general internet news - 2 October

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

How to provide Safety Awareness, Facts and Tools
20-21 October 2003 in Stockholm, Sweden at Conference
Centre Citykonferensen Ingenjörshuset
A two-day event covering possibilities as well as risks
concerning kids' online behaviour. Current research and
extensive survey results on children's use of new media
will be presented, and the roles of parents, educators,
industry and government are on the agenda.  Opening speaker
will be Ms Marita Ulvskog, Swedish Minister for Culture.
 http://www.saftonline.org/latestnews/158/

.au - The net makes it into the mainstream
Despite its propeller head beginnings, the internet is now
bona fide mainstream media, according to a recently
released report. And it is even stealing ground from
traditional media such as newspapers and TV.
 http://afr.com/articles/2003/09/29/1064819869573.html

New International FOI Survey Released
Privacy International and Freedominfo.org have released a
new study of Freedom of Information Laws in 53 countries
for the International Freedom of Information Day. The study
finds that FOI is now an essential and standard feature in
democratic governments around the world.
 http://www.freedominfo.org/survey.htm

PI and GreenNet Release Internet Censorship Survey
Silenced a global study of Internet censorship in over
fifty countries and regions finds that Internet
restrictions, government secrecy and communications
surveillance have reached an unprecedented level across the
world. The twelve-month study conducted by Privacy
International and the GreenNet Educational Trust has found
that a sharp escalation in control of the Internet since
September 2001 may have outstripped the traditional ability
of the medium to repel attempts at restriction.

http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/censorship/index.html

PI and EPIC Release 2003 World Privacy Survey
Privacy International and the Electronic Privacy
Information Center released Privacy and Human Rights 2003
on 5 September. The report reviews the state of privacy in
55 countries around the world. Issues covered include data
protection, surveillance, anti-terrorism efforts and new
technologies.
 http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/phr2003/

.de - Single tip smashes child porn ring
Thanks to a single tip-off to a hotline a year ago, one of
the biggest child pornography rings was smashed last week
in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
 http://www.electricnews.net/news.html?code=9376756

.uk - Battle to control media in soccer rape allegation 
The attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, warned newspapers
last night that increasingly fevered coverage of rape
allegations against eight Premiership footballers could
prejudice any future trial.
...
The allegations were carried on the front pages of several
newspapers yesterday, as well as on broadcast media and the
internet, where websites carried the names of players
rumoured to be involved.
...
Mr Gilbert said that the internet posed problems that the
contempt laws were ill suited to combat. "It adds a whole
new facet to the problem. You have a completely unregulated
environment to which millions have access in which rumours
abound. In the eyes of the law, however, I think there is
still a difference between a rumour on a website and one
published in a newspaper." 
The Internet Service Providers' Association called for
clarification of the law regarding their role in police
defamatory or prejudicial material published online.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,7495,1053221,00.html

.uk - Website shut for naming players accused of rape
A website on which several Premiership footballers were
accused of raping a 17-year-old girl was closed yesterday.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=448687
 http://www.internet-magazine.com/news/view.asp?id=3738

Paedophilia problematic for online community
Paedophilia and child pornography has been problematic
amongst the online and offline global village for
centuries. It is only recently that preventative strategies
and measures have been implemented to safe guard children
whilst using the Internet. Governments, authorities, ISPs,
software companies and parents abroad are working together
to stop dangerous predators from luring children into a
potentially abusive environment.

http://www.net4nowt.com/isp_news/news_article.asp?News_ID=1366

To Censor Hosting Clients or Not?
You can hear cries of "censorship" on an almost-daily
basis, and they come from every source imaginable: would-be
whistle-blowers, disgruntled ex-employees, student
journalists, participants in online forums, and more. But
censorship comes in many different forms, and it isn't
always illegal.
 http://thewhir.com/king/siluk-gregory092903.cfm

Indian Net Ban Overshoots Its Aim
The Indian government outlaws one Yahoo discussion group
run by a little-known separatist movement -- but a
technical glitch forces ISPs to block access to all of the
Yahoo forums.
 http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60628,00.html
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3148288.stm

Netizens slam Net censorship
No way, Nanny. That's the reaction of Indian netizens to
MSN now wearing the cloak of social responsibility.
Microsoft online subsidiary MSN's move to close its
chatrooms in select countries, including India, ostensibly
to protect children from Web paedophiles, is driving net
nuts nutty.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=208162

Record Numbers of Kids Surf Web for Homework, Music
Surfing the Web for homework tips and music tracks has
drawn millions of Europe's children online in the past
year, making it the fastest-growing segment of the Internet
population, a new study said on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=3533073

.ca - Software teaches children Net safety
Challenging computer game alerts preteens to the dangers of
Internet predators by forcing them to catch one

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031001.gtucompm/BNStory/Technology/

Police target a new venue for child porn
District Attorney Tom Spota does not download Britney
Spears songs. But he thinks it's likely his college-age
daughter exchanges tunes from Internet file-sharing
programs.

http://news.findlaw.com/csmonitor/s/20030930/30sep2003095551.html

Zimbabwe’s Daily News battles on - online
The Daily News, Zimbabwe's only independent newspaper, will
be relaunched online despite being banned by the
government.
 http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story727.html

Mobile filtering tool blocks adult content
Interactive mobile content specialist Bango.net has
launched new filter technology designed to stop children
from accessing adult content on mobile phones.
 http://www.vnunet.com/News/1143984

.uk - Coroner's plea over chatrooms
A coroner yesterday called for greater public vigilance to
combat the danger of internet chatrooms.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/news/0,12597,1052959,00.html

'Net may harm kids': academic
A UNIVERSITY lecturer studying the effects of the internet
on teenagers believes the technology may have damaging
psychological consequences.

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,7429430%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

.ca - Petition urges control of TV violence
A petition with thousands of signatures from Quebec urging
regulation of violence on television was presented to the
federal government in Ottawa Monday.

http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=1C17F868-571B-4EE6-B4B2-4C3418CC0E66

RIAA guilty of 'child abuse'
A newly launched peer-to-peer trade association has offered
to sit down and negotiate with music industry lawyers,
while it simultaneously denounced its adversaries as
obsolete and "tyrannosaurical."
 http://www.silicon.com/news/500013-500001/1/6209.html

Kazaa: Serve Consumers, Not Subpoenas
Executives from the music and motion picture industries
told a Senate panel Tuesday that until peer-to-peer (P2P)
software companies begin to act responsibly and proactively
to discourage copyright infringement on their services,
there is little chance Hollywood will negotiate licensing
agreements with the popular file-sharing networks.
 http://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/3085711

Desmantelada una red de pornografía infantil que operaba en
166 países a través de Internet
El hecho ha tenido lugar en Alemania, donde la policía del
estado de Sajonia-Anhalt ha desmantelado esta red que
operaba en 166 países.

http://delitosinformaticos.com/noticias/106484684872551.shtml

Joven de 18 años detenido en Ciudad Real por estafas a
través de Internet
F.J.V.P., internauta de 18 años de edad, y residente en
Ciudad Real, ha sido detenido por la Unidad de Policía
Judicial de la Comisaría del Cuerpo Nacional de Policía de
Ciudad Real, por presunta estafa a través de Internet.

http://delitosinformaticos.com/noticias/106484687328305.shtml

Norwegian Board of Film Classification (NBFC) gives green
light to all films banned from public viewing
90 years have passed since prior approval of films was
introduced in Norway. Now the NBFC clears its archives and
will release all films that have previously been censored
for viewing in Norwegian cinemas. Several hundred banned
films can now be shown on the big screen.
 http://www.filmtilsynet.no/Nyheter/1064928525

Spam problem expected to worsen
Spam is expected to increase over the next nine months,
accounting for 60 percent of email traffic and damaging the
effectiveness of legitimate email campaigns, according to a
research firm.

http://www.itnews.com.au/storycontent.asp?ID=1&Art_ID=15604

Spam: This Time It's Personal
Spam ruined his domain, bringing on a hail of bounced
e-mail and nasty messages. Dissatisfied with his ISP's
response, Andy Markley launched his own investigation and
bagged a spammer.
 http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60635,00.html

Law Won't Deter Spam, Experts Say
Critics of a measure signed by Gov. Davis say it may be
ineffective against junk e-mail and spur frivolous
lawsuits.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-spam29sep29224416,1,4879424.story

Stop buying from spammers, Net industry says
With an arsenal of new laws, campaigns and technologies
failing to stop spammers from sending a seemingly endless
flow of unsolicited commercial e-mail, the Internet
industry is finally turning to a little-acknowledged
culprit to stem the tide -- consumers.

http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php?id=1005073973&fp=2&fpid=1

E-Spying on Your Lover Could Be Illegal - Experts
A company calling itself Lover Spy has begun offering a way
for jealous lovers -- and anyone else -- to spy on the
computer activity of their mates by sending an electronic
greeting, the equivalent of a thinking-of-you card, that
doubles as a bugging device.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=3531545

Discord at digital divide talks
Sharp divisions over how to bridge the digital divide
between rich and poor have emerged ahead of a UN summit on
the issue in December.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3148356.stm

.uk - Electronic evidence – new guidelines for police
The UK National Hi-Tech Crime Unit and the Association of
Chief Police Officers have issued new guidelines for police
dealing with computer-based electronic evidence to avoid
problems of drawing false conclusions and admissibility in
court.

http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=electronicevidence1064924580

.uk - London lawyers in trouble over unfit e-mail
The Law Society is expected to reprimand three solicitors
over a flippant e-mail that suggested replacing a departing
black secretary with a “fit busty blonde.” The firm has
already settled a claim of sex and race discrimination.

http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=londonlawyersintr1064924555

Music Download Suit Settlements Announced
The recording industry says it has settled 52 of the 261
suits it filed against Internet users accused of illegally
permitted others to download music from their computers.

http://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/e/1403/9-30-2003/20030930020007_29.html

Study shows 3G mobile signals can cause headaches, nausea
A study in the Netherlands has shown that radio signals for
the next generation of mobile phone services, known as 3G,
can cause headaches and nausea.
 http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s957186.htm

Media call for BBC internet curbs
Commercial media companies are to ask the Government for
tough restrictions to be placed on the BBC's internet
activities, including a cost ceiling on its internet budget
and a demand that it provide links to the news services of
its competitors.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/news/0,12597,1051061,00.html

One Billion Euro for the success of Information and
Communication Technologies in Europe
The Union's priority for R&D in Information Society
Technologies (IST) aims to bring technologies closer to
people, ensuring that all Europe's citizens and businesses
can, and actually do benefit from technological advance. As
a result of the first IST Call for Proposals under the
sixth Framework Programme, the Commission's Information
Society Directorate-General will be launching 236 new IST
projects to the tune of 1 billion Euro of Community
funding. This represents the largest award of its kind in
the history of the Framework Programme.

http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=IP/03/1298|0|RAPID&lg=EN&display=

AOL Launches Spanish-Language Service
AOL's new mantra is: Tienes e-mail.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-latino1oct01,1,7353808.story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26065-2003Oct1.html

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=3536540

Yahoo to Offer Spanish-Language Personals
Internet media company Yahoo Inc. said on Wednesday it
would expand its popular personals business by launching a
Spanish-language service targeted at Latinos in the United
States, one of the fastest-growing groups of new Internet
users.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=3537129

VeriSign tapped to secure Internet voting
VeriSign announced Monday that it will provide key
components of a system designed to let Americans abroad
cast absentee votes over the Internet.
 http://news.com.com/2100-1029-5083772.html

Acer losing money on Tablet PC
When Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates introduced the
first prototypes of the Tablet PC in 2001, he predicted
that the devices would become the most popular form of PCs
within five years. But that prediction hasn't yet
translated into high volumes for Acer Inc., which continues
to lose money on its Tablet PC line, according to a company
executive.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/09/30/HNacerlosing_1.html

Ten Technologies That Deserve to Die
Some technologies are so blatantly obnoxious that the human
race would rejoice if they were summarily executed. A
humorist and science fiction writer offers some candidates.
 http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/Sterling1003.asp


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=====
David Goldstein
 address: 2/4 Dundas Street
             COOGEE NSW 2034
             AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David@yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 0015 - home

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