general internet news - 22 August

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

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Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/
Internet in Asia blog:
http://internetinasia.typepad.com/
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RESEARCH PAPERS
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pk: Regulation and Diplomacy in Telecommunications by
YOUSAF HAROON [Institute of Communication
Technologies; US Telecom Training Institute - General]
Abstract: The very concept of 'domestic regulation' in
telecommunications comes from multilateral commitments
of international trade in services, under WTO GATS. As
international trade is a domain of multilateral and
intergovernmental diplomatic relations, where
regulation in telecom services, directly affect
commercial and bilateral relationships of partner
countries. Under WTO commitments Pakistan has opened
up its telecom sector under De-Regulation Policy of
2003 and now the privatization process of PTCL (the
national incumbent operator) is under way. Even after
adopting the 'Technology Neutral' Policy, Pakistan's
Telecom market is divided into two (2) main
technologies i.e., CDMA (US) and GSM (European)
technologies respectively. Further the policy has
adopted to restrict the mobility of WLL (Wireless
Local Loop) operators making the 'Technology Neutral'
doctrine a paradox. Specific technology choices has
activated forces of commercial diplomacy to play their
aggressive role, to force the market into different
directions of technology-choices. Here, Pakistan has
earlier tried to liberalize some infrastructure
sectors, like power and deep-sea fishing. These became
wrong policy choices which even haunt the
policy-markers today. At the time when this paper is
written, Pakistan was in the mid of telecom policy
evolution.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=727203

uk: The Impact of the Internet on UK Inflation by
SUSHIL WADHWANI [Bank of England - Monetary Policy
Committee]
Abstract: In this speech, Sushil B. Wadhwani, member
of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee, argues that
the Internet is likely to have a highly significant
impact on productivity, margins, the NAIRU and
inflation over the next few years. He conjectures that
there may be a case, therefore, for revisiting the
MPC's assumptions on productivity growth, although he
concedes that the Internet is only one of many factors
that will influence the outlook for inflation.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=764267

The Digital Divide: It's the Content, Stupid! by
ANDRES GUADAMUZ [University of Edinburgh ; Computer
and Telecommunications Law Review]
Abstract: The digital divide has been at the centre of
a large amount of academic analysis in recent years,
particularly in the area of access to the internet in
developing countries. This article deals with a lesser
explored aspect of the divide, and it is the problem
of access to online content once some of the hardware
and network access issues are solved.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=766624

cn: The Future of Music and Film Piracy in China by
ERIC PRIEST [Harvard Law School]
I first consider the Chinese government's capacity to
crack down on piracy, and conclude that it is
unrealistic to expect the government to prosecute an
effective, sustained crackdown on piracy in the near
future due to several extant political and social
factors, institutional deficiencies, and the rise of
illicit file sharing on the Internet. I next consider
the likelihood that China will continue implementing
measured and gradual reforms rather than engage in
sustained efforts to crack down on piracy. Using
Taiwan's experience as a point of reference, I argue
that progress in China's intellectual property reforms
will likely be measured in decades, not years. In the
meantime, I argue, copyright owners will increasingly
seek alternative sources of revenue in China that will
allow them to capture returns from their creative
works without having to rely on copyright law. Lastly,
I propose a solution to the piracy problem in China
that recognizes the Internet can be utilized as an
aid, rather than feared as a threat, in the fight
against piracy.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=761064

Transmissions of Music on the Internet: an Analysis of
the Copyright Laws of Canada, France, Germany, Japan,
the United Kingdom, and the United States by DANIEL J.
GERVAIS [University of Ottawa - Common Law; Vanderbilt
Journal of Transnational Law]
Abstract: This Article examines the status of
copyright laws in several countries as they pertain to
transmissions of music on the Internet. Because the
exact legal ramifications of music transmissions over
the Internet are currently unclear, the Author
compares copyright laws of six major markets and
examines the potential application of the copyright
laws and other rights that may apply. The Article also
discusses rules concerning which transborder
transmissions are likely to be covered by a country's
national laws, as well as specific rules applying to
the liability of intermediaries. Next, the Article
summarizes the comparative findings and discusses the
relevant nuances that exist among the countries
covered. Finally, the Article applies its findings to
several real life examples and details the practical
impact of current and future copyright laws on the
varying fact patterns.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=733763

Digital Realism and the Governance of Spam as
Cybercrime by DAVID S. WALL [Centre for Criminal
Justice Studies, School of Law, University of Leeds
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research]
This article deconstructs and analyses spamming
behaviour, before exploring the boundaries between law
and code (technology) as governance in order to inform
and stimulate the debate over the embedding of
cybercrime prevention policy within the code itself.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=740549

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CENSORSHIP, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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sg: ONI Releases Report, "Internet Filtering in
Singapore"
The university-based OpenNet Initiative (ONI) today
released ?Internet Filtering in Singapore in
2004-2005,? a report that documents the degree and
extent to which the Republic of Singapore controls the
information environment in which its citizens live,
including websites, blogs, email, and online
discussion forums.   The Berkman Center is one of
three institutions involved in the OpenNet Initiative
and three of the report's principal authors are here
at the Berkman Center: John Palfrey, Jonathan
Zittrain, and Derek Bambauer.

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/home?wid=10&func=viewSubmission&sid=793

Singapore's net controls shun filters (reg req'd)
Singapore maintains some of the world's tightest
restrictions on free expression on the internet, but
unlike other regimes, it doesn't do it with
technological filters.

http://smh.com.au/news/breaking/singapores-net-controls-shun-filters/2005/08/18/1123958159116.html

za: Deputy minister spends the day in sex shops
Home affairs Deputy Minister Malusi Gigaba paid
surprise visits to a number of sex shops in Cape Town
on Tuesday to check if they were trading in illegal
material including child pornography.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=vn20050817071353876C511806

Porn makes you blind
Gory and erotic images can affect your vision

http://economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=4292593

au: Labor wants porn filters in libraries
A Labor backbencher is calling for government funding
of public libraries to be tied to mandatory filtering
of the internet to stop child pornography.

http://smh.com.au/news/breaking/labor-wants-porn-filters-in-libraries/2005/08/18/1123958156000.html

http://theage.com.au/news/breaking/labor-wants-porn-filters-in-libraries/2005/08/18/1123958156000.html

au: Library porn crackdown
THE Tasmanian Government will review controls being
used by libraries to restrict access to internet
pornography.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16334199-421,00.html

ru: KGB Censors Satirical Internet Cartoons
Reporters Without Borders today condemned the raids
carried out on 16 August by the Belarusian secret
police, the KGB, on three apartments in Minsk and the
western city of Grodno allegedly belonging to young
members of the Third Way opposition movement who
create satirical, animated cartoons (in Flash format)
for Internet distribution.
 http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/677
 http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=14724

ly: HRW Concerned About Health of Imprisoned Internet
Writer
The Libyan government should release journalist and
Internet writer 'Abd al-Raziq al-Mansuri and drop the
charges against him or grant him a prompt and fair
trial, Human Rights Watch said today. Libya's internal
security force has detained al-Mansuri since last
January in an apparent effort to silence a writer with
critical views.
 http://allafrica.com/stories/200508170906.html

us: Cyberbullying is a growing trend
A study released by a California-based education
foundation finds many students are being bullied in a
whole new way -- through the Internet.

http://www.dailytimesleader.com/articles/2005/08/17/news/news01.txt

us: Predators lurking inside your home?
If you're in your room feeling happy that your
children are home and safe, think again. You're
probably not aware that a sexual predator might be
luring them at this very moment on Internet with
something seemingly innocent, like Disney cartoons.
 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15049187

us: China tries to wipe Internet icon from Web
Floozie or role model, attention monger or free
spirit? For months, China has been debating what to
make of its latest Internet-born star, a young woman
known nationwide as Furong Jiejie, aka Sister Furong.

http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=9417608

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/19/hibiscus_nipped_in_bud/

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LEGAL AND SECURITY
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ca: Gangs joining forces
Organized crime groups are increasingly swapping gang
colours for business suits, ending turf wars to trade
tactics and using the Internet to stay a step ahead of
police, according to a national law enforcement group.

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/toronto/story.html?id=dd1c694d-319f-4205-8a6c-0fa7b77c3153

za: New measures to tackle online sex offenders
The growing abuse of the Internet has again come under
the spotlight with law enforcement authorities around
the world making a concerted effort to clamp down on
paedophiles and other online sex offenders

http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20050817103434136

CHILD PORN AMONG FASTEST GROWING INTERNET BUSINESSES
(news release)
Within only a few years, child pornography has become
a multi-billion dollar commercial enterprise, and is
among the fastest growing businesses on the Internet.
1 Through the use of digital and web cameras, child
pornography has become easier and less expensive to
produce. Distribution on the Internet has facilitated
instant access by thousands and possibly millions of
individuals throughout the world. The ability to use
credit cards to purchase child pornography has made it
easier than ever to obtain.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2064

us: Child porn industry makes $33.4b a year
THE online child pornography industry is booming. It
has become the fastest-growing computer crime
globally. There are now thousands of such websites
worldwide circulating an estimated one million
pictures.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,93339,00.html

us: Child porn rising on Web, prompting U.S. action
Despite highly publicized arrests, law-enforcement
officials say that the sexual exploitation of children
on the Internet is growing dramatically. Over the past
four years, the number of reports of child pornography
sites to the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children (NCMEC) has grown by almost 400%.
Law-enforcement officials are particularly disturbed
by the increased number of commercial sites that offer
photos of exploited children in return for a
credit-card number. Those fighting child porn say it
has become a global multibillion-dollar industry. 

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-08-17-child-pornography-sites_x.htm
 http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0818/p01s01-stct.html

us: Attorney general releases child safety publication
The guide, titled SafeSteps to Protect Florida's
Children: A Parent's Guide to Online Safety, Child
Abduction and Runaway Issues, provided through Macy's
financial support, has Macy's further commitment to
continue to work with Attorney General Crist to
promote child safety by making SafeSteps available in
all of its stores throughout Florida.
 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15052156

us: Police blotter: Net stalker loses appeal
"Police blotter" is a weekly report on the
intersection of technology and the law. This episode:
An Internet stalker is unable to get out of his long
trip to Club Fed.

http://news.com.com/Police+blotter+Net+stalker+loses+appeal/2100-1030_3-5840019.html

us: Special US police unit spies on suspected
paedophiles
YOU are surfing the Internet and suddenly a window
pops up on your screen. Free child pornography, it
says.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,93336,00.html

jp: Student held over online mugging
A student in Japan is arrested on charges of using an
army of bots to mug players in an online role-playing
game.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4165880.stm

us: No reasonable expectation of privacy in Internet
subscriber information
Court dismisses civil suit against city and police
officers for obtaining information about AOL
subscriber without warrant.

http://www.internetcases.com/archives/2005/08/no_reasonable_e_1.html

Google Earth: Ein Tool für Terroristen?
Niederländische Politiker sehen Gefahr in der Software
- Luftaufnahmen würden Anschläge erleichtern
 http://derstandard.at/?ressort=Google

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POLICY
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us: Schwarzenegger Team Proposes Stricter Sex Offender
Laws
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's public safety liaison
briefed a panel of San Diego law enforcement and
community leaders Thursday on proposed legislation to
strengthen California's sex offender laws.
 http://www.10news.com/politics/4869123/detail.html

http://www.sacunion.com/pages/state_capitol/articles/5938/

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INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE
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us: Video games linked to aggression in boys
Most studies done on violence and video games support
the conclusion that violent video games can increase
aggressive behaviour in children and adolescents,
especially boys, researchers said on Friday.

http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=9427104

India widens its Web
Wireless technology will give Internet access to rural
villages.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2005-08-18-india-wi-fi_x.htm

us: The Internet at School (Pew Internet & American
Life Project report)
There has been a 45% increase since 2000 in the number
of teenagers who use the internet at school.

http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/163/report_display.asp

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ONLINE MUSIC & P2P
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EU online music deal closer
Belgium and the Netherlands will scrap their
restrictions on licensing music to online users, a
move that is hoped will help drive sales of downloads.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4160396.stm

http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=9400097

Singapore cracks down on music file-sharing offenders
Three Internet users have been arrested in Singapore
and charged with distributing digital music files in
the city-state's first crackdown on illegal file
sharing, Singapore police said on Thursday.

http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=9408824
 http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3382157a28,00.html

CA: File-sharing continues at colleges
About 50 colleges that have begun providing students
with a legal means to get music on-line through
services like Rhapsody, Ruckus, Cdigix and the
now-legal version of Napster

http://globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050819.gtshareaug19/BNStory/Technology/

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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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A New Arms Race to Build the World's Mightiest
Computer (reg req'd, free for short period)
A global race is under way to reach the next milestone
in supercomputer performance, many times the speed of
today's most powerful machines, with China eager to
showcase its arrival as an economic powerhouse.
 http://nytimes.com/2005/08/19/technology/19super.html

How green is your PC?
Computer manufacturers have responded to a new
European directive on hazardous substances by
accelerating initiatives aimed at making hardware more
environmentally friendly.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1550765,00.html

Germans rank Berners-Lee alongside Einstein
The inventor of the World Wide Web has been rated as
important as the brains behind the theory of
relativity

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39214097,00.htm

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ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
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au: Court slashes child porn sentence
The Sale County Court, in Victoria's south-east, has
reduced the jail sentence for a Morwell man convicted
of child pornography offences.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1439409.htm

uk: KID PORN MAN IN COURT WRANGLE IS GUILTY
A MAN who offered to share child porn images was found
guilty yesterday after the High Court ruled a sheriff
had bungled by clearing him.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15861491&method=full&siteid=89488&headline=kid-porn-man-in-court-wrangle-is-guilty--name_page.html

us: Child pornography plea could net 20-year term
A Town of Tonawanda man faces up to 20 years in prison
when he is sentenced in December after pleading guilty
to receiving child pornography, the U.S. Department of
Justice reported Friday.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050820/2051419.asp
 http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=3745430

us: Reno man indicted on child pornography charges
A federal grand jury has indicted a Reno man on
charges of possessing child pornography and using the
Internet to lure a child for sex.
 http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3743861

us: Stockton man sentenced in child pornography case
A Stockton man was sentenced in federal court
yesterday for possession of child pornography.
 http://www.nevadadailymail.com/story/1114697.html

us: Man Arrested for Drugs, Child Pornography
A local man was taken into custody Thursday morning,
and is now facing drug and child pornography charges.

http://www.detnow.com/wxyz/nw_local_news/article/0,2132,WXYZ_15924_4011635,00.html

us: Gilkeson charged with having child pornography
Forty-nine year old James Gilkeson was arraigned
Monday for endangering the welfare of a child. He is
now charged with receiving and possessing child
pornography. Authorities say the charges come from a
search of a computer Gilkeson used at his house.

http://news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=47522

us: Ex-coach granted bond, faces child porn charges
A Suffolk Circuit Court judge on Friday granted a
$15,000 bond for a former Suffolk coach arrested last
month on 58 charges of possessing child pornography.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/southofjames/dp-70587bf0aug20,0,4714146.story

us: Los Fresnos man charged with child porn
State troopers arrested a Los Fresnos man Wednesday
after finding child pornography images in his home
computer.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ts_more.php?id=66626_0_10_0_C

us: Trial date set in child pornography case
A trial date was set Monday for a former Fort Bend
County Fair Association director accused of possessing
child pornography.

http://www.herald-coaster.com/articles/2005/08/16/news/news05.txt

us: Kosse man faces child porn charges
A Limestone County man arrested in the spring after
bringing his computer to a College Station business
for repair was indicted Thursday on 50 counts of
felony possession of child pornography.

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/081905/local_20050819022.php

us: Booneville women sentenced in child porn case
Barbara S. Sellers of Booneville has been sentenced to
20 years in federal prison on child pornography
charges, the FBI says.

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/12415659.htm

us: Billerica man denies charges of child porn
A 59-year-old Billerica man was released on personal
recognizance after denying allegations he was
receiving child pornography through the mail., Gerald
Fortier pleaded innocent in Middlesex Superior Court
yesterday to five counts of possession of child
pornography. As a condition of release, Fortier is to
have no unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18.
 http://www.lowellsun.com/local/ci_2956501

us: Larry Knapton Arrested
Larry Knapton is charged with five counts of child
pornography on a Lake County, Illinois Warrant. He is
now being held in Cass County, Iowa.
 http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=3746171

us: Feds: Abduction suspect had child porn on home
computer
A man accused of trying to abduct a girl in Syracuse
last week had child pornography on the computer at his
Binghamton-area home.

http://www.wrgb.com/news/regional/regional.asp?selection=article_38890

us: Cloquet man sentenced for child porn
The photographs gathered from the hard drive of the
man's home computer leave investigators highly
unsettled.

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/12412821.htm

us: 19-year-old busted for computer child porn
A 19-year-old is accused of child sex abuse after
police say they found illegal file sharing pornography
on his computer.
 http://www.kptv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3736332

us: Man awaits sentence after pleading guilty to
having child porn
A Harleysville man has admitted in Montgomery County
Court that he had child pornography and engaged in
sexually explicit online conversations with minors.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b5_2pornaug20,0,5901730.story

us: Electronic Soliciting: 6 Months in Jail
A 54-year-old Chantilly man who hoped to have sex with
a 13-year-old Centreville girl has been sentenced to
six months in jail.

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=54713

us: DULUTH MAN SENTENCED TO 27 MONTHS IN CHILD PORN
CASE (news release)
A local man was sentenced in federal court today to 27
months in prison for possession of child pornography,
the result of an investigation conducted by the Duluth
Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) special agents.

http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/050817duluth.htm

us: ANAHEIM TEACHER CHARGED WITH POSSESSING AND
TRANSPORTING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY (news release)
A former instructor at Orangeview Junior High School
in Anaheim faces up to 30 years in prison after being
charged with possessing and transporting child
pornography.

http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/050818losangeles.htm

us: UNIFIED TEACHER CAUGHT IN CHILD PORN STING
A Unified School District math teacher will not be
returning to his classroom when the 2005-?06 school
year begins after child pornography charges were filed
against him.

http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=1716

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(c) David Goldstein 2005

David Goldstein
 address: 4/3 Abbott Street
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             AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - home

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