Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's
edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already
online!
And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.
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Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/Sponsored by EuroDNS and AsiaDNS - for your domain name registration
http://www.eurodns.com/**********************************************************
Thailand YouTube accessible again [news release]
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=21599au: A good night's sleep remains a dream for many children
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/31/1188067367880.htmlnz: Vodafone assurance over adult phone content
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200709021057/vodafone_assurance_over_adult_phone_contentuk: Gangs and gun crime rekindle the debate on tighter internet regulation
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article2357805.eceau: Watchdog presses ISPs to clamp down on illegal net use
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/30/1188067260345.htmlau: Online dating warning after woman 'held captive'
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/30/2019122.htmGerman spyware plans trigger row
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6973018.stmJapan will research Net replacement
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2007-08-29-japan-rebuilding-internet_N.htmIsraeli porn sites favorites of Muslim surfers
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/33429/format/html/displaystory.htmlau: World's oldest blogger
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22338858-5006784,00.htmlInternet pipes can't keep up in YouTube age
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;15189526;fp;2;fpid;1http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136651-c,broadband/article.htmlWho Founded Facebook? A New Claim Emerges
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/31/business/facebook.phpnz: Spam law brings more junk mail
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10461094nz: Sean Lynch: New law slams the door on spam
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10460837Sophos reports on the rise and fall of PDF spam Is PDF spam simply not working for the spammers? [news release]
http://sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2007/08/pdf-spam.htmlNet charges may hit BBC's iPlayer
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2160454,00.htmlFile-sharers forced to play
fair
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6971904.stmNBC Universal, Apple in battle over content available on iTunes
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-nbc1sep01,1,3556180.storyhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN3120885820070831http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/31/itunesuk: High prices questioned as Apple launches TV download service
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/30/uknews.newsECONOMIST LEADER: Who's afraid of Google?
http://economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=9725272Inside the Googleplex
http://economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9719610Asia-Pacific telcos to target new markets--analyst
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=85589**********************
CENSORSHIP
**********************
YouTube ban lifted in Thailand
Thailand's military junta has
finally lifted a ban on the video sharing website YouTube, four months after it was blocked for posting offensive images of King Bhumipol.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/31/2020944.htmhttp://iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/31/asia/AS-GEN-Thailand-YouTube-Ban.phphttp://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/59135.htmlhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKBKK526820070901Thailand YouTube accessible again [news release]
Reporters Without Borders has asked Google to explain how its video-sharing website came to be unblocked.
"We note the unblocking of the video-sharing site but we ask Google to make public the contents of a compromise referred to by the Thai Information and Communications Ministry? the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=21599Chinese Online Gaming Brings New Legal Considerations
The rapid development of online gaming in China is challenging government regulators on a wide range of commercial and legal issues. Until recently, oversight of web content in the PRC has centered on political speech posted on bulletin boards and web logs, but as the Internet has evolved and diversified from web sites, blogs and chat rooms to include incredibly complex online virtual environments, so too have the regulatory challenges.
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/08/31/5810-chinese-online-gaming-brings-new-legal-considerations/cn: GAPP Bans 40 Online Pornographic Novels
General Administration of Press and Publication and the Anti-pornography and Illegal Publications Work Team have jointly issued an updated circular, asking their affiliates at various levels to remove 40 online pornographic novels from the websites in their regions.
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/08/31/5829-gapp-bans-40-online-pornographic-novels/************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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uk: Cyberbullying Conference ? 25th
September 2007 [news release]
Childnet International announced today that it would be assisting the The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in holding two national conferences on cyberbullying this autumn.
http://www.childnet-int.org/news/articles/280807.htmlau: A good night's sleep remains a dream for many children
AUSTRALIAN children get half an hour's less sleep a day on average than they did 20 years ago because of changed family lifestyles and the temptations of computer games and online chat.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/31/1188067367880.htmlau: Mandatory Server Level Filtering
The Internet Industry Association has previously expressed its support for the Government's Protecting
Australian Families Online scheme, now restyled the NetAlert initiative. This scheme has bipartisan political support in Australia.
http://iia.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=587&Itemid=32nz: Vodafone assurance over adult phone content
Telecommunications company Vodafone says the adult content which some of its mobile phone users can now subscribe to is more tightly regulated than similar material on the internet.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200709021057/vodafone_assurance_over_adult_phone_contentHow to protect your child online
It's now easier than ever to keep your children safe from web dangers, says Damien Noonan: It's back
to school time, and that means parents across the country are buying new computers for their children to help with homework and research. Of course, the worry is that for all the time youngsters spend looking at encyclopedias online, they're spending just as long, if not longer, messaging their friends and using chatrooms.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2007/09/01/dlkids01.xml**************************
ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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Is it Legal to Unlock Your iPhone?
EFF reports, quoting Jennifer Granick, the Stanford Law School professor who obtained the DMCA exemption in 2006 for cell phone unlocking, that "fter my clients' long, successful battle before the U.S. Copyright Office to exempt phone unlocking from the anti-circumvention
provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, have iPhone customers won the freedom to tinker with their cool new handsets? The answer, unfortunately, is that we still don't know."
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005418.phpus: EFF Documents Shed Light on FBI Electronic Surveillance Technology
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act that reveal the inner workings of the FBI's Digital Collection System Network (DCSNet), a software suite that allows the Bureau to conduct surveillance on a wide variety of digital devices.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005415.phpuk: Gangs and gun crime rekindle the debate on tighter internet regulation
Three Scottish teenagers from
Glasgow?s Xcross gang put a video on YouTube in which they gloated over the killing of a 21-year-old father.
...
Caught by the police, the three stars of the disturbing internet movie pleaded guilty to culpable homicide last week, allowing the story of their online bragging to be told. Plastered all over the Scottish newspapers last week, it is hardly surprising that the shock that such videos exist have begun to lead to calls for better regulation of the video-sharing website.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article2357805.ecenz: Scams getting more sophisticated, Netsafe warns
An internet safety organisation says more people are being caught up in increasingly convincing scams. Netsafe says more sophisticated methods are being used as people become familiar with
more common scams.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200709020917/scams_getting_more_sophisticated,_netsafe_warnsnz: Increasingly Believable Internet Scams Catch Kiwis [news release]
New Zealand?s Internet Safety Group, NetSafe has experienced an upsurge in calls from New Zealanders caught in internet scams. NetSafe Executive Director Martin Cocker says, ?Even people who are well aware of common scams and who are cautious with online transactions can be fooled. Some people have lost money, others have contacted us before doing a deal ? just to check if what they are about to do is legitimate."
http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0709/S00006.htmus: Judge orders tax-evasion site to close
A Web site
that sells materials stating that individuals can legally stop paying taxes has been shut on the order of a federal judge.
http://news.com.com/2100-1030_3-6205327.htmlau: Watchdog presses ISPs to clamp down on illegal net use
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft is pressing ahead with its proposal to have internet service providers send warning notices to customers who have been identified as illegal downloaders, and disconnect the services of repeat offenders.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/30/1188067260345.htmlau: Online dating warning after woman 'held captive'
Police are warning internet users to be careful when they form relationships in cyberspace, after arresting a man who allegedly held a Perth woman captive
after meeting her online.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/30/2019122.htmhttp://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22331471-5006789,00.htmlMalaysian Defamation Law on the Internet
Defamation laws have to evolve in line with the new challenges posed by the Internet, said a senior lawyer. Datuk Cecil Abraham said the Defamation Act should be in line with those in Britain, United States and Australia, which have addressed issues relating to defamation on the Internet.
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2007/8/27/technology/20070827114401&sec=technologyKorea Investigates Anti-Spyware Makers
The Korean government Wednesday requested police to investigate seven makers of antivirus and anti-spyware programs that it says are actually promulgating spyware and viruses.
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=132805Some Anti-Spyware Worse Than Spyware
A computer virus is bad. But trying to fix it with unverified anti-virus programs may bring even worse disaster to users.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2007/08/129_9215.htmlUnlocking
iPhone may open up legal issues
Hackers have figured out how to unleash the Apple iPhone from having to rely exclusively on AT&T for its celluar network, but people hoping to make money from the procedure could face legal problems.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/30/technology/iphone.phpBloggers battered by viral storm
Google's Blogger site is being used by malicious hackers who are posting fake entries to some blogs. The fake entries contain weblinks that lead to booby-trapped downloads that could infect a Windows PC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6970368.stmStorm Hits Blogger
Careful whose blog you're reading these days: Researchers have discovered the Storm Trojan nestled in hundreds of blog sites in Google's Blogger
network. This Storm infection is not simple comment spam, where spammers post their junk messages and malware as blog comments. "These are blogs that post spam," says Alex Eckelberry, CEO of Sunbelt Software, who has been studying the posts. He says he hasn't seen any legitimate blogs bites being hacked and sprinkled with Storm, but he's still researching the trend.
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=132793**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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German spyware plans trigger row
German government plans to spy on terror suspects by deploying malicious e-mails have drawn sharp criticism. The e-mails would contain Trojans - software that secretly installs itself on suspects' computers, allowing agents to search the hard drives.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6973018.stmGermany Wants to Spy on Suspects Via Web [AP]
German officials on Friday defended a proposal to use "Trojan horse" software to secretly monitor potential terror suspects' hard drives, amid fierce debate over whether the measures violate civil liberties. Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble wants to include the measure in a broader security law being considered by conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government.
http://iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/31/europe/EU-GEN-Germany-Trojan-Horses.phphttp://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/G/GERMANY_TROJAN_HORSEShttp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/01/1188067391180.htmlGerman government sees itself in good company with online searches
The German Ministry of the Interior sees itself as being in good company with its demand for covert online searches. According to a response, seen by heise online, issued by the Ministry of the Interior to a series of questions from the German Ministry of Justice, explicit rules for the performance of covert investigations of IT systems by security services are already in place in Romania, Cyprus, Latvia and Spain. The ministry, headed by Wolfgang Schäuble of the CDU, does not give details of the precise form of the relevant legislation, data protection provisions or the form in which online surveillance, which has been the source of a great deal of controversy within the ruling coalition in Germany, is applied in practice.
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/94988Malaysia makes headway, issues remain
Malaysia has made progress over the last decade in leveraging information communications technology as a backbone for economic development, but as the country celebrates its 50th National Day, industry players say several issues need to be addressed in order to move forward.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62031643,00.htmAfrican Continent Must Develop Aggressive ICT Policies
If Malawi is to speed up its integration into the global village, then it must develop more aggressive policies on ICT, an expert has said.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708310672.htmlhttp://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/11079InternetNZ congratulates Westpac [news release]
InternetNZ congratulates Westpac on its initiative to enhance confidence in online banking in New Zealand. Westpac has today announced an ?online banking guarantee? that customers ?will never be left out of pocket in the unlikely event that they are victim of online fraud?.
http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/mediareleases/congratulateswestpac'India, China will drive internet'
Arguing that Asia's huge populations will be the future drivers of the Internet, Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz said he
expected the bulk of the server maker's revenues in five years to come from the Asia Pacific (Apac) region, much of that from India and China.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/Intl_Business/India_China_will_drive_internet/rssarticleshow/2332060.cms**********************
INTERNET USE
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Japan will research Net replacement
Japan plans to start research on new networking technology that could one day replace the Internet amid its growing quality and security problems, according to the nation's communications ministry. U.S. and European researchers already have started similar efforts to rebuild the underlying architecture of the Internet.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2007-08-29-japan-rebuilding-internet_N.htmhttp://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/158600.htmlhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070829.wgtnetrevamp0829/BNStory/Technology/http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=54977comScore Reports Top German Internet Properties for July [news release]
comScore released its report on the top German Internet properties and top gaining properties for July. The study showed that
despite the onset of the summer holiday season ? a time which has traditionally seen day-to-day media consumption decrease as people leave their homes and offices in search of the summer sun ? the total German online population reached its highest ever figure in July, with 32.9 million unique visitors. The top two most visited German properties were Google and Microsoft Sites, who both experienced a two percent gain in unique visitors. Google grew from 22.8 million to 23.3 million unique visitors, while Microsoft Sites grew from 17.7 to 18.1 million unique visitors. Google now reaches 71 percent of the total German Internet audience, with Microsoft Sites reaching 55 per cent.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1596comScore Reports Rankings of Top French Properties for July [news release]
comScore released its report on the
top French Internet properties and top gaining properties for July. Google was the most visited property in July, with 18.2 million unique visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites, which enjoyed a two percent growth to reach 16.8 million visitors. Meanwhile, video sharing website, dailymotion.com, became France?s tenth most visited French property with 7.7 million unique visitors. French social networking site, Skyrock Network, which ranks among the most popular social networking sites in all of Europe, was the eighth most visited site, with 9.1 million unique visitors.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1593comScore Reports Top U.K. Internet Properties for July [news release]
comScore released its report on the top U.K. Internet properties and top gaining properties for July. The study showed that despite the onset of the summer
holiday season ? a time which has traditionally seen day-to-day media consumption decrease as people leave their homes and offices in search of the summer sun ? the total U.K. online population reached its highest ever figure in July, with 31.8 million unique visitors. Google was the U.K.?s most visited property, attracting 28.2 million unique visitors ? an 89 percent reach of the total online population. It was followed by Microsoft Sites, which attracted 26.9 million unique visitors ? a reach of 85 percent. Online retail properties eBay and Amazon also ranked amongst the U.K.?s largest sites, with 22.1 million and 12.5 million unique visitors respectively.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1588Israeli porn sites favorites of Muslim surfers
Operators of a number of porn sites report that between 2 percent and 10
percent of their users are from Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. Some Israeli porn websites even go so far as to offer services in Arabic.
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/33429/format/html/displaystory.htmlau: World's oldest blogger
At 107 she is probably the world's oldest blogger and cyber granny Olive Riley may also lay claim to being the oldest YouTube user.
From her Central Coast home, the great-grandmother of seven files her The Life of Riley blog (or blob as she calls it), which has won her thousands of fans across the world.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22338858-5006784,00.htmlInternet pipes can't keep up in YouTube age
The Internet needs a massive investment to keep up with the demands of YouTube fans, billions of e-mails and wireles access, a university study states. If the network that carries Internet traffic were a highway, it would be as if every car owner, "rushed out and traded in their cars for massive 20-wheel trucks," stated the report from University of California-San Diego Professor Michael Kleeman, a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg Center for Communication. In the report, titled "Point of Disconnect," Kleeman writes that there needs to be a massive expansion of network capacity in the United States, and even though network operators are making those investments it still may not be enough to keep up with demand.
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;15189526;fp;2;fpid;1http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136651-c,broadband/article.htmlus: Ticketmaster Faces A Full-Court Press
Internet technology is doing what the nation's once-hottest rock (Pearl Jam) band couldn't: loosening Ticketmaster's tight grip on the lucrative live concert and sporting event scene. The Net is shaking up the ticketing market by giving artists and venues a way to sell tickets directly to fans. And it is fueling the rise of a resale market by giving buyers and sellers a safe place to connect with one another more easily and cheaply.
http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_37/b4049056.htm**********************
SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Who Founded Facebook? A New Claim Emerges
Mark Zuckerberg is considered the founder of Facebook, the popular social networking Web site estimated to be worth upwards of $1 billion. Two Harvard classmates have long claimed that Zuckerberg stole the idea from them, the founders of ConnectU, and are suing him in U.S. district court in Boston.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/31/business/facebook.phphttp://nytimes.com/2007/09/01/technology/01facebook.htmlhttp://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-6205758.htmluk: TUC calls for social networking guidelines to save staff from sack
The TUC yesterday appealed to the employers of the 3.5m Facebook users not to give them the sack for doing a bit of social networking while at their desks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/30/news.tradeunionshttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/article2351444.eceWhy Facebook Is the Future
On Aug. 14 a computer hacker named Virgil Griffith unleashed a clever little program onto the Internet that he dubbed WikiScanner. It's a simple application that trolls through the records of
Wikipedia, the publicly editable Web-based encyclopedia, and checks on who is making changes to which entries. Sometimes it's people who shouldn't be. For example, WikiScanner turned up evidence that somebody from Wal-Mart had punched up Wal-Mart's Wikipedia entry. Bad retail giant.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1655722,00.html**********************
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Cellphones look to gain a greater voice in an Internet world
The cellphone world, dominated by giant telecommunications corporations, is colliding head-on with the Internet, where hackers abound and a good idea can grow into a Google - spawning a full-fledged mobile media industry. The intersection of the wireless world with the Internet's openness has long been anticipated, but it is edging closer to reality as new
technologies, devices and consumer behavior finally chip away at the telephone's long legacy as a device used for talking.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/30/business/cell.phpThe internet?s chattering class go wild for ?Gphone?
Speculation hit fever pitch yesterday over the possible shape of Google?s next foray into telecoms as a host of blogs carried pictures of what was claimed to be a low-cost, internet-enabled handset - the ?Gphone?. The well-regarded Engadget site said that Google would make an announcement as soon as next week. Reports said that the Gphone would retail for as little as $100 (£50) when it makes its debut in United States.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article2364231.eceThe technology kids want, versus what they need: Computers, cellphones, iPods: What do children require to thrive at school?
Once upon a time, in the old days (about 10 to 15 years ago, or "prehistoric," as my kids jokingly call it), the only technology you needed for school was a calculator. And that was only if the teacher would allow you to use it. Many a science and math teacher believed a piece of scrap paper for working out a problem was a better teaching tool. But we live in a digital world now, and a student's technology needs have changed. How much depends on the age of the child and whom you ask ? students or teachers.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0829/p17s01-stct.htmlMalaysia's first computer
It was huge ? and expensive - but the Government's first computer was a sight to behold for civil servants in 1965.
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2007/8/31/technology/20070831153044&sec=technology**********************
SPAM
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nz: Spam law brings more junk mail
Consumers are being inundated with last-ditch, mass spamming efforts as companies seek permission to keep sending them messages after a new anti-spam law kicks in. The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act comes into effect on Wednesday, and after that date commercial promotions from New Zealand can not be sent by email or text
unless they have consent from the person receiving it.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10461094nz: Sean Lynch: New law slams the door on spam
The Government's new anti-spam law comes into effect next Wednesday, September 5, and will have far-reaching implications for anyone who sends commercial, promotional-type messages by email, text or other electronic means.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10460837PDF spam levels plummet
PDF spam is hardly registering on email security vendors' spamometers
It appears that PDF spam has had its 15 minutes of fame. Having reached its peak volume on August 7 at nearly 30% of all spam messages sent,
PDF spam today is hardly registering on email security vendors' spamometers.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/E77968CC14DF2706CC257347000EC4FBSophos reports on the rise and fall of PDF spam Is PDF spam simply not working for the spammers? [news release]
Experts at SophosLabs reported a dramatic decrease in the amount of spam email using PDF file attachments to spread their unwanted messages. According to research done by Sophos, levels of PDF spam have dropped from a high of close to 30% of all spam earlier this month to virtually zero.
http://sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2007/08/pdf-spam.html**********************
FILE SHARING
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Net charges may hit BBC's
iPlayer
The BBC'S iPlayer could be hit by an industry-wide move to charge companies and consumers according to the size of files downloaded online. Major internet service providers are believed to be considering plans to introduce a pricing system designed to ease broadband congestion. If the move goes ahead, the cost of running services like the iPlayer, which allow users to download television programmes or watch them online, will increase hugely.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,2160454,00.htmlFile-sharers forced to play fair
Researchers have found a way to enforce good manners on file-sharing networks by treating bandwidth as a currency. The team has created a peer-to-peer system called Tribler in which selfless sharers earn faster upload and download speeds but leechers are penalised. The technology is being
assessed by a European broadcasting body looking at ways of piping TV across the net.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6971904.stmNBC Universal, Apple in battle over content available on iTunes
Apple Inc. escalated a dispute with NBC Universal over the pricing of television shows by announcing today it would not sell any of NBC's programs for this fall season on iTunes. Earlier, NBC had told Apple that it would no longer allow its programs to be sold via iTunes at the end of the year. NBC Universal-controlled television programming accounts for an estimated 40 percent of the video downloads on iTunes.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-nbc1sep01,1,3556180.storyhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN3120885820070831http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/31/itunesuk: High prices questioned as Apple launches TV download service
Apple made its first foray into British television yesterday, and immediately found itself facing questions over the costs of its video downloads, which observers said were forcing British consumers to pay much higher prices than their US counterparts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/30/uknews.newsuk: Music stars set to reap YouTube windfall
More than 50,000 music artists from Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen to Sir Paul McCartney and Spamalot
creator Eric Idle will now get paid when their tracks are used as backing music for clips on YouTube, in a new deal between the music industry and the website.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/30/youtube.netmusichttp://iht.com/articles/2007/08/30/business/youtube.phphttp://nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Britain-YouTube-Music.htmlhttp://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2355094.ece*********************************
COMMENT, MICROSOFT &
DEVELOPMENTS
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ECONOMIST LEADER: Who's afraid of Google?
Rarely if ever has a company risen so fast in so many ways as Google, the world's most popular search engine. This is true by just about any measure: the growth in its market value and revenues; the number of people clicking in search of news, the nearest pizza parlour or a satellite image of their neighbour's garden; the volume of its advertisers; or the number of its lawyers and lobbyists. Such an ascent is enough to evoke concerns?both paranoid and justified.
http://economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=9725272Inside the Googleplex
It is rare for a company to dominate its industry while claiming not to be motivated by money. Google does. But it has yet to face a crisis. ... And that, in a nutshell, sums up Google today: it
dominates the internet and guides people everywhere, such as Marge, to the information they want. But it also increasingly frightens some users by making them feel that their privacy has been intruded upon (though Marge, technically, could not have seen Homer in real time, since Google's satellite pictures are not live). And it is making enemies in its own and adjacent industries. The grand moment of Marge googling herself, for example, was instantly available not only through Fox, the firm that created the animated television show, but also on YouTube, a video site owned by Google, after fans uploaded it in violation of copyright.
http://economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9719610Wikipedia aims to roll over Google
The online encyclopedia will use the power of the people to take on Google and Yahoo
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article2367254.eceGoogle News Becomes A Publisher
Instead of links, Google wants to carry articles from news agencies like The Associated Press to promote "the definitive original copy and give credit to the original journalist."
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201803549http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/01/1188067403819.htmlHow To Make A Microserf Smile
While Google was turning heads with its employee perks, an unlikely manager took on morale in Redmond
http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_37/b4049065.htmMicrosoft to battle Google with software delivered through the Internet
The empire is preparing to strike back - again. Microsoft this week will make available free software that connects its Windows operating system to software delivered through the Internet, Brian Hall, a Microsoft executive said. The strategy is a major departure for a giant software firm that sells packaged software that runs on the personal computer. Microsoft designed the strategy to help shield its hundreds of millions of software customers from competitors, from Salesforce.com to Google, who already offer software applications over the Internet.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/09/02/business/cloud.php**********************
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Asia-Pacific telcos to target new markets--analyst
Investment strategies of telecommunications operators in the Asia-Pacific region will target new markets and new industries in the future, according to technology consulting firm Ovum. Major regional investors such as SingTel, Telekom Malaysia, NTT DoCoMo, Telstra, SK Telecom Vodafone and Hutchison are entrenched in the region and are keen to expand their exposure to growth markets.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=85589nz: Access price 'will hurt telecommunications network'
Telecom says its copper wire network
will suffer a slow deterioration, unless the Commerce Commission raises the prices it is planning to let the telco charge its competitors for access to its network.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10460865nz: Unrest over telco plan
A proposal to allow telcos to install equipment on road reserve outside people's homes without requiring consent under the Resource Management Act has run into stiff opposition from dozens of individuals, several councils and the Green Party.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4187774a28.html**********************
MOBILE/WIRELESS
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us: Municipal Wi-Fi - Reality bites: American cities' plans for ubiquitous internet access are running into trouble
It
was supposed to democratise the internet and turn America's city-dwellers into citizen-surfers. In 2004 the mayors of Philadelphia and San Francisco unveiled ambitious plans to provide free wireless-internet access to all residents using Wi-Fi, a technology commonly used to link computers to the internet in homes, offices, schools and coffee-shops. Across America, hundreds of cities followed suit. Yet many municipal Wi-Fi projects have since been hit by mounting costs, poor coverage and weak demand. This week Chicago became the first big city to abandon its plans for a city-wide network. ?Everyone would like something for free,? says Chuck Haas of MetroFi, a supplier of municipal Wi-Fi systems. But the numbers do not add up.
http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9726651**********************************
ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
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au: Bid for mandatory jail for worst child porn
ATTORNEY-General Kerry Shine has gone to court seeking to ensure jail time for anyone found with child pornography of "the worst category". Queensland's new child exploitation laws have been interpreted in various ways by judges in the District Court and the court hearing should provide more guidance for them.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,22330800-3102,00.htmlnz: Group disappointed with porn sentence
An organisation that aims to stop sexual exploitation is disappointed a man found with over
200,000 child porn images may get home detention.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1330748+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the most recent edition of the domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!The domain name news is supported by auDA.
For information on subscriptions to the domain name and/or general internet news please contact me. For archives of postings to the list, see http://lists.technewsreview.com.au/pipermail/technewsreview/. Also see http://technewsreview.com.au/ for recent updates.Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(c) David Goldstein 2007
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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)
"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery
