Category Archives: New Business Models
China wants to spur greater technological reform in order to boost creativity and drive economic growth through innovation
Consumer group says Google’s self-driving cars pose privacy risk
“Without appropriate regulations, Google’s vehicles will be able to gather unprecedented amounts of information about the use of those vehicles. How will it be used? Just as Google tracks us around the Information Superhighway, it will now be looking over our shoulders on every highway and byway”
More:
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-google-car-protest-20120530,0,6380083.story
Dutch Telecom Operator KPN Ready For Fight Against America Movil’s Carlos Slim
America Movil is looking to acquire a significant say in KPN’s business, bidding on an additional 22.9 percent of its shares where it already owns 4.8 percent.
To prevent hostile takeovers or even situations where buyers would acquire a portion of the company which the Dutch deem to large, KPN has in the past established a foundation that carries the name ‘Protection KPN’. Members of that foundation are:
- Jacques Schraven, former executive at SHELL as well as employers organization VNO-NCW;
- Professor Jan Klaassen, former executive at KPMG and special adviser to the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security;
- Pieter Bouw, former executive at KLM and the Council of Banks at The Dutch Bank (DNB);
- Hans Zwarts, former executive at Randstad and ING Netherlands;
- Peter Wakkie, former executive at Ahold, ABN-AMRO and former partner at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek.
In addition, KPN has asked advisers at Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Allen & Overy to protect KPN and support the work of the foundation in this critical time.
It is clear that Carlos Slim has closed in on the Dutch Crown Jewels.
Dutch language news article:
http://webwereld.nl/nieuws/110667/stichting-beschermt-kpn-tegen-mexicaanse-aanval.html
http://webwereld.nl/nieuws/110667/stichting-beschermt-kpn-tegen-mexicaanse-aanval.html
Google is apparently compensated by the vendors that appear in its Flight Search and Hotel Finder vertical search engines
So here’s what that means: Last year, Google launched Hotel Finder and Flight Search, seemingly to compete with Kayak or Hotels.com. Both now appear prominently on Google’s main search results page. At the time, it seemed like Google was just running roughshod over every industry, gathering up precious information while it trampled over the once-profitable fields sown by competitors that couldn’t afford to operate on the slim margins Google does.
Now, though, there’s another layer: Google is collecting money from vendors its search engines point users toward. The results seem to be the same as pure “organic” results, just now companies are paying Google for the referral. So if you grab a Delta flight through Google Flights, Delta will kick back a percentage of your ticket price to Google. Totally fair!
But it also goes against the Google’s fundamental principle that search results should always be organic and transparent.
http://gizmodo.com/5914381/googles-letting-companies-pay-for-search-results
Sean Parker: Apple Tried to Block Spotify in the US
“There was some indication that that might have been happening,” Sean Parker told Walt Mossberg on stage at D: All Things Digital. “You hear things, people send you emails.”
Though Spotify CEO Daniel Ek didn’t comment, Parker was more forthcoming on Apple’s role: “There was a sense in which Apple was threatened by what we were doing,” Parker said.
Much more:
http://gizmodo.com/5914424/sean-parker-apple-tried-to-block-spotify-in-the-us
A new Web site dedicates itself to making sure all politicians’ deleted tweets don’t get lost in the ether
Kindle Fire deal: Get 47 children’s classic eBooks for 99 cents each
The works of Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling, the Brothers Grimm, and more are here, all of them illustrated, many of them narrated by celebrities
Since “Search Plus Your World” hit the scene, Google traffic to Facebook pages has dropped 51 percent
Studying 500 Facebook fan pages with at least 10,000 fans, the analytics company looked at external referrals from Google and Bing. Before January, Google drove 9.25 percent of external traffic to Facebook and now it drives just 4.52 percent.
Bing’s referral traffic seems to follow a similar trend — dropping by a whopping 59 percent from 2011 to 2012.
So is “Search Plus Your World” to blame? The answer is unclear.
PageLever’s co-founder Jeff Widman points out that Google’s referral traffic to Facebook actually began to mysteriously fall off three days before the January 10 launch of “Search Plus Your World.”
“Referral traffic from both Google and Bing to Facebook Pages started dropping on January 7th. That’s three days before Google rolled out SPYW,” Widman told CNET. “The timing is certainly suspicious, but it doesn’t explain why traffic from Bing plummeted as well.”
The European Commission is set to launch a substantial review of rules governing personal documents with the aim of making electronic identities take off across the EU
Neelie Kroes, the EU’s Digital Agenda Commissioner, will present by the beginning of June a new legislative proposal which aims “to facilitate cross-border electronic transactions” through the adoption of harmonised e-signatures, e-identities and electronic authentication services (eIAS) across EU member states, according to an internal document seen by EurActiv.
“A clear regulatory environment for eIAS would boost user convenience, trust and confidence in the digital world,” reads the paper. “This will increase the availability of cross-border and cross-sector eIAS and stimulate the take up of cross-border electronic transactions in all sectors.”
Brussels has long been trying to facilitate the emergence of a parallel system of electronic identification, on top of the the real-world existing documents. This has mainly been linked to the struggle for establishing a truly functioning single market, rather than on security grounds.
More:
http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/brussels-wants-identities-eu-citizens-news-512833
Amazon’s Lovefilm to stream Universal films
The quality of journalism is under the constant siege of the modern newsroom’s insatiable need for ever more copy
There is simply not enough money generated by online advertising to be able to pay journalists to do the in-depth job we’d like to see, or that used to be common. And there is enormous pressure to do as little as possible in terms of original content, and original research.
That’s simply the reality of the newsroom and my chief complaint about journalism professors is how distant they are from a real newsroom (or, even any newsroom at all, one admitted to me he had only spent 6 months as a reporter 20 years ago).
Much more:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/foremski/the-rise-of-the-17-hour-journalist/2284
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook About Hollywood: “We have very good relationships with the content owners. We don’t want their stuff to be ripped off”
“These guys have been buying Macs forever. There is a level of trust in those relationships. Steve bought us even closer because he also owned a content business for a while [Pixar].”
More:
http://gizmodo.com/5914140/choice-quotes-from-tim-cooks-second+ever-public-interview
White House prepares to convene anti-botnet summit: how to help PC users remove the malware from their computers
The White House is planning to convene a cybersecurity summit Wednesday morning to discuss ways to counter botnets, which have emerged as the leading Internet security threat.
Industry representatives are planning to announce a nine-point plan that includes sharing more information about identifying botnets — and how to help their customers remove the malware from their computers.
Much more:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57443380-83/white-house-prepares-to-convene-anti-botnet-summit/
Google+ Local is designed to give users recommendations based on their location
Amazon Instant Video Is Now On Xbox 360
Music Unlimited: Sony’s Streaming Service Hits the iPhone
Study: A view of traffic management and other practices resulting in restrictions to the open Internet in Europe
Findings from BEREC’s and the European Commission’s joint investigation
Commissioner Neelie Kroes:
BEREC has today provided the data I was waiting for. For most Europeans, their Internet access works well most of the time. But these findings show the need for more regulatory certainty and that there are enough problems to warrant strong and targeted action to safeguard consumers.
For the first time we know that at least 20%, and potentially up to half of EU mobile broadband users have contracts that allow their Internet service provider (ISP) to restrict services like VOIP (e.g. Skype) or peer-to-peer file sharing.
Around 20% of fixed operators (spread across virtually all EU member states) apply restrictions such as to limit peer-to-peer volumes at peak times. This can affect up to 95% of users in a country.
At the same time, in nearly all Member States, most if not all ISPs offer fixed and mobile Internet access services that are not subject to such restrictions. According to the BEREC figures 85% of all fixed ISPs and 76% of all mobile ISPs propose at least one unrestricted offer. So the market is generally providing choice, but in some countries the choices are quite limited in some EU countries.
But are customers really empowered to choose well? Do they realise what they are signing up for? I didn’t read all the pages in my mobile contract and I bet you didn’t either! I believe we all need more transparent information.
Given that BEREC’s findings highlight a problem of effective consumer choice, I will prepare recommendations to generate more real choices and end the net neutrality waiting game in Europe.
First, consumers need clear information on actual, real-life broadband speeds. Not just the speed at 3 am, but the speed at peak times. The upload as well as the download speed. The minimum speed, if applicable. And the speed you’ll get when you’re also watching IPTV as part of your triple-play bundle, or downloading a video on demand via a premium “managed” service. Plus, you should know what those advertised speeds typically allow you to do online
Second, consumers also need clear information on the limits of what they are paying for. Clear, quantified data ceilings are much better than vague “fair use” policies that leave too much discretion to Internet Service Providers (ISPs). They allow low-volume users to look for deals that suit them. And they incentivise ISPs to price data volumes in ways that reflect costs, and so support investment in modernising networks as traditional voice revenues decline.
Third, consumers also need to know if they are getting Champagne or lesser sparkling wine. If it is not full Internet, it shouldn’t be marketed as such; perhaps it shouldn’t be marketed as “Internet” at all, at least not without any upfront qualification. Regulators should have that kind of control over how ISPs market the service.
More:
http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/neelie-kroes/netneutrality/
See also:
Study: A view of traffic management and other practices resulting in restrictions to the open Internet in Europe
http://erg.eu.int/doc/consult/bor_12_30_tm-i_snapshot.pdf
Employees are increasingly under the watchful eyes of their managers in and out of the workplace in a bid to curb breaches in corporate security
Research firm Gartner said by 2015, around 60 percent of corporations will have programs in place to monitor social media accounts — including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn — for security breaches and data leaks.
Traditionally, companies have taken the ‘internal’ approach to monitor activities within the corporate domain. Gartner suggests looking at both inside and outside the enterprise zone would lead to a more effective solution.
Japan’s third network operator, Softbank, has outfitted its latest mass-market handset with a radiation dosimeter
Mind-reading robot teachers keep students focused
Now several arson attacks over the weekend against a Mexican snack chip subsidiary might be the first time the cartels have targeted a multinational corporation
That corporation would be PepsiCo. According to press reports, masked men attacked five warehouses and vehicle lots on Friday and Saturday nights belonging to the U.S. snack and soft drink giant. More specifically, PepsiCo’s Mexican subsidiary: Sabritas. Dozens of yellow delivery trucks — which transport Sabritas chips and Fritos, Cheetos and Ruffles (among other brands) for the Mexican market — were burned. The good news: No one was injured or killed. At least one member of the Knights Templar cartel was reportedly arrested. Video has also emerged of firefighters battling the blazing trucks and the European Pressphoto Agency released images of Sabritas’ smiley-face mascot illuminated by the flames.
More:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/05/cartels-cheetos/
U.S. forces may continue to track Afghans for years after the conflict is officially done
Palm-sized sensors, developed for the American military, will remain littered across the Afghan countryside — detecting anyone who moves nearby and reporting their locations back to a remote headquarters. Some of these surveillance tools could be buried in the ground, all-but-unnoticeable by passersby. Others might be disguised as rocks, with wafer-sized, solar-rechargeable batteries that could enable the sensors’ operation for perhaps as long as two decades, if their makers are to be believed.
Virgin Media flushes pipes clogged by piles of Spotify fans
Capacity to be beefed up after music streams flood tubes
Much more:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/29/virgin_media_spotify_congestion/
Should Websites Charge A Fee To Process Copyright Takedowns?
Every day copyright holders send out countless notices which order BitTorrent indexes, cyberlockers, forums, blogs and search engines to remove links to allegedly infringing content. The process is time consuming for everyone involved. So, since time is money, shouldn’t those being burdened by the actions of third parties be compensated for their work? One anti-piracy company says charging for takedowns amounts to extortion.
More:
http://torrentfreak.com/should-websites-charge-a-fee-to-process-copyright-takedowns-120528/
China’s biggest microblogging service has introduced a code of conduct explicitly restricting the type of messages that can be posted
Weibo – which resembles Twitter – took the action after local authorities criticised “unfounded” rumours posted by some users.
Reports suggest a credit score system will also be introduced with points deducted for rule breaches.
Repeat offenders face having their accounts deleted.
The service’s parent, Sina Corp, says it has more than 300 million registered users.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s visit to Washington, D.C. earlier this month was a chance to have a meet-and-greets with various political leaders on the hill
Apple gives Peter Sunde’s Flattr micro-payment the thumbs down
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57442567-37/apple-gives-flattr-micro-payment-the-thumbs-down/
Previously:
The Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde has asked the Swedish government for clemency citing health and business concerns
http://vrritti.com/2012/05/11/the-pirate-bay-co-founder-peter-sunde-has-asked-the-swedish-government-for-clemency-citing-health-and-business-concerns/
In Iceland, the people have made the government resign, the primary banks have been nationalized, it was decided to not pay the debt that these created with Great Britain and Holland due to their bad financial politics and a public assembly has been created to rewrite the constitution
And all of this in a peaceful way. A whole revolution against the powers that have created the current global crisis. This is why there hasn’t been any publicity during the last two years: What would happen if the rest of the EU citizens took this as an example? What would happen if the US citizens took this as an example.
iTunes Match is a hidden gem for your music listening pleasure
I have 13,157 songs, in 57.58GB, in iTunes. In my home I keep all of this music on a network drive, and use Sonos to stream my music throughout the home. This works great when I’m home, but what about when I’m traveling or just out and about? Enter iTunes Match.
Pirates, Hackers…They’re Always Willing To Expose ‘The Scene’ In Return For A Bit Of Money
Centropy member Matthew Thompson is sharing with TorrentFreak readers an excerpt from his forthcoming book, This is the Scene.
Things were great for me as a pirate; I had access to whatever I wanted and was a member of some of the biggest groups that have ever existed. Then Operation Fastlink happened.
Operation Fastlink was a multi-year, joint-operation run by the United States Department of Justice and the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section of INTERPOL designed to take out the groups Fairlight, Kalisto, Echelon, ProjectX, and Class.
Matthew is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding to continue work on his book.
The campaign page and accompanying video are available here.
Much more:
http://torrentfreak.com/i-was-a-member-of-centropy-the-worlds-leading-movie-piracy-group-120526/
UK ‘cookie law’ takes effect: What you need to know
Insane 33 Megapixel 120fps Video Camera Captures 4 Billion Pixels Per Second (Video)
Head Of Dutch High Tech Crime Unit Pim Takkenberg Is Pleased With The Close Coop Between His Team And The Dutch Forensic Lab, Fox-IT And Leaseweb In The Fight Against Hackers
Takkenberg argues that the cooperation was particularly successful when conducting the Bredolab botnet investigation, because foreign judges have been making use of the evidence produced by all Dutch parties mentioned.
To some the cooperation was controversial however because:
1. The Dutch Police had sent every internet user who owned an infected PC (and had become a facilitator of the botnet itself) a warning message;
2. The High Tech Crime Unit worked closely with hosting provider Leaseweb and security company Fox-IT, both commercial enterprises;
3. The evidence produced by these Dutch entities resulted in an arrest in Armenia.
Dutch language news article:
http://www.nu.nl/internet/2820042/politie-blij-met-privaat-publieke-samenwerking-hackers.html
Previously:
4 Years In Prison For Armenian Bredolab Botnet Operator
http://vrritti.com/2012/05/22/4-years-in-prison-for-armenian-bredolab-botnet-operator/
