Two-tier internet could damage future growth

Neon Kelly, Computing 13 Sep 2007

A ‘two-tier’ internet where content providers pay a premium to guarantee a speedy web site will damage the future growth of the web, according to search giant Google.

The net neutrality principle ­ which argues that everyone should have equal access to data on the internet ­ is the key to ensuring fair competition online, Google director of research Peter Norvig told Computing.

‘The net has grown far beyond the original perception bounds because it is open and because services can be launched without being fettered by higher-level control,’ said Norvig.

‘At Google, best price cialis we think it is good for competition to try to keep services this way, and that is what we are going to push for,’ he said.

The net neutrality debate is taking off in the US. Google is asking the communications regulator to ensure the winner of the current wireless spectrum auctions will act as a wholesaler, guaranteeing competition.

And last week the US Department of Justice entered the dispute with claims that network operators such as AT&T and Verizon should be allowed to charge contact providers for access to high-bandwidth services.

Increased regulation of internet traffic may be inevitable because of technological rather than regulatory limitations, according to the ISP Association (ISPA).

‘If there is not some form of traffic management by internet companies, then services such as video and voice could be degraded to a point where they are unusable,’ said an ISPA spokesman.

But while Google is concerned that restrictions could eat into its profits, developments are unlikely to infringe on the freedom of individuals surfing the web.

Norvig spoke at last week’s annual conference of the Association for Learning Technology.

Pasted from <http://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2198563/two-tier-internet-damage-future-3467157>

Microsoft caught doing stealth updates

By Jose Vilches, TechSpot.com

Published: September 13, 2007, 6:34 PM EST

Software giant Microsoft has been caught updating files on both Windows XP and Windows Vista without displaying the usual notification or permission dialog box – even if the user had previously disabled automatic updates. Microsoft, however, calls it built-in behavior and no cause for alarm.

Scott Dunn of “Windows Secrets”, reports nine files in XP and Vista have been altered by Windows Update in what he calls a stealth move by Microsoft. The updates are upgrades to the Windows Update service itself, and are not harmful to the system. However, the tactics used by Microsoft to perform them are comparable to those used by spyware companies, thus raising some concerns among the privacy minded.

So what is happening here? Windows Update program manager Nate Clinton explains in a blog post:

To ensure on-going service reliability and operation, we must also update and enhance the Windows Update service itself, including its client side software. These upgrades are important if we are to maintain the quality of the service. […]The point best place to buy cialis of this explanation is not to suggest that we were as transparent as we could have been; to the contrary, people have told us that we should have been clearer on how Windows Update behaves when it updates itself.

This is not the first time Microsoft has pushed updates out to users who prefer to test and install their updates manually. Back in October it was discovered that the anti-piracy program Windows Genuine Advantage was being downloaded and installed without asking users for their consent.

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