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Spring 2015 Issue 49 |
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GLOBE: Towards
a More Inclusive Society Through the Use of ICT H.E. The President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca together
with Parlamentry Secretary Hon Dr Jose Herrera and Hon Kristy Debono, presided the Annual General Meeting of the
Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility (FITA). “It is important
that whoever is providing ICT services, appreciate and implement effective
ICT accessibility mechanisms in order to have a more inclusive society
through the use of technology.” stressed H.E. President of Ms. Olivieri described how FITA has a reltively wide portfolio of
services and initiatives geared at addressing both disabled persons and also
educators and employers who seek to enhance the accessibility of their
services. She also urged disability NGOs and service providers to make use of
these tools and opportunities provided by FITA. As per Government’s vision in
this sector, FITA can collaborate with private and public sector entities to
ensure that more persons with disabilities can be integrated into various
jobs and initiatives. This will be done by improving the ICT knowledge and
skills of persons with disability through FITA’s various programmes and also
by suggesting applicable ICT platforms for entities to operate more
inclusively. Mr Stanley M Debono, FITA CEO delivered an overview of FITA’s
activities, including the use of the MSE over the years and the benefits for
entities like local banks and their clients from using FITA’s ICT
Accessibility Certification services. Mr Tony Borg and Mr Joseph Cauchi, both
FITA service users, delivered short presentations outlining how they
benefited from FITA ICT Training and FITA’s ICT Accessibility Consultancy
respectively. Opposition Spokesperson for Competitiveness and Economic
Growth, Hon Kristy Debono, explained how important it is that more
individuals get to know about FITA’s work and how this is benefitting large
amounts of disabled persons through increased accessibility. Hon. Herrera, Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and
Economic Growth, commented how the training and ICT solutions must be used
for persons with disability to generate exposure to work opportunities. This
will not only lead to financial independence, but as FITA experienced
directly through its own ICT courses, an increased level of self confidence.
“These people that are working wholeheartedly to gain qualifications and
maximise their potential” he said. Persons with disability have increased
access to education and rightly so, now have higher expectations. It is
therefore important that they are given equal opportunities for work, so they
will continue to become more productive and contribute more actively in
society. From
http://www.di-ve.com/
Cyber
Sovereignty Must Rule Global Internet China-U.S. relations in the field of the
Internet is now an important component of the new model of major
power relationship. To a great extent, the Internet will decide the future of
both countries. As it is now, the relationship is generally positive and
making progress in a steady manner in spite of hurdles. The relationship
displays two features: First, deep fusion and high stakes. The These two alternatives are not intrinsically contradictory.
Without "multilateral," there would be no
"multi-stakeholders." Exaggerating our disagreements due to
difference in concepts is neither helpful to the China-U.S. Internet
relations nor beneficial to global governance and the development of the
Internet. Our deep integration is because of confidence, but our
disagreements are due to lack of trust. Confidence without trust is the
unavoidable issue of the current China-U.S. Internet relations. Looking back
at the 20 years' history of exchanges and development between the Internet
industries of We can have arguments but we must not discard trust. We should
not be confused or blinded by chaotic situations. Instead, we should look
carefully at the issues with a historic perspective. We should see that
cooperation between In this spirit, I therefore put forward five propositions: 1. First, mutual appreciation instead of mutual negating. The Internet was invented in the 2. Second, mutual respect instead of confrontation and
accusation. All countries, big or small, should be equal. We should respect
each other's cyber sovereignty, Internet governance, major concerns and
cultural differences. We should strengthen communication, increase
understanding and broaden consensus. The success of the Internet in 3. Third, mutual governance instead of self-interest. President Xi has called for a multilateral, democratic and
transparent international Internet governance system that upholds peace,
security, openness and cooperation of cyberspace. That is the common
consensus of international cyberspace governance. "No country can
achieve absolute security without the overall security of international
cyberspace." The gauge of a great country is not its power, but its
responsibility. Peace between major countries may not result in a peaceful
cyberspace, but distrust will definitely bring chaos. A responsible major
country should never restrain others for its own development, or infringe on
other countries' security to protect its own security. No country can achieve
absolute security without the overall security of international cyberspace.
As long as we take a long-term view and prepare for a new era of shared
governance, we can translate the diversity of development into the driving
force of world Internet development. 4. Fourth, mutual trust instead of mutual suspicion. As the nation with the most Internet users in the world, 5. Fifth, win-win instead of zero-sum. The development of From
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
New Tools to
Implement Egovernment The eGovernment is linked to the consolidation of democratic
governance and seeks ways to facilitate and enhance the participation of
citizens in public debate and policy formulation in public policies through
participatory consultations of citizens, so, the Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB) launched GobAPP.com, which intends to be a think tank to promote
the use of digital tools that bring citizens and governments and facilitate a
more inclusive and transparent governance. When XVII Ibero-American Summit of
Chiefs of State and Government, gathered in Santiago de Chile on November 10,
2007, it resolved to aprove the Ibero-American Electronic Government Charter
adopted by the IX Ibero-American Conference of Ministers of Public
Administration and State Reform, and this was the beginning, with firm and
determined step, of a path that will soon have, with the help of the IDB, a
technological element that will enhance it even more. For the Ibero-American Charter, eGovernment and eAdministration
are synonymous and refer to the use of ICT in administration bodies to
improve information and services offered to citizens, guide the effectiveness
and efficiency of public administration and increase substantively the public
sector transparency and citizen participation. The adoption of egovernment in
public administration from the Ibero-American States tries to contribute to
the development of Society and would never be a simple response to
technological opportunities that come from the market. The eGovernment is
symbiotically linked to the consolidation of democratic governance and seeks
ways to facilitate and enhance the participation of citizens in public debate
and policy formulation in general or sectoral public policies, among other
means, through participatory consultations of citizens, so, in this line, the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched GobAPP.com, which intends to
be a think tank to promote the use of digital tools that bring citizens and
governments and facilitate a more inclusive and transparent governance. GobAPP.com will bring together various initiatives, as
yoGobierno.org, SomosAfro.org andGob247.org, and will be a place to test new
ideas of governance through social and digital media in order to transfer
them to other institutions once entrenched. This think tank has the support
of different governments in the region: From
http://www.lexology.com/
Harvard’s Bob Behn has written about the spread of the
“PerformanceStat” movement across the U.S during the past two decades. Now
the creation of “Delivery Units,” which is another name for this phenomenon,
has spread across the world -– even to The authors of the IDB study highlight the importance of “an
integrated, whole-of-government approach (i.e., one that emphasizes a common
strategy for the entire government, rather than letting each department
implement its own agenda)." They recommend a range of routines,
processes and technologies that help make this approach work for public
executives. The study’s recommendations reach beyond The authors examine different configurations of how to best achieve
integrated policy implementation at the “center of government” in Latin
American countries. They describe the use of competitive, collegial and
hierarchical managerial styles, noting that different chief executives have
tailored their management styles “according to their own personalities,
political realities, available information, or other contextual
factors." The authors also observe that the structures developed for
effective centers of government “are less relevant than the capacity to perform
the functions. [However,] to embed this capacity, certain processes,
mechanisms, and technologies have to be institutionalized so that new
administrations do not have to create them afresh." In reaching these
conclusions, they researched the use of Delivery Units and other central
government approaches in the Chile’s “center of government” operations have evolved over the
past two decades, but when a new government took office in 2010, the new
president, Sebastián Pi?era, established a President’s Delivery Unit
(somewhat patterned after the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in the United
Kingdom, 2001-2010). The new government identified seven programmatic
priorities, or “pillars” (e.g., citizen security, employment, health and education).
This new unit created an evaluation and results monitoring system that
reported to the president. For these broad priorities, the President’s
Delivery Unit was involved in drafting protocols to coordinate interagency
committees, assisted the sectors in defining what results were to be achieved
in each priority area, and how those results would be channeled into the
formal decision-making process. It was also involved in drafting the
president’s May 21st Speech (akin to our State of the Pernambuco's Performance Pacts When governor Eduardo Campos took office in 2007, he had 66
agency heads reporting directly to him. He quickly decided he needed a better
center-of-government structure and he committed to using a data-driven
management approach. Pernambuco is the seventh most populous state in He also established a secretariat of planning and management
that created multiyear strategy maps. For example, the study says, "the
2012-15 map includes 12 objectives and 750 priority
goals (of which 382 were still being monitored as of late 2013)." The
plan was developed with citizen input, not unlike what “These analysts collect information, monitor the planned
activities, prepare the monitoring meetings, and oversee the delivery of the
agreements made at the meetings." The authors say, "Engaging
employees from all levels of the civil service, from managers to a range of
front-line staff, has begun to change the organizational culture of
Pernambuco’s public administration." It also increased its focus on
achieving tangible results. For example, one of the pacts, called the
"Pact for Life" – the state's violent crime reduction goal –
resulted in a 30 percent reduction in homicides between 2007 and 2012.
Homicides rose in the rest of the country. A New Leadership Strategy? In most governments that have employed PerformanceStat or
Delivery Units, their success seems to be based on the level of commitment of
the leader. Behn says its value is rooted in its role as a leadership
strategy, not a process or function. The IDB report, however, offers several
ideas to help institutionalize several processes that may incentivize – or at
least make it easier – for future leaders to want to adopt them as their own
leadership strategy. These include: - Creating or empowering a secretariat or program management
office focused on achieving results. - Creating routines and using analytic tools to inform
decision-making. - Documenting the processes used. - Establishing stronger links with the delivery system,
including local governments. - Investing more attention in learning from what works and what
doesn’t (rather than relying on them as primarily an accountability tool). - Increasing citizen engagement in the process (so they demand
better value from their political leaders). In the From
http://www.govexec.com/
Like others
in the region, including From
http://www.futuregov.asia
China will push forward the use of e-commerce platforms to more
than 60,000 impoverished villages in the next five years to aid its relief effort,
a senior official said on Wednesday at a conference in Beijing on national
poverty alleviation.Liu Yongfu, head of the State Council Leading Group
Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said the country will
encourage residents in poor rural areas to open stores on major e-commerce
platforms to distribute their agricultural produce.The authority will select
1,500 poverty-stricken villages in 2015 for a e-commerce pilot project, Liu
said.The e-commerce program is part of the authority's effort to help those
with the most pressing needs and to make the most efficient use of poverty
reduction funds."We should further increase the intensity of our relief
effort, but we should also make sure the relief effort will go to those who
need it most," he said at the conference.The authority will roll out
favorable measures to the poor villages to develop e-commerce networks and
platforms that will enable villages and households to sell their products
directly to the market. Training sessions for farmers in the use of the
platforms will also be organized, he said.The
authority will sign more agreements with e-commerce platforms to encourage
more of them to join the poverty relief effort in the rural areas. Several leading e-commerce companies in China have already
announced plans to boost their infrastructure and facilities in rural areas
to further explore the untapped market.E-commerce giant Alibaba announced
plans in October to invest 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) within three to
five years to build thousands of facilities in rural China that include 1,000
"county operational centers" and 100,000 "village service
stations". The move will extend the company's network to one-third of From http://www.news.cn/
From
http://www.i-policy.org/ The government, companies and universities are trying to meet
the challenge of producing more “data scientists,” experts that skillfully utilize
statistics and other techniques to analyze big data, large volumes of
electronic data gathered by corporations, for use in creating managerial and
sales strategies. Compared to other countries, The “office for considering the development of data scientists,”
launched by 10 companies and organizations, including IT companies NTT Data
Corp. and Nihon Unisys Ltd., established a system in June 2014 to clarify the
skill and knowledge required for five different levels, such as “beginners”
and “instructors.” This system is then applied to training programs provided
in each company. In addition, the Japan DataScientist Society, created by 30
companies and groups including major advertising agency Dentsu Inc. and major
online search company Yahoo Japan Corp., publicly announced a similar system
in December 2014. However, these activities fail to follow a common path. According to a survey conducted by the Japan Users Association
of Information Systems, only slightly more than 8 percent of companies
currently utilize big data in their systems (including those in the process
of doing so). A major factor contributing to this is that Japanese students
of universities and other educational institutions have few opportunities to
learn statistics, especially those in the arts and humanities fields.
According to a government report on information and communications, only
about 3,400 graduates of Japanese universities had received training as of
2008, around one-seventh of the total in the In 2013, about 6,000 From
http://the-japan-news.com
The South Korean government has set forth a new vision for
enabling the country to achieve sustainability through information technology
amid the dawning of the Internet of Things era. In an event commemorating the
country’s achievement of connecting the society through IT since From
http://www.koreaherald.com
New Zealand
has topped the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
in fibre broadband uptake, seeing a 272 percent increase in fibre broadband
connection growth for the year ending June 2014, almost double the rate of
increase of Luxembourg, which came second, with 139 percent. By comparison, Meanwhile,
fixed-line broadband subscriptions in the OECD area reached 344.6 million as of
June 2014, up from 332 million in June 2013 and making an average penetration
of 27.4 percent. DSL remains the prevalent technology, making up 51.5 percent
of fixed broadband subscriptions, but it continues to be gradually replaced
by fibre, which now accounts for 17 percent of subscriptions. Cable made up
most of the rest, with 31.4 percent. From
http://www.zdnet.com
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EUROPE: Belgian telecom prices are in line with the average charged in
neighbouring countries, according to a study by the regulator BIPT. This is
the third edition of the study aimed at helping to orientate government
policy in the sector. The study looked at almost 700 telecom plans advertised
in August From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
What exactly From
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/
NORTH
AMERICA: Keeping data inside Public works wanted to find out from industry if the following
strategies for “reducing - Require that all domestic data traffic be routed exclusively
through - Require that all databases in which data is stored be running
on servers located in - Ensure that there are no connections from the Canadian
database(s)/servers to any supplier database located outside Canada, with no
way (short of hacking) of accessing the Canadian database(s) from a location
outside of Canada; - Encrypt the data (in transit and at rest) and ensure that
encryption keys are held only by - Require physical segregation of The government also wants any contract with a provider to
clearly state that “ “Some European countries also won’t allow certain types of data
to leave the country,” said writer David Linthicum. However, he said, if
Canada were to go with a large multinational providers it is likely that data
will be replicated across borders and in some cases “you’ll have no clue”
that this is happening. If the concern is that data cross the border might
not be safe from the prying eye of United States authorities, the idea of
data sovereignty is “a bit of an illusion,” according to David Fraser, a
Canadian privacy lawyer and partner with the Halifax firm McInnes Cooper. He
said most countries have legal tools that allow their law enforcement
agencies to make legal claims to data held in their countries or outside
their borders. The real issue for From
http://www.itworldcanada.com/
As we begin 2015, what do your customers really need from you?
What is your government technology infrastructure plan of action for the
coming year? Here are seven must-have strategies for enterprises to enable
long-lasting innovation. More than fifty years ago, Today, our opportunities to improve are just as great in our new
21st century information society; however, our current needs are different.
Technology upgrades are essential to enable the online services that require
an upgraded electronic transport infrastructure that is both safe and fast.
In order to take full advantage of the explosive growth in data as well as
new service opportunities, there is a desperate need for infrastructure
action at federal, state and local levels of government. The trouble is, progress is not as easy as just buying new technology.
No doubt, new innovative software, hardware, networks, tools, databases,
monitoring equipment and more are available for purchase to help the public
and private sectors. But legacy systems often slow down progress
dramatically. Industry experts have long recognized that the right mix of
people, process and technology is needed to integrate new solutions. What’s
also required is a sense of urgency by government leadership on these
infrastructure projects across the nation. Background on This Essential 7 List So what infrastructure upgrades should be on everyone’s 2015
roadmap? As background, plenty of infrastructure priorities were offered in
2014 from the National Governor’s Association (NGA) to National Association
of State CIOs (NASCIO) to the National Association of Counties (NACo).
NASCIO’s top ten CIO priority list is a great place to start – along with the
award-winning NASCIO projects. (Top tip:
Take the time to read through the innovative NASCIO award winners and
finalists from the past three years to help with relevant project details.) There are also excellent lists from Gartner, Forrester and
Deloitte that offer great direction as well as resources, aids and potential
building blocks for conceptual frameworks in coordinating or integrating
solutions or projects. But before we go to the list, here’s a warning. These
labels aren’t new and the technology concepts are not difficult. In fact, the
broad categories described can become a hindrance to action, in my view. The
reason? Management may be tempted
to think they’ve “been there, done that and got the T-shirt” regarding
infrastructure topics, rather than see the need for evolutionary improvements. All of these technology areas are in vastly different places in
2015 than they were even a few years back. In fact, it is not uncommon to be
on version 2.0 or 3.0 regarding many of these topics. Just as many users of
the original iPhone have annually upgraded to a new device with numerous
additional features, most of these infrastructure strategies require a fresh
look and a strategy refresh approximately every two years. In each of these
seven essential technology areas, I have listed one or two award-winning
government examples that can be used to kick-start your efforts. There are
also numerous vendor case studies from around the country that can offer
helpful solutions, and I’ve listed a few of those examples. 1) Cloud strategy –
Whether using a public cloud, private cloud or a hybrid mix, every government
needs a workable cloud strategy that can transform service delivery. As the
Federal government’s cloud.cio.gov points out, “There are many types of cloud
computing services and each provides unique benefits. As you consider moving to the cloud,
learn how agencies are already benefiting from cloud computing and how your
agency can use cloud services to reap similar benefits….” Cisco, Google and
Microsoft Cloud for government programs are all worth considering. Also, take
a look at the FedRAMP program for help with cloud providers. 2) Mobile-first
strategy – More and more governments have declared “mobile-first” strategies.
Two leading approaches come from 3) (Big) Data
analytics strategy – More and more governments are using big data analytics
strategies to reduce fraud, build enterprise-wide data warehouses and much
more. The Tech America Foundation
published this report on Big Data. According to this Pew Trust article, “ 4) Network /
Datacenter architecture redesign strategy – After the aggressive
virtualization of servers and networks in datacenters in governments over the
past few years, many networks now requires redesigns. Cisco and VMWare offer
case studies and tutorials to help. Here’s some helpful metrics from the
VMWare: - Virtualization
provides government organizations with an evolutionary path to cloud
computing that preserves existing IT investments, security and control…. - Reduce data
center and capital costs by as much as 60 percent. - Cut the
operating expenses around your end-user computing environment by up to 50
percent. - Reduce time
spent on routine administrative tasks by about a third. - Reduce
power, cooling and real estate needs to cut energy costs by up to 80 percent. 5) Identity &
Access Management (IAM) strategy – For more than a decade, enterprises having
been seeking the “holy grail” of single sign-on for end user customers.
Sorry, but it’s not happening. In fact, the number of passwords and access
methodologies is increasing in many organizations as social media and
disparate system use grows dramatically. Still, federated identity management
can dramatically improve service delivery and help governments offer better
customer service. From a security and provisioning perspective IAM is a
must-do to reduce password and provisioning challenges. Deloitte has
delivered several excellent solutions using IBM technology, and there are
numerous other solutions that work well.
NASCIO offers a good description of the benefits here. 6) Broadband /
wireless connectivity strategy – Faster Internet speeds. More WiFi. Better
reliability. These technology challenges continue to evolve as things speed
up, so governments are in the never-ending cycle of trying to keep up.
Therefore, governments need a strategy to constantly assess and adjust online
speeds and service for internal government customers and citizens. The State
of 7) Disaster recovery
(DR) / business continuity planning (BCP) / incident management strategies -
And what if something goes wrong? Are you ready? From breaches to fires,
floods, tornadoes and hurricanes, strategic plans and specific projects for
critical infrastructure protection are now a must. These topics are often
also be split into different groupings in most
states, but make sure these strategies align. The DR & BCP topics are not
new. NASCIO published this IT Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Toolkit in 2007, but most of the items in the checklist still apply. Still,
more must be done to prepare for the inevitable. FEMA has highlighted the
Michigan Cyber Disruption Response Strategy as a best-practice in governments
working with the private sector on cyberattacks. The State of Why Infrastructure Urgency? I suspect that readers have seen the items on this list before.
Nevertheless, is your government making progress on turning your strategies
into projects with deliverables that matter? Are funding and resources being
applied to these priorities? Are Request for
Proposals (RFPs) being issued? Is staff being held accountable to deliver?
Are you measuring progress? Government technology leaders have an opportunity
to leverage the work of other public and private organizations to leap-frog
the pack and make meaningful progress. And yet, a lack of action will
certainly hamper innovation efforts as new applications come on line that
rely on state-of-the-art infrastructure. Sadly, many government staff now have more up-to-date technology at home than at work. From
http://www.govtech.com/
Copyright
Law as a Tool for State Censorship of the Internet When state officials seek to censor online speech, they're going
to use the quickest and easiest method available. For many, copyright
takedown notices do the trick. After years of lobbying and increasing
pressure from content industries on policymakers and tech companies, sending
copyright notices to take media offline is easier than ever. The copyright
law that state actors most often invoke is the Digital Millennium Copyright
Act (DMCA). The DMCA was the first major digital copyright law passed in the The DMCA has become a global tool for censorship, precisely because
it was designed to facilitate the removal of online media. The law carries
provisions on intermediary liability, among many other strict copyright
enforcement rules, which induce websites, Internet service providers, and
other such "intermediaries" to remove content that is alleged to be
a copyright infringement. If the DMCA is It's a norm that is reinforced and exported abroad by dozens of
trade agreements that carry provisions that mirror, and further entrench,
restrictive interpretations of the DMCA. The South Korea-US free trade
agreement (aka KORUS) and the Australia-US free trade agreement (aka AUSFTA)
are just two examples. The language in those agreements
were actually a lot like the DMCA. But the negotiators abstracted the
language just enough so that DMCA and State Censorship Around the World: A Timeline of Case
Studies UNITED STATES: YouTube removed a 30-second Air Force recruitment
ad after lawyers for the Air Force's Cyber Command sent a DMCA notice
demanding it take it down. The notice was likely invalid, since UNITED STATES: The Department of Homeland Security reportedly
issued copyright takedowns to YouTube over some conspiracy theory videos, when
federal agencies themselves cannot own copyrights—unless it has been assigned
to them, which seems unlikely in this case. (August 2012) There are likely many more notices that state actors have used
to censor users. Rightsholders are sending more and more DMCA takedowns by
the year, and a telling sign of this is that some companies have begun to
quantify this abuse in their transparency reports. As companies are
increasingly being forced to be complicit in this censorship, it's now more
important as ever for them to be transparent about the notices they receive,
and for them to take advantage of the flexibility they have under the DMCA to
do what they can to protect users' speech. If you know of any cases of
state-mandated Internet censorship carried out through the DMCA or other
copyright laws' takedown procedures, please send them to maira@eff.org. We
already track general DMCA takedowns with our Takedown Hall of Shame. Now
we're looking for more cases where governments and their agencies have
directly sought to censor the Internet via their own takedown requests. From
https://www.eff.org/
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It's been reported that China is set to complete the drafting of
the country's first e-commerce law in the second half of this year.Related
organizations are said to be working on an outline for the new law, with the
goal of completing that task by March.China's booming online shopping market
is faced with challenges in online transaction security, intellectual
property rights protection, and the protection of consumers' rights. The
e-commerce law is going to play an important role in protecting consumers and
creating a healthy market environment. From http://www.news.cn/
The government, companies and universities are trying to meet
the challenge of producing more “data scientists,” experts that skillfully
utilize statistics and other techniques to analyze big data, large volumes of
electronic data gathered by corporations, for use in creating managerial and
sales strategies. Compared to other countries, The “office for considering the development of data scientists,”
launched by 10 companies and organizations, including IT companies NTT Data
Corp. and Nihon Unisys Ltd., established a system in June 2014 to clarify the
skill and knowledge required for five different levels, such as “beginners”
and “instructors.” This system is then applied to training programs provided
in each company. In addition, the Japan DataScientist Society, created by 30
companies and groups including major advertising agency Dentsu Inc. and major
online search company Yahoo Japan Corp., publicly announced a similar system
in December 2014. However, these activities fail to follow a common path. According to a survey conducted by the Japan Users Association
of Information Systems, only slightly more than 8 percent of companies
currently utilize big data in their systems (including those in the process
of doing so). A major factor contributing to this is that Japanese students
of universities and other educational institutions have few opportunities to
learn statistics, especially those in the arts and humanities fields.
According to a government report on information and communications, only
about 3,400 graduates of Japanese universities had received training as of
2008, around one-seventh of the total in the In 2013, about 6,000 From
http://the-japan-news.com
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REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, The government had taken a number of policies to unite assets to
develop self-reliant creative economy, encourage creativity and promote
awareness of intellectual property rights, he pointed out. The creative
industry in Indonesia is classified into 14 groups of industry including
architecture; design; fashion; film, video and photograph; craft; computer
and software services; music; art and antiques markets; publishing and
printing; advertising; interactive games; research and development;
performing arts; television and radio. The government is determined to make
the creative industry a major contributor to the country's gross domestic
product (GDP) in the next five years. The creative industry now employs more
than 11.79 million workers or about 10.65 percent of Indonesian workforce
which reaches 110.80 million workers. Currently, the creative economy sector
ranks seventh out of the 10 economic sectors and contributes to the tune of
6.9 percent of the GDP or Rp573.89 trillion, according to data from the Young
Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association. The government has set a target to develop the creative industry
sector by 10 percent this year and make it the third-largest contributor to
the GDP. Chairman of the Young Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association of
Jakarta Chapter Rama Datau noted recently that the creative industry shares
10 percent of the total number of businesses in From
http://en.republika.co.id/
Country Aims
to Put All Services Online by 2019 From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
Drafters of the digital economy bills have admitted that the
draft needs to be revised to better address public concerns before they
become laws this year. The Electronics Transactions Development Agency
(ETDA), a public organisation responsible for drafting the bills, hosted an
open forum yesterday to hear public opinion on the points of concern over the
proposed bills. The Agency's executive director and chief executive
Surangkana Wayuparb said that as the bills were hastily drawn up so that the
National Legislative Assembly could pass them before the next election, some
points of concern raised by the public, especially regarding the Cyber
Security Bill's Article 35 (3), lacked detail about the authority's power.
"We're committed to the balanced use of [the authority's] power,
checking [the authority's] power, and people's rights," said Surangkana.
She insisted that the goal of the bills was to support development of the
digital economy and not impose a set of security laws. "If it's done too
quickly or in a hurry, we tend to forget some things. We forgot to have public
communication. And we admit that we missed some points and missed the chance
to communicate with the public, who have raised concerns over these
bills," she said. "We will revise them, especially the particular points of
concern. We will open a forum to hear public opinion parallel with the
consideration of the Council of State. We will communicate and hold public
hearings until they become law." She said the bills were expected to
become law this year. The first batch of laws would include the bill on the establishment
of the National Digital Commission for the Economy and Society and the bill
on ministerial restructuring, she revealed. The second batch would in-clude
the Electronics Transaction Bill and related bills, while the last batch
would be the National Broadcasting and Telecommunica-tions Commission Bill,
the Digital Economy and Society Development Fund Bill, the Cyber Security
Bill, the Computer Crime Bill, and the Personal Data Protection Bill.
"These difficult bills cannot get passed by a normal government. We
would like to get them finished during the term of this government. The first
batch will be passed in the first round within the next three months,"
said Surangkana. Sarinee Achavanuntakul co-founder of the Thai Netizen Network, said that in principle nobody denied that 'Revise the bills' "It seems that the process to pass the 10 bills is not to
be retard, it is just to have an open forum every Saturday. I think that is
not enough. Instead, it should have the solid mechanism of having a public hearing
on these bills," said Sarinee. She suggested that the drafters revise
the bills by using as a guideline the Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development's Privacy and Personal Data Protection document. "The
digital economy is boundless, so the digital economy bills should be
internationalised. The important point is the balance between cyber-security
and computer crime and people's privacy and personal data protection, which
will affect the development of the digital economy," said Sarinee. Pichet
Kongsri, a member of the Digital Economy Working Group Committee chaired by
Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, said the bills were not
designed to be security laws; they were a set of bills to support the digital
economy. Pichet said that the word "security' contained in the bills
did not relate to government security but security for society, the economy,
the political sphere, and each member of the public personally. "We are finding solutions to balance security in
these four dimensions," said Pichet. Kriengkrai Bhuvanij, a
representative of the Thai Federation of ICT Technology Association, said
that global technology firms were paying attention to how the government was
handling the matter, especially the Cyber Security Bill, as it would affect
them. Nawanan Theera-Ampornpunt, deputy executive director for Informatics,
the Faculty of Medicine at From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com
ICT Ministry
Wants to Resolve Network Issues Before The INFORMATION and Communications Technology Ministry wants to
completely settle the fight over network ownership by state and private
telecoms before the Legal battle According to the build-operate-transfer terms of their
concessions, the private operators have to transfer assets under their
concessions to the state telecom enterprises after the concessions expire.
CAT Telecom and Total Access Communication (DTAC) are engaged in a legal
ownership battle over 10,419 telecom towers under the concession, while CAT
and TrueMove are wrangling over 8,031 telecom towers. Advanced Info Service
and TOT are clashing over who owns 13,198 telecom towers under the
concession. The private telecom operators in recent months have also tried to
seek ways to end these disputes with the state enterprises by suggesting
partnerships. AIS proposed to join with TOT to manage the 13,198 telecom
towers in the concession. However, TOT still has yet to make a decision.
CAT's board recently approved DTAC's proposal to set up a joint venture with
CAT to operate the telecom towers under dispute. Then CAT forwarded this
matter for the consideration of the State Enterprise Policy Commission. ICT
Minister Pornchai also said yesterday that certain digital economy bills,
including the one creating the Digital for Economy and Society Ministry, are
expected to be taken up by the National Legislative Assembly in April and go
into force in June. The government has drafted 10 bills related to the
promotion of the digital economy. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
The draft amendments to the Civil Code will be open for feedback
from Vietnamese people from all walks of life, both inside and outside the
country, from today until April 5, according to the National Assembly
Standing Committee. Members of the public can submit their opinions via the
Ministry of Justice website at http://www.moj.gov.vn as well as in documents
or at related conferences and dialogues. The revision aims to recognise and
better protect the rights of individuals and organisations in the civil
realm, helping complete socialist-oriented market economy regulations and
stabilise the legal framework for the country's socio-economic development.
The current draft comprises 672 articles, shorter than the 2009 Civil Code,
which contains 777 articles. Some are the same, while others were adjusted or
added. A report collecting public opinion on the draft revision of the Civil
Code will be submitted to the National Assembly at the ninth session of the
13th NA, scheduled to start in May. From
http://vietnamnews.vn
Incentive
Policies Necessary to Develop Support Industry More support should be given to several key industries to help
add value and increase the localisation ratio of exports, the Industry and
Trade Department of HCM City has said in a new report. The department urged
the city to develop incentive policies for support industries, especially for
engineering, electronics and garments, and encourage local enterprises to use
domestic technology, machinery and materials. To help businesses, the
department said it had provided capital, business space, IT application and
re-investment for new technology. In the near future, the city plans to give
priority to increase exports that have special advantages, including high
value-added and high-technology exports. It will also reduce exports of raw
materials. Support industries will be set up in high-tech parks, new export
markets will be approached, and high value-added agricultural products and
food will be created. More worker training courses are also part of the
city's plan. As for exports, the proportion of technology, processing and
manufacturing industries comprise 68.26 per cent, more than the city's target
of 62 per cent by 2020. On a national level, it is 58.5 per cent. The
proportion of four key industries in From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
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The Government has formulated an Approach Paper for auctioning
of coal mines which includes the proposed time schedule of the bidding
process. The Approach Paper has been uploaded on the web-site of the Ministry
seeking comments from members of the public and stakeholders concerned as a
part of the process of public consultation. This was stated by Sh. Piyush
Goyal, (Minister of state (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy
in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. From
http://pib.nic.in/ US, The Penny Pritzker said ‘this meeting was in pursuance of the
directive of President Barack Obama to work on the economic dimension of
strategic and commercial dialogue between Prime Minister Modi and President
Obama and the decisions taken’. USTDA and the respective three state governments
signed Memoranda of Understanding on January 25, for developing Venkaiah Naidu assured the From
http://southasia.oneworld.net/
From
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/ |
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Tariffs for mobile communication will be reduced in From
http://news.az/
From
http://en.trend.az/
Workers of
ICT Sphere to Fulfill Tasks Set by Azerbaijani President All workers of the sphere of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT) will make every effort to fulfill the tasks set by
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the country’s Minister of Communications
and Information Technologies Ali Abbasov said on Dec.24. He made the remarks during the
conference entitled ‘10 years of development: 2004 From
http://en.trend.az/
Gov't
Planning to Attract New Sources for Internet Development The first-priority areas of the project are expanding the number
of users and improving the quality of Internet services, expansion of
infrastructure and availability of electronic services. The project envisages
increasing the number of ports of broadband Internet and number resources in
47 cities and regions of the country. The works are expected to be completed
by the end of the year. Implementation of this project will increase the
number of broadband connections at 60 percent. The results of the first year
of the project will form the basis of the works to be done in the following
years. Currently, about 70 percent of the population use
the Internet, and the broadband Internet penetration among the population
stands at 50 percent. From
http://www.azernews.az/
“The project is designed to be realized in two phases. The first
one (until 2018) suggests the emergence of a new generation wireless
communication in all the major cities and settlements of 50,000 residents,
and the second one (up to 2022) suggests the development of LTE/GSM/UMTS
networks and introduction of LTE network in all the settlements in the
country,” according to the message.
The project will make it possible to provide a data transmission rate
of up to 100 Mbit/s, to actively introduce e-learning at higher and secondary
educational institutions, as well as provide an opportunity to watch high
definition streaming video. From
http://en.trend.az/
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The
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has started
another inquiry into the Government’s planned data retention bill. The
committee has six Coalition members and five ALP members, including former
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and former Attorney-General Mark
Dreyfus. It also includes Father of the House and former Justice Minister
Phillip Ruddock. The Opposition communications spokesman Jason Clare is on
the committee, but Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is not. There are no Green or other members. The committee says it wants
to take another look at the controversial legislation. Given that the
Coalition is in the majority it is unlikely to want to embarrass Turnbull or
Attorney-General George Brandis, but by extending its inquiry and calling for
further submissions it may have that effect. The bill seeks to implement a
mandatory telecommunications data retention regime. It contains measures to
require telecommunications suppliers in As it
stands, says the committee, “the data to be retained does not include a
person's web-browsing history, or the content of a communication, email or
social media post. The bill also limits those able to access
telecommunications and stored data to enforcement agencies with a
demonstrated need and with appropriate internal procedures to protect
privacy.” The Explanatory Memorandum to the Bill states that data retention
is necessary at this time as: # Serious
and organised criminals and persons seeking to harm # Agencies
have publicly identified the lack of availability of data as a key and
growing impediment to the ability to investigate and to prosecute serious
offences. The proposal
for a data retention regime was considered by the Committee in its 2013
Report of the Inquiry into Potential Reforms of Australia’s National Security
Legislation. In that report the committee recommended a number of features
that should characterise any proposed regime and the oversight mechanisms.
The chair of the committee, Liberal MP Dan Tehan, said that “ From http://www.itwire.com
ACS Urges QLD Govt to
Put ‘Digital First’ The
Australian Computer Society (ACS) has some suggestions for QLD Premier
Annastacia Palaszczuk to turn 1. Digital Economy Ministry & Digital Ministerial Advisory
Council Establish a
dedicated Digital Economy Ministry headed by a Cabinet Minister, supported by
a Digital Ministerial Advisory Council. The Council would provide advice to
the Government on issues and initiatives related to the demand and supply for
ICT skills, digital literacy of the workforce, workforce development
planning, and assisting key 2. Digital Skills A far
stronger emphasis on digital technologies in the education system. The ACS
strongly recommends mandating a Digital Technologies stream as part of the
primary and secondary school curriculum; encouraging VET providers to ensure
all students attain some minimum level of ICT skills and competencies; and
employers and educators working collaboratively to provide ICT students
(tertiary and VET) with more work-integrated learning opportunities (such as
internships) to help develop work readiness. 3. Digital Literacy of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) With SMEs
representing the vast majority of businesses in the economy, driving growth
requires Governments to create an environment where these businesses can
thrive. This includes SMEs being assisted to attain minimum levels of digital
competence and literacy. The ACS recommends the creation of a “hands on”
program which works with individual businesses to benchmark their digital
literacy, identify specific areas of weakness, and assists them engage with
suitable organisations and professionals who can help address these weaknesses. 4. Digital Cities A commitment
to building one or more ‘digital cities’ in From http://www.itwire.com
Draft Copyright Code Published Rights
holders and ISPs have published a draft of the Government mandated code
intended to combat online copyright infringement. Stakeholders have published
a draft of an industry code of practice intended to drive down the rate of
online copyright infringement, or ‘Internet piracy’ in “The scheme
contains strong safeguards against any threat to the privacy of Internet
users,” said “Much work
remains, but publication of the draft code is an important milestone toward
greater protection for the legitimate rights of the creative industries,” From
http://www.itwire.com
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AFRICA: The Botswanan government modernisation office has put the
provision of professional services for the development of eGovernment
service-oriented enterprise architecture out to tender, IT-Web reported. The
bidding process is expected to close by 21 January. The Public Procurement
and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) said the project should solve the
architectural problem in achieving seamless eGovernment interoperability, and
help in finding a common understanding of e-government and its realisation.
The tender invitation states that 100 percent foreign-owned companies should
subcontract up to 30 percent of the undertaking to a 100 percent
citizen-owned company, and must indicate the sub-contractor by name, as well
as the percentage of work to be subcontracted, in line with From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
Imagine this: journalists produce solid, accurate news reports
around the clock; correspondents report from locations throughout the
country; and domestic and international media as well as other correspondents
and cloud subscribers can access this new source of information. The news
sector has stabilized and reports out of Developing an independent agency The CNA project is coming together. Since November 2014 sixty
Libyan journalists have been trained in Ambassador and journalists in discussion "Stability through structure" is a comprehensive EU
project being conducted by DW Akademie. At the The trainees come from all regions in From
http://www.dw.de/
From
http://www.biztechafrica.com/
European Parliament President Martin Schulz opened this month's
plenary session on 9 February 2015. After approving a request from the
centre-right EPP group to add a resolution to next month's plenary sitting
relating to a debate on internet child abuse, scheduled for this Thursday,
MEPs began the session by debating intellectual property (IP) rights
protection. MEPs pressed the Commission on a decision it made last September
to set up an expert group on intellectual property rights, charged with
helping member states to improve protection of IP and combat infringements. Members
of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee had questioned this decision,
given that a body called the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market
(OHIM) had already been given the task of gathering experts on this subject.
After that, MEPs debated the work of the Internet Governance Forum, a United
Nations body helping countries decide good policy in relation to the Web. A
resolution to be voted on Wednesday supports the role of the body in helping
preserve an open and democratic internet, and calls for the UN to renew its
current five-year mandate. A full text report of the opening of Monday's
session can be found here. From
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Good practices in the implementation of electronic government
services will be presented at an expert workshop in From
http://www.novinite.com/
Spanish officials this week launched a new national identity
card featuring NFC connectivity and a faster microchip that powers electronic
signature capabilities. The card, known as the DNI 3.0, uses NFC to link to
an online platform on smartphones or tablets with different mobile
applications to manage services and features. E-government apps can be used
to contact the police, town hall or Social Security,as
well as manage traffic tickets and pay taxes. Meanwhile, authorities can also
use the cards to verify citizens’ identities by using its NFC features with
mobile devices. It can also be used as a travel document within the European
Union. The first card was issued to Olympic swimmer Mireia Belmonte at a
ceremony in Lleida attended by Minister of Internal Affairs, Jorge Fernandez
Diaz. The DNI 3.0 will initially be tested in Lleida before a nationwide
rollout. The card will be followed by the launch of a new ePassport which
will feature a higher chip capacity and speed; a new security paper, new holographic
components and other invisible security measures. From
http://www.securitydocumentworld.com/
Harvard’s Bob Behn has written about the spread of the
“PerformanceStat” movement across the U.S during the past two decades. Now
the creation of “Delivery Units,” which is another name for this phenomenon,
has spread across the world -– even to The authors of the IDB study highlight the importance of “an
integrated, whole-of-government approach (i.e., one that emphasizes a common
strategy for the entire government, rather than letting each department
implement its own agenda)." They recommend a range of routines,
processes and technologies that help make this approach work for public
executives. The study’s recommendations reach beyond The authors examine different configurations of how to best
achieve integrated policy implementation at the “center of government” in
Latin American countries. They describe the use of competitive, collegial and
hierarchical managerial styles, noting that different chief executives have
tailored their management styles “according to their own personalities,
political realities, available information, or other contextual
factors." The authors also observe that the structures developed for
effective centers of government “are less relevant than the capacity to
perform the functions. [However,] to embed this capacity, certain processes,
mechanisms, and technologies have to be institutionalized so that new
administrations do not have to create them afresh." In reaching these
conclusions, they researched the use of Delivery Units and other central
government approaches in the Chile’s “center of government” operations have evolved over the
past two decades, but when a new government took office in 2010, the new
president, Sebastián Pi?era, established a President’s Delivery Unit
(somewhat patterned after the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in the United
Kingdom, 2001-2010). The new government identified seven programmatic
priorities, or “pillars” (e.g., citizen security, employment, health and
education). This new unit created an evaluation and results monitoring system
that reported to the president. For these broad priorities, the President’s
Delivery Unit was involved in drafting protocols to coordinate interagency
committees, assisted the sectors in defining what results were to be achieved
in each priority area, and how those results would be channeled into the
formal decision-making process. It was also involved in drafting the
president’s May 21st Speech (akin to our State of the Pernambuco's Performance Pacts When governor Eduardo Campos took office in 2007, he had 66
agency heads reporting directly to him. He quickly decided he needed a better
center-of-government structure and he committed to using a data-driven
management approach. Pernambuco is the seventh most populous state in He also established a secretariat of planning and management
that created multiyear strategy maps. For example, the study says, "the
2012-15 map includes 12 objectives and 750 priority
goals (of which 382 were still being monitored as of late 2013)." The
plan was developed with citizen input, not unlike what “These analysts collect information, monitor the planned
activities, prepare the monitoring meetings, and oversee the delivery of the
agreements made at the meetings." The authors say, "Engaging
employees from all levels of the civil service, from managers to a range of
front-line staff, has begun to change the organizational culture of
Pernambuco’s public administration." It also increased its focus on
achieving tangible results. For example, one of the pacts, called the
"Pact for Life" – the state's violent crime reduction goal –
resulted in a 30 percent reduction in homicides between 2007 and 2012.
Homicides rose in the rest of the country. A New Leadership Strategy? In most governments that have employed PerformanceStat or
Delivery Units, their success seems to be based on the level of commitment of
the leader. Behn says its value is rooted in its role as a leadership
strategy, not a process or function. The IDB report, however, offers several
ideas to help institutionalize several processes that may incentivize – or at
least make it easier – for future leaders to want to adopt them as their own
leadership strategy. These include: - Creating or empowering a secretariat or program management
office focused on achieving results. - Creating routines and using analytic tools to inform
decision-making. - Documenting the processes used. - Establishing stronger links with the delivery system,
including local governments. - Investing more attention in learning from what works and what
doesn’t (rather than relying on them as primarily an accountability tool). - Increasing citizen engagement in the process (so they demand
better value from their political leaders). In the From
http://www.govexec.com/
NORTH
AMERICA: The White House has named Tony Scott, CIO and senior vice
president at VMware, as From
http://fcw.com/
New
Tools to Implement Egovernment The eGovernment is linked to the consolidation of democratic
governance and seeks ways to facilitate and enhance the participation of
citizens in public debate and policy formulation in public policies through
participatory consultations of citizens, so, the Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB) launched GobAPP.com, which intends to be a think tank to promote
the use of digital tools that bring citizens and governments and facilitate a
more inclusive and transparent governance. When XVII Ibero-American Summit of
Chiefs of State and Government, gathered in Santiago de Chile on November 10,
2007, it resolved to aprove the Ibero-American Electronic Government Charter
adopted by the IX Ibero-American Conference of Ministers of Public
Administration and State Reform, and this was the beginning, with firm and
determined step, of a path that will soon have, with the help of the IDB, a
technological element that will enhance it even more. For the Ibero-American Charter, eGovernment and eAdministration
are synonymous and refer to the use of ICT in administration bodies to
improve information and services offered to citizens, guide the effectiveness
and efficiency of public administration and increase substantively the public
sector transparency and citizen participation. The adoption of egovernment in
public administration from the Ibero-American States tries to contribute to
the development of Society and would never be a simple response to
technological opportunities that come from the market. The eGovernment is
symbiotically linked to the consolidation of democratic governance and seeks
ways to facilitate and enhance the participation of citizens in public debate
and policy formulation in general or sectoral public policies, among other
means, through participatory consultations of citizens, so, in this line, the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched GobAPP.com, which intends to
be a think tank to promote the use of digital tools that bring citizens and
governments and facilitate a more inclusive and transparent governance. GobAPP.com will bring together various initiatives, as
yoGobierno.org, SomosAfro.org andGob247.org, and will be a place to test new
ideas of governance through social and digital media in order to transfer
them to other institutions once entrenched. This think tank has the support
of different governments in the region: From
http://www.lexology.com/
Our
Opinion: Protect Internet from Government's Control Last month, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
is responsible for a lot of everyday maintenance — essentially acting as the
Internet’s phone book. Until recently, its major policy dilemmas have
revolved around whether to create new top-level domain names such as .tv or
.xxx. But now it is at the center of a potentially perilous transition. It
continues to operate under the Commerce Department’s benign oversight, but
Commerce’s contract with ICANN is up next year. Relying on a global community
of Internet engineers, businesses and other nongovernmental entities, ICANN
wants to end one of the last vestiges of formal The problem is that no one yet has a convincing explanation for
how the multi-stakeholder model will be immune to pernicious influences from
governments. Independent voices from global nongovernmental interests are
supposed to suffuse the ICANN system and provide a self-correcting ethos. But
civil society in many countries is deeply connected to the state, and those
states will try to manipulate or control as much as they can. Details of the
technical transition are being hammered out, but the accountability measures
and controls that will be vital to establishing and preserving a legitimate global Internet governance are taking longer.
Commerce still holds a trump card: It can renew its contract with ICANN. The
Obama administration has said it will insist on adequate protections for
freedom of speech before it lets go, and it must stick to that commitment.
That could be hard: The Snowden revelations have put pressure on the Obama
administration. Yet the free and open Internet has thrived under existing
arrangements. The From
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/
Multistakeholderism
Unmasked: How the NetMundial Initiative Shifts Battlegrounds in Internet
Governance Julia Pohle is a researcher at the centre for Studies on Media,
Information and Telecommunication (SMIT) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
She is a fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and the Global
Governance Futures (GGF 2025) program. Since 2013, Julia has been a member of
the steering committee of the Global Internet Governance Academic Network
(GigaNet). This piece is part of the ‘The Global Governance Futures The NMI was officially launched on 6 November 2014 by the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Brazilian
Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br). It is hosted by the World Economic
Forum (WEF), best known for arranging an exclusive annual meeting for the
world’s political and economic “elite” in Firstly, the process through which the NMI was created and
functions has been heavily criticized for its lack of transparency, bottom-up
inclusion and consultation. It is perceived as a significant departure from
the NETmundial outcomes, which called for internet governance to be based “on
democratic, multistakeholder processes, ensuring the meaningful and
accountable participation of all stakeholders”. In contrast to these
principles, the NMI created a “Coordination Council” that was supposed to
comprise 20 members and – like the UN Security Council – five permanent
seats, all chosen through a centralized top-down approach. Reacting to the
criticism on this arrangement, the NMI’s initiators have since distanced
themselves from the idea of permanent seats and allowed stakeholder groups to
appoint their own representatives to the council. Secondly, concerning the
objectives of the initiative, many worry that the NMI could have a negative
impact on the UN Internet Governance Forum which, despite all its flaws, has
served since its inception in 2006 as a unique grassroots discussion-forum
for policy problems related to the internet. While ICANN’s CEO Fadi Chehadé
tried to smooth ruffled feathers by asserting that the NMI’s work is not
supposed to serve as a substitute for the IGF but rather complement its
efforts, critics continue to question how additional leader-level
coordination could in any way add separate value to the existing internet
governance landscape. In addition, suspicion arose about ICANN, currently in
charge of the narrower technical issues of naming and numbering, having a
possible agenda regarding the establishment of an equivalent institutional
framework for broader internet public policy issues. Thirdly, and most interestingly, it is the interests behind the
initiative that unsettle many in the internet community, in particular those
civil society representatives who always view with a critical eye the
involvement of industry in internet governance. Due to its link with the WEF,
a small and wealthy group with expertise in facilitating engagement between
big business and governments but with little experience in grassroots
decision-making, the NMI is considered by many to be “an attempt by economic
and political elites to secure a central role in Internet governance”. This
is one of the reasons why several civil society groups usually involved in
internet governance decided to abstain from participating or endorsing this
new initiative, most prominently the Internet Society (ISOC) and the JustNet
Coalition. When looking at all the clamour over NMI, some observers rightly
wonder how much influence such an institution could actually have in terms of
real governance authority over the public policy aspects of the internet. But
despite its marginal political impact, the NMI’s announcement has already
resulted in an interesting twist in the debates about authority in global
governance because it exposes the hidden perils of multistakeholderism. Indeed, until recently, most controversies about internet
governance were the result of a dichotomy between the proponents of
traditional regulation through intergovernmental authority and those of a
multistakeholder model, the hypothetical middle ground between a free-market
model, a cyberlibertarian idea of self-regulation and the classical
governmental approach. What the debates about the two divergent approaches
rarely reveal is that most implementations of the multistakeholder approach
are far from an ideal governance model. In fact, while multistakeholderism
may have so far allowed various non-state actors to participate in internet
governance processes, it does not necessarily lead to a wider range of views
or a more global representation of interests and concerns. In several
instances, multistakeholder processes actually tend to increase the
overrepresentation of actors from the highly developed Western world, whereas
they neglect developing countries, which often lack independent civil society
networks and strong business players that could meaningfully engage in the
existing structures. But with the discussion around the NMI, the battleground
seems to have shifted: Without any intent to do so, WEF and ICANN’s new
initiative contributes to revealing this imbalance and the inherent
contradictions of stakeholders usually united by their opposition to an
intergovernmental approach to internet governance. The NetMundial Initiative
therefore fosters a new but much needed discussion on power mechanisms and
could eventually shed light on the real interests of those proponents of the
multistakeholder approach who seem eager to maintain the unbalanced
representation of voices and concerns in internet governance. In the long
run, this discussion could lead to a more honest and transparent scenario for multistakeholderism, which does not fail to
consider the rights and interests that all countries and all users have in
the governance of the global internet. From
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/
For the
Internet Governance Leaders of Tomorrow: Learning in a Multi Stakeholder
Environment Do you want to understand the multilayer, multi player
mechanisms of Internet Governance? Do you want to know what the political,
economic, social and legal implications of Internet Governance are? Do you
want to learn what is behind cryptic acronyms like ICANN, RIR, DNS, ccTLD,
gTLD, iDN, IPv6, ISP, IETF, W Application Applications will be accepted both from students and individuals
working in the private sector, in government or in civil society groups from
all over the world. Application criteria are a basic academic degree or
relevant practical experiences. The full course fee is 1000 EUR (plus 19%
VAT), but we offer reduced fee for master students of 500 EUR (plus 19% VAT).
It includes, next to the lecture programme: six nights accommodation in the guest rooms of the academy breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee one evening reception in the “Meissen Porcelain Manufactory” gala dinner in the historic wine restaurant “Vincenz Richter” boat trip on the river free WiFi access and all teaching material. Fellowship programme We can offer students from developing countries an opportunity
to apply for the global fellowship programme. These fellowships are limited and do
not all include travel costs. Therefore we kindly ask you to indicate if you
are able to cover your travel costs. The application period starts in January
2015 and remains open until 15 April 2015. If you are interested in the
European Summer School on Internet Governance (EuroSSIG), please apply by
using the online application form. For any additional questions please
contact Sandra Hoferichter the coordinator of the Summer School. From
http://www.fs-datenserver.de/
Towards
Democratic Internet Governance The Internet might have pervaded the common man's life but its
governance still remains in the hands of a few corporate giants. To counter
this, civil society organisations propose democratic Internet governance.
Though Google’s Eric Schmidt predicts the “disappearance of Internet into the
background”, a group of organisations have set out to bring to fore voices
that have remained in the background in spite of the Internet’s all pervasive
nature.As the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2015 is in progress in Davos (Jan
21-24), civil society organisations have come together to create a global
‘Internet Social Forum’ countering the WEF's NETmundial initiative for
Internet governance. The organisations aim to create an Internet space
governed in public interest. Bengaluru-based organisation IT for Change will
be an active part of this global forum, along with five other Indian
organisations: Society For Knowledge Commons, All India Peoples Science
Network, Free Software Movement of India, SLFC.in and Digital Empowrment
Foundation. The Internet Social Forum will consist of civil society organisations
from across the globe who believe that Internet
governance should not be limited to the vested interests of corporate giants.
Their endeavour is to put in place a “bottom's up” approach, where grassroots
groups can have their say in regulating Internet space. Civil organisations
feel that the WEF’s global internet policy making and governance initiative
the ‘NETmundial’, restricts itself to the voices of
the global elite. The concept of WEF itself has been countered by the “World
Social Forum” and the Internet Social Forum draws inspiration from it. In
fact, the “preparatory process” of the forum is likely to be held in March IT For Change Executive Director Parminder Jeet Singh said, “In
its current form, internet governance has not yet become a people's movement.
The Internet is increasingly controlled by corporates.” Community owned
broadband, data ownership, limits to copyright and including rural
communities in the dialogue process are some of the issues that the forum
seeks to address. Rishab Bailey, Director (legal), Society For Knowledge
Commons, added that such an initiative was significant as, at present, a lot
of thought is going into setting up institutions for Internet governance. “We
have to ensure a representative and democratic
Internet governance. Internet is a global construct and it touches all our
lives. As of now there are no concrete mechanisms to deal with issues
pertaining to Internet governance. We have to make sure that Internet
governance is a true bottoms up approach.” From
http://www.deccanherald.com/
Internet
Voting Doesn't Inspire the Apathetic: E-Democracy Yet, 14 per cent of survey respondents said they definitely or
probably wouldn’t have voted if not for the Internet voting option. Internet
voting won’t have a huge impact on turnout because it won’t likely encourage
the apathetic to vote, Goodman discerned. But it does have the potential to
encourage some non-voters to participate, she said. “Typically, these are
people who cite 'everyday life issues' as their reason for non-voting.” The
vast majority (95 per cent) of survey respondents reported a “strong
satisfaction” with Internet voting, saying it was easy, straightforward,
private and convenient, and between 94 and 98 per
cent said they would use it again in a future election. The average Internet
voter was 53 years of age, with a household income of at least $80,000 per
year and access to home Internet service. “These people were engaged, not
apathetic voters,” Goodman emphasized. Survey respondents also included candidates themselves, who
reported a 69 per cent satisfaction rating with Internet voting. The majority
– 64 per cent – felt the method made the beginning of their campaigns much
more crucial, as many voters they spoke with door-to-door had already cast a
ballot online. Goodman acknowledged a dramatic increase in advanced voter
turnout, but those results weren’t mirrored across the board. However,
administrators surveyed in municipalities offering online voting as an option
reported a 96 per cent satisfaction rating. The majority believe Internet
voting is the least risky form of voting compared to other methods such as
mail-in and traditional paper ballots. In addition to convenience and
accessibility, administrators cited “counting efficiency” as a main benefit
of internet voting and public outreach as the biggest challenge. From
http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/
International
Cyber Governance: Engagement Without Agreement? The following post is the latest installment of our Monday
Reflections feature in which a different Just Security editor takes an
in-depth look at the big stories from the previous week and/or a look ahead
to key developments on the horizon. In mid-January, the
members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)—China, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—sent a revised draft
International Code of Conduct for Information Security to the U.N.
Secretary-General. The new document updates an initial draft that Despite its intransigence on major areas of disagreement, the
latest draft does include a promising new provision on “develop[ing]
confidence-building measures aimed at increasing predictability and reducing
the likelihood of misunderstanding and the risk of conflict.” This provision,
while desirable in the abstract, won’t make the rest of the Code any more
palatable to the Despite the revisions, the SCO members’ core vision for state
control of cyber governance remains largely unchanged. Both the 2011 and 2015
versions (in par. g and par. 8, respectively) seek to establish
“multilateral, transparent and democratic” Internet governance, rejecting the
current multistakeholder model of governance that includes not just states
but civil society, technical experts, and other interested parties. Both also
highlight states’ “rights and responsibilities” to protect their “information
space” (par. e in the 2011 version, and par. However, this apparent elevation of “other interested parties”
comes after and is separate from the new Code’s provision on Internet
governance in paragraph 8, which focuses solely on states: “All States must
play the same role in, and carry equal responsibility for, international
governance of the Internet, its security, continuity and stability of
operation, and its development . . . .” This provision echoes a controversial
resolution adopted at the 2012 World Conference on International
Telecommunications (WCIT). WCIT was convened to revise the International
Telecommunication Regulations, a treaty administered by a U.N. body—the
International Telecommunications The invocation of the controversial WCIT language in the revised
Code makes clear that the SCO member states’ views on Internet governance
have not shifted and are not intended as any accommodation to the advocates
of the multistakeholder governance model. The revised draft Code also has two
potentially troubling omissions. First, it makes no mention of agreement
reached in a 2013 U.N. report that existing international law applies to
cyberspace. The The revised Code cites the GGE Report, but does not reference
the agreement that existing international law, particularly the U.N. Charter,
applies. Instead the draft Code cites only an earlier paragraph of the GGE
Report on “norms derived from existing international law” and the possible
development of additional norms “over time” (par. 16). Maybe the lack of
citation to the international law paragraph is simply an oversight; the draft
Code does at least cite the GGE report. But China’s reluctance over the course
of years to agree to the applicability of existing international law combined
with the re-proposal of the Code, which would itself be new international law
if adopted, suggest that the lack of reference to the international law
paragraph may be best understood as a sign that China continues to resist
applying existing international law to cyberspace. Second, the revised Code entirely omits a provision regarding
proliferation of weapons. The 2011 Code would have required states “[n]ot to
. . . proliferate information weapons or related technologies” (par. b). This
provision is simply missing from the new draft, and the motivation for the
omission is unclear. On the one hand, the develop confidence-building
measures aimed at increasing predictability and reducing the likelihood of
misunderstanding and the risk of conflict. Such measures will include, inter
alia, voluntary exchange of information regarding national strategies and
organizational structures for ensuring a State’s information security, the
publication of white papers and exchanges of best practice, wherever
practical and advisable. This provision may suggest a willingness on From
http://justsecurity.org/ Ensuring
Trust in Internet Governance By Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee and Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Chairman of the
House Judiciary Committee. This week in This discussion began with the surprise announcement by the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency
within the Department of Commerce, which asked ICANN to develop a proposal to
transition NTIA's role as "the historic steward of the Domain Name
System (DNS)." The announcement came as a shock to many who follow
Internet governance issues and others who depend upon the Internet to
communicate freely or conduct commerce around the world. Indeed, NTIA's
announcement appeared to directly contravene long-standing positions of both
the legislative and executive branches that the In its original press release and subsequent communications,
NTIA referred to two congressional resolutions, S.Con.Res.50 and
H.Con.Res.127, which were passed by the 112th Congress. These resolutions
affirmed House and Senate opposition to attempts by foreign governments and
inter-governmental organizations to assume control over the Internet and
generally endorsed the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance. These
resolutions were specifically intended to signal We welcome NTIA Assistant Secretary for Communications and
Information Larry Strickling's recent acknowledgements that there are no hard
and fast deadlines for completing this process. If the administration is
determined to give up oversight of ICANN and the IANA contract, permanent
improvements to ICANN's accountability and transparency are critical to
building public and congressional trust for any proposed transition. Any
consideration of such a transition must be done carefully and in close
coordination with Congress, rather than in a unilateral way. Further, we
encourage members of the public and the many constituencies with interests in
this process to make their voices and concerns heard. We also encourage ICANN
to ensure that whatever results from this process shows that the outcome
emanated from a true bottom-up multi-stakeholder process and was neither
imposed on nor unduly influenced by ICANN's leaders, staff, or members of its
board. The From
http://www.i-policy.org/
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From http://www.news.cn/
China will add an official label to all official government
websites, according to the State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform
(SCOPSR) and Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Tuesday.Domain names
of some government outlets were not properly labeled while the approval for
portals has been careless, causing problems and confusion to the public, said
Song Qing, deputy chief of SCOPR's E-government affairs department.The misuse
and choice of domain names also brought security problems including hijacking
or falsifying of websites to steal personal information.The label will be
exclusively used on approved government sites and philanthropic portals to
distinguish them from commercial ones, Song said.The label in the background
of the home page will include the department name, category, address, domain
name, issuer of the label and the time of issue.The central government will
soon review all existing government portals and rectify irregularities, said
Wang Rongxiang, vice dean of the communication bureau of the CAC. From http://www.news.cn/
China Launches Website for Complaints About
Party Officials A website allowing people to complain about Communist Party of
China (CPC) organizations and members in government departments was launched
Tuesday.Either by real name or anonymously, people can report breaches of
Party rules by organizations and members. The public can also submit
proposals to improve Party work and build clean government. The website is
run by the committee in charge of discipline for central government
departments.The Internet is an important way of reporting wrongdoings by
Party members and government officials.Also Tuesday, the CPC Central
Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) opened a new "whistle
blowing channel" on its website to support its campaign to hunt down
fugitive corrupt officials abroad. People, at home or abroad, with relevant
information are encouraged to pass on the intelligence on the website. From http://www.news.cn/
China Launches Website on Military Weaponry
Procurement A website on military weapon procurement was officially launched
on Sunday.Under the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation
Army (PLA), weain.mil.cn provides information on the country's weapon and
armament needs, relevant policies, procurement notices, enterprise lists and
technology.Private enterprises, military armament-purchasing departments and
military industry groups as well as personnel can register on the website for
consultation and further information.According to the PLA General Armament
Department, the new platform was established to cement military and civilian
integration and aims to accelerate steps in armament procurement system
reform, break procurement barriers, improve competitiveness and promote
efficiency.Since 2014, a series of policies have been issued to improve
military and civilian integration, market access, information exchange,
supervision, and security.In May, 2014, the first "military and civilian
integration forum" released around 200 items on weapon procurement,
which attracted more than 100 private enterprises and scores of cooperation
agreements were subsequently signed. From http://www.news.cn/
A Safer Internet Needs Better Governance As the world marked Safer Internet Day 2015 on Tuesday, which
aims to promote safer and more responsible use of digital technology for
children and young people, China was concerned about Internet safety in a
broader sense.China had 648 million Internet users by the end of 2014 and
more than 70 percent were worried by Internet security.Besides the safety of
computers, servers and online content, cyber security includes the safety of
national interests. China has been the target of cyber attacks, over 10,000 Chinese
websites are maliciously tampered every month and 80 percent of the
government's websites have been hacked, according to Lu Wei, minister of the
Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).IT development globally is uneven,
which means some less-digitally developed countries are at risk of being
controlled by more sophisticated nations.Mass surveillance by the United
States National Security Agency (NSA) on governments and individuals
disclosed since June 2013 by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show that
cyberspace also has boundaries. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who also heads the central
Internet security and informatization leading group, told a meeting in
February 2014 that "no Internet safety means no national
security".Countries should respect for each other's sovereignty in
cyberspace; all countries have the right and power to exercise jurisdiction
over information facilities and activities within their own territories, and
to enforce their own policies.When governments regulate the Internet within
their boundaries, they should act in line with laws and regulations, which is
what China has been doing.As the flow of information is border-free and cyber
security is a common challenge faced across the globe, shared governance
should also be advocated globally, just like this year's slogan for the Safer
Internet Day -- "Let's create a better Internet together". From http://www.news.cn/
JAPAN:
Online Voucher Websites Restore Trust, Gain Popularity The number of consumers who use websites that sell purchasing
rights for goods and services at discounted prices for a limited time has
been increasing recently. The image of these websites was once damaged after
a series of problems caused by sloppy quality management. However, constant
efforts by major online voucher providers to increase the trust of consumers
have led to growth in the market. The Japanese unit of Online voucher providers in the nation were an approximately ¥40
billion industry in 2013, up about 10 percent from the previous year,
according to an online service company. Two major voucher providers, Groupon
and Ponpare, operated by Recruit Holdings Co., are competing head to head.
Ponpare has the advantage of selling a wide variety of goods, cooperating
with tour and restaurant information websites operated by Recruit. Operated
by Rakuten Inc., RaCoupon is also popular for its loyalty program that gives
buyers discounts for future shopping. Recently, an increasing number of
people are using voucher websites through smartphone apps. Observers say
improving services offered through apps, such as sending e-mails
automatically to the app users in order to introduce items as they pass by
stores that offer the items, will likely hold the key for surviving the
competition among online voucher providers. Such websites sell vouchers for
goods and services, or purchasing rights, at discounted prices for a limited
time. Those who buy items receive vouchers online and by other means and they
receive items or services by presenting the vouchers at stores. The system
enables sellers to sell a large quantity of items in a short period of time. From
http://the-japan-news.com
Additional public data that is in high demand will be opened to
the public in the near future. Within the first half of this year, the
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced that it would revise
its existing management guidelines concerning public data and set up a policy
to promote the free use of such information. The ministry’s action will lead
to an increase in the amount of public data released to the public to about 5
million items, from the current number of nearly 3 million. To encourage the
use of public data, in 2012 the government launched an online portal,
Gonggongnuri (www.kogl.or.kr). The website allows people to use
previously-protected works and copyrighted works that used to belong to
public organizations for free with certain conditions. Also, they do not have
to sign a contract or apply for copyright use. At the end of last year, a
total of 10,936 items owned by the National Museum of Korea were added to the
portal. Early this year, approximately 130,000 items, including photos of
ancient artifacts that are part of the Cultural Heritage Administration, will
be released for public use through the website. From
http://www.korea.net
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From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
As the world becomes more connected, citizens are able to share
their ideas on how they are governed and hold their governments to account
said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in a speech earlier this week.
"People can access a huge range of statistics, indicators and
international comparisons. They can read and engage with opinions and
political philosopies from different systems around the world, and if they
are unhappy with the state of their government, they can and will tell the
world about it, in real time, with pictures, videos and hashtags to help
their message across," Prime Minister Najib noted. The Malaysian leader
has been a longstanding advocate of the role of social media by the public
sector, requiring senior officials to create accounts, and building up 2.23
million followers on his Twitter account. Speaking of the challenge of
engaging citizens, the Prime Minister referred to the challenge posed by
'disengagement in the age of distraction'. "We must find new and
creative ways to ensure people remain engaged with their local communities,
that they feel as much a part of their nation as they do their favourite
Facebook group," he continued. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
From
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
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INDIA:
FM - Role of IT Sector Is Crucial in Order to Promote E-Governance for
Empowering Citizens; to Promote the Inclusive and Sustainable Growth of the
Electronics, IT and ITeS Industries and Enhancing India’s Role in Internet
Governance The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that the role
of IT sector, be it hardware or software, is crucial in order to promote
e-governance for empowering citizens. He said that the role of this sector is
also important in promoting the inclusive and sustainable growth of the
electronics, IT and ITeS industries and enhancing The Finance Minister, Shri Jaitley said that the overall rapid
growth of the section in recent years, including exports earnings of about
US$86 billion demonstrate sustained competitiveness and an ability of the
sector to overcome structural deficiencies related to business and policy
environment. He further said that the portfolio and capabilities of Indian
IT/ITeS industry have significantly expanded, and is perhaps the only country
other than the The Finance Minister Shri Jaitley said that the Government is,
therefore, keen to leverage the inherent strength of the IT sector as it
charges the growth map for the country and would certainly take further
policy and regulatory initiatives based on the inputs from the participants
in today’s meeting. The meeting
was attended among others by Shri Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Finance,
Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, Finance Secretary, Shri Shaktikanta Dass, Revenue
Secretary, Shri Ratan P. Watal, Secretary (Expenditure), Secretary,
Electronics, Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser, and Ms. Snehlata
Shrivastava, Additional Secretary (DFS). The representatives of the IT (Hardware
& Software) Groups present during the meeting included Shri Vishal Sikka,
CEO, Infosys, Shri Suresh Senapathy, CFO, Wipro, Shri Anil Chanana, CFO, HCL
Technologies, Shri Phiroz Vandrevala, Executive Vice President, TCS, Shri R.
Chandrasekaran, Chairman, NASSCOM, Shri R. Chandrashekhar, President,
NASSCOM, Shri Sachin Bansal, CEO, Flipkart, Shri Kunal Bahl, CEO, Snapdeal,
Shri Rostow Ravanan, ED, Mindtree, Shri Naveen Tewari, CEO, InMobi, Shri
Vinod Nayyar,Tech Mahendra, , Shri Nitin Kunkolienkeer, Vice President,
Manufacturer’s Association for Information Technology, Shri Sandeep Girotra,
Head of Indian Region, Nokia, Shri N.K. Goyal, President, Telecom Equipment
Manufacturers Association of India, Shri Pankaj Mahendra, Cellular Ltd. and
Shri Subhash Goyal, President, ELCINA Electronic Industries Association of
India among others. This was for the first time that the Finance Minister held an
exclusive Pre-budget meeting with the representatives of IT industry. Various suggestions were made by
representatives of IT industry during the meeting. Major suggestions include
incentives for setting-up of data centers within the country. It was said
there is a need to give tax incentives for building infrastructure for large
data centers and cloud services within the country to ensure data security as
well as to have a big network of large software products companies within the
country. Besides it, other suggestions include more budgetary allocation for
digital literacy programme in order to make Digital India a success, to
promote innovations by allowing angel funding, stable tax regime, direct tax
benefits for the sector, tax benefits for cashless transactions, resolving
issues relating to double taxation on software products, transfer pricing and
duty drawback. There is need for clarity on royalty payment on software
products (whether goods or services) Other suggestions include initiatives to improve overall
business environment including ease of doing business and setting-up of a
High Level Committee for industry interactions. In order to make ‘Make in
India’ success, extend investment allowance for efficiency enhancing tools
like IT products, remove exclusion for expenses towards software tools for
R&D deduction, incentives for digitization of SMEs, tailor incentives for
skill development and employment generation for SMEs and large companies,
revision/clarifications on export related issues like foreign tax credit
policy, drawback scheme for services, carry backward of business losses etc.
among other. Suggestions were made for clarity in service tax between
domestic and overseas vendors for e-commerce and export
proceed realization (SEZ). There is need for MAT rate to be
rationalized, applicability on transfer pricing on companies eligible under
section From
http://pib.nic.in/ From
http://www.i-policy.org/ E-GovWatch:
Single Smartcard Soon for Workers' Social Security Benefits BENGALURU: Labour Ministry plans to issue a single smartcard for
formal sector workers to help them avail of a host of benefits under
different social security schemes such as pension, provident fund and health
insurance. The ministry will seed employees’ details such as Universal PF
Account Number (UAN), Employees State Insurance, Aadhaar, PAN, bank account
numbers as also the IFSC codes of the bank branches, with the smartcard that
will benefit employees. “The Labour Ministry has worked out a scheme to
provide a single smartcard for availing various benefits of social security
schemes available for the organised sector workers,” a senior Labour Ministry
official said. This card will be used as a tool to verify identity, age,
address, bank account and dependents for providing benefits to those workers
and their dependents under various social security schemes run by the
government through its agencies and bodies like Employees’ Provident Fund
Organisation (EPFO) and Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and
Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), he added. He further said the scheme would be rolled out after all UANs
issued by the EPFO get operationalised and stabilisation of the database.
EPFO had issued over four crore UANs to its subscribers and started seeding these
portable PF account numbers with the various know-your-customer details like
bank account, PAN and Aadhaar in July last year. At present, out of the 4.26
crore UANs issued as many as 31,41,173 PF accounts
were activated by the subscribers. For activating the UAN, the EPFO
subscriber has to log into his account on the web portal after KYC details
are verified. A senior EPFO official said that though over 1.7 crore
subscribers’ KYC detail is verified, a large number of accounts are not
activated because many members are not that tech savvy. In the present
scenario, EPFO does not issue any card or passbook to its subscribers. But
they can login into their PF accounts online and can take print out of the
statement. The ESIC, which has a subscriber base of over 1.8 crore, issues
smartcards to formal sector workers for availing health insurance benefits
under the scheme run by it. The Labour Ministry official said that with
seeding of different data of subscribers of social security schemes together
into a single chip, the ministry will be able to use it for providing
benefits such as pension, PF and deposit linked insurance. He said it will
take at least one year to make the new smart card a reality as all depends on
stabilisation of UAN database. From
http://news.siliconindia.com/ E-Governance
an Essential Part of Digital “The more technology we infuse in Governance, the better it is
for The participants and their expertise make this conference a
perfect forum to look at the way forward to effective and efficient
e-Governance. I am also told that 22 awards will be presented in 12
categories. I congratulate all the award winners and laud their efforts. Am
particularly delighted that the theme of this year's conference revolves
around digital governance, skill development and employability. Centre is
committed to realising dream of a Digital India, with a vision to make I urge you to explore ways to provide as many services as
possible through mobiles. Let us bring the world into our mobile phones! The
youthful energy that our Nation possesses is our prized asset. Giving an
impetus to skill development through technology is essential. Scale and speed
at which we have to take From
http://southasia.oneworld.net/
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International Bank of From
http://en.trend.az/ The portal will be avaliable for population since February.
Azerbaijan Mortgage Fund has successfully completed application of E-mortgage
portal and the system has been put into use of market participants. AMD told APA-Economics that the
system allows market participants – authorized credit institutions, insurance
and appraiser companies to implement all technical procedures online. Along with this, the e-mortgage
portal (www.e-ipoteka.azwil) will be launched since 2 February. From
http://news.az/
From
http://www.tradearabia.com/
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed a decree on
"Establishment of the ministry of development of information
technologies and communications".
According to the decree, released on Feb.5, the ministry is being
established on the basis of the State Committee of Communication,
Informatization and Telecommunication Technologies. Ensuring the implementation of a
unified state policy in the field of information technologies and
communications, creating the "e-government" - are among the main
tasks and directions of the new ministry’s activity. Working out and
implementing the comprehensive programs for the implementation and
development of a national information and communication system are also among
these tasks. The ministry will be charged with further development and
modernization of the telecommunication infrastructure. The ministry will implement the state programs for the creation
of the "e-government", interministerial coordination, monitoring,
evaluation and control of the activity of the ministries, departments,
companies and associations, on the scene public authorities charged with
informatization and improvement of interactive state services. The ministry will also create a unified
system of formation, storage and use of state information resources and
databases. The ministry was also
tasked to further develop the national segment of the Internet. It will also coordinate and assist the
development of domestic production and domestic market of competitive
software and services, and the introduction of modern software, information
systems and information resources.
The ministry was entrusted to implement measures to ensure information
security, and organize researches and developments, and will also execute the
functions of government regulation, licensing and control of the activities
in telecommunications area and in the use of the radio spectrum. It will also carry out international
cooperation in the field of communications and information technologies. The State Committee for Communication,
Informatization and Telecommunication Technologies was established by a
presidential decree in October 2012, replacing the Uzbek Agency for Communication
and Informatization. From
http://www.azernews.az/
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Australian Government agencies must adopt identity
authentication techniques, according to a new report by the agency which
advises the public sector on ICT. A white paper from National Information and
Communications Technology Australia (NICTA) said that using these tools will
verify that people on the website are citizens, and allow them greater
flexibility in how they access government digital services. Some governments
are already starting to test identity assurance services like those provided
by Google and Facebook, the report said. Last month, the Further, it suggests that agencies should review service
arrangements to provide more room for private platforms to work with the
government. In a speech to the FutureGov Summit this week, Paul Fletcher,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications, said that the
mindset that governments should not outsource their platforms to external
parties “is increasingly incompatible with end user needs in the digital
age”. The NICTA report also warned of challenges faced by Australian
government such as the unpopular reception of digital channels from the
public, the cost, complexity, and lack of skills to change and implement
e-government systems. Appropriate protocols are yet to be implemented for
shared services and data between agencies, it added. From http://www.futuregov.asia The Australian Government has today announced plans to
establish a Digital Transformation Office (DTO) to manage the development of
digital public services across government. Based in the Department of
Communications, the unit will combine web developers, designers, researchers
and content specialists from across government into a new unit to quickly
improve e-government services. The announcement said it will “operate more
like a start-up than a traditional government agency”. One of the DTO’s first
tasks will be creating a single digital identity for citizens to use to log
in to every online government service. The unit is also intended to work
closely with state governments, according to the announcement. The DTO is a very similar approach to that taken first in
the From http://www.futuregov.asia/ ‘Digital
Transformation’ Office to Be Setup AUSTRALIANS will be offered
a single “digital identity” to access all government services. The identity
will replace the tangle of usernames, passwords and processes that
Australians use to log on to dozens of government agencies and departments
online. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull will oversee the change,
which will be driven by a new Digital Transformation Office in his
department. The DTO will recruit developers, designers, researchers and
content specialists working across government to improve digital services. Mr
Turnbull said it would operate more like a tech start-up than a traditional
government agency. “Interacting with government should be as easy as internet
banking or ordering a taxi through an app,” he said. The minister said security
and privacy of personal information would be protected. From http://www.theaustralian.com.au Australian Government Unveils Cloud Services Panel Microsoft, Datacom, IBM, and Macquarie
Telecom are among the first to be included in the Australian government's new
whole-of-government cloud services panel. As part of the Abbott government's
digital strategy, the Department of Finance went to tender in September last
year for a whole-of-government cloud services panel to provide software,
platform, and infrastructure as a service to the government. Finance Minister
Mathias Cormann on Friday announced the first 49 companies to be added to the
panel, including F1 Solutions, Fuji Xerox, Redcore, and Zettagrid. The
government had originally targeted finalising the panel at the end of 2014.
Under the revised cloud policy released in October, government agencies must
adopt cloud where it is fit for purpose, provides adequate protection of
data, and delivers value for money. The commonwealth is attempting to drive
up agency usage of cloud services after it was revealed that despite the
government spending nearly AU$6 billion per year on IT, total procurement of
cloud services by federal agencies since July 2010 added up to just AU$4.7
million. Now that the cloud panel is in place,
the government is likely to begin examining the possibility of moving to a
whole-of-government arrangement for desktop services and email. "We're
closing at the moment a scoping study on what we're calling GovDesk and
GovMail, which are similar infrastructure-level offerings for agencies to
provide office automation services for a subscription price they can use and
provide it centrally, and potentially the same thing for email," federal
government chief technology officer John Sheridan said in November. Sheridan
indicated that the services could be put to the market later this year or in
2016. From http://www.zdnet.com Like others in the region, including From http://www.futuregov.asia Govt.nz also has the traditional feedback form, so
visitors can tell DIA about problems they find or things they don’t like. The
department used feedback and statistics on govt.nz’s predecessor,
newzealand.govt.nz, to understand what users want as well. “We used to get a
lot of emails [with] people requesting information because they couldn’t find
it on government web sites,” she said. DIA is using all of this to make
small, but continuous improvements to the web site. The department has come up with a style guide which
defines the language that should be used and how government-related topics
should be described in simple language. It is published on govt.nz and other
agencies are starting to use it in their communications with citizens,
Webster said. The government is also planning to take learnings from the
govt.nz experience and make iterative improvements to the open data portal,
data.govt.nz, she said. In the mean time, DIA will continue collecting user
feedback to decide what functionalities to introduce next and what content to
bring from other agencies. From http://www.futuregov.asia How the NZ Govt Can Do More with Data “The most popular open-data-based tools come out of
city-level data, because such data is relevant to citizens’ daily lives,”
Wallace says. “It is being used to build navigation apps that incorporate
real-time public transport information, to map out the cost of renting a
house, and to show availability at city bike-sharing terminals. The potential
social value of city-level data deserves special attention from policymakers.
What might be accessible to a machine or long-in-the-tooth city bureaucrat
could look like gibberish to anyone else, even a well-heeled data analyst,”
he adds. “Unintentional misuse of incomprehensible – or worse, unreliable –
data could carry social costs: nobody wants a navigation app that makes them
miss their train or catch the wrong bus. Open data doesn’t just mean pushing
data onto the Internet; it means investing in making sure that others can
reuse it with confidence. Some countries have national platforms for local
government data, but they are generally unimpressive, even in leading
countries,” he adds. “The best examples of city-level open data around the
world are locally controlled.” As a result, Wallace recommends that instead
of spending money on trying to open up cities’ data for them, national
governments should help poorer cities’ attempts to develop their own
platforms. From http://www.computerworld.co.nz |
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EUROPE:
In the run-up to the state budget talks on 3 February,
municipalities in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania demand that the surplus from the
federal state budget is used for faster broadband expansion, heise.de
reports. In order to get companies to invest in the area as well as to
increase competitiveness and tourism, high broadband coverage is essential,
according to local politicians. Infrastructure minister Christian Pegel (SPD)
had already announced the government will give a higher priority to digital
infrastructure when distributing the expected surplus of EUR 165 million. From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
Dutch
Govt Looks into Influence of Internet Companies The Dutch government wants to identify internet “gatekeepers”,
companies that play a special role in the internet economy and which have
therefore garnered a position of power, like Google or Facebook. The ministry
of economic affairs did not preclude the need for further regulation, which
it said it also needed in From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
Online
Digital Goods Could Be Subject to GST Under OECD Global Plan A global regime that would lead to Australians paying GST on
digital books, music, games and other items bought online from overseas is a
step closer after the release of a proposal for consideration by advanced
economies. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
released a paper in December that was strongly backed by local retailers. It
was released just before the federal government signalled it could move on
the issue as part of its own white paper process. The OECD paper follows a
forum in Advertisement In They want items bought from overseas websites for as little as
1¢ to be subject to the tax in order to even the playing field. KPMG's head
of indirect tax, Dermot Gaffney, said the OECD proposal, if implemented in Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell
Zimmerman said the OECD plan made sense, and, if implemented, would ensure
that local retailers were no longer disadvantaged. "If you're an online
retailer in Attempts to raise GST or change the
threshold would need the support of the states. Treasurer Joe Hockey had
commissioned a joint working group of state and federal bureaucrats to
finalise proposals for lowering the threshold at its March meeting, but state
governments failed to reach a deal. An options paper ahead of the tax white
paper, which Mr Frydenberg will play a big part in steering in his new role,
is expected to be released early in 2015. The white paper will also canvass
changes to GST, such as increasing its rate or broadening the base to include
other goods such as fresh food. Mr Hockey has ruled out immediate changes to
GST, saying that the budget could not afford the compensation needed to make
a GST increase politically palatable. Abbott government adviser and pollster
Mark Textor had told Fairfax Media in an interview that any increase in GST
would need to be supported by tax cuts and/or greater spending on public
services such as health and education. Mr Hockey agreed that middle and low-income Australians would
have to be "compensated" with "significant tax cuts" but
said "we haven't got the financial capacity to do that at the
moment". While the government would not take action on GST in its first
term, Mr Hockey has not ruled out taking the proposal to the next election.
In an interview with Fairfax Media in December, the OECD's head of tax,
Pascal Saint-Amans, said there was scope to lift the GST rate and broaden the
base to bring From
http://www.smh.com.au/
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Since the launch of reform and opening-up in 1978, The CEO's responsibilities are to coordinate the
"system", and to provide expertise-based services to the different
units that are essentially self-managing.There have already been some 200
"micro-enterprises" under the Haier umbrella. But up to now, only
10 percent have become fully independent and able to draw all their revenues
from market-oriented innovations. "It takes time, as it inevitably will,
for workers to adapt to the change and to tap the new resources they can
use," he said.Haier still doesn't have a mature
organizational model, Zhang admitted. But he is quite clear about its basic
goal. That is for it to become a company of many innovators and implementers,
a company of "makers" who are good at combining new technologies
and practical skills.Zhang has been active in explaining his new management
concept at various business forums, although he says it is still too early to
obtain tangible results and solid data from the structural change he has
initiated."As a direction for progress, I think this is absolutely
correct", he said, although he noted that such a change will unavoidably
meet many uncertainties along the way and will have to avoid contracting the
so-called large-enterprise disease, such as rampant bureaucracy. But the key,
he stressed, is that in the "Internet age" it needs to be done. Since 2013, Haier has radically restructured - cutting 26,000
positions for middle-level managers in a company that had 86,000 employees in
total.Zhang explains business in the Internet era has three main
characteristics: zero distance from customers, centerless organizations and
distributive use of resources."Hanging on to the past is just impossible,"
said the 65-year-old industrialist.Following these new characteristics of the
times, Haier's ongoing organizational change aims to make the company into a
platform that encourages employees to become innovators (or
"makers", in Zhang's own word) by utilizing the resources within
the company and on the Web so they can provide customized products and
services to satisfy the demands of customers.By transforming Haier into an
open business platform, Zhang said he hoped that the company would enable customers
to access services provided by some of the most intelligent people in the
world.Zhang's determination to pursue change comes from his deep conviction
that Haier's growth up to now is mainly a result of its following trends
rather than creating trends."When a storm comes, pigs can also fly in
the sky - although they don't know why," he said.During that storm in
the early 1980s, Zhang turned a bankrupt State-owned refrigerator factory in
the coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province, into a company that takes in
160 billion yuan ($27 billion) in global revenue now.To achieve that, the
company has been engaged in a constant learning process, whether adopting the
Total Quality Management from Japan in the 1980s, or the Six Sigma management
model from the United States in the 1990s."But these models are losing
their shine in the Internet age," Zhang said, and so, braving all kinds
of criticism and disbelief, he is courageously pursuing his own model. From http://www.news.cn/
JD.com Copes with Intel
for Real Sense Shopping Online China's e-commerce giant JD.com Inc. on Wednesday signed a
framework agreement with Intel Corp. to set up a joint innovation laboratory
to explore "real sense" shopping online.According to the strategic
cooperation agreement, the two Nasdaq-listed firms will develop applications
such as 3D product display and visual fitting rooms for Jingdong's retail
website JD.com.Other collaborative projects in the pipeline for the next two
years include smart hardware as well as plans to develop tailor-made servers
for corporate customers to help them promote online sales of their
products.JD.com Inc. is one of four Chinese firms in the world's top 10 Internet
companies by market value. The company said that its partnership with Intel
will help promote a slew of new applications that will improve its e-commerce
services, for example, digital image processing, database monitoring,
identity authentication and website security.JD.com Inc. moved online in
2004, selling consumer electronics, computers and books. It now has 25
million registered users and 6,000 suppliers nationwide. By the end of 2013,
JD.com Inc. had 82 warehouses in 34 cities, almost 1,500 delivery terminals
in 460 cities, and 209 locations for customers to pick up their orders. From http://www.news.cn/
Amazon Begins
Chinese-language International Shopping Services in Amazon.cn announced that its Chinese-language international
shopping store started trial operation this past week.The overseas products
purchased by Chinese consumers will be delivered to them in an average of two
weeks, with expedited shipping times of as little as three days.Consumers can
directly visit Z.cn to access the full Chinese-language Amazon international
shopping store. With localized familiar operating processes, they are able to
buy products from Amazon.com, enjoy the same price and quality as American
consumers, and read the product comments of American consumers.In regards to
tariffs, Amazon will help collect the import duties when consumers place
their orders. If the collected amount is higher than the actual amount, the
company will refund the consumers; while if it is lower than the actual
amount, consumers do not need to make up the difference.As for post-sales
services, all products purchased from Amazon international shopping store can
enjoy the localized post-sales service support in China.The first batch of
80,000 products from Amazon.com is now available during the trial operation
started from November 11, 2014, covering apparel, shoes, maternal and child
products, cosmetics, toys, personal care, outdoor, and sports. From http://www.news.cn/
Trust rating for Cloud
Firms on Cards China will soon start rating the trustworthiness of cloud
computing service providers, especially for government procurement contracts,
a move that could potentially shut the doors to foreign companies, a leading
expert involved in drafting the policy told China Daily on Friday.Only
companies that get full security clearance from the government will be allowed
to join Smart City and various other government-funded projects, said Zuo
Xiaodong, vice-president of the China Information Security Research
Institute, an industry think-tank."The basic idea of the security rating
mechanism is to find trustworthy hardware, software and service providers to
ensure that the government has total control of the entire ecosystem,"
Zuo said.He said the country is building a cloud security assessment,
authorization and monitoring system similar to the Federal Risk and Authorization
Management Program adopted by the United States two years ago.Zuo is one of
the key officials involved in drafting one of the two fundamental national
standards designed to avoid security loopholes in for-government-use cloud
products. The standards will be implemented from April. The new policy, however, poses a threat to the market share of
overseas companies in the sector although they will be allowed to take the
assessment. China may ask cloud providers to hand over key operating data and
source codes for security reasons, but no overseas company has publicly
agreed to disclose such information to the government.Increasing IT safety
concerns are pushing China to hire more local cloud technologies. A number of
projects even abandoned overseas providers for made-in-China products.Earlier
this year, Beijing-based virtualization company Sugon Information Industry Co
Ltd replaced VMware Inc, a US firm, in a high-profile cloud project in Wuxi,
Jiangsu province.Sugon, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Huawei Technologies Co
Ltd are among the most active supporters of replacing overseas cloud
products.Wang Zhengfu, chief operating officer of Sugon, said years of heavy
investment in research and development have made local firms more competitive
in the market. He said the company sees the government's security requirement
a golden opportunity to take on foreign players. Industry sources said From http://www.news.cn/
Global Christmas Buyers
Embrace Chinese Online Retailers Christmas shopping adapts to the internet age, Chinese
e-commerce sites are grasping the opportunity to play Santa Claus for the
whole world.In Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce show cross-border
e-commerce companies in "The good performance of the Chinese cross-border
e-commerce firms is based on the advantages of 'Made in The Ministry of Commerce and other departments issued a paper on
implementing policies to support cross-border e-commerce retail export in
August 2013. It defined six supportive policies for e-commerce exports, which
covered areas such as inspection, quarantine, payment and tax rebate.In
January 2014, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of
Taxation ruled qualified cross-border e-commerce retail export enterprises
could utilize the same tax exemption and rebate policies as ordinary foreign
trade enterprises."Establishing Chinese e-commerce brands and deepening
their engagement in the global market competition should be the goals for the
Chinese cross-border online retailers," Zhang Bin said.However, further
development of Chinese cross-border e-commerce is still facing obstacles such
as the slow logistics and inconvenient cross-border payments, Zhang
said.E-commerce companies should pay more attention to improving the user
experience in order to attract more international customers, he said. From http://www.news.cn/
E-Commerce to Play Key
Role in Poverty Relief China will push forward the use of e-commerce platforms to more
than 60,000 impoverished villages in the next five years to aid its relief
effort, a senior official said on Wednesday at a conference in Beijing on
national poverty alleviation.Liu Yongfu, head of the State Council Leading
Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said the country will
encourage residents in poor rural areas to open stores on major e-commerce
platforms to distribute their agricultural produce.The authority will select
1,500 poverty-stricken villages in 2015 for a e-commerce pilot project, Liu
said.The e-commerce program is part of the authority's effort to help those
with the most pressing needs and to make the most efficient use of poverty
reduction funds."We should further increase the intensity of our relief
effort, but we should also make sure the relief effort will go to those who
need it most," he said at the conference.The authority will roll out
favorable measures to the poor villages to develop e-commerce networks and
platforms that will enable villages and households to sell their products
directly to the market. Training sessions for farmers in the use of the
platforms will also be organized, he said.The
authority will sign more agreements with e-commerce platforms to encourage
more of them to join the poverty relief effort in the rural areas. Several leading e-commerce companies in China have already
announced plans to boost their infrastructure and facilities in rural areas
to further explore the untapped market.E-commerce giant Alibaba announced
plans in October to invest 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) within three to
five years to build thousands of facilities in rural China that include 1,000
"county operational centers" and 100,000 "village service
stations". The move will extend the company's network to one-third of From http://www.news.cn/
China's NetEase Attacks
Alibaba with New Cross-border Shopping Website Chinese Internet portal NetEase.com announced the public testing
of its cross-border e-commerce platform Kaola.com, which currently provides maternal and child products, food and health care
products, cosmetics and personal care products, and overseas direct mail
service.New users can directly login to the website with their NetEase
accounts. The definite date for emergence from the beta testing has not been
released.Kaola.com launched two models: bonded zone delivery and overseas
direct mail. With bonded zone delivery, products will be purchased via
centralized procurement and stored in bonded warehouses in China.Users will
be able to receive the goods in less than three days after order placement.
With overseas direct mail, products will be shipped by overseas certified
vendors and consumers can receive goods in seven to 30 days.This new website
marks NetEase's latest attempt to gain traction in the e-commerce sector. In
September 2012, NetEase launched Huihui.cn, which offered advertising
solutions for B From http://www.news.cn/
The government says China's e-commerce transactions totaled 2.1
trillion US dollars in 2014.The spokesman of the commerce ministry says the
number represents growth of 25 percent compared to 2013.China has the world's
biggest online population, 632 million as of last year.Online shopping has
exploded in recent years as consumers turn to the Internet for cheaper
products and overseas goods that are believed to be safer than domestic
options, such as baby formula.Authorities have said they hope e-commerce will
become a new "engine" for growth in the world's second-largest
economy. From http://www.news.cn/
As the world's biggest e-commerce market, China has attracted
global attention for an online shopping spree that has revolutionized the
nation's shopping habits.In 2014, China's e-commerce transactions expanded 20
percent year on year to hit 12 trillion yuan (1.96 trillion U.S. dollars),
while online retail sales grew 41 percent, ringing up transactions of 2.6
trillion yuan, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
(MIIT) showed.Hoping to tap the new territory to offset a saturated urban
market, China's e-commerce giants have stepped up expansion of online retail
business in rural areas and abroad while promoting targeted and tailored
services to consumers.Alibaba announced in October 2014 that it will invest
10 billion yuan over the next three to five years to build 1,000
"operating centers" in county seats and up to 100,000 "service
outlets" in villages in order to expand its presence in the rural
market. JD.com Inc., a Nasdaq-listed e-commerce firm, has also announced
plans to set up a county-level center in south China's Guangdong Province to
facilitate farmers shopping online.Suning Commerce Group, another major
player in Chinese e-commerce, also plans to establish 10,000 depots covering
25 percent of Chinese rural areas in five years, according to its vice
president Sun Weimin."The rural market will become a new engine to drive
e-commerce growth and the competition to dominate the new territory has just
started," said Sun.Experts forecast the rural e-commerce market will top
460 billion yuan in sales by 2016, and that it will exceed consumption by
urbanites in as few as 10 years.Meanwhile, Chinese online shoppers' appetite
for overseas goods is also growing. The Ministry of Commerce forecast cross-border trade by
e-commerce companies in China will be worth 6.5 trillion yuan in 2016, with
an average annual growth of over 30 percent.To capitalize, Amazon China
announced in August that it will begin cross-border online shopping with a
facility in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. Chinese buyers can go to Amazon websites
in the United States and other countries to buy online and receive shipments
from Shanghai in a week to 10 days with lower delivery costs.Alibaba has also
opened channels for buying goods online from overseas and is using its global
payment system, Alipay, to bring in more players from abroad, including U.S.
retailing giants Macy's, Bloomingdale's and luxury brands like Prada and Hugo
Boss. From http://www.news.cn/
Chinese Internet
Company Sets Domain Name Record with USD17 Million Purchase How much is a good website domain name worth these days? An
insider from Qihoo 360 confirmed that the company has invested USD17 million,
which is about CNY110 million, to acquire the top-level domain 360.com.This
top-level domain was previously owned by telecom carrier Vodafone.At present,
the domain has directed to Qihoo 360's search engine site Haosou.com. At the
same time, the owner information of domain record has been updated to Beijing
Qihoo Technology Company Limited.Qihoo 360's domain acquisition price
reportedly sets a new record for domain transactions, making 360.com the most
expensive publicly-priced domain in the world. Prior to this, Sex.com held
the first position. This domain was acquired by Clover Holdings Ltd from an
adult entertainment company named Escom LLC for USD13 million in 2008. The insider from Qihoo 360 said that the lack of an
international top-level domain was a major brand risk for the company. The
domain acquisition will help Qihoo 360 improve its international brand image
and eliminate the brand risk. In 2015, Qihoo 360 will enhance expansion in
overseas markets and this new top-level domain will become a big
advantage.The security software and mobile services company previously relied
on the domain 360.cn, but now it will focus on solely using the new 360.com
domain name.Dropping the .cn domain name is important for international
expansion because many email providers will block email coming from .cn
domains; search engines pigeonhole .cn domains as only focusing on Chinese
users; and many international users are unaware of the .cn extension and will
attempt instead to always visit the .com address. From http://www.news.cn/
E-Commerce Stands Test
as Couriers Go Home for China's e-commerce industry is being tested as more than half of
couriers are going home for the Lunar New Year holiday.Though the State Post
Bureau has urged companies to continue deliveries over the period, which
lasts about three weeks, some have found it hard to cope with the shortage of
labor.Wu Bo of Best Express said they had to work around the clock to handle
packages before Spring Festival, but efficiency may be affected as many
couriers in big cities have to go back home.Xiong Jun, a manager with STO
Express, said more than half of its couriers in Beijing have gone
home.China's e-commerce industry employs some 1.2 million couriers. Though a
large number of couriers go home for family reunions, some are choosing to
stay as many Chinese people can't do without delivery services.Liu Xin, a
courier from YTO Express, said he would stay in From http://www.news.cn/
Major electronics makers are rushing into the low-cost
smartphone market, shifting a business focus from supplying handsets for
major mobile phone carriers such as NTT Docomo Inc. Earlier this month,
retail giant Aeon Co. started offering Fujitsu Ltd.’s Arrows M01 handsets for
its inexpensive smartphone services. For Fujitsu, the smartphone is the first
low-cost model. While cutting costs by downgrading the performance of the
smartphone’s camera, compared with cameras of models supplied to major
carriers, Fujitsu keeps the low-end model water- and dust-proof. Peer Sharp
Corp. has started supplying its Aquos SH-M01 smartphones to low-cost services
operated by a unit of online shopping service provider Rakuten Inc. In the
meantime, Kyocera Corp.’s KC-01 model has been adopted for low-cost
smartphone services by KDDI Value Enabler Corp., a unit of KDDI Corp. Monthly
fees for low-cost smartphone services offered by retailers is about half of
those for services provided by major carriers. Smartphones for such services
have been supplied mainly by Taiwanese and Chinese electronics makers as well
as small and midsize manufacturers in From
http://the-japan-news.com
High-Speed
Visible Light Communication Tech Developed for Smartphones Panasonic Corp has developed a visible light communication
technology that uses a smartphone camera for reading and features a high data
transmission rate of several kilobits per second. The data transmission rate
of conventional visible light communication technologies that use a
smartphone camera is lower than 20 bits per second. The company will
commercialize a device that transmits an ID from a light source in fiscal
2015. As ID transmitters, Panasonic is considering lighting apparatuses,
digital signage, signboards with a built-in light source, etc. For
transmitting an ID, the brightness (contrast) of a power source is used. In
the case of digital signage whose width is 1 meter, it is possible to receive
an ID from a distance of about 5 meters. A dedicated
application software is installed in the smartphone used as an ID receiver.
By reading an image taken with a smartphone camera after separating it into
several blocks, it became possible to read data at a speed faster than the
frame rate of the camera. Panasonic plans to organize events where some
customers can experience the new technology in cooperation with Isetan
Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd and Isetan Shinjuku. From
http://www.japantoday.com
Japan’s
Biggest Online Retailers Now Have More Smartphone Traffic Than Desktop Site
Users Japan’s most visited sites saw PC traffic decline by between 10
and 20% in 2014, while access from smartphones rose rapidly, according to a
Nielson survey published this week. Online retailers saw the most marked
changes, with some experiencing as much as a 60 percent rise in mobile
internet traffic. It’s easy to see this shift to mobile as part of a wider
global trend – after all, Americans already spend more time accessing the
internet via mobile and tablet apps than with computers. But smartphone use
in Overall, the average number of visitors accessing Users prefer Facebook and Twitter’s mobile sites to apps. In
many other countries including the From
http://www.japantoday.com
Govt
Fund to Market ICT, Broadcasting Overseas The government is likely to establish a fund with the private
sector in fiscal 2015 to help market the nation’s telecommunication
technology and equipment in other countries, sources have
said. The project is designed to support Japanese companies with “All-Japan”
cooperation, namely joint efforts between public and private sectors, and to
contribute to the improvement of such technology in developing countries.
Preparations to establish the fund will start after approval is given by a
subgroup of the Fiscal System Council, an advisory panel to the finance
minister to be convened soon. The fund is expected to bring together ¥30
billion to ¥50 billion in total. The government will finance the fund with
money from the nation’s fiscal investment and loan program, and will collect
investment from the private sector including telecommunication companies,
equipment manufacturers and financial institutions. Joint ventures and local
companies that receive investments from the fund will sell devices related to
digital terrestrial broadcasting and communication equipment for cell towers
to local TV stations and communications companies. The investments are
expected to be recouped by returns on the trading of shares held by the fund.
Due to varying signal transmission systems and other factors, there are four
international standards for digital terrestrial broadcasting: Japanese,
European, American and Chinese. Possible candidate markets for the sales of
Japanese communication devices include about 20 nations such as From
http://the-japan-news.com
FSA
to Allow Bank-IT Firm Alliances The Financial Services Agency will allow banks to do business
with online shopping firms and companies that manage electronic money,
through IT-related subsidiaries, according to sources. If banks do business
with such companies, bank cards could then be equipped with e-money
functions. Users will be able to load value onto the cards from their bank
accounts at an ATM, making their shopping more convenient. The FSA plans to
submit a bill to revise the Banking Law during the ordinary Diet session next
year and have part of the new law put into force the same year. Under the
current law, a bank, in principle, must limit its capital contribution ratio
in a company in sectors other than banking to up to 5 percent. This rule is
designed to prevent banks from failing in businesses other than banking and
having their overall corporate management deteriorate, which would have an
adverse impact on the entire financial system. As online shopping services
and e-money are now widely used, however, pressure has grown to allow banks,
whose main business includes settlements, to enter such sectors. By allowing
banks to work in such sectors, problems concerning payments and receipts for
goods and services would be reduced, which many bank card holders could find
more convenient, according to the FSA. The FSA assumes a bank will
participate in the management of an online shopping service operator by
taking a stake in, or setting up, an e-money business enterprise. However,
the revised law will include certain restrictions so that banks will be
permitted to own only information technology-related companies that deal with
finance-related businesses. The agency plans to hash out the details of the new system soon.
If banks are allowed to buy IT-related companies with technologies that
secure safe money transactions, they can enter new businesses, including
e-money management. Such a collaboration could make
it easier for consumers by making each bank card multifunctional, allowing
users to load e-money on the card at ATMs while using it as a credit card.
The law revision will likely boost business alliances between banks and IT
firms in such areas as settlement services for online shoppers. Possible
business collaborations will help banks reduce their system management costs
— a heavy financial burden on their management. For example, a major bank and a major
IT-related company could jointly launch an IT start-up that handles system
management, and the new company could offer services for multiple regional
banks to lower their financial burdens considerably. The agency’s decision
has been welcomed by the banking industry, with one megabank official saying,
“We appreciate the regulation easing as it could lead to an expansion of our
settlement services.” Banks are
set to examine how they can utilize the new system for their businesses.
However, they should take care not to destabilize their core banking business
through an unsuccessful alliance with an IT firm. One major financial
institution’s business failure could have an extensive adverse impact on the
real economy — as can be seen in the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers that
triggered the global financial crisis. From
http://the-japan-news.com/
LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's No. 2 smartphone maker, has
retained its third place in market share for a fourth consecutive quarter
ending in September, data showed Wednesday, largely due to robust sales of
its marque G3. Its global market share by revenue stood at 5.4
percent in the third quarter, up from 4.8 percent three months earlier,
recent data by Strategic Analytics showed. LG has climbed from 4.1 percent in
the last quarter of 2013 and 4.2 percent in the first quarter of this
year. Its stable market share stems from brisk sales of its
flagship G3 models. The company shipped a fresh record high of 16.8 million
units of smartphones in that period, with its mobile communication unit
logging a record-setting quarterly operating profit of 384.4 billion won
(US$346.3 million) in the same period. LG's third-quarter operating
profit more than doubled from that in the previous quarter, with the net
surging 87 percent on-quarter over the cited months. Its firm
market presence compares with a fall in bigger rival Samsung Electronics Co.,
the world's No. 1 player. The portion for Samsung reached 24.8 percent in the
third quarter, a significant drop from 31.2 percent in the second quarter.
Samsung was the second-largest smartphone maker by revenue after Apple Inc.,
which took up 32.3 percent. China-based Xiaomi Inc. and Huawei
Technologies Co., two fast-growing upstarts, saw their shares come in at 4.3
percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. From
http://www.koreaherald.com
From
http://www.koreaherald.com/
Gov't
to Promote Smart Factories, Software Companies The government intends to concentrate on developing core
industries and on creating new growth engines for the country's future prosperity.
The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) announced on January
15 that it would focus on nurturing the Internet of Things (IoT), big data
and cloud computing industries, with the goals of boosting competitiveness,
improving information and communications technology (ICT) and creating new
markets. The ministry's announcement was made at Cheong Wa Dae during a
briefing on its specific objectives related to the government's three-year
plan to promote innovation and to grow the economy. During the briefing,
President Park Geun-hye said, "Many startups fail to pass the so called
'death valley' stage when they commercialize their ideas. The government
needs to concentrate more on its efforts to solve the difficulties
experienced by startups, such as raising capital when entering new markets
and developing sales channels." In a bid to improve companies' competitiveness in ICT and to
create new industries and markets, the ministry intends to invest another KRW
704 billion in R&D this year. It will also introduce a fast-track system
to reduce the amount of time needed to go from R&D planning through to
financial assistance from one year to three months. It will help develop The government plans to invest KRW 1 trillion this year in
R&D to secure green technology and energy markets, including the
reduction of greenhouse gases. It will also help develop industry models in
the solar cell and fuel cell industries to achieve KRW 216 trillion in sales
by From
http://www.korea.net
From
http://www.koreaherald.com
From
http://www.koreaherald.com/
From
http://www.koreaherald.com
Goods
Bought from Foreign E-Commerce Shops Surge in Last 5 Years: Report Goods bought from foreign e-commerce shops surged over the last
five years with the increase being fueled by demand for such products as
coffee, handbags and sneakers, a government report showed Sunday. According
to Korea Customs Service (KCS), imports from on-line shops excluding printed
materials, compact discs and tissue soared 60 percent in terms of volume and
48.4 percent in value. The data covers a period from January 2009 through
June 2014. South Koreans purchased 70.62 million items worth 2.11
trillion won (US$1.92 billion) in the cited period, and of this, 401.9
million won (US$365.3 million) were imported in the first six months of last
year. This represents a 21.7 percent and 57.1 percent jump from 12.11 million
items and 255.9 million won posted for the first half of 2013. In 2009, the
KCS said South Koreans bought 2.2 million items worth 91.1 billion won. The
customs service said in terms of numbers and value of items, coffee, handbags
and sneakers were the most imported products along with health supplements,
cosmetics and clothing. Coffee purchases alone in the last two years reached
15.2 billion won or some 540,374 shipments. For the five-year period, this
reached 18.61 billion won, totaling 648,444 shipments. Volume for handbags
reached 449,651 shipments worth 49.87 billion won during the five-year
period, while for the last two years, numbers hit 39.61 billion won and
375,772 shipments. From
http://www.koreaherald.com
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From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
INFRASTRUCTURE, legislation, and promotion will be the key
factors to make the government's "digital economy" policy a
success, one of its backers said yesterday. Sittichai Pookaiyaudom, a member
of the Digital Economy Working Group and an adviser to Deputy Prime Minister
MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, made these points at a Capital Market Research
Forum on "Driving Thailand's Economy under the Digital Economy
Concept" hosted by the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Infrastructure, both
fixed-line and wireless, is now on the way to being available throughout the
country. A fibre-optics network is expected to reach every home within three
years. Meanwhile, for improved wireless access, a spectrum auction will be
held to facilitate establishment of a fourth-generation broadband network.
Sittichai said the country needed a lot more international Internet gateways
as well as access to submarine-cable networks. These would make Even though there have been many concerns voiced that these new
laws could amount to an abuse of power and further curtailment of citizens'
rights, Sittichai played these down. "The prime minister and deputy
prime minister have ordered the drafters [of the legislation] to deal with
all the points of concern. They have insisted these will not be dictatorial
bills. Accessing any personal information of citizens will require a court
order," he said. As for the promotional factor, the private sector,
especially small and medium-sized enterprises, needs to be convinced that it
will benefit from going digital. Once the infrastructure is fully in place, a
lot of e-commerce can take off. Varakorn Samakoses, chairman of the executive
board of the Electronic Government Agency, said government policy would need
continuity to make the digital economy sustainable. He pointed to the
"Malaysia 2020" policy as an example of such continuity in a
neighbouring country. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
Ministry to
Pressure E-Commerce Businesses to Register Legally THE Commerce Ministry will make online traders register with the
Business Development Department in order to prevent unscrupulous businesses
ripping off consumers. The ministry has called for e-commerce traders to
register with the department under the Business Act so they will get a legal
business licence and protection under the law. Whichai Phochanakij, deputy
director-general of the department, said his agency expected a surge in
e-commerce traders as the government pursues a "digital economy"
policy, increasing the need for consumer protection in this area. After doing
business for 30 days, enterprises need to register with the department to get
an e-commerce licence. If they fail to do so, the department will stringently
enforce the law and punish unlicensed traders. The department will also call
on the Thai E-Commerce Association, the Thai Webmasters Association and other
associations and website own?ers not to allow unlicensed enterprises to trade
online. Businesses that have registered legally can be inspected easily and
therefore will be trusted by consumers who want to do business with them in
cyberspace. Consumers can check them with the department and relevant
associations so that they know whether an online trader is trustworthy. After
an e-commerce site registers, it will get a DBD Registered and DBD Verified
Certificate. Enterprises can also use their licence as evidence for financial
institutions, and be able to participate in the department's e-commerce
support projects. The department has also set up a dispute centre at the
Commerce Ministry's head office in Nonthaburi to clear up problems between
e-commerce traders and online shoppers. This is in response to many
complaints that were forwarded to the department and the Consumer Protection
Board. The department is holding a "Thailand Online Mega Sale" from
today till Saturday on www.thailandmegasale.com. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
True's TRUEMOVE H, the broadband cellular-service brand of True Corp,
expects service revenue growth of 10-15 per cent this year and its number of TrueMove H generates an average revenue per user of Bt1,000 per month for its From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
'Sound
Telecom Frequency Allocation' Key to Digital Era INFRASTRUCTURE is important to the military regime's quest for a
"digital economy", but more important is a system to make frequency
allocation and utilisation more efficient, said panellists at a seminar on
"Direction of Thailand's Telecommunication Infrastructure after the
Digital Economy Reform". The seminar was hosted yesterday by the Thai
Chamber of Commerce. Pacharasut Sujarittanonta, a lecturer at Superboard Amornthep Jirattiticharoen, a telecom specialist on the junta's
"superboard" overseeing state enterprises, said frequency
allocation and resource management were the key challenges facing the
digital-economy project. "We still lack efficient frequency management. Wi-Fi for schools The ministry has provided a 2-megabit-per-second Wi-Fi service
for 27,000 schools nationwide over the past three years. This year, the
ministry will bring it into another 10,000 schools. "We will have a
large data centre, jointly invested by the government and the private sector,
to store digital content and serve people nationwide. We will provide a
fibre-optics network that reaches every village throughout the country as well
as improving digital literacy for Thais," she said. Pirongrong
Ramasoota, director of the Thai Media Policy Centre, a research unit
specialising in issues related to media law and regulations at the faculty of
communication arts, From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com
Ministry
Joins Hands with Microsoft THE Science and Technology Ministry has joined with Microsoft Microsoft will provide all software resources,
cloud computing, training and experts to support students, entrepreneurs and
start-ups through practical training courses, internships and mentoring.
However, during the seven-year collaboration, 50 start-ups were created. The
re-launch of the MIC is expected to double the start-ups in the first year.
The firm also expects that the innovation centre will transform research from
the shelf into commercial applications and give confidence to start-ups to
develop their products and services commercially. Thaweesak Koanantakool,
president of NSTDA, said the partnership would build an ecosystem in the
nation. It will strengthen IT and innovation as well as transfer benefits to
the community and business. The collaboration will amplify knowledge and
create a cluster centre among the From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
Wireless
Data Charged on an 'Actual-Use Basis' FIVE TELECOM OPERATORS yesterday told the National Broadcasting
and Telecommunications Commis-sion that they had been billing customers for
wireless data services on an actual-use basis for some time. The NBTC had
called the companies in to ask them to charge customers for the use of data
services on the basis of what they actually use. All five of them - Advanced
Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication ( DTAC), True Move H, CAT
Telecom and TOT - informed the watchdog they had already been doing so for a
long time. The licensing body also asked them to stop using the term
"unlimited" when advertising data packages, and to use the term
"continuously" instead and promote understanding of the fair-usage
policy among subscribers. The NBTC is concerned that use of the term
"unlimited" will make people believe - wrongly - that they can
consume an unlimited amount of data in the packages at the same constant
speed of data transfer. Fair-usage policy, meanwhile, means customers can consume
a certain data amount offered by the packages at a high speed of data
transfer. However, the data-transmission speed will drop after the usage
exceeds that amount, although users can continue to consume an unlimited
amount of data. Meanwhile yesterday,
Saree Ongsomwang, chairman of the National Reform Council's committee for
consumer protection, said at a separate event that AIS, DTAC and True Corp
had introduced new per-second-billing call packages, which were found by the
council to be more expensive than existing packages. The new packages also
offer fewer privileges and benefits to consumers, she said. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com
Vietnamese consumer spending on electronics products and
appliances reached VND28 trillion (US$1.3 billion), a 20.9-per cent increase,
in the third quarter of 2014. Most of the products purchased were mobile phones and earphones,
which brought in sales of more than VND12 trillion ($561 million), a 28-per
cent year-on-year increase. Information and technology (IT) products ranked
second with total sales of VND5.6 trillion ($262 million). Significant growth
was also seen in total sales of three major domestic appliances:
refrigerators at 15.6 per cent, washing machines at 15.5 per cent and
microwave ovens at 12.8 per cent. However, sales of laptop computers
declined, even as sales of tablet devices doubled with the exception of the
Apple iPad and iPad mini, which ironically experienced a sales decline in the
world market following the release of Apple's iPhone 6. GFK, one of the world's largest research companies, predicted From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
Firms
Offering E-Wallet Services to Get Licences Vietnamese businesses will be granted licences to provide
e-wallet services from March 2015, after five years of a pilot programme. The
State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has issued Circular 39, stipulating the
regulations for intermediate payment services. Accordingly, e-wallet will be
recognised as one of the payment services, together with other types such as
collection and payment services. Non-banking organisations in the pilot
implementation can complete the required procedures and apply for licences.
The licences issued during the pilot scheme will be invalid by the end of
next year. The e-wallet service was first introduced in However, the SBV asked enterprises providing e-wallet services
to open an account to ensure payment, limit risks and refund money to
customers in case of emergencies. It has to be ensured that the payment is
not more than the total balance of all their e-wallets at the same time. The
businesses are not allowed to issue more than one e-wallet to a payment
account at a bank, as well as give credit to customers or pay interest rates.
Activities to increase the value of the money in the e-wallet are also
prohibited. E-wallet providers are required to have a tool for the central
bank to carry out checks and inspections of the customers' money. Deposits or
withdrawals from e-wallets have to be made through bank accounts. Statistics
from the central bank showed that at the end of 2013, the country had 1.84
million e-wallets, with a total transaction of VND23.3 trillion (US$1.1
billion). The figure was said to be modest in comparison with the non-cash
payment market in From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
Retailers
Yet to Take to Online Shopping in VN The development of e-commerce has played a vital role in the
world market as retail continues to modernize. However, many retailers have
not utilised more modern trade methods, like online shopping, said Vu Vinh
Phu, president of the Ha Noi Supermarket Association, at a conference in Ha
Noi promoting internet-based retail. Phu said e-commerce makes shopping more
convenient, and increases production and consumption. Consumers can save time
and find lower prices online, said Nguyen Ngoc Hung, director of Di Sieu Thi
Joint-Stock Company. However, some businesses have posted exaggerated
advertisements and poor products online, preventing the online market from developing.
Phu urged online retailers to deliver quality products and good customer
service to protect the sector's reputation. State agencies should have strict
measures for dealing with online trading violations, he said. However, just
in case, consumers should research products carefully before buying. However,
so far, online shopping accounts for only 0.1 to 0.2 per cent of the nation's
total retail revenue, far lower than in many other countries, said Nguyen Lam
Thanh, general secretary of the Viet Nam Digital Media Association. In
developed countries, popular companies sell products online, but in From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
Delivery
Firms Urged to Tap E-Commerce Potential The rapid development of online shopping websites has presented
both opportunities and challenges for express delivery businesses, said the For example, DHL-VNPT has invested US$10 million to expand its
market and open a 4,900sq m office with modern equipment. It has 134
transport vehicles and more than 400 staff members for processing the over
10,000 orders received daily. Viettel Post, which was ranked third in the
sector with a 10 per cent market share, has also tapped into the
opportunities by investing 3 to 5 per cent of its turnover in technology,
thus maximising delivery time and cost. Nguyen Thanh Hung, VECOM's general
secretary said 91 businesses were granted licences by the postal service.
However, several enterprises have not implemented the service. In addition,
the poor quality of delivery has not made online shopping cheaper than
traditional purchasing methods. This has become a big barrier for the
e-commerce sector in From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
Study Finds
Gaps in E-Commerce Growth A recent report by the The average point among the top five localities was From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
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"For 2013-14 our trade total was $314.40 billion while we
have set for ourselves for 2014 Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher highlighted the need for better
utilisation of From
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ From e-Com
to Movie Making, Amazon Takes a Leap Forward According to Hope, “Audiences already recognize that Amazon has
raised the bar with productions in the episodic realm, tackling bold material
in unique ways and collaborating with top talent, both established and
emerging,” reports hollywonk.com. “To help carry the torch into the feature
film world for such an innovative company is a tremendous opportunity and
responsibility. Amazon Original
Movies will be synonymous with films that amaze, excite, and move our fans,
wherever customers watch. I am incredibly thrilled to be part of this,” added
Hope. Amazon Studios head Roy Price added that in addition to bringing Prime
Instant Video customers “exciting, unique, and exclusive films soon after a
movie’s theatrical run, we hope this program will also benefit filmmakers,
who too often struggle to mount fresh and daring stories that deserve an
audience.” From
http://news.siliconindia.com/ FDI
Liberalisation Sought in E-Commerce in Currently, they noted, From
http://news.siliconindia.com/ With the inception into the year 2015, Intel has disclosed an
ambitious and innovative approach towards strategic changes in alignment to
the significant partnerships with leading giants, Dell and Microsoft. Intel
Country Business Manager, Indika De Zoysa said that the rolling out of a
creative marketing is a crucial element in this turnaround. Dell has invested
heavily into their marketing and has seen returns from this investment
without deeming this as expenditure. Ambitious plans are to be foreseen by
Intel, Dell and Microsoft and it was noted that 2014 has been the most
influential year so far in terms of production and sales. “Microsoft is
currently going through a huge transformation with a strong emphasis on the
‘mobile first – cloud first’ ambitions set high on the agenda. Partnerships
are very significant for us and Dell is one of our biggest partnerships in From
http://www.dailynews.lk/ |
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“The Support to Online Media Development – Then, Nigar Arpadarai, Head of PR and Corporate Communications
Unit of the Azerfon LLC has brought the best wishes to winners and underlined
that this enlightening and stimulating project has already become a good
tradition. Other guests taking part at the ceremony have also spoken about the
importance of the project by thanking specially the jury panel composed of
professional experts and by congratulating the winners and asking them to
provide more objective and comprehensive articles. From
http://en.trend.az/ Online
Shopping Increases in E-commerce market volume amounted to 5.6 million AZN in From
http://en.trend.az/
E-commerce
Market in The State Statistics Committee: In January, e-commerce market in
From
http://news.az/
The joint venture was given the From
http://en.trend.az/ |
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APAC Online Games Revenue to Hit $30B in 2018 Online
gamers across the Asia-Pacific are expected to help push the market's revenue
to US$30.39 billion in 2018, as more turn to mobile platforms and tap the
freemium model. The online games population will grow to 335.88 million, up
from 240.74 million in 2013, and the number of paying online gamers will
reach almost 150 million, up from 102.81 million in 2013, said IDC in a
statement Monday. The research firm added that revenue in the region,
excluding Japan, will further grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18.53
percent, even amid a slowdown in Southeast Asian markets. Online games
revenue grew 14.27 percent to hit US$12.96 billion in 2013, compared to
US$11.34 billion the year before. Growth in the region's online games market
is also expected to tap the increasing consumer smartphone adoption and
mobile internet access, said Shiv Putcha, IDA's Asia-Pacific associate
research director for consumer mobility. He also pointed to Chin's strong
contribution, the freemium model, and the rise of mobile games as growth
drivers for the market. "The first major driver comes down to strong
regional growth," Putcha said. "China has been and will continue to
be the dominant force in online games, but other markets, like Korea and
Taiwan, are also seeing strong growth." He
noted that China, Korea, and Taiwan were the top three markets in the region,
accounting for 95.56 percent of online games revenue. China dominated with
75.73 percent share of the market in 2013, generating US$9.81 billion in
revenue. Nascent online games markets, such as India and Indonesia, also made
great strides in the past year, the analyst added. In addition, mobile games
and new categories that included MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) and
eSports, had emerged as strong growth drivers, especially in China, Korea,
and Taiwan. According to Putcha, the region's online games market had
transformed from a subscription fee-based business model into a freemium
model. "In 2013, online games offered in Asia-Pacific were
overwhelmingly F2P (free-to-play) games and revenue was mainly earned through
sale of virtual items," he said. "Although revenue will be less
predictable than subscription fee-based games, F2P model will attract more
new gamers when they are able to try the games at no cost." IDA expects
in-app purchases and advertising to become the primary means of monetizing
games in Asia, especially over mobile. From
http://www.zdnet.com
AUSTRALIA: Infosec Budgets Are Probably Wrong -
Deloitte Australian
organisations are lagging when it comes to shifting the focus of their
information security efforts from merely securing their networks to detecting
intrusions, responding to them, and building resilience, according to senior
security and risk executives from Deloitte, the international consulting
firm. Deloitte divides an organisation's infosec spend into three areas, each
labelled with an adjective. "Secure" is the technology that
protects critical assets against known and emerging threats across the
ecosystem. This includes traditional network protection capabilities such as
firewalls, anti-malware and anti-spam systems, and intrusion detection and
prevention systems (IDS/IPS). "Vigilant" is about having the
intelligence and monitoring capabilities to detect both known and unknown
bad-guy activities, and understanding the extent to which they're a risk to
the business. "Resilient" is about strengthening the organisation's
ability to recover when incidents occur -- which they inevitably will.
Old-school network administrators will recognise this as an echo of the 1990s
paradigm for network security: Protect, detect, react, and, the fourth stage
added later, adapt. Or, in some versions, recover. In
the US, Canada, and the UK, organisations that have engaged Deloitte are now
spending much less of their infosec budgets on "secure". In the US,
"secure" is now only about 20 percent of the total, according to
Kelly Bissell, Deloitte's global cybersecurity leader, and leader of its
global incident response team. "Most US companies are relatively mature
when it comes to security, and they have seen where their budget around
'secure' is good enough. They've got enough firewalls and intrusion detection
systems, and now they're moving much more of the budget into 'resilient' and
'vigilant' kind of functions," Bissell told journalists in Sydney on
Wednesday. If I were to cut up a dollar spent on security for the US, 20
cents is spent on 'secure', probably 40 cents is spent on 'vigilant', and the
rest is on 'resilient'," Bissell said. "The US companies have found
that they have to be able to detect better when the bad guy's on the inside
-- whether they're an employee or an external person -- and how to recover as
fast as possible." But
while Australian organisations are demonstrating "a little bit more
focus" on the "vigilant" and "resilient" areas,
Deloitte's cyber risk leader in Australia, Tommy Viljoen, said that isn't
necessarily translating into action. "A little bit more is happening
over the last 12 months about 'Are we resilient? Do we have the processes in
place? Have we organised the necessary skills and competencies, so that if we
are under attack, that we can do something about it? Are we prepared?' But if
I look at where most of the budget spend is, from a number of organisations,
it's still in that protection zone," Viljoen said. "The mind shift
that we're starting to see has not translated into budget shift," he
said. "I would say the 'secure' spend is still about 50 percent. I would
say more of the budgets that I've seen in the last six months are focusing on
the monitoring component, and the 'resilient' is still limited mostly to
'Let's do an exercise and see what happens. Let's play out a particular
scenario ... that's a two-day event.' That's what's in the budget."
Bissell's advice from a global perspective is to adopt early to avoid some of
the pain that the US has been suffering. "I
truly believe that the companies that hold back to the end are hurt the most
-- unless they get lucky," he said. "I believe the companies who do
best, and avoid the biggest problems, are the ones who are most proactive and
learn from others' issues. That's the most lucky, if you will, of the
companies." Deloitte's comments came as the company announced the
establishment of its new Cyber Intelligence Centre in Australia, linking with
the company's existing intelligence centres in the UK, Europe, Canada, and
the US. James Nunn-Price, who established Deloitte's Cyber Intelligence Centre
concept and oversaw its implementation in the UK in 2013, has moved to
Australia this week to establish the Australian operation and become the
company's Australian cybersecurity leader. Nunn-Price was previously
responsible for Deloitte's overall information security, resilience, and
cyber advisory services to the UK government, and personally assisted the
London 2012 Olympic Games leadership team with cyber incident response,
crisis management, and forensics. He also claims credit for the word "centre"
in Cyber Intelligence Centre being spelled correctly. From
http://www.zdnet.com
Data Retention Cost ‘Up to’ $400
Million a Year The
Government will still not release its report into the cost of data retention,
but the Prime Minister has put the cost at a maximum $400 million a year.
There are many arguments against the Government’s
proposed data retention laws, on civil liberties, practical and cost grounds.
Cost has emerged as an important issue in recent weeks, especially after the
refusal of the Attorney-General’s Department to
release the report on costings the Government commissioned from consultancy
PricewaterhouseCoopers. Now Prime Minister Tony Abbott has for the first time
given an estimate. Speaking at child child
protection group Bravehearts on the Gold Coast today, he said: "There
are a range of figures which have been taken to the committee, but even at
the highest estimate it's less than 1% of this $40 billion a year and growing
sector," he said, trying to talk it down. "It seems like a small
price to pay to give ourselves the kind of safety and the kind of freedom
that people in a country like Australia deserve." Putting aside the
argument that many critics of data retention believe it will actually
significantly reduce our freedoms, many believe that this figure of $400
million is not as trivial as the Prime Minister seems to believe, and is
actually a very significant figure. Communications
Alliance spokesman John Stanton said the ICT industry was still waiting to
find out how much of the cost would be covered by taxpayers. He told the ABC’s The World Today radio show. "It still amounts to a
very significant cost and impost that needs to be paid. "The Government
has so far said that it will make a reasonable contribution, so there's a
great deal of interest to see how much of the total burden the Government
proposes to contribute." Stanton has previously said that the industry
already carries the cost of organisations like ACMA, ACCAN and the TIO, and
it was unreasonable to lumber it with more costs. Abbott seemed to retreat
from the idea that the Government would make any contribution at all. Asked
if industry would have to pay, Abbott said: "It is very important that
if you do business in this country, you adhere to the rules". From
http://www.itwire.com
NEW ZEALAND: Government Claims NZ$239 Million in
Savings from Common ICT The
New Zealand government's ICT Common Capabilities scheme is generating savings
for government as a whole and for individual agencies, the Government chief
information officer says. Cross three major components of the programme,
NZ$239 million in savings are locked in over the terms of current contracts
with suppliers. An ICT Update from the GCIO says increased uptake of
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) under the programme has achieved
significant savings in storage. "Savings have now increased from NZ$43.3
million to NZ$94.6 million. This figure takes into account NZ$7.3 million of
savings to date, and the forecasted NZ$87.6 million that will be achieved
over the remaining years of the contract," it says. Savings from the
buying contract with Microsoft have reached NZ$70 million, with NZ$119
million forecast over the contract's term. Meanwhile, savings from the
one.govt networking and connectivity contract have reached NZ$3.5 million,
with NZ$25.6 million forecast over the whole contract. Agencies using one.govt
for WAN and internet connectivity can also look forward to a further 5
percent discount soon when the contract reaches its fifth anniversary. Common
capabilities are designed to replace legacy applications and services, ensure
processes, tools and infrastructure are not duplicated, allow agencies to
shift to cloud services and reduce ICT costs. Meanwhile, the government has
gone to market for telecommunications as a service to further extend its
all-of-government services portfolio. The contract aims to ease the purchase
of telecommunications services and improve connectivity between government
agencies. "A comprehensive range of telecommunications and managed
security services is sought, to be delivered through a standardised platform
that could be supplied and managed by several providers," the ICT Update
says. TaaS includes all services for connectivity, communications, contact
centres, managed security and the emergency services network. It is
anticipated TaaS services will be available for agencies by the middle of
2015. Last year the government announced it was entering negotiations with
VMware, Oracle and Citrix to conclude all-of-government licensing deals. It
said it would aim for similar deals with SAS, SAP, Adobe, IBM and HP as well
as renewal of its deal with Microsoft in 2015. From
http://www.zdnet.com
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AFRICA:
The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) on Wednesday promised to train 60, 000 Nigerian women
and girls on Information Communication Technology (ICT) to reduce illiteracy
in the country.The training Project Coordinator, Dr Safiya Muhammad, made
this known in Abuja on Wednesday on the sidelines of the beginning of the
three-day ICT training workshop. She said the training was a pilot project
organised by UNESCO in partnership with Procter and Gamble, a private
business organisation and the From
http://en.starafrica.com/
Fifty-four percent of German pupils describe the condition of
computer technology at their school as mediocre or bad, according to a survey
of 512 pupils in secondary education conducted by the German IT association
Bitkom and Learntec, the digital learning trade fair. Every third child (35%)
brings their own laptop or tablet computer (19%) to school. Nine out of ten
children stated that those devices are used during class, and for 8 out of 10
pupils, whiteboards are used. The use of tablet computers
(29%) or e-book readers (6%) are less common. Only 35 per cent of the
participants use whiteboards and desktop PCs (28%) on a daily basis. Digital
devices are mainly used for presentations by teachers (97%) and pupils (94%)
or for research on the internet (88%). Dedicated learning software is only
used 42 percent of the time, programming devices only 27 percent, and 25
percent of the time for building websites. Two thirds (67%) of pupils use
digital media to study in their free time; 70 percent expressed the wish to
use them more often in class, notably learning videos (71%). Three quarters
(75%) demand more digital learning materials at their school; 71 percent of
the children support demand for individual notebooks or tablet computers for
each pupil. Eight out of 10 of the interviewees believe that the teacher
should be trained better in the use of digital media. From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
An overview of the activities of the “Three of them – In addition to putting specific solutions into operation, the Development of the e-state beyond 2014 marked the end of a massive two-year e-service development
project in Knowledge of e-Estonia has also proven beneficial in The Palestinian territories are one of the three areas in which
the academy has helped establish an X-Road (ie a central system for data
exchange) so as to create an e-state “skeleton” upon which to construct
intergovernmental e-solutions. With the support of Estonian IT firms, a
minimum of 15 e-services are being created that will use the central system
and databases. Implementation of a solution similar to the X-Road has also
been launched by the academy in From
http://estonianworld.com/
French
Demand for Software Developers Outstrips Supply From http://www.telecompaper.com/ Benchmarking
Public Demand: This report explores the Russian public demand for internet
freedom. Produced by Erik Nisbet with the Center for Global Communication
Studies and the From
http://www.global.asc.upenn.edu/
The From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
NORTH
AMERICA: Despite the fact that some of the fastest-growing jobs in the
American economy are in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
segment, only 31 percent of the 1.7 million middle- and senior-level
employees in the U.S. software sector are women. Unfortunately, the stats for
women in federal technology are similar, with women making up about 30
percent of the federal IT workforce and being less represented in senior executive
roles. STEM jobs, however, are expected to grow more than 30 percent in the
next decade — three times as fast as non-STEM roles. That creates an
opportunity for agencies to make major strides in hiring more women into IT
roles. CEB research shows that there are several benefits to recruiting and
retaining a gender-diverse workforce. In such an environment, individuals’
willingness to “go above and beyond” increases by 12 percent and the number
of people reporting their intent to stay at the organization increases by an
average of 20 percent. Organizations report that diversity also puts them in
a better position to achieve objectives. To enhance the percentage of women employees, particularly in
STEM-related staff and leadership roles, federal managers should consider
several actions: - Build diverse talent pipelines. Many organizations go to big
recruiting events and post vacancies on USAJobs, Monster and the like to
attract talent. That approach results in a high volume of candidates but not
necessarily candidates of high quality. The best organizations build
pipelines of qualified women candidates by tailoring messages to that group
and using current employees to identify qualified women through their
networks, and then encouraging them to apply. - Use hard data to avoid implicit bias. The use of metrics and
assessments to evaluate candidates can ensure that decisions are not based on
bias or “gut feeling.” Educating hiring managers about implicit bias, which
is an unconscious preference for a group of people, helps support the
organization’s priorities. People must understand that implicit bias affects
most of their everyday decisions, even among those who consider themselves
advocates for women. - Conduct blind application reviews. A 2012 Yale study shows
that résumés with a woman’s name are often deemed less qualified than the
same résumé with a man’s name. Blind application reviews eliminate any such
bias. Better yet, agencies should supplement résumé reviews and manager
interviews with objective assessment tools that predict performance and help
overcome innate gender biases. - Discuss career paths with women employees. Hewlett-Packard
reviewed its personnel records and found that women applied for promotions
only when they believed they met 100 percent of the qualifications for the
job. By contrast, men applied when they thought they could meet 60 percent of
the job requirements. That gap highlights the importance of having
conversations with rising women executives to clarify their qualifications and
encourage them to compete for leadership positions. - Understand what motivates women. Our research shows that
different motivators drive women and men to rise through the ranks. Men in
leadership positions are motivated by fear of failing, making mistakes, and
suffering the associated loss of self-esteem and power. They thrive on
opportunities to take responsibility, exercise authority and influence
others. Women are motivated by a constructive work environment, positive
working conditions, and acknowledgment of their contributions and
achievements. Understanding what drives women and adapting that insight to
the agency’s culture are essential to attracting and retaining women. If
agencies take the right steps now to address the gender gap in federal IT, it
will pay future dividends for the government and the economy. From
http://fcw.com/
New
York City Launches City-Specific ID Card NYC is joining a small group of municipalities offering city
identification cards to its residents. esidents of The new ID card will not serve as a replacement for existing ID
cards because the card will not be usable to purchase tobacco or alcohol,
receive public assistance benefits, travel by air, gain work authorization or
grant immigrant status. The card is intended as a supplementary ID or
alternative for those who can't obtain legitimate identification otherwise.
Several Those who apply for IDNYC will be required to prove identity and
residency in “I don’t think that’s realistic at all. The NYPD has to accept
the ID, they have to enforce the regulations that are imposed by city council
or the mayor,” he said. “I think [de Blasio] ought to worry about how he has
made the New York Police Department disenfranchised and feel unwanted. I
think he should be trying to work on his relations with the law enforcement
in the city of From
http://www.govtech.com/
Internet
Can Be Used to Undermine Freedom, Too When media guru Marshall McLuhan declared back in the 1960s that
“Every innovation has within itself the seeds of its reversal,” I had no idea
what he meant. But, like his other catchy quotables — “global village,” “cool
media,” “the medium is the message” — it stayed with me. Now, in the Internet
age, I am seeing proof of his prophecy every day. For example, McLuhan
predicted that a rapidly expanding automobile culture would lead to more
traffic jams, air pollution and longing for space to take long walks or ride
bicycles. I’m sure he’d give a knowing I-told-you-so nod to today’s battles
between car people and bike people for asphalt space. I became convinced when
my millennial-generation son and his friends rejected wristwatches in their
teen years as “so last century.” They preferred to tell time with their cell
phones — like my grandpa with his pocket watch. But more recently and less happily, I see far more sinister
seeds of reversal in this era’s greatest innovation, the Internet. We greeted
the Web as a liberator, but in today’s age of terrorism and post-Cold War
autocrats it also poses a growing menace to the press freedoms it otherwise
has invigorated. In the hands of groups like Remembering how administrators of a Taliban madrasa that he
visited 15 years ago were launching a Web site, Goldberg wrote, “I remember
being amused by this. I shouldn’t have been. There is no need for a middleman
now. Journalists have been replaced by YouTube and Twitter. And when there is
no need for us, we become targets.” Terrorists are not the only threat that
terrorizes journalists in the new Internet-age media order. In his new book,
“The New Censorship: Inside the Global Battle for Media Freedom,” Joel Simon,
CPJ’s executive director, coins the term “democratators” to describe a new
wave of elected rulers, such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, who shamelessly navigate the information age with an iron
fist of strategic information controls. Both regimes have received low marks
from CPJ, Reporters Without Borders and Human Rights Watch for abuses of
press freedoms and of civil society generally. Another growing threat that Simon cites is government
surveillance and pursuit of reporters’ confidential sources. Revelations of
NSA surveillance and Justice Department probes of journalists at AP, Fox News
and The New York Times have brought the New York-based CPJ closer to home
after years of finding more than enough abuses to tackle overseas. What can
be done? Forget the false debate over whether the traditional media or the
blogosphere or social media is better. Each plays a vital role in keeping the
public informed, maintaining robust debate and changing world events. In her
2012 book “Consent of the Networked,” Rebecca MacKinnon, a former CNN bureau
chief in From
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/
Net Control
Decision a Crucial One Last month, The problem is that no one yet has a convincing explanation for
how the multi-stakeholder model will be immune to pernicious influences from
governments. Independent voices from global nongovernmental interests are
supposed to suffuse the ICANN system and provide a self-correcting ethos. But
civil society in many countries is deeply connected to the state, and those
states will try to manipulate or control as much as they can. Details of the
technical transition are being hammered out, but the accountability measures
and controls that will be vital to establishing and preserving a legitimate global Internet governance are taking longer.
Commerce still holds a trump card: It can renew its contract with ICANN. The
Obama administration has said it will insist on adequate protections for
freedom of speech before it lets go, and it must stick to that commitment.
That could be hard: The Snowden revelations have put pressure on the Obama
administration. Yet the free and open Internet has thrived under existing
arrangements. The From
http://www.bgdailynews.com/
ADB Urges
Greater ICT Use to Deliver Affordable Universal Healthcare Information and communication technology (ICT) tools are crucial
to helping Asian governments fast-track
good-quality, affordable healthcare for all their citizens, delegates at a
regional healthcare conference here heard today. “Better use of ICT means
better data and systems that improve the quality of healthcare while reducing
the costs,” said Susann Roth, Senior Social Development Specialist at the
Asian Development Bank (ADB). “And ultimately, good health makes for improved
lives and sustainable and inclusive growth.” The conference, Measuring and
Achieving Universal Health Coverage with ICT in ADB is also developing an Operational Plan for Health, with
universal health coverage as the overarching goal. ICT will play a big role
in the plan. ADB is already supporting ICT use to improve delivery of health
services and ensure better data collection in From
http://www.adb.org/
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The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) kicked off the first
nationwide traffic management website on Tuesday, according to a ministry
announcement.Coinciding with the country's annual "Traffic Safety
Day" that falls on Tuesday, the website "www.122.cn" will
provide real time traffic data to the public, especially useful for private
car users.The website will base its data on the information collected and
reported by the nation's 270,000 traffic policemen and video surveillance
records to better guarantee traffic safety.The public can instantly consult
with traffic police online and learn about hot topics and events in traffic
control, said head of the traffic bureau of the MPS.The traffic department
will make policy and enforcement adjustments in line with the suggestions
submitted online, he said.The website will also play a role in road safety
education, giving traffic knowledge lectures and safe travel tips to the
public.There was no national official traffic information inquiry website in
the past. Previously, the only option was to log onto local websites or go to
the city's transport administration to inquire on records, causing
inconvenience for the public and loopholes for information tampering. From http://www.news.cn/
E-Banking to Increase
Accessibility for Disabled China's electronic banking service is required to provide easier
access for the disabled, according to a guideline co-issued by China Disabled
Persons Federation (CDPF) and China Banking Association on Monday.The
guideline asks banks to promote accessibility primarily for three kinds of
disabled people using E-Banking services such as phone and online banking.For
visually impaired users, E-banking will provide specially designed shortcut
touch menu, active ID recognition and easy verification codes.For the deaf
customers, the primary concern will be offering multiple visual facilities
and instant short message service.For the physically disabled, the bank will
establish a long-distance self-service system allowing them to open accounts
from home, which traditionally requires a physical presence at the bank.The
guideline is a holiday gift for the 85 million disabled people in China to
enable the convenience of technology, just ahead of the International Day of
Disabled Persons observed on Dec. 3 annually, said Lv Shiming, vice chairman
of the CDFP. From http://www.news.cn/
The revenue of China's online audio-visual market in 2014 is
expected to reach a record 37.8 billion yuan (6 billion U.S. dollars),
according to a report released at the Sixth China Network Audio-Visual
Industry Forum in Shanghai on Thursday.Among the revenue, 53 percent comes
from online video, 21 percent from online music and 13 percent from mobile
phone TV, according to the report.As of July this year, China's online video
audience reached 439 million, covering more than 70 percent of the total
Chinese Internet users. The mobile phone video audience surpassed 300
million, according to the report.The forum is co-hosted by the State Administration
of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and the From http://www.news.cn/
Small schools in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have
"gone digital", meaning that all 63,600 of the country's small
schools now have access to digital teaching devices and resources.Small
schools, or the official term "teaching spots", are seen by many as
the weakest link in China's elementary education. Most are nestled in remote
and mountainous areas; are understaffed; and, as a result, were often unable
to offer all eight compulsory subjects to elementary-level students.To ensure
rural children have access to quality education, the education and finance
ministries initiated a joint program in November 2012 to install information
technology at all education centers.During the past two years, government
funds have financed the installation of digital satellite receivers,
computers, flat-screen TVs and electronic whiteboards, enabling the small
schools to utilize standardized digital teaching resources.The program is
changing the educational landscape. Ma Fujun, 48, is the only registered teacher in From http://www.news.cn/
Authorities Cleaning Up
China has closed 50 websites and social media accounts for violations
ranging from pornography to "publishing political news without a
permit," the national cyberspace watchdog said yesterday.Authorities
shut 17 public pages on the mobile social messaging app Weixin, or WeChat, as
well as 24 websites and nine channels or columns on websites, the Cyberspace
Administration of China said on its website (www.cac.gov.cn).Some of the
other offenses listed include publishing fake information under the guise of
the government or media, and publishing information related to gambling or
fraud.Jiang Jun, a spokesman for the watchdog, said it would regularly
publish a "blacklist" of violators.By last autumn, the cyberspace
watchdog had closed nearly 1.8 million accounts on social networking and
instant messaging services since launching an anti-pornography campaign
earlier in the year.Authorities had received almost 11 million reports of
what was described as harmful information online.In November, officials
called for Internet controls to preserve stability. With a population of 1.4 billion and 632 million people online,
China is a market no one wants to miss out on.Chinese people's activities
online will be subject to reinforced scrutiny as authorities expand the
real-name registration system across more social networks and websites.The
watchdog will "comprehensively" promote the management of real
identities online, with social networks — including microblogging platforms,
forums and instant messaging services — all having to enforce a real-name
registration system, administration official Xu Feng said.Real names will
only be seen by backend administrators and users may still choose a screen
name.Internet authorities have been pressing for a real identity system since
2011, and new users of WeChat and other messaging apps have, since August,
been required to provide their real names.China has more than 275 million
users of microblogs with Sina Weibo leading the pack, and 459 million users
of mobile messaging apps, led by WeChat. From http://www.news.cn/
Year-Long Internet
Cleanup Deletes 1 Bln Posts Chinese websites self-inspected and deleted more than 1 billion
pornographic and harmful posts in From http://www.news.cn/
The government has decided to levy consumption tax on e-books,
digital music and other electronic media sold online by overseas vendors from
October, according to sources. Currently, goods and services distributed in
electronic formats by firms based abroad to consumers in The government plans to submit a bill to reform the consumption
tax system in next year’s ordinary Diet session. The new taxation is set to
go into effect on Oct. 1. Once the new system is in place, overseas business
operators will be obliged to pay taxes to relevant tax offices in Under the present Consumption Tax Law, only goods transacted
domestically are taxable. Due to the difficulty of distinguishing between
domestic and nondomestic transactions in the distribution of digital media,
only goods and services offered by vendors whose headquarters are located in From
http://the-japan-news.com/
A computer-equipped classroom has been opened in From
http://www.korea.net
Park
Asks Officials to Handle Disasters with Science, Technology President Park Geun-hye instructed officials Tuesday to come up
with plans for disaster management based on science and technology in the
latest call to make South Korea a safer country. She said science
and technology are critical in the process of coping with disasters, noting
that the number of disasters -- both natural and man-made -- jumped
dramatically in the past decades. "We should shape up
disaster management and public safety based on science and technology,"
Park said in a meeting with a science and technology advisory committee at
the presidential office. She also said early human intervention can make
a huge difference in disaster management. The comments came a month
after she tapped former Navy Adm. Park In-yong as head of the new ministry
that handles all sorts of disasters and safety problems. Park has
created the Ministry of Public Safety and Security as part of efforts to
boost safety following April's deadly ferry disaster that left more than 300
people dead, mostly high school students on a school excursion. From
http://www.koreaherald.com
Gov’t to
Open 7 E-Book Zones Across the Country In the near future, book lovers will be able to find e-books as
well as physical books at book cafes and libraries across the
country. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced on
January 6 that it will provide e-books and e-book readers at seven selected
venues across the country starting this year. The ministry plans to supply
about 10,000 e-books up until the first half of 2016. Within this month,
the ministry will create e-book "experience zones" and supply about
5,300 e-books and 120 reading devices at the seven venues. These venues
include three book cafes in In From
http://www.korea.net
MS Korea
Launches Cloud-Based Predictive Analytics Service Microsoft From
http://www.koreaherald.com
Race Heats
Up in Bid to Build National Emergency Network A 2 trillion won ($1.84 billion) mega race has commenced as the
Korean government plans to launch a new project building a nationwide
emergency network based on Long Term Evolution technology ― the first of its
kind globally. Communications breakdowns have often hampered responses to
disasters. Experts say that developing communications systems is one of the
key challenges in ongoing efforts to improve security preparedness. The new
Public Safety-LTE system will allow fire, police and rescue responders to communicate
seamlessly with each other using a standard device that operates on the same
frequencies. While countries like the From
http://www.koreaherald.com
SKT Boasts
Emergency Network Tech SK Telecom, From
http://www.koreaherald.com
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The Indonesian capital city plans to map social media complaints
from residents on issues related to flooding to better send resources for
support. There are 13 rivers flowing into Currently the system is only designed to read tweets related to
flooding, but Suryaputra expects it to expand in the future to other issues
such as littering, sexual harassments and riots. The city is also in talks
with Twitter to develop a flood alerts system that will notify all Twitter
users located within From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
The From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
The
The Digital Commerce Association of the From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
The Smart Nation vision was unveiled by Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong on Nov 24. SMART NATION: TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE NEED, NOT WHAT IT CAN OFFER Be it an automated home system, seamless healthcare delivery or
a driverless car, the Smart Nation initiative is all about improving lives
for Singaporeans, said Dr Balakrishnan.
“There are many things technology can do, can offer. But I think the
missing dimension to that is to realise that at the end of the day, it's
about human beings. What we want,” he said. “The products and services
offered must be designed appropriately, must be accessible to normal people.
Not just technophiles or engineers or hardcore geeks, but normal people like
you and me who say, yes, I want to use this because it makes my life better,
it makes it more convenient, it makes it more fun and it makes a difference
to my daily life,” Dr Balakrishnan added. ELDERLY, YOUTHS, AND SMEs PRIORITISED Touching on the groups that take priority in the Smart Nation
vision, Dr Balakrishnan said there will be no digital divide in the Smart
Nation. The elderly can look forward to high-tech healthcare initiatives, and
more public centres where they can pick up IT skills he said. There will also
be more CitizenConnect Centres and Silver Infocomm Junctions across GOVERNMENT DATA TO BE MADE MORE READILY AVAILABLE Dr Balakrishnan made these points at a gathering of inventors
and designers. In a keynote address, he spoke about the need for Singaporeans
to be risk-takers, to bring innovation to fruition - and this will be a
national effort, integrating government agencies and the private sector.
Government data will be made more readily available. In doing so, authorities
will be mindful of wider issues such as national security, privacy and
protection of identity. "We are trying to make as much data available as
possible with some caveats. Number one, government data has to be accurate.
So we can't afford to have a situation where we are releasing or publishing
data that is inaccurate. Secondly, we have to protect privacy and national
security and we also have to make sure that in the wold to come that identity
theft and securing your personal log ins and credentials is going to be
crucial. So subject to those caveats all other data wherever possible we will
make available. We will make it available through convenient Application
Programming Interfaces and we will also be providing more data in real time
wherever that is possible," said Dr Balakrishnan. The hope is that more applications will be developed by the
private sector, using available government data. "At the same time the
data which we use in our apps will also be available to private developers
and if they create apps which are more interesting, more relevant, more
useful, then that becomes the dominant app. But this is an iterative process
and the key point behind this is to break down barriers between government
agencies and even between government and the people and the private sector.
So a key word there is sharing. That you can derive value by sharing
information," he added. In doing so, new laws could be introduced to
address concerns over issues such as privacy and identity theft. "Yes,
we have to look at that very carefully. That's not something I'm going to
rush into, we'll have to consult the public and also be very careful how we
can make meta data available while still protecting individual private data.
So this is not a trivial subject, we will have to consider this very
carefully,” Dr Balakrishnan said. Applications and services that will be
rolled out over the next few months include autonomous vehicles and an app
that will give commuters updated bus arrival times, by the minute. From
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
New
From
http://www.straitstimes.com/
We need no experts to tell us that the digital economy will be
more prevalent this year. We will be doing more online transactions in 2015
than ever before. Movies, music, books, business stocks, sports bets and much
more have been in digital form for years, but the quality and security are
improving all the time, luring more and more consumers into the
"convenient" marketplaces. Companies are rethinking or reinventing
their IT departments. New online applications to facilitate purchases of digital
goods are introduced everyday. Grass-root vendors who assume they are a world
away from the digital economy are mistaken. No one holding a
"smart" gadget in his hand can escape being a part of the new
economic order. Anyone receiving a text advertisement or watching a video
clip promoting Thai TV soap operas on YouTube in participating, whether they
like it or not. We all know about the pros. The digital economy reduces
production and distribution costs and gives customers faster and often
cheaper services. The cons are a less understood. The "piracy" perceived
by the financially better off is an opportunity to the less privileged.
Digital goods are not only easier to copy, they are
also easier to market. Political corruption and corporate crime employing the
digital economy can be harder to detect. Money laundering, already
sophisticated and hard to spot, will become more
complex and even harder to track.Last but not least, the digital economy
might "self-cannibalise". Inadequate regulation and copyright
control can sink a product's value in the blink of an eye. Already the
entertainment industry is getting hammered by copyright infringement. Again,
entertainment entrepreneurs call the copiers "thieves", but to many
consumers, the thieves are Robin Hoods who give share the wealth of knowledge
and creative inspiration. The phenomenon is here, so there's no point
debating whether we should have a digital economy. All we can do is make sure
everyone gets what he deserves and no one is left behind. Politicians and governments must facilitate the establishment of
the necessary infrastructure. Only through effective infrastructure can the
problems of exploitation and corruption be lessened. The digital economy
requires widespread knowledge about how it functions in order to be
transparent and, hopefully, sustainable. Of prime importance is that, like
digital goods, every "price" has to fall. Companies can’t expect to
be richer when the prices of their products are going down. If the digital
economy enables firms to cut costs, consumers must benefit in the same way.
It doesn’t make economic sense for private firms to be spending less when the
consumers face the same or even larger costs. The old profit-oriented
attitude will only spawn copycats, which, thanks to the digital economy, can
look very "original". Goods must be cheap enough to keep customers
in the legitimate market. The infrastructure must be convenient and secure
enough to guarantee low prices and fees for products and services. In short,
the digital economy requires everyone - from business executives to
first-time smartphone users - to adapt. The new economic order is taking
place alongside something bigger - the IT revolution in general. Since what
the latter does is close the inequality gap, the digital economy has no
choice but to go with the flow, for its own good. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
Internet
Usage Cuts Time Spent on Books 88 per cent of thaIs still read books,
spending 28 minutes a day on published material - a lot less than time spent
online. A POLL YESTERDAY revealed that Thai people on average spend only 28
minutes a day reading - which is lower than the National Statistical Office's
2013 report that found Thais aged over six spend an average of 37 minutes a
day reading. A total of 3,432 Thais aged 15 Many prefer feel of paper The average time youths and children spend on reading is about
46-50 minutes per day, which is similar to the National Statistical Office's
2013 report. The young people mostly read cartoons, picture novels and
examination-preparation books. PUBAT president, Charun Homtientong, said that
the e-book market remains small, as the survey reveals that 90 per cent of
people read from paper books while 9.49 per cent read from e-books. Many
respondents also agree that people still want to touch and feel books. Charun
also urged the government to pay more attention to and budget for promoting
people's reading |and publication businesses. The Internet is more
influential. Seventy-one per cent of Thais use the Internet almost everyday
at the average of 92 minutes a day, which is three times more than the
reading figure. Those who spend most time on the Internet are people under 20
(at the average of 224 minutes a day) while those over 61 spend 10 minutes a day
there. About 40 per cent of respondents admit to reading fewer papers,
because they already read news on websites (such as Sanook, Kapook and
Mthai). Regarding the people's book-purchasing behaviour, PUBAT
executive committee member Mingmanas Sivaraksa said the poll shows that over
90 per cent of the Thai population buys from actual bookstores and less than
five per cent buy books online or through telephone orders. Thais buy an
average of four books per year - those under 20 buy the most at about nine
books (of which four are cartoons/picture novels and three examination
preparation books) followed by those aged 21-30 who buy six books. Seniors
over 61 buy about four books a year. While bookstores remain the source of
news about key book launches at 63.6 per cent, many people - especially the
young - receive such news though social media (Facebook and Twitter) at 24.2
per cent. Social media then could be a key channel for public relations. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
Officials recognised the importance of the internet to daily
life but stressed the importance of data security and other precautionary
measures during the Viet Nam Internet Association's Internet Day event held
yesterday in In addition, online marketing, internet banking and e-commerce
have developed well and brought huge benefits to internet users as well as
enterprises. However, he noted that information security on the internet
"is still a problem, and there are concerns from internet users,
enterprises and governments." To create a healthy internet environment,
the VIA chairman suggested that From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
ADB
Urges Use of ICT in Healthcare Information and communication technology tools are crucial for
Asian governments to fast-track quality, affordable healthcare for all of
their citizens, a regional healthcare conference heard in It was hosted by the ADB, the World Health Organization, and the
From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
E-Library
to Be Built at An electronic library will be built with From
http://www.korea.net
Mobile
Networks Ensure Tet Service Major mobile network operators in Additionally, VinaPhone has also prepared 24x7 human resources,
equipment and mobile BTSs (base transmission stations) to solve problems in
transmission and meet the demand for mobile phone services since October
2014, he said. Before Tet this year, VinaPhone increased the capacity of its
network by setting up more mobile switching centres (MSC), signalling systems
and BTSs, he added. VinaPhone has 24 MSCs, 33,000 BTSs and short message
service (SMS) centres that can handle a maximum of 42 million SMSs per hour.
Hop said that VinaPhone's Dinh Viet Hung, head of MobiFone's marketing and tariffs
department, said that the firm could handle the demand of 40 million
subscribers using call services and 15 million subscribers using data
services, while the server system can handle 40 million SMSs per hour and
also the increase in SMS traffic during Tet. Hoang Son, deputy general
director of Viettel, said the group had focused on preparing technical
infrastructure for the holiday. They had upgraded software and base
transmission stations (BTS) in locations where more crowds are expected. In
addition, Viettel had upgraded its network to handle 300 million phone calls
per hour, 2.4 times higher than the expected demand on New Year Eve. Viettel
had prepared 80 mobile transmission cars to avoid congestion in areas where
festivals and major events are expected to be held and where there are
buildings with a large number of people. Son added that they have
strengthened investment to improve the From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
Ministry
Revokes Licence of Online Newspaper The information and telecommunication ministry today announced
the withdrawal of licence of the Nguoi Cao Tuoi (The Elderly) online
newspaper's website, www.nguoicaotuoi.org.vn, and its editor-in-chief's
journalist card. The decision follows an inspection of the newspaper by the
ministry. The ministry also recommended that the Viet Nam Association of the
Elderly should dismiss Kim Quoc Hoa, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper. In
its report, the ministry said that the newspaper violated several sections of
the Law on Journalism and other legal regulations. The newspaper had
published a number of complaints and comments that had no legal foundation,
the report said. It had allegedly published several articles that distorted
the truth, aimed at insulting and making false accusations against some
organisations and individuals. The online newspaper also reportedly published
some articles that revealed confidential information related to national
security and abused democratic rights to undermine the nation's legal
benefits. Regarding copyright regulations, the newspaper published a number
of articles in the ‘world' section without crediting the original sources,
the report said. The newspaper is also said to have published inappropriate
advertisements by using the names of doctors for advertising medicines or
functional food. The information and telecommunications ministry added that
during the inspection of the newspaper, it continued to receive several
complaints about the content published on the newspaper's website. The ministry
has transferred all concerned documents to the investigative unit of the
public security ministry for further investigation. From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
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The From
http://www.businessnews-bd.com/ The auction for the rights to provide From
http://en.prothom-alo.com/ From
http://www.siliconindia.com/ From
http://www.siliconindia.com/ E-Education
Through Broadband Facility The Ministry of HRD is presently implementing the National
Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology
(NMEICT) to leverage the potential of ICT, in teaching and learning process
for the benefit of all the learners in Higher Education Institutions in any
time any where mode. Under the From
http://pib.nic.in/ Gadkari
Launches E-Books on His Ministry's Achievements From
http://www.siliconindia.com/ Technical
Observations About Recent Internet Censorship in Two weeks ago, on 17th December 2014, the Government of India's
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology issued an order to all
licensed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country to block access to
32 websites, effective immediately. Not only did the ban affect access to
popular cultural sites such as archive.org, vimeo.com, dailymotion.com, but the
order also blocked access to sites like github.com, pastebin.com, which are
useful for all sorts of people but are especially popular with software
developers. A copy of the order that the MCIT's Department of
Telecommunications sent to ISPs by email can be found here (356kB, compressed
PDF) or here (2MB). The Ministry's order was issued following a request from the
Mumbai police's Anti-Terrorism Squad on 15th November 2014. The police
request argued that the targeted web services were being used for
"Jihadi Propaganda" by "Anti-National groups", and were
encouraging youth in the country to join organisations like the Islamic State
(ISIS/ISIL). However, many of the blocked sites are large resources for
general use by diverse communities which have no links to terrorism. Tools
which are important in the daily work of India-based software developers are
included in the banned sites, whose work in the IT sector is penalised by
broad bans with the excuse of anti-terrorism measures. As IT professionals in
A summary of our key findings Between January 1st and 3rd 2015, we conducted censorship
measurements from various Internet connections using seven different ISPs in We saw a variety of different block pages across multiple ISPs.
Here are screenshots of the six we captured. http://chaoslab.in/goiblocks/block_1.png http://chaoslab.in/goiblocks/block_2.png http://chaoslab.in/goiblocks/block_3.png http://chaoslab.in/goiblocks/block_4.png http://chaoslab.in/goiblocks/block_5.png http://chaoslab.in/goiblocks/block_6.png Besides finding that different ISPs use different methods of
blocking, we also found that the same sites might be blocked with different
methods even from the same ISP. The "not found" and "this is a
comment" error pages appeared across multiple ISPs, which could indicate
that there are multiple layers of blocking so that if the first one
"fails open" another layer catches it. Even so, the blocking is
unreliable--when requesting the same site many times, it sometimes loads and
sometimes yields a censorship message or error page. TATA appears to be using
a proxy server to inspect and modify traffic to certain IP addresses. If the
request is for one of the censored sites, a block page is returned instead.
We can tell that the filtering is only being applied to certain IP addresses
by sending HTTP requests for censored hostnames to the IP addresses of
unrelated websites. Using some TATA connections, requests to some IP
addresses are blocked based on the content of the request, while requests for
those same hostnames sent to other IPs are not blocked. In particular,
requests to google.com IPs containing host headers requesting blocked
hostnames return the block page for those hostnames, while requests to
yahoo.com IP addresses do not. Instead of Deep Packet Inspection, MTNL appears to be using a
combination of DNS-based and IP-based blocking approaches. Their DNS resolvers gives an incorrect answer (59.185.3.14) for the
censored hostnames. It is possible to see the block page that MTNL users
experience by browsing to http://59.185.3.14/ from anywhere in the world.
Some MTNL customers were still able to connect to github's correct IP, while
others were not. Most of the reports collected using OONI are
available here. These reports contain evidence of other sites being blocked
in addition to the 32 websites specified in the December 17th order. The
other sites are apparently being blocked using the same infrastructure, but
we have not been able to determine under what authority their blocking has
been ordered. Other domains which appeared blocked on MTNL during testing
included adult websites featuring Indian people although other adult websites
listed in the alexa-top-1000 were not observed to be blocked. Censorship of
advertisement, music sharing, and file hosting websites was also observed. How can one circumvent this censorship? In some cases, as ISPs
are only blocking HTTP connections, while allowing access to sites over
HTTPS, one could try to manually access the site using https:// instead of
http:// in the URL. Regardless of whether the webpages you access are being
censored or not, we recommend using the HTTPS Everywhere plugin in your web
browser to automatically use the HTTPS version of many sites. When the
censorship is DNS-based, it can usually be circumvented by changing the DNS
configuration on your device to use nameservers hosted outside of Additional resources If you would like to understand more about censorship techniques
or help collect more data, here are some useful resources that you might want
to refer to: • Open Observatory of Network Interference provides a set of
open source tools that can be used to test and collect technical data about
censorship and network tampering. We have made the reports generated from the
data we collected using OONI here. • URL lists provided by CitizenLab were also used during testing. • Tor Browser is a free and open source software tool, which
lets you securely circumvent censorship and surveillance and allows you to
access resources on the Internet anonymously. • For other resources about circumvention tools and tactics, and
general digital security advice, please see Tactical Techology Collective's
Security-in-a-box project. • The Center for Internet and Society is an organisation based
in Current state of things Following a new order issued on 31st December 2014, 4 of the 32
websites have subsequently been unblocked. The unblocked sites are
github.com, vimeo.com, dailymotion.com and weebly.com We will keep monitoring
this censorship and publish any other relevant findings over the next few
days. If you are a software developer or an IT professional who wants to help
us collect more data from multiple ISPs in From
http://www.i-policy.org/ Digital Era
Spelling Doom for Hindi Pulp-Fiction From
http://news.siliconindia.com/ Idukki:
Indian District with Total Rural Broadband Network Edamalakudy is a tribal Gram Panchayat consisting of 26 tribal
villages with a population of around 2200. Idukki: Edamalakudy, is a Tribal Gram
Panchayat consisting of 26 Tribal villages with a population of around 2200.
It is remotely located around 18 Kms from Pettimudi which is last point one
can go in a vehicle. BSNL has made exceptional efforts in connecting this
Gram Panchayat and now Broadband Internet as well as From
http://southasia.oneworld.net/ Mobile
Internet Users in NEW DELHI: Driven by
strong adoption of cheaper smartphones and affordable data plans, the number
of mobile Internet users in India is expected to reach 213 million by June
this year, says a report. According to the ‘Mobile Internet in India 2014′ by
industry body Internet & Mobile Association of India and IMRB
International, the number of mobile Internet users stood at 173 million at
the end of December 2014. Rural From
http://www.siliconindia.com/ Of the 112 million users in From
http://news.siliconindia.com/ From
http://www.siliconindia.com/ Smart Cities
to Promote Harmonious Living: Indian minister The government urged for addressing climate change concerns
through promotion of new forms of energy, public transport, sanitation. Referring to the adverse consequences on the quality of urban
life of poor urban transport infrastructure with reliance on growing
motorized individual transport, unscientific municipal solid waste and sewage
management, outdated Building Bye-laws etc., Shri Naidu said that his
ministry is seeking to address these concerns in collaboration with states
and urban local bodies under new initiatives like smart cities,
infrastructure development in 500 cities, Swachh Bharat Mission etc. He
stressed on the need for increased adoption of new and renewable energy
sources like solar and wind power and green building construction practices.
Naidu has stressed on the need for sustainable development harmonizing
environmental, ecological and social aspects with emphasis on efficient resource
use. Referring to new initiatives in urban sector, Venkaiah Naidu said that
there is a pressing need for capacity building at various levels and the
Government will soon come out with a comprehensive capacity development
scheme. From
http://southasia.oneworld.net/ Smart Cities
Are More for the Poor, Says Indian minister Centre can do hand holding; States and urban local bodies need
to rise to the challenge, says Venkaiah Naidu, the Indian minister for Urban
Development. Stating that innovative approaches are imperative for building
smart cities, Shri Naidu urged the corporates and investors to make a success
of ‘People-Public-Private Partnership’ to meet the huge investment
requirement. The Minister said that central government seeks to promote adoption
of best practices followed elsewhere while evolving an Dr Nandita Chatterjee, Secretary (Housing & Urban Poverty
Alleviation) has said that Information and Communication Technologies would
play a critical role in promoting smart practices, citizen participation and
e- governance for better delivery of services. She however, cautioned that
emphasis on technology should not result in technocratic and elitist design.
Asserting that smart cities should offer economic and employment
opportunities to a wider section of people, Dr Chatterjee said that slum
redevelopment, providing houses for all urban poor, skill development of
urban poor for increased employment would address equity dimension of smart
cities. From
http://southasia.oneworld.net/ |
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It is planned to improve the quality of services. In connection
with first European games, which will be held in From
http://news.az/
Demand
for E-Signature Increases in The total number of electronic digital signatures (e-signatures)
issued by the Azerbaijani National Certification Services Center in November
2014 increased by 5.8 percent and hit 27,536 as of December 1, the report of
the Information-Computer Center under the Azerbaijani Communication and High
Technology Ministry said Dec. 10.
The state bodies were provided with 16,616 e-signatures, 4,528
e-signatures were issued to the legal entities and 6,392 to citizens. An e-signature enables people to
easily use the e-services of state institutions, which are available on the
"e-government" portal (e-gov.az). Some 312 services of the total number
of approved electronic services (451) are available on the "electronic
government" (e-gov.az) portal. The total number of e-services placed on
the websites of Azerbaijani state organizations is 461. The 'Electronic Government' website is
a key tool for supporting work with citizens and businesses, belonging to the
state and private sectors. It aims at reducing the number of documents
required by the citizens, with the help of an electronic interaction among
different bodies. The access to
the portal is conducted with the help of e-signature, the identity data of
the private entrepreneurs and citizens, verification data (login and
password), as well as mobile authentication system, which can be obtained in
an electronic form after registering on the portal. From
http://en.trend.az/ Transparency
Transparency Particular attention is paid to the mobile electronic signature
Asan Imza, which is a key component of mobile government ", the
statement of B.EST Solutions, a developer and operator of a mobile digital
signature platform Asan Imza, says.
The report notes that despite the popularity of Asan Imza service
among the business sector, it is available for all users, and is more
convenient and easy to use compared to other means of electronic
identification. Also some
statistics data is given on use of Asan Imza. Thus, the number of users of
mobile signature in the country exceeds 2 times the total number of owners of
electronic signature based on smart card. The report also indicates that about
1.5 million people benefited from e-services over the past two years, and up
to 400 e-government services are now available to the population in a
centralized manner. In general,
according to Transparency Azerbaijan, the situation in the field of use of
electronic services in the country is admitted as satisfactory. From
http://news.az/
In line with the data of the first half of 2014, the number of
foreign tourists coming to From
http://news.az/ Number of
Issued E-Signatures Increases in The total number of electronic digital signatures (e-signatures)
issued by the Azerbaijani National Certification Services Center in 2014
increased by 60 percent and hit 28,579 as of January 1, the Information
Computer Center under the Azerbaijani Communication and High Technology
Ministry said. The state bodies
were provided with 17,113 e-signatures, 4,838 e-signatures were issued to the
legal entities and 6,628 to citizens.
An e-signature enables people to easily use the e-services of state
institutions, which are available on the "e-government" portal
(e-gov.az). Some 322 services of
the total number of approved electronic services (452) are available on the
"electronic government" (e-gov.az) portal. The total number of
e-services placed on the websites of Azerbaijani state organizations is
463. A significant increase in
the number of appeals to the "e-government" portal was observed. As
of 2014, this figure exceeded 3.1 million times. Around 890,804 people used
the e-services available on the portal during this period. The 'Electronic Government' website is
a key tool for supporting work with citizens and businesses, belonging to the
state and private sectors. It aims at reducing the number of documents
required by the citizens, with the help of an electronic interaction among
different bodies. The access to
the portal is conducted with the help of e-signature, the identity data of
the private entrepreneurs and citizens, verification data (login and
password), as well as mobile authentication system, which can be obtained in
an electronic form after registering on the portal. From
http://en.trend.az/ Bakcell
Supports “ Bakcell, The First Mobile Operator and The Leading Mobile
Internet Provider of Azerbaijan, has started implementation of the “Digital
Village” project, together with “SOS Children’s Villages – Azerbaijan”
Association. The main goal of this
project is to create conditions for the children living under the patronage
of the “SOS Children’s Villages Azerbaijan” Association for using the modern
information and communication technologies and Internet resources. The
project will ensure the children’s access to the necessary information, as
well as provide support in doing their homework and acquiring additional
knowledge by using the Internet resources. For this purpose, all the houses in
the SOS children’s villages of In addition, content filtering has been implemented to ensure
the children's safe access to the Internet. The “ From
http://en.trend.az/ ICT
Ministry, SOFAZ Postpone Financing of Fiber to Home project Ministry of Communications and High-Tech and the State Oil Fund
of Azerbaijan (SOFAR) postponed the financing of Fiber to Home project
("Optics in house"), providing for maintenance of broadband
Internet throughout the country. As part of the Caspian-European Club (CEIBC)
meeting which was held in From
http://news.az/
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Mobile Tech Predictions for 2015 Mobile
tech has advanced at a rapid pace the last few years, but has slowed down recently
to let us catch up. The major players are firmly entrenched in mobile, and
with only a few hours left in 2014 it's time to look forward to see what they
might have in store for us next year. Android Android
is the 800 pound gorilla in every room, and next year will see that continue.
Google will keep Android on a steady course as it has in the past. Android
has matured to the point that it's not likely we'll see a big jump in 2015.
That doesn't apply to Android One, Google's initiative to get low-cost (eg
$99) Android phones into emerging markets. In 2015, expect to hear about new
Android One partners in India and other emerging markets. These won't make
much of a profit, but in large numbers will cement Android's number one
position in smartphones. Next year's version of Android, Maple Syrup or
whatever Google calls it, will probably expand on the material design of
Lollipop. It's not likely we'll see a big change in the look and feel of
Android next year as the design of Lollipop has already gotten both phones
and tablets modernized. Google will continue the Nexus line with a new
smartphone and tablet, but neither will have a wow factor. It will be slow
and steady for Nexus next year. Samsung will continue floundering in 2015,
releasing tablets all year and a new flagship smartphone or two. It will
start the year still reeling over the lack of enthusiasm in the market for
the Galaxy S5, and it will likely try to avoid that with next year's model. The
Galaxy Note line will continue with evolutionary new models. Samsung has hit
the wall with what it can do with this line. The Galaxy Note Edge phone
pushed the envelope for phones in 2014 with the innovative display on the
edge of the handset. It hasn't resonated with the buying public; however, yet
the company will probably try it again. Don't be surprised if Samsung brings
the edge display to a tablet of some kind next year. Other major Android
device makers will continue with the big phone thing and we should see evolutionary
phones and tablets in 2015. There's no foreseeable jump in the technology and
it will lead to largely minor improvements over current devices. One area of
the Android space that will be fun to watch next year will be the Nokia
factor. I predict we'll see Nokia, the company separate from Microsoft,
produce at least one Android tablet. Nokia should make innovative offerings
that include its own software, and its devices will be different from all the
rest of the Android gadgets we'll see next year as a result. Chromebooks and Chromepads We
should see the adoption of Chromebooks continue to grow in 2015, as current
owners and organizations using them spread the word. Low prices will make the
decision to buy the Chromebook just as attractive next year as it did in
2014. The Chromebook won't likely change much next year, but the hardware
will evolve to the point that the low prices will get much more bang for the
buck. We will probably see more Chromebooks with touch screens, and a bigger
selection of larger display models. There are two things I believe we have a
good chance to see in 2015. I wouldn't be surprised to see a tablet hit the
market, and it will likely be called the Chromepad. This will be testing the
waters to see how well a tablet running Chrome OS will be received. Google
should be particularly interested in how enthusiastically the education
sector might react to a Chromepad. The Chromebook is gaining traction in
schools, and having a Chromepad will allow Google and its partners in Chrome
to compete with the iPad. I
also think we might see Google work with a partner to produce a high-end
Chromebook like the Pixel. It's been a couple of years since the Pixel, and
since we've not seen a refresh of that laptop it may be an indication that Google
doesn't want to do its own hardware again. Working with a partner as it does
with its Nexus device line would let it concentrate on design and features,
then turn it over to an OEM to manufacture it. The new Pixel (I vote to call
it the Pixelator) would have to come down in price from the original, yet
retain the premium design element. Expect it to offer integrated LTE like the
first one, and to retain the beautiful high-resolution display. Apple Next
year we'll probably see another iPhone and iPad that are only slightly better
than this year's models. Apple will likely milk the iPhone 6 features with
next year's phone. We should see the same tactic with the iPad Air. It's not
really practical to make an iPad that's thinner, as it's already pushing the
limit. Any thinner and the tablet will be fragile. We will probably see
system RAM increased in the new iPad which will make it run better and aid in
the increased role the iPad is assuming for work purposes. While I would love
to see Apple release a Surface-type keyboard cover for the iPad, it's not
likely. The folks in Cupertino seem happy with others making accessories for
its products and won't likely rock the boat. The
never-ending rumors about a large (12-inch) iPad will probably turn out to be
just that again in 2015. I don't believe a large iPad is in Apple's DNA.
Instead, I think the company will continue to grow Apple Pay and focus its
efforts on the Apple Watch. It's apparent that Apple intends to give the
watch a big push to make it successful, and will devote resources that won't
be available for other products. I predict the Apple Watch will be the
biggest selling smartwatch by the end of 2015. Even so, I don't think the
buying public will find wearables to be any more desirable next year than
they have this year. I don't think the Apple Watch will reach the high level
of sales that the company is hoping to hit. What the Apple Watch will do in
2015 is kick-start HealthKit into high gear. Expect to see it get additional
health monitoring, accompanied by a flood of third-party accessories that
interface with all of Apple's products, especially the watch, designed to
track every aspect of your life. Microsoft and Windows The
folks in Redmond have been moving at a dizzying pace of late, and predicting
what we'll see in 2015 is not an easy feat. We'll see Windows 10, and that
will help get over the debacle of Windows 8. Windows 10 should be the OS from
the new Microsoft that starts enticing some enterprises to upgrade. That will
give the company the traction it needs going forward in mobile. On the flip
side, the fact that Windows 10 is expected to be the last major version of
the OS may intimidate other companies who are uncomfortable with the new
upgrade process of the future. We'll likely see an upgraded Surface Pro
tablet, and I predict the hardware will see a modest improvement. The biggest
step from the current Surface Pro will be a step down, and that's in price.
Microsoft needs to get the price as low as possible, and I won't be surprised
if they do that. Partners will continue to pump out Windows hybrid computers,
those that function as both a laptop and a tablet, but the buying public will
probably not like them any more in 2015 than they did this year. Most
prospective buyers typically want larger displays on laptops but the opposite
on a tablet. That won't change, so don't expect sales to jump in 2015.
Windows Phone will also continue to evolve in 2015 on its way to come closer
to merging with Windows 10. Next year will probably be too soon to get the
two OSes totally in sync, but it's getting closer. It will be a push forward
when apps are fully interchangeable between the phones and Windows tablets. Amazon This
year wasn't too kind for Amazon's first smartphone, and I don't expect the
company to repeat the debacle. I predict Amazon will let the Fire Phone die
quietly, and keep working on its tablets. We shouldn't see big bumps in the
hardware of the Fire HDX tablets; rather Amazon will keep selling as many of
them as possible. Thus, hardware improvements in 2015 will be minor, and the
company will add features to push its Prime service. Amazon will continue to
play with the Echo, and -- make no mistake -- that's what it is doing with
it. The slow rollout seemed to be controlled to let the company figure out
what it was going to do with it. In 2015 Amazon will add more features and
interaction with owners. I expect we'll see the Echo gain the ability to work
with other devices in the home, and add more sophisticated learning about
what owners want. I think we'll see the Echo get better integration with
Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets. Next
year will be like most others, with mobile tech making incremental
improvements. Major players in mobile will continue to pump out phones and
tablets which have little to differentiate them from the pack. From time to
time a device will appear with one feature that pushes the envelope, and
while these will strike the fancy of some buyers, they will largely fall by
the wayside in the marketplace. The Consumer Electronic Show will unveil lots
of new mobile gear, but as is usually the case most won't appear until late
in the year, if at all. The techerazzi will get all aglow over this new tech,
but the reality is most of it won't get the public's money. Crowd-sourcing
outlets like Kickstarter will continue to launch innovative mobile gear, but
as in the past this won't get it out in the mainstream. These projects will
continue to demonstrate that those behind them can be innovative in the extreme,
yet lack the business acumen to be successful in gaining a foothold in a
highly competitive industry. With nothing particular on the horizon, rest
assured that next year will be another that we watch closely, hoping to see
the Next Big Thing. From
http://www.zdnet.com
2014's
Top Three Depressing Network Stories I wish I
could say things were just peachy on the networking side of computing and the
Internet in 2014 but I can't. 2014 was not a good year for networks and the
Internet. 2015 will be worse. True, software-defined networking (SDN),
especially in open-source projects such as OpenDaylight, will be
revolutionizing data-center networking. Within the data-center we're also
seeing faster throughput than ever thanks to inventions such as the new
Broadcom BCM56960 chip, which can support 3.2 Terabits per second of
bandwidth, or 128 ports of 25GE on a single chip. And, for short reaches
anyway, the latest DSL standard G.fast promises us 1 Gigabit per second
speeds. Last, but far from least, 1) Network security is crumbling Putting salt
into the wound of pricey, not up to speed Internet,
is the simple fact that the Internet's security is cracking. We're seeing
ever larger Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks almost every month.
Just look at what Lizard Squad did to Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network
over Christmas. Two major gaming networks were taken down by what appears to
be a handful hackers. Get used to it. We're only
going to see a lot more DDoS attacks in 2015. That's in no small part because
we're discovering that a lot of basic Internet technology is showing its age,
and its security holes. In 2014 alone, we saw the Domain Name System (DNS),
Network Time Protocol (NTP), and OpenSSL either have major security holes
revealed and/or used in attacks. Company after company from
Sony to Target have had their secrets revealed. And, although I've
heard a lot of talk about improving network security, I haven't seen anything
like enough action. Taken all-in-all I see a crumbling Internet infrastructure
that we expect more and more from every day. I can't imagine how people can
seriously expect the Internet of Things to work on today's Internet. It
simply doesn't have the bandwidth or security we're going to need in the next
year, never mind supplying us with sufficient bandwidth until the decade's
end. We must bite the bullet and improve the Internet at a reasonable and
fair price, and we need to do it now. If we don't, and we probably won't,
we'll be talking about Internet blackouts and brownouts soon the way
Californians talked about electrical blackouts and brownouts in the early
2000s. Then, maybe we'll see some real movement in improving the Internet. I
just hope it will be before we have major Internet failures that will make
the ones we've seen so far, like August 2014, look like little more than a
toddler pulling out an Ethernet cord. 2) Last-mile
Internet speeds stagnate 4K video is
here and available on the net for a few shows from Amazon and Netflix. I can
watch it because I have a 100 Megabit per second (Mbps) connection and
Netflix says you can watch it too if you have at least a 25Mbps hook-up.
That's fine for me, but what about you? The ISPs are insisting that 4Mbps
counts as broadband. That was great in 2004, but in 2014, almost 15, I don't
think so! On the world stage, the 3) Network
neutrality is dying Network
neutrality is a simple concept: ISPs shouldn't play favorites with the
content that goes over their parts of the Internet. It goes back to the
Commercial Internet Exchange (CIX) in 1991. That's when the first Internet
carriers agreed to share connections equally with each other. That idea
became the foundation for today's Internet. ISPs like Verizon are charging
content providers, such as Netflix, for access to the Internet. The courts
and the FCC has been siding with Verizon, Comcast,
and Time-Warner. The end result will be that we're going to end up with a
tiered Internet. There will be the platinum version, with a corresponding
price-tag, and then there will be the slow version that most people can
afford. At the same time, Netflix, and all the other content companies such
as CBS and HBO, which are following Netflix to Internet broadcasting, will up
their prices to make up for their last-mile ISP surcharges. The local
monopoly ISPs will win and all the rest of us will lose. From
http://www.zdnet.com
Satellites a New Tool in Pacific Fight Against
Disease Public
health authorities may have a new tool in the fight against common diseases
with the use of remote sensing and geographic tracking systems. A research
team at the Australian National University has trialled the system with
malaria in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Bhutan with positive responses from
local health authorities. The team's project leader Professor Archie Clements
says the technology could help save millions of lives in underdeveloped
countries if integrated into public health monitoring systems. "People
all the way from the policy level down to delivering interventions in the
field can have access to maps that tell them about the distribution of
disease that tell them about where their surveillance system has been
operating. Can help them identify areas where they could be doing better,
where they need to be allocating their resources." Archie Clements says
his team is now seeking funding to trial the system in larger countries. From
http://www.radionz.co.nz
/ The National
Library of Australia's Trove of digitised newspapers now contains 15 million
pages, making it the world's largest freely available collection. The
15-millionth page added to the National Library of Australia's online
collection of digitised newspaper pages came from the 8 December 1917 edition
of The St George Call, which was published in the Kogarah district of Sydney.
The Australian Newspaper Digitisation Project began in 2008. National Library
of Australia director-general Anne-Marie Schwirtlich said "The first
digitised papers went online the following year and then became available through
Trove. The fact we have just hit 15 million is an outstanding
achievement." More than 127 million newspaper pages had been viewed so
far this year through Trove, with more than 11 million views in October, she
added. Trove contains digitised pages from about 800 newspapers and other
periodicals, currently covering the period from 1803 (The Sydney Gazette and
New South Wales Advertiser to 2007 (Woroni, the ANU student newspaper). The
digitised pages are OCRed to make them searchable, and users are able to
correct the text of pages they inspect. The top contributor - 'JohnWarren' -
is credited with corrections to more than 2.9 million lines of text. Dozens
more titles are being added to the collection, many supported by the National
Library of Australia, with others backed by the State Library of New South
Wales or other government or community bodies, and in one case by a private
individual. From http://www.itwire.com
Internet Connection Speeds Up Despite Hitting
Quarterly Speed Hump Australia’s
average Internet connection speeds dropped marginally in the third quarter of
last year compared to the second quarter – by 1.8% to be exact – but despite
this a newly published global report shows that year-on-year Australia
recorded a 25% increase in speed. According to the latest State of the
Internet report from global cloud services provider Akamai, the figures from
Q3 2014 put The Akamai
report also reveals other statistics on Internet usage in Situational Performance • The
average page load time for broadband in • The
average page load time for mobile in • • 4K
Readiness* (<15 Mbps Connectivity) • • The
percentage of connectivity recorded above 15 Mbps in * With 4k
adaptive bitrate streams generally requiring between 10–20 Mbps of bandwidth,
the rankings presented within this section provide insight into the states
most likely to be able to sustain such streams within this range. Note that
the rankings presented here are not intended to specify who can/cannot view
4k content, but rather which states have higher concentrations of 4k
“capable” connectivity, resulting in a larger complement of subscribers being
able to enjoy a quality experience when streaming 4k content. And, on
security Akamai’s report reveals that Security • During the
third quarter of 2014, Akamai observed attack traffic originating from source
IP addresses in 201 unique countries/regions, up significantly from • • • • The
overall concentration of observed attack traffic decreased slightly in the
third quarter, with the top 10 countries/regions originating 82% of observed
attacks, down from 84% in the second quarter • Presumably
related in part to the significant percentage decline seen in • North
America had the next highest concentration, at 19% of observed attacks
(comprised mostly of attacks originating in the • South
America and DDoS Attacks • In the
third quarter of 2014, the number of DDoS attacks reported to Akamai by
customers remained consistent, with 270 attacks reported for the second
quarter in a row • Overall,
this represents a 4.5% reduction in attacks since the beginning of 2014 and a
4% decrease in comparison to the third quarter of 2013 • Despite
the increase in size and frequency of network layer attacks higher layer
attacks against applications and Web properties remain a steady problem • The number
of attacks fell in both the • Meanwhile,
the number of attacks in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region rose by 25% from the
previous quarter, which brought the total number of attacks in the APAC
region to 84 for the third quarter • This
represents an 18% increase from the same quarter in 2013, when 71 attacks
against targets in the region were reported. DDoS Attacks by Industries • The third
quarter saw a significant redistribution of the industries targeted by
attacks, with both • Commerce
dropped 15%, from 78 to 66 attacks, while the High Tech vertical dropped from
42 attacks to 34, a 19% decrease • The
largest decline was seen in Public Sector, with a 27% decrease in reported
attacks, from 30 to 22. Other Security Observation • The third
quarter of 2014 was dominated by the Shellshock vulnerabilities and attack
activity targeting Web sites critical to coverage of the World Cup • Akamai
also saw an increase in the use of attack tools like Blackshades rat and the
Spike DDoS toolkit • The third
quarter was also notable for DDoS attacks targeting vulnerabilities in Linux
systems. From http://www.itwire.com
NICTA Experimenting with Health
Records App Australia
is developing a mobile application that will allow patients to store their
health records on their smartphone, Dr Leif Hanlen, Technical Director at
Australia’s National ICT Agency (NICTA) has
announced. The app will encrypt the records and allow patients to share it
with others if they wish to. NICTA is also experimenting with open clinical
data. For instance, it is analysing hospital records to predict which
sections of a hospital may be at risk of an infection. NICTA researchers have
converted medical terms to machine-readable formats and made them available
online. The Australian Capital Territory health department is now using this
to management patient discharge reports. From
http://www.futuregov.asia
Aussie
Study Aims to Capture True Value of Public Wi-Fi RMIT senior
research fellow Dr Ian McShane expects But McShane
believes local government and community groups are growing frustrated with
what is on offer from the NBN, resulting in grassroots initiatives like the
community-driven Goulburn free wi-fi scheme. Goulburn's wi-fi network came
about after a group of residents - concerned their town was dropping back
economically and keen to attract more visitors off the highway - pitched the
idea of public wi-fi to council, and got knocked back. Driven by a
Canberra-based technology professional, the group instead devised a bandwidth
sharing scheme with local businesses to share the surplus of their respective
data plans, using technology designed by the group. The council has since
come on board the scheme, offering a $3000 grant to expand the network across
the centre of town. McShane’s team, which includes himself
- a public policy expert, network engineer, media and communications specialist,
and an economist - are looking to put together a comprehensively researched
case for greater public investment into wi-fi as a public utility across “What is the
policy argument for public investment? Can it offer things that private
market investment can’t? Who benefits and who doesn’t from localised
technology rollouts?" he said. “There hasn’t been any detailed research
done into this area to date." The answers to these questions are likely
to throw up some unexpected answers. McShane has already stumbled on an
innovative use of free wi-fi by From http://www.itnews.com.au
Parents ‘Want Kids
Taught Digital Skills’ The
Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has published a Digital
Skills and Careers Report, in collaboration with National ICT Australia
(NICTA) and the Australia Computer Society (ACS). The research was conducted
by Newspoll. The research, undertaken in late 2014, found that 61% of
Australian parents believe it is important that children learn how to design,
build or program computer applications. Less than 30% of respondents thought
that the current school curriculum is adequate in preparing children with the
skills they need for the future. “The research reinforces concerns regarding
the deficit in the national school curriculum,” said AIIA CEO Suzanne
Campbell. “This is playing itself out in “The
research found that 95% of parents would support their child’s decision to
pursue a digital career. “In the next ten years, as more content becomes
digitised and processes automated, more jobs will require digital skills, and
technology will become an even bigger part of our homes and workplaces. “This
is not just an issue for the future,” said “Digital
technologies create high value and well paid jobs in all sectors of the
economy such as mining, finance and retailing industries, as well as in the
ICT industry itself,” said Johnson. “ From http://www.itwire.com
NEW
ZEALAND: Tauranga Happy to Get Connected The
rollout of ultra-fast broadband in Tauranga should be done by June 2016. The
rollout of ultra-fast broadband in Tauranga should be done by June 2016. More
than 30,000 households, businesses and schools in Tauranga are now able to
connect to the ultra-fast broadband network. As of September 30, there were
around 28,900 Tauranga properties connected to the network and more than
31,500 users, such as households, businesses and schools, which were able to
connect. The number of properties differs to the number of end users, as some
properties have more than one potential user. Academy Motor Inn owner Gladys
Simmons, whose business has been connected to the network since July, said
she hadn't noticed any drastic effects of the broadband yet, though the odd
guest had commented on how good it was. "The website and system are
faster but I don't think it'll be until we get busier after Christmas that
we'll notice a real difference," she said. "If we get young people
staying who want to plug in their tablet and laptop and iPod and everything
else going, I imagine we'll notice a difference then." The rollout of ultra-fast broadband in
Tauranga is expected to be completed by June 2016. Communications Minister
Amy Adams said the national rollout was ahead of schedule and within budget.
"At the end of September, 536,000 end users were able to connect,
putting the ultra-fast broadband build at 40 per cent complete," she
said. "For the rural programme, the build is now 70 per cent complete
with 282 towers having been upgraded and 98 new towers having been built
providing fixed wireless broadband to 213,000 premises." The deployment
had been focused on connecting priority users such as schools, health centres
and businesses, she said. Three towns (Whangarei, Te Awamutu, Oamaru) and
2259 schools were fully fibred ... Better connectivity here at home has the
potential to completely change how we connect with each other, how we educate
our children and how we provide healthcare and other services across the
country," Ms Adams said. "Living outside the main centres no longer
means a lesser level of opportunities to work, train or get specialist care
... Our best and brightest can create ideas, products and services from
anywhere in New Zealand." The rollout alone had created more than 3500
jobs around the country, she said. The country's 33 biggest towns and cities,
where 75 per cent of New Zealanders reside, were expected to be connected to
the ultra-fast network by December 2019. UFB in Tauranga Tauranga
ultra-fast broadband progress as of September 30: *Properties
connected to the network: About 28,900 *End
users able to connect: More than 31,500 *Build
completion: 64 per cent *Uptake:
12 per cent From
http://www.nzherald.co.nz
New
Zealand Homes Increasingly On-Line: Census Data Three
quarters of New Zealand households had Internet access at the time of the
2013 national census, the government statistics agency announced Tuesday. The
proportion was up from 34 percent in the previous census in 2006, according
to Statistics New Zealand. The highest rate of home Internet access was in
the South Island tourism and ski resort district known as Queenstown-Lakes,
at 88 percent. The lowest was the remote eastern North Island district of
Wairoa at 55 percent. "Around 95 percent of households earning over
100,000 NZ dollars (72,971 US dollars) have access to the Internet, while 45
percent of households earning 20,000 NZ dollars (14,594 US dollars) or less
had access," census customer focus manager Gareth Meech said in a
statement. The proportion of households with access to a cellphone had risen
by 10 percent between the two censuses to 84 percent. The statistics on
communication and transport also showed that 38 percent of households had
access to two motor vehicles, while 16 percent of households with three or
more motor vehicles. "On census day, 50 percent of employed adults drove
to work in a private vehicle," Meech said. From
http://www.globaltimes.cn
$450K NZ Govt Spend
Targets Ed-Tech Expansion The
Government will invest almost $ “ From http://www.computerworld.co.nz
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AFRICA:
In a world where children as young as 15 months are speaking on
phone and playing computer games, there is growing concern about protecting
young people from adverse effects buried in the great opportunities presented
by the internet. In that respect, Digital natives and digital immigrants The gap between digital natives (children) and digital
immigrants (parents) is not getting any smaller, and so are the increasing
online risks, especially with fast-paced digital innovations and increased
connectivity. Yet, digital immigrants - who are the least informed about
risks and technological advancements - are still expected to play their
parental role of protecting the digital natives from dangers. However, the
risks go beyond the house-wall confinements. Most youths in Some 10 per cent of the surveyed teenagers had been approached
by online contacts to share their sexualized images. Impressively, only three
per cent - all from The ECPAT survey further says that 62 per cent of the youths did
not talk to anyone when confronted with an uncomfortable situation online. of those that talked, 44 per cent chose their friends, 19
per cent chose siblings, 18 per cent talked to parents, 11 per cent talked to
teachers and only three per cent reported to police. Kabushenga says if only
gadgets and online ethics were streamlined into the education curriculum,
everyone's rights and obligations would be clear. "Do we know the ethics
of the gadgets we use? Do we have lawyers in this country who fully
understand cyber security in this country?" Have you seen anything as
such in the education curriculum to make our children grow up knowing how to
behave in the cyber world?" Kabushenga wondered. Perhaps parents may
consider using the Guardian App that, according to Safaricom's Karen Basiye,
can monitor/limit data and voice usage of a smartphone running on IOS and Android
operating systems. Gender vulnerability Technology-related violence against women takes a variety of
forms such as cyber stalking, sexual harassment and unauthorised use,
manipulation and dissemination of personal information - including
photographs and videos. When Kawempe North MP hopeful Joweria Nakyeyune
posted liberal views on the 'torture maid' video that somewhat appeared to
justify the maid's actions of assaulting an 18-month-old toddler, she
received a barrage of abuses and was even reportedly forced to deactivate her
Facebook account. She eventually reactivated her account, but that particular
post did not appear. Never mind the fact that veteran journalist Timothy
Kalyegira posted similar views about the video on his blog without much reaction.
To Dr Ruth Nsibirano from the "The setup in the natural world is that the man has more
privileges, opportunities and fewer challenges. And this is what has been
accepted by society, she says. "This ['unfair' acceptance] is what is
[infuriated] into the cyber space. In the physical world I am supposed to be
a conformist." Singer Desire Luzinda irked Ethics and Integrity Minister
Simon Lokodo and some religious leaders like Sheikh Shaban Mubajje who said
Luzinda should be treated as a 'suspect' rather than as a 'victim'; this was
after her nude photos were leaked in the cyberspace. But we are yet to hear
similar calls for Farouk Sempala, the ex-boyfriend to Gerald Abila, a lawyer with Barefoot Law, says parents right
from childhood sometimes subconsciously create these ICT gender inequities.
Whereas the girls are bought dolls, cooking books, colouring books, etc, the
boys are bought digital watches, toy mobile phones. When they are teenagers,
they are bought video games; as they age further, they are bought computers.
This, Abila says, makes the men understand the cyber world and security more
than the women later in life. It is not actually rare to find women in cyber
cafes asking for help to login, change passwords, etc, on their email
accounts and social media platforms. Individual responsibility Whether with state surveillance or not, individuals should
exercise personal responsibility to live normal lives. And, if anything,
online users should even be more careful in cyberspace as most of the online
platforms do surveillance themselves, argues Lillian Nalwoga of International
ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa(CIPESA).
"Some people tend to live 'double' lives. In the physical world they are
more restrained", she says. "But when it comes to online, they just
become someone else spewing all sorts of things in all sorts of language... " And it seems like the online platforms like
Facebook, Twitter, etc, have realised this and somewhat loosened up on their
data protection policies. It is now possible to request them [online
platforms] to delete your previous comments. This may come in handy
especially now in the era where job/tender applications are followed with a
quick search to see the online activity of the applicant. Nalwoga adds that while parents innocently and for good reason
are friends with their children on online platforms, they ought to know the
kind of online circles they are in- as their children might end up consuming
material that was never intended for their age group. Dorothy Okello of Women
of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) notes that whereas communications surveillance
and cyber security monitoring is necessary; the state has to ensure that the
collected data is safely guarded against abuse and misuse. Stella Alibateese,
the director of regulation and legal services at National Information
Technology Authority, says this is what the the Data Protection and Privacy
Bill, soon to be to be tabled in parliament, tackles - the why, how, when,
where and who should collect/share data of Ugandans. The current legal
frameworks justify the government's surveillance, which uses laws such as the
National ICT Policy (2003), Access to Information Act (2005), National
Information Technology Authority Uganda Act (2009), Regulation of
Interception of Communications Act (2010), and Uganda Communications
Commission Act (2013). From
http://allafrica.com/
French IT security agency ANNSI is preparing a security label
for cloud operators to help companies distinguish between support services,
identifying the most secure ones, its chairman, Guillaume Poupard, told Les
Echos. The agency has published a set of requirements to get the label and
setting out good practice in hosting, encryption and data exploitation. The
guide is being re-edited to include feedback from industry players. Poupard
added that the label would offer an advantage to its holders, creating a
legal distortion of competition. The system, which requires the use of data
centres located in From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
NORTH
AMERICA: For all the excitement and hype surrounding the Internet of
Thing (IoT), many are also expressing concern over whether the new technological
trend is prepared to handle the latest security challenges. The excitement is
certainly understandable and in many cases it’s perfectly justified. The IoT
essentially embeds sensors in all sorts of devices with the goal of
connecting them to the internet while also enabling them to communicate with
the user and each other. Research shows that by 2020 there could be up to 30
billion devices connected to the Internet, and that might even be a
conservative estimate. The Internet of Things is growing, with more
industries beginning to explore how they can take advantage of advancing
technologies. With that growth, however, comes growing concerns over security
threats, concerns that will need to be addressed if proponents of the IoT
want more consumers to use it. The demand for the Internet of Things is hard to deny. One
survey shows that nearly two-thirds of American consumers are interested in
having smart home appliances, but this survey does give added weight to
worries over the security readiness of the IoT. About the same number of respondents say they have concerns about their
privacy when using the Internet of Things. Such fears are understandable,
especially in the wake of security breaches at many corporations like Target,
JPMorgan Chase, and Home Depot. And who can forget the recent hack at Sony?
Connecting more items to the Internet only allows for more entry points for
would-be attackers to use to gain more sensitive information. For all the
excitement and hype surrounding the Internet of Thing (IoT), many are also
expressing concern over whether the new technological trend is prepared to
handle the latest security challenges. The excitement is certainly understandable and in many cases
it’s perfectly justified. The IoT essentially embeds sensors in all sorts of
devices with the goal of connecting them to the internet while also enabling
them to communicate with the user and each other. Research shows that by 2020
there could be up to 30 billion devices connected to the Internet, and that
might even be a conservative estimate. The Internet of Things is growing,
with more industries beginning to explore how they can take advantage of
advancing technologies. With that growth, however, comes growing concerns
over security threats, concerns that will need to be addressed if proponents
of the IoT want more consumers to use it. The demand for the Internet of
Things is hard to deny. One survey shows that nearly two-thirds of American
consumers are interested in having smart home appliances, but this survey
does give added weight to worries over the security readiness of the IoT.
About the same number of respondents say they have
concerns about their privacy when using the Internet of Things. Such fears
are understandable, especially in the wake of security breaches at many
corporations like Target, JPMorgan Chase, and Home Depot. And who can forget
the recent hack at Sony? Connecting more items to the Internet only allows
for more entry points for would-be attackers to use to gain more sensitive
information. Indeed, it’s the data surrounding the IoT that’s a real source
of concern for consumers, analysts, and business leaders alike. One of the
main reasons the devices of the IoT are so effective
and helpful to consumers is they use their sensors to collect and analyze
data about the user. That data may be mundane information, like the last time
they bought milk for their smart fridge, or more important, like the amount
of energy they use for their home. Regardless of the type of information,
data is collected almost around the clock. What happens with that data, who has access to it, and how it is accessed are just a
number of questions that need to be answered about every Internet of Things
device. Cyber attackers can use even the seemingly unimportant data to access
more sensitive information. If every device is connected, that makes it that
much easier for hackers to infiltrate one insecure device, thereby gaining
entry into other areas. Security concerns grow with medical devices These concerns are even more serious when considering all the
items that are now being connected to the Internet of Things. Home
thermostats and smart watches are one thing; medical devices and vital
infrastructure systems are a much different matter. While hacking a home
appliance may reveal some sensitive information, hacking a transportation
grid or heart monitor could lead to disaster. Medical devices, for example,
are being added to the IoT to pave the way for added convenience and improved
patient recovery, but should such a device be infiltrated by a
cyber-criminal, not only would important medical data possibly be stolen, an
attack on the patient may result. While no such attacks have been recorded
yet, some experts are predicting it could happen within the next year. The solution to these larger security threats should be a
straightforward goal: better network security. Achieving such a goal is, of
course, much easier said than done, particularly with the rapid spread of
Internet-connected devices in almost every industry imaginable. Despite the
challenge, the IoT community needs to prioritize securing connections for
every device manufactured. IoT device makers should also provide consumers
with the option to limit the amount and type of data collected by their
devices. This data minimization strategy allows consumers
to feel safer knowing their privacy is being respected and their data
protected. Though concerns and fears over the security of the Internet of
Things will remain, there are no signs the IoT will stop growing over the
coming year. 2015 will likely feature innovative new devices tapping into the
potential of the IoT, ones that will inspire the imagination of the average
consumer. If manufacturers and experts can provide a more secure network and
environment for these devices, there’s no telling how large the Internet of
Things can grow. From
http://www.itbusiness.ca/
The government will be spending as much a $100 million to
protect its computer systems against cyber attacks. There is also “a request
from inside the government” for extra money in the upcoming 2015 federal
budget to back this cyber security strategy, according to a report from the
Globe and Mail. The daily said it got its information from
a senior officials who asked not to be identified. The sources said
the amount needed for the initiative could go over $100 million spread over
several years. The project will involve upgrading the government security
system. The decision to move beyond patching security holes comes after
Chinese state-backed hackers broke into the National Research Council’s
network in July last year. The national body responsible for business-led
technology research the “cyber-intrusion” on its IT infrastructure was
detected by the country’s electronic spy agency, the Communications Security
Establishment Canada (CSEC). The NRC said the cyber attack was carried out by
a “highly sophisticated Chinese state-sponsored actor.” The NRC had to shut
down the system to thwart cyber espionage activities. However, sources told
the Globe and Mail that officials knew of the intrusion before they system
was shut down. They did this in order to find out what the attackers were
doing and how they were going about it. The amount the government is seeking may look very big but it’s
not really a lot of money considering what’s needed to protect the government
system, according to Claudiu Popa, a security and privacy adviser to Canadian
enterprise organizations, associations and agencies and head of Informatica,
a Toronto-based risk assessment and security firm. “We must consider that
security controls come in numerous different shapes and flavours,” he said.
“The stated goals of the initiatives have been to add to From
http://www.itworldcanada.com/
Hacking trends are not like fashion fads. They don't go in and
out each year. They withstand defenses by advancing, in terms of stealth and
scope. So there will be no 2015 "What’s Hot and What’s Not" list of
cyber threats confronting federal agencies. Instead, here is a list of hacker
"Old Faves and New Twists" feds should be mindful of. Old Fave #1: Distributed Denial of Service, or DDoS, attacks
that shut down agency systems temporarily by bombarding them with bogus
traffic New Twist: Wiper attacks that destroy and leak government data.
A wiper virus allegedly was used against Sony to copy and erase company hard
drives. This development is not new. In 2012, bad guys wielded the
so-called Shamoon virus to wipe clean 30,000 employee work stations at Saudi
Aramco, Old Fave #2: Malicious insiders who leak data, like ex-federal
contractor Edward Snowden and former soldier Chelsea Manning, who both
exposed classified intelligence New Twist: Unwitting insiders who leak data, including
third-party contractors who leave network passwords lying around. "Everybody is worried about service providers, from the
HVAC providers to professional services firms," says Alan Raul, lead for
Sidley Austin's privacy, data security and information law practice. Target’s
HVAC vendor, for example, allegedly fell for a phishing email that stole his
passcode to the retailer’s payment system. That said, Raul and other analysts
stress agencies still should be worried about willful leakers.
"Wikileaks, in my view, is one of the first cyber weapons we’ve
seen," says Aitel, now chief executive officer of security consultancy
Immunity, referring to the website to which Manning spilled secrets. Old Fave #3: Retailer payment system infections that scrape
credit card data. New Twist: Feds fight back with chip-and-PIN government purchase
cards. "If PIN and chip, or PIN and sign, were to come into force
as the government has mandated for federal credit card usage," under an
October presidential executive order, "that should make point-of-sale
scraping less risky . . . with any luck, we will be moving away from
that," says Raul, a former vice chairman of the White House Privacy and
Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Old Fave #4: Criminals bust agency networks to steal personal
information so they can sell it to identity thieves. New Twist: Extortionists break into networks to steal business
data so they can blackmail organizations with it. Ask Sony about this. Criminal groups will find it harder to make money off filched
IDs, as personal information becomes better protected and chip-and-PIN
payment cards reduce fraud, says Chris Finan, former White House cyber
adviser and cyberwarfare planner for the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency. However, as C-suites grow increasingly concerned about leaks denting
reputations, hackers who hold sensitive data hostage will reap rewards, he
says. Old Fave #5: Piercing cloud servers to steal credentials stored
in bulk on the Web New Twist: Raiding a
multitude of individuals’ smartphones for data stored inside the device
itself, in apps like ApplePay and Bitcoin wallets. “Consumers will increasingly host payment data on mobile devices
as more convenient mobile payment methods gain adoption,” says Finan, now
head of cyber startup Manifold Security. “Malware that rips payment
credentials from mobile devices at scale will become more prevalent, as batch
extraction from central servers becomes more difficult.” Old Fave #6: Hackers redirect news website visitors, including
federal employees, to evil, impostor websites. New Twist: Hackers pollute legitimate news sites with invisible
malware that gloms on to government computers. Kellermann’s research points to a 600 percent increase in these
“watering hole” attacks this year. Old Fave #7: Attackers hijack systems remotely through the Web New Twist: Attackers command systems through online and
real-world trespassing. "Think a possible attack on an electrical substation,"
says Mike McNerney, a security consultant at Delta Risk who previously served
as a cyber policy adviser for the secretary of defense. Old Fave #8: Stealing intellectual property to use for
competitive advantage, as in the many cases where Chinese nationals allegedly
stole IP from New Twist: "Using information itself as a weapon to
embarrass, intimidate or extort,” McNerney says. Old Fave #9: Terrorist organizations, like al Qaida, recruit
extremists through social networks. New Twist: Terrorists corrupt computer networks. "While a significant computer network attack capability --
at least on par with major nation states -- may not be within the reach of
organizations such as ISIS in the very near term, they may increasingly turn
to cyber extortion as a means to supplement their kidnapping and ransom
business," says Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy
Institute at George Washington University. This could mean injecting
"ransomware" that freezes a computer's data until the victim
divulges certain information, in essence kidnapping data. Old Fave #10: Cyber gangs expand their criminal networks to move
stolen IDs and cash. New Twist: Cyber gangs team with the real-world mafia to move
product. "As the physical and cyber domain converge, so too will
organized crime -- old criminal organizations will increasingly cooperate
with their newer tech savvy criminal counterparts," says Cilluffo, who
served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush. Russian organized
crime “will take on even greater significance in both the cyber and physical
domain in the days ahead.” From
http://www.nextgov.com/ Federal
Cybersecurity Spending Is Big Bucks. Why Doesn't It Stop Hackers? Despite paying $59 billion for data protections since fiscal
2010, the federal government couldn’t stave off hacks against the White
House, State Department, Army and dozens of other agencies. Across-the-board
funding cuts last year hit cyber budgets, but the total tab, $10.3 billion,
still more than doubles the $4.1 billion industry reportedly spent on
computer security. And we all know those corporate expenditures did little to
prevent data breaches at Sony, Home Depot and almost every other company, if
you count the undetected compromises. The apparent futility of cyber spending
does not bode well for the American population's online security. Government
and private systems increasingly are interdependent. The Pentagon spent $7.1
billion for Cyber Command, the National Security Agency and other military
components to defend critical The largest "The big banks, big retailers and big media companies whose
hacks make the front pages are not being penetrated because they've skimped
on security out of sloth, stupidity or greed," Alan Raul, former vice
chairman of the White House Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, said
Monday in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. There is not much businesses could
have done to prevent some of these intrusions, "any more so, in fact,
than the White House, Air Force, Postal Service, Commerce and State
Departments, [Federal Trade Commission], or countless other federal hacking
victims, could guarantee their own cybersecurity,” added Raul, now head of
Sidley Austin's privacy, data security and information law practice. One
proposal would have the government offer companies an automated cyberdefense
system, called EINSTEIN, that detects and deflects
hackers. Internet service providers for the government have long used the
technology to collect information on potential agency compromises, and last
month it became capable of redirecting bad guys away from government employee
computers. "If EINSTEIN is in fact working, the government should make
it available more broadly," said Raul, stressing that the government
would then have to broaden the authority of federal civil liberties bodies.
In the wake of the Sony attack, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., on Friday is
expected to reintroduce controversial legislation that would facilitate an
EINSTEIN-like system for industry, The Hill reports. The Cyber Intelligence
Sharing and Protection Act, better known as CISPA, would exchange details
about malicious activity collected by companies and the government so all
parties can tweak their antivirus programs accordingly. Could letting Big
Brother see certain network activity, under strict privacy protocols, save
some big bucks? From
http://www.nextgov.com/
Obama
Turns Focus to Internet Security, Privacy President Barack Obama will highlight plans next week to protect
American consumers and businesses from cyber threats, a month after the most
high-profile hacking attack on a Later he will visit the Department of Homeland Security’s
cybersecurity nerve center to promote voluntary information sharing between
government and private sector and industry to fight cyber threats “while
protecting privacy and civil liberties,” the official said. The National
Cybersecurity and From
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
New
Year, New Threats - Electronic Health Record Cyberattacks The recent flood of cyberattacks means that hackers are
relentless and more sophisticated than ever before. Cyberattacks are clearly
on the minds of President Barack Obama, Islamic State jihadists, Sony
Pictures execs and the CBS producers who are launching a new show this spring
called CSI: Cyber. On Jan. 13, Obama announced plans to reboot and strengthen
The intent to create EHR systems is to improve patient care by
providing continuity of care from provider to provider by creating health
information exchanges (HIEs) that allow “health-care professionals and
patients to appropriately access and securely share a patient’s vital medical
information electronically,” says HealthIT.gov. In addition, financial
penalties are scheduled to take effect in 2015 for Medicare and Medicaid
providers who do not transition to electronic health records. What do the
cyber threats and attacks mean for the EHR systems and health information
exchanges? Since health-care providers have been installing EHRs, the number
of cyber threats and attacks has grown. As stated in a September 2014 MIT
Technology Review article, “cybercriminals are increasingly targeting the
computer networks of hospitals — one recently announced theft involved data
from 4.5 million people who had received treatment from Community Health
Systems, a company that runs more than 200 hospitals. … Data security is
often lax within health-care facilities, and hackers are targeting systems
that store troves of valuable personal information held in electronic medical
records, according to the Websense researchers, who say they’ve observed a
600 percent increase in attacks on hospitals over the past 10 months.” In a Politico article from summer 2014, “As health data become
increasingly digital and the use of electronic health records booms, thieves
see patient records in a vulnerable health-care system as attractive bait. On
the black market, a full identity profile contained in a single record can
bring as much as $500.” Lastly, the Target, Sony and Department of Defense
hacks bring into focus the need for further action to prevent data breaches
that could potentially have deadly or serious repercussions. If major corporations
or the federal government can’t protect their data networks, what chance does
a primary care provider or long-term care agency have
to protect a patient’s medical record? Medical records include sensitive
personal information such as a person’s blood type, HIV status, cancer or MS
diagnosis, etc., that goes well beyond our Social Security and financial
data. I develop plans for all types of health-care providers around the
country and can safely say that a good majority of them have don’t have
adequate firewalls, data security procedures or even business continuity
plans to protect their electronic health records. I’m sounding the alarm and
don’t have all the answers but want to start the conversation about how to
protect patients and their data. From
http://www.govtech.com/
Cybersecurity
Expert Says Government Hasn't Done Enough to Protect Data A senior fellow with “When we think about the risk of attacks, what we are seeing a
lot more of are organized attacks,” Cate said. President Obama raised the
issue in his State of the Union speech, calling for legislation to encourage
information sharing between businesses and the government. Committees in both
the U.S. Senate and House have met this week to discuss cybersecurity.
Information sharing has been the key piece of cybersecurity legislation for a
number of years, Cate said. Sharing information can lead to better
cybersecurity, giving businesses an idea of how others were attacked and
where holes could exist in security systems. It can be useful even if an
attack is not successful, too, just to give a heads-up to businesses about
how a crime syndicate may be attacking. “It’s what we think of as
asymmetrical warfare,” Cate said. “If you’re the defender, you have to win
every time; if you’re the attacker, you only have to win once.” The proposed
legislation is mostly focused on information gathering, not necessarily on
protection. There’s also some reluctance on information sharing legislation
because of civil liberties concerns about companies sharing customer data,
especially with the government. Government may also be reluctant to share its
information with private industry. Cate said cybersecurity information is
usually classified, and would have to be declassified in order to share.
There are other things the government could do besides information sharing.
Companies could be held liable for money lost by other companies and
individuals because of a data breach. These changes may be unlikely from
Congress, though. “Every year, after every major attack, we say ‘This will be
the year,’ and in a rational world, it would,” Cate said. “But Congress and
the president — it isn’t rational. It’s really just a crap shoot. It’s like
rolling dice.” Cyber protection may come from an executive order by the
president or cases pending with the Federal Trade Commission, which could
determine whether bad cybersecurity is a bad trade practice. The biggest
problem regarding data security is people themselves. Most breaches have a
human element, Cate said — someone clicks on a link they shouldn’t, someone
accidentally turns over their password to a hacker. Cate said more research is needed in cybersecurity, but there’s
very little funding for research right now compared with other government
areas. Money could also go to education. Cate suggested starting education
about data security in elementary schools, alongside topics such as fire
safety. Diverting more money to research could produce more concrete
protection ideas, which is the biggest problem right now. With attacks coming
from all corners of the world and taking many forms, it’s hard to give
legislators an all-encompassing solution for data protection. “It’s lots of information — it’s part of what makes
cybersecurity so hard to deal with,” Cate said. “Nobody’s got a silver
bullet.” From
http://www.govtech.com/
White House
Big Data Report Stresses Importance of Protecting Data Two congressmen announced that they will introduce student data
privacy legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, perhaps as soon as
the end of this month. A group of senior Obama administration officials
charged with examining how big data will transform the way we live and work
and alter the relationships between government, citizens, businesses and
consumers delivered an interim progress report to the White House Feb. 5. The
working group, spearheaded by White House counselor John Podesta, began examining
the issue in January 2014. The interim report delivered yesterday details
their progress to date, identifying six priority policy recommendations and a
host of smaller initiatives to further the conversation about big data and
privacy both inside and outside of government. Protecting student data and
ensuring it’s used only for educational purposes is among the six priority
areas. “As technologies proliferate in the classroom, we must be vigilant
about ensuring that students’ privacy is protected in the educational context
and that their educational data is not mined for commercial or marketing
purposes,” the report states. On Thursday, Rep. Luke Messer, R-Idaho, and Rep. Jared Polis,
D-Colo., announced that they will introduce student-data-privacy legislation
in the U.S. House of Representatives, perhaps as soon as the end of this
month. The legislation will seek to protect student privacy in school while
continuing to embrace the innovative educational potential of new
technologies to improve student outcomes. “It’s imperative that we have a
strong federal privacy legislation to protect our students,” said privacy
attorney Bradley S. Shear. “It’s great that students can take advantage of
technology-based advanced learning opportunities, but we must be assured that
their data is not used against them or mined for other purposes later.” In
the report, Podesta noted that one novel finding of the working group was the
potential for big data technologies to circumvent longstanding civil rights
protections and enable new forms of discrimination in housing and employment,
and access to credit, among other areas. In response, the working group is also examining how big data
may inadvertently or deliberately lead to
discriminatory outcomes, and what policy mechanisms may be needed to respond.
For example, the White House Council of Economic Advisers recently conducted
a study examining whether and how companies may use big data technologies to
offer different prices to different consumers — a practice known as “discriminatory
pricing.” The CEA found that many companies already use big data for targeted
marketing, but this practice is not yet widespread. “Big data technologies
raise serious concerns about how we protect personal privacy and our other
values,” stated the report. “As more data is collected, analyzed and stored
on both public and private systems, we must be vigilant in ensuring the
balance of power is retained between government and citizens, and between
businesses and consumers.” Privacy is of particular concern for the federal
government in light of recent reports that personal data from the insurance
exchange website HealthCare.gov were being shared with third parties. More
than 50 companies are reported to have gained access to the personal information
-- including names, ZIP codes, pregnancy status, age, income, smoking habits
and Internet protocol address — of millions of Americans. From
http://www.govtech.com/
Tightening
the Net: Governments Expand Online Controls Freedom on the Net 2014 – the fifth annual comprehensive study
of internet freedom around the globe, covering developments in 65 countries
that occurred between May 2013 and May 2014 –finds internet freedom around
the world in decline for the fourth consecutive year, with 36 out of 65
countries assessed in the report experiencing a negative trajectory during
the coverage period. In a departure from the past, when most governments
preferred a behind-the-scenes approach to internet control, countries rapidly
adopted new laws that legitimize existing repression and effectively
criminalize online dissent. The past year also saw increased government pressure
on independent news websites, which had previously been among the few
uninhibited sources of information in many countries, in addition to more
people detained or prosecuted for their digital activities than ever before. Between May 2013 and May 2014, 41 countries passed or proposed
legislation to penalize legitimate forms of speech online, increase
government powers to control content, or expand government surveillance
capabilities.Since May 2013, arrests for online communications pertinent to
politics and social issues were documented in 38 of the 65 countries, most
notably in the Middle East and North Africa, where detentions occurred in 10
out of the 11 countries examined in the region. Pressure on independent news
websites, among the few unfettered sources of information in many countries,
dramatically increased. Dozens of citizen journalists were attacked while
reporting on conflict in Emerging Threats Freedom House identified three emerging threats that place the
rights of internet users at increasing risk: Data localization
requirements—by which private companies are required to maintain data storage
centers within a given country—are multiplying, driven in part by NSA
revelations, which spurred more governments to bring international web
companies under domestic jurisdiction. These costly measures could expose
user data to local law enforcement. Women and LGBTI rights are undermined by
digital threats and harassment, resulting in self-censorship that inhibits
their participation in online culture. Cybersecurity is eroding as government
critics and human rights organizations are subject to increasingly
sophisticated and personalized malware attacks, documented in 32 of the 65
countries examined. Despite overall declines in global internet freedom,
pushback by civil society was amplified this year by reactions to the NSA
surveillance revelations. Awareness of the threats to fundamental rights
expanded beyond civil society, as ordinary users around the world became more
engaged in securing their privacy and freedom of expression online. In select
cases, long-running internet freedom campaigns finally garnered the necessary
momentum to succeed. From
https://freedomhouse.org/
Cyber
Sovereignty Must Rule Global Internet China-U.S. relations in the field of the
Internet is now an important component of the new model of major
power relationship. To a great extent, the Internet will decide the future of
both countries. As it is now, the relationship is generally positive and
making progress in a steady manner in spite of hurdles. The relationship
displays two features: First, deep fusion and high stakes. The These two alternatives are not intrinsically contradictory.
Without "multilateral," there would be no
"multi-stakeholders." Exaggerating our disagreements due to
difference in concepts is neither helpful to the China-U.S. Internet
relations nor beneficial to global governance and the development of the
Internet. Our deep integration is because of confidence, but our
disagreements are due to lack of trust. Confidence without trust is the
unavoidable issue of the current China-U.S. Internet relations. Looking back at
the 20 years' history of exchanges and development between the Internet
industries of We can have arguments but we must not discard trust. We should
not be confused or blinded by chaotic situations. Instead, we should look
carefully at the issues with a historic perspective. We should see that
cooperation between In this spirit, I therefore put forward five propositions: 1. First, mutual appreciation instead of mutual negating. The Internet was invented in the 2. Second, mutual respect instead of confrontation and
accusation. All countries, big or small, should be equal. We should respect
each other's cyber sovereignty, Internet governance, major concerns and cultural
differences. We should strengthen communication, increase understanding and
broaden consensus. The success of the Internet in 3. Third, mutual governance instead of self-interest. President Xi has called for a multilateral, democratic and
transparent international Internet governance system that upholds peace,
security, openness and cooperation of cyberspace. That is the common
consensus of international cyberspace governance. "No country can
achieve absolute security without the overall security of international
cyberspace." The gauge of a great country is not its power, but its responsibility.
Peace between major countries may not result in a peaceful cyberspace, but
distrust will definitely bring chaos. A responsible major country should
never restrain others for its own development, or infringe on other
countries' security to protect its own security. No country can achieve
absolute security without the overall security of international cyberspace.
As long as we take a long-term view and prepare for a new era of shared
governance, we can translate the diversity of development into the driving
force of world Internet development. 4. Fourth, mutual trust instead of mutual suspicion. As the nation with the most Internet users in the world, 5. Fifth, win-win instead of zero-sum. The development of From
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Protecting
the Internet from Government Control Internet governance is at an inflection point and debate about
the fundamental structure of the Internet is ramping up. This debate, now
being had in the United Nations, Internet Governance Forum, ICANN and other
organizations, will affect global business models relying on networked
technologies and freedom of expression and privacy. The multi-stakeholder
systems of Internet governance — which includes the private sector, civil society,
governments, research institutions and non-government organizations in
decision making — has made the Internet a transformative technology. The Unfortunately, Governments are the only voting members. Whether “telegraph” or
“telecommunications,” ITU’s mandate was never to cover the Internet,
and installing the ITU or any similar body as the gatekeeper of Internet
resources, policy and standards is the wrong approach to Internet governance.
That is why, when there was an effort in Many countries joined the Countries that don’t share our commitment to an open Internet
will continue to press for a greater role for governments and
intergovernmental organizations like the ITU. We must remain vigilant in our
convictions. It is critical that, on issues of Internet governance, the
ITU-member states refrain from changing the current, well-functioning system.
For continued advancement of the Internet, the world must maintain
multi-stakeholder governance and reject efforts to recast the ITU or any
other similar intergovernmental entity as an international Internet
regulator. Handing over the reins of Internet governance to a body like the
ITU would imperil the Internet at a time when its dynamism and innovation are
benefitting more people around the globe than ever before. With the future of
the Internet on the line, the From
http://recode.net/
Added
Protections for Consumer Information on Health Website The Obama administration appears to be making broader changes to
protect consumer information on the government's health insurance website,
after objections from lawmakers and privacy advocates. The Associated Press
reported last week that details such as consumers' income and tobacco use were going to private companies with a commercial interest
in such data. AP also reported that a number of companies had embedded
connections on HealthCare.gov, raising privacy and security issues for some
tech experts. An independent analysis of the health care website, released
Saturday, showed that the number of embedded connections to private companies
had dropped from 50 to 30. Those changes accompanied another shift by the
administration to curtail the release of specific personal information from
the website. The AP reported that change Friday. After failing to respond to interview requests, the
administration posted a statement Saturday evening. HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin
Counihan acknowledged that privacy questions have been raised, and added:
"We are looking at whether there are additional steps we should take to
improve our efforts. While this process is ongoing, we have taken action that
we believe helps further increase consumer privacy." Officials have said
the sole purpose of embedded connections to private companies was to monitor
HealthCare.gov and improve performance for consumers. The episode could
become a blemish on what's otherwise shaping up as a successful open
enrollment season for the second year of expanded coverage under President
Barack Obama's health care law. Lawmakers continue to insist on a full
explanation. HealthCare.gov is used by millions to sign up for subsidized
private coverage under the law, or to merely browse for insurance plans in
their communities. The changes by the administration mean that the website is
no longer explicitly sending out such details as age, income, ZIP code,
tobacco use and whether a woman is pregnant. An independent tech expert said
Saturday that a new analysis by his firm also found a sharp drop in the
number of embedded connections to outside companies. Mehdi Daoudi, CEO of
Catchpoint Systems, which measures website performance, said that was down
from 50 to 30 such connections. Catchpoint had previously analyzed the performance
of HealthCare.gov for AP, and found the site was much improved. But Daoudi
had raised questions about the high number of third-party connections. Cooper Quintin, a staff technologist with the Electronic
Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group, said the changes are "a
great first step," but more needs to be done. For example, the health
site should disable third-party tracking for people who enable the "do
not track" feature on their web browsers. "HealthCare.gov should
meet good privacy standards for all its users," he said. Privacy
advocates say the mere presence of connections to private companies on the
government's website — even if they don't explicitly receive personal data —
should be examined because of their ability to reveal sensitive information
about a user. Administration officials did not answer AP's questions about
how the government monitors the outside companies. They only said that third
parties must agree they will not use the information for their own business
purposes. Third-party outfits that track website performance are a standard
part of e-commerce. It's a lucrative business, helping Google, Facebook and
others tailor ads to customers' interests. Because your computer and mobile
devices can be assigned an individual signature, profiles of Internet users
can be pieced together, generating lists that have commercial value. The third-parties embedded on HealthCare.gov can't see your
name, birth date or Social Security number. But they may be able to correlate
the fact that your computer accessed the government website with your other
Internet activities. Have you been researching a chronic illness such as
coronary artery blockage? Do you shop online for smoking-cessation aids? Are
you investigating genetic markers for a certain type of breast cancer? Are
you seeking help for financial problems, or for an addiction? Google told the
AP it doesn't allow its systems to target ads based on medical information.
After AP's first report, Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Chuck Grassley,
R-Iowa, called the situation "extremely concerning" for consumers.
Grassley said Friday it's still unclear how consumers' information is being
used and he wants a full explanation. Officials at the Department of Health
and Human Services had at first defended their information-sharing practices.
There is no evidence that consumers' personal information was misused, they
said. The website's privacy policy says in boldface type that no
"personally identifiable information" is collected by outside Web
measurement tools. That is a term defined in government regulations, but
other personal details were being allowed through. HealthCare.gov is the
online gateway to government-subsidized private insurance for people who lack
coverage on the job. It serves 37 states, while the remaining states operate
their own insurance markets. The privacy concerns surfaced just as the
president was calling for stronger Internet safeguards for consumers, in his
State of the Union speech. The website was crippled by serious technical
problems when it made its debut in the fall of 2013. This year it has worked
much better, a marked contrast. The administration is aiming to have more
than 9 million people signed up by Feb. 15, the last day of open enrollment.
But the privacy issues were a reminder that the website remains a work in
progress, like the underlying law that created it. From
http://news.yahoo.com/
ENISA Draws
the Cyber Threat Landscape 2014: 15 Top Cyber Threats, Cyber Threat Agents,
Cyber-Attack Methods and Threat Trends for Emerging Technology Areas ENISA’s Threat Landscape 2014 (ETL 2014) published today is the
third yearly report in sequence, consolidating and analysing the top cyber
threats and the evolution, encountered in 2014. ENISA Threat Landscape 2014,
an activity contributing towards achieving the objectives formulated in the
Cyber Security Strategy for the EU, stresses the importance of threat
analysis and the identification of emerging trends in cyber security. Novelties of the 2014 ETL include: information on attack vectors, giving initial information on the
“how” of a cyber- attack the elaboration of use-cases of threat intelligence, showing how
threat analysis can be used in
phases of security management, and the involvement of stakeholders,
consisting of 13 experts from CERTs, vendors, Member States and users. In
2014, major changes were observed in top threats: an increased complexity of
attacks, successful attacks on vital security functions of the internet, but
also successful internationally coordinated operations of law enforcement and
security vendors. Many of the changes in cyber threats can be attributed
exactly to this coordination and the mobilisation of the cyber community.
However, the evidence indicates that the future cyber threat landscapes will
maintain high dynamics. 2014 can be characterised as the year of data breach.
The massive data breaches identified massive attacks to main security
functions of the Internet, demonstrating how effectively cyber threat agents
abuse security weaknesses of businesses and governments. Main lessons learnt
of the ETL highlight that “sloppiness” with regards to cyber security - is
the number one reason for breaches accounting for 50% of the cases.
Additionally, a positive development is reflected in the increase of both the
quality and the quantity of the collected information, resulting in better
threat assessment and more detailed material for end-users. In the ETL 2014, details of these developments are consolidated
by means of top cyber threats and emerging threat trends in various
technological and application areas with references to over 400 relevant
sources on threats, to help decision makers, security experts and interested
individuals navigate through the cyber threat landscape. The Emerging
Technology that will impact the Threat landscape are:
Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), Udo Helmbrecht, ENISA’s Executive Director, commented on the
project: “Identifying and understanding cyber threat dynamics evolves to a
very important cyber security tool. The dynamics of the cyber threat
landscape set the parameters for flexible, yet effective security protection
regimesthat are adapted to the real exposure. Understanding the dependencies
among all components of the threat landscape is an important piece of
knowledge and an enabler towards active and agile security management
practices. With ETL 2014, ENISA continues its contribution to publicly
available cyber threat knowledge.” This year, ENISA has developed two
thematic threat landscapes: one in the area of Internet Infrastructures and
one for Smart Home Environments, to be published the following month. Individual,
thematic Threat Landscapes provide guidance for the development of protection
measures to minimize threat exposure of valuable assets in various sectors. From
https://www.enisa.europa.eu/
Internet
Censorship: The Worst Offenders In the Another country influence by a Communist regime, While large scale censorship programmes may be restricted to a
few high-profile countries, many nations have blocked or threatened to block
popular websites in isolation. Social media is often targeted due to the way
it encourages discussion and the transfer of information. In the past year
for example, However, it is Prime Minister David Cameron's controversial
decision to enforce a filter on pornography as well as abusive material such
as violent and suicide-related content, that has
drawn the most criticism. For many, censoring what content an individual can
privately access is a slippery slope to more proactive Internet control.
Worryingly, Cameron looks set to continue on this path, telling the
Australian parliament in November that "we must not allow the Internet
to be an ungoverned space", if the threat of religious extremism is to
be thwarted. With British citizens continuing to join the extremist group
Islamic State in From
http://betanews.com/
Most Dating Apps
for Mobile Phones Vulnerable to Hackers, Says IBM Security IBM SECURITY found more than 60 per cent of leading mobile-phone
dating applications it studied to be vulnerable to a variety of cyber-attacks
that put personal user information and corporate data at risk. The IBM study
reveals that many of these dating apps have access to additional features on
mobile devices such as the camera, microphone, storage, Global Positioning
System location and mobile-wallet billing information, which in combination
with the vulnerabilities may make them exploitable to hackers. IBM also found
that nearly half of organisations analysed had at least one of these popular
dating apps installed on mobile devices used to access business information.
Dating apps are a common and convenient way for singles of all ages to meet
new love interests. In fact, a Pew Research study revealed that one in 10
Americans, or roughly 31 million people, had used a
dating site or app and the number of people who dated someone they met online
grew to 66 per cent. Researchers at IBM Security identified that 26 of the 41
dating apps they analysed on the Android mobile platform had either medium or
high severity vulnerabilities. The analysis was based on applications
available in the Google Play app store last October. The vulnerabilities
discovered by IBM Security make it possible for a hacker to gather valuable
personal information about a user. While some apps have privacy measures in
place, IBM found many were vulnerable to attacks such as malware, GPS
information being used to track movements, stolen credit-card numbers, remote
control of a device's camera or microphone, and hijacking of a user's dating
profile. - Dating App Used to Download Malware: Users let their guard
down when they anticipate receiving interest from a potential date. That's
just the sort of moment that hackers thrive on. Some of the vulnerable apps
could be reprogrammed by hackers to send an alert that asks users to click
for an update or to retrieve a message that, in reality, is just a ploy to
download malware onto their device. - GPS Information Used to Track Movements: IBM found 73% of the
41 popular dating apps analyzed have access to current and past GPS location
information. Hackers can capture a user's current and past GPS location
information to find out where a user lives, works, or spends most of their
time. - Credit Card Numbers Stolen From App: 48% of the 41 popular
dating apps analyzed have access to a user's billing information saved on
their device. Through poor coding, an attacker could gain access to billing
information saved on the device's mobile wallet through a
vulnerability in the dating app and steal the information to make
unauthorized purchases. - Remote Control of a Phone's Camera or Microphone: All the
vulnerabilities identified can allow a hacker to gain access to a phone's
camera or microphone even if the user is not logged into the app. This means
an attacker can spy and eavesdrop on users or tap into confidential business
meetings. - Hijacking of Your Dating Profile: A hacker can change content
and images on the dating profile, impersonate the user and communicate with
other app users, or leak personal information externally to affect the
reputation of a user's identity. This poses a risk to other users, as well,
since a hijacked account can be used by an attacker to trick other users into
sharing personal and potentially compromising information. To protect themselves against potential threats, IBM advises
consumers to take the following steps. - Don't divulge too much personal information on these sites
such as where you work, birthday or social-media
profiles until you're comfortable with the person you are engaging with via
the app. - Figure out if you want to use an app by checking the
permissions it asks for. - Use unique passwords for every online account you have. - Always apply the latest patches and updates to your apps and
your device when they become available. - Use only trusted Wi-Fi connections when on your dating app. - Businesses also need to be prepared to protect themselves from
vulnerable dating apps active inside their infrastructure, especially for
bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scenarios. - Leverage enterprise mobility management (EMM) offerings with
mobile threat management (MTM) capabilities to enable employees to utilise
their own devices while still maintaining the security of the organisation. - Allow employees only to download applications from authorised
app stores. - Educate employees to know the dangers of downloading
third-party applications and what it means when they grant that app specific
device permissions. - Set automated policies on smartphones and tablets that take
immediate action if a device is found compromised or malicious apps are
discovered. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
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China has strengthened security checks of government websites,
hoping to clean up those that are not up to standard by the end of 2015,
officials of the nation's top Internet watchdog said on Monday.Security
checks of government websites is a key task for the country, as their data
and information are sensitive and relate to State security, said Zhao
Zeliang, director of the Cybersecurity Coordination Bureau at the Cyberspace
Administration of China."Government departments should pool more
resources to speed up the security of their websites. It's also their duty to
guide social websites to enhance their online security, and be their
model," said Zhao at the opening ceremony of the first China
Cybersecurity Week, which runs from Monday to Nov 30.He added that his administration
regularly organizes technology training for government officials, teaching
them about cybersecurity and how to effectively prevent online attacks.Yang
Chunyan, deputy director of the bureau, said they have begun a campaign to
verify whether all "official" websites are actually operated by
government departments. "We will make a unified logo for qualified government
websites and ask them to put it on their homepages to help residents quickly
identify whether a website they visit is operated by a government department
or not," Yang said.The unified logo will be issued on Tuesday, she said,
hoping it will be uploaded on the verified sites in 2015.The National
Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team and Coordination Center
said that 2,430 government websites were hacked in 2013, up by 34.9 percent
year-on-yearThe hacking could cause information leaks and threaten State
security, according to the center's report.In Sunday's security report by
Qihoo 360, China's largest security software provider, 2,424 of 17,875 Web
security loopholes were found on government websites."In today's big
data era, there is no clear boundary between government websites and outside
networks, or in other words, it is time for the authorities to highlight cybersecurity
and boost their website security protection," said Qi Xiangdong,
president of Qihoo 360.But some government authorities still worry about
whether services and products provided by enterprises are safe, which Li
Chenggang finds unnecessary.Li, chairman of Westone Information Industry, a
State-owned security company in Sichuan province, said website protection and
a security platform cannot depend only on some officials with computer
training.Government departments should make full use of the technology,
talent and experience of big security companies. From http://www.news.cn/
Financial losses caused by cybercrime have soared in China and
across the world this year, caused mainly by a lack of security strategies by
many companies, according to global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP.The company said that the average annual financial loss resulting from
cybersecurity incidents in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong increased by 33
percent year-on-year in 2014 to $2.4 million, and that across the world rose
34 percent to $2.7 million.The study was conducted in the second and third quarters
of 2014 and was based on more than 9,700 responses worldwide, including 420
organizations from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.Respondents included
chief executive officers, chief financial officers and chief information
security officers.Large organizations (with gross annual revenues of $1
billion or more) detected 44 percent more incidents compared with last year,
but at the other end of the scale, 20 percent of the respondents in the
Chinese mainland and Hong Kong detected zero incidents or could not give a
figure.The total financial losses due to the theft of business secrets around
the world were estimated between $749 billion and $2.2 trillion annually. Samuel Sinn, PwC China's risk assurance partner, said that based
on a simple calculation, using 4 percent as the Chinese respondents out of
the total population of survey respondents, this could amount to a national
amount of between $30 billion and $90 billion."While the survey confirms
our concerns that the financial impact of detected security incidents is
increasing rapidly, many more attacks are either going undetected or
unreported," said Sinn."The actual value of stolen intellectual
property or trade secrets is therefore likely to be much higher and could
range in the tens of billions of dollars in the Chinese mainland and "The potential threat posed by former employees
echoes a trend highlighted in our survey in which respondents claimed that
four out of five economic crimes against businesses in Chinese mainland were
inside jobs," said Sinn."Companies will give many workers
privileged user-access tools, but implementation of key insider-threat
safeguards is declining," said Chun Yin-cheung, a partner at PwC " From http://www.news.cn/
93% of Chinese Govt
Websites Have Security Loopholes More than 93 percent of nearly 1,000 Chinese government websites
under evaluation have security lapses, and 97 percent of websites at the
district or county level have security risks, a recent report has
announced.Released by the China Software Testing Center under the Chinese
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the 2014 report on the
performance of China's government websites covers sites at the ministerial,
provincial, municipal, district and county levels.The report said 43 percent
of the websites were categorized as "extreme risk," while 30
percent were "high risk."Nearly half of all the sites examined were
found to contain more than 30 security loopholes, and at least 70 had more
than 100 security loopholes.The report also pointed out that this year's most
widespread security failures, including the "Heartbleed Bug,"
information leakage and cross-site request forgery, were detected in 27
percent of the websites. Website administrators have not established effective security
and protection systems, and cannot keep a watchful eye on network security
development trends or take effective measures,
according to the report.The report was also pessimistic about the security of
mobile government. The evaluation found that 60 percent of mobile government
apps were prone to being tampered with and decompiled. Their lack of security
mechanisms could easily lead to phishing attacks and leakage of private or
sensitive information, the report said.A total of 2,430 government websites
were hacked in 2013, accounting for 4 percent of the government websites
checked, a survey by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center
has found.The hacks have had an adverse impact on the government's image and
pose serious threats to government operations, as well as to the security of
governmental and individual information, the center said. From http://www.news.cn/
Lawmakers Press for
Fair, Efficient Social Security Network China's lawmakers demanded an efficient, unified national social
security network at the legislative session Wednesday.At a panel discussion
on a State Council report on social security at the ongoing bi-monthly
session, the National People's Congress (NPC) standing committee members
urged the government to speed up unification of all programs.Currently, China
has different social security programs for rural residents, urban residents
who do not work for certain employers, and employed urban residents. Civil
servants and staff of some public institutions are not included in social
security programs but come under old state policies. The costs and benefits
vary widely among different programs."Basic social security should not
differentiate between citizens," said Wu Xiaoling, a standing committee
member.Taking pensions as an example, Wu suggested a standard national
program for every citizen with different employers offering extra annuities
and citizens able to turn to commercial insurance programs.Social security
program varies in different regions and there is a huge gap between rich
eastern regions and less developed western ones. "We can set an average level, maybe the middle-lower one,
and different regions can adjust according to local financial situations by a
certain degree. The central government should relocate funds from rich
regions to poor ones to balance revenue," she said.Deng Xiuxin, another committee
member, agreed with Wu on unifying social security programs and stressed
reforming the pension program for staff in government, Party bodies, and
public institutions.Most college teachers, under the old pension scheme, do
not deposit in pension accounts like those covered by social security
programs and instead receive a monthly salary from the university even after
they retire. Including them in social security schemes will free the
university from handling retirement affairs and save on human resources, said
Deng, president of When delivering the report, Vice Premier Ma Kai said the
government will include civil servants and public institution staff in social
security programs to break the dual system.Lawmaker Wang Naikun called for
more preferential policies for disabled people while praising the improvement
of social security benefits for them.The pension program should reduce the
eligible age for receiving a pension from the program for people with serious
disabilities, said Wang, vice chairperson of the China Disabled Persons'
Federation.People with serious disabilities normally have shorter lifespans
than average and many do not live long enough to receive a pension, she
said.Lawmakers also suggested that social security programs invest better to
stop funds from depreciating.According to the State Council report, as of the
end of November, 837 million people had joined the pension programs and more
than 95 percent of Chinese citizens, over 1.3 billion people, are covered by
some kind of basic healthcare program. From http://www.news.cn/
Online Info Security
Boosted by The first national "smart device security alliance" has
been founded in Shanghai to improve Internet information security.The China
Smart Device Alliance aims to ensure the security of e-commerce, personal
privacy protection, and mobile payment.The alliance covers the whole industry
chain from chip designers, handset vendors, operating system developers, and
dot-com giants.China's smart device security market is seen to be worth over
16 billion US dollars and growth is expected to be rapid this year and next
year.In 2014, sales of smartphones in China totaled 389 million, accounting
for 30 percent of the global market.Domestic phone makers snared over 78
percent of the Chinese market last year. From http://www.news.cn/
Rule to Protect Cyber
Security 'On the Way This Year' A cyberspace rule aimed at maintaining State security and
protecting the public interest will be introduced later this year, an
official at Jiang said some overseas countries' governments and corporations
had used their monopolies in the technology industry to seize sensitive data
and information on a large scale.This had damaged users' interests and
brought threats to the Internet, according to Jiang.Beijing News reported on
Wednesday that when Lu Wei, the administration's director, visited the United
States, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he wanted to cooperate with China's
cybersecurity review.On Wednesday, the administration also said it will
launch a six-month crackdown against those who profit from helping others to
delete negative posts, especially officials in cyberspace and information
departments.It said even though it had introduced some measures in the past
year, they had failed to stop some people taking advantage of their jobs to
remove critical posts for payment."Benefiting from deleting online posts
is a serious breach of the law and disturbs order on the Internet," Peng
said, adding that it also damages the image of cyberspace in China.He
Yongqiang, an official with the administration, said a 24-hour hotline is
open and people providing valuable clues will be awarded a maximum of 50,000
yuan ($8,045). From http://www.news.cn/
Faced with rising cybercrime like the attack on Sony Pictures
Entertainment, companies worldwide are under pressure to tighten security but
are hampered by cost and, for some, reluctance to believe they are in danger.
The Sony attack, which This month, a virus was discovered in “It is generally ignored,” said Wisnewski. “When it does happen,
most people you talk to say, I’m not Target, or, I’m not Sony.” Companies in
developing countries face additional disadvantages. In The studio’s parent, Sony Corp., launched an overhaul of its own
security in 2011 after hackers broke into its PlayStation Network gaming
system and stole data of 77 million users. The Japanese government has spent
heavily on improving its information security systems and has formed teams to
study possible threats to power supplies and other infrastructure. But the
country still tends to react instead of preventing attacks, according Ryusuke
Masuoka, a security expert. “ From
http://www.japantoday.com
Tech
Identifies Users Vulnerable to Cyberattack Based on Ways They Use Their
Computers Fujitsu Ltd and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd have announced the
development of the industry’s first technology for identifying users
vulnerable to cyberattacks based on the ways they use their computers, such
as their e-mail and web activities. This will make it possible to implement
security measures tailored to individuals and organizations. While there are
numerous security measures already in existence, the weakness that most
cyberattacks and data breaches take advantage of is human error, such as, for
example, when a user carelessly clicks on a malicious link in a faked e-mail
message. Because this depends on individual traits, it is difficult to
develop a standardized security measure to defend against it. Fujitsu and
Fujitsu Laboratories used online questionnaires to identify the relationship
between the psychological traits and behavior of people likely to suffer
three kinds of attack: virus infections, scams, and data leakage. At the same
time, based on activity logs on PCs, such as when the PCs freeze, they have
developed a technology for calculating different users’ risks of being
victimized. This technology could be used to precisely tailor security
measures, such as, for example, by displaying individualized warning messages
to users who often click on URLs in suspicious e-mail messages without
checking them carefully, or escalating the threat level of suspicious e-mails
sent between departments with virus-prone users. From
http://www.japantoday.com
New
Insurance System for Cyber-Attacks Planned The government has decided to develop standards for insurance
that covers damages from cyber-attacks in an effort to encourage more private
companies to sign up for such insurance, it has been learned. A new system is
planned in which the level of companies’ security measures will be assessed,
and private insurance companies will then use the criteria when calculating
insurance premiums. Insurance products will be promoted and companies
encouraged to prepare for cyber-attacks. Cyber
insurance currently covers such items as the cost of hiring experts to trace
the route of a computer virus and compensation payments to customers for information
leaks and other losses due to business suspensions. Although some private
insurance firms handle such insurance products, the participation rate in From
http://the-japan-news.com
Computer
Hacking Case Demonstrates Need for Better Cyber-Investigations It was quite right for the ruling to denounce this cunning
cybercrime. The Tokyo District Court has handed down an eight-year prison
sentence to Yusuke Katayama for forcible obstruction of business and other
charges in a case in which personal computers were hijacked and remotely
controlled. Katayama infected a number of other people’s computers with a
virus he had created, and then used those computers to send threatening
messages online, including threats to attack a kindergarten and bomb an
airplane, to the purportedly targeted organizations. During the investigation
into this string of online threats, police wrongly arrested four men whose
computers had been hijacked and used to send the messages. The ruling
criticized Katayama’s actions, saying he had “framed third parties who were
complete strangers as the perpetrators, in order to fulfill his self-centered
desire to outwit the investigative authorities.” The presiding judge added
that these actions were “a particularly malicious case among cybercrimes.” We
believe this is reflected in the heavy sentence of eight years behind bars.
While Katayama was out on bail, he sent e-mails that claimed to be from the
“real culprit” and tried to give the impression that someone other than
himself was behind the crimes. The ruling had good reason to point out that
his actions were “an unprecedented attempt to conceal what had happened.” This incident also provided some major lessons about how such
investigations should be conducted. Especially problematic is the fact that
two of the four wrongly arrested men ended up giving false confessions. A
19-year-old university student arrested by the Kanagawa prefectural police
was reportedly pressured by investigators who suggested, among other things,
that he could be sent to a juvenile reformatory if he continued to deny the
allegations. We wonder if there was inappropriate questioning by the police
that induced statements from those wrongly arrested. Major blunders exposed
It also cannot be overlooked that essential checking mechanisms of the
prosecutors and the court did not function. A local public prosecutors office
even prepared a deposition that contained a confession and a family court
decided on a penalty of probation for one framed victim. A bill to revise the
Criminal Procedure Code, which will make the audio and visual recording of
police questioning mandatory, is scheduled to be submitted during the current
Diet session. However, this obligation will not apply in cases involving
forcible obstruction of business, such as this incident. Police and
prosecutors must thoroughly ensure that every case is properly investigated
and prevent false charges from being brought. The weaknesses in cybercrime investigations have been raised as
one factor that resulted in the wrongful arrests. The police placed excessive
confidence in the IP address, which is a unique address assigned to each
device using the Internet, of the computers in this case, and assumed that
the owners of these computers must be the perpetrators. A virus that enabled
computers to be remotely controlled was beyond the expectations of the
investigators, who lacked knowledge about such matters. After this case came
to light, the National Police Agency started creating a database of
information about computer viruses. Police across the nation are increasing
the number of personnel involved in cybercrime investigations. We hope they
will further strengthen the resources available for such investigations.
Cybercrime techniques are becoming more sophisticated by the day. The
Metropolitan Police Department has concluded an information exchange
agreement with a private-sector information security company, and is
receiving advice. Grappling with cybercrime will require the police to use
the most up-to-date knowledge in their investigations. From
http://the-japan-news.com
A hacker who obtained blueprints of South Korean nuclear reactors
Sunday posted more internal information on the facilities, including the
floor maps, on the Internet, threatening further "leaks" unless
authorities close down the reactors. Using an account named "president
of anti-nuclear reactor group," the hacker revealed on Twitter the
designs and manuals of the Gori-2 and Wolsong-1 nuclear reactors taken from
the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP). The information
included details on the facilities' air conditioning and cooling systems. The
hacker signed the posting as president of the anti-nuclear group in From
http://www.koreaherald.com
Park Calls
for Increased Cyber Security for Infrastructure President Park Geun-hye called on officials Tuesday to beef up
the cyber security of the country's nuclear reactors and other key
infrastructure facilities following cyber-attacks in From
http://www.koreaherald.com
S. Korean
Military to Set Up Cyber Operations Team The South Korean military plans to establish a new team in
charge of cyber operations under the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) as part of
efforts to boost its cyber warfare capabilities, officers said Tuesday. The
new department "will set sail in January to take charge of the country's
military operations online," a JCS officer said, requesting
anonymity. It is in accordance with the government's recent decision to
entitle the JCS chairman to fully control the Military Cyber Command in an
effort to proactively cope with cyber attacks. In the wake of growing security
threats online, From
http://www.koreaherald.com
South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Monday unveiled a new defense
vision based on information and communication technologies, and other
cutting-edge digital platforms to better counter evolving North Korean
threats and other security challenges. During its New Year’s policy briefing
to President Park Geun-hye, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said the ministry
would push to incorporate into military operations innovative technologies
such as ICT, big data solutions and the Internet of Things, under the
“Creative Defense” vision. Capitalizing on the country’s technological
savviness, the ministry will step up efforts to develop future weapons
systems such as combat equipment using laser beams and electromagnetic waves,
and unmanned platforms, he said. “In consideration of the limited defense
resources and various security threats, we will push to come up with more
creative, innovative ways to manage our military, going beyond the old
approach that was mainly about catching up with others rather than moving
ahead of them,” Han told reporters after the policy briefing at Cheong Wa
Dae. “Creative defense means creating new defense values through a
significant change that will be brought about by infusing humans’ creative
thinking and cutting-edge technologies into all aspects of defense-related
tasks.”
From
http://www.koreaherald.com
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Indonesian officials are in talks to set up a national body to
fight cyber attacks on the country, the Ministry of Communications and
Information (Menkominfo) said. With From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
The Philippine government has been pushing for a more updated
and centralized system in accounting crime incidents to increase efficiency
and accuracy, a senior government official said Thursday. Department of
Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas said that the Philippine
National Police (PNP) officers must " spend less time calculating and
more time analyzing" in approaching crimes. Roxas, whose office has
jurisdiction over the PNP, said his office is eyeing to have a stable and
secure digital data management system by March this year. "Let a
consistent, robust, and world class system or program with internal
sub-checking do the work for you," he said referring to the software
that will aid the police in consolidating crime report. From
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday denied that
the Digital Economy bills would violate people's privacy. "No, I am not
going to look into your secrets. I am not going to pore over your personal
affairs," he said, adding that the bill would only allow authorities to
crackdown on illegal activities in cyber space. "If anybody violates the
law, we will have to intervene," he said. He added that if these bills
were put into effect, they would provide the authorities better means to stem
wrongdoings, such as those related to lese majeste violations. He also
explained that the bill would be adjusted and improved during the legislative
process. There has been an uproar over the bills,
with critics seeing them as a threat to privacy and freedom of expression.
"Why don't you talk about the good things in the bills, too?" the
prime minister said. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/ HO CHI MINH CITY, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese users lost
almost 400 million U.S. dollars in 2014 due to malicious software programs,
or virus, a local Internet security firm (Bkav) said on Thursday. The total
damage done by virus amounted to 8.5 trillion VND,
or 396.12 million U.S. dollars in 2014, local Tuoi Tre (Youth) News reported,
quoting the Bkav's latest survey findings announced on its website. The loss was
calculated on the income of the victims and amount of time their work was
disrupted by malware issues, said the firm, adding that each computer user in
From
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
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The government has blocked Viber and Tango, two online message
and voice services, on security grounds. A high official at the Bangladesh
Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said they blocked the two
popular services following requests made by different law enforcement
agencies of the country. From
http://newsfrombangladesh.net/ While the internet has emerged as one of the most valuable means
of communication, it is also being exploited for the purposes of terrorism.
Thimphu: While At the workshop, UNODC presented a brief overview of the
relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions related to terrorism, as
well as the Global Counter Terrorism Strategy. The Royal Government of Bhutan
described its legislative provisions on counter- terrorism, the Bhutan
Information, Communication and Media Act (BICMA, 2006) and The workshop concluded with a discussion around steps that
should be taken at the national level to strengthen the domestic legal and
policy framework to implement the universal legal framework against
terrorism. All participants
underscored the need for platforms for exchange of information and the
development of international cooperation. Participants also requested UNODC
to conduct more capacity building activities to enhance effective criminal
justice responses, given the relatively recent engagement in the topic of the
use of the internet for terrorism. The workshop was attended by
Representatives from the investigation and prosecution services of From
http://southasia.oneworld.net/ From
http://news.siliconindia.com/ |
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From
http://en.trend.az/
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Research: 59%
Expect IT Security to Be More Secure in 2015 The
majority of organizations expect to be more secure against security and
privacy breaches this year, according to the latest Tech Pro Research survey.
Security and privacy are top concerns for many IT professionals, and it's
especially relevant now, after 2014's highly publicized data breaches.
Companies around the world were victim to numerous bouts of malware, insider
threats, stolen data and exploited vulnerabilities, many of which prompted
urgent or emergency patches which disrupted IT departments and users alike.
Big companies weren't immune to this plague, with Target and Home Depot
suffering the sting of data breaches. Celebrities were also targeted, with
compromised iCloud accounts resulting in personal photos being leaked online.
Watch Tech Pro Research Senior Editor Teena Hammond discuss the issues surrounding
IT security and privacy. Because of the constant concerns about security and
privacy, Tech Pro Research conducted a new survey on the topic and compared
the results back to a previous survey from 2013. Security concerns The
numerous bouts of security and privacy breaches in 2014 were an obvious cause
of concern to many, with 84% of survey respondents reporting an increase in
security and privacy concerns for this year, compared to 2014. It's clear
that almost everyone anticipates the need to prepare for security struggles
in the upcoming months. Many are confident that they will be able to handle
the security threats, with 59% of respondents expecting to be more secure in
2015 and 32% predicting no change in their organization's security and
privacy. Only 9% expect to be less secure than in 2014. Security and privacy breaches The
survey found that 35% of organizations had experienced some type of security
or privacy breach in 2014, with 11% reporting that it was a major breach, and
24% describing it as minor. Large companies and small companies were both
affected by breaches, and larger companies with more than 1,000 employees
were slightly more likely to have experienced a breach, with 40% experiencing
a security breach, compared to 32% of companies with fewer than 50 employees.
And the industry most impacted was government, with education reporting no
major breaches at all, and being better at blocking incidents than any other
industry. Security budgets It's
not a surprise that half of respondents stated their security budgets would
increase, but it is somewhat unexpected that only 15% reported significant
increases. About a third stated slight increases were underway. Given the
anything goes nature of 2014 security breaches - which should have been a
wake-up call for any organization too distracted or complacent to take
security seriously - one might expect higher spikes in funding. The fact
nearly half of respondents stated their budgets would remain the same
indicate that the ability to allocate significant security budget increases
is rare. This is corroborated by the fact 34% of respondents felt lack of
security budgeting would be a security challenge in 2015. It may also be that
some respondent organizations felt they were doing well with what they had.
Very few reported decreases in security funding; this isn't a priority which
is expected to die down anytime soon. The report shows that security and
privacy are clearly full of challenges for companies that want to protect their
data and assets from security and privacy violations. But, the report shows
that confidence levels and planned projects mean that most respondents and
their organizations feel up to the task. From
http://www.techproresearch.com
02/02/2015 AUSTRALIA:
Revision of Cyber Security Strategy in the Works with 37% Increase in Attacks The
Australian government is refreshing its cybersecurity strategy to better
preempt attacks on its networks, in the face of increased attacks on its
infrastructure, the Prime Minister’s Office
announced. The government’s intelligence agency
reported a 37 per cent increase in cyber attacks involving government
agencies in 2013, compared to 2012. A panel of public and private sector
organisations will review the existing six year old strategy, the office
said. They will look at how public and private sector systems can be made
more resilient to attacks, how government and businesses can work together to
manage cyber attacks, and how Australia can better preempt attacks on its
government infrastructure. The outcome of the review will be reported in six
months. Australia’s cyber security strategy is the
least up to date among those of Singapore, United States, United Kingdom, New
Zealand and Japan. Singapore refreshed its cyber security strategy last year.
Meanwhile, the government has launched a new web site - Australian Cybercrime
Online Reporting Network - to serve as a single window for citizens to instantly
report online crimes to the authorities. Currently,
many online crimes are not reported because victims do not know where to
report, don’t think it’s
worth reporting or are reluctant to do so, the Ministry of Justice said. The
system will refer reports from citizens to the relevant law enforcement
agencies for further investigation. The site also offers advice on how
citizens can protect themselves from these threats. By having a wide database
of cybercrime reports, the police will be able to get a bigger picture of
cybercrime trends, and in response to those, come up with stronger tactics to
fight back, the Ministry of Justice said. From
http://www.futuregov.asia
12/02/2014 Two Countries Lead Australia
and Malaysia are the best prepared to tackle cyber security issues in Asia
Pacific, according to the Global Cyber Security Index published by the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and ABI Research last week. Both From
http://www.futuregov.asia
12/19/2014 Two
Countries Top the Region in Cyber Security Capabilities Australia and Malaysia are the best prepared to tackle cyber
security issues in Asia Pacific, according to the Global Cyber Security Index
published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and ABI Research
last week. Both From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
12/19/2014 |
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The Irish government has aims to
increase ICT graduates by 60 percent and to offer grants and tax breaks to
encourage entrepreneurs to start new businesses as key measures of its new
Action Plan for Jobs, an effort to reach full employment by 2018, From http://www.telecompaper.com/ Dutch
FTTH Network Penetration Rises to 31% in 2014 The number of fibre lines in the From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
LATIN
AMERICA: From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
NORTH
AMERICA: Technology typically takes a back seat in the annual State of
the Union message, with presidents focusing on the economy and national
security. But for the 2015 address, the first of his tenure before a fully
Republican-controlled Congress, President Barack Obama early on signaled his
intention to include a range of technology issues, including efforts to
advance long-stalled legislation in cybersecurity and data-breach reporting.
And while jobs and troops once again took their usual top billing, the
president did indeed turn to technology late in his speech. "No foreign
nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade
secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our
kids," Obama said, prompting one of the night's few bipartisan standing
ovations. "I urge this Congress to finally pass the legislation we need
to better meet the evolving threat of cyber-attacks, combat identity theft,
and protect our children's information. If we don't act, we'll leave our
nation and our economy vulnerable." And while Obama's proposed tax hike
on the highest earners and calls to subsidize community college for
lower-income Americans likely won't get serious consideration in Congress,
there appears to be common ground for some of these tech proposals to become
law. Behind the sound bites Here's where things stand for the IT proposals Obama sketched
out during the speech or previewed in the days leading up to it: Broadband:
Universal access to high-speed Internet and faster broadband speeds have been
part of the Obama tech agenda since he took office in 2009. Now the president
is looking to move the needle on broadband speeds nationwide, by targeting
restrictions that exist in many states and municipalities that restrict local
governments from acting as Internet service providers. On a recent visit to Cybersecurity: The destructive cyberattack on Sony has
galvanized attention on computer network protection, and showed how
vulnerable even well funded firms are against determined adversaries. The
Obama administration has decided that the time is ripe to revisit
cybersecurity legislation that includes provisions for companies to share
information on data breaches with the government under conditions that
include certain liability protections. This approach to cybersecurity has
failed before, under the Cyber Intelligence and Sharing Protection Act of
2012, which drew widespread and determined opposition from Internet activists
and was ultimately scrapped. Obama is proposing a modified version of the
legislation that will include safeguards on the type of information that
companies will share with the National Cybersecurity and Data breach reporting: There has been solid bipartisan support
in Congress for a bill to create a national standard for reporting data
breaches to consumers, especially in the wake of front-page news about hacks
that compromised customer data at Target, Home Depot and Staples. Currently,
companies must navigate a patchwork of state laws governing the loss or theft
of personal data. Obama backs a new standard requiring
companies to notify consumers within 30 days of a breach, and the
administration is seeking new authority to prosecute those who sell illegally
obtained personal data on Americans. While these proposals by themselves are
not controversial, support from Republicans will hinge on liability
provisions in the legislation. Surveillance reform: Data collection on Americans by spy
agencies is proving to be the flip side of cybersecurity. In his 2014 State
of the An effort at bipartisan reform of the Patriot Act to alter the
practice of bulk collection of Still, not quite center stage As another sign of tech's importance, the administration also
included Kathy Pham of the U.S. Digital Services among the special guests in
First Lady Michelle Obama's seating box, high above the House floor. Pham has
worked at Google and IBM, but also has the kind of appealing personal story
that makes for good State of the Union theater. Her parents are immigrants,
and her brother served in From
http://fcw.com/
ITU
Releases Annual Global ICT Data and ICT Development Index Country Rankings Over three billion people are now online and information and
communication technology (ICT) growth remains buoyant in just about every
country worldwide, according to ITU’s flagship annual Measuring the
Information Society Report. The report is widely recognized as the repository
of the world’s most reliable and impartial global data and analysis on the
state of global ICT development, and is extensively relied upon by governments,
financial institutions and private sector analysts worldwide. Latest data
show that Internet use continues to grow steadily, at 6.6% globally in 2014
(3.3% in developed countries, 8.7% in the developing world). The number of
Internet users in developing countries has doubled in five years (2009-2014),
with two thirds of all people online now living in the developing world. Of the 4.3 billion people not yet using the Internet, 90% live
in developing countries. In the world’s 42 Least Connected Countries (LCCs),
which are home to 2.5 billion people, access to ICTs remains largely out of
reach, particularly for these countries’ large rural populations.
“ICTs have the potential to make the world a much better place – in
particular for those who are the poorest and the most disenfranchised,
including women, youth, and those with disabilities,” said ITU
Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré. “This important report is a critical
part of the global ICT development process. Without measurement we cannot
track progress, which is why ITU gathers ICT statistics for 200 economies
across over 100 indicators.” In the mobile cellular segment, the report
estimates that by end 2014 there will be seven billion mobile subscriptions,
roughly corresponding to the total global population. But it warns against
concluding that everyone is connected; instead, many users have multiple
subscriptions, with global growth figures sometimes translating into little
real improvement in the level of connectivity of those at the very bottom of
the pyramid. An estimated 450 million people worldwide live in places which
are still out of reach of mobile cellular service. Encouragingly, the report notes substantial improvements in
access to international bandwidth in poorer countries, with developing
nations’ share of total global international bandwidth rising from just 9% in
2004 to over 30% today. But lack of sufficient international Internet
bandwidth in many of the LCCs remains an important barrier to ICT uptake in
these countries, and often limits the quality of Internet access. “It is
precisely in poor and rural areas where ICTs can make a particularly
significant impact,” said Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication
Development Bureau, which produces the report. “New analysis featured in this
report shows that many of the indicators of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) show significant correlation with the IDI, notably those related to
poverty reduction and health improvement. The report also finds that progress
in ICT development is linked to progress in achieving some of the MDGs. ITU
has long been a vigorous champion of ICTs as a cornerstone of socio-economic
development.” ICT Development Index country rankings Dynamic performers The report identifies a group of ‘most dynamic countries’, which
have recorded above-average improvements in their IDI rank over the past 12
months. These include (in order of most improved): Household and community access By the end of this year, almost 44% of households globally will
have Internet access at home, up from 40% last year and 30% in 2010. In the
developed world, 78% of households now have home Internet access, compared to
31% in developing countries, and just 5% in the 48 UN Least Developed
Countries. Internet access in schools has made important strides forward over
the past decade. In developed countries, the vast majority of schools now
have broadband Internet, with many industrialized nations having already
reached 100% school connectivity. In developing countries substantial
progress has also been made, but access levels vary widely, not just from
country to country, but also across different regions within nations. The
report notes that the potential for public libraries and post offices to
service as public ICT access points has not been sufficiently exploited.
Worldwide, only 10% of post offices offer public Internet access, despite the
fact that 20% of post offices globally have a broadband connection. According
to ITU’s sister UN agency the Universal Postal Union, increasing the
proportion of post offices offering public Internet services to 45% of all
establishments would provide one third of all rural areas and towns worldwide
with Internet connectivity. Growing urban-rural divide The Measuring the Information Society 2014 report also warns of
a growing divide between urban and rural ICT uptake, even in the world’s
richest nations. The difference is lowest in highly developed economies such
as Market competition & affordability Broadband prices continue to fall; for the five-year period from
2008-2013 entry-level fixed-broadband prices dropped by 70% globally. Over
the same period, the standard entry-level broadband speed has risen from
256kbps to 1Mbps. Developing countries have witnessed the steepest price
drop, with average prices declining 20% year-on-year. However, the report
confirms that in most developing countries the cost of a fixed-broadband
subscription still represents more than 5% of Gross National Income per
capita, the affordability target set by the UN Broadband Commission for
Digital Development. The report also finds that mobile broadband is six times
more affordable in developed countries than in the developing world. The report points to market competition and best-practice ICT
regulation as the key drivers of affordable ICT services; new analysis
featured in the report reveals that fixed-broadband prices could be reduced
by up to 10% if competition and regulatory frameworks in developing countries
improved. New analysis on income inequality shows that national inequalities
in household income and expenditure greatly influence the affordability of
fixed-broadband services. The potential of ‘big data’ This year’s report features a special focus on the potential of
‘big data’ from ICT devices and applications to improve public services like
healthcare, education and environmental management, with the increasing
digitization of human activity making it possible to gather and analyse data
from a huge range of disparate sources. Big data from the ICT services
industry area already being used to produce large-scale insights of relevance
to public policy, such as mapping inequality of income levels ( From
http://www.itu.int/
IDC
Reveals Top 10 Tech Predictions for 2015 Worldwide ICT spending is set to grow to more than US$3.8
trillion, or 3.8 per cent, in 2015. That's according to IDC, which has
revealed its top ten predictions for next year. IDC predicts nearly all of
the spending growth will be focused on 3rd Platform technologies, with
spending on the 2nd Platform expected to slip into recession by the end of
the year. On a geographic basis, ICT spending in emerging markets is forecast
to grow 7.1 per year over year, while mature markets hum along at 1.4 per
cent growth. IDC senior vice president and chief analyst, Frank Gens, said
the 3rd Platform would account for one third of global ICT spending and 100
per of spending growth. "The industry is now entering the most critical
period yet in the 3rd Platform era: the 'Innovation Stage'," he said. "Over
the next several years, we expect to see an explosion of innovation and value
creation on top of the 3rd Platform's foundation. "This
stage will be driven by a new wave of core technologies – innovation
accelerators – that radically extend the 3rd Platform's capabilities and
applications across all industries." Telco services will see wireless data emerge as the largest
($536 billion) and fastest growing (13 per cent) segment of telecom spending.
To avoid being marginalised as little more than infrastructure providers,
carriers will scramble to develop platform- and API-based services that add
value and attract developers to their networks. They will also seek
rapprochement with over-the-top (OTT) cloud services providers through
innovative performance and revenue-sharing arrangements. IDC has predicted
mobile devices and apps will continue to charge ahead in 2015, but not at the
frenzied pace seen in recent years. Sales of smartphones and tablets will
reach US$484 billion, accounting for 40 per cent of all IT spending growth
(excluding telecom services), while Chinese vendors capture a significant
share of the worldwide market. Wearables will see an explosion of innovation,
although unit sales will underwhelm. And mobile app downloads will start to
slow in 2015, but enterprise mobile app development will double. Cloud services will remain a hotbed of activity in 2015 with
US$118 billion in spending on the greater cloud ecosystem. Adoption of cloud
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) will grow briskly (36 per cent) as market
leader Amazon comes under attack from all directions as challengers attempt
the "Amazoning of Amazon". Similarly, look for heightened
competition among Platform as a Service (PaaS) providers as competitors
engage in death match battles to attract developers and their apps and
Software as a Service (SaaS) players accelerate their adoption of PaaS and
cloud marketplaces. Gens said Cloud was also where he expected to see new
partnerships forming among strange bedfellows. From
http://www.arnnet.com.au/
More
Than 35 Organizations from 19 Countries Launch Global Net Neutrality
Coalition Anyone who thinks that net neutrality is a boring technical
issue for computer geeks needs to look outside the U.S. Netizens around the
world aren't fooled by the confusing misdirection of industry
lobbyists—they're championing the cause of an open internet by pushing for
laws and policies that protect the features that made the internet what it is
today. And they are just as fired up as President Obama himself was just this
month, when he gave his full support for the open net. Net neutrality is not
an American issue, or a European issue, or an African issue. It is
increasingly a global human rights issue. Today, more than 35 organizations
from around the world and 19 countries launched
http://www.thisisnetneutrality.org, a website that will serve as a resource
for policy makers and a staging point for international activism.
Organizations from Below are some quotes from the diverse array of coalition
members. We'll write with more updates soon. Marianne Diaz Hernandez,
director of Acceso Libre ( Mohammad Farooq of Digital Rights Foundation ( Arzak Khan, director of Internet Policy Observatory ( From
https://www.accessnow.org/
Towards
a More Inclusive Society Through the Use of ICT H.E. The President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca together
with Parlamentry Secretary Hon Dr Jose Herrera and Hon Kristy Debono, presided the Annual General Meeting of the
Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility (FITA). “It is important
that whoever is providing ICT services, appreciate and implement effective
ICT accessibility mechanisms in order to have a more inclusive society
through the use of technology.” stressed H.E. President of Ms. Olivieri described how FITA has a reltively wide portfolio
of services and initiatives geared at addressing both disabled persons and
also educators and employers who seek to enhance the accessibility of their
services. She also urged disability NGOs and service providers to make use of
these tools and opportunities provided by FITA. As per Government’s vision in
this sector, FITA can collaborate with private and public sector entities to
ensure that more persons with disabilities can be integrated into various
jobs and initiatives. This will be done by improving the ICT knowledge and
skills of persons with disability through FITA’s various programmes and also
by suggesting applicable ICT platforms for entities to operate more
inclusively. Mr Stanley M Debono, FITA CEO delivered an overview of FITA’s
activities, including the use of the MSE over the years and the benefits for
entities like local banks and their clients from using FITA’s ICT
Accessibility Certification services. Mr Tony Borg and Mr Joseph Cauchi, both
FITA service users, delivered short presentations outlining how they benefited
from FITA ICT Training and FITA’s ICT Accessibility Consultancy respectively.
Opposition Spokesperson for Competitiveness and Economic Growth, Hon Kristy
Debono, explained how important it is that more individuals get to know about
FITA’s work and how this is benefitting large amounts of disabled persons
through increased accessibility. Hon. Herrera, Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and
Economic Growth, commented how the training and ICT solutions must be used
for persons with disability to generate exposure to work opportunities. This
will not only lead to financial independence, but as FITA experienced
directly through its own ICT courses, an increased level of self confidence.
“These people that are working wholeheartedly to gain qualifications and
maximise their potential” he said. Persons with disability have increased
access to education and rightly so, now have higher expectations. It is
therefore important that they are given equal opportunities for work, so they
will continue to become more productive and contribute more actively in
society. From
http://www.di-ve.com/
Web
Report: Online Surveillance and Censorship Are Getting Worse Mass online surveillance and censorship of what people see on
the web appear to be getting worse, according to the latest Web Index report
from Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web Foundation. These trends, along with
the paucity of net neutrality rules around the world, have led the web
inventor to call for the internet to be made a basic human right. “That means
guaranteeing affordable access for all, ensuring internet packets are
delivered without commercial or political discrimination, and protecting the
privacy and freedom of web users regardless of where they live,” Berners-Lee
said in a statement. “In an increasingly unequal world, the web can be a
great leveller — but only if we hardwire the rights to privacy, freedom of
expression, affordable access and net neutrality into the rules of the game.” The Web Index aims to quantify the web’s impact on countries’
social, economic and political progress. Produced annually since 2012, the
index provides rankings that, over time, make it easier to spot trends. This
year, the trends aren’t looking so hot. In 2013, the foundation’s researchers
found that 63 percent of the 86 countries listed in the index had privacy
safeguards that were weak to non-existent. A year on, that figure has risen
to 83 percent. According to the report, the rise is partly because
revelations about mass surveillance programs and their associated legal
regimes have taught us more than we knew before about what’s actually going
on. “However, there is also evidence that due process safeguards for citizens
are being progressively dismantled,” the report
stated, “even as the capability and appetite of governments to spy on us is
expanding.” From
https://gigaom.com/
One of the most challenging things about working for an Internet
freedom organization like OpenMedia is there’s often a lot going on. As in a
lot. It certainly makes for an exciting work life, but I’d be the first to
admit it can also make it tricky to take a step back, reflect on the journey
to date and look at the bigger picture. When it comes to 2015, there’s a lot
in store – it’s shaping up to be a pivotal year for digital rights and
Internet freedom. Let’s look at just some of the key challenges we face: Affordable Internet and cellphone service Canadians have long suffered from some of the highest prices in
the industrialized world for Internet and cellphone service. Our lack of
choice and sky-high prices have held back innovation and our whole economy;
2015 will be a decisive year, with an important auction of key wireless
resources and with policymakers at the CRTC poised to rule on three vital
decisions on wholesale wireless access to affordable fibre Internet and the
future of TV in a digital era. We’re also rallying supporters across the Safeguarding Canadians’ privacy 2014 was the year when the extent of Free expression 2015 is also shaping up to be a crucial year for freedom of
expression. Talks on the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are
intensifying, with It’s going be quite a year All in all, the stakes for Internet freedom in 2015 could not be
higher. Unless we push back, the Internet we know could become far more expensive,
censored and policed. At the end of the day, it boils down to what kind of
web we want. Do we want an Internet that works for everyday citizens or one
dominated by powerful bureaucracies, be they spy agencies, giant telecom
conglomerates or powerful From
http://commonground.ca/
The
Global Information Technology Report 2014 The Global Information Technology Report 2014 is a special
project within the framework of the World Economic Forum’s Global
Competitiveness and Benchmarking Network and the Industry Partnership
Programme for Information and Communication Technologies. It is the result of
collaboration between the World Economic Forum and INSEAD. The Global
Information Technology Report 2014 features the latest results of the NRI,
offering an overview of the current state of ICT readiness in the world. From
http://www3.weforum.org/
Web
Freedom Is Seen to Be Growing as a Global Issue in 2015 Government censorship of the Internet is a cat-and-mouse game.
And despite more aggressive tactics in recent months, the cats have been
largely frustrated while the mice wriggle away. But this year, the challenges
for Silicon Valley will mount, with The clumsiness of current censorship efforts was apparent in
mid-December, when The Turkish government faced similar embarrassment when it tried
to stop the dissemination of leaked documents and audio recordings on Twitter
in March. The administration of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was then prime
minister and is now president, ordered the shutdown of Twitter within Continue reading the main story Free-speech activists view Facebook, the world’s largest social
network with 1.35 billion monthly users, as the company most inclined to work
with governments and do whatever is necessary to keep its service up and
running. Aleksei Navalny broke house arrest to attend a rally in his support.
Credit Anton Belitskiy/Reuters. Last spring, while Twitter was blocked in Twitter, which has about 284 million monthly users, styles
itself as the world’s town square and a global champion of free speech,
conforming to the letter of censorship laws while winking at workaround
strategies, like users changing the location listed on their profile to evade
specific blocks that apply in a particular country. For Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story But the pressure may intensify later this year. Starting Sept.
1, foreign technology companies are supposed to store data about Russian
users on computers located in “If what’s going to happen is that Russians will show up and
stick an AK “This problem was created by the From
http://www.nytimes.com/
Internet
Freedom Saw Drastic Decrease in 2014 From tightening regulations on American-based Internet companies
in 2014 also brought more arrests and prosecutions than ever before
for Internet users, particularly in the Now as these effects become more noticeable, backlash, dangerous
protests and loopholes come into play. Take From
http://www.wkbw.com/
Schools
in the Cloud: How Digital Media Is Changing the Future of Learning In 2013, education scientist Sugata Mitra,
won the $1-million TED prize to fulfill his dream of creating ‘Schools in a
Cloud’ — where children could explore online resources to answer questions.
It involves SOLES (Self Organised Learning Environments) fuelled by big,
child-focused questions and self-discovery. Mitra concluded that working in groups help children find their own answers using the
internet, supported by educators of all kinds – from Skype Grannies to
parents and educators- who give them the freedom to explore their curiosity.
“Give them a laptop and a group of pupils will teach themselves,” believes
Mitra. His idea not only tackles one of the greatest problems of education
(that the best teachers and schools don’t exist where they’re needed most),
but it also involves students in both the learning and teaching process. Following
the TED prize, Mitra launched his sixth lab in Area 4 – PSS is in many ways quite different from other labs in Mitra hopes to create the seventh lab in From http://www.dnaindia.com/
Riding
the Digital Wave – The Impact of This report offers a valuable contribution to shaping the EU’s
posture on capacity building. By promoting a development-focused approach to
the issue, it provides a valuable alternative to the predominantly
threat-oriented narrative about cybersecurity. The authors address security
not as an end in itself but rather as a means towards social, economic and
political development. Consequently, they seek to build bridges between
different policy communities. As noted on numerous instances in these pages,
such a comprehensive and integrated approach to cyber capacity building is
instrumental to ensuring the sustainability and the effectiveness of current
and future initiatives in this domain. From
http://www.iss.europa.eu/
The Recent reports have suggested the Web is dying. That’s largely
because data from analytics firms including comScore and Flurry say mobile
device users now spend more than 85% of their time in apps instead of Web
browsers. But according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group
for Web publishers, the relationship between mobile apps and the mobile Web
isn’t that straightforward. It’s easy to look at comScore data and to reach
the assumption the mobile Web is in decline, but what looks like app time may
actually be mobile Web use in disguise, the online ad trade body said. Many
apps, including news aggregation and social media apps,
include browser capabilities within them. If a user opens the Facebook
application and taps on a link, for example, they are technically operating
within an application, but are actually consuming content from the mobile
Web, too. To understand users’ mobile Web habits better, the IAB commissioned
Harris Poll to survey 2,030 adults in the The IAB said it believes this type of mobile Web browsing inside
non-browser applications represents a significant volume of traffic. In other
words, mobile app use isn’t replacing mobile Web usage, it’s driving it. “Our
survey demonstrates that search and shared links from apps (primarily via
social media) are the most commonly cited ways mobile Internet users find
websites they visit on their smartphones,” the IAB report said. As a result,
marketers and media companies need to think carefully about their mobile Web
strategies, the IAB said. It’s true mobile app use
is booming, but that doesn’t mean the mobile Web is dead. In fact, it may
represent a growing opportunity for advertisers. “Marketers should follow the
lead of mobile consumers, and adopt a pragmatic attitude toward the two modes
of mobile. Including both in media plans will help to maximize chances of
achieving target reach and frequency goals for a campaign,” the IAB advised. From
http://blogs.wsj.com/
Open Data
and Privacy Not 'Headbanging' Concepts Any discussion on open data is almost always followed by debates
on privacy concerns. Many individual and organizations — whether in
international development or other sectors — remain wary about publishing
information online. And their fears aren’t unfounded. Some donor governments
that publish activity-level data online have received flak for spending too
much in a sector that, in the eyes of its taxpayers, doesn’t provide value
for money. Many nongovernmental organizations, meanwhile, have been subjected
to public scrutiny after disclosing how much they pay their CEOs. Given the
negative attention, it is not surprising for many of these actors to become
more controlling of the information they release to the public. Claire
Melamed, lead author of a U.N.-commissioned report on data revolution, was
spot on when she told Devex previously that “unless people trust the data
would be used in ways that help them and don’t harm them, in ways they have
confidence and have certain amount of control on how it will be used, they
will not allow their data to be used.” High-level aid officials such as U.N. Resident Coordinator for
Indonesia Douglas Broderick and How such an initiative would look like within the international
development sector remains to be seen, but a grass-roots initiative in
Indonesia — kawalpemilu.org — that was set up to ensure the credibility and
transparency of the recent election in the country provides an example of how
this can be done. The crowdsourced platform, which was created solely to have
a transparent system for counting and monitoring votes, is not the first such
initiative. Developers started similar ones in the past, but none were
launched. They had to stop developing the sites midway through the project
for various reasons, including intimidation or interference from political
parties. Others, meanwhile, were set up to disrupt the elections,
intentionally showing incorrect figures. What Elisa Sutanudjaja,
administrator of kawalpemilu.org, and Ainun Nadjib, who initiated the whole
project, did was to keep all work, including responding to media inquiries,
between themselves. This allowed the 700 volunteers — all of whom were
screened to ensure they have no direct links to any of the candidates — who
helped crowdsource the project to remain anonymous. “What makes us different [is that] we are closed sourcing. We
started from five people, and those five people trusted five more people, and
then from that five people, it became 700 people,” Sutanudjaja told Devex. The
volunteers came from more than 20 cities in From
https://www.devex.com/
Report
Highlights Opportunities to Build Tomorrow’s Electricity Sector Diminishing financial returns for utilities have put at risk the
ability of the electricity sector in OECD markets to raise the estimated $7.6
trillion in investments needed by 2040 to meet energy policy objectives,
according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. This investment is
needed to simultaneously decarbonize the sector while maintaining energy
security. The Future of Electricity report offers guidance on transforming the
electricity sector to a more sustainable, affordable and reliable system, and
outlines recommendations for policy-makers, regulators and businesses in
developed markets to attract needed investment. It is part of a broader
Future of Electricity initiative, which was launched at the World Economic
Forum Annual Meeting 2014, and aims to provide countries, companies and
societies with a platform for dialogue and learning amid the transition to a
lower-carbon electricity system. “Since 2000, OECD countries have invested more than $3 trillion
in new renewables, conventional power plants and distribution structure, but
about 20% more investment a year is still required over the next 15 years,”
said Roberto Bocca, Head of the Energy Industries at the World Economic
Forum. “Collaboration across stakeholders will be critical to achieving this
goal and providing the holistic perspective needed to successfully make the
low-carbon transition.” “The electricity sector is at a crossroads. We are
entering a period of unprecedented investment to meet our energy policy
goals, but decreasing returns and increasing risk are raising questions over
future investment,” added Julian Critchlow, a partner at Bain & Company,
which collaborated with the Forum on the report. “OECD countries will need to
take immediate action to ensure continued investment across the energy value
chain.” According to the report, root causes of the sector's investment
challenges include: Suboptimal geographic deployment: Europe could have saved up to $140
billion if deployment of renewables had been optimized within and across
borders; for instance, by building more solar in southern Europe where there
is more sun, and more wind farms in the north where wind factors are higher.
Lack of buy-in: Society recognizes the need for an electricity system that
produces less carbon, but has not yet fully bought into the value it brings
and other positive impacts like job creation and security of supply.
Inadequate carbon price signalling: In the EU, the Emission Trading Scheme
permits have fallen to a price that will not materially impact investment
consistent with a decarbonization programme. Declining returns of
conventional generation: Falling demand, significant overcapacity, reduced
load factors and wholesale price declines have all contributed to a massive
loss of value in generation assets. Business model disruption: The
traditional utility business model is being disrupted by technological
innovation and customer trends at the end of the value chain, creating
opportunities for new entrants and incumbent utilities. “There are many lessons to be learned. Stakeholders across the
energy sector need to collaborate to foster more cross-border cooperation
while ensuring stable regulation,” said Ignacio Galán, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Iberdrola, and current chairman of the Forum’s Energy
Utilities community. “Central to this effort is a commitment to decarbonizing
economies and a meaningful agreement at the “Energy builds and supports modern economies, and is fundamental
to our daily lives,” said Steve Bolze, President and Chief Executive Officer
of GE Power & Water and Chairman of the Forum’s Energy Technology
community. “We have an obligation to future generations to address the current
limitations impacting the electricity sector, and provide a sound foundation
for future economic progress and quality of life improvements.” The Co-Chairs
of the Annual Meeting 2015 are: Hari S. Bhartia, Co-Chairman and Founder,
Jubilant Bhartia Group, India; Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam
International, United Kingdom; Katherine Garrett-Cox, Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Investment Officer, Alliance Trust, United Kingdom; Young Global
Leader Alumnus; Jim Yong Kim, President, The World Bank, Washington DC; Eric
Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google, USA; and Roberto Egydio Setubal, Chief
Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Itaú Unibanco,
Brazil. From
http://finance.yahoo.com/
ITA and
Industrial Innovation Centre to Boost ICT Industry The Information Technology Authority (ITA) signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) with the Industrial Innovation Centre which is
operated by the General Establishment for Industrial Estates to cooperate in
the field of ICT industry innovation in the sultanate. The MOU was signed by
Dr Salim Sultan al Ruzaiqi CEO of ITA and Dr Hamed Hashim al Dhahab chairman
of the board of directors of the Industrial Innovation Centre. According to
the MOU both parties will work on a joint programme in the field of ICT
industry innovation through which several research projects will be done to
serve the needs of the sector. The ITA is to assess the feasibility of the
research projects innovations ideas and initiatives presented by the
Industrial Innovation Centre and provide the necessary consultancies within
its mandate as a specialised entity in the ICT industry development in the
sultanate. From
http://www.menafn.com/
Ministers
Firm on ICT Use to Narrow Gap in Development Asean telecommunications and information technology ministers
yesterday made a joint statement reiterating the grouping's commitment to
realise the benefits of regional integration through the use of ICT as an
enabler to narrow the development gap within and between member states. ICT
as an enabler to narrow the development gap within and between member states.
The statement was made after the two-day "14th Asean Telecommunications
and Information Technology Ministers Meeting", which was held in The ministers also agreed to support several initiatives to
improve ICT connectivity, including the possible use of dynamic
spectrum-allocation technology to better utilise scarce ratio frequencies,
strengthening the submarine cable-protection regimes to ensure reliability of
the communication network in Asean, and harmonising digital dividend spectrum
utilisation. They will also continue the development of human capital through
the upgrading of ICT skills, the establishment of ICT scholarship programmes,
and the development of ICT professionals to utilise the newly established
Asean CIO Association and the network of Asean ICT Centres of Excellence in
order to exchange information and share best practices, he said. Moreover,
ministers reaffirmed the importance of building confidence and security in
the use of ICT among Asean citizens, public- and private-sector organisations
through development of human and institutional capacity in network and
information security. This includes the framework-development activities of
the Asean Network Security Action Council, information-security awareness
campaigns, and Asean Computer Emergency Response Team cooperative activities.
The ministers also called for greater participation from the private sector
to jointly develop quality ICT infrastructure and a skill-based workforce. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
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The information and communication technology (ICT) market in From http://www.news.cn/
China Mobile, China's largest telecommunication service
provider, has forecast that it will have 250 million From http://www.news.cn/
Xi Guohua, chairman of China Mobile, revealed the company's goal
for 2015 during China Mobile Global Partner Conference 2014, stating that
China Mobile plans to sell 250 million terminals, including 200 million From http://www.news.cn/
Big Data Tops The application of big data was voted the "best management
practice" of the past year, according to a ranking published by Chief
Executive China magazine, a trade journal published by Global Sources, on Tuesday,
Jan. 13, He reiterated that the ranking was determined by a voting
process rather than by any individual successful case involving big data
analysis that his team came across.Pepples
attributed the ranking results to the fundamental changes that took place in From http://www.news.cn/
3D Printing Ready to Revolutionize
Manufacturing In October, the southern Chinese city of After decades of development, 3D printing has emerged as a
viable and affordable technology, increasingly used by both the private and
public sector. While problems remain, it could eventually revolutionize the
manufacturing sector that many countries in From http://www.news.cn/
China Mobile, China's largest wireless service provider, said on
Sunday that its From http://www.news.cn/
From
http://www.koreaherald.com
The Shifting
of Korea’s Mobile Social Media The current population of From
http://www.korea.net
The South Korean government has set forth a new vision for
enabling the country to achieve sustainability through information technology
amid the dawning of the Internet of Things era. In an event commemorating the
country’s achievement of connecting the society through IT since From
http://www.koreaherald.com
S. Korea, From
http://www.koreaherald.com
2015 to See
Dawn of Internet of Things Take a moment and imagine a world where every information and
object is customized to your needs through the power of big data solutions,
sensor and cloud computing technology. Even before you step out of the office
and head home on a cold winter night, your automobile will not only know your
final destination, but it will warm up your seat in advance, your thermostat
will raise the temperature to heat up your house and your refrigerator will
recommend what food to eat for dinner. Although this may look like a
landscape normally seen in a science fiction movie, the Internet of Things,
powered by cloud computing, information, mobile and social network
technologies, will be realized in the not too distant future. No one is sure
exactly how a new connected society will look like when more than 20 billion
objects including household appliances and devices will be connected to the
Internet by 2020. But industry sources said further cross-industry
convergence and innovation is expected to bring changes and generate value in
line with the world’s future vision of IoT, which stands on the “peak of
expectations” on the curve of global IT researcher Gartner’s Hype Cycle for
Emerging Technologies. “The industry does not have a clear picture of the
IoT, and that is why companies are changing tack by collaborating with
players in different industrial sectors, acquiring inventive startups and
investing in new technologies,” said an industry source. From
http://www.koreaherald.com
KT Manages the
World’s Largest Underwater Telecommunications Network In what will be remembered as a trailblazing project to use
submarine cables to manage superfast cross-border Internet traffic, KT, the
nation’s leading integrated wired and wireless telecommunications service
provider, will soon also operate the world’s largest international submarine
communications network from the southern port city of From
http://www.korea.net
Smartphone Industry
Eyes Technological Leap The world’s smartphone industry will likely achieve a quantum
leap in 2015 with a slew of cutting-edge technologies adopted in handsets,
including a curved 4K display, a 64-bit processor and faster telecommunications
chips. Local manufacturers are expected to ride the wave, with Samsung
Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone-maker by sales volume, expected
to unveil its flagship Galaxy S6 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress, the
world’s largest mobile trade show, which will be held in March. Some
anticipated features of the high-end smartphone include a dual curved-edge
display, an aluminum case and a 64-bit Exynos mobile processor. Samsung’s
marquee smartphone will also likely support the tri-band Long Term
Evolution-Advanced technology, which has a transfer speed of 300 megabits per
second ― four times faster than the current fourth-generation LTE. Pressed by
Apple’s high-end iPhones and budget Chinese devices, the Seoul-based
smartphone-maker will make further efforts to diversify its product portfolio
too. From
http://www.koreaherald.com
ICT Evolving
for Consumers in 2015 The following is the fifth in a series of articles on the
prospects for the world economy in 2015. ― Ed. Over the last few years, the
impact of information and communication technologies on society has been
enormous. ICT has deeply affected and reshaped most parts of our society,
while radically influencing the global economy. No one can predict with
certainty what role it will play in the future, but we do know that it will
be significant. One aspect of the growth of ICT in 2014 has undoubtedly
been its entry into the “mobile era.” It is a tool that constitutes a new
infrastructure, changing the way our societies function, while its technical
applications give us totally new opportunities to develop new and better solutions
to our existing problems. As the latest International Telecommunication Union
publication “2014 Measuring the Information Society Report” notes, the world
witnessed continued growth in ICT last year and, by end-2014, almost 3
billion people had used the Internet, up from 2.7 billion at end-2013. While
the growth in mobile-cellular subscriptions is slowing as the market reaches
saturation levels, mobile broadband remains the fastest-growing market
segment, with continuous double-digit growth rates in 2014 and an estimated
global penetration rate of 32 percent. International bandwidth has also grown
steeply, at 45 percent annually from 2001 and 2013, and developing countries’
share of total international bandwidth increased from around 9 percent in
2004 to almost 30 percent. The ultimate goal of MCC is to enable the execution of rich
mobile applications on a plethora of mobile devices, with a rich user
experience. And as smartphones and other mobile devices continue to grow in
market share, despite the sudden dip witnessed in recent months, there is
likely to be more focus on serving the diverse needs of the mobile customer.
Especially when it comes to making their data available whenever and wherever
they are. There will be a rise in the delivery of on-demand computing resources
and with wireless data set to emerge as the largest and fastest-growing segment, one can expect the cloud services to grow in
parallel. Next is the new buzzword, the Internet of Things ―
all-encompassing, cutting across existing product categories and industries ―
which is supposed to provide an impetus to the so-called “third platform” era. Its expected growth, along with the increasing consumer
demand for an always-on, connected lifestyle, has made startups and large
companies bullish on the IoT sector. From
http://www.koreaherald.com
From
http://www.koreaherald.com
Park Vows to
Boost IT-Based Cultural Content Industry President Park Geun-hye asked the nation’s business leaders and
policymakers to promote the commercialization of cultural content integrated
with information and communication technology, calling it a major growth
engine for the nation. “I believe that the culture industry is the core
engine of our future growth,” Park said Wednesday at a ceremony held to
launch a joint project aimed at nurturing From
http://www.koreaherald.com
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From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
3D in action URA is working with GIS company, Esri, to use 3D techniques to
plan its newest regional centre, Jurong Lake District. In addition, it uses
3D to generate scenarios for long-term planning - 50 years or more in the
future - using economic and social parameters, he said. URA is working with other
agencies and the industry for real estate developers to submit 3D models so
that URA can integrate these with its own platform and ensure that they meet
design guidelines and urban plans, Quek added. There are challenges that the
agency is dealing with in using such a detailed system. Image gathering is
one issue. Although advanced techniques like satellite imagery and remote
sensing with laser are useful for gathering data on terrain, more intensive
modelling techniques have to be used for creating high quality models of the
buildings. “For planning we want a very realistic view. For that kind of an
experience, we need to do a lot of ground survey and take photographs, so we
need to have a team of highly trained people to do that,” Quek said. Another
challenge is the software and sufficient computing power required to quickly
crunch through all the images for real time analysis. The system needs high
quality images of the city and it needs to instantaneously respond to
planners making changes in the system, he said. Benefits are ‘tremendous’ However, the benefits of using 3D mapping are “tremendous”, Quek
believes. In the past, it was not possible to generate many scenarios for
future planning, he said. “Using physical models, you generate two to three scenarios
and stop there,” he said. “But with a [3D] model in place, you can generate
many times the possibilities and optimise the plan.” The data that is
gathered is not just used once, he added. “You can use it subsequently and
can even share with other agencies so they benefit from the whole system.”
The authority plans to complete detailed 3D models of 50 per cent of From
http://www.futuregov.asia/ Technological innovation was important to helping Vietnamese
businesses enhance their competitiveness and create new, high-quality
products and services, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said. He was addressing
a ceremony in Ha Noi yesterday to launch the National Technology Innovation
Fund, which was established by the Ministry of Science and Technology. He
hailed the ministry's efforts to set up the fund which would serve as an
important financial institution of the State to boost technological
innovation among businesses. The establishment of the fund also illustrates
the Vietnamese Government's resolve to boost economic growth and renovate
growth models based on science and technology. With charter capital of VND1
trillion (US$47 million), the fund aims to promote businesses' creation of
new products and services that have a high level of technology and added
value. It was set up in accordance with Decision 1342/QD-TTg issued by the
Prime Minister in August 2011, and Decision 1051/QD-TTg in July 2013. From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
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Presiding over the function, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed
Palak said the training will meet the demands of skilled manpower for the IT
industry and boost the country’s IT export. “The trained youngsters would
help From
http://www.businessnews-bd.com/
Digital
World-2015 Begins in Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- A four-day mega ICT event 'Digital
World-2015' is set to begin on Monday in the capital Dhaka to showcase
technology-based innovations and achievements aiming to unlock economic
potential of IT sector. "Digital World-2015 is the fourth mega ICT
event, which is featuring various impressive technological advancements of
the country," State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak told a
press conference at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre(BICC)
in ICT Secretary Shayam Sundar Sikder, Executive Director of
Bangladesh Computer Council SM Ashraful Islam, President of Bangladesh
Association of Software and Information Services Shameem Ahsan, among others,
addressed the press conference. As many as 85 IT experts from 25 countries
will attend the different programmes during the event, the minister said,
adding a total of 24 seminars, 9 conferences, 11
workshops will be held, where renowned IT experts from both local and
international levels, officials, policy makers, business leaders and
entrepreneurs are expected to attend. A total of 137 stalls -- 44 stalls are
public and 93 stalls private-- will be set up at the digital world. As many
as 22 pavilions including 12 mini pavilions from public sector while 59
pavilions including 43 mini pavilions from private sector will be set up at
the four-day ICT event. The digital world will remain open for all from 10am
to 8pm every day. From
http://www.businessnews-bd.com/ The The Under Secretary Ms. Novelli expressed that the companies
from the From
http://pib.nic.in/ |
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From
http://en.trend.az/
From
http://en.trend.az/
From
http://en.trend.az/
ICT
Sector Revenues in From
http://news.az/
Nar Mobile Continues
“New Smartphone for New Year” Campaign Nar Mobile offers an excellent opportunity for users to change
their mobile phones. Thus, any person buying a smartphone without initial
payment through the network of Irshad Electronics stores will also get
bonuses from Nar Mobile. It
should be noted that in addition to the Nar number, the customer will get
free on-net calls at the cost of more than 50 percent of the value of
smartphone and up to 250 Mb Internet traffic depending on the price of
smartphone. Bonuses within the
campaign are active in “ From
http://en.trend.az/
Volume of
ICT Services in The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan
(SSC) released data on the volume of information and communication services
rendered to organizations and the population in the country in January-December
2014. According to SSC, in January-December 2014, the volume of information
and communication services rendered to organizations and the population in From
http://news.az/ Prospects of
ICT Development in Key aspects and prospects of development of
information-communication technologies in Abbasov outlined that ICT and high technologies are one of the
developing sectors in Ali Abbasov outlined that projects of infrastructural importance
are currently implemented in the ICT sector including the field of cellular
communication, internet, landline communication, radiotelevsion, satellite
services. The biggest project is being implemented together with the State
Oil Fund of Azerbaijan in the field of development of the broadband internet. “We forecasted allocation of 450 mln
AZN for a three year period. However, we have rescheduled this project to the
period after Separately, Minister Ali Abbasov provided information on the
development of ICT projects in the regions. The Minister also spoke about
innovative development. In this regard, he stressed development of start-ups
and adoption of new technologies.
Discussed at the meeting were the proposals of the business forum
participants on the topic as well as issues of interest to the member
companies of the Caspian European Club.
Speaking at the business forum, CEO of the Caspian European Club
Telman Aliyev thanked Ali Abbasov for a constructive dialogue as well as
attention to proposals and requests stated by the member companies of the
Caspian European Club during the event.
Telman Aliyev invited Minister of Communications and High Technologies
of the He said the Caspian European Club was established in June 2002
with active participation of Caspian Energy International Media Group and
under support of the largest oil and gas companies working in the Caspian and
From
http://en.trend.az/
Businessmen discussed key aspects and prospects of ICT
development in The meeting discussed possibilities of involvement of the
private sector in ICT-projects that the state implements as well as issues
that are of interest to the Caspian European Club member companies. Abbasov
outlined that ICT and high technologies are among the developing sectors in “We forecasted allocation of 450 million manats for a three year
period. However, we have rescheduled this project to the period after 2016,”
the minister added. Agreements on financing of a number of ICT projects have
been reached with foreign banks and international financial institutions, he
said. “Certain projects have already found financing sources as investments
made in this sphere are regained within 3-5 years.” Abbasov stressed the goal
to expand the ICT market in From
http://www.azernews.az/
From
http://news.az/
The Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan adopted a resolution,
urging the country’s industrial enterprises to reduce the production cost by
10 percent in 2015. The resolution on "Additional measures of reducing
the manufacturing costs and a production cost in the industry" was
published in the Uzbek media. These parameters are planned to be achieved by
reducing the energy consumption, improving the energy efficiency of
production. The technological processes and the consumption rates of raw
material resources, operational and overhead expenses must be rationalized by
introducing the information and communication technologies (ICT) and
optimizing the number of administrative and industrial personnel. Moreover,
the summary parameters of reducing the manufacturing costs and a production
cost in economic associations and large enterprises by an average of 10
percent, as well as by nine percent - by reducing the manufacturing costs are
approved in accordance with the resolution. From
http://en.trend.az/
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That’s
because the NBN’s Ka-band satellites would deliver 12Mbps down and 1Mbps up,
which with a plane full of people could get pretty saturated, pretty fast,
and while Telstra’s claimed inflight The other
thing is that the satellites needed aren’t even in the skies yet, with the
Herald Sun noting they won’t actually launch until ‘late next year’, with the
satellites still being tested in the US. Satellite based Internet would be
able to give planes access in very remote parts of Australia, places where no
From http://www.itwire.com
Coming Soon - Better Australia's
regional and rural areas will get better “Spectrum-licensed
access to the 1800 MHz band would benefit various industry sectors in
Australia and, ultimately, citizens and consumers, who would enjoy the flow
on economic and social benefits from international harmonisation of this band
and equipment economies of scale,” he said. Spectrum in the regional 1800 MHz
band (ranges 1725-1785 MHz and 1820–1880 MHz) is currently subject to
apparatus licensing and is used mainly for fixed links. “Those licensing
arrangements in the band are not able to accommodate potential future uses of
the band, such as the delivery of mobile services to regional Australia,”
Chapman said. “The release of the terms of the draft reallocation recommendation
marks the first legislative step in reallocating the regional 1800 MHz band
for new uses. The ACMA is committed to consultation, cooperation and
collaboration on spectrum matters. I encourage all interested stakeholders,
particularly those who hold apparatus licensees in the regional 1800 MHz
band, to review the terms of the draft recommendation and consider providing
a submission to the ACMA.” Chapman
said the ACMA will consider all comments received on the terms of the draft
recommendation before making a final recommendation to the Minister for
Communications, Malcolm Turnbull. “If the Minister accepts the ACMA’s
proposed recommendation and makes a reallocation declaration in relation to
the regional 1800 MHz band, the ACMA intends to allocate the spectrum by
auction. The ACMA invites written comments from potentially-affected
apparatus licensees and other interested stakeholders on the terms of the
draft recommendation and other matters raised in the discussion paper by 11
March 2015. From
http://www.itwire.com
Shift to
smartphones challenges marketers The big
question for marketers is whether their approach to selling fits with the way
people are using mobile devices. Big ad agencies have specialist teams
tailoring their marketing to make mobile promotions more effective. The move
from desktop and laptops to smartphones needs a bigger shift in thinking than
tweaking images to work on smaller screens. DDB New Zealand chief executive
Justin Mowday says smartphones are "very personal" devices.
Marketers had to remember that some people did not like to be interrupted. Advertisers
are aware that messages have to be welcome. "Communications are a value
exchange. People watch free-to-air television and they accept that there is a
value exchange." In return for seeing the ad breaks people get programming
for free. Likewise mobile apps need to be enjoyable experiences for mobile
users, Mowday said. "The fact is that the experience you get from
watching advertising on a big cinema screen - or a 42 inch TV screen - is a
lot better than you get from your mobile," he said. Mobile
advertising has to be a value-added proposition, he said. Mowday accepted
that mobile marketing was entering a new phase as it took up a greater
proportion of users' time on the web, but he warned about excessive optimism.
It was like the idea of smartphone geo-marketing, which had been around for a
long time, but it was still coming. Corey Chalmers, an executive creative
director at Saatchi & Saatchi, says mobile is already being treated as " the first screen".Chalmers said there were
pitfalls in marketing through smartphones. There was a tendency for apps -
which enable marketers to make direct contact with consumers on their mobiles
- to be "one-hit wonders". So ideas for reaching smartphone users
had to have more depth. Marketing to mobile had becoming an increasingly
critical part of their business operations, Chalmers said. "Take a look
around on a bus people are staring at their screens the majority of the time.
They've got time to enjoy stuff," he said. "Marketing is so much more
than just ads now. It's an app that gives extra features to sell a movie,
it's a way to get a voucher for free beer, it's a way to check your heart
rate and sell some Nikes along the way," Chalmers said. Ford changes
gear on mobile media advertising Ford New Masterson
thought maybe three other car marketers in From http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Faster
Connectivity on the Way for FSM Broadband
internet is a step closer to From http://www.radionz.co.nz
New Zealand
has topped the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
in fibre broadband uptake, seeing a 272 percent increase in fibre broadband
connection growth for the year ending June 2014, almost double the rate of
increase of Luxembourg, which came second, with 139 percent. By comparison, Meanwhile,
fixed-line broadband subscriptions in the OECD area reached 344.6 million as
of June 2014, up from 332 million in June 2013 and making an average
penetration of 27.4 percent. DSL remains the prevalent technology, making up
51.5 percent of fixed broadband subscriptions, but it continues to be
gradually replaced by fibre, which now accounts for 17 percent of
subscriptions. Cable made up most of the rest, with 31.4 percent. From
http://www.zdnet.com
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