ZDNetGovWeek: US cedes TLDs, RoboSnowden, and NSA monitors Chinese tech company
ZDNet's worldwide team provides global 24/7 technology news and analysis. In addition to my own coverage analysis here in the ZDNet Government column and on ZDNet's DIY-IT, every week I'll bring you a selection of the best government-related articles posted by our intrepid reporters and analysts. Here are some of the most interesting from the last week.
Top stories this week
Analysis: What exact control over the Internet is the US giving up and is it bad or not?
The single most important question is this: what does America currently control and therefore, what would we actually be giving up?
NSA targets sysadmin personal accounts to exploit networks
The latest revelation from the cache of Snowden documents shows that the NSA targets sysadmins to gain access to the infrastructure that they are responsible for.
Netflix CEO makes stand for net neutrality
If there is one company that would benefit from the upholding of net neutrality, it is Netflix.
Snowden's robot promises more revelations
Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has emerged from his Russian exile in the form of a remotely controlled robot to promise more sensational revelations about US spying programs.
NSA spies on China networking giant Huawei
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is the newest known target of the NSA wide-ranging surveillance programs.
Other government coverage around ZDNet
Treasury backs NBN funding cap
Treasury has thrown its support behind the government capping off NBN Co investment at AU$29.5 billion, and opening up the network to infrastructure-based competition.
Poland's military strikes new deal to bolster cybersecurity, starting with cryptography
A new deal between Poland's ministry of defence and three universities is aimed at swelling the ranks of its cyberwar forces.
Turkish government blocks access to Twitter
Turks wanting to tweet are limited to tweeting through mobile telephone text services after the country's government blocked the social network.
Israel and UK deepen digital, open source relationship
The two countries have been working on several important joint digital government projects over the past several years.
Brazil gives up on local data storage, demands net neutrality
Government backs down on demands of local datacenters in a bid to get support from the opposition but net neutrality remains a sticking point
Brazil changes tech minister and demands quick results
Dilma Rousseff brings in economist Clélio Campolina to set priorities for the sector: "Brazil is in a hurry"
Australian government to slash telco regulation
The Australian government has indicated that 1,000 pages of regulation in the Communications portfolio has been earmarked for removal in the government's first repeal Bill.
NewSat offers to buy NBN Co satellites
Satellite company NewSat has offered to buy NBN Co's two satellites, currently in construction, and lease capacity back to NBN Co for regional services.
NSW government sets IT investment guidelines for agencies
The NSW government has introduced the ICT Investment Policy and Guidelines for its agencies to ensure that they make better strategic IT investment decisions that are cost effective.
Telstra calls for NBN product overhaul
Telstra has asked the government's cost-benefit analysis panel to consider overhauling NBN Co's products to make it easier for customers to migrate onto the network.
NZ all-of-government program targets VMware, Oracle and Citrix
After inking a deal with Microsoft in 2012, the New Zealand government plans to extend all-of-government licensing to other software vendors.
Australia endorses US withdrawal from internet control
The Australian government has welcomed the US government's decision to scale back its oversight of ICANN.
What a croc: NT Police data retention proposal 'overreach'
Retaining a record of every website a customer visits and all other metadata is incompatible with the new Privacy Act, according to iiNet.
Productivity Commission slams NBN planning
The Productivity Commission has slammed the former government's planning of the National Broadband Network project for failing to conduct a cost-benefit analysis.
HP in New Zealand: It’s as if EDS never happened
HP's sales are now back at the level they were before EDS was acquired in 2008.
Orange 'shares data with French intelligence agency'
France has reportedly been giving its data to France's main intelligence agency, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, for years.
Poland's military strikes new deal to bolster cybersecurity, starting with cryptography
A new deal between Poland's ministry of defence and three universities is aimed at swelling the ranks of its cyberwar forces.
Korean regulator investigates data leak in mobile shops
Korea Communications Commission begins investigation into mobile retail shops operating across the country, following a spate of reports concerning customer data leaks.