http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57441790-93/facebook-in-talks-to-buy-browser-company-opera-says-report/?tag=mncol;editorPicks
Is Facebook planning to jump on the browser bandwagon?
Tech blog Pocket-lint says one of its "trusted sources" revealed that Facebook is trying to buy Opera Software, the company behind the Opera Web browser, a sign that the social-networking company might be looking to launch its own browser.
The move would put Facebook in competition with other tech companies in the browser game -- including Yahoo, which recently launched Axis, and Google, which has already released extensions to integrate its social-networking component, Google +, into its browser.
Pocket-lint speculates that a Facebook browser "would allow you keep up to date with your social life from in-built plug-ins and features on the menu bar."
Facebook knows it isn't monetizing its mobile users though advertising, so it has been using its IPO money to make several acquisitions in an attempt to address its weak mobile strategy.
The Next Web's sources say that Opera is in a hiring freeze and talking to potential buyers.
Opera says it has about 200 million users across all of its platforms.
Facebook has declined to comment.
2012年5月27日 星期日
Is NFC killing Google Wallet?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57441842-94/is-nfc-killing-google-wallet/?tag=mncol;topStories
Google Wallet is turning one, but the application that was supposed to transform the smartphone into a wallet and revolutionize how consumers pay for things has barely gotten off the ground.
Why? The reason may be that Google has bet on the wrong technology: NFC.
A year ago, Google execs, along with its partners MasterCard, Citibank, and Sprint, took the stage in New York City to show off the future of payments. No longer would people have to overload their wallets with cards and receipts. Google's plan was to virtualize it all.
Through an application for its Android smartphones, Google promised a world in which consumers could leave their bulky George Castanza wallets at home and instead load all their credit cards, loyalty cards, gift cards, and even some day their driver's licenses into a so-called digital wallet that stored all this critical information on a smartphone.
Using a very short range and secure wireless technology called near field communications, or NFC, consumers could pay for things simply by tapping their smartphone onto a terminal, which reads a user's credit card, coupon, or loyalty card information.
But a year has passed since Google first introduced this new application. And even though it's made some progress in signing up new retail partners, the company still hasn't managed to scare up additional credit card, bank, or carrier partners.
Related stories
Google Wallet, Offers make debut (live blog)
Google Wallet opens for business
PayPal adds 15 new retailers to its brick-and-mortar roster
Google Wallet still only works with one credit card and bank combination: Citibank MasterCard. And the only major carrier where Google Wallet phones can be found is Sprint Nextel. (Virgin Mobile, one of Sprint's prepaid brands will also soon offer a Google Wallet device.)
What this means for potential Google Wallet users is that the only credit card you can add to your "digital wallet" is a Citibank MasterCard. If you don't have a Citibank MasterCard, you can still use the wallet, but you have to load money on Google's prepaid card. And because Sprint is the only carrier supporting Google Wallet, it means that users must be Sprint (or Virgin Mobile) subscribers to use the app. The only exception is if they buy the unlocked version of the Nexus S, which can be used on GSM carriers, such as AT&T.
Blame it on NFC
So what went wrong? One reason the service may not have gotten much traction is because it relies on the NFC tap-to-pay technology. While the technology itself has been around for a while and works fine, the problem with using it for payments is that it requires a broad ecosystem to get it off the ground.
First there's a hardware problem. Devices need to be equipped with tiny NFC chips. And terminals at the point of sale must also be equipped to read the information from the NFC chips installed in devices.
The second big problem is that there are still business issues centering around who controls the customer via the NFC technology that's embedded in the device.
"The biggest problem with NFC payments is a political one," said Yossi Yarkoni, founder and CEO of a startup mobile payment company based in Israel called Digimo. "The question comes down to: 'Who owns the customer?'"
Digimo has developed a mobile payment system that uses QR scanning technology instead of NFC. Yarkoni said it is this fundamental question about who owns the secure element that has held up the deployment of NFC-based mobile payments, such as Google Wallet.
"Why should Apple or Samsung bother putting NFC in devices if they simply hand over that customer relationship to others?" he said. "Everyone in the ecosystem wants a piece of this action."
As a result, fewer than 1 percent of the phones sold today have NFC chips embedded. But Google says it's making progress on the device front.
When Google Wallet first launched, the only device that offered the app was the Google-branded Samsung Galaxy Nexus S. Now there are a total of six devices that support NFC and the Google Wallet app. Five of these devices were announced just recently.
Here's a quick list:
Sprint Galaxy Nexus, Unlocked Galaxy Nexus
LG Viper on Sprint
LG Optimus Elite on Sprint
LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile
Nexus S on Sprint
But experts say more devices are needed to make Google Wallet and other NFC-based mobile payment solutions successful, especially since companies, such as PayPal, are developing solutions that don't require NFC or any other specialized hardware.
"NFC-based mobile wallet plays will be disadvantaged in the short-term due to lack of hardware," said Linda Barrabee, an analyst covering payments for NPD Group. "This potentially gives PayPal, among others, some running room."
Alternatives to NFC
PayPal, which had been experimenting with NFC payments last year, ditched the short-range wireless technology when it launched its in-store mobile payment solution. Instead, the company has launched a mobile payment app that only requires users to type in a PIN to access their PayPal accounts. So far, it has deployed the service at more than 2,000 Home Depots around the U.S. And it announced on Thursday that it's adding another 15 retailers.
The new retailers include, Abercrombie & Fitch, Advance Auto Parts, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, Foot Locker, Guitar Center, Jamba Juice, JC Penney, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Nine West, Office Depot, Rooms To Go, Tiger Direct, and Toys "R" Us.
PayPal's CEO John Donahoe said on the company's second-quarter earnings call that he doesn't see NFC ever making a splash in the market, because it doesn't offer consumers any real value.
"When is it (NFC) going to be ready? Never," he said. "I think other technology solutions, like what PayPal is doing where you pay hands-free with a mobile number and PIN, provide compelling consumer experiences that don't require the actual use of an NFC technology."
PayPal spokesman Anuj Nayar elaborated on this point in an interview with CNET.
"History has shown that unless a new technology saves people time or money, it won't reach mass adoption," he said. "NFC is a technology in search of a problem. Tapping a phone against a reader is no faster than swiping a credit card. In fact, it can take longer."
It's this ecosystem that is holding back NFC. And it's not just strictly about whether handset makers want to add NFC to their devices. The ecosystem is largely controlled by wireless operators. And so far, Google has also not gained much support there either.
Even when a device supports NFC, some operators have refused to enable the Google Wallet app on their networks. For example, Verizon Wireless disabled the Google Wallet functionality on its version of the Galaxy Nexus, even though the hardware supported it.
One reason why wireless operators haven't signed onto Google Wallet is because three of the four major wireless operators in the market -- AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA -- are involved in a joint venture that's developing its own digital wallet. The joint venture, called Isis, is currently being tested in two markets: Austin and Salt Lake City. It's supposed to launch later this year.
But even Isis, which has support from wireless carriers and has signed up several credit card companies, has also been slow in getting off the ground. Part of the issue is that Isis also relies NFC technology as a way to authenticate payment.
It's this uncertainty around NFC that has caused other companies looking to break into the mobile payment to put NFC-based solutions on the back burner. For example, MasterCard, which is Google's partner on Google Wallet, did not include NFC in its own recently announced digital wallet.
A day in the life of a Google Wallet user (photos)
1-2 of 11
Scroll LeftScroll Right
Instead of focusing on the point of sale in physical stores, MasterCard has improved the experience of simply buying things from a mobile phone. In other words, the company has streamlined the interface so that consumers can buy things from a mobile Web site with a single click.
"NFC may become really important in the future," Ed Olebe, head of PayPass Wallet services for MasterCard. "So we are waiting to see how the industry works out its issues. But given there is a pressing problem today with commerce on a phone, we wanted to address that issue."
Google Wallet is turning one, but the application that was supposed to transform the smartphone into a wallet and revolutionize how consumers pay for things has barely gotten off the ground.
Why? The reason may be that Google has bet on the wrong technology: NFC.
A year ago, Google execs, along with its partners MasterCard, Citibank, and Sprint, took the stage in New York City to show off the future of payments. No longer would people have to overload their wallets with cards and receipts. Google's plan was to virtualize it all.
Through an application for its Android smartphones, Google promised a world in which consumers could leave their bulky George Castanza wallets at home and instead load all their credit cards, loyalty cards, gift cards, and even some day their driver's licenses into a so-called digital wallet that stored all this critical information on a smartphone.
Using a very short range and secure wireless technology called near field communications, or NFC, consumers could pay for things simply by tapping their smartphone onto a terminal, which reads a user's credit card, coupon, or loyalty card information.
But a year has passed since Google first introduced this new application. And even though it's made some progress in signing up new retail partners, the company still hasn't managed to scare up additional credit card, bank, or carrier partners.
Related stories
Google Wallet, Offers make debut (live blog)
Google Wallet opens for business
PayPal adds 15 new retailers to its brick-and-mortar roster
Google Wallet still only works with one credit card and bank combination: Citibank MasterCard. And the only major carrier where Google Wallet phones can be found is Sprint Nextel. (Virgin Mobile, one of Sprint's prepaid brands will also soon offer a Google Wallet device.)
What this means for potential Google Wallet users is that the only credit card you can add to your "digital wallet" is a Citibank MasterCard. If you don't have a Citibank MasterCard, you can still use the wallet, but you have to load money on Google's prepaid card. And because Sprint is the only carrier supporting Google Wallet, it means that users must be Sprint (or Virgin Mobile) subscribers to use the app. The only exception is if they buy the unlocked version of the Nexus S, which can be used on GSM carriers, such as AT&T.
Blame it on NFC
So what went wrong? One reason the service may not have gotten much traction is because it relies on the NFC tap-to-pay technology. While the technology itself has been around for a while and works fine, the problem with using it for payments is that it requires a broad ecosystem to get it off the ground.
First there's a hardware problem. Devices need to be equipped with tiny NFC chips. And terminals at the point of sale must also be equipped to read the information from the NFC chips installed in devices.
The second big problem is that there are still business issues centering around who controls the customer via the NFC technology that's embedded in the device.
"The biggest problem with NFC payments is a political one," said Yossi Yarkoni, founder and CEO of a startup mobile payment company based in Israel called Digimo. "The question comes down to: 'Who owns the customer?'"
Digimo has developed a mobile payment system that uses QR scanning technology instead of NFC. Yarkoni said it is this fundamental question about who owns the secure element that has held up the deployment of NFC-based mobile payments, such as Google Wallet.
"Why should Apple or Samsung bother putting NFC in devices if they simply hand over that customer relationship to others?" he said. "Everyone in the ecosystem wants a piece of this action."
As a result, fewer than 1 percent of the phones sold today have NFC chips embedded. But Google says it's making progress on the device front.
When Google Wallet first launched, the only device that offered the app was the Google-branded Samsung Galaxy Nexus S. Now there are a total of six devices that support NFC and the Google Wallet app. Five of these devices were announced just recently.
Here's a quick list:
Sprint Galaxy Nexus, Unlocked Galaxy Nexus
LG Viper on Sprint
LG Optimus Elite on Sprint
LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile
Nexus S on Sprint
But experts say more devices are needed to make Google Wallet and other NFC-based mobile payment solutions successful, especially since companies, such as PayPal, are developing solutions that don't require NFC or any other specialized hardware.
"NFC-based mobile wallet plays will be disadvantaged in the short-term due to lack of hardware," said Linda Barrabee, an analyst covering payments for NPD Group. "This potentially gives PayPal, among others, some running room."
Alternatives to NFC
PayPal, which had been experimenting with NFC payments last year, ditched the short-range wireless technology when it launched its in-store mobile payment solution. Instead, the company has launched a mobile payment app that only requires users to type in a PIN to access their PayPal accounts. So far, it has deployed the service at more than 2,000 Home Depots around the U.S. And it announced on Thursday that it's adding another 15 retailers.
The new retailers include, Abercrombie & Fitch, Advance Auto Parts, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, Foot Locker, Guitar Center, Jamba Juice, JC Penney, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Nine West, Office Depot, Rooms To Go, Tiger Direct, and Toys "R" Us.
PayPal's CEO John Donahoe said on the company's second-quarter earnings call that he doesn't see NFC ever making a splash in the market, because it doesn't offer consumers any real value.
"When is it (NFC) going to be ready? Never," he said. "I think other technology solutions, like what PayPal is doing where you pay hands-free with a mobile number and PIN, provide compelling consumer experiences that don't require the actual use of an NFC technology."
PayPal spokesman Anuj Nayar elaborated on this point in an interview with CNET.
"History has shown that unless a new technology saves people time or money, it won't reach mass adoption," he said. "NFC is a technology in search of a problem. Tapping a phone against a reader is no faster than swiping a credit card. In fact, it can take longer."
It's this ecosystem that is holding back NFC. And it's not just strictly about whether handset makers want to add NFC to their devices. The ecosystem is largely controlled by wireless operators. And so far, Google has also not gained much support there either.
Even when a device supports NFC, some operators have refused to enable the Google Wallet app on their networks. For example, Verizon Wireless disabled the Google Wallet functionality on its version of the Galaxy Nexus, even though the hardware supported it.
One reason why wireless operators haven't signed onto Google Wallet is because three of the four major wireless operators in the market -- AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA -- are involved in a joint venture that's developing its own digital wallet. The joint venture, called Isis, is currently being tested in two markets: Austin and Salt Lake City. It's supposed to launch later this year.
But even Isis, which has support from wireless carriers and has signed up several credit card companies, has also been slow in getting off the ground. Part of the issue is that Isis also relies NFC technology as a way to authenticate payment.
It's this uncertainty around NFC that has caused other companies looking to break into the mobile payment to put NFC-based solutions on the back burner. For example, MasterCard, which is Google's partner on Google Wallet, did not include NFC in its own recently announced digital wallet.
A day in the life of a Google Wallet user (photos)
1-2 of 11
Scroll LeftScroll Right
Instead of focusing on the point of sale in physical stores, MasterCard has improved the experience of simply buying things from a mobile phone. In other words, the company has streamlined the interface so that consumers can buy things from a mobile Web site with a single click.
"NFC may become really important in the future," Ed Olebe, head of PayPass Wallet services for MasterCard. "So we are waiting to see how the industry works out its issues. But given there is a pressing problem today with commerce on a phone, we wanted to address that issue."
2012年5月9日 星期三
The billion-dollar shopping list: Facebook makes its second BIG buy after Instagram - 'friendly stalking' app Glancee
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2140760/Facebook-buys-Glancee-App-purchasing-Instagram.html#ixzz1uNZ6NQq8
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2140760/Facebook-buys-Glancee-App-purchasing-Instagram.html#ixzz1uNYwwvQq
Facebook has made its second major acquisition this year after buying social location application Glancee.
The app - dubbed a 'friendly stalking' application - locates nearby Facebook (and, as of now, Twitter) users with similar interests to be your 'friends', located via their phones.
Along with its purchase of Instagram for $1 billion, it's an indication that Facebook is keen to beef up its expertise in mobile technology - both apps are focused on phones and tablets, rather than desktop PCs.
For an undisclosed sum Facebook, took ownership of all of Glancee’s technology and its staff in its latest attempt to crack location based services.
Glancee quietly tracks users’ locations and suggests people nearby who have similar interests by comparing their profiles on Twitter and Facebook.
It is different from Foursquare because users do not have to check in and works in the background until it finds a good match nearby.
Users can then ask to become ‘favourites’ with people they would like to know, a process that has been dubbed ‘friendly stalking’.
Glancee generated a significant amount of buzz at the SXSW festival this year and appears to have impresed Facebook more than Highlight, a similar location sharing app.
The difference with Highlight is that it shows the exact location of other users on a map, whereas Glancee just tells you they are nearby.
Experts said that the sale was not another Instagram which had 35million users and was a potential threat to Facebook.
Glanceee only has been downloaded 30,000 times and 20,000 users using it in the background on their iPhone.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2140760/Facebook-buys-Glancee-App-purchasing-Instagram.html#ixzz1uNYwwvQq
Google+ comments to appear in Gmail
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57430525-93
Google announced today that it's bringing "a better Google+ notification experience in e-mail" -- one that, among other things, will drop various commenting features directly into your in-box.
The "notification experience" entails a bunch of changes that makes Gmail "completely interactive" with the social network. The updates include being able to view, comment on, and +1 posts from inside Gmail's in-box, seeing comments appear in the Google+ stream in real time in a sidebar, and seeing responses from others "instantly appear" in Gmail as part of the notification message.
"Notification e-mails are a great way to keep up with what's happening in the Google+ stream: whether someone mentions you, comments on your post, or shares with you directly," Google Software Engineer Zohair Hyder wrote in a blog post. "It's not always enough to just read these updates, however; sometimes you want to respond right away, right from your in-box."
Google had already started integrating Google+ into Gmail before today; recent new features include being able to add people to circles directly from the desktop and viewing recent Google+ content in the people widget.
While some may appreciate these new features, others may well bemoan a perceived impossibility of escaping Google+. Just last week, the Web giant announced that Google+ comments will be posted alongside Google News articles, and earlier in the week, actor and writer Wil Wheaton ranted about having to sign into Google+ to like a video on YouTube.
When Google first launched Google+ last June, the company said its goal was to move toward the integration of its products with its social network. It's now delivering on its word with these recent debuts of Google+ into YouTube, Google News, and Gmail.
Google said it will be rolling out the new Google+ features in Gmail over the next week. Users have the option of going into the social network's settings and adjusting which of the notification e-mails they wish to receive.
Google announced today that it's bringing "a better Google+ notification experience in e-mail" -- one that, among other things, will drop various commenting features directly into your in-box.
The "notification experience" entails a bunch of changes that makes Gmail "completely interactive" with the social network. The updates include being able to view, comment on, and +1 posts from inside Gmail's in-box, seeing comments appear in the Google+ stream in real time in a sidebar, and seeing responses from others "instantly appear" in Gmail as part of the notification message.
"Notification e-mails are a great way to keep up with what's happening in the Google+ stream: whether someone mentions you, comments on your post, or shares with you directly," Google Software Engineer Zohair Hyder wrote in a blog post. "It's not always enough to just read these updates, however; sometimes you want to respond right away, right from your in-box."
Google had already started integrating Google+ into Gmail before today; recent new features include being able to add people to circles directly from the desktop and viewing recent Google+ content in the people widget.
While some may appreciate these new features, others may well bemoan a perceived impossibility of escaping Google+. Just last week, the Web giant announced that Google+ comments will be posted alongside Google News articles, and earlier in the week, actor and writer Wil Wheaton ranted about having to sign into Google+ to like a video on YouTube.
When Google first launched Google+ last June, the company said its goal was to move toward the integration of its products with its social network. It's now delivering on its word with these recent debuts of Google+ into YouTube, Google News, and Gmail.
Google said it will be rolling out the new Google+ features in Gmail over the next week. Users have the option of going into the social network's settings and adjusting which of the notification e-mails they wish to receive.
Rise of Apple and Facebook is putting Internet freedom at risk, says Google co-founder
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2130338/Rise-Apple-Facebook-putting-Internet-freedom-risk-says-Google-founder.html#ixzz1uNVqcDqi
The internet is facing its biggest ever threat, thanks in part of Facebook and Apple, the co-founder of Google has claimed.
Sergey Brin said government attempts to control web access and the rise of the increasingly 'restrictive' Facebook and Apple platforms threaten freedom of information online.
Mr Brin also said attempts by the entertainment industry to crack down on piracy have led to the U.S. using the same technology and approach it has criticised China and Iran for using.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin, pictured left with co-founder Larry Page, said governments, Apple and Facebook are all threatening Internet freedom
Mr Brin told The Guardian: 'There are very powerful forces that have lined up against the open Internet on all sides and around the world.
'I am more worried than I have been in the past. It's scary.'
Mr Brin said the rise of 'walled garden' like Facebook and Apple, which tightly control what software can be released on their platforms, were restricting innovation online.
Both platforms have risen to become consumer giants with their own proprietary platforms which control access to their users and data.
The 38-year-old told The Guardian that he and Google co-founder Larry Page could not have created their search engine if the internet was dominated by Facebook.
With data stored on Facebook apps not searchable and only accessible to closed, restricted networks of users, the increasingly closed nature of the web risked stifline innovation, he said.
'There's a lot to be lost,' he said. 'For example all the information in apps — that data is not "crawlable" by web crawlers. You can't search it.'
Mr Brin's criticism of Apple and Facebook was part of an alarming portrait he painted of the current internet landscape.
He also said the original open ethos championed by internet pioneers was under threat from plans by governments to monitor web use and attempts by entertainment companies to push through new laws allowing them to demand the closure of pirate websites.
Restrictive: Facebook and Apple both tightly control software on their platforms and access to their users
China has recently introduced 'real identity' rules in a bid to rein in microbloggers who have become increasingly critical of the regime, while Russian bloggers who helped foment protests against Vladimir Putin are facing increased pressure from the Kremlin.
Iran is reportedly planning to introduce a sealed 'national internet' from this summer, while the UK government has announced plans to monitor citizens' use of email and social networks.
Mr Brin said five years ago he did not believe China or any country could effectively restrict the Internet for long but he had been proven wrong.
'I thought there was no way to put the genie back in the bottle, but now it seems in certain areas the genie has been put back in the bottle,' Mr Brin said.
He cited China, Saudi Arabia and Iran as the greatest threats.
'Governments are realising the power of this medium to organise people and they are trying to clamp down across the world, not just in places like China and North Korea; we're seeing bills in the United States, in Italy, all across the world.'
Ricken Patel, Avaaz co-founder
In the U.S., the entertainment industry, he said, is failing to understand that users will continue to download pirated content as long as it is easier to acquire and use than legitimately obtained material.
'I haven't tried it for many years but when you go on a pirate website, you choose what you like, it downloads to the device of your choice and it will just work - and then when you have to jump through all these hoops (to buy legitimate content), the walls created are disincentives for people to buy.'
Some will take Mr Brin's comments on Google rival Facebook, which has seen huge growth and now has more than 800 million members globally, with a grain of salt. The social network has announced plans for a $100 billion IPO.
But his comments on increased interference by governments were echoed by Ricken Patel, co-founder of Avaaz, the 14-million strong activist network which has help train and equip activists in Syria.
Mr Patel said: 'Governments are realising the power of this medium to organise people and they are trying to clamp down across the world, not just in places like China and North Korea; we're seeing bills in the United States, in Italy, all across the world.'
Mr Brin also conceded that Google has itself lost the trust of many because its servers sit on American soil, and users' data are in reach of U.S. authorities.
He admitted the company was forced to hand over information to the U.S. government, and was also sometimes stopped from even telling users it had done so.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2130338/Rise-Apple-Facebook-putting-Internet-freedom-risk-says-Google-founder.html#ixzz1uNVuqIj0
The internet is facing its biggest ever threat, thanks in part of Facebook and Apple, the co-founder of Google has claimed.
Sergey Brin said government attempts to control web access and the rise of the increasingly 'restrictive' Facebook and Apple platforms threaten freedom of information online.
Mr Brin also said attempts by the entertainment industry to crack down on piracy have led to the U.S. using the same technology and approach it has criticised China and Iran for using.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin, pictured left with co-founder Larry Page, said governments, Apple and Facebook are all threatening Internet freedom
Mr Brin told The Guardian: 'There are very powerful forces that have lined up against the open Internet on all sides and around the world.
'I am more worried than I have been in the past. It's scary.'
Mr Brin said the rise of 'walled garden' like Facebook and Apple, which tightly control what software can be released on their platforms, were restricting innovation online.
Both platforms have risen to become consumer giants with their own proprietary platforms which control access to their users and data.
The 38-year-old told The Guardian that he and Google co-founder Larry Page could not have created their search engine if the internet was dominated by Facebook.
With data stored on Facebook apps not searchable and only accessible to closed, restricted networks of users, the increasingly closed nature of the web risked stifline innovation, he said.
'There's a lot to be lost,' he said. 'For example all the information in apps — that data is not "crawlable" by web crawlers. You can't search it.'
Mr Brin's criticism of Apple and Facebook was part of an alarming portrait he painted of the current internet landscape.
He also said the original open ethos championed by internet pioneers was under threat from plans by governments to monitor web use and attempts by entertainment companies to push through new laws allowing them to demand the closure of pirate websites.
Restrictive: Facebook and Apple both tightly control software on their platforms and access to their users
China has recently introduced 'real identity' rules in a bid to rein in microbloggers who have become increasingly critical of the regime, while Russian bloggers who helped foment protests against Vladimir Putin are facing increased pressure from the Kremlin.
Iran is reportedly planning to introduce a sealed 'national internet' from this summer, while the UK government has announced plans to monitor citizens' use of email and social networks.
Mr Brin said five years ago he did not believe China or any country could effectively restrict the Internet for long but he had been proven wrong.
'I thought there was no way to put the genie back in the bottle, but now it seems in certain areas the genie has been put back in the bottle,' Mr Brin said.
He cited China, Saudi Arabia and Iran as the greatest threats.
'Governments are realising the power of this medium to organise people and they are trying to clamp down across the world, not just in places like China and North Korea; we're seeing bills in the United States, in Italy, all across the world.'
Ricken Patel, Avaaz co-founder
In the U.S., the entertainment industry, he said, is failing to understand that users will continue to download pirated content as long as it is easier to acquire and use than legitimately obtained material.
'I haven't tried it for many years but when you go on a pirate website, you choose what you like, it downloads to the device of your choice and it will just work - and then when you have to jump through all these hoops (to buy legitimate content), the walls created are disincentives for people to buy.'
Some will take Mr Brin's comments on Google rival Facebook, which has seen huge growth and now has more than 800 million members globally, with a grain of salt. The social network has announced plans for a $100 billion IPO.
But his comments on increased interference by governments were echoed by Ricken Patel, co-founder of Avaaz, the 14-million strong activist network which has help train and equip activists in Syria.
Mr Patel said: 'Governments are realising the power of this medium to organise people and they are trying to clamp down across the world, not just in places like China and North Korea; we're seeing bills in the United States, in Italy, all across the world.'
Mr Brin also conceded that Google has itself lost the trust of many because its servers sit on American soil, and users' data are in reach of U.S. authorities.
He admitted the company was forced to hand over information to the U.S. government, and was also sometimes stopped from even telling users it had done so.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2130338/Rise-Apple-Facebook-putting-Internet-freedom-risk-says-Google-founder.html#ixzz1uNVuqIj0
2012年5月2日 星期三
美: 十年內不會爆發水資源爭奪戰
2012-3-23
【大公網訊】美國情報機構２２日發表報告說，到２０４０年全球淡水資源將難以滿足需求，但今後１０年國家之間不大可能因水資源而爆發衝突。
由美國國防部情報局等情報機構聯合撰寫的這份報告說，水資源問題將影響主要國家生產糧食和能源的能力，從而給全球糧食市場帶來風險，並妨礙經濟增長。報告特別提及北非、中東和南亞，認為人口增長和經濟發展將給這些地區帶來巨大挑戰。
報告認為，鋻於歷史上水資源引發的緊張局勢更多以簽署共享協議而非爆發暴力衝突而告終，今後１０年國家之間因爭奪水資源而爆發衝突的可能性不大。然而，隨著１０年之後水資源緊缺問題更加突出，共有流域內水資源將越來越被當作一種手段，１０年之後水資源更有可能被當作一種武器或者實現恐怖目的的手段。
報告還認為，水資源問題與貧困、社會緊張、環境惡化、領導不力和政治機構軟弱疊加，將在今後１０年內在一些事關美國國家安全利益的國家引發局勢不穩甚至國家失敗。
至於解決之道，報告認為加強水資源管理和增加對水資源相關行業的投資是２０４０年之前最為有效的舉措。
美國國務卿希拉里·克林頓２２日在國務院就「世界水日」發表講話時說，這份報告所指的威脅真實存在，的確提出了「嚴重的安全擔憂」。她公佈了一項名為「美國水問題夥伴關係」的新項目，表示將幫助一些國家應對水資源問題，探索可持續的解決之道。
新華社華盛頓３月２２日電（記者易愛軍、冉維）
【大公網訊】美國情報機構２２日發表報告說，到２０４０年全球淡水資源將難以滿足需求，但今後１０年國家之間不大可能因水資源而爆發衝突。
由美國國防部情報局等情報機構聯合撰寫的這份報告說，水資源問題將影響主要國家生產糧食和能源的能力，從而給全球糧食市場帶來風險，並妨礙經濟增長。報告特別提及北非、中東和南亞，認為人口增長和經濟發展將給這些地區帶來巨大挑戰。
報告認為，鋻於歷史上水資源引發的緊張局勢更多以簽署共享協議而非爆發暴力衝突而告終，今後１０年國家之間因爭奪水資源而爆發衝突的可能性不大。然而，隨著１０年之後水資源緊缺問題更加突出，共有流域內水資源將越來越被當作一種手段，１０年之後水資源更有可能被當作一種武器或者實現恐怖目的的手段。
報告還認為，水資源問題與貧困、社會緊張、環境惡化、領導不力和政治機構軟弱疊加，將在今後１０年內在一些事關美國國家安全利益的國家引發局勢不穩甚至國家失敗。
至於解決之道，報告認為加強水資源管理和增加對水資源相關行業的投資是２０４０年之前最為有效的舉措。
美國國務卿希拉里·克林頓２２日在國務院就「世界水日」發表講話時說，這份報告所指的威脅真實存在，的確提出了「嚴重的安全擔憂」。她公佈了一項名為「美國水問題夥伴關係」的新項目，表示將幫助一些國家應對水資源問題，探索可持續的解決之道。
新華社華盛頓３月２２日電（記者易愛軍、冉維）
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