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(BBC) Speech given by Ashley Highfield, Director of BBC New Media & Technology, at a Westminster Media Forum on the Department for Culture, Media & Sport review of BBC online services.
(Office of Fair Trading) Following an investigation, the Director General of Telecommunications decided that Vodafone did not infringe the Chapter II prohibition of the Competition Act in relation to the disconnection of Floe Telecom's GSM Gateway services. Full text of Decision.
(IOL) A Belgian police officer has been jailed for one year for an online sex chat with a 12-year-old girl. A judge in Gent found the 31-year-old man guilty on charges of child abuse, despite him never having touched the underage victim. The man was judged to have lured the girl into "improper conversations". Pornographic images of children were also discovered on his computer's hard drive. The man was dismissed from his position as an investigator with the Flemish police service. It emerged during the course of the trial that he had been attached to a special police unit responsible for tracing and convicting suspected Internet paedophiles.
(AFP) Le parquet a fait appel de la relaxe d'un ressortissant belge de 35 ans qui consultait des sites pédophiles à l'espace multimédia de la mairie de sa ville. Le tribunal correctionnel de Villefranche-sur-Saône avait estimé que 'l'infraction n'est pas constituée sur le plan juridique'. Interpellé à son domicile, l'homme avait été jugé en comparution immédiate pour 'détention d'images de mineurs à caractère pornographique'. Les 10 et 15 octobre, il s'était rendu à l'espace multimédia de la mairie de Tarare où il avait à chaque fois consulté, et ce durant 'plusieurs heures', des sites pédophiles sur internet.
(Warsaw Voice) The number of crimes involving the sexual abuse of minors in Poland has grown rapidly in recent years. Those exploring the problem of pedophilia believe that it may only be the tip of the iceberg. The Internet is the pedophile's main hunting ground for children. The number of pornographic websites involving children has been growing year by year. The 1990s saw a rapid development of the sex industry in Poland involving children. The Kid Protect Foundation is engaged in a struggle against pedophiles as part of the Stop Pedophiles campaign. The foundation has operated since June 2002; its objective is to prevent the use of the media, mainly the Internet, for purposes involving child pornography and pedophilic practices, and to protect children against sexual abuse. Poland's first Internet Monitoring Center operates a hotline, where cases involving violence and child pornography can be reported.
(Reuters) Slovenian human rights activists condemned a court's decision to sentence a man for "terrorist" crimes for sending hate e-mail to President Bush. Tomi Sluga told the local court in the town of Murska Sobota he was drunk and only joking when he sent an e-mail to the White House web before a June 2001 Bush visit to the small Alpine state. "President, save the Earth, you ass, you will be killed in Ljubljana. Welcome!" the email read. The court found Sluga guilty of "endangering a protected person" and gave him a two-year suspended sentence, the first conviction under Slovenia's new anti-terrorism laws.
(Wired) US law-enforcement agents had arrested 125 suspects in a crackdown on Internet crimes ranging from hacking and software piracy to credit card fraud and selling stolen goods over the Internet. The investigation, begun Oct. 1 and dubbed Operation Cyber Sweep, involved police from Ghana to Southern California and uncovered 125,000 victims who had lost more than $100 million. Seventy indictments to date have led to arrests or convictions of 125 people, with more expected as the probe continues. see Press Release and Background - Examples of prosecutions (Department of Justice).
(CNET News.com) by Declan McCullagh. President Bush has asked the U.S. Senate to ratify the first international cybercrime treaty. In a letter to the Senate, Bush called the Council of Europe's controversial treaty 'an effective tool in the global effort to combat computer-related crime' and 'the only multilateral treaty to address the problems of computer-related crime and electronic evidence gathering.' Even though the United States is a nonvoting member of the Council of Europe, it has pressed hard for the cybercrime treaty as a way to establish international criminal standards related to copyright infringement, online fraud, child pornography and network intrusions. The U.S. Department of Justice says the treaty will eliminate 'procedural and jurisdictional obstacles that can delay or endanger international investigations.'
(Reuters) Call it spam rage: A Silicon Valley computer programmer has been arrested for threatening to torture and kill employees of the company he blames for bombarding his computer with Web ads promising to enlarge his penis. The man now faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The object of the Californian's anger said his firm does not send spam but blamed a rival firm which he said routes much of their unsolicited bulk e-mail through Russia and eastern Europe. He said such firms gave a bad name to the penis enhancement business.
(AP) Alexandre Fur, l'ancien PDG de la société de vente en ligne pere-noel.fr, a été condamné à 30 mois de prison ferme et 36.000 euros d'amende pour 'publicité mensongère' et 'tromperie'. Un mandat d'arrêt a été délivré contre lui. Ce polytechnicien de 34 ans avait été jugé par défaut le 18 septembre dernier par le tribunal correctionnel de Saint-Etienne. Une instruction avait été ouverte après 1.270 plaintes d'internautes n'ayant pas reçu les articles commandés dans les conditions annoncées par le cybermarchand. Environ 250 plaignants, qui s'étaient constitués partie civile, reçoivent une moyenne de 300 euros de dédommagement chacun.
(BBC) BT Openworld and Broadband are proportionally more complained about than any other UK internet service providers, according to official data. Oftel, the telecoms industry regulator, received 0.7 complaints per 1,000 internet customers for BT, which was more than double the market average. Pipex and Tiscali were also worse than average among leading ISPs. There were fewest complaints about services provided by AOL, Freeserve and Telewest.
(BBC) Nearly four out of 10 callers to the new directory enquiry services are being given the wrong number. A 'mystery shop', undertaken by the industry regulators Oftel and ICSTIS, revealed major failings in service standards across the board. Directory enquiry services were deregulated in August and have suffered since from bad publicity. However, the mystery shop of 40 providers found some to be cheaper than the old 192 directory service. see also Thus quits 118 service.
(Reporters sans frontières) Reporters Without Borders expressed outrage at 'totally unjustified' long prison sentences passed on five cyber-dissidents accused of subversion by calling for liberal and democratic reforms in China. Ten-year sentences on journalist Xu Wei and geologist Jin Haike were confirmed on appeal on 10 November by the Beijing Intermediate Court, which also upheld eight-year terms for computer expert Yang Zili and writer Zang Honghai. A court in Shijiazhuang sentenced businessman Cai Lijun to three years on 30 October for the same reason. see also Living dangerously on the Net.
(Agence France Presse) A Chinese crackdown on online activism - highlighted by a mounting wave of arrests and trials - is unlike other recent government campaigns, because anyone can become a victim. The year-long detention of Liu Di, an ordinary Beijing student who posted democracy essays on the internet, shows that this time the target is not just a well-defined group of open-mouthed intellectuals.
(Reuters) Greece's television regulator has fined a private channel 100,000 euros ($116,900) for corruption of public morals over scenes in a late-night TV series that included a kiss between two men. The drama series "Close Your Eyes," which deals with the turbulent lives of a group of 20-somethings in Athens, is screened after 10.30 p.m. and has regularly topped the television ratings. In a written ruling, television and radio regulator ESR criticized the sexually charged language and the portrayal of a relationship between gay men in the show, which it said "could damage young people by making them too familiar with vulgarity.
(Pressemitteilung) Ergebnisse der 154. Sitzung der Direktorenkonferenz der Landesmedienanstalten (DLM) am 6. November 2003. Die DLM hat sich mit der Abgrenzung von Rundfunk und Mediendiensten auseinandergesetzt und hierzu ein Strukturpapier einstimmig beschlossen. Dieses Strukturpapier gibt Kriterien und Handlungsempfehlungen für die Abgrenzung vor. In materieller Hinsicht beruht die Abgrenzung auf dem Tatbestandsmerkmal der Darbietung, die durch die Meinungsbildungsrelevanz der jeweiligen Angebote gekennzeichnet ist. Die Meinungsbildungsrelevanz wiederum lässt sich nach der Rechtsprechung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts anhand ihrer Breitenwirkung, Aktualität und Suggestivkraft messen. Das Papier wird derzeit noch redaktionell überarbeitet und steht in Kürze zur Verfügung.
(Guardian) Three students in Sydney have been convicted of swapping music files over the internet, in the first case of its kind in the world. The students, Charles Kok Hau Ng, 20, Peter Tran, 19, and Tommy Le, 21, pleaded guilty to 68 copyright infringement charges. Ng and Tran were both given 18-month suspended sentences, while Ng and Le were also given 200 hours of community service. The trio set up the MP3/ WMA Land website which had an archive of 390 CDs and 1,800 tracks to download. Prosecutors said that 7 million people had visited the site, but were only able to turn up evidence of 58 music files distributed through it.
(BBC) Pirated software is easily available in Thailand, despite efforts to stop the illegal trade.
(Washington Post) The world's largest Internet music-trading service launched a $1 million advertising campaign Tuesday designed to rally the public to pressure lawmakers and the entertainment industry to embrace digital file sharing as a legitimate distribution tool. The campaign is the latest push by the Kazaa file-sharing service and its parent company, Sharman Networks, to counter a multi-million-dollar legal and lobbying effort launched by music, software and movie firms convinced that peer-to-peer (P2P) services are a major source of online piracy. The ads invite readers and Kazaa's estimated 60 million users to "join the revolution" by proclaiming their love of Kazaa to "politicians, journalists, record labels, movie companies and friends." They also exhort the entertainment industry to embrace the "revolution" or get left behind as technology passes them by.
(ZDNet UK) Over 30 civil liberties and privacy groups have demanded a suspension to the deployment of radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging systems until a number of issues surrounding the controversial technology have been addressed. These organisations, including Britain's Foundation for Information Policy Reseach and Privacy International, have backed a position statement on the use of RFID on consumer products.
(Heise) Der Chaos Computer Club (CCC) warnt davor, biometrische Merkmale wie Fingerabdrücke oder Analysen einer Speichelprobe aller europäischen Bürger in einer zentralen Datenbank zu speichern. "Das Missbrauchspotenzial steht nach Ansicht des CCC in keinem Verhältnis zum möglichen Zugewinn bei der Verbrechensbekämpfung", sagte Club-Sprecher Andy Müller-Maguhn in Berlin. Die Fortschritte in der Verbrechensbekämpfung ließen sich auch mit einem "technisch deutlich weniger Demokratie gefährdenden System" realisieren.
(New Scientist) A plan to introduce biometric ID cards in the UK will fail to achieve one of its main aims. The proposed system will do nothing to prevent fraudsters acquiring multiple identity cards. The home secretary, David Blunkett, said they are necessary to prevent identity fraud. Every resident would have to carry an ID card containing biometric information, such as an iris scan. Cards could then be checked against a central database to confirm the holder's identity. But Simon Davies, an expert in information systems at the London School of Economics and director of Privacy International, says the system would not stop people getting extra cards under different names. If he is correct, it could have far-reaching implications.
(out-law.com) The UK's House of Lords has given way to Government pressure to pass legislation that would bring the so-called 'Snoopers' Charter' into force. It was "a dark moment in the history of the House of Lords," said human rights group Privacy International. The controversial new laws give public authorities - other than the police and intelligence agencies - access to personal data held by telcos and ISPs for periods of up to twelve months. They form part of a package of measures produced under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime & Security Act (ATCSA), which was enacted in the aftermath of the September 11th atrocities. This Act required the retention of communications data on the grounds that these were needed for the purpose of fighting terrorism. These data, retained on anti-terrorism grounds, will be accessible by provisions under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to a range of public authorities for purposes unconnected with terrorism.
(Dow Jones WebReprint Service) Increasingly, companies do. In their drive to squeeze greater efficiency from staffers, a growing number of employers are embracing sophisticated electronic tracking systems to ensure their workers are at their desks and work stations when they are supposed to be. And while many blue-collar workers are used to punching a time clock, many of the new tracking systems are trained on white-collar, salaried employees.
(EurActiv.com) In the third edition of its E-Commerce and Development Report, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) identified the implications of the growth of the digital economy for developing countries. The report highlights opportunities and problems as regards the growth of the Internet and the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) for the developing countries. The report is also designed to contribute to the debates at the World Summit on the Information Society which will take place in Geneva from 10-12 December 2003. see Free and open-source software: implications for ICT policy and development.
(Cardozo Law School) by Peter K. Yu. Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) are the two-letter suffixes used by countries to denote their Internet addresses. Examples include .fr (for France), .tv (for Tuvalu) and .uk (for the United Kingdom). When ccTLDs were first developed, ccTLD policymaking was not high on the international lawmaking agenda. However, as the Internet explodes and as countries begin to realize the potential of this key information infrastructure, ccTLDs have received significant attention from the international community.
(AFP) La société privée ukrainienne Hostmaster, qui était chargée de gérer le domaine internet ua, a annoncé avoir fait appel d'une décision de justice qui a jugé légal le transfert de l'administration de ce domaine aux services spéciaux SBU (ex-KGB) sur ordre du gouvernement, rapporte Interfax.
(AFP) En ouvrant ses guichets à l'internet, le PMU, troisième entreprise mondiale de paris hippiques avec 6,4 milliards d'euros de chiffres d'affaires en 2002, poursuit l'opération de rajeunissement de sa clientèle et une recherche de croissance tous azimuts. Avec ce nouvel accès aux paris hippiques, le PMU vient compléter l'offre de paris à distance, jusqu'à présent limitée aux paris par téléphone, par minitel et via la télévision interactive. L'organisme de jeux souhaite ainsi élargir l'accès à ses produits en faisant découvrir l'univers des paris et des courses hippiques à un public entièrement nouveau.
(Euractiv.com) The setting up of a Network and Information Security Agency, the switchover to digital TV and pan-European egovernment services are the main issues being discussed by telecoms ministers on 20 November. The telecommunications minister will have to tackle several important issues during their Council meeting on Thursday 20 November 2003: a political agreement is likely to be reached on a regulation establishing the European Network and Information Security Agency. This agency should enhance the capability to prevent security problems arising from the use of information networks (hacking, virus attacks) ; conclusions will be adopted on the transition from analogue to digital TV and radio broadcasting and the Member States' policies for this switchover process; conclusions will be approved on access to information society services through open platforms (digital TV and 3rd generation mobile) ; an exchange of views will be held on the situation of electronic communications in Europe (broadband and 3rd generation as the drivers of an upturn in this sector); conclusions will be adopted on the role of eGovernment for Europe's future. other points: the World Summit on the Information Society (Communication from the Commission) and a report on the state of legislation and policy as regards digital content in Europe. see also Preparation of the Telecom Council (RAPID), Provisional Press Release
(RAPID) The World Summit on the Information Society, which is to be held in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003, represents a unique opportunity to build on the Information Society policies being developed in the EU. This was the view which Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society, shared with the Telecom Council today, when the World Summit was on the agenda. The EU has been very actively participating in the preparatory meetings for the Summit, and Member States have agreed to a common EU approach for negotiations.
(Heise) von Monika Ermert.Die wieder aufgenommenen Diskussion um Deklaration und Aktionsplan für den UNO-Weltgipfel für eine globale Informationsgesellschaft (WSIS) schloss erneut ohne Ergebnis. Noch einmal wollen sich Regierungsvertreter nun am 5. und 6. Dezember zusammensetzen, um doch noch unterschriftsreife Dokumente für den für 10. Dezember geplanten ersten Weltgipfel der Informationsgesellschaft zu Stande zu bringen.
(Washington Post) The House overwhelmingly passed a bill to curb unsolicited e-mail. The bill would sweep away more than 35 state anti-spam laws, including some that imposed significantly tighter restrictions on e-mail marketing. Congressional leaders said the measure, which was endorsed in the House on a 392-5 vote, would be quickly ratified by the Senate, which passed a version of the bill last month. Retailers, marketers and Internet account providers lobbied hard for a national law that provided a single set of rules, as well as protections for legitimate companies that advertise via e-mail. They were especially concerned that Congress act before a tough new anti-spam law in California took effect. Some consumer groups and anti-spam activists argue that such a law would be largely ignored by the worst spammers, many of whom operate overseas. Meanwhile, they say, the bill would codify rules by which legitimate companies can send even more unwanted e-mail. The congressional bill would provide for criminal penalties for a variety of spammer tactics, including disguising the Internet addresses of their computers so they cannot be located, "harvesting" e-mail addresses from Web sites and sending spam to them, using deceptive subject lines in messages, and sending spam to millions of e-mail addresses that are randomly generated by special software programs. E-mail recipients would have to be given clear opportunity to remove themselves from future mailings, and all commercial e-mail would have to be labeled as advertising in some fashion, though the bill would leave marketers free to choose how that labeling will occur. Unsolicited e-mail containing pornography would have to contain a warning label in the subject line.
(San Francisco Chronicle) A state appellate court in San Francisco has sent shock waves through cyberspace by ruling that in some instances, Internet service providers like America Online and Yahoo can be held legally responsible for an online smear by someone using their service. The appellate court panel in a 3-0 ruling said that if an ISP knew, or had reason to know, that the message was libelous, and failed to halt its publication, it should be held responsible for its contents, just like a bookstore or library that continues distributing a book after a libel notice.
(Press Association) The debate over a ban on using mobile phones while driving was re-ignited as the government launched an advertising campaign to raise awareness of the new law. The radio adverts warn drivers that the ban, which could lead to fines of up to £1000 for offenders, will take effect from December 1. The campaign comes one month after the publication of an RAC study that suggested a third of motorists were either unaware of the new law or would deliberately defy it.
(Heise) Das Landgericht Hamburg hat in einem Beschluss vom 14. November (Aktenzeichen 312 O 887/03) Google.de verboten, weiterhin Werbeanzeigen für das Keyword "Preispiraten" zu schalten, wenn der Link auf die Domain Preisserver.de verweist. Bei Nichtbefolgen droht eine Strafe von 250.000 Euro oder sechs Monate Ordnungshaft. Die Domain Preisserver.de wurde als Plagiat der Website Preispiraten.de gestartet. Inzwischen ist zwar das Layout geändert, aber wegen der Verletzung von Copyright und Markenrechten liegt eine einstweilige Verfügung gegen den Betreiber vor, der sich inzwischen nach Spanien abgesetzt hat.
(Heise) von Monika Ermert. Die Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz droht erste Verfahren gegen Pornoanbieter an. Sie habe bei verschiedenen geprüften Internet-Angeboten 'erhebliche Verstöße gegen die Bestimmungen des Jugendmedienschutz-Staatsvertrags (JMStV) festgestellt'. Die Kommission will vor allem Angebote abmahnen, die keine ausreichende Altersverifikation vorschalten. Die KJM fordert eine persönliche Authentifizierung. In einem Fall wirft sie einem Anbieter vor, Jugendliche in 'unnatürlich geschlechtsbetonter Körperhaltung' darzustellen. DE - KJM geht gegen unzulässige Internetangebote vor (Pressemitteilung) (KJM) und DE - Verschlusssache Jugendschutz (Frankfurter Rundschau) von Monika Ermert.
(Guardian) There was a time when a youngster's access to pornography was limited to finding damp stashes of magazines in the woods behind his house. Not any more. Now, as Kids on Porn (Channel 4) made apparent, it's all websites, DVDs and free 10-minute previews on cable television.
(ANSA) Parte in Piemonte 'Obiettivo minori', progetto pilota contro i pericolo per i bambino che usano il Web o gli sms. Il progetto partira' con un sondaggio che coinvolgera' nelle scuole oltre tremila ragazzi, dall' ultimo anno delle elementari al secondo biennio delle superiori. Un questionario di 80 domande, messo a punto dall'Universita' di Torino, intende fotografare la realta' giovanile. Sara attivo anche il numero verde 800-985090 e il sito obiettivominori.it.
(RAPID) The Telecom Council has reached an agreement to set up the European Network and Information Security Agency ENISA. This has been achieved only nine months after the Commission originally proposed its draft regulation for ENISA. The agreement in Council follows a first reading vote by the European Parliament, on a compromise text for the regulation prepared by the Council and the European Parliament.
(Center for Democracy and Technology) CDT has released "Ghosts in Our Machines: Background and Policy Proposals on the 'Spyware' Problem", a report addressing the growing problem of so-called 'spyware' programs, which range from targeted advertising programs to more invasive key stroke loggers and screen capture utilities that can be used to steal passwords and aid identity theft. The report examines types of spyware; suggests policy solutions to the problem, including legislation and better enforcement of current laws; and offers tips to consumers who want to take steps to avoid spyware on their computers. In conjunction with the report, CDT has begun a campaign on its website calling on Internet users to send in their experiences with specific 'spyware' products, so that CDT can collect the most egregious cases and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
(Ministro per l'Innovazione e le Tecnologie) E' stato presentato, 19 novembre 2003, presso l'Aula Magna del Ministero delle Comunicazioni, il Codice di autoregolamentazione 'Internet e minori'. Alla presenza dei ministri Stanca e Gasparri il Codice è stato firmato da AIIP, ANFoV, Assoprovider e Federcomin. Comunicato stampa, Intervento del ministro Stanca [.pdf 50Kb], Codice di autoregolamentazione 'Internet e Minori' [.pdf 132Kb]. Codice di autoregolamentazione Tv e minori. Bozza di codice di autoregolamentazione diffusa dal Ministero delle poste e telecomunicazioni il 22 maggio 1997.
(Press Release) Oftel has approved in principle a new dispute procedure scheme proposed by Orange, Telewest, T-Mobile and the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA). The scheme - called the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) - will be launched on 9 December and is administered by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. CISAS has met a rigorous set of criteria set out by Oftel to provide a free, independent and effective service to consumers who are unable to resolve complaints directly with their telephone company. Oftel has also published a consultation document on whether telecoms companies should be required by regulation to make available for publication quality of service information.
(RAPID) The situation in the electronic communications markets finally seems to be stabilising. That is the conclusion of the latest Report on the implementation by the Member States of the EU Electronic Communications Regulatory Package. The Report, which was adopted by the Commission today, points to renewed business and consumer confidence. Broadband (or high-speed) internet access and mobile communications are the main drivers of growth. The number of fixed broadband access lines has almost doubled over the last year but the competitive situation must improve further if the broadband sector is to truly thrive. The Report projects that in 2003 the number of mobile subscribers will grow at a higher rate than in 2002, notwithstanding that the penetration rate is already close to 90% in a number of EU countries. The Commission is however worried about the regulatory situation in many Member States, as so far only eight Member States have completed their transposition of the new EU legislation into national law.
(Reuters) A German company launched a new mobile handset targeted at business executives that secures that lines are free from eavesdroppers, sparking criticism that it could also make criminals harder to catch. Berlin-based Cryptophone, a unit of privately held GSMK, developed the phone by inserting an encryption software inside a standard handheld computer phone. This ensures that calls can only be decoded by a similar handset or a computer running the software. But the phone is seen as a mixed blessing in some European countries. While the benefits for business managers exchanging sensitive information are obvious, such a device could potentially have the side effect of helping criminals. Security specialists in the Netherlands said the device could threaten criminal investigation by the Dutch police, which is one of the world's most active phone tappers, listening in to 12,000 phone numbers every year. But privacy lobbyists say the new handset is a "freedomphone" much more than a "terrorphone." "It's a tremendous step forward, because the level of surveillance by authorities is breathtaking," said Simon Davies, director of Privacy International in Britain.
(BBC) South Korea is embarking on a huge project to make its national broadband network even faster. The government and telecommunication companies will spend 2.1 trillion won (£1.06bn) to upgrade Korea's network. When the project ends in 2010 the top speed of South Korea's core broadband infrastructure will be 100mbps. The government said it would link up with the country's wireless networks to create a ubiquitous system that boosts e-health and education initiatives.
(Reuters) Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates unveiled new products that promise to cut down on spam, secure computer networks and make it easier to find information on personal computers. Gates, making the opening keynote address at the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas, spent a good part of his speech on security and a major problem plaguing computer users - spam, or unsolicited e-mail. An add-on to most of Microsoft's e-mail software, SmartScreen technology developed by Microsoft's research arm will filter e-mail to prevent unwanted advertising and malicious messages from reaching recipients' inboxes.
(BBC) Top Hollywood executive Jack Valenti has said technological developments could mean newly released films being available online by 2005. The Motion Picture Association Of America chief said issues of secure delivery were almost resolved. Valenti said films should go straight from big screen to internet well before rental release on DVD and video. However, the film business had no plans to follow the music industry in suing pirates, Valenti added.
(Silicon) by Stephanie Olsen. Microsoft has started testing an international news search service in competition with Google's, upping the ante in the hotly contested web search market. Microsoft web portal MSN has unveiled a test, or beta, service called MSN Newsbot to search news in the languages of four countries - the UK, France, Italy and Spain. MSN Newsbot is an experimental, automated news service that gathers news from more than 4,000 sources online, according to the Newsbot website.
(Guardian) Things are going to get worse before they improve for a music industry brought to its knees by music piracy and file sharing. The Informa Media research predicts the value of global music sales will drop for the fourth year in a row to £16.5bn this year and will fall even further next year. The total number of CD sales, which fell for the first time in 2001, will continue to slide, dropping by 8% to 2.1 billion units in 2003. Online peer-to-peer piracy, counterfeit CDs, the end of the CD boom - when music fans updated their vinyl collections - and the rise of competing leisure products such as video games, mobile phones and DVDs have all been blamed for the industry's current crisis. However, the Informa analysis predicts a recovery will be under way by 2005 provided record labels can get to grips with piracy and support legal digital download services.
(Press Release) The first global index to rank Information and Communication Technology (ICT) access has turned up some surprises. Slovenia ties France; and the Republic of Korea, usually not among the top ten in international ICT rankings, comes in fourth. Apart from Canada, ranked 10th, the top ten economies are exclusively Asian and European. The four Asian Tigers have made the greatest progress in ICTs over the last four years. The results suggest that English is no longer a decisive factor in quick technology adoption, especially as more content is made available in other languages.
(UNCTAD) The E-Commerce and Development Report 2003 (ECDR 2003) analyses, from a development perspective, recent trends and advances in information and communication technologies (ICT), such as e-commerce and e-business, and examines their applications in developing countries.
(Washington Post) Nicholas Carr seems an unlikely candidate for the technology world's Public Enemy No. 1. A mild-mannered 44-year-old magazine editor and freelance writer, he's spent five years laboring for the Harvard Business Review, not exactly a hotbed of bomb-throwers. But now he finds himself branded a wild-eyed heretic and a threat to the underpinnings of the entire economy. His offense? Penning a 12-page article about the state of information-technology (IT) investment in the corporate world. Why has it jacked up the aggregate blood pressure in Armonk, N.Y., Silicon Valley, Calif., and Redmond, Wash.? Consider the title: 'IT Doesn't Matter.'
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