general internet news - 27 July

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

**********************************************************
Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre 
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/
Internet in Asia blog:
http://internetinasia.typepad.com/

Sponsored by EuroDNS and AsiaDNS - for your domain
name registration
http://www.eurodns.com/?refid=57d25a87c8bffdc565a16a5bf01e8825
**********************************************************

uk: Government acts on cyber-bullies
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/5210886.stm
http://education.guardian.co.uk/pupilbehaviour/story/0,,1828465,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,29389-2283849,00.html

us: Congress spanks naughty sex sites
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6098325.html

U.S. Struggles to Fight Online Child Porn
http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11100CE5ZHYC

us: Net neutrality or Net censorship?
http://news.com.com/2010-1028_3-6097579.html

uk: Convergence requires the complete vision
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/8baf5596-9e6d-11da-b641-0000779e2340.html

Study: Net telephony quality worsening
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6097912.html
http://www.pcw.co.uk/vnunet/news/2161000/voip-call-quality-getting-worse

******************************************
CENSORSHIP, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
******************************************
Easy net video stirs up storm
PORNOGRAPHY, extreme violence, Osama bin Laden and
allegations of copyright violation: it hasn't been a
good month for video-sharing giant YouTube. As
politicians began hammering it and similar
user-generated content services because of supposedly
offensive content, YouTube has come under legal
assault in the US over allegations it hosted pirated
material.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19897643%5e15306%5e%5enbv%5e15306,00.html

uk: Government acts on cyber-bullies
The government is publishing guidelines to help
schools, parents and pupils tackle the issue of
"cyber-bullying".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/5210886.stm
http://education.guardian.co.uk/pupilbehaviour/story/0,,1828465,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,29389-2283849,00.html
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19509-2283849,00.html
http://www.pcw.co.uk/computeractive/news/2160966/government-publishes-guidelines

uk: Internet course will alert pupils to dangers
Pupils from the age of 12 are to be taught about the
dangers of the internet as part of a new qualification
believed to be the first of its kind in the world.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/66421.html

us: Congress spanks naughty sex sites
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved
a bill that would make it a federal felony for
Webmasters to use innocent words like "Barbie" or
"Furby" but actually feature sexual content on their
sites.
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6098325.html

eu: Commission seeks public opinion on protection of
mobile minors
The European Commission is consulting the public on
the potential risks faced by children using mobile
phones. The Commission hopes the debate will encourage
self-regulation among Member States.
http://dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=16973

zw: Zimbabwe Eyes Plan to Spy on Citizens
Zimbabwe's parliament plans to debate proposals next
month to empower the secret police to eavesdrop on
mail, e-mail and phones without any court approval.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/23/AR2006072300218.html

Teach kids about the more subtle dangers of
cyberspace, advises US expert
Online safety for children and young people requires
an integrated approach when it comes to the teaching
curriculum, says Michael Berson of the University of
South Florida.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/C4C39609533036ABCC2571B20003E8A3

European Parliament calls for censorship code of
conduct
The European Parliament has called on the European
Commission to establish a code of conduct governing
the online censorship of dissidents. It wants
companies such as Google and Telecom Italia to pledge
not to help governments censor their citizens.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/25/ep_censorship_plea/

***************************************
CYBERCRIME, CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY
***************************************
Teens, sex and MySpace
America's most talked about lawsuit highlights the
perceived risks of 'social networking' websites
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,28009-2275764,00.html

U.S. Struggles to Fight Online Child Porn
The fight against child pornography is an ongoing
challenge. "The child porn industry, unfortunately, is
something we'll never be able to declare complete
victory against. This is the first generation with
webcams and the Net, so parents, and companies, have
to learn how to deal with this."
http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11100CE5ZHYC

Google to offer advertisers click fraud stats
Responding to concerns about click fraud in the
online-ad industry, Google will be revealing to
advertisers the number of invalid clicks on their ads
with changes it's set to make to its AdWords system
late Tuesday.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6098469.html

au: Revealed: internet frauds lure victims with fake
ads
Internet frauds are using fake job ads to trick
unsuspecting applicants into revealing personal
details. Police said earlier this month that the ads,
on legitimate job seeker websites, were part of a
sophisticated network of computer scams that often
resulted in people's identity and bank account details
being stolen.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/07/25/1153746832943.html

uk: Internet fraud slips through police fingers, says
Attorney General
Internet fraud accounts for eight per cent of all
fraud in the UK, according to the Attorney General's
office, which says that fraud costs the UK billions of
pounds every year.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/26/internet_fraud_report/
http://www.out-law.com/page-7135

us: Appeal against ISP snooping goes to Washington
A group of technology companies and civil liberties
groups will continue to challenge a law requiring ISPs
to allow eavesdropping of customers by security
agencies.
http://www.out-law.com/page-7132

jp: Japan open to cyber attacks
A LARGE number of computers at Japanese ministries and
police agencies are dangerously vulnerable to cyber
attacks and viral infections, a government survey has
found.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19916550%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

sy: Massoud Hamid, winner of 2005 Reporters Without
Borders Internet Freedom Prize, released at end of
prison sentence
Reporters Without Borders welcomes the release from
prison on 23 July of Massoud Hamid (photo), winner of
the 2005 Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de
France Internet Freedom Prize, at the end of a
three-year sentence for posting photos online of a
pro-Kurdish demonstration in Damascus. It noted that
he had been ?frequently ill-treated during his totally
unjustified? sentence.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18369

Beware of data kidnappers
Computer users who fail to back up their data are
being held to ransom by hackers who hold their
information prisoner, according to one information
security firm.
http://www.out-law.com/page-7136

**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
us: Net neutrality or Net censorship?
Dick Armey's recent column on CNET News.com is long on
criticism of the Christian Coalition but woefully
short of facts about the Net neutrality debate. In
"Net ignorance of the Christian Coalition," Armey
conveniently fails to mention that Net neutrality was
the law on the Internet until 2005. The dramatic
expansion and innovation that he lauds existed and was
made possible because the law prior to 2005 prohibited
Internet service providers and other providers from
erecting toll booths on the information superhighway.
http://news.com.com/2010-1028_3-6097579.html

us: Internet gambling bill seen delayed in US Senate
A bill to outlaw most forms of Internet gambling
appears unlikely to win U.S. Senate passage before
senators begin a month-long recess on August 4, two
Republican leadership aides said
http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=12960052

*****************************
INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE
*****************************
Rewriting the Web for The Small Screen
Google and Yahoo are introducing programs specifically
tailored for the mobile phone.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/25/AR2006072501517.html

nz: Marketers drool over MySpace generation
Teenagers' love of social networking websites,
blogging and use of media channels is growing, but so
is their false sense of control over the technology.
Marketers are feverish with excitement over defining
the new generation of post-modern youth - what they
like to call Generation C - who are driving change in
the marketing industry through their use of
technology.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10392243

ch: Citizens warned about dangers of Internet
addiction
Switzerland's financial capital of Zurich warned
Internet users on Tuesday about the dangers of
addiction to chat rooms and sex sites.
http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=12956348
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19916555%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

uk: Only one in seven switch off their phones during
sex
A survey into Brit's MobileLifestyles? has revealed a
paltry 14 per cent have the courtesy to switch off
during sex with their partner, lest they get a txt msg
from their m8 asking if they fncy a pnt.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/24/mobile_survey/

Rupert Murdoch surprised by MySpace growth
Twenty years after Rupert Murdoch upended the status
quo in television with the launch of Fox Broadcasting
Co., News Corp. is in the vanguard of another media
revolution with its recently acquired Internet assets
including MySpace.com.
http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=12950659

Teen networks in battle for the bands
Bebo will allow bands to upload as much of their music
as they want in an effort to wrest British teenagers
away from MySpace.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1830246,00.html

nz: Pupils all in favour of 'tablet' classroom
Ken Tildesley reckons he has the jump on older
generations when it comes to the new technology his
school offers. "I used to be jealous of my Dad's
laptop, but now he's jealous of mine," says the year 5
pupil from Wellington's Brooklyn School.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10393031

************
FILE SHARING
************
YouTube may face court over copyright complaints
Analysis: Legal experts believe the video-sharing site
is obeying the law, but as the business grows a court
case still seems likely
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39279616,00.htm

*******************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
*******************
uk: Convergence requires the complete vision
When British Sky Broadcasting, the satellite
pay-television group, bought Easynet, the broadband
provider in October last year, Nick Bertolotti, media
analyst at Credit Suisse, went straight to his
colleague David George, the telecommunications
analyst.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/8baf5596-9e6d-11da-b641-0000779e2340.html

uk: ntl:Telewest planning four-in-one package
The newly merged company plans to deliver its riposte
to recent 'triple-play' offers by bundling TV,
broadband, fixed-line and mobile services ? but will
anyone understand a deal that spans three different
brands?
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/broadband/0,39020342,39279639,00.htm

uk: Is free broadband a good deal?
The spirit of 1969 might seem like ancient history,
but this summer a new kind of free love is sweeping
Britain. Thousands of people are ready to canoodle
with new internet providers after a glut of "free
broadband" offers. Punters are now being wooed with
no-cost broadband from TalkTalk, Orange and Sky. But
are "free" deals good enough to tempt non-believers on
to the web? Should those who already have a service
provider dump them for a new one?
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1827442,00.html

*****
VoIP
*****
Study: Net telephony quality worsening
While it's no secret that Net phone services don't
offer the same call quality as traditional phones, a
new study suggests that the quality of voice over
Internet Protocol is actually getting worse.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6097912.html
http://www.pcw.co.uk/vnunet/news/2161000/voip-call-quality-getting-worse

us: VoIP providers face headaches galore
Providers of voice over Internet Protocol services
face yet another regulatory issue. The Federal
Communications Commission recently expanded the
federal Universal Service Fund (USF) reporting and
contribution obligations to cover "interconnected
VoIP" providers. Affected VoIP carriers must submit
the next quarterly report for USF contributors, due on
Aug. 1, and they must file certain information to
register with the FCC before then.
http://news.com.com/2010-7352_3-6098120.html

au: Hutch prepares for VoIP
MOBILE operator Hutchison is taking early steps to
prepare its 3 mobile service for a shift to IP phone
calls.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19918105%5e15306%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

us: Home VoIP Growing; Vonage Leading Pack
Home VoIP subscribers continue to adopt Internet
phoning at a rapid rate, growing from 2.2 million
households in the first quarter to 2.9 million in the
second quarter, market research firm Telephia said
Friday.
http://www.networkingpipeline.com/news/191000087;jsessionid=W0MX5FE5ZTX0MQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN

**********************************
ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
**********************************
uk: Thirteen held over child porn websites
Police have arrested 13 people in connection with
pay-per-view child porn websites. Officers swooped on
residential addresses across the country in
simultaneous early morning raids.
http://www.itv.com/news/britain_64bfd6747e69c103f24e3fb5835e5809.html
http://news.com.com/2110-1028_3-6098188.html
http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=12953646

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

Check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the most
recent edition of the domain news - already online!

The domain name news is supported by auDA.

Also see
http://internews.tv/mailman/admin/internetnews_internews.tv
for an archive and to subscribe to the domain name or
general internet news.

Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and
BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>.

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

(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

Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com