NIST Panel Says Public Safety Should Use Unlicensed Spectrum

A National Institute of Standards and Technology-appointed panel is recommending a broadband public safety network use unlicensed spectrum, according to a paper dated Jan. 24.

NIST’s Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology said the 700 megahertz spectrum range, known as the D block, for public safety is attractive because of its propagation and penetration characteristics.

The panel…

Survey: Federal Agencies, Employees Embracing Social Media for Reasons Similar to Contractors

More federal agencies are embracing social media in 2011, a sharp contrast from the apprehension they showed in 2010, according to a recent survey of 352 federal government employees by research firm Market Connections. 

A Professional Service Council summary of the survey in Service Contractor magazine said 19 percent of agencies surveyed continue to restrict access to some…

Neustar’s Rodney Joffe: All it Takes is One Person to Cause Internet Disaster

The Internet allows any one person to launch potentially catastrophic malware, according to Rodney Joffe, head of security at Neustar Inc.

“In the real world, you have to have access to plutonium or fleets of fighter jets to wreak widespread havoc,” Joffe said to the Los Angeles Times. “Because of the Internet, any one…

McAfee Releases Security Solution Made for All Internet Devices

McAfee has made available a cross-security device solution for individuals and families, empowering them to protect their Internet-connected devices.

McAfee All Access enables consumers, from console, to secure smartphones, tablets, netbooks, PCs, and Macs with security protection for each device. The program allows consumers to secure their data and systems, safeguard Internet activities, and monitor children and teens.

“Users…

Cisco Study Says Internet a Necessity to Young Professionals: Insight on Future Professionals

Cisco conducted their second annual Cisco Connected World Technology Report examining the relationship between behavior, the Internet and the pervasiveness of networking. The study reveled that one in three college students and young professionals consider the Internet to be of the utmost importance in the same category as food, air and water.

The findings are valued as providing insight into…

Yahoo Testing ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ Theory on Facebook

Yahoo Research launched an online study this week to test the well-known social theory that says any two people can be linked through six degrees of separation.

To pull off the Small World Experiment, Yahoo is asking for help from the the nearly 750 million Facebook users.

Any Facebook user can…

US Universities Join Project for Faster Computer Networks

In hopes of spurring economic growth and research development to their surrounding communities, 29 universities across the U.S. are partnering with the “Gig.U” project to bring ultra-high-speed Internet access to campuses and its neighboring areas.

The initiative aims to draw high-tech startups to the areas near the universities by providing Internet speeds up to 1 Gbps….

Das Internet ist Kaputt: German Internet Disrupted

Significant portions of the German Internet were unavailable yesterday for over an hour, following a mistake by the DENIC, which administers the .de domain. According to some reports, all 13.6 million .de domains were impacted by the interruption, though other reports say the number of affected domains was smaller.

Email and websites were disrupted from 1:30 pm to 2:50 pm, German time. The problem was likely occurred when DENIC uploaded…

Email Users Still Like Spam

A significant percentage of Internet users continue to interact with spam messages according to a recent report released by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG). The report is a based on a survey of users in North American and Western Europe.

While around 80 million respondents are aware of the existence of botnets, tens of millions still follow spam links…

India Ramps Up Efforts to Fight Cyber Crime

The government of Tripura, a state in northeast India, today issued guidelines that propose strict action (including a 10-year jail term) for anyone committing a cyber crime, according to Indo-Asian News Service.

“If anybody is found guilty of indulging in cyber crime, he can be prosecuted with a maximum of 10-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs.200,000 ,” police spokesman Nepal Das told reporters.

He said the government has provided…