Fears grow over EU data retention law

Experts fear that new EU rules on data retention could be "gold-plated" by the UK government. The EU Data Retention Directive came into effect on May 2006. The directive obligates all ISPs and network operators of mobile, fixed and internet telephony, email services, messaging and Internet access to retain traffic and location data for between six months and two years. ...more

ISPs feel p2p pressure

Companies that attempt to reduce their own bandwidth costs by using p2p technology could force Internet service providers to introduce pay-as-you-go broadband charging as a matter of course. ADSL Guide notes that firms, including the BBC and BSkyB, have raised the prospect of shifting the burden of content delivery from their own servers to users' computers. Currently most users have unmetered broadband access, so they are unlikely to be concerned about the additional burden that this will place on their bandwidth, but ISPs will face in an increase in traffic and higher costs. ...more

IE users were at risk for three-quarters of 2006

Security researcher finds that Microsoft browser was unsecured for 75 per cent of last year. Internet Explorer was unsafe to use for over three-quarters of the year, according to a security researcher. Research carried out by Brian Krebs found that for 284 days in 2006, Microsoft's browser remained unpatched. ...more

UK to investigate e-government by digital TV

The UK government has outlines some policy guidelines on how it might deliver information and services by digital TV (DTV). It is estimated that 45 per cent of UK households now have DTV either through Freeview, cable or satellite and the government sees an opportunity to allow the public to communicate through the interactive services it can offer. It also gives a boost towards the government's promise of providing all its services electronically by 2005 - now little over a year away. ...more

Danish court blocks access to Allofmp3.com

A Danish court has ordered telecoms company Tele 2 to block Internet access to the controversial Russian music downloads site Allofmp3.com. The court unconditionally backed a complaint by the local branch of the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) Denmark, which represents the major record companies and has been campaigning vigorously for the site to be shut down. ...more