c m y k c m y k

Bengaluru Monday 24 May 2010

Wipro to
give priority
to BPO
ventures in
Kerala.
13
Technomics
Oracle is
buying British
database
firewall
company Secerno.
Samsung
unit
sees firm
smartphone
market.
DC
Five ways to keep online criminals at bay
BRAD STONE
NEWYORK
I
N the 1990s, Gary
Reback, a Silicon Valley
lawyer, almost single-
handedly brought the
antitrust weight of the feder-
al government down on that
eras high-tech heavy-
weight, Microsoft. Now Mr
Reback contends there is a
dangerous new monopolist
in the catbird seat: the
search giant Google.
This month, Mr Reback
shepherded Adam and Shiv-
aun Raff, the husband-and-
wife entrepreneurs behind
London comparison shop-
ping site Foundem, around
Washington. The three held
meetings with Congression-
al staff members and
antitrust enforcers at the
Department of Justice and
the Federal Trade Commis-
sion to air the Foundem cou-
ples complaint that in 2006,
Googles supposedly objec-
tive algorithms suddenly
dropped Foundem into the
netherworld of Google
search results. They say
Google also raised the rates
Foundem had to pay to
advertise alongside search
results. These moves, they
said, pushed their compari-
son shopping site out of
view, and Google later put
the spotlight on its own
shopping listings.
Google is the arbiter of
every single thing on the
Web, and it favours its prop-
erties over everyone elses,
says Mr Reback. What it
wants to do is control Inter-
net traffic. Anything that
undermines its ability to do
that is threatening. Google
says its mission is to give
users information they're
looking for even if that
means giving its own con-
tent priority and de-empha-
sizing sites it believes offer
poor experiences. Telling a
search engine that it cannot
innovate and show results in
a way that benefits users
would undermine the very
goals of our competition
laws, says Matthew Bye, a
Google lawyer.
But Googles decisions on
such matters may soon be
judged by higher authori-
ties. Over the last several
years, it has become the
canonical way to search the
Web, an information door-
way that dictates what kind
of knowledge is visible to
the browsing public. That
growing market power has
generated both sky-high
profits and unwanted regula-
tory attention.
Almost a decade after
Google promised that the
creed Dont be evil would
guide its activities, the feder-
al government is examining
Google's acquisitions and
actions as never before,
looking for indications that
the companys market power
may be anticompetitive in
the worlds of Web search
and online advertising.
They are not just on the
radar screen. They are the at
the center of it, said Tim
Wu, a professor at Columbia
University. If you are in the
federal government and are
interested in antitrust, you
are looking at Google.
Google has managed to
squeak by most regulatory
reviews. On Friday, the Fed-
eral Trade Commission
approved Google's $750
million acquisition of
AdMob, a mobile advertis-
ing start-up. Staff members
had initially planned to
oppose the purchase, even
saying in a statement that
the deal raised serious
antitrust issues. But the
agency ultimately endorsed
the deal, assuming that
Apples entry in the market
would facilitate competi-
tion.
Nevertheless, the search
giant may get an indication
this summer of just how
uncomfortable Washington
can get for such dominant
firms.
Federal Judge Denny Chin
is expected to rule in the
coming months on Googles
amended settlement with
authors and book publishers
and whether the agreement
gives the search giant too
much control over the mil-
lions of library books that it
scanned. The Department of
Justice has opposed the set-
tlement on two occasions.
NYT
L
ately many of Ben-
galuru residents wo-
uld have received
SMS from Manipal Home-
Care, asking you if you
need medical care at home.
This is a new service
launched by the Manipal
Hospitals Group. Their
services include non-med-
ical services providing
assistance to elderly or sick
with Activities of Daily Liv-
ing (ADLs) such as bathing,
dressing, hygiene and toilet-
ing (including hygiene, use
of incontinence products),
transferring (moving from
bed to chair, walker to toi-
let, etc.) as well as Instru-
mental Activities of Daily
Living (IADLs) such as
medication management,
diet, feeding, etc. Other
services which consists of
skilled nursing services for
such as dressing, wound
care and suture removal,
injections, blood glucose
monitoring, etc.
Though home-centered
healthcare (HCHC) is an
innovation in healthcare
delivery in many parts of
the world, the innovation in
India is that it is now a
service extension of brand-
ed corporate hospital
chains. While globally
HCHC continues to be the
warm fuzzy of health-
care delivery system;
patients and families wide-
ly praise the services and
are demanding more.
Politicians, including Mr
Obama, believing that care
in the community is a more
appropriate and cheaper
alternative to in hospital
patient care, have expand-
ed the number of home
care programmes as part of
their healthcare reforms. If
this occurs, HCHC pro-
grammes will also compete
with physicians for limited
health service dollars under
the reform programs
around the world.
Coming back to India, the
issue is not the ageing pop-
ulation that needs to be
taken care, but the chronic
disease burden of the youth
and the mid-aged that are
expected to explode and
increase in numbers due to
our genetic disposition. As
I had mentioned in my ear-
lier article in this column,
close to 50 million house-
holds would be the poten-
tial. Hence HCHC is
indeed the way forward for
healthcare in India. How-
ever as competition
emerges in this segment, to
improve value to customers
one can cut costs and/or
increase quality and servic-
es. While there is little
immediate opportunity for
private HCHC providers
like Manipal to cut costs
and with innovative pricing
substantial improvements
in quality and services can
be funded. To address this
impasse, two solutions
exists for HCHC players
who enter into this seg-
ment; increased economies
of scale through consolida-
tion in the HCHC services
and radical improvements
in efficiency through the
exploitation of information
and communication tech-
nology (ICT).
Over the last decade, the
rapid development of ICT
runs parallel to the HCHC
innovation in healthcare.
However, the main prob-
lem in ICT-based HCHC is
not a lack of technology
but how to take advantage
of it, how to organise
healthcare delivery in a
smart way around the
home. While telemedicine
has been utilised in various
forms for many years, tele-
home HCHC is a relatively
recent innovation. It can
include a variety of some-
what different services or
applications, including
telemonitoring (e.g. blood
pressure, blood glucose,
ECG, etc.), teleconsulta-
tion (e.g. online, by video-
phone, by telephone) and
telerehabilitation (e.g. by
videophone), as well as
self-care devices to be used
by people in their own
homes to help them moni-
tor and manage their health
themselves. Various indus-
try consortiums such as
Continua, 3iC, etc have
been trying to establish
ICT standards for telehome
HCHC ICT applic-
ations/services and clinical
research may be developed
as add-ons to the basic
HCHC services.
As healthcare consum-
erism and competition
increases in the HCHC seg-
ment, use of ICT and pro-
viding innovative services
which will be positioned to
increase the consumers to
reach their full human
potential would be the key
differentiation points in
HCHC segment. The key
issue for ICT players and
vendors to solve for HCHC
clients is how can they cre-
ate innovative technologies
that are centered around the
home and accessible by
everybody at home, that
can traverse multiple gen-
erations from grand ma and
pa to great grand kids liv-
ing under the same roof or
sharing time under the
same roof. While electron-
ic health records (EHRs)
carry individuals records
that are fairly centered
around healthcare epis-
odes, what the next genera-
tion of ICT solutions.
UID tech can
transform
the country
May 23: The Indian gov-
ernments unique identity
programme will have some
major positive economical
and social implications,
with ample opportunity to
leverage the technology far
more ambitiously and
intensively, according to
global consultancy firm
Deloitte.
The UID programme
will provide the opportuni-
ty to leverage technology
far more ambitiously and
intensively and build truly
inclusive, transformational
infrastructure. This will
improve the overall produc-
tivity of our economy,
Deloitte India Principal
Economist Shanto Ghosh
said. According to Deloitte,
the UID opens up a vast
array of new possibilities
for our technological future
and offers a foundation on
which a host of applications
can be built.
Elaborating it with an
example, Ghosh says the
UID number of each resi-
dent can be linked to a bank
account through which the
government can provide
direct services, such as
health and education, thro-
ugh digital vouchers and
cash benefits.
The Unique Identification
Authority of India, headed
by Nandan Nilekani, will
issue the first set of 12-digit
unique identification num-
bers between August, 2010,
and February, 2011
Thereafter, 600 million
UID numbers will be issued
in the next five years.
Apart from providing
identity, the UID will
enable better delivery of
services and effective gov-
ernance.
The UID project is prima-
rily aimed at ensuring
inclusive growth.
Citing various media
reports, Ghosh said the UID
programme will create
350,000 new jobs and USD
20 billion of economic out-
put over the next five years.
PTI
Dalai Lama
Tweets
with China
May 23: The Dalai Lama
tried to hold a rare direct
conversation with people
inside China on Friday,
answering questions live on
Twitter about the fate of
Tibet. The hourlong session
with the exiled Tibetan spir-
itual leader was conducted
by Wang Lixiong, a Chi-
nese writer and convert to
Tibetan Buddhism who
lives in Beijing and who
met the Dalai Lama for Fri-
days online conversation in
a hotel room in New York,
where the Dalai Lama is
visiting. Through a Chinese
interpreter, the Dalai Lama
sent messages criticising
Chinas policies toward
Tibet and words of wel-
come to Chinese citizens.
Twitter is blocked in China,
but has become popular
with thousands of Chinese,
especially activists, who
find a way around controls.
Mr Wangs Twitter feed,
where the conversation was
posted, had more than
8,000 followers as of Friday
night. NYT
HP expands
recall of
laptops
May 23: Hewlett-Packard
Co is expanding a volun-
tary recall of laptop com-
puters due to the risk of fire
from overheating batteries,
the company and the US
Consumer Product Safety
Commission said on Fri-
day. The commission said
that since an initial recall in
May 2009, HP has received
additional reports of over-
heated and ruptured batter-
ies, leading it to expand its
recall to include more mod-
els. Reuters
RIVA RICHMOND
NEWYORK
May 23: The Web is a fount
of information, a busy mar-
ketplace, a thriving social
scene and a den of crimi-
nal activity. Criminals have
found abundant opportuni-
ties to undertake stealthy
attacks on ordinary Web
users that can be hard to
stop, experts say. Hackers
are lacing Web sites often
legitimate ones with so-
called malware, which can
silently infiltrate visiting
PCs to steal sensitive per-
sonal information and then
turn the computers into
zombies that can be used
to spew spam and more mal-
ware onto the Internet.
At one time, virus attacks
were obvious to users, said
Alan Paller, director of
research at the SANS Insti-
tute, a training organization
for computer security pro-
fessionals. He explained that
now, the attacks were more
silent. Now its much,
much easier infecting trusted
Web sites, he said, and get-
ting your zombies that way.
So it is more important than
ever to protect yourself.
Here are some basic tips for
thwarting them.
Protect the Browser The
most direct line of attack is
the browser, said Vincent
Weafer, vice president of
Symantec Security Resp-
onse. Internet Explorer and
Firefox are the most targeted
browsers because they are
the most popular. If you use
current versions, and down-
load security updates as they
become available, you can
surf safely. But there can
still be exposure between
when a vulnerability is dis-
covered and an update
becomes available, so you
will need up-to-date security
software as well to try to
block any attacks that may
emerge, especially if you
have a Windows PC.
Get Adobe Updates
Most consumers are familiar
with Adobe Reader, for PDF
files, and Adobes Flash
Player. In the last year, a vir-
tual epidemic of attacks has
exploited their flaws; almost
half of all attacks now come
hidden in PDF files. Part of
the problem is that many
computers run old, vulnera-
ble versions. But as of April,
it has become easier to get
automatic updates from
Adobe.
Beware Malicious Ads
An increasingly popular
way to get attacks onto Web
sites people trust is to slip
them into advertisements,
usually by duping small-
time ad networks. Malver-
tising, as this practice is
known, can exploit software
vulnerabilities or dispatch
deceptive pop-up messages.
A particularly popular
swindle involves an alert
that a virus was found on the
computer, followed by
urgent messages to buy soft-
ware to remove it. Of
course, there is no virus and
the security software,
known as scareware, is fake.
It is a ploy to get credit card
numbers and $40 or $50.
Closing the pop-up or
killing the browser will usu-
ally end the episode. But if
you encounter this scam,
check your PC with trusted
security software or
Microsofts free Malicious
Software Removal Tool.
Poisoned Search Results
Online criminals are also
trying to manipulate search
engines into placing mali-
cious sites toward the top of
results pages for popular
keywords. Google and
search engines like Micr-
osofts Bing are working to
detect malicious sites and
remove them from their
indexes. Free tools like
McAfees SiteAdvisor and
the Firefox add-on Web of
Trust can also help warn-
ing about potentially dan-
gerous links.
Antisocial Media
Attackers also use e-mail,
instant messaging, blog com-
ments and social networks
like Facebook and Twitter to
induce people to visit their
sites. Its best to accept
friend requests only from
people you know, and to
guard your passwords.
Phishers are trying to filch
login information so they can
infiltrate accounts, imperson-
ate you to try to scam others
out of money and gather per-
sonal information about you
and your friends.
Sure, its big. But is that bad? Delivering health
care at homes
a Dose of IT
Kapil Khandelwal is director
of EquNev Capital and a leading
healthcare and ICT expert
STEVE LOHR
NEWYORK
May 23: Mention health care
reform and the image that instantly
comes to mind is a big government
program. But there is another broad
transformation in health care under
way, a powerful force for decen-
tralised innovation. It is fueled in
good part by technology low-cost
computing devices, digital sensors
and the Web.
The trend promises to shift a lot of
the diagnosis, monitoring and treat-
ment of disease from hospitals and
specialised clinics, where treatment
is expensive, to primary care physi-
cians and patients themselves at
far less cost.
The new models emphasise early
detection of health problems, pre-
vention and management of chronic
disease. The approaches have adopt-
ed a range of labels including well-
ness, consumer-directed health
care and the medical home.
The potential transformation faces
formidable obstacles, to be sure.
Some of those hurdles include get-
ting patients to embrace healthier
lifestyles and persuading the gov-
ernment and insurers to reimburse
at-home testing and monitoring
devices. Yet the promise, according
to Dr David M. Lawrence, the for-
mer chief executive of Kaiser Per-
manente, a private health care
provider, is an array of technology-
enabled, consumer-based services
that constitute a new form of pri-
mary health care.
For example, a start-up in the field
of sleep medicine, Watermark Med-
ical, offers an at-home device and a
Web-based service for diagnosing
sleep apnea. Characterised by snor-
ing and pauses in breathing, sleep
apnea is a serious health problem
that often goes undiagnosed. Suffer-
ers battle chronic fatigue, and sleep
experts suspect that apnea is the
cause of many workplace and car
accidents. Treatments include a
masklike apparatus that pumps air to
keep the patients airway open; an
oral appliance, resembling an ortho-
dontic retainer, that helps open the
throat; and surgery to shave tissue
that blocks the air passage.
If successful with sleep, Water-
mark plans to branch out to other
kinds of Web-based personal
devices to monitor chronic condi-
tions like heart disease and diabetes.
NYT
High-tech alternatives to high-cost care
Technologies now aim at shifting diagnosis, monitoring, treatment of
disease from hospitals to primary care physicians and patients.
MCT