Legal and regulatory issues

Audiovisual

• EU / UK - Media and telecoms players unite against new AV Directive  +/-

  (Intellect) A unique alliance from across the broadcasting, telecoms, technology, new media and advertising sectors is voicing its concerns about the draft Audiovisual Media Services (AMS) Directive that is currently under discussion in Brussels. See webpage and paper.

• UK - David Levy of the BBC on the White Paper, Ofcom, and Lord Reith...  +/-

  (OfcomWatch) We sat down with David Levy of the BBC to get his take on the BBC Charter Review White Paper, and other issues related to the BBC and its special role in British society. On the Television Without Frontiers (TVWF) Directive, Mr Levy said "The European policy process is slow and it is hard to know what will emerge from this process. I would like something which emerges that recognises that the public policy objectives for broadcasting need to be achieved across a wide array of platforms but combines that with the lightest touch approach possible towards new media and online".

Cable and satellite

• UK - Satnav systems guide cars to a watery end  +/-

  (Guardian) Dozens of motorists have become marooned in the river Avon in Wiltshire after being directed into the water by their satellite navigation systems. When a main road in the town of Sherston was closed for roadwork, the diversion recommended by some satnav systems takes motorists to the ford, known as The Splash, at Brook End.

Competition

• US - New blow for Microsoft in EU row  +/-

  (BBC) Microsoft has lost the latest round of its battle against sanctions in Europe. A US judge quashed the firm's demands that rival Novell hand over documents it presented to the European Commission for use in an anti-trust case. The judge in the case said he had turned down the request as Microsoft was trying to 'circumvent and undermine' European law. Microsoft is fighting a European Union (EU) ruling that could trigger fines of up to 2m euros ($2.4m; £1.4m) a day.

Computer crime

• CoE - Cybercrime Convention Committee meets  +/-

  (Council of Europe) The Convention on cybercrime is the only binding international instrument dealing with cybercrime. It has received widespread international support and is open to all States. The Convention provides for consultations of the Parties (the Cybercime Convention Committee (T-CY)). The first meeting of the consultation of the parties took place in Strasbourg, France from 21-22 March 2006. see also Examples of how the private sector has blocked child pornographic sites.

• New Study Reveals Child Pornography Not a Crime In Most Countries  +/-

  (ICMEC) A new study of child pornography laws in 184 Interpol member countries around the world has produced alarming results: more than half of these countries (95) have no laws addressing child pornography and in many other countries, the existing laws are inadequate. The study found that in 138 countries, the possession of child pornography is not a crime. In 122 countries, there is no law which specifically addresses the distribution of child pornography via computer and the Internet. 5 of the countries reviewed have laws considered comprehensive enough to make a significant impact on the crime. They are: Australia, Belgium, France, South Africa, and the United States. Only 22 countries reviewed were in substantial compliance with the recommended criteria set by ICMEC.

• US - Attorney-General gives child porn 'wake-up call'  +/-

  (CNN) Attorney General Alberto Gonzales issued what he termed a 'wake-up call' to the growing problems of pedophiles prowling the Internet and online images of sexual abuse of children. Gonzales described the depravity and horror of criminal acts against children in unusually graphic detail. see Transcript of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales? Address to the Employees at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. see also US - Attorney-General calls for mandatory Web labeling law

Content regulation

• CN - China warns on 'unhealthy' websites  +/-

  (Guardian) Chinese websites are being urged to suppress material that could harm state interests or damage social morality. Separately, broadcasting authorities in China have told radio, TV and film producers to get clearance for controversial dramas and to avoid using foreign content in news programming. The country's official internet industry association, the Internet Society of China, has called on members to keep a watch on the content appearing on websites.

• CN - Skype says texts are censored by partner in China  +/-

  (FT) Skype, the fast-growing internet communications company that belongs to Ebay, has admitted that its partner in China has censored text messages. It defends this compliance with China's censorship laws as the only way to do business in the country.

• CN - Yahoo accused of helping jail another Chinese writer  +/-

  (Reuters) Yahoo may have helped Chinese police identify an Internet writer who was subsequently jailed for four years for subversion in the third such case.

• Swedish Foreign Minister resigned following pressure on website  +/-

  (EDRI) Laila Freivalds, the Swedish Foreign Minister resigned March after having been cornered by the press on her involvement in the closure of a far-right party's website. The Web site was contacted by a top Foreign Ministry official who said it should be closed for security reasons. Sweden's government is forbidden by law to interfere with what is written in newspapers and on the Internet.

Copyright, trademarks and patents

• EU - Update on French EUCD Transposition  +/-

  (EDRI) The DADVSI draft law (French EUCD Transposition) made its first step on 21 March, with 286 votes in favour and 193 votes against in an unusually crowded National Assembly. The result is largely a victory for the cultural industry majors. However, the draft law brings important progress on the interoperability side: not only DRM vendors are required to open their technology to competitors, but also commercial platforms are required to make their files compatible with any player.

Data Protection (privacy)

• EU - Article 29 asks for safeguards on data retention  +/-

  (EDRI) The Article 29 Data Protection Working Party has adopted its opinion on data retention directive. The privacy experts consider it to be of the utmost importance that the Directive is implemented and accompanied in each Member State by measures protecting privacy. The Directive leaves room for interpretation and therefore adequate and specific safeguards are necessary to protect the vital interests of the individual, mainly the right to confidentiality when using publicly available electronic communications services. Opinion 3/2006 on the Directive 2006/XX/EC on the retention of data processed in connection with the provision of public electronic communication services (25.03.2006)

• FR - Télécoms, internet : la loi antiterroriste est parue  +/-

  (Nouvel Observateur) Conformément à la loi antiterroriste du 23 janvier dernier, opérateurs télécoms, fournisseurs d'accès internet et propriétaires de cybercafés devront désormais conserver toutes les données pendant un an, selon le décret paru dimanche 26 mars au Journal officiel. Les opérateurs conserveront pendant cette durée les informations permettant notamment d'identifier l'utilisateur, les données relatives aux équipements terminaux de communication utilisés, les caractéristiques techniques ainsi que la date, l'horaire et la durée de chaque communication et les données permettant d'identifier le ou les destinataires de la communication.

Digital content

• EU - Commission study addresses Europe's scientific publication system  +/-

  (RAPID) The European Commission has published a study which examines the scientific publication system in Europe. The report, drawn up for the Commission by a panel of experts, makes a number of recommendations for future action, including improving access to publicly-funded research. All interested parties are invited to send feedback on the report's findings to the Commission, to provide input for a conference on scientific publication to be held in autumn 2006. see also Brussels delivers blow to Reed Elsevier (Guardian)

• EU - High Level Expert Group on Digital Libraries meets  +/-

  (RAPID) After having spelled out the Commission's plans for a European Digital Library at the beginning of this month, Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding today chaired the first meeting of the High Level Expert Group on Digital Libraries. The group will advise the Commission on how to tackle key challenges in making Europe's cultural heritage available online. The group discussed the Commission's vision for the European Digital Library and set up a framework for future discussions. The group also had a first exchange of views on copyright issues.

Domain names

• EU - Fast start for European net names  +/-

  (BBC) More than 1.3 million .eu domains have been registered according to Eurid, the non-profit agency that oversees the new net name. The majority of these domains, 700,000, were registered on the first day of the so-called 'land rush' period when any European citizen could apply. German net users led the pack of registrants and now own more than half of all the registered .eu domains. see also EURid press release and Statistics per country of registrant and Frequently Asked Questions.

• ICANN - .xxx - Reply from Peter Zangl  +/-

  (ICANN) Peter Zangl, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission Information Society and Media Directorate-General replies to Vint Cerf's letter of 17 Jan replying to Zangl's earlier letter about the .xxx gTLD.

• ICANN - ICM Registry Submits Revised Proposed .XXX Registry Agreement  +/-

  (ICANN) A revised proposed .XXX registry agreement has been submitted by ICM Registry. The agreement is being posted for public review and comment prior to consideration by the ICANN Board at its meeting on 10 May 2006.

e-Government

• EU - A dissemination policy at the service of citizens  +/-

  (RAPID) Since 1 October 2004, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, has made all its data and publications available free of charge on the Internet. This significant change enabled Eurostat to fully play its role as a public service institution, by giving free access to economic and social information on the euro-zone, the EU and the 25 Member States. More than 300 million data, from many different domains, are available online. The number of user sessions reached nearly one million per month. There was a six-fold increase in data downloaded.

• EU - Commission launches Internet Discussion Forum on the Future of Europe  +/-

  (RAPID) The European Commission has launched an internet discussion in 20 languages on the future of Europe. This discussion, which all citizens are invited to join, is part of the Commission's 'Plan D' for Dialogue, Debate and Democracy in response to a call by the European Council for a period of reflection following the negative votes in France and the Netherlands on the proposed Constitutional Treaty.

• EU - European Competition Network launches one-stop access website  +/-

  (RAPID) The European Competition Network - the European Commission together with the national competition authorities in the EU - has launched a website providing businesses, their advisors, and citizens with information about antitrust enforcement, annual reports and background documents about the Network. The ECN website will inter alia provide one-stop access to news releases from all the national competition authorities, plus the Commission.

Electronic commerce

• EU - Increasing number of counterfeit medicines sold via internet  +/-

  (EurActiv) The Commission has warned consumers about an illegal obesity drug currently sold on the internet which has not passed the safety evaluation process of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA).

Internet access and use

• EU - Broadband access: The new highways to prosperity  +/-

  (RAPID) Speech by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media. "Bridging the broadband gap through EU spectrum policy" conference. Brussels, 27 March 2006.

Junk mail (spam)

• AU - ACMA registers internet industry code on spam  +/-

  (ACMA) The Australian Communications and Media Authority has registered a code of practice for internet service providers and email service providers on countering spam. The code was developed in support of the Spam Act 2003 by the Internet Industry Association in conjunction with the internet associations from Western Australia and South Australia.

Market

• America Online to rebrand as AOL  +/-

  (BBCà) America Online, the internet division of Time Warner, is to rebrand itself to be known simply as AOL.

• CN - China wrestles with online gamers  +/-

  (BBC) The Chinese government recently announced it will invest almost $2bn (£1.14bn) in developing the games industry. But there is a social price to be paid. Players often spend hour upon hour in front of PC monitors, not even taking a breather for life's most basic necessities. But the same government actively encouraging home-grown gaming is, somewhat schizophrenically, drawing the conclusion that the online gamers themselves should be regulated.

• UK - Fewer charges for website content  +/-

  (BBC) The number of UK media groups charging for online content has nearly halved over the last year, according to the Association of Online Publishers (AOP). The association said just 37% of its members now charged for some online content, compared with 63% in 2005.

Mobile and wireless

• EU - International Mobile Roaming: Commissioner Reding outlines proposal for regulation  +/-

  (RAPID) Excessive charges for using your mobile phone abroad could soon belong to the past. The European Commission's updated website of international roaming charges adds further weight to its proposal to bring down these charges by means of an EU regulation. The new EU regulation could in particular eliminate all roaming charges for receiving a call when traveling abroad in the EU. In addition, for calls made while travelling abroad in the EU, the new EU regulation could introduce the "home pricing" principle.

• EU - International mobile roaming charges  +/-

  (Ofcomwatch) At a press conference, Commissioner Vivane Reding, flanked by Kip Meek of Ofcom, currently chairman of the European Regulators Group (ERG), confirmed the intention of the European Commission to seek the adoption of a Regulation on international mobile roaming charges in the EU. The ERG released its own position, and it differs from what is suggested by the European Commission, in that it envisages regulation only at the wholesale level, combined with measures to achieve retail pricing transparency, but not retail price regulation as such (at least not initially - retail price regulation is retained as a reserve option in case of failure of the other envisaged measures).

• Mobile phone users just want to talk  +/-

  (vnunet.com) Most mobile phone users just want to use their handsets to make voice calls, and are not interested in advanced features such as internet access, email or IM, according to a study carried out for AOL, Associated Press and Pew Research Center.

• UK - Exam authority finds rise in mobile phone cheats  +/-

  (Guardian) Cheating students are increasingly turning to mobile phones to help them pass exams, according to figures published by the government's exam watchdog. The first detailed breakdown of malpractice by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority reveals a growing use of electronic gadgetry.

• US - Disney offers teen-tracker mobile  +/-

  (BBC) Disney is launching a US service that will enable parents to monitor how their children use their mobile phones. They will be able to track voice, text, video and picture messages and set limits on their children's calls.

Protection of minors

• EU - European Union and the Rights of the Child competition  +/-

  (RAPID) The European Union and the Rights of the Child. This is the title of a competition launched by Franco Frattini, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security, inviting European children and teenagers from 10 to 18 years of age to create a poster on children's rights within the Union. The competition aims at increasing awareness among European younger citizens about EU actions in this field.

• US - MySpace growth continues amid criticism  +/-

  (CNET News.com) Popular community site MySpace is signing up new members at record speed. But along with that growth, the site continues to be the target of controversy regarding the safety of its users, a core group of whom are minors.

Rating and filtering

• AU - Giants say no to porn filter trial  +/-

  (Austrlain IT) Australia's two largest ISPs have rejected invitations to co-operate in the most extensive internet content filtering experiment ever carried out in the country. The trial, to be launched in Tasmania, was expected to include the entire state's internet population. see also Telstra, Optus wait on filters

• FR - Free parental control software in France  +/-

  (EDRI) As a result of the agreement signed between the French ISPs and the Ministry of the Family on 16 November 2005, starting with 1 April 2006, most of the ISPs started providing a free of charge parental control software to their subscribers. voir aussi Les FAI filtrent plus Net. (01Net). Depuis le 1er avril, la plupart des fournisseurs d'accès mettent à la disposition de leurs abonnés un logiciel de contrôle parental gratuit. C'est le résultat d'un accord passé avec le ministère de la Famille.

• US - Attorney-General calls for mandatory Web labeling law  +/-

  (CNET News.com) by Declan McCullagh. Web site operators posting sexually explicit information must place official government warning labels on their pages or risk being imprisoned for up to five years, the Bush administration proposed. A mandatory rating system will 'prevent people from inadvertently stumbling across pornographic images on the Internet,' Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said at an event in Alexandria, Va. see Internet Content Rating Association Response (ICRA). ICRA strongly believes that self-regulation of legal Internet content leads to the best balance between the free flow of digital content and the protection of children from potentially harmful material. A nationally mandated system like the one proposed today for sites with sexually explicit material cannot guarantee international compliance. see also US - Attorney-General gives child porn 'wake-up call'

• US - Violent video games often not properly labeled  +/-

  (Reuters) Most video games rated 'M' for mature audiences fail to disclose violent content on their labels and can easily fall into the hands of children, according to a study. 'Parents should not interpret the absence of a content descriptor to mean the absence of content,' said the study's author, Kimberly Thompson of the Harvard School of Public Health.

Self-regulation / codes of conduct

• UK - Co- and Self-Regulatory Forum  +/-

  (Broadband Stakeholder Group) The Co- and Self-Regulatory Forum was established in November 2005 in response to the European Commission's references in their revised Television Without Frontiers (TWF) Directive to the important role that co- and self-regulation has in delivering public policy objectives in the audiovisual media sector.

Telecommunications

• EU - Commission takes infringement proceedings to ensure that emergency services can locate callers  +/-

  (RAPID) The non-availability of caller location information to emergency authorities in 11 Member States is at the centre of new round of infringement proceedings started by the European Commission. see also Infringement proceedings in the field of telecoms and electronic communications: What are the issues at stake in this round?.

Market & Technology

Mobile and wireless

• UK - Mobile pop downloads prove a hit  +/-

  (BBC) More people than ever are downloading music on their mobile phones. Nearly 7% of all chart music bought this year has been downloaded through a mobile service, according to the Official UK Charts Company (OCC).

Statistics

• EU - 40% of individuals in the EU used the internet at least once a week  +/-

  (RAPID) In the EU25, 48% of households had access to the internet during the first quarter of 2005, and 23% had a broadband connection. At the beginning of 2005, 91% of enterprises had access to the internet, and 63% of enterprises had a broadband connection. This information comes from a report by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. This report presents the results of surveys of internet access and broadband connections for households and enterprises, and internet usage by individuals, in the EU25 Member States, Norway and Iceland. It also covers e-commerce.

Forthcoming events

• ITU - World Telecommunication Day 2006: Promoting Global Cybersecurity  +/-

  (ITU) World Telecommunication Day (WTD) commemorates the founding of ITU on 17 May 1865. For WTD 2006, the ITU Council chose the theme of Promoting Global Cybersecurity to highlight the serious challenges we face in ensuring the safety and security of networked information and communication systems. Also in conjunction with WTD 2006, the ITU is conducting a survey of cybersecurity trust and awareness.

Who's who

• Nigel Williams: A Man With A Mission  +/-

  (CBS News) by Larry Magid. Nigel Williams, who has died at age 51, was a pioneer in computer safety for children, founded Childnet International and was Northern Ireland's Commissioner for Children and Young People. see also INHOPE tribute and a special website put together by the Childnet team.

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