In The News

Rise of the Renting, Sharing Economy Could Have Ripple Effects

Matthew Boesler August 16, 2013
The global debt crisis devastated job and wage prospects for many young adults in the world’s wealthiest nations. But many young adults have adapted and are content to live with less: They’re in no hurry to purchase homes or take on debt, instead renting modest apartments and sharing services like wireless; they prefer living close to work, avoiding cars and long commutes; when they travel, they...

Fears Over NSA Surveillance Revelations Endanger US Cloud Computing Industry

Charles Arthur August 13, 2013
Cloud computing allows users to share tech capabilities, such as storing data or trying software over the internet or individual servers, yet reports about intrusive surveillance programs may scare away customers. News reports allege that US tech companies comply with government requests for customer data with minimal checks and balances. “A survey by the US-based Cloud Security Alliance, quoted...

Urgent Need to Protect the Internet

John Negroponte August 8, 2013
The internet has contributed to unprecedented global connections, but its openness distresses some governments. Censorship takes many forms, and some nations even consider creating an exclusive system for their citizens, cutting off contact with the rest of the globe, notes John Negroponte, a Brady-Johnson Distinguished Fellow in Grand Strategy and senior lecturer in International Affairs at Yale...

Iran’s Mounting Malaise

Jamsheed K. Choksy August 6, 2013
Iranians – frustrated by a flailing economy, compounded by rigid policies of a theocratic government and sanctions from the West that target the country’s nuclear program – expect reforms from President Hassan Rouhani. Iran confronts challenges that, if left unaddressed, will bring severe consequences at home and abroad, warns Jamsheed K. Choksy, professor of Iranian Studies at Indiana University...

German Firms Scramble to Boost Data Protection

August 6, 2013
German companies are reviewing procedures on data and communications, rapidly trying to improve security to prevent industrial espionage. Corporate security is already tight in Germany, reports Spiegel, with policies that include executives using disposable phones during travel, putting phones into tin cans during meetings, regularly sweeping corporate planes and conference rooms for bugs, and...

India’s NSA Announces Cybersecurity Cooperation With Private Sector

July 22, 2013
India is considering closer collaboration with the private sector and other nations on cybersecurity, reports The Hindu, which covers the report “Recommendations of Joint Working Group on Engagement With Private Sector on Cyber Security.” Indian officials suggest that the internet could be described as a global commons and that requires global cooperation. One official noted that India has “...

The School in the Web

Nayan Chanda July 15, 2013
The curious with internet access are no longer limited to ideas fed to them within the constraints of communities or jobs with universities increasingly open free online classes to global audiences. Hundreds of thousands of students follow lectures not for a degree or credential, but for a love of learning. Yet as some course developers look to online courses for a new education model, some...