general internet news - 12 August

Information Technology Security Resource for
Developing Countries

The World Bank infoDev program has recently published
an "Information Technology Security Handbook,"
oriented to the needs of individuals, small
businesses, governments and system and network
administrators in developing countries. The Handbook
is now available on-line at the web site
http://www.infodev-security.net/.

Associated with the handbook is the first of a number
of discussion forums for communication between
developing country network and computer users and
persons knowledgeable in security in the developed
world. It's our hope that the forums can evolve as
developing country needs are identified and
articulated on the web site. Suggestions are welcome,
and should be sent to [email protected]

It would be very much appreciated if the Handbook web
site and the discussion forum could be brought to the
attention of Internet and computer users in the
developing world. infoDev hopes that this information
and the related communications will be a useful tool
to help developing countries avoid some of the
negative effects of the misuse of information
technology in their development.

***********************
CENSORSHIP & CONTENT REGULATION
***********************
cn: Keywords Blacklisted to Combat Internet Porn
China is working with its top two search engines to
crack down on Internet pornography by restricting the
use of keywords, Xinhua news agency said on Monday.
 http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;?storyID=5913313

http://www.avn.com/index.php?Primary_Navigation=Articles&Action=View_Article&Content_ID=185984

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_technology_story_skin/440905?format=html

http://reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=5908126

Top Chinese sites launch anti-porn measures
Popular Chinese web sites Sina.com, Sohu.com and
Netease.com are complying with orders to clean up web
content to "create a green environment for millions of
underage surfers," the official Xinhua news agency
says.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/09/1091903484947.html

us: Big Business Becoming Big Brother 
The government is increasingly using corporations to
do its surveillance work, allowing it to get around
restrictions that protect the privacy and civil
liberties of Americans, according to a report released
Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union, an
organization that works to protect civil liberties.
 http://wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,64492,00.html

http://aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=16224&c=207

Zambian parliament passes tough cyber crime law
Zambia's parliament has unanimously passed a tough law
to curb cyber crime that would see convicted computer
hackers and other offenders get jail sentences ranging
from 15 to 25 years.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/11/1092102488282.html

il: Bill would imprison Net sex chatters 	
A bill has been proposed that would make sexually
explicit Internet chat between an adult and a minor an
offense punishable by up to two years of jail time.
The National Council for the Child submitted a
proposal to the Justice Ministry that would classify
such communication with minors under the age of 14 as
sexual harassment, an offense already punishable with
up to two-year sentences. The law would be a
breakthrough in Israeli law, which does not now forbid
any Internet communications that are not "translated"
into real-world actions.
 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/462021.html

kw: Government bans Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"
(not internet)
Reporters Without Borders today condemned the Kuwaiti
Information ministry's decision on 1 August to ban
screening of Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit
9/11" and urged the authorities to lift the
interdiction. "The Kuwaiti authorities are free to
disagree with Michael Moore's political preferences
but it is regrettable that they are using the weapon
of censorship to deprive the Kuwaiti public of the
Information and views contained in his film," the
organisation said.
 http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11077

ir: Taking tougher line on Internet, authorities try
cyber-dissident and draft harsh bill
Reporters Without Borders voiced concern today about
increased efforts by the Iranian authorities to gag
the Internet, including the trial of a theology
student at the end of July for a message posted on a
news website and a proposed law that would throttle
online dissent.
 http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11066
Teherán endurece su línea en relación con la Red
 http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11067

*******************
LEGAL AND SECURITY
*******************
us: FTC squashes firm's pop-up ads
U.S. regulators said on Monday they had settled
charges against a company that they claimed used a
little-known Microsoft Windows feature to bombard
computer owners with unwanted ads.
 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5302943.html

us: Cybersecurity research gets $7 million
The Office of Naval Research has granted the National
Center for Advanced Secure Systems Research (NCASSR)
an additional $7 million in funding to conduct
research on, among other topics, technology for
deducing suspicious patterns in data and on ways to
allow sensors to communicate in a secure fashion.
 http://news.com.com/2110-7347_3-5302924.html
7 Millionen US-Dollar für Forschung zu
Cyber-Sicherheit
 http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/49921

us: Google and Yahoo Settle Dispute Over Search Patent
Google announced a settlement to a long-running patent
dispute with its arch-rival Yahoo, a move that reduces
some of the uncertainty surrounding Google's business
as it prepares for the initial public auction of its
stock.

http://nytimes.com/2004/08/10/technology/10search.html
Google-Yahoo Terms Are Clearly Relevant

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53389-2004Aug10.html
Google zahlt an Yahoo wegen Patent- und Aktien-Streit
 http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/49912

ke: Telkom Censured Over Illegal Internet Service
Telkom Kenya Limited has been barred from offering
Internet services to the end users. An appeals board
of the Communications Commission of Kenya on Friday
evening ruled that only licensed Internet Service
Providers could provide the service under strict
regulation, in accordance with the Kenya Communication
Act.
 http://allafrica.com/stories/200408090106.html

de: Gericht: Suchmaschinen-Spamming per HTML-Metatags
wettbewerbswidrig (~German court blocks use of search
engine spamming by metatags)
Das kompendiumartige Auflisten vieler hundert
HTML-Metatags ohne jeden inhaltlichen Zusammenhang zu
einer Internetseite führe zu einer Manipulation von
Suchmaschinen und ist wettbewerbswidrig nach § 1 des
Gesetzes gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (UWG). Das
entschied das Landgericht Essen in einem jetzt
veröffentlichten Urteil vom 26. Mai 2004 (Az. 44 0
166/03). Klägerin des Verfahrens war ein rechtsfähiger
Wirtschaftsverband.
 http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/49876

Google, Yahoo bury the legal hatchet
Google has agreed to give Yahoo 2.7 million shares of
its stock to settle patent infringement and other
legal claims, the companies announced on Monday.

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/0,39023166,39155818,00.htm

us: The Other War on Terror
Four ways we must protect the nation's electronic
frontier. America is in the thick of a protracted war,
and it has nothing to do with the Middle East. Call it
the War on Cyberterror.
 http://wired.com/wired/archive/12.08/view.html?pg=4

******
POLICY
******
au: Parents warned Internet games centres are not
suitable child minders
Parents will be counselled and sent to classes if
caught using Internet games centres for cheap child
care in Queensland.

http://abc.net.au/science/news/scitech/SciTechRepublish_1171472.htm

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,10385417%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

uk: Small.biz: hotbed of sexism?
A massive eight in ten female employees feel that they
have been subjected to sexism in the workplace,
placing thousands of small firms at risk of legal
action, according to new research.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/10/small_business_sexism/

ru: International telecommunications forum to be held
in Moscow
The first international telecommunications forum
"Russia-Asia: new opportunities for corporations" will
be held in Moscow on August 10-11.

http://www.russiajournal.com/news/cnewswire.shtml?nw=44975#n44975

ru: Lawmakers focus on mass media (not internet)
The Russian State Duma wants to reform the Russian
mass media sector. Currently the expert council of the
Duma information policies committee, headed by Mikhail
Fedotov, who elaborated the existing law on mass media
in Russia, is working out amendments to the existing
laws. The Vremya Novostey daily cited head of this
Duma committee Boris Reznik as saying that the
proposed reforms will have three stages. The
government is stipulated to guarantee the independence
of the press, as it is supposed not to impose large
taxes and to fix the prices for paper and printing
services.

http://russiajournal.com/news/cnews-article.shtml?nd=44918

ru: Duma to mull ban on media coverage of terrorism
(again, not internet)
United Russia, the pro-Kremlin bloc that dominates the
new State Duma, is set to either completely ban media
coverage of terrorist attacks and catastrophes, or to
considerably restrict the volume of information
reported. The issue has been addressed in two draft
bills submitted to the lower house recently and will
be reviewed by lawmakers next month.

http://russiajournal.com/news/cnews-article.shtml?nd=42638

us: Program Aids Urban Poor In Accessing The Internet
The odd-looking antenna that receives high-speed
Internet service is taped smack in the middle of a
window in the home of the Cox family.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50706-2004Aug8.html

us: F.C.C. Supports Surveillance Rules on Internet
Calls
Responding to a request by law enforcement officials,
the Federal Communications Commission tentatively
concluded Wednesday that new Internet-based telephone
services should be subject to some of the same laws
that enable the government to monitor conversations of
terrorists and criminal suspects with relative ease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/05/technology/05phone.html

*****
SPAM
*****
Phishing scams just a preview of worse to come
Before long, you won't even have to open a phishing
email before the trail of destruction begins making
its way to your bank account.

http://afr.com/premium/articles/2004/08/10/1092102448396.html

************
INTERNET USE
************
uk: Internet sex addict show sets out to shock the
Fringe 
There are many things that acts will do to get noticed
on the Edinburgh Fringe. But few people would actually
go to the lengths of sleeping with a perfect stranger
on every night of the festival as the premise of their
show. None the less, this is precisely what Tim
Fountain is doing. In his act, Sex Addict, he trawls
Gaydar, the gay internet site, in front of a live
audience, looking for a man with whom to have sex. The
audience votes who he should pick. He then cycles off
to whichever part of Edinburgh he has been summoned,
has sex, and then reports back on the experience to
the following night's audience.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/edinburgh2004/story/0,14762,1279029,00.html

Canadians leery of on-line dating
Eighty per cent of Canadians believe chat rooms and
on-line dating are dangerous because they don't know
who they are dealing with, a poll suggests.

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040809.gtpoll0808/BNStory/Technology/

The blog busters
Mighty corporations ignore the whispers on web diaries
at their peril. Sean Hargrave reports on how the big
brands are logging on to save face.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/weblogs/story/0,14024,1279463,00.html

Net phone customers brace for 'VoIP spam'
If you're sick of spam, imagine wading through dozens
of prerecorded porn and Viagra messages on your voice
mail. Some computer security and privacy experts are
warning that such a day may not be far off for
customers of new Internet phone services, which marry
the immediacy of a voice call with the
conveniences--and inconveniences--of e-mail.
 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5302988.html

http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/communications/0,39001141,39189672,00.htm

Korean Internet population reaches 30 mil.
Korea's Internet population reached the
30-million-mark in the first half, with the
penetration rate exceeding 68 percent just 10 years
into commercialization
 http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=13452

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2004/08/11/200408110034.asp

Video games 'good for children'
Computer games can promote problem-solving and
team-building in children, say games industry experts.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3553352.stm

uk: Technology a burden for women
Working women in the UK think new technology makes
their lives even more hectic. As a result, a growing
number of career women are suffering from what has
been dubbed "frantic life syndrome".

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_technology_story_skin/440873?format=html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/10/tech_makes_women_stress/

***
ITU
***
ITU Telecom Asia Set for September
Following the International Telecommunications Union
(ITU) Telecom Africa conference in May, the next ITU
event will be Telecom Asia, taking place in Busan,
South Korea between 7 and 11 September.
 http://allafrica.com/stories/200408100861.html

The Portable Internet
The ITU Strategy and Policy Unit will soon release a
new publication examining the emergence of high-speed
wireless Internet access together with the
proliferation of portable devices entitled The
Portable Internet, the sixth in its series of "ITU
Internet Reports" originally launched in 1997. This
new report will be released in conjunction with ITU
TELECOM Asia 2004, to be held in Busan (Republic of
Korea) from 7 to 11 September 2004.

http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/newslog/2004/08/09.html#a715

http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/portableinternet/

************************
COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
************************
Key Windows update ready to go
The long overdue security update for Microsoft's XP
operating system will soon be available.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3547978.stm

File-sharers offer Windows update
File-sharing activists are using Microsoft's key
update for Windows XP to highlight the benefits of
peer-to-peer technology.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3551576.stm

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/windows/0,39020396,39163138,00.htm

Microsoft picks five countries for cheap Windows
Microsoft is getting ready to release a cheap,
easy-to-use version of Windows XP for developing
markets. Windows XP Starter Edition -- an inexpensive
version of Microsoft's flagship operating system that
does not contain as many features as the standard
version -- will begin shipping on PCs in Thailand,
Malaysia and Indonesia in October, said Maggie
Wilderotter, senior vice president for the worldwide
public sector at Microsoft.
 http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39163137,00.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55546-2004Aug11.html

http://reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=5930651
Microsoft startet Versuch mit Windows Light für Asien
 http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/49961

************************
CHILD PROTECTION ARRESTS
************************
au: Child pornography charges against Qld man
dismissed
Child pornography charges against a Queensland man who
has also been involved in a deportation dispute over a
young Thai girl have been dropped.
 http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s1171948.htm

ca: L'Orignal Man Charged With Possession of Child
Pornography (news release)
Members of the Ontario Provincial Police Child
Pornography Section, in conjunction with the
Hawkesbury Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police
and the Electronic Crime Section of the Ontario
Provincial Police have charged a 46-year-old L'Orignal
man following a child pornography investigation.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2004/10/c0057.html

ca: Glencoe Man Charged With Invitation To Sexual
Touching and Internet Luring (news release)
Members of the Ontario Provincial Police Child
Pornography Section (Project P), assisted by the
Middlesex and Lambton County OPP have arrested and
charged a 38 year old Glencoe man with two counts of
invitation to sexual touching, two counts of internet
luring and two counts of possession of prohibited
weapons.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2004/10/c0059.html

cr: Costa Rica sentences U.S. man in child sex crimes
A Costa Rican court sent a U.S. man to jail for 45
years on Tuesday, after finding him guilty of having
sex with minors, trafficking in child pornography and
supplying drugs to children.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N10383283.htm

us: Child molester sentenced under new Net-savvy Fed
law
An Anaheim man who used the Internet to target
children for sex crimes was sentenced Monday to five
years in prison under a recent federal law passed to
deal with computer-savvy sex predators.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2004-08-10-fed-kidsolicit-law_x.htm

us: In court -- Police say man tried to meet girl for
sex
A 25-year-old Rochester Hills man was arraigned Friday
on charges of child sexually abusive activity and
using a computer in the commission of a crime.
 http://www.freep.com/news/mich/date9_20040809.htm

us: Former youth hockey coach sentenced for possessing
child pornography
A former youth hockey coach will not serve jail time
for possessing child pornography.

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2156607&nav=0RcePiq1

us: Man Allegedly Lures Boy To N.J. For Sex
A man already arrested for possession of child
pornography is facing new charges involving a
12-year-old boy.
 http://www.nbc10.com/news/3639247/detail.html

us: Suspect faces 11 counts of possessing child
pornography
A Russellville man allegedly found in possession of
graphic sexual pictures involving children has been
charged in Pope County Circuit Court with 11 counts of
possessing child pornography.
 http://www.couriernews.com/story.asp?ID=6378

us: Rose Hill man arraigned on child pornography
charges
A 42-year-old Rose Hill man has been arraigned in Lee
County on charges of Child Pornography.

http://www.middlesborodailynews.com/articles/2004/08/09/news/490porno.txt

us: Man, 62, pleads guilty to child pornography
charges
A 62-year-old Northampton County man accused of having
more than three-thousand pornographic images on his
computer has admitted sending child porn over the
Internet and has pleaded guilty to 30 counts of sexual
abuse of children.
 http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=2154063

us: Grand jury indicts Cambridge man on charges of
child porn, videotaping
The Washington County (N.Y.) grand jury Tuesday
indicted a man on seven charges for allegedly taping a
child without consent in a lewd manner, as well as
allegedly possessing digital photographs of child
pornography on his home computer.

http://www.benningtonbanner.com/Stories/0,1413,104~8678~2326773,00.html

us: Fergus Falls Man Held On Child Porn Allegations
A Fergus Falls man is being held on suspicion of
possessing and making child pornography.
 http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_223180026.html

us: Danbury Man Charged With Sending Child Porn
A Danbury man has been charged with sending child
pornography over the Internet more than four years
ago.
 http://www.nbc30.com/technology/3637715/detail.html

http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=2153488&nav=1VGmPhL6

us: Suspect in child porn case confesses to abuse
A Hialeah man suspected by his wife of downloading
child pornography was arrested Monday, after which he
confessed to sexually abusing the couple's two
daughters, police said.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9360008.htm?1c

us: Ex-cop, wife charged in molestation, porn case
A former Willow Springs police officer and his wife
face abuse-related charges after children said the man
fondled them and an initial review of computers and
disks confiscated from the couple's home showed
evidence of child pornography.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-abuse11.html

us: Man in porn case is arrested again
A Salem County man, out on bail after his arrest in
April on charges he possessed child pornography, was
caught in a police Internet sting after corresponding
with an officer posing as a 12-year-old boy from
California, authorities said.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/9369025.htm?1c

us: Investigators search home of Olmsted Falls man
charged with having child pornography
Parents flocked to the Olmsted Falls Police Department
Friday with pictures of their kids. They hope
investigators can rule them out as victims of a man
charged with having child pornography and preying on
young girls.
 http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=21665

us: Man gets 10 years on porn charges
An Anderson man was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in
prison for his involvement with child pornography.
 http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/story.asp?id=6257

us: Volunteer youth coach charged with possession of
child pornography
An assistant coach with Waukesha Youth Football was
charged Friday with possession of child pornography.

http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2004/August_04/08072004_03.asp

us: Teenager facing child pornography charges
Alexander Charles Whitaker was being held in the
Broward County Jail Friday on $300,000 bond. Police
found hundreds of child pornography images stored on
his computer. Many of the images showed children
having sexual contact with other children or adults.
 http://crime-research.org/news/09.08.2004/553
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/dn-news
for the latest domain news. Within 24 hours of this
news being posted, a more recent edition of the news
will normally be posted to the auDA web site. The
domain name news is supported by auDA.

Also see
http://greta.electric.gen.nz/mailman/listinfo/internet-news
for an archive or to subscribe to the general news.

Sources include Quicklinks (www.qlinks.net) and BNA
Internet Law News (www.bna.com/ilaw)".

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

(c) David Goldstein 2004

=====
David Goldstein
 address: 2/4 Dundas Street
             COOGEE NSW 2034
             AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David-/[email protected]
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 0015 - home

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