A blog relating to Internet legal issues by Professor John Swinson, University of Queensland
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Google continues to expand
More on when will email cease to be free?
Is there anything wrong with a two tiered system? If users are prepared to pay for an email system that guarantees increased speed and authentication, why shouldn't just accept that it is their right to do so? It all comes back to the fundamental questions: should email be free, and why?
Internet performance in Australia
ACMA warning on phishing
Are we too email dependent?
Do you agree or disagree? Is the handwritten note gaining currency?
Content Regulation in China
Here are some other recent stories relating to content regulation in China:
- The Chinese government continues to prosecute people for subversion for online writings. For example, on Tuesday the AP reported that a Chinese journalist has been whose reports on rural poverty and unemployment riled local officials has been charged with subversion after posting essays on the internet.
- China is cracking down on spam and piracy.
- Much to the chagrin of the US government, various internet companies have agreed to China's censorship demands.
For a detailed study, see this report from the OpenNet Initiative: Internet Filtering in China in 2004-2005.
Of course, the Chinese government defends its right to regulate the internet in the way it does.
There are really two issues here. First, how successful has China's regulation been? And second, assuming the Chinese government's attempts at regulation have been relative successful, should a government be able to regulate what its citizens can access through the internet? So basically, the first is a practical or technical question - does it work? - while the second is the moral or philosophical question on the role of government and the value of free speech? Any thoughts or different perspectives? Who would defend what China is doing?
New Phishing Law Used
Do we need such new specialised legislation to combat phishing, or can existing laws be used.
Technological protection measures
A copy is available here:
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/laca/protection/report.htm
This is more a straight IP issue, but has some impact on Internet distribution of content.
When will email cease to be free?
We need to think about why should email be free? Is it just because it always has been? Or are there other reasons? Note that for the moment at least, the plan is only charge to businesses. Will this last, or will all email users eventually have to pay a fee for each email they send? Would charging a fee for each email sent impact upon the use and adoption of email and the internet?
IT Today
Here a few interesting articles from the section published today that touch upon issues we will cover later in the semester:
- "Apple quiet on local music sales" - Apples iTunes Music Store, one of the leading legal alternatives to the illegal downloading of music, has said it will not release local download figures. Why? Does this mean that Australian sales are disappointing to sales overseas?
- "Spam has bolted, despite Gates" - reminding us that two years Bill Gates promised that spam would be gone in two years.
- "Law firms block junk" - Clayton Utz has slashed the number of incoming emails by nearly 40 per cent by restricting spam.
- "Script kiddies cooking up fresh threats" - how amateur hackers are using new programs called rootkits to give the user untraceable control of the compromised computer.
There are also interesting and relevant articles that are not available online, so it was worth buying The Australian each Tuesday just to stay on top of what is happening.
Who owns the Internet?
The article is worth reading as it reinforces a number of things discussed last night - how information on the information is carried in packets, the historical origins of the internet, how the internet has evolved, as well as positing that perhaps it is the telecommunication companies that own the internet. What do you think? And if the telecommunication companies do impose what the article refers to as a toll, what would be the implications on internet usage? Also, what privacy issues may this raise?
Cyberlaw at QUT
A new "open access to knowledge" project hosted by the Queensland University of Technology aims to ensure that anyone can legally share knowledge across the world, whether they be an every day citizen or a top end researcher.
The QUT team, led by School of Law head, Professor Brian Fitzgerald is embarking on a $1.3 million, two year project to develop legal protocols for managing copyright issues in an open access environment.
For more information, see the press release or visit the project's homepage.
What do you think? Is this a valuable project? Should research be available under an open access protocol? What should such a protocol involve?
Welcome to LWN117 Students
I hope you find this to be a good way of keeping up to date with a wide variety of issues and of contributing to the discussion of the issues we cover in this unit.
Thanks and I hope you enjoy the semester!
Release of geographic names in com.au and net.au
names in com.au and net.au.
auDA has determined that the fairest and most effective way of releasing
the geographic names will be by way of individual ballots.
auDA intends to launch the ballot process in June 2005.
For more information please refer to the announcement at
http://www.auda.org.au/news.php?newsid=37
Too much IT jargon?
More cybercrime
Read more here.
Euthanasia and a proposed internet ban
Critics have contended that this would threaten Australia's freedom of political communication, as well as freedom of the press and rational adults' right to have access to information. Electronic Frontiers Australia has made a submission to the Senate Committee inquiry.
Dr Philip Nitschke has also suggested that banning the spread of information on voluntary euthanasia over the Internet could boost the number of people who commit suicide. Read more here.
Should the internet be regulated in this way?
Another way to deal with content regulation
What do you think of this approach?
E-tendering
The report was the result of collaboration between project members, researchers and affiliates from the CRC CI, QUT (Law, IT/Security and BEE), University of Newcastle, Queensland Crown Law, Queensland Department of Public Works, Queensland Department of Main Roads, and Brisbane City Council.
The report can be accessed here. (You will need your QUT Access usernsame and password to open the file.) Although an overview of the report will be presented in class, if you are interested it may be useful to have a browse through the report before class.
Parents use of internet filtering software
In the United States, more and more parents are using internet filtering software, according to a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Robert MacMillan of the Washington provides a summary here, and the full report is available here.
Content Regulation in China
For a summary of the findings, click here.
Web Wrap Agreements
In that case, one of the three appeal judges died while writing the decision. (He was dissenting). This case has special circumstances -- repeated use of website and bad conduct -- so even though it is from an important court, I am not sure if it will be followed in all circumstances.
More on the Yahoo Nazi paraphernalia case
Regulation of political blogs?
What do you think?
Yahoo Japan sued in class action
A total of 572 people across Japan paid via Yahoo for auctioned items such as liquid-crystal televisions and digital cameras but did not receive the goods, said Noboru Mizuno, who leads the group.
To read more, click here.
Google in the news
- "Google takes hit in US trademark case";
- "Waiting for a search engine to grow wings";
- "Google Speeds Up Firefox Searches";
- "Google boosts gmail storage".
And check out Google Gulp.
Links for session on Content Regulation
Is Amazon becoming Big Brother?
"Amazon.com Inc. has one potentially big advantage over its rival online retailers: It knows things about you that you may not know yourself.
"Though plenty of companies have detailed systems for tracking customer habits, critics and boosters alike say Amazon is the trailblazer, having collected information longer and used it more proactively. It even received a patent recently on technology aimed at tracking information about the people for whom its customers buy gifts."
Read more here.
Should we be concerned about our privacy? Or is it making online shopping more convenient? What does Amazon's Privacy Policy say?
How should damages be assessed for privacy and cybersecurity breaches
Listen to this podcast where I discuss how damages should be assessed in privacy and cybersecurity lawsuits. The Lawyers Weekly Show host J...
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The United Nations intellectual property agency (WIPO) is the latest front in the US-China trade war. http://www.theage.com.au/world/sad-am...
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The issue of content regulation in China was mentioned in this blog last year . In the last few weeks, this issue has once again pushed into...
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Finally, what is called direct registration of domain names is coming to Australia. See https://www.auda.org.au/statement/australias-interne...