Google rejects automatic pornography block rules

Proposals to force users to opt-in to access adult content would be "a mistake", Google has said.

 

Google prefers the idea of empowering parents to passing on responsibility to third parties

 

Speaking during a debate in Hertfordshire, the company warned against allowing private companies to manage lists of inappropriate websites.

The government is currently consulting with ISPs to determine if such filters should be on by default.

Some ISPs, such as TalkTalk, have already provided an option to filter adult content at a network level.

If the government decides to introduce the blocks, it would mean web users would have to inform their ISPs if they want to view adult content.
 

Simple solutions

Sarah Hunter, Google's head of public policy, said the search giant was strongly in favour of education over technical measures.

 

"We believe that children shouldn't be seeing pornography online. We disagree on the mechanisms. It's not that easy," she said.

 

"There is a problem about the extent to which we deskill parents by giving them simple solutions.

 

"We should be making more effort than we've done in the past to make sure parents really do know the risks children face online."

ISPs have been criticised for not doing more to stop children from accessing pornography through the internet.

TalkTalk recently introduced an option for parents to turn on an adult content filter at a network level.

Rather than individual filters on devices - such as a family computer - network level filtering stops certain content from reaching the home.
 

Legal content?

 

"It's a great way of managing what children can see. We don't see that as censorship, it's about choice," said Andrew Heaney, TalkTalk's executive director of strategy and regulation.

However, he warned against filters being on by default, describing it as a "slippery slope".

"I think the government should be encouraging ISPs to offer [blocking]," he said.

"Certainly do not force them to turn it to default on. We step over this Rubicon into a dangerous world."
TalkTalk's filtering system is managed by security firm Symantec. It administers a list of blocked sites.

Kirsty Hughes, chief executive of Index on Censorship, warned against the "privatisation" of freedom of expression.
"We're talking about blocking legal content. Child porn is not the same as blocking legal adult content that is available in our society," she said.

"Who decides what is blocked? Who puts together these lists? This is a form of censorship.

"We're talking about putting legal communication, information, either out of bounds or something you have to turn on to be part of that free world."

Difficult territory

Many mobile networks already have an opt-in policy to adult content which requires users to prove their age to the company before adult content - not just pornography - can be accessed.

A recent study commissioned by the Open Rights Group revealed that many sites - 60 were named in the study - were being wrongly blocked. These included personal blogs, community websites and political commentary.

Google's Ms Hunter acknowledged the issues behind third parties - which are unregulated - managing what reaches internet users in their homes.

"When you have companies making decisions for what is or isn't appropriate for children it's difficult," she said.
"If we pretend all families are the same, we get into very difficult territory."
 

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Yahoo Boss Quits Amid Fake Degree Claims

Mr Thompson was Yahoo's fourth chief executive in less than five years

Yahoo chief executive Scott Thompson has resigned amid accusations his CV featured a computer science degree that he never received.

The announcement was made at an emergency board meeting, just over a week after the allegations surfaced.
A statement from Yahoo said only that Mr Thompson had "left the company".
He was said to have studied for a computer science degree at Stonehill College, a Catholic school near Boston, in 1979.

Profile: Yahoo Chief Ross Levinsohn

:: Previously global media head at Yahoo :: Ran News Corp's Fox Interactive Media :: Holds BA in Communications from American University, Washington 

But while he gained an accounting degree from the college, it has been claimed he could not have earned a computer science degree as the course was not offered at the time.
The information was revealed by hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb, who is credited with bringing about the resignation of the company's co-founder Jerry Yang in January, and its former chairman Roy Bostock.
A separate report in the Wall Street Journal said Mr Thompson had told colleagues over the weekend he had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer before resigning.
Yahoo has appointed its head of global media Ross Levinsohn as interim chief executive and Fred Amoroso as chairman of the board, with immediate effect.
Mr Levinsohn will be the company's third chief executive in three years.
The firm had hired Mr Thompson, the former head of eBay's PayPal, in January to help turn around its fortunes after Carol Bartz was sacked just nine months into her tenure.
Even though Yahoo is one of the internet's most-visited websites, it has struggled to grow in the face of stiff competition from the likes of Google and Facebook.

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Met Police to extract suspects' mobile phone data

The kiosks have been fitted in 16 London boroughs for a 12-month trial

 

The Metropolitan Police has implemented a system to extract mobile phone data from suspects held in custody.

The data includes call history, texts and contacts, and the BBC has learned that it will be retained regardless of whether any charges are brought.
The technology is being used in 16 London boroughs, and could potentially be used by police across the UK.
Campaign group Privacy International described the move as a "possible breach of human rights law".
Until now, officers had to send mobiles off for forensic examination in order to gather and store data, a process which took several weeks.
Under the new system, content will be extracted using purpose built terminals in police stations.
It will allow officers to connect a suspect's mobile and produce a print out of data from the device, as well as saving digital records of the content.

'Retained and handled'

A Met Police spokesman told the BBC that when a suspect was released, "data received from the handsets is retained and handled in accordance with other data held by the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service]" - regardless of whether charges had been brought.

Guidelines given to officers state that data extraction can happen only if there is sufficient suspicion the mobile phone was used for criminal activity.
"Mobile phones and other devices are increasingly being used in all levels of criminal activity," said Stephen Kavanagh, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.
"When a suspect is arrested and found with a mobile phone that we suspect may have been used in crime, traditionally we submit it to our digital forensic laboratory for analysis.
"Therefore, a solution located within the boroughs that enables trained officers to examine devices and gives immediate access to the data in that handset is welcomed."

'Illegal'

Privacy International has warned against the possibility of such tech eventually be used on the streets

 

Over 300 London officers will be trained in using the "intuitive, fully-guided touchscreen desktop data acquisition tool", created by mobile forensic firm Radio Tactics.
The cost of leasing the 16 terminals for 12 months and training the officers will be £50,000, the Met said.

Privacy International has expressed serious concern over the system.
"We are looking at a possible breach of human rights law," spokeswoman Emma Draper told the BBC.
"It is illegal to indefinitely retain the DNA profiles of individuals after they are acquitted or released without charge, and the communications, photos and location data contained in most people's smartphones is at least as valuable and as personal as DNA."
Ms Draper added that while the Met's current plans were limited to fixed extraction terminals in stations, portable technology was readily available.
"Examining suspects' mobile phones after they are arrested is one thing, but if this technology was to be taken out onto the streets and used in stop-and-searches, that would be a significant and disturbing expansion of police powers."



 

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Facebook tests 'pay to promote post' tool

Facebook has started testing a system that lets users pay to highlight or promote posts.

 

 The 'promote a post' system has so far only been tested in New Zealand

By paying a small fee users can ensure that information they post on the social network is more visible to friends, family and colleagues.
The tests are being carried out among the social network's users in New Zealand.
Facebook said the goal was to see if users were interested in paying to flag up their information.

Money maker

The tests of the "pay to promote" system were discovered by a Facebook user in Whangarei, reported New Zealand's news magazine Stuff.

At first, said Stuff, the user thought the offer to pay to promote a post was a con trick.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to the BBC the offer was genuine.
"We're constantly testing new features across the site," said the spokesperson. "This particular test is simply to gauge people's interest in this method of sharing with their friends."
Different methods of highlighting posts were being tested, said the spokesperson. These would see a range of charges being levied to make posts more visible. Comments on the tests suggest the highest price being charged was £1.25 ($2) while others cost 25p or 50p.
Payments could be made via credit card or PayPal.
The spokesperson said some of the methods it was trying out would incur a charge but others would highlight a post for free. The spokesperson would not be drawn on when the test would end or if it would be tried in other territories.
"We're going to see a lot more ideas like this where they are testing out different ways to try to make money," said Ian Maude, internet analyst at Enders Analysis.
Both Facebook's imminent stock market flotation and a recent slowdown in revenue growth were helping to concentrate its attention on ways to make money, he said.
"In the last few years their overall revenue has grown much more quickly than their audience," he said. However, he said, that rapid growth had slowed in the last six months and had perhaps prompted it to experiment.
The flotation will add more pressure, said Mr Maude but he added that the way the stock would be split could lighten that burden a little as Mark Zuckerberg would be left 57% of the shares.
"He's always said he wants to make money to run the company not run the company to make money," said Mr Maude.

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EU sanctions cheaper mobile-phone calls within Europe

                   The changes will avoid the shock of receiving a huge bill after a trip, the EU said

Regulations to make using a mobile phone abroad significantly cheaper have been passed by the European Parliament.

The plans, which were voted in by a huge majority, include imposing a price cap on operators.
From July, using mobile data in Europe will not cost more than 70 cents (56p) per megabyte - far less than current rates.
Consumers will also be able to choose a different operator abroad from the one they use at home.
It is hoped this split-network approach - which comes into force in 2014 - will encourage greater competition.
The first changes will come into effect from 1 July. Calls will be capped at 29c (23p) per minute, plus VAT.
'Borderless Europe' The EU said the regulations were designed to prevent "bill shock" - the moment when travellers discover they have have totted up huge bills after making calls and using data applications, such as maps, while away.
"In a borderless Europe, there is no place for charges that diverge so much at home and abroad," said MEP Ivo Belet.
The EU said the changes could mean savings for a "typical" businessman of more than 1,000 euros (£800) in a year.
The EU said that from 2014 customers would be able to choose their mobile networks upon arrival in a country, or signing up to a contract before leaving.
Currently, mobile users are forced to use their standard domestic operator when travelling abroad - or to use alternative arrangements, such as a cheap pre-paid handset.
Under the new regulations, customers can choose a different operator with a more attractive travel tariff before leaving - without changing their number.

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Facebook app store launches amid mobile revenue worries

Facebook has launched its own app store to promote mobile programs that operate using the social network.

The company said the App Center will become the "new, central place to find great apps like Draw Something" and other titles.
Developers will have the ability to charge a fee for apps sold in the store in the near future, Facebook said.
The announcement came as Facebook admitted growth in mobile use could hurt future advertising revenue.

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             Facebook has admitted that growing mobile phone use could hurt future revenue

Ahead of its initial public offering, Facebook told potential investors in a statement: "If users increasingly access Facebook mobile products as a substitute for access through personal computers, and if we are unable to successfully implement monetisation strategies for our mobile users, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our financial performance and ability to grow revenue would be negatively affected."
'Start preparing' The App Center is expected to be rolled out globally in "the coming weeks", said Facebook's Aaron Brady in a post on the network's developer blog.
"All developers should start preparing today to make sure their app is included for the launch," he wrote.
However, Mr Brady said the store was not designed to compete head-on with the likes of Apple's App Store and Google Play.
"The App Center is designed to grow mobile apps that use Facebook - whether they're on iOS, Android or the mobile web," he wrote.
"From the mobile App Center, users can browse apps that are compatible with their device, and if a mobile app requires installation, they will be sent to download the app from the App Store or Google Play."

Only apps which make use of Facebook's log-in system Connect are eligible to be included in the store.

 

The store will follow the well-oiled app browsing format - and will be available on mobile

'Attract more ideas'

 

Saverio Romeo, an industry analyst from Frost & Sullivan, said the store announcement suggested an aggressive push by Facebook to become a bigger player in mobile.
He said Facebook needed to become "more significant, to attract more ideas and get more experience in the mobile space".
"I think the store is an important element - a community of developers is a fundamental element in the growth we have seen with Apple and Android," he told the BBC.
He also said he believed Facebook could position itself as the first major app store to be platform-agnostic - that is, not tied to a single platform such as iOS or Android.
"The type of applications that the Facebook community can develop can have an incredible open horizon.
"Facebook is ubiquitous - it does not have any preferential routes. The question is the monetisation of all this."

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ATK's Liberty rocket targets 2015 debut

                 The two-person crew for the 2015 manned test flight has already been selected

The industrial team that aims to make an astronaut launcher by marrying parts of the US space shuttle and Europe's Ariane rocket says it now has a complete system.


Known as Liberty, the launcher would be sold to Nasa to take its crews to the International Space Station (ISS).
Utah-based Alliant Techsystems (ATK), whose side boosters got the shuttle off the pad, is leading the project.
The company expects Liberty to launch on its first manned mission in 2015.
"Today, we don't have the ability to launch astronauts from the United States, so showing up with this service quickly is very important," said ATK's Kent Rominger.
"Twenty-fifteen is when I'm going to fly crew. We have our first crew picked out [and] our first test commander," he told reporters.
The Liberty concept calls for the new vehicle to be based on a slightly longer version of the solid-fuelled shuttle booster. This would form the first stage of the rocket.

Liberty's crew capsule is in development

The top half would use the liquid-fuelled core-stage technology and engine that powers Europe's Ariane 5.
Ariane is currently the world's dominant launcher of large telecommunications satellites, but was originally designed in the 1980s as a means to put a European crew shuttle in orbit.
This much ATK has already discussed, but in Thursday's press conference the company went on to announce that it now has:

• a capsule to go on top of the rocket to carry astronauts
• an abort system to pull the capsule clear of Liberty if there is a malfunction
• a propulsion module to drive the capsule through space
• all the necessary ground and mission operations support

Following the retirement of the shuttle last year, Nasa is looking for a new American system to take its astronauts into space.
At the moment, the agency has to buy rides from the Russians on Soyuz rockets, but it is hoping to spur a new commercial market in space transportation within the US.
Several companies - ATK included - are now in competition to provide those crew-carrier services, with Nasa expected shortly to select perhaps just two systems to provide support through to final development.

ATK hopes the heritage of Liberty's systems, which have benefited from billions of dollars of taxpayer investment down the years, will prove most attractive to Nasa.
The new elements announced on Thursday are a case in point. The abort system Liberty will use was developed as a technology exercise inside Nasa and has already been tested.
And the service, or propulsion, module for the capsule is based on technologies already developed for Nasa's own Orion deep-space crew craft. The Lockheed Martin company, which has been doing the service module work, is now a member of the Liberty team.
Of interest to European observers is the role of Astrium, the prime contractor on the Ariane rocket.
Europe's biggest space company is working out the modifications that will be needed on an Ariane core stage to make it work within the Liberty concept.
This involves some structural alterations to make sure the stage can handle the loads it will experience as it is pushed from underneath by ATK's booster. Ariane's Vulcain engine, too, will need a re-assessment to understand how it will perform when ignited in the high atmosphere. Normally Vulcains are ignited on the ground.
"We're interested in Liberty because it's a new market for us, and a chance to enter into a US opportunity," said Alain Charmeau, chief executive of Astrium Space Transportation.
"We're already the leader in the commercial satellite market, but with Liberty we would be entering a new programme that has, as a first priority, to serve US government requirements. That's new for us," he told BBC News.
Liberty operations call for the Ariane "second stage" to be built in Europe and then shipped to Florida for integration into the finished vehicle at the Kennedy Space Center.
However, if Liberty becomes a big success, Astrium may replicate its Ariane production facilities in the US.
"We hope that the market will be big enough so that we will have to duplicate production tools, and if that happens we will open the debate about whether we do that in Europe or in the US, and whether it is just for final assembly or includes the components as well," explained Mr Charmeau.
ATK has an unfunded Space Act Agreement with Nasa, presently. This means it benefits from the agency's advice and expertise, but must develop the Liberty concept from its own funds.
Kent Rominger confirmed that the 2015 target for a first crewed launch was dependent on Nasa choosing Liberty as one of its preferred systems, in which case it would then receive financial support.
However, even if Nasa overlooked Liberty, Mr Rominger said, ATK would continue to work on bringing the Liberty rocket to market.

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Websites Closed Over Payment Cards Scams

                  Computer fraud has increased in recent years as more people do business online

Thirty-six websites selling hacked payment card and bank details believed to be worth tens of millions of pounds have been closed down.

The move by the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the FBI is part of a day of joint action targeting cybercrime.
Officers also raided addresses in Birmingham and London and arrested two people suspected of purchasing large quantities of data to commit identity fraud.
The websites conducted transactions using an Automated Vending Cart, an e-commerce platform that allows rapid trading in large quantities of data.
The automated payment method made the sites user-friendly for purchasers unfamiliar with trading directly with organised criminals on hacking forums.

Our activities have saved business, online retailers and financial institutions potential fraud losses estimated at more than half a billion pounds and protected thousands of individuals from the distress caused by being a victim of fraud.

Lee Miles, Soca

Although the sites were hosted in the US, the AVC transactions in the UK were tracked and monitored by a specialist team of Soca officers.
In a separate operation, the UK's Cheque & Plastic Crime Unit seized several computers suspected of being used to facilitate fraud offences.
Acting on information supplied by Soca, an AVC operator based in Macedonia was also arrested by the Macedonian Cybercrime Unit.
Data recovered from the sites has been passed to financial institutions to prevent potential fraud taking place against the accounts.
The move was a joint operation between Soca, the FBI and the US Department of Justice which targets organised cybercrime.
Visitors to the sites are now directed to a screen indicating the domain has been seized by the US government.

                                    The operation was conducted jointly by Soca and the FBI

In the past two years, Soca officers have seized 2.5 million items of stolen personal data in joint operations with other international cybercrime agencies.
The total amount of data seized in these operations is estimated to have been worth £500m to cybercriminals.
Lee Miles, Head of Cyber Operations for Soca said: "This operation is an excellent example of the level of international co-operation being focused on tackling online fraud.
"Our activities have saved business, online retailers and financial institutions potential fraud losses estimated at more than half a billion pounds and protected thousands of individuals from the distress caused by being a victim of fraud."

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