The German government says Windows 8 and TPM 2.0 chips, used in conjunction, can increase security but have the potential to reduce a user’s control over software and hardware. It’s common-sense advice for government IT experts has been distorted by some observers into wild claims of “backdoors” or spying by the U.S. National Security Agency, or the Chinese.
Latest Blog for ZDNet
Thursday, 22 August 2013
German government refutes Windows ‘backdoor’ claims
Worcestershire County Council overlaps connected areas with BDUK broadband roll-out plans
Worcestershire County Council lists 14 parishes as ‘intervention areas’ despite funding superfast broadband, breaking EU rules
ComputerWeekly: Public sector IT news
Android mobile malware rebounds in Q2, reports McAfee
Android-based malware has grown 35% in the second quarter, according to the latest threat report from security firm McAfee
ComputerWeekly: All Computer Weekly Content
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Fleet management firm LeasePlan embraces private cloud for BYOD
LeasePlan is implementing private cloud services for flexible IT infrastructure and a centralised virtual desktop to support BYOD
ComputerWeekly: IT hardware
iPhone 5C could be the first Apple product to use scratch-resistant LiquidMetal
A new leak out of China shows what appears to be a video of an extremely scratch-resistant iPhone 5C. In it, the device survives close contact with coins, keys, screws, paper clips unscathed.
Latest Blog for ZDNet
Ofcom champions faster satellite connections
The telecoms regulator launches a consultation into using higher frequency bands for satellite broadband connections, enabling faster speed for trains, aeroplanes and ships
ComputerWeekly: Networking and communication
How DWP and Universal Credit failed to work with SME suppliers
Less than 1% of DWP IT spending on the Universal Credit programme has gone to SMEs – how are big suppliers continuing their dominance?
ComputerWeekly: Public sector IT news
Rio de Janeiro launches competition to foster software innovation
City government uses citizen ideas to create tech-enabled public services
Latest Blog for ZDNet
LinkedIn opens up to younger users
Professional networking service LinkedIn has announced it is to lower the 18 age limit for users to enable young people to plan their careers
ComputerWeekly: IT careers and IT skills
New ‘always listening’ Google phone
Motorola, owned by Google, has unveiled a new smartphone that is “always listening” for user commands.
BBC News – Technology
Internet of things to power classroom education
Businesses and academics have joined forces in an £800,000 project to extend the internet of things into the classroom
ComputerWeekly: IT careers and IT skills
Legal news website Groklaw closes because of US surveillance
Legal news website Groklaw has closed because founder Pamela Jones says it cannot operate under current US surveillance policies
ComputerWeekly: Latest IT News
Interview: Christian Fredrikson, CEO, F-Secure
Christian Fredrikson doesn’t believe in free antivirus software, which is not surprising given he is in the business of selling security software.
ComputerWeekly: IT Management
Banks push for open standards
Deutsche Bank, ING and ABN-Amro are among a dozen international banks leading an initiative to introduce open standards in banking IT
ComputerWeekly: Financial services IT news
(ISC)² expands UK exam centres to 33 locations
Information security certification body (ISC)² expands network of test centres for computerised exams through partnership with Pearson VUE
ComputerWeekly: IT careers and IT skills
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
CIO Interview: James Thomas, UCLH
James Thomas, director of ICT at UCLH, talks about branching out into new mobile devices and embracing MDM and apps
ComputerWeekly: Networking and communication
Google’s Stealthy Helpouts Live Video Commerce Service Makes Its First Public Appearance, Landing Page Now Live
Last month, our own Rip Empson broke the news that Google was working on Helpouts, a Hangouts-based marketplace ” that enables individuals and small and large businesses to buy and sell services via live video.” Today, Helpouts made its first public appearance. The service’s homepage is now live and while it remains invite-only, its help pages are public and give us a closer look at what Helpouts will look like once it launches.
Google describes Helpouts as a way to allow professionals and experts to “share [their] knowledge with people who want to learn from [them] by giving a Helpout.”
The service obviously isn’t available yet, but Google says it is “currently inviting people with expertise across a number of topics to be able to offer Helpouts when we go live — and to make money sharing their skills and knowledge with the world.” Interested experts can already leave their names and email addresses to be included in the beta test.
According to the Helpouts Help pages, experts can choose to list their services under Home & Garden, Computers & Electronics, Health & Counseling, Nutrition & Fitness, Fashion & Beauty, Art & Music, Cooking and Education. Payments will be handles by Google Wallet.
In the document a source provided us earlier this year, health services were prominently featured in the screenshots and judging from the site that went live today, this is still a prominent feature of Helpouts. Google is working with HireRight – a provider of background-screening services – to ensure that the healthcare professionals who sign up for Helpouts are thoroughly vetted.
Google is also working with Infinity Contact, Capita Customer Management, and VXI to “provide customers with support and services related to Helpouts by Google.”
TechCrunch
Atos powers sports information system
Atos is to develop what it claims is the world’s first results and common data platform for sports
ComputerWeekly: Enterprise software
Russia’s SOPA Sees 42% of All Anti-Piracy Blocking Requests Rejected
Targeted initially at the unauthorized distribution of movies and TV shows, there were soon calls for the program to undergo expansion to include music, lyrics and other copyright works.
This Thursday the initiative, which will see non-conforming sites blocked at the ISP level, will have been underway for exactly three weeks. But while some critics envisioned a Russian Internet in tatters at the hands of over-zealous copyright holders, thus far things haven’t panned out that way.
Righthsolders have reported at least two file-sharing sites – rutor.org and turbofilm.tv – to the authorities for infringement of their copyrights. However, neither domain has been added to Russia’s blocklist and for good reason. A source close to one of the sites told TorrentFreak that both chose to delete the infringing links in question and are now continuing business as usual.
While both Rutor and Turbofilm were the subject of successful complaints, it appears that rightsholders are really struggling to meet the requirements of the law. Pavel Krasheninnikov, head of the State Duma Committee on Civil, Criminal, Arbitration and Procedural Legislation, revealed yesterday that four out of every ten blocking requests have been rejected so far.
“I contacted the chairman of the Moscow City Court – 19 applications were submitted, 11 of them were accepted, eight were declined,” Krasheninnikov said.
In order to have a blocking request accepted rightsholders are required to provide lots of documentation, including evidence that they own the content in question. It appears that is more easily said than done.
“The application process is quite time-consuming and costly. For example, certified translations of all documents of title are required,” Cinema Without Borders’ Sam Klebanov told Russia’s CommNews.
In order to overcome some of these kinds of administrative problems, particularly when dealing with Internet companies, there are suggestions that all rightsholders should have the option of coordinating their anti-piracy efforts through a non-profit agency accredited by the Ministry of Culture.
According to Vedomosti, the plan is to pre-verify the identities and managed properties of rightholders so that those processing complaints do not have to seek additional verification documents from those making them.
Klebanov’s company Cinema Without Borders was the first to have a filed complaint rejected on the basis of inadequate paperwork but he says that even with that failure, companies like vKontakte, the subject of their complaint, do seem to be taking note of the law. That, however, is only part of the problem.
“The big players that exist in the legal space are starting to pay attention to the law, but there are quite a lot of ‘wild’ pirates, who still continue their activities,” he said.
The question now is what will happen when rightsholders get their blocking requests in shape. Will it have terrible consequences for the free flow of information? Not so says Leonid Agronov from the National Federation of the Music Industry (NFMI).
According to Agronov, out of 120 million websites located in Runet, only around four thousand are involved in the unauthorized distribution of copyright works. Since this is a small proportion the effect of any blocking on the Internet as a whole would be minimal, Agronov argues.
Nevertheless, those kinds of assurances haven’t placated the masses. More than one hundred thousand people signed a petition against the new law, which led to an announcement yesterday by the State Duma’s Pavel Krasheninnikov.
“The Duma will consider the petition,” he promised.
It seems unlikely that any review of the law will change the course of the government but as the cases of Rutor and Turbofilm show, compliance is achieved by simply deleting a link. With several billion of those still online (each requiring lots of work to take down), rightsholders still have plenty to do.
Source: Russia’s SOPA Sees 42% of All Anti-Piracy Blocking Requests Rejected
TorrentFreak
Cyberattacks, not economy, could cripple banks in the future
A new report from KPMG suggests that cyberattacks might cause the next banking crisis — rather than a poor global economy.
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