Government Technology - May 2008 - (Page 50)

pectrum reports from the IT horizon spectrum ideas to managing editor Karen Stewartson kstewartson@ govtech.com Send j MAY_08 Beyond Voice Though mobile phones are primarily used to talk, text messaging is going mainstream. Nearly six out of 10 U.S. adults said they had used a mobile phone or personal digital assistant for at least one key data activity, according to a study conducted in 2007 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Nearly one-third of respondents reported sending text messages daily, and said that of all their consumer electronics devices, their mobile phones would be most difﬁcult to do without. The Internet, TV and landline telephones followed. Among young adults, 62 percent said it would be very hard to do without a mobile phone. CIA Taps Social Media U.S. spies have become major consumers of social media, and the CIA — in keeping with its intelligencegathering mandate — is watching YouTube, among other things. “We’re looking at YouTube, which carries some unique and honest-to-goodness intelligence,” said Doug Naquin, director of the Open Source Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in remarks to the Central Intelligence Retirees’ Association in October 2007. “We’re looking at chat rooms and things that didn’t exist five years ago and trying to stay ahead. We have groups looking at what they call ‘Citizens Media’ — people taking pictures with their cell phones and posting them on the Internet.” — Informationweek.com The Need for Speed U.S. Internet users are doing more of the things that consume bandwidth. As a result, ﬁber-to-the-home and faster cable modem technologies are fueling a new round of bandwidth envy. According to a March 2008 report by Parks Associates, the percentage of U.S. households that have broadband services with speeds of 10 Mbps or higher will increase dramatically by 2012. 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 5.7 9.4 13.6 19.3 26.1 32.5 35% Comparison According to a Deloitte Development-Harrison Group study conducted in October 2007, nearly 90 percent of 13- to 24-year-old Internet users surveyed said they sent text messages frequently or occasionally, compared to 44 percent of baby boomers. Textual Data Dilemma British public opinion is evenly split on national identiﬁcation (ID) cards — 47 percent think they’re a good idea while 50 percent don’t. The survey of more than 1,000 people assessed attitudes toward proposed government IT projects: a database of all UK children, a central register of personal information and ﬁngerprints to support ID cards, and a database on British travelers. Fifty-two percent of respondents felt uncomfortable with proposals on data sharing between government agencies, while 67 percent were in favor of the proposals to collect information on British citizens entering or leaving the country. — The Register 50 http://Informationweek.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - May 2008

Government Technology - May 2008 Contents Point of View The Last Mile Big Picture On the Scene Four Questions for … Turning Over a New Leaf Crash Diet Budget Blues? Failing Grade? Running the Numbers The 311 Report High-Tech Corrections How It Works Spectrum Two Cents Products Personal Computing Signal: Noise

Government Technology - May 2008

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