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Summer 2017 Issue 58 |
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GLOBAL: Big Data Can Have a 'Big Impact' on Achievement of
Global Goals, UN Says on IT Day Mastering and measuring 'big data' – to map poverty from space
or use mobile phones to track food security – could boost evidence-based
decision-making at local and global levels and drive the implementation of
all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations
telecommunications agency said today.“The theme for 2017 is Big Data for Big
Impact, which will explore the power of big data for development and examine
the opportunities to convert unprecedented quantities of data into
information that can drive development,” said the Secretary-General of the
International Telecommunication, Union Houlin Zhao, in his message on the
Day.Mr. Zhao projects that the insight brought about by more focused data
analysis will enable evidence-based decision-making at national, regional and
international levels and help to advance the UN 2030 Agenda and its
corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The World
Telecommunication and Information Society Day is celebrated annually on 17
May to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet
and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to
societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. This year's commemoration also provides an occasion to take a
closer look at the importance of governance and regulation, says Mr. Zaho,
highlighting the implications for personal privacy and security given the
future exponential growth in data and connectivity.The ITU Secretary-General
further states that activities undertaken by the ITU membership will
contribute towards building momentum to embrace big data on a global scale
and to seize new opportunities to address development challenges.Recently ITU
announced the top-90 winning Information and Communication Technology for
Development (ICT4D) initiatives from around the world competing for
prestigious WSIS Prizes 2017, with over a million online votes casted for 345
nominated projects. The winners will be announced during ITU's World Summit
on the Information Society Forum in June. From http://www.un.org/ 05/18/2017 GLOBAL: Big Data Can Have a 'Big Impact' on Achievement of
Global Goals, UN Says on IT Day Mastering and measuring 'big data' – to map poverty from space
or use mobile phones to track food security – could boost evidence-based
decision-making at local and global levels and drive the implementation of
all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations
telecommunications agency said today.“The theme for 2017 is Big Data for Big
Impact, which will explore the power of big data for development and examine
the opportunities to convert unprecedented quantities of data into
information that can drive development,” said the Secretary-General of the
International Telecommunication, Union Houlin Zhao, in his message on the
Day.Mr. Zhao projects that the insight brought about by more focused data
analysis will enable evidence-based decision-making at national, regional and
international levels and help to advance the UN 2030 Agenda and its
corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The World
Telecommunication and Information Society Day is celebrated annually on 17
May to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet
and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to
societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. This year's commemoration also provides an occasion to take a
closer look at the importance of governance and regulation, says Mr. Zaho,
highlighting the implications for personal privacy and security given the
future exponential growth in data and connectivity.The ITU Secretary-General
further states that activities undertaken by the ITU membership will
contribute towards building momentum to embrace big data on a global scale
and to seize new opportunities to address development challenges.Recently ITU
announced the top-90 winning Information and Communication Technology for
Development (ICT4D) initiatives from around the world competing for
prestigious WSIS Prizes 2017, with over a million online votes casted for 345
nominated projects. The winners will be announced during ITU's World Summit
on the Information Society Forum in June. From http://www.un.org/ 05/18/2017 EUROPE: Data Market to Grow to EUR 107 bln by 2020 - Study The European market of digital products and services (“EU data market")
is set to almost double in size from EUR 59.5 billion in 2016 to EUR 106.8
billion by 2020, according to the high growth scenario set out in the latest
European Data Market study published by the European Commission. The study
found that 6.16 million people in Europe worked in data-related jobs in 2016,
a figure that’s expected to increase at a compound average growth rate of
14.1 percent to hit 10.43 million by 2020.According to the monitoring tool,
in 2016 there was a gap between total demand and supply of data workers of
420,000 unfilled data worker positions in the EU. By 2020, the EU is
forecasted to face a data skills gap corresponding to 769,000 unfilled
positions, above all in the large Member States such as Germany and
France.The report added that the EU data industry as a whole comprised
approximately of 255,000 data companies in 2016, a figure that's set to
increase at a CAGR of 8.9 percent to 359,050 by 2020 under the high growth
scenario forecast. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 05/04/2017 CHINA: Leading Asia in Digital
Transformation - Report Chinese companies have outperformed their Asian counterparts in
digital transformation, according to a report by a leading software
developer. About 91 percent of Chinese mainland respondents used software
development strategy DevOps and about 88 percent Agile. In other Asian
countries the figures were 88 percent and 86 percent respectively, according
to a report by CA Technologies. Agile and DevOps are two of the most popular
tools to help companies to upgrade their IT infrastructure. Digitalization is
expanding into other industries like banking, manufacturing and telecoms,
according to Martin Mackay, CA Technologies president and general manager
responsible for the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. Despite high
awareness of digitalization tools, only 33 percent of Chinese respondents
used them throughout the company, the report showed. Other than technology and investment, Martin pointed out that
the biggest challenge for companies in digitizing is culture, with a flat
corporate culture easier to digitize than a hierarchical one. "It's not
that the IT department wants to change, but that the business is changing, and
you have to adapt to changes faster than your competitors," said Nick
Lim, ASEAN and Greater China vice president with CA Technologies. "China
is a key market for us and we will continue to grow business here as ongoing
economic upgrades mean more companies in China will go digital," Lim
added.
From http://www.news.cn/
03/18/2017 SOUTH KOREA: Smart Health Care Industry at Standstill - Report South Korea's smart health care industry that is viewed as a
next growth engine for the country has been at a standstill for the past five
years due to lack of policy coordination, a report by a local think tank said
Sunday. According to the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade,
the country's health care-related businesses have been growing steadily in
size over the years, but there has been a lack of growth in services provided
by local companies. "In the 2010-2015 period, the number of smart health
care companies grew 5.8 percent annually to reach 500," it said. Of the
companies in operation, 53 percent were in equipment manufacturing and 24 in
parts, with those in the service sector standing at just 6 percent. The
state-run think tank said that this is limiting overall growth of the
industry as a whole. KIET said total domestic sales in smart health care
stood at 101 trillion won ($89.3 billion) as of 2015, not much different from
100 trillion won reported five years earlier. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/20/2017 SINGAPORE: New Cybersecurity Professional Scheme to Groom Public
Sector Experts SINGAPORE: A new Cybersecurity Professional Scheme for the
public sector was revealed by the Communications and Information Minister
Yaacob Ibrahim on Monday (Mar 6). Speaking during his ministry’s Committee of
Supply (COS) debates in Parliament, Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister-in-charge
of Cyber Security, said the scheme is aimed to attract, develop and retain
cybersecurity practitioners (CSPs) in the public sector. There are currently
about 300 officers doing cybersecurity work in the public sector, and the
Government hopes to double this over the next few years, he said. Centrally
managed by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), the scheme will
develop a core of cybersecurity specialists to be deployed across agencies to
support Singapore’s cyber defences, Dr Yaacob said. Besides gaining practical
experiences through postings to the 11 critical sectors and different public
agencies, CSPs can choose to build deeper technical competencies across the
Government in areas such as security-by-design consultancy and cyber
forensics. The scheme will be operational from July this year, MCI
said. “As part of the on-going
efforts to professionalise the wider cyber workforce, the scheme will also
provide a framework to catalyse growth and uplift the overall industry,” Dr
Yaacob said. The scheme is in addition to other manpower development efforts
previously announced or during the current COS such as the Cyber Security
Associates and Technologists (CSAT) programme and the Ministry of Defence
announcing its new NS cyber vocation, and will help complement these, he
added. The minister also noted
efforts by the private sector to grow the industry, pointing to Singtel, for
instance, and its interactive online portal called the Cyber Security
Experience. The portal, which will be launched soon, will reach out to
students to interest them in the topic and hopefully get them to join the
field in the future, he said. The increased focus on cybersecurity,
particularly in the public sector, comes amid the revelation that MINDEF’s
Internet-facing I-net system was breached and personal data of 850 national
servicemen and staff were stolen. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
03/06/2017 VIETNAM: Cashless Economy Target Too High - Experts The Prime Minister recently ratified a project to stimulate
non-cash transactions in 2016-20 with a view to reducing the cash
transactions rate to under 10 per cent. The project aims to accelerate
e-commerce and implement the Master Scheme on E-commerce Development. All
supermarkets and modern distribution centres will take part in e-commerce
while 70 per cent of water, electricity, telecom payments will be in non-cash
mode. Half of all individuals and households will switch to non-cash
transactions. New, modern means of payments will be developed in rural and
remote areas, financial inclusion will be targeted and at least 70 per cent
of people aged over 15 will have bank accounts by 2020. These targets were
outlined based on encouraging achievements in the last six years, which have
gradually made non-cash payments a trend in Việt Nam. Cash payments as a
ratio of total payments have declined from 14.02 per cent in 2010 to 12 per
cent now. According to a State Bank of Việt Nam report released recently,
there are currently around 67.4 million bank accounts compared to 16.8
million in 2010. Modern infrastructure and technology to facilitate non-cash
payments, especially online payments, have developed significantly. The
number of bank cards has increased to around 111 million now. There are
around 254,000 points of sales (POS) and 17,380 automatic teller machines
(ATMs), up 13.77 per cent and 5.39 per cent since the end of 2015. The
central bank has also rolled out policies related to modern infrastructure
and technology to boost non-cash payments, protect customers’interest and
ensure service quality. It has instructed banks to quickly convert all
magnetic cards into chip cards to prevent fraud. It wants all ATM cards to
become EMV-standard chip cards by 2020 to reduce the risks involved in
e-commerce for both buyers and sellers. But analysts, while not denying the
recent accomplishments, still have doubts about the cash-use target. They
said cash was used in nearly 90 per cent of all transactions, and there were
only three years left to reduce that to below 10 per cent. The biggest hindrance to achieving the target is the people’s
cash habit, with not only individuals but even businesses yet to get used to
non-cash transactions. For instance, the facility to pay taxes online has
been in place since 2014 and 95 per cent of all enterprises have registered
for it, but many do not use it. Besides, this remains an alien concept to the
millions of business households and private individuals. Although e-commerce
has developed rapidly in Việt Nam, a majority of buyers still opt for cash on
delivery (COD). According to the Department of E-commerce and Information
Technology, many still prefer COD partly due to their habit and partly
because they do not fully trust e-commerce websites. Only around 4.5 million
people have applied for e-payment of electricity bills, a mere 18.47 per cent
of the total number of users in the country, according to Electricity of Việt
Nam. Banking insiders said most supermarkets, commercial centres and other
modern retail sites accepted cards. Meanwhile, by October last year, 90 per cent of urban people
possessed cards, with the total number of cards reaching 110.8 million. But
the number of users was very modest at just 15 per cent. One of the reasons
is that though a huge number cards have been issued, the location of ATMs is
skewed in favour of major cities while 70 per cent of the country’s
population lives in rural areas. Another reason is the lack of security,
which makes people apprehensive about non-cash payment methods. A
spokesperson for the Commerce Development Research Institute pointed out that
the habit of cash payment remains widespread, especially in rural areas.
Besides, the interest rate and fees on credit on credit cards are
astronomical, which also makes people reluctant to use them. To ensure that
the PM’s non-cash payment plan can be achieved on schedule, all these
problems must be resolved immediately, analysts said. S Koreans dominate VN entertainment industry Executives of Multimedia Joint Stock Company have been very busy
working with some major partners from South Korea. They include YG
Entertainment, which manages many of Korea’s biggest stars like Big Bang,
2NE1, PSY, Epik High, Choi Ji Woo, Black Pink and Lee Jong Suk, its
subsidiary YGKplus, the country’s leading modelling agency, and Naver.com,
the country’s biggest search engine and online media and entertainment
channel. The Korean companies are seeking to tie up with Multimedia JSC in
entertainment and fashion. They will send their stars to participate in major
entertainment events in Việt Nam like the Vietnam International Fashion Week
and also create opportunities for Vietnamese models in Korea. Besides YG
Entertainment and Naver.com, many other Korean companies in movies, the media
and entertainment also have plans to enter the Vietnamese entertainment
market. The Việt Nam Film Distribution Association said the market was
dominated by foreign distributors, many of them Korean. Việt Nam now has more
than 50 cinema chains. Korean-owned CJ CGV Việt Nam is the largest in the
market with 30 cinemas in 10 major cities. Lotte Cinema, also owned by South
Korea, has 16 cinemas. A CJ CGV executive said each year the company opened
around 10 cinemas in Việt Nam and expected to reach 60 by next year. Market observers said South Korean investors saw plenty of
opportunities in the Vietnamese entertainment industry. They find that the
Vietnamese entertainment market is still in a fledgling state while the
demand for entertainment has skyrocketed in step with living standards,
meaning the sky could be the limit for investors. The fact that Việt Nam and
Korea have many cultural similarities means Korean entertainment investors
with their quality products can attract Vietnamese audiences easily. On the
commercial side of things, there are several trade agreements Việt Nam has
signed which offer opportunities to foreign investors, including those in the
entertainment industry. Analysts said all this meaned pressure on domestic
entertainment companies, who could lose the market completely to the Koreans
if they were slow to react. In 2005 CJ CGV and Vietnamese company VIFA
established a joint venture called CJ-VIFA whose first project was the drama
“Mùi Ngò gai”. Then CJ CGV bought out Megastar, the largest chain of cinemas
in Việt Nam at that time. At the beginning of 2014, after closing the
acquisition, Megastar was renamed CGV. CGV now accounts for over a half the
Vietnamese cinema market. It also dominates the film import market, and by
showing more movies than its rivals, including blockbusters, CGV has become
popular among the public. CJ CGV’s strategy is a vital lesson for local
entertainment companies. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/06/2017 AUSTRALIA: Aussies Have Little Faith in Govts' Use of Tech -
Study Few Australians have faith that governments at any level can use
technology competently to deliver services to the people, a study claims.The
Australian Information Industry Association said on Tuesday that a national
study had found that Australians had almost universal (99%) interest in
seeing governments use the latest technology for service delivery.But they
rated the governments lowest when it came to the ability to do so, compared
to other industries.The study was conducted online by Galaxy Research between
14 and 18 February using a nationally representative sample of 1004
Australians aged 18 or older. Data was weighted by age, gender and region to
reflect the latest ABS population estimates.Only 16% agreed that the federal
government was using the latest tech well to deliver services. The
percentages for state (14%) and local governments (12%) were lower. Similar results were obtained when the study participants were
asked whether governments had the ability to use technology well to deliver
services. Only 19% agreed the federal government was up to the mark, while
state (15%) was lower down the scale.By comparison, companies rated much
better: banks and financial institutions (64%); online shopping sites (61%);
travel information and booking sites (48%); telecommunications providers
(39%); entertainment sites (39%); gas and electricity utilities (28%); and
health services (25%).Commenting on the results, AIIA chief executive Rob
Fitzpatrick said: "Australian consumers have always been credited as
early adopters of new technology, which is consistent with our collective
desire to see government using the latest technology."Many expect to
have the same experience engaging with government bodies as they would with
their bank or an online shopping site. As technology advances, customer
expectations keep changing, and it's important that government keep pace. "However, it's not just about service. The economic
benefits from having a digital economy are well known, and there is clear
opportunity for government to take the lead and speed up Australia's digital
transformation."About three-quarters of the study participants said the
main benefit from government using the latest technology was to improve the
quality and accuracy of services."What this result says to me is that
even though there have been some misfires recently when it comes to
execution, such as the census outages and the Centrelink errors, Australians
want the government to progress and improve its use of technology rather than
regress back to the 'old' way of doing things,” Fitzpatrick said.Sixty-four
per cent of the participants said a combination of technology and
customer-facing personnel would deliver the best outcome when it came to
government services.But the percentages differed, based on respondents' ages.
Nineteen per cent of Gen Y and 13% of Gen X favoured full automation, while
only 6% of baby boomers and 4% of traditionalists (those aged above 65)
agreed.On the other hand, 26% percent of traditionalists wanted automation
removed in toto and services provided in customer-facing service centres. The full results of the study will be discussed at the AIIA's
2017 Navigating Digital Government Summit to be held in Canberra on 5
April.The conference speakers include:Professor Genevieve Bell, College of
Engineering and Computer Science at the Australian National University
(ANU);The new chief executive officer of the Digital Transformation Agency
(who has not yet been announced);Ed Husic, Shadow Minister for the Digital
Economy;Gary Sterrenberg, chief information officer, Department of Human
Services;Peter Alexander, first assistant secretary projects, procurement and
assurance, Digital Transformation Agency;Louise Glanville, deputy chief
executive for governance and stakeholder relations, National Disability
Insurance Agency;Dan Bognar, senior vice-president, APAC solutions
engineering, cloud sales, industries and innovation, Salesforce;
and,AdiKavaler, global vice president, products & strategy application
delivery management, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.Angus Taylor, Assistant
Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation, will deliver the closing
keynote. From https://www.itwire.com 03/14/2017 CANADA: Online Tax Filing Is an E-government Success Story Overall, Canadians are satisfied with online tax filing, but
privacy concerns and lack of digital skills mean that achieving a fully
digital tax system will take time.It is tax season once again and Canadians
are busy preparing their tax returns. Most filers will submit a return
online, either directly through NETFILE or by having an accounting firm or
tax preparation company submit it online through EFILE. Electronic filing of
taxes has quietly become the most-used electronic service provided by the
government of Canada.Online filing started on an experimental basis in 1999
and was expanded to a full service in 2000. Writing in 2006, Jeffrey Roy
noted in E-Government in Canada: Transformation for the Digital Age that half
of Canadian tax filers in 2004 submitted their returns online and described
the program as “the most significant example of success” of e-government
services. According to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), 84 percent of tax
returns were submitted online in 2016. The number of returns filed electronically
has increased every year for the last five years.The rapid uptake of this
technology by Canadians suggests that it is a success, but we wanted to hear
more from Canadians. Who submits online and who still submits on paper? How
do users of the e-service assess their experience? Why do some Canadians
prefer to send a return through the mail? In May and June 2016, as part of
our Online Citizenship Canada project, which is studying Canadians’ online
political activities, we conducted an online survey of 1,000 people. Since
the tax filing deadline for 2015 had just passed, we decided to ask them a
few questions about their experience. Who submits online? To begin, we asked respondents whether they had submitted their
2015 federal tax returns through the CRA website. One out of three respondent
hadn’t because someone else had submitted it for them (31 percent) or they
hadn’t filled a tax return for 2015 (2 percent). Among those who submitted a
tax return by themselves, 79 percent used the CRA website and 21 percent used
the mail.Most studies of online technologies find that young people are more
likely to use them. Tax filing is an exception. We did not find any linear
relationship between age and the method of filing: between those aged 18 to
29 and those aged 70 and over, the same proportion (three out of four)
submitted their tax returns online. There’s no gender gap either. However, a
digital divide clearly appeared once we factored in education and income.
Citizens with a university degree and higher income were more likely to
submit online. The proportion of respondents who sent their tax returns
online was 68 percent among those who had not studied beyond high school but
83 percent among holders of a university degree, a gap of 15 percentage points.
The gap was even more pronounced (20 percentage points) between those whose
household income was below $60,000 (67 percent) and those with income higher
than $90,000 (87 percent). How do Canadians assess their experience? Our second goal was to investigate how citizens assess online
filing. The program appears to be a success. We asked filers who used the CRA
website to select from four statements the one that best described their
experience. Eighty-eight percent of respondents said “the process was smooth
and efficient” and they were “sure that [they] will process [their] federal
tax return online in forthcoming years.” Eleven percent “experienced some
problems, but it is still very likely that [they] will process [their]
federal tax return online in forthcoming years.” Only 1 percent said that
they were unlikely to use this online option again, because they “experienced
some problems” or because “the process was complicated and a loss of [their]
time.” Our survey did not ask more specific questions that might highlight
parts of the experience that need improvement. The overall assessment of
these Canadians is that they found the process efficient and they are ready
to do it again. E-government: Why not use it? We also asked an open-ended question to those who submitted
returns by mail: “Why didn’t you process your 2015 federal tax return through
the Canada Revenue Agency website?” A qualitative overview of the responses
allowed us to identify issues that seem to limit the adoption of this
e-government service.First, many respondents indicated they simply preferred
paper forms and the mail (“I like hard copy,” “I like working with paper,” “I
like the paper and make a copy for myself…always keep proof of everything”),
or found paper easier (“easier for me to mail,” “easier to fill out by
hand”). Very few respondents explicitly declared a lack of digital skills,
but the comments about preferring paper probably reflected such limitations.
Indeed, we had previously interviewed some of our respondents in another wave
of the survey and measured their digital skills through a six-item scale; not
surprisingly, the relationship between digital skills and the likelihood of
submitting online was statistically significant. Other technological concerns
also prevented some citizens from submitting their tax returns online: not
having Internet at home, issues with tax software or browsers and not
remembering the password. Second, many respondents expressed concern over the security of the
process. Some didn’t trust the Internet in general (“I really don’t trust so
much important information being used online,” “the Internet is too
vulnerable”), while others had concerns related to software (“privacy
protection, I don’t trust any software under third party”) or specific to the
CRA website (“don’t trust the website”). One respondent wrote: “I still
remember when their system crashed because too many people sent it on-line at
the same time and the mailed ones were handled more promptly as a result. It
feels much safer to me.”A third reason is simply a lack of motivation related
to old habits or a desire to keep tradition. “Always submitted a paper form
of return and I guess I’m stuck with my ways of doing things,” wrote one
respondent. “I’ve been doing it by hand and sending it by mail since the past
30 years,” indicated another taxpayer. “I like filling out my form with paper
and pencil. Tradition,” answered a third one.Finally, some respondents had
specific grounds for their tax filing choices. “Because I have a paper trail
of documents to put in,” wrote one person. “My return is complex &
requires a paper return,” thought another one. A few others did not know it
was possible to fill a tax return online, and one believed it costs money to
file online. An e-government success story Overall, Canadians are satisfied with their experience
submitting their taxes online. In the 2017 federal budget the government
committed to expanding the range and quality of its digital services. The
online tax filing system may serve as a model. However, it is important not
to forget those who lack confidence either in their own digital skills or in
the protection of the privacy of their personal information. A significant
number of Canadians continue to have reservations about online filing;
lowering this number will likely require investment to address privacy
concerns and improve digital skills. Achieving a fully digital tax return
system will take some time.(This online survey was conducted on our behalf by
NRG Research Group between May 12 and June 9, 2016. The response rate was
40.6 percent. The data were weighted by the region, age and sex of the
respondents. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funded the
research through an Insight Grant.) From http://policyoptions.irpp.org/ 04/12/2017 U.S.: Data and the Digital Transformation in Government Information and data are the most valuable assets in an agency because
they can help drive entire digital transformations. But managing and
analyzing data can be extremely difficult due to the various layers and
hybrid storage solutions used in government. Without the proper data
management frameworks in place agency workforces will be unable to take
advantage of insights gained from the information because they will lack the
necessary data visibility, security, and analysis tools.To learn how agencies
can leverage digital data management systems for digital transformations,
Mark Krzysko, Deputy Director for Enterprise Information within the
Department of Defense’s Office of the Undersecretary for Acquisition, and
Skip Farmer, a Field Engineering Manager at Veritas spoke during GovLoop’s
recent Government Innovators virtual summit. Both experts have extensive
experience using data management techniques to improve data visibility and
decision-making in public sector organizations. Krzysko began the conversation by explaining that digital
transformation and data management are about more than just updating IT
systems and technology. “To improve efficiency and effectiveness of data
management, agencies must motivate two groups of employees; those that use
the data and those that manage the data.” That means that frontline employees
need to understand and utilize technical standards and protection protocols
when collecting and securing data, but leadership and analysts need to
understand how to interpret and manage the data so that it can provide the
greatest amount of insight for decision makers.Although most leaders in
government have started to understand the value of datasets, Krzysko added
that they still must realistically understand what the data can do for the
organization. Those that manage the data on a daily basis must constantly
educate other staff members on how to properly analyze the information and
relate it back to the mission of the agency. Farmer agreed with Krzysko on the importance of using data to
empower and transform your agency’s mission critical decisions. He also added
that a main challenge for agency’s trying to manage data is that it is often
stored in an inefficient and costly manner. “In order to extract value from
the data agencies need visibility, controlled access, and proper analysis of
data.”Agencies should increase visibility, security compliance, and control
over their data by adopting enterprise data management solutions. Enterprise
data management systems allow agencies to better understand what data they
have and how to store and protect it in real time. Farmer compared the idea
of making decisions without an enterprise understanding of the information
assets being stored to agencies essentially making decisions in a dark room. Enterprise data management can also be helpful to because it illuminates
data assets there were previously overlooked by agency employees. “There is
data we know exists and we can map to the mission, but there is also data we
don’t think about. It may be redundant or unprotected data so we need
visibility to look for data that may obstruct day-to-day operations.” Both experts agreed that data
management is crucial to digital transformation, but the complexity of data
storage systems has made analysis difficult. In order to fully leverage
mission critical data, agencies must employ an enterprise perspective to
efficiently viewing and securing data. By implementing a unified approach to
data management, agencies can digitally transform to make better
organizational decisions and advance their missions. From https://www.govloop.com/ 05/10/2017 |
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AFRICA: Togo - Strengthening Governance, Basic Services and
Private Sector Opportunities in New Strategy The Board of the World Bank Group today discussed a new Country Partnership
Framework (CPF) for Togo covering the period from July 2016 to June 2020. The
CPF presents the World Bank Group’s proposed strategy over the four-year
period, including interventions to help the country pave the way to more
inclusive and sustainable growth led by a more dynamic private sector and
more effective government policies, public investments and services. This is
the first medium-term strategy of the institution for Togo since resuming
IDA* financing in the country in 2008.“We are pleased the Board has endorsed
the new framework for our cooperation with Togo which, since 2008, has been
working hard to catch up and emerge from a 15-year period of donor
disengagement,” says Pierre Laporte, the World Bank Country Director for
Togo. Vera Songwe, IFC Regional Director for West and Central Africa, added
that: “Preparing a joint strategy allows Togo to benefit from the full range
of the World Bank Group’s products and services, and ensures complementarity
of our interventions in both the public and private sectors”. A Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) for Togo prepared by the
World Bank Group in 2016 concluded that weak governance impedes a more
robust, inclusive and sustainable growth and has contributed to a stagnant
per capita GDP. Poverty rates remain high at 55 percent, despite having come
down from 61 percent in 2011. Governance reforms aimed at engendering a more
inclusive growth process led by private economic activity are needed to build
an economy that is more productive, creates more jobs and leads to a virtuous
cycle of rising incomes, expanded fiscal resources, and an increased ability
to pay for public services to improve the well-being for a growing
population. Strengthening public accountability to citizens and building
stronger independent institutions at all levels are among the key governance
reforms needed to ensure a more open and equitable distribution of
resources. Other key challenges
include weak health services which disproportionately affect the poor as well
as significant risks related to macro-fiscal policies and environmental
degradation linked to climate change. The World Bank Group’s new strategy emphasizes governance as a
foundational, cross-cutting theme, with strengthening institutions and
accountability as objectives integrated in three main focus areas: (i)
private sector performance and job creation; (ii) inclusive public service
delivery; and (iii) environmental sustainability and resilience.Under the
first focus area aimed at promoting the performance of the private sector and
job creation, the Bank will assist the authorities to strengthen fiscal
policy and debt management, including through a new series of development
policy operations (budget supports) supporting reforms in tax policy and
administration, public investment management, and in the governance of the
energy and telecommunications sectors. In addition, technical assistance and
investment financing will support fiscal and regulatory reforms and
investments aimed at growing the formal private sector and increasing
agricultural productivity, access to markets and stronger value chains, and
will help improve the quality of economic infrastructure services (energy,
telecoms and logistics) and promote skills-building and employment
opportunities. The International Finance Company (IFC), the part of the World
Bank Group that promotes private sector development, will particularly
support this focus area, as it seeks to enhance its investment and advisory
work to support trade and public-private partnerships (PPPs) and promote
private investments in infrastructure, agribusiness, manufacturing, services,
the financial sector and small and medium enterprises development. IFC and
the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) –also a member of the
World Bank Group promoting foreign direct investments into developing
countries – will pursue opportunities to use the IDA Private Sector Window
facilities to de-risk investment opportunities and attract private partners
in key economic sectors, including agriculture, energy, telecommunications
and transport. The second focus area, promoting inclusive public service
delivery, includes interventions to strengthen health systems, local and
municipal basic infrastructure services, and social safety nets for the most
vulnerable. “These operations emphasize empowering local governments and
communities by building their capacity to plan, prioritize and implement
basic services,” according to Joelle Businger, World Bank Country Manager for
Togo and Task Team Leader for the CPF. She adds that: “This will have a
direct impact on people’s lives, by giving them the tools and resources to
improve their cities and communities.”Through the third focus area, the World
Bank Group will help Togo strengthen the management of its productive natural
resources, strengthen environmental resilience and reinforce its adaptation
to climate change. Interventions will focus on helping urban and rural
communities adapt to climate variability, change farming practices and
improve the preparedness for natural disasters and other man-made risks, and
policies and infrastructure to mitigate the impact of coastal erosion. Togo will benefit from the new IDA18* replenishment which
provides increased support for fragile states to scale up concessional
financing and promote joint IDA, IFC and MIGA solutions. The increased
poverty orientation of the performance-based allocation under IDA18 has also
resulted in a doubling of IDA resources for Togo, with up to US$230 million
available during 2018-2020. Combined with the US$113 million in IDA financing
approved in 2017 and resources from the regional IDA envelope, the total IDA
grant and credit financing is estimated at over $350 million during the CPF
period. Trust fund grant resources would also be mobilized to provide
additional support.The new CPF will support the implementation of projects
and programs currently underway and proposes eight (8) new operations in the
areas of energy, competitiveness and skills development, urban
infrastructure, logistics services, health, public services, coastal
management and integrated disaster and land management. Besides the
investments operations, a number of analytical studies and advisory services
are planned, including among others on: (i) public private partnerships; (ii)
tax framework; (iii) debt management strategy; (iv) land policy assessment;
(v) sources of growth and competitiveness; gender assessment; decentralized
service delivery; and (vi) blue economy strategic framework. From http://www.worldbank.org/ 05/16/2017 EUROPE: Migration Crisis - 73% of Europeans Wants EU to Do More Most Europeans want the EU to do more to tackle migration ?AP
Images/ European Union-EP Migration has been an EU priority for years. Since 2015 the EU
has taken several measures to manage the migration crisis as well as to
improve the asylum system. According to the latest Eurobarometer poll, 73% of
Europeans still want the EU to do more to manage the situation. However, 58%
of respondents think the EU’s actions regarding migration are inadequate,
eight percentage points less than last year. Read on to discover what
measures the European Parliament is working on. What Parliament is working on Last December the civil liberties committee backed a proposal to
strengthen the current European Asylum Support Office (EASO), which will
become the EU Agency for Asylum, responsible for ensuring a sustainable and
fair distribution of asylum applicants. The agency would help EU countries
during crisis situations and monitor how national authorities apply EU
legislation. Currently Parliament representatives are negotiating on the
plans with the Council and the European Commission.In March a draft report on
the reform of the Dublin system was presented to the civil liberties
committee. The aim is to address the weaknesses of the current asylum system
and to determine which EU country is responsible for processing an asylum
application. After all the amendments have been submitted, the committee will
vote on the report and it will then be up to all MEPs to vote on it during a
plenary session.The committee also supported in April a report aiming to set
EU-wide standards for the reception conditions of asylum seekers and to
improve their integration prospects and self-sufficiency. MEPs will now vote
on it during a plenary session before starting negotiations with the Council
and the Commission. Fromhttp://www.europarl.europa.eu/ 05/11/2017 EC to Review .EU Top-Level Domain Name Rules The European Commission has announced the launch of a public
consultation on the .eu top-level domain rules. In a statement, the EC
Commission said it wants to ascertain whether the existing regulations on .eu
are still fit for purpose, or if they need to be changed or updated. The
Commission said the market of domain names has become much more dynamic and
competitive since the entry into force of the .eu regulations, prompting a
consultation running from 12 May until 08 August. Business representatives,
those working in the public sector, academia and all those with an interest
are invited to provide input and help determine the future of the .eu domain
name.Registrations for the .eu top-level domain started on 07 April 2006,
providing a unique European domain for organisations and individuals resident
in EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. At the end
of March 2017, the .eu TLD was the 7th largest country code in the world with
over 3.7 million registrations. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 05/15/2017 A New Tax Law Is Making Sweden Very Attractive to the World's
Biggest Tech Companies Sweden’s cool climate and forest-covered interior have allowed
the country to build its economy on primary industries, like pulp and paper
production and metalworks, for decades. Now, those same factors are helping
it cater to a new kind of industry that could become just as vital to its
economy in the years to come: the perfect real estate for data centers.In
January, a new law slashing the tax rate on electricity used by data centers
by 97 percent went into effect, removing a major barrier to Sweden’s
burgeoning data-center economy. The energy consumed by data centers is now
taxed as lightly as the electricity used by Sweden’s steelworks, car plants
and other heavy industries, putting it in line with regional competitors like
Norway.Data centers already contributed 6.2 billion krona ($687 million) and
3,600 jobs to the Swedish economy in 2015, according to a report by the
Boston Consulting Group. The energy tax reforms mean data centers are
expected to add 25 billion krona and 14,000 jobs by 2025, according to the
report. “This is acknowledging that the world has changed,” says Tomas
Sokolnicki, a senior investment adviser at Data Centers by Sweden, a
quasi-government trade body. “We have a digital industry, so it should be
handled and treated like other base industries in Sweden.”The tax reform
could save tech companies millions, reducing electricity bills by around 40
percent, according to a Swedish finance ministry study. Facebook, which
opened a state-of-the-art facility in Lule? in northern Sweden in 2013, will
certainly benefit. So will new entrants like Amazon Web Services, which
dominates the cloud computing industry. Two weeks ago, Amazon announced plans
to develop three data centers near Stockholm, although it declined to say how
much investment is involved. It’s not just that electricity is cheaper in Sweden; it’s also
cleaner, which helps some of the world’s tech giants achieve their
much-publicized goals of using only renewable energy. Over 65 percent of
Sweden’s electricity comes from renewable sources like wind and hydroelectric
energy, according to statistics from the European Union. Its three nuclear
plants also produce energy with low carbon emissions.Amazon says renewable
energy, as well as speedy internet connections, makes the area around
Stockholm the “natural choice” for data centers serving customers in the
Nordics. Hundreds of jobs are expected to be created by the projects,
Sokolnicki says. The townships the Seattle tech giant has selected for
investment, Eskilstuna, Katrineholm and V?ster?s, are celebrating.“For a
municipality, this is a big investment,” says Sokolnicki, recalling the night
the contracts were signed. “There was quite a lot of emotion in there.” From http://www.nextgov.com/ 04/14/2017 NORTH AMERICA: Canada - How We Can Start Harmonizing US-Canada
Regulations With Trump eager for some political wins, Canada should seize
the moment and accelerate efforts to harmonize regulations between the two
nations.We’ve all been reading the negative and troubling headlines about a
potential trade war between the United States and Canada on softwood lumber
and dairy. But despite all the rhetoric, there are countless bright spots in
the bilateral relationship that can and should be capitalized upon now — to
the benefit of both countries.One of the biggest areas of goodwill and
co-operation will be staring us right in the face at the moment we start to
ponder renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).In
February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled the
Enforcing Regulatory Reform Agenda. It didn’t get a lot of media attention,
but it presents a golden opportunity for Canada. The measure is aimed at
streamlining federal regulations, and it directs US agencies to create task
forces to identify regulations that eliminate jobs, are outdated or are too
costly. It also provides a perfect opening to accelerate and enhance a
long-standing bilateral project known as the Canada/US Regulatory Cooperation
Council, which is also working to streamline regulations on both sides of the
border.Bilateral regulatory co-operation may not be as enthralling as Russian
spies or border walls, but it’s critical to US and Canadian businesses and
their integrated supply chains. It also has an impact on Canadian and
American consumers, as businesses are often forced to pass on to them the
substantial costs associated with regulatory disharmony and red
tape.President Trump is eager for some wins. Canada can help provide him with
one, while also advancing its own interests. The Canadian government could
present the United States with a proposal for aligning a particular set of
regulations. This would represent a bilateral victory for what is at the
moment a US-only effort to cut regulatory red tape. There are several sectors where regulatory disharmony causes
problems.In agri-business, energy products, medical devices, and medicine and
consumer products, in particular, there is an array of conflicting
regulations that make it difficult to do business, on both sides of the 49th
parallel. In some cases, these regulations even prevent consumers from buying
the goods they want or obtaining the medications they need if they suffer
from certain illnesses or conditions.For example, some cosmetic products are
available in the US but not in Canada. Some medications that are sold over
the counter in the United States are still sold by prescription only in
Canada, and vice versa, which causes headaches for companies trying to market
their products in both countries.Recall mechanisms for medical devices differ
in the two countries, as do regulations on a drug that helps people with
Parkinsonism Syndrome ?—? and there are many more examples. In agri-business, meat producers in both countries deal with an
antiquated headache involving the requirement that a veterinarian’s
certificate be manually placed on a certain outward facing spot on every case
of exported or imported meat, even though the information is more easily
available using other methods. This is a costly and dubious regulation that
prevents producers from fully embracing automation and high-tech shipping
methods? — and there are plenty of other redundant and expensive
regulations.Why shouldn’t we leverage President Trump’s interest in cutting
red tape and harmonizing regulations for the benefit of the bilateral
economy? This doesn’t have to wait for a NAFTA renegotiation or World Trade
Organization ruling; it’s is ready to go right now.Canadian and American
officials have been working together on this since 2011, and as Gary Doer,
former Canadian ambassador to the US, would say: “It’s time to put the puck
in the net.”In this period of uncertainty about President Trump’s NAFTA
intentions, now is the time to work even harder on the Canada-US
relationship,??and to start focusing on the issues that aren’t contentious.
Regulatory harmony should be a critical part of that strategy, and success
there could well ease tensions elsewhere. From http://policyoptions.irpp.org/ 05/04/2017 U.S.: North Carolina House Passes 'Bright Futures' Bill to
Spread Fast Internet The bill could help bring high-speed Internet to 3 million
people in 85 of North Carolina’s 100 counties.(TNS) -- RALEIGH — The state
House on Thursday approved the “Bright Futures Act,” a bill designed to
expand high-speed internet service to rural communities and other underserved
areas.The legislation now moves to the Senate.The bill will help those
communities grow their economies and draw jobs, state Rep. John Szoka of Cumberland
County said during debate on the House floor. He is the lead sponsor of the
bill.“Rural and underserved areas have historically been left behind when key
technology and infrastructure have been required for economic development,”
Szoka said in a news release from the office of House Speaker Tim Moore.The
news release says the bill could help bring high-speed internet to 3 million
people in 85 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. The legislation would allow cities and counties with fiber optic
cables or other internet-capable infrastructure installed for municipal needs
to lease the excess capacity to private internet service providers to offer
internet to residents and businesses.Further, public-private partnerships
could be created to install infrastructure to spread the service, Szoka
said.The legislation is designed to be flexible on how the infrastructure is
installed — it could be a traditional wired connection, a high-speed wireless
connection, or whatever other technology is developed to do the job, Szoka
has said in interviews about the legislation.The state has previously passed
laws to prevent city and county governments from providing internet service
to their communities. The policy was premised on the theory that the
government would be competing against private companies.At the same time,
private high-speed internet providers have skipped much of the state because
there is insufficient profit potential in low-population areas to cover the
costs.This legislation does not permit local governments to independently
provide internet service to their residents. From http://www.govtech.com/ 04/21/2017 As Big Deadline Hits, Lawmakers Warn on Long-term Risks to Data
Act As agencies are wrapping up submissions for the Digital
Accountability and Transparency Act’s first deadline, transparency advocates
and lawmakers are framing the milestone date more as a starting point.Thanks
to the open government law passed in 2014, May 9 represents the first
submission deadline for agencies to report their annual federal spending in a
standardized, machine-readable way to the USASpending.gov website.While the
Government Accountability Office reported in April that five agencies -- the
Departments of Defense, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior and
Veterans Affairs, along with the Environmental Protection Agency -- would not
“fully meet” the requirements in advance of the May 9 deadline, all 24 CFO
Act agencies managed to submit something.According to those closest to the
Data Act, incomplete reporting the first go-round was expected and is not a
cause for concern. In an email to FCW, Data Coalition Executive Director Hudson
Hollister deemed the effort to date to be a successful completion of “the
first phase of a very challenging project.”That early success, however, does
not mean oversight -- from Congress, the oversight bodies, as well as the
White House -- is going anywhere. In letters to the heads of the Treasury
Department and the Office of Management and Budget, six members of the House
Oversight Committee -- Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Elijah Cummings
(D-Md.), Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Will Hurd (R-Texas)
and Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) -- raised concerns about potential risks facing
agencies’ successful implementation and about several unfulfilled GAO
recommendations.“While there is strong reason to be optimistic that the Data
Act can and will achieve its goals, there are ongoing implementation
challenges that threaten its success,” the legislators wrote, citing
“widespread and longstanding financial management issues” across government
as significant long-term risks. According to the lawmakers' letters, 11 of the 16 large
agencies, in readiness reviews conducted by their respective inspectors
general, were found to have “had technology issues, including challenges with
developing and submitting required files, integrating multiple existing and
disparate financial and management systems, or needing to install new systems
or modify existing systems to implement the Data Act” as of Jan. 31.They
added that these challenges, as well as other issues, “have already had an
effect on agency readiness.”The lawmakers called on Treasury and OMB to
address five outstanding GAO recommendations -- one from January 2016, three
from July 2016 and another from April 2017.The recommendations call for OMB
and Treasury to provide agencies with additional guidance to handle
data-quality issues, to establish a set of policies that follow best
practices for developing and maintaining data standards and to create a
federal program inventory of Data Act purposes and requirements. The recommendations also direct OMB and Treasury to develop
processes to determine the complete population of agencies required to report
spending data and to measure agencies’ compliance with oversight reviews and
Data Act requirements.The lawmakers requested an update from OMB and Treasury
by May 22 that details progress in implementing GAO’s recommendations.Hollister
commended the continued oversight of the Data Act’s implementation, adding,
“there is still work that needs to be done.”“It is crucial that the technical
kinks are ironed out to ensure that the law is fully implemented, and the
benefits can be fully realized,” he said.In addition to the members of
Congress, the Data Act also has champions in the White House -- namely OMB
Director Mick Mulvaney and Matt Lira, the special assistant to the president
for innovation policy and initiatives and member of the new Office of
American Innovation. From https://fcw.com/articles/ 05/08/2017 As Big Deadline Hits, Lawmakers Warn on Long-term Risks to Data
Act As agencies are wrapping up submissions for the Digital
Accountability and Transparency Act’s first deadline, transparency advocates
and lawmakers are framing the milestone date more as a starting point.Thanks
to the open government law passed in 2014, May 9 represents the first submission
deadline for agencies to report their annual federal spending in a
standardized, machine-readable way to the USASpending.gov website.While the
Government Accountability Office reported in April that five agencies -- the
Departments of Defense, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior and
Veterans Affairs, along with the Environmental Protection Agency -- would not
“fully meet” the requirements in advance of the May 9 deadline, all 24 CFO
Act agencies managed to submit something.According to those closest to the
Data Act, incomplete reporting the first go-round was expected and is not a
cause for concern. In an email to FCW, Data Coalition Executive Director Hudson
Hollister deemed the effort to date to be a successful completion of “the
first phase of a very challenging project.”That early success, however, does
not mean oversight -- from Congress, the oversight bodies, as well as the
White House -- is going anywhere. In letters to the heads of the Treasury
Department and the Office of Management and Budget, six members of the House
Oversight Committee -- Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Elijah Cummings
(D-Md.), Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Will Hurd (R-Texas)
and Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) -- raised concerns about potential risks facing agencies’
successful implementation and about several unfulfilled GAO
recommendations.“While there is strong reason to be optimistic that the Data
Act can and will achieve its goals, there are ongoing implementation
challenges that threaten its success,” the legislators wrote, citing
“widespread and longstanding financial management issues” across government
as significant long-term risks. According to the lawmakers' letters, 11 of the 16 large
agencies, in readiness reviews conducted by their respective inspectors
general, were found to have “had technology issues, including challenges with
developing and submitting required files, integrating multiple existing and
disparate financial and management systems, or needing to install new systems
or modify existing systems to implement the Data Act” as of Jan. 31.They
added that these challenges, as well as other issues, “have already had an
effect on agency readiness.”The lawmakers called on Treasury and OMB to
address five outstanding GAO recommendations -- one from January 2016, three
from July 2016 and another from April 2017.The recommendations call for OMB
and Treasury to provide agencies with additional guidance to handle
data-quality issues, to establish a set of policies that follow best
practices for developing and maintaining data standards and to create a
federal program inventory of Data Act purposes and requirements. The recommendations also direct OMB and Treasury to develop
processes to determine the complete population of agencies required to report
spending data and to measure agencies’ compliance with oversight reviews and
Data Act requirements.The lawmakers requested an update from OMB and Treasury
by May 22 that details progress in implementing GAO’s
recommendations.Hollister commended the continued oversight of the Data Act’s
implementation, adding, “there is still work that needs to be done.”“It is
crucial that the technical kinks are ironed out to ensure that the law is
fully implemented, and the benefits can be fully realized,” he said.In addition
to the members of Congress, the Data Act also has champions in the White
House -- namely OMB Director Mick Mulvaney and Matt Lira, the special
assistant to the president for innovation policy and initiatives and member
of the new Office of American Innovation. From https://fcw.com/articles/ 05/08/2017 |
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CHINA: Beijing to Strengthen
Regulation of Online Catering Beijing pledges to strengthen regulation of online catering
platforms to ensure food safety, the municipal food and drug administration said.
Supervision over the platforms will include checking business licenses and
health certificates and, more importantly, the quality of ingredients and
health conditions of cooks of the restaurants on the platforms, the
administration announced on Wednesday, World Consumer Rights Day, also known
as "3.15" in China. Thirty-four restaurants have recently been
ordered to withdraw from waimai.meituan.com, one of the most popular such
platforms in China, for selling cold dishes without a license, said Li Jiang,
head of the food market regulation office of the administration. The
administration will launch spot checks on food safety of the restaurants and
order them to post pictures of their kitchens and cooking process on the
platforms, according to Li. A restaurant rating system will be introduced on the platforms,
so that customers can choose higher rated ones, Li added. According to
statistics, Beijing has five online food ordering and delivery services,
including waimai.meituan and waimai.baidu, with altogether 67,000 restaurants
on them. China has adopted strict food safety regulations in recent years,
but the proliferation of kitchens and restaurants riding the e-commerce boom
has made supervision more difficult. The food safety watchdog in Ningbo City
in east China's Zhejiang Province said it will introduce a supervision system
for the online catering sector using big data techniques that can collect
information on more than 10,000 restaurants in an hour.
From http://www.news.cn/
03/15/2017 China Sets Ambitious Goal in
Cloud Computing China is aiming to increase the scale of its cloud computing
industry by more than 2.5 times by 2019, from 2015 levels, according to a new
government plan. The scale of the cloud computing industry will be expanded
to 430 billion yuan (about 62.29 billion U.S. dollars) by 2019, up from 150
billion yuan in 2015, according to an action plan for 2017-2019 issued by the
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Other targets include making
breakthroughs in core technologies, increasing cloud computing in
manufacturing and government affairs, and strengthening the global influence
of Chinese cloud computing companies. The ministry expects that two to three
Chinese cloud computing companies will lead the global market within three
years. Cloud computing should be a strong support for China's manufacturing
and Internet industries and help make other social and economic sectors informationized,
the ministry said. The ministry pledged to enhance cloud computing network security
and improve security regulation and relevant laws, as many users from key
industries are still hesitating due to safety concerns, reliability and
movability. In the next three years, the government will help boost cloud
computing technologies and encourage local governments to work with leading
cloud computing companies to build public service platforms. Support will go
to cloud computing-related innovation and entrepreneurship to provide
services for small and medium-sized enterprises, the ministry said. The plan
promised better financial services and personnel training, as well as efforts
in the branding of current enterprises and products. Leading cloud computing
enterprises should also seek overseas expansion and boost international
cooperation in alignment with the Belt and Road Initiative, it said.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/11/2017 Vice President Calls for
Building of Mass Organizations Online Vice President Li Yuanchao has called for efforts to build mass
organizations online presence to sustain closer ties with the people. During a
tour of Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province from Wednesday to Thursday,
Li said organizations should use the Internet to better communicate with,
serve, guide and mobilize the public. Grassroots Communist Party of China
(CPC) committees should take a leading role in reform involving mass
organizations, and help grassroots mass organizations to solve their problems
including a lack of personnel, funds or office venue, Li said. Mass
organizations represent people from different lines of work or age groups,
such as trade unions, women's groups and youth leagues.
From http://www.news.cn/ 04/14/2017 China Issues Regulation on
Online News Service Cooperation between Chinese online news service providers and
entities with foreign investment should go through a security review,
according to a regulation released on May 2. The regulation, issued by the
Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), requires the online news service
providers to abide by the law, promote healthy Internet culture and safeguard
national and public interest. The CAC will become the new regulator of online
news service, replacing the State Council Information Office. The service
providers should put in place a set of information security protocols and
measures, such as reviews, checks and emergency responses regarding online
news, the CAC said. There should be an editor-in-chief for all online news
service providers and their staff should be qualified, according to the
regulation. It said that platform operators should protect the privacy of
users. The regulation particularly notes the obligations of online news
platform operators, whose services would only be available to users who
register with their real identities. Online news platform operators that
violate the regulation will be punished. In the meantime, another regulation
on administrative law-enforcing procedures was also issued by CAC Tuesday,
aiming to standardize and safeguard the obligations of online news management
departments, so as to properly implement administrative penalties and protect
the legal rights of citizens, legal persons and other organizations. The two
regulations will go into force on June 1.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/03/2017 JAPAN: Government Looks to India to Fill Nation’s IT Shortfall The government plans to strengthen support for foreigners
seeking jobs in Japanese companies, according to sources. Envisaged measures
include working with the private sector to secure human resources from India,
where capable information technology personnel are plentiful, to compete with
major U.S. IT companies and other entities vying for such personnel. According to the Economy, Trade and
Industry Ministry, Japan has a shortage of about 130,000 IT security
personnel and about 15,000 advanced IT experts. The government has therefore
found it necessary to increase support for foreign workers. India has
attracted worldwide attention as a valuable source of human resources in the
IT field, with the Indian Institutes of Technology producing top-quality
workers. Major U.S. IT companies, including Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com
Inc., are currently working to secure human resources from India. The
measures target people with certain skills in IT and other fields, with the
government and companies coordinating to help such people find jobs. The
Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to provide Indian universities and
other entities with information on job opportunities at Japanese companies
and hold job seminars in India to support people seeking employment in Japan.
The government has also started providing job assistance to foreign people
who have moved to Japan as well as foreign students who want to work in
Japan. In March, the labor ministry began offering counseling services in
foreign languages at HelloWork offices across the nation. Counseling services
are available in a number of languages in addition to English, including
Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian From http://the-japan-news.com
05/03/2017 SOUTH KOREA: Slow to Embrace New Web Tech South Korea remains behind in embracing the new web framework
HTML5, despite its rapid adoption overseas, the Korea Internet Security
Agency said. HTML5 is the latest standard of web programming language
developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. By analyzing browsers used by
internet users on whether these properly support services made from HTML5,
the level of preparedness reached 54.1 percent. KISA said the older versions
of Internet Explorer widely used by Koreans tend not to follow HTML5 standards.
Among desktop users, 96.99 percent used Microsoft Windows for their operating
system, while 85.86 percent used Internet Explorer for their browser. From http://www.koreaherald.com
04/12/2017 We Plan to Develop New Industries, Services for the Future "Using autonomous vehicles and the Internet of Things (IoT)
as our engines of economic growth, we plan to develop new industries and
services for the future," said Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang
Kyo-ahn during the 2017 Science Day ceremony at Seoul's Dongdaemun Design
Plaza on April 21. "Projects that focus on state-of-the-art technology,
including AI, are currently in the works. By developing innovative R&D systems,
we will create a research environment that gives rise to scientists who have
the capability to pursue challenging and creative projects," said the
acting president. "The waves of the fourth industrial revolution are
rising higher and higher, day by day. Last year, the Korean government
adopted a comprehensive plan outlining some medium- to long-term measures to
respond effectively in this age of advanced AI," he said. "The new
industry investment committee, launched last year, is helping to lead a number
of reforms related to regulations governing new industries. We have also
begun addressing issues linked to the fourth industrial revolution, such as
unemployment and industrial polarization, in preparation for the dawn of a
new era," he said. From http://www.korea.net
04/24/2017 Korea Launches Alliance to Nurture "Smart Home"
Industry South Korea launched an alliance of leading information and
communication technology and construction firms on Wednesday to nurture the
"smart home" industry that connects artificial intelligence and
Internet of Things to home appliances. "We can make the world's leading
smart home industry with the combination of our home electronics industry,
information technology, infrastructure and semiconductors," Trade
Minister Joo Hyung-hwan said at a event to mark the launch at the Korea
Electronics Technology Institute in Seongnam, south of Seoul. He said South
Korea can emerge as a global leader in the smart home business area. The
alliance is supposed to exchange related technologies for the building of
smart homes, develop big data-based smart services, standardize regulations
and launch marketing activities for the expansion of this business field.
Among the participants are Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc., SK
Telecom, KT, the Korea Land and Housing Corp., the Seoul Housing &
Communities Corp., S1 Corp., MDS Technology and Samyoung S&C. From http://www.koreaherald.com/
04/26/2017 Presidential Candidates Vow Support for ‘Digital Economy’ South Korea’s presidential candidates may differ in their
campaign pledges on defense, labor and political reform, but they appear to
have one common ground -- spurring growth through the “digital economy.” The
digital economy, sometimes referred to as the “internet economy,” broadly
refers to the economic activity that results from billions of everyday online
connections among people, businesses, devices, data and processes, according
to Deloitte. This new type of economy is backed by the growing connections
between people, organizations and machines via the internet and new mobile
technologies, it said. In a survey conducted by Korea’s Digital Economy
Association, which consists of the country’s biggest internet technology
industry business groups, all candidates -- except Hong Joon-pyo of the
conservative Liberty Korea Party -- vowed to overhaul overregulation that
hinders the growth of the IT-related sectors with differing governance plans.
Hong did not provide a reply, the association said without elaborating. Front-runner Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic Party
of Korea vowed to reform Korea’s “outdated policies” that have weighed down
domestic IT companies in competing against their bigger foreign rivals, which
are not subject to such regulations. Moon also called for the
introduction of a so-called “negative regulation” system for the IT industry.
Korea’s current “positive regulation” system acts like a whitelist, laying
out what it permits, and in theory banning anything not covered. A negative
system acts like a blacklist, banning certain items. Using this approach new
businesses or services are considered legal as long as they are not expressly
banned. In addition, Moon vowed to set aside bigger funds for startups and
new business creation without citing specific figures. He will also open
source the government’s public data to create a big data platform that new
businesses can access and work with. From http://www.koreaherald.com
05/01/2017 |
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SINGAPORE: New Standards to Address Digital Design,
Infrastructure for Seniors SINGAPORE: A new standards framework launched on Thursday (Mar
23) will provide designers of digital devices and online services guidance on
designing senior-friendly user interfaces. The Singapore Standard 618
includes points such as reducing information clutter on the website interface
as well as automatically resizing pages when changing to different device
sizes and types. A working group under SPRING Singapore's standardisation
programme, which developed the framework, will be focusing on the development
of guidelines specific to the user interface design for mobile platforms
moving forward, SPRING said. The framework was one of two initiatives
launched by SPRING and the Singapore Standards Council on Thursday to support
active ageing in Singapore. The other was the Silver Industry Standards
Roadmap, which seeks to address the challenges of an ageing population by
ensuring that infrastructure and services meet quality and safety
requirements. Developed by SPRING and the Silver Industry Standards
Committee, the roadmap charts the direction of standards development and
implementation over the next three to five years to support the needs of the
elderly at the individual, community and national levels. It will look into
areas such as enhancing accessibility through suitable infrastructural design
within the community and home as well as enabling the pervasive use of
digital solutions among the elderly, the agencies said. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
03/23/2017 Singapore to Focus on Regional Digital Economy, Trade When It
Takes over ASEAN Chairmanship SINGAPORE: Ahead of it taking over the chairmanship of the
Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, Singapore has said
it plans to focus on developing the regional digital economy and improving
trade facilitation. Speaking at the ASEAN Conference 2017, Trade and Industry
(Trade) Minister Lim Hng Kiang said there is interest among member states in
developing their e-commerce capabilities to tap on emerging opportunities.
“Going forward, we will look into streamlining regional trade rules governing
e-commerce that will promote greater digital connectivity in the region and
lower operating barriers to entry. We will also ensure that these are
incorporated into our current regime and new trade agreements,” he said. On
trade facilitation, Mr Lim said Singapore intends to work closely with other
member states to implement the self-certification regime and the ASEAN Single
Window. The self-certification scheme will allow authorised exporters
self-certify that their goods meet ASEAN’s requirements for preferential
treatment, while the ASEAN Single Window helps to expedite customs clearance
via the electronic exchange of information across borders. Mr Lim said this
will facilitate seamless movement of goods within ASEAN, allowing businesses
to enjoy lower administrative and time-to-market costs. He called for
feedback from the private sector to ensure that Singapore’s priorities remain
relevant to businesses. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
05/04/2017 THAILAND: Foreign Ministry Offers Reassurance on E-Passports as
Article 44 Order Considered The Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday stated that the ministry
would continue to issue e-passports for Thai citizens although the contract
with an outsourcing firm will end shortly. “We affirmed that the issuance of
e-passports will proceed as usual without a time limit,” said a statement
issued by the ministry. Two years ago, the ministry signed a contract with an
outsourcing company to issue passports, stipulating that the company would
produce 7 million passports, after which the contract would end. At present,
6.97 million have been issued, leaving only 30,000 more to be issued. On a
typical day, 10,000 requests are received for the issuance or re-issuance of
passports, which would have left only three more days. The ministry had said
the process to find a new firm through an e-bidding process could take a year
to complete. However, to solve the immediate problem, the ministry on Tuesday
proposed that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) invoke Article
44 of the interim charter to allow the ministry to extend the contract with
the current company for one year. In the meantime, the e-bidding process to
find a new outsourcing company will commence, Government Spokesman Lt-General
Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Tuesday. The ministry could not renew or extend
the contract through normal processes as the Office of the Attorney-General
had deemed it illegal, the spokesman said. However, the NCPO rejected the proposal,
saying Article 44 could be criticised for being used too often, Sansern said.
The NCPO then ordered Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam to meet with
the Office of the Auditor-General and the Foreign Ministry to seek a
solution, Sansern said. Sansern
added that if there was a dead end, the use of Article 44 could be
considered. The NCPO agreed in principle to allow the current firm to
continue to issue e-passports, he said. From http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
03/01/2017 Govt Announces Five-Year Digital Integration Strategy The government has announced a programme aimed at integrating
digital services through a “citizen-centric strategy” within five years.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government remained firm on relying
on advanced digital technology to drive economic and social progress for
Thailand. The development of digital competency will be required by all
sectors, including agriculture, tourism, education, the medical profession,
investment, disaster prevention, and public administration. To cope
efficiently with the changing world, it is highly important to apply the use
of digital technology in a well-prepared manner to ensure further development
of quality public services leading to the achievement of public
administration in a new dimension. “Within the next five years, the
government will be transformed into a ‘digital government’ backed by the
integration of operations and management among various government agencies.
Smart technology and services will be fostered by a citizen-centric strategy
aiming to accelerate Thailand in all aspects, both substantially and
practically,” he said. The programme will be implemented based on the integration of an
information network developed cooperatively by various government agencies,
with a clear focus on four key development models: government integration,
smart operations, citizen-centric services, and driven transformation. Pichet
Durongkaveroj, minister of digital economy and society, said the Electronic
Government Agency (EGA) had developed the Digital Government Development Plan
to determine key strategies and policies in managing the government’s
centralised information database. All government agencies have been
encouraged to focus on similar strategic visions under the same standards.
Hence the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, in collaboration with the
EGA, has announced the three-year Digital Government Development Plan
(2016-2018), approved by the Cabinet on April 5 last year. The development
plan has progressed to cover 18 major domains of the total of 26 domains.
Subsequently, as the EGA has reviewed the plan, it is essential to add
another eight domains, consisting of education, public health, public
utilities, transport, procurement, asset management, human-resource
management, and salary payment. In the meantime, two new domains,
digital-government infrastructure and government personnel qualification,
have been added. The development plan has been advanced to the five-year
Digital Government Development Plan (2017-2021). From http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
03/08/2017 Plan Unveiled to Create 500,000 Digital Startups Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, president of the Digital Economy
Promotion Agency, has revealed a plan to create 500,000 digital startups in
the country to support the government’s Thailand 4.0 economic policy and
drive sustainable growth. The agency also aims to utilise digital technology
to support and develop 24,700 communities in the country’s 77 provinces,
about three million small and medium-sized enterprises and about five million
households to improve quality of life and support Thailand 4.0 in the digital
ear over the next 20 years. Nuttapon said the agency will also promote and
support the digital industry and utilise digital technology to support
cultural and societal development along with boosting security and the
economy in the digital era. Under the initiative, laws will be revised to
support social and community growth in the digital era, he added. From http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
03/16/2017 State Big Data System En Route The government plans to set up Thailand's first big data state
management system to help the state contend with fast-growing pools of data saved
in a variety of formats. The system is also aimed at ensuring a high level of
data accessibility and governing large volumes of both structured and
unstructured data, said Digital Economy and Society (DE) Minister Pichet
Durongkaveroj. "The system will enable state authorities to provide
greater public e-services and improve the quality of services," he said
yesterday at the TrueBusiness forum entitled Smart Thailand 4.0. Mr Pichet
disclosed that he has been assigned by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to
draft a clear roadmap for the planned establishment of the big data
management system within July. A working panel has already been set up, led
by Mr Pichet's advisers and representatives from the Electronic Government
Agency, to choose the systems to be implemented. Mr Pichet said building a
system to manage big data is vital to help the government accommodate
abundant digital information available to state agencies and deal with
increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats. He said big data management systems will provide categories for
data classification and instructions for state agencies to classify data into
each category. State agencies have a combined 300 data centres with total
usage space of 36,000 square metres. "The government wants to reduce the
amount of state data centres to 200 sites over the next five years to
eliminate inefficiency and redundancy while improving performance," Mr
Pichet said. Speaking at the forum, Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak said the
transformation from a manufacturing-based economy to an entrepreneur-based
economy within 2022 will require the successful implementation of the state's
digital economy policy. "Thailand's economic structure needs to change.
More than 60% of gross domestic product stems from manufacturing for export.
This cannot create sustainable growth for the country in the long term,"
he said. Mr Somkid said creativity and innovative digital platforms are the
two most important factors for businesses to enhance their productivity and
efficiency, and drive the country's competitiveness to the next level.
Suphachai Chearavanont, executive chairman of True Corporation, said True has
set up a fund worth 300 million baht to support the development of local
startups. The company plans to raise another 700 million baht for the fund in
2018. From http://www.bangkokpost.com/
05/18/2017 VIETNAM: Cashless Economy Target Too High - Experts The Prime Minister recently ratified a project to stimulate
non-cash transactions in 2016-20 with a view to reducing the cash
transactions rate to under 10 per cent. The project aims to accelerate
e-commerce and implement the Master Scheme on E-commerce Development. All
supermarkets and modern distribution centres will take part in e-commerce
while 70 per cent of water, electricity, telecom payments will be in non-cash
mode. Half of all individuals and households will switch to non-cash
transactions. New, modern means of payments will be developed in rural and remote
areas, financial inclusion will be targeted and at least 70 per cent of
people aged over 15 will have bank accounts by 2020. These targets were
outlined based on encouraging achievements in the last six years, which have
gradually made non-cash payments a trend in Việt Nam. Cash payments as a
ratio of total payments have declined from 14.02 per cent in 2010 to 12 per
cent now. According to a State Bank of Việt Nam report released recently,
there are currently around 67.4 million bank accounts compared to 16.8
million in 2010. Modern infrastructure and technology to facilitate non-cash
payments, especially online payments, have developed significantly. The
number of bank cards has increased to around 111 million now. There are
around 254,000 points of sales (POS) and 17,380 automatic teller machines
(ATMs), up 13.77 per cent and 5.39 per cent since the end of 2015. The
central bank has also rolled out policies related to modern infrastructure
and technology to boost non-cash payments, protect customers’interest and
ensure service quality. It has instructed banks to quickly convert all
magnetic cards into chip cards to prevent fraud. It wants all ATM cards to
become EMV-standard chip cards by 2020 to reduce the risks involved in
e-commerce for both buyers and sellers. But analysts, while not denying the
recent accomplishments, still have doubts about the cash-use target. They
said cash was used in nearly 90 per cent of all transactions, and there were
only three years left to reduce that to below 10 per cent. The biggest hindrance to achieving the target is the people’s
cash habit, with not only individuals but even businesses yet to get used to
non-cash transactions. For instance, the facility to pay taxes online has
been in place since 2014 and 95 per cent of all enterprises have registered
for it, but many do not use it. Besides, this remains an alien concept to the
millions of business households and private individuals. Although e-commerce
has developed rapidly in Việt Nam, a majority of buyers still opt for cash on
delivery (COD). According to the Department of E-commerce and Information
Technology, many still prefer COD partly due to their habit and partly
because they do not fully trust e-commerce websites. Only around 4.5 million
people have applied for e-payment of electricity bills, a mere 18.47 per cent
of the total number of users in the country, according to Electricity of Việt
Nam. Banking insiders said most supermarkets, commercial centres and other
modern retail sites accepted cards. Meanwhile, by October last year, 90 per cent of urban people
possessed cards, with the total number of cards reaching 110.8 million. But
the number of users was very modest at just 15 per cent. One of the reasons
is that though a huge number cards have been issued, the location of ATMs is
skewed in favour of major cities while 70 per cent of the country’s
population lives in rural areas. Another reason is the lack of security,
which makes people apprehensive about non-cash payment methods. A
spokesperson for the Commerce Development Research Institute pointed out that
the habit of cash payment remains widespread, especially in rural areas.
Besides, the interest rate and fees on credit on credit cards are
astronomical, which also makes people reluctant to use them. To ensure that
the PM’s non-cash payment plan can be achieved on schedule, all these
problems must be resolved immediately, analysts said. S Koreans dominate VN entertainment industry Executives of Multimedia Joint Stock Company have been very busy
working with some major partners from South Korea. They include YG
Entertainment, which manages many of Korea’s biggest stars like Big Bang,
2NE1, PSY, Epik High, Choi Ji Woo, Black Pink and Lee Jong Suk, its
subsidiary YGKplus, the country’s leading modelling agency, and Naver.com,
the country’s biggest search engine and online media and entertainment
channel. The Korean companies are seeking to tie up with Multimedia JSC in
entertainment and fashion. They will send their stars to participate in major
entertainment events in Việt Nam like the Vietnam International Fashion Week
and also create opportunities for Vietnamese models in Korea. Besides YG
Entertainment and Naver.com, many other Korean companies in movies, the media
and entertainment also have plans to enter the Vietnamese entertainment
market. The Việt Nam Film Distribution Association said the market was
dominated by foreign distributors, many of them Korean. Việt Nam now has more
than 50 cinema chains. Korean-owned CJ CGV Việt Nam is the largest in the
market with 30 cinemas in 10 major cities. Lotte Cinema, also owned by South
Korea, has 16 cinemas. A CJ CGV executive said each year the company opened
around 10 cinemas in Việt Nam and expected to reach 60 by next year. Market observers said South Korean investors saw plenty of
opportunities in the Vietnamese entertainment industry. They find that the
Vietnamese entertainment market is still in a fledgling state while the
demand for entertainment has skyrocketed in step with living standards, meaning
the sky could be the limit for investors. The fact that Việt Nam and Korea
have many cultural similarities means Korean entertainment investors with
their quality products can attract Vietnamese audiences easily. On the
commercial side of things, there are several trade agreements Việt Nam has
signed which offer opportunities to foreign investors, including those in the
entertainment industry. Analysts said all this meaned pressure on domestic
entertainment companies, who could lose the market completely to the Koreans
if they were slow to react. In 2005 CJ CGV and Vietnamese company VIFA
established a joint venture called CJ-VIFA whose first project was the drama
“Mùi Ngò gai”. Then CJ CGV bought out Megastar, the largest chain of cinemas
in Việt Nam at that time. At the beginning of 2014, after closing the
acquisition, Megastar was renamed CGV. CGV now accounts for over a half the
Vietnamese cinema market. It also dominates the film import market, and by
showing more movies than its rivals, including blockbusters, CGV has become
popular among the public. CJ CGV’s strategy is a vital lesson for local
entertainment companies. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/06/2017 Understanding the VN Law on Cross-Border Web Sharing One of the government policies on the management, provision and
use of internet services and online information, under Decree No
72/2013/NĐ-CP dated July 15, 2013, states that only information in accordance
with Vietnamese laws may be transmitted to internet users within Việt Nam,
even if it is cross-border transmission. To implement this policy, the
Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) issued Circular No.
38/2016/TT-BTTTT on December 26, 201, detailing the cross-border distribution
of public information. The circular came into effect on February 15, 2017. As
defined in Circular 38, cross-border provision of public information refers
to any act by offshore organisations/individuals using websites, social networks,
online applications, search services and other online methods to provide
public information that users, be it
organisations or individuals, in Việt Nam may access or use, wherein
public information is, as defined
in Decree 72, online information of an organisation or individual that is
made public to all entities without the need to identify the specific name or
address of such entities. Circular 38 requires that foreign entities providing public
information to users in Việt Nam (information providers) shall observe the
regulations and laws of Việt Nam and shall cooperate with the MIC in
addressing violations, if any. In cases where an information provider
provides illegal public information to Việt Nam, or refuses to cooperate with
the MIC in addressing violations, Việt Nam’s authorised management agencies
may take necessary technical measures to block their access from Việt Nam.
Regarding steps taken in case of violations, Circular 38 states that upon
detecting illegal public information being provided from outside its borders
into Việt Nam, the MIC will notify the information provider of the violation
and make specific requests so that the issue is addressed, removing the
information or blocking access from Việt Nam (first notification). The
information provider will have 24 hours from receipt of the MIC’s
notification to verify and process the issue. If the information provider
does not meet the MIC’s request within the prescribed time limit, the MIC
will issue a second notification, and the service provider will have another
24 hours to comply with the MIC’s request or give feedback to the MIC. For
implementing this cooperation mechanism, Circular 38 requires that an
information provider who rents space in Việt Nam for storing its public
information for the purpose of providing service, or has one million or more
visitors from Việt Nam per month, shall notify the MIC of its contact
details, which includes, for organisations, the registered company name and
address, trade name, location of the main server for providing service, and
contact persons in the registered country and in Việt Nam. The notification
can be sent directly to the MIC, via post or via email to
report38@mic.gov.vn. — Indochine Counsel From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/22/2017 Vietnam IT Industry Index Introduced A new Vietnam IT Industry Index that will process IT production,
services and business information was introduced on Wednesday. The
introduction was made by the Department of Information Technology under the
Ministry of Information and Communications and the Việt Nam Association for
Information Processing. According to the newly-launched index, first place in
the general ranking was taken by Hà Nội, followed by HCM City, Bắc Ninh, Thái
Nguyên and Đà Nẵng. In component indices including services and business, Hà
Nội and HCM City took the lead. Meanwhile, Bắc Ninh was ranked first on the
IT production index, followed by Thái Nguyên, Hà Nội and HCM City. In terms of
the Vietnam ICT Index which is being compiled for the 11th year, the Ministry
of Information and Communications said changes have been made to improve the
Vietnam ICT Index 2016 . Đà Nẵng last year continued to lead the Vietnam ICT
Index with 0.8321 points. Hà Nội jumped one place over last year to take
second position, pushing HCM City to third place. The other localities in the
top five are Quảng Ninh and Thừa Thiên Huế provinces. The three last
positions in the index were taken by Lạng Sơn, Bạc Liêu and Điện Biên
respectively. The ICT Index report also ranked ministries with public
services. The Ministry of Finance had the highest ICT Index with 0.8075
points, followed by the State Bank of Việt Nam and the Ministry of Education
and Training. While the top two agencies saw no changes in position compared
to 2015, the Ministry of Education and Training jumped nine notches from 12th
to third place. For government agencies that do not have public services,
Vietnam Television ranked first with 0.5879 points, followed by Vietnam News
Agency, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and Vietnam Academy of
Social Sciences. The indices are structured following the United Nations
standard, which consists of three main components: technical infrastructure,
human resources and IT application. The index has eliminated “inappropriate”
indicators and included new ones in order to promote e-government, the
Ministry said. "This has significant meaning because the information
technology industry is playing an increasingly important role in the economy,
including export value, jobs and its contribution to the State budget,"
said Đào Đình Khả, director of the Department of Information Technology.
“This indicator will also help assess the actual state of the country’s IT
industry and help localities identify their IT development potential, and
from thereon, help formulate a development strategy for the industry,"
Khả added. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/23/2017 Vietnam IT Industry Index Introduced A new Vietnam IT Industry Index that will process IT production,
services and business information was introduced on Wednesday. The
introduction was made by the Department of Information Technology under the
Ministry of Information and Communications and the Việt Nam Association for
Information Processing. According to the newly-launched index, first place in
the general ranking was taken by Hà Nội, followed by HCM City, Bắc Ninh, Thái
Nguyên and Đà Nẵng. In component indices including services and business, Hà
Nội and HCM City took the lead. Meanwhile, Bắc Ninh was ranked first on the
IT production index, followed by Thái Nguyên, Hà Nội and HCM City. In terms
of the Vietnam ICT Index which is being compiled for the 11th year, the
Ministry of Information and Communications said changes have been made to
improve the Vietnam ICT Index 2016 . Đà Nẵng last year continued to lead the
Vietnam ICT Index with 0.8321 points. Hà Nội jumped one place over last year
to take second position, pushing HCM City to third place. The other
localities in the top five are Quảng Ninh and Thừa Thiên Huế provinces. The
three last positions in the index were taken by Lạng Sơn, Bạc Liêu and Điện
Biên respectively. The ICT Index report also ranked ministries with public
services. The Ministry of Finance had the highest ICT Index with 0.8075
points, followed by the State Bank of Việt Nam and the Ministry of Education
and Training. While the top two agencies saw no changes in position compared to
2015, the Ministry of Education and Training jumped nine notches from 12th to
third place. For government agencies that do not have public services,
Vietnam Television ranked first with 0.5879 points, followed by Vietnam News
Agency, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and Vietnam Academy of
Social Sciences. The indices are structured following the United Nations
standard, which consists of three main components: technical infrastructure,
human resources and IT application. The index has eliminated “inappropriate”
indicators and included new ones in order to promote e-government, the
Ministry said. "This has significant meaning because the information
technology industry is playing an increasingly important role in the economy,
including export value, jobs and its contribution to the State budget,"
said Đào Đình Khả, director of the Department of Information Technology.
“This indicator will also help assess the actual state of the country’s IT
industry and help localities identify their IT development potential, and
from thereon, help formulate a development strategy for the industry,"
Khả added. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/23/2017 |
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BANGLADESH: Excise Department, NBP,
Punjab IT Board Sign Pact An
agreement was signed between Excise & Taxation Department, National Bank of
Pakistan and Punjab Information Technology Board here on Wednesday for
providing registration of vehicles and motorcycles to the purchasers at the
sale points under Transport Sahulat Programme. Under the agreement,
registration and number plates will be available from dealers to the
purchasers instead of their repeated visits to the offices. The government is
providing relief to the people through effective use of information
technology for timely resolving their problems and improving service delivery. This
was stated by Provincial Secretary Excise & Taxation Dr Ahmed Bilal at
the launching ceremony of Transport Sahulat Programme. Chairman Punjab
Information Technology Board Dr Umer Saif, In-charge Special Monitoring Unit
Salman Sufi and Head of the National Bank were also present on the occasion.
Narrating the details, Secretary Excise said that this agreement was part of
Transport Sahulat Programme so that the registration system of vehicles could
be modernised. From http://www.brecorder.com
03/03/2016 INDIA: Andhra
Pradesh Becomes First State to Have an IOT Policy Andhra
Pradesh today became the first State in the country to have an IOT (Internet
of things) policy of its own. A State Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief
Minister Chandrababu Naidu, on March 2, 2016 approved the IOT Policy 2016.
With this, Andhra Pradesh has become the first and the only state in India as
well as SAARC region to come up with an IOT policy. “A lot of hard work has
been put in this regard, which has finally borne fruit today,” G S Phani
Kishore, Special Secretary – IT, Electronics & Communications Department,
told Elets New Network (ENN). It is just the beginning of a huge opportunity
unfolding under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Naidu, he added. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
03/02/2016 PM Modi
Orders for Expediting Digital India, Infra Schemes Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has told officials to quickly implement the ‘Housing
for All’ scheme in order to provide broadband to all gram panchayats and
facilitate eGovernance.The order was issued as he reviewed the progress
of key infrastructure sectors in the country, including coal, housing and
ports, oil and gas, renewable energy and power, as also the Digital India
programme.According to an official statement, “The Prime Minister was
informed that progress of electrification of all unelectrified villages is
proceeding at a rapid pace. Out of the approximately 18,500 unelectrified
villages, 6,000 have already been electrified.”Modi also took special
interest in renewable energy, notably on the progress in distribution of LED
bulbs across the country. Officials said that against the target of 175 GW of
such energy capacity by 2022, 39.5 GW of installed capacity had already been
achieved. From http://egov.eletsonline.com 03/07/2016 Govt
Clears Rs.6,155cr Proposals for Electronics Manufacturing In its bid to turn the country into an electronics manufacturing
hub, the government has cleared proposals worth about Rs.6,155 crore. The
Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) approved the
proposals under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS). The
primary aim of the scheme is to provide financial incentives to companies for
setting up electronics manufacturing units. As of now, the government has
given approval to 28 electronics manufacturing clusters (EMCs) and common
facility centres (CFCs) across the country. According to a report by Deloitte
Touche Tohmatsu released last year, the demand for electronics hardware in
India is projected to grow $400 billion by 2020. However, by that time, the
domestic production is estimated to rise to only $104 billion, while the rest
has to be met through imports. However, through various means, the Government
is looking at reducing the dependence on electronic imports by promoting
domestic manufacturing. The idea is to push more companies set up base in India to
manufacture LED televisions, set-top boxes, automotive electronics, telecom
equipment, RFID tags and labels among other things, a Ministry of
Communications and Information Technology official said. “Most of the
equipment till now are not made in India but only assembled. We hope that
this would give a much needed push to the sector,” he added. Even as the
government has been pushing electronics hardware manufacturing in India
through measures like 100 per cent FDI under automatic route, no requirement
for industrial licence, payment of technical know-how fee and royalty for
technology transfer under automatic route, the impact of such steps has not
been much visible measures until now. Lack of dependable power, high cost of finance,
poor logistics and infrastructure, weak components manufacturing base are
some of the factors holding back the growth of electronics in the country.
Under the M-SIPS programme DeitY received proposals from 14 states, including
Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
The states, which have been given final clearance, are Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Karnataka and Maharashtra. The proposals
received include manufacturing of RFID inlays and tags, automotive
electronics, telecom equipment, instrument clusters, optical fibre cable, LED
televisions, wifi dongles among other things. From http://egov.eletsonline.com 03/27/2016 e-Pragati: An Initiative of
Orissa (India) Government to Connect Anganwadis in the Cyberworld Soon Anganwadis of Orissa (India) would find space in the
cyberworld. Anganwadis provides all facilities for children below the age of
five. Now, people can access the details of an anganwadi worker and the
children under her care through a click of the mouse. The project, e-Pragati,
will connect all state's anganwadis on the net and supplement the e-Shishu
venture which connects around 103-lakh children in 80,000 schools in 30
districts of the state The e-Shishu project provides all information about
children within the age group of 9-14 years. e-Pragati will also contain
details of children, who are in care under anganwadi workers. It will also
allows registration of pregnant women by the health department and would give
information on birth of children. State's IT SMEs sector has generated the
e-Pragati project. In first phase of the project, it will focus on collection
of data on Anganwadi workers and helpers, codify Anganwadi centres and
generate an anganwadi management iInformation system (AMIS) Code. While in
the second phase of the project, an e-Pragati website would be created, where
data on children in the age group of 0-5 years will be uploaded. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/24/2017 IT Department Launches New
Facility to Link PAN with Aadhaar
The Income Tax (IT) Department has made it easy for taxpayers to
link their PAN with Aadhaar. Responding to grievances of taxpayers regarding
difficulties in linking PAN with Aadhaar as their names did not match in both
systems (e.g., names with initials in one and expanded initials in another),
the IT Department has come out with a simple solution now. Taxpayers can go
to http://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and click on the link on the Left
Pane, Link Aadhaar, provide PAN, Aadhaar number and ENTER NAME EXACTLY AS
GIVEN IN AADHAAR CARD (avoid spelling mistakes) and Submit. After
verification from UIDAI, the linking will be confirmed, an official statement
said. In case of any minor mismatch in Aadhaar name provided by taxpayer when
compared to the actual data in Aadhaar, a One Time Password (Aadhaar OTP)
will be sent to the mobile registered with Aadhaar. Taxpayers should ensure that the date
of birth and gender in PAN and Aadhaar are exactly same. In a rare case where
Aadhaar name is completely different from name in PAN, then the linking will
fail and taxpayer will be prompted to change the name in either Aadhaar or in
PAN database. There is no need to login or be registered on E-filing website.
This facility can be used by anyone to link their Aadhaar with PAN. This
facility is also available after login on the e-filing website under Profile
settings and choose Aadhaar linking. The details as per PAN will be
pre-populated. Enter Aadhaar number and ENTER NAME EXACTLY AS GIVEN IN
AADHAAR CARD (avoid spelling mistakes) and Submit. Taxpayers are requested to
use the simplified process to complete the linking of Aadhaar with PAN
immediately. This will be useful for E-Verification of Income Tax returns
using OTP sent to their mobile registered with Aadhaar. From http://egov.eletsonline.com/
05/18/2017 |
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AZERBAIJAN: Minister Talks Priority of Tax System for 2017 The improvement of human resources will be a priority of the Azerbaijani
tax system in 2017, Azerbaijani Minister of Taxes Fazil Mammadov said in the
article published on the website of the Intra-European Organization of Tax
Administrations (IOTA). “Currently, introduction of a knowledge management in
various areas of tax administration by using the latest achievements of
information and communication technologies is essential in terms of
effectiveness of the tax system in any country” the minister said. “Knowledge
management generates new opportunities for assessing and managing the risks
threatening the taxpayers and tax authorities.” “As a result of introduction
of innovations and IT based knowledge management, intellectual and
technological capital of agency goes up,” he added. “Therefore, compliance
with tax obligations becomes more affordable.” Mammadov added that with the goal of
HR capital investment and further capacity building, Twining project on
"Support to Ministry of Taxes of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the field
of investing in HR capital” in the framework of Neighbourhood Policy of the
European Union has been successfully fulfilled. “With our Spanish and French
colleagues, we have organized forward-looking manager groups who play an
important role in realization of the new tax policy,” he added. He added that
certification programs further improve qualification of tax officers, with
programs consisting of training sessions and tests for obtaining certificates
that serve as an incentive for continuous improvement of tax officials’
skills and knowledge. “Additionally, I would like to touch upon our relations
with IOTA,” the minister added. “At the moment, we learn the best practices
of member countries’ tax administrations and their application for training
purposes, as well as e-learning processes.” “Ministry of Taxes of Azerbaijan
that has set a goal of studying the practice of developed countries and using
the latest innovations in the field of e-learning, places enormous emphasis
on existing productive and constructive cooperation with IOTA,” he said. From http://en.trend.az/
02/28/2017 UZBEKISTAN: Small Industrial Zone to Be Created in Yangiyer President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the Resolution ‘On Small Industrial
Zone in Yangiyer City in Sirdarya Region’ on 30 March to harness the city’s
industrial potential, attract investment, boost competitiveness, optimise
infrastructure use, and create new jobs. Under the resolution, Sirdarya’s
khokimiyat, the State Cadastre Committee, and the State Architecture
Committee are given one month to set out the zone’s location and borders. The
zone’s land will be managed by Sirdarya’s khokimiyat, with the zone itself to
operate for a renewable term of 30 years. The small industrial zone is set
to: promote small businesses, ensure employment, and raise income in
Sirdarya; realise tech projects in various areas; harness Sirdarya’s resource
potential; and continue high-tech manufacturing localisation by expanding
cooperation. Businesses operating on the small industrial zone will be exempt
from the single tax and customs duties (except for application fees) for the
import of necessary goods. The exemptions will be in force for three years,
granted the businesses make investments totalling no less than 2000 minimum
wages. If the annual revenue falls below the 1000-wage level, the exemptions
will be annulled, and the business will have to repay the taxes for the
respective year. If duty-exempt imports are resold within the first three
years of arriving in the country, they will be subject to customs duties
according to the law. Under the 20 January Cabinet Resolution ‘On Additional
Measures for Socio-Economic Development and Further Improvement of Population
Welfare in Sirdarya Region’, commercial banks and business unions have been
tasked with organising 207 projects with a total worth of $40m. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
04/04/2017 Uzbekistan Launches Licence System Tashkent held a press conference following the launch of
‘Licence’, an interactive licencing tool, developed as part of the five-area
Action Strategy 2017-2021. Licence is an information system helping state
bodies grant licences to businesses. It will ensure transparency of licencing
activities and open access to licence rosters. The Licence system will give
citizens general information about licencing. The system will allow
businesses to send an online application and get e-licences from 1 January
2018. Launched in December 2016,
the electronic licencing portal is now in beta. Public officials have already
filed around 600 licence applications. Half of them have already been reviewed
and put on the roster, containing over 41,000 licences. The portal offers a
guide on how licence applications in over 40 areas are to be submitted. The
areas include transport, customs, banking, architecture, construction,
culture, publication, advertisement, trade, medicine, and others. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
04/06/2017 National Stage of Technovation Uzbekistan Ends Inha University held Startup Mix #30, in the framework of which
21 teams of Technovation program in Uzbekistan presented their projects to
the jury. The theme of mobile apps prepared during 12 weeks was about the
sustainable development of the United Nations. The purpose of the
presentations is to perform, show the work of the teams, to receive comments
and recommendations from experts.
The next day after the project presentations, the Palace of Youth
Creativity hosted the final event of the program, which was attended by
participants, their parents, mentors, media and special guests: Tanzila
Narbayeva – Deputy Prime Minister, Chairperson of Women's Committee of
Uzbekistan, Sarvar Babakhodjaev – rector of Inha University in Tashkent,
Rustam Zakirov – head of Department of improvement of administrative
procedures at "E-government" under the Ministry for development of
information technologies and communications, Pamela Spratlen –U.S. Ambassador
and Carmela Shamir – Israeli Ambassador. In the final event, the sponsors of
Technovation Uzbekistan determined 8 special team nominations: Project
EClean, which connects residents and companies involved in garbage
collection, presented by team ECOLIFE won in the nomination “Best innovation
project” of the Israeli Embassy.
UNIQUE UNION won the nomination from the US Embassy «Best social
project», for app JoinME, which allows finding travel companions for journeys
by taxi and roommates for shared rental housing. Bright Minds with their HealthTech app
won in the special category of the UNDP "open data". The app allows
making an appointment to doctors online. There were dozens of other teams who
won in different nominations. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
05/11/2017 Licensing Telecommunications to Be Eased IT Ministry is developing a draft government resolution "On
additional measures on improving licensing activities in the sphere of
telecommunications" in order to create an enabling environment for
entrepreneurs when licensing in the telecommunications sector. The resolution
will allow to: - reduce
unnecessary barriers to registration of licenses, including in electronic
form; - simplify the licensing
procedure; - reduce the number of
documents to be submitted by the applicant for obtaining a license for a
specific activity, based on the specifics of the licensed activity. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
05/13/2017 |
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AUSTRALIA:
Government Has No Issue with Agencies Demanding Telco Data Outside Metadata
Laws The Attorney-General's Department does not consider agencies
using their own statutes to demand data from telcos as a loophole.The
Attorney-General's Department (AGD) sees no issue with the ability of
government agencies to make demands on telco data outside of the scope of
Australia's data retention laws.One of the so-called benefits of passing data
retention laws -- which allow enforcement agencies to warrantlessly access
customer call records, location information, IP addresses, billing
information, and other data stored for two years by telecommunications
carriers -- was the reduction in the number of bodies with access to telco
data to 21.However on Wednesday, telco industry body the Communications
Alliance said some agencies that were meant to have had their data access
privileges revoked were skirting the restrictions and remain able to call
upon telcos to produce data they are interested in. According to the Communications Alliance, because the metadata
laws force telcos to respond to any lawful information requests, some
agencies have been able to cite powers contained in their own statutes to
demand data."Such agencies include local councils (who request access to
data to manage minor traffic offences, unlawful removal of trees, illegal
rubbish dumping, and billposters), the RSPCA, the Environment Protection
Authority, and state coroners, to name a few," it said."The use of
these other powers to access communications data appears to circumvent
protections in the Act and TIA Act."In response to questions on whether
the AGD -- the part of government with oversight of the data retention scheme
and its implementation -- would look to end this behaviour, it did not say it
would. "There have long been provisions in the Telecommunications
Act 1997 allowing records, including telecommunications data, to be disclosed
where required or authorised by law," a spokesperson for the department
told ZDNet."These powers are distinct from the data retention regime set
out under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act
1979."Australia's data retention laws passed Parliament with the support
of the Australian Labor Party, which former Shadow Communications Minister
Jason Clare defended last year."The changes we forced the government to
make mean tighter rules, and for the first time real oversight over the use
and misuse of this data," Clare said."The original legislation that
the Coalition introduced was seriously flawed and we made over 70 changes to
it. One of the big changes we made was to limit the number of organisations
that can now access metadata from 80 to about 20." On Thursday, Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told ZDNet
that Labor would probe the government on the situation revealed by the
Communications Alliance."Labor pressed for a reduction in the number of
agencies that could seek access to retained data at the time legislation was
passed," Dreyfus said."Labor will seek an explanation from the
government as to whether some agencies that are not on the list of approved
Enforcement Agencies are still accessing retained data."In January last
year, AGD said it had not utilised provisions in the metadata legislation
that allow it to grant an agency temporary access to telco data. When asked
to confirm this stance on Thursday, the department said it had not
"added any enforcement agencies under the Telecommunications
(Interception and Access) Act 1979 since the data retention legislation was
passed". AGD is currently examining a prohibition on the use of telco
metadata in civil court cases.From April 13, any data stored solely for
compliance with the data retention laws will not be able to be used in a
civil court case. Data that is used for other purposes by carriers will
remain available for civil proceedings.Australia's dominant carrier, Telstra,
said in a submission to the review there would be a number of practical
compliance issues for telcos should the prohibition come into
force."This will create uncertainty for staff in having to differentiate
between what telecommunications data is retained for the purposes of s187AA
of the TIA Act, and what data is retained for other business purposes,"
Telstra said."This may be the case particularly if [carriers] are put in
a position where they have to determine at what point in their systems the
data retained is in compliance with the TIA Act, or whether the data is retained
solely for day-to-day business purposes. "This added logistical hurdle
adds costs to the process of compliance. The differences in approach may also
make it complicated for parties to litigation to know what data they will be
permitted to have access to."Lining up to shoot down the idea of
widening access to telco metadata were the Australian Privacy Foundation,
Electronic Frontiers Australia, Victorian Commissioner for Privacy and Data
Protection David Watts, and the Australian Communications Consumer Action
Network. From http://www.zdnet.com 03/09/2017 SA Changes Laws to Simplify Electronic Docs Transfer by Courts The South Australian Government is introducing new laws designed
to make it easier for people working in the state’s justice system to send
documents electronically.The laws were passed through state parliament this
week and the government says they will help cut red tape within courts by
ensuring a clear framework surrounding the electronic transfer of
documents.The laws also relax the consent requirements for the electronic
transmission of documents, making it easier for authorities to send documents
electronically.Previously, authorities needed consent from the intended
recipient to send material electronically.The changes to the Act relax those
conditions, so that consent is implied if it can be ascertained that the
recipient has Internet access and the ability to download and print a
document, in certain criminal and related proceedings.The current Electronic
Transactions Act 2000 already allows for the use of electronic communications
as a preferred method of sending material.And, the new amendments to the Act
clarify the circumstances under which electronic communications can be used,
ensuring it’s clear that the Act applies to both civil and criminal
matters.“These changes will help give greater scope for authorities to send
documents electronically, by relaxing the consent requirements for some
criminal and related proceedings,” says South Australian attorney-general
John Rau. From https://www.itwire.com 03/29/2017 ACCC Acts OverClaims Apple Violated Consumer Laws The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has filed
suit in the Federal Court again Apple, accusing the company of making
"false, misleading, or deceptive representations about consumers’
rights" under Australian Consumer Law.In a statement, the ACCC said it
had begun an investigation after reports of the appearance of an error on
iPads and iPhones after application of an update. After this update, a
message saying "Error 53" appeared on the devices.The consumer
watchdog said its prove had shown that Apple refused to examine or service
defective devices if these had previously been repaired by a third party,
even in cases where the repair had no connection to the fault.It said that
under Australian Consumer Law, there were guarantees about quality, suitability
for purpose and other characteristics of goods and services, "and
consumers are entitled to certain remedies at no cost where goods and
services do not comply with the consumer guarantees". The ACCC claims Apple told consumers whose devices had the
"error 53" problem that they were not entitled to free service if
their devices had previously been repaired by so-called "unauthorised
repairers".However, it said, this did not invalidate the consumer’s
right to a remedy for non-compliance with consumer guarantees.“Consumer
guarantee rights under the Australian Consumer Law exist independently of any
manufacturer’s warranty and are not extinguished simply because a consumer
has goods repaired by a third party,“ ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.“Denying a consumer
their consumer guarantee rights simply because they had chosen a third party
repairer not only impacts those consumers but can dissuade other customers
from making informed choices about their repair options including where they
may be offered at lower cost than the manufacturer.”“As consumer goods become
increasingly complex, businesses also need to remember that consumer rights
extend to any software or software updates loaded onto those goods. Faults
with software or software updates may entitle consumers to a free remedy
under the Australian Consumer Law.”The ACCC is seeking pecuniary penalties,
injunctions, declarations, compliance programme orders, corrective notices,
and costs. From https://www.itwire.com 04/06/2017 Data Retention Laws Still 'Bad Law', Says IA Australia’s new data retention laws nominally come into effect
tomorrow — Good Friday — but Internet Australia still maintains the scheme is
unlikely to fully achieve the federal government’s aims.The law was passed
more than two years ago on the grounds of an urgent need to combat terrorism,
but according to Internet Australia it has major weaknesses. IA has repeated
a call for the government to bring forward a review of the scheme scheduled
to take place in 2019.“The fact is, the government doesn’t actually know how
many ISPs there are, much less how to find them all,” said IA executive chair
Anne Hurley.“The Attorney-General’s Department received 210 applications for
funding under the scheme and approved 180. However, it is widely believed
there are more than 250 ISPs out there, possibly many more.”Last year the
then chief executive of IA, Laurie Patton, questioned the scheme on cost and
operational grounds. "International experience has found that data retention is
of limited, if any, value in the fight against terrorism. Many European
countries are struggling with or winding back their data retention schemes in
the light of concerns for personal privacy rights. Yet we will be spending
hundreds of millions of dollars on this questionable law,” Patton said.Hurley
said today that the ability of the security agencies to create a mass store
of everyone’s metadata is a prerequisite for the scheme to work
effectively.“If there are huge gaps in the data collection the value of the
scheme will be severely diminished”, she said.According to IA, the long-term
implications of the Data Retention Act also include the potential for a loss
of competition in the supply of Internet services, with Hurley warning the
compliance costs of the scheme will be felt hardest among smaller operators.
"Our fear is that many of smaller ISPs who provide niche (services),
especially in regional Australia, are with another technical and financial
hurdle that threatens the very variability of their businesses. Our ISP
members are very unhappy and with good reason.“We have a flawed scheme that
will see consumers paying more for their Internet. If we must have a data
retention scheme the Government should properly fund it and make sure it will
actually work,” Hurley concluded. From https://www.itwire.com 04/13/2017 Labor
Slams AFP, Silent on Backing for Metadata Laws The Australian Labor Party has termed the illegal accessing of a
journalist's metadata by the Australian Federal Police as
"shocking" and questioned why it was disclosed on a Friday afternoon
when the Commonwealth Ombudsman was informed two days earlier. AFP
commissioner Andrew Colvin made the disclosure, confessing that some members
of his force had illegally accessed a journalist's phone records in the
course of an investigation into a leak. Labor shadow attorney-general Mark
Dreyfus was reported by The Guardian to have said that while it was good that
the AFP reported the breach, the fact that it happened was clearly
unacceptable. Dreyfus made no mention of the fact that Labor had backed the
passage of the metadata retention laws in 2015. But he said Attorney-General
George Brandis and Justice Minister Michael Keenan should be also asked for
an explanation about the incident, without the AFP alone having to take the
blame. AFP admitted today they misused metadata. Was inevitable because
mandatory data retention invites mischief and mistakes. AW #auspol #politas —
Andrew Wilkie MP (@WilkieMP) 28 April 2017 "Both ministers must explain
– when were they notified of the breach, and what immediate action did they
take? Is there a legitimate reason for the public announcement being made two
days after the breach was reported to the ombudsman?" Dreyfus said.
iTWire has contacted Dreyfus for any further comment. Asked for his reaction,
independent MP Andrew Wilkie, the man who blew the whistle on the use of
flawed intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003, provided only a
brief statement which he made on Twitter. His spokesman pointed iTWire to the
tweet which read: "(The) AFP admitted today they misused metadata. (It)
was inevitable because mandatory data retention invites mischief and
mistakes." iTWire has also contacted Senator Nick Xenophon for comment.
The metadata incident is the latest in a long line of screw-ups by the AFP. From https://www.itwire.com 05/01/2017 NSW to Lead Government Digital Services: Dominello The key to NSW’s 21st century policy design and service delivery
is through a focus on data as vital infrastructure, Victor Dominello, the
state's Minister for Finance, Services and Property said today as he launched
the government's Digital Strategy at CeBIT. He said while there may need to
be a human face in many government and customer transactions — the customer
experience — the back-end must be “digital by default” – a reform of
digitising existing processes. A website would be home for all digital
government initiatives, tools, and communication to drive the transformation
of the NSW Public Sector. Dominello said that there were four enablers –
technology, cyber security, legislation/regulation and delivery capability. A
great customer focused experience would be to combine these and meaningfully
use the data across the whole of government. Service NSW already provides
over 300 customer services online of its 970 over-the counter services. He referred to some of the more visible examples of digital
transformation – Fuelcheck, E-Planning, and Digital Licences. These would be
followed by the voluntary rollout of “smart meters” to replace the old,
inefficient analogue system of reading meters, sending out bills and lots of
paperwork, not to mention the red tape in installing an analogue meter. “We
have to make it easy for thousands of licenced electricians to install these
meters so we have introduced the MO Smart Meter Tool,” he said. He said a key
next step was the development of the NSW Data Ecosystem that would provide
government and citizens with the capability to unleash the full potential of
our data. It would make it easier and faster for people to turn data into
insight and impact. Part of that is NSW Trends, a comprehensive approach to
dashboards and reporting that removes the information silos to deliver information
in real-time to lift the accountability and performance of government. “We have to make it effortless for government and citizens to
engage with data and to easily draw insights e.g. Where are the fires? Where
are the fire trucks? Where are the water supplies? Where are the hospitals,
and what is the current queue for emergency departments? NSW Live will allow
anyone to see exactly what is going on across NSW on a map in real time,” he
said. “These tools are powered by the NSW dMarketplace – our “TripAdvisor for
data” to make it much easier to discover and access the data you need. Data
can be rated for quality, recommendations for other data you may find useful,
an ability to pose questions to the data owner, tag your favourites” he
added. Dominello concluded that data at our fingertips enabled NSW to keep a
finger on the pulse of what was happening right now and to use these insights
to support better regulation and focus our efforts on the areas of greatest
need. From https://www.itwire.com 05/23/2017 NEW ZEALAND: Nicotine E-Cigarettes to Be Legalized The sale of nicotine e-cigarettes and e-liquid will be made
legal, in a process that will begin this year and is expected to come into
force in late 2018.The Government will align the regulations around vaping
with those for cigarettes, Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner announced
on Wednesday.Ms Wagner acknowledges that some retailers are already selling
nicotine e-liquid, however no one has been charged for selling or buying the
product. "Scientific evidence on the safety of e-cigarettes is still
developing but there's a general consensus that vaping is much less harmful
than smoking," Ms Wagner says.'Vaping' is inhaling and exhaling the
vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.While the
current legislation makes it legal to import e-cigarettes, it's illegal to
sell them if they contain nicotine.Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox has
previously called for vaping to be subsidised by the Government, to support
smokers moving to a less harmful product. Taxpayer-funded vaping is the Maori Party's latest anti-smoking
pushTobacco company Philip Morris has welcomed the changes, saying it will help
New Zealand to progress towards its 2025 smokefree goal. "It is clear
that products that do not burn tobacco are significantly better than
conventional cigarettes," general manager Jason Erickson says. "To
achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal, adult smokers in New Zealand will need
access to a broad range of smokefree alternatives, including
nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco
products."COSMIC retail chain owner Mark Carswell is "very
pleased" about the changes. "We are delighted for the New Zealand
smokers who now have mainstream access to vaping as a way to quit cigarettes.
We've been retailing e-cigarettes for five years now and it is great to have
positive clarity around the legislation."New rules for all e-cigarettes,
whether or not they contain nicotine, include: Restricting sales to those 18 years and overProhibiting vaping
in indoor workplaces and other areas where smoking isbanned under the
Smoke-free Environments Act Restricting advertising to limit the attraction
of e-cigarettes to non-smokers,especially children and young
people."Public consultation showed a strong appetite for change so the
Government is looking to introduce an amendment to the Smoke-free
Environments Act this year. The changes will likely come into force later in
2018," Ms Wagner says.All vaping products will need to meet quality and
safety standards, and the Ministry of Health will set up an advisory group to
help set these standards.E-cigarette products will not be taxed as cigarettes
are, because the Government wants to encourage smokers to switch to the less
harmful alternative. "We'll have no excise on e-cigarettes or e-liquid.
I think that's an important thing so that when a smoker goes into the dairy
he or she will see cigarettes at a very high price, and e-cigarettes much
cheaper."Under the new regulations e-cigarette products won't be
required to have plain packaging, and can be advertised in stores and on the
outside of stores. The Government maintains its goal for New Zealand to be
smoke-free by 2025. From http://www.newshub.co.nz 03/29/2017 The government has heralded the launch of a new alliance to explore
the potential economic and social benefits of the Internet of Things.The
alliance is one of several new initiatives included in the new Building a
Digital Nation report, a statement from communications minister Simon Bridges
said.The report said: “MBIE is … supporting NZTech to form a New Zealand IoT
Alliance. This Alliance will be a collaboration of industry and government
working towards accelerating the adoption of IoT technologies for the
economic and social benefit of New Zealand. The Alliance will utilise the
research into IoT in the New Zealand market as its knowledge base to set
focus and direction.”The report listed participants as being MBIE, NZTech,
TUANZ and InternetNZ and said the aim was to “Accelerate the adoption of
Internet of Things(IoT) technologies in New Zealand through market research
and the establishment of an IoT Alliance.” It said also that “MBIE is
partnering with NZTech to undertake a research report considering the
opportunities for IoT within the New Zealand market. This research will
provide a stocktake of current applications of IoT and will further explore
how New Zealand can better utilise this technology in a secure way.”That
initiative was announced by NZTech in March with TUANZ and InternetNZ as
participants but was described only as “a national research project to better
understand the potential benefits and risks of the Internet of Things (IoT)
for the New Zealand economy,” not a formal alliance.As Computerworld pointed
out at the time, the IT industry in Australia had already formed the IoT
Alliance Australia (IoTAA) to shape the regulatory and collaborative
framework to harness for Australian industry the huge opportunities generated
by IoT. Announcing the alliance, Bridges said that the IoT “is a
transformative technology, one that promises to boost productivity across all
major sectors of the economy, assist in monitoring our health, make transport
and logistics more efficient, help reduce energy consumption and tackle
environmental issues.”He said the government had a key role to play in
ensuring that New Zealand could take advantage of what IoT had to offer.
“Initial research by the alliance, which will provide an evidence base for
future work, already suggests potential economic benefits to be in the
hundreds of millions of dollars for the New Zealand economy through the
deployment of IoT across a variety of sectors.”The Building a Digital Nation
report “sets out how the Government is partnering with New Zealand’s digital
sector, with other sectors of the economy and the wider digital community, to
enable New Zealand to become a leading digital nation,” Bridges said.“This is
the first time the full programme of activity has been pulled together in one
place, serving as a focal point for ongoing engagement with the digital
community and for shaping and driving New Zealand’s digital transformation.” From https://www.computerworld.co.nz 03/31/2017 Government Initiatives Needed to Boost Digital Inclusion The Innovation Partnership, a body sponsored by Google, Chorus
and InternetNZ, says New Zealand is falling short on ‘digital inclusion’ and
it has called on Government to address the issue in collaboration with other
organisations.Its conclusions come from a study Digital Inclusion in New
Zealand: Assessing Government policy approaches and initiatives, authored by
Catherine Soper, a policy analyst working for the Department of Prime
Minister and Cabinet. The study reviews a range of digital inclusion
strategies in the United Kingdom, Finland, Singapore and Australia and
identifies lessons for New Zealand. It found that governments in these other
nations had given broader policy focus to improving digital skills and
inclusion.The study defines digital inclusion as “using technology to create
social and economic involvement, overcoming challenges such as access,
skills, motivation, confidence and trust.” According to Soper “Much of New
Zealand’s focus until now has been on improving access. Now it’s time to step
up and ensure all citizens have the skills, motivation, confidence and trust
to live and work in a digital world. New Zealand can learn by the examples of
others.”Her report calls for targeted policy and initiatives from government,
industry, NGOs and educators to “help lift New Zealanders’ digital skills.” It says New Zealand needs better and more accessible data on who
is excluded, and an improved understanding of what digital skills are needed
to improve digital fluency.It calls on the Government to “lead the
development of good data that defines digital exclusion, provides clear
indicators and measures, enables the development of targeted initiatives, and
ensures we can monitor change.” The partnership says such initiatives are needed
if New Zealand is to remain competitive in an increasingly global economy.
The report cites research that, it says, shows GDP could be lifted by $34
billion and the average household save $1,000 a year if businesses and
households had the skills and confidence to make better use of online
services.“Despite a number of strategies and reports since 2001, and progress
being made, some people are still excluded,” the partnership says. “For
example, research shows that young, well-educated people in urban areas tend
to use the Internet more, and that people in low socio-economic and rural
areas are more likely to be digitally excluded.” From https://www.computerworld.co.nz 04/27/2017 |
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The Next Chapter in Internet Governance The inclusion of “civil society”—an umbrella group of activists,
advocates, not-for-profit organizations, and even the academia—in Internet
governance ranks among the most significant achievements of this decade in
international relations. For a while, it appeared the “global,
multistakeholder community” that drove normative processes like the 2014
NetMundial conference in Brazil, would stitch together rules for managing the
global commons of cyberspace.That assumption today stands on shaky ground. If
multistakeholder models of Internet governance were itself a product of
globalization, its future appears uncertain in this current climate of
“de-globalization” and localism.So, if states and strongmen have reclaimed
political authority over national governance, why would they allow digital
economies to function outside their remit? What’s more, these popular
political leaders have discredited the private sector, which was expected to
underwrite the global expansion of digital networks. Today, companies have neither the appetite nor the legitimacy to
incubate such governing platforms. Instruments of globalization like the
Trans-Pacific Partnership were supported by big technology corporations, but
as the TPP’s demise shows, the mood across much of the world appears to
favour protectionism over expanded trade. If the private sector recedes,
multistakeholderism loses its most powerful advocate.The inclusion of
“non-state” actors in global governance itself emerged from a political
context, which no longer exists. A world bruised by the global financial
crisis mistrusted governments, and created a network of institutions that
would not be managed by states alone.The formation of the G20 (and its sister
groupings for businesses and civil society like B20 and C20), short-lived
government-bank partnerships, and the renewed focus on cross-border trade all
but ensured that the private sector and non-governmental organizations were
seated at the high table of international politics. Digital spaces benefited immensely from this geoeconomic moment.
Whether to widen their consumer base, sustain their fledgling online
presence, or ensure connectivity, businesses and governments realized they
needed the Internet. Digital networks, therefore, became the conduit for
globalization.Ironically, digital spaces also sowed the seeds of the current
anti-globalization mood. By shrinking geographies, social media platforms
brought divergent, often conflicting voices in proximity to each other. Such
online polarization spilled over into the real world, pitting communities in
a zero-sum game.Majoritarian movements unleashed across the world threw up
political strongmen, who in turn renewed the mandate of a strong
nation-state. Governments today are more powerful than ever, enforcing
protectionist policies, limiting migrants, micromanaging currency supplies,
and engaging in widespread surveillance. This moment in international politics should offer pause to the
multistakeholder community, which finds itself in danger of being sidelined
by governments—perhaps for good reason. “Multistakeholderism 1.0” reflects a
sharp bias towards transnational corporations, and powerful, omnipresent
civil society actors, while constituents from the global South have had their
voices hijacked.As the plethora of cyber policy conversations at the 2017
Munich Security Conference demonstrated, matters of the Internet are
essentially a dialogue between white males shouting across the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, the biggest technology giants have woefully underinvested in local
talent, resources and needs.This model is synonymous with the absence of
government from governance, and relied mostly on the benevolence of markets.
This is unsustainable, and will prompt state agencies to step into the
governance vacuum created by continuing market failures. What is the solution to this crisis of conscience and confidence
for the multistakeholder community? First, the role of the state should be
reviewed in multistakeholder processes. State-led institutions still hold
political appeal, especially in democracies, and Internet governance must
work with this real and popular mandate of governments.The state in
developing countries continues to guarantee the security of digital
infrastructure and networks as a public good, a role that must be
acknowledged in multistakeholder platforms. Second, domestic multistakeholder
conversations on Internet governance need to be strengthened to ensure
marginalized communities that do not have the wherewithal to participate in
global dialogue are uniquely represented.Finally, the thrust of
multistakeholder Internet governance itself requires reformation. So far,
such processes have sought to promote the openness and freedom of digital
spaces and conversations, a laudable goal in which civil society plays an
important role. But little energy has been spent on ensuring affordable
digital access, and in conceptualizing how the next billion will engage with
digital platforms. Will first-generation Internet users in the Asia-Pacific and Africa
rely entirely on mobile devices, triggering new conversations on platform
security? Are digital policies equipped to handle the proliferation of local
language content across devices? Are emerging Internet of Things ecosystems
interoperable? Will new Internet users be discouraged from digital spaces by
subversive activity online? Will insurance hurdles and cyber-risk ratings
retard the growth of digital economies in some regions? These are complex
questions that should be confronted by “Multistakeholderism
2.0”.Multistakeholderism 2.0 requires a democratization of the process of
Internet governance and pluralism in uncovering the universality of the
so-called “core values” that influence policy conversations. Recent political
developments in the US and Europe suggest the sanguine belief of the
existence of a “global civil society”—rallying around common values or
ethics—will be tested in the days to come. Therefore, the success of
Multistakeholderism 2.0 will be contingent on bringing local communities,
businesses and leadership to the forefront of Net politics. As commentators
like Latha Reddy argue, countries like India will not only have the
obligation to speak for the second largest constituency of Internet users but
also the largest population of unconnected citizens. To serve them,
multistakeholderism, cradled by global ideals, must now be nurtured by local
realities.Samir Saran is vice-president at the Observer Research Foundation. From http://www.livemint.com/ 03/08/2017 Internet of People Blockchain Project Fermat Adopts Distributed
Governance Fermat, a decentralized and blockchain-enabled open source
project developing the Internet of People (IoP), has announced a new release
of its distributed governance system featuring an embedded voting system
inspired by that of privacy-focused cryptocurrency Dash, but featuring
community-cancelable contracts.“Fermat’s graphchain technology enables both a
global mapping of everybody with verified proof of how they are related, and
also people to people and company to people interactions without going
through intermediaries. In order to achieve this as a decentralized open
source project we need a sound distributed governance system, one which
includes Contribution Contracts,” said Luis Molina, Founder of
Fermat.Fermat’s contribution contracts enable any individual or entity
interested in offering their services, whether that is software development,
marketing or business development support, to submit a proposal to the
community of token holders.Each token holder is then able to vote yes or no
on each contractor submission, ultimately accepting or declining proposals.
Contracts that pay out over time can also be terminated by the network after
being accepted. The developers say this feature incentives proposal owners to
effectively communicate and continuously prove value publicly.“At the
beginning, only token holders may vote. In the future, it is our aim that the
system will evolve to include reputation of the participants and will
consider their voting history and project outcomes,” added Molina. From https://www.financemagnates.com/ 04/19/2017 Get Ready for Net Neutrality's Ugly Return Once more into the net neutrality breach, friends.In the waning
days of the Obama administration, an increasingly activist Federal
Communications Commission plunged head-first into regulatory waters that had
long been the exclusive domain of non-governmental engineering groups.The FCC
passed or considered rules prescribing specific network management, data
collection and use, interconnection and intellectual property procedures,
setting retail service rates, preempting state regulation of municipal
networks, and even whether mobile providers could continue to offer free data
services.But the most controversial intervention into the Internet’s
engineering remains the notorious 2015 Open Internet order, which transformed
consumer broadband service from a collection of private networks into a
public utility, regulated by the FCC and state utility commissions.The agency
claimed that utility “reclassification” was necessary to enact “prophylactic”
net neutrality rules that would ensure network operators didn’t slow or speed
up Internet traffic for anti-competitive reasons.It was a far cry from the
days when a far-sighted majority of a Bill Clinton-era Congress declared in
1996 that the policy of the U.S. was to leave the Internet “unfettered by
Federal or State regulation.” The courts, Congress, and now the Commission itself have since
restored much of the balance in the Internet ecosystem, undoing many of the
most dangerous experiments before they had time to do much damage.Now, it
seems, FCC Chairman AjitPai is ready to begin clean-up of the public utility
tangle.Though no proposal has yet been made public, Pai is reported to have
held numerous meetings in recent weeks describing his plans to reset the
utility decision.The meetings included industry stakeholders such as the
Internet Association, which represents leading content and service
companies.Many of the Association’s member companies here in Silicon Valley
have been ambiguous, to say the least, about utility treatment for
broadband. Google, Netflix, and
others who at one time supported reclassification have since changed their
minds, recognizing the risk, as Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt said at the
time, of the FCC “starting to regulate an awful lot of things on the
Internet.”That concern was shared by the Internet Society, the Consumer
Technology Association, and other non-partisan engineering groups. Netflix in particular, recognizing belatedly that public utility
regulations for broadband could someday extend to its own non-neutral
conduct, reconsidered its advocacy soon after the 2015 Order was passed. It has repeatedly told investors
in recent months that it no longer thinks FCC rules are even necessary.That
admission may surprise you. It
may also surprise you to learn that broadband providers, who have also been
meeting with Pai, are by no means opposed to the Open Internet principles (as
the FCC refers to net neutrality) or the Commission’s attempts to enforce
them.AT&T and others, for example, praised the FCC’s 2010 version of the
rules, which only Verizon challenged in court and then only on jurisdictional
grounds. Verizon, whose business
has changed dramatically in the interim, now supports the most recent
version. Most leading broadband
providers are bound to some version of the rules in any case, as conditions
for approval of recent mergers. The Public Utility Proxy As these facts suggest, the net neutrality story is by no means
the simplistic Internet freedom narrative that characterizes most of the
public discussion and press coverage—inflammatory rhetoric guaranteed to
reach new heights once Pai’s proposal is published.That’s because much of the
D.C.-based advocacy promoting net neutrality has nothing to do with the
network management principle vaguely defined in 2003 by a legal academic,
which argued that traffic traveling on the public Internet was not and should
not be sped up or slowed down for anti-competitive reasons—a principle no one
disagrees with, regardless of how they think it ought to be enforced.The
actual (and only-sometimes admitted) goal of the most vocal inside-the
beltway activists and their chief funders in the decade-long net neutrality
“debate” has instead been to turn broadband into a government or
quasi-governmental service.(The Ford Foundation did not respond to several
requests for comment.) Open Internet rules and “net neutrality” have simply been their
populist shorthand—one easily digested by Internet users and the media.But
recognizing the unpopularity of calls to nationalize wired and mobile
broadband infrastructure, especially given the sorry state of our existing
utilities, pro-utility forces fixed on net neutrality as their slogan, hoping
consumers and reporters don’t look too closely to see what’s really behind
the curtain.Indeed, as ISPs and others in the Internet ecosystem continue to
work more closely together to resolve real network management issues, the
politics of net neutrality have mutated far from their roots.“Net neutrality”
has become a meaningless term, a proxy for whatever gets the most visceral
response from consumers at any given moment. The term is now used interchangeably
to mean everything from free speech to democracy itself.The clearer it
becomes that there is already broad consensus on the original meaning and
importance of neutrality, it seems, the more desperately pro-utility
activists swerve to keep the flight alive, even if it means throwing the
interests of actual Internet users under the bus. As part of the Internet fear-mongering that began soon after
Donald Trump’s election, for example, Pai was accused, even before being
appointed, of wanting to “kill,” “destroy,” “dismantle,” or “abolish” not
just the reclassification order but the Internet itself. Just talking about alternative
enforcement mechanisms brings predictably dire warning of the “end of the
Internet as we know it.”The crucial distinction, intentionally buried in
these sound bites, is that utility treatment for the Internet and net
neutrality are two very separate things.One can support a prophylactic ban on
anti-competitive and other behaviors that actually harm consumers, in other
words, but also believe that nationalizing a still-emerging and rapidly
changing technology infrastructure into just another decaying water,
electrical or transit system is a cure far worse than the disease.That
not-so-subtle difference isn’t likely to get much attention in the next few
months. Instead, with their 2015
victory perhaps soon to be undone, utility advocates are ramping up for a
full-on Internet tantrum. Pai’s
proposal, which isn’t even finished, is already being condemned by those who
now at least acknowledge that their true agenda was at best only peripherally
about network traffic management. Rather, as one legal clinician admitted earlier this week, the
new net neutrality fight is actually “about whether or not internet access is
a utility rather than a luxury.”
(Implying these were the only two possibilities.) “If it’s a utility, it needs to be
subject to rules, laid out in advance, about availability and
quality.”Regardless, she predicted, whatever Pai does will be a
“catastrophe.”Likewise, another self-described utility activist and former
advisor to the previous FCC Chairman now insists that reclassification was
essential not to provide a legal foundation for net neutrality rules after
all, but as the only protection consumers have against “fraudulent billing,
price gouging, and other harmful ISP practices.”(She doesn’t mention that the
Federal Trade Commission had full power to protect against such practices—and
did so, until the FCC’s own action in reclassifying stripped its sister
agency of authority.)What also goes unmentioned in the current round of
flame-throwing is that an imminent return to net neutrality hostilities was
entirely avoidable. Before the 2015 order, both Democratic and Republican FCC
Chairmen had rejected the idea of reclassification, as did a bi-partisan
majority of Congress. Tom
Wheeler, President Obama’s final FCC Chairman, resisted it until the
end. Reclassification had always
been considered the “nuclear option” for the FCC—one with potentially fatal
economic if not legal defects.In fact, after a second defeat in the courts
for the agency’s efforts to overcome Congressional limits on their authority
over broadband networks, Wheeler declared that the D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals had at last provided a legal “roadmap” to get the rules enacted
without the need for reclassification—a life preserver he quickly grabbed and
set out to utilize.An actual solution to the net neutrality problem, however,
presented utility activists with their worst-case scenario.,Recognizing that
the FCC was poised to pass sustainable net neutrality rules without reference
to utility treatment, the activists staged what they themselves described as
a “coup,” working with friendly if naïve officials in the White House to
craft an alternative proposal, released much to Wheeler’s surprise as
“President Obama’s Plan” for the Internet. The Obama Plan dispensed with any pretense, insisting that in
addition to net neutrality rules, broadband Internet service should also be
transformed into public utilities.The White House provided no evidence,
however, of the kind of devastating market failures that have historically
been seen a prerequisite to nationalizing private infrastructure.No
matter. Blindsided, Wheeler
deep-sixed a nearly-complete order that had been carefully drafted to comply
with the court’s “roadmap,” and started over. In early 2015, with a bare majority of
the Commission’s support, a patchwork alternative was approved that subjected
broadband services, as the White House demanded, to the yellowed volumes of
federal law originally drafted to control the long-gone Bell telephone monopoly.Snatching
victory from the jaws of defeat, the decade-long campaign to conflate net
neutrality rules with public utility authority culminated in the decision to
reclassify first, and then use the vast new powers the agency had given
itself to re-enact net neutrality rules, more-or-less an afterthought. Nearly all of the lengthy order’s contents dealt with getting
around dozens of legal land mines standing in the way of reclassification and
of force-fitting the Internet into the square peg of 1930’s telephone
law. In the end, only a few pages
were spent on the net neutrality rules themselves.Fears about the long-term
consequences of utility regulation, supported by over a century of research
in the economics of public utilities, were shouted down. The agency’s own chief economist at the
time referred to the 2015 order as an “economics-free zone”--a nasty surprise
for investors who had spent over $1.5 trillion to build new network
infrastructure while public roads, bridges, water, power and transit utilities
increasingly collapse, fail, or explode, respectively.Whether
reclassification really was the agency’s only option, or whether the cost of
utility regulation was even remotely offset by the benefits of FCC
enforcement of anti-competition law, was analysis entirely absent from the
400-page decision. What’s Next? As Pai now takes on the difficult task of unraveling the public
utility order, it’s unclear how he intends to continue his longstanding
support for the Open Internet principles themselves.The optimal solution
remains Congressional action, such as a bill first proposed in 2014 by
Republican leadership, which would have made strong net neutrality rules a
matter of federal law.But Democrats, anticipating they would retain the White
House and control of an activist FCC in the 2016 election, saw no reason to
negotiate a more permanent solution.
That position doesn’t seem to have changed, though now for very
different reasons.In the interim, the next-best solution may be to return
enforcement of potentially anti-competitive practices to the Federal Trade
Commission, which was cut out of the picture by the FCC as part of its
reclassification order. The FTC,
the expert agency for dealing with anti-competitive behavior, has long served
as cop on the beat for broadband providers as well as other Internet
companies, and could return to doing so as soon as the reclassification mess
is cleaned up. Whatever happens next, it won’t be pretty. Or necessary. A confusing new war over Internet
governance, more costly and uglier than all the previous fights, wouldn’t be
happening at all if Wheeler had been left alone to follow the roadmap
provided by the courts.That would have allowed the FCC and FTC to share
authority over broadband. If
would have given consumers more protections than they have in nearly any
other industry.But as will become abundantly clear in the next few months,
protecting Internet users was never the objective of pro-utility activists,
who continue to poison the net neutrality well long after making it
politically toxic.So contrary to what you will soon be hearing, the Internet
apocalypse is still not upon us, nor will it be. As the latest net neutrality slogans
become ever more incendiary, ask yourself what the real objective is of those
calling you to the barricades.And consider whether you’re really being cast
as a freedom fighter, and not simply cannon fodder. From https://www.forbes.com/ 04/21/2017 AFRICA: Tunisian Telecom Authority Adopts Transparency Measures Following a consultation published in February, the Tunisian
telecoms authority INT has published a new ruling (Decision coll/Reg/2017/10)
strengthening transparency in the way network operators and service providers
communicate and advertise their offers.The ruling details the minimum set of
information to be made available to consumers for both telecoms and added
value services, including the obligation to inform users of any change made
to their service.It also specifies how the information concerning the offers
needs to be displayed via TV, press and outdoors marketing activity, in order
to ensure readability for all the relevant terms and conditions. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 04/22/2017 EUROPE: E-democracy - Opportunities and Risks Eight out of 10 Europeans used internet at least once a week
last year, according to Eurostat. But although the internet has become a part
of everyday life, it is still not being fully used to boost democracy. On 16
March MEPs adopted a report stressing that new information technologies offer
great opportunities to involve people more in the democratic process. The
report by Spanish S&D member Ramón JáureguiAtondo's was approved with 459
votes for, 53 against and 47 abstentions. Different approaches across Europe European countries have so far had very different approaches to
the opportunities offered by e-democracy, depending on how concerned they are
about the risk of hacking.The Dutch government, referring to the possibility
of hacking, announced that all casted votes will be counted manually for the
general elections taking place last Wednesday. Until 2007, voting machines
where used in Netherlands at the polling stations but it was then proved that
these machines could be easily manipulated and since then e-voting is banned
in the country.France has allowed e-voting in legislative elections for its
citizens abroad since 2012 but dropped the possibility this year, citing
cybersecurity fears. France's legislative elections take place in June.In
Estonia legally binding remote e-voting for local, national and EU elections
has been carried out eight times since 2005. So far, no hacking has been
reported. Parliament report MEPs adopted a report on e-democracy, written by Spanish S&D
member Ramón JáureguiAtondo. Referring to Estonia’s example, the report says
that for a successful implementation of e-voting in other countries, it will
be necessary to assess whether the participation of the whole population can
be guaranteed. The report also states that high-speed internet connections
and secure electronic identity infrastructure are vital to make e-voting a
success. The report also defines some key terms: E-democracy refers to the use of information and communications
technology (ICT) to create channels for public consultation and
participation, for example for elections, consultations or
referendums.E-governance refers to the use of ICT to establish communication
channels that enable the inclusion of the various stakeholders with something
to say about the policy-making process. This could be for example a
consultation on whether a specific speed limit should be kept.E-government
refers to the use of ICT in the public sector, particularly to provide people
with information and services electronically. This could be for example to
enable to pay their speeding ticket online. EU examples Introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, the European Citizen's
initiative was launched in 2012. It enabled people for the first time to ask
for EU legislation on specific issues provided they gather one million
signatures in support. Three have now reached that threshold.In the EU,
people also have the right o submit petitions to the European Parliament. The
complaint has to be linked to the EU's functioning and will then be dealt
with by the Parliament’s petitions committee. Submitting and following petitions
is possible via a special web portal. From http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ 03/28/2017 E-Democracy: Could It Bridge the Gap Between the EU Institutions
and the Citizens? In an increasingly digitalized world, democracy has to adapt to
a new environment. In order to bridge the gap between citizens and
governments, and to promote the citizens’ participation in the democratic
process, EU member States have started exploring e-democracy tools to recover
citizen trust. The European Parliament has focused on this field at the
request of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Committee in order
to find the best practices and e-democracy tools that could be implemented at
the EU level. Elisa Lironi, the Digital Democracy Manager at European Citizen
Action Service (ECAS) answered our questions. ECAS’ missions are to empower
citizens to exercise their rights, and to promote open and inclusive
decision-making through the provision of high-quality advice, research and
advocacy, as well as capacity building for civil society organisations. As
the author of the study « Potential and challenges of e-participation in the
European Union » she gave us her expert opinion on e-democracy. Why do some
countries across Europe have different approaches regarding e-democracy? Governments start implementing e-democracy mechanisms for
different reasons and each case should be analyzed. For example, in 2010 Iceland
was recovering from a heavy financial crisis and as a result of deep crises
in the legitimacy of its political and economic establishment, Iceland’s
Parliament and Prime Minister (of the time) proposed a crowdsourcing
experience to rewrite the Icelandic Constitution. So e-democracy was
implemented as a way to regain trust of citizens in the Icelandic government.
Finland instead, is a very technologically advanced country, where hi-speed
Internet access is a legal right so following this background, the government
adopted the New Citizens Initiative Act and today there is an e-participation
platform for this. Do you think that cyberattacks are an obstacle for the
evolution of e-democracy in some member States? Yes sure because there are
still many people who do not trust online services, tools because they are
afraid, for example, that their data can be stolen or information can be held
against them. Cyberattacks reinforce this sentiment and slows down the
process of widespread e-participation. What are the measures already in place about e-democracy at the
EU level? On the institutional level, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI)
has a strong online component, so it can be considered an e-democracy tool at
the EU level. Online EU public consultations are also part of these measures
taken, but the questions are quite specific so there is mainly participation
from experts in the field of the consultation and less from citizens. As
additional e-democracy measures at the EU level, we can include e-participation
projects co-funded by the Commission and implemented by organizations (like
ECAS), but these projects are usually short-term and rarely sustainable after
the end of the project. Some MEPs have also worked on their own initiatives
by creating their own platforms to reach out to their constituents. Do you
think that the first concrete measures in this field must be taken at the
national level or at the European level? I think both. There are already a lot of e-democracy mechanisms
being applied at local and national level and the EU level can definitely
learn from these experiences. But the EU is also different so it should start
experimenting with e-participation tools on its own to assess the potential
and challenges of these tools. Would the national measures be supported by
the European Union or would their implementation depend on the Member States
will? I think national measures depend mostly on Member States’ will,
although this does not exclude the fact that the EU could support them or be
a role model by applying e-democracy mechanisms on its own. Do you think that
e-democracy would facilitate public consultations for citizens? Would it
bridge the gap between the EU institutions and the people? Do you think that
consultations would be binding? Online public consultations are already a part of e-democracy.
What should be the focus is how inclusive and representative these
consultations are. A consultation is a way to consult and they don’t have to
be binding but it is important to give feedback, to explain very clearly to
participants how their contributions will be taken into consideration and
what sort of impact will the consultation have on policy-making. It is
extremely important to meet the expectations of the participants. Do you
think it will allow a revival of the citizens’ interests in European
policies? In your opinion, can we translate the ideal of e-democracy into
useful tools for the EU? You will always have people who are not interested
or disengaged, but the point is to give the right tools to those who do want
to participate. I think there is a strong potential for ICT (information and
communications technologies) to contribute to a better democracy because
e-participation tools could make democracy more efficient and widespread (you
would just need the Internet and you could contribute to policy-making). Of
course, online tools are always complementary to offline tools and shouldn’t
replace them. The EU should embrace these new online mechanisms to reach out
to citizens and allow them to have a say in decision-making processes.
Traditional politics, based on elections, is not enough for many people
anymore. Many people (i.e. young people) are using technology to voice their
opinions on specific issues they care about and prefer having more direct
contact with their policy-makers. The EU should do two things: first, exploit
technology better in order to understand what citizens are voicing online and
see how this can contribute to better EU policy-making and second, experiment
much more with online e-participation platforms to allow citizens to have a
say and impact on policy-making. From https://eulogos.blogactiv.eu/ 05/07/2017 Katrin Nyman Metcalf on Legal Aspects of Egoverance in Estonia Dr. Katrin Nyman Metcalf is working as a legal expert on
e-governance for the Estonian e-Governance Academy as well as teaching Legal
Aspects of e-Governance at Tallinn University of Technology. She has worked
in countries across the globe in this field, which makes her the right person
to explain the legal side of e-governance. What can you tell me about the
legal situation for e-governance? It must be very complicated, no? Yes and
no. There is no need for a lot of special legislation on e-governance – in
fact, it is not advisable to have such legislation, as this risks creating a
parallel governance system while ideally e-governance should be a way to
improve governance, not duplicate things. For example, many people expect
Estonia to have a lot of e-governance legislation as we are so advanced in
this area, but there are very few legal acts that are specific for the “e”
aspect of our governance. What is essential from the legislative viewpoint
related to e-governance is to go through and analyse all legislation to see
if there are any obstacles to transitioning to use of electronic documents
and digital signatures and so on. There are also certain issues that do need
special rules as they are simply too different in the electronic world to be
handled through reinterpretation of existing legislation. What issues are these? The main one is the digital identity or signature. The essence
of a signature is well known in law: it is a way to show intent. This can be
recreated electronically, but it would look quite different from a
traditional signature so we need a law to show what kind of electronic
signature that is accepted by the legal system: how is it to be made, who is
responsible for verifying the means of making the signature and so on. You
mentioned possible legal obstacles to e-governance, any examples? There are
quite a lot of requirements of form for example in procedural or
administrative legislation of different countries. This can be something
simple as stating that certain decisions should be made on for example blue
paper or something underlined in red. What do you do with this in the
electronic world? So what should you do? There are different options. Of course, it is possible with special
software or just use of text highlight or different coloured fonts to
recreate the blue paper or red line. But I think it may be even more
important to analyse what this requirement provides, what is different
because of the blue paper or red line and is this really essential. In this
way, introduction of e-governance can be a suitable time to go through and
modernise legislation in a wider way than just what is directly derived from
the technology. Any more legal tips to those working on e-governance? One important thing is to involve lawyers! I know that we
lawyers are often the ones who are afraid of technologies and reluctant to
deal with such matters, but hopefully that is changing and we all realise
that in a technology-dependent world, nearly all aspects of governance and
society involve technology in some form. If lawyers are involved early in the
process, there does not have to be any legal complications with e-governance,
but if technologies are introduced without attention to possible legal
implications, there could later on be important problems. For example, it is
essential that e-transactions have full legal value if a country wants to
transition to e-governance. We cannot have a situation in which “paper
evidence” or similar is asked if and when something goes to court. I would
also add as an important legal point that data protection must be considered.
On this, there should be legislation. It does not have to be special for
electronic data – the content rather than the form of data should be decisive
– but rules are needed. Technology can help to make data more secure rather
than the other way around, and such possibilities must be made use of. From http://egovernancedigest.com/ 04/19/2017 Malta: Crowdsourced Democracy Becomes a Reality The IDEAT project launched by the PartitNazzjonalista a few days
ago offers a glimpse into how Maltese politics can be transformed through a
digital platform which bridges the divide between the citizen and the Party
that represents it.IDEAT is built around an eDemocracy framework in which ICT
serves as a tool of choice in order to, not only engage and communicate with
the population, but empower it to be better equipped to participate in the
democratic process.Crowdsourcing is less a new idea than a new concept. It
covers a wide array of tools that use the power and knowledge of crowds
brought together through the Internet, especially by means of social media
and other applications which primarily focus on bottom-up information flow.
Citizens can take part in brainstorming, discussing, developing, and
formulating ideas that used to be the limited domain of political elites.This
IDEAT project seeks to explore methods to obtain active citizen input in the
policymaking processes - an input which has been severely curtailed by this
government. It serves to empower each and every one of us, enabling our voice
and ideas to be heard. Politics for the people can be more than just casting
your vote when a general election comes by.Politics for the people can be
more than just casting your vote when a general election comes by The platform has been online for just over 200 hours and has
registered significant engagement: 1 visitor sees the platform every 37 seconds. A new user registration occurs every four minutes. A new policy proposals idea is received every six minutes. Policy proposals were read 150,000+ since launch. Over 30,000 votes were received to prioritise policy ideas
submitted. That’s a vote every few seconds. Citizens are engaged and spend around six minutes per session
focused on the ideas of interest. People want and expect empowerment. The IDEAT portal proposes a
citizen-centric approach to using ICT whereby people are considered
participant members of the society, active players in the formulation of
ideas. Party leader Simon Busuttil is committed to transform IDEAT into a
national reality if elected on the 3rd June. Imagine a new government that is open to ideas, a government
that immediately opens up its policy proposals for public consultation,
fine-tuning and feedback. Imagine a government where the people (or social
partners) don’t just receive a fait accompli but are empowered to voice their
positions and opinion immediately. The past few years have been rife of
situations where the people were simply not informed, let alone
empowered. IDEAT can address
that, finally bringing our democratic values back to centre-stage through
active participation and empowerment. We will change the way we do politics.
We will transform the democratic processes that has lived undisturbed deep
within our country for too long. We will choose Malta.Visit
www.forzanazzjonali.com/ideat to take the first step. From https://www.timesofmalta.com/ 05/22/2017 Norwegian Govt. Goes Online for Management Solution
The
Norwegian Government has gone live with a major new information management
solution to empower its national website, www.government.no. The new system allows staff from 17
Ministries to access all information and documents. The solution uses
Networked Planet's TMCore topic maps technology to link together over 30,000
'documents', consisting of more than 300,000 web pages from 17 ministries,
providing an intelligent navigation tool for the entire site. The new
solution allows staff from the Norwegian Government's 17 ministries like
education, environment or immigration as well as the Prime Minister's office
to classify documents according to themes. The system then attaches topic,
theme and relationship metadata to the document, enabling it to be
categorised as part of a larger grid of files, all connected semantically.
TMCore allows one to create navigation and associations across the
system. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/24/2017 NORTH AMERICA: Canada - Ontario Announces First Chief Digital
Officer The Ontario government is bolstering its digital profile with
its latest hire.The province announced on Mar. 27 that it has appointed
Hillary Hartley as Ontario’s first Chief Digital Office (CDO), in an effort
to streamline online government services and improve efficiency. “Hello,
Ontario! I am so excited to join an incredible team of passionate people,
with wicked digital skills, who are working hard to create change and bring
user-focused design and internet-era ways of working to government,” Hartley
says in a Mar. 27 press release. “Making government services simpler and
easier to use will have a huge impact on people’s lives — I can’t wait to get
started.” Officially starting the role in April, Hartley is tasked with
“setting and executing Ontario’s digital government agenda, which will put
people first and make services simpler, faster and better for users.”The
agenda will serve as Ontario’s roadmap to digital transformation, which it
hopes will set new standards, shift its culture, and empower the next
generation of talent.In its 2016 budget, the provincial government notes that
the digital agenda will identify high-impact digital projects and services to
be transformed; adopt a “digital-by-default” approach focused on making
online services so easy to use that people prefer to use them over
traditional methods; a digital talent strategy to attract in-demand skills;
and online information and engagement initiatives to make it easier for
people to participate in government decision-making.Hartley will partner with
government ministries to deliver digital projects and accelerate
transformation “by setting new service standards for digital products,
attracting and empowering digital talent, and aligning partners around
delivering the best possible customer experience.” Additionally, Hartley will also serve as chair of the province’s
first Digital Government Board.Prior to accepting this position, Hartley was
the deputy executive director of 18F, the U.S. government’s digital office,
and a former presidential innovation fellow. She was also the director of
integrated marketing at NIC Inc., which encourages states and local
governments to modernize by embracing new Internet-based technologies and
approaches.Deborah Matthews, the minister responsible for Digital Government
and Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, says she is
“thrilled” to have Hartley as Ontario’s CDO.“Attracting top international
talent, like Hillary Hartley, demonstrates that Ontario is where the world
comes to work and is a leader in the global movement to transform government
services,” she says in a Mar. 27 press release.Echoing this excitement is
Steve Orsini, secretary of the Cabinet. “Transforming the Ontario Public Service to be a more
client-centred digital government will generate better outcomes in new and
more cost-effective ways. I am pleased that Hillary will be joining the
Deputy Minister team to deliver on the government’s digital strategy,” he
adds.Hartley beat out more than 400 candidates across the US, UK, Australia,
Europe and South America for the position, the Ontario government says. She
will report to the head of the Ontario Public Service and Minister Matthews,
who was named to her respective position in September 2016. The Digital
Government Office was established in the 2016 budget in an effort to make
online services simpler, faster and better for citizens in such a
technological age. From http://www.itbusiness.ca/ 03/28/2017 Online Tax Filing Is an E-government Success Story Overall, Canadians are satisfied with online tax filing, but
privacy concerns and lack of digital skills mean that achieving a fully digital
tax system will take time.It is tax season once again and Canadians are busy
preparing their tax returns. Most filers will submit a return online, either
directly through NETFILE or by having an accounting firm or tax preparation
company submit it online through EFILE. Electronic filing of taxes has
quietly become the most-used electronic service provided by the government of
Canada.Online filing started on an experimental basis in 1999 and was
expanded to a full service in 2000. Writing in 2006, Jeffrey Roy noted in
E-Government in Canada: Transformation for the Digital Age that half of
Canadian tax filers in 2004 submitted their returns online and described the
program as “the most significant example of success” of e-government
services. According to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), 84 percent of tax
returns were submitted online in 2016. The number of returns filed
electronically has increased every year for the last five years.The rapid
uptake of this technology by Canadians suggests that it is a success, but we
wanted to hear more from Canadians. Who submits online and who still submits
on paper? How do users of the e-service assess their experience? Why do some
Canadians prefer to send a return through the mail? In May and June 2016, as
part of our Online Citizenship Canada project, which is studying Canadians’
online political activities, we conducted an online survey of 1,000 people.
Since the tax filing deadline for 2015 had just passed, we decided to ask
them a few questions about their experience. Who submits online? To begin, we asked respondents whether they had submitted their
2015 federal tax returns through the CRA website. One out of three respondent
hadn’t because someone else had submitted it for them (31 percent) or they
hadn’t filled a tax return for 2015 (2 percent). Among those who submitted a
tax return by themselves, 79 percent used the CRA website and 21 percent used
the mail.Most studies of online technologies find that young people are more
likely to use them. Tax filing is an exception. We did not find any linear
relationship between age and the method of filing: between those aged 18 to
29 and those aged 70 and over, the same proportion (three out of four)
submitted their tax returns online. There’s no gender gap either. However, a
digital divide clearly appeared once we factored in education and income.
Citizens with a university degree and higher income were more likely to
submit online. The proportion of respondents who sent their tax returns
online was 68 percent among those who had not studied beyond high school but
83 percent among holders of a university degree, a gap of 15 percentage
points. The gap was even more pronounced (20 percentage points) between those
whose household income was below $60,000 (67 percent) and those with income
higher than $90,000 (87 percent). How do Canadians assess their experience? Our second goal was to investigate how citizens assess online
filing. The program appears to be a success. We asked filers who used the CRA
website to select from four statements the one that best described their
experience. Eighty-eight percent of respondents said “the process was smooth
and efficient” and they were “sure that [they] will process [their] federal
tax return online in forthcoming years.” Eleven percent “experienced some
problems, but it is still very likely that [they] will process [their]
federal tax return online in forthcoming years.” Only 1 percent said that
they were unlikely to use this online option again, because they “experienced
some problems” or because “the process was complicated and a loss of [their]
time.” Our survey did not ask more specific questions that might highlight
parts of the experience that need improvement. The overall assessment of
these Canadians is that they found the process efficient and they are ready
to do it again. E-government: Why not use it? We also asked an open-ended question to those who submitted
returns by mail: “Why didn’t you process your 2015 federal tax return through
the Canada Revenue Agency website?” A qualitative overview of the responses
allowed us to identify issues that seem to limit the adoption of this
e-government service.First, many respondents indicated they simply preferred
paper forms and the mail (“I like hard copy,” “I like working with paper,” “I
like the paper and make a copy for myself…always keep proof of everything”),
or found paper easier (“easier for me to mail,” “easier to fill out by
hand”). Very few respondents explicitly declared a lack of digital skills, but
the comments about preferring paper probably reflected such limitations.
Indeed, we had previously interviewed some of our respondents in another wave
of the survey and measured their digital skills through a six-item scale; not
surprisingly, the relationship between digital skills and the likelihood of
submitting online was statistically significant. Other technological concerns
also prevented some citizens from submitting their tax returns online: not
having Internet at home, issues with tax software or browsers and not
remembering the password. Second, many respondents expressed concern over the security of
the process. Some didn’t trust the Internet in general (“I really don’t trust
so much important information being used online,” “the Internet is too
vulnerable”), while others had concerns related to software (“privacy
protection, I don’t trust any software under third party”) or specific to the
CRA website (“don’t trust the website”). One respondent wrote: “I still
remember when their system crashed because too many people sent it on-line at
the same time and the mailed ones were handled more promptly as a result. It
feels much safer to me.”A third reason is simply a lack of motivation related
to old habits or a desire to keep tradition. “Always submitted a paper form
of return and I guess I’m stuck with my ways of doing things,” wrote one
respondent. “I’ve been doing it by hand and sending it by mail since the past
30 years,” indicated another taxpayer. “I like filling out my form with paper
and pencil. Tradition,” answered a third one.Finally, some respondents had
specific grounds for their tax filing choices. “Because I have a paper trail
of documents to put in,” wrote one person. “My return is complex &
requires a paper return,” thought another one. A few others did not know it
was possible to fill a tax return online, and one believed it costs money to
file online. An e-government success story Overall, Canadians are satisfied with their experience
submitting their taxes online. In the 2017 federal budget the government
committed to expanding the range and quality of its digital services. The
online tax filing system may serve as a model. However, it is important not
to forget those who lack confidence either in their own digital skills or in
the protection of the privacy of their personal information. A significant
number of Canadians continue to have reservations about online filing;
lowering this number will likely require investment to address privacy
concerns and improve digital skills. Achieving a fully digital tax return
system will take some time.(This online survey was conducted on our behalf by
NRG Research Group between May 12 and June 9, 2016. The response rate was
40.6 percent. The data were weighted by the region, age and sex of the respondents.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funded the research
through an Insight Grant.) From http://policyoptions.irpp.org/ 04/12/2017 The (Poor) State of Digital Transformation in Canada If 2016 was the year businesses became aware of digital
transformation, 2017 is the year that these businesses begin to equip
themselves for that disruption.In its second annual digital transformation report
conducted by IDC Canada, SAP Canada drew the conclusion that despite the fact
that Canadian organizations are aware of digital transformation, the majority
have yet to act on it. Out of the 300 Canadian executives surveyed, SAP found
that only about four out of 10 are enacting these digital transformation
practices. The rest are still in the planning stages, despite the vast
majority of those surveyed indicating an awareness of digital transformation
possibilities.“There is no question that executives are having a sense of
urgency now. They want to do something before they get distrupted
themselves,” said SAP Canada vice president, head of industry, Sam Masri in
an interview with ITBusiness.ca. “The main reason why they aren’t moving fast
enough seems to be because of execution and productivity challenges. Digital
transformation is hard. It’s a painful process. A lot of people are still
trying to digest what it means for their business.” Keep reading for highlights from the report. Canadian executives are aware of digital transformation, but the
real transformation hasn’t started yet. - 38 per cent of executives are rolling out their digital
transformation strategies - 50 per cent are planning and building their digital
transformation strategy - 12 per cent are still trying to determine their digital
transformation plan Disconnect between front-line employees and executives on
digital transformation. On whether those surveyed agree that the ‘CEO and board have
digital innovation on management agenda’. - 62 per cent of executives agree - 49 per cent of customer-facing employees agree - 43 per cent of operational employees agree Mid-sized companies are slower on the draw than their enterprise
counterparts. Mid-sized organizations are less likely to have developed a
digital mindset strategy and say that digital innovation is on the management
agenda. However, mid-sized businesses have a greater cloud adoption of cloud
computing as a way to innovate. - 31 per cent of companies with $250 – $500 million in revenue
have taken steps on the digital transformation path - 38 per cent of companies with $500 million – $1 billion in
revenue have taken steps on the digital transformation path - 54 per cent of companies with $1 billion plus in revenue have
taken steps on the digital transformation path From http://www.itbusiness.ca/ 04/12/2017 U.S.: What’s New in Civic Tech - Open Gov Groups Voice Concern
Over Removal of Trump Transition Data Plus, San Francisco looks to hire project manager for voting
system overhaul, Hawaii launches new geospatial data portal and Indianapolis
County emphasizes commitment to better digital services.What's New in Civic
Tech takes a look at highlights and recent happenings in the world of civic
technology.SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION VOICES CONCERN OVER ONLINE REMOVAL OF TRUMP
TRANSITION DATAThe Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at making
government more accountable and transparent, continues to voice concerns over
the availability of information under the young Donald Trump administration,
citing an erasure of transition data as the most recent cause for concern.The
impetus for the objection, the exact nature of which Sunlight Foundation
Deputy Director Alex Howard detailed in an April 13 post to his group’s
website, dates back to March 2, which is when Howard first noted that the
transition’s official Twitter account might have been removed. Howard’s post
also notes that the transition’s Facebook account is now gone too. The Sunlight Foundation has flagged this issue with the U.S.
House Oversight Committee, and while the group notes that social media
accounts are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, it also
emphasizes that such content represents on-the-record and official statements
by the president’s administration, meaning it must be preserved and available
to the public.“We’re alarmed that the @Transition2017 and Facebook accounts
have been removed from public view entirely, with no evidence of archiving nor
public notice,” writes Howard. And then, “In 2017, social media has become
part of the public record. We hope that Twitter, Facebook and Congress work
together to restore the accounts and save these accounts for history to
judge.”This is not the first time open government groups and media have
voiced concern over the Trump administration’s attitude toward data and
transparency. Earlier this week, accountability advocates and reporters noted
that after President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the U.S.
was less forthcoming with information than China, a country long criticized
for its lack of governmental transparency. SAN FRANCISCO LOOKS TO HIRE LEADER TO PLAN, IMPLEMENT
REPLACEMENT VOTING SYSTEM San Francisco has posted a job opening for a project lead to
build a replacement voting system, which the city hopes will bolster the
“accuracy, transparency, security and auditability” of its balloting system.
While the project description is not a final statement on the development of
such a system, according to the job posting, the city ultimately is looking
for someone to lead the development of San Francisco’s own voting system --
one that would replace its current system with open source components. The
posting sets a timeline that calls for submitting a report to the mayor’s
office by the end of 2017.This comes after a contentious election and
questions about hacking spurred an interest in overhauling the technology
used for voting across the country, a great majority of which has not been
updated in a decade. In the months after the 2016 presidential election,
renewed efforts to develop better models of digital election equipment began
to emerge across the country. Some of these efforts also aimed to accomplish the higher levels
of security and auditability that San Francisco mentioned in its post.
Project leaders involved with those efforts spoke in December 2016 about the
difficulty and necessity of such development."It's the hardest thing
I've ever done in my life. It's taken years and years to get it done,"
said Dana DeBeauvoir, Travis County, Texas, clerk and leader of the voting
machine project at Rice University, in December 2016. "Now that we've
had this election, there's renewed interest."San Francisco, with its
wealth of regional tech innovation, often acts as a bellwether in civic tech
innovations, which makes it notable that the city is undertaking an effort to
build new voting systems. HAWAII LAUNCHES NEW GEOSPATIAL DATA PORTAL Hawaii has launched a new Geospatial Data Portal, which makes
available for general use a collection of topographic maps, new data sets
that now include more than 300 layers, imagery, historical maps and developer
features.The portal, which was announced Tuesday, April 11, in a news
release, includes support for non-geospatial data files, an overall cleaner
look, improved layout of data attributes, and application program interface
tools for developers who want to create filtered data set URLs for apps,
among other improvements, the majority of which aim to better site and
content management. This release is the work of the Office of Planning’s
Hawaii Statewide Geographic Information System.“Our state is applying recent
GIS advancements to the improvement of programs and services,” said Gov.
David Ige in the release. “We recognize that the state’s challenges are often
complex with no easy answers, but we believe in the potential of the
innovation of our state employees.” This upgrade mirrors an open data trend across the country in which
cities are trying to make information easier for the public to find and
digest. Both Boston and New York have undertaken such efforts. While the work
in Hawaii is more specific, state officials did note that one of the first
apps the new data portal is featuring is an affordable housing and
homelessness story map, which uses information in an accessible narrative
form.In 2016, Hawaii also completed an upgrade to its open data
infrastructure that enabled server-based GIS and cloud services, in addition
to better data sharing and accessibility. The prior upgrade was made possible
by collaboration between Hawaii’s Office of Planning and its Office of
Enterprise Technology Services. INDIANAPOLIS’ NEW WEBSITE SEEKS TO EXPAND DIGITAL SERVICES While building a governmental website is part of Indianapolis
and Marion County’s tech initiative Shift Indy, officials stressed in a
recent news release that their efforts to provide better public service
through tech expand much further.Although it is not live yet, My.Indy.gov is
the projected culmination of the Shift Indy initiative — but a statement from
CIO Ken L. Clark emphasized that the effort had broader aspirations,
including “re-imagining how you, the constituent, connect with your local
government.”Clark went on to say that the plans to accomplish this involved
applying modern, efficient tech solutions to manual processes that have
become outdated. The idea is to invest taxpayer monies in apps that make
government simpler, easier to navigate and available to those who need it
24/7. “We are digitizing your local government and building you a
digital city hall,” Clark wrote. How, though, will Clark and those he works with be able to tell
if they’ve succeeded? One concrete metric indicated by the CIO was a reduction
of in-person visits to the city-county building. Officials are well aware of
the hardships that occur when residents have to take paid time off because
certain governmental services are available only in person and not on the
Web.This sort of approach — improving all government services by using a new
website as a catalyst for a cultural evolution — has been spreading through
municipal agencies, from Miami to Grand Rapids, Mich. The timeline for Shift
Indy indicates that the new digital city hall under development will be ready
in 2018, with ongoing improvements to follow. From http://www.govtech.com/ 04/13/2017 How Government Can Securely Move IT Systems to the Cloud While IT leaders in all industries value their data, public
sector data can be among the most important to protect. This makes
transitioning agency IT systems to the cloud an especially sensitive and
challenging endeavor.Analyst firm IDC reports that the market for worldwide
cloud enterprise applications grew by 19.7 percent in 2015 and reached a
total size of $34.5 billion. Yet as the threat landscape continues to evolve,
data vulnerability is increasing. In addition to the financial implications,
security breaches hold the potential of damaging an agency's reputation and
operations. With such high stakes, organizations must maintain an unrelenting
focus on data security going forward.It's important to remember, however,
that a move to the cloud can come with vulnerabilities as well as
opportunities If not done properly, cloud migrations can result in unexpected
costs, failure to comply with regulatory measures and exposing the
organization – and its most valuable asset – citizen data. Despite these
risks, though, a majority are planning to move forward with the
transition. How can government organizations ensure a smooth – and secure –
transition to the cloud?Smart IT decision makers are culling from a few key
best practices, based on the learnings of organizations that have been down
this path before. Here is a checklist of "must dos" that any
government organization considering a move to the cloud should keep in mind: - Secure Applications from End-to-End: While many traditional
security offerings were designed for client/server systems, they were not
designed to control decisions in the database -- thereby exposing databases
to vulnerabilities. Agencies should look for end-to-end security solutions
that manage application security for application users -- not database users. - Make Sure it's a Match: When migrating to the cloud, public
sector organizations must take a look at their needs and how they align with
their vendors. Thing to consider: Do you share the same point of view on
security? Do the vendors understand your business objectives? Is it better to
go with a small vendor or a large shop? - Expect the Unexpected: Last but not least, the most successful
agencies plan ahead. With security breaches on the rise, an attack can occur
anywhere and at any time. The organizations that are most poised for success
have a plan outlining exactly what to do if and when a breach occurs. The journey to the cloud is never easy. But with a few
considerations, it doesn't have to be complicated. Simply put -- to be
successful, plan ahead, weigh the options and expect the unexpected. From https://fcw.com/ 04/14/2017 Get Ready for Net Neutrality's Ugly Return Once more into the net neutrality breach, friends. In the waning
days of the Obama administration, an increasingly activist Federal
Communications Commission plunged head-first into regulatory waters that had
long been the exclusive domain of non-governmental engineering groups. The
FCC passed or considered rules prescribing specific network management, data
collection and use, interconnection and intellectual property procedures,
setting retail service rates, preempting state regulation of municipal networks,
and even whether mobile providers could continue to offer free data services. But the most controversial intervention into the Internet’s
engineering remains the notorious 2015 Open Internet order, which transformed
consumer broadband service from a collection of private networks into a
public utility, regulated by the FCC and state utility commissions. The
agency claimed that utility “reclassification” was necessary to enact
“prophylactic” net neutrality rules that would ensure network operators didn’t
slow or speed up Internet traffic for anti-competitive reasons. It was a far
cry from the days when a far-sighted majority of a Bill Clinton-era Congress
declared in 1996 that the policy of the U.S. was to leave the Internet
“unfettered by Federal or State regulation.” The courts, Congress, and now
the Commission itself have since restored much of the balance in the Internet
ecosystem, undoing many of the most dangerous experiments before they had
time to do much damage. Now, it seems, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is ready to begin clean-up
of the public utility tangle. Though no proposal has yet been made public,
Pai is reported to have held numerous meetings in recent weeks describing his
plans to reset the utility decision. The meetings included industry stakeholders
such as the Internet Association, which represents leading content and
service companies. Many of the Association’s member companies here in Silicon
Valley have been ambiguous, to say the least, about utility treatment for
broadband. Google, Netflix, and
others who at one time supported reclassification have since changed their
minds, recognizing the risk, as Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt said at the
time, of the FCC “starting to regulate an awful lot of things on the
Internet.” That concern was shared by the Internet Society, the Consumer
Technology Association, and other non-partisan engineering groups. Netflix in particular, recognizing belatedly that public utility
regulations for broadband could someday extend to its own non-neutral conduct,
reconsidered its advocacy soon after the 2015 Order was passed. It has repeatedly told investors
in recent months that it no longer thinks FCC rules are even necessary. That
admission may surprise you. It
may also surprise you to learn that broadband providers, who have also been
meeting with Pai, are by no means opposed to the Open Internet principles (as
the FCC refers to net neutrality) or the Commission’s attempts to enforce
them. AT&T and others, for example, praised the FCC’s 2010 version of the
rules, which only Verizon challenged in court and then only on jurisdictional
grounds. Verizon, whose business
has changed dramatically in the interim, now supports the most recent
version. Most leading broadband
providers are bound to some version of the rules in any case, as conditions
for approval of recent mergers. The Public Utility Proxy As these facts suggest, the net neutrality story is by no means
the simplistic Internet freedom narrative that characterizes most of the
public discussion and press coverage—inflammatory rhetoric guaranteed to
reach new heights once Pai’s proposal is published. That’s because much of
the D.C.-based advocacy promoting net neutrality has nothing to do with the
network management principle vaguely defined in 2003 by a legal academic,
which argued that traffic traveling on the public Internet was not and should
not be sped up or slowed down for anti-competitive reasons—a principle no one
disagrees with, regardless of how they think it ought to be enforced. The
actual (and only-sometimes admitted) goal of the most vocal inside-the
beltway activists and their chief funders in the decade-long net neutrality
“debate” has instead been to turn broadband into a government or
quasi-governmental service. (The Ford Foundation did not respond to several
requests for comment.) Open Internet rules and “net neutrality” have simply
been their populist shorthand—one easily digested by Internet users and the
media. But recognizing the unpopularity of calls to nationalize wired
and mobile broadband infrastructure, especially given the sorry state of our
existing utilities, pro-utility forces fixed on net neutrality as their
slogan, hoping consumers and reporters don’t look too closely to see what’s
really behind the curtain. Indeed, as ISPs and others in the Internet
ecosystem continue to work more closely together to resolve real network
management issues, the politics of net neutrality have mutated far from their
roots. “Net neutrality” has become a meaningless term, a proxy for whatever gets
the most visceral response from consumers at any given moment. The term is now used interchangeably
to mean everything from free speech to democracy itself. The clearer it
becomes that there is already broad consensus on the original meaning and
importance of neutrality, it seems, the more desperately pro-utility
activists swerve to keep the flight alive, even if it means throwing the
interests of actual Internet users under the bus. As part of the Internet fear-mongering that began soon after
Donald Trump’s election, for example, Pai was accused, even before being
appointed, of wanting to “kill,” “destroy,” “dismantle,” or “abolish” not
just the reclassification order but the Internet itself. Just talking about alternative
enforcement mechanisms brings predictably dire warning of the “end of the
Internet as we know it.” The crucial distinction, intentionally buried in
these sound bites, is that utility treatment for the Internet and net
neutrality are two very separate things. One can support a prophylactic ban
on anti-competitive and other behaviors that actually harm consumers, in
other words, but also believe that nationalizing a still-emerging and rapidly
changing technology infrastructure into just another decaying water,
electrical or transit system is a cure far worse than the disease. That not-so-subtle difference isn’t likely to get much attention
in the next few months. Instead,
with their 2015 victory perhaps soon to be undone, utility advocates are
ramping up for a full-on Internet tantrum. Pai’s proposal, which isn’t even
finished, is already being condemned by those who now at least acknowledge
that their true agenda was at best only peripherally about network traffic
management. Rather, as one legal clinician admitted earlier this week, the
new net neutrality fight is actually “about whether or not internet access is
a utility rather than a luxury.”
(Implying these were the only two possibilities.) “If it’s a utility, it needs to be
subject to rules, laid out in advance, about availability and quality.”
Regardless, she predicted, whatever Pai does will be a “catastrophe.”
Likewise, another self-described utility activist and former advisor to the
previous FCC Chairman now insists that reclassification was essential not to
provide a legal foundation for net neutrality rules after all, but as the
only protection consumers have against “fraudulent billing, price gouging,
and other harmful ISP practices.” (She doesn’t mention that the Federal Trade Commission had full
power to protect against such practices—and did so, until the FCC’s own
action in reclassifying stripped its sister agency of authority.) What also
goes unmentioned in the current round of flame-throwing is that an imminent
return to net neutrality hostilities was entirely avoidable. Before the 2015
order, both Democratic and Republican FCC Chairmen had rejected the idea of
reclassification, as did a bi-partisan majority of Congress. Tom Wheeler, President Obama’s
final FCC Chairman, resisted it until the end. Reclassification had always been
considered the “nuclear option” for the FCC—one with potentially fatal
economic if not legal defects. In fact, after a second defeat in the courts for the agency’s
efforts to overcome Congressional limits on their authority over broadband
networks, Wheeler declared that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals had at last
provided a legal “roadmap” to get the rules enacted without the need for
reclassification—a life preserver he quickly grabbed and set out to utilize.
An actual solution to the net neutrality problem, however, presented utility
activists with their worst-case scenario., Recognizing that the FCC was
poised to pass sustainable net neutrality rules without reference to utility
treatment, the activists staged what they themselves described as a “coup,”
working with friendly if naïve officials in the White House to craft an
alternative proposal, released much to Wheeler’s surprise as “President
Obama’s Plan” for the Internet. The Obama Plan dispensed with any pretense,
insisting that in addition to net neutrality rules, broadband Internet
service should also be transformed into public utilities. The White House provided no evidence, however, of the kind of
devastating market failures that have historically been seen a prerequisite
to nationalizing private infrastructure. No matter. Blindsided, Wheeler deep-sixed a
nearly-complete order that had been carefully drafted to comply with the
court’s “roadmap,” and started over.
In early 2015, with a bare majority of the Commission’s support, a
patchwork alternative was approved that subjected broadband services, as the
White House demanded, to the yellowed volumes of federal law originally
drafted to control the long-gone Bell telephone monopoly. Snatching victory
from the jaws of defeat, the decade-long campaign to conflate net neutrality
rules with public utility authority culminated in the decision to reclassify
first, and then use the vast new powers the agency had given itself to
re-enact net neutrality rules, more-or-less an afterthought. Nearly all of the lengthy order’s contents dealt with getting
around dozens of legal land mines standing in the way of reclassification and
of force-fitting the Internet into the square peg of 1930’s telephone
law. In the end, only a few pages
were spent on the net neutrality rules themselves. Fears about the long-term
consequences of utility regulation, supported by over a century of research
in the economics of public utilities, were shouted down. The agency’s own chief economist at
the time referred to the 2015 order as an “economics-free zone”--a nasty
surprise for investors who had spent over $1.5 trillion to build new network
infrastructure while public roads, bridges, water, power and transit
utilities increasingly collapse, fail, or explode, respectively. Whether
reclassification really was the agency’s only option, or whether the cost of
utility regulation was even remotely offset by the benefits of FCC
enforcement of anti-competition law, was analysis entirely absent from the
400-page decision. What’s Next? As Pai now takes on the difficult task of unraveling the public
utility order, it’s unclear how he intends to continue his longstanding
support for the Open Internet principles themselves. The optimal solution
remains Congressional action, such as a bill first proposed in 2014 by
Republican leadership, which would have made strong net neutrality rules a
matter of federal law. But Democrats, anticipating they would retain the
White House and control of an activist FCC in the 2016 election, saw no
reason to negotiate a more permanent solution. That position doesn’t seem to have
changed, though now for very different reasons. In the interim, the next-best
solution may be to return enforcement of potentially anti-competitive
practices to the Federal Trade Commission, which was cut out of the picture
by the FCC as part of its reclassification order. The FTC, the expert agency for dealing
with anti-competitive behavior, has long served as cop on the beat for
broadband providers as well as other Internet companies, and could return to
doing so as soon as the reclassification mess is cleaned up. Whatever happens next, it won’t be pretty. Or necessary. A confusing new war over Internet governance,
more costly and uglier than all the previous fights, wouldn’t be happening at
all if Wheeler had been left alone to follow the roadmap provided by the
courts. That would have allowed the FCC and FTC to share authority over
broadband. If would have given
consumers more protections than they have in nearly any other industry. But
as will become abundantly clear in the next few months, protecting Internet
users was never the objective of pro-utility activists, who continue to
poison the net neutrality well long after making it politically toxic. So
contrary to what you will soon be hearing, the Internet apocalypse is still
not upon us, nor will it be. As
the latest net neutrality slogans become ever more incendiary, ask yourself
what the real objective is of those calling you to the barricades. And
consider whether you’re really being cast as a freedom fighter, and not
simply cannon fodder. From https://www.forbes.com/ 04/21/2017 Florida’s IT Agency Faces Down Reorganization Threat Despite the threat of nearly complete reorganization, the
Florida Agency for State Technology has been funded and maintains its
authority through the next fiscal year.In late March, Florida lawmakers took
aim at the state’s Agency for State Technology (AST), proposing a rebranding,
as well as sweeping reductions to the agency’s overall authority and
oversight of critical data center infrastructure. And despite historically
consistent legislative attempts to hobble or kill the IT agency, the latest
effort fell short of its intended mark.What would have equated to a
reorganization of AST authority, the loss of state data center control and
the effective end of the state’s enterprise IT model under House Bill 5301,
looks far less drastic following weekend budget conference negotiations.
Initially, the legislation was proposed by Rep. Blaise Ingolgia, R-District
35, who cited concerns about skyrocketing data center costs and the need for
agencies to pursue their own cloud services as needed. While industry experts
and state officials argued against the proposal, it moved through the House,
ultimately becoming part of the budget process. “I think we are most excited that the agency will not be
reorganized," agency spokesperson Erin Choy told Government Technology.
"We have time now in the next fiscal year to continue the improvements
that were started when the agency was just created two short years
ago."As a result of the conversations, state policy leaders have
outlined a new deal that not only funds AST for the next fiscal year, but
also slightly expands the scope of its authority. The new deal allows the CIO
to appoint a state chief data officer and the creation of a geographic
information office.The arrangement also comes with quarterly reporting
requirements regarding system updates and any new activity — requirements
that Choy said AST is happy to meet. The shift away from a complete rework of
AST is also bringing a new cost recovery model that officials believe will
benefit the IT shops and its customers. As it stands, cost recovery for AST
weighs in at around 90 percent, but the new proposal is expected to improve
that figure. “By moving to this new billing methodology, this new
assessment," Choy said, "we will be able to provide more consistent
billing for our customer agencies that meet state and federal requirements
for a lot of these agencies that receive a lot of federal monies."Though
the agency representative stopped short of calling the outcome a win, the
results are far less drastic than what was initially proposed.“I am hesitant
to call it a win. I think that, again, the agency has only been around a
couple years and there is a lot that we inherited. From day one, we’ve
updated policies, started to work to inventory disparate types of hardware in
the data center,” Choy explained “We are optimistic that we can make
improvements and adjust if we need to, and are definitely willing to work
with those folks that have an interest in technology.”But the weekend
conference was not without some losses for the IT organization. “There were
20 [full-time employee positions] that they have proposed to get rid of, and
eight of them are currently filled,” Choy said. “We will work to find other
opportunities for these individuals to serve in other functions of the agency
if they so choose to do so …” As Government Technology has reported to this point, Florida's
IT agencies have faced considerable challenges at the hands of the state’s
Legislature. In 2005, the Florida State Technology Office was shuttered after
losing its funding. And in 2012, the Agency for Enterprise Information
Technology was pulled by Gov. Rick Scott rather than allowing it to stand in
title and function without funding.As for whether Choy expects to see future
legislative affronts to AST, she said she expects to see continued attention
to the work the agency is doing, but is hopeful that interest can be
channeled into productive conversations with legislators that move the state
forward. “After the budget gets voted on, which will happen Monday,"
Choy said, "we look forward to working with both House and Senate
members on how AST can continue to make improvements in the state data center
and move any IT policies forward that they have an interest in, particularly
cloud." From http://www.govtech.com/ 05/04/2017 Governance Gaps in New Hampshire IT New Hampshire CIO Denis Goulet talks about how he's somewhat insulated
from changes in elected leadership, and shares his No. 1 priority for
advancing technology in the state.In the state of New Hampshire, the chief
information officer doesn't tend to turn over every time there's a new
governor. In fact, as CIO Denis Goulet explained at last week's NASCIO
Midyear conference in Arlington, Va., the fate of the state CIO bears little
relationship to changes resulting from gubernatorial elections. New
Hampshire, and neighboring Vermont, are unique in the fact that they vote for
governor every two years, unlike the four-year schedule observed in all other
states — which results in more stability in the CIO's office.As for Goulet's
priorities during his tenure leading state IT, governance tops the list.
While the state's centralized model means it's in good shape where core
infrastructure is concerned, the state's overall technology strategy needs
some work, he says. Below, he outlines his approach. Government Technology
editor Noelle Knell has more than 15 years of writing and editing experience,
covering public projects, transportation, business and technology. A
California native, she has worked in both state and local government, and is
a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political
science and American history. She can be reached via email and on Twitter. From http://www.govtech.com/ 05/04/2017 Data and the Digital Transformation in Government Information and data are the most valuable assets in an agency
because they can help drive entire digital transformations. But managing and
analyzing data can be extremely difficult due to the various layers and
hybrid storage solutions used in government. Without the proper data management
frameworks in place agency workforces will be unable to take advantage of
insights gained from the information because they will lack the necessary
data visibility, security, and analysis tools.To learn how agencies can
leverage digital data management systems for digital transformations, Mark
Krzysko, Deputy Director for Enterprise Information within the Department of
Defense’s Office of the Undersecretary for Acquisition, and Skip Farmer, a
Field Engineering Manager at Veritas spoke during GovLoop’s recent Government
Innovators virtual summit. Both experts have extensive experience using data
management techniques to improve data visibility and decision-making in
public sector organizations. Krzysko began the conversation by explaining that digital
transformation and data management are about more than just updating IT
systems and technology. “To improve efficiency and effectiveness of data
management, agencies must motivate two groups of employees; those that use
the data and those that manage the data.” That means that frontline employees
need to understand and utilize technical standards and protection protocols
when collecting and securing data, but leadership and analysts need to
understand how to interpret and manage the data so that it can provide the
greatest amount of insight for decision makers.Although most leaders in
government have started to understand the value of datasets, Krzysko added
that they still must realistically understand what the data can do for the
organization. Those that manage the data on a daily basis must constantly
educate other staff members on how to properly analyze the information and
relate it back to the mission of the agency. Farmer agreed with Krzysko on the importance of using data to
empower and transform your agency’s mission critical decisions. He also added
that a main challenge for agency’s trying to manage data is that it is often
stored in an inefficient and costly manner. “In order to extract value from
the data agencies need visibility, controlled access, and proper analysis of
data.”Agencies should increase visibility, security compliance, and control
over their data by adopting enterprise data management solutions. Enterprise
data management systems allow agencies to better understand what data they
have and how to store and protect it in real time. Farmer compared the idea
of making decisions without an enterprise understanding of the information
assets being stored to agencies essentially making decisions in a dark room. Enterprise data management can also be helpful to because it
illuminates data assets there were previously overlooked by agency employees.
“There is data we know exists and we can map to the mission, but there is
also data we don’t think about. It may be redundant or unprotected data so we
need visibility to look for data that may obstruct day-to-day
operations.” Both experts agreed
that data management is crucial to digital transformation, but the complexity
of data storage systems has made analysis difficult. In order to fully
leverage mission critical data, agencies must employ an enterprise
perspective to efficiently viewing and securing data. By implementing a
unified approach to data management, agencies can digitally transform to make
better organizational decisions and advance their missions. From https://www.govloop.com/ 05/10/2017 |
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CHINA: Government
Departments Address Public Concerns via Weibo Local governments across China are using Sina Weibo, a
Twitter-like platform, to provide quicker responses to emergencies, a report
said on May 4. In addition to speeding up the response time, the quality of
their posts has also improved, according to the report by People's Daily and
Sina Weibo. "In emergencies, such as when a person was injured by a
tiger at Ningbo Zoo, or when substandard electric cables were found in the
Xi'an subway system, local authorities responded in an efficient manner,
providing information via Sina Weibo," the report said, adding that such
actions help to address public concerns. So far, nearly 170,000 governmental
departments have created accounts, with a particularly rapidly increase in
the number of departments at the lowest level using such services.
Governmental micro blogs first appeared about five years ago. They have grown in popularity among officials and are used by
authorities to explain policies and address emergencies, the report said.
Complaints about insufficient interaction with netizens have also been
addressed, according to the report, which added that some departments have
also created dedicated online channels for citizens to file reports. Sina
Weibo said it encourages the creation of official accounts to respond to
issues via videos or live streaming, adding that it aims to carry out
evaluations of accounts to alert those that fail to operate effectively or
rarely interact with netizens.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/05/2017 Unified
Data-sharing Platform Proposed for E-government China's central government pledged building a national data-sharing
platform to boost the efficiency of inter-agency information exchanges.
Ministries and other central authorities should link their information
systems to the national platform before the end of June 2018, according to an
action plan published by the General Office of the State Council Thursday.
June 2018 is also the deadline for the preliminary establishment of
information connectivity between central agencies and local governments. The
plan called for early results in key systems by the end of 2017 to increase
convenience for individuals and companies. Besides addressing the use of data
within the government, it also sought progress in open data services for the
public. The government should encourage and guide the use of government data
made available through the services, said the plan.
From http://www.news.cn/ 05/18/2017 JAPAN: System Eyed for Sharing Public, Private Disaster Info To help deal with large-scale disasters, the Cabinet Office
plans to create a new system through which the public and private sectors
will be able to share information on a real-time basis. The envisaged system
will utilize such information as locations obtained by the GPS of smartphones
and car navigation devices of private companies. The aim is to ascertain the
situation of people hit by a disaster and utilize that information so that
administrative authorities can make a smooth initial response. The Cabinet
Office will begin to discuss the new system this month, and is seeking to
start operations in fiscal 2018. Called a disaster information hub, the new
system will fully utilize information communication technologies. It will
likely comprise the central government, local governments and private
companies in such business sectors as telecommunications and cargo
distribution. GPS location information from smartphones will be critical for
ascertaining the conditions in a disaster-hit area. If information can be
obtained on the movements of people who have been struck by a disaster, it
can be utilized for emergency medical care, life-saving efforts and the
distribution of aid goods. Authorities will draw on the lessons of the
Kumamoto Earthquake last year. At that time, many residents continued to
sleep in cars instead of at shelters, causing confusion and preventing the
distribution of sufficient aid. GPS information from car navigation devices
is expected to be effective in confirming road conditions, such as traffic
jams, when goods are being transported. The Cabinet Office will hold its
first meeting of a promotion team for the disaster information hub system in
the middle of this month at the earliest. It will be attended by officials
from the central government, local governments and the private sector. The
promotion team will be chaired by Yohei Matsumoto, state minister of the
Cabinet Office, and will spend about a year designing the new system and
discussing details such as privacy issues. From http://the-japan-news.com
03/10/2017 SOUTH KOREA: Seoul Focuses on E-Gov’t Exports, Creating ‘Smart'
Administration The government has opened an online portal that shows all the information
about its online government services, or e-government, and related bidding
information. The Ministry of the Interior opened the website, its
“E-government export support system” (www.egovexport.go.kr), on Mar. 8 in
order to meet the demands of e-government exports and the needs and trends of
industry. The newly opened website, currently operating on a test-run basis,
will be open to e-government exporters. In the past, firms or government
bodies had to consult with individual organizations, such as the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, KOTRA and KOICA, in order to know more about business
information. Some may have experienced difficulties in local conditions, or
in gaining business information or bidding information. The new website,
however, does not only provide information. As an online platform, it enables
its users, including government bodies and public organizations, local
entities and Korean firms, to share, provide and use the information. In the
“Current Statues by Countries” menu, users can get more information about
overseas countries and regions. They can also learn more about related data
about the selected country of their choice, which includes present
conditions, related news, bidding information and business opportunities, all
at one place. The website also offers information in its menu dubbed
“Excellent E-government Systems,” which enables users to promote Korea’s
well-recognized e-government systems overseas. Meanwhile, the ministry held
its first “E-government Promotion Committee” at the Government-Complex-Seoul
to map out the future direction of Korea’s online government services. In the
meeting, the ministry announced it would build an “intelligent government”
and a “smart nation,” both future goals of its e-government development. An
"intelligent government" means a government backed by artificial
intelligence (AI) and data, which can provide a detailed service, both on-
and offline, like a personal assistant or "secretary for the people and
for public officers." With this in mind, the ministry selected four
goals: build a government that looks after people’s hearts, solve issues in
advance, share values and protect people and enhance safety. It has also
listed 14 tasks to achieve these goals. From http://www.korea.net
03/13/2017 ICT Ministry to Offer Data Platform for Small Businesses The South Korean government will establish a data platform that
artificial intelligence can learn from and open it to small enterprises and
startups, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said Thursday.
According to the ministry’s plan, it will start building this year the data
platform for legal, patent and general knowledge and continue expanding it to
further areas for the next five years. The data on legal knowledge will
include information and tips to help citizens with legal issues arising as a
result of car accidents and neighborhood disputes. The South Korean
government will establish a data platform that artificial intelligence can
learn from and open it to small enterprises and startups, the Ministry of
Science, ICT and Future Planning said Thursday. According to the ministry’s
plan, it will start building this year the data platform for legal, patent
and general knowledge and continue expanding it to further areas for the next
five years. The data on legal knowledge will include information and tips to
help citizens with legal issues arising as a result of car accidents and
neighborhood disputes. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/23/2017 Sharing with the World: Smart Transportation Systems “It's impressive to see the accuracy and punctuality of public
transportation and the arrival interval of buses and trains in Seoul. Sao
Paulo could learn a lot from Seoul.” So said Marcelo Torres, a reporter from
SBT, a Brazilian broadcaster, during his visit to the Traffic Operation
Information Service (TOPIS), part of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, on
April 13. “This system is very convenient, as it allows anyone to check
public transportation information in real time,” said Torres. He also
highlighted Koreans’ passion for education. His report was aired nationally
on SBT’s prime time news show SBT Brasil on April 13 at 8 p.m. TOPIS is the
body that supervises roads, congestion and transportation in the greater
Seoul metropolitan region. Citizens love it, as it's convenient and provides
real time public transport and road information. As such, government
officials from around the globe flock to visit the center. Yang YounGye from
Seoul’s Transportation Information Center said, “We've been receiving
high-profile international figures since 2004. On average, more than 3,000
high-ranking officials visit us every year.” From http://www.korea.net
04/26/2017 Korea, Belarus Expand Cooperation on E-Gov't Korea and Belarus will strengthen cooperation on e-government. Vice
Minister Kim Seong-lyul from the Ministry of the Interior visited Minsk to
discuss cooperation between Korea and Belarus regarding e-government and
online government services at the Belarus-Korea e-Government Cooperation
Forum on April 26. Minister Sergei Popkov from the Ministry of Communications
and Informatization also attended the forum. E-government specialists from
the two countries gathered at the forum to discuss major issues regarding
online government services, such as the current status of the Global ICT
Development & Cooperation Center, cyber security, next generation cyber
security technologies that use AI and big data, the management of electrical
documents and bridging digital gaps. They also shared some of Korea’s
exemplary cases of e-government innovation and spoke about cooperation
between the central and local governments. “Collaboration on e-government
with Belarus is a big step forward in the worldwide e-government market,
because Eastern European nations have great potential as e-government
consumers,” said Vice Minister Kim. “It's a chance to diversity and to expand
export markets.” “We will share the progress of Korea’s e-government
innovations and provide full support to Korean companies in Belarus to ensure
their success.” From http://www.korea.net/
05/02/2017 ICT Ministry Expected to Remain Intact South Korea’s new President Moon Jae-in is expected to keep
intact the current Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, a unit
symbolic of ousted President Park Geun-hye’s administration. In 2013, the ICT
Ministry was set up with much fanfare by Park, emphasizing the creative
economy, although the drive was criticized as lacking progress. Contrary
to speculations that the ministry might be divided or dismantled, Moon is not
likely to make a significant change in the organization. “It is not right to
get rid of a ministry and create a new one whenever a new administration is
formed. It is better to have continuity,” the president said during a meeting
with the media at the end of April. “The new government needs to have a
control tower (for the governance of ICT). The current ICT Ministry will have
that function,” he added. He also said earlier that he would change the
current Small and Medium Business Administration into the Small, Medium and
Startup Business Ministry. From http://www.koreaherald.com
05/10/2017 |
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SINGAPORE: To Train 10,000 Public Servants with Data Science in
Next Five Years The National University of Singapore (NUS) will provide data science
training to public servants under a five-year Memorandum of Intent signed
with the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) on Wednesday.
The two parties plan to train 2,000 public officers annually for five years.
GovTech chief executive Jacqueline Poh said increased adoption of data
science in the public sector will transform the way the government delivers
services to the public. "We are glad to partner NUS, which will help us
put this tool into the hands of 10,000 public officers over the next five
years, and educate them to use it effectively," Poh added. NUS and
GovTech will also cooperate to work in the areas of technological innovation,
specifically manpower and capability development, for the benefit of public
sector agencies, GovTech said in its press release. Other areas of
collaboration include knowledge sharing to co-create solutions in the aspects
of cyber security and artificial intelligence. GovTech and NUS will also form
a GovTech-NUS Exchange Program and provide opportunity for staff to work in
each other's organization, the press release said. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
03/29/2017 THAILAND: Court Judgements Soon Accessible Online LITIGANTS WHO have cases in the Administrative Courts will soon
be able to ask for the judgements online or with a mobile application.
Krairat Ngeywichit, secretary-general of the Office of the Administrative
Courts, said an “e-court” system was under development to improve the
convenience of litigants and of the courts themselves. The office has signed
a memorandum of understanding with the Electronic Transactions Development
Agency (ETDA) on the use of electronic-signature technology so that court
verdicts or administrative orders can be made in electronic form. Under the
project, an e-court documentation system will be designed to support the use
of information technology to enhance the efficiency of the Office of the
Administrative Courts. Legislation is pending to enable the use of court
e-documents. After that, the office expects to begin providing judgements to
litigants online within the next couple of months, and the same service
should be available via a mobile application by the end of this year. Moreover, the office ultimately plans to provide court orders,
issue summonses, and submit litigation documents in digital format. It will
also provide digital files to support the judgements of the courts. Krairat
said the office had focused on the development of electronic court systems to
keep up with the digital age. The use of IT would speed up the management of
court cases. It is another way to build credibility, faith and good public
understanding of the Thai justice system, he said. Surangkana Wayuparp,
executive director of the ETDA, said the agency had conducted research to
develop e-document formats based on international standards. The Trusted
e-Document Authority (TeDA) has been developed to support the creation and
storage of electronic documents (e-archive and record management), covering
electronic signatures and e-time stamping. This complies with the
requirements of the Electronic Transaction Act. This system can be used as a
model for other government agencies wanting to shift to electronic documents
reduce paper usage and facilitate the rapid and reliable provision of public
services. From http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
03/08/2017 Government Officials to Be Trained in Digital Technology Government officials nationwide will be trained on digital
technology as part of the government’s ambition to turn the country into a
digital based economy. Representatives who attended a special lecture
delivered by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha have signed up to drive
the training. Prayut said the country is moving forward amid global dynamics
and digital technology is a key to drive it. Prayut said he had instructed
the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to proceed with the plan, so that
government officials would be better equipped with technology. Government
agencies and officials must change so that they can work in line with the
changes and make use of the technology the most, he said. In the next five years,
he said, the Thai government would become “the digital based government”. From http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
03/08/2017 VIETNAM: HCM City to Publicise Pollution Data Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City will publish air and water quality
indexes on 48 electronic screens across the city, starting later this month,
according to the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
To be released on a monthly basis, they will also be available on the
websites of the department and its Environmental Protection Agency and Center
for Environmental Monitoring and Analysis, Vietnam News Agency reported
Tuesday. The indexes will include concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon
dioxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and dust. The water quality indexes will
include acidity (pH), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD),
and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). The data for the indexes will be
collected by 16 automatic monitoring stations to be set up at industrial
parks, export processing zones and other places around the city. Main causes
of poor-quality air in the city are vehicle exhaust, burning of waste,
construction, and industrial production. From http://news.xinhuanet.com
03/15/2017 Gov’t Launches Website to Receive Administrative Feedback Citizens can now voice opinions on mechanisms, policies and administrative
procedures to the Government on website nguoidan.chinhphu.vn, Minister and
head of the Government Office Mai Tiến Dũng said on Monday. It is a new
interactive information channel between the Government and the citizens,
directed by Minister Dũng himself with an aim to actualise the Government and
the Prime Minister’s determination to develop an innovative Government to
serve citizens, he said at a meeting with the press. The website is
accessible on computers and mobile devices with internet connection, he said,
adding that citizens can send, track their opinions and receive responses
from the Government on unrealistic and asynchronous mechanisms, policies,
administrative procedures and unethical behaviour of government officials in
completing administrative procedures. The Government’s concerned agencies and
responsible authorities will receive and respond to feedback based on their
fields and take into consideration proposals and initiatives that aim to
improve and develop the national administrative system, he said. “Notably, citizens and enterprises can
evaluate and rate authorities’ responses to their feedback,” he said. The
Government will listen to every single feedback and opinion from citizens, he
said, adding that the Government Office will take the responsibility of
instructing, supervising and reminding ministries, sectors and local
authorities to process and respond to citizens’ feedback. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
04/04/2017 Vietnam to Follow ‘Digital
India’, Seeks Cooperation on E-governance Vietnam wants to start its own ‘Digital India’ campaign in their
country and has sought India’s help in the areas of e-governance and cyber
security. Both the countries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
whereby Vietnam is planning to emulate many digital initiatives of the Indian
government in their country. A Vietnamese delegation led by the country’s
information and communication minister Truong Minh Tuan met Union IT minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad in Delhi. “Vietnam would like to tap into the experience
of India in the delivery of digital services, law management and cyber
security as this will help in the economic development of the country,” Tuan
told media, adding that the IT sector contributes to 25% of Vietnam’s GDP.
Vietnam is also planning to build smart cities on the concept of ‘Smart City
Mission’ of India. It will train its officers on e-governance with the help
of India. Tuan also invited Indian businesses to open their offices in
Vietnam. “Aptech and NIIT are already present in Vietnam and is closely
working to develop IT training centres in the country. Aptech has already
built one,” Tuan added. Around six lakh people are already working on several
digital initiatives in Vietnam. IT
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad proposed building up of platforms such as common
service centres and also offered a cooperation with National Institute of
Electronics and Information Technology (NIELET) to provide basic courses on
cyber security. The minister also suggested a collaboration between India’s
National Knowledge Network and Vietnam’s VinaREN in areas of high-performance
computing, e-learnings, telemedicine, weather forecast, cyber security,
biodiversity and big data. Vietnam has a population of 90 million and nearly
70% of its people are on the internet. And, nearly 90% of all its computers
are connected to the web. The south-east Asian country joined a number of
others, including the US, Japan, South Korea, the UK, Canada, Australia,
Malaysia, Singapore and Uzbekistan, that have favoured India’s Digital India
and e-governance initiatives. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/06/2017 Online Parliamentary Network Introduced in HÀ Nội An ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) online internal
network (AIPA Connect) was introduced to member parliaments at a meeting in
Hà Nội on Thursday. Vice Chairman
of the National Assembly Office, Đỗ Mạnh Hùng, said at the meeting that the
network would help AIPA members share knowledge and information, improving
their information management, policy studies and consultation processes.
Conferences on AIPA Connect have been held for specialists from member
nations to exchange ideas and learn from each other’s experience in
information technology, he said. Bernardo Agawin Jr., regional advisor to the
German Agency for International Development Co-operation (GIZ) and AIPA
technical support coordinator, said the meeting aimed to foster AIPA
connections by encouraging the use of the new internal network. The meeting
also looked into integrating the network into each member parliament, setting
priorities for users, collecting feedback on difficulties facing users and
providing solutions to technical obstacles, he said. Director of the National
Assembly Office’s IT Centre, Lê Hoàng Hải, briefed the meeting on IT
applications in the office with regard to organisation, human resources,
legal framework and technical infrastructure. He also introduced orientations
to using the network as well as its major features. The NA Office had last
June held the third conference on AIPA Connect in HCM City. It had sent IT
specialists to the conferences as well as IPA Connect-related training
courses jointly organised by the AIPA Secretariat and the GIZ. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
04/21/2017 |
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BANGLADESH: IT Ministry-- National Assembly
Panel Approves Rs 2.56 Billion Outlay Under PSDP The
National Assembly Standing Committee on Ministry of Information Technology
and Telecommunication (MoIT) approved a total outlay of Rs 2.56 billion under
the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for fiscal year 2016-17
against Rs 922.804 million earmarked for the current financial year. The
standing committee meeting, chaired by Captain Muhammad Safdar (r),
thoroughly discussed the proposals prepared for fiscal year 2016-17, in
respect to MoIT and its attached departments and sent to the Committee on
Information Technology for consideration and recommendations. The
proposed layout of PSDP for fiscal year 2016-17 is Rs 2.56 billion for 20
schemes relating to IT & Telecom sectors include 11 old/ongoing and nine
new projects. The ministry proposed Rs 1.33 billion for 9 new schemes: (i) IT
capacity building of federal government employees (NITB)-Rs 20 million, (ii)
replication of e-health services at federally administrative hospitals
(NITB)-Rs 20 million, (iii) research studies and up-gradations for ICT
industry- Rs 51 million, (iv) IT industry support programs (PSEB)-Rs 37.264
million, (v) expansion of broadband internet services in AJ&K Phase-II
(SCO)-Rs 44.4 million, (vi) expansion of broadband internet services in GB
Phase-II (SCO)-Rs 32.5 million, (vii) replacement of GSM network of AJ&K
-Rs 580 million, (viii) provision of seamless GSM coverage along KKH for
proposed Gwadar-Kashghar economic corridor in Gilgit-Baltistan GB (SCO)-Rs
489 million and (ix) feasibility study and consultancy for development of
Information Technology (IT) park at Karachi-Rs 58.287 million. From http://www.brecorder.com
03/05/2016 INDIA:
Taking eGovernance to Level Next With a view to giving fur- ther push to the digital initiatives
in the State, so as to bring more gov- ernment services to the citizens’ doorsteps,
the Government has under- taken several projects in different areas, which
are in various stages of implementation. They include: AGRISNET is a mission
mode project under National e-Governance Plan of Government of India,
Department of Agriculture & Co- operation. The Ministry of Agriculture
has decided to launch a Central Sector Scheme titled ‘Strengthening /
Promoting Agricultural Informatics & Communications’ of which one
component is AGRISNET. The Department of Agriculture, Punjab has initiated to
introduce eGovernance by leveraging ICT to provide agriculture related
information or data and to improve upon its functioning in order to bring
efficiency, transparency and accountability. The project is currently in the
advance stage of final- ising Project Consultant. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has cleared creation
of a ‘National Optical Fibre Network’ (NOFN) with an investment of Rs 20, 000
crore that would provide broadband connectivity to all village panchayats in
three years. The Telecom Commission (DoT) decision- making arm has approved
the project that will be funded through the Universal Service Obli- gation
(USO) Fund. The funding for the broad- band network will come from the USO
fund; the USO fund has a balance of Rs 16,000 crore. A World Bank study
revealed that a 10 per cent increase in broadband connectivity helps in
pushing the GDP growth by 1.4 per cent. Once completed, the optic fibre
network will help bring various electronic and Internet-based initiatives of
the government to the people living in the remotest corner of the country. In
State of Punjab, NOFN will provide connectivity to more than 12000 Gram
Panchayats (GPs) of the State. This would ensure broadband connectivity with
adequate bandwidth till the village level. NOFN shall be a 365×24 reliable,
robust, scalable and available IP capable network to ensure continuous
availability of services. In the first phase connectivity shall be provided
to 5000 villages. NOFN will help the government implement its various eGovernance
initiatives such as e-health, e-banking and e-education,facilitating
inclusive growth. NOFN will enable effective and faster implementation
of various mission mode e-governance projects as well as delivery of a whole
range of electronic services by the private sector to citizens in rural
areas. Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry Of
Commerce & Industry, Government of India is currently implement- ing the
eBiz Mission Mode Project under the National eGovernance Plan (NeGP) in the
coun- try. The project envisions transforming the business environment by
provid- ing efficient, convenient, transparent and integrated electronic
services online through a single window to the investor, industries and
businesses in the areas of information on forms and procedures, licences
payments and compliances through- out the life cycle of a business or
industry. The core theme of eBiz lies in radical shift in the Government
Service Delivery approach, from being department-centric to customer-centric.
Initially 24 services have been offered to various departments in the First
Phase of project. The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP),
Ministry of Commerce & Industry, is currently implementing the eBiz
Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP). The
Core theme of eBiz lies in radi- cal shift in the Governments’ services
delivery approach from being department-centric to customer-centric. Project
will facilitate single window delivery of services to investors and
businesses throughout the business life cycle. The DIPP has decided to extend
this project to Punjab immediately and currently it is in the initial stage
of dialogue. “eGovernance in Municipalities” is a unique initiative of the
government of India conceptualised under the umbrella of the overall National
e-Governance Plan (NeGP) aimed at improv- ing operational efficiencies within
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). It has been observed that presently there is very
limited or no computerisation across ULBs in different States. There is very
limited or non-existent staffs with IT know-how. There is lack of
standardisation of processes and processes are primarily operated in a manual
mode. This MMP is one with significant citizen interaction, given that municipalities
provide a large number of basic services for millions of citizen living in
urban centres across the Nation. In Punjab, Local Government Department has
initiated this project to deliver end-to-end ser- vices to its citizens in a
citizen-centric way with high levels of accountability and transparency in
its service delivery supported by a high degree of efficiency and
effectiveness in the department’s internal operations. The project is in the
process of selection of implementing agency. NeGP, in its last Apex Committee
meeting included “Education” as a new MMP. The proj- ect is in the
initial stage of conception. As a first step in conceptualizing the scheme in
the area of Education, the Department of School Edu- cation & Literacy
initiated the process of con- sultations with stakeholders for framing Core
Scope Document. The core focus of deliverable services to its stakeholders
such as students, parents, partners, State Govt. NISG has been selected as a
consultant for the preparation of Core Scope Document The Apex Committee for the National eGovernance Plan (NeGP)
chaired by Cabinet Secretary has approved the inclusion of Health as a
Mission Mode Project (MMP) under the NeGP. ICT for programme management has
been undertaken by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in the Mother
and Child Tracking System (MCTS) programme and the Ministry envisages a more
comprehensive use of ICT including for Hospital Information Systems, supply
chain management for drugs and vaccines, providing ICT tools to ASHA and ANM
workers, programme management of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), etc.
through this MMP. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is the nodal
Ministry for the design, development and implementation of the MMP.
Currently, a study to identify the priorities and scope of the MMP is
underway. The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is an important
social safety net for the poor. To improve efficiency and effectiveness
of the entire system, the Department of Food & Public Distribution,
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, GoI, has embarked
upon an eGovernance initiative involving computerisation of TPDS. For
achieving end-to-end Computerisation of TPDS, the Department of Food
& Public Distribution, Government of India has identified 4 key
components which are required to be implemented in all the States/UTs as
below: 1.
Creation & Management of
digitised Beneficiary Database 2.
Supply-Chain Management of TPDS
commodities from Food Corporation of India (FCI) till Fair Price Shops (FPS) 3.
Sale of TPDS commodities at
Fair Price Shops including identification and authentication of beneficiaries
and recording of transactions. 4.
Transparency and Grievance
Redressal Mechanism For PDS Punjab For PDS Punjab is the torch bearer in initiating the Biometric
based Authentication Services with Food and Civil Supplies Department
established as the state level Authentication User Agency (AUA).
Authentication Service Agency (ASA) setup has also been completed. State is
working on the PDS project using this Aadhaar authentication framework
through PoS devices at Fair Price Shops to address issues of inefficiency,
wastage and pilferage. The digitisation of Ration Card data has been
completed and field verification and seeding of Aadhaar to Ration Cards is
being done on ground leveraging technology as well as administrative
proficiency. From http://egov.eletsonline.com 03/09/2016 Modi
Advocates Use of IT for
Speedy Delivery of Justice
From www.siliconindia.com
04/05/2017 E-governance Through e-Nagarpalika in Madhya Pradesh
The state government of
Madhya Pradesh has launched a new portal ‘e-nagarpalika’ to provide
e-governance to its citizens. Through this digital platform, all
municipalities and corporations across MP have been connected online
providing easy access of government services to people.UST Global, a US-based
leading digital technology services company has partnered with the MP
government to usher in a new era of good governance, accelerated economic
growth, and inclusive social development. Around 378 urban local bodies
including 16 Municipal Corporations, 98 Municipal Councils and 264 Nagar
Panchayats have been connected through e-Nagarpalika.People can avail
services like birth, death and marriage registration, request for litter and
debris collection, evidence certificate for insurance claims and requests for
fire extinguishing services, septic tank cleaning, sewerage cleaning, tree
cutting, water tanker, ambulance, mobile toilet, funeral van and grievance
registration and tracking on the portal.e-Nagarpalika can be accessed through
a mobile app, internet, call centre, SMS and a citizen facilitation center.
From governance perspective, e-Nagarpalika will include financial accounting
management, budget, property tax process, water charges, project systems,
asset management, procurement and material management, HR and payroll, real
estate management, employee self service.e-Nagarpalika will serve as a single
platform for linking seven smart cities, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and
Urban Transformation (AMRUT) planned by the MP government. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/06/2017 Gujarat Transport Department Goes Hi-tech with a New Mobile App
In sync with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India
dream, the Gujarat State Road and Transport Corporation (GSRTC) has launched
a mobile app to provide facilities online. Commuters can now book advance
tickets online through this app. The GSRTC Official Ticket Booking app allows
the passengers to track the buses plying on different routes, seat
availability, departure and arrival time etc. They will get the notifications
and details on their mobile once they book their tickets through this
application. Therefore, printed tickets will not be required for travelling. “It
is a very useful and convenient app for the users. Even a newcomer can easily
learn to operate it. It is country’s first GPS based app by any state
transport corporation where you can track your bus,” said Principal Secretary
of Gujarat Transport Department, Vipul Mittra. The app was launched by the
Gujarat’s Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar. Vipul Mittra, Principal
Secretary of Transport Department and Vijay Nehra, Managing Director, GSRTC
were also present on the occasion. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/06/2017 New Motor Vehicle Bill Promises
e-Governance in Transport Sector Ensuring 100 per cent e-governance in the transport sector, the
Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016 bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha.
Seeking to amend the 30-year-old Motor Vehicle Act 1988, it calls for maximum
liability for third party insurance at Rs 10 lakh in case of death in a motor
accident, and compensation of Rs 5 lakh for grave injuries. To erase the
corruption in the transport sector new provisions have been added in the bill
to check bogus driving licenses and vehicle thefts, slapping heavy penalty on
traffic violators and protecting the good Samaritan. In case of death in
hit-and-run accidents, the bill provides for eight-fold increase in
compensation to Rs 2 lakh.“We will have to bring online governance to put an
end to the corruption. Corruption would not be tolerated and we are firm on
this. Even as a minister I would not be able to obtain driving licence
sitting at home,” said Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari,
reported The Hindustan Times. The bill seeks to make services like issuance
of licences totally transparent and online. There is also a provision of
punishment for transport officials in case of delay in issuance of the
document to eligible applicants. After the new law is implemented, everyone
including the VIPs have to visit the Regional Transport Office to get the
driver’s licence licence. RTOs have to deliver driving licence in maximum
three days, failing which action will be taken against them. Learner’s
licence can be availed online without the need to visit the RTO office.
Driving licence will also be linked to the Aadhaar. From http://smartcity.eletsonline.com
04/19/2017 Data Stored on Cloud Must
Remain Within the Country The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has issued guidelines
according to which, all the data stored on the Cloud technology must remain
within the country.MeitY has issued new guidelines for government departments
using cloud computing technology.“The terms and conditions of the Empanelment
of the Cloud Service Provider has taken care of this requirement by stating
that all services including data will be guaranteed to reside in India,” the
guidelines said.The cloud computing service enables its user to hire or use
software, storage, servers as per requirement instead of purchasing the whole
system, reported the livemint.comMeity has empanelled 11 companies for
providing cloud computing services to government departments which include
Microsoft Corp., Hewlett Packard, IBM India ,Tata Communications, Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), Net Magic IT Services, Sify Technologies and CtrlS
Data Centers.Cloud computing can help government departments expand capacity
of their IT system as per need and even for short period and quickly start
any online service.“The CSP’s part in this shared responsibility includes
providing its services on a highly secure and controlled platform and
providing a wide array of security features customers can use. The
departments’ responsibility includes configuring their IT environments in a
secure and controlled manner for their purposes,” the guideline said. The
guidelines on cloud computing follows MeghRaj Policy (cloud policy) to
provide strategic direction for adoption of cloud services by the
government.The aim of the cloud policy is to realise a comprehensive vision
of a government cloud (GI Cloud) environment available for use by central and
state government line departments, districts and municipalities to accelerate
their ICT-enabled service improvements.As per the guidelines, both cloud service
provider (CSP) and government department will have to share responsibility
for the managing services provisioned using cloud computing facility. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/21/2017 Puducherry Moves Towards
e-Governance In line with the Digital India drive of the central government,
the Puducherry government has developed an e-office software programme that would
be implemented in all the government departments of the Union
Territory.Developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the programme
will be set up in five departments initially including the
Secretariat.“E-governance is aimed at ushering in more efficient, effective
and transparent inter-government transactions and processes,”said Secretary
to Department of Information Technology D Manikandan in conversation with
India Today.Around 250 officers will be given special training for the
programme. The innovative system will ensure paperless, efficient and
transparent governance.The territorial government has also proposed to
establish free Wi-Fi connectivity in 14 government-run colleges in the Union
Territory, using funds under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)
scheme.Telecom providers have been asked to provide this Wi-Fi connectivity
under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme.Railtel Corporation
of India has agreed to provide free Wi-Fi at the Legislative Assembly and
also at the local Railway station. From http://smartcity.eletsonline.com
04/21/2017 SRI LANKA: Exploring Digital
Identity Council for Citizen Data Sri Lanka seeks to establish a Digital Identity Council to
implement the national policy on collection, storage, sharing and use of
citizens’ personal data under the proposed centralized Household Transfer
Management project.In 2015, the cabinet authorized ICTA to facilitate
implementation of the centralized Household Transfer Management project.The
project aims to establish a National Digital Identifier and National Digital
Transaction platform where data including biometric information of citizens
would be stored and shared with government organizations through a National
Authentication Platform.Since this platform should be managed with the
highest level of trust, proper governance and policy framework, it has been
proposed to set up a Digital Identity Council.Cabinet approval has granted to
draft the amendments required for the existing ICT Act in order to facilitate
setting up and operation of a Digital Identity Council.Once the draft
amendment is approved by the cabinet, the bill will be presented to
Parliament for approval.The legal framework for the ICT policies to be
adopted by the Cabinet is established through the Information and
Communication Technology Act, No.27 of 2003 amended by the Amendment Act,
No.33 of 2008. From http://www.lankabusinessonline.com
04/10/2017 |
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AFGHANISTAN: Modeling Korean E-Gov't A group of Afghan government officials has visited Korea to
learn about how online government services work in the country. The 13-member
delegation talked with representatives from the Ministry of the Interior on
Feb. 28 to seek ways to put in place an e-government system in Afghanistan
that is similar to the existing one in Korea. At the talks, the Afghan
delegation called on the Korean government to share more e-government related
skills and to provide more training programs for Afghan officials. The two
sides vowed to work together to establish a stable e-government system in the
South Asian country by making government websites more modern and by boosting
the capabilities of government officials. During their time in Korea, the
delegation will attend educational programs and talk about a possible set of
platforms that could deal with government and public affairs online,
including Korea's National Computing and Information Service, an integrated
management system that handles information resources at each government body,
and its On-Nara BPS System, a system that has computerized all the processes
of government and public affairs, such as policies and civil petitions. The
Afghan officials will visit several facilities that run such e-government
systems, like the Korea Public Finance Information Service, which manages the
government’s financial activities, the Incheon Airport Immigration Office,
and the Future Healthcare Exhibition, where visitors can get hands-on
experiences with digital healthcare services based on advanced IT. “We will
spare no effort to share with our Afghan friends our know-how on running an
e-government, so that the country will be able to innovate the way in which
it runs its own government. We also hope that both countries will further
increase exchanges in this sector,” said an official from the Ministry of the
Interior. From http://www.korea.net/
03/02/2017 AZERBAIJAN: Customs Committee Fully Electronizes Its Services in
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee completely has shifted to
the electronic system of rendering services, Aydin Aliyev, Head of the State
Customs Committee (SCC), said during his speech at the Caspian Energy Forum –
2017 held in Baku on April 12. Global economic crisis, oil prices’ fall and
the devaluation of manat facilitated reforms aimed at developing non-oil
sector and diversifying the country’s economy under the leadership of the
President of Azerbaijan, he added. "The reforms concerned the customs
sphere as well. Currently, the sphere of customs services is electronized for
100 percent in Azerbaijan. We are creating conditions for the operation of
green corridors. Ten organizations from the main importing countries may
already use green corridors on our initiative. The improvement of the legal
framework is continuing, the program for the development of domestic
production has been launched," he said. Aliyev also recalled the introduction
of the Tax-Free system at border points and airports. "At the time,
foreign tourists leaving the country can freely get VAT on purchases in
Azerbaijan back, which has a positive effect on the development of the
tourism sector," he added. Moreover, the customs payments to the state
budget of Azerbaijan have increased, according to the head of Customs
Committee. "In the first quarter of the year, 571 million manats was
transferred to the state budget, which is 154 million manats more than the
figure for the three months of last year. Thus, the forecasts for deductions
are fulfilled in excess of those expected," Aliyev concluded. The forecast on transfers on customs
duties and taxes has been set at 2.2 billion manats ($ 1.35 billion) for
2017, which is 21.5 percent more than the forecast for 2016. From http://www.azernews.az/
04/12/2017 UZBEKISTAN: Reforming Internal
Affairs An integrated action program was approved in Uzbekistan to
reform the country’s internal affairs agencies under the President Shavkat
Mirziyoyev’s decree "On measures to radically increase the efficiency of
the internal affairs bodies’ activity, strengthening their responsibility for
ensuring public order, protection of the rights, freedoms and legitimate
interests of citizens.” The decree states that the work of internal affairs
agencies should be aimed at rendering timely and qualitative assistance to the
population. Under the decree, tasks and functions of subdivisions of internal
affairs bodies should be clearly defined and organizational structure should
be optimized. Another priority will be to improve the legal culture of all
segments of the population, instill respect for the law and intolerance to
any manifestations of violations of the law. The system of training,
retraining and professional advancement of employees of internal affairs
bodies will also be revised and improved. From
http://en.trend.az/
04/11/2017 Information Technology Ministry Announces Journalist Contest Uzbekistan’s information technologies and communications
ministry announced a journalist contest titled ‘Hamkor juranlist’ and focused
on ICT. The contest is aimed at
promoting ICT and e-government projects, raising public awareness about new
technologies, and supporting media.
Journalists from Uzbekistan’s state and private media are invited to
submit analytical and critical materials in Uzbek and Russian that will be
submitted from 15 April until 25 August this year. Interested journalists can apply via
the ministry’s press service. The
criteria include: relevance, coverage, and style. The three best journalists will be
given diplomas, memorable statuettes, and prizes: a notebook (1st place), a
tablet (2nd place), and a smartphone (3rd place). The journalists will be awarded in
September, at the ICT Week. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
04/12/2017 |
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AUSTRALIA: No Involvement in Robo-Debt System, Says ATO Officials from the Australian Taxation Office are unhappy about
the fact that their employer is being linked to Centrelink over the automated
debt recovery programme launched by the latter in December.Senior ATO
officials told a Senate Estimates committee looking into the debt recovery
effort that all the tax office had done was to hand over taxpayers' data to
the Human Services Department.The data had then been used by Centrelink in
its debt recovery programme, the officials said, Fairfax Media reported.Thousands
of Centrelink letters were sent to Australians before Christmas, informing
them that their earnings were at variance with what they had declared to the
ATO.They were given up to three weeks to explain, or face an adverse
assessment and have to pay a recovery fee of 10%. The extent of inefficiency
in government ranks can be judged by the fact that Human Services Minister
Alan Tudge himself expressed surprise when told of this recovery fee. Some letters dealt with payments made six years ago and even
earlier. The Centrelink website itself asks people to keep pay slips for six
months.During Wednesday's hearing, the committee was told that only $24
million, of the nearly $300 million that had been claimed by Centrelink from
welfare recipients, had been repaid in nearly two months, with some
repayments being as little as $5 weekly.Despite this, Department of Human
Services Secretary Kathryn Campbell said there was no intention of stopping
the debt recovery programme.She claimed the biggest challenge in the
programme was a the welfare recipients' "failure to engage".
Changes to the programme would include using registered mail, simpler
language and a better online log-in system."The view of the department
is that there are a number of refinements that needed to be made, those
refinements are being made, and that the system should continue," she
said. Australian Council of Social Services chief executive Cassandra Goldie
told the committee that the programme was an abuse of power."The impact
of this robo-debt system, as it has come to be known, has been to cause
extensive distress and suffering right across the community with thousands of
people affected," Dr Goldie said."In the lead-up to this programme
being unleashed there was a perception created that if you do not comply, you
may go to jail."We believe the actions of the government have culminated
in creating a serious climate of fear around this programme." From https://www.itwire.com 03/09/2017 Australian CIOs Increasing Big Data Budgets in 2017: Telsyte Big data and analytics now rival CRM and marketing automation
for share of software budget, according to new research from analyst firm
Telsyte. Australian enterprises are increasing their investment in big data
in 2017, according to new research from analyst firm Telsyte. Of the 269 ICT
decision makers who participated in the Telsyte Australian Big Data &
Analytics Market Study 2017, 83 percent said they were planning to invest more
on hardware, software, and services to boost their big data analytics
capability in 2017. Intention to use big data analytics were found to be high
across a range of applications including: financial modelling; customer
interaction; security and fraud detection; retail sales and ecommerce; and
the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine infrastructure. Telsyte claims big data and analytics are now "in the same
league" as CRM and marketing automation for share of software budget, coinciding
with growing demand for high volume data processing and real-time
intelligence. The main benefits CIOs are looking to derive from big data and
analytics are improved productivity, decision making, and product and service
development, which Telsyte claims is the number one business priority for
Australian ICT decision-makers. While more than half of Australian CIOs
expect a five or more fold increase in the number of IoT devices in their
enterprise within the next five years, the lack of a big data strategy was
found to be a hindrance to IoT adoption in one in four enterprises.
"Just collecting and processing data is half the story. Australian
business leaders must use real-time analytics to gain business value from
data and transform their decision-making from reactive to proactive,"
said Rodney Gedda, senior analyst at Telsyte. The main barriers to mainstream adoption of big data, according
to Telsyte, include software costs, lack of in-house skills, and IT
infrastructure requirements. A study by Telsyte published in November last
year indicates a greater uptake of emerging technologies among Australian
enterprises. 3D printing was found to be gaining traction among enterprises,
with 24 percent using it or having exploratory projects in place. The study
also found that one in three enterprises intend to use robotics, while 25
percent of organisations with more than 500 employees are already using
robotic process automation. Augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR)
were also found to be of high interest, with 57 percent of enterprises
currently using or intending to use AR/MR technology. Meanwhile, 22 percent
of enterprises have IoT programs or pilot programs in production, while 29
percent have IoT devices and a strategy, but nothing in operation. From http://www.zdnet.com 03/16/2017 Innovation Department Hunts Cyber Advisory Package for
Australian SMEs The department has published a request for tender seeking a provider
to develop a cybersecurity-focused package for advisors to drum in the
importance of protecting assets to Australian SMEs.The Department of
Industry, Innovation and Science has gone to tender to find a provider to
develop a package to help Australian small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs)
understand and tackle cybersecurity.The department is after a supplier to
design, develop, and deliver cybersecurity-focused materials for business
advisors to motivate Australian SMEs, while still adhering to their responsibility
under the Business Evaluation (BE) process -- a service under the Business
Management element of the Entrepreneurs' Programme. "Although Australian
SMEs account for almost 70 percent of all employment in Australia, they do
not always have the resources to manage specialist areas of business activity
-- including cybersecurity -- and the role of business advisers is to engage
with them on their continued performance," the RFT explains. The RFT is asking for cybersecurity materials to be written in
"nontechnical" language that can be absorbed by business advisors
and owners of SMEs with little or no IT or cybersecurity understanding.The
materials must provide advisors with an enhanced capability to assess the
relevance and impact of cybersecurity when working with SMEs, the RFT states.
The training materials must also reflect the BE Framework, the Action Plan
fundamentals -- described as a deliverable from the BE that business advisors
write and deliver to SMEs which includes recommendations for improvements --
and the scope for a "quality action".The department is asking for
an online diagnostic, described as 15-20 minute questionnaire that allows
SMEs to self-assess their cybersecurity risk and maturity, and be alerted to
any red flags for the business.It is expected to highlight to SMEs the value
of data they have access to and are responsible for, and the impact a
cybersecurity incident involving this data could have. The RFT also asks for a business advisor cybersecurity
diagnostic, which is essentially a more detailed version of the SME-targeted
one and is expected to assist advisors in formulating a cybersecurity action
plan.The department wants to see examples of where a respondent has
implemented such materials elsewhere, as well as hear of case studies that
can be used to train business advisors on the importance of cyber
resiliency.The successful recipient of the six-month government contract will
also be required to train business advisors via an online webinar and
face-to-face workshop."Cash flow can make or break a business. If it is
invested it can grow, and if its pervasiveness goes unchecked it can leak.
Data is no different," the RFT explains."Investing in the digital
mesh across suppliers, customers, and interconnected equipment can support
growth, and data leakage leads to theft and sabotage by those who see the
value. "This valuing of data requires a profound shift in how we
do business and the need to improve cybersecurity to protect data; global
value chains are increasingly a function of dollars and data, and the need to
speak a trusted digital language will quickly create winners and
losers."Earlier this month, Assistant Minister for Digital
Transformation Angus Taylor criticized the procurement method currently in
place for lower cost government projects, highlighting that the panel process
has been a big barrier to smaller, innovative companies getting access to
government opportunities. The assistant minister explained that often panels are being
used by government for projects that lie within the AU$80,000 to AU$5 million
bracket, as they have previously not been large enough to require a
customised solution, or large enough that provider selection warrants
intervention from government.Taylor explained this spend bracket is also the
sweet spot for SMEs, as generally the projects can be turned around quickly,
and allow for a single technology solution to a problem that is reasonably
digestible."We know that by increasing our spend on SMEs we can create a
whole industry in this country. An allocation of 10 percentage points more of
our IT spend -- of AU$9 billion -- to SMEs will be one of the biggest
investments in innovation in this country's history," Taylor said. From http://www.zdnet.com 03/31/2017 Governments Lag in Spending on Digital: Survey Organisations in the private and public sectors spend a greater
proportion of their IT budgets on digital initiatives than governments, according
to a global survey. The survey by Gartner also reveals that top-performing
organisations anticipate spending 43% of their IT budgets on digitalisation,
compared with 28% by their government counterparts – and that 33% of
private/public organisations spend more on digitalisation while just 21% of
governments spend on that area. The survey includes the views of 2598 chief
information officers from 93 countries, representing US$9.4 trillion in
revenue or public sector budgets and UUUS$292 billion in IT spending,
including 377 government CIOs in 38 countries. According to Rick Howard,
research vice-president at Gartner, 2016 proved to be a watershed year in
which frustration with the status quo of government was widely expressed by
citizens at the voting booth and in the streets, accompanied by low levels of
confidence and trust about the performance of public institutions. [loadposition peter}"This has to be addressed head on.
Government CIOs in 2017 have an urgent obligation to look beyond their own organisations
and benchmark themselves against top-performing peers within the public
sector and from other service industries. They must commit to pursuing
actions that result in immediate and measurable improvements that citizens
recognise and appreciate." The survey reveals that government CIOs as a
group anticipate a 1.4% average increase in their IT budgets, compared with
an average 2.2% increase across all industries. But, local government CIOs
fare better, averaging 3.5% growth, which is still more than 1% less on
average than IT budget growth among top-performing organisations overall at
4.6%. Gartner says the data is directionally consistent with its benchmark
analytics that indicate average IT spending for state and local governments
in 2016 represented 4% of operating expenses, up from 3.6% in 2015. And for national and international government organisations,
average IT spending as a percentage of operating expenses in 2016 was 9.4%,
up from 8.6% in 2015. "Whatever the financial outlook may be, government
CIOs who aspire to join the group of top performers must justify growth in
the IT budget by clearly connecting all investments to lowering the business
costs of government and improving the performance of government
programmes," Howard said. Looking beyond 2017, Gartner asked respondents
to identify technologies with the most potential to change their
organisations over the next five years. Advanced analytics takes the top spot
across all levels of government (79%) while digital security remains a critical
investment (57%), particularly in defence and intelligence (74%). According
to Gartner, the Internet of Things will clearly drive transformative change
for local governments (68%), whereas interest in business algorithms is
highest among national governments (41%). All levels of government presently
see less opportunity in machine learning or blockchain. From https://www.itwire.com 04/26/2017 StartupAUS Critical of Budget Lack of Focus on Start-ups,
Innovation StartupAUS, Australia's peak advocacy group for start-ups, says
start-ups have “dropped off the radar” in the budget and the government has a
lot to do to deliver on commitments to make Australia one of the best
countries in the world for innovators.The chief executive of StartupAUS, Alex
McCauley, said innovation and entrepreneurship were not major focal points of
the budget.“There clearly isn't a focus on start-ups or innovation in this
budget. That will certainly cause some frustration, because the government
has done a lot to build expectations that it is committed to making Australia
one of the best countries in the world for innovators. It still has a lot of
work to do to deliver on that commitment.“In his budget speech last year, on
the back of the launch of the government’s laudable National Innovation and
Science Agenda, Treasurer Scott Morrison said that ‘harnessing the power of
innovation and entrepreneurship, to create our own ideas boom, lies at the
heart of our plan to support jobs and create growth’. “In this year’s speech, entrepreneurs were not mentioned.
Start-ups seem to have dropped off the radar."Last night the Treasurer
said that 'the signs of an improving global economy are there to see', and
that he saw the 'potential for better days ahead'.“Technology will play a big
role in delivering economic value around the world in coming years – in order
for Australia to benefit we must maintain a strong commitment to supporting
the development of young, high-growth, innovative Australian
businesses."While welcoming the budget’s support for certain segments of
the innovation sector, McCauley said the measures were modest, both in terms
of their budget impact and their overall effect, and innovation and
entrepreneurship were not major focal points.McCauley acknowledged the
government’s new measures in the budget to increase competition and access to
data in the banking sphere, along with taxation reforms for digital
currencies, which he said would help Australian fintech companies.“It also
includes plans to introduce crowd sourced equity funding for proprietary
companies, which is a step forward for start-ups looking to raise crowdfunding.
It's encouraging to see advanced manufacturing attracting additional support,
too.” From https://www.itwire.com 05/10/2017 Government Consulting Industry on Spectrum Reform The federal government has embarked on an industry consultation
process ahead of bringing in changes aimed at reforming Australia’s spectrum
management system, a key part of the country's telecommunications and
communications infrastructure.Communications Minister Mitch Fifield says the
proposed reforms would simplify the regulatory framework to support new and
innovative technologies and services.A consultation package has been released
this week and includes an Exposure Draft of the Radiocommunications Bill and related
papers including broadcasting spectrum and transitional arrangements.The
government has also released consultation papers on government spectrum
holdings and spectrum pricing.According to Fifield, the reform proposals
would involve the undertaking of the “most significant change” to Australian
spectrum management in the last 25 years.The consultation package has been
developed in consultation with the Australian Communication and Media
Authority. The ACMA has prepared supplementary material to assist
stakeholders in better understanding the exposure draft.The proposed reforms
follow the recommendations of the government’s 2015 Spectrum Review
to:Replace the current legislative arrangements with new legislation that
removes prescriptive process and streamlines licensing for a simpler and more
flexible framework;Better integrate the management of public sector and
broadcasting spectrum to improve the consistency and integrity of the
framework; and Review spectrum pricing to ensure consistent and transparent
arrangements to support the efficient use of spectrum and secondary
markets.As part of the consultation process, the Department of Communications
and the Arts will host a series of presentations over the coming weeks to
introduce stakeholders to the Bill and related material. Consultation will
run for six weeks until the end of June and the government says it intends to
present a further Exposure Draft to stakeholders for comment before
finalising the legislation for introduction to Parliament.“Spectrum is
essential to today’s digitally-networked economy and is a major contributor
to Australia’s economic and social wellbeing,” Fifield said.“It is a finite
resource that needs to be managed efficiently. The use of spectrum underpins
many aspects of our daily lives including the use of phones, television, radio and simply checking the
weather.” From https://www.itwire.com 05/19/2017 Govt, Aust Post to Create Online ID System Australia Post and the federal government's Digital
Transformation Agency have agreed to team up and create an online
identification system to make it easier for the public to access the
government's digital services. The two will work to integrate the ID technology
which is used by Australia Post into the Commonwealth’s Digital Identity
Framework. Australia Post managing director and group chief executive Ahmed
Fahour said the partnership reinforced its commitment to helping people
"connect to important government services such as health and community
services". “Our new Digital iDTM platform provides Australians with
greater choice and control in how they prove their identity online,” he said.
Millions of interactions took place with government and private sector
organisations each year eating up time that could be better spent, requiring
at least two or more forms of ID as proof. “Our research shows these
processes cost the Australian economy up to $11 billion a year in proving
identity alone, and can be unlocked by making it easy, safe and secure to
prove that you are who you say you are when interacting online,” Fahour said.
“We envisage an identity solution, like Digital iDTM, could unlock
significant benefits for everyday Australians doing business with
government.” The Commonwealth’s Digital Identity Framework comprises
standards, processes and partnerships to guide formation of a federated
system of identity providers. From https://www.itwire.com 05/22/2017 |
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Microsoft Is Working on Technology to Help the Visually Impaired
Learn to Code Computing has always been a highly visual process, and a great deal
of work has been done on technologies that make PCs and other devices usable
by those with visual impairments. At the same time, the process of
programming computers without perfect eyesight has not received quite as much
attention or made as much headway.That’s exactly what Microsoft Research is
working on with its Project Torino, a physical programming language for
children age 7 to 11 including those with visual disabilities. The system is
aimed at allowing those children to work alongside classmates on coding
classes.The project works by leveraging the recent tendency to introduce
children to coding by using simple tools that let students drag and drop
blocks of commands. These simplified tools let students create simple
programs that accomplish tasks like navigating mazes or moving through space. Project Torino uses beads that plug together in much the same
way as those simplified programming tools. It’s essentially a physical
programming language that can be used to create programs that, for one example,
generate music. Advanced versions allow students to use a digital interface
to move from physical to digital code, allowing advanced students to gain the
foundational computing concepts that can lead to developing mainstream
programming skills.Researchers hope that such initiatives can help bridge the
“digital skills gap” that plague technology companies and leave them with
insufficient engineers and programmers to meet their coding requirements. At
the same time, the visually impaired have difficulty finding career paths
that are both accessible to them and meaningful.Project Torino is intended to
help both groups come together, and leverage the estimated 285 million people
around the globe who are blind or visually impaired. So far, the project is moving
on to an expanded beta trial with close to 100 students, and a curriculum is
being developed to help teachers without coding skills use the Project Torino
concepts to educate their students. From https://www.yahoo.com/ 03/06/2017 Tech Is Leading the Market — And This Stock Could Be the Pick of
the Litter Technology stocks will continue to lead the market, according to
one technical analyst, who specifically recommends buying shares of hot
semiconductor stock Skyworks Solutions. "First off, we're bullish on the
stock market in general, so step one, the question we have to ask ourselves
is, what sector do we want to own? Answer: We think technology," Ari
Wald, Oppenheimer's head of technical analysis, said Wednesday on CNBC's
"Trading Nation." The S&P 500 technology sector in Wednesday
trading hit its highest level back to early 2000; a popular technology-tracking
exchange-traded fund, the XLK, was trading at levels not seen since late
2000. Apple boosted the sector, as it traded at all-time highs on Wednesday
and closed about 1 percent higher. Wald, observing a chart of the XLK
relative to the S&P 500, noted a recent breakout above a consolidation
period that's formed since 2012. Semiconductors, from a technical perspective, stick out to Wald
as a top industry pick within the sector. He noted that yet another breakout
is afoot when measuring the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Sector
Index relative to the technology sector, and sees further strength for
semiconductors as a group within tech. Skyworks Solutions, up nearly 33
percent so far this year, is one of Wald's "favorite ideas" in the
semiconductors space. The chipmaker and Apple supplier on Monday was trading
at levels not seen since mid-2015. "Bit of a rotation idea here. [There
was a] prior period of underperformance, beginning to shift higher, reverse
higher, and I think this is playing the rotation game here within this
leading group," Wald said. Indeed, semiconductors as a group within technology do appear to
have a "much brighter outlook" than perhaps the rest of the tech
sector at this juncture, said Chantico Global CEO Gina Sanchez. She said
certain "super trends" across technology — like companies' shift
toward incorporating artificial intelligence and cloud computing — are
supportive of semiconductor companies. "On the flip side, however, you
have a hardware industry that has largely not really been going anywhere in
terms of innovation and in terms of new products," Sanchez said. Another
potential risk for technology in general involves pending regulatory changes
regarding net neutrality, which could hurt streaming services companies, she
said. Analysts on average give Skyworks Solutions a rating of
"overweight," with a slightly bearish $94.76 price target. The
stock closed slightly higher on Wednesday, at $99.11 per share. From http://www.cnbc.com/ 03/17/2017 Global Survey Reveals the Impact of Declining Trust in the
Internet on E-commerce A new global survey reveals that Internet users are increasingly
concerned about their online privacy, and that 49 percent of users polled say
lack of trust is their main reason for not shopping online.The survey,
conducted by Ipsos and the Centre for International Governance Innovation
(CIGI), in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) and the Internet Society, comes as data breaches and the
reported hacking of elections in several European countries continues to
capture international headlines. The survey results suggest that the
resulting impact on trust is hindering further development of the digital economy.Released
today at the UNCTAD E-Commerce Week in Geneva, the 2017 CIGI-Ipsos Global
Survey on Internet Security &Trustshows that among those worried about
their privacy, the top sources of concern were cybercriminals (82%), Internet
companies (74%) and governments (65%). “The lifeblood of the Internet is trust, and when that is
damaged, the consequences for the digital economy are nearly irreparable,”
said Director of CIGI’s Global Security & Politics program Fen Osler
Hampson. “The results of this global survey offer a glimpse into why
policymakers should be concerned, and why there is a strong link between user
trust and the health of e-commerce,” he said.Lack of trust is most likely to
keep people off e-commerce platforms in the Middle East, Africa and Latin
America, suggesting that the potential gains of e-commerce are not spread
evenly around the globe.The survey also revealed great differences in
e-commerce behavior when it came to how users are purchasing goods online.
For example, in China, India and Indonesia, more than 86 percent of
respondents expect to make mobile payments on their smartphone in the next
year, compared with less than 30 percent in France, Germany and Japan. Even in the digital world, location still matters. Fifty-five
percent of global respondents indicated that they prefer purchasing online
goods and services made in their own country."The survey confirms the
importance of having adequate consumer protection and data protection in
place, areas where many developing countries are lagging behind," said
Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director of UNCTAD’s Division on Technology and
Logistics. “More capacity-building is therefore urgently needed,” she
added.The survey of 24,225 Internet users was conducted by global research
company Ipsos, on behalf of the Centre for International Governance
Innovation (CIGI) between December 23, 2016, and March 21, 2017. The survey
was conducted in 24 countries—Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt,
France, Germany, Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya,
Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sweden,
Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States. “Nearly 50 percent of Internet users surveyed do not trust the Internet
and this lack of trust is affecting the way they use it. The findings of this
year’s CIGI-Ipsos survey underscore the importance of taking action now to
build stronger online trust by addressing users’ concerns and using
technologies such as encryption to secure communications,” said Sally
Wentworth, Vice President of Global Policy for the Internet Society.For more
information and to see additional data collected as part of the 2017
CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey on Internet Security and Trust, visit: www.cigionline.org/internet-survey. From https://www.bsminfo.com/ 04/25/2017 Lack of Trust in Internet Will Impact Digital Economy A global study has shown that internet users are increasingly
concerned about their online privacy. The 2017 (Centre for International
Governance Innovation) Cigi-Ipsos global survey on internet security and
trust, released on Monday at the UN Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) E-Commerce Week in Geneva, examined the views of 24 225 internet
users from December 23 last year to March 21. The survey was conducted in 24
countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong
Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey,
the UK and the US. “Nearly 50% of internet users surveyed do not trust the
internet and this lack of trust is affecting the way they use it. The
findings of this year’s Cigi-Ipsos survey underscore the importance of taking
action now to build stronger online trust by addressing users’ concerns and
using technologies such as encryption to secure communications,” said the vice-president
of Global Policy for Internet Society, Sally Wentworth. The top sources of concern for the users polled were cybercrimi-
nals (82%), internet companies (74%) and governments (65%). The propensity to
use online payment systems on mobile phones varied greatly by country, with
most G-8 countries near the bottom of the list, and emerging economies near
the top. South Africans are 68% more likely to use their phones for online
payments. Trust in the government to act responsibly online also varied, with
Indonesia and India leading the pack. About 39% of South Africans trusted the
government to act responsibly online. “The survey results suggest that the
resulting impact on trust is hindering further development of the digital
economy,” said the researchers. The director of Cigi’s global security and
politics programme, Fen Osler Hampson, said trust was the lifeblood of the
internet, and when that was damaged, the consequences for the digital economy
were nearly irreparable. “The results of this global survey offer a glimpse
into why policymakers should be concerned, and why there is a strong link
between user trust and the health of e-commerce,” he said. Lack of trust is most likely to keep people off e-commerce
platforms in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, suggesting that the
potential gains of e-commerce are not spread evenly around the globe. The
survey also revealed great differences in e-commerce behaviour when it came
to how users are purchasing goods online. “For example, in China, India and
Indonesia, more than 86% of respondents expect to make mobile payments on
their smartphone in the next year, compared with less than 30% in France,
Germany and Japan.” The director of the DUT-based National Electronic Media
Institute of South Africa (Nemisa) KZN e-Skills Colab, Dr Surendra Thakur,
said that potential customers needed “compelling incentives” to use online
interfaces. “Many South Africans prefer to do their interactions in line as
opposed to online because they are afraid of losing out.” He explained that
companies needed to invest in better security measures so that people would
use their sites. “In South Africa, data charges are also an impediment to
people using e-commerce facilities.” From http://www.iol.co.za/ 05/01/2017 EUROPE: Data Market to Grow to EUR 107 bln by 2020 - Study The European market of digital products and services (“EU data
market") is set to almost double in size from EUR 59.5 billion in 2016
to EUR 106.8 billion by 2020, according to the high growth scenario set out
in the latest European Data Market study published by the European
Commission. The study found that 6.16 million people in Europe worked in
data-related jobs in 2016, a figure that’s expected to increase at a compound
average growth rate of 14.1 percent to hit 10.43 million by 2020.According to
the monitoring tool, in 2016 there was a gap between total demand and supply
of data workers of 420,000 unfilled data worker positions in the EU. By 2020,
the EU is forecasted to face a data skills gap corresponding to 769,000
unfilled positions, above all in the large Member States such as Germany and
France.The report added that the EU data industry as a whole comprised
approximately of 255,000 data companies in 2016, a figure that's set to
increase at a CAGR of 8.9 percent to 359,050 by 2020 under the high growth
scenario forecast. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 05/04/2017 Danish Govt Calls for Investment in Staff Digital Competence Digitisation could boost value creation per employee to as much
as DKK 730,000, or DKK 135,000 more than those in the least digitised
businesses, says the Danish Business Ministry. There is great potential in
digital transformation, providing investors and enterprises can attract staff
with the right expertise, said minister Brian Mikkelsen.Danish businesses
have been good at exploiting the first generation of new technology, but are
doing less well in newer areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data
and sensors. More investment is therefore required.Mikkelsen said he looks
forward to receiving the recommendations of the Digital Growth Panel in the
coming week, and later this year, the government’s strategy for digital
growth will be presented. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 05/04/2017 French Telecom Mediator Reports Rise in Disputes in 2016 France’s electronic communication mediator received 12,098
requests to intercede in disputes with operators in 2016, representing an
annual growth of 28 percent. This rise can be partly attributed to the
increased media profile supporting the awareness in the mediator’s role among
French consumers.Overall, 5,575 decisions were issued by the mediator last
year, compared to 3,379 in 2015. The rulings have been accepted by telecom
operators in 98 percent of cases. Just over half (51%) of total disputes
concerned mobile telephony, with the remaining half accounted for by internet
and bundled offers (37%), fibre services (10%) and fixed telephony
(2%).Disputes about contracts increased to take the largest share of
consumers' complaints (28% in 2016 from 26% in 2015), followed by billing
issues (27% down from 30%), technical problems (25% up from 24%) and contract
terminations (20%, roughly unchanged from 2015). From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 04/21/2017 Romanian Smartphone Market Growth to Remain Flat in 2017 Romania's smartphone market is expected to grow by 10 percent to
4.4 - 4.5 million units in 2017, that's similar to the growth seen in 2016,
writes local paper ZiarulFinanciarciting
Samsung Romania's Telecom Equipment division, Cristian
Cojocaru.Samsung's goal is to remain a leader on the smartphone market in the
country with a share of over 40 percent of the market. The annual growth
slowed from 60-70 percent 5-6 year ago in a context in which urban areas are
approaching saturation on the smartphone segment and the segment of users who
are willing to move from a feature phone to a smartphone is reducing
Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus flagship smartphones recently became
available in the country. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 04/03/2017 LATIN AMERICA: Mexico Telecom Investment Up 7.6% to MXN 70 Bln
in 2016 Mexico's telecommunications infrastructure sector received a
total of MXN 70.2 billion (around USD 3.7 billion) in private investment last
year, around 7.2 percent more than the previous year, according to a report
from communications regulator IFT. America Movil was responsible for 51
percent of the sector's infrastructure spend and accounted for 78 percent of
mobile customers plus 57 percent of fixed broadband subscribers. Total operator
revenues came to MXN 456 billion in 2016 (some USD 24 billion), around 2
percent more than in 2015, said the IFT. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 05/12/2017 NORTH AMERICA: Canada - New Internal-Trade Deal Expected to Add
$25 Billion a Year to Economy, Give ‘Home-field Advantage’ After 150 years of squabbling over internal trade, Canadians
finally have a comprehensive internal trade agreement — and they might have Europe
to thank for it.The federal government, 10 provinces and three territories on
Friday in Toronto unveiled the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, a deal that
commits them to remove all internal barriers on trade — except for 144
specific exemptions claimed by one of the 14 member governments. The deal
replaces the 1995 Agreement on Internal Trade, which opened up business only
in the 11 sectors covered in that pact.Government procurement is a big part
of the new deal. Suppliers and service providers can now bid on government
business outside their home provinces.This isn’t a coincidence. The new trade
deal with the European Union, the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade
Agreement, opens government procurement to trans-Atlantic competition. Had
Canada’s internal trade deal failed to open up government procurement,
European bidders would have had better access to bid for Canadian government
contracts. “Without the new Canadian Free Trade Agreement, we could have
seen a circumstance where EU companies were getting greater access to the
Canadian market than homegrown companies,” said Brad Duguid, Ontario’s
minister of economic development and growth, who was chair of the
negotiations. “That just didn’t make sense to any of us.”“This is really
about Canada strengthening its home-field advantage,” said NavdeepBains,
federal minister of innovation, science and economic development. “At the
federal level, we’re making significant investments in infrastructure, $180
billion over the next 10 years. That procurement will be open to all
businesses across the country.”Labour mobility is another big part of the
agreement. Licensed professionals and trades people accredited in one
province, such as engineers or carpenters, will be allowed to work in another
province without having to re-qualify with the local regulator.The agreement
also opens the power generation sector and permits energy utilities to
compete for business across provincial lines. The deal sets up a “negative list” regime in which all trade
moves free unless one of the 14 governments declares an exemption — and the
list is already long. The exemptions — one reporter counted 144 of them —
take up 135 pages or 60 per cent of the 335-page agreement.It will come as
little surprise that alcohol — an item that always comes up in discussions of
Canada’s internal trade barriers — features prominently in the list of
exemptions. Yet the deal does not shut the door to future liberalization. The
deal gives the federal government, provinces and territories one year to come
up with recommendations on how to enhance internal trade on wine, beer, and
spirits.The deal does, however, lay the groundwork for talks to eventually
establish a process to help provinces and territories regulate the trade of
recreational pot. “We’ve seen 100 to 150 years of acrimony and debate about
the availability of alcohol across the country,” said Duguid. “We do have an
opportunity, I believe, to get (marijuana regulation) right from the start.” Other issues are also subject to future talks. At some point in
the next six months, the governments say they’ll discuss how to include
financial services in the deal. Other working groups will tackle outstanding
issues on fisheries and food.Bains said even if there are a lot of
exemptions, they’re outweighed by the general market access. “Everything is
under the spotlight,” he said. “That puts a great deal of pressure on
different jurisdictions to explain why they are looking for certain
exemptions.”Duguid, who until Friday chaired the internal trade negotiations,
said CFTA improves on the 1995 agreement by building greater transparency
into the deal. “In many ways, this turns the old agreement upside down on its
head,” he said. “Any province that has a concern about putting something on
the table has to transparently put that in the agreement. That changes the
whole dynamic. It’s put us in a position where now the entire economy is
covered.”If a recent study by the Bank of Canada is correct, removal of
interprovincial trade barriers within Canada could add between 0.1 and 0.2
percentage points or between $2 billion and $4 billion to the country’s
annual gross domestic product. Duguid was even more optimistic about the
deal’s impact, saying it is expected to add $25 billion a year to the
economy.The central bank also suggests that if the removal of internal trade
barriers is combined with three other big projects, the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, the CETA deal, and the federal government’s infrastructure
spending plan, the total effect could raise real Canadian GDP by 3 to 5 per
cent or up to $100 billion by 2025.
From http://www.ottawacitizen.com/ 04/07/2017 45% of Employees Admit to Unsafe Data Access Practices, Dell
Finds Most employees know how important it is to protect sensitive
enterprise information, but in practice many admit they engage in risky
behavior.That’s the conclusion of a new Dell survey of 2,608 professionals
who handle confidential data at companies with 250 or more employees in eight
countries, including Canada.Nearly two in three employees (65 per cent) agree
it’s their responsibility to protect confidential data, including educating
themselves on possible risks and behaving in a way that protects their
company. But 45 per cent of respondents admitted to engaging in unsafe
behaviors throughout the workday, says the study. For example, 46 per cent
admit to connecting to public Wi-Fi to access confidential information, 49 per
cent to using personal email accounts for work. Seventeen per cent admitted
to losing a company issued device.Percent of respondents admitting to
engaging in unsafe behaviors throughout the workday. Dell graphic Canadian respondents had nothing to boast of: 57 per cent
admitted using corporate-issued devices to access personal social media
accounts, second highest of all eight countries surveyed.Those in highly
regulated organizations are worse: 48 per cent said they have connected to
public Wi-Fi to access confidential work information, more just over
half have used personal email
accounts for confidential work communications. More than one in five (21
percent) have lost a company-issued work device.These numbers are even higher
among employees of small to mid-size organizations surveyed, said the
report.“Perhaps one of the most shocking findings is that more than one in
three employees (35 per cent) say it’s common to take corporate information
with them when leaving a company,” says the report.Imran Ahmad, partner and
national leader of the cybersecurity law practice at Toronto-based Miller
Thomson LLP, said in an interview the report underscores that many
organizations aren’t giving staff security awareness training, or if they do
it isn’t sinking in. “A lot of people don’t do the training. And when you get
to the enterprise [large organization] level it’s a mixed bag: Some are great
and they do actually track and audit” who is trained. “But the vast majority
may get one training session.” “You need the constant refresher, and that’s part of the
fiduciary responsibility of the board.”Interestingly, only 36 per cent of
respondents very confident in their knowledge of how to protect sensitive
company information. While two in three said they are required to take
cybersecurity training on protecting sensitive data, 18 per cent still
conducted unsafe behavior in the workplace without realizing what they were
doing was wrong, says the report. A quarter of respondents who had been
trained said they did unsafe things because they just wanted to get their job
done.Twenty-one percent said the security put in place by IT slows down their
work, while 21 per cent feel it’s difficult to keep up with changing security
guidelines and policies.The report concludes policies on confidential data
usage and sharing in many companies are either unclear or not comprehensive
enough to cover a range of office work.“Organizations must stop simply
telling employees not to share confidential information,” it says, “and
instead unlock the ability for them to share confidential data when it makes
sense, but in a secure and simple fashion.” From http://www.itbusiness.ca/ 04/21/2017 |
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CHINA: Automaker FAW Sees
Robust Sales Growth FAW Group, a leading Chinese automaker, said that sales surged
at the start of the year on the back of expanding sales outlets. FAW Group,
based in the northeastern city of Changchun, reported over the weekend that
wholesale volume of various vehicles rose 21 percent year on year to 552,000
units in the first two months of this year. The wholesale volume of the group
in February alone jumped 32.3 percent year on year to 228,000 units.
FAW-Volkswagen witnessed its wholesale volume up 10.9 percent year on year in
February to 119,000 units. The wholesale volume of FAW-Toyota surged 46.4
percent year on year in February to 55,000 units. From http://www.news.cn/
03/05/2017 Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls for More Global Trade with China Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook expressed support for
globalization and said China should continue to open its economy to foreign
firms, while speaking at a forum in Beijing on Saturday."I think it's
important that China continues to open itself and widens the door if you
will," said Cook, speaking at the government-sponsored China Development
Forum.Cook's comments come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China,
with protectionist rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump sparking concern
of increased trade friction between the two countries."The reality is
countries that are closed, that isolate themselves, it's not good for their
people," said Cook, in a rare public speech.Apple said on Friday it will
set up two new research and development centers in Shanghai and Suzhou in
China.It has pledged to invest more than 3.5 billion yuan ($508 million) in
research and development in China.Apple has been singled out in Chinese media
as a potential target for retaliation in the event of a trade war.The Global
Times warned last November if Trump triggered a trade war with China, Beijing
would then target firms from Boeing to Apple in a "tit-for-tat"
approach. From http://www.cnbc.com/ 03/18/2017 Foreigners
in China Feel Dynamics of Internet Economy Before heading to his favorite restaurants or smaller eateries,
Roberto, an Argentine in Hangzhou, capital of eastern China's Zhejiang
Province, usually goes online first. "At a virtual restaurant,
everything is set. Even the dishes you are going to order can be selected
online," he said. "Cash in China is increasingly unnecessary,"
Roberto said. "The only time I used cash was to refill my transit card,
and now you can do that with Alipay. Any other kind of purchase can be done
through WeChat or Alipay, from a few cents to thousands of yuan." What's
more, "Alipay and WeChat offer services for purchasing cinema tickets
and many applications for buying all kinds of events online, or discounts at
restaurants," he added. Roberto, who is studying a Master's degree in
international trade at Zhejiang Gongshang University, is one of the many
foreigners in China who are experiencing the dynamics of the Internet economy
and enjoying the convenience it has brought to everyday life. "Shopping
online in China is amazing, whether through Taobao or JD.com (two e-commerce
giants) or even WeChat (a multipurpose social media app)," he told
Xinhua. "The speed and convenience of receiving packages is
incredible. I still can't believe how they handle millions of packages and
everything arrives. I have never had a problem," added Roberto, who has
been living in Hangzhou for almost two years. Hangzhou is the place where
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is headquartered. Alibaba President Jack Ma
has recently called for making the absolute most of the "historic
opportunity" brought by Internet development in China. The Internet is
driving the economic growth in China, home to about 731 million internauts --
roughly the population of all Europe -- and 695 million users surfing online
via mobile phones. The world's largest and fastest-growing e-commerce market
is expected to expand transactions to more than 40 trillion yuan (5.76
trillion U.S. dollars) by 2020, according to China's 2016-2020 e-commerce
development plan. A report released by China Internet Network Information
Center in January showed that more than 45 percent of Chinese companies made
purchases and sales on the Internet in 2016. China is "going all virtual," Roberto said. Marivi Bermejo, a Spaniard living in Shanghai and specializing
in organizing and marketing international trade fairs and events, has also
noted that compared to many countries, everyday life in China is extremely
digitized. "The great majority of payments are made via mobile phones,
with WeChat being one of the two most often used apps," said Bermejo.
"It offers a very convenient mode of payment -- simple, secure, accepted
at almost all types of establishments and businesses," said Bermejo.
"Once your bank card is connected to your WeChat account, all you have
to do is to scan the QR code generated with each purchase," said
Bermejo, who was born in Madrid. WeChat began as an instant messaging app but
has been expanded to include a wide variety of monetary services, from online
payments to money transfers and even "applying for loans," she
said. "In China, you can survive perfectly without cash," she
added.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/30/2017 E-commerce powerhouses in China are extremely bullish about
strengthening trade ties and invigorating economic activities in economies
along the Belt and Road Initiative, industry observers said. They said that
as fast-growing mobile and internet usage propels consumer spending, an
ever-widening array of "Made in China" items will be at their
fingertips, while Chinese bring home worldwide delicacies thanks to
frictionless online transactions and fast cross-border deliveries. Chinese phones
are gaining traction among buyers notably in Eastern Europe and the Middle
East, with Russia, Ukraine and Israel topping the list of generous spenders
on these gadgets, according to AliResearch, the research arm of Alibaba Group
Holding Ltd. Apart from electronic devices, fashion and jewelry, women's
apparel and nail beauty accessories are the latest darling of foreign buyers,
said the report, which tracked data from AliExpress, Alibaba's international
marketplace that has served more than 100 million overseas shoppers. Bargain hunters in Russia have pushed the e-commerce boom to new
heights, with Chinese products including phones, clothing and other consumer
electronics being the most popular items. The cyber Silk Road, which
effectively links smaller merchants with individual customers, is fueling new
momentum to the Belt and Road Initiative by promoting inclusive trade and
access to logistics and financial services once reserved mainly for
multinationals, said Gao Hongbing, Alibaba's vice-president. "This
relatively new and frictionless method of conducting business on the digital
platform can enable more businesses and entrepreneurs to participate in
global trade and reap the benefits of globalization," Gao said.
Meanwhile, businesses along the Belt and Road routes have found early success
via online channels as Chinese purchasing power explodes. For instance,
nearly 280,000 latex pillows from Thailand were sold last year via Tmall
Global, a site sourcing imported goods to Chinese customers. Likewise, thousands of brands have established a prominent
presence and reaped huge gains as Chinese customers snap up instant coffee
and tea bags from Malaysia, carpets from India and date palms from the United
Arab Emirates. The cross-border marketplace on JD.com Inc, the nation's
second-largest e-commerce player, covers 70 countries and regions and is
poised to partner with more Asian and Central European vendors, said Qi Ting,
general-manager of JD Worldwide. Leveraging the China-Europe rail network, a
crucial part of the initiative, JD has halved the time to transport auto
supplies from Germany to southwestern China compared with sea routes, she
said. "The internet is the key feature of the Belt and Road Initiative
in the 21st century, and cooperation in internet-related services along the
routes propels innovation and industrial upgrading," said Wang Yiwei,
director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of
China in Beijing.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/04/2017 Young
Buyers Spend on Global E-market Place People aged 25 to 34 are the mainstay of cross-border online shopping
in economies covered by the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a latest
survey. Cosmetics, furniture and gadgets backed by disruptive technologies
are the top three darlings of these young buyers, said AliExpress, the
country's largest international business-to-customer online marketplace.
Shoppers from the Maldives, Kuwait and Bahrain spend the most among Eurasian
peers, the research said. Cosmetics merchants from China received the highest
number of orders from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Israel. Bargain
hunters from Singapore, Israel and Russia snapped up most furniture from the
site, while Russian, Turkish and Israeli buyers are willing to purchase items
like virtual reality goggles and 3D printers. "By April, AliExpress has attracted
over 100 million international buyers since its debut in 2010. The Belt and Road Initiative has fueled additional momentum for
the company, with buyer numbers doubling in the past 18 months," said
Shen Difan, its general manager. Almost 60 percent of transactions are
completed via mobile devices, as online shopping takes off alongside a boom
in smartphone users, notably in developing nations. AliExpress has the most
loyal and frequent shoppers in the Maldives, Lithuania and Bhutan. The
highest number of orders for toys came from Israel, Latvia, Estonia and
Iceland. In Russia, Spain and Israel, the AliExpress app was the most popular
shopping app downloaded from both Apple Store and GooglePlay. Consumers from
over 220 countries and regions had placed orders on AliExpress during the
annual Singles Day shopping festival on Nov 11. Shen said he hoped the
platform would make China's small and medium-sized enterprises well-known
globally.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/12/2017 Bluegogo
Goes Hi-tech, Finds for-profit Model with Advertising Bluegogo International Inc, a Beijing-based bike-sharing
operator, unveiled a new type of bicycle with an "intelligent controller"
on Friday, a move toward a for-profit model through advertising. Like vehicle
navigation, the "intelligent controller" involves a screen embedded
between the handlebars, and connects with the cyclist's mobile phone. It
would not only navigate bikers, but also record real-time data such as
distance and riding speed, according to the company. The new function will
likely be a stepping-stone to identify a sustainable business model for the
company, and even for the entire bike-sharing sector, CEO Li Gang said at a
press conference. Through the function, Bluegogo plans to build a platform of
precision advertising - enabling marketers to target their ads to very
specific business demographics. It will create a "multi-billion yuan
market," Li said, adding the industry has long been caught in an
unprofitable business model. Since its establishment in Shenzhen last
November, Bluegogo's number of users reached 15 million nationwide. It
launched more than 80,000 bikes in Beijing within a month since it officially
entered the city's market in February this year. Blugogo, similar to Mobike
and ofo, employs an intelligent lock with positioning functions to locate and
enable borrowing bikes nearby. Bikers can unlock the bike by scanning the QR
code through the app. From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/22/2017 JAPAN: AI to Monitor TSE Data to Identify Dubious Trades New measures have been widely taken to use artificial intelligence
to conduct surveillance of unfair trading in financial markets and
irregularities in corporate accounting. The aim is to have AI analyze
enormous volumes of data that humans cannot handle and to effectively detect
any signs of wrongdoing. As early as this fiscal year, Japan Exchange Group
Inc. (JPX), which operates the Tokyo Stock Exchange, will introduce AI in
trading investigations to detect unfair transactions. The conventional system
currently detects all suspicious trading activities that appear to be market
manipulation if they fall under certain criteria, such as sudden trade volume
increases or stocks with frequently repeated offers and cancellations. Once
detected, those in charge of investigating decide one by one whether these
trading activities are unfair. Market manipulation means deliberately altering the market for
personal gain. It is prohibited by the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law
and results in criminal charges. “Misegyoku,” also known as spoofing, is one
market manipulation practice in which fake orders are made to drive up stock
prices, making buy offers with no intention of following through. This
falsely raises the hopes of other investors, which then raises the price.
Those behind the fake order then sell their shares before prices fall. The average daily number of orders at the Tokyo Stock Exchange
has increased to about 45.8 million in 2016 from about 8.4 million in 2010
after the introduction of the high-speed trading system. Therefore, it has
been a challenge to streamline the investigation of each order. AI will be
fed patterns of unfair trades by loading past order data and examining the
results that had been assessed by humans. The AI will then detect suspicious
activities from all the trading data and rate the possibility of fraud from
0.0 (low) to 1.0 (high). Humans will have the final say in identifying fraud,
but the new measures using AI are expected to reduce the number of trades
needing to be investigated by up to 60 percent. As for accounting
irregularities, Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC introduced a system in July
last year. The system analyzes published data related to the target
corporation’s financial reports and examines whether there are similarities
with previous accounting irregularities. ShinNihon is also working on
developing a system to find irregularities in accounting books, such as
extraordinary transactions and trades at much higher prices than usual, by
tracing past accounts and analyzing them. From http://the-japan-news.com
04/18/2017 SK Telecom Launches 3 IoT Devices South Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. said Monday that
it has launched three gadgets using Internet of Things technology. The IoT
tech, which allows everyday appliances to link to the Internet, is seen as
one of the major technological developments of the Internet and a new revenue
source for telecoms firms. "Keyco" is an IoT-based keychain
with an embedded GPS chip for pets that can be controlled by a smartphone,
allowing the owner to pinpoint the location of their pets, the company said.
The gadget is equipped with an alarm to tell users if their pets are more
than a certain distance away or having an emergency, it said. "Smart
TocToc" is an IoT-powered alarm for a vehicle that instantly alerts the
user's smartphone if there is an impact on the parked car. "IoT
Blackbox" is a combination of video, audio and GPS for a vehicle that
sends a text message to an owner's smartphone to better monitor the car
remotely. SK Telecom said it plans to launch up to 50 IoT-based services and
products by the end of this year. From http://www.koreaherald.com
05/01/2017 SOUTH KOREA: Microsoft to Strengthen Cloud Computing Service US software giant Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that it will
strengthen cloud computing services in South Korea by capitalizing on its
"data center regions" in the country. Earlier, Microsoft opened two
data center regions in Seoul and the southern port city of Busan for its open
cloud computing platform called Azure. The term, data center region, refers
to a large complex of facilities that serve as a given geographic location,
considered a core technology of Microsoft's cloud computing service.
"Microsoft will provide world-class safety and performance at new 'Azure
Regions' located in Seoul and Busan," Alfred Koh, CEO of Microsoft
Korea, told reporters in Seoul. Microsoft offers both the Azure public cloud
services and its Office 365 hosted applications from 38 Azure regions across
the world, with 13 of them located in Asia. "Local Azure regions will provide various services,"
said Koh, adding that local centers improve safety and can deal with various
local regulations. "The company aims to double revenues from cloud
computing services by sometime next year and increase partner companies by 30
percent to establish our No. 1 market status," Koh said. Cloud computer
services have become one of the core infrastructures for Internet of Things
technology, big data and other new Internet technologies. Major players,
including Amazon and IBM, have become front-runners in the South Korean
market for cloud computing services. Amazon opened its new data center in
Seoul last year, marking its fifth such center in the Asian region. IBM and
SK C&C, a Korean computing service firm, jointly built a cluster of data
centers in Pangyo, south of Seoul. Oracle also has been stepping up its push
for cloud computing services in Korea, by holding a large-scale technology
fair in January. From http://www.koreaherald.com
02/21/2017 Korea's IT Industry Relies Heavily on Hardware South Korea's information technology industry depends
overwhelmingly on hardware, failing to keep pace with the global trend of
focusing on software, a report said Monday. According to the report by the
Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion, software
companies accounted for 15 percent of the total market capitalization of
local IT firms in 2016, compared to 9 percent a decade ago. Notably, the
share of the IT hardware business, which includes South Korea's top-cap
Samsung Electronics Co., hovered over 50 percent, showing the IT industry's
excessive concentration in a certain sector. The report divided the IT
industry into eight categories -- semiconductors, electronics parts,
software, the Internet, IT service, home appliances, IT hardware and communications
equipment. The proportions of hardware and software were the percentages of
each category's combined market capitalization to the IT industry's total
market cap. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/13/2017 KT, LG Uplus Join Hands on Home IoT, AI Services KT and LG Uplus, the second and third largest mobile
carriers in South Korea, on Wednesday announced that the two mobile
carriers will join hands for a music content platform as part of efforts to
enhance their Internet of Things and artificial intelligence businesses. LG
Uplus decided to purchase a 15 percent stake, or about 7.38 million shares,
in KT Music, an operator of online music streaming service Genie, for 26.7
billion won ($23 million) at a board meeting. With the acquisition, LG
Uplus has become the second-largest shareholder of the music company after
KT. On the same day, KT Music’s board of directors held its own meeting to
approve the stake sale and change the company’s name to Genie Music. The
partnership between the two mobile carriers signals that cooperation has
begun within the telecommunication industry to expand the fledgling home IoT
and AI service markets. Media content, such as music and movie, is considered
one of key pillars of the new markets. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/15/2017 Electronic Payments Hit Record High in
2016 The amount of payments made electronically hit a record high in
2016, central bank data showed Wednesday, underscoring the growing trend of
South Koreans using electronic means for financial transactions. The daily
average amount of electronic financial transactions came to 343.5 billion won
($306 million) in 2016, up 36.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the
data from the Bank of Korea. The reading marked the highest amount since 2007
when the central bank started collecting data on electronic payments. The
data also showed the daily average number of electronic financial
transactions increased 4.4 percent on-year to more than 20.2 million.
Electronic financial transactions include all Internet and mobile-based
payments, as well as purchases made with electronic credit and debit cards.
As of the end of 2016, there were 85 electronic financial service providers
in South Korea, according to the BOK. They include escrow and payment gateway
service providers, as well as online financial institutions that are strictly
dedicated to online or mobile payment services. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/22/2017 LG Uplus to Apply IoT Tech on Ventilator South Korea's No. 3 mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. said Thursday
it has clinched an agreement with a local ventilator maker to apply its
Internet of Things technology to the products. LG Uplus said it plans to
release two ventilators for restrooms using the technology in cooperation
with Himpel, the top local player in the area. IoT is a concept in which all
tangible objects are connected to the Internet and can identify themselves to
other devices in order to exchange necessary data for improved efficiency and
convenience. Users will be able to control the product at home or outdoors
through the use of smartphones. The sensors on the ventilator will also
automatically control the humidity of restrooms, the mobile carrier said. LG
Uplus said it plans to continue releasing more IoT products for restrooms
down the line. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/23/2017 Banks Step Up Downsizing amid Growing Mobile, Internet Banking Banks in South Korea sharply downsized their headcounts,
branches and automated instruments in 2016 to cut costs amid rapid growth in
mobile and Internet banking, government data showed Tuesday. The combined
workforce of lenders operating in the country stood at 114,775 as of the end
of last year, down 2,248 employees from a year earlier and the largest
on-year decline since 2010, according to the data by the Financial
Supervisory Service. The number of bank branches and representative offices
also hit the skids last year as more clients resorted to automated teller
machines (ATMs) and cash dispensers (CDs) instead of visiting windows in
person. As of end-2016, local banks had a combined 7,103 branches and offices
across the nation, down 175 from the previous year. It was the biggest
on-year fall since 2002, when authorities began to compile related data. The
number of ATMs and CDs came to 48,474 as of the end of last year, down 2,641
from a year earlier and the sharpest drop since 2003. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/28/2017 Artificial Intelligence Gains Momentum Among IT Companies Artificial intelligence, for the past few decades, used to be a
staple of science fiction films in which a future was depicted as being full
of robots that are as smart as humans. In "A.I. Artificial
Intelligence," directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 2001, a
robotic boy even dreams of becoming "real" so he can gain the love
of his human parents. Now, AI and cybernetics are moving beyond the realm of
fiction and are penetrating deeper into our everyday lives. Without realizing
it, AI has started to exert considerable influence on our daily lives,
ranging from voice-recognized personal assistants like Google Inc.'s Siri and
Amazon Inc.'s Alexa, to more fundamental technologies such as deep learning
algorithms. The sharp interest in AI is being spearheaded by not only global
Internet giants like Google, Amazon and IBM Corp. but also a string of
startups in the sector that are trying to acquire the core AI technologies
such as machine learning, automatic translation, self-driving cars and smart
robotics. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/31/2017 Korea’s First Online-Only Bank Starts Business South Korea’s first internet-only banking firm K bank officially
launched its business Monday, vowing to offer higher interest rates for
depositors and lower interest rates for marginalized borrowers, as the
company saves costs from having no brick-and-mortar branches. K bank’s
services are available 24/7 on a smartphone app and on the internet. It
offers five kinds of deposit products, three loans and two check cards. One
of its representative products include the Code K Regular Deposit which
offers 2 percent annual yield, the highest level among the first-tier banking
industry. The Slim K Mid-rate Loan, targeting those with credit ratings of 4
to 6, offers a 4.19 percent to 9 percent interest rate depending on
borrowers’ credit grade, which still makes it the lowest level among
commercial lenders in the primary banking sector, with a maximum loan set at
30 million won. The smaller net interest margin compared to that of existing
banks can be covered by the costs saved from not having bank tellers and bank
branches, said K bank CEO Shim Sung-hoon. “Our costs only include the leasing
fee for an office building, wages for our employees and the cost to operate
our servers. In price competitiveness, we are at a superior position than
other banks that have 15,000-20,000 employees,” Shim said at a press
conference in Seoul. During the first 15 hours of opening the K bank app, the
number of new depositors at K bank reached 15,317, exceeding the monthly
average 12,000 accounts through online banking at other existing 16 banks
between December, 2015 and December, 2016, K bank officials said. The launch
of K bank was originally scheduled for January, but the company delayed the
launch to early April, as the user interface of various Android versions of K
bank’s smartphone app required some fine-tuning. From http://www.koreaherald.com
04/03/2017 |
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MYANMAR: E-Commerce Leader Pushes for Expansion THOUGH a large percentage of Myanmar’s 53-million population
still prefer going out to shop, more than half a million people visit
Shop.com.mm, the nation’s leading e-commerce platform, for online shopping on
a monthly basis, said its chief. Sumit Jasoria, managing director of
Shop.com.mm, said in an interview that the firm was seeing some good growth
for its business in Myanmar now, though the platform was built up less than
three years ago. The firm spent about six months doing market research before
entering the country. “Myanmar has been a surprise for us. Initially, it was
slow for us as people did not trust us and they were not aware of us, but now
we see good growth in people trying online shopping. I see a lot of people
who now only order online and do not go to their nearby marts as they find it
convenient to buy online,” he said. He said the firm had “very aggressive”
targets for growth, but he did not explain the targets in detail, or the
exact number of sales and revenue, citing business confidentiality. To
achieve its targets, the company is focusing on forging partnerships with
local and international sellers. It now has more than 500 local partners
selling on the website and will bring in international partners very soon to
come out with a lot more offers for customers to ensure that they try online
shopping. “We have a mix of local and foreign brands and we ensure that we
continue to grow our assortment of products so that the customers can get
more choices. The [biggest] selling items are mobile phones, electronics and
fashion items,” he said. Philips is the biggest sales driver for electronics,
and popular mobile-phone brands like Samsung, Huawei and Lenovo have good
sales on the website. For fashion, brands like Springfield, Kipling,
Timberland and Skechers mainly drive its sales. Jasoria said the company’s
targets were young people who are working and busy with their careers. “They
do not have time to go out and do shopping, and they are the ones who will
try online shopping first. We generally try to serve all type of customers,
as we sell more than 20,000 different products online,” he said. Jasoria was
proud to say that the company has a very extensive network that ensures
delivery of products across the country so that anyone can order online and
get the products at his or her home. “We have been building the online shopping ecosystem in Myanmar
with continuous efforts to educate the people [on the] benefits of online
shopping and working with all brands closely to make sure that products reach
customers in the shortest possible time,” he said. Despite the existence of a
couple of e-commerce companies in Myanmar, Jasoria assumed that his company’s
biggest competition would remain Facebook groups and webpages that sell
products online. Guaranteeing the quality of the products Shop.com offers
sets it apart from its rivals in the market, he said. “We only sell new and
genuine products. All products go through a QC [quality-control check] before
being delivered to the customer. If the customer is still not happy, then we
have this seven-day return policy, and we refund the money back to customer.
Even if the product [becomes] faulty after some time, we help our customers
get it serviced [at] the official service centres,” he said. Jasoria said the
biggest challenge was people’s trust in online shopping. To build trust, the
firm occasionally holds offline sales events at big supermarkets such as
Myanmar Plaza. There the firm displays selected brands, while customers can
buy them at one sitting and can also order other products advertised online.
Recently, the firm held an offline event on weekends ahead of the Thingyan
water festival. “The spending in Myanmar varies from time to time, like Thingyan
sales always have good spending, as people get bonuses. Black Friday and
Mobile Week have their own spending patterns and I can just say that it has
improved a lot, and people when they come online buy more products as the
prices are cheaper,” he said. “We are continuously reading the market and we
track all things which the customers do so that we can make the website
better for them to use and also bring world class technologies to Myanmar.”
Jasoria also considers logistics, deliveries and payments as major
challenges. For delivery, the firm has its own team and also works with good
delivery companies to ensure that products reach customers very quickly. It works
with Myanmar Post for long-distance deliveries. The firm is cooperating with
several banks to launch its online payment system soon, in addition to using
existing services such as AGD Pay, OK Dollar, and Wave Money. “Today,
customers can pay by cash on delivery as well as swipe on delivery, where the
delivery person carries a POS [point of sale] machine and the customer can
pay via Visa, MasterCard, or MPU cards based on his choice. We are launching
our online payment system very soon in Myanmar where customers can pay via
any bank card. We are [in discussions] for cooperation with international
companies, but I think that will take some time,” he said. From http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
04/24/2017 Myanmar Grants 123 Telecom Service Licenses over 2 Years Myanmar authorities issued a total of 123 licenses for
telecommunication services to local and foreign companies in the past two years
since 2015, official media reported Wednesday. Such service licenses
permitted by the Post and Telecommunication Department since the country
started to reform the sector, include those for nationwide telecommunication,
network facilities and application services to 85 local companies and 38
foreign companies. At present, the three existing operators providing
services in the country are Norway-based Telenor, Qatar-based Ooredoo and
government-owned Myanmar Post and Telecommunications (MPT). The department
has planned to issue more licenses to both local and foreign firms. According
to official statistics, foreign investments were mostly injected into the
transport and communication sector with 3.08 billion U.S. dollars in the past
2016-2017 fiscal year. A total of 8.154 billion U.S. dollars of foreign
investments entered into the telecommunication sector from late 1988 to March
this year. From http://news.xinhuanet.com
04/26/2017 SINGAPORE: Small- And Medium-Sized Law Firms Get Help to Go
Digital with S$2.8m Programme SINGAPORE: A S$2.8 million programme was launched on Monday (Feb
27) to help small- and medium-sized Singapore law firms adopt technology,
announced the Ministry of Law, the Law Society of Singapore and SPRING
Singapore. Small and medium firms - those with up to 30 lawyers - make up 97
per cent of law practices in Singapore. However, according to a study
commissioned by the Law Society in 2016, only 9 per cent of firms interviewed
have used technology tools to boost productivity, and cost was the main
reason given for the low adoption rate. The study involved focus groups with
35 lawyers and interviews with 58 firms. Under the new Tech Start for Law
programme, which is funded by SPRING Singapore over a one-year period, law
firms which buy certain technology-related products can get 70 per cent of
costs covered for the first year, said the Law Ministry. In particular, five
products have been identified as basic technologies that would help law
practices work more efficiently. Among them are practice management systems
that would help firms streamline case and client record management, an online
legal research tool and one online marketing tool. Channel NewsAsia understands that the shortlisted products cost
between S$3,000 and S$30,000 each. Under the programme, each firm can apply
for support for up to three of the products. “The legal profession, like many
other sectors, faces challenges in this new world,” said Law and Home Affairs
Minister K Shanmugam on Monday. “And to stay ahead, among the things that are
going to be required is to invest in quality manpower and technology.” “In
the past, lawyers could make a good living through say, conveyancing,
drafting agreements,” he added. "But technology has begun to
“commoditise a lot of these things.” Mr Shanmugam acknowledged that smaller
law firms may not have the resources to invest in technology and said the
programme would allow them to “upgrade themselves, and that will make them
more competitive”. The Tech Start for Law programme is in line with
Singapore's push for more small- and medium-sized enterprises to embrace
digital tools in their day-to-day work, a key theme in the recent Committee
on the Future Economy report.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the authorities will evaluate the
funding programme after a year. The Law Society said it is also planning a
legal technology roadshow in March to encourage more firms to adopt
technology. Interested law firms can apply to the Law Society's Secretariat
from Mar 1, 2017 to Feb 28, 2018 for funding. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
02/27/2017 Singapore to Shut Down 2G Mobile Service from April 1 Singapore will shut down 2G network service from April 1, 2017
onwards, said Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in a press release
on Monday. The shutdown process will be completed by April 18, 2017, said the
authority. IMDA reminded all 2G mobile users to switch to 3G or 4G services
as soon as possible if they wish to continue their mobile plans. Singapore
disallowed the sale of 2G-only mobile devices on Jan. 1 this year. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
03/27/2017 New S$21m Mail Sorting Facility Boosts Singapore's E-Commerce
Scene SINGAPORE: Online shoppers can expect to receive their overseas
purchases in a more timely fashion, following the launch of a new e-commerce
mail sorting facility. The S$21 million eCommerce Airhub will increase
mailbag processing capacity by more than three times. Occupying 6,000sqm of
space in Changi, the facility leverages automation to reduce mailbag processing
time by 50 per cent. It is managed by air freight handling giant SATS and
co-funded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. The automated mail
sorting system increases the processing capacity of SATS to more than 1,800
items an hour, up from 500 previously. Turnaround time is thus reduced from
six hours to three. SATS said traceability is also improved with a data
interface that can better track mail. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
04/13/2017 VIETNAM: Overseas Online Booking Companies Required to Pay Added
Tax Overseas-based online room reservation companies such as Agoda,
Traveloka, Booking.com, and Expedia will be required to pay five percent of
the value added tax and five percent of corporate income tax of total sales
in Vietnam, according to the Vietnam Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Thursday.
The ministry has decided so after Vietnam-based booking company Vntrip's
executive director Le Dac Lam raised accusation of tax evasions on its
foreign counterparts at the end of 2016. "When a customer pays 100 U.S.
dollars, companies like Agoda gets 20 U.S. dollars of commission. However,
they do not have to pay any taxes in Vietnam," said Lam, adding that the
government may lose millions of U.S. dollars of tax every year. The MoF has
guided the local tax departments to fulfill the tax procedures for these
oversea based enterprises, reported local Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper
on Thursday. The tax will be obtained through local hotels and hostels that
have contracts with the overseas-based companies, said the MoF. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
02/23/2017 HCM City and HÀ Nội Lead E-Business Index HCM City and Hà Nội continue to lead Vietnamese localities in
e-commerce, The Việt Nam E-commerce Association (Vecom) announced at the 2017
Việt Nam Online Business Forum in Hà Nội on Friday. The announcement came
from the 2016 e-Business Index (EBI), based on a survey from more than 3,500
businesses in 54 provinces and cities across the country. HCM City took the
lead with 78.6 points, followed by Hà Nội (75.8 points). Other localities in
the top five include Đà Nẵng (52.8 points), Bình Dương (43) and Hải Phòng
(42.2). Meanwhile, the five provinces with the lowest points are Yên Bái
(23.7 point), Tuyên Quang (23.2), Bắc Kạn (22.6), Cà Mau and Lạng Sơn (21.2).
The gap between the country’s two economic hubs remains large compared with other localities.
The EBI was first published in 2012 with the purpose of evaluating the
application of e-commerce and comparing the development among localities. The
index was based on four criteria: information technology infrastructure and
human resources, transactions between businesses and customers (B2C),
transactions between businesses and businesses (B2B) and transactions between
businesses and state agencies (G2B). Of these, Hà Nội has the highest index
in human resources and infrastructure with 93.7 point, followed by HCM City
with 85.5 point. Meanwhile, HCM City topped the B2C index with 72.4 points,
followed by Hà Nội, Bình Dương and Hải Phòng. For the B2B category, HCM City
also leads with 77 points, followed by Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng. For the last
category, Đà Nẵng received highest valuation on the satisfaction of G2B
transaction, gaining 81 points, followed by HCM City and Hà Nội. The 2017 Việt
Nam Online Business Forum will take place in HCM City on March 3. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
02/27/2017 Gov’t Looks to Boost E-Commerce Winning consumers’ trust and developing a business reputation is
one of the major challenges toward online business development, experts said
at the Việt Nam Online Business Forum – VOBF 2017 in HCM City yesterday. Nguyễn
Hữu Tuấn, from the Department of Electronic Commerce and Information and
Communication Technology, said Việt Nam has put in place a legal framework to
ensure a favourable environment for e-commerce. However, customers are still
concerned about risks when purchasing online, he said, adding that his
department has made efforts to enhance its management capability and
strengthen the connection between firms and consumers to protect the legitimate
rights of online shoppers and enterprises. Nguyễn Thanh Hưng, President of
the Việt Nam E-Commerce Association, highlighted the potential of Việt Nam’s
e-commerce market, which is forecast to grow at between 25-30 per cent a
year. He stressed, however, that each firm needs to develop their own
development strategy in order to achieve success. Hưng noted that many firms
have joined online e-trade aiming for long-term goals, but they only focused
on promotion, failing to pay due attention to connecting with customers,
developing a supply chain, and investing in information and communication
infrastructure. Meanwhile, Director General of Nielsen Việt Nam Nguyễn Hương
Quỳnh underlined the development trend of the online business on the basis of
online connection, urbanisation, consumers, e-payment, and new business
models. Therefore, enterprises in e-commerce should pay attention to basic
requirements of consumers, instead of merely offering promotion or discounts,
she said. Quỳnh also advised firms to develop their brand names to improve
their competitiveness, while connecting with partners to support each other. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/04/2017 Vietnam's E-Commerce Grows 22 Percent Annually Electronic commerce in Vietnam has been growing at an average 22
percent a year, heard a conference on new trends of e-commerce on Tuesday in
the country's southern Dong Nai province. According to the Vietnam E-commerce
Association (VECOM), over 40 percent of Vietnamese enterprises enjoy higher
sale revenues thanks to e-commerce, Vietnam News Agency reported. About 52
percent of the Vietnamese population use the Internet, of whom 65 percent
have purchased goods online. VECOM vice president Nguyen Ngoc Dung said about
70 percent of consumers search the Internet for information about the goods
they intend to purchase before going to the shop to buy the products.
Therefore, a firm having no website will make it difficult for customers to
access its products, he said. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
03/07/2017 HCM City to Tax Social Media Commerce The HCM City Taxation Department has announced it will submit a
plan for tax collection from online businesses to the City People’s Committee
in early April and enact the plan in the same month. Local news site zing.vn
quoted Lê Thị Thu Hương, deputy director of HCM City Taxation Department, as
saying the department had already begun to tax internet trade and e-commerce.
"However, the draft adopted by the City People’s Committee will create a
clear co-ordination mechanism and facilitate the implementation of the tax
authority," she said. The department said it would work with relevant
agencies to enhance the efficiency of tax management for online sales, such
as by businesses on Facebook. Accordingly, the draft aims to strengthen
co-ordination among functional agencies to provide the most complete information
concerning online business. The tax authorities have proposed collaboration
between the municipal department of information and communications,
department of industry and trade, network operators, banks and post offices.
The tax agency will require traders on the social network to provide
information such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and personal tax
numbers so that they can oversee the businesses more closely. They also affirmed that they would calculate tax revenue not
only for sales on Facebook but also other social networks such as Instagram
and YouTube. Up to 35 per cent of businesses are selling goods and services
on social networks, and there are millions of individuals and businesses
selling goods on Facebook. These sales generate huge revenues, but are not
paying taxes, reported the agency. Tax collection from online trade has been
a hot topic due to its complexity and difficulty to manage. Many experts
argue this tax is just for taxpayers, as many individuals selling goods on Facebook
are making huge profits but not paying taxes while sellers of similar items
using stores have to pay taxes. Phạm Thành Kiên, director of HCM City
department of industry and trade, said the department would sign a
co-operation agreement with the taxation department to prevent tax losses.
“We have some categories to manage e-commerce or businesses on social
network, but currently it is difficult to collect tax, solutions are being
discussed. We have asked Facebook to work with us in tax management,” he
said. Many experts agreed that tax collection for online trading was
not easy. Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper cited Trần Duệ, a tax expert in
HCM City, as saying that those whose revenue was higher than VNĐ100 million
per year must pay tax, however, it was hard for tax agencies to calculate
online traders’ exact revenue. For example, there were many transactions
conducted by private message, inbox or calls, he said. There were also many
ways of delivering goods not through post offices, sellers could hire
carriers from services like Grabbike, Ubermoto or private delivery companies.
Or for many transactions, when both sellers and buyers did not want others to
know the value of their goods, they could use their own ways of quoting
prices, the expert said. Thus, it would be difficult for tax agencies to
track the revenue and quantify volume of goods sold by online businesses,
said Duệ. “Tax agencies should first test and focus on sites which have a
large number of visitors before applying the rules widely”, he suggested. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
04/01/2017 Card Payment Compulsory Soon for E-Commerce Businesses E-commerce businesses may have to accept card payments as a way
to offering more options of payment when shopping online, an official from
the Ministry of Industry and Trade said. Võ Văn Quyền, director of the
ministry’s Domestic Market Department, was quoted by Thời báo Ngân hàng
(Banking Times) as saying that the department was studying amendments to
e-commerce business which might include regulations about compulsory payment
methods. Accordingly, accepting card payment might be compulsory for
e-commerce firms. Việt Nam Banking Card Association’s statistics showed that
e-commerce payments had seen breakthrough developments in 2012-16 period.
Payment values by domestic-payment cards jumped 597 per cent and by
international cards by 319 per cent in the five-year period. As of the end of
2016, payments by the former were worth totally VNĐ3.44 quadrillion (US$150.9
billion) so far and the latter by VNĐ13.4 quadrillion. The values are expected to increase rapidly if accepting card
payment is made compulsory for e-commerce transactions. The ministry’s
Department of E-Commerce and Information Technology in March said that
e-commerce was growing rapidly in Việt Nam where 90 per cent of population
had smart phones which were used at an average 24.7 hours online per week. On
average, each Vietnamese used $160 for shopping online per year. However,
according to the Payment Department under the State Bank of Việt Nam, the
payment infrastructure in the country remained under-developed and the ratio
of online payment in e-commerce remained modest. The banking sector would
improve the legal framework for e-payment while developing the infrastructure
for card payment. In addition, security for online payments must be improved. Race for cashless payment, fintech Developing cashless payment methods in Việt Nam had significant room.
The Government of Việt Nam in a cashless payment project from 2016 to 2020
set a goal that only 10 per cent of transactions in the economy were made in
cash. A recent survey by Visa Việt Nam showed that Vietnamese were now on a
trend of using less cash in payment with the ratio of cash payment dropping
from 46 per cent in 2015 to 38 per cent last year together with improved
trust in electronic payment. The survey found that there were 67.4 million
banking accounts in Việt Nam as of 2016, significant increase compared to
16.8 million in 2014 but card payment accounted for just 3 per cent of
personal consumption spending in six major cities. Only 50 per cent of
e-commerce payment were conducted by card. Statistics of the Việt Nam Banking
Card Association showed that transactions at ATMs were mainly cash
withdrawals (86.8 per cent of revenues conducted by domestic payment cards),
reflecting the popularity of cash. The booming of e-commerce would drive
cashless payments in Việt Nam. E-commerce was forecast to grow at 20 per cent per year to reach
a revenue of $10 billion by 2020. The Department of e-Commerce and
Information Technology said that the e-commerce revenue could be higher as
currently the growth rate had reached 25 per cent. The association said that
digital banking was also gaining popularity together with the application of
tokenisation in improving security. There were 92.08 million domestic payment
cards and 12 million international payment cards in 2016, the association’s
statistics showed. An expert said that e-commerce businesses should also be
joined by payment service firms to issue cards and offer promotions. Việt Nam
is also seeing a wave of fintech start-ups to promote cashless payment. Felix
Tan, executive director of Singapore-based fintech investment fund The
FinLab, was quoted by the e-newspaper vnexpress as saying at a recent event
that FinTech in Việt Nam is embarking on a rapid development period. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
04/04/2017 Social Media Dominates Online Ad Market Social networks now rival search engines as an effective online
marketing and advertising channel, gaining a significant market share and
raking in huge revenues in Việt Nam and elsewhere. A report on domestic
eBusiness Index prepared by the Vietnam Ecommerce Association (VECOM), says
that in 2016, 34 per cent of domestic businesses advertised on social media,
six per cent higher than in 2015. In fact, social media has surpassed search
engines to become the most favoured online means of advertisement, employed
by 47 per cent of total domestic businesses, with search engines coming in
second at 41 per cent, the report says. Because it is economical and
effective, social network marketing has been growing at a rapid pace with
both large corporations, small and medium enterprises and individual sellers
using it to good effect. Trần Trọng Tuyến, VECOM General Secretary, said that
around 70 per cent of individual retailers in Việt Nam run their own
advertisements on their Facebook page instead of relying on tools such as
Google Adwords. It is estimated that this segment saw revenue growth of
around 10 per cent in 2016. Social media advertisement is now seen as a reliable and
effective tool, with about 46 per cent of businesses reporting to have
successfully reached their desired demographic, compared to the 44 per cent
on search engines in Việt Nam. “The online marketing field has immense
potential for growth, without relying on one particular channel,” said Tuyến.
Presently, 38 per cent of domestic firms use their own website as their main
sales platform while 34 per cent rely on social networks. Experts estimate
that in 2017, Vietnamese businesses will spend around US$1.5 billion on
advertising, 16 per cent of which will go to online marketing channels. “With
more than 47 million Internet users and more than 29 million smartphone
users, Việt Nam is among the countries with the largest online connections in
the region. So online marketing through social networks is an inevitable
trend, led by global technological developments,” said Đặng Tiền Phương, Ford
Vietnam’s Head of Marketing. Yet, in this fast growing market of online advertising, only a
handful of Vietnamese marketing firms have managed to gain a foothold. At
present, household names like Facebook and Google dominate the online
marketing scene in Việt Nam, with the majority of advertising fees paid by
domestic firms flowing to these companies despite several recent
controversies. The report also mentions several downsides to the emerging
trend. The State Bank of Viet Nam is working with the Ministry of Finance and
General Department of Taxation on stopping tax fraud and illegal transactions
via social media, to help the Ministry of Information and Communications
(MIC) manage this lucrative sales medium, said Lê Quang Tự Do, Deputy Head of
the MIC. In the domestic advertising market, social networks and search
engines are followed by email at 36 per cent, online newspapers at 34 per
cent, and printed newspapers at 20 per cent. Television lags far behind at
around 10 to 13 per cent. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
04/15/2017 Smart Phone Makers Ready to Ride 4G Wave As Vietnamese telecom providers rush to launch their fourth
generation (4G) services, the market for duly geared smart phones has also
been heating up. The Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) last month
confirmed that LTE (Long Term Evolution, a 4G wireless communication
standard) subscriptions accounted for 25.1 per cent of all mobile
subscriptions globally. There were 818 million new LTE subscriptions in 2016,
compared to 596 million in 2015. LTE and WCDMA are now the only mobile
technologies that are growing in subscriptions, although WCDMA subscriptions
are experiencing slowing growth, the GSA said. By the end of 2016, LTE
subscriptions, according to Ovum data, stood at 1.920 billion compared to
1.102 billion in December 2015. The Asia region continues to lead LTE
adoption with a 59.1 per cent market share, although this is likely to be
impacted in 2017 by accelerating adoption in other regions, especially in the
Middle East (where LTE subscriptions grew 166 per cent year on year in 2016),
Eastern Europe (132 per cent) as well as Africa, Latin America and the
Caribbean (120 per cent). GSA President Joe Barrett said: “Over the past year
LTE subscriptions have grown substantially and we are now seeing all regions
moving swiftly to adopt LTE as their primary mobile technology to deliver a
true mobile broadband customer experience. GSA continues to predict that LTE,
LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro subscriptions will overtake 3G/WCDMA-HSPA
in 2019.” A
billion users Another report from Informa has also forecast that the number of
4G users in the world would reach a billion this year. Latching on to the
global 4G boom, Vietnamese telecom giants have been racing to launch their
networks. Last October, the Ministry of Information and Communications granted
4G licences to four network providers: Viettel, Vinaphone, MobiFone and Gtel.
However, it is Viettel and Vinaphone who are competing to provide to their
customers the faster, better quality 4G service. The other two are lagging
behind. The military-run Viettel officially launched its nationwide 4G
service on Tuesday. It had announced earlier that it had set up more than
36,000 4G base transceiver stations (BTS) in just six months after receiving
the licence. “We have been able to quickly complete the infrastructure for
the launch of 4G and help people catch up with the fourth industrial
revolution,” said Tào Đức Thắng, Viettel’s deputy general director. Their 4G
network covers 704 districts, accounting for 99 per cent of the country’s
localities, he added. Thắng said Viettel’s speedy work was possible because
of long-term preparation of infrastructure. Viettel has been the telecom
provider with biggest fibre cable system in the country. Its total fibre
cable length in the market can go around the earth eight times, he said. Earlier, Viettel deputy general director Hoàng Sơn said their
ambition was to popularise 4G services in all regions, not just urban areas.
The company has found that the growth of its 3G service in rural areas was
double that of urban areas, becoming a foundation for 4G development. “We
will provide service packages at reasonable prices that will make 4G services
become popular among all people,” Sơn said. Hoàng Thị Út, a resident of Ngọc
Hiển District in the southernmost province of Cà Mau, said her family members
have been using 4G for their daily work and entertainment. (Viettel has
piloted its 4G service in the nation’s remote areas) Living in a floating
home at the tip of the country, Út’s family are able to have a smart TV
despite not having an Internet connection. The difficult terrain had earlier
deterred telecom providers from offering wifi services to the people
here. The fast speed of Viettel’s
4G service has not only helped her enjoy smart TV, but also keep in touch
with her husband when he is far away from home on offshore fishing trips.
“The cost of 4G service is reasonable for people in rural areas, and its
speed is even faster than that of wifi sometimes, she said. Different
strategies Vinaphone – the Viettel’s main rival in the race of launching 4G
– has adopted different business strategies. It was the first telecom
provider to launch the 4G service in the Kiên Giang Province’s Phú Quốc
Island in November 2016, just a week after receiving the licence. However,
while Viettel has targeted 4G service coverage in all urban, rural and remote
areas at the time of launching, Vinaphone has focused on key localities in
urban areas. It has built 4G BTS in Hà Nội, HCM City, Bình Dương, Lâm Đồng, Bình
Phước, Sóc Trăng, Hậu Giang, Đồng Nai, Tây Ninh, Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu, Cà Mau and
Bạc Liêu in its first phase. It is expected that by the end of this year,
Vinaphone will expand its 4G coverage with around 15,000 BTS in all parts of
the country. Better
service Apart from building their 4G infrastructure, telecom providers
have also improved their services. Vinaphone said scale and investment
strategy in Mobile Internet services would define their competitiveness this
year. The price of 4G services could be similar or lower than those of 3G, it
said. Meanwhile, the two remaining telecom providers, MobiFone and Gtel, have
been relatively quiet in the race. Their main activity has been to announce
that customers can exchange their 3G SIM cards for 4G ones for free. A
MobiFone’s representative said they’ve built 4,500 4G BTS and expect to
install another 8,000 in 53 provinces and cities this year. In the first
phase, it would focus on the big cities of Hà Nội, HCM City, Hải Phòng, Cần
Thơ and Đà Nẵng, he said, but did not reveal the exact time for launching the
service. 4G
phones The 4G technology has also established a new smart phone trend.
Big producers such as Samsung, Apple, Sony, HTC and Asus have introduced 4G
smart phones in Viet Nam. According to Thế giới di động (Mobile World) - one
of the largest mobile phone and electronic product distribution chains in Việt
Nam, 90 of 150 authorised smart phones sold in the country support the 4G
connection, three times that of last year. Samsung seems to be the leading
producer of 4G smart phones in the local market. With the experience of
providing 4G phones in South Korea as well as other big and demanding markets
like the US, Europe and India since 2010, the company has a huge advantage
over others. As of now, the 4G technology has been integrated into 17 of 27
Samsung Galaxy smart phones in diverse market segments. “Almost all Samsung
smart phones, from high-end to the most popular models, have been equipped
with 4G technology. “For example, the Samsung J2 smart phone supports 4G technology
at less than VNĐ2.7 million (US$120). Samsung aims to have its smart phone
products with 4G accessible to middle and even low-income earners,” Lê Khôi
Nguyên, Việt Nam Mobile Business Manager at Samsung Electronics, told Việt Nam
News. Nguyên said Samsung has also signed some co-operation contracts with
Viettel to support 4G users in terms of products, pricing and technical
support. Samsung has really invested in the 4G smart phone with a smart phone
costing less than VNĐ3 million, while its rivals support 4G in the middle
market segment of VNĐ7-8 million each. Đặng Quốc Cường, Marketing Director of
Oppo Việt Nam, said they have brought 4G smart phones to Việt Nam and stopped
importing 2G and 3G smart phones. Cường believed that smart phones with 4G
support would see high growth rates as many Vietnamese users will change or
buy new smart phones, especially in the VNĐ5-6 million price segment. “I think that the coverage of 4G smart phones in Việt Nam will
increase rapidly and catch up quickly with modern countries in the world,” he
said. Customers will soon consider 4G an indispensable criterion for their
decision to buy a smart phone, he added. He also said that his company can
produce 4G smart phones at price of around VNĐ2.5 million (over $100), but
other markets have shown that 4G users demand high speed internet for their
work and entertainment. The devices should have big screens and strong
configuration. The devices would be priced at more than $200 each to meet
these requirements. Trương Lê Quốc Tuấn, Infinix representative, said there
would be fierce competition among cheap 4G smart phones in the market. People
will still like attractive designs, so Infinix is offering cheap 4G smart
phones in the market, he said. Sharing these ideas, Kiều Minh Phương, manager
of the FPT Shop on Hà Nội’s Hai Bà Trưng Street told Việt Nam News that
customers who paid attention to 4G were typically young people. They have
plenty of smart phone choices, he said. “Most new smart phones have 4G LTE
support at different prices starting from VNĐ2 million. Samsung, Lenovo, Obi,
CoolPad and Mobiistar are all in the market,” Phương said. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
04/19/2017 VN Proposes APEC Initiative to Facilitate E-Commerce Việt Nam has proposed an initiative on building an e-commerce
facilitation framework within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),
as it is an important content in the 2017 APEC’s agenda. According to the
Ministry of Industry and Trade’s E-commerce and Information Technology
Agency, trans-border e-commerce is seen as the fastest growing sector in
world commerce. Over the past two decades, the global e-commerce value has
been estimated at US$1.92 trillion. The Asia-Pacific region has recorded the
largest transaction volume in the world, followed by West Europe and North
America. E-commerce revenue from the business-to-consumer (B2C) model was
$144 billion in Asia-Pacific last year, accounting for approximately 35.9 per
cent of the global B2C value. These figures are expected to rise to $467
billion and 47.9 per cent, respectively, by 2020. The APEC leaders have
realised the significance of e-commerce in increasing the competitiveness of
micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises; in promoting sustainable growth;
and in accelerating extensive and intensive regional economic connectivity. Against this backdrop, Việt Nam has proposed an initiative on
the building of an e-commerce facilitation framework, which focuses on five
pillars. The pillars include: finalising and harmonising legal frameworks on
e-commerce in APEC member economies; strengthening capacity-building to
enable APEC economies to support micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises
to join the trans-border e-commerce market in the region and around the
world; promoting cross-border protection of individual data via the
implementation of the APEC’s current programmes; facilitating non-paper trade
in the region; and dealing with newly arising issues in cross-border
e-commerce. The e-commerce facilitation framework within the APEC is one of
the highlights of the 2017 APEC. It is expected to contribute to facilitating
trade and investment and become a driving force for the region’s economic
development. The APEC was established with the goal of promoting sustainable
economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. The 2017 APEC Year
is a pivotal event celebrating 20 years of Việt Nam’s APEC membership. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
05/17/2017 |
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INDIA: Promoting IT Industry
for Inclusive Development SHARE TWEET SHARE EMAIL “We are focusing on key requirements of
the industry such as human resource, IT infrastructure, conducive
environment, appropriate legal and regulatory framework" says Shahid Ali
Khan in conversation with Mohd Ujaley.Bihar came up with ICT Policy in 2011
with the aim to complete the various developmental projects related to
Information Technology in the state, however the state is yet to make any
substantial progress. In an exclusive interview with ENN’s Mohd Ujaley,
Minister for Minority Welfare and Information Technology, Bihar, Shahid Ali
Khan says “We are focusing on key requirements of the industry such as human
resource, IT infrastructure, conducive environment, appropriate legal and
regulatory framework”You came out with ICT policy in 2011. What progress has
been made on various initiatives that you have envisaged? ICT Policy 2011 is a framework under which we aim to provide
various developmental projects related to Information Technology in the
state. Our main objective is to provide good governance through IT
enablement, and thus encourage a holistic development of the state by
attracting investments in the IT sector as well as in other allied sectors.
When you look at Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and to some extent Maharashtra,
they have done outstanding work in IT sector. We are the late comers, but the
late comers do have benefits too. We should use the best of technologies and
initiatives which have been already tested. As far as progress on the various
initiatives is concerned, it has
been little slow and steady. We have been able to attract investments. Other
allied industries are also moving in right direction. Through ICT policy
2011, we have focused on seven important areas – human resource development,
employment generation, IT infrastructure, investment promotion, e-Governance
and regulation. In the area of e-Governance, there has been a substantial
achievement, now the information is easily available to the public. This has
brought transparency, accountability
and reduction in the service-delivery timeline. Skilled human resource is
also one of the challenges for the state government, and therefore we are
promoting computer literacy at school level, and also there has been focus on
using mobile technology to reach the last mile. Compared to other cities in the country, there is infrastructure
deficit in Patna? Don’t you think that it makes difficult for IT companies to
set up their bases here?I agree with you that a lot needs to be done when it
comes to creation of a world-class infrastructure for IT companies. But it is
also true that there has been a significant improvement in several key areas
like law and order,education, healthcare, etc. Today, we are keen to promote
IT industry and we are ready to come up with polices and measures that will
ensure that there exists a healthy infrastructure to support the IT industry
in the state.In fact, policies are already in place, it is just that all the
stakeholders will have to honestly come forward and work for a better and
more prosperous Bihar. The industry needs good infrastructure, conducive
environment and appropriate legal and regulatory framework.The government of
Bihar is committed to provide these things; there may be little bureaucratic
delays, but in principle we are for promoting various industries and creating
jobs in the state. To address the infrastructure need, we are planning to
create IT City, IT Cluster, EHDM Corridor, IT Park, etc., acrosst he state.
There is an ample opportunity for investments into Bihar today. If there is
any innovative idea or plan, any organisation has,it can share with us. We
are the facilitator, and we shall help them.You are also heading the Minority
Welfare Department. There have been reports of modernisation and
computerisation of Madrasas across the state. Has there been substantial
achievement? We have heavily focused on overall develop ment of the state
including the minorities. There has been tremendous achievement in education
sector, be it Madrasa or school education. The state government has ICT at
school scheme, under that scheme computer education and computer-aided
education is being implemented in 1,000 secondary and higher secondary
schools of Bihar. As far as Madrasas is concerned, as of now, we are actively
working on it. I strongly feel that Madrasas must be modernised and
computerised. It is very important to do that because large section of young
students, belonging to Muslim community, attend Madarsa, If you are not able
to make them digitally literate, then you can’t achieve your goal of making
Bihar an IT hub. Bihar Knowledge Society has done some good work, but lot
more needs to be done. What are the major areas where Information Technology is being
used in the state.Government of Bihar has taken few major initiatives, which
are now being expanded. The projects such as ICT @ School, e-Shakti,
e-Procurement, e-District, etc., have huge potential and shown good results.
For example, e-Shakti, today, it is in functioning mode in Patna District. About
7.5 lakhs e-Shakti cards have been given and there has been disbursal of Rs
7,02,202 among 1,840 beneficiaries. Also, Department of Revenue and Land
Reforms is using modern technology to survey the land. Aerial photography is
being used to survey the land. On pilot basis, five districts have already
been covered. Once the work gets completed, it will bring a lot of
transparency in land records management, and will surely reduce land disputes
across the state. The Urban
Development Department has started a project called ‘e-Municipality’ which
has everything integrated and interconnected, right from accounts to building
plan approvals, birth and death registrations, grievance handling,
human-resource development and solid-waste management. Across various
departments of the government, IT interventions are happening.Bihar has
acquired the reputation for good governance, state GDP is also consistently
in good bracket, but manufacturing industry is still showing dismal
performance, its contribution to GDP is lowest in the country. In your
opinion, what are the areas where Bihar should focus on for consistent
economic growth? Manufacturing has been the neglected area in our country, and
Bihar is no exception. According to projections in 2013-14, due to demand
slowdown the contribution of manufacturing sector to India’s GDP is going to
be little lower compared to
previous year. I think, we need to provide assurance and right framework to
the industries which have halted or are little hesitant to invest in Bihar.
Today, lot of things are in place and it is the right time to overhaul the
manufacturing industry in the state. The manufacturing industry is also facing problem due to
unavailability of concrete policy in favour of states where the pace of the
growth has been slow. For consistent growth, special focus should be given to
location specific agriculture resource endowment which is in abundance, but
scattered.There are lots of Central Government flagship programmes such as
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), MNREGA, food security. What is the status of
their implementation and has the state been able to use them for the welfare
of the people?Not only these flagship programmes, the state government also
has various other state plans for the welfare of the people, and we have been
able to use them for the benefit of the state. For MNREGA the state
government has been awarded, very recently, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) is
already happening even before UIDAI through e-Shakti, and on February 1 the
Hon’ble Chief Minister had launched Food Security Act in the state. Nearly
seven crore people in rural Bihar, and 70 lakh people in urban areas are
expected to benefit. Under the scheme, each person will get 5 kg of food
grains every month at the rate of Rs 2 per kg for grain and Rs 3 per kg for
rice. Over 44,000 ration shops at Panchayat level will be used to implement
the scheme. To reduce the corruption, vehicles that deliver the ration will
be GPS-monitored, and a call centre with tollfree number has also been opened
to register grievances. The economic growth and development of a country depends on the
integrated equitable development of all its citizens. What are you doing for
minority communities to bring them at part with majority?I agree that the
overall development of a country depends on the integrated equitable
development of all its citizens. Our Government being well aware of the fact
has always been the forerunner in protecting the legal rights of the minority
communities and ensuring their share in education, employment and economic
benefits. Our department is still
relatively new. Our budget has substantially increased. We have been
still raising infrastructure for the department that had been taking good
shape. Our welfare schemes include scholarships to meritorious students of
colleges, grants for state Waqf Boards and Bihar Urdu Academy and coaching
for students for civil services, and monetary help for women. We have also
recently appointed 38 minority welfare officers, one in each district. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/04/2017 Hitachi to Implement ICT-based
Green Project at AIIMS Japanese multinational conglomerate Hitachi will implement an Information
and Communications Technology-based green hospital demonstration project at
All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi to help the hospital
reduce its power consumption by as much as 30 per cent. New Energy and
Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) has mandated Hitachi to
set up a new photo-voltaic power generation facility, update existing
facilities and build a system to control and monitor energy consumption at
the premiere hospital in the national capital, the company said. “Hitachi
will accelerate electronic management of medical image data by introducing
energy-saving IT equipment,” Hitachi added. Efficient energy consumption has
emerged as a prominent focus area in leading hospitals of India. Cooling and
heating loads of a hospital are enormous compared to buildings in most other
sectors. This is due to the need of airtight sterile environments within most
departments of the hospital which negates the possibility of natural
ventilation. Green hospitals are able to increase their efficiency and
environmental stewardship while improving patient safety and care. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/06/2017 Maharashtra, Lenovo to Digitally Transform 1,000 Villages
With an aim of transforming 1,000 villages
digitally, the government of Maharashtra has collaborated with electronics
manufacturer company Lenovo, to provide technology for the first phase of The
Village Social Transformation Mission. Under the partnership, Lenovo will provide 110 tablets to
rural development fellows who will guide villagers to access government
programmes related to health, education, water conservation and irrigation. The first phase of the mission will cover 100 villages that
will cover talukas and gram panchayats of Aurangabad, Nagpur and Wardha
districts. The Chief Minister’s fellowship members will own the social
transformation and will work with the local government (Gram Panchyats) and
corporates/NGOs and the state government. “The state governments are taking a number of proactive
measures to ensure ‘Digital India’ becomes a reality,” said Managing Director
and Chief Executive Officer of Lenovo India, Rahul Agarwal, at the ceremony
held in Pune. “We believe that technology implementation
at the grass root level is the key to a successful transformation story of
our country. The initiative by the state government is a step in the right
direction to meet the goal of self-sustainable development and empowering the
citizens by technology.” added Agarwal in conversation with The Hindu. The new initiative is a part of Lenovo’s Corporate Social
Responsibility strategy and vision for providing technology for quality
education that includes skill training and learning practical aspects of
sustainable development through technology based platforms. The Village Social Transformation Mission was started by
Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in August 2016 and plans to
transform 1,000 villages as model villages by 2018. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/06/2017 Huawei Keen on India's Smart
City Project: Official CHENNAI: Chinese telecom firm Huawei is in talks with the Indian
government for its smart cities initiative, a top company official said
today. It is also interested in offering its solutions to domestic power
utility companies, Huawei Telecommunications India, Enterprise Business,
President Derek Hao told PTI here."Discussions are going on with
government on Smart Cities initiative," he said. The company, which
garnered revenue of USD 75 billion globally as of December 2016, has offered
its expertise to develop 100 smart cities in over 40 countries, he said. On offering
the company's Smart Grid solutions to power utility firms, he said they were
holding discussions. "We are also discussing with power utility
companies here in India," he said. "Huawei has AMI Solutions which
is Advanced Metering Infrastructure. It can greatly help a power utility
company reduce electricity loss and increase meter reading efficiently,"
he said. Responding to a query, he said the company was already offering its
service to several power utility firms globally. Hao and senior company officials
were here to announce their partnership with city-based IT parts distributor
Redington. Hao and Redington India senior General Manager and Head Strategic
Business, Johnson George exchanged documents as part of formally inking the
partnership. Through the tie-up, Redington India would distribute Huawei
enterprise products and services in the country. From http://www.siliconindia.com 04/20/2017 Agriculture Soon e-Auction for Tea,
Cardamom in India Soon India will have an automated electronic auction (e-Auction)
system for cardamom and tea. Currently, the Spices Board is conducting a
trail run of the screen-based cardamom auction system and planning to
introduce it in May.Initially, the new system will be introduced at the
auction centre of the Cardamom Planters Association at Bodinaykkannur in
Tamil Nadu. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) is providing the technical
expertise and software for the cardamon auctions. The board has already
bought the hardwarerequired for the system. Under the new system, bidders can
strike a deal with a click of the mouse and the screen will show details of
all the materials, which are available for auction. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/24/2017 RBI Panel Goes for
e-Transactions A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel has suggested that banks
clear cheques through electronic transfer of funds. At the same time
customers can use free Internet based transactions. The panel suggested that
banks have to educate their customers on the need to shift to electronic
processing and in case cheques are already used, processing charges might be
passed on to the customers. The panel recommended that banks should be
prohibited from using the real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system for
transactions below INR 10 lakh and for regular and repetitive payments like
salaries. The panel suggested that repetitive payments should be routed
through electronic clearing service (ECS)/ National Electronic Funds Transfer
(NEFT). The panel has also prepared a roadmap to shift from paper-based
transactions to electronic payments. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/24/2017 India Poised to Lead IoT
Industry: IT Secretary NEW DELHI: India understands the potential of technology and
should aspire for nothing less than a leadership role when it comes to adopting
Internet of Things (IoT) to improve efficiencies across different sectors, a
senior bureaucrat said here on Wednesday. Launching the second edition of the
'IoT India Congress 2017', Information Technology Secretary Aruna
Sundararajan said with the two largest industries -- information technology
(IT) and telecom -- that power the IoT industry, India is poised to become a
winner in this space. "The capabilities in entrepreneurship in different
sectors, the aspirational and second-to-none startup community in India and
the young demographics makes me optimistic that India can forge ahead in this
direction," Sundarajan told reporters here. Organised by the Institute
of Engineering and Technology (IET) India, the 'IoT India Congress' is
country's largest platform for accelerating business outcomes in IoT. The
global IoT market is set to exceed $300 billion by 2020 and with almost 1.9
billion devices to be connected to the internet in India by 2023, Indian IoT
market is forcasted to secure 20 per cent of the global IoT business
ecosystem to reach nearly $15 billion in next three years. The two-day event
brought together decision makers and stakeholders from across sectors to
discuss how IoT adoption could propel business forward by improving
efficiencies and demonstrated cost savings. The focus of this second edition
is also to help delegates 'touch, feel and experience' the IoT in healthcare,
manufacturing, smart living, Ganga rejuvenation, etc. From http://egov.eletsonline.com/
05/17/2017 |
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AZERBAIJAN: China’s Huawei to Build ‘Smart City’ in Baku China’s Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. will help the Azerbaijani Ministry
of Transport, Communications and High Technologies to implement the Smart
City project in Baku and Azerbaijan’s districts, says Marco Xu, Huawei
vice-president for Central Asia and Caucasus. Implementation of the Public Wi-Fi
project in Azerbaijan’s capital, the launch of which has been timed to
coincide with the Nowruz holiday, is the beginning of the Smart City project,
he told reporters in Baku. “Our aim is to help the ministry to create the
Smart City. Such components as the Smart Transport, Smart Port, Smart Trade
and others will be implemented at the next stages,” Xu said, adding that each
of these components has specific solutions that will be implemented
step-by-step. Any country that
has set a goal to develop tourism first of all does everything necessary to
create the infrastructure, according to Xu. “The Public Wi-Fi project is one of
the elements that can be interesting for tourists,” he noted. “Baku has the
same potential for attracting tourists like Barcelona or Dubai, where similar
projects have already been implemented.”
He noted that a strategic partnership has been formed between Huawei
and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, and
Public Wi-Fi is the first project implemented within this partnership. “We, as a company, also try to
contribute to transformation of Azerbaijan into a regional leader,” Xu added. From http://en.trend.az/
03/21/2017 Azerbaijan, Russia to Create Joint Fund to Finance IT Projects Azerbaijan and Russia are going to boost the development of ICT
industry in both countries. The two strategic partners are preparing the
legal basis for the establishment of a joint venture fund to finance
promising projects in the field of information technology. Executive Director
of the State Fund for Development of Information Technologies under
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies
Elchin Zeynalov announced about this in an interview with Trend on April 19.
He noted that the establishment of the joint venture fund will provide
additional opportunities for participation of startups in the markets of the
two countries. “We have discussed the joint fund project with a Russian
venture company and currently are preparing the legal framework for its
formation. We are talking about the possibility for local Azerbaijani
companies to enter the Russian market, and for Russian companies to enter the
Azerbaijani market,” Zeynalov said. He added that it will be possible to
consolidate opportunities of both funds and the development of the ICT
industry in both countries. For legal regulation of this sphere, the State
Fund for Development of Information Technologies will attract professionals,
who will ensure that the laws of both Azerbaijan and Russia would fully
contribute to the development of IT projects. The ICT is considered to be one
of the crucial spheres for the further development of the economy and an
integral part of the economic and political reforms which are currently
implemented in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, which is a regional leader in the ICT
sector, intends to expand its international cooperation to further develop
the sector. The income obtained in the sector in Azerbaijan is projected to
hit $9 billion by 2020. From http://www.azernews.az/
04/20/2017 Azerbaijani Operators Simplify SIM Card Sales to Foreigners Azerbaijani mobile network operators have simplified the sale of
cell phone SIM cards to foreigners in connection with the upcoming Baku 2017
Islamic Solidarity Games, a source in the country's telecommunications market
told Trend May 4. The Baku 2017
Islamic Solidarity Games will be held May 12-22. According to the source, the
simplified method allows foreigners to purchase, within a period of one
month, mobile phone numbers without registration. “The innovation is valid until June 1”
the source said. “Afterwards, the cell phone SIM card owners should sign
contracts with the local mobile network operators.” Foreigners can register their cell
phone SIM cards by presenting one of four documents – migration card,
identity card, passport or temporary registration document. From http://en.trend.az/ 05/04/2017 Azercell
Telecom Starts New Project The number of people addicted to reading books is decreasing
steadily. This is due to various reasons, such as lack of time, unwillingness
to carry a book and tiredness. On the other hand, new technologies, modern
devices, especially Internet are entering and taking roots in our lives so
fast that no time is left for old good habits. Taking all these aspects into
account, Azercell Telecom is launching a new “The youth is reading” project
for booklovers. In the frame of the project reading days will be arranged.
The project is aimed to promote the culture of reading and national authors
among the young generation, as well as give an opportunity for intellectual
resting in our hectic lives. During the days of reading, young booklovers
will be able to access works of literature on Bookmate, the application
launched by Azercell 2 years ago, in the coffee shop of Starbucks Azerbaijan
in Ganjlik Mall. The readers will be selected among the youth through a
competition beforehand. Detailed information about the terms of contest will
be placed on official Facebook page of the company. So far Azercell has conducted a number of projects to promote
the culture of reading in the country. Thanks to Bookmate application
launched in 2015, Azercell subscribers can read books with no restriction in
Azerbaijani, Russian, English, Turkish and other languages. Over 690,000
books are available in the mobile library provided by Azercell. If you would
like to become a reader under the project of “The youth is reading”, please
follow Azercell’s page on Facebook, join the competition and get updates on
the project. The leader of the mobile communication industry of Azerbaijan
and the biggest investor in the non-oil sector Azercell Telecom LLC was
founded in 1996. With 48% share of Azerbaijan’s mobile market Azercell’s
network covers 80% of the territory and 99,8% of population of the country.
Currently, 4,5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has
pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM
technology, advance payment system, 24/7 Customer Care, online customer
services, GPRS/EDGE, M2M, MobilBank, one-stop- shop service offices Azercell
Express, mobile e-service “ASAN signature”, etc. Azercell deployed first 4G –
LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile
network quality surveys of Global Wireless Solutions company and
international systems specialized in wireless coverage mapping such as
“Opensignal” and “Testmy.net”, Azercell’s network demonstrated the best
results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. From
http://www.azernews.az/
04/11/2017 UZBEKISTAN: TUIT and KOICA to Cooperate in ICT The Ministry for development of information technologies and
communications held a meeting with the mission of the Korean International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA), headed by the Director of KOICA office in
Uzbekistan Jeong-Hee. The KOICA mission arrived in Tashkent to conduct
preliminary studies on the technical assistance project "Development of
innovative educational environment of the Tashkent University of information
technologies through the introduction of ICT". The meeting discussed
prospects of cooperation in personnel training in the field of information
technology, in particular the introduction of distance education system and
digital libraries. The expansion of cooperation between the TUIT and KOICA
will contribute to improving the quality of training of qualified specialists
in ICT at the level of international standards. The parties agreed to develop
an action plan for cooperation between the TUIT and KOICA through the introduction
of modern teaching technologies. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
03/02/2017 UMS Gifts Week of Reduced Rates
for Internet, Voice and SMS Mobile operator UMS is holding a special spring promotion for
all subscribers. Until April 1, all physical and legal entities – subscribers
of UMS, who have ended limits on tariff plans or add-on packages can enjoy
new prices and terms of services. These days each 1 MB of mobile Internet
traffic between 08:00 and 00:00 will cost only $0,0055, and at night from
00:00 to 08:00 even less - $0,0004. Thus, 1000 MB instead of $10 will cost
subscribers $5.5, and at night instead of $2 - just $0,4! The same changes
apply to the phone and transferred SMS messages. Thus, if the subscriber does
not have active packages of minutes within the tariff or separate service, 1
minute of the outgoing call will cost only $0,0133 (100 minutes,
respectively, to $1,33). The price of 1 outgoing SMS messages in the period of
the campaign is set at $0,008. From
http://news.uzreport.uz/
03/31/2017 Uzbektelecom Reduces Internet
Provider Tariffs to $75.80 Uzbektelecom announced it reduced on 30 March its internet rates
for Uzbek providers to $75.80 per 1 Mb/s. This is the eighth tariff reduction
this year. The rate first dropped on 1 January to $91.07, followed by a
second cut on 6 January to $87.14, a third cut on 10 January to $86.85, a
fourth dip on 2 February to $86.11, a fifth cut on 16 February to $80.94, a
sixth on 3 March to $76.61, and a seventh reduction on 30 March to $76.48.
Last year, the tariffs were reduced twelve times: from $156.24 in January to
$91.50 in December. From
http://news.uzreport.uz/
04/06/2017 Uzbektelecom and Google Agree on Cooperation A working meeting of representatives of Google Global Cache
(GGC) with the management and specialists of "Uzbektelecom" JSC
passed at the head office of "Uzbektelecom" JSC on May 16. Representatives of GGC Dave Schwartz
and Jan Cleary demonstrated the company's capabilities to improve the quality
of Google services for users from Uzbekistan by installing GGC equipment on
technological platform of "Uzbektelecom". When the CDN node of GGC
is launched on "Uzbektelecom" network, it will be possible to cache
the most popular Google resources.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed on establishment of mutually
beneficial cooperation. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
05/17/2017 KAZAKHSTAN: Mobile Phone Operators Increase Services Volume Kazakhstan’s mobile phone operators provided services worth 18.3
billion tenge (313.8 tenge = $1) in January 2017. It is 5.1 percent more than
in the same period of 2016, Energyprom.kz analytical service said in a
report. It is the first January
since 2012 when mobile phone operators had positive results. They have been
decreasing the volume of services since 2013. In 2016 the volume of services
decreased by 10.4 percent compared to 2015. The number of subscribers (mobile
numbers) hit 25.4 million as of end of Jan. 2017 which is 19.6 percent less
than one year ago. There were 142
mobile numbers for 100 people in Kazakhstan in January. A year earlier, this
figure was even higher - 180 subscribers per 100 people. However the number of high-speed
mobile internet users increased by 17.1 percent to 12 million over the year,
which is 47.2 percent of all subscribers. In January 2016 this figure was
32.4 percent, while five years earlier, in January 2012 - just 25.2 percent.
As much as 67 mobile subscribers per 100 people had a high-speed mobile
internet access in Jan. 2017. A year ago, only 58 out of a 100 people used
mobile Internet. From http://en.trend.az/
03/02/2017 |
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AUSTRALIA: Fintech Investments Hit $656m in 2016 While global levels of fintech investment slid by 47 percent to $24.7
billion in 2016, Australia trended upwards.Investment in Australian fintech
reached a record $656 million in 2016, more than triple the $185 million
invested in 2015, according to a report by professional services firm
KPMG.This equates to an annual average growth rate of around 90 percent over
the four years leading to 2016.The growth was driven by large mergers and
acquisitions, and venture capital transactions, including CHAMP Private
Equity's acquisition of Pepperstone, Stirling Products' acquisition of Mx360
Group, and large funding rounds from Tyro and Prospa, according to KPMG's The
Pulse of Fintech report.The report shows venture capital investment in
fintech reached $71 million in 2016, a substantial drop from 2015's $175
million total, though on a similar level to 2014's $88 million total. "Venture capital activity, while down nominally on last
year's figure, remains reasonably strong. While mega deals result in peaks
and troughs in overall figures, the trend is clear and demonstrates increasing
interest and investment activity in fintech," said Ian Pollari, head of
banking at KPMG Australia.Meanwhile, a survey by Startup Muster shows that
fintech is now the most prevalent industry for Australian startups, with 15.9
percent of the startups and 42.1 percent of the supporters operating in the
finance technology space.The Startup Muster survey showed fintech to be among
the top areas investors are looking to support, with 56.2 percent of
investors eyeing the industry.While Australia trended upwards, global levels
of fintech investment slid by 47 percent to $24.7 billion in 2016.In a
statement, Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison said the federal government is
"keenly aware" that the financial services sector plays a critical
role in the Australian economy. Morrison noted the government's Fintech Advisory Group's
progress of the review of opportunities for blockchain; the examination of
ways to improve data availability; the introduction of the regulatory sandbox
to support new entrants testing their financial services offerings; and the
extension of venture capital tax concessions for early-stage startup
investments."Whilst these measures have been successful and
well-received by industry, the Turnbull government continues its fintech
agenda by commencing work on an enhanced package of further reforms to be
released and implemented this year," Morrison said.As the finance
industry is not an easy one to navigate, especially for emerging players,
Morrison said the government is working on an enhanced package of further
reforms to be released and implemented this year. "The Turnbull government has announced its intention to
stop the 'double taxation' of digital currencies under the GST regime and the
development of legislation to extend the crowdsourced equity funding
framework to private companies."Meanwhile, StartupbootcampFinTech
believes the big banks are feeling the fintech threat.In the Review of the
Four Major Banks: First Report released in November 2016, the House of
Representatives Standing Committee on Economics recommended that banks be
forced to provide open access to customer and small business data by July
2018 for competing banks, startups, and other financial institutions.The
committee suggested that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission
be charged with developing a binding framework to facilitate this sharing of
data, making use of APIs, and ensuring that appropriate privacy safeguards
are in place to allow such a practice. "Increased access to financial
sector data, as noted by the Productivity Commission, should also intensify
competition in the financial sector. This is because markets work best when
customers are informed. At present, banks, not consumers, hold the data. This
gives banks a significant degree of power," the report [PDF] states. From http://www.zdnet.com 03/01/2017 Food Agility Receives AU$50m in Backing from Australian
Government Food Agility has received AU$50 million from the government to
lead the digital transformation of the agricultural sector in Australia.Food
Agility is receiving AU$50 million over the next 10 years as part of the
federal government's Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program, the Minister
for Industry, Innovation and Science Arthur Sinodinos announced on
Tuesday.The government funding adds to the AU$160 million in contributions --
both monetary and non-monetary -- previously raised by the organisation from
partners such as KPMG, National Australia Bank, IAG, and Bosch.Founded by CEO
professor Mike Briers, Food Agility is a consortium of commercial companies,
universities, and farming industry bodies looking to facilitate the digital
transformation of agriculture industry in Australia. "Global food
production needs to double by 2050 and the opportunity that presents to the
Australian food industry is enormous. Yet we are lagging our international
competitors in preparing for a digital future," Briers said."The
Food Agility CRC, backed by government, will be an independent, trusted
intermediary to accelerate research adoption and commercialisation --
including AgTech startups -- to improve digital services to the
sector."Moving forward, Food Agility's innovation programs will seek to
deploy real-time big data market intelligence and predictive analytics to
help farmers produce the right products at the right time, connect food
producers with consumers in new ways, and a common knowledge base. "[Australia's] got excellent brand reputation
internationally for high quality green food ... We believe the centre of
excellence for food production is here in Australia and that's where we want
to effectively grow the agricultural technology sector," Briers told ZDNet
earlier this year."For the food and agriculture sector to reach a higher
level of maturity from a digital transformation perspective, you'll need to
have a stable and reliable underlying measurement system.Food Agility's
upcoming projects include the use of the Internet of Things to improve the
shelf life of bagged lettuce; the development of a market insights and
information portal to support agribusinesses interested in entering new
markets; and the development of financial products to provide viticulturists
with access to information that could help improve the quality and yield of
their produce and reduce operational costs. Led by the Knowledge Economy
Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, Queensland University of
Technology (QUT), and Curtin University, Food Agility has 54 partners across
the food value chain including technology providers, food producers, service
providers, research providers, regional development agencies, government
agencies, and industry networks.Professor Bronwyn Harch of QUT, who has been
appointed as Food Agility's research director, said Food Agility's research
programs will focus on hardware, software, and liveware."That means
addressing the sensor and communication technologies that underpin data
across food value chains; transforming poorly designed, utilised, and
connected data into information and insights for decision making; and
ensuring best practices are integrated into the workflows of governments,
industry, and consumers, and building a capable workforce," Harch said. Executive director of the Australian Farm Institute Mick Keogh,
who will be an independent board member of Food Agility, implied the
organisation will help close the gap between researchers and the agriculture
and food sector in Australia, which he said has been a personal frustration
of his for years.Ben van Delden, who leads the AgTech division at KPMG,
communicated a similar sentiment, saying one of the highlights of his trip to
Israel as part of the Australian Agri-Food Trade Mission was seeing the
"unprecedented 'collaboration in action' between farmers, universities,
industries, and government"."Australia can learn from this and it
seems we are now on this path with the Food Agility CRC's collaboration model
bridging the gap between stakeholders," van Delden said. A collaborative
agricultural ecosystem is gradually forming in Australia. In February, Cisco,
Data61, and the University of New South Wales, in partnership with the
National Farmers' Federation, the NSW Farmers Association, the NSW Department
of Primary Industries, and ATP Innovations, launched an innovation centre in
Sydney focused on developing new uses for IoT within the agriculture
sector.In 2015, the University of New England (UNE) began transforming a
2,900 hectare commercial farm called Kirby-Newholme into a "smart
farm". In an initiative led by the Australian Centre for Broadband
Innovation in collaboration with CSIRO and the UNE's Precision Agriculture
Research Group, the Kirby Smart Farm was one of the first farms in Australia to
be connected to the National Broadband Network fixed wireless service, and is
often referred to as an example of what quality broadband can enable. From http://www.zdnet.com 03/07/2017 Top Tech Companies on ATO Radar for Back Taxes The Australian Taxation Office is chasing a sum of $2.9 billion
in back taxes which it says is owed by a number of big multinationals.
Included in this list are Apple, Google, Microsoft, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto,
Crown, Chevron and Singtel Optus, all of whom have been named either in
Senate inquiries or in ASX statements as being audited by the ATO. The ATO is
said to be confident about winning its case against Chevron which is ongoing.
The oil giant lost a profit-shifting case in the Federal Court, a verdict
that it has appealed. Fairfax Media also reported that Microsoft, McDonald's
and IBM were three of the prominent multinational firms that had not yet
signed up to the federal government's tax transparency measures which call
for voluntary disclosure of tax affairs. The Tax Transparency Code was
introduced by former treasurer Joe Hockey in the 2015 federal budget. According to the code, firms which have turnover between $100
million and $500 million have to supply only general tax details. Those with
turnover more than $500 million will have to provide more details. Hockey
said at the time that the idea was for "companies, particularly large
multinationals operating in Australia, to publicly disclose their tax
affairs". Among other big companies that have been asked to cough up
back taxes, Rio Tinto has been told to pay $379 million and interest of $68
million for the calendar years 2010 to 2013. The Fairfax reports said
historically the ATO had settled with companies and ended up with about half
of what was sought; in 2015, for example, the tax office was targeting a
figure of $5.7 billion and ended up getting almost $3 billion., It said that
if companies did not sign up to the voluntary reporting regime, then
mandatory disclosure may be imposed. Fairfax said the Board of Tax chairman
Michael Andrew had indicated that European companies were generally more
compliant when it came to the code. This was because there were similar
measures in their home countries, designed to create more transparency about
their tax affairs. From https://www.itwire.com 04/07/2017 457
Abolition Will Hit Tech Industry Growth The head of a well-known Australian accounting software company
has slammed the government's move to get rid of the 457 temporary worker visa
system, saying it could "severely hinder the growth of the nation’s tech
industry".Trent Innes, managing director of Xero Australia, said that
abolishing the 457 visa had the potential to limit the opportunities of the
world’s best and brightest tech workers and make Australian-based tech firms
less competitive.In announcing the end of the 457 visa system, Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull said it would be replaced by one that was stricter. He also
said that his policy would Australian jobs first.But Innes, who has major
clients both in Australia and abroad, was apparently not impressed by these
arguments."The biggest risk facing Australia's technology industry is a
lack of talent," he said. "If companies can find skilled, local
engineers and developers, they’ll hire them. If we can’t train, locate or
import the talent, skilled technology jobs are at risk of moving offshore." He said that Xero was committed to fostering local talent.
"We have programmes teaching kids to code, (we) are retraining and
upskilling Australians — we even have a coder who was a truck driver — and
we’re working with universities and government to help modernise policy and
curriculums to keep up with the rapid changes happening in the tech
sector."Turnbull said in his announcement that there would be two kinds
of visas under the new system: two years and four years, with the latter
allowing holders to apply for permanent residence after three years, in
contrast to the 457 which lasted for four years and included the possibility
of permanent stay.Innes said that Xero, with more than 1600 employees,
including several hundred in Australia, and customers in more than 180
countries, had built its business success, like many others, on being a
global platform. "This requires the ability to bring in the best talent from
around the world and have our employees work where they want and need
to," he said. "If we’re going to build jobs for our kids, we need
to build next-generation companies at scale."Wrapping jobs in red tape
sent a message to the world that Australia wasn’t open for business, he
claimed."Any move to limit the ability to attract world-class talent has
the potential to not only impact the way we work, but also the values on
which our business is built. It could lead to an exodus of jobs and talent -
neither of which are good for the Australian economy."Rob Hango-Zada, a
co-founder of Shippit, said that putting Australian jobs first was a great
mantra, but questioned how it prevented jobs from being sent offshore. "In the corporate world and more specifically in the tech
space, off-shoring is a common practice and in recent times 457 visas have
meant that at least offshoring for specialised jobs is minimised. The
government needs to provide specific information about how this would impact
key areas such as engineering and development," he said."It's good
to see that skilled workers will still be catered for with the new 'Temporary
work visa'. I would like to understand how the government can assist with
recruiting for key areas with skill gaps."We need to establish Australia
as a destination for skilled workers where Australia falls short in order for
us to really own the innovation agenda on a global stage and prevent local
brain-drain from Australia to the US and UK.Nick La, co-founder of on-demand
recruitment platform Weploy, said the 457 move was a great initiative as it
could provide many more working opportunities to Australians who are looking
to step into a career. "From experience, typically 457 visa holders take the
current lower-skill/labour-based temporary work purely because it's all that
they're being accepted or considered for (which narrows job availability for
Australians in this cohort)."Weployspecialises in matching employers
with temporary staff.La added: "However, they would much prefer to be
able to continue their expertise in temporary capacities, something that is
difficult for them to do right now. By deploying skills to the right areas
and addressing shortages, the change will free up more opportunities to our
Australians, whether it be building up work experience or simply earning a
living."By providing a temporary visa focused more on specialised skill
sets, Australia will be able to attract international talent, ultimately
bringing our global level of excellence higher and up-skilling where
required. This will hopefully motivate Australians succeed even more and help
to drive our innovation agenda by giving founders access to the right talent
to grow start-ups." Luke Anear, founder and chief executive of SafetyCulture, said:
"It comes back to supply and demand. We need a significant amount of
skilled workers in order to support not only tech but all industries going
through technology's disruption. The 457 programme was a way for us to fill
the gap between lack of skilled workers in Australia and finding experienced
workers from overseas."The best option and cheapest option is to have
suitably trained workforce in Australia from Australia and today we just
don't have it yet. We need to be able to continue to meet the demand and also
provide the labour force to meet Australia's current
opportunity."SafetyCulture employs 12 staff on 457 visas and has just
over 100 staff working in Australia, the US and UK. More than four-fifths of
them are in Australia. From https://www.itwire.com 04/19/2017 Australian Firms Lagging on EU Data Compliance: Study Many Australian organisations are unprepared to comply with the
EU's General Data Protection Regulation that comes into force in a little
more than a year, a study by data management company Veritas Technologies
claims. The study, carried out by Vanson Bourne for Veritas, questioned 900
business decision-makers in February and March across the US, the UK, France,
Germany, Australia, Singapore, Japan and South Korea. In Australia, 88% of
those interviewed said they were worried that failure to comply with the GDPR
would have negatively affect their businesses. And 23% were apprehensive that
non-compliance would force them to shut shop. The GDPR aims to harmonise
governance of information that relates to individuals across the EU and calls
for greater oversight of where and how personal data — including credit card,
banking and health information — is stored and transferred, and how access to
it is policed and audited by organisations. The regulations will extend globally, affecting any company that
offers goods or services to EU residents, or monitors their behaviour, for
example, by tracking their buying habits. Less than 30% believed their
organisation was compliant; About 46% have expressed concerns that they will
not meet the compliance deadline; More than 1 in 4 (29%) were worried about
potential lay-offs due to high financial penalties (upto �20 million or 4% of
annual turnover); About 30% were fearful their current technology stack was
unable to manage their data effectively; About 39% said their organisation
could not accurately identify and locate relevant data; and About 42%
admitted there was no mechanism in place to determine which data should be
saved or deleted based on its value. The study found that globally many
businesses had a long way to go before they were GDPR-compliant. The study
found that several countries were way behind their global counterparts in
terms of GDPR readiness. Singapore, Japan and South Korea were last in the
survey on this topic, with 56% of respondents in Singapore fearing they would
be unable to meet the deadline. In Japan and South Korea this figure was 60%. Fears of going out
of business were greatest in the US and Australia. Nearly 25% of respondents
in both countries feared non-compliance could lead to closure. Similarly,
respondents in the US (26%) and Australia (30%) were also the most concerned
that penalties from GDPR non-compliance could lead to layoffs. In South
Korea, the figure was 23%. In the Asia Pacific region, businesses were
worried about a compliance failure affecting the reputation of their brands.
“There is just over a year to go before GDPR comes into force, yet the ‘out
of sight, out of mind’ mentality still exists in organisations around the
world. It doesn’t matter if you’re based in the EU or not, if your
organisation does business in the region, the regulation applies to you,”
said Mike Palmer, executive vice-president and chief product officer,
Veritas. “A sensible next step would be to seek an advisory service that can
check the level of readiness and build a strategy that ensures compliance. A
failure to react now puts jobs, brand reputation and the livelihood of
businesses in jeopardy." From https://www.itwire.com 05/02/2017 NEW ZEALAND: Apple in NZ – $4.2b in Revenue, Zero Tax Paid -
Report The world's richest technology company Apple paid no tax in a
decade in New Zealand, despite raking in NZ$4.2 billion in revenue.iPhones accounted
for a quarter of smartphones sold in the country in 2016, the New Zealand
Herald reported, adding that 221,000 iPhones had been sold in the three
months to December 2016.The newspaper said the NZ$4.2 billion figure came
from Apple's local subsidiary, Apple Sales New Zealand.While NZ$37 million
was paid in tax over the decade, all of this went to the Australian Taxation
Office, an arrangement that has been in place since 2007.Apple has been under
fire in various quarters over its innovative tax arrangements. It faces a �13
billion tax demand from the EU, over its tax arrangements in
Ireland.Australia has attempted to get Apple to pay what it deems to be its
fair share of tax but nothing has eventuated yet.If profits reported in NZ
had been similar to the global figure, then New Zealand would have reaped
NZ$356 million in taxes, the paper said.It quoted the joint leader of the NZ
Greens, James Shaw, as saying: "It is absolutely extraordinary that they
are able to get away with paying zero tax in this country."I really like
Apple products - they're incredibly innovative - but it looks like their tax
department is even more innovative than their product designers." From https://www.itwire.com 03/21/2017 Vodafone NZ and Sky Push Ahead with Merger Vodafone NZ and Sky TV have circumvented the New Zealand
Commerce Commission's rejection of its merger by gaining consent from the
Overseas Investment Office. Pay TV provider Sky TV and telecommunications
carrier Vodafone NZ have pushed ahead with their proposed merger, receiving
consent from the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office. The Overseas
Investment Office granted consent on Friday in spite of the New Zealand
Commerce Commission declining clearance back in February because it could
substantially lessen competition in the mobile telecommunications and
broadband markets. Sky and Vodafone were able to gain approval from the
Overseas Investment Office instead of the commission because both companies
are more than 25 percent owned by overseas entities, and because their asset
value and purchase price are both worth more than $100 million. "The merger of the two companies met the criteria required
by the Overseas Investment Act 2005," the Overseas Investment Office
said. "The application involved significant business assets, and so to
gain consent the applicants needed to demonstrate their business experience
and acumen, their financial commitment, and that those controlling the
companies are of good character and meet certain criteria under the
Immigration Act 2009." The Overseas Investment Office called the
Commerce Commission's decision on the matter "not relevant" to its own
assessment, because they are subject to different tests. "The Commerce
Commission test relates to competition in a market, which is different to the
criteria that the Overseas Investment Office is required to consider for an
application involving significant business assets," the Overseas
Investment Office explained. Vodafone Group and Sky Network Television reached an agreement
to form an integrated telco and media group in June 2016 via Sky acquiring
all Vodafone NZ shares for a total purchase price of NZ$3.44 billion through
the issue of new Sky shares, in return giving Vodafone Europe a 51 percent
stake in the combined group, in addition to cash consideration of NZ$1.25
billion funded through new debt. Vodafone NZ had previously warned that it
would review the commission's rejection and "consider all courses of
action". One of the Commerce Commission's strongest reasons for the
merger rejection was the issue of premium sports content ownership, with the
competition issues presented to the companies in October last year also not
sufficiently addressed. "The proposed merger would have created a strong
vertically integrated pay-TV and full service telecommunications provider in
New Zealand owning all premium sports content. We acknowledge that this could result in more attractive offers
for Sky combined with broadband and/or mobile being available to consumers in
the immediate future," Commerce Commission chair Mark Berry said at the
time. "Internationally, the trend for bundles that package up broadband,
mobile, and sport content is growing. Given the merged entity's ability to
leverage its premium live sports content, we cannot rule out the real chance
that demand for its offers would attract a large number of non-Vodafone
customers." The New Zealand High Court had also ruled that there would
be a short-term delay if the merger were to be approved, with its ruling
prohibiting Vodafone and Sky from completing their merger until midnight on
the third day after the Commerce Commission's decision. Rival telecommunications providers Spark, 2degrees, and
InternetNZ had filed proceedings with the High Court, saying a short delay
would provide them with "breathing space" wherein they could
examine and question approval from the Commerce Commission, should it be
given. This followed industry criticism in August, when the telcos accused
Vodafone NZ and Sky TV of trying to squeeze the competition out of the
wholesale premium live sport and entertainment content market, the retail
residential fixed-line broadband market, the retail mobile broadband market,
and the pay TV market. Vodafone NZ earlier this month also acquired a
majority stake in Farmside, the rural broadband and satellite arm of small
carrier TeamTalk, for NZ$10 million in cash. Vodafone's 70 percent
acquisition blocked competitor Spark's attempts to acquire TeamTalk in its
entirety. Farmside offers rural broadband services and is one of the
largest resellers of the New Zealand government's Rural Broadband Initiative
(RBI). It uses satellite, ADSL, and wireless technology to provide internet
connectivity in regional areas, and has a contact centre in Timaru with over
70 staff members. "This is an opportunity to deliver better outcomes for
rural customers, to increase our presence in the rural broadband market, and to
utilise the skill sets of the two complementary companies," Vodafone NZ
CEO Russell Stanners said in April. "The investment by Vodafone in
Farmside further deepens the strategic relationship between ourselves and
TeamTalk. There are other opportunities for us to partner, for instance
sharing fibre including future upgrade and maintenance costs." From http://www.zdnet.com 04/28/2017 NZ Regulator Knocks Back Fairfax-NZME Merger New Zealand's Commerce Commission has decided that media
companies Fairfax and New Zealand Media and Entertainment should not be
allowed to merge their operations in the country.The merger would have
resulted in New Zealand's two biggest newspaper networks and their websites
being owned by one company, a statement from the Commission said.The
Commission's preliminary view, issued in November last year, was that such a
merger would substantially reduce competition in both the advertiser and
reader markets - – specifically Sunday newspapers, online news and community
newspapers in 10 regions.It also indicated at the time that the merger would
not benefit the public to the extent that it should be allowed.Both views
were more or less unchanged in the decision issued on Wednesday. NZCC
chairman Dr Mark Berry said while the Commission recognised that both NZME
and Fairfax faced "a challenging commercial environment as they seek to
transition from their traditional print products to a sustainable online
model", the NZCC did not agree with some of the scenarios advanced about
their respective futures without the merger.“Following our draft
determination the applicants significantly altered their submission on what
the state of the market would look like without the merger. The details of
those submissions are confidential; however, we do not consider the scenarios
presented to be likely outcomes," he said."In our view, without the
merger NZME and Fairfax will be increasingly focused on their online
businesses as their print products diminish in number and comprehensiveness
over time. “We accept there is a real chance the merger could extend the
lifespan of some newspapers and lead to significant cost savings anywhere
between NZ$40 million to around NZ$200 million over five years. However these
benefits do not, in our view, outweigh the detriments we consider would occur
if it was to proceed.”Had the merger gone through, the single resultant
entity would have had direct control of the biggest network of journalists in
New Zealand, employing more editorial staff than the next three largest
mainstream media organisations combined, the statement said.The news media
business of the single merged entity would include nearly 90% of the daily
newspaper circulation in New Zealand and a majority of traffic to online
sources of New Zealand news, a state Including its radio network, the merged
entity would have a monthly reach of 3.7 million New Zealanders. “This merger
would concentrate media ownership and influence to an unprecedented extent for
a well-established modern liberal democracy. The news audience reach that the
applicants have provide the merged entity with the scope to control a large
share of the news consumed by a majority of New Zealanders," Dr Berry
said."This level of influence over the news and political agenda by a
single media organisation creates a risk of causing harm to New Zealand’s
democracy and to the New Zealand public.”He said that after a review of all
the evidence, "our primary concerns remain that this merger would be
likely to reduce both the quality of news produced and the diversity of
voices (plurality) available for New Zealanders to
consume"."Competition between NZME and Fairfax leads them to
produce higher quality content than would otherwise exist with the merger.
This competition incentivises investment in editorial resources, motivates
journalists and editors in their day-to-day work and acts as a safeguard to
plurality. “In our view, the merged entity’s competitors would not be able to
constrain it in any real way from making cost-cutting decisions that reduce
quality and plurality. The extent of internal plurality is also discretionary
on the part of the media owner and we do not regard promises to maintain
current levels as a sufficient safeguard on future editorial decisions.“While
we cannot weigh in dollar terms the net benefits against the detrimental
societal impacts we expect to see, in our assessment this is not a finely
balanced decision. We decline to grant authorisation." From https://www.itwire.com 05/03/2017 SAP Has Designs on New Government Business Steve Ballmer's latest hobby, USAfacts.org, cast a spotlight on
the effectiveness of local, state and federal governments when it launched in
April. Its easy-to-read dashboards allow ordinary citizens to compare
government's performance of its core missions with spending at all levels.In
a roundabout way, that's made the former Microsoft CEO something of an
evangelist for companies like SAP, which has released a new cloud service to
help public sector organizations manage their spending.USAfacts and OpenGov,
a young company offering financial reporting, budgeting and publishing tools
for the public sector, are stirring interest in ERP tools for government, and
that's creating opportunities for SAP to get involved in the sales cycle,
according to Darren Koch, SAP's chief product officer for small and
medium-size businesses. "It's just a tailwind for us," he said.Koch
joined SAP when it acquired travel expenses management company Concur, where
he was senior vice president of global product and platform strategy.Now,
among other products, he's responsible for Business ByDesign, the cloud-based
accounting, purchasing and planning software package SAP originally designed
for small to medium-size enterprises.As a taxpayer, Koch wants to see
governments update their dusty old green-screen terminals. It's a motivation
for his colleagues too: "There's a tremendous value for the team in
helping governments be more efficient," he said.ByDesign has been
something of a slow burn in the 10 years since it launched, and on several
occasions analysts have wondered whether SAP would stick with it. Recently, though, SAP has doubled down, allocating more
programmers to ByDesign. There's now a core development team of 300 to 400,
Koch said, a number of them there since the start.Koch would recruit more if
he could, but it's not easy finding the right skills. "We're less budget
constrained on hiring than we are talent constrained," he said.The
expansion has given the team the resources to add the necessary features to
ByDesign to win over U.S. public sector customers, including support for
encumbrance accounting and reporting in accordance with Governmental
Accounting Standards Board requirements."Imagine you're a government
employee and you take a trip. In the U.S., as soon as it's approved and
before you've even taken it, the government needs to set aside the money and
record the liability for that approved spend, and then they need that
approval to flow into all the impacted cost centers," he said. "How
you encumber, how you take that spend and how you put it as a liability, it
starts to look like a core ERP use case." Koch sees a billion-dollar
opportunity for SAP and its integration partners in the 90,000 U.S.
government entities that are potential users of ByDesign.Don't expect it to
convert them overnight, though."Government purchase decisions roll out
pretty slowly," he said.For that reason, the company decided to skip
beta testing or customer trials. Koch hopes to have the first government
customers live within the year, though. "I would expect our typical
sales to implementation cycle is longer than our corporate customers, but not
that much longer," he said. While this is a U.S. only service for now,
if all goes according to plan then can expect versions of ByDesign tailored
for governments in other countries in time -- but likely one at a time. "Governments get very interested in data security and where
the data is housed and how many people have access to it, and things like
that," Koch said. Dealing with that increases operational complexity
and, while it's nothing SAP can't handle, it's something Koch prefers to
handle one country after another, rather than all at once.Government
customers will pay for ByDesign in the same way as enterprises do, with the
monthly subscription fee based on the number of users. Koch wouldn't be drawn
on the details.In addition to the features tailored for the public sector,
they'll get full access to all the features of the enterprise version --
although, as Koch said, things like the "order to cash" function
may not be as useful.SAP will work with existing ByDesign partners to build
out the service, particularly those with experience of the data migration
component, "rarely the most pleasant part of an ERP deployment," as
Koch put it. "The intent is that we are the digital core: payables,
receivables, invoicing," said Koch, with the system also becoming the
master data repository.Switching out the green screens could allow
governments to modernize their activities in other ways, too."It opens
the opportunity for some really interesting things. The usage of CRM to
manage your interactions with your citizenry. Who sent a letter, made a phone
call?" he said. From https://www.computerworld.co.nz 05/23/2017 |
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Oracle CEO Says Cloud Won't Cause Mass IT Layoffs Don't expect mass layoffs of IT workers even as the world's
biggest companies move more of their workload to the cloud, Oracle CEO Mark
Hurd told CNBC. "I don't know if it is so much reductions," he said
on "Squawk Alley" on Thursday. "I think it is the reapplication
of that talent to different opportunities to the customer." Oracle's
customers have to do so much work and so many different configurations of
technology that use up a lot of labor, he said. "The opportunity we have
is to now do a lot of that work for the customer," he said. "They
can reapply that budget, that manpower and that talent to things that help
the company gain market share, to help the customer deliver better service to
their customers." More than 80 percent of Oracle's customers' budgets
are used just to keep existing systems running, he said. "It isn't just
a displacement, it's a reapplication of that spending and that talent to
higher order tasks," he added. Oracle is transitioning from its database
business to cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS) to compete with
the likes of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Salesforce. Oracle is racing Salesforce to reach $10 billion in cloud
services revenue, though Amazon dominates the cloud market. Total cloud
revenues made up 13 percent of Oracle's overall sales, up from 8 percent this
time last year. However, on-premise revenues still account for 67 percent of
total revenues, versus 70 percent a year ago. Oracle reported fiscal
third-quarter earnings on Wednesday that beat analysts' expectations, as
software revenue popped. But the company's overall sales fell slightly short
of estimates. For the quarter, earnings per share was 69 cents, adjusted,
versus the 62 cents expected by analysts. Revenue came in at $9.21 billion, just
below the $9.255 billion expected by analysts. The company also upped its
dividend from 15 cents to 19 cents. From http://www.cnbc.com/ 03/16/2017 Apple Just Bought the App It Once Crowned 'Most Innovative' and
Made It Free for Everyone If you can't beat it, buy it. That's what Apple did on Wednesday
when it acquired an app called Workflow, an automation app that it had
labeled "most innovative" in 2015. Apple confirmed the acquisition
to Business Insider on Wednesday but did not disclose the price or any other
terms of the deal.Workflow takes a complicated series of tasks, that would
normally require opening multiple apps, and lets users press one button to
get the job done. For example, if you want to let someone know you're running
late, you can use the "running late" workflow to automatically find
your next calendar event, get the travel time, create a text and fire off a
message. It's so powerful that at the time, Business Insider's Alex Heath
called it the "Swiss Army knife for completing tasks" and said it
could potentially replace entire apps on your home screen.Workflow first
caught the eye of Apple first in 2015, and now the company confirmed it
acquired it on Wednesday. In a rare move, the company is keeping the app
alive in the App Store and setting its price to free. It previously cost
$2.99.As part of the deal, Workflow's creators — developers Ari Weinstein,
Conrad Kramer, and Nick Frey — will be joining Apple, according to
TechCrunch, which first reported the deal."We are thrilled to be joining
Apple," said Weinstein in a statement to TechCrunch. "We’ve worked
closely with Apple from the very beginning, from kickstarting our company as
students attending WWDC to developing and launching Workflow and seeing its
amazing success on the App Store. We can’t wait to take our work to the next
level at Apple and contribute to products that touch people across the
world." From https://www.yahoo.com/ 03/23/2017 Tech Tools That Can Help You Land the Perfect Job With low, 4.5 percent unemployment and exploding demand for all
sorts of workers, new high-tech tools are emerging to help companies find the
best candidates and bring down the cost of that job search. Better hiring is
a win-win for companies and employees, as reducing employee turnover is
valuable to the bottom line. The average cost per hire is $4,129, and it
takes an average of 42 days to fill a given position, according to the
Society for Human Resource Management's new Human Capital Benchmarking
Report. And for many employers, the cost is much higher, not to mention the
cost and time it takes to train new workers. Workpop Workpop is focused on the 76 million hourly workers in the
United States: service-sector jobs at restaurants and retailers that have,
until now, largely been filled by work-intensive paper applications. Its
tools are designed for both workers and employers to access on mobile devices
— responding to the fact that more than 60 percent of potential employees who
visit a job site are using a mobile device. Workpop combines video
applications, social references and artificial intelligence algorithms to
find the best candidates and reduce turnover. It's already drawn millions of
candidates and more than 10,000 employers, helping them hire hundreds of
thousands of employees. And though it's designed to work for small
businesses, it's partnering with national restaurant chains, such as
Hillstone Restaurant Group. "A lot of times it can identify trends or characteristics
of candidates that a person wouldn't find," says Reed Shaffner,
Workpop's co-founder and co-CEO. "It can also look through a much
broader set of people to identify who might be the right fit for the
role." For candidates, Workpop offers a range of options, from
automatically extracting information from a résumé to apply for a job, to
video responses to job applications. And rather than acting as a rival to
work sites such as Monster.com and Ziprecruiter, it's a partner, helping
those sites find candidates. For employers, Workpop will post their jobs
across the web. "You really don't want to have to think about 'Hey,
where should I post my job?' And frankly, we're going to find candidates you
can't find on job boards," says Shaffner. The company's fee structure
varies for small businesses looking to make a single hire and larger
companies paying an annual fee. Comparably Comparably is focused on the tech sector, collecting data from
tens of thousands of employees on compensation and corporate culture from
companies including Netflix, Uber, eBay, PayPal and SpaceX. "Think about
it like eHarmony for work," says Comparably CEO Jason Nazar. "We
take all these different data points about what you're looking for in your
work experience, what kind of culture you want, what you want to get paid,
what job titles you want to have — not only today but a couple of years from
today — and we match you to companies that are going to be the best fit for
you." Like a dating service, Nazar says he has tools for both employees
and companies, providing competitive analytics to both sides so you can
"see what women vs. men rate their CEO at a certain company or what
specific departments think of their company." He adds, "And for
employees, we have a really unique algorithm that shows them which companies
they best match with. We have access to one of the largest databases now of
tech candidates." HackerRank While Comparably aims to fix gender and racial inequity in pay
at companies by revealing how much women and men are making, HackerRank aims
to make hiring for tech jobs color and gender blind by allowing people to
code and compete anonymously for jobs. HackerRank positions itself as a
destination for programmers to learn about how to code and compete with
fellow coders online, and for companies to find, screen and interview a more
diverse range of engineers. From http://www.cnbc.com/ 04/10/2017 Governing Body Declares: No IP Addresses for Governments That
Shut Down Internet Access One of the fundamental strengths of the internet is its
inter-connectivity. But certain regimes, when faced with political dissidents,
protests, or even students possibly cheating on their exams, have taken to
shutting down internet access. The purpose is to deny their citizens access
to tools like Google, Twitter, and Facebook, which can be used to document
what’s happening and reach out to coordinate resistance. Now a governing body
has declared that there should be no IP addresses awarded to governments that
cut off internet access to their citizens. These infringing governments could
find themselves refused new IP addresses, under a new regulatory proposal
making its way through one of the five global IP allocation organizations.
Internet registry AFRINIC will consider the proposed measure at its next
meeting in Kenya in June. AFRINIC is in charge of managing and allocating IP
address blocks across Africa. It’s one of five regional internet registries
that manage IP address allocation for the world. They coordinate with ICANN
to manage namespace and make it possible to navigate the internet using .com
addresses. Under the proposal, a new section would be added to AFRINIC’s
official rules that would allow the organization to refuse to issue any new
IP address to a country that has ordered an internet shutdown — for an entire
year. The ban would cover all government-owned entities and others
that have a “direct provable relationship with said government.” It would
also prohibit any transfer of address space to those entities from others. We
tend to think of Internet censorship and/or shutdown as something relatively
rare or confined to a small group of countries. According to a January report
by the Brookings Institute, there were 81 such incidents in 2016 alone: 22 in India, 22 in Iraq, 8 in non-ISIS
controlled Syria, 6 in Pakistan, 3 in Turkey, and 1-2 in a number of other
nations. This punitive withdrawal of services would escalate if the country
became a repeat offender, showing a pattern of cutting off internet access.
Under the rule created by the new proposal, “In the event of a government
performing three or more such shutdowns in a period of 10 years – all
resources to the aforementioned entities shall be revoked and no allocations
to said entities shall occur for a period of 5 years.” In principle, this
denial of services would mean that no new government websites could be
created, and if an infringing government tried to move its web properties
over to an NGO, AFRINIC could respond to that attempt at circumvention by
revoking associated IP addresses. But there will no doubt be reciprocal
escalation. Pitting governments against the internet is a no-win situation. From https://www.extremetech.com/ 04/20/2017 AFRICA: Morocco - More Inclusive Growth and Youth Employment
Within Reach Morocco has an opportunity in the years ahead to boost economic
growth and job creation, especially for young people, and to catch up even
faster with developed economies by investing in its human capital,
modernizing the economy and improving the performance of public institutions.
This is the conclusion of the most recent Morocco Economic Memorandum (CEM)
released today, entitled “Morocco 2040 - Emerging by Investing in Intangible
Capital”. The new report provides an analysis of past economic performance as
well as development opportunities and constraints, and then offers a roadmap
for reforms to achieve superior economic and social outcomes over the next
generation. “Today’s launch concludes two years of research and analysis
conducted in close collaboration with the government and key Moroccan
constituencies. This report is timely as the country engages in a new
development phase and we are pleased to contribute to its efforts towards the
sustainable development goals” said Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Maghreb
and Malta Country Director. “We are also pleased to present the report’s main
recommendations to a set of stakeholders, from government, civil society,
academia, to private sector and youth. We hope that this document will
trigger a rich debate among all segments of society and mobilize greater
support and understanding for the reforms needed to build a future based on
shared prosperity”. The CEM underlines the country’s significant social and economic
achievements over the past fifteen years. Morocco engaged in a set of
economic and social reforms to boost productivity, improve living standards,
create jobs and enhance institutions. This process was further enriched by
the 2011 Constitution which called for greater rights and opportunities for
Moroccan citizens and enhanced the Kingdom’s governance framework. Bringing
Morocco’s improved development outcomes to the next level and achieving
economic convergence with Southern European countries will require to further
deepen and integrate sector and governance reforms, according to the CEM. The
report proposes a set of critical pathways to reach that goal. It recognizes
that while youth employment continues to be a major challenge, the country
has the potential to unleash job creation and bring about the needed reforms
to improve productivity and people’s living conditions. Specifically, the
report invites the authorities to rethink the country’s business model in
order to spur competitiveness, boost productivity and promote fair market
conditions for investors, be they small or large. This will in turn create a
more level-playing field for the private sector to grow and will generate
more jobs for youth and women in particular. In order to achieve this strategic goal, greater investments in
the country’s precious human capital will be needed. This long term agenda
touches upon two key sectors: education and health. In order to achieve an
“education miracle” and give Moroccan students the needed skills to integrate
into a more competitive job market, the CEM calls for a comprehensive
education reform geared toward enhanced education sector performance,
governance and outcomes. The health sector will also require sustained and
significant efforts to bridge the access gap between rich and poor and to
ensure efficient and accountable public health care. Yet, based on
international experience, no successful social inclusion can be attained
without achieving gender equality. According to the CEM, Morocco’s ability to
empower and mobilize greater economic opportunities for women will be
instrumental to significantly enhance economic growth. Finally, the CEM views
the strengthening of institutions and the country’s governance model as a key
precondition to reinforce the rule of law and place the Moroccan citizen at
the heart of its development model. This ranges from more accountable and
efficient public services to giving voice to citizens and enhancing respect,
interpersonal trust and civic duty. “This roadmap humbly presents the economic policy and political
economy conditions capable of boosting Morocco’s growth potential. But the
most important role is that of each and every citizen to feel entitled and
responsible to act on the country’s development, to strive for inclusive
institutions and equal economic opportunities, to promote gender equality and
interpersonal trust, and to contribute with confidence to building Morocco’s
future” said Jean-Pierre Chauffour, World Bank Lead Economist and CEM author.
“It takes a consultative and inclusive process for the country’s
constituencies to discuss and agree on how they would like to see their
country by 2040. We hope that we have at least contributed to triggering this
debate through the analysis and projections contained in the present report”. From http://www.worldbank.org/ 05/15/2017 EUROPE: Spanish FTTH Lines Up over 140,000 to 5.2 mln in
February Spain added a total of 142,838 fibre to the home (FTTH) lines in
February to increase the number of active connections to 5.2 million at the
end of the month, according to the latest report from communications
regulator CNMC. Around 59.8 percent of the lines belonged to Telefonica,
which now has 3.1 million active connections in the country. The 1.7 million
rise in FTTH lines over the past year offset the fall in DSL connections,
which declined by 107,000 in February and by 1.3 million over the past 12
months to 6.1 million. Total fixed broadband lines came to 13.8 million at
the end of February, with broadband penetration standing at 29.8 lines per
100 inhabitants, up from 28.5 a year earlier.Vodafone once again led the
monthly net fixed broadband gains, adding 22,600 lines to reach 23.2 percent
of the market, with the MasMovil group adding 22,300 to reach 1.2 percent and
Orange attracting 13,500 new subscribers for a 28.6 percent market share.
Telefonica remained market leader with a 42.4 percent share, but lost 18,500
customers in February, said the CNMC. The country’s remaining broadband
operators, including Euskaltel, Telecable and R, lost around 2,500 lines in
total, their second consecutive negative month, to end up with 4.5 percent of
the market. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 04/21/2017 UK Office Workers 'Too Trusting' of Email Attachments New research from Glasswall Solutions has revealed that UK
businesses are continuing to expose themselves to hackers and zero-day
attacks by failing to implement good email security practices.More than half
(58%) of office workers among 1000 employees surveyed at mid-to-large UK
businesses admitted to often opening email attachments from unknown senders,
leaving companies open to breaches from documents carrying malicious exploits
hidden inside common file-types.What’s more, despite the widely-publicized
threat of social engineering, with cyber-criminals fooling victims by
creating emails that appear to legitimately come from someone the recipient
knows, as many as 83% of respondents said they always or usually open
attachments if they appear to be from a known contact.Speaking to
Infosecurity Luis Corrons, PandaLabs technical director, Panda Security, said
threats surrounding malicious emails pose a huge risk to companies, and a big
part of the problem is that workers place too much faith in outdated security
software built into their computers. "Therefore they [employees] are careless about the
consequences of opening attachments,” he explained. “At the very same moment
one computer in your network is compromised, all hell can break loose. From
there attackers will perform lateral movements to compromise more computers
and gain access to confidential information.”Employees clearly feel
vulnerable; 75% of office workers recognized they often receive untrustworthy
emails and 58% said they would feel safer from cybercrime if their employer
had the right technology to protect them, whilst one in five said the
business they work for has no policy on how to handle email attachments, or
they have not been made aware of it.“Employees need to trust their emails to
get on with their work, but with 94% of targeted cyber-attacks now beginning
with malicious code hidden in an email attachment, the security of major
businesses should no longer be the responsibility of individual
office-workers,” said Greg Sim, CEO, Glasswall Solutions.“Instead of relying
on a failed combination of outdated anti-virus defenses and the vigilance of
their hard-pressed employees to protect them, businesses need innovative
technology that stops all the threats in email attachments before they enter
a network”, he argued. These were sentiments echoed by Corrons, who added:“Businesses
have to step up and go for full EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response)
solutions that classify everything that is executed on each workstation and
server, monitoring in real time all processes and generating forensic
information.”There is no excuse for complacency or defeatism, Sim said, and
businesses need to take steps to put themselves back in control instead of
becoming yet another expensive, high-profile victim of hacking. From https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/ 05/03/2017 LATIN AMERICA: Brazil - Participatory Approach to the Internet This Sunday, Brazilian society celebrates three years of the
enactment of the Internet Bill of Rights (Marco Civil da Internet). It is the
first ever national law to “establish principles, guarantees, rights and
obligations for the use of the Internet” and has been praised internationally
for its progressive nature. Among many reasons to commemorate, two aspects of
the Marco Civil deserve to be highlighted.First, the Bill has brought
transparency and legal security to the Brazilian digital landscape. Before it
became law, no Internet user in the country could be sure about how service
and content providers would handle their data. With the current legislation,
any request of an Internet user to remove personal information from social
media or website must be promptly honoured. Moreover, the so-called
metadata—for example, information about one’s date and time of access—must be
stored under absolute secrecy by telecommunication providers and may only be
disclosed in response to a court order. The Marco Civil has also affirmed the
principle of network neutrality. Companies and organizations, regardless of
size, resources and influence, can rest assured that their content will be
accessed and transferred under exactly the same technical parameters as those
of any other institution. Second, the Brazilian Marco Civil is not only a product of
lawmakers, but of Brazilian society as a whole. Its original idea stems from
protests of civil society organizations against an Internet criminalization
draft Bill that would typify crimes such as illegal downloads, electronic
financial fraud and paedophilia. Cyber activists claimed that before
criminalizing Internet users’ behaviour, their rights and responsibilities
had to be defined. Facilitated by an online platform provided by the federal
government, Brazilian Internet users began a collaborative drafting process
that eventually resulted in the text that was submitted to Congress in 2011
and three years later became the Marco Civil da Internet.The Brazilian
tradition of multi-stakeholder participation in the digital realm dates back
to the year 1995, when the Brazilian Internet steering committee (CGI.br) was
established. The CGI.br is the body responsible for managing the “.br”
top-level domain and the countrywide assignment of IP addresses. Since its
inception, it has been governed by a multi-stakeholder board, composed of
representatives from governmental institutions, private sector,
non-governmental organizations and academia. Despite the natural differences
that arise during the committee’s debates, its decisions carry the approval
of the various national sectors involved in the maintenance and evolution of
the Brazilian Internet. Such a democratic platform confers stability and
predictability, which are essential to a dynamic digital economy and to the
effectiveness of information and communication technology-related policies.
Using the same participatory approach, Brazilian society has been fully
engaged in discussions on a national data privacy law and has contributed to
the drafting of the national policy for the Internet of Things, which is soon
to be released. In the international arena, Brazil has been a long-standing
advocate of multi-stakeholder Internet governance mechanisms, in combination
with multilateral arrangements. Brazil is the only country to have hosted the
Internet Governance Forum (IGF) twice [Rio de Janeiro (2007) and João Pessoa
(2015)]. The NETmundial Meeting (São Paulo, 2014) attracted over 1,000 people
from more than 100 countries and was the first ever multi-stakeholder
“bottom-up” process to agree on a set of Internet governance principles and a
road map for the future evolution of the Internet. Within Icann (Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)—the California-based company responsible
for managing the Internet “address book”—Brazil has been vocal in defending
the suppression of its unilateral command. And in the context of the UN Human
Rights Council, Brazil and Germany have proposed a resolution on the
principle that “the same rights that people have offline must also be
protected online”. The resolution ultimately resulted in the establishment of
the role of the special rapporteur on the right to privacy, whose final
report is expected to be released in 2018. During the 10-year review of the World Summit of Information
Society (WSIS+10), in New York, in December 2015, Brazil, together with India
and other delegations, played a key role in overcoming the traditional
polarization between countries that either only support multi-stakeholderism
or otherwise defend an exclusive intergovernmental management of the
Internet.Our countries have shown that the two models are not
contradictory—rather, they complement each other. While cybersecurity matters
require the leadership of governments, given their legal implications, topics
such as the coordination of critical Internet resources are better treated
under a multisectoral scheme. Similarly, the definition of Internet
communication standards should be guided by the private sector and academic/engineering
bodies, due to their technical capabilities, while transnational electronic
trade rules need to be deliberated under a multilateral arrangement.The
Internet should be governed by many. And it has to serve all. As of today,
more than half of the world’s population has never had access to its
benefits. The collaborative approach will continue to be the most suitable
one to address the challenge of bringing online those hitherto offline.Tovar
Da Silva Nunes and Pedro Ivo FerrazDa Silva are, respectively, ambassador of
Brazil to India and head of the energy, environment and science &
technology section, Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi From http://www.livemint.com/ 04/21/2017 Cuba to Reduce Price of Surfing Domestic Websites HAVANA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's state-owned
telecommunications company Etecsa announced Thursday in a statement that it
is to lower the price for surfing the domestic websites on Internet to
"ease searches of websites with national content for cultural,
informative or research purposes."The new price for navigation on Cuban
networks and the new minimum recharge value of Internet cards is of 0.1
CUC/hour (0.1 U.S. dollars according to official exchange rates).Until now,
the service costs 1.5 CUC/hour, with this cost remaining the same for
accessing international websites."There are many existing websites and
portals in our national network that can be used for schoolwork and to
discover the cultural attractions of the entire country, as well as news from
Cuba and around the world," pointed out Etecsa. For a number of years, Cuba has prioritized information and
communications technology as a strategic sector to develop the economy.In
line with this, Etecsa has committed this year to expanding its fixed and
mobile telephone services, increase Internet access and ease
commercialization mechanisms.According to official data, Etecsa'sNauta web
service had 1.5 million permanent accounts in 2016, with 15 million temporary
accounts sold that year.Most Cubans do not have Internet service at home but
access it at 240 Wi-fi hotspots across the island in public spaces as well as
around 1,000 fixed hotspots at hotels, computer centers and Etecsa
offices.However, in March, after a pilot program among 2,000 users in Havana,
Cuba began providing home access to the Internet. Previously, it was only
allowed for certain professionals, such as doctors and journalists, as well
as foreigners. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/ 03/31/2017 NORTH AMERICA: Canada - Advertisers Think Canadians Are Watching
a Lot of Online Video, and They’re Right A new report by AOL Inc. identifies just how many Canadians are
watching online video – including their smartphones – and how well the
country’s advertising industry is adapting to its new audience.According to
the Internet service provider turned mobile and online media advertising
firm’s latest annual State of Industry Video report, 43 per cent of Canadians
now watch online videos on their smartphones every day, while 54 per cent
watch using a laptop or desktop. Across all devices, 70 per cent of Canadians
watch online videos every day.More importantly for advertisers, they’re
watching more online video content than ever before – 41 per cent of watch
more than four hours of online video a week, AOL’s report found, 56 per cent
of survey respondents said they consume more online content today than a year
ago, and nearly half said they expect to watch more full-length TV shows (46
per cent) and full-length movies (41 per cent) online this year than in
2016.When asked why they preferred watching content online rather than
through a service provider, 68 per cent of respondents cited the flexibility
to start or stop a program whenever they wanted, while 58 per cent cited
fewer commercials 53 per cent said it provided access to more content.Even
when pre-recorded content was removed from the equation, however, AOL found
that 47 per cent of Canadians watch live content online at least once a week,
with “breaking news” and “sporting events” cited as the top two categories,
by 56 per cent and 34 per cent of respondents, respectively. And advertisers are taking notice All of this will be welcome news to Canadian advertisers, 70 per
cent of whom said they believe digital video is the future, 54 per cent of
whom were shifting their TV budgets to mobile video, AOL found, and 36 per
cent of whom expect their clients’ mobile ad spending to go up by at least 25
per cent, AOL found.They’ll also be happy to know that 55 per cent of survey
respondents said they don’t mind watching ads before online videos if they
are entertaining, and that 47 per cent don’t mind if they include a
product/service relevant to the viewer.When asked what they considered the
digital video advertising industry’s primary growth drivers, 49 per cent of
respondents said it would be “better targeting and personalization of video
ads, while 45 per cent said “better quality creative” and 43 per cent said
“social media video offerings on Facebook, Snapchat, etc.On the other side of
the equation, advertisers believed the most significant obstacles to the
digital video advertising industry’s growth over the next year would be “an
abundance of platforms to adapt to” (26 oer cent), “network traffic/audience”
(25 per cent) and ad blocking (22 per cent). It’s also worth noting that 22 per cent of respondents said they
would stop watching an online video if faced with a buffering interruption,
and 34 per cent said they would give up after two. AOL also noted that in an
attempt to address this, 47 per cent of Canadian publishers are exploring
ways they reduce load times for video ads on mobile devices.When it comes to
the types of videos advertisers are working on, videos that run under one
minute and “in-app video ads that increase interactivity and engagement” were
viewed as the largest mobile video opportunities, by 48 per cent and 38 per
cent of advertisers, respectively.However, 74 per cent of survey respondents
said they expect an ad to run 15 seconds or less if playing before an online
video that runs for less than a minute.Finally, AOL noted that advertisers
are currently devoting 45 per cent of their digital video budget to automated
programmatic advertising, and that 60 per cent expect their company or
client’s spending on programmatic video to increase by up to 50 per cent over
the next year. From http://www.itbusiness.ca/ 05/11/2017 U.S. Government Agency Accuses Google of Gender Pay Gap Problems According to the US Department of Labor (DoL), Google Inc. has
an ‘extreme’ gender pay gap problem, but how accurate are those claims?Last
week, the Guardian reported on allegations made by the DoL at a hearing in
U.S. federal court as part of a lawsuit the government agency filed against
the Silicon Valley tech giant back in January.“We found systemic compensation
disparities against women pretty much across the entire workforce,” DoL
regional director Janette Wipper said in court.To further explain this
statement, the Guardian reached out to the DoL for comment.“The investigation
is not complete, but at this point the department has received compelling
evidence of very significant discrimination against women in the most common
positions at Google headquarters,” said Janet Herold, DoL’s regional
solicitor, in response. “The government’s analysis at this point indicates that
discrimination against women in Google is quite extreme, even in this
industry.” The problem with the statements made by the DoL is simple – the
agency has yet to provide any data backing up its claims.Google, on the other
hand, told the Guardian that, “We vehemently disagree with these claims.
Every year, we do a comprehensive and robust analysis of pay across genders
and we have found no gender pay gap. Other than making an unfounded statement
which we heard for the first time in court, the DoL hasn’t provided any data,
or shared its methodology.”In fact, the DoL’s accusations come just days
after the tech giant claimed to have completely eliminated the gender pay gap
globally throughout the company.Let’s make every day #EqualPayDay. All
employers can take steps to eliminate the gender and race pay gaps, today →
https://t.co/KTuGTJMV16 pic.twitter.com/rBciSK21uF — Google (@Google) April 4, 2017 The initial lawsuit filed in January was aimed at requiring
Google to provide the compensation data and documents the DoL was requesting
for a compliance evaluation. As a federal contractor, Google is required by
law to allow the DoL to “inspect and copy” records and information about its
compliance with equal opportunity laws. In this case, the DoL asked for the job
and salary history for Google employees, including names and contact
information.Google has refused to hand over this information, saying it has
handed over “hundreds of thousands of records” to the government and that
this information reveals confidential information violating its employees’
privacy. In the company’s opening remarks in court, Google attorneys cited
the company’s fourth amendment right to protection from unreasonable
searches.The company addressed the accusations made in court last week in an
April 11 blog post. “We were quite surprised when a representative of the Office of
Federal Contract Compliance Programs at the US Department of Labor (OFCCP)
accused us of not compensating women fairly,” Eileen Naughton, vice president
of people operations wrote. “We were taken aback by this assertion, which
came without any supporting data or methodology.”“The OFCCP representative
claimed to have reached this conclusion even as the OFCCP is seeking
thousands of employee records, including contact details of our employees, in
additon to the hundreds of thousands of documents we’ve already produced in
response to 18 different document requests,” she continued. Google has also cited its in-house pay gap analysis, which it
released publicly last year. Additionally, the company has been fairly
transparent about its attempts at correcting the problem, reporting last year
that women made up 31 per cent of its overall workforce. While that number
may not exactly scream “progress,” Google hasn’t shied away from criticism in
the subject.Ultimately, it would appear the DoL statement carries little
weight without the appropriate data to support it. And according to Herold in
her statement to the Guardian, the DoL may not even have access to the data
necessary to make those claims.“[The DoL] seeks additional information to
ensure the accuracy of the department’s findings, because if the findings are
confirmed, this is a troubling situation,” she said. From http://www.itbusiness.ca/ 04/12/2017 |
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CHINA: Researchers
Create Soft Robotic Arm for Medical Use A team of Chinese postgraduates have created an octopus-inspired
soft robotic arm that can be used to heal injuries. The students, from
Beijing-based Beihang University, exhibited their prototype Thursday after
developing it with a foreign firm. Soft robots are constructed with materials
like silicone, plastic, fabric, rubber or compliant mechanical parts like
springs. "The softness makes it possible for the robots to work more
effectively and safely with humans and can be used for rehabilitation and
recovery or in the service sector," said Wang Tianmiao, a robotics
engineer at the university. The robotic soft arm is inspired by the tentacles
of octopus, Wang said, "It can bend and swirl quickly, and the suction
cups help it adhere tightly to objects of different shapes and sizes."
In five to ten years, the robotic arm is expected to be used in
minimal-invasive surgery and athletic rehabilitation, said Wen Li, associate
professor in Beihang University and head of the team.
From http://www.news.cn/
03/20/2017 Big
Data to Improve Traffic Safety, Intelligent Driving: DiDi Big data can help improve traffic safety and facilitate
intelligent driving R&D and application, according to a senior manager
with leading Chinese on-demand mobility platform DiDi Chuxing. DiDi collects
a lot of data on human driving behavior among existing drivers to improve
safety and service quality, and also can help improve development of
intelligent driving cars by monitoring and learning from how human drivers
deal with emergency situations, Zhang Wensong, Senior Vice President with
DiDi and chairman of the company's engineering committee, said at a forum on
Thursday. Zhang pointed out that development of the intelligent driving car
is still in the early stages, but now people can use related technologies to
improve driving safety, since the majority of road accidents are caused by
human error. Earlier in March, DiDi launched the world's first open-source
self-driving competition with online computer science university Udacity to
invite teams to create an Automated Safety and Awareness Processing Stack to
improve general safety metrics for human and self-driving scenarios based on
real data. Compared with many other countries, traffic data in China is a
larger and more complex pool, and data analysis of 20 million trips on DiDi
per day will help use intelligent-driving cars more efficiently and reduce
costs for drivers, he said. "DiDi is actually a big data company and an
artificial intelligence (AI) company. Data is the resource and AI is the tool
to activate their power," Zhang said. DiDi has signed strategic
agreements with 11 Chinese cities, including Shenzhen and Shenyang, to
improve traffic management systems with data-driven analysis and forecasting
capabilities, such as creating smart traffic lights.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
03/31/2017 Baidu
Uses AI Technology to Help Abducted Child Find Family Baidu succeeded in using artificial intelligence to reconnect a
man with his family 27 years after he was abducted, the company announced
Wednesday. Working with baobeihuijia.com, a charity group dedicated to
connecting missing children and their families, Baidu used its cross-age
facial recognition program to analyze pictures of abducted children uploaded
by the victims and their birth families and identified potential matches
through the comparison of selected facial features. Fu Gui, 33, who was born
in Chongqing Municipality, western China, was abducted in 1990 and later
transferred to Fujian Province, southeastern China. He registered with
baobeihuijia.com in 2009, and his natural family did the same in early 2017.
Baidu's facial recognition program was able to draw up a short list of
potential identities for the man from pictures uploaded to the site, and a
DNA test later verified the correct match. Baidu has about 200 million sample
pictures that it uses to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of its facial
recognition program, which can be over 99 percent accurate. Baidu's founder
and CEO Robin Li, who is also a national political advisor, proposed during
the annual parliamentary sessions in March that AI systems, like facial
recognition, could be used to help find missing children and suggested that
there should be a central database with missing children's information.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/12/2017 China
to Promote Medical Partnership Trials in 2017 China will launch various trials on partnerships between
top-tier hospitals and grassroots medical institutions in order to provide
better health care services, the National Health and Family Planning
Commission said Friday. An institutional framework for such partnerships will
be formed and various types of trials will be rolled out this year, Wang
Hesheng, vice minister of the commission, said at a regular press briefing.
The move is meant to ensure more balanced allocation of medical resources
across medical centers at different levels and make quality medical care more
accessible to the wider public, especially in less-developed areas.
Currently, high-quality medical resources are mostly located in big cities.
By 2016, medical institutions partnerships had been established in 205 cities
across the country. Wang said the commission will encourage personnel
exchange, salary distribution and information sharing in partnerships.
Efforts will also be made to develop a collaboration network on distance
health care for remote and poor regions, as well as to introduce
demand-oriented and contract-based family doctors, Wang said.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/14/2017 3D
Printing Helps Treat Young Heart Disease Patients Ma Chengqiang, 16, and 8-month-old Yang Youhong from northwest
China's Qinghai Province have both undergone life-saving heart surgery in
Shanghai thanks to 3D printing advances. "Our children have had the
world's latest 3D printing technology heart surgery. We are so lucky,"
said Ma Wenming, grandfather of Ma Chengqiang. "Moreover, the fees
including transportation, accommodation, diagnosis and treatment are all
free. We are really grateful." The two children are among the
beneficiaries of a China-Belgium charity project, launched in April by
Shanghai Children's Medical Center and Belgium's Materialise NV, one of the
largest 3D printing software and services providers in the world. The project
provides free treatment, especially with the 3D printing technology, for
children diagnosed with congenital heart disease from underdeveloped regions
in western China, said Ji Qingying, deputy head of the medical center. Each
year, Shanghai Children's Medical Center conducts more than 3,700 heart
operations on children across the country, ranking first in the world's
medical institutions. Heart surgery would normally cost a family 80,000 to
100,000 yuan (11,600 to 145,00 U.S. dollars). The project plans to do 15 to
20 heart surgeries every year using 3D printed devices.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
04/17/2017 Baidu
to Share Autonomous Driving Platform Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) giant Baidu decided
Wednesday to share an open, complete and reliable software platform with its
partners in the automotive and autonomous driving industry to help upgrade
the sector. Through the Apollo project, Baidu will build a collaborative
ecosystem using its strength in AI technology to work with other companies to
promote the development and popularization of autonomous driving technology.
The Apollo project provides platforms for vehicles, hardware, software and cloud
data services and Baidu will share resources and capabilities in obstacle
perception, trajectory planning, vehicle control, operating systems and other
functions, as well as a complete set of testing tools. Baidu will first
introduce its autonomous driving technology in restricted environments in
July, then expand to cars running autonomously on simple urban road
conditions toward the end of the year. It will gradually introduce fully
autonomous driving capabilities on highways and open city roads by 2020. The company will work with partners with the best and most
compatible vehicles, sensors, and other components and offer references and
recommendations to participants. "AI has great potential to drive social
development, and one of AI's biggest opportunities is intelligent
vehicles," said Lu Qi, Group President and Chief Operating Officer at
Baidu. Baidu has been investing in R&D for autonomous driving technology
since 2015. It conducted successful road tests for its fully autonomous cars on
the highways and roads of Beijing in late 2015 and finished open trial
operations of its autonomous car fleet in late 2016 at the World Internet
Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, where over 200 guest passengers rode
in the cars. Baidu is the first among the major global autonomous driving
players to open its technology and platform to the industry. "An open,
innovative industry ecosystem will accelerate the development of autonomous
driving in the United States and other developed automotive markets, and through
open technology our technological achievements can be quickly applied to a
wide range of fields and accelerate even more achievements," Lu
added.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/19/2017 Xi
Encourages Bigger Role of Internet Plus in Poverty Alleviation President Xi Jinping once said that poverty alleviation is an
important part of his work and he spent most energy on it. He pledged that the
government will lift the country's 70 million poor people above the poverty
line by 2020. Presiding over a symposium on cyberspace security and
informatization on April 19, 2016, Xi said online services should play a
bigger role in reducing poverty by promoting agricultural goods produced by
impoverished people and by making high-quality education accessible to more
children in remote mountainous region via internet. He connected internet
with the work of poverty relief for the first time, providing a new direction
for the cause. Internet
Plus ushers a new stage for poverty relief When Xi visited Southwest China's Guizhou province in June 2015,
he said that poverty relief should be precisely targeted as it determines
whether poverty alleviation will be successful or not. As Internet Plus
becomes a national strategy, "internet plus targeted poverty
alleviation" is viewed as an important impetus for the development of
the impoverished areas. Though the direction is clear, just as Xi pointed out
on April 19 last year, the internet infrastructure remains a weak link among
these villages. To overcome this weakness, a national plan on internet-based
poverty alleviation was issued in Oct which outlines five projects -
broadband coverage, rural e-commerce, access to online education resources,
information services and internet philanthropy. The plan aims to provide
broadband network coverage to more than 90 percent of poverty-stricken
villages, provide access to e-commerce services in all townships and improve
the health, literacy and employment competitiveness of impoverished people
through online medical, educational and cultural services, according to Xu
Yu, director of informatization development bureau of Cyberspace
Administration of China. Precise
targeting of anti-poverty programs During his visit to Chongqing municipality in January 2016, Xi
said the success of development-oriented poverty relief lies in “precise and
targeted poverty alleviation efforts.” Precisely targeting those in need is a
key step before allocating policy and fund to the impoverished households.
"After scanning the QR code, the updated data of every impoverished
household show up. It reveals the latest situation of those in poverty,"
said a government staff member engaged in poverty relief in Linshui county,
Guang'an of southwest China's Sichuan province. The county established a
dynamic database which includes gathering data of all impoverished households
in the county every March. It has also put up a QR code on the door of every
household for people to scan and know the progress of poverty relief work.
Last year, a total of 81,800 impoverished people located in 152 villages were
registered. Internet Plus provided the new idea and technology to accelerate
the work of poverty relief. Role of
Internet Plus in tackling poverty Xi emphasized several times that providing children in
impoverished areas access to good education is an important task in poverty
alleviation and development, and is also an important method of stopping
intergenerational transmission of poverty. He also suggested that
"Internet plus education" should be a solution to the problem.
Recently, young teachers at Jingzhoujie Primary School, a key school in
Xiangyang, Central China's Hubei province, gave English lessons to a dozen of
students in Youfangjie Primary School in Baokang county via video streaming.
The lessons were part of Xiangyang city's "Banbantong", literally
meaning class to class, project. Currently, 'Banbantong"project covers
more than 98 percent of schools, 90 percent of teachers and 50 percent of
students. Hubei province has vigorously promoted the use of internet in
schools in rural areas in recent years, in the hope of sharing high quality
educational resources in rural areas and narrowing the gap between urban and
rural students. Medical resources, just like educational resources, are
unevenly distributed and high-quality resources are scarce in rural areas.
Some rural people fall back in poverty due to medical bills. "Internet
plus medical" can be a big solution in tackling the issue. On March 15,
an internet hospital subordinated to the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan
University of Science and Technology began operation in Luoyang. At the same
time, People's hospital of Luanchuan County, 15 township health centers and
35 village health centers in the poverty-stricken county also opened their
remote network medical platforms, providing a channel to connect medical
experts in the city hospital with rural patients.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
04/20/2017 Baidu
Uses AI to Make Home Assistant Robots Smarter Chinese artificial intelligence giant Baidu partnered with smart
home appliance maker zaijia.com to roll out an AI-based home assistant robot
on Friday. Equipped with Baidu's AI operating system DuerOS, the home
assistant robot can speak with users and answer their questions with
high-level accuracy while offering security monitoring and entertainment
services through a camera, a display and a sound box. The new companion robot
can be controlled by smartphone and help busy people look after the elderly
and children by communicating with them in real-time and entertaining them
with on-demand songs and stories. Baidu has been investing heavily in AI
technology and applications. It acquired the smart home startup Raven Tech in
February and decided last week to share its autonomous driving platform with
its partners to help upgrade the sector. The Nasdaq-listed firm disclosed its
first quarter financial performance on Friday, raking in total revenues of
16.891 billion yuan (about 2.454 billion U.S. dollars), up 6.8 percent year
on year. "We are pleased to report solid performance in the first
quarter, as we focused on our core business and AI-enabled new business
initiatives including our AI-cloud, financial services, DuerOS, and
autonomous driving, all of which hold tremendous long-term potential,"
said Lu Qi, Baidu's Vice Chairman, Group President and Chief Operating
Officer. Baidu set up the DuerOS Division in February and has established
partnerships with smart device producers such as Zaijia.com, Haier, Midea and
Lenovo. It released the DuerOS smart chip last month to offer one-stop
intelligent voice interaction solutions. "In the quarters ahead, we will
intensify our efforts in applying AI to improve existing products and to
accelerate the development of AI-enabled new business initiatives," Lu
added.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/28/2017 China
to Boost Development of Online Media China will boost the development of online media by encouraging eligible
websites to go public and create new mainstream media institutions and groups
during the 2016-2020 period, according to a government blueprint made public
Sunday. Issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Central Committee and the State Council, the outline for the 13th five-year
program (2016-2020) on cultural development and reform vowed to gradually set
up a modern communication system by 2020. As a major project to "build
public opinion fronts" online, efforts will be made to improve the
communication abilities of major news websites and online radio and TV
stations and develop a system for communication on the mobile internet."
"Eligible websites will be encouraged to go public," it said.
Authorities will give support to mainstream media institutions in developing
their websites and new media. It will step up efforts to guide and standardize investment in
the internet cultural sector with both state and private funds. Meanwhile,
existing laws and regulations on news and publishing will be extended to
cover the management of online media, according to the document. "The
licensing mechanism on sources of online news should be improved, while
management over news gathering and reproduction qualifications should also be
strengthened," it said. The outline also vowed to set up a sound system
for online copyright. Aiming to ensure a good order for communication, the
government will intensify management over search engines, instant messaging
tools and news Apps and clarify operators' responsibilities for the content
disseminated via microblog or WeChat, it said. It also promised severe
punishment for online rumors, harmful information, news extortion, as well as
fake news, fake media institutions and fake journalists.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/08/2017 Upgrading Broadband and
Internet Services Will Boost Development Premier's vision on speed and cutting costs starting to take
shape. When Premier Li Keqiang delivered his Government Work Report for on
March 5, increasing broadband speed and lowering costs for internet services
nationwide was one of the messages that attracted the widest attention, and
applause, that day. It did not take long to see the first concrete steps of
implementation. The State Council's executive meeting on May 10 announced
further efforts in upgrading information consumption and ensuring greater
security for personal information. The government will increase internet
speeds, while connection costs, telecommunication, logistics, after-sales
services as well as other expenditures, will be lowered for enterprises, a
statement following the meeting said. Also, information services costs will
be reduced, while information security will be boosted. Li said in his work
report that a faster, safer and more cost effective internet is crucial for
cross-sector development. Zhang Aihua, a professor at Beijing University of
Post and Telecommunications, believes measures following the May 10 meeting
will boost new economic growth engines. Zhang said areas such as public
infrastructure, digital home appliances, intelligent wearables, online
education as well as medical services are where China's new economic growth
engines are burgeoning, and they also need more policy support to overcome
development burdens. He added that reducing internet costs and
telecommunication fees, in general, helps all businesses. As connection costs
are reduced, as well as those for telecommunications, logistics and
after-sales services, companies will see the benefits, Zhang said. "The telecommunications industry is a key sector for the
economy, and its development will provide a host of advantages. Measures,
like increasing broadband speed and cutting telecommunication costs drive the
development of many industries, because it boosts consumption, and helps
companies to boost profits," he said. At present, mobile phone users can
face large bills when making long-distances calls, including calls across
different cities and provinces in China. The work report delivered in March
promised to reduce these fees by the end of 2017. Xiang Ligang, a telecoms
expert and CEO of the telecom industry website cctime.com, said the
government's policy will motivate tech companies to step up research and
development of smart home products. "It will, in particular, boost
startups' willingness to experiment with new technology, and roll out more
affordable digital products such as virtual reality goggles," Xiang said.
Zhang also points out that information consumption in China is
developing rapidly, even compared with many developed countries, making
faster internet access at lower cost a pressing demand. "China is
growing fast in areas such as mobile internet, mobile payment, social
networking, mobile e-businesses - no less than many developed countries.
These industries are nurturing innovation with more applications that demand
a faster and cheaper internet, and the new policy will pave the way for these
new economic drivers." Comparing China's charging system in
telecommunications with the United States, Zhang said that China still needs
to make improvement to implement a more cost-effective charging system. For
example, he said the US widely applies flat-rate cellphone charges on a
monthly basis, with no limits on phone calls nor internet flow. This method
is rare in China, he added. "Also, major operators in China always
prefer to attract new customers with lower fees, yet leave limited room for
discounts for their existing clients," Zhang added.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/16/2017 1,274 Missing Children Found
via Mobile App The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced on May 17 that
1,274 missing children had been found over the past year following the launch
of an app in May 2016. During the period, 1,317 updates on missing children
were posted on the app, and the children found include 40 who had been
abducted, 750 who had run away from home, 192 who had been lost, 75 who died
by drowning, as well as 29 who were murdered, according to the MPS. The app
helps to ensure efficient sharing of information and collaboration between
police in different regions, and encourages witnesses to report the
whereabouts of missing or trafficked children, the MPS said. Users near the
site where a child disappeared receive push notifications, including photos
and descriptions. The scope of these push notifications will be expanded over
time. An updated version of the platform that went live on Wednesday has
expanded its reach through cooperation with seven other media platforms, such
as an emergency broadcasting center under China National Radio, a news app
from Tencent and Yidao Yongche. So far, the MPS app has formed a cooperative
partnership with 40 new media and mobile applications, including Taobao,
Baidu and QQ.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/18/2017 JAPAN: Docomo to Release AI-Based Taxi System NTT Docomo Inc. will release by autumn this year a new system
using artificial intelligence that predicts demand for taxis and alerts
drivers about where they can efficiently pick up customers. The system will
help taxi drivers reduce the amount of time they spend driving around looking
for customers. The Docomo system utilizes AI technology to analyze data, such
as the distribution of mobile phones, weather conditions and previous data on
customers’ use of taxi services. The system then displays locations where
there is likely demand for taxi services on a tablet installed near the
driver’s seat. Based on this information, drivers can determine where they
should look for customers. Docomo conducted a trial using the system at the
end of 2016 in cooperation with Tokyo Musen Kyodo Kumiai, an association of
taxi companies in Tokyo. Sales per taxi increased 50 percent during the
trial. From http://the-japan-news.com
03/06/2017 Sompo Japan Offers Nation’s First Online 'Flaming Insurance' Insurance provider Sompo Japan on Monday will begin offering
Enjo Insurance (“Flaming Insurance”) to websites and companies. This
insurance will offer coverage to recover from unflattering information going
viral on websites or social media. More specifically “enjo” refers to
widespread flaming of a single target due to negative rumors or scandals
rather than one-on-one interactions. For example, when tabloid Friday accused
actor Hiroki Narimiya of cocaine use, it was the target of a fierce “enjo”
from his fans as well as fans of general human decency. McDonald’s Japan had
to deal with a long-burning “enjo” after a tainted chicken scandal. Sompo’s
new insurance would cover both of the aforementioned cases. The first of its
kind in Japan, it will compensate any target of “enjo” regardless of whether
the reasons are groundless or based on fact. In the event of any viral
negativity that is harmful to a brand or image, Sompo will cover expenses for
a positive media campaign, research into why the negativity began, and public
apologies if needed. Premiums will run from between 500,000 to 600,000 yen
and of course in the event of any deliberate trolling on the part of policy
holders, any claims will be denied. In this the information age, image is
more important than ever, so it’s easy to see why insurance companies would
move in to offer coverage for online reputations. From https://www.japantoday.com
03/06/2017 Disaster Panel Calls for Better Use of ICT The government’s Central Disaster Management Council on Tuesday
called for better use of information and communications technologies during
disaster relief activities. In a revised disaster management basic plan, the
council said the government should use such technologies to obtain
information including the numbers of evacuees and the needs of
disaster-affected citizens more precisely. The plan, which the central and
local governments use as a basis to set their own disaster management plans,
was revised to reflect the lessons from powerful earthquakes in and near
Kumamoto Prefecture in April last year and Typhoon No. 10 in August that
year. Under the revised plan, the central government is required to provide
training to heads and senior officials of municipalities to enhance their
capabilities to deal with natural disasters. From http://the-japan-news.com
04/12/2017 SOUTH KOREA: What IT Takes to Boost Digital Health Care Digital technologies continually transform every industry, but
one area that technological advances are forecast to impact the most in the
years ahead is the global health care sector. Eyeing new opportunities,
global tech companies, medical device firms as well as startups have begun to
embrace the field of “digital health care” -- the convergence of the latest
digital and mobile technologies with medical services and health care. And
South Korea, home to a strong tech workforce, is no exception. Several local
startups are seeking success in digital health care with unique, cutting-edge
devices and services, according to the Managing Partner of local startup
accelerator Digital Healthcare Partners. “Korea currently possesses globally
competitive technologies that are of immense value to the health care
industry, including artificial intelligence, deep learning, cloud computing
and genome sequencing capabilities,” Choi Yoon-sup said in an interview with
The Korea Herald. “Given this, the US has had to envision new ways to drive down
health care costs and improve accessibility, arriving at new concepts such as
telemedicine and smartphone-based diagnostics services. However, Korea --
home to accessible and more affordable health care -- has found less
motivation to explore this field,” he said. Establishing or revising medical
regulations in step with emerging technologies is another major issue that
Korea’s government must handle to expedite the growth of the digital health care
segment, said the DHP executive. This includes drawing up clear guidelines --
which avoid overregulation without compromising safety -- for new health care
inventions such as medical devices equipped with artificial intelligence as
well as wearables to monitor and detect certain symptoms. From http://www.koreaherald.com
02/20/2017 Gital Information Level Low Among Underprivileged The level of digital information among underprivileged people in
South Korea improved in 2016 from the previous year, but it remained far
lower than the national average, a poll showed Tuesday. According to the
survey of 15,000 people nationwide, the digital information level among the
so-called information have-nots stood at 58.6 percent of the average for all
South Koreans, up 6.2 percentage points from a year earlier. The digital
information level measures access to the Internet and ownership of fixed and
wireless information devices; the ability to use computers and other mobile
digital tools; and the scope of harnessing the Internet. The poll, taken by
the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and the National
Information Society Agency, was taken on the nation's information have-nots,
who include senior citizens, people in the low-income bracket, farmers and
fishermen, and the physically challenged. According to the findings, the
digital information level was 77.3 percent of the national average for people
in the low-income bracket, with the corresponding number standing at 54
percent for citizens aged 55 and older. Their access level came to 84.5
percent of the national average last year, up 10.8 percentage points from the
previous year. The figure for ability amounted to 45.2 percent, up 7.8
points, with that for scope gaining 7.4 percentage points to 59 percent.
South Korea is one of the world's most wired nations, with more than 85
percent of its 50 million population accessing the Internet. Nearly 7 in 10
South Koreans are known to own a smartphone, the fourth-highest smartphone
penetration rate in the world. From http://www.koreaherald.com
02/21/2017 AI, Robots to Lead Future Medical Industry Medical supplies and equipment based on artificial intelligence
(AI) and robotic technology will dominate the global health care sector in
the future, industry watchers said Sunday. The remarks were made during the
Korea International Medical Clinical Laboratories and Hospital Equipment Show
(KIMES) at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in southern Seoul
where nearly 1,300 medical instrument manufacturers from both home and abroad
showcased their latest medical technologies and products. The annual event,
the 33rd of its kind, is hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The
ministry said the goal of the event is to navigate the future of the global
health care industry, which is largely seen as the next new growth engine.
Global IT giant IBM Corp. showcased its AI-based supercomputer called
"Watson" that can diagnose and treat cancer, one of the leading
causes of the death in the world.Last year, Gachon University Gil Medical
Center in Seoul employed Watson for the first time in the world to assist
doctors in diagnosing cancer. Andrew Norden, Deputy Chief Health Officer at
IBM Watson Health, said AI devices like Watson were created to help doctors
not to replace them. The doctor added that Watson can become human doctors' greatest
helpers, predicting more hospitals will adopt the system in the near future.
In a bid to raise the country's competitiveness amid growing calls for South
Korea to revamp its R&D strategy to catch up with other global
powerhouses, the Seoul government has rolled out various measures to
stimulate growth momentum. South Korea-based SELVAS AI Inc. also unveiled its
AI-based medical speech transcription solution, "Selvy MediVoice"
and heath checkup machine, "Selvy Checkup." The midsized company
supplies human-machine interaction (HMI) solutions, such as handwriting,
image and speech recognition, through specialized research and development
based on state-of-the-art deep learning technology. "Visitors can
experience the service of having six major cancers including lung and liver
as well as other major diseases checked if they bring results of the latest
health checkup through the Selvy system," the company said in a press
release. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/19/2017 Korea's Smart Health Care Industry at Standstill: Report South Korea's smart health care industry that is viewed as a
next growth engine for the country has been at a standstill for the past five
years due to lack of policy coordination, a report by a local think tank said
Sunday. According to the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade,
the country's health care-related businesses have been growing steadily in
size over the years, but there has been a lack of growth in services provided
by local companies. "In the 2010-2015 period, the number of smart health
care companies grew 5.8 percent annually to reach 500," it said. Of the
companies in operation, 53 percent were in equipment manufacturing and 24 in
parts, with those in the service sector standing at just 6 percent. The
state-run think tank said that this is limiting overall growth of the
industry as a whole. KIET said total domestic sales in smart health care
stood at 101 trillion won ($89.3 billion) as of 2015, not much different from
100 trillion won reported five years earlier. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/20/2017 Mobile Carriers Partner with Builders to Introduce AI, IoT Home Increasing numbers of partnerships are forming among South
Korean mobile carriers and construction firms to build smart homes featuring
artificial intelligence and Internet of Thing technologies. In the latest
move, SK Telecom said Monday the company signed a partnership with Hyundai
Development Company and its home network affiliate HDC I-Controls to apply
SKT’s AI and IoT technologies to HDC’s flagship I-Park apartments. Under the
agreement, SKT will provide I-Park residents with the company’s smart home
services based on AI and IoT technologies, such as light and temperature
control, gatekeeping sensor and standby power control. SKT says it is the
first mobile carrier among three here to provide the AI technology for
construction firms. Residents will be able to remotely control home
appliances via a smartphone application, but also operate them with voice
commands using SKT’s AI service widely known as NUGU. “Calling up an elevator
and checking out parcels will be available by speaking to the NUGU platform,”
said an SKT spokesman. “Yet, what kind of form the NUGU platform will take is
still under talks.” From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/27/2017 3Billion Aims to Offer Affordable DNA Screening Service for Rare
Disease Patients The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles highlighting
South Korea’s promising startups in the emerging sectors of digital health
care and next-generation medical devices. This is the seventh installment. –
Ed. At age 4, an American toddler named Nicholas Volker was dying. Since he
was born, the boy had suffered from an unknown disease that caused holes to
continually form in his abdomen. Yet, no treatment, whether it be
chemotherapy, antibiotics or new forms of medicine, seemed to be effective.
In 2010, doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin decided to try something
that was only beginning to take shape in the medical world -- DNA sequencing.
Through it, they discovered a genetic mutation of the XIAP gene in the boy, a
finding that led him to receive a lifesaving bone marrow transplant. Volker’s
case marked the first-ever concrete example of how genome analysis could be
used to find a potential cure for patients with rare undiagnosed diseases and
disorders. From http://www.koreaherald.com
04/09/2017 Moon Vows to Lower Mobile Rates, Improve Free Internet Service Moon Jae-in, the presidential candidate of the liberal
Democratic Party, on Tuesday announced pledges to reduce household
communications expenses through the abolition of the basic monthly mobile
phone rate, seeking to appeal to Internet savvy young voters. If elected, the
presidential front-runner said, he will completely remove the 11,000 won
($9.63) basic monthly fee charged to all mobile phone users. Moon noted the
average household spent 124,500 won a month in mobile communications fees.
"And yet, the three mobile phone service providers posted a combined
operating profit of 3.6 trillion won last year," he told a press
conference held in Changwon, an industrial city located some 450 kilometers
southeast of Seoul, according to the party. "Consumers are bombarded
with excessive fees, while telecom companies continue to enjoy excessive
profits," he was quoted as saying. Moon argued that the basic monthly
fee was intended to support the installation of mobile communications
networks, but facility investments related to such networks have already been
completed. From http://www.koreaherald.com
04/11/2017 Amid Shrinking Publishing Industry, E-Book Sales Are Rising Korea's e-book market has been growing while the wider book industry
is shrinking, a recent report from a government agency showed Monday. The
report by the Publication Industry Agency of Korea about the general
condition of the country's publishing industry showed the industry's total
sales amounted to 7.58 trillion won ($6.67 billion) in 2015, down by 3.8
percent from a year ago. Sales of publishing companies and distributors
came at 4.27 trillion won and 3.43 trillion won, respectively, which all went
down by 4.8 percent and 3.3 percent from the previous year. On the contrary,
e-book sales jumped by 25.4 percent to reach 125.8 billion won, taking up 1.2
percent of the total book market in 2014. The share edged up to 1.6 percent
in 2015. The agency estimated e-book market size to reach 150-160 billion won
when taking into consideration those circulating on portal sites and on
services run by mobile carriers. More than 70 percent of e-books are romance
and fantasy literature. By type, education-related publications such as
problem and reference books took up 59.2 percent of total books sold. The
report also showed 70 percent of the 3,675 bookstores in Korea are
small-sized with less than four employees, and that people buy, on average,
3.1 books from an online bookstore at a time, while they buy 1.8 books from
an offline store. Meanwhile, sales at offline bookstores turned out to be
bigger at 1.38 trillion won than those via online stores at 1.18 trillion
won. From http://www.koreaherald.com
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SINGAPORE: National Museum of Singapore Explores Digital Avenues
to Engage Visitors SINGAPORE: The National Museum of Singapore is exploring the use
of data analytics and augmented reality (AR) to better engage with its
audiences. The museum's senior assistant director Jervais Choo said: "We
are constantly exploring with different technology and industry partners, how
to engage with our audiences.” “(These are) means that we can use to engage
with our audiences, and also to bring out the stories behind the museum and
our collection a bit more," he added. Management of the National Museum,
which turns 130 this year, did not reveal how it would use the technology -
only saying that it would provide more details when it is ready to launch.
The National Museum is keen to build on the digital model after witnessing
how its earlier initiatives have attracted more visitors than ever before.
For example, the museum unveiled Story of the Forest in October last year.
The intiative is a kaleidoscopic, interactive digital space that showcases
the region's rich ecological history. In January this year, the museum
launched Gallery10, a first-of-its-kind gallery that has no physical
artefacts. Instead, it uses advanced projection technology to showcase art
and history. The museum began exploring the digital space more aggressively
after completing a major revamp in September 2015. Since then, it has
attracted about a monthly average of 60,000 visitors, about two-and-a-half
times more than before the makeover. “Certainly, digital is a means to expand
the reach and scope of the museum,” said Mr Choo. “Through digital, for
instance, we are able to do things that we were not able to previously -
transcending boundaries, having an understanding of our works extended to
people who may not naturally come to the museum." WHERE COMPUTERS MEET CULTURE But digital applications within the heritage community need not
always be linked to modernity. Roots.sg is an online repository that helps
capture Singapore’s heritage resources, and also lists artefacts from
Singapore’s National Collection. It was set up by the National Heritage Board
(NHB) in April last year to engage Singaporeans on their heritage. Roots.sg
lists more than 12,000 items from the National Collection, which visitors can
view and learn more about online. They include a gold necklace heirloom owned
by the family of World War II heroine, Elizabeth Choy. The piece of jewellery
was given to her by the wife of Singapore’s governor at the time, Sir Shenton
Thomas, in appreciation for Mrs Choy help during the war. She had brought Mrs
Thomas medicine while she was imprisoned by the Japanese. The necklace was
donated to the National Museum by Mrs Choy’s daughter, Bridget. "It was
precious to me, because it was given to my mother out of gratitude by people
she helped during the war,” said Ms Choy. “But if I had kept this necklace to
myself, over the years, the story behind the necklace would be gone, would be
forgotten,” she added. “By donating this to the museum, the history of it would
remain, and future generations would be able to see the history behind the
necklace, the significance of it." Mr Choo said the National Museum is
happy to receive such items, as it is still an, “object-centric” museum,
which leverages on Singaporeans’ artefacts, and adds layers to the existing
stories behind them. Even if the museum does not eventually acquire these
pieces, it stresses the need for such stories to stay alive within these
households. KEEPING HERITAGE ALIVE It is one of the reasons why the National Museum recently hosted
a workshop on how to preserve such precious items. The event was attended by
nearly 70 people, who owned items ranging from Peranakan garments to novelty
pieces like ear diggers made of real gold. The sharing was led by a team of
conservators from the Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC), an arm of NHB. “We
cannot handle heirlooms as everyday objects because they may fall apart due
to their old age,” said Chuance Chen, an Assistant Conservator from HCC.
While digitising is an accepted method of protecting precious artefacts
against the march of time, heritage experts like Mr Chen agree that it is not
quite the same as telling a story with a physical object. “We need to
recognise the purpose of heirlooms. Care is better than cure.” From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
04/05/2017 National Video Consultation Platform to Allow Patients to 'See'
Doctors from Home SINGAPORE: Patients can soon “see” their doctors online from the
comfort of their own home, with the launch of a national video consultation
platform for healthcare services on Wednesday (Apr 12). The cloud-based
platform allows for multi-party video conferencing, file sharing and the
display of medical reports or images during consultations. Each video
consultation session also uses end-to-end encryption and is protected with
security measures, such as two-factor authentication. Six public healthcare
institutions will be the first to launch the system, accessible via
smartphone or computer. Since November last year, video consultations have
been available for selected services at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
(KKH), the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore General Hospital and Tan
Tock Seng Hospital. From mid-2017, the platform will also be used at the
National University Hospital and National University Cancer Institute. At
KKH, the service will be expanded to areas such as paediatric home care, lactation
consultation, speech therapy and follow-ups for paediatric eczema pharmacy.
For the other institutions, patients can communicate with their doctors on
issues such as post-stroke needs, communicable diseases and cancer. PATIENTS CAN BE MONITORED MORE REGULARLY Launched by the Integrated Health Information System (IHiS), the
national technology agency for healthcare, the platform will allow doctors to
“monitor patients more regularly than traditional face-to-face appointments”,
said Associate Professor Low Cheng Ooi, the chief clinical informatics
officer of IHiS. Mr Bruce Liang, the chief executive officer of IHiS, said
that video consultations will be used to better serve patients, particularly
those with mobility issues or who were just discharged. “It brings care into
the home, enables patients to rest at home and reduces caregiver absence from
work,” he said. If there is a pandemic, video consultations can help reduce
the number of people exposed to communicable diseases, Mr Liang added.
Patients will also receive more timely care, and healthcare professionals
will save time travelling to and from nursing homes, allowing them to see
their patients more often, he said. The roll-out is one of three telehealth
initiatives for this year. The other two initiatives are remote vital signs
monitoring and tele-rehabilitation, which will allow healthcare professionals
prescribe rehabilitation programmes remotely. More details of the two
initiatives will be announced later this year, IHiS said. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
04/12/2017 New Office to Help Get Singapore Ready for Digital Society SINGAPORE: A new digital readiness programme office will be set
up under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), to enable
Singaporeans to have access to technology, be confident to use it and include
it in various aspects of their lives. Minister for Communications and
Information Yaacob Ibrahim announced this on Thursday (Apr 13) during his
ministry's workplan seminar for the year, and said the new office will help
drive a whole-of-nation strategy to build a digital society. "We
envision this team to function as the centre of an extensive network of organisations,
and will study how digital readiness is developed internationally, identify
existing gaps in our current efforts, and recommend a long-term strategy and
manifesto to build a digital society," he said in his speech, adding
that more details would be shared when plans are ready. Dr Yaacob noted that
many countries in the world, such as the United States, the United Kingdom,
Hong Kong and Australia have already developed national strategies to ensure
their people are ready to reap the full benefits of the available digital
infrastructure. HELPING
THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Besides the new programme office, the minister also laid out
several initiatives to push Singapore towards being a digitally ready
society. In terms of helping those with special needs adopt technology to
support their daily living, education and employment needs, MCI will enhance
the Enable IT Programme by doubling the grant support to voluntary welfare
organisations to S$$100,000 per project. This will help another 3,000
beneficiaries over four years, double the number currently, Dr Yaacob said.
The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) will set up a
library to loan these infocomm and assistive technology devices to those with
special needs, so they can try them out before buying. They can also bring
the device for job interviews to help potential employers better understand
their needs, he added. IMDA is also collaborating with tech companies such as
Apple and Microsoft to train a pool of people with special needs to be
Assistive Technology Ambassadors, to spread the use of built-in assistive
technology on their devices and platforms, the minister shared. BUILDING
DIGITAL LITERACY Dr Yaacob also noted that it was not enough for people to have
access to tech, but to understand and use them. Besides the different
outreach and education programmes currently being run by different parts of
MCI, he said the ministry will reach out to more segments of the population
such as lower skilled and lower wage workers - those who are "most at
risk of being left behind in the digital journey". He also said they are looking at how
to equip parents of today, so that they are not only able to keep up with
their children’s technological knowledge, but also guide them and have
meaningful conversations with them. The Media Literacy Council will aid in
these efforts by calling for proposals to empower youths to initiate
ground-up projects to promote digital literacy. The council, together with
partners Google, Garena, MyRepublic, Facebook and Mediacorp, will provide
funding, training and incubation facilities for young Singaporeans who want
to develop social innovation solutions. "Through this, we want to
encourage young Singaporeans to step forward to start their own platform,
movement or enterprise, to develop solutions that tackle issues such as
cyber-bullying and fake news," he said. INTRODUCING
DIGITAL MAKING TO SCHOOLS The minister also noted that to truly reap the benefits of
technology, there is a need to harness it to solve problems creatively, as
well as for Singaporeans to have a curious mind and passion to tinker and
create. To that end, he announced the launch of the Digital Maker Programme
to nurture a new generation of digital natives to be creators and makers, and
seed an enterprising maker culture in Singaporeans. "We want to nurture
Singapore’s own generation of Steve Jobs," Dr Yaacob said. As such, IMDA
will work with the Ministry of Education to introduce digital making to
schools over the next two years by providing micro:bits - a pocket-sized,
codeable computer with motion detection and Bluetooth technology - to primary
and secondary schools. Citing the example of some students in Xinmin
Secondary School, who used the micro:bit as a locator tool to help them find
their belongings, he said students in participating schools will be
encouraged to design contraptions to solve real-world problems. Additionally, seed funding will be
provided to local companies that are developing maker-centric products and
with the potential to commercialise, the minister said, noting there are some
promising "made-in-Singapore" products in the pipeline. Examples of
these include Tinkertanker and Home-Fix, he added. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
04/13/2017 Singapore to Open Smart Technology Health Campus Singapore will introduce a health campus where smart technology
will be adopted for a better and more sustainable healthcare system, said Ministry
of Health on Tuesday. The health campus which spans an area over 7.66
hectares in the Singapore's north region Woodlands will add 1,800 hospital
beds and is set to open progressively from 2022. Woodlands Health Campus
(WHC) comprises a general hospital, a community hospital, a nursing home as
well as daycare facilities for senior citizens. According to the ministry,
WHC will be the first healthcare campus in the country to fully integrate an
acute hospital, community hospital and long term care facilities in a single
development. Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday, Minister
for Health Gan Kim Yong said this would enable WHC to better integrate care,
break organizational boundaries and enable patients to seamlessly move from
one facility to another according to their care needs. WHC will also employ
new technology to reduce manual work as well as using data analytics and
artificial intelligence to improve patient care. Robots will be deployed to
cope with back-end logistics such as food services, housekeeping and the
central sterile supplies unit. The adoption of smart technology allows
healthcare professionals such as nurses to focus more on their clinical and
direct patient care roles, the minister said. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
04/18/2017 Singapore Uses Mobile App to Replace Paper Parking Coupons Motorists may soon be able to pay parking fees on their mobile
devices instead of having to tear paper coupons, as the authorities run tests
on a new mobile application as part of the Smart Nation push. The
application, developed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Housing
and Development Board (HDB) and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore
(GovTech), will be tested among public-sector officers this month and next
month at selected public car parks which use paper coupons in the city, TODAY
reported on Monday. The plan is to roll out the trial to the public later
this year, the agencies said in a press statement. The app, they said, will
raise convenience for motorists, obviating the need to return to their
vehicles to replenish coupons to extend their parking. Its features include
enabling motorists to punch in their vehicle number, choose a car park and
indicate the duration for which they want to park. The app calculates the
parking fees automatically, based on the length of time the car is parked on
a per-minute basis. A refund will be given if motorists decide to leave the
car park earlier. The app also allows motorists to monitor the validity of
their parking session, and they may extend this at any time. The initial
trial will involve putting the app through the motions, particularly its
payment module, to be “confident of its robustness” before the public test is
rolled out. “With the feedback gathered from the trial, the agencies will
improve the app for better user experience,” the URA, HDB and GovTech said. From http://www.bangkokpost.com/
05/15/2017 Singapore Launches E-Platform for Mental Health First Aiders Singapore's Temasek Foundation Cares and Changi General Hospital
on Saturday jointly launched an electronic platform that teaches community leaders
and volunteers mental health first aid, the Channel NewsAsia reported. The
e-platform, called Project e-Learning Mental Health First Aid (MHFA),
combines online modules with a face-to-face practicum, helping to shorten
onsite learning from the two days its standard course currently requires to
just half a day. It is expected to train 900 community leaders and volunteers
over the next three years. So far, 89 individuals from various organizations
have been trained under the project. Richard Magnus, chairman for Temasek
Foundation Cares, said the community leaders are targeted trainees in the
case because they know the neighbors and they are the natural first
responders to mental health problems. He believes that the e-platform will
empower community leaders and volunteers so that they could help neighbor. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
05/21/2017 THAILAND: Universities Must Spearhead the Shift to ‘Thailand
4.0’ To successfully implement the national modernisation programme
dubbed Thailand 4.0, the government needs to work closely with the private
sector as well as educational institutes, since human resources are crucial
to success. One trailblazer in this effort is the College of Innovative
Business and Accountancy (Ciba) at Dhurakij Pundit University. The
four-decade-old university has reorganised its courses for bachelors, masters
and doctoral degrees to fit the paradigm shift demanded by the ambitious
Thailand 4.0 programme. Dr Pattanant Petchchedchoo, dean of Ciba, notes that
technology and innovation exemplified by the likes of Uber, Airbnb and Google
Pay are key components of the 4.0 programme. The tech revolution is making
inroads even in the mundane sector of accounting, where artificial
intelligence software such as Optical Character Recognition is set to take
over routine bookkeeping tasks like the scanning of receipts and financial
and tax documents for accounting purposes. Right now we still need humans to verify such important
documents, but in the next five years flesh and blood will be overtaken by
smarter and more fool-proof machines. Human bookkeepers will become obsolete.
Yet, the job prospects will remain bright for accountants-turned data
analysts, along with business partners who play an integral role in internal
control and legal compliance. In other words, bookkeeping will die as a
profession but there will still be demand for accountants who can add value
to businesses. In financial services, the role of AI is even more advanced
and obvious – exemplified by the rise of so-called financial technology, or
fintech, companies around the world. In retail, the most notable example is
Amazon Go, a new generation of automated supermarkets where human cashiers are
not required. All these emerging trends point to a future requiring today’s
college students to prepare for a new generation of jobs driven by digital
and other technology. Hence, Ciba has overhauled all its business and related
programmes to meet these trends. The result is a raft of courses focusing on digital marketing,
finance/fintech, economics/business analytics, business
management/entrepreneurship, innovative logistics, international business and
human resources 4.0, among others. Dhurakij Pundit University has also
attracted several hundred foreign students from over 15 countries, including
China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and some European nations, to its Bangkok
campus. This will help internationalise the campus’s environment, to the
benefit of both Thai and foreign students. To achieve the goals of Thailand
4.0, Thai universities also need to overhaul their teaching methods so that
they focus on project-based learning, not just offering classes and exams by
which students build their credits score. In fact, project-based learning
should be the only thing on the curriculum for all first-year students. At
Ciba, for example, students are encouraged to team up to create inventions
relevant to their study, with credits available in return. Those on the innovative
logistics course may consider building a drone for transporting goods. Those
in the digital marketing class have the option of using augmented or virtual
reality software in their projects. Such educational efforts point the way
forward. Our new generation of college graduates needs hands-on experience
and know-how if they and Thailand are to succeed in a world in the grip of a
tech revolution. From http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
03/01/2017 PM Endorses New App to Improve Public Housing The government wants every Thai family to have their own home,
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday as he endorsed a new
smartphone app aimed at paving the way for improved national housing
development plans and greater access to housing loans. He was speaking after
attending an exhibition arranged by the Government Housing Bank (GHB) at the
Government House compound to promote the launch of its "Home For All"
app. At the event, which preceded a cabinet meeting, the premier was welcomed
by Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong, Social Development and Human
Security Minister Adul Sangsingkeo and executives from GHB. The app will
serve as a tool to survey the needs of Thais who want to own a house. It
includes application forms designed to speed up the loan process and keep
people abreast of the GHB's promotions and campaigns. The information gleaned
from the app will serve as a reference point for the GHB in setting a new
housing development plan from 2017-2036. The app can be downloaded from the
websites of the GHB (www.ghbank.co.th) and the Real Estate Information Centre
(www.reic.or.th). Gen Prayut
said the project will help solve economic and social issues while improving
people's quality of life. He said the government also plans to launch a
programme for people who want to sell their house to buy a new one that is
bigger. One family should have a house with at least two or three bedrooms,
he said. The premier urged authorities to make the project a success and
urged greater collaboration. From http://www.bangkokpost.com/
05/17/2017 Lese Majeste Drive Targets Web Viewers Police are clamping down on lese majeste offences by shifting
their focus to viewers of illegal content even if they do not post or share
it. The move aims to curb digital content containing or promoting breaches of
Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law.
According to Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Thitirat Nongharnpitak,
users of social media will be treading a narrow path as police plan to target
viewers in the crackdown even if they do not interact with those illicit
webpages. The move has been triggered by police limitations in tracking down
producers of illegal content posted on social media outlets such as Facebook
and YouTube, said the CIB chief in an interview with the Bangkok Post. The
CIB is a core agency in cracking down on producers and distributors of
digital content deemed offensive to the institution of the monarchy.
According to Pol Lt Gen Thitirat, lese majeste cases involve three groups of
people: the producers of illegal content; the viewers who leave comments,
share content or click Like; and those who read or view without interacting. The producers have fled overseas and authorities have limited
resources to bring them to justice, he said, adding that Thai authorities
have tried to pursue this group but they usually claim the charges are
politically motivated. The second and third groups are mostly in the country,
he said. Pol Lt Gen Thitirat said legal action was being taken against people
who share illicit content and many claim they have done it unknowingly. The
police are moving on to the third group to effectively stem illegal
duplication. "The third group simply follows and watches. They leave no
comments. Police are acquiring tools to identify this group of viewers and
investigate why they like watching [the content]," he said.
"Watching lese majeste content may be deemed wrongdoing." However,
he said police initially will not use legal action against this group of
social media users. Police will approach them, talk with them and warn them
first. However, not all viewers will be warned. Police will screen those who
have the potential to commit offences. The procedure will be conducted on a
case-by-case basis and information from an investigation will be taken into
account. "We have to screen them [the third group] and move on to
make sure that they will not slip into the second group," he said.
According to the CIB commissioner, among those who produce illicit content is
British journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall, who faces lese majeste charges.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society in April warned people not to
exchange information online with three prominent critics of the regime who
are wanted for breaking the country's strict lese majeste laws. They are
prominent historian Somsak Jeamteerasakul, academic Pavin Chacha- valpongpun
and Mr Marshall. All three live outside Thailand. Transgressions include
"following" any of the three people on their Facebook pages,
according to the ministry. Asked about the latest push to block webpages with
illicit content on Facebook, Pol Lt Gen Thitirat said the social media giant
is among the main channels used by the first group to communicate with
others. He said Facebook and YouTube have given good cooperation in
blocking illicit video streaming from their local network server, called a
content delivery network. If the measure works, there will be no need for
police to go after the second and third groups, he added. "When the
content is blocked from the start, the second and third groups can't access
it. Police will not have to go and talk to those who share or correspond and
are accused of harassment. It's best to nip it in the bud," Pol Lt Gen
Thitirat said. Last week Facebook was asked by the National Broadcasting and
Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the Ministry of Digital Economy and
Society to remove 131 webpages that contained illegal content. The targeted
pages contain content deemed a security threat or in violation of lese
majeste laws. According to the NBTC, Thai authorities are satisfied with the
cooperation from Facebook, which has blocked many illicit webpages, reducing
their number from 309 to less than 100. From http://www.bangkokpost.com
05/21/2017 VIETNAM: Capital Pilots Software to Manage Public Car Parks Vietnamese capital Hanoi People's Committee has approved a pilot
program that will utilize software and automation technology to manage public
parking zones in the city. The plan, developed and implemented by the Hanoi
Parking Company, includes the digital mapping of car parking areas in the
city, the use of management software, and the installation of cameras to
record vehicle registration plates at car parking areas, reported Vietnam's
state-run news agency VNA on Monday. All information relating to car parks
will be available online, and car owners will be able to find and book
parking spaces in advance on devices such as smart phones and tablets. At the
same time, a parking sensor will be installed on the roads or in speed bumps
to automatically measure the cars' size and parking time in order to
determine the parking fee. Parking staff will then be able to collect the
fees from car owners. The project will be implemented on trial basis at two
car parking zones in the city center, said VNA. Car parking in Hanoi suffers
from significant confusion at present, causing difficulties for traffic
management. Car owners often struggle to find suitable parking spaces, and
have to pay high fees, said Pham Van Duc, deputy director of the company on
VNA. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
02/27/2017 Over 20 years of development, Việt Nam’s internet has made
sustainable contributions to society and
Government policies have resulted in 60 per cent of the population
using the web, said Phan Tâm, deputy minister of Information and Communications
at the on-going APRICOT 2017 conference in HCM City. This is the first time
APRICOT (Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational
Technologies), the leading internet forum in the Asia-Pacific region, is
being held in Việt Nam. It is co-organised by the Asia Pacific Network
Information Centre (APNIC), Asia Pacific Internet Association (APIA), Vietnam
Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) and the Vietnam Internet
Association (VIA) under the auspices of the Ministry of Information and
Telecommunications (MIC). The conference attracted about 700 delegates from
more than 50 countries and territories gathering to share experience and
transfer technology with the purpose of developing and operating internet
infrastructure and consolidating cyber security in the Asia-Pacific region. "The workshop is part of preparations for the fourth
industrial revolution. I believe that with more than 700 guests at APRICOT
2017, this will be a useful opportunity for the experts, engineers and
technical staff to discuss policies, standards and tools for the revolution.
I believe we need a new breakthrough in the development, stability and
security of the network to meet the requirements of an industrial
revolution,” said the deputy minister. In addition, to meet the increasing
demand of the digital economy, Việt Nam has been gradually moving to IPv6
(Internet Protocol version 6) since 2008 in accordance with national plans on
IPv6 transition for the period 2008 to 2020. Currently, more than six per
cent of internet users in Việt Nam are using IPv6 and Việt Nam is among the
countries with the highest rate of IPv6 usage in the region. However, VNNIC
director Trần Minh Tân said that new IPv6 services have not been developed
properly. “Besides Vietnamese internet content providers, social networks and
e-paper also need to transfer to IPv6 synchronously to meet the demands of
user connection in the future." From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/01/2017 HCM City’s New Online Centre Monitors Bus Activity The HCM City Centre for Management and Executive Public
Passenger Transport launched an online executive bus centre in District 1 on
Thursday. The bus centre manages and monitors all of the city’s 141 bus
routes. The centre monitors the activities of each bus, including routes and
the closing and opening of doors. Bus staff are also watched to ensure that
they follow city regulations. Trần
Chí Trung, director of the HCM City Centre for Management and Executive
Public Passenger Transport, said the bus centre operates from 4:30am to
9:30pm every day. It also has a unit to receive passengers’ suggestions and
complaints via the Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX) number 1022. From http://vietnamnews.vn
03/04/2017 HÀ Nội Offers Incentive for Home-Based Parking Services Households in the capital’s Old Quarters can enjoy preferential
tax rates if they offer motorbike parking services in their premises, Hà Nội
Mayor Nguyễn Đức Chung has said. The lack of parking space in the Old
Quarters has been a pressing issue for more than a decade. This area of the
city is full of narrow roads and pavements, particularly so on the streets
where many small businesses are based, such as Hàng Bông, Hàng Bột and Hàng
Đào. As a result, people either park their motorbikes on the pavements or
have to park at parking lots and walk to the stores. “The construction of
underground parking lots is progressing slowly, and it is not easy to meet
citizens’ demands for parking spaces,” Chung said. “The city wants to
encourage households with large indoor spaces to offer parking services,” he
said at a recent conference on road safety and urban order. The mayor has
asked the city’s finance and tax departments to develop preferential tax
policies for households that offer parking services. “Take Hàng Bột street as
an example. Every household on this street can see at least 100 vehicles per
day. With the current parking rate, they will make a much higher profit than
by lending the space to businesses,” he said. The plan is to have one
home-based parking space every 50-100 metres, the mayor said. Chung has
instructed the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the People’s Committees of Hoàn
Kiếm, Ba Đình, Hai Bà Trưng and Đống Đa districts to survey and select
households suitable for parking services. He has also requested vehicles to
park as close as possible to the home-based stores so that there is
sufficient walking space on the pavements for pedestrians. District
authorities, especially of Hoàn Kiếm District, have been asked to mark out
parking spaces in front of the stores with paint, he said. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/06/2017 Health Insurance Database Shared with MoH Việt Nam Social Insurance (VSI) has agreed to share with the
Ministry of Health (MoH) personal database of more than 24 million
households. The move which was confirmed at a signing ceremony held this week
with representatives of the two sides, was aimed to improve the country’s
heath insurance management as well as boost the entire national health care
system. The VSI agreed to hand over of 92 million personal records of such 24
million households to the MoH. The ministry will be responsible for managing,
using and securing the database. Phạm Lương Sơn, deputy director general of
VSI, said the VSI was among six agencies assigned by the government to set up
national databases. The VSI has built the database over the past two years
and it is nearly complete, Sơn said. The VSI will also update it regularly to
ensure it is reliable, helping implement social welfare polices more
effectively. Sharing the database will help health sector to boost their
insurance operation, said the official. The database will also act as a
foundation for the VSI to provide a personal code for each citizen in the
future, he added. Each citizen needs the code through his/her whole life when
dealing with all social insurance issues, particularly health insurance,
according to Sơn. The MoH will add database to the citizen health dossier
system which can be used nationwide. With the dossiers, the health sector and
the insurance agency can monitor the health of each book holder throughout
their life. The dossier will have personal information about the book holder,
including their health status, their weight, height, sex, blood group and
more. The dossier will give health workers information on patient’s medical
history, improving treatment and cutting costs on health checks and
treatment. This also helps ensure that each citizen will enjoy the best
access to health care services at the grassroots level. The database on
households with health insurance is also an importance source for the VSI to
work with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to issue
electronic social welfare cards which combine social insurance books and and
health insurance cards, Sơn said. Sơn said he hoped sharing the database
would help the creation of other national databases on population, social
security and others. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
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INDIA:
MP Govt Gears Up for Green and High-tech Simhasth Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has
dedicated a mobile app to give information about Simhasth-2016 to be held at
Ujjain from April 22 to May 21. Information about dates of holy baths, Ujjain
and Simhasth are available on the mobile app along with information about
hotels, lodges, religious places, emergency services, etc. To ensure the
success and security of great religious congregation Simhasth Mahakumbh, the
State Government is making elaborate arrangements and large-scale
preparations. The Chief Minister also flagged off e-rickshaws to be plied in
Ujjain city in view of Green Simhasth. On district administration’s
initiative, so far 457 cases have been referred to banks under Mukhyamantri
Swarozgar Yojana. Of these, 115 e-rickshaws have been distributed. The Chief
Minister drove an e-rickshaw for some distance after flagging off of the
vehicles. Monitoring of Simhasth-2016 Mela area will be undertaken from ultra
modern control room. The four-storey well-equipped new building has chambers
of police officers on the ground floor, along with Simhasth Mela Wing, IT and
Women’s Cell. Meeting and video-conferencing hall is on the first floor, CCTVs,
wireless equipments and Dial-100 Scheme arrangements on the second floor.
Over 500 CCTV cameras are being installed in Mela area, which will be
monitored from this building. The fourth floor has rooms for officers of
police, forensic and finger print department and bomb defusal team’s
officers. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
03/04/2016 Operations
at 1,928 FCI Depots to Go Online by July A view of the ceremony where Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister of
Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, released the logo and tag
line for the depot online initiative in New Delhi on March 17, 2016. With a
view to minimising food grain losses in storage, the government has
undertaken an important initiative to implement depot online system across
all food storage depots of the Food Corporation of India (FCI). “The
government has decided to put in place an online system to automate the
operations at 1928 FCI depots by July this year,” said Ram Vilas
Paswan, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution,
while releasing the logo and tag line for the initiative on March
17, 2016. The depot online project is part of the overall vision of the
Government of India to transform the food distribution supply chain in the
country, the minister said. “It will facilitate process automation,
standardisation and efficiency of the management of food grain distribution
and enable real-time monitoring of operations and timely data reporting,”
Paswan added. In the run-up to implementing the depot online project, a
contest was held on MyGov platform for designing a logo and tagline for depot
online system last year. A large number of responses were received and more
than 500 contestants participated. The contest was won by one Anurag Saxena,
who was rewarded by Paswan at a ceremony at Krishi Bhavan. Speaking on the
occasion, Abhishek Singh, Executive Director, FCI, said, “Work in FCI will
become paperless, and automation of the entire process from entry and exit of
foodgrains at FCI depots would curb theft and manipulation. This will
bring efficiency and transparency while also capturing real-time data to
support decision-making process.” Online depot will speed up the operation
and all activities in FCI godowns will be operated through this system,
Singh informed. From http://www.indiadaily.com
03/17/2016 Bihar Police
to Use Smartphones, Social Network for Communication Bihar government has decided to upgrade the police from feature
phones to smartphones to use WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Emails for quick
and efficient inter-department communication. “The smartphones will be
provided to all the police officials, irrespective of the grade for better
and efficient state-level coordination.The android apps will help to connect
all the officers from Station House Officers (SHOs) to DGP, instantly,”
Pankaj Darad, Inspector-General (Provisions), told to media. The Home
Department has approved the Rs 2.08crore project for police officials in
Bihar, considering the need of Android smartphone to send information and
documents quickly. 1,390 smartphones, with an average price of Rs 15,000,
have been purchased out of which 940 handsets are to be given to the SHOs and
rest to the senior officials. This will revolutionise the current
communication method via feature phones and wireless walkie-talkies. It will
be mandatory for the police to download and use the current social networking
tools in the same manner as it is used by large organisations and famous
personalities. These communication technologies will help in reducing wait time
for communication between the supervisors and the officers by providing
direct contact. It will also enable the police to send photos, video clips or
documents related to any crime. The latest happenings in an area can also be
informed or discussed in WhatsApp or Facebook Groups. The written
communication, online, will reduce the time spent in gathering and also can
be a better proof than verbal communication. The initiative has been welcomed
by the people of Bihar who will now be able to share their grievances with
the police directly through social media. Twitter is very common at higher
level, but its penetration at the ground level of the police department will
help in faster solution to common men problems. From http://egov.eletsonline.com 03/23/2016 God’s
Own Country on IT’s Course God’s Own Country – Kerala is fast emerging as a ‘Digital State’
and striving hard to transform itself into a giant information technology
(IT) hub to give impetus to its economy and create more and more employment
opportunities. Famous for its picturesque landscapes, backwaters and
heritage, the State has now also earned a name as one of the rapidly
developing IT destinations in the country. India’s highest literacy-rate
state has now added another feather to its cap by getting recognition as
country’s digital state, thanks to the political will of the government and
an enviable record of people’s cooperation in Kerala towards digitisation.
The Kerala Economic Review – 2014 showed that Kerala had recorded the growth
rate of 6.49 per cent, which was above the national average of 4.04 per cent
and second highest among the south Indian states. The State is well connected
through the Kerala State Wide Area Network (KSWAN), National Optic Fibre
Network (NOFN) and the National Knowledge Net- work (NKN) to provide
high-speed Inter- net connectivity to all Gram Panchayats and urban clusters.
In 2015, Idukki became the first district in the entire country to have NOFN,
which the government termed as an exceptional achievement. According to the government’s top brass, the proactive policy of
the State towards permitting telecom service providers to network the State
through optical fibre network has enabled its citizens to get both broadband and
mobile online ser- vices. The efforts of the government have resulted in
highest mobile penetration, with close to 32 million connections, for a
population of 33 million. The number of smart phone users is also going up
sharply. The recent growth of Internet as well as smart phones penetration,
combined with the government’s initiatives, has helped the State make
significant strides in turning Kerala a knowledge-powered economy. State
official said that four major projects contributed gradual evolution of
Kerala into a digital society, namely Akshaya project, IT@School, digital
infrastructure availability and State Data Centre, and allied applications.
Considering the existing digital infrastructure and a plethora of digital
initiatives, the government is now aiming at bridging the digital divide by
making available digital infra- structure accessible to citizens at
affordable cost, promoting entrepreneurship and generating more employment
opportunities for the youth. One of the most ambitious projects of the State Government is
Akshaya, which aims at bridging the digital divide and dis- seminating ICT
services. Akshaya centres are set up within a two-kilometre distance from any
household and are networked leveraging entrepreneurship. With over 2,600 centres
in the urban and rural areas, these centres are taking e-governance to the
citizens’ doorsteps. Sources said this concept has been emulated by other
states and christened as Common Service Centres (CSC) as part of a central
initiative – National e-Governance Plan (NeGP). Some of the key services
delivered by Akshaya centres include Aadhaar enrolment, banking and insurance
services, utility bill/fee payment service, online application for redressal
of public grievance by the Chief Minister, data digitisation, Aadhaar seeding
and Non-Resident Keralalites’ Welfare Board (KNRK) service, among many
others. The seriousness of the State Government can be gauged from the fact
that the budget allocation for the IT Department has gone up substantially to
strengthen the digital infrastructure. The government has proposed to
establish ‘high technology business incubation centre’ at Kalamassery in
Kochi and a ‘Knowledge City’ near Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram to promote
IT and e-governance in Kerala in the current fiscal 2016-17. The Kerala
Government is making efforts to facilitate incubation of new technologies
with high intellectual property value and develop a research and development
centre for high- end analytics. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy while presenting the budget on
February 12 apprised the State Assembly that Rs. 482.87 crore has been
provisioned to give a boost to IT and e-governance initiatives. The
government is laying emphasis on IT- based youth entrepreneurship and
planning to set up ‘Raspberry Pi Programme’ (mini computers to teach
abacus level computing). Going through the highlights of the budget, the
Kerala State Information Technology Mission (KSITM) has been allocated Rs.
94.59 crore, National e-Governance Action Rs. 36.15 crore, Technopark Rs. 76
crore, Infopark Rs. 61.61 crore, Cyber- park Rs. 25.68 crore, Kerala State
Information Technology Infrastructure Limited Rs. 57.8 crore and the Indian
Institute of Information Technology-Kerala has been given Rs. 5 crore.
Notably, Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram is the single largest IT park in
India, spread over a sprawling 748 acres and boasting 7.1 million square feet
of built-up space. Around 38,000 people work in Technopark, which houses
several companies such as TCS, UST Global, Infosys, M-Squared, Oracle and
Aegis, among many others. The IT Department officials say low power tariffs,
low cost of operation, affordable land cost and low cost of living in
Thiruvananthapuram are a few factors that give an edge to Technopark over its
counterparts in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Kerala is also implementing the National Information Infra-
structure on a pilot basis in the State capital to interconnect various other
connectivity initiatives already existing here, like KSWAN, NOFN and NKN. Minister
of Industries and Information Technology, Kerala, PK Kunhalikutty told eGov
magazine that incentives like single-window clearance approvals, low
electricity tariff, uninterrupted power availability, dedicated government
and private IT parks within government land and various SEZs make Kerala most
viable and investor-friendly destination in India. He further said that at
present the government is offering over 1,000 acres of land with over 11
million square feet of built- up space for investors to set up business. During an assessment, it was found that be it Electricity
Department, Local Self Government Department (LSGD), Tour- ism, Milk
Cooperative Federation, Health and Family Welfare, Taxes or the
Revenue and Disaster Management Department, every major functionary is
exploiting IT to the fullest to take their services to citizens’ doorsteps in
association with KSITM. Top brass of the said departments attributed
concerted efforts and support of the Kerala IT Mission for their success. It is not only the IT Department that is getting a huge chunk of
funds, but the government is also strengthening the basic infrastructure in
the State to woo domestic and global investors. The 2016- 17 Budget has
provisioned for 10 helipads across the State to connect hinterlands with
cities for entrepreneurs and tourists. If sources are to be believed, this is
part of the strategy to promote domestic tourist arrivals in the State. In the budget, the Kerala Government has also made it clear that
it is not going to compromise on environment concerns. The ruling government
has put five per cent surcharge on plastic bottles and 20 per cent on all
types of plastic bags. Officials say extensive use of polythene and plastic
bags were proving to be a major threat to the environment. The Health and
Family Welfare Department is one of the key departments extensively
undertaking IT initiatives to make healthcare service affordable for public
and help them avail government welfare schemes. State’s eHealth project is
first-of-its-kind project in India that aims to develop an elaborate and
comprehensive e-platform to maintain a database of health records of common
public in electronic form and use them for providing population- and
hospital-based services. It is tipped to be implemented within a year
across the State. The Health Department is joining hands with leading IT
firms in delivering health- care services to provide CT scan, ECG, MRI and
all other facilities to the poor at nominal fees or in some cases, free of
cost. Similarly, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department is
issuing around 22 types of certificates online through its village offices to
the rural people. The department has created a virtual IT cadre, where young
and dynamic tech-savvy officers are being imparted with specialised computer
training. That apart, people are getting dummy maps of their own properties
with the help of eRekha project. According to reports, the State has
witnessed highest level of urbanisation in its history between 2001 and 2011,
with an increase of 83.82 per cent over the previous decade. However, not
everything is going down well with the government. Although the State is
posting a spurt in economic growth, it records the highest unemployment rate.
According to experts, if digital opportunities are tapped, then fields like
education, healthcare and law and order can be revolutionised. If the higher
education institutions can be connected digitally, students can be guided by
skilful teachers. PH Kurian, Principal Secretary, Department of IT, said that
initiatives like single-window clearance for business proposals and lower
operational cost have given Kerala an edge to other states. “Kerala is
sitting on a landmine of opportunities in terms of investment and now
promoting private initiatives in building IT industry infrastructure through
specific Scheme namely “Private Integrated IT and High Tech Township,” he
says. Kurian believes that another two lakh jobs would be created in the IT
sector in the next five years on account of development of more technology
and cyber parks in the State. Considering the vision of the Kerala Government
and the pro-active role being played by the state machinery, one can safely
say that the best is yet to come in terms of growth of IT and the job
opportunities it would throw up in the God’s Own Country. From http://egov.eletsonline.com 03/26/2016 Maharashtra
to Reap Digital Fruits Digital Village as a concept entails using technology to solve
critical problems that plague our villages, namely health, education, skill
development and employment. Rural areas oft en do not have the requisite
infrastructure or human resources to deal with these problems. However, with
the intelligent use of technology, these issues can be tackled. For example,
baby warmers in ambulances, mobile-connectivity for ambulances and
tele-medicine are some of the ways through which the maternal mortality rate will
drop. Village students can be taught by the best quality teachers via video
conferencing. Similarly, digitisation can take ‘aanganwadi’ reports online
and hence help track the progress of each child. There is already a strong
trickledown effect while the pilot is being conducted in Harisal; it’ll
benefit 51 smaller villages within a 15 km radius. The idea behind the
initiative is to bring villages to the mainstream. The lack of nutrition,
coupled with genetic health problems and the lifestyle of people, has to be
changed to make them healthy and connected with the mainstream. Digitisation
will go a long way in creating a self-sufficient economy — an environment in
which PDS, PHC, education and other benefits can be enjoyed, increasing
penetration of the banking system and allowing for regular monitoring of
important metrics. Startups have been growing in large
numbers in Maharashtra over the last couple of years. How do the government
policies help them set up their establishments? We
understand fully well the importance of the role played by startups in the
economy, and therefore, fully support them. In May this year, we tied up with
NASSCOM to set up two startup warehouses, in Navi Mumbai and Pune. These
warehouses will be a co-working facility that can be leased by startups for
six months at a nominal cost with high-speed internet and basic utilities
like electricity and water. We will facilitate the establishment of a common
platform for exchange and dissemination of knowledge resources between academic,
research institutions and the IT industry, and the setting up of incubation
centers particularly for small enterprises. A committee under the
chairmanship of the Development Commissioner (Industries) will define a model
and framework for setting up such a platform and for incubation centres
across the state in ICT field such as embedded software, chip, telecom
technology etc. Our young engineers are full of innovative ideas and we are
working on creating a startup policy to promote a culture of entrepreneurship
and innovation in the manufacturing and IT & IT-enabled services sector.
This is aimed at attracting these incubation units to Maharashtra by making
the state an attractive destination. We have a world class institution in
IIT- Bombay and we intend to create a startup hub around it. What all eGovernance and mGovernance
initiatives have been introduced by the government in the larger interest of
public? We are proud of the fact that Maharashtra has always led
the way in adopting new technologies to improve efficiency and transparency
in governance. There are numerous mGovernance and eGovernance initiatives we
have introduced in the past year to make citizens lives easier. However, two
initiatives I would like to highlight are ‘Aaple Sarkar’ and ‘RTS’. To ensure
that a citizen doesn’t have to walk into a government office to file a
complaint, we launched Aaple Sarkar – the state’s first ever-integrated
online grievance redressal infrastructure. The system is now operational
across most of the state and has satisfactorily resolved 15,000 grievances. A
committee under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner (Industries)
will define a model and framework for setting up such a platform and for
incubation centres across the state in ICT field such as embedded software,
chip, telecom technology etc. In today’s technology driven world, running from pillar to post
to avail of basic services seems archaic. Out of this belief was born the
Right to Services Act, wherein 224 services across various departments are
being made available online in a time- bound manner. These services include
birth certificate, caste certificate, domicile certificate, etc. It is also
going a long way in bringing in greater transparency and accountability. What are your future plans in view of Smart
Cities and Digital India? Where do you see Maharashtra in next five years and
what are the major challenges in implementing the schemes? The Smart
Cities programme, being monitored by the Centre, will enter implementation
stage in the coming months. For each of the 10 cities in Maharashtra that
will be developed as a Smart City, I have appointed a senior bureaucrat as a
mentor. We have also decided to introduce our own Smart Cities scheme. The
details are presently being worked out and will cater to urban sprawls and
smaller towns and cities in Maharashtra that did not make the final cut in
the Centre’s scheme. For initiatives like the Smart City project,
funding too will play a key role. However, I do not anticipate either of
these to be major bottlenecks. My government has a special focus on execution
– I have set up a war room that closely tracks and de-bottlenecks all
critical projects of the state. With regard to funding, Maharashtra is a
highly-favoured investment destination as can be seen from the Foxconn and
other large investments that have been made here in the past 12 months. From http://egov.eletsonline.com 03/29/2016 Railways Supply-chain Goes
Digital The Union Minister for Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu
releasing the souvenir at the Conference on Digitization of Railway Supply
Chain – A Leap forward in Ease of Doing Business, organised by the Ministry of
Railways in association with the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India
(ASSOCHAM) and Indian Railway Institute of Material Management (IRLMM), in
New Delhi. The Chairman, Railway Board, A K Mital and other dignitaries are
also seen. In line with the Digital India drive, Railways has decided to
digitise its supply chain with the help of digital contract. “The digital era
is round the corner. All organisations that are not digitally compliant will
become obsolete over a period of time and those who embrace it would be the
real winner in the emerging situation,” said Railways Minister, Suresh
Prabhu, after launching the digital contract in New Delhi. This contract aims
at digitisation of bill submission, inspection, dispatches, receipt, bill
passing, payments and warranty monitoring and enables use of analytics for
increasing supply chain efficiencies in real time. The supply chain is a
digital-based concept, which would enhance digitisation in the Railways
sector, said an official statement. As of now, the Railways has a vast supply
chain to maintain, sustain and build its huge asset base, to run the system
and provide transportation service which is safe, secure and efficient.“We
have decided to embrace greater possibilities of digitisation. There are many
areas to work on it,” added Prabhu. The Indian Railways is currently working
on Enterprise Resource Planning for bringing all operations on one platform
through digitisation. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/14/2017 e-Payment of Road Tax in
Haryana Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday
launched the website (www.haryanatransport.gov.in), e-payment gateway and SMS
facility of the regulatory wing of the State Transport Department to
facilitate the citizens by providing various services online and bring in
more transparency in the functioning of the department. The chief minister
appreciated the initiative of the department and said that the people would be
immensely benefitted with these services. Principal secretary, transport,
Hardeep Kumar said with the launch of the web portal, the people would not
have to now visit the registering or licences offices as they would be able
to avail the services even while being at home. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/18/2017 Free-Wifi at Secunderabad and
Hyderabad Railway Stations In a step towards Digital India campaign of the Government of
India, free WiFi broadband facility has been launched at Secunderabad and
Hyderabad Railway stations in Telangana State on Friday. Union Minister of
Railways, Suresh Prabhu along with Union Minister of State for Labour and
Employment, Bandaru Dattatreya and Member of Parliament from Telangana state
K. Kavita inaugurated the new WiFi broadband system through
video-conferencing from Rail Bhavan, New Delhi. RailTel in association with
the technology giant Google as technology partner commissioned the free-WiFi
broadband facility in a total of 104 A1 and A category railway stations pan
India. It plans to commission the similar facility in 296 other railway
stations including the one in Warangal district of Telangana state. By 2017,
another 100 stations are setting have the free-WiFi facility. This move would
also support the cashless or digital payment movement of Central Government.
Under the partnership, RailTel is providing high-speed internet, power, fiber
and switch network whereas Google is providing the radio access network along
with technology support. Once implemented full-fledged, it shall be the
largest public WiFi project in the world. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/18/2017 Online Registration System –
Patient’s Portal for e-Hospital ehosOnline Registration System (ORS) is a framework to link
various hospitals across the country for Aadhaar based online registration
and appointment system, where counter based OPD registration and appointment
system through Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) has been
digitalized. The application has been hosted on the cloud services of NIC.
Portal facilitates online appointments with various departments of different
Hospitals using eKYC data of Aadhaar number, if patient’s mobile number is
registered with UIDAI. And in case mobile number is not registered with UIDAI
it uses patient’s name. New Patient will get appointment as well as Unique
Health Identification (UHID) number. If Aadhaar number is already linked with
UHID number, then appointment number will be given and UHID will remain same.
As of now, five hospitals (AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr RML Hospital, New Delhi and
Sports Injury Centre (SIC), New Delhi, NIMHANS, Bangalore and Agartala
Government Medical College, Tripura). The patients have been facilitated with
online booking of appointments, online viewing of lab reports, checking of
blood availability status and making payments for registration fee through
this portal. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/20/2017 Smart Cities Should Contribute
to Common Man’s Growth Maharashtra Government is in the process of laying fibre network
in Nagpur, with a plan to cover 1,200 km stretch with it, Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis announced recently while inaugurating the Elets Smart and
Sustainable Summit in Nagpur. Praising the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s
Smart City work in the city, he emphasised that Smart cities initiatives
should be planned in such a way so that development of common people could be
accomplished while solving the challenge of urbanisation.The summit was
organised by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) in association with Elets
Technomedia Pvt Ltd. Also, present of the occasion was Minister of Road,
Transport and Highways, and Shipping Nitin Gadkari.Watch full speech of
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here https://goo.gl/nqUQ7j“Whatever
Smart City initiatives we are taking up, it should have the quality to
enhance other people’s life. The basic essence of a smart city is public
participation. Every single technology can change the landscape of the city.
Authorities should try to engage people using the technology. In that way, we
can have a larger wisdom through which we can make the city smarter at a
larger speed,” said Fadnavis, adding that the ICT backbone infrastructure of
the city should be planned to reach people fast. Also present at the summit were NMC Commissioner Shravan
Hardikar, Mayor Nanda Jichkar, Maharashtra government officials, central
government officials, officials from other State and dignitaries from
countries like Sweden, France, and Spain.Launching a special issue of the
eGov magazine, the chief minister said: “The basic motto of Smart City is
accessibility and affordability. Without them, a Smart City cannot be
created. Every programme of Smart City should work towards increasing the
efficiency and transparency of services, which in turn should benefit the
poorest of the society.” As the capital city of Maharashtra has already been
selected in the Smart City Mission, he said, the State Government is
developing metro network covering 200 km of the city.Stating to make Mumbai a
safe city, the State Government has installed 6,000 cameras across the city,
Fadnavis said, through these cameras, smart traffic is being evolved where
traffic cops no longer issue manual challans.500 hotspots in the city have
already been created making it India’s first wi-fi city. Laying importance to
the waste management, Fadnavis congratulated Nagpur Commissioner Hardikar for
better solid and liquid waste management.Witnessing the success of Nagpur
waste management model, Mumbai has started replicating it. Through smart city
initiatives, the state government is planning to cut the tariffs of utilities
like water to make it affordable to the poor as well, the chief minister
revealed. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/20/2017 The Growing Market for
e-LEARNING India is a growing market for education where traditional
classrooms are being steadily replaced by interactive whiteboards with
projectors and speakers all over the country. Various government initiatives
are being adapted to boost the growth of distance education market, besides
focusing on new education techniques, such as E-learning and M-learning,
observes T Radhakrishan of Elets News Network (ENN). The country is
witnessing a revolution in education sector like never before. Powered by the
growing demand for quality education by families and for skilled development
by working professionals, educational organisations are introducing better
learning options — e learning or online education. mlearning-educationThrough
the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is aiming to increase
digital literacy to at least 50 percent among Indians from the present 15
percent in next three years, private organisations including multinational
companies (MNCs) are coming out with innovative solutions for a better
learning and 24×7 education options, with the help of technology and
Internet. Traditional classrooms are being replaced by interactive
whiteboards with projectors and speakers all over the country. The
computer-based and Internet-based method of learning means that new
technology is being introduced to enhance the learning process. “India is a growing market for education,” said Tim Barton,
Managing Director, Global Academic Publishing Division, Oxford University
Press (OUP), while launching online courses in India recently. The OUP has
launched online courses in India to help the academia in research activities.
“Through Epigeum, high-quality online content assembled globally by experts
will reach more Indian universities through online and blended learning,” he
said. According to Barton, India has an ever growing ambition to operate in
the global arena and that authors care about making an impact within and
beyond India. India holds an important place in the global education industry
and has become the second largest market for e-learning after the US. Some
Central Government Initiatives are: The Union budget 2016-17 has made the following provisions for the
education sector: 10 public and 10 private educational institutions to be made
world-class. Scheme to get `500 crore ($ 73.36 million) for promoting
entrepreneurship among Schedule Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ ST) Digital Repository for all school leaving certificates and
diplomas Rs 1,000 crore ($ 146.72 million) allocated for higher education
financing Rs 1,700 crore ($ 250 million) allocated for 1500 multi-skill
development centres 62 new Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV) to provide quality
education Digital literacy scheme to be launched for covering six crore
additional rural households Objective to skill one crore youth in the next three years under
the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY) The Government of India has signed a financing agreement with
The World Bank, for International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$
300 million, for the Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement
Project, which aims to improve student outcomes, especially of disadvantaged
groups in selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and increase the
effectiveness of the higher education system in Madhya Pradesh. The Human
Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has entered into a partnership with
private companies, including Tata Motors Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd
and real-estate firm Hubtown Ltd, to open three Indian Institutes of
Information Technology (IIITs), through Public-Private Partnership (PPP), at
Nagpur, Ranchi, and Pune. Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi launched the Skill
India initiative – ‘Kaushal Bharat, Kushal Bharat’. Under this initiative,
the government has set itself a target of training 400 millioncitizens by
2022 that would enable them to find jobs. The initiatives launched include
various programmes like: Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY),
National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, Skill Loan
scheme, and the National Skill Development Mission. PMKVY is the flagship program under the Skill India Initiative and
it includes incentivising skill training by providing financial rewards on
completion of training to the participants. Over the next year 2.4 million
Indians are believed to be benefitted from this scheme. Skill Loan Scheme has
been designed to disburse loans of `5,000 (about $75) to Rs 150,000 (about
$2,260) to 3.4 million Indians planning to develop their skills in next five
years. The National Skill Development Mission is developed to expedite the
implementation of skilling activities in India by providing robust
institutional framework at the centre and the state. The Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) will train bureaucrats from the HRD ministry,
experts from schools boards and primary school teachers in Mathematics and
Science Subjects to enable them to learn skills to formulate lesson plans
that stimulate students’ learning and thus contribute to improving the
quality of Mathematics and science education. The Government of India has
launched a digital employment exchange that will enable industrial
enterprises to find suitable workers and job-seekers to find employment. The Government of India has launched the National Web Portal for
promotion of National Apprenticeship Scheme for Graduates, Diploma holders
and 10+2 pass-outs vocational certificate holders. India and Australia have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost partnerships between the
two countries in the fields of higher education and research, including
technical and professional education, schools, vocational education and
training. The National Skill Development Corporation of India (NSDC) under a
Public Private Partnership promoted by the Ministry of Finance, Government of
India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Center for Research and
Industrial Staff Performance (CRISP), India to explore national and
international opportunities for strengthening skills development in India.
“We have several plans for online education in India,” says Narendra Ranade,
Marketing Director, School Education & ELT, Oxford University Press
India. “The higher education market is the key driver for the elearning
market in India,” says Paras Bansal, Business Head, Higher Education, Oxford
University Press India. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/21/2017 SRI LANKA: PC Ownership Dips,
Usage of Smartphones and Tabs Up Sri Lanka’s computer literacy, the ability to operate a computer
by oneself, increased slightly to 27.5 percent in the first half of 2016 from
26.6 percent YoY.Over two-thirds of the population said that they had
acquired the skills at school or at university, according to the latest data
released by the Census and Statistics Department.The survey results reveal
that higher the level of education, higher the computer literacy. The group
withG.C.E.(A/L) or above level of education shows the highest computer
literacy rate (71.3 percent). Also computer literacy is higher among those
literate in English language (72.5 percent).Computer literacy among the
employed population is around 64.8 percent in 1st half of 2016 and the
positions such as managers, senior officials and legislators (76.1 percent),
professionals (90.3 percent), technical and associate professionals (88.7
percent) and clerks and clerical support workers (91.5 percent) have higher
computer literacy.However, the ownership of desktops and laptops in Sri Lanka
has fallen significantly in the first half of 2016 compared to the same
period in 2015 due to increased use of smartphones and tablets.According to
the data the number of households that own a laptop or a desktop fell to 22.5
percent in first half of 2016 from 24.4 percent year-on-year (YoY). The
ownership of a desktop fell to 13.1 percent in 1H16 from 15.3 percent YoY.The
Urban sector shows the highest computer literacy rate (38.5 percent) among
residential sectors. Computerliteracy rate for Rural and Estate are 26.1
percent and 9.9 percent respectively.Among the provinces with the highest
level of computer literacy is reported from the Western province(38.5
percent) while the lowest percentage is reported from Eastern province. From http://www.lankabusinessonline.com
04/18/2017 PAKISTAN: Educational
Institutions in Sindh to Be Closed on Tuesday, Shab-e-Mairaj KARACHI Educational institutions are to be closed on Tuesday on account
of Shab-e-Mairaj, as per the orders of the Sindh government.According to the
notification issued by the Sindh Education Department, all government and
private education institutions across the province will stay closed tomorrow,
25th April.Shab-e-Mairaj is observed on 27th Rajab, the seventh month in the
Islamic calendar. From http://dailytimes.com.pk
04/15/2017 |
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AZERBAIJAN: Azercell Keeps
Support to Education Azercell Telecom LLC continues to support students under the
programme of SABAH Career Academy. This time, company experts provided training
courses for students under SABAH Career Winter School project in Guba. The trainings conducted by Aytan
Farzaliyeva, head of Business Partnership unit at HR Department and
recruitment specialists Sevinj Teymurova, Vahida Orujova, Aysel Eynullayeva
were welcomed with great enthusiasm by the audience of about 100
students. The topics such as
career planning, drafting CV and resume, preparing for interviews,
presentation skills were covered at the training course along with extensive
discussions with the students.
Later, the participants evaluated the training courses provided by
Azercell team and discussed their benefits. “I understood to what extent my
CV was drafted in a wrong way. In fact, I gained a chance to draft my CV
again. We were taught in detail about how to succeed in interviews. Now I am
completely ready to “attack” the vacancies”, Shahin Khalilov from Technical
University said. “We’ve learned
how to draft a proper CV. Now it is clear for us why we might not get
invitation for interview or fail the interview. During the training we also got familiarized with types of
interviews and interview steps in practice. I think we can enter the labor
market with greater confidence now”, Afsana Farzaliyeva from State University
of Economics noted. At the end of
the two-day training course, the participants were awarded the certificates
and trainers received a letter of acknowledgement. Azercell has a history of cooperation
with SABAH groups. Last year a half of places in Baku was allocated for SABAH
groups under Student Bursary Program. One of the 5 teams qualified for
6-months-long incubation program in Barama Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Center consisted of SABAH students. Introductory visit to Azercell Plaza was
organized for the student of SABAH groups at the end of 2016. They attended
winter sessions about “Introduction to GSM technologies”, “Product
Management” and “Develop your own brand”. SABAH groups is one of the most
leading projects established in academic year 2014/2015 in 7 universities
with the initiative of the Ministry of Education. Currently, SABAH groups
operates in 11 universities with 45 fields of specialization and over 2300
students. Over 740 SABAH students will graduate from 7 universities in 45
fields of specialization in academic year 2016/2017. The leader of the mobile communication industry of Azerbaijan
and the biggest investor in the non-oil sector Azercell Telecom LLC was
founded in 1996. With 48% share of Azerbaijan’s mobile market Azercell’s
network covers 80% of the territory and 99,8% of population of the
country. Currently, 4,5 million
subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important
number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance
payment system, 24/7 Customer Care, online customer services, GPRS/EDGE, M2M,
MobilBank, one-stop- shop service offices Azercell Express, mobile e-service
“ASAN signature”, etc. Azercell deployed first 4G – LTE services in
Azerbaijan in 2012. According to
the results of mobile network quality surveys of Global Wireless Solutions
company and international systems specialized in wireless coverage mapping
such as “Opensignal” and “Testmy.net”, Azercell’s network demonstrated the
best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
02/24/2017 Barama Media Center for Students Launched Azercell Telecom LLC has set up Barama Media Center for students
in cooperation with Baku State University. The Center established in the
faculty of Journalism is aimed to support the students to realize their
innovative ideas, organize training events, workshops and interesting
meetings and allow students from other faculties to present their projects in
Barama Media Center. Imran
Baghirov, Head of Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, stated at
the opening ceremony that Media Center will provide vast opportunities for
the students to enhance their knowledge and skills. “Azercell Telecom
regularly conducts projects aimed for the development of the youth. The
company has signed memorandum of cooperation with several educational
institutions and established special laboratories. Under the Student Bursary
program of the company, capable youth studying at Azerbaijani universities
get a great opportunity to receive special bursary from Azercell and take
internship at different divisions of the company”, he added. Based on the memorandum of cooperation
signed last year between Azercell and Baku State University, the company
started to pay monthly stipend to third-and fourth-year students with
excellent performance results. The qualifying students get a chance to
receive a monthly scholarship in amount of AZN 200 for one academic year and
take part in various company events.
Barama Media Center was established with the support of Azercell
Telecom LLC and Pasha Bank. The
leader of the mobile communication industry of Azerbaijan and the biggest
investor in the non-oil sector Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With
48% share of Azerbaijan’s mobile market Azercell’s network covers 80% of the
territory and 99,8% of population of the country. Currently, 4,5 million subscribers
choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of
innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system,
24/7 Customer Care, online customer services, GPRS/EDGE, M2M, MobilBank,
one-stop- shop service offices Azercell Express, mobile e-service “ASAN signature”,
etc. Azercell deployed first 4G – LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile
network quality surveys of Global Wireless Solutions company and
international systems specialized in wireless coverage mapping such as “Opensignal”
and “Testmy.net”, Azercell’s network demonstrated the best results among the
mobile operators of Azerbaijan. From http://en.trend.az/
03/28/2017 Azercell Awarded “Socially devoted” Certificate Azercell Telecom LLC has made its next achievement. Thus,
Azercell’s performance on social network has been evaluated again by
“Socialbakers” and the company was awarded "Socially devoted"
certificate. The study conducted by the international company showed that
Azercell responded to 100% of inquiries of the customers on its official
Facebook page in January, February and March of 2017. Azercell is the only
mobile operator in Azerbaijan with this result. Azercell has been awarded
"Socially devoted" certificate on numerous occasions for the prompt
response to customer inquiries on Facebook since 2012. Azercell was the first
mobile operator in Azerbaijan to obtain this certificate. In order to qualify
for this award, the company is expected to demonstrate a high level of
response index to the daily growing inquiries on official page. Along with
the high number of fans, Azercell has taken the first places for customer
engagement and active usage on its Facebook page. These novelties were aimed
to build closer relations with the customers, update them about news and
campaigns and save their time with prompt service delivery. Azercell’s official page on Facebook is among the most popular ones
in Azerbaijan and has been active for 9 years. It provides visitors with the
latest information about novelties, tariffs and campaigns, as well as updates
about social projects and services of the company. Azercell continues to
provide its customer services on Facebook page which allows customers to get
responses to their inquiries solve their problems and carry out operations.
In addition, Azercell conducts interesting contests, entertaining games,
campaigns for social network users and gives various presents to winners. The
leader of the mobile communication industry of Azerbaijan and the biggest
investor in the non-oil sector Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With
48% share of Azerbaijan’s mobile market Azercell’s network covers 80% of the territory
and 99,8% of population of the country. Currently, 4,5 million subscribers
choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of
innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system,
24/7 Customer Care, online customer services, GPRS/EDGE, M2M, MobilBank,
one-stop- shop service offices Azercell Express, mobile e-service “ASAN
signature”, etc. Azercell deployed first 4G – LTE services in Azerbaijan in
2012. According to the results of mobile network quality surveys of Global
Wireless Solutions company and international systems specialized in wireless
coverage mapping such as “Opensignal” and “Testmy.net”, Azercell’s network
demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. From http://en.trend.az/
05/15/2017 UZBEKISTAN: Media Learns About Information Technology Ministry's
Handling of Appeals The Information Technology and Communications Ministry organised
a press tour, to tell about its handling of individuals’ and legal entities’
appeals. Ministry executives organised daily reception of appeals, either in
person or by phone. So far in 2018, over 1600 appeals have been rerouted
through the President’s Virtual Reception. Most of these appeals, it was
established, could be addressed by the ministry itself. The Single
Interactive State Services Portal has rerouted 433 appeals to the ministry.
The Portal users can also give their feedbacks on how their appeals have been
processed, on a scale from 0 to 5.
To streamline appeal processing, the ministry set up its virtual
reception on www.murojaat.mitc.uz or via phone at 0 800 200-41-07. So far,
350 appeals have been processed.
Most appeals are made about the internet (32%), fixed lie (19%),
mobile connection (15%), postal service (7%) and broadcasting (6%). Some people lodge appeals directly
with the President’s Virtual Reception, only to complain about bad telephone
connection. Such problems may be resolved faster via Uzbektelecom’s online
reception (www.uztelecom.uz), phone (+99871 244 3443), and via 1084 and 1086,
the hotlines. Some people contact the Presidential Virtual Reception, with
complaints about minor mobile connection problems, although it is well known
that mobile operators have their own support services for just such
situations. Uzbekiston Pochtasi also has its virtual reception on
www.pochta.uz and its hotline (+99871 233 6234). The ministry also has the
State Inspection for Control of Connection, Informatisation and
Telecommunication Technologies, with an online reception on www.gis.uz and a
hotline (+99871 237 0111). Contacting service providers directly helps solve
the problem faster and unclog the higher authorities. If the issues cannot be
resolved by service providers, the Inspection or the ministry, the appellants
can always address the President’s Virtual Reception, the highest electronic
system designed for the most crucial problems of the population. To help
resolve pressing issues, the ministry has set up the department for appeals.
The ministry calls for all users to appeal to service providers, the
Inspection or the Ministry via www.murojaat.mitc.uz. The ministry says it will put all
efforts into resolving the issues fast and to consider citizens’ and
businesses’ recommendations for better services in ICT. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
03/06/2017 Smart Classroom Launched in TUIT Under Presidential Resolution ‘on Further Development of
Tashkent University of Information Technology,’ ZTE Corporation launched
Smart Classroom in TUIT. The Smart Classroom allows students a more in-depth
approach to studying. All lessons are recorded and are accessible from a
server, to spare the need to write down the material in class. Parents can always check on their
children’s progress. The Smart Classroom will enable online workshops and
contact with foreign teachers, to make knowledge accessible to all
universities, lyceums, colleges, and schools of the country. The information
technology ministry tasked TUIT with producing an assessment system and an
open-access lecture database.
E-learning may also help resolve many issues, including resource
distribution and education access. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
03/27/2017 Internet Tariffs for Providers Cut by 25.8% Since December Uzbektelecom announced it reduced on 21 April its internet rates
for Uzbek providers to $67.85 per 1 Mb/s. This is the tenth tariff reduction
this year. The rate first dropped on 1 January to $91.07, followed by a
second cut on 6 January to $87.14, a third cut on 10 January to $86.85, a
fourth dip on 2 February to $86.11, a fifth cut on 16 February to $80.94, a
sixth on 3 March to $76.61, a seventh reduction on 30 March to $76.48, a
shaving off on 4 April to $75.80, and a drop on 6 April to $71.68. Last year,
the tariffs were reduced twelve times: from $156.24 in January to $91.50 in
December. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
04/26/2017 UMS Implements New Service for
Subscribers-Drivers Mobile operator UMS continues to introduce relevant services to the
population. The company announced the latest service that was developed with
regard to interests of subscribers- drivers. The new service will allow
motorists to see if they have a current traffic violation. For the past two
months, a number of crossroads of the city have been equipped with modern
systems of photo and video fixation of violations of traffic rules. As
practice shows, due to them, the level of road safety and responsibility of
drivers has been increased. In this regard, many drivers face a question
"did I violate the rules?". The new service provided by UMS allows
finding answer to this question in the shortest time. According to mobile
operator, the subscribers appreciate the new service – only two days have
passed since its launch, already thousands of motorists took the opportunity
to check the availability of fines for traffic violations. UMS continues to
explore customer needs and aims to continue to delight them with new
possibilities. The company carries out constant work to make subscribers
satisfied with the content and quality of services. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
05/07/2017 TUIT Realises 3D Printer Projects The latest piece of technology to rob science fiction of its
‘fiction’ component, 3D printers are expected to invade many industries,
building houses, making artificial limbs, or mass-producing souvenirs. The
Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi Tashkent University of Information Technologies is now
also working on projects involving 3D printers. Jonibek Tajiev, assistant at
the multimedia technology department, harnessed the power of 3D printers to
produce an anthropomorphic robot, a robot chess player, and an artificial
limb. These robots can be used in production and medicine. Take the chess
player robot, for example, which can control chemical reactions and physical
processes in a lab, thanks to its ability to think logically and analyse
situations. The anthropomorphic robot, powered by Servo engines, can move
around, walk around obstacles, and even play football. It can be deployed in
hard-to-reach or risky environments, like a chemical facility or a
disaster-struck region. The
artificial arm can partially replace the functions of its human counterpart.
Guided by the neural system, its ‘fingers’ can hold and move objects just
like their human analogues do. “So far, we’ve got two 3D printers, which are
used by over a dozen of the university’s students and staff,” Jonibek said.
“You can call them enthusiasts fascinated by innovative developments. “3D
printers are now used for modelling. As far as I know, other universities use
them too. But in many countries their application is getting wider and wider.
“At the moment, we are focusing on medicine, more precisely on the production
of modern artificial limbs. When the time comes, we can take on new areas of
research.” There are a few universities that have 3D printers, and their use
is entrusted to only a handful of enthusiasts. But some specialists suggest
recruiting 3D modelling technicians right now, as they will soon be in high
demand in Uzbekistan, which has taken aim at more and better technologies
across all industries. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
05/12/2017 |
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AUSTRALIA: CHOICE Wants Govt to
Allow Online Credit Card Cancellation The consumer group CHOICE has called on the federal government
to allow consumers who have credit cards from the big four banks to cancel
them online without having to call or write to the banks.The group's move
came after the banks recently reviewed their credit card cancellation
policies, but still insisted that consumers call or write in to effect a
cancellation.CHOICE's head of campaigns and policy Erin Turner said it defied
belief that in an age when online banking was the norm, the ANZ,
Commonwealth, Westpac and NAB did not permit online cancellation of
cards."Not only do they not let you cancel your card online, ANZ also
requires you to cut the card diagonally and post it back to them. In our
view, this is clearly a ‘go slow’ by the banks to allow them to extract more
fees and sell you more poor value products," Turner said.“The banks have
had long enough to address this issue. It’s time the federal government steps
in and introduces legislation requiring these financial institutions to offer
online cancellation options to customers.” The banks face a parliamentary inquiry on Friday and CHOICE
claimed ANZ and Westpac had made attempts to deflect criticism about card
policies by saying that interest rates on some low-rate cards would be
reduced.“Although some of the banks might point to the changes they’ve made
to just two credit card products in recent weeks, it’s little more than a
tokenistic gesture when you consider the systems they’ve built to trap people
into high-cost debt for as long as possible,” Turner said."We first
raised our concerns about the banks' credit card cancellation policies in
2015, yet despite this and the federal government support for change last
year, the situation remains exactly the same."It seems clear that the
big banks’ ‘go slow’ on card cancellations is about protecting revenue from
interest and fees, with data showing they slug consumers with an average
annual fee of $146 compared to just $58 through a mutual- or customer-owned
banks.“Unfortunately, getting stuck paying excessive credit card interest is
only one of the traps consumers face, with many of us paying excessive annual
fees when we fail to cancel a card.” From https://www.itwire.com 03/02/2017 Aussies Have Little Faith in
Govts' Use of Tech: Study Few Australians have faith that governments at any level can use
technology competently to deliver services to the people, a study claims. The
Australian Information Industry Association said on Tuesday that a national
study had found that Australians had almost universal (99%) interest in
seeing governments use the latest technology for service delivery. But they
rated the governments lowest when it came to the ability to do so, compared
to other industries. The study was conducted online by Galaxy Research
between 14 and 18 February using a nationally representative sample of 1004
Australians aged 18 or older. Data was weighted by age, gender and region to
reflect the latest ABS population estimates. Only 16% agreed that the federal
government was using the latest tech well to deliver services. The
percentages for state (14%) and local governments (12%) were lower. Similar results were obtained when the study participants were
asked whether governments had the ability to use technology well to deliver
services. Only 19% agreed the federal government was up to the mark, while
state (15%) was lower down the scale. By comparison, companies rated much
better: banks and financial institutions (64%); online shopping sites (61%);
travel information and booking sites (48%); telecommunications providers
(39%); entertainment sites (39%); gas and electricity utilities (28%); and
health services (25%). Commenting on the results, AIIA chief executive Rob
Fitzpatrick said: "Australian consumers have always been credited as
early adopters of new technology, which is consistent with our collective
desire to see government using the latest technology. "Many expect to
have the same experience engaging with government bodies as they would with
their bank or an online shopping site. As technology advances, customer
expectations keep changing, and it's important that government keep pace. "However, it's not just about service. The economic
benefits from having a digital economy are well known, and there is clear
opportunity for government to take the lead and speed up Australia's digital
transformation." About three-quarters of the study participants said the
main benefit from government using the latest technology was to improve the
quality and accuracy of services. "What this result says to me is that
even though there have been some misfires recently when it comes to
execution, such as the census outages and the Centrelink errors, Australians
want the government to progress and improve its use of technology rather than
regress back to the 'old' way of doing things,” Fitzpatrick said. Sixty-four
per cent of the participants said a combination of technology and
customer-facing personnel would deliver the best outcome when it came to
government services. But the percentages differed, based on respondents'
ages. Nineteen per cent of Gen Y and 13% of Gen X favoured full automation,
while only 6% of baby boomers and 4% of traditionalists (those aged above 65)
agreed. On the other hand, 26% percent of traditionalists wanted automation
removed in toto and services provided in customer-facing service centres. The full results of the study will be discussed at the AIIA's
2017 Navigating Digital Government Summit to be held in Canberra on 5 April.
The conference speakers include: Professor Genevieve Bell, College of
Engineering and Computer Science at the Australian National University (ANU);
The new chief executive officer of the Digital Transformation Agency (who has
not yet been announced); Ed Husic, Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy;
Gary Sterrenberg, chief information officer, Department of Human Services;
Peter Alexander, first assistant secretary projects, procurement and
assurance, Digital Transformation Agency; Louise Glanville, deputy chief
executive for governance and stakeholder relations, National Disability
Insurance Agency; Dan Bognar, senior vice-president, APAC solutions engineering,
cloud sales, industries and innovation, Salesforce; and, Adi Kavaler, global
vice president, products & strategy application delivery management,
Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Angus Taylor, Assistant Minister for Cities and
Digital Transformation, will deliver the closing keynote. From https://www.itwire.com 03/14/2017 Australian Government to Spend AU$4m on Children's STEM 'Spaces' The federal government will be handing out AU$4 million worth of
grants for the creation of entrepreneurial workspaces for children across the
country.The Australian government has announced that it will be investing
AU$4 million over four years to fund the setup of dedicated workspaces for
children across the country to learn science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) skills.The Maker Project will issue grants to eligible
Australian schools and community organisations to help set up dedicated
"maker spaces" that offer students hands-on experience in practical
aspects of design, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, as well as
STEM engagement activities.It is expected that the initiative will offer
grants of between AU$2,000 and AU$5,000 to cover the costs of tools,
equipment, software, and consumables needed to establish spaces that the
government said will be required to encourage experimentation and
"tinkering" in a supervised and accessible environment. Additionally, the initiative is expected to support community
organisations with grants of between AU$5,000 and AU$20,000 to expand
existing STEM engagement activities and link young people with local experts,
inventors, entrepreneurs, and industries.The Maker Projects initiative is part
of the four-year, AU$29.8 million Inspiring Australia science engagement
program, which falls under the federal government's AU$1.1 billion National
Innovation and Science Agenda, announced in December 2015.At the time, the
government pledged AU$48 million to improve the STEM literacy of students in
Australia, along with a AU$51 million commitment to assist Australian
teachers and students to embrace the digital age.The government began its
search for new ways of enhancing digital literacy in children in September,
opening its AU$4 million Digital Literacy School Grants program to schools
Australia-wide with the funds to be used for delivering digital literacy
programs to students in "engaging and innovative" ways. "Schools need to think creatively about how they teach
digital literacy to ensure that students don't fall behind or find it
difficult to engage," Minister for Education and Training Simon
Birmingham said at the time. "We need all children to be digitally
literate to ensure they are ready for a future full of technology."The
AU$4 million 2016 Digital Literacy School Grants will be funded by the AU$51
million teacher commitment kitty, with other initiatives under the banner
including the formation of IT summer schools for students in years 9 and 10;
an annual "cracking the code" competition for those in year 4
through 12; and online computing challenges for year 5 and year 7
students."Sparking an interest in these subjects at an early age is the
best way to ensure we increase the number of students taking up science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects to set them up for success
after they leave school," Birmingham added. As previously highlighted by the Committee for Economic
Development of Australia, the world is facing a global skills shortage.
Infosys has also reported that young Australians were ill-prepared for the
digital economy that stands before them.Infosys found that young Australians
were the least confident of their technical abilities and job prospects, and
while they are highly aware of the need to learn new skills, Australians are
also the least interested in improving their STEM knowledge.Less than a fifth
wanted to develop data skills, build mobile apps, or learn how to code; even
fewer -- just 3.41 percent -- had a desire to work for a startup over a large
company.According to Rob Hillard, managing partner at Deloitte Consulting,
the issue Australia is facing when it comes to preparing for the
"workforce of the future" is the ambiguity around what those jobs
will actually be. "The problem is we're dealing with tremendous
ambiguity, and ambiguity creates uncertainty in the minds of students and is
absolutely a turn-off to people going through STEM pathways and finding these
jobs of the future," he said previously. "And that creates a huge
amount of fear for students today."He did say, however, that Australia's
workforce does not need any more job-ready graduates, but rather those who
are "future ready"."Graduates who are capable of learning,
because the jobs those graduates will be doing, even just a couple of years
into their careers, have not been invented yet," Hillard said. From http://www.zdnet.com 03/16/2017 ACS Victoria Says Govt Money Will Drive State’s Tech Sector,
Boost ICT Jobs The Australian Computer Society in Victoria sees the state
government’s investment in the Connecting Regional Communities Programme
(CRCP) as a way of building the technology capability and ICT jobs in the state.The
ACS has welcomed the investment announced in the state budget this week, with
the programme created to deliver improvements to digital infrastructure
designed to drive innovation and increase competitiveness in regional
Victoria.ACS Victoria chair Maria Markman said, “We see the investment in
regional and rural Victoria as a necessary means of building the technology
capability and ICT jobs in the state.“Extending Victoria’s free Wi-Fi
programme, which we now see in Ballarat and Bendigo, will enable our ICT
members in small businesses across regional Victoria, to grow and continue on
the innovation path.“We agree with minister (Phillip) Dalidakis’ comments
that this investment will ensure that ‘regional Victoria isn’t left behind in
the digital economy'.” Markman says that by 2020, Australia will need an additional
68,000 ICT professionals to support Australia’s growing digital
economy.“Therefore it is important that our state government takes the lead
and works with industry partners like the ACS to encourage some of the one
million students going through the education system in Victoria to pursue a
career as an ICT professional in our state.“As the professional association
for the ICT sector, ACS Victoria Branch encourages the Victoria Government to
invest in local technology talent to foster innovation and create value for
our state. We have made it our mission to work with governments, businesses
and the broader community to stimulate real growth in Victoria through
building relevant technology capacity and capability. “Over the last two
years we have seen global IT companies and start-ups set up their operations
in Victoria, which has led to new jobs and opportunities for growth. In a
rapidly digitised world we are always encouraged to see investments in
technology that showcase Victoria as a technology hub.“To this end, the $84.3
million for information technology upgrades across our schools, $12 million
for projects to support the adaption of internet enabled on-farm
technologies, and the commitment to cyber security and network connectivity
for the Victorian Health Service networks are much needed and greatly
beneficial to Victoria.” From https://www.itwire.com 05/05/2017 Australia Considering Laptop Ban on Middle East and African
Flights Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said the federal
government is looking 'very closely' at banning laptops in the cabins of
flights arriving from several Middle Eastern and African countries. Australia
could be implementing a ban on passengers carrying laptops in the cabins of
aircraft arriving from certain Middle Eastern and African countries, Prime
Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said, in response to terrorism threats that could
potentially involve bombs hidden in large electronic devices. This is much
like the rationale given to similar bans instituted by the United Kingdom and
the United States earlier this year for passengers arriving on flights from
several EMEA countries. "The government is aware of the changes that
have been made and, you know, we are looking at it very closely,"
Turnbull said in Adelaide on Tuesday. Turnbull added that the government is presently considering
advice and information that it is "receiving internationally", as
well as "working very closely with our partners" on the
proposal.Australia's consideration of following suit with the US follows
reports by the Guardian last month that the US may extend its aircraft cabin
laptop ban to passengers travelling from the UK and Europe. Governments in
the US and the UK had initially introduced the electronics ban in March,
affecting passengers arriving from majority-Muslim nations including Egypt,
Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab
Emirates. Under the regulations, those on flights departing certain airports
are required to pack electronic devices with dimensions larger than
16x9.3x1.5cm into checked luggage rather than carrying them on-board,
excepting medical equipment. The regulations followed reports that alleged terrorism groups
were looking to hide explosives inside of large electronic devices, although
neither government gave clear details to the public at the time of the
announcement. The US government later said it had "evaluated
intelligence" pointing towards terrorists "aggressively
pursuing" methods for carrying out foreign attacks, with the UK
government adding that the measures were "necessary, effective, and
proportionate". nited States President Donald Trump's administration had
previously attempted to ban all flights from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan,
Somalia, Yemen, and Libya into the US, which faced widespread criticism and
opposition before being shut down by the courts. From http://www.zdnet.com 05/16/2017 Australia Post to Create Federal Government Identity Concept Australia Post has announced a partnership with the Digital
Transformation Agency to create a proof-of-concept identity platform. The
same mob that wants to use blockchain for voting and decided to cut back on
mail deliveries across Australia now wants to create the federal government's
digital identity platform. Australia Post has said it would team up with the
Digital Transformation Agency to create a proof of concept that integrates
its digital ID system with the Commonwealth's Digital Identity Framework.
"Our research shows these processes cost the Australian economy up to
AU$11 billion a year in proving identity alone, and can be unlocked by making
it easy, safe and secure to prove that you are who you say you are when
interacting online," said Australia Post managing director and group CEO
Ahmed Fahour, who resigned from his position in February and is set to leave
the role in July. "We envisage an identity solution, like Digital iD, could
unlock significant benefits for everyday Australians doing business with
government." In August last year, Australia Post detailed an idea to
move into the business of running elections, and using the blockchain as a
central pillar of its plan. "The emergence of cryptocurrencies on the
technology known as blockchain have highlighted opportunities to repurpose
that technology to capture various digital transactions in immutable, distributed,
and secure ways," Australia Post state director Victorian Government and
Tasmania Tim Adamson said at the time. "In many ways, voting is an ideal
use case for blockchain technology application beyond cryptocurrency."
"With demand for digitisation high and technology shifts opening up new
approaches, we believe that now is the time to solve the digital voting
challenge." From http://www.zdnet.com 05/19/2017 NEW ZEALAND: No Smoke and Mirrors - Govt Open to E-Cigarette
Subsidies The Government isn't ruling out funding e-cigarettes to get
people off nicotine. The Māori Party last week said vaping - the smoking of
e-cigarettes - should be subsidised because "it doesn't cause cancer and
other smoking-related illness". E-cigarettes still contain nicotine,
butbecause there's no combustion, users don't inhale many of the harmful
chemicals associated with traditional cigarettes. "I wouldn't rule it
out straight away," Prime Minister Bill English told The AM Show on
Monday. "We're down to a hard core of smokers now - there's been a lot
of taxpayer money spent on reducing that number, but also a lot of revenue
coming in."We need a bit of lateral thinking around how to deal with
this small hard core of smokers, because it's still pretty bad for their
health. We'd consider it."While e-cigarettes still exist in a legal
limbo, Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox wants conventional cigarettes heavily
restricted, including a ban on all but low-tar varieties and a licence,
similar to that needed to sell alcohol.Because vaping is still relatively
new, the long-term health effects remain unclear. At present, e-cigarette
nicotine can only be imported for personal use, and not sold - whether as an
aid to quit smoking traditional cigarettes, or for conventional use. That's
expected to change soon, with the Government taking public submissions on a
proposal to legalise the sale and use of e-cigarettes last year. From http://www.newshub.co.nz
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World Day Against Cyber-Censorship The Internet has been key to providing a voice for those who
have been ignored by the traditional media streams. While those groups have
been able to enjoy free expression and an exchange of ideas. Yet around the
world, governments are trying to limit individuals access to the web.As part
of the World Day Against Cyber-Censorship, the reminders are focused on how
the web remains a battleground for free speech, as well as a way to rally
users in fighting repression of online speech. Reporters Without Borders
created this day to also celebrate the work of brave individuals who are
promoting free speech and expression on the Internet.While there are a
variety of reasons offered for censorship, in Iran, the web has become a way
to track potential opposition and those who are arguing for change. Bloggers
have been imprisoned, websites are blocked and access to the global internet
is limited to non-existent. The argument has been to block obscene content,
since the Iranian government promotes Sharia law, which includes more intense
controls over content. But this work has also had a cooling effect on free speech, as
social media sites are blocked or heavily monitored and individuals are
arrested based on questionable charges of insulting government officials.
State-mandated blocking and filtering programs have become a standard part of
the web in Iran.Iran’s nationwide Halal Internet is meant to cut off a
majority of citizens from the global web and they are attempting to block all
foreign sites. As part of this day, Reporters Without Borders updates its
Enemies of the Internet and Countries Under Surveillance lists. Countries on the
Enemies of the Internet list include “all of these countries mark themselves
out not just for their capacity to censor news and information online, but
also for their almost systematic repression of Internet users.” Iran has been
on that list since 2006.There has also been an increase in the number of
countries that have used the Internet for surveillance, in addition to
censorship. Iran has also employed programs to track the usage of their
citizens. Censorship and monitoring programs are being sold to multiple
dictatorships, including Syria and Iran, according to Electronic Frontier
Foundation. Yet, these capabilities would not be possible without the help of
American and EU companies that sell the state-of-the-art programs being used
to spy on their citizens. From https://themediaexpress.com/ 03/12/2017 Digital Rights Report Hits Apple for Its Secrecy A new report scoring tech companies’s support for digital rights
comes to some surprising conclusions. It ranks Google (GOOG, GOOGL) above
Apple (AAPL), puts AT&T (T) atop telecommunications firms and even says
some modestly nice things about firms in China and Russia.But before you rush
to the comments to denounce the 2017 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate
Accountability Index, realize this report grades transparency, not just
conduct — and that it’s not too complimentary about the effort any of the 22
firms surveyed put into defending your freedom of speech and privacy.“We have
two companies that got a D and everybody else got an F,” said Ranking Digital
Rights director Rebecca MacKinnon at a Thursday-morning event in Washington
introducing the Washington-based non-profit’s report. Microsoft, Google and everybody else Those two corporations are Google and Microsoft (MSFT), which
earned passing averages — 65 and 62 out of 100, respectively — across the
report’s three categories: governance, freedom of expression and privacy.The
first judges a company’s institutional commitment to protecting human rights,
as seen in things like having senior-level oversight, assessing the risks to
them posed by products and providing customers with responsive complaint
mechanisms.The second rates such free-speech defenses as clear terms of service,
a documented process for dealing with requests to remove customers’ content,
transparency about content removal and policies that don’t require you to use
your real name.The third covers customers’ control of their data,
transparency about both corporate usage of that data and outside demands for
it, responses to security vulnerabilities and data breaches and encryption of
your data to protect it from snooping.Both Google and Microsoft ingest
massive amounts of customer information, but both also document what they
collect, how they use it, under what conditions a government can get it and
how often that happens.After those two, Yahoo (YHOO), Yahoo Finance’s parent
company, and Facebook (FB) earned scores of 58 and 53, respectively.
Everybody else fell below 50. AT&T and Twitter (TWTR) each got a 48,
while Apple got a score of 35. Samsung earned a dismal 26. Opacity will hold a company back Apple, a company that takes great pride in comparing its
treatment of its customers’ data with Google’s, did badly because of one
word: opacity.Ranking Digital Rights (funded by the MacArthur, Ford, Open
Society and Mozilla foundations, plus the State Department’s Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor) criticized Apple’s failure to document
its policies about freedom of expression. When you look at the company’s
often-inscrutable control of the iOS App Store and its history of rejecting
apps because of their content, that’s a fair critique.As MacKinnon observed
Thursday, “There’s no transparency about how it polices its App Store.”The
report also found fault with the Cupertino, Calif.-based company’s lack of
disclosure about its data-usage and security policies and procedures — even
while noting the “consensus in the technical community that its products are among
the most secure on the market.”Added MacKinnon, “It’s not clear why they
don’t disclose more.”Samsung got punished for being even less open about its
policies, including a failure to post a “transparency report,” which serves
as a regular account of government demands for user data that has become
common at most large U.S. tech firms. USA! USA! The most striking part of this report may be how badly tech and
telecom companies outside of the U.S. performed.The Korean mobile-internet
firm Kakao earned a 50 for its clear data-use policies, the British telecom
firm Vodafone got a 48 largely on the strength of its governance score—and
nobody else did better than 33.That includes such European firms as France’s
Orange (32) and Spain’s Telefónica (33) that operate under much stricter
privacy laws than their U.S. counterparts. Once again, a lack of transparency
held them back.“Even if they’re complying with European data protection
regulations, they’re not telling their users very much,” MacKinnon said.The
report covers internet companies operating in China (Baidu and Tencent, 13
and 22) and Russia (Yandex and Mail.ru, 28 and 22), but the worst scores fell
to two state-owned telecom firms in the Middle East. The United Arab
Emirates’ Etisalat, got an 8 and Qatar’s Ooredoo notched a 5 for disclosing
next to nothing about their policies protecting customers’ rights. From https://www.yahoo.com/ 03/25/2017 T-Mobile Is Making It Harder for Scammers to Call You T-Mobile (TMUS) wants to make it a little bit harder for
scammers to call your cellphone. The carrier on Friday announced that it’s
rolling out a new network upgrade that allows it to automatically detect when
a scammer tries to call someone and instantly shuts the criminal
down.According to T-Mobile’s vice president of engineering, Grant Castle, the
feature will hit the carrier’s network and work across all phones regardless
of its operating system or the plan you have. The idea is to cut down on the
number of customers hit by scams, as well as clear scammers from the
company’s network.“This isn’t a device solution. It’s not an app. It’s not
something you have to load,” Castle said. “This is built into our network. It
will provide protection to 100% of our customers.”By default, the technology
will automatically identify a scam call and display “Scam likely” in your
phone’s caller ID field. If you want to, and I don’t know why you wouldn’t,
you can send a message back to T-Mobile to automatically block that caller
forever. That block will then work on T-Mobile’s cellular network, Wi-Fi
calling and on roaming calls. How does it all work? According to Castle, T-Mobile has
partnered with a third-party service that catalogues scam numbers around the
world. When a call goes out to a T-Mobile caller, the network will route the
call through the scammer database. If the number matches that of a known
scammer, T-Mobile will kill the call.T-Mobile admits that technology like
this has existed for some time, but noted that it is the first carrier to
offer it across its entire network.In a recent report, the Federal
Communications Commission noted that it receives 200,000 such complaints
about scam and robocalls each year. Still, that dwarfs the 2.4 billion
robocalls the FCC says consumers get each month.There’s no doubt T-Mobile’s
efforts will help consumers in the near term, but criminals are a deceptively
crafty bunch. Which means this is far from the end of scammers. Still, we’ll
take all the help we can. From https://www.yahoo.com/ 03/25/2017 Internet Privacy Around the World Recently, U.S. Congress blocked a set of new rules proposed by
the FCC that would further restrict how Internet Service Providers (ISP’s)
could share web traffic information. This has sparked public outrage amongst
Americans who are afraid that their internet traffic will become publicly
available for purchase. AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon have responded to
public outcry stating that their customers have nothing to worry about. The
issue of internet traffic and data being sold to third parties is not new to
the rest of the world, but global concerns usually focus on government
surveillance and censorship. Government infringement on internet privacy is
not only reserved for regimes; it is common practice in most of the world on
the basis of preventing and solving crime. No matter which world government
conducts these types of activities there is always the possibility of abuse.
Countries who have a track record for censorship, like North Korea, have
close to no privacy on the internet. Those who do have access are limited to
the 28 websites that North Korea hosts within the country. China, a country of 1.3 billion people with 731 million internet
users, takes such an active role in censorship that critics have named it
“The Great Firewall of China.” Critics of the Chinese government are the main
targets of censorship, often preventing news of protests from reaching the
outside world. Recently Russia has passed new legislation that requires
logging and tracking on all web traffic and data that passes through Russian
territories or is created by Russian citizens. These laws passed in the name
of security have can be harmful to businesses, forcing companies to purchase
and maintain additional IT infrastructure in order to comply. Companies like Private Internet
Access, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service provider, responded to the
change in policy by pulling all of their business from Russia. Nordic
countries such as Sweden and Switzerland are highly regarded as safe havens
for internet privacy. This makes them a business hotspot for companies and
individuals who are looking to keep their data secure. This not only is
beneficial for the security minded but also those who wish to hide their
illegal activity. In a recent report The Office of the United States Trade
Representative named Switzerland an internet privacy haven. This is due to
difficulties in tracking those who break U.S. copyright laws since Swiss
courts consider information such as IP addresses personal information and
therefore prohibited from being tracked. Those who want to keep their
internet traffic private, have some tried and tested options for keeping
their data secure. The first practice is that you should never send any
personal information to a website that is not secure, or transmitted via HTTP
instead of HTTPS. Most internet browsers will show a locked padlock next to
the website address to let you know that the connection is secure. If you are
trying to hide the websites that you are visiting, using a VPN service can
obfuscate your web traffic even from your internet service provider. VPN’s
work by encrypting your web traffic and sending it out of servers at another
physical location. Several providers offer free VPN services but be wary that
you get what you pay for and those providers may be selling your web traffic. From http://www.diplomaticourier.com/ 04/12/2017 Online Trust Alliance Merges with Internet Society The Online Trust Alliance, which has for a dozen years brought
together business leaders from cybersecurity and technology companies to
develop technical standards and public audits designed to maximize consumer
security and trust online, is merging with the much larger and older Internet
Society, the organizations announced Wednesday.“We are always looking to see
what we can do to amplify our efforts,” OTA President and Executive Director
Craig Spiezle told CyberScoop, saying that merger discussions had begun after
a chance meeting with Internet Society Chief Internet Technology Officer Olaf
Kolkman in Austin last October.Neither organization was really looking for
partnership at that time, he said, “One thing led to another.”The Internet
Society was founded in 1992, by two men widely regarded as the fathers of the
internet — Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn. It is one of the oldest parts of the
so-called internet governance ecosystem — the hodgepodge of nonprofits,
professional associations and technical working groups that actually runs the
web. The society is the home of the Internet Engineering Task Force —
the body that sets some of the most important technical standards for the
‘net. It also houses the Public Interest Registry (PIR) which manages name
allocation in the .org domain, among others.“Their constituents are the guys
who run the nuts and bolts of internet infrastructure,” said Spiezle, “We are
involved with the companies who are touching consumers — it’s very
complimentary.”“The Internet Society and OTA share the belief that trust is
the key issue in defining the future value of the Internet,” said Internet
Society President and CEO Kathryn Brown. “Now is the right time for these two
organizations to come together to help build user trust in the Internet. At a
time when cyberattacks and identity theft are on the rise, this partnership
will help improve security and data privacy for users,” she added.Spiezle
said the merged organization would continue to produce OTA’s annual online
security audit and honor roll, and its yearly email authentication and
integrity reports. “They recognize the value of our brand and the products we
deliver.” “They really like our approach,” he added, although he demurred
at a description of the published audits as a “naming and shaming”
exercise.“We consider it an effective tool to demonstrate the business value
of cybersecurity best practices,” he said.Speizle said he would stay on as a
part-time strategic adviser for a year, adding that the other OTA staff were
moving over to become Internet Society employees. “They are hiring two of our
existing staff and investing new resources. They plan to recruit two more,”
he said.He said the new set up would allow OTA to take advantage of the
organizational infrastructure that the Internet Society had, “leaving [OTA]
staff able to refocus on core efforts rather than on the operational
overhead.”For example, he said, the society had “a member relations team,
they have full time press and social media personnel. … Today, I have to be
CFO, CTO, COO, [in addition to my duties as CEO] … This is will be more efficient.”He
added that there might need to be changes to the way both organizations work.
“There will need to be a little cultural shift. We are a smaller
organization, more nimble. Their decision-making process is a little more
deliberate.”At the end of the day, he said “Everyone is very supportive,
everyone wants to make this work.”“We have shared core values,” Spiezle
concluded. From http://www.i-policy.org/ 04/12/2017 EUROPE: State IT Officials Talk 'WannaCry' Ransomware Attack
That Disrupted Critical Services Worldwide Dozens of countries are still reeling from the after-effects of
a May 12 ransomware attack targeting public and private institutions.From
hospitals to transportation networks, no target has been off limits to
ransomware attacks in recent history. Now, organizations in more than 70
countries are trying to recover from a May 12 ransomware incident being
dubbed the “WannaCry” attack. In the UK, the ransomware targeted at least 16
hospitals, reportedly closing wards and diverting ambulances. But media
reports also highlight activity in the U.S., China, Russia, Italy, Spain and
Taiwan.While the original source of the WannaCry attack, so called because of
the “.WCRY” extension on file names, remain unclear, its origin appears to be
linked to an exploit dump in mid-April in which Shadowbrokers released
exploits used by the National Security Agency (NSA).Though patches were
issued to defend against the vulnerability ahead of its publication, it
appears that many organizations that haven't installed the patch were
affected. According to widespread media reports, whoever was behind the
multinational attack demanded $300 in bitcoin cryptocurrency, a price that
would double if not paid within a three-day time period.Mike Geraghty, chief
information security officer (CISO) of New Jersey and director of the state's
Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NJCCIC), said officials
are still sorting through the details and reports surrounding the attack, and
have yet to identify any exposures within their jurisdiction.Ransomware
attacks have become an increasingly popular crime based on the relative ease
of deployment, which often occurs through email phishing attempts. Once infected,
an organization isn’t left with many options, said Geraghty.“If you’re
infected, you’ve really got two choices. You eat the data and say, ‘We’re not
going to pay the ransom,’ or you do pay the ransom,” he explained. “We advise
not paying the ransom because as more and more people do pay it, obviously,
it emboldens the attackers that are doing this and it will continue to grow,
and grow, and grow, and grow.” The NJCCIC has so far identified around 162 common ransomware
variants, roughly half of which have a known decryption tool or solution
available.The best defense comes down to a combination of layered security
and end-user awareness. Though he ventured the guess that many of the
affected organizations were behind firewalls, he said they likely allowed
connections into Server Message Block protocol ports rather than blocking
them. “Only services that are necessary should be allowed at the
firewall," Geraghty said. "From there, you have to be filtering the
data coming into the network, you have end-point protection, which is any
malware stuff, you’ve got your Web gateway and mail filtering to block
malware within email or coming through websites and such.” Missouri CISO Michael Roling agrees that addressing the threat
of ransomware boils down to three key areas: consistent system backups,
vigilant patch management and solid end-user awareness.“As we’ve seen with
the attacks today, the dust is still settling, but the bad guys are using
known vulnerabilities to distribute their ransomware. These vulnerabilities
were patched back in March …, so having good cyberhygiene and being able to
properly manage your workstations and servers is vital.”Though he was
reluctant to comment on where a state like his would see the most risk from
such a widespread attack, he would say the threat posed by ransomware became
clearest to cybersecurity professionals in 2016 when attackers essentially
shut down Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital.“Up until that point, ransomware,
everyone knew that it would encrypt your data and if you had backups,
perfect; if you didn’t, you’re left with a tough choice," he said.
"But when that occurred, I think we all realized the significance of
what could happen to public safety and human lives." To better position the state of Missouri against the larger
threat, Roling said agencies need to have solid data classification practices
in place to ensure successful backups.“Backups require agencies and other
government entities to understand what needs to be backed up," he said.
"The tried and true method of doing data classification is absolutely
vital in ensuring protections against a ransomware attack.”What’s more, he
advocates for table-topping hypothetical incidents to find the gaps in
communication and process and better prepare teams to respond real-world
incidents. This preparation requires a host of federal, state and local
intelligence sources, but also industry and native Internet sources.
“Traditionally they know what to do, but what tabletop exercises do very well
is point out communication gaps and ways of streamlining those processes in
the future," Roling said. "I think that is critical.” From http://www.govtech.com/ 05/12/2017 Global Cyber Attack Affects 200,000 Victims: Europol Chief Friday's global cyber-attack has affected more than 200,000
victims in 150 countries and regions, Europol chief Rob Wainwright said
Sunday."Many of those victims will be businesses, including large
corporations. The global reach is unprecedented," he said in an
interview with Britain's ITV.Wainwright said he was concerned that the
numbers of those affected would continue to rise when people returned to work
on Monday morning."We're in the face of an escalating threat, the
numbers are going up," he said, adding that the current attack was
unprecedented.Wainwright told ITV that the world faced an escalating threat,
and there was concern about the level of potential attacks on Monday
morning.Wainwright warned the healthcare sector "in many countries"
was particularly vulnerable, but that all organizations should ensure they
prioritise cyber security and update their systems. The virus took control of users' files, demanding payments.
Russia and Britain were among the worst hit countries. Britain's official
emergency committee, known as Cobra, met in London Saturday afternoon to
discuss the cyber attack that has caused widespread disruption to the
country's National Health Service (NHS).Around 45 NHS organisations in
England and Scotland, including hospitals, family doctor surgeries, and
health services, were hit in the cyber attack which prevented doctors, nurses
and staff from accessing vital patient information.However, Wainwright said
Europol was working on the basis that the cyber attack was carried out by
criminals rather than terrorists, but noted that "remarkably few"
payments had been made so far."Most people are not paying this, so there
ain't a lot of money being made with this by criminal organisations so
far," he said. From http://chinaplus.cri.cn/ 05/14/2017 Dutch Parliament Hit by Ransomware Attack The ICT network of the lower house of the Dutch parliament was
hit by a ransomware attack on 26 March. MP KeesVerhoeven, who specialises in
digital issues, made the news public. According to a report from Tweakers,
the attack encrypted files on the network and disabled access to Citrix
software. In response, the IT management blocked emails containing a
malicious attachment. Back-ups were used to replace the corrupted files. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 03/29/2017 NORTH AMERICA: Canada - Unstructured Data Was a Big Target for
Attacks Last Year - Report CISOs often focus on protecting structured data such as credit
cards, passwords and personal health information. But a new report from IBM
reminds infosec pros that unstructured data — ranging from the contents of
email, source code and intellectual property — is just as high on the target
list of attackers.In fact, the report notes, the 5GB of data stolen from an
Ontario casino ranks among the top global leaks of unstructured data last
year. The breach at Casino Rama Resort allegedly included the facility’s IT
information, financial reports regarding the hotel and casino, security
incident reports, patron credit inquiries, collection and debt information
and more.That observation and others come from IBM’s 2017 Threat Intelligence
Index (registration required), which looks back at 2016 makes some
interesting conclusions.Most readers, of course, will remember the hack of
email from the U.S. Democratic Party as a prime example of a theft of
unstructured data, incidents that are still in the headlines south of the
border. But the report also notes the April 2016 leak of 11.5 million
documents from a Panamanian law firm which exposed offshore accounting of
thousands of prominent people from around the world. Reporters from around
the world have dipped into “Panama Papers,” as they were dubbed, which showed
insider financials of several current and former heads of state, their
friends and family, as well as businesspeople and celebrities.To no-0ne’s
surprise, 2016 was another record year for breaches, with over 4 billion gone
out the door. That’s more than double the number of the two previous years
combined, says IBM. However, it includes 1.5 billion records from breaches at
Yahoo that were done in years previous years but only divulged in 2016. Four
men, including one with dual Canadian citizenship, were charged earlier this
month with one of those attacks.Last year saw another dubious record: The highest number of publicly
disclosed software vulnerabilities (10,197), which doesn’t speak well for the
industry’s skill at secure development — and those were only the publicly
disclosed ones. Web application vulnerability disclosures made up 22 per cent
of the total, a large majority of which were cross-site scripting and SQLi
vulnerabilities. “One positive development during 2016 is that many companies now
are using more secure hashing functions such as bycrypt to store passwords,”
the report says. “The result is that even after a breach, such as the theft
of 43 million Weebly19 accounts and 87 million Daily Motion20 accounts in
October, it may be more difficult to crack the passwords, devaluing the data
and the scope of the attack.“Still, given the frequently reported top 10 password
lists that have been circulating for several years, it might be useful for
web services to reject some of the most common passwords and require users to
set something more secure.”Spam has always been a pain for infosec pros, but
in the last years the amount of it with malicious payloads has significantly
increased, the report notes — and 85 per cent of it was ransomware. On the
other hand the report notes that some criminals, including those behind the
Dridex banking Trojan, are using less spam and more spear phishing to trap
victims. A number of cyber gangs
are increasingly targeting businesses rather than consumers, the report says. Finally, the report makes — another — plea to organizations to
practice security fundamentals. “To complement a solid information security
foundation,” it adds, “organizations can continue to engage in collaboration
to learn best practices and share findings and insights with colleagues. The
faster they react to cybercrime findings and share their experiences across the
security community, the less time each malware variant can live and or see
successful fraud attacks.”The report uses both anonymized data from IBM
monitored security clients and data derived from non-customer assets such as
spam sensors and honeynets. From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 03/31/2017 Ottawa “Behind Other Governments” in Fighting Cyber Attacks,
Says FireEye Exec Canada has had a national strategy to protect critical
infrastructure for years and is toughening federal cyber defences, but the
president of a major U.S. incident response company says Ottawa isn’t working
closely enough the private sector nor doing enough to educate citizens on
security awareness.“Your government is further behind other governments
around the world,” FireEye president Travis Reese said in an interview
Tuesday from Toronto, where he was visiting customers. “It seems to me that
you need to be doing a better job in terms of bringing in cyber security
education and awareness to make sure we’re involving the workforce.“I think
the government’s got to make some additional investments and think about
creating the right level of cyber visibility, victim notification programs,
how to get the public-private interaction working well.”He praised the
passing of a law compelling organizations that come under federal
jurisdiction to report serious data breaches to victims – although Ottawa is
still drafting regulations and the law hasn’t come into effect year – as an
example that Canada is “just starting to get serious.” But, he noted other countries, including the U.S., have created
“very robust national law enforcement capabilities where the government has
very sophisticated monitoring across the Internet, and they’re the ones that
are detecting a significant amount of the nation-state breaches and have
created formal programs to let commercial companies know they’ve been
breached.“Every day the FBI is doing notifications across almost every
vertical that organizations have been broken into by the Chinese, the
Russians or other places, and provide evidence to those commercial companies.
There’s much more formal public-private communications … There’s an evolution
I think [Canada] needs to go through where the government needs to get good
visibility on to Internet activity from threat actors, and then create a
public/private sharing mechanism in a way that makes sure they’re getting the
private community to disclose the problems that are occurring so people can’t
put their head in the sand” about cyber attacks. “And that’s important
because if you want to catch bad guys you have to get government involved.
Attribution is the responsibility of government, not commercial
organizations.”And while the federal government is a partner in the fledgling
Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange, a commercial intelligence sharing platform,
Reese said he’s “not convinced the Canadian government does a whole lot of
sharing” with the private sector.
“So I think [Canada] has some work to do.” Asked for comment, Public
Safety Minister Ralph Goodale’s office noted the government is in the middle
of updating the national security strategy. “The outcomes of this review will
inform policy and program decisions to help make Canada more resilient and
secure, improve public education about cybersecurity, and enhance
cybersecurity for all Canadians,” the statement said. There was no indication on when the new strategy will be
released. But Reese also had some critical words for the private sector,
saying at a dinner Monday night for financial sector CISOs few were able to
say they know who to call in local police departments if they suffer a cyber
incident. He also said Canadian companies have to do a better job in
expanding the number of infosec workers through intership programs.Reese also
said that while there have been few reports of major cyber security incidents
here, Canadians shouldn’t be complacent. FireEye will shortly issue a report
on a North American-based ransomware group that has been extorting businesses
in this country since 2013.Reese is in Toronto this week meeting with FireEye
customers, including a number of financial institutions. The company, best
known for its next-generation firewalls and its Mandiant incident response
service, focuses on serving the biggest governments and private sector firms
in the world. It has 15 consultants here (52 staff overall), and Reese said,
that number will expand.FireEye’s recently issued annual M-Trends report
noted most of its customers who had been breached lacked fundamental security
controls and capabilities to either prevent breaches or to minimize the
damages.Asked why, Travis that “it comes down to business risk decisions.” He
also blamed the failure of “traditional” anti-virus and firewall vendors and
the technology stacks CISOs have built around them. The best defences are a
combination of people, process and technologies, he said, including using
artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions.Similarly, he said no
amount of security awareness training will completely solve the problem of
phishing attacks, the main way organizations are breached. The solution is a
combination of training and technology, he said. From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 05/10/2017 How to Protect against the Global WannaCrypt Ransomware Attack Executives in charge of security should immediately warn
employees against opening any suspicious Word documents and apply patches to
any legacy Windows systems to avoid falling victim to a ransomware attack
that is sweeping the globe.Several antivirus vendors, including Kaspersky,
are reporting an attack that has compromised tens of thousands of computers
across as many as 100 countries. The U.K. is among the hardest hit, with its
National Health Service being disrupted. European telco Telefonica as also
affected. According to CBC.ca,
Lakeridge Health hospital in Oshawa, Ont., says its systems detected an
attempted attack but it was deflected by endpoint software. The
Communications Security Establishment (CSE), which is responsible for
securing Canadian government systems, issued a statement saying, “There is no
indication that any [federal] information, personal or otherwise, was
compromised.”“We continue to work to ensure CSE’s dynamic cyber defence
security systems are and will continue to be ready to defend Government of
Canada systems against these and future types of similar attacks,” the
statement said.While a key URL that enabled the worm’s spread has been
disabled, the ransomware can still spread to unpatched systems running legacy
versions of Windows and requiring a proxy to access the Internet – the norm
for corporate networks. The exploit The malware being used to orchestrate the attack is ransomware
that’s been weaponized with the EternalBlue worm, a piece of National
Security Administration spy kit that was leaked by a group called The Shadow
Brokers in April. It’s unknown who is behind the attacks. From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 05/13/2017 U.S.: Cyber Watchdog Fear Hackers Could Hold Government,
Infrastructure Hostage A cadre of shadowy criminal hackers seizes control of an energy
plant. They give themselves administrator privileges and lock the genuine
administrators out along with everyone else. Then, they threaten to trigger a
major leak or explosion if the plant owners don’t pay up: $50 million in
bitcoin.The story sounds like a fantastical Hollywood plot. It’s basically a
digital-age riff on the 1965 James Bond Film “Thunderball” and the 1997 spoof
“Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”Yet, following a surge in ransomware
attacks—in which hackers seize and lock an organization’s data and networks
and only unlock them for a hefty fee—cyber watchers are beginning to fear
this plot could become reality.“What ransomware does is it creates a business
model [in which] anybody who has money can potentially be extorted to pay,”
McAfee Chief Technology Officer Steve Grobman told reporters during a
roundtable discussion Thursday at McAfee’s Security Through Innovation
Summit.“There’s no reason not to think that criminals will see government
assets like critical infrastructure as a target they can hold for ransom,”
Grobman added. If hackers were able to seize the controls of a critical
infrastructure asset such as a dam or airport where they could cause major
property destruction and loss of life, the ransom demand could be huge,
Grobman said, and there’s a good chance the asset owner or the government
would have to pay up.Critical infrastructure is an official designation the
Homeland Security Department uses to refer to 16 sectors such as chemical
plants and financial firms whose physical and digital security is vital for
national security and public safety.McAfee has been tracking ransomware
attacks for years as they progressed from extorting $100 or $200 from
individuals who clicked the wrong link to “soft targets” such as hospitals,
universities and police stations to some of the major global corporations the
antivirus firm counts among its customers.There’s no reason to think
government agencies or critical infrastructure providers won’t be next on the
list, he said. John Felker, director of the DHS' main cybersecurity nerve
center, the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center,
shares Grobman’s concerns.“What Steve is seeing is on the front edge of what
is going on, [so] we do need to have some concern. I’m probably going to have
a chat with the folks at the fort about that,” he said during the same
roundtable, referring to the National Security Agency’s home in Fort Meade,
Maryland.While ransomware attacks against local governments are a common
problem across the globe, NCCIC has not been called in on a ransomware attack
against the federal government that threatened major destruction, Felker
said. When it comes to critical infrastructure, the major cyber fear
has typically been an attack by an adversary nation or terrorist group
looking to cause destruction and mayhem. For traditional criminal hackers
interested in stealing marketable information such as credit card numbers,
these targets held little interest.The Justice Department indicted an Iranian
hacker who did work for that nation’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard in March
2016 for trying to seize control of the systems that operate a dam in Rye,
New York, a move Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., now the upper body’s minority
leader, called “a shot across our bow.”Industrial systems such as dams are
further protected because they operate using comparatively obscure industrial
control systems not typically in the wheelhouse of hackers used to
manipulating consumer software.For ransomware attackers, however, industrial
targets could prove lucrative because a hacker that controlled them would
have the power to unleash terrible consequences if the ransom wasn’t paid,
Grobman said, such as opening that New York dam’s floodgates.Criminals also
operate with a different calculus than nation-states, which makes them more
difficult to deter, Grobman said. The Justice Department has indicted hackers linked to the
Chinese and Iranian governments, which caused public embarrassment. The Obama
administration also sanctioned North Korean officials for the Sony Pictures
Entertainment hack and Russian officials for meddling in the 2016
election.Then-President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden also
insinuated the government took covert actions against Russia for that
meddling.A criminal or criminal group that didn’t expect to be caught,
however, would be less susceptible to public embarrassment, immune to
diplomatic pressure and much more difficult to target with covert action.The
remedy, Grobman said, is for the government and critical infrastructure
providers to plan ahead, both by securing their systems and gaming out how
they would respond to a ransomware attack.“How do we get the defenses in
place before the breach occurs,” he said, “so we don’t have the consequences
that we saw in things like [the Office of Personnel Management breach] where,
because we didn’t invest in the security up front, the cost of the breach was
significantly higher.” From http://www.nextgov.com/ 04/07/2017 Why CFOs and CIOs Need to Partner on Cybersecurity Washington happy hours are known for cheap drinks and
networking, and federal agency CIOs and chief financial officers might
consider lifting a glass together to deepen their working relationships,
current and former officials said.As the government confronts the growing
need to invest in cybersecurity and IT modernization, CIOs and CFOs must find
ways to understand each other’s needs and budget accordingly, said panelists
at the Association of Government Accountants CFO/CIO summit.“In the old days
when your CIO and CFO had no relationship and didn't talk to one another, it
was bad management,” said Lee Lofthus, assistant attorney general for
administration at the Department of Justice. “Now, if you don't talk to one
another, it's a real cyber risk for the whole agency.”Other panelists pointed
to DOJ as a federal leader in institutionalizing the relationship between the
CFO and CIO. The CIO sits on the
working capital board at Justice, while the deputy CFO sits on the
department’s investment review board.Lofthus added that there is no longer a
bright line between a cybersecurity budget and an IT budget at DOJ. “It's an
increasingly composite budget we get that has cyber baked into it,” he
said.He pointed to the example of data center consolidation, which was
originally viewed as a cost-cutting measure. The department soon realized, however,
that there was a cybersecurity benefit to reducing the attack surface and
vulnerability of legacy systems.Chris Condon, principal director to the
Department of Defense's deputy CIO for resources and analysis, said that at
DOD, the comptroller has given authority for the cyber and IT budget to the
CIO’s office, so she is effectively acting as a CFO in the CIO shop. “[It’s] not the same in the services,” she said. “We struggle
every year as how do we get the two to talk.”“It's really that the
organization has to think about a process of risk management over all and
then look at all the different components of risk -- cyber being one of
those, financial being another...and having that ingrained in the culture of
the organization,” said former Deputy Federal CIO Lisa Schlosser.Schlosser
told FCW that the Trump administration’s stated plan to make agency heads
accountable for cybersecurity can help drive deeper connectivity between CIOs
and CFOs.“I think it's a responsibility of the agency head to lay out how
critical cybersecurity is and the fact that it should be integrated into all
mission and planning activities,” she said.Schlosser said government should
be copying the private sector in this regard. “There really is not a CEO these days
who does not understand that he or she has to pay attention to cybersecurity
and think about that in terms of risk to the organization,” she said. From https://fcw.com/ 05/04/2017 DHS - Time to Beep Up Mobile Security The federal government should take a more active role in
organizations that develop technology standards for mobile devices and
networks, according to a Homeland Security Department study submitted
Thursday to Congress.DHS should also expand the Continuous Diagnostics and
Mitigation cybersecurity service it provides to federal agencies to better
address mobile vulnerabilities, the study stated, and update metrics used in
federal agencies’ main annual cybersecurity audit, required by the Federal
Information Security Management Act, to better focus on mobile device
security.The study, which was mandated by landmark 2015 legislation focused
on cyber threat information sharing, paints a concerning picture of
government’s ability to maintain the security of federal employee’s mobile
devices. Get the best federal technology news and ideas delivered right
to your inbox. Sign up here.DHS has no legal authority to vet the security of
mobile carrier’s infrastructure if the carrier doesn’t authorize the
inspection or to require carriers to take particular security precautions.The
federal government also comprises only a small fraction of mobile carriers’
customer base so it cannot exert significant market pressure on carriers to
boost security.The government should mitigate those weaknesses by focusing
efforts where it does wield power, such as promoting cross-government mobile
security standards and working cooperatively with industry, the report
stated. According to the report, the government should also: - Establish a new mobile threat information sharing program. - Push the adoption of mobile security technologies by
operational government programs. - Develop cooperative security programs with mobile network
operators. - Create a new research program to address mobile network
infrastructure vulnerabilities. - Develop mobile security procedures for federal employees
traveling abroad that take account of new intelligence and emerging attack
techniques. The report was developed in cooperation with the National
Institute of Standards and Technology. From http://www.nextgov.com/ 05/05/2017 Trump Delivers Cybersecurity Executive Order US President Donald Trump has signed the long-delayed executive
order on cybersecurity.The EO, which has been on hold since January while
agency heads weighed in on what it should contain, focuses on both the
antiquated network security of federal agencies and critical
infrastructure—and echoes measures implemented by both President George W
Bush and President Obama.Most notably, it mandates that the entire apparatus
of the federal government move to a shared, consolidated network architecture
and IT infrastructure, including email and cloud services.As a first step,
each federal department must implement NIST’s Framework for Improving
Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, which creates standards for
cybersecurity practices across various government agencies. Departments must
also submit a risk assessment report containing information on what known but
unmitigated vulnerabilities exist in each agency, unmet budgetary needs for
improving and modernizing networks and preferences for modernized IT choices.
The American Technology Council will then compile a report to be delivered to
the president within the next three months that lays out a roadmap—including
timelines and milestones—for transitioning to a common infrastructure. That will of course be easier said than done. "Today's
order on its surface seems like a good first step, but in practice it may
take a very long time for it to bear any edible fruit,” said Richard
Henderson, Global Security Strategist, Absolute, via email. “In regards to
the first part of the order: The aftermath of the massive Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) breach taught us that many agencies inside the massive
machinery of federal government are archaic, and held together by incredibly
hardworking people on shoestring budgets.”A shared services model might be
the way forward, but Henderson warned that it can be difficult for a
centralized agency to predict the unique needs of the agencies under its
purview. “That can lead to bloated budgets, systems left operating that are
vulnerable to breach or denial of service, or agencies pushing back on the
agency managing the shared services model,” he added. On the critical infrastructure front, the order tasks the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report to the White House as to the
current state of cybersecurity for these systems—the first report is due in
six months, and will be refreshed on an annual basis. Included will be an
assessment of the potential for “catastrophic” effects on regional or
national public health and safety, economic security or national security
stemming from an attack, along with recommendations for hardening systems
going forward. The EO calls out threats to the energy grid specifically, and
mandates a separate report on what the effects of a prolonged power outage
would be.This is an absolute must, given the aging IT used to run most of
this infrastructure. “Critical infrastructure is the backbone of our entire
way of life today,” said Henderson. “Virtually every transaction, every piece
of communication, and the world as we know it now... it is all dependent on
telecommunications networks and the electric grid. Society would be thrown
into absolute bedlam if we weren't able to turn on the lights, keep our food
chilled, or conduct commerce.” The order also lays out goals for a comprehensive
cyber-deterrence strategy, including goals to build a more cooperative
framework with US allies, efforts to help secure private-sector networks and
the creation of a targeted effort to “educate and train the American cybersecurity
workforce of the future.”“It’s difficult for the government to maintain a
technically sophisticated workforce, especially with the lure of Silicon
Valley,” said Kevin Davis, Splunk VP of public sector, via email. “Both
sectors are strapped for qualified cyber-talent that can protect our
respective enterprises. With that, we should expect to see funding for higher
ed school programs to train new cyber-recruits to build up a new cadre of
talent that serves both public/private sector. The role of the security
analyst has never been more important as government seeks to detect and
respond to threats quicker.” Overall, the EO stresses the importance of information-sharing
with the private sector and across a myriad of agencies.Jake Olcott, former
legal advisor to the Senate Commerce Committee, counsel to the House of
Representatives Homeland Security Committee and current VP at security
ratings and risk assessment company BitSight, said that he’s hopeful that the
initiatives being put forth will help to bring the United States into the
21st century when it comes to protecting data and systems.“By focusing on
executive-level accountability, securing the third-party ecosystem and
developing a market-based approach to securing critical infrastructure, the executive
order brings some of the best initiatives from the private sector and applies
them to the government,” he said via email. From https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/ 05/11/2017 Risk Management, Shared Services Highlight Trump Cyber Security
Order On the campaign trail last year candidate Donald Trump vowed to
make U.S. federal IT systems “as secure as modern technology permits.”But
President Trump’s executive order on Thursday of a review of all government
systems and critical infrastructure set a goal that infosc pros will
appreciate because it speaks their language: Risk management.“The President
will hold heads of executive departments and agencies (agency heads)
accountable for managing cybersecurity risk to their enterprises,” the order
reads.“Cybersecurity risk management comprises the full range of activities
undertaken to protect IT and data from unauthorized access and other cyber
threats, to maintain awareness of cyber threats, to detect anomalies and
incidents adversely affecting IT and data, and to mitigate the impact of,
respond to, and recover from incidents.”What the sometimes bombastic Trump
didn’t do was set an impossible goal like “make sure systems can’t ever be
breached” – a target which IT pros gave up over a decade ago. Just in case public servants didn’t get the message, the order
also specifies that “effective risk management involves more than just
protecting IT and data currently in place. It also requires planning so that
maintenance, improvements, and modernization occur in a coordinated way and
with appropriate regularity.”Agency heads will be held accountable by the
President for implementing risk management measures commensurate with the
risk and magnitude of the harm that would result from unauthorized access,
use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of IT and data, the
order says.The order demands every agency head to provide a risk management
report to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) within 90 days detailing the risk mitigation
and acceptance choices made by each agency, as well as an action plan to
implement the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
cyber security management framework if they haven’t already done so. Senior officials then have 60 days to review the risk mitigation
plans and report to the President. These plans may in whole or in part be classified,
so there’s no promise they will be made public.The document fulfills a Trump
promise to order a full review of U.S. cyber security capabilities. In 2013
the Harper government announced an action plan to implement a previously
announced federal cyber security strategy to better secure government IT
systems and critical infrastructure. The Trudeau government is now preparing
to update that strategy.There are two other interesting pieces in the
order:–It warns bureaucrats in a document signed by the President of
something all IT pros should know:“Known but unmitigated vulnerabilities are
among the highest cybersecurity risks faced by executive departments and
agencies (agencies). Known vulnerabilities include using operating systems or
hardware beyond the vendor’s support lifecycle, declining to implement a
vendor’s security patch, or failing to execute security-specific
configuration guidance.” In other words, move fast on getting the basics right.–As part
of their review of IT services, bureaucrats should think first about shared
services: “Agency heads shall show preference in their procurement for shared
IT services, to the extent permitted by law, including email, cloud, and
cybersecurity services.”Within the next 90 days officials are to report to
the President on the possibility of shifting all or parts of some agencies to
one or more consolidated network architectures and to shared IT services.For
that bureaucrats might want to call Ottawa for a few lessons on how the idea
is working here. Industry analysts say there’s a lot of logic in shared
services, but like any project how you do it is key. Shared Services Canada has taken over IT services for most
federal departments by merging data centres, mandating one email service and
contracting for a single communications network for the bulk of the
government. However, it is reported to be a year behind schedule on at least
one part of the centralization and over budget. In addition at one point last
year the RCMP reportedly was so frustrated with performance it refused to
give Shared Services Canada any more control over the Mounties’ information
technologies.Trump’s executive order also orders the government to improve
Internet security.The Secretaries of Commerce and Homeland Security will jointly
lead “an open and transparent process” – perhaps with public meetings – to
identify and promote action to improve the resilience of the Internet and
communications ecosystem and to encourage collaboration with the goal of
dramatically reducing threats perpetrated by automated and distributed
attacks, such as botnets.The two officials are to make public a preliminary
report within 240 days and a final report to the president a year from now. On critical infrastructure senior officials are to report within
90 days on the possibility of a prolonged power outage from a significant
cyber incident and what to do about it. Also within 90 days senior officials
are to report on cybers risks and recommended mitigations to U.S. defence
manufacturers and military platforms.Also within three months senior
officials are to report to the President on “the nation’s strategic options
for deterring adversaries and better protecting the American people from
cyber threats.”And by the fall officials are to recommend a strategy for
international co-operation in cybersecurity. following calls from Israel and
a Microsoft official.There were mixed responses to the order, with one in the
IT industry complaining that it was “mostly a plan for the government to make
a plan, not the private sector-led, actionable agenda that the country needs
to address its most pressing cyber threats.” However, another praised the
focus on updating or replacing outdated government computer systems, but said
it would be “a monumental task,” given U.S. budget constraints. From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 05/12/2017 |
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CHINA:
Search Engine Operators Fined for False Internet Ads China's two leading search engine operators, Baidu and Sogou,
were fined on Thursday for their negligence in publishing unchecked
advertising for unlicensed medical services and private companies. The fines
were issued by the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Bureau on charges of
publishing false and illegal advertisements. Baidu was fined 28,000 yuan
(about 4,000 U.S. dollars) as it linked commercial ads of private hospital
groups with certain key word searches, which pointed to medical services that
the hospitals are not qualified for. The hospitals were also given fines of
up to 46,000 yuan. Sogou was fined 10,300 yuan for carrying an advertisement
containing false messages and for a company whose business license had been
revoked. The regulator said the fines were issued in line with a provisional
regulation on Internet advertisements that took effect on September 1, 2016. The regulation holds search engines responsible for censoring
online ads they publish. Ying Jun, advertisement supervision official with
the bureau, said the administrative fines can negatively affect the credit of
the advertisers. The bureau will tighten supervision of Internet ads,
including those on personal social media accounts. The search engine
operators have long faced accusations over their online ad business. A
21-year-old student died in May 2016 after spending a fortune on an
ineffective treatment for his illness, which he learned about from a
Baidu-promoted link to an unqualified hospital. Advertisers often spend
billions of yuan to have their ads placed on top of search results via the search
engines.
From http://www.news.cn/
03/09/2017 China
Increases Cybersecurity Amid Ransomware Attack China's cyberspace authority Monday warned computer users to
install and upgrade computer security software to avoid ransomware attacks.
Police and various government authorities have taken response measures
against a global ransomware attack, and Internet security companies including
Qihoo 360, Tencent and Kingsoft Security have also acted to provide increased
security services, according to a statement issued by the cybersecurity
coordination bureau of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The spread
of the ransomware is ongoing, but is slowing down, the statement said. About
18,000 IP addresses in China have been confirmed as infected with the
"WannaCry" ransomware, which began to spread worldwide Friday,
according to the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical
Team/Coordination Center (CNCERT). Another 5,471 IP addresses, mostly in
Beijing, Shanghai and coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Zhejiang, are
likely to have been infected by the computer virus, according to the center. "Intranets in many industries and enterprises involving
banking, education, electricity, energy, healthcare and transportation have
been affected in different extents," it said. The ransomware has
paralyzed the online payment systems at some petrol stations across China
since Friday, and also invaded some colleges encrypting papers and other
documents. Once a computer is infected by the ransomware, almost all
documents and programs will be encrypted and users are asked to pay to remove
the virus, said Han Zhihui, a computer engineer at CNCERT. Currently, the
cybersecurity industry is not aware of an effective means of decryption, Han
said. Han said users could re-install the operating system on infected
computers, but risk of losing important data and documents. The cyberspace
authority said this global cyberattack has once again shown the unprecedented
internet security challenges, calling on all sectors to address cybersecurity
issues.
From http://www.news.cn/
05/15/2017 China
Intensifies Crack Down on Telecom, Internet Fraud China has been strengthening its forces for combatting telecom
and Internet fraud, with 32 provincial anti-fraud centers and 206 city-level anti-fraud
centers having been established, according to the Ministry of Public Security
(MPS). Chinese police solved 83,000 cases of telecom and Internet fraud in
2016, up 49.6 percent year on year. The ministry noted that the number of
cases has dropped significantly since last September. The increase in telecom
and Internet fraud has been contained, according to the MPS. The economic
losses caused by telecom and Internet fraud in 2016 decreased by 10.9 percent
from 2015. According to the ministry, Chinese police have successfully
stopped 1.55 million bank transfers to fraudulent accounts with a total
amount of 5 billion yuan (around 730 million U.S. dollars) since banks and
police began cooperation.
From http://www.news.cn/
05/16/2017 JAPAN: Govt to Rate Devices on Cyber-Attacks The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry plans to
introduce a certification system for home appliances and other devices that can
be connected to the internet that will show how resilient the devices are
against cyber-attacks, it has been learned. To make it easier for consumers
to determine whether such products, collectively called the internet of
things (IoT), are safe, the ministry will create a certification mark. The
ministry plans to introduce the system in 2018. With the internet becoming
more integrated into daily life, there are more IoT devices such as routers
and webcams being used in the home. However, many devices have shortcomings
in terms of security, such as lacking measures to alter passwords, which is
essential for preventing third parties from hacking them. Nor do many of them
have any system in place to update defense programs against cyber-attacks. If
these kinds of IoT devices are hit by cyber-attacks, there is a fear they
will be remotely controlled without the owner even being aware of it. It is
also possible that such devices will be used as platforms from which to
attack government and corporate computer systems. With no current index to
clearly rate cybersecurity measures, the Internal Affairs and Communications
Ministry wants to create the certification to use as a yardstick for
determining the safety of IoT devices. Of cyber-attacks targeting Japan, 64 percent
were attacks on IoT devices in 2016, a steep rise from 26 percent in 2015,
according to the National Institute of Information and Communications
Technology, which is under the jurisdiction of the ministry. From http://the-japan-news.com
05/08/2017 No Negligence Permitted in Guarding Computers Against
Cyber-Attacks The ongoing cyber-attack is despicable, as it can cause serious
damage to the lives of citizens and to economic activities. The public and
private sectors must join hands to implement thorough safeguards. Many parts
of the world have been assailed by the massive attack involving a type of
virus called “ransomware.” If a computer is infected, the virus encrypts the
computer’s data. A message is then displayed on the screen, demanding tens of
thousands of yen be paid if the victim wants the encrypted data unlocked so
they can recover it. Across a period of several days starting at the end of
last week, more than 300,000 computers were affected in at least 150
countries and regions. About 30 languages have been used in the fraud, which
employs an ingenious ploy contrived to demand payments in the digital
currency bitcoin. The rapidity and scale of the spread of the ransomware are
at some of the worst levels in history. In Britain, computer systems used in
public medical institutions have been infected, and these facilities have
found themselves having to postpone surgeries and emergency care. A Spanish
communications company and Germany’s railway network have also suffered
damage. The attack, which has targeted important infrastructure
connected to daily life, cannot be ignored. The virus exploited a flaw in an
operating system (OS) built by Microsoft Corp. of the United States to
perpetrate the attack. The malware is designed so that if it affects one
computer, it multiplies within the computer networks of corporations and
other organizations, thereby spreading the infection. The OS defect in
question was publicized in March, with an update distributed to correct the
flaw. Delays in fixing the fragility of the OS software’s previous versions
have led to the expansion of damage. Computer users should constantly update
their OS programs and install antivirus software. They should also back up
their own data, and not open suspicious email attachments. Extreme caution
must be exercised by the users in this respect. It is seriously disturbing to
note the high possibility that a hacking tool built by the U.S. National
Security Agency (NSA) to attack the flaw was stolen and utilized to produce
the latest virus. Nations such as the United States, Russia and China are
believed to be engaged in improving their cyber-attack capabilities at the
state level. It is probably necessary to devise measures aimed at requiring
each country to strictly control its “cyber-weapons,” thereby preventing them
from being obtained by criminals. It will also be a long-term task to lay
down international rules on the protection of ordinary citizens from cyber-attacks.
In Japan, Hitachi, Ltd. suffered a disruption in its email delivery and
reception system. At East Japan Railway Co., one computer has been infected,
but there was no problem with JR East’s railway services at the beginning of
this week. It is fortunate that the damage caused to Japan remains lighter
than that suffered in the United States and European countries. However,
there is information that the virus has infected 2,000 computer terminals in
600 places. Our vigilance must not be neglected. There is strong concern that
Japan may become the target of cyber-attacks as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and
Paralympics near. It is indispensable for the government and corporations to
gather pertinent information and make their measures against cyber-attacks
widely known and thoroughly implemented. From http://the-japan-news.com
05/17/2017 SOUTH KOREA: Regulator Warns of New-Type Cyber Threats to
Financial Networks A top South Korean regulator called Monday for more efforts to
protect the country's financial networks amid concern about possible cyber
attacks especially by North Korea. The military has already bolstered its
defense posture since the nation's president was ousted last week by a court
verdict over an influence-peddling scandal, with a new leader to be elected
in two months. The financial authorities are closely monitoring any sign of
market instability. "Recently, the government raised the cybersecurity
alert level, as there's an increased need to beef up cybersecurity due to
North Korea's military provocations, the issue of deploying the THAAD system
and the Constitutional Court's impeachment decision," Jeong Eun-bo, vice
chairman of the Financial Services Commission, said during a visit to the
Financial Security Institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. North Korea has
apparently been behind the hacking of some major websites here in recent
years, according to the South's intelligence community. China is also
launching economic retaliation against South Korea for its move to allow the
US to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system
on the peninsula. Jeong specifically pointed out the growth of "new
kinds of cyber threats" such as the spread of ransomware, smartphone
hacking and DDos attacks using the Internet of Things. He stressed that the
authorities should stand ready for a swift and thorough response. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/13/2017 Sharing with the World, Part 8: Online Criminal Procedures
Systems “The Korea Information System of Criminal Justice Services
(KICS) is one of the exemplary cases of "Government 3.0." This is
because it has boosted convenience for the people by removing walls among
organizations, and has worked hard and communicated closely together.” So
said Prosecutor Jeong Bo-Young of the Office of Criminal Justice Information
Systems. It is one of Korea’s leading e-government systems that has captured
the attention of overseas neighbors like Uzbekistan, Austria, Peru and
Mongolia. The system is an automated system backed by IT and covers all
aspects of the criminal justice system. It allows other organizations, as well
as criminal justice agencies, to share information, as it's connected via
mobile communication companies to the immigration office, the Ministry of the
Interior and other departments. Unlike other e-government systems that went
with their own online systems, the KICS is the outcome of communication and
collaboration between four organizations: the National Police Agency, the
Prosecutor’s Office, the courts and the Ministry of Justice. From http://www.korea.net
03/20/2017 South Korea Raises Cybersecurity Alert Against Wannacry Attack South Korea raised its cybersecurity alert on Sunday amid
growing concerns about the WannaCry ransomware cyberattack that has spread
across the world. The Korea Internet & Security Agency said four
companies have reported to the state computer security agency that they were
affected by the malicious software over the weekend. Seven companies have
consulted with it for two days and four of them registered official damage
reports. The agency said it will provide technical support to them. Private
security agencies found that about 4,000 domestic Internet Protocol addresses
have been affected, most of them connected with the computer networks of
overseas operations, industry sources said. ESTsecurity, a computer security
company, said it has detected more than 2,000 attacks on domestic sites. The
Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning raised the cyberattack alert by
one notch from "concern" to "caution" as of 6 p.m.
Sunday. The ministry said damages are expected to soar on Monday when Koreans
return to work. From http://www.koreaherald.com
05/14/2017 Korea on Alert for Ransomware Attack,
Some Damage Reported Korea remains on alert for the ransomware attack called WannaCry
that has hit more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries since Friday. As of
Monday evening, a total of eight companies, including Korea’s top theater
chain, and thousands of Internet Protocol addresses were reported to have
been infected. No government organizations were found to have been hit by the
attack yet. “The figure (for the infections) is expected to rise as the week
begins. We need thorough measures to prevent further damages on growing
concerns about the spread of ransomware,” said Yoon Young-chan, chief
presidential secretary for public relations, during a briefing Monday.
“The government raised the nation’s alert level on cyber crisis from
attention to warning on Sunday evening in response to the ransomware attack
that had caused damage across the globe,” Yoon added. The Ministry of
Science, ICT and Future Planning, which is in charge of dealing with
cyberattacks in the nation, said it had secured ransomware samples of a total
of 48 mutated versions and shared them with local security software makers to
respond to further damage. There are around 280 mutated versions of WannaCry
globally. The ICT Ministry’s suborganization Korea Internet & Security
Agency urged local users to update their security software in order to
prevent the ransomware attack, which misuses the vulnerabilities of Windows. From http://www.koreaherald.com/
05/15/2017 |
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SINGAPORE: To Set Up New Defence Cyber Organisation SINGAPORE: A new Defence Cyber Organisation (DCO) will be set up
to monitor and defend the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) networks
around-the-clock from cyberthreats, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced in
Parliament on Friday (Mar 3). Earlier this week, a breach in an Internet
access system at MINDEF resulted in the personal data of 850 national
servicemen and employees being stolen. The growing risk of such threats in
recent times has seen the SAF doubling the number of cyberdefence personnel
and investing in emerging technologies through the Cyber Security Operations
Centre 2.0 initiative in April last year. A Cyber Defence Operations Hub was
also built in 2013. “The next-generation SAF needs to prepare for this
environment where state-orchestrated cyber and information campaigns against
another state are not only considered legitimate, but can be ongoing all the
time,” said Dr Ng. “The impact of that threat can have real and damaging
physical consequences.” Citing cases of cyberattacks and fake news in Ukraine, Estonia,
the US presidential elections and Indonesia, Dr Ng warned that more incidents
such as the MINDEF breach can be expected in future. In recognition that the
cyberdomain is the battlefield today, the new DCO will lead and develop
cybersecurity strategies and policies across SAF’s military networks,
corporate IT systems, the Defence Science and Technology Agency, DSO National
Laboratories and more. “The SAF must keep up with the tactics and operations
of aggressors in the cyber realm ... because this is a never-ending game, as
we do in conventional warfare,” said Dr Ng. The DCO will be about
2,600-strong and made up of four formations - the operational response arm
that is the Cyber Security Division, the Policy and Plans Directorate tasked
with capability development, the Cyber Security Inspectorate to assess
vulnerability and the Cyber Defence Group. The Cyber Defence Group consists
of a security monitoring unit, an incident response and audit unit as well as
the Cyber Defence Test and Evaluation Centre (CyTEC). Opened in 2015, CyTEC
facilitates network security testing and conducts training, among others. WANTED: CYBERDEFENDERS The SAF has also created a new cyberdefence vocation for both full-time
and operationally ready national servicemen. Those who have demonstrated
their abilities at cyber competitions, as well as those currently working in
the cybersecurity industry, may also be selected and identified to be
“cyberdefenders”. "Our cyberdefenders will need to possess a high level
of skill given the increasing frequency and complexity of cyberattacks,"
said Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung. "They will be entering a
very selective and demanding vocation, comparable to the commandos or naval
divers." In their vocation, which will be implemented from August, they
are expected to perform roles such as monitoring networks and systems,
responding to incidents and forensic analysis. As a pilot project, they may
also be deployed to support the Cyber Security Agency to defend critical
information infrastructure supporting Singapore’s key networks. MINDEF also
announced that the Headquarters Signals and Command Systems, which includes
the SAF training institute for cyberdefence, will sign a memorandum of
understanding with Singapore Technologies Electronics (Info-Security) and
Nanyang Polytechnic this month. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
03/03/2017 New Cybersecurity Professional Scheme to Groom Public Sector
Experts SINGAPORE: A new Cybersecurity Professional Scheme for the
public sector was revealed by the Communications and Information Minister
Yaacob Ibrahim on Monday (Mar 6). Speaking during his ministry’s Committee of
Supply (COS) debates in Parliament, Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister-in-charge
of Cyber Security, said the scheme is aimed to attract, develop and retain
cybersecurity practitioners (CSPs) in the public sector. There are currently
about 300 officers doing cybersecurity work in the public sector, and the
Government hopes to double this over the next few years, he said. Centrally
managed by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), the scheme will
develop a core of cybersecurity specialists to be deployed across agencies to
support Singapore’s cyber defences, Dr Yaacob said. Besides gaining practical
experiences through postings to the 11 critical sectors and different public
agencies, CSPs can choose to build deeper technical competencies across the
Government in areas such as security-by-design consultancy and cyber
forensics. The scheme will be operational from July this year, MCI
said. “As part of the on-going
efforts to professionalise the wider cyber workforce, the scheme will also provide
a framework to catalyse growth and uplift the overall industry,” Dr Yaacob
said. The scheme is in addition to other manpower development efforts
previously announced or during the current COS such as the Cyber Security
Associates and Technologists (CSAT) programme and the Ministry of Defence
announcing its new NS cyber vocation, and will help complement these, he
added. The minister also noted
efforts by the private sector to grow the industry, pointing to Singtel, for
instance, and its interactive online portal called the Cyber Security
Experience. The portal, which will be launched soon, will reach out to
students to interest them in the topic and hopefully get them to join the
field in the future, he said. The increased focus on cybersecurity, particularly
in the public sector, comes amid the revelation that MINDEF’s Internet-facing
I-net system was breached and personal data of 850 national servicemen and
staff were stolen. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
03/06/2017 THAILAND: Struggling to Gird Itself for Cyberthreats Thailand's cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection
are still in an emerging stage, lacking domestic laws and a national security
framework, says leading global cybersecurity firms. To handle increasingly
sophisticated cyberthreats, it is crucial that a clear national security
strategy, together with cybersecurity laws and related measures on par with
those in Singapore and Malaysia, be implemented, said Peerapong Jongvibool,
vice-president for Southeast Asia and Hong Kong at Fortinet. He said the
recent WannaCry ransomware cyberattack is a serious wake-up call for
cybersecurity awareness in the country. Mr Peerapong said that the government
needs to prioritise security investment as the country is moving towards a
digitally-driven economy, which is dubbed Thailand 4.0. He cited a report
conducted by global research firm Frost & Sullivan, which stated that
Thailand is the fifth largest market for cybersecurity in Asean. Spending on
cybersecurity in Thailand is expected to grow by 17% to US$68 million (2.35
billion baht) in 2017. Gavin Chow, a network and security strategist at
Fortinet, said that in addition to ransomware, distributed denial of service
attacks and vulnerabilities to Internet of Things networks also pose a threat
to Thailand. Apart from the government, he said the medical, telecom and
banking industries also need to enhance their cybersecurity capabilities.
Wuthikrai Ratanamaitrikiat, security consultant at Trend Micro Thailand, a
Japan-based security firm, said that the WaanaCry ransomware attack is
stimulating cybersecurity in Thailand, particularly among corporate users.
Safeguarding against ransomware was one of the top cybersecurity investments
in Thailand last year, he said. Mark Skilton, a cybersecurity researcher at
Warwick Business School, said the WannaCry attack has prompted calls for a
global "cyberpolice force" to help manage these escalating threats. From http://www.bangkokpost.com/
05/18/2017 VIETNAM: Cyber Security in Fourth Industrial Revolution Urged The fourth industrial revolution which developed science and
technology created a great opportunity for Việt Nam but also posed an immense
threat to cyber security, heard a security conference. This was important
especially in the context of increasing and more complex cyber attacks. The
Department of Cyber Security (Ministry of Public Security) and Authority of
Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications)
co-ordinated with IDG Việt Nam to organise the Security World 2017 with the
theme “Information and Cyber Security in the fourth industrial evolution” on
Tuesday. Organised since 2007, this is the 11th time the national security
conference and exhibition is taking place in Việt Nam. According to the Việt
Nam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT), more than 134,000 cyber
security incidents occurred last year, four times higher than that of 2015.
The result showed that network attacks and criminals using information
technology and communications in Việt Nam had been increasing and become more
serious than in the past. There are more and more criminal violations in the
safety of computer networks, banking and financial systems, e-commerce and
telecommunications. "Thousands of websites of our country are hacked, edited or
inserted with content or malwares every year, of these, there are hundreds of
pages with domain names “.gov.vn” of state agencies," said Hoàng Phước
Thuận, director of Ministry of Public Security’s Department of Cyber
Security. There were many factors that increase the risk of being attacked,
such as the country’s telecommunications and information technology
infrastructure that did not meet essential security requirements, he added.
Web portals, websites and information network systems had not been developed
following uniform standards and lack of security testing, he said. There were
security flaws existing in both software and hardware and many agencies and
organisations did not have policies ensuring network security, while majority
of users were subjective, the director said. In the context of increasing
and more sophisticated
cybercrime, Bùi Văn Nam, deputy minister of public security asked agencies,
organisations, enterprises and people to raise awareness and knowledge in
network security, actively seek effective network security solutions, while
closely co-ordinating with the network security forces and foreign and
multi-national corporations to handle when risks and incidents occur. At the
workshop, experts also shared and updated the latest trends of information
security and advanced security solutions in order to support Vietnamese
governments, organisations and businesses in strengthening security
surveillance system and responding to increasingly complex and serious
security threats. From http://vietnamnews.vn
04/05/2017 Vietnam on World's Top Cyber Insecurity List Vietnam is one of the nations with the highest level of cyber
insecurity, according to the country's Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.
Vietnam leads the world in terms of malware infection rate via multimedia devices
and ranks 10th via online platforms, local online newspaper Vietnam Economic
Times quoted Dam as saying Wednesday. Regarding the number of spam mails,
Vietnam has been in the world's top-three countries in recent years, after
the United States and China. However, Vietnam tops the list when it comes to
the per capita ratio due to its relatively smaller population size. In 2015,
there was a total of 8.19 billion cyber attacks by harmful software, causing
a loss of some 500 billion U.S. dollars, Dam said. Viewing cyber attack as a
detrimental threat to the country's economy and security, the Vietnamese
deputy prime minister proposed that the legal framework should be further
developed alongside with improving people's awareness of the issue. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
04/19/2017 Ministry Issues Warnings and Protection Measures Against
Wannacry Ransomware Attacks The spread of WannaCry ransomware has been wreaking havoc across
the world since Friday, and several Vietnamese businesses and agencies are
advised to take cautions. The VNCERT, under the Ministry of Information and
Communications, has issued warnings as well as offered protection measures to
all users to guard against the ransomware and its variations, which target
Microsoft Windows - an operating system that is widely used in Việt Nam,
especially the outdated Windows XP. Kaspersky has listed Việt Nam among the
top 20 countries most affected by this ransomware; the other countries and
territories include Russia, Ukraine, India, Taiwan, and mainland China. The
VNCERT said the ransomware is extremely dangerous as it is capable of
stealing information and decrypting the entire system that has been infected.
Once the computer’s data have been encrypted, or ‘locked down’, a message
would appear saying that the users’ files are no longer accessible. Should
they want to get their data back, users are asked to pay up large sums of
money to get a decryption key. The longer the users wait, the higher the
ransom money. The hackers behind WannaCry only accept ransom paid via
BitCoin, a digital currency that ensures that the transaction cannot be
traced back. WannaCry exploits a Windows vulnerability codenamed EternalBlue,
which has been patched by Microsoft in an update deployed on March 14.
However, not everyone has installed the patch yet, and those who have not are
vulnerable to WannaCry. The exploitation of EternalBlue, suspected to have
been developed using a hacking method leaked from US National Security
Agency, allows the malware to spread through file-sharing protocols set up
across the internal networks of organisations, many of which criss-cross the
globe, according to Financial Times. WannaCry developers have prepared a Q&A
section in various languages, offering infected users localised instructions
on how to recover data and how to pay the ransom. Vũ Ngọc Sơn, deputy head of
the anti-malware department of Bkav Corporation, the largest internet
security firm in Việt Nam, said that the WannaCry ransomware’s behaviour is
“not new”, but he believes that the use of this ransomware will not really
ease up as “it can directly earn large profits for hackers”. Bkav recommends
that all computer users immediately install updates and security patches and
hotfixes via Windows Update. Users are also advised to back up valuable data
regularly. Currently, an estimated 200,000 victims in 150 different countries
are reported to have been hit by the cyberattack. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
05/15/2017 |
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INDIA:
Supports Better International Cooperation in Cyber Security NEW DELHI: India supports better international cooperation in cyber
security to fight against growing cyber crime and cyber terrorism, IT
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.Attending bilateral meetings in Germany
during G20 Digital Ministers meeting on Digital Economy, he said India is
also of the view that multi stakeholders model is the best option for the
spread of digitalisation and that a border should not be an impediment in the
way of mobility of professionals and information, according to an official
statement here.Bilateral engagements were held with representatives of
Russia, Indonesia, Germany, Britian, Argentina, Singapore, China, Saudi
Arabia, South Africa and International Telecommunication Union.The G20
Ministers expressed their warm appreciation for the accomplishments of the
Digital India programme. They noted how Digital India is provisioning a
unique digital identity - cheaply, securely, and with privacy - to 1.1
billion citizens through Aadhaar, said a statement by the Electronics and IT
Ministry. About the Indian government's drive towards Digital India,
Prasad said: "Digital technologies and the internet, which represents
some of the finest creations of the human mind are today a 'global common
good'; which we can harness for bridging the digital divide, empowering and
improving the quality of life for our citizens."Emphasising how India is
advancing in the knowledge economy by catalysing innovation, he said:
"We believe that innovation is key to our success as a digital economy.
India today has one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems with over 4,000
startups every year working in emerging technology areas including IoT, data
analytics, Block Chains and machine learning."Many of these startups are
also in the forefront of developing solutions to many of our grand challenges
in areas such as health and education." From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/12/2017 Decoding the Cyber Security of
Maharashtra The Maharashtra Police is experimenting and deploying several
modern tools and technologies to ensure security for citizens, says Brijesh
Singh, Secretary and Director General, Directorate General of Information and
Public Relations, Government of Maharashtra, in conversation with Elets News
Network (ENN).Since the Central and the State governments are focusing on
safe cities, what are the initiatives taken by the Maharashtra Government in
this regard?Any online solution procured by the government of Maharashtra has
robust security features. We ensure that every project has a security system
in place.Security is never taken as an adjunct which can be added later on,
but it is a key aspect of any specific project or programme and cannot be
overlooked. Hence, all the smart city projects undertaken by the Maharashtra
government have cyber-security provisions of the top-notch level.The state
government has started many initiatives to ensure the security of its
citizens. The CCTV network of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur is almost in the final
stage of completion.Apart from this, there are dedicated cyber police
stations in Maharashtra which have state of the art cyber-labs to help
investigate local instances of cyber crimes. Earlier, we use to hire external
cyber experts. We did not have modern tools and technologies and the
requisite knowledge for the investigation of cyber crimes which led to the
wastage of investigation time. But all this is passé now.Maharashtra is the
only state to have dedicated state of the art cyber-labs with all kind of
modern technologies deployed. Earlier, there were cyber cells in Mumbai and
Pune only. With the launch of Maharashtra Cyber Security project, all the
districts in the state have separate cyber labs with their offices located at
district collector and police commissioner’s offices. We are using the existing
network of the government to connect all the cyber cells in the state. Technology has enhanced the comfort of our lives providing
everything on our fingertips, how Maharashtra Police has deployed technology
to ensure security of the citizens?Maharashtra is a unique state to come up
with almost a thousand of cyber security projects. Apart from the cyber
security labs being established in each district, we are in the process of
linking each of them through a Central Processing System in Mumbai for a seamless
monitoring of these cyberlabs across districts in Maharashtra.We are also
organising training facilitation programme for experts in cyber security. In
addition to this we are also organising awareness programmes for general
citizens.For corporate and our own executives, we are coming up with Computer
emergency response team (CERT) Maharashtra, which is still in the designing
stage and will be launched through tenders within the next six months. The
Maharashtra Police is experimenting and deploying several modern tools and
technology to ensure security to the citizens, thus easing their lives.What
is the roadmap of Maharashtra Cyber Security department to raise awareness
amongst the citizens?We are focusing on creating awareness among citizens and
teenagers who are primarily affected by cyber crimes. Now with demonetisation
creating waves of digital transformation among people, incidents of fraud,
hacking and other related cyber crimes are on the rise. Hence, proper
knowledge and awareness is of paramount importance. “For creating a friendlier ambience for our citizens, we have
created over 500 cyber police stations in different districts, wherein they
can lodge their complaint easily. We also issue advisory whenever there is a
cyber tech intelligence with us.”Besides, we are in the process of setting up
world class cyber-labs with all updated modern tools and technology, which
can minimise the efforts needed for any kind of investigation.We are
collaborating with the best corporate that provides us technology solutions
for setting up these cyber labs. C-DAC is our system integrator. Our projects
maintain confidentiality, integrity and at the same time maintains profit of
the department. For creating a friendlier. For creating a friendlier ambience
for our citizens, we have created over 500 cyber police stations in different
districts, wherein they can lodge their complaint easily. We also issue
advisory whenever there is a cyber tech intelligence with us. “The Maharashtra Police is experimenting and deploying several
modern tools and technology to ensure security to the citizens, thus easing
their lives.”In the times to come, we will go in the mode of issuing advisory
to people sector wise. For example, senior citizens face different set of
threats than teenagers or women and others. Financial sector too requires a
different kind of cyber security and awareness which we will provide to
citizens.Has the cyber-crime rate decreased in the state, especially after.
Has the cyber-crime rate decreased in the state, especially after systematic
implementation of technology in the department? The more digital intervention
we will have in our daily operating systems, the more cyber crime will
increase. Cyber crime is at the highest where money is involved. Hence the
impact is bound to increase as long as we are moving towards digitisation. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/13/2017 New-Age Technology for Securing
Borders The Border Security Force (BSF) is adopting several latest
technological advances for surveillance and guarding the borders, says
Santosh Mehra, Inspector General, Border Security Force, in an exclusive
interview with Souvik Goswami of Elets News Network (ENN). The Border
Security Force (BSF) has always been looked upon as a force to reckon with,
can you shed some light on its role in safeguarding the nation? The Border
Security Force (BSF) is the largest border guarding force in the world. It is
India’s first line of defence on her borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It
solely protects the entire international borders with these two countries.
BSF works shoulder to shoulder with Army on Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu
& Kashmir (J&K). The troops man the borders in the remote terrains of
the Rann of Kutch, the Thar Desert, snow-clad mountains in the J&K, the
deltas of the Sunderbans and the malaria-infested forests of Tripura.
“Borders have no longer remained in territorial realm only. With digital transformation,
cyber space is bypassing territorial borders. Today, the necessity is not to
secure territorial limit only; but to safeguard cyber space as well.
Therefore, the challenges of security agencies have increased manifold and
they need to evolve and equip themselves accordingly.” BSF was instrumental
in controlling the insurgencies in Mizoram, Nagaland, and Manipur. It played
a major role in controlling terrorism in Punjab and militancy in Jammu and
Kashmir. The Force is also presently deployed in anti-naxal operations in
Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The contribution of BSF during Indo-Pak wars was also
commendable. The Force has played a pivotal role during the liberation war of
Bangladesh from March, 1971 (much before the armed forces swung into action
in December, 1971) which culminated into a thumping victory over Pakistani
Army. During Kargil War in 1999, Pak intruders could not capture the heights
manned by BSF and the Force personnel have shown gallant actions during the
war. The Force played a major role in containing Delhi Police Strike, 1967,
Ahmedabad Riots, 1969, UP Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) Strike, 1973,
Railway Strike, 1974, Bhagalpur Riots, 1989, etc. BSF is also assigned duties
during elections. The Force has shown its human face during several disasters
such as Gujarat earthquake, 2001, Orissa Super Cyclone, 1999, Tsunami, 2004,
Kosi floods, 2008, Cyclone Aila, 2009, Uttarakhand Flood, 2013 and Srinagar
Flood, 2014 to name a few. The Force personnel have participated in several
Peace Keeping Missions under the aegis of United Nations (UN), such as Congo,
Haiti, Kosovo, Sudan, etc. Though the BSF is an Armed Force of the Union, it
regularly participates in several civic action programmes and provides
amenities for border populations and so on. Every year, BSF plays a key role
in conduct of Amarnath Yatra. What are the major challenges in securing borders that our brave
BSF personnel have to deal with? The BSF is manning India’s border with
Pakistan and Bangladesh. On the western borders with Pakistan, the major
challenge is state sponsored terrorism and trafficking of arms and narcotics.
On the eastern borders with Bangladesh, the major challenges are illegal
immigration and human trafficking from across the borders, and smuggling of
Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) and cattle and several other products across
the border. The contiguous human settlements on both sides of boundary line
pose a major challenge in maintaining the sanctity of eastern borders. Border
Security Force personnel on patrol duty. How technology is being leveraged by
the BSF for managing various tasks? The BSF is adopting several latest
technological advances for surveillance and guarding the borders. These
include unmanned aerial vehicles, aerostat, RADAR, thermal sensors, night
vision sevices, underground sensors, helicopters, floating Border Out Posts
(BOPs), all terrain vehicles, hovercrafts, speed boats, water crafts, etc. It
is in the process of implementing Integrated Border Management System on
Indo-Pak borders. In the era of Digital Transformation, how important it is to
secure the cyber space, especially keeping in mind the role of security
agencies in the country? Borders have no longer remained in territorial realm
only. With digital transformation, cyber space is bypassing territorial
borders. Today, the necessity is not to secure territorial limit only, but to
safeguard cyber space as well. Therefore, the challenges of security agencies
have increased manifold and they need to evolve and equip themselves accordingly.
What vision do you have for the BSF? Our vision is To be a Force of
excellence in guarding the borders of India through highly professional,
credible and efficient border management. To maintain sanctity of the borders of India through eternal vigilance. To inculcate a sense of security by harnessing cooperation of
the border population. To effectively deal with internal security challenges whenever
so tasked by the government. To achieve an effective combat capability by absorbing
leading-edge technology, state-of-the art training and user-friendly
equipment. To evolve and implement a growthoriented Personnel Management
System aimed at instilling core values to satisfy the social, economic and
psychological needs of the Force personnel. To effectively assist civil administration in disaster
management and provide succour to the people. To effectively promote core values of human rights, pride and
dedication to duty in the Force. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/13/2017 Government Partners with Google
to Raise Awareness About Internet Safety The Department of Consumer Affairs has collaborated with Google India
on raising awareness about internet safety amongst Indian consumers.The
proposed outcome of the campaign is to integrate the internet safety message
into everyday tasks that the consumers undertake over the internet such as
financial transactions, using e-mails, doing e-commerce or simply surfing the
internet for information.Activities proposed under the campaign include
training of selected VCOs, Government officials and counselors of National
Consumer Helpline. Various awareness material pertaining to digital safety
has been uploaded in the website of the Department, an official statement
said.There is no financial implication on the part of the Department under
the collaboration with Google India.There is already a National Consumer
Helpline where a consumer can lodge his grievance and get assistance. From http://egov.eletsonline.com
04/14/2017 |
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AZERBAIJAN:
How to Protect Children from Social Network Dangers Azercell Telecom LLC, the leading mobile operator of Azerbaijan and
Kaspersky Lab, international IT security company, calls for public attention
regarding the recent crucial issue on “How to protect children from the
dangers of social network”! According to Kaspersky Security Network’s Big
Data, 75 percent of internet activity of children in Azerbaijan is related to
communication which is primarily done on social networks. Given the average
worldwide rate of 63 percent, it may be concluded that young people of
Azerbaijan are quite active users of social networks. The experts point out several major
dangers with social media. For instance, children may accidentally or
deliberately enter web pages “for adults”. They include not only erotics or
pornography, but also any kind of information on drugs, suicide, rape or weapon.
The other danger might occur as a result of chatting with unknown people. The
study shows that on average 14-16 year olds personnaly know 25 friends out of
47 in social networks. In such cases, it is impossible to know whether your
chat peer at the other end is a child or a criminal. Another factor increasing the danger is that teenagers show
their home address, school name and locations on social networks – 55 percent
of respondents admitted doing it. Such information allows criminals to locate
and identify them in reality very easily. In addition, children have recently
experienced cyberbullying on social networks. How to know if something is wrong with
your child on social networks?
Sudden adverse change of mood without any reason; Changing the style
of usage of digital tools and social networks (child wakes up at night to
access internet); Sharp increase/decrease of number of “friends” on social
networks; Sudden “friends” with significant age gap; Abusive pictures and
messages on personal page; Deleting social network account. This list is not
exclusive, but if you observe any of these factors in your children, you
should immediately act on it.
Specifically to protect children online Azercell subscribers can
exclusively use the Kaspersky Lab product “Kaspersky Safe Kids”. This program
helps parents to control the usage time of the device to adjust the schedule
of access to the Internet and receive reports about the time that the child
spends on his gadget. In addition, it protects the child from viewing adult
content, informs parents about the signs of cyberbullying, provides
statistics of calls and SMS and much more. The leader of the mobile communication industry of Azerbaijan
and the biggest investor in the non-oil sector Azercell Telecom LLC was
founded in 1996. With 48% share of Azerbaijan’s mobile market Azercell’s
network covers 80% of the territory and 99,8% of population of the
country. Currently, 4,5 million
subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important
number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance
payment system, 24/7 Customer Care, online customer services, GPRS/EDGE, M2M,
MobilBank, one-stop- shop service offices Azercell Express, mobile e-service
“ASAN signature”, etc. Azercell deployed first 4G – LTE services in
Azerbaijan in 2012. According to
the results of mobile network quality surveys of Global Wireless Solutions
company and international systems specialized in wireless coverage mapping
such as “Opensignal” and “Testmy.net”, Azercell’s network demonstrated the
best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
02/27/2017 |
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AUSTRALIA: Global Focus Needed for Cyber Security Engagement
Strategy, Says Comms Alliance The cross-border nature of data and increasing globalisation
demand that Australia has a cyber-engagement strategy that is international
in nature and aligns with our key trading partners.That’s the view put by the
peak telecommunications industry group, Communications Alliance, in a
submission to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as the federal
government considers development of Australia’s inaugural international cyber
engagement strategy.CA says that as owners and operators of the underlying
infrastructures, the telecommunications and IT industries have a strong
interest in the development of an effective and coherent international cyber
engagement strategy for Australia.“It is the cross-border nature of computer
systems and the ease of data transfer globally that necessarily make any
viable cyber strategy an international affair, especially for open economies
that rely on international trade and relationships for the running of their
economies and their national security,” CA says in its submission. “Therefore, it appears that individual elements of a cyber
engagement strategy, including those pertaining to cyber security — such as
the Telecommunications Security Sector Reform (TSSR), data retention
legislation as well as copyright and website blocking legislation — ought to
flow out of an international strategy that takes into account and attempts to
align with the approaches taken by Australia’s key trading partners where
feasible.”CA has told DFAT that it considers that there are two specific
outcomes that an international cyber engagement strategy should seek to
deliver:Increased cyber literacy especially in our key trading partner
countries; and Improved international coordination and development of
effective enforcement mechanisms at an international level.According to CA,
the Australian cyber security landscape is characterised by a wide diversity
of government departments and agencies with “partly overlapping and
intersecting interest in or portfolio responsibilities relating to cyber
security”. “These departments/agencies address a multitude of different
stakeholders, e.g. telecommunications network operators, businesses across
all sectors, the general public.“It appears that a better understanding of
the precise roles and responsibilities of each of those, improved
co-ordination of the current spread of agencies and programme — and the
creation of a single national point of access to government’s cyber security
agencies — would be likely to increase efficiencies and to deliver a clearer
message to all stakeholders.”But, CA warns that it is also likely that the
current cyber security landscape may make the pursuit of a unified and
effective overall cyber strategy on a national level rather difficult and is
likely to “even more impede the development and effective and efficient
execution of an international cyber engagement strategy”. “It is important to ask which other areas of responsibility in
the field of cyber engagement (other than cyber security) government,
industry, academia and other stakeholders ought to address to fully harness
the advantages of the cyber space
to Australia’s (and global) advantage,” CA says.“For example, the
international harmonisation of data and privacy laws, the
development/fostering of open technological standards and a coherent (and
timely) approach to the proliferation of the internet of things (IoT)
immediately come to mind in this context.”Cyber literacy is raised by CA in
its submission as a key imperative in developing Australia’s national cyber
engagement policies.“Importantly, any cyber framework ought to centrearound
the creation of a cyber literate nation," it says. “Individuals and businesses alike must understand the
continuously changing requirements of the cyber world and adopt cyber
security measures as part of their daily routine, lifestyle and business
practices.“Equally, industry and academia must ensure that cyber specialist
resources are meeting national demand (in quality and quantity).”CA also says
it is essential that individuals, and particularly small businesses, are
being educated on the basics of IT functionality and security.“A concerted
coordinated effort is required to achieve high levels of awareness, education
and implementation of security measures.“Industry contends that the diverse
array of education and awareness initiatives across federal and state
agencies is not conducive to achieving this aim." From https://www.itwire.com 04/04/2017 Australia's Bold Plan for Cybersecurity Growth Australian Cyber Security Growth Network has set its goals,
fleshed out its board, and announced a detailed plan for success. The
Australian Cyber Security Growth Network (ACSGN) aims to triple the size of
the nation's cybersecurity industry sector, from just over AU$2 billion in
revenues today, to AU$6 billion. The goal was announced in Sydney on Thursday
at the launch of the ACSGN's Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan
(SCP), their roadmap for reaching that goal. The SCP is intended to
"identify the challenges Australian organisations face when competing in
local and international cyber security markets". "The SCP provides
a roadmap to strengthen Australia's cyber security industry and pave the way
for a vibrant and innovative ecosystem. It articulates the steps and actions
required to help Australia become a global leader in cyber security
solutions, with the aim of generating increased investment and jobs for the
Australian economy," it says. The SCP was launched by Senator Arthur Sinodinos, Minister for
Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. "The aspiration, and it's
set out here in this plan so clearly, is to be a global leader in this
space," Sinodinos said. "It's fantastic, the talent we have in
Australia, the skills that we have in Australia, the systems we have in
Australia, to be a world leader in so many aspects of cybersecurity... Now I
know that can be a big call, but we have the capability to do it."
Australia's attempt to build the cybersecurity sector will have three
country-specific challenges, according to the ACSGN: Firstly, while Australia
demonstrates excellent and world-leading cyber security research capability,
there are signs the current system of research and commercialisation is
inefficient. Scattered public funding for cyber security research and
development weakens the country's ability to lead on innovation. Limited collaboration
between the research community and the private sector further undermines the
commercialisation of basic research ideas into marketable solutions. Secondly, insights gained from expert interviews undertaken to
develop this Plan and public tender data signal that the current market
environment constrains the growth prospects of smaller Australian cyber
security businesses and startups. While these companies may have the
capability to develop innovative and novel product and service offerings, they
often lack the business acumen, established credibility and scale to win key
contracts with large industry or government customers in Australia and
abroad. Barriers to export are particularly noticeable for providers of cyber
security services. Thirdly, a serious skills shortage is limiting the growth
of the Australian cyber security industry. Several industry surveys confirm
the drought in job-ready cyber security professionals is among the worst in
the world. While universities have recently begun to introduce several new
study courses, they will unlikely produce enough graduates to meet industry
demand in the near future. It is also questionable whether the industry will
be able to draw workers with related skills from areas outside of cyber, as
pathways for professional and transitional training are not currently
sufficient. It is estimated that the domestic cyber security industry will
need to employ at least 11,000 additional workers over the next decade. The CSP runs for 98 pages, with the front cover as the only
non-content graphics. It's intended to provide a thorough economic narrative
to back up the strategy. The ACSGN also announced two members to its board,
bringing total to five, and the creation of a second cyber security
innovation node in Canberra, joining the first node established in Melbourne.
The new names on the board are Heather Ridout AO, a former long-term chief
executive of the Australian Industry Group, and chair of numerous business
and community organisations; and Mike Burgess, most recently chief
information securing officer of Telstra, and previously holding senior roles
with the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD). They join co-chairs Adrian
Turner, chief executive officer of Data61; Doug Elix, who retired from IBM in
July 2008 as senior vice president and group executive for IBM's worldwide
sales and distribution operations; and ACSGN's chief executive officer Craig
Davies. Davies continues to be bullish about the potential for
Australia's cybersecurity sector, but once again he emphasised the need for
speed. "This is the time we need to do this," he said.
"Deloitte are forecasting 60,000 jobs over the next 13 years [if
Australia takes a 'cyber smart' growth strategy]. Is that all? Surely we can
do better than that." Davies' team took 20 Australian cybersecurity
startups to the RSA information security conference in February this year.
His goal is to take 50 companies in 2018. Davies said he's been told that the
ACSGN is looking for the next Atlassian, referring to the company most often
cited as an Australian startup success, and also to his previous role as
Atlassian's head of security. "No," Davies said. "We're
looking for the next 50 Atlassians." Also announced were two
cybersecurity hardware products, both developed in Australia. From Penten
comes the AltoCrypt Stik, a "highly portable, easy to use, secure
mobility solution which provides a government user wireless access to
sensitive networks both inside and outside the office," according to the
promotional material. The Stik bundles routers, security appliances, and cryptographic
tools confirming to the UK PRIME standard for High Grade, into a single USB
stick. It has the potential to replace the suitcase-sized devices currently
in use. The other device is the Cog Systems D4 secure smartphone, which aims
to produce a secure Android device at consumer price points, rather than the
usual hardened phone price that can often exceed $10,000. Cog's reference
design is based on an HTC One A9 smartphone, with a heavily modified version
of Android. Its features include a virtualised key store, which means the key
store doesn't touch the operating system; nested VPNs, enabling two separate
and distinct VPN clients on the device; and a D4 Secure layer running on a
separation kernel to provide added OS protection from common exploits and
malware." The ACSGN was established at the beginning of 2017 as part of
Australia's National Innovation and Science Agenda in December 2015, and is a
key part of the Australian Cyber Security Strategy released in April 2016. From http://www.zdnet.com 04/20/2017 Australia Warned Against
Complacency After China Cyber Deal Australia and China have reached an agreement on cyber security under
which they have agreed not to indulge in online theft of intellectual
property, trade secrets or confidential business information to gain a
competitive advantage.But a senior official of a cyber security company said
the agreement could well end up making Australian companies less safe if they
chose to put less emphasis on security based on a false sense of confidence
in the deal.Tim Wellsmore, director of Threat Intelligence for the
Asia-Pacific at FireEye, said the agreement did not make Australian firms
less vulnerable, stop espionage, or close big security gaps in Australia's
critical infrastructure.The deal was confirmed by the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade on Monday. It was signed on Friday last week.The two
countries have agreed to create a framework to share information that will
help in the fight against cyber crime. Also, the two sides have agree to discuss issues related to
cyber security and fighting cyber crime and have a dialogue to prevent
incidents that could create bilateral problems."The two countries will
work together to counter malicious cyber actors, Internet distribution of
child sex abuse material, email scams and other transnational cyber crime
activities, as well as to identify through consultation key incidents and carry
out joint law enforcement actions," a DFAT statement said.Also on the
agenda are talks on options for joint operations to combat cyber
crime."The two countries will exchange cyber security delegations,
relevant legal and regulatory documents and learn about each other’s legal
environment, law enforcement procedures and other relevant circumstances
through meetings, communication on individual cases as well as other methods,
so as to enhance cooperation and mutual trust," the DFAT statement said.
Wellsmore said the deal was good news for Australia, but not because it
stopped China from hacking to steal intellectual property.Rather, it was
welcome because it was a tacit agreement by China of the levels of online
theft over the past several years."It signals China may be at a point
where it longer needs to steal intellectual property from Australian
businesses on a widespread basis," he said. "FireEye has seen this
trend under way for years as China’s economy evolved." From https://www.itwire.com 04/25/2017 Australian Government Consulting on Safe Harbour Extension to
Online Services The Australian government will consult with stakeholders on whether
to extend the safe harbour provision to all online service providers, such as
cloud services and search engines, in addition to ISPs.The Australian
government has announced that it will hold a series of consultations with
stakeholders on extending the safe harbour provisions in the Copyright Act to
cover all online service providers.The proposed amendment would extend the
provision beyond internet service providers (ISPs) to also encompass
providers such as cloud computing services, search engines, and online
bulletin boards.The provision would protect these online service providers
from legal liability for any copyright infringement taking place via the
services they provide -- as long as they take "reasonable steps" to
remove copyright-infringing material, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield
said. "An expanded safe harbour regime would provide a useful
mechanism for rights holders to have material that infringes their copyright
removed from online service providers," Fifield said."An expanded
regime would also ensure that service providers are not held responsible for
the infringing actions of their users, provided they take reasonable steps to
take down material that infringes copyright."Department of
Communications Secretary Heather Smith will run several roundtable
discussions with interested stakeholders on the proposed extension of the
safe harbour provision, with Smith to advise the government in June on how it
should proceed.The announcement follows the Productivity Commission last year
recommending that Australia apply the safe harbour provision to all online
service providers."Online service providers, such as cloud computing
firms, would face fewer impediments to establish operations in
Australia," the Productivity Commission said in December. "The copyright system will be more adaptable as new
services and technologies are developed, facilitating greater innovation.
Aligning with international systems further reduces business
uncertainty."The commission had added that Australia's current copyright
laws are skewed in favour of rights holders to the detriment of consumers,
and said that the government should adopt the Australian Law Reform
Commission's recommendations to implement a fair use provision in the
Copyright Act."Fair use would similarly allow Australia's copyright
arrangements to adapt to new circumstances, technologies, and uses over
time," the commission said at the time.Fifield pointed out that the
government is currently pushing several piracy-related reforms on copyright
law, including through the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2015
, which passed both houses of parliament in mid-2015 and allows rights
holders to obtain a court order to block websites hosted overseas that are
deemed to exist for the primary purpose of infringing or facilitating
infringement of copyright. In addition, the Copyright Amendment (Disability Access and
Other Measures) Bill 2017, introduced last month, was designed to ensure that
libraries, archives, educational facilities, cultural institutions, and the
disability sector have "reasonable access" to copyrighted content,
with their usage of copyright material not constituting infringement.Back in
November, the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties recommended that the
government pass the safe harbour provisions amendment to the Copyright Act in
order to ensure that Australia would not be in breach of its international
obligations as described under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade
deal.Section H of the Intellectual Property chapter of the TPP had mandated
that member states implement both fair use and safe harbour provisions. "Each party shall ensure that legal remedies are available
for right holders to address such copyright infringement, and shall establish
or maintain appropriate safe harbours in respect of online services that are
internet service providers," Article 18.82 said.Articles 18.68, 18.69,
and 18.74 also provided that criminal and civil penalties do not apply to
"a non-profit library, museum, archive, educational institution, or
public non-commercial broadcasting entity".The committee's
recommendation followed the Australian Digital Alliance and Copyright
Advisory Group in October arguing at a TPP hearing that without the more
extensive safe harbour provisions under the proposed Copyright Act
amendments, Australia would be in breach of its international law
obligations. While the TPP is now on ice following the United States'
abandonment of the multilateral trade deal thanks to the election of Donald
Trump, the Australian Treaties Committee said the fact that a Bill exists to
expand safe harbour provisions to schools, universities, and online service
providers shows that the problem is "real" and the law must be
amended."In Australia, a mistake was made in the amendment to the
Copyright Act that included the safe harbours provision. The Copyright Act
contains a safe harbour provision for 'carriage service providers' only. This
means that commercial ISPs are provided safe harbour protection, but schools
and universities are not," the report said."The problem is an
Australian one. The fact that the issues raised during the inquiry in
relation to safe harbours provisions has reached the stage of being addressed
in a draft Bill would indicate to the committee that the problem is real. The
committee recommends the Australian government progress the safe harbours
amendments to the Copyright Act." From http://www.zdnet.com 04/26/2017 Losses from Reported Australian Hacking Incidents Quadrupled in
2016 The consumer watchdog revealed that AU$2.9 million was reported
as lost to hacking in 2016, up from a mere AU$700,000 in 2015.The Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has reported a four-fold increase
in hacking scams, with AU$2.9 million lost to such activity in 2016, up from
AU$700,000 in 2015.According to Targeting scams: Report of the ACCC on scams
activity 2016, businesses bore the brunt of these scams, with over half --
AU$1.7 million -- being attributed to businesses."While the digital
economy presents many opportunities and efficiencies for businesses, it also
presents significant risks," ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard says in the
report's foreword."Scams targeting businesses are becoming increasingly
sophisticated using modern technology to make fake emails, invoices and
websites appear legitimate to even the astute business person." While the digital age is hitting businesses in Australia, the report
[PDF] highlights that consumers are also being affected by scammers, with
digitisation providing the opportunity for scammers to try new tricks.Online
scams -- those executed via the internet, email, social networks, and mobile
apps -- outnumbered phone-based scams in 2016, with an increase of 130
percent over 2015.Elsewhere in the report, losses to online scams accounted
for 58 percent -- AU$48.4 million -- of total losses, while social media was
a particularly busy platform used by scammers to lure victims, netting losses
of AU$9.5 million in 2016 compared with AU$3.8 million in 2015.Of the social
media scams, the most prevalent were related to online dating and sextortion,
a form of blackmail in which compromising images of the victim are used to extort
money.In 2016, Scamwatch received over 440 reports from victims of sextortion
in the country. Phishing scams and identity theft were the most prevalent of all
phone scams during the year, with 19,344 reports of scams mostly the result
of cold-calling from fake investment firms.In addition to the increase of
scams through social media, the ACCC said emerging trends in 2016 included
scams using iTunes and other gift cards, mostly relating to tax scams.Over
20,000 reports were made to Scamwatch about this type of scam, with 280
reported scams totalling a loss of over AU$1.4 million, with 60 percent of
victims admitting they paid the scammer with iTunes gift cards.Email-based
scams were still highly profitable, the ACCC found.The Australian Cybercrime
Online Reporting Network (ACORN) also received a large number of online scam
reports in 2016, with 45,068 scams totalling approximately AU$205 million
known to the organisation. Investment scams, online identity theft, and hacking were some
of the largest categories for losses reported by ACORN.Scam disruption
programs operated by the ACCC, South Australian Police, and Western
Australian Police, in collaboration with the WA Department of Commerce, use
financial intelligence to proactively detect Australians sending funds to
high risk jurisdictions, the ACCC said, noting that many of the victims do
not report their loss to the ACCC."A combined estimate of losses to this
unreported scam activity is approximately AU$11.5 million," the report
says. "An aggregate of losses reported to Scamwatch and ACORN, together
with unreported losses detected through scam disruption programs show
approximate overall losses of almost AU$300 million."However, the ACCC,
believes this figure is by no means conclusive of the total cost of scams,
given many victims do not report their experiences, pointing to a Personal
Fraud survey from the Australian Bureau of Statistics that estimated the
total amount lost to personal fraud as closer to AU$3 billion.Those over the
age of 65 were reported by the ACCC as being the most vulnerable victims,
copping the highest financial loss of AU$13.6 million. From http://www.zdnet.com 05/18/2017 NEW ZEALAND: Gov’t Launches New $22.6m Cyber Security Initiative Communications minister Simon Bridges has launched a new cyber
security unit saying it will help New Zealanders respond to online
threats.The new unit, CERT NZ was foreshadowed in the 2016 Budget, which
allocated it funding of $22.2m over four years. It will serve as the first
place for New Zealanders to report a cyber incident and will provided five
services: threat identification; vulnerability identification; incident
reporting; response coordination and readiness support.InternetNZ welcomed
the move but said it represented a critical piece of Internet security
infrastructure for New Zealand that was long overdue. “InternetNZ has been
advocating for a New Zealand CERT since 2005 and we're really delighted to
see it up and running,” CEO Jordan Carter said. Bridges said CERT NZ would make it easier for people at work and
at home to understand, prevent and recover from cyber security incidents. “We
want to build a confident, secure and engaged online New Zealand as the
ever-evolving digital world increasingly impacts on almost all aspects of our
lives,” he said.“New Zealand joins a large and sophisticated global network
of CERTs, in which it will play an important role developing and executing best
practice processes and systems to prevent and respond to cyber security
incidents.”Bridges said access to international best practice and threat
information would increase New Zealand’s ability to protect its information
and systems against cyber threats. “It will also enhance New Zealand’s
reputation as a trusted business and security partner, which has benefits to
our economy and our many businesses that rely on international trade,” he
added. However, Dr Ryan Ko, head of Cyber Security Lab at the University
of Waikato, said more capabilities, in terms of tools and awareness, were
needed for all public and private stakeholders – big and small. “This will
allow them to be able to respond and get back to business quickly.”He said
the inability to respond quickly and effectively to attacks on the critical
infrastructure in New Zealand represented one of the biggest cyber
threats.The new unit will work in partnership with:-The Department of
Internal Affairs (DIA), which investigates complaints about spam in New
Zealand and which is responsible for enforcing the Unsolicited Electronic
Messages Act 2007;- The National Cyber Policy Office (NCPO) within the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which leads the development of
cyber security policy advice for the New Zealand Government;- The National
Cyber Security Centre whose role is to protect New Zealand’s most significant
organisations from cyber security threats.- NetSafe, the independent,
non-profit New Zealand organisation focused on online safety; From https://www.computerworld.co.nz 04/13/2017 Early Challenge for NZ’s New Cyber Security Response Team Just a week after the announcement of its formation, New
Zealand’s new National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has been
called on to help the nation respond to a global ransomware attack of epic
proportions.The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it was working
with the newly established CERT NZ to help protect New Zealanders from the
ransomware known as WannaCry.On May 12 IT security news site The Hacker News
reported what said was “believed to be the most massive ransomware delivery
campaign to date … [hitting] computer systems of hundreds of private companies
and public organisations across the globe.It said the Ransomware in question
had been identified as a variant of ransomware known as WannaCry (also known
as 'Wana Decrypt0r,' 'WannaCryptor' or 'WCRY'). It added: “What's interesting about this ransomware is that
WannaCry attackers are leveraging a Windows exploit harvested from the NSA
called EternalBlue, which was dumped by the Shadow Brokers hacking group over
a month ago. Microsoft released a patch for the vulnerability in March
(MS17-010), but many users and organizations who did not patch their systems
are open to attacks.”The NCSC said it was taking steps to help increase the
resilience of New Zealand’s nationally significant systems, adding “We are
also working with CERT NZ to provide information on how individuals, small
businesses and operators of larger systems can reduce their vulnerability to
ransomware attacks.”In a statement issued at 14:30 hrs on 13 May, the NCSC
said neither it nor CERT NZ have received any reports of a New Zealand incidence
of the attack, and it urged anyone suffering an attack to contact CERT on
www.cert.govt.nz. CERT’s formation was announced on 5 May by communications
minister Amy Adams who said it would be established with funding of $22.2m
from the 2016 budget and would be the central component of New Zealand’s
cyber security architecture responsible for monitoring, tracking and advising
on cyber security incidents or attacks affecting New Zealand.She also called
for nominations of people to sit on an advisory Board to provide advice on
the establishment, ongoing operation and longer-term organisational form of
CERT. From https://www.computerworld.co.nz 05/15/2017 |
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5G Data Is Coming, and It Will Supercharge Your Internet
Connection 5G wireless data is coming, and it will change everything. It
will be in your house, your office and the places in between. It will not
just follow your car, but speak to it. 5G wants you to be comfortable about
all this, because 5G cares about you. Maybe I’m laying on the hype a little
thick for this future advance in wireless broadband. But I’m not overselling
it any more than many participants at Mobile World Congress did last week.
“5G will connect everybody and everything,” declared Tim Baxter, president
and chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America, during the
company’s presentation at the conference. Stéphane Richard, CEO and chairman
of France’s Orange Group, had a shorter phrase for 5G’s appeal at a keynote
Tuesday: “5G will be key to a better me.” So when will we be able to use this
internet magic bullet? Not soon enough, it turns out. The basics: speed and responsiveness Two basic things set 5G apart from today’s 4G LTE (“Long Term Evolution”)
technology. One is speed. 5G promises data connections that are normally
reserved for the kind of gigabit fiber-optic connections that many Americans
don’t even have access to. The second is exceedingly low “latency”— the time
it takes for a single packet of data reach its destination, which would make
apps and services much more responsive. Today’s wireless broadband is
generous with bandwidth but stingy on latency. For instance, PCMag.com’s
nationwide 2016 testing found that Verizon (VZ) offered America’s fastest
LTE, with downloads averaging a speedy 27.79 megabits per second. Its
latency, though, measured a pokey 60.97 milliseconds. 5G, however, promises
to drive down latency to below 1 ms, what you’d get on a hard-wired network
connection. That means apps that react far faster to your inputs. Do human users need that kind of responsiveness on a mobile
device? Probably not. But, as Richard noted, self-driving cars and robot
surgeons will. So will streaming virtual reality. At Samsung’s event, Verizon
chief information and technology architect Roger Gurnani said 5G would allow
“virtual amusement parks where you can experience immersive entertainment and
amusement without having to stand in long lines.” Verizon is also betting
that 5G will replace wired home connections. The company will start
“pre-commercial” testing in 11 U.S. cities in the coming months. In January,
AT&T (T) announced plans to test its 5G network to deliver its DirecTV
Now video service in Austin, TX. What’s more, 5G networks should support far
more devices at once — although if this means that 5G users in Washington
have sufficient bandwidth on 2021’s Inauguration Day, I will be pleasantly
surprised. The obstacles 5G networks, though, will require much more infrastructure. The
entire concept rides on using high-frequency spectrum with more bandwidth and
less range, which means constructing far more cell sites and providing each
with high-capacity fiber-optic connections back to the rest of the network.
“The problem really is the amount of [capital expenditure],” said EY global
telecommunications leader Prashant Singhal during the show. He estimated the
cost of building the infrastructure for 5G networks at $800 to $900 billion
worldwide. That’s before carriers start spending in spectrum auctions to get
those airwaves. “Somebody will have to pay for that.” Carriers will also have
to build out those 5G cell sites everywhere to support things like 5G-linked
autonomous vehicles if, as Orange’s Richard suggested, vehicle-to-vehicle automated
interactions are going to make stop lights “absolutely useless.” Otherwise,
some autonomous features would stop working outside of 5G coverage. Finally,
remember that carriers have yet to agree on a single detailed definition of
5G. As Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice president and leader of the
EU’s digital single market effort, said during an MWC panel: “The world does
not yet have any 5G standards or specifications.” Ignore the hype for now Verizon’s Gurnani suggested we’d see a 5G phone at next year’s
MWC, but the industry consensus for 5G’s arrival as a mass-market reality in
the U.S. remains sometime closer to 2020. You may see services advertised as
“5G” sooner — at an MWC event, PCMag’s Sascha Segan reported that both Sprint
(S) and T-Mobile (TMUS) might advertise upcoming gigabit-capable upgrades to
4G LTE “5G.” If that rebranding takes off, don’t be surprised to see AT&T
and Verizon apply the same label to the even faster “LTE Advanced Pro.” From https://www.yahoo.com/ 03/09/2017 The Ranking Digital Rights 2017 Corporate Accountability Index
Is Now Online! The 2017 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index
finds the world’s most powerful internet, mobile and telecommunications
companies leave users in the dark, failing to disclose key information about
policies affecting users’ rights. Tune in here at 9:30am ET (13:30 GMT) to
watch the 2017 Index launch event at New America in Washington, DC. You can also
join the conversation on Twitter by following @rankingrights and by using the
hashtag #rankingrights. According to the 2017 Corporate Accountability Index, top companies
fail to disclose key corporate policies and practices affecting freedom of
expression and privacy. While some companies have improved since they were
first evaluated in 2015, most of the world’s internet users do not receive
adequate information about how companies’ policies affect what users can or
cannot say online or who is tracking them. Ranking Digital Rights analyzed a
representative group of 22 companies whose products and services collectively
are used by over half of the world’s 3.7 billion internet users. It builds on
the 2015 Corporate Accountability Index, which found widespread failure by
companies evaluated to disclose key information about their policies and
practices affecting freedom of expression and privacy. Companies were assessed
on 35 indicators in three categories: Governance, Freedom of Expression, and
Privacy. This methodology was revised since the 2015 Index, following an
extensive review and consultation process. It also includes new indicators,
focusing on company disclosures related to issues such as network shutdowns
and data breaches. Selected findings include: Top scores: Overall, Google ranked highest among 12 internet and
mobile companies, followed closely by Microsoft. They were the only two
companies to score over 60 percent. The U.K.-based Vodafone and U.S.-based
AT&T tied for first place among 10 telecommunications companies, despite
significant gaps resulting in scores of less than 50 percent. Mobile
ecosystems: Six new companies were added to the 2017 Index, including Apple
and Samsung, which control the world’s largest mobile ecosystems. Apple
ranked seventh among the 12 internet and mobile companies evaluated, with an
overall score of only 35 percent, despite the company’s strong public stand
for users’ privacy rights in the face of recent U.S. government demands. A major reason for Apple’s relatively low score was lack of
disclosure about commitments and policies affecting freedom of expression.
Also, next to its U.S. peers, Apple disclosed little about how or whether it
has institutionalized commitments to protect users’ rights. Samsung ranked
ninth out of 12 companies in the same category, scoring only 26 percent.
Given that most of the world’s new internet users are coming online through
smartphones it is especially troubling that companies controlling the world’s
mobile ecosystems do not clearly disclose policies affecting users’ freedom
of expression and privacy. We hope the Index will lead to greater corporate
transparency across the industry, thereby empowering users to make more
informed decisions about how they use technology. Other highlights of the 2017 Index: Freedom of expression is getting short-changed. How do the
company’s actions affect our ability to publish, transmit, or access content?
With a couple of notable exceptions, most companies disclosed the least amount
of information about policies that affect users’ freedom of expression.
Handling of user information is opaque. How and for what purpose is our
information collected, shared, retained, and used? If somebody were to build a profile on
us using this information what would it look like? Companies don’t disclose
enough for us to understand our risks and make informed choices. Security
commitments lack sufficient evidence. Is a company making maximum efforts to
keep our information secure? While we don’t expect companies to reveal
security information that will help attackers, they need to provide clearer
evidence that their security policies and practices are robust enough for us
to trust them with sensitive information. The Index also includes practical
recommendations for steps that internet and telecommunications companies–as
well as other companies throughout the sector–can take to improve. These
include: Provide concrete evidence that the company has institutionalized
its commitments. While it is important for company leaders to demonstrate
strong personal commitments to users’ rights, it is even more important that
such commitments be clearly institutionalized. Otherwise, how do users know
whether policies and practices will change or stay the same after key
individuals leave the company? Explain to users why speech, access to
information, or access to service may be blocked or constrained. Who has the
ability to ask the company to remove or block content or otherwise restrict
speech? How does the company handle these requests? Are there effective
grievance and remedy mechanisms? Companies must be transparent and
accountable about the circumstances under which access to a service may be
denied, or content is restricted or blocked. Demonstrate a credible
commitment to security. Companies should maintain industry standards of
encryption and security, conduct security audits, monitor employee access to
information, and educate users about threats. These policies and practices
should be disclosed to users. To view and download the complete
report—including in-depth analysis and “report cards” for each company—as
well as raw data files and other materials, visit
rankingdigitalrights.org/index2017. The 2017 Index website and data
visualization were developed in partnership with the SHARE Foundation, a
digital rights NGO. From https://rankingdigitalrights.org/ 03/28/2017 5 Lessons for Cities on the Cusp of a Smart Revolution When it comes to creating an urban space infused with
technology, there are many cities in both developed and developing country
contexts that are seeing success. Barcelona, Spain, is just one city gaining
a reputation as a leader in smart innovation. In 2014, the Catalan capital
was awarded the first European Capital of Innovation Award by the European
Commission, “for introducing the use of new technologies to bring the city
closer to citizens,” and in 2011 was chosen to host the Mobile World Congress
for seven years. Each smart innovation the city has integrated collectively
contributes to improving urban mobility, promoting an inclusive community and
transforming public spaces, while impacting citizens’ quality of life, the
environment and local economy. In that respect, smart technology is proving
to be an effective tool as cities strive to achieve the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. Munish Khetrapal, managing director of Smart Cities and Internet
of Things at multinational technology company Cisco, explained that
Barcelona’s energy efficient LED street lighting system alone had lowered
costs by 20-40 percent, while a waste management sensor system had improved
efficiency by up to 15 percent. In an internal study of 250 cities over three
and a half years, Cisco found that if cities start to digitize themselves,
“over $3 trillion of incremental value can be created,” said Khetrapal. So is
this progress reserved only for those cities ahead of the technology curve,
or can any city learn from Barcelona’s achievements? “With the whole IoT boom
and the technology of digitization, the barrier between developed and
developing city doesn’t exist. It’s all about innovation now,” said
Khetrapal, adding that it’s important someone working in this space can build
and design technology in a global context, and implement it in a local
context. This need for local knowledge and understanding could mean a boost
in job opportunities for local residents when smart technology comes rolling
into their city. For those working to implement such systems in cities on the
cusp of a smart revolution, here are five lessons that can be learned from
Barcelona’s transformation. 1. Identify gaps and priorities Pilar Conesa, founder of the innovation consultancy Anteverti,
as well as the annual Smart City Expo in Barcelona, said that it is important
cities first “identify what their gaps and priorities are.” Upon its creation
in 2011, the Urban Habitat Department in Barcelona did just that. It
identified 12 significant areas for improvement, including architecture,
water and urban planning, and then devised 24 programs, such as the smart
water project and the zero emissions mobility project, to tackle these.
Conesa explained that when addressing a city’s needs the focus should not be
concentrated on improving a single area, but balancing and evolving different
areas. “There are some cities who have already improved a lot in
sustainability or mobility, but Barcelona has a balance between
sustainability, energy and developing technology platforms in order to
connect all the information around the city,” she said. This means that
funding should be made available for projects covering a variety of areas,
such as health care, mobility and economic development. 2. Think for the future A big part of achieving this balance is planning ahead.
Barcelona has been forecasting for the possible effects of global warming by
introducing smart infrastructure such as the hybrid bus network. Khetrapal
said cities in India are beginning to replicate this same forward thinking.
“It’s not only about the next step and where the next wave of cities are
going, [and] it’s not about finding out what the city needs to do today —
that’s a journey they have already started,” he said. “It’s what they need to
be doing for tomorrow [that’s important].” While for Barcelona that could
mean looking to combat pollution and excess waste, Khetrapal said that many
cities in India are concerned with traffic accidents, and are using new data
derived from smart systems to predict climate and congestion patterns. From
there, they can look to prevent accidents and traffic build-up by setting up
alternative routes, which could not only potentially save lives, but also
protect the environment by reducing fuel emissions. This innovation is
happening in India because of their ability to build on the learnings cities
across the world have already implemented, said Khetrapal. 3. Involve citizens in the process Josep Roig, secretary general of United Cities and Local
Governments, a global knowledge-sharing network for city leaders based in
Barcelona, highlighted that when going through the urban development process,
people should be considered just as much as the environment. “Local
governments have to look at people and place at the same time,” said Roig.
“This is our main aim — how we develop or urbanize to make sure this is for
the well-being of the people living there.” That means keeping residents
informed of changes, explaining new processes and asking them for input.
While this may be standard procedure for organizations implementing
development projects, such a collaborative approach could be new to many city
leaders. In Barcelona, one way this is being done is through neighborhood
FabLabs. These are spaces equipped with digital technology that help empower
citizens to create smart innovations to improve their local area, while
tapping into the knowledge of a global community. “The change in cities has
to come from an understanding of your own context, which is why we talk more
about inspiration than replication.” — Sara Hoeflich, UCLG’s director of learning and cooperation There are currently 1,033 such spaces worldwide. In the town of
Bohol, Philippines, this kind of space has been used by local innovators to
repurpose plastic and reduce the amount of waste. 4. Consider context Understanding the local area is another point Cisco’s Khetrapal
said is important for city managers and project implementers to remember. “In
a smart city it’s not just about technology, it's about understanding what
culture is there — what works well in one city doesn’t necessarily translate
to another,” he said. “Barcelona has the ability to transform visionary
leadership, but also understands that you have to maintain local culture as
you intersect it with technology.” Citing Cisco’s parking sensor project in
Barcelona, Khetrapal explained the same system couldn’t automatically be
implemented elsewhere, because the sensors won’t work if there is snow, for
example. While that isn’t a problem for Barcelona, or Bangalore, India —
where the system is currently being replicated — it could be an obstacle
elsewhere. Sara Hoeflich, United Cities and Local Governments’ director of
learning and cooperation, agrees that considering context before replication
is key. “Bilbao or Barcelona are [examples of] very inspiring cities and
great things are being done, but replication is rarely possible because we
never have the same context,” she said. “The change in cities has to come
from an understanding of your own context, which is why we talk more about
inspiration than replication.” 5. Work with local partners That’s where working with local partners comes in. Multinational
companies are working with local companies to implement smart systems,
because “innovation is happening on the ground,” Khetrapal said. Cisco
partnered with Worldsensing, a Barcelona-based technology company, to
implement the city’s parking sensor system, and worked with Israel’s Takadu to
manage and collect information on wastewater management. As an increasing
number of cities begin to navigate their way through smart city
transformation, there are others that have already begun the process and
their experiences can be accessed and adapted. Barcelona is one among many
other cities, such as Medellin, Colombia, and Seoul, South Korea, that are
already on that journey, and their lessons can be tapped into via sharing
platforms, city partnerships and high-profile events. While the journey a city
goes through is its own, and should be crafted considering its local context,
it is important to remember that whatever the challenges encountered — what’s
important is how the course correction is made, and how project leaders and
city managers are applying lessons learned along the way. From https://www.devex.com/ 04/05/2017 How Smart Cities Are Building the Future Smart cities are coming.Municipal governments around the globe
are employing big data and Internet-of-Things applications to improve many
aspects of daily life. Major tech companies like IBM, Cisco and Microsoft are
in on the trend, and are battling for a slice of the $15 billion that's
projected to be spent on software by 2021, according to Juniper
Research.Urban residents accounted for 54 percent of the total global
population in 2014, according to the World Health Organization, and that
figure was projected to grow nearly 2 percent each year until 2020.That
growth means that cities are facing increasing challenges, including
congested transport and the need to supply sufficient energy to meet demands
of growing populations.Juniper Research noted a city's ability to provide
renewable energy, alongside its means to efficiently manage energy storage
will be increasingly important. "Right now North America and China are leading the way,
although Trump is likely to dampen what is already slowing U.S.
investment," Steffen Sorrell, principal analyst at Juniper Research
said.President Donald Trump has supported fossil fuel production and
repeatedly denied climate change."Who would have thought 10 to 15 years
ago, that the Far East and China would be leading the globe in smart energy
efforts by 2020?" Sorrell said.Still, many challenges remain for cities
on their way to becoming "smart." Major upfront costs for both
infrastructure and software are propelling many governments to turn to
public-private partnerships.CNBC looks at three cities working on becoming
"smart": Singapore The city-state might be the "smart" gold-standard for
its extensive effort to collect data on daily living. Its Smart Nation
program was launched in 2014 and collects data on many facets of life.Data is
collected in a platform, Virtual Singapore, which helps the government
understand how the city is functioning in real-time and potentially predict
how crowds might react in an explosion or how infectious disease might
spread. Dubai As part of the Smart Dubai initiative, the government has rolled
out more than 50 smart services from 22 government entities. It allows people
to access everything on one app, Dubai Now.App users can do everything from
pay a speeding ticket, pay an electric bill, renew vehicle registration and
track the status of a visa. Barcelona The Spanish city is working to rethink its energy costs, with a
goal of saving billions of dollars in the process, according to Juniper.Using
motion sensors, Barcelona has implemented smart lighting in its street lights
which dims and brightens depending on activity by cars or pedestrians. The
city offers systems that allow drivers to know exactly where free public
parking spots are available at any given time. From http://www.cnbc.com/ 04/05/2017 World Bank Group Launches New Open Data and Analytics Energy
Platform Key energy sector data will now be easily accessible in one
place and at no cost on the new and growing ENERGYDATA.INFO, an open data and
analytics platform the World Bank Group and partner organizations launched
today at the Sustainable Energy for All Forum.Governments, companies,
development organizations, and others can both find and contribute
energy-related data on ENERGYDATA.INFO. So far it features more than 150
datasets and applications from 10 partner organizations, including: Bloomberg
New Energy Finance, World Resources Institute, Columbia University Earth
Institute, GIZ, the United Nations, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm,
Innovation EnergieDéveloppement (IED), and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.The
collaborative initiative is a public good, aimed at harnessing the data
revolution to speed up progress on the seventh United Nations Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG 7). In developed economies, access to data and complex
analytics is fueling the transformation of the energy sectors, while a data
gap persists for developing economies where investment is greatly needed. “To meet the targets for SDG 7, we must invest in and prioritize
open data. ENERGYDATA.INFO will be of enormous value to the private sector
and to policymakers, providing data they can use to de-risk investments and
make more informed decisions, leading to faster impact on the ground. We
encourage others to join our effort to make this kind of energy data widely
available,” said Riccardo Puliti, Senior Director and Head of Energy and
Extractives at the World Bank. ENERGYDATA.INFO users can access electricity
network maps to better plan renewable plant locations and off-grid solutions
deployments, technical and commercial performances of African utilities to
better assess investment risks, time-series maps of renewable measurement
sites to facilitate large-scale renewable feasibility studies, and
high-resolution population and settlement geospatial datasets to plan energy
projects for greater impact. Beyond datasets, it features tools to dig deeper, with apps that
allow users to: Assess the potential market for off-grid energy solutions Determine solar power potential and solar plant prospective
electricity outputs for any given location Monitor rural electrification progress from nightlight satellite
imagery data Generate universal electrification scenarios, and more. To meet Sustainable Energy for All objectives, it is estimated
that renewable energy investment would need to increase by a factor of 2-3,
while energy efficiency investment would need to increase by a factor of 3-6,
according to the new Global Tracking Framework report released this week.
Estimates suggest that a five-fold increase would be needed to reach
universal access by 2030. From http://www.worldbank.org/ 04/05/2017 This Fundamental Global Problem Touches Everything from Farming
to Technology Bone-thin, malnourished kids in the developing world staring
blankly into the camera have become the poster children of nearly every
campaign to end world hunger. Yet despite evidence suggesting enough food is
produced to feed every mouth on the planet, that global struggle
persists.More than 20 million people in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and
Yemen risk death by starvation by July, the United Nations warned in
February. South Sudan has already declared a state of famine in a crisis
largely due to a violent civil war.But fighting global hunger is just one of
the many complex challenges under food security.From diseases affecting
plants and animals to climate change to protectionist trade policies, the
threats are diverse and plenty. Meanwhile, the demand for food continues to
swell with global population projected to grow by another 2 billion by
2020.Against this dreary backdrop, governments, multinational corporations
and start-ups are looking to innovation and investments for solutions. Public sector support Singapore was ranked the third most food-secure country after
the U.S. and Ireland on the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2016 Global Food
Security Index, which measures the affordability, availability, quality and
safety of food across 113 countries.It was a remarkable feat for the
island-nation, smaller than New York City, to be ranked higher on the index
than food-producing neighbors like Malaysia and Thailand.Instead of looking
to become food self-sufficient, the land-scarce country embarked on a
comprehensive food security road map in 2013, which included a commitment to
food innovation and to diversify food import sources.The EIU index also
revealed that Singapore's agricultural tariff rates at 1.1 percent were the
lowest in the world, underpinning the affordability of food in a country
heavily dependent on food imports. Singapore's government agency, Agri-Food and Veterinary
Authority (AVA), also supports its local farmers through productivity funding
schemes and has agrotechnology parks, which support local farms with the
infrastructure for advanced technologies and techniques.Over in China,
Beijing has rolled out drastic agriculture reforms to protect food security,
such as the introduction of tax on fertilizers and pesticides and incentives
for domestic farmers to grow crops in a sustainable manner.Recent Chinese
acquisitions also reflect the country's food security priorities, from the
controversial purchase of Australia's largest dairy farm, Tasmania's Van
Diemen's Land Company, to a 50 percent stake in Silver Fern Farms, which is
New Zealand's largest meat processor.The Agricultural Development Bank of
China, which is one of the country's main policy lenders, also agreed last
year to invest up to 3 trillion yuan ($450 billion) by 2020 to modernize
China's agriculture industry. Meeting nutritional and dietary needs In a bid to combat malnutrition and "hidden hunger" —
which occurs when the quality of food people eat does not meet their nutrient
requirements — one Singapore-based start-up hoped that a simple yet
innovative solution might be found in a staple food.Two years ago, news
reports uncovered the poor quality and nutrition of catered meals for foreign
construction workers in Singapore, which gave Jack Sim the idea for a social
enterprise to provide fortified rice.Sim, founder of non-profit group Base of
Pyramid Hub, partnered with Dutch nutritional products manufacturer Royal DSM
to blend nutritionally-fortified rice kernels with ordinary milled rice, and
then sell it to caterers in Singapore.The start-up, called 45Rice, provided
over 200,000 meals for foreign workers last year and launched a mobile app
platform to connect caterers using fortified rice with construction firms. 45Rice General Manager Kevin Moon told CNBC the company is
hoping to get its products on the shelves of local supermarkets by the
third-quarter of 2017, and it has plans to eventually expand into developing
markets."Infusing our everyday foods with nutritional fortification will
become especially important in the near future, especially as climate change
begins to make a deeper impact on the availability and production of staple
foods," Pieter Nuboer, vice president of human nutrition and health at
DSM, said in an e-mail to CNBC.Nuboer also stressed the importance of
innovation to help meet the demand of a growing global population and
changing dietary choices.Royal DSM has a project named "Proteins of the
Future," which extracts plant protein from the inedible by-products of
rapeseed and canola oil extraction, he said. The plant proteins can then be
added to sports nutrition or elderly nutrition products. Supporting small-scale farmers with Agritech While government programs and fortified products can help food security,
farms are ultimately the backbone of the industry.But as supply chains
consolidate, there has been a growing global warning that small-scale farmers
need to be supported.About 90 percent of the world's farms are owned and
operated by families, most of them are small and found in rural areas of the
developing world, FAO data showed. Many of these smallholder family farmers
are poor and food insecure, with limited access to markets and
services.Companies like Cargill need to support these smaller farmers, not by
asking them to merge into a big firm, but by helping them increase
productivity through service support and education of best practices, said
Peter van Deursen, the Asia Pacific chief executive officer of
Cargill."If you get production of smallholders up, you can raise their
income and allow them to reinvest in the farm…these smallholders can be part
of a solution (to food security) in some parts of the world," he
said.Agritech — the buzzword for technology used to enhance farming systems
and agricultural production — can also support small farms.Anything from farm
management software to precision agriculture and predictive analytics can be
agritech, and some see it as a good investment."Agriculture is a risky
business, as it is regulated by governments in most countries, and venture
capital firms lack the domain expertise so very few invest in this
sector," said Arun Kant, chief executive and chief investment officer at
Singapore-based investing firm Leonie Hill Capital. But Kant told CNBC that as technology plays a bigger role in
agriculture and as governments start to relax private investment regulations
investors could see better returns from their investments. One of the firm's
latest investments, according to Kant, is in a start-up that supports
small-scale dairy farmers in India by providing smart milk collection and
other services.Sanjay Nath, who told CNBC he was the founder of the company,
said he saw an opportunity in the dairy industry because there was a need to
reform the current unhygienic practices of milk collection, improve the
safety and quality of the product and help farmers receive fairer
incomes.Euromonitor analyst DilipRadhakrishna told CNBC the Indian dairy
industry "is unorganized and cold storage facilities have not been
well-developed."Indian dairy farmers are also disadvantaged by the
"low procurement prices offered by the government and private
bodies" and the "dominance of middle men at milk collection
centers," the analyst said. The scope of the problem "Food security, free trade and sustainability are a
triangle of factors that are correlated with each other — one can't be
excluded from the other," Cargill's Van Deursen told CNBC.The world's
current food production is actually sufficient to feed its 7 billion people,
Van Deursen said, but protectionism is a major problem affecting the
availability and affordability of food. The barriers to open trade prevent
goods from moving freely from one place of surplus to another facing
shortage.The commodity giant chief cited Russia's grain export ban in 2010 as
an example of how one country's protectionism leads to a major disruption to
international food supply. Grain prices rose as a result of the ban. Egypt, Russia's
biggest wheat customer, had to scramble to find alternative sources, and the
government committed to subsidize grain and bread prices so as to avoid any
public unrest. Pakistan, which was another big importer of Russian wheat, saw
wheat prices surge just as the government was reducing food price protections
and its poverty rate rose by 1.6 percent over a short period, according to a
2011 Oxfam report.Sustainability is also another concern, as mounting
pressure on natural resources and climate change impact agriculture and food
production.The negative effects of climate change also mean there needs to be
a transformation of food and agriculture systems to protect the ecosystem
upon which agriculture depends, according to a United Nation's Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) 2016 report.The FAO report warned that climate
change will hurt the productivity of crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry
across all regions after 2030.Clarification: This article has been updated to
clarify the reference to Australia's Van Diemen's Land Company From http://www.cnbc.com/ 04/12/2017 Smart Cities Look to the Future Most citizens might view a streetlamp as just a streetlamp, but
to a city planner in a smart city, a light post is an opportunity to build a framework
for optimizing city operations such as environment, transportation, and
safety and security. Urban challenges such as safety and security, traffic
congestion, aging infrastructure, and even responses to events like climate
change and disasters, have often been addressed by silo-based departments.
However, more and more city governments are moving toward smart city
solutions that leverage IoT technologies. Smart city strategists and urban
planners need to implement the solutions that make it possible to utilize the
data collected from various kinds of devices for holistically optimizing city
operations. The Gartner Hype Cycle for Smart City Technologies and Solutions,
2016, revealed that CIOs and urban management leaders have embraced the smart
city idea for infrastructure and service delivery, despite the technological
challenges. “CIOs must leverage context-based data from different city
infrastructures to develop sustainable and forward-looking business and
citizen services, while optimizing city operations,” said Nagayoshi Nakano,
research vice president at Gartner. In the 2017 Predicts report, Mr. Nakano
shares some recommendations for smart city implementation. By 2020, 10% of
smart cities will use streetlamps as the backbone for a smart city WAN.
Cities switching from conventional streetlamps to LEDs presented an
interesting opportunity for smart city CIOs to utilize the new lamps’ already
connected status. Most LED streetlights have some form of connectivity,
usually to monitor the lamp and meter the power. It’s not a very strong
connectivity; generally they have low bandwidth and limited communication.
However, the simple fact that they offer connectivity means CIOs have a
unique opportunity to create a citywide WAN using streetlamps. This would
actually supply more bandwidth to the streetlamps, which allows for more
sophisticated streetlamp technology such as video, and creates a network. It
solves the immediate problem of streetlamp connectivity, but also lays the
groundwork for future smart city projects. This will reduce the need to have
multiple networks within the smart city infrastructure, and eliminate each
future projects from having their own WANs. CIOs should ensure that they have enough bandwidth to support
all conceivable smart city programs, or the ability to add at a reasonable
cost. It’s also important to plan where the streetlamps will be built to
ensure constant connectivity. Work with the city streetlamp vendor and plan
for any projects that might arise in the coming 10 to 20 years. By 2020, 30%
of smart cities’ ambient care applications — related to, for example,
medical/healthcare/nursing care, including proactive care — will have
introduced smart machines and robotics in nursing care and medical
facilities. City planners are tasked with issues surrounding medical,
healthcare and nursing issues. Smart cities, which offer ambient care
solutions, provide innovative opportunities in these industries. For example,
IoT technologies such as sensor devices and big data analytics can monitor
patients’ locations and conditions. Other ambient solutions involve smart
machines such as robotics that enable patients to move where they need to go
safety, while reducing caregiver workload. Read More: A CIO’s Framework for Communicating Strategy Technologies such as walking support robots for rehabilitation
have been introduced at 200 locations in Japan, and psychological care
assistance is appearing across the world in nursing and medical facilities.
Future iterations of this technology will allow for autonomous-basis
(proactive care) rehabilitation. CIOs should develop a communications plan to
introduce these types of smart city ambient care solutions that optimize
therapeutic performance. Get Smarter Client Research Gartner clients can read the rest of the smart city predictions
in Predicts 2017: Smart Cities Must Create the Right Data Orchestration for
Sustainable Citizen and Business Services and view the full Hype Cycle for
Smart City Technologies and Solutions, 2016. This research is part of the
Gartner Special Report “Predicts 2017: Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way: A
Gartner Trend Insight Report,” a collection of research that focuses on
predictions that allow companies to plan strategically for both expected and
unexpected change. From http://www.gartner.com/ 04/20/2017 What Can the UN Do If Your Country Cuts the Internet? It has been almost a year since internet access was declared a
human right, yet infringements continue. Between January and March 2017,
internet in two English-speaking regions of Cameroon was cut off for almost
100 days following protests over an attempt to force the use of French in
schools and courtrooms. In late April, the government blocked social media in
India-administered Kashmir on the grounds that it was "being misused by
anti-national and antisocial elements". These cases came just months
after Freedom House, the US-based freedom of expression watchdog, said that
internet freedom across the globe had declined for a sixth consecutive year.
The organisation said governments are specifically targeting messaging
applications like WhatsApp and Telegram in a bid to control the flow of
information. In a resolution passed in July 2016, the UN Human Rights Council
described the internet as having "great potential to accelerate human
progress". It also condemned "measures to intentionally prevent or
disrupt access to or dissemination of information online". The non-binding resolution, adopted by more than 70 countries,
noted "that the exercise of human rights, in particular the right to
freedom of expression, on the internet is an issue of increasing interest and
importance". But understanding what this means for internet users can be
difficult. To what extent is internet access a human right? What can the
United Nations do if a government blocks social media? Can there ever be a
legal justification for controlling the net? We spoke to David Kaye, the UN's
Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, to understand it
better. Al Jazeera: What does it mean to say 'the internet is a human right'
and do all countries subscribe to this idea? Increasingly over the last
several years the Human Rights Council [UNHRC], which is the central human
rights body within the UN system, has said that rights which the individual
enjoys offline apply online as well. However, there's nothing in human rights
law or treaties that says everyone has a right to the internet. But it does say that in the universal declaration of human
rights and the international covenant on civil and political rights. They
both have an Article 19 which sets the standard and says that everyone has
the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds,
regardless of frontiers and through any media. So, if it's through any media
that we have this right to self-expression, that includes the internet. So
when a state shuts down the internet or blocks internet in any way that's
clearly a direct interference with freedom of expression. States have the
ability to impose restrictions on freedom of expression, but even in human
rights law those need to be narrowly drafted, they need to be legal, provided
by and within laws, and necessary to protect a specific objective. Q&A: Amira Yahyaoui on press freedom and fake news Al Jazeera: Can there be a justification for states to block
certain sites or social media or to cut the internet? The rule in human
rights law is that any restriction on freedom of expression has to be
provided by law, necessary, and proportionate in order to protect a specific
objective. These objectives are basically the rights and reputations of
others, national security and public order, and public health and morals.
When we see a state block a website or take down the internet, there are
questions we need to ask. One is about the law. It's not enough for a state
to have a law that allows the blocking of a website. One of the problems is that rising authoritarianism is restricting
freedom of expression offline as well as online. That law needs to be drafted
in such a way that doesn't give the government unreviewable discretion. It
needs to involve the courts. There needs to be a judicial element on the
restriction of expression. There needs to be a law that is understandable by
the people. We need to ask if this is necessary for national security and
public order. Often, when a state blocks access to a specific website, the
state doesn't show why it's necessary to do that to meet a legitimate
objective like national security. We need to be encouraging them to show why
it's necessary and asking if they have alternative means to deal with threats
to national security and public order. Most of the time there are things the
state can do other than blocking the internet. It needs to be proportionate.
Blocking access to the internet harms people who need to communicate for
financial or health reasons. It is a disproportionate response to a perceived
threat. These restrictions very rarely show necessity and in most cases are
disproportionate. Al Jazeera: When a state cuts the internet or blocks sites, what
role does your office play in establishing if it's justified? The Human
Rights Council appoints different monitors to evaluate issues around the
world and they appointed me to look at freedom of expression. That means we
will communicate directly with the government when we have information about
restrictions to freedom of expression. Sometimes, governments don't respond
to us and if it's an urgent issue we might do a press statement about it, but
part of our role is to make sure that states understand what the rules are in
human rights law. We can't change states' behaviour but can encourage them to
behave and adopt laws and policies that are consistent with human rights
obligations. We try to make it a dialogue with states, and it's not always
successful but that's what we hope to do. Al Jazeera: What is currently happening with the government of
India for instance? Are you communicating with them over the restrictions in
Indian-administered Kashmir? We haven't raised our concerns with them yet,
but I expect we will pretty soon. We're trying to gather information on the
nature of restrictions, so the first thing we would do is communicate with
the government through their mission in Geneva. But this is also a situation
where it's been going on for several years. It might be the kind of situation
where we would want to raise it publicly, as well. We haven't done that yet
but we will soon. Al Jazeera: Cameroon cut the internet in some regions for
almost 100 days in response to protests. There was some criticism that the UN
was not doing enough. It was similar in that we communicated directly with the
government. We never received a response from them, but that's usual. We made
a public statement on the issue, and we [try] to keep our concern public.
There's very little I can do other than identifying a threat against freedom
of expression and encouraging the said countries to meet their obligations,
as well as supporting individuals who are being denied access. It's not the
UN alone that can do this, it needs to be states and private actors like big
telecommunications companies and internet service providers, social media and
service providers that might be active in the country. Al Jazeera: Service
providers are the middle ground between governments and the people, and often
control the internet. Do you communicate with them and are people able to
hold service providers to account when they cut the internet or block certain
sites? We get in touch with companies pretty regularly. They don't have
a lot of opportunity to resist government restrictions, so if the government
says to shut down the internet in a place, it's hard for them to say no. We're
trying to encourage those companies to push back where they can and demand
judicial orders. They should ask questions so they don't just do it right off
the bat. They need to make the countries explain themselves at the very
least, to mitigate the risk. Al Jazeera: What incentives do companies have to
push back against governments? These companies lose money during internet
shutdowns. Putting aside the freedom of expression, shutdowns cause harm to
companies. So, it would suit them to be exercising whatever economic leverage
they might have to push back these restrictions. They don't have a whole lot
of flexibility in responding, so it seems like these companies might be on
the side of the government. What we're trying to do in my next report to the
[UNHCHR] in June, is to encourage companies to do more during a shutdown, to
push back the government and raise more issues. We have to do a lot of work
to get companies to think in those terms. OPINION: More freedom of expression for the Middle East Al Jazeera: The internet is a "human right" and yet
it's being cut more than ever - is this not a contradiction? Is it a
"liberal" fantasy that the internet is this free space? On one
hand, states are saying on the Human Rights Council that online rights are
equivalent to offline but we're seeing an increasing number of restrictions.
This is a contradiction and I think that those of us who are advocating for
it, or journalists and activists, need to be constantly pushing for laws that
protect this space and demand that governments meet their obligations in
digital spaces just as in non-digital spaces. One of the problems is that
rising authoritarianism is restricting freedom of expression offline as well
as online. It's an uphill battle. We need to encourage companies to follow
the rule of law. When a state says to take down this post or block this
website, we should hope that they're pushing back and behaving according to
human rights norms. From http://www.aljazeera.com/ 05/14/2017 Big Data Can Have a 'Big Impact' on Achievement of Global Goals,
UN Says on IT Day Mastering and measuring 'big data' – to map poverty from space
or use mobile phones to track food security – could boost evidence-based
decision-making at local and global levels and drive the implementation of
all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations
telecommunications agency said today. “The theme for 2017 is Big Data for Big
Impact, which will explore the power of big data for development and examine
the opportunities to convert unprecedented quantities of data into
information that can drive development,” said the Secretary-General of the
International Telecommunication, Union Houlin Zhao, in his message on the
Day. Mr. Zhao projects that the insight brought about by more focused data
analysis will enable evidence-based decision-making at national, regional and
international levels and help to advance the UN 2030 Agenda and its
corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World
Telecommunication and Information Society Day is celebrated annually on 17
May to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet
and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to
societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. This year's commemoration also provides an occasion to take a
closer look at the importance of governance and regulation, says Mr. Zaho,
highlighting the implications for personal privacy and security given the
future exponential growth in data and connectivity. The ITU Secretary-General
further states that activities undertaken by the ITU membership will
contribute towards building momentum to embrace big data on a global scale
and to seize new opportunities to address development challenges. Recently
ITU announced the top-90 winning Information and Communication Technology for
Development (ICT4D) initiatives from around the world competing for
prestigious WSIS Prizes 2017, with over a million online votes casted for 345
nominated projects. The winners will be announced during ITU's World Summit
on the Information Society Forum in June. From http://www.un.org/ 05/18/2017 Technology and Humans Can Be Complementary, Not Competitive,
Says SATS CEO Advancements in the field of robotics have driven fears across
the globe that many jobs could soon be displaced by machines.But that does
not always have to be the case, according to Alex Hungate, president and CEO
of airport ground-handler and catering solutions provider SATS.The company,
which operates in 50 locations across 14 countries, has made large inroads in
technological investments under Hungate's leadership. The investments seem to
have paid off, with SATS reporting an increase in overall productivity across
its business units while keeping labor costs in check.Speaking with CNBC's
"Capital Connection" on Tuesday, Hungate said that robotics and
automation technology implementations in companies often stumble due to a
failure to allay employees' fears: "At SATS, we're technology-driven but
we're people-led, so we try to encourage people to come up with the ideas
about how we use technology and we remove the threat that you referred to by
stating very clearly that we don't intend to reduce their jobs.""We
intend to keep the same number of people over the long term and benefit from
these growth trends," he added, emphasizing the importance of people-driven
innovation at SATS. The company is also betting big on e-commerce in Southeast Asia,
opening the SATS e-commerce Airhub in Singapore's Changi Airport recently in
a bid to rapidly increase capacity to meet rising demand in the
region."E-commerce is one of the big stories of our age, you know,
Southeast Asia is actually the fastest growing internet region in the world.
E-commerce volumes (are) growing at about 30 percent per annum and (are)
estimated to be $88 billion in value by 2025," Hungate said.To stay ahead
of the curve, the adoption of technology has become a necessity for the
company."What we don't want is the top line increase to drop down, you
know, to require hiring a lot more people so it doesn't drop to the bottom
line," Hungate said. "By deploying capital in technology, in a
high-tech facility like this, we're going from 500 mailbags per hour to 1,800
mail bags per hour today and then we have the ability to double that without
hiring any people."Looking ahead, Hungate said technology is likely to
continue playing an important role for the company. From http://www.cnbc.com/ 04/19/2017 10 Reasons to Hide Your IP Address You have an IP address if you are reading this. Your IP
(Internet Protocol) address is simply a series of numbers separated by dots
(or octets) that represent where you are, or "what network" you are
originating traffic from. Now, you might be behind a firewall - which means
you have a NATed IP address, in fact all computers behind your NAT firewall
will have the same public facing IP. But none-the-less, you have an IP that
anyone can find and reverse to usually your physical location, and sometimes
even access into your computer.Let's assume here that you aren't a conspiracy
theorist and you aren't wanting to hide from the shadow government you feel
is stalking you. But you understand how important security is and want to
take every possible precaution possible to make sure you aren't giving anyone
your private information, or giving hackers the ability to spy on you. The
following 10 ideas highlight why you might want to consider hiding or
"masking" your IP address from the world. They come to us from
NordVPN, who wants you to know why it’s important. 1.) To browse websites without disclosing identity. When a user
hides their IP by using encryption, all their Internet browsing activity
becomes invisible. 2.) To access to streaming from any location. It’s sometimes
impossible to access favorite shows when on vacation in another country,
simple because they are geo-blocked and access is denied. Hiding an IP
through a VPN allows to connect to the desired country’s server and to enjoy
the entertainment as if streaming from home. 3.) To stay safe from snoopers looking to access information.
There might be many snoopers lurking around - including advertisers and, more
dangerously, hackers. Hiding the real IP address gives a great layer of
protection online, because the real physical location is disguised. 4.) To protect oneself when using a Wi-Fi hotspot. Public Wi-Fi
networks are unsecured and open to everyone. Using a VPN service allows to be
anonymous while logging into an unprotected network, where hackers could be
lurking, waiting to steal personal identities and financial information. 5.) To access websites that are not available to the geographic
location of the IP address. For example, Facebook and Google are blocked in
China; LinkedIn and many other sites are blocked in Russia; many YouTube
videos are not available in Germany. Hiding an IP address and anonymously
connecting to another country through a VPN allows to access content not
available in that particular physical location. 6.) To bypass school or workplace restrictions. Sometimes, a
school or workplace will place restrictions on certain sites - but that can
be easily bypassed by hiding the IP address through a VPN. 7.) To bypass government surveillance and Internet censorship.
Most governments around the world are increasingly tightening surveillance
laws. For example, UK’s Investigatory Powers Bill is giving powers for bulk
hacking thousands of computers. It becomes especially dangerous if all the
collected data falls into the wrong hands, such as those of hackers and
fraudsters. Opening a door for government to access web browsing data and
metadata makes everyone’s online activity vulnerable. Hiding the IP address
allows users to hide their Internet activity from government surveillance. 8.) To hide Internet activity from ISP (Internet Service
Provider). Often Internet Service Providers are obligated to track and hold
on to data that users generate online. There are also several Internet
providers have been known to track, collect and even sell customer data to
third parties or use it for their own promotional purposes. Hiding the IP
address will keep information private and inaccessible. 9.) To keep private searches private. Search engines track and
store data on user’s online activity. The search history can be easily
backtracked by any other user who logs into the same computer. It’s important
to clear cookies after every browsing session while using a VPN service. 10.) To enjoy Internet freedom. When World Wide Web was created
in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee, its purpose was for the web technology to be
available to everyone, always. Creativity, innovation, education,
communication and exchange of ideas are inseparable from the freedom the
Internet offers, and everyone should be able to enjoy it without any
restrictions. Hiding the IP would guarantee the privacy and right to
expression online. From https://appdevelopermagazine.com/ 03/05/2017 EUROPE: Learning from the Past - The Key to Making Better Data-driven
Dicisions With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected
devices, the amount of data agencies collect continues to grow, as do the
challenges associated with managing that data. Handling these big data
challenges will require federal IT pros to use new data mining methodologies
that are ideal for hybrid cloud environments. These methodologies can improve
network efficiency through automated and intelligent decision-making that’s
driven by predictive analytics.Today’s environments require a break from the
data analysis methods of the past, which were time-consuming and required an
enormous amount of manual labor. Traditionally, data analysis has required
massive investments in computational power and teams of data scientists working
around the clock to parse the meaning behind the information. That was
difficult before the IoT, connected devices, and hybrid cloud environments
became commonplace; today, it’s nearly impossible. Data lives across numerous departmental silos—and not to mention
multiple IT environments—making it hard for IT departments to keep track of
it all. It’s difficult to achieve clear insights into these types of
environments using traditional data mining approaches, and even more
difficult to take those insights and use them to ensure consistent and
flawless network performance.Agencies need tools that make it easier for
federal IT pros to monitor and analyze data that lives both on-premises and
across several clouds. Having this cross-stack view of IT data can help
agencies compare disparate metrics and events across hybrid infrastructure,
identify patterns and the root cause of problems, and analyze historical data
to help pinpoint the cause of system behavior. Predicting the Future Automated data mining paired with predictive analytics addresses
both the need to identify useful data patterns and use that analysis to
predict—and prevent—possible network issues. By using predictive analytics,
administrators can automatically analyze and act on historical trends in
order to predict future states of systems. Past performance issues can be
evaluated in conjunction with current environments, enabling networks to
“learn” from previous incidents and avert future issues.With predictive
analysis, administrators can be quickly alerted about potential problems so
they can address issues before they occur. An administrator might receive an
alert regarding their disk space running out, or that a patch will fail upon
installation. The system derives this intelligence based on past experiences
and known performance issues, and can apply that knowledge to the
administrator’s present situation so that network slowdowns or downtime can
be proactively prevented. By comparing both historical and recent data,
predictive analytics can help IT pros make informed predictions about the
future. Learning from the Past Administrators can take things a step further and incorporate
prescriptive analytics and machine learning into their data analysis mix. While
predictive analytics is essential for providing insights into opportunities
and highlighting potential risks, prescriptive analytics and machine learning
actually provide recommendations to prevent problems, like potential viruses
or malware, before they occur across the IT environment. Prescriptive
analytics can help agencies overcome threats and react to suspicious behavior
by establishing what “normal” network activity looks like.Using new, modern
approaches to data analysis can help agencies make sense of their data and
keep their networks running at the utmost efficiency. Predictive and
prescriptive analysis, along with machine learning, can help keep networks
running smoothly and prevent potential issues before they occur. Each of
these approaches will prove invaluable as agencies’ data needs continue to
grow. From https://www.govloop.com/ 04/13/2017 U.K.: Google Launches Internet Citizens Workshops Google is launching Internet Citizens, a series of day-long
workshops for 13-18 year olds in cities across the U.K., which supports
creators who are tackling social issues and promoting awareness, tolerance
and empathy on their YouTube channels. The workshops are part of its global
YouTube Creators for Change programme whose ambassadors were chosen
recently.With the workshops, Google aims to help young people find a positive
sense of belonging online and teach skills on the ways in which to
participate safely and responsibly, and use tools such as flagging and
comment moderation to make the web better for all. Some of the specific
topics deal with offensive speech, fake news, echo chambers and how they
could use video to bring diverse groups together.The workshops' curriculum
was designed by experts from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, in
partnership with UK Youth and Livity, and was also informed by its work with
an advisory council including Faith Associates, Active Change Foundation, the
MET Police, Demos and the Diana Award.With the help of UK Youth, the
programme will visit youth clubs across the country over the coming months. From https://www.telecompaper.com/ 04/24/2017 NORTH AMERICA: Canada - Corporate Culture Is Key to Digital
Transformation Digital transformation is more than just having a plan, experts
told the audience at the IDC Directions 2017 event held in Toronto on Mar.
28.In order for an enterprise to truly transform and be successful in the
modern technological age, there needs to be a cultural change along with a
practical strategy.“Culture eats strategy all day long,” Shawn Slack,
director of IT and CIO at the City of Mississauga, stressed at the event. “It’s
not just about modernizing the technology that you use. To effect real
change, companies need to break down the established norms within their
corporate culture and modernize them as well.”Continuing the conversation was
Steve Heck, global IT director at Microsoft, who said that in particular,
executives need to understand this point before they embark on a digital
transformation journey.“Executives need to understand what they have in terms
of business culture – and be realistic – and what they want to achieve in the
transition, and then how to get from one to the other,” he explained. “If
they don’t acknowledge that, or have a plan to navigate around the people in
the company who don’t [acknowledge the corporate culture], they lose the
ability to enact real change.” Steve Heck, global IT director at Microsoft, speaking at IDC
Directions 2017.He added that for those dealing with unwilling execs, boards
or stakeholders, the first step is “understanding why they may be resisting
letting go of traditional business methods and embracing the future.”“Once
you understand the reasoning behind their stance, you can work on changing
their views,” he said.Even in the public sphere, changing an organization’s
culture is important. Samantha Liscio, senior vice president of enterprise
planning and reporting at eHealth Ontario, explained that the biggest
challenge for public leaders is also breaking down cultural barriers. “Organizational culture is key to digital transformation –
everyone needs to be on board for it to work, from ministers and C-suite
executives to employees,” she told the audience. “If you don’t do the legwork
on making culture changes, no matter how compelling your vision is for
change, you won’t get there.”Samantha Liscio, senior vice president of enterprise
planning and reporting at eHealth Ontario.She said that oftentimes,
governance and bureaucracy make the road to digital transformation “bumpy,”
but by identifying barriers and where they are in a business or organization,
they can be fixed, avoided, or removed altogether.“Leaders need to make the
transition as frictionless as possible internally,” she continued. “When
you’re asking employees to fundamentally change what they do and how they do
it, you need to be aware of the challenges they will face and offer up a
support system to help, as well as keeping an open line of communication.” In an interesting counter point, Dan Donovan, a technology and
cloud strategy consultant and former vice president of technology at Porter
Airlines, explained that he actually had the opposite problem while at
Porter.Dan Donovan, a technology and cloud strategy consultant and former
vice president of technology at Porter Airlines.“We didn’t have anyone
opposing digital transformation because we were such a young company, we had
many individuals and groups who were eager for change and eager to innovate,”
he said. “It was great and we liked having people like that on board, but we
didn’t have a strong structure on how to prioritize and assign resources to
put this transformation in motion.”He told the crowd that many of the groups
went off on different paths and had to be reigned in with assigned roles
within the digital transformation process.“I guess it was part of the process
of going from a rapid high growth startup to a mature company,” he said. “The
culture for change was there but we needed a foundational plan first.” From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 03/29/2017 Cloud Computing Enters Its Second Decade In its first decade, cloud computing was disruptive to IT, but
looking into the second decade, it is becoming mature and an expected part of
most disruptions. For the past 10 years, cloud computing changed the expectations
and capabilities of the IT department, but now it is a necessary catalyst for
innovation across the company.As it enters its second decade, cloud computing
is increasingly becoming a vehicle for next-generation digital business, as
well as for agile, scalable and elastic solutions. As will be discussed at
the upcoming Gartner CIO & IT Executive Summit in Toronto, CIOs and other
IT leaders need to constantly adapt their strategies to leverage cloud
capabilities.By 2020, anything other than a cloud-only strategy for new IT
initiatives will require justi?cation at more than 30% of large-enterprise
organizations.During the past decade, cloud computing has matured on several
fronts. Today, most security analysis suggests that mainstream cloud
computing is more secure than on-premises IT. Cloud services are more often
functionally complete, and vendors now offer migration options. Importantly, innovation is rapidly shifting to the cloud, with
many vendors employing a cloud-first approach to product design and some
technology and business innovations available only as cloud services. This
includes innovations in the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.As
the pressure to move to cloud services increases, more organizations are
creating roadmaps that reflect the need to shift strategy. At these
organizations, projects that propose on-site resources are considered
conservative, as the reduced agility and innovation options decrease
competitive agility. Enterprises will begin to pressure IT departments to
embrace cloud computing.Keep in mind that not all projects can utilize cloud
services due to regulatory or security concerns or even the money that has
been invested in the projects. Also, some enterprises might lack the correct
skill sets and talent.By 2021, more than half of global enterprises already
using cloud today will adopt an all-in cloud strategy. The key to an all-in cloud strategy is not to “lift and shift”
data center content. Instead, enterprises should evaluate what applications
within the data center can be replaced with SaaS, refactored or rebuilt.
However, an all-in strategy will have more impact on IT compared to a
cloud-first or cloud-only strategy.By and large, companies that have shifted
to all-cloud have not returned to traditional on-premises data centers, with
even large companies embracing third-party cloud infrastructure.Enterprises
should begin to plan a roadmap for their cloud strategy, and ensure that lift
and shift is only being done when necessary, such as part of data center
consolidation efforts.(David Mitchell Smith is a vice president and Gartner
Fellow at Gartner, Inc., where he leads the agenda for cloud computing and
digital disruptors.) From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 03/31/2017 Using Cloud Automation to Drive Efficiency Inefficiencies around process issues are preventing companies
from attaining peak performance, says an IBM Senior IT Architect and cloud automation
expert.Geoff Beamer told an ITWC webinar recently that even successful
players are feeling overwhelmed as their employees are forced to spend a
sizeable chunk of their time dealing with non-revenue-driving issues.At a
time when the pace of change is accelerating and data-driven decisions are
replacing “gut-feeling” opportunities, Beamer said companies that ignore the
integrated service delivery opportunity run the risk of burning out their
employees – or losing them to the
competition altogether.“Companies cannot keep doing the things they have
always been doing and expect to be successful,” he said. “The key to freeing
up staff time – which translate
into money, space and resources to devote to more profit-centered activities
– lies in the automation of issue management — specifically, in cloud
automation.” Winning with cloud automation Cloud automation involves a “virtual engineer” that, by taking a
consistent and efficient approach to issue resolution and providing
insightful analytics, can greatly improve business uptime, IT responsiveness,
and overall service quality. Better response and remediation, with a dramatic
reduction in errors and high-severity incidents, makes cloud automation a
made-to-order solution for companies with challenges around issue management,
said Beamer.But automation does not come at the flip of a switch, said
Beamer. The journey is one of degrees, from from opportunistic automation to
fully cognitive automation. Among the benefits of cloud automation: - Reduction of error rates: Virtual engineers are consistent and
not prone to “human” errors, which means reduced outages and shorter delays
in restoring critical services - Enhanced response & remediation times: Less time to
respond to and remediate issues makes for dramatically more efficient IT
services - On-demand scalability: Ability to deal with asymmetric
workloads — to dispatch three virtual engineers or 300, as the situation
demands Beamer demonstrated the power of cloud automation by offering
statistics from a case study of a health insurance client. During a
four-month period he said the client: - achieved 99 per cent server penetration - had 24 per cent of overall account alerts auto-resolved - saw 34 per cent of incidents auto-assisted - had 58 per cent of its total issues handled by a virtual
engineer. Beamer said IBM’s cloud automation service works seamlessly,
with no challenges on implementation. One of the key features, its virtual
engineer, behaves a lot like a
human system administrator, without the errors and need for vacation. The
virtual engineer approaches all issues in a uniform manner, and will only
escalate problems to human agents if no remediation can otherwise be
achieved.“It should be a great comfort for companies to know that if hundreds
of issues should happen to appear overnight, there is a fully scalable
virtual engineer on the job, and human staff on hand to take up whatever
tasks cannot be handled automatically.” From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 03/31/2017 IT Skills Initiative Shows Success as Federal Funding Winds Down Since the Liberals introduced their innovation budget, there’s
been a lot of talk about the new line items. Meanwhile, another project to
boost the knowledge economy is winding down and is reporting some success in
shoring up the country’s IT skills gap.Three years after receiving $1.8
million from the Ministry of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour,
the Business Technology Management (BTM) Initiative has doubled the number of
post-secondary school programs and tripled the number of students enrolled.
Started by the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) in 2010,
BTM seeks to create a professional community and national occupational
standards for the emerging field that combines digital skills with business
acumen.“There are so many things to be proud of,” says Gina van Dalen,
managing director of the BTM Forum. “There’s a big need for these types of students
with combined business and technology skills – we’re filling the pipeline
with the right skill sets.” With 2017 being the last year of funding from the federal grant,
the BTM Forum will now seek sustainable funding through a professional
association business model. It will provide memberships that come with
accreditation and certification services for a wide swath of jobs that call
upon both IT skills and business leadership. Jobs in this area include risk
management, regulatory compliance, project management, quality assurance, and
cyber security.There are now 20 BTM programs at post-secondary schools across
Canada and more than 3,700 students enrolled, with a year-over-year growth
rate of 11 per cent, according to BTM’s own annual report. There have been
six specialization standards created and 100 employers are contributing to
the BTM Forum, which has a membership of 3,500 plus.Beyond the numbers, the
goal of the BTM Forum is national in scope. It wants government to join as
members as well, saying BTM will lead to an increase in national GDP as a
result of boosted productivity and management of innovation. “You need the business skills to see how technology can be
applied in the business context,” van Dalen says. “That is very lucrative and
results in lots of jobs.”On Monday, the first winner of the National BTM
Student Competition was announced in Ryerson Univesity. ITWC worked with ITAC
to host the competition, which saw student teams submit blog posts at the end
of 2016 and then more thorough business case study responses in March.Ryerson
University won the top prize of $5,000, sponsored by Rogers, by responding to
the case study challenge that asked students to solve a problem of an
imaginary digital service. The problem was deciding what analytics service,
‘Ultrabrand’ should offer to its high-end clients. To determine how to select
a solution, the team considered three different options and used a weighted
decision matrix with a five-step methodology.The Ryerson team that worked on
the winning project included RhyanMahazudin, Ali Abbas Rawji, Alexandra
Lincoln, SaljoqKhurshid and Mark Donaldson. From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 04/03/2017 Canadian Procurement Process Needs a 21st Century Facelift, Tech
Sector Says The Canadian tech sector wants the federal government to move
towards an outcome-based procurement strategy that focuses on supporting
scale-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industry representatives
said at a Mar. 9 event hosted by the Information Technology Association of
Canada (ITAC).The one of a kind event, held in partnership with Public
Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Shared Services Canada (SSC) and the
Treasury Board Canada Secretariat (TBS), brought together more than 250
stakeholders in the tech community to chat openly with federal decision
makers on what they want to see happen in terms of modernizing the
procurement framework in Canada.“The session was very successful in our view,
as it was the first time we had the government and industry representatives
together at the same time to openly discuss what they want for procurement
going forward,” Robert Watson, CEO of ITAC, told IT World Canada. Attendees collaborated in sessions and devised several
recommendations within four key areas of interest: procurement policy in a
digital world; innovating contracts, terms and conditions; socially and
economically responsible procurement; and leveraging public sector procurement
to support SMEs and scale-ups.Most important, the tech industry pointed out,
is making the process more agile and efficient in an age driven by rapid
technological advancements.“The tech industry and solution providers in
general have become increasingly frustrated over the fact that while the
government has a bold agenda from a digital transformation perspective, it
hasn’t updated the already very antiquated and restricted procurement
process,” said Kirsten Tisdale, the Canadian managing partner for government
and public sector at EY (and keynote speaker at the ITAC event). “[The
industry] are trying to solve big complex problems for the government, but
they don’t have the flexibility they need to be creative and innovative while
working within Canada’s really out of date – to be generous – procurement
framework and rules.” Tisdale explained that currently, the procurement policy is
process-oriented and emphasizes “controlling all potential risks,” which has
led to rigid, prescriptive solutions. Instead of the government telling the
private sector what exactly they’re looking for, she said the general
consensus at the event was for the government to define the problem it’s
trying to solve and then invite organizations to solve it.“We want them to
move to what we would call an outcome-based approach…that’s led from a
business and social perspective as opposed to solely compliance and economic
perspectives,” Tisdale said. “In many cases, lowest price is not the best
answer – it’s about the value being created, what social impact the project
would have, how it would meet environmental goals, and how it could help
smaller Canadian companies find their footing.”Supporting Canadian
entrepreneurs, scale-ups and SMEs was also a big topic at the event. As a
result, many of the recommendations presented encouraged collaboration and
partnerships between several providers within one project. “We need to be able to harness not just one single provider,
which is a system that favours large companies, but the strengths of several
companies at once and plug them into an ecosystem dedicated to solving a
problem,” Tisdale said. “If the government is trying to develop digital
capabilities, for example, maybe it would be a better option to choose a few
small entrepreneurial high tech companies with the right combination of
skills and capabilities versus going with one great big global player.”Other
recommendations included reducing barriers to enter the procurement process,
such as security and insurance requirements, as well as adding terms and
conditions for defined periods to renegotiate contracts, supporting
under-represented groups, rewarding good performance, and allowing for more
“cross-pollination” between public and private sector talent. While these recommendations did not make it into the most recent
federal budget, released by Finance Minister Bill Morneau on Mar. 22, it did
include $50 million dedicated to procurement, something ITAC sees as a good
first step forward.“The very encouraging part is that the government is
really listening to how we can make it better for companies in Canada to do
business with the government, and that’s shown in the budget with the
procurement section,” CEO Watson said.Updating the procurement framework was
also included in PSPC Minister Judy Foote’s mandate letter, and ITAC is
hopeful that material changes along the lines of what was discussed at its
event will happen within a year.“[The government is] making good moves and
actively trying to shape what that new framework will look like in the next
12 to 18 months,” said Kelly Hutchinson, vice president of government
relations at ITAC. “They’ve asked for some things they could do relatively
quickly that don’t require legislative updates or huge big policy changes,
and I think things like that will probably be accomplished within the next
year or so.” From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 04/05/2017 New Report Highlights the Lack of Women on Tech Boards The lack of women in leadership roles and the tech sector in
general is no secret, and a new report from Vell Executive Search Inc.
confirms that executive boards are no different.The study, Women Board
Members in Technology Companies: Strategies for Building Diverse High
Performing Boards, looked at 581 companies in the tech sector and found that
a third of them did not have a woman board member at all, and less than 12
per cent had three or more, the minimum number required to correlate with
greater company performance.“Women on boards are good for the bottom line,”
it said. “Fortune 500 companies with high percentages of women directors
outperform their competitors with low female representation in return on
equity, return on sales, and return on invested capital.”Boards with more
women members are better at risk management, it added, “including audit
oversight and control, and better at measuring strategy and monitoring its
implementation.” In general, having more women members can be good for the board
itself, as it tends to implement more comprehensive and effective governance
practices, including board development, the report said.A common trend
highlighted was the fact that smaller corporations, between $100 million and
$500 million in revenue, generally have fewer women board members versus big
companies. Within the companies surveyed for Vell’s report, nearly all
companies with over $5 billion in revenue had one woman.“It’s not a glass
ceiling – it’s a narrow entryway,” the report pointed out. “Women lack the
opportunity to gain experience in smaller companies, which is required to
successfully serve on larger boards.”At first glance, award-winning film
Hidden Figures seems like your typical Oscar-nominated movie: great plot,
superb actors, eye-catching visuals, and an inspiring story. But there’s more
to it than meets the eye. Based Published on: March 8th, 2017 Mandy Kovacs @mandyvkovacs Women in Tech: Why so few? In recent years, there has been a lot of dialogue, research
undertaken and committees formed around the topic of women in tech. As was
noted at the recent Women in the IT Channel Published on: September 26th, 2016 Cheryl Sylvester @csylvester Large companies tend to more actively seek diverse candidates,
including women, but in order to serve on boards, applicants need prior
public company experience, the report noted. It continued to say that to
drive greater gender balance on boards, the tech industry needs to look at
its entire ecosystem and “open more doors for women to gain experience in
smaller companies” so they can move into more powerful roles at larger
businesses. Currently leading the way are HP and HPE, with females
representing 38.5 per cent and 35.7 per cent of their boards respectively.
Spring, Tech Data and T-Mobile had the smallest percentage of women board
members within the top 20 companies looked at in Vell’s survey.But it’s not
just a matter of being appointed to a board: The study also discovered that
62 per cent of tech companies have no women in board leadership roles.While
the proportion of women on boards and in leadership roles have continued to
rise steadily, the report said this development may be moving too slowly. The
2015 Catalyst Census found women occupying 19.9 per cent of the seats on
S&P 500 boards, an increase of about 5 per cent over the last
decade.Ultimately, while there has been progress, the tech industry still
lacks parity and has a long way to go before achieving that. From http://www.itbusiness.ca/ 04/12/2017 Canada Will Need 216,000 Tech Positions Filled in These 5 Key
Sectors by 2021 As the Canadian business landscape rapidly digitizes, a shortage
of skilled labourers is hindering its growth potential.A new report published
on Apr. 12 by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC)
indicates that Canada will need to fill approximately 216,000
technology-related positions by 2021, up from 2015 predictions of 182,000 by
2019.ICTC’s Labour Market Outlook 2017-2021 points out that this demand stems
from a steadily growing Canadian digital economy, which experienced a 2.38
per cent growth between 2011 and 2016, compared to the 1.17 per cent growth
for the rest of the economy.“The overall digital labour force now amounts to
around 1,389,000 professionals, and is reflective of the health of this
economy and the expanding range of occupations in this space,” ICTC
writes.The report finds that 53 per cent of tech professionals in the digital
economy work in non-tech industries, “which indicates an increased prevalence
of technology across all sectors of the Canadian economy.” It predicts that
by 2021, the proportion of tech workers in non-tech industries will rise to
84 per cent. Where talent is needed Much of the rising demand for tech professionals is attributed
to transformative and rapid advancements of technology, the report adds,
particularly in five emerging sectors: virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR),
3D printing, blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G mobile
technology.VR and AR, for example, are currently worth approximately $30
billion and $120 billion respectively and will need to fill positions such as
computer and information systems managers, graphic designers, computer and
software engineers, technical sales specialists and even industrial
instrument technicians and mechanics.3D printing has already proved to be
disruptive within the manufacturing sector, and will need more technological
talent to help realize its economic opportunities, including computer
programmers, manufacturing managers, electrical and electronics engineers,
graphic arts technicians, as well as interactive media developers. Blockchain technologies will transform the financial services
industry, ICTC says, and professionals with the skills to further the
development of such infrastructure will be in high demand. Database analysts,
data administrators, software engineers and designers, as well as user
support technicians will be especially sought-after, and will also be needed
for AI advancement as well.The report forecasts that “besides the significant
potential for retail, manufacturing and health sectors, AI will continue to
create economic advancement in banking services, transportation and more.”And
the last key transformative technology, the global 5G value chain “will
generate $3.5 trillion in output, outweighing the current value of today’s
entire mobile value chain, and supporting 22 million jobs in 2035,” the
report explains. Its wide range of applications could see it disrupt
everything from the public administration industry and manufacturing, to
financial services as well as the culture and recreation sectors. Canada-wide problem The need for tech professionals is a cross-Canada issue, with
ICTC highlighting Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec as the three provinces
with the most demand.Ontario will continue to move from a
manufacturing-focused province to one fueled by technologies like Ai, 5G
mobile and 3D printing. ICTC predicts approximately 88,000 tech jobs will be
created by 2021 and total employment in the tech sector will reach about
669,500.British Columbia will experience “a significant increase” in tech
employment by 2021, with total employment expecting to be over 161,000.Quebec
notes aerospace and gaming as its two largest industries that hire tech
talent, which stand to benefit from the emergence of the five key emerging
technologies. The report indicates that 44,400 tech workers will be in
demand, bringing total employment up to more than 336,000. Solving the skills gap issue To bridge the gap, the country needs to better train workers and
place a special focus on preparing youth with the right skills to enter the
tech industry, ICTC stresses.“The hallmark of success in this environment is
equipping Canadians with the relevant technology skills to innovate, adopt
technologies, and produce higher-value goods and services,” the report says.
“This will empower a more dynamic economy based on our ability as a nation to
intensify investments in infrastructure and [research and development],
diversify our industries, and expand trade.”Competition – mainly from
Canada’s southern neighbour, the US, and other industries looking to
digitally transform – and lead-time to staff critical positions also remain a
challenge for many businesses. From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 04/17/2017 It’s Official - Toronto Is One of the World’s Best Tech Cities 2016 apparently proved to the world that Toronto is a premium
destination for technology, with a second report this year listing the
Canadian metropolis in the top 10 of tech cities worldwide.Similar to a
report by an Australian firm that placed Toronto 8th in its annual index of
best digital innovative cities, U.K. firm Savills World Research has ranked
the city at number six on its “Tech Cities 2017: The cities at the forefront
of global tech” report.Out of 22 cities, Toronto was the only Canadian city
to make the list. The top five, in order, were Austin, Texas; San Francisco;
New York; London; and Amsterdam.To create its list, Savills ranked each city
across five categories: business environment, tech environment, city buzz and
wellness, talent pool, and real estate costs.While Toronto doesn’t rank at
the top of any categories, its consistency across all five push it ahead of
cities that may do well in one category while dropping in the others. The
city does best in buzz and wellness, mostly due to its café culture. Savills
took into account how easy it is to get a “decent brew and free WiFi for on
the go work and networking.” The average cup of joe in Toronto is $2.48,
compared to the $3.23 in other ranked cities. Out of the 22 cities ranked, this is where Toronto fell in each
category: - Business environment: Toronto ranked 11 – Composed of
investment environment, business costs and regulations, start-up culture,
R&D and innovation, and linkages with other cities. Toronto’s city GDP
per capita is $44,907 million, compared to the tech cities’ average of
$51,119 million. The city sees 43.4 million annual passengers across its
airports compared to the 48.5 million average. - Tech environment: Toronto ranked 11 – Assesses digital
infrastructure, broadband networks, and consumer engagement. Toronto’s
broadband download speed is 20.9 MBPS compared to the average 19.4 across the
other ranked cities. When it comes to startups, Toronto has 1.1 per 1,000
people compared to the 2.3 startups per 1,000 average. - Buzz and wellness: Toronto ranked 5 – Looks at factors like
pollution levels, quality of parks, crime, healthcare, and equal pay for
wellness, and entertainment, nightlife, retail, and cultural experiences
offered to determine how healthy and vibrant the city is. Toronto’s average
tech commute is 40 minutes, compared to the 32 minutes average, while the
cost of living for transportation on average is $2.30 compared to the $2.13
average in the other cities. - Talent pool: Toronto ranked 7 – Looks at a city’s
youthfulness, tech education credentials, and ability to attract talent.
Toronto’s millennial to boomer ratio is 1:1 compared to the average 1.3:1.
The future is bright for youth in Toronto, with Savills’ population growth
forecast of 2016-2026 putting the city at 16 per cent compared to the 10 per
cent average. - Real estate costs: Toronto ranked 11 – Combines office and
residential prices for the overall real estate costs bracket (USD). Mainstream weekly residential rent (for tech employees and
household): Toronto – $344, Tech cities average – $368.Prime weekly
residential rent (for tech employees and household): Toronto – $968, Tech
cities average – $1.196.Established tech firm office rent (per square foot):
Toronto – $25, Tech cities average – $53.Scale-up tech firm office rent (per
square foot): Toronto – $33, Tech cities average – $34. From http://www.itbusiness.ca/ 04/19/2017 10 Lessons Learned after a Progressive Leadership Endeavor Being in a leadership role in a startup, specifically a startup
with a launch date already set with a very tight schedule and many open
projects, I reached the most difficult situation in my entire career, but it
also paved the way for a developmental experience.I have written about the 10
qualities of successful IT leaders and the 10 challenges facing IT leaders in
a startup in the past, and today I am writing about the lessons learned. Here
are 10 lessons to take away if you have been put through the same situation. 1. In a startup, empowerment is welcomed but it might be risky
unless properly managed. 2. It is OK to take decisions which might be perceived wrong by
others as long as you know how to mitigate the consequences emerging out of
this situation. 3. Due to its importance in building a solid structure, pay
attention to develop policies and procedures early on. Governance is highly
welcomed by stakeholders. 4. Team members are a goldmine of learning through their
initiatives, and creative ideas as well as mistakes and pitfalls. Give them
the chance to contribute. Also, be ready for continuous team building and
conflict resolution. 5. It is wise from time to time to test waters taking an action
or even not taking the action to measure reactions and feedback. 6. Be smart when it comes to stakeholders. It isn’t enough that
you are doing a great job, what is important is if you are up to the expected
outcomes as per the stakeholders’ point of view. 7. In a startup, with the lack of solid financial resources,
managing team expectation is very critical to retention and motivation. 8. Selecting the suitable communication channel is very critical
and might have an impact on the evaluation of results and performance. 9. In times, management will be rushing to reap the rewards of a
project or an initiative while it isn’t ready yet. Managing expectation needs
special attention. 10. Always seek, listen to , and analyze feedback. You might be
surprised that you paid attention to the least important topics than those
that are of interest to your stakeholders. For me, a startup is a great opportunity to get exposed to a
wide array of people, personalities, and rich experiences. What do you think? From http://www.itworldcanada.com/ 05/05/2017 U.S.: Cyber Challenges Demand Trained Young Leaders CDX, the nation's premier cybersecurity challenge, is designed
to enhance the abilities of tomorrow's leaders to meet the challenges of safe
computing in today's increasingly complex world.More than 100 participants
from military institutions designed, implemented and managed an operational
network of computers while NSA network specialists simulated realistic
information assurance threats. The participants were divided into five teams
and were graded on their ability to effectively maintain network services
while detecting, responding to, and recovering from security intrusions and
compromises.Undergraduate cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. Coast Guard
Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval
Academy, and the Royal Military College of Canada all competed for the
highest score – and the coveted Cyber Security Operations Director's Trophy.
This year, the trophy went home with the U.S. Naval Academy. For the government, CDX means much more than a trophy. This
exercise is a uniquely important opportunity to provide tomorrow's military
leaders with a real-life experience of what it's like to be in the middle of
a cyber battle, and to recruit top talent to pursue a technical position in
the military they may not have previously considered.The global problems
we're facing today require educated professionals to develop innovative
solutions. At the same time, CDX also benefits those who are currently tasked
with protecting and defending America's critical infrastructure and networks
of data. The types of techniques and strategies this year's participants
employed during the exercise may lead to solutions that could be applied
today. One of the challenges this year's CDX participants faced was a
"ransom" attack on several systems. The attackers temporarily --
and reversibly -- damaged some systems from each school before offering to
repair them for a cost. The students had to quickly decide whether to pay the
ransom -- meaning they'd get their systems back in exchange for precious
points -- or risk losing a lot of points while trying to restore their systems
on their own. This attack represented the increasingly realistic dilemma our
future military leaders will likely face at some point in their careers,
possibly with much more significant table stakes.These types of exercises are
more important than ever as America's access to drinking water, electricity,
transportation networks and countless other types of critical infrastructure
are significantly at risk from cyber intrusions.In fact, a report published
last month by Massachusetts Institute of Technology policy experts urged the
White House to pay closer attention to the threats facing America's
electrical grid and other critical infrastructure."The digital systems
that control critical infrastructure in the United States and most other
countries are easily penetrated and architecturally weak, and we have known
it for a long time," according to the report, which also outlined a
series of recommendations.We cannot afford to be complacent as many – if not
most – of America's control systems and infrastructure have been in place
since long before cybersecurity was a concern. As cyber attacks become
increasingly more complex, we must remain vigilant and committed to the
development of new and innovative solutions to address the evolving cyber
threat faced by energy producers, transportation infrastructure entities,
telecommunications companies, and government agencies. From https://fcw.com/ 04/21/2017 What Does the Internet of Things
Mean for Data Breaches? The explosive growth of
internet-connected devices creates new pathways for attack for hackers, and
expands the possibilities of the kinds of data that can be compromised. The
question before policymakers is whether new laws are needed to protect
consumers and to govern disclosure of data breaches.At a May 10 American Bar
Association event, Federal Trade Commission Associate Director for Privacy
and Identity Protection ManeeshaMithal said that, on the consumer side, the
"ubiquitous data collection" creates new risks for consumers, and
the voluminous data creates "treasure troves for hackers."Naomi
Lefkowitz, a senior privacy policy advisor at the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, said, "there will be no perfect privacy,"
adding that communication and disclosure -- based on standards -- can help
address privacy and security concerns.Mithal said the new risks posed by IOT
-- such as companies' not fully informing consumers about their data
collection practices and not adequately securing consumer information --
require legislative solutions. "I do believe we need
additional legislation to perform federal data security and data breach
notification legislation that would apply across-the-board to all companies,
including IOT," she said.Currently, there is no single data breach
notification standard that applies nationwide. U.S. states create their own
laws that cover their residents and businesses. Under the Obama
administration, several efforts were initiated by the White House and in
Congress to push a federal standard, but no new law resulted.Ruth Hill Bro,
former chair of the ABA section of science and technology law, added that
industry would likely support such legislation."A lot of companies would
welcome having one federal benchmark," for security and data breach
notification rather than having to analyze 50 different ones for each state. From https://fcw.com/
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CHINA:
Speeding 5G Roll-out with World's Largest Test Field China has established the world's largest 5G test field in the race
to standardize the mobile communication technology, the Ministry of Industry
and Information Technology (MIIT) said Friday. Industry giants including
Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp are participating in the test programs at
the outdoor test site in Huairou District, Beijing. The tests, set between
2016 and 2018, will include three stages for key technology verification,
technological solution verification and system verification respectively,
said Zhang Feng, chief engineer of the MIIT. The second stage of tests has
begun after the first stage verified the feasibility of essential techniques.
China has started preparation early for the 5G network, establishing the
IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group in February 2013 to coordinate efforts by
mobile service operators, manufacturers and research institutes. Years of
investment has put China in pole position to formulate the industry standard
and reap the benefits of a network that provides much faster connectivity and
lower energy consumption. China aims to commercialize 5G mobile networks as
early as 2020.
From http://www.news.cn/
03/03/2017 China's
Deep-Sea Robot Sets New Underwater Gliding Depth Record China's domestic underwater glider reached a depth of 6,329
meters during a mission in the Mariana Trench, breaking the previous record
of 6,000 meters held by a U.S. vessel, according to the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS). Codenamed Haiyi, which means sea wings in Chinese, the
underwater glider was developed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation under
CAS, and is used to monitor the deep-sea environment in vast areas. The
Haiyi, carried by deep-sea submersible mother ship Tansuo-1, dived down 12
times and traveled over 130 kilometers during its four-day mission,
collecting high-resolution data for scientific research.
From http://www.news.cn/
03/06/2017 China Leads
Asia in Digital Transformation: Report Chinese companies have outperformed their Asian counterparts in
digital transformation, according to a report by a leading software
developer. About 91 percent of Chinese mainland respondents used software development
strategy DevOps and about 88 percent Agile. In other Asian countries the
figures were 88 percent and 86 percent respectively, according to a report by
CA Technologies. Agile and DevOps are two of the most popular tools to help
companies to upgrade their IT infrastructure. Digitalization is expanding
into other industries like banking, manufacturing and telecoms, according to
Martin Mackay, CA Technologies president and general manager responsible for
the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. Despite high awareness of
digitalization tools, only 33 percent of Chinese respondents used them
throughout the company, the report showed. Other than technology and investment, Martin pointed out that
the biggest challenge for companies in digitizing is culture, with a flat
corporate culture easier to digitize than a hierarchical one. "It's not
that the IT department wants to change, but that the business is changing,
and you have to adapt to changes faster than your competitors," said
Nick Lim, ASEAN and Greater China vice president with CA Technologies.
"China is a key market for us and we will continue to grow business here
as ongoing economic upgrades mean more companies in China will go
digital," Lim added.
From http://www.news.cn/
03/18/2017 Huawei Hosts ICT Forum in
Bangkok, Focusing on Southeast Asia Talent Development Huawei Southeast Asia Talent Development Forum 2017 kicked off
here Monday, to explore and discuss talent development strategy and learn
from leading global operators. The forum, hosted by Chinese telecoms giant
Huawei, will run for two days. Government officials, telecommunications
operators and industry players across Southeast Asia are expected to share
their insights on topics around talent development in the digital
transformation era at the forum. Southeast Asian countries have seen the
positive impact brought by digitalization, especially in driving economic
growth, Korkit Danchaivichit, deputy secretary general of Thailand National
Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission said in his opening remarks at
the forum. And they "have invested heavily in ICT (information and
communications technology) infrastructure," Korkit Danchaivichit noted.
The Thai official spoke highly of Huawei's involvement in developing ICT
talent in Southeast Asia, saying it has contributed to the region's growth
economically and socially.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/03/2017 China
to Upgrade Robot Industry in Next Few Years China is poised to elevate the domestic robotics industry,
according to a senior official. More than 800 enterprises that provide
products and services spanning electronics, machinery, chemicals and medical
services have already laid sound foundations for the upgrade, said Xin
Guobin, deputy head with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
China produced 72,400 industrial robots in 2016, up 34.3 percent year on
year. Sales are expected to exceed 50 billion yuan (about 7.26 billion U.S.
dollars) in 2020, according to industry insiders. Xin said the ministry will
further integrate new technology, support the recruitment of talent, increase
the quality and credibility of key machine components, and support the use of
robots in emerging industries. The ministry will expedite related regulations
and industry organizations will offer guidance to local authorities, all in
accordance with the "Made in China 2025" plan. The ministry will
also set the criteria for market entry and consummate the evaluation system
for robotics, to boost industrial development, according to the vice
minister. The "Made in China 2025" blueprint was announced in May
2015 as a way to move manufacturing up in the value chain, promoting
development in 10 key sectors including robotics.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/06/2017 China
Looks to Wide Application of Artificial Intelligence China has great potential in applications of artificial
intelligence (AI), a senior official said Sunday. "Chinese researchers
and entrepreneurs are among the best in the world, with technological
innovations and good earnings in the sector," said Liu Lihua, vice
minister of industry and information technology. Researchers with Chinese
companies such as iFlytek, Alibaba and Baidu participated in the study of the
world's leading AI technologies, said Liu, referring to technologies of
reinforcement learning, paying with your face and self-driving trucks. A
couple of weeks ago, the "MIT Technology Review" listed the above
three and another seven technologies as its 10 breakthrough technologies in
2017. AI research started more than 60 years ago and there have been some
major ups and downs. The current wave is backed by unprecedented quantities
of data and computing power. "While we are just getting started, we have
made prominent progress in applying artificial intelligence in smart city and
intelligent customer service on automobiles," said Liu. More sectors will see AI applications in the future, he added.
Chinese Internet giants are focusing on the development of artificial
intelligence and believe the next decades will be a golden age for the
industry. "If we define 2016 as the first year of China's artificial
intelligence, this year will be the beginning of applications of artificial
intelligence in the country," said Liu Qingfeng, board chairman of tech
firm iFlytek Co. Ltd. Internet giant Baidu set up a national deep learning
technology lab in Beijing in March. The lab gathered AI experts from Baidu,
Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and
China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. "The
Internet is just an appetizer. The main course will be AI. In the future,
machines will develop to a point where they can understand humans and their
intentions," said Li Yanhong, chair of Baidu, at the China IT Summit in
Shenzhen last Sunday. Baidu has invested heavily in machine-aided study, image
recognition, voice recognition and driverless vehicles. Another tech giant
Xiaomi set up an "Explorer's Lab" last year to research artificial
intelligence and will release an "exciting AI product" in the
coming six months, according to Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi.
"Companies in emerging markets need to offer their consumers a
compelling vision so that they not only resolve problems today, but even
address problems on the horizon," Lei said. China will make greater
efforts this year to implement innovation-driven development strategy,
upgrade the structure of the real economy, and improve its performance and
competitiveness, according to the government work report issued last month.
"We will accelerate R&D on and commercialization of new materials,
artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, bio-pharmacy, 5G mobile
communications, and other technologies, and develop industrial clusters in
these fields," the report read. In May last year, the government made a three-year action plan
to develop AI. The industry's market size was 23.9 billion yuan (about 3.5
billion U.S. dollars) last year, and will reach 38 billion yuan (about 5.5
billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, according to the Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology. "As the AI era approaches, we should focus on
technological innovation, establish industry standards and specifications,
forge an industrial ecosystem, and speed up legislation in the sector,"
said iFlytek's Liu.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/09/2017 Hina Draws Digital 3D
Topographic Map of Antarctic Seabed Chinese scientists have created a three-dimensional, digital topographic
map of the Antarctic seabed using data collected during a recent expedition.
The map was presented at a press briefing held Friday in the city of
Guangzhou during an event to mark the completion of a four-month expedition
by the research vessel "Hai Yang Liu Hao" (Ocean Six). The map was
made on the expedition in Antarctica using multi-beam sonar. The vessel
emitted multiple pulses of sound that scanned an area measuring 250
kilometers long, 80 kilometers wide, with a maximum depth of 3,500 meters,
said He Gaowen, a senior scientist with Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey
Bureau. With 80 gigabytes of data, the researchers were able to compile a
high-definition map that can be used in Antarctic research or for navigation.
Compared to a traditional single-beam sonar, multi-beam sonar
can quickly collect information about topographic and geological components,
and water composition. This information can be used to support research into
the evolution of the Antarctic seabed, said Liu Shengxuan, another senior
scientist involved in the expedition. China has used this same technique to
map the country's coastal areas, the South China Sea, the Pacific, and the
Indian Ocean. The maps have proved invaluable tools across geological surveys
and marine mineral exploitation, said Ding Weifeng, an Earth exploration
scientist at a research institute under State Oceanic Administration. The
mapping of the Antarctic seabed will also provide a large amount of
information for polar scientific research, Ding said. From http://www.news.cn/
04/15/2017 Internet-enabled technologies and business models have given
China's economy a new burst of momentum and changed the nature of growth,
experts said. New internet applications could surge from a single digit to up
to 22 percent of China's GDP growth through to 2025, according to consultancy
McKinsey & Co. That reflects the power of a consumer-oriented "new economy"
that relies on service industries, technological upgrading and greener
lifestyles, according to Chen Yougang, a principal at McKinsey in Hong Kong.
Leading technologies in China, including mobile internet apps, cloud
computing, big data and artificial intelligence, have delivered unprecedented
efficiencies to governments and businesses, said Wu Qi, deputy chairman of
China operations of consultancy Accenture. For instance, China's e-commerce
players are blurring the lines between physical and virtual stores by
leveraging their troves of consumer data to integrate offline stores,
merchandise, logistics and payment tools. These platforms are set to
transform the traditional manufacturing sector into an open and digitally
linked manufacturing platform, with networks of hardware suppliers,
developers, designers and entrepreneurs, said Denis Depoux, Asia deputy
president of Roland Berger. "For instance, factories can deliver manufacturing as a
service to small and medium-sized enterprises and even to individual
customers," he said. These would redefine the "Made in China"
label that many used to perceive as synonymous with low cost and low quality,
and represent a breakthrough in business know-how, said Xu Jianguo, a
professor of the National School of Development at Peking University. Vijay
Shekhar, CEO of Paytm, India's largest mobile wallet provider, agreed. In
partnership with Ant Financial Services Group, his firm has adopted a payment
and escrow service, and is set to launch banking, online insurance and wealth
management services similar to Alipay. "China is at the forefront of
internet applications such as financial technologies. Chinese inventions are
better because they are made for people in the 'mobile-first' generation.
Silicon Valley is learning from China," he said.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
04/19/2017 Beijing Sees Robust Patent
Application Growth The number of patent applications in Beijing hit nearly 190,000
in 2016, up 21 percent year on year, according to local authorities. Among
the applications, more than 100,000 were for invention patents, which
increased around 17 percent from a year earlier, said Pan Xinsheng,
spokesperson of the Beijing intellectual property bureau Wednesday. Last
year, more than 40,000 invention patents were authorized, up 15 percent year
on year, among a total of over 100,500 recognized patents. The Beijing
Intellectual Property Court handled over 10,600 intellectual property rights
(IPR) cases in 2016. Specialized IPR courts were established in 2014 in
Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, leading to a significant improvement in IPR
regulation.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/19/2017 Shanghai Auto Show Highlights
Intelligent Driving Car models supporting autonomous driving and Internet-based services
are bright spots at the 2017 Shanghai International Automobile Industry
Exhibition, which opened to media Wednesday. A total of 113 models of car
made their global debut at the auto show, which has attracted more than 1,000
exhibitors from 18 countries and regions. The 1,400 complete vehicles
exhibited include 159 new energy vehicles and 56 concept cars. The theme of
this year's auto show is "Committed to Better Life," and the event
will be open to the public from April 21 to 28. The Shanghai-based electric
vehicle startup Nio made its much-awaited domestic debut at the show,
bringing a model of its concept driverless car EVE, whose interior space is
designed as a living room. Li Bin, founder of Nio, said that when humans are
freed from driving in the future, the car would be transformed into a space
for relaxation and entertainment. Domestic auto maker Roewe unveiled its new model i6 16T,
featuring a smart operation system that has access to mobile payment tool
Alipay. When the driver gets on the car, the system tells them to bring an
umbrella if it is going to rain. It can select routes based on real-time road
conditions and the driver's habits, and can even help order and pay for a
take-away coffee. Sales of the RX5, another Roewe model that carries a
similar system, have exceeded 140,000 since it was released eight months ago.
German manufacturer BMW also brought new models featuring intelligent driving
to the show. "The concept of 'Auto plus Internet' is not only about
surfing the Internet in the car," said Chen Zhixin, president of
Shanghai-based SAIC Motor. "A car should be seen as a smart end-product
embedded with various functions supported by cloud services." New energy vehicles (NEV) are also making waves at the show,
including Nio's two-door EP9, a contender for the title of the world's
fastest electric car. A total of 159 NEVs are on display at the event. In
2016, more than 500,000 NEVs were sold in China, accounting for over40
percent of global sales. The growth was up 50 percent year on year. China has
had the world's largest car market for eight consecutive years. About 28
million cars were sold in China in 2016, up 13.7 percent year on year thanks
to preferential purchase policies and other government measures, according to
the Ministry of Commerce. Growth in auto sales in 2017 were estimated to slow
to an annual 2 to 6 percent, according to the ministry.
From http://www.news.cn/
04/19/2017 Science Cooperation Network in
Works China aims to complete a cooperative network in science and
technology for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative by 2030, it
was announced on May 9. The network will be indispensable to the development
of science and innovation by the middle of this century, according to Bai
Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who spoke at a news
briefing in Beijing. "Since the initiative was proposed in 2013, the
academy has expanded its global cooperation and outreach," he said.
"We're providing technological support and services to help countries
tackle practical issues." The academy has launched the International
Outreach Initiative and is cooperating closely with the World Academy of Sciences
for the advancement of science in developing countries, a UNESCO program
based in Trieste, Italy. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has signed more than
200 international cooperation agreements with 60 countries. In addition, more
than 600 of its scholars are working with international organizations or
major science publications. It has also trained about 1,800 people from Belt and Road
countries, focusing on common issues such as climate change, water security,
green energy and disaster prevention and relief, Bai said. "Many
countries have fragile ecosystems, and China also has similar issues,"
he said. "Our research aims to help. At the same time, advanced
technologies from other countries, like sandstorm prevention, can benefit
us." The academy is setting up nine overseas centers for science and
technology cooperation and has launched more than 20 major science projects
to address common challenges for Belt and Road countries, such as weather
surveillance and environmental protection. "These are parts of the
academy's international science cooperation network, which focuses on
strategic counseling, technology cooperation, training and the
commercialization of scientific achievements," Bai said. More than 30,000 foreign scholars visit the academy to take part
in exchanges and cooperation every year, and 2,000 now work at the academy,
in most academic fields. China has attracted more than 1,500 foreign students
from developing countries－in some cases offering scholarships. The Chinese academy plans
to train about 500 master's and doctoral students a year, according to Cao
Jinghua, director of international cooperation at the academy. "Talent
forms the foundations for exchanges and cooperation," Cao said. "We
hope our programs will equip foreign students with the skills to make a
contribution in their countries, which will benefit the initiative in the
long run." The Chinese academy will continue to expand the cooperation
network based on its advantages, and eventually push it onto the world stage,
he said. So far, 22 countries have joined the academy's initial framework.
"We welcome other countries' participation in the network and taking
part in the construction of the Belt and Road," Cao said.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/10/2017 Chinese Researchers Create
Mood-based Chatbot How do you tell if the people you're chatting with online are
real people, rather than text-generating robots? The struggle for bots to
mimic idiomatic language means it can be pretty easy to spot. That shows how
hard it is for researchers to develop a human-like chatbot. But now, some
researchers in China are moving one step closer, after creating a chatbot
with five different mood types. The moods include happiness, sadness, anger,
disgust and loving. The bot can reply to people's words differently,
according to the mood it has been set on. A leader of the project, Professor
Huang Minlie at Tsinghua University, calls the bot an "Emotional Chatting
Machine" (ECM). He typed a critical comment about Valentine's Day into
the machine as a test. The machine replied "Happy Valentines Day!"
when set on a happy mood, and complained "you're just showing off!"
when set to angry mode. "It's still an initial exploration in the area,
as ECMs can only talk in text. It doesn't have a voice output or facial
expressions," Huang told Xinhua. "But researches are moving rapidly
on creating human emotions," he added. So how do ECMs work? The research
team created an emotion classification algorithm, and used it to classify all
kinds of comments on social media websites. So words from an ECM could be
lifted from something you said online last week, and that's why their
reactions sound so much more human-like than other bots.
From http://www.chinagate.cn/
05/12/2017 China Sets Up National Lab
Developing Brain-like AI Technology China's first national laboratory for brain-like artificial
intelligence (AI) technology was inaugurated Saturday in Hefei, capital of
east China's Anhui Province, to pool the country's top research talent and
boost the technology. Approved by the National Development and Reform
Commission in January, the lab, based in China University of Science and
Technology (USTC), aims to develop a brain-like computing paradigm and
applications. The university, known for its leading role in developing
quantum communication technology, hosts the national lab in collaboration
with a number of the country's top research bodies such as Fudan University,
Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well
as Baidu, operator of China's biggest online search engine. Wan Lijun,
president of USTC and chairman of the national lab, said the ability to mimic
the human brain's ability in sorting out information will help build a
complete AI technology development paradigm. The lab will carry out research
to guide machine learning such as recognizing messages and using visual
neural networks to solve problems. It will also focus on developing new
applications with technological achievements.
From http://www.news.cn/
05/14/2017 3D-printed Soft, Four-legged
Robot Can Walk on Sand U.S. engineers have developed a 3D-printed, four-legged robot
that is capable of walking on rough surfaces, such as sand and pebbles. Researchers
led by Michael Tolley, a mechanical engineering professor at the University
of California San Diego (UCSD), will present the robot at the IEEE
International Conference on Robotics and Automation scheduled for May 29-June
3 in Singapore. The soft-legged robot could be used to capture sensor
readings in dangerous environments or for search and rescue, researchers
said. According to the UCSD, the legs of the robot are made up of three
parallel, connected sealed inflatable chambers, or actuators, 3D-printed from
a rubber-like material. The chambers are hollow on the inside, so they can be
inflated. On the outside, the chambers are bellowed, which allows engineers
to better control the legs' movements. The breakthrough was made thanks to a
high-end printer that allows researchers to print both soft and rigid
materials within the same components. < The idea came from nature.
"In nature, complexity has a very low cost," Tolley said in a
statement. "Using new manufacturing techniques like 3D printing, we're
trying to translate this to robotics."
From http://www.news.cn/
05/17/2017 SOUTH KOREA: To Utilize ICT to Revitalize Economy South Korea announced a package of measures Wednesday to utilize
information and communications technology and science technology to
revitalize the country's economy suffering from weak exports and flagging
manufacturing sector. Under the measures discussed in a meeting presided over
by Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, and announced by the
Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the government will make use of
the latest ICT to secure new growth engines. The government said it
will double research and development spending to 1.25 trillion won ($1.07
billion) for the local service sector in 2021. The R&D budget will be
poured into the seven service sectors, including software, medicine and
tourism, which are considered new growth engines, officials said. The move comes
amid a deep slump in the manufacturing sector which accounts for nearly 30
percent of the country's gross domestic product, the ministry said. The
manufacturing sector, which has been the engine of South Korea's economic
development in the past, is directly affected by exports. However, the
sector's employment rate hovers around 17 percent in recent years, lagging
far behind its GDP contribution. From http://www.koreaherald.com
02/15/2017 Korea Shares Weather Tech with Developing Countries Korea has shared its weather forecast technology with a range of
countries from around the world. The Meteorological Administration hosted an
international training course on weather forecasting for operational
meteorologists from Feb. 6 to 24. The program was designed to help developing
countries enhance their capability to respond to new or adverse weather
patterns. The course was composed of an introduction section and then a
section focusing on the analysis of weather forecast statistics. Participants
were able to learn how to use satellite data and to interpret weather data,
and how to implement practical training of weather forecasters.
Meteorologists from ten countries attended the program, including Mongolia
and Bhutan, as well as 15 postgraduate students from 12 countries in Asia and
Africa, including Iraq, Nepal and Kenya, who are studying at Hankuk
University of Foreign Studies. From http://www.korea.net
03/03/2017 South Korea Has World’s Fastest Internet South Korea ranked No. 1 for the 12th consecutive quarter for
the world’s fastest internet connection speed, data showed Tuesday. According
to Akamai Korea, a branch of US-based content delivery network and cloud
services provider, South Korea’s average broadband adoption rate reached 26.1
megabits per second in the fourth quarter of 2016. South Korea was
followed by Norway at 23.6 Mbps, Sweden at 22.8 Mbps, Hong Kong at 21.9 Mbps
and Switzerland at 21.2 Mbps. South Korea was the only nation with its
average connection rate higher than 25 Mbps, the data showed. The world‘s average
speed in the fourth quarter of last year recorded 7 Mbps, a 26 percent rise
on-year. The 4 Mbps broadband adoption rate in South Korea stood at 97
percent in the same quarter, the highest in the world. The country also has
the highest internet penetration rate of 25 Mbps connection coming in at 34
percent. From http://www.koreaherald.com
03/14/2017 Korea Cooperates on Science, Technology with UK, Ukraine Korea will strengthen cooperation on science and technology with
the U.K. and Ukraine. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and
the U.K.'s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have
pledged to continue working on the Korea-U.K. Focal Point Project, aimed at
expanding exchanges among researchers in such fields as 5G, the Internet of
Things and energy. The agreement was made at the Korea-U.K. Joint Committee
on Science and Technology Cooperation, held in London on March 23. At the
meeting, it was also decided that the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and
the Royal Society of London would host an international conference in Korea
in November. Elsewhere in Europe, the ministry also held the fifth
Korea-Ukraine Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation with the
Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science. The two sides talked about ways
to further increase joint research and enhance cooperation on aerospace
between the two countries. From http://www.korea.net
03/31/2017 Korea Calls for Strengthened Technology Cooperation with Israel South Korea's vice trade minister called for strengthened
cooperation in technology with Israel Sunday to cope with the
technology-driven fourth industrial revolution, the ministry said. Speaking
to a forum in Tel Aviv, Jeong Marn-ki said South Korea and Israel can create
synergy by combining Israel's technological prowess and startup spirit and
South Korea's manufacturing skills and information and communication
technology infrastructure. "I hope that technology cooperation would
lead to an expansion of bilateral trade and investment," Jeong said at
the conference designed to encourage bilateral technology cooperation,
according to the trade ministry. Israel is home to 3.5 percent of the world's
venture capital and is known for running a variety of support programs for
technology startups. Trade volume between the two countries reached slightly
over $2 billion in 2015, according to South Korean government dataSouth
Korea's main export items include autos, wireless communication equipment and
synthetic resins, while it imports mainly chipmaking equipment, and applied
electronics products and parts. Jeong is set to visit Britain to attend a
session on bilateral technology cooperation on Tuesday, according to the
trade ministry. On Wednesday, Jeong plans to meet with John Loughhead, Chief
Scientific Adviser at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy, for talks on technology cooperation between the two countries.
During his visit to London, he is expected to make a pitch for British
investment in South Korea. New foreign direct investment pledged for South
Korea came to $21.3 billion last year, up from the previous record of $20.9
billion set in 2015, according to the government data. From http://www.koreaherald.com
04/09/2017 Korea’s 5G Tech Spotlighted at G20 Meeting “The driving force behind our digital revolution will be IT led
by the fifth generation of mobile communications, known as 5G.” Second Vice
Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Choi Jae-yoo made this remark at
the G20 Digital Ministers Meeting that brought together ministers and vice
ministers from G20 countries in Dusseldorf, Germany, on April 6. “So as to
promote so-called ‘Inclusive Digitalization,’ which is designed to get more
people access to the benefits of digitalization, we need to take the lead in
encouraging 5G-related businesses and expanding investments in this field,”
said the vice minister. “We will launch 5G-based services at next year’s
PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We will also make
efforts to deploy 5G technology on a commercial scale by 2019,” he said. The
ministers and vice ministers in attendance agreed on the need for more
cooperation at the international level so as to achieve a world economy based
on digital computing technologies and, also, to deal with challenges together
that they might face in this digital world. As a result, they jointly adopted
the “G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Declaration,” which focuses on global
digitalization, the digitalizing of production for growth, strengthening
trust in a digital world, and, lastly, a strategic roadmap to develop the
digital economy. From http://www.korea.net/
04/11/2017 Youth, Smart Tech Reshaping Korea's Farming Industry Farming industry in South Korea is undergoing a big change, as
more urbanites choose to venture into agricultural businesses by moving to
the countryside and bringing with them growth potential and cutting-edge IT
expertise, observers said Thursday. With a history of having pulled off rapid
industrialization in the second half of the 20th century following a
devastating war, the farming business here has often been marginalized as
something that is outdated with little chance of future success. But the
perception began to change recently, as the proliferation in the pursuit of a
life closer to nature has emerged as a fresh growth driver that can create
innovative jobs and new opportunities in the face of a slowing economy. The
number of households that moved to rural areas from the capital city stood at
330,000 at the end of 2015, surging from a mere 1,000 tallied a decade
earlier, according to the data by Statistics Korea. By 2034, the numbers will
likely surpass the 3 million mark, the government agency predicts.
"Agriculture nowadays is transforming into a higher value-added industry
that combines production, retail, manufacturing and tourism all in one. Its
growth potential is inexhaustible when new ideas from the tech-savvy younger
generation are laced with new technologies," Lee Joon-won, vice minister
for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said. From http://www.koreaherald.com
04/27/2017 Gov't Mobile Services Win Tech Award Korea’s innovative e-government has been praised for its mobile
services. The Ministry of the Interior has announced that its Mobile
Government Support Center won a mobileGov Special Recognition Award on May 9.
The award is given out by mobileGov U.K., a British consulting company that
focuses on mobile government services and on evaluating their innovativeness
and transferability. It focuses on the sustainability, efficiency, and
added-value of the implementations, and on the social and environmental benefits
of such online government services. The Korean government's Mobile Government
Support Center was selected as one of 13 exemplary cases, among the 106
international nominations, at the Global mobileGov Awards ceremony of the
mobileGov World Summit 2017, a gathering of mobile IT professionals in
Brighton, U.K., held for the first time this year. The Mobile Government
Support Center was recognized for its efficient management of its services,
its strict verification process for applications, its safe distribution and
its real time development support. “This award recognized the National
Computing and Information Service for its innovative e-government services,
sustainability and efficiency,“ said Director Kim Myoung Hee of the National
Computing and Information Service, part of the Ministry of the Interior. “I
expect Korea’s know-how on establishing and running mobile e-government
services to spread around the world.” From http://www.korea.net
05/16/2017 Korea's ICT Exports Rise at Fastest Clip in Nearly 7 Yrs in
April South Korea's exports of information and communications
technology products rose at the fastest clip in nearly seven years in April
on brisk global demand for semiconductors and displays, government data
showed Wednesday. A total of $15.55 billion worth of Korean-made ICT products
were shipped overseas last month, up 24.2 percent from a year earlier,
according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
It marked the highest on-year growth since August 2010 when monthly ICT
exports soared 26.4 percent on-year. Exports of ICT goods accounted for 30.5
percent of the country's total outbound shipments of $51 billion last month.
Meanwhile, ICT imports increased 8.5 percent to $7.88 billion in April, with
the country logging a trade surplus of $7.68 billion in the sector. The
ministry said rising overseas demand for South Korean semiconductors,
displays and computers drove the surge in ICT exports, offsetting weak
exports of mobile phones. Exports of semiconductors made by Asia's
fourth-largest economy surged 59.1 percent on-year to $7.24 billion in April,
while those of flat panels and computers gained 6.9 percent and 24 percent to
$2.27 billion and $680 million, respectively. But overseas shipments of
mobile phones sank 19.3 percent on-year to $1.81 billion in the aftermath of
the global production halt of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7. By country,
exports to China jumped 19.3 percent to $7.51 billion last month and those to
the United States climbed 3.9 percent to $1.65 billion. From http://www.koreaherald.com
05/17/2017 Korea's ICT Exports Rise at Fastest Clip in Nearly 7 Yrs in April South Korea's exports of information and communications
technology products rose at the fastest clip in nearly seven years in April
on brisk global demand for semiconductors and displays, government data
showed Wednesday. A total of $15.55 billion worth of Korean-made ICT products
were shipped overseas last month, up 24.2 percent from a year earlier,
according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
It marked the highest on-year growth since August 2010 when monthly ICT exports
soared 26.4 percent on-year. Exports of ICT goods accounted for 30.5 percent
of the country's total outbound shipments of $51 billion last month.
Meanwhile, ICT imports increased 8.5 percent to $7.88 billion in April, with
the country logging a trade surplus of $7.68 billion in the sector. The
ministry said rising overseas demand for South Korean semiconductors,
displays and computers drove the surge in ICT exports, offsetting weak
exports of mobile phones. Exports of semiconductors made by Asia's fourth-largest
economy surged 59.1 percent on-year to $7.24 billion in April, while those of
flat panels and computers gained 6.9 percent and 24 percent to $2.27 billion
and $680 million, respectively. But overseas shipments of mobile phones sank
19.3 percent on-year to $1.81 billion in the aftermath of the global
production halt of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7. By country, exports to
China jumped 19.3 percent to $7.51 billion last month and those to the United
States climbed 3.9 percent to $1.65 billion. From http://www.koreaherald.com
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CAMBODIA: Launching 1st Undersea Communications Cable Cambodia's first undersea communications cable was launched on
Wednesday after almost two-year construction, company representatives and officials
said. The Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand (MCT) submarine cable was jointly
invested by EZECOM Telcotech of Cambodia, Symphony Communication of Thailand
and Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Paul Blanche-Horgan, chief executive officer of
EZECOM Telcotech, said during the launching ceremony. He said
Cambodia's first submarine cable had been built by China's Huawei Marine
Networks, a global submarine network provider. The 1,300-km long MCT fiber
optic cable system has a capacity of at least 30 Terabits per second with an
investment of 100 million U.S. dollars, he said, adding that the MCT cable
system landed in Sihanoukville of Cambodia, Rayong of Thailand, and Kuantan
(Cherating) of Malaysia. "It gives us direct route from Cambodia to Malaysia,
Thailand and beyond to Singapore, China's Hong Kong, and the rest of the
world," he said. Paul said that currently, Cambodia relies on terrestrial fiber
systems via neighboring Thailand and Vietnam. "With the MCT fiber optic
cable system, Cambodia will experience faster and more reliable internet
speed," he said. Speaking at the event, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and
Interior Minister Sar Kheng said that it was a new achievement in the
Information and Communications Technology in Cambodia. "With
the undersea communications cable, I believe that internet and Facebook users
will enjoy faster and more reliable internet speed with cheaper prices,"
he said. Cambodian Telecoms Minister Tram Iv Tek said that currently,
approximately 50 percent of the kingdom's nearly 15 million people have
access to internet. "I'm confident that the submarine cable system will narrow
the digital gap between urban and rural areas and the number of internet
users will be further increased," he said. Mike Constable, chief executive
officer of Huawei Marine Networks, said that Huawei was proud to build the
mega-project, which would provide enormous advantages to the Cambodian
economy and people. "We designed the MCT fiber optic cable system for a 25-year
lifetime," he said, adding that the system was built with the
cutting-edge technology. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
03/15/2017 Cambodia's State-Owned Telecoms Firm Bounces Back into Profit
for 2016 The state-owned Telecom Cambodia (TC) on Friday reported a
1-million-U.S.-dollar unaudited profit for 2016, returning to profitability
after a loss in the previous year. "The profit is a sharp turnaround
from its 724,746 U.S. dollars loss in 2015," said the report released
during the TC's annual conference. Speaking to reporters after the
conference, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Tram Iv Tek attributed
TC's rebound in profit to its thorough reform of revenue and expense
management. According to the report, TC earned gross revenue of 18.6 million
U.S. dollars last year, and its revenue came from transit fees, local and
international phone calls, internet service providers, Asymmetric Digital
Subscriber Line services (ADSL), phone connection, fibre optic cable, and
interconnection fees. As of last year, TC had 32,444 fixed phone service
users and 7,270 internet service users, the report said. TC is one of the
state-owned enterprises that have been planned to list on the Cambodia
Securities Exchange (CSX). However, the listing plan has been postponed due
to its poor financial performance. According to the rule by the Securities
and Exchange Commission of Cambodia, any company wanting to list on the CSX
must see a good profit in the last three years. From http://news.xinhuanet.com/
03/31/2017 SINGAPORE: To Invest S$45m a Year in New Defence Tech Labs for
Robotics, AI SINGAPORE: A starting seed grant of S$45 million a year will be given
to two new laboratories in the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA)
and DSO National Laboratories organisations, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said
in Parliament on Friday (Mar 3). “Modern militaries are powered by
technology, and the next-generation SAF (Singapore Armed Forces), even more
so,” he said. “Our defence technology organisations will gear up to support
changes.” To foster more experimentation and innovation, DSO will set up a
robotics lab in April this year and DSTA will expand to include an analytics
and artificial intelligence lab. At the former, defence engineers will
collaborate on prototyping, integration, simulation and testing of systems
prior to field trials for the SAF. “The work on robotics has already begun,”
said Dr Ng. “Six Singapore Infantry Regiment soldiers are currently
experimenting with unmanned aerial and ground vehicles to perform missions.
The Navy has gone further and is putting Unmanned Surface Vehicles which can
navigate and avoid collisions autonomously into operations.” “The SAF, working with the Ministry of Home Affairs, has already
developed countermeasures to potential drone attacks. These systems were
deployed in the last NDP (National Day Parade).” DSTA’s new lab will exploit
the real-time information that can be derived from the Internet of Things and
platforms, said the minister. “The realisable potential is enormous. For
instance, our Singapore Maritime Crisis Centre monitors more than 1,500
commercial shipping vessels in our waters daily. It uses AI to generate
unique signatures for each, through collating information from multiple
sources, including social media. It then detects any deviations from this
signature,” he explained. “This AI-embedded method detected a possible ISIS
supporter on board a tanker in 2015. That person was barred from disembarking
in Singapore. Finding this needle in a big haystack is only possible through
modern means.” Singapore will also host an inaugural Defence Technology Summit
in early 2018. Targeted as a biennial event, the summit will be organised by
DSTA together with Singapore’s universities, A*STAR and Government agencies
like GovTech, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, National Research
Foundation and Singapore Economic Development Board. “Singapore can lead in
defence technology, even though we are small,” said Dr Ng. “The Summit will
provide a global platform to invite leading figures and luminaries to come
share their views, provide a window into the future, allow us the opportunity
to network and increase our access to new ideas and innovation.” In his
speech, Dr Ng also revealed that Singapore has around 5,000 defence engineers
and scientists, with the number of related scholarships and awards on offer
due to be increased by 40 per cent - up to 170 from 120 today - by 2025. From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
03/03/2017 THAILAND: Broadband Drive Picking Up Steam The cabinet has acknowledged a plan for TOT Plc and CAT Telecom
Plc to form a joint venture to run the national internet broadband services.
The Digital Economy and Society Ministry yesterday reported to the cabinet
that the two state firms will set up a joint venture to install an internet
broadband network to cover 24,700 villages at an investment cost of 15
billion baht. The installation is due to be finished next year. The
government aims to cover a combined 40,432 villages, 15,732 of which will be
handled by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. The
regulator will use the universal service obligation fund for the project, but
investment costs have not yet been made available. The development is part of
government efforts to provide affordable high-speed internet access to
low-income rural households, in compliance with the nation's digital
infrastructure development roadmap. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry
yesterday also reported on the progress of internet broadband installations.
As of April, the network has been installed in 99 villages. The ministry
plans to install the service at 3,000 villages this month, 2,800 villages in
June, 8,200 in September and 10,601 in December. Nathporn Chatusripitak, an
adviser to the PM's Office Minister Suvit Maesincee, said the NBTC is likely
to finish its internet broadband installations in remote areas by the middle
or late next year. In a separate development, Government Spokesman Sansern
Kaewkamnerd said yesterday that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)
also agreed to invoke Section 44 of the interim charter to allow foreign
universities and vocational institutes to establish a presence in the
much-touted Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and special economic zones. The
initiatives are intended to speed up the development of the EEC and special
economic zones as well as tackle a shortage in skilled labour. The government
will later draw up a list of foreign universities and vocational institutes
to ensure that they provide the utmost benefit to the country's development.
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said these initiatives would also
attract more private investment. The EEC is intended to be a special zone
accommodating investment in 10 targeted industries promoted as clusters by
the government. The 10 industries are next-generation cars; smart
electronics; affluent, medical and wellness tourism; agriculture and
biotechnology; food; robotics for industry; logistics and aviation; biofuels
and biochemicals; digital; and medical services. The corridor spans a
combined 30,000 rai in three provinces: Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao.
The EEC is an enhancement of the Eastern Seaboard that has been the region's
powerhouse for manufacturing and trade. From http://www.bangkokpost.com/
05/17/2017 VIETNAM: City Sci-Tech Market to Boost Innovation The municipal administration plans to have 70 per cent of
industrial production enterprises in HCM City invest at least eight per cent
of their pre-tax profits in developing and applying new technologies by 2020.
Officials said the plan reflects the awareness that technological renovation
is an urgent need should the nation want to remain competitive as it deepens
its international integration process. A report compiled by the Viet Nam News
Agency (VNA) last week notes that while a science and technology market,
where innovative solutions are developed and sold, has advanced considerably
in the country in recent years, many difficulties remain in connecting
sellers and buyers. The report says that at present, HCM City has about a
million scientists, including academics, engineers and other technology
experts, working in around 100 universities and colleges. The city also has
218 science and technology institutes and over 100,000 enterprises. This has
meant that quite a few good scientific and technological innovations have
been developed, but before 2012, the transfer of technology from developers
to users was very poor. Tech trade In 2012, realising the important role played by technological
innovation in the city’s economic development, HCM City authorities decided
to pilot a technology transaction floor. The aim was to turn it into a focal
point in technology transfer by the year 2018. Besides this, city authorities
have regularly organised Techmart Fairs, Techmart Online and Techmart Daily
so that the public and enterprises are aware of technological innovations.
Such innovations could help improve the living standards of the community and
also enhance productivity of enterprises. Techmart Daily has thus far drawn
the participation of 70 entities that have put on offer over 170
technological innovations and equipment. Nguyên Khắc Thanh, Deputy Director
of the HCM City Department of Science and Technology, said the city’s
sci-tech market was one of the five busiest markets in the city besides the
real estate market and consumer goods market. “This is an indication of the
important role played by the sci-tech market in the course of the city’s
socio-economic development”, Thanh said. He said those participating in the
transaction floor were mainly enterprises (about 80 per cent), professional
and amateur innovators (11 per cent), and the remaining were staff from
research institutes and universities. Thanh also said that in 2016, the
city’s technology transaction floor received 145 orders for technology and
equipment and provided relevant information to more than 80 enterprises.
Seven technology transfer contracts worth almost VNĐ8 billion (nearly
$360,000) were signed on the transaction floor last year. Lương Tú Sơn,
deputy director of the HCM City Centre for Information and Statistics for
Science and Technology, said that in the 2012-2016 period, some 40 technology
transfer contracts worth about VNĐ50 billion (more than $2.2 million) were
signed, and this was a positive sign. Weak links The VNA report quoted Trần Anh Tám, deputy director of the
Research and Development Department under the General Corporation of
Fertiliser and Petro Chemicals, as saying connectivity between research
institutes, universities and enterprises was very poor. To improve this
situation, state management agencies should act as matchmakers between
scientists and enterprises, said Huỳnh Quyền, Vice Principal of the Science
and Technology Faculty of the HCM National University. Last year, the HCM
City People’s Committee issued a five-year (2016-2020) plan to develop the
city’s sci-tech market, showcasing its intent to facilitate the application
of advanced scientific and technological developments in production. Phạm Văn
Xu, director of the Science Department, under the HCM City’s General
Department of Science and Technology, said that in the near future, the city
will invest more in science and technology, particularly in areas that
directly address urgent social and market issues. It will also encourage the
establishment of a “linkage chain” between enterprises and research
institutes, he said. Enumerating specific targets for the sci-tech market,
Nguyễn Khắc Thanh, deputy director of the city’s Department of Science and
Technology, said: “In the 2016-2020 five-year period, the city will try to
achieve an annual growth of about 15 percent normal sci-tech transactions,
and about 20 percent in hi-tech areas prioritised by the central Government. Time gap HCM City ranks first in the country for the number of patent
applications, the VNA report said. From 2008-2016, 1.635 applications were
registered, 251 of which were approved. Huỳnh Quyền, acting director of the
Faculty of Science and Technology at the Việt Nam National University, HCM
City, told VNA that
commercialisation of patented innovations had mainly taken place at the Bách
Khoa (Polytechnic), Nông Lâm (Agriculture and Forestry), Công Nghiệp
(Industry) universities and some faculties under the HCM City University. For
example, in 2012 alone, the HCM City Polytechnic University earned VNĐ90
billion ($3.95 million) from commercialising their innovations. Thanh said it
typically takes quite a long time and a lot of efforts to develop a new
technology, make it into a product and then commercialise it. “The whole
process might take as much as a decade,” he said. A different perspective was
offered by Hoàng Tố Như, deputy director of the HCM City Department of
Intellectual Property Rights. “We can commercialise the innovation, right at
the outset, when the idea is formed. This is a good way to invite interested
people or organisations to join research and development efforts,” she said. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/25/2017 Việt Nam is willing to co-ordinate with Japan in ensuring
information security, Minister of Information and Communications Trương Minh
Tuấn told Japanese Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Sanae
Takaichi. During talks with the Japanese official in Tokyo yesterday,
Minister Tuấn, who is on a working visit to Japan, suggested the Japanese
side makes information security-related projects a priority when providing
official development assistance (ODA) for Việt Nam, and assists Việt Nam in
building a pilot smart city project. He explained that the Vietnamese
Government always considers the information-communication technology (ICT) industry
as a spearhead economic sector, which greatly contributes to the country’s
socio-economic development. The minister hailed the effective ICT
co-operation and the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU)
signed between the two ministers in the past. He expressed his hope that the
two ministries will continue supporting and facilitating co-operation between
the two countries’ ICT enterprises in the future. For his part, Sanae
Takaichi affirmed Japan will share its experience with and support Việt Nam
in developing its ICT sector. Following the talks, the two ministers signed
an agreement on establishing a joint working group, aiming to foster
collaboration between the two ministries. They also witnessed the signing of
a principle agreement between the Việt Nam Post Corporation (Việt Nam Post),
the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and the Hitachi Group of Japan; and a
framework service contract between Việt Nam Post and the Hitachi Asia
(Vietnam) Co., Ltd. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
03/30/2017 First Data Centre of Việt Nam’s Banking Sector Operational The State Bank of Việt Nam (SBV), MNR Joint Venture and IBM Việt
Nam held a ceremony to launch a new data centre in Hà Nội on Monday. The
centre, which is part of the FSMIMS project sponsored by World Bank, is
located at 64 Nguyễn Chí Thanh, Hà Nội, covering an area of 2,000 square
metres. It is the first data centre of the country’s banking sector,
replacing the centres dispersed in 63 provinces and cities as before. The
centre was designed and built following world standard Tier 3 with a high
readiness of up to 99.983 per cent and the total interruption time of only
1.6 hours per year. Nguyễn Kim Anh, SBV deputy governor, said that with World
Bank funds, the FSMIMS project was successfully implemented and put in
operation. “The establishment of the data centre is an important milestone in
the modernisation process of SBV information and technology’s foundation in
conformity with the development orientation of the country’s banking sector
in the context of integration trend”. From http://vietnamnews.vn/
05/15/2017 |
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INDIA:
Virtual Private Cloud Market to Hit $45bn by 2022 SMEs will dominate the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) market in the
coming years and this virtual private cloud market is estimated to reach
USD45.69 billion by 2022, according to a recent study.Globally, BFSI and
Telecom are the industry verticals which are spending a lot on secure and
cost-friendly cloud solutions, says Infoholic Research LLP, a global ICT
market research and consulting organisation, in a study titled “Virtual
Private Cloud: Trends & Forecasts, 2016-2022.”“It is predicted that by
2022, Public and eCommerce sectors will be spending a lot on cloud-based
solutions. The growing dependence of these sectors on Internet-based
applications is one of the reasons for cloud dependency,” said Tariq Shaik
from Research Operations of Infoholic Research.With growth predicted at a
CAGR of 26.35 per cent during the period 2016-2022, the virtual private cloud
market has huge opportunity in industry verticals such as BFSI,
transportation, telecom and hospitality. Further, it will see significant
growth in the coming years due to the growing need for cost-friendly disaster
recovery solutions. “The growing number of SMBs and their dependence on cloud
are driving the growth of the VPC market in the emerging regions. The major
contributors of the market will be countries such as India, China and South
Africa,” said Komal Sharma, Research Analyst at Infoholic Research.According
to Infoholic Research, the Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) region is one
of the fastest growing VPC markets due to increased ICT infrastructure
spending from SMEs, SMBs and the government. From http://egov.eletsonline.com 03/10/2016 Using Technology Will Improve Court
Judgements
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said here that the
"quality of argument and judgement will improve with technology being
used actively" in the courts.The prime minister was speaking at an event
held at the Patna High Court.Presently "we have something that we didn't
have earlier -- the power of technology. Let's make the bar, bench and court
tech savvy", Modi said."In the last 100 years this high court
scaled new heights. I hope the best aspects are carried forward in the years
to come," he told the gathering that included Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar.Modi also expressed concern over the large number of cases
pending in courts for years, saying there is a need to tackle them with
speed."It is a matter of concern that large number of cases have been
pending in courts across the country," Modi said during his address at a
function held here at the end of the year-long Patna High Court centenary
celebrations. The prime minister also suggested that the courts should come
out with an annual bulletin, mentioning the number of pending cases in them
and since when. "It will help the courts, judges and lawyers to fix a
target to tackle pending cases in time bound manner."Modi said the
completion of a century of the Patna High Court marks the beginning of a new
challenge and responsibility for the next centenary programme.Supreme Court
Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and union
ministers were also present on the occasion.After Patna, Modi will dedicate
to the nation the rail portion of the Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge at
Hajipur at a function later.It is the first visit of Modi to Bihar after the
state's assembly polls in October-November in which his party Bharatiya
Janata Party and allies were routed by the Grand Alliance of Janata
Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress.The prime minister, during the
day-long event, will also open two newly erected rail-cum-road bridges in
Patna and Munger, besides laying the foundation for an additional rail bridge
across the Ganga at Mokama town in Patna, officials said.President Pranab
Mukherjee had opened the centenary celebrations last April. From http://news.siliconindia.com 03/13/2016 Ericsson, IIT - Delhi Launch '5G for India'
Programme
From www.siliconindia.com
04/05/2017 WhatsApp Eyes Digital Payments Space; India
Could Be Test Bed
From www.siliconindia.com
04/06/2017 Delhi Is the Most ‘Internet
Ready’ State of India Delhi has emerged as the number one state in terms of overall
internet readiness including e-infrastructure and e-participation. It has
overtaken last year’s winner Maharashtra, according to a report titled ‘Index
of Internet readiness of Indian states’ by Internet and Mobile Association of
India (IAMAI) and Nielsen Holdings PLC, a global information and data
measurement company. North Eastern states, excluding Nagaland, have been
ranked low in terms of overall internet readiness. According to the report,
Karnataka is the state with highest number of digital start-ups followed by
Delhi and Maharashtra.“Delhi has emerged as the top ranked state in terms of
overall internet readiness. The capital city is followed by Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Delhi gets this rank primarily because of
its fabulous e-infrastructure and e-participation,” said Secretary, Ministry
of Electronics and Information Technology, Aruna Sundararajan in conversation
with The Economic Times.“We are hopeful that India will leapfrog from the
present 155th position to world’s top 5 in connectivity, within the next 5-6
years. Things have improved multi-fold with state governments of Chattisgarh,
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana among others taking proactive steps to improve
connectivity and internet reach,” he added. Internet readiness index is a
composite benchmark of four components – e-Infrastructure index,
e-Participation index, IT-Environment, and government e-services index The
purpose of the index is to give a sharper perspective for digital industries
looking to expand their business in Indian state. From http://smartcity.eletsonline.com
04/20/2017 Innovation Fundamental for
India to Become Digital Economy NEW DELHI: Innovation is fundamental for India to become a
successful digital economy, a top executive from Intel said here on Friday. He
was speaking at an event organised by Intel India, in association with the
Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Indo-US Science and
Technology Forum (IUSSTF) to felicitate 29 Student Innovators who are set to
represent India at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
(ISEF) 2017 -- the world's largest pre-college Science and Engineering Fair
-- in Los Angeles, US. "As we stand today, we look at how the world is
changing in terms of innovation. Skills of yesterday and skills of tomorrow
are very different. The question is do we want our future generations to be
mere users of the technology or become innovators?" Kishore Balaji,
Director of Corporate Affairs Intel South Asia, told IANS on the sidelines of
the event. "At Intel we have been engaged in trying to see how we can
bridge this innovation skill gap among youth with various initiatives because
we believe that innovation is fundamental for the country in its efforts
towards realising its vision of becoming a successful digital economy,"
Balaji added. The students and their 20 projects were shortlisted from the
Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS) National Fair 2016,
and will compete at the ISEF beginning May 14-19. "ISEF is a really good platform for us to showcase our
talent and our research work in order to convey our message and idea to the
world," said a student from Bengaluru. "Intel ISEF is lots of fun,
science. The best minds from all over the world will come and we will get
lots of opportunities," said a student from Raipur. This group of young
innovators will represent India to compete against approximately 1,750
finalists from over 70 countries for approximately $4 million in awards and
scholarships. Till 2016, a total of 91 Indian students have won 121 awards
and accolades at Intel ISEF competing against more than 6 million high school
students from across the world. From 1999-2016, 19 students from India also
have had the unique honour of having minor planets named after them.
"The children from India have done incredibly well and made us feel
proud and they would continue to do so," Balaji said. From http://egov.eletsonline.com/
05/15/2017 IT + IT = IT, Reiterates
Narendra Modi The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi addressing at the event
marking introduction of digital filing as a step towards paperless Supreme
Court, in New Delhi on May 10, 2017.Reiterating his 2011 acronym about IT’s
significance “IT + IT = IT (Information Technology + Indian Talent = India
Tomorrow)”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the judiciary to make a
shift to digital technology, saying it is effective, easy, economical and
environment-friendly.The Prime Minister had similarly highlighted the need
and significance of IT in 2011 while attending the Elets Technomedia Pvt
Ltd.’s eIndia 2011 conference as
the then Chief Minister of Gujarat.
On the occasion, Modi, as the then Gujarat chief minister, had said:
“Gujarat ushered in transparency and accountability in governance through use
of Information Technology. When technology becomes a part of your life, it
starts driving you. The person, who understands this, can bring change…I
believe that IT+IT=IT i.e. Indian talent + Information technology = India
Tomorrow. It is my firm belief that our talent will build the future of India
with the help of IT.”(For full speech of 2011 please log on to: http://eindia.eletsonline.com)
On Wednesday, Modi was speaking at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, as the
Supreme Court turned a new chapter in the digital age by launching a
computerised case management system — SC Integrated Case Management
Information System (ICMIS) which will enable e-filing of cases. The new system converts and stores in digital format all records
filed in the Supreme Court, enabling litigants to track their cases
online. Lauding the apex court on
achieving this historic milestone, Modi said: “To make new India, change is
essential.”Linking the development with the Government’s big push to realise
the Digital India dream, the Prime Minister urged the judiciary to change its
mindset and make a shift to digital technology.Chief Justice of India JS
Khehar, on the occasion, said the new system would usher in transparency,
ensure a paperless judicial regime and prevent chances of manipulation of
records.At present, advocates in the Supreme Court are allowed to e-file
their cases. But the new system will be far different, the CJI explained
stating that the litigant would be required to file only the “grounds of
appeal” against the High Court order and the case number. The remaining
documents (High Court judgment, affidavits filed by either parties) would get
electronically transferred to the Supreme Court.“This system cannot be
breached. A system where the documents cannot be manipulated, a system where
the records are there for keeps,” The Pioneer quoted the CJI as saying,
indicating that the new system will be in place from July 3, the day when the
SC will reopen after a summer break.“I propose to take this system to all the
24 High Courts and then to all the district courts. This means a litigant
will file one case only in his lifetime, insofar as the paper book is concerned,”
the CJI added. Besides tracking of a case online, the CJI said, the ICMIS would
also allow litigants to calculate the court fees and know the amount to be
paid. If there was delay in filing of a case, the new system would show of
how many days was the delay and what should be the application.The Prime
Minister, Narendra Modi addressing at the event marking introduction of
digital filing as a step towards paperless Supreme Court, in New Delhi on May
10, 2017.Meanwhile, the Prime Minister appreciated the apex court’s decision
to cut short its vacation and work on holidays, saying: “The country is
changing. We are working during holidays. Such a move will restore the
public’s faith in the judiciary.”Modi also appealed to the legal fraternity
to make the “Pro Bono” electronic interface introduced by the Union Law
Ministry a success by registering with it. Referring to the change that the
country was witnessing, he said, “On my request, lakhs of citizens gave up
their LPG subsidy and gynaecologists agreed to treat poor pregnant women on
the ninth of every month.”He urged the lawyer community to assist the
Government’s attempt to provide free and effective legal aid to
underprivileged litigants.Adding another dimension to the need for
digitalisation, the Prime Minister said a paperless regime was eco-friendly
as it would save millions of litres of water and thousands of trees. This
money could, in turn, be used to build homes for the poor and construct new
schools.Speaking during the programme, Supreme Court Judge J Chelameswar,
also underlined that every case filed in the SC consumes a huge quantity of
paper and “such a step will reduce the damage caused to the
environment”. From http://egov.eletsonline.com/
05/18/2017 |
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AZERBAIJAN:
ICT, Construction, Tourism, Healthcare – Priorities for Azerbaijan-Portugal
Co-op ICT, construction, tourism, healthcare sectors will be the most interesting
and promising areas for expansion of cooperation between Azerbaijan and
Portugal, said Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Portugal to Azerbaijan Maria
Joao Lopes Cardoso. She made the remarks during her meeting with a delegation
led by President of Caspian Energy International Media Group Natalya
Aliyeva. Speaking about bilateral
trade between Portugal and Azerbaijan, Maria Joao Lopes Cardoso mentioned
that bilateral trade flows amounted to roughly 457 million euros (Portugal’s
export totaled 1.8 million euros and import from Azerbaijan amounted to 455
million euros) in 2016. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan ranked the 20th among
Portugal’s suppliers. “It is worth noting the growing interest of Portuguese
companies in exporting to Azerbaijan,” she noted adding that the number of
Portuguese companies carrying out exports to Azerbaijan increased from 39 in
2011 to 83 in 2015. Touching upon the issue of energy cooperation, Cardoso
noted that Europe, including Portugal, is interested in the diversification
of energy suppliers. “In that respect, the Southern Gas Corridor [SGC] is a
strategic project for energy security that brings diversification of natural
gas sources to Europe”, she said. The chargé d’affaires went on to say that
Portugal is aspiring to develop its gas and energy transit system. “North South interconnector in Western
Europe (“NSI West Gas”) is one of the projects which we are implementing”,
she noted. Portugal and the
Iberian Peninsula have all the conditions to become a major entry point for natural
gas and LNG in Europe, thus increasing both import capacity and supplier
diversification, added Cordoso.
“In this regard, the Southern Gas Corridor and our initiatives are
complementary because what we all want is the energy security for Europe and
for the region,” she said. It is
exactly what these projects aim at - one from the West and the other one from
the East – contributing to diversify sources and improve stability against
any kind of energy crisis, added the chargé d’affaires. From http://en.trend.az/
04/06/2017 Azerbaijan Looks to Expand ICT Use in Business Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Transport, Communication and High Technologies
will create a working group on expanding the use of ICT in business, said
Elmir Velizade, the country’s deputy minister of transport, communication and
high technologies. He made the
remarks at the Caspian Energy Forum 2017, held in Baku on Apr. 12. Velizade
noted that the ministry is conducting active work to increase export
potential of the country in the ICT sphere. “The development of this sphere
is a priority for Azerbaijan, where modern technologies are used widely in
all spheres. Azerbaijan is one of the leading countries in the world in terms
of use of mobile communications. About 78 percent of population has access to
internet, and most of them use broadband services,” said the deputy minister.
Azerbaijan, he said, is interested in cooperation with states of the Caspian
region in ICT sphere and the Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM)
is the platform for such cooperation. Negotiations are underway with
Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan on the project’s implementation. Velizade said
that as part of the expansion of international cooperation, Azerbaijan will
be represented soon at the international forums and exhibitions in Belarus
(TIBO 2017, on Apr. 18-21) and Moscow (Sviaz 2017, on Apr. 25-28).
“Azerbaijan, for the first time, will participate at the Sviaz 2017
exhibition as a partner country,” added the deputy minister. From http://en.trend.az/
04/12/2017 Azerbaijan, China Mull co-op in ICT Sphere Azerbaijan and China discussed the expansion of cooperation in
the ICT sphere, said Azerbaijan’s Economy Ministry in a message on May
16. According to the message, the
discussions were held as part of the meeting of Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister
Shahin Mustafayev with Huawei’s President for Central Asia and Caucasus
Region James Chen that took place during the Azerbaijani delegation’s visit
to China. At the meeting, during which the two countries’ cooperation in the
ICT sphere was discussed, it was also noted that economic relations between
Azerbaijan and China continue to develop. This was also stated that
Azerbaijan attaches great attention to the development of non-oil sector,
particularly to the ICT sphere. As part of the visit, the Azerbaijani minister
also met with Vice-President of CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd Chen Yufang, where
the sides discussed the prospects of development of cooperation. According to
Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan
and China amounted to $395.56 million in January-April 2017, some $183.79
million of which accounted for the export to China. China is one of
Azerbaijan’s main trade partners. The country ranked fourth among
Azerbaijan’s foreign trade partners in terms of the trade turnover in January-April
2017. From http://en.trend.az/
05/16/2017 Uzbekistan and Latvia Discuss
Cooperation in ICT On February 22, the Ministry for development of information
technologies and communications held a meeting with Ambassador of Latvia in
Uzbekistan E. Bondars. The meeting discussed issues of expansion of
cooperation between the two countries in the field of information and
communication technologies. The parties expressed mutual interest in
developing cooperation in this area, in particular, expressed interest in the
organisation of joint events to facilitate contacts between companies and
organizations of information technologies of the two countries. During the
meeting, the Uzbek side invited Latvian IT companies to events within the ICT
Week 2017, scheduled for September 2017. From
http://news.uzreport.uz/
02/22/2017 Uzbekistan to Hold Job Fairs for ICT Professionals The development and wide application of information and
communication technologies is a global trend of world development, while in
Uzbekistan, the process of implementing modern ICTs covers all spheres of
life. A large-scale work held in this direction demands ICT specialists with
high qualifications and potential.
A number of specialized Job Fairs are planned to be held on 24 March
in Tashkent and Karakalpakstan. Vacant jobs at the fair will be presented by
mobile operators, telecommunication companies, Internet service providers,
software developers and many other businesses. During the fair the participants will
be able not only to learn about existing vacancies in the enterprises and
organizations of the ICT sector, but also to get a qualification advice from
representatives of the chamber of commerce, tax authorities and commercial
banks about the forms of entrepreneurial activity, existing privileges and
preferences, possibilities of registration of credits for those wishing to
start their own business. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
03/22/2017 IT Ministry Delegation Holds Series of Meetings in Minsk On April 17-19, in the framework of participation in the
meetings of the Council of heads of administrations of the Regional
Commonwealth in the field of communications (RCC), the delegation of the
Ministry for development of information technologies and communications of
the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by the interim Minister Sherzod Shermatov
held a series of bilateral meetings with the Minister of communications and
Informatization of the Republic of Belarus Sergei Popkov, Minister of
communications and mass communications of the Russian Federation Nikolai
Nikiforov, Minister of information and communications of the Republic of
Kazakhstan Dauren Abayev, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee of
information technologies and communications of the Kyrgyz Republic Eshmambet
Amatov. At the meetings, the
sides discussed issues of bilateral cooperation in the field of information
and communication technologies in areas of mutual interest. In addition, Minsk saw a meeting of
Sherzod Shermatov with the Secretary-General of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) Zhao Hominem, during which the parties
discussed issues of further cooperation of the Republic of Uzbekistan with
the ITU. IT Ministry delegation
also visited High-tech park (HTP) of the Republic of Belarus, got acquainted
with the experience of improvement of legal, organizational and economic
conditions of business activity of HTP residents, the creation of mechanisms
to encourage national software export-oriented. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
04/25/2017 ICT Development in Uzbekistan
Discussed at Press Conference World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is
celebrated on May 17. The date of the holiday is connected with the creation
of the International Telegraph Union on May 17, 1865, later renamed to
International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Subsequently, ITU (the UN
specialized agency) at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya in November
2006 decided to further celebrate May 17 as the "World Telecommunication
and Information Society Day". ITU is the oldest international
organization within the UN structure and it widely celebrated its 150th
anniversary two years ago. Uzbekistan is also a member of the ITU and
actively participates in its work. This year, this day was marked under the
topic: Great data for creating a powerful momentum. In this regard, the
Ministry for Development of Information Technologies and Communications
together with the International Press Club organized a press conference on
"The State and Perspectives of the Information Society Development in
Uzbekistan". A video was shown with a message from ITU Secretary-General
Houlin Zhao before the event.
Sherzod Shermatov, acting Minister for Development of Information
Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan reported to the
representatives of the media on the state and prospects of the information
society development in Uzbekistan.
The main tasks for 2017-2021 in the Action Strategy for the five
priority areas of development as well as within the framework of the State
Program "Year of Dialogue with the People” are as follow: creation of a
favorable ICT infrastructure, in particular, development of mobile
communications and digital television, construction of fiber optic
communication lines, support and all-round assistance in the development of
software, improvement of the "e-government" system. In this regard, there are a number of
practical measures aimed at introduction and development of modern
technologies in the activities of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies,
in the process of issuing passports, visas and exit stickers, in the work of
law enforcement bodies. As it was
stressed, a very important part of creating the infrastructure is increase in
the number of mobile subscribers, which reached 21.4 million this year. For
the broadest coverage of mobile communications in the regions of the country,
more than 18,300 mobile communications stations throughout the country had
been set up by April 2017. Within a year this figure will exceed 20
thousand. At present, special attention is paid to development of
opportunities for providing high-quality, high-speed communication and data
transmission using 4G / LTE technology. For example, this year domestic
operators plan to launch more than 450 mobile 4G mobile stations in the
regional and district centers of the country. Great importance and attention is paid
to improving the level of development of the "e-government" system
and conformity of the quality of public services and infrastructure with
international standards and ratings. In particular, the indicators of the use
and coverage of Internet services, mobile communications, number of mobile
subscribers, number of broadband and wireless Internet users for every 100
people are taken into account.
Despite the fact that there are more than 20 thousand km of
fiber-optic lines in the regions of the country, unfortunately, the average
number of broadband Internet users is 1.33 for every 100 respondents. This,
in particular, significantly and negatively affects the position of
Uzbekistan in the world ranking in this direction. Today, work is already being done to
correct this situation and to provide access to high-speed broadband Internet
for wider layers of the population. The work carried out within the framework
of the Action Strategy to ensure uninterrupted access to Internet services
continues. In particular, it is planned to organize coverage of more than 277
thousand kilometers with fiber-optic communication lines by 2021. Taking this into account, the Ministry for Development of
Information Technologies and Communications actively supports the proposals
and ideas for creating production focused on local products output, in
particular, fiber-optic cables. Now proposals have already been made that
this enterprise will provide domestic production of 50 thousand km of
high-quality fiber optic cable.
Conditions are created and proposals are also made for development of
digital television and expansion of the number of Internet publications. As
part of the Action Strategy, work continues to expand the capabilities of
analog television. To date, 95% of the population has already been provided
access to digital television. Our country also pays great attention to the
technical capabilities and quality assurance of the use of DVB-T / T2
standards. In this regard, it is important to mention the relevance of
increasing the DVB-T / T2 quality standards. The speed of Internet connection is of
great importance for modern users. In 2016, overall speed of using
international information networks was (for providers) 26.3 Gbit/s, in 2017
it reached 65.7 Gbit/s that is more than doubled. But this is not enough
given the rapidly growing needs of Internet users in Uzbekistan. With this in
mind, projects are being implemented to achieve the speed of access to
external channels up to 200 Gbit/s.
It is related to the fact that over the past year the number of
Internet users in our country has doubled. In particular, at the moment, the
number of Internet users in Uzbekistan has reached 14.7 million. The growth
made up 2.6 million subscribers compared to the same period last year. As for the cost of Internet services,
in 2013 the price of connection to international channels for Internet
providers was $ 422 (for 1 Mb/s), this amount has been reducing dynamically
for 4 years, and it is $ 67.85 now.
Nevertheless, the cost of Internet services for the end user is not so
low. Compulsory condition for cheapening the Internet service is development
of national content. To date, the number of sites in the domain UZ grew by
7.4% and reached 32.5 thousand.
In this direction, such projects as "New Internet
Initiative", "BestSoft Challenge", "OpenData
Challenge" find practical implementation for even more rapid development
of national content, growth of the number of youth content in the state
language. In particular, the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers on
providing young people with information resources is under development. Together with "Uzbektelecom" JSC a catalog of useful
sites is connected for the youth audience in the framework of ZiyoNET tariffs
"Start", "Active" and "Life". Tariffs give
users the opportunity to access more than two thousand international
scientific, practical and spiritual-educational resources. It is very
important when protecting the younger generation from negativity in the
Internet and for gaining the skills of proper orientation in the Internet
space. The industry also faces
the task to develop digitalization and facilitate access to public services,
stimulate and facilitate dynamic development of business. A single platform created to
effectively respond to problems or issues of society serves as a new driver
for their prompt resolution. Of 786,000 appeals received to the President's
Reception Office, 720,000 were resolved positively. The launched practice of
consideration of applications activated non-working mechanisms of
departmental work. As part of the
Strategy, a new version of the Single Portal of Interactive State Services
has been developed which is already running in the test mode. The main
innovation of the portal is possibility of forming a personal cabinet for
legal entities and individuals and a single database "electronic
government" that takes into account all the information about the user
and the services that he used. The portal analyzes data by user type and
generates content for it. For example, for a person, who is over 40 years old, registered
on the portal, the system will recommend updating (changing) promptly the
passport of a citizen. All this
made it possible to clearly separate the work with complaints and appeals
from citizens and automation of public services. In this case, users will be
able to use state services without any loss of time and resources. Moreover, ICTs provide direct
participation of citizens in the discussion of existing regulations and
legislative initiatives to a large extent. For this period, 1254 draft
documents were submitted for discussion at the System for Assessing the
Impact of Legislative Acts portal. Based on the results of these discussions,
the draft documents were substantially revised, which indicates the
effectiveness of the portal. The
press conference organized by the Ministry for Development of Information
Technologies and Communications in conjunction with the International Press
Club was held in the format of a dialogue of journalists with experts in the
ICT field. The main topic of
discussion was not the achievements, but the prospects for dynamic
development and ways of solving problems that hamper full development of
modern ICT in Uzbekistan. From http://news.uzreport.uz/
05/18/2017 |
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AUSTRALIA: National Audit Office Looks to Outsource IT Services The country's audit office has gone to tender asking for
guidance on what IT services it should seek external partners for.The
Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has published a request for
information (RFI), seeking help to narrow down what IT services the
government agency needs to outsource before heading to tender from July next
year.The ANAO has labelled the RFI a "mutual discovery process"
which it said will allow the ANAO to gain information and insights on
providers in the market and in return allow providers to gain information and
insights about the ANAO's business and IT needs.The ANAO is responsible for
improving public sector performance, accountability, and transparency in the
Australian government through conducting performance audits, financial
statement audits, and assurance reviews. Currently, the ANAO is undertaking a number of strategic
programs to integrate audit practices and provide people common business
tools that are supported centrally and support an increasingly mobile
workforce, the RFI explains.The ANAO expects the information gained from the
RFI process to help it develop an understanding of possible solutions to meet
its requirements; gauge an estimated cost; and shape its resulting tender
requirements.When it heads to tender next year, the ANAO will be looking for
an external organisation to supply it with a central "managed
service" that provides: IT service desk and desktop support,
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), audit
and cybersecurity controls, and Workplace-as-a-Service (WPaaS) and mobility
services.Under IT service desk and desktop support, the ANAO requires an on-premises
IT service desk -- with experienced IT staff -- that offers 24/7 support,
training, and trend analysis. As the ANAO shifts from on-premises to the cloud, the ANAO is
seeking IaaS and SaaS models for email, application hosting, databases,
storage space, backup, data analytics support with scalable storage, VOIP
systems, and video conferencing.As the ANAO works with highly sensitive
information that requires a high level of protection, it is asking as a
priority for confidential client data to be managed in a highly secure manner
by the successful supplier.As it looks to an enabled mobile workforce, the
ANAO said its first consideration of new technology investments is being
mobile-ready."Many of ANAO's workforce are already mobile, often working
out of client offices with their laptop, 4G card and VPN solution," the
RFI says."The approach to market aims to promote remote access further.
Staff would be able to work from anywhere but still enjoy all the benefits of
being in the office, including collaborating with colleagues by video, voice,
and using shared workspaces." Forming part of the RFI process is the option for respondents to
participate in a workshop with the ANAO that will address technical,
operational, implementation, commercial, legal, pricing, and strategic
related matters, the RFI explains.As part of the workshop, suppliers will
need to pitch their business capabilities to the ANAO and provide detailed
explanation on what their organisation can do for the government agency,
including how they "align with the ANAO" from a business,
commercial, and cultural perspective.In addition, the ANAO said it wants to
understand from the RFI process issues that are relevant to the efficient,
effective, and economic procurement of solutions within government.The
federal government announced last month it will be reviewing all significant
IT contracts in search of greater transparency and oversight over its AU$6.2
billion annual technology spend.It is expected the review will include all
non-corporate commonwealth entities and all active projects over AU$10
million in value, or those that engage a large number of Australians. "We need to make sure we're delivering what the public
needs, we're avoiding duplication, and we have the right processes in place
to minimise disruption to public services," Assistant Minister for
Digital Transformation Angus Taylor said at the time."This is more than
a review, it's ongoing oversight, and it will provide unprecedented
visibility and centralised management of IT projects."Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull previously warned against outsourcing government services,
saying a government could find itself without sufficient internal talent as a
result."I am not an unalloyed fan of outsourcing," Turnbull told
reporters ahead of the 2016 federal election. "I think there is a risk
that if you outsource too much of government services, you run the risk that
you end up with very little talent or capability within government."The
RFI closes on March 14, 2017. From http://www.zdnet.com 03/01/2017 Empired 'Exclusive' Role in NEC Consortium Delivering Services
to WA Govt IT services provider Empired says it is playing an exclusive
role in a consortium led by NEC to supply GovNext ICT services to the Western
Australian Government. The WA Government has contracted three prime
contractors, including NEC Australia, to deliver a whole of government
solution for cloud-based ICT infrastructure as a service, with Empired selected
as a key subcontractor as part of the NEC consortium. The term of Empired’s
contract is for an initial five years with an option to extend for a further
five, with an estimated spend of $15 million over the life of the contract,
inclusive of options. Considerable upside to this value is anticipated based
on government uptake and the provision of additional services within the
scope of the contract, according to Empired. Empired managing director
Russell Baskerville said it would have an exclusive role within the scope of
the contract to provide the core collaboration functions in a cloud
environment across the whole of WA Government. He said the role was exclusive to the NEC consortium and
Empired’s role within the consortium was also exclusive and delivered a
centralised directory services, centralised Identity service and certificate
authority. The service will be provided on a per user consumption-based
pricing model with all users that elect to use the WA Government platform
provided the service. According to the publicly listed Empired (ASX:EPD), the
service has the potential to scale beyond 140,000 WA Government users based
on agency take-up of the Western Australian GovNext-ICT platform. “We are
delighted to have been selected as a key player in providing services with
NEC to the WA State Government under the GovNext-ICT framework. This award is
testament to Empired’s capability and investments in cloud based services,”
Baskerville said. “We are excited about this strategic and unique opportunity
to deliver cloud services across WA Government. Given our ICT capabilities
Empired is well placed to provide broader cloud based solutions as the
GovNext-ICT framework evolves.” From https://www.itwire.com 03/07/2017 Trial Completes First Delivery of E-Invoice by Government Cloud services provider MessageXchange has successfully
demonstrated end-to-end transactions between the Australian Government and a
private sector recipient, using the new Australian e-invoicing standard.The
test involved delivery of an e-invoice to a government grant recipient which
MessageXchange says was the first of its kind to be sent by an Australian
Government department.Department of Industry, Innovation and Science’s chief
operating officer, Michael Schwager says, “e-invoicing will deliver benefits
to the department’s suppliers, including grant recipients, but it will also
allow the department to streamline its internal accounts payable processes.
These in turn will generate efficiencies and improve the timeliness of
payments to suppliers".John Delaney, co-founder and managing director of
MessageXchange, says e-invoicing offers significant processing and payment
time efficiencies over scanned or emailed invoices. “Many of Australia’s largest and most efficient supply chains
already use MessageXchange, which currently processes more than 100 million
transactions a year.“We have demonstrated that both our MessageXchange and Colladium
cloud services are ready to securely handle e-invoices using the new
Australian standard. Most importantly, we have demonstrated that both
government agencies and Industry will be able to very inexpensively and
rapidly reap the benefits of e-invoicing.”Until recently in Australia,
e-invoicing and Electronic Data Interchange technologies have been
predominantly used in the supply chains of large businesses, with varying
standards presenting barriers for small businesses, but according to MessageXchange
industry standardisation of e-invoicing is likely to increase adoption, while
also reducing costs and complexity. The new Australian e-invoicing standard has been created through
collaboration between government and industry, led by the Digital Business
Council which was founded in 2015 to develop, deploy and facilitate the
adoption of digital standards in Australia. It has been estimated that
widespread adoption of e-invoicing could save Australian businesses between
$7 billion and $10 billion annually.The collaboration between the private
sector and the Australian Government achieved through the Council has led to
the establishment of regulation, industry standardisation and mechanisms
that, it is claimed, instill trust in the e-invoicing framework. The new
framework is designed to reduce barriers to entry and provide a level playing
field for all Australian businesses that wish to adopt e-invoicing.Members of
the Council include the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Government
Department of Finance, NSW Government Department of Finance, and the
Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), and industry bodies such as
the Australian Business Software Industry Association (ABSIA), the Australian
Information Industry Association (AIIA), Chartered Accounts (CA ANZ), and the
Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). From https://www.itwire.com 05/01/2017 Budget Short on Funding to Address ICT Skills Gap: ACS The Australian Computer Society says the budget falls short in
providing sufficient funds to address the ICT skills gap and wants the
federal government to allocate more funding to overcome the problem.The ACS,
while welcoming the government’s commitment to the digital economy, says
there’s a need for funding for schools at a time when the performance of
Australian students in science and maths is declining.And it supports a
stronger focus on building digital skills and digital literacy in Australian
classrooms.“This must be a critical economic and policy priority, especially
when STEM is associated with 75% of the fastest growing occupations,
innovations and wage premiums,” ACS president Anthony Wong said.“The ACS is
supportive of the government’s introduction of needs-based funding for
Australian schools, as outlined in the Quality Schools reforms package, which
includes $242.3 billion in recurrent funding to schools over the next decade. “We also welcome the new Gonski-led Review to Achieve
Educational Excellence in Australian Schools to provide advice on how this
funding should be used to improve student achievement and performance.”Wong
pointed that the ACS, as part of its pre-dudget recommendations to the
federal government proposed a grassroots National ICT Educators Programme.
The program is designed to boost the capacity of Australian school teachers
implementing the Digital Technologies (DT) curriculum, with the aim of better
engaging students in STEM and improving their performance.Wong said the ACS
saw the programme as essential if Australia is to fill future skills gaps of
nearly 67,000 ICT workers by 2020.“As a longstanding advocate in this space,
the ACS has actively raised concerns about the critical need to address
Australia’s ICT skills shortages to meet future skills demand.“This is
alongside the need to boost ICT enrolments and completions where currently
graduates represent only 1% of the ICT workforce.“The ACS looks forward to
working with the government to place a high priority on achieving these outcomes.” From https://www.itwire.com 05/10/2017 NEW ZEALAND: Intellectual Property Office Ranked World’s Online
Best The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) has been
ranked number one in the world for its online capabilities by the World
Trademark Review, following its move to 100 percent online
operation.Announcing the win, the minister of commerce and consumer affairs,
Jacqui Dean, said the World Trademark Review had compared IPONZ to the top 40
trade mark offices around the world.“IPONZ was praised both for its online
model, and as the only office in the world to offer third party access to its
application programming interfaces (APIs), allowing businesses to plug into
the IPONZ system directly, reducing administrative effort and increasing
their access to information from the IP registers,” she said.Dean said IPONZ
had been the first IP office in the world to move to a 100 percent online
model. “We are focused as a Government on providing an environment and the
tools to help kiwi businesses get ahead.Whether registering for a patent,
trademark, design or plant variety right, it is easy for New Zealand
businesses and entrepreneurs to apply for intellectual property rights
online. In today’s global marketplace, IP can be a business’s greatest asset.
Protecting brands, ideas and innovations help businesses to compete and stand
out from the crowd.”World Trademark Review, published by the UK based Globe
Business Media Group, is claimed to be the world's only independent daily
news and information service dedicated exclusively to reporting on trademark
issues for in-house and private practitioners internationally. From https://www.computerworld.co.nz 03/17/2017 NZTech Explores Uptake and Potential of LoT in NZ NZTech has initiated a collaborative research project to better
understand the potential benefits and risks of IoT for the New Zealand economy.NZTech
CEO, Graeme Muller, said the project brought together major tech users, tech
firms, the government, academia and industry groups such as the
Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand and InternetNZ, all of
which have an interest in the potential impact of IoT for New Zealand.“While
IoT is a rapidly developing technology, understanding of its potential is
still relatively limited,” Muller said. “By undertaking a collaborative
research project with the government, the tech sector and tech users we have
an opportunity to raise the profile of IoT and highlight its potential.“The
research will also help us understand opportunities that IoT could create for
different sectors, and any barriers or challenges that may need to be
addressed to accelerate deployment,” he said. According to NZTech, much of the current hype around IoT has
been derived from consumer IoT such as fitness trackers and intelligent
fridges, but the real value to be had from IoT is in enterprise and
government applications.Muller said the research would not be completed until
June but initial observations gave cause for optimism. “While current uptake
is very low, with only around 10 percent of New Zealand businesses having
deployed or currently planning to deploy IoT type technologies, New Zealand
has all the ingredients for a business environment that will support
accelerated growth.”He added that IoT was becoming a growing topic of
conversation both inside and outside the workplace. “Fast broadband is
becoming more widely available, the cost of connecting is decreasing, more
devices are being created with Wi-Fi capabilities and sensors built into
them, technology costs are dropping, and smartphone penetration is
sky-rocketing. “Putting all these rapid developments into the mix is creating
a perfect platform for IoT to take off. This is why the research project and
a better understanding of how to apply IoT are needed.”Muller said IoT would
soon become critical to helping New Zealand raise its productivity and
prosperity. “A series of events this week, as part of Techweek 2017 will
outline how Kiwis will acquire new skills as they leap into the future.” From https://www.computerworld.co.nz 05/11/2017 |
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