general internet news - 3 July

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

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ca: Canadian ISP's 'monitoring' cause for concern
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9001547

us: Internet providers divided on anti-porn plan
http://iht.com/articles/2006/06/28/business/porn.php

Chat sites must take care of their kids
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/29/kids_safe_online/

Internet child porn booms in Philippines
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=48364
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/07/01/10050572.html
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=43089
http://sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2006/07/01/news/child.porn.business.in.rp.earns.$1.billion.every.year.say.police.html

ru: Internet child porn crime rate low in Russia -
ministry
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10580399&PageNum=0

de: German experts want search engines to be monitored
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/30/google_too_powerful/

Google goes to court to defend its ranking methods
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/1739C192A00F237DCC25719C001D2A70

us: US schoolgirls 'mug MySpace man'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5130742.stm

sg: Singapore's Inteligent Nation 2015 plan
http://internetinasia.typepad.com/blog/2006/06/singapores_inte.html

France approves iTunes rights law
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5133754.stm

nz: Telecom NZ smokes the peace pipe
http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Telecom_NZ_smokes_the_peace_pipe/0,2000061791,39261495,00.htm

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CENSORSHIP, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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au: Site for gay footy fans riles players
Photos of AFL footballers have been removed from a
website for gay footy fans after legal threats by the
AFL Players Association.
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/news/afl/site-for-gay-footy-fans-riles-players/2006/06/28/1151174267986.html

au: Conference to consider cyber bullying
More research about online bullying and its effects on
children will be put to an education conference that
is starting in Adelaide 29 June.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200606/s1674292.htm

au: $116.6 million to protect Australian families
online
FAMILIES in O'Connor now have better protection for
their children from offensive and illegal content on
the Internet thanks to the Australian Government's
$116.6 million Protecting Australian families online
said Wilson Tuckey.
http://moora.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=general&story_id=491224

au: Humphries urges adoption of Internet porn filters
The ACT Government is being urged to take on board new
measures to block children's access to Internet
pornography at public libraries.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200606/s1675206.htm

ca: Canadian ISP's 'monitoring' cause for concern
A statement by a major Canadian Internet service
provider that it will be monitoring customers' cyber
activities for possible reporting to government
agencies has sparked concern among privacy advocates.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9001547

us: Internet providers divided on anti-porn plan
On the same day that five Internet companies announced
joint efforts to combat online child pornography, some
of those same companies presented something less than
a united front over proposals on the issue being
drafted in Congress.
http://iht.com/articles/2006/06/28/business/porn.php

uk: Will filters stop paedophiles' online activities?
In the UK the government is leaning on ISPs to install
webfilters for home broadband, at huge cost. But, asks
Sean Hargrave, is thatthe best way to stop
paedophiles' online activities?
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200606301023.htm

MySpace, Safe Space?
The online community's new security czar talks about
how to protect kids?and advertisers?from unsavory
characters
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2006/tc20060624_365641.htm

Chat sites must take care of their kids
Interview The companies behind social networking sites
are failing in their duty of care by not protecting
their most vulnerable users, according to Matt
Colebourne, CEO of digital society site, LunarStorm.
He argues that companies like MySpace need to bite the
bullet and put proper security systems in place, even
if that means spending a fair chunk of change.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/29/kids_safe_online/

cn: Measures to tighten Web controls
The mainland's internet minders have vowed to step up
controls of internet content, especially in the areas
of blogs, bulletin boards and search engines.
http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=48370
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19637385%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2006-06-30-china-crackdown_x.htm
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18181
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/30/china_blogs/
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/china-to-tighten-internet-controls/2006/06/30/1151174371308.html

uk: How net providers stop child porn (7 Feb 06)
Tracking and blocking websites which feature child
pornography brings together domestic users, police
forces, internet security professionals and internet
service providers (ISPs).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4689386.stm

uk: BBFC plans to censor the internet
The UK's film censor has announced its intention to
control and classify films on the internet. The
British Board of Film Classification has said that it
would like to give web-delivered films certificates in
the same manner as it does for cinema and DVD
releases.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,29390-2247185,00.html

uk: Call for cap on internet gambling
Credit card firms should place a cap on how much can
be spent on internet gambling sites, an MP has said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5135826.stm

uk: Surfing with a safety net
The government is leaning on ISPs to install web
filters for home broadband, at huge cost. But, asks
Sean Hargrave, is that the best way to stop
paedophiles' online activities?
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1807757,00.html

Google eradicates pornography its own way
Google is showing signs of more resistance in
complying with regulators even as rival providers are
complying more with the federal government's
guidelines.
http://www.upi.com/Hi-Tech/view.php?StoryID=20060628-030730-8651r

Less Talk, More Action Needed To Curb Online Child
Porn
Digital Journal ? To retain or not to retain? That is
the question. Internet companies are divided on how to
address proposals to stop the spread of child
pornography. In hearings at the U.S. Congress,
lawmakers were determined to write legislation that
forces service providers to retain data about their
customers? online habits for at least a year.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/?articleID=4793

us: Industry vows fight on child porn
Thousands of child pornography images will be
collected into a database to prevent further
distribution, a group of online companies has
announced.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5123936.stm
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2442

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CYBERCRIME, CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY
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Internet child porn booms in Philippines
Child pornography on the internet was booming in the
Philippines in the absence of legislation banning such
activities, a senior police official said on Friday.
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=48364
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/07/01/10050572.html
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=43089
http://sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2006/07/01/news/child.porn.business.in.rp.earns.$1.billion.every.year.say.police.html

ru: Internet child porn crime rate low in Russia -
ministry
The incidence of crimes related to the dissemination
of child pornography on the Internet in Russia is not
high, the press service of the Interior Ministry's K
Department told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10580399&PageNum=0

de: German experts want search engines to be monitored
German experts at a Berlin seminar this week argued
that search engines need to be more regulated. They
want companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo!
to exercise editorial control over their search
results and filter out sites with x-rated content or
that glorify aggression.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/30/google_too_powerful/

Google goes to court to defend its ranking methods
Google will try to convince a judge today to dismiss a
lawsuit that challenges the heart of the company's
business: its methods for indexing and ranking web
pages.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/1739C192A00F237DCC25719C001D2A70

us: US schoolgirls 'mug MySpace man'
Two teenage girls in the US have been charged with
holding up at gunpoint a man they are said to have
contacted on social networking website MySpace.com.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5130742.stm
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060628/NEWS02/60628049

us: MySpace mugging: not just kids at risk
It seems that it isn't just teenage girls who are in
danger on MySpace. A 22-year-old Florida man has been
held up at gunpoint after going to meet an 18-year-old
he made contact with on the MySpace network.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/29/myspace_mugging/

us: Parents learn about online dangers
An estimated 30 million children access the Internet
nationwide and one in five children has been sexually
solicited online.
http://www.hoinews.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=12001

au: Scamming the Nigerian scammer
The tables have been turned on at least one Nigerian
scammer after an online vigilante successfully played
him at his own game with an intricately laid
"anti-scam" operation.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/scamming-the-scammer/2006/06/29/1151174322991.html

US website sued over cheat 'slur'
The creator of a US website that lets women complain
about men they say have wronged them is facing legal
action from a featured man. The man, a lawyer, says he
has been defamed, and the website should be forced to
check its facts.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5135384.stm

eu: Microsoft Races to Meet Deadline Before Europe
Imposes a Fine
Microsoft says 300 engineers have been working to come
up with the documentation for its server software that
the European Commission has sought.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/01/business/worldbusiness/01soft.html
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+races+to+meet+European+fine+deadline/2100-1014_3-6090383.html
http://iht.com/articles/2006/06/30/yourmoney/msft.php

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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uk: Internet users face congestion charge
Millions of people will be forced to pay a 'congestion
charge' for sending email under plans being developed
by American telephone companies to create a 'two-tier'
internet. In a move which campaigners warn will
destroy the openness and equality of the worldwide
web, the US telecommunications group AT&T is lobbying
politicians to allow the development of 'fast' and
'slow' internet services.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1810786,00.html

eu: EU exploring tighter regulation of broadband
services
The European Commission unveiled plans Thursday that
would force telecommunications providers to share
broadband infrastructure with rivals and unify
regulations in the sector.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/14930189.htm

eu: Review of the EU Regulatory Framework
The European Commission published the Communication on
the Review of the EU Regulatory Framework for
electronic communications networks and services and
launched public consultation.
http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/newslog/Review+Of+The+EU+Regulatory+Framework+.aspx

sg: Singapore's Inteligent Nation 2015 plan
Intelligent Nation 2015 is the Singapore government's
10 year infocomm development master plan aimed at
transforming Singapore into a totally wireless,
intelligent, economically enriching and competitive
nation for Singaporeans from all walks of life.
Broadband penetration is expected to increase to 90 %
by then to help meet these objectives.  It also aims
to  create 80,000 new jobs and double the infocomm
industry's contribution to Gross Domestic Product to
$26 billion, tripling the country's export  revenue to
SGD 60 billion.
http://internetinasia.typepad.com/blog/2006/06/singapores_inte.html

us: Congress targets social-networking sites
The concept of forcing companies to record information
about their users' Internet activities to aid in
future criminal prosecutions took another twist this
week.
http://news.com.com/Congress+targets+social-networking+sites/2100-1028_3-6089574.html

us: FTC Testifies on Social Networking Sites (news
release)
The Federal Trade Commission today called on social
networking sites to make sure children visiting their
sites can stay safe and their parents can protect
them. Testifying for the FTC, Commissioner Pamela
Jones Harbour told the House Committee on Energy and
Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation
that there is a ?need for social networking Web sites
? individually, collectively, and, most importantly,
expeditiously ? to develop and implement safety
features to protect children who visit their sites and
empower parents to protect their children when they do
so.? Harbour also emphasized that, ?the Federal Trade
Commission is committed to helping create a safer
online experience for children.?
http://ftc.gov/opa/2006/06/socialnetworking.htm

us: Open net calls fall on deaf ears
Internet campaigners in the US fail to stop Senators
backing a bill which could create a "two-tier"
internet.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5129964.stm

us: Senate deals blow to Net neutrality
A U.S. Senate panel narrowly rejected strict Net
neutrality rules on Wednesday, dealing a grave setback
to companies like eBay, Google and Amazon.com that had
made enacting them a top political priority this year.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6089197.html

us: Millions To Pay 'Congestion Charge' For Internet
Use
Millions of people will be forced to pay a "congestion
charge" for sending email under plans being developed
by American telephone companies to create a "two-tier"
Internet.
http://freeinternetpress.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7448

us: Telecommunications bill OK'd
A Senate committee yesterday approved a wide-ranging
telecommunications bill designed to increase
high-speed Internet access, but the legislation's
future is in jeopardy because of a bitter dispute over
rules to assure data will continue to flow freely.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/bal-te.internet29jun29,0,5358046.story

*****
SPAM
*****
us: Spammers Turn to Images to Fool Filters
Spammers are increasingly sneaking their messages past
e-mail filters by sending their pitches as images
rather than text, spam experts say.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/28/AR2006062801651.html

au: Spam Act continues to protect Australians (news
release)
?The review provided an opportunity to ensure that the
Spam Act was continuing to operate effectively and
protect Australians from unsolicited and unwanted
electronic messages,? Senator Coonan said.  ?The
review found that the legislation, as part of the
Government?s multilayered strategy against spam,
enabled active enforcement, productive industry
partnerships and, most importantly, international
cooperation against the global problem that is spam.?
http://www.dcita.gov.au/newsroom/media_releases/spam_act_continues_to_protect_australians

Spam volumes rocket as images bypass filters says
security firm
Spammers are using picture messages to bypass email
filters, according to an information security firm.
The images evade detection from filters mostly based
on keywords, according to the company.
http://www.out-law.com/page-7055

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INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE
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The government worker, the e-mail, the Nazis and the
blogger
Most staffers in 21st century organisations who have
access to a work computer have violated their
workplace's Internet usage policy.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/The_government_worker_the_e_mail_the_Nazis_and_the_blogger/0,2000061791,39261670,00.htm

us: Social Networks
We?ve all been hearing the hoopla over social networks
? MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, and so on. Students
are online sharing some great things: poetry, original
artwork, blogs, stories, journals, and more. Some of
them are sharing things that aren?t so great, such as
personal information, and are toying around with the
semi-anonymity of the Internet and not making the best
judgments about social conduct online.
http://www.edutopia.org/community/spiralnotebook/?p=81

us: US government funds social network snooping
The US government is funding research into social
networking sites and how to gather and store personal
data published on them, according to the New Scientist
magazine.
http://www.out-law.com/page-7057

nz: Teens seek identity in cyberspace
In the past, teenagers met new friends at parties or
down at the mall. Now they can do it with a click of a
mouse.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3717701a28,00.html

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FILE SHARING
************
France approves iTunes rights law
A law that could force Apple to share its digital
download technology with rivals is passed in France.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5133754.stm
http://news.com.com/France+approves+iTunes+compatibility+law/2100-1027_3-6090368.html
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FRANCE_ITUNES_LAW
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/01/business/worldbusiness/01copy.html

us: File-Sharing Still Thrives After Ruling
File-swapping software seemed in peril a year ago when
the U.S. Supreme Court gave the entertainment industry
a legal bullet: Its ruling reopened the door for
lawsuits over programs used to share music, movies and
other copyright files.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GROKSTER_A_YEAR_LATER

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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
*********************************
Google opens up the secrets of search
Google is to demystify the hidden workings of its
search engine as it returns to its plan to make the
world?s information searchable online
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9075-2247557,00.html

Fears over China rival to Google
Ambassadors across Europe will attended a cocktail
dinner in Paris this week heralding the launch of the
continent's first dedicated web search engine, aiming
to take on giants such as Google and Yahoo! But it is
Accoona.eu's roots in China which are likely to
attract the scrutiny of human rights campaigners.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1805396,00.html

Era of Convergence: A reality   
The paper "Key Regulatory Issues in an Era of
Convergence" highlighted the impact of convergence,
the resulting economic benefits and the role the
regulators and policy makers need to play to
facilitate the same
http://www.voicendata.com/content/vndtoday/106063004.asp

So Much Fanfare, So Few Hits
Rivals get the jitters when Google's nonsearch
products grab headlines. But a close look shows that
so far, there's not a market leader among them
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_28/b3992051.htm

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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nz: Telecom NZ smokes the peace pipe
Telecom New Zealand's public change of attitude is
certainly a breath of fresh air.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Telecom_NZ_smokes_the_peace_pipe/0,2000061791,39261495,00.htm

nz: Cunliffe sees bright future for New Zealand
broadband
The minister of communications, David Cunliffe, sees a
bright future ahead of the country once the new telco
regime is rolled out.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/2F95ECF73D4C7426CC25719B0035A9F8

nz: First broadband industry working group meeting
next Friday
Telecom has proposed holding the initial wholesale
working group meeting next Friday to get the process
going, according Mark Ratcliffe, COO of Technology and
Enterprises
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/ED20F28BA4990996CC25719C0065E086

nz: No more victim mentality
The first glimmer of more constructive relationships
in the telecommunications industry surfaced last week
at its annual conference. But uncertainty about what
the government really wants from Telecom could
perpetuate some of the bad behaviour that has
delivered us miserable broadband to date.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3719075a1865,00.html

au: The New Telstra: A Transformation Story
Addressing the National Press Club in Canberra,
Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo outlines his vision for the
transformation of Telstra.
http://nowwearetalking.com.au/Home/Page.aspx?mid=173

*****
VoIP
*****
kr: South Korea to block some Internet calling
South Korea?s major telecommunications providers on
Saturday were to begin blocking many companies that
allow computer users to call friends and loved ones
via the Internet, U.S. and South Korean officials
confirmed Thursday.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=38314

VoIP Asia Congress 2006
The market for VoIP services in Asia continues to
demonstrate strong growth. Industry analysts In-Stat
predict total revenue to rise from nearly US$5.5
billion in 2004, to over US$10 billion by 2009. In
Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, a large
proportion of long distance calls has already migrated
to IP. Asia's dynamic growth coupled with its freedom
from legacy infrastructure, makes it an ideal
candidate for the quickest adoption of VoIP.
http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/event/eventDetail.jsp?id=319685

Viva la VoIP
There are now ways to slash your phone bill and, for
those who go wireless, ditch your landline altogether.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/06/28/1151174266139.html

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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(c) David Goldstein 2006

David Goldstein
 address: 4/3 Abbott Street
             COOGEE NSW 2034
             AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - home


		
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