Newsletter - November 2006

Issues arising from IGF (Internet Governance Forum)

At the first ever IGF meeting held in Athens last month, many issues arose about the internet and how it can be improved. One of the main issues that came up was to develop a multi linguistic internet which would allow all cultures and traditions to use the net effectively. The ‘internet bill of rights’ was also another outcome from the forum.

Internet Language

Since the internet was developed, the dominating language has been English and has been backed by many of the western English speaking societies. There has been growing concern that the net is failing to recognise the linguistic and cultural diversity of the rest of the world.

Internationalised domain names (IDN) was another topic that emerged, where representatives want people to use web addresses and email addresses in their native alphabet instead of using the current Latin alphabet format.

Local content was also brought up for discussion to encourage and promote different languages on the net and ensuring people can access it. This may be a challenge especially where a country has more than one official language and where people are technically illiterate. Its not just translation tools that will be needed, but also transliterative tools. Some languages can present problems when the words are translated, not just in meaning but also in terms of which letters or ideograms to use. One solution for the linguistic solution is by having a semantic web by creating web pages that have content that can be understood by computers.

Internet Bill of Rights

The internet bill of rights was also on the agenda at this year’s IGF. The bill has been proposed several times in the past but nothing solid was put in placed. Head campaigner, Professor Stefano Rodota, said the bill of rights was required because the net was a “place of conflict”. He also commented that the same rights that are offline should be respected online.

The finer details about what the bill would protect, of the proposed bill are still in the discussion stage. Professor Rodota commented that the bill would be best created from the bottom up by individual users, rather than coming top down from the government. Everyone will have to work together closely in order to produce a reliable bill of rights which will be applicable to all countries, whether or not they have free speech and privacy rights. Supporters of the bill hope IGF organisers will make the bill an important aspect for the next five years, with the next meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 2007.

Future of the web

The British inventor of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee has warned that “bad things” could happen if the growth of the net is not fully understood. In a recent interview with BBC News, he warned that, “certain undemocratic things could emerge and misinformation will start spreading over the web.”

Sir Tim has set up a new Web Science Research Initiative which will be launched by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) and University of Southampton (UK), to study the scientific, technological and social disciplines of the web. This will help to create a newer web which will be ‘even better and much more exciting to use’. The research will also help employers who have recently complained that people do not fully understand the web in technological and social terms.

Four second cut off time for websites

In a research conducted by Akami, 75% of respondents said they would not return back to a site that took more than four seconds to load. The mature net shoppers (who either spend more than $1500 / £788 online or those who have been buying online for more than two years), also revealed what they disliked about websites such as high prices and shipping costs.

Other negative perceptions of companies were voiced by consumers who experienced slow rate of time that the websites took to load, badly designed websites with poor navigation and lengthy checkout processes. The people surveyed also revealed they would share their personal negative experiences with friends and family.

Akami also found that nearly half of online stores listed in the top US 500 shopping sites took more than four seconds to load. This may not be a good sign for some online retailers especially when they are about to come to the busy Christmas shopping season.

Phishing attacks rise

In the first six months of 2006, phishing attacks or online banking fraud has risen by 55%, where banks made losses of nearly £23 million. This showed a dramatic increase in phishing attacks where fake websites are created by scammers to lure individuals into giving out their bank account details.

On the other hand, plastic card fraud (involving debit and credit cards) had dropped by another 5%. Association of Payment Clearing Services (APACS) said this was due to the continued use of chip and pin cards. This procedure was introduced in 2004 where card fraud reached its peak with losses of just under £1 billion.

Counterfeit cards and cards used online, over the phone and mail orders (where the legitimate card holder is not present) continued to rise costing the banking industry over £100 million.

Exhibition Time

Come and say hello to us at the Employers Expo Exhibition being held at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, on 21st November 2006, where we will be showcasing our wide range of products and services. The exhibition is a special one day event only starting at 9am ‘til 5.30pm so don’t miss out!! We’ll see you there!!