31 December 2002
EU - New Ratings system in Europe (Nintelligent Network
Consumers in the UK and throughout Europe will soon see the appearance of new age ratings and symbols on computer and video games, whether bought at retail or accessed online. This will give parents, shoppers and online consumers added confidence that the content of the game, whether it is bought at a high street retail outlet, or accessed via the internet, is suitable for a specific age group. The development is significant in that it is the first time that any form of entertainment medium has come up with an age rating system that meets the varying cultural standards of different European countries.
Labels: Rating_and_filtering, Video_games
EU - Age limits for children on violent video games (Observer)
Violent computer games are to be regulated by a film-style classification system that will warn parents about graphic sex or horrific images. The move comes after complaints about the content of games such as Hooligans: Storm over Europe, State of Emergency and Carmaggedon, which show graphic images of fighting, death and reckless driving. From April all computer games sold in the EU will carry the new classifications. Those with no violent content or sex will be rated 3 , indicating the age from which they can be played. There will also be classifications of 7 , 12 , 16 and 18 .
Labels: Video_games
US - Web's infiltration grows (Reuters)
The Internet has become a staple source of information for American households about health care, government services and potential purchases. About 60 percent of 2,000 people surveyed in the Pew Internet and American Life Project study said they use the Web regularly. Two-thirds of those had been online for three or more years. At least 80 percent of the Internet users questioned in September and October said they expect to find reliable information about news events, health care and government services on the Web. see Counting on the Internet.
27 December 2002
DE - Kindgerechte Online Magazine mit Kids Award 2002 ausgezeichnet (Heise)
Im Rahmen des Kinderkulturpreises des Deutschen Kinderhilfswerkes wurden vor kurzem verschiedene Internetseiten mit dem Kids Award 2002 ausgezeichnet. Die Jury bestand u. a. aus sechs Kindern im Alter zwischen 8 und 14 Jahren.
US - Head of 'Candyman' Child-Porn Ring Gets 30 Years (Fox News)
A Texas man behind a worldwide e-mail ring that traded pornographic images of children, some as young as 18 months old, was sentenced to the maximum of 30 years in federal prison Friday.
Labels: Child_abuse_images
24 December 2002
UK - Jowell to relax rules on X-rated TV (Guardian)
Broadcasters will be able to show X-rated videos at any time of the day under controversial new rules that were given government backing. The culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, has thrown her weight behind plans to exempt video on demand services from the strict rules that ban broadcasters from showing anything unsuitable for family viewing before 9 pm. The new code is particularly controversial because it will allow video on demand operators to be regulated by a self-appointed group of TV executives, rather than coming under the new communications super-regulator, Ofcom. But Ms Jowell insisted the new code of practice, which will be incorporated into the communications bill, will not lead to children watching unsuitable programmes and films before the watershed. "I am satisfied that the code represents a system that will provide adequate protection for children, and to subscribers to video on demand services. This is responsible self-regulation of the kind we want to encourage," said Ms Jowell.
Labels: Self-regulation_Codes_of_Conduct
Yahoo! ad falls foul of censors (Guardian)
Television watchdogs have banned an advert for the internet giant Yahoo! after upholding complaints about its "outdated and offensive" portrayal of gay men. The ITC said it had received complaints from both heterosexual and homosexual people that the advertising used an "outdated and offensive" portrayal of gay men as "effeminate, predatory and likely to seek opportunities for sex without consent".
Microsoft ordered to carry Java (CNET News.com)
A U.S. district court judge has ordered Microsoft to include Sun Microsystems' version of Java with the Windows operating system, citing the software giant's history of undermining the platform-neutral programming language.
Cyber-stalker banged up for two years (vnunet.com)
A UK man has been jailed for carrying out a cyber-stalking campaign against a Canadian woman. According to The Scotsman newspaper, Christopher Kell, 37, from Cumbria, pleaded guilty last week to stalking a Winnipeg woman by sending thousands of harassing emails, letters and faxes.
Young Americans turn to texting (Nua Internet Surveys)
InfoWorld reports that SMS messaging is growing in popularity among young adults in the US. According to a new study from the wireless research firm, Telephia, SMS usage by adults aged 18 to 24 has risen from 22 percent in the fourth quarter of 2001 to 45 percent in Q4, 2002.
DE - .de-Domains erreichen 6-Millionen-Marke (Heise)
Die Anzahl der registrierten Adressen innerhalb der Länderdomain .de soll nach Angaben der zuständigen Registrierungsstelle DeNIC spätestens zum Jahresende die Sechs-Millionen-Marke erreichen. Zum heutigen Montagmorgen vermeldete die DeNIC-Statistik 5.990.049 .de-Domains. Im Jahr 2002 nahm die Anzahl der Registrierungen innerhalb dieser country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) um rund 850.000 zu.
US - White House plans wide monitoring of Net (AP)
The White House is proposing an Internet-wide monitoring center to detect and defend against major cyber-attacks, but the Bush administration sought to ease worries it might scrutinize individual users' e-mails along with other data traffic.
US - Sounding the alarm on video game ratings (CNN)
Members of Congress and watchdog groups are again sounding the alarm over the sexual and violent nature of some video games that are falling into the hands of children even though they are intended for adults.
Labels: Video_games
21 December 2002
EU - Governance in the European Union: A White Paper (Europa)
The European Commission here presents its White Paper on European Governance and preparatory documents to the wider public. The Paper contains a set of recommendations on how to enhance democracy in Europe and increase the legitimacy of the institutions.
Europa - Internet Chats (Europa)
Join Europa Chats, the internet facility for off the cuff cyber talk! The European Commission leaders are keen to discuss and learn your views on European current affairs. Transcripts of chats . Recent chats: Enlargement and the Future of the Union: the New Frontier, Romano Prodi, 27/11/2002. New WTO Trade Round: Talking Trade - What's going on? Pascal Lamy, 21/11/2002 .The European Convention: time to take stock, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 28/10/2002
EU - Your voice in Europe (Europa)
Play an active role in the European Union's policy-making process. The European Commission wants to listen to your ideas, face up to your criticism and learn from your experience. "Your voice in Europe" is part of the European Commission's Interactive Policy-Making initiative.
EU - Public Opinion analysis - Home Page (Europa)
This is the website for the Public Opinion Analysis sector of the European Commission. Since 1973, the European Commission has been monitoring the evolution of public opinion in the Member States, thus helping the preparation of texts, decision-making and the evaluation of its work.
Europe Direct (Europa)
Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. New Freephone Number: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11. You may use the single Freephone Number from anywhere in the 15 Member States and you will reach an operator who speaks your own language. It can provide direct responses to general enquiries and, if you have more detailed questions, signpost you to the best source of information and advice. Europe Direct is a two-way dialogue. Your questions will be answered and your comments are important to us. It helps the European Union to identify problems and respond to them. If you encounter any obstacles to exercising your rights, use Europe Direct to seek advice about what you should do next, and to let us know about your experiences
EU - Brussels acts over TV football rights in UK (FT)
Regulators in Brussels have taken another step to shake up Europe's market for football TV rights by taking action against the English Premier League. The European Commission's move is set to prompt the League's 20 clubs to change the way they sell rights for England's top competition. The Commission believes joint selling of the rights by the clubs "is tantamount to price-fixing" and could breach European competition rules.
UK - Sellafield workers sacked for emails (Guardian)
Eleven workers at a nuclear power station have been sacked for sending "inappropriate material" by email, British Nuclear Fuels has said.
UK - Internet libel law shake-up urged (BBC)
An urgent shake-up of British libel law is needed to protect free speech on the internet, according to a new report. Businesses are increasingly using legal threats against Internet Service Providers (ISP) to close down websites set up by angry customers or protest groups, the Law Commission found. see Defamation and the Internet: A Preliminary Investigation - Scoping Study No 2. see also UK - Report backs ISP libel law claims (Guardian).
EU - Commission opens proceedings into joint selling of media rights to the English Premier League (RAPID)
The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to the English Football Association Premier League (FAPL) over the joint selling of the media rights to Premier League matches. Joint selling is tantamount to price-fixing, which could only be exempted if the restrictions of competition were strictly necessary to ensure the legitimate goals pursued by the arrangements for example solidarity among clubs - and if they resulted in benefits for other interested parties, in particular football fans. These same considerations have led the Commission in June to reach a preliminary positive view on the modified rules of UEFA for the joint selling of the media rights to the final stages of the Champions League.
20 December 2002
AU - ABA releases tips for chatting safely online (Press Release)
The Australian Brodacasting Authority has released a brochure containing safety tips for using Internet chat rooms. The ability to keep in touch with friends and make new ones is one of the main reasons children and young people will go online over the coming school holidays. This is usually a fun and rewarding experience but, as in the real world, it's not without some risks. The chat safety brochure is the fourth in the ABA's 'Cybersmart Kids Online' series.
UK - Nearly half of all households now online (Nua)
Over the period July to September 2002, 11.4 million households in the UK could access the Internet from home. This is equivalent to 46 percent of all UK households and is over twice the number three years earlier and an increase of seven percent versus the same period last year. source Internet access (Office of National Statistics).
US - 2002 Judicial Round-up (CDT)
Policy Post 8.29. A briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties online.
ICANN - Interview : Stuart Lynn, le président de l'Icann (Le Monde)
Stuart Lynn, le président de l'Icann (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) quittera ses fonctions en mars 2003. Il laisse une réforme inachevée et de nombreux détracteurs pour qui cet universitaire symbolise la tentation hégémonique américaine sur l'Internet. Il s'explique sur son action, mais donne également son avis sur les grands sujets du moment
US - Bush OKs law to put government information online (Associated Press)
President Bush signed legislation aimed at improving online access to government information and services. ., the legislation establishes a new Office of E-government within the White House's Office of Management and Budget to oversee government-wide efforts. The measure also requires regulatory agencies to conduct administrative rule-makings on the Internet and federal courts to post information and opinions on their Web sites; provides for temporary exchanges of information technology workers to government from the private sector; and authorizes "share-in savings" contracts, in which contractors provide upfront technology and are paid out of some of the savings they reap for their federal agency customers.
18 December 2002
UK - Edinburgh - Pictures of children banned (ITV)
Council bosses have banned parents from filming and taking photographs at school concerts in a bid to crack down on paedophiles. Education chiefs at Edinburgh City Council introduced the unique guidelines after hearing how paedophiles across the UK had been caught in possession of photos and videos of school plays. Now, any mother or father wanting to record their children in nativity plays and pantomimes have to seek the permission of every child in the class.
17 December 2002
Google vs. Evil (Wired)
The world's biggest, best-loved search engine owes its success to supreme technology and a simple rule: Don't be evil. Now the geek icon is finding that moral compromise is just the cost of doing big business.
DE - Erfolg für "Polizeistreife im Web" (Heise)
Die Aufdeckung des mutmaßlichen Täters im so genannten Kannibalismus-Fall von Rotenburg wertet das Bundeskriminalamt als Beleg für den Erfolg der "Streife im Internet". Jeden Tag surfen rund 20 Beamte durchs Internet und suchen unabhängig vom Anlass nach möglichen Straftatbeständen. Bund und Länder haben die Zentralstelle für anlassunabhängige Recherche in Datennetzen (ZaRD) vor vier Jahren nach dem zunehmenden Onlineverkehr gegründet.
UK - Fifty police officers held over child porn (Reuters)
Thirty-four men have been arrested in dawn raids in the biggest-ever assault against child pornography by London police as part of a nationwide crackdown on users of Internet paedophilia sites. More than 250 officers swooped on homes around the capital in the latest phase of Operation Ore, which has resulted in 1,300 arrests nationwide, including 50 police officers.
Labels: Child_abuse_images, Computer_crime
UK - ITC Multi-channel Quarterly (Press Release)
The quarterly ITC Cable Statistics has been replaced with the ITC Multi-channel Quarterly. This new report has been expanded to include the digital terrestrial, satellite, and DSL platforms.
Labels: Cable_and_satellite
DE - Court orders immediate ban on Nazi Web site (IDG)
The German state government of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) has won one battle in its efforts to ban Web sites carrying neo-Nazi content, but has yet to win the war. The administrative court in Arnsberg, Germany, ordered an ISP (Internet service provider) to immediately block access to objectionable sites. The ISP, whose name is being withheld, filed a lawsuit earlier in the year against the state government's ban, which was initiated in February.
UK - OFT lets Sky off the hook (Guardian )
In an extraordinary about-turn, the office of fair trading has found BSkyB not guilty of breaching competition law after a protracted investigation that that has dragged on for almost three years. see Press Release.
Intellectual Property on the Internet: A Survey of Issues (WIPO)
This report addresses the far-reaching impact that digital technologies ? the Internet in particular ? have had on intellectual property (IP) and the international IP system.
ENUM (ITU)
ENUM is a protocol that is the result of work of the Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF's) Telephone Number Mapping working group. The charter of this working group was to define a Domain Name System (DNS)-based architecture and protocols for mapping a telephone number to a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) which can be used to contact a resource associated with that number.
EU - Phone chief warns on 3G delay (BBC)
Europe's hard-pressed mobile phone operators have a long wait ahead of them before their massive investments in next-generation mobiles bear fruit, the European Union's top telecoms official has warned. In an interview with German news magazine Focus, Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen warned that a boom in 3G phone sales was unlikely before 2008.
Tech's answer to Big Brother (News.com)
by Declan McCullagh. Why is everyone so surprised that the U.S. government wants to create a Total Information Awareness database with details about everything you do? This is an unsurprising result of having so much information about our lives archived on the computers of our credit card companies, our banks, our health insurance companies and government agencies.
Terra Lycos relauches HotBot (CNET News.com)
Terra Lycos is relaunching HotBot. The new site will allow users to query the FAST, Google, Inktomi and Teoma search engines on one page.
FI - Proposed law raises controversy over freedom of expression on internet message boards (Helsingin Sanomat )
The proposed law correlates message boards on web sites with the letters to the editor pages of newspapers.
Finnish cable axes porn (Europemedia)
Three cable-TV stations in Finland, who have been showing late-night porn for the past four years, have all decided to cancel these shows. However, part of their downfall has been the fact that companies are not happy about advertising during these time slots. The other main influence appears to be the country's political climate at present, which is tending toward conservatism as Finland heads toward general elections in March.
16 December 2002
ICANN to approve new domains (Reuters)
The group that oversees the Internet's traffic system plans to approve a host of new address suffixes to join the likes of .com and .org in the coming year. But most Internet users will not be able to register Web site names in the new domains, as they will be limited to organizations in specific fields such as health care. The precise number and names of the domains will be determined by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in early 2003. see Preliminary Report - Fourth Annual Meeting of the ICANN Board in Amsterdam (ICANN ).
DE - Internationaler Kongress "Hass und Gewalt im Internet" (Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf)
am Dienstag, den 17.September 2002 im Plenarsaal der Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf. Veranstalter: Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf, Landesanstalt für Medien Nordrhein-Westfalen (LfM). Dokumentationen der Veranstaltung zum downloaden.
15 December 2002
Video games - strong players (Economist)
The video-games industry is booming, but how long will the good times last? Figures suggest that 2002 was the peak of the cycle, and that the market will shrink next year. Things will then cool off until the next generation of consoles appears in 2005. But the industry has two new tricks up its sleeve, in the form of online and mobile gaming.
Labels: Video_games
A jurisdictional tangle (Economist)
A ruling by Australia?s high court on Tuesday December 10th has further complicated the already murky question of which laws and whose courts have jurisdiction over the Internet. In a closely watched libel case, the court has confirmed a lower-court ruling that Dow Jones can be sued in the Australian state of Victoria over an article that appeared on its website. The court rejected the American company?s claims that any libel action should be heard in New Jersey, where its web servers reside. A range of media groups and Internet firms?including CNN, Yahoo!, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Britain?s Guardian, Reuters and Amazon?had joined the case on Dow Jones?s side, fearing that a ruling against the firm would set an important precedent which could make all Internet publishers open to lawsuits in any of the 190 countries where the Internet can be accessed and so curb free speech everywhere.
14 December 2002
FR - Pornographie sur l'internet: Quels enjeux ? Quelle protection pour les mineurs ? ( Forum des droits de l'Internet)
Le 10 Décembre 2002, à Paris, le Forum des droits sur l?internet a réuni pour une première discussion publique sur la diffusion de la pornographie sur le réseau: ? Christian JACOB, ministre délégué à la famille ? Eric BARBRY, avocat ? cabinet Alain Bensoussan ? Patrice BLANC, institution du Défenseur des enfants ? Secrétaire général ? Monique DAGNAUD, sociologue ? EHESS ? ancien membre du CSA ? Eric LARCHEVÊQUE, Carpe Diem (Société gestionnaire de sites web pour adultes) ? PDG ? Jean-Christophe LE TOQUIN , AFA (Association des Fournisseurs d'Accès et de services internet) ? Délégué général ? Jean-Pierre QUIGNAUX, UNAF (Union Nationale des Associations Familiales) ? chargé de mission.
FR - Guide pratique 'Téléprocédures et décideurs publics' (Forum des droits sur l'internet)
Ce guide pratique a été réalisé en partenariat avec les éditions Berger Levrault. Il est destiné plus particulièrement aux décideurs publics chargés de mettre en place des téléprocédures, a pour but d'éclairer sur les enjeux juridiques et opérationnels liés à la mise en place d?une téléprocédure en leur fournissant un véritable "kit juridique". Version PDF.
US - Satellite TV giant shuts broadband (BBC)
US satellite TV operator Hughes Electronics is to shut down its high-speed internet service. The loss-making internet service, DirecTV Broadband, has 160,000 subscribers and is linked to the DirecTV satellite broadcaster.
Labels: Cable_and_satellite
13 December 2002
UK - Government report blasts 'failing' BBC (Guardian)
The BBC board of governors has come under fierce attack in a government report that has accused them of failing to act independently and inferring they have been unprofessional in the way they handled the launch of the corporation's 24-hour rolling news channel. Former Financial Times editor Richard Lambert's report accuses the governors of acting as management poodles and says they have paid "perfunctory" attention to the channel in the five years since launch.
US - Alleged big music piracy ring busted (Reuters)
A New York operation accused of pirating music to the tune of millions of dollars was raided this week by Secret Service agents and record industry investigators in what they called the largest-ever seizure of music piracy equipment in the United States.
FR - L'Internet devient surfissime (Libération)
Avec la baisse des prix et les possibilités qu'offre sa vitesse, le haut débit entre dans l'usage commun - 1,3 million d'abonnés à l'ADSL à la fin de l'année
FR - Le PS empêche l'adoption d'un texte contre la pornographie TV (Reuters)
L'obstruction menée par le groupe socialiste a empêché les députés d'adopter en première lecture une proposition de loi d'Yves Bur (UMP) visant à "protéger" les mineurs contre la diffusion de "programmes comprenant des scènes de très grande violence ou de pornographie". La proposition de loi vise notamment à instaurer un double cryptage afin d'éviter aux mineurs l'accès aux images de violence et de pornographie.
DE - NRW-Gericht ordnet sofortige Sperrung rechtsextremer Website an (Heise)
Nach einem Erfolg nun die erste Schlappe für die Provider, die sich gegen die umstrittene Website-Sperrungsverfügung des Düsseldorfer Regierungspräsidenten Jürgen Büssow wehren: Erstmals hat ein deutsches Gericht die sofortige Sperrung rechtsextremer Internet-Angebote durch einen Zugangsanbieter angeordnet. Das Verwaltungsgericht in Arnsberg (Nordrhein-Westfalen) sei damit der Rechtsauffassung der nordrhein-westfälischen Aufsichtsbehörde gefolgt.
12 December 2002
Spam levels 'out of control' (Guardian)
The scourge of modern communications - the unwanted email promising dramatic weight loss, financial gain or hardcore pornography - has reached epidemic proportions. According to research, carried out by email filtering company Brightmail, four in 10 emails received by computer users are junk mail.
Labels: Spam
EU / UK - Judge ignores Arsenal ruling (Guardian)
A high court judge defied the European court of justice by refusing to enforce a legal ruling won by Arsenal Football Club in a trademark action against a sportswear trader. Mr Justice Laddie had referred the case to the Luxembourg court for guidance on issues of trademark law. He said today that the court in its final judgment not only gave rulings on the law, but also made fresh findings of fact - something it had no power to do.
EU - Convergence of Web Services (RAPID)
Mr Erkki Liikanen Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, Diffuse Final Conference, Brussels, 12th December 2002
Labels: Convergence
EU - Ambitions for Europe's Telecommunications Sector (RAPID)
Mr Erkki Liikanen Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) Brussels, 11th December 2002.
US - The Progress of Science and Useful Arts: Why Copyright Today Threatens Intellectual Freedom (FEPP)
Free Expression Policy Project, by Marjorie Heins. This 71-page policy report demystifies such complex laws as the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act and Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and deconstructs the underlying conflicts over "fair use," parody, copying, and the public domain.
Labels: Copyright_trademarks_and_patents
Europe's ISPs Overrun with Website Take-Down Orders (Reuters)
Europe's Internet service providers (ISPs) say they are overwhelmed by a barrage of requests to take from their networks Web sites that violate copyright or contain defamatory statements. The ISPs want legal protections in case they remove a site that turns out to be law-abiding. ISPA's UK body has begun collecting data from its UK members about take-down requests in an effort to clarify the matter before presenting their findings to lawmakers. To date, the group found that 54 percent of take-down notices pertain to copyright infringement claims, while 27 percent were related to defamation complaints, meaning that roughly four out of every five take-downs could trigger a law suit.
Labels: Copyright_trademarks_and_patents
US - FCC Considers Airwaves for Wireless Devices (Reuters)
The Federal Communications Commission has begun the process of finding more wavelength space to accommodate the explosion of new wireless technologies. The agency sought comment on whether unlicensed devices, like wireless home networks for Internet service, could operate on television broadcast airwaves in areas where they are not being used or at times when the spectrum lay fallow.
US - Economics of Kid-Friendly Domain Questioned (Washington Post)
Authors of the Dot-Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act envisioned the new "kids.us" domain as a sanctuary where children could explore the Internet without being exposed to its dangers. The law is designed to protect children -- 13 years or younger -- from pornography, profanity and other content that it defines as inappropriate by not allowing Web sites that end in kids.us (www.washingtonpost.kids.us, for example) to link to locations outside of the domain. The question remains, however, whether or not there is an economic case for the new domain.
UK - ISPs spell out true cost of data retention (ZDNet UK)
ISPs say the true cost of storing individuals' communications data as required by the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (ATCS) that was rushed through parliament in 2001, will cost far in excess of the £20m estimated by the Government. Giving evidence at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APIG) public inquiry on Wednesday, AOL's director of public policy Camille de Stempel, said it would cost about £30m just to set up the systems for AOL alone, and the same again in running costs. Clive Feather, an Internet expert at ISP Thus who also gave evidence, said AOL's figure of 36,000 CDs was if anything an underestimate of the scale of the problem.
US - Wanted posters pop up on portal - $1 mio reward (CNET News.com)
The FBI plans to launch an online manhunt for an alleged Boston mob boss, in a novel crime-fighting experiment in partnership with Web portal Terra Lycos. As part of the effort, Terra Lycos has agreed to donate advertising space on its network carrying a likeness of James "Whitey" Bulger and messages alerting people to the $1 million reward for his capture. Bulger is on the FBI's list of the 10 most wanted fugitives FBI to cast Net over fugitive.
US - Video game ratings lend a hand to holiday shoppers (CNN) The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) is the self-regulatory arm of the Interactive Digital Software Association, the industry's trade group. Since 1994, the ESRB has rated games according to their levels of violence and other adult content. The ESRB released a study by Peter Hart Research Associates showing that parents overwhelmingly approve of the ratings assigned to computer and video games.
Labels: Video_games
CH - Schweizer Richter verlangt Website-Sperrung von Providern (Heise)
Eine Anordnung eines Schweizer Untersuchungsrichters löste heute große Verunsicherung und mitunter auch Empörung bei den IP-Providern im Alpenstaat aus: Die Netz-Betreiber sollen demnach binnen fünf Tagen den Zugang zu einer inkriminierten Website blockieren. Ansonsten drohe ihnen nach Schweizer Recht Geldstrafe und Freiheitsentzug. Empfänger der Anordnung waren viele große Schweizer Access-Provider, wie zum Beispiel Bluewin und Swisscom.
11 December 2002
US - Study: Web Filters Block Health Information (Washington Post)
Software meant to protect young people from the seamier side of the Internet may also be blocking important health information on issues ranging from diabetes and sexually transmitted diseases to depression and suicide. According to a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation study See No Evil: How Internet Filters Affect the Search for Online Health Information, Internet filters most frequently used by schools and libraries can effectively block pornography without significantly impeding access to online health information - but only if they aren?t set at their most restrictive levels. As filters are set at higher levels they block access to a substantial amount of health information, with only a minimal increase in blocked pornographic content. see also SmartFilter stupidity - health sites as SEX (Seth Finkelstein).
EU - Commission launches Public Consultation on Open Platforms in Digital TV and 3G (RAPID)
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a report on remaining barriers to the achievement of widespread access to new services and applications of the Information Society through open platforms in digital television and 3G mobile communications, which was requested by the Barcelona Summit and the Seville Council. The consultation will run until 15 February 2003. A public hearing is currently scheduled for 4 February 2003.
Labels: Open_source_open_access
10 December 2002
US - Should linking be immune from lawsuits? (FindLaw)
by Julie Hilden. In this column, I'll discuss the current legal risks of linking. I'll also argue in favor of Congress's granting a broad statutory immunity for linking, as it has done for web hosting.
US - A high price for broadband (CNet News.com)
by Declan McCullagh. Why doesn't everyone in the United States have a high-speed Internet connection at home? The most obvious answer--that broadband connections remain unavailable--is not the correct one. The truth is that at least three-quarters of American homes have cable modems or DSL service available to them. The real answer is that most people still choose not to subscribe. They feel that $40 or $50 a month is too high for the benefits they receive, and they're happy to sip bandwidth through a straw or forgo Internet access at home completely.
DE - Bundesregierung will Internet-Apotheken (Heise)
Die Bundesregierung hat erneut ihre Absicht bekräftigt, das in Deutschland bestehende Versandhandelsverbot für apothekenpflichtige Arzneimittel abschaffen zu wollen. Im Rahmen der mündlichen Verhandlung vor dem Europäischen Gerichtshof im Streit um die niederländische Internetapotheke DocMorris. Der Rechtsstreit um eine Klage des Deutschen Apotheker-Verbandes gegen die niederländische Internet-Apotheke DocMorris hatte das Landgericht bis zur Entscheidung des Europäischen Gerichtshofes ausgesetzt.
DE - Software-Verband will besorgte Eltern aufklären (Heise)
Die Business Software Alliance (BSA) sorgt sich um den richtigen Umgang von Kindern mit dem Internet. Daher hat die die Interessenvertretung der Softwarebranche eine Liste mit sechs Handlungsempfehlungen ins Netz gestellt, die Eltern dabei unterstützen sollen, das Surfverhalten ihrer Schützlinge kontrollieren und wenn nötig auch einschränken zu können.
AU - NSW - Censor law put in deep freeze (Australian IT)
The New South Wales Government has backed off repealing controversial internet censorship laws, putting the legislation in the deep freeze while it waits for a federal review. The NSW Government will sit on the issue until it can consider the findings of the Federal Government's review of the national online regulatory regime, due in early 2003. But similar South Australia legislation received assent last week.
NO - Alleged DVD hacker pleads not guilty (Reuters)
A Norwegian teenager pleaded not guilty to charges of illegally making software that copies movies, in a landmark case seen as a battle between cyber-Davids and corporate Goliaths. Jon Johansen, known in Norway as "DVD Jon," is charged with helping to crack a code and develop and distribute a program--known as DeCSS--on the Internet that enables users to make unauthorized copies of DVD movies.
US - Dot Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act of 2002 (THOMAS)
An Act to facilitate the creation of a new, second-level Internet domain within the United States country code domain that will be a haven for material that promotes positive experiences for children and families using the Internet, provides a safe online environment for children, and helps to prevent children from being exposed to harmful material on the Internet. Text as passed by both House and Senate. Became Public Law No: 107-317 on 4 Dec 2002. see also .kids page and Proposal for Guidelines and Requirements for the kids.us (NeuStar).
EU - Quality criteria for health related websites (Europa)
A set of quality criteria for health related websites has been adopted in a Communication of the European Commission on the basis of a workshop held in June 2001 and comments received on this site. COM(2002) 667.
EU - eSafe Hearing on options & requirements (Safer Internet)
A hearing was held on Luxembourg on 27-28 November 2002 to discuss the background paper eSafe Directions for 2003-2004 - Discussion Paper. Presentations made at the hearing, together with the conclusions of 4 working groups and the list of attendees are now online. It is possible to submit online comments until 7 January 2003.
UK - Challenges ahead for media watchdog (BBC)
There is growing unease over how effective super-regulator Ofcom will be as it gears up to begin its mammoth task of regulating the UK broadcasting, telecoms and internet industries. Critics have pointed out its wide-ranging broadcasting remit, which includes representing the viewers and listeners, protecting them from harmful and offensive material and making sure there is a wide variety of services, will overshadow the telecoms and internet aspect of its work.
UK - Businesses turn to texting (BBC)
Text messaging is no longer the preserve of teenagers as businesses also embrace the technology. Text messaging is fast becoming a fundamental business tool, with 60% of firms using it on a daily basis, according to a survey by the Mobile Data Association (MDA).
US workers spared junk e-mails (BBC)
Spam is not overwhelming the inboxes of US workers, despite the growing number of junk e-mails promoting get-rich-quick scams or pornographic websites, says a
Labels: Spam
AU - US website 'can be sued in Australia' (BBC)
The Australian high court has ruled that the financial publishers Dow Jones can be sued in the Australian state of Victoria over an article that appeared on their website. The defamation case was brought by a Melbourne businessman who argued that the article could be read on the internet by people who knew him in Melbourne. Dow Jones had argued that publication of the article took place in the United States. Dow Jones v. Gutnick (High Court of Australia) see also Australian court to hear Net case (Reuters).
07 December 2002
FR - La loi antispam ne se fait pas que des amis (Libération)
Une dizaine d'associations professionnelles se liguent aujourd'hui pour adoucir l'interdiction de ces e-mails commerciaux non sollicités. Le spam, appelé encore «pourriel», est une plaie pour l'internaute. Mais la loi s'apprête à faire le ménage. Voila pourquoi les professionnels de la vente à distance, de la publicité et des services en ligne ne sont pas du tout satisfaits du sort que le gouvernement s'apprête à faire aux e-mails commerciaux. Dans leur collimateur, l'article 12 de l'avant-projet de loi relative à l'économie numérique. Ce texte reprend, en l'aménageant un peu, la directive européenne antispam de juillet 2001.
Labels: Spam
Searching Through The Great Firewall Of China (Seth Finkelstein)
An anticensorware investigation. This report describes a simple technique which can be used with some search engines to bypass censorware bans on searching for forbidden words. Particular emphasis is placed on the situation of the Great Firewall Of China.
Authors turn to video games (BBC)
Look along the shelves of video games this Christmas and you will see a name normally found in most libraries and book shelves. Thriller writer Tom Clancy has his name above at least three blockbuster titles - Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six.
Labels: Video_games
UK accelerates broadband take-up (Guardian)
Households and businesses in the UK are signing up for broadband services at a faster rate than other comparable countries, telecoms regulator Oftel claimed. However, broadband take-up in Britain - around 4% - though growing fast, is still the lowest out of all the G7 countries. see International benchmarking study of Internet access (dial-up and broadband) and International benchmarking study of mobile services (both OFTEL).
El web de Batasuna vuelve a estar accesible en España tres meses después de la prohibición de Garzón (Europa Press)
El sitio web oficial de Batasuna (www.batasuna.org) vuelve a estar accesible en Internet desde España, tres meses despues de que el juez de la Audiencia Nacional Baltasar Garzón acordara tramitar sendas comisiones rogatorias a Estados Unidos y Australia para pedir la suspensión del dominio de los sitios web del partizo 'abertzale' e impedir que abriera otros nuevos. Los otros dominios que utilizaba la formación política antes de su suspensión de actividad, 'www.euskal-herritarrok.org' y 'www.batasuna-barakaldo.org', permanecen inactivos - en cumplimiento de la orden del 10 de octubre del Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (MCYT) que obliga a los proveedores españoles de servicios de Internet (ISP) a bloquear su acceso mediante filtros.
05 December 2002
EU verklagt Deutschland wegen Call-by-Call im Ortsnetz ( Heise)
Die Bundesregierung hat sich wegen der Aussetzung von Call-by-Call-Gesprächen im Ortsnetz eine Klage der EU-Kommission eingehandelt. Diese sei bereits vergangene Woche beim Europäischen Gerichtshof eingereicht worden,
UK - government minister joins pirate raids (GameSpot.com)
UK culture minister Kim Howells has joined a dawn raid by Trading Standards on a suspected distributor of pirated games software.
Labels: Video_games
US - Bush signs child Net safety law (AP)
President George W. Bush signed into law legislation to create a new kids-safe "dot-kids" domain on the Internet. "Every site designated 'dot-kids' will be a safe zone for children," Bush said.
Japan halts mobile porn scam (BBC)
Japan's parliament has outlawed a scam where unsuspecting callers are tricked into calling sex lines, and then charged vast amounts for the call. Con artists have used computers to call at random up to 3,000 mobile phone users per minute, only to hang up after just one ring. Curious phone users who ring back to try to identify the caller are played a pornographic message, or they are given information about pornographic services.
UK - Getting literate about the media (BBC)
Remember the phrase "media literacy". You may soon be hearing it rather a lot - especially when the hand-wringing starts about protecting our children from the perils of the internet or mobile telephones. Media literacy means teaching people how the media work and what to do about stuff they don't like, and the government thinks there should be a lot more of it. Clause 10 of the Communications Bill gives the new super-regulator, Ofcom, a duty to encourage "a better public understanding of the nature and characteristics of material published by means of electronic media".
'Lawless Russia a huge source for child porn' (AFP)
Russia has become a major source of child pornography because the country has no laws governing the production or dissemination of such material, and corrupt officials help cover it up, a top police official said. He accused foreign criminal groups of using Russian Internet sites to broadcast child pornography around the world, taking advantage of the fact that Russia has no specific laws on child porn. Since March his department had discovered more than 3,000 Russian Internet sites with pornographic photos or films involving children, but less than one percent of the content was produced in Russia.
Labels: Child_abuse_images
France Arrests Close to 30 in Child Porno Probe (Reuters)
French police arrested close to 30 people nationwide as part of an investigation into Internet distribution of child pornography, judicial sources said.
Thinking of shopping cross border for Christmas presents this year? 10 tips for consumers (RAPID)
December 2002 is likely to see a record number of consumers taking advantage of the Internal Market and shopping cross border for their Christmas presents. To help guarantee a Happy Christmas for all Europe's consumers, Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne has published a list of the top 10 tips for cross border Christmas shopping.
Collective management and licensing of copyright and EU competition law: recent developments for the online world (Boletin Latino Americano de Competencia)
by Miguel Mendes Pereira. A brief overview is given of the intervention by the European Commission and of the case law as developed by the Court of Justice in respect of traditional (off-line) copyright management and licensing, followed by an analysis of the decision of the Commission in the Simulcasting case. The article focuses on the differences, both economic and legal, underlying the competition assessment of the off-line environment and the online world in particular as regards the horizontal relationship between collecting societies and the vertical relationship between societies and users.
Labels: Copyright_trademarks_and_patents
2003-02-06 UK,Oxford - The Politics of Code: Shaping the Future of the Next Internet (PCMLP)
A one day public conference organised by the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, University of Oxford. High profile speakers - among them Prof. Larry Lessig, renowned thinker on Cyberlaw and Esther Dyson, celebrated digerati and founding chairman of ICANN - will discuss the key choices that need to be made on privacy, security, access, openness and control in the design of Internet technology and Internet Governance.
The eEurope Broadband Strategy (RAPID)
Mr Erkki Liikanen Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, The European Telecommmunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO) Conference 'Making Broadband Happen in Europe' Brussels, 3 December 2002.
04 December 2002
MODINIS programme (Eur-Lex)
Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a multi-annual programme (2003-2005) for the monitoring of eEurope, dissemination of good practices and the improvement of network and information security (MODINIS) COM(2002) 425 OJ C 291 26/11/2002 p. 243 PDF. status.htm
EU - Telecommunications Council, Brussels, 5th December 2002 (RAPID)
On December 4-5, the Council of Telecommunications Ministers will meet in Brussels. Commissioner Erkki Liikanen will represent the European Commission. On December 4, a Council dinner will take place in Brussels. An exchange of views will take place on various issues like the current situation of the telecom sector, broadband and the new regulatory framework, eEurope and its applications in areas such as eGovernment and eHealth as well as on 3G.
TH - Move to block teen access to porn sites (Bangkok Post)
The Thai Information and Communications Minister supports a police proposal that internet service providers (ISPs) block access to obscene websites through a ratings system. He voiced support during a meeting with all 18 ISPs to discuss websites deemed inappropriate for teenagers. Internet Thailand's chief executive said all ISPs were already trying to block access to these websites, but admitted this was not easy as ISPs were not content providers and had no authority to supervise content and rating for others. The Minister said he would classify imported websites into three ratings: X, R and PG, with the first having content rated obscene and/or having content considered in contempt of the monarchy.
Labels: Rating_and_filtering
China blocks news not porn online (BBC)
Chinese internet surfers have almost unfettered access to pornography, but news, health and education sites are routinely blocked, US researchers have found. Professors Jonathan Zittrain and Benjamin Edelman, of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard, spent eight months investigating how China controls the net. They found that Beijing actively polices content on the web, intermittently blocking some general-interest high-profile sites whose content changes frequently, such as the tech website Slashdot.
French Order Is Greek to 9th Circuit (The Recorder)
An order barring the cross-Atlantic enforcement of a French court's order against Yahoo Inc. hit rough waters at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel was clearly uncomfortable with several issues stemming from Yahoo's decision to challenge -- in the United States rather than France -- a French judge's order that the Internet company block French citizens' access to online auctions of Nazi memorabilia.
ccTLD Governance Project This project reviews the relationship between country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) and governments in 45 countries. Included are 1) tables which highlight the main relationships, and 2) country-specific information.
2003-02-12 CH, Lausanne - Law of Internet Gambling: From National Regulation to Global Solutions (Swiss Institute of Comparative Law)
International Conference, Lausanne, Switzerland 12th and 13th February 2003 . The first international conference to deal exclusively with the legal and regulatory issues arising out of internet gambling! A team of experts in the field will be joined by speakers representing a number of jurisdictions which have already taken or are in the process of adopting a clear legislative stance on internet gambling. They will lead the discussion of questions of law that currently need to be addressed in all European countries and indeed around the world.
2003-09-17 UK, Oxford - Information, Communication, Society (OII)
Call for Papers. A Research Symposium for the international journal Information, Communication & Society (iCS) to be held at Balliol College and the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 17th-20th September 2003. This will be a multi-disciplinary research symposium. Original papers are sought from researchers in all subject areas of the iCS journal. However, papers are encouraged that address one or more of the five broad tracks around which the symposium will be organised: governance; the household, community, and workplace; learning and education; science and networks; and issues of policy and regulation that cut across all these social settings. Deadline for abstracts: 31st January 2003.
03 December 2002
DE - Wirtschaftsministerium will Telekommunikationsüberwachung ausweiten (Heise)
Die Wirtschaft ist empört über einen neuen Entwurf des Bundeswirtschaftsministeriums zur Novelle des seit Jahren umstrittenen Telekommunikationsgesetzes (TKG). Stein des Anstoßes ist vor allem die überarbeitete Fassung der berühmt-berüchtigten Überwachungsparagraphen 88 und 90, die von der Industrie und von Medienpolitikern seit langem kritisiert werden. Die neue Version, die heise online vorliegt, soll deutlich ausgeweitete Verpflichtungen bringen und bürdet Telekommunikationsanbietern pauschal die Übernahme aller Kosten für staatliche Überwachungsmaßnahmen auf.
ES - Sistema de Autorregulación Integral para el Comercio Electrónico y la Publicidad Interactiva (Confianza Online)
A este proyecto de autorregulación integral para la publicidad y el comercio electrónico se han adherido también un nutrido grupo de asociaciones relevantes en los sectores de las comunicaciones comerciales y los nuevos medios electrónicos de comunicación a distancia, tales como la Asociación Española de Anunciantes (AEA), la Asociación Española de Agencias de Publicidad (AEAP), la Asociación de Centrales de Medios (ACM), la Asociación de Medios Publicitarios (AMPE), la Federación española de Comercio Electrónico y Marketing Directo (FECEMD), la Federación Nacional de Empresas de Publicidad (FNEP), la Asociación de Agencias de Marketing Directo e Interactivo (AGEMDI), y la Asociación Multisectorial de Empresas Españolas de Electrónica y Comunicaciones (ASIMELEC). Código Ético de Comercio Electrónico y Publicidad Interactiva. ver tambien Viejas prácticas y nuevos Códigos: ¿autorregular sin los usuarios? (IurisLex) y ES - La Asociación de Internautas rechaza el Código Ético de la Red (Europa Press).
Second state to fight Microsoft deal (Reuters)
West Virginia will join Massachusetts in appealing a judge's decision to endorse a settlement of the Microsoft antitrust case. The state will join the appeal because the settlement, negotiated between Microsoft and the U.S. Justice Department last year, does not go far enough to end all of Microsoft's illegal practices.
'Don't play Big Brother' ICC says to governments (Europemedia)
Business users and providers of communications services have called on the European Union and governments to scale down their storage requirements for traffic data to the minimum necessary to fight crime and terrorism. They have also warned governments that differing national data retention policies will make it impossible for communication service providers to operate effectively. ICC statement on storage of traffic data for law enforcement purposes.
02 December 2002
The Spam Battle 2002: A Tactical Update (Karl A. Krueger)
The past two years have been a watershed in the fight against spam, with many changes in the tactics used both by spammers seeking to abuse networks and by administrators seeking to protect them. Many of these changes have notable policy implications. As the cost of spam has increased for ISPs, businesses, and end users alike, keeping up with these methods has become increasingly essential to protect the usefulness of email.
Labels: Spam
Keep ICANN open (National Law Journal)
by Miriam Sapiro. Last month, the international body that regulates critical components of the Internet met for the first time in China. The Shanghai meeting offered a historic opportunity to resolve questions surrounding international governance of the Internet and to focus attention on the tight controls China still exercises over the Internet within its borders.
EU - Byrne welcomes political agreement on cigarettes advertising ban and smoking prevention measures (RAPID)
The Council has reached political agreement on a new tobacco advertising directive and adopted a recommendation on the prevention of smoking and on initiatives to improve tobacco control. Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne called it a "double-blow against Big Tobacco".
Government campaign to flag paedophile activity on Web (newmediazero)
The Government is preparing to launch its biggest ever awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of paedophiles on the Internet. NMA has learned that the multi-million-pound campaign will run across all major media. It will contain a hard-hitting message warning parents about paedophile activity on the Internet
