National Identity Fraud Prevention Week 2008
October 7, 2008 Posted by Kevin in : Bristol , 2 commentsThe fourth National Identity Fraud Prevention week runs from 6th to 12 June. The week aims to remind UK citizens about the rising level of identity fraud in the UK and promote activities to help prevent it.
As well as reminding users to install the latest security patches and up-to-date anti-virus software, the Stop Identity Fraud website includes comprehensive advice for keeping personal details private on social networking websites. The advice includes these suggestions;
- Don’t post details such as mobile phone number, address or date of birth even if other users are doing so.
- Pick a user name that doesn’t include any personal information. For example, “joe_glasgow” or “jane_liverpool” would be bad choices.
- Set up a separate email account that doesn’t use your real name and use that to register and receive mail from the site. That way if you want to stop using a site, you can simply drop that mail account.
- Use a strong password.
- Use the privacy features on the site you use to restrict strangers’ access to your profile. Be selective about who you let join your network.
- Be on your guard against phishing scams.
EU considering universal broadband move
September 29, 2008 Posted by Kevin in : Bristol , 3 commentsEvery three years the European Commission conducts a review of it’s Universal Service Obligations (USO). The USO outlines the telecommunications standards and services that all EU citizens can expect. The USO also states that if a majority of EU citizens are able to make use of a particular telecoms service, then the policy is to ensure that that service should be available to all citizens across Europe.
Figures from the EC suggest that from 2003-2007 broadband use in member nations tripled to 36% of households and had an annual growth rate of 20%. The commission has also highlighted considerable gaps in provision, notably between Denmark, Luxembourg and Belgium where there is 100% coverage, and Romania where it is closer to 40%.
The review will consider whether the current USO needs to be re-written to force telecoms firms to extend broadband to those areas competition will leave unserved.
Viviane Reding, the EU Telecoms Commissioner announced the review saying, “High-speed internet is the passport to the Information Society and an essential condition for economic growth. This is why it is this Commission’s policy to make broadband internet for all Europeans happen by 2010.”
PM announces New Educational Technology Allowances
September 23, 2008 Posted by Kevin in : Bristol , 2 commentsIn his keynote speech to the Labour Party Conference in Manchester this afternoon Gordon Brown unveiled a £300m scheme aimed at ensuring every child in the country has access to a PC and connectivity at home.
There are currently 1.4 million school pupils who don’t have internet access from home. The Prime Minister said “We want to enable all families to use the internet to link back to their children’s school….we will fund over a million extra families to get online, on the way to our ambition of Britain leading the world with more of our people than any other major economy able to access the internet and broadband.”.
The allowances will be worth up to £700 per household to pay for broadband connectivity, technical support and equipment.
Green ICT in Practice
September 3, 2008 Posted by Stephen Hilton in : Bristol, Green ICT , add a commentGary Hird, graduate of the Cranfield IT Leadership Programme and a member of the IT Leadership Forum has just written a book on Green IT in Practice
it is available from Amazon
All author royalties are being donated to charity: 50% to an environmental charity called Global Action Plan, and 50% to the charity Myositis Support Group
