Web filtering software is moving to the cloud

(New York Times)
Web filtering software is moving to the cloud - that all-knowing, pervasive, sometimes unreliable cluster of computers in the digital ether - and it?s going to watch your every move online and tattle to your boss. Zscaler's idea is to relieve companies of the tiresome and costly burden of managing Web filtering and security on their own servers. Instead, the cloud-based service, which is rented to companies by the month, acts like a Web proxy, intercepting all incoming and outbound HTTP traffic from employees and scrubbing it for malware and online activity that violates company policy.

Labels: Filtering_and_blocking

Harmful content on the internet: self-regulation is the best way forward

(Guardian)
by Simon Waldman. The members of the House of Commons Culture Media and Sport Committee asked what measures did YouTube take to make sure the content on their site was suitable for it's audience. To which YouTube owner Google's general counsel replied that while they responded to complaints about their content - so a film showing a gang rape, for example, was taken down after 600 views - it is not feasible to look at every piece of content on the site. This contrasted with MySpace - who admittedly have much less content to worry about - who check all their video content. As a result, the committee said they found Google's arguments "unconvincing" and recommended that "proactive review of content should be standard practice for sites hosting user-generated content".

Labels: Social_networking

UK - Facebook: Children evade social websites' age limits

(Guardian)
Nearly a quarter of children between the ages of eight and 12 are evading the age restrictions imposed by social networking sites Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, a poll of young people revealed. The results suggest that more than 750,000 children are illicitly using the sites - which are supposed to be limited to teenagers and adults - potentially exposing them to risky communications with strangers. The poll of 1,000 children was commissioned by Garlik, an online information company, which said parents are responding by secretly logging on to their children's social networking pages to detect any reckless online behaviour.

Labels: Age_verification, Social_networking, Statistics

US - Cablevision To Block Child Porn Sites - NY AG

(Dow Jones)
Cablevision Systems is the latest Internet provider to reach an agreement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to block access to bulletin boards and Web sites that distribute child pornography. Cuomo said the media and entertainment company has signed his code of conduct, which requires the companies to restrict access by their customers to Web sites and newsgroups - or public bulletin boards where they can upload or download files - that have been identified as sites that disseminate child pornography.

Labels: Child_abuse_images, Filtering_and_blocking

CN - Internet Giants to Create China Code of Conduct

(Techtree News)
Technology giants like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have reached an agreement with other Internet companies and human rights groups to draw up a voluntary code of conduct for doing business in countries like China that impose restrictions on Internet. The three companies have sent separate letters to Sen. Richard Durbin (D., Ill.), and Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.). Among the few specifics about the code mentioned in the letters include formulating principles on freedom of expression and privacy, identifying guidelines for their implementation, and drawing up a governance, accountability and learning framework.

Labels: Content_Regulation, Self-regulation_Codes_of_Conduct

EU - State aid: Commission approves rescue loan for TV 2 Denmark

(RAPID)
The European Commission has authorised, under the EC Treaty's rules on state aid, a credit facility granted by the Danish Ministry of Culture to support TV 2 Danmark AS. The Commission concluded that the credit facility, which addresses the company's cash flow problems, constitutes rescue aid in line with the EU rules on state aid to companies in difficulty. In due time, the Commission will review whether the credit is fully reimbursed or whether appropriate restructuring measures to restore the long term viability of TV 2 Danmark AS are taken.

Labels: Audiovisual, Competition

EU - UK questioned on online ad system

(BBC)
The UK government has until the end of August to respond to a letter from the European Union about the controversial online ad system Phorm. EU commissioner Viviane Reding has asked the UK government to clarify whether the system is in breach of European data laws. Phorm's so-called Webwise system tracks users' web habits in order to better target ads at them. BT is due to begin a widescale trial of the service imminently.

Labels: Data_protection_privacy

Review: Livia Web Protection offers the first-rate filtering of Websense for Parents

(Filtering Facts)
Some former Websense managers have started up an Internet security solutions provider called Total Tech.  Their product offering is called Livia Web Protection, and it's basically Websense's filtering "in the cloud" - i.e., with the filtering done on remote servers rather than on your desktop. This is a good thing, because filtering databases have become too large and are updated too frequently now to be practical running on individual desktops as they were in the 1990s. This is about the best quality filtering I've seen, blocking everything in my test sample. 

Labels: Filtering_and_blocking

AU - New Filter Test by Australian Government Shows Filter Effectiveness

(Filtering Facts)
The Australian Communications and Media Authority released a report on Closed environment testing of ISP-level internet content filtering.  This report presents the findings of the closed environment testing of ISP-level filters conducted in 2008. The trial was conducted in response to a ministerial direction received in June 2007. Among the report's findings: Successful blocking (the proportion of illegal and inappropriate content that should have been blocked that was successfully blocked) was between 88% and 97% with most achieving over 92%. The median rate of successful blocking was improved from the previous trial. Overblocking (the proportion of content that was blocked that should not have been blocked) was between 1% and 6%, with most falling under 3%. The median overblocking rate was significantly improved from the previous trial. 

Labels: Filtering_and_blocking

CN - Olympic head: No deal on Internet censorship

(CNET)
by Desiree Everts. Olympic officials said there was "no deal" with the Chinese government to restrict Internet access for foreign journalists covering the Beijing Games. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said during a press conference in Beijing that he is "adamant in saying there has been no deal whatsoever to accept restrictions," according to the BBC. In addition, he applauded the organization of the Summer Games, falling short of an apology following widespread public criticism that China had backtracked on assurances that members of the media would not be restricted. See also China lifts ban on Tiananmen sites (Guardian).

Labels: Content_Regulation

Study revives six degrees theory

(BBC)
A US study of instant messaging suggests the theory that it takes only six steps to link everyone may be right - though seven seems more accurate. Microsoft researchers studied the addresses of 30bn instant messages sent during a single month in 2006. Any two people on average are linked by seven or fewer acquaintances, they say.

Labels: Internet_access_and_use, Statistics

UK - Illegal filesharing: Government hits back at BPI over last-minute letter

(Guardian)
A hardline letter sent by the BPI at the 11th hour threatened to undermine a deal to tackle illegal filesharing, prompting the government to express its displeasure of the music industry body in a terse response to record label executives. The BPI's letter, signed by the body's chief executive, Geoff Taylor, was sent to Baroness Vadera, the business minister; the UK's six biggest internet service providers; and the Motion Picture Association of America, the Hollywood studios' trade organisation.

Labels: Copyright_trademarks_and_patents, Self-regulation_Codes_of_Conduct

EU - Commission launches competition on the right of the child to protection:

(Europa)
"The right of the child to protection" is the title of a competition launched by Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission with responsibility for justice, freedom and security. European children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 are invited to design a poster on the right of children to protection in the European Union. The aim of the competition is to ensure that these young European citizens are more aware of their right to protection and are better equipped to defend it. Those wishing to take part in the competition will have to design a poster illustrating the idea of their right to their own protection in the EU. Participants will be divided into two age categories (10-14 and 15-18) and must work in groups of at least four. Further information may be found on the Internet site www.europayouth.eu, which contains links to the competition site.

Labels: Protection_of_minors

IT - Italian media company sues YouTube

(IDG News Service)
Italian media conglomerate Mediaset Group has sued YouTube for ?500 million (US$780 million), alleging the Google video-sharing site illegally hosts thousands of video clips that belong to Mediaset. The suit, filed in civil court in Rome, names both YouTube and parent company Google. The company claims that on June 10, there were 4,643 video clips on YouTube, totalling more than 325 hours of material, owned by Mediaset.

Labels: Copyright_trademarks_and_patents

US - FCC formally rules Comcast's throttling of BitTorrent was illegal

(CNET)
by Declan McCullagh. Federal regulators voted 3-2 to declare that Comcast's throttling of BitTorrent traffic last year was unlawful, marking the first time that any U.S. broadband provider has ever been found to violate Net neutrality rules. The Federal Communications Commission handed Comcast a cease-and-desist order and required the company to disclose to subscribers in the future how it plans to manage traffic. Comcast had said that its measures to slow BitTorrent transfers, which it voluntarily ended in March, were necessary to prevent its network from being overrun. See FCC News Release. See also Comcast and the Internet and Comcast and "network management" by Susan Crawford. See further Reactions to FCC's Comcast decision come fast and furious (Ars Technica) by Matthew Lasar.

Labels: Internet_access_and_use, Net_neutrality