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(ZDNet France) Les sages de la concurrence ont rejeté la demande d'AOL de prendre des mesures conservatoires contre la politique tarifaire de Wanadoo sur l'ADSL. Mais ont infligé à sa maison mère une amende de 20 millions d'euros dans une affaire remontant à 2000.
(CNN) Dozens of people have been arrested in connection with an ongoing federal crackdown on the distribution of child pornography sent over the Internet using peer-to-peer file sharing applications. Attorney General John Ashcroft and officials from the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the results of the latest enforcement actions which have taken place throughout the United States in recent days. Cybercrime task forces have been targeting distributors of pornographic images on the file sharing networks which have been used by young, potentially vulnerable audiences, who primarily have used the peer to peer applications to share music. In some cases predators have used the technology to try to lure victims for sex. The attorney general will highlight the ongoing problem in part to help alert parents of the continuing danger of pornography targeted at minors on the Internet.
(Guardian) Beijing is cracking down on access to the internet in the name of public health and safety. Considerate to a fault, the Chinese authorities have closed down more than 8,600 unlicensed internet cafes in the past three months to ensure the 'healthy development' of the nation's impressionable young minds. The government-controlled domestic media have described the move in benign terms, as the nanny state tightening safety standards at businesses that take up an increasing amount of teenage time and money. But for some reason this has not convinced cynics, who see the crackdown as an alarming new Big Brother-style restriction on the population's freedom of expression and access to information.
(New York Times) The reverberations from this year's fiasco of a Super Bowl half-time show are reaching every corner of the broadcasting world. Television and radio broadcasters say they have little choice but to practice a form of self-censorship, swinging the pendulum of what they consider acceptable in the direction of extreme caution. A series of recent decisions by the F.C.C., as well as bills passed in Congress, have put them on notice that even the unintentional broadcast of something that could be considered indecent or obscene could result in stiffer fines or even the revocation of their licenses.
(Australian IT) The Australian Communications Authority and the Australian Broadcasting Authority are to be merged into a single entity, under plans unveiled in the federal Budget. The merger would better reflects the digital convergence of broadcasting and telecommunications. The Budget also allocated stable funding for the Australian Government Information Management Office, the peak federal advisory body created in April to replace NOIE (the National Office of the Information Economy) as well as first time funding to support the government's Critical Infrastructure Protection program. The Department of Communications IT and the Arts (DCITA) said the newly-created ACMA would provide an improved regulatory response to new digital technologies. The department said it was neither practical nor effective to maintain two separate regulators that both dealt with similar issues, albeit in separate sectors of the communications market.
(Washington Post) Representatives of the movie, recording and software industries said that preserving a law banning technologies that let people copy DVDs and other digital entertainment is necessary to stop rampant piracy, even if it means that consumers cannot make copies for their personal use. But proponents of a change scoffed at such claims. They said the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act went too far to protect those who create digital media, and instead punishes people who simply want to enjoy music or movies in different locations by having more than one copy.
(Heise) In Lübeck hat sich ein zweitägiger Workshop mit der Enterprise Privacy Authorization Language (EPAL) befasst. EPAL ist eine formalisierte Beschreibungssprache, die zur Umsetzung von Datenschutzvorschriften in Behörden- und Unternehmensnetzen entwickelt wurde. Der von der International School of New Media der Universität Lübeck und dem Unabhängigen Landeszentrum für Datenschutz Schleswig-Holstein in Zusammenarbeit mit IBM durchgeführte Workshop war der zweite seiner Art. Nachdem es im Vorjahr in Kiel um die grundsätzliche Möglichkeit von EPAL ging, befasste man sich dieses Mal vor allem mit juristischen, technischen und sprachlichen Nuancen von EPAL, die zur Anerkennung als Standard beim W3C eingereicht wurde.
(New York Times) When Google described Gmail, the free e-mail service it is testing, the prevailing public reaction was shock. The company said that its software would place ads in your incoming messages, relevant to their contents. It appeared to many people that Google had gone way beyond evil into Big Brother land. What could be more sinister than snooping through private correspondence looking for advertising opportunities? Those reactions, as it turns out, are a tad overblown. In fact, no human ever looks at the Gmail e-mail. Computers do the scanning just the way your current e-mail provider scans your messages for spam and viruses. Gmail appears destined to become one of the most useful Internet services since Google itself. Gmail is infinitely cleaner, faster, more useful, more efficient, less commercial and less limiting than other Web-based e-mail services. Once Gmail goes live, Hotmail and Yahoo won't know what hit them. see also Gmail Leads Way in Making Ads Relevant.
(OECD) This report provides a general introduction to biometric technologies. It also discusses the various concerns raised by these technologies, with a focus on privacy and information security. The report was prepared by Peter Hope-Tindall, Director and Chief Privacy Architect, dataPrivacy partners, under the supervision of the secretariat.
(BBC) Long eyelashes and watery eyes could thwart iris scanning technology used for the government's ID card trial.
(BBC) The US has moved a step closer towards imposing controls on camera phones. A bill banning so-called up-skirt photos and other forms of voyeurism has made further progress through the political machinery in Washington. It would make the taking of covert photos in places like locker rooms or bedrooms a crime punishable by up to a year in prison and fines. The popularity of small mobiles with cameras has made it much easier to take illicit photos without permission.
(RTE) The Irish Minister for the Environment and Local Government has said electronic voting will not be used in the local and European elections in June. This decision follows the publication of a report from the Independent Commission on Electronic Voting, which said the system's reliability could not be established to its satisfaction.
(BBC) There have been big improvements in the teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools, Ofsted has said. England's schools' watchdog said there had been many advances since 1997. It highlighted the fact ICT resources in English schools now compared well with those of schools elsewhere. However, its report said the government's aim of 'embedding' ICT in the curriculum, rather than teaching it separately, is not yet a reality.
(EurActiv) The Commission has launched a consultation on how the e-money directive could be amended to enable industry to offer e-payments services using mobile phones. Up until now, mobile phone operators have used the e-money directive mainly to issue pre-paid phone cards. In doing this, operators in some Member States were assimilated to issuers of e-money and therefore had to comply with rules laid out in the e-money directive requiring them for example to convert cards into cash when asked by their clients. In other Member States, however, national authorities did not assimilate operators to issuers of e-money. According to a preliminary analysis made by the Commission, simple pre-paid cards would not be covered by the e-money directive but services bought with it (ringtones, news, messaging, etc.) would.
(Europa) The results of an open consultation of enterprises. Commission Staff Working Paper. SEC(2004) 498. Replies were received from 651 enterprises with a majority confirming that the legal framework does not constitute a major barrier for doing business electronically. Only 30% indicated that they had experienced legal problems, in particular with the conclusion of contracts, but also with taxation, electronic signatures or the provision of information society services. The economic impact of such problems is, however, often quite severe, resulting not only in frustration but also in abstentions from electronic trade. see Questionnaire and Statistical results.
(New York Times) After the Greek Parliament approved a measure banning what was loosely described as public gaming, some government and police officials interpreted the law as banning the public use of computers for any electronic games, whether they involved gambling or not. The country's Internet café owners association says that so far this year, the authorities have raided more than 35 Internet cafés across the country, confiscating a total of 300 terminals. Judges have invariably acquitted the café owners, but the vice squads have not backed off, the association said. this spring the European Commission told the Greek government that the law must be overhauled because it essentially restricts the free trade of legitimate electronic games. Still, it remains on the books, despite vague promises by the new government to modify or repeal it.
(BBC) Broadband may be today's technology but the future lies with 'broaderband'. So says the media-to-telecoms regulator Ofcom as it plans what the UK's telecoms and broadcast landscape will look like for the next decade. The regulator is keen to get its role in the changing broadband landscape right as the UK moves towards superfast internet networks. It is currently consulting the industry on how to prepare for the world of what it dubs 'broaderband'.
(EurActiv.com) All fifteen of the old Member States have now submitted their national strategies to support widespread roll-out and take-up of high-speed Internet connections (broadband), the Commission announced on 11 May. It is expected to issue a more detailed report on the strategies in June 2004. Commission Press Release and draft Communciation. See also the Staff Working Paper Annexes of the National Broadband Strategies Communication.
(Press Release) The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) and the Australian High Tech Crime Centre are cooperating in the fight against spam. The ACA has staff stationed inside the Australian High Tech Crime Centre in Canberra, allowing them to efficiently exchange information and expertise about cyber offences with police investigators and to work jointly on cases. The Spam Act 2003 came into force on 10 April 2004 and prohibits the sending of unsolicited commercial electronic messages with an Australian link.
(Toronto Star) The Canadian government has introduced a new action plan to combat spam. The focal point was the establishment of a new national task force on spam that includes representatives from technology companies, ISPs, marketers, anti-spam activists, as well as ILN editor Michael Geist. The task force will examine current Canadian anti-spam legislation, consider potential statutory amendments, and assess technological and educational initiatives. see also Ottawa panel seeking to can Net spam (CP).
(Heise) Wolfgang Schulz, Geschäftsführer des Hamburger Hans-Bredow-Instituts, warf auf einer Tagung der Bertelsmann-Stiftung zum Thema "Suchmaschinen als Herausforderung für die Medienpolitik" viele Fragen zur Regulierung von Suchmaschinen auf. Da Suchmaschinen auch nach deutschem Recht unzulässige Angebote in ihren Ergebnissen auflisten, müsse man darüber nachdenken, ob ihre Betreiber eventuell zur Installation von Jugendschutzprogramme und zum Aussperren minderjähriger Altersgruppen verpflichtet seien. Insgesamt gab es auf der Veranstaltung viel Druck auf die Betreiber von Suchmaschinen, ihre Ergebnisse stärker regulatorisch zu steuern. Der Leipziger Medienprofessor Marcel Machill von der Bertelsmann-Stiftung befürwortet Eingriffe im Sinne von "Selbstregulierung und ethischer Publizistik". Mittelfristig werden die Suchmaschinenbetreiber aber wohl nicht umhinkommen, mehr "Grey"- und "Blacklists" einzuführen, glaubt Manfred Stegger, Chef des regionalen Suchanbieters allesklar.com. Er forderte die Aufsichtsbehörden zu "mehr Mut" auf, "sich einen spektakulären Fall herauszugreifen und abzustrafen." Der Direktor der Landesanstalt für Medien NRW, Norbert Schneider, zeigte sich bedächtiger: Regulieren heißt seiner Meinung nach zumindest nicht "strangulieren".
(Libération) La loi sur la confiance dans l'économie numérique (LCEN) restreint le droit d'expression sans remédier aux problèmes, selon ses détracteurs. Avec la nouvelle loi, les hébergeurs, ces intermédiaires techniques qui accueillent des milliers de sites web sur leurs ordinateurs, sont chargés de fermer un site, sans en passer par un juge, s'ils ont eu «connaissance d'activités ou d'informations illicites», par exemple après plainte d'un tiers auprès d'eux. S'ils ne le font pas ? Ils prennent le risque d'être tenus pour responsables de l'infraction, au même titre que l'auteur. Un peu comme si un kiosquier devait prendre la décision de retirer ou non un magazine de ses rayons quand quelqu'un vient lui assurer avoir été diffamé dans ses pages. Cette disposition instaure une forme de «justice privée», disent les opposants au texte. Petite loi (avec corrections manuscrites). voir aussi Prochaine étape pour la LCEN: le Conseil constitutionnel (ZDNet FR).
(CNET News.com) Internet search engines are having a profound influence on judicial research - a controversial trend that's so far garnered little attention outside legal circles. Some judges call Web search a crucial research tool, but critics of the trend are warning that searches on Google and its rivals are no substitute for the painstaking process of evidence and testimony.
(Press Release) The Australian Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts has directed the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) to put in place new measures to protect mobile phone users from offensive content and to restrict access to adult services available on premium mobile services. He has tabled the findings of the Review of the Operation of Schedule 5 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, relating to online content. And, in response to findings from that review, he has asked the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) to undertake a further review of the regulation of content delivered to convergent mobile communications devices, such as 3G mobiles. See A review of Schedule 5 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, Online content review report (PDF 3555KB), Ovum report - Internet filtering (RTF 885kb), Ovum report - live media streaming (RTF 799kb), Australian Communications Authority (Service Provider Determination) Direction 2004 (No. 2) (PDF 408KB), Review Of The Regulation Of Content Delivered Over Convergent Devices. See also ACA warns telcos of mobile adult content fines (ZDNet Australia) .
(Eur-Lex) Decision No 803/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 adopting a programme of Community action (2004 to 2008) to prevent and combat violence against children, young people and women and to protect victims and groups at risk (the Daphne II programme) OJ L 143, 30.4.2004, p. 1
(Guardian) Schoolchildren as young as five are being sent hundreds of pornographic emails every week and the problem is getting worse, according to a company brought in to filter out unwanted spam from school email accounts. Eight out of 10 of the thousands of emails received every day to school email addresses are unwanted spam, and over half of those contain pornographic content, according to filtering company Email Systems.
(Guardian) The number of extremist websites espousing violent or racist views has grown by more than a quarter since January, according to a global study of 'hate' sites. The unprecedented 26% increase in the first four months of this year was almost as much as the growth in extremist sites during the whole of 2003, according to SurfControl, a web filtering company.
(BBC) He faces a prison term - not to mention hefty compensation claims - yet the German teenager whose Sasser worm caused global disruption is being seen as something of a boy wonder at home. Disapproval still reigns supreme. But for a country increasingly dubbed the sick man of Europe, where growth is sluggish, unemployment doggedly high and technological skills in short supply, the arrests of both the Sasser creator and another young virus author at the weekend have stirred up a curious sense of pride.
(CNET News.com) By offering free porn, spammers are using Internet surfers to bypass a security protection designed to stop bot software from automatically opening Web mail accounts.
(Selfregulation.info) The IAPCODE project has published its final report (PDF 824K). The project was carried out by the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at Oxford University. It was funded by the European Commission under the Safer Internet programme. It investigated self-regulatory codes of conduct across National, EU and International boundaries covering a wide range of media from Internet, film, video (games), (digital) television to mobile communications. The project has also assisted self-regulatory bodies in the development and implementation of codes of conduct. see also Executive Summary (PDF 81K). see also Internet giants 'failing to protect users' (Guardian).
(PCC) The first major review since 1999 of the newspaper industry's editors'Code of Practice has been unveiled by the Press Complaints Commission. It provides the rules by which the Commission regulates the newspaper industry, and calls on editors to observe both the spirit and letter of the regulations. Updates, which take effect from June 1, include: extending the protection of private correspondence to include digital communications - prohibiting the interception of private or mobile telephone calls, messages or e-mails, unless in the public interest; a new rule to prevent payment to criminals for material which seeks to exploit, glorify or glamorise crime.
(ZDNet UK) The UK will become a world leader in the rollout of high-speed Internet services, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). After years of lagging behind other countries in terms of both availability and take-up, Britain now looks like a trailblazer, at least in terms of coverage. According to the OECD's report, DSL will be available on 95 percent of UK telephone lines by the end of this year. No other major industrialised nation is expected to boast such high availability. This percentage is only expected to be matched by Finland, and bettered by Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland. The OECD's figures are largely based on projections for the rollout of BT's ADSL network.
(International Herald Tribune) As Microsoft prepares its response to an adverse ruling from European antitrust regulators, the software powerhouse is stepping up efforts to portray itself as every consumer's best friend, rather than the bullying monopolist depicted in Brussels.
(ZDNet France) Le paiement d'un service (achat de logo, de sonnerie…) par SMS surtaxé a rencontré un vif succès en 2003. Un marché aux revenus estimés entre 2 et 3 milliards d'euros en Europe. Ils devraient au moins quintupler d'ici à 2007. Plus que les services vocaux de type audiotel, les accès WAP, l'i-mode ou les transactions par protocole sécurisé, le recours aux SMS surtaxés reste le moyen de paiement mobile le plus utilisé en Europe de l'Ouest en 2003. Telle est la principale conclusion d'une étude relative aux «moyens de paiement mobiles», réalisée par l'Institut de l'audiovisuel et des télécoms en Europe (Idate), en collaboration avec le cabinet Bird & Bird. L'étude a été commandée par l'Autorité de régulation des télécommunications (ART).
(vnunet.com) Half of all phone calls by 2009 will be made on mobile phones, with mobile operators launching an 'aggressive assault' on fixed voice services. According to research by Analysys, the most attractive prospect for mobile operators - but also the most challenging - is to encourage users to give up their fixed voice services altogether. Fixed lines will still be needed to support internet access and will thus limit the decline in fixed voice channels between 2004 to 2006 to one per cent, said the research firm.
(International Herald Tribune) After years of delay and more than E100 billion of investment, Europe's biggest mobile operators are finally starting limited commercial service on the high-speed wireless networks known as third generation, or 3G. But for now, the 3G networks are linking more laptop computers than they are cellphones.
(CNET News.com) Search giant Google plans for the first time to sell ads that include images, a surprise reversal for a company that has won regard for its pioneering use of text-only marketing pitches and for keeping its home page religiously free of banner advertising. The new program will allow customers to place image, or banner, ads on third-party Web sites that participate in its AdSense program. AdSense promises to place ads on Web pages that are relevant to a marketer's message, based on an analysis of the page's content.
(OECD) The report reviews progress on the availability of broadband access across the OECD area. It particularly focuses on benchmarking digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem expansion and availability, as well as the emergence of broadband wireless as a platform to provide low-cost high-performance access networks in rural and remote areas.
(Wizards of OS) Ian Brown Director, Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR), London. Copyright law has become one of the most important and controversial drivers of the Information Society. The Internet has made every user a publisher, but copyright rules governing their activities are often determined by opaque international bodies that decide rules with little public input. Join us in Berlin to debate where copyright should be going to ensure that authors, musicians, film-makers and the public will all benefit. Engage wih leading international thinkers from across Europe and the United States. Meet colleagues who are working to make sure all members of society benefit from copyright.
(ULB) La première formation d'été sur l'espace pénal européen aura lieu à Bruxelles du 5 au 16 juillet 2004. La formation s'adresse notamment aux praticiens de la coopération policière et judiciaire pénale (magistrats, policiers), aux fonctionnaires nationaux et européens ainsi qu'aux chercheurs et étudiants qui s'intéressent aux politiques européennes de justice et de sécurité. La formation se divise en 22 modules, couvrant l'ensemble des matières visées par le Titre VI du Traité UE (coopération judiciaire et policière en matière pénale). Cette formation est organisée par l'Institut d'études européennes (Université libre de Bruxelles - ULB)
(ITU) The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is organizing an ITU WSIS Thematic Meeting on Countering Spam from 7 to 9 July 2004, in Geneva, Switzerland. Discussion will be structured around five main themes: Scope of the problem Technical solutions Consumer education and awareness Legislation and Enforcement International cooperation. ITU Activities on Countering Spam.
(PCMLP) Summer school July 12 - 31 2004. Organised by: Programme in Comparative Media Law & Policy at Oxford University in collaboration with: Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University New York, Open Society Justice Initiative, Council of Europe, Media Guardian.
(tkrecht.de) Deutsches und europäisches Telekommunikations- und Medienrecht. Zugangsrichtlinie 2002/19/EG, Genehmigungsrichtlinie 2002/20/EG, Rahmenrichtlinie 2002/21/EG, Universaldienstrichtlinie 2002/22/EG, Datenschutzrichtlinie 2002/58/EG, Frequenzentscheidung 2002/676/EG, Wettbewerbsrichtlinie 2002/77/EG, TAL-VO Nr. 2000/2887.
(eBusinessLex) This portal has been created by 20 partners in co-operation with the European Commission - DG Enterprise. The portal aims to provide European small and medium enterprises with extensive, clear and practical information on all legal aspects of e-business. The objective is to facilitate on-line activities of SMEs by making them aware of the legislation in force. Ebusinesslex.net does not provide legal advice.
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