For some reason I’m having a conversation about the evolution of podcasting in Zhasper’s blog.
The Long Tail of Small Business
Whenever we see “business” depicted on the news, we see images of office buildings, factories, coal mines… And yet of the 3 million active registered businesses in Australia, fully 72 percent don’t have any employees.
The median business is actually a single man or woman — likely to be a sole trader because sole traders are the most common form of businesses (39%), followed by proprietary limited companies (26%).
Police Security Blunder reveals Journalists’ Stupidity
The Sydney Morning Herald report that a NSW Police security glitch exposed “email passwords” is misleading. But it provides useful lessons in password choice — hackers, relax, you’ve got it easy! — website security and media management.
Continue reading “Police Security Blunder reveals Journalists’ Stupidity”
Wrapping up the johnhowardpm.org takedown
Melbourne IT now admits its takedown of satirical website johnhowardpm.org was “badly handled”. In an interview on ABC Radio National, Bruce Tonkin, CTO of Melbourne IT, also indicated that it may have been a mistake to take the Prime Minister’s office at their word.
As I write this, johnhowardpm.org is back online, redirected to Richard Neville’s main website.
Tim Longhurst has already written an excellent factual summary, including links to source material. So I’ll just look at three questions…
1. What crime, exactly?
The PM’s office involved the Australian High Tech Crime Centre (AHTCC). Their website describes “high tech crimes” as including:
- computer intrusions (e.g. malicious hacking)
- unauthorised modification of data, including destruction of data
- denial-of-service (DoS) attacks
- and the creation and distribution of malicious software (e.g. viruses, worms, trojans)
I don’t see how Richard Neville’s spoof fits any of those.
2. Isn’t it “Fair Usage”?
Neville’s one error may have been using elements from the real John Howard website. Despite what many people believe, Australian law does not recognise copying for satirical purposes as “fair dealing” — only for serious criticism and review.
The most recent case was TCN Channel 9 Pty Ltd sueing Ten network program The Panel over their use of Nine footage. The Melbourne University Law Review has written a detailed analysis of The Panel case, calling it “a real pea souper”. [Thanks to Jan Whitaker for the pointer.]
3. Were “favours owed”?
After all, ABC TV’s Four Corners questioned the allocation of shares in Melbourne IT’s lucrative float. Given that Melbourne IT was spun out of the University of Melbourne, a Liberal stronghold that’s not too long a stretch.
Was some Liberal conspiracy at play?
I doubt it. This was the first time Melbourne IT had shut down a satirical website in ten years of operations. They probably didn’t have a procedure, and were spooked by the call from the AHTCC.
Swedish Foreign Minister resigns over web censorship
In stark contrast to John Howard’s closure of johnhowardpm.org and Melbourne IT’s subsequent silence, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Lalla Freivalds has resigned over allegations that she pressured a private Internet hosting company to close a website — something which is illegal in Sweden.
She becomes the fourth government minister around the world to lose a job over the anti-Muslin cartoons which originated in Denmark.
Melbourne IT’s (Non)-Response
After unilaterally taking satirical website johnhowardpm.org offline, Melbourne IT is, predictably, staying quiet.