Microsoft aims to double PC base

Microsoft software will sell for just $3 (£1.50) in some parts of the world in an attempt to double the number of global PC users.

"This is not a philanthropic effort, this is a business"
Orlando Ayala

The firm wants to bring computing to a further one billion people by 2015. Governments in developing countries can purchase the cut-price software, if they provide free PCs for schools. Other companies and organisations are also trying to boost computer literacy in developing countries, notably the One Laptop per Child project. The OLPC are in the final stages of developing a low cost, durable laptop, designed to work specifically in an educational context. Millions of laptops will be start to be delivered to developing nations this summer. The eventual aim is to sell the machine to developing countries for $100 but the current cost of the machine is about $150. The first countries to sign up to buying the machine, which is officially dubbed XO, include Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Rwanda, Nigeria and Libya.

Business drive

The Microsoft initiative was launched by Bill Gates in Beijing under the banner of its Unlimited Potential scheme, a program aimed at bridging the digital divide.The scheme aims to bring the benefit of computing technology to the remaining five sixths of the world's population, who currently live without it. "Bringing the benefits of technology to the next five billion people will require new products that meet the needs of underserved communities," said Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. One of the first products, that is hoped will reach the next billion people is the Microsoft's student Innovation Suite. The package includes Windows XP Starter Edition, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, as well as other educational software. The $3 package will start to be sold to governments in the second half of 2007.

"This is not a philanthropic effort, this is a business," Orlando Ayala of Microsoft told the Reuter's news agency. In many developing countries, pirated versions of Microsoft software are sold very cheaply. Governments will be required to provide free computers to schools, capable of running Windows, to be eligible for the discounted software. The scheme is one of many launched by organisations and big business to address the digital divide. Search giant Google allows anyone to download its Google Apps, which includes spreadsheet, word processing and email programs, for free. In countries such as Egypt, Kenya and Rwanda, Google has also provided engineers and technical support. In addition, chip-maker Intel has developed the Classmate PC, while its rival AMD has launched a scheme called 50x15 that aims to put computer technology in the hands of half of the world's population by 2015.

BBC News Thursday, 19 April 2007, 10:46 GMT 11:46 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6571139.stm

Banks should learn from the XXX debacle

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1640959.ece

"While it was a misguided effort, the defeated plan to introduce an .xxx domain may prove to be an important milestone in the development of the net. There is need for some select industry-specific regulation of distributing domain names..."

From Times Online
April 11, 2007
By Bernhard Warner

...Mr Hyppönen has a simple solution: create a top-level domain such as .bank or .safe and sell them to reputable banks, credit unions, and perhaps, in the future, retailers. Under such a system – in which an online banking customer at Barclays went to www.barclays.bank, for example – a higher level of accountability would be established. The consumer would have a clear indication that it is, in fact, an authorised bank site they were visiting, not a slick, dressed-up version set up by a scammer.

It’s not a foolproof plan, Mr Hyppönen admits. A canny phisher could set up a re-directing spoof URL, e-mailed to the masses, that appears to carry the dot-bank or dot-safe suffix. But, the chances of pulling off the fraud would greatly diminish as a customer clicking on the legit-looking URL could see that he or she had been directed to a site that ends in some letters other than .bank or .safe. If banks and only banks could secure such a top-level domain, it would help browser makers add layers of defence designed to alert unsuspecting victims that they may not be transacting with their friendly neighbourhood bank.

F-Secure has begun to lobby Icann to take up the long-overdue cause. Whether they heed the calls in a timely fashion (this is Icann, after all) is anybody’s guess. Distributing trademarked domains to the first bidder has created headaches for rights-holders over the years, but in the banking industry, the practice is costing us all. It has given rise to one of the most lucrative scams ever – phishing fraud – that will only grow without some level of regulation.

Controversially, Mr Hyppönen suggests that the dot-bank or dot-safe domain be sold for a good bit more than a fiver. He suggests $500,000 (£254,000). Banks, he says, can afford such a fee, particularly if it means a more secure online banking environment. He also recommends that a single registrar handle the transactions, doling out domain names to banks once they prove they are in fact the high street brand we know, and not some Nigerian scam artist with a poor grasp of grammar.

While it was a misguided effort, the defeated plan to introduce an .xxx domain may prove to be an important milestone in the development of the net. There is need for some select industry-specific regulation of distributing domain names, but the porn industry is no place to start.

High-speed Web Boost for Africa

High-speed web boost for Africa
BBC NEWS

Kenya, Burundi and Madagascar have secured $164.5m (£83.3m) from the World Bank to help roll-out high-speed internet networks.

The World Bank said the money was being made available to boost business competitiveness in the region.

Eastern and much of southern Africa is the only region in the world not connected to the global broadband infrastructure, the World Bank said.

Kenya will take the lion's share of the funding, with a $114.4m loan.

Madagascar is due to receive a $30m loan, while Burundi will receive a grant worth $20.1m, the World Bank said.

Plugged-in

Low-cost, high-quality communications is essential for economic competitiveness
Paul Wolfowitz, World Bank president

The Washington-based lender said businesses in the three countries were being held back because of the lack of high-speed internet networks.

"University students suffer because they cannot access the internet, and government agencies cannot communicate effectively with each other and their citizens because they are not connected," the bank added.

Currently, the region relies on satellite services for connectivity, with costs among the highest in the world.

But World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz said Africa was becoming increasingly "plugged-in".

"Improving broadband connectivity will add tremendous public value for Africa," he said. "Low-cost, high-quality communications is essential for economic competitiveness."

The boss of Kenyan outsourcing firm KenCall backed the World Bank's move.

"It is absolutely imperative that something be done right now to make bandwidth affordable," said Nicholas Nesbitt, the firm's chief executive.

"Otherwise, we're going to miss a huge opportunity and people are simply going to say that Africa is not ready for these kinds of jobs, is not ready for business."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/6525537.stm

Published: 2007/04/04 11:50:39 GMT

© BBC MMVII

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401688.html

YouTube Blocked in Thailand in Crackdown

By GRANT PECK

The Associated Press
Wednesday, April 4, 2007; 3:32 PM

BANGKOK, Thailand -- The Thai government blocked access to YouTube on Wednesday after complaining that a short clip on the popular video-sharing site is insulting to the country's beloved monarch.

Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, the country's minister of information and technology, said YouTube had turned down his request to remove the contentious 44-second video, which shows graffitti-like elements painted over a slideshow of photographs of 79-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

One part of the clip juxtaposes pictures of feet over the king's image _ a major taboo in a culture where feet are considered extremely dirty and offensive. The soundtrack is the Thai national anthem.

"We are disappointed that YouTube has been blocked in Thailand, and we are currently looking into the matter," Julie Supan, a spokeswoman for Google Inc.'s YouTube, said in an e-mail.

According to Sitthichai, thousands of people have called the government to complain about the YouTube video.

Sitthichai said Thailand's military-installed government also has blocked other sites deemed insulting to the king.

"People who create these (Web sites) are abusing their rights and clearly don't mean well for the country," Sitthichai said. "We have closed many and will continue to."

Thailand has no comprehensive law governing the Internet, and limits governing use and censorship are not clearly defined.

It's not entirely clear how the government was implementing the block. Domestic service providers are generally given lists of sites to block, but the control may be occurring at the government-owned gateways through which all Internet service providers are supposed to funnel data entering and leaving the country.

Blocking YouTube, of course, won't prevent someone from e-mailing the video or posting it on a Web site that is less popular and thus less noticed by the government.

But any hurdles, even if they aren't foolproof, are likely to accomplish the government's goals, said Jonathan Zittrain, a professor of Internet governance and regulation at Oxford University.

"A lot of the time, the viral spread happens because it's just one click away," Zittrain said. "If you make something not one click away anymore, you can slow it down a little bit."

Continued at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401688.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/31/AR2007033101461.html

Malaysia sniffer dogs find second pirated-DVD haul

Reuters
Saturday, March 31, 2007; 10:14 PM

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Two Malaysian dogs trained to sniff out DVDs have made their second big discovery of pirated movies, leading investigators to a hidden stash worth more than $430,000, a local newspaper said on Sunday.

Lucky and Flo, two black Labradors, sniffed out at least 150,000 discs in a secret compartment in a shop in the capital on Saturday after anti-piracy officials, acting on a tip-off, raided the place but failed to find anything, the New Sunday Times said.

"They decided to call in the canine brigade," it said. "Within minutes, the two Labrador retrievers sniffed out the hidden discs in a room that could only be accessed by the push of a button hidden under a plug outlet."

Local media say movie pirates have put a bounty on the dogs after the hounds busted a fake DVD ring last month in the southern state of Johor, sniffing out about $3 million worth of movie and game discs in their first major successful operation.

Authorities say they are treating the threat seriously and have beefed up security around Lucky and Flo.

Malaysia, which figures on a U.S. watchlist on piracy, has dramatically stepped up efforts to rein in copyright pirates as it negotiates a free-trade pact with the United States.

The dogs are being trialled by Malaysian domestic-trade officials in a joint effort with the Motion Picture Association, which groups six major Hollywood film companies.

Department of Homeland and Security wants master key for DNS

http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/87655

30.03.2007 13:09

Department of Homeland and Security wants master key for DNS

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which was created after the attacks on September 11, 2001 as a kind of overriding department, wants to have the key to sign the DNS root zone solidly in the hands of the US government. This ultimate master key would then allow authorities to track DNS Security Extensions (DNSSec) all the way back to the servers that represent the name system's root zone on the Internet. The "key-signing key" signs the zone key, which is held by VeriSign. At the meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in Lisbon, Bernard Turcotte, president of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) drew everyone's attention to this proposal as a representative of the national top-level domain registries (ccTLDs).

At the ICANN meeting, Turcotte said that the managers of country registries were concerned about this proposal. When contacted by heise online, Turcotte said that the national registries had informed their governmental representatives about the DHS's plans. A representative of the EU Commission said that the matter is being discussed with EU member states. DNSSec is seen as a necessary measure to keep the growing number of manipulations on the net under control. The DHS is itself sponsoring a campaign to support the implementation of DNSSec. Three of the 13 operators currently work outside of the US, two of them in Europe. Lars-Johan Liman of the Swedish firm Autonomica, which operates the I root server, pointed out the possible political implications last year. Liman himself nomited ICANN as a possible candidate for the supervisory function.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which handles route management within the ICANN, could be entrusted with the task of keeping the keys. An ICANN/IANA solution would offer one benefit according to some experts: there would be no need to integrate yet another institution directly into operations. After all, something must be done quickly if there is a problem with the signature during operations. If the IANA retains the key, however, US authorities still have a political problem, for the US government still reserves the right to oversee ICANN/IANA. If the keys are then handed over to ICANN/IANA, there would be even less of an incentive to give up this role as a monitor. As a result, the DHS's demands will probably only heat up the debate about US dominance of the control of Internet resources. (Monika Ermert) (Craig Morris) / (jk/c't)

WTO says U.S. online gambling policy out of line

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070330.wnetgambling0330/BNStory/Business/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20070330.wnetgambling0330

WTO says U.S. online gambling policy out of line

BRADLEY S. KLAPPER

Associated Press

GENEVA — The U.S. has failed to change its ban on Internet betting to comply with a World Trade Organization ruling that said the legislation unfairly targets offshore casinos, the global trade body said Friday.

The ruling opens the door to possible commercial sanctions against the U.S.

In a 215-page decision, a three-member WTO compliance panel sided with the twin Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, which has argued that Internet gambling is a lucrative source of revenue and provides an income for hundreds of islanders.

The Geneva-based trade referee has said Washington can maintain restrictions on online gambling, as long as its laws are equally applied to American operators offering remote betting on horse racing.

Shares in London-listed gaming stocks rose after the announcement. Leisure & Gaming PLC closed up 11 percent at 19.75 pence (38.9 cents), while PartyGaming PLC rose 4.5 percent to 52.25 pence ($1.02), after initially surging by 16 percent. 888 Holdings PLC climbed 3 percent to 124.75 pence ($2.46).

"It vindicates all that we have been saying for years about the discriminatory trade practices of the United States in this area, and we look forward to the United States opening its markets," Antiguan Finance Minister Errol Cort said in a statement.

Washington claimed victory in the WTO's initial ruling two years ago because the body recognized its right to prevent offshore betting as a means of protecting public order and public morals. But the U.S. acknowledged Friday that the latest decision was a setback.

"The compliance panel did not agree with the United States that we had taken the necessary steps to comply with the WTO recommendations," said Gretchen Hamel, a spokeswoman for the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She added, however, that "nothing in the panel's report undermines the broad, favorable results that the United States obtained from the WTO in April 2005."

Washington still has yet to say if it will appeal the compliance panel's findings. A final ruling upholding Antigua's claims would allow the twin-island nation to seek trade sanctions on the United States for its failure to comply.

To avoid the penalties, the U.S. government would then have to either permit Americans to gamble over foreign-based sites or eliminate exceptions for off-track betting on horses, including over the Internet, as permitted under the 1978 Interstate Horseracing Act.

Nevertheless, it appears unlikely that the U.S. will ease access to companies with servers licensed in the nation of 80,000 people — whose legal efforts were largely bankrolled by British-owned Internet gambling operators.

The U.S. Congress caught the industry by surprise last year when it added a provision to a bill aimed at improving port security that would make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to settle payments to online gambling sites. President George Bush signed it into law on Oct. 14.

The decision closed off the most lucrative region in a market worth $15.5 billion last year. Several British-based Internet gaming companies and a handful in Europe and Australia subsequently sold off or shut down their U.S. operations, losing around 80 percent of their combined business in the process.

The arrest last year of two British Internet gambling executives while traveling through the United States also highlighted the U.S. government's escalation in its battle against the industry.

Peter Dicks, the former chairman of Sportingbet, was detained in New York but released after former New York Gov. George Pataki declined to sign a warrant extraditing him to Louisiana, where he was wanted on charges of illegal online gambling. Former BetOnSports PLC Chief Executive Officer David Carruthers remains under house arrest in the St. Louis area awaiting trial on federal charges from the U.S. attorney's office based on the 1961 Wire Act.

On Friday, U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said BetOnSports founder Stephen Kaplan was arrested late Wednesday in the Dominican Republic. Kaplan is named in a 22-count criminal case as the company's top official.

Antigua filed its case in 2003, contending that U.S. restrictions on Internet gambling violated trade commitments the United States made as a member of the WTO. U.S. trade officials disagreed, saying that negotiators involved in the Uruguay Round of global trade talks clearly intended to exclude gambling.

Antiguan authorities also argued that restrictions barring U.S. residents from betting at offshore casinos were harming efforts to diversify its economy. Antigua, a former British colony in the Caribbean, had been promoting electronic commerce as a way to end the country's reliance on tourism, which was hurt by a series of hurricanes in the late 1990s.

There are 32 licensed online casinos in Antigua, employing 1,000 people and generating yearly revenue of around $130 million. Seven years ago, its casinos had annual income closer to $1 billion.

Antigua is the smallest country to successfully litigate a case in the WTO's 12-year history.