Internet access is 'a fundamental right'
Almost four in five people around the world believe that access to the internet is a fundamental right, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests. The survey, conducted by GlobeScan for the BBC, also revealed divisions on the question of government oversight of some aspects of the net.
Web users questioned in South Korea and Nigeria felt strongly that governments should never be involved in regulation of the internet. However, a majority of those in China and the many European countries disagreed. In the UK, for example, 55 per cent believed that there was a case for some government regulation of the internet.
BBC News

Browser makers demand screen time
Makers of small web browsers want their programs to be given more prominence on Microsoft's browser choice screen.  Six software firms have complained to the EU saying many do not realise their programs were on offer. To see all 12 web browsers, users must scroll to the right when viewing Microsoft's ballot screen. The choice is being offered as part of a settlement of an anti-trust case brought against Microsoft by the European Commission.
BBC News

Finishing school for Indian IT graduates
In a classroom in the southern Indian city of Mysore, several dozen young men and women listen rapt to their lecturer, Chhaya Srivatsa.The students here are all engineering graduates and their school, set up two years ago, Raman International Institute of Information Technology (RiiiT), is a finishing school for information technology (IT) professionals - some of whom are considered to lack the social skills which could help them get a job.
BBC News

US iPad launch slips (slightly) to April 3
Apple has announced that its iPad tablet will go on sale in the US on Saturday 3rd April. That's the Wi-Fi-only model - the Wi-Fi + 3G model will go on sale there in late April. That's a slight delay - the Wi-Fi version was expected to go on sale in late March. When it was unveiled on 27th January, CEO Steve Jobs said it would go on sale in 60 days.
Mobile Entertainment

Conservatives want big IT deals delayed
Shadow minister Francis Maude has asked the cabinet secretary to postpone the signing of important IT contracts until after the election.In a letter to Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Office shadow Maude added that a minister must justify any cases where the government decides it must go ahead with a new deal. The Conservative Party is concerned about recent big deals signed by the Department for Work and Pensions, the renegotiation of contracts for the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) and the possible signing of a £1bn logistics deal by the Ministry of Defence.
The Register

Britain fends off flood of foreign cyber-attacks
Foreign states and terrorist groups are regularly launching cyber-attacks on the UK's computer systems with the potential to cause widespread damage, according to the government's security tsar. Lord West of Spithead, who is parliamentary under-secretary for security and counter-terrorism, told the Observer that the UK was under daily cyber attack, often from agencies working on behalf of foreign governments. He said there had been "300 significant attacks" on the government's core computer networks in the last year and warned of chaotic scenes if one successfully targeted infrastructure such as the UK's communications systems.
The Observer

YouTube 'under threat' from Digital Economy Bill changes
The High Court could be given the power to issue an injunction against a website accused of hosting "substantial" amounts of copyright-infringing material, under amendments to the Digital Economy Bill proposed by the Liberal Democrats. It means popular websites, such as YouTube, which often unwittingly carry content uploaded without the permission of copyright holders, could be "blocked" or forced offline if the amendment is upheld. The Digital Economy Bill was announced in the Queen's speech in November, with a major section dedicated to how best to deal with illegal file sharing.
Telegraph

Cyberwar declared as China hunts for the West’s intelligence secrets
Urgent warnings have been circulated throughout Nato and the European Union for secret intelligence material to be protected from a recent surge in cyberwar attacks originating in China. The attacks have also hit government and military institutions in the United States, where analysts said that the West had no effective response and that EU systems were especially vulnerable because most cyber security efforts were left to member states. Nato diplomatic sources told The Times: “Everyone has been made aware that the Chinese have become very active with cyber-attacks and we’re now getting regular warnings from the office for internal security.” The sources said that the number of attacks had increased significantly over the past 12 months, with China among the most active players.
The Times

Google improves collaborative Microsoft Office functions
Google has bought productivity specialists DocVerse, enabling users to edit Microsoft Office documents collaboratively online. Google's acquisition of DocVerse should prove to be a godsend to those working on joint projects where the team is using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to collaboratively create and edit their documents online. Google credited DocVerse's "small, nimble team of talented developers who share [Google's] vision." The announcement was made via the Google Enterprise blog and via DocVerse's own site.
TechRadar UK

Judge puts Apple-Nokia case on hold
A judge has put the Apple and Nokia legal battle on hold. The move is to give the feds a chance to investigate the matter, which involves patent infringement claims from both Nokia and Apple. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is investigating Jobs' Mob's patent infringement complaint against Nokia as the legal handbags at dawn battle gets bogged down in knee deep mud. It all started in October 2009, when Nokia sued Apple claiming that Apple infringed ten of its patents without paying for them. When Nokia approached Cupertino with licensing terms, it was told that Steve Jobs invented everything including the wheel and fire and it would have to pay him instead.
The Inquirer