The ICANN Whois Task Force is out with its final report, concluding that many registrants do not understand the meaning or purpose of the database; if changes are made, awareness-raising for registrants will be needed; and new mechanisms to restrict publication of some contact data should be adopted to address privacy concerns.
Spyware is back on the Congressional agenda. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Rep.Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) have re-introduced the Internet Spyware (I-Spy) Prevention Act which would impose penalties of up to five years of prison time and fines for spyware activities. The same bill passed the House last year but failed in the Senate.
Techworld reports on warnings from a security vendor that Google’s blog software is being hijacked to spread malware. Meanwhile, the St. Paul Pioneer Press has a story about how the Internet has been a boon to politics, but has created a paradox for Google. As a global platform for free expression, how do you handle a flood of vicious and false content?