Bits & Bytes - Issues We'll be Watching in 2011


Tech Employment - Coming, Or Going?
 
TECH SECTOR ADDS 47,000 JOBS SO FAR IN 2010

Olga Kharif

Bloomberg, 12/7/10

Tech jobs are making a comeback in the U.S. as global demand
increases. The metro area with the biggest gain? Oklahoma
City.
 
For full article, click here:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2010/tc2010127_438177.htm
 

REPORT SHOWS MOST U.S. CITIES LOST HI-TECH JOBS IN 2009
Gautham Nagesh
The Hill, 12/8/10

For full article, click here:
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/132639-report-shows-most-us-cities-lost-hi-tech-jobs-in-2009

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell - What the Internet knows about you, 
Who's Asking and Who's Telling:
 
1.The Government is Asking

TOP SECRET AMERICA
Dana Priest, William Arkin

Washington Post, 12/20/10

A web of 4,058 federal, state and local organizations is
collecting, storing and analyzing information about thousands
of U.S. citizens and residents, many of whom have not been
accused of any wrongdoing.

For full article, click here:

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/monitoring-america/


2.The Marketers are Telling

DATA-MINERS READY TO REVEAL WHAT THEY KNOW

Emily Steel
Wall Street Journal, 12/3/10

Seeking to head off escalating scrutiny over Internet
privacy, a group of online tracking rivals is building a
service that lets consumers see what information those
companies know about them. The companies involved represent
some of the most aggressive trackers of Internet users.

For full article, click here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704377004575650802136721966.html?mod=rss_whats_news_technology


3.Amazon is Asking

 IS YOUR E-BOOK READING UP ON YOU?

Martin Kaste

National Public Radio, 12/15/10

Most e-readers, like Amazon's Kindle, have an antenna that
lets users instantly download new books. But the device can
also transmit information back to the manufacturer. And it's
not just what pages you read; it may also monitor where you
read them.

For full article, click here:
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/15/132058735/is-your-e-book-reading-up-on-you?ft=1&f=1001


4.Amazon is also Telling (without asking first)

AMAZON'S LATEST KINDLE DELETION: EROTIC, INCEST-THEMED 
FICTION

Jacqui Cheng

ars technica, 12/12/10

http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2010/12/amazons-latest-kindle-deletion-erotic-incest-themed-fiction.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

Amazon is deleting certain kinds of erotica from both the
online store and users' devices.

For full article, click here:
http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2010/12/amazons-latest-kindle-deletion-erotic-incest-themed-fiction.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss


5.Facebook and Twitter are Telling

HACKERS GIVE WEB COMPANIES A TEST OF FREE SPEECH
Ashlee Vance, Miguel Helft

New York Times, 12/8/10

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/technology/09net.html

Both Facebook and Twitter -- but particularly Twitter -- have
received praise in recent years as outlets for free speech.
Governments trying to control the flow of information have
found it difficult to block people from voicing their
concerns or setting up meetings through the sites. At the
same time, both Facebook and Twitter have corporate
aspirations that hinge on their ability to serve as ad
platforms for other companies. This leaves them with tough
public relations and business decisions around situations as
politically charged as the WikiLeaks developments. Marcia
Hofmann, a lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation,
said, 'Any Internet user who cares about free speech or has a
controversial or unpopular message should be concerned about
the fact that intermediaries might not let them express it.'

For full article, click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/technology/09net.html

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We'll Soon Be Paying by the Piece for Our Internet Fix

 
A SCARY PICTURE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WIRELESS WEB

Craig Aaron

Huffington Post, 12/15/10

Two companies that specialize in "deep packet inspection"
technology and billing software, presented their plan to give
wireless operators new ways to nickel-and-dime customers
while dictating the development of mobile apps.

For full article, click here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-aaron/a-scary-picture-for-the-f_b_796990


CHARGE FOR SEARCHES AND CONTENT TO RID INTERNET OF ADS?

Laurie Sullivan

MediaPost, 12/8/10

Stopping companies from collecting data to serve up ads won't
work on the Internet, whose business model, for the most
part, relies on free content

For full article, click here:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=140865

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And Our Hand-Held Devices are Being Made Safe for Capitalism

FORTIFYING PHONES FROM ATTACKERS

Spencer E. Ante

Wall Street Journal, 12/22/10
 
AT&T alone has hired 13 Ph.Ds in the last six months to open
a new lab in New York City focused on mobile security. The
researchers are working on technology that detects and blocks
worms, viruses and other malicious software from reaching
mobile devices.

For full article, click here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704774604576035960449272404.html

 
PHONE-WIELDING SHOPPERS STRIKE FEAR INTO RETAILERS

Miguel Bustillo and Ann Zimmerman

Wall Street Journal, 12/15/10

Tri Tang, a 25-year-old marketer, walked into a Best Buy Co.
and used his mobile phone app, TheFind, to scan product bar
codes and immediately troll online for the best price at
various retailers. This represents a revolution in retailing-
and its arrival is threatening to upend the business models
of the biggest store chains in America.

For full article, click here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576019691769574496.html#ixzz18JQwngpS

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