[eccr] QuickLinks 231 - 14 April 2002 - message 51-end

51. Singapore - ISP To Block Sites On Broadband Service (Newsbytes)
SingNet, the ISP arm of Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), will
offer a filtered broadband Internet service as an option to its
subscribers and for a fee preventing users from accessing over a half
million Web sites using a list updated by a U.S.-based Web filtering
company. The blocking service is server-based - beyond the control of
users - and does not require the download of filtering software.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13471.htm

52. Un filtre contre l'Internet intol=E9rant (Yahoo FR)
L'Anti-Defamation League (ADL), une association am=E9ricaine de lutte
contre l'antis=E9mitisme et l'intol=E9rance, se propose d=E9sormais de
fournir une parade avec la nouvelle version de HateFilter, son filtre
de sites Web.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13485.htm

53. Council of Europe - European Forum on Harmful and Illegal Cyber
Content (CoE)
European Forum on Harmful and Illegal Cyber Content: Self-
Regulation, User Protection and Media Competence, Strasbourg, 28
November 2001. Reports And Videos.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13502.htm

54. Australia - ACCC looks outside e-commerce courtroom (ZDNet
Australia)
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is advocating the
use of alternative dispute resolution as an option for some e-
commerce complaints. According to Commissioner David Cousins, the
ACCC has made a submission to a Treasury discussion paper which
looked at using Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for some issues
involving online transactions.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13537.htm

55. USA - Addressing Disputes In Electronic Commerce (ABA)
The American Bar Association Task Force on E-Commerce and ADR has
released a draft of its final report and recommendations along with
proposed guidelines for best practices for ODR Service Providers.
Proposed guidelines for recommended best practices by online dispute
resolution service providers Addressing disputes in electronic
commerce. The Task Force welcomes comments and suggestions.  The
comment period runs until May 31.  Please send your comments to
(eadr /at/ u.washington.edu).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13517.htm

56. Bosnia & Herzegovina - ISP and network operators get licences
(Europemedia)
Regulator CRA has granted long-term licences for internet service
providers and public telecoms network operators in Bosnia &
Herzegovina.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13531.htm

57. Germany - Deutsche Telekom forced to lower 'last mile' fee
(Europemedia)
The German telecoms regulator ordered Deutsche Telekom to lower the
one-time fee it charges rival operators to switch customers away from
its business.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13532.htm

58. USA - Phone Rivals Petition FCC On Sharing Rules (Newsbytes)
The Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel) said it
would ask the Federal Communications Commission not to change rules
that govern the ways local phone competitors access incumbent
telecommunications companies' networks. But incumbent phone carriers
countered that the change is vital to fostering competition.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13463.htm

59. USA - Ashcroft Calls For Web-Based Terrorist Data System
(Newsbytes)
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft called on various law
enforcement agencies within the Justice Department to construct a Web-
based system for sharing terrorist data with state officials.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13472.htm

60. USA - Clinton backs tech war on terror (Newsbytes)
Bill Clinton has been outlining how technology can play a key role
in defeating the new brand of terrorism. The former US president said
that information management systems similar to those used by the big
mass mailing companies could provide an early warning about
suspicious behaviour.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13511.htm

61. Economist Survey on digital  television. (Economist)
Power in your hand. The digital era is supposed to revolutionise
television. The way people use it will change, but television will
remain mainly a vehicle for mass entertainment. [Ed: Recommended]
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13487.htm

62. Sweden - TV4 set to launch iTV service (Europemedia)
Mediteve expects the new interactive service will combine
television, computers and telephone, providing live SMS, chats and
games.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13533.htm

63. USA - Local TV Station Tackles On-Demand Web Video (Newsbytes)
While it may not be unique on the Web, the local ABC affiliate in
St. Paul, Minn., is offering an unusual news video-on-demand service
its general manager hopes will lead his local TV station to the
leading edge of Webcasting. KSTP-TV debuted its 5Cast service, which
allows Web site users to select video segments from archived TV
newscasts in any order they choose, giving them, in some sense, the
keys to the editor's desk.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13527.htm

64. When games stop being fun (MSNBC)
Long a subject of half-serious jokes among devotees of computer and
video games, game addiction is receiving serious attention lately as
fantasy games such as "EverQuest" - nicknamed "EverCrack" by many
players - proliferate.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13474.htm

65. New breed spam filter slashes junk email (New Scientist)
A new breed of spam-filtering technology that combines peer-to-peer
communications with machine learning could intercept nearly all
unwanted email, according to its creators.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13518.htm

66. Luxembourg - Cegecom launches voice and ADSL services
(Europemedia)
Local loop competition at last for ADSL services. The operator
allows the user to perform the installation himself, a major cost
saver on installation costs.. Customers can subscribe directly to
Cegecom or keep their EPT subscription and have called routed
automatically to Cegecom network.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13530.htm

67. Microsoft abandons Hailstorm platform (EPIC)
Microsoft has abandoned its Hailstorm or "My Services" platform
because of privacy and security risks inherent in centralized storage
of personal information. Additionally, Microsoft was unable to find
partner companies that were willing to use the Hailstorm system for
collecting information on consumers. Now, Microsoft plans to sell
Hailstorm to individual companies, allowing decentralized building of
"data centers." see also Microsoft Has Shelved Its Internet 'Persona'
Service (New York Times), Microsoft Puts Hailstorm's 'My Services' on
Hold (Newsfactor) and Microsoft ends .Net linchpin (MSNBC).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13468.htm

68. Penthouse bankruptcy looms (BBC)
Thirty seven years after it was launched in London as a raunchy
competitor to Playboy, Penthouse magazine's survival is up in the
air. The rapid spread of internet porn and of porn movies on video
and DVD have sent the magazine's circulation into a tailspin, from
five million copies a month at its peak to just 650,000.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13514.htm

69. Rising Costs of Free Web E-Mail (Wired)
For all their imperfections, free e-mail services have become hugely
popular for the obvious reason that they cost nothing. That main
reason for sticking with the free mailers is quickly vanishing,
though, as Yahoo and Hotmail, the two largest free e-mail services,
have started to not-so-gently nudge users to pay for "premium"
features.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13469.htm

70. USA - Authors Guild Urges Members To Drop Amazon Links (Newsbytes)
The Authors Guild wants members to remove links from their Web sites
to Amazon.com, claiming the online retailer's used book service is
hurting authors and publishers. The Authors Guild said Amazon.com
tries to divert potential new book buyers into its used-book
marketplace with ads for second-hand books accompanying each title's
entry on the site. see also previous complaint (Authors Guild), Wired
and New York Times.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13524.htm

71. BT goes wireless again (BBC)
BT Group is pursuing a two-pronged strategy - re-establishing its
brand in the mobile phones market, and setting up the UK's first
public wireless LAN network, probably best described as broadband
internet access for mobile people taking a break. see also ZDNet UK,
A Wi-Fi world threatens 3G ambitions (FT), IDC: WLANs Are "Disruptive
Technology" (802.11 Planet).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13486.htm

72. Google tests search tools for developers (CNET News.com)
Google is quietly testing a new service that lets Web developers
perform automated searches of its vast Internet database and publish
the results on their own sites.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13477.htm

73. Experts: Chat rooms a haven for hackers (CNN)
The ability for hackers to go onto the Internet and chat up fellow
hackers is as old as the Net itself. But with identity theft becoming
a more popular form of fraud, according to the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), more attention is being paid to chat rooms that
serve as flea markets for hackers.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13496.htm

74. Security for all (Sydney Morning Herald)
The cloak-and-dagger world of computer security testing is under
attack by an open-source project that harnesses the world's best
minds.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13539.htm

75. Consumer Interest Fuels Wireless Services Market - Study
(Newsbytes)
The economic slowdown in the U.S. has not dampened consumer interest
in wireless communications services, according to the
Telecommunications Industry Association. The study said total
spending on wireless services will grow from $106.6 billion in 2001
to $116 billion this year, a leap of 8.5 percent. The consumer
segment of the market is expected to be particularly strong.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13465.htm

76. Deutschland - Zentrale anlassunabh=E4ngige Recherche in
Datennetzen (Max Dornseif)
Die "Zentrale anlassunabh=E4ngige Recherche in Datennetzen" (ZaRD)
wurde aufgrund eines Beschlusses der Innenministerkonferenz im
Dezember 1998 beim Bundeskriminalamt eingerichtet; der "Wirkbetrieb"
wurde im Februar 1999 aufgenommen. Diese Seite stellt die vom BKA f=FCr
die ZaRD ver=F6ffentlichten Statistiken zusammen.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13505.htm

77. EU - Consumer Day 2002: Most consumers not yet confident enough
to shop cross-border (RAPID)
A new survey of consumer attitudes published by the Commission shows
that a lack of confidence in their protection across Europe means
that consumers are still losing out on the full benefits of the
internal market. The survey also confirms the vital role of consumer
associations, who are a popular source of information and who
consumers see as the best means of protecting their rights.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13506.htm

78. Japan - DSL Drives Net Growth (Newsbytes)
The rate of growth in digital subscriber line broadband subscribers
is increasing in Japan as more consumers switch on to high-speed
Internet connections. Net additions to Japan's Internet population
during February were dominated by DSL, which registered 288,704 of
the month's approximate 483,700 subscriptions gain in total fixed
line Internet users.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13464.htm

79. Snapshot shows net under attack (BBC)
Every minute of every day hundreds of networks connected to the
internet are under attack by automatic software tools looking for and
exploiting the vulnerabilities they find. Reports have shown that the
net is awash with security problems and reveal the efforts anyone
using the net has to take to stay safe. The studies also show that
attackers and their tools are getting more sophisticated in their
attempts to crash networks, steal data or deface websites. See
Overview of Attack Trends (CERT).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13543.htm

80. USA - Computer crime 'soaring' (BBC)
Most large businesses and government agencies in the US have been
the victim of computer crime which has cost them millions of dollars,
researchers say. A survey by the Computer Security Institute and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation found that 85% of respondents had
detected security breaches of their computer systems last year.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13544.htm

81. USA - Internet Auction Fraud Is Top Consumer Complaint - FBI
(Newsbytes)
Nearly 43 percent of all cases of Internet fraud reported last year
resulted from online auctions gone bad, said the Internet Fraud
Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National
White Collar Crime Center.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13528.htm

82. USA - Online Advertising Expected To Bounce Back - Study
(Newsbytes)
The U.S. online advertising market is "due for an expansion" this
year after a brutal 2001, according to a study by Emarketer and
Forbes.com. Last year was one of the worst on record for all
advertising formats, and the Internet was not spared.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13525.htm

83. USA - Online Sales Accelerating, Not 'Maturing' - BizRate
(Newsbytes)
Online retail sales during the first three months of the year jumped
41 percent over the same period in 2001, according to a survey of
Internet merchants. The growth is the biggest of four consecutive
quarters, including the traditionally busy holiday quarter, according
to statistics released by comparison-shopping site BizRate.com. The
company says it sees online sales accelerating, not "maturing" or
decelerating, and has adjusted its forecast for 2002 to reflect this.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13522.htm

84. Web surfers brace for pop-up downloads (CNET News.com)
Web surfers who thought online advertisements were becoming
increasingly obtrusive may be dismayed by a new tactic: pop-up
downloads. In recent weeks, some software makers have enlisted Web
site operators to entice their visitors to download software rather
than simply to view some advertising. see also Browsers Beware: Ad
Technology Retools Toolbar (Newsbytes).
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13523.htm

85. USA - Communications Law and Regulation (FindLaw)
By Goldberg, Godles, Wiener & Wrigh . This summary outlines many of
the basic issues confronting communications law practitioners today.
http://www.qlinks.net/items/qlitem13461.htm

QuickLinks
Links to news items about legal and regulatory aspects of Internet
and the information society, particularly those relating to
information content, and market and technology.



QuickLinks is edited by Richard Swetenham
(richard.swetenham /at/ cec.eu.int) - Main Sources and Contributors: Michael
Geist BNA - ILN, David Goldstein, Gerhard Heine

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