A
spokesperson for the Beijing Internet Propaganda Management Office
announced in a recent press conference that Beijing aims to complete
mandatory real
name registration for microblog platforms by March 16. The Office has
also established a microblog development expert advisory group composed
of experts from Tsinghua University, China University of Political
Science and Law, the People's Daily Online's Public
Opinion Testing Center, China Labs, and the Data Center of the China
Internet (DCCI).
Chinese internet company Sina launched a real name
verification function to its user registration form as of January 1,
2012. The new function compares user-submitted data, such as name and
national ID card number, and if a user's information
does not match comparison records the user can only browse existing
posts. In order to be able to post content, users must resubmit correct
information. To date, 3 mlllion new users have submitted real name
information, and single day registration volume continues
to grow. For existing users, Sina will offer additional functionality
and privileges to users that submit real name credentials, implement a
user trust ratings system, and this week will launch a verified real
name ID badge. Sohu previously
launched a promotional campaign, offering 20 mln Sohu Video monthly
subscription cards and RMB 1 mln worth of mobile phone recharge cards to
users who submit real name data early. Online real estate site Soufun offered prizes, including free vacation
housing in 13 popular tourist destination cities. Users who do not
register by March 16 will lose their posting and reposting privileges.
Regarding user data security, a Sina spokesperson said that users will
be notified by mobile phone or other channels if someone logs into their
account from a different location. If any anomalies occur, users can
lock their account from their mobile phone even
if someone else is logged in. A spokesperson for Sohu said that Sohu
does not store any user data after authenticating the user's identity.
Source: Marbridge
A blog relating to Internet legal issues by Professor John Swinson, University of Queensland
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Twitter Being Sued For Defamation
Twitter is being sued for defamation by a Melbourne man, Joshua Meggitt, who was wrongly identified as the author of a “hate blog”.
See story here and SMH.
See story here and SMH.
Misleading Online Reviews
A blog entry from the NY Times: Discounting Bad Reviews
"Are reviews of products and services on the Internet believable? Probably not. In the latest case, a merchant offered a rebate in exchange for getting a customer to revise a rating, but it says that is not the way it usually does things."
"Are reviews of products and services on the Internet believable? Probably not. In the latest case, a merchant offered a rebate in exchange for getting a customer to revise a rating, but it says that is not the way it usually does things."
Advertising Financial Products on the Internet
ASIC has today released RG 234, Advertising financial products and advice services: Good practice guidance, to assist promoters in complying with their legal obligations when advertising financial products
and services. See the
media release - 14 February 2012, for further information and related material.
It applies to advertising on the Internet, via Twitter and the like. See section RG 234.115
and following.
What is interesting is that the Guidelines also apply to publishers (such as newspapers), Internet sites, and aggregators and comparison websites. See Section E and RG234.164 and following.
"While the primary responsibility for advertising material rests with the organisation placing the advertisement, the publisher may also have some responsibility for the content of an advertisement."
It applies to advertising on the Internet, via Twitter and the like. See section RG 234.115
and following.
What is interesting is that the Guidelines also apply to publishers (such as newspapers), Internet sites, and aggregators and comparison websites. See Section E and RG234.164 and following.
"While the primary responsibility for advertising material rests with the organisation placing the advertisement, the publisher may also have some responsibility for the content of an advertisement."
Online Privacy
A good comment: "The piracy of online privacy".
"Online privacy doesn’t exist. It was lost years ago. And not only was it taken, we’ve all already gotten used to it. Loss of privacy is a fundamental tradeoff at the very core of social networking. Our privacy has been taken in service of the social tools we so crave and suddenly cannot live without. If not for the piracy of privacy, Facebook wouldn’t exist. Nor would Twitter. Nor even would Gmail, Foursquare, Groupon, Zynga, etc. And yet people keep fretting about losing what’s already gone...."
"Online privacy doesn’t exist. It was lost years ago. And not only was it taken, we’ve all already gotten used to it. Loss of privacy is a fundamental tradeoff at the very core of social networking. Our privacy has been taken in service of the social tools we so crave and suddenly cannot live without. If not for the piracy of privacy, Facebook wouldn’t exist. Nor would Twitter. Nor even would Gmail, Foursquare, Groupon, Zynga, etc. And yet people keep fretting about losing what’s already gone...."
Law firm sues over bad online review about it
A Dallas law firm has filed a lawsuit seeking to learn the identity of a commenter calling himself “Ben” who posted a bad online review.
The Lenahan Law Firm claims defamation and seeks $50,000 in damages, Texas Lawyer reports. Partner Wes Black says the suit will allow the law firm to subpoena Google to learn the commenter’s identity.
Ben wrote in his comments on Google Review: "Bad experience with this firm. Don't trust the fake reviews here.” Ben also gave a bad review to an Oregon cleaning company and may have intended to post the negative review about a different law firm closer to home, the suit(PDF) says.
Black tells Texas Lawyer the Lenahan Law Firm gets most of its clients from searches, and the bad review won’t help. "The issue isn't trying to recover tons of money,” Black tells Texas Lawyer. “We just want the review down.”
See: ABA
New Google Privacy Policy
"We're getting rid of over 60 different
privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that's a
lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple
products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully
simple and intuitive experience across Google.
We believe this stuff matters, so please
take a few minutes to read our updated Privacy Policy and Terms of
Service
at http://www.google.com/policies. These
changes will take effect on March 1, 2012."
See story in Washington Post and CNN
Mr Kim Dotcom Arrested - No Need for SOPA?
With the recent arrest of Mr Kim Dotcom in NZ for online piracy, one wonders why new legislation such as the SOPA in the U.S. is needed.
See SMH and NZ Herald.
"The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which defends free speech and digital rights online, said in a statement that the arrests set "a terrifying precedent. If the United States can seize a Dutch citizen in New Zealand over a copyright claim, what is next?""
Is it true that the president of Activation visiting Mr Dotcom this month, before his arrest? Why has it not been reported that members of the Black Eyed Peas were in Mr Dotcom's home when he was arrested, and have attended some of the NZ court proceedings?
See SMH and NZ Herald.
"The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which defends free speech and digital rights online, said in a statement that the arrests set "a terrifying precedent. If the United States can seize a Dutch citizen in New Zealand over a copyright claim, what is next?""
Is it true that the president of Activation visiting Mr Dotcom this month, before his arrest? Why has it not been reported that members of the Black Eyed Peas were in Mr Dotcom's home when he was arrested, and have attended some of the NZ court proceedings?
Faceless Net Giants
A story in the Sydney Morning Herald: "Faceless Net Giants Writing Own Rule Books." If you upset Google (or Google Ireland -- the company that Google hides behind), they can just make you disappear.
"Australians use them more than any other websites and to many they have become essential services, oiling the wheels of life and commerce at the click of a mouse.
"Australians use them more than any other websites and to many they have become essential services, oiling the wheels of life and commerce at the click of a mouse.
But when Google or Facebook no longer wants you, it can be all but impossible to find out why, as internet entrepreneur Mark Bowyer and others have found to their cost.
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Earlier this year Google banned ads from his travel website, Rusty Compass, because it said the site "poses a risk of generating invalid activity".
Apple Apps
On Christmas morning, millions of people will unwrap new iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches — and immediately start downloading games and other applications for them. It is the biggest day of the year for app sales, which can mean big money for developers.
Flurry, a mobile analytics firm, estimated that in the period from Dec. 23 to Dec. 26 last year, 240 million applications were downloaded to Apple mobile devices, or about 20 percent of the total downloads for the month.
Source: NYTimes
Flurry, a mobile analytics firm, estimated that in the period from Dec. 23 to Dec. 26 last year, 240 million applications were downloaded to Apple mobile devices, or about 20 percent of the total downloads for the month.
Source: NYTimes
Brand xxx marks dot danger
The arrival of a generic top-level domain specifically for the porn industry has worrying implications and likely costs for many well known labels.
There is more trouble for brand owners brewing in cyberspace, with fundamental changes to the domain name system being implemented. In March 2011, following successful lobbying from the adult entertainment industry, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) agreed to allow the creation of a new generic top-level domain (gTLD) specifically for the adult entertainment industry. A gTLD is represented by the letters that come after the dot in a domain name, such as .com or .net.
The new adult entertainment top-level domain is .xxx and will come online next year.
This has implications for every business because brand names could be used in domain names for adult websites. For example, someone could register the new domain name sportsgirl.xxx or boostjuice.xxx for a porn website.
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