
interesting decisions include one involving a bank's disclosure of
personal information to a customer's employer and another involving
privacy concerns over a bank's confidentiality agreement with a
marketing firm. Decisions at
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/cf-dc/index_e.asp
Highlighted decisions at
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/cf-dc/cf-dc_020108_01_e.asp
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/cf-dc/cf-dc_020110_02_e.asp

From BNA Internet Law News
COE Draft Protocol On Racism And Xenophobia Posted
Following an unsuccessful request by several groups to the Council of
Europe to release the preliminary draft of the First Additional
Protocol to the Convention on cybercrime, which aims at criminalizing
acts of a racist or xenophobic nature through computer networks, the
French civil liberties group IRIS has obtained and posted the
document on its website.  English draft at
http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/cybercrime/pc-rx/draft-181201.html

See http://www.alfa-redi.com/noticia/ for the web version of the
news, along with an archive.

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