Staff Writer - itbusinessdirect

Obama proposes changes to NSA surveillance

January 22, 2014 Staff Writer

U.S. President Barack Obama called for changes to U.S. National Security Agency surveillance, with new privacy advocates assigned to a surveillance court and a transition away from a controversial telephone records collection program in the U.S. U.S. President Barack Obama called for changes to U.S. National Security Agency surveillance, with new privacy advocates assigned to a surveillance court and a transition away from a controversial telephone records collection program in the U.S. However, Obama stopped short of major changes advocated by his own surveillance review panel and civil liberties groups.…

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DotConnectAfrica Trust takes its case with ICANN to Independent Review Process (IRP) Panel

January 22, 2014 Staff Writer

The Arbitration Process between DCA Trust and ICANN (‘DCA Trust vs. ICANN’) shall be governed by the International Dispute Resolution Procedures of the ICDR and the Supplementary Procedures for ICANN IRP Process. Jan. 22, 2014 – New York, USA: On Jan. 10, 2014, DCA Trust submitted an Amended Notice of Independent Review Process (“IRP”) to the International Center for Dispute Resolution (ICDR). DCA Trust sent its Notice of IRP in October 2013. The IRP is a proceeding provided for in Article IV, Section 3 of the ICANN Bylaws, by which…

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Fridge sends spam emails as attack hits smart gadgets

January 20, 2014 Staff Writer

A fridge has been discovered sending out spam after a web attack managed to compromise smart gadgets. The fridge was one of more than 100,000 devices used to take part in the spam campaign. Uncovered by security firm Proofpoint the attack compromised computers, home routers, media PCs and smart TV sets. The attack is believed to be one of the first to exploit the lax security on devices that are part of the “internet of things”. Poor protection The spam attack took place between 23 December 2013 and 6 January…

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Bitcoin Will Collapse In 2014 says BYRON WIEN

January 9, 2014 Staff Writer

Blackstone Group vice chairman Byron Wien does not have a lot of faith in Bitcoin. Included on his list of annual “surprise” predictions is the possibility that acceptance of the digital currency collapses this year. “In 2½ years the price of a Bitcoin has increased from $25 to $975,” says Wien. “The supply of bitcoins is fixed at 21 million with 11.5 million in circulation. Bitcoins lack gold’s position as a store of value over time. During the year Bitcoin’s acceptance collapses as investors realize that it cannot be used…

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Microsoft Just Lost A Huge Customer To Google: The City Of Boston

January 7, 2014 Staff Writer

The City of Boston has decided to rip out its Microsoft email technology and move 76,000 people to Google Apps. These email accounts were previously mostly using Microsoft Exchange, according to a blog post by Boston CIO Bill Oates. This is one of the largest customers that Google has swiped from Microsoft to date and is significant for a few reasons. For one, it’s another feather in Google’s increasingly impressive cap. According to Google, Boston would be among the biggest contracts it has won for Apps. Other huge ones: Roche (90,000…

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Business networks buckle as workforces gobble more data and adopt new working patterns

December 20, 2013December 20, 2013 Staff Writer

The Barracuda Networks study aimed to identify the issues affecting the performance of critical business applications By Sam Shead | Techworld | Published: 10:46, 20 December 2013 Research out today reveals that there is an increasing gap between the capabilities of network infrastructures and what network administrators need to do their jobs effectively. The findings, highlighted in a survey by analyst house Freeform Dynamics on behalf of storage vendor Barracuda Networks, show that approximately 52 percent of businesses are struggling with managing application performance, availability and security because of a…

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Year End message from DotConnectAfrica: 2013 Year in Review

December 20, 2013December 20, 2013 Staff Writer

As 2013 draws to a close it is worth looking back at where we have been and consider what 2014 will bring. As usual for DCA, it has been a year of intense activity to ensure that our promise to Africa stands – that “we shall deliver .africa registry to the continent, sooner than expected”. DCA Trust has a long-standing tradition of informing its African and global constituency on matters affecting the global Internet Governance, ICANN and related African affairs. Our regular Newsletters and Social media Campaigns sites provide us the…

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Google’s ‘Zeitgeist’ Top Searches For 2013 Revealed

December 18, 2013December 18, 2013 Staff Writer

Google has revealed its annual look at the top searches for 2013, and as ever it’s revealing, interesting, and mildly disturbing. This year Google split the list into the top “trending” searches – IE those with the most intense periods of interest – and “most searched” terms overall. Among the highlights were the fact that Paul Walker was the top trending search of the year, after his untimely death following a car crash in November, followed by ‘iPhone 5S’ and ‘royal baby’. The top “What Is?” search was led by…

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Vietnam, China and India gamers most vulnerable to cyberattacks

December 17, 2013July 3, 2020 Staff Writer

Summary: The number of attacks could spike as millions are expected to receive games as presents in the holiday season, especially with the launch of newer consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, says Kaspersky Lab. Users worldwide are being hit by an average of 34,000 attacks related to gaming malware daily, according to a study by Kaspersky Lab. The total number of attacks on gamers was 11.7 million in 2013, and the number is expected to rise with millions of users receiving games for Christmas, especially wih the launch of newer…

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DotConnectAfrica Honors Africa’s Hero and Giant Iconic Leader Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

December 9, 2013June 20, 2014 Staff Writer

DotConnectAfrica Trust takes this opportunity to celebrate and honor the Giant Iconic Leader of Africa: Courageous, Selfless and Noble. The children of Africa indeed, the entire World mourn and honor the man who truly exemplified the need for hard work and sacrifice even when times were very hard, the comforting proof that good triumphs over evil. That Love wins over Hate. That Togetherness wins over Division. Mandela spent 27 years in prison on Robben Island, fighting over stereotypes and seeking to restore equality in humanity. Africa celebrates the lessons of…

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