InformationWeek Stories by K.C. Jones

InformationWeek Stories by K.C. Joneshttp://www.informationweek.comInformationWeeken-usCopyright 2012, UBM LLC.2009-06-16T16:19:00ZMySpace Cuts 30% Of WorkforceThe social networking site's parent company, News Corp., saw a 47% dip in its operating income in the third quarter of its current fiscal year.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217900199?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsMySpace will lay off about 30% of its workforce under a restructuring plan that spans all American divisions of the company and will leave the social networking site with 1,000 U.S. employees. "Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company," MySpace CEO Owen Van Natta said in a statement released Tuesday. "I understand that these changes are painful for many. They are also necessary for the long-term health and culture of MySpace. Our intent is to return to an environment of innovation that is centered on our user and our product." The division of News Corp. "grew too big considering the realities of today's marketplace," said Jonathan Miller, News Corp.'s CEO of digital media and chief digital officer. "I believe this restructuring will help MySpace operate much more effectively both structurally and financially moving forward," Miller said in a prepared statement. "I am confident in MySpace's next phase under the leadership of Owen and his team." The company did not provide details on the exact number of employees being laid off or the timing. It also declined to disclose severance terms or how much MySpace would save by reducing its workforce and eliminating nearly 500 U.S. employees. News Corp. said MySpace plans to "return to a startup culture" and said its restructuring plans aim <a href="http://www.myspace.com/">to make MySpace</a> more innovative, efficient, and entrepreneurial. The social networking site ranks second, behind MySpace, for popularity as measured by global users. News Corp.'s operating income plummeted 47% in the third quarter of its current fiscal year, which ends June 30. InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on Windows 7. <a href="http://informationweekreports.com/shared/download.jhtml?id=174200001&cat=iwkr_enterprisesoftware&doc_id=InformationWeek_Analytics_Alerts_windows7">Download the report here</a> (registration required). 2009-06-15T15:40:00ZNASA Eyes Wednesday Shuttle LaunchThe space agency canceled Saturday liftoff after discovering a gas leak.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217801263?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsNASA managers have delayed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour because of a hydrogen leak. NASA announced that it has rescheduled Saturday's launch of the shuttle's STS-127 mission for 5:40 a.m. EDT Wednesday, from the Kennedy Space Center. Managers postponed the launch because of a leak in the shuttle's hydrogen venting system. The system is located outside the shuttle's external fuel tank. It carries unused hydrogen away from the launchpad. The postponement has also affected plans to launch the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, which were scheduled to launch from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday. Now, the lunar spacecraft will launch Thursday to allow the space shuttle Endeavour to lift off on Wednesday. The Endeavour is bound for the International Space Station for a 16-day mission that includes construction of a science laboratory module. NASA delayed the launch of its STS-119 shuttle mission for four days in early March for similar reasons. At that time, a gas leak came from a pipe running from the launch tower to the valve on the shuttle's external fuel tank. The pipe carries hydrogen gas from the shuttle to a flare stack, where hydrogen gas burns off at a safe distance from the shuttle and launchpad. After that postponement, NASA Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach said the leak did not pose a danger to the shuttle during fueling. NASA expects a five-year gap in its manned space program</a> while it transitions from its Ares rockets to new Orion rockets. 2009-06-12T14:21:00ZSpace Shuttle Set For Saturday LaunchEndeavour is poised for a mission to the ISS to deliver components to Japan's space lab.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217801006?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsSeven NASA astronauts are scheduled to launch aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Saturday. The crew will visit the International Space Station to finish construction and assembly of the Japanese Kibo Laboratory Complex. The shuttle will carry components for the Kibo Japanese laboratory's experiment and logistics modules. The payload carries the remaining components of the lab and astronauts will assemble something like a "front porch," or external facility, to conduct experiments in an exposed environment. A robotic arm will be attached to the Kibo's pressurized module so experiments can be placed outside the space station. The astronauts and the key pieces of the lab complex are ready for launch at 7:17 a.m. EDT. On Friday night, the STS-127 mission management team at Florida's Kennedy Space Center will decide whether to load the shuttle's external tank with fuel. Mark Polansky will command the shuttle and Douglas Hurley will pilot it. Tim Kopra will serve as the flight engineer and science officer. Mission specialists include Christopher Cassidy, Thomas Marshburn, David Wolf, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html">The mission will</a> include five spacewalks. It marks the first voyage to space for Hurley, Cassidy, Marshburn, and Kopra. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata will come back to Earth on the shuttle's return trip. The trip marks the 32nd flight to the International Space Station and the 23rd mission for Endeavour. The 16-day mission to the ISS is the last of three flights specifically aimed at completing the Japanese Kibo Lab Complex. 2009-06-08T15:04:00ZProposed NASA Cuts Draw FireFlorida legislators say a plan to reduce the space agency's operating budget could hurt the economy and innovation.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217800116?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe U.S. House of Representatives is poised to cut NASA's human space exploration spending by nearly $700 million -- but the plan is running into opposition. President Barack Obama proposed spending more than $4 billion for human space exploration during the fiscal year 2010, but the House subcommittee that oversees the funding proposed the cut to <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html ">NASA's budget</a> last week. NASA's allocation for human space exploration is currently about $3.5 billion. Democratic Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas and Republican Congressman Bill Posey sent a letter to their colleagues Monday urging restoration of the funds. Both representatives are from Florida, where NASA's Kennedy Space Center has a major impact on jobs and the economy. "Tens of thousands of jobs are at stake in our state and across the nation," they wrote. "In 2008, the U.S. space industry contributed approximately $100 billion to the U.S. economy and directly employed more than 262,000 people in 41 states at skill levels and pay scales far above national averages according to the Department of Labor." They said that, in Florida, every NASA job translates into 2.82 more jobs, which, in fiscal year 2008 gave Florida $4.1 billion in output, $2.1 billion of household income, and 40,802 jobs. "With the second-highest job loss numbers in the nation in 2008, maintaining current jobs in Florida and ensuring future work at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) represents a road to economic recovery for Florida and our nation," they said. "A strong space program is crucial to our economy as a whole and is in the best interest of the nation; the next generation human space flight program will no doubt lead to innovations that will improve the lives of every American and help us address important issues facing our nation, including the development of new alternative energy, health care, and communications technologies," they said. Without an increase in funding, the United States will increase its reliance on Russia for space travel and visits to the International Space Station, they said. "Retirement of the shuttle is inevitable, but minimizing the gap between the retirement of the shuttle and the next generation exploration capability would help maintain and strengthen our leadership position in human space flight," they wrote. Attend a Webcast on reducing data management costs and focusing on business goals. It happens June 11. <a href="https://www.techwebonlineevents.com/ars/eventregistration.do?mode=eventreg&F=1001620&K=7NLPC">Find out more and register.</a> 2009-06-08T14:20:00ZThink Tank Pushes Broadband Enterprise Zones Institute For Policy Innovation says private-sector forces are best to ensure nationwide coverage.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217800099?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsA free-market oriented think tank says the Federal Communications Commission should create broadband enterprise zones as part of a national communications plan. <a href="http://www.ipi.org/">The Institute For Policy Innovation</a> filed its comments with the FCC on Monday, saying such zones could identify areas that lack broadband access and ultimately help ensure as many Americans as possible gain broadband access. IPI's policy experts recommend that the federal government leverage the private sector's rollout of broadband technology with tax-credit and voucher incentives for deployment in the designated zones. "Broadband enterprise zones are an economically efficient means of incentivizing broadband rollout to areas where market forces have proven to be insufficient up to this time," according to IPI's letter to the FCC. "Part of the great success story of the Internet within the U.S. is that it has been created by private risk capital and not by any demand on taxpayer funds," IPI president Tom Giovanetti said in a statement released Monday. "New federal policies should do nothing to supplant, to interrupt, or to devalue these enormous past, current, and future investments." Government broadband policy should enhance rather than supplant the existing, largely private nature of the network infrastructure and avoid returning to failed policies, the group said. They discouraged unbundling, saying it would be "a step backwards for the U.S. broadband network" and "devalue the existing private infrastructure." They called for technology-neutral policy to give consumers choice and to allow communications convergence to continue to spur competition and innovation. "There will be a virtual race between cable, traditional telecom, and wireless providers to unserved areas, and underserved areas will see additional new competitors," the group said in the written comments. "This is the current and near-term reality, and it's a good reality." If existing trends continued, without government intervention, network providers are likely to continue to deploy in new areas on a demand-driven approach, it said. Attend a virtual event on transforming the enterprise with unified communications on June 10. <a href="http://www.voicecon.com/virtualevents/">Find out more and register.</a> 2009-06-08T13:43:00ZMixed Bag For IT JobsReport sees growth in some tech-related professions, losses in others.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217800090?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsRecent unemployment figures show mixed results for IT jobs, according to a recent analysis of the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Statistics. Foote Partners, a company that analyzes the IT workforce, reported Friday that some segments of IT jobs have decreased while others have increased. The Department of Labor reported Friday that May's national unemployment rate reached 9.4%, with 345,000 jobs lost in May. "Certainly some of those are technology professionals," David Foote, CEO of Foote Partners, said in a statement. "But it's important to note the continuing counter trending evident in bellwether IT job segments like technical consulting services, which actually added 2,300 jobs in April and May instead of the other way around." Foote said that communications equipment jobs, which fall under the employment category computer and electronics products, experienced a net increase of 200 jobs over the last three months. Tech workers in computer systems design and its related services segment lost 2,800 jobs last month, while data processing and hosting services lost 3,500 jobs. "The latter category was substantially worse than April's loss of 900 jobs," Foote said. "But I think the more positive story is that the recession has had minimal impact on demand for IT skills and jobs in the areas such as architecture, project management, business process, security, communications, several ERP and infrastructure specializations." <a href="http://www.footepartners.com/FooteNewsrelease_2009skillstrends_042209V2.pdf">Foote Partners IT Skills</a> (PDF) Hot List for May 2009 predicts demand for IT skills in those areas. "Clearly, job security is more about where you work in IT, not if you work in IT," Foote said. "But most important, IT remains one of the best career choices a person can make. Technology companies will most likely lead us out of this recession much like they did the last time. And businesses across all industries will once again see the obvious roles their IT professionals play in new product creation, delivering services, building market share, and customer satisfaction." InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the current state of IT salaries. <a href="http://informationweek.com/salarysurvey2009">Download the report here</a> (registration required). 2009-06-04T12:51:39ZWhite House Seeks Input On TransparencyThe Obama administration wants to know what you think about government transparency. Deputy CTO for Open Government Beth Noveck issued a call for input Wednesday about the government's efforts to make more information available to the public.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229206211?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe Obama administration wants to know what you think about government transparency. Deputy CTO for Open Government Beth Noveck issued a call for input Wednesday about the government's efforts to make more information available to the public.Noveck and others have entered the second of a three-phase effort to guide policies on transparency, participation, and collaboration. They are encouraging discussion to create a definition of transparency, principles, and priorities. "While many decisions will not be either/or choices, some tradeoffs will be inevitable," Noveck wrote in a White House blog post. "We need to understand which buckets of principles make sense in a given context. Prioritizing demands understanding what each principle means in practice and then weighing the relative costs and benefits." She pointed to airline scheduling performance data and said that it may be more important to release accurate information if the goal is for the Federal Aviation Administration to draft informed regulations. "If the goal is to help travelers make better-informed travel decisions then the information must be comprehensive," she explained. "If transparency serves the goal of enabling companies to build information-related businesses that incorporate on-time data then timeliness is of the essence." So, agencies will have to weigh competing interests when deciding to release information. Noveck also said that the administration wants to adopt "crowd-sourcing" to help evaluate data, which should be complete, primary, timely, accessible, machine-processable, non-discriminatory, non-proprietary, and license-free. Finally, she said government agencies should explain all policy decisions and the reasoning behind them in layman's terms. The administration wants input about costs and benefits, feedback on whether it has overlooked any existing guidance it should heed, and recommendations on putting the principles into practice. Noveck asked for opinions and ideas about how to prioritize and balance the goals of timeliness and accuracy. Finally, she asked for input on whether rules of transparency should be hard and fast and when they should allow for flexibility and entrepreneurship within government agencies. Readers are invited to <a href="http://blog.ostp.gov/2009/06/03/open-government-initiative-discussion-phase-transparency-principles/">register and comment</a>.2009-06-04T11:48:00ZHi5 Strikes Deal with Televisa InteractiveSpanish-language media company and social networking site team up for exclusive video, agreement.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701844?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsHi5 has joined Televisa Interactive Media, the Spanish-speaking media company, and announced an exclusive online ad deal this week. <a href="http://www.televisa.com/">Televisa</a> said Wednesday that it would become Hi5's exclusive online advertising inventory representative in Hispanic Latin America. The two companies said that they will launch a co-branded premium video channel for Hi5 users with a library of full-length and short videos from Televisa. The channel is scheduled for launch this summer and microsites will follow. Together, the two companies said they reach more than 33 million unique users each month in Hispanic Latin America. Internet use in those countries grew by up to 16.6% last year, according to ComScore. That compares with North America's growth of 5.7% for last year, according to ComScore's figures. "Hi5 is an ideal content and traffic extension that perfectly complements our best-in-class suite of promotional solutions for advertisers and brands in this region," Juan Saldivar, general manager of Televisa Interactive Media, said in a statement released Wednesday. Televisa said that most of the videos are <a href="http://www2.esmas.com/usa/">available through Esmas.com</a> and through its vertical <a href="http://www.tvolucion.com/">video site Tvolucion.com</a>. Those channels are available in the United States, but the new video channel will not be available to U.S. users. "This business relationship solidifies our leadership position in Latin America and delivers compelling content to our huge Spanish-language audience," Ramu Yalamanchi, founder and chief product officer at Hi5, said in a statement released Wednesday. "Televisa's experienced sales team and deep industry relationships will help us maximize our revenue potential in the Latin American market." Learn about all the latest Enterprise 2.0 technologies at TechWeb's Enterprise 2.0 Conference, Boston, June 22-25. <a href="http://e2conf.com">Join us</a> (registration required).2009-06-04T11:35:00ZGen Y Not Into TwitterMillennials are more likely to use social networking sites to communicate.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701840?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsMembers of Generation Y are extremely active on social networking sites, but far fewer are interested in Twitter, according to a recent study. The <a href="http://www.thepmn.org/">Participatory Marketing Network</a> (PMN), a marketing group, released results of its study on Wednesday. It found that just 22% of Generation Y consumers use Twitter. The Lubin School of Business' Interactive and Direct Marketing Lab at Pace University helped conduct the study, which surveyed 200 PMN panel members in May and consumers from ages 18 to 24. It found that 99% of Generation Y consumers maintain active profiles on at least one social networking site. "Twitter dominates the news, but clearly we're only touching the surface of its potential as a marketing vehicle," Michael Della Penna, co-founder and executive chairman of PMN, said in a statement released Wednesday. "This is a classic 'glass half full’ scenario for Twitter because it's clear that Gen Y has an appetite for social networking, but still hasn't fully embraced microblogging. There is a tremendous opportunity now for marketers to develop strategies to get this important group active on Twitter too." Of those who use Twitter, 85% follow friends, 54% follow celebrities, and 29% follow friends and companies. Of those with active social networking site profiles, 89% said they have downloaded an application to their profile page. Eighty-nine percent said they use photo applications, while 53% said they use applications for games. Fifty-one percent said they use social networking site applications for entertainment, while 32% use them for news and 29% said they use them for weather. Among social networking site users, 38% have an iPhone or iPod Touch. The most popular applications on those sites are games (53%) and entertainment (35%). Learn about all the latest Enterprise 2.0 technologies at TechWeb's Enterprise 2.0 Conference, Boston, June 22-25. <a href="http://e2conf.com">Join us</a> (registration required).2009-06-04T11:08:00ZFiorina Donates $500,000 To Islamic Women's GroupsFormer HP CEO seeks to empower women in countries with large Muslim populations.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701828?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsCarly Fiorina's 1-year-old charitable organization has chosen its first grant recipients. The <a href="http://www.onewomaninitiative.org/">One Woman Initiative</a>, a public-private initiative to empower women in countries with significant Muslim populations, announced Wednesday that it would give away more than $500,000 to five groups in Azerbaijan, Egypt, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The grants will go to locally focused groups that aim to increase women's legal rights, political participation, and economic development. Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, launched the One Woman Initiative on May 12, 2008, in an attempt to raise more than $100 million in five years for groups that help women in countries with high numbers of Muslims. "These grants address the unique barriers women face -- barriers like gender inequity and lack of economic and political opportunity," Fiorina said in a statement. "Investments in women can lift entire families out of poverty, transform communities, and foster peace and prosperity. We are particularly sensitive to the potential of women in Muslim majority countries, at this watershed moment, when family and community stability can contribute to the peace and security we all seek." The Kashf Foundation in Pakistan will receive $100,256 to help launch a rural microfinance program that targets women for developing agriculture and livestock-related products, crop insurance, and a mobile microfinance service. The Association for Human and Environmental Development in Egypt will receive $95,000 for a Justice Initiative project to provide leadership training for women, raise awareness about women's constitutional rights, and encourage women's political participation. The Group for Urban and Rural Development in India will receive $106,000 to increase women's access to economic opportunities through entrepreneurship training and job placement. The Women's Bar Association in Azerbaijan will receive $96,000 to give women access to legal advice and training on issues related to women's rights, including domestic violence, trafficking, early marriage, and gender equality. The Magbassa Kita Foundation in the Philippines will receive $124,500 for conflict prevention and peace building through skills training, workshops, and networking in the areas of conflict management and peace building. "Partnerships such as this one are vital to enable new avenues of social and economic empowerment for women," U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) counselor Lisa Chiles said in a statement. USAID, the U.S. State Department, and leading private-sector interests, helped launch the One Woman Initiative. <a href="http://www.cafamerica.org/dnn/">CAFAmerica</a>, a member of the Charities Aid Foundation International Network, is managing the funds raised for the group. "Many Muslim women today face the same barriers to female empowerment that existed a century ago: little access to education, domestic violence, and few or no legal rights," CAFAmerica CEO Susan Saxon-Harrold said in a statement. "However, in the past five years, due in large part to women's increasing activism and participation in all sectors of public life, this picture is changing." InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the current state of IT salaries. <a href="http://informationweek.com/salarysurvey2009">Download the report here</a> (registration required). 2009-06-03T13:43:00ZBiden Touts Recovery Act In New YorkVeep says stimulus plan is creating and saving jobs in the Empire State and beyond.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701632?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsVice President Joe Biden met with political and business leaders in New York this week to tout the benefits of the economic stimulus plan. Biden hosted a roundtable at Pace University's Lubin School of Business in New York with business leaders from across the country Tuesday to discuss the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Biden said the act is creating and saving jobs, while also spurring business opportunities in the first 100 days of the two-year program. <a href="http://www.recovery.gov/">"The Recovery Act</a> is putting people to work -- and our business leaders here today are a testament to that," he said in a statement. "They are on the front lines of hiring folks for new jobs and preventing layoffs. They have first-hand knowledge of how this economy -- and our policies -- are working. We're looking to those in the business community to be creative, to be innovative, and really take advantage of the new opportunities made possible by this Recovery Act. New York Gov. David Paterson, who was among the leaders meeting with Biden, said that crews have already broken ground on critical infrastructure projects. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin said the U.S. Treasury Department is moving quickly to help stabilize the housing market, provide tax relief to workers, and provide assistance to state and local governments. "The Recovery Act, together with our efforts to stabilize the financial system, is starting to make a difference," Wolin said in a statement. "The national economy is showing some initial signs of stability with confidence improving and credit starting to ease. We still have a long way to go towards rebuilding our economy and ensuring that Americans are back at work, but all Americans should know that this administration is absolutely committed to getting us there." Christian Zimmerman, president of Pike Industries, also attended. The company won its first stimulus construction project this spring to repave a New Hampshire highway, and Zimmerman said that allowed it to hire 100 employees instead of laying off 100, as previously planned. "Enactment of the Recovery Act, followed by quick action by federal and state governments to get highway money out into the economy, came at a critical time for our industry," he said. "Our company not only avoided significant layoffs, but we have hired many new employees, engaged subcontractors, contracted for new equipment, and we are purchasing various materials and services to support the stimulus projects we have been awarded." The act also includes tax credits to drive demand for energy efficiency and renewable energy. Standard Renewable Energy of Houston is just one company benefitting from those credits. "Because of the Recovery Act, our business is growing, not shrinking. We just opened a new office in Phoenix, and by year's end, our workforce will have grown over 70%," John Berger, founder and CEO of Standard Renewable Energy, said in a statement. Steve Chen, executive VP of Crystal Window & Door Systems in Flushing, N.Y., said the Recovery Act is "not just an injection of cash into the economy; it goes a long way in educating the public and changing perceptions about Energy Star and greener products -- how homeowners can invest in their homes, the environment, and the economy at the same time." Francis Jamiel, owner of Jamiel's Shoe World, the largest family-owned shoe retailer in Rhode Island, praised the Recovery Act for helping save his business through a provision that allows the government to provide a 90% guarantee on some Small Business Administration loans and to eliminate fees. He obtained a $400,000 loan that prevented him from closing the doors on his 73-year-old family business. Joe Robson, president of the Robson Co. in Broken Arrow, Okla., and chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, said that "the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit is stimulating nearly 200,000 additional home sales across the nation and will result in over 73,000 new jobs." Braemar Energy Ventures is one company that has benefitted from targeted venture capital investments for developing and commercializing renewable energy sources. Neil S. Suslak, founding partner of Braemar, said that loan guarantees and grants are helping build plants and facilities and hire more workers. Biden's office said that 150,000 jobs have been created or saved by the Recovery Act and more than $126 billion has been promised for stimulus programs and projects. InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the current state of IT salaries. <a href="http://informationweek.com/salarysurvey2009">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2009-06-03T13:21:00ZChina Knocked For Censoring Tiananmen Square InfoThe People's Republic is blocking Web searches related to the historic protest, group charges.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701627?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsOn the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square revolt, China is censoring information about the demonstrations on the Internet. Reporters Without Borders said this week that Chinese media cannot refer to the incident, which took place June 4, 1989, and information has been suppressed so effectively that most young Chinese are unaware of the event, which led to the deaths of hundreds of demonstrators. When Internet users look for information on "4 June," Baidu, China's most popular search engine, displays a message saying: "The search does not comply with laws, regulations, and policies," <a href="http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=31476">Reporters Without Borders</a> found in recent tests. Video search for the date leads to a message that says, "Sorry, no video corresponds to your search." There is no information about the protest, which demanded free press, or the government's crackdown on the demonstration, which lasted for weeks. The Chinese version of Google's search engine appears to block video and photo related to the massacre inside of China, but English-language searches show the events for those searching "4 June" and Chinese-language searches outside of China yield information from the 1989 events as well, Reporter Without Borders found. YouTube and Wikipedia do not censor the information on their Chinese sites, but those Web sites are blocked within China, the group said. In 2004, journalist Shi Tao was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for sending an e-mail about the Tiananmen Square anniversary. Activists from the movement and those who want recognition for victims have also been arrested as recently as last year, according to Reporters Without Borders. Reporters Without Borders noted that China has changed since the clash over the pro-democracy demonstrations and it wants the Chinese government to release journalists, bloggers, and activists detained for information about the protests to be released. It wants Chinese press and Internet users to be able to exchange information on the events of May and June 1989, and it wants the government to rehabilitate journalists who have been transferred, fired, or forced to retire for supporting the movement. It has called on the Chinese government to end U.S. Internet companies' censorship of information about the demonstrations and allow foreign journalists to cover dissident activities and events related to the demonstrations.2009-06-03T13:07:00ZTime Spent On Facebook Increases 700%Social networking site is outpacing in rivals in battle for traffic. http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701625?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe total time spent on Facebook has increased nearly 700% year over year, according to Nielsen. Nielsen reported Tuesday that total time spent on the social networking site rose from 1.7 billion minutes in April 2008 to 13.9 billion minutes in April 2009, making it the top social network in terms of the amount of time users spend on the site. "We have seen some very exciting growth in Facebook during the past year, and a subsequent decline in MySpace," Jon Gibs, VP of media and agency insights for Nielsen Online, said in a prepared statement. "Twitter has come on the scene in an explosive way, perhaps changing the outlook for the entire space." However, he warned that social networking sites can fall out of favor quickly with consumers, regardless of how fast they are growing or how big they are. As proof, Gibs pointed out that Friendster and MySpace were rising stars and appeared to be unbeatable. "Neither Facebook nor Twitter are immune," he said. "Consumers have shown that they are willing to pick up their networks and move them to another platform, seemingly at a moment's notice." Nevertheless, April marked the fourth consecutive month that Facebook ranked first for its number of unique visitors and time spent. MySpace, however, retains the lead in one respect: online video. The site has 120.8 million video streams, and its visitors spent 384 million minutes watching video on the site, <a href="http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/">according to Nielsen</a>. That's about 38.8 minutes for each viewer. Facebook visitors spend just 113.5 million minutes viewing video on the site in April, with just 11.2 minutes per viewer. Those figures draw attention to the importance of who visits the sites and what engenders their loyalty, according to Nielsen. Nielsen found that Facebook seems to hold more appeal to people between the ages of 25 and 34 and 35 to 49, respectively, while MySpace draws users from ages 18 to 24 and 12 to 17. InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the most innovative startup technology companies. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/alert/startup50">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2009-06-03T12:55:00ZFDA Strives For TransparencyFood and Drug Administration is asking for public input in effort to open up.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701620?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has vowed to become more open. The FDA announced Tuesday that it has formed a transparency task force to look into ways to make its activities more public. The group will make recommendations to give the public greater and timelier access to information about its activities and decision-making. "Our administration is committed to making government open and transparent," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a prepared statement. "The Transparency Task Force will give the American people a seat at the table and make the FDA more open and accountable." The group has asked for public input on how to go about making the change from an organization that has withheld information to protect trade secrets to one that protects confidential information while opening up about its decision-making process. The group will accept written feedback and hold a public meeting June 24. "President Obama has pledged to strengthen our democracy by creating an unprecedented <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Transparency_and_Open_Government/">level of openness</a> and public participation in government, and the FDA looks forward to participating in this process," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement. "I have asked the Transparency Task Force to deliver recommendations to me for ways to make more information available and foster better understanding of decision-making." The <a href="http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/FDATransparencyTaskForce/default.htm">Transparency Task Force</a> will identify information that the FDA should provide about specific agency operations and activities, including enforcement actions and product approvals. It will identify barriers to transparency, seek tools and new technologies to inform the public, recommend changes to internal policies and guidance, and outline any related policy changes it deems necessary. Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein will chair the task force. The group will report its findings to Hamburg. "Implementation of the Transparency Task Force's recommendations should make agency actions and decisions, and their underlying processes and bases, more transparent to the public," said Sharfstein. Additionally, the FDA has launched a "transparency blog," where the public can learn about its activities, at least through November. InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the current state of IT salaries. <a href="http://informationweek.com/salarysurvey2009">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2009-06-02T15:52:00ZTime Warner Under Fire For New Terms Of ServiceCritics charge that policy changes are a threat to network neutrality.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701343?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsTime Warner has changed its terms of service, and network neutrality advocates say that the changes raise doubts about the provider's commitment to providing equal service. "It is unfortunate that just as President Obama was reinforcing his commitment to Net Neutrality, Time Warner was publishing new terms of service that raises serious questions about the company's commitment to an Internet free of discrimination," Gigi Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, said in a statement released Monday. Public Knowledge argues that Time Warner's new terms of service allow the provider to use any bandwidth it wants for its own services "but puts its customers at risk if they use the Internet for services that may compete with Time Warner, such as video or telephone-like services." The new <a href="http://help.twcable.com/html/twc_sub_agreement.html">terms of service</a> also allow for prioritization of Time Warner Cable's own commercial subscriber traffic. Under the special provisions regarding high-speed data services, the company states, "Throughput Rate may be affected by Network Management Tools, the prioritization of TWC commercial subscriber traffic and network control information, and necessary bandwidth overhead used for protocol and network information." The language is raising some concerns. "Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission should each be concerned with how Time Warner is offering its cable modem services, and should conduct inquiries to determine the extent to which they hamper the free flow of information online and to which they are anticompetitive," Sohn said. Time Warner has promised not to cap its customers' bandwidth use but Sohn said that the new terms put that into question as well. Finally, Public Knowledge asked the FCC to investigate whether Time Warner is engaging in deceptive trade practices. The company recently wrote the FCC, saying that competition ensures that service providers will act in the best interest of consumers. "In particular, broadband providers must adopt reasonable pricing practices and traffic management policies or consumers will defect to a competitor that better meets their needs," the company explained. "The Commission should be especially loathe to recommend the application of net neutrality regulations in connection with programs that are intended to spur additional investment." A Time Warner spokesman said Tuesday that the company's terms are always changing and they are updated regularly so existing customers and potential customers know what the company is doing or may do in the future. He said the prioritization applies to end users, or commercial customers paying higher fees for the service, and "it's not about prioritizing certain bits of data over others." "Internet access is a dynamic product that is constantly changing so we're pretty good about making sure our terms of service are updated," Dudley said. Dudley said the most recent changes occurred nearly a year ago, in August 2008, and customers are notified when changes take place. InformationWeek Analytics has published an independent analysis of what IT and corporate professionals are looking for in business optimization. <a href="http://business-optimization.techweb.com">Download the report here</a> (registration required). 2009-06-02T14:18:00ZUtility Leaders Want Larger States Role In Broadband Stimulus FundsNARUC suggests states could help speed up the process to review the thousands of applications that are expected to pour in.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701324?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners wants the federal agencies overseeing broadband stimulus funds to consult with states before disbursing the money to avoid project delays. <a href="http://www.naruc.org/">NARUC leaders wrote</a> to leaders at the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) on Friday, asking them to consult with states to make sure that stimulus funds flow quickly. "The recent announcement that funds are now targeted to be released at the end of the year has an unfortunate and undoubtedly unforeseen unfair impact on grant proposals," they wrote. "By December winter conditions in many states will, at a minimum, certainly inhibit construction activity. It appears this delay in releasing the funds is related to perceived difficulties in processing and reviewing the anticipated flood of applications each agency is likely to receive." NARUC said the states could help speed up the process, but without their help federal organizations will struggle to effectively review thousands of applications that are expected to pour in. NARUC wants each state to review and provide a preliminary ranking of applications submitted to provide service and for the federal agencies to give weight to those recommendations. "Proceeding in this way presents the best possible odds that the funds will be properly expended on projects that have a realistic opportunity of expanding broadband penetration in the United States," the letter explained. "After all, states have intimate knowledge of their communications, economic environment, geography, and demographics along with every incentive to make certain the money is not wasted and is properly targeted. They also cumulatively have much more experience with the real social and financial costs and difficulties." Finally, the group wants state governors to designate state entities to review and rank applications based on NTIA and RUS criteria and rank them. InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the current state of IT salaries. <a href="http://informationweek.com/salarysurvey2009">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2009-06-02T12:05:00ZNASA Aims To Improve Orbital Re-EntryThe space agency launches a series of experiments as part of its quest for safer, more efficient space flight. http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701294?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsNASA is conducting two suborbital re-entry experiments to help guide plans for improving re-entry for missions on the International Space Station and future missions to Mars. NASA said that a team is analyzing flight data after the 40-foot-tall Terrier-Orion two-stage research rocket launched Thursday from Wallops Island, Va., and took two Sub-Orbital Aerodynamic Re-entry Experiments (SOAREX) more than 80 miles high. The rocket and its payloads fell into the Atlantic Ocean as planned. The <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/technology-onepagers/soarex.html">first SOAREX experiment</a> tested a heat shield that unfolded to protect a Tube Deployed Re-entry Vehicle during its descent. The re-entry vehicle was designed to give payloads more stability and better packaging for safer returns. The second experiment involved several temperature, pressure, and light sensors, as well as a mounted camera to determine the conditions that the vehicle's nose cone encounters during launch and in flight. "Both experiments performed very well, but the Tube Deployed Re-entry Vehicle experiment performed even better than we had predicted," Marc Murbach, the principal investigator for the SOAREX missions, said in a prepared statement. "Because of how well the instruments worked, we expect to get very interesting and useful data." The SOAREX experimental flights are managed by the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. A series of hypersonic SOAREX flights complement ground tests. The flights allow teams to experiment with atmospheric entry velocities close to those reached when shuttles return to the Earth's orbit. Last week's launch was the seventh in the series, also known as SOAREX-7. InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the current state of IT salaries. <a href="http://informationweek.com/salarysurvey2009">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2009-06-01T15:54:00ZYork U Wins Mars Rover ChallengeThe Canadian university is tops in a contest to design next-generation vehicle.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701095?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsToronto's York University has won the annual University Rover Challenge, an international competition that prompts students to design and build the next generation of Mars rovers. The contest, held by The Mars Society at the Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah, took place last week. York obtained a perfect score in the emergency navigation challenge, Saturday. They had 35 minutes to deliver a container to a distressed astronaut in the field. They used last known GPS coordinates and they were the only team to reach the astronaut. They did it with 12 minutes and 12 seconds remaining, earning them the full time bonus for the task. They finished second in a site survey challenge. "The real key to victory for them was their overall system reliability -- they seemed to be the only team that avoided having any major breakdowns during the four tasks," Kevin Sloan, Director of the University Rover Challenge, said in a statement. Brigham Young University placed second <a href="http://www.marssociety.org/portal/c/urc/2009-urc-archive/YorkWins2009URC/">in the competition</a>. They struggled with the site survey and emergency navigation tasks, but did well enough in a construction task to place second. The University of Nevada, Reno, placed third. "Although many of the tasks for 2009 were similar to those in 2008, the requirements and task courses were much more difficult this year," Alex Kirk, a URC judge, said in a statement. "Despite how hard we made things for these teams, they found ways to accomplish amazing feats. All of the judges were extremely impressed at what these students have done. Now the hard job for the judges is to devise even harder tasks for the 2010 URC." InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the most innovative startup technology companies. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/alert/startup50">Download the report here</a> (registration required). 2009-06-01T12:34:57ZWhite House Further Restricts Stimulus LobbyingU.S. President Barack Obama's administration is cracking down -- even more than it revealed in March -- on lobbying for funds under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229205909?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsU.S. President Barack Obama's administration is cracking down -- even more than it revealed in March -- on lobbying for funds under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.The White House posted a statement on its Web site Friday, saying that the new rules on special interest influence would require even more transparency. Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, has clarified a few points and taken restrictions a bit further than was apparent in Obama's March 20 memo on lobbying for Recovery Act funds. The White House already stated that all communications between federally registered lobbyists and government officials must be disclosed on the Internet. It stated that verbal conversations between the lobbyists and government officials are barred and all communications should be in writing, so comments can be posted on the Internet. The President's memo said that the Office of Management and Budget would review and evaluate the restrictions and recommend modifications. Those modifications now include expanding the restriction on oral communications to cover everyone, not just registered lobbyists. "For the first time, we will reach contacts not only by registered lobbyists but also by unregistered ones, as well as anyone else exerting influence on the process," the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Update-on-Recovery-Act-Lobbying-Rules-New-Limits-on-Special-Interest-Influence/">White House stated</a>. "We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program." The administration will also, said that only agency officials could solicit oral comments to help with merit-based decision-making once grant applications have been submitted. "To that end, comments (unless initiated by an agency official) must be in writing and will be posted on the Internet for every American to see," the White House explained. "Third, we will continue to require immediate internet disclosure of all other communications with registered lobbyists. If registered lobbyists have conversations or meetings before an application is filed, a form must be completed and posted to each agency's website documenting the contact."2009-06-01T12:14:00ZMinorities, Women Underrepresented In ITLack of diversity hurts Silicon Valley's competitiveness, study says.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701035?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsMinorities are underrepresented in high-technology companies, especially when it comes to senior-level positions, according to a report released Monday. The <a href="http://www.anitaborg.org/">Anita Borg Institute</a> for Women and Technology (ABI) found that only 6.1% of men holding technical positions and 8.2% of women holding those positions in Silicon Valley are minorities. Less than 2% of women of color hold high-level technical positions, the report found. The report, "Obstacles And Solutions For Underrepresented Minorities in Technology," <a href="http://www.anitaborg.org/news/research/">looks at barriers</a> faced by minorities and provides recommendations on how companies can overcome those barriers. Caroline Simard, director of research for ABI and author of the report, said that studies show workforce diversity can boost a company's bottom line. "The level of underrepresentation of African-American, black, Latino, Hispanic, and Native American and Native Hawaiians in technical positions in leading high-technology companies in Silicon Valley is alarming," she said in a statement released Monday. "This is likely to limit companies' ability to innovate and create new products for a significant portion of the user population. Such low numbers suggest that underrepresented employees are likely to suffer from significant isolation and a lack of access to mentors." <a href="http://anitaborg.org/news/archive/new-research-reveals-significant-barriers-to-advancement/">The study found</a> that more than 40% of underrepresented minority employees plan on leaving their jobs, while 51% of women of color plan on leaving within the next 12 months. It also found that minority job candidates seek companies with diversity at the top, and a lack of ethnic diversity at the top harms recruiting and retention among minorities. Simard said that girls and women consider role models when making career decisions. "Given that the Hispanic population is projected to represent 30% of the U.S. population by 2015, an absence of role models is likely to perpetuate the problem of underrepresentation of Latinas in technology and cause a significant disconnect between those designing technology and those using it, further leading to lost opportunities for companies," she said. Diverse teams make better decisions and generate more innovation, and a lack of diversity hurts America's competitiveness in science and technology, which suffers from decreasing enrollment of students in science, technology, math, and engineering, according to Simard. The ABI is a nonprofit that provides resources to promote the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in high-tech fields. InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the current state of IT salaries. <a href="http://informationweek.com/salarysurvey2009">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2009-06-01T11:59:00ZBoston-Power Pursues Stimulus Funds For Battery PlantManufacturer of notebook cells is seeking more than $100 million for Massachusetts facility.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217701032?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors<div style="margin:0; padding:0 0 10px 10px; float:right; width:185px; text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/galleries/showImage.jhtml?galleryID=326&imageID=21&articleID=217701032"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/galleries/automated/326/BostonPower_FordEscape_tn.jpg" width="175" height="117" alt="Boston-Power's proposed battery plant" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" style="margin:0 0 3px 0; padding:0;" /></a> (click image for larger view) <div style="margin:5px 0 0 0; padding:0; font-weight:bold; font-size:1.2em; color:#990000;">Boston-Power's proposed battery plant</div> </div> Boston-Power wants to build one of the world's most sophisticated battery manufacturing facilities in Auburn, Mass., and it's hoping to get federal funds to do it. Boston-Power is working closely with state government leaders to secure about $100 million through the U.S. Department of Energy's advanced battery and cell manufacturing grant program, established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It's also seeking funds through a proposal in the fiscal year 2010 federal budget under the Defense Production Act for facilities that support national security. A decision on federal funding is expected in July, but the commonwealth of Massachusetts announced Monday that it would pledge up to $9 million in matching funds. "Our goal is to make Massachusetts a manufacturing hub for the advanced batteries that will power the nation's clean energy future, and Boston-Power's plan to create this facility in Auburn is a big step toward that goal," Gov. Deval Patrick said before a news conference Monday. Boston-Power chose the Auburn site because it's close to its headquarters and the company wanted to promote synergy between R&D and manufacturing and to minimize costs associated with shipping and employee productivity. The proposed site's proximity to Boston would give the plant operators access to internationally recognized colleges and universities, a large and diversified workforce, and an established business infrastructure, <a href="http://www.boston-power.com/">the company explained</a> in an announcement Monday. "The race is on to capture the enormous economic and environmental benefits of clean energy, and Massachusetts is in the lead," Ian Bowles, Massachusetts' secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said in a statement. In March, Boston-Power became the first U.S.-based company to provide battery technology to a top-tier notebook vendor. The company's Sonata battery cells power the "green battery" Hewlett-Packard uses in its Enviro Series, a brand based on battery technology. InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the most innovative startup technology companies. <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/alert/startup50">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2009-05-29T16:30:00ZISS Expedition 20 Crew Complete After Arrival Of SoyuzFor the first time, all five international partner agencies are represented in orbit, NASA said. http://www.informationweek.com/news/217700883?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThree crew members arrived at the International Space Station on Friday, two days after launching from Kazakhstan on the Soyuz TMSA-15 Russian spacecraft. Flight engineers Roman Romanenko, Robert Thirsk, and Frank De Winne docked at the ISS's Zarya module port, which faces Earth, at 8:34 a.m. EDT Friday. The hatch between the Soyuz and Zarya opened at 10:14 a.m., allowing the new crew members to board the station. The flight engineers' arrival marked the formation of the Expedition 20 team and the first time that a six-member team will work aboard the space station. ISS commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineers Koichi Wakata and Mike Barratt, who served as Expedition 19 crew members, welcomed and conducted a safety briefing for the three flight engineers before beginning operations of the 20th Expedition crew. Expedition 20 also marks the first time that all five international partner agencies -- NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency -- have been represented in orbit, NASA said. Cosmonauts Padalka and Romanenko are from Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency; Barratt is from NASA; Thirsk is from the Canadian Space Agency; De Winne is from the European Space Agency; and Wakata is from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. De Winne will serve as a flight engineer for Expedition 20 and commander for Expedition 21. He spent nine days on the ISS in 2002 during the Odissea mission. Thirsk will serve as a flight engineer for Expeditions 20 and 21. He flew as a payload specialist on the STS-78, the Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission, in 1996. Padalka, a colonel in the Russian Air Force, also will command the Expedition 20 mission and serve as Soyuz commander. He was commander of Expedition 9 in 2004 and he performed four spacewalks during his first trip to the ISS. Barratt will serve as another flight engineer for Expedition 20. He was the lead crew surgeon for the first Expedition crew that stayed at the station in July 1998. Wakata served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 18 and 19 and will continue to serve in that capacity for Expedition 20. He is the first crew member from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to live aboard the ISS. He will return to Earth with the STS-127 crew. The crew will hold a news conference to discuss the six-person operations at 9:25 a.m., Monday. <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html" target="_blank">NASA Television will</a> broadcast the news conference live on its Web site, and reporters at several space agency locations around the world will be able to ask questions during the broadcast. <a href="http://informationweek.regulatorycompliance.sgizmo.com">Take part in our survey on regulatory compliance</a> by May 29 and be eligible to win an Apple iPod Touch valued at $299. 2009-05-28T16:04:00ZTime Warner To Spin Off AOL Struggling ISP hopes independence will provide a new lease on life.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217700701?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsTime Warner plans to separate from AOL, the company announced Thursday. AOL will become an independent, publicly traded company under the proposal for a complete legal and structural separation approved by Time Warner's board of directors. "We believe that a separation will be the best outcome for both Time Warner and AOL," Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said in a statement released Thursday. "The separation will be another critical step in the reshaping of Time Warner that we started at the beginning of last year, enabling us to focus to an even greater degree on our core content businesses." Bewkes said the split would allow both companies more operational and strategic flexibility, which would allow AOL "to achieve its full potential as a leading independent Internet company." As an independent company, AOL can focus on growing its Web brands and services, as well as its ad business, the companies said. AOL boasts more than 107 million unique U.S. visitors each month. AOL reports that its online display network reaches more than 91% of the U.S. online market. "This will be a great opportunity for AOL, our employees, and our partners," AOL chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong said in a statement. "Becoming a standalone public company positions AOL to strengthen its core businesses, deliver new and innovative products and services, and enhance our strategic options." Armstrong said the landscape is competitive and the company's new status would help it retain and attract top talent. "Although we have a tremendous amount of work to do, we have a global brand, a committed team of people, and a passion for the future of the Web," he said. Time Warner currently owns 95% of AOL. Google holds the rest of the company. Time Warner said it still plans to purchase Google's stake in the third quarter, in keeping with an earlier agreement. The tax-free transaction with Time Warner stockholders has not been reviewed by the Securities and Exchange Commission or given final approval by Time Warner's board. Time Warner said it hopes to complete the transaction toward the end of the year. Once it's complete, Time Warner shareholders will own all of the outstanding interests in AOL. Time Warner bought AOL for $147 billion eight years ago in an attempt to forge a major new media empire, but AOL has lagged behind other Internet competitors. AOL's subscriber base peaked at nearly 27 million but dropped over the last several years to just over 6 million subscribers earlier this year. Its operating profits declined nearly 50% from the first quarter of '08 to same quarter of '09. The separation will allow Time Warner renew its focus on its television networks and magazine properties. Learn about all the latest Enterprise 2.0 technologies at TechWeb's Enterprise 2.0 Conference, Boston, June 22-25. <a href="http://e2conf.com">Join us</a> (registration required).2009-05-28T12:38:00ZObama Should Scrap Cybersecurity Czar, Analyst SaysGartner expert says president's plan to protect nation's computing infrastructure won't work.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217700656?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsAs President Obama prepares to name a cybersecurity czar, an influential tech analyst said the White House should create a federal chief information security office instead. The news comes amid InformationWeek's exclusive report Thursday that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/federal/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217700619">hackers have infiltrated</a> servers operated by the U.S. Army. "The bottom line is that increasing the national cybersecurity is an operations issue," John Pescatore, VP and analyst at Gartner, said in a statement. "The problems are well-understood, solutions are known, and gaps have been identified. Organizations with high security in private industry and government almost invariably have a strong security office and a chief information security officer (CISO), and that should be the model that the U.S. government follows." The federal government should move into a more active role to improve security in cyberspace instead of focusing on strategies that increase spending or visibility for security, according to Pescatore. "The evolution and technological underpinnings of the Internet are very different from those of telecommunications or any other previous infrastructure," he said. "Different approaches are required to ensure reliable and secure services in cyberspace than on old telecom networks, and the development of public policy has to proceed very differently, as well." He said that the government will not succeed if it attempts to force top-down solutions on a peer-to-peer problem. National cybersecurity strategy should not be based on government control over the Internet, mandates, or increased reporting of attacks. Instead, it should focus on using policy and buying power to eliminate vulnerabilities, Pescatore said. He said an effective strategy should look more like a hurricane preparedness plan or a global warming policy than mandates on the telecommunications, banking, and automotive industries. Federal leaders should harmonize federal security standards with commercials equivalent to eliminate duplication, he said. "Proactive harmonization of security standards driven by the federal government will be much more effective than leaving states to define their own widely varying levels of approaches for increasing the protection of citizen data and critical infrastructures," Pescatore said. They should also use spending power to ensure that government software procurements require application vulnerability testing, evaluate existing regulations and step up enforcement, focus on preventing attacks rather than combining efforts to prevent and detect them, and reward best practices, Pescatore said. "Most of the publicity tends to go toward the government agencies with low Federal Information Security Management Act scores in annual audits, and currently there seems to be little or no effort to spread best practices across agencies," he explained in a report on <a href="http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search&id=949412">national cybersecurity strategy</a> (purchase required). InformationWeek Analytics has published an independent analysis on what executives really think about security. <a href="http://cxoreport.informationweek.com">Download the report here</a> (registration required).2009-05-28T11:50:00ZComputer Group Objects To EC Browser RegulationsCompTIA says Europe's sanctions against Microsoft could damage the whole industry.http://www.informationweek.com/news/217700636?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe Computing Technology Industry Association has warned the European Commission that its remedy for the European browser market could negatively impact the marketplace. CompTIA, which represents thousands of members in more than 100 countries, <a href="http://www.comptia.org">filed a statement</a> Thursday to weigh in on the Microsoft browser case. The EC claims that Microsoft's inclusion of its Internet Explorer with its operating system is illegal, and the commission wants Microsoft to allow third-party computer manufacturers to offer multiple Internet browsers on all PCs sold globally so consumers can select one before operating their computers. "CompTIA believes the EC's objections stand on dubious factual and legal grounds -- the browser and PC markets are highly competitive, making regulation wholly unnecessary," Lars Liebeler, antitrust counsel for CompTIA, said in a statement released Thursday. "Undeterred by this, though, the EC has proposed a remedy that heavily penalizes third-party OEMs, forcing them to carry other browser software on their valuable desktop real estate." Liebeler said the remedy is "a startling and significant intrusion" into the daily decision-making process of computer manufacturers. "If adopted, this remedy would be the tip of the iceberg," he continued. "Competitors will use the commission's elastic precedent to arbitrage competitive advantage. More and more companies would demand that the European Commission give their products a 'preference' by affirmatively requiring every single computer manufacturer to offer their software product through a similar 'ballot screen' even if consumers did not express a desire or need for their program." Liebeler said that regulations that would micromanage would not help the PC industry or consumers. Instead, he said the EC's ruling would "hamstring innovation, mocking the desires of the vibrant PC marketplace." InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on Windows 7. <a href="http://informationweekreports.com/shared/download.jhtml?id=174200001&cat=iwkr_enterprisesoftware&doc_id=InformationWeek_Analytics_Alerts_windows7">Download the report here</a> (registration required).