US database for stolen phones is now live, to join the international blacklist soon

The Wireless Association (CTIA) has announced the US database for stolen phones is now up and running. In case a phone gets in there it won’t be allowed to connect to any of the US networks.

The participating carriers in the database are AT&T, Cellcom, Nex-Tech Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, and Verizon Wireless. They already deployed their IMEI databases of stolen phones and the merge should be completed within a year.

Part of the merged database is already live and when a phone pops in there – it will never get service from any of those networks. In the efforts of drying the stolen phones market this database will soon join the GSMA Global IMEI database and its blacklist. That way no phone stolen stateside will work overseas and vice versa.

This surely won’t stop the phone thefts, but will make things a lot tougher for the thieves and hopefully most of them will drop this “business” eventually.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

‘Internet Use Disorder’ to be added to American Psychiatric Association manual

Reports are emerging that the American Psychiatric Association is planning to add "Internet Use Disorder" to the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

If you feel as if you spend too much time online than is strictly healthy, then you might be right – And, even better, the American Psychiatric Association is now ready to recognize your condition. Although there have been studies into the concept of Internet addiction for quite some time – almost since the dawn of the Internet as a mass-medium, in fact – only now has the APA deigned to add it to their books, with the news that “Internet Use Disorder” is likely to be admitted to the newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

To be fair, it’s not as if the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is something that’s updated very often. Originally published in 1952, there have only been five updates since that edition, with the most recent being released twelve years ago. The DSM acts as essentially an encyclopedia of known mental conditions, acting in tandem with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems to catalog and classify conditions and provide reference material to help with diagnosis and treatment.

The news that Internet Use Disorder may make an appearance in the next edition of the DSM – due May 2013, currently – came from the New York Post of all places, which reported that the disorder is likely to include the following recognizable symptoms:

* Preoccupation with online gambling and a need to spend more time wagering via the Internet.

* Withdrawal symptoms when computer use is denied.

* Continued excessive Internet use by an individual, even if he or she knows how dangerous the problem has become.

* Lying to shrinks and loved ones about excessive Internet use and online gambling.

* Losing interest in other forms of entertainment and hobbies.

You may notice a recurring “gambling” theme in there – It appears as if a large part of being addicted to the Internet from that description has to do with being addicted to gambling, which feels like an odd crossing of the streams, somewhat. However, some of the other definitions may sound somewhat familiar to many Internet users, especially “losing interest in other forms of entertainment and hobbies.”

The addition of the disorder, should it happen, will legitimize the idea of Internet addition in the eyes of many, including organizations and establishments that tend to rely on the DSM for guidance on what is and isn’t a “real” psychological condition. Whether it will result in any changes in the amount of time workers have to spend on computers and online for work remains to be seen, but may be interesting to track.

Final word on the condition’s inclusion or lack thereof may not come until the next edition is published next year.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Apple supplier Foxconn improving working conditions, says FLA report

The Fair Labor Association has reported that Apple supplier Foxconn is making good progress with improving the working conditions of its employees, though added that some of the biggest challenges lie ahead.

It was back in February that the Fair Labor Association (FLA), at Apple’s request, began to investigate working conditions at factories in China operated by Foxconn, one of the Cupertino company’s biggest suppliers.

 The move came in the wake of a long list of disturbing reports surrounding the treatment of Foxconn employees, with stories about unreasonably long working hours, dangerous working environments where some employees were being exposed to toxic substances, and cramped on-site living conditions. Suicides were reported among the workforce, and worker revolts were not uncommon.

 The situation threatened to get out of control for Apple, pushing them to ask the FLA to help with improving conditions for Foxconn employees, of which there are thought to be more than a million in various locations across China.

 According to a progress report published this week by the FLA, it seems that, at long last, things are moving in the right direction for those working at Foxconn.

 The report states that the Taiwan-based company has, so far, carried out improvements in 284 areas, with 89 of these completed ahead of schedule. Improvements in an additional 76 areas are set to be carried out over the next 12 months.

 As part of Foxconn’s efforts to address workers’ issues, the company has increased pay, cut working hours, introduced more breaks and improved safety on the factory floor.

 However, according to FLA president Auret van Heerden, the next round of improvements will be the trickiest for Foxconn. These involve getting working hours down to China’s legal limit of 40 hours a week, something which “will inevitably cause uncertainty and anxiety among workers,” van Heerden believes.

 Marketplace reporter Rob Schmitz gained exclusive access to a Foxconn factory back in April, giving an interesting insight into life there. Schmitz described the facility, located in the southern Chinese city of Shenzen, as being more like a city, with its on-site fast-food restaurants, banks, cafes, grocery stores, a wedding photo shop and an automated library.

 ”After you enter the gates and walk around, you quickly realize that it’s also a city – 240,000 people work here,” he wrote. “Nearly 50,000 of them live on campus in shared dorm rooms.”

 Despite the work being, as Schmitz put it, “tedious and boring,” around 500 people turn up at the gates each day looking for work.

 With Apple’s iPhone 5 and rumored iPad Mini now rolling off the assembly line, it’s a safe bet to assume workers at Foxconn’s factories are currently busier than ever. No doubt the FLA is watching closely.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

The RIAA appears to be dying, tax records show

The RIAA's revenue has dropped

 Things aren’t looking so good for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), one of the primary groups behind anti-piracy efforts like the Stop Online Piracy Act and the ‘six strikes’ deal with Internet service providers.

As  TorrentFreak giddily points out, the RIAA’s most recent tax filing shows that the group’s revenue for the period that ended on March 31, 2011, has fallen 44 percent over the two years prior. Chances are, the financial outlook is even more grim for 2012.

RIAA revenue for the period topped out at $29.1 million, a significant fall from the $51.35 million the group brought in two years ago. The number of employees also plummeted during the same period, diving from 117 to just 72.

The reason for the fall in revenue is primarily a result of a drop in dues paid by the major record labels that serve as RIAA members. In its filing from two years earlier, the RIAA reported member dues of $49.8 million, reports Digital Music News. The group’s most recent filing shows that number now clocks in at just $27.9 million.

Interestingly, the first half of 2011 was one of the best for the music industry as a whole, according to Nielsen SounScan. The first six months of the year delivered a modest 1 percent rise in total album sales — the first gain the industry saw in six years.

Despite the drop in revenue and member dues, RIAA executives are stilling laughing all the way to the bank. Former RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol received $1.75 million, the most of any RIAA employee. Current Chairman and CEO Cary Sherman (who was the group’s president at the time) received the second highest salary, $1.36 million. The nine other highest-paid RIAA employees all received salaries between $309,000 and $715,000.

The amount of money the RIAA spends on lobbying the U.S. government has remained about the same over the past few years, at a steady $2.3 million annually.

Fortunately for Web users, the amount of money the RIAA has collected in legal fees has dropped significantly, falling from $16.5 million to $2.34 million thanks to the group’s decision to stop going after individual file-sharers in court, reports TorrentFreak.

View the full 2010-2011 RIAA IRS filing here.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com