Legal and regulatory issues

Competition

• EU - Commission imposes conduct remedies and a fine on Microsoft  +/-

  (RAPID) The European Commission has concluded, after a five-year investigation, that Microsoft Corporation broke European Union competition law by leveraging its near monopoly in the market for PC operating systems (OS) onto the markets for work group server operating systems(1) and for media players(2). Because the illegal behaviour is still ongoing, the Commission has ordered Microsoft to disclose to competitors, within 120 days, the interfaces(3) required for their products to be able to 'talk' with the ubiquitous Windows OS. Microsoft is also required, within 90 days, to offer a version of its Windows OS without Windows Media Player to PC manufacturers (or when selling directly to end users). In addition, Microsoft is fined € 497 million for abusing its market power in the EU. see Can Microsoft be tamed? (Economist) and Europe plays hardball with Microsoft (CNET News.com).

Computer crime

• UK - 55% of child abuse content traced to US  +/-

  (Guardian) More than half (55%) of the child abuse images on the internet reported in Britain last year originated from the United States, the UK internet industry regulator said. This was a 3% rise in the amount of child abuse material traced to the US from the previous year, according to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The IWF's annual report also highlighted the rapid growth in the amount of child abuse images traced to Russia, which rose from 5% in 1997 to 23% last year. John Carr, the internet safety adviser at the children's charity NCH, said that the apparent failure of the US authorities to crack down on child abuse websites was undermining international efforts to combat online paedophilia.

• UK - Distressing trip into the heart of human darkness  +/-

  (Scotsman) Article about a TV commentary, Police Protecting Children, in which a film team followed police operations to arrest consumers of child pornography.

• UK success in battle with illegal on-line content  +/-

  (out-law.com) The UK hosted only 1% of the potentially illegal on-line content that was the subject of 20,000 reports to the Internet Watch Foundation in 2003, according to its annual report, published yesterday. The figure is down from 18% being hosted by UK ISPs in 1997."

• US - Vigilantes Troll for Pedophiles  +/-

  (Wired) Volunteers from a group called Perverted Justice pose as kids in chat rooms, and when an adult engages them in sexual banter, they publish the person's personal data on the site so the group's supporters can harass the adult by phone and e-mail. see also They Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson.

Convergence of telecommunications, media and information technology

• Interoperability of Interactive Digital TV Services - Public consultation  +/-

  (Europa) On 18 March the European Commission launched a wide-ranging consultation on the interoperability of interactive television services, based on a Commission Staff Working Paper setting out the issues raised by interoperability. Written comments should be sent to infso-b1@cec.eu.int by 30th April at the latest, and should be marked "Interactive television" in the subject line. To facilitate an exchange of views, there will be a public hearing in Brussels on April 20th.

Copyright, trademarks and patents

• JN - Court denies copyright for Web news headlines  +/-

  (Mainichi) A damages suit filed by the Tokyo head office of the Yomiuri Shimbun against an Internet service firm that used the newspaper's headlines without permission was rejected in the Tokyo District Court. Denying the newspaper's demand that the Internet firm stop using the headlines and pay damages of 68 million yen, the court ruled that using Internet headlines without permission did not violate copyright. 'Using headlines that are open to the public on the Internet without authorization does not constitute a copyright violation,' the judge said

• UK - BPI gets heavy with file-swappers in IM campaign  +/-

  (Netimperative) The British Phonographic Industry took further steps in its crusade against illegal music downloads, unveiling a new 'instant messaging' campaign to warn illegal file-swappers to stop or face court action. The campaign, the first of its kind from the BPI, will warn people they face legal action if they do not disable file-swapping software on their computers. It coincides with new research released by the BPI, which reveals that 92% of the 8m people in the UK downloading music are using illegal sites. The report also found that downloader spending on albums was down 32%, with spending on singles down 59% over the previous year.

Domain names

• ICANN - New domains '.mobi' and '.xxx' under consideration  +/-

  (AP) Ten organizations submitted applications to ICANN to sponsor new Internet domains, including ".mobi" for mobile services and ".xxx" for adult content. Each organization paid $45,000 to apply for suffixes that are to be set aside for specific industries and interest groups. The deadline for applications was Tuesday. Public comments on the applications will be accepted from April 1 through April 30, according to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

• ICANN - The battle over triple 'x'  +/-

  (CNET News.com) by Declan McCullagh. By the end of this year, Internet users could have an extraordinarily convenient place to find pornography: a new .xxx top-level domain.

Electronic commerce

• DE - German court: Pop-ups need permission  +/-

  (CNET News.com) A European court has issued a preliminary injunction against Claria - formerly known as Gator - that prohibits the company's pop-up and pop-under ads from appearing over a German rental car Web site without the agency's permission. The injunction, by plaintiff Hertz Autovermietung, the German division of Hertz, is the latest victory for companies that oppose the unauthorized use of pop-ups on their sites. The Court of First Instance in Cologne, Germany, ruled March 12 that Claria had violated sections of a German law against unfair competition.

• UNCITRAL - Draft UN treaty to ease global electronic commerce moves forward  +/-

  (Press Release) The chief United Nations body overseeing international trade law policies has taken a step closer to a treaty that would create a unified legal regime for worldwide electronic commerce, removing barriers and lowering costs for companies using the Internet to conduct business. The recommendation on a draft text at the conclusion of a week-long meeting by the UN Commission on International Trade Law's (UNCITRAL) Working Group on Electronic Commerce will be submitted to the Commission's next full session in June. The text focuses on areas such as legal electronic transactions, data exchanges and e-mail messages.

• WTO - US online gambling policy unlawful  +/-

  (New York Times) The World Trade Organization, in its first decision on an Internet-related dispute, has ignited a political, cultural and legal tinderbox by ruling that the United States policy prohibiting online gambling violates international trade law. The ruling, issued by a WTO panel, is being hailed by operators of online casinos based overseas as a major victory that could force America to liberalize laws outlawing their business. But the Bush administration vowed to appeal the decision, and several members of Congress said they would rather have an international trade war or withdraw from future rounds of the WTO than have American social policy dictated from abroad.

Hotlines

• UK - Porn net watchdog touts triumphs  +/-

  (BBC) The number of child abuse images on UK computers has fallen sharply, the Internet Watch Foundation has said. In its annual report, the net watchdog said the amount of illegal content hosted in the UK was now less than 1%, compared with 18% in 1997. The industry-founded body said the fall was due to good links with net providers and the police. But the watchdog said it was receiving more reports of potentially illegal content than last year. 55% of child abuse content is hosted in the US, where there is no effective notice and take down system and very few US ISPs have registered with the US equivalent of the IWF to try and deal with the problem of potentially illegal child abuse content. In addition, 23% of child abuse content is traced to Russia,

Information society and Internet policy

• United Nations ponders Net's future  +/-

  (CNET News.com) The United Nations wants a big piece of the Internet. At a summit, delegates from around the world gathered to take a preliminary step toward U.N. involvement in some of the areas that are bedeviling Internet users and governments alike, including spam, network security, privacy and the regulation of the technical underpinnings that control the sprawling global network. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan set the tone in a speech criticizing the current system through which Internet standards are set and domain names are handled, a process currently dominated by the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. Such structures 'must be made accessible and responsive to the needs of all the world's people,' Annan said. the summit will hear recommendations from five different U.N. working groups on topics including everything from domain names to root server operation to free speech and intellectual property to privacy. see Sixth Meeting of the UN ICT Task Force Global Forum On Internet Governance.

• CoE - EU ratifies Convention on notifying new national rules for on-line services  +/-

  (RAPID) The EU has signed Council of Europe Convention 180, establishing an international mechanism for the prior notification of national rules on online services, so that regulations adopted in one country do not affect services in others without consultation. This mechanism is based on the EU system of legislative transparency introduced by the 'Notifications' Directive 98/34/EC. The Convention's aim is to enhance the transparency and coherence of national rules on information society services as far as possible, since these services are by definition often provided across borders.

Junk mail (spam)

• AOL Blocks Spammers' Web Sites  +/-

  (Washington Post) America Online has adopted a new tactic against spam: blocking its members' ability to see Web sites promoted by bulk e-mailers. The policy, which began earlier this year, opens a new front in the war on spam but also makes the company the first of its kind to push past the traditional Internet orthodoxy that service providers should be neutral conduits to anything the World Wide Web has to offer.

• Big players propose competing solutions to spam  +/-

  (CNET News.com) by Stefanie Olsen. There are few signs of unity in developing technology standards that could be more effective in slowing the deluge of spam, despite America Online, EarthLink, Microsoft and Yahoo scored a major publicity coup earlier this month, when they launched their first joint legal assault against spammers.

• DE - Anti-Spam-Taskforce diskutiert Maßnahmenkatalog  +/- Translate

  (Heise) Beim zweiten Treffen der Anti-Spam-Taskforce (ASTF) des eco, des Verbands der deutschen Internetwirtschaft, wurde der Entwurf eines gemeinsamen Anti-Spam-Maßnahmenkatalogs diskutiert. Dieses 'Whitepaper' enthält unter anderem Vorschläge für ein 'Trusted Network', innerhalb dessen ein ungefilterter Mailverkehr möglich sein soll. Zur gleichen Zeit hat in Berlin die SPD-Arbeitsgruppe Post und Telekommunikation einen bereits bekannt gewordenen Gesetzentwurf beraten, nachdem Spammer in extremen Fällen sogar ins Gefängnis wandern können.

• DE - Germany Prepares Laws to Battle Spam  +/-

  (Deutsche Welle) Germany's Social Democrat (SPD) government plans to introduce an 'Anti Spam' law in an attempt to stem the tide of unsolicited junk e-mails that is costing the country millions of euros. The law will be Germany's first attempt at introducing a successful and effective punishment for those unscrupulous companies who bombard inboxes with undesirable advertising mails. The laws will consist of punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment for the worst offenders. Germany was one of the countries criticized last year by the European Commission for not implementing spam restrictions in accordance with an EU directive. Along with Belgium, Greece, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland and Sweden, Germany failed to adopt the privacy law which would have helped in the EU's fight against unwanted e-mail. "

Liability, jurisdiction and applicable law

• DE - May access providers be required to ban foreign websites?  +/-

  (International Journal of Communications Law and Policy) by Pascal H. Schumacher. On February 6th 2002, the North Rhine-Westphalian district government asked the local access providers to block the access to two American websites containing racist and anti-Semitic information. These blocking decrees have triggered off a controversy about the providers' legal responsibility in general and especially the access providers' responsibility for web content. The various aspects of this controversial argument will be portrayed, discussed and evaluated along with the current problems.

Racism and xenophobia

• FR - Central Filter Against Web Hate for Schools  +/-

  (Reuters) France plans to install a nation-wide Internet filter system in its state schools to deny pupils access to racist and anti-Semitic Web sites, the prime minister's office announced.

• FR - Comité interministériel de lutte contre le racisme et l'antisémitisme  +/- Translate

  (Gouvernement français) Le Premier ministre Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN a présidé le jeudi 18 mars le troisième comité interministériel de lutte contre le racisme et l´antisémitisme. Le comité interministériel a plus particulièrement examiné les moyens de lutte contre la diffusion des idées racistes et antisémites sur Internet. Le ministre délégué auprès du ministre des affaires étrangères Pierre-André Wiltzer a décrit l´action internationale de la France à ce sujet et plus particulièrement l´initiative française d´organiser une conférence internationale à Paris les 16 et 17 juin prochain. Le ministre de la jeunesse, de l´éducation nationale et de la recherche Luc Ferry a présenté la démarche de sécurisation de l´accès à Internet dans les écoles. Celle-ci repose sur la mise en place, dans chaque établissement, d´un logiciel de filtrage qui écarte automatiquement les sites figurant sur une liste nationale mise à jour quotidiennement. Afin de renforcer l´efficacité du repérage des sites présentant un caractère antisémite, le ministère et le Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France (CRIF) échangeront systématiquement leurs informations. Le directeur de cabinet du ministre de l´intérieur, de la sécurité intérieure et des libertés locales a également présenté l´état des concertations menées entre le CRIF et les fournisseurs d´accès pour prévenir la diffusion de thèses racistes ou antisémites sur Internet. Une liaison Internet directe entre le CRIF, les fournisseurs d´accès et l´Office central de lutte contre la criminalité sur internet va être installée pour permettre le signalement immédiat des sites racistes et antisémites et le déclenchement des investigations policières.

Rating and filtering

• Child safety fears prompt u-turn on mobile phone porn  +/-

  (Guardian) The mobile phone companies have performed a u-turn over adult content, deciding that products such as gambling and pornography will only be available to customers who have opted in for such services, rather than relying on parents to protect their children. The move is intended to head off any potential criticism of the industry as more phones with cameras, colour screens and internet access find their way into the hands of children. But the fact that customers will now have to express an active interest in accessing gambling and pornography - as well as prove their age - is likely to have a detrimental effect on prospective revenues from these services.

• DE - Urteil: Minderjährigenschutz auf Erotik-Websites soll "effektiv" sein  +/- Translate

  (Heise) Um Kinder und Jugendliche vom Besuch von Erotik-Websites abzuhalten, reicht es nach einem Urteil des Oberlandesgerichts (OLG) Düsseldorf nicht aus, vor dem Zugang die Personalausweis- oder Kreditkartennummer abzufragen und die Einwahl über einen kostenpflichtigen Dialer durchzuführen. Das OLG hob damit den Freispruch in einem Strafverfahren des Landgerichts Düsseldorf gegen den Betreiber einer Erotik-Website auf. Angeklagt war er wegen Verbreitung pornographischer Schriften nach § 184 StGB.

Safer Internet awareness

• DE - Kein Mediengefängnis für Kinder konstruieren  +/- Translate

  (Heise) Bundesfamilienministerin Renate Schmidt (SPD) nutzte die CeBIT, um ihre Forderung an die Eltern zu bekräftigen, mehr auf den Medienkonsum ihrer Kinder zu achten. Zusammen mit Nena warb sie am CeBIT für ihre im vergangenen Jahr gestartete Aktion SCHAU HIN! mit Aktionen für Eltern und Kinder. Wichtig sei es, den Kindern klar zu machen, dass nicht alles im Fernsehen und im Internet 'gut für sie ist'. Eltern müssten 'wirklich hinsehen, was dort geboten wird und eingreifen'. Die Ministerin sprach sich aber dagegen aus, die Neuen Medien aus dem Leben der jungen Menschen zu verbannen. 'Das blödeste wäre, die Neuen Medien zu verteufeln. Sie gehören dazu wie Kinder- und Jugendbücher. Die vernünftige Nutzung ist in Ordnung. Wir sollten uns davor hüten, ein absolutes Mediengefängnis für unsere Kinder zu konstruieren.'"

Security and encryption

• European Network Security  +/-

  (RAPID) Mr Erkki Liikanen, Member of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, CeBIT Hannover, 18th March 2004.

Terrorism

• EU agrees sweeping counter-terror policies  +/-

  (Guardian) Police, security and intelligence agencies across Europe will have authority to hold and exchange data on individuals - and detain them - under a declaration on combating terrorism to be agreed by EU leaders meeting in Brussels. see Statewatch's "Scoreboard" on the threats to civil liberties and privacy in EU terrorism plans EU to use IT for anti-terrorism (IT Management).

Market & Technology

Junk mail (spam)

• Spam-busters  +/-

  (Network World) MIT recently brought together the nation's top spam fighters at its annual anti-spam conference. Network World caught up with some of the speakers and participants. Here are their stories.

• Stand and Fight: An Arsenal for Spam Victims  +/-

  (New York Times) For most users, spam is simply a maddening headache. Fortunately, effective weapons are emerging in the Battle of the In-Box. You can install special software that works alongside your e-mail program to filter incoming messages, or choose a new e-mail program with ingenious spam-blocking features. Or, because spammers frequently use fake return addresses to evade filters as they blast out millions of messages, you may choose to install a companion program that requires the sender to verify his or her identity before the message can be delivered. Such options enable you to stand firm against spam without having to get a new e-mail address.

Security and encryption

• Witty worm frays patch-based security  +/-

  (CNET News.com) The Witty worm emerged so quickly that most companies had no time to apply a patch, according to an analysis of the program. The worm started spreading around the Internet last week, less than 48 hours after the first public description of the flaw was released. That's the fastest development to date of a worm from a vulnerability, according to a report published by the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA) and the University of California at San Diego. companies will likely have to start relying less on plugging holes in the security of their software and more on other methods of reducing the threat of vulnerabilities.

• 'Witty' Worm Wallops Thousands of Computers  +/-

  (Washington Post) A quickly spreading worm that emerged over the weekend damaged computers at several universities and at least one Web hosting company, according to the first wave of damage reports that began surfacing on Monday as system administrators returned to work.

Statistics

• EU - New Eurobarometer survey: European parents unaware of Internet dangers  +/-

  (Europa) A Eurobarometer survey conducted by the European Commission shows differences around Europe on attitudes to Safer Internet among parents. Parents from the Northern countries of the European Union are more likely than the others to report that their children use the Internet. This represents 64% in Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK, 63% in Sweden and 62% in Finland. The lowest figure for the Internet use among children is observed in Greece and Portugal where only 15% and 31% of parents reported so. A fair share of parents seem not to be aware of the possible risks that their child may encounter on the Internet. Moreover, only 11% of these parents impose rules for the Internet. Therefore, it seems that parents are not really aware of the dangers their children may encounter when surfing the net.

• FR - L'année internet 2003 : un point des chiffres et des usages  +/- Translate

  (Fête de l'internet) Médiamétrie publie en ligne une synthèse des observations issues de ses panels d'internautes. Au 4e trimestre 2003, le nombre de Français âgés de 11 ans et plus ayant utilisé l'internet dans le dernier mois atteignait 21 785 000 (42,6 %). 6,9 millions de foyers français, soit 65 % des foyers équipés d'un micro-ordinateur, avaient accès à l'internet à domicile, dont un tiers à haut débit. On constate des progressions en nombre d'internautes plus importantes que la moyenne chez les femmes, les 50 ans et plus, en Province et dans les petites et moyennes agglomérations.

Technology

• Fun with USB ports  +/-

  (CNN) Now you can plug ashtrays, noodle cookers and even rubber duckies into your USB ports.

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