UK IPv6 Deployment Conference

The UK IPv6 Task Force, in conjunction with RIPE NCC and the European IST IPv6 Cluster, is presenting a programme of IPv6 events from 23rd-24th September 2004.

IPv6, the new version of the basic Internet Protocol upon which all Internet communications run, has now reached maturity in the standardisation processes within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). As a result, leading router and systems vendors are delivering commercially supported IPv6 products. These products have allowed a number of national and international networks to deploy production support for IPv6 communications in their backbones, including, but not limited to, many academic research networks.

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See Full Details below.

Kendra Broadband Future Forum

Emerging interoperable content publishing and discovery technologies will create a dynamic and open marketplace. Right now, finding media is hard, and paying for it is harder. New standards such as W3C's semantic web will enable new and exciting business models to be created. Consumers will find and buy content where, when and how they want. How will content owners and service providers gain competitive edge in this new flat world? What is the impact on current business models and strategic planning? This event will provide a vision presentation, prototype demonstration and group discussion. It will interest researchers, media executives and commentators keen to keep abreast of standards development implications.

• Daniel Harris (Kendra Initiative): Introduction to Kendra Initiative
• Romek Szczesniak (Spiky Black Cat Records): The KendraMusicCatalogueTrial
• Mamading Ceesay (IT Consultant / Web Developer): The BBC CreativeArchive
• Neil Harris (Managing Director, Media Channel): KendraBase Semantic publishing/querying prototype
• Opportunity for group discussion(s) from 8.15 to 9pm.

Presented by the Kendra Initiative in Content Delivery.
Chaired by Howard Gerlis, BCS Internet Specialist Group. Organised in collaboration with ACM British Chapter and the Dept of Computing, City University.

Net Appliances: Connecting to the Internet

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Thousands of visually impaired people use the Internet to find vast amounts of previously unavailable information. An ordinary PC can be equipped with speech output or Braille display technology for the blind or partially sighted. This new technology has the power to revolutionise the lives of the visually impaired.

For the technology to work, web pages must be written in correct HTML, but blind people find many web sites useless because the coding falls below the required standard.

• Why should you make your site accessible?
• What is accessible design?
• How do the visually impaired use the Internet?
• What are good and bad practice?
• What are the guidelines?
• What resources are available to help designers?

Armed with a case study, Julie addressed all these issues.

Julie Howell has worked for the RNIB for six years. She became the RNIB's first Web site designer in 1997. In May 1999, she joined the Public Policy and Digital Access Teams as a Campaign Officer with the responsibility of influencing public policy so that people with sight problems could enjoy full access to the Internet. She has worked for the government and has been involved in publications on the subject. She is an active member of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Education and Outreach Working Party and founded one of the world's most popular online communities for people with Multiple Sclerosis (Jooly's Joint at: www.mswebpals.org). In July 2000, Jooly's Joint was named 'Best Online Community' in the New Statesman New Media Awards, and 'Mirror Readers Choice' in the Yell UK Web Awards. She is a graduate in information studies and a member of he Institute of Information Scientists.

Catherine Pope has experience of many web technologies including HTML, Java Script, PERL, UNIX and dynamic content. For three years, she was Webmaster at the Institute of Petroleum, leaving to join Interactive Investors Internatinal as a Web Developer. She is an active member of the BCS-ISG committee and has led a number of seminars for the BCS Central London Branch.

Web Site Trading - Making it Legal

Can you protect your property rights on the Web? Is money safe when sent over the Web? Are some trades illegal on the Internet? Can you infringe foreign laws over the Internet? How can contracts be effective over the Internet? These and many other questions arise when doing business over the Internet Nigel Wildish, of Field Fisher Waterhouse, explained these and other issues relating to Internet trading.

Nigel Wildish is a partner in City law firm, Field Fisher Waterhouse and for many years has specialised in IT practice. With the advent of e-commerce, he now specialises in advising on web site terms, intellectual and property and liability issues as well as IT matters. His clients include large quoted companies, multi-nationals, SMEs and e-business start-us. He speaks and writes widely on e-commerce subjects.

Legal problems with electronic signatures

It is thought that the development of a public key infrastructure will encourage the take-up of electronic signatures. Although politicians the world over have jumped on the e-bandwagon by passing laws permitting the use of electronic signatures, there are a number of issues that affect the validity of an electronic signature in a court of law.

For instance, Jane decides to negotiate with Sandeep to buy a new computer system. Both parties take time to negotiate the terms, and the document goes through a number of versions before the final text is agreed. Once complete, the document can be signed. Alternatively, both parties can exchange e-mails, with or without electronic signatures attached, agreeing to enter the contract.

If the parties choose to use electronic signatures, each may be exposed to various risks, such as:

• a hacker, via a Trojan horse, sends an e-mail from Jane with her electronic signature to Sandeep, agreeing to a different price;
• a disgruntled ex-employee of Sandeep's retains access to the system and changes the version of the document on Sandeep's system, so Sandeep sends a different version to Jane than he intends;
• Jane checks Sandeep's digital certificate to ensure it has not been repudiated, but Sandeep cannot rely on Jane's certificate because his software will not send him to the URL containing the relevant certification revocation list.

If the computer system is installed satisfactorily, any inconsistencies in the contract that have been missed by either party will probably not matter. However, if a dispute occurs, each party may need to concentrate on proving the authenticity of the particular document they thought formed the basis of the contract. This demonstrates that the Electronic Communications Act 2000 only provides that an electronic signature is evidence of the authenticity or integrity of the communication, and not whether the communication is intended to have any legal effect.

© Stephen Mason, 2001
Legal Director, Ikan plc, 60 Lombard Street, LONDON, EC3V 9EA