QuickLinks Update

Facebook dominates UK mobile use

2010-02-08T12:25:00.001+01:00

(BBC)
Facebook dominates the lives of mobile internet users in the UK, according to figures from a mobile industry body. The social network accounts for nearly half of all the time people in the UK spend going online using their phones. The data, from the GSM Association (GSMA), showed that people in the UK spent around 2.2bn minutes browsing the social network during December alone

Internet Addiction Spins Web of Depression

2010-02-05T18:10:00.002+01:00

(WebMD)
Internet users who are compulsive about going online and have more social interactions in virtual worlds than the real one may be depressed, according to a new study. Some Internet users retreat from real-life interaction and opt for chat rooms and social networking sites, and this can have an adverse effect on mental health, researchers say in the Feb. 10 issue of Psychopathology. "This type of addictive surfing can have a serious impact on mental health," lead author Catriona Morrison, DPhil, of the University of Leeds, says in a news release. "The Internet now plays a huge part in modern life, but its benefits are accompanied by a darker side."

Teen blogging replaced by Facebook status updates

2010-02-04T21:30:00.005+01:00

(IDG)
Blogging is becoming a thing of the past for teens and young adults, who are now far more likely to keep in touch with friends on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, according to a new study Social Media and Young Adults by Pew Internet & American Life Project.

An engineer's perspective on privacy

2010-02-04T16:20:00.004+01:00

(European Public Policy Blog)
Ever wondered what data Google's search engine collects and why we retain search logs for certain periods of time? Here's a hint: it's not to personalise advertising as many people wrongly assume. Our first ever Brussels Tech Talk was about this and other questions on online privacy, given that it was Data Protection Day. Dr Alma Whitten, Google's engineering lead for privacy, addressed a full room of policy makers and other interested stakeholders. Alma demonstrated how we harness the power of data to "learn from the good guys, fight the bad guys, and invent the future." You can watch the video of the talk, and follow along with her presentation.

OSCE asks Turkey to change the laws allowing Internet blocking

2010-02-02T14:20:00.002+01:00

(EDRI-gram)
OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Media Freedom representative Miklos Haraszti asked the Turkish Government to change their Internet law in order to observe OSCE commitments and other international standards protecting freedom of expression. A survey analyzing Turkey's Internet Law has shown that the Turkish authorities were able to block the access to Internet of about 3700 websites. These sites included foreign websites such as YouTube, Geocities, DailyMotion and Google, blocked by court orders and administrative blocking orders issued by the Telecommunications Communication Presidency (TIB). The study also shows a lack of transparency in relation to the blocking orders issued either by the court or TIB and the fact that TIB has not made public the blocking statistics since May 2009. The OSCE representative considers that some of the reasons for blocking sites are "arbitrary and political, and therefore incompatible with OSCE's freedom of expression commitments."

A world of connections - a special report on social networking

2010-02-01T19:49:00.000+01:00

(Economist)
Online social networks are changing the way people communicate, work and play, and mostly for the better.

EU - Commission launches legal action against Italy over databases for telemarketing purposes

2010-02-01T15:46:00.001+01:00

(RAPID)
The European Commission has taken legal action against Italy for not respecting EU ePrivacy rules. According to EU law, subscribers who are included in a public subscriber directory must be informed about the objectives of the directory and consent to the use of their personal data contained therein for marketing purposes. As Italy failed to comply with this obligation, the Commission decided to send a letter of formal notice (the first step of an infringement proceeding).

EU - New Telecoms Regulator gets to work

2010-02-01T15:41:00.000+01:00

(RAPID)
The telecoms regulators of the 27 EU countries have met for the first time in Brussels as members of the new Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). The new European telecoms regulator BEREC has been established following the adoption by the Council and Parliament of the new EU Telecoms rules in December 2009. See also speeches at the first meeting of the Board of Regulators of BEREC and the Management Committee of the Office 28 January 2010, Egmont Palace Brussels: The important role of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications by Neelie Kroes and Viviane Reding

CA - Privacy Commissioner launches public consultations on emerging technologies

2010-02-01T13:47:00.001+01:00

(Press Release)
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada announced an upcoming consultation with Canadians on privacy issues related to the online tracking, profiling and targeting of consumers by marketers and other businesses. This will be the first in a series of public consultations focused on emerging technological trends that are likely to have a significant impact on the privacy of Canadians. A second consultation on the privacy issues emerging from the growing movement toward cloud computing will be announced in the near future.

EU - Privacy: the challenges ahead for the European Union

2010-02-01T13:39:00.002+01:00

(RAPID)
Keynote Speech at the Data Protection Day by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, 28 January 2010, European Parliament, Brussels. See also Press Release

Google publishes privacy principles

2010-01-28T20:42:00.003+01:00

(Google Public Policy blog)
Known as Data Privacy Day in North America and Data Protection Day in Europe, 28 January is meant to increase public awareness about privacy in the information age. To mark this occasion, on the Official Google Blog we've unveiled our Privacy Principles, which guide the decisions we make as we create products and services that offer transparency and control.

CA - Web Filters Cause Name Change for a Magazine

2010-01-25T16:56:00.002+01:00

(New York Times)
In 1920 the Hudson's Bay Company, which owed much of its early fortune to the trade in beaver pelts, began publishing a magazine for its 250th anniversary, The Beaver. This evolved into a respected magazine about Canadian history, and last week Canada's National History Society, the nonprofit group that now publishes it, decided that the Internet required the magazine to undergo a name change. To be more precise, the title was doomed by a vulgar alternative meaning that causes Web filters at schools and junk mail filters in e-mail programs to block access to material containing the magazine's name.

UK - Tim Berners-Lee unveils government data project

2010-01-25T16:34:00.000+01:00

(BBC)
Web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee has unveiled his latest venture for the UK government, which offers the public better access to official data. A new website, data.gov.uk, will offer reams of public sector data, ranging from traffic statistics to crime figures, for private or commercial use. The target is to kickstart a new wave of services that find novel ways to make use of the information. Sir Tim was hired by PM Gordon Brown in June 2009 to oversee the project.

2010-05-05 AT, Krems - EDem10 - 4th international Conference on E-Democracy

2010-01-24T14:49:00.002+01:00

(Danube University Krems)
EDem10 will take place at Danube University Krems, Austria, on 6th and 7th of May 2010. EDem is the leading E-Democracy conference in Europe and the keynote speakers will ensure an interesting event. On primary aim is to bring together researchers and practitioners. Deadline for Extended Call for Papers 1 March.

FR - Fran�ois Fillon veut lutter contre le racisme sur Internet

2010-01-24T10:41:00.000+01:00

(01net)
Le Premier ministre a reçu un rapport sur la lutte contre le racisme sur Internet. Il souhaite impliquer davantage les administrations et rappelle leur rôle aux hébergeurs. La France possède un arsenal répressif complet pour combattre le racisme, mais il est insuffisamment mis en œuvre sur Internet, souligne le rapport « Lutter contre le racisme sur Internet » remis au Premier ministre, François Fillon. Réalisé par Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, conseiller d'Etat, présidente du Forum des droits sur l'Internet, ce document d'une soixantaine de pages note la présence évidente de messages et contenus à caractère raciste, sans toutefois conclure à une augmentation de leur nombre.

Reporters put Twitter, Facebook to 'Big Brother' test

2010-01-22T18:44:00.001+01:00

(MSN News)
Five journalists plan to lock themselves away in a French farmhouse with access only to Facebook and Twitter to test the quality of news from the social networking and micro-blogging sites.

EU - Europe's spam war hits stalemate

2010-01-22T17:52:00.002+01:00

(Techworld)
Europe's ISPs are just about holding their own against the global spam barrage, a Europe-wide report has found. Put another way, things are not getting better, but are not getting any worse either. Judging from the 2009 ENISA (European Network and Information Security Agency) spam survey of ISPs across 27 EU states, ISPs spend substantial sums trapping spam before it gets to the end user, mainly because they have to to keep customers. Small providers spend at least 10,000 Euros ($14,100) fighting unwanted messages, while large companies will exceed seven figure euro sums to do the same.

US - If your kids are awake, they're probably online

2010-01-20T14:18:00.003+01:00

The average young American now spends practically every waking minute - except for the time in school - using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day with such devices, compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago, when the study was last conducted. And that does not count the hour and a half that youths spend texting, or the half-hour they talk on their cellphones. And because so many of them are multitasking - say, surfing the Internet while listening to music - they pack on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours. The study's findings shocked its authors, who had concluded in 2005 that use could not possibly grow further, and confirmed the fears of many parents whose children are constantly tethered to media devices. It found, moreover, that heavy media use is associated with several negatives, including behavior problems and lower grades.

CN - Timeline: China and net censorship

2010-01-15T10:13:00.000+01:00

(BBC)
As Google considers withdrawing from China, the BBC looks at the highs and lows of internet access and freedom in the most populous country in the world.

CN - Google: A new approach to China

2010-01-13T10:25:00.002+01:00

(Official Google Blog)
In mid-December, Google detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China. However, it soon became clear that what at first appeared to be solely a security incident was something quite different. First, this attack was not just on Google. Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information, rather than the content of emails themselves. Third, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users' computers. These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered - combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web - have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.

New online safety video: Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks

2010-01-12T18:08:00.002+01:00

(Google Public Policy Blog)
We're releasing the latest in a series of online safety videos as part of our Digital Literacy campaign. As we engage more students, parents and teachers about how to make good decisions online, many have noted how difficult it is to identify and avoid online scams. We know how tricky scammers can be. Our new video, Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks, shares some tips on how to avoid tricky online scams.

UK - Government confirms �500,000 fines for worst data protection offenders

2010-01-12T17:55:00.003+01:00

(OUT-LAW News)
Organisations responsible for major breaches of personal information security will face fines up to £500,000 from 6th April this year. The long-awaited penalties for serious data protection breaches have been approved by the Government. see Draft Order laid before Parliament The Data Protection (Monetary Penalties) Order 2010 and statutory guidance from Information Commissioner's Office.

FR - France ponders right-to-forget law

2010-01-11T17:41:00.000+01:00

(BBC)
Social networking websites have ensured that everyone who has an opinion can put it out in the public domain. The impact of all those online revelations has made France consider the length of time that personal information should remain available in the public arena. A proposed law in the country would give net users the option to have old data about themselves deleted. This right-to-forget would force online and mobile firms to dispose of e-mails and text messages after an agreed length of time or on the request of the individual concerned.

Facebook's Zuckerberg Says The Age of Privacy is Over

2010-01-11T11:43:00.002+01:00

(ReadWriteWeb)
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg told a live audience that if he were to create Facebook again today, user information would by default be public, not private as it was for years until the company changed dramatically in December. In a six-minute interview on stage with TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, Zuckerberg spent 60 seconds talking about Facebook's privacy policies. His statements were of major importance for the world's largest social network - and his arguments in favor of an about-face on privacy deserve close scrutiny. Zuckerberg offered roughly 8 sentences in response to Arrington's question about where privacy was going on Facebook and around the web. The question was referencing the changes Facebook underwent last month. Your name, profile picture, gender, current city, networks, Friends List, and all the pages you subscribe to are now publicly available information on Facebook. This means everyone on the web can see it; it is searchable.

UK - Why Nominet disconnected more than 1,000 sites with no court oversight

2010-01-09T16:37:00.001+01:00

(OUT-LAW News)
The body responsible for the .uk internet addresses disconnected over 1,200 websites without any oversight from a court. The much-publicised action last month was based only on police assertions about criminal activity on the sites. Two Nominet executives have told technology law podcast OUT-LAW Radio that it severed the connection between 1,219 domain names and the sites that lay behind them without the kind of court order that web hosting companies would usually demand.