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In the World
of Internet Policy, Online Freedom Hangs in the Balance Editor’s Note: Mike Godwin is Senior Policy Advisor for the
Global Internet Policy Project of Internews, an international non-profit
media development organization whose mission is to empower local media
worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to
connect and the means to make their voices heard. Leave it to the National
Security Agency and the It wasn’t always clear that cyberpolicy would loom quite so
large in our daily lives. When I started practicing “Internet law” in 1990,
traditional legal scholars doubted there was enough legal matter in
cyberspace to even cause concern.. At the same time, technologists often
talked glibly about how tools like ubiquitous personal computers would make the
need for resolving legal and policy issues a thing of the past; everybody
would be empowered to participate in public dialogue, a kind of direct
democracy leaving lawmakers and bureaucrats in the dust of irrelevance. Both
assumptions were wrong. Cyberpolicy is more relevant than ever, because
cyberspace has rapidly become a central staging area for political
participation in the modern era. For proof look no further than to In fact, we are at a pivotal moment in which many developing
countries are hashing out their internet and communications policies. While
many nations are committed to online freedom – or at least say they are –
quite a few are working to rein in free expression or to impose ubiquitous
surveillance that exceeds even the NSA’s ambitions. Both new nations and old
ones are rushing to update their laws for the digital era; there is a narrow
window of opportunity to shape the digital future before these internet
policy regimes are set into law. So this is precisely the time for policy
activists in emerging and transitional nations to focus on building the legal
framework under which freedom of expression – both traditional and online –
can play its proper role in a democratic society. In developing and
transitional democracies, it has become apparent that if you don’t have a
strong consensus about what it means to have free media, it doesn’t matter
how slick your digital tools are. Notwithstanding the so-called “Twitter
revolutions,” this is a hard fact that activists in the Middle East, Africa,
Latin America, and These policy threats can take many forms. Two critical examples:
(1) sometimes a new government, feeling its own fragility, wants to build a
widespread surveillance infrastructure into the country’s internet services;
and (2) sometimes politicians and wealthy citizens realize that newly
empowered Internet users can use digital platforms and tools to criticize the
powers-that-be, so they deploy defamation laws and court cases to chilling
effect. For better or worse, the hard work of policy development doesn’t lend
itself to street protests or tweets alone – and most policy problems can’t be
solved by staging a Wikipedia blackout in the absence of deep engagement in a
sustained multi-stakeholder approach. It turns out that cyberpolicy advocacy
is less like programming a computer or stringing a wire than building a
marriage: it hinges on creating and maintaining trusted relationships and
transparent dialogue. What it really takes is face-to-face meetings between
citizen advocates and policymakers, reasoning together, and creating a shared
understanding of what freedom and privacy should mean on the internet,
regardless of the tools we happen to be using. In my work with Internews’ Global Internet Policy Project, I
help strengthen the ability of civil society organizations to work towards
humane, progressive internet policy in their countries. In policy
discussions, these ordinary citizens and brave activists and lawyers are
learning how to make their voices heard by their governments as well as by
the institutional stakeholders who have traditionally had a monopoly on
government’s ears. I have seen firsthand that what emerges from a mature
process of policy advocacy is dialogue and colloquy in which all stakeholders
— including government ministries, internet activists, journalists, bloggers,
civil society groups, telcom and internet service providers — recognize the
value of other points of view and find solutions. A.J. Liebling famously
said, “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.” The key
fact of the modern digital era is that, increasingly, everyone owns one. The
citizens who capture violence in the street with a camera-enabled phone are
practicing journalism. So are the bloggers who publish with only a laptop and
a Tumblr account. And when I lived in downtown Oakland during the 2011 Occupy
Oakland protests, I knew that people who were live-tweeting police movements
and crowd actions were honoring the noblest tradition of journalism: to bear
witness. The rising tide of citizen journalism and a plethora of citizen
voices makes many governments uncomfortable, especially those with a
tradition of muzzling the press. Controlling your critics is easier with
censorship, with the introduction of online media restrictions, and limited
broadcast licences. and broadcasters. So when everyone is, effectively, a
newspaper or radio station or reporter, a newer, more fragile, or simply
nervous government may find reason to panic. Here civil society plays an
essential role in media policy: it’s to stop governments from panicking and
adopting repressive policies that undermine privacy and that squelch a free
media of all kinds, (including
any built by a blogger with a Facebook or WordPress account). To nurture good
internet policy, public protests or legal actions may be the start of the
dialog, but they can’t be the end of it. Instead, advocates of an open and
free internet need to learn how to keep governments calm in the face of rapid
digital democratization. In effect, they must become their own kind of
institutional resource for ensuring free expression and privacy online. In
the process, civil society groups can legitimize the whole process of
engagement, so that their governments see them as resources and partners, not
just adversaries. . Success will mean that internet governance is not just for the
governors anymore, and that internet policy is not just for policymakers. And
it will underscore the plain reality that journalism is not just for
journalists any more. In today’s digital democracies, where each of us could
play any of these roles, the most valuable help we can offer those who are
advocating for good policy on our behalf is the recognition that we each have
a direct personal stake in freedom of the press, which nowadays is as
universal and individual as freedom of speech. This means activists have to
look beyond digital technologies and protest tactics to secure long-term
policy frameworks that protect online expression and privacy. The sooner we
achieve international social consensus about this, the sooner we will
understand how to manage the complex blend of individual privileges and
responsibilities that come with life in the digital age. From
http://www.forbes.com/
07/21/2013 Expansion of
IT Pact to Boost Global Economy: APEC Officials Expanding the number of information technology products exempt
from tariffs will provide a much-needed boost to the global economy and
contribute to opening markets and facilitating regional trade, say APEC
officials. The case for expansion under an existing World Trade Organization
sectoral agreement was laid out by public and private sector experts on
Thursday in World trade of products included in the Information Technology
Agreement tripled between 1996 and 2011 to USD1.47 trillion, according to an
APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU) brief. But these products’ share in total
trade declined from 11.3 percent to 9.9 percent during this same period.
“APEC research indicates that a large number of duty-free IT products such as
word processors and fax machines have become obsolete or undergone a sharp
drop in demand,” said Peter Cheah, Chair of the APEC Market Access Group. “At
the same time, many products and transformational technologies that today
account for a sizeable amount of world trade fall outside the scope of the
agreement.” “Our goal is to support ITA expansion as well as to institute a
mechanism to ensure that a revised agreement is able to keep pace with
innovation and market trends,” Cheah explained. “APEC is playing a leading
role to enhance understanding of IT development and the need for greater
liberalization, particularly among customs officials, regulators and
stakeholders.” Products that are absent from the existing Information
Technology Agreement range from DVDs, MP3 and MP4 players to global
positioning systems. Multifunctional units such as LCD screens,
printer-scanner-copiers, smart phones and tablet computers are also beyond
its reach. “The current process of ITA product expansion is reflective of demand
from within the global information and communications technologies industry
and the need for the WTO to better address firms’ changing business
requirements,” said Tang Xiaobing, a market access counselor at the World
Trade Organization. “Support from APEC economies can help to conclude the
negotiations and encourage greater participation in an expanded agreement by
the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in From
http://www.apec.org/
06/20/2013 Using a $600,000 grant, the Oyez Project will digitize legal
materials of State Supreme and Federal Appellate Courts. In a few years,
simplified case summaries, judicial opinions and audio recordings from all
federal appellate and state supreme courts could be accessible at the touch
of a button. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law will
spearhead the effort, aggregating documents and media from courts in Helping to fund the work is a $600,000 prize that the Oyez Project received as a winner of the Knight News
Challenge on Open Gov, sponsored by the Knight Foundation. The foundation
works to promote media innovation by funding innovative ideas in news and
information. The Oyez Project previously digitized U.S. Supreme Court
documents from as far back as 1955, including an audio archive containing
approximately 14,000 hours of court deliberation spanning roughly 6 million
words. Leading the new project is Jerry Goldman, Oyez Project director and a
professor with the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Goldman felt tackling the
written and audio content of all the nation’s appellate courts would make
covering the courts easier for journalists, and give the public a better
understanding of judges and legal decisions. “They are men and women with
values and judgments, and sometimes they make good calls -- and I bet they
make a few bad ones too,” Goldman said. “I think we have a duty as citizens
to understand what they do, rather than say … ‘that’s someone of Polish
decent and my family came from First Steps The project will require a great deal of teamwork between the
Oyez Project and volunteers. The grant funding will enable Goldman to create
a consortium of local partners from law schools to provide plain English case
summaries, abstracts and biographical sketches of federal appellate and state
Supreme Court judges. The Oyez Project team will build the both the websites
and the mobile application for both iOS and Android devices for access to the
content. A prototype model of what the website will look like is already
online, containing data from The Washington State Supreme Court. That site
was built using WordPress, but the new project will operate using Drupal as a
content management system. Matt Gruhn, associate director of the Oyez
Project, explained that users will see individual websites for each court.
But “under the hood,” all the data will live in the same digital repository,
enabling advanced querying of data across multiple jurisdictions. In the next
few months, the Oyez Project will reach out to law schools to gauge their
interest in being part of the new project. Goldman said he hopes to get a
couple of schools interested, which in turn should snowball into more wanting
to be involved as the effort will get them noticed by the state judiciary. In
addition, the archival work could help enhance a law school’s brand and
reputation to help drive prospective student and professor interest in
attending or teaching at the institution. “It’s another way for a law school
to distinguish itself from its competitors,” Goldman said. “It’s hard for me
to see the downside here, especially since we’re doing all the hard work.” Challenges Ahead When working on the U.S. Supreme Court project, the major
challenge for Goldman and his team over the last 20 years was going back 58
years to collect audio recordings in different states of decay from the
National Archives and transferring it. Many of those same research and
aggregation steps will exist with the federal appellate and state supreme
courts, but the work will focus largely on material from current years, so it
won’t take as long. A number of hurdles still exist, however. Many courts use
obsolete word processing software to archive transcripts, making cataloging
and transferring to one standardized format difficult. In some cases, the
courts have transcribed their own audio and identified the speakers, making
the process easier. But that’s a best case scenario -- and one that’s usually
not the case, according to Goldman. As a result, a much larger amount of time
and effort needs to be spent on the recordings. Some courts have also
recorded legal proceedings in proprietary formats or in sub-standard quality
such as .mp3, which further complicates matters. Recording in low fidelity
runs counter to the archival goals of the Oyez Project, which looks to
archive the actual source audio without any loss in quality. Although the
files will be enormous, with cloud technology available, size really doesn’t
matter. Goldman explained that courts throw away a lot of data by using
recording formats with lossy compression, such as .mp3. He argued that as time goes on and
newer delivery standards come around that are incompatible with .mp3, there’s
no way to go back and recover a lossless format to convert into a new
standard. So the quality will continually degenerate. That’s why preserving
uncompressed audio data is so important. The pristine source audio is also
desired to enhance the quality of mobile access to the recordings. The Oyez
Project made the U.S. Supreme Court recordings mobile-friendly by creating a
live stream that can be accessed by smartphone. They took the large
recordings and cut them down into very small segments, enabling a user to
search for specific parts of a legal proceeding. The content can also be
downloaded, but by using the ISCOTUS NOW app, a person can make clips of the
segments to use for various purposes. The same is planned for federal
appellate court and state supreme court recordings, but maintaining quality
can be difficult, particularly if the source audio isn’t at an archival
level. “I suspect we will face those issues, and then we will have to
struggle with how we make those materials publicly available and
archivally-sound so that going forward, we can always make a conversion,”
Goldman said. “I just have to do more preaching because I am not getting
through to my parishioners about the importance of preservation and being able
to make this accessible 50 or 100 years from now." From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/18/2013 For the fifth time, the Estonian Information System’s Authority
organized a competition for best Estonian e-services. This year 77 projects
participated in the competition, and winners were elected in five categories.
The aim of the competition was to introduce innovative e-services and
e-solutions, but also their customers and developers in the public, private
and non-profit sectors. The winner of the competition will be participating
in World Summit Award. Who were the winners? 1. TransferWise — Overall Best e-Service, Best e-Business
Service TransferWise is a money transfer service launched by Kristo
Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus. The service allows people to send money abroad
at the lowest possible true cost, so they can avoid paying considerably big
fees to banks for the transactions. In two years, TransferWise has grown to
include 36 currency directions and has transferred more than 125 million
British pounds of their customers’ money. But it’s not only customers they
have attracted, but also very impressive investors. The latest investment
round for TransferWise in the beginning of May included PayPal’s and
Facebook’s investor Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, and the startup received an
endorsement by Richard Branson in April. TransferWise’s future plans include
expanding their currency coverage and working on mobile solutions in the near
future. They are definitely a service to keep an eye on. 2. GoSwift — Best e-Government Service GoSwift – an online reservation system for border crossing – is
setting a new standard for border crossing, not only in 3. Ennemuistne — Best e-Culture Service Ennemuistne is a free online game inspired by Estonian folklore
that can be used as an entertaining addition to the national high-school
curriculum. It is a fun and interactive way for teenagers to learn about
ancient times in 4. TipTheAuthors — Best e-Entertainment Service TipTheAuthors is a platform for selling films online. The idea
was first formed at the beginning of 2012 during Garage48 – an Estonian-born
startup event where ideas are turned into working services or prototypes
within a time limit of 48 hours. The platform aims to provide an easy way of
legally buying films online and thus counter the issue of piracy. Hence their
slogan — “movie downloads for honest people”. According to Margus Pala, one
of the creators of TipTheAuthors, a successful e-service has to create value
for the users and answer their needs. And even in the case of fierce
competition on the market of selling and streaming films online, it’s the
flexibility of a small company that might lead to success. In the near
future, TipTheAuthors is hoping to offer their services on different movie
downloading sites where users are already used to downloading content. They
are also constantly working on increasing the number of movies in their
catalogue. 5. Hooandja — Best e-Involvement Service Hooandja is a crowdfunding platform for creative projects,
borrowing it’s idea from the US-born Kickstarter. It’s a place where good
ideas meet consumers/clients. Every project on Hooandja presents itself with
an introductory video that clearly explains the purpose and requirements of
the project. A project can gather funding for 2–8 weeks. However, one of the
main rules of Hooandja is the requirement to achieve 100% of the targeted
funding — if the project fails to gain that support, all the money is given
back to the supporters. Hooandja has been in use since summer 2012. Since
then, they have managed to fund creative projects totaling over 100,000
euros. These projects have included books by local authors, CD or vinyl
albums by local musicians, but also theatrical events and design projects.
Crowdfunding is clearly becoming a trend within the creative community. It
also creates a new way of communication and closeness between creators and their
audience. From
http://e-estonia.com/
06/04/2013 As From http://www.news.cn/
08/13/2013 The Korean government will broaden the disclosure of administrative
information except in cases of national security or personal privacy starting
in 2014. President Park Geun-hye and heads of government organizations
announced a basic plan called the “Government 3.0” vision which allows wider
public access to government data. This initiative refers to the Park Geun-hye
administration’s government reform drive to boost transparency, information
sharing, communication, and cooperation in overall state affairs
management. “Government 3.0 goes beyond the information disclosure,”
said From
http://www.korea.net 06/20/2013 Department of Home Affairs, “The advantage of the model is to promote openness, democracy by
taking the actual working results as a measure. Also, public servants will be
evaluated from various angles,” he saeid. Ngu also added that this scheme is
an opportunity for public servants to listen to comments, suggestions from
their colleagues to improve work efficiency. Each individual will be asked to
score himself at work, attitude, responsibility and is then assessed by his
boss. After that, colleagues from the same agency will provide comments on
one another. The staff will be allowed to secretly assess their bosses, and
the final marks will be maded by the higher-level officials. The result of
this performance assessment will be monitored monthly and quarterly, and will
be used as a basis for the annual evaluation. If an officer cannot fulfil his
or her task for two consecutive years, he or she will be fired. The result of
the assessment will be used for emulation and commendation, income
distribution and allocation of administrative expenses. During July and
September 2012, From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/04/2013 Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) joined forces with
private sector in multi-year agreement for training and workforce development
of young Singaporean cyber security professionals. The announcement of the
agreement between the EDB and RSA — the security Division of EMC and the
provider of cyber security solutions, was made today at RSA Conference APAC
2013, showing an effort to train Singaporean candidates for careers in cyber
security, and combating online fraud. “The collaboration would lead to the creation
of good jobs for Singaporeans and creates a readily available talent pool for
companies to tap when they setup operations in The EDB and RSA will seek qualified graduates from The training programme will be administered by the EDB in
cooperation with RSA, to provide candidates to RSA’s world-class cyber
security and RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center (AFCC) located outside Tel Aviv, Qualified candidates will return to From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/05/2013 Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Communications and IT released
the National Cyber Security Policy. He underlined that this policy should be seen
as about protecting of information, such as personal information,
financial/banking information, sovereign data etc. He said that information
empowers, and in order to empower people with information, we need to secure
the information. He also flagged the need to distinguish between data which
can freely flow and data which needs to be protected. Sibal pointed out that
the real challenge is in the operationalisation of this policy. He also
stated that the government, through incentives and subsidies will need to
support Small and Medium Enterprises for accessing the technology to make
their systems safe. The “National Cyber Security Policy” has been prepared in
consultation with all relevant stakeholders, user entities and public. The new policy aims at facilitating creation of secure computing
environment and enabling adequate trust and confidence in electronic
transactions and also guiding stakeholder’s actions for protection of cyber
space. The National Cyber Security Policy document outlines a road-map to
create a framework for comprehensive, collaborative and collective response
to deal with the issue of cyber security at all levels within the country. It
recognises the need for objectives and strategies that need to be adopted
both at the national level as well as international level. It aims at building a secure and
resilience cyber space for citizens, businesses and Government. Enabling
goals aimed at reducing national vulnerability to cyber attacks, preventing
cyber attacks & cyber crimes, minimising response & recover time and
effective cyber crime investigation and prosecution. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/03/2013 The Australian
government’s peak ICT policy agency, Australian Government Information
Management Office (AGIMO), has launched a new Australian Public Service Big
Data Strategy. This launch underscores moves to better understand, use and
share data held by agencies delivering front-line services, and holding vast
repositories of information. This strategy’s launch coincides with an April
2013 opening of a whole-of-government Data Analytics Centre of Excellence by
the Australian Taxation Office. This centre marks a sea change in the way
volumes of government data is handled, accessed and managed. Among the
trends, AGIMO notes that 90 per cent of the worldwide data was created in
just the last two years. “Some estimate that data production will be 44 times
greater in 2020 than it was in 2009. Others estimate an additional 2.5
quintillion bytes of data is being generated every day.” Making sense of data Big data as well as
analytics and mining tools help end-users better analyse and make sense of
the vast repositories of information. This is especially so for massive data
banks held by agencies in Data as a national
asset Governments generate
massive volumes of data. This data is used for administration, policy
development, and to interact with citizens. “It is part of the government’s responsibility
to realise the value of this data and the information contained within it,
and to recognise this data as a national asset to both the government and the
Australian public.” Governments cannot realise this value without help from
industry and academia. “As a result, Australia, along with many other
advanced economies, is increasingly seeking to provide data to third parties
for analysis, or to support the provision of services, for example through
the development of mobile apps.” Tackling privacy
concerns Under privacy
guidelines, From http://www.futuregov.asia
08/05/2013 |
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Declaring
Internet Freedom for All Earlier this year, a massive Internet blackout strike and
millions of signatures on online petitions put pressure on Congress and
defeated the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual
Property Act (PIPA), two bills that would have allowed the government and big
media conglomerates to censor the web in the name of protecting copyrighted
material. Now, the coalition of activists and groups that led the fight
against SOPA and PIPA have issued a Declaration of Internet Freedom, and
after only a few days of online circulation, more than 100 groups and more than
33,000 individuals have signed on in support. Truthout has decided to join
them. There will be more SOPA-like threats to web freedom in the future. From
Amnesty International to Mozilla and Cheezburger Inc., web entrepreneurs,
developers and activists agree that the fight to protect the Internet from
censorship, surveillance and discrimination is only beginning. As witnessed
during the Arab Spring and the rise of the Occupy movement, the Internet
gives grassroots social movements the ability to quickly organize big groups
of people, share information, build solidarity and hold those in power
accountable. Allowing big business and the government to censor and regulate
the web would also stifle innovation and give media conglomerates a
competitive edge against entrepreneurs and start-ups. SOPA, for example,
would have granted big media conglomerates the power to ask the government to
investigate and even shut down innovating web start-ups if users used the
platforms to post or share copyrighted content. The Declaration of Internet
Freedom demands that leaders do not punish innovators for their users'
actions. The Declaration of Internet Freedom also aims at protecting privacy,
freedom of expression online, affordable access to the web and an open
network "where everyone is free to connect, communicate, write, read,
watch, speak, listen, learn, create and innovate." At Truthout, we
believe freedom of speech online and everywhere else is a basic and vital
human right. We must be proactive about protecting our freedoms online. Free
Press, one of the groups promoting the declaration, hopes it will spark a
"global discussion" about protecting the Internet in the future.
The online discussion has already begun on sites like Cheezburger and Reddit.
From
http://truth-out.org/
07/19/2013 In the World
of Internet Policy, Online Freedom Hangs in the Balance Editor’s Note: Mike Godwin is Senior Policy Advisor for the
Global Internet Policy Project of Internews, an international non-profit
media development organization whose mission is to empower local media
worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to
connect and the means to make their voices heard. Leave it to the National
Security Agency and the It wasn’t always clear that cyberpolicy would loom quite so
large in our daily lives. When I started practicing “Internet law” in 1990,
traditional legal scholars doubted there was enough legal matter in
cyberspace to even cause concern.. At the same time, technologists often
talked glibly about how tools like ubiquitous personal computers would make
the need for resolving legal and policy issues a thing of the past; everybody
would be empowered to participate in public dialogue, a kind of direct
democracy leaving lawmakers and bureaucrats in the dust of irrelevance. Both
assumptions were wrong. Cyberpolicy is more relevant than ever, because
cyberspace has rapidly become a central staging area for political
participation in the modern era. For proof look no further than to In fact, we are at a pivotal moment in which many developing
countries are hashing out their internet and communications policies. While
many nations are committed to online freedom – or at least say they are –
quite a few are working to rein in free expression or to impose ubiquitous
surveillance that exceeds even the NSA’s ambitions. Both new nations and old
ones are rushing to update their laws for the digital era; there is a narrow
window of opportunity to shape the digital future before these internet
policy regimes are set into law. So this is precisely the time for policy
activists in emerging and transitional nations to focus on building the legal
framework under which freedom of expression – both traditional and online – can
play its proper role in a democratic society. In developing and transitional
democracies, it has become apparent that if you don’t have a strong consensus
about what it means to have free media, it doesn’t matter how slick your
digital tools are. Notwithstanding the so-called “Twitter revolutions,” this
is a hard fact that activists in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and These policy threats can take many forms. Two critical examples:
(1) sometimes a new government, feeling its own fragility, wants to build a
widespread surveillance infrastructure into the country’s internet services;
and (2) sometimes politicians and wealthy citizens realize that newly
empowered Internet users can use digital platforms and tools to criticize the
powers-that-be, so they deploy defamation laws and court cases to chilling
effect. For better or worse, the hard work of policy development doesn’t lend
itself to street protests or tweets alone – and most policy problems can’t be
solved by staging a Wikipedia blackout in the absence of deep engagement in a
sustained multi-stakeholder approach. It turns out that cyberpolicy advocacy
is less like programming a computer or stringing a wire than building a
marriage: it hinges on creating and maintaining trusted relationships and
transparent dialogue. What it really takes is face-to-face meetings between
citizen advocates and policymakers, reasoning together, and creating a shared
understanding of what freedom and privacy should mean on the internet,
regardless of the tools we happen to be using. In my work with Internews’ Global Internet Policy Project, I
help strengthen the ability of civil society organizations to work towards
humane, progressive internet policy in their countries. In policy
discussions, these ordinary citizens and brave activists and lawyers are
learning how to make their voices heard by their governments as well as by
the institutional stakeholders who have traditionally had a monopoly on
government’s ears. I have seen firsthand that what emerges from a mature
process of policy advocacy is dialogue and colloquy in which all stakeholders
— including government ministries, internet activists, journalists, bloggers,
civil society groups, telcom and internet service providers — recognize the
value of other points of view and find solutions. A.J. Liebling famously
said, “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.” The key
fact of the modern digital era is that, increasingly, everyone owns one. The
citizens who capture violence in the street with a camera-enabled phone are
practicing journalism. So are the bloggers who publish with only a laptop and
a Tumblr account. And when I lived in downtown Oakland during the 2011 Occupy
Oakland protests, I knew that people who were live-tweeting police movements
and crowd actions were honoring the noblest tradition of journalism: to bear
witness. The rising tide of citizen journalism and a plethora of citizen
voices makes many governments uncomfortable, especially those with a
tradition of muzzling the press. Controlling your critics is easier with
censorship, with the introduction of online media restrictions, and limited
broadcast licences. and broadcasters. So when everyone is, effectively, a
newspaper or radio station or reporter, a newer, more fragile, or simply
nervous government may find reason to panic. Here civil society plays an
essential role in media policy: it’s to stop governments from panicking and
adopting repressive policies that undermine privacy and that squelch a free
media of all kinds, (including
any built by a blogger with a Facebook or WordPress account). To nurture good
internet policy, public protests or legal actions may be the start of the
dialog, but they can’t be the end of it. Instead, advocates of an open and
free internet need to learn how to keep governments calm in the face of rapid
digital democratization. In effect, they must become their own kind of
institutional resource for ensuring free expression and privacy online. In
the process, civil society groups can legitimize the whole process of
engagement, so that their governments see them as resources and partners, not
just adversaries. . Success will mean that internet governance is not just for the
governors anymore, and that internet policy is not just for policymakers. And
it will underscore the plain reality that journalism is not just for
journalists any more. In today’s digital democracies, where each of us could
play any of these roles, the most valuable help we can offer those who are
advocating for good policy on our behalf is the recognition that we each have
a direct personal stake in freedom of the press, which nowadays is as
universal and individual as freedom of speech. This means activists have to
look beyond digital technologies and protest tactics to secure long-term
policy frameworks that protect online expression and privacy. The sooner we
achieve international social consensus about this, the sooner we will
understand how to manage the complex blend of individual privileges and
responsibilities that come with life in the digital age. From
http://www.forbes.com/
07/21/2013 The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has commenced what
it intends to be a long-term advocacy to promote internet freedom in the Current figures indicate that internet usage in Africa is increasing
at an annual average rate of approximately 36 percent, predicting an
overwhelming internet penetration and use in In From
http://www.i-policy.org/
07/27/2013 Gambian
Media Law Restricts Internet Freedom The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns an amendment
to a media law adopted by the Gambian parliament that imposes lengthy prison
sentences and heavy fines on individuals who use the internet in any capacity
to criticize government officials. "Gambian authorities are trying to
protect themselves by denying their citizens the right to use modern
communications fully," said Peter Nkanga, CPJ's From
http://www.bizcommunity.com/
07/16/2013 WEB USERS could be forced to register with a website just to see
its homepage, if the current draft of an EU regulation on online data is not
changed before becoming law. That’s according to a group of small and
medium-sized Irish digital advertising firms, which says a new data
protection regulation being put together in The group said it was important to realise that the laws would
be coming in the form of a European regulation – meaning it would
automatically become law in each EU member state, and was not subject to
national amendment or discretion. While this has advantages – making sure
that online publishers only have to deal with one set of rules, instead of
complying with dozens of separate legal systems – it also requires the
unanimous approval of all EU member states, and the European Commission and
Parliament, to be changed. Once the laws were in, therefore, it was almost
impossible for individual countries to engineer a change – meaning it was
vital that the final regulation be workable and fully thought through. ‘Large parts of the web
could disappear’ Eamonn Fallon, chief executive of Distilled Media whose sites
include TheJournal.ie, said large parts of the web could “disappear behind
login walls” if the regulation was not amended before being brought into law.
He added that users would also have to explicitly agree to send their IP
address to different sites, whose content might all appear on one page. So,
for example, a website featuring ads controlled by Google would be asked
whether they wanted to give Google their IP address, simply in exchange for
allowing the ads to appear on the page. Similarly, Facebook users could be
asked to explicitly send their IP address to Facebook just so a ‘Like’ button
could appear. Fallon said that if information like a user’s IP address was
considered ‘personal’, “the only way companies like ours can legally run web
analytics and third party adservers would be to force all our users to
login.” Digitize director John Patten added it would be “extremely
difficult, if not impossible, to gather explicit consent on the websites on
which ad networks, or site analytics companies, operate.” This was because
the companies delivering ads to users, or compiling readership figures on
behalf of a web publisher, “do not have have a direct relationship with the
users from whom they would need to obtain explicit consent.” The group says
the regulation’s whole purpose – to try and minimise the data that websites
can collect about users – would be totally undermined if it forced websites
to actively seek more information from users before allowing them to view
content. Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly, who attended an IAB media event this
morning, is the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the data protection
updates. Kelly says he has tabled a number of amendments to the draft
regulations, to try and address the concerns of the SMEs. “We are working hard
at an EU level to ensure that the Regulation balances strong protection for
consumer rights with the opportunity to facilitate SMEs in From
http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/
06/25/2013 Business and
Human Rights – What This Means for the ICT Sector: European Commission
Publishes Guide on UN Principles The European Commission has published guidance for companies in
the information and communications technologies (ICT) sector on meeting the
corporate responsibility to respect human rights under the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The sector guide will be
particularly relevant for personnel engaged in corporate governance and
ethics and compliance functions as well as those whose role includes managing
business relationships with suppliers, contractors and governments. It is also
intended to be helpful to groups who are interested in promoting respect for
human rights in this business sector, including governments, industry
associations, trade unions and consumer organisations. The guidance sets out
the steps required under the UNGPs to "know and show" a respect for
human rights and translates this into the particular context of the ICT
sector. Probably the most unique feature of this sector from a human rights
perspective is that collectively it constitutes the "communications pipeline".
This affords opportunities both for individual self-expression, e.g. social
media, as well as government and commercial monitoring and control, e.g.
internet filters or the suspension of a telecommunications network at
politically turbulent times. Other human rights will of course also be relevant to players
within the ICT sector. These
include human rights relating to the proper treatment of the workforce (such
as health, protection from forced or child labour and just conditions of
work) and communities (including health, sanitation and cultural property
rights). To take a practical example, server farms use large amounts of
energy and water for cooling; depending on their location, this could have an
adverse effect on local communities' access to resources. The guidance is of relevance to all
companies, globally, who are engaged in the ICT sector. This "ICT ecosystem" is
extensive: fixed and mobile
telecommunications services providers, wireless and internet service
providers (ISPs), search engine providers, social media companies, cloud
computing service providers, manufacturers of smartphones, mobiles, digital
cameras, gaming consoles, chip and other component manufacturers as well as
app and other software developers. Although not legally binding, the European
Union is committed to the implementation of the UNGPs and the European
Commission's guidance for the ICT sector is a step towards this. 1. Background: understanding the framework of human rights
protection in business The corporate responsibility to respect human rights is one of
the "three pillars" of the UN "Protect, Respect and
Remedy" Framework on business and human rights. Under the UNGPs,
businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights wherever they operate
in the world. This means that businesses should have in place policies,
procedures and mechanisms to avoid infringing on the human rights of
individuals and address negative human rights impacts with which they are
involved. The UNGPs also set out the duty of states to protect against human
rights abuses by businesses through policies, legislation, regulations and
adjudication and the need for greater access to effective remedy for victims
of business-related human rights abuses. International frameworks such as the
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, ISO 26000 and the Global
Reporting Initiative have been updated to reflect the UNGPs, therefore
convergence around the UNGPs should lead to fewer conflicting standards and
more consistent expectations. The European Commission has also published
guidance for oil and gas companies, employment and recruitment agencies and
small and medium-sized enterprises.
For further information on the guidance for the oil and gas, and
employment and recruitment sectors, please refer to our e-bulletins here and
here. 2. ICT: risk factors A wide range of internationally identified human rights are
engaged in the ICT context due to potential use of the technology and the
supply and production of components and devices. These include the rights of
users of technology, supply chain workers and local communities impacted by a
company's operations. The guidance recognises that the risks to human rights
will depend on the activities of the company, the operating context and the
practices of a company's business partners. The guidance identifies a number
of human rights risk areas in the ICT sector. These include: •the challenges of responding to government requests for
information about customers and users which are not in line with
international human rights law; •the difficulty of identifying potential human rights breaches
in a company's extensive supply chain, particularly where manufacturing of
components takes place in a domestic context where labour laws are weak or
unenforced in practice; and •the challenges that arise from regulations which lag behind
technological developments which, if misused could have negative human rights
impacts. 3. Addressing risk: putting business responsibility for human
rights into practice The guidance identifies six core elements of the responsibility
to respect human rights under the UNGPs and explains how each applies to the
operations of a company in the ICT sector. The core elements are: •having a publicly available human rights policy commitment to
respect human rights and having processes for embedding that commitment into
the company's culture; •assessing actual and potential human rights impacts by
understanding the operating context, drawing on expertise and consulting with
affected stakeholders; •integrating the findings and acting to prevent or mitigate the
impacts; •tracking how effectively impacts are addressed by developing
indicators and incorporating stakeholder perspectives; •communicating how impacts are addressed; and •remediating negative impacts the company has identified it has
caused or has contributed to, including by establishing or participating in
effective operational-level grievance mechanisms. The guidance explains that assessing, integrating, tracking and
communicating (which together are what the UNGPs refer to as “human rights
due diligence”) should start at the earliest stages of product, service or
technology design or market entry, and at the pre-contract stages of business
relationships and should be on-going.
4. Practical steps for managing human rights risks in business
relationships Under the six core elements, some key practical considerations
for companies stand out. Review your current policies: Companies need to
commit to, develop and review policies which explain their expectations of
staff, business partners and others in the value chain regarding respect for
human rights. Companies should therefore review existing policies to ensure
that they meet the requirements of the UNGPs and consider implementing
further policies and procedures, as necessary to ensure compliance. Review
your business partners' (and targets') policies and practices: The commitment
to its human rights policies should be embedded into a company's
relationships with its business partners from the outset and should not be
seen as a "negotiable extra". As well as integrating the management
of human rights risks into new contracts, companies should review existing
contracts with business partners throughout the supply chain, assess the
risks of negative human rights impacts in those relationships and use
leverage to address any human rights impacts identified. The guidance also
recommends that human rights risks should be assessed prior to acquiring or
investing in an asset or business. Public reporting: The guidance also
recommends that companies consider formal reporting on human rights
performance (e.g. in annual reports or investor updates), even if this goes
further than the minimum requirements of national state law. There has already been a move by some
legislatures to require some companies to report on their human rights
policies (see for example, the UK Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and
Directors' Report) Regulation 2013, expected to be in force from 1 October 2013).
For further information on human rights in narrative reporting please see
item 2 of our corporate e-bulletin here.
5. The future of human rights in business The European Commission guidance reflects the increasing
importance for companies to address human rights risks linked to their
business activities and the growing financial, legal, reputation and
operational cost of failing to do so (including the risk of claims being
brought by NGOs under the complaints mechanism of the OECD Guidelines for Multinationals).
The UN, European Union and a number of national governments, including the From
http://www.lexology.com/
07/16/2013 From
http://www.theprovince.com/
07/11/2013 LATIN
AMERICA: On 22 May 2013, The RSF 2013 World Press Freedom Index sets With regards to scheduling restrictions on programming, the new
law in Something else that sets this law apart from others in While elements of From
http://www.ifex.org/
07/18/2013 NORTH
AMERICA: The Harper government has made it clear it won't change any
wireless policy despire pressure from the big three incumbent carriers. After
meeting with all carriers Industry Minister James Moore posted a statement on
the Web that the government is unmoved by claims that if Verizon
Communications is able to buy a startup here competitors will be put at a
great disadvantage. "Since 2008, our Government has introduced new
policies to increase competition in our telecommunications industry,"
the statement said. "The
result has been greater choices at lower prices for Canadians. In fact, our actions have driven down
the average cost of wireless services by nearly 20 per cent. "Our government’s view is that Canadian families work hard
for their money, and they want their government to make decisions that will
help them keep more of it. Protecting
consumers and increasing competition in the wireless market are priorities
for Canadians and our Conservative Government. "Our policy has been
clear and remains unchanged: greater competition and liberalized investment
has meant more choices at lower prices for Canadian families. "Our
government’s telecommunications policy was not created overnight. It is the result of a vigorous
consultation that started in 2008 and continues today. All players –
industry, consumer groups and everyday Canadians – contributed to this
policy. "We are committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes for
Canadian consumers. We want all
regions of The statement was posted on From
http://www.itworldcanada.com/
08/01/2013 On Tuesday, a From
http://www.govtech.com/
05/30/2013 The Federal
IT Procurement Reform Act Passes House in Defense Bill A measure to increase the budget authority of federal CIOs and
to change IT procurement was added as an amendment to the Defense
authorization bill on June 14. The overall National Defense Authorization Act
passed the House by a vote of 315 to 108. The Federal IT Procurement Reform
Act (FITARA), which was co-sponsored by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and
Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and passed by the House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee in March, was added to the Defense bill on a voice vote,
along with a number of other bipartisan measures. FITARA updates the Clinger-Cohen
Act of 1996, which itself was passed as a section of a Defense authorization
bill. However, the FITARA that is now heading toward become law has been
amended in some significant ways since passing committee. Lawmakers removed
language that appeared to tip the scales in favor of open source over
proprietary software – a change sought by many in industry. The legislation
also now calls for the federal IT Dashboard to track “steady state” or
operations and maintenance spending, and clarifies that agency CIOs have
hiring authority over deputies and associate CIOs at large bureaus and agency
components. The measure puts "real meaning behind the term 'chief
information officer,'" Issa said in remarks on the House floor.
"Never again will someone have that title and have no budget authority
or responsibility. When a program goes right, the chief information officer
is responsible. When a program goes awry, it’s his or her job to make it
right." "There are more than 250 identified CIOs in the federal government,
yet none possess the necessary authority to effectively manage IT
investments," said Connolly in an e-mailed statement. "This has
resulted in duplicative and wasteful IT spending, with taxpayers forced to
foot the bill for massive IT program failures that ring up staggeringly high
costs, but exhibit astonishingly poor performance." The White House
threatened to veto the $638 billion Defense bill in a June 11 policy
statement, for reasons wholly unrelated to FITARA. The administration has yet
to offer comment on FITARA, but back in January, federal CIO Steven VanRoekel
told the House Oversight committee that he already has the authority under
the law to accomplish many of the policy goals spelled out in the bill. The
Senate has yet to hold hearings on the bill, but the issue of CIO authority
was the subject of a recent hearing by the Homeland Security and Government
Affairs Committee. From
http://fcw.com/
06/14/2013 State CIO says the new law will help excite and engage citizens
in developing solutions around government data. On July 3, 2013, Hawaii Gov.
Neil Abercrombie took a step toward increasing government transparency and accountability
in the state -- he signed into law House Bill (HB) 632, now Act 263, which
requires Executive Branch departments to make electronic data sets publicly
available. And this, says CIO Sonny Bhagowalia, takes the For Bhagowalia, pictured at left, open data has been a top
initiative, as proven by the launch of the state's open data portal,
data.hawaii.gov, in August 2012. But prior to passing the new open data law,
data sets on the portal were provided voluntarily by departments and
agencies. Currently there are 200-plus data sets available on the portal, but
many more are on there way, thanks to the new open data law. "This act
is going to take it to the next level of involvement," Bhagowalia said. "We
now have a great forum to provide our services and really excite the public
about what we want to do." He said the open data law is another tool to
help the State Office of Information Management and Technology change the way
From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/12/2013 Enhancing
Public Access to Legal Data Using a $600,000 grant, the Oyez Project will digitize legal
materials of State Supreme and Federal Appellate Courts. In a few years,
simplified case summaries, judicial opinions and audio recordings from all federal
appellate and state supreme courts could be accessible at the touch of a
button. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law will spearhead
the effort, aggregating documents and media from courts in Helping to fund the work is a $600,000 prize that the Oyez Project received as a winner of the Knight News
Challenge on Open Gov, sponsored by the Knight Foundation. The foundation
works to promote media innovation by funding innovative ideas in news and
information. The Oyez Project previously digitized U.S. Supreme Court
documents from as far back as 1955, including an audio archive containing
approximately 14,000 hours of court deliberation spanning roughly 6 million
words. Leading the new project is Jerry Goldman, Oyez Project director and a
professor with the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Goldman felt tackling the
written and audio content of all the nation’s appellate courts would make
covering the courts easier for journalists, and give the public a better
understanding of judges and legal decisions. “They are men and women with
values and judgments, and sometimes they make good calls -- and I bet they
make a few bad ones too,” Goldman said. “I think we have a duty as citizens
to understand what they do, rather than say … ‘that’s someone of Polish
decent and my family came from First Steps The project will require a great deal of teamwork between the
Oyez Project and volunteers. The grant funding will enable Goldman to create
a consortium of local partners from law schools to provide plain English case
summaries, abstracts and biographical sketches of federal appellate and state
Supreme Court judges. The Oyez Project team will build the both the websites
and the mobile application for both iOS and Android devices for access to the
content. A prototype model of what the website will look like is already
online, containing data from The Washington State Supreme Court. That site
was built using WordPress, but the new project will operate using Drupal as a
content management system. Matt Gruhn, associate director of the Oyez
Project, explained that users will see individual websites for each court.
But “under the hood,” all the data will live in the same digital repository,
enabling advanced querying of data across multiple jurisdictions. In the next
few months, the Oyez Project will reach out to law schools to gauge their
interest in being part of the new project. Goldman said he hopes to get a
couple of schools interested, which in turn should snowball into more wanting
to be involved as the effort will get them noticed by the state judiciary. In
addition, the archival work could help enhance a law school’s brand and
reputation to help drive prospective student and professor interest in
attending or teaching at the institution. “It’s another way for a law school
to distinguish itself from its competitors,” Goldman said. “It’s hard for me
to see the downside here, especially since we’re doing all the hard work.” Challenges Ahead When working on the U.S. Supreme Court project, the major
challenge for Goldman and his team over the last 20 years was going back 58
years to collect audio recordings in different states of decay from the
National Archives and transferring it. Many of those same research and
aggregation steps will exist with the federal appellate and state supreme
courts, but the work will focus largely on material from current years, so it
won’t take as long. A number of hurdles still exist, however. Many courts use
obsolete word processing software to archive transcripts, making cataloging
and transferring to one standardized format difficult. In some cases, the
courts have transcribed their own audio and identified the speakers, making
the process easier. But that’s a best case scenario -- and one that’s usually
not the case, according to Goldman. As a result, a much larger amount of time
and effort needs to be spent on the recordings. Some courts have also
recorded legal proceedings in proprietary formats or in sub-standard quality
such as .mp3, which further complicates matters. Recording in low fidelity
runs counter to the archival goals of the Oyez Project, which looks to
archive the actual source audio without any loss in quality. Although the
files will be enormous, with cloud technology available, size really doesn’t
matter. Goldman explained that courts throw away a lot of data by using
recording formats with lossy compression, such as .mp3. He argued that as time goes on and
newer delivery standards come around that are incompatible with .mp3, there’s
no way to go back and recover a lossless format to convert into a new
standard. So the quality will continually degenerate. That’s why preserving
uncompressed audio data is so important. The pristine source audio is also
desired to enhance the quality of mobile access to the recordings. The Oyez
Project made the U.S. Supreme Court recordings mobile-friendly by creating a
live stream that can be accessed by smartphone. They took the large
recordings and cut them down into very small segments, enabling a user to
search for specific parts of a legal proceeding. The content can also be downloaded,
but by using the ISCOTUS NOW app, a person can make clips of the segments to
use for various purposes. The same is planned for federal appellate court and
state supreme court recordings, but maintaining quality can be difficult,
particularly if the source audio isn’t at an archival level. “I suspect we
will face those issues, and then we will have to struggle with how we make
those materials publicly available and archivally-sound so that going
forward, we can always make a conversion,” Goldman said. “I just have to do
more preaching because I am not getting through to my parishioners about the
importance of preservation and being able to make this accessible 50 or 100
years from now." From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/18/2013 Internet
Gaming - Law vs. Reality Internet gambling is an excellent case study of how difficult it
is to effectively regulate many aspects of the Internet. As more and more of
our lives migrate online, congress, state legislatures and local governments
are grappling with how to address the issues and challenges this presents.
The problem is that by the nature and structure of the Internet itself,
content and commerce on the Internet are virtually impossible regulate. The
federal government is better positioned than a state or local government, and
even they have a very difficult time. Internet servers and mirror sites
located all over the world allow people to operate businesses from whatever
jurisdiction they choose. If tightly controlled countries like Just as Internet poker was gaining in popularity in the early
2000s, congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA),
which it thought would put an end to Internet gambling. But a 2010 study by
the respected Internet gaming research along with data firm H2 Gambling
Capital found that Internet poker was booming despite the law. The study
found there were between 10 million and 11 million people playing Internet
poker for money in the Companies that were operating in the And if proof is needed, less than 24 hours later, it was easy to
find many sites ready and willing to accept wagers from U.S.-based players.
The biggest action that slowed down Internet poker in the From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/22/2013 White House
Expands Guidance on Promoting Open Data White House officials have announced expanded technical guidance
to help agencies make more data accessible to the public in machine-readable
formats. Following up on President Obama’s May executive order linking the
pursuit of open data to economic growth, innovation and government
efficiency, two budget and science office spokesmen on Friday published a
blog post highlighting new instructions and answers to frequently asked
questions. Nick Sinai, deputy chief technology officer at the Office of
Science and Technology Policy, and Dominic Sale, supervisory policy analyst
at the Office of Management and Budget, noted that the policy now in place
means that all “newly generated government data will be required to be made
available in open, machine-readable formats, greatly enhancing their
accessibility and usefulness, while ensuring privacy and security.” Opening
up more data, they added, “means more entrepreneurs and companies using those
data to create tools that help Americans find the right health care provider,
identify a college that provides good value, find a safe place to live, and
much more. It also empowers decision makers within government, giving them
access to more information to enable smarter, data-driven decisions.” The new
guidance steers agencies to create and maintain an enterprise data inventory;
to create and maintain a public data listing; to create a process to engage
with customers to help facilitate and prioritize data release; to document
cases in which data cannot be released; and to clarify roles and
responsibilities for promoting efficient and effective data release. Agency
progress reports are due Nov.1. The officials added that they are also
working to improve the prototype of the central government data site
Next.Data.gov, and invite feedback from the industry. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
08/19/2013 |
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The efforts echoed a meeting held on July 12 by the State
Council in which Premier Li Keqiang called for an upgrading of the nation's
economic structure by boosting demand in the IT industry.China aims to boost
spending on the sector by more than 20 percent annually through 2015,
according to the State Council."We face a complicated and severe
economic situation now, with problems in industrial sectors becoming more
salient. The downside pressure is growing. Overcapacity is intensifying and
small companies' difficulties are rising," Miao said.He said the West's
informatization came after industrialization, for which they paid a high cost
in terms of resource depletion and environmental degradation. The ministry is also drawing up a plan to integrate industries
with information technology. The aim is to significantly strengthen
enterprises' competitiveness in the information age by 2018.Already, China's
corporate sector has adopted many initiatives in utilizing IT to save costs
and improve efficiency.Huang Hua, secretary of the board of directors at
Tongda Refractory Technologies Co Ltd, said information systems have been
applied in various sectors of the manufacturing company's workflow management,
logistics and finances."But this is far from enough. In many other
industrial sectors, IT has enabled the integration of design and processing.
The future trend is, as we always described, 'get rid of design papers and
reconciliation statements', " he said. From http://www.news.cn/
08/09/2013 As From http://www.news.cn/
08/13/2013 Public security authorities on Tuesday said fingerprint
registrations for people who change their ID cards or plan to get new ones
should be expedited in order to prevent counterfeiting and protect personal
information.Recent media reports have stated that many people are involved in
the trafficking of lost or stolen ID cards on the Internet, according to an
official from the Ministry of Public Security."Those who illegally use
others' ID cards will be subject to legal punishment," the official
said, adding that the ministry will step up efforts to crack down on such
activities.More than 1.2 billion Chinese have received new ID cards since a
new version of the cards was introduced in 2004. The first version of the national ID card, which was launched in
1985, has been prohibited from use starting Jan. 1, 2013.In order to protect
people's personal information, those who have applied for or exchanged their
ID cards were asked to have their fingerprints recorded starting earlier this
year.As many as 16,000 police stations have started recording prints, the
ministry said, adding that fingerprint recording is expected to be
implemented nationwide by the end of the year.The ministry said it is also
considering creating a system for reporting lost ID cards in order to
encourage people to report lost cards in a timely fashion.According to a
statement released Sunday by the ministry, police have broken up 468 gangs
and arrested 1,213 people for allegedly personal information trafficking
online. From http://www.news.cn/
08/13/2013 The revised law against stalking, which newly covers acts of
repeatedly sending unwanted e-mail messages to targeted people, was approved by
the Diet on Wednesday. A bill to strengthen the law was unanimously approved
at the day’s plenary meeting of the House of Representatives. It cleared the
House of Councillors last week. Also on Wednesday, the final day of the
current regular Diet session, the lower house enacted a bill to revise the
law against domestic violence following approval by the upper house last
week. Both amendments were submitted by lawmakers to the current session
following murder cases related to stalking and domestic violence. The
antistalking law had so far covered such acts as lurking around targeted
people, making repeated or silent phone calls, and sending unwanted fax
messages. But sending unsolicited e-mail had not been covered because
e-mailing was still uncommon when the law took effect in 2000. Calls for
revising the law grew since a woman in Zushi, The woman went to the police for help after receiving the
avalanche of e-mail. But the police were unable to charge the man under the
antistalking law. Under the revised law, police stations or local public
safety commissions in areas where stalkers live or where acts of stalking
took place can issue warnings or bans on stalking. Previously, such warnings
and bans had been issued only by police stations or public safety commissions
in areas where victims’ residences were. The revised law against domestic
violence calls for protection of people suffering violence from live-in
partners on top of those subject to violence from spouses and from partners
in commonlaw marriage. People who continue suffering violence from spouses or
partners after they cease to live together are also eligible for protection
under the law. The amendment came on the heels of a case in which a man who
was committing violence against his former girlfriend killed the woman’s
mother and grandmother in Saikai, From
http://the-japan-news.com 06/27/2013 KT Corporation will launch a cloud computing service in From
http://www.zdnet.com/ 05/30/2013 MSIP, MOSPA
and MOTIE Clashes Before the ‘Special Act on ICT’ According to the sources, Ministry of Trade. Industries &
Energy (MOTIE) recently delivered its official opinion to Ministry of
Science, ICT & Future Planning (MSIP) and opposed the establishment of IT
Technology Promotion Agency (tentative name) within MSIP, citing that the
role of the Agency overlaps with the roles of other organizations located
under the MOTIE, such as Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology
(KEIT). The establishment of the Agency, together with the formation of
‘IT Strategy Committee,’ is considered to be one of the core items of the
Special Act on ICT. MSIP originally planned to integrate the ICT R&D
functions scattered across many governmental organizations, including Korea
Communications Agency (KCA), KEIT and Korea Creative Contents Agency (KOCCA),
into the Agency to separate the national ICT R&D from private R&D and
streamline the process of
‘discovery-selection-evaluation-commercialization.’ MOTIE, in opposing
the plan of MSIP, believed that the goal of Special Act on ICT can be
achieved with the existing structure. It also claimed that the R&D system
had already took firm roots since the implementation of Public Office
Sophistication Strategy in 2008 and it should not be overturned. MSIP
is holding on to its plan to continue the negotiation with MOTIE, but did not
hesitate to show its discontent. “After the re-shuffle by the new
administration, the area of IT defined by Industrial Technology Innovation
Promotion Act to cause the establishment of KEIT had been clearly transferred
to MSIP, and it is natural for the ICT businesses to be managed by a
centralized control tower, because swift decision is more important than any
other industries,” commented a MSIP person. From
http://www.koreaittimes.com/
06/18/2013 Gov't to
Increase Free Wireless Internet Zones The government said Friday that it plans to provide more free
wireless Internet access zones across the country, giving citizens better
access to the Web from portable devices. According to the Ministry of
Science, ICT and Future Planning, 2,000 locations, including bus terminals
and hospitals, have been connected with free wireless-fidelity (WiFi)
networks. From
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr 07/12/2013 |
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The Geospatial Information Agency (Badan Informasi Geospatial)
will be working together with the Indonesian army to support and improve the
defence force’s decision making capabilities by promoting the use of GIS and
geospatial intelligence. The strength and resilience of a national defence
system determines a country’s susceptibility to security risks, which is why
it’s important to have authoritative information at the right place and at
the right time. Since most national security decisions involve geography.
Whether it’s assessing potential terrorist targets, planning where to strike
on the battlefield, or managing the Department’s assets geography always
comes into the equation. Decision makers are able to leverage the power of
geography by using GIS. Through it defence officers are able to efficiently
manage, analyse, and produce geospatial data for better decision making.
Colonel Dedy Hadria, Director of Topography at the From
http://www.futuregov.asia
08/14/2013 In order to minimise human error and cut the queues short, From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/21/2013 World Bank
Promotes Open Data in More than 120 members from civil society organisations, research
institutes and government ministries participated in the recent “Open
Development” workshop organised by the World Bank, as part of its on-going
efforts to encourage the use of publicly accessible data and research, found
in the Bank’s website, to tackle development challenges. According to an
official statement, there is increasing demand for greater transparency,
accountability and governance. To meet this demand, the Bank’s data,
research, information and analytical tools are now available on the internet
free of charge. “Greater access to data and information will enable everyone
to make better informed choices and decisions, to improve the lives of the
people,” said Kanthan Shankar, the World Bank Country Manager for Htaike Htaike Aung, an ICT for development expert of a local
CSO, is currently making efforts to bridge the digital divide in rural areas
by teaching middle school students and the elderly how to use a computer.
“Our outreach aims to empower people, especially the youth, by showing them
how to use the internet more effectively and learn from on-line courses. In
remote areas, people cannot read English, so localising software and content
is important,” he said. “This workshop gave me the opportunity to learn how
to find data relevant for my work and explore many tools for us to improve our
work.” The Wold Bank has been conducting workshops on “Open Development” in
the East Asia Pacific Region, on a regular basis to encourage a discussion on
Open Development with policy makers, and to introduce tools such as Open
Finances, Open Maps, Open Data, and Access to Information. Under this
initiative, the Bank’s data and knowledge is available free of charge for use
through creative commons and open access licensing, to enable people to make
better informed development decisions. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/27/2013 In a bid to make public services easily accessible to everyone,
the Government of Malaysia recently introduced a new online service which
aims to make it easier for foreign workers in the country to renew their work
permits. Prior to its launch, the online work permit renewal service only
catered to foreign maids. However due to an increasing demand for more
streamlined e-services the Government resolved to extend the service to
foreign workers as well.
According to research firms, the e-service is estimated to benefit
more than four million foreign workers and is expected to drive huge revenues
for the government. The e-service is available through MyEG, a portal which
serves as a single point of contact for government e-services in From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
05/30/2013 State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and electronic-banking consortium
BancNet signed an agreement for the implementation of a new web-based system
that aims to make business name registration more convenient for Small and
Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The system called Enhanced Business Name
Registration System (E-BNRS) is designed to provide protection to the public
dealing with business establishments by disclosing the identity and
citizenship of the business owner. It also prevents a business establishment
from using a name confusingly similar to the name of another registered
business. According to an official statement, DBP shall enable DTI to
facilitate payment acceptance for business name registration and renewal
through the Internet using a web-enabled payment gateway. The entrepreneur
can simply register his business online, and a payment for the transaction
will be debited from the applicant’s account which will include the business
name registration fee, documentary stamp tax and a convenience fee of P15.00
(US$ 0.36). With the new process in place, the entrepreneur does not need to
physically visit a DTI office to pay for the business registration fees.
Furthermore, several redundancies and processes in the data entry features of
the website have also been reduced. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/07/2013 The The Department of Science and Technology launched the four major
components of its National IT flagship project called Integrated Government
Philippines (iGovPhil), which aims to enhance the efficiency of government
operations and services by leveraging ICT. The IT components launched
includes: Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Government-wide email system
(GovMail), Government Cloud (GovCloud), Agency Records Inventory System
(AgRIS), and Government Website Template. According to iGovPhil project
director Denis F. Villorente, the PKI will provide added security to
government online transactions and communications by using dual keys for
sealing and opening documents online. “Since it also uses digital
certificates for authentication and verification, PKI is useful not only in
government services but also in other transactions with the public, such as
online payments.” He added that with GovMail, the government will have a uniform
email and online identity. The email, including data and other records, will
be stored in the GovCloud, a secure server and storage facility owned and
operated by the Philippine government. Meanwhile, part of the effort to give
the government a unique corporate identity is the creation of the Government
Website Template. Government agencies are urged to adopt the template to give
their websites a common “look and feel.” “With one look, the user will be
able to say that this is a Philippine government website,” Villorente said.
“The agencies, of course, still control content on their sites. They will
have features that show their line of service, like content and
presentation.” AgRIS is an inventory of files, documents and records kept by
each government agency. It aims to keep track and provide a list of all these
records and store them in a government data centre in preparation for the
eventual implementation of the National Archives and Records Management
(NARM) project. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/14/2013 The
Philippines to Institutionalise Telehealth Program The Department of Health (DOH) and the University of the
Philippines are finalising stakeholder consultations for the drafting of an
Administrative Order (AO) which aims to institutionalise the government’s
National Telehealth program. With the AO, nearing its final draft, Health
Secretary Enrique Ona said this will further support activities aimed at
achieving universal healthcare in a country riddled various geographic and
social challenges. The Telehealth system will address health needs of
Filipinos located in far flung rural areas where it is difficult to access
quality medical care. In addition, it will reduce unnecessary travels by
simply connecting patients to doctors with a click of a button. “For so long,
we have known that the accurate and timely data in our local health centres
hold the key to monitoring the performance of our health system. But since
time immemorial, the government has not systematically implemented such
information systems,” Ona said. “The implementation of the AO supports
efforts to establish a modern information system that shall provide evidence
for policy and program development, and support for immediate and efficient
provision of health care and management of province-wide health systems.” From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/18/2013 Philippine
Lawmaker to Transform Legislative Process with Crowdsourcing Portal Senator Teofisto Guingona III launched an online platform called
“The Guingona Project” which aims to generate feedback and comments from the
public on the recently filed Senate Bill No. 73 or The Philippine
Crowdsourcing Act of 2013. “Senate Bill No. 73 seeks to bring the principles
of empowerment and people’s participation to a higher level. It’s more than
just getting a sense of public sentiment, more than just scanning the public
opinion environment; it’s directly asking the Filipino to make his voice heard
and be an active participant in the process of legislation,” Guingona said in
an official statement. Once enacted, the bill will enable citizens to easily
participate in the law making process by going online. The Senator likened
the portal to a virtual version of Plaza Miranda, a public square in the
Philippines which was once regarded as the centre of political discourse in
the 1970s. “There was a time when Plaza Miranda was an arena of ideas where
politicians and ordinary people alike would say their piece and they would be
applauded by believers and booed and challenged by their adversaries. The
internet will be the ‘new’ Plaza Miranda. The arena may be new, but the
principle remains the same. Any legislative initiative that is to affect the
life of our people must be able to withstand the most intense, even the worst
scrutiny, by those for whom we perform our legislative tasks,” he explained.
The Guingona Project features an infographic explaining how the Crowdsourcing
Act can potentially transform the traditional legislative process and other
relevant information essential for citizens to understand the full context of
the Crowdsourcing Act. Citizens can send their feedback or comment by filling
all important details such as name, e-mail (which will be kept confidential)
and location. According to the Senator, public comments on the virtual
platform will be accepted until noon of 21 August. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/12/2013 THAILAND:
Revealing New Govt Website Standard ICT Minister Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap last week revealed
the new government website standard as part of enhancing security, increasing
transparency, and optimising the development of e-government in the country.
Assigned by the Ministry of ICT (MICT), Electronic Government Agency (EGA)
has recently finished the development of the new government website standard
to cover the areas of improvement and be a guideline for public agencies to
enhance their websites. According to the minister, the new guideline includes
three key sections which are the agency’s basic information and services,
site search engine and interactive channels to increase citizen engagement,
and e-service section. The EGA also included recommended features that the
government website should be bi-lingua (Thai and English), coming with
adjustable font option and Really Simple Syndication (RSS), and having a
clear navigation for the site visitors. This new website standard complies
with the requirement of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and up to the
information security and information privacy standard. Gp Capt Nakornthap
added that the MICT has collaborated with eight agencies to improve their
websites to meet the new requirement. The eight agencies are Ministry of
Finance, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Ministry of
Labour, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Secretariat
of the Prime Minister. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/03/2013 VIETNAM: To
Digitise National Database Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Vietnam has recently revealed the
project to digitise basic information of all citizens and include them in the
national database on population and in national ID cards by late 2020. This
plan is a part of an overall scheme to simplify the government’s
administrative procedures, personal papers and database related to population
management during the 2013-2020 period, recently approved by the PM. The
project is expected to help Vietnamese administrative agencies access, use
and process administration work for citizens in a more efficient way, as well
as to help the government save up to VND198 billion (US$99 million) in
filling information in personal papers. During the media briefing held on
June 13 in Hanoi, the representative of the MOJ said the project aimed to
transform the organisation and operation of the population management in the
country in accordance with the context of industrialisation, modernisation
and international practice. The project will help accelerate the use of IT in administrative
procedures, reducing paperwork for the citizens, and contribute to more
effective and efficient management in all elements, as well as to enhance the
development of e-Government in Vietnam. To start with, during 2013 and 2014,
the project will focus on completing legal basis to support the setup of
national population database, issuing, managing and using personal ID
numbers, and systematising administrative procedures and personal papers. By
the end of 2015, the government target to finish the technical infrastructure
and national database. Personal information is then expected to be issued in
2016. Between 2015 and 2020, electronic personal ID cards will be distributed
to reduce the use of paper for the areas related to birth, marriage, and
death records, residence and other related fields. By 2020, basic information
of all citizens is expected to be fully updated into the national databases
to simplify administrative procedures and replace the use of paper for
medical insurance cards, social insurance cards, personal tax codes and other
related documents. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/18/2013 The Ministry of Information and Communications says it will
issue a set of digital TV standards in preparation for the digitalisation of
TV broadcasting in Viet Nam. The move follows a request from the Japanese
Business Association in HCM City, which includes a number of TV makers like
Sony and Panasonic. The association said a set of standards (technical
specifications) was required before they could begin making the new digital
TV sets, particularly CI+/CI (common interface) connectors which would take time.
The ministry said Viet Nam planned to cease broadcasting analogue TV in five
major cities next year as digital TV takes over. During the transition period until
2020, households would still gain access to digital TV through the existing
sets using set-top decoder boxes, which they would have to purchase. The
State would help about 2 million poor families buy the boxes, the budget
coming from the telecommunication public-interest fund. TV companies would
concentrate on developing content while other companies would take charge of
broadcasting. Digitalisation would be carried out in four phases, covering
different groups of provinces and cities. The first phase would be carried
out in Ha Noi, HCM City, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Can Tho; the second phase in
26 provinces with a deadline of December 31, 2016; the third phase in 18 more
provinces; the last phase in remote provinces of the north and central
region. From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
07/06/2013 |
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INDIA:
Prasar Bharati Plans to Launch Mobile Apps Prasar Bharati plans to introduce mobile applications for
Doordarshan. AIR will provide news and entertainment to viewers on mobiles,
laptops and tablets. DD and AIR are already on YouTube and Twitter .While DD
News has 32,000 followers on Twitter. There are about 1,700 videos uploaded
in you tube. AIR too has 24,000 followers on Twitter .The next step according
to an official is to create and develop mobile apps. The archival material
that is being digitized and uploaded could be subscription based. Prasar
Bharti hopes to earn a revenue of Rs 200 crore with the new project. The apps
are likely to be in operation in the next six months. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/21/2013 Government
Launches WiTrac Technology Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Communications & Information
Technology and Law & Justice, handed over the WiTraC technology developed
by CDAC. CDAC developed the vehicle actuated Wireless Traffic Control System
powered by solar panels. This technology in the area of Traffic Control
System meets is certified by Electronic Regional Testing Laboratory. WiTraC
supports 868MHz (licensed), 5.8 GHz (unlicensed) wireless and wired Control
Area Network (CAN) communication protocol for signal time switching apart
from 2.4 GHz (unlicensed) ISM Band. The Department of Electronics &
Information Technology (DeitY) has come out with a number of policies and
initiatives to boost the electronic hardware manufacturing in the country. It
has taken up R&D through its own societies as also academic institutions
and R&D laboratories to develop technologies, which could be transferred
to domestic companies at affordable cost for commercialisation. The
department has looked into the need for development of appropriate technology
to address the area of traffic control system in corridors in medium and
large cities. A collaborative research program to develop indigenous
intelligent transport system technology suitable for Indian conditions was taken
up through CDAC, with an outlay of Rs.14.75 crore. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/29/2013 TRAI
Issues New Regulations for Mobile Number Portability The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued the
Telecommunications Mobile Number Portability (Fifth Amendment) Regulations,
2013. After implementation of Mobile Number Portability, the Authority had
received complaints from the subscribers of corporate mobile numbers that
their porting requests have been rejected by the donor operators under the
category “Contractual Obligation” for want of permission/authorization from
the company’s corporate for porting such numbers. TRAI placed draft Telecommunications
Mobile Number Portability (Fifth Amendment) Regulations 2013 on its website
www.trai.gov.in for consultation of the stakeholders. Based on the
stakeholder’s comments and TRAI’s own analysis, The new regulations directs
that up to 50 corporate mobile numbers of a service provider can be ported to
another service provider through letter of authorisation from the authorised
signatory of the corporate mobile numbers, in a single porting request
Considering the activities involved and number of mobiles to be processed in
single porting request, 48 hrs have been allowed for forwarding the porting
request by the Recipient Operator, for corporate mobile numbers whereas 24hrs
remain unaltered for individual porting requests. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/29/2013 PAKISTAN:
Ministries of IT, S&T Sign MOU for Production of Electronic Products ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Information Technology and Ministry of
Science and Technology on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding for
design, development, large scale production and marketing of renewable energy
and electronic products. STEDEC Technology Commercialization Corporation of
Pakistan, Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), Pakistan Council for
Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET), National Institute of Electronics
(NIE) and Telecom Industry of Pakistan (TIP), Ministry of Information
Technology (MoIT) signed the memorandum. STEDEC Managing Director S. K.
Mohyuddin, TIP MD Nadeem Ahmed Khan, PCRET Director General Khalid Islam and
NIE Director General Zafar Iqbal Khokhar signed the MoU on behalf of their
respective organizations. While Ministry of Science and Technology Secretary Akhlaq Ahmad
Tarar and Ministry of Information Technology Additional Secretary Muhammad
Ejaz Mian witnessed the signing ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Akhlaq
Tarar said Ministry of Science and Technology and its R&D organizations
have mandate to serve the national industry through developing products,
technologies, processes, import substitutes, value-addition especially for
export and by providing technical assistance to SMEs. The Secretary said
these R & D Organizations have good number of highly qualified, trained
and experienced researchers as well as state-of-the-art and well equipped
laboratories for undertaking world class research, however, their
contribution to national industrial growth through indigenization of local
technologies has not been very impressive. He said the reason for this
unimposing performance has been weak industrial linkages, trust deficit of
industry on public sector organizations, development of non-demand driven
products, lack of entrepreneurship development facilities and expertise. The Ministry, while realizing these gaps, has established the
Commercialization Cell to develop linkages between R&D organizations,
academia and industry for sharing of resources to carry out demand driven
R&D, offering solutions to various industrial problems, entrepreneurship
development and commercialization of IP of these organizations, he added.
Tarar said under the scope of this MoU, PCRET, NIE & STEDEC (MoST) and
TIP (MoIT) shall jointly undertake design & development, large scale
production and marketing of Renewable Energy and Electronic Products in the
country and the signing parties will ensure optimal utilization of all
available resources for mutual benefit and for the ultimate aim of
introducing and promoting cost effective indigenous products. He expressed
confidence that the MoU will herald a new era of long term relationship
between the two ministries, which will be cornerstone of initiatives aimed at
self reliance through indigenization. The Secretary appreciated the efforts
of MoST Commercialization Cell for materializing the MoU to start large scale
production and marketing of indigenous technologies. MoIT Additional
Secretary Muhammad Ejaz Mian also spoke on the occasion and hoped that the
MoU will go a long way in large scale production of renewable energy and electronic
products in the country. Under the MoU, NIE and PCRET will design, develop and produce
prototype of demand driven products and pass on the complete technical
know-how to TIP, while STEDEC will undertake all financial and commercial
aspects on behalf of PCRET and NIE. TIP will be responsible for mass scale
production and marketing of products designed and developed by NIE and PCRET.
A joint Working Group, having representation of all the four parties as well
as of MoST and MoIT will select the products (already designed or to be
designed) and prepare workable operational model and SOPs for taking the
products from initial stage to marketing level. From
http://www.brecorder.com
08/01/2013 |
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AZERBAIJAN:
New Draft Laws on ICT Sphere Developed APA-Economics. Azerbaijani Ministry of Communication and
Information Technologies has developed National Strategy on development of
information society and two draft laws.
According to APA-Economics, these are “Information, Informatization
and protection of information”, “State Information systems and information
reserves” draft laws. At
the same time, the specialists of the Ministry have developed the project
“Rules on Registration and Usage of country-code high-level domains in
Azerbaijan”. The rules include online acquisition of domain names. Online
registration system of domain names is planned to launch in September, on the
eve of 20th anniversary of *az domain. From
http://en.apa.az/
07/27/2013 Azerbaijan
to Adopt New ICT Standards Azerbaijan is to adopt new standards for ICT by the end of the
year, announced the country’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies
(MCIT). Based on international standards, work is underway for the
preparation of three standards for biometric technologies, four for digital
television, and two each for development of programme products and
terminology. The agencies involved
in developing the new ICT standards are the MCIT, State Agency for Public
Services and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan, and the
country’s State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents. This comes hot on the heels of Azerbaijan’s
adoption of a one-stop shop model for citizen services where citizens can
access a range of public services at a dedicated centre. As a part of this,
the Azerbaijan Service and Assessment Network (ASAN) will serve as a network
of service centres where government services will be provided in an
integrated and coordinated manner with all services processed online. The model will focus on being
customer-centric, connecting government, building capacity, delivering on its
promise to the public, innovation and fighting against corruption. Having designated 2013 as Year of
Information and Communications Technology, the country achieved 10.5 per cent
growth in the ICT sector in the first half of the year compared to the same
period of last year. A total of
AZN 71.2 million (USD 91.3 million) has been invested into the ICT sector of
the country. Of this, AZN 29.98 million (USD 38.44 million) came from
structural units of the ICT Ministry and enterprises. Azerbaijan stood eighth out of 144
countries in the rankings for government’s achievements in ICT, ninth for
importance of ICT in the government’s view for the future, and 20th for
internet availability, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global
Information Technology Report 2013 . From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/02/2013 Azerbaijan
to Allocate Frequencies for Needs of 4G Standard The Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of
Azerbaijan has decided to allocate frequency spectrum of 790-862 MHz bands
for the needs of fourth-generation mobile standard LTE (Long Term Evolution),
the Ministry told Trend. According to authorities, at present, these
frequencies are used in analogue television broadcasting. The frequencies
will be released after the full transition to digital broadcasting standard.
As for the evolution of television in the coming years, the deployment of
high-definition (HD) television by broadcasters is topical in this issue, the
ministry said. After the distribution of frequencies between mobile operators
the remaining part of frequencies (470-690 MHz) will be used for the needs of
HDTV. "For this purpose it is necessary to discuss the perspective plans
for deployment of HDTV channels directly with television channels themselves.
Based on this, needs of Azerbaijan in these frequencies in future will be
determined," the ministry said. The high definition television is a new
level of image quality (broadcasting in widescreen format, high brightness and
colour accuracy, zero interference, surround sound in Dolby Digital format
and other benefits). If today's standard digital TV, which uses MPEG-2
protocol, gives the opportunity to broadcast 10-12 channels, the HDTV format
allows broadcasting only three or four channels. From
http://en.trend.az/
08/11/2013 IRAN:
ICT Minister Writer of 9 Titles, Numerous Scholarly Papers IBNA: Vaezi was appointed Iran’s Minister of Communication and Information
Technology by President Hassan Rouhani on August 15. After finishing his
preliminary education in Tehran, he traveled to the U.S. to obtain B.S. and
M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Sacramento State University and San Jose
State University and become a Ph.D student in Telecommunications engineering
at Louisiana State University which he left unfinished after the victory of
the Islamic Revolution in 1979. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D in International
Relations from Tehran and Warsaw Universities respectively.He returned to the
Islamic Republic of Iran in 1980.
He has so far held various posts as a senior communications manager
and decision maker. He
heads the Center for Strategic Research Deputy of Foreign Policy and
International Relations. He is also the former deputy foreign minister of
Iran in Europe and American Countries Affairs. 'Middle East Political Crises
and Social Movements: Theories and Processes', 'Iran’s Foreign Policy with
France', 'Afghanistan: A Decade after the Fall of Taliban', 'International
Crises: Theoretical Analysis and Case Study', 'Intervention in Central Asia
and Caucasus: the Islamic Republic of Iran Case', 'Oil and Foreign Policy'
and 'Intervention in Theory and Practice' are some of the titles Vaezi has so
far penned. He has also released 19 scientific articles in English and has
had them published in credited international journals on communications and
electronic engineering. Moreover he has published 50 specialized articles in
Persian which are released in Iranian journals. Vaezi has also conducted 43
theses and projects by engineering teams. From
http://www.ibna.ir/
08/20/2013 |
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The Australian Law Reform
Commission (ALRC) is a government agency that reviews all Australia’s laws to
ensure they are equitable and keep up with the times. In recent years it has
addressed the many legal issues raised by the digital economy. Chief amongst
these is copyright, which is still largely based on laws originating in the
18th century. Copyright has become a significant issue globally since the
Internet and the digitisation of content has made conventional distribution
methods obsolete. The ALRC has now released a Discussion Paper for the
copyright inquiry – Copyright and the Digital Economy – containing 42
proposals regarding reform of the copyright. Under the Terms of Reference for
its inquiry into copyright, the ALRC is considering whether exceptions and
statutory licences in the Copyright Act 1968 are adequate and appropriate in
the digital environment and whether further exceptions should be recommended.
The ALRC is seeking feedback on the proposals. ALRC Commissioner for the
Copyright Inquiry, Professor Jill McKeough, said “The ALRC has been very
pleased with the response of the community to this inquiry. We received 295
submissions to our Issues Paper, and have also had the opportunity to meet
face to face with many people with an interest in this Inquiry. In releasing
this Discussion Paper we are calling for submissions to inform the final
stage of our deliberations leading up to the final Report.” The ALRC has suggested
five framing principles for the inquiry: acknowledging and respecting
authorship and creation; maintaining incentives for creation of works and
other subject matter; promoting fair access to and wide dissemination of
content; providing rules that are flexible and adaptive to new technologies;
and providing rules that are consistent with Australia’s international
obligations. Any recommendations the ALRC finally makes will be weighed
against these principles. Commissioner McKeough stated “The reforms proposed
include the introduction of a broad, flexible exception for fair use of
copyright material and the consequent repeal of many of the current
exceptions in the Copyright Act, so that the copyright regime becomes more
flexible and adaptable. An alternative model, should fair use not be enacted,
suggests the addition of new fair dealing exceptions, recognising fairness
factors. “Other reform proposals
relate to the replacement of certain statutory licences with voluntary
licensing more suited to the digital environment; the use of orphan works;
provisions relating to preservation of copyright material by cultural
institutions; and contracting out of the operation of copyright exceptions.
Two alternative proposals relating to the scheme for the retransmission of
free-to-air broadcasts are set out for comment from stakeholders, in addition
to other proposals relating to broadcasting.” The Discussion Paper is
available free of charge from the ALRC website, www.alrc.gov.au. The ALRC
strongly encourages online submissions directly through the ALRC website
where an online submission form facilitates responses to individual
questions. Written submissions can also be posted, faxed or emailed to the
ALRC. From
http://www.itwire.com 06/11/2013 Australian Government
Dusts Off Digital Strategy There will be free
wi-fi for remote Indigenous communities, an expanded document verification
service, and more government services online by 2017 under proposed actions
in an overhauled digital strategy released by the Australian government
today. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced this morning that he
is dusting off the two-year-old National Digital Economy Strategy to become
Advancing Australia as a Digital Economy (PDF), with 24 new actions aimed to
help the government meet the eight goals it set itself back in 2011 by 2020.
The government will develop a new curriculum for technology to be taught to
all students, from foundation until year 8. The government will also invest
AU$6.5 million over the next four years into National ICT Australia on a new
program to encourage students to take up study in IT, including in areas
where there are known skill shortages, such as advanced software developers,
software engineers, and data scientists. By the end of 2017, the government
has also outlined that government agencies will need to provide user-friendly
online access to priority services, with access provided through a single
authentication method for desktop, mobile, and other means of accessing the
sites. To underpin this, the
government will also look at expanding the use of the document verification
service, and will make it more widely available to the private sector. It
will also investigate the use of higher assurance digital credentials issued
by financial organisations, and whether this can be used by government in
establishing the identification of its users. The document revealed that the
AU$136,000 Cybersafety Help Button, designed by the government in 2010, which
acts as a link to information for children on where to report issues online,
has been downloaded 889,000 times as of the end of April this year. While it
was revealed earlier this year that Apple had rejected the app from its App
Store for being too similar to a web link, the strategy document today
revealed that Telstra is partnering with the government to have the help
button put on some Telstra mobile devices before customers buy them. There
has been a trial conducted over the last four years, with 300 remote
Indigenous communities getting free wi-fi from the government through
satellite community telephones installed throughout remote Australia. The
government said in the document that the trial was a success, with high use
by the residents, and more community phones will now be adapted to support
public wi-fi for these communities. The government will
also consider expanding the Medicare Benefits Schedule to allow patients to
claim video-based consultations with their GPs. A number of already-announced
proposals, including the promotion of cloud computing, open data, and big
data use, as well as the development of a national plan to combat cybercrime,
were also included in the action points for the government to complete. From http://www.zdnet.com
06/12/2013 The State Government of
Queensland released a new government ICT strategy on Friday, setting a
roadmap for the development of government’s IT systems to deliver the best
results for citizens. The Queensland Government ICT Strategy 2013-17 aims to
reform public service and make government more efficient, flexible, and
better able to meet the needs of its citizens. ICT will play a crucial role
in this. “The focus of this strategy is to determine how the government can
best use digital information to improve the services it delivers to
Queenslanders”, stated Ian Walker, IT Minister of Queensland, while unveiling
the strategy last week. The strategy has an ambitious vision: ‘A transformed
public service that is focused on improving services for Queenslanders, by
better use and analysis of government data, and by using modern,
cost-efficient technology’. Published by the Department of Science,
Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, the strategy defines three
objectives within two main government outcomes. For example, the first
desired outcome is revitalising front-line services by delivering effective
digital services for clients. This gives the government a pathway for providing
better front-line services such as health, fire, and police services, to
citizens. The strategy recommends several different actions, such as reducing
duplication of effort through consolidation of channels and solutions,
increasing the percentage of households and businesses using online services,
and increasing connectivity of schools and universities to develop online
education services. Another desired outcome stated in the strategy is
delivering better infrastructure and better planning, by providing effective
digital services for government. The strategy recommends that to avoid the
high cost of maintaining, upgrading, or replacing ICT facilities, agencies
should source ICT services instead of systems, hence migrating to procurement
of ICT-as-a-service. “We will be a government that uses ICT to better share
information between agencies and the community while maintaining appropriate
information security and privacy of individuals,” declared Walker. The
complete strategy can be found here. From http://www.futuregov.asia
07/08/2013 ACMA
Launches ‘Digital Citizens Guide’ The Australian
Communications and Media Authority has launched a guide to being positive
about digital engagement’’ rather than being a wary Internet user. The Guide
facilitates confident online engagement by citizens through identifying three
principles which reflect the required values, skills and knowledge: # Engage positively:
exercise your rights and responsibilities as a digital citizen # Know your online
world: learn new skills and digital technologies # Choose consciously:
take charge of how you interact online. “Today’s networked society
needs confident connected citizens,” said ACMA Deputy Chairman Richard Bean.
“As individuals we play an increasingly important role in the digital
economy, and the ACMA’s Digital Citizens Guide will help all of us ‘engage
positively’, ‘know our online world,’ and ‘choose consciously’ when online.
The Guide is part of the ACMA’s multifaceted and flexible response to the
challenges facing Australia’s increasingly networked society. Australian
citizens are citizens of a digital world, and the ACMA’s guide facilitates
Australians’ confident online engagement through identifying three principles
which reflect the values, skills and knowledge we need,” said Bean. ”As
online communications and digital content become more embedded in the
experience of citizens, I expect that a greater emphasis on the ACMA’s
communication and facilitation strategies, such as this Guide, will be both
needed and welcomed.” Bean said the Digital Citizens Guide is also welcomed
by a wide range of industry and community partners, including: Google,
Facebook, Telstra, Microsoft, the Commonwealth Bank, The Alannah and Madeline
Foundation, Yahoo!7, the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, the
Internet Industry Association, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications
Association, the Family Online Safety Institute, Bravehearts, and the Centre
for Internet Safety. “The Guide’s message is
not about being wary online, but coming up to speed with digital technologies
and making informed choices. Our long experience in the cybersafety world has
confirmed that a positive approach to the use of the Internet is what’s
really needed. ”Our research tells us that Australians will welcome these
clearly actionable steps. The guide will help Australians stay safe, and
reflect positive values while participating in everyday online activities
like socialising, shopping and accessing information.” From http://www.itwire.com
07/25/2013 Implementing
a New State ICT Strategy in Australia The State Government of
Queensland, Australia, released a new government ICT strategy earlier this
month, determining the technology priorities and directions of public sector
agencies for the next five years. The strategy identified several key areas
of focus, recommending the provision of services through different channels,
implementation of IT projects in stages, and procurement of ICT-as-a-service
rather than infrastructure. FutureGov spoke to Susan Middleditch, Deputy
Director General, Systems Support Services Division at Queensland Health,
about the implementation of the ICT strategy in her organisation. Queensland
Health provides a range of services to achieve good health and well-being for
citizens, including hospital inpatient, outpatient, and emergency services. New ICT initiatives “The first
recommendation of the strategy – revitalising front-line services – means two
things for Queensland Health”, states Middleditch. “Firstly, we will provide
health services in new and contemporary ways, and secondly, we will provide
our health community, including public and private providers, with the ICT
tools necessary to have a connected health service”. Queensland Health
already has a number of new ICT initiatives underway. A telehealth project will
allow patients in rural and remote areas of Australia to consult with a
doctor in another part of the country. “The first stage of the telehealth
project is underway now”, explains Middleditch. “The Government has provided
additional funding in 2013-14 for six trial sites. The same project will also
allow us make appointments all across the state, though this is a longer term
consideration which is still only in concept stage”. Another ICT initiative
that Queensland Health is working on is a new Patient Administration System
which will provide up to date technology to clinicians and administrators to
manage patient care and records efficiently. “We don’t know the investment
required as yet, but it will be significant”, says Middleditch. “Our current
sytem is out of support, so we will be looking for a whole new technology”. Procuring
ICT-as-a-service A major recommendation
made in the strategy was the procurement of ICT as a service from providers,
rather than each government department owning high-cost infrastructure that
requires expensive and constant maintenance. “The Queensland government is
committed to partnering with the private sector to reduce the ‘ownership’ of
ICT assets”, declares Middleditch. “We are currently working on a number of
strategies to divest ourselves of as ICT assets”, she continues. “We have
launched a corporate services and solutions renewal project, which is leading
the way for the Queensland Government corporate services area as a whole. We
are also looking into allowing our finance and payroll solutions to be
delivered in this manner”. MIddleditch expects
that the data storage and archiving functions in Queensland Health will be
outsourced to private providers, along with application hosting, maintenance
and support. “We first need to manage risk, and ensure that the private
sector is mature enough to provide us with the services and the controls we
need”, she says. “The implementation of this new strategy will reduce our
costs of ownership dramatically, and, in partnering with the private sector,
should give our staff and patients access to the best of breed solutions”,
declares Middleditch. “The new strategy is about a future that is fiscally
sustainable and secure, and enables us to focus on service delivery”. From http://www.futuregov.asia
07/25/2013 Australian
Government Streamlines Big Data Strategy The Australian
government’s peak ICT policy agency, Australian Government Information
Management Office (AGIMO), has launched a new Australian Public Service Big
Data Strategy. This launch underscores moves to better understand, use and
share data held by agencies delivering front-line services, and holding vast
repositories of information. This strategy’s launch coincides with an April
2013 opening of a whole-of-government Data Analytics Centre of Excellence by
the Australian Taxation Office. This centre marks a sea change in the way
volumes of government data is handled, accessed and managed. Among the
trends, AGIMO notes that 90 per cent of the worldwide data was created in
just the last two years. “Some estimate that data production will be 44 times
greater in 2020 than it was in 2009. Others estimate an additional 2.5
quintillion bytes of data is being generated every day.” Making sense of data Big data as well as
analytics and mining tools help end-users better analyse and make sense of
the vast repositories of information. This is especially so for massive data
banks held by agencies in Australia and globally. “Indeed, big data, as an
emerging concept, intersects with many data management issues that pre-date
this concept,” notes AGIMO. Big data management underscores the value of data
held by Commonwealth agencies. These agencies carry a shared responsibility
to realise – and fully deliver – the value of this data. Streamlined access
to data also benefits citizens, while complying with privacy and security
guidelines. AGIMO and member agencies aim to clarify what is meant by big
data; how this intersects with the concept of data as an asset, and supports
an open government environment. To deliver value, Commonwealth data,
including that used for analytics projects, must be “authentic, accurate and
reliable.” Big data incorporates the vast amount of data that is generated
and captured in a variety of formats, and from many different and disparate
sources. These repositories incorporate structured, semi-structured,
unstructured or even incomplete data. Data as a national
asset Governments generate
massive volumes of data. This data is used for administration, policy
development, and to interact with citizens. “It is part of the government’s
responsibility to realise the value of this data and the information
contained within it, and to recognise this data as a national asset to both
the government and the Australian public.” Governments cannot realise this
value without help from industry and academia. “As a result, Australia, along
with many other advanced economies, is increasingly seeking to provide data
to third parties for analysis, or to support the provision of services, for
example through the development of mobile apps.” Tackling privacy
concerns Under privacy
guidelines, Australia will continue protecting individuals’ privacy rights.
“Big data raises new challenges in respect to the privacy and security of
data.” Data management policies are guided by relevant legislative controls.
These laws and guidelines regulate government’s use and release of data sets
and information. Agencies are encouraged to develop best-practices to link
cross-agency data sets, as well as the use of third-party data sets,
domestically and internationally. Any release of open data factors in privacy
considerations. Data protection guidelines are upheld by Australia’s Data
Protection Guidelines, among other privacy checks and balances. From http://www.futuregov.asia
08/05/2013 NEW ZEALAND:
To Launch Revitalised ICT Strategy New Zealand is expected
to launch its revitalised ICT strategy between June-July 2013, according to
timeline estimates by the Minister for Internal Affairs, Chris Tremain.
Minister Tremain, a keynote speaker at the FutureGov Forum New Zealand, held
Tuesday 28th May in Wellington, said the final blueprint has involved
detailed consultation with government and industry — with an imminent launch
date. But this strategy is not a “cookbook” with a defined recipe about
technology choices. “This strategy will evolve as technology evolves, while
ensuring that everyone understands and appreciates the ICT plan.” Technology
innovation offers opportunities across government, Minister Tremain noted.
These innovations will transform the landscape, while directly impacting how
services are crafted, managed, and delivered to citizens. Under the
government’s digital agenda, 70 per cent of common transactions will go
on-line. “This is a big ask, but it’s also transformational. We don’t
under-estimate the impact of our mandate, and using technology as an enabler
for change.” He foreshadowed a move
away from “owning and operating technology assets” – while exploring cloud,
mobile, and digital information management platforms. Future tenders factor
in tighter financial constraints – at the same time, delivering “huge gains
to the taxpayer.” Stephen Crombie, Chief Information Officer, New Zealand
Police, noted that mobile communications, and smartphone apps increasingly
support field operations. New Zealand Police’s technology effort focuses on
an “officer-centric design.” This incorporates deployment,
command-and-control and information exchange between central and field staff.
“It has taken us 12 months to evaluate field pilot projects. We looked at
multiple devices, and apps that could be developed.” The business case for
mobile apps is to improve response time, deliver manpower savings, and
support critical operations. New Zealand Police supports a population of 4.5
million. More than 11,500 staff manage operations, together with 9,000
officers – covering 12 districts, 43 areas, 371 stations, and 3
communications centres. Paul Ash, Manager,
National Cyber Policy Office, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, said
that tackling cyber-security threats remains critical in a connected, digital
economy. “Geography offers no protection against cyber-threats. There are
high-yield, low-risk opportunities for threat actors.” These threats are increasingly
more advanced, sophisticated, and pervasive. Cyber-attacks compromise
intellectual property and proprietary information. Critical government and
business infrastructure remains vulnerable. Mr Ash warned that the scale of
cyber-threats is difficult to measure. But the sources encompass criminal,
political and industry espionage. The New Zealand government launched its
cyber-security strategy two years ago. Officials are working with
international partners, and cyber-security organisations to tackle threats.
Alex Evans, Chief Information Officer, Department of Local Government,
Western Australia, charted this council’s foray into cloud services. This
journey started in June 2011 – with the migration of systems and data into
the cloud. The baseline was a mishmash of computer systems, networks, and
infrastructure. Typically, local
government has complicated ICT systems. “There needs to be tighter
integration between different platforms. For us, the future is cloudy. There
are massive opportunities at the local level in the cloud.” Ms Evans
cautioned that security, privacy, and data sovereignty concerns must be
factored in. “It’s important to appreciate who has access to this data. There
may be loss of control, unless privacy issues are considered at the outset.”
David Elson, Director Enterprise Systems and Grants Management, Office of
State Revenue, Queensland Treasury and Trade, said that Queensland is
fast-tracking its cloud roll-out effort. “The future will be asset-free, and
service-based.” Applications being migrated to the cloud include HR, payroll,
and enterprise resource planning systems. The Queensland government is taking
a ‘cloud-first’ approach to procuring ICT services. This move may halve email
costs across government – while delivering annual savings of upto AUD 7
million. FutureGov Forum New Zealand galvanised key agencies, solutions
providers and industry stakeholders over a dedicated day of discussions and
interaction. This forum was supported by leading solutions providers,
including Vodafone, Good Technology, Revera, WatchGuard, IBM, HCL, OpenText,
and Ricoh. Industry partners hosted highly-interactive discussion tables –
while drawing on the experiences of influential public sector leaders, and
technology experts. From http://www.futuregov.asia
05/31/2013 NZ Gov Seeks
Submissions on Telco Regulation The New Zealand
government has invited submissions on the first phase of the policy review of
the Telecommunications Act 2001. The first phase of the review will examine
whether the current regulatory framework is adequate for New Zealand’s
migration from legacy copper infrastructure to fibre networks and discuss
pricing components of the current regulatory framework. The review will
discuss the most effective way to promote competition for end-users, how the
commercial interests of access providers and seekers can be promoted and how
to effectively encourage investment for the long-term benefit of end-users.
It will also look at innovation in the telco market and deregulation in
instances where there is sufficient competition. Alternative approaches,
tools and institutional arrangements will be considered. Other phases of the
review will examine the regulatory framework from 2020 when New Zealand’s
Ultra-Fast Broadband network is completed, when 75 per cent of New Zealanders
will be connected to the high-speed broadband network. “We are being
deliberately open-minded about what the regulatory settings might look like
post-2020 and I would like to challenge stakeholders to think creatively and
to get involved,” Amy Adams, Minister for Communications and Information
Technology, said in the foreword of the discussion document for the review.
“As we consider alternative models I am particularly keen that we keep the
needs of New Zealand consumers and innovators to the forefront of our
thinking.” The broadband initiative will provide New Zealanders with download
speeds of 100Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps. The industry has welcomed the
review. Telecom New Zealand said telco providers need pricing certainty.
“Pricing certainty will allow us to get on with what’s most important –
competing in the marketplace through innovation, product differentiation and
quality service,” Simon Moutter, Telecom chief executive, said in a
statement. Chorus also welcomed the review. “Chorus will be
providing a comprehensive submission to further support the development of
the right policy environment that will drive the growth and innovation that
will be enabled by upgraded infrastructure, along with encouraging innovative
retail services for New Zealanders,” Mark Ratcliffe, Chorus’ CEO, said in a
statement. The New Zealand government announced the legislation review in February
this year in addition to a review of the Telecommunications Service
Obligations (TSO) and its structure and funding. Submissions for the review
are due by 13 September, 2013. From http://www.computerworld.co.nz
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Audit of
E-Government Projects Long Overdue Sunday was the international Public Service Day on the United
Nations calendar. The UN Public Service Forum, Day and Awards Ceremony began
today in Manama, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and will end on Wednesday. This
year’s theme is “Transformative e-Government and Innovation: Creating a
Better Future for All”. There has been plenty of investment by donors in
automating some critical Government services to create a one-stop window for
the same through the Internet. The aim is to eliminate duplication of roles
and drastically reduce opportunities for corruption and reduce the cost of
spending on paper and related printing equipment. But corruption remains a
big problem in many Government offices where automation is either partial or
totally lacking. Registries are a good example where files mysteriously
disappear only to resurface when one agrees to part with “chai”. Even in some
departments where services have been automated, long queues are a daily
sight. This could be due to the fact that the staff is poorly trained or are
hell-bent on sabotaging e-Government. They may regard it as a threat to their jobs, or their chance of
making a little extra income from bribes paid by Kenyans desperate to access
the same service. An unwillingness to embrace e-Government as a tool to make
their work easier is a major hurdle for the Vision 2030 project. In fact, a
fresh audit of the successes and weaknesses of the programme is urgently
needed if it is to make a difference. One would not be surprised, for
instance, to find a correlation between the work ethics and attitudes of most
civil servants and their failure to wholeheartedly embrace e-Government. On
August 22 last year, a Taskforce on Values and Principles of Public Service
of Kenya was appointed to draw up a National Policy and Draft Bill. The
latter would see values and principles of public service institutionalised as
required by Article 232 of the Constitution of Kenya. We need a public
service that is efficient, effective, responsive, prompt, impartial,
accountable and transparent. While it must be appreciated that plenty of work
has gone into transforming Government services by making them available via
the click of a button on a computer of mobile handheld device, plenty more
remains to be done. From
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/
06/26/2013 Fragmentation,
Censorship and Political Surveillance of the Internet Are Among Risks in
Global Debate on Governance, New CIGI Paper Says Governance issues over the evolution of Internet technology,
resources, protocols and standards will play an increasingly important role
in global debates, according to a new report issued by The Centre for
International Governance Innovation (CIGI). In "Internet Points of
Control as Global Governance," CIGI Senior Fellow Laura DeNardis
explores key Internet governance issues that will have profound impact on
global public policy discussions in coming years. She says that government
involvement in regulating or facilitating Internet interconnection through a
payment model, for example, would be a departure from the current governance
approach and could “fragment the Internet based on political manipulation.”
DeNardis says this change “could present a range of unintended or intended
consequences — such as creating new concentrated points for government
censorship, surveillance and politically motivated interconnection blockages,
or creating economic disincentives for major content companies...” DeNardis also points out the consequences that could come from
having the Domain Name System (DNS) play a larger role in content control.
Noting that this approach is already used for censorship in repressive
contexts and in the United States for intellectual property rights
enforcement, DeNardis says “this practice would be controversial because it
would fragment the Internet’s universality depending on country and possibly
create security and stability challenges to the DNS.” The report, which
outlines the critical Internet resources at play within the larger
architecture ensuring a universal system, stresses that the technical
standards, as esoteric as they are, can have a real economic and political
impact, and “to a certain extent, enact public policy in areas that are
traditionally carried out by governments.” DeNardis says, “They are the
infrastructural foundations for global trade and the digital public sphere,
but their design and constitution create public policy in areas as
politically charged as privacy, accessibility and other individual civil
liberties.” She adds, “The policy implications of Internet standards raise
the obvious governance question of how these standards are procedurally
established and by whom.” From
http://www.i-policy.org/
08/19/2013 AFRICA: Gambia - Government Warns of Massive Crackdown
on Online Freedom The government of the Gambia has given an
indication of its readiness to fully implement the recently-passed draconian
legislation which is meant to restrict online freedom. Head of Civil Service
and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Momodou Sabally, served notice of the
government's intentions to crackdown on online freedom at a meeting held on
August 8, 2013, with religious leaders and cabinet members at the official
seat of government, the State House. The Minister, consequently warned
Gambians, particularly the youth against participating in online campaigns
against the government. "If you cannot say anything good about the
country, then you should keep quiet," he exclaimed. The comments by
Sabally comes at a time when various free expression organisations including
the MFWA, have condemned the recently-passed law which prescribes stiffer
punishment for persons found guilty of publishing "false news"
online. The law imposes a jail term of 15 years and/or a fine of three
million dalasis (about US$90,000) on persons who criticize government
officials, caricature or instigate violence against the government through
the internet. What is more worrying is that, the
religious leaders at the said meeting reportedly indicated their support for
the government's plans to repress online freedom. Alieu Mboge, a spokesperson
of the group is reported to have assured the cabinet that "we would do
everything within our power to stop the youth both in and outside the country
from any online criticism of the government." In a country where human
rights advocacy by religious leaders is not tolerated, it is feared that the
government may use this latest pronouncements by the religious leaders to
legitimize its new policy of massively repressing internet freedom. We call
on the religious leaders to recognize the importance of the internet, which
remains the only platform for freedom of expression and participation in
public discourse among Gambians, as traditional media outlets are already
cowed from airing programmes which are critical of the government.
Recognising that online activism has ensured justice and given hope to many
citizens including the recently-freed Imam Baba Leigh, we urge the religious
leaders to rather lead and support on going advocacy processes to improve the
ever-deteriorating freedom of expression conditions in The Gambia. From http://allafrica.com/ 08/15/2013 EUROPE:
E-Government Improving, but Citizens Want More, More, More Almost half (46pc) of European Union (EU) citizens go online to
use e-government services but many of them said they are more satisfied with
online banking and online shopping than they are with online public services,
a new report suggests. Nearly half of EU citizens now go online to look for a
job, use the public library, file a tax return, register a birth, apply for a
passport or use other e-government services, The eGovernment Benchmark 2012 report
revealed. The report surveyed 28,000 internet users across 32 countries.
Eighty per cent of survey respondents said online public services save them
time, 76pc like the flexibility, and 62pc said it saves them money. However,
these users are more satisfied with online banking (8.5 satisfaction rating
on a scale of 0 to 10), and online shopping (7.6) than with public services
online (6.5). Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice-president responsible
for the Digital Agenda, said these are promising trends for e-government in
Europe but “when users are more satisfied with online banking than online
public services, it shows that public administrations must do better at
designing e-government services around users’ needs. And we have to do more
to make e-government work across borders.” Areas for improvement The report also signalled that improvements are needed to online
services for important life events, such as losing or finding a job, setting
up a company, and registering for educational courses/programmes. The Digital
Agenda for Europe is working on it. The agenda aims to increase the use of
e-government services to 50pc of EU citizens by 2015. EU citizens who now use
e-government services and responded to the survey for the eGovernment
Benchmark 2012 report also revealed the most popular e-government services:
declaring income taxes (73pc of users declare taxes online), moving or
changing address (57pc), and enrolling in higher education and/or applying
for student grants (56pc). Most (54pc) of survey respondents still prefer
face-to-face contact or other traditional channels with which to access
government services. However, 30pc of these respondents said they could also
be regular e-government users - if more relevant services were provided. From
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/
06/05/2013 European
Dialogue on Internet Governance in Lisbon- How to Serve the Public Interest The 6th edition of the European Dialogue on Internet Governance
(EuroDIG), to be held in Lisbon on 20-21 June 2013, will bring together some
400 representatives from civil society, business, governments, parliaments
and international organisations to discuss the most recent European
developments concerning the Internet and the public policy challenges ahead.
In six plenaries the participants will look for answers to the following
questions: How to keep the Internet safe, free and open? Regulations, laws,
agreements, self-regulatory initiatives can contribute to a framework which
helps to keep Internet safe, free and open. But is an Internet specific
regulation needed? What are the risks and the advantages? What are the
options? What are the implications of privacy and e-commerce for children and
young people? Are they aware that social platforms are business models which
use personal data as a form of currency that can be transferred to third
parties? Is it possible to secure their privacy from commercial abuse? What
is the public interest? Different Internet stakeholders claim to act in the
public interest, but how can the public interest be defined when we refer to
the Internet? Under which jurisdiction(s) are European citizens online? When
online European citizens can be subject to multiple rules according to their
place of residence, the services they use, as well as the location of the
servers and DNS operators involved. How should this be addressed? How can
governments, industry and users do to fight cybercrime and safeguard
cybersecurity? Who makes money with content and who should pay for it? Can
copyright protect quality journalism? Do content aggregators promote access
in the public interest? How should content be regulated? In addition, eight workshops will address issues such as the
governance challenges of IP address management, how the copyright framework
in Europe affects access to culture, network neutrality, security of the
Internet and initiatives to protect the rights of Internet users. The debates
will also tackle how to extend Internet access to all citizens how to tackle
hate speech online, and the challenges that Connected TV creates: how will
broadcasting TV regulations affect access to the Internet via TV screens?
Shortly after the EuroDIG, the “Messages from Lisbon”, a document containing
its main outcomes, will be published. It will be presented at the Internet
Governance Forum (IGF) taking place from 22 to 25 October 2013 in Bali,
Indonesia. From
http://www.eurodig.org/
06/11/2013 Europeans
Dominate Political Twitter Rankings Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt has taken the title of best
connected world leader on Twitter 2013 – with last year's champion tweeter
Herman Van Rompuy slipping out of the top 10 in a list dominated by
Europeans. Bildt has 44 mutual connections with other major political players
on the social networking site – meaning he follows them and they follow him
back – according to the annual Twiplomacy study produced by the public
relations firm Burson-Marsteller. The next best connected accounts are those
run by Catherine Ashton's European Union foreign service, and those of the
foreign ministries of Poland, the United Kingdom and France. European Council
President Van Rompuy drops from first place last year to 11th, despite
increasing his mutual connections with other world leaders from 11 to 19.
Among the top 15 accounts, only one represents a non-European country – that
of the Israeli foreign office. The others include British foreign minister
William Hague, Finland's Europe minister Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime
Minister Jens Stoltenberg, and the European Commission. All 45 European
governments have a Twitter presence, the study says. Bildt played down the
importance of his global connections on the social networking site, tweeting
that his first place "sounds exaggerated". But the study reveals
the growing importance of official political activity on Twitter, with almost
78 per cent of United Nations countries having an account of some sort –
whether an automated news feed or personal profiles of senior figures. Although Sweden's Bildt is connected to more of his political
peers than any other world leader, his overall 212,000 followers pale into
insignificance compared to the 33 million-plus people that track United
States President Barack Obama. Yet Obama and the other US government accounts
are among the worst connected, mutually following just four world leaders.
After the US president, Pope Francis is the next most followed leader with
seven million devotees across several accounts, with the White House's
combined English and Spanish-language profiles in third place. Turkey's
President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan make the top
five with 3.4 million followers each. The UK government's account is also in
the top 10 most followed. However, while the number of people followed and
following political accounts is growing, the active engagement of world
leaders on Twitter still varies. While a third of the 505 accounts analysed
are personal profiles of heads of state and government and foreign ministers,
only a third do the tweeting themselves and only 14 do so on a regular basis.
Uganda's Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi is the most conversational world leader
on Twitter. In Europe, the study highlights Bildt, Stubb, Estonian President
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk as among the best
for producing thought-provoking tweets and replying to followers. From
http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/
07/24/2013 Moldova
Builds E-Government: Mobile Digital Signature Conversations about e-government excellence and best practices
usually centre around countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Finland, or
the USA. In Eastern Europe, however, the tiny, land-locked Republic of
Moldova is making a name for itself in this field. One of the poorest
countries in Europe, Moldova (population 3.5 million) is emerging as a great
example of public sector modernisation. The e-Government Centre (eGC), formed
in August 2010, is responsible for the implementation of the e-government
agenda of Moldova. FutureGov spoke to several senior officials in the eGC to
understand the development and implementation of the major projects underway
in Moldova. “Moldova has learned from Singapore, Estonia, Austria, the United
Kingdom, and lately, New Zealand and Australia”, says Stela Mocan, Executive
Director of the e-Government Centre. “We don’t have much legacy
infrastructure or services in place, so we have the opportunity to implement
the most innovative initiatives in Moldova”. The eGC is implementing the ‘Strategic Program for Governance
Technological Modernisation’, Moldova’s first government technology strategy.
“The strategy has two objectives”, says Mocan. “The first is to digitise and
put online all public services by 2020, and the second is to use technology
within the government to become more efficient”. The government is deploying
various services to achieve these objectives while building a strong
foundation to enable e-services. Mocan discussed the development of the
mobile digital signature (MDS) in Moldova to allow citizens to securely
access new and old online services. The digital signature works as
identification in the virtual world, allowing users to authenticate
themselves in cyberspace by receiving a confirmation message on their cell
phone that they can validate with a PIN. Citizens can sign papers, reports,
or formal declarations, and submit online requests through their mobile
phone. Services such as e-licensing and tax declaration already accept
MDS – businesses can apply for licenses such as social or medical insurance
licenses online with authentication through MDS. Citizens can file taxes
online using their MDS. “In the upcoming months, we will launch many more
services for both citizens and businesses that will integrate with MDS”,
declares Mocan. “We want to make it easier for citizens and businesses to use
electronic services”, Mocan continues. “The mobile digital signature is very
easy to use, and since its launch last September, has been free to use to
facilitate quick uptake. We are working with two mobile operators, which together
control 98 per cent of Moldova’s mobile market, to implement this project”.
The public-private partnership model has worked well for eGC. The mobile
operators conduct advocacy campaigns to inform citizens about MDS, and
undertake citizen registration for MDS. The government, on the other hand, is
integrating the existing electronic services with the mobile signature to
allow citizens and businesses to use it to access as many services as
possible. While MDS is free to use for now, a nominal fee will be imposed
after July 2013 – 10 lei (US$0.8) for 10 signatures per month for
individuals, and 50 lei (US$3.9) for 1000 signatures per month for
businesses. Mocan also mentioned that the MDS project was an upgrade of an
existing digital signature project that the eGC had in place earlier. “Since
2006, the government has had the option of using digital signatures through
special chips in laptops”, she says. “That method, however, was very
expensive for citizens, as each chip cost 300 lei (US$30). The mobile
signature has the same legal power and capability, but is portable and much
cheaper. Developing a mobile signature also made sense for Moldova since the
mobile penetration rate in the country is 127 per cent. “The penetration rate
of mobile internet is increasing too – it’s currently at 30 per cent”, Mocan
informs us. “One in two Moldovans have access to internet. We are among the
top 20 countries in the world in terms of internet speed. These factors enable
and push us to look for the most innovative technologies to change the way
government works and interacts with citizens”. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/11/2013 Moldova
Builds E-Government: G-Cloud and E-Services In Eastern Europe, the tiny, land-locked Republic of Moldova,
one of the poorest countries in Europe with a population of 3.5 million, is
emerging as a great example of public sector modernisation. The e-Government
Centre (eGC), formed in August 2010, is responsible for the implementation of
the e-government agenda of Moldova. FutureGov spoke to Stela Mocan, Executive
Director of the e-Government Centre, about the development and implementation
of the major e-government projects, such as Government Cloud, or as it’s
called in Moldova, M-Cloud. Government Cloud The M-Cloud programme was launched in February this year. “We
use cloud computing technology to address some of the challenges that we have
in government”, says Mocan. “Every ministry invests huge funds in hardware
servers which they use at a limited capacity. M-cloud provides these services
at low investment”. Many ministries have started migrating their information
systems and services to M-cloud. “The Prime Minister approved a ‘Cloud-First
Policy’ in 2011, requiring ministries to invest in digitising services and
not in hardware”, Mocan informs us. “The ministries have to move their
systems and services into M-cloud. We are visiting ministries and explaining
to them, face-to-face, the opportunities and capabilities of M-cloud”.
M-Cloud offers many different services to government agencies, such as
authentication and access control (security related tasks including identity
management and transaction authorisation), payment services (allowing
agencies to accept electronic payments), and notification services (allowing
agencies to send notifications to citizens). The eGC is working with the IT
departments of many countries in the European Union to develop projects such
as M-Cloud. “We have synchronised our initiatives with the European Union
agenda”, states Mocan. “Our projects are funded by loans from the World Bank,
though some are co-funded by our government”. E-services Another major project that eGC launched last year is an
e-services portal for citizens. Launched in May 2012, the portal is a gateway
to all electronic services offered by the Modovan government. The portal also
provides details on all traditional, non-electronic government services. Currently,
331 services are listed on the portal, while 72 are e-services. FutureGov
spoke to Victoria Rosca, Executive Consultant at the eGC, about the
e-services offered to citizens. “One of our most popular e-service is the
e-criminal record certificate”, says Rosca. “The service certifies that the
applicant does not have a criminal record or action pending against them.
Almost 90 per cent of citizens who apply for the certificate, such as
students applying for academic programmes abroad or citizens applying for
visas for other countries, do it online through the e-services portal”.
Business owners can now apply for licenses for more than 30 types of business
activities online through the portal. “Many of these e-services are already
connected with the mobile digital signature”, says Rosca. The mobile digital
signature allows citizens to authenticate their identities through their
mobile devices to access public services. The eGC has created video guides
uploaded to its YouTube page on using the e-services offered on the portal. Payment gateway Another initiative that the eGC has developed and launched in
April this year is a government payment gateway which will allow citizens to
pay online for public services such as population documentation services or traffic
fines. “We have run consultations with the National Bank, Ministry of
Finance, and private banks”, states Mocan. “The process lasted more than one
and a half years. We have integrated different payment operators, allowing
citizens to pay via credit card, online banking. If PayPal comes to Moldova,
we’ll integrate that too”. The eGC is currently working on the development of
a government interoperability platform that is scheduled for launch in late
2013. The platform will facilitate the exchange of information and data among
government agencies, and enhanced connectedness and communication. Citizens
will be able to offer personal data to government only once, and public
institutions will be able to reuse this data for the delivery of services. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/19/2013 Moldova
Builds E-Government: Open Data In Eastern Europe, the tiny, land-locked Republic of Moldova,
one of the poorest countries in Europe with a population of 3.5 million, is
emerging as a great example of public sector modernisation. The e-Government
Centre (eGC), formed in August 2010, is responsible for the implementation of
the e-government agenda of Moldova. FutureGov spoke to Irina Tisacova, Open
Government Coordinator at the eGC, about the open government policies of the
Moldovan government. “Moldova joined the Open Government Partnership in April
last year”, says Tisacova. “We released an open government action plan in
January last year, consulting with citizens and the civil society through
meetings and online platforms”. The open data portal of Moldova – data.gov.md
– was launched in April 2011, the first open government data platform in
Eastern Europe. Every ministry has officials responsible for publishing the
ministry’s data on the portal. The eGC is trying to coordinate the open data
effort to bring smaller agencies on board too. The portal currently offers
more than 660 datasets from nearly 40 organisations. “The open government action
plan defined a list of datasets to be released by the end of 2013”, explains
Tisacova. “More than 80 per cent of that data has been released. We are
continuing our collaboration with civil society to identify further areas of
interest for data releases”. Surprisingly, Moldova is facing the unique problem of lack of
demand for open data from civil society or citizens, unlike most governments
which release data due to public pressure. “We are holding events to generate
interest and awareness around open data”, Tisacova informs us. “We worked
with the World Bank for an ‘Open Innovation Week’, informing people about the
use of open data. We have also held trainings to increase popularity of data
journalism and app development based on open data”. Awareness and interest in
open data is rising. “For example, an NGO is Moldova is working on a project
called Budget Stories”, says Tisacova. “The project will essentially release
budget information in the form of infographics to create stories behind the
facts. In another instance, some students are combining different maps with
geographic data, creating maps which will even help the government visualise
some national problems”. The Moldovan government is currently assessing the
progress of its open government initiative. “We are also collaborating with
civil society to determine the monitoring mechanisms of the implementation of
the action plan”, says Tisacova. “The development of an action plan for 2014
will start soon”. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/27/2013 E-Government
in Romania – From ‘Nice-To-Have’ to ‘Must-Have’ The World Bank and the Romanian Ministry for Information Society
hosted a workshop entitled “e-Government Transformation: Moving from
Nice-to-Have to Must-Have” in Bucharest on May 30th as part of the Bank’s
regional work on the Smart Specialization and Digital Agenda. Experts and key
practitioners from the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
field, as well as local attendees that work in ICT sectors across the
Romanian Government, shared their experiences with e-Government. The workshop
was designed as an exchange on strategies, frameworks, and approaches developed
by the EU, and already successfully implemented in different countries.
“Romania has embarked on an ambitious project of aligning itself to the
latest trends in e-Government and introducing the most advanced electronic
systems in providing public services to its citizens,” said Dan Nica,
Minister for Information Society. “This means reshaping the administrative
procedures and flows based on individual life-events. This approach is
reflected in the new National Strategy, the Digital Agenda for Romania, and
in several recent projects such as the Online Issuance of Civil Status
Documents and the e-Agricultural Registry.” “With e-Government, citizens and
businesses have easier access to government agencies and institutions
electronically, thus avoiding having to wait in line or dealing with paper
documents. e-Government provides
better services in half the time for half as much,” said Elisabetta
Capannelli, World Bank Country Manager in Romania. “e-Government is not just
about enabling existing processes by using digital means. It involves
rethinking and transforming the ways government institutions operate, with
the citizens’ benefits and expectations at the core of such
re-conceptualization.” The workshop showed how to bridge the knowledge gap between
policy makers and implementers to enable strong and continuous collaboration
across institutions. Participants discussed the upcoming trends so that they
can be factored into an e-Government strategy and the basket of services that
are being conceptualized. The participants approached the ability of various
organizations with diverse systems to work together for information exchange,
as well as issues related to user authentication, sign-on, data protection,
and secure access across institutions. The World Bank had similar positive
experiences in Romania, including its most recently completed Knowledge
Economy project, implemented by the Ministry of Information Society in
collaboration with other ministries. The Knowledge Economy Project
accelerated the participation of 255 knowledge disadvantaged communities
within the knowledge-based society and economy in Romania. The project was
recognized for its success by many national and international institutions,
including the European Commission, the European Institution of Public
Administration, and the International Project Management Association, among
others. From
http://www.worldbank.org/
06/05/2013 LATIN
AMERICA: Chile Leads LAC in UN E-Government Ranking Chile is the leading Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) country
in the United Nation's (UN) 2012 global e-government survey, and was ranked
number 39 worldwide. Colombia, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Uruguay,
Mexico, Argentina and Brazil were other highly-ranked countries in Latin
America and were all rated among the top 60 countries worldwide for
e-government. The highest-ranked Central American country was Panama, at
number 66 worldwide, followed by El Salvador and Costa Rica. The
lowest-ranked Latin American countries were Haiti at number 187 worldwide,
Nicaragua at number 130 worldwide, Belize at number 124 and Suriname at 116,
the UN report said. The South America, Central America and Mexico and
Caribbean regions all improved their average e-government indicators between
2010 and 2012. A key pillar of the Latin American e-government strategy has
been to take advantage of social networking media features to promote
citizens' online participation, especially among the younger demographic,
according to the report. The UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(Eclac) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have prepared a
framework for developing e-government indicators along with a set of globally
comparative e-government core indicators and statistical standards. The UN's
e-government ranking is based on components including online service,
telecommunications infrastructure and human capital. Colombia was the highest
ranking country for online services, followed by Chile, Mexico and Brazil,
while the lowest ranking countries for online services in the region were
Haiti, Guyana, Dominica and Jamaica. Antigua and Barbuda ranked highest for
telecommunications infrastructure in Latin America, followed by Barbados,
Dominica and the Bahamas. The lowest-ranked countries for telecoms
infrastructure in Latin America were Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Belize.
Meanwhile, Cuba ranked highest in the region and third highest worldwide for
human capital, based on the level of adult literacy and education enrollment,
with Barbados, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile also ranking highly on this
measure. In terms of e-participation, Colombia was the most highly-ranked
country in Latin America, followed by Chile, Mexico, El Salvador and Brazil.
The lowest-ranked Latin American countries for e-participation were Suriname,
Jamaica, Haiti, and Guyana. From
http://www.bnamericas.com/
07/24/2013 Latvia
Ready to Share E-Administration Experience Latvia is ready to share its experience of introducing
electronic administration and electronic services, facilitating the
development of open, responsible and transparent administration institutions,
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Reform Party) pointed out during the 3rd
High Level Conference of the Freedom Online Coalition in Tunis, Tunisia. As
an example, Rinkevics mentioned Latvia's recently launched cooperation
projects in the Central Asia region, LETA was informed by the Foreign
Ministry's Press and Information Division. The minister called for a
continued enlargement of the coalition to include new member states, which
would advance common efforts of promoting and protecting fundamental freedoms
and human rights online. “It is important to give special attention to as
broad as possible participation of member countries through the engagement of
governments, business people, civil society and experts to seek solutions to
facilitating internet freedom," emphasized Rinkevics. As the
implementation of practical measures is important for achieving the
coalition’s goals, the minister voiced support for setting up a workflow to
carry out specific projects with the involvement of businesses and the
non-governmental sector. Rinkevics also drew participants’ attention to the
fact that the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms online will
be one of major topics during Latvia's presidency of the Council of the
European Union in the first half of 2015. From
http://www.baltic-course.com/
06/30/2013 NORTH
AMERICA: Canada - Budget Watchdog Data Shows Bureaucracy Grew Under Harper The Conservative government has made it clear that curbing
public service costs is a key part of its agenda as it heads into the second
half of Stephen Harper's majority mandate. But budget measures and
ministerial musings about everything from public sector pensions to the
collective bargaining process and even sick leave may obscure the bureaucracy
sprawl under the Conservative watch. New data published by the Parliamentary
Budget Office has tracked annual civil service payroll numbers by job
classification and by federal department, and both are illuminating. The PBO
spread sheets reveal the number of individuals on the federal payroll rose 14
per cent between the end of the 2005-06 fiscal year, when Harper's
Conservatives came to office, and 2012. Information services employees were
up 15.3 per cent, administrative services rose 20 per cent, financial
management staff jumped 35 per cent and welfare program employees were up 43
per cent, according to the PBO. The departmental breakdown shows dramatic increases in the
country's security, corrections and spy bureaucracies but some surprising
shrinkage in other areas — including the Finance department, Industry Canada,
and the Privy Council Office that serves the prime minister. The largest
staff increases came at the Canadian Border Services Agency, which grew by
5,200 employees, or 54.6 per cent, and the Correctional Service of Canada, up
by 4,516 staff or 31 per cent. The RCMP's civilian staff grew by 40 per cent,
adding 1,787 employee to reach 6,210 on the payroll, and Public Safety Canada
added 388 people to the payroll, more than 53 per cent. Public Safety
officials said the PBO numbers reflect part-timers, term employment and job
sharing, and that when converted to full-time equivalents "the departmental
workforce has in fact increased by only 35.56 per cent." Spokeswoman
Josee Picard said departmental increases reflect "strengthening
emergency management capacity, critical infrastructure protection and federal
emergency response capacity." The RCMP says public service staff now account for 25 per cent
of the force, up from 21 per cent in April 2006. Spokeswoman Sgt. Julie
Gagnon says the change partially reflects "civilianizing"
operational support and administration jobs. The Canadian Security Establishment
added 587 employees, a 42 per cent increase, while FINTRAC — the Financial
Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada which tracks money
laundering, organized crime and terrorist financing — almost doubled its
staff to 376 from 200, an 88 per cent spike. The Department of National
Defence was up by 6,199 civilian staff, or 29.5 per cent. Other smaller
agencies under the public safety rubric — such as the National Parole Board,
the Public Prosecutors Office and the office of the Correctional Investigator
— also grew by factors greater than the overall public sector increase. The
Justice department grew 10.7 per cent between 2006 and 2012, less than the
overall growth in the federal civil service. The Harper government's
preoccupation with justice and security issues is part of the Conservative
party brand, so the big civil service staff increases in these areas come as
little surprise. Other growth areas are more surprising. Federal payroll rose 14
per cent Aboriginal Affairs grew almost 38 per cent, according to the PBO
numbers, adding 1,481 people to the payroll. The Canadian Environmental
Assessment Agency almost doubled, to 240 people on the payroll in 2012 from
127 in 2006. But some other priority government departments have not
witnessed any growth, and indeed may have grown smaller. The powerful Finance
department lost 22 per cent of its staff and, with 781 people on the payroll
in 2012, was at its smallest size since the late 1990s when Liberal
government cuts had taken their toll. Finance spokesman Jack Aubrey said the
reduction can mainly be attributed to the transfer of "shared corporate
services" personnel over to the Treasury Board. Indeed, Treasury Board
ballooned 163 per cent as various services were consolidated in the department.
Citizenship and Immigration, another area of much Conservative policy
revision, was down 8.3 per cent, Canadian Heritage was down almost seven per
cent and Industry Canada was down 10 per cent. "By 2015 the Department of Canadian Heritage will be nearly
40 per cent smaller than it was at the start of the economic downturn in
2008," said Jessica Fletcher, a spokeswoman for Heritage Minister James
Moore. Departmental figures show that arts funding transfers have remained
stable. "We cut the bureaucracy and protected funding for Canadians
outside Ottawa who needed it most," Fletcher said in an email. Natural
Resources Canada, which has been spending millions of dollars advertising its
"responsible resource development" mantra, had 1.4 per cent fewer
employees on the payroll in 2012 than in 2006. Library and Archives Canada
was down less than one per cent. Perhaps most surprising, given popular talk
of the growth and control of the Prime Minister's Office and its bureaucratic
support arm, the Privy Council Office, PCO staff numbers fell more than four
per cent — to 892 staff from 932 — between 2006 and 2012. Much has been made
of spending cuts in the Conservative government's 2012 budget, which proposed
slashing 19,000 positions from the federal public service over five years.
According the PBO data, more than 34,000 individuals were added to the public
payroll between 2006 and 2012. From
http://www.cbc.ca/
06/29/2013 U.S.:
The Google Perspective - Gigabit Internet in Local Governments April was big for high-speed Internet news. First Austin, Texas,
announced it would join Kansas City to become the next local government to
receive the Google Fiber treatment. Then Provo, Utah, joined the list, as Google
plans to overhaul the city’s existing network. The Internet giant also is
spreading its fiber buildout from Kansas City to the adjacent regions. Many
have questioned whether Google may eventually spread its networks across the
entire nation, offering gigabit access for all. Though it seems feasible
given the interest Google has shown in fiber, there are many reasons we won't
ever see massive deployment, the most notable reasons being costs and
regulations. The Internet today is like an ’88 Michael Jordan: Everyone knew
there was something great there, but they didn’t know he was going to win six
championships and completely transform the game. Despite the difficulty in
creating a nationwide gigabit network, such a thing has the potential to
unlock applications and capability not yet dreamed of. Google Senior
Communications Associate Jenna Wandres recently said that high-speed Internet
really is the future and that governments have and will continue to play an
important role in that development. “If you look at innovation of Web
services right now, we’re kind of hitting the ceiling imposed by today’s Web
speeds,” she said. “Here at Google and [at] many other companies we’ve talked
to, large and small, engineers have these great ideas for products that they
want to deploy to customers, but Web speeds are just draining their ability
to do that. We really believe that this is an investment in the future of the
Web.” Ubiquitous Internet Is
a Right Whether it’s for entertainment, education or health care, there
are a host of concepts that are not possible because of limited Internet
speeds and availability. Having Internet connectivity doesn’t just change how
a person conducts research or interacts with others, it transforms culture on
a large scale. In regions where Internet availability is scarce, junior-high
and high-school students bring their laptops to McDonalds to take advantage
of the free Internet access -- but they shouldn’t have to, Wandres said. “Can
you imagine if a teacher could send home with every single one of her
students an assignment to do research on the Internet and know that they all
had access at home?” she said, adding that Internet access is something we
should be able to take for granted – it’s fundamentally important. And last
year, the United Nations Human Rights council affirmed the importance of
Internet access in a resolution, deeming it a basic human right. “When you
make an investment in ubiquitous high-speed broadband throughout a
community," Wandres said, "it makes the community stronger,
too." More Internet is a good deal all-around, which is why Google seems
to think building out gigabit fiber is a no-brainer from both business and
cultural perspectives. Gigabit ubiquity could open the door to changes in
health care that could allow doctors to meet remotely with patients or share
information digitally. For education, health care, entertainment and economic
growth, Internet can strengthen communities, Wandres said. “Something like 97
percent of Internet users look online for local goods and services,” she
said, “So, if you’re a small business and you’re not online, you’re missing
out on a huge percentage of business. That’s a huge economic impact.” What Google Wants The two new Google Fiber cities, Austin and Provo, are locales
that lost out during the first Google Fiber competition -- but wouldn't take
no for an answer. Each of the two cities had champions who continued
pestering Google after the Kansas City announcement, just to show how much
they, too, wanted Fiber. The tenacity and vision of Austin Council Member
Laura Morrison and Provo Mayor John Curtis was representative of the spirit
needed to make Google Fiber work, Wandres said, and eventually, each city got
what it wanted. Google works closely with local governments to make sure the
buildouts go smoothly, she said, and their participation and passion is
indispensable. In Kansas City, there was a great demand from the population
for gigabit Internet, which is the biggest reason Google chose the location
as its first, Wandres said -- but it was city leaders who solidified the
deal. Former Kansas City, Kan., Mayor Joe Reardon and Kansas City, Mo., Mayor
Sly James joined forces to create a bi-state innovation team after Kansas
City had been chosen. “They wanted to become a shining fiber city so that
everybody else who had the broadband dreams and aspirations could look at
Kansas City and see some use cases for what fiber could really do for a
community,” Wandres said. “They published a report, and now they have a
whole team working to implement some of those ideas. I think that’s a really
great example of how city leadership can have a huge impact on deployment. …
If a city leader develops a clear plan so that the community at large gets
excited about Fiber and invested in Fiber, in general it’s going to be a much
better outcome.” Google hopes to begin serving its first Austin fiber
customers by mid-2014 and its first Provo customers by the end of this year,
Wandres said. Provo, Austin and Kansas City are all locations with public
demand for gigabit Internet, but they also have leaders with vision, Wandres
said, and that’s what Google was looking for. “If you look across those three
markets, you’ll find that the main common denominator is that they’re all
emerging tech hubs,” she said. “They all have really strong startup scenes,
they have a plethora of entrepreneurs, people who have great ideas and have
tech skills, at least the excitement to carry out those ideas and really
develop this next generation of gigabit applications that we believe the
future of the web will be founded on.” From
http://www.govtech.com/
05/28/2013 Although government 2.0 has been around since Bill Eggers’ 2005
book Government 2.0, the term truly took over in 2008. After President Barack
Obama’s 2008 election, his first memorandum in office was the Open Government
Directive with its three pillars of creating a more transparent,
participatory and collaborative government. This framework quickly spread
from federal government down to state and local government and across the
nation. So fast-forward five years and let’s ask what have we learned. 1. It’s about mission problems. At the beginning of gov 2.0, a
lot of the initiatives and reported case studies were flashy, citizen-facing
initiatives focused on crowdsourcing a new project or senior leaders using
social media to engage with the public and share their message. While
important, I’m excited to see the push in the last few years to use these
approaches and ways of thinking to solve deeper problems — whether it is
truly transforming the way we deliver health care or building software or
helping with criminal justice decisions or reforming procurement. 2. It’s about sustainability. In the beginning of gov 2.0, many
efforts were focused on quick wins such as launching a social media channel
or highlighting an app created at a hackathon. However, we quickly discovered
that sustainability is key and new solutions came about. Hackathons evolved
so now the prize often is a one-year contract to grow and sustain the winning
app. Code for America launched the Brigade to focus on growing and improving
a key set of open source apps so folks don’t reinvent the wheel. And internal
open government initiatives went from being side projects to receiving
dedicated budget and resources for sustainability. 3. It’s about human capital. This movement is not just about technology
— it’s mostly about people and new ways of thinking. Thus, agencies have
taken new human capital approaches to these problems. Many cities have
created chief digital officers, data officers and innovation officers — all
roles that didn’t exist five years ago. Other cities, including Philadelphia
and Boston, have set up a Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, as well as
new programs like San Francisco’s Mayor’s Innovation Fellowship. 4. It’s not static. Five years ago, smartphones were used by only
a small percentage of folks and today’s popular tablets hadn’t even been
released. Now, nearly half of the U.S. population has a smartphone and more
than 30 percent of people have a tablet, according to a recent Pew Internet
study. Agencies have deployed mobile apps and optimized websites for
citizens, while introducing tablets for various workflow functions ranging
from permitting to city council meetings. For those heavily engaged with
government 2.0 in the beginning, 2013 is radically different as the tools,
form factors and potential have changed every year. 5. It’s more than open data. Of the Obama Open Government
Directive’s three goals, transparency and open data have definitely gotten
the most follow up, with a recent Open Data Initiative launched at the White
House and open data initiatives taking root at the state and local levels.
The open data movement has evolved greatly from simply putting a few data
sets out there. Now the key is making that data usable via application
programming interfaces so it can be quickly used in apps. There’s also been a
big push to release important, high-quality data whether it is Medicare
reimbursement rates or procurement information — important data that can
drive real solutions. Overall, a lot of progress has been made in five years. Besides
the items above, it’s a cultural and mindset shift that we are seeing grow
throughout government each year. Individuals and agencies are focusing on how
to make important systemic change with new technology and approaches to
improve government. As Bill Gates said, “We always overestimate the change
that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will
occur in the next 10. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.” I’m
excited to see what comes next. From
http://www.govtech.com/
06/12/2013 The
Government’s Data Center Count Has Doubled Since 2011 The current tally of data centers managed by the federal government
is north of 6,000, up from about 3,000 a few months ago, according to an
Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman. The apparent doubling of the
government’s data center portfolio is due to a 2011 policy shift that
drastically expanded what the government counts as a data center and to more
rigorous agency inventories, as opposed to an increase in the actual number
of data centers, spokeswoman Ari Isaacman Astles said. The government has
been struggling to reduce its data center portfolio since 2010 as part of a
larger effort to make government computing cheaper and more efficient.
Officials have estimated the government can ultimately save between $3
billion and $5 billion by shifting to more efficient, virtualized data
centers plus an additional $5 billion annually by shifting to computer
clouds. The government spends about $80 billion annually on IT. Prior to
October 2011, OMB defined a government data center as a dedicated space for
computer servers and other equipment that was over 500 square feet. Federal
Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel expanded that definition to
include much smaller server rooms and closets. At the time, VanRoekel
estimated the new definition might raise the government’s data center count
from 2,100 to about 2,800. That figure had climbed to 3,100 total data
centers by December 2011. The additional 3,000 data centers were first
disclosed by David Powner, the Government Accountability Office’s IT
specialist, in June 11 testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee. “We are three years into the data center
consolidation effort and the government still does not know how many centers
it has,” Powner told committee members. “Just last week we learned that about
an additional 3,000 data centers are now being reported, bringing the
government’s total north of 6,000 data centers.” It’s not clear when agencies first reported the additional data
centers to OMB. The office verified the 3,000 additional data centers figure
in an email to Nextgov Friday. In March, OMB combined the data center
consolidation initiative with PortfolioStat, a program to streamline how the
government buys IT commodities such as wireless Internet, data storage and
mobile phone services. One effect of the consolidated program was to
deemphasize the total number of data centers the government closes and to
focus instead on energy and cost savings from consolidation. The new plan
requires agencies to shutter 40 percent or more of what it determines are
“non-core data centers” and to reduce the cost and energy consumption of
running the remaining “core data centers.” “Through this work, the
administration has made significant progress in improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of our data centers and will continue to work to make progress
in this area in the months and years ahead,” Astles said. The government has
shuttered about 320 data centers since the beginning of its consolidation
initiative. Official savings from the data center consolidation effort have
been minimal so far and the government is unlikely to meet its initial goal
of saving $3 billion from the initiative by 2015, Powner testified in May.
VanRoekel has said total savings are likely to increase once all agencies
have reported their likely savings. He has also said savings are likely to
increase over time in a hockey stick pattern as more efficiency initiatives
take effect. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
06/25/2013 State
Department Bureau Spent Thousands for Facebook Fans A State Department bureau is more "well liked" on
Facebook after two campaigns to increase its visibility on the
social-networking site. The problem, however, is it cost them $630,000 — and
the increased number of "friends" may have little impact on how it
meets its mission. State's inspector general said in a recent report that the
Bureau of International Information Programs' (IIP) campaigns succeeded in
gaining more than 2.5 million fans, though the percent of fans actually
engaging with Facebook pages was just more than two percent. Fans mostly
engaged in the form of "liking" posts, and many of the postings had
fewer than 100 comments or shares, the report said. The most popular posts
had several hundred shares. "Many in the bureau criticize the
advertising campaigns as 'buying fans' who may have once clicked on an ad or
'liked' a photo but have no real interest in the topic and have never engaged
further," the report stated. "Defenders of advertising point to the
difficulty of finding a page on Facebook with a general search and the need
to use ads to increase visibility." But these efforts may not matter in
the end as Facebook changed the way its site displays information on users'
newsfeeds in September. Now, if a user does not regularly engage with a particular page,
that page's posts will stop appearing on the user's newsfeed. Page owners,
however, can buy story ads to ensure that their posts appear on newsfeeds
regardless of user engagement. Due to this change, having a large, unengaged
fan base means that the bureau must continually buy sponsored story ads for
its pages, or else "reach" statistics will fall dramatically, the
report stated. The report said the department needs to consider the value of
having more social media fans. "The bureau could reduce spending and
increase strategic impact by focusing its advertising not on raising overall
fan numbers or general engagement statistics but on accomplishing specific
[public diplomacy] goals," the report said. The report also pointed to
two overlapping offices, the Office of Innovative Engagement and the Office
of Web Engagement, and suggested their respective roles be clarified. IIP
paused its Facebook advertising program to assess its social media goals
during the IG inspection, the report stated. From
http://www.federalnewsradio.com/
07/03/2013 Government
Has Dropped the Ball on IT Reform, Lawmaker Says Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., lashed out at government technology
leaders on Wednesday for being slow to adopt cost-saving reforms laid out
early in the Obama administration and for failing to adequately report their
progress. Federal agencies and the White House Office of Management and
Budget have been too slow to consolidate data centers and to shift data
storage and operations to computer clouds, Connolly told the audience at an
event sponsored by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. “I
stand before you today feeling that the federal government has slackened its
embrace of the 25-Point Plan laid out by Vivek Kundra,” Connolly said,
referring to the 2010 government technology overhaul penned by the former
U.S. chief information officer. Connolly is ranking Democrat on the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s operations panel, which oversees
a large share of federal technology spending. He criticized officials for
failing to meaningfully report on a 25-Point Plan requirement that all agencies
move at least three high-priority systems to the cloud by mid-2012. He also
faulted OMB for not forcing agencies to report their progress on a separate
mandate to consolidate federal data centers and for not appearing at a field
hearing on the topic held in his district in May. The Government Accountability Office testified during that
hearing that only five of 24 agencies had reported estimated data center
consolidation savings through 2014 and that those savings totaled less than
$700 million, far shy of the $3 billion in savings originally promised by
2015. Connolly also faulted officials for approving less than half a dozen
companies so far through the government’s Federal Risk and Authorization
Management Program, or FedRAMP, which certifies cloud vendors that are secure
enough to provide services to the government. “I think there’s great hope,
there’s great opportunity, but at the moment I think the federal government
as an entity has fallen behind on what had been an exciting opportunity to
catch up,” Connolly said. “My hope is that as we move forward all of us can
try to find ways to encourage and exhort and pressure the federal government
to come into the 21st century with management changes and allocation and
investment changes that will better serve the country.” Connolly co-sponsored
legislation with House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., that would
overhaul how the government purchases and manages technology. A version of
the bill, known as the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act,
was included as an amendment in the Defense Authorization Act, which passed
the House in June. The White House has not endorsed the measure. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
07/10/2013 Industry
Perspective: State Government Leads President’s E-Government Charge As state government has already proven, it's possible for
government to be smarter, more innovative and more responsive -- and it can
be done at the federal level too. On Monday, July 8, President Obama outlined
the “Management Agenda for Government Innovation” to make government smarter,
more innovative and more responsive. But what does a country with a more
innovative and more responsive government look like? I believe federal
government agencies can turn to their peers within state government for a
view of how e-government is alive and well today. For example, in his
address, President Obama mentioned, “…websites [that] help fill in some of
your information so you don’t have to enter it every time you log in.” This
is exactly the type of service that state government agencies have had in
place for years. For example, several states have a form of a “Business
OneStop,” which allows entrepreneurs to complete forms once, and find all of
the necessary forms and filings required to start, grow or close a business.
While it may be called other things, such as a central business registration
and licensing system, there are various examples of how this centralized
business service is breaking down silos within state government and removing
duplication all in an effort to make government smarter. As the title of his management agenda states, the President’s
overall focus is on making government more innovative. Oftentimes it is new
innovation that also makes our lives safer. Again, look no further than to
state government to find examples of e-government innovation that also
delivers a safety benefit to our communities. From New Jersey to Montana,
many states have an online service in place referred to as temporary vehicle
tag registration. In these states, dealerships no longer have to maintain an
inventory of pre-printed temporary vehicle tags to place on the vehicles they
sell. Instead, when a vehicle is purchased, the information is entered into a
database that generates a custom tag for that particular vehicle and owner.
Plus, the information is immediately recorded with the Department of Motor
Vehicles. This provides added safety to law enforcement officers when they
pull over a car with temporary tags. Now an officer can access the database
to uncover information about the vehicle that has been stopped, helping the
officer better understand the situation. The President also shared his vision
of a more responsive government – one in which you could track your
transactions with government similar to how you can monitor your online
retail purchase from payment all the way to delivery at your doorstep. The states also have this one down. In Utah, for instance, the
Bill Watch app allows individuals to track bills by topic, bill number and a
legislator’s name. Once a bill is selected for tracking, the user receives
instant notifications on their mobile device as the bill changes status and
moves through the legislature. And residents of Kentucky can track how their
tax dollars are spent through the new Citizen Tax Calculator. An individual
can enter the amount of state taxes they paid and see specifically how it was
spent by the state as it delves into more than 100 subcategories of
expenditures. As state government has already proven, it is possible for
government to be smarter, more innovative and more responsive. State
government should be proud of its efforts -- efforts that can be made at the
federal level too. There are plenty of recent examples that can be leveraged
to deliver results quickly. From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/16/2013 State
Department IG Highly Critical of IT Sub-bureau When running a department, it is a good idea to have a mission
statement, strategic planning and a workload that justifies its
organizational structure and the millions of dollars of taxpayer money it
receives each year. The State Department's Bureau of Information Resource
Management, Office of Information Assurance (IRM/IA) has none of those
things, according to a State Department's Office of Inspector General audit
released in July, and further lacks controls and procedures to monitor
contracts, task orders and blanket purchase agreements totaling $79 million.
IRM/IA, established in 2003 to comply with the Title III of the E-Government
Act, was formed to address information security requirements, yet OIG found
the majority of those functions are performed in other State Department
offices. The audit criticized the bureau's certification and accreditation
operations (C&A) because mishandling of these processes – as well as
guidance and reviews of C&A packages – contributed to expired authorizations
to operate (ATOs) for 52 of the State Department's 309 systems. Some
delinquent systems have been operating on expired authorizations for more
than two years, the audit states. IRM/IA – with its staff of 22 full-time employees and 36
contract employees, and its $10 million operating budget – plays a lead role
in overseeing the State Department's cyber-security program, including
information assurance policies, standards and guidelines, and compliance with
national security directives. Yet its sister departments do most of the heavy
lifting, the OIG report states, including management and oversight of the
State Department's information systems, which include its classified and
unclassified networks. Personnel in other IRM departments are responsible
keeping watch against cyber-attacks and risk measures, as well as desktop
security guidelines. "IRM/IA performs a limited number of information
assurance functions, does not have a lead role in most of the functions it
does perform and, for the most part, only compiles information generated by
others," the report states, before concluding the bureau's realignment
request to create a fourth division was not justified. "In light of the
lack of active involvement in many of its stated responsibilities, the proposed
IRM/IA office realignment for an additional deputy position and one more
division, as well as the need for some of the current divisions, are not
justified by the current level of work being performed," the audit
states. Not surprisingly, the audit was critical of the bureau's head, Chief
Information Security Officer William Lay, who accepted the position in
September 2012. Lay, the report stated, did a good job on arrival rebuilding
relationships internally and externally with IRM/IA, but he has not addressed
critical management issues. He also isn't in the office much, according to
OIG, so staff is often left wondering what to do. "The CISO has not provided division chiefs with priorities
based on defined goals, as a result, the staff is not proactive in meeting
information security requirements," OIG states. "The CISO held nine
staff meetings in the first 6 months after his arrival. IRM/IA staff
commented that those meetings normally do not provide clarity on what the
CISO considers to be office priorities. Many staff commented that they are
unaware of the CISO's activities in general and are unable to obtain those
answers since he is not seen regularly in the office." The audit's
recommendations to IRM/IA total more than 30 formal directives and several informal
ones as well. Chief among them was requesting the Bureau of Human Resources
to direct the Office of Resource Management and Organizational Analysis to
conduct an organization assessment of IRM/IA, and determine what similar
functions are being performed by other State Department offices. The OIG also
said that IRM/IA needs a mission statement that includes short-term and
long-term priorities and goals for its office and each of its three
divisions. A State Department spokesman said little in response to FCW,
writing in a brief statement: "The Department takes the OIG feedback
seriously and is committed to addressing the recommendations and the concerns
that led to the assessment." From
http://fcw.com/
07/19/2013 White House
Unveils CIO Council 2.0 The White House released a plan on Friday to significantly
streamline its top council of information technologists. The plan will slim
down the 17-year-old Federal Chief Information Officers Council from six
major committees and 29 subcommittees to just three committees focused on
portfolio management, information security and identity management, and
innovation. Those committees will report to a 14-member executive committee.
The new council will also include three communities of practice focused on
accessibility, privacy and the federal IT workforce, with room for new
working groups as necessary, according to a reorganization plan. Some tasks
previously managed by the council, such as establishing best practices and
outreach, will be performed by council staff and contractors, the plan said.
“Under the new structure, the CIO Council will become more agile in its
approach to supporting key administration priorities and will continue to
develop valuable tools, resources, and data for federal CIOs and their
staffs,” the council said in a blog post. The new executive committee will be
led by U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel. Several executive committee members will represent key
priorities. The innovation track, for instance, will be represented by
General Services Administration CIO Casey Coleman and Homeland Security
Department Deputy CIO Margie Graves. Security priorities will be represented
by Defense Department Deputy CIO Robert Carey and Justice Department CIO Luke
McCormack. The executive committee will be tasked with reviewing all council
projects to ensure they align with government priorities, establishing
criteria for projects and approving funding, the plan said. The CIO Council
was established by executive order following passage of the Clinger-Cohen
Act, the major 1996 overhaul of how the government buys and manages IT. It
was written into law by the 2002 E-Government Act. Congress is currently
working on a new IT buying overhaul known as the Federal IT Acquisition
Reform Act. The bill was included as an amendment to the House version of the
National Defense Authorization Act and is awaiting discussion in the Senate.
White House officials have expressed reservations about the congressional
overhaul. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
08/09/2013 |
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SOUTH
KOREA: Gov’t to Widen Administrative Data Transparency The Korean government will broaden the disclosure of
administrative information except in cases of national security or personal
privacy starting in 2014. President Park Geun-hye and heads of government
organizations announced a basic plan called the “Government 3.0” vision which
allows wider public access to government data. This initiative refers to the
Park Geun-hye administration’s government reform drive to boost transparency,
information sharing, communication, and cooperation in overall state affairs
management. “Government 3.0 goes beyond the information disclosure,”
said President Park at a ceremony held at the Central Government Complex in
Seoul on June 19. “This means a paradigm change in all state affairs which
pursues people-centered management from the existing state-centered
one.” Under the announced plan, public access will be broadened to
administrative data collected by all government organizations, including
central and regional governments, state-run committees, and state-invested
institutions, starting next year. This vision will apply to all forms of
administrative information in all stages of the policy-making process from
preparation to implementation. So far, public access was allowed to only 0.3
percent of the total administrative data and only lists of documents were
available unless an applicant submits disclosure requests. From
http://www.korea.net 06/20/2013 Seoul
to Carry Out Education Program on E-Gov't The Seoul Metropolitan Government will offer education on
e-government for civil servants of member cities of the World e-Government
Organization of Cities and Local Governments. The program will run for a
week from Sunday at the Seoul Human Resource Development Center. Eighteen
civil servants from Barcelona and eleven other cities will take part in the
program that includes field trips and opportunities to experience traditional
Korean culture. Around 300 civil servants from cities in Kenya, India, Poland
and Ghana have taken part in Seoul’s e-government program so far this year.
In particular, the upcoming program will focus on cooperative e-government
centered on big data and mobile services. From
http://world.kbs.co.kr
06/21/2013 Defense
Ministry Bans Smartphone Use Inside Its Office The defense ministry began to implement a
new policy Monday banning employees from using Internet-enabled smartphones
capable of taking photos within its building to prevent the leaking of
confidential information with the high-end devices. Under the stricter
security policy, smartphone users are required to install a special
application on the device that paralyzes its camera and voice recording
functions, in order to pass through security check points and enter the Seoul
building Developed by the ministry's security team, the application only
allows for the use of basic functions on Android phones such as receiving and
sending calls and text messages. Users of iPhones, operating on Apple's iOS
software, can only receive calls and text messages. From http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr 07/15/2013 Kominfo
DG Explains E-Govt Cooperation with Korea Taking forward its vision of a more innovative, accountable and
transparent government, Indonesia has embarked on developing e-government
cooperation with South Korea. Dr. Ashwin Sasongko, Director-General
of ICTApplication at the Ministry of Communication and
Information Technology (KOMINFO) explains, “Minister of
Bureaucratic Reform, Azwar Abubakar, on his visit to The latter agreement encompasses the exchange of e-government
technology and expertise, as well as information on systems and services
needed to deliver an effective e-government model to citizens. The two
countries will be conducting joint research studies in the field of
e-government, and will share their knowledge on trends and
best practices. Explaining the overall direction of the two MoUs, Dr.
Sasongko remarked, “One of the main programmes in Indonesia is reform for
bureaucracy. We are working with Korea to see how ICT can support
e-governance and then, how e-governance can support bureaucratic reform
in Indonesia”. Indonesia has set up an e-government team with a steering
committee chaired by the Minister of Bureaucratic Reform and Minister
of ICT. “A few days ago, the Korean side proposed to Indonesia to set up
a Joint Working Committee between the two countries to discuss in more
details possible cooperation in the field”, added Dr. Sasongko. Out of
almost 500 local government units in Indonesia, many have already developed
e-governance, albeit to varying extents. For instance, Surabaya, Indonesia’s
second largest city (population of 2.8 million) is setting up e-governance
for community services. KOMINFO also runs the Pemeringkatan
e-Government Indonesia (PeGI) programme. Dr. Sasongko said,
“This programme reviews each local government’s activities in e-governance to
gauge if it is at the beginner or advanced level. This gives us a big picture
of the local governments’ development of e-governance”. Dr. Sasongko
said, “One plan is to talk with the local governments and see how the
e-governance partnership with Korea can be done together with them, and
perhaps, use 1-3 local governments as pilot projects for
the partnership”. The Indonesian e-government team is scheduled to meet
in a month to discuss possible opportunities in both the short- and the
long-term, and talk with its Korean counterparts as to which particular
projects can be done in cooperation with them. The Indonesian team is to
finalise, by the end of this year, whether the focus of the partnership will
be on short- or long-term programmes, after which it will go ahead with the
pilot projects. South Korea has consistently been at the forefront of
e-governance development. TheWaseda University Institute
of e-Government in From
http://www.futuregov.asia
08/01/2013 |
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Indonesia and Korea Sign MOU on E-Government The governments of Indonesia and South Korea have signed a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) on e-government cooperation. Signed by
Tifatul Sembiring, Indonesian Communication and Information Minister, and Yoo
Jeong Bok, South Korean Security and Public Administration Minister,
the MOU commits both countries to develop e-government on a
“mutually beneficial and non-interference basis”. The agreement aims to
help both countries enhance their cooperation in the development of
e-government. The countries will exchange e-government technology and
expertise, as well as information on systems and services needed to deliver
an effective e-government model to citizens. The MOU also
includes the sharing of experience in implementation and application of
e-government services, and the exchange of expert personnel to strengthen the
human resource capacity in this field in both countries. South Korea and
Indonesia will be conducting joint research studies in the field of
e-government, and will share their knowledge on trends and
best practices. South Korea has consistently appeared in the top 10
ranks of e-government assessments around the world. The Waseda University Institute of
e-Government in From
http://www.futuregov.asia
07/24/2013 Myanmar
and ADB Collaborate on E-Government Master Plan The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Government of Myanmar are
working on designing an e-governance masterplan for the country. The ADB is
expected to invite shortlisted consulting firms to submit proposals this week
for the USD 1.5 million project. Having recently opened its doors to
international engagement, the Myanmar is undertaking efforts to gain and
maintain competitiveness at a global level. The Government has formed an
inter-ministerial task force for appraisal of public service performance to
improve public service delivery with a focus on streamlining bureaucratic
processes and eliminating red tape. Presidential Adviser, Aung Tun Thet,
said, “Government working practices are changing to involve fewer people and
rely more heavily on technology. While the Government had introduced an
e-government system into ministries last year, it has not yet reached the
level we want”. “The Myanmar Ministry of Communication and Information
Technology is leading the e-government project and the budget is being made
available to assist that process. We hope to develop it further in the
future”, he added. According to the ADB, one of the key issues facing the
Government as it seeks to introduce ICT systems to strengthen public service
performance is the lack of a coherent and systematic approach to the design,
evaluation and adoption of such systems. This may lead to the development of
e-government systems on an ad-hoc basis, which may prove to be inappropriate
and incompatible to allow the agencies to effectively share information, says
the ADB. “Therefore, such ICT solutions will have to be undertaken
comprehensively by way of developing an e-Governance master plan, identifying
and satisfying demand systematically”.
In order to support this initiative with skilled human resource,
review of ICT capacity in academic institutions in Myanmar is also expected
to take place. This may lead to capacity development and demonstration
activities in order to improve the digital accessibility and
cost-effectiveness of the institutions. The Government’s approval for the
project is expected to be received in August, after which, the project will
begin in September. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/12/2013 MALAYSIA:
Launching GIS-Based Dengue Monitoring Portal In a bid to improve efforts to control, monitor, and respond to
a rising number of dengue cases in the country, the Ministry of Health
launched a GIS-based web portal called I-Dengue, which aims to provide the
public with the latest information on dengue hotspots and preventive measures
on how citizens can avoid getting the disease. Official reports cited the
rising number of dengue cases from 10,352 with 19 deaths recorded from
January to June, 2012 to 10,401 cases with 20 deaths in the same period, this
year. According to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam, the website
was developed using remote sensing technology and GIS, so that users can
easily locate high-risk areas for dengue outbreaks. By doing so, the Minister
says local authorities and the general public can mobilise community efforts
to come up with early intervention measures. “The website will be updated
every week. The government hopes this access to information for the public will
make the fight against the dengue menace more effective,” the Minister added.
From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/18/2013 Philippines:
To Deploy Extra Layer for Govt Data Security The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the
Philippines will add an additional layer of security using Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI) to secure data for government email and online
transaction. “Other than securing email and online transactions, PKI will
also be an integral part of other applications such as payment gateway
system, Narmis (National Archives and Records Management Information System),
GovMail (Government Wide Email System) and other applications that will
require secure communication and encryption,” said Rene Mendoza, Head of the
PKI team of the DOST’s Integrated Government Philippines (iGovPhil) Project.
Through the use of dual encryption keys and the certificates digitally signed
by a Certificate Authority, PKI ensures that transmitted data is authentic,
valid and has not been tampered with in transit, she added. The PKI
deployment was one of the projects firstly announced at the opening of a
four-day celebration of the ICT Month held at the DOST’s ICT Office in
Diliman, Quezon City, early this month. Securing data is a crucial need for the e-Government master Plan
and iGovPhil Project. Data security through PKI will facilitate the
development of services and applications to ensure the efficient delivery of
public services, according to Mendoza. In the future, digital certificate
will be issued to private entity and individuals to ease transactions with
government as well as to secure their personal electronic communication. The
Universal Multi-purpose ID (UMID) agencies that offer most of their services
online will benefit from the PKI project. These agencies are Republic of the
Philippines Social Security System (SSS) , Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation (PhilHealth), Home Development Mutual Fund (PagIBIG), National Statistics
Office (NSO), and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/26/2013 The
Philippines Unveils New E-Gov Master Plan The ICT Office, Department of Science and Technology (DOST-ICTO)
of the Philippines launched the country’s eGovernment Master Plan 2014-2016
(EGMP) this week, a single strategic blueprint identifying key priorities for
the development of the country’s e-governance programme. The EGMP includes
several recent projects, such as the Integrated Government Philippines
Project (iGovPhil), which aims to link government data centres and databases
to create a secure network for government information systems, and the
Medium-Term Information and Communication Technology Harmonization Initiative
(MITHI), which will harmonise all IT systems in the public sector. Launched
last year, the 470 million peso (US$10.8 million) iGovPhil project provides
the necessary infrastructure and software needed for e-governance. The
Philippine Government Cloud was launched under iGovPhil in June this year, to
encourange agencies to use cloud applications over traditional IT systems.
iGovPhil also provides users with a Single Sign-On service to log on to any
iGovPhil service, and a Government Online Payment System that allows agencies
to accept payments from citizens online. Additionally, the EGMP includes a TV White Spaces initiative
launched by DOST-ICTO, bringing broadband internet to rural areas through the
use of unused TV broadcast channels called ‘white spaces’. The data
connectivity will support rural broadband, telemedicine, educational content
delivery and data gathering capability of the government’s sensor networks.
Secretary Mario G. Montejo of the Department of Science and Technology passed
on a message from President Benigno Aquino III at the unveiling of EGMP.
“Through the e-Government Master Plan, we lay the groundwork for an effective
and transparent e-government information system for 2014 to 2016, providing
agencies with a framework that will strengthen and integrate existing
information systems that are vital to the delivery of services and
information”. The President also stated that technology can be a great
catalyst for efficiency in government. “Technology can play a crucial role in
linking our people with their government”, he said. “It is through technology
that we can improve our services, promote dialogue and responsiveness, and
ultimately raise the level of discourse in our country by efficiently
informing our citizenry about the policies and initiatives of government”.
The EGMP is an update to the current Government Information Systems Plan, and
aims to raise the Philippines from position 88 into the top 50 in the United
Nations’ eGovernment rankings by 2016. The plan will be published in its full
form after formal approval from the President. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/28/2013 The
Philippines Launches Pilot Trial of E-Court System The Supreme Court launched the pilot trial of the electronic
court system (e-Court) project in a bid to promote transparency and good
governance in the justice system. The pilot trial was launched at the Quezon
City Regional Trial Court, which will serve as a model once it is rolled out
in all courts nationwide. The e-Court system will improve the processes of
capturing, storing and accessing documents filed at the branch courts so as
to avoid duplicated data and repetition in the administrative processes.
According to Supreme Court Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, the new system would
also help erase perceptions that “money is leaking in the court system”
because the cases will now be “raffled” off electronically and the fees will
be automatically assessed by the system. Because of this feature, Sereno said
they are able to remove any “human intermediation” from the process by which
cases are assigned to judges. Meanwhile, Quezon City Judge Bernelito Fernandez
said the new system could help the public monitor the status of cases more
closely. To do this, an e-Court kiosk will be set up in key strategic places
for the convenience of the citizens. “The e-Court system will provide quality
justice within reasonable time. There will be instantaneous information
retrieval for judges and court personnel,” he added. Furthermore, the Chief
Justice revealed plans to computerise the notification system for litigants
and lawyers regarding court schedules and subpoenas, and start the digital
archiving and retrieval system for court records. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/04/2013 SINGAPORE:
Govt to Release More Data on Singapore for Personal and Business Use SINGAPORE: The government will release more data on Singapore to
the public for personal and business use. The Manpower Ministry will be
launching a new website for employers to tap into data on the local labour
market. Another service, PopulationQuery, will give people free access to
demographic data by residential or commercial areas. It is a feature built
into the existing OneMap platform which can help people make decisions on
buying property based on an area's attributes, for example. From
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
06/17/2013 THAILAND:
Launching E-Correspondence Management System on G-Cloud Electronic Government Agency (EGA), Thailand officially launched
an electronic correspondence management system (e-CMS) on the government
cloud last week, in a bid to improve the system’s interoperability standard
among the government agencies. The launch of the e-CMS system for the
government — called “e-Saraban as a Service on G-Cloud” or “e-Saraban” in
short — was announced in the seminar for public hearing about the CMS
standard, organised by the Electronic Government Agency. ICT Ministry’s
Permanent Secretary Chaiyan Peungkiatpairote presided over the event in front
of the government officers in charge of operating CMS system from different
agencies. The seminar aimed at consolidating opinions, knowledge, and
suggestion to future improve the e-Saraban as well as to promote the
direction of its service, and collaborate public-private effort to strengthen
the country’s e-government scheme. “ICT has been leveraged and plays a vital role in helping the
government’s duties both for the front office and back office,”
Peungkiatpairote said. “CMS system is one of the key missions to help
promote, facilitate and organise the work and communication among different
agencies.” He added that the development of the e-Saraban is to improve the
CMS system, shaping it into the same direction as per the regulation and
standard indicated by laws. “The project is expected to increase the use of
ICT in CMS system such as e-CMS or the exchange of data between the e-CMS of
each agencies,” he said. “The collaboration and single direction will help
make the work process faster, reducing the use of paper as per the
government’s ICT for green policy, and fostering the development of G-Cloud.”
From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
05/27/2013 VIETNAM:
To Implement E-Assessment for Civil Servant Performance Department of Home Affairs, Da Nang City, Vietnam will start the
electronic assessment for performance of civil servants, starting from July
1, after a successful result from the pilot programme. Each public official
including high ranking member will be assessed secretly by at least four
subordinate from his or her office. The new e-assessment scheme will also
cover directors, deputy directors of state departments, chairs and vice
chairs of districts, the chief and vice chief of other state agencies and all
public servants of state agencies and district people’s committees in Da
Nang. A specialised software will be installed to proceed the digital
evaluation that will cover three main categories of objectives and tasks
assigned, the results based on actual products, and comments from civil
servants of the same unit. Director of the Department of Home Affairs Dang
Cong Ngu said this electronic mode of evaluation aimed to better manage human
resources, helping to evaluate the work of the staff honestly and
effectively. “The advantage of the model is to promote openness, democracy by
taking the actual working results as a measure. Also, public servants will be
evaluated from various angles,” he saeid. Ngu also added that this scheme is
an opportunity for public servants to listen to comments, suggestions from
their colleagues to improve work efficiency. Each individual will be asked to
score himself at work, attitude, responsibility and is then assessed by his
boss. After that, colleagues from the same agency will provide comments on
one another. The staff will be allowed to secretly assess their bosses, and
the final marks will be maded by the higher-level officials. The result of
this performance assessment will be monitored monthly and quarterly, and will
be used as a basis for the annual evaluation. If an officer cannot fulfil his
or her task for two consecutive years, he or she will be fired. The result of
the assessment will be used for emulation and commendation, income
distribution and allocation of administrative expenses. During July and
September 2012, Da Nang City piloted the e-assessment at seven departments
and three districts. The trial project involved 250 participants. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/04/2013 Vietnam
to Speed Up Path to E-Government A high level steering committee led by Deputy Prime Minister
Nguyen Xuan Phuc has been finalised to ensure the realisation of the
government’s ambitious plan to modernise government administrative procedures
and processes. Other members of the steering committee include Minister of
Public Security Tran Dai Quang, Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong, and
Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son. The goal of the
steering committee is to speed up the development of e-Government in Vietnam.
In particular, the government aims to improve the organisational efficiency of
public sector organisations in charge of population management. In this
regard, they are committed to establishing a national population database and
providing ID number cards by the end of 2020. According to an official
statement, the plan will help accelerate the application of information
technology in administrative procedures, reduce paperwork for citizens and
contribute to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of State management
agencies. From now up to the end of 2014, the committee will be finalising
the legal basis for systematising administrative procedures on issuing,
managing and using personal ID numbers; and building the national database on
population. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/14/2013 |
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INDIA:
Kapil Sibal Launches “E-Gov Appstore” Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications and Information
Technology, Government of India, today launched the pilot e-Gov application
store. This e-Gov Appstore has been designed, developed and hosted by DeitY
through NIC. The Appstore will enable citizen to receive services in more
streamlined manner. Inclusion of IT is governance aims to reduce uncertainty
and improve transparency” said Shri Sibal. The e-Gov Appstore aims to be a
National level common repository of productized applications, components and
web services that can be used by various government agencies, departments at
Centre and in the States. This will enable acceleration of delivery of
e-services as envisaged under NeGP and optimise the ICT spending of the
government. Core and common applications that have high demand and are
replicable across the central and state levels would be available on the
e-Gov Appstore, which shall be hosted on the National Cloud. These
applications are sourced from 8 distinct States / UTs and provide a gamut of G2C/G2B
services. The present version of the e-Gov Appstore has the following
features: (1) Sharing of applications (2) Search for applications (3)
Provides basic information about an application on selection (4) Allows users
to provide feedback and rate an application (5) Has two level approval
process for contributing applications (6) Allows authenticated users to
download application for consumption This e-Gov Appstore will be augmented to
include applications and components developed by various departments and
agencies at Centre and States and by private players; and a complete
eco-system will be established (including mechanism for funding, charge back,
contract management, SLAs) and will become a part of the GI Cloud initiative
under Government of India. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
05/31/2013 Government
Launches New Website for Tribal Welfare V.Kishore Chandra Deo, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs launched
new website of Ministry of Tribal Affairs (www.tribal.nic.in). The website has been
launched to make people aware about the activities undertaken by the
Ministry. The website is available on all the major media platforms like
mobile phones and disabled specific devices. The website is bi-lingual in
Hindi and English version. Hindi content is universally accessible by using
Unicode complaint font. The website contains all the landmark measures,
policy and legal initiatives of the Tribal Affairs Ministry. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/10/2013 E-Pension
for Retired Government Officials The Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) plans to start
e-PPO (Pension Payment Orders) facility for processing pension cases. It will
overcome various issues like poor maintenance of Central Pension Accounting
Office’s database, wastage of manpower, and delay in payment. The CPAO plans
to start e-PPO facility for processing pension cases. CPAO will issue PPOs
electronically to all public servants retiring from June 2013. As of now, a special seal authority under
CPAO authorises banks to make payments of pensions after feeding relevant
data manually. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/14/2013 New
Application to Enhance m-Governance in Kerala Livares Technologies Pvt Ltd recently launched an android mobile
application to enhance m-Governance in Kerala. This application will offer
information of various departments of the state government. This application
aims to integrate advancements in mobile phone technology. It will create
cost efficient and effective government information systems. Users can post
queries regarding the specific services by simply providing with the required
details like registration number, file number. This new initiative will
create a new revolution in terms of M-governance. It will act as an interface
between the people and the government. The new apps is designed in a way that
it helps various e-governance project initiatives which will help in
enhancing entire system delivery system. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/14/2013 Prime
Minister Reviews National e-Governance Plan Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has reviewed the
implementation of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) as well as the
recommendations of the two committees headed by Nandan Nilekani and Sam
Pitroda. The second meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on the National
e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was held recently to review the progress of
implementation of NeGP. The recommendations of both the committees will be of
immense benefit for fast tracking the implementation of all e-Governance
initiatives in the country. The NeGP was approved by Government of India in
May 2006 with the vision to “Make all Government services accessible to the
common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets and
ensure efficiency, transparency & reliability of such services at
affordable costs”. The Committee noted that out of the 31 MMPs, 14 MMPs are
delivering the full range of services while nine have started delivering some
services to the citizens. DeitY has launched a new initiative named as
‘MeghRaj’ for creating a Government of India cloud (GI Cloud) computing
environment at the national level. This initiative will not only optimise
utilisation of IT infrastructure, but also enable rapid
deployment/replication of e-Gov services. Considering the requirement for an
apex institution in the domain of capacity building, training and R&D for
e-Governance, the Committee desired that a National e-Governance Academy be
established as a national institution. In order to develop an outcome
orientation amongst the e-Governance initiatives in the country, the
Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has developed a
web portal – e-TAAL (e-Transactions Aggregation and Analysis Layer). The
portal aggregates and analyses the transaction statistics of central and
state level e-governance projects including Mission Mode Projects, on a real
time basis. e-TAAL is expected to enhance the outcome focus of e-Governance
programs in the country. The portal is available at etaal.gov.in. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/03/2013 Ministry
of External Affairs Launches Smartphone Application The Ministry of External Affairs has launched a smartphone
application to inform citizens about its services and keep them updated on
happenings on the diplomacy front. The Ministry has now expanded its digital
footprints by launching this new smartphone application. The MEA will be the
first government department to have a mobile app for smartphone users. It
will provide details of all citizen-centric services of the MEA like
passport, visa for those travelling to India, India’s foreign policy
initiatives, official visits etc. Users can also track status of their
passport applications. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/30/2013 e-Governance
Introduced in Hazaribagh Municipality With the introduction of the new e-governance system, Hazaribagh
municipality became one of the very few civic bodies in the state where all
transactions will be done via internet. Minister for urban development and
excise JaiprakashBhai Patel inaugurated the system in the municipality
office. The development will not just help in quick disposal of mutation
papers but the petitions forwarded by the municipal administration will also
receive quick response. Patel called upon all the municipalities functioning
in the state to follow the steps taken by Hazaribaghmunicipality in this
regard. The minister further said he aims to develop Hazaribagh and Ramgarh, which
currently lacks good roads, drains and civic amenities. He directed the
executive officer of the municipality to prepare estimates for road projects
without delay and send a proposal to him so that he can place the matter
before the state cabinet for its quick clearance. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/14/2013 Government
Plans to Build 160,000 Service Centres to Implement e-Governance India is building a network of over 160,000 Common Services
Centres (CSCs) to take a gamut of public services to the very doorstep of the
common man as part of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP). The CSCs would
have the ability to provide high quality and cost effective video, voice and
data content and services in the areas of e-Governance, education, health,
entertainment. They can also offer web-enabled public services like
application form download, certificates, payments of electricity, telephone,
water and other utility bills in rural areas. The CSCs will also perform
pension, income tax, social welfare, licenses, banking, insurance,
agricultural, advertising and market research related works. The CSC network would link more than 600,000 villages across the
country.The perspective behind CSCs is to provide an IT-based delivery
platform to government, private and social sector organisations for reaching
out to the rural people in the remote areas. The implementation of CSCs
involves public-private partnership, with an active participation of rural
entrepreneurs. Central government is also pushing the Rs 20,000 crore
National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) project to connect the 250,000 gram
panchayats across the country in a phased manner by high speed broadband
system. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/14/2013 Election
Commission Decides to Use VVPAT System The Government of India has amended the Conduct of Elections
Rules, 1961, enabling the Commission to use Voter Verifiable Paper Audit
Trail system (VVPAT) with the Electronic Voting Machines. The Election
Commission of India has decided to use the VVPAT system at the current
Bye-election from 51-Noksen (ST) Assembly Constituency of Nagaland. The poll
for this bye-election is to be held on 4th September 2013. Instructions are
being issued to hold special meetings with the contesting candidates in this
constituency to brief them about the use of VVPAT system. The Commission is
organizing special training sessions for poll officers in the use of VVPAT
and steps are being taken to educate the electors on the use of VVPAT system.
From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/21/2013 |
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AZERBAIJAN:
Mobile Version of E-Government Website Presented A data processing center of Azerbaijan's Ministry of
Communications and Information Technologies has presented a mobile version of
the electronic government portal e-gov.az/mini, the center said on May
27. The mobile version is
optimized specially for portable devices, which ensures convenient browsing
and saves Internet traffic. The
mobile page provides users with an opportunity to get familiarized with
electronic services of state bodies, apply for digital electronic signatures,
enquire about statistical data and other information. The e-government portal creates
suitable conditions to render electronic services to all Azerbaijani
citizens, as well as legal entities, foreign citizens and people with no
rights to citizenship. Earlier in
May, the ICT Ministry developed a draft state program on the development of
the "e-government" for the period 2013-2015. The document, which is expected to be
approved in June 2013, has been submitted to the government, and relevant
work will begin upon its approval.
The new program is continuation of the state program on developing the
ICT sector in Azerbaijan in 2010-2012.
The e-government project, which mostly covers the government sector,
is an integral part of the broad "electronic Azerbaijan" idea. The establishment and development of
the e-government in Azerbaijan will encourage fruitful work of the state
bodies, guarantee transparency and reduce bureaucracy. The e-government targets to reduce
poverty, promote the population's prosperity and address the issues reflected
in the state program on poverty reduction and sustainable development in
2008-2015. 2013 was declared the
Year of ICT in Azerbaijan and the ICT University was established under a
presidential order on February 2.
President Ilham Aliyev also approved the regulations on the State Fund
for IT Development and the Action Plan on the Year of ICT in Azerbaijan.
According to the action plan, it is planned to develop an ICT strategy,
improve the registration procedure of the national domain .az, and significantly
reduce fees for telecommunication services and Internet access. From http://www.azernews.az/
05/28/2013 Azerbaijani
State Departments Expand Application of E-Services The 'electronic government' portal has connected to itself 40
central bodies of the executive power of Azerbaijan, the Deputy Minister of
Communications and Information Technologies Elmir Velizade told journalists
on Tuesday. According to
Velizade, at present approximately 220 electronic services are being provided
for these state bodies.
"With every year the number of addresses to the portal, as well
as the number of owners of electronic digital signatures (EDS) rises
demonstrating the popularity of the portal and e-services among the
population," the deputy minister said. At present a new state programme for
the development of 'e-government' for 2013-2015 is being prepared with the
connection of local executive bodies to the portal, as well as deployment by
them where the electronic services are provided. A new programme is currently under the
agreement stage with the government. From
http://en.trend.az/
06/11/2013 OMAN:
MoCS Holds E-Training for Public Sector Staff The Ministry of Civil Service (MoCS), represented by the
Directorate General of Human Resources Development, is organising an
e-training programme in association with the Bahrain Institute of Public
Administration (BIPA). The programme, titled 'Educational Design', targets
e-training specialists in the government sector A number of officials from the Royal
Court Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education and MoCS
are taking part in the programme, which runs till June 26. The programme is part of the efforts
exerted by MoCS to enhance skills and abilities of employees in state administrative
offices. From
http://www.menafn.com/
06/24/2013 UZBEKISTAN:
Having Launched Single Portal of Interactive Public Services A single portal of online government services at my.gov.uz was
launched in a test mode in Uzbekistan, the press-service of State Committee
for Communication, Informatization and Telecommunication Technologies of the
Republic of Uzbekistan reported on Monday. The single portal offers
interactive government services to public and business entities through a
single access point in real time mode. The single portal was established in
accordance with the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers "On measures
for further improvement of the governmental web portal of the Republic of
Uzbekistan with the provision of online public services", which was
adopted at the end of 2012.The implementation of the project is an important
step in the formation and development of the "electronic
government". Currently, about 60 services are being provided through the
single portal in the test mode, including services for reception, registration
and consideration of applications for connecting fixed line telephone
services and the Internet for legal and physical persons, obtaining
information of the state tax services on the lack of tax liabilities,
obtaining licenses in the sphere of telecommunication, which are available in
automatic mode. In addition, the services on sending applications for
obtaining appropriate licenses in various spheres are provided for
entrepreneurs. Through the single portal the citizens and business entities
may also submit an appeal to the bodies of state and economic management of
state authorities at the local level. One of the main components of the
single portal is the "Statistics" module, which provides the
topical information on the status of consideration of applications and users'
requests by the government bodies. This module will contribute to further
provision of transparency and openness of the activity of government bodies
and to increasing the efficiency of cooperation between the government bodies
and the population of the republic." The developers are open to
suggestions of citizens, business entities and government bodies on further
improvement of the single portal," the press service of the committee
said. From http://en.trend.az/
07/02/2013 |
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AUSTRALIA:
To Join Open Government Partnership The Government
of Australia has submitted a letter of intent to join the Open Government
Partnership (OGP) as part of its commitment to an open and transparent
government. The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative that
aims to secure commitments from governments around the world to promote
transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and leverage new
technologies to strengthen governance. ”Australia shares the values of the
Open Government Partnership and we have a wealth of knowledge and experience
to share with other nations in the partnership,” said Attorney-General, Mark
Dreyfus QC. According to an official statement, Australia will officially
join OGP when it presents a National Action Plan and endorses the open
government declaration. The National Action Plan will seek to address
challenges in improving public services, increasing public integrity and
accountability, effectively managing public resources and creating safer
communities. “The OGP membership will complement Australia’s leadership
internationally in promoting democracy, transparency and good governance,” he
said. “It will also assist Australia to spread the values of transparency and
accountability in our region.” From http://www.futuregov.asia 05/29/2013 Australian Government Fast-Tracks Cloud Strategy Reforms Australian Minister for
Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy
has unveiled plans strengthening the government’s National Cloud Computing
Strategy. This revamped strategy enables agencies to make informed decisions
and choices about the use of cloud services. The Australian Government’s
Cloud Computing Strategy Cloud Strategy offers a comprehensive roadmap to
developing world-class cloud services – at the same time, maximising the use
of the National Broadband Network (NBN). The NBN delivers high-speed,
fast-access communications to homes, businesses and service delivery agencies.
The Australian government, under Prime Minister Julia Gillard, faces an
election during September 2013. Industry analysts note this revitalised cloud
and broadband strategy offers a chance to showcase high-profile ICT projects
– while fast-tracking core policy reforms. Among these reforms, the National
Cloud Computing Strategy seeks to “realise the promise of cloud computing,”
while working closely with industry and consumer groups. The Department of
Finance and Deregulation is “enhancing” its procurement practices, ensuring
that agencies actively consider public cloud services for new ICT
procurement. Agencies can transition public-facing websites to public cloud
services as their refresh cycle allows, and where these services represent
the “best value for money.” Canberra’s peak agency, the Australian Government
Information Management Office (AGIMO) will continue advising decision-makers
about the pros and cons of cloud services and how to procure and manage them.
AGIMO and the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
(DBCDE) are also setting up information-sharing initiatives. These
initiatives pool examples that draw on practical case studies and the
experiences of other agencies. The focus is on taking a risk-management approach
to cloud roll-outs. Plans are underway to develop a business case by year’s
end that analyses the benefits and drawbacks of a more centralised approach
to providing cloud services to federal agencies. The administration is
actively promoting cloud computing to small businesses, not-for-profits and
consumers. The DBCDE and the
Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and
Tertiary Education will team with intermediaries and member associations to
promote informed decision-making about cloud computing. The brief is to
tailor information to particular industry segment needs, and enhance the
online information available to small business and not-for-profit
organisations about using the cloud. The government’s cloud strategy notes
that Australia is well placed to take advantage of cloud computing for
various reasons. These include a stable socio-economic system, a “strong rule
of law,” and a highly -diverse and skilled Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) sector. Among the benefits, cloud computing boosts
agency-wide efficiencies, generates greater value from ICT investment,
delivers better services and supports a more agile public sector. More
broadly, in Australia, slow communications traffic speed restricts access to
infrastructure that supports more sophisticated cloud services. These include
Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and
software-as-a-service (IaaS). Cloud services are also often managed off-shore
— with a need for real-time download and upload speeds. Cloud computing is not
being adopted more widely because there is limited awareness about making the
best use of cloud computing. Some organisation and individuals also lack the
confidence to embrace the cloud. This is compounded by a limited access to
information, and making the right decisions about technologies-of-choice. As
the cloud services market evolves, users and providers of cloud services need
to respond to change, the strategy notes. Likewise, the administration will continue
adapting its strategy in response to a dynamic and fast-changing marketplace.
From http://www.futuregov.asia
05/30/2013 Government
Faces Video Competition for Internet 'Prime Time' Government agencies and councils engaging with citizens
through online channels could soon have a new big challenge to deal with
thanks to the rapidly ascending popularity of all things digital and the
volume of traffic on the web. Annual research by respected networking and
systems vendor Cisco is pointing to a phenomenon that is the online
equivalent of television’s ‘prime time’ - when eyeballs get glued to screens
and the volume of data coursing through pipes hits its highest. According to
Cisco, the good news for agencies is that as the utility and richness of the
web and online services grows, service delivery models that have a much lower
cost than their non-digitised equivalents will emerge provide better value
for taxpayer’s dollars. The findings are contained in the vendor’s yearly
Visual Networking Index that is a rolling five year outlook on technology and
networking consumption. The catch is that the rise in internet protocol
traffic volume at peak times will be so much bigger that there will be
greater competition for finite resources according to Dr Robert Pepper,
Cisco’s vice president of Global Technology Policy. The implications for government, one of the biggest
purchasers of Cisco equipment in Australia, are substantial because they
could play out in the same way that jumps in wholesale electricity pricing
over the last 5 years came to bite many government costing projections in the
behind. But while factors like weather can bounce around electricity demand,
Cisco’s prediction is that it’s the availability of online video that will
move the needle on demand. “We are seeing the peak hour traffic almost 3.5
times greater than the average traffic across the internet. It turns out that
are beginning to see the development of prime time on the internet,” Dr
Pepper said. “In Australia we are forecasting by 2017 that [for consumer
traffic] video, will be 83 per cent of IP traffic on the net, up from 70 per
cent today. The consumption model we see … is beginning to mirror what we see
on television.” The issue for government is that it as it puts services
online, it could soon need to compete for space at the same time as people
are consuming video because of the proliferation devices that allow people to
multi-task – like filling in dreaded child care rebate form while watching
downloaded television. “Peak hour traffic that is 3.5 times the average is coming
in the prime time on the internet
which is 9pm to 1am,” Dr Pepper said. Cisco has reckoned that by 2017
there will be 6 devices or connections per person in Australia and 145
million devices in total for the same period. For Ken Boal, Cisco’s
Australian managing director, that’s both an opportunity and a wake-up call
for government. Mr Boal said that the volume of traffic flowing through
PC-based devices in Australia was now 89 per cent but headed down to 72 per
cent. The shift is coming from mobile devices like tablets computers and
so-called machine-to-machine communications like cars that can talk to their
manufacturers online. “If government and business leaders aren’t already
seriously thinking about that, they need to pay further attention. I would
put Australian and NZ leaders on the whole as reasonably procative, but not
across all industry,” Mr Boal said. Mr Boal said there was “huge innovation
right now” in the delivery of government services. “For government with less
dollars coming in the door and a much tighter economy in future years they
really have to look at lower cost models to serve,” he said. “This internet
platform will continue to provide lower cost-to-serve models.” “With higher
speed ubiquitous broadband across the country, those service delivery models
are going to become richer, more immersive and much more interesting
opportunities.” From http://www.governmentnews.com.au
06/11//2013 Public Sector's Best
Tech Minds Converge for Technology in Government Australia’s
most eminent public-sector information technology leaders are set to converge
in Canberra this Wednesday and Thursday for the nation’s landmark annual IT
thought leadership and strategy event, Technology in Government. As the importance
of harnessing technology to provide innovation, service excellence and
efficiency all rapidly escalate up the government agenda, the two-day event
has attracted an unrivalled line-up of key federal and state playmakers who
collectively define how the government implements and buys technology well
into future. This year Government News is proud to be the exclusive media
partner for Technology in Government’s, a move that will give readers an
unrivalled insight into key public sector technology developments as they
happen. Taking place at over two days from 24th July to 25th July at the
National Convention Centre in Canberra, senior executives delivering
presentations from the government’s largest technology users include:
Department of Defence Chief Technology Officer Matt Yannopoulos, Department
of Human Services Chief Information Officer Gary Sterrenberg and the
Australian Taxation Office’s Chief Information Officer Bill Gibson. If you yet
haven’t registered, be quick because places are filling fast. Importantly,
the event will also be addressed by Australian Government Chief Technology
Officer and Procurement Coordinator John Sheridan who is renowned for his
high-calibre insights into reforming government use of technology coupled
with a no-nonsense delivery style. Glenn Archer, the Chief Information
Officer at the Australian Government Information Management Office will also
deliver a highly-anticipated presentation following a significant
recalibration of roles within the influential Finance portfolio. The
conference is also expected to provide a warm welcome to one of Capital
Hill’s long-haul advocates for open technology innovation and reform, Senator
Kate Lundy who was recently appointed to the role of Minister Assisting for
the Digital Economy. At the state
level Andrew Mills chief information officer for South Australia will deliver
valuable insights at a time when cross-jurisdictional sharing of knowledge
and has never been more important. However Technology in Government is not
limiting its insights to Australian shores. Liam Maxwell, Chief Technology
Officer for Her Majesty’s Government from the Cabinet Office of the United
Kingdom will give his views on progress in Britain where use of technology in
government and its procurement have undergone significant changes over the
past 5 years. Specific themes to be covered at Technology in Government this
year include: • Mobile government and
society: successful integration and uptake • What's driving behaviour
change: responding to an evolving citizen and state • Changes in infrastructure:
reacting to the changes in government • Next generation CIO: the
evolving role of the technology leader in tough times • Technology optimisation,
disruption and innovation • Collaboration and shared
services. From http://www.governmentnews.com.au
07/19/2013 NEW
ZEALAND: Delivering
E-Procurement Reforms The pace of
e-procurement reforms is picking up momentum in New Zealand. There is direct
support at the highest levels of government about ways to streamline the
buying and selling of goods and services. The challenge for agencies is
ensuring the roll-out of e-payment systems is consistent and integrates work
within finance and procurement divisions.Peter Fitness, acting director,
defence commercial services, New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), shared
insights about e-procurement trends, noting that integrated e-payment systems
support an ongoing journey to streamline the purchase of goods and
services.The use of purchasing or pcards is seen as a “step in the right
direction,” enabling goods and services to be procured without using a
traditional purchasing model. Pcards are issued to staff, while complying
with strict organisational policies and procedures. These factor in reviews
and approvals involving transactions. Built-in checks enable each card to be
assigned to a cost-centre. This helps track transactions, and ensures a
responsible use of allocated cards. Being able to track transactions through
cost centres offers an “overarching overview” of the way funds are spent, Mr
Fitness noted. Staff also has access to the requisite tools to spend money,
while tracking expenditure, and taking direct responsibility. Organisations
can implement controls for each pcard. These include single-purchase dollar
limits, monthly limits, as well as merchant category code restrictions. These
tracking mechanisms enable a cardholder’s activity to be reviewed by someone
independent of the cardholder. Mr Fitness noted that his agency is working
with the NZ Defence Industry Association to ensure that “payments systems are
sorted out” at all levels of transactional processing. Member agencies can
band together to share information, knowledge and expertise about procurement
practices. Aditi Cook, acting category leader, Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment (MBIE), observed that the transition to
e-procurement must to be considered “using a staged approach.” She added that
e-procurement is not mandated by government. Regardless, she noted that
agencies are “getting there through e-government and other on-line
initiatives.” To embrace e-procurement across organisations, there must be a
change in behaviour and perception, she added. The challenge, according to Ms
Cook, is aligning the work of finance with procurement. “These are two
separate entities that need to work more closely together.” Agencies can
offer career tracks where finance and procurement teams work “hand-in-glove,”
while ensuring staff retain and build on existing skills. “We have to be in a
situation where we can encourage business to go directly to a commodity
(purchasing) manager, ensuring that teams work together at all levels of business.” The MBIE
integrates the functions of four former agencies. These are the Ministry of
Economic Development, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Department of
Labour and the Department of Building and Housing. As a lead agency, the MBIE
offers a one-stop online shop for all government advice and support to
businesses. It seeks to reduce the effort businesses invest in, when dealing
with government, while raising performance ratings for government savings. In
October 2012, the MBIE won two awards at the Australasian 2012 Procurement
Professional Awards, held in Melbourne. These awards were for Best Process
Improvement Initiative – e-Auctions, and Best Infrastructure and Capital
Works Project – Canterbury Earthquake. This agency was also shortlisted for a
“Best Example of Socially Responsible Procurement – Meet the Buyer.” These
projects are part of highly-successful e-procurement reforms programmes.
These initiatives encourage agencies to ‘buy-better,’ while reducing the
costs. The focus is on improving buying decisions and making it easier for
companies to tender for government work. MBIE’s overall procurement
initiatives are slated to save NZ $353 million, with initiatives being rolled
out over the next three years. These additional projects offer a potential to
save another NZ $180-$300 million a year. The
e-marketplace offers many tools to maximise the benefits of e-procurement,
according to Olivia Leong, Regional Head, Enterprise and Government Payment
Solutions, Commercial Products, AP & CEMEA, Visa Worldwide. Ms Leong
noted that “embedded virtual cards” offer benefits to end users, over and
above standard purchasing apps. For example, children can be offered pre-paid
virtual cards to control spending. Parents can decide how much money they
want loaded onto a virtual card when they purchase it. This pre-purchasing
decision helps track and control spending — while encouraging young consumers
to be responsible and financially-savvy, she noted. Ms Leong added that “we
will never get a one-size fits all” e-procurement package — but the intrinsic
success lies in the way offerings are used, modified, and adapted for
individuals and organisations. For government enterprises, the idea is to
“optimise existing investments,” she added. Moreover, a recent survey showed
that less than 5 per cent of an organisation’s budget is spent on financial
management technology. “We need to continue adding value across the
eco-system.” The aim is to leverage existing systems — while helping
government manage its procurement and budgeting process. “There are different
categories of experience, at different levels,” she said. “We need the
ability to build platforms, and take these to another level. The idea is to
use existing tools more efficiently. At the
industry level, we encourage peer-to-peer group bench-marking, and
partnerships with key stakeholders.” Laurence Millar, a former New Zealand
government CIO, noted that New Zealand’s payment and settlement system “is in
a good place.” Support for e-procurement reforms comes from the upper
echelons of government, including Prime Minister John Key. “There is a huge
opportunity to streamline end-to-end transaction processing,” Mr Millar
added. The over-arching focus is on transparency, innovation and efficiency.
These themes drive New Zealand’s interest in e-procurement — while
galvanising all levels of government. Participants at the Wellington briefing
represented the Treasury, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment,
Accident Compensation Corporation, New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand
Post Group, Department of Corrections, Victoria University, and Wellington
City Council. E-Procurement
Checklist • Focus on
“being smart” about innovation and technology. • Ensure
e-procurement platforms deliver organisation-wide efficiencies. • Track
global standards and interoperability – ensuring that suppliers and end-users
“speak the same language.” • Support a
transparent, accountable, and information-savvy environment. • Galvanise
and gain buy-in across divisions, including finance and procurement. • Maximise
use of e-sourcing and e-catalogues for informed decisions. • Influence
perceptions about e-procurement and benefits this platform delivers. • Improve
e-tracking systems to manage timelines for contracts and project delivery,
billing and invoicing, and allocation of staff and resources. • Reduce the
number of suppliers providing goods and services, while improving the
effectiveness of sourcing and payment systems. • Tackle the
risk, and look more closely at how billing and payment systems are managed. •
Consolidate partnerships with banks, suppliers, agencies, end-users and
industry bodies in a peer-to-peer, open, and collaborative environment. From http://www.futuregov.asia 05/30/2013 Government
to Tackle IT Debacles Government Chief
Information Officer Colin McDonald is to get more powers and a bigger budget
as the Government seeks to keep a lid on IT debacles like Novopay and a
string of privacy breaches. Mr MacDonald who is also Department of Internal
Affairs chief executive, will now be equally responsible with the relevant
minister for the sign off and roll out of big government IT projects like the
$1.5 billion upgrade of the Inland Revenue's computer system which will be
the biggest ever public sector IT project. Prime Minister John Key said if
ICT projects failed in the same way Novopay had, the buck would now largely
stop with the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) and his department
as well as the relevant minister. "As we can see with things like
Novopay, if you get it wrong it can be a very painful experience."
Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain said the recent Ministerial Inquiry
into Novopay and Mr MacDonald's own review of publicly accessible state
sector IT systems highlighted the need for ICT systems to be better managed. "It's made us take
a step and consider that we need to lift the bar - but it hasn't stopped the
demand for ICT projects." He said Mr MacDonald's team will receive an
additional $1.5 million a year for additional staff and resources. That was
on top of previously announced extra funding of $3 million in 2012/2013 and
$4 million a year thereafter. Mr Tremain said Mr MacDonald would give independent
advice to ministers regarding major projects and would have sector-wide
oversight of ICT plans, projects and risks. He would also report to ministers
on any security risks, and implement privacy and security standards and
controls across the public sector. The announcement was part of the wider
Government ICT strategy and action plan, released yesterday which aims to
save up to $100 million year by 2017. The plan includes offering all new
services online by 2017. Mr Tremain said New Zealanders' information would be
better managed. "Sensitive information will be protected through clear
security and privacy controls, while non-sensitive information will be shared
between departments." Prime Minister John Key said the public wanted
assurance their tax dollars were being spent with care but they also wanted
to know their sensitive information was being protected. "That's a
responsibility I take seriously because if we're serious about more New
Zealanders doing more of their business with government online they'll need
to have faith that the systems that they are using are safe and secure."
Labour's ICT spokeswoman Clare Curran said: "throwing $1.5 million at
these issues sound good, but in reality this is the Government responding to
growing public unease and anxiety about the safety of their data and their
own privacy with stop gap measures". Ms Curran said extra funding
amounted to the Government "papering over the cracks and looking as if
they are doing something to allay public concerns". From http://www.nzherald.co.nz
06/25/2013 |
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of IT Pact to Boost Global Economy: APEC Officials Expanding the number of information technology products exempt
from tariffs will provide a much-needed boost to the global economy and
contribute to opening markets and facilitating regional trade, say APEC
officials. The case for expansion under an existing World Trade Organization
sectoral agreement was laid out by public and private sector experts on
Thursday in Kuala Lumpur during an APEC workshop on the advancement of trade
in IT products. “Now, it is time to strengthen the Information Technology
Agreement to reflect changes in technology and market demand since it was
brokered in 1997 with critical support from APEC economies,” said Mohd Ridzal
Sheriff, Deputy Secretary General at Malaysia’s Ministry of International
Trade and Industry. “A breakthrough on the expansion of product coverage is
within reach,” Ridzal added. “The implementation of an updated agreement
could significantly boost global trade and widen access to innovations that
are revolutionizing business and improving people’s daily lives.” World trade of products included in the Information Technology
Agreement tripled between 1996 and 2011 to USD1.47 trillion, according to an
APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU) brief. But these products’ share in total
trade declined from 11.3 percent to 9.9 percent during this same period.
“APEC research indicates that a large number of duty-free IT products such as
word processors and fax machines have become obsolete or undergone a sharp
drop in demand,” said Peter Cheah, Chair of the APEC Market Access Group. “At
the same time, many products and transformational technologies that today
account for a sizeable amount of world trade fall outside the scope of the
agreement.” “Our goal is to support ITA expansion as well as to institute a
mechanism to ensure that a revised agreement is able to keep pace with
innovation and market trends,” Cheah explained. “APEC is playing a leading
role to enhance understanding of IT development and the need for greater
liberalization, particularly among customs officials, regulators and
stakeholders.” Products that are absent from the existing Information
Technology Agreement range from DVDs, MP3 and MP4 players to global
positioning systems. Multifunctional units such as LCD screens,
printer-scanner-copiers, smart phones and tablet computers are also beyond
its reach. “The current process of ITA product expansion is reflective of
demand from within the global information and communications technologies
industry and the need for the WTO to better address firms’ changing business
requirements,” said Tang Xiaobing, a market access counselor at the World
Trade Organization. “Support from APEC economies can help to conclude the
negotiations and encourage greater participation in an expanded agreement by
the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali in December,” Tang noted. “Such
progress would benefit IT companies around the world, particularly the many
small businesses that produce component parts as well as those seeking to
move higher up the global production value chain.” There are currently 76
participants in the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement who trade about 97
percent of the world’s information technology products. APEC economies alone
account for 80 percent of this activity. Seventeen of them are signatories of
the agreement. The workshop will conclude on Friday. It is co-sponsored by Chinese
Taipei, Japan, Singapore and the United States. From
http://www.apec.org/
06/20/2013 WTO,
World Bank to Develop Services Trade Database The World Bank and the WTO have agreed to jointly develop and
maintain a database on trade in services, an area that is becoming
increasingly important and yet for which little information is publicly
available. The joint database covers various sectors in more than 100
countries, such as financial, transportation, tourism, retail,
telecommunications, and business services, including law and accounting. The
data are presented in four modules covering: members' commitments under the
WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); commitments on trade in
services in regional trade agreements; members' applied measures affecting
trade in services; and services statistics. The first version of the database
has just been launched, as part of the WTO’s Integrated Trade Intelligence
Portal (I-TIP) Services portal. Policy makers, researchers, trade
negotiators, and the general public can access the database for free. Policy
transparency is a public good and a shared objective of both institutions.
The World Bank makes trade data publicly available under the Open Data
Initiative, as does the WTO with the I-TIP. Transparency is particularly
important in the dynamic area of trade in services because the regulatory
framework is complex and little information is publicly available.
Cross-border trade in services makes up one-fifth of all world trade, even
without considering international transactions through foreign affiliates and
the temporary movement of people. This WTO-World Bank arrangement exploits
synergies between both institutions. Among other things, the joint database
combines WTO data, including those on legal commitments, trade policy reviews
(TPRs) or trade monitoring reports with World Bank data on applied policies
from the Services Trade Restrictions Database, which went public last year.
Both institutions will work hard to make sure the joint database stays up to
date and expands to cover more sectors and countries. From
http://www.worldbank.org/
08/06/2013 Global
Clothing B2C E-Commerce Report 2013 Across Europe, clothing B2C E-Commerce is booming. In the EU,
the share of individuals purchasing clothes and sports goods online increased
in 2012, reaching over 20% of individuals. In Germany, apparel is the largest
B2C E-Commerce category, having grown by just under a third in terms of sales
and reaching several EUR billions of sales. Among the leading players on the
market, the Otto Group plans to launch a new E-Commerce fashion project named
Collins in 2014, while Zalando more than doubled its B2C E-Commerce clothing
sales in 2012. Asos and Debenhams were among the most prominent online shops
for fashion products in the UK in early 2013. In France, nearly a half of
Internet users shopped for clothing online in 2012, with La Redoute and 3
Suisses being the most popular destinations for shopping. The clothing and apparel sector is expanding in Eastern Europe
as well. In Russia, B2C E-Commerce sales of clothing and shoes grew by over
+40%in2012, and accounted for almost one fifth of total B2C E-Commerce sales.
Clothing, shoes and accessories became the most popular online product
category in 2012, with nearly half of online shoppers making purchases.
Online clothing retailers in Russia have seen significant increase in
revenues, some growing by up to 6 times, with Wildberries, Lamoda, Quelle and
KupiVip as leading online merchants. Several players, such as KupiVip and
Lamoda, attracted large investments from local venture capitalists and from
abroad. Clothing and shoes is the leading B2C E-Commerce category in Poland,
with a high double-digit percentage of online shoppers making purchases. The
number of online shops selling clothes in Poland grows rapidly every year. In
Estonia, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey and some other European countries,
clothing was bought by a high percentage of online shoppers, and was one of
the most popular online product categories in these countries. Clothing sector making gains in the Americas. In the United States, apparel and accessories was second to
consumer electronics in terms of B2C E-Commerce sales. This category is
expected to grow by a double digit percentage figure in 2013, with the growth
continuing, but slowing down throughout 2016. Nevertheless clothing is
expected to remain the fastest growing product category in B2C E-Commerce.
Players such as Abercrombie & Fitch compete to increase their share of
the booming US E-Commerce market for clothing. In Latin America, clothing
ranks high in popularity for online shoppers in such countries as Peru,
Uruguay and Venezuela, but is outperformed by electronics. In Brazil, apparel
is the fourth most popular online product category, purchased by around a
third of online shoppers in 2012. In Mexico this share is less than in
Brazil, as apparel falls behind computers, electronics, books and some other
products and services. Varying levels of clothing sector popularity in Asian-Pacific
nations. Clothing is the most purchased product category in B2C
E-Commerce in Japan. The globally active apparel retailer Gap Inc opened an
online shop in Japan last fall, joining other national and international
players. In South Korea, clothing was the among the highest selling
categories in 2012, growing at a one-digit percentage rate, which is slightly
slower than the total B2C E-Commerce market, signaling high maturity. In
China, fashion and accessories had the highest reach of online shoppers,
amounting to three quarters of female and a high double-digit share of male
online shoppers. E-Commerce sales of apparel increased by over a half to several
tens of EUR billion in 2012. Although C2C remains the largest segment of the online market
for clothing in China, the market share of independent B2C platforms grows,
with large international players, such as Levi Strauss, Inditex, Macy's and
Asos launching or planning to launch local online shops. In Australia,
clothing was the second most purchased product category in B2C E-Commerce
after electronics in 2012 and is expected to remain the fastest growing
product category in the B2C E-Commerce through the next five years. Growing
investment in online clothing outlets in the Middle East and Africa In the
Middle East and Africa, local online fashion stores attract large investments
from established capitalists, indicating a positive view of the market
potential. The Middle Eastern online vendor of clothing, Namshi, a Rocket
Internet's project, raised several USD millions of investment in May 2013,
while a South African online apparel store Zando received an even larger sum
from investors such as JP Morgan. Moreover, in South Africa, the discount
sector started to emerge on the online market for clothing, with apparel
discount online shopping clubs, such as Runway[Sale], launched in 2012,
growing rapidly. Methodology This B2C E-Commerce Report by yStats.com is produced in a
holistic approach to contain relevant information about recent market trends,
sales figures, shares, shoppers, and players news on the global B2C
E-Commerce market for clothing. • This report includes the results of secondary market research:
By using various sources we ensure maximum objectivity for all obtained data.
As a result companies get a precise and unbiased impression of the market
situation. It takes into account a wide definition of B2C E-Commerce, and
might include mobile commerce and social commerce. B2B E-Commerce and C2C
E-Commerce are not included, unless stated otherwise. • Cross referencing of data was conducted in order to ensure
validity and reliability. • Besides providing information on the specific topic, every
chart contains an Action Title, which summarizes the main statement of the
chart and a Sub Title, which gives information about the country, the topic,
the unit or currency, and the time period the data on the chart refers to. • Furthermore, the source of information and its release date
are provided on every chart. It is possible that the information included in
one chart is derived from several sources. Then, all sources are mentioned on
the chart. • This report also includes rankings. Within these rankings, it
is possible that the total amount adds up to more than 100%. If this is the
case, multiple answers were possible, and this is then mentioned in the note
of the chart. • If available, additional information about the data
collection, for example the time of survey and number of people asked, is
provided in the form of a note. In some cases, the note (also) contains
additional information needed to fully understand the contents of the
respective data. • When providing information about amounts of money, local
currencies were mostly used. When referencing them in the Action Title, the
EUR values are also provided in brackets. The conversions are always made
using the average currency exchange rate for the respective time period.
Should the currency figure be in the future, the average exchange rate of the
past 12 months is used. • The included data was mainly published in the last 12 months.
The exact publication dates are mentioned in every chart. • The report opens with a Management Summary, summarizing the
main information provided in each chapter. • This report is divided into sections by regions. First,
information about global development of the market is given, then in the each
regional section the information about market in the region as a whole is
provided, where available. The selected top countries in the respective
regions are then presented, and the remaining countries follow in the
alphabetical order. From
http://www.prnewswire.com/
08/07/2013 Global
Web Traffic Plunged 40% During Google Blackout Global internet traffic fell 40% on Saturday (August 17) as
Google services suffered from a four-minute black out. Google is yet to speak
out about the reasons behind the outage, which meant that all of its
services, from Google Search, Gmail and YouTube stopped working for between
one and five minutes around the world. The significant 40% drop in internet
traffic was noted by web analytics firm GoSquared, which was followed by a
rise in page views after Google was back up and running again. “As internet
users, our reliance on Google.com being up is huge,” says GoSquared developer
Simon Tabor. “It’s also of note that page views spiked shortly afterwards, as
users managed to get to their destination.” At the time of the disruption,
Google said: “We’re aware of a problem with Gmail affecting a significant
subset of users. The affected users are able to access Gmail but are seeing
error messages and/or unexpected behaviour.” The company later updated its
statement: “Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at
Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better.
Between 15:51 and 15:52 PDT, 50% to 70% of requests to Google received
errors; service was mostly restored one minute later, and entirely restored
after four minutes.” From
http://mandmglobal.com/
08/19/2013 Nurture
High Value Added Suppliers to Capitalize on Electronics Supply Chain, Says
Analysis Nurturing the development of high
value-added suppliers is the most effective way for APEC economies to benefit
from the global electronics supply chain, recommends a recent APEC Policy
Support Unit report presented to the APEC Committee on Trade and Investment
on Tuesday in Medan. The report focuses on the higher value-added supplier
portion of the supply chain, known as intermediate electronic goods, as these
suppliers capture the largest share of value-added. Case studies were
conducted on the supply chains of smartphones, laptop PCs and LCD flat panel
televisions. For example, the global electronics supply chain of the Apple
iPhone begins with research and development, and design in the United States,
high value components from suppliers in Japan and Korea, followed by final
assembly in China. “The majority of intra-regional trade between APEC Asian
economies is made up of supplier or intermediate electronic goods,” explained
John Larkin, Chair of the APEC Committee on Trade and Investment. “This
intra-regional trade in the electronics supply chain is one of the reasons
the Asian region continues to grow despite slowdowns in the US and Europe.” The report suggests that component
suppliers are based in a small group of economies—Korea, the United States,
Japan, Chinese Taipei. Developing economies, particularly Malaysia, Thailand,
Mexico, and Viet Nam, then compete for a share of total supply chain value
represented by assembly of parts and final products. China, historically a
final assembly point, is now increasingly participating as a higher
value-added supplier of component parts, the report found. “With the gap between
the two sides narrowing, this provides the opportunity for other enterprising
developing APEC economies to follow China’s lead,” said Dr. Akhmad Bayhaqi,
Senior Analyst at the APEC Policy Support Unit which conducted the research.
“Ultimately, economies in the world compete for high value-adding jobs in
globally dispersed supply chains and upgrading workforce skills stands above
all as the most common policy priority,” explained Dr. Bayhaqi. “Capturing
higher value-added activity can help emerging economies avoid the middle
income trap and slowing per capita growth,” added Dr. Bayhaqi. To move up the supply value chain, the
report recommends APEC economies nurture human capital through technical
skills training and more flexible immigration policies. Developing greater
research and development, and design capabilities will also help a region’s
suppliers capture higher value-added activity. Other forms of valuable
government support include access to financing, education for suppliers on
trade regulation variations in the region, wider regional free trade
agreements, regional intellectual property rights protection and a
combination of localized financial incentives and advanced infrastructure to
nurture the electronics industry cluster. APEC economies are also strongly
advised to address key challenges that may reduce the competitiveness of
certain suppliers or regions. Some of these challenges include shorter
product life cycles, natural disasters and trade barriers. “Global Supply
Chain Operation in the APEC Region: Case Study of the Electrical and
Electronics Industry,” by the APEC Policy Support Unit, is available for
download at this link. From http://www.apec.org/ 07/05/2013 EUROPE:
Commission Announces �13.7 Million Boost to Cross-Border Digital Public
Services Following the successful collaboration between EU Member States,
industry, national administrations, academia, the private sector and local
communities on a series of projects to make living, working, travelling,
studying and doing business across borders easier, the European Commission is
making a �13.7 million investment to further develop cross-border digital
public services. The new "e-SENS" project (Electronic Simple
European Networked Services) will help develop digital public services which
make it easier for companies to do business in their own Member State and
elsewhere in the EU -including setting up a company, fulfilling legal
requirements and taking part in public tenders. It will also link up national
digital services for citizens who visit a different Member State on holiday,
or for work or study. From
https://ec.europa.eu/
08/14/2013 The share of e-commerce of all retail trade is on average less
than half in Estonia than it is in Europe, reports Postimees. While in 2010,
the turnover of e-commerce formed an average of 3.5 percent of total retail
trade turnover in Europe, in Estonia the indicator was just 1.5 percent. In
the e-commerce flagship UK, the indicator was 7.9 percent. E-commerce
turnover grows in almost all of Europe every year, but the indicator changes
slowly and, in Estonia, the result is still around 1.5 percent in 2013. Even
the state is worried about the poor indicators of e-commerce. The State
Chancellery last year ordered a study ‘Using e-business and e-commerce in
Estonia and the possibilities of expanding the usage,’ which indicated that
86 percent of Estonians have bought goods or services from e-channels, but
mostly they buy services. “It is likely that a large part of the consumers of
services who responded are people who pay their electricity and gas bills
online and buy tickets,” said e-commerce union CEO Merle Kangur. Kangur
estimates that Estonia is behind Europe in regards to buying from local
e-stores, while people order lots of goods from abroad. The problem with
Estonian e-stores is credibility, which is low because of fraudsters who
operate in the market. “Since e-commerce is a simple business, with low
entrance costs, there are very many of them [fraudsters] there,” said Kangur.
“They communicate to clients till the money transfer is done and then
disappear, don’t answer letters or calls, the Consumer Protection Board
cannot catch them either.” From the start of July this year, the Tax and
Customs Board designated special officials to work on e-commerce. From
http://www.baltictimes.com/
08/08/2013 Poland
Has 55.5 Million Mobile Phone Subscriptions There were 55.5 million users or subscribers of mobile telephone
services in Poland as of the end of June this year, statistics office GUS
stated. This number grew by 2.2 percent compared to the end of December. Out
of the total number, 54 percent comes from prepaid services. In the same
period, the number of fixed-line telephone connections in Poland decreased by
5 percent and amounted to 5.8 million at the end of June. GUS also said that
the sales of telecommunications services in the first half of 2013 grew by 4
percent year-on-year. From
http://www.wbj.pl/
07/24/2013 British
PM Slams Internet Companies Google and other Internet firms are helping to supply illegal
images of child abuse to "sick and malevolent" people, the British
prime minister said Monday. David Cameron accused the company of making money
out of circulating pictures and videos of children being sexually abused. He
warned Google, Bing and Yahoo that they faced being forced by law to ban
Internet searches for illegal images if they refused to do so voluntarily. From
http://www.montrealgazette.com/
07/23/2013 NORTH
AMERICA: U.S. - Commerce Seeks Unified Customer Management System The Commerce Department is considering purchasing a single,
cloud-based customer relations management system that it can use across its
12 agencies, solicitation documents show. The unified system would replace a
hodgepodge of existing software tools that manage and track Commerce
agencies’ marketing campaigns, surveys and Web and social media
communications with citizens, according to the documents posted in May. The
existing systems are a mix of commercial products, custom-built systems and
software-as-a-service options, meaning the systems are managed and maintained
by external contractors. A departmentwide system will help Commerce operate
more efficiently and save money through economies of scale, the department
said. The move was also prompted by White House mandates to ramp up shared
services within departments and agencies and to move as much government
computing as possible to computer clouds, which can store information and
systems more cheaply than on-site data centers. The solicitation document did
not include an estimate of likely savings from the unified system. The
document was a request for information, which means the government is
surveying possible vendors and hasn’t committed to buying anything. If the
department does issue a request for quotation, work will likely begin on the
project in 2014, Commerce said. The winning system will serve roughly 6,000
Commerce employees who must be able to access it through computers,
smartphones and tablets, the department said. The system may be placed inside
a public or hybrid cloud, which means it will have slightly looser security
requirements and share cloud space with private sector systems, according to
a question-and-answer document attached to the RFI. The proposed system will
face challenges, including “multiple ‘stovepipe’ systems that require
[Commerce] staff to access and manually organize relevant information from
several different systems when interacting with customers,” the department
said. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
06/10/2013 Giants
Knocking at the CEE E-Business Doors The entry of Google or Amazon to the e-commerce market in CEE
has been brought up on many occasions, but the business does not seem to take
the matter seriously. The bill for turning your eyes away from the global
trends and restraining from action will be very high – Mateusz Gordon, Gemius
expert in e-commerce, sums up. Within the next 5-10 years the CEE online
commerce sector will be undergoing changes leading towards greater
concentration and globalization. Apart from such companies as Apple, Google,
eBay or Amazon – stocking heavily in e-commerce – the industry’s potential
has also been noticed by mighty investment funds that contribute to the emergence
of yet other giants by supporting consolidation. An example illustrating this
phenomenon is Zalando – an online store in the portfolio of Internet Rockets,
a fund quickly gaining ground on the CEE market. There are a number of its
clones operating around the world. Even if they differ among each other in
their geographic catchment or
range of offer, they still are based on the same business model,
copied from market to market. And so, in Asia it is known as Lazada, in
Africa – Zando and Jumia, in Brasil as Dafiti, and in the Middle East as
Namshi; the latter recently injected with 13m investment dollars by the fund.
Arrival of Google and
Amazon is a question of time The CEE e-commerce will also evolve in response to the upcoming
expansion of Google, now launching Google Shopping in new countries and doing
so in a more subtle manner than Amazon: it monetizes its e-market presence by
affiliating the buyer with the seller. The aforementioned presence is,
however, no longer an exclusively virtual one. By acquiring logistics
companies, Google has begun introducing same-day delivery service. Thus, as a
direct competitor for e-stores and price comparison websites, it becomes a
real threat to e-commerce investors in CEE. The introduction of Google
Shopping on the CEE market will be a blow most painful to price comparison
sites, which following the example of e-stores, have quite recently broadened
their offer with the “add to cart” functionality, hence allowing the customer
to strike a transaction directly on their site. Consequently, they took over
a significant competency of smaller online shops. This is how a pyramid of
competencies and concentrating the market around large entities is being
built. Interestingly, most of them have Google Analytics scripts embedded in
them, and their data belongs to Google – according to the regulations. One
could not wish for a more comfortable situation on the eve of the Mountain
View giant expansion. Another area where Google invests is the tourist industry. In
some countries, special applications provided by the corporation offer search
services concerning flights and hotels. There is little doubt that the
currently scattered booking market will become far more concentrated.
Especially that most of the traffic on these websites is generated via the
Google search engine. Amazon’s entry to the CEE market is only a matter of
time. Whether it arrives is not the right question to ask anymore. Allegro,
the local player, did manage to fight off one eBay assault on the internet auctioning
market, but will the dispersed e-store segment repel? Quite improbable in the
light of the fact that a considerable number of Poles already shop in the
largest e-bookstore of the globe. According to Megapanel PBI/Gemius data,
Amazon is one of the ten e-shops scoring best in audience rankings with 4 per
cent of Polish internet users visiting the site. Consolidation will help
defend against expansion of giants What strategy is to be taken, then? Can you protect CEE
e-business against global competition? There are at least several solutions
at hand. First off, you cannot forget it is narrow specialization that
counts: expert assistance and wide range of choice will serve as added value
for customers. Clients searching online for goods by very specific criteria,
e.g. shoes or cosmetics, are more willing to buy them in a dedicated shoe or
cosmetics store, respectively, rather than in one of these massive malls
offering a wide choice of merchandise from all product categories. You could
also bet on uniqueness. Moving away from mass sale is a way to offer
customers the types of goods that are hard to copy. There is much truth in
the common phrase saying that only those entrepreneurs who do not sell
barcoded products will avoid being trod over by Amazon. This surely pertains
to handicraft, art and design. Another way is to join forces in business and
pursue a common goal, which should be fostering brand awareness, so as to
increase the competitiveness of offer against foreign corporations. It might
be worthwhile to promptly get down to building barriers where the giants have
not taken over yet; when they do come it will already be too late to unite. It may seem that consolidation of local businesses equals
sharing confidential trade information. This argument is often put forward by
owners of e-commerce companies whenever the is subject of joining forces is
brought up. But do they plan to consolidate with Google? Rarely do
entrepreneurs realise that the global giant, developing competitive services
on the European market, already has the key data about their business
activity. It may hence be most beneficial to refer to research tools that
facilitate aggregation of data on website traffic and transaction data, as
well as their comparative analysis while keeping the secrecy of performance
details against competition. Such solution, offered by an independent
research entity, and not the potential client, may limit the influence of
world giants, who may briskly shift from a role of a tool provider to a
competitor, as it is happening now on the western markets. Creating a
standard for the e-commerce market, which could be a point of reference for
the entire sector, is the only future. Will this mechanism prove effective?
This may be best illustrated on the example of the advertising industry.
Creating a standard currency for measuring the online market was a great
boost to the development of that sector. Nothing is worse in
business than idleness An interesting move, in the view of the giants’ arrival onto the
Polish market, was made by Merlin.pl: it was acquired by Czerwona Torebka, a
company owned in 70 per cent by Mariusz Świtalski, who is one of the most
affluent Poles, a creator of retail brands such as Biedronka or Żabka. With
this merger, Merlin will be developing a network of collection points. At
present, there are seven of them, but by the end of this year there are going
to be as many as thirty five in total. It would appear that their natural
location will be the shopping centres built by Czerwona Torebka, but the
rumour has it that Merlin will not restrain to these venues only. The
investor says such points could come in thousands, ultimately. This sets a
barrier hard to cross for small shops, but also for global competition. So
the path chosen by Czerwona Torebka is most intriguing. Ideas on how to
resist the giants are plenty. Whether they end up in failure or succeed we
shall soon see. For the time being, the shops that are taking action deserve
a honorable mention, as it is idleness that is the worst attitude to take in
business. Unfortunately, I constantly hear shop owners saying: “We’ve heard
about Google or Amazon entering the CEE e-commerce market for so long, but
their plans are always postponed". Strategic thinking needs a wider
perspective. Turning one’s eyes away from global trends and restraining from
any reaction will bring a painful failure. From
http://www.i-policy.org/
06/22/2013 The New Hot
Commodities Market - The Cloud Have some spare computing capacity in your data center, aka the
“cloud”? Why not make some scratch by selling it on the open market? Or, if
you’re so inclined, you could trade derivatives of cloud computing. In place
of mortgage-backed securities, perhaps the world’s banks can pour their
savings into another abstract financial instrument that depends on the
reliability of Amazon’s web services. What could possibly go wrong? This is
the promise of a new exchange for cloud computing capacity, called Cloud
Exchange AG, which will launch early next year. It’s a joint venture of
Deutsche B?rse, which runs the Frankfurt stock exchange, and software
development firm Zimory. Trading computing capacity isn’t as simple as
trading, say, wheat. The system implemented by the two firms will allow
buyers to specify the location of servers, the precise vendor (e.g. Amazon,
IBM, Rackspace), security measures and transfer speed, among other things. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
07/03/2013 Border
Protection Agency Considers E-Commerce The Customs and Border Protection Agency is considering
contracting for an “online storefront” that its offices could use to order
information technology products, according to documents posted Tuesday. The
proposed storefront would be hosted and operated by an outside vendor but
built to the agency’s specifications, according to the request for
information. The interface should include a list of managers who can approve
specific purchases, the RFI said. The storefront should be up and running
within 90 days and may be expanded to include non-IT items in the future,
according to the RFI. It should offer offices “the ability to view and
compare information technology products in various categories, place and
fulfill orders against established IT product contracts or approved
commercial catalogs, make payment via government purchase card or other
approved method and track deliveries,” the notice said. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
07/05/2013 |
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With a click of the mouse, a transaction can be completed.
That's the power of e-commerce.So, there is no wonder e-commerce companies
are a significant part of the second China International Fair for Trade in Services,
which opened on Tuesday.The five-day event, at the China National Convention
Center in Beijing, serves as a high-end platform for e-commerce companies to
showcase their latest developments and applications to visitors across the
world, organizers and officials said.Sun Yao, deputy director of the Beijing
Municipal Commission of Commerce, said more than 1,300 industry specialists,
experts, commerce authorities and corporate representatives had applied to
attend the upcoming event.The participants include a number of high-tech
giants including eBay, the Intel China Research Center and JD.com, he
said.The fair's attraction to e-commerce companies can be also seen by the
increasing number of new faces. Lin Ya, vice-president of the Beijing Electronic Commerce
Association, said more than 30 percent of the e-commerce companies are
participating at the fair for the first time.Even some companies that had not
focused on e-commerce will display their progress in developing e-commerce
business in recent years, Lin said."This shows that e-commerce has
become a broad trend and will help create a better business environment for
China's e-commerce industry," he said.About 30 million yuan ($4.88
million) worth of contracts were signed last year, according to Lin.He said
that e-commerce deals signed at the fair will surpass those of last
year.Forums will be held at the fair to discuss topics including e-commerce
applications for traditional companies, mobile e-commerce and the e-commerce
ecosystem.The Ministry of Commerce will release and explain policies related
to the industry.Another highlight of the event will be displays of latest
technology to show how e-commerce is changing people's lives. Among them, the Internet of Things, or the intelligent logistics
system based on the Internet, will be in focus.For instance, JD.com will
showcase its new logistics project model, called Asia No 1, and invite
visitors to experience the mobile client and 24-hour self-service goods
pick-up machines. Oloey.com, which mainly focuses on community services, will
display its public platform based on WeChat, a popular mobile communication
system in China.Nie Linhai, deputy inspector of the electric commerce and
information department of the Ministry of Commerce, said China's e-commerce
industry has witnessed explosive growth in recent years.Sales in the industry
were 1.5 trillion yuan in 2006, but the number rose to 8 trillion yuan in
2012, with an annual increase of more than 30 percent, he said.However, he
also admitted that the industry is still in its initial stages and the uneven
regional development is a major problem. The coastal areas have developed
faster than Central and From http://www.news.cn/
05/29/2013 New China Mobile Ltd has officially launched its largest tender ever
for the construction of its fourth generation (4G) network in China, igniting
a new battle among telecom gear makers for market share.On June 21, China
Mobile, the world's largest telecom operator by subscribers, posted an online
tender saying it plans to purchase equipment for 207,000 4G base
stations.That purchase means the number of China Mobile's 4G base stations is
likely to catch up with that of its 3G base stations soon.China Mobile is using
the domestic Time Division-Long Term Evolution technology for its
next-generation mobile network.Unlike its 3G tenders, China Mobile said it
will not accept agent bidders or those who make all critical equipment on an
original equipment manufacturing basis. The Chinese telecom operator's capital spending will jump 49
percent year-on-year to 190.2 billion yuan ($30.5 billion) in 2013. More than
half of the company's network expenditure, or 42 billion yuan, will go on 4G
projects this year.Foreign and domestic telecoms equipment vendors have shown
strong interest in China Mobile's 4G network deployment.Yuan Xin, president
of Alcatel-Lucent China, said he is very optimistic about achieving a
satisfactory result in the third quarter, when China Mobile announces the
final bidding results."TD-LTE business will be the core foundation for
Alcatel Lucent's future development," Yuan said at a Alcatel-Lucent had the largest share, or 14.5 percent, among
foreign telecom gear makers during China Mobile's first round of 4G tenders
last year, according to research firm IHS iSuppli.The company is the major
telecom equipment supplier for Verizon Communications Inc's 4G network, which
covers about 200 million subscribers in the "We are not satisfied with the results Ericsson achieved in
China Mobile's first-round 4G bidding last year," said Mats H. Olsson,
senior vice-president of Ericsson Asia-Pacific, during the 2013 Mobile World
Congress held in From http://www.news.cn/
06/25/2013 China's three telecom operators have laid out their strategies
on the development of fourth-generation, or 4G, mobile networks, as the
official issuance of 4G licenses is expected to happen soon.China Mobile Ltd
- the world's biggest telecom operator by subscribers - has always been an
aggressive promoter of the domestic Time Division-Long Term Evolution, or
TD-LTE, 4G technology.Xi Guohua, its chairman, briefed the press on the
company's latest progress on TD-LTE network deployment at Shanghai's Mobile
Asia Expo on Wednesday.Xi said that China Mobile has built more than 22,000
4G base stations in 15 Chinese cities, but that it plans to set up 200,000
base stations in 100 cities by the year-end. However, the other two smaller Chinese telecom operators - China
Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd and China Telecom Corp Ltd - have expressed their
willingness to adopt the Frequency Division Duplex-Long Term Evolution, or
FDD-LTE, technology, or at least to build a converged network under both
standards.TD-LTE and FDD-LTE are the two major 4G international standards,
but the latter has gained more popularity across the globe and has stronger
industry support.Lu Yimin, general manager of China Unicom, said the company
is conducting tests for 4G wireless networks with mixed technologies. It is
the first time that China Unicom has admitted that it is actively preparing
to launch 4G services.However, Lu added that because the Chinese government
has not yet awarded the 4G licenses, China Unicom's final strategy is still
"uncertain." Lu also made the remarks at "The Chinese government will firmly support TD-LTE industry
development, and help create a favorable policy and market environment,"
he said on Wednesday.The moves by the three Chinese carriers will help to
further back the development of 4G technology globally, said Anne Bouverot,
director-general of the GSM Association, an industry alliance of mobile
operators and related companies."In general, what matters is not to have
the absolutely best technology, but that everybody agrees to deploy it.
That's where you get the economy of scale, and get the equipment for networks
and handsets to improve each time there is a new release," she
said.Analysts have said that LTE 4G technology will usher in a society much
more connected and convenient for people.Jin Lee, senior managing director at
Accenture's mobility department in South Korea, said that LTE will provide
speeds about 50 percent higher than current Wi-Fi networks."Once
consumers get to taste that speed, they will never go back," Lee said. From http://www.news.cn/
06/27/2013 Alipay Fund Sees Over
2.5 Million Users Alipay's online fund - Tianhong Zenglibao - now has more than
2.5 million registered users despite the fund still faces potential regulatory
hurdles.The users have transferred more than 6.6 billion yuan (US$1.1
billion) into the market fund which may help them earn a return from
investments made by the mutual fund.Hanggzhou-based Alipay, China's largest
third party payment platform, said in a statement yesterday that so far up to
1.6 million payments for online orders on Taobao have been made from the
mutual fund accounts held by Alipay users.The China Securities Depository and
Clearing Co Ltd said 44.2 million domestic investors have opened mutual fund
accounts by the end of May. From http://www.news.cn/
07/02/2013 Firms Put Most Cash
into Online Businesses China's venture capital and private equity firms quickened their
investment pace in June, with the Internet sector getting the most
investments and the energy and mineral industry grabbing a total of US$3.9
billion in funding.There were also more withdrawals by the VC/PE firms last
month, according to a report by the Zero2IPO Research Center.In June 50
investment deals were sealed by the VC/PE firms, up 47.1 percent from May,
the report said, adding that 38 of the deals were worth US$4.5 billion.The
investment amount soared 465.1 percent from a month earlier due to a mega
injection of US$3.9 billion in PetroChina United Pipelines Co Ltd, the
Beijing-based information provider said.The real estate sector attracted
US$250 million in funds while US$109 million went into the agriculture and
farming sector.With 13 companies getting the funds, the Internet industry
received the most PE/VC investments. The telecommunication industry was
second with nine investments, and machine manufacturing and the media
industry attracted four investments each.The number of withdrawals rose from
nine in May to 16 in June, the report said. From http://www.news.cn/
07/02/2013 Two batches of electronic savings bonds worth up to 40 billion
yuan (6.47 billion U.S. dollars) will be issued by China's Ministry of
Finance (MOF), it was announced Wednesday.The two batches will be the fifth
and sixth issuance of such bonds this year, according to a ministry
statement.The fifth batch is worth 24 billion yuan and carries a term of
three years with a fixed annual interest rate of 5 percent. The sixth
issuance of five-year bonds is worth 16 billion yuan at a fixed annual
interest rate of 5.41 percent, the MOF said.The bonds will be issued from
July 10 to 19. Interest will be calculated from July 10 and paid annually,
the statement said.The bonds will be available to individual investors at
counters of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of
China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications and
China Guangfa Bank, it said.Electronic savings bonds are considered more
convenient than other types, as interest can be paid directly into the
investor's account. From http://www.news.cn/
07/03/2013 Global Online Shopping
Benefits Chinese Manufacturers With just a few clicks on a shopping website, a Nigerian girl
buys her favorite wig, to be delivered to her home several days later from
China.That was a scene shown Sunday by Chinese national broadcaster CCTV.An
African girl buying Chinese products on the Internet is, by no means, an
isolated case. In fact, cross-border online shopping has become quite a
frenzy in recent years.Despite that, though, online sales of Chinese-made
goods in foreign markets are still a new phenomenon and represent a strategic
opportunity for China's giant manufacturing sector.If the popularity of
global online shopping continues to grow, it would provide a vital channel
for China to sell more of its products to the rest of the world. In the long
run, it may even reshape the face of global trade.Overseas consumers can save
a lot of money by purchasing quality goods from This comparative advantage has made Chinese goods popular among
online shoppers in Russia, Brazil, America and Europe. Chinese-made
commodities such as clothes, suitcases, mobile phones and shoes are among the
best-selling items.In the larger picture, the trend may also help modify the
unfair distribution of profits in global trade.China has been the world's
largest exporter since 2009. However, it receives only a small portion of the
profits generated by goods that are domestically produced but sold through
retailers in developed economies.The situation may be corrected, though, if
online shopping continues to prosper across the globe and the made-in-China
label can be brought directly to individual consumers.Global online shopping,
however, is still in its infancy and its future is closely tied to the
development of online payment mechanisms, cross-border deliveries and tax issues.It
is safe to say, meanwhile, that online shopping is a rising wave sweeping the
globe. Online shopping boasts unprecedented vitality and its significant role
for Chinese-made goods should not be underestimated. From http://www.news.cn/
07/16/2013 Buying Online Becoming
a Global Craze The United States is the biggest online buyer of Chinese goods
with China set to sell more than $10 billion of products through the Internet
in the top five global markets, a report showed on Wednesday."As online
shopping becomes increasingly popular in both emerging and developed markets,
merchants in China are poised to embrace rapid business growth in the next
five years," said PayPal, publisher of the report.US Internet users will
spend nearly 50 billion yuan ($8 billion) on purchasing goods made in China
this year, making the country the top spender on Chinese goods, according to
the report.Other top buyers include the United Kingdom (expected to spend 7.4
billion yuan on Chinese products this year) and Australia, which it is
anticipated will spend 5.2 billion yuan.Investors and the nation's Internet
giants are fully aware of the increasing demand for Chinese goods on the Web. Last month, LightInTheBox Holding Ltd, a Beijing-based online
retailer targeting international buyers, raised $78.9 million after an
initial public offering in New York. In the meantime, Tencent Holdings Ltd
and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd are hurriedly mapping out cross-border payment
services for Chinese retailers.China's cross-border online shopping sales are
on track to hit 144 billion yuan by 2018, more than double this year's
amount, PayPal estimated.The nation is the world's third-largest exporter in
the cross-border online shopping sector, after the US and the United
Kingdom.Data from the China E-commerce Research Center showed turnover of
cross-border online trade increased more than 25 percent year-on-year in
2012. The market size will continue to enjoy double-digit growth this year
despite the gross domestic product growth of China slowing down, said the
center.Clothes, shoes and accessories are among the most popular items for
overseas buyers. Global shoppers will spend $12.5 billion on these products, said
PayPal after interviewing more than 5,000 buyers."Despite the world
suffering from a massive economic slowdown, online shoppers' enthusiasm for
foreign goods continues to surge over the years," said Patrick Foo, head
of cross-border trade at PayPal China.Demand for made-in-China products from
emerging markets will also witness rapid expansion in the coming years, he
added.Brazil, the fifth-biggest buyer, is expected to spend 1.8 billion yuan
this year. It will be spending 11.4 billion yuan on Chinese goods five years
later, said the report.However, doing business with buyers outside China is
not a way to earn easy money, the report warned.Language barriers, cultural
differences and transaction security remain the top obstacles for Chinese
e-commerce vendors. Chinese vendors need to carefully study the target market before
tapping into it because every country's online shopping market is different
from another, said Foo."In the UK, people are used to booking flight
tickets on the Web while Brazilians are used to buying computers
online," he added.The report also showed the mobile cross-border
e-commerce sector is outgrowing the overall market in size, another big trend
that merchants in China don't want to miss out on.Transactions on mobile
devices will reach $51 billion globally in 2018 while the amount may not
exceed $20 billion this year, said the report. From http://www.news.cn/
07/25/2013 Alibaba, E-concierge,
Soon at Your Service Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd plans to
boost its presence in China's online market, and is adding services to ease
consumers' daily lives, from ordering food to booking movie tickets.The
company expects the new business area to become a major revenue source in the
future.Online shopping has become a new way of life for many Chinese
consumers, said Zhang Jianfeng, vice-president of Alibaba Group. And the
company has realized that customers are not satisfied with merely buying
items on Internet."Gradually, consumers are developing a strong demand
for daily life services, in fields like catering, entertainment and
travel," Zhang said at a Beijing news conference on Thursday.Taobao
Life, a platform owned by Alibaba that provides such services, has been
receiving unprecedented attention from Alibaba's management since the
beginning of the year. In March, Alibaba's chairman Jack Ma said that
"amazing" things will happen if everyday activities are combined
with mobile Internet services.Ma compared the growing importance of
e-commerce in people's lives to "the rising sun at 5 or 6 am", and
Alibaba expressed its ambition to develop the new business to reach a scale
similar to its booming Taobao Marketplace.If so, investors who are eyeing
Alibaba's possible initial public offering will find another bright spot for
the company's future profitability, analysts said.Alibaba is said to be
planning to include its e-commerce platforms - Taobao Mall, Taobao
Marketplace and eTao - into the planned IPO package. Last year, Taobao Mall
and Taobao Marketplace posted about 1 trillion yuan ($163 billion) in total
transaction value.Zhang revealed that the Taobao Life platform has three
strategic business sectors. One is Taobao Diandian, a mobile application launched in July
that helps customers order food.More than 100 restaurants in Beijing,
Shanghai and Hangzhou have opened services on Diandian.Meanwhile, Taobao
Movie is the nation's biggest mobile platform to buy film tickets. It allows
clients in more than 100 Chinese cities to select seats from about 800
theaters, Zhang said.The company also set up a platform on Taobao Life, known
as Offer, which provides people with classifieds in areas such as apartment
rentals and housekeeping services.Song Yang, e-commerce senior analyst with
the Beijing-based research firm Analysys International, said that there's a
promising future for companies able to successfully combine people's everyday
needs with the Internet-based services."There are no official statistics
about the size of the market, but this is the future of e-commerce. Because
the services are all about making people's everyday life better and easier,
" Song said. From http://www.news.cn/
07/26/2013 China Boosts
Information Consumption Authorities are aiming to support the consumption of information
products and services and make the sector a new engine for boosting domestic
demand and driving economic growth. By the end of 2015, the consumption of
information products and services is expected to grow at an annual pace of at
least 20 percent to reach 3.2 trillion yuan (518 billion U.S. dollars),
according to a guideline released by the State Council, China's cabinet, on
Wednesday."As China's personal consumption is upgrading and the country
is undergoing the processes of industrialization, informatization,
urbanization and agricultural modernization, information consumption has a
sound foundation and tremendous potential," the guideline says. "Boosting information consumption can invigorate domestic
demand and act as a new growth point for the economy, as well as upgrade the
service industry, promote economic restructuring and improve people's
lives," it says. The guideline highlights innovation and the power of
market forces as ways to promote rapid and healthy information consumption.
The value of industries that are supported by information consumption is
expected to increase by 1.2 trillion yuan by the end of 2015, according to
the guideline. Internet-based consumption should grow by at least 30 percent
annually to 2.4 trillion yuan, according to the guideline. According to the
data published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT),
China's e-commerce sector raked in 4.98 trillion yuan in revenue in the first
half of this year, up 45.3 percent year on year. Consumption of information products and services jumped 20.7
percent year on year to 2.07 trillion yuan, while the output of smartphones surged
120 percent to 214 million units. With China's economy posting a prolonged
slowdown in the past two years, the government has resolved to boost domestic
demand to rebalance its outdated growth model that is overly reliant on
investment and exports. But the rebalancing drive remains an arduous task. In
the first half, consumption constituted 45.2 percent of GDP growth, compared
with 53.9 percent from investment, according to the National Bureau of
Statistics. The guideline also outlines the major tasks for promoting
information consumption. To upgrade telecommunications infrastructure, the
government will release 4G mobile communications licenses later this year. By
the end of this year, the government will also push the integration of
telecommunications, Internet and broadcasting networks into one complete
system covering the entire nation. From http://www.news.cn/
08/14/2013 JAPAN:
Thin Surveillance of Online Drug Sales Despite the government’s plan to allow online sales of almost
all nonprescription drugs, none of the prefectural governments have any staff
exclusively engaged in monitoring illegal transactions on the Internet,
according to a survey by The Yomiuri Shimbun. There is no sufficient
surveillance mechanism in place for online drug sales, which are presently
allowed for low-risk nonprescription drugs, such as vitamins and intestinal
drugs. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to set rules for online
drug sales in autumn. One of the biggest challenges in this task is likely to
be how to establish an effective surveillance mechanism. Nonprescription
drugs are grouped into three categories in accordance with the level of
possible health risks they pose. Category 3 drugs--those posing the lowest
risk--have been officially cleared for online sales since June 2009. They are
monitored by prefectural governments, which have the authority to grant
licenses for drug sales. In addition to whether business operators are
properly registered, prefectural governments are supposed to check if
unapproved or fake drugs are being sold online. They are also supposed to
monitor Internet auctions to see if unlicensed dealers are selling drugs. However, all the prefectural governments told The Yomiuri
Shimbun they have no staff engaged solely in Net monitoring. The Kyoto
prefectural government has a better system than most, assigning a former
police officer on its staff to watch for fake medical products. But most
others are giving the task to employees who are also engaged in cracking down
on quasi-legal “herbs” and illegal drugs. Aichi, Niigata, Hiroshima and some
other prefectures said these employees just respond to complaints they
receive over online drug sales. Aomori and Ibaraki prefectures said they have
no personnel dealing with online monitoring. The Tokyo metropolitan
government has five employees assigned to monitor online drug sales, but they
are busy with on-the-spot investigations of unlicensed sales agents and other
tasks unrelated to Net monitoring. “In addition to checking registered
business operators, we have to check for illegal dealers popping up in the
market,” said Toshihisa Noguchi, director of the metropolitan government’s
Pharmaceutical Affairs Section. “It’s logistically difficult to respond
perfectly [to online drug sales].” When the scope of online drug sales expands, about 75 items from
high-risk Category 1, such as stomach medicine and hair growth formula, and
all of the about 8,290 items in Category 2, including cold medicine, will be
eligible for sale online. Although their burden in monitoring drug sales will
certainly be heavier, Hokkaido, Yamagata, Gunma, Oita and other prefectures
said they cannot increase their staff due to financial constraints. The
health ministry is considering requiring online retailers to list
pharmacists’ names and their registration numbers on their sites, which means
more items for the prefectural governments to handle. Akita and Chiba
prefectures said the central government should provide the prefectural
governments with information on effective monitoring. Kagawa, Ehime and Saga
prefectures said monitoring should be handled by the central government, as
that would be much more effective than the current system. From
http://the-japan-news.com/ 06/30/2013 Backlash
Occurs in Japan over Sales of Train E-Ticket Records A privacy debate has erupted in Japan over a new service from a
major rail operator that sells private e-ticket records as marketing data.
This week East Japan Railway (JR East), the country's largest rail company,
has begun offering for sale the anonymized histories of millions of its
passengers. The data is gleaned from its Suica train pass system, which is
Japan's most popular with 43 million users, roughly equivalent to a third of
the national population. JR East and Hitachi, which will handle the technical
aspects of the service, announced it last week via a terse news release that
initially drew little attention. But this is the first time Suica information
has been sold to third parties, and the news was soon highlighted by
prominent bloggers, triggering a discussion that has now spread to Twitter
and other online forums. "Even if there is a proper way to use this
(data), it must be done with the approval of society," wrote Hiromitsu
Takagi, a professor and prominent commentator on data privacy, on his Twitter
account. Some were less reserved, with many calling the new service
"revolting." "Personally, rather than being revolted, I just
don't have confidence in the ability of JR East and Hitachi to manage the
data," wrote another commentator. The Japanese debate is unfolding as the rest of the world reacts
to revelations aboutsurveillance programs of the U.S.
National Security Agency. The tale of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden,
who released details of the surveillance, has
been closely followed by the media in "This is statistical data," said Hisahiro Sakai, a
spokesman for Hitachi. "We will aim to sell it to station tenants, or
companies that are thinking of starting businesses in stations, as well as
real estate companies and advertisers that want information about specific
stations." JR East was already facing criticism over a newly installed
entrance at a busy station in the eastern part of Tokyo. The gates at the
"nonowa" entrance only work with Suica or compatible touch cards,
so travelers with traditional tickets or passes must take another
route."No one without an IC Card gets in?" asked the Asahi Shimbun,
one of Japan's largest newspapers, in the headline of an article that said
many locals consider the entrance to be a form of discrimination.Another
train organization was forced to change its policies after an embarrassing
leak last year. An employee of Tokyo Metro, which runs the city's subway system,
disclosed the "Pasmo" train pass history of a female passenger,
forcing the company to cancel a service that allowed users to view their
histories online. Suica, launched in 2001, uses NFC technology developed by Sony.
Initially offered as train passes that had to be periodically recharged, the
technology is now built into credit cards, mobile phones, and even USB
readers that can be plugged into PCs for home shopping. Payment can now be
made in many convenient stores and restaurants, as well as taxi cabs and
vending machines. In March, the most popular regional electronic train pass
systems in use throughout Japan signed agreements so that they could all be
used interchangeably. The data sold by JR East currently covers only users of
its own Suica system. JR East is the largest of Japan's seven overland
railway companies, formed when a nationwide rail system run by the government
was broken up in 1987. JR East's domain covers about half of Japan's main
island, including the crowded Tokyo capital and surrounding metropolis. It
runs everything from daily commuters to the bullet trains that operate on its
territory, all of which are compatible with Suica. From
http://www.pcworld.com 07/05/2013 SOUTH
KOREA: IT Exports, Trade Surplus Set Record Highs in May Government data shows South Korea's export volume and trade
surplus in information technology hit all-time highs last month. The Trade,
Industry and Energy Ministry says IT exports in May are tentatively estimated
at 15-point-one billion dollars and the IT trade surplus is projected at
eight-point-27 billion dollars. The figures are 17 and 23-point-six percent
up year-on-year, respectively. The rise is attributed to solid performance of
Korean IT staples in the global market including smartphones, semiconductors
and flat screen televisions. From
http://world.kbs.co.kr
06/10/2013 South
Korea's KT to Spend $2.65B Upgrading Network, Creating Jobs KT Corporation said it will spend 3 trillion won (US$2.65
billion) to upgrade its communications network, and create 25,000 jobs over
the next five years. According to Yonhap News on
Tuesday, the spending is approximately half of the 6 trillion won (US$5.3
billion) spent last year by the nation's three mobile carriers, including SK
Telecom and LG Uplus, for their installation of the long-term evolution (LTE)
networks. The project will be funded by proceeds from sales of KT assets, the
South Korean telco said. The telco added it will also beef up its presnce in
Southeast Asia and South American markets. In April, the mobile carrier had announced
plans to hire 1,000 retirees as IT
service-related teachers to focus on educating youths over
the next three years as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR)
efforts. It also said in January it will set up a 150 billion won (US$132
million) fund by 2017 to help smaller firms, and create 1,800 jobs
every year. From
http://www.zdnet.com 06/11/2013 Korea
Tops Global Smartphone Penetration in 2012 Korea has the highest level of smartphone ownership in the
world, an American market research group said. Korea ranked top in world
smartphone penetration last year by recording 67.6 percent, the U.S.-based
Strategy Analytics reported on June 25. This means 67 people out of 100
people used smartphones last year, showing a higher than 70 percent increase
from 2008 when Korea recorded 0.9 percent smartphone ownership. Korea’s
smartphone user rate is four times higher than that of the average global
rate of smartphone ownership which recorded 14.8 percent in the report.
Norway ranked second with 55 percent, followed by Japan and the United States
which recorded 39.9 percent and 39.8 percent, respectively, ranking third and
fourth. China recorded 19.3 percent. The rapid increase of smartphone
users is attributed to the “early adapter” taste of Korean consumers, and
Korean companies’’ advancements in producing state-of-the-art smartphones
with high-definition displays, speedy operation technology, and savvy
marketing strategies. From
http://www.korea.net 07/02/2013 S. Korea
Banks to Segment Network, Establish Data Backup South Korea's financial regulator will require banks to build a
two-pronged network system, and pushing to develop a backup center for data
storage, to avert cyberattacks. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said
on Thursday it plans to have large banks separate their network systems into
two partitions with one for internal use and the other for external use by
next year, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Under the new measures, banks must split their main operating system first in
the next 12 months before gradually splitting the network system at
headquarters and branches, which is likely to take a few more years, the FSC
explained. The costs for splitting this network system will be approximately
1 to 4 billion won (US$889,878-US$3,559,512), and may vary depending on each
bank's size. The FSC is also pushing to establish a consolidated backup center for
data storage, the FSC said. Even though there is already a
secondary place for banks' data retrieval in the event of a cyberattack
or natural disaster, this
will be a third rescue center for emergency data recovery, it added. The
backup center will most likely be set up as an underground bunker far away
from South Korea's capital Seoul for security purposes, the regulator said.
The move comes as efforts to ensure a safe online network system are one of
the top priorities for South Korean finacial firms, after some Web sites including Shinhan
Bank were hacked by an unknown malware in late-March this year.
The FSS, and its supervisory agency Financial Services Commission (FSC) had
said they wereassessing network systems of
financial institutions and will introduce measures to
strengthen security in April. Last week the regulator instructed local financial firms to
disclose details in the event of a security breach, including the
reason it happened, as part of efforts to beef up network security. Just on
Tuesday, a McAfee report said the March cyberattacks which hit banks and news
agencies were part of a long term espionage
campaign, dubbed "Operation Troy", aimed at stealing
military and government data. From
http://www.zdnet.com
07/11/2013 SK Telecom Recognized as World's First Provider of LTE-A Service South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom has been recognized as
the world's first provider to commercialize a network that runs twice as fast
as long-term evolution (LTE) technology. The Global Mobile Suppliers
Association said in a report on LTE service that SK was the only
provider of LTE-Advanced service among 16 mobile carriers in 12
countries. From
http://world.kbs.co.kr 07/18/2013 Korea’s
Online Procurement Service Shared with Mongolia International demand has been on the rise for Korea's online procurement system.
Earlier this month on August 6, some 20 Mongolian government officials paid a
seven-day visit to Korea, with delegations including Chief B. Enkhjargal of
Mongolia’s Government Procurement Department and members of the Economy
Ministry and procurement organization. The visitors participated in the
Public Procurement Cooperation Meeting hosted by Korea's
Public Procurement Service for the first time to share From
http://www.korea.net 08/19/2013 |
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The Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism launched
a smartphone application to give Malaysian residents information about
consumer trends and standards. The app, called ‘myKPDNKK’, offers six
services to citizens. For example, users can lodge complaints against
businesses in From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/03/2013 The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) has deployed a new software
to enhance its management of unprecedented data growth. In partnership with
CommVault Simpana, the software implementation is expected to manage back-up,
recovery, searching and archiving of data, after the SET has experienced
unprecedented data growth over the recent years. With the new software
supplied by CommVault, the SET will be empowered with the effective
management of new, virtualised business support applications, and more
effective management of growing unstructured data content for compliance and
business analysis purpose. CommVault is expected to deliver innovation in the
data archiving mechanism which is compatible with virtualised and cloud
infrastructures, and more effective backing-up VMware environements, said
Thirapun Sanpakit, Senior Vice President Group Head of IT Operations at the
Stock Exchange of Thailand. The software will consolidate all management process into a
single console of user interface for backup and archived data, resulting in
the reducing of response time to business requests. “The Stock Exchange of Thailand is a
pivotal bourse, not only in Asean but also globally, and our goal is to
constantly upgrade our service to clients,” Thirapun said. “The inclusion of
CommVault’s Simpana software as part of our IT infrastructure enables the
organisation to do this, enhancing the performance of the stock exchange
operations and ensuring that data storage compliance regulations are met. He
also added that the software will ensure that the SET can maximise
opportunities for its clients and partners, allowing the use of raw data such
as trading transactions and analysis of price feeds, to provide insights in
terms of investment behaviour and surveillance. This will help support the
SET’s business strategy. The SET is the juristic entity set up under the
Securities and Exchange Commission. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/17/2013 Thailand
Launches Three Software Services on G-Cloud Ministry of ICT, Electronic Government Agency (EGA), and Software
Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) today launched three software services on
G-cloud under Government Software as a Service (G-SaaS) initiative. Three
software services that are now available for the public agencies to use are
Saraban as a Service (e-Correspondence Management System —e-CMS), SMS as a
Service, and Conference as a Service, EGA President and CEO Dr Sak
Segkhoonthod said. The EGA worked closely with local software developers
supervised by the SIPA to create software for the government to use under the
same direction and standard to promote cross platform interconnection as well
as to foster paperless operation. According to Dr Segkhoonthod, the
government agencies will be able to try out these software free of charge for
the first year. “If they want to continue using the system, the charge will
be under Pay Per Use scheme.” For the e-CMS, the EGA is open for different software developers
to offer the e-CMS as long as their services comply with the standards set by
the SIPA and the EGA. “The different software providers need to comply with
our standards to ensure that all agencies that use their services can
interoperate with one another despite using different e-CMS software,” he
said. The SMS as a Service will enable agencies to send SMS via a web portal
for internal and external contact. Conference as a Service is a virtual
conference system to facilitate long-distant meeting. The EGA is now under
piloting period for the additional of eight software systems which are
expected to be introduced by the end of the year. The eight systems include,
Office on Cloud, Personal Storage, Government Website as a Service, Premium
Conference as a Service, SMART Interactive Voice Response, Streaming as a
Service, Antivirus (Client Security for Government Information Network), and
Private Instant Messaging, Dr Segkhoonthod added. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/19/2013 ICT Industry
to Enjoy 33% Profit Growth This Year, Asia Plus Says The information and communications technology (ICT) industry
this year is expected to post 33-per-cent growth in net profit and
23-per-cent growth next year, given higher revenue amid declining operating
costs, according to Asia Plus Securities. Asia Plus senior analyst Kawee
Manitsupavong made the remark at a seminar yesterday. Political activism
could pose a risk for the sector as it might affect consumers' purchasing
power. But he believes that the government will continue moving forward with
ICT projects as they are fundamental infrastructure. The risk from legal
disputes between the state telecom concession owners and the private
concession holders are expected to decline as these contracts approach their
expiry dates. The concessions of TrueMove and Digital Phone Co under CAT
Telecom will end on September 15, while Advanced Info Service's contract with
TOT will expire in 2015 and that of Total Access Communication (DTAC) under
CAT in 2018. Adisak Sukumvitaya, chief executive officer of major handset
retailer Jaymart, said the company had maintained its targets for revenue and
net-profit growth of 30-40 per cent this year from net profit of Bt340
million last year. The company has yet to feel the impact from the expected
economic decline in the second half and its sales have continued to grow.
Petter Furberg, DTAC's chief finance officer, said the company had maintained
its revenue target for this year at single-digit growth, despite a possible
price war in the second half.
DTAC has adjusted its capital-expenditure budget this year to Bt14.5
billion from the previous Bt12.5 billion but the total capex budget for the
next three years is maintained at Bt34 billion. The adjustment is in line
with the plan to cover 50 per cent of the population with its
third-generation network before the end of this year, up from the previous
plan of 30 per cent. In the second quarter's guidance, it maintained
high-single-digit revenue growth. Subsidiary DTAC TriNet is one of the three
holders of 3G licences for the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum granted by the National
Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission last December. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
08/06/2013 VIETNAM:
Government Bans Four Kinds of E-Commerce Activities in Effort to Prevent
Fraud The Government has specified four groups of activities banned in
e-commerce under Decree 52/2013/ND-CP issued on May 16, which applies to
traders and organisations and individuals engaged in e-commerce activities on
Vietnamese territory. As listed in the first group, activities banned in
e-commerce include operating a network for marketing e-commerce services in
which each member must make an initial deposit for buying a service and receive
a commission, prize or an economic benefit from recruiting a new member;
taking advantage of e-commerce for trading in counterfeit goods or goods and
services infringing upon intellectual property rights; and trading in goods
or providing services in the list of those banned from trading or provision.
The second group includes violations of regulations on information in
e-commerce websites such as using false registration information or failing
to comply with regulations on forms and modes of posting registration
information on e-commerce websites, etc. The third group consists of
violations of regulations on transactions on e-commerce websites, including
deceiving customers on these websites and faking information of other
traders, organisations and individuals to join e-commerce activities. The last group covers stealing, using, disclosing, transferring
or selling business intelligence on other traders, organisations and
individuals and individual consumer information which are provided through
e-commerce activities without their consents, unless otherwise provided by
law. The Decree also specifies two forms of operations for e-commerce
websites. An e-commercewebsite for sale is a website set up by traders,
organisations and individuals for trade promotion, sale of goods or provision
of services directly to their customers.
E-commerce service provision websites are those set up by traders or
organisations to create an environment for other traders, organisations and
individuals to conduct commercial activities, including e-commerce trading
floors, online auction websites, online sales promotion websites and other
websites as specified by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. This Decree will
take effect on July 1, and replace Decree 57/2006/ND-CP of June 9, 2006. From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
05/29/2013 Vietnam
State Telco to Deploy Cloud Computing Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services Company — state owned telco under
Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications — will deploy mobile computing platform
to expand into new markets, enhancing its capabilities, and improving
productivity. A collaborative agreement was signed between the VMS and IBM
last week to adopt an end-to-end mobile solution via cloud computing,
especially for VMS MobiFone subscribers. MobiFone is the VMS commercial brand
for mobile phone services. The new platform will allow the VMS to launch new
value-added services such as advertising and promotional campaign, building
an effective cloud ecosystem, and providing Mobile Platform as a Service,
Infrastructure as a Service, and Software as a Service to its partners and
enterprise customers. “VMS is the first organisation in Vietnam to deploy an
end-to-end mobile on cloud infrastructure based on IBM technology, and VMSII
is privileged to be selected to pioneer this solution,” said Nguyen Bao Long,
deputy director of VMSII — VMS subsidiary that will be in charge of the
project with IBM. This collaborative agreement is within the framework of the
VMS’s five-year IT development strategy aimed at becoming the strongest and
most trusted counterpart of concerned parties in IT field in Vietnam and
other countries. “This strategic investment will help us sustain our leading
position in telecommunication services in Vietnam. We will leverage the new
mobile cloud infrastructure to streamline management of employees’ personal
devices, quickly deliver value-added services and promotions to our customers
and improve customer satisfaction,” he added. Apart from implementing
hardware and backup infrastructure, the VMS will migrate its computing
platform to the cloud, transforming its business processes. As a result of
this project, the VMS will be able to foster mobile environment within the
organisation as well as for management and internal activities. The VMS
planned to develop mobile applications to connect its field staff across the
Southern Vietnam. Founded 20 years ago, VMS is a major telecommunication
provider in Vietnam under the brand of MobiFone. It currently offers mobile
phone services to over 40 million subscribers. The VMS has 5.5 million 3G
subscribers accounted for 43 per cent of total 3G subscriber population,
making it the country’s largest 3G service provider. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/06/2013 |
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TRAI released the “The Telecom Commercial Communications
Customer Preference (Twelfth Amendment) Regulations, 2013”, prescribing
further measures to tighten the framework for controlling the menace of
Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). TRAI has taken a series of
measures in the recent past for curbing the menace of UCC. It issued “The
Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010” on
1st December 2010, which came into force from 27th September 2011.
Subsequently, for addressing the operational issues and for tightening the
regulatory framework, a number of amendments have been issued to the
principal regulations besides issue of a number of directions. The 2013
Regulations, has been issued to further tighten the regulatory framework,
especially relating to commercial communication from subscribers indulging in
telemarketing activities, deliberately masquerading themselves, without
registering as a telemarketer with TRAI. These subscribers indulge in such activities without paying
promotional SMS charge or any other charges (or deposits) as may be payable
by registered telemarketers. They also circumvent the procedures for telemarketing
by registered telemarketers. Such subscribers indulge in sending unsolicited
commercial communications to even customers registered in NCPR. The presently
available complaint redressal system will be available to settle the
grievance of the subscriber whose connection is disconnected. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
05/27/2013 Government
Allows 100 Percent FDI in Telecom The Government of India
allowed 100 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the telecom
sector. The decision was taken at a meeting of senior Cabinet ministers with
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Though FDI in telecom services will be raised
to 100 per cent, only up to 49 per cent could come via the automatic route.
Beyond that, permission of FIPB will have to be sought. Also decided at the
meeting was that FDI cap for private insurers would be raised to 49 percent
but that would need Parliament’s approval. The FDI limit for credit
information firms was raised from 49 percent to 74 per cent. Besides these,
the ministers eased FDI procedures for seven other sectors. But they stopped
a little short of accepting all recommendations of the Arvind Mayaram
committee, including those to raise FDI cap for news & media (current
affairs) to 49 per cent from 26 per cent. After the meeting, Commerce
Minister Anand Sharma said a Cabinet note on Tuesday’s recommendations would
soon be prepared. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/17/2013 EPFO
Starts Registration of Digital Signature of Employers Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has started
registering digital signatures of employers, a prerequisite for providing the
facility of online transfers of PF accounts on changing jobs. EPFO has
directed its over 120 field offices to depute a nodal officer to facilitate
the registration of digital signatures of firms. The facility of uploading
digital signatures will be available on the Online Transfer Claim Portal
through the EPFO Web site, www.epfindia.gov.in. According to EPFO, the
success of online transfer of PF accounts would depend on how many employers
register their digital signatures, which are essential to authenticate
transfer claims. EPFO is likely to start the online PF transfer claim
facility by the end of next month. With this, EPF subscribers would be able
to apply online to transfer their accounts through their new employers. The
revised transfer claim form can be presented after verification by the
present employer or the previous employer. Previously, the form could be
submitted only after verification by the present employer. EPFO has set up a
central clearance house to enable subscribers to apply online for PF
withdrawal and transfer claim settlements. EPFO expects 1.2 crore claims in
2013-14, including around 13 lakh PF transfer claims. It plans online
settlement of about 10 lakh transfer claims of tech-savy applicants from
industries such as IT this fiscal. From http://egov.eletsonline.com 07/29/2013 Vodafone
and ICICI Launches M-PESA Money Transfer in Bihar and Jharkhand Vodafone India in association with ICICI bank has started the
unique money transfer and payment service “M-Pesa” in Bihar and Jharkhand
where banking network and financial penetration is in rural areas. M-Pesa’
service launched in December last year is available across 32 districts and
250 tehsils in Bihar at present. The innovative use of mobile technology
makes it possible for customers to enjoy a fast, simple and secure way to
transfer money and make payments. Using their M-Pesa account, customers can at
their convenience avail facilities of deposit and withdraw cash from
designated outlets, transfer money to any mobile phone in the country, make
payment to recharge mobile, clear utility bills and for DTH service
subscription and shop at select shops among others. The service is available
across Bihar through over 2800 specially trained authorised agents. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/07/2013 Online
Payment to JSY Beneficiary’s Account Online JSY payments directly into the beneficiary’s bank account
has been rolled out in 43 pilot
districts w.e.f. 1.1.2013 and in 78 additional districts from 1.7.2013. List
of 121 districts where online JSY payments has been rolled-out during Phase-I
and Phase-II is at Annexure-1. No time frame has been fixed. Mother and Child
Tracking System (MCTS) has been introduced by Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India in December 2009 and has already been rolled-out
in all the States/UTs. During 2013-14, more than 5.7 million pregnant women
and 3.4 million children have been registered on MCTS portal (status as on
31.07.2013). State/UT-wise number of mothers and children registered on MCTS
portal is at Annexure-2. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/21/2013 SRI LANKA:
Telecom Licensed to Operate Fibre-Optic Backbone Sri Lanka Telecom, the island's sole wireline operator which also
has mobile and video services, said it had been formally licensed to operate
a national backbone with its fibre-optic network. Other operators are also
given access to the National Backbone Network (NBN) "SLT’s network is
ready with the necessary flexibility, capacity and capability to respond to
the demands of customers, including supporting the additional demands of
other telecommunication service providers in line with the government’s
vision," group chief executive Lalith De Silva said in a statement.
"Our comprehensive fibre rollout provides the basis for the NBN to
provide coverage, capacity and capability that allows for the increased
demand." SLT said its fibre optic transmission network now covers most
parts of the island, including rural areas and the North and the East which
emerged from a war only in 2009 allowing broadband penetration to the far
corners of the island. SLT said it planned to cover all the 329 divisional
secretariats and 24 districts in the country with high speed broadband connectivity
over the NBN, within the next five years. "We have worked closely with
SLT for the implementation of the NBN in order to fulfil the national
objective of facilitating high speed broadband over the NBN," director
general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Sri Lanka, Anusha
Pelpita was quoted as saying in the statement after handing over the backbone
license to the firm. SLT has revenues of over 56 billion rupees a year and
49.5 percent state-owned. Telecommunication Holdings N.V. of Netherlands, a
unit of Malaysia's UT group owns a 44.98 percent stake. From
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com
06/04/2013 Sri Lanka
E-Commerce to Grow Exponentially If Paypal Liberalized IT Industry June 10, 2013 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's small and medium enterprises
could use e-commerce "to grow exponentially," software and
outsourcing chamber official said welcoming plans by authorities to
liberalize Paypal inward payments. Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said
last month, that the regulator was "seriously" looking at
liberalizing Paypal inward remittances, which had been blocked in Sri Lanka.
Lack of Paypal inward remittance facilities had been holding back thousands
of Sri Lankan freelancers from participating in outsourced work and kept the
island out of a global 'crowd-souring' wave where work is distributed and
start ups raise funds. "We welcome the statement by Governor Cabraal on
steps to liberalize inward payments through Paypal," Imran Furkhan,
director general of the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service
Companies (SLASSCOM), told LBO in a emailed response. "E-commerce with
its low investment in brick and mortar type infrastructure represents a unique
opportunity for our SME sector to grow exponentially with little investment
and leveraging on existing internet architecture and physical delivery
systems. "E-commerce provides an opportunity for even a small Sri Lankan
company to tap global consumers with a compelling product/service
proposition. "One of the key obstacles to e commerce based in Sri Lanka
taking off has been the bar on receiving inward remittances via Paypal, a
respected, cost-effective global remittance and payments system to the
merchant's bank account in Sri Lanka." Many software developers and
small time freelancers who had not been able to do outsourcing work due to
lack of Paypal also heaped praise on Governor Cabraal responding to a story
published on LBO "Great stuff Chief hope to see it up and running
soon," wrote one reader. "This is great news for the people who
work on foreign websites like fiverr, odesk, freelancer," said another
reader, also warning about possible scam sites. Tourists also increasingly
use Paypal instead of credit cards. The lack of Paypal inpayments had been a
problem for small inbound star-ups. "Very good for Sri Lankan people who
does e-Commerce business, specially travel trade," wrote Ruwan, another
reader. Furkhan said Sri Lankan start-up could also raise venture
capital through crowd-sourcing if Paypal is liberalized. "For example
since its launch in 2009, Kickstarter one of the most popular crowd-sourcing
sites has seen more than 4.2 million people pledge over $643 million, funding
more than 42,000 creative projects,while letting those with the project idea
keep 100% of ownership with them if they wished and also providing valuable
peer endorsement," he said. "These projects then get the attention
of large and more established institutional funders. "The SME Sector is
the backbone of the economic development of any country and such initiatives
by the CBSL is crucial to developing the country in a sustainable manner.
"Hence its now up to the officials at the CBSL to implement the laudable
initiative of their Governor." From
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com
06/10/2013 Special
Mobile Service to Issue Ids in Northern Province The government collaborating with election monitoring groups
will hold a special mobile service to issue identification documents to
voters in the Northern province. The mobile service will issue National
Identity Cards, Birth Certificates and other identification documents to
civilians who don't possess them. The special mobile service will commence in
Kilinochchi today (09) and continue until July 11. It will be held in
Sankadapuram Shopping Complex on July 9, at the Karachchi Divisional
Secretariat on July 10 and at the Vaddakatchchi Divisional Secretariat on
July 11. The service is jointly organized by the Department of Registration
of Persons, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) and the Centre for
Human Rights and Research. From
http://www.priu.gov.lk
07/09/2013 Govt to
Conduct Census of Businesses and Services The Department of Census and Statistics has planned to conduct
an economic census to cover the business and service sectors for the year
2013/2014. The Department will conduct an economic census as national
censuses do not cover the business and service sectors. Business and Service
sectors play a leading role in the national economy at present. The 14th
national census of population and housing was carried out last year.
According to the normal procedure agricultural and industrial census will be
conducted on the next two years. However, these censuses do not cover the
business and service sectors. The economic census will be carried out in four
stages. At the first stage all estates in the island will be listed at the
Grama Seva Divisional level. The Department of Census and Statistics has
requested the estate owners and superintendents to provide relevant details
to the grama niladharies in this regard. From
http://www.priu.gov.lk
07/11/2013 |
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The electronic commerce market amounted to 901,100 manats (over
$1.14 million) in From http://www.azernews.az/
06/13/2013 Azerbaijan’s Online Market Quadruples over Five Years Azerbaijan's online market has quadrupled,
with IT production tripling over the past five years, the Ministry of Communication
and Information Technologies said.
According to the ministry, compared to 2008, the share of mobile
sector dropped to 59.5% from 67.5%, while the share of the internet rose to
6.6% from 1.4% and the production share of information technologies increased
to 2.7% from 1.4%. From http://www.azernews.az/
06/28/2013 Azerbaijani
Company Starts Digital Signature Issuance The Goldenpay Company will soon begin to issue electronic
digital signatures to the population, the company told Trend .In order to
broaden the range of e-signature users, the company plans to provide
additional benefits for the recipients, as well as to expand the e-service
list as to where they can be used.The company plans to offer e-signature
owners such services as ordering a credit without visiting the bank and
remote opening of bank accounts.In addition, the users will be able to carry
out the loading of SMART cards for water and gas.Currently, the number of
certificates of electronic digital signatures issued by the Information and
Computer Centre of the Ministry of Communications and Information
Technologies of Azerbaijan stands at 15 million. The vast majority of issued
electronic digital signatures accounts for government agencies.The main
advantage of the digital signature is a complete transfer of business
relations and communications to electronic format. An electronic signature is
a certain sequence of symbols received through the transformation of the
source document by special software.During the forwarding of the addition of
a digital signature to the original document, the result of what the
authorship and invariability of the information contained in the document is
confirmed. In case of making any changes to the original document the
electronic signature becomes invalid.Getting a digital signature allows
someone to be confident in the authorship and content of the documents
exchanged by an organisation on the Internet. Falsification of the electronic
signature is impossible.Both the document signed with a digital signature and
one signed by hand are recognised as equivalent.The cost of e-signatures
granted to the public for one year is 14 manats, 22 manats for two years, and
30 manats for three years. From http://www.azernews.az/
07/04/2013 Azerbaijan
to Fight Tax Evasion in E-Commerce The strategy of the taxation system development in 2013-2020 adopted
by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Taxes provides for development of control
measures in e-commerce, an article published in Vergiler (Taxes) newspaper on
June 10 says.For this purpose it is envisioned to improve mechanisms of
investigating tax evasion in e-commerce, create the "Electronic criminal
case" concept, study economic reports about Azerbaijan released by
international organizations, as well as develop relevant educational
procedures in the tax authorities.Moreover, the strategy includes measures to
regulate transfer prices, to promote non-cash payments and to improve the
electronic audit system, as well as to minimize tax-related risks. The activities outlined in the strategy will be financed with
funds allocated by the Ministry of Taxes from the state budget,
extra-budgetary funds and other sources.The electronic commerce market
amounted to 901,100 manats (over $1.14 million) in Azerbaijan in January-May
2013, the State Statistics Committee said in June. 93.6 percent of the total
volume of goods sold in the five-month period fell to foodstuffs.E-commerce
growth is closely linked to information and communication technologies
development. 2013 was declared the Year of ICT in Azerbaijan.Online payments
became possible in Azerbaijan in early 2009. Five to six years are needed for
online sales to develop fully in the country.Currently, Azerbaijan is at the
first phase of e-commerce implementation, with some products and services
available online. In the future, the e-commerce sector will increase with online
ticket and food ordering.When consumers start ordering online products and
services online, sellers will expand their offerings and improve the existing
services, which will lead to a sizeable percentage of e-commerce volume in
the country's economy.E-commerce is an industry which concerns buying and
selling of products or services online. The participants of e-commerce are
legal entities and individuals engaged in e-commerce and buying goods and
services. From http://www.azernews.az/
07/12/2013 Azerbaijan
Gets Rise in E-Trade Azerbaijan’s information and communication enterprises have
provided AZN 707.1 mln communication service to the population, enterprises and
organizations in the first half of 2013, up 7.5% from previous year.
According to calculations of State Statistical Committee 72.2% of services
was related to the population and 76.1% of incomes came from non-state
sector. During the reporting period, AZN 1,308,200 non-food products and AZN 73,400 food products were sold to
the purchasers through e-trade, up 68.5% or 2.1 times compared to a year
earlier. From http://en.apa.az/
07/20/2013 Azerbaijan Mobile Wallet Makes Debut Azerbaijanis can now use mobile
phones to withdraw cash and make transfers in the oil-rich republic Azerbaijan card processing company
AzeriCard has partnered with software firm OpenWay to create a mobile wallet
that helps Azerbaijanis to withdraw cash from ATMs using a mobile phone and
transfer money without using a bank card. The service uses Way4 Cash By Code
technology to generate a code on the mobile which can then be used by the
customer to withdraw cash. AzeriCard says that 14 partner banks are using the
service. The Cash by Code option was added to the menu of 1,300 ATMs in
Azerbaijan, and works on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones as well
as Java-enabled feature phones. AzeriCard supports MasterCard, Visa and
American Express. Azerbaijan has
a mobile penetration rate of 108.6% and a population of 9.2 million,
according to figures provided by the World Cellular Information Service. The
country is also the centre of a strong oil industry, focused on the city of
Baku, which historically provided as much as 80% of the former Soviet Union’s
oil and nearly half of all world production. In recent years, the industry
has continued to funnel wealth into the hands of at least some citizens;
however, in 2008 only 17% of the population used financial services, with the
remainder unbanked according to figures provided by the UN. AzeriCard has reported that 600 new
users have been activating the mobile banking service each month. The
customers are drawn mostly from – International Bank of Azerbaijan, AGBank,
Bank Respublika, Bank Technique, Nikoil, Parabank, Turan, Amrahbank, ATA
Bank, Silk Way bank, Bank of Azerbaijan, and Xalq bank. In total the company
processes transactions for 29 banks in Azerbaijan and abroad. “This money transfer scheme is not
limited to ATMs and has much potential for other self-service channels,” said
Anar Sultanov, managing director of AzeriCard. “Our clients can initiate Cash
By Code operations on ATMs, and soon they will be able to do so via Internet
banking”. Despite the country’s
progress towards adopting mobile payments technology, Azerbaijan’s government
has received criticism from the EU in June, relating to the imprisonment of
opposition leader Ilgar Mammadov, harassment of journalists such as Khadija
Ismailova, and a general tend towards authoritarianism and suppression of
human rights in the run up to the country’s scheduled October elections. From http://www.bankingtech.com/ 08/08/2013 Chip
Production Expected in Azerbaijan Unfolding of chip production is expected in Azerbaijan in 2014,
the advanced technology research center of the Ministry of Communications and
Information Technologies said on August 19. The center has held a tender and
selected an equipment supplier for the production of chips. According to the
center, the supplier is City Port Constructions company. A cooperation
document will be signed with the company in the near future. The chips which
are planned to be produced can be used in telephone handsets, LED
(light-emitting diode) light sources, micro and nano-electronic devices,
biological systems, in defense and other areas. Azerbaijan has taken strides
in the ICT sector, posting 10.5 percent growth in the field in the first half
of 2013 over the same period of 2012. In total, some 71.2 million manats have
been invested in the domestic ICT sector. The country ranked eighth among 144
countries on the index of the government's ICT achievements, ninth on the
index of the importance of ICT in the government's view for the future, and
20th on Internet availability in the World Economic Forum's Global
Information Technology Report 2013. From
http://www.azernews.az/
08/19/2013 KAZAKHSTAN:
To Host International E-Commerce Conference-Exhibition Event The main topic at the upcoming international
exhibition-conference ASTEX to be held in 2014 in Kazakhstan, will be the issue
of current interest namely e-commerce, the ASTEX (Astana Smart Technologies
Exhibition) organising committee told Trend. "In 2014, the ASTEX
conference will once again gather eminent foreign speakers, including
successful businessmen, the heads of international industrial organisations
and analysts in Astana," the organising committee reported.
Traditionally, leading industrial work and the latest smart technology will
be on show at the exhibition with the participation of large Kazakh and world
brands. ASTEX is being held within Astana economic forum. It is Kazakhstan's
largest ICT event. The event which was held I this year, was dedicated to
promoting ICT in various spheres of modern life. Around 42 reports were heard
at the two-day event in four sessions - Smart Government, Smart Industry,
Smart Business and Smart Life. Around 25 exponent companies participated at
the exhibition. Over 2000 people took part at the whole event. From
http://en.trend.az/
08/09/2013 |
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The State Government of
Victoria revamped the process of procuring ICT services by launching a new
eServices Register for the use of ICT suppliers and government departments.
“The eServices Register will provide a simplified process for Victorian ICT
companies bidding for government work, and allow the Victorian Government to
make more informed purchasing decisions from a greater range of suppliers as
well as monitor the range and scope of eServices engagements”, said Gordon
Rich-Phillips, Technology Minister of Victoria. Suppliers must join the
eServices Register to access the electronic market place and search and bid
for available Victorian Government ICT projects. The entire procurement
process will take place within the marketplace, from sending quotes to
developing contracts. Suppliers and department heads will no longer need to
use email for sending notifications, which can also be done through the
Register. The online register replaces the eServices panel that the Victorian
government has been using for ICT procurement. The new eServices register
offers new tools and it easier for suppliers and government departments to
use. For examples, the register offers business intelligence and key metrics
to both purchasers and suppliers to allow better benchmarking of IT service
procurement. Suppliers will be able
to identify possible partners through the register, giving small and medium
companies the chance to participate in projects they could not handle on
their own. The eServices Register meets the principles of the Victorian Government
ICT Strategy which recommends the use of off-the-shelf commercial software by
using the Ariba network, a cloud-based business commerce network. Suppliers
that join the eServices Network will gain global exposure through this
network. The use of the eServices Register will be mandatory for all inner
budget departments and administrative offices. From http://www.futuregov.asia
07/02/2013 The Australian
government launched a new version of its highly popular E-resource kit for
small businesses to allow small business owners and intending operators to
access the key information and resources they need to start and grow their
business at the Small Business Forum in In addition, the
Australian government also launched the new Building Success website which
contains useful information and success stories about the impact of
Australian Government programs designed to help small businesses. In April,
the Chambers of Commerce from across From http://www.globaltimes.cn
07/24/2013 ICT Research
Receives Massive $42 Million Boost Technology is already a
major issue with voters ahead of the 7 September election, with competing NBN
plans from major parties a key point of difference, while the government has
come under criticism over recent months for removing funding for higher
education. “With over 580 researchers, technical and professional staff, 260
PhD students working across 30 research projects, training and
commercialisation activities and partnerships with 17 universities, NICTA
brings both scale and depth to Australia’s ICT research," the Senator
said. “Investing in skills, innovation, and research is essential for
Australia to remain productive and competitive and to ensure economic growth
into the future. “This funding will enable NICTA to continue its world-class
research, develop globally competitive ICT products, build innovative
Australian ICT companies and continue its PhD program. It will also support
Australian jobs by broadening the skills base. “The Rudd Labor
Government’s investment in NICTA is complemented by our investment in the
National Broadband Network. Australia’s economic future lies in the
application of technology that is enabled by the NBN’s fast, affordable and
universal broadband. “Across every industry sector, including business,
education, health, agriculture, and manufacturing, the NBN is essential
infrastructure. “As the roll-out of the National Broadband Network continues,
the benefits and opportunities from NICTA’s work will only increase,” Senator
Lundy said. The Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy, Malcom Turnbul, has
been contacted for comment. The news follows an announcement from NICTA last
month that a team of between 15 and 20 computer scientists and engineers will
work at the new NICTA laboratory at Monash University's Caulfield campus with
the goal of enabling non-experts to use optimisation tools. Some of the
research centre's major achievements since 2002 include the Bionic Eye, and a
smart maintenance system which continuously monitors the Sydney Harbour
Bridge’s structural integrity for any weaknesses. From
http://www.itwire.com 08/07/2013 An independent review
of Australia’s central bill payment system has made several recommendations
to fortify the system provided by the Department of Human Services (DHS).
Centrepay is a voluntary bill payment system for citizens receiving payments
through Centrelink, the social security payments and services disbursement
system. Payments amounting to around AU $2 billion were made via Centrepay
during the last financial year. Minister for Human Services, Jan McLucas,
said, “Centrepay alleviates some of the stress of budgeting by assisting
people to manage their bills”. Through regular deductions from social
security payments, almost 600,000 people use Centrepay to pay for rent,
utilities, education, child care and medical services. The report suggests
improving the operation of the Centrepay system in order to provide a more
robust and reliable service in the future. Recognising the need to strengthen
the service, DHS supports majority of the recommendations. DHS acknowledges
the need to scrutinise the existing regulatory frameworks used to protect the
financial wellbeing of Centrepay users and minimise additional regulatory
burden on business. An advisory group chaired by a senior DHS official is to
be set up to review the future direction. “I have asked the Department to
establish an advisory group which will bring together the welfare, finance,
business and consumer sectors to provide advice on the future direction and
improvements to Centrepay”, informed the Minister. From http://www.futuregov.asia
08/16/2013 NEW ZEALAND:
APEC-Wide Deal on E-Commerce Tax Avoidance Proposed A new kind of
international pact to ensure taxes and customs duties are collected on goods
bought online is proposed in new research by Victoria University's New
Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation. Commissioned
by Booksellers New Zealand, which has been battling falling local sales of
books because of the onslaught of imported books which are ordered online and
escape the 15 per cent rate of goods and services tax, the paper suggests the
APEC trade grouping is a logical place to start working for such an
agreement. The paper is attracting political and official interest because of
the growing threat to the tax base caused by the global growth of online
retailing. While it was "conceptually attractive" to get credit
companies and banks to collect taxes and duties on goods crossing borders, it
would be costly and impractical, the ISCR paper says. "We believe the most
promising long-term solution is the establishment of a multi-lateral
agreement through APEC or other international organisations designed to
encourage, rather than force, online firms to collect and remit sales taxes
to the respective nations." The proposal got its first public airing at
a seminar in Wellington yesterday. "We believe the establishment of such
a system is feasible, given the worldwide nature of the problem," says
ISCR, although it says the World Trade Organisation would be too large a body
to try for such a deal, because of the difficulty of agreement from a very
large number of nations. APEC is a 21-member association of Pacific Rim
economies, including the US, Japan, China and Australia. While the institute
concedes that leaves Europe and the UK out of the arrangement, it may be
possible to involve the European Union as a bolt-on to such an initiative.
The alternative is to let retailers suffer the inequity, in New Zealand, of
overseas, online suppliers maintaining a 15 per cent price advantage over
domestic retailers. The report cites
research showing New Zealanders bought about $3.2 billion online last year,
with growth of 14.3 per cent and an annual total of perhaps $5.4 billion by
2016. However, it also concedes the proposal would not capture sales of
non-physical products and services online, such e-books, downloaded music, or
software downloads from offshore. That would have to be a second leg of such
a multi-lateral push, ISCR suggests. However, it says it's time for
governments to act, since "consumers are increasingly purchasing goods
offshore for the primary reason of avoiding GST." If that loophole were
removed, according to research cited by ISCR, there could be a drop in
offshore, online sales of between 45 per cent and 60 per cent, offset by an
estimated sales increase of 27 per cent for local, online retailers, who
would automatically be accounting for GST. "Not only would government
revenue rise, but domestic retailers would be revitalised, resulting in
increased employment and higher company and higher PAYE tax revenues,"
the report says. Such a multi-lateral
approach would also see a significant streamlining in border control
procedures, freeing up postal and customs agents from working out whether
duty is payable on imported goods to detecting illegal or unwanted imports.
The study suggests global online retailers would join the scheme because they
would benefit from faster, lower cost deliveries. "The most promising
method for attracting voluntary compliance is fast-tracked processing of
goods coming through the border." However, there would need to be checks
on retailers fraudulently charging customers for GST and not paying it.
"We do not have an easy solution." The paper is also critical of
current customs and GST thresholds, which are difficult to apply in practice.
At present, goods attracting duties and tax of less than $60 are exempt from
paying such taxes. However, because some goods have duties and others are
duty-free, this means the threshold can range from $226 and $399. "We
strongly recommend changing to a minimum value threshold," ISCR says. From http://www.nzherald.co.nz
05/21/2013 Govt Says
It'll Look into Online Shopping Tax Good news for New
Zealand retailers now the Government has committed to look at taxing
purchases made on overseas websites. Inland Revenue and Customs will work
together to review whether GST can be levied on international purchases worth
less than $400. A recent report found Kiwis have spent nearly $4 billion
online in the past five years but more than a quarter of that is going
offshore. Retailers Association spokesperson John Albertson says that is
making hard work for local retailers who are facing taxes on all sales
regardless of whether they're online or not. "It's often quoted that
some New Zealand retailers aren't competitive, it's far cheaper to buy
overseas, etc. "Well in some product categories that may well be true,
but let's start from the same starting point where we're both paying
GST." Albertson says this is a fast growing problem for local retailers
and it's great to see something being done about it. The Retailers
Association says GST needs to be introduced on purchases made on overseas
websites immediately, or more Kiwi retailers are going to suffer. Albertson
says the Government's decision is a step in the right direction but the
longer it takes to bring it into play, the bigger the problem will get.
"If you're running a website in New Zealand, and selling online in New
Zealand, you're paying GST. "It's not a matter of bricks and mortar
versus online, it's actually within New Zealand versus outside of New
Zealand." From http://www.nzherald.co.nz
07/11/2013 ICT Contributing 5
Per cent of New Zealand’s GDP: Report The New
Zealand ICT industry added 1630 new jobs in 2012 and now contributes 5 per
cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to a new government
report. The ICT Report was released by Economic Development Minister Steven
Joyce and ICT Minister Amy Adams this week. It found that half of all IT
firms expanded in 2012 while a third undertook research and development. The
average spend on R&D was NZ$1.1 million. Exports of computer and
information services had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 per cent
during the period 2006-2012. “If this trend continues, New Zealand will
become a net-exporter of computer services in the next few years,” read the
report. Australia and North America were the major markets for NZ IT exports.
However, the study noted that exporters were reporting finance and distance
as barriers. According to
the report, 73,392 New Zealanders work in the ICT industry but a big issue
for companies is attracting enough skilled graduates. Adams said the number
of full time student places at degree level in New Zealand has grown by 22
per cent over the last two years while the number of degree graduates with IT
specialities is predicted to increase from 1200 in 2011 to between 1600 and
1900 annually by 2014. “That sort of growth will need to continue in the
years ahead,” she said in statement. “Digital technologies are
revolutionising business in every area, and some outstanding New Zealand
companies are leading the way.” The report also mentioned 60 specific
initiatives the government is implementing under its business growth agenda
to help ICT businesses and exporters expand internationally. These include
improvements to business R&D grants, expanded co-funding and the roll out
of ultra-fast broadband (UFB) to 75 per cent of New Zealanders by 2019. From http://www.computerworld.co.nz 07/17/2013 |
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Global Study Highlights Growth of Digital Journalism
Ahead of Online Media Awards Study: The research highlighted the shift
from print to online. A global survey of journalists has underlined the
growth of online journalism, with 30 per cent of media desribing their
offering as 'digital first' and more than half of journalists admitting they
source stories from services like Twitter. The sixth Oriella Digital
Journalism Study sampled the views of 550 journalists from 15 countries
across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the From http://www.thedrum.com/ 06/12/2013 AFRICA:
The government has provided 459 schools and institutions with
fully furnished and equipped Information Communication Technology (ITC)
laboratories and Internet access. So far, 38 colleges of education, 37
national vocational training institutes, 26 technical institutes, 10 youth
leadership training centres and 249 senior secondary schools have benefited
from the government’s schools connectivity project. Other beneficiaries are
25 junior high schools, 49 nursing colleges and 25 community development
vocational institutes. The Minister for Communications, Dr Edward Omane
Boamah, made this known at the meet- the-press in Ghana is said to have improved its global ranking by four places
and its ICT Development Index (IDI) increased from 1.81 to 2.23 whereas the
average for Africa is 1.88. According to the minister, Ghana placed 117 in
the world, and sixth among sub-Saharan African countries in ICT usage. The
ITU is the global and specialised agency of the United Nations with a
responsibility to regulate, standardise, co-ordinate and develop
international telecommunications. Dr Boamah said the upcoming RDF would be
used to deliberate on issues relating to trends in telecommunications and ICT
in Africa, broadband policy and e-applications. The conference will also
deliberate on cyber security, development of public-private partnership for
improved capacity building in the ICT sector and the future of the information
society. The ARPM, according to the minister, was in preparation towards the
WTDC in 2014. He said the meeting would be used to assess the implementation
of action plans of the WTDC. Enumerating some of the successes in the ICT sector, the minister
said the over-all submarine cable capacity of the country so far was 12.3
Terabit. According to him, in fulfillment of ITU commitments and that of the
government to provide employment to persons with disability, the Akropong and
Wa schools for the Blind have been selected as sites for the pilot phase of
the disability connectivity project. Also, he said Community Information
Centers (CICs) had been built as access points for ICT in the under-served
areas, adding that currently 93 CICs were fully furnished and equipped to
provide community Internet access and an avenue for low cost ICT training.
According to the minister, the cost of bandwidth in Ghana had witnessed
substantial reduction over the years from $10,000 per month of two megabits
to $1,200 today of the same two megabits. The minister used the occasion to
inaugurate an 11-member committee for the planning of the two conferences. From
http://www.ghana.gov.gh/
08/03/2013 EUROPE:
Connected Continent? Three-Quarters Have No 4G Access! As European holidaymakers head to the beach and mountains for
their ritual summer holidays, new figures show virtually none of them will
have 4G access when they arrive. Three out of every four people living in the
EU can’t access 4G/LTE mobile connections in their hometowns, and virtually
no rural area has 4G. In the United States over 90% of people have 4G access.
Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes said: "I’m on the side of the citizens,
the taxpayers, the voters, who just want their phones and tablets to work.
It’s frustrating when my phone stops working in Brussels because we only have
3G. Millions share my frustration every day.” From
http://europa.eu/
07/25/2013 Europe
Loves Wi-Fi: New Study Recommends More Spectrum Should Be Made Available A new European Commission study has found that people are
flocking to use Wi-Fi internet and the trend is set to continue. 71% of all
EU wireless data traffic in 2012 was delivered to smartphones and tablets
using Wi-Fi, possibly rising to 78% by 2016. The surprising results show how
the cheaper cost to consumers of using Wi-Fi hotspots is changing behaviour,
and the study recommends extra spectrum be made available across the EU to
support this rising demand. European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes
said: “Wi-Fi is a huge success. It’s a win for everybody involved. I will
make sure the European Commission helps to spread use of Wi-Fi through extra
spectrum and lighter regulation.” While 3G/4G networks are essential for
truly mobile activity, it is currently expensive to buy the spectrum rights
needed to run these networks, consumers pay significant prices to use 3G/4G
(for example when roaming), and the networks are already congested in many
parts of Europe because of a lack of allocated spectrum. “Systems where you
share your Wi-Fi network with others are a great example of how we can
crowd-source a better internet for everyone. Everyone in Europe should be
able to benefit from internet when they are away from home and work,” Neelie
Kroes said. The combined use of Wi-Fi and other small cell infrastructures
(which complement traditional macro cell mobile base stations) can relieve
congestion on the 3G/4G networks by providing "backhaul"
functionality outside those networks, while minimising costs to both network
operators and users. Wider use of these technologies could allow operators to
save tens of billions of euros as they go about upgrading networks to meet
customer demand. Consumers would save money by using Wi-Fi instead of paying
for mobile data when they are actually near a Wi-Fi hotspot. Small cells can
also extend network coverage into hard to reach places, including inside
large buildings. From
http://europa.eu/
08/01/2013 ESTONIA:
Top 5 e-Services in 2013 For the fifth time, the Estonian Information System’s Authority
organized a competition for best Estonian e-services. This year 77 projects
participated in the competition, and winners were elected in five categories.
The aim of the competition was to introduce innovative e-services and
e-solutions, but also their customers and developers in the public, private
and non-profit sectors. The winner of the competition will be participating
in World Summit Award. Who were the winners? 1. TransferWise — Overall Best e-Service, Best e-Business
Service TransferWise is a money transfer service launched by Kristo
Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus. The service allows people to send money abroad
at the lowest possible true cost, so they can avoid paying considerably big
fees to banks for the transactions. In two years, TransferWise has grown to
include 36 currency directions and has transferred more than 125 million
British pounds of their customers’ money. But it’s not only customers they
have attracted, but also very impressive investors. The latest investment
round for TransferWise in the beginning of May included PayPal’s and
Facebook’s investor Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, and the startup received an
endorsement by Richard Branson in April. TransferWise’s future plans include
expanding their currency coverage and working on mobile solutions in the near
future. They are definitely a service to keep an eye on. 2. GoSwift — Best e-Government Service GoSwift – an online reservation system for border crossing – is
setting a new standard for border crossing, not only in Estonia but also the
whole region. Lithuania is planning to start using the GoSwift system
starting in June 2013. GoSwift has been operating the border queues of
vehicles at the Estonian-Russian border for almost two years. The GoSwift
electronic border queue system has also been successfully implemented in the
direction of Russia to Estonia. The GoSwift electronic border queue system
was developed in Estonia in 2011 at the request of the Ministry of the
Interior. During development, GoSwift cooperated closely with the Association
of Estonian International Road Carriers. 3. Ennemuistne — Best e-Culture Service Ennemuistne is a free online game inspired by Estonian folklore
that can be used as an entertaining addition to the national high-school curriculum.
It is a fun and interactive way for teenagers to learn about ancient times in
Estonia and to enrich the knowledge gained from school lessons. The game is
still in the development phase, but the creators aim to improve it through
feedback from actual players. This way, they’re seeking to better respond to
expectations for a game that is educational and still fun to play.
Ennemuistne is developed by the videogames company Frostnova, and development
started in 2011. 4. TipTheAuthors — Best e-Entertainment Service TipTheAuthors is a platform for selling films online. The idea
was first formed at the beginning of 2012 during Garage48 – an Estonian-born
startup event where ideas are turned into working services or prototypes
within a time limit of 48 hours. The platform aims to provide an easy way of
legally buying films online and thus counter the issue of piracy. Hence their
slogan — “movie downloads for honest people”. According to Margus Pala, one
of the creators of TipTheAuthors, a successful e-service has to create value
for the users and answer their needs. And even in the case of fierce
competition on the market of selling and streaming films online, it’s the
flexibility of a small company that might lead to success. In the near
future, TipTheAuthors is hoping to offer their services on different movie
downloading sites where users are already used to downloading content. They
are also constantly working on increasing the number of movies in their
catalogue. 5. Hooandja — Best e-Involvement Service Hooandja is a crowdfunding platform for creative projects,
borrowing it’s idea from the US-born Kickstarter. It’s a place where good
ideas meet consumers/clients. Every project on Hooandja presents itself with
an introductory video that clearly explains the purpose and requirements of
the project. A project can gather funding for 2–8 weeks. However, one of the
main rules of Hooandja is the requirement to achieve 100% of the targeted
funding — if the project fails to gain that support, all the money is given
back to the supporters. Hooandja has been in use since summer 2012. Since
then, they have managed to fund creative projects totaling over 100,000
euros. These projects have included books by local authors, CD or vinyl
albums by local musicians, but also theatrical events and design projects.
Crowdfunding is clearly becoming a trend within the creative community. It
also creates a new way of communication and closeness between creators and
their audience. From
http://e-estonia.com/
06/04/2013 NORTH
AMERICA: Canada Rolls Out ePassports New passport looks like regular passport but has an embedded
electronic chip that contains personal information of the bearer. On Canada
Day earlier this week, the government quietly rolled out new passports with
enhanced electronic security features which it claimed rendered the travel
document “more tamper-proof.” “As of July 1, 2013, all new Canadian passports
issued are 36-page electronic passports or ePassports,” according to a post
on the Passport Canada Web site. The Canadian ePassports look like a regular
passport, but has new security features that make the passport even more
tamper-proof.” The new passports each have an electronic chip embedded in its
back cover which stores the personal information of the person named in the
passport. The data store in the chip is the same information found on page
two of the passport, but it does not include the bearer’s signature. Passport
Canada also sought to ease privacy concerns as it assured people no
additional data about the user’s travels are stored in the chip. The inside
pages of the passport will also show images that “celebrate Canada and serve
as extra security features,” according to Passport Canada. Canadians also
have the option of applying for a five or 10 year validity period. Passports embedded with electronic chips came under a cloud of
doubt some four years ago over data theft concerns and as numerous reports from security and
technology researchers indicated that the radio frequency ID (RFID) chips in
the documents could be cracked and the information contained stolen. Some
researchers also demonstrated that hackers armed with an RFID reader can
capture data from the electronic chips and the data contained in the chips
could be “cloned” or altered. Passport Canada said it is unlikely that
personal information stored on its ePassport chips could be read without the
owner’s knowledge. To guard against hacking, data in the chip cannot be read
unless the passport is held “within 10 cenitimetres of an ePassport reader,
open to page 2 and the machine-readable zone has first been read.” The data
store in the passport’s chip is also electronically locked so that the
information cannot be tampered with. More than 100 countries including the
United States, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and China have been using
ePassports for several years now “with no reported failures,” according to
Passport Canada. The government office also conducted a pilot program in 2009
involving more than 60,000 diplomatic and special passports that contained an
electronic chip and “no problems were reported.” From
http://www.itworldcanada.com/
07/04/2013 Canada
Still Doesn't Lead in Wireless Pricing: Study There's no shortage of competition, but a new survey shows this
country still doesn't have the lowest prices in the world. Canada still isn't
a world leader in cellular pricing in a comparison with five developed
countries, despite having as many as six carriers and several wireless
resellers fighting for business in several cities. According to an annual
consultant's report for Industry Canada and the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), mobile wireless prices are falling in
this country. But compared to Australia, France, Japan, the United Kingdom
and the U.S. providers here still don't offer the best prices. The study,
done by Wall Communications Inc., created two groups of services for wireless
comparison. Within each group there several categories. Certain assumptions
were made, including the price of currencies. Prices were collected earlier
this year. --The first group, voice-centric, had a voice only plan allowing
150 minutes; a plan with 450 voice minutes, 300 texts a month and two
features; and a plan with 1,200 voice minutes, 300 texts and 1 GB of data.
Compared with equivalent plans in five other countries, Canadian prices were
higher than average for the first and third plans, and in the middle for the
second. --The second group was data-centric and had two plans: One with
2 GB of data, the other with 5 GB. Compared with the five other countries,
Canadian monthly prices were higher than average for the 2 GB plans, and the
highest for 5 GB plans ($64.67 a month on average for 5 GB of data. The
lowest was Australia, where the average was almost half -- $35.13 a month). The study also looked at wireline broadband pricing and the pricing
of bundled services (such as TV/Internet/wireless packages) as well. Wireline
prices continue to go up.
"In general Canada remains middle of the pack in terms of how our
telecom rates compare with five other surveyed countries," Wall
Communications president Gerry Wall said in a statement, "and that this
relative positioning is consistent with our findings in previous years'
pricing studies." Industry Minister Christian Paradis was pleased with
the numbers, noting in a statement that domestically "wireless prices
have decreased 18 percent since 2008. This impressive decline shows that
increased competition is keeping prices down while new technologies become
available." He credited policies of the Harper government, including
allowing foreign companies to buy carriers with less than 10 per cent of the
market and setting aside wireless spectrum for new entrants. "Our plan
is working," Paradis said in the statement. "Important progress has
been made and Canadian families are seeing the benefits. The Harper
Government will not let this progress be lost or undermined. We will
continue. We will not hesitate to use any and every tool at our disposal to
protect consumers and promote competition in every region of the
country." From
http://www.itworldcanada.com/
07/04/2013 Online
Voting May Become Reality for Ontario, Canada The capability may become available to the province’s 8.5
million voters as soon as 2017. In the next few years, the province of
Ontario, Canada, may give its citizens the choice to vote in government
elections in a new way: on the Internet. Last month, Greg Essensa, Ontario’s
chief electoral officer, said plans to test online and telephone voting
capability in a by-election may be a reality by 2017, which could then give
8.5 million voters an alternative to traditional voting methods. If this plan
goes through, Ontario would be one of the largest jurisdictions worldwide to
allow online voting, according to local media. Online voting has been in
practice for general voting in municipalities outside the U.S.; however, some
tech experts claim the capability isn’t quite ready as far as security and
fraud prevention. In that same vein, some panelists at a 2012 Princeton
University symposium claimed that many problems in online voting have not yet
been solved, and that the likelihood of performing successful online voting
in the U.S. is not yet realistic. “Vendors may come and they may say they’ve
solved the Internet voting problem for you, but I think that, by and large,
they are misleading you, and misleading themselves as well,” said Ron Rivest,
MIT computer scientist and cryptography pioneer, during the symposium. “If
they’ve really solved the Internet security and cybersecurity problem, what
are they doing implementing voting systems? They should be working with the
Department of Defense or financial industry.” From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/12/2013 U.S.:
Why Lowa State Adopted a Cloud Phone System Iowa State University is moving its phone system to the cloud --
and plans to save $600,000 a year by doing so. But going to the cloud for
every service isn't the university's goal. The ultimate goal, according to
Jim Davis, CIO and vice provost for information technology, is finding the
best service at the best price point. In higher education, technology leaders
have to think about cost, security, performance and service when making IT
decisions. Sometimes that means moving to the cloud; other times, it means
hosting services locally. With its previous phone system on life support,
Iowa State determined that replacing the system with a cloud service brokered
through the nonprofit Internet2 made the most sense. Through Internet2 NET+
Services, universities are aggregating demand for these types of services
across campuses, states and countries so they can get good service at a good
price. "If we didn't work together in Internet2, all of us would be doing
this on a one-off basis and probably duplicating a lot of our work,"
Davis said, "so it's a real time savings for us to work together through
Internet2." In Iowa State's case, the university recently adopted Box
for its cloud storage, and for its phone service, it chose Aastra and Level
III Communications. The move to the new phone system by July 1 will allow the
university to save a projected $600,000 per year in maintenance, trunking and
phone handset costs, said Angela Bradley, director of systems and operations
and networks. By replacing 8,000 old phones with new hardware and a
cloud-based system, the university will pay less for more service -- service
that's better than they have now. In five years, Iowa State would like to be
able to say that the services it's providing make a difference in the heart
of the university's efforts. "We build IT to support the core business
processes of the university, and that's discovery and innovation and student
learning and engagement," Davis said. "And we need to make sure
that the services that we're putting out there are sort of force multipliers
for all of those different things, and we want to propel the university
forward." From
http://www.govtech.com/
06/10/2013 IT Can't Fix
Complex Healthcare Problems It took the U.S. healthcare system decades to dig the hole it's
in. We'll need more than technological innovations to dig out. A lot has been
written about the need for better care coordination to rein in healthcare
costs and lower the high readmission rates in U.S. hospitals. Tech vendors
and medical researchers have been trying to parse all the variables to figure
out what tactics we need to fix the system. It looks like we're moving in the
right direction, but there's a long road ahead. A closer look at the data
makes that clear. In principle, more emphasis on care coordination and the IT
tools designed to manage it makes sense. When each clinician across the
continuum of care knows what everyone else in the system is doing, the
quality of care should improve and the costs should drop. If, for instance,
the surgery team about to perform a coronary bypass procedure has all the
details from a primary care doctor about the patient's medications and
allergies, there's less risk of interaction between the anesthetic and those
meds. And if the ambulatory clinician handling the patient's recovery has
details on the patient's discharge instructions, that clinician can help the
patient adhere to a postoperative regimen. Such a well-coordinated approach could also cut costs by
reducing needless duplicative diagnostic tests. If the electronic medical
record (EMR) contains notes about a recent serum potassium, EKG or MRI test,
there may be no reason for the next clinician in the chain to reorder it. EMR
systems that don't talk to one another across this continuum create a barrier
to making this process work. If the hospital where this cardiac patient had
surgery is a Cerner shop, but the patient's family physician uses
PracticeFusion or DrChrono, they may not communicate well enough for the
ambulatory doctor to get all the needed details. As many doctors in the
trenches know, interoperability remains a major barrier to care coordination.
Another barrier is insurance coverage for physicians who are trying to make
care coordination a reality. Until recently, they were not adequately
reimbursed for time spent on care coordination, but in 2013, CPT codes for
managing transitional care were put into the CPT codebook. CPT 99495, for
instance, covers "communication (direct contact, telephone, electronic)
with the patient and/or caregiver within two business days of discharge and
"a face-to-face visit within 14 calendar days of discharge." That's
a major step forward. Unfortunately, reimbursement codes are only part of the
solution. Poor care coordination is partially responsible for the high
hospital readmission rates in U.S. hospitals, and reining in this problem is
proving far more complex than anyone imagined. There have been significant advances in hospital readmission
prevention. Jacques Donze, MD, and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School
analyzed thousands of EMRs to identify seven critical signposts that predict
a patient's likelihood of being readmitted for a preventable problem. They
include low sodium and hemoglobin at discharge, a length of stay of five or
more days, and discharge from an oncology unit. Using these seven markers,
the researchers created a scorecard to help clinicians predict who is most
likely to be readmitted so that these patients can be targeted for special
consideration. But, put this positive development in the context of other
less-than-successful initiatives. Medicare has spent serious money funding 34
demonstration projects, the aim of which has been to reduce costs by
preventing hospitalization and enhancing care coordination. After collecting
data for 10 years, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports "no net
effect on hospital admissions or Medicare expenditures," according to a
report by Ari Hoffman, MD, and Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, in the Journal of
the American Medical Association. So what's fundamentally wrong? CBO offered some insights,
stating that new electronic systems can "make it easier to reduce health
spending if other steps in the broader healthcare system are also taken to
alter incentives to promote savings ... [but] by itself, the adoption of more
health IT is generally not sufficient to produce significant cost
savings." Which is a long way of saying: IT itself can't fix complex
healthcare problems. What we really need is a reengineered healthcare system.
Hoffman and Emanuel, from the University of California, San Francisco and
University of Pennsylvania respectively, are on the right track in recommending
such an overhaul. Hoffman and Emanuel offer a solution similar to CBO's:
"Clinicians need to abandon their long established approach of caring
for patients in the hospital or the office. They have to provide constant
access to a clinician who knows the patient and encourage communication with
whatever mode patients are comfortable with -- telephone, e-mail or office
visits." That approach also calls for wireless monitoring, telemedicine
visits, at-home care and full patient engagement. We're passed the stage
where incremental improvements will work. From
http://www.informationweek.com/
06/21/2013 Online
Accessibility Is More Complicated Than It Seems The Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy
has an interesting post up on the Digital Gov blog outlining how difficult --
often impossible -- it can be for someone with a disability to access social
media. For someone who’s not tuned into the particular difficulties people
with disabilities face online, many of these problems aren’t quickly
apparent. I interviewed the Disability Employment Office’s Policy Adviser
Michael Reardon a few weeks ago about how his office is using the social site
IdeaScale to crowdsource the best solutions to problems that face disabled
veterans as they look for work or return to school. IdeaScale seemed like a
great way to gather feedback, Reardon said, because anyone can offer a
suggestion on the platform, anyone can comment on those suggestions and
anyone can vote those suggestions up or down. That meant policymakers would
get a much richer view of what people wanted and the people themselves could
offer feedback more dynamically. Using social sites is also more appealing to
young veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan than simply emailing an
office or commenting on a blog post. The problem was IdeaScale wasn’t set up
for people with disabilities, Reardon said, because the up and down voting
icon appeared before a suggestion rather than after it. This looked cleaner
visually but it meant blind people using screen reading software were being
asked to pass judgment on something before they’d heard what it was. Toggling
back and forth using a screen reader can be very difficult, Reardon said. In
this case, IdeaScale was able to retrofit a version of its site for the
Disability Employment Office that put the voting icon after a suggestion,
making the tool accessible, he said. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
06/27/2013 Can
Libraries Survive the E-Book Revolution? Facing higher prices and limited access to e-books from the
major publishers, Jamie LaRue, the man charged with running Douglas County,
Colo.'s library system, has inspired a national movement to promote smaller,
digitally based presses and self-published authors. More than 20 years ago,
when Jamie LaRue took over the library system in Douglas County, Colo., few
people outside that patch of Rocky Mountain wilderness south of Denver knew
who he was. A lot of things were different back then. Public libraries were
still considered pillars of the community and the most important stop for any
local resident looking for the latest from the printed word. Commercial
e-books were still a fantasy in the mind of some anonymous Silicon Valley
geek. The rules of the game between libraries and publishers had been
established long ago: Discount prices and generous access were the norm, and
there was every reason to believe that the status quo would continue, ad
infinitum. But it didn’t. Instead, the e-book revolution has overturned the
whole infrastructure upon which libraries depended. From 2011 to 2012, the
percentage of Americans who owned an e-book reader leapt from 18 to 33 percent,
a rapid climb from 6 percent in 2010. Attempting to accommodate this shift,
more than three-quarters of U.S. libraries allow their customers to check out
digital books, but they’ve encountered fierce resistance in access and
pricing from the major publishers. Some won’t even sell e-books to libraries.
If libraries are able to obtain mainstream e-books at all, those sales almost
always come with onerous conditions and high prices, especially compared to
the traditional discounted rates libraries pay for hardcover copies. The
situation has left libraries looking desperately for a way to make
e-borrowing sustainable for customers in the future. But they have little
negotiating power other than an altruistic appeal to the established
relationship between library and publisher, both working toward the goal of a
more literate nation. The bottom line is that libraries need to have e-books
for their readers to check out, because that’s how people are going to read
in the future. If they don’t have the goods, then what will a library be
useful for a decade from now? Enter LaRue, who oversees seven libraries in what is now a
suburban county of 285,000 people, but is building a nationwide movement
based on his principles. He talks about bypassing the “Big Six” New York
publishers, or at least leaving them behind and setting his sights on the
next publishing wave: smaller, digitally based presses and self-publishing
authors. He wants to transform the library from a place where you go to find
a New York Times bestseller to a local incubator fostering homegrown writing
talent. If the big publishers want to cut libraries out, that’s fine, he
says. He’s going straight to the people. “This is the most exciting time to
be a librarian in the history of mankind,” he says. “There has never before
been this profusion of writing. There’s this incredible opportunity that we
have if we step up to the table, if we’re willing to reinvent ourselves, if
we are bold. But if we are not willing to do those things, we will be
marginalized. As time goes on, we’ll become less and less relevant. At some
point, we’ll perish. It’s adapt or die.” LaRue’s ideas have inspired an upheaval in the library and
publishing worlds. Libraries from California to Massachusetts are fitting his
design to their own systems. Mere mention of his name attracts audible sighs
and knowing nods from top executives at some of the biggest publishers in the
world. Whether he and his philosophy succeed or not could determine the
public library’s future. That’s how many librarians view the stakes, anyway.
If he’s wrong, the library could fade into obscurity, a relic of the
pre-digital age. But if he’s right, and a growing number of acolytes believe
he is, it could still thrive in an era when hardback books have gone the way
of illuminated manuscripts. Before the arrival of e-books, the library
business model for purchasing and distributing print books was set in stone.
There were intermediaries between the publishers and libraries, companies
like the giant distributor Baker & Taylor, but there was little tension.
Libraries purchased books at a comfortable discount, sometimes as much as 40
percent off the retail price, and publishers earned an acceptable profit by
selling them new releases and replacements for worn-out books. A library
bought a copy of a book, and it could lend the copy as many times as the
binding would hold; if the book was in high demand, the library could buy
more copies. Affordable prices meant a library could build a huge reservoir
of material for its readers. The digital market, however, has been built from scratch in the
last few years, and all those old norms have disappeared. There are still
intermediaries that transmit digital files from the publisher’s online
collection to the libraries -- one company, OverDrive, owns an 85 percent
market share -- but little else is the same. First of all, not every major
publisher is selling its products to any library that wants them. Several,
including Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Penguin, either don’t sell e-books
to libraries at all or have only begun to do so through pilot projects that
work with select libraries, usually concentrated in New York. This leaves out
the nearly 9,000 other libraries spread throughout the rest of the country.
Even if publishers do sell to libraries, they’ve restructured the rules.
HarperCollins, for example, sets a limit of 26 loans on each e-copy; after
that limit is reached, the library has to purchase a new copy license. Random
House hasn’t established such restrictive conditions and makes its full
e-catalog of 46,000 titles available to libraries, but the price for each
copy is often four or five times ($85 is the upper limit) what the company
charges for physical copies. While their business model is being upended, libraries, along
with the rest of the public sector, are enduring the aftershocks of the Great
Recession. Library spending in the U.S. dropped 8 percent in 2013, largely a
result of government funding cuts, continuing a decline that started with the
economic downturn. So at the same time that libraries are navigating
unprecedented financial challenges, they must contend with a new marketplace
that they feel is rigged against them. “The situation has basically become:
It’s going to cost you so much that you can’t afford to buy it,” says LaRue.
“That means we can’t buy as many things. Our citizens are now being denied
things that they used to be able to have.” Publishers say they are just
trying to make sure their industry is sustainable for the long haul. A whole
host of new variables in the digital market, they argue, makes it different
from the traditional one -- and more expensive. E-books have to be protected
against pirating and other copyright infringement. Digital books are
constantly being corrected or revised in a way that physical books never
could be, plus they must be adapted to various formats from iPad to Kindle to
Nook to smartphones, and all that coding costs money. Virtual copies never
wear out the way physical books do, and a significant portion of publishers’
income used to come from reselling old titles to libraries to replace
deteriorating inventory. But most fundamentally, it seems, the rise of e-publishing has
given the industry an opportunity to reevaluate its traditional way of
thinking about libraries, which was that they encouraged reading and thus
benefited publishers. Now the big companies are concentrating on direct sales
to the customer. Alison Lazarus, president of the sales division at
Macmillan, acknowledges her company has focused on the retail market as
e-books have taken off. It has treaded lightly in selling e-books to
libraries. Only this March did it launch a pilot program for library sales of
1,200 titles from one of its crime fiction imprints. “Libraries always talk
about how they’re a venue for discovery, for people to learn about authors. I
believe that in theory, but I don’t know that there’s any hard evidence,”
Lazarus says. She also argues that going digital has erased old barriers for
people borrowing from a library, such as the necessity of getting a library
card and physically going to the library building to check out a book, and
that might mean library lending will cut into publishers’ profits more than
it did in the past. “Our concern is that the more e-lending becomes available … what
would have in the past been a sale becomes a borrow,” Lazarus says. “Over
time, that would be extremely detrimental to the health of the publishing
industry.” For the moment, the industry, thanks in large part to the digital
market, is showing few signs of sickness. In 2008, e-book sales represented
on average about 1 percent of a publisher’s revenue, according to a recent
report by the Association of American Publishers. That share ballooned to 23
percent in 2012, accounting for $1.5 billion in sales. The overall industry
grew 6.2 percent in 2012, up to $7.1 billion in revenue. In a way, that
remarkable growth might validate the industry’s apparent marginalization,
intentional or not, of libraries. E-books seem to be doing just fine without
them. So while publishing executives are quick to emphasize, as Lazarus does,
that they still appreciate the value of libraries, the libraries themselves
are more skeptical. “I frankly think in some cases they just see the opportunity to
make more money,” says Maureen Sullivan, president of the American Library
Association (ALA), who has personally participated in negotiations with
publishers. That’s the American way, of course; as Alan Inouye, director of
the ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy, puts it: “People are not
required to sell you things at all or at terms that the consumer likes.”
These contentions have led to robust, sometimes tense, negotiations between
libraries and publishers in recent years. Representatives from the ALA have met
with top executives of the Big Six publishers at least five times in the last
year. Some compromises have been made -- Macmillan’s new pilot program, for
example -- but the underlying issues remain unresolved. If LaRue has his way,
though, it might not matter if they are. He surveyed this new world as
director of the Douglas County Libraries and saw an opportunity to move in a
new direction. He recalls looking at The New York Times bestseller list and
seeing that a growing number of the books on it were being sold digitally. He
noticed that self-published authors had begun creeping toward the top of
bestseller lists (this March, a self-published book topped the Digital Book
World E-book Best-Seller List for the first time). Some of the most
successful independent publishers, those outside the Big Six, were increasing
their sales exponentially year over year, and that growth was almost
exclusively driven by the digital market. Most important, more and more people started coming to his seven
libraries, which receive 2 million visits annually, and asking about
e-readers and the possibility of checking out digital books. The supply
wasn’t able to keep up with the demand, because his libraries faced the same
fiscal pressures and burdensome restrictions as their peers across the
country. “I realized we needed to do something,” LaRue says. “The vendors
were screwing us.” In December 2010, with all of these ingredients mixing in
his mind, he had a moment of clarity. As with the music industry before it, a
common analogy in these conversations, he decided that the publishing
industry’s future didn’t rest with the legacy conglomerates that had
dominated it in the past. Its strength resided in the independent presses and
self-publishing writers who had seized the opportunity that e-books offered:
the democratization of publishing. Libraries, he reasoned, needed to harness
that creative outburst. He devised a plan to do it. It was remarkable in its
simplicity: LaRue decided to build a digital warehouse and contracting system,
which would allow his libraries to purchase directly from smaller publishers
and authors, cutting out the Big Six and OverDrive, which would mean lower
prices. In January 2011, Douglas County Libraries purchased Adobe software
that for $10,000 would serve as the backbone of the new system, safely
transferring files from the provider to the library to the reader. LaRue
wrote “Dear Publishing Partner” letters, setting simple yet firm expectations
for how the content would be handled and eliminating the restrictions that
accompanied the major publishers’ products. The whole enterprise cost
$200,000, but LaRue says the libraries have already saved that much in a year
because the prices they’re paying for the independent and self-published
materials are much lower, up to 45 percent below retail. The system went live in February 2012, and LaRue went to work
finding partners. They soon flooded Douglas County’s digital shelves. The
libraries have so far purchased e-books from more than 900 smaller publishers
and hundreds of individual authors. They make up 21,000 of the 35,000 titles
in his virtual catalog. The rest come from the major publishers, sold through
intermediaries at much higher prices. Those mainstream titles are still more
popular with readers, making up 65 percent of the county’s loans, but it’s
clear that the appetite for the independent and self-published content is
growing. Outside Douglas County, LaRue’s ideas have even earned their own
acronym: the DCL model. A consortium of more than 250 California libraries is
on the verge of rolling out a similar system. The Harris County Public
Library, which serves the Houston area, has launched its own pilot project
based on the DCL principles. LaRue gave the keynote address at a May 2012
conference hosted by the Massachusetts Library System, which represents the
state’s 1,700 libraries, and exactly one year later, the group established a
limited DCL-style prototype with 50 participating libraries. The plan is to
expand it statewide in 18 months, which would make it the largest victory yet
for LaRue’s vision. “Jamie is such a leader. The passion is very clear. You hear how
important this is to him. He inspired us to move forward,” says Greg Pronevitz,
executive director of the Massachusetts Library System. “The library’s future
is becoming more and more electronic, so it is essential that we work this
out. We’ve got the whole library community working toward it.” The Big Six
publishers are watching the DCL movement closely. Skip Dye, vice president of
library and academic sales at Random House, says he has talked privately with
LaRue. While he has some concerns about every library’s ability to adopt a
similar model, Dye says he’s “very interested” in how it performs as it
becomes more widespread. “We know what they’re doing. We’re very excited
about what they’re doing,” he says. “We’d really love to see them come up and
be able to handle this … but the question is whether this is sustainable for
them in the long term.” Having lit this fuse, LaRue is turning his attention toward what
he sees as the next frontier: libraries themselves as publishers. Now that
Douglas County has the content management system for its direct-purchasing
project, he thinks it would be easy to turn that into a self-publishing
portal. The library would be the center of a local authors’ society,
connecting self-starters to copy editors, cover artists and e-book
distributors, and transforming thousands of Word documents sitting idly on
neighborhood desktops into polished, professional products. LaRue hasn’t
actually done this yet, but the idea is already attracting adherents.
Officials at the Harris County Public Library say they’re interested in
eventually starting a similar project. There’s something circular about it,
LaRue says. Adversity that threatened to undermine the existence of libraries
entirely could ultimately lead to their reinvention as incubators for writing
talent, creating new content for their own collections and reconnecting with
their original purpose as stewards of the written word. And like it or not --
though he must not mind because he describes his own activism as
“proselytizing” -- LaRue himself has become the face of the movement, the
chief priest of a new faith. “We’re in the midst of a fundamental shift in
the role of the public library,” he says. “You’re moving people from
consumers of content to producers of content. If you want your library to
become part of this renaissance, that’s how you do it.” From
http://www.digitalcommunities.com/
07/03/2013 In the late evening on Monday, Aug. 5, Californians got their first
ever statewide Amber Alert via a cellphone alert -- a shrill, some say
startling, notification from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department,
providing vehicle details for a San Diego-area murder suspect that officials
believe may have also kidnapped two of the victim's children. The California
Highway Patrol believed the suspect could be en route to Canada or Texas.
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the alert was sent out on an
exclusive frequency used to reach large amounts of people simultaneously.
Alerts, previously distributed via an opt-in program that reached fewer than
800,000 people, can now reach 97 percent of the country's active cellphones,
even if they're in silent mode. The new system, administered by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, has been used in 14 states a total of 20 times,
according to the Times. And while it is credited with the successful recovery
of a missing 8-year-old boy last month in Cleveland, its use has prompted
many questions from confused and annoyed recipients who question its
efficacy. "This is among the most unintelligent, histrionic, intrusive
programs ever," Sacramento resident Joe Curren told the Times. "I
felt like the San Diego police reached into my pocket." Local police departments can only issue alerts in the case of
kidnapped children. Working in conjunction with the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children, authorities decide when an alert is
warranted, and how large a geographic area should be covered. Cellphone
alerts are now in broad use to help government agencies quickly reach large
numbers of constituents. New Yorkers were notified of Hurricane Sandy's
approach in this manner, while Oklahoma residents were warned as a deadly
tornado approached last May.
Despite successful uses of cellphone alerts, the California example
may demonstrate a need for some fine-tuning of the program. Some residents
reported receiving multiple alerts, while others questioned their
contents. Marc Klaas, whose
daughter Polly was kidnapped from her Northern California home in 1993 and
later found dead, received the alert twice. "It's an incredibly harsh
sound, and it provides you with almost no information," Klaas said.
"That's not going to help anybody. I think the intention is good, but
the application itself is pretty awful. From
http://www.govtech.com/
08/08/2013 Millions
Still Not Using Internet Despite Wide U.S. Availability High-speed broadband is available in 98 percent of the United
States, but a fifth of adults still don't use the Internet at home, work or
school, figures show. While the Obama administration dedicated $7 billion to
develop and expand broadband access as part of 2009′s massive stimulus
package, the number of adults actually using the Web has barely changed, The
New York times reported Monday. That leaves many millions of U.S. residents
on the sidelines of an increasingly digitally based economy, the newspaper
said. "The job I'm trying to get now requires me to know how to operate
a computer," Elmer Griffin, 70, a retired truck driver from Bessemer,
Ala., told the Times. Griffin recently lost out on a job at an auto-parts
store because he was unable to use the computer to check the inventory.
"I wish I knew how, I really do," he said. "People don't even
want to talk to you if you don't know how to use the Internet." Administration officials express concern a significant portion
of the population, about 60 million people, is missing out on access to jobs,
government services, healthcare and education. "As more tasks move
online, it hollows out the offline options," John B. Horrigan, a senior
research fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, told
the Times. "A lot of employers don't accept offline job applications. It
means if you don't have the Internet, you could be really isolated."
About $500 million of the $7 million stimulus package went toward helping
people learn to use the Internet through programs that, although successful,
were limited in scale. "We recognize more work needs to be done to
ensure that no Americans are left behind," said John B. Morris Jr.,
director of Internet policy at the Commerce Department's National
Telecommunications and Information Administration. "Increasing the level
of broadband adoption is a complex, multifaceted challenge with no simple,
one-size-fits-all solution." From
http://www.upi.com/
08/19/2013 |
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Revenues for the three-dimensional printing industry in China's 3-D printing industry generated revenues worth around 1
billion yuan ($163 million) in 2012 while total revenues outside of China hit
10 billion yuan, according to AMA figures.The top market for the industry is
the United States, which is responsible for 60 percent of output, while
Japan, Germany and China each generated about 10 percent, it said.3-D
printing, or additive manufacturing, has been around for about 25 years, but
it only caught the public's attention in the past couple of years as the
ability to create quality, cost-effective three-dimensional solid objects
improved.But experts say the future of 3-D printing rests on major business
use, rather than the printing of toy dolls or cellphone cases.Graham Tromans,
chairman of the United Kingdom-based Additive Manufacturing Association,
predicted that the creation of larger industrial devices for major and
business use will propel China to No 1 in the global market, most likely
within the next five years. Shi Yusheng, vice-president of the school of materials science
and engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, said that
China's vigorous moves in upgrading traditional manufacturing will also fuel
growth in the industry."The country needs new technologies such as 3-D
printing to retain its position as the world's largest manufacturer,"
said Shi, adding that costs are expected to fall, as manufacturing efficiency
and product quality rise, particularly in aviation, auto manufacturing, and
other heavy industries.However, some overseas experts said it might take a
while still for China to lead this emerging industry."It's an ambitious
plan for China to grab the top position," said Terry Wohlers, president
of Wohlers Associates Inc, which is considered the leading researcher on the
industry.Wohlers warned that experts from almost every nation are working
all-out to create new technology, at a time when economies are struggling -
but he added that the future industry will be "very, very big"
because the current scale remains small. From http://www.news.cn/
05/30/2013 China's 'Smart City'
Being Created in Hefei Hefei State Hi-tech Industry Development Zone, one of the
nation's first group of such zones, has designed a "Smart City"
aimed at creating a Silicon Valley-type high-tech cluster in eastern China,
between the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers.In an exclusive interview with China
Daily, Li Bing, who heads the zone - which was launched in 1991 and which now
ranks 12th among China's 109 State high-tech zones - said the plans aim to
strengthen its three main core sectors of electronics, information and
software, and advanced manufacturing and new materials.The Smart City is
being co-developed with China's top science and technology bodies, the
Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Science and Technology of
China, and is attempting to attract 10,000 high-tech firms by 2020, Li said.
The zone also aims to lure 50 multinationals to set up R&D centers, and
20 technology research institutes. Currently, more than 4,000 enterprises are located in the
high-tech zone, around 400 of them being funded from overseas, Li said.Those
companies reported total industrial output worth 28.7 billion yuan ($4.7
billion) last year, or 36.3 percent of the zone's total.Li said the Smart
City should be completed by 2030.The zone, located in the western suburbs of
Hefei, has separate areas dedicated to certain functions, including one for
incubator companies.The entire high-tech park now covers 128 sq km and has a
200,000-strong workforce.Firms engaged in micro-electronics, new energy,
advanced materials, quantum information, medical treatment and public health
are the most welcome tenants, Li said, noting that officials are now hoping
to attract high-tech investors from Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong
and Taiwan, and those from further afield such as Silicon Valley in the United
States, Japan and South Korea. "Overseas-funded enterprises have brought us not only
advanced technology but also managerial experience," said Li."They
have driven innovation, research and development activities in the region,
and with their involvement, Hefei Hi-tech Zone has optimized its industrial
structure and raised its global competitiveness."Favorable conditions
such as convenient transportation, a beautiful environment, abundant human
resources, efficient government and a preferential tax policy are all fully
available to investors."The roll call of well-known multinational
tenants and investors include Maytag, Philco, Sanyo, Toyota, Mitsubishi, ABB
and Hyundai.By the end of 2012, of the zone's employees, more than 1,800 were
PhDs, 11,190 had master's degrees, nine of China's most famous academicians
worked there, and there were 48 foreign experts based in the zone. In 1997, at the national conference for Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation high-tech industrial parks, Hefei Hi-tech Zone was admitted as
one of China's five industrial parks open to APEC.Becoming a part of APEC has
meant the zone has opened further to the outside world, allowing it to
attract more international businesses, Li said.As one of China's four science
bases, Hefei enjoys strong scientific research activity and is home to some
famous research centers and many locally based higher learning institutions
such as USTC, Hefei University of Technology and Anhui University.The zone
includes a software park, a university high-tech park, a biomedical park, an
automotive park and an incubator, and since 2000 it has also been a National
High Tech Export Base.Gree, one of the country's leading domestic
air-conditioner producers, has established a production base in the zone.
Midea, another leading home appliance producer, has a refrigerator and
washing machine base there. From http://www.news.cn/
06/13/2013 Organization Calls for
Clean Web Content A call for Internet companies to be mindful of the language used
when practicing freedom of expression, was issued by the Beijing Internet
Association in a statement released on Monday. The statement said the
Internet is plagued by "made-up stories, rumors, slandering, cursing,
and swearing". It urged Internet users to be civilized in their
discourse and rational when making comments online. It also asked them abide
by the law, and respect other people's privacy. The association also called
for Internet companies to be self-disciplined and responsible by providing
positive information and deleting negative information to create a
"healthy Internet."The association, established in October 2004, is
a non-profit organization with 104 members. The current president is Tong
Liqiang, executive vice-director of the Beijing Internet Information Office,
the city's web content management authority. From http://www.news.cn/
06/18/2013 Weibo Draws More Than
Just Locals Many Chinese people turn to sina weibo for heated debates or
simply to air their views and grievances — and some expats are turning to
China's most popular micro blog to get involved in Chinese society."I
didn't really follow any discussions at the beginning, it was all too
confusing, but weibo has become a window to Chinese society," said
Christoph Rehage, a 32-year-old graduate student from Germany who majored in
Mandarin at the Beijing Film Academy.Rehage started using weibo in the winter
of 2011. He now spends a substantial amount of time surfing the site — which
he describes as a "battlefield for debate and argument"."It
doesn't make sense to me why people dispute with each other over things that
barely matter," he said."I'm called a picky laowai when I say China
is not perfect, but when I say China is developing on the right path, people
call me a foreigner hired by the Chinese government to write posts in favor
of those in power." Rehage finds the
discussions on weibo more lively than those on Twitter, particularly when it
comes to political news."A comment by some random user can get picked up
by a celebrity and forwarded tens of thousands of times, along with the
comment by that celebrity," he said. "I think weibo is a tool for
many Chinese people to get firsthand news, comment on and sharpen their
political thinking, as well as vent anger."Weibo offers a platform for
people to ignite a heated debate or topple an official by posting comments
and photos. Its capacity to gauge, sway and give voice to public opinion has
attracted more than 500 million users."Weibo doesn't seem to be a place
where soft-spoken, carefully weighed standpoints are widely heard — and you
have to speak loudly and sometimes even sound radical in order to make a point,"
Rehage said."You don't see people abusing each other on the street, yet
it's everywhere on weibo. To adopt the provocative humor of the site, I think
that many people who bark loudly on weibo are actually tame in real
life," he said.His views were echoed by Steven Weathers, a TV host for
Shanghai Media Groups International Channel Shanghai. "While Twitter is a platform to express and encourage
individual views, weibo seems to be more of a collective space for
large-scale interactions and exchanges of ideas," he said. In response
to the mob on weibo, Weathers said he would stop following those people and
instead follow those who brought insight to his life.Besides gaining insight
into Chinese culture, connecting with fans and boosting their popularity,
some expats on weibo are trying to clear the air between two different
cultures.Hiro Yamashita, a 43-year-old Japanese scholar in Beijing, said he
first joined weibo mainly to catch up with popular trends in China that he
could not learn from his everyday conversations. However, as he noticed many
misunderstandings about Japan spreading on micro blogs, he started correcting
them whenever he saw one. "Once I saw a post saying how popular nyotaimori (the practice
of eating sushi off a human body) is in Japan, but it's too
exaggerated," he said. "I have seen Japan being praised and
scolded, sometimes to extremes."Jeremy Goldkorn from South Africa kicked
off his weibo journey in August 2009. He said China's micro blog has
introduced friends to him, including Shen Yuting, a Chinese man who lives in
East Africa and is producing his own Chinese-Swahili dictionary.Goldkorn said
his favorite activity on weibo is watching debates between different
ideological camps."I'm interested in China, Chinese people and the
Chinese language, and weibo is a good place to discover societal
trends," he said. From http://www.news.cn/
06/18/2013 More Chinese Access the
Internet Via Smartphones Nearly 80 percent of Chinese people who use the Internet are
using smartphones to go online, the highest proportion ever, industry
research revealed on Wednesday.The nation added 43.8 million mobile Internet
users in the first six months of this year, lifting the total population to
464 million, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.The
total number of Chinese Internet users also hit a record high, adding 26.56
million to 591 million, said the center.The mobile Internet sector is showing
a stronger growth momentum than the traditional Internet front, said the
report, giving credit to the rapid expansion of third-generation
communication infrastructure and the increasing penetration rate of
smartphones. The nation's Internet companies are eyeing the mobile business,
hoping investments in the emerging segment could yield higher profits.Earlier
this year, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, the most valued Internet company in
China, spent $880 million investing in micro-blogging portal Weibo.com and
navigation company AutoNavi Holdings Ltd to get a bigger foothold in the
mobile world.Tencent Holdings Ltd, owner of the popular instant messaging
service WeChat, is looking to commercialize the app used by 300 million
people by introducing a payment feature to the product.On Tuesday, Baidu Inc,
which runs the country's most-used search engine and is often considered to
be slow to move into the mobile sector, decided to purchase the top app store
in China -91 Wireless - spending $1.9 billion. The company only spent roughly $22.5 million on acquisitions
last year, according to Bloomberg News."Going mobile is every Internet
company's priority," said Dong Xu, an analyst with Beijing consultancy
Analysys International. "Industry leaders such as Alibaba and Tencent
have been successfully mapping out plans to tap into the new area."The
turnover of China's mobile Internet market exceeded 20 billion yuan ($3.3
billion) in the first quarter of this year, a jump of 75.4 percent
year-on-year, according to Beijing-based iResearch Consulting Group.The
market for mobile shopping is quickly expanding although telecom operators'
value-added services such as messaging have still to take the biggest share.
The turnover of the mobile shopping sector hit an historic high of 26.7
billion yuan in the first quarter of the year, while the amount a year ago
was a little more than 7.6 million yuan, said iResearch. However, analysts worry most Internet firms have no idea about
how to enter the multibillion dollar industry."Only a few companies have
a clear route map for the mobile Internet market and most of them have yet to
find the right approach for the new business because the rules for the new
sector will be very different from the ones used in the traditional Internet
era," said Dong.Mobile Internet could become a difficult area for
hardware manufacturers as well.Xiaomi Technology Co, a maker of Android-based
smartphones, said on Tuesday it has more than doubled its revenue in the
first half of the year, selling 7 million handsets. The company sold 7.19
million smartphones throughout 2012.Lenovo Group Ltd and Huawei Technologies
Co Ltd also engaged in cost-cutting competition after both companies released
high-end smartphones this summer. From http://www.news.cn/
07/18/2013 Efforts Stepped Up to
Curb Fraudulent ID Card Use The Ministry of Public Security announced on Wednesday that it
will increase efforts to stop criminals using lost or stolen ID cards to make
purchases or conduct other illegal business. It said it would step up efforts
to catch criminals involved in such activities and also continue its program
of recording fingerprints on ID cards, thus making fraudulent use more
difficult. The ministry's statement was made amid growing public concern over
the use of lost and stolen ID cards to open bank accounts, launder money,
make payments and purchases or transfer funds between accounts. The ministry
said that more than 16,000 police stations are involved in registering
fingerprint information on ID cards, and that the work would be extended
across the country by the end of the year. It also said it is setting up a system for reporting lost ID
cards, and called on banks and other institutions to be careful to check the
identities of all ID card holders before proceeding with any transactions.
Since 2004, China has been issuing second-generation ID cards, which have
digital anti-forgery technology, and around 1.2 billion people now have the
cards, according to the ministry. First-generation ID cards, which lacked
digital technology, have been obsolete since Jan 1.The anti-forgery technology
on second-generation cards has made it difficult for criminal gangs to
produce fake cards, but it has not prevented them from finding other ways of
using lost or stolen cards. For example, it is not possible to cancel a card
that has been lost or stolen, as there is no central system for recording
such information, which means criminals have been free to use them again.
Among those concerned about ID card security is Zhao Huijin, who reported the
loss of her identity card to police last month. "I was shocked when I learned recently that people had sold
other people's ID cards online, using them to open bank accounts or even
launder money," said the 26-year-old, who works at a financial company
in Beijing."It would be dangerous if my personal information in the card
could not be canceled, and it would be horrible if another person were to use
my identity," she said, adding that she was still not sure whether her
lost card was in safe hands. Experts said the increasing use of fingerprint
technology offers some hope of improved security, since it will offer a new
method for banks and other institutions to check the card-holder's identity.
However, the system is still in the early stages, and many feel it will not
offer a complete solution. According to the Chinese Resident Identity Cards
Law, which took effect in January 2012, allows citizens who apply for, change
or replace their ID cards to supply their fingerprint information for
inclusion in the card. But Liu Xiaohang, an employee in an investment company in
Beijing, said that the introduction of fingerprinting technology will not
stop him worrying about security. He said that some banks and other
institutions are not strict in applying security rules and often accept a
copy of an ID card - rather than the original - as proof of a person's
identity. For this reason, the 25-year-old is very careful when anyone asks
him to supply a copy of his ID card, since he know that it could be misused.
He makes sure that any copies are destroyed if they are not needed."After
all, not all businesses have the system or devices necessary to identify
citizens' fingerprints," he added. Luo Yaping, a fingerprint expert at
the People's Public Security University of China, said the key issue lies in
ensuring information on old or lost cards cannot be used and that the cards
are destroyed when people are issued new ones."The fingerprints can help
police, institutions and citizens be sure of the cardholder's identity, but
that doesn't mean it can root out forged cards," she said. "It's
also not practical to ask all departments to install fingerprint
devices."She suggested that institutions should eventually share the
recorded fingerprint data, "which can reduce forgery to some
extent," she added. From http://www.news.cn/
08/15/2013 JAPAN:
Network to Share Medical Info The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to build an
Internet-based network that would allow medical institutions nationwide to
share patients’ medical treatment and drug prescription records--a move that
is also likely to make it easier for patients to switch hospitals or leave
one to recover at home, according to ministry officials. The network will be
compiled with so-called receipt computers-- PCs equipped with medical
receipt-making software used by most medical institutions and
pharmacies--allowing hospitals and clinics across the country to view
patients’ medical records as needed. The ministry aims to make the network
operational by the end of fiscal 2018. About 89,000 institutions, or 80
percent of the hospitals and clinics nationwide, have already digitized
medical receipts, including such information as the patient’s name, ailment,
treatment and surgery, and drugs prescribed. According to the ministry, the
network will be built starting on a region-to-region basis. Hospitals,
clinics and pharmacies in the same regional network would make certain data
available online after obtaining patients’ consent. This would enable a
doctor who has taken over a patient’s treatment from another doctor to view
his or her medical records. The nationwide network will be built by linking such regional
networks, the ministry said. It plans to study whether blood sugar levels and
other blood test data not found on medical receipts should be made available
on the network. The ministry will ensure that records are kept of viewers of
such data will be kept to prevent wrongful usage. It will also subscribe to a
high-security Internet service provider to address privacy concerns, it said.
As the network will be continually updated with each patient’s data, it can
be used as his or her “electronic lifetime medical record,” according to the
ministry. The ministry plans to move forward with a project this fiscal year
to unify the data transmission and reception system to be used by medical
institutions as a precursor to building a network. Prof. Hiroshi Tanaka of
Tokyo Medical and Dental University hailed the ministry’s move. “A large
majority of medical institutions will be able to participate in the network
that uses receipt computers,” he said. “I hope each region’s medical
association will play a central role in building and developing a local
network.” The ministry will use computers with receipt-making software to
build the online medical record network, as the terminals are widely used at
hospitals and clinics. As many institutions are expected to join the network,
the project may significantly advance information-sharing cooperation that
has been slow to materialize. The accumulation of individual medical records
on the network--an example of so-called big data--will provide a huge volume
of information that will allow researchers to analyze the frequencies of
infectious disease outbreaks and use of prescription drugs. However, medical
treatment information is private. If patients have hereditary diseases, their
medical information could affect their family members. Under the Personal
Information Protection Law, information on an individual can be provided to a
third party only if the person concerned gives consent. Given the complex
nature of handling privacy issues on such a network, it is debatable whether
consent from a patient whose information will be shared alone is sufficient.
Clear rules should be established over the protection and proper use of
medical treatment information, including defining who is entitled to access
such information. From
http://the-japan-news.com 08/05/2013 Japan Seniors Adopting E-Books Faster Than
Young Adults Elderly Japanese have a greater appetite for the e-book format
than the younger generation, according to a survey conducted by retailer
BookLive. Over 50 percent of Japanese readers in their 70s prefer digital
books to the paper equivalent, compared to only around 30 percent of 20-30
year olds. The e-book retailer surveyed 826 visitors to the Tokyo
International Book Fair in July, with its results translated by theJapan Times. Like
DaiNippon's Honto e-book store, BookLive has its roots in traditional retail,
while Kobo parent Rakuten is more akin to online commerce giant Amazon, but
all want to see greater adoption of e-book reading habits in Japan. Reduced
diversity in comparison to print books has been an issue identified by market
analysts, and the cry was echoed by survey respondants already using e-books,
with 70% asking for more titles to be made available. But, overall, 53%
prioritized cheaper prices on their e-book wishlists. The findings tie in to
Japan's growing strata of "active seniors," open to new
experiences, and whose life savings allow them to spend more generously than
the younger generation, making them increasingly coveted by major brands and
businesses. From
http://ph.omg.yahoo.com
08/17/2013 SOUTH
KOREA: Bring in Fastest Wireless Network From
http://wap.news.bigpond.com 06/26/2013 Wirelessly
Recharged Electric Bus Rolls Out A new model of electric bus made its maiden voyage on the road in
Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province) on August 6. Powered
through wireless recharging, this new electric bus operates without a highly
expensive system or long waiting time for recharging. The so-called OLEV
(On-Line Electric Vehicle) is powered by a shaped magnetic field in resonance
(SMFIR) technology developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science
and Technology (KAIST) and is recharged wirelessly. The
main characteristic of the bus is that the vehicle uses electricity converted
from magnetic force supplied by rechargers embedded in the roads at bus stops
and parking lots. Using a smaller battery due to its real-time recharging,
the vehicle is comparably light. It can also operate on regular
roads. “The OLEV can be recharged while it is resting in a parking lot
or at a bus stop,” said Cho Dong-ho, a chief researcher of wireless
electricity transmission. “It can run at 50 to 60 kilometers per hour in the
city or as fast as 90 kilometers per hour.” It was chosen as one of “The
50 BEST Inventions of 2010” by Time Magazine. It was also identified as
one of the top 10 most promising technological trends that can help foster
sustainable growth by the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on
Emerging Technologies in Davos, Switzerland. According to the Ministry
of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation (MOLIT), the
vehicle is safe and convenient because it is recharged wirelessly, thus
eliminating the danger of electric shock. Gumi, which was selected for
test runs, will operate two electric buses on a 24-kilometer roundtrip route
between Gumi Station and Indong, until December. The buses will start regular
operation in the city beginning next year. From
http://www.korea.net/ 08/13/2013 NORTH
KOREA: Unveiling 'Secure, Homemade' Smartphone North Korea, one of the most isolated and censored societies on
the planet, has unveiled what it says is a domestically-produced smartphone.
Industry analysts say the "Arirang", built around Google's Android
OS, is likely manufactured in neighbouring China, however. The existence of
the phone, named after a famous Korean folk song, came to light during a
factory inspection by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at the weekend. During
the tour, Kim was given a detailed briefing on the "performance, quality
and packing of the Arirang hand phone," Pyongyang's official Korean
Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Some analysts suggest the
"Arirang" is aimed at getting North Koreans to use an
officially-approved phone that can be properly monitored. While Internet
access is virtually non-existent in North Korea, which comes bottom of any
media freedom survey, the country is not a complete IT desert. Cell phones
were introduced in 2008 through a joint venture with the Egyptian telecom
firm Orascom, which says there are now two million users in North Korea. A
domestic Intranet was launched in 2002 and some state bodies have their own
websites. It is a natural progression for an impoverished country
desperate for investment, but in Subscribers to the sole cell phone system provider, Koryolink,
can call each other, but not outside the country. The Intranet is similarly
cut off from the rest of the world, allowing its very limited number of users
to exchange state-approved information and little more. Access to the
full-blown Internet is for the super-elite only, meaning a few hundred people
or maybe 1,000 at most. For all the regime's efforts, the information barrier
erected around North Korea has, in recent years, begun to lose some of its
prophylactic power. Smuggled Chinese mobile phones allow people near the
border to connect with Chinese servers and make international calls, while
re-wired TVs allow access to outside broadcasting. The KCNA report on Kim's
factory visit noted that the young leader praised the "Arirang's"
developers for coming up with a product that "provides the best
convenience to the users while strictly guaranteeing security". KCNA photos of the factory visit show workers with the finished
phones, inspecting, testing and packing them.There are no pictures of an
actual assembly line. "Despite KCNA's reporting that the handsets are
made at the factory, they are probably made to order by a Chinese
manufacturer and shipped to the factory where they are inspected before going
on sale," said Martyn Williams, who runs the North Korea Tech website.
Steven Millward on the Tech In Asia website reached the same conclusion.
"Possibly, the whole smartphone is made in China, and only the final
boxing is done in the rather sparse plant that Kim Jong-Un toured,"
Millward said. In February, a picture of Kim Jong-Un with a smartphone
triggered fevered speculation about which brand was favoured by the leader of
one of the world's most repressive nations. After ruling out an Apple iPhone
or a Galaxy from South Korea's Samsung, the consensus was an HTC phone made
in Taiwan. From
http://news.xin.msn.com
08/13/2013 |
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The Ministry of Health partnered with 10 telecommunication
service providers to launch a national health emergency hotline similar to
the From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/06/2013 The National Registration Department will initiate an automatic
system for birth registration, in a bid to solve the problem of late
registration of children born across the country. Deputy Home Minister Datuk
Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the automatic registration would be
launched throughout the country, with the exception in Currently, the NRD has in corporation with community leaders to
inform about the newborns in their respective communities. The community
leaders would collect the data on the newborns and give it to the divisional
resident’s office. Then, the officials will forward the registration details
to the NRD. Wan Junaidi added that community leaders were the best people to
identify genuine Malaysians in their settlements, especially in areas along
the Sarawak-Kalimantan or Sarawak-Brunei borders. “There will be those who
will abuse this system. The community leaders are the ones who can best
differentiate between locals and outsiders,” he said. Nine years ago, the NRD
successfully initiated the birth registration programme to outreach citizens
living in remote interior areas. The NRD officers went sent to isolated
communities such as in Penan to register births there. “Back then, there was
an average of 2,300 cases of late birth registrations a month. Since the
programme started, it has decreased to about 200 cases monthly,” he said. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/11/2013 PHILIPPINES:
City Beefs Up Public Safety Operation with Intelligent Tools The Davao City Government in the Philippines successfully
implemented Intelligent Operations Center solution to enhance the operation
of existing Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) by integrating
and analysing relevant data collected from multiple agencies. In partnership
with IBM, the successful implementation was announced on June 6 with the
emphasise on the new solution as an key element to help the city’s PSSCC in
cooperate emergency services such as police, fire, anti-terrorism task force,
and the K9 urban search and rescue service. “We believe that keeping our city
safe is a critical factor in raising the standard of living and ensuring
continued economic prosperity,” Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said. He
added that the new solution has enhanced the work of PSSCC from responding to
critical events to anticipating and preventing them, when and where
possible. With the new system in
place, the PSSCC controls over centralised operations dashboard where
multiple agencies can integrate and process data in real time. It will
significantly improve the response time to critical situations and emergency
situations. The project started in 2012 with the initial investment of
PHD120 million allocated by the local government. Over the past month of
operation under the new centralised and intelligent platform, there have been
a noticeable improvements in the management of the four main pillars of
public safety; crime prevention, emergency response, threat prevention and
response, and traffic management. Davao City is the largest city in the Philippines
of its size, and the second most populous city with estimation of over 1.5
million people. It is considered the business capital of the Southern
Philippines in the Mindanao region. Standardising the operation procedures
and unifying the communications capabilities of Davao City’s public safety
and security department has resulted in improved incident outcomes. The
Intelligent Operations Center’s technologically advanced analysis, integrated
communications, GPS and video surveillance capabilities help the PSSCC and
agency responders more effectively adapt its resource needs in the midst of
public safety or security incidents. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/11/2013 Philippine
Geohazard Mapping Identifies Areas Prone to Natural Disasters The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has identified areas in
Central Luzon that are classified as “unfit for dwelling” due to topographic
attributes making it prone to flooding, earthquake, liquefaction and other
climate conditions. Central Luzon is an administrative division located north
of Manila, the nation’s capital. It consists of seven provinces and is known
as the “rice granary of the Philippines” as it is the largest plain in the
country and produces most of the country’s rice supply. According to Geology
Division chief Noel Lacadin, the geohazard mapping covered the provinces of
Aurora, Zambales, Pampanga and Bulacan, making it easy for Local Government
Units (LGU) to warn residents in the event of natural disasters. “The data is
available in the MGB website, and it’s the obligation of the LGU’s to do
their part to prevent casualties in the event of calamities and disaster,” he
said, noting the maps also designed for locate areas ideal as evacuation and
settlement centres. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/19/2013 More
Filipinos Use Cellphones as "Mobile Computers": Study Filipinos are using their mobile phones not only to communicate
but also as mobile computers as well, according to a recent market study
issued Tuesday. TNS, a global customized research company, said in its report
that Filipino consumers are not just using cell phones to call and texting
messages and photos, but also as a means to have "internet-
on-the-go," allowing users to be always online. Of the 38,000
respondents in Metro Manila, 75 percent of the respondents surveyed used
mobile phones to take photos or videos; 45 percent to browse the internet; 44
percent to access their social networking sites; and 37 percent to check
their emails. The study was conducted from November 2012 to January 2013.
"Based on the findings of the study, the increase in various mobile
activities explains the growing trend of Wi-Fi accessibility in public
areas," said TNS Philippines Managing Director Gary de Ocampo. About 35
percent of Metro Manila respondents connect to the internet via Wi-Fi access
in public areas in 2013. The study also showed that Filipino consumers changed their
purchasing priorities from buying phones based on physical features to
choosing a phone that will enhance personal experience. Smartphone usage in
the Philippine is now at 53 percent compared to overall mobile phone usage of
89 percent. The study identified five growth potential for increase mobile
usage video calling, Wi-Fi at home, watching live TV shows, blogging and
streaming video like You Tube. The sale of smartphone in the Philippine market
is seen to increase significantly in the next few years as prices go down.
The TNS study also revealed that most Filipinos living in Metro Manila own
"multiple screens" or more than just one device. A typical
household owns at least four of the following devices : a mobile phone (89
percent), smartphone (53 percent), tablet (14 percent), desktop (39 percent),
laptop/netbooks (37 percent) and smart TV (4 percent.) From
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
07/02/2013 The
Philippines Rolls Out E-Learning Solutions in Public Schools The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), together with
the The Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Engineering Centre (NEC)of
the University of the Philippines – Diliman, led the distribution and
installation of thin client solutions and e-learning content to Tambubong
Elementary School as part the Government’s “Cloud Top” project. The “Cloud
Top” project aims to reduce the acquisition costs of computer hardware and
software by promoting the use of thin client PCs to facilitate an innovative
blended learning approach. Additionally, it also seeks leverage the
government’s cloud applications make quality educational content easier to
access. The school received 16 thin clients and a server from both DOST and
the NEC. Meanwhile, DepEd will be providing the content covering all the
subjects in the elementary level, particularly those for Grades 5 upto7. This
will guide teachers on the conduct of their lectures and exercises. “I
believe that students would be more encouraged and inspired to study their
lessons because as devices like computers offers more exciting ways of
learning compared to traditional learning materials like textbooks and
workbooks.” said Gerardo Olchondra, principal of Tambubong Elementary School.
Apart from producing and installing the thin clients and servers, the project
also includes the development of long-range Wi-Fi communication equipment for
the schools and other target areas. DOST also revealed that there are plans
to leverage TV White Spaces Technology for stronger internet connectivity and
to help project proponents create innovative e-learning solutions. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/14/2013 Electronic
Registration System for Filipino Domestic Workers The Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) of the
Philippines has announced the launch of an electronic system to ease
registration for household domestic workers and help ensure their welfare.
Secretary of DOLE, Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, said that the implementing
agencies accessed the progress of the Unified Registration System (URS). “We
have all agreed that the URS will be pilot-tested and then rolled out”, she
said. The implementing agencies are DOLE, Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF or Pag-IBIG Fund),
Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
(PhilHealth). The URS will serve as a standard and common registration
platform to facilitate a seamless transactional environment for domestic
workers registering for the various welfare schemes. These are the national
housing savings programme, social security programme and health insurance
programme, implemented by HDMF, SSS and PhilHealth, respectively. With the
URS, the employer and employee will have to fill a total of only three
electronic forms. Until a common ID is developed, both the parties will
continue using the separate IDs for the three respective systems. The
technical aspects of the URS, including an interactive web-based facility
will be ready within the next two weeks. Once the system is ready, the
agencies will conduct an extensive education and information campaign to
raise awareness on the new registration system. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/20/2013 SINGAPORE:
To Make Financial Statements of All Charities Available Online Singapore will soon make the financial statements of all charity
organizations available on an official Charity Portal shortly, the Office of
the Commissioner of Charities said on Wednesday. This is part of the changes
in regulations made by the Commissioner of Charities to better protect
charities and donors following the Charities Act Amendment Bill that was
passed in parliament in 2010. Now all externally-audited charities, including
all charities set up as companies, and all other charities with annual income
or expenditure over 500,000 Singapore dollars (393,701 U.S. dollars), will
have to post a summary of their financial information online on the Charity
Portal. A new Charity Portal will be rolled out in the second half of 2013,
the Commissioner of Charities said. There are now measures in place to better
manage the conduct of commercial and third-party fund-raisers and commercial
participators. A commercial fund-raiser is required to declare its identity
as a commercial entity. Charities are also required to indicate in brochures
and websites the proportion of the proceeds raised that will be for
charitable purposes. Commercial fund-raisers need a written agreement with
their beneficiary charity on the fund-raiser's fees and the time frame within
which the proceeds much be transferred to the charity. The office said that a
record 1 billion Singapore dollars (787 million U.S. dollars) in donations
were collected in 2012, up 12 percent from the 896 million Singapore dollars
(706 million U.S. dollars) in 2011. From
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
07/25/2013 Singapore
Library Uses Analytics to Forecast Demand The National Library Board (NLB) used analytics to improve
accuracy in forecasting patrons’ demand by 60 per cent, reducing waiting time
for popular books and frequency of patrons not being able to find the book
they want. Housing over eight million reference books, novels, magazines,
audio visuals, and audio books and catering to more than two million
registered members, NLB is challenged to find the right balance in its
collection to ensure its materials stay up-to-date, relevant and engaging to
patrons. For patrons who are looking to borrow a highly popular book, the
wait between reserving and receiving their book may drive them to look for
alternative means to get the book such as purchasing a copy from a bookstore.
“Having a wide-ranging collection of books is just part of the equation. We
have to continually identify and assemble a collection of books that has the
right mix, appeal and balance to cater to the different segments of our
library patrons,” said Colin Seow, the library’s Manager for Resource
Management. NLB invested in a demand-driven forecasting solution which
empowers staff to make better procurement decisions through guided
forecasting based on past data and statistics. The solution analyses NLB’s loan data to generate unrestricted,
rolling forecast numbers for new titles, existing titles and for unmet
demands such as patrons who fail to checkout a book on their visit. Each
forecast is individually calculated using statistically optimised parameters
to provide up-to-date projections. Additionally, factors that could
potentially impact the demand analysis, including loans, categories of books,
renewals, reservations, authors, titles and others, were identified,
quantified and included in the forecasting processes. “Through the SAS
Demand-Driven Forecasting solution, we are able to analyse past patron and
circulation data, and turn these data into useful insights to guide our
acquisition decisions,” commented Seow. “Our librarians’ experiences combined
with our expertise in analytical insights have increased our ability to make
acquisition decisions with greater accuracy.” The solution, deployed across
its group of 25 public libraries and one National Library, is integrated with
two other library systems – the Electronic Selection and Acquisition system
and the Collection Planning systems – which manage and oversee NLB’s
collection throughout the island. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/22/2013 THAILAND:
Launching Medical Call Centre for Citizens with Impairments National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM), Thailand
joined forces with TOT —state-owned telco— to launch emergency call centre
for elderly citizens and people with hearing and speech impairments
optimising consolidated medical records, national data on elderly and persons
with disabilities, and satellite location-based data. The “TOT Help Call
Centre 1669” project aimed to provide emergency medical aid to elderly and
people with hearing and speech impairments as they require special phone
service. An MOU was signed by the NIEM, the TOT, Universal Foundation of
Person with Disabilities, and National Broadcasting and Telecommunications
Commission (NBTC) on June 19. The project is a part of an effort to provide
access to basic telecommunication infrastructure such as telephone for senior
citizens and persons with disabilities. “This collaboration will answer the
needs for medical service of our senior citizens and citizens with hearing
and speech impairments, as well as to allow the NIEM to provide equal
opportunity for people to access medical emergency service,” said Dr Anuchar
Sethasathien, NIEM Secretary General. The database of persons with hearing and speech impairments will
be created and shared with the ‘TOT Help Call Centre 1669” across the country
as part of providing service over the phone. The data includes medical
records, contact number, home address and location data, and other
information pre-registered with the foundation by each person. The service
will be piloted across seven provinces of Chon Buri, Rayong, Khonkaen, Nong
Bua Lam Phu, Udon Thani, Kalasin, and Ubon Ratchathani, before being launched
nationwide. The call charge will be free for TOT fixed line customers during
the initial stage of the project. Later, customers who are interested will be
charged at THB 30 (US$1) per month. TOT customers who have senior members or
family members with hearing and speech impairments at home are encouraged to
register for this service. Data from the Institute for Population and Social
Research, Mahidol University shows that Thailand has nearly 16-million senior
citizens aged over 60 years old. Of the 1.4 million persons with disabilities
registered at the National Office for Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities under Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, there
are up to 221,199 people with hearing and speech impairments. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/26/2013 Thailand
Covers Border City with Free Wi-Fi Ministry of ICT (MICT), Thailand last week launched free Wi-Fi
project to cover Nong Khai province with high speed Internet, in an effort to
prepare this border city for the coming Asean Economic Community (AEC). Nong
Khai is a city in the North East of Thailand, located on the Mekong River
near the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge that is spanning the river to Laos, on
the other side. The city is vibrant and famous for being a place where
citizens of both countries coming for visiting, residing, and trading. “Nong
Khai is like a gateway to our neighbour [Laos]. The free Wi-Fi project will
enhance the city’s socio-economics and education for residents of Nong Khai,”
said MICT Deputy Permanent Secretary Somboon Mekpaiboonwattana. Deputy
Nongkai Governor Vichien Piyawarakorn said that the city is in preparation to
embrace the Asean integration in 2015, and is now focusing on improving its
necessary infrastructure for the coming economic growth. “The Free Wi-Fi project will faciliate Nong Khai residents —
students, public officials, business person, and visitors to the province —
to benefit from accessing the high speed internet,” he added. People in Nong
Khai will enjoy the high speed internet of up to two Mbps, at 30 minutes per
day of up to 15 hours per month by selecting the “ICT Free WiFi by True”
network and proceed the registration process. “The ICT Free Wi-Fi by True
project” in Nong Khai is in partnership with True Corporation — a private ICT
provider, and in line with the MICT’s “Smart Thailand” campaign to promote
free Wi-Fi at the Public place. Started in 2011, the MICT has already
provided Free Wi-Fi hotspots to cover up to 120,000 locations across the
country in collaboration with public and private sector. The ministry plans
to provide more hotspots of up to 150,000 location by next year. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/10/2013 Thailand
Introduces Software to Reveal Air Pollution National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA),
Thailand last week introduced new software to reveal air pollution levels in
Bangkok from car exhaust pipes as well as assess the risk level of residents to
carcinogenic fumes. Developed in partnership with Bara Scientific, the NIBRA
software is able to record accurate amount of toxic substances, allowing
relevant agencies to public health to make more accurate research, and come
up with subsequent prevention for long-term pollution control and other
solutions. The same software will be available for public to download later
this year, which will enable residents to keep personal records of the
density of fumes, and consolidate them with public database to calculate
density levels of carcinogenic fumes and substances in their neighbourhoods.
The carcinogenic fumes can be the cause of lung cancer. “Data on those
substances would be more precise and variable,” said Assoc Prof Siwatt
Pongpiachan, Director of NIDA’s Centre for Research and Development of
Disaster Prevention and Management. The software will require users to record personal data of ages,
weight, and duration of exposure to carcinogenic fumes their areas, as part
of risk assessment indication. Users can use those factors to calculate the
risk based on formulas of exposure to carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs), and later the possibility of respiratory illnesses or
even lung cancer caused by long-term exposure to unhealthy air pollution. A
study conducted by NIDA using result from the NIBRA software showed the risk
ratio faced by traffic policemen and vendors in several areas in the capital
where air pollution is bad. The results are highest under current NIBRA
criteria although not very high under a general standard. The calculations
will be more precise after NIBRA has completed the development of the
software and ready for public use via online download, according to
Pongpiachan. “When more information about carcinogenic substances and other
items is put into the database - and NIBRA software used widely in many areas
in Bangkok, the results of calculations will be more accurate and variable,”
he said and added that people who are concerned about their risk level can
make good use of this software to find out how healthy is the air around
their areas. NIBRA software’s calculations are based on data collected
between 2006 and 2009 from a database operated by the Pollution Control
Department under Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Bara
Scientific managing director Ittiphol Kittikhun said he wished the department
would upgrade and expand the database and permit public use of it - as is
being done in many developed countries, as the investment would be much
cheaper compared to treatment costs for lung cancer or respiratory diseases.
The software can also be applied to use in emergency cases like the
explosion. The portable gas chromatographs-mass spectrometer can reliably
identify what kind of carcinogens and how many carcinogenic substances are in
the air. The NIBRA software can easily assess the risk of exposure
individuals in the community, Pongpiachan said. Ittiphol said his company
would collect air samples at 500 locations in the capital, or 10 in each of
all 50 Bangkok districts, if it had a budget and the capability to do this. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/18/2013 Thai
Hospital Adopts M-Health Solution Vibhavadi Hospital in Bangkok is adopting a mobile health
solution to deliver reminders about appointments to all patients on their
cell phones. The mHeath+3 platform, developed by New Zealand-based mHealth
provider Vensa Health, will automate and manage appointment reminders for all
200,000 appointments that the hospital schedules annually. The hospital
serves more than 20,000 in-patients and 300,000 out-patients a year. The
platform has been integrated with the hospitals existing health information
system to allow the hospital to send personalised reminders directly to
patients’ cell phones through SMS. For the initial two-month pilot, the
platform will be used across five departments representing 15 to 20 per cent
of all appointments scheduled in the hospital. The hospital will assess the
effectiveness of the system in ensuring appointment attendance and increased
saving of time and resources during the trial. Vibhavadi Hospital expects to
see millions in savings by cutting the number of missed appointments annually
by as much as 50 per cent. Patient outcomes too will be improved with fewer
patients missing appointments with their doctors. “We expect to be able to use Vensa’s
system to improve service integration at Vibhavadi and ensure more patients
attend the appointments they need at the right time to stay well”, stated
Chaisit Viriyamettakul , Managing Director of Vibhavadi Hospital. Vibhavadi
Hospital employs more than 300 physicians, and is affiliated with an
extensive network of hospitals across the country. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/09/2013 Thailand
Launches ASEAN Community e-Classroom The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology
launched the pilot trial of its ASEAN Community e-Classroom project, an
initiative under the ASEAN ICT Master plan 2015, which aims harness the ICT
skills of people with disabilities. The ASEAN Community e-Classroom is a
virtual classroom featuring several ICT courses aimed at making sure that
people with disabilities – whether blind, deaf and mobility impaired — is
equipped with the necessary ICT skills to be part of a competitive ASEAN ICT
workforce. Users can simply create an account and choose their desired
learning track from the eight course categories which include the following:
Smart ASEAN Citizen, Smart ASEAN for the Youth, Smart ASEAN for Women, Smart
ASEAN aged citizen, Smart ASEAN with physical disabilities, Smart ASEAN
blind, Smart ASEAN deaf, and Learning disabilities guardian. With the goal of
the free movement of labour by 2015, ASEAN hopes that its pool of skilled
professionals are equipped with the skill sets needed to facilitate a true
regional labour integration - one that results to the development of competitive
and productive enterprises, better lives for the people and socio-economic
growth. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/19/2013 400,000
Free Wi-Fi Hotspots in Thailand by 2014 Thailand is to have a total of 400,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots
nationwide by 2014, announced the ICT Minister, Anudith Nakornthap. About
270,000 free hotspots were installed in the last two years, with another
150,000 to be added next year. In 2012, National Broadcasting and
Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) of Thailand allocated THB 950 million
(US $30 million) for the ICT Ministry’s free Wi-Fi project which started in
2011. The Wi-Fi hotspots will serve about 7.7-10 million people. State-owned
telecom company, TOT, is providing the Wi-Fi equipment, although various
public and private agencies are charged with installing the Wi-Fi system. In
two years, the Ministry of ICT (MICT) will hand over the management and
maintenance of the network to TOT and CAT, state-owned provider of telecom
infrastructure. Citizens can register for free use of the Wi-Fi service for 6
months, with each access lasting 20 minutes, up to a total of two hours per
day. Thailand also launched the ‘ICT Free Wi-Fi for Tourism’ campaign in 2012.
MICT’s Wi-Fi initiatives are under its Smart Thailand programme to promote
its free Wi-Fi service campaign to bridge digital divide and ensure equal
telecom access across the country. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/13/2013 New
Police Website for Transfer Requests The Royal Thai Police has launched a website where police
officers can file requests if they wish to be transferred to a particular area,
deputy police commissioner Pol General Somyot Poompanmoung said. "This
should boost their morale," he said yesterday. Somyot said that in his
35 years in service he had witnessed several officers losing heart when they
could not get transferred to their home provinces. "Some want to go back
to their hometowns to take care of their parents," he said, pointing out
that low morale could also affect efficiency at work. The new website will serve as a forum
via which police officers can list their desirable posting and their current
position so their transfers can be arranged ahead of the reshuffle.
"Both sides will have to inform their supervising units," Somyot
explained. He went on to say that while the website was designed to help
officers get transferred to places they want, it had no influence on the
supervisors' decision. From
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
08/16/2013 VIETNAM:
City Reviews Pilot Trial of Digital Mapping Project The Municipal People’s Committee and the local Department of
Information and Communications of Da Nang City organised a meeting last week
to review and assess the pilot trial of the city’s digital mapping project. The
meeting gathered industry experts from the private sector such as Hitachi
Solutions (HISOL), Zenrin (ZRN) and the FPT Information Systems Company. The
pilot trial of the digital map of Hai Chau District covers a total area of
24km2, equivalent to about 50,000 houses in this district. It depicts
administrative boundaries, transport routes, residential housing, bus routes,
traffic signals, hospitals, schools, hotels, markets and others. In addition,
the digital map allows users to view various “Places of interest” in the city
and also measure the distance between them. According to an official
statement, the Department will work closely with their Japanese partners to
solve issues and concerns that were identified during the implementation of
the pilot trial. Furthermore, they will also be discussing how they can
leverage various GIS applications for better urban planning. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/10/2013 Online Hotel
Booking Service Going Strong The online hotel booking service is becoming a lucrative
business for investors in the hospitality industry in Viet Nam. A Thoi Bao
Kinh Te Sai Gon (Saigon Economic Times) report says that Viet Nam now has
13,700 tourist accommodation facilities with about 290,000 rooms, including
61 five-star hotels with 14,600 rooms, 154 four-star hotels with 19,300
rooms, and 365 three-star hotels with 25,520 rooms. With the number of
domestic and overseas tourists visiting different locations in the country
increasing every year, many of those looking to reserve accommodation find it
convenient to do so online. According to the General Statistics Office (GSO),
the number of international arrivals in Viet Nam in June 2013 was 567,291, up
1.5 per cent over the previous month and 29.9 per cent year-on-year. In the
first six months of this year, in spite of the global economic recession
which has strongly impacted Viet Nam's source markets, the tourism sector has
managed to take advantage of its strengths and gain positive growth, the
report says. Total international arrivals during the first six months reached
3,540,403, a 2.6 per cent growth over the same period of 2012. The number of
domestic tourists was 24 million, up 12 per cent, and total tourism revenues
rose 23.5 per cent year-on-year to reach VND105 trillion (US$5 billion).
Given such attractive conditions, Viet Nam is a potential market for websites
providing online booking services. The report says that at present there are
dozens of websites abroad and some at home that providing online booking
services for hotels in Viet Nam. But a few overseas companies like Agoda.com,
Booking.com and Expedia.com dominate the market now, charging between 15 and
20 per cent for a confirmed booking. Some domestic websites offering the
service at lower prices are not able to compete with the big players. In the
past, the overseas websites provided the service for three to five star
hotels and resorts, but now they are ready to help smaller tourist accommodations
like mini hotels and guesthouses. "These websites are very quick on the
uptake. Although their head offices are located abroad, they carry out
surveys of the country's regions every year to discover new hotels and
introduce their booking service to these establishments," said Phan Van
Toan, general director of the Phan Thiet Allezboon Resort. Three to five star
hotels and resorts are those that have the highest online sales turnover. At
some high-end hotels, online bookings account for nearly 40 per cent of their
total sales. At the Majestic Hotel in HCM City for instance, online bookings
account for 37 per cent of its occupancy, most of them sold by overseas
websites, according to general manager Nguyen Anh Vu. Doing business with
these overseas websites is simple and flexible and highly effective, so the
hotel is ready to pay up to 15 per cent of the value of a sold room to the
websites, Vu said. Tao Van Nghe, general manager of the Rex Hotel in HCM
City, also said that global websites dominated the domestic hotel room
booking market. This is a global trend and set to rise because of the
increasing use of mobile devices, he said. Global websites were more
attractive than domestic ones in selling hotel rooms online since they not
only have their networks covering the entire world, their payment was very
quick and flexible, Toan said. "If we sell rooms on overseas websites we
can get the money right after customers check out while we have to wait for
at least one or two weeks to get money if we sell rooms on domestic
websites," he said. Despite the market domination of global firms, domestic
counterparts like Ivivu.com and Chudu.com have been very active in seeking
new ways to better exploit the market. Recently, the Viet Nam My Tour Company
entered the market with its Mytour.vn website. The leader of a major tourism
company, who declined to be named, said that his company had already invested
US$1 million to open a website specialising in selling hotel rooms online. He
said the website is set to begin operations next year "The domestic
market still has much potential, but because we lag behind the global
websites, we have to make some changes to attract customers. We will provide
other relevant services in addition to the hotel room bookings to create more
convenience for customers," he said, adding that the problem of
"slow payment" would be settled. From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
08/05/2013 City's Rapid
Transport System to Be Ready in 2017 The first Bus Rapid Transit route is expected to be put in use
in four years, according to HCM City officials. Duong Hong Thanh, deputy
director of the city's Department of Transport, said a feasibility study was
being completed on the proposed route from Mien Tay trans-provincial bus
station to Thu Thiem Tunnel and Metro Station Line No1 in Cat Lai. The
proposed 25-km BRT system would run along Vo Van Kiet Boulevard, connecting
the east and west portions of the city. Thanh, however, did not reveal how
much the new system would cost. One online source said construction cost
could total US$152 million. When contacted by Viet Nam News, Thanh declined
to comment further. The system would have a fleet of 30 buses that would
charge lower fares for students and the poor. According to the city's transport
department, the South Korean Government has helped the city conduct research
and outline eight different BRT schemes that would cover the most important
areas of the city. The chief representative of the Korean International
Cooperation Agency in Viet Nam said the bus system would provide a safe and
convenient transport for the city's residents. He said he hoped that with the
three-year effort of both countries on the bus proposal, the project would be
approved and implemented as soon as possible. The bus system would decrease travel time and improve the bus
speed up by 40 per cent, as well as reduce air pollution, he said. Most
people in HCM City rely on motorbikes which account for more than 65 per cent
of vehicles. The current bus system is ageing and inefficient. Traffic congestion has worsened, while
road accidents kill more than 800 people in HCM City each year. The
two-wheeled culture has contributed to what the World Bank calls a
disconnected form of sprawl or "leap-frog development".Together
with the first metro line Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien, which is under construction,
the development of BRT shows that the city government was making an effort to
reduce the number of motorbikes in use and develop a public transport system,
Thanh was quoted as saying by Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) daily.
This was especially important because more people would decide to buy cars as
their incomes rise, contributing further to traffic gridlock, he added. Among the Korean agency's eight proposals are: — a 32km route from Binh Phuoc Intersection to Nguyen Thi Minh
Khai Street and the Mien Tay trans-provincial bus station. — a 9.1km route from Ben Thanh Market to Cach Mang Thang Tam
Street; — a 14.9km route from Bach Dang Quay to Quang Trung Software
Park; — a 22km route from Cay Go Roundabout to Ha Noi Highway; — a 13km route from the District 8 Bus station to Hang Xanh
roundabout; — a 14.6km route from Bach Dang Quay ferry to Nguyen Huu Tho
Street and Kenh Te Bridge; — a 16.3km route from Ben Thanh Market to An Suong Bus Station;
and — a 5km route from Ba Queo T-junction to Au Co Street to Ba
Thang Hai Street. From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
08/10/2013 |
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India Railway is all set to launch SMS Grievance Redressal
System to response passenger complaints regarding housekeeping services.
On-site Passenger Complaint Redressal System (OPCRS) is being established as
proposed in Rail Budget 2013-14. This service will be launched on few
selected trains where passengers can contact onboard staff through SMS or
phone call. It will address issues like cleanliness in coaches, toilets, and
other problems faced during journey. Indian Railway has asked three digit
numbers from Department of Telecom to create a complaint cell number. As soon
as the SMS is sent, the information will be registered on OPCRS and will be
transferred to GSM cell available with housekeeping supervisor. An
acknowledgement would be sent on the mobile phone of complainant with a
complaint ID. The complainant needs to disclose the ID to the housekeeping
supervisor after he attends to problem. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/11/2013 Goa Government is all set to introduce e-notepads in schools for
the students of class V and VI. It aims to make education system hi-tech.
Around 50,000 e-notepads would be provided to government and private schools.
Students will get e-notepads by the end of July. It will be pre-loaded with
the updated syllabus. Government also plans to make school campus Wi Fi
enabled so that students can access internet through their e-notepads.
Although e-notepad will not take place of black board teaching format. It
will help students to revise their subject. The overhead projectors are also
planned in few of the schools so that the students can be taught in a more
interactive manner. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/14/2013 Farmers
in Odisha Gets Mobile Phones Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha recently distributed 5,000
mobile phones to farmers. It will help farmers to plan farming applications
and track market price of various agricultural produce and weather.
IIT-Kanpur had designed applications technological support for the mobile
phones. Farmers can obtain information through voice call and SMS in local
language. Farmers have to fill up a form to register with the regulated
market committees. There are almost 66 regulated market committees in the
state. Government of Odisha has sanctioned Rs two crore for the project.
Government plans to distribute 20,000 mobile phones. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/19/2013 India
Launches First Navigation Satellite India successfully launched its first dedicated navigation
satellite using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which took off from the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Andhra Pradesh. An elated ISRO chairman K
Radhakrishnan said the IRNSS-1A satellite was precisely injected into its
intended orbit. The data from the satellite would help the country in a range
of fields including disaster management, vehicle tracking, fleet management
and marine navigation. Developed by India, the IRNSS-1A, the first of the 7
satellites constituting the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
(IRNSS) space segment, has a mission life of 10 years. It is designed to
provide accurate position information service to users in the country as well
as the region extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary, which is its
primary service area. IRNSS will be on lines with Russia’s Global Orbiting
Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), United States’ Global Positioning
System (GPS), European Union’s Galileo (GNSS), China’s BeiDou satellite navigation
system and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. The navigational system would provide two types of services
–Standard Positioning Service, which is provided to all the users and
Restricted Service, which is an encrypted service provided only to the
authorised users. IRNSS applications include mapping and geodetic data
capture, precise timing, visual and voice navigation for drivers, integration
with mobile phones and terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, terrestrial
navigation aid for hikers and travellers. IRNSS-1A carries navigation
payload, which will transmit navigation service signals to users, by
operating in L5 (1176.45 MHz) and S band (2492.028 MHz) with a highly
accurate Rubidium atomic clock and the ranging payload of a C-band transponder,
which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite. India
aspires to have the seven-satellite IRNSS space segment in place before 2015
at a total cost of Rs 1420 crore.. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/03/2013 Web Portal to Ensure Online Insurance for Farmers United India Insurance, in
alliance with Agriculture Insurance Co of India, has launched an Internet
service to cater to the crop insurance needs of farmers in remote areas.
Milind Kharat, Chairman and Managing Director of United India, and P. J.
Joseph, Chairman of Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd, formally
launched the Web portal recently. Most of the farmers have no easy access to
the offices of insurance companies. This portal would help insurance agents
which to farmers services such as transfer of data on real-time basis and
faster settlement of claims. An identification number would be given to the
farmers that can be used for further renewals. United India is marketing two
schemes; weather-based crop insurance and modified national agriculture
insurance in selective districts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka. From http://egov.eletsonline.com/ 07/10/2013 All India
Radio to Launch SMS Based News Services All India Radio (AIR) is all set to launch an SMS-based service
that will bring the latest headlines to registered users across the country.
Official sources said that through this service, AIR would send news alerts
thrice everyday to registered users. Every SMS will have 3 to 4 news
headlines along with an advertisement tag. Officials said this latest service
was expected to expand the reach of AIR, while the advertisement tag could
generate revenues as the service becomes popular. Officials said the new
service required a huge database to store details of registered users and AIR
was in the process of finalising a firm that would generate and maintain the
database. The intent is to create a system where a user can register himself
through an internet-based application with a feature through which the
service can also be disconnected if a request is made by the user, a source
said. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/17/2013 Department
of Food & Public Distribution Launches Electronic Transfer of Funds The Department of Food & Public Distribution has launched the
system of electronic transfer of funds. Sudhir Kumar, Secretary of the
Department launched the system recently. The new system would bring more
efficiency in the financial working of the Department and would ensure quick
and direct transfer of the funds to the beneficiaries. The Department of Food
and Public Distribution has a major role to play in the payment of subsidies
particularly Food and Sugar covering a substantial amount of Budget outflow.
The Department and Reserve Bank of India in partnership with the National
Informatics Centre have implemented the electronic payment system of the
computerized accounting. This is a fully secured web system of electronic
payment certified by the STQC Directorate of the IT Department. It would
bring transparency in the payment system. The system serves as a middleware
between the accounting applications namely COMPACT for bill processing and
Core Banking Solution (CBS) for the bank and the Reserve Bank of India. Apart
from being a secured mode of payment, it would be saving time in fund
transfer by eliminating physical cheques and their manual processing. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/17/2013 President Launches
SMS Portal for Farmers President, Pranab Mukherjee launched an SMS portal exclusively
for farmers. Through this new initiative, farmers can get agriculture related
information and advisories as per their needs and location, and in their own
language. He called upon the Indian agricultural research system to find
technological solutions to challenges being faced by Indian agriculture
research and to reach out to the millions of small and marginal farmers. On
this occasion, the President and Agriculture Minister launched a number of
important publications by the ICAR and presented awards to institutions,
scientists and journalists dealing with agricultural research and education.
Among areas that need special focus, the President drew attention to quality
seed production, agro-processing and post-harvest handling of farm produce,
development and introduction of genetically modified crops, and preparing
agriculture for climate change. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/17/2013 Online
Ticket System to Visit Rashtrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan has announced online ticketing system to
book tickets in order to visit Rashtapati Bhavan.It would charge Rs. 25 as
registration charges for booking Rashtrapati Bhavan tours starting from
September 1st, 2013. Omita Paul, secretary to the President of India
recently launched new facility of
e-payment gateway for e-management of visitors – a system for online
collection of registration charges for booking of Rashtrapati Bhavan tours.
Visitors individually or in a group of less than 30 will be charged @Rs 25/-
per visitor per visit and visitors in a group of 30 will be charged Rs. 600/-
in lump sum per visit. Visitors in a group of more than 30 will be charged
Rs. 600/- for 30 visitors and Rs. 25/- per visitor per visit for every extra
person. Children below the age of 12 years will be exempt. An on-line booking
system for tours of Rashtrapati Bhavan was started on January 1st, 2013. Since
then, over 47,000 visitor have visited Rashtrapati Bhavan using the system.
The charges are meant to enable Rashtrapati Bhavan maintain and improve
services to public, said a statement and further added that the registration
charges can be also paid at the Reception of Rashtrapati Bhavan prior to the
tour. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/06/2013 Maharashtra
Becomes First State to Link UID with Employee Salaries Government of Maharashtra became the first State Government to
successfully link UID (Aadhaar) with salaries of State Government employees.
The pilot was successfully completed when all employees of the IT department
of the State Government got their salaries for the month of July 2013 through
their UID (Aadhaar) linked Bank Accounts. The IT department was selected for
the pilot as all employees in the department have UID numbers. As an initial
step, the UID numbers were mapped to the employee details and bank accounts.
The Banks were informed of the
mapping of UID numbers and bank account and the same was seeding in the Core
Banking system of the bank and the mapper maintained by National Payment
Corporation of India (NPCI). To confirm the correctness of the UID and Bank
Account mapping and to ensure that the salary reaches the right person, Re. 1
was pushed into the UID linked bank accounts of the employees as a test case.
On successful payment of Re. 1 into each account, the actual
salary payment was made, wherein only the UID numbers and the salary amount
were mentioned. The payment was made using the Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB),
making Maharashtra the first State to use Aadhaar for payment of employee
salaries. Lauding the success of the team, Secretary IT Mr. Rajesh Aggarwal
said – “It is a historic moment for the State and another feather in our cap
in being the most innovative State in the UID ecosystem. Going forward, it
would be extended to other departments and finally the payments would be made
directly from one single location without routing it through multiple
departments/offices.” Use of Aadhaar Payment Bridge would facilitate payment
of salaries into correct bank accounts, ensure that employees get their
salaries on-time and without any hassle. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/08/2013 EDMC Plans
Electronic System to Monitor Solid Waste East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has planned to launch ‘E-Municipality
Solid Waste Disposal Monitoring System’ to ensure effective monitoring of
solid waste in the area. The system will enable online monitoring of all
vehicles that are used to carry municipal waste through GPS and radio
frequency identification device. With its inauguration today, the EDMC will
become the first civic body in Delhi to have such a system in place. The
entire garbage collection and disposal mechanism in East Delhi areas will be
placed under electronic surveillance. RFID and VTS devices are being
installed in all auto-tippers and garbage trucks, some other technological
innovations are being introduced to improve efficiency and plug the
loopholes. RFID tagging is a system that uses a small radio frequency
identification device (RFID) for identification and tracking purposes. The
corporation plans to equip garbage trucks and auto-tippers with RFID tags to
monitor their movement. Similarly, Vehicle Tracking Software (VTS) allows users to
monitor and control the movement of vehicles once its trip starts. It helps
in better fleet management by reducing the operating costs by delivering
mobile assets more effectively. Further, the operator of the device would
also be taking pictures of the garbage dumping spots when the garbage would
be lifted. In order to make the system foolproof, the hand-held device would
be connected to a central server.
All pictures of garbage lifting will be uploaded on the central
server. The data complied by the company and movement of vehicles can be
viewed live on a dedicated website www.edmctracking.com. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/13/2013 Aadhaar
Enabled Know Your Customer Process Becomes Paperless The electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) service of the Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is transforming the entire KYC
process by making it paperless, instantaneous, secure, economical and
non-repudiable. The UIDAI expects its e-KYC service to enhance customer convenience
and greatly increase business efficiency across sectors that require proof of
identity and address to open customer accounts. Not only will this service
streamline the process of on-boarding new customers but it will also simplify
the process of linking existing customer accounts to their respective Aadhaar
numbers in an easy yet secure manner. The Ministry of Finance, Government of
India, has already recognized e-KYC as a valid document for all financial
services under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PML) Rules. The UIDAI is
working with sector regulators for extending e-KYC to their respective
sectors. The e-KYC service will extend the power and convenience of
Aadhaar KYC to paperless transactions. Using the e-KYC service, residents can
authorize the UIDAI to release their KYC data to a service provider. This
authorization can either be done in person (through biometric
authentication), or it can be done online (through OTP authentication). Upon
successful authentication and consent of the resident, the UIDAI will provide
the resident’s name, address, date of birth, gender, photograph, mobile
number (if available), and email address (if available) to the service
provider electronically.’ From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
08/21/2013 SRI LANKA:
Mobitel Mobile 4G Services Live Mobitel, a unit of Sri Lanka Telecom, said mobile fourth
generation (4G) broad band services had gone live in Colombo, Galle,
Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, and Matara. The 4G-LTE (fourth
generation - long term evolution) services had shown downlink speeds of 96
Megabits per second, which they said was the highest in South Asia. "To
enjoy 4G-LTE speeds, customers must use supporting mobile phones, dongles or
routers," Mobitel said in a statement. "With these superior speeds
customers can experience faster download speeds, smooth HD video streaming,
superior online gaming and much more." Enterprises can benefit from the
service as it is reliable and has higher average speeds of Mobitel's mobile
4G-LTE service which is backed by the fibre optic network of its parent, the
firm said. From
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com
06/03/2013 Sri Lanka
Car Owners to Renew License Through Phone Sri Lanka's car owners will be able to renew and pay for annual
revenue licenses through their mobile phones, an official said as part of
efforts to boost government service delivery, officials said. Sri Lanka’s
Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) said car owners in the
Western Province would be able to apply and pay for revenue license from the
end of this month. The service will be expanded to the North Western Province
and Kegalle District by the end of this year. It will use a mobile payment
system from Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka's largest cell phone company, which has
been approved by the Central Bank to handle mobile payments. "This will
be an alternative payment system," ICTA's eServices Programme head
Kanchana Thudugala said. "It will be initially provided with the support
of Dialog’s easy cash payment system." Dialog Axiata is the first
operator to be licensed by Sri Lanka's central bank to make mobile payments. ICTA communications director Athula Pushpakumara said other
mobile operators would also be invited to join the system. The system will
also send a text message notifying the expiry date of revenue license, the
following year if a mobile number is provided at the time of renewal. Sri
Lanka's vehicle owners already have a facility to pay for revenue licenses
online through a credit card. The Western Province motor traffic office had
launched the online revenue license issuance system in collaboration with
ICTA in 2009. ICTA also plans to set up systems to issue certified copies of
marriage, birth and death certificates in the Kegalle district on the
requests made via mobile phones from next month as part of its 'e-Sri Lanka'
initiative to put state service online. From
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com
07/16/2013 |
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Goldenpay will start issuance of electronic digital signatures to
the population in Azerbaijan in the near future, the company told the local
press on July 1.To broaden the range of e-signature users, the company plans
to provide additional benefits for the recipients, as well as to expand the
list of e-services whereby they can be used.The company plans to offer
e-signature holders such e-services as ordering a loan without visiting the
bank and remote opening of bank accounts. Moreover, users will be able to
load balance to SMART cards used for water and gas counters.So far, the Data
Processing Center of the Azerbaijani Communications and Information
Technologies Ministry has issued some 15,000 certificates for digital
e-signatures. The vast majority of the issued EDS account for government
agencies.The e-signature is available across the entire network of
Azerbaijani postal operator Azerpost as well as in ASAN Service centers.The
certificate of an e-signature is produced immediately after the request is
received by the registration center. The e-signature's owner gets a relevant
notification via e-mail.The prices on an e-signature range between 14 manats
($17.8) and 30 manats ($38) for the population, depending on the time period,
80 manats ($101.8) for state bodies and between 60 manats ($76) and 168
manats ($213.9) for enterprises. From http://www.azernews.az/
07/02/2013 Urban
Smart Grid First Formed in The State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy (ABEMDA)
has started building the country’s first smart grid. ABEMDA deputy chairman Jamil Melikov
has stated that the formation of smart-network began in Gobustan. "Its creation is crucial for
increasing the efficiency of the landfill on alternative energy, which is
located in Gobustan, and to ensure quality power supply to the city,"
Melikov said. He added that smart
grid will enable to optimize energy production and consumption in the city,
including automatically introducing restrictions in power consumption. "After the formation of this
grid, we’ll be able to conduct in Gobustan experimental testing of a new
billing system, including the introduction of various-by-cost night, peak and
stimulating tariffs," Melikov said.
Currently,
From http://abc.az/ 07/03/2013 Successful
Development of E-Services in Successful development of electronic services in The ten government agencies whose services lead in popularity
among users have been announced." The greatest interest for citizens is
attracted by the services provided by the ICT Ministry, the State Fund of
Social Protection, the Interior Ministry, the Ministries of Justice, Taxes,
Education, Labor and Social Protection, and Health, the State Customs
Committee, as well as the Public Service Commission under the President of
Azerbaijan," Velizade said. According to the deputy minister, the
application of the State Program on the development of e-government and
e-services in 2013-2015, discussed during the public hearings, will allow to
achieve significant results in this area." The state program will cover
three years and we expect that it will give a significant impetus to the development
of e-services in According to him, the drafting of the state program involved two
specially created working groups of the ICT Ministry and the State Agency for
Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan. The
draft state program involves 83 events by 43 state bodies, which will focus
on developing and expanding the coverage of e-services, electronification of
the existing processes in government agencies, and the development of mobile
e-signatures. More than a third of these activities focus on the development
and application of solutions in the field of e-government. According to the
Head of the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the
President of Azerbaijan, Inam Karimov, the development of e-services in Previously, citizens applied to various entities with requests
to provide them with a certain service or document, but now the state itself
offers citizens a variety of modern and simple ways by which they can receive
the needed services," Karimov said at the public hearings. According to
him, efforts aimed at the development of this field have been made
consistently in recent years." One of the most important of these
measures was the order of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the
establishment of ASAN Service. The work of ASAN Service allows significantly
improving the transparency and reducing negative instances such as
corruption. It is a well-known fact that the best way to fight corruption is
to eliminate the enabling environment in which it occurs," Karimov said.
The first ASAN service center, which started its activity from January,
provides services to the residents of Narimanov, Nasimi and Binagadi
districts of the capital Baku, while the second center renders services to
the residents of Nizami, Khatai and Surakhani districts. Moreover, the ASAN
service center in Sumgayit, along with locals, also serves the residents of
nearby regions. Three more ASAN centers are to open this year in the Yasamal
and Sabunchi districts of the capital and in the country's second largest
city, Ganja. From http://www.azernews.az/
07/15/2013 IRAN:
Creating National E-Mail Service The Iranian Ministry of Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) started national e-mail service, IRINN TV channel reported.In this
service e-mail addresses will be assigned for each Iranian citizen (based on
national code) or private and state organizations, the report said.Users can
connect to their account via internet or national internet and receive last
messages from government organizations or other persons.The number of
internet users in the year which ended in March 2012 reached 32.7 million.The
number of GPRS users amounts to 27.5 million, accounting for 36 percent of
total internet users in Iran. Some 867,000 people are using high-speed
internet, and about 6 million people are using internet via optical fiber
network.Since 2005, Iran has been developing the "national
internet" to improve control over its content as well as speed. The
project, which is separate from the World Wide Web, was scheduled to be
completed by 2013. This network will be separated from the rest of the
internet specifically for domestic use. From http://www.azernews.az/
07/08/2013 |
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The Department of
Health and Ageing is expecting to get close to 500,000 users signed up for
Personally Controlled E-Health Records (PCEHR) by the end of June, despite
only having approximately half that number signed up so far. The Australian
government, in conjunction with the states, has invested over AU$1 billion in
the e-health program aimed at improving patient care through making it easier
for healthcare providers to access and share information about a patient
throughout the medical system. The project has been slow for uptake, with the
government rolling out a number of the features of the system over time as
GPs and other healthcare providers implement key system upgrades in order to
accommodate the new e-health record system. In an Budget Estimates hearing
late last week, Department of Health and Ageing Secretary Jane Halton
confirmed that 250,000 have signed up for e-health records in the 11 months
since it came online. While the figure shows
a rapid acceleration in the number of people signing up for the records,
going up from 73,648 in March, it is still well short of the 500,000 the
department had suggested would be signed up by the end of June. The
department's deputy secretary, Rosemary Huxtable, told the parliamentary
committee that despite the ground that needs to be made on the number of
registrations, the 500,000 goal is "still in sight". "While
500,000 may be a stretch in that regard, I think we are certainly heading in
the right direction," she said. Huxtable said that more features are
coming online, such as the national prescribe and dispense repository for
medicine prescriptions, as well as the e-health record features for parents
to track the health of their children and the enabling of software for the
aged-care sector. As these are being enabled, more people are signing up for
records, she said. "There is a range of activity that means that the
functionality is growing, and so more people are developing an interest. It
becomes iterative process, effectively." Part of the slow uptake back in
July 2012 was also due to the legislation for the records not passing until
July 1, and the e-health sites not being as advanced as the government had
expected on launch date. While registration is improving, the number of
documents being used in the system is still relatively low. As of last week,
there were 1,928 shared health summaries, and there have been 464 discharge
summaries uploaded to the system. A total of 3,636 health organisations
registered to use the PCEHR system as of last week. All Tasmanian hospitals
are due to be live on the PCEHR system by the end of June. Funding uncertainty In the 2012-13 Budget,
the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) received an additional
AU$166 million to cover the next phase of the project over two years. That
funding is due to run out on June 30, 2014, and Huxtable said that the
department is now working on a business case for future e-health funding with
the states and territories to be put to the Australian Health Ministers'
Advisory Council. The National Partnership Agreement on E-Health expired at
the end of June last year, and, since then, NEHTA has continued to get
funding from the Commonwealth and the states through an in-principle
memorandum of understanding signed by all parties except Victoria. Huxtable
said that the parties are operating as though the agreement has been signed,
but are just going through the final processes before a new agreement can be
signed. From http://www.zdnet.com
06/11/2013 Australian
State Uses Digital Tech to Connect with Youth The State Government of
Queensland in Australia released a Youth Strategy yesterday to guide the development
and coordination of services for young people in the state. Recognising that
young people (between the ages of 12 and 21) most often access information,
social networks, and various activities through the digital world, the
strategy aims to use digital tools and technology to engage young citizens
and provide the services they need. “We want our young people have the
support they need to reach their full potential and lead healthy and
fulfilling lives”, said Tracy Davis, Communities Minister. “This strategy is
just one way of doing that. We want to make sure we are delivering the right
services and information in the right locations, at the right time, to the
young people who need it most”. The strategy has identified six areas for the
government to focus on to connect with and improve the lives of the more than
587,000 young people who live in the state, with digital tools playing a role
in most areas. For example, to connect
youth with their most important social influences – family, friends, and
social networks – the government will continue to provide a wide range of
telephone helplines for children and parents. Additionally, all agencies will
provide links and information to their services, programmes, and apps for
young people and their friends and family on the government youth hub. In the
second focus area – connecting youth to education, training and employment –
the Department of Education, Training and Employment recently launched
QSchools, a smartphone app to allow students and parents to receive updated
information from and about multiple schools. Another app, named ‘Take a
Stand’, provides information and tips to create safe and supportive school
environments that are free from bullying, harassment and violence. The
government already provides a web-based learning management system called
Rural Skills Online to Queensland schools, which it will continue to support
under the Youth Strategy. The State Library of Queensland is also getting
involved with the training and education of the youth, by providing online
public programmes and learning opportunities such as online literature
festivals, workshops, and research support. In addition, the government will
provide safety tips and information about weather and natural disasters to
the youth through online tools, including Facebook, Twitter, blogs and
YouTube, to ensure their health and well-being (another focus area of the
strategy), and use social media to get young people’s opinions on issues that
affect them to effectively design support services. From http://www.futuregov.asia
07/05/2013 Queensland’s minister
for technology Mr Ian Walker has unveiled a suite of reforms designed to
offer more transparency and accountability for the procurement of ICT goods
and services. This five-year ICT Strategy 2013-2017 will enable Queensland
agencies to become a “more sophisticated user of technology.” Mr Walker, a
keynote speaker at the industry’s flagship FutureGov Forum Queensland being
held Tuesday 17th September in Brisbane, is driving reforms that offer a
clearer roadmap to accessing technologies-of-choice, while improving
accountability and governance. ICT-as–a-service Among the reforms,
policy architects seek a wider range of ICT solutions and choices – opening
up opportunities to a wider range of solutions providers. This involves
adopting wide-ranging procurement solutions, and focusing mainly on procuring
ICT-as-a-service. This approach also avoids vendor lock-in. “While the
migration to this approach carries risk, there are significant cost and
service delivery benefits to be gained,” the strategy notes. “Queensland
government will increasingly become a purchaser of ICT services from private
providers, and will safely but aggressively reduce its ownership and
management of ICT assets and non-critical software applications.” Plans are
under-way to engage more widely with industry — seeking opportunities that
strengthen Queensland’s digital economy. Restoring
accountability Evidence suggests that
well-publicised past failures of major ICT projects were a direct result of
“ineffective governance and poor programme and project management.” A new
strategy addresses previous shortcomings, and high-profile, costly failures.
Agencies will have to implement and consistently apply best-practice models
of portfolio, programme and project management. Greater attention is being
paid to “change management.” An ICT management framework offers clearer and
transparent points of accountability and responsibility. A future blueprint
involves driving costs lower, through “effective partnering” with
non-government and industry providers. Resources are being refocused from
owning and operating ICT infrastructure to delivering new innovative business
solutions. Governance Departments keep
responsibility for the delivery of ICT programmes and projects. They will
manage assets that are identified as “specific line of business, low-risk or
low-value initiatives.” However, reporting and assurance is still needed,
under governance guidelines. A “new authorising environment” guides a future
use of ICT. This environment supports governance, risk management and
reporting arrangements that manage and offer visibility on major, at-risk
government projects Costly past failures ICT represents
significant spending for government. Technology also remains a substantial
government asset. But unlike public buildings, or other infrastructure, the life-cycle
of ICT assets is short. Upgrades and improvements are routinely needed. If
neglected, these can result in high management costs. As highlighted in a
2012 ICT Audit, the cost to simply maintain systems that are either at, or
nearing the end of their useful life, are placing a significant burden on
government budgets. The cost of replacing these systems using a conventional
approach is prohibitive. A revitalised ICT strategy addresses cost over-runs
taking a “new approach” to sourcing services, as such, replacing costly, aged
systems in a much shorter time-frame than previously possible. From http://www.futuregov.asia
07/09/2013 Australia Expands e-Health Record Programme The Australian
Government is expanding the national Personally Controlled Electronic Health
Record (PCEHR) system to include pathology and diagnostic imaging results in
patients’ eHealth records. Information such as blood test and x-ray results
will be stored securely online as part of the patient’s PCEHR once the
functionality is launched in early 2014. The federal government of Australia
is investing AU$8 million (US$7.3 million) into the expansion of the PCEHR
system. This investment also includes funding for the planning and design
work associated with upgrading the medical software used by doctors to allow
uploading and downloading of test results at a single click. “We expect both
doctors and patients will find the new functionality useful, as it will reduce
the need for them to chase down results or duplicate tests”, said Tanya
Plibersek, Minister for Health. “In an emergency, having this kind of
information on a patient’s eHealth record could save lives”. The development
of this functionality will pave the way to storing actual images generated
during x-ray and MRI scans on the PCEHR later. Managed by the National
E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA), the PCEHR was launched in July 2012,
and currently has 520,000 patients on board. The eHealth record stores
information such as a summary of the patient’s medical history, list of
medications prescribed, allergy information, and immunisation records. Last
month, NEHTA launched its first mobile application. The app, called ‘My
Child’s eHealth Record’, allows parents and authorised representatives to
access the child’s eHealth record, and view or add information about the
child’s development. The app allows parents or guardians to add and monitor
information such as immunisations, height, weight, and development milestones
of their children under the age of 14. “This app will mean that parents can
have vital information about their children’s health, like their immunisation
status, at their fingertips all of the time”, said Plibersek. Parents must
register their children for an eHealth record through the national
programme’s website to use this app. The app is available for free for iOS
and Android-based devices. From http://www.futuregov.asia
07/19/2013 Australian Government Fast-Tracks Mobile Services An Australian
government Department of Human Services mobile app traffic download has hit
the one million mark Mobile apps. This marks an upswing in the way citizens
are accessing social benefits using smartphones and iPads. The award-winning
Express Plus mobile service, offered by Centrelink under the Department of
Human Services, is enabling consumers to use smartphones and mobile devices
to download benefits and track government services. Centrelink delivers
wide-ranging payment and services to Australians. This demographic includes
retirees, the unemployed, families, carers, and people with disabilities. In
2011–12 the Department of Human Services administered AU$144.7 billion in
payments or around 39 percent of government outlays. Self managed services The agency is moving
face-to-face and phone transactions to “self-managed” services. This involves
an expanded use of online services, as well as smartphones and mobile devices.
Ms Kathryn Campbell, Secretary, Department of Human Services, earlier noted
that customers expect they can manage their affairs using online and mobile
apps. “This shift in expectations offers us an opportunity to achieve greater
efficiencies and make our services easier to access for the majority of our
customers.” A central plank of improved service delivery is better access to
mobile communications, according to a Department of Human Services’ Strategic
Plan 2012-2016. Mobile communications offer the ability to download services
and information in an anywhere, anytime environment. Growth in mobile apps Every day, nearly
94,000 people are using mobile apps to complete common transactions. These
include reporting income, tracking payment history or changing personal
contact details. Since its launch, Express Plus is supporting transactions
for different age groups. These include downloads for retirees using an iPad
to track news, or students updating course information on smartphones. Under
its citizen engagement initiative, the Department of Human Services seeks to
provide ‘always-on’ online and mobile services. Among other upgrades, a
document lodgement feature enables subscribers to photograph documents, such
as pay slips, rent statements or proof-of-birth details. They can upload this
information directly to Centrelink using a mobile app. This defrays the time
and cost involved in visiting an office. Big ticket IT upgrades Under recent upgrades,
the Department of Human Services is modernising its Child Support Payment
System. This upgrade, initiated in July 2013, is supported by an AU$102.2
million, five-year funding package. The current system, in place for over a
decade, is at the end of its proposed lifespan. The Child Support Payment
System upgrade is expected to be up and running by December 2015. Other
enhancements are planned through to June 2018. Another AU$16.2 million is
earmarked over two years to modernise Centrelink’s Income Security Integrated
System. This system supports assessments and delivery of income support and
family payments to more than seven million people. Centrelink support
payments account for more than half a billion dollars being deposited into
bank accounts each day. From http://www.egov.vic.gov.au
08/12/2013 Queensland
Begins Planning New Health Payroll System The Queensland Government has accepted all four
recommendations of the commission of inquiry into the failed Queensland Health
payroll replacement and is already “well on track” to see them implemented.
One of those recommendations calls upon the state to immediately commence
planning for the replacement of the $1.2 billion IBM-built system, itself a
replacement for the LATTICE system the Department had previously relied upon.
The report of the inquiry, lead by Richard Chesterman, found “the current QH
payroll system will require an upgrade in about a year and replacement within
5 years”. This means that work will take place alongside the remediation of
the current system, which has been funded out to 2016-17. Minister for
Science, IT, Innovation and the Arts (DSITIA) Ian Walker confirmed to
parliament this morning that a Queensland Health payroll planning group would
be established, chaired by the Queensland Health Director-General, to begin
this process. The group will also feature representatives of Mater
Misericordiae Health Services, whose successful payroll replacement was
singled out by the commission of inquiry as a model that Queensland Health
would do well to follow. Other Queensland Government agencies have been given
until the end of October to submit risk assessment and succession plans for
any legacy systems they are currently running, if they haven’t already done
so. The Chesterman report found that far from being an exceptional case, the
hurried last-minute approach to replacing Health’s LATTICE payroll system
could be repeated in the cases of ageing and unsupported systems right across
the state. It cited the ICT Audit’s revelation that 40 per cent of the
Queensland Government’s significant applications are either past their due
date for replacement, or will be within the next two years, but for more than
50 percent, no consideration had been given a replacement process. Inside
DSITIA work has already begun work to list and document the lessons learnt
during the payroll saga. It aims to release a report to agencies by 15
September to inform their IT planning. The government also hopes that a new project approval
framework, introduced by the whole-of-government ICT Strategy in July, will
plug some of the accountability gaps that allowed the Health project to go
off the rails. New requirements include ministerial sign-off for high-risk
projects and gateway reviews designed to identify and halt troubled
implementations early. These accountability measures pre-empted the third
recommendation of the report, but don’t fully address Chesterman’s less
formal suggestion that specialist project managers be appointed to every
large IT procurement or implementation. More details of the government’s
strategy for reducing its ICT risk profile will be included in an upcoming
ICT Action plan, due for release before the end of the month. From http://www.itnews.com.au
08/20/2013 NEW ZEALAND: Open Data Benefits Public and Economy Internal Affairs
Minister Chris Tremain says a second report into the Declaration on Open and
Transparent Government shows government departments are making excellent
progress releasing their public data for re-use on data.govt.nz. Departments
were surveyed on progress made over the past year in adopting the
Declaration. "The report shows 10 departments are now fully compliant with
the Declaration and 16 plan to take it on board in 2013/14. This brings the
total uptake to 84 per cent which is a great result over such a short
time," says Mr Tremain. "The findings show the re-use of
significant public information is providing new business opportunities. An
unexpected example is the re-use of real time traffic density data released
by NZTA and used by ANZ Bank in their "ANZ Truckometer" to predict
GDP growth. "By agencies sharing data they are reducing duplication and
saving money. A great case of this is in Christchurch where engineers and
surveyors are able to directly access and re-use aerial imagery from CERA’s
map service for planning and recovery. "Another good
example is local government and independent researchers using household travel
survey data from the Ministry of Transport to inform transport and district
planning policies. Open data doesn’t mean that everything is open. There is
still a responsibility to maintain privacy and security for restricted
information and that is a key focus for the Government. This programme will
help achieve the Government’s better public service targets that New Zealand
businesses have a one-stop online shop for all government advice and support
and that New Zealanders can complete their transactions with the Government
easily in a digital environment." From http://www.voxy.co.nz
06/20/2013 |
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Internet
Society Statement on the Importance of Open Global Dialogue Regarding Online
Privacy The Internet Society has noted recent revelations regarding the
apparent scope of The U.S. Government has previously taken an active role in
championing these rights in the international sphere. For example, the The Internet Society is also deeply concerned that alleged
programs and similar efforts by other governments will have a chilling effect
on the deployment and adoption of technical solutions for establishing
trusted connections online. This kind of trust-enabled infrastructure is
needed to maintain global interoperability and openness. The Internet is global – the impact of
programs like these is not limited to the specific country in question but
rather reverberates across the globe to users everywhere. The revelations of
recent days underscore the importance of an open global dialogue regarding
online privacy in the realm of national security and the need for all
stakeholders to abide by the norms and principles outlined in international
agreements on data protection and other fundamental rights. Trusted
interactions in cyberspace are critical not only for the future of the
Internet, but also for continued innovation, economic and political progress
and a vibrant global community.
Users need clear and realistic expectations of online privacy that are
respected by governments and enterprises alike, so that they can continue to
use the Internet in ways that enhance all of society. From
http://www.internetsociety.org/
06/12/2013 The
The From
http://www.techtree.com/
08/12/2013 AFRICA:
Everybody in Africa Has Been a Cyber Crime Victim The Ministry of Youth and ICT, in conjunction with International
Telecom Union (HIPPSA), has initiated a process to draft Rwanda's data
protection, cyber security policies to improve the country's ICT legal and
regulatory frameworks, taking into account the global socio-economic and
legal challenges. This was disclosed at a meeting held in Kigali yesterday.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Ida Jallow, the ITU Regional Officer
for Africa, said that there was need for a common legislation to ensure cyber
security and data protection. "With the increasing use of computers and
the high level of penetration for internet has posed a high risk of cyber
crime to the users, people can get access to your data or credit card. The
major aim of the meeting is to discuss three aspects of data protection,
electronic transactions and cyber crime and also share experiences on what is
happening in other countries," Jallow said, adding that there was need
to train the Police on how to investigate cyber crimes. "People should
be able to access internet or use computers without fear of the risks
involved, and this can be achieved through a proper legal framework. For
example, if someone hacked into your computer and there is no law to hold him
or her liable, Police cannot take on the case." She argues that everybody in Africa has been a victim of cyber
crime in one way or the other. "As long as you have an email and have
received a spam, you have been a subject of cyber crime because you are
supposed to send and receive information that you need. But if you start
receiving messages that you don't need, that is an indicator. There is also
need to harmonize laws because the crime is cross-border so that criminals
can be penalized the same way." Backing her argument, Prof. Marco Gercke
of the Cyber Crime Research Institute, said that there were various forms of
cyber crime, adding that all computer users around the world have fallen
victim. "If you have ever got a virus on your computer or a spam message
on your email, sexually explicit materials, racist propaganda, and
instructions for the fabrication of incendiary, then you a victim," he
explained. Emmanuel Dusenge, a senior engineer in charge of ICT
Infrastructure Development, said that Rwanda has not registered serious cases
of cyber crime however the country was on the alert. "People should have
confidence and trust with the ICTS being used, that's why we ensure security
of any undertaking in the country. We have to make sure that we always review
some of the regulatory frameworks to make sure that we are secure," he
said. From
http://allafrica.com/
07/18/2013 EUROPE:
Belarus Internet Infested with Spammers Almost 30% of all net addresses in Belarus are blocked by
anti-spam firms because of the amount of junk mail passing through them, says
a report. East European nations top the list of countries with the largest
percentage of blacklisted net addresses, said security firm Cloudmark. It
said Belarus had become popular among spammers as other nations cracked down
on junk-mail senders. The US was still the single biggest source of spam, it
said, Belarus (27.4%), Romania (22.3%) and Russia (3%) filled the top three
slots of a list of nations that have IP addresses known to be sources of
spam, said Cloudmark researcher Andrew Conway. Now, he said, data traffic
from just over three million Belarusian IP addresses was being blocked in an
attempt to stem the flood of junk mail passing through them. Paul Ducklin,
security researcher at Sophos, said Belarus's ratio of junk-sending IP
addresses to population meant it was "way out at the top" of its
list of spam senders per capita. "It's been the worst per person all
year," said Mr Ducklin, adding that despite its small size it was
closing in on the US as the single biggest source of spam in the world.
"Belarus is in a league of its own at the moment," he said. Mr Conway from Cloudmark said Belarus's rapid rise was the
consequence of other Eastern European nations, such as Russia, getting better
at stamping out spam sources. In addition many hosting firms and ISPs in
other countries were reacting much more quickly, he said, which left spammers
looking for places where they could act with impunity. Belarussian ISPs and
hosting companies had also become a favourite among Romanian spam gangs, he
said, who were being flushed out of other networks. The percentages were a
historic high, said Mr Conway, and indicative of serious trouble.
"Typically when we look at individual hosting companies if we are
blocking more than 1% of the total they have a problem," he said. Lax
security controls by Belarussian net firms meant it was taking the blame for
cyber criminals more than likely based outside the country, said Mr Conway.
Most spam is now routed through hijacked machines and is rarely generated in
the nations from which it seems to emanate. The large scale blacklisting
would have a knock-on effect on legitimate businesses, he warned. "It'll
cause problems for people who are there that want to send email
internationally," said Mr Conway. From
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
07/25/2013 Estonian
Children Most at Risk Online in Europe A study coordinated by the London School of Economics and
Political Science found that 41 percent of Estonia's children come into contact
with Internet risks, the highest percentage in Europe. University of Tartu
Media Studies Professor Veronika Kalmus told uudised.err.ee on Wednesday that
children in eastern and northern Europe use the Internet more widely and thus
their chances to stumble on risks are greater. Internet risks are defined as
cyber bullying, coming across pictures of sexual nature or sending messages
to strangers. Kalmus, who heads the Estonian side of the study, said that one
reason could be that children in Estonia only turn to adults if something
unsavory has already taken place. She said that while the number one risk for
Scandinavian children is inappropriate images, cyber bullying is most
widespread in Estonia, especially among girls. Lithuania is also high on the
risk table, with 38 percent of kids coming into contact with internet risks,
Finland is a little safer, with 32 percent. Only 10 percent of children in
Italy and 17 percent in Ireland have stumbled on either sexual explicit
content, cyber bullying or contact with strangers. From
http://news.err.ee/
07/25/2013 Opinion:
Cyber-Reconnaissance in the Until the 20th century, wars used to take place over land or at sea.
With the emergence of planes, the battles expanded to also include airspace.
Later, outer space became yet another domain of war. In the 21st century, the
US was the first to acknowledge that there now exists the fifth man-made
domain of war: cyberspace. The cyber attack on Estonia that took place in
2007, whereby the nation had to disconnect its online networks from the rest
of the world, is considered to be one of the first cyber wars. The
reconnaissance and cyber analysis data shows that the attack was organised
from Russia; however, it remains unknown as to who ordered it. A further
attack on Lithuania began with a demand by email to the news portal DELFI
threatening to reveal the alleged vote-rigging that occurred during the
Eurovision Song Contest in favour of the Russian performer Dina Garipova. The
anonymous letter arrived from a Russian email account. Chief Editor Monika
Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė stated DELFI’s position that “making one concession
turns one into a vulnerable hostage and, thus, subject to new demands.” As Kristijonas Šiaulys, CTO at DELFI’s IT noted, the attack
started in less than an hour after the email was received, implying this was
a pre-meditated attack. This
leads to the conclusion that the publication that displeased someone was just
a pretext. Knowing the popularity of Eurovision in Lithuania, this pretext
may be concealing the actual motives, since society should, purportedly,
understand the behaviour of the irate Eurovision fanatics from Russia. A
target of the attack was not a state institution, but a private medium.
However, DELFI owns one of the most powerful servers in Lithuania: having
tested their resistance, one acquires an understanding of the capabilities of
resistance that the other strategic objects have. I would like to emphasise
that DELFI and news portal 15min.lt, which was only slightly affected by the
hackers, are the two portals that publish in English and that are referred to
by foreign journalists as well as officers or business people working with Lithuania. Some very strange and reassuring comments appeared on the
Internet, stating that the DELFI attack should not be given too much
attention, as it was only hackers ‘fooling around’ and the same could not be said if a state
institution was attacked. An analogous yet private company is a good means to
mask one’s real intentions; NATO intelligence calls it a ‘mitigation effect’,
and somebody strongly disliked the fact that Lithuanian politicians and other
responsible agencies took this onslaught very seriously. After the first
attacks on DELFI, Hostex, a company providing server hosting services, was
assailed. The number of the messages that were sent achieved a critical
limit, and then later decreased. This way, the resistance of this company was
tested as well. Hostex has won a tender to provide and maintain Internet
connection while Lithuania plays host to the European Union presidency and
its defence preparedness was further tested several months prior the 1st of
July. Due to unknown reasons, the terms and conditions of the tender did not
contain a requirement for ensuring safety. Luckily, however, Hostex was
prepared for defence. When Estonia took a major step towards modernisation, it was
attempted to make the country seem vulnerable and fragile. However, the
results were quite the opposite and a NATO centres was established in
Tallinn. The schemes of thinking hardly change. When in 1990 Lithuania
declared restoration of Independence, Mikhail Gorbachev imposed economic blockades– not just in order
to break the resolve of Lithuanians, but also in order to show the world that
Lithuania cannot function on its own. Again, similarly to Estonia’s case in
2007, this led to the opposite result: the global community expressed its
solidarity with Lithuania and admired the courage of Lithuanians. If we treat
the current cyber-attack as ‘reconnaissance in battle’, it could be surmised
that the best time for a mass cyber-attack is during Lithuania’s EU
presidency. If the operation of the airport computers were disrupted, flights
would be cancelled and scheduled meetings could not take place; if ministry websites were attacked, the
latter would no longer be able to co-ordinate EU activities in their respective
fields; if Telecom were disabled, stationary connection would disappear, etc. One may foresee real ways in which Lithuania’s image may be
harmed during the EU presidency. One would be to show that sexual minorities
are victimised in Lithuania. A particular person who receives particular
support in the Seimas is helping to achieve this goal by his personal
initiatives. Another way is to remind everyone that Lithuanians should be
called a Jew-killer nation. Such intent is being destroyed by the expected
visit of the Israeli president in Lithuania, which is of paramount
importance, since the visit will serve as a shield against such defamation.
German Telecom is constantly monitoring for cyber-attacks around the world.
The results may be found on www.sicherheitstacho.eu, which demonstrate that
Russian hackers are amongst the most active. Over the last month, they
conducted twice as many attacks as their colleagues in the incomparably more
technologically advanced United States. Russia has a national Internet monitoring system named SORM-2.
Internet service providers in Russia need to acquire specialised equipment
for servicing this system. A duplicate of each enquiry in Russia goes to the
FSB, a successor of the KGB. The same is also happening with all content in
the Russian email accounts. Of course, a hacker is able to encode his
account, however hiding under a fictitious email address is prohibited in
Russia, and such a hacker would attract the attention of the FSB. Why is it
not happening and why do they thrive without persecution? Because they know
the rules of the game. If they encroached on the websites that belong to the
Russian government, time would be running out for them. However, they are not
being prevented from acting against citizens of other countries. Nobody can
deny that the price of the Russian hackers’ freedom includes providing
services to officers of the state. The Americans and the British, who are the most advanced in
Europe in terms of cyber security, determined that the attack in Estonia
originated from RBN (Russian Business Network), St. Petersburg-based company,
which engaged in criminal activities such as the dissemination of child
pornography. The Russian government did not provide any information about the
investigation; thus, it remains unknown as to who ordered the attacks against
Estonia. Before the war, manoeuvres are usually executed in the first four
domains. Specialists claim that, without these manoeuvres, there is no way to
test the IT weapons in the fifth domain. Therefore, one of the objectives of
the attack against Lithuania would be to test the attackers’ armour. The
second objective would be to check the defence capabilities of the target,
whereas the third would be to see the reaction to the attack. At the start of
2012, a serious cyber-attack lasting several weeks was executed against the
Bank of Lithuania. The bank withstood the attack, but no substantial measures
for ensuring cyber security of the state have been taken since then. It is
now another test as to whether Lithuanians can step any further than mere
political rhetoric. [Passage about various types of cyber-attacks omitted] Whether it is a coincidence or not, as the Lithuanian EU
presidency is approaching, the number of cyber-attacks is increasing.
According to Network and Information Security officer Rytis Rainys, 61 DDoS
attacks were registered in Lithuania in 2012, whereas the number has already
reached 28 in the first quarter of 2013. So far, the Lithuanian agencies have
only been registering and investigating the incidents. In other words, they
lag behind the events, and the matter of defence is left to the private
sector – “save yourself any way you can”. Artūras Paulauskas, Chairman of the
Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence, suggests increasing the
number of the CERT employees in order to ensure continuous monitoring. This
is important, but not sufficient. If you are bombarded with attacks, it is
not enough to assign observers who register the number of planes and bombs
dropped. If you want to protect yourself, air-defence is needed – and this is
a matter of the state, not a single resident. It is the third stage of the Internet development. Development
and speed leads to the need for safety, and safety has to be ensured
primarily by the state institutions, and also businesses. The developed countries
have already understood that the online vulnerability is a threat to the
state; thus, cyber defence often lies with the military. Without ensuring
safety, modernisation may backfire on us. It is like building a house,
furnishing it, and carelessly leaving it unlocked. Protection of Internet
space consists of two equal constituents: there needs to be adequate
equipment and there need to be adequate specialists. The necessity of having
secure Internet for the functioning of the state could turn into yet another
push for Lithuania to move towards the status of a ‘technology-based
country’; that is, if the education system made an effort to direct more
young people towards IT studies sector. Presently, we have a nice Internet
‘backyard’, but we require the equipment and human resources that would fence
and guard it; otherwise, we will be trampled over. From
http://www.i-policy.org/
06/17/2013 U.K.
Losing Battle Against Cyber Crime New report by Home Affairs Committee warns that U.K. is
insufficiently prepared to protect the country against cyber attacks and
other online threats. According to a new report by the Home Affairs
Committee, the U.K. is at grave danger of losing the battle against
cyber-crime. The report states that much Internet-related financial crime is
not being reported to the police and that law enforcement is generally not
trained to fight cybercrime. MPs say that online criminal activity that
defrauds victims of money is often not reported to or investigated by law
enforcement and is covered up by British banks, who simply reimburse the
victims with no attempt to find or prosecute perpetrators. "You can
steal more on the Internet than you can by robbing a bank -- and online
criminals in 25 countries have chosen the U.K. as their number-one
target," stated the Committee's chair, labor MP Keith Vaz.
"Astonishingly, some are operating from EU countries. If we don't have a
21st-century response to this 21st-century crime, we will be letting those
involved in these gangs off the hook." The Committee is also concerned
about the British court system's ability to deal with this type of
21st-century criminal activity. It recommends that the government review
sentencing guidance to ensure that e-criminals receive the same sentences as
they would for stealing the same amount of money or data in the physical
world. The report also urges the government to establish a state-of-the-art
espionage response center to combat Web-based attacks by foreign powers and
terrorists. "At a time when fraud and e-crime is going up, the
capability of the country to address it is going down," MPs said in a
statement. "Ministers have acknowledged the increasing threat of e-crime,
but it is clear that sufficient funding and resources have not been allocated
to the law enforcement responsible for tackling it." In addition, the
Committee called for British legislators to ramp up efforts to curb or remove
online content such as extremist agitation or pornography. "Young people
are increasingly radicalized online by the words of radical clerics on
YouTube [while] tragic murders have shown the terrible consequences of access
to indecent images on the Web," said Vaz. In response, ISPs, search
engines and social media sites are encouraged to be more proactive about
removing inappropriate content, or risk government legislative action. The
Committee's report came out on the same day the Office of National Statistics
released new data showing that, despite a welcome return to growth in British
IT, cyber security remains a weak area, with too few IT professionals having
the relevant skills. However, the government also told the BBC that it is
taking action to tackle the cyber-threat, investing more than ￡850 million ($1.3
billion) through a national cyber-security program to develop and maintain
cutting-edge capabilities. Not everyone is convinced, however. Business lobbying group the
CBI said that an MP proposal that would make it mandatory for British
businesses to report cyber-attacks won't help. "Proposals to force
businesses to report a cyber-attack as soon as it happens when they should
instead be focusing on fighting the attack privately could be
counterproductive and put them at greater risk," warned Matthew Fell,
CBI director for competitive markets. "Mandatory reporting would also
risk cyber security becoming a tick-box regulatory requirement and stifle
business-to-business information sharing." U.K. cyber security industry
commentator Klaus Gheri, VP of product management Europe at Barracuda
Networks, added, "The growing threat of Internet crime is not specific
to the U.K. It is the same everywhere. Law agencies are ill-equipped to
protect against cyber warfare. Social media sites have become a regular
hunting ground for cyber-espionage attacks and an easy way for cyber
criminals to launch targeted attacks against businesses." However, Gheri
also acknowledged that governments have "the biggest responsibility
here," calling on Westminster to pass legislation so all businesses have
"a prescribed minimal amount of cyber security." From
http://www.informationweek.com/
07/30/2013 NORTH
AMERICA: Canada’s Privacy Watchdog Calls for Sharper Teeth in Digital Age The Privacy Commissioner of Canada wants to beef up privacy laws
to keep up with the pace of the digital age and its endless thirst for
acquiring personal information, the office announced today. Commissioner
Jennifer Stoddart has charted a roadmap to what a modern privacy protection
framework might look like with a position paper made available online. In it,
she calls for reforms strengthening the Personal Information Protection and
Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) that governs commercial activities across
the country, save for Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, which have
provincial privacy laws in place. Stoddart calls for the power to impose
fines when needed, a requirement of organizations that suffer personal
information breaches to notify affected individuals, increase in law
enforcement transparency, and a way to hold organizations to account when
they violate privacy laws. The Federal Court could also order statutory damages to be paid
for breaking privacy laws, Stoddart writes, without the requirement that an
affected party prove a direct loss as a result of the violation. A minimum
and a maximum amount for the fines would be set as guidelines for the court.
Stoddart points to Canada’s anti-spam legislation as an example of
legislation that uses fines in this way – legislation that is soon to be
implemented and is meant to deter unwanted e-mail correspondence between
businesses and consumers. Mandatory reporting of privacy breaches by
organizations are needed because “over the past few years, there have been a
number of high-profile data breaches both in Canada and abroad that
compromised the personal information of Canadians,” Stoddart writes. This can
result in harms such as identity theft, financial loss, damage to credit
ratings, or even physical harm. Stoddart is concerned Canadian organizations
aren’t doing enough to ensure protection of customer data under their
protection. The Privacy Commissioner’s office has been no stranger to the
challenges posed to guarding personal privacy in a connected world. Since the
last PIPEDA review in 2006, it has conducted several investigations against
major Web brands that deal with the personal details of Canadians. A 2009 investigation into Facebook resulted in the social
network making changes such as a more clear distinction between deleting and
deactivating an account and further controls into what third-party
applications are able to do. Stoddart also oversaw a 2010 investigation into
Google’s collection of Wi-Fi data using Street View cars collected personal
information from Canadians with unprotected networks. Stoddart expressed
concern with Google’s “careless” approach with personal information and made
recommendations for a governance model that would prevent such occurrences in
the future. Last year, the Privacy Commissioner investigated 25 Web sites
visited regularly by Canadians and found six had unsafe privacy practices. It
didn’t disclose the Web sites, but followed up with the offenders to get the
privacy leaks plugged. Stoddart says the complexity of these cases and the
follow-up efforts made by her office are taking a lot of resources. She’s
looking for the law to hold companies legally accountable to changes requested
by her office. Parliament is required to review PIPEDA and the aspects
dealing with data protection every five years. The last review was started in
2006 and a final report on that review was issued by a committee in May 2007. From
http://www.itbusiness.ca/
05/23/2013 Should
Canadians Worry About Data Snooping? The disclosure that the U.S government secretly collects data
from telephone and internet services has raised concerns by some privacy
advocates over Canada's own surveillance techniques and what kind of
information Ottawa is mining from Canadians. "The problem is we just
don't know. So much of this is shrouded in secrecy," said Michael Geist,
a University of Ottawa law professor and Canada Research Chair in Internet
and E-commerce Law. "The argument is 'we can't tell you because that
will have an impact on our security operations,' yet we do live in a
democratic society. Sometimes there has to be somebody watching the watchers."
Recent media reports have revealed the existence of U.S. National Security
Agency surveillance programs that gather hundreds of millions of U.S. phone
records while searching for possible links to terrorist targets abroad. The
programs have also allowed the government to tap into nine U.S. internet
companies to gather usage data to detect suspicious behaviour that begins
overseas. These surveillance operations do not look into the actual content
of such communications but instead collect "metadata" — or
information about the data itself. So while a government official wouldn't
have legal access to an actual phone call, they would have access to
information about the call, which could include its time, location, the
number called, and its duration. Canada has its own eavesdropping agency, the Communications
Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), which is charged with monitoring
foreign communications. The agency clearly states that it "does not
direct its activities at Canadians, Canadians abroad or any persons in
Canada" and that it is prohibited by law from doing so. But when it
comes to looking into metadata information, CSEC may have more leeway. The
Globe and Mail recently obtained documents under the Access to Information
Act that reveal Defence Minister Peter MacKay in 2011 renewed a secret
metadata eavesdropping program that had been secretly approved in 2005 by
then Liberal Defence Minister Bill Graham. The documents seem to be the first
confirmation that the Canadian government is also engaged in metadata mining.
They also suggest that Ottawa believes spying on metadata does not contravene
any laws because it's "information associated with a communication"
but not the communication itself. A document, obtained by The Canadian Press,
says the CSEC's use of metadata "will be subject to strict conditions to
protect the privacy of Canadians, consistent with these standards governing
CSEC's other programs." It lists five steps the CSEC must take to
protect Canadian privacy, though the steps themselves were deleted from the
version released under the access law. Meanwhile, the federal privacy
watchdog has said she will look into any implications for Canada posed by
possible U.S. government snooping on a wide scale. 'Massive surveillance
infrastructure' "If this is as it appears to be, we're talking about a
massive surveillance infrastructure," Geist said. "The very kind of
surveillance we decry in other countries appears to be occurring in ours where
seemingly all telephone calls are monitored that can tell quite a story.
Indeed there have been some experts who have said the metadata can ultimately
tell more than the content of the calls themselves." Geist dismissed the
argument that those who are not doing anything wrong should have nothing to
worry. "We're talking about tracking of every kind of information. The
people you talk to, the kinds of things you're interested in," he said.
"It's entirely possible that people find themselves caught up in things
that are completely innocuous." Many people generally underestimate the
"revealing potential" of metadata, added Tamir Israel, staff lawyer
with the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest
Clinic at the University of Ottawa. He said extremely sophisticated
analytical tools are applied to metadata, which can be a rich source of
information. "There is a broader concern, which I think Canadians should
really be concerned about, and that is the democratic harm. Just allowing
these types of unfettered access actually harms our democratic system in very
tangible ways," Israel said. The actual metadata CSEC investigates,
whether it be telephone records or email transactions, is not clear, as that
information had been blacked out from the documents, said Bill Robinson, a
researcher who blogs about CSEC. Revelations not
surprising The revelations about CSEC's metadata collection weren't
surprising, he said, but they raise more questions about the nature of the
metadata being collected and how the data is being processed. "We don't
know exactly the degree of metadata they're collecting. It could be like NSA,
which is the whole country's records," he said. Meanwhile, during
question period on Monday, MacKay did not comment on the 2011 renewal of the
metadata eavesdropping program, saying only that the eavesdropping service
was operating within the law. "This program is specifically prohibited
from looking at the information of Canadians," MacKay said. "This
program is very much directed at activities outside the country, foreign
threats, in fact. There is rigorous oversight. There is legislation in place
that specifically dictates what can and cannot be examined." The CSE is
overseen by Robert Décary, a retired judge who has acted as the CSE's
commissioner since 2010. His office says he continues efforts begun in 2006
by a predecessor to monitor the collection of metadata. But Israel said
Canadians should still be concerned about the secrecy of the program and
"the fact that these orders are betting interpreted in secret and have
never actually seen any public debate or legal challenge." "Nobody
can legally challenge how CSEC is interpreting their powers." The office
of privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart has said the scope of information
reportedly being collected raises significant concerns. Stoddart said while
it is difficult to assess the merit of the allegations, she will confer with
Décary to determine how the personal information of Canadians may be
affected. From
http://www.cbc.ca/
06/10/2013 How The province has lots of data on its residents which could be
used to improve services, but there are limits. The corporate chief strategist
talks about what’s possible. There are hundreds of organizations in Canada
with huge amounts of personal data that in an ideal world could be used to
more efficiently deliver services to customers. They can’t. That’s because they’re governments. While
they have the motherload of big data on us, a lot of it – including birth
dates, social insurance numbers and tax records – is off limits. Taxpayers
demand that. After all, as Samantha Liscio, corporate chief strategist
province of Ontario, noted in a speech this month to a big data conference in
Toronto, suggesting to someone based on analyzing their interactions with
government that they might be willing to pay more taxes isn’t the same as
Amazon recommending a book based on previous purchases. But, she said,
Ontario – and by extension other governments – still can do lots of things
with the data it has. For example, because the province’s education department issues
a number for every student and tracks their grades from kindergarten through
post-secondary institutions, it can see who may need help. A data query last
year on how many had three or less credits needed to graduate from high
school identified 14,000 students. After a campaign encouraging them to go to
summer school or take extra courses. 8,000 graduated. “There’s huge potential
with a rich data source like that for decision-making, policy-making and for
intervention,” she said. Another example: To prevent people from getting
multiple orders of narcotic drugs from pharmacies, a database of
prescriptions was created that gives stores real time alerts when someone
tries to fill an order more than once. The database has been used to analyze
22.5 million prescriptions since April 2012. Still, only about 30 terabyes of
the government of Ontario’s total stored data is used for business analysis. Liscio also noted that governments and corporations face the
same challenge in making sense of big data. It’s easy – as in the high school
example – to get a good answer to the right question. All you have to do is
know the right question. And if there isn’t an easy question it’s hard to
figure out how best to use the data to have – and having more data doesn’t
necessarily help. This means there’s a great demand for skilled data
scientists, she said, but right now there a distinct shortage of them.
Sometimes, she added, visualizing information is an answer – translating
piles of data into graphs and charts and linking them to maps. She showed an
example of dashboards created for Guelph, Ont., to help track the spread of
the flu so immunization shots could be distributed. “But sometimes the
elephant in the room, especially from a public sector perspective, is
privacy. Governments collect extremely sensitive information on people and
companies. We know where you work and what you make, whether you’re married
or divorced, how many kids you have and where you live and even what drugs
you take. And we’re responsible for protecting that data.” From
http://www.itworldcanada.com/
06/27/2013 Canadian
Organizations Lag in Security Canadian organizations have nothing to boast about when it comes
to securing their networks and devices, says a researcher security solutions maker
Fortinet Technologies Inc. “Canadian businesses are not doing a particularly
good job of keeping their infrastructure devices up to date and patched with
the latest security patches.” Richard Henderson, a Burnaby, B.C.,-based
security strategist at Fortinet’s FortGuard research lab, said in an
interview. “This continues to be a song that the security industry in general
has sung for a long time.” Henderson came to the conclusion after doing
research that accompanied a report issued today on the increasing number of
government-sponsored advanced persistent threats (APTs) around the world. As
part of his work Henderson pulled data from thousands of Fortinet firewalls
and gateways in Canadian businesses and compared it to data from around the
world. He also did some simple sleuthing around the Web to see if Canadian
organizations have buttoned up their Internet access. Fortinet defines APTs as sophisticated attacks, usually coming
from government agencies, aimed at damaging or stealing data from other governments,
companies or individuals. APTs that have hit this country include the 2011
attack on the federal Treasury Board, finance department and defence
department triggered by phishing emails that appeared to come from other
government employees. Once discovered Ottawa had to shut down some of its
networks for some time to cleanse them of the malware and determine what was
stolen. Another attack on the Canadian division of aircraft engine maker
Pratt & Whitney was apparently aimed at infiltrating the U.S.
headquarters, Henderson said. That leaves the possibility that others also
see the advantage of getting secrets from an American company by going
through a Canadian subsidiary hoping security is weaker here. APTs use common
hacking techniques – email requests that dupe people into giving up
passwords, clicking on supposedly legitimate Web links, scanning the Internet
for open ports -- the report says. From
http://www.itworldcanada.com/
07/02/2013 U.S.:
Administration Declassifies Information to Defend Citizen Spying Programs The director of national intelligence late Thursday night issued
statements asserting that recent media reports about federal surveillance of U.S.
residents contained inaccuracies and he released previously classified
information to demonstrate that the monitoring is legal. DNI James Clapper's
pronouncements were triggered by reports from The Guardian and The Washington
Post that the National Security Agency has been and continues to secretly
search U.S. residents' phone records and private online activities for signs
of terrorist activity. "In order to provide a more thorough
understanding of the [phone] program, I have directed that certain information
related to the 'business records' provision of the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act be declassified and immediately released to the
public," Clapper stated, referring to a reported court order authorizing
the collection of data about Verizon calls made by millions of Americans. He did not provide details on the alleged Web surfing
surveillance. The phone record sweep "is broad in scope because more
narrow collection would limit our ability to screen for and identify
terrorism-related communications," Clapper said. Discussing the call
surveillance effort “will have an impact on the behavior of our adversaries
and make it more difficult for us to understand their intentions,” he added.
The information gathered "does not include the content of any
communications or the identity of any subscriber,” Clapper stated. The type
of information obtained is so-called metadata describing the calls, such as
phone numbers dialed and conversation durations. Clapper said the government
is barred from "indiscriminately sifting through the telephony metadata”
and that information is probed "when there is a reasonable suspicion,
based on specific facts,” that the query involves a foreign terrorist
organization. Only "a very small fraction of the records are ever reviewed"
because most are not relevant to any terrorism-related query, he added. The court reassesses the program every three months. The
monitoring of Americans by NSA -- an intelligence agency within the Defense
Department -- has divided Democrats in Congress. On Thursday afternoon, the
head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said he
had pressed for more oversight and transparency in the way the government
conducts electronic surveillance. "I have consistently voted against extending
certain [provisions] because of a lack of sufficient oversight and privacy
protections,” he said in a statement. But fellow Democrat and Intelligence
Committee Chairman Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a joint statement
with top committee Republican Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., that phone record
tracing should go on for the sake of public safety. “The intelligence community has successfully used FISA
authorities to identify terrorists and those with whom they communicate, and
this intelligence has helped protect the nation," the statement read.
"The threat from terrorism remains very real and these lawful
intelligence activities must continue, with the careful oversight of the
executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.” Clapper later on
Thursday said the Internet spying programs described by the press “contain
numerous inaccuracies” but did not go into specifics. He said NSA’s
monitoring of such intelligence is not secret, but rather overseen by the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the executive branch and lawmakers.
Procedures are in place to make sure "only non-U.S. persons outside the
U.S. are targeted" and to minimize the collection, retention and
distribution of information about American residents that are "incidentally
acquired," he added. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
06/07/2013 What's
Wrong with Cybersecurity Training? Are we training our cybersecurity professionals in all the wrong
ways? Agencies have been ramping up efforts in training, education,
recruiting and hiring, and still the government faces a shortage of skilled
cyber professionals. According to some, the problem is rooted in a
wrongheaded approach – and as a result, the United States is losing its
competition. Increasingly, government officials and private sector executives
are training their focus on younger students in science, technology,
engineering and math. However, there also needs to be more emphasis on the
real-word, technical aspects of cybersecurity and cyber defense, rather than
the academic and soft-skill side of things that too often get policy
attention, insiders say. "Other nations are building world-class
talent," Alan Paller, founder of the SANS Institute, said at a June 25
Institute for Defense and Government Advancement event in Arlington, Va.
"The U.S. is saying, 'We should have centers of academic excellence,'
but they put out people who don't know what they're doing. We're nice to
people in the field; we've got to stop that if we actually want protection
for our systems." However, some such efforts may already be underway. Douglas
Maughan, cybersecurity division director at the Homeland Security Advanced
Research Projects Agency, outlined measures the Homeland Security Department
is taking to build up the next generation of cyber warriors, starting with
high school and college. One of the prime examples is the National Collegiate
Cyber Defense Competition, a system of intensive, annual cyber battles held
among dozens of universities across the United States. They eventually lead
to a national finals round – a "March Madness for nerds," as
Maughan described it. "We put them in an environment where they have to
defend against a real red team. It's about real defense in an operational
environment," he said, adding that new DHS tools, such as new access
management technologies, are constantly being added to the competition,
forcing participants to learn them as they go along. "We're looking for
the next generation of cyber defenders; that's what it's about. It's all
about the next generation." At the Defense Department, cyber training within the services
are continuously undergoing scrutiny and changing as priorities, technologies
and the cyber environment evolve. According to a June 25 Army Times report,
the Army is working on plans to consolidate its Cyber Center of Excellence at
Ft. Gordon, Ga., with its Signals Center of Excellence in under a new school
that would bring together training and modernization efforts. The transition
is set to begin this August and last through 2015. Will such efforts be
enough? According to Paller, only if the right people are doing the teaching
– the ones who have the technical skills that are critical to national cyber
defense, and not those who merely have the policy and book training and
"CSI-whatever" credentials after their names, he said. "We've
got these people pretending to teach cybersecurity, but they're putting out
policy people or researchers...that's causing us a problem," Paller
said. "If you're a fighter pilot, you don’t want your squadron leader to
be someone who learned it out of the book yesterday." From
http://fcw.com/
06/26/2013 Inside
the Civic Hacking Movement How Gangplankers and other social entrepreneurs are radically
changing how cities get their software. Local government agencies are tapping
into alternative community co-working spaces, neighborhood tech meetups and
civic hackathons to forge innovative tech partnerships, liberate municipal
data and drive civic engagement. “In the future, governments and companies
won’t really care about massive operations and giant corporate headquarters,”
said Derek Neighbors, co-founder of Gangplank, a nonprofit collaborative
workspace group and startup incubator headquartered in a revitalized historic
building directly across from the Chandler, Ariz., City Hall. “They’ll be far
more interested in sourcing talented, innovative, local individuals who can
get the work done.” Many local governments already are, thanks to a new breed
of municipal chief innovation and chief information officers, leading the
charge alongside civic-minded techies who are eager to improve the
communities where they live, work and play. American municipalities — from San Francisco to New York City —
are pivoting away from outsourcing their growing tech needs to large
corporations and away from creating and maintaining their own often massive,
complex municipal data systems. Instead, they’re turning to civic coders and
private service providers who live in the community and work in alternative
co-working environments for everything from app development to social media
outreach and data storage. Meanwhile, these new relationships help local
governments better understand and respond to citizens’ needs. Neighbors, a
veteran software engineer, launched Gangplank in 2008 with fellow tech
entrepreneur Jade Meskill to foster an environment for local creatives,
entrepreneurs and startups to “explore innovative ideas and create what they
are passionate about in ways that enhance the community we live and work in.”
Gangplank has since opened additional collaborative co-working spaces in the
Phoenix area, Virginia and Canada. “We don’t want to be just a renter inside of a space in
Chandler,” Neighbors said. “We want to transform the city for the better by
playing an active, committed role in rebuilding the downtown core and
encouraging high civic engagement.” It costs nothing for people to work in
Gangplank’s wall-less open concept co-working space. Unlike the many monthly
membership fee-based co-working options nationwide, instead of paying rent
for desk space and conference room use, long-term Gangplank users are asked
to “pay it forward” within the community. They lend a hand on various public
projects for Chandler. Gangplank holds a contract with the city that enables
Gangplankers, as Neighbors calls them, to deliver several important services,
including educational program creation, workforce development and
professional mentoring, all at zero monetary cost to the city. “Doing so
challenges the notion of using monetary capital to propel commerce and
instead uses social capital to propel commerce,” Neighbors said. He encourages Gangplank’s estimated 5,000 Chandler members to
take responsibility for their city. In fact, he said, “there’s someone from
Gangplank’s member base on virtually every single board or commission in the
city.” As the current president of the board of the Downtown Chandler
Community Partnership, Neighbors practices what he preaches. Communication
between city officials and citizen Gangplankers is improved, Neighbors said,
by weekly meetings at Gangplank that bring them together to “cross-pollinate
ideas, collaborate and co-create.” Chandler City Council members also
regularly interact with Gangplankers via Facebook and Twitter to give and
receive information. “It’s not uncommon for one of our local City Council
members to tweet or instant message with Gangplank community members during a
City Council meeting,” Neighbors said. “And those online conversations often
continue offline in-person when a City Council member drops by our space to
work for a bit, deliver something or just to catch up. These everyday digital
and real-world exchanges help to humanize city officials and staff, and
that’s how citizens end up seeing them as people, not as bad government.” Hosting Hackathons Meanwhile, Alameda County, Calif., home to the city of Oakland,
is dialing into the growing civic hacking trend by hosting community
hackathons. The first Alameda County open data civic hackathon took place in
Castro Valley in December 2012, followed by one on April 27, 2013, with
several more slated for the rest of the year. The daylong Alameda County Apps
Challenge on April 27 offered civic coders $5,000 in prize money to create
helpful apps that showcased a certain portion of the county’s vital public
data via open source APIs, including restaurant health inspection reports,
the library’s book reservation system and the city’s pothole database.
Government data sets that were used in the April hackathon included crime
statistics, HUD residence information and public health data. Apps that were
created as a direct result of Alameda County’s first civic hackathon in 2012
include: SnapMapper — A Yelp-like app for food-stamp recipients that
shows users ratings and information about nearby stores that accept food
stamps. AC BookIT — An app that lets users search for and reserve
library books. ACPR Finder — An app created by high school students that pulls
data to provide information about county parks, recreation centers and hiking
trails. “The Apps Challenge is one example of the ways the county is
using cutting-edge technology to increase government transparency and assist
residents in accessing vital information,” Keith Carson, president of the
Alameda County Board of Representatives, said in a recent statement. In
bordering Santa Clara County, the city of Palo Alto, Calif., a hotbed of entrepreneurial
tech innovation, has long worked with civic-minded coders and startups to
benefit the community. In fact, the city, in partnership with Innovation
Endeavors, Talenthouse and the Institute for the Future, hosted a successful
civic hackathon in March 2012 dubbed the Super Happy Block Party Hackathon.
The event, which took place in a blocked-off section of High Street, was held
“in the spirit of collaborative community innovation,” said Palo Alto CIO
Jonathan Reichental. Approximately 2,000 civic programmers collaborated on
apps designed to encourage civic engagement and facilitate local government
transparency. However, according to Reichental, it’s sometimes hard to know
exactly which apps resulted from busy public hackathons like these. “It’s often difficult to measure the impact of civic
hackathons,” he said. “You don’t always know what apps were built and if
indeed companies were formed. The hope, of course, is that they are and that
they’ll have a positive, lasting impact on the local community.” One such
hackathon-borne civic app still in use today is Palo Alto’s StreetViewer. The
app helps residents stay informed about the condition of city streets and was
a result of a 2011 nonprofit open data civic hackathon hosted by the city,
Stanford University students and local software developers. Community members
can use the free app to view any street in Palo Alto, as well as upload and
share their own photos of street conditions with fellow citizens.
StreetViewer users also can compare local street pavement condition ratings
against Google Street View images. Reichental noted that on June 1, 2013,
Palo Alto will be one of nearly 80 U.S. cities to invite its residents to
participate in the National Day of Civic Hacking. The event is designed to
bring together software developers, citizens and tech entrepreneurs to
“collaboratively create, build and invent new solutions using publicly
released data, code and technology to solve challenges relevant to our
neighborhoods, our cities, our states and our country.” The national event,
according to its official website, will “leverage the expertise and
entrepreneurial spirit of those outside federal, state and local government
to drive meaningful, technology-based solutions for federal, state and local
government.” The National Day of Civic Hacking is being organized by Code for
America, Random Hacks of Kindness and Innovation Endeavors. Government
partners include: the White House Office of Digital Strategy; NASA; the U.S.
departments of Energy, Labor and Transportation; Census Bureau; National
Science Foundation; Peace Corps and many other government entities. Palo Alto
was one of the first cities to sign on to the inaugural National Day of Civic
Hacking, Reichental said. “I think we were part of the inspiration for it
based on the overall success of our Super Happy Block Party Hackathon,” he
said. “This coast-to-coast event will bring people together in cities across
the nation to get them to really start thinking about collaborating and
co-creating for civic innovation and for the betterment of their communities.
In our case, this isn’t about just finding a way citizens can contribute to
the future of the city of Palo Alto. Our participation, which will include
tech and government professionals, as well as families and children, is meant
to inspire a future generation of innovators and to inspire a renewed
interest in science, technology, engineering and math.” Reichental said the rise of local governments that engage
neighboring tech co-working communities and civic coders for the greater good
will grow quickly and become more common in the future. “Cities can no longer
be vending machines where citizens insert a dollar and they get a service
back,” he said. “That model is coming to an end. The future of American
cities lies within co-creation between the community and government. We are
now a software-driven society and increasingly so. More civic software
engineers will be very valuable throughout our communities, and they’ll be
brought to bear to solve widespread societal problems, enabling governments
to essentially outsource what they haven’t always provided particularly well
in the past.” Nerds in Philly That future is now in Philadelphia, according to Adel Ebeid, the
city’s chief innovation officer. “Civic hackathons in Philly, especially
those that are based around open data, are already a very normal, common
occurrence in our city,” Ebeid said. He added that his staff attend, host or
engage in one to two civic coding events weekly on average. The city has a
thriving, early stage tech scene taking hold, primarily anchored around North
3rd Street, a.k.a. N3rd (pronounced “nerd”) Street. “We’re actively working
to liberate as much of the city’s government data as possible,” said Ebeid,
“and we’re doing this because we feel that open data is the real matchmaker
between government, the local tech community and our citizens.” For example,
for the first time, on Dec. 12, 2012, the city publicly released Type 1 crime
statistics — which covers crime categories including homicide, rape and
robbery — dating back to 2006 as part of its Open Data Initiative. The crime
data was used to develop an informative civic app at a March 6, 2013,
Hackathon at Seed Philly, a 6,000-square-foot collaborative co-working high-rise
space and tech startup incubator in the heart of Philadelphia’s Center City
district. The app shows violent versus nonviolent crimes and incident rates
displayed on city maps. Indy Hall, located fittingly on N3rd Street, is another
co-working tech incubator space that Philadelphia routinely shares its
municipal data sets with “to create apps that solve government problems,”
said Ebeid. In fact, the city recently outsourced the creation of a 311
information app to Indy Hall innovators to better inform the public of
non-emergency city services. Ebeid said the civic coders he’s worked with are
“mainly millennials who favor capitalism with a conscience and who are
extremely passionate about open government and open data.” Many are
emotionally attached to their neighborhoods, he said, and have a strong
desire to bring government and citizens closer together “to improve the
digital and nondigital quality of life in Philadelphia.” And that’s why he
wants them to stay long enough to lay down permanent roots in Philadelphia,
instead of bailing for Silicon Valley in search of other opportunities. “When
civic-minded hackathon participants and social entrepreneurs stay in our
communities, it creates jobs, improves the local quality of life, drives the
local economy, and everyone benefits,” Ebeid said. “The bottom line is that
if you’re a local city and you’re not engaging the local tech community right
now, then you are missing out on a huge opportunity.” From
http://www.govtech.com/
06/27/2013 Can State
and Local Govs Benefit from the U.S. Commerce Department's Cybersecurity
Program? The training program satisfies the federal requirement for
annual personally identifiable information training. Data breaches are
inevitable. As Michigan CSO Dan Lohrmann noted earlier this year, small
security breaches occur in government more often than many people are aware
of -- and then there are the large, widely publicized breaches, most recently
in California, the Washington State Courts and last year at the South
Carolina Department of Revenue. Despite their inevitability, however,
governments nationwide focus even further on cybersecurity -- and the U.S.
Department of Commerce is no exception. But the difference for this
federal-level agency is that it's working to assemble its own team of experts
in cybersecurity, which it is has done by increasing the role-based training
completion rate by threefold over the last three years. And this federal-level
training initiative will undoubtedly affect both state and local governments
as well, says Rod Turk, chief information security officer and Office of
Cyber Security director at the department. The Department of Commerce IT Security Training Program, he
says, is designed to meet the requirements mandated by the Federal
Information Security Management Act (FISMA) -- and many of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and FISMA policies on IT security training are
based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special
Publication (SP) 800 Series. "What we refer to as the NIST 800 Series
are a grouping of documents which describe the computer security policies,
procedures and guidelines of the federal government of the United States,"
Turk said. "NIST is actually a unit within the Commerce Department.
These NIST 800 Series documents are available to procure for free, and can
benefit state and local governments that would like to beef up their
cybersecurity protections. State and local governments can request to look at
all of the Department of Commerce’s training materials." And some states
are already choosing to take the Department of Commerce up on this offer. California, for instance, recently announced the formation of
the California Cybersecurity Task Force, which brings leaders of private
industry together with state officials to deal with cybercrime threats that
they see rapidly increasing in threat. Although this is the first
collaboration of this kind to be sponsored by a U.S. state, many believe it's
only the first in a series of measures that will address the
interconnectedness of the public and private sectors that has developed
through the use IT. And Turk said he sees this collaboration as a way to
alleviate the "managerial rigidity" that has provided points of
weakness that many computer hackers have exploited in recent years. The
training program -- which satisfies the federal requirement for annual
personally identifiable information (PII) training -- covers a wide range of
information, including how to properly safeguard private and sensitive
information. "The topics covered include the employee’s role in privacy,
relevant privacy laws and OMB guidance, the Department of Commerce’s policy
on electronic transmission of PII, and how to properly handle PII," Turk
said, adding that proper handling of PII involves differentiating between
sensitive and nonsensitive personally identifiable information in order to
properly implement usage of secure file transfer tools. "The IT security
training program is a proactive measure to prevent PII incidents. The program
aims to increase employee awareness in safeguarding sensitive agency
information and minimizing threats." Turk also noted that collaboration
is very important for ensuring cybersecurity in federated organizations.
"Having the right people in place is just as important as having the
right technology," he said, emphasizing the need for people who can
communicate, write business cases and understand budgets and human resources.
"Technologists are important, too, but I need a diverse mix of people in
order to move security forward. We must be able to see beyond granular
implementations of technology so that we can take in a fuller view of the
security environment." The cost of developing this new training program and the return
on investment that will be seen by the Commerce Department are both unknown
at this point. "Training content for the program is gathered and
developed through multiple agency collaborations," Turk said, "so
we are unable to provide a specific cost." But the department isn't
stopping with the PII training program -- it also is preparing to implement a
departmentwide cybersecurity system for situational awareness that it calls
Enterprise Security Operations Center (ESOC). "We must be able to
understand everything that's happening and properly share our information
over the entire enterprise," Turk said. "Our goal with ESOC is to
collect status feeds across the enterprise and present them as a dashboard
that our CIO, Simon Skyman, can use to see which devices have secure
baselines and what the patch level is. Simon and other CIOs will be able to
view this data in near-real time, which will allow them to make better
assessments of their security posture." From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/05/2013 Senate
Signals Piecemeal Approach on Cybersecurity A draft cybersecurity bill from the Senate Commerce Committee
puts the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in charge of
developing guidelines for public-private collaboration on threats to critical
infrastructure. The July 10 draft, which has support from committee Chairman
John Rockefeller, (D-W.Va.), and Ranking Member John Thune, (R-S.D.), differs
from earlier Senate efforts at cybersecurity legislation on two key fronts.
First, it is rather modest in scope, covering critical infrastructure risks,
cybersecurity research, and workforce development, and has some common elements
with bills that have already passed in the House. Second, it proposes a
voluntary rather than mandatory regime of information sharing between
government and commercial infrastructure operators -- a position key senators
adopted in 2012 only after trying unsuccessfully to require such sharing. The
new language updates NIST's charter to include the development of "a
voluntary, industry-led set of standards, guidelines, and best practices,
methodologies, procedures, and processes to reduce cyber risks to critical
infrastructure." Under the draft, NIST would not be able to require
industry to adopt specific solutions or IT products, or mandate specific
guidelines for the design and development of products or services. This is
largely consistent with President Obama's February executive order, which
created a framework for the protection of critical infrastructure. The bill also looks to train qualified personnel to work in
government cybersecurity through a "scholarship-for-service"
program that offers tuition for promising students with an aptitude in
computer science and related fields, with the expectation that they will ply
their skills on behalf of the government. The bill orders a study of existing
cyber security education programs to find out whether their curricula match
up with the demands of the field, as well as an analysis of impediments
facing the federal government in attracting qualified cybersecurity
personnel. Further, the bill directs the Office of Science and Technology
Policy to expand its work in designing reliable networks, testing third-party
software, protecting privacy, and securing the cloud. The workforce and
education components of the draft track fairly closely with measures passed
by the House of Representatives in the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013
and the Advancing America's Networking and Information Technology Research
and Development Act. Both those bills have been referred to the Senate
Commerce Committee. From
http://fcw.com/
07/12/2013 California
Launches Cybersecurity Task Force State officials hope to create a first-of-its-kind comprehensive
framework to bolster cybersecurity efforts while maintaining strong relationships
with local government and the private sector. On May 13, California
government officials and private-sector leaders met behind closed doors to
discuss a comprehensive cybersecurity plan for the state -- it was the
beginning of the California Cybersecurity Task Force, the first state-led
collaboration of its kind. Because of the interconnectedness of government
and private-sector IT assets, collaboration has become crucial, said Michele
Robinson, acting director for the Office of Information Security. “Those
working relationships need to be strong in order to really affect this area,”
she said. “We all own a piece of that infrastructure, so it’s a shared
responsibility." And the ultimate goal, she said is to collaborate and
work together to improve cybersecurity for the state. The meeting allowed discussion on several topics, all with the
goal of establishing a framework and overall plan for statewide
cybersecurity. Among the topics discussed were information sharing between
governments and the private sector; challenges to industry, such as the need
for improved laws and regulations; and the need for increased cybersecurity
research and education. Among the meetings participants were officials from
the National Fusion Center Association (NFCA), the FBI, the Sacramento
Utility District, Cyber Watch West (CWW), and private companies such as
Verizon, Bank of America and Symantec. State CIO Carlos Ramos, pictured
above, said one of the California Technology Agency’s biggest goals with
respect to this effort will be improving the awareness of the importance of
focusing on cybersecurity. Whether it’s hactivists, state-sponsored
cyberattacks, cyber-terrorism, espionage or just opportunistic hackers, he
said, attacks on government are on the rise -- which a 2013 report released by Verizon also
found. Protecting the state’s infrastructure, while also leading the
way for the nation makes this task force an important effort, Ramos said,
adding that private industry, local government, state government, financial
organizations and even the federal government stand to benefit from the
collaboration that will take place in California. By being proactive, he says
the state will have a better chance at staying ahead of the curve in the
never-ending battle of network security. David DeWalt, CEO of cybersecurity
firm FireEye, said he sees the state as trying to get more proactive in
dealing with cyber security, and creating this task force is a step in the
right direction -- not just for California, but the nation as a whole. “This
sort of a council would be a precedent setting event for the entire
country," DeWalt said, "and California likes to take a leadership
position, so I would encourage them to take advantage of this type of
thinking.” Ramos agreed that the development of a state-wide cybersecurity
task force, something not yet undertaken in any other state, is a proactive
advancement. “I’m very optimistic because [of] the level of expertise and
commitment we have from the participants from the task force,” Ramos said.
“These are the kinds of folks who know what they’re talking about and know
how to get things done.” No definite timeline has been established, but Ramos
indicated the state was interested in pursuing this project with an
aggressive time frame, and that new initiatives will be implemented piecemeal
as they are discussed by the task force. For instance, discussions on how
best to implement an education and awareness campaign around cybersecurity
may be rolled out while longer-term efforts around information sharing could
take longer to establish. “California really is out in front of other
states,” Ramos said. “We’ve seen a number of areas, particularly in
technology, where governments tend to follow our lead. I am quite hopeful,
from that perspective -- the framework and the work that we do here -- that
other states will take and emulate and put in place across the country.” California has been a leader in the past when it came to
technology projects, said Mark Ghilarducci, secretary of the California
Emergency Management Agency, and the state will continue to be a leader with
this project. In 1995, California implemented the Standardized Emergency
Management System, which brought together disparate agencies in the state to
work on a common platform, Ghilarducci said, and that program eventually
became the template for the National Incident Management System. There have
been other examples, too, he said, but the point is that California will
again be a laboratory that creates and tests a path for other states and
federal government to follow. Specific examples of changes that could improve
cybersecurity efforts in the state include things like whitelisting certain
software in the wake of a bring-your-own-device trend that has introduced an
unprecedented amount of applications onto the state’s networks. Another
tactic would be to require more rapid patching of operating systems and
applications to cut down on vulnerabilities and security holes. Another
tactic is to limit the number of users with admin privileges on any given
network. “These are things that help harden our networks, and a lot of this,
just like any kind of security -- it’s always about layers of security,”
Ghilarducci said. “The cybersecurity situation is no different. We want to
make sure we incorporate as many of the things thread into our cybersecurity
work environment. It may seem very intuitive and basic, but across the board,
it’s not consistent.” From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/17/2013 Cybercrime
Costs the US $20 Billion Each Year. or $70 Billion. or Maybe $140 Billion Studies that estimate the effects of any particular activity on
the economy often shout out headline numbers and then spend a lot of time explaining
the methodology used to calculate that figure. A new report (pdf) from the
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington
think-tank, published in association with the software security firm McAfee
takes a different route. In a study titled “The Economic Impact of Cybercrime
and Cyber Espionage,” the authors tentatively suggested a wide variety of
numbers and then attempt to contextualize each of them. One big problem with
estimating losses is the number of factors involved. For example, it emerged
today that over $300 million was stolen by hackers from a variety of US
companies between 2005 and 2012. But that just tallies up the cash value of
the losses. In addition to those, the firms suffer losses to their brand
reputation, and expend time and money through investigations, attempted
recovery, and systems upgrades. And then there’s the opportunity-cost losses
from service disruptions. How do you put a precise number on that? From
http://www.nextgov.com/
07/26/2013 Cybersecurity,
Big Data Among Mission-Critical Topics for CIOs Opening up data for public consumption, platform modernization
and increasing cybersecurity awareness were among the topics discussed at the
Public CIO Technology Summit on July 24-25 in Washington, D.C. The event
brought together a mix of public-sector CIOs and industry representatives to
share best practices and learn about one another’s barriers — with a focus on
creating relationships across governments. While the summit was closed to
media, Government Technology had an exclusive look into the event and can
share insight into the topics discussed. One such issue was modernizing IT
systems -- summit participants noted that it's not just a technology issue;
it’s also a people issue. As legacy systems are replaced, IT staff members
are being trained to work on new projects and services. In the future, for
example, a good contract writer might replace programmers. Attendees also
said that focusing on open data initiatives is about more than releasing data
sets. Exposing data can help break down barriers between government and the
public by building trust; it also can fuel local startups and encourage civic
innovation. See the slideshow above for more information on the topics
discussed during the summit. From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/27/2013 |
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China has been the target of serious cyberattacks from the
United States, but Beijing has never blamed Washington or the Pentagon
because such accusations would be "technically irresponsible",
Chinese Internet insiders said.The cyberattacks from the US have been as
grave as the ones the US claims China has conducted, they said on Tuesday.China's
Internet emergency response agency has tried its best to handle all the US
complaints made this year, they said.However, the US never mentioned the
alleged Chinese hacking theft of the designs of more than 20 kinds of top US
weapons, but instead gave the unverified information directly to the
media."We have mountains of data, if we wanted to accuse the "The importance of handling Internet security cases keeps
rising, but the issue can only be settled through communication, not
confrontation."Huang's remarks came after a slew of reports accusing Besides, hackers can easily hide their real location and
identities," Huang said."So technically it is irresponsible and
unfounded for some people to talk about alleged hacking supported by the
Chinese authorities."As for the Washington Post report in late May about
Chinese hacking on US weapons, Huang said design information of top-class
weapons are usually listed as top national secrets. "Even following the
general principle of secret-keeping, it should not have been linked to the
Internet."Huang said his agency has been fighting with hackers. Except
for daily work of Internet security monitoring, prewarning and emergency
response, CNCERT cut hackers' remote control on 39.37 million infected
mainframes in 2012.The agency has set up Internet security cooperative
relations with 91 organizations in 51 countries and regions.Huang said a case
in March explains the importance of such cooperation. At that time, Through joint efforts, it was discovered that the IP address connected
to the hacking was in the range of Chinese IP addresses but was actually used
by a South Korean bank.As for cooperation with the US, Huang said in the
first four months of this year CNCERT received 32 Internet security cases
from the US, among the 227 complaints from abroad.They handled the US cases
in time, except for attempted IP address attacks, which lacked sufficient
proof. And they sent feedback to the After Mandiant, a Washington-based cybersecurity group, said in
a report in February that the People's Liberation Army sponsors hacking, US
Cyber Command and National Security Agency chief General Keith Alexander told
Congress in March that of the 40 new Cyber Command teams being assembled, 13
would be focused on offensive operations.Gao Xinmin, vice-chairman of
Internet Society of China, said: "The US is much more dependent on the
Internet than developing nations, so it is fully understandable that they
attach great importance to the issue.""However, because of the lack
of mutual trust, it is easy for some countries to blame hacking on other
governments. And driven by some political needs, the dirty water is often
poured onto China," Gao said.The White House has announced that
cybersecurity will be high on the agenda of President Xi Jinping's meeting
with US President Barack Obama this week in California.CNCERT's Huang said it
is necessary to have multi-level talks, but the most effective way is to
"start from the basic level" and beef up communication between
frontline agencies, such as emergency response organizations, from relevant
countries. From http://www.news.cn/
06/05/2013 Police Crack Down on
Web Crimes From http://www.news.cn/
06/19/2013 Security in Cyberspace
'Still Major Problem' Cybersecurity remains a serious problem for China, with international
cooperation to thwart online attacks becoming more difficult, according to a
specialist.The country's Internet security watchdog said some 5.63 million
computers were controlled or affected by 13,408 threats originating from
Internet provider addresses and servers in foreign countries and regions
between January and May.Of these originating IPs, 4,062 were in the United
States, affecting nearly 2.91 million computers in China, which means the US
still hosts the most overseas command and control servers used in the
threats, it said."It's clear to see the number of attacks and computers
affected up to May is still huge. In other words, the situation of online
security remains tough," Du Yuejin, deputy chief technology officer of
the National Computer Emergency Response Team and Coordination Center of
China, told China Daily. In the first five months of the year, 249 websites of government
administrations, information systems and academic institutions were invaded
from overseas in "back door" attacks, with 54 websites affected
from US IP addresses."It's hard to say from the data whether these
threats were made solely for political reasons, but Chinese government
websites were apparently targeted more," Du said.Du, also director with
the National Institute of Network and Information Security, said he has
stated his view many times at international conferences that China has always
been opposed to "cyberwarfare" and wants to thwart online attacks
through international cooperation.But he said the prospects for international
cooperation, especially that between governments, are not as good as before
and the future is not looking hopeful.In the early stages, cooperation
between organizations can help share information, remind each other of
threats and facilitate liaison in handling incidents, he said. "If we find a cyberthreat in other countries, we'll alert
related institutions in those countries ... and tackle the problem in an
efficient manner. Such efficiency is the key to wiping out online
attacks," Du said.Cracking down on cyberattacks cannot be developed
without cooperation between governments, but the problem has not been solved
any better, he said."Due to some individual online security cases and
distrust between governments, some cooperation mechanisms have broken down
since 2010," Du said, adding that this is a "big pity".From
January to April, Du's team received 227 security complaints from overseas
and dealt with 97 cases involving fake websites.Some government
administrations should enhance awareness of online security "to avoid
ignorance when we remind them of online threats to their websites", he
said.Many Chinese websites and databases also have big security loopholes and
lack security testing from source, providing an opportunity for hackers, he
said. Programmers and operators should carry out security tests and
risk evaluation before launching a website or product, but most fail to do
so, he said."We have found only a small number of online threats,
because many others are hidden too well to be discovered and our ability to
monitor is not strong," he said.Du said his team can coordinate with
departments to cope with the threats. "It's impractical to set up a
single united platform to respond to all incidents across the country,"
he said.Zeng Xinhua, a criminal law researcher at From http://www.news.cn/
07/10/2013 Smartphones Easy Game
for Hackers Mobile devices have become a key target for hackers, as the
amount of malicious software, or malware, on the devices has soared since
last year, a new report says.More than 160,000 malware samples on mobile Internet
devices were found in 2012, about 25 times more than in 2011, according to
security companies and the National Computer Network Emergency Response
Technical Team and Coordination Center.More than 80 percent of the malware
targeted smartphones that use the Android operating system, and most was
downloaded through smartphone application stores and forums, the center
said.Security on mobile Internet devices is more serious than traditional
cyberthreats, said Du Yuejin, the center's deputy chief technology officer. Hackers are increasingly exploiting downloaded software on
smartphones through app stores, Du said."User information on smartphones
is the target of hackers," Du said. "Meanwhile, a mobile device can
stay online for quite a long time, which provides the time attackers need to
get what they want."Security threats come mostly from malware, but
malware is difficult to detect when people download apps, he said.The center
screened about 2 million mobile software programs sold in various Chinese app
stores.Around 800,000 programs had a total of more than 7,000 malware
programs, which have been downloaded more than 100 million times.Malware
surfs the Internet and sends messages without the users' knowledge after
stealing data, Du said. "Mobile users should enhance their awareness of the
problem, but it's more important to urge our security companies to take
precautionary measures," he said.Zhang Zhenghua, chief adviser of cloud
ecology system with Baidu, a major online search engine, agreed, saying his
company has invested 100 million yuan ($16.3 million) on improving
cybersecurity.So far, the company has identified 60 million fake websites and
kicked 170,000 unqualified users off line, Zhang said."We have also
cooperated with the authorities, including Beijing Public Security Bureau, to
improve our verification system and avoid phishing websites," he
added.By April, China had 808 million mobile Internet users, a year-on-year
increase of 20 percent.The number of people surfing the Internet with smartphones
is now 787 million, according to the China Association of Communication
Enterprises. As a result of this growth, providing a safe platform for mobile
users to download apps has become a priority, said Guo Xunping,
vice-president of Bangcle, a Beijing company that provides security services
for mobile devices.He suggested every app should be protected against malware
before it is issued.Associations like NGOs should also make contributions to
the cyberthreat crackdown, said Bai Xueren, director of a network detection
center in Jiangsu province.Bai's team established a provincial mobile
Internet virus sample database that has collected more than 1,400
categories."We also cooperated with the provincial telecom bureau and
police, building an alliance to fight against cellphone viruses," he
said. Coordination with telecom operators, security institutes and government
administrations is also vital, he said.Online outlet connects US farmers with
Chinese homes From http://www.news.cn/
07/10/2013 China Falling Short on
IT Security: Survey Most organizations in China have failed to meet ever-growing
challenges to information security, even though they have taken some steps to
improve the situation, an Ernst & Young survey has found.The need for
better information security has become quite urgent in China, especially
after the exposure of the United States' program known as PRISM, a
clandestine Internet and telecom surveillance system operated by the US
National Security Agency.Meanwhile, in early July, the National Business
Daily, a Chinese newspaper, revealed that hackers could easily get access to
confidential account information residing on major securities firms' systems,
through certain software developed by Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd. "Information security challenges, such as hacker attacks,
are becoming severe," said Keith Yuen, EY China Advisory partner, at a
Beijing news conference on Tuesday."Unless organizations transform their
information security functions, few of them can keep up with the
ever-changing risk landscape."With escalating information security
threats and increased information security incidents, organizations should
recognize the risk environment is changing, the EY Global Information
Security Survey said.The EY survey covered 1,836 interviewees across 64
countries between May and July 2012.Despite corporate security upgrades, the
pace of external threats has picked up speed, the survey said. In 2009, 41
percent of respondents noticed an increase in external attacks. By 2011, that
number had leaped to 72 percent, and it rose further to 77 percent in 2012. Examples of external threats include hacking, espionage,
organized crime and terrorism.New technologies have opened up tremendous
opportunities for organizations but have also created potential threats.Cloud
computing is one of the main drivers of the business model innovation. Over
the past two years, the number of organizations using cloud-computing
services has doubled.However, 38 percent of respondents to the survey
indicated that their organizations have not taken measures to mitigate risks,
such as not exercising stronger oversight over the contract management
process for cloud-service providers nor using encryption techniques.In the
new area of social media, the survey found that it can quickly build an
organization's brand and expand its presence, and it can just as quickly
crush it. Challenges include data security, privacy concerns, regulatory
and compliance requirements and the impact on productivity."Short-term
incremental changes and bolt-on solutions are not sufficient," said
Yumin Lin, EY China advisory director."By fundamentally transforming
their information security management strategy, organizations can respond
effectively to existing security threats, as well as to security risks
arising from emerging technologies," Lin said.However, about 63 percent
of respondents indicated that their organizations have no formal security
architecture framework in place, while only 16 percent of respondents claim
their information security functions do meet their business needs. From http://www.news.cn/
07/24/2013 Online Personal Data Thefts
on the Rise Public prosecutors in Shanghai warned of a sharp increase in
theft of personal information online, with criminals stealing and selling
data for various criminal purposes, ranging from telecom fraud to
racketeering.According to prosecutors, there was only one such case involving
eight suspects during the first half of 2012, but the same period in 2013 has
seen 30 cases involving 57 suspects."More than half of the suspects
committed the crime by taking advantage of their positions, and their motive
is to promote products or obtain money by the transaction," Gu Xiaomin,
director of the public prosecution division of the Shanghai People's
Procuratorate, said at a news conference on Monday.He said that many cases
involve employees in online shopping companies passing on the financial data
obtained from their customers. Most of the suspects are under 30 years of age and have a good
educational background, at least a college degree, with some holding PhDs.Pudong
prosecution agency investigated 10 cases involving the leak of more than 20
million items of information, including member information from some shopping
websites. The information was leaked by an employee at a shopping platform
who had access to the company's core database.Prosecutors identified one
suspect as a man named Xu, the former director of operations for Yihaodian, a
major Chinese online grocery store. They said Xu had incited his former
colleague, a man named Peng, to obtain the password for the company's
database, which he did with the help of a technician named Miao.Between
October 2010 and September 2011, Peng logged on to the database three times
and stole nearly 4 million items of client information, including their
names, mobile phone numbers and addresses, prosecutors said. Most of the stolen information was passed to sales people
wishing to promote products. Some of those sales people even sold the
information, publishing it online.A manager of a handiwork company, who was
identified as Liu by the prosecuting agency, paid around 4,000 yuan ($652)
for personal information and then resold it to a dozen people across the
country, making a profit of more than 40,000 yuan."The fact that some
data was intentionally leaked by employees shows their lack of social
integrity, as well as the loopholes in the confidentiality system of some
businesses, such as allowing logging in to the database from a wide area
network," said Wen Lan, a spokeswoman for the Shanghai People's
Procuratorate. The lack of social integrity is highlighted by one case, in
which Shanghai police detained four suspects in June on suspicion of
illegally purchasing the family details of at least 400 students online and
then obtaining money from their parents by disguising themselves as surgeons
and teachers and claiming the children required urgent medical
treatment.Concern over the security of personal data is not restricted to
online shopping, however. Some have also expressed concern of data security
at government agencies.Yi Shenghua, director of criminal cases at the Yingke
Law Firm in Beijing, told China Daily, "Authorities should limit who has
access to citizens' information within government departments." From http://www.news.cn/
07/31/2013 JAPAN:
Cyberthreats Surpass 1 Million in FY12 The number of online access attempts recognized as cyberthreats
by the government’s National Information Security Center totaled 1.08 million
in fiscal 2012, the center said in an annual report. The number stood at
about 490,000 in fiscal 2010 and about 660,000 in fiscal 2011. Of the
cyberthreats in fiscal 2012, the center reported 175 to the relevant
government agencies because they were regarded as high risk. Of the e-mails
received by government agencies in fiscal 2012, the center deemed 415 as
possible cyber-attacks. From
http://the-japan-news.com 06/29/2013 A recent case over online threats that saw four men falsely
charged and arrested has highlighted the need to reform cybercrime
investigation methods, according to analysts. The case has dealt a serious
blow to public trust not only in cybercrime investigations, but conventional
methods of crime investigations as a whole. On Friday, investigators wrapped
up a nine-month probe into the alleged crimes of Yusuke Katayama, 31, a
former employee of an information technology company. “We found something!”
An investigator made the annnouncement in a conference room of a joint
investigation headquarters in Tokyo about a month after Katayama was arrested
on his first charge. While analyzing the data stored on a computer seized
from a location related to the case, he discovered traces of information that
could be linked to Katayama’s suspected use of a virus to remotely control
computers. Previously investigators had been unable to uncover any evidence
that illustrated a clear connection to Katayama’s alleged crimes, in spite of
having closely analyzed the contents of the seized PCs. A breakthrough came
when an engineer from a private firm offered investigators a tip on how to
break the impasse. In many cases, cybercrime perpetrators destroy evidence of
their virus use, but forget to delete evidence that they have downloaded
software used to create viruses. The engineer instructed the police on how to
find signs that virus-making software had been downloaded. Such guidance was
given by about 20 engineers from six companies who visited the investigation
headquarters on an advisory basis, according to sources. After the mistaken
arrests came to light, the police devised a policy of collaboration with the
private sector, an unusual move for authorities. But the collaboration did not work well at first, according to
the sources. In the beginning, the investigators did not believe the
engineers would maintain legal confidentiality while the engineers felt the
police were demanding knowledge without giving them necessary details,
thereby fostering an atmosphere of mutual distrust. In light of the lessons
learned from the case, the Metropolitan Police Department concluded knowledge
exchange agreements with three information security companies last month. The
agreements call for the companies to maintain confidentiality when the police
offer them information about tactics used in crimes. The main error committed
in the mistaken arrests of the four men was that the police had placed too
much trust in the Internet Protocol addresses that sent the threats, causing
them to identify the PC users with the IP addresses in question as
perpetrators. After learning bitter lessons from the case, police are
changing the way they investigate online criminal threats. The Aichi prefectural police found a Twitter post that
threatened random attacks in Nagoya Station in February. About a week later,
the police found the man who owned the PC with the IP address that sent the
message, and the man confessed to the crime in an interrogation. However, the
police did not arrest the man until about one month later. A senior police
officer said, “Normally we would arrest such a suspect immediately.” But the
police waited until they could confirm that the suspect's computer had not
been infected with a virus before they sought an arrest. After it was learned
that advance notice was posted on the Internet before a case of random
killings in Tokyo’s Akihabara district in June 2008, the police promoted a
swifter response. However, it was the Katayama case that changed the police
policy of “speedy detection.” Some investigtors have pointed out the risk of
another crime being committed while a police investigation is still under
way. However, a senior National Police Agency official said, “We have no
choice but to strengthen our precautionary measures until we obtain the
proper evidence.” Another reason for the mistaken arrests was the lack of
technical knowledge among investigators. Many investigators were not aware of
the existence of viruses that remotely control computers. The MPD started to
employ “cybercrime investigators” from the private sector in the mid-1990s
while fostering “cybercrime technical specialists” by having police officers
undergo training at private companies. Today there are about 690 such
officers. Due to the wide range of cybercrimes, which include illegal drug
sales and fraud, there has been a chronic shortage of officers to cover such
crimes. However, it has not been easy to increase the number of such officers,
according to the MPD, as it costs as much as 1 million yen to train each
technical specialist and there is a need for frequent additional training.
Since the Katayama case, the MPD launched efforts to have its technical
specialists teach the basics of cyber-investigation to investigators in all
police offices. The NPA also has started to streamline its investigation
efforts by consolidating the flow of information to the MPD during the
initial investigation of certain cybercrimes. From
http://the-japan-news.com/ 07/01/2013 Info
Security Put Aside at Ministries The government has decided to ban the use of privately operated free
e-mail and other services in the wake of recent revelations that a large
amount of official information from central government entities was freely
accessible through the Google Groups mail sharing service, officials said.
The decision was made Thursday at an emergency meeting of chief secretaries
of the central government’s ministries and agencies. Officials met following
media reports that government officials using the Google Groups service had
inadvertently made important information visible to anyone, including the
details of negotiations on an international treaty. Some criticized the
officials--who handle important information in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki political
district, information that can be regarded as the property of the public--as
too careless, since they continued to use the free service so casually. “The
ministry’s internal system is too inconvenient to use,” said a senior
Environment Ministry official who was involved in the negotiations on the
Minamata Convention on Mercury in Geneva in January. Information concerning
the negotiations was sent to Google Groups and could be seen by anyone, The
Yomiuri Shimbun has reported. “It requires us to enter passwords many times, and the
connection is unstable,” the official said. When an official uses the
ministry’s e-mail system from outside, he needs to enter four different
passwords. To use Google Groups, an official needs to enter only two
passwords required to activate a PC. Negotiations on a treaty are usually
conducted in large venues, such as multiple conference rooms in a major
hotel, and are divided into different topics. To keep up with the content of
negotiations, swift information sharing is essential. “We wanted to shorten
the time to confirm e-mails,” the official explained. It is believed that
ministry officials frequently used the Google Groups service. It has also
been learned that they used the service concerning the negotiations on the
18th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate
Change held in Doha in November and December, although access to the
information was restricted at that time. “Whether access was restricted is
not the point. As people who deal with confidential information, their
awareness of security was too low, as they used a free service like that,”
said a senior official at the National Information Security Center. Part of
the Cabinet Secretariat, the NISC is in charge of the government’s
information management and control. However, this tendency to give higher priority to convenience
than security is seen at other government entities as well. “If I’d observed
internal regulations, I couldn’t have done my work,” said a former government
official who retired last year. Although internal regulations stipulate that
work-related e-mails should be sent from official terminals to official
addresses, it takes at least one day to complete the procedures to take an
official PC out on a business trip. “It was impossible to do that when I had
to go on an urgent business trip,” the former official said. Therefore, he
always used his private PC to send work-related mails, but was never warned
by his superiors. It has been confirmed that official information was
revealed from three ministries and an agency: the Environment Ministry; the
Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry; the Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries Ministry; and the Reconstruction Agency. The internal
regulations of the environment and land ministries allow officials to use
free services if approved by their immediate superiors, ministry officials
said. However, the regulations of the agriculture ministry and
Reconstruction Agency stipulate work-related e-mails should be sent only from
official addresses and ban the use of private free services, according to
officials of the bodies. They said the use of Google Groups could constitute
a violation of the internal regulations. This raises the question of why
regulations differ among government bodies. An official of the NISC, which
sets uniform standards for the government’s information management, insisted,
“In our understanding, the use of free private services is already
forbidden.” However, this is not clearly stated in the uniform standards.
Regarding sending e-mails, the standards only say, “Keep safety in mind and
be sure to notify responsible officials.” About the use of a computer outside
a ministry or agency, they say, “One must report this to superiors after
taking safety control measures.” The NISC source said, “The expressions used
are vague, so we couldn’t make each ministry and agency fully aware of safety
issues.” Even if the standards are made stricter, however, violations of
internal regulations will only increase if internal systems remain
inconvenient. “The government should build a safe, convenient system for internal
use,” said Prof. Tetsutaro Uehara of Ritsumeikan University, an information
security expert. “If it’s hard to build a system by itself, the government
should conclude contracts with private companies based on an agreement on
concrete standards necessary to secure safety. It should be made clear who
will take responsibility when information gets out.” Concerning Google Inc.,
Uehara said U.S. government organizations and local governments use its cloud
computing services, which fulfill special safety standards for public bodies.
They also agree to keep secret the locations of data centers and not to share
services with other users. “If an organization concludes a contract with an
overseas company or a data center is located outside Japan, it will be difficult
to deal with problems such as information getting out,” Uehara said. “There
are nations such as the United States that legally permit access to such
content as antiterrorism measures. Japan also needs to raise the
consciousness of its officials to protect the nation’s information.” From
http://the-japan-news.com 07/13/2013 Big
Data in Legal Pitfall Over Consumer Privacy Protection East Japan Railway Co.’s sales of passenger records from its
Suica electronic cards has highlighted the problem of how to protect
individuals’ privacy when huge amounts of money can be made from so-called
big data--huge amounts of data that businesses see as gold. Such data include
what time people pass through the ticket gates of certain stations, what kind
of books they buy and which TV personalities they like. Also included are
information such as goods purchased through online shops, tweets and location
information based on the Global Positioning System. “They say it’s
anonymized, but it’s still creepy somehow,” said Hitomi Shibasaki, 24, a
company employee who had just passed through a ticket gate Thursday at JR
Kanda Station using a Suica card. Suicas are e-cards with an IC chip that
people can use to ride buses and trains mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan
area. On July 1, JR East began selling records of the use of trains and buses
by Suica card holders to Hitachi, Ltd. for market research purposes. JR East
sells data only on the users’ gender, age and time of getting on and off
trains and buses, after removing their names and addresses. However, this
triggered protests among cardholders because the railway operator did not
give customers prior notice. JR East claimed the information did not
constitute personal data. A 35-year-old company employee from Funabashi,
Chiba Prefecture, complained: “Isn’t it a problem that a company uses data
without letting the [card] users know?” As the spread of personal computers and smartphones continues,
extensive records of individual behaviors are stored on the Internet or at
companies. Businesses have high hopes regarding those data, believing they
can analyze them to create ads or products to meet consumer needs based on
individuals’ hobbies and tastes. The U.S. online retail giant Amazon.com
provides information on recommended products to customers, based on their
past purchase records, when they log on NTT Data Corp. buys tweets from
Twitter Inc. to use for market research, while Yahoo Inc. distributes digital
advertisements to meet its users’ interests by reading the contents of their
e-mails. Fujitsu Ltd. uses location information provided by taxi companies to
forecast traffic jams. The government’s growth strategy, approved at a Cabinet
meeting in June, incorporates “utilization of data.” The Internal Affairs and
Communications Ministry estimates the potential economic effects at about
7.77 trillion yen a year. However, the business of utilizing big data has not
taken off as expected. A senior ministry official said: “While Japanese are
sensitive to privacy issues, there are no rules to deal with privacy. So
companies are hesitant to enter the market.” A Hitachi spokesperson said the company has been seeking ways to
utilize big data since around 2005: “We’re carefully looking for the right
timing to enter the market for individuals’ information.” It seems businesses
were also reluctant to buy the analyzed data from Hitachi, worrying about
customers’ reactions. The Personal Information Protection Law stipulates that
a person’s consent is required when providing individual information about
that person to a third party. However, most personal data included in big
data do not fall under the law’s protection because the law defines “personal
data” as information that can identify individuals with names and addresses,
for instance. Since around 2005, when the amount of personal data collected
or stored began to drastically increase, the ministry and other bodies
repeatedly held study meetings to set appropriate rules, but all such efforts
ended with only compiling proposals. A recent study group of the ministry compiled basic rules for
utilizing personal data in June. The rules stated that a company should
incorporate privacy protection measures when developing a new product and
that the amount of data to be acquired should be the minimum amount
necessary. It also said the data should be used in ways that conform to
individuals’ expectations and people should be involved in the process of
deciding how their data will be used. However, improvement of the legal
system does not follow such a situation. “Japan does not have a public body
to handle privacy issues. Therefore, people cannot tackle a problem even when
their personal information is handled in a murky way. This also causes
businesses to hesitate to aggressively use such data,” said Prof. Fumio
Shimpo of Keio University, an expert on information-related legislation and
privacy issues. “I think a third-party organization with the authority to
monitor and consult with companies and individuals should be established
immediately, as in European countries.” From
http://the-japan-news.com 07/20/2013 Police
Detect 23 Cases of Illegal Online Campaigning; No Arrests Made Twenty-three cases of illegal Internet campaigning for Sunday’s
House of Councilors election have been detected and warnings issued, the
National Police Agency reported Saturday. However, police have made no
arrests because none of the cases were deemed serious violations of the
election campaign law, the NPA added. The police issued warnings for 10
violations involving Web pages and blogs, eight that concerned email and five
related to social networking sites, according to the agency. The NPA noted
that 13 of the cases would have been judged legal if they had occurred during
the official campaign period, which began July 4. The 23 offenses included
one in which a voter conducted a popularity vote on his or her home page,
while a paid online advertisement was cited in another case. Most
restrictions on the use of the Internet for campaign purposes were lifted for
the first time in Japan ahead of Sunday’s Upper House poll. In the last election
for the chamber in 2010, when online campaigning was strictly prohibited, the
total number of violations came to 12. This time round, the police issued
warnings in 2,034 cases overall, up 198 from the 2010 election, and arrested
14 people on charges that included attacking staff members and ripping up
campaign posters of rival candidates, the agency reported. From
http://www.japantimes.co.jp 07/20/2013 Online Bank
Theft Increasing Rapidly The number of online thefts from bank accounts is increasing
rapidly in Japan. About 360 million yen was stolen in January-July in 398
such cases, the National Police Agency said in a preliminary report Friday.
Both the number and the amount stolen are already more than the previous
record high of 307.86 million yen in 165 cases in 2011. The amount stolen was
93 million yen in 108 cases in June and 149.2 million yen in 180 cases in
July. The number of cases reported in July alone exceeds the total number of
cases reported in 2011. From
http://the-japan-news.com/ 08/04/2013 SOUTH KOREA:
Presidential Office's Website Shut Down After Apparent Hacking Attack Unidentified hackers attacked the websites of South Korea's
presidential office and another government agency Tuesday, claiming they are part
of the hacktivist group Anonymous. The cyber attacks occurred around 9:30
a.m. at the home pages of Cheong Wa Dae and the Office of Government Policy
Coordination. Both websites were shut down for repair. Right after the
hacking attack, the Cheong Wa Dae website showed messages in red, including
one that read "Great leader Kim Jong-un," the North's top leader.
For 10 minutes from 10 a.m., it was posted along with the message, "We
Are Anonymous. We Are Legion. We Do Not Forgive. We Do Not Forget. Expect
Us," along with a photo of President Park Geun-hye. It is unclear if
North Korea was involved in the attacks. Also unclear is whether the
Anonymous hacktivist group was behind Tuesday's attacks. The group has said
it will launch cyber attacks on dozens of North Korean websites on Tuesday,
the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean war. The Cheong Wa Dae
website is now showing a message that it has been temporarily suspended to
check its system. The website of the Office of Government Policy Coordination
is also displaying a similar message. From
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/
06/25/2013 S. Korean
Media, Gov't Hit by Another Cyber Attack South Korean newspapers, government organizations and private
companies came under another round of cyber attacks on Monday
morning. The Korea Internet Security Agency said that around 30 Web
sites of the daily Yeongnam Ilbo, Cyber Dokdo, Korea Bible University,
government agencies and private companies were hacked. Most of the affected
Web sites showed messages left by hackers that read "Hacked by High
Anonymous." Hackers also left Twitter links on the home pages. The
latest cyber attack comes less than a week after the hacking on the South
Korean presidential office and media outlets. From
http://world.kbs.co.kr/ 07/01/2013 Gov't to Nurture Cyber Security Manpower The government said Thursday it plans to
almost triple the number of software security experts to 200 by the end of
this year to better cope with rising cyber attacks. The plan came after a
string of cyber attacks against the websites of the government agencies and
major public and private entities this year. From http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr 07/18/2013 S. Korea
Confronts Uphill Seoul maps out plan to beef up cyber security amid a rising wave
of hacking attempts from North Korea and China. How long does it take for hackers
to break into the secure network of a commercial bank in South Korea? A
team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST),
under an agreement with the bank, managed to unlock its security protection
in just a couple of weeks. The simulated cyber attack, led by Lim
Chae-ho, professor of information security at KAIST, worked as follows: When
an official of the bank opened an email sent by the hackers, malware hidden
in the email quickly infiltrated the computers in the network, neutralising
the antivirus system and threatening to disrupt the bank’s data and service
systems entirely. The simulation, helped by three students, sheds light on
how vulnerable South Korea’s financial industry is to cyber attacks in a
country where the daily online banking transactions amount to about 33
trillion won (US$29.3 billion). “Any Korean company or person could face cyber attacks if
they lack security awareness even if they have great security solutions,”
said Lim in an interview with The Korea Herald. The real possibility of
losing banking data to hackers goes squarely against the perception that
South Korea is a technologically advanced nation with enviable broadband and
mobile network infrastructure. But the country’s rich wireless and broadband
resources are a double-edged sword because they offer more opportunities for
hackers. “Hackers have an eye on South Korea due to its high-speed
Internet environment and advanced technology,” said Dave DeWalt, chief
executive of FireEye, a global network security company. “With massive
intellectual property and economic growth, Korea has emerged as a main target
of worldwide cyber attacks.” From June 25 to July 1 this year, a series
of cyber attacks paralysed 69 government offices, news outlets and other
institutions, including the presidential office website. The hackers stole a
massive amount of personal data: 2.5 million members of the ruling Saenuri
Party, 300,000 military personnel and 200,000 registered users of the
presidential office’s website. The latest cyber attacks took place just three months after the
country’s major broadcasters and financial institutions were subject to
similar attacks. In March, NongHyup and Shinhan banks suffered malfunctions
from malware thought to originate in North Korea. Despite the continued
attacks, Korean firms and government agencies do not invest in security
systems aggressively. The government’s 2013 budget for information protection
is just 240 billion won ($214 million), and less than 10 billion won of the annual
security budget was allocated to strengthen cyber warfare capabilities,
according to the report by the National Information Society Agency. The
lack of manpower is another problem. According to the Defence Ministry, Korea
has only 400 experts in cyber warfare, far fewer than the 3,000 professional
hackers nurtured by Pyongyang. To catch up, Seoul plans to increase the
number of cyber security experts to 5,000 by 2017. Increasingly, cyber
attacks are carried out internationally. On May 28, the Washington Post
reported that Chinese hackers accessed the secret designs of major U.S.
weapons systems including combat aircraft and advanced missile defences. It
is feared that China is rapidly strengthening its defence technology through
state-sponsored hacking. From
http://www.asianewsnet.net/
07/20/103 CounterTack
Introduces Sentinel to Help CounterTack (www.CounterTack.com), the only endpoint security
organization delivering real-time, cyber threat detection and forensics to
the enterprise, today announced a worldwide partnership agreement with SK
Infosec, a multi-million dollar South Korean information security services
provider, and wholly owned subsidiary of SK C&C, to counter targeted,
persistent cyber attacks on workstation and server endpoints in Korea. SK
Infosec, the leading information security company in South Korea, has
received 2013 Frost & Sullivan Korea Excellence Awards for Managed Security
Services. The company has more than 3,000 customers in Korean government and
public institutions, financial entities, and various other enterprises in
South Korea. Based on these core capabilities, SK Infosec will exclusively
distribute CounterTack Sentinel to potential customers throughout South
Korea. Under the agreement, CounterTack's revolutionary endpoint protection
platform, Sentinel, will play a critical role in countering the ongoing cyber
attacks that threaten organizations in South Korea as a result of ongoing
challenges from North Korea, as well as other threats from outside Korea. As the most extensively networked nation in the world, cyber
threats to South Korea often spread faster than in any other country.
CounterTack Sentinel will be a key component in protecting the nation's
businesses. Both CounterTack and SK Infosec will share information about
global cyber threats to promptly counter known and unknown cyber challenges.
"We're proud to deliver Sentinel to our partner SK Infosec, and to play
a crucial role in defending South Korea and its economy from the aggressive,
persistent cyber attacks unfolding on the Korean peninsula," said Neal
Creighton, CEO, CounterTack. "As innovators in endpoint IT security, we
welcome the challenge of stopping targeted, persistent threats to SK Infosec
customers who operate their various enterprises amidst the most highly
connected and hostile cyber environment in the free world. We look forward to
a long-term relationship that will foster growth between the two
organizations and deliver enormous value to SK Infosec customers across South
Korea." SK Infosec is uniquely positioned to distribute CounterTack
technology to customers who need the real-time threat detection and
continuous visibility capabilities offered only by Sentinel, allowing
customers to defend against attacks that move swiftly and laterally through
enterprise systems. "CounterTack's dramatically different approach to
cyber security represents the type of innovation that we look for in a trusted
security partner," said Myeong-Hoon Yoon, Director, SK Infosec.
"CounterTack is the only company that provides the scalability necessary
to rapidly detect and analyze precision threats on each endpoint across our
customers' sophisticated enterprise environments." CounterTack is revolutionizing security by bringing real-time
attack detection and forensics to the endpoint, rendering traditional
endpoint security obsolete with its Sentinel product. The intelligence
derived shortens the gap between detection and remediation for enterprise
organizations. By actively engaging attackers with CounterTack's active
defense platform, organizations can dramatically reduce the dwell time of
advanced threats and the damage they cause, gaining valuable intelligence about
methodologies and affected assets. Through blazing-fast detection, real-time
attack capture and immediate analysis, CounterTack provides unparalleled
visibility into malicious behavior, enabling organizations to make smarter
decisions on countering known and unknown threats to protect their hybrid
cloud environments. From
http://finance.yahoo.com
08/21/2013 NORTH KOREA:
Websites Targeted by Int'l Hacking Offline A number of North Korean websites and networks targeted by an
international hacking group are offline, sources said Tuesday. Internet
monitors said the websites of the Korean Central News Agency, the Rodong
Sinmun and portal Naenara were all out of service as of 11 a.m. The sites
were all targeted in advance by the Anonymous Group, which said it would
launch attacks to mark the 63rd anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53
Korean War. The loosely associated hacktivist group, whose members have
never been identified, claimed it planned to attack the networks because the
North, in defiance of warnings from the international community, launched a
long-range rocket, tested a nuclear device in February and threatened to
start a new war on the Korean Peninsula. Anonymous broke into Uriminzokkiri,
the North's main Internet-based media and propaganda website in April. It
also defaced Minjok Tongshin, an English language news provider,
Paekdu-Hanna.com, Jajusasang.com and Ryugyong Clip, a video and still image
site. From
http://www.koreaherald.com 06/25/2013 North Korea
Creates Cyber Troll Army North Korea has assembled a team of 3,000 cyber agents,
including hundreds of trolls, whose job is to undermine morale in South Korea,
according to a think tank. The computer experts spread propaganda by hacking
into South Korean websites and linking them through to pro-North Korea
outlets. The trolls - believed to number about 200 - reportedly use
identities stolen from South Korean internet users to post comments on web
forums. 'The North has established a team of online trolls at the United
Front Department and the Reconnaissance General Bureau,' Ryu Dong-Ryul of the
Police Policy Institute told a seminar at the Seoul Press Centre, according
to South Korea's Chosun newspaper. The think tank said the United Front
Department hacks into South Korean websites through servers based in 19
countries, using constantly changing IP addresses to avoid detection. It said
the trolls were part of a 3,000-strong cyber army and claimed they posted
more than 41,000 items of propaganda online in 2012, up from 27,000 the year
before. An estimated 300 North Koreans are trained in cyber warfare every
year, compared to just 30 in the South, Lim Jong-in of Korea University told
Chosun. They are picked from elite middle schools in the North Korean capital
Pyongyang and spend 10 years honing their skills at Kim Il-Sung Military
University, Mirim University or Kim Chaek University of Technology, the
newspaper reported. In June, internet security company Symantec suggested a
string of attacks on South Korean websites dating back four years were the
work of a gang known as DarkSeoul. Although it could not confirm the group is
run by North Korea, several major broadcasters and banks in South Korea, as
well as the country's presidential office, have been targeted. From
http://wap.news.bigpond.com
08/14/2013 |
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In a move that is said to save the country's sovereignty in cyber
world, Indonesian defense ministry is planning to build up a particular task
force called cyber army to attack on internet hackers who could endanger the
sustainability of the state. A senior official at the ministry said that it
would propose a law to legalize the operation of the so-called cyber army.
The plan to set up the particular task force was following rampant attacks
against state's internet portals and websites in the last few years.
"The only law that we have to address cyber crime is the IITE law,"
Pos M. Hutabarat, the director general of security potentials at the ministry
said on Tuesday, referring to the law that regulates online information and
transactions for civilians that carries up to 1 billion rupiah (about 102,000
U.S. dollars) fine for the violators. Pos said that the law needs to be
endorsed quickly so as to speed up the creation of the cyber army in Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said earlier
that establishment of the task force would need full support from the
Communication and Information ministry. The ministry is expected to provide
telecommunication infrastructure management system, equipments and trainers,
Purnomo added. "The Communication and Information ministry has the
capacity to build up the cyber security," he said, adding that the cyber
army unit is planned to be embedded in the navy, the army and the air force.
Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring said earlier that
websites of From
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
05/28/2013 MALAYSIA:
State to Upgrade ICT Security Capabilities The State Government of Sabah, Malaysia will be enhancing the
ICT security capabilities of all government ministries and agencies as part
of a new policy directive which aims to curb incidences of cyber-attacks.
According to Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin, all
Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and ICT Security Officers (ICTSO) of
government ministries, departments and agencies should adhere to the new
policy so as to improve organisational resilience against virus attacks and
hacking activities. “Prevention is better than cure,” he said adding that it
is important to build up ICT security capabilities to prevent loss of data,
hacking and other malicious attempt to disrupt normal course of business
operations. Yahya also reiterated the call of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa
Haji Aman for the establishment of “cyber troopers” at all ministries to
respond to queries and comments in the government’s social media platforms.
“While social media is indeed an effective citizen engagement tool,
oftentimes it is used by people to disseminate misleading information that
vilifies government agencies. The cyber troopers, will be tasked to make sure
citizens get the right information from the right sources and respond to
queries in behalf of government agencies.” From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/28/2013 SINGAPORE:
Putting Online News Websites Under New Licensing Framework Singapore's leading online news websites will be put under a new
licensing framework that requires them to have individual licenses, the Media
Development Authority said on Tuesday. From June 1, such news websites will
have to be individually licensed if they report an average of at least one
article per week on the local news and current affairs over a period of two
months, and have at least 50,000 unique visitors from Singapore each month
over a period of two months, based on IP addresses. The individual licenses
have to be renewed every year. Under the new framework, these sites must also
put up a performance bond of 50,000 Singapore dollars (39,683 U.S. dollars),
similar to that required for niche television broadcasters. The license also
makes clear that online news sites are expected to remove content that is in
breach of certain standards within 24 hours, once notified to do so. Such
material could cover content that is against the public interest, public
security or national harmony. Currently, most websites in Singapore are
automatically covered under a class license scheme and do not need to get
individual licenses. The Media Development Authority said the framework would
place leading online news websites under a "more consistent regulatory
framework" with traditional news platforms like newspapers and
television stations, which are individually licensed. The authority said it
will issue a formal notification if a site is deemed to meet the criteria for
individual licensing. Ten sites currently fit the criteria, with nine run by
the Singapore Press Holdings and local broadcaster MediaCorp. Yahoo News is
also on the list. From
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
05/28/2013 Singapore
Teams Up with Private Sector to Train Cyber Security Workforce Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) joined forces with
private sector in multi-year agreement for training and workforce development
of young Singaporean cyber security professionals. The announcement of the
agreement between the EDB and RSA — the security Division of EMC and the
provider of cyber security solutions, was made today at RSA Conference APAC
2013, showing an effort to train Singaporean candidates for careers in cyber
security, and combating online fraud. “The collaboration would lead to the
creation of good jobs for Singaporeans and creates a readily available talent
pool for companies to tap when they setup operations in Singapore,” said Gian
Yi-Hsen, Director of Safety & Security Industry Programme Office (SSIPO),
EDB. Gian explained that his office is focused on developing and
strengthening the local and global talent pool to meet the global demand for
cyber security professionals. Therefore, the training done by RSA is strongly
aligned with our talent development objectives and we are very glad to
collaborate together with them. The EDB and RSA will seek qualified graduates from Singapore
universities and existing cyber security professionals to take part in a
multi-year residency and repatriation program designed to train candidates with
the latest skills needed for cyber security and anti-fraud careers. Selected
candidates will be enrolled in one or two year residency training rotations
at the RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center (AFCC) in Israel through a new grant
programme administered by the EDB. They will be working alongside RSA cyber
security professionals and anti-fraud research analysts to gain advanced
skills required to fight cybercrime and advanced cyber threats in areas such
as: • Phishing, pharming and Trojan attack detection, analysis and shutdown •
Ecommerce and online banking fraud • Security management and monitoring •
Breach preparedness and incident response • Governance, Risk and Compliance The training programme will be administered by the EDB in
cooperation with RSA, to provide candidates to RSA’s world-class cyber
security and RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center (AFCC) located outside Tel Aviv,
Israel. This training initiative is part of EDB’s Strategic Attachment and
Training (STRAT) Programme, which aims to build up Singapore’s manpower
capabilities in strategic areas and sectors through overseas training and
attachment with leading companies. The programme also builds on RSA’s own
multi-pronged efforts around the world to help actively develop skilled cyber
security professionals through its RSA Conferences, academic alliances with
educational institutions, such as Purdue University, cyber security
certification offerings through RSA Education Services. Also, a new advanced
cyber defense training curriculum will be offered in cooperation with the US
Department of Homeland Security. Qualified candidates will return to Singapore and be eligible
for placement in cyber security or anti-fraud analyst positions at RSA or
within the cyber security industry in Singapore. The RSA will open the
application process for the cyber security residency programme in the third
quarter of 2013. The RSA AFCC operated at facilities in Israel and the United
States, is a 24x7 services operation staffed by expertly trained cyber
security professionals and fraud analysts who work to detect, track, block
and shut down phishing, pharming and mobile-app based attacks perpetrated by
online criminals. The RSA AFCC leverages relationships with more than 13,000
web hosting service providers, leading browser developers and ISPs to help
ensure the fastest blocking and shut down of phishing sites. To date the RSA
FraudAction service has shut down more than 800,000 online attacks globally. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/05/2013 Public
Transportation, Utilities, Banking Systems to Be Watched by Cyber Security
Lab SINGAPORE: Public transportation, utilities and banking systems
are among a list of critical infrastructure that will be watched by the
government's Cyber Security Lab, the Home Affairs Ministry told Channel
NewsAsia, in response to queries. Announced during the Budget 2013 debates,
the lab will be operational next year and aims to hone the skills of those
who protect Singapore's key information systems and assets. Efforts will also
be geared towards private sector involvement. The lab serves as a realistic,
hands-on platform not just for Home Team officers to enhance cyber protection
know-how, but also engages private sector stakeholders operating and
delivering essential services. This will bring the public and private sectors
to the same page where infrastructure protection is concerned and help both
sides develop practical and essential cyber security skills. Besides public
transportation and banking assets, the lab will cover telecommunication
networks, water, gas and electricity systems. Ong-Ang Ai Boon, director at Association of Banks in Singapore,
said: "The fact that the government has come to provide this platform of
this lab gives a safe environment to stress-test and to test new security
systems. So it's a platform that, if a government with the vision and with
the resources to do it, then it's very good for the participants."
Computer security firm Symantec said worldwide, two in five targeted
cyber-attacks in 2012 homed in on critical infrastructures. Ng Kai Koon,
senior manager of legal and public affairs at Symantec, said: "For the
banks, for the telcos, for the utility providers, cyber security is obviously
an important consideration for their day-to-day operations. But, having said
that, they are also limited in terms of what they can see. They will only be
able to see the attacks that are happening on them in particular. The
government will obviously have a lot better view in terms of the threat
landscape on a national level." The Cyber Security Lab will offer
stakeholders an avenue to share experiences through interaction. From
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
06/16/2013 THAILAND:
Launching Campaign Against Cyber Attacks Thai government yesterday launched a five-year programme to
regulate cyber security and implement measures in an effort to combat possible
cyber attacks. Three key strategies were draft yesterday at the first meeting
of the National Cyber Security Committee and the ICT Minister Group Captain
Anudith Nakornthap, to focus on incorporating national cyber security,
capacity building for rapid response to cyber attacks, and the protection of
computer and online infrastructure. There are also five smaller strategies
being discussed during the meeting. Some of which include the public-private
collaboration to solidify the efforts. The Electronic Transactions
Development Agency (ETDA) will be responsible for working out the strategies
and measures. The ICT minister said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatre,
presided over the event showed her concerns about extensive Internet use and
abuse that would lead to the violation of the Internet users’ rights. From January to May this year, there were 1,475 random
intrusions into state-run databases and websites. At the same period, there
were also 750 malware intrusions and 750 phishing efforts, ETDA Director
Surangkhana Vayuparb revealed. “The situation is under control in general but
the public should be advised further on how to handle threats coming online,”
she said. The campaign launched yesterday is an effort to initially alert
state agencies and teach them how to identify cyber attacks, as well as how
to respond. The campaign indicates that when an attack occurs, the computers
that are under attack are not to be touched or tampered with, and local area
connections must be discontinued. Officials must report to superiors and
requests for advice will be made via hotline number 1212, which is under the
operation of Thai Computer Emergency Response Team (ThaiCERT). Meanwhile, the ETDA has recently signed an agreement with the
International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) — the
world’s largest certified IT security training centre, for teaching Thai IT
security professionals at the government agencies. ETDA’s Office of Security
Director Soranun Juwasurat said that scholarships worth up to US$120,000 from
the EC-Council will be given to the ETDA to train 40 government officials
about ethical hacking and computer forensic skills. These 40 trained officers
will later become instructors to help train other professionals at the agencies.
The ETDA expected to train up to 500 IT security officers for the first year
of the programme, he added. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/12/2013 Boosting measures against cyber crime, Thailand’s Ministry of
Information and Communication Technology (MICT) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) to
strategise and promote research on IT and cyber security. The two agencies
aim at the joint development of a strategic plan for national cyber security
(2013-2017). The Minister for ICT, Anudith Nakornthap, said, “Cyber crime
could be found everywhere, and is a major threat to the nation’s security,
society, and economy, and organizations as well as individuals”. The
Electronics Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) reported that during the
period August 2011-July 2012, 53 per cent of online crime was in relation to
fraud, while 14 and 11 per cent related to intrusion attempts and information
gathering, respectively. The Minister said, “The strategy includes
collaboration between the public and private sector on awareness and
regulation, research and development and international cooperation on cyber
security”. Professor Suthiporn Chittmittrapap of NCRT, revealed, “The
agencies are also collaborating on creating a research data warehouse on
technology and cyber security. The MoU is an important starting point for
development and integration of IT in the country”. Previously, MICT set up
the Cyber Security Operation Centre (CSOC) to monitor access to various
illegal websites and prevent cyber threats. In addition, the Ministry
introduced a 24 hour hotline to receive complaints from the public on cyber
threats. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/05/2013 Payments technology company Visa has recognised the efforts of Viet
Nam's hi-tech crime fighting department under the Ministry of Public Security
of Viet Nam. The department was presented with a Visa Law Enforcement Award
at the company's APCEMEA (Asia Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East, Africa)
2013 Security Summit held in Bangkok last week. The department won the award
for its "outstanding efforts" in the apprehension of criminals
involved in card fraud during 2012 and significant contributions to the fight
against card payment crimes. The Ministry of Public Security has demonstrated
a clear commitment to keeping payments safe for consumers, according Lorijon
Bacchi, Country Manager, Viet Nam, Cambodia & Laos, Visa. From
http://vietnamnews.vn/
06/14/2013 |
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Government of The key feature of the new agency is that government will work
with ISPs to oversee metadata of From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/13/2013 Government
Releases National Cyber Security Policy Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Communications and IT released
the National Cyber Security Policy. He underlined that this policy should be
seen as about protecting of information, such as personal information,
financial/banking information, sovereign data etc. He said that information
empowers, and in order to empower people with information, we need to secure
the information. He also flagged the need to distinguish between data which
can freely flow and data which needs to be protected. Sibal pointed out that
the real challenge is in the operationalisation of this policy. He also
stated that the government, through incentives and subsidies will need to
support Small and Medium Enterprises for accessing the technology to make
their systems safe. The “National Cyber Security Policy” has been prepared in
consultation with all relevant stakeholders, user entities and public. The new policy aims at facilitating creation of secure computing
environment and enabling adequate trust and confidence in electronic
transactions and also guiding stakeholder’s actions for protection of cyber
space. The National Cyber Security Policy document outlines a road-map to
create a framework for comprehensive, collaborative and collective response
to deal with the issue of cyber security at all levels within the country. It
recognises the need for objectives and strategies that need to be adopted
both at the national level as well as international level. It aims at building a secure and
resilience cyber space for citizens, businesses and Government. Enabling
goals aimed at reducing national vulnerability to cyber attacks, preventing
cyber attacks & cyber crimes, minimising response & recover time and
effective cyber crime investigation and prosecution. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
07/03/2013 |
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Less than a week after
National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden exposed a secret
surveillance program allegedly providing access to the customer data of some
of the world's biggest technology companies, the Australian government has
announced an inquiry into the protection of privacy in the digital era.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has tasked the Australian Law Reform Commission
(ALRC) with a broad review of privacy law, including looking at, among other
things, the growth in surveillance in technology, community perception of
privacy, and international standards for privacy. "I am asking the
Australian Law Reform Commission to consider this issue in light of changing
conceptions of community privacy and rapid growth in information technology
capabilities," Dreyfus said. "The government strongly believes in
protecting the privacy of individuals, but this must be balanced against the
Australian public's right to freedom of communication and expression." Although not
specifically mentioned in the announcement, the timing of the review
coinciding with controversy over the NSA's alleged access to private user
data from tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft is likely to make
the matter the centrepiece of the review. Dreyfus said that privacy often has
to be counterbalanced with law enforcement and national security, but that he
doesn't think the online era means the death of privacy. "What I have
learned in my time as attorney-general is that reports about the death of
privacy are grossly exaggerated," he said. "It is clear to me that
Australians feel very strongly about the protection of their privacy. I'm yet
to receive a letter from an individual complaining that they receive too much
privacy." He said Australians are becoming very familiar with privacy rights,
and he hopes that government reforms of privacy law would build confidence in
the protection of privacy in Australia. "My hope is that the new reforms
will build even more confidence in the Australian community about the privacy
practices of government agencies and businesses by facilitating even more
open, transparent, and secure handling practices involving personal
information," he said. Yesterday, Dreyfus
would not say whether the US intelligence agencies have shared information
with the Australian government gains from the PRISM program, but said that
Australians would be concerned about the protection of the privacy of their
data hosted overseas. "All Australians would be concerned at the
potential for their privacy to be invaded through what other countries are
doing, where Australians' personal data is being stored offshore, be that in
big servers somewhere in the world," he reportedly said. The ALRC will
report back to the government in June 2014. From http://www.zdnet.com
06/12/2013 QLD Releases
Crime Statistics Online The Queensland Police
Service launched online statistics portal giving citizens quick and easy
access to crime statistics from the past 13 years on their computers. The
internally-developed portal offers information on crimes such as robberies,
homicides, assaults, arson, and fraud. Users can search for relevant
statistics by their postal code, name of their area or suburb, type of
offence, and time period. The statistics are overlaid on a map of Queensland,
giving users a great visual understanding of high and low crime areas. The
portal also offers data analysis tools such as graphs and density charts.
Through the portal, the police department of Queensland aims to encourage
users to become familiar with their area and engage in appropriate crime
prevention strategies in partnership with the police to ensure a safer
community. “This portal allows Queenslanders easy access to what is happening
in their neighbourhood from their desktop computer, smart phone or tablet”,
said Police Commissioner Ian Stewart. He stated that the portal would
revolutionise the way the public has access to crime information. The
information offered through the portal will be updated every night, and will
be one week in arrears. From http://www.futuregov.asia
07/01/2013 Australia
Unveils New Cloud Security Policy Mr Mark Dreyfus, the Australian
government Attorney General has unveiled new guidelines requiring agencies to
protect data in the cloud – especially for off-shore, outsourcing
arrangements. A recently-released Protective Security Framework mandates
comprehensive guidelines for agencies sourcing externally-hosted computing
and data storage services. Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, and Minister
Assisting for the Digital Economy, Senator Kate Lundy, have jointly released
this policy involving government’s use of cloud computing. Managing off-shore
arrangements This policy ensures
that agencies take full advantage of the opportunities enabled by cloud
computing and the National Broadband Network. But they also need to maintain
the privacy, security, integrity and availability of personal information. Mr
Dreyfus says a clearly-defined roadmap helps decision-makers assess when to
allow the use of offshoring or outsourcing on a “case-by-case basis.” Under
new arrangements, information that does not require privacy protection can be
stored and processed in outsourced and offshore arrangements. But this is
only after an agency-level “risk assessment” is done. Gaining ministerial
approvals Suitable approvals are
needed for privacy-protected information. This can only be stored and processed
in outsourced and offshore arrangements with pre-approvals. These
pre-approvals are being done by a relevant portfolio minister, and the
minister overseeing privacy and security involving government information, in
this case, Mr Dreyfus. Security classified information cannot be stored
offshore unless it is in special locations (such as Australian Embassies) or
under specific agreements. Government holds considerable unclassified data
which, subject to a risk assessment, can be stored in a public cloud. But
this information requires privacy protection and stronger safeguards. Protecting personal
information “I have paid special
attention to the security of personal information, which people expect will
be treated with the highest care by all organisations, but by government in
particular,” adds Mr Dreyfus. “Safeguards have been incorporated so that
before personal information can be stored in the cloud, the approval of the
minister responsible for the information, and my own approval as minister for
privacy, must be given.” Government is trusted to hold a great deal of
information on citizens and business. Citizens expect their information is
protected. “As much of our work is on-line, and technology is constantly
evolving, we must regularly ensure we are continuing to meet our obligations
in protecting the information given to us.” Assessing security
risks A new cloud security
policy helps agencies better assess privacy and security risks. “They can
decide when cloud arrangements are suitable for their business needs.”
Safeguards ensure the government takes advantage of cloud computing to reduce
storage costs and improve efficiency. But external storage and processing of
data can only reside in securely-protected domains. Current security
guidelines build on the Australian government’s National Cloud Computing
Strategy. This strategy was released in May 2013 by former minister for
communications, Senator Stephen Conroy. Government is an enthusiastic
supporter of new technology such as cloud computing, notes Senator Kate
Lundy. “Cloud technology offers not just agility, flexibility and
scalability, but also cost savings. In fact, cloud computing is fundamentally
changing the way we think about communications technology.” Senator Lundy
adds that combined with rolling out a National Broadband Network, cloud
computing has the potential to “revolutionise how we consume and use digital
technology.” From http://www.futuregov.asia
07/09/2013 Australia
Launches National Plan to Combat Cybercrime The Australian
government has launched a plan for a more collaborative national effort to
tackle cybercrime, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced in a statement on
Monday. According to the statement, the National Plan to Combat Cybercrime
commits Australian governments to take concrete steps against cybercrime.
This plan builds on the National Security Strategy which identified malicious
online actors as a key threat to Australia's social and economic well-being
and supports the Government's goal of becoming a world leading digital
economy by 2020. Mark Dreyfus confirmed that the plan would ensure Australia
to become a harder target for sophisticated cybercriminals. According to him,
organized criminals are increasingly using the internet and legitimate
communications tools to target Australians and to facilitate their illegal
activities. "This plan
represents a national commitment to work together to ensure a safer and more secure
digital environment for all Australians," Dreyfus said. "While it
brings tremendous benefits, the internet has created new opportunities for
financially motivated cyber criminals and those who seek to target vulnerable
members of our community." Australia became a party to the Council of
Europe Convention on Cybercrime in March, the world's first international
treaty on online crime. Joining the Convention ensured that Australian
agencies can collaborate more effectively with international counterparts
under the National Plan to Combat Cybercrime, Mark Dreyfus said. From http://www.globaltimes.cn
07/29/2013 NEW ZEALAND: Whole-of-government Approach
Needed to
Security - IITP New
Zealand needs to adopt a whole-of-government approach to security, according
to Paul Matthews. The CEO of the Institute of IT Professionals says his
organisation is advocating the creation of a chief information security
officer position to oversee government security and provide a single point of
reporting for vulnerabilities within government systems. Earlier
this year Labour's Clare Curran revealed that an informant had alerted her to
a security hole in a Ministry of Justice system. The government hit back over
the disclosure of the flaw. Ministry deputy secretary, organisational
development and support, Rose Percival, said there had been no threat to
people's private information. "This isn’t a member of the public
inadvertently finding information. It appears to be about someone with IT
skills deliberately trying to get into a Ministry IT system – the site where
people apply to become licensed security guards," Percival said in April
after Curran made the claim. The incident followed revelations late last
year that public computer kiosks provided by the Ministry of Social
Development in Work and Income service centres were able to access private
information on the ministry's network. A
review conducted by Deloitte found that security had not been adequately
considered when the kiosks were designed, security holes discovered in April
2011 had not been addressed and that "risk management processes did not
effectively escalate security exposures to management, nor ensure appropriate
mitigating actions were taken". Another review
conducted in the wake of the kiosk affair under the auspices of government
CIO, Colin MacDonald, found that many agencies had underdeveloped security
processes.
The report, prepared last year but released in June, found that the
"level of security management maturity across the state sector is lower
than could reasonably be expected to provide the public with appropriate
assurance about the safety of their private information". It found there
were 13 government agencies "with potentially high priority unresolved
vulnerabilities". Things "really have been getting to
the point where the public is saying that something's got to be done about
it," Matthews said. "Our view is we actually need
government to step up and look at an all-of-government approach around the
privacy and security," the IITP CEO added. "That's
why we're advocating a chief information security officer whose primary
responsibility will be to set some standards across all of government in
terms of both what should be in place, assessing what's actually in place,
and also setting up ways that people can report vulnerabilities when they
find them in an ethical disclosure manner." After
Curran was contacted about the Ministry of Justice's alleged vulnerability,
police launched an investigation into the man who contacted the Labour MP.
Having a central point to report vulnerabilities could help preventing
situations like this arising, Matthews said. "Currently every
ministry and every department actually does their own thing, and reporting of
vulnerabilities varies by department and the protections that they put in
place around privacy of information vary quite significantly." There's
work on whole-of-government procurement efforts, "but as soon as you
mention all of government from the policy side of things, the message is that
they don’t like that approach," Matthews said. "But
the fact is, that's what we need to get the standard [of security] up." From http://www.computerworld.co.nz 08/08/2013 |
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Demand
Drives WiFi Hotspots to 6.3 Million in '13 Global rise in mobility demand is expected to drive the number
of Wi-Fi Hotspots to more than 6.3 million by late 2013, according to a new
report from ABI research. In 2012, the global carrier Wi-Fi deployments
reached 4.9 million, the report said. ABI Research research analyst, Khin
Sandi Lynn, said: "Despite the successful adoption of 3G and 4G mobile
data services, the number of Wi-Fi Hotspots has continued to proliferate and
are anticipated to surpass 6.3 million by the end of 2013." The number
also includes Wi-Fi hotspots used by fixed-line and mobile carriers, along
with third-party operators including Boingo, iPass. The research firm reveals
that the third-party operators deploy their own Wi-Fi hotspots and retail
access to Wi-Fi hotspots controlled by telecom operators. Asia-Pacific region
has about 88% of Wi-Fi of the total global Wi-Fi hotspots, followed by 8% in
Europe, 3% in North America, and 1%in the other regions, the report said.
According to the ABI Research, Wi-Fi, which has been a complement to 3G and
4G services, is now a foundation of connectivity for the majority of
smartphone, tablet, and laptop users as it is offered for free in several
public Wi-Fi locations. With the rise in user importance for mobility, fixed
broadband operators have also started building Wi-Fi hotspots to offer fast
and reliable Internet connections when the customers are not at home. From
http://www.cbronline.com/
06/11/2013 More
Competition Essential for Future of Mobile Innovation, Says OECD OECD countries must ensure mobile
markets remain open and competitive in order to sustain innovation and meet
rising demand for data services, according to a new OECD report. Communications Outlook 2013 says that revenues
from data services are growing at double-digit rates in most OECD countries
and, in line with the surge of broadband wireless subscriptions, are now the
main source of growth for network operators. But many will increasingly need
to rely on offloading traffic to fixed networks, as demand tests the
available spectrum. Policy makers and regulators might need to intervene to
ensure there is enough supply to meet demand, especially in countries or
areas where there is insufficient fixed access network competition. Just as
critical is the level of facilities based competition among mobile networks.
France and Israel’s mobile markets have become more competitive after the
entry of new mobile network operators. The Czech Republic and The Netherlands
are both introducing additional operators. Meanwhile, in Canada and the
United States, the authorities acted to head off mergers that would have
resulted in less facilities based mobile network competition. The outcomes will
be at least four national operators in all these countries. Wireless and fixed broadband
subscriptions in OECD countries
Prices for mobile voice services have
decreased markedly from 2010 to 2012, showing significant declines across all
consumption patterns, says the report. A laptop-based wireless broadband
basket (offers within the 500 MB per month range) costs USD 13.04
on average across the OECD in PPP terms, although it reaches USD 30 in
some countries. Average expenditure was USD 37.15 PPP for a 10 GB
basket. A 250 MB tablet package cost USD 11.02 PPP per month on
average and a 5 GB basket for tablets cost USD 24.88 PPP on
average. The Communications Outlook 2013 also highlights the urgent
need to move forward with IPv6 in order to keep wireless markets open to new
entrants and meet demand. Asia Pacific and Europe have run out of Internet
Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses under normal procedures. Africa, North
America and South America will use up their allocated address space in due
time. IPv6 allows a virtually unlimited number of addresses but although over
half the equipment deployed on the wired Internet is capable of supporting
IPv6 today, less than 1% of this equipment connects to a service that
provides IPv6. From
http://www.oecd.org/
07/11/2013 Frost
& Sullivan Celebrates 10 Years of Excellence at 2013 Asia Pacific ICT
Awards Frost & Sullivan today celebrated the 10th Annual Frost
& Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Awards at The St Regis Singapore. Founded in
2004, the Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Awards program is now in its
10th consecutive year, and seeks to recognize companies and individuals that
have demonstrated best practices in their industry, commending the diligence,
commitment, and innovative business strategies required to advance in the global
marketplace. "Frost & Sullivan is proud to host the Asia Pacific ICT
Awards banquet for the 10th consecutive time. When we first started back in
2004, we knew we wanted the Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Awards to
be the most anticipated event of the year by the ICT business community in
Asia Pacific. We are delighted that the awards have surpassed our
expectations, just like the caliber of its recipients," said Manoj
Menon, Partner and Managing Director, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific. The 10th Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Awards conferred
a total of 36 awards, inclusive of 5 new award categories. Notable recipients
include Huawei, Vendor of the Year; PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk, Service
Provider of the Year; Axiata Group Berhad, Telecom Group of the Year; and
Chua Sock Koong, SingTel Group Chief Executive Officer as Service Provider
CEO of the Year. The 5 new awards and their recipients are Comptel
Corporation, Most Innovative Telecom OSS/BSS Vendor of the Year; Admob,
Mobile Advertising Network of the Year; BT, UC as a Service Vendor of the
Year; NTT Docomo, Mobile Commerce Service Provider of the Year; and KT,
Beyond Connectivity Service Provider of the Year. The awards enjoyed a good turnout of over 150 ICT industry
players and distinguished guests such as His Excellency Mahbub Uz Zaman, High
Commissioner of Bangladesh in Singapore; Ridwan Hassan, Deputy Chief of
Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia; Arianto Surojo, First
Secretary of Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia; and K.
Sukomaran, Counsellor (Investment)/Director, Malaysia Industrial Development
Authority (MIDA) Singapore. Frost & Sullivan identifies the outstanding
industry achievements in the past year by companies in the regional and
global markets, through in-depth interviews, market analysis, performance
measurements, and benchmarking of market participants to bring unique best
practices to forefront. Award recipients are evaluated based on their revenue
growth, market share gains, leadership in new product introduction and
innovation, breadth of products and solutions, major customer acquisition,
and business and market strategy. The results are then presented to an independent panel of
judges, comprising of influential personalities, decision-makers and thought
leaders from the ICT sector across Asia pacific. To view the complete list of
2013 ICT Awards judging panel, please visit, http://www.ict-awards.com/judges.shtml
For more details on the 2013 Asia Pacific ICT Awards log-on to
http://www.ict-awards.com/ or follow #apictawards on Twitter. You can also
connect with Frost & Sullivan on social media, including Twitter,
Facebook, SlideShare, and LinkedIn, for the latest news and updates. Channel
News Asia is the International Broadcast Media Partner for the 10th Annual
Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Awards. Media partners for the awards
banquet include CIO Asia, Digital News Asia, MIS Asia, and Top 10 of Asia. From
http://finance.yahoo.com/
07/17/2013 AFRICA:
Nigeria - Govt Targets 60% Rural Telephone Penetration, 7.5% ICT Contribution
to GDP For even economic growth across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria,
the Federal Government has targeted 60 per cent telephone penetration in the
rural parts of the country by 2018. Besides, government also expects
Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to increase
its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the
present 5.6 per cent to 7.5 per cent by 2015. Revealing this plan, the
Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson noted that
despite the huge telecommunications investment in the country in the last 12
years, put at about $25 billion, about 40 per cent of rural areas in Nigeria
still lack access to mobile phone coverage. Johnson, who is also optimistic
about her ministry’s target of achieving a five-fold increase in the number
of government services delivered online, restated that service operators
would need about N900 billion additional investments to bridge the needed
infrastructure gap in the country’s telecommunications access. She attributed
the 40 per cent deficit in mobile coverage to inadequate infrastructure
deployment to cater for the growing demand for telecoms services users. According to her, Nigeria currently has about 27, 000 base
transceiver stations (BTS) to drive both voice and data services provision,
which, she said, was grossly below what the country requires to have desired
quality of service. “The number of BTS in Nigeria has increased exponentially
since the inception of GSM providers from 116 in 2001` to about 21, 000 by
2010 and 26, 500 by the end of December, 2012. “So, from the current 27,000
BTS, significantly more BTS of about 33, 000, making a total of 60, 000 will
be need to be deployed across the country to meet national target of a
five-fold increase in broadband penetration by 2018.” The minister, whose
ministry also sets a target of adding one million local jobs to the ICT
industry, is optimistic of providing 50 per cent of the Nigerian populations
with fast Internet access by 2015. According to her, Nigeria epitomizes diversity and ICTs can help
to harness this diversity and achieve equitable development. “The ministry
works with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies in using ICTs to
deliver socio-economic benefits, particularly in the areas of health,
education and agriculture.” She informed that the ministry is also working to
ensure that Nigeria’s digital (ICT) and physical (postal) communications
infrastructure is leveraged in reducing financial exclusion amongst
population. Johnson, who said innovation is a key driver of employment and
growth in the ICT industry, noted that government is harnessing the latent
potential in the sector for social-economic development through the
establishment of incubation centres, an ICT-focused venture capital fund and
initiatives that foster partnerships and build-up local content in key
sectors of the industry. “Government is also fostering partnerships that
build ICT skills capacity that will meet future global requirements”, she
added. From
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/
06/24/2013 EUROPE:
Denmark Sees Highest Share of Mobile Page Views Denmark has the highest share of mobile page views, according to
a study by Gemius. However, it is the Slovakian market that grows the fastest.
Mobile phones and tablets took over the virtual reality successively as their
share in internet traffic grows year-on-year, according to the same research.
The study covered all the countries from Central and Eastern Europe in which
Gemius measures traffic on websites, i.e. Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, the
Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Slovenia,
Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary. The analysis also included Denmark. The data
presented are those for April 2012 and 2013. Despite the fact that Denmark is
the most mobile-developed market (over 31 percent of all internet traffic is
generated with the use of mobile devices, a growth of 86 percent as compared
to April 2012), the countries in which the greatest growth in the share of
mobile phones and tablet-generated page views was observed are Slovakia and
the Czech Republic (growth of over 200 percent as compared to April 2012). As
Hungary, Croatia and Lithuania, Slovakia has a share of mobile page views
which is surpassing the region’s average (6.6 percent). The reason behind
these countries' share of high mobile page views in these countries is an
influence of strong local brands operating on these markets, which gained a
big level of popularity among mobile devices users with their mobile
websites. Further analyses showed that there are only three countries where
the growth of mobile page views share increased less than 100 percent during
last year, namely Belarus (34 percent), Lithuania (81 percent) and Poland
(growth by 87 percent). The growth in the number of page views generated via
mobile devices on the remaining markets of the region was from 100 to 200
percent. The data come from www.rankingcee.com, a website based on Gemius
internet sites traffic measurement results. From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
06/04/2013 Russia’s
Yandex Launches ‘Islands’ Tool Russia’s online search engine Yandex has revamped the design of
its search results page as it launches an interactive snippets solution
called ‘Islands’. The new ‘Islands’ feature aims to increase engagement with
websites and services by allowing users to action their query – whether
booking tickets, making reservations or paying bills – directly from the
search page rather than through an organisation’s website. It works by
responding to web searches by speeding up the link between searches and
services, minimising lengthy search processes or complicated web pages.
Evolved from ‘rich’ snippets, the ‘Islands’ tool will be available to web
developers to add the functionality to their websites. “Apps have changed
people’s expectations of usability, especially on mobile,” says Yandex chief
technology officer Ilya Segalovich. “When people search on the rich web these
days, they are often looking to carry out an action. We’re speeding up this
process.” The feature will be available across multiple devices, launching
first on PCs and tablets and then on mobile devices initially in Turkey
before rolling-out to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan in the coming
months. “Interactive snippets deliver a new level of user experience,” adds
Segalovich. “Sitelinks are an outdated way of providing information and rich
snippets are mere decoration. We know users want faster, more direct
engagement with services, and interactive snippets mean businesses can better
serve the needs of their customers by offering a shortcut to the ultimate
search.” From
http://mandmglobal.com/
06/10/2013 NORTH
AMERICA: Canadian Innovation Exchange Opens Top 20 Contest for 2013 The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) launched the CIX Top 20
on Thursday, opening up the floor for companies to put in entries and be
recognized as among the most innovative in Canada’s tech scene. Held once a
year, the CIX recognizes innovative companies with revenues of under $10
million and helps shine a light on what will be “the next big thing,”
according to CIX co-chair Chris Arsenault. This year, the CIX made the
announcement from Banff, Alta. at the Canadian Venture Capital Association.
Last year’s top 20 included 10 winners in digital media and 10 in information
and communication technology. On the digital media side, winners included: UrtheCast,
a video streaming platform that will show a view of the earth from space;
Wajam Inc., a social search service that adds friends’ reviews, links, photos
and videos to regular search results; and Frank & Oak, a men’s online
clothing store. In ICT, 2012’s winners included: Payfirma Corp., a mobile and
web-based payment system; Viafoura Inc., an online commenting platform that
offers multimedia and analytics; and 360pi, which helps retailers plan
pricing strategies. The 2013 CIX forum will take place on Nov. 21 in the MaRS
Discovery District in Toronto. CEOs of the winners of the CIX Top 20 will
have the chance to present about their companies in front of innovation
industry figures. From
http://www.itbusiness.ca/
05/24/2013 Canadian
Universities Lag in IP Development: Study Canadian universities lag behind their United States
counterparts when it comes to generating technologies for commercial use, according
to a recent study. From Curiosity to Wealth Creation: How University Research
Can Boost Economic Growth, a study by the C.D. Howe Institute, compared 10
Canadian universities with those in the U.S. and of dollars allocated to
research and development, inventions and discoveries made per year, patents
applied for each year, start-ups created each year and dollar value of
intellectual property (IP) developed. The study was carried out from 1991 to
2010. Among other things, the study found, the average patents applied for by
the top 10 Canadian universities during the study period was 29 compared to
147.3 for American top 10 universities. Income from IPs realized by Canadian
universities for the period was around $2.3 million compared to $24.4 million
earned by U.S. universities. “The best Canadian universities spend less than
a third as much on research and development as do their U.S. counterparts,”
noted Peter Howitt, professor of social science and Brown University and
author of the study. He said the average research expenditure among top 10
Canadian universities was only $2 million compared to an average across the
10 U.S. universities of $6.5 million. However, Howitt said, this factor alone
was not responsible for the discrepancy. For instance, he said the technology
transfer offices (TTO) of American universities are generally more
experienced compared to Canadian TTOs. Canadian universities have a “less
experimental culture” than those in the U.S. and venture capital south of the
border is more highly developed. But more importantly, Howitt said, Canadian
businesses’ expenditure on research and development (BERD) is only half of
that of U.S. BERD. “It is doubtful that Canada will be able to close the
productivity gap with the U.S. in technology transfer until businesses start
to play their part instead of relying on universities to do more than their
share,” said Howitt. From
http://www.itworldcanada.com/
06/07/2013 U.S.:
Breaking Down the 2014 IT Budget Request President Obama's budget request for information technology for
fiscal year 2014 could range as high as $110 billion, when Congress, the
federal judiciary, and small agencies that do not break out their IT spending
to the Office of Management and Budget are taken into account, according to
Deltek analysis presented at a May 30 industry event. The IT spending
requested in the president's budget, released in April, must go through
Congress, so it is useful mostly as a guide to the administration's
priorities. About half the spending request is concentrated on fewer than 300
of more than 7,600 programs listed in the exhibit 53 documents that agencies
file with OMB to document IT spending requests. For vendors, the news was a
little grim, with Deltek offering a preliminary forecast of a decline of more
than $18 billion in contractor-addressable IT spending requests for 2014
($106.4 billion) as compared to 2012 ($124.6 billion). Defense agencies are
seeing some of the starkest declines, with the Army projected to fall from
$20.6 billion to $10.9 billion, in part due to savings linked to more
efficient maintenance and cloud adoption. At the same time, however, the Army
is ramping up the percentage of its overall IT spending devoted to new
development. One possible growth area for contractors is the integrated
electronic health records program at Veterans Affairs. Despite some
well-publicized setbacks, including a break with the Department of Defense
over the use of the VA's VistA system, the VA still plans to increase
spending on the modernization of health records from $134 million in 2013 to
$252 million in 2014. Overall, agencies are planning for a slight uptick on spending
in operations and maintenance of existing programs, a matching decline in
spending on new programs. The growth in O&M spending will likely lead to
contractors facing "fierce competition" as companies vie for
recompeted contracts, according to Deniece Peterson, director of federal
industry analysis at Deltek. Federal chief information officer Steven
VanRoekel, in his IT budget presentations in April, said he wanted to see the
spending tilt away from O&M and toward new programs. The breakdown of
spending on cloud computing confirms that government prefers private cloud
solutions to public, community or hybrid clouds, with private cloud funding
pegged at about $1.7 billion across the government, compared to $118 million
for public cloud, $314 million for community cloud, and $77 million for
hybrid. On the big-picture side, according to Kevin Plexico, vice president
of federal information solutions at Deltek, fiscal year 2013 will likely
represent the low water mark in terms of overall federal spending. Even if
the sequester policy is kept in place under a continuing resolution or new
budget for fiscal year 2014, the budget caps increase 1 percent to 2 percent
annually through 2021 under the Budget Control Act. Even within the
constrained budget environment, cybersecurity, healthcare and healthcare IT
will continue to be among growth areas. From
http://fcw.com/
05/30/2013 U.S.
Moves Ahead of Europe in Mobile Technology - Study According to GSMA’s 'Mobile Wireless Performance in the EU and
US' report, Europe lags far behind the in the deployment of enhanced mobile
technologies and the advanced services made possible through mobile. The
report, developed in collaboration with Navigant Economics, explores the
factors that have contributed to Europe’s lost mobile leadership and offers
policy recommendations designed to re-establish the EU as a centre for mobile
investment. As recently as five years ago, the European mobile market was
performing as well as, or even better than, that of the US. However, since
then, the situation has dramatically reversed, as shown by the report’s
comparison of the two markets. On average, US consumers spend more each month
than their EU counterparts and use mobile services much more intensely,
consuming five times more voice minutes and nearly twice as much data. The US
has opened up a large lead in deployment of enhanced technologies and by the
end of this year, nearly 20 percent of US connections will be on LTE
networks, compared with fewer than 2 percent in the EU. Average mobile data
connection speeds in the US are now 75 percent faster than those in Europe
and by 2017, speeds will be more than twice as fast. Mobile investment in the
US has outpaced that in Europe, with capital expenditure in the US growing by
70 percent since 2007, while declining in the EU, and the gap continues to
widen. GSMA believes the European Commission should immediately create a plan
that will position Europe as a centre for mobile innovation and investment.
The commission must launch a major regulation exercise to establish an
approach to pan-European regulation and reduce impediments to the
consolidation of mobile markets by streamlining merger reviews and taking a
cautious approach to the imposition of remedies. From
http://www.telecompaper.com/
05/30/2013 California
Announces Private Cloud Offering for 2014 The California Office of Technology Services' privately-run cloud
service will be another lower-cost method of delivering IT services to its
customers. On June 27, the California Office of Technology Services (OTech)
announced that it's looking for a vendor for its first private cloud services
offering. The agency is prepared to accept vendor bids until August 26, and
services of this private cloud are expected to be available to OTech’s
customers by January 2014. The vendor, which will be selected by the
beginning of October, will build a turnkey system inside the state’s two data
centers. The vendor will manage the hardware, while the state manages its
services, allowing cost savings, scalability and flexibility for OTech, its
customers and all Californians, said OTech Director Ron Hughes. The state
doesn’t have the expertise or the experience to manage a private cloud on its
own, Hughes said, but still wanted to offer cloud services to its customers
because it’s what the customers want. Building cloud hardware inside the
agency's own private data center was the best solution for the state, given
its need for a cloud offering and the short timeframe, Hughes said. “The reason we did that is it avoids a lot of the issues our
customers would potentially have with cloud services when you don’t have
control of the data, you don’t know where the data is located," he said.
"Everybody’s concerned you could have a data loss. By having a private
cloud located on our raised floor, you avoid all those issues."
Whichever vendor is chosen will also be required by the five-year contract to
teach the state how to operate its cloud hardware. That way, Hughes said,
OTech will have the option to completely manage its own cloud when it
upgrades in five years -- a route the state will likely take. The initial
cost to the state is zero, because the cloud services will be offered on a
provisioning-based contract. And that, Hughes said, is one of the great
things about the cloud, and got OTech's customers interested in buying cloud
services in the first place. “When I was appointed director, the first thing
I did was I went out and talked to all of my customers,” he said. “The number
one thing our customers were asking for was cloud services. They want the
ability to use provisioning-based contracts for delivering IT services. It
allows customers to control their own resources.” OTech’s customers want control, he said, and this will allow
them to have it. While the servers are often under-utilized, the agency’s
customers will only have to pay for what they need and can scale their usage.
“It gives a lot of control back to our customers they haven’t had before,”
Hughes said, adding that in addition to cost-savings, flexibility and
scalability, this solution will also offer better security and disaster
recovery services. “For us, it gives us an opportunity to implement best
practices, have much more standardized environments for our customers,”
Hughes said, the advantage of which is that it’s cheaper for OTech to provide
support. "Every time we lower the rates at OTech, we actually save the
state money in terms of IT services," he added. "We’ve had
multi-million rate cuts every year, many times twice a year. This will be
another lower-cost method of delivering IT services to our customers, and
should be significantly cheaper than the way we deliver those services
today.” From
http://www.govtech.com/
06/28/2013 New
York City Top-Level Domain Approved Dot-NYC domain names will soon be available to businesses, organizations
and residents. After a year of waiting to get its own top-level domain
extension, New York City announced on July 2 that the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved the city's use of Dot-NYC.
Businesses, organizations and residents can now register for a url for their
websites that will mark their online portal with the distinct
".nyc" extension. “Having our own unique, top-level domain – .nyc –
puts New York City at the forefront of the digital landscape and creates new
opportunities for our small businesses,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a
press release. “They’ll now be able to identify themselves as connected to
New York City, one of the world’s strongest and most prestigious brands.”
Registrants for the new domain must have a physical address in New York City
where they conduct business or maintain an office. Registration will begin
later this year, and fees are yet to be determined. More information is
available at the www.mydotnyc.com website. Officials call the geographic
top-level domain a critical piece of the city's digital strategy, aimed at
helping residents easily find government services online, promoting local
businesses and encouraging tourism. New York City has a five-year contract
with Virginia-based registry vendor Neustar, to manage the .nyc domain
extension. The company handles multiple domains, such as dot-us, dot-co and
dot-biz. Under the terms of the contract, Neustar covered the $185,000
application fee paid to ICANN, as well as all expenses related to the
top-level domain. New York City is guaranteed at least $3.6 million in
revenue during the five-year period. From
http://www.govtech.com/
07/05/2013 Obama
Reboots Technology Mission to Improve Government President's second-term management agenda focuses on tapping
private sector talent to help the government improve its services. President
Barack Obama on Monday re-emphasized the importance of using technology and
private sector experts to make the government "smarter, quicker and more
responsive" to the public, a critical element of his second-term agenda.
Following a private meeting with his cabinet, he announced that Sylvia
Burwell, new director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will lead
the "aggressive management" effort. Burwell, who was confirmed by the
Senate in April, has held high-profile posts in both government and private
sectors, including at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walmart
Foundation. She took the reins at OMB as federal IT spending increased nearly
2%, to $82 billion, in the fiscal 2014 budget. It was the first significant
increase in federal IT spending in four years. The effort builds on Obama's
first-term plan to open up government data to the public and industry. In
May, the president signed an executive order requiring that data generated by
the government must be made available to the public in open, machine-readable
formats. The OMB and the Office of Science and Technology Policy also
released an Open Data Policy to ensure that federal agencies manage
government information as an asset. The policy was created to make previously
unavailable government data accessible to entrepreneurs, researchers and the
public for the purpose of building new products, services and businesses.
Currently, Data.gov houses 75,718 datasets, which have resulted in 349
citizen-developed apps, according to the site. Data.gov allows the public to
download and use datasets that are generated by the federal government. The White House's agenda is mainly a renewed emphasis on
bringing private sector talent to help the government improve its services.
Federal agencies now have access to a new group of Presidential Innovation
Fellows, who were selected late last month. The second class of 43 innovators
and entrepreneurs from the private sector -- including Scott Wu, who launches
and invests in young companies, and Claire Holroyd, who most recently served
as senior product manager for Sony Network Entertainment -- will work on nine
program areas that aim to bring private sector expertise to the government.
MyUSA is one of five initiatives that are part of the Presidential Innovation
Fellows program. The project's goal is to simplify the interaction between
the government and the public, such as filling out federal forms online and
tracking their progress. So far, "we've made good progress on all
fronts," said Obama during Monday's speech. One example is the relaunch
of HealthCare.gov which allows citizens to shop around for health insurance.
He noted other significant efforts, including naming Todd Park as the
nation's chief technology officer and Steven VanRoekle as Federal CIO.
Together with OMB, VanRoekel and agency leaders have identified $2.5 billion
in wasted IT spending. "But we need to do more," Obama added.
"We're operating under severe fiscal constraints. We could use Congress'
help… to redesign the federal government and to deliver better
services." From
http://www.informationweek.com/
07/08/2013 2013
Digital Counties Survey Winners Announced From
http://www.digitalcommunities.com/
07/18/2013 Tackling
the Greatest Digital Divide What’s the most persistent digital divide in America? It isn’t
by race, income or educational attainment, studies show, but by age. Just 56
percent of Americans over 65 are online, according to a May study by the Pew
Internet and American Life Project, compared with 83 percent of people aged
50 to 64, 92 percent of people 30 to 49 and 98 percent of 18-to-29 year olds.
The 2013 study represented the first time the percentage of America’s online
elderly tipped over the 50 percent mark. The racial divide, by comparison,
only runs from 76 percent of Hispanic Americans who are online to 85 percent
of blacks and 86 percent of non-Hispanic whites, Pew found. The divide
measured by income is somewhat greater, from 76 percent of households that
make less than $30,000 per year to 96 percent of households that make more
than $75,000. The education divide comes closest to the age divide. About 59
percent of Americans who didn’t complete high school are online, Pew found,
compared with 96 percent of college graduates. The effects of this divide can
be pernicious, said Tony Sarmiento, executive director of Senior Service
America, a Washington-area nonprofit that works to increase Internet use
among the elderly. Disconnected seniors are more likely to feel isolated and
sink into depression, Sarmiento said, especially if they’re housebound by
physical ailments or have lost much of their nondigital social circle to
death, disease or dementia. A 2009 report by the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and
Economic Public Policy Studies found a 20 percent reduction in depression
among seniors who are online compared with those who are not. “We all end up
paying for that in terms of older people needing more care because their
health deteriorates,” Sarmiento said. “So being able to lessen that isolation
online, not just with email but with Skype and things like that could have a
tremendous impact.” Retirees who need to return to the workforce because of
reductions to their pensions are also finding it more difficult because job
postings are increasingly only online, Sarmiento said. That’s not to mention
the struggle of actually competing in the increasingly digital workforce.
This digital divide is even more exaggerated when it comes to mobile. Only 18
percent of American seniors use smartphones, according to a Pew study
released in June, compared with 55 percent of Americans aged 45 to 54, 69
percent of Americans 35 to 44 and about 80 percent of Americans 18 to 34. A
Pew study released Monday showed 43 percent of America’s online seniors use
social media now. That’s more than triple the 13 percent who used those sites
in 2009 but roughly half the 72 percent of total Americans who use social
networking. Nextgov spoke with Sarmiento Tuesday about why the digital divide
persists among seniors, what it means and what government can and should be
doing about it. The transcript is edited for length and clarity. From
http://www.nextgov.com/
08/08/2013 Is There an
IT-acquisition Generation Gap? A generation gap between acquisition and IT professionals --
laid atop budget cuts, cybersecurity threats and shifting technologies -- is
exacerbating what might be the most difficult period for federal IT managers
in more than a decade. The federal acquisition workforce is among the
youngest in the government, while federal IT workers are among the oldest,
the General Services Administration's Mark Day said. Day is acting deputy assistant
commissioner for the Office Integrated Technology Services, a part of Federal
Acquisition Services. Day contends the gap is complicating an already-fraught
federal IT environment. With technologies such as cloud computing creating
new business models to which federal agencies have to adapt, communications
between the two groups is more critical than ever. “Acquisition and the CIO
have to learn how to talk to one another to solve the cloud business model,”
Day told a group of federal IT managers and hopeful federal vendors at an IT
Legacy Modernization for Government Conference on Aug. 19. Generational
differences can impede that communication, Day suggested, though he cited no
specific examples. But he did note that the cloud model is at a critical stage,
moving beyond the initial hype and into a place where reality has set in.
“There is no silver bullet. We’re figuring out if it really works” in
providing cost and operational benefits for the federal user, Day said. “I’ve
seen cloud deals that save and some that don’t.” Understanding how to get a
cloud application that works begins in the acquisition process, he said.
Competition is a key part of that understanding. Federal agencies should know
how to negotiate deals and step back when terms aren’t on their side. Paul
Tibbits, the Department of Veterans Affairs deputy CIO, agreed with the need
for an understanding of competition, but added that a lack of a longer view
of IT at federal agencies could also be hampering the federal acquisition
process. “There is no real end-to-end view at the federal government,” he
said, which might be more cultural than generational. Tibbits said the
private sector suffers from the same mindset. “Everything is done in snippets
in incremental delivery. We need to get smart about the end-to-end view,” he
said, and not just the next deliverable on projects. Tibbits added that his
agency has worked to make acquisition less difficult for VA IT managers. His
agency has set up a one-stop Commodities Enterprise Contract where IT
managers can get laptops, tablet computers, thin clients, servers, switches,
routers firewalls and storage gear. Three prime contractors, he said, have
been selected to supply the gear. “We’ll be buying off this in the next few
weeks.” From
http://fcw.com/
08/19/2013 |
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Chinese millennials are heavy users of technology, with most
owning smartphones and preferring the Internet for communication, the China
Daily reported Saturday.About 92 percent of Chinese aged 18 to 30 own
smartphones, well above the global average of 67 percent, the report said,
citing a joint survey by Spain-based telecommunications firm Telefonica SA
and the Financial Times newspaper. Government data show the nation has about
270 million people aged 18 to 30.The report said people born between the mid-1980s
and late 1990s are considered millennials. They grew up with the Internet,
and they are heavy users of social networks."Clearly, millennials are
the smartphone generation," said Caspar Luyten, chief regional officer
of Telefonica Asia.The country's position as the world's major smartphone
maker, combined with its rapid growth, has fueled smartphones' popularity,
Luyten said.China overtook the United States as the world's biggest
smartphone market by shipments two years ago. About 95 percent of mobile phones shipped in China will be
smartphones by 2017 and the country will become one of the world's top
smartphone markets after the U.S. and the European Union in terms of
penetration rate, the report said.Domestic smartphone makers were among the
first to see the business value of the nation's millennial population.Yulong
Computer Telecommunication Scientific Co Ltd, maker of Coolpad smartphones,
has been among the most active in targeting the millennials.Accounting for
11.6 percent of the smartphones sold in April, the Shenzhen-based Yulong is
the biggest domestic cell phone manufacturer by sales, according to Sino
Market Research.Most of Yulong's devices cost about 1,000 yuan ($163), a
widely accepted level for young buyers."When many smartphones sell at
the same price as feature phones, it's easy for buyers to make the decision
to purchase smartphones," Luyten said. From http://www.news.cn/
06/15/2013 Internet observers analyzing the benefits of the sensational
deal between Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Sina Corp's Twitter-like Weibo
service reckon data resources may be a hidden treasure for both
companies.During the May Day holiday this year, e-commerce giant Alibaba
announced it had acquired an 18 percent stake in Sina Weibo for $586 million.
Alibaba has an option to boost its stake in the popular social media outlet
to 30 percent.Obviously, the deal could help Alibaba greatly expand its reach
on the mobile Internet - a battlefield where Tencent Holdings Ltd gained
strength. "But what's more important, Alibaba and Sina will get a big
boost by exchanging data and mining data," said Yang Hai, a
Beijing-based Internet observer.Alibaba and Sina Weibo, with their hundreds
of millions of users, produce a huge volume of data every day, every minute
and even every second. "The two companies are born to be big data
companies. Their data resources are complementary and can be
cross-used," Yang pointed out.Jack Ma, Alibaba's chairman, had
previously expressed a belief that e-commerce platforms, finance businesses
and data research companies are the three strategic directions for Alibaba
Group. Alibaba is more like a data company, Ma once said, because the core part
of e-commerce and finance business is data."Data can provide unexpected
value," said Che Pingjue, chairman of Alibaba's internal data committee,
during a Hangzhou conference in April. By researching the transaction data of
Taobao, Che and his team have classified Taobao buyers into 12 categories.For
example, the largest group of Taobao clients are the so-called "night
fighters". That group has a population as big as the city of Beijing,
with more than 22.8 million people. They usually shop online between 11 pm
and 5 am. The more accurate the depiction of clients is, the more precise
marketing campaigns can be made for e-commerce companies, said Vivian Deng,
client services director of Epsilon The birth of this TV series was based on big data technology.
NetFlex, a US-based online video company, researched millions of viewers'
comments and search activities then decided on the framework and major
performers for House of Cards."We can learn lessons (from this case).
Without doubt, China can take similar strides," Hou said. During the
same event, Hou announced the establishment of a script-writing subsidiary
that will use big data theory to produce scripts.Shen Xiaowei, chairman of
IBM China research and development group, said China's big data industry is
running neck-and-neck with the rest of the world. However, China has many
unique opportunities that may help the country to lead the world's big data
industry."The huge population and economy mean China's data volume will
become the world's largest. It will provide its big data research with many
creative angles," said Shen. Meanwhile, during China's economic development process, the
country faces challenges from sectors such as environmental protection and
food safety. "There is a huge demand. The country needs big data
analysis to introduce better solutions," Shen added.Currently, domestic
Internet companies including Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent, as well as telecom
firms such as Huawei and China Mobile, have been actively promoting their big
data businesses. "They all have good development opportunities,"
said Fang Bingxing, president of Beijing University of Posts and
Telecommunications."But the use of big data will bring in some security
concerns. Companies have to protect individual privacy and make sure there
will be no harm to people in terms of data research," Fang pointed out. From http://www.news.cn/
06/24/2013 IT Push Aims to Boost
Domestic Demand China is to promote consumption of IT-related products and services
as it seeks to spur domestic demand and push economic upgrading.It will speed
up work to issue licenses for the fourth generation (4G) mobile network this
year and accelerate development of broadband Internet access, according to a
statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council presided
over by Premier Li Keqiang.The nation is aiming for annual average growth of
20 percent in the information consumption industry from 2013 to 2015, the
statement said.The meeting demanded implementation of the “Broadband China”
strategy, stepped-up efforts to construct and upgrade network infrastructure,
pushing forward the FTTH (Fiber To the Home) project and improving Internet
speed. China, which has the largest number of mobile phones in the world
at 1.2 billion, is already building 4G trial networks in major cities.China
Mobile, its largest telecom carrier, is promoting the homegrown Time-Division
Long-Term Evolution (TD-LTE) 4G standard and hopes to start commercial 4G
rollout as soon as possible.Xi Guohua, chairman of China Mobile, said in a
June interview that the company has built more than 22,000 4G base stations
in 15 Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, and plans to set up
200,000 base stations in 100 cities by the end of the year.There is
speculation over whether the other two Chinese carriers — China Unicom and
China Telecom — will follow in deploying TD-LTE networks. Central government
officials have openly supported the TD-LTE standard, but there are signs the
two carriers are inclined to adopt another more mature 4G
technology.High-level management from the two companies have voiced their
willingness to apply the Frequency Division Duplex-Long Term Evolution, or
FDD-LTE, technology, or at least to build a converged network under both
standards. TD-LTE and FDD-LTE are the two major 4G international standards,
but the latter has gained more popularity around the world and has stronger
industry support.Liu Lihua, vice-minister of industry and information
technology, said last year that China aims to have more than 250 million
broadband users by 2015.The central government is also encouraging private
capital to enter the basic telecom service market, such as the voice and
messaging business, by setting up joint ventures with State-owned
players.Projects to merge telecommunications, television and Internet
services will also move forward on a nationwide basis this year, according to
Friday's meeting.The meeting also called for quicker development on energy
saving, with the goal of ensuring the market share for efficient
energy-saving products reaches 50 percent by 2015. From http://www.news.cn/
07/14/2013 China Expects
Nationwide Broadband by 2020 China will strive to complete broadband coverage of both urban
and rural areas by 2020, The State Council, China's cabinet, announced
Saturday.The State Council elevated national broadband development as as a
national strategy and announced a implementation timetable for its
development over the coming eight years.The strategy aims to achieve WiFi
coverage in key public urban areas by 2013 and fixed broadband coverage for
half of Chinese households by 2015, the announcement said.Families in some
developed cities will enjoy a broadband speed of one gigabits per second in
2020, the announcement added.The strategy will be carried out in three
phases. Fiber optic networks and 3G mobile coverage will be facilitated in
2013 while broadband converage will be expanded from 2014 to 2015. Broadband
network and technology updates will be the key task from 2016 to 2020.A
policy on support for information products and services was released on Aug.
14 in a bid to boost domestic demand and fuel economic growth. From http://www.news.cn/
08/18/2013 China intends to be thoroughly connected to the internet by
2015, with urban and rural household broadband speeds reaching 20 Mbps and 4
Mbps respectively, according to a blueprint issued by the State Council on
Saturday.The "Broadband China" strategy and implementation plan was
posted on the central government's website on Saturday. It outlined the
target and timetable for China to become a leader in international broadband
accessibility. It sets out three plans for China to deploy and upgrade its
current broadband networks.By the end of this year, 40 percent of the
country's households will have access to fixed broadband and 25 percent of
Chinese citizens will be able to access third generation (3G) or fourth
generation (4G) mobile broadband services. The nation's broadband penetration rate will be greatly raised
by 2015, when fixed broadband coverage of households is expected to increase
to 50 percent, while mobile broadband coverage must surpass 32.5 percent,
according to targets set by the State Council.Under the strategy, the next
few years will see optical fiber to the home (FTTH), or to the building
(FTTB) completed in cities by 2015.Urban household broadband speeds should
reach 20 Mbps, with some getting even faster service of 100 Mbps. Rural
households will have access to speeds of 4 Mbps.By the target year, China
will have a fixed broadband user base of 270 million and 850 million Internet
surfers.The third stage of construction will follow from 2016 to 2020. The
State Council has stipulated that the gap between China's broadband
infrastructure level and that of developed countries must be narrowed, and
broadband speeds in urban and rural households will need to reach 50 Mbps and
12 Mbps by 2020. Broadband networks are strategic public infrastructure under the
new era of China's economic and social development, according to the paper.
Broadband projects will drive effective investment and promote information
consumption, it pointed out.The average fixed broadband download speed in
China was 2.93 Mbps in the first half of this year, according to a report
released by the Broadband Development Alliance, a third party research organization."Generally
speaking, China's broadband development is at the middle and lower levels
across the world. The situation does not match the country's position as the
world's second largest economy," said Fu Liang, a Beijing-based
independent telecom analyst.Compared with neighboring countries such as Japan
and South Korea, which emphasized broadband development and invested heavily
in related projects decades ago, China has been left far behind, he
said.Japan and South Korea are already offering 4G mobile network commercial
services while China started 3G network deployment only four years ago and
has yet to issue 4G licenses. Li Yizhong, former minister of Industry and Information
Technology, had previously said average information and telecommunication
spending per capita in China was under $200 every year, far less than that of
developed countries, which stood at thousands of dollars a year.However,
China's current situation also signifies huge market potential.Earlier this
week, the State Council said China aims to boost public sector and household
spending on the IT industry by more than 20 percent annually through 2015.By
that year, the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan, information consumption volume
will exceed 3.2 trillion yuan ($522 billion) and create 1.2 trillion yuan
worth of output for related industries.China Telecom Corp Ltd, the nation's
biggest fixed broadband operator, announced this month that it would speed up
broadband services to 100 Mbps in some Chinese cities."If a household gets
access to networks with a speed of 100Mbps, all family members will enjoy
smooth, high-quality entertainment on the Internet, including online videos
and games," officials at China Telecom said. From http://www.news.cn/
08/18/2013 JAPAN:
ICT Making Inroads into More Schools Introduction of information and communications technology (ICT)
has been making headway in schools, and the government plans to distribute ICT
devices to all primary and middle school students by fiscal 2019. What will
classes be like in the future? A room with clean white walls dubbed the
Future Classroom was unveiled at an event from June 6 to 8 in Koto Ward,
Tokyo. The walls could be used as whiteboards and when portable electronic
devices were connected, they too were quickly transformed into electronic
chalkboards. The exhibition by Tokyo-based Uchida Yoko Co., which develops
education systems, was for teachers and education officials. In the
demonstrations, all of the students were given tablet computers and a teacher
transmitted questions via a wireless LAN. The answers the students wrote on
the computer screens were magnified and displayed on the walls. A primary
school attached to the University of Tsukuba, Tokyo, which has instructors
teach only their specialized subjects, will introduce the system this month.
The teachers will study how to utilize ICT to instruct students. Yasuhiro
Hosomizu, vice principal of the school, said, “The curriculum will be
diversified and the students’ perspectives will also widen.” Ahead of the
introduction, the students have been using information devices and the
teachers have used electronic chalkboards. At the event, teachers from the
school put on mock classes. In a mock third-year primary school math class, the students
watched a video on a large display and counted how many of each type of car
were shown in the video clip. The students made charts of the numbers using
the tablets and the electronic chalkboard. However, some teachers were
apprehensive. A primary school teacher from Niigata Prefecture who watched
the mock class said, “Though teaching methods and materials will drastically
change, we don’t have the know-how to use them.” Meanwhile, projects using
the latest technology are under way to develop devices to make classes more
efficient and develop teaching materials which may enhance students’
willingness to study. Tokyo-based Sony Corp. developed “electronic paper”
devices on which users can display text and other data and write using
electronic pens. Starting in autumn, demonstrations of the devices will begin
at Waseda University and Ritsumeikan University. The devices also have
wireless LAN functions, making distribution of documents and submission of
reports easier. The devices are expected to make lectures more efficient.
Yokohama-based JVC Kenwood Corp. developed a globe that displays videos
explaining global warming and how typhoons and tsunami form. The company had displayed large models at various events, but
for the Future Classroom event, the company developed one 80 centimeters in
diameter for schools to contribute to teaching about the environment and
disaster prevention. Some companies have tied up to encourage schools to
introduce ICT systems. About 30 companies, including Microsoft Japan Co., NTT
Docomo Inc. and NEC Corp., set up a liaison council in May to jointly provide
such systems to schools and local governments. The governments of South Korea
and Singapore have taken the initiative of introducing ICT systems in
education. The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is
encouraging the introduction of ICT. A ministry official said, “By utilizing
ICT from the stage of compulsory education, students will more easily
understand class content and their interests in and motivation for learning
can be raised.” A fiscal 2011 survey showed that there is one computer for
every 6.6 public school students and 73,377 electronic chalkboards, up about
20 percent from the previous year, were introduced in public schools. From
http://the-japan-news.com 07/13/2013 SOUTH KOREA:
Ranks No. 1 in the World in Smartphone Penetration Rate South Korea’s penetration rate of smartphones ranked number one
in the world for the first time in 2012. According to U.S. market researcher
Strategy Analytics, South Korea’s smartphone penetration rate stood at
67-point-six percent last year. The figure was nearly five times larger than
the average global penetration rate of 14-point-eight percent and up more
than ten percentage points than Norway which came in second with 55 percent.
In 2011, South Korea’s smartphone penetrate rate stood at around 38 percent.
The figure put South Korea in fourth place after Hong Kong, Sweden and
Singapore. In 2007, South Korea’s smartphone penetration rate stood at only
seven-tenths of a percent then jumped to two percent in 2009 before surging
to 14 percent in 2010. Strategy Analytics attributed South Korea’s number one
rate to the swift establishment of a fourth-generation long-term evolution
wireless broadband network. From
http://world.kbs.co.kr 06/25/2013 Korea, China
to Upgrade Cooperation in ICT, Cyber Security Korea and China agreed to build an active partnership in order
to boost cooperation in 5G technology development, the next generation in
mobile technology, and its market domination. To boost cooperation in
the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, the two countries
agreed to form a ministerial consultation channel and hold regular meetings.
Both countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation to better respond to
rapidly increasing international cyber attacks. “Through the joint
statement between Korea and China, Korea’s Ministry of Science, ICT &
Future Planning and China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
agreed to form a consultation channel involving high-ranking officials of
both countries and hold regular meetings to boost bilateral cooperation in
the ICT sector,” announced Second Vice Minister Yoon Jong-lok of Science, ICT
& Future Planning on July 2 at the Government Complex in Gwacheon,
Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province) in regard to the outcome of President Park
Geun-hye's state visit to China last month. The Korean government plans to hold the first meeting with the
Chinese government later this year or early in 2014 where the two sides will
discuss and exchange opinions on issues of common interest, including cyber
security, management of Internet address resources, and cloud
computing. In regard to 5G technology, Second Vice Minister Yoon said,
“The two countries will hold meetings to discuss future visions and the
current status of 5G technology development so that both sides will cooperate
in research in technology, standardization strategies, and frequency. Both
countries have made the first cooperative step through signing a memorandum
of understanding.” Considered the next generation of communication
technology, 5G is 1,000 times faster than the current 4G LTE (Long Term
Evolution). To effectively respond to the recently increasing cyber
attacks, the related government organizations of Korea and China signed an
MOU on substantial cooperation in cyber security cooperation. Through the
MOU, both countries will form a cooperative group which will jointly respond
to APT, phishing, and DDoS attacks, exchange cyber security specialists,
conduct joint research, and share information on cyber threats. From
http://www.korea.net/ 07/05/2013 Seoul Hosts
2013 Cyberspace Conference Around 90 countries will gather in From
http://www.korea.net 08/08/2013 Largest
Network of Asian Civic Groups to Kick Off in Asia's largest network of civic and social organizations dedicated
to defending democratic values will kick off in From
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/ 08/12/2013 |
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The Ministry for Development of Disadvantaged Regions is working
together with the Geospatial Information Agency (formerly known as
BAKOSURTANAL) to support the development of several key sectors and
industries in some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas. The initiative
stemmed from the national government’s master plan for the acceleration and
expansion of economic development throughout the entire These disadvantaged areas are generally characterised by the low
quality of human resources, poor ICT infrastructure and other similar
situations in transportation, water supply, irrigation, health, education and
other services. Because of these problems, the citizens living in these areas
are finding it difficult to climb up the economic ladder. Leveraging GIS is a
key part of the project. By studying the geographic relationships of
resources essential for socio-economic development, it would be easier for
policy makers to arrive at well-informed decisions that can help them achieve
a true “synergistic” development in the country. As part of the partnership,
the Geospatial Information Agency will provide GIS-based decision support
systems to help local authorities in their spatial planning and policy
making. Furthermore, capacity building and technical guidance on how local
government offices can leverage the Ina-Geoportal will also be provided. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
07/23/2013 PHILIPPINES:
Adopting Indonesia’s Open Source Disaster Mitigation Tool The Department of Science and Technology revealed plans to adopt
InaSAFE, a disaster mitigation technology from Indonesia, to its Nationwide
Operational Assessment of Hazard (NOAH) project in a bid to improve disaster
planning and preparedness in the country. InaSAFE, or Indonesia Scenario
Assessment for Emergency, is an open source software that produces realistic
natural hazard impact scenarios to help decision makers in their disaster
planning, preparedness and response activities. It combines data from various
authoritative sources to provide insights into the likely impacts of future
disaster events. The software is focused on examining, in detail; the impacts
by a single hazard would have on specific sectors. It gives users a
heightened situational awareness of the areas affected and those that are
likely to be affected, how many people will need to be evacuated and what
roads will be closed among others. According to an official statement, NOAH will adopt Indonesia’s
InaSAFE because it has a lot in common with the Philippines, especially in
topography and natural hazards. Abigail Baca, disaster and risk management
officer of the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Region said that InaSAFE
proved effective during the recent floods in Jakarta, Indonesia and it can be
applied in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Dr. Alfredo Francisco Mahar Lagmay of
Project NOAH disclosed that InaSAFE will be integrated into Project NOAH to
supplement existing technologies used to mitigate, if not totally prevent,
massive destruction caused by strong typhoons similar to tropical storm Washi
in 2011 and Bopha in December 2012. “It is important to develop information
tools that will help centralise risk information at the NOAH website and make
them available to a wider community,” he said. InaSAFE is available free of
charge. Interested parties can get the code from GitHub. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
05/27/2013 SINGAPORE:
Begins Migration to G-Cloud Singapore government will begin the process of migrating its IT operation
to G-cloud platform with the help from NCS — one of the systems integrator
for Singapore’s G-cloud. NCS announced today that it will be helping
government agencies to map out the readiness and implementation roadmap for a
smooth transition from the current hosting environment known as the
Service-Wide Hosting Environment (SHINE) platform, to the new G-cloud
platform — the private cloud infrastructure for the Singapore government. A
roadmap will be developed to facilitate the transition of different
organisations’ systems and e-services into the G-cloud over the next 18
months, with Ministry of Education (MOE) be the first agency to go on board
of G-cloud. “With G-Cloud, we can now anticipate faster speed and greater
scalability for our on-demand computing needs to enhance a robust
administrative and learning environment,” said Lim Teck Soon, IT Director,
MOE. He also added that a strong focus on the systems’ interoperability and
users’ needs is imperative to a successful G-Cloud implementation. The G-cloud self-service portal developed for agencies will
enable users to procure and manage resources, as well as monitor and track
the use of resource for better planning. Currently, the SHINE platform
provides hosting, storage and shared services for all government agencies. In
order to transit to G-cloud, agencies will need to migrate and integrate new
applications and systems to the new platform. With G-cloud, government
agencies will not only be able to scale and deploy resources on demand when
needed, but they will also be able to improve server use and systems
resilience. “We will work with various government agencies to plan the
transition strategy and provide the blueprint for the integration of cloud
technologies into their IT and business strategies,” said Chia Wee Boon,
Chief Executive Office, NCS. With the size, scale and complexity in
transition activities involved, the implementation risks and implications
will need to be assessed and carefully managed, he added. “Through continual
feedback and stakeholder engagement, we will ensure successful transition of
agencies to the G-cloud platform,” said Chia. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
06/17/2013 Government
Calls for New Tenders to Manage IT Services and Infrastructure The Government has launched a series of tenders inviting IT
companies to provide services such as e-mail and instant messaging before
current contracts for such services deployed under the Standard ICT Operating
Environment (SOE) contract expire in early 2016. The new tenders will cover
the development, upgrading of operations and maintenance of services such as
e-mail, PCs and printers that are currently under the SOE, according to a
joint statement released on Monday by the Ministry of Communications and
Information, the Infocomm Development Authority and the Finance Ministry.
Launched in 2008, the SOE allowed civil servants to operate out of a
standardised desktop environment and tap into a standardised network.
Previously, individual public agencies and departments had to build their own
front-end and back-end systems. The result is a multitude of IT platforms
that makes swapping data with each other difficult. To date, 75,000 such
suites have been deployed across 96 government agencies. The current
contracts expire in February 2016. "Having gathered feedback from the
agencies and taking into consideration their needs in the years to come, the
new tenders are structured to allow greater flexibility so that agencies have
more options to manage their IT infrastructure for optimal efficiency,"
the statement added. From
http://www.straitstimes.com/
06/24/2013 Singapore-Brunei
Agreement on ICT Training A partnership between Singapore and Brunei will see select
students from Brunei undergo supervised work attachments with infocomm
companies in Singapore, under the Internship Student Programme for
ICT-related Education (INSPIRE). Haji Yahkup bin Haji Menudin, Chief
Executive of the Authority for Info-Communications Technology Industry
(AITI), Brunei, and Tan Lark Yang, Director of Market Unit Group, IDA
International, signed the Project Agreement for the Cooperation in Human Capacity
Building for ICT in Singapore. INSPIRE aims to provide opportunities for the
students to apply and enhance their knowledge and skills in ICT-related areas
through work experience and interaction with professionals. Vincent Wong,
Chief Executive Officer of IDA International, said, “We are delighted to
extend our long-standing collaborations on ICT with Brunei and AITI to
include hosting of Brunei ICT interns in Singapore. We hope Singapore will
provide not just the technical exposure but a varied work environment for
Brunei’s budding ICT professionals.” Four students taking a diploma in
ICT-related courses from Insitut Teknologi Brunei will be the first group to
undergo the six-month internship. Other than ICT, INSPIRE also includes cooperation in media and
broadcasting. The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and AITI
signed a Project Addendum for Cooperation in Human Capacity Building for
Broadcasting and Media. Chief Executive Officer of MDA, Koh Lin-Net remarked,
“Project INSPIRE is an expression of the close and warm ties that Singapore
enjoys with Brunei Darussalam in the area of media cooperation. Through this
programme, Brunei students will gain additional exposure to how media
business is conducted here and in the region”. Menudin said, “AITI will
continue to foster the relationship and strengthen its collaboration with IDA
and MDA for mutual benefits. I hope our collaboration for this INSPIRE
programme will provide the students a flying start as they gain first hand
real organisational settings and challenging experience with the leading ICT
and broadcasting agencies in Singapore”. AITI is Brunei’s statutory body
responsible for ICT industry development. IDA International is the Infocomm
Development Authority of Singapore’s (IDA) execution arm for public service
ICT collaboration between Singapore and other countries. Singapore’s
agreement with AITI falls under an existing IDA-AITI Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) established in 2007. The MoU was renewed in 2011 to cover
new areas, including an industrial attachment programme for fresh graduates
and students taking ICT-related diplomas courses. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/02/2013 THAILAND:
Introducing Mobile SOS Software The Thai ICT Ministry has introduced software to facilitate
emergency medical assistance through smartphones. The software called ‘i lert
u’ was developed by the Software Industry Promotion Agency. It has now been
handed over to the National Institute for Emergency Medicine , Thai Airways
International, Advanced Info Service (AIS), and Bangkok Hospital and its
network. The software sends an SOS signal by sending information on the
phone’s location as well as any emergency contact numbers available. The
software is available free of charge for Android and iOS devices. The
software won two awards last year, including the Thailand ICT Award (TICTA)
and the Asia Pacific ICT Award (APICTA). To provide better medical assistance
in emergency situations, the software will be developed into an application. From
http://www.futuregov.asia/
08/21/2013 |
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IT technology companies are looking to grab opportunities opened
by direct cash transfer scheme to beneficiaries. The scheme is heavily
dependent on banks, which in turn are relying on technology firms to
implement the programme. Earlier the banks found that it is not financially
sustainable to set up accounts for rural citizens because of the limited
transactions and money in such accounts. But direct transfer scheme addresses
some of the issues associated with it. HCL Infosystems is gunning for a share
of the financial inclusion-related business and has tied up with 26 banks to
provide technology such as handheld devices that banking representatives will
carry to ensure last-mile connectivity in villages. From
http://egov.eletsonline.com
06/18/2013 The 2012 Annual Report of the Ministry of Finance and Planning
released on Friday has emphasised that Information Communication Technology
(ICT) is the key to reforms in Going forward the Report has emphasised the need for adequate
flexibility in labour related regulatory arrangements is needed to sustain skills
diversity, labour mobility and the productive deployment of labour resources,
particularly in enegiszing the IT/BPO industries. As per the report, the
computer and information services sub sector reflected a significant
improvement generating $ 436 million in 2012 compared to $ 355 million in
2011 and $ 82 million in 2005. Whilst export revenues from the IT-BPO sector
has grown at 22% per annum reaching over $ 500 million, with the Government
investing $ 4.4 million (during 2005-2012) towards ICT private sector
capacity building, enhancing competitiveness and market creation. ICT sector
has emerged as the fifth largest export-earning sector providing over 60,000
employment opportunities, with over 180,000 indirect employment created. As
approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, all electronic services (e-services)
provided by the Government were required to be delivered via ‘Lanka Gate’ and
accessible via www.srilanka.lk, Sri Lanka’s first transactional e-services
platform. Another key initiative was the Online Visa Application
Processing Service (Electronic Travel Authority – ETA) which is activated by
the Department of Immigration and Emigration. The ‘Lanka Government Payment
Service’ (LGPS) connected to ETA has facilitated the use of electronic payments,
ensuring over 2,700 daily visa applications processed smoothly for tourists
and others entering the country, enabling easier and faster online revenue
collection amounting to approximately $ 12.27 million in 2012. As per the
Finance Ministry Report, other e-services launched in 2012 include the
issuance of exam certificates, obtaining copies and online submission of
re-correction applications, offered in collaboration with the Department of
Examination. The digitisation of over 18 million birth, marriage and death
certificates was completed by end 2012 and was made available through
multiple Divisional Secretariats. The Finance Ministry has also recognised
growing number of IT-savvy Government officials. It said over 650 Chief
Information Officers and over 15,000 other Government officers were given ICT
training. An advanced e-Government education program was conducted at PIM for
over 300 senior officers. The Lanka Government Cloud (LGC), which offers ‘Infrastructure
as a Service’ (IaaS), enabling Government organisations to deploy IT systems
and servers on a 24/7 basis for a nominal service fee, was also launched in
September 2012. The Government SMS (GovSMS) and mobile portal also provide
multiple e-service delivery options for government organisations offering
e-services. The outreach initiative Nenasala has been commended as well. The
report said over 730 ‘Nenasalas’ established at grassroots level have been
setup throughout the country, exceeding the original target of 200, to
promote an all-inclusive IT strategy that will benefit the masses including
those at village level and in remote areas. Of the 730 established, 690
Nenasalas remain in operation today. About 66% of Nenasalas are financially
self-sustaining. A complete database of land will be developed and will be
frequently updated, providing updated information of all land resources in
the country, to facilitate proper land management. This will elevate Sri
Lanka’s position in the doing business indicator by improving land
registration related activities. This project will be piloted in Delkanda,
Colombo, Gampaha and Mannar and one other registry in the north. From
http://www.priu.gov.lk
Earnings
from IT Sector Grow by 22.9% Earnings from information technology enabled services (ITES)
such as business process outsourcing (BPO) and knowledge process outsourcing
(KPO) increased further in 2012, says the Central Bank Annual Report 2012.
Gross inflows into the computer and information services sub sector increased
by 22.9 per cent to US dollars 436 million during 2012. Inflows on account of
KPO, which is classified under ‘other business services’ also increased in
2012, and exports of BPO and KPO services are estimated to have exceeded US
dollars 600 million in 2012, the Report further said. Positive socio-economic
developments in the country, relatively better IT infrastructure facilities,
the availability of a skilled workforce, price competitiveness, and reliable
and efficient services delivery helped sustain the growth in the industry. According to the Report during 2012, Sri Lankan IT companies
which provide software solutions to overseas clients, especially to the
Middle East and the African region performed well with earnings growing by 12
per cent. Sri Lanka possesses a comparative advantage in BPO and KPO
industries due to the availability of qualified professionals in fields such
as finance and accountancy, engineering, law and architecture. The AT Kearney
Global Services Location Index (GSLI) - 2011 ranked Sri Lanka 21st in its
index which identifies the leading outsourcing destinations globally, while
Sri Lanka is featured among the top From
http://www.priu.gov.lk
PAKISTAN:
Mobile Phone Imports Decrease 10.8pc in FY 12-13 ISLAMABAD: The mobile phone imports into the country decreased
by 10.8 percent during fiscal year 2012-13 over the same period of last year.
The imports of mobile phone into the country during July-June (2012-13) were
recorded at $613.858 million against the imports of $688.173 million during
July-June (2011-12), according to the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
(PBS). Similarly the mobile phone imports into the country during the month
of June 2013 increased by 22.11 percent and 117.81 percent when compared to
the imports in June 2012 and May 2013 respectively. The mobile phone imports
during February 2013 stood at $68.594 million against the imports of $56.174
million in June 2012 and $31.492 million in May 2013, the data revealed. It
is pertinent to mention here that the country's trade deficit during the last
financial year (2012-13) narrowed by 4.02 percent as exports witnessed
positive growth of 3.78 percent over the corresponding period of last year.
The exports during July-June (2012-13) were recorded at $24.518 billion against
the exports of $23.624 billion recorded during July-June (2011-12), showing
positive growth of 3.78 percent. On the other hand, the imports into the
country witnessed very nominal increase of 0.08 percent by going up from
$44.912 billion last year to $44.950 billion during fiscal year 2012-13, the
data revealed. Based on these figures, the overall trade deficit during
2012-13 stood at $20.432 billion against the deficit of $21.288 billion in
2011-12, showing negative growth of 4.02 percent. From
http://www.brecorder.com
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Azerbaijani
Official Cites Scientific Potential to Boost ICT Sector From
http://www.azernews.az/
05/29/2013 ICT
Development Discussed in Baku The ICT sector will play an important role in the development of
Azerbaijan's economy, next to the oil sector, Communications and Information
Technologies Minister Ali Abbasov told journalists on June 3. According to Abbasov, issues related
to the development of the ICT sector and its role in the framework of the
development concept "Azerbaijan 2020: A Look into the Future" are
on the agenda of discussions with foreign experts at the Baku Futures Forum
being held on June 3. "The
ICT sector is a priority direction of the economic development in the whole
world," he said. "Interest in its development is currently evident
in many countries that rely on the energy sector. The experience of
Azerbaijan in the correct transformation of the oil revenues into the development
of the ICT sector, as well as in providing a stable development of the
economy in the future, interests many countries. This issue will be one of
the themes to be discussed within the framework of the conference." A two-fold increase of the economic potential at the expense of
the non-oil sector is envisaged by the concept. The main goal of the concept
is a four-fold growth of the ICT sector.
With this purpose a number of measures such as the creation of a
favorable competitive environment, development of labor resources and
attraction of investments have been undertaken. A network of technology parks
is being created in Azerbaijan and for their financial support a number of
funds, particularly an ICT development fund, are being established, Abbasov
said. As for the development of
human resources, the development of the education sector is also
envisioned. "Here we are
talking about the creation of a higher educational institution on ICT,
Information Technologies University," Abbasov said. 2013 was declared the Year of ICT in
Azerbaijan; moreover, in order to develop the domestic ICT sector, the ICT
University was established under a presidential order in February. President Ilham Aliyev also approved the regulations on the
State Fund for IT Development and the Action Plan on the Year of ICT in
Azerbaijan. According to the action plan, it is planned to develop an ICT
strategy, improve the registration procedure of the national domain .az and
significantly reduce fees for telecommunication services and Internet
access. Digital broadcasting Speaking about digital
broadcasting in Azerbaijan, Abbasov noted that analogue broadcasting will be
suspended till the end of the year.
Azerbaijan is the first CIS country to implement a transition to digital
broadcasting. The minister said
that starting from 2014 Azerbaijani television will be fully broadcasted in
digital format. A gradual
replacement of the analogue signal with a digital one will start from the
regions of Azerbaijan, thus, by the end of the year the population of
Azerbaijan will be fully covered by the DVB-T standard signal of digital
television. At present, 94.3
percent of the country's population is covered with the digital TV signal. A social package consisting of 12 TV channels is available for
the population. The broadcasting of digital content will be carried out in
the MPEG-4 format. Subscribers must purchase a decoder to receive digital
broadcasts. The domestic market
demand for the decoders is expected to reach 1.5 million units. The devices'
cost will fully comply with market prices and will not exceed 30 manats
($38). There are four different
Digital Terrestrial Television-Broadcasting standards (DTTB) for digital
television, and the Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) standard
is used in Azerbaijan as well as a number of European, African and Asian
countries. In total, there are 46 DVB-T standard digital TV signal
transmitters functioning on Azerbaijani territory. The first local satellite,
Azerspace-1, completed technical work on the allocation of resources to local
TV and radio broadcasters in May. The satellite will also be used to render
digital TV and radio broadcasting services in the country. From
http://www.azernews.az/
06/03/2013 Azerbaijani
Capital to Host International ICT Conference in October An international conference on information and communication
technologies will be held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on October
9-11. The 7th International
Conference on Application of Information and Communication Technologies,
AICT2013, builds on the success of the previous conferences held in Baku,
Tashkent and Tbilisi. AICT2013
will be focused on a number of topics, including the latest trends in ICT,
data mining and data engineering, cyber security, communications, networks
and hardware, and issues on applying ICT in various fields. Submitted papers are expected to cover
state-of-the-art technologies, theoretical concepts, standards, products
implementation, ongoing research projects as well as application issues of
the ICT. The conference will also
include the sixth International Information Security Research Consortium
(IISRC) Meeting, the 27th Computer Engineering Department Chairs' Summit 2013
and Information Technology Promotion in Asia (ITPA 2013) workshop on Smart
ICT. Hundreds of participants
joined the AICT this year from many countries including Azerbaijan,
Uzbekistan, Sweden, Canada, China, Finland, the United States, Turkey, Japan,
Russia, Georgia, Romania, and Iran.
AICT2013 is co-organized by the Communication and Information
Technologies Ministry of Azerbaijan, Education Ministry, Qafqaz University,
Baku State University, Institute of Information Technology of Azerbaijan
National Academy of Sciences and Korean Information Technology
Internationalization Research Center. The event is supported by IEEE
Azerbaijan Joint Chapter and technically sponsored by the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The AICT2013 Conference is a forum to
bring together business people, researchers, scientists, software architects,
and industry professionals to discuss innovative ideas and diverse topics on
the next generation of information technologies and services. Using this forum, researchers and
practitioners can exchange issues, challenges, new business models, and new
technologies and solutions. The
conference aims at attracting both researchers from academic and industrial
institutions and industry practitioners. Researchers, practitioners and
distinguished speakers are invited to submit a paper and/or to make proposals
of original research speeches addressing business and technical issues,
challenges, solutions, and technologies in building applications, complete
solutions and ICT-based services. All papers and proposals will be
peer-reviewed by the members of the international program committee. From
http://www.azernews.az/
06/07/2013 ICT
Ministry Promotes Innovative Ideas of Young Developers Azerbaijan's Communications and Information Technologies
Ministry is ready to assume the commitment to fund the patenting of
innovative ideas of young developers, ICT Minister Ali Abbasov said at the
conference "Internet business in Azerbaijan: current state and prospects
of development" on July 4.According to Abbasov, the new innovative ideas
must be patented in Azerbaijan's Copyright Agency as well as in similar
organizations operating in Europe and Asia."This is a very important
issue. Thereafter, these ideas can be submitted for public discussion. On the
other hand, we are ready to support the discussion of these ideas with
investors. We can also act as a sponsor in this matter," Abbasov
said.The ICT Ministry is eyeing the creation of venture capital funds, aimed
to financially support start-up projects, he said.According to Abbasov, talks
on the issue are currently underway with the private sector of the country,
as well as with major international companies."Creation of funds with
private capital is a very important issue. They can be a major source of funding for start-up companies.
Accordingly, we are also planning to develop this direction. Azerbaijan is a
small country and the market size is limited. Market expansion can be
achieved through innovation development," he said.The minister believes
that currently Azerbaijani youth has enough knowledge and skills. The main
obstacle is the lack of financial resources for further generation of ideas,
which is typical for many countries. The state has a number of mechanisms for
financial support of intelligent young people like the ICT Fund or high-tech
parks.In the near future, the government plans to provide companies involved
in the ICT sector with special tax and customs benefits.The parliament of the
country has already approved the tax benefits for enterprises operating in
the high-tech parks.The customs duty for computers imported into the country
is 3 percent, while the duty on imports of spare parts for their production
ranges from 10 to 15 percent of the cost. 2013 was declared the ICT Year in Azerbaijan. The action plan on
the ICT Year includes the activity of the State Fund for ICT Development, the
High Technologies Park, Information Security Center, Virtual Qarabag ICT
center, and IT University.The State Fund was established to implement the
state policy on development and support of small enterprises in the
scientific and technical fields and defines three ways of financing -
investments, grants and credits.Each Azerbaijani citizen may avail of the
advantages of the ICT Fund's financing. Financial aid to enterprises will be
arranged through contests. Businesses can borrow small, medium and large
loans.According to the ICT Ministry, the initial financing volume of the Fund
for 2013 is 15 million manats (over $19 million).High-Tech Park was
established in Azerbaijan to create laboratories for start-ups where
developers will be allowed to implement the projects technically.High Tech
Park is envisaged for the development of IT projects and operation of IT
companies. Organizational work on creating the 30 hectare area IT high
technology park, located in Sumgayit, an industrial city some 30 km north of
the capital Baku, is underway in the country. Participants of the high-tech
parks will be tax and customs duty-exempt for seven years. From http://www.azernews.az/
07/04/2013 WB
Expects Azerbaijan to Turn into Regional ICT Center The World Bank (WB) suggested that From
http://en.trend.az/
07/26/2013 Azerbaijan's
ICT Sector Posts 10.5 Pct Growth in First Half-Year Azerbaijan achieved 10.5 percent growth in the ICT sector in the
first half of 2013 compared to the same period of last year, according to the
information provided during a board meeting of the Ministry of Communications
and Information Technologies on the outcomes of the first half of 2013.
Opening the meeting, Minister Ali Abbasov said that thanks to successful
economic policy, Azerbaijan's non-oil sector has achieved significant
development and growth rate. According to him, the ICT sector plays an
important role in the development of the non-oil economy. Azerbaijan ranked
eighth among 144 countries on the index of "Government's achievements in
ICT", ninth on the index of "Importance of ICT in the government's
view for the future" and 20th on "Internet availability" in
the World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report 2013, Abbasov
said. The information relating to projects implemented over the six months
was delivered at the meeting in accordance with the Action Plan of the
Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies pertaining to the
announcement of 2013 as ICT Year. Reports of heads of several associations
and enterprises of the communications ministry were heard at the meeting. In
conclusion, Abbasov made recommendations regarding further activities
associated with the expansion of digital television broadcasting in
Azerbaijan, the expansion of financial services in the postal sector,
information security, e-government, electronic services, introduction of
broadband Internet services throughout the country, and implementation of
projects jointly with the Science Development Fund under the President of
Azerbaijan. Abbasov also stressed the importance of using information and
communication technologies jointly with the Central Election Commission (CEC)
at the country's upcoming presidential elections. From
http://www.azernews.az/
07/29/2013 Azerbaijan's Major ICT Developments Discussed in Washington Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce
(USACC) Susan Sadigova met Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S.
Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy in the
State Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs Daniel A.
Sepulveda in Washington on July 30. The recent major developments, activities
and initiatives in ICT field in Azerbaijan, and USACC's ICT Trade Mission to
Azerbaijan, to take place December 2-5, 2013, were the subject of
discussions. Sadigova spoke about Information and Communications Technologies
as the fastest growing segment of Azerbaijan's economy and the potential of
the country to become the regional ICT center in near future. She stressed the importance of the
trade mission in continuing the existing cooperation between the United
States and Azerbaijan in ICT field. The need in further diversifying
prospects for bilateral cooperation in ICT, space, business intelligence,
cyber security and other technology-based industries was also noted during
the meeting. From http://www.azernews.az/ 07/31/2013 Azerbaijani
ICT Experience May Be Useful to Eastern Partnership Countries Azerbaijan is one of the leading countries in the development of
the ICT sector in the region as well as among the neighboring European
states, Head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan Roland Kobia said. At the
meeting with ICT Minister Ali Abbasov on the occasion of completion of his
four-year diplomatic mission in the country, Kobia said that he witnessed
major works and positive results in the ICT sector during his stay in the
country, Azerbaijan's Communication and Information Technologies Ministry reported
on August 15. According to Kobia, the European Union is closely following the
ICT sector development in Azerbaijan and is ready to provide expert support
to the Ministry in implementation of the future plans in this area. Kobia
believes that Azerbaijani experience gained in the last 10 years may be
useful to the other countries of the "Eastern Partnership". In
turn, Abbasov noted the close cooperation and continuous exchange of
experiences of the Ministry with the EU institutions. In line with Azerbaijan's
development concept, the ministry's plans include shaping an economy based on
science, and bringing the level of the ICT sector income to the level of the
oil and gas industry income in the next 10 years, Abbasov said. Azerbaijan
has taken important steps in the ICT sector, achieving 10.5 percent growth in
the sector in the first half of 2013 over the same period of 2012, which
amounted to 756.8 million manats. In total, some 71.2 million manats was
invested into the ICT sector of the country. The country ranked eighth among
144 countries on the index of "Government's achievements in ICT",
ninth on the index of "Importance of ICT in the government's view for
the future" and 20th on "Internet availability" in the World
Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report 2013. From
http://www.azernews.az/
08/15/2013 Azerbaijan,
US Discuss ICT Cooperation Azerbaijan`s Minister of Communications and Information Technologies
Ali Abbasov has met a delegation of assistants of US congressmen. Abbasov briefed the delegation on the
achievements gained in ICT sphere in his country, AzerTAc reports. The minister said one of the main
directions of the Azerbaijani government`s policy was intensifying reforms in
ICT sector. Touching upon such projects as the Trans-Eurasian Information
Super Highway (TASIM) and Europe Persia Express Gateway Abbasov noted leading
companies of Western countries and US had interest in them. From
http://www.news.az/
08/19/2013 TURKMENISTAN:
Bowing to Internet Age ASHGABAT: When Turkmen mother Selbi Dzhafarova wanted to buy a
toy car for her son's birthday, he burst into tears. "He asked us to buy
him a computer instead," she said. Her son Arslan's wish was hardly
different from the wishes of young boys all over the world except that the
nine-year-old lives in the hermit ex-Soviet state of From
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ 08/06/2013 |
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The Australian Workforce
and Productivity Agency (AWPA) has forecasted total ICT workforce growth of
approximately 33,200 workers, or 7.1% between now and 2016-17, but "The
reality is that the domestic supply of ICT skills has not kept pace with
demand, and this will need to change if we are to move confidently into the
digital century," said its CEO Robin Shreeve.
According
to AWPA officials, "While recent enrolment trends in both higher
education and vocational education and training (VET) are encouraging, there
are high drop-out rates from courses, and some graduates have difficulty
finding work in ICT occupations."
So,
we have graduates that can't get work, a shortage of people entering training
(due to "negative perceptions of male-dominated, desk-bound, repetitive,
isolating jobs"), limited numbers of entry-level positions (possibly the
result of many years of offshoring), and a shortage of skilled candidates. The answer? According to the AWPA, we need to promote ICT
careers, invest in professional development (PD) for ICT teachers, improve
work/integrated learning programs, develop a graduate conversion program, and
boost the engagement of under-represented groups. That's not going to be
easy. School students and their parents appear to have a largely negative
view of ICT careers, having seen repeated waves of jobs going offshore, the
hiring of foreign workers on temporary visas, and an unimpressive proportion
of ICT graduates getting jobs in their field of study. Professonal Development for teachers is a generally a good
thing, but it does nothing to address complaints that graduates do not have
the skills expected by employers. Work and
learning programs get a big tick, as it seems they do have a worthwhile
affect on the employability of graduates.
But,
graduate conversion programs? Hello employers! That's what you're supposed to
do - take graduates and turn them into productive employees through specific
formal and on-the-job training. Stop expecting other people to do all the
work for you. And, judging by the
responses to recent iTWire articles on ICT employment (eg AIIA goes in to bat
for 457 visas), the improved engagement of under-represented groups could
easily start with older unemployed IT workers who have most, if not all of
the skills, required and at most only need an opportunity for retraining on
specific technologies. Ageism seems rife among Australian employers and the
ICT sector appears to be one of the worst sectors in this regard, apart from
on-screen television talent! So
employers, please stick your 457 visa requests where they belong - training
is the answer and training starts at home. From http://www.itwire.com
07/09/2013 NEW ZEALAND: IT Sector Offsets Low Pay by Showing
Appreciation Some Kiwi employers are
notorious skinflints. Some pay so
badly that their parsimony is false economy, and they struggle to find and
keep the staff they need, with their business suffering as a consequence. Others pay well, or at least do their best, given the
circumstances. The issue of money has
cropped up in the latest salary survey from recruiter Absolute IT. I have often said how well the New Zealand IT sector is doing,
but it seems that wages are not rising. Nationally, IT wages are reportedly
stuck at an average of NZ$75,000. The capital,
Wellington, may have an IT sector that is absolutely, positively booming, but
even though pay there remains the best in New Zealand, average IT wages have
fallen a little due to reduced demand from central government. In Christchurch, some IT firms cannot get the staff they
say they need, spending months trying to recruit individual positions,
sometimes with little or no success. Post-quake
Christchurch no longer offers the "lifestyle" or "quality of
life" that it used to. I know; I used to live there, and loved the
place. But when I visited last
year, I found the central city still largely closed, and the suburbs, where
much business activity has moved to, have become a congested, horrid mess. A
shortage of housing has pushed up living costs significantly, too. Absolute IT said
companies in Christchurch may have to increase their salaries from between 15
percent to 20 percent in order to get the staff they need. But what if employers truly, honestly cannot afford to pay
more? Absolute IT found that
many are coming up with ways around this by offering other benefits. Growing numbers of IT workers are enjoying extra holidays,
training, healthcare subsidies, flexible working hours, and stock options. The government was this week urged to make it easier for
firms to offer stock options to help cash-strapped businesses become more
competitive in attracting workers. But despite
a lack of pay rises, and pay being at the top of their thoughts, IT staff
members are generally happy with their jobs. Yes, we all want more money, but
obviously if the employer cannot afford it, it becomes a matter of seeking
and receiving other benefits. No one likes
feeling abused or exploited, and by offering certain extra benefits, at least
an employer is showing that they value their staff and are genuinely trying
to do their best by them. Pay isn't
everything, and much boils down to feeling valued and respected. As I said once before, it's time to bring back the fruit
bowl. From http://www.zdnet.com
06/14/2013 ICT Sector
Expanding, Skilled Workers Missing Firms in New Zealand's information
and communications technology (ICT) sector are pouring money into both
expansion and research and development, according to a major report. Attracting highly-skilled graduates remains a persistent
problem for the industry though. The
Government today released the Information and Communications Technology
Report, which looks at the health of ICT manufacturing, telecommunications,
and information technology services. It shows
that a third of all firms undertook research and development last year - four
times the average in other sectors - at an average spend of $1.1 million. Nearly half of companies in the sector invested in
expansion, which was almost twice the national average. Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce said the ICT
sector contributed 5 per cent of the country's GDP. One of the sub-sectors,
IT services, had achieved export growth of 10 per cent per annum since 2002,
he said. One of the biggest
challenges facing the sector was the international shortage of highly skilled
IT professionals, Joyce said. "Around
half of computer system design firms report moderate or severe difficulty in
recruiting managers and professionals, and more than half report moderate or
severe difficulty in recruiting technicians and associated professionals." The number of degree graduates with IT specialties is
predicted to increase from 1200 in 2011 to between 1600 and 1900 annually by
2014. "That sort of
growth will need to continue in the years ahead," Joyce said. The ICT report also showed strong job growth and that
wages and salaries paid in the sector were twice the New Zealand average. In the computer system design sub-sector, about extra
1,630 jobs were created last year alone.
Another
trend in the industry was increased funding from angel and venture investors. Firms such as SLI
Systems and Optimizer HQ have listed on the local sharemarket this year, and
Wynyard Group is set to follow suit later this week.
The
government is this year releasing reports on seven sectors - including
high-technology manufacturing, construction, petroleum and minerals, tourism,
knowledge-intensive services - and today's ICT report is the first. "These reports by the Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment provide detailed information about each sector and
will be valuable for informing the debate about our economic future,"
Joyce said. "They show the
change that is occurring in the From http://www.nzherald.co.nz 07/16/2013 |
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