We knew nothing, nothing! Honestly?

Following widespread social and mainstream media reporting The ISP Column in July 2012 recapped:

On the 18th June, it was reported on an Australian users' forum, Whirlpool, that whenever a Telstra mobile data service user contacted a web site, then some 250ms later the same web site URL was fetched from a different source address. It appeared that somehow this third party was stalking the mobile data user, visiting all the same web sites as the user, in every case shortly after the user. (http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1935438)

This third party was reported to be on the IP addresses 50.57.104.33 and 50.57.190.97. These addresses are used by Slicehost, who appears to be a hosting service provider located in San Antonio, Texas in the US.

Other users reported on the same behaviour, and it quickly became evident that this was a more general behaviour that had been quietly introduced by this national carrier without any form of notice to their users. The observed behaviour was that all URLs used by end users of their mobile network, whether private or public, were being passed across to this US-based third party, who in turn were repeating the original access call to the visited URL, if the URL was a novel URL. There was some speculation in the forum on the particular motives were driving Telstra to stalk its users in this manner, and some speculation that Telstra was attempting to monetize its user's browsing behaviour by on-selling this user behaviour data to a foreign third party……

In response to an accusation of unethical behaviour on the part of Telstra, a local industry publication, SC Magazine, reported the following:

"But in a short statement, Telstra’s senior media boss Craig Middleton said the company’s wireless network management assured that “there is nothing untoward in what the Whirlpool member has observed - it is a normal network operation”."
[http://www.scmagazine.com.au/News/305928,telstra-says-its-not-spying-on-users.aspx]……

A few days later, on the 26th June, it was reported that:

"Telstra has confirmed it is tracking websites visited by its mobile users in the lead up to a launch of a new web filtering solution.
Days after suspicions of Telstra's networking monitoring activity was first aroused, the telco has revealed it captures web addresses visited by millions of subscribers on its Next G network.
The addresses are compared to a blacklist of criminal sites curated by web filtering company Netsweeper, and held both in Australia and the US.
[http://www.scmagazine.com.au/News/306441,telstra-tracks-users-to-build-web-filter.aspx]

Finally, after trying to say the secret data collection was all about protecting our kids, in the transcript of this email (from Telstra CEO David Thodey) Telstra senior management appears to be asserting that it didn’t know what Team Telstra had been doing with customer information:

Team
I want to talk to you about why customer privacy is not negotiable.
Last week, the media ran with a story that Telstra was sending information about the web browsing activity of Next G customers to a third party company in North America. We were collecting this information to classify Internet sites for a new cyber-safety tool called Smart Controls.
We stopped the program immediately, as this was the right thing to do. We informed the media and briefed the Privacy Commission and other regulatory bodies. But by then, the damage to our reputation was already done.
Some of our customers may feel we have broken their trust, and, frankly, they are entitled to feel that way.
The hard reality is it will take months of hard work to win back that trust.
I am also concerned that this incident occurred in the same week that the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Privacy Commissioner handed down their findings on a privacy breach last December, when customer records were exposed on the Internet.
Judging by media reports, the Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, is also concerned. He told The Australian last Friday that he was now on the lookout for systematic privacy weaknesses in our operational culture.
It’s not hard to see why. These incidents and investigations create an impression that Telstra does not care enough about the privacy of our customers. Not only that, they undermine the great work we have done to improve customer satisfaction and change the way our customers talk about us.
Of course, the truth is we care deeply about customer privacy.
That’s why I want to remind everyone that privacy is not an aspiration at Telstra – it is an essential requirement and our license to operate.
Privacy at Telstra is everyone’s responsibility. We have to do better.
If you have concerns with anything that threatens the privacy of our customers, then raise the issue with your manager as a matter of urgency.
Our customers’ trust is a commodity that’s both precious and fragile. It takes months and years to build, but can be broken in one day.
That’s what happened last week. It must not happen again.
David

Friday the 13th - last one for 2012

The far-off sound you can hear is millions of black moggies
cheering the fact that they are off the hook until 2013

Grafton punters want to know where they collect their "winnings"

A sub-editor at The Daily Examiner provided a bit more than a ripple of laughter at the table of knowledge at the local watering hole today. The feature event at the Grafton races yesterday, the Ramornie Handicap, was taken out by the favourite Howmuchdoyouloveme, so why did the Examiner print the photo, with its accompanying caption, below?

For the record, Prost ran  second, so perhaps the Examiner can point punters who backed it in the direction of a benevolent bookmaker who'll pay out on it.

Credit: The Daily Examiner, 12/7/12, page 29

The reason Nats Chris Gulaptis MP was not at Grafton Gaol when prison transfer vans arrived - he expected manufactured confrontation!

The Clarence Valley at its best in defence of community....

Now Official: NSW O'Farrell Government has sent Grafton into permanent decline

Like many country areas around New South Wales, Grafton City and environs has seen past glories turn into a falling population, less young people of working age living in town, higher unemployment rates than both state and national averages, a slowly shrinking viable central business district and rolling job losses as large companies withdraw to bigger regional or metropolitan centres.

Despite these woes, it had remained the transport  hub for the Clarence Valley, the centre for most locally delivered state and federal government services and, one of two main administrative centres for the local government area.

That changed less than two hours ago when the O'Farrell-Stoner-Gulaptis juggernaut finally sent in prison vans (protected by members of the police riot squad) to remove inmates from Grafton Gaol - turning it into a 60 bed remand centre for individuals awaiting court appearances.

Grafton has now lost 107 permanent jobs which will depress the local economy further and have a flow-on effect across the Valley.

The very craven Nationals Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis reportedly turned up outside the gaol after those vans had entered the prison.

'A Clarence Valley Protest' Asks: Is Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott building a case to dam NSW coastal rivers?

From A Clarence Valley Protest 5 July 2012:

The Coalition will invest in new and upgraded dams

The Coalition will invest in Australia's future water security. Australia has been let down by a failure to plan for Australia's long-term water needs.

 State Labor governments have made poor investment decisions, deciding to pour billions of dollars into desalination plants which have contributed to the 60 per cent rise in water prices since Labor came to power in 2007.

 As a result, the long-term planning to secure Australia's water future has not been done. Crucial infrastructure in water assets takes decades to plan for.

The Coalition will invest in the water supply options that Labor has ignored during its time in government.

 Dams can provide reliable water supplies for cities, underpin the economic development of the agriculture, manufacturing and mining sectors, provide a low-emission source of electricity and mitigate the effects of flood.

Australia has not built a large dam for over 20 years. If we don't start planning for new investments now, then our water storage capacity will fall considerably over the next 20 years. That's why the Coalition's Dams Taskforce is looking at potential investments in Dam capacity across the country.

 Compared to 20 years ago, the amount of water we can store per person has fallen considerably. In 1990 Australia could store in its dams over 4.5 ML per person. Due to a lack of investment in dams, we can now only store 3.5 ML per person. By 2050, if no more dams are built, it will fall below 2.5 ML per person.

[COALITION SPEAKER'S NOTES Current as at 1 July 2012]

GlaxoSmithKine pleads guilty to criminal charges of fraudulent promotion of its drugs - pays US Government US$3 billion settlement

The Lancet 7 July 2012:

On July 2, UK-based GlaxoSmithKine (GSK) agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges of fraudulent promotion of its drugs and pay the US Government a settlement of US$3 billion. If accepted, this will be the largest fine imposed on a drug company, surpassing the $2·3 billion paid by Pfizer for inappropriate marketing in 2009. The amount adds to GSK's $750 million settlement in 2010 over manufacturing quality.

What is particularly egregious about GSK's fraud is the calculated deceit and potential human cost of its aggressive and misleading marketing. For instance, while evidence was emerging that showed an increased suicide risk in adolescents prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for depression, GSK was actively encouraging off-label prescription of paroxetine to individuals younger than 18 years. This was not an isolated incident; off-label use was also encouraged for bupropion. For rosiglitazone, safety data were withheld from the US Food and Drug Administration and altered, potentially delaying restrictions on the drug's use and putting people to whom it was prescribed at increased risk of cardiovascular complications. The company is also accused of cheating Medicare. Such behaviour is not only illegal, it is immoral.

As Machiavelli observed, “he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived”. Sadly, in the case of GSK, this has involved doctors who were all too ready to be beguiled by illegal kickbacks and lavish hospitality…

Robertson at the Grafton Gaol picket line 10-11 July 2012

The Daily Examiner’s Debrah Novak films Opposition Leader John Roberstson

at the Grafton Gaol picket line 10-11 July 2012

 

 

"The mass sackings announced at Grafton Gaol today is a huge broken promise from the O'Farrell Stoner Government......During the Clarence by-election, Mr O'Farrell, Mr Stoner and Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis promised there would be no cuts or closure of Grafton Gaol. Now, we are seeing massive job losses that will quite simply devastate the local community." [NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson,29 June 2012]

Q: Why didn't the snake bite Chris Gulaptis MP?

A: Professional solidarity.

South Korea to join Japan in needlessly slaughtering whales - have your say

The 64th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission and the associated meetings of its Scientific Committee and other sub-groups was held in Panama City, Panama from 11 June – 6 July 2012.

This is South Korea’s position:

Opening Statement (IWC/64/OS Korea)

By the Head of the Republic of Korea Delegation, Dr. Joon-Suk Kang

Mr. Chairman, distinguished Commissioners, delegates, and NGO members.

It is my great pleasure to attend the 64th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in this beautiful Panama City. As the head of the Korean delegation, I would like to congratulate the Government of Panama on hosting this meeting and to express my sincere gratitude to the IWC Secretariat for arranging this meaningful meeting.

To start with, I wish to remind you that the Republic of Korea has been endowed with a very long history of active whaling. Korea’s whaling history dates back to prehistoric times, and whale meat is still part of a culinary tradition of some of Korea’s local areas such as Ulsan. Historically, Korea’s whaling took place in the form of subsistence fishing for food, similar to Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW). It is reported that 35 species are living around Korean Peninsula. In the 1970s and 1980s up to the Moratorium, for example, about 1,000 minke whales were captured annually around the Korean peninsula. However, the long coastal whaling tradition for livelihood and nutritional purposes was suspended in 1986 in compliance with the IWC decision.

At the time, the Korean government had to enforce the whalers to scrap all the whaling vessels completely, promising that they would be able to resume whaling upon the recovery of the resources. With this, the Ulsan community has long been waiting for the IWC to lift the ban for more than a quarter of a century. Good faith and pacta sunt servanda constitute the two fundamental principles of international relations.

In this context, I must, once again, draw your attention to Article 10(e) of the Convention Schedule which requires this Commission to undertake, upon the best scientific advice, a comprehensive assessment of the effects of the decision and to consider modification of the provision. However, it is unfortunate to witness that this process has been stalled by unnecessary political arguments.

The Republic of Korea has been respecting and strictly implementing the Commission's polices and decisions. Illegal whaling has been strictly banned and subject to strong punishment. The government also recently adopted a new ministerial Directive on the Conservation and Management of Whale Resources to establish a transparent system of distribution for stranded or by-caught whale meats.

It has been also reported that the minke whale population in the north Pacific has recovered considerably to the level maintained before the Moratorium. As a result, fishermen in this area are consistently calling for limited whaling. This is because they are experiencing disturbances in their fishing activities due to frequent occurrences of cetaceans in their fishing grounds and an increasing number of minke whales are eating away large amount of fish stocks which should be consumed by human being. We therefore hope that this Commission will set in motion the review procedure as a matter of urgency to reinstate traditional coastal whaling for the future of the IWC.

Since 2001, the Korean government has been conducting a non-lethal sighting survey of the whale population to assess the status of the stock in Korean waters. But it has turned out that this survey alone cannot identify the different whale stocks and has delayed the proper assessment of the resources. It also cannot correctly identify the feeding habits of these animals and thus the impact of the whale population on the fisheries resources as a whole.

In order to meet Korean fishermen’s request and make up for the weak point in a non-lethal sighting survey, the Korean government is currently considering conducting whaling for scientific research in accordance with Article VIII of the Convention. The proposed scientific research program is designed to analyze and accumulate biological and ecological data on the

minke whales migrating off the Korean peninsula. This research program will provide more comprehensive and detailed scientific information on the stocks and their interaction with other stocks will be more available. The Korean government is planning to submit research plan to the next Scientific Committee in due course. I hope that the research plan will be given the highest consideration at the next Scientific Committee meeting of the IWC.

As a member of the IWC, the Korean government is privileged to remind all the IWC delegations that the primary objective of the Convention is to ensure a proper conservation of whale species and stocks and an orderly development of the whaling industry. And in the consistent view of our government, it is essential that member governments mutually recognize the importance of cultural diversity and heritage of other countries. Any differences should be resolved through dialogue and cooperation based on mutual understanding.

The Korean government is committed to striving to achieve the Conventional objective of striking a balance between the conservation and sustainable utilization of whale resources. We hope that each member of this Commission will actively contribute to making the normalization process move forward for attaining the common goal of the effective management of the whale resources.

Thank you very much.

If you wish to register an objection to South Korea’s intention to commence commercial whaling under the guise of ‘scientific research’, this is the person to write to in Australia.

His Excellency Cho Tae-yong  

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

Embassy of the Republic of Korea

113 Empire Circuit,

Yarralumla

ACT 2600

Australia  

Tel : (61 2) 6270-4100

Fax : (61 2) 6273-4839

E-mail : info@korea.org.au