Tag Archive for AT&T

| August 23, 2012
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Privacy on IPv6 Networks

security and privacyInternet service providers, web sites, and equipment vendors around the globe took part in the World IPv6 launch in June, Internet companies including AT&T (T), Cisco (CSCO), Comcast (CMCSA), Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Verizon Wireless (VZ), and Yahoo (YHOO) decided to permanently turn on IPv6. A small fraction of Internet users and devices have started communicating via IPv6 networks, with more and more transitioning to the new protocol over the coming months and years. There are security and privacy implications in the switch to IPv6.

Privacy on IPv6 networksAll kinds of devices will get new IPv6 numbers as the addressing format grows. The IPv6 addresses for these networked devices can be generated in a number of different ways and the choice of how they are created has potentially wide-reaching effects for security and privacy Center for Democracy & Technology explains. One of the original methods for assigning new addresses involved using a unique device identifier (known as a MAC address) as the suffix of the IPv6 address. This method creates a permanent, unique address for a device, potentially allowing any server that the device communicates with to indefinitely track the user.

IPv6 designers soon realized the potential security and privacy problems of MAC-based addresses; as a result, they created an alternate method known as “privacy extensions” or “privacy addresses” the article reports. The privacy extensions use a randomly generated number instead of a MAC address. In order to protect privacy on an IPv6 network, the random number is unrelated to any device identifier and in practice lasts no more than a week (and often much less time), ensuring that the user’s IP address cannot be used for long-term user tracking.

SmarrtphoneIt is up to operating system vendors to choose which IP address assignment method will be the default on their devices. The author says that some vendors have made good choices, particularly within the last year. Microsoft has long led the charge on IPv6 privacy, with privacy extensions on by default in all versions of Microsoft Windows since the release of Windows XP nearly a decade ago. Apple followed suit last year, with privacy extensions activated by default in all versions of Mac OS X since 10.7 (Lion) and with the release of iOS 4.3 for iPhone and iPad. Google did likewise in its Android 4.0 release last year.

The CDT says that as long as Internet users choose to upgrade their operating systems to the latest versions, they should be protected against perpetual security and privacy threats from IPv6 network address tracking.

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Security and privacy on IPv6 networkHowever, I wrote about reports from H  Security that mobile operating systems do not protect security or privacy on IPv6 networks. The report says mobile OS’s send private information about their users to the network. The H.Security article says this is not a flaw in IPv6, rather it is lazy programming in some cases. The article points out that neither Apple’s iOS nor Android devices have the option to enable Privacy Extensions or the option to disable IPv6. apparently the only thing the smartphones need is a control option in the user interface to protect mobile OS users privacy and security on an IPv6 network.

 

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Category: IPv6, Security | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
| August 7, 2012
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Anti-Troll Bill Introduced

A newPatent Troll bill introduced in the House of Representatives attempts to deter frivolous patent litigation by forcing unsuccessful patent plaintiffs to cover defendants’ legal costs according to Daily Wireless. Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and co-sponsored by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), the Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes (SHIELD) Act is limited to patents related to computer hardware and software.

“Patent trolls don’t create new technology and they don’t create House of RepresentaiveAmerican jobs,” DeFazio said in a news release. “They pad their pockets by buying patents on products they didn’t create and then suing the innovators who did the hard work and created the product.”

The article explains that patent trolls often buy broad patents that allow them to file flimsy lawsuits against multiple companies for infringement. Despite very thin evidence to back their lawsuits, companies are often forced to settle because going to court can easily cost over $1 million in legal costs even if the company prevails, explained DeFazio in a press release.

Electronic Frontier FoundationThe Electronic Frontier Foundation explains the idea behind the SHIELD Act is simple: a plaintiff needs to believe that a defendant actually infringes a valid patent before it sues. If it doesn’t, that plaintiff could be on the hook for the costs of litigation and for the winning party’s attorneys’ fees (which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases).

Fee shifting, often called “loser pays,” is not a new idea. It’s long existed in copyright law, allowing a court to award a winning party costs and fees in certain cases. In patent litigation, the EFF says this type of provision would help tilt the playing field slightly more in favor of the good guys. Fee shifting would empower innovators to fight back, while discouraging trolls from threatening lawsuits to start.

The EFF has set up a website defendinnovation.org to lead the battle against patent trolls and reform the U.S. Patent Office.

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Voter apathySigh – Today is primary election day here in the US and I just got back from voting and a whopping 417 people in my neighborhood had voted. There are almost 17,000 people 18 years or old.

Voter apathy has everything to do with everything about where the US is today. including patent reform. Who are the politicians going to listen to?  I have covered the patent mess for a while here, here, here and here and I doubt the political clout me and my 416 other neighborhood voters even matter when compared to the millions of dollars that Apple, Google, ATT and the rest spend on lobbyists in Washington and Lansing to buy the legislation they want.

Have a nice day!

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Category: Business | Tags: , , , , , ,
| March 4, 2012
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Bell System Film From ’63 Shows Genius of Muppets’ Henson

BeakerIn the wake of the recent The Muppets movie, AT&T (T) re-discovered a film that Muppets creator Jim Henson did for The Bell System nearly 50 years ago. CNet author  says the film gives a hilarious glimpse of Mr. Henson’s earlier days–and of the youthful years of computing.

AT&T posted the 1963 short “Robot” on the company’s ATTTechChannel section on YouTube, addresses the anxiety felt by humans in regard to machines and computers. The article says the film was “made for an elite seminar given for business owners, on the then-brand-new topic–Data Communications,” AT&T explains on the YouTube page. And the company continues:

Jim Henson“The organizers of the seminar, Inpro, actually set the tone for the film in a three-page memo from one of Inpro’s principals, Ted Mills, to Henson. Mills outlined the nascent, but growing relationship between man and machine: a relationship not without tension and resentment….”

Displaying his mastery of slapstick, comic timing, and sound effects, Henson uses his humorously menacing star, “Computer H14,” to reassure viewers that they need not be alarmed: humans remain in control according to CNet.

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Category: Internet of Things | Tags: , , , , ,
| January 26, 2012
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Spot Can Run, But He Can’t Hide

Internet of ThingsThe new pet-oriented Global Positioning Systems (GPS) on the market, now make it possible to constantly track your best friend according to a report in MIT’s Technology Review.

Garmin GPSThe GPS devices made just for pets are generally small enough to be attached to a collar which allows Owners to track their furry companion’s every paw print in real-time. The New Jersey Star-Ledger points out unlike microchips embedded in the skin of an animal which store identifying information, these devices aren’t invasive, and owners don’t have to wait for a stranger to find and bring their lost pet to an animal shelter to scan the chip.

“This could easily be a multimillion-dollar category,” David Lummis, a “pet market analyst,” at New York-based market research firm Packaged Facts, recently told the New Jersey Star-Ledger. Pet owners are now more “crazy” about their four-legged friends than ever. If the recession is any indication, Mr. Lummis told the paper that he $58 billion pet products industry has merely slowed a few percentage points during the recession.

Tagg the Pet TrackerThat kind of consistent growth has attracted attention of  Qualcomm (QCOM) the biggest maker of mobile-phone chips.  San Diego-based Snaptracs, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, has released Tagg the Pet Tracker.

The rechargeable Tagg device can be attached to a collar (provided it’s not a spiked or bejeweled one), plus a home base unit. Owners are able to set a virtual perimeter for Fido to wander. TR says a text message or email alert will be sent if Fido strays too far. The device has a battery life of some 30 days and is water-resistant; it’s intended for dogs (or cats) 10 pounds or heavier. The necessary hardware and one year of Verizon (VZ) service costs $200 according to Technology Review. The service costs $5 a month after that. It’s a small price to pay, Dave Vigil, president of Snaptracs told the paper, considering pets are becoming increasingly “like family members.” Users can also find their pets at any time through a computer or smart phone.

Jessie and WileyGPS giant Garmin (GRMN), has also entered the doggie lo-jack market. The paper says the Olathe, Kansas based company released the GTU 10 device, a 1.7-ounce gadget. Garmin users can also set up a perimeter and receive alerts, or track real-time from a mobile device or computer. The GTU 10 operates on AT&T‘s (T) wireless network and costs $200 for the first year and $50 a year after that.

Another competitor is Retriever. TR says Retriever has similar functions with virtual fences and alerts but adds a social networking element. Retriever will share Spot’s location with a friend, presumably so if your old pal Spot gets loose while you’re out-of-town, you can help steer the on-site rescue. To judge from its site, Retriever appears to not yet be on the market, nor is a projected price listed.

Technology Review also notes other products in this niche. Global Pet Finder, is not available anymore on Amazon (AMZN) as of this article. The SpotLight device costs $169.99 and is limited to T-Mobile coverage. SpotLight costs $179.88 per year for a subscription.  The Love My Pets device and 1 year subscription costs $189.95 uses the Sprint (S) network. The Love My Pets system costs $14.95 per month for a subscription according to a CSR.

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Qualcomm’s goal is to encourage new uses of its radio chips, not to make a hit product. These products are part of the Internet of Things. As the Apple (AAPL) iPod and iPhone have shown, people are willing to shell out a lot of cash for the things, but it is in the services where the money is to be made on the Internet of Things. Content is still king.

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Category: Internet of Things, Social Networking | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| October 4, 2011
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825 Mb/s Over Copper

NetworkIts been a while since I have looked at DSL. My current job has spoiled me because we have private fiber going everywhere. It looks like DSL has evolved since last time I looked at it.

HuaweiHuawei, the Chinese telecom gear maker achieved speeds of 700 Mbps over Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) using a prototype system for up to 400 meters according to Stacey Higginbotham at GigaOm. To reach the 700 Mbps speeds, Huawei is using what it calls SuperMIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) technology. SuperMIMO uses four twisted pairs to achieve its downstream speeds. This technology addresses crosstalk among multiple twisted pairs and increases DSL bandwidth by 75 percent, from an average of 100 Mbps per twisted pair to approximately 175 Mbps. It is unclear if SuperMIMO is the same as Wireless MIMO in 802.11n WLAN’s which uses spatially separated antennas and signal processing, so it can use radio reflections to create multiple paths for the radio signals between transmitter and receiver.

Shortly after, Nokia Siemens Networks claimed it has set a world record data rates of 825 Mbps over 400 meters for copper and 750 Mbps over a distance of 500 meters of DSL speeds. According to the NSN press release the Espoo, Finland based firm used phantom DSL (which I covered here) to do these speeds.

Man with hose

How fast is my at&t DSL?

NSN also said it obtained a speed of 750 Mb/s over 500 meters. This is a significant gain over the 300 Mb/s over 400 meters that Alcatel-Lucent demonstrated earlier (which I covered here). Alc-Lu also claimed they could support 100 MB/s over distances of up to 1 kilometer but provided no details to GigaOm.

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Faster copper speeds are necessary because of massive existing copper networks around the world and the cost of upgrading all of those networks to fiber. The problems are:

  • Lab results over pristine copper wires are not the same as ‘in the wild’ copper pairs’ with all their cross connects, bridge clips, beanies, squirrels and other issues.
  • Copper access lines deployed by U.S. telcos often are considerably longer than the demonstrated 500 meters which means that to use the phantom DSL technology, many service providers would still need to deploy fiber in local networks to support the new technology, just not as much fiber.
  • Neither NSN nor Alcatel-Lucent has provided an estimate of when phantom DSL will be available.

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Category: Broadband | Tags: , , , , ,
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