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Australia Eyes Anti-Terrorism Bill
by William New
Australia is not only on the other side of the world from the United States, but on the other side of the economic and anti-terrorist picture too. While the United States is working to restart its economy, Australia's has not faltered. And when it comes to anti-terrorism legislation, the U.S. Congress passed its major bill in six weeks last fall, while Australia has yet to act.
Which is not to say that Australia feels less strongly than the United States about terrorism. It just wants to take time to be sure to get it right, Australian Privacy Commissioner Malcolm Crompton said in a recent interview. When asked about the anti-terrorism legislation passed in the United States last fall, Crompton said, "I'm a big believer in getting due process right." Australia has not acted because parliamentary elections last fall put it behind in the process, he said.
Crompton issued several warnings on the development of anti-terrorism legislation. "If you decide to give government privacy-intrusive powers, then there need to be appropriate controls on the use of that power," he said. Crompton said there should be an external accountable body for complaints handling, and that he's a "big believer" in sunset provisions for the most sensitive clauses.
Australia Forms Spam Committee
Australia is taking a tough stance on unsolicited e-mail, or spam, and is forming a committee to analyze whether there is any truth in the assertion that the country is the source of nearly 20 percent of the world's spam, according to Crompton. That would be well out of proportion to the nation's contribution to the world's economy, he said.
The National Office for the Information Economy will conduct an analysis into the effectiveness of measures to counter the growing spam, according to a recent press release from the office.
The Coalition Against Unsolicited Bulk E-mail estimates that Internet users in Australia received six times more unwanted or inappropriate e-mail messages in 2001 than in 2000, the release said.
More Broadband Investment, European Industry Says
As the leaders of the European Union gather for a summit in Barcelona this week, Europe's largest telecommunications companies called for them to create a favorable regulatory environment to encourage more investment in broadband.
"Building broadband networks requires massive private-sector investment under market-driven conditions," the European Telecommunications Network Operators Association (ETNO) said in a Tuesday letter. "These huge investments are among the greatest in the history of telecommunications."
The leaders of the 15 EU nations will meet March 15-16 to discuss a wide range of issues, including broadband. ETNO urged them to recommit to a rollback of sector-specific regulations, leaving sectoral growth to market forces. European Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen last week backed the market-driven approach, but said: "When competition is not effective, regulation kicks in."
The leaders also will consider an update of the eEurope program aimed at raising the region's Internet savvy and connectivity.
Canada Speeds Ahead On Fast Internet
While users of high-speed Internet connections generated 51 percent of U.S. traffic on the Internet in January, the percentage of those emanating from residences was lower than the percentage in Canada, the National Post (Canada) reported. In the United States, 21 percent of high-speed users were residential, compared with 40 percent in Canada. Aggressive marketing and lower prices in Canada were credited with the difference.
U.N. Commission Tackles E-Commerce Law
The U.N. Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) working group on electronic commerce is meeting this week in New York to discuss legal issues surrounding e-commerce activity.
At the March 11-15 meeting, the group is expected to address provisions for a draft convention on electronic contracting, and legal barriers to the development of e-commerce in international conventions and treaties. The convention on contract formation for e-commerce transactions is intended to contribute legal certainty and predictability to cross-border e-commerce.
The draft convention would not be limited to sales contracts, but would extend to any contract concluded by electronic means, with two major exceptions, according to working group documents. Not covered would be consumer contracts and contracts relating to the grant of limited use of intellectual property rights, or "licensing contracts."
The draft convention addresses some of the seemingly intractable issues, such as defining a person's residence, that have perplexed negotiators for a jurisdictional treaty at the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
Zoellick Makes A Tech Stop In Brazil
During his visit March 11-14 to Brazil to discuss trade negotiations, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick is expected to drop in on a local organization in Sao Paolo that is using private-sector support to help underprivileged youth develop computer skills. While in Brazil, Zoellick will meet with President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and other top officials.
Hearing Scheduled On U.S.-Singapore Negotiation
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will hold a hearing April 1 on the current negotiations with Singapore for a free trade agreement. Anyone wishing to testify orally at the hearing must provide written notification by March 18, and a written brief on March 21, according to a Feb. 28 Federal Register notice. The USTR Trade Policy Staff Committee is conducting the hearing.
The two nations are seeking to eliminate duties and other barriers to bilateral trade. The bilateral agreement is expected to contain provisions on trade in services and investment, intellectual property rights issues, competition, government procurement and electronic commerce.
Comments are invited on costs and types of barriers to trade, restrictions on investment flows, problematic practices of the Singapore government, and the possible effect of an agreement on labor and environmental standards, among other things.
NAM Joins With Mexican, Canadian Organizations
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) this week announced a new partnership with counterpart organizations in Mexico and Canada, the United States' top trading partners. NAM joins forces with Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and the National Chamber of the Manufacturing Industry (Camara Nacional de la Industria de Transformacion).
The threesome, which will promote the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, calls itself the NAFTA Industry Alliance. They may issue joint economic proposals to the three governments and common negotiating positions, according to NAM President Jerry Jasinowski.
Swiss Target Cyber Crime
Switzerland plans to open an office to target criminal activity on the Internet, such as child pornography, racism and fraud, according to swissinfo. The office will track senders of computer viruses, working with foreign law enforcement where necessary. Switzerland is a signatory to the Council of Europe cyber-crime treaty.
Europe Launches E-Gov Network
The European Commission last week announced it has kicked off a network of national-level intranets across Europe. A goal of the network is to increase communication between governments. The communication will operate across existing infrastructure that allows direct links between governments known as TESTA. Two of the 15 members of the European Union are not on TESTA, but other non-EU countries are joining.
IT Trade Mission To Central Europe
The Commerce Department is leading a trade mission for the information technology and telecommunications industries to Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary on April 18-25. All three countries will complete liberalization of their telecom markets by December and have growing IT markets, Commerce said.
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