[APPLe list] general internet news - July 29

[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/

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Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, already online!


And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Ex-Google employees launch rival search engine
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/exgoogle-employees-launch-rival-search-engine-879172.html

Google Counts More Than 1 Trillion Unique Web URLs [IDG]
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072508-google-counts-more-than-1.html

Boom times ahead for mobile web
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7522305.stm

Kiwis keen but slow internet users
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/02EC2F9898CA7608CC2574940070D278

Nearly every Kiwi online in 25 years - NetSafe speaker
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4633164a28.html

Kiwis top of international survey for blogging
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10524003

Gartner Says 17 Countries to Surpass 60 Percent Broadband Penetration into the Home by 2012 [news release]
http://gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=729907

China becomes biggest net nation
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7528396.stm

Now ISPs Want to Serve You Ads, Too
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2008/tc20080723_417500.htm

Cyber-nationalism: The brave new world of e-hatred 
http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11792535

Limit mobile phone use, cancer expert tells staff
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/25/mobilephones.health

Mobile phones do fry your brain, warns cancer specialist [AP]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10523331

Fighting off the great spam attack
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/85/story.cfm?c_id=85&objectid=10523672

EBay, British luxury goods group to discuss counterfeit sales
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110645

uk: Illegal downloaders to get warning letter in government clampdown
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/24/digitalmedia.piracy

Surprise in the post for illegal music downloaders
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/24/musicindustry.piracy

One third of Aussie children not watched on web
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24075097-5006301,00.html

au: Conroy welcomes ISP filtering
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24088205-15306,00.html

EU internet proposals raise civil liberty fears
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eu-internet-proposals-raise-civil-liberty-fears-877988.html

nz: Opinion: A new era of broadband transparency
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/FC0B9D68D98E9E21CC25748D000CF604

nz: Former teacher faces 22 child porn charges
http://stuff.co.nz/4634522a11.html

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RESEARCH PAPERS
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"Yahoo! For Good" and the Right to Privacy of Internet Users: A Critique by Surya Deva [Journal of Internet Law]
Abstract: Against the backdrop of internet censorship in China and the disclosure of e-mail users' personal information by Yahoo! to the Chinese authorities, this article assesses the efficacy of privacy data laws in protecting the right to privacy of internet users. The assessment is made with reference to how the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of Hong Kong fared in making Yahoo! accountable for alleged privacy breaches of its customers. The article critically examines the report of the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner which exonerated Yahoo! and its subsidiaries from the charge of disclosing personal data in breach of the Privacy Ordinance. It also explores various steps that Yahoo! could have taken to fulfil its social responsibilities in China.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1165483

The Google Dilemma by James Grimmelmann [New York Law School Law Review]
Abstract: Web search is critical to our ability to use the Internet. Whoever controls search engines has enormous influence on all of us; whoever controls the search engines, perhaps, controls the Internet itself. This short essay (based on talks given in January and April 2008) uses the stories of five famous search queries to illustrate the conflicts over search and the enormous power Google wields in choosing whose voices are heard on the Internet.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1160320

EU Tackles Cybercrime by Sylvia Kierkegaard [Cyber Warfare and Cyber Terrorism]
Abstract: The growing importance of information and communication infrastructure opens up new opportunities for criminal activities, The European Union has therefore taken a number of steps to fight harmful and illegal content on the Internet, protect intellectual property and personal data, promote electronic commerce and tighten up the security of transactions. However, in spite of the EU initiatives, many observers believe that cybercrime requires an international response that should include countries that are havens for cybercriminals.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1162402

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INTERNET USE
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Ex-Google employees launch rival search engine
New search engine Cuil.com has gone live today, aiming to challenge the dominance of search giants Google. Former Google workers Tom Costello, Anna Patterson and Russel Power all helped to develop the new site, which claims to index more webpages than the search engine of their former employer.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/exgoogle-employees-launch-rival-search-engine-879172.html

Former Employees of Google Prepare Rival Search Engine
In her two years at Google, Anna Patterson helped design and build some of the pillars of the company’s search engine, including its large index of Web pages and some of the formulas it uses for ranking search results.
http://nytimes.com/2008/07/28/technology/28cool.html
http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/28/business/cool.php

Ex-Google staff launch rival search engine, Cuil
A group of former Google employees is hoping to outmanouvre their old boss by developing a rival search engine they claim provides a more comprehensive guide to the web.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4416977.ece

Search site aims to rival Google
Former staff from Google launch Cuil, a rival search engine that aims to beat the web giant at returning relevant results.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7528503.stm

Cuil shows us how not to launch a search engine
Google challenger Cuil launched last night in blaze of glory. And it went down in a ball of flames. Immediately after launch, the criticism started to pile on: results were incomplete, weird, and missing.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10000670-2.html

Google Counts More Than 1 Trillion Unique Web URLs [IDG]
In a discovery that would probably send the Dr. Evil character of the "Austin Powers" movies into cardiac arrest, Google recently detected more than a trillion unique URLs on the Web.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148964/google_counts_more_than_1_trillion_unique_web_urls.html
http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;2073502291
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072508-google-counts-more-than-1.html

Boom times ahead for mobile web
The world of mobile internet devices is set to explode in the next four years says chip maker Intel. Research carried out for the company suggests portable net-enabled devices will grow to 1.2 billion by 2012 as the need to be connected increases. Intel's predictions were unveiled as it launched a series of chips designed for portable web-browsing gadgets.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7522305.stm

Online services tearing down walls, sharing content [Billboard]
It might indeed be true that everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten. Take the first lesson: Share everything. It's right there at the top of the list, but only now is the digital entertainment industry taking notice. Once littered with walled gardens and content silos, the digital landscape is beginning to sprout a customer-friendly ecosystem of shared content and traffic.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2530807020080725
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4634059a28.html

Kiwis keen but slow internet users
The most striking New Zealand statistic in a study of international internet use published yesterdat is arguably the 35% of users here still on dial-up modems.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/02EC2F9898CA7608CC2574940070D278

Nearly every Kiwi online in 25 years - NetSafe speaker
Almost every New Zealander will be on the internet within 25 years, a visiting expert predicts. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of internet penetration in the world, at 80.5 per cent in March this year, according to the International Telecommunications Union the seventh-ranked country on monitoring website internetworldstats.com.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4633164a28.html
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4633164a27483.html

World Internet Project survey impresses - InternetNZ [news release]
InternetNZ (the Internet Society of New Zealand Inc) welcomes the first report of the World Internet Project New Zealand longitudinal study, released today. The study by AUT University involved 1500 Internet and non-Internet using New Zealanders, and complements studies undertaken in 28 countries over seven years.
http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2008/wip2007

Kiwis top of international survey for blogging
A new study has revealed one in 13 New Zealanders has a weblog, making us the keenest bloggers out of 15 countries surveyed for a world research project.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10524003

Broadband to reach 77% of U.S. households by 2012, Gartner says
The United States will close its digital divide significantly within the next four years, with 77% of U.S. households having a broadband Internet subscription, according to a new Gartner study.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072408-broadband-penetration-gartner-study.html

Asia among world's highest broadband penetration
South Korea and Hong Kong are two of the top three markets in the world with the highest household broadband penetration. Korea topped the Gartner study with 93 percent penetration in 2007, with this figure expected to hit 97 percent in 2012.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62044184,00.htm

Gartner Says 17 Countries to Surpass 60 Percent Broadband Penetration into the Home by 2012 [news release]
Worldwide consumer broadband connections will grow from 323 million connections in 2007 to 499 million in 2012, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide consumer broadband connections penetrated 18 percent of households in 2007, and by 2012, households with a broadband connection will reach 25 percent.
http://gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=729907

ABCe: Guardian.co.uk breaks 20m user barrier
Guardian.co.uk has become the first UK newspaper site to attract more than 20 million unique users in a month.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/24/abcs.digitalmedia

China becomes biggest net nation
China now has the world's largest net-using population, say official figures. More than 253 million people in the country are now online, according to statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7528396.stm

China says has more people surfing the Web than US [AP]
China's booming Internet population has surpassed the United States to become the world's biggest, with 253 million people online despite government controls on Web use, according to government data reported Friday.
http://news.smh.com.au/technology/china-says-has-more-people-surfing-the-web-than-us-20080424-28cv.html
http://news.theage.com.au/technology/china-says-has-more-people-surfing-the-web-than-us-20080424-28cv.html

China tops US for Internet user
China has the world's largest number of Internet users, passing the United States by the end of June, a government-backed center said in a report today. Another 43 million netizens joined in the first half of this year, lifting the number of Chinese Internet users to 253 million, China Internet Network Information Center said in its 22th Internet Development Report today.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=368002&type=National

Now ISPs Want to Serve You Ads, Too
Just what we need: another way to get bombarded with personalized ads. Consumers are already spoon-fed ads based on the searches they conduct with tools like Google (GOOG) and Yahoo! (YHOO); wireless service providers can send coupons, using call logs to track subscriber tastes and navigation tools to determine their whereabouts; and cable companies tailor local marketing messages to a viewer's neighborhood or city.
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2008/tc20080723_417500.htm

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SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Cyber-nationalism: The brave new world of e-hatred 
"Nation shall speak peace unto nation.” Eighty years ago, Britain’s state broadcasters adopted that motto to signal their hope that modern communications would establish new bonds of friendship between people divided by culture, political boundaries and distance.
http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11792535

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Limit mobile phone use, cancer expert tells staff
The head of a leading cancer research institute has reignited the controversy over the health risks of using mobile phones by sending a warning to staff that they should limit the use of the devices because of the risk of cancer.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/25/mobilephones.health

Mobile phones do fry your brain, warns cancer specialist [AP]
The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between increased tumours and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the US Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10523331
http://www.thestate.com/360/story/469463.html
http://businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D923QJSG0.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/23/cancer.cell.phones.ap/
http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/24/business/cellphone.php

Warning on mobile phone risk 'alarmist'
THE safety of mobile phones has again been called into question after a US cancer expert sent 3000 staff a memo urging them to limit the length of calls and to prevent children using the devices "except for emergencies".
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24074106-5013404,00.html

Mobile use on planes moves step closer
Widespread use of mobile phones on UK airlines moved a step closer today following a ruling by the communications watchdog Ofcom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/28/transport.theairlineindustry

Touch takes hold, but it's no mouse-killer
... It could be that there's more going on than a few product launches, but there will be practical issues. Richard MacKinnon, a business psychologist for the people assessment company Talent Q, has a postgraduate diploma in ergonomics and says touchscreens are unlikely to be suited for use over long periods of time. They also inadvertently promote poor posture, and reduced productivity through reduced typing speeds. "Touchscreens can have a place in entertainment scenarios, but in the office environment? I don't think we're there yet," he says.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/24/news.computing

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SPAM
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Fighting off the great spam attack
The internet is under attack like never before, with spam accounting for 80 per cent of all emails sent worldwide, many of them money-making scams run by criminal gangs.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/85/story.cfm?c_id=85&objectid=10523672

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ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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EBay, British luxury goods group to discuss counterfeit sales
Intellectual property lawyers from eBay Inc. and Walpole British Luxury, a group that represents the British luxury goods industry, are meeting Monday in London to discuss ways they can work together to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods online.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110645
http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;186461566

Software group weighs piracy lawsuit against eBay [IDG]
A trade group representing hundreds of software vendors is considering a lawsuit against eBay for what it calls widespread sales of counterfeit software on the auction site.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148935/software_group_weighs_piracy_lawsuit_against_ebay.html
http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;472832980
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/25/Software_group_weighs_piracy_lawsuit_against_eBay_1.html

The Briton facing 60 years in US prison after hacking into Pentagon
When he wakes up this morning, Gary McKinnon will be 72 hours from learning whether he is on the fast track to a 60-year prison sentence, thanks to his obsession with aliens.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/27/internationalcrime.hacking

Report: Taliban using sophisticated media network [AP]
The Taliban have created a sophisticated media network to undermine support for the Afghan government, sending threats by text message and spreading the militia's views through songs available as ring tones, according to a report released Thursday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7675494
http://iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/24/asia/AS-Afghan-Taliban-Media.php

Libel: Ex-friend's Facebook revenge costs £22,000 in damages at high court
After Grant Raphael had a row with his old school friend Mathew Firsht, he wanted revenge. He disseminated a web of lies via Facebook, to cause Firsht stress and humiliation.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/25/law.facebook

uk: 'Fake Facebook profile' victim awarded £22,000
A businessman who had his personal life laid bare in a fake profile on the social networking website Facebook has been awarded £22,000 in a libel case he brought against a former school friend.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4389538.ece

uk: Facebook libel case damages won
A businessman whose personal details were "laid bare" in fake entries on the Facebook social networking website has won a libel case at the High Court.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7523128.stm

Google to face charges in Italy over Down's syndrome video
Google is to face criminal charges in Italy over a video which appeared on one of its sites showing a disabled teenager being taunted by his peers.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4397511.ece

Italy prepares to charge Google execs
Italian prosecutors are preparing to file charges against four current or former Google Inc executives over a 2006 video on the Internet provider's Italian-language site, court sources said on Friday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL573071020080728

Woman Accused in MySpace Suicide Case Seeks to Have All Charges Dismissed
The lawyer for a Missouri mother accused of creating a fake MySpace page to harass a 13-year-old girl is arguing that charges should be tossed out of court because if she is guilty, then so are millions of Internet users every day.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072301542.html

us: Dismissal of federal Internet suicide case sought [AP]
An attorney for a Missouri woman charged in a MySpace hoax that allegedly led a 13-year-old girl to commit suicide filed motions Wednesday to dismiss the federal case.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/23/financial/f154531D70.DTL

Irish Man (27) prosecuted over obscene Bebo messages
A man has been prosecuted for putting offensive and obscene messages on social networking site Bebo in what is believed to be the first case of its kind to come before the Irish courts.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/man-27-prosecuted-over-obscene-bebo-messages-1399572.html

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PRIVACY
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How a fraudster stole my identity on Facebook
The first I knew about it was a phone call. My girlfriend admonished me for succumbing to the temptations of Facebook, a website whose poisoned fruits I had previously said I found unappealing. I stood accused of two crimes: a lack of willpower and a failure to confess.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/how-a-fraudster-stole-my-identity-on-facebook-876804.html
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10523466

Residents in Spain fined for putting prostitute clients on YouTube
Some lauded them as plucky local heroes who harnessed new technologies to tackle problems that the authorities ignored. Others saw them as snoops with no regard for people's privacy.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4393682.ece

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ONLINE TV & MUSIC
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uk: Illegal downloaders to get warning letter in government clampdown
Internet service providers have struck a deal with government and the music industry to help clamp down on illegal downloading. The deal, to be announced later today, is thought to include an agreement for ISPs to send out hundreds of thousands of letters to account holders responsible for illegal downloading.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/24/digitalmedia.piracy

Surprise in the post for illegal music downloaders
Thousands of parents will learn of their children's illegal downloading habits when warning letters arrive at their homes in a battle against internet piracy. A government-backed drive is targeting the worst offenders of the estimated 6.5 million web users involved in illicit file-sharing of music and films. Britain's six largest internet service providers, or ISPs, have joined the scheme, amid estimates that the practice could cost the music industry £1bn in the next five years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/24/musicindustry.piracy

uk: Net firms pledge no spying in filesharing crackdown
Internet service providers have pledged not to "spy" on the web habits of customers as part of an agreement with the government to punish illegal sharing of music and films.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/25/downloads.piracy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/24/digitalmedia.piracy1

Music companies to police illegal downloads
No sooner had Britain’s six biggest internet service providers (ISPs) agreed to monitor illegal file sharing than the web was abuzz with suggestions to get around the scheme.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article4393540.ece

Music industry to tax downloaders
Internet users could face an annual charge of up to £30 to download music, under plans to be unveiled today that aim to tackle illegal file-sharing.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/music-industry-to-tax-downloaders-875757.html

Parents to be punished for children’s net piracy
Parents whose children download music and films illegally will be blacklisted and have their internet access curbed under government reforms to fight online piracy.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4387283.ece

Net firms in music pirates deal
Six of the UK's biggest net providers have agreed a plan with the music industry to tackle piracy online. The deal, negotiated by the government, will see hundreds of thousands of letters sent to net users suspected of illegally sharing music.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7522334.stm

Q&A: Music and file-sharing
Hundreds of thousands of UK net users could soon find a letter on their mat from their net supplier saying their account is being used to illegally share files. The letters are one of the most tangible elements of an anti-piracy plan brokered by the government. Here we explain some of the background to the agreement.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7522962.stm

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CENSORSHIP
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Australians asked to help monitor the Great Firewall of China
Amnesty International has developed a tool designed to monitor the extent of internet censorship in China, and is asking Australians to help use it.
http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;56386717

us: Editorial - The Censors Lose in Court
The $550,000 fine that the Federal Communications Commission imposed on CBS for Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl was a serious setback to freedom of expression. A federal appeals court threw out the fine last week, ruling that the agency violated its own standards for what constitutes indecency. It is a well-reasoned decision, and we hope that the Supreme Court, which will soon be taking up a similar case, will take as strong a stand for free speech.
http://nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28mon3.html

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CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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One third of Aussie children not watched on web
ONE third of Australian households say they do not supervise their children's internet use and less than half have an internet content filter installed, according to a report.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,24071668-5014108,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24071668-2,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24075097-5006301,00.html

au: Children surf Net unfettered
One-third of Australian children are unsupervised when they surf the internet and have no filter on their computers, research says.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/children-surf-net-unfettered/1226305.aspx

au: ISPs crucial to child pornography blocks
THE Federal Government's internet service provider-level web filtering regime could kick off in earnest next year. The Government yesterday released the findings of its much-anticipated report on a service provider-level web filtering trial conducted in Tasmania by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24092793-15306,00.html

au: Conroy welcomes ISP filtering
THE federal Government will embark on the next step of its internet filtering strategy after initial trials proved successful, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said. Senator Conroy today released the findings of a recently concluded ISP-level internet filtering trial conducted in Tasmania by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in a closed environment.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24088205-15306,00.html

au: Thousands of WA kids suffering
... "This State Government is part-funding a world-first study into cyber bullying, which is currently under way in WA." But Mr Collier said public schools were under-prepared to deal with behavioural problems in students. He said it was a disgrace that the public education system had just one psychologist for every 2000 students.
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,24083319-948,00.html

au: BitTorrent hole in ISP filter tests
The results of ISP-level content filtering tests released today by the federal government have revealed that the products tested could filter websites with illegal content or block entire peer-to-peer networks such as BitTorrent, but could not identify illegal content shared on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/BitTorrent-hole-in-ISP-filter-tests/0,130061791,339290888,00.htm

au: Australian Government Tests ISP-Level Internet Content Filtering
Australian Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy today announced the release of a report demonstrating advances in Internet content filtering technologies: Closed Environment Testing of ISP-Level Content Filtering.
http://www.govtech.com/gt/381385?topic=117691

ISP level net filtering: don't get too excited
Communications minister Stephen Conroy, hell-bent on foisting ISP level Internet filtering on all Australian consumers, is pretty pleased with the report of a trial of ISP level filtering handed to him recently to him by the ACMA, but it leaves many questions as to the practicalities of ISP level filtering unanswered.
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/19685/1095/

nz: Spotlight on suicide website
A young woman has taken her own life after researching how on the internet, sparking calls to introduce greater moderation of websites. Her father will share details of his family's story as the opening speaker of the three-day internet Safety Group NetSafe's conference in Queenstown on Monday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10523615

nz: Suicide sites add shock to parents' grief
The parents of a primary school teacher who died after Googling "how to commit suicide" are calling for action over dangerous online information.
http://stuff.co.nz/4632902a11.html

NZ host to internet safety conference
The first ever International conference about safety online is being held in Queenstown this week. The conference, which began on Monday and runs for three days, hosts international experts from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1948763
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=141562

nz: Guide to keeping kids safe online
For kids, the internet is not just for fun. It's fast becoming an indispensible tool for learning and socialising. Unfortunately it can also be a haven for explicit content, as well as a hunting ground for online bullies and predators.
http://stuff.co.nz/4628394a28.html

nz: Southland teen to advise UN on internet
At the age of 16 Hannah Lobb has just returned from England helping develop a United Nations' child-protection policy. Tomorrow she speaks at an internet safety conference in Queenstown.
http://stuff.co.nz/southlandtimes/4633192a6568.html

nz: Teen returns from congress
The Internet could become a safer place for youngsters, thanks partly to Richmond teenager Courtney Russ. On Thursday she returned from the International Youth Advisory Congress in London, where about 150 young people from all over the world met to discuss Internet safety.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/nelsonmail/4634062a6510.html

US Court Nixes Law Aimed at Protecting Kids Online
Proponents of the beleaguered Child Online Protection Act suffered yet another blow Tuesday when a federal appeals court deemed the law unconstitutional once again. The 1998 law, known as "COPA," aims to keep children from viewing pornographic materials on the Internet by making it a crime for commercial Web site operators to let children access "harmful" material.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Court-Nixes-Law-Aimed-at-Protecting-Kids-Online-63917.html

us: Court Nixes Law Aimed at Protecting Kids Online
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Child Online Protection Act, or COPA, is unconstitutional. The Act violates the First Amendment and is too broad, the court said. Free speech groups that worked to fight COPA, including the ACLU and EPIC, applauded the decision.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/63917.html

us: FTC Press Briefing to Discuss Report on Food Marketing To Children
The Federal Trade Commission will release a report examining industry expenditures in marketing food and beverages to children and adolescents.
http://ftc.gov/opa/2008/07/foodmark.shtm

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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EU internet proposals raise civil liberty fears
Civil liberty groups claim the new "telecoms package" due to go before the European Parliament in September will result in the loss of individual freedom on the internet, and breach the fundamental principles of human rights in Europe.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eu-internet-proposals-raise-civil-liberty-fears-877988.html

us: Big Cable: FCC Internet policy should apply to colleges too
A cable industry group is trying to convince the FCC to apply its network management rules to colleges and universities—despite the fact that campus Internet is for students and staff only, not a general public promised fast and always-on Internet connections.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080724-big-cable-fcc-internet-policy-should-apply-to-colleges-too.html

us: The netroots: Don’t mention FISA
... The cruellest cut came on July 9th, when Mr Obama voted for a new Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This gives the executive new powers of warrantless wiretapping and provides retroactive immunity for telecoms companies that worked with the Bush administration to spy on Americans. During the primaries, he had promised to support a filibuster against such a provision.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11792644

CDT Applauds Appeals Court Ruling on COPA: Court affirms earlier decision ruling COPA unconstitutional [news release]
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld a lower court ruling striking down a controversial law that required Web operators to restrict access to large amounts of constitutionally protected speech.
http://cdt.org/press/20080722press.php

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COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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Microsoft limbers up to fight for online future
Microsoft has an impressive collection of modern photography in the lobby of its conference centre in Redmond, Washington. Among the artists is David Maisel whose aerial photographs of Los Angeles give a disturbing, apocalyptic, bird’s eye view of the sprawling metropolis.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article4406824.ece

Microsoft: What Web Strategy?
Microsoft has all but shut the door on the prospect of resuming talks to buy all or part of Yahoo!. Speaking at the company's annual meeting for analysts on July 24, Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said a Yahoo deal at this point "essentially makes no sense."
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2008/tc20080724_447840.htm

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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nz: Opinion: A new era of broadband transparency
Most of you will have read or at least heard about the first quarterly Epitiro/IDC Broadband Index report published a couple of weeks ago by the Commerce Commission. All of us involved in producing it were excited by the level of interest it generated.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/FC0B9D68D98E9E21CC25748D000CF604

Asia outstrips Europe, US in fibre rollout
Asian countries continue to surpass Europe and North America in the adoption of fibre-to-the-home technology, according to a new global ranking study by the FTTH Councils of Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39452517,00.htm

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ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
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nz: Former teacher faces 22 child porn charges
A former schoolteacher who left New Zealand five years ago while facing child pornography charges appeared in the Christchurch District Court yesterday.
http://stuff.co.nz/4634522a11.html

au: Murray Bridge man on child porn charges
A MURRAY Bridge man has appeared in the District Court charged with numerous counts of possessing child pornography.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24089642-2682,00.html

au: 35,000 child porn images - no jail
A MAN with a chronic fear of women has walked from the Adelaide District Court with a suspended prison term after admitting downloading 35,000 child pornography images.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24071332-2,00.html

au: Federal Labor MP Janelle Saffin's son on child porn charge
THE son of a Federal Labor MP has been charged with possessing child pornography after police discovered a several "offensive images" on his home computer.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24074042-5007132,00.html


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David Goldstein
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
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AUSTRALIA
email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au
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