INFOPROACTION

NEW JOURNALISM?

2011-08-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

ASSESSING A NEW LANDSCAPE IN JOURNALISM
Project for Excellence in Journalism, July 18, 2011

As traditional newsrooms have shrunk, a group of institutions and funders motivated by
something other than profit are entering the journalism arena. This distinguishes them
from the commercial news institutions that dominated the 20th century, whose primary
sources of revenue -- advertising and circulation -- were self-evident.
Who are these new players in journalism? Are these sites delivering, as they generally
purport to be, independent and disinterested news reporting? Or are some of them more
political and ideological in their reporting? How can audiences assess this for
themselves? In short, what role are these operations playing in the changing ecosystem of
news?
Source US Embassy PARIS

OWNI

2011-08-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

OWNI
Cet "Objet Web Non Identifié" est un blog né dans la polémique contre la loi Hadopi et, plus généralement sur le rôle d'Internet dans la politique.-Politic Show)
Il s'intéresse particulièrement aux reseaux sociaux et conseille les administrations et entreprises dans l'usage qu Web participatif.
Site de "journalisme augmenté" , il recueille des données en coopération par exemple avec "60 millions de consommateurs" ou la Fondation France Libertés.A aussi passé un accord avec WikiLeaks...
Sa notoriété lui permet d'installer une filiale dans la Silicon Valley.
Nicols Voisin, jeune fondateur d'OWNI, vient d'e^tre nomm' au Conseil National du Numérique
INDEX DE L'INFORMATION NUMERIQUE

Les Services secrets

2011-07-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

Les Services secrets Archives inédites 1870-1989

Illustré de multiples documents : matériel d’espionnage, faux papiers, fiches de renseignement, dossiers biographiques, correspondances... ce bel ouvrage, Dans les Archives inédites des services secrets, publié aux éditions L’Iconoclaste et réalisé sous la direction scientifique de Bruno Fuligni et la direction éditoriale de Jean-Baptiste Bourrat, fait partie de la collection « Mémoires » lancée il y a 10 ans, par Sophie de Sivry.
Deux années de travail et des dérogations exceptionnelles sur les affaires contemporaines ont été nécessaires pour rassembler et sélectionner plus de 800 pièces qui donnent aux événements un nouvel éclairage historique. 42 auteurs ont été choisis pour commenter et analyser les documents exhumés des principaux fonds d’archives du renseignement français dont notamment la Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure (DGSE) et la Direction centrale de la sécurité intérieure (DCRI) qui possèdent quatre « musées secrets » où sont exposés des trophées tels qu’un rouge à lèvres-pistolet employé par le KGB, une bombe de peinture à double fond ou une chaussure-micro soviétique, modèle 1960... Le livre se divise en trois parties, chacune préfacée, invitant le lecteur à découvrir les plus grandes affaires d’espionnage et de contre-espionnage français, de la défaite de 1870 à la fin de la Guerre froide. On pourra lire les aveux de Mata Hari, les confidences du secrétaire particulier de Staline, un rapport qui fait le point sur les relations entre les services secrets américains et français en Indochine ou encore la célèbre affaire Farewell du nom de code du Colonel du KGB, Vladimir Vetrov, qui communiqua à l’ex DST près de 3 000 documents contenus dans des microfilms et reproduits dans les pages du livre...
Rencontre avec Bruno Fuligni et Jean-Baptiste Bourrat.

Nathalie Jungerman

FloriLettres
Revue littéraire de la Fondation La Poste Florilettres"

COMMUNICATION: Etat des savoirs

2011-07-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

La communication. Etat des savoirs

3e édition actualisée

Philippe Cabin et Jean-François Dortier

6 mars 2008 - 416 pages - ISBN : 9782912601636

De la conversation ordinaire aux grands médias de masse, des échanges privés à la communication dans l’entreprise, du téléphone portable à Internet, des panneaux routiers aux satellites, la communication est partout et a envahi nos vies.
Voilà pourquoi on n’hésite pas à parler aujourd’hui de « société de l’information et de la communication ».
Les sciences de l’information et de la communication se sont même constituées pour tenter de penser le phénomène.
Cet ouvrage propose le bilan de cinquante ans de recherches sur la communication et fait le point sur les grands enjeux liés aux révolutions des nouvelles technologies.

25 €

présentation de l' auteur :

Cet ouvrage a été coordonné par Philippe Cabin et Jean-François Dortier.

Parmi les auteurs ayant participé à cet ouvrage:
Daniel Bougnoux, Jacques Cosnier, Daniel Dayan, Willem Doise, Gustave-Nicolas Fischer, Patrice Flichy, Jacques Goldberg, Catherine Kerbrat-Orecchioni, Pascal Lardellier, Edmond Marc Lipiansky, Philippe Meirieu, Bernard Miège, Edgar Morin, Alex Mucchielli, Dominique Picard, Alain Rallet, Emmanuel Sander, Yves Winkin, Dominique Wolton…

au sommaire :

Introduction :

La communication omniprésente mais toujours imparfaite

Jean-François Dortier

Première partie – La communication : enjeux et modèles

• L’enjeu humain de la communication

Edgar Morin

• La communication animale

Jacques Goldberg

• Pour une psychologie de la communication

Edmond Marc

• Les modèles de la communication

Alex Mucchielli

• Les sciences de l’information et de la communication

Karine Philippe

Deuxième partie – La communication interpersonnelle

• Points de repère : Théories et modèles

• Le face-à-face et ses enjeux

Edmond Marc

• Vers une anthropologie de la communication ?

Yves Winkin

• Le « collège invisible »

Jean-Baptiste Fages

• Gregory Bateson (1904-1980).

Penser le changement

Xavier de La Vega

• Les gestes du dialogue

Jacques Cosnier

• L’analyse des conversations

Catherine kerbrat-Orecchioni

• Les rituels de l’interaction

Dominique Picard

• Empathie et communication

Comprendre autrui et percevoir ses émotions

Jacques Cosnier

• Les lois de la sociabilité

Xavier Molénat

Troisième partie – La communication dans les groupes

• Communication et organisation

Philippe Cabin

• Les maux de la communication interne

Michel Augendre

• Les espaces de travail. Enjeux humains

Gustave-Nicolas Fischer

• Comment se crée le consensus

Entretien avec Willem Doise

• L’approche communicationnelle

Alex Mucchielli

• Les apports de l’analyse transactionnelle à la communication

Jean-Yves Fournier

• Le formateur et la communication

Entretien avec Philippe Meirieu

Quatrième partie – Médias - Information – Communication

• Comment se produit l’information ?

Jean-François Dortier

• La réception, une énigme sociologique

Xavier Molénat

• Pourquoi des médiologues ?

Daniel Bougnoux

• La publicité entre manipulation et création

Vincent Troger

• Il ne faut pas avoir peur des images

Entretien avec Daniel Bougnoux

• Espace public et opinion : de la presse écrite à Internet

Marc Lits

• Le sens des cérémonies télévisées

Entretien avec Daniel Dayan

Cinquième partie – Des nouvelles technologies à la société de l’information

• Nouvelles technologies, nouveaux usages ?

Bernard Miège

• Communication à distance : au-delà des mythes

Alain Rallet

• Internet : le pouvoir de l’imagination.

A propos du livre de Manuel Castells : la galaxie Internet

Sylvain Allemand

• Au cœur de l’imaginaire technique

Entretien avec Patrice Flichy

• Les communications de l’intimité

Patrice Flichy

• Le net sentimental

Pascal Lardellier

• Les mythes de la communication

Nicolas Journet

• Pour une cohabitation… culturelle

Entretien avec Dominique Wolton

• Vers une intelligence collective ?

Jean-François Dortier

• Comment Internet a changé notre façon de penser ?

Emmanuel Sander

• Le web mode d’emploi

Annexes

• Mots clés

• Bibliographie générale

• Liste des auteurs

• Index thématique

• Index des noms de personnes

Lobbying

2011-07-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

Le Lobbying à rebours
L'influence du politique sur la stratégie des grandes entreprises
Cornelia Woll Presses de Sciences Po, juin 2011, 284 pages
Le lobbying des grandes entreprises est-il assez puissant pour faire pencher les décisions politiques en leur faveur ? L'exemple des « géants » américains et européens de l’aviation civile ou des télécommunications face aux objectifs de libéralisation mondiale de ces secteurs montre au contraire que ces entreprises se sont, de façon surprenante, adaptées aux objectifs des politiques : elles ont fini par soutenir la libéralisation, au risque de mettre en péril leurs positions dominantes sur les marchés nationaux. Loin de dicter aux États la marche à suivre ces vingt dernières années en matière de libéralisation, plus incertaines que l’on imagine quant à leurs préférences et à leurs intérêts économiques sur ce sujet, ces entreprises ont défini leurs choix en fonction du contexte institutionnel et politique national. Que ces décisions se révèlent favorables à l’intérêt général ou non, l’arbitrage ultime est revenu aux décideurs politiques et administratifs, ces derniers exerçant un « lobbying à rebours » sur les entreprises. Telle est la thèse iconoclaste de ce livre qui permet de mieux appréhender succès, limites et influence réelle du secteur privé sur les politiques publiques. Une passionnante histoire de la libéralisation des services, écrite dans un style alerte.

2011-07-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

World Electronic government Forum(fr)

Recevez les alertes email du WEGF

INDEX GEOPUBLIC

2011-01-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

Un blog sur la mediologie
http://www.huyghe.fr/

Une nouvelle académie du renseignement

2010-07-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

Formation: Une nouvelle académie du renseignement
Sources: blog ACTEURS PUBLICS

Dans le cadre de la réforme du renseignement français lancée en 2008, une nouvelle "académie du renseignement" vient d’être créée. Elle concourt "à la formation du personnel des services de renseignement".

Le décret interministériel, publié le 16 juillet au Journal officiel, précise que cette académie a pour mission de "concevoir, organiser et mettre en œuvre des activités de formation initiale et continue" des agents du renseignement, de favoriser la coopération entre les services et de participer aux actions de sensibilisation du renseignement.

Elle participe à la formation du personnel des services de renseignement placé sous l’autorité des ministres chargés de la Sécurité intérieure, de la Défense, de l’Économie et du Budget, "au renforcement des liens au sein de la communauté française du renseignement ainsi qu’à la diffusion de la culture du renseignement".

La création de cette académie concrétise la centralisation et le rapprochement des services de renseignement, conformément à la réforme du renseignement français lancée au printemps 2008 par le Livre blanc de la défense et de la sécurité. Cette réforme, bouclée fin 2008, avait notamment été marquée par la fusion entre les Renseignements généraux (RG) et la Direction de la surveillance du territoire (DST) au sein d’une Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur (DCRI) et la création d’un Conseil de défense et de sécurité nationale (CDSN)
à l’Élysée.

Environ 12 000 hommes et femmes sont chargés de la collecte du renseignement ou du contre-espionnage français.

GLOBAL VOICES

2010-07-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

Un site de SERVICES LINGUISTIQUES

http://globalvoices.com/

Voir et pouvoir: qui nous surveille?

2010-03-30T02:48:00.000-07:00

"Voir et pouvoir: qui nous surveille? "par Jean-Gabriel Ganascia, Le Pommier , 255 pages. Spécialiste des sciences de la cognition et de l'intelligence artificielle.

Dans le passé l'information parvenait aux citoyens de manière hiérarchisée (comme le panopticon de J.Bentham) par des organismes spécialisés (communiqués de presse, annonces, journaux...) mais la rediffusion était physiquement limitée (conversation, enseignement )
Dans l'actuelle infosphere chaque citoyen peut informer tous les autres, à tous moments et en tous lieux et quelle que soit sa position dans la société (exemples des manifestants chinois ou iraniens
Les communicants sont d'une part les humains , d'autre part des "orins" , (organismes d'information), plus ou moins autonomes, machines, avatars de Second life, drones télécommandées etc...Cette structure permet de voir et d'être vu .Nous surveillons les autres tout en étant surveillés.
Ceci permet aussi aux groupes de pression de diffuser, voire de créer de l'opinion.
L'auteur souligne les risques d'un débat social où , grâce aux blogs, au Web, à Twitter, chacun peut peser sur l'opinion sans beaucoup réfléchir et sans légitimité.
Il y voit un danger pour la politique à long terme qui demande réflexion et argumentation et non pression de l'immédiat et de l'humeur renforcée par les machines...

2009-11-25T02:16:00.000-08:00

Information Technologies – Documents on the Web – June 2009

2009-07-15T01:33:00.000-07:00

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS:

TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Preliminary Observations about Consumer Satisfaction and Problems with Wireless Phone Service and FCC’s Efforts to Assist Consumers with Complaints
Mark Goldstein, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate. June 17, 2009. 22 pages.

The use of wireless phone service in the United States has risen dramatically over the last 20 years, with an estimated 270 million subscribers as of December 2008. Concerns have been raised in recent years about the quality of this service, including specific concerns about billing and carriers’ contract terms, such as fees charged for terminating service before the end of a contract period. This testimony provides preliminary information on consumers’ current satisfaction with wireless phone service and problems consumers have experienced with this service, and FCC’s efforts to assist wireless consumers with complaints.

Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate
Angele A. Gilroy. Congressional Research Service (CRS). June 1, 2009. 12 pages.

As congressional policymakers continue to debate telecommunications reform, a major point of contention is the question of whether action is needed to ensure unfettered access to the Internet. The move to place restrictions on the owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet, to ensure equal access and non-discriminatory treatment, is referred to as net neutrality. There is no single accepted definition of net neutrality. Most agree, however, that any such definition should include the general principles that owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet should not control how consumers lawfully use that network, and they should not be able to discriminate against content provider access to that network.

BRINGING BROADBAND TO RURAL AMERICA: REPORT ON A RURAL BROADBAND STRATEGY
Federal Communications Commission (FCC). May 22, 2009. 83 pages.

For many Americans, a world without broadband is unimaginable. But we have not succeeded in bringing broadband to everyone. For years, large parts of rural America have languished on the sidelines of the digital revolution. Rural governments and businesses are missing opportunities to function more efficiently and effectively. Shortly after President Obama took office, his administration began to play an important leadership role in the effort to expand broadband penetration throughout the nation. The solutions for rural broadband should reflect consideration of the full range of technological options available, and should not elevate the need for short-term progress over longer-term objectives.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM: Significant Challenges in Sustaining and Upgrading Widely Used Capabilities
Cristina T. Chaplain, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives. May 7, 2009. 15 pages.

The Global Positioning System (GPS), which provides position, navigation, and timing data to users worldwide, has become essential to U.S. national security and a key tool in an expanding array of public service and commercial applications at home and abroad. The United States provides GPS data free of charge. The Air Force, which is responsible for GPS acquisition, is in the process of modernizing GPS. In light of the importance of GPS, the modernization effort, and international efforts to develop new systems, GAO was asked to undertake a broad review of GPS. Specifically, GAO assessed progress in acquiring GPS satellites, acquiring the ground control and user equipment necessary to leverage GPS satellite capabilities, and evaluated coordination among federal agencies and other organizations to ensure GPS missions can be accomplished.

Information Security: Cyber Threats and Vulnerabilities Place Federal Systems at Risk
Gregory C. Wilshusen, Director, Information Security Issues. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives. May 5, 2009. 21 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09661t.pdf
The need for a vigilant approach to information security has been demonstrated by the pervasive and sustained computerbased (cyber) attacks against the United States and others that continue to pose a potentially devastating impact to systems and the operations and critical infrastructures that they support. GAO was asked to describe cyber threats to federal information systems and cyberbased critical infrastructures and control deficiencies that make these systems and infrastructures vulnerable to those threats.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Broadband Deployment Plan Should Include Performance Goals and Measures to Guide Federal Investment
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to the Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives. May 2009. 44 pages.

The United States ranks 15th among the 30 democratic nations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on one measure of broadband (i.e., high-speed Internet) subscribership. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has regulatory authority over broadband, and several federal programs fund broadband deployment. This congressionally requested report discusses the federal broadband deployment policy, principal federal programs, and stakeholders’ views of those programs; how the policies of OECD nations with higher subscribership rates compare with U.S. policy; and actions the states have taken to encourage broadband deployment.

CybeRspACe polICy RevIew: Assuring a Trusted and Resilient Information and Communications Infrastructure
Executive Office of the President. April 17, 2009. 76 pages.

The architecture of the Nation’s digital infrastructure, based largely upon the Internet, is not secure or resilient. Without major advances in the security of these systems or significant change in how they are constructed or operated, it is doubtful that the United States can protect itself from the growing threat of cybercrime and state-sponsored intrusions and operations. The U.S. digital infrastructure has already suffered intrusions that have allowed criminals to steal hundreds of millions of dollars and nation-states and other entities to steal intellectual property and sensitive military information. Other intrusions threaten to damage portions of U.S. critical infrastructure. These and other risks have the potential to undermine the Nation’s confidence in the information systems that underlie economic and national security interests.

Beyond Voice: Mapping the Mobile Marketplace
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Staff Report. April 2009. 54 pages.

Mobile devices, once associated only with voice telephone service, have become the launching pads for new data-driven technologies and services. Today, consumers use their mobile devices for myriad purposes including “chatting” through text messaging, taking pictures, browsing the Web, making purchases, listening to music, viewing videos, playing games across cyberspace, and keeping track of friends and relatives. This report explores these new developments and their impact on mobile commerce (“M-commerce”).

Broadband Infrastructure Programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Lennard G. Kruger. Congressional Research Service (CRS). March 20, 2009. 14 pages.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5) provides $7.2 billion primarily for broadband grant programs to be administered by two separate agencies: the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The unprecedented scale and scope of the ARRA broadband programs, coupled with the short time frame for awarding grants, presents daunting challenges with respect to program implementation as well as Congressional oversight. Congress is closely monitoring how equitably and effectively broadband grants are allocated among states and the various stakeholders, and to what extent the programs fulfill the goals of short term job creation and the longer term economic benefits anticipated from improved broadband availability, access, and adoption.

Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs
Lennard G. Kruger and Angele A. Gilroy. Congressional Research Service (CRS). March 19, 2009. 30 pages.

It is expected that the Obama Administration will ultimately develop a national broadband policy or strategy that will seek to reduce or eliminate the "digital divide" with respect to broadband. It is likely that elements of a national broadband policy, in tandem with broadband investment measures in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will significantly shape and expand federal policies and programs to promote broadband deployment and adoption. A key issue is how to strike a balance between providing federal assistance for unserved and underserved areas where the private sector may not be providing acceptable levels of broadband service, while at the same time minimizing any deleterious effects that government intervention in the marketplace may have on competition and private sector investment.

Net Neutrality: Background and Issues
Angele A. Gilroy. Congressional Research Service (CRS). March 19, 2009. 9 pages.

Concern over whether it is necessary to take steps to ensure access to the Internet for content, services, and applications providers, as well as consumers, and if so, what these should be, is a major focus in the debate over telecommunications reform. Some policymakers contend that more specific regulatory guidelines may be necessary to protect the marketplace from potential abuses which could threaten the net neutrality concept. Others contend that existing laws and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) policies are sufficient to deal with potential anti-competitive behavior and that such regulations would have negative effects on the expansion and future development of the Internet. A consensus on this issue has not yet formed, and the 111th Congress, to date, has not introduced stand-alone legislation to address this issue.

Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative: Legal Authorities and Policy Considerations
John Rollins and Anna C. Henning. Congressional Research Service (CRS). March 10, 2009. 21 pages.

Federal agencies report increasing cyber-intrusions into government computer networks, perpetrated by a range of known and unknown actors. In response, the President, legislators, experts, and others have characterized cybersecurity as a pressing national security issue. Like other national security challenges in the post-9/11 era, the cyber threat is multi-faceted and lacks clearly delineated boundaries. Some cyber attackers operate through foreign nations military or intelligence-gathering operations, whereas others have connections to terrorist groups or operate as individuals. Some cyber threats might be viewed as international or domestic criminal enterprises.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Long-Term Strategic Vision Would Help Ensure Targeting of E-rate Funds to Highest-Priority Uses
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to Congressional Requesters. March 2009. 83 pages.

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism -- also known as the E-rate program -- is a significant source of federal funding for information technology for schools and libraries, providing about $2 billion a year. As requested, GAO assessed issues related to the E-rate program’s long-term goals, including key trends in the demand for and use of E-rate funding and the implications of these trends; the rate of program participation, participants’ views on requirements, and FCC’s actions to facilitate participation; and FCC’s performance goals and measures for the program and how they compare to key characteristics of successful goals and measures.

THINK TANKS AND RESEARCH CENTERS:

The opinions expressed in these publications do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government

The SAFETY Act: Obama Cyber Plans and the Private Sector
Jena Baker McNeill. The Heritage Foundation. WebMemo No. 2490. June 17, 2009. 2 pages.

On May 29, the Obama Administration released the results of its 60-day cyber review. The review correctly emphasized the vital role of the private sector in any future national cybersecurity strategy. Involving the private sector effectively, however, will require a liability protection regime -- one that encourages industry to invest in cybertechnologies that protect against acts of cyberterrorism.

Home Broadband Adoption 2009
John Horrigan. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. June 17, 2009. 50 pages.

This report shows 63% of adult Americans now have broadband Internet connections at home, a 15% increases from a year earlier. April’s level of high-speed adoption represents a significant jump from figures gathered since the end of 2007 (54%). The growth in home broadband adoption occurred even though survey respondents reported paying more for broadband compared to May 2008. Last year, the average monthly bill for broadband Internet service at home was $34.50, a figure that stands at $39.00 in April 2009.

The State of Music Online: Ten Years After Napster
Mary Madden. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. June 15, 2009. 18 pages.

In the decade since Napster’s launch, selling recorded music has become as much of an art as making the music itself. The music industry has been on the front lines of the battle to convert freeloaders into paying customers, and their efforts have been watched closely by other digitized industries -- newspapers, book publishing and Hollywood among them.

The Confluence of Cyber Crime and Terrorism
Steven P. Bucci. The Heritage Foundation. Heritage Lecture No. 1123. June 12, 2009. 7 pages.

Today the world faces a wide array of cyber threats. The majority of these threats are aimed at the Western democracies and the Western-leaning countries of other regions. The reason for this is simple: They are ripe targets. These countries are either highly dependent, almost completely in some cases, on cyber means for nearly every significant societal interaction or are racing toward that goal.

Wireless Taxation, Economic Growth and Economic Opportunity
Robert D. Atkinson. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). June 9, 2009. 7 pages.

In a testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, the author discusses why discriminatory taxes on wireless services have a negative impact on economic growth and innovation. According to him, at minimum, any given tax should not significantly change consumer behavior, be borne predominately by low-income consumers or households, and inhibit economic growth -- and a discriminatory tax on wireless services would violate all three principles.

An Economic Perspective on a U.S. National Broadband Plan
Robert Hahn and Scott Wallsten. Technology Policy Institute. June 8, 2009. 23 pages.

This paper responds to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s April 2009 request for guidance in designing a national broadband plan. The authors argue that the U.S. market for Internet services is working well overall, as evidenced by nearly ubiquitous coverage, rapid adoption, large investments, and increasing speeds. Still, it is not working well for all people in all places, and the authors offer a framework consisting of nine recommendations for considering policies intended to mitigate those issues.

KnowPrivacy: The Current State of Web Privacy, Data Collection, and Information Sharing University of California, Berkeley, School of Information. June 1, 2009. 44 pages.

Online privacy and behavioral profiling are of growing concern among both consumers and government officials. In this report, the authors examine both the data handling practices of popular websites and the concerns of consumers in an effort to identify problematic practices. They conclude by offering potential solutions to realign privacy practices with consumers’ expectations.

ICANN AT A CROSSROADS: A PROPOSAL FOR BETTER GOVERNANCE AND PERFORMANCE
Thomas M. Lenard and Lawrence J. White. Technology Policy Institute. June 2009. 57 pages.
/lenard%20white%20comments%20ntia%20docket%2009042068-9689-011.pdf
This paper evaluates the structure and governance of ICANN. In particular, it reviews ICANN’s structure and functions, and also the structures of a number of other organizations that perform a roughly comparable range of private-sector and quasi-governmental coordination and standard-setting functions, to explore what might be applicable to ICANN.

Cyberbullying Legislation: Why Education is Preferable to Regulation
Berin Szoka and Adam Thierer. The Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF). Progress on Point Volume 16, Issue 12. June 2009. 26 pages.

Cyberbullying is a rising online safety concern. Evidence suggests that cyberbullying is on the rise and can have profoundly damaging consequences for children. In the wake of a handful of high-profile cyberbullying incidents that resulted in teen suicides, some state lawmakers began floating legislation to address the issue. More recently, two very different federal approaches have been proposed. One approach is focused on the creation of a new federal felony to punish cyberbullying, which would include fines and jail time for violators. The other legislative approach is education-based and would create an Internet safety education grant program to address the issue in schools and communities.

COPPA 2.0: The New Battle over Privacy, Age Verification, Online Safety & Free Speech Berin Szoka and Adam Thierer. The Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF). Progress on Point Volume 16, Issue 11. June 2009. 36 pages.

Online privacy, child safety, free speech and anonymity are on a collision course. The 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) already mandates certain online privacy protections for children under 13, but many advocate expanding online privacy protections for both adolescents and adults. Furthermore, efforts continue at both the federal and state levels to institute new regulations, such as age verification mandates, aimed at ensuring the safety of children online. There is an inherent tension between these objectives: attempts to achieve perfectly “safe” online environments will likely require the surrender of some privacy and speech rights, including the right to speak anonymously.

Online Classifieds
Sydney Jones. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. May 22, 2009. 14 pages.

The number of online adults who have used online classified ads has more than doubled in the past four years. Almost half (49%) of Internet users say they have ever used online classified sites, compared with 22% of online adults who had done so in 2005. On any given day about a tenth of Internet users (9%) visit online classified sites, up from 4% in 2005. These findings highlight the growing importance of such sites to Internet users and reflect the changes in the audience for classified ads -- both those who place them and those who make purchases -- that have devastated a key revenue source for traditional newspapers.

Social Networking and National Security: How to Harness Web 2.0 to Protect the Country James Jay Carafano. The Heritage Foundation. Backgrounder No. #2273. May 18, 2009. 6 pages.

The growth of Web 2.0, its expanding global reach, and potential new technologies to further its use and adoption argue that today's social networking is a change in the form of human communication that cannot be ignored. Online social networks have impacted every field of human endeavor from education to health care. National security is no exception.

Normalizing Broadband Connections
George S. Ford. Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Public Policy Studies. Perspectives # 09-01. May 12, 2009. 9 pages.

As governments around the world, including the United States, place increased emphasis on the deployment and adoption of broadband technology, it becomes increasingly important that countries have appropriate and correct benchmarks by which to measure progress. The most-cited international statistics comparing broadband adoption are the broadband subscriptions per capita “rankings” published twice a year by the OECD. In this document, the author explains the fundamental flaws in the OECD’s approach -- namely that measuring fixed broadband subscriptions per capita is not a “penetration” measurement because fixed broadband is purchased on a per-location, not per-person basis -- and outlines one possible method of comparing broadband adoption among industrialized economies: the number of broadband connections per telephone lines.

Federal Government Policy on the Use of Persistent Internet Cookies: Time for Change or More of the Same? Daniel Castro. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). May 2009. 13 pages.

In the digital world a decade is a long time, yet federal government websites are using the same restrictive policy on “cookies“ (small data files stored on a user’s computer) established during the Clinton administration. In this report, the author looks at the origins of this federal government policy, the current uses of persistent cookies, and proposes a new framework for the use of persistent cookies on government websites given current trends in e-government. The goal, he argues, should be to loosen the restrictions on the use of cookies and balance privacy against other equally important goals such as usability, accessibility and transparency.

IN DEFENSE OF DATA: INFORMATION AND THE COSTS OF PRIVACY
Thomas M. Lenard and Paul H. Rubin. Technology Policy Institute. May 2009. 56 pages.

The commercial use of information on the Internet has produced substantial benefits for consumers. But, as the use of information online has increased, so have concerns about privacy. This paper discusses how the use of individuals’ information for commercial purposes affects consumers, and the implications of restricting information availability in the interest of privacy.

Getting Students More Learning Time Online: Distance Education in Support of Expanded Learning Time in K-12 Schools
Cathy Cavanaugh. Center for American Progress. May 2009. 28 pages.

Complementary changes within the K-12 education community are sweeping schools in the form of one-to-one computing, online learning for students and teachers, and differentiated instruction. Students can choose from among schools, courses, and powerful educational tools and resources that never before existed. As a result, education for many students today bears little resemblance to their parents’ education. This transformation is a positive change when students are connected with the tools and opportunities that meet their individual needs.

A Historic Opportunity: Wedding Health Information Technology to Care Delivery Innovation and Provider Payment Reform
Todd Park and Peter Basch. Center for American Progress. May 2009. 29 pages.

The $19 billion health information technology investment authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s HITECH program presents a landmark opportunity to catalyze improvement of the U.S. health care system. This key piece of President Obama’s policy agenda encourages doctors and hospitals to embrace health IT solutions in order to strengthen and modernize the infrastructure upon which the health care system runs. This critical health IT investment program will fail, however, if it is treated as a pure technology implementation program.

THE DISTINCT EFFECTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON FIRM ORGANIZATION
Nicholas Bloom, Luis Garicano, Raffaella Sadun and John Van Reenen. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Working Paper No. 14975. May 2009. 58 pages.

Empirical studies on information communication technologies (ICT) typically aggregate the "information" and "communication" components together. The authors show theoretically and empirically that these have very different effects on the empowerment of employees, and by extension on wage inequality. Using an original dataset of firms in the US and seven European countries, they study the impact of ICT on worker autonomy, plant manager autonomy and spans of control. They find that better information technologies (Enterprise Resource Planning for plant managers and CAD/CAM for production workers) are associated with more autonomy and a wider span of control. By contrast, communication technologies (like data networks) decrease autonomy for both workers and plant managers.).

The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008
Aaron Smith. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. April 15, 2009. 92 pages.

Some 74% of Internet users -- representing 55% of the entire adult population -- went online in 2008 to get involved in the political process or to get news and information about the election. This marks the first time that a Pew Internet & American Life Project survey has found that more than half of the voting-age population used the Internet to get involved in the political process during an election year. Several online activities rose to prominence in 2008. In particular, Americans were eager to share their views on the race with others and to take part in the online debate on social media sites such as blogs and social networking sites.

Smart Grid, Smart Broadband, Smart Infrastructure: Melding Federal Stimulus Programs to Ensure More Bang for the Buck
Peter Swire. Center for American Progress. April 2009. 16 pages.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/04/pdf/smart_infrastructure.pdf
To use the economic stimulus funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 far more efficiently to achieve a diverse set of closely related goals, construction of the electricity grid and the broadband network should go hand in hand, and be combined with other parts of the Act, such as health care information technology, education reform, weatherization initiatives, and future policy initiatives to create a nationwide smart infrastructure.

ICANN’s Economic Reports: Finding the Missing Pieces to the Puzzle
Michael D. Palage. The Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF). Progress Snapshot Volume 5, Issue 4. April 2009. 10 pages.
http://pff.org/issues-pubs/ps/2009/pdf/ps5.4icanns-economic-reports.pdf
The global business community and a number of national governments have expressed significant concerns about ICANN’s proposal for processing large numbers of applications for new Top Level Domains (gTLDs) such as .BLOG, .NYC or .WEB. The community has been especially concerned about the economic reports used by ICANN to justify its decisions as to whether, and how, to implement applications for new gTLDs. Among the greatest sources of concern has been the failure of ICANN staff to issue a complete public response to the ICANN Board’s October 2006 demand that ICANN Staff commission an independent study by a reputable economic consulting firm or organization to deliver findings on economic questions relating to the domain registration market.

The Mobile Difference
John Horrigan. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. March 25, 2009. 129 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2009/The_Mobile_Difference.pdf
Some 39% of Americans have positive and improving attitudes about their mobile communication devices, which in turn draws them further into engagement with digital resources -- on both wireless and wireline platforms. Mobile connectivity is now a powerful differentiator among technology users. Those who plug into the information and communications world while on-the-go are notably more active in many facets of digital life than those who use wires to jack into the Internet and the 14% of Americans who are off the grid entirely.

The First Annual New Millennium Research Council Survey on Consumers, Cell Phones and the Economy
New Millennium Research Council (NMRC). March 2009. 46 pages.
http://www.newmillenniumresearch.org/archive/031909_NMRC_ORC_cellphone_survey.pdf
Deepening concerns about the recession already have caused millions of U.S. consumers to cut back on their cell phone spending and millions more are poised to join their ranks if the economic downturn continues as expected for another six months, according to this survey. The resulting shift in consumer habits is likely to come at the expense of contract-based cell phone service as more consumers seek to save money by using prepaid cell phones and cutting out cell phone “extras.”

Innovation and Cybersecurity Regulation
James A. Lewis. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). March 2009. 3 pages.
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/090327_lewis_innovation_cybersecurity.pdf
The market has failed to secure cyberspace. A ten-year experiment in faith-based cybersecurity has proven this beyond question. A new Federal approach to cybersecurity will fail if it does not elicit actions that the private sector will not otherwise perform. Finding a new and more balanced approach will not be easy. The intellectual heritage of deregulation lives in assertions such as any regulation to improve security will hurt innovation. Innovation is a complex process, and simple statements about cause and effect deserve only skepticism.

Net Neutrality, Unbundling, and their Effects on International Investment in Next-Generation Networks
Scott J. Wallsten and Stephanie Hausladen. Technology Policy Institute. March 2009. 24 pages.

This paper examines the net neutrality debate in countries outside the U.S., particularly in the EU. Most appear to have endorsed the idea of net neutrality and believe that policies promoting unbundling -- mandatory network sharing -- will ensure neutral networks. The authors argue that unbundling may not necessarily affect incumbent incentives to prioritize certain traffic. Because unbundling can affect investment incentives, they use a new dataset to examine empirically the effects of unbundling on investment in new fiber networks in Europe. They find a significant negative correlation between the number of unbundled DSL connections per capita and the number of fiber connections.

2008 INTERNET CRIME REPORT
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). U.S. Department of Justice. March 2009. 28 pages.

The 2008 Internet Crime Report is the eighth annual compilation of information on complaints received and referred by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to law enforcement or regulatory agencies for appropriate action. From January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008, the IC3 website received 275,284 complaint submissions. This is a (33.1%) increase when compared to 2007 when 206,884 complaints were received. These filings were composed of complaints primarily related to fraudulent and non-fraudulent issues on the Internet.

The Rise of the Intranet Era: Media, Research and Policy in an Age of Communications Revolution
Sascha Meinrath and Victor Pickard. New America Foundation. February 20, 2009.

If the previous ten years were "The Internet Decade," then the next decade may be dubbed the "Age of the Intranet." This study explores the notion of a "community Intranet" -- an expanded network of networks spanning a neighborhood, municipality, or geographic region. By amplifying community interconnectedness, Intranets promise to enable new forms of political and democratic engagement that expand upon present day networks and models of cooperation. Intranets are often decentralized and ad-hoc, with no one entity owning the entire infrastructure or controlling expansion of or access to the infrastructure. These arrangements create new challenges for surveillance and command and control as well as new opportunities for participatory media and information dissemination.

THE BROADBAND BONUS: ACCOUNTING FOR BROADBAND INTERNET'S IMPACT ON U.S. GDP
Shane Greenstein and Ryan C. McDevitt. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Working Paper No. 14758. February 2009. 64 pages.

How much economic value did the diffusion of broadband create? The authors provide benchmark estimates for 1999 to 2006. They observe $39 billion of total revenue in Internet access in 2006, with broadband accounting for $28 billion of this total. Depending on the estimate, households generated $20 to $22 billion of the broadband revenue. Approximately $8.3 to $10.6 billion was additional revenue created between 1999 and 2006. That replacement is associated with $4.8 to $6.7 billion in consumer surplus, which is not measured via Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Previous issues of Information Technologies

TECHNOLOGIES DU LANGAGE

2009-04-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

TECHNOLOGIES DU LANGAGE
Une reflexion sur le langage à partir des outils du Web

LE MONDE DU BLOG : actualité du blog, des réseaux sociaux, du Web2

Voir LINGUISTIQUE

et WEB2

CYBERTECHNOLOGY USA

2009-03-31T23:53:00.000-07:00

Documents on the Web are available at: http://france.usembassy.gov/web-alert.html

The opinions expressed in these publications do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government

National Cybersecurity Strategy: Key Improvements Are Needed to Strengthen the Nation's Posture
David Powner, Director, Information Technology Management Issues. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives. March 10, 2009. 18 pages.

Pervasive and sustained computer-based attacks against federal and private-sector infrastructures pose a potentially devastating impact to systems and operations and the critical infrastructures that they support. To address these threats, President Bush issued a 2003 national strategy and related policy directives aimed at improving cybersecurity nationwide. Congress and the Executive Branch, including the new administration, have subsequently taken actions to examine the adequacy of the strategy and identify areas for improvement. GAO has, nevertheless, identified this area as high risk and has reported on needed improvements in implementing the national cybersecurity strategy. In this testimony, GAO summarizes key reports and recommendations on the national cybersecurity strategy and the views of experts on how to strengthen the strategy.

Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative: Legal Authorities and Policy Considerations
John Rollins. Congressional Research Service (CRS). March 10, 2009. 21 pages.

Federal agencies report increasing cyber-intrusions into government computer networks, perpetrated by a range of known and unknown actors. In response, the President, legislators, experts, and others have characterized cybersecurity as a pressing national security issue. Like other national security challenges in the post-9/11 era, the cyber threat is multi-faceted and lacks clearly delineated boundaries. Some cyber attackers operate through foreign nations’ military or intelligence-gathering operations, whereas others have connections to terrorist groups or operate as individuals. Some cyber threats might be viewed as international or domestic criminal enterprises. This report discusses the legal issues and addresses policy considerations related to the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI).

Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs
Lennard G. Kruger and Angele A. Gilroy. Congressional Research Service (CRS). February 20, 2009. 30 pages.

Economic stimulus legislation enacted by the 111th Congress includes provisions that provide federal financial assistance for broadband deployment. On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed P.L. 111-5, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The ARRA provides a total of $7.2 billion for broadband, consisting of $4.7 billion to NTIA/DOC for a newly established Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and $2.5 billion to existing RUS/USDA broadband programs. It is expected that the Obama Administration will ultimately develop a national broadband policy or strategy that will seek to reduce or eliminate the “digital divide” with respect to broadband. It is likely that elements of a national broadband policy, in tandem with broadband investment measures in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will significantly shape and expand federal policies and programs to promote broadband deployment and adoption. A key issue is how to strike a balance between providing federal assistance for unserved and underserved areas where the private sector may not be providing acceptable levels of broadband service, while at the same time minimizing any deleterious effects that government intervention in the marketplace may have on competition and private sector investment.

The Evolving Broadband Infrastructure: Expansion, Applications, and Regulation
Patricia Moloney Figliola, Angele A. Gilroy and Lennard G. Kruger. Congressional Research Service (CRS). February 19, 2009. 28 pages.

Over the past decade, the telecommunications sector has undergone a vast transformation fueled by rapid technological growth and subsequent evolution of the marketplace. Much of the U.S. policy debate over the evolving telecommunications infrastructure is framed within the context of a “national broadband policy.” The way a national broadband policy is defined, and the particular elements that might constitute that policy, determine how and whether various stakeholders might support or oppose a national broadband initiative. The issue for policymakers is how to craft a comprehensive broadband strategy that not only addresses broadband availability and adoption problems, but also addresses the long term implications of next-generation networks on consumer use of the Internet and the implications for a regulatory framework that must keep pace with evolving telecommunications technology.

Self-Regulatory Principles For Online Behavioral Advertising
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). February 2009. 55 pages.

Since the emergence of “e-commerce” in the mid-1990s, the online marketplace has continued to expand and evolve, creating new business models that allow greater interactivity between consumers and online companies. This expanding marketplace has provided many benefits to consumers, including free access to rich sources of information and the convenience of shopping for goods and services from home. At the same time, the ease with which companies can collect and combine information from consumers online has raised questions and concerns about consumer privacy. This Report constitutes the next step in an ongoing process to examine behavioral advertising that involves the FTC, industry, consumer and privacy organizations, and individual consumers. Some companies and industry groups have begun to develop new privacy policies and self-regulatory approaches, but more needs to be done to educate consumers about online behavioral advertising and provide effective protections for consumers’ privacy.

Infrastructure Programs: What's Different About Broadband?
Charles B. Goldfarb and Lennard G. Kruger. Congressional Research Service (CRS). January 22, 2009. 25 pages.

Broadband network deployment projects represent large scale, long term investments that affect the overall productivity of economic activity in the geographic areas in which they are built, and thus fit the conventional definition of infrastructure. But they also have several characteristics that distinguish them from traditional infrastructure projects. The leadership in both houses of Congress as well as the Obama administration have announced plans to include a broadband component in the infrastructure portion of any economic stimulus package. At the least, the unique characteristics of broadband infrastructure impose very complex policy objectives for any broadband infrastructure program -- to foster infrastructure investment that would not otherwise be made and to create additional jobs and spending, without distorting competition among the different broadband network technologies, without discouraging investment and innovation by independent applications providers that need access to broadband networks, and without subsidizing multiple inefficient providers unnecessarily.

Privacy Law and Online Advertising: Legal Analysis of Data Gathering By Online Advertisers Such As Double Click and Nebu-Ad
Kathleen Ann Ruane. Congressional Research Service (CRS). January 16, 2009. 14 pages.

To produce revenue, websites have placed advertisements on their sites. Advertisers will pay a premium for greater assurance that the advertisement they are purchasing will be seen by users that are most likely to be interested in the product or service offered. As a result, technology has been developed which enables online advertisements to be targeted directly at individual users based on their web surfing activity. This practice is widely known as “behavioral” or “e-havioral” advertising. This individual behavioral targeting has raised a number of privacy concerns. There are no current federal regulations specific to online behavioral advertising. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has put forth a number of guiding principles intended to aid the industry in creating self-regulatory principles. The FTC maintains that self-regulation is preferable to government intervention in this case. The 110th Congress has expressed interest in this issue.

Health Information Technology: Federal Agencies' Experiences Demonstrate Challenges to Successful Implementation
Valerie C. Melvin, Director, Human Capital and Management Information Systems Issues. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, U.S. Senate. January 15, 2009. 25 pages.

As GAO and others have reported, the use of information technology (IT) has enormous potential to help improve the quality of health care and is important for improving the performance of the U.S. health care system. Given its role in providing health care, the federal government has been urged to take a leadership role to improve the quality and effectiveness of health care, and it has been working to promote the nationwide use of health IT for a number of years. Achieving widespread adoption and implementation of health IT, however, has proven challenging, and the best way to accomplish this transition remains subject to much debate. At the committee's request, this testimony discusses important issues identified by GAO that have broad relevance to the successful implementation of health IT to improve the quality of health care.

THINK TANKS AND RESEARCH CENTERS:

Measuring the Effectiveness of the Broadband Stimulus Plan
Scott Wallsten. Technology Policy Institute. March 17, 2009. 6 pages.

The newly enacted economic stimulus package includes $7.2 billion in grants, loans, and loan guarantees to bring broadband to rural areas lacking high-speed Internet services. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 charges government agencies not only with choosing grant recipients and setting performance benchmarks, but also with measuring results. Only a carefully preplanned evaluation strategy will enable them to accurately assess the effectiveness of the broadband stimulus.

Using Competitive Bidding to Reform the Universal Service High Cost Fund
Scott Wallsten. Technology Policy Institute. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives. March 12, 2009. 4 pages.
According to the author, the current universal service program high cost fund is inefficient, inequitable, and growing at an alarming rate, having increased from $1.7 billion in 1999 to $4.2 billion in 2007. Especially because the program is funded by taxes on telecommunications services paid by all users, including low-income people, the program is in urgent need of reform. The current high-cost mechanism is not only expensive, but also discourages competition and does little to benefit consumers. In order to increase buildout, increase penetration, and reduce costs, he adds, one must eliminate the current system and replace it with competitive procurement.

The Need for Speed: The Importance of Next-Generation Broadband Networks
Rob Atkinson, Stephen Ezell, Daniel Castro and George Ou. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF). March 5, 2009. 38 pages.

This report argues that supporting the deployment of faster broadband networks will be crucial to enabling next-generation Web-based applications and services that will play important roles in improving quality of life and boosting economic growth. While getting broadband service to the Americans who lack it is an important policy target, next-generation broadband will deliver a wave of new benefits to consumers, society, businesses, and the economy.

Promoting Platform Parity: Equal Pay for Equal Music
Daniel Castro. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF). WebMemo. March 4, 2009. 3 pages.

This WebMemo argues that Congress should promote technology neutral policies that do not unfairly advantage or disadvantage any particular technology or business model. Moreover, Congress should ensure that the rules and regulations governing the royalty rate setting process are fair and reasonable for all broadcast platforms. As Congress considers “The Performance Rights Act,” a bill to eliminate the exemption on performance royalties that terrestrial radio has enjoyed for years, it should keep these principles in mind.

ICANN AT A CROSSROADS: A PROPOSAL FOR BETTER GOVERNANCE AND PERFORMANCE
Thomas M. Lenard and Lawrence J. White. Technology Policy Institute. March 2009. 53 pages.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has operated under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) since 1998. The MOU was replaced in September 2006 by the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between ICANN and the DOC, which expires in August 2009. At that time, a decision needs to be made about ICANN’s future. Should the JPA tie with the U.S. Government be retained? Or should the link be wholly severed, as ICANN advocates? And, in either case, what governance structure would best promote Internet efficiency and innovation? This paper evaluates the structure and governance of ICANN to help inform the upcoming decision. In particular, it reviews ICANN’s structure and functions, and also the structures of a number of other organizations that perform a roughly comparable range of private-sector and quasi-governmental coordination and standard-setting functions, to explore what might be applicable to ICANN.

Twenty Most Important Controls and Metrics for Effective Cyber Defense and Continuous FISMA Compliance
John Gilligan. Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). Draft 1.0. February 23, 2009. 40 pages.

Securing our Nation against cyber attacks has become one of the Nation’s highest priorities. To achieve this objective, networks, systems, and the operations teams that support them must vigorously defend against external attacks. Furthermore, for those external attacks that are successful, defenses must be capable of thwarting, detecting, and responding to follow‐on attacks on internal networks as attackers spread inside a compromised network. A central tenet of the US Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) is that ‘offense must inform defense’. In other words, knowledge of actual attacks that have compromised systems provides the essential foundation on which to construct effective defenses.

Losing Our Technology Advantage
Darrell M. West. Brookings Institution. StateTech Magazine. February 17, 2009.

Once on the cutting edge of technological innovation and access, U.S. high-tech now lags behind. The erosion of high-tech leadership has serious consequences for commerce, politics and entertainment. The slow speed on America’s information superhighways means many Americans are not able to take full advantage of advanced media applications such as the downloading of film and video for entertainment. At the same time, government agencies are not able to guarantee confidentiality of medical records, employment data or official transactions. Schools are not able to take advantage of online instructional material requiring fast download speeds. And businesses do not have the infrastructure required to develop new jobs. Striving to stay competitive, the United States must invest more in its technology infrastructure. This includes tax credits for private-sector research and development, greater support for higher education, and adult training programs that help workers transition to a 21st century economy.

Twitter and status updating
Amanda Lenhart and Susannah Fox. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. February 12, 2009. 6 pages.

In the past three years, developments in social networking and Internet applications have begun providing Internet users with more opportunities for sharing short updates about themselves, their lives, and their whereabouts online. Users may post messages about their status, their moods, their location and other tidbits on social networks and blogging sites, or on applications for sending out short messages to networks of friends like Twitter, Yammer and others. As of December 2008, 11% of online American adults said they used a service like Twitter or another service that allowed them to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others.

The Next Wave of E-Government
Daniel Castro and Robert Atkinson. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF). StateTech Magazine. February 2, 2009.

The first two waves of the IT revolution offered state and local IT leaders amazing opportunities to make government more efficient, improve services and increase transparency. Today, an emerging third wave is making it possible for governments to solve pressing public problems in fundamentally new ways.

The Digital Economy Fact Book, Tenth Edition
Grant Eskelsen, Adam Marcus and W. Kenneth Ferree. The Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF). February 2009. 192 pages.

Events in the past year have illustrated how business models continue to change and evolve in response to the widespread use of the Internet and other digital technologies. Communications network policies have dominated policy discussions in Washington, including network management practices and network access policies. Debates on how to best update public safety communication networks for first responders continue in light of the failed public private spectrum proposal. New online advertising models have opened new revenue streams but have also raised privacy and market power concerns. The entertainment and media sectors continue to seek a balance between fully exploiting online avenues of distribution and copyright protection. The fallout from these events is sure to shape the evolution of e-commerce for years to come. The new administration is expected to drive public policy concerning the tech and telecom industries in a new direction. In the long term, it may be the administrations’ positions on macro issues relating to free trade, liberal movement of capital and labor, and education policy that will have the greatest impact on the communications and technology sectors over the next several years.

The Internet and Local Wages: Convergence or Divergence?
Chris Forman, Avi Goldfarb and Shane Greenstein. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Working Paper No. 14750. February 2009. 51 pages.

Did the diffusion of the Internet lead to convergence or divergence of local wages? The authors examine the relationship between business use of advanced Internet technology and regional variation in US wage growth between 1995 and 2000. They show that business use of advanced Internet technology is associated with wage growth but find no evidence that the Internet contributed to regional wage convergence. Advanced Internet technology is only associated with wage growth in places that were already well off in terms of income, education, population, and industry. Overall, advanced Internet explains one-quarter of the difference in wage growth between these counties and all others.

Generations Online in 2009
Sydney Jones and Susannah Fox. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. January 28, 2009. 9 pages.

Over half of the adult Internet population is between 18 and 44 years old. But larger percentages of older generations are online now than in the past, and they are doing more activities online, according to surveys taken from 2006-2008. Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the "Net Generation," Internet users in their 20s do not dominate every aspect of online life. Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online. And even Silent Generation Internet users are competitive when it comes to email.

OBAMA’S ONLINE OPPORTUNITIES II
John B. Horrigan. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. January 21, 2009. 3 pages.

Investment in broadband has become part of the broader discussion about President Obama’s economic stimulus package. Even though the size of the stimulus and the share that might be devoted to broadband are still unspecified, it seems likely that the new Administration will take steps to encourage investment in broadband infrastructure. Although job creation is the main topic in this debate, there are really three policy goals associated with broadband in the stimulus package: creating new jobs, creating new broadband subscribers, and improving the broadband experience for all subscribers through faster networks.

Adults and social network websites
Amanda Lenhart. The Pew Internet & American Life Project, Data Memo. January 14, 2009. 17 pages.
/2009/PIP_Adult_social_networking_data_memo_FINAL.pdf.pdf
The share of adult Internet users who have a profile on an online social network site has more than quadrupled in the past four years -- from 8% in 2005 to 35% in 2009. Still, younger online adults are much more likely than their older counterparts to use social networks, with 75% of adults 18-24 using these networks, compared to just 7% of adults 65 and older. At its core, use of online social networks is still a phenomenon of the young. Overall, personal use of social networks seems to be more prevalent than professional use of networks, both in the orientation of the networks that adults choose to use as well as the reasons they give for using the applications. Most adults, like teens, are using online social networks to connect with people they already know.

Improving Quality of Life Through Telecommuting
Wendell Cox. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF). January 14, 2009. 24 pages.

The number of jobs filled by telecommuters could grow nearly four-fold to 19 million and deliver substantial economic, environmental and quality of life benefits for the United States over the next 12 years. Spurred by advances in IT, especially the spread of broadband, telecommuting is already the fastest growing mode of getting from home to work. Thanks to its potential to cut costs, increase productivity, and expand the universe of potential employees, telecommuting is also emerging as a standard business strategy for a larger number of organizations. This report calls for government to pursue policies to accelerate and maximize telecommuting, including spurring the deployment and adoption of broadband, which is an essential facilitator of telecommuting.

The Digital Road to Recovery: A Stimulus Plan to Create Jobs, Boost Productivity and Revitalize America
Robert Atkinson, Daniel Castro and Stephen Ezell. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF). January 7, 2009. 22 pages.

Investing in new economy digital infrastructures will provide significant opportunities not just for short-term stimulus and job creation, but also longer term economic and social benefits. This report provides a detailed analysis and estimate of the short-term jobs impacts of spurring investment in three critical digital networks: broadband networks, the smart grid (making the electric distribution system intelligent) and health IT, and outlines policy steps to spur this investment. It finds that investments in America’s digital infrastructure will spur significant job creation in the short run. Specifically, it estimates that spurring an additional investment of $30 billion in America’s IT network infrastructure in 2009 will create approximately 949,000 U.S. jobs.

Building a 21st Century Broadband Superhighway: A CONCRETE BUILD-OUT PLAN TO BRING HIGH-SPEED FIBER CONNECTIONS TO EVERY COMMUNITY
Benjamin Lennett and Sascha Meinrath. New America Foundation, Wireless Future Program. Issue Brief #24. January 2009. 6 pages.

Although members of Congress and the incoming Obama administration have all expressed interest in a national effort to promote universal broadband, the discussion thus far has lacked a coherent means to correct the current market failures and keep pace as other nations have raced ahead. Critical questions remain unanswered; namely, what will a government investment look like and how will it create a more open, competitive, affordable, universally accessible high-speed communications network, and avoid reinforcing the deficiencies that have lead to our current woeful international standing?

The Broadband Bonus: Accounting for Broadband Internet’s Impact on U.S. GDP
Shane Greenstein and Ryan C. McDevitt. Technology Policy Institute. January 2009. 64 pages.

How much economic value did the diffusion of broadband create? The authors provide benchmark estimates for 1999 to 2006. They observe $39 billion of total revenue in Internet access in 2006, with broadband accounting for $28 billion of this total. Depending on the estimate, households generated $20 to $22 billion of the broadband revenue. Approximately $8.3 to $10.6 billion was additional revenue created between 1999 and 2006. That replacement is associated with $4.8 to $6.7 billion in consumer surplus, which is not measured via Gross Domestic Product (GDP). An Internet-access Consumer Price Index (CPI) would have to decline by 1.6% to 2.2% per year for it to reflect the creation of value. These estimates both differ substantially from those typically quoted in Washington policy discussions, and they shed light on several broadband policy issues, such as why relying on private investment worked to diffuse broadband in many US urban locations at the start of the millennium.

ENHANCING CHILD SAFETY AND ONLINE TECHNOLOGIES
Final Report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force to the Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking of State Attorneys General of the United States. December 31, 2008. 278 pages.

Many youth in the United States have fully integrated the Internet into their daily lives. For them, the Internet is a positive and powerful space for socializing, learning, and engaging in public life. Along with the positive aspects of Internet use come risks to safety, including the dangers of sexual solicitation, online harassment, and bullying, and exposure to problematic and illegal content. The Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking, comprising 50 state Attorneys General, asked this Task Force to determine the extent to which today’s technologies could help to address these online safety risks, with a primary focus on social network sites in the United States. To answer this question, the Task Force brought together leaders from Internet service providers, social network sites, academia, education, child safety and public policy advocacy organizations, and technology development.

Simply Green: A Few Steps in the Right Direction toward Integrating Sustainability into Public Sector IT
Center for Digital Government. December 2008. 24 pages.

There may be no single, simple answer to the complex issue of climate change. Yet there are simple steps that the public sector IT community can take in responding to renewed concerns about environmental sustainability while institutionalizing greater efficiencies into its operations.

LE SILENCE

2009-02-16T03:07:00.002-08:00

"Parmi les gens qui n'ont rien à dire, je préfère ceux qui se taisent"
Pierre DAC

THE NEW WASHINGTON PRESS CORPS

2009-02-16T03:07:00.001-08:00

THE NEW WASHINGTON PRESS CORPS
Pew Research Center’s Project on Excellence in Journalism, February 11, 2009
http://www.journalism.org/analysis_report/new_washington_press_corps
In the past two decades, the makeup of the Washington D.C. press corps has been fundamentally transformed. While the old media have shrunk alarmingly, two new elements have risen up to virtually replace them in number. What are the implications for news consumers in the U.S. and abroad? This report on the changing Washington media landscape addresses those questions.

SECURITE INTERNET (USA)

2009-01-21T01:27:00.000-08:00

Source: US Embassy

Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency
CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). December 2008. 96 pages.

Inadequate cybersecurity and loss of information has inflicted unacceptable damage to U.S. national and economic security. America’s failure to protect cyberspace is one of the most urgent national security problems facing the new administration that will take office in January 2009. This report lays out a series of recommendations for a comprehensive national approach to securing cyberspace.

Critical Infrastructure Protection: DHS Needs to Fully Address Lessons Learned from Its First Cyber Storm Exercise
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to Congressional Requesters. September 2008. 39 pages.

Federal policies establish the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the focal point for the security of cyberspace. As part of its responsibilities, DHS is required to coordinate cyber attack exercises to strengthen public and private incident response capabilities. One major exercise program, called Cyber Storm, is a large-scale simulation of multiple concurrent cyber attacks involving the federal government, states, foreign governments, and private industry. To date, DHS has conducted Cyber Storm exercises in 2006 and 2008. GAO agreed to identify the lessons that DHS learned from the first Cyber Storm exercise, assess DHS's efforts to address the lessons learned from this exercise, and identify key participants' views of their experiences during the second Cyber Storm exercise.

The President's Identity Theft Task Force Report
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). September 2008. 70 pages.

Two years ago, the President launched a new era in the fight against identity theft by issuing an executive order establishing the Identity Theft Task Force. The executive order charged 15 federal departments and agencies with crafting a comprehensive national strategy to combat more effectively this pernicious crime, which afflicts millions of Americans each year and, in some cases, causes devastating damage to its victims. One year later, on April 11, 2007, the Task Force submitted its Strategic Plan to the President. The Strategic Plan examined the nature and scope of identity theft and offered a far-reaching series of recommendations to reduce its incidence and impact. This report documents the Task Force’s efforts to implement the Strategic Plan’s recommendations.

Building Cyber Security Leadership for the 21st Century
James Jay Carafano and Eric Sayers. The Heritage Foundation. Backgrounder No. 2218. December 16, 2008. 7 pages.

The issue of cyber security, cyber competitiveness, and cyberwarfare has weighed heavily on the minds of policymakers as the severity and complexity of malicious cyber attacks have intensified over the past decade. These attacks, directed against both the public and private sectors, are the product of a heterogeneous network of state and non-state actors whose actions are motivated by a host of factors. Helping to ensure that the federal government achieves a high level of competency on cyber security issues is an imperative for the next Congress.

Voir Securité Internet

ECONOMIE DES NTIC aux USA

2009-01-21T01:09:00.001-08:00

Sources: US Embassy

Obama’s Online Opportunities
John B. Horrigan. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. December 4, 2008. 3 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Obama.and.Tech.pdf
There is no shortage of suggestions to the incoming Obama administration about what to do about communications policy in the United States. America’s middling standing in world rankings on broadband adoption has served as a call to arms for the new administration to develop a national broadband strategy to boost the economy, aid the environment and improve delivery of health care and government services.

Radio Communications: Congressional Action Needed to Ensure Agencies Collaborate to Develop a Joint Solution
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate. December 2008. 59 pages.

The Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) was intended to be a collaborative effort among the Departments of Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS), and the Treasury to provide secure, seamless, interoperable, and reliable nationwide wireless communications in support of federal agents and officers engaged in law enforcement, protective services, homeland defense, and disaster response missions. GAO was asked to determine the extent to which the three departments are developing a joint radio communications solution.

Telecommunications Task Group Final Report
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). October 28, 2008. 23 pages.
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/081028_telecomm_task_group.pdf
The Telecommunications Infrastructure of the United States is arguably one of the fundamental enablers of virtually all other critical infrastructures on which the nation depends. This paper describes the current status of cyber security within the telecommunications infrastructure, defines the interdependencies between the telecommunications infrastructure and the other critical infrastructures, and develops recommendations for expanding and enhancing the cyber security of the collective telecommunications infrastructure.

SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: PLAN TO IDENTIFY AND IMPLEMENT INCENTIVES THAT PROMOTE MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE USE OF SPECTRUM
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). U.S. Department of Commerce. November 2008. 21 pages.

In May 2003, the President committed the Administration to the development of a United States Spectrum Policy that promotes economic prosperity and national security through the 21st century. Since then, the Executive Branch has worked to implement the President’s Spectrum Policy Initiative. Pursuant to the President’s directive, NTIA has developed this plan to expand on existing policies that identify and implement incentives that are appropriate to Federal Government users; and address incentives more broadly and develop possible legislative recommendations to increase the FCC’s incentive authority.

Lowering the Cost of Play: Improving Energy Efficiency of Video Game Consoles
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Issue Paper. November 2008. 29 pages.

More than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Video game consoles consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego. This issue paper provides recommendations for users, video game console manufacturers, component suppliers and the software companies that design games for improving the efficiency of video game consoles already in homes as well as future generations of machines.

PREPAID PHONES IN THE U.S.: MYTHS, LACK OF CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE BLOCKING WIDER USE
New Millennium Research Council. December 4, 2008. 34 pages.

A combination of consumer uncertainty and myths about prepaid phones may account for the lower level of use in the U.S.: although about four out of five Americans (79 percent) own a cell phone, fewer than one in five (16 percent) of Americans with cell phones have a prepaid phone. Of the balance, 85 percent have “postpaid”/contract-based service where they pay a monthly fee.

Distance Isn’t Quite Dead: Recent Trade Patterns and Modes of Supply in Computer and Information Services in the United States and NAFTA Partners
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard. Peterson Institute for International Economics. Working Paper No. 08-10. October 2008. 73 pages.

This paper describes developments in US and regional NAFTA trade patterns in computer and information services (C&IS) in recent years, with particular emphasis on the relative importance of and trends in different modes of supply of C&IS. The study of C&IS trade warrants attention due to C&IS’s general characteristics as an enabling technology, which, as input to other sectors and products, have been found to positively affect productivity in the United States. Secondly, C&IS trade is intuitively among the most digitizable of commercial services and accordingly can be expected to be perhaps the most internationally tradable among commercial service categories. Investigating C&IS trade trends might therefore reveal early results also relevant for other, less immediately digitizable commercial services.

Homes with Tails: WHAT IF YOU COULD OWN YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION?
Derek Slater and Tim Wu. New America Foundation. Wireless Future Program. Working Paper #23. November 2008. 17 pages.

For the vast majority of homes, copper wires remain the principal means of getting broadband services. The deployment of fiber optic connections to the home would enable exponentially faster connections, and few dispute that upgrading to more robust infrastructure is essential to America’s economic growth. The costs of such an upgrade, however, are daunting for private sector firms and even for governments. These facts add up to a public policy challenge. In this paper, the authors propose and describe a new way to encourage broadband deployment.

The Durable Internet: Preserving Network Neutrality without Regulation
Timothy B. Lee. Cato Institute. Policy Analysis No. 626. November 12, 2008. 44 pages.

An important reason for the Internet’s remarkable growth over the last quarter century is the “end-to-end” principle that networks should confine themselves to transmitting generic packets without worrying about their contents. Not only has this made deployment of Internet infrastructure cheap and efficient, but it has created fertile ground for entrepreneurship. On a network that respects the end-to-end principle, prior approval from network owners is not needed to launch new applications, services, or content. In recent years, self-styled “network neutrality” activists have pushed for legislation to prevent network owners from undermining the end-to end principle. Although the concern is understandable, such legislation would be premature. Physical ownership of Internet infrastructure does not translate into a practical ability to control its use. Regulations are unnecessary because even in the absence of robust broadband competition, network owners are likely to find deviations from the end-to-end principle unprofitable.

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-626.pdf

Voir Internet sur Internet

INFORMATION NUMERIQUE

2009-01-21T00:50:00.000-08:00

Source: france.usembassy

A Policymaker's Guide to Network Management
George Ou. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). December 2008. 58 pages.

In this report, the author explains how advanced networks actually work and documents how, if Internet service providers (ISPs) are to provide customers a good Internet service and operate their networks efficiently, they must be able to allocate bandwidth between users and apply network management tools to shape traffic from multiple applications. He argues, however, that ISPs can and should do this in a fair and non-discriminatory manner.

News and information as digital media come of age
Persephone Miel and Robert Faris. Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. December 2008. 52 pages.

Every day, more people turn to the Internet as a primary source of news: reading blogs, visiting aggregators and online news sites, watching video clips, listening to podcasts, and opening links in emails from friends. Members of this growing audience are not only consumers of the news -- many are shaping the news agenda for themselves and others: selecting, combining, and commenting on stories as well as creating their own. The United States is now several years into what promises to be a transformation of the media. It is driven by the rapid expansion of the number of people and organizations newly engaged as authors, editors, and publishers. In the United States and other developed countries, this expansion is occurring in tandem with serious contractions in the traditional news media. This paper explores the impact of the remarkable array of new media structures that have arisen to take advantage of these new opportunities and evaluates the problems and limitations associated with these changes.

The Future of the Internet III
Janna Quitney Anderson and Lee Rainie. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Report. December 14, 2008. 138 pages.

Experts expect major tech advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, and the structure of the Internet itself improves. They disagree however about whether this will lead to more social tolerance, more forgiving human relations, or better home lives.

Adults and video games
Amanda Lenhart, Sydney Jones and Alexandra Rankin Macgill. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. December 7, 2008. 9 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Adult_gaming_memo.pdf
More than half -- 53% -- of all American adults play video games of some kind, whether on a computer, on a gaming console, on a cell phone or other handheld device, on a portable gaming device, or online. About one in five adults (21%) play everyday or almost everyday. While the number of video gamers among adults is substantial, it is still well under the number of teens who play, as fully 97% of teens play video games.

Internet Overtakes Newspapers As News Source
Andrew Kohut and Michael Remez. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. December 23, 2008. 7 pages.
http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/479.pdf
The Internet, which emerged this year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as a main source for national and international news. Currently, 40% say they get most of their news about national and international issues from the internet, up from just 24% in September 2007. For the first time, more people say they rely mostly on the Internet for news than cite newspapers (35%). Television continues to be cited most frequently as a main source for national and international news, at 70%.

FIVE GUIDEPOSTS FOR THE FUTURE OF MUNICIPAL WIRELESS
Sascha D. Meinrath. New America Foundation. Wireless Future Program. Issue Brief #24. December 2008. 4 pages.

As municipalities rethink their broadband strategies, they should be looking to implement five best practices to support liberation and avoid lock-in: build hybrid infrastructures, utilize open technology, prioritize competition, think holistically, and Embrace change as the new status quo.

When Technology Fails
John B. Horrigan and Sydney Jones. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. November 16, 2008. 14 pages.

Modern information and communication technologies open doors to a wealth of information. But many users find it difficult to set up these devices and frustrating when they break. Half (48%) of adults who use the Internet or have a cell phone say they usually need someone else to set up a new device for them or show them how to use it. And many users of various devices and services encounter breakdowns from time to time. Coping with these failures helps to distance users from technology use.

From "Dinosaurs" to Digital: An Examination of Ongoing Innovations in Copyright Industries
Andrea Siwek. The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Progress on Point # 15.19. December 2008. 10 pages.

Cynics often argue that in the digital age “old media” has become obsolete. Despite such hyperbole, “old media” remains viable in the digital age. Various business model and technology innovations across a broad range of mediums are ensuring that these industries do not get bypassed as a result of new technologies. The Internet has changed two fundamental aspects for copyright industries and creators: the cost of distributing content and the means by which it is distributed. This paper explores how the traditional media industries are working innovatively to adapt to these changes to have not only a presence but a purpose in the digital age.

Staying the Course: Online Education in the United States, 2008
Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman. The Sloan Consortium. November 2008. 28 pages.
http://www.sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/pdf/staying_the_course.pdf

The number of students taking at least one online course continues to expand at a rate far in excess of the growth of overall higher education enrollments. The most recent estimate, for fall 2007, places this number at 3.94 million online students, an increase of 12.9 percent over fall 2006. This study is aimed at answering some of the fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education.

Voir Teleformation

USA: TECHNOLOGIES DE L'INFORMATION

2008-11-08T00:21:00.000-08:00

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS:Information Research Center (IRC)
Embassy of the United States of America
RaphaelVF@state.gov

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

Management Improvements Needed on the Department of Homeland Security’s Next Generation Information Sharing System
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to Congressional Committees. October 2008. 58 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0940.pdf
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for coordinating the federal government's homeland security communications with all levels of government. In support of this mission, DHS implemented, and has been enhancing, the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN). It also has proposed a follow-on system, called Next Generation HSIN (HSIN Next Gen). GAO was asked to determine whether DHS has stopped further improvements on HSIN and if so, the department's rationale for doing so and plans for acquiring its proposed follow-on system HSIN Next Gen, and whether the department is effectively managing the HSIN Next Gen acquisition.

DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION:
Information on the Implementation of the Converter Box Subsidy Program and Consumer Participation in the Program
Mark L. Goldstein, Director, Physical Infrastructure. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate. September 23, 2008. 16 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081181t.pdf

DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION: Information on the Implementation of the Converter Box Subsidy Program and Consumer Participation in the Program
Mark L. Goldstein, Director, Physical Infrastructure. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives. September 16, 2008. 16 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081161t.pdf

DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION: Implementation of the Converter Box Subsidy Program Is Under Way, but Preparedness to Manage an Increase in Subsidy Demand Is Unclear
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to Congressional Requesters. September 2008. 46 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081040.pdf
The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 requires all full-power television stations in the United States to cease analog broadcasting after February 17, 2009, known as the digital television (DTV) transition. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is responsible for implementing a subsidy program to provide households with up to two $40 coupons toward the purchase of converter boxes. In this requested report, GAO examines what consumer education efforts have been undertaken by private and federal stakeholders and how effective NTIA has been in implementing the converter box subsidy program, and to what extent consumers are participating in the program.

ELECTRONIC WASTE: HARMFUL U.S. EXPORTS FLOW VIRTUALLY UNRESTRICTED BECAUSE OF MINIMAL EPA ENFORCEMENT AND NARROW REGULATION
John B. Stephenson, Director, Natural Resources and Environment. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives. September 17, 2008. 21 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081166t.pdf

ELECTRONIC WASTE: EPA Needs to Better Control Harmful U.S. Exports through Stronger Enforcement and More Comprehensive Regulation
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to the Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives. August 2008. 67 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081044.pdf
Increasingly, U.S. consumers are recycling their old electronics to prevent the environmental harm that can come from disposal. Concerns have grown, however, that some U.S. companies are exporting these items to developing countries, where unsafe recycling practices can cause health and environmental problems. Items with cathode-ray tubes (CRT) are particularly harmful because they can contain 4 pounds of lead, a known toxin. To prevent this practice, since January 2007, EPA began regulating the export of CRTs under its CRT rule, which requires companies to notify EPA before exporting CRTs. In this context, GAO examined the fate of exported used electronics, the effectiveness of regulatory controls over the export of these devices, and options to strengthen federal regulation of exported used electronics.

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION:
DHS Needs to Better Address Its Cybersecurity Responsibilities
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives. September 16, 2008. 19 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081157t.pdf
Recent cyber attacks demonstrate the potentially devastating impact these pose to the U.S. computer systems and to the federal operations and critical infrastructures that they support. They also highlight that the United States need to be vigilant against individuals and groups with malicious intent, such as criminals, terrorists, and nation-states perpetuating these attacks. Federal law and policy established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the focal point for coordinating cybersecurity, including making it responsible for protecting systems that support critical infrastructures, a practice commonly referred to as cyber critical infrastructure protection. Since 2005, GAO has reported on the responsibilities and progress DHS has made in its cybersecurity efforts. GAO was asked to summarize its key reports and their associated recommendations aimed at securing the U.S. cyber critical infrastructure.

INFORMATION SECURITY:
Actions Needed to Better Protect Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Unclassified Computer Network
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to Congressional Committees. September 2008. 49 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081001.pdf
The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), which is operated by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), has experienced security lapses protecting information on its unclassified computer network. The unclassified network contains sensitive information. GAO assessed the effectiveness of the security controls LANL has in place to protect information transmitted over its unclassified computer network, assessed whether LANL had implemented an information security program for its unclassified network, and examined expenditures to protect LANL's unclassified network from fiscal years 2001 through 2007.

Trends in Telephone Service
Industry Analysis and Technology Division. Wireline Competition Bureau. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). August 2008. 178 pages.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-284932A1.pdf
This report presents information about the size, growth, and development of the telephone industry, including data on market shares, minutes of calling, number of lines, and telephone subscribership. It also provides information about access charges, telephone rates and price changes, consumer expenditures for service, employment, infrastructure, international telephone traffic, local competition, long distance carriers, residential telephone usage, and universal service support.

CYBER ANALYSIS AND WARNING: DHS Faces Challenges in Establishing a Comprehensive National Capability
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives. July 2008. 67 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08588.pdf
Cyber analysis and warning capabilities are critical to thwarting computer-based (cyber) threats and attacks. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) to, among other things, coordinate the nation's efforts to prepare for, prevent, and respond to cyber threats to systems and communications networks. GAO's objectives were to identify key attributes of cyber analysis and warning capabilities, compare these attributes with US-CERT's current capabilities to identify whether there are gaps, and identify US-CERT's challenges to developing and implementing key attributes and a successful national cyber analysis and warning capability.

Roundtable Discussion on Phishing Education
Division of Consumer and Business Education and Division of Marketing Practices. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). July 2008. 15 pages.
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/07/080714phishingroundtable.pdf
Phishing uses deceptive spam that appears to be coming from legitimate, well-known sources to trick consumers into divulging sensitive or personal information, such as credit card numbers, other financial data, or passwords, either through a reply email or a link to a copycat of the purported source’s website. During the July 2007 Spam Summit of the Federal Trade Commission, panelists identified consumer and business education as a key tool for helping to reduce the number of consumers who fall victim to phishing scams.

THINK TANKS AND RESEARCH CENTERS:

The opinions expressed in these publications do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government

Networked Families
The Pew Internet & American Life Project. October 19, 2008. 44 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Networked_Family.pdf
The Internet and cell phones have become central components of modern family life. Among all household types, the traditional nuclear family has the highest rate of technology usage and ownership. Households with a married couple and minor children are more likely than other household types -- such as single adults, homes with unrelated adults, or couples without children -- to have cell phones and use the Internet. Cell phones allow family members to stay more regularly in touch even when they are not physically together. Moreover, many members of married-with-children households view material online together.

A Comparison of the Technology Policies of Barack Obama and John McCain
Arlene Holen. Technology Policy Institute. Policy Perspective. October 8, 2008. 4 pages.
http://www.techpolicyinstitute.org/files/a%20comparison%20of%20the%20technology%20policies%20of%20barack%20obama%20and%20john%20mccain.pdf
This comparison is drawn from and adheres closely to statements on the presidential candidates’ websites. Both websites list technology among the issues most important to their campaigns. The comparison summarizes the candidates’ views on key issues and highlights important similarities and differences. Both candidates share the goals of strengthening American science, technology and innovation; developing a skilled workforce; enhancing intellectual property protection; and encouraging a modern communications infrastructure. Some of their policy approaches are quite different however. For example, they differ sharply in emphasizing increased federal spending vs. tax incentives to achieve policy goals and in their positions on network neutrality.
Comparing the Candidates’ Technology and Innovation Policies
Stephen J. Ezell and Robert D. Atkinson. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). September 29, 2008. 19 pages.
http://www.itif.org/files/2008-CampaignTechAgenda.pdf
Innovation drives long-term national economic growth and has in fact been responsible for 80 percent of the growth in the U.S. economy since World War II. This places technology and innovation squarely at the center of the issue -- the economy -- that voters have identified as the most important in the 2008 Presidential election. Both John McCain and Barack Obama’s campaigns increasingly recognize the central role that science, technology, and innovation play in economic growth and have developed specific policy positions on these issues. This ITIF policy brief compares and assesses the candidates’ technology and innovation policies across a number of specific issues areas, including: taxes, R&D funding, broadband and net neutrality, e-government, digital transformation, education and workforce development, trade, patent and intellectual property, and energy and the environment.

BEING ONLINE IS NOT ENOUGH: STATE ELECTIONS WEB SITES
The Pew Center on the States. October 2008. 36 pages.
http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Election_reform/VIP_FINAL_101408_WEB.pdf
Many of those going to the polls on November 4 will be first-time voters who will need to know how to register to vote, where to vote and, likely, who and what are on the ballots for the 2008 elections. Today’s technology should make it easier for these first-time voters. While it is clear that the Internet helps people search for and use information, it is not clear, however, that voters will in fact find the information they are looking for or that the information they do find will help them vote in the coming elections.

Digital Quality of Life: Understanding the Personal and Social Benefits of the Information Technology Revolution
Robert D. Atkinson and Daniel D. Castro. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). October 2008. 185 pages.
http://www.itif.org/files/DQOL.pdf
In the new global economy, information technology (IT) is the major driver of both economic growth and improved quality of life. In its 2007 report, the ITIF documented how IT, since the mid-1990s, has been the principal driver of increased economic growth not only in the United States but also in many other nations. IT is also at the core of dramatic improvements in the quality of life for individuals around the world. In this new report, the authors show how IT is the key enabler of many, if not most, of today’s key innovations and improvements in our lives and society -- from better education and health care, to a cleaner and more energy-efficient environment, to safer and more secure communities and nations.

Do High Call Termination Rates Deter Broadband Deployment?
T. Randolph Beard and George S. Ford. Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Public Policy Studies. Policy Bulletin No. 22. October 2008. 9 pages.
http://www.phoenix-center.org/PolicyBulletin/PCPB22Final.pdf
Does the current way by which providers compensate each other for the exchange of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), wireless, local and long-distance calls inhibit broadband deployment? The question is timely, as the Federal Communications Commission is presently considering a comprehensive intercarrier compensation reform proposal that would establish lower and more uniform rates for the transport and termination of all forms of traffic, regardless of point-of-origin and technology.

The Lobby that Cried Wolf
Benjamin Lennett. New America Foundation. Wireless Future Program. Issue Brief #23. October 2008. 14 pages.
http://www.newamerica.net/files/Lobby_That_Cried_Wolf.pdf
In an October 2007 letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), executives from the four largest TV networks told the Commission that proposals to allow low-power Wi-Fi type devices to operate on vacant TV channels, “could cause permanent damage to over-the-air digital television reception." Such a dire warning would ring alarm bells for policymakers, if not for the fact that similar nightmare scenarios have been predicted before. In numerous public relations and lobbying campaigns, broadcasters and their respective lobbies have relied upon similar doomsday pronouncements to inhibit competition and maintain their exclusive control over the valuable, but grossly under-utilized, broadcast spectrum.

Net Neutrality Regulation in the United States
Barbara S. Esbin. The Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF). Progress Snapshot Release 4.21. October 2008. 3 pages.
http://pff.org/issues-pubs/ps/2008/pdf/ps4.21pointofview.pdf
The United States moved closer to “Net Neutrality” regulation this year when the Federal Communications Commission found that Comcast, a cable broadband Internet service provider, violated a set of Internet policy principles the FCC adopted in 2005 by limiting peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic. The ruling was the culmination of a ten-year effort that began as a call for wholesale “open access” to the cable platform for third-party Internet service providers.

Networked Workers
The Pew Internet & American Life Project. September 24, 2008. 57 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Networked_Workers_FINAL.pdf
The majority of employed adults (62%) use the Internet or email at their job, and many have cell phones and Blackberries that keep them connected even when they are not at work. Working Americans express mixed views about the impact of technology on their work lives. On the one hand, they cite the benefits of increased connectivity and flexibility that the Internet and all of their various gadgets afford them at work. On the other hand, many workers say these tools have added stress and new demands to their lives.

Teens, Video Games and Civics
The Pew Internet & American Life Project. September 16, 2008. 76 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Games_and_Civics_Report_FINAL.pdf
The first national survey of its kind finds that virtually all American teens play computer, console, or cell phone games and that the gaming experience is rich and varied, with a significant amount of social interaction and potential for civic engagement. Game playing, however, sometimes involves exposure to mature content, with almost a third of teens playing games that are listed as appropriate only for people older than they are.

The DTV Coupon Program: A Boon to Retailers, not Consumers
Scott Wallsten. Technology Policy Institute. Policy Perspective. September 15, 2008. 4 pages.
http://www.techpolicyinstitute.org/files/the_dtv_coupon_program.pdf
In principle, the DTV coupon program reduces the cost to households of the digital transition by allowing them to spend $40 less on a converter box than they otherwise would. This analysis reveals, however, that coupon program has created a floor on the price of these converter boxes. Because consumers pay $0 with the coupon for any box priced $40 or less, retailers have little incentive to reduce the price below $40. An analysis of converter box prices at retailers around the country suggests that the coupon program has increased the price of converter boxes by $21-34.

USE OF CLOUD COMPUTING APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES
John B. Horrigan. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. September 12, 2008. 9 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Cloud.Memo.pdf
Some 69% of online Americans use webmail services, store data online, or use software programs such as word processing applications whose functionality is located on the web. In doing so, these users are making use of “cloud computing,” an emerging architecture by which data and applications reside in cyberspace, allowing users to access them through any web-connected device.

Cybersecurity Economic Issues: Corporate Approaches and Challenges to Decisionmaking
Rand Corporation. Research Brief. September 2008. 5 pages.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2008/RAND_RB9365.pdf
This research brief presents findings that address key cybersecurity concerns, perceptions of the importance of cybersecurity, and considerations for cybersecurity investment decisions. In particular, it suggests that companies, the government, and other organizations can help improve our understanding of cybersecurity economics by monitoring cybersecurity incidents and responses, soliciting and using standard terminology and measures, and sharing data whenever possible.

Time for a Post-Partisan Broadband Debate
Robert D. Atkinson. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). September 2008. 4 pages.
http://www.itif.org/files/Post-PartisanBroadbandDebate.pdf
In the last few years, the debate over broadband policy has become increasingly partisan and bitter. In this Report, the author argues that it is time to move beyond the partisan bickering. By reviewing the merits and shortcomings of each side’s position, the author draws a blueprint for pragmatic broadband progress in the areas of the U.S. broadband position, net neutrality, the role of competition and overall broadband policy.

THE ECONOMICS OF AUCTIONING DTV WHITE SPACE SPECTRUM
Michael Calabrese and Gregory Rose. New America Foundation. Wireless Future Program. Working Paper #22. September 2008. 31 pages.
http://www.newamerica.net/files/NoWindfallInWS_CalRose.pdf
A one-time auction of the guard band and other vacant channels in each local television market -- so-called "spectrum white space" -- would provide minimal revenue to the Treasury, while simultaneously ensuring that most of this unused "beachfront" spectrum will remain fallow, stifling the broadband services and innovation that could generate far more long-term economic activity. Alternatively, opening unlicensed access to the DTV white space for use by all American homes and businesses would do far more to promote opportunities for broadband deployment, innovation and efficient utilization of this spectrum.

Podcast Downloading 2008
Mary Madden and Sydney Jones. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. August 28, 2008. 5 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Podcast_2008_Memo.pdf
As gadgets with digital audio capability proliferate, podcast downloading continues to increase. Currently, 19% of all Internet users say they have downloaded a podcast so they could listen to it or view it later. This most recent percentage is up from 12% of Internet users who reported downloading podcasts in an August 2006 survey and 7% in a February-April 2006 survey. Still, podcasting has yet to become a fixture in the everyday lives of Internet users, as very few Internet users download podcasts on a typical day.

Whither the internet?
The Pew Internet & American Life Project. August 27, 2008. 6 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP-IGFsurvey.pdf
Last November, hundreds of government, industry leaders and Internet activists from around the world gathered in Rio de Janeiro for the second Internet Governance Forum. A survey conducted at the forum shows attendees want an online Bill of Rights and more competition among service providers

The Engaged E-patient Population
Susannah Fox. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. August 26, 2008. 4 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Health_Aug08.pdf
The Pew Internet Project estimates that between 75% and 80% of Internet users have looked online for health information. Information gathering has become a habit for many Americans, particularly those in the 55% of households with broadband connections. For example, 78% of home broadband users look online for health information, compared with 70% of home dial-up users. Home broadband users are twice as likely as home dial-up users to do health research on a typical day -- 12% vs. 6%.

KEY NEWS AUDIENCES NOW BLEND ONLINE AND TRADITIONAL SOURCES
The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. August 17, 2008. 129 pages.
http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/444.pdf
For more than a decade, the audiences for most traditional news sources have steadily declined, as the number of people getting news online has surged. Today, however, a sizable minority of Americans find themselves at the intersection of these two long-standing trends in news consumption. Integrators, who get the news from both traditional sources and the Internet, are a more engaged, sophisticated and demographically sought-after audience segment than those who mostly rely on traditional news sources. Integrators share some characteristics with a smaller, younger, more Internet savvy audience segment, Net-Newsers, who principally turn to the web for news, and largely eschew traditional sources.

Search Engine Use
Deborah Fallows. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. August 6, 2008. 6 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Search_Aug08.pdf
The percentage of Internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of just under one-half (49%). With this increase, the number of those using a search engine on a typical day is pulling ever closer to the 60% of Internet users who use email.

State and Federal Electronic Government in the United States, 2008
Darrell M. West. Governance Studies. The Brookings Institution. August 2008. 19 pages.
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2008/0826_egovernment_west/0826_egovernment_west.pdf
This report assesses the nature of American state and federal electronic government in 2008 by examining whether e-government effectively capitalizes on the interactive features available on the World Wide Web to improve service delivery and public outreach. Although considerable progress has been made over the past decade, e-government has fallen short of its potential to transform public-sector operations. This report closes by suggesting how public officials can take maximum advantage of technology to improve government performance.

Improving Technology Utilization in Electronic Government around the World, 2008
Darrell M. West. Governance Studies. The Brookings Institution. August 2008. 32 pages.
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2008/0817_egovernment_west/0817_egovernment_west.pdf
Despite the great promise of technological advancement, public sector innovation has tended to be small-scale and gradual. Factors such as institutional arrangements, budget scarcity, group conflict, cultural norms and prevailing patterns of social and political behavior have restricted government actions. Because governments are divided into competing agencies and jurisdictions, policymakers struggle to get bureaucrats to work together in promoting technological innovation. Budget considerations prevent government offices from placing services online and using technology for democratic outreach. Cultural norms and patterns of individual behavior affect the manner in which technology is used by citizens and policymakers.

Previous issues of Information Technologies -- Documents on the Web are available at: http://france.usembassy.gov/economics.html

Voir aussi: Index de l'Internet

HISTOIRE DU RISQUE ECONOMIQUE

2008-09-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

1-Longtemps, on s'est couché de bonne heure. Les hommes passaient leur journée dans les bois, à la recherche de gibiers et de fruits. Monopolisant le temps disponible, l'économie était cependant une pratique simple et modeste, se limitant à fournir ce dont les hommes avaient besoin pour se nourrir, s'abriter, se chauffer, honorer leurs femmes puis leurs dieux .

Le risque économique provenait de la nature (climat, épidémies, animaux féroces...). Mais déjà aussi des autres hommes, nomades de la terre ou de la mer. Et cela d'autant plus que les progrès de l'économie sédentaire favorisaient la multiplication et la survie des hommes, donc les cibles pour les prédateurs de ressources, de territoires, de femmes et de vies humaines.

3000 ans avant J.C, dans le Croissant fertile du Moyen Orient, l'agriculture irriguée, l'élevage , le stockage permettaient la création des grandes cités, des états policés, des empires. On n'était plus dans la survie du Neanderthal; on entrait dans l'Age des civilisations organisées où l'économie jouait un rôle important mais non exclusif à côté de la politique , du droit, de la guerre et de la religion .

Cependant les techniques économiques n'ont cessé de progresser en efficacité et dans leur maîtrise du temps et de l'espace.

Dans la production agricole. Avec les défrichements médiévaux, la découverte des plantes américaines et l'assolement, l'assolement, l'apport massif d' amendements et engrais venus d'usines lointaines, la colonisation des grandes steppes continentales par le brûlis, le dry farming, les convois d'immigrants, l'enclos de barbelés. Puis l'agriculture scientifique hyperproductive.....

Dans l'industrie, la maitrise de la mine et des métaux , puis de l'énergie, la création de matériaux nouveaux avec la chimie,la mécanisation, le travail organisé à flux tendus et à distance, de plus en plus loin des consommateurs.

Le commerce aussi élargit l'espace et la durée des activités économiques.A l'origine, simple troc de proximité, il devient continental (grandes foires du Moyen Age) et intercontinental (route de la soie, commerce des épices, commerce triangulaire de l'Atlantique...)

Tout ceci est allé de pair avec une organisation des sociétés liée au progrès économique

La production économique appelait une organisation de la propriété des territoires et des biens . Et surtout du travail humain : esclavage, servage, statut de l'artisan, contrat et droit du travail, travail programmé dans les manufactures et les mines, assistance sociale à la reproduction de la force de travail..

Le crédit, puis la société de capitaux, donnent du temps et de la confiance pour entreprendre des tâches de longue haleine (dénouement des cycles commerciaux longs , grands travaux, fabrications de masse...) . Dès la fin du moyen Age, les banquiers jouent un rôle croissant, certes pour financer l'économie, mais aussi les dépenses publiques bien plus rentables de l'accès au pouvoir (ex: les candidatures aux élections impériales) , l'ostentation et la guerre des Princes.

La monnaie et la comptabilité représentent, par l'abstraction, des valeurs économiques, ce qui facilite les calculs...et les combinaisons hâtives ou douteuses.

C'est aussi le début d'une indépendance croissante de la finance par rapport à l'économie réelle des biens et services

La banque, la finance hors banque (la Bourse par exemple) et la monnaie ont en commun de ne pas représenter directement des valeurs concrètes mais des notions assez subjectives comme la confiance, la valorisation du temps et celle des risques .

Il s'y ajoute l'extrême facilité pour créer et distribuer des ressources de paiement qui viennent en concurrence avec celles qui proviennent de l'économie proprement dit , c'est à dire la rémunération du bien ou service fourni à autrui.

Or ce n'est pas l'activité économique proprement dite qui crée la valeur, mais la quantité d'argent, que l'on peut attribuer à un produit . Et cela quelle que soit l'origine de cet argent: salaire, transfert social en provenance de l'Etat-providence, vol, spéculation boursière. cession d'actif, crédit, création monétaire...

Pour compliquer le tout, la financiarisation a puissamment déplacé les méthodes et les enjeux de l'économie.

Comment? La financiarisation a commencé depuis longtemps avec le crédit, l'endossement et la négociation des effets de commerce, la multiplication des monnaies métalliques en provenance d'Amérique, les monnaies de compte , la création des banques centrales régulatrices et l'abandon de l'or comme moyen de paiement en 1976.

Dans les vingt dernières années la déréglementation , l'internationalisation des mouvements de capitaux, l'apparition des produits dérivés et des marchés de risques, l'intervention d'opérateurs non bancaires ont considérablement accru la circulation financière indépendamment de tout objectif économique classique (produire pour satisfaire un besoin)..

Aujourd'hui les actifs financiers représentent quatre fois le PIB mondial, les échanges de devises représentent environ 500 fois les flux commerciaux réels de biens et services. C'est beaucoup plus que l'huile de rouage nécessaire pour l'économie réelle.

Tout ceci a désarmé les opérateurs et régulateurs traditionnels de la finance (banques commerciales, banques centrales, états). Les grands organismes internationaux de type FMI-Banque Mondiale sont eux aussi très loin de faire le poids devant un marché aussi puissant qui définit de fait les critères de décision (au profit de qui?) les rendements exigés du capital et qui s'autorise bien des bulles spéculatives et des crises.

Où est, dans tout cela l'économie de grand papa, où Ford gagnait sa vie en proposant des automobiles que pouvaient acheter ses ouvriers? où les institutions publiques définissaient les règles acceptables de la compétition pour les richesses?

Rome n'est plus dans Rome et l'économie réelle a sombré dans la finance virtuelle. Tout ceci évolue très vite et se trouve hors de portée des décideurs privés ou publics les plus légitimes..

La monnaie, symbôle d'une richesse concrète, est vite devenue une source autonome de revenus donc de richesses.

Les Monarques, maîtres des horloges chargés des régulations, n'ont pas hésité à rogner sur la quantité de métal précieux inclus dans la monnaie. Ils ont ainsi inventé l'inflation qui, avec les impôts, les emprunts plus ou moins obligatoires et mal remboursés et la création de monnaie-papier (assignats), ont financé les grandes faillites de la Cour (Louis XVI?) et surtout les guerres puis les indispensables démagogies.

6- L'extraordinaire instinct de survie de l'homme du Neanderthal le conduisait à privilégier par nécessité une économie très concrète. Comme chez les truites d'élevage incapables de survivre dans la nature sans croquettes, cet instinct est aujourd'hui très dégradé, au mieux dans l'amélioration du pouvoir d'achat, au pire en caprice d'acquisition du dernier gadget à la mode...Le vouloir d'achat prend le pas sur le pouvoir d'achat et même sur les besoins réeels.

A côté de cela s'est développé, du moins chez les "élites" le puissant instinct du pouvoir politique ou idéologique, qui porte à son actif la formation et le fonctionnement des grands ensembles territoriaux et des communautés religieuses ou culturelles, mais aussi la quasi-totalité des grandes guerres et des dépenses somptuaires ou démagogiques. Il est lui aussi souvent dégradé en volonté de prestige ou revendication d'identité.

Dans un cas comme dans l'autre , aspiration économique ou ambition politique, la tentation était grande de transformer en absolu une activité subordonnée. En créant des règles (lois, institutions, organisations...) et même des postulats philosophiques. Ceux de la pensée politique sont bien connus, autour de la Nation, du Roi, du peuple souverain etc...

Ceux de la pensée économique ont été plus longs à se manifester comme des absolus, mais c'est le cas depuis deux siècles au moins: évangiles selon Saint Marx et Saint Adam Smith, homo economicus, anticipations rationnelles, concurrence, paradigme des marchés autorégulés, marchés incontestés...).

Il s'agit d'une sorte de religion, ou du moins de pensée unique, qui propose ses méthodes et ses objectifs à la vie concrète dans l'économie mais aussi dans l'organisation du politique, du social et même de la vie individuelle (socioeconomie)

Les détenteurs de savoirs techniques (ingénieurs, biologistes, guerriers, prédicateurs) sont rarement modestes . Ils extrapolent leurs savoirs jusqu'à un absolu déraisonnable et on trouve toujours un Faust, un Docteur Mabuse ou Frankenstein, un Hitler pour exagérer sans humour jusqu'à l'absurde ou l'horreur.

Comme toute pulsion forte, la recherche du pouvoir ou simplement d'une satisfaction économique ou politique; exercée par un acteur assez puissant, peut susciter un changement destabilisant pour autrui, c'est à dire un risque.

Chose plus grave, les techniques d'influence économique (publicité, appel à la crédulité publique, création de valeur « out of nothing » ) et d'influence politique (propagande, menace, agression...) sont desormais largement vulgarisées entre des mains non innocentes: mafias, délinquants financiers, groupes terroristes,

Ouvrons notre journal. Croyances totalitaires, anticipations rationnelles et marchés auto-régulés, bulles et subprimes, énormité de la dette américaine, traders-fous, patrons-voyous, politiciens mégalomanes, médiatisations narcissiques, surconsommations chauffées à la publicité, pollutions, génie génétique, drogues et addictions médicamenteuses, nanotechnologies...

Nous avons longuement forgé des instruments prométhéens , économie, politique, science, communication qui nous échappent et nous menacent.

Le bonheur tranquille n'est plus ni dans les prés, ni dans les bois, ni encore moins dans la Cité radieuse promise par les politiciens.

So what?

Le WIKI professionnel de l'American Libray Association

2008-08-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

US TECHNOLOGIES Summer 2008

2008-07-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

National Do Not Call Registry: Annual Report to Congress for FY 2007 Pursuant to the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act on Implementation of the National Do Not Call Registry
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). July 2008. 20 pages.
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/07/P034305FY0dncreport.pdf

The National Do Not Call Registry is, by virtually every available measure, an effective consumer protection initiative. By the end of FY 2007, there were more than 145 million telephone numbers on the National Registry. The available data show that compliance with the National Registry provisions of the Amended Telemarketing Sales Rule (“Amended TSR”) is high and that, as a result, consumers are receiving fewer unwanted telemarketing calls. The National Registry received over 19 million new registrations during FY 2007. Approximately 66,000 sellers, telemarketers, and exempt organizations accessed the National Registry during the fiscal year, with over 6,000 of those entities paying fees totaling more than $21.5 million. The FTC initiated three new cases alleging violations of the National Registry and resolved or added defendants to eight cases that were filed before FY 2007 but were still pending.

Privacy: Congress Should Consider Alternatives for Strengthening Protection of Personally Indentifiable Information
Linda Koontz. Director. Information Management Issues. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate. June 18, 2008. 27 pages.

Concerns have been raised about the privacy and security of personal information in light of advances in information technology and the increasingly sophisticated ways in which the government obtains and uses information. Federal agencies' use of personal information is governed by the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002, while the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provides implementation guidance and oversight. These laws and guidance are based on the Fair Information Practices, a set of widely accepted principles for protecting privacy. GAO was asked to testify on its report concerning the sufficiency of privacy protections afforded by existing laws and guidance.

DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION: Broadcasters’ Transition Status, Low-Power Station Issues, and Information on Consumer Awareness of the DTV Transition
Mark L. Goldstein. Director. Physical Infrastructure Issues. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives. June 10, 2008. 23 pages.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08881t.pdf
This requested report examines the status of broadcast stations in transitioning to digital, the extent to which broadcast stations are encountering issues, and the actions the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken to guide broadcasters in the digital transition. Television broadcast stations have made substantial progress in transitioning to digital television, with the vast majority already transmitting a digital signal. Approximately 91 percent of the 1,122 full-power stations responding to this survey are currently transmitting a digital signal, with approximately 68 percent of survey respondents transmitting their digital signal at full strength and 68 percent transmitting their digital signal on the channel from which they will broadcast after the transition date. Some stations, however, still need to complete construction of their final digital facilities, and others need to relocate their digital channel to complete the transition.

Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs
Lennard G. Kruger and Angele A. Gilroy. Congressional Research Service (CRS). June 4, 2008. 38 pages.
http://www.ipmall.info/hosted_resources/crs/RL30719_080604.pdf
Broadband technologies are currently being deployed primarily by the private sector throughout the United States. While the numbers of new broadband subscribers continue to grow, studies and data suggest that the rate of broadband deployment in urban and high income areas may be outpacing deployment in rural and low-income areas. Some policymakers, believing that disparities in broadband access across American society could have adverse economic and social consequences on those left behind, assert that the federal government should play a more active role to avoid a “digital divide” in broadband access. One approach is for the federal government to provide financial assistance to support broadband deployment in underserved areas. Others, however, believe that federal assistance for broadband deployment is not appropriate. Some opponents question the reality of the “digital divide,” and argue that federal intervention in the broadband marketplace would be premature and, in some cases, counterproductive.

Broadband Internet Regulation and Access: Background and Issues
Angele A. Gilroy and Lennard G. Kruger. Congressional Research Service (CRS). May 27, 2008. 23 pages.

Some areas of the nation -- particularly rural and low-income communities -- continue to lack full access to high-speed broadband Internet service. In order to address this problem, the 110th Congress is examining a wide range of issues including the scope and effect of federal broadband financial assistance programs (including universal service and the broadband programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service), and the impact of telecommunications regulation and new technologies on broadband deployment. One facet of the debate over broadband services focuses on whether present laws and subsequent regulatory policies are needed to ensure the development of competition and its subsequent consumer benefits, or conversely, whether such laws and regulations are overly burdensome and discourage investment in and deployment of broadband services.

Broadband Loan and Grant Programs in the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service
Lennard G. Kruger. Congressional Research Service (CRS). May 15, 2008. 35 pages.

Some key issues pertinent to a consideration of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) broadband programs include restrictions on applicant eligibility, how “rural” is defined with respect to eligible rural communities, how to address assistance to areas with preexisting broadband service, technological neutrality, funding levels and mechanisms, and the appropriateness of federal assistance. Ultimately, any modification of rules, regulations, or criteria associated with the RUS broadband program will likely result in “winners and losers” in terms of which companies, communities, regions of the country, and technologies are eligible or more likely to receive broadband loans and grants.

The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities
Patricia Moloney Figliola. Congressional Research Service (CRS). May 15, 2008. 19 pages.

Proponents of federal support of information technology (IT) R&D assert that it has produced positive outcomes for the country and played a crucial role in supporting long-term research into fundamental aspects of computing. Government-funded IT research often leads to open standards, something that many perceive as beneficial, encouraging deployment and further investment. Industry, on the other hand, is more inclined to invest in proprietary products and will diverge from a common standard when there is a potential competitive or financial advantage to do so. Finally, proponents of government support believe that the outcomes achieved through the various funding programs create a synergistic environment in which both fundamental and application-driven research are conducted, benefitting government, industry, academia, and the public. Critics assert that the government, through its funding mechanisms, may be picking “winners and losers” in technological development, a role more properly residing with the private sector. For example, the size of the NITRD Program may encourage industry to follow the government’s lead on research directions rather than selecting those directions itself.

“Spam”: An Overview of Issues Concerning Commercial Electronic Mail
Patricia Moloney Figliola. Congressional Research Service (CRS). May 14, 2008. 21 pages.

Spam, also called unsolicited commercial email (UCE) or “junk email,” aggravates many computer users. Proponents of UCE insist it is a legitimate marketing technique that is protected by the First Amendment, and that some consumers want to receive such solicitations. On December 16, 2003, President Bush signed into law the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act, P.L. 108-187. It went into effect on January 1, 2004. The CAN-SPAM Act does not ban UCE. Rather, it allows marketers to send commercial email as long as it conforms with the law, such as including a legitimate opportunity for consumers to “opt-out” of receiving future commercial emails from that sender. Proponents of CAN-SPAM have argued that consumers are most irritated by fraudulent email, and that the law should reduce the volume of such email because of the civil and criminal penalties included therein. Opponents counter that consumers object to unsolicited commercial email, and since the law legitimizes commercial email (as long as it conforms with the law’s provisions), consumers actually may receive more, not fewer, UCE messages.

Broadband over Powerlines: Regulatory and Policy Issues
Patricia Moloney Figliola. Congressional Research Service (CRS). May 13, 2008. 21 pages.

Congress has expressed significant interest in increasing the availability of broadband services throughout the nation. Broadband over powerlines (BPL) has the potential to play a significant role in increasing the competitive landscape of the communications industry as well as extend the reach of broadband to a greater number of Americans. BPL, like any technology, has its advantages and disadvantages. Proponents state that BPL is less expensive to deploy than the cable and telephone companies’ broadband offerings; it does not require upgrades to the actual electric grid; and, it is not limited by some technical constraints of its competitors. However, critics are concerned that BPL interferes with licensed radio frequencies used for amateur radio, government, and emergency response.

Evidence on the Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology
Peter R. Orszag. Director. Congressional Budget Office (CBO). CBO Paper. May 2008. 46 pages.

Health information technology (health IT) plays a key role in health care. Providers such as physicians and hospitals generate and process information as they provide care to patients. Managing that information and using it productively pose a continuing challenge, particularly in light of the complexity of the U.S. health care sector, with its many different types of providers, services, and settings for care. Health IT has the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of the health sector by helping providers manage information. It could also improve the quality of health care and, ultimately, the outcomes of that care for patients. In this paper, prepared at the request of the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, the Congressional Budget Office examines the evidence on the costs and benefits of health IT, possible barriers to a broader distribution and use of it in hospitals and clinicians’ offices, and possible options for the federal government to promote use of health IT.

DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION: Majority of Broadcasters Are Prepared for the DTV Transition, but Some Technical and Coordination Issues Remain
Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to Congressional Requesters. April 2008. 38 pages.

This requested report examines the status of broadcast stations in transitioning to digital, the extent to which broadcast stations are encountering issues, and the actions the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken to guide broadcasters in the digital transition. To address these issues, GAO conducted a Web-based survey of full-power television broadcast stations. GAO surveyed 1,682 stations and obtained completed questionnaires from 1,122 stations, for a response rate of 66.7 percent.

THINK TANKS AND RESEARCH CENTERS:

The opinions expressed in these publications do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government

HOME BROADBAND ADOPTION 2008
John B. Horrigan. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Report. July 2008. 31 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Broadband_2008.pdf
Some 55% of all adult Americans now have a high-speed Internet connection at home. The percentage of Americans with broadband at home has grown from 47% in early 2007. Poorer Americans saw no growth in broadband adoption in the past year while at the same time nearly one-third of broadband users pay more to get faster connections.

THE INTERNET AND THE 2008 ELECTION
Aaron Smith and Lee Rainie. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Report. June 15, 2008. 27 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_2008_election.pdf
A record-breaking 46% of Americans have used the Internet, e-mail or cell phone text messaging to get news about the campaign, share their views and mobilize others. A significant number of voters are also using the Internet to gain access to campaign events and primary documents. Some 39% of online Americans have used the Internet to access "unfiltered" campaign materials, which includes video of candidate debates, speeches and announcements, as well as position papers and speech transcripts. Online activism using social media has also grown substantially since the first time the Pew Center probed this issue during the 2006 midterm elections.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE GREEN ECONOMY: A STATE-BY-STATE PICTURE OF OCCUPATIONS THAT GAIN FROM GREEN INVESTMENTS
Robert Pollin and Jeannette Wicks-Lim. Political Economy Research Institute. University of Massachusetts, Amherst. June 2008. 15 pages.
http://www.bluegreenalliance.org/atf/cf/%7B3637E5F0-D0EA-46E7-BB32-74D973EFF334%7D/NRDC_report_May28.pdf
This report provides a snapshot of what kinds of jobs are needed to build a green economy in the United States. The authors focus on six key strategies for attacking global warming and highlight some of the major “green jobs” associated with each of these approaches: building retrofitting, mass transit, energy-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power, and cellulosic biomass fuels. Millions of U.S. workers -- across a wide range of familiar occupations, states, and income and skill levels -- will all benefit from the project of defeating global warming and transforming the United States into a green economy.

RURAL BROADBAND AND THE TV WHITE SPACE: HOW UNLICENSED ACCESS TO VACANT TELEVISION CHANNELS CAN BRING AFFORDABLE WIRELESS BROADBAND TO RURAL AMERICA
Benjamin Lennett. New America Foundation. Wireless Future Program. Issue Brief #22. June 2008. 4 pages.
http://www.newamerica.net/files/Rural_Broadband_and_TV_WhiteSpace.pdf
In 2004, the FCC initiated a proceeding to determine rules to allow the unlicensed operation of wireless communication devices in unused television band spectrum between channels 2 and 51. These vacant and unassigned television channels, known as the TV “white spaces,” would help make affordable wireless broadband in rural America a reality.

THE INTERNET AND CONSUMER CHOICE
John B. Horrigan. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Report. May 18, 2008. 42 pages.
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Consumer.Decisions.pdf
Networked information gives consumers ready access to resources that can provide clues about product quality, terms of service, and other features. This report examines the process by which people come to purchase three types of products that, in different ways, are likely to be influenced by online information. This reports finds that the Internet plays an important role in how people conduct research for purchases, but it is just one among a variety of sources people use and usually not the key factor in final purchasing decisions.

EXPLAINING INTERNATIONAL BROADBAND LEADERSHIP
Robert D. Atkinson, Daniel K. Correa and Julie A. Hedlund. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). May 2008. 108 pages.
http://www.itif.org/files/ExplainingBBLeadership.pdf
It is hard to follow broadband telecommunications policy without hearing almost weekly that the United States ranks 15th out of 30 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations in broadband adoption. But it is much less apparent why the United States is behind. Indeed, relatively little work has been done to understand why some nations are ahead, and why some, like the United States, are lagging. By examining OECD nations through statistical analysis and in-depth case studies of nine nations, including the United States, this report identifies factors that have spurred broadband performance in other nations, presents key findings that government and the technology industry must recognize if they are to find the right course for the United States, and proposes key policy recommendations that will drive greater broadband performance.

UNDERSTANDING INTERNATIONAL BROADBAND COMPARISONS
Scott Wallsten. Technology Policy Institute. May 2008. 56 pages.
http://www.techpolicyinstitute.org/files/wallsten_international_broadband_comparisons.pdf
Discussions about broadband policy in the United States today inevitably begin by citing OECD estimates. Many analysts interpret the low ranking of the U.S. in broadband penetration relative to other OECD countries as meaning that U.S. broadband policy has been a failure. Whatever the relationship between rankings and policy, the OECD estimates are inaccurate and therefore misleading. In fact, broadband is nearly universally available in the U.S. and the U.S. compares favorably to other rich countries in terms of broadband penetration, speeds, and in broader measures of information and communications technology.

THE BROADBAND EFFICIENCY INDEX: WHAT REALLY DRIVES BROADBAND ADOPTION ACROSS THE OECD?
George S. Ford, Thomas M. Koutsky and Lawrence J. Spiwak. Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Public Policy Studies. Policy Paper Number 33. May 2008. 27 pages.
http://www.phoenix-center.org/pcpp/PCPP33Final.pdf
In this paper, the authors assess the performance and efficiency of OECD countries with respect to broadband Internet subscription. Using the econometric technique of Stochastic Frontier Analysis, they estimate scores indicating the efficiency with which a country converts its economic and demographic endowments into broadband subscriptions. With very few exceptions, they find that broadband subscription in OECD countries is consistent with those endowments -- about two thirds of OECD countries have an efficiency rate of 95% or better. Significantly, the United States has an efficiency index of 96.7%, which is slightly higher than Japan (96.3%) and Korea (95.8%). Consistent with earlier research, they find that economic and demographic endowments explain nearly all of the variation in broadband subscriptions (91%).

REVERSE AUCTIONS AND UNIVERSAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE: LESSONS FROM GLOBAL EXPERIENCE
Scott Wallsten. Technology Policy Institute. April 2008. 20 pages.
http://www.techpolicyinstitute.org/files/wallsten_global_reverse_auctions-1.pdf
The United States now spends around $7 billion on universal service programs -- subsidies intended to ensure that the entire country has access to telecommunications services. Most of this money supports telecommunications service in “high cost” (primarily rural) areas, and the High Cost fund is growing quickly. In response to this growth, policymakers are considering using reverse auctions, or bids for the minimum subsidy, as a way to reduce expenditures. While the U.S. has not yet distributed funds for universal service programs using reverse auctions, the method has been used widely.

Previous issues of Information Technologies – Documents on the Web are available at: http://france.usembassy.gov/irc/econ/webalert/default.htm

MEDIAS USA

2008-07-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

MEDIA METRICS: THE TRUE STATE OF THE MODERN MEDIA MARKETPLACE
Progress & Freedom Foundation, July 17, 2008

Debates about the state of the media marketplace continue to garner interest in Washington. Many policymakers, regulators, and consumer groups bemoan the supposed lack of “localism,” ownership concentration and an absence of quality programming as a rationale to further regulate in the media sector.
The report shows that, contrary to what some media critics believe, there are more media choice, competition, and diversity than ever before. The report offers a comprehensive look at a variety of media sectors such as audio, video and print, providing policymakers with a snapshot of the media sector.

THE CHANGING NEWSROOM
Project for Excellence in Journalism, July 21, 2008

Despite an image of decline, more people today in more places read the content produced in the newsrooms of American daily newspapers than at any time in years. But revenues are tumbling. The editors expect the financial picture only to worsen, and they have little confidence that they know what their papers will look like in five years.

Voir LA PRESSE

Encyclopedie Larousse

2008-07-30T01:27:00.000-07:00

Encyclopedie Larousse

Une nouvelle encyclopédie contributive, sur le modèle de Wikipedia.
150000 articles mis gratuitement à disposition du public.
Les internautes peuvent aussi rédiger des articles dans un espace personnel: ces contenus ne peuvent être modifiés que par l'auteur lui-même ou par un modérateur en cas d'abus .
Ceci fournira à Larousse de nouveaux rédacteurs spécialisés.

Voir BIBLIOTHEQUES EN LIGNE

Paris, capitale de la gouvernance d’Internet

2008-06-18T03:01:00.000-07:00

A partir du 20 juin 2008, Paris accueille la Semaine de l'Internet Mondial. Différentes réunions privées et publiques sont organisées autour des questions de l’Internet et de sa gouvernance. Sous les auspices de l’Icann, de l’Isoc, de l’Afnic ou d’autres, elles sont ouvertes à tous ceux qui souhaitent mieux comprendre les enjeux, participer aux débats en cours ou émettre de nouvelles idées. D’accord - ou pas - avec les organisations qui se réunissent à Paris, en accord - ou en désaccord - avec les autres participants qu’ils soient des utilisateurs, des fournisseurs, de la société civile, des pouvoir publics, du secteur privé ou de la communauté technique, venez écouter, participer à l’une ou l’autre de ces réunions.

Egeni

La septième édition d’Egeni, organisée par Isoc France, et dont Sociétés de l’information est partenaire, se tient à Paris le 20 juin 2008, au Méridien Montparnasse sur le thème : « Internet 2020 ».

Trois grands débats rythment cette journée de rencontres :

Internet et l’Europe : vers un FGI Europe ?
A la veille de la présidence de l’Union Européenne par la France : débat sur le rôle de l’Europe dans la gouvernance de l’Internet entre grands témoins et responsables politique.
Le futur de l’Internet et l’internet du futur.
Des experts confrontent leurs visions à celles de grands témoins.
Les utilisateurs au cœur de l’Internet.
Des responsables politiques et d’organisations de la gouvernance de l’Internet dialoguent avec les représentants des utilisateurs du réseau.

Icann

L’Icann prend le relais du 21 au 27 juin ; sa 32ème réunion internationale se tient pour la première fois en France. Les hôtes français sont nombreux et regroupés au sein de l’Agifem : l’Afnic, le W3C, Renater, Namebay, Internet fr, Indom, EuroDNS, French connexion, Amen et Isoc France avec le soutien de la Mairie de Paris, du ministère de l'Economie, des finances et de l'emploi, du ministère des Affaires étrangères, de France Télécom et du Toit de la Grande Arche avec le Musée de l’informatique et seront rejoints par d’autres, sponsors et partenaires.

Les conférences de l’Icann se tiennent trois fois par an donnent lieu à de multiples réunions – le plus souvent ouvertes – regroupant des participants soit autour de thèmes communs soit pour leur appartenance à un groupe, ou à une constituante.

Pour cette édition, les sujets principaux, qui vont sans doute évoluer dans les semaines qui viennent, sont :

La transition et l’évolution de l’Icann à la fin du JPA (Join Project Agreement) entre l’Icann et le DoC (Département du Commerce américain),
Les nouveaux gTLDs – Quand, comment, combien… ?
Les IDNs (noms de domaine internationalisés) pour les ccTLDs et les gTLDs,
Les adresses du protocole Internet, vers la fin de la distribution d’IP version 4 et la montée en puissance d’IP version 6.

Une réunion particulière retient notre attention, celle d’EuRalo – pour European Regional At-Large organization – qui regroupe des structures nationales représentant des utilisateurs individuels comme Isoc France et d’autres chapitres européens de l’Isoc, Terre des femmes e.V. et peut-être bientôt France At-Large. La structure est ouverte à d’autres organisations qui souhaiteraient participer plus directement et sur le long terme aux débats de l’Icann.
Ce sera la première réunion d’EuRalo depuis sa formation. Elle devrait être l’occasion d’un large échange de vue des Européens sur les questions liées à la gestion technique des noms de domaine et des adresses IP.

Isoc

L’Isoc organise différentes réunions, notamment celle des représentants des chapitres présents à Paris ou celle du Conseil d’Administration d’Isoc Monde.

Juin 2008 est l’occasion de faire prendre conscience à de nombreuses personnes de l’importance du mot d’ordre de l’Isoc : Internet pour tous et Internet par tous !

Sébastien Bachollet – président Isoc France

Voir INTERNET sur INTERNET
ACTUALITES DE L' INTERNET

Stockage virtuel sur GMAIL

2008-06-18T01:21:00.000-07:00

STOCKAGE VIRTUEL sur GMAIL

Votre espace GMAIL peutêtre transformé en disque virtuel jusqu'à 6 Go, gérable comme un FTP

Procurez-vous le plug-in gratuit GSPACE, valable pour Windows, Mac, OS et Linux

"https://addons.mozilla.org/fr/firefox/addon/1593 "

Cliquez sur "Ajouter à Firefox", "Installer maintenant"

Redémarrez Firefox, Deroulez le menu Outils> Gspace : la console de gestion de fichiers apparait (à gauche : disque dur; à droite , disque virtuel.

Saisissez vore adresse Gmail et son mot de passe. Puis "Add", puis "Fermer"

"Manage Accounts" puis "Login"

La connexion vous permet de gérer "Upload" et "Download" comme avec un serveur FTP.

Vous pouvez échanger vos données avec vos amis.

Voir:
Classement et stockage de l'information

CREATIVITE PAR INTERNET

2008-06-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

Voir INDEX DE LA CREATIVITE

Un outil de carte mentale: FreeMind - free mind mapping software

FreeMind is a premier free mind-mapping (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map) software written in Java. The recent development has hopefully turned it into high productivity tool. We are proud that the operation and navigation of FreeMind is faster than that of MindManager because of one-click "fold / unfold" and "follow link" operations.

So you want to write a completely new metaphysics? Why don't you use FreeMind? You have a tool at hand that remarkably resembles the tray slips of Robert Pirsig, described in his sequel to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance called Lila. Do you want to refactor your essays in a similar way you would refactor software? Or do you want to keep personal knowledge base, which is easy to manage? Why don't you try FreeMind? Do you want to prioritize, know where you are, where you've been and where you are heading, as Stephen Covey would advise you? Have you tried FreeMind to keep track of all the things that are needed for that?

FreeMind documentation

LA BETISE

2008-06-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

Stupidity (also called fatuity) is the property a person, action or belief instantiates by virtue of having or being indicative of low intelligence

Stupidity (2003)Directed by Albert Nerenberg. With George W. Bush, Noam Chomsky, John Cleese. An exploration into the nature of stupidity in Western society and its history ...

"Stupidity "d'Avital Ronell

[Philosophie]

Qu'est-ce que la bêtise ? Où commence-t-elle ? Où s'arrête-t-elle ? Est-elle l'autre de l'intelligence - ou les confins de celle-ci ? Est-elle la négation de la raison - ou le seuil qui y mène ? C'est à toutes ces questions que tente de répondre, dans cet essai stimulant, la philosophe Avital Ronell, en revisitant les poètes et les écrivains que la bêtise fascina et qui ne sortirent pas toujours indemnes de cette attraction souvent réciproque - Barthes, Hölderlin, Flaubert, Kafka, Musil, Michaux, Pynchon - mais aussi les philosophes qui, parfois, crurent s'en détourner alors qu'ils ne faisaient que mieux l'embrasser - Kant, Hegel, Heidegger. Mais au-delà de la littérature et de la philosophie, Avital Ronell montre que la définition de la bêtise est d'abord une question politique, une marque de distinction et de ségrégation sociale, qui permet d'exclure des groupes et des individus de leur participation à la vie de la cité - et de conforter les autres dans la maîtrise et la possession des critères définissant l'intelligence et l'octroi des pouvoirs et des privilèges qui s'y rattachent indéfectiblement.

Voir aussi Les decisions absurdes

CORRUPTION ET FRAUDE

2008-06-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

Prochaine conférence-débat de TI France « Corruption et fraude : quelles sont les expériences et les perceptions des entreprises françaises ? »

Lundi 16 juin à 18h00Accueil à partir de 17h30

ENA, Amphithéâtre Parodi 2 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75 006 Paris.

Participation gratuite, inscription obligatoire

Le cabinet Ernst & Young a publié le 14 mai la 10^ème édition de son enquête mondiale sur la fraude et la corruption en entreprise. Cette étude met en lumière une étonnante singularité française sur plusieurs des points abordés. Pour quelles raisons nos entreprises se déclarent-elles moins confrontées à la corruption que celles des entreprises des autres pays, y compris de l’Europe de l’Ouest ? Pourquoi leurs analyses différent-elles par rapport au reste du monde sur les conséquences de la fraude et de la corruption en entreprise ainsi que sur les meilleurs moyens de gérer ces risques ? Afin d’apporter un éclairage sur ces questions, Transparence-International (France) a invité Jean-Michel Arlandis, associé en charge du département Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services chez Ernst & Young, à venir présenter à ses membres et partenaires les résultats détaillés de cette enquête.

Programme :

- Introduction par Daniel Lebègue, président de TI France

- Présentation du rapport par Jean-Michel Arlandis, associé en charge du département Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services chez Ernst & Young

- Débat avec la salle

Cette conférence nous donnera également l’occasion de faire le point sur les avancées de la prévention de la corruption dans les entreprises au moment où Transparency International rendra public son 4^ème rapport évaluant, un peu plus de 10 ans après son entrée en vigueur, la mise en œuvre de la convention de l’OCDE. Adoptée en 1997, celle-ci fut la première à incriminer la corruption active d’agents publics étrangers dans le commerce international.

Participation gratuite, inscription obligatoire. Vous trouverez ci-joint le bulletin d’inscription. Nous attirons votre attention sur le fait que le nombre de places est limité. Les inscriptions seront enregistrées puis confirmées par ordre de réception.

N’hésitez pas à faire suivre cette invitation à toute personne intéressée !

Transparence-International (France)

2bis rue de Villiers, 92 300 Levallois-Perret

Tel/Fax : +33 (0)1 47 58 82 08

e-mail : transparence@free.fr

site internet : www.transparence-france.org

Transparence-International France est la section française de Transparency International (TI), la principale organisation de la société civile qui se consacre à la lutte contre la corruption. TI, qui comprend 80 sections nationales de par le monde, a son secrétariat international basé à Berlin en Allemagne. www.transparence-france.org

Voir aussi

Corruption

Ethique en affaires internationales

Gouvernance d'entreprise

Intelligence économique

Réputation, Rumeur et désinformation

2008-06-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

SOURCE: Intelligence.com

L'internet, par l'intermédiaire du mail, des forums, des listes de diffusions et du web, permet de diffuser une masse phénomale d'information, instantanément et partout dans le monde. Problème : la validité. Comment vérifier les sources, ne pas être victime d'une rumeur et voir sa réputation menacée ? Difficile dans la mesure où la désinformation et la rumeur, au-delà du simple canular, font maintenant partie intégrante de la guerre économique. Avec le net, la rumeur, vieille comme le monde, trouve un nouveau support très puissant.

Livres et Publications
• La rumeur
• Desinformation et manipulations
• e-Reputation : la réputation sur internet
• Rumeur et désinformation spécifiques à l'internet (faux virus et canulars...)
• Légendes urbaines
• Cas pratiques : Israël/Palestine, Charles Enderlin, Dominique Baudis, Thierry Meyssan, Suicides de 147 ados japonais...

2008-06-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

2008-06-04T01:08:00.000-07:00

LA PENSEE UNIQUE

2008-05-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

Carrefour logique ou simple argument rhétorique.
Conformiste, donc confortable. Dangereuse?
Comment apparait-elle? Dans quels domaines d'idées reçues?
Pourquoi et comment l'éviter?
Un panorama de pensées uniques

L'encyclopedie Brockhaus sur Internet

2008-05-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Source: ambassade Allemagne à Paris

14 février 2008 - L'avenir de l'encyclopédie réside-t-il dans Internet ? Le célèbre éditeur allemand Brockhaus, maison d'édition de la célèbre encyclopédie éponyme, le croit. Incarnation du savoir et bible de la bourgeoisie cultivée depuis 200 ans en Allemagne, il vient d'annoncer qu'il ne publierait pas de 22ème édition de sa célèbre encyclopédie en 30 volumes en version papier. Face à l'évolution du marché, il modernise sa stratégie : fini le papier, place à Internet. Le 15 avril prochain, l'encyclopédie Brockhaus deviendra "Brockhaus en ligne " ("Brockhaus online"), un portail encyclopédique gratuit, offrant des informations pertinentes et fiables dans tous les domaines du savoir.

L'éditeur explique qu'il "réagit à l'évolution du marché des dictionnaires classiques sur papier". En 2007, Brockhaus n'a pas atteint ses objectifs en termes de chiffre d'affaires, tout particulièrement dans le segment des encyclopédies généralistes. De plus, "toutes les études de marché montrent sans ambiguïté que les clients vont à l'avenir principalement rechercher les informations spécialisées en ligne". "Au flot d'informations de plus en plus confus que charrie l'Internet", Brockhaus veut donc "oppos[er] un portail de la connaissance qui sera un symbole de pertinence, de justesse et de sécurité", affirme Marion Winkenbach, responsable du développement de la marque Brockhaus.

Le futur portail "Brockhaus online" comprendra non seulement la célèbre encyclopédie, régulièrement actualisée, mais aussi d'autres dictionnaires et lexiques. Il sera financé par la publicité. Brockhaus, qui n'entend pas pour autant renoncer à la publication de livres sur papier, projette, en outre, de créer d'ici à l'automne un portail spécialement destiné aux élèves et à leurs professeurs. Gratuit et sans publicité, il doit leur donner accès à des informations sûres depuis l'enceinte de la salle de classe.

Quinze solutions de veille

2008-05-21T00:26:00.000-07:00

Pour information: quinze solutions de veille:

J'avais commencé, il y a longtemps, un survol des méthodes d'intelligence économique

Puis j'ai proposé , en début de mandat dans l'association AAIHEDN, un schéma de veille associative permanente sur "les faits porteurs d'avenir" qui a été jugé alors non prioritaire. Quelques éléments de ce dispositif (internet>information>connaissance>creation) sont aujourd'hui sur le CYBERSCOPE

LA GUERRE DES IDEES

2008-05-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

Je signale aux spécialistes de l'IE, pour leur rubrique "Methodes d'influence" le numéro spécial Janvier 2007 de la Revue des Sciences Humaines (l'IE est aussi une science humaine, souvent trop humaine...) sur la guerre des idées, avec une bibliographie intéressante. Porte un peu sur les méthodes (think tanks, management libéral) mais aussi sur les "issues" qui organisent les opinions de notre époque, chez les décideurs comme chez les victimes.

Pour aller un peu plus loin dans les conflits d'idées, je vous signale le très récent et remarquable "Dictionnaire des Sciences humaines" , intéressant pour la clarté des définitions et encore plus pour l'interconnexion des concepts. Ceci prépare un peu à l'analyse sémantique , utilisée par les gros et coûteux ordinateurs qui surveillent le Web pour y trouver un sens (ou un terroriste) mais qui peut aussi plus simplement construire un thesaurus pour l'analyse d'une situation stratégique (marché, négociation, conflit...) et la recherche d'idées convaincantes.Ce qui est aussi notre métier dans sa version constructive.

J'ai autrefois un peu mis mon nez dans ce genre de méthodes (voir les chapitres "connaissances" et "creation" dans le Cyberscope/ ).

Voir aussi Guerre psychologique

CONTRE LA PUBLICITE

2008-05-16T02:42:00.000-07:00

Voir aussi LA PUBLICITE

Faisons suivre ces trucs pas trop bêtes pour nous protéger...
Quand vous recevez de la publicité avec votre facture d'électricité ou de téléphone, joignez-la avec votre paiement. Laissez à la compagnie le soin de s'en débarrasser.
Quand vous recevez dans votre courrier ces lettres de pré-approbation pour des cartes de crédits, prêts automobiles ou autres offres du même genre, la plupart sont accompagnées d'enveloppes de retour, pré-affranchies, pas vrai ? Donc pourquoi ne pas en profiter pour vous débarrasser d'autres courriers inutiles en les mettant dans ces jolies petites enveloppes et ensuite à la Poste ?
Vous pouvez ainsi envoyer l'annonce reçue de votre dépanneur local à American Express. Ou vos coupons rabais de pizza à SFR. Ou les offres exceptionnelles du Franprix à qui vous voudrez ...
Si vous n'avez rien reçu d'autres cette journée là, vous pouvez toujours retourner le formulaire vierge dans l'enveloppe pré-affranchie !
Si vous voulez demeurer anonyme, pensez juste à vous assurer que votre nom n'est pas écrit sur l'un ou l'autre des documents que vous retournez.
Vous pouvez aussi renvoyer l'enveloppe vide juste pour laisser la société se demander si elle a perdu un client potentiel.

Au bout d'un moment de ce harcèlement, et si nous nous y mettons tous, les banques, compagnies de crédits et autres marchands de pizza vont commencer à recevoir toutes les cochonneries qu'ils ont envoyées. Ils 'apprécieront' ce que c'est que de recevoir toutes ces inanités.
Le meilleur dans tout ça c'est qu'ils paieront pour l'enveloppe et le timbre! Et ceci 2 fois : l'envoi et le retour.
Pas beau, ça ?
Aidons à garder notre service postal occupé puisqu'il prétend que le courrier électronique leur vole des clients, et que, pour cette raison, il devra sans doute prochainement augmenter le prix des timbres !
Partagez ce message avec 1, 2, 3, pourquoi pas 50 amis, et surtout, amusez-vous bien !

Communauté virtuelle du renseignement

2008-04-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

Communauté virtuelle du renseignement (09/09/2007)

Un article du NY Times, relayé par Le Monde du 8 septembre 2007, décrit A-SPACE, communauté virtuelle des analystes du renseignement techniquement comparable à MySpace et Face Book.

A-Space complète Intellipedia, le wikipedia reservé aux 16 agences officiellees du renseignement américain.Fonctionnant depuis seize mois, Intellipedia présente une encyclopédie de 29555 articles renouvelée par un flux quotidien moyen de 414 articles et 4800 commentaires.Une bibliothèque en ligne regroupe les rapports des agences. Des blogs et une messagerie confidentielle complètent le dispositif.Le risque d'une taupe pourrait être écarté par la surveillance des intervenants qui téléchargent des masses d'information, notamment en-dehors de leur domaine normal de compétence.

C'est un défi à la traditionnelle culture du secret et à la concurrence entre agences pour qui seule compte la "sensitive compartmented information" Mais l'attaque du 11 Septembre 2001 a montré les ravages d'une information compartimentée, notamment entre la National Security Board, la CIA et le FBI.
Certains experts estiment cependant que le Web n'aurait rien changé car les analystes n'ont pas perçu l'importance des informations reçues.Tout se passe en effet dans le cerveau du décideur.

On sait, depuis Molière que l'amour vient aux filles par incitation, par inclination ou pas du tout. On rappellera aussi que George Bush Père et Michael Gorbatchev, deux décideurs particulièrement expérimentés en matière de secrets stratégiques, ont pu se réunir au large de Malte dans l'été 1991 pour organiser l'ordre du monde ,sans percevoir que l'Union Soviétique allait s'effondrer dans les semaines suivantes.

En faveur d'une communauté du renseignement,on peut penser que la multiplication des cerveaux branchés sur l'information pertinente accroît les chances d'une décision pertinente.

Ne négligeons pas non plus l'effet créatif d'une concentration d'informations significatives ("salle des cartes" dans les états-majors).
Il existe en outre dans toutes les professions, et sans doute aussi dans celles du renseignement, des schémas heuristiques et des concentrés d'expériences ("case studies") propices au repérage rapide des solutions (les "bonnes questions" du médecin, de l'ingénieur, de l'analyste financier etc...).Il est vraisemblable que les agences françaises du renseignement pratiquent des méthodes de collaboration plus ou moins similaires.

Dans le domaine plus ouvert de la simple information internationale utile à un grand public d'acteurs: entreprises, associations, états, OIG etc..., on pourrait souhaiter une mise en commun des informations couramment disponibles. Il suffirait pour cela d'un site de stockage bien structuré, d'un système de navigation-recherche orienté sur une banque de sites pertinents et d'un dispositif classique de messagerie-blogs.

ACTION

2008-04-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

"Lorsque tu fais quelque chose, sache que tu auras contre toi ceux qui voulaient faire la même chose, ceux qui voulaient le contraire et l'immense majorité de ceux qui ne voulaient rien faire" Confucius

Voir TABLE DE L'ACTION

The Hot Air Balloon: management

2008-03-18T01:06:00.000-07:00

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude
and spotted a woman below.
He descended a bit more and shouted :
"Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am !"

The woman below replied :
"You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground.
You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman, "how did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is
technically correct... but I have no idea what to make of your
information, and the fact is I am still lost.
Frankly, you've not been much help so far !"

The woman below responded :
"You must be in management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know ?!"
"Well," said the woman,
"you don't know where you are or where you are going.
You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep,
and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems.
The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met.
But now, somehow... it's my fault."

Compléments: la stratégie de l'entreprise

Atouts de la France dans la mondialisation

2008-02-26T23:36:00.000-08:00

« Nous et le reste du monde – les vrais atouts de la France dans la mondialisation »

Claude Revel – Editions Saint-Simon – Octobre 2007

Le dernier livre de Claude Revel s’inscrit dans une continuité de pensée. Cette énarque créatrice d’entreprises (l’OBSIC en 1989 et aujourd’hui, pour son propre compte, Iris Action) est une des pionnières en France de l’intelligence économique, entendue comme une compréhension des mécanismes de l’environnement international pour l’action.

Elle a précédemment écrit comme co-auteur un livre sur les relations ONG/entreprises (« Quand PDG et ONG osent », Eyrolles, 2004) et « L’autre guerre des Etats-Unis » (Robert Laffont, 2005). En 2006, elle décrit dans « La gouvernance mondiale a commencé » les nouvelles règles du jeu mondial en formation. Avec son tout récent ouvrage, elle examine l’adaptation de la France à ces nouvelles règles et propose des pistes pour mieux utiliser et promouvoir nos atouts.

Comme elle le dit, la mondialisation se formait dans l’ombre depuis trente ans, en tout cas pour les dirigeants français, car d’autres au contraire la formataient. Elle a fini par s’inviter dans tous les pays, et en France dans l’impréparation quasi-totale des dirigeants de tous bords. Notre pays se trouve aujourd’hui à une croisée des chemins, d’où il peut sortir laminé, tout comme recadré sur de nouveaux objectifs, et même avec une longueur d’avance. Les problèmes de la France sont bien loin d’être uniquement économiques ou sociaux. Et c’est parce qu’on ne les a traités que « techniquement », et pas toujours bien, que la notre pays paraît souvent avoir « décroché ».

Depuis peu, les élites de l’Etat découvrent, contraintes et forcées, qu’elles doivent composer avec l’environnement international. Hélas, elles le font selon une culture purement hexagonale. Celle-ci est responsable non seulement de la perte d’influence de la France dans le monde, mais aussi de beaucoup de problèmes intérieurs. Cet ouvrage défend la thèse que décrochage du monde extérieur et crise interne sont dues à une même cause : un logiciel de pensée et une culture très spécifiques des décideurs français, devenus inadaptés. Mais ce livre est résolument non démagogique. Il est très facile d’accuser les élites de l’Etat. Mais elles ne sont pas seules à avoir provoqué le tangage du bateau.

Il n’est pas trop tard. Les choses évoluent très vite. Au-delà des discours politiques, et né sans leur aide, on note un bouillonnement sans précédent de créativité dans beaucoup de domaines. Il faut l’utiliser.

La première rénovation nécessaire en France est celle de ses « infrastructures conceptuelles », autrement dit du mode de pensée des élites et des citoyens. Il s’agit de changer de « logiciel » mais aussi de maîtriser le changement de manière à éviter les influences et les copiages irraisonnés. Il faut au contraire faire évoluer notre « modèle » en en conservant les atouts et le promouvoir de manière convaincante et non arrogante à l’étranger. Les responsables de tous niveaux et de tous bords doivent donner l’exemple.

La troisième partie du livre fournit des pistes et propositions pour réellement rénover notre approche.

voir aussi de Mme.Revel: le site www.Irisaction.org

et la diplomatie exportatrice des Etats Unis

Intelligence economique et affaires publiques

2008-02-12T01:34:00.000-08:00

L'université défaillante, bien sûr, et plus généralement la plupart des domaines d'action publique sont des sujets parfaitement légitimes pour l'intelligence économique encore figée par sa concentration sur la business intelligence, en fait une ressucée à la sauce Gourou des manuels de MBA des années soixante.

Le débat actuel sur la médiocre performance des PME françaises à l'international, et la volonté bien sympathique et un peu électorale , de venir à leur secours, rappelleront à certains des expériences analogues des années 60 à 80.

A la fin de cette période de mobilisation à l'export,"ardente obligation" , l'essentiel des PME des industries de consommation bien françaises , à savoir le textile, la chaussure, le meuble, le jouet, les équipements de bureau, la machine agricole, la machine-outil etc...ont disparu devant la concurrence allemande et italienne, bien avant celle des pays émergents. Le coup de sifflet final a été la stabilité monétaire qui a fait disparaître un argument de vente essentiel , la dépréciation du franc.

Et les entreprises qui ont survécu dans ces branches étaient souvent gérées à distance par leur client, puis rachetées par des concurrents allemands, néerlandais, suédois, italiens, espagnols. L'obstacle n'était donc pas , ou pas totalement, dans le marketing ni dans le dumping des pays émergents mais en amont, dans la capacité stratégique de nos PME .

Ce pourquoi le Patriotisme économique doit aujourd'hui bien définir ce qu'il doit sauver avant tout : l'entreprise et ses emplois, ou bien les dirigeants français de PME, sous-capitalisés, mal formés, trop longtemps anesthésiés par les marchés publics et coloniaux , par le recours facile au député ou à la manifestation corporatiste.

La survie de l'entreprise, ce qui est bien, de l'économie, ce qui est mieux et, au delà, de la société qui est l'objet final de toute politique de sécurité, repose sur la maîtrise de bien d'autres choses essentielles.

Ouvrons simplement notre journal. Croyances totalitaires, foi dans les anticipations rationnelles et les marchés auto-régulés, bulles et subprimes, énormité de la dette américaine, traders- fous, patrons-voyous, politiciens mégalomanes, médiatisations narcissiques, excès de consommations , pollutions, génie génétique, drogues et addictions médicamenteuses, nanotechnologies, montée de la délinquance économique et financière...
Et bientôt la nécessité de réviser notre modèle de surconsommation à l'américaine, surchauffée à la publicité et surcréditée, destabilisateur pour la santé mentale de nos individus, nos sociétés, notre milieu écologique.

Tout ceci implique des anticipations et des actions préventives (donc de l'intelligence économique) du côté du Maître des Horloges, c'est à dire de l'Etat, au sens large , en y comprenant les Organisations internationales et les collectivités territoriales .
Ce qui amène à se pencher sérieusement sur les affaires publiques et internationales.

Aujourd'hui l'IE s'appuie sur des techniques certes utiles (protection du secret, étude du marché, lobby) mais un peu subalternes en l'absence d'une définition claire des objets à protéger et des risques encourus.

Une branche professionnelle de l'IE vend de l'assistance au lobbying. Pourquoi pas? Une touche de Rotary Club, une contribution aux frais électoraux font partie de la démocratie de marché, en France comme ailleurs. Il faudra bien vite y ajouter du spam, du réseau communautaire en ligne voire du Second Life.

Mais les affaires publiques ne se limitent pas au zim-boum-boum et à la quasi-corruption. Elles ont leur logique propre, bien plus complexe que celle du business (qui est, tout au plus, compliquée) et qu'il faut bien comprendre avant d'agir.

Tout ceci constitue un beau sujet de réflexion pour les dirigeants de l'IE.

COMPLEMENTS :
GEOPUBLIC
Intelligence economique

La pertinence des sources

2008-02-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

Blogs > Le blog de l’intelligence économique

La pertinence des sources en danger [ 04/01/2008 - 11h49 ]

USA : INTERNET

2008-02-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

SOURCES:

Information Research Center (IRC)
Embassy of the United States of America
RaphaelVF@state.gov
September-October 2007

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Sector-Specific Plans' Coverage of Key Cyber Security Elements Varies

Government Accountability Office (GAO). Report to Congressional Requesters. October 31, 2007. 54 pages.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08113.pdf

The nation's critical infrastructure sectors -- such as public health, energy, water, and transportation -- rely on computerized information and systems to provide services to the public. To fulfill the requirement for a comprehensive plan, including cyber aspects, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a national plan in June 2006 for the sectors to use as a road map to enhance the protection of critical infrastructure. Lead federal agencies, referred to as sector-specific agencies, are responsible for coordinating critical infrastructure protection efforts, such as the development of plans that are specific to each sector. In this context, GAO was asked to determine if these sector-specific plans address key aspects of cyber security, including cyber assets, key vulnerabilities, vulnerability reduction efforts, and recovery plans. To accomplish this, GAO analyzed each sector-specific plan against criteria that were developed on the basis of DHS guidance.

Internet Infrastructure: Challenges in Developing a Public/Private Recovery Plan

Gregory C. Wilshusen. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. October 23, 2007. 20 pages.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08212t.pdf

While the Internet originated as a U.S. government-sponsored research project, the vast majority of its infrastructure is currently owned and operated by the private sector. Federal policy recognizes the need to prepare for debilitating Internet disruptions and tasks the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with developing an integrated public/private plan for Internet recovery. GAO was asked to summarize its report on plans for recovering the Internet in case of a major disruption and to provide an update on DHS's efforts to implement that report's recommendations. The report identifies examples of major disruptions to the Internet, identifies the primary laws and regulations governing recovery of the Internet in the event of a major disruption, evaluates DHS plans for facilitating recovery from Internet disruptions, and assesses challenges to such efforts.

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Multiple Efforts to Secure Control Systems Are Under Way, but Challenges Remain

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08119t.pdf

Control systems -- computer-based systems that monitor and control sensitive processes -- perform vital functions in many of our nation's critical infrastructures such as electric power generation, transmission, and distribution, oil and gas refining, and water treatment and distribution. The disruption of control systems could have a significant impact on public health and safety, which makes securing them a national priority. GAO was asked to testify on portions of its report on control systems security being released today. This testimony summarizes the cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and the potential impact of attacks on control systems, identifies private sector initiatives, and assesses the adequacy of public sector initiatives to strengthen the cyber security of control systems. GAO also compared agency plans to best practices for securing critical infrastructures.

3G Americas

Meredith Attwell Baker. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). U.S. Department of Commerce. 3G Americas Keynote Address, Washington, DC. October 17, 2007.

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/speeches/2007/MBaker_3GAmericas_101707.htm

In the past decade, wireless technologies have proliferated at an unimaginable pace across the globe. More so than ever before, the swift delivery of information turns the wheels of commerce. Telecom is 10% of the U.S. economy and is a driver for our overall economic growth. Wireless services are playing an increasingly important role in that regard. Competition in the wireless marketplace has resulted in a vibrant marketplace. The U.S. wireless services market is valued at more than $127 billion, and it is growing at approximately 10% each year. There are 233 million U.S. subscribers that cover 76% of the U.S. population. These figures don’t even factor in the massive growth of Wi-Fi hotspots or the promise of WIMAX technology.

Digital Television Transition: Preliminary Information on Progress of the DTV Transition

Mark L. Goldstein. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. October 17, 2007. 25 pages.

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08191t.pdf

On February 17, 2009, federal law requires all full-power television stations in the United States to cease analog broadcasting, enabling the government to reclaim valuable spectrum that the broadcasters currently use for analog broadcasts. This change, often referred to as the digital television (DTV) transition, requires action by broadcasters and consumers to ensure broadcast television signals are still available and viewable. This testimony provides preliminary information on the progress made by federal entities, and others, to facilitate the transition, the progress in the education of consumers about the transition, the progress made in implementing the converter box subsidy program, technical issues of the transition, and future GAO work on the progress of the DTV transition.

Electronic Rulemaking in the Federal Government

Curtis W. Copeland. Congressional Research Service (CRS). October 16, 2007. 48 pages.

http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34210_20071016.pdf

E-rulemaking is one of about two dozen e-government initiatives launched as part of the George W. Bush Administration’s President’s Management Agenda. In the first phase of the initiative, the Administration established a website through which the public can identify all federal rules that are open for comment and provide comments on those rules. The second phase involves the creation of a government-wide docket system that can allow the public to review rulemaking materials (e.g., agencies’ legal and cost-benefit analyses for their rules) and the comments of others. E-rulemaking has been described as a way to increase democratic legitimacy, improve regulatory policy decisions, decrease administrative costs, and increase regulatory compliance. The implementation of e-rulemaking in the federal government, however, has been controversial.

High-Speed Services for Internet Access: Status as of December 31, 2006

Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Industry Analysis and Technology Division. Wireline Competition Bureau. October 2007. 27 pages.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-277784A1.pdf

Congress directed the Commission and the states, in section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, to encourage deployment of advanced telecommunications capability in the United States on a reasonable and timely basis. To assist in its evaluation of such deployment, the Commission instituted a formal data collection program to gather standardized information about subscribership to high-speed services, including advanced services, from wireline telephone companies, cable system operators, terrestrial wireless service providers, satellite service providers, and any other facilities-based providers of advanced telecommunications capability. Statistics released in this report reveal that high-speed connection to the Internet increased by 61% in 2006.

Public-Private Partnership for a Public Safety Network: Governance and Policy

Linda K. Moore. Congressional Research Service (CRS). September 28, 2007. 22 pages.

http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34054_20070928.pdf

This report summarizes salient points of the FCC rules regarding the creation of a public-private partnership to build and manage a national communications network for public safety use. The Communications Act of 1934, as amended, empowers the FCC to set rules for auctions and to take steps to ensure the safety of the public. The FCC has used this authority to create a governance structure allowing a Public Safety Broadband Licensee to share spectrum rights with a commercial enterprise and to collaborate in the construction and management of a shared network. The two licensees and the network will operate according to requirements set out by the FCC as part of its rulemaking for the upcoming auction of frequencies within the 700 MHz band. These frequencies are being vacated by television broadcasters in their switch to digital technologies.

Spyware: Background and Policy Issues for Congress

Patricia Moloney Figliola. Congressional Research Service (CRS). September 26, 2007. 12 pages.

http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL32706_20070926.pdf

The term "spyware" generally refers to any software that is downloaded onto a computer without the owner's or user's knowledge. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a consumer alert on spyware in October 2004. It provided a list of warning signs that might indicate that a computer is infected with spyware, and advice on what to do if it is. Several states have passed spyware laws, but there is no specific federal law. Thus far, two bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 964 and H.R. 1525) and one has been introduced in the Senate (S. 1625). Both of the House bills have been reported and referred to the Senate. The Senate bill was referred to committee and no further action has been taken.

The Transition to Digital Television: Is America Ready?

Lennard G. Kruger. Congressional Research Service (CRS). September 7, 2007. 13 pages.

http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34165_20070907.pdf

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171) directs that on February 18, 2009, over-the-air television broadcasts will become digital only. Households with over-the-air analog-only televisions will no longer be able to receive television service unless they either: buy a digital-to-analog converter box to hook up to their analog television set; acquire a digital television or an analog television equipped with a digital tuner; or subscribe to cable, satellite, or telephone company television services, which will likely provide for the conversion of digital signals to their analog customers. The preeminent issue for Congress is ensuring that American households are prepared for the February 17, 2009 DTV transition deadline. Specifically, Congress is actively overseeing the activities of federal agencies responsible for the digital transition while assessing whether additional federal efforts are necessary, particularly with respect to public education and outreach.

REFERENCE BOOK of Rates, Price Indices, and Household Expenditures for Telephone Service

Pedro A. Almoguera. Industry Analysis & Technology Division. Wireline Competition Bureau. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). September 2007. 59 pages.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276876A1.pdf

This report presents historical and current information on local and long distance telephone rates paid by residential and business consumers, household expenditures, and telephone price indices. The local rate data compiled for 2005 and 2006 reflect the inclusion of various taxes and surcharges and, as such, provide an estimate of the monthly charges residential and single-line business customers pay for local telephone service provided by wireline telephone companies. This publication focuses on domestic telecommunications.

THINK TANKS AND RESEARCH CENTERS:

The opinions expressed in these publications do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government

Parent and Teenager Internet Use

Alexandra Rankin Macgill. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. October 24, 2007. 11 pages.

http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teen_Parents_data_memo_Oct2007.pdf

Teens are more likely than their parents to say that the Internet and related technology has made their own lives easier. Contrarily, while a majority of parents with online teens still believe the Internet is a beneficial factor in their children’s lives, there has been a decrease since 2004 in the number of parents who believe the Internet is a good thing for their children. At the same time, there has not been a corresponding increase in the percentage of parents who think the Internet has been a bad thing for their children. Instead, more parents are neutral about whether their children have been positively affected by the Internet, saying the Internet has not had an effect on their child one way or another.

Broadband: What's All the Fuss About?

John B. Horrigan. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. October 18, 2007. 3 pages.

http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/BroadBand%20Fuss.pdf

With nearly half of all Americans having high-speed internet connections at home, online interactivity means something different for a lot of Americans than it did when it was mainly about e-mail. Many-to-many communication is now buttressed by many-to-many participation in the online world through user-created media. Still, questions remain about the use of advanced communications networks. Among them: Why does access to a high-speed connection at home matter? The fuss about broadband extends beyond access to information to active participation in the online commons as people with shared interests or problems gather at various online forums to chat or collaborate.

Teens and Online Stranger Contact

Aaron Smith. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. October 14, 2007. 4 pages.

http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Stranger_Contact_Data_Memo.pdf

Fully 32% of online teens have been contacted by someone with no connection to them or any of their friends, and 7% of online teens say they have felt scared or uncomfortable as a result of contact by an online stranger. Several behaviors are associated with high levels of online stranger contact, including using social networking sites (SNS), social networking profile ownership and posting photos online. Although several factors are linked with increased levels of stranger contact in general, gender is the only variable with a consistent association with contact that is scary or uncomfortable -- girls are much more likely to report scary or uncomfortable contact than boys.

E-patients With a Disability or Chronic Disease

Susannah Fox. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Report. October 8, 2007. 25 pages.

http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/EPatients_Chronic_Conditions_2007.pdf

Adults living with a disability or chronic disease are less likely than others to go online, but once online, are avid health consumers. About a fifth of American adults say that a disability, handicap, or chronic disease keeps them from participating fully in work, school, housework, or other activities. Half (51%) of those living with a disability or chronic disease go online, compared to 74% of those who report no chronic conditions. But fully 86% of Internet users living with disability or chronic illness have looked online for information about at least one of 17 health topics, compared with 79% of Internet users with no chronic conditions.

An Economic Approach to Evaluating a National Wireless Regulatory Framework

George S. Ford, Thomas M. Koutsky and Lawrence J. Spiwak. Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Public Policy Studies. Policy Bulletin No. 19. October 2007. 14 pages.

http://www.phoenix-center.org/PolicyBulletin/PCPB19Final.pdf

In this paper, the authors provide an economic analysis of the welfare effect of state and local regulation on communications services and, in particular, on the wireless segment of the telecommunications industry. They find that when local regulation in one jurisdiction has sufficiently large “extra-jurisdictional” effects in other locations, overall social welfare can be reduced even if state and local governments act as efficient regulators. This finding is important because it shows that the debate over the proper regulatory framework for the wireless industry need not be driven by an assessment of which set of regulators, federal or state, is more competent. Accordingly, their analysis suggests that society is likely better to be off with a single, national regulatory framework for wireless services.

Unplugging Plug-and-Play Regulation

Adam Thierer. The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Progress on Point 14.21. October 2007. 7 pages.

http://pff.org/issues-pubs/pops/pop14.21plugandplaybattle.pdf

Cable operators and some consumer electronics companies are engaged in a heated technical dispute over “digital cable ready” equipment and “plug-and-play” interactive applications. Basically, it’s a fight about how various features or services available on cable systems should work, including electronic programming guides (EPGs), video-on-demand (VOD), pay-per-view (PPV) services, and other interactive television (ITV) capabilities. This battle has grown more intense over the past few months. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has an open proceeding asking what new regulations, if any, it should impose on the industry to facilitate the further development of those services.

Hobbyists online

Maggie Griffith and Susannah Fox. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Data Memo. September 19, 2007. 8 pages.

http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Hobbies_2007.pdf

The Internet has become the hobbyist's playground. In a published survey, 83% of online Americans say they have used the Internet to seek information about their hobbies and 29% do so on a typical day. Looking for information about hobbies is among the most popular online activities, on par with shopping, surfing the web for fun, and getting news. The size of the daily online hobbyist population has increased substantially in the past five years. The Internet’s effect on hobbies can range from being an integral research tool for a genealogist, to being a connection and communication tool for collectors, to being the very source of a hobby’s existence, as in the case of online gaming.

Perspectives on U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology

Titus Galama and James Hosek. The Rand National Defense Research Institute. September 2007. 162 pages.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/2007/RAND_CF235.pdf

Concern has grown that the United States is losing its competitive edge in science and technology (S&T). The factors driving this concern include globalization, the rise of science centers in developing countries such as China and India, the increasing number of foreign-born Ph.D. students in the United States, and claims of a shortage of S&T workers in the United States. A loss of prowess in S&T could hurt U.S. economic competitiveness, standard of living, and national security. The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness asked the RAND Corporation to convene a meeting in November 2006 to discuss these issues. The papers contained in this report were prepared for the meeting.

The Feasibility of Unlicensed Broadband Devices to Operate on TV Band ‘White Space’ Without Causing Harmful Interference: Myths & Facts

Sascha D. Meinrath and Michael Calabrese. Wireless Future Program. New America Foundation. Policy Brief. September 2007. 4 pages.

http://www.newamerica.net/files/WhiteSpaceDevicesBackgrounder.pdf

White space devices (WSDs) present new opportunities for consumers to efficiently use currently unused spectrum and for America’s technology sector to promote ubiquitous, more affordable broadband deployment -- particularly in underserved rural areas -- as well as stimulate new innovations in consumer products, services, and applications. With the growing use of Wi-Fi and other unlicensed devices in everything from laptops to next-generation PDAs and cell phones, WSDs provide much-needed additional capacity for everything from broadband connectivity to home and community networking. The remaining challenge for the FCC is to define explicit operating rules to govern device certification, so that high-tech industries can embark on the R&D necessary to bring compliant consumer devices to market.

Two Sensible, Education-Based Legislative Approaches to Online Child Safety

Adam Thierer. The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Progress Snapshot 3.10. September 2007. 4 pages.

http://www.pff.org/issues-pubs/ps/2007/ps3.10safetyeducationbills.pdf

In the first week of August, two bills were introduced in the House and Senate seeking to better coordinate and expand federal online safety efforts. Specifically, the bills propose the creation of a nationwide public awareness and educational campaign about online safety, something that is very much needed to supplement ongoing private efforts. These two measures are important because education must serve as the cornerstone of any serious effort to deal with the issue of protecting children from either objectionable content or online cyber-dangers.

MONDES VIRTUELS

2008-02-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

Ce mini compte -rendu des Journées d'Autrans sur l'Internet pourrait susciter votre curiosité. Les mondes virtuels ont fait l'objet d'un Hors serie Enjeux-Les Echos (decembre 2007) avec, notamment , un article du Colonel Morinière sur La guerre en pixels.

Usages des mondes virtuels par les acteurs publics

Par Contrib divers, jeudi 10 janvier 2008 à 10:16 :: Ateliers

Un monde virtuel est un environnement basé sur une simulation (fait appel à la perception) informatique, utilisé par ses habitants pour y habiter et y interagir via leurs avatars (les discours ou les regards sont importants ). « Monde virtuel » ne veut pas toujours dire jeu vidéo. Même si le jeu multi joueur est très important, des millions d’internautes payent des plateformes de jeu ex Warcraft, les joueurs se trouvent face à des mécanismes sociaux dans un environnement préconstruit, cadré et scénarisé.

Les univers virtuels répondent à des modèles différents. Second life par exemple est gratuit, il n’existe pas de règles du jeu, il n’est pas scénarisé par les programmateurs et il n’y a pas de but à atteindre ou de points à gagner. Son accès est Interdit aux moins de-18 ans et son contenu est généré par les utilisateurs. De 2002 à 2007 on passe de 1000 testeurs à 9 596 747 de comptes utilisateurs hétérogène. La monnaie virtuelle, le Linden $, est convertible en dollars US et permet d’acheter terrains et objets sur SL.

Usages courants de SL :

Dans le business:

Les services virtuels et la vente d’objet sur Second Life représente chaque mois un flux financier de 7millions de $ en pleine croissance. Le recrutement commence à s’y organiser. Il concernait d’abord les métiers dans les nouvelles technologies mais il s’est rapidement étendu dans les services. Au niveau du management, des usages nouveaux s’y organisent grâce à la voix et à l’image qui permet de faire des réunions et d’échanger des documents aisément. De manière générale, les personnes se révèlent beaucoup plus grâce à leurs avatars et peuvent régler des problèmes plus rapidement. Plusieurs expérimentations sont menées dans le service après vente. Second Life permet de qualifier plus rapidement les problèmes par la modélisation 3D. Dans les relations publiques et l’événementiel, Second Life apporte une plus value visuel et en terme d’interactivité. Mais Second Life ne convainc pas toutes les entreprises, certaines s’orientant plus vers des micros univers 3D plus petits et plus maitrisés.

Dans l’Education :

Chez les anglosaxons, les usages sont assez développés dans l’éducation. Les universités proposent par exemple des cours gratuits, des conférences, des rencontres, etc. Dans les institutions les usages sont proches. En France, ces pratiques sont encore limitées.

Dans la politique :

En France, les élections présidentielles ont beaucoup joué dans l’engouement actuel pour Second Life. La plupart des partis politiques étaient présents et la rencontre de militants des camps opposés donnaient parfois lieu à des actions violentes (ex : attaque à la roquette sur les bureaux, etc.) Aux USA, levée de fonds, manifestations et lobbying se cotoyent.

Dans les médias :

Second Life est un sujet très apprécié par les médias traditionnels qui lui assurent une large couverture médiatique. Parallèlement, des magazines ou des webs TV uniquement dédiées à Second Life voient le jour, exemple : Avastar, SL Observer.com, Slo TV, etc.

Dans la culture et les loisirs :

Second Life est un réel espace d’expression artistique. On peut y retrouver des concerts, des expositions, des ouvrages, voire des formes hybrides d’art. Les occasions de loisirs sont elles aussi multiples..

Limites :

Malgré tout, la prise en main reste difficile pour de nombreux utilisateurs, il n’y a pas de scenario, pas de regroupement de masse possible (maximum 200 avatars et la fiabilité est insuffisante. Les perspectives d’avenir restent néanmoins très positives, selon les études, d’ici 2011, 80% des usagers actifs auront un avatar sur un univers virtuel. La concurrence généraliste à SL sont les mondes Kaneva, happy world ou Home, qui lui n’est accessible que par PlayStation3 et est payant.

Conclusion :

Les univers virtuels tels que Second life sont à la croisée des différentes applications du web (outil web2.0, long tail, geolocalisation, chat, open source) et de celles de la 3D (jeux simulation). L’avenir des univers semble être dans les « Metaverse project » qui devrait permettre une circulation à travers les différents univers existants ou à venir.

OU SONT LES RISQUES?

2008-01-25T00:40:00.000-08:00

"Je trouve qu'il y a trop de choses dans le monde que les gens sont aptes à comprendre. Aussi est-ce mon devoir de leur donner des informations incompréhensibles, afin de leur procurer matière à réflexion" MARX (Groucho)

L'erreur classique des praticiens consiste à rechercher les risques là où ils ne sont pas et , pour le reste, à surestimer leur capacité d'improvisation.

En 1870, les généraux français sont partis avec les cartes des régions allemandes où ils devaient triompher mais pas celles des régions françaises où ils se sont battus et ont été battus en quatre semaines.

En 1940, il était admis, malgré trois différentes sources d'information concordantes, que les Ardennes étaient infranchissables. Elles ont été franchies et l'armée française, considérée alors comme la meilleure du monde, a été liquidée en quelques semaines.

Aujourd'hui l'intelligence économique s'appuie sur des techniques certes utiles (protection du secret, étude du marché, lobby) mais un peu subalternes en l'absence d'une définition claire des objets à protéger et des risques encourus.

Alors que la survie de l'entreprise, ce qui est bien, de l'économie, ce qui est mieux et, au delà, de la société qui est l'objet final de toute politique de sécurité, reposent sur la maîtrise de bien d'autres choses essentielles.

Ouvrons simplement notre journal. Croyances totalitaires, anticipations rationnelles et marchés auto-régulés, bulles et subprimes, énormité de la dette américaine, traders- fous, patrons-voyous, politiciens mégalomanes, médiatisations narcissiques, surconsommations chauffées à la publicité, pollutions, génie génétique, drogues et addictions médicamenteuses, nanotechnologies...

Il y a pas mal de génie dans tout cela, donc du chaos , c'est à dire du changement mal maîtrisé avec ses opportunités...et ses risques.

"Il faut porter en soi du chaos pour pouvoir engendrer une étoile dansante"
Frederic Nietzsche
" Les maîtres sont ceux qui nous montrent ce qui est possible dans l'ordre de l'impossible."
Paul Valéry

Quelques pistes dans http://www.geoscopies.net/index.php : lancer une recherche sur les mots "Risque, Erreur"

INTELLIGENCE ECONOMIQUE : PROPOS D' ANCIEN COMBATTANT

2008-01-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

I- L'ENTREPRISE N'A PAS TOUJOURS EU BESOIN D'INTELLIGENCE ECONOMIQUE

Il faut peut-être cesser de se raconter de jolies histoires avec l'Intelligence économique perçue comme l'intervention salvatrice de Superman. Et de payer assez cher des cycles de formation et des gourous à qui on demande de protéger tel ou tel secret particulier, observer tel ou tel marché ou communiquer sur nos produits auprès de qui il faut et avec les moyens qu'il faut.

Ceci n'est après tout qu'une petite partie de la responsabilité normale et non déléguable du dirigeant d'entreprise qui est rémunéré, souvent très bien, précisément pour faire cela (prévoir pour agir) parmi d'autres choses essentielles.Métier que nous avons largement réimporté d'Amérique, y compris les techniques dites d'intelligence économique, avec le Plan Marshall et les missions de productivité dans l'après- guerre puis la généralisation des enseignements de type MBA à partir des années 1950.

Il est vrai que, dès les Trente Glorieuses, le véritable moteur de notre économie n'a pas été le bon management mais la forte croissance de la consommation intérieure, exacerbée par la publicité.

Les entreprises étaient en fait protégées de la concurrence externe par les subventions ou exonérations, les douanes, et la permanente dépréciation du franc souvent affichée comme argument de vente auprès des peuples raisonnables. Pas vraiment besoin de lutter pour un marché intérieur puisque, de toute façon, l'industrie ne pouvait pas satisfaire la demande française et coloniale en quantité et en qualité. Dans ces années là, nous avons été de plus en plus, en dehors des industries régaliennes, alimentés par nos dynamiques voisins allemands ou italiens bien avant l'arrivée des asiatiques du Japon, des Quatre Dragons puis de la Chine.

L'ouverture à la concurrence n'est effective que depuis le gouvernement socialiste de 1983.Malgré des demandes de protection officielle, récurrentes dans diverses professions, l'entreprise est, en principe, desormais libre et seule en face du marché.

II- METIER DE DIRIGEANT

Plus que telle ou telle technique spécialisée, le sérieux dans l'exercice du métier de dirigeant, sur l'ensemble des fonctions de l'entreprise est sans doute la meilleure sauvegarde contre l'intrusion externe.

Tous les métiers de la chaîne y sont impliqués, de la rédaction des statuts jusqu'à l'affectation finale des résultats, en passant par l'implantation, la réunion des ressources humaines, techniques et financières,le fonctionnement des systèmes productifs et logistiques, la commercialisation, la gestion des flux financiers et de la communication etc...C'est à dire un champ bien plus large que ceux qui intéressent généralement l'intelligence économique, à savoir les secrets techniques, la propriété industrielle, le lobbying.

Il faut reconnaître les limites du généraliste en intelligence économIque. La sécurité informatique est sans doute mieux assurée par un informaticien, la sécurité financière par un expert-comptable. L'observation des marchés concurrents est le domaine du marketing avant d'être exceptionnellement celui des barbouzes, Les techniques d'influence relèvent des juristes et des publicitaires plus normalement que des monteurs de coup fourrés etc...Il est donc préférable d'afficher une solide compétence spécialsée avant, le cas échéant, de se donner un vernis "intelligence économique"

Tous les maillons sont potentiellement vulnérables et il vaut mieux anticiper que subir, prévenir que guérir. Le coeur de métier du chef d'entreprise est précisément l'anticipation des risques et opportunités du changement inévitable et la conduite d' un ensemble d'actions appropriées aux situations.

Et le danger ne vient pas forcément de l'extérieur spécifique (concurrent malveillant, étranger ou national) ou abstrait (le marché concurrentiel) mais bien souvent de la faiblesse des défenses immunitaires internes de l'entreprise. Voire de l'incompétence ou même de l'avidité malhonnête des dirigeants et actionnaires (consultez votre journal quotidien...). Les systèmes d'alerte (whistle blowing) doivent fonctionner aussi et peut-être surtout à l'intérieur des entreprises.

III- L'INTELLIGENCE ECONOMIQUE N'EST PAS SEULEMENT UNE INTELLIGENCE D'ENTREPRISE

Il ne faut pas trop identifier l'intelligence economique avec la business intelligence des AngloSaxons.

a) En sus de l'entreprise proprement dite, bien d'autres acteurs ont un rôle primordial dans la performance ou l'inefficacité économique. Les travailleurs, bien sûr, leur nombre, leur qualité, leur engagement professionnel.

Puis les consommateurs qui, en principe, définissent le marché ,même s'ils y sont fortement guidés par un bombardement publicitaire (defiscalisé) des entreprises.

Les épargnants enfin qui fournissent une partie du nerf de la guerre économique mais privilégient souvent d'autres immobilisations...

b) L'énorme secteur public fournit une foule de services non-marchands mais essentiels pour la vie économique et la vie tout court: sécurité externe et interne, ordre public et cohésion sociale ,infrastructures, éducation, recherche fondamentale, hygiène publique, écologie...

Par une convention absurde, ces biens et services sont enregistrés dans la comptabilité nationale comme centres de coûts et non de valeur . Ils sont considérés seulement comme tels par une communication politicienne d'inspiration poujadiste .

Alors que leur légtimité sociale et même leur rentabiliité économique sont sans commune mesure avec bon nombre de productions du secteur marchand destinées à une consommation narcissique portant sur des produits souvent superflus, artificiellement stimulés par la publicité et le crédit revolving, dont l'acheteur n' a pas réellement besoin et qu'il ne peut pas réellement se payer.

S'il fallait vraiment réaliser une analyse coûts-avantages de bien des activités privées, on percevrait sans doute que leur seule justification, confrontée par exemple à celle des hôpitaux ou de l'enseignement, réside dans le maintien d'un statu quo confortable à fins electorales ou de paix civile...

IV- LES FACTEURS POLITIQUES DU MARCHE

A la décharge des dirigeants, (et aussi pour les convier à la modestie) le marché n'est pas réellement dans la main des entrepreneurs, a fortiori d'un entrepreneur particulier.

a) La structure des marchés (plus ou moins libéral, plus ou moins ouvert) et la conjoncture des affaires ont longtemps dépendu de l'Etat, maître des horloges par le droit, par la création monétaire et la répartition des ressources financières.

L'ordre public, le respect des lois et des contrats sont indispensables à la sécurité du business et toujours assurés par l'Etat, lorsqu'il existe réellement.

Sans oublier la fonction d'ambulancier pour les amputés de la croissance qu'il s'agisse des non-travailleurs de tous ordres, ou des entreprises victimes du concurrent qui les élimine. Et il est même fréquent que l'entreprise victime de son propre succès fasse appel au dernier payeur, le Trésor Public ou la Banque Centrale . Voir aux Etats-Unis ,les denouements des crises à répétition , indiustriielles, immobilières, boursières ou bancaires .

En outre certains pays enfreignent volontairement ou non les règles (stabilité monétaire, libéralisme, ouverture commerciale) du célèbre consensus de Washington imposées aux pays émergents débiteurs après les incidents de paiements des années 80.

Regroupée sous le nom un peu vague d'analyse du risque politique, l'observation des environnements politique, juridique, social a été conduite au niveau mondial par les grandes institutions (FMI, Banque Mondiale, mais aussi Institut de Finance Internationale et grandes sociétés privées de rating).

Au niveau national, les assureurs de type COFACE et les conseillers économiques et financiers à l'étranger se sont escrimés sur ces questions cruciales pour la sécurité des entreprises et de leurs opérations de commerce et d'investissement.

La connaissance et la maîtrise de ces systèmes s'est compliquée (et complexifiée, donc plus hasardeuse) avec la créativité juridique supra-étatique, notamment celles de l'Organisation Mondiale du Commerce et de l'Union Européenne.

b) En outre nous dépendons de macro-systèmes pratiquement intouchables, notamment l'énorme endettement privé, public, interne et international des Etats-Unis.

Depuis longtemps, peut-être depuis l'abandon du lien or-dollar par Richard Nixon, les Etats Unis alimentent leur croissance par les dépenses miltaires et la surconsommation des ménages et des entreprises . Plus encore que les revenus courants, les gains en Bourse et l'endettement multicartes fournissent des moyens de paiement aux consommateurs avant de les ruiner (éclatement des bulles, faillitr drs caisses d'épargne, crise des subprimes)

Pour financer cela, les Etats-Unis aspirent l'essentiel de l'épargne mondiale qui leur est (volontairement ?) redistribuée par leurs fournisseurs excédentaires: Allemagne et Japon autrefois, pétroliers arabes toujours et desormais, dans des proportions considérables, la Chine. Notamment sous forme de Bons du Tresor sans lesquels les collectivités territoriales américaines ne pourraient pas fonctionner et les dépenses militaires ne pourraient être entièrement couvertes.

Cette dépendance envers une locomotive dopée à l'endettement (comme d'autres pays subissent l'addiction à la rente pétrolière) durera ...tant que les Chinois et d'autres créanciers le voudront bien.

c) Pour compliquer le tout, la financiarisation a déplacé les méthodes et les enjeux de l'économie.

Comment? La financiarisation a commencé depuis longtemps avec le crédit, l'endossement et la négociation des effets de commerce , la muliplication des monnaies métalliques, les monnaies de compte , la création des banques centrales régulatrices et l'abandon de l'or comme moyen de paiement en 1976. Dans les vingt dernières années la déréglementation , l'internationalisation des mouvements de capitaux, l'apparition des produits dérivés et des marchés de risques, l'intervention d'opérateurs non bancaires ont considérablement accru la circulation financière indépendamment de tout objectif économique classique (produire pour satisfaire un besoin)..

Aujiourd'hui les actifs financiers représentent quatre fois le PIB mondial, les échanges de devises représentent environ 500 fois les flux commerciaux réels de biens et services. C'est bien plus que de l'huile de rouage pour l'économie réelle.

Rome n'est plus dans Rome et l'économie réelle a sombré dans la finance virtuelle. Tout ceci évolue très vite et se trouve hors de portée des décideurs privés ou publics les plus légitimes..

V- PREVOIR LE CHANGEMENT ET PREVENIR LES RISQUES?

a) Plutôt que de l'intelligence économique qui n' a pas encore trouvé son centre de gravité, il faudrait parler d'intelligence stratégique. Ou mieux de management stratégique, puisqu'au delà de l'information (intelligence) il faut aussi des connaissances ...et des actes, pas seulement des incantations au Ciel et des suppliques au Monarque..

Entendons-nous bien. Il n'est pas question d'abandonner les précautions énoncées par les professionnels de l'intelligence économique. Il est bien évident qu'on doit protéger ses petits secrets et résister à la tentation, assez gauloise, de vanter ses succès commerciaux sur l'oreiller et dans les restaurants chics. Il est évident aussi qu'on doit s'informer convenablement sur les marchés qu'on aborde. Il est évident enfin que la vente aura toujours besoin d'une pommade d'influence. Autant faire cela du mieux possible...

Mais le véritable enjeu de la sécurité des personnes, des opérations, des biens, et même de l'entreprise au double sens de projet volontaire et d'institution humaine, est bien au-dessus de cela.

Le moteur en est le changement, inévitable, permanent et rapide. Pas seulement dans l'ordre économique au sens strict mais aussi financier, plus largement politique et social. Et on a passé sous silence la nouvelle et révolutionnaire préoccupation écologique.

Le changement apporte ses opportunités et ses risques qu'il faut prévoir et prévenir, si possible. C'est le rôle modeste du capitaine engagé dans une zone de combat dont il ne connait pas bien l'étendue ni les mécanismes.

b) Que peuvent faire pour autrui ceux qui par goût ou par nécessité se sont engagés dans la voie de l'intelligence économique?

* Probablement, ne pas s'hypnotiser sur les techniques un peu secondaires et les success stories édifiantes des consultants .

* Reconnaître et analyser les risques réels,dès qu'ils apparaissent, là où ils sont et tels qu'ils sont. Une chronique collective des "petits faits porteurs d'avenir" et des "rapports d'étonnement " serait sans doute profitable à tous.

* La maîtrise de l'information ne résulte pas seulement des secrets cachés ou décelés mais aussi de la chaîne continue qui va de l'information évaluée à la constitution de savoirs et savoir-faire utiles (knowledge management?) puis à la construction de schémas d'actions pertinentes à partir des situations réelles. Les spécialistes de disciplines abstraites (cognition, systèmique ?) peuvent ici coopérer avec les porteurs de l'action managériale, publique ou privée .

Ces efforts sont difficiles et coûteux, direz-vous? essayez donc l'ignorance, les potions magiques ou l'appel au secours. Vous verrez bien...

PS. On retrouvera bien des éléments de cette discussion dans le site geoscopies.net/index.php

Intelligence (economique ou non) vue par Wikipedia

2007-12-29T00:23:00.000-08:00

Intelligence collection management

OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)

HUMINT (Human Intelligence)

Clandestine HUMINT

Operational techniques

...and covert action (also see Direct action (military))

Clandestine cell system

Special reconnaissance

List of special reconnaissance organizations

IMINT (Imagery Intelligence)

SIGINT (Signals Intelligence)

By Alliances, Nations and Industries

Operational Platforms by Nation

SIGINT in Modern History

TECHINT (Technical Intelligence)

MASINT (Measurements and Signature Intelligence)

Electro-optical MASINT

Nuclear MASINT

Geophysical MASINT

Radar MASINT

Radiofrequency MASINT

Materials MASINT

[edit] Intelligence analysis management

Intelligence analysis

Cognitive traps for intelligence analysis

[edit] Intelligence dissemination management

[edit] Intelligence cycle security

Counterintelligence

Counterintelligence and counterterror organizations

List of counterintelligence organizations

Counterintelligence failures

Clandestine HUMINT operational techniques

INFORMATION ECONOMY META LANGUAGE

2007-07-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

A relier aux problèmes de gestion de la connaissance

Proposé par Pierre Henri Levy , un langage pour organiser les concepts et la connaissance

Voir le site officiel www.ieml.org/
L'article Wikipedia sur ce projet fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Economy_Meta_Language

D'après USAGES 9:

IEML est un méta langage dont la structure logique a été conçue pour être simultanément calculable par une machine et capable d’exprimer les nuances sémantiques des langues naturelles. En outre IEML interface les langues naturelles entre elles puisque n’importe quel graphe de mots écrit dans une langue avec un éditeur IEML peut être lu dans n’importe quelle autre langue.

IEML repose sur la combinaison d’idéogrammes - chaque symbole possède une signification distincte et peut être combiné avec un autre pour générer une nouvelle signification. A cette base s’ajoute un système de coordonnées autorisant l’adressage sémantique des documents.

Une indexation en IEML permettra la recherche par concepts (et non plus uniquement par chaînes de caractères), la génération automatique de liens entre documents sémantiquement connexes et surtout les inférences au sein d’ensembles de documents “quelconques” sélectionnés par un utilisateur selon ses critères propres.

Plus programmatique que solution technique immédiatement disponible IEML n’en reste pas moins une avancée majeure, principalement en ce qui concerne l’intelligence collective et la valorisation des savoirs.

Google Apps Education

2007-07-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

Google Apps Education

WIKISOURCES, WIKILIVRES

2007-06-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Wikisource et Wikibooks

La distinction entre ces projets est relativement facile.

Wikisource publie des ouvrages qui ne sont en général pas rédigés par les contributeurs.
Wikibooks publie des textes rédigés par les contributeurs des différents projets ; il s'agit essentiellement de textes pédagogiques. Les notes ou commentaires de textes rédigés par les contributeurs peuvent être édités sur Wikibooks (un système précis reliant les deux projets reste toutefois à mettre en place).

Wikisource ou Wikipédia ?

Tandis que Wikipédia est une encyclopédie, Wikisource est une bibliothèque. Où Wikipédia contient des articles à propos de livres, Wikisource contiendra les livres eux-mêmes. Jusqu'à un certain point, les deux projets contiendront des informations bibliographiques à propos des auteurs. Sur ce point pourtant, et particulièrement pour les auteurs dont les œuvres sont dans le domaine public, Wikisource devrait être plus exhaustif.

Des liens entre une œuvre publiée sur Wikisource et des articles encyclopédiques sur cette œuvre peuvent être ajoutés au moyen du Modèle:Interprojet. Ces liens apparaissent dans la colonne de gauche de l'écran, au dessous de la boîte de recherche.

Wikisource ou Wikimedia Commons ?

Les images pour illustrer les textes doivent être déposées sur Wikimedia Commons, sauf pour les scans des documents qui n'ont en principe pas d'autre utilité que de servir à vérifier le texte.

WIKILIVRES

2007-06-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

Bienvenue sur Wikilivres^?, une bibliothèque de livres pédagogiques librement distribuables que chacun peut améliorer

4 261 pages en français, plus de 40 000 dans 119 langues