April 2012

Most of the Internet's top 200,000 HTTPS websites are insecure

Ninety percent of the Internet's top 200,000 HTTPS-enabled websites are vulnerable to known types of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) attack, according to a report released by the Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving Internet security, privacy and reliability problems. The report is based on data from a new TIM project called SSL Pulse, which uses automated scanning technology developed by security vendor Qualys, to analyze the strength of HTTPS implementations on websites listed in the top one million published by Web analytics firm Alexa.

Mobile phones: 'Still no evidence of harm to health'

There is still no evidence mobile phones harm human health, says a major safety review for the UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA). Scientists looked at hundreds of studies of mobile exposure and found no conclusive links to cancer risk, brain function or infertility. However, they said monitoring should continue because little was known about long-term effects. The HPA said children should still avoid excessive use of mobiles.

Smartphone Population Gains Users, Young and Old

More than half of US mobile users will have a smartphone by the end of next year, and as users make the switch, their content consumption will grow to match the capabilities of their new phones. But as the audience grows, the group's demographic composition will change, and marketers will need to keep up with new touchpoints for reaching the expanding community of smartphone users.

When it comes to the adoption of mobile technology—especially smartphones—age is one of the most important factors influencing consumer behavior. The highest smartphone penetration rate in the US is among adults ages 25 to 55, whereas for general mobile phone users the age bracket skews a bit younger, ages 18 to 44, because people under age 25 are less able to afford higher-priced phones. But eMarketer expects declining prices, along with increased integration of smartphone functionality into daily life, to drive smartphone ownership among teenagers up to 50% by 2014. Adults ages 45 to 64 will see similar uptake.

Google says parents are to blame if children view porn: Online giant attacks call for legal curbs

A Google executive says it is a ‘myth’ that laws can protect children from internet pornography.

Naomi Gummer insisted it was up to parents to keep their children safe from disturbing material. She told a conference that legislation would be a blunt instrument because of the pace of technological advance. And she accused many parents of being ‘complicit’ in helping youngsters use social networking sites such as Facebook even though they are not old enough. Provocatively, she also cited research claiming that the extent of sexual content online had been exaggerated and that only a tiny minority of children are ‘upset’ by what they see.

New America Foundation Launches Open Technology Institute

The New America Foundation announced the launch of its Open Technology Institute, whose mission is to convene the nation's best thinking about Internet freedom and open technology.

Building on New America's work in this field, OTI will serve as a hub of impartial research, open discourse, innovative fieldwork, and new tech development. OTI is led by Sascha Meinrath, who will become a New America vice president. The need to think across borders and disciplines to defend the free and open public square has never been greater. Much like economics, OTI will inform and advance work throughout the public policy sphere, including national security, education, diplomacy, and economic competiveness.

Judge strikes down Illinois' 'Amazon tax'

A Cook County Circuit judge ruled against the state of Illinois in its attempt to tax online sales from out-of-state companies. Judge Robert Lopez Cepero ruled that the 2011 law doesn't pass muster because simply having an affiliated company in the state that makes sales or refers customers to an online retailer doesn't create enough of a presence, or nexus, for tax purposes.

He also ruled that the Illinois law is unenforceable because of a federal Internet tax moratorium that runs through 2014. The law, often referred to as the "Amazon tax," was an attempt by Illinois to collect sales taxes from out-of-state online merchants such as Amazon for sales made to customers here. The state estimates about $169 million in potential revenue goes uncollected annually, and traditional retailers have long pressed for taxation of online-only rivals as a way to level the playing field between them.

The Library of Utopia

Google's ambitious book-scanning program is foundering in the courts. Now a Harvard-led group is launching its own sweeping effort to put our literary heritage online. Will the Ivy League succeed where Silicon Valley failed?

7 dead in Nigeria newspaper office bombings

A suicide bomber detonated a car loaded with explosives at the office of a major Nigerian newspaper in the country's capital and another man threw a bomb near another newspaper office in Kaduna, killing at least seven people in the attacks, witnesses said. The attack in Abuja struck the offices of ThisDay, an influential daily newspaper. The bombing in Kaduna struck a building housing offices for ThisDay, The Moment and The Daily Sun newspapers, witnesses said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, though they mirrored others previously carried out by a radical Islamist sect responsible for hundreds of deaths in Nigeria this year alone.

Vendors and Service Firms Critique “Anti-Stimulus” USF/ICC Reforms

On April 24, 2012, a group of professional service and vendor firms wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, explaining that the USF/ICC Transformation Order conflicts with the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and “will ultimately undermine job creation and retention gains envisioned by ARRA.”

The signatories of the letter include representatives from the following firms that support the rural telecom industry: CHR Solutions, Consortia Consulting, HunTel Engineering, Kadrmas Lee & Jackson, Ladd Engineering, Mapcom Systems, Monte R. Lee Engineering, National Information Solutions Cooperative, Palmetto Engineering & Consulting, RVW, Inc., and TCA. These parties have a vested interest in USF/ICC Reform, just as we do at JSI Capital Advisors. According to the letter, “Collectively, we employ more than 2,000 people and generate annual revenues exceeding $265m in both rural and urban areas. Our firms provide network construction and maintenance, engineering and environmental services, software and systems development, and accounting and financial services.” They continue, “We are precisely the type of firms that create and retain jobs as intended by the ARRA.”

Leap And T-Mobile Announce Spectrum Exchange

Leap Wireless International announced on April 9, 2012 that it has entered into definitive license exchange agreements with T-Mobile USA, Cook Inlet/VS GSM VII PCS (a joint venture between T-Mobile and Cook Inlet) and Leap’s non-controlled, majority-owned venture Savary Island Wireless to exchange wireless spectrum in various markets.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. These transactions involve only the assignment of spectrum – no other assets are included, and are primarily aimed at realigning the spectrum holdings of the involved parties. “These transactions will enhance our spectrum depth in these markets and provide us longer term flexibility to offer a larger LTE channel,” said Leap’s president and CEO Doug Hutcheson. “In addition the transactions will allow us to re-align spectrum in key markets into contiguous channels thereby optimizing our delivery of wireless services.” Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cricket License Company, Leap has agreed to assign eight of Cricket’s AWS licenses to T-Mobile covering portions of Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, among others. Cricket acquired the majority of these licenses at Auction 66 for approximately $230 million, or $0.42/MHz POP on average. In exchange, T-Mobile will assign nine AWS licenses to Cricket. These licenses were purchased by T-Mobile at Auction 66 for approximately $572 million in aggregate, or $0.33/MHz POP on average. These licenses cover portions of Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, among other areas.

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