The Cybercrime Act gives police the power to search computer networks across different locations and force individuals to reveal encryption keys Mr Taylor said computer users could also face prosecution for failing to hand over encryption keys, even if they forgot their password.(greg Taylor EFA) Alternatives to Passport The Liberty group argues such specifications should be based on open standards and not controlled by a single company. Microsoft also says it supports an open model for authentication based on internet standards. "We agree and have said for some time that no one company should be in control of such a system," Microsoft spokesman Erik Denny said. Previously announced founders and members of the Liberty Alliance management board include Bell Canada, Global Crossing, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Openwave Systems, RealNetworks, RSA Security, Sony, United Airlines and Vodafone. http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,3432981%5E15322%5E%5Enbv%5E1... Internet bank in the black Correspondents in London DECEMBER 14, 2001 BRITAIN'S pioneering internet bank, Egg, said today it had hatched a profit last month for the first time since its launch two years ago. Egg, which was part-floated by its parent, insurance group Prudential, in June last year, said it had pulled in 1.9 million customers and had hit its profitability target. "At our IPO in June 2000, we committed to break even at some point during the fourth quarter of this year. Today, we are pleased to announce that our management accounts for November show that Egg has made a profit for the month," it said. Egg stock rose 0.6 per cent to 155 pence ($4.30)in a lower overall market on the news. Agence France-Presse Net defamation reaches top court Matthew Spencer DECEMBER 15, 2001 THE High Court will be the first top court in the world to rule on the boundaries of defamation in cyberspace, having agreed to hear an appeal from Dow Jones after the US publisher implied mining magnate Joseph Gutnick was a money launderer. Gutnick says case should be heard in OZ cos info could be printed out there(!) The guy has others do his laundering while he buys up land for armed zionist fundamentalist fanatics in occupied palestine. New life for Grand Theft Auto 3 Caitlin Fitzsimmons DECEMBER 14, 2001 THE banned PlayStation 2 game, Grand Theft Auto 3, is likely to be recoded and could return to Australian stores by February. The game, which is one of the most popular PS2 games worldwide, was refused classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) because of implied scenes of sexual violence. The game had been launched a month earlier with an MA15+ advisory sticker because of an apparent misunderstanding between the distributors, Take 2 Interactive, and the OFLC. But after the OFLC ban and a failed appeal, it is now illegal to sell or demonstrate the game anywhere in Australia. Take 2 Interactive managing director James Ellingford said he was in discussions with the developer to modify the game to pass Australia's censorship guidelines. The expense of the product recall, recoding the game and reprinting the discs would be "significant". Mr Ellingford said he was waiting for the final report from the OFLC and a face-to-face meeting to discuss the specific problems before he would "push the button" for recoding to start. He expected to give the go-ahead on December 20 and the best-case scenario would see the game back on shelves by January 25. Take 2 Interactive planned to launch a version of the game in PC format by March, but there were no plans at this stage to develop it for Microsoft's Xbox. Grand Theft Auto 3 is one of a new breed of highly realistic games that give complete freedom to the player within the game world. The player is cast as a gangster who car-jacks vehicles and performs contract work for various crime bosses. The game contains a scene in which the player can hire a prostitute - although the graphics are limited to a shaking car parked under a tree - but this is not required to complete the game. The OFLC objected to the fact that the player can bash and kill the prostitute for money after having sex with her. Cant wait for Grand Theft Crypto.