'Do Not Track' privacy at crossroads

A MOVEMENT by privacy activists to curb tracking of internet users' browsing habits scored a major victory last month when Microsoft launched its new browser with "do not track" as the default, or automatic setting.

But some advertisers are in revolt against the move, certain websites are skirting the Microsoft effort and the debate over online privacy and tracking is heating up.

The controversy stems from practices used by websites and marketing partners to track browsing activity to be able to deliver ads targeted to individuals.

The ad industry argues that tracking is done anonymously without violating privacy, but some say it is easy to connect the person's anonymous IP address or mobile device to a real person.

"It is trivial to make those connections," says Jim Brock, a former Yahoo! executive who now heads a venture called PrivacyFix which offers browser plug-ins for privacy and other services to consumers and businesses.

Websites and mobile device use a variety of software to determine a user's browsing habits. Marketers can then use that data for "behavioural ads" designed with people's habits in mind.

In some cases, these electronic tags can predict if a consumer is price-sensitive, allowing sellers to charge more or less for a product or service.

Privacy activists say a simple web search can make consumers a target for marketers, and that viewing certain websites may identify them as homosexuals, AIDS patients or suffering from another disease.

"That is one of the scariest things, and it shakes people's faith in the marketing industry," Brock said. "There is very little protection for targeting based on health conditions. This is information that can get in the hands of insurance companies and employers who might not use it in a way we would expect."

Most web browsers allow users to activate a "do not track" privacy feature, and Microsoft designed its internet Explorer 10 with the feature as the default setting.

"We believe consumers should have more control over how data about their online behaviour is tracked, shared, and used," Microsoft chief privacy officer Brendon Lynch said in announcing the move.

Advertisers see the issue differently, arguing that Microsoft should not make the decision for consumers.

The Digital Advertising Alliance, a consortium of the largest US media and marketing associations, told its members they can ignore or override the default settings in Microsoft or other browsers.

"The trade associations that lead the DAA do not believe that Microsoft's IE10 browser settings are an appropriate standard for providing consumer choice," said the alliance, which includes the Better Business Bureau.

"Machine-driven do not track does not represent user choice; it represents browser-manufacturer choice."

Yahoo! has also broken ranks with Microsoft, saying it "will not recognise" the "do not track" settings by default.

A Yahoo! blog post said Microsoft acted "unilaterally" and that "this degrades the experience for the majority of users and makes it hard to deliver on our value proposition to them."

Representatives Edward Markey and Joe Barton, who head the House privacy caucus, expressed disappointment over the actions by advertisers and Yahoo!, saying they highlight the need for better privacy laws.

"If consumers want to be tracked online, they should have to opt-in, not the other way around," the two lawmakers said in a statement.

Some analysts argue that wiping out all online tracking would undermine the economic model of the internet.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington think tank, recently modified its website to warn visitors with "do not track" enabled with a pop-up message which asks them to enable tracking.

ITIF analyst Daniel Castro said most consumers do not object to online tracking if they understand that ads support the websites they visit.

"You can't say you don't want targeted advertising but you do want free access to websites," Castro said.

"People like free content and they are willing to make some tradeoffs."

Richard Frankel, president of the ad technology firm Rocket Fuel, said that even though "everyone claims to hate online advertising" there would be very little content on the internet without it.

Frankel said that imposing tracking restrictions would cut revenues and thereby "would stifle investigative reporting, dissuade open discussion and commentary, and muffle free speech."

Brock acknowledges that revenue will be lost if without behavioural ads, but that the industry has failed to persuade consumers of their value.

"There will be less data to monetise," said Brock, who describes himself as "a former tracker."

"But what the industry has not done is to explain why we benefit from targeted advertising."

Brock argues that with industries unable to reach agreement on privacy standards, consumers may face confusion and it may be time for the government to step in with legislation.

"I believe in ad-supported media, but the industry is giving us no choice," he said. "They need a kick in the butt from the government."

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Light and sound used against Rome's birds

Sound-and-light attacks are being used in Rome to rid the city of starlings. Source: AAP

TIRED of bird droppings on the city's most famous monuments, local authorities in Rome are resorting to unusual measures to try and scare off a million starlings that migrate to the Eternal City every year.

Armed with loudspeakers and light projectors, workers dressed in white overalls and masks have been seen walking around at sunset along the tree-lined embankments of the Tiber River where starlings tend to congregate.

The loudspeakers blast out shrieks of alarm used by the starlings and the projectors are shone into the trees to scare off the birds.

"Their reaction is immediate," city hall said in a statement on Friday.

"The starlings abandon the area and get as far away as possible from the area, which they consider dangerous," it said, adding that the method "respects the environment and the birds and does not create a nuisance for residents".

The sound-and-light attacks last around an hour and are always carried out at dusk for three days in a row to ensure the desired effect.

Rome has the highest number of starlings in Italy - around a million are estimated to migrate there every autumn and winter.

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Union threatens Woolworths boycott

A UNION has threatened to boycott Woolworths if it does not help workers and sub-contractors owed money following the collapse of a company building a supermarket in Sydney's north.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) says more than $5 million is owed for work at the newest Woolworths in Balgowlah following the collapse of Southern Cross Constructions in October.

The union's NSW Secretary Brian Parker said on Friday that Woolworths had a moral obligation to help workers and sub-contractors on the project which had been won for $4 million less than the next tenderer.

That $4 million saving had come out of the pockets of the workers and sub-contractors, he said.

"Six weeks out from Christmas we're looking at these companies going broke, losing their houses, their properties, and workers put on the dole queue and looking at a very bleak Christmas," Mr Parker told reporters.

Protesters targeted Woolworths on Sydney's George Street on Friday and Mr Parker said protests would continue to target the supermarket giant until it came to the table to reach an agreement.

He said Woolworths had made a $1.8 billion profit in the last financial year but wouldn't even sit down to discuss the $4 million to $5 million needed to resolve the issue.

"We haven't yet called upon our members to boycott Woolworths.

"But in the next seven days if we haven't got a result on this, we'll be calling on not only our members but everybody across the trade union movement to not go and shop at Woolworths," Mr Parker said.

"We'll see where their profits sit after that."

Mr Parker said Bunnings, whose store in Balgowlah was also caught up in the Southern Cross collapse, had made good the money owed to workers and Woolworths should do the same.

Woolworths has been contacted for comment.

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Online predator avoids prison sentence

A MAN who persuaded young girls in the US and Australia to perform sexual acts via video chat websites - and then threatened to expose them to friends and family if they did not continue doing it - has escaped a jail sentence.

Daniel John Leask, 22, pleaded guilty to inciting the girls, who were aged between 13 and 15, to perform various sex acts as he watched them on his laptop at his Perth home in 2010 and 2011.

He also admitted blackmailing them with threats of exposure if they stopped.

The first victim, who lived in the US, was just 14 when Leask befriended her online and persuaded her to remove her clothes and masturbate, while he watched on a webcam.

When she eventually objected, Leask threatened to hack into her computer and reveal her behaviour.

When the girl deleted Leask from her social media circle, he tracked her down through an instant messaging service, told her he had recorded their previous exchange and threatened to post the video online.

He then contacted the girl's mother under an alias, and told her her daughter had been recorded performing sexual acts online.

The girl's mother contacted US authorities, who tipped off the Australian Federal Police.

Four more girls suffered similar persuasion and coercion, two in America, one in Victoria and one in NSW, who was the youngest victim at just 13.

She was persuaded to expose herself and then threatened with exposure to her parents if she did not perform more explicit acts, which she eventually did.

She told her brother, who contacted Australian authorities.

In the District Court of Western Australia, Judge Kevin Sleight said the damage caused to the victims meant they had been humiliated and sexually corrupted by Leask.

He rejected a suggestion Leask had made to police that he was a "white knight" persuading teenagers not to have sex online.

"You used threats to keep all of these girls involved in sexual activity on the screen," Judge Sleight said.

He revealed that Leask had been driven to his offending after he had suffered a similar experience when he was 17.

Leask was coerced by an unnamed man to perform a sexual act online, with the video published on the internet. This led to him being bullied and humiliated, causing him to suffer severe depression.

Judge Sleight said he had serious concerns for Leask's welfare if he was sent to prison, given his mental health and immaturity.

Leask was given a three-year good behaviour bond, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and placed under an intense supervision order.

He faces a possible three and a half years in jail if he breaches the bond or the order.

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WA government facing massive bushfire bill

THE West Australian government is facing a massive compensation bill after finally agreeing to total responsibility for the property lost when a prescribed burn got out of control in Margaret River last year.

40 properties were lost when the bushfire ripped through the south-west of Western Australia, after a burn being conducted by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) went catastrophically wrong.

Originally, the state government had offered to pay up to $190,000 for any uninsured losses suffered by people who had lost property in the fires, despite acknowledging from the start DEC was responsible for starting the massive blaze.

But after a year of legal wrangling, Premier Colin Barnett announced that cap would be lifted - opening the government insurers RiskCover to claims likely to be more than $15 million.

"There is no cap on this, and what the final figure is, that will only be known when the final amount is assessed," Mr Barnett said.

"Clearly DEC as a government agency was responsible for this burn and it got out of control in freakish weather conditions. We have never said anything other than the government accepts responsibility.

"This means that people will be able to a get a full settlement without having to pursue it through the courts."

Former head of the Australian Federal Police Mick Keelty was hired to produce reports on the bushfires in WA last year and has recommended massive changes to the way blazes were tackled and prepared for in the state.

Some 160 insurance claims have been lodged for the damage caused by the fire, with 88 already settled, Mr Barnett said.

Lawyers Slater and Gordon said they would review announcement before making a decision on a possible class action against the DEC.

"It's a shame that it takes threatened legal action for a government to step up to its responsibilities to the people whose homes and possessions have been burned as a result of clear government negligence," James Higgins, general manager for the firm's commercial and project litigation, said.

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Tas scallops also banned after toxic bloom

SCALLOPS from the east coast of Tasmania have joined the area's mussels in being banned following a toxic algal bloom.

A scallop fishery in the White Rock area has been closed after the same paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) found in Spring Bay Seafood's mussels was detected in samples taken on November 2.

"PST levels in tested scallops are currently either close to or slightly over the permitted level, but it's possible the level will increase before it goes back down again," a health department warning said.

The affected shellfish don't look or taste different and the toxin is not destroyed by cooking or freezing, but there have been no reports of illness.

The fishery, which doesn't include Tasmania's Bass Strait scallop zone, will be closed for 90 days or until it is given the all-clear.

Local media reported it affects the operators of about 10 boats and six processors.

The warning comes less than a fortnight after mussels from the area were recalled following the naturally occurring algal bloom.

The recall included two new pre-packed mussel products sold under the Coles brand.

It also comes in the same week an alert warned the abalone industry was monitoring its harvest areas after a bloom earlier this year.

Abalone bought from shops has been declared safe for eating.

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China's Communist Party conclave closes

CHINA'S Communist Party has brought its pivotal conclave to a close in largely choreographed steps, a day before unveiling its leaders for the coming decade.

President Hu Jintao is expected to step down as party chief in favour of the anointed successor, Vice President Xi Jinping, in what would be only the second orderly transfer of power in 63 years of communist rule.

The new leaders of the world's second-largest economy will face slowing growth, rising unrest among increasingly assertive citizens and delicate relations with neighbouring countries.

The party's 2200-plus delegates filed into Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Wednesday morning to select members of the Central Committee, a panel of a few hundred people that approves leadership positions and sets broad policy goals, ahead of the scheduled close of the congress later on Wednesday.

But the next lineup in China's apex of power, the Politburo Standing Committee, will be announced only on Thursday.

Though congress and Central Committee delegates have some influence over leadership decisions, most of the lineup is decided among a core group of the most powerful party members and elders.

The congress votes are "fully democratic" but "there is a degree of inevitability", said party delegate Song Guofeng of Liaoning province as he entered the hall.

"We need to have continuity in leadership to carry on. They are already in the leadership core. The stability of the party and of the country is important."

The voting concluded in the late morning, and the state Xinhua News Agency said in a brief report that Xi and premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang had been voted onto the Central Committee - an expected result.

Hu and senior leaders mostly in their late 60s are handing over power to Xi, 59, and colleagues of his generation over the next several months.

Li, currently vice premier, was tapped five years ago to be the country's next premier, China's top economic official. But other top positions were up for grabs.

China's leadership transitions are always occasions for fractious backroom bargaining, but this one has been further complicated by scandals that have fed public cynicism that the leaders are more concerned with power and wealth than government.

In recent months, Bo Xilai, a senior politician seen as a rising star, was purged after his aide exposed that his wife murdered a British businessman.

An ally of Hu's was sidelined after his son died in the crash of a Ferrari he shouldn't have been able to afford. And foreign media recently reported that relatives of Xi and outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao had amassed vast wealth. The scandals have weakened Hu, on whose watch they occurred.

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