Legal and regulatory issues

Audiovisual

• EU - Sport and Television: Ready to Face New Challenges?  +/-

  (RAPID) Viviane REDING, Member of the European Commission responsible for Education and Culture, Sportel, Monaco, 11 October 2004.

• UK - Television and the Digital Future  +/-

  (OFCOM) RTS Fleming Memorial Lecture 2004 by David Currie, Ofcom Chairman. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be asked to deliver this year's Fleming lecture. The timing is apposite. Ofcom published on 30 September the second phase of our report into Public Service Broadcasting. This is the first opportunity to talk about the context in which that report has been written, and the reasons for our conclusions and proposals.

Competition

• EU - Discriminatory specifications in supply contracts for computers in four Member States  +/-

  (RAPID) Commission examines discriminatory specifications in supply contracts for computers in four Member States. The European Commission has decided to formally ask France, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden for information on certain invitations to tender launched by authorities in those countries for the supply of computer equipment. The Commission wonders whether it is compatible with the public procurement Directives to require the procurement of Intel microprocessors or microprocessors using a specific clock rate. Reference to a specific brand would, in the Commission's view, constitute a violation of Directive 93/36/EEC on public supply contracts, while merely specifying a clock rate - which is insufficient for assessing the performance of a computer - would be contrary to Article 28 of the EC Treaty, which prohibits any barriers to intra-Community trade.

• EU - International Antitrust - A Personal Perspective  +/-

  (RAPID) Mr. Mario Monti, European Commissioner for Competition, Fordham Corporate Law Institute, New York, 7 October 2004.

Computer crime

• UK - FBI returns seized news servers  +/-

  (BBC) Servers seized by the FBI from the alternative media network known as Indymedia have been returned. The servers in the outskirts of London were taken last week by the FBI which said it was acting on behalf of Italian and Swiss authorities. Indymedia hosts sites, news and radio feeds for anti-globalisation groups and other campaigners for social justice. The media group is now taking legal advice about what action it can take over the seizure of its hardware. see FBI seizes servers from UK offices (vnunet.com)

Consumer protection

• UK - Internet sweep closes eight UK sites  +/-

  (out-law.com) An internet sweep by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) has forced the closure or amendment of 320 sites, eight of which are UK-based, which were found to contain cross-border scams or misleading or fraudulent internet adverts. ICPEN, founded in 1992, consists of consumer enforcement agencies from 31 countries co-ordinating cross border activity and sharing best practice.

Content regulation

• EU - Greece referred to Court over obstacles to importing and marketing games  +/-

  (RAPID) The European Commission has decided to refer Greece to the European Court of Justice over its ban on the installation and operation of electrical, electromechanical and electronic games, including computer games, in all public and private places - including premises providing Internet services (cyber cafés). The Commission considers that the Greek law in question is incompatible with the provisions of the EC Treaty on the free movement of goods and services and the freedom of establishment. The fact that the law was not notified at the draft stage also constitutes an infringement of Directive 98/34/EC, which provides for prior notification of national regulations laying down technical rules for on-line goods and services. Despite promising to amend its legislation in response to the Commission's reasoned opinion sent in April 2004, Greece has yet to introduce any change. The Commission believes that the Greek legislation is disproportionate, insofar as it applies not only to equipment (slot machines) and games of chance which might give rise to social concerns but also games of an entirely different nature which are not, in themselves, a source of particular disquiet with regard to public order or consumer protection.

Copyright, trademarks and patents

• EU - DRM: Commission not interested in Civil Society's position  +/-

  (EDRI) Civil Society representatives, user and consumer advocates were left almost speechless at a hearing organised by the European Commission on Digital Rights Management. Due to the invitation policy of the Commission's DG Internal Market, the event, organized to help the Committee established under Article 12 of the EU Copyright Directive evaluate the way Article 6 of that same Directive is being transposed, was entirely dominated by the Digital Rights Management Iindustry and by representatives of collecting societies.

• UK - Music industry wins court ruling against song-swappers  +/-

  (Guardian) The British Phonographic Industry has been granted a court order requiring internet service providers to hand over the names and addresses of the 28 individuals, which may include schoolchildren, accused of making available thousands of illegal files for others to download.

Data Protection (privacy)

• US - Bahamas Firm Screens Personal Data To Assess Risk  +/-

  (Washington Post) It began as one of the Bush administration's most ambitious homeland security efforts, known until recently as the second generation of the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-screening Program, or CAPPS II, a passenger screening program designed to use commercial records, terrorist watch lists and computer software to assess millions of travelers and target those who might pose a threat. The system has cost almost $100 million. But it has not been turned on because it sparked protests from lawmakers and civil liberties advocates, who said it intruded too deeply into the lives of ordinary Americans. The Bush administration put off testing until after the election. Now a private company in the Bahamas plans to use some of the same concepts, technology and contractors to assess people for risk, outside the reach of U.S. regulators.

Digital divide

• UK - Push to win over net 'refuseniks'  +/-

  (BBC) Businesses and charities have joined forces to end the UK's digital divide. It follows recommendations from the government in a report into the state of the digital divide in Britain. The report, Enabling a Digitally United Kingdom, says that nearly half of the adult population in the UK is what it describes as digitally disengaged. The Alliance for Digital Inclusion has been charged with finding ways of persuading the 48% of refuseniks to use the net and other new technologies. The alliance is led by the charity Citizens Online and founders include BT, AOL, Microsoft and Intel. The government report identifies the groups at most at risk of becoming farther excluded. This includes older people, those from lower socio-economic groups, the unemployed and the disabled"

Domain names

• EU - Commission signs contract with the .eu Registry  +/-

  (Europa) The contract between the European Commission and EURid was signed on 12 October, enabling EURid - a consortium of Belgian, Italian and Swedish organizations - to set the .eu mechanism in motion and permit the registration of .eu domain names as soon as possible. Before users can begin registering ".eu" domain names, the following steps are required: - the Commission will ask the Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to introduce the new .eu TLD; - the Registry will accredit registrars ? companies that can register domains on behalf of end users, under competitive market rules; - providers of Alternative Dispute Resolution services will have to be enlisted, - the requisite technical infrastructure and software will have to be put in place, and - the Registry must approve a registration policy, in consultation with the Commission and other interested parties.Following these steps, the Commission expects the .eu domain to start with a phased registration period in the third quarter of 2005, in which certain right holders, such as trade mark holders, can register domain names. Registration will then be opened up to all other eligible parties.

• ICANN breaks budget impasse  +/-

  (CNET) The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has gained approval for its controversial 2004-2005 budget, following months of acrimony between large registrars and their smaller competitors.

e-Government

• EU - Commission proposes to improve exchanges of information on criminal convictions  +/-

  (RAPID) The Commission has adopted a proposal for a decision designed to improve exchanges of information on criminal convictions. The flow of information on criminal convictions has become a priority at European Union level following the Fourniret affair. This tragic case of paedophilia brought to light a number of significant deficiencies in the exchange of data between Member States on the criminal records of individuals, and the Commission undertook to pursue vigorous action to improve the existing machinery, putting forward short and medium-term legislative initiatives.

• UK - Freedom of Information Act: None of Our Business?  +/-

  (Privacy Laws & Business) Opportunities and Challenges for the Private Sector. Wednesday, December 1st, 2004, The Hatton, London, EC1. Speakers include Stewart Dresner, Chief Executive, Privacy Laws & Business, Graham Smith, Deputy Information Commissioner, James Michael, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Maurice Frankel, Chair, Freedom of Information Campaign , Sarah O'Neill, Legal Officer, Scottish Consumer Council, Glasgow, Phil Michaels, Legal Advisor, Friends of the Earth, Mr. Alex Ganotis, Office of the Information Commissioner.

• UK - Political Blogs - Craze or Convention?  +/-

  (Hansard Society) Political Blogs - Craze or Convention? examines whether blogging can offer an alternative to traditional channels of political communication in the UK. The research study focuses on eight political blogs as representative examples of how individuals and organisations are harnessing blogging as a tool to promote political engagement. The research monitored activity on these blogs and, in addition, a blogging "jury" of members of the public with little or no experience of blogging scrutinised the blogs to assess their relevance as channels of political thought and debate.

Information society and Internet policy

• ITU debattiert über Internet-Regulierung und Spam  +/- Translate

  (Heise) Beim World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA 04), der alle vier Jahre veranstalteten Konferenz zur Fortschreibung der Standardisierungsarbeit der International Telecommunication Union (ITU), stehen "Internet-Themen" prominent auf der Agenda. Beobachter berichten von Vorschlägen, der ITU eine gewichtigere Rolle bei der Aufsicht über die Länderdomain-Registries (ccTLDs) zu geben. Beim Thema Spam wird offenbar erwogen, mit der Konkurrenz Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) zu kooperieren und bilaterale Abkommen im Anti-Spam-Kampf zu einem Modell für einen multilateralen Vertrag für die ITU-Mitgliedsstaaten zu machen.

Interception

• US Funds Chat-Room Surveillance Study  +/-

  (AP) Amid the torrent of jabber in Internet chat rooms - are terrorists plotting their next move? The government certainly isn't discounting the possibility. It's taking the idea seriously enough to fund a yearlong study on chat room surveillance under an anti-terrorism program. A Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute computer science professor has obtained a $157,673 grant from the National Science Foundation's Approaches to Combat Terrorism program. It was selected in coordination with the nation's intelligence agencies.

Junk mail (spam)

• Britain, U.S. talk up spam fight  +/-

  (CNET News.com) Representatives from worldwide governments, including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, are meeting in London to discuss how a united front can help to crack down on the problem of unsolicited bulk e-mail. The initiative represents the latest in a string of events regarding spam, which to date have yielded little result and little agreement on the best approach. John Vickers, chairman of the Office of Fair Trading that is hosting the event, urged the industry, the media and average e-mail users to hold off on cynicism about this most recent initiative until its effect has been witnessed.

• NL - Stichting Spamvrij (spamfree.nl foundation) Closing  +/-

  (Slshdot) 'Stichting Spamvrij.nl (Spamfree.nl foundation), the authority on spam in The Netherlands, has decided to stop. Spamfree.nl gained international attention for their fight against the CyberAngels spammers. More information can be found on their website regarding the shut-down.

• UK - OFT announces international spam plan  +/-

  (out-law.com) Government agencies and private sector representatives meeting in London have agreed an international action plan on enforcement action to tackle unsolicited commercial e-mail. The UK?s Office of Fair Trading (OFT), together with the US Federal Trade Commission, brought together consumer protection, data protection and telecommunications agencies from 15 countries around the world in a conference to promote cross-border cooperation on spam and spam-related problems, such as on-line fraud and computer viruses. Conference members agreed on an Action Plan. Representatives from the private sector, including financial institutions, ISPs, telcos and consumer organisations also took part in the conference.

Mobile and wireless

• UK - Mobile phone Lotto plan unveiled  +/-

  (BBC) National Lottery operator Camelot is to unveil plans allowing players to buy tickets through their mobile phones. The move forms part of a pledge made by Camelot when it won back its licence to win the lottery to use interactive media to sell tickets.

Racism and xenophobia

• CA - Federal crackdown on hate speech  +/-

  (CanWest News Service) The Canadian federal government is preparing to introduce a sweeping round of legislation that would combat the 'explosion' of hate sites on the Internet. The Justice Minister also wants to encourage more police departments across Canada to set up their own special hate crimes squads and for those squads to work together more closely and better coordinate their efforts.

Rating and filtering

• DE - Gericht: Altersverifikation mit ueber18.de nicht ausreichend  +/- Translate

  (Heise) Nach Ansicht des Landgerichts Krefeld erfüllt das Altersverifikationsystem ueber18.de nicht die gesetzlichen Vorgaben zum Schutz von Jugendlichen vor pornografischen Inhalten. Das Gericht hat die vom Anbieter einer Pornoseite erwirkte einstweilige Verfügung gegen einen Wettbewerber bestätigt, der das Alterskontrollsystem ueber18.de nutzte. Der Konkurrent hat nun bis auf weiteres das Verbreiten von pornografischen Abbildungen im Internet, welche ausschließlich mit ueber18.de gesichert sind, zu unterlassen.

• UK - Panto email falls foul of filth filter  +/-

  (Guardian) Today, Dick Whittington, thrice mayor of London, stands accused of peddling internet filth. The scandal erupted after emails promoting a Dick Whittington pantomime were deemed inappropriate by primary school computer filters because they contained the word Dick. Helen McDermott, a television presenter from Norwich, who helps to run the Ohyesitiz company, was puzzled when she emailed 30 primary schools in Norfolk offering to perform a panto scene free in assemblies but received only one reply. When she checked with school secretaries, she was told that schools had not received the offer because their filtering system, designed to prevent youngsters seeing offensive material, had blocked the emails because of the pantomime's title.

Safer Internet awareness

• UK - Parents bar children from web chatrooms  +/-

  (Guardian) More than two thirds of parents have banned their children from using internet chatrooms to try to protect them from paedophiles. The government survey, published to coincide with the launch of Parents Online Week, found that more than 64% of parents have banned their children from chatrooms.

• UK - Parents must act on online safety advice  +/-

  (ISPA) Only eight per cent of parents with children aged five to fifteen have implemented five of the most simple and important child safety guidelines. A UK survey conducted by ICM Research (ICM) on behalf of the Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA) has aroused concern that many parents are not acting on safety advice to help to protect their children on the Internet. The study considered parents with children between five and fifteen and Internet access at home.

• UK - Prime Minister's Questions 13 Oct 2004  +/-

  (Hansard) Linda Gilroy (Plymouth, Sutton) (Lab/Co-op): Does the Prime Minister agree that although safe use of the internet opens up worlds of learning and adventure unknown to previous generations of children, it also opens up new dangers of cyber bullying, cyber stalking and cyber grooming, to name but a few? Will he welcome the work of WiredSafety in supporting Teenangels, a group of young people teaching themselves the safe use of the internet? Will he also welcome the launch of their UK activity in Portcullis House tomorrow?
  The Prime Minister: I entirely agree about the importance of the issue that my hon. Friend raises and with what she said about the need both to help children use the internet safely and to combat child pornography. As she probably knows, the UK has perhaps the world's best regime for tackling child pornography, the Internet Watch Foundation, and we continue to work closely with the industry, law enforcement agencies and children's charities to seek ways of protecting children from abuse. The internet obviously bestows enormous opportunities and benefits, but it also creates the dangers to which she draws attention, so it is important that we make sure that we do everything possible to protect our children, who may be gaining access to unsuitable material.

• UK - Protecting children online radio & online advertising  +/-

  (Home Office) New radio and online advertising, which targets children with safety advice when they are most at risk - when they are actually online, was unveiled by Home Office Minister Paul Goggins. The new radio and online adverts, launched to coincide with Parents Online Week, build on the public awareness campaign's achievements, and encourage children to think twice about who they might be communicating with in chat rooms. The new adverts reflect real life scenarios, which outline the dangers posed to children from paedophiles using the Internet. These adverts are directly based on research from the campaign and feedback from the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet Taskforce. One of the online adverts is based on a real life case in Lancashire, where a respected family man groomed several young girls to believe he was a modeling agent; they were subsequently abused and the man was sentenced in July.

• US - Dell backs spyware education drive  +/-

  (CNET News.com) Although as many as 90 percent of U.S. home computers have been infected with spyware at some time, a majority of PC owners don't know how to solve the problem. The findings come in a report from the newly formed Consumer Spyware Initiative, a joint effort by Dell Computer and the nonprofit Internet Education Foundation that aims to increase awareness of spyware. The non-profit Internet Education Foundation published on its Web site, www.getnetwise.org, video tutorials and tips for Internet users to keep spyware off computers and detect any spyware already installed. It also directs visitors to dozens of free and commercial tools to easily remove spyware.

Market & Technology

Market

• New Google Service May Strain Old Ties in Bookselling  +/-

  (New York Times) Google Print, the new search engine that allows consumers to search the content of books online, could help touch off an important shift in the balance of power between companies that produce books and those that sell them. The new service would allow users of Google's main search engine to search simultaneously billions of Web pages and the texts of hundreds of thousands of books for information on a given subject. They search works by looking for words or phrases in the scanned digital images of the pages of books that publishers have provided to Google. For each book found, a user would see several pages of the book with the phrase or subject of the search highlighted. The page would also offer links to several online retailers, where the book could be bought. Publishers do not pay to participate in the program; rather, Google would make money from the service by selling advertising on the search pages, and it would share those revenues with the publishing companies.

Standards

• Music industry presses for common standard for downloads  +/-

  (Guardian) Major record labels have vowed to take on computer giants such as Microsoft and Apple in an effort to establish a common standard for digital music and avoid a repeat of the damaging video format wars between VHS and Betamax in the 1980s. They are determined to ensure that music fans with portable digital music players such as Apple's popular iPod can download and play tracks from online shops running rival Microsoft copyright software.

Statistics

• UK viewers taking control of TV  +/-

  (BBC) People in Britain are going to take more control of what they watch on TV and when they watch it, say experts. By 2008, more than 15 million UK homes will have access to some form of on-demand programming, media analyst Screen Digest has predicted. This is up from 10 million households at the moment.

QuickLinks consists of

• a free newsletter appearing approximately once a week. The newsletter is distributed by electronic mail through an "announcement only" mailing list. To be included on the mailing list, send a blank email to quicklinkshtml-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (HTML) or quicklinks-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (Text)
• a Web site with frequent updates, an events page, news items organised by category as well as chronologically by issue and full text search.