Articles

9th Apr 2008: What's your web age? - A new website that helps gauge how web-aware you are has been launched.
The site, www.myinternetage.com, tests how well you understand the internet, the way it works, and the danger it poses.
Questions include, 'how easy do you find using a webcam?' and 'how many times in the last six months have you made new friends online?'.
However, a separate report has highlighted the dangers of addiction to the web.
Internet addiction is a common mental disorder which requires special medical attention, according to the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Dr Jerald Block, a phychiatrist at the Oregan Health and Science University in Portland , said that internet addiction is becoming an 'increasingly commonplace compulsive-impulsive disorder'.
Internet addicts can lose all track of time or neglect basic needs such as eating or sleeping, Dr Block added.

4th Apr 2008: MBS agrees changes to its billing software - A company that makes controversial billing software has agreed to comply with terms set down by the Office of Fair Training(OFT).
MBS software makes it possible for visitors to website with websites with paid-for content to avoid revealing personal details up front-they can simply download the billing software to gain instant access. However, if visitors don't opt out after a free trial, then persistant pop-up boxes asking for payment begin to appear on the PC.
The OFT has decreed tha MBS must make it clear to anyone signing up to view any of the websites in question that they are entering into a contract and will be chased for outstanding payment.
The pop-up messages, which would previously appear on the screen for as long as 10 minutes, are now limited to one minute before they disappear

31th Mar 2008: AKR Solutions joins Magento as an Associate Partner - In partnership with Varien, AKR Solutions can now offer an eCommerce system that is a feature-rich, professional open-source eCommerce solution that offers merchants complete flexibility and control over the look, content, and functionality of their online store. Powerful marketing, search engine optimisation and catalog-management tools give merchants the power to create ecommerce sites that are tailored to their unique business needs.

27th Mar 2008: Broadband speeds way of the mark - Only 15 per cent of people on 8Mbps broadband deals actually receive the advertised speed, according to a report from web-monitoring firm Point Topic.
The survey of more than 4,000 customers showed that the figure rose to 23 per cent of those on 4Mbps deals, 35 per cent for 2Mbps packages and 60 per cent of those on 1Mbps contracts.
The research found that, although most people didn't get the speeds they had all signed up for, ISP SKY did the best job of providing the promised speeds, followed by Virgin Media and Tiscali. The Carphone Warehouse was next, followed by BT, with Orange bringing up the rear.
Point Topic did recognise the difficulty in offering accurate figure for the speed that a customer could expect to receive.
A separate survey from uSwitch.com found that PlusNet's customers were the most satisfied with their broadband speed, followed by Sky. TalkTalk customers were the least satisfied.

20th Mar 2008: Online banking fraud drops - Though credit card is on the increase in the UK, online banking fraud, decreased last year.
According to figures released by the Association of Payment and Clearing Services (Apacs), online banking fraud losses fell to 33 per cent to £22.6m in 2007 compared to £30m in 2006.
This year-on-year decrease comes despite the number of phishing incidents almost doubling from 14,156 in 2006 to 25,796 last year
Separate research from security firm Trend Micro has found that a group of Moroccan fraudsters going under the name 'Mr Brain' are selling 'easy-to-use' phishing kits on the internet aimed to appeal to criminals with poor computer skills. Some 400 different kits have been spotted.

13th Mar 2008: IE8 to be more web-friendly - Microsoft is set to embrace universal standards with the release of its newest browser, Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft has previously said that the browser would bring improved support for web standards, but these features would be disabled by default. However, IE8 will now be compliant with standards agreed by the World Web Consortium (W3C) - an organisation which promotes interoperability between browsers.
Previously IE used different standards to other browsers, which meant that it would interpret code and display information in a different way to other web browsers.
Some industry watchers have said that this shift by Microsoft could be interpreted as desire to avoid regulatory and legal problems.
Microsoft has been criticised in the past for failing to comply with interoperability standards and was, last month, hit with a £680 million fine for imposing unreasonable prices on its software.

5th Mar 2008: 'Self destruct' software for laptops - A British company has developed 'Self Destruct' software capable of obliterating sensitive data stored on laptops.
Named Blackstopp, the new security software can block access and even destroy data if a laptop is moved from its designated space.
It does so by employing software that constantly monitors the whereabouts of a laptop. If the laptop is moved, the software is activated to destroy the sensitive information.
The new technology can also be used to keep tabs on missing laptops by connecting to wireless networks, using Wi-Fi and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.

28th Feb 2008: Software giants impose 'unfair' contracts - Technology companies, including Microsoft, Symantec and Apple , have been accused of imposing unfair contracts on customers who buy their software.
The National Consumer Council (NCC) claims consumers buying computer software are not given enough protection from confusing licenses and contract terms.
According to NCC research, 17 companies did not mention that installation of their software depends on the user accepting a license agreement. It also found a "widespread lack of clear, upront and easily accessible information written in plain English".
The NCC has called on the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to investigate and wants the European Commission to "plug the gaps" in the consumer rights and protection framework.
It claims software rights-holders are shifting the legal onus onto consumers who buy computer programs, leaving them with "less protection than when they buy a cheap biro".

7th Feb 2008: Broadband plans go down the sewer - A Plan to provide super-fast broadband to residents of Dundee, Northampton and Bournemouth using the sewer system could come to fruition in the next two years.
H2O Networks intends to run fibre optic cables, potentially capable of transmitting data at up to 100bps, through sewers in the towns to bring broadband access to any home that wants it.
The company's managing director Elfed Thomas, said that using the sewer system to house the cable was up to 80 per cent faster than digging up the roads.

31st Jan 2008: Natwest tops target for phishers - Natwest is the bank that most phishing gangs impersonate when trying to get UK surfers to part with their banking details. ClearMyMail, a company that specialises in anti-spam solutions, said that 41 per cent of phishing emails intercepted in December 2007 were disguised as messages from Natwest.
Citibank, HSBC and Abbey also featured high on the list as well as PayPal, the company commented that the emails where very convincing and that the gangs behind the email scams were becoming more sophisticated in their methods.

25th Jan 2008: Spammers abuse free hosting service - Spammers are uploading content to Microsoft's Windows Live SkyDrive, a service that offers to host up to 1GB of files for free, in order to sell their wares.
SkyDrive, which used to be known as Windows Live Folders, lets you upload all sorts of content to share with your friends and family by sending them a link. However spammers are using it to email links to adverts for medication and other typical spam offers.
Microsoft said it was investigating the issue.

17th Jan 2008: Apple heads for war with record label - Apple's plan to standardise the pricing of tracks on iTunes throughout Europe could shatter its already fragile relationship with record labels.
As part of a move to level the prices paid by consumers for music throughout Europe, the company warned that it would "reconsider its continuing relationship with any record label that does not lower its prices in the UK to the pan-European level within six months.
At the moment, UK consumers pay 79p per track from iTunes, whereas surfers in continental Europe pay the equivalent of 64p.
The move was welcomed by Which?, formerly known as the Consumer Association, who first complained about the pricing of tracks on iTunes back in 2004.

8th Jan 2008: Increased attacks on social networks - Social networks such as Facebook were one of the main targets of cybercriminals last year according to security experts.
MessageLab's review of 2007 reported that attacks on social-networking sites rose from one attack per day in 2006 to more than 1,100 in a 16-hour period during September 2007.
According to MessageLab's, social-networking sites present rich pickings for cybercriminals as people often give away personal information in their profiles.

3rd Jan 2008: Google to launch Wikipedia rival - Google's new project to produce an index of articles on a wide variety of topics will be a direct competitor to Wikipedia, according to a prominent author.
Technology writer Nicholas Carr wrote in his blog that Google's Knol - short for "knoweldge" - service, which is currently in beta, will see the company's competition with Wikipedia intensify.
"The success of Knol is, of course, far from assured, but the ability of authors to sign their names, take ownership of their work , and compete with other authors may well be a lure for many people", said Carr.

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