Samsung expects to ship more than half a billion phones in 2013

To a black ESPN sports analyst, this is the critical question: Is Robert Griffin III, aka RG III, the black rookie sensation Washington Redskins quarterback, "a brother, or is he a cornball brother?" What has RG III done or said to raise a suspicion about his bona fides as a black person? More importantly, what does this have to do with appreciating ? or choosing not to appreciate ? Griffin as an athlete?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-expects-ship-more-half-billion-phones-2013-180500001.html

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Pakistan Taliban spokesman outlines conditions for ceasefire

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistani Taliban have outlined conditions for a ceasefire, including the adoption of Islamic law and a break with the United States, a spokesman said Thursday, an offer a senior government official described as "preposterous".

The Taliban, in a letter sent to the Pakistan daily The News, also demanded that Pakistan stop its involvement in the war pitting Afghan insurgents against the Kabul government and refocus on a war of "revenge" against India.

The letter from Taliban spokesman Amir Muawiya comes as the focus in Afghanistan shifts from a military push by NATO troops to potential peace talks, and amid speculation of a rift between top Pakistan Taliban leaders.

Military officials told Reuters last month that Pakistan Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud had lost operational command to his deputy, Wali ur-Rehman, who is considered to be more open to reconciliation with the Pakistani government. The Taliban deny Mehsud has lost command.

The Pakistani Taliban are a separate entity allied to the Afghan Taliban. Known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), they have launched devastating attacks against the Pakistani military and civilians.

"They are a bunch of criminals. This is not the Afghan Taliban. They are not open to talks," said one senior government official who called the Pakistan Taliban offer "preposterous".

"No one can take such an offer or terms seriously. The TTP is not a proper entity, certainly not one any government can negotiate with."

The ceasefire conditions, confirmed by spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan in a phone call to Reuters, said Pakistan should rewrite its laws and constitution according to Islamic law.

"We are ready to cease fire with Pakistan as long as they meet our demands, that an Islamic system should be put into place, they should fix their foreign policy and stop agreeing to American's demands," Ihsan said.

The militants accused Pakistan's army of acting as "mercenaries" for America and pledged to continue attacks on two major political parties they say serve U.S. interests.

"The big mistake (the government) made is that they fought America's war in Afghanistan and brought it into Pakistan," Ihsan said.

NATO troops are due to hand over control of most operations in Afghanistan to Afghan forces next year and officials have been eager to start peace talks with the Taliban there.

But the Taliban insurgency in both Pakistan and Afghanistan is fragmented and senior commanders often disagree with each other over strategy.

(Reporting By Katharine Houreld; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-taliban-spokesman-outlines-conditions-ceasefire-084344205.html

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Russell Wilson soars as Seahawks rout Bills 50-17

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) is tackled by Buffalo Bills strong safety George Wilson (37) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) runs the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first the half of an NFL football game in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Buffalo Bills linebacker Kelvin Sheppard (55) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first the half of an NFL football game in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Seattle Seahawks tight end Zach Miller (86) celebrates his touchdown reception ahead of Buffalo Bills defensive back Ron Brooks during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Toronto. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

TORONTO (AP) ? Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks are not only surging toward a playoff berth. They showed they can pile up the points on either side of the border.

A week after a 58-0 win at home against Arizona, Wilson ran for three touchdowns and threw for another in a 50-17 rout of the Bills in Buffalo's annual game in Toronto on Sunday. Wilson's scores all came in the first half.

The Seahawks' opportunistic defense then took over by forcing three consecutive turnovers to start the second half, including safety Earl Thomas scoring on 57-yard interception return.

The 108 combined points over two weeks matched the NFL's third-highest total. The New England Patriots also scored 108 points in consecutive games last month, according to STATS. And the Seahawks became the NFL's third team to score 50 points in consecutive weeks, joining the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants, who both did it in 1950, according to STATS.

In winning for the fifth time in six games, the Seahawks (9-5) inched closer to clinching a playoff berth and still aren't out of the running to win the NFC West. They return home to host division-leading San Francisco in what's become a key showdown.

Wilson, the rookie third-round draft pick, scored on 14-, 25- and 13-yard runs to become the NFL's first quarterback to run for three scores in one half since Daunte Culpepper did it against Chicago on Sept. 3, according to STATS. And Wilson's 4-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller was his 21st of the season, moving into a tie for second with Cam Newton among NFL rookies. Only Peyton Manning, with 26 in 1998, has more.

Wilson had 92 yards rushing to give him 402 on the season, setting a Seahawks record by passing Rick Mirer, who had 343 yards rushing in 1993. He also went 14 of 23 for 205 yards before giving way to backup Matt Flynn with 5 minutes left.

Wilson ran circles around the Bills (5-9), who were entirely outclassed in being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for a 13th season. That's the NFL's longest active drought. And their performance further raises questions about coach Chan Gailey's job security.

C.J. Spiller scored on a 14-yard run, while Stevie Johnson scored on a 20-yard catch from Ryan Fitzpatrick.

This was an utter meltdown by a Bills defense that had allowed an average of 16.75 points and 254.25 yards offense over its past four games. Buffalo's now allowed 45 or more points three times this season.

The Seahawks scored 31 points on their first five possessions, and 40 points on their first eight, a stretch in which Canadian-born Jon Ryan punted just once.

The Bills rallied by scoring 10 unanswered points in the final 1:10 of the first half to cut the Seahawks' lead to 31-17. But any chances of a comeback ended on Buffalo's first possession of the second half, when Fitzpatrick forced a pass over the middle and was intercepted by linebacker K.J. Wright, who returned it to the Bills 20.

Two plays later, Marshawn Lynch scored on a 13-yard run.

On the next possession, Fitzpatrick had the ball stripped from his hand by defensive end Chris Clemons and the fumble recovered by teammate Bruce Irvin. That led to Steven Hauschka hitting a 33-yard field goal to make it 40-17.

And then it got ugly.

Fitzpatrick turned the ball over a third straight time, when he was intercepted by Thomas. The touchdown was reviewed, and the crowd cheered loudly when referee Scott Green announced that Thomas had caught the ball before it hit the turf.

The announced crowd of 40,770 was well below the downtown domed Rogers Centre's capacity of 54,000.

The Bills dropped to 1-4 in regular-season games at Toronto since the series began in 2008, with their lone win coming last year when they beat Washington 23-0.

The Bills and Toronto-based Rogers Communications are closing in on a deal to extend the series, which expired after this game.

Torontonians might want to reconsider after this. With 5:20 left, fans in one end zone began chanting "Let's Go Blue Jays!"

At least they were entertained by both the Seahawks and at halftime by Korean pop star PSY performed his hit "Gangnam Style" at midfield. Many fans stuck around and stood during the performance, with some doing the dance the song has inspired.

Bills in Toronto series organizers hired PSY to perform in a bid to boost ticket sales for a game that has had difficulty selling out over the previous four years. PSY was greeted by loud cheers and performed in front of a group of cheerleaders and youngsters dressed in blue shirts who all wore PSY-styled sunglasses.

The crowd was slow-arriving and featured a wide diversity of NFL fans. While there were numerous fans dressed in Bills and Seahawks colors, fans were spotted wearing a Steelers' Troy Polamalu jersey, and another wearing a Tom Brady No. 12 Patriots jersey.

The Seahawks wore their third uniforms ? "wolf grey" jerseys and pants with green numbers and names ? for the first time since introducing them this offseason.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-16-Seahawks-Bills/id-6ebff2ca73a14a43afd45ad4986a3a46

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Internet regulation seen at national level as treaty talks fail

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The world's major Internet companies, backed by U.S. policymakers, got much of what they wanted last week when many nations refused to sign a global telecommunications treaty that opponents feared could lead to greater government control over online content and communications.

In rejecting even mild Internet language in the updated International Telecommunications Union treaty and persuading dozens of other countries to refuse their signatures, the U.S. made a powerful statement in support of the open Internet, U.S. officials and industry leaders said.

But both technologists and politicians fear the Internet remains in imminent danger of new controls imposed by various countries, and some said the rift that only widened during the 12-day ITU conference in Dubai could wind up hastening the end of the Net as we know it.

"If the international community can't agree on what is actually quite a simple text on telecommunications, then there is a risk that the consensus that has mostly held today around Internet governance within (Web-address overseer) ICANN and the multi-stakeholder model just falls apart over time," a European delegate told Reuters. "Some countries clearly think it is time to rethink that whole system, and the fights over that could prove irresolvable."

An increasing number of nations are alarmed about Internet-based warfare, international cybercrime or internal dissidents' use of so-called "over-the-top" services such as Twitter and Facebook that are outside the control of domestic telecom authorities. Many hoped that the ITU would prove the right forum to set standards or at least exchange views on how to handle their problems.

But the United States' refusal to sign the treaty even after all mention of the Internet had been relegated to a side resolution may have convinced other countries that they have to go it alone, delegates said.

"This could lead to a balkanization of the Internet, because each country will have its own view on how to deal with over-the-top players and will regulate the Internet in a different way," said another European delegate, who would speak only on condition anonymity.

Without U.S. and European cooperation, "maybe in the future we could come to a fragmented Internet," said Andrey Mukhanov, international chief at Russia's Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications.

HARD LINE IN NEGOTIATIONS

Spurred on by search giant Google and others, the Americans took a hard line against an alliance of countries that wanted the right to know more about the routing of Internet traffic or identities of Web users, including Russia, and developing countries that wanted content providers to pay at least some of the costs of transmission.

The West was able to rally more countries against the ITU having any Internet role than agency officials had expected, leaving just 89 of 144 attending nations willing to sign the treaty immediately. They also endorse a nonbinding resolution that the ITU should play a future role guiding Internet standards, along with private industry and national governments.

Some delegates charged that the Americans had planned on rejecting any treaty and so were negotiating under false pretenses. "The U.S. had a plan to try and water down as much of the treaty as it could and then not sign," the second European said.

Other allied delegates and a U.S. spokesman hotly disputed the claim. "The U.S. was consistent and unwavering in its positions," he said. "In the end?and only in the end?was it apparent that the proposed treaty would not meet that standard."

But the suspicion underscores the unease greeting the United States on the issue. Some in Russia, China and other nations suspect the U.S. of using the Net to sow discontent and launch spying and military attacks.

Ror many technology companies, and for activists who are helping dissidents, the worst-case scenario now would be a split in the structural underpinnings of the Internet. In theory, the electronic packets that make up an email or Web session could be intercepted and monitored near their origin, or traffic could be subjected to massive firewalls along national boundaries, as is the case in China.

Most technologists view the former scenario as unlikely, at least for many years: the existing Internet protocol is too deeply entrenched, said Milton Mueller, a Syracuse University professor who studies Net governance.

"People who want to `secede' from that global connectivity will have to introduce costly technical exceptions to do so," Mueller said.

A more immediate prospect is stricter national regulations requiring Internet service providers and others to help monitor, report and censor content, a trend that has already accelerated since the Arab Spring revolts.

Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder of Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet Society, also predicted more fragmentation at the application level, with countries like China encouraging controllable homegrown alternatives to the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

Zittrain, Mueller and other experts said fans of the open Net have much work to do in Dubai's wake.

They say government and industry officials should not only preach the merits of the existing system, in which various industry-led non-profit organizations organize the core Internet protocols and procedures, but strive to articulate a better way forward.

"The position we're in now isn't tenable," said James Lewis, a cybersecurity advisor to the White House based at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "For us to say 'No, it's got be an ad hoc arrangement of non-governmental entities and a nonprofit corporation ... maybe we could get away with that 10 years ago, but it's going to be increasingly hard."

Lewis said the United States needed to concede a greater role for national sovereignty and the U.N., while Mueller said the goal should be a "more globalized, transnational notion of communications governance" that will take decades to achieve.

In the meantime, activists concerned about new regulation can assist by spreading virtual private network technology, which can national controls, Zittrain said.

Backup hosting and distribution could also be key, he said. "We can devise systems for keeping content up amidst filtering or denial-of-service attacks, so that a platform like Twitter can be a genuine choice for someone in China."

(Reporting by Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Matt Smith in Dubai; additional reporting by Leila Aboud in Paris, editing by Jonathan Weber and Marguerita Choy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/internet-regulation-seen-national-level-treaty-talks-fail-004025561--sector.html

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Retailers' price war can save you big bucks

4 hrs.

This holiday season, the hottest trend among retailers isn't found on a store shelf. It's taking place at the cash register.

Major retailers, from Best Buy to Toys R Us, are promising to match their competitors' prices. Generally customers just need to bring in an advertisement or printout to prove that the same item is available elsewhere at a lower price. In some cases, shoppers can come back with a receipt and get a refund for the difference if the price of an item they bought fell.

Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Sears offer price matching to customers all year round. But what's different now is that Best Buy and Target are matching online retailers such as Amazon.com for the first time. That's a big deal, since online prices tend to be lower than those at stores.

Shoppers will be able to save some extra money, but they're going to have to read a lot of fine print to do so.

"Price matching sounds good, but there are so many exclusions, it sometimes isn't as good as it sounds," says Edgar Dworsky, the founder of ConsumerWorld.org, which tracks deals for shoppers.

For instance, Target limits the number of online retailers that it will price match against to just five. Best Buy has selected 20, but only matched online prices from Nov. 1 to Nov. 17 and will start again from Nov. 27 to Dec. 24.

Toys R Us is offering price matching for the first time and will only match prices that customers find in other brick-and-mortar stores. Walmart also matches against in-store prices. However, both retailers will match prices found on their own websites if the prices are lower than what you find in their stores. It's not uncommon for retailers to offer steeper discounts online than in their actual stores. (But Toys R Us says it won't match prices on its own website if the item is marked as an "online-only price.")

Even the most experienced bargain hunters can get tripped up by all the rules. But shoppers can save some money if they're diligent.

"It really is a way to save money and shop at the store you want instead of one that's inconvenient," says Dworsky.

Here are five ways to get the most out of price matching offers:

1. Know the policy
If you want to take advantage of a price match offer, read the store's policy closely. You can find the guidelines on the store's website.

Print out the policy and bring it with you. Having a hard copy will be helpful if you need to argue your case.

"Know their policy backwards or you may be bluffed into thinking something doesn't qualify," says Dworsky.

2. Bring proof
Always bring the advertisement or the printed web page for the item you want to price match. Walmart doesn't require bringing the ad because it says cashiers have access to all local advertisements. But Dworsky recommends bringing ads in anyway. If there's any confusion, you'll be better prepared to make your case no matter where you shop.

The cashiers and customer representatives are always looking for a reason not to approve the transaction, says Dworsky.

3. Save receipts
Some retailers will give you money back if you see a lower price after you buy an item. Keep a hold of your receipts and, particularly for big-ticket items, continue to look for lower prices.

Best Buy will issue refunds until the end of January. Toys R Us lets you seek a refund up to seven days after buying an item. Sears customers can get a refund after 14 days. Target is letting customer's price match against brick-and-mortar retailers until Dec. 24 for any item bought after Nov. 1. You can only ask Target to match the price of an online retailer until Dec. 16.

4. Go straight to the customer service desk
Many retailers have hired cashiers specifically for the holiday rush, so the new employees may not be up-to-speed on the store's price-matching policy. Heather Wheeler, who runs savings website TheKrazyCouponLady.com, recommends handling the transaction at the customer service desk instead on the cashier.

"(Those staffers are) trained a little more and are more knowledgeable," says Wheeler.

5. Look beyond retailers
You can also price match depending on how you pay. PayPal, the payment processer, promises to match a lower price if you've already made a purchase using the service. That includes airline tickets. PayPal will match the prices of retailers that don't let customers use PayPal, however. Just fill out a form and upload a receipt when you find a lower price. PayPal will give you back up to $1,000 for all purchases made until Dec. 31.

You should also ask your credit card company to see if it offers price matching. It's rare, but there are a few cards that do.

Citi just launched a program for its credit card holders. Called the Citi Price Rewind program, it promises to do the work for you. Register your purchases made on the Citi credit card online and it will send you a check for the difference if it finds a lower price from an online retailer.

The program is aimed at pricier purchases: It will only issue a discount if the price difference is $25 or more. Citi will give you the amount up to $250 for each item, and up to $1,000 a year. Of course, you're going to need pay your credit card bill in full and not incur interest charges to truly make this a deal.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/retailers-price-war-can-save-shoppers-big-bucks-1C7308451

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Fighting near Syrian capital, Lebanon tension high

Syrian children look through their car window as they cross into Lebanon with their families at the border crossing, in Masnaa, eastern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Syrian children look through their car window as they cross into Lebanon with their families at the border crossing, in Masnaa, eastern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A Syrian family crosses into Lebanon at the border crossing in Masnaa, eastern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. Syrian rebels battled regime troops south of Damascus on Friday and Internet and most telephone lines were cut for a second day, but the government reopened the road to the capital's airport in a sign the fighting could be calming, activists said. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

In this Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012 photo, night falls on a Syrian rebel-controlled area as destroyed buildings, including Dar Al-Shifa hospital, are seen on Sa'ar street after airstrikes targeted the area last week, killing dozens in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)

(AP) ? Activists are reporting clashes near the airport of the Syrian capital, Damascus, as Internet and cellular telephones continued to be cut for the third day.

A day earlier, 20 Lebanese were killed inside Syria while fighting alongside rebels to topple President Bashar Assad. The news heightened tensions in neighboring Lebanon.

Lebanese troops deployed to the northern city of Tripoli after the deaths were announced late Friday and Sunni Muslim gunmen fired into the air in tribute. The city was clam Saturday.

The vast majority of Syria's rebels are also Sunnis. Assad ? along with his most elite troops ? belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syria-based activist Mohammed Saeed reported heavy fighting and shelling near Damascus' airport Saturday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-01-Syria/id-0a7233b0e121468881c4980238feafab

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Read Channels Television Interview with Chukwukemeka Fred ...

In this special Channels Televison, sunrise classic team of Kayode Akintemi and Olusola Toyin Momoh interviews Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. (CFA) ? Nigeria?s leading digital media consultant on Cyber Crime and the Nigerian Economy.

Kayode Akintemi is General Manager Operations at Channels Television, responsible for the core broadcast operations of the station. He is an award-winning broadcast journalist who has helped positioned Channels Television as Nigeria?s foremost broadcast station.

Olusola Toyin Momoh is Executive Director and Co-founder of Channels Television, a seasoned Broadcaster with over 20 years of experience in Television Journalism.

Click here to watch with lower bandwidth internet or mobile.

Channels Tv Read Channels Television Interview with Chukwukemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. (CFA) on the Internet

Channels Television

Kayode Akintemi: When we look at our economy today, before we even talk about cyber crime, let?s look at the opportunities that abound on the Internet, that we seem to lose or miss out on but a handful of people are making good. The opportunities that are there for us on the internet as a nation, are we tapping into it the correct way?

CFA: Alright thank you, I would say no, not yet. The opportunities on the internet are so vast. This is what I do on a daily basis, and I can see that it has a huge opportunity. There is a website called Internet statistics Website, if you visit that website Nigeria has the tenth largest internet users population, according to the website there are 48 million internet users generally, based on that particular website.

Olusola Toyin Momoh: Tenth is not bad, is it? Considering no power, Internet access, the price we pay to access the internet which is still very expensive, compared to the rest of the world.

CFA: It?s not bad, it?s a very good figure, and it?s a very good number. With no power, all the challenges? cuts in?. highly expensive, so tenth is a very good figure, its show a lot of potential.

I was speaking to a company that came to Nigeria to launch an eCommerce website and I asked the young man, I said with all the negativity we hear about Nigeria, why you are coming in and what gives you the confidence?

And the guy looked at me with this smile, this look on his face, You guys don?t know the opportunity you have, the opportunities are so huge and he said this is just the beginning that from his research. He brought out his laptop and he showed me some quality research.

He said form his research Nigeria?s mobile population is going to grow higher. I mean if you look at the about 48 million users, using this figure as an example, it is still less than 30% of the total population thereabout, so the opportunities are there. Part of what I do as a trainer and consultant, I encourage businesses because the cost of doing businesses is on the rise. So what you need to do, you need to look at ways technology can help you to cut down on the cost.

So the opportunities are there and are we maximizing them as a nation, I would say NO! For example, the eCommerce boom that we are experiencing now, while we have Nigerians on the internet that own various?eCommerce websites, they are not making the most of it. If you go to some sites (we were just discussing while waiting here in Channels Television) there is a particular?eCommerce site, I am not going to mention the name but everywhere you see them online ? these are owned by South Africans even though they have Nigerians on board, the truth of the matter is that, it has a South African origin and they are here and every moment, they are doing all sorts of adverts and probably they are not making the money now as there are lot of challenges distribution challenges, payment challenges, a lot of challenges but you know the innovation they came up with, pay on delivery, that was a good innovation. So don?t worry just shop, we will bring to your doorstep then you pay us, it has its own risk but that?s what they are doing.

Olusola Toyin Momoh: We are going to have more internet access and that will mean more cyber crime, now tell us what kind of cyber crimes, should I say are available? What kind of cyber crimes do people carry out?

CFA: Alright thanks. I will say this very straight up people should understand that the internet is as important as for instance your passport. The internet we call it the online real estate. It is so important that you have to take care of it so it means that your passwords, your credit cards, your credit information, your account information etc. These are things you have to take care of, you have to keep them very sacred.

So, based on my experience as a trainer and a consultant I usually tell people something simple as your password because virtually every website will require that you enter your password, so I start by asking why do you like using very simple passwords? i.e. 1920fred or fred1980 ? you know with the date of birth, you don?t understand that the people who are perpetuating cyber-crimes are very smart people, unfortunately they are extremely smart. So they could just pick up your Facebook, twitter, maybe gmail or yahoo, they can guess and make some very good guesses. It starts with the password, you have to use very secure passwords across the internet and you have to ensure that you don?t repeat the same passwords on two sites. Each site should have very a unique password. And it should be alphabet numeric.

Olusola Toyin Momoh: How should we remember that?

CFA: Before I answer that, your password should be alpha-numeric ? that means it should contains letters, numbers and symbols, so as to make it difficult. Now there are a lot of tools to do that. We were just talking about cloud computing, cloud technology how its growing, so if you ask me I use a free tool called lastpass (lastpass.com), it is a free tool.

Personally, I have over a thousand accounts and they all have alpha-numeric passwords, so there is no way on earth I can remember all of them. They are all unique but I manage them with Lastpass, so I just need to remember one master password which I change frequently but also everybody who owns a account on the internet should at least try to change your account password once in a month or once in two weeks but minimum once in a month should be fine because for instance if a group of hackers hack into say Facebook for instance they can get access or hold of whole line of passwords they can use to access accounts. So, if you don?t do that regularly you can fall victim and it cuts across.

For instance, let me give you an example of a cyber-crime I experienced personally my website was hacked and the guys inserted some codes on my website so if you visit my website it?ll automatically download those codes on your system and then it starts stealing your secret information, your account information, your credit card information, your date of birth, your pictures and the funny thing about the kind of cyber-crime that is going on now, it?s so smart and powerful that it can take hold of your PC even while working. I mean your computer is booting, you can see your computer booting but behind it is a guy working on it. Honestly you are there, you?re seeing it, you might even be doing some work but the guy is also doing some work at the same time accessing every single information you have on your system.

Therefore, part of what people need to do is you need to start looking at having software such as lock my pc, on your system so that you can erase your data remotely if you have to, on your phone or your tablets and on your PCs. This is must for everybody who has got gadgets today. Because when you lose your phone immediately, somebody can get into your phone and the person can wreak havoc with your data on it.

There is a guy somewhere an editor and his actual account was hacked before the guy knew what was happening, the guy deleted every single information he had on the internet, from his Facebook to his yahoo, he deleted everything and guess what he wrote him personal email and told him if he doesn?t speak, he is going to tell him how he did it. And the guy agreed that he wouldn?t report him to the police in US and he told him everything step by step how he performed the hack ? brilliant hack, very brilliant.

Olusola Toyin Momoh: When a cybercrime is committed, we probably go to EFCC or police, do you think that our securities themselves are adequately informed and trained for these crimes which we expect them to investigate and solve for us?

CFA: NO! There are no 2 ways about it because if you want to pin somebody down who is into cyber-crime, you got to know exactly what he?s doing, you?ve got to have an idea of what?s he?s doing, So I would say no and I will give you typical example one of mentor and clients ? I consult for him, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, he had his yahoo account hacked some time ago and the person who hacked the account, first of all deleted all his private questions, changed everything, so there was no way he could claim ownership of that account any longer, so the account was lost. And the guy(hacker) just like you mentioned earlier, he started sending everybody emails that Mazi was in trouble and because people know him, a lot of them were almost responding until he got to know.

In that case the people who performed that act were certainly close by, I think he made effort, he called yahoo but nothing happened. What it simply means, is that the people who are supposed to enforce these laws need training, if they even have to learn the principles of hacking so be it because you can?t catch a criminal if you don?t understand what he is doing. And the hackers are most times gentle people with normal faces, very cool guys, cool ladies very cool people and they do these things. So for our security agencies to be able to tackle this, they?ve got to get some bit of training, that will help them understand how it works. Because the truth on the matter is that it works like the speed of light I mean very fast. We are sitting down here and before we know what?s happening the guy is in your account imagine if it is a politician, so they are going through your account and they mess up everything and just imagine the Facebook account of a prominent politician reads something strange ? how do you explain it wasn?t me? I mean it?s difficult, by then the deed is done.

This cuts across everybody, government and just like Wande mentioned the internet is going to cause a very massive revolution in this country. I tell people everywhere, whether we are accepted it or not, whether we are like it or not, whether we believe in it or not, it is happening ? our children, our families, our fathers, everybody is going on the internet and there has to be regulation. It is very important! Again for instance apart from the home security that is in charge, the FCC in the US is also doing a lot. For instance you can?t send someone emails if I did not request for it. The FCC will fine you for that if I report you to them. Every email provider for example has what is called the FCC Spam act, you have to send emails to only those people who accept to receive that emai;s. They came up with the idea because they understand that one of the ways to perpetuate cyber-crime is emails. Send an email.

Olusola Toyin Momoh: So how come spam is around so much?

CFA: Yes well that shows you that is cyber crime. The email providers are spending billions of dollars to fight spam. And it keeps coming up because all you need to do is sit down with a blaster (I mean there are different names for it) and the blaster can send one million emails in a second. I mean how are you going to do that? And the guy can sit down there and can send hundred million emails in a day or two and they are all owned by people.

So part of what you should do as somebody and I tell people never click on any link with your email address, never except your hundred percent sure. If you?re not sure don?t click. Copy and paste on your browser, that is much better. Because the purpose of clicking is that it drops in the code, or malware or spyware into your system. These are the some basic security measures you should take as user, whether you?re a politician, a banker whether you?re a journalist? ? it cuts across everybody

You have an image to protect online and it?s your duty to start protecting it now.

Kayode Akintemi: Final words

CFA: Based on my role as a media consultant; I am going to talk about parents and social media. I think what parents should do in terms of security is that parents should start understanding what their are children do on the internet and one of the things they can do, is that they should know about their children?s friends online, they should try as much as possible because that?s the next area where we are going to the cyber-crime. A lot of children (God forbid) are going to get molested, lot of things are going to happen via social media so I think I should encourage and advice parents to be more conscious of who their children interact with on social media and what they do on social media. Because most parents are not understanding as it where, kids don?t add their parents as friends so parents must understand, that times have changed you can?t bring your 1940 strategy into 2012, it can?t work ? this is jet internet age! It has come to stay so parents please understand what your children do online and try to understand it because you can?t stop them.

I have been to trainings and meetings where parents ask me? What can we do our children are always holding phones or on Facebook. I say parents there is nothing you can do, it has come to stay. So what you can do now as a parent is to understand what your children do on social media and try to be there friends.

Kayode Akintemi: Thank you very much CFA.

*** The End ***

I hope you found this helpful? Feel free to contact me with your questions or requests. I am still committed to helping you Leverage the Internet for increased profit and brand perception.

If you this post, you may also like these:

  1. About CFA ? Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr
  2. Read the Impact of Internet on Nigeria et al by McKinsey
  3. Thank You for your Support during the Demise and Burial of my sister Ada Miracle Agbata
  4. Achieving Success In Internet Based Business
  5. 4 Internet Marketing Strategies you can Implement this Year

Source: http://www.cfagbata.com/channels-television-interview/

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Twitter in legal spat over data clampdown

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc's steadily tightening grip over the 140-character messages on its network has set off a spirited debate in Silicon Valley over whether a social media company should or should not lay claim over its user-generated content.

That debate has now landed in court.

A San Francisco judge on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order compelling Twitter to continue providing access to its "Firehose" - the full daily stream of some 400 million tweets - to PeopleBrowsr Inc, a data analytics firm that sifts through Twitter and resells that information to clients ranging from technology blogs to the U.S. Department of Defense.

As part of a broader revenue-generating strategy, Twitter in recent months has begun clamping down on how its data stream may be accessed, to the dismay of many third-party developers who have built businesses and products off of Twitter's Firehose.

PeopleBrowsr, which began contracting Firehose access in July 2010, has continued to buy Twitter data on a month-to-month basis until this July, when Twitter invoked a clause in the agreement that allowed for terminating the contract without cause.

The court's decision to extend the two San Francisco-based companies' contract has not settled the legal spat; a judge will hear PeopleBrowsr's arguments for a preliminary injunction against Twitter on January 8.

But the case could provide the first, in-depth look at issues surrounding one of the Internet industry's most prominent players in Twitter.

In a court filing, PeopleBrowsr founder John David Rich argued the Twitter move was a "commercial disaster" for his business and contradicted the spirit of repeated public statements that Twitter has made regarding its data.

"Twitter has repeatedly and consistently promised that it would maintain an 'open ecosystem' for its data," Rich said in his company's request for a temporary injunction.

In its response, Twitter's lawyers argued: "This is Contracts 101."

Twitter said in a statement after the court decision: "We believe the case is without merit and will vigorously defend against it."

(Reporting By Gerry Shih; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/twitter-legal-spat-over-data-clampdown-193457042--sector.html

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21 House Committees ? and Now One Chairwoman

Check the box! There will be a Republican woman who will be chairing a full House committee next session, after all.

Rep. Candice Miller of Michigan earlier this week lost out to Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, for the coveted Homeland Security gavel, a decision made by a GOP steering committee controlled by Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

But on Friday, Boehner announced that Miller will chair the House Administration Committee, which may not be as desirable a post but includes among its jurisdiction oversight of the federal election process. Miller becomes the fourth Michigander leading a full committee, joining Reps. Fred Upton on Energy and Commerce, Dave Camp on Ways and Means, and Mike Rogers on Intelligence.

Miller?s losing bid earlier this week in the contest for Homeland Security had caused a stir, because it signaled there might not be any women among the 113th Congress?s 21 House committee chairs. But yet to be announced were still two of the 21 total chairs, for Administration and Ethics. (Republicans have at least picked several women for posts in House GOP conference leadership, topped by Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington as conference chairwoman.)

But the prospect of no women heading full committees was even more puzzling given all the talk among Republicans that they needed to project a more diverse image ? and given that women voted Democratic by double-digit margins in the presidential contest and generic congressional ballots on Nov. 6.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., has been serving as a committee chairwoman, on Foreign Affairs. But she isn?t keeping that committee?s gavel next year because she is term-limited.

It is uncertain whether now giving Miller the top seat on the Committee on House Administration may soften the negative perceptions of a white-male-dominated roster of Republican House committee chairmen, particularly when contrasted with what will be a more diverse roster in terms of gender and race among Democratic ranking members.

The House Administration Committee has jurisdiction over the federal election procedures, and also is charged with managing the budget authorizations for House committees and members? offices and overseeing traditional franking and more modern ways for members to engage with constituents. It works closely with Capitol Police as an overseer of security on the House side of the Capitol.

In a statement on Friday, Miller said, ?I am both humbled and honored by the confidence Speaker Boehner has shown in me to take on the Chairmanship of the Committee on House Administration.?

?This committee has the responsibility to ensure that the House runs in an effective and efficient manner, which is vital as we work to meet the many challenges facing this great nation,? she said. ?Most importantly, this committee has jurisdiction over the federal election process, and I am absolutely committed to making certain that we enact rules to ensure this nation continues to have open, free, and fair elections.?

There was still no word as of Friday afternoon on who will lead the Ethics Committee ? a post that many lawmakers do not want given its role in investigating colleagues? activities.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/21-house-committees-now-one-chairwoman-162518491--politics.html

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German producers plan Pope Benedict biopic

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Two German producers have bought the film rights to an upcoming biography of Pope Benedict by the Bavarian author of three best-selling interview books with the pontiff.

The Odeon Film company said producers Marcus Mende and Peter Weckert planned a film for international release based on a biography by journalist Peter Seewald due to be published in early 2014.

Seewald's book-length interviews with Benedict - two as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and one as pope - have given readers many insights into the life and thoughts of the shy theologian who now heads the Roman Catholic Church.

Seewald has signed on as a consultant to the scriptwriter, Odeon Film said in a statement on Thursday. It gave no information about the schedule for the film or who might play the main role.

"The producers plan an international film that illustrates all aspects of the extraordinary life and work of Joseph Ratzinger from his birth on Easter night in 1927 in Marktl am Inn in Bavaria to his pontificate today," it said.

Benedict's predecessor Pope John Paul was the subject of a dozen documentary films around the world and two major television movies in the United States.

(Reporting by Tom Heneghan; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/german-producers-plan-pope-benedict-biopic-155509583.html

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