Internet infrastructure

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Undersea Cables Fail, Knocking Out Internet Service to Africa

At least a dozen countries are affected by outages

(Newser) - Several subsea cables failed Thursday, operators reported, cutting internet service to west and central Africa. Ivory Coast, for example, was reduced to about 4% connectivity in the morning, according to NetBlocks, a tracker. In Liberia, basic internet service and social media access were unavailable in most of the country, the...

Scarier Than CyberTerrorists? Sucky Software

Band-Aids on creaky infrastructures can hold them together for only so long

(Newser) - "Don't be scared. Don't even be worried." That was Felix Salmon's advice on Fusion after computer glitches darkened the New York Stock Exchange , took the Wall Street Journal offline, and grounded United flights . But today on Medium , Zeynep Tufekci writes that while she gets Salmon'...

Egypt Internet Shutdown 'Unprecedented'

Coordinated effort affected everything from mobile phones to laptops

(Newser) - The complete shutdown of nearly all online services just after midnight in Egypt is unprecedented in its scale, reports the AP . While governments around the world have disrupted online service during unrest (such as Iran did during protests in 2009), what sets Egypt's move apart is how apparently coordinated the...

Google, Verizon Deal May Kill Net Neutrality

Agreement could pave the way for priority internet packages

(Newser) - Google and Verizon are nearing a deal that could spell the end of one-speed-fits-all for Internet service. The firms are said to be on the brink of an agreement under which Verizon could give priority to traffic from content providers who paid for premium treatment. The deal would do away...

Most Believe Internet Access Is a Human Right
Most Believe Internet Access Is a Human Right
says poll

Most Believe Internet Access Is a Human Right

Varying attitudes on government oversight

(Newser) - Nearly four out of five people believe that access to the Internet should be universal right for all human beings. A BBC survey of more than 27,000 people from 26 countries found that 79% agree that Internet access is a fundamental right. But there are disagreements among that majority...

IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid'
 IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid' 

IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid'

(Newser) - IBM is developing a set of water grid technologies, designed to revamp the world’s badly outdated fresh water delivery systems in much the same way many countries are trying to upgrade their energy grids, CNET reports. IBM projects the water management business could be worth $20 billion within 5...

Web's Growth Shows No Sign of Pause

Mobile volume will double every year through 2012, Cisco study says

(Newser) - Internet traffic continues to grow at an astonishing pace, GigaOm reports. A study by Cisco Systems has found that world network traffic will increase 46% from 2007 to 2012. By 2012, the annual bandwidth demand is estimated to become 522 exabytes—a billion gigabytes.

Do We Need A New, Safer Internet?
Do We Need A New, Safer Internet?
OPINION

Do We Need A New, Safer Internet?

Patrick Dempsey thinks so, but Ars Technica says no

(Newser) - Online debate exploded after former FBI agent Patrick Dempsey said Wednesday that a second, safer Internet is needed. "The same positives that the Internet provides for information sharing, also create negatives in terms of ‘bringing to task' those that wish to use the Internet for illicit purposes,"...

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