The DNA of the UK Constitution

The European Union really makes my blood boil. If they’re not telling us what shape our bananas should be, they’re ordering our grocers to sell potatoes by the metre. Now, in the latest piece of politically correct European legislation, convicted paedophiles will be allowed to keep a pale 8 year old boy in their cells, after the European Court of Justice ruled that this was a fundamental “Yuman Rite”.* You couldn’t make it up.† We’re literally going to hell in a handcart.Or so you’d believe if you had access to no other media than the Daily Mail. But even readers of what Alan Partridge described as “arguably the best newspaper in the world” surely can’t complain about a recent judgement from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which ruled that it is illegal to retain DNA profiles and fingerprints of people who have never been convicted of a crime.The case was brought by two men from Sheffield whose DNA was taken after they were arrested on two separate and unrelated charges; one case involving alleged harassment was dropped, while the other man was acquitted of attempted robbery. Yet in spite of their innocence, these two men’s DNA and prints are still on a national criminal database, along with 570,000 other profiles of innocent individuals (some sources, notably today’s Guardian, say 850,000).In reaction to the ruling the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, said that while she was “disappointed” (shouldn’t that be “disappointing”? Ed.), the existing law would remain in place “while we carefully consider the judgement.”Well Jacqui, consider this. Presumption of innocence is an inseparable part of this country’s DNA, stretching back at least to Magna Carta. The principle of ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat (that the burden of proof rests on whom asserts and not on whom denies, for those of you with a state education) is a fundamental foundation of our entire legal system which, in spite of frequent criticisms, remains one of the best in the world.Ms Smith argues that DNA and fingerprinting is vital in the fight against crime, and claims that it provides the police with more than 3,500 matches a month. But Jacqui, we’re going to let you into a little secret. You know that statue of Justice on top of the Old Bailey? What’s that she’s holding in her left hand? That’s right – scales! And do you know what that represents, Jacqui?Yes, it’s balance! And that’s what justice is all about – balance.Taking the Home Secretary’s comments at face value, we should take the prints and DNA of every British child at birth; then we’d have a nice big database of everyone’s details. But that wouldn’t play very well with the public, would it, so how about taking young people’s DNA the moment they turn 16 – what could be objectionable about that?Merely the fact that it criminalises the innocent and robs us of a fundamental principle of our centuries-old legal system.The EU can often be a ponderous, calciferous and obtuse organisation, but we should applaud it when it makes the right decisions. Well done.* Probably.† Well, actually you could.

Are you Fur Real?

The use of real fur in fashion has, in recent years, sparked huge protest from various extremist groups, People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in particular. But the presence of fur in the fashion world can be contested in numerous ways.Animal Rights extremists argue that there is no need for designers to use real fur in today’s world when there are such realistic and “ethically correct” imitation furs that can be used.This is the argument hurled at Blackglama’s new fur campaign headed by Liz Hurley. She has been on the receiving end of some harsh criticism from PETA claiming that “her wardrobe is now as dead as her career”.With groups such as PETA on the war path you may ask why designers still insist on using real fur when it is so blatantly going to attract such extreme protest with the splashing of red paint, wine, or any other “ethical” substances over any fur garments worn in public.Maybe these extreme animal rights activists are demonstrating a valid argument and the existence of such realistic fur imitations has made the need for real fur redundant, making the use of real fur in fashion ethically unacceptable.However, when considering the debate surrounding fur, we must go back to our caveman roots and remember that in those early days, real fur was used for survival to keep warm. There were no ethical issues in those simpler times. So if the cavemen of our primitive world thought it natural to use the animal’s fur, why do we have a problem with it now? And if Liz Hurley wishes to regress to those prehistoric times then who are we, or PETA, to judge?But perhaps it’s all merely a publicity stunt nowadays with phrases such as “there is no such thing as bad publicity” being coined in the minds of many of those who are hungry for exposure. With well known celebrities such as Natalie Imbruglia heading PETA’s own anti-fur campaign, we must consider the obvious publicity that these situations induce. So we must ask, is this all a PR stunt for the models and the fashion industry that animal rights activists are playing into? Or are groups such as PETA just as aware of the benefit of such publicity as everyone else?

Kangaroo's Hopping Onto our Screens in the New Year

It would seem that despite the current financial climate the whole IPTV/Video on Demand market is bubbling along nicely.Recent reports suggest that the joint TV on demand venture between ITV, Channel 4 and the Beeb will be hitting our screens early 2009.According to the Guardian"It is understood that Project Kangaroo will go into alpha mode in December with the uploading of programming content and aims to launch trials of the service early next year.The trials, or beta phase, will see a limited number of users allowed to access the service in a strictly closed test of the service's usability and functionality."Should we be asking Santa for an ADSL 2+ net connection or will the project be killed off by the Competition Commission before it even gets going?

Two cheers for the NHS

Of all the categories of sensitive data, it is information about our health and our medical histories that is perhaps the most personal and private.For example, you wouldn’t want a stranger – or worse, a colleague – knowing that you’re being prescribed Anusol Ultra for your chalfonts, would you? Nor would you want your boss to know about the methadone prescription, or your mother to know about your latest suicide attempt. Unless, of course, it was a cry for help.But even if it contains nothing as dramatic as an overdose, we tend to guard our medical history very jealously.So it may come as a shock to learn that not only has the NHS amassed a central database of around one billion confidential records of patient visits to hospital, it is routinely sending some of these records to an academic organisation outside the NHS. These records contain personally identifiable information, such as postcodes and NHS numbers, as well as medical information, including diagnoses and any treatment given.Now, a certain breed of querulous privacy advocate will start whining the moment they hear the words “giant database” in conjunction with “confidential data”. Not so data grub: we understand that there are often the very best reasons for aggregating personal data, as long as stringent measures are in place to ensure absolute confidentiality.In this case, the aim is to use this vast resource of information to improve the NHS’s service and treatment outcomes, which I think we can agree is a Good Thing.The other good news is that both the NHS and the academic organisation that uses this data, the inanely-titled Dr Foster Unit, seem to have taken decent precautions to protect patients. All data is held on encrypted discs and is sent by secure courier, which is a pretty good start. Then, at the Dr Foster Unit, the data is kept in secure offices, on disc-less workstations which have no link to the Internet.While this compares pretty favourably with the cavalier approach towards data security shown by other public sector bodies, among them the Ministry of Justice, the MoD and the Department for Work and Pensions, it’s certainly far from perfect.Our main gripe is that personally identifiable information (PII) is contained within the data that’s being sent out of the NHS. While PII such as postcodes may be vital for making distinctions between different areas of a town or the country, surely the NHS should secure people’s informed consent if they are to use their data in this way?So, two cheers for the NHS and the Dr Foster Unit for at least trying to apply best practice to the use of sensitive data. But, as we asked at the beginning, why should anyone other than one’s doctor be able to look at your confidential medical history, even if it’s just some academic at Imperial College?Now, if they anonymised this PII irreversibly, ensuring that records cannot be traced to an individual, while at the same time remaining useful to the bean counters (all perfectly possible with today’s technology), well – that would be just what the doctor ordered.

Pirates Français de P2P Feel the Noose Tightening

French file-sharers take note. This week the French senate voted 297 to only 15 in favour of introducing the controversial “three-strike” rule, giving ISPs the right to disconnect suspected illegal file-sharers if two warnings are ignored.This position runs contrary to the European Parliament’s view which rejected the “three-strike rule” in a vote back in April.After the vote one MEP said, “The vote shows that MEPs want to strike a balance between the interests of rights holders and those of consumers, and that big measures like cutting off internet access shouldn't be used."In Britain, ISPs favour a self regulatory approach and have formed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement between copyright holders and six of the UK's largest ISPs, accounting for around 9 in 10 consumer connections. However, the MOU doesn’t go as far as suggesting how persistent file-sharers should be dealt with and we are still waiting to find out exactly what happens to these alleged infringers.

Orange Turn Phorm Blue

Orange might not be the first ISP to denounce the behavioural advertising service of Phorm (take a look at the 'Proud to be Phorm free! ISP) but they're certainly the largest.Paul-François Fournier, senior vice-president of Orange’s online advertising division, told the FT that there was “huge potential” for telecommunication companies to use customer data to target advertising but managing customers’ privacy was “critical”.“Privacy is in our DNA, so we need to be honest and clear about what we are doing,” Mr Fournier said. “We have decided not to be in Phorm because of that ... The way it was proposed, the privacy issue was too strong.”However, he didn't go quite so far as to say they'd never use it or a company in the same space such as NebuAd or FrontPorch.Currently Orange appear to be the consumer champions and perhaps this is something that BT should have thought about before unleashing the service on 10,000 unsuspecting customers back in 2006 and 2007. Although it would seem that it's not a case of once bitten twice shy as BT has gone for round two with Phorm.

A Dog is for Life, Not Just for the Battery Lifespan

On one hand, the Nintendogs virtual pets are great for those fad loving kids who are easily bored and will lose interest in a real life pet once the novelty wears off. So in that sense they are effective in fulfilling that initial short-lived desire for a pet.On the other hand, they mislead the owners of these gadgets into believing that owning a pet is less involved and a lot simpler than it really is. Although you have to clean up the pooch’s poops on the console, it fails to include pet care, vet visits, medication costs, and general taming; therefore failing to provide an accurate experience of owning a pet dog. What about the true cost and chores of owning a pet?If having a pet dog was as simple as the Nintendog suggests then we would all have a cute little odourless puppy in our home that rolls over when we tickle its collar and wags its tails permanently with joy. But this joyful experience of owning a pet dog is vastly different from the reality which involves a muddy, smelly pooch running around on a mission of destruction.It therefore projects an unrealistic or rose-tinted view of owning a dog that can lead to people upgrading to real life pets without being fully prepared or informed about what this will entail.In a society where 26 page documents are released informing pet owners on how to entertain and mentally stimulate your pets so ensure their mental stability, it seems ludicrous to simultaneously be “dumbing down” the reality of owning a pet. Surely we are being sent contradictory messages.If the Nintendogs are meant to be an accurate depiction of a live pet dog then surely the same animal welfare rules should apply and owners should make every effort to ensure and monitor a mentally stable pet, but the software just does not accommodate for the mental support for pets. So, for a hassle free, clean and tidy alternative for a real life pet, Nintendogs offers a simple virtual imitation. But do not be fooled into thinking that owning a real life pet will be quite as simple.

Doubting Thomas?

We’re big fans of Richard Thomas here at data grub.Mr Thomas, as any fule kno, is the UK’s Information Commissioner and head of the Information Commissioner’s Office. They’re the independent regulatory office dealing with all sorts of privacy legislation like the Data Protection Act, the Freedom of Information Act and many others too numerable and mind-numbing to mention.Put succinctly, Mr Thomas and his team are there to prevent the creeping threat of a Big Brother state, and also to stop any attempt by private companies to read our emails, share our data or plant transponders in our brains that constantly remind us that Sud-U-Like Washes Even Whiter.It’s a pretty thankless task, but one that he and his team have been doing pretty bloody well, at least in my opinion. They’re not afraid to stand up for citizens’ privacy when it’s genuinely threatened by big business or big government, while at the same time ever-ready to slap down spurious, misinformed petitions from bleating, single issue, self-important “privacy experts”. (I think you’ll know whom I’m referring to, Alex…)So even though the latest utterance to pass the Commissioner’s lips could have come from the Department of The Bleeding Obvious, at least it’s being said by someone whose words carry weight.In a speech yesterday Mr Thomas warned that the proliferation of ever larger centralised databases is increasing the risk of people’s personal data being lost or abused.He also drew attention to bears’ predilection for sylvan defecation and raised questions about the Pope’s dedication to Islam.But sometimes you do need to state the obvious, loudly and often. This is one such time.Because on Tuesday, Jacqui Smith was forced to admit that the Government will soon begin technical work on its giant database of all email, text, phone and web traffic – even though the legislation has yet to be passed by Parliament.Of course, the present Government is completely contemptuous of Parliament and will go ahead with its plans whatever Richard Thomas, or anyone else, says.Which is a shame, because much of Mr Thomas’ speech was given over to a report on how reported data losses have soared in the past year. The number of data breaches - including lost laptops and memory sticks containing sensitive personal records - reported to him has risen to 277 since the loss of 25 million child benefit records was disclosed nearly a year ago.The new figures show that the information commissioner has recently launched investigations into 30 of the most serious cases. The 277 breaches include 80 reported by the private sector, 75 within the NHS and other health bodies, 28 reported by central government, 26 by local authorities and 47 by the rest of the public sector.Mr Thomas pointed out that as new technology is harnessed to collect vast amounts of personal information, the risks of it being abused increase: “It is time for the penny to drop,” he said. “The more databases that are set up and the more information exchanged from one place to another, the greater the risk of something going wrong.”“The more you centralise data collection, the greater the risk of multiple records going missing or wrong decisions about real people being made.”It is not difficult to grasp this concept, Jacqui. It is a simple, elegantly expressed and indisputable fact. But why listen to boring old Richard Thomas?Sir Ken Macdonald, the director of public prosecution (DPP), speaking after Smith’s admission, weighed in to warn that the government was in danger of “breaking the back of freedom” with the relentless pressure of a security state.But I think Richard Thomas’ point is the stronger – if we can’t trust the government with our private data now, how the hell are we supposed to trust it when it holds details of all electronic communications in the UK?By the way, have a look at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/oct/29/data-security-breach-civil-liberty for Thomas’ table on this year’s data breaches.Ta ta for now, data chums!

We’re big fans of Richard Thomas here at data grub.

Mr Thomas, as any fule kno, is the UK’s Information Commissioner and head of the Information Commissioner’s Office. They’re the independent regulatory office dealing with all sorts of privacy legislation like the Data Protection Act, the Freedom of Information Act and many others too numerable and mind-numbing to mention.Put succinctly, Mr Thomas and his team are there to prevent the creeping threat of a Big Brother state, and also to stop any attempt by private companies to read our emails, share our data or plant transponders in our brains constantly reminding us that Sud-U-Like Washes Even Whiter.It’s a pretty thankless task, but one that he and his team have been doing pretty bloody well, at least in my opinion. They’re not afraid to stand up for citizens’ privacy when it’s genuinely threatened by big business or big government, while at the same time ever-ready to slap down spurious, misinformed petitions from bleating, single issue, self-important “privacy experts”. (I think you’ll know whom I’m referring to, Alex...)So even though the latest utterance to pass the Commissioner’s lips could have come from the Department of Bleeding Obvious, at least it’s being said by someone whose words carry weight.In a speech yesterday Mr Thomas warned that the proliferation of ever larger centralised databases is increasing the risk of people’s personal data being lost or abused.He also drew attention to bears’ predilection for sylvan defecation and raised questions about the Pope’s commitment to Islam.But sometimes you do need to state the obvious, loudly and often. This is one such time.Because on Tuesday, Jacqui Smith was forced to admit that the Government will soon begin technical work on its giant database of all email, text, phone and web traffic – even though the legislation has yet to be passed by Parliament.Of course, the present Government is completely contemptuous of Parliament and will go ahead with its plans whatever Richard Thomas, or anyone else, says.Which is a shame, because much of Mr Thomas’ speech was given over to a report on how reported data losses have soared in the past year. The number of data breaches - including lost laptops and memory sticks containing sensitive personal records - reported to him has risen to 277 since the loss of 25 million child benefit records was disclosed nearly a year ago.The new figures show that the information commissioner has recently launched investigations into 30 of the most serious cases. The 277 breaches include 80 reported by the private sector, 75 within the NHS and other health bodies, 28 reported by central government, 26 by local authorities and 47 by the rest of the public sector.Mr Thomas pointed out that as new technology is harnessed to collect vast amounts of personal information, the risks of it being abused increase: "It is time for the penny to drop,” he said. “The more databases that are set up and the more information exchanged from one place to another, the greater the risk of something going wrong.”"The more you centralise data collection, the greater the risk of multiple records going missing or wrong decisions about real people being made."It is not difficult to grasp this concept, Jacqui. It is a simple, elegantly expressed and indisputable fact. But why listen to boring old Richard Thomas?Sir Ken Macdonald, the director of public prosecution (DPP), speaking after Smith’s admission, weighted in to warn that the government was in danger of “breaking the back of freedom” with the relentless pressure of a security state.But I think Richard Thomas’ point is the stronger – if we can’t trust the government with our private data now, how the hell are we supposed to trust it when it holds details of all electronic communications in the UK?

A guest editor writes…

I’m delighted to announce that this week we have a guest editor, a Ms H.W. from somewhere in the South East. You’ll immediately notice the balance, reasoned argument and tolerance of other nationalities that has, until now, been so clearly absent from this blog. So, without further ado, I give you Ms H.W.:A German Court has given permission for website operators to store internet protocol (IP) addresses of their visitors, claiming it does not violate data protection legislation. Surely not? I hear you cry. Yet they say that without additional information IP addresses can’t be classified as personal data because they cannot be easily obtained and used to determine a person’s identity. Note they said data cannot be easily attained therefore it is in fact still possible. The court in Munich did present a good case by ruling that ISPs could not present information to third parties regarding who had been using a certain IP address at a particular time without a court order.The German court ruling is in fact consistent with the advice issued by the UK’s Information Commissioner last year. However, this did point out that IP addresses could constitute personally identifiable information (PII). This has resulted in people including The Article 29 Working Party (a reference to the 29th article of the European Directive concerning the protection of EU citizens’ personal data) to argue that if it could become personal data it should be treated this way regardless.As a nation we put a certain amount of our trust in online actors including behavioural targeting firms, internet service providers and search engines, to use our data correctly and appropriately. The big question is: does using this data breach our privacy laws? The German court obviously thinks not.I wonder if Pythias Brown, 48, from New Jersey agrees. He used to be a baggage screener at an airport and in charge of people’s property. He admitted to stealing regularly from his workplace and selling the stolen items on eBay using the handle “alirla”. Brown was found by investigators who tracked down this alirla account using Brown’s IP address for his home computer. This case provides a great argument against the claim that IP addresses cannot be counted and used as personal data. It would appear privacy here has most certainly been invaded.

What’s Your Pet Peeve?

In a new code of practice facing pet owners, cat and dog owners are advised as to the ways in which they should care for their pets. The new code contains obvious and excessive instructions that are to be imposed on pet owners when caring for their pets. The obvious being the well made observation that pet owners should feed their pet’s everyday; the excessive being the need for the provision of "entertainment" and "mental stimulation" for their pets under new government advice.The article tells owners that suitable toys and "entertainment" should be provided for their cats and that they should “ensure that your cat has enough mental stimulation from you and from its environment to avoid boredom and frustration.” According to various sources, a lack in mental stimulation, even when coupled with sufficient physical stimulation, can result in a mental imbalance for pets. Maybe this revelation is all a PR stunt to trigger a rise in the number of pet psychiatrists; or maybe it is just another step towards the ever more present Nanny State.Whatever the reason for these revelations, it strikes me as ever so slightly excessive. When was the last time your vet told you to hold regular entertainment activities for your pet? Ok cats and dogs are suitable for keeping as pets due to their tame nature and adaptability to the home environment, but that doesn’t mean they need mollycoddling 24/7 like a child. Cats especially can amuse themselves outside without having their owner set up a puppet show for them in order to stimulate their mind.Providing a decent shelter, taking them to the vet when they are sick, and generally providing care should be sufficient. Without doubt, stories of animal cruelty are disturbing and unacceptable and need to be stopped, but there is no need to go to the extreme and treat them like a child.Legislation should be targeted at the ignorant abusers who are incapable of providing care to animals. It just isn’t necessary to tell already caring pet owners how to further pamper their animals. Instead they should be inflicting greater punishments for those who abuse animals, and raising more money for saving those animals found deserted or mistreated.

Camden RIPA-off

Camden Town Council has more than quadrupled its surveillance of local residents since the introduction of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).While the Act allows for the interception of communications and the use of covert human intelligence sources to prevent crime, including terrorism, it appears that Camden Council are using this legislation to spy on low-level offences, such as dog fouling, littering and checking whether or not a child lives in a certain catchment area.Admittedly, Camden is the haunt of some of the most loathsome Untermensch that inhabit this fair city, from strutting, skinny-jeaned new media types to coin-eyed rip-off merchants selling “legal highs”.But while I personally would be glad to sweep this whole swathe of faux-bohemia into the Regent’s Canal, I grudgingly have to admit that, owing to a loophole in the law, these people have the right to exist without being persecuted by the local council.Of course, if the police and security services have reasonable grounds to suspect someone of planning a terrorist operation, that’d be a great time to start tapping the phones. But if you think that someone is mis-using a disabled parking badge, I would suggest that surveillance is both disproportionate and a fatuous waste of time and money.

And Phorm saw that it was good…

Glad to see that this blog’s starting to have a bit of influence. Phorm has taken my advice (see previous post) and has drawn up a list of incentives for customers who opt-in to their Webwise targeted ad service.Suggestions include:An upgrade to a faster broadband package at no extra cost£1 off monthly broadband bills£1 cashback per monthA cut of advertising revenuesA free premium technical support lineFree music download vouchersFree anti-virus softwareParental content controlsDonating a sum to charity(More information here: http://snipurl.com/3xi6t)My next blog posting will contain details of how to solve the worldwide banking crisis, rid the world of HIV/AIDS and how to achieve a lasting resolution of the Israeli / Palestinian conflict.

An Englishman’s house is his castle. Entrance £5

A few Christmases ago, I was given a fascinating little book in my stocking. It was a facsimile of a booklet given to every American GI posted to Britain during the Second World War.“Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain” is a wonderful, humane and charming insight into the British character and a revealing portrait of how the Englishman is perceived by his cousins.For example, under the heading ‘British Reserved, Not Unfriendly’, the book warns that Britons will not strike up a conversation on a busy train because “…[living] on a small, crowded island, the British have learned to guard their privacy carefully.”Not much has changed since then, has it? Britons are as apt to strike up a conversation with a stranger as the French are to take daily baths. And in the Internet age, with the perceived intrusions into our private lives and threats to our personal data, we’ve learned to guard our privacy even more jealously than before, haven’t we?Not exactly. A new survey has found that 60 per cent of those questioned were happy to hand over computer password data which might be useful to potential ID thieves in exchange for a £5 M&S gift voucher.In return for the voucher, Joe Public happily divulged how they remember their password and which online websites (from a range of email, shopping, banking and social networking sites) they most frequently use. Almost half of respondents (45 per cent) said they used either their birthday, their mother’s maiden name or a pet’s name as a password.What we learn from all this is that the Englishman, rather than keeping a tighter grip on his privacy than a Scotsman keeps on his wallet, is more than happy to whore out his sensitive private data for a derisorily small pecuniary reward. This has important implications for many in the technology sector.In this blog I’ve mentioned several companies and services which, fairly or unfairly, have had obloquy heaped upon them by so-called privacy advocates who claim (often in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary) that it impinges on their privacy. The answer for these companies is simple: gain consent for a “controversial” new service by offering a small financial enticement. Hell, there are people out there willing to hand over their banking passwords to a clipboard-wielding survey monkey in exchange for a lunch voucher. I’m sure the same people would find “controversial” new technologies much less objectionable if they were given the smallest of incentives.

World Wide Web Cast Further By Mobile Internet

Browsing the www used to be confined ‘within four walls’ by a fixed line access point provided by an Internet service provider(ISP). However, the www made a bid for freedom with new technologies such as WAP being developed in the late 90’s. This enabled people to access the ‘net with their mobile phones but speeds were very slow and data charges expensive. Further developments, like GPRS, 3G, HSDPA have speeded things up but even today this method of browsing is only just getting started using devices such as PDAs and Smartphones.ISPs had complete control on the connectivity market but today face challenges from traditional mobile phone network providers, especially when it comes to being able to provide access to the www on the move. It’s no fun trying to browse the web on a small mobile screen but if you can browse on a laptop screen that’s a whole different story.The dramatic fall in the cost of laptops has opened up a new market and made offering mobile broadband worthwhile. Mobile operators have been able to capitalize on their network capabilities and offer mobile broadband to a new generation of ‘net surfing travellers. You can surf the web on you laptop while travelling courtesy of 3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone; and they’re now even starting to bundle in free laptops with their price plans. A handy guide to price plans can be found here.

Road Rage

The British are, we are told with mind-numbing regularity, the most watched people in the world, with more CCTV cameras per head of population in the UK than any other nation in the world. (Though I hear the Chinese are catching up – the city of Shenzen will soon have two million surveillance cameras watching over a population of 12 million.)Now, I read today in the paper (a real newspaper which you have to buy, like a grown-up) that the police are to expand their car surveillance operation that will allow them to record the details of millions of journeys every day, and to store this data for up to five years. I don’t have a visceral, knee-jerk antipathy to surveillance cameras. I do find them somewhat creepy and I am concerned about the centralisation of data detailing exactly where I’ve been all day. (Yes, I do have an Oyster card and yes I am aware that this too tracks me.) I’m also concerned about who has access to this data and how it’s used. For example, I’m not particularly impressed with councils using hardcore anti-terrorism legislation to snoop on litter droppers.But unlike the witless graffiti vandal Banksy, I don’t think all surveillance is a bad idea. Cameras do occasionally help the police to foil a crime in progress; it has been known for CCTV recordings to lead to successful prosecutions in court. I would argue that this is not altogether a bad thing.I’m sure that the cops’ plan to record 18bn number plates in 2009 will probably help them to solve and prevent more crimes. What I doubt is whether the scheme is proportionate, value for money or safe. If the database goes ahead, it will store a colossal amount of information on the private lives of identifiable individuals. Of course, GCHQ listens to our phone calls and if they cared to they could probably reveal you penchant for dirty phone calls and casual drug use. But they’re spies and are pretty good at keeping hold of information. (Rather too good at keeping hold of information, if the Omagh story is to be believed…)My point is that before the Home Office implements a new, massive repository of citizens’ data, it must first show that they can be trusted with large amounts of highly sensitive information. Or small amounts, for that matter.While I don’t necessarily deny a need for the police’s car surveillance plan, I do think the government needs to win the public debate on the need for such surveillance. Whether they will even engage in such a debate on this issue remains to be seen.

Trump bumps India up the overseas property ladder

New York-based Trump Organisation has plans for India - big, big plans. On the one hand, US-based billionaire Donald Trump is wooing potential buyers from India for his 45-storey Trump International building coming up in Manhattan and on the other, Trump Jr is setting up a $1bn (£500.5m) fund to buy property in India.Astute property investors are hedging their bets on the likely outcome of this sudden rush in Indian property investments and developments. It could all come crashing down like many other property markets or it could see an influx of foreign property investors.The Indian property market is growing year-on-year, mainly because of the growth in the middle classes. However, the developments that will potenitally be on offer by the likes of the Trumps are high-end therefore not affordable by the middle classes.Driving through the different towns in India, it's not unusual to see abandoned half-built developments. Once promising, these high-end property developments now lie barren due to investor pull-outs, untrustworthy suppliers and most of all, lack of interest from the Indian buyers. There is a definite over supply of properties in many parts of the country yet a rosy picture is being painted for foreign investors.

Political strife in Thailand puts investors off

Overseas property investors can strike yet another destination of their list. Violent protests in Thailand which left one person dead and 43 injured have put a black cloud on the otherwise booming property market in Thailand.Thai stocks are set to fall, with fears of further political unrest dominating the market.Credit Suisse Group are advising investors to avoid stocks in Thailand and to re-think property investments. A statement from them suggested violence will continue and the country will soon become 'ungovernable'. British holidaymakers are being warned to avoid trouble-hit Thailand unless it's very essential. Frequent attacks, including bombing and shooting, due to insurgency and civil unrest continue.

Wankster’s Paradise

This week we’ve seen lots of talk about two flashy new browsers that have recently been launched in beta versions. First up, we have the latest iteration of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, IE8, with which it hopes to gain ground on – among others – Mozilla’s successful Firefox application.Hot on the heels of Microsoft comes Google’s first foray into the browser market with its own beta, called Chrome. (Chromium is the name of the open-source project which led to its development, for all you curtains-closed bed-sit dwellers out there.)Of course, both these betas come with spangly new features and functions – higher speeds, more robust security, clearer user interfaces and so forth. It’s a shame, then, that most of the public and press have focused on their respective privacy features: Google’s Incognito and Explorer’s InPrivate modes. When activated, these settings prevent the browser from storing any history information or cookies from websites visited. Inevitably, this has been dubbed “porn mode” by…well, everyone.Of course, both companies attempted to re-define their “porn modes” with spurious alternative reasons for use. Quote of the week comes from a spokesman for Google who (presumably sticking a needle into his thumb to stop himself from dissolving into giggles) straight-facedly claimed Incognito was “…for times when you want to…plan surprises like gifts or birthdays.”No – it’s to stop the wife from knowing, rather than merely suspecting, that you look at some of the most repulsive pornography on the web.Hairy-palmed husbands will no doubt welcome both browsers, as will the latest generation of gangly girl-shy teenagers who still use their parents’ Internet connection.But will the “porn modes” prevent Microsoft and Google from storing your search terms and IP address? As we know, search engines already store records of who you are (IP address), where you’ve been (URLs) and what you’ve looked for (search terms). What’s to stop, say, Google from identifying you and your browsing behaviour for definitely-not-evil-at-all uses?Er…nothing. Users who leave Chrome’s auto-suggest feature on and have Google as their default search provider will be giving Google access to any keystrokes that are typed into the browser’s Omnibox, even before they hit enter. Google have been good enough to admit to this: a representative said that that about “two per cent” of the data would be stored along with the IP address of the computer that sent the information.In theory, that means that if one were merely to type the address of a site into the Omnibox, even without hitting enter one could leave incriminating evidence on Google’s servers.I’ve got no problem with anyone – website publisher, search engine, browser – knowing where I’ve been. My problem is in them knowing who I am. Since they store IP addresses – and God knows what other personally identifiable information – that’s exactly what they do know.Google says that turning on the Incognito mode will prevent it from harvesting your search queries alongside your IP address. If that’s true (and why would anyone doubt good-guy-Google’s word?) then the privacy modes could have an audience outside of the dirty mac brigade; I for one.http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/02/google_chrome_comic_funnies/

Going Green Could Save You Green

Energy Efficient Homes provide hope to Property Investors
Carbon appeal is set to surpass 'kerb appeal' for property buyers claims a new research from the Energy Saving Trust. The survey reveals that energy efficient homes could be a vital driver to keeping the property market moving in the current doom and gloom climate. The study results show that half of UK homeowners believe homes with greener features are easier to sell in the current market and 53% of all householders say they would be willing to pay extra for them.
The research reveals however, that estate agents could be under-selling the value of greener homes through a lack of information.
Despite the fact that householders are willing to pay on average £3,350 more for a 'green' home, almost half (49%) feel that estate agents don't put enough value on a home's green features and 56 per cent feel that estate agents don't know enough about energy efficiency performance.
There is a clear appetite for clearer information however, as two-thirds (66%) of householders would like more guidance from estate agents on the likely running costs of a home.
The research also indicates that failing to pay enough attention to a home's 'carbon appeal' could make it harder to sell, as over three-quarters of those surveyed (78%) agree that having 'poor' energy rating on their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) could lead to buyers haggling down the price of a home on the market; furthermore two-thirds (66%) agreed that in light of the current economic climate, home-buyers are more likely to consider the EPC to ensure a home has lower-running costs.

How to disappear completely?

Another day, another data loss. This time, it’s Charnwood Borough Council in the spotlight with the news that one of their hard drives, containing taxpayers’ personal details, has turned up on eBay.I’ll admit that news of yet another disastrous data loss by government is less than surprising. What is interesting is a piece in The Register which shows that these recent data losses are the result of the government’s failure to set and publicise standards for wiping data. This, El Reg claims, makes future and more serious incidents much more likely.Now, as Gary Glitter and the staff of PC World Bristol can attest, when you “delete” a file on your computer it ain’t necessarily gone for good. To ensure that any sensitive or incriminating data is irrevocably removed from a device, be it a politician’s palmtop or a pop star’s laptop, it needs to be “wiped”.The trouble is, the government doesn’t have any guidelines for the wiping of data.Let me repeat that: the government doesn’t have any guidelines for the wiping of data.So, government bodies, agencies, departments and so on are setting their own standards for preventing unauthorised disclosure of data. And bless them, I bet they try their best, but they’re getting sod all help from central government.Instead, they’re bizarrely borrowing bits from US government guidelines. That’s what happened in Charnwood Council’s case. Lacking a UK standard for data wiping, it seems that the Council instead required third parties to apply (deep breath) DoD Standard 5220.22M (exhale) to all data erasures.To cut a long and tedious story short (and to save you from a plethora of Yankee acronyms and initialisms), this standard is from a manual published by the US Department of Defense which addresses the issue of preventing unauthorised disclosure of classified information.On the surface, this looks like quite a smart move by Charnwood Council: after all, they were modelling their data security standards on one of the most successfully secretive organisations on the planet.Unfortunately, when Charnwood Council set its criteria for supplier selection, the edition of this manual didn’t specify any particular method for securely wiping data.You’ve got to give a sleepy, bucolic council like Charnwood full marks for effort for cribbing guidance off the US Department of Defense – it’s just a shame the bits they borrowed didn’t give tell them how to go about wiping data.The guidelines for data wiping were finally published in this year’s manual, along with an enhanced “Clearing and Sanitization Matrix”, which sounds like a rather sinister euphemism for the Department of Defense’s day-to-day work.Until the UK Government pulls its finger out and issues clear and comprehensive methods for wiping information, we can expect more, much more, of the same…(The full Register article is here, in all its complexity: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/01/gov_data_standards_arent/)

Another day, another data loss

This time, it’s Charnwood Borough Council in the spotlight with the news that one of their hard drives, containing taxpayers’ personal details, has turned up on eBay.I’ll admit that news of yet another disastrous data loss by government is less than surprising. What is interesting is a piece in The Register which shows that these recent data losses are the result of the government’s failure to set and publicise standards for wiping data. This, El Reg claims, makes future and more serious incidents much more likely.Now, as Gary Glitter and the staff of PC World Bristol can attest, when you “delete” a file on your computer it ain’t necessarily gone for good. To ensure that any sensitive or incriminating data is irrevocably removed from a device, be it a politician’s palmtop or a pop star’s laptop, it needs to be “wiped”.The trouble is, the government doesn’t have any guidelines for the wiping of data.Let me repeat that: the government doesn’t have any guidelines for the wiping of data.So, government bodies, agencies, departments and so on are setting their own standards for preventing unauthorised disclosure of data. And bless them, I bet they try their best, but they’re getting sod all help from central government.Instead, they’re bizarrely borrowing bits from US government guidelines. That’s what happened in Charnwood Council’s case. Lacking a UK standard for data wiping, it seems that the Council instead required third parties to apply (deep breath) DoD Standard 5220.22M (exhale) to all data erasures.To cut a long and tedious story short (and to save you from a plethora of Yankee acronyms and initialisms), this standard is from a manual published by the US Department of Defense which addresses the issue of preventing unauthorised disclosure of classified information.On the surface, this looks like quite a smart move by Charnwood Council: after all, they were modelling their data security standards on one of the most successfully secretive organisations on the planet.Unfortunately, when Charnwood Council set its criteria for supplier selection, the edition of this manual didn’t specify any particular method for securely wiping data.You’ve got to give a sleepy, bucolic council like Charnwood full marks for effort for cribbing guidance off the US Department of Defense – it’s just a shame the bits they borrowed didn’t give tell them how to go about wiping data.The guidelines for data wiping were finally published in this year’s manual, along with an enhanced “Clearing and Sanitization Matrix”, which sounds like a rather sinister euphemism for the Department of Defense’s day-to-day work.Until the UK Government pulls its finger out and issues clear and comprehensive methods for wiping information, we can expect more, much more, of the same…

India’s "crunch-proof" property market brought to London by Navyroof.com

As house prices in London and surrounding areas are in freefall, some selling for over £50,000 less than originally purchased, London property investors are looking to India for profitability where Merrill Lynch has predicted a 700 per cent increase in property prices by 2015.A seminar at the City Hotel, Brick Lane, London, at 7pm on September 17th will give London property investors valuable information on how they can benefit from investing in India’s thriving property sector.It is hosted by Navyroof.com – the company that brings investment opportunities from the most up-and-coming areas of India to the UK.Attendees will gain detailed knowledge of the Indian economy and the long term sustainable factors driving its rapid growth; they will also discover the areas that give the greatest capital appreciation on investment and will have the opportunity to listen to expert guidance on the purchasing process. The seminar will cover all aspects of the market, including Indian property law, to give investors all the information they need to escape the doldrums of the UK property market and to take full advantage of India’s booming economy.Mother IndiaThe seminar will also explain how London’s non-resident Indian community can give back and profit by investing in their motherland.India’s strong economic growth reflects the profound changes occurring in society. Over half of India’s current population is under 25, giving India the world’s largest population of workers and consumers by 2020. Increased urbanisation and modern young Indians preferring to live on their own means demand for housing has never been higher. Mortgage lending increased tenfold between 2000 – 2005 yet the ratio of mortgages to GDP remains low, which shows the massive potential in the property market.Andrew Fassnidge, Managing Director of Navyroof.com said, “This seminar will show both UK investors and non-resident Indians how easy, effective and profitable investing in India can be. All the economic indicators project a bright, sustainable future for India with Merrill Lynch predicting a seven-fold increase in the Indian property market by 2015. In the last two years alone, property prices in India increased by 70 per cent. Industry commentators are mooting that whilst the USA and Europe look to be involved in an economic downturn, emerging markets such as India, may be the ‘crunch proof’ economies. Anyone with even a small amount of capital should come along to the seminars to find out what opportunities there are for them to escape the UK property decline.”Invest In India Seminar Harrow 3rd September - 7pmInvest In India Seminar Brick Lane 17th of September - 7pmInvest In India Seminar Hounslow 23rd of September - 7pmAttendance can be secured for the 17th of September by signing up at http://www.navyroof.com/ or calling 020 7242 2452

DPI red herring

First off, apologies for the slightly confusing discrepancies between the dates above my previous posts and their stated publication dates. I migrated my nascent blog from another site and wanted to show exactly when I’d written them.Right, to Capitol Hill now, where the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has for the last couple of weeks been investigating Internet companies’ approach to privacy. The Committee is focusing particularly on behavioural targeting - the practice of inferring Internet users’ interests from their browsing behaviour and using this data to serve them more relevant (and thus more profitable) online advertisments.The House Committee sent a letter to thirty-three Internet companies on the first of this month questioning them about their privacy policies in regard to concerns raised by behavioural targeting.‘Questions have been raised regarding the applicability of privacy protections…and whether legislation is needed to ensure that the same protections apply regardless of the particular technologies or companies involved’, read the letter.While, of course, all the companies vigorously defended their privacy policies, Google’s approach is worthy of note. This behemoth of the Internet made a point of denying that it uses deep packet inspection (DPI) technology, and used this claim to evade answering a number of the Committee’s 11 questions.Deep packet inspection is a technology which examines the data in individual packets travelling across the Internet. This technology can be used by ISPs to analyse traffic passing over their networks and the analysis used to serve targeted ads to their users.Google don’t use DPI, so that’s any concerns about user privacy out the window then, eh? Well, up to a point, Lord Copper.For every search made through Google, the company retains the URL, IP address, time and date, operating system and browser used. It also delivers advertisements dependent on the search term entered.My problem with this is twofold. First, I don’t really want Google to know exactly where I’ve been on the Internet and what search terms I’ve entered. Secondly, I don’t want them to know who I am which, given that they have my IP address, they effectively do.So whether or not Google uses DPI or not, they still hold an unnecessarily large amount of personal information on me which they keep for 18 months. I don’t like that.So really, DPI is a red herring. It’s not how you get data, it’s what data you gather and whether you store it or not.I’ll still use Google though, but not under the misapprehension that they can be trusted to “do no evil”.

Government Goes For Incompetence Gold

The Government is on course to break its record for the largest loss of citizens' data in a single year. After a particular strong showing in the 2007 data loss competition when it managed to mislay some 36,989,300 pieces of personal information, the Government is setting its sights on smashing its own record for rank incompetence and utter farce.The latest step towards this unprecedented target was announced by a beaming official from the Ministry of Justice who proudly revealed that 45,000 people had been affected in nine separate data loss incidents within the Ministry."I am proud to announce that we are well on our way to making 2008 another record breaking year for data loss," said the gurning beancounter. "This latest data loss shows that Britain excels not only in sailing, cycling and rowing, but also leads the world in risible ineptitude."The best individual figures for the department were achieved in a single incident, when 27,000 people working for department suppliers were affected after information from badly protected electronic storage devices was disclosed without authorisation.Names, addresses and bank details were taken, while the MoJ made no efforts to notify the people involved.And in January 14,000 people were affected due to the theft of a poorly-protected laptop from secured government premises. Names, dates of birth and some national insurance numbers were lost.US analyst Brad Oysterburger says that there is still scope for the UK government to improve on its already phenomenal record for data loss. “If the government goes ahead with its plans for compulsory ID cards for all UK citizens and a centralised database recording all electronic communications, then these data loss figures could soon be considered a mere bagatelle. Britain looks in strong shape to cement its position as the greatest laughing stock in the world of data security.”

Morocco rules the roost this week

Morocco was rated one of world's top elite destinations in a recent article in the Home Overseas. This North Africa country has displaced other leading investment hotspots such as Australia and Slovakia. No surprises as Morocco not only offers affordable house prices but has recently seen a democratisation of public life, education and health, and strengthening of basic infrastructure leading to both social and political stability.Investing in Morocco could potentially lead to high return and it offers great investment potential for overseas property buyers. Among the advantages of investing in Morocco, the low cost and the high quality of labour leads the way; closely accompanied by their policy of structural reforms which attract the interest of the investors.Costa de la Luz in Spain and other beach areas have been overbuilt and are therefore over-priced. These escalated prices have lead investors to look to Morocco. It offers the same sunny weather, the same Mediterranean coast and is only 9 miles away in northern Morocco at sometimes 1/10 of the price.As the property market in the UK shows no signs of improvng, investors can choose from a number of foreign destinations offering great returns.

Privacy-tards

This may be a cynical PR story, but to my mind it's a great one.A major ISP, the identity of which I have absolutely no intention of revealing, has carried out a survey showing that while 84 per cent of internet users in the UK claim to be guarded about their privacy, 90 per cent of the same users are prepared to hand over their private data to any Tom, Dick or Harry on the interweb.This doesn't surprise me at all. In my experience, it's those incapable of distinguishing between genuine and imagined privacy threats who bleat loudest about supposed online privacy violations.This is more or less the conclusion of the ISP conducting the research: "...[it seems that] the more that people understood about the risks of online privacy violations, the less concerned they were about them," says the release.For example, they found that 84 per cent of all respondents (and there were over 1,000) said they would not give away income details online, yet also found that 89% of the those surveyed were willing to do exactly that.“Our research identified a significant gap between what people say and what they do when it comes to protecting sensitive information online,” was the rather obvious quote written by a faceless PR for the ISP's chief privacy officer.I rather admire the brazen way in which they carried out this survey. They asked lots of questions about attitudes to privacy, before asking them personal questions such as income. More than 87 per cent of respondents who said they guarded their income details actually gave them away in the second part of the survey.This is hypocrisy born out of stupidity. I would not be at all surprised if some of the respondents to this survey were the same self-righteous, self-important and self-appointed "privacy campaigners" who whine about Google Street View but are incapable of seeing the true threats to citizens' privacy in the modern age.

Panama - the latest property hotspot

Following John Darwin's exposẻ, the media has paid a lot of attention to Panama City. Mr Darwin faked his own death in a canoeing accident four years ago in order to enjoy a new life overseas with his wife. The media highlighted the lifestyle options that made Panama an attractive destination.
The 20 year tax exemption for buyers in Panama, good health care provision, and cheap property prices makes this Central American country hugely attractive to property investors.
More and more British property investors are looking to invest in emerging markets to reap the rewards the property boom first promised.

Dubai in danger of property 'overheating'

down by 10% by 2010, according to a new report. This is despite the opening of Concourse 2 at the new Terminal Three which will ease the overcrowding at the Dubai Emirates Airport. One would have thought that with the opening of this $US4.1 billion terminal, property prices would have direct positive impact.
But investment Global Investment Banking firm, Morgan Stanley predicts otherwise. Prices in the Dubai property market have risen a massive 79% since the start of 2007. Morgan Stanley report concludes that oversupply to hit Dubai in 2009, will leading to a period of price declines.

The 10 easiest UK postcodes to sell property

From the Times (Full article)Some interesting stats and facts:- In June 2006 there were 124,000 homes sold in England and Wales.- In June 2007 there were 105,000 properties sold. (A drop of 15 per cent)- So far, just 17,681 sales have been recorded in June this year. (A drop of 83 per cent) Here are the ten postcodes that registered the highest number of sales in June.1.CV6 (Coventry): 442. CR0 (Croydon): 403. S6 (Sheffield): 364. BN3 (Hove): 355. SW19 (Wimbledon): 356. BN1(Brighton): 347. E14 (Poplar): 348. ST5 (Newcastle-under-Lyme): 349. FY8 (Lytham Saint Annes): 3310. SG2 (Stevenage)

UK Web Servers Unnecessarily Emit CO² Equivalent to Over One Million Return Flights to India

A study of over 3,500 dedicated servers by Amenworld.com – the European hosting company – found that on average servers needlessly use 1000 kWh of energy, producing an excess of 632Kg of CO2 per server per year. This is the equivalent of one person making over a million return trips to India in a year. The research has resulted in Amenworld.com’s launch of a new range of servers in the UK that consume only half the power of conventional servers. A reduction of up to 632 Kgs of CO2 emissions per server is estimated year on year with these greener alternatives.The new servers will enable webmasters to become more eco-friendly by shrinking their carbon footprint and lowering electricity consumption – without compromising on quality. Olivier Djidjelli, Amen UK Country Manager, said, “Like other industries, the hosting industry has a role in the global effort to reduce levels of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Amenworld.com is playing its part by offering customers Eco Servers, a more environmentally conscious alternative to hosting. Our new Eco Range will allow webmasters to have a dedicated server at their disposal which combines both high technical performance and a significant reduction in greenhouse gasses.”The Eco Range’s dedicated, high-performance servers are available with 80GB or 160GB of storage space, with technical specifications that can be adapted to match client need. Components are optimally located to boost cooling airflow through the servers reducing the system’s temperature and the amount of power consumed. Amenworld.com’s Eco Servers have up to 3GB of RAM which helps to reduce the pressure on the low energy AMD dual core processors, further decreasing power consumption. At only £39 ex. VAT Amenworld.com’s Eco Range is an affordable option for the environmentally aware webmaster.

Spam Fighters Throw Off The Gloves

ISPs have been urged in new guidelines from the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) to block port 25.Although, the idea of blocking port 25 is by no means new, take a look at Larry Seltzer's article 'Shutting down the Highway to Internet Hell’ from back in 2005.Many ISP’s already provide email filtering tools to protect their users and offer advice about limiting and reporting spam but according to the BBC "Even if the guidelines are taken up by a majority of ISPs, experts admit it is unlikely that people will see a drastic reduction in spam any time soon."

Spam Fighters Throw Off The Gloves

ISPs have been urged in new guidelines from the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) to block port 25.Although, the idea of blocking port 25 is by no means new, take a look at Larry Seltzer's article 'Shutting down the Highway to Internet Hell’ from back in 2005.Many ISP’s already provide email filtering tools to protect their users and offer advice about limiting and reporting spam but according to the BBC "Even if the guidelines are taken up by a majority of ISPs, experts admit it is unlikely that people will see a drastic reduction in spam any time soon."

Home Resales Decline to 10-Year Low in the US

Latest Bloomberg reports suggest that sales of previously owned U.S. homes fell to the lowest levels this June. This is the worst hit in the last ten years and due to plummeting real estate prices and buyers confidence the housing recession is now in its third year and there are no signals of things looking up. Full article

Caribbean beaches can look at $25 million worth of investment and 1.4 million cubic metres of sand

The Dominican Republic is spending $25 million improving its beaches to make them more attractive to visitors. It is part of a wider plan to boost tourism as officials are worried that cuts in flights from the US and other problems such as the recent power cuts could seriously hit the number of people interested in investing in the country, the second largest island in the Caribbean. Full article

£18,000 drop in property prices in the UK

Daily Mail, in its latest article about property prices in the UK discusses a new report from property website Rightmove. The report said that in the past two months the average asking price across England and Wales has dropped by £7,281 to £235,219. Just two per cent below the average in July last year, this is the first time Rightmove has recorded an annual drop since it began in 2002. Full article

Aparthotels: the safer property investment option

The latest trend in property investment: an Apartment + a Hotel = AparthotelAparthotels are typically a three-star or higher hotel property looked after by a management company that takes care of all the hassles of ownership, including maintenance and finding hotel users. They typically offer the investor the opportunity to own a plush hotel room that can provide a monthly income.While the natural choice for a lot of the property investors in the UK would be to invest in London, with the 2012 Olympics on its way, many investors are also looking abroad at holiday hot spots where hotels rooms are in demand all year long.This trend is still setting in but a few early adopters such as GuestInvest and HomesGoFast are already profiting from it. In their blog, HomesGoFast mention the surprising speed with which these properties sell out highlighting the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a 576-unit condo hotel, which was expected to sell out in two years but instead sold out in two months! The Platinum, a 255-unit property in Las Vegas, also sold out in just a matter of a couple months. The reason, they feel is that the armchair investor feels secure in this type of development and one that appears to look after itself.As for us, we think only time will tell. In the current property climate one has to tread with care. The lack of flexibility, the concept of selling a hotel room to another buyer, renovations, and most importantly chances that the hotel might not do very well might make Aparthotels a less exciting proposition than it seems at the moment.

Stars of the Little Screen Continue to Arrive on Your Monitor

It seems that everyone is jumping on the IPTV band wagon with the latest addition being Channel 5’s Demand FiveISPs are already questioning who’s going to pay for the large amounts of bandwidth being taken up by these new services and now another one appears on the scene.PlusNet has revealed that broadband streaming TV services now account for nearly a tenth of all evening downloaded traffic on their network and it looks like this is set to continue.Will BT’s £1.5bn investment into a fibre-optic network save the UK’s bandwidth woes or will Ofcom step in and stifle the project by not allowing them the return on investment they’re looking for?

Youtube are watching YOU

You know you should, but how often do you really read the terms and conditions when you visit a website? Whether it’s a personal email account, an online auction house or a gambling website, few people take the trouble to trawl through the often extensive T&Cs when they sign up. After all, if it’s a legitimate site, well-known and with a good reputation, there should be nothing to worry about, right?Wrong. In a pre-trial ruling last week, The Register reports, a federal judge ordered Google to hand over all its existing records of every video viewed on YouTube. This information includes user account names and IP addresses.http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/03/google_to_turn_over_youtube_database/The case centres around a $1bn lawsuit brought by Viacom, the US media conglomerate, against Youtube. Viacom alleges that the popular video-sharing website has allowed users to upload massive amounts copyrighted material onto its site, thereby hitting Viacom’s revenue while earning advertising revenue for YouTube.One of the most interesting aspects of this case is what it reveals about Internet users’ privacy and anonymity. It turns out that YouTube keeps extensive records of all its users’ viewing histories, including individual IP addresses. Internet (IP) addresses are generally considered to be personally identifiable information, given that they can be linked to a particular household and, potentially, with an individual person. So, in theory, anyone in possession of the 12TB of YouTube user data could identify all the videos you’ve ever watched on the site. Isn’t this illegal? Unethical?Self-proclaimed “privacy advocates” may turn puce with rage at the thought, but YouTube’s retention of this data is perfectly legitimate. Their privacy policy clearly states that the company “may record information about your usage,” and adds: “If you are logged in, we may associate that information with your account.” By giving users clear notification of the terms of service, YouTube have remained within both the letter and the spirit of privacy law.Of course, YouTube isn’t the only company that holds records of user data. Internet Services Providers (ISPs), search engines and e-commerce sites together hold huge amounts of often sensitive personal information, including our names, addresses, phone numbers and even credit card numbers.The really frightening thing is that companies can be forced by law to hand over the data they hold to government agencies. Under Title V of the Patriot Act, for example, the United States government can force companies, including Internet Services Providers, to hand over data pertaining to individuals to aid investigation against suspected terrorists in The War Against Terror (T.W.A.T.).The YouTube case is instructive for anyone concerned about their online privacy. Last week’s ruling highlights the fact that any company that holds your data – no matter how responsible they may be – can be forced to relinquish that data by the courts.

UK Property news round up for the week:

Gloom and doom in JuneUK house prices fell by 2% in June, according to the UK's biggest mortgage lender, the Halifax. However the latest survey conducted by Nationwide shows that house prices fell by 0.9% on average in June. Contradictory, as always.The average price of a home is now £180,344, nearly 10 per cent lower than when house prices peaked in August last year. Homeowners who bought a home last year with little or no deposit are now facing negative equity. However, average UK house price remains 2 per cent higher than in June two years ago and more than 10 per cent higher than in June 2005, according to Halifax. A pretty clear indication that the British housing sector still has some way to go before it reaches an all time low.(Graph Source: BBC News, 1 July 2008)Several job cuts in house building sectorThe latest of the UK House Builders to announce job cuts is Barratt Developments. After a tough couple of months and an even more challenging period ahead, they’re looking at cutting 1,200 jobs by closing two divisions and merging other parts of their business. Earlier in the week, well-known home builder Persimmon announced that the company will reduce its full-time headcount by 1,100 and its flexible workers by 900, cutting its total staff from 5,000 to 3,000. They admitted that profit margins had fallen from 20.8 per cent in the first half of last year to just 14 per cent in 2008. The sector's jobless toll is touching 4,500 so far this year.Banks set 5% mortgageBorrowing costs remain unchanged for the third month in a row by Bank of England. Following their latest meeting, Bank of England has decided to keep the interest static at 5%. . Homeowners and businesses hoping for an interest rate cut as economic crunch bites are unlikely to get any joy from the policymakers.
More Falls?Another recent forecast by Halifax predicts that UK house prices are set to fall by 9% this year - having revised their views from February that the market would be "flat" in 2008. Things seem to be going from bad to worse in the UK property market but some people are still optimistic. A list of the ten most recession-proof UK counties was published by the Times earlier yesterday. The top three resilient counties which didn’t get affected by the economic hit were Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and Isle of Wight. City of Westminster house prices were up by a whopping 26.4%. The list was based on the asking prices of homes on Rightmove.co.uk, which displays details of around 90 per cent of all property sales across England and Wales. Looks like the housing market might not be so bleak after all!

"No, junk mail please"

Last week a survey revealed the "Top 5 most spammed UK customers"I think we should spare a thought for poor old Colin Wells, a Workshop Foreman for Stagecoach buses who prior to introducing spam blocking software spent the best part of 2 hours every day deleting spam from his account. Without his blocking software it was revealed that he would receive over 40,000 spam emails a day equating to 16,000,000 a year (and you thought you had problems clearing your inbox on a Monday morning after the weekend).This highlights how important it is to have ‘the right tools for the job’ with users looking at the full package provided by their Internet Service Provider before choosing an ISP.

"Houston, we have a problem"

Motion Picture Association of America sends formal legal notices to three laser printersIf rightsholders are so keen to issue illegal downloading notices on the basis of IP addresses then they'd better take note.Recently researchers at the University of Washington managed to setup printers in their network to fake relevant internet addresses. Software used by the MPAA was unable to spot this and accused the three printers of illegally downloading copies of Iron Man and Indiana Jones.So where do ISPs stand in this? Virgin Media have taken the bold move of working with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) to post letters to their users who allegedly have illegal file-sharing (P2P) activity on their accounts.Currently the letter only warns uses about their activity and does not threaten account suspension but with the 10 week "educational" campaign being reviewed in mid-August is this a sign of rightsholders muscling in and the slippery slope to disconnection for alleged illegal activity?

"Houston, we have a problem" Motion Picture Association of America sends formal legal notices to three laser printers

If rightsholders are so keen to issue illegal downloading notices on the basis of IP addresses then they'd better take note.Recently researchers at the University of Washington managed to setup printers in their network to fake relevant internet addresses. Software used by the MPAA was unable to spot this and accused the three printers of illegally downloading copies of Iron Man and Indiana Jones.So where do ISPs stand in this? Virgin Media have taken the bold move of working with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) to post letters to their users who allegedly have illegal file-sharing (P2P) activity on their accounts.Currently the letter only warns uses about their activity and does not threaten account suspension but with the 10 week "educational" campaign being reviewed in mid-August is this a sign of rightsholders muscling in and the slippery slope to disconnection for alleged illegal activity.

New Data Laws are Looming

On the 14th May Gordon Brown's draft Queen's Speech outlined his proposals for the Communications Data Bill, which includes plans to implement the EU Directive on the retention of communications data into UK law (2006/24/EC). It will also modify the procedures for acquiring communications data and allow this data to be retained.The details so far are pretty sketchy and with consultation currently taking place The House of Lords is questioning 'how the government intends to make it law for UK ISPs to track and store their customers online activity for up to two years (data retention)' ISP ReviewThere are a number of potential problems for ISPs which include legal, technical and cost issues.The legislation aims to support the prevention and detection of crime and protect national security by allowing law enforcement agencies to make use of the enormous amounts of communications data passing over the 'net but how useful is this data? The phrase 'needle in a haystack' springs to mind.

Dubai with a twist

With this new swirling building in the making in Dubai, UK property investors can add something unique to their property portfolio. The spinning skyscraper, the Dynamic Tower, is being designed by architect David Fisher. The 420-metre tower, offering a hotel, offices and flats, is permanently on rotation.Fisher told The Times: “The idea came when I was in Miami. A friend told me that one apartment, which overlooked the ocean, was worth $3million but another, which, didn't was worth $1.8million. I started thinking about this dynamic tower.” Full article(Image source: The Times, 27th June 2008)

First-time buyers trapped by rent rises

From: The TimesThe dream of homeownership has slipped farther from the reach of first-time buyers, who have been unable to afford a home because of the credit crunch.Full article

The 10 worst property investments ever

The Times have put together a list of the ten worst property investments ever. Projects gone wrong, disagreement between developer and investor, property feud, financial difficulties and more. I'm sure you've heard the expression, ‘If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’ Well, in the investment world, they say, ‘If something sounds too good to be true, it definitely is.'Read article here