Tag: Net

Fighting viruses, defending the net It's been 25 years since the first PC virus (Brain A) hit the net, and what was once an annoyance has become a sophisticated tool for crime and espionage. Computer security expert Mikko Hyppצnen tells us how we can stop these new viruses from threatening the internet as we know it.

One of the thorniest issues that the newly installed leadership of the Federal Communications Commission is dealing with is net neutrality. In the long run, its likely that the trickiest part of the overall topic will be the application of the concept to the wireless world.

The net neutrality debate deals with the level to which a carrier should be allowed to control the delivery of lawful content on its network. The telecommunication world is wrestling with the balance between a content providers right to unfettered access to its potential audience and carriers right and, indeed, responsibility -- to manage the network in a responsible and efficient manner.

The decision by the Federal Communications Commission to begin the process of imposing an Internet neutrality rule is curious as well as wrongheaded.

The financial crisis should be a potent reminder to communications regulators that the best of government intentions can create horrible, though unintended, consequences. Easy monetary policy by the Federal Reserve, for instance, aimed at countering a recession in 2001, helped create a dangerous housing bubble.