This site is also mirrored at www.naavi.org
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This site is also mirrored at www.naavi.org
Cyber Cafes will now come under Service tax
According to the Budget 2003 provisions, Cyber Cafes will come under Service tax provisions at the increased level of 8 %. Call centers using IT backbone are exempted. IT training may also come under the levy. Further details are awaited.
What is still intriguing is that there is no minimum business limit for application of Service Tax. Hence even if the tax payable is for one single transaction of less than Rs 10/- in an year, non payment may be construed as a violation subject to the discretion of the department. It is high time that some turnover or tax payable limit is prescribed for Service Tax.
Details of the new services added to the Service Tax net are available here (PDF Document)
In an yet another alarming development, it has come to light that many software developers in India, may now be penalized for infringing on a Patent though they were using a licenced software. Penalties may range from Rs 12.5 lakhs to Rs 25 crores.
This is the fall out of the Patent Case against Microsoft on a Patent technology belonging to Time Line Inc which is supposed to have been used in the MSSQL Server software. Microsoft recently lost the case and the impact has fallen on its customers.....More
E-Entrepreneurship Development Cell Required
Considering the long term interest of the IT industry in India and the need to harness the SOHO potential, Naavi.com feels that some kind of a "Soft Regulation" would help in the proper channelling of the potential of the Netpreneurs.....More
We are glad to bring the reply of Sohonetindia to the charges made by Mr R.K.Bharat published here last fortnight under the caption A Complaint on a Home Based Business Offer From Chennai. We hope Mr Bharat will respond to the invitation of sohonet india for an open debate. ...The Reply
Cyber Law Education For Engineers
In a seminar on "Cryptography" at Sairam Engineering College, Chennai, Naavi introduced Cyber Laws and their relevance to IT Professionals. During the talk he highlighted the need for developing "Information Security Engineering" as a specialization in Engineering with Cyber law as part of the curriculum....More
Pavan Duggal Highlights Need for Cyber Crime Education
Mr Pavan Duggal, the well known Cyber Law Expert and a practicing advocate in the Supreme Court has highlighted in an interview to Economic Times the need for Law Enforcement Agencies to be trained in the field of handling Cyber Crime Investigations. He has also highlighted the need for training the Lawyers and Judiciary in Cyber Law for effective Cyber Crime management. ...Details in Economic Times
National E-Governance Initiative planned
It is reported that a massive RS 20,000 crore E-Governance initiative is being planned by the Government under a Public-Private Partnership Programme. Out of the total investment, RS 8000 crores is being provided by the Government. It is time for the IT Companies in India to look at the business opportunities available in the E-Governance area and restructure themselves to address the needs of this sector. ... ...Details in Rediff.com
Related Article at Naavi.com: Rs 2860 crores Outlay for SMART Governance ?
eRisk Guidelines for Healthcare
The eRisk Working Group for Healthcare, a consortium of professional liability carriers, medical societies and state board representatives has developed eRisk guidelines for Healthcare. These Guidelines are meant to provide information to healthcare providers related to online communication. The growing Telemedicine industry in India should takenote of these guidelines....Details at asklipios.org
US to pursue Cyber Warfare in Iraq
It is reported that US is considering Cyber Warfare in Iraq to cripple electronic networks including radar systems. The success of this part of the warfare will be keenly watched by security specialists all over the world. Unfortunate part of this development is that this will legitimize such Cyber attacks even by terrorists and India will have to watch its Cyber Space Security even more carefully than before. ..Details
Spare a Thought For The Physically Challenged
Recently, Chennai was the host for the World Cup Cricket tournament for the Blind/Partially Blind....However, it is not always that the society recognizes the needs of these people in their day to day lives....While we need to draw the attention of the regulators towards bringing in legislatory compulsions on the industry to provide for infrastructure in the IT industry to accommodate physically challenged persons, there is a need for some voluntary action from the industry towards better "Web Accessibility" for physically challenged persons....More
E-Business is Exposed to Risks From 11000 Patents..
A recent estimate suggests that an E-Business proposition is exposed to approximately 11000 patent risks. Cyber Law Compliancy therefore has become even more complicated for E-Business entities.
Don't Take Law into Your Own Hands
It is very tempting for technology experts to take upon themselves the responsibility of fighting criminals. In the Cyber World, this could take the shape of "Counter Hacking" of websites belonging to the enemies of the Country or those Companies which they dislike....any such "Counter Hacking for a Good Cause" is also "Hacking" in law and is therefore illegal....More
Free Public Access For Scientific Knowledge
Naavi.com has been highlighting the ill effects of some of the recent developments in the area of Intellectual Property Rights as applicable to the Cyber medium...In recent days, academicians in educational institutions have raised an alarm on the misuse of Copyright by publishers of Scientific journals. ...On the 8th of this month, Professor John Willinsky of the University of British Columbia was in Chennai and addressed a group of technologists and librarians....More
A Complaint on a Home Based Business Offer From Chennai
We reproduce here a detailed complaint received from Mr R.K.Bharat of Mumbai on www.sohonetindia.com operating from Chennai. The views mentioned there in are entirely that of the complainant. Also the facts mentioned there in have not been validated by Naavi.com and we do not have any comments on the same at this point of time.
We however invite comments and rebuttals if any including from the Company.
It is however learnt from the Marketing agents of the Company that the Company is revising its terms and the new scheme will be announced shortly. ...The Complaint
Internet is a Great Medium.. It is a pity some misuse it.
Internet is a great communication medium. One of its biggest advantages is that it can effectively be used to aggregate resources scattered over a wide physical area for a common project that can be executed on the Internet. However, .. some appear to be taking advantage of the system in a manner in which the very image of such home based Internet business is tarnished. . .........More
Windows XP and Security Concerns
It may be of interest for Computer security watchers to study this detailed article on the security risks inherent in the use of WindowsXP particularly in the Government sector......The Article
CBI ties up online with Other Countries
A ten country online initiative has been started to network Cyber Crime Fighting agencies in India, Japan, China, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. The CBI cell is a contact point of Interpol for reporting cyber crimes committed in India. It has also been notified by G-8 (Group of Eight) countries for assistance in investigation of crimes related to cyber terrorism after the September 11 attacks in U.S. in 2001...Details in IE
Gujarat Takes a Big Leap in E-Governance
The E-Governance project of Gujarat under the website www.mahitishakti.net led by the Pachmahal District Collector has reportedly attracted wide attention amongst the public with online provisional FIR filing, Old Age Pension Application etc making it a popular medium of Public-Government Interface. A comparative chart with other E-Governance projects is interesting. It is important to note that the initiative headquartered in Godhra a nice way to forget the past and look at the future positively.
A Journalist does a Tehelka and fools Computer World
A journalist has played a dangerous game to fool a reputed magazine Computer World into believing that he represented a Muslim Terrorist Organization and Al Queda was responsible for a recent Virus. The journalist Mr Mcmillan of New Hampshire, USA, has admitted having registered and maintained www.harkatulmujahideen.org in the name of Abu Mujahid and receiving several e-mails from terrorist sympathetic organizations. Based on an e-mail interview with him the magazine carried a story which it retracted after a few hours.
The incident underscores how even reputed magazines can ignore the basic aspect of "Authentication" before publishing a sensitive story. It also underscores the irresponsible means adopted by some journalists which could be harmful to the society as well as bring danger to themselves. ..... Details at computerworld.com
More Patents to Bother
In continuation of the assault of Patents on Web processes on established fundamental business models, On Line Tests and Online Transmission of Digital Music have come under Patent Claims... At this rate E-Business dreams of many may have to die a premature death.
Details on - Patent on Online Test / Patent on Online Transmission o f Music
Jurisdiction- A Nightmare for E-Business
In all aspects of Business, one which gives nightmares to a Businessman is the factor of "Unknown Risks". In the context of E-Business, Digital Contracts and Transactions over the Internet, what the E-Business entrepreneur dreads most is the Cyber Law related risks which may lurk around the corner and hit him just when he thinks "I have arrived".
In order to protect Indian E-Business community therefore, it is necessary to create a "Protective Umbrella" .. ......More
Clothes can now send Messages
In an interesting technical development, it is reported that Dupont has developed Electro Textiles, ie, "Cloth capable of conducting Electricity sufficient to send messages". It is expected that this could help monitoring of the medical condition of the users such as heart rate etc. If so it can also be used for tracking down the presence of a person using GPS . This should come in handy for those prone to kidnapping as a standard security device and perhaps can also be useful for use by Children....Details in TOI
Two Arrested in UK for Virus introduction
Two members aged 19 and 21, belonging to a hacking group THr34t-Krew were arrested in UK allegedly for introducing the TK Webworm which attacked computers through Chat Channels. It is estimated that the total loss caused by this worm which exploited the IIS server software in around 18000 computers was around US $ 9 million (Rs 45 crores)....Details in bbc.com
First Cyber Crime Conviction in India- Noticeable for the Punishment
In what is being described as the first Cyber Crime conviction in India, Mr Asif Azam a former employee of a Call Center in Noida was convicted for misuse of Credit Card of an American. The Court has decided to put Mr Asif on probation. The Complaint was made by Sony which sold a TV based on a credit card purchase which was denied by the card holder. According to ITA-2000, Sony would have been entitled to a compensation in this case for damages suffered. As a Cyber Crime, no more punishment is envisaged under ITA-2000. However this is case which also is covered under IPC for cheating and perhaps imprisonment was possible.
It must however be noted with a deep sense of appreciation that the Court has considered the "Cyber Culture Influences " in such Cyber Crimes and rightly decided to take a soft view and put the person on probation rather than imposing a jail term. ...Details in Hindustan Times
ISP s Claim revenue sharing from Telephone Companies
The ISP s in India have filed a request with TRAI for a revenue sharing of Rs 0.25 per minute for Internet access calls. Currently for every rupee of marketing done by an ISP, the telephone companies were reaping a benefit of Rs 3. With the proposed changes the benefit for the telephone companies was set to raise further to Rs 4. This was grossly unfair and the ISPs must have been prompted by this greediness of the Telephone companies to make their own claim.
It is interesting to see if this results in an additional cost to the Internet consumer or the Telephone companies would be forced to absorb this revenue loss....Details at rediff.com
Lack of Cyber Security Training is Evident
In what may come as an unbelieving shock, it has been reported that an army unit sent out its Computer for upgradation to a local Computer vendor resulting in leakage of some sensitive information. . In the upgradation process the hard disk was replaced and the vendor recycled the old hard disk to the market. One of the users found that the hard disk contained battle plans during a recent army operation and the matter was reported to the authorities.
The incident is a clear indication of the level of Cyber Security awareness in the concerned office. The situation may not be much different in many Government offices and also Companies. ..........................Details at Sify.com
Tasks Before the New IT Minister
A New Era in the IT Ministry has started with Mr Arun Shourie taking over as its Minister.
IT industry is one industry where we need a "Leadership Strategy" as opposed to the "Follower Strategy" in other sectors or "Reconciliatory Strategy" which was required for the Disinvestment Ministry. ...we need to be bold enough to initiate policies without looking for precedence. ...We need policies which are "India Centric" which are in tune with the global trends but aimed at pursuing with a single minded focus the vision of "India being the Emerging IT Super Power".
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