The role of Information Technology in defeating the Arab regimes: Facebook 2-0 Arab Presidents

In January 2011, Arab countries and the entire world followed what happened in Tunisia and Egypt. Two Arabic regimes were step down in the same month. On January 14, 2011; the Tunisian president Zein Abedeen Bin Ali escaped outside of Tunisia after 27 days of protests. In Egypt, on February 11, 2011; the strongest Arab president Mubarak resigned and left Egypt after very active protests at all cities of Egypt. The Egyptians have a record because the protests continued for 18 days only!! A new history is being written in Arab countries.

This article discusses how internet played main role in the January revolution of Egyptian, and how RAND foundation report expected what happened, this report was published in 2003 and discussed the relation between technology and non-democratic regimes in Middle East and North Africa.
Does technology affect revolutions?

Through the history, there's no conflict about reasons of the revolutions anywhere in the world. It might be social, economic, or political reasons. Almost the same reasons for all revolutions since the early history of the humanity, but the revolutions of the modern age are different by depending on new means, and for sure communications and information technology was the most effective factors in the modern revolutions.

At the Egyptian revolution of 1919—the biggest revolution against the British colonialism to Egypt—Saad Zaghloul (first) met with the British governor in November 1928 asking for independence of Egypt, and then formed a group of politicians acting the Egyptians, and people started to delegate this group to act the Egyptian people.

This process takes some months. In March 18, 1919 the group met the British governor again, and asked to go to Paris in order to attend "The Peace Conference" in 1919. Their request was refused, and then they were arrested and exiled outside Egypt. Let's remark the chronological sequence of the demonstrations. In the second day the protests started in Cairo University, and then after two days in Azhar University, and after about one week in some other cities.

I'm sure if this revolution happened in the recent years, it would start faster, and more information would be circulated.

The current situation of information technology and communications gives us the following facts.
In Egypt (up to December 2010)

    Cell phone lines: 65.5 millions
    Fixed phones lines: 9.5 millions
    Internet users: 22.5 millions
    ADSL subscribers: 1.3 millions
    Internet mobile users: 8.5 millions
    Internet cafes: 4600

In Tunisia (up to November 2010)

    Internet users: 3.9 millions
    Fixed phones lines: 6.4 millions (up to 2006)
    Fixed phones lines:1.2 millions (up to 2006)
    All universities, institutions, and secondary schools are connected to the internet

Now the question is, can we really believe that the technology affected in the Egyptian and Tunisian revolution?

Opinions might be conflicted, some people can see that all revolutions through the history succeeded with the absent of technology, and if people stayed in front of PC screens, who would participate in the demonstrations.

On the other side, many opinions say that the online social networks provided e-communities helped to promote the anti governing systems ideas, and to call and organize the demonstrations, and to disseminate news from the heart of the events. Regardless of this conflict, we have a striking phenomenon and should be monitored.
The internet role in Egypt demonstrations

The online social networks played main role in Egypt's demonstration in January 2011, mainly, Facebook and Twitter were the basic tools used in the demonstrations. Facebook is well spread in Egypt since 2008, its popularity based on political events too, when it used to very wide invitation to a strike in all Egypt on April 6, 2008, which was very successful invitation and after that a group of political activist form and entitled "6th April Youth Movement".

I think Twitter was the big winner because it started to be well known in Egypt during January events.
By an inspector eyes; we can define three main roles of Facebook and Twitter in January demonstrations; Call for demonstrations, dissemination of demonstrations news, and increasing information circulation...
Call for demonstrations

After one day of Tunisian regime fall down, invitations to huge demonstration started through Facebook. 25th January was chosen because it was the "Egyptian Police Day" which is official holiday in Egypt. The relation between the police and Egyptians is extremely bad, because of torture and killing people by the police, in addition to the bad treatment for people. The invitation was adopted by three pages on Facebook:

    "We are all Khaled Said" The biggest Egyptian community on Facebook, this page has 804.000 members up to February 14, 2011. I have to mention that Khaled Said is an Egyptian boy was arrested, tortured, and killed by the Egyptian police in Alexandria.
    "6th April Youth Movement" The page has 53.000 members, and the group has 93.000 members. The group was the most famous group in 2008. It was the main reason that Egyptians know more about Facebook.
    "Elbradei President of Egypt 2011" This page has 244.000 members, Dr. Mohamed El Baradei is Egyptian diplomat who got Nobel Prize, and he was the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1997-to 2009. When he returned back to Egypt he started to call for change in Egypt.

None could expect what happened at January 25, 2011 in Egypt; over 500.000 people went out to streets and participated in the demonstrations in 8 cities. Most of Egyptians never expected this positive response to the electronic invitations. The call for more demonstrations renewed, they called for bigger one consists of million participants in Friday January 28, 2011, and this day called "Friday of Anger". The Egyptian government realized the vital role of Facebook and Twitter, so a unique decision was taken; all communications were cut in Egypt.

From Thursday January 27, 2011 at 4:00 P.M the Facebook and Twitter were blocked, on Friday 28, 2001 at 12:00 A.M all Egypt had no connection to internet, at 1:00 A.M all cell phones networks stopped working, at 2:00 A.M BlackBerry service was cut too. Egypt lived in the 1st century ideas in 2011!! This decision pushed all Egyptians to participate in the "Friday of Anger" and the result was over 1 million people participated from about 10 cities.
Dissemination of demonstrations news

From the first day of the demonstrations, the mentioned pages and groups started to disseminate news from the heart of events through many reporters who depended on the internet mobile services, another groups of pages admins were not participating in the field, but they have different mission that is disseminate news which published in TV channels, news web sites, and receive news from their reporters. Also; photos and videos were published.

One of the important pages was "Rassd News."  It was the main source for demonstrations news on Facebook, this page had about 250.000 members before hacking their page and creating new one which has now about 150.000 members. "The Original Dostor" newspaper page was one of the best pages that covered the demonstrations news through its journalists; this page has about 110.000 members.

At this stage, Twitter appeared as an active tool in managing the demonstrations and disseminating news from the field. Rassd News, The Original Dostor newspaper, and We Are All Khaled Said accounts was the most active on Twitter. Also some famous politicians participating strongly on Twitter like Dr. Ayman Nour account.

We can summarize the vital role of Facebook and Twitter in the following points:

    Disseminating news from the heart of events;
    Managing directions and collecting the participants;
    Publishing audio and visual materials on the demonstrations.

Of course all of this happened in the first 3 days of the demonstrations from January 25-27, 2011 before cutting the internet and all communications in Egypt.
The following statistics show the huge flow of information on Facebook and Twitter from January 25 to February 10, 2011:
Rassd News

57 video clips; 400 photos; 367 web links; 10.584 tweets.
We are all Khaled Said
61 video clips; over than 200 photos; 100 web links.
The Original Dostor

More than 500 tweets
We have to notice that Egypt stayed 6 days without internet connection.
Increasing of information circulation

Members of Facebook played a great role in information flow and circulation during the demonstrations days. The Members got their posts from different resources, like; Facebook pages, news web sites, TV channels, and the field it self. The status of members changed every minute.

The Egyptians response to Facebook is unprecedented phenomenon, I accurately monitored the growth of members in some pages, so we can estimate the effect of Facebook in these events:

The event of "Friday of Anger" which created by "We Are All Khaled Said" page, the average of members increasing was about 20 members per minute.

    "We are all Khaled Said" page members were about 400.000 before January 25, 2011, and became 600.000 members on February 9, 2011. On February 14, 2011 increased to 804.000 members. It means that 20.200 members joined the page daily in 20 days only.
    Wael Ghonim the admin of "We are all Khaled Said" page was released on February 7, 2011 after 11 days of arrest. A new page was created to delegate him to act the demonstrators. The page created exactly at 11:00 P.M on February 7, within the first 5 hours of creating the page the average of subscribers was 150 members every 10 seconds!! After the second day, the page had 190.000 members with average of 7916 members each hour, 131 every minute, and 2.1 members every second.
    Response to posts published in the hot pages we talked about is unbelievable, for example the range of comments is 2500 to over 10.000, in some cases it was 26.000 comments. The minimum number of likes is 10.000 in most posts.

RAND corporation report on information technology in Middle East

RAND Corporation is one of major research centers in the United States. It's nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. It published a report about the future of information technology in Middle East and North Africa. The report edited by Grey E. Burkhart، and Susan Older who specialized in Middle East studies. The report analyzed the core results of researches and conferences papers about the information technology in the area.

The report estimated what will happen in the Middle East and North Africa area regarding catching the information technology revolution. The main result of the report that is countries of the area - expect Israel and Turkey - will delay to catch the information revolution because the governing regimes of these countries are not elected by fair way and do not apply the democracy, so they will aim at control the information flow in the society because the freedom of information flow against their existence.

The report expected that Arab regimes will control all information resources and all means of information circulation. The same thing happened in the past with audio and visual mass media, and used it to direct and lead the public opinion to what the regimes want to say. When satellites spread widely, and became out of control, they moved to control the new media that was the internet.
In the next lines we will show how Arab regimes controlled the internet by different ways and means.
How RAND scenario fulfilled

It's well known that all Arab countries has no democracy, and the governing regimes are the most repressive and dictatorial regimes ever. Egyptian and Tunisian regimes classified as the top fighter of internet usage by political activists. Both of them achieved great developments to improve communications and technology, but on the other hand they fight any activities against their existence.
Here some evidences that prove how they were against technology:
1. Blocking web sites

Blocking the web sites in Arab countries is organized process, and do not includes only sexy sites, but it's extended and included anti-regimes sites and blogs, also news sites which criticize the internal affairs of the country. For example; in Tunisia; many non-Tunisian sites were blocked like: the Egyptian news site "al-Misryun" and the "Arabic News Network".

For Tunisian sites, there are many examples like: "al-Kalimah", "al-Bawwabah", "al-Nahdah.Net", and "Tunis News". The most famous case for blocking was Facebook and YouTube, which unblocked by order from the Tunisian president himself.

There's no different in Egypt, political sites and blogs are block regularly, Muslims Brothers and "al-‘Amal Party" were blocked for many years. During January demonstrations some sites were blocked; Facebook, Twitter, and "The Original Dostor Newspaper" because these sites were active factor in managing the demonstrations

Almost the same situation exists in most of Arab countries. Saudi Arabia classified as 1st blocker of web sites, the authority that responsible for blocking in the country receives requests to block sites through web form, and all requests are accepted without any verification to the content of the sites.

UAE and Sudan blocks the sexy web sites and many of political sites. Syria control the internet strongly, in the early years of connecting the internet the famous email providers like Hotmail and Yahoo were blocked. Iraq in Saddam era allowed the internet connection for post graduates students at home for 6 hours daily.
2. Using the internet to attack the political opponents

Tunisia is unique country in attacking the political opponents, the government monitors and hacks their emails and accounts on Facebook and Twitter. By cooperation with the local internet service providers they send fake page to login and get their data and be able to monitor them.

In Egypt; the National Party employed many of youth to perfume some missions; like: promoting the plan of bequeathing Gamal Mubarak to be the next president after his father, and improving the picture of Mubarak and the National Party. On Facebook they had more missions; they created thousands of fake account, and created groups and pages to support Gamal Mubarak and the national party.

On the other hand, they attack and criticize the political opponents like Mohammed El Baradei and Ayman Nour. As a reaction from "6th April Youth Movement" they discovered the fake accounts, and published a list of their names to warn Facebook member.
3. Arresting the internet activists

Blogging in topics criticizing the government and the regime is not the only reason for arresting the internet activists and bloggers in Tunisia. In 2003, a teacher and journalist called "Umm Ziyad" was imprisoned for a month because she criticized in a blog the education policy in Tunisia. There's a long list of bloggers who imprisoned, arrested and killed because of political blogging.

In Egypt, in addition to arresting and imprisoning bloggers, accusation fabrication is available option. Wael Abbas - the famous blogger - accused with stealing internet cable from his neighbor who works as a policeman! Hala Botros an Egyptian blogger, her father was hit by secret police forces.
4. Conspiracy of internet service providers with the government

Cutting the internet and all communications considered the evidence of controlling the regime on communications and technology sector in Egypt. I think it was easy decision from the government to cut cell phones networks and internet, because these companies conspire on Egyptians since years, and always accused with conspiracy with the government.

TE DATA is the biggest internet provider in Egypt, always accused with blocking web sites. It offers internet family program which blocks sexy sites, but also blocks the political blogs. After 6 days of cutting the internet in Egypt, the providers companies for cell phone service and internet announced that the signed contract with the government includes a condition force the companies to cut the service if the government requested that.
Conclusion

Although all practices of the Egyptian and Tunisian governments against usage of internet and technology in general, the technology was effective factor in the revolution, and defeat two of the strongest regimes in the Arab countries.

The Role of Information Technology in Modernising the Courts

Introduction

It is a singular honour and privilege to me to be offered this opportunity to address so distinguished an assembly, an assembly of the most eminent legal minds in Southern Central and East Africa on a subject that is so relevant to the courts in the region as they strive to deliver a service to the communities they serve, in a world that is undergoing immense technological change, whilst our region continues to suffer an absence of adequate resources. Courts are being called upon to deliver services against a backdrop of an increasing caseload on a declining resource base.

Your lordships, honourables, ladies and gentlemen, you have the unenviable task of leading the judiciaries in the region during this period of both immense challenges and ground breaking opportunities. It is my hope this morning that we shall explore with you the opportunities and challenges created by a new age, the information age.

Information Technology

We are half way through the first decade of the twenty first century. We have well and truly entered the new millennium. At the same time, the Industrial Revolution that began three centuries or so ago, has given way, for the Industrialised world, to the Information Age. The birth of the information age is as earth shaking as the Industrial Revolution in terms of how we work, transmit, store and retrieve information. And yet it appears to be still in its infancy! Jean-Francois Rischard put it this way.

                                                        "…the plummeting costs of communicating and computing present enormous opportunities for developing and developed countries alike, to do things, cheaper, differently. This is the heart of the information revolution, a tectonic shift that differs from previous economic breakpoints because it is not about transforming energy or matter, but about manipulating, transporting and storing information and knowledge."[2]



Martin Bangeman has stated,

 “Throughout the world, information and communication technologies are generating a new industrial revolution already as significant and far-reaching as those of the past. It is a revolution, itself the expression of human knowledge. Technological progress now enables us to process, store, retrieve and communicate information in whatever form it may take, unconstrained by distance, time and volume. This revolution adds huge new capacities to human intelligence and constitutes a resource which changes the way we work together and the way we live together."[3]

What does this information age involve? The information age is revolving around the advances so far made in Telecommunications and Information technology. These consist of hardware, software, and media for collection, storage, processing, transmission, and presentation of information. We are talking of communication and computing equipment and programmes, which include satellites, switches (phone exchanges), transmission lines, computers, modems, operating systems and applications.

Of what relevance is this revolution to a judicial system? If the way people work, live, and play is changing this would no doubt affect the administration of justice as it is part of this changing world. The Judiciary ought to take advantage of the new developments that may enhance the delivery of its own services.

The changes that come with the availing of information to all, or rather the potential availability of information to all, within the information age, will no doubt affect how part of our population relates to the courts. At the same time, since information technology serves people, issues that arise due to the new way of working, living and playing will become matters for those involved in the administration of justice to deal with, as crime and civil disputes take new forms and actions. As noted by Natalia Schiffrin,

 "But while the internet enhances freedom of expression by allowing for free and effectively unregulated communication, it has also facilitated a great deal of crime. The dissemination of child pornography, not to mention fraud, gambling, blackmail, and cyber stalking are all on the rise. Even incitement to murder is occurring over the internet…."[4]

It is the duty of any judicial system to prepare and meet these challenges. And at the same time it is the duty of the Judiciary to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by information technology to offer a professionally excellent service to the community. Nothing less is expected of us.

There is, however, a word of caution from the very outset for societies that fall on the disadvantaged side of the digital divide, ‘the information have not societies’, in which the vast majority of their communities live outside of this information revolution, somewhat akin to living on the fringes of the industrial society. For societies where penetration of electricity and telephone is less than ten percent of the population, it is clear that there are challenges in regard to the majority of the population who have no access to such amenities to the possibility of access to information age developments. For just as there is the information divide between nations, so is there a divide in the information disadvantaged societies, between a very tiny class of those who have access and the majority who have little hope of access to the information age developments.

Modernising the Judiciary

The main business of the judiciary is to hear and determine cases in a fair and timely manner at reasonable cost. In doing so there are processes that lead to the conclusion of the cases before the courts. These processes must be efficient, effective, and equitable.

The processes must be efficient in the sense that they provide value for money. The resources so employed must be utilised in a non-wasteful manner leading to the most optimum allocation and utilisation of the same. The system can not be engaged in an abstract search for the truth alone, oblivious of all other factors, like cost, efficacy, and equity. The modern approach calls for balancing of various objectives of the justice systems, given the scarcity of resources, and the competing demands for the limited resource envelope available, particularly in the resource strapped societies, as in our region.

Secondly the processes must be effective in the sense that they are able to achieve that which is sought. For instance is the system able to ensure accountability for the wrongs committed against the society. Or is the relief sought and obtained able to compensate the injury complained of?  Going to court is not simply an academic exercise, though in some instances, the nature of matter at hand may be somewhat academic, but nevertheless necessary to be addressed.

The process must be equitable in that all those who ought to have access to the justice system and seek access to it do have access to it. The process must not lock out sections of the community. Neither should it be discriminatory, or show partiality to a class of litigants or some areas of subject matter.

How does IT then enable the courts to be modern that is efficient, effective and equitable?

IT can be  a useful tool in the following areas: (1) text creation, storage and retrieval; (2) Improved Access to the Law; (3) Recording of Court Proceedings; (4) Case Management and producing data for administrative purposes; (5) Continuing Education; (6) Communication

Text Creation, Storage and Retrieval

Apart from the hearing function, judges have to produce written judgements, rulings, and reasons for the decisions that they continuously make. After the advent of the typewriter, the judge often wrote decisions in long hand, and the secretaries or typists would then type the same out in typescript. It is now possible for the judge to type out the decision directly on the computer. And there are many reasons now why the judge should be familiar with word processing skills. A judge is able to produce a decision much faster that way. And because of the ability to manipulate different documents through copy, cut and or paste, or working from templates, or using micros, it is now much easier to produce a document with the information you want included into to. On the same computer or other storage medium, it is possible to store the document, and retrieve it very fast, call up other documents, without having to move from your work station. In the result judgements, decisions and or rulings can be produced much faster in final form for release to the parties. Simultaneously the said decisions, judgements or rulings can go into a court system database to which judges and other people may have access should they need to use the same for whatever purpose. IT definitely makes production and release of decisions much more efficient than was previously the case.

Most of the documents in our case files be they from advocates or the court, are generated on computers. This means that copies of the same are available electronically as they are produced digitally. And even if they have been produced manually, and only hard copies are available it is possible to scan them and convert them into digital format. This creates an opportunity of creating and maintaining and electronic copy of case file that would eliminate problems of loss of the physical file which plagued our courts in Uganda for quite sometime in the past. The courts have the capacity to acquire the necessary hardware for this purpose. If an electronic version of the court file was maintained it would speed the cost of preparing a record for appeal purposes, thus eliminating one of the bottlenecks to the speedy delivery of justice.

Improved Access to the Law

In many jurisdictions the law applicable is often found in different sources. These include Statute Books for legislation; Law Reports for case law and Oral Tradition for Customary Law. The medium for storage of the legislation and case law was, previous to the advent of the current information technology, only available through hard copy in book form or printed or typescript. The traditional approach in some jurisdictions was regularly to produce an up-to-date version in the form of one edition of the laws in force at a particular time. In Uganda, in particular, the situation got out of hand with the 1964 Edition of the Laws of Uganda remaining unrevised until recently. And even then the revision so far is partial, limited to the principal legislation only. The edition got out of print. It was out of date to a significant part. Determining the applicable law was often quite cumbersome. Law Reporting collapsed thirty years back, and efforts to revive the same are on going without being successful to-date.

It is now possible to keep both legislation and law reports, not only in hard copy and book form, but also in digital format, on CDs and other storage media, online (Internet/Intranet), or on stand alone machines making it much easier for a judge or member of the public to search and obtain the provisions of the law or previous court decision that one desires. With the use of the Internet, it is possible to seek for and obtain comparative and persuasive jurisprudence from other jurisdictions while seated at one’s work station.

What makes the situation even much more promising is that document production now is digital making it easy to copy and distribute information at very little cost. It is now possible therefore for the law to be available in an easier, more convenient and most accessible format. It makes it simpler to research and incorporate the results of the research into new documents being produced. IT has the potential to tremendously improve access to the law, improving the productivity of the consumers of the same, and possibly both the quality and quantity of what they produce, thus increasing both the efficiency and efficacy of the their product.

It may be noted that the judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and the High Court in Kampala, or at least the majority of them, do have computers and are connected to the internet. A number are known to make use of the internet for electronic legal research. A significant number too is known never to switch on these computers too!

Recording of Court Proceedings

For a long time here in Uganda and elsewhere court proceedings were recorded in long hand by the judge/magistrate. In some jurisdictions court reporters recorded the proceedings using stenographic machines using shorthand, and later produced a record of the proceedings. In other jurisdictions recording was by way of tape recorders recording voice and the record later being transcribed into a typed record. There have been new developments. Voice recognition technologies are being tested but are as yet to be perfected. It is now possible to have digital audio recordings of voice on the computer, allowing the judge capacity to annotate this record and listen to whatever portion he may want to listen to later. The record so recorded would have to be transcribed into a hard copy format (for as long as a hard copy file is maintained), of which e-versions would be available too. It is also possible to have instantaneous recording of proceedings by court reporter which can be viewed by the judge and counsel at their respective desks as the proceedings continue. The advantage of the digital format is that it is easy to manoeuvre whether it is text, voice (sound) or images.

With the use of IT the pace of proceedings may be speeded up considerably. The quality of the record is enhanced immensely as it is far more accurate. Cases ought to be resolved faster, both at trial, and on appeal. This would be the result of the easy availability of the record of the trial. With Judges freed from the task of recording proceedings, they can pay more attention to the function for which they are hired. And that is judging.

Case Management

Computing has greatly enhanced our capacity to capture study and manipulate data producing reports and other records that one might be interested in. It is possible using programmes that can be developed to track events and cases with a view to availing the decision maker information in a timely manner. Computing is able to do so in considerably much less time than if the same were done manually. Equipped with this information, it is possible for the decision maker to take appropriate action, to move a case forward, or to assign it, list it for trial or take whatever action is appropriate. One is able to follow both the large picture in terms of the aggregate of cases and the small picture, in terms of a single case. Productions of forms and other repetitive processes can be automated. In Uganda this has been embraced with the development of CCAS (Computerised Case Administration System) and MIS (Management Information System).

Communication

It is both in the interests of the Judiciary and in the public interest that the public gets to know and understand what is going on the Judiciary in relation to its mandate. The public ought to know what problems the judiciary is having and what it is doing to tackle them. The public ought to know what the judiciary is doing with the resources entrusted to them in carrying out its mandate. The judiciary does not often have the same platforms as other organs of government. It does not control the purse strings of government or the coercive machinery of government in the manner that both the legislature and executive do. The authority of the judiciary ultimately rests on the confidence that the public has in the services it offers to the public. It is therefore important that the judiciary is able to communicate to the public. One of the easier means of doing so is to go online with the requisite information about activities, problems, and solutions taken to tackle the same in the form of timely reports and updates. Because of the limited access of our people to online resources, the audience may be limited. Nevertheless because of the possibility of reuse of that information by media houses, and other people it is possible it would still reach a wider audience than initially anticipated.

In this regard it should be noted that the Judiciary in Uganda has a web site at http://www.judicature.go.ug . Unfortunately it is static for most of the time, and not fully developed. For the last three years it has not seriously been attended to. Though, as a rare exception I must point out that in the last three years or so, at least they have temporarily posted to the page at different occasions three decisions of the Constitutional Court and or Supreme Court on appeal from the Constitutional Court that were of immense public interest.

The information the web page purports to deliver is not there. For instance it has a cause list section but this is mostly blank, at least for all the times I have checked on it. This only frustrates the intended recipients of the information, and does not add public confidence to the image of the judiciary.

IT affords the courts not only an opportunity to communicate with the public through the internet, but also affords an opportunity to allow for internal communication within the organisation through Intranets and electronic mail. There may be information to which the public may not be privy too which could be kept on intranets accessible only to relevant category of officers in the organisations. At the same time paperless communication using email programmes is possible between judges and other judicial personnel in and outside of the judiciary is possible at very little cost, and almost instantaneously. All over the world email lists for judges and other professionals exist on which judges are able to share information of a professional nature or merely only recreational.

The judiciary in Uganda does have email servers and programmes installed for the courts with internet connections. Unfortunately no advantage has been taken of the same to encourage intra organisational communication using these facilities. Of course some officers use the free email programmes on the World Wide Web for communication but this is the result of individual initiative rather than organisational arrangements.





Training

As a tool for training there are several computer based modules that can assist you to develop your computer related skills to functional levels. This will include word processing, typing, use of the internet, and many others. Training modules are available on floppy disks, CDs', and via the internet. This form of training is convenient because you can consume it at your own pace, at a time of your choosing, and may be available all the time, should you need to consult the module. It is also possible to pursue continuing professional, academic or other programmes through internet based distance education.

Pitfalls in Acquisition and Deployment of IT

After having extolled the virtues of adoption and deployment of IT, it is important that mention is made of some critical factors for the success of adoption of IT. IT acquisition is not an end in itself. It is a tool. The process of acquiring this rather highly sophisticated tool is quite important as it will impact on whether the acquisition of IT meets the goals set and intended benefits.

Research in the US has established that there is a significant failure rate in IT projects both in the private and public sectors.  There are many reasons advanced for this failure and these include:

    Lack of top management commitment
    Inadequate planning
    Abandoning the project plan
    Inadequate user input
    Inexperienced project managers
    Flawed technical approach
    Anticipating advances in technology
    Failure to satisfy user needs
    Inadequate documentation
    Unwieldy procurement processes
    Burdensome oversight reviews
    Unrealistic Cost Estimates
    Imprecise specifications
    Non-compliance by Vendors[5]

Uganda’s Experience

IT acquisition in the judiciary in Uganda started with sporadic purchase of computers for word processing by secretaries. Then in 1994 or thereabouts, there was the law reporting project (the Justice Porter project), under which 15 computers were bought (with donor support) to assist in the production of case digests. The project did not really survive long after the departure of the person who run it.

The largest IT project in Uganda has been Computerised Case Administration System (CCAS) which was to be followed with the Management Information System (MIS), and was supposed to be subsumed into MIS. The story of CCAS is a long one and if, as an institution we are able to learn from the mistakes suffered in implementing this project, newer IT projects would have a much higher chance of success within the time periods planned. MIS has not come into operation, much as it had been planned that it would be operational by the year 2003. It is not known when MIS will now come into operation.

In 1999, the Chief Justice appointed a Technology Committee to be responsible for advising the judiciary on IT matters, drawing up an automation and technology plan for the adoption of IT in the judiciary.  With the help of consultants the first IT strategy for the years 2000 to 2005 was adopted in the year 2000. A second plan has been adopted for the years 2005 to 2008.

The judiciary in Uganda produced The Strategic Plan for the Uganda Judiciary 2002/3 to 2006/07, which is intended to be the blueprint for realisation of the vision and mission of the judiciary in Uganda. The strategic Plan makes no mention of the first IT or Second IT plan/strategy, either to acknowledge the existence of either of them, or to incorporate those plans into the main strategic plan. Is this a strategic omission? The strategic plan for the judiciary gives some mention to CCAS and MIS, overlooking the other sub-components in the first and second IT plan/strategy. By ignoring IT strategy as a whole, in the Strategic Plan for the Judiciary, an impression may be created that those responsible for the drawing and approving the Strategic Plan, have no commitment towards implementation of the IT strategy for the judiciary, and are only concerned with the CCAS and MIS.

This fascination with CCAS and MIS, to the exclusion of other IT projects, is historical and is deserving of a separate study of its own. Nevertheless for the purposes of this paper, it is important to note that the emphasis on CCAS (producing data for decision making by senior or top management), probably reflects the importance attached to CCAS by  (1) the major donor supporting the project and the judiciary, (2) consultants hired to design, supply, and install the same and; (3) top management in the judiciary, in comparison to other IT tools necessary to raise the productivity of a judge/magistrate who hears and determines cases, which CCAS tracks. The consultants that were retained to develop CCAS, and MIS, are the same ones that were retained to produce the Strategic Plan for the Judiciary. Familiarity with the former led to their exclusive treatment in the latter, with no ostensible intervention from the judiciary to correct the anomaly. This raises the question of user input into the Strategic Plan for the Judiciary and the commitment of the judiciary to IT Strategic Plans it developed, or simply put the commitment of the judiciary to the use of IT, automation and innovation.

One of the most recent projects the judiciary has undertaken is a pilot court recording project with the provision of analogue audio recording systems for several magistrates courts located in the different regions of the country, the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and a digital recording system for the two selected High Court courtrooms in Kampala and Jinja. These projects were implemented in 2003 and 2004. The evaluation reports in respect of this project are very instructional.

“The Court of Appeal received equipment late compared to the other courts. However, the initial attempt to operate the equipment ended in failure as the person who was trained was not deployed to carry out recording. Instead, the trainee who failed the test in the first batch of training was deployed to carry out the recording.

Problems encountered.

·        The Operator carried out recording with the recorder speaker turned on. The recording therefore carried echoes, which made the job of transcribing impossible.

·        The operator also mishandled microphones leading to breaking of one of the signal pins on one microphone.

Solutions offered

·        The right operator was deployed to carry out the recording function effective the date of commissioning and she is performing fine.

·        The broken microphone has been returned to our workshop for repair.”

“3.3 Kampala High Court

This is one of the pilots using digital recording equipment.

3.3.1 Problems Encountered

·        Initially, there was a lot of interference in the recorded sound.

·        There is need to customise the recording software interface to match the court system in Uganda

3.3.2 Solution Offered

·        The interface was traced to poor or no earth wiring of the electrical supply in the court building. A proper earth wiring was implemented and modifications done to the mixer to improve sound quality.

·        We are still awaiting customisation details from the court for us to implement the changes.”

“3.4 Jinja High Court

This is the second pilot using digital recording equipment.

3.4.1 Problems Encountered

·        No problems have been reported in this court. However the resident judge whose court uses the equipment is mainly out of station covering cases in Mukono. So far 4 successful recordings have been made.

·        There is need to customise the recording software interface to match the court system in Uganda as is the case for Kampala.”[6]  (Emphasis is mine.)

The consultants make some general observations which are relevant to the success of the project.

“4.1 General Observations

Our monitoring team has established that where there is administrative will, the pilot is showing positive results. In some sites there is general laxity typical of the civil service in the country.

There is danger that for those sites that have not received their equipment, the trained personnel will soon forget what they learnt and this can frustrate the project.

In addition, there is the danger of transferring trained personnel to other offices, contrary to what was emphasized during selection of trainees. If this is not stopped the project will definitely fail due to lack of trained manpower.”

“4.3 Administrative Issues

The absence of enthusiasm in some pilot sites should be addressed. Senior staff in the judiciary should pay visits to the pilot sites and emphasise the seriousness of the pilot project in the future capacity of the courts in delivering justice.

Personnel who received training in court recording and transcribing should be left to work at their allocated sites, at least for the pilot stage in order that the project gets a fair evaluation.”[7] (Emphasis is mine.)

Six months later the consultants issued the second and last evaluation and monitoring report on the project in respect of those sites where the court recording was already installed. Again the comments are quite instructive.

“3.3 Kampala High Court

This is one of the pilots using digital recording equipment. There has been very little progress at this court.

3.3.1 Problems encountered

·        The supplier has not yet attended to the problem of customising the software to fit the court requirements.

·        In addition, the UPS serving the recording computer failed and has been returned to the supplier for repair.

3.3.2 Solution suggested

·        The suppliers of the digital recording software should complete the customisation.

·        The suppliers of the UPS should expedite repair work or replace the UPS under warranty.

3.4 Jinja High Court

This is the second pilot using digital recording equipment. There is no progress at this court.

3.4.1 Problems encountered

·        The staff member who was responsible for this project left the Judiciary and the equipment has not been handed to another person.

3.4.2 Solution suggested

Recruit and train a new person or deploy excess staff from Kampala High Court.”[8]

From the foregoing it is evident that many of the problems recognised in the research carried out in the US on the reasons for the failed IT projects are reflected in the problems encountered with the implementation of the Pilot Court Recording Project. These include lack of management commitment to the project, especially in the High Court, inadequate planning especially with regard to staff deployment; inadequate user in put into the requirements of the software interface; inexperienced project managers; failure to satisfy user needs, imprecise specifications and non-compliance by vendors.

There are other problems that plague the IT sector in the judiciary. One of the most significant of these problems is staffing. In the traditional establishment for the Judiciary, there was, as it was to be expected, no provision for IT staff, as the sector only emerged quite recently. When the judiciary started on IT projects it still had no provision for IT staff. Eventually provision was made for three staff positions on the establishment at the top end of the ladder. Despite some effort to expand this number to seven staff positions, the minimum necessary, given the extensive outlay of IT equipment and services, the judiciary has failed to get the approval of the Ministry of Public Service which is in charge of this function. The result is that the judiciary has an IT infrastructure and services without the number of staff required to maintain and run the same. The result is a very unsatisfactory state of affairs. For instance staff have been appointed as System Administrators who have no qualification or skills whatsoever necessary for that office. This situation is intolerable. End users do not have the support that they ought to have.

Conclusion

I have endeavoured to show that information technology is now a tool essential for modernisation of a judiciary or judicial system. But it is only a tool, and if not handled with skill and commitment, it may instead frustrate efforts at modernisation. The process of adoption of IT is as important, or, probably even more important, than just the purchase and installation of IT hardware and software itself. If the process is flawed, it is unlikely that the expected benefits will flow from the IT acquired. It could easily turn out to be a waste of scarce resources with equipment left to gather dust, as its life comes to an end, for IT equipment does have a short lifespan in terms of obsolescence.

Information Technology creates both opportunities and challenges. These opportunities and challenges need to be fully grasped, and mastered, if the institutions that you lead are  to take full benefit of what Information Technology offers.

I thank you for listening to me.

Importance of Information Technology

While technology is playing a larger role in society overall, developing a holistic, up-to-date system is particularly critical in higher education because it offers new avenues to explore—academically, socially and recreationally. It is becoming increasingly important in at least three distinct areas:

    Pedagogy
    Volume of data
    The amount of information/resources available online through Internet engines and portals enables users to search through large amounts of materials from library databases around the world. Therefore, time can be spent more productively analyzing and synthesizing data rather than just digging for and retrieving it.

    Immediacy and collaboration
    Technology-enabled pedagogy allows professors and students to interact together in real-time with rapidly changing information. For example, a Constitutional Law class can use online news resources to discuss the outcomes from a current Supreme Court case which is too recent to be included in a textbook.

    Interactive multi-media
    Students and faculty can access a vast array of online resources, past and present, and can be studied in a dynamic multi-media application by viewing DVD’s or online content.

    
    Career preparation
    Computer skills are necessary for all careers from technology-based positions to the field of medicine to the fine arts.
    

    Administrative
    Student information (financial data, names, addresses, grades, class schedules, etc.) is readily available in a centralized system. The ACI program provides students with around-the-clock, secure access to their personal information. This becomes increasingly important as the need for student data tracking and reporting in such areas as financial aid and federal compliance grows.

What is Information Technology?

In today’s up-and-down job market and shaky economy, there are few career fields that are as consistent as the field of Information Technology. As a branch of engineering, Information Technology, specializes specifically in using computer technology and telecommunications technology to transmit, translate and store various types of information- although there are a ton of other types of jobs that do fall under the Information Technology umbrella.
What exactly does Information Technology entail?

Essentially information technology is all about using information as a commodity or resource, just like any other job. The information that is being translated, disseminated, stored, transmitted, etc. is usually in the forms of audio, video, textual and numerical information and is processed through the use of microelectronics and computers.

The field of Information Technology is usually used to describe a whole series of jobs, but in reality, there are tons of jobs that are called Information Technology jobs, but are actual part of a subcategory like Management Information Services and Information Services.

Once upon a time, the Information Technology center of a business would have been composed of just one guy sitting at a computer all day. But, as computer technology has advanced, and information has become more valuable, the Information Technology center grew with it. Now, a company will either have a gigantic IT center, or they may need so many specialists that they actually contract out the Info-tech needs to an entirely separate company. Now, in order to successfully run an Information Technology center, a company would need at least a database management system, a cryptographer, some system administrators, some database administrators, at least one information manager and a Chief Information Office (CIO,) who is the head honcho of the whole shabang.
The Top 10 Technical Skills Needed for a Career in Information Technology

The following is a list of the most common skills, knowledge and experience that is needed for a job in the Information Technology career field. Because Information Technology relies so much on information and keeping it secure, it is imperative to have a good grasp on things like programming languages, operating systems and management expertise.

1. Unix Operating System knowledge
2. Linux Operating System knowledge
3. Java Language Programming experience
4. C++ Language Programming experience
5. Perl Language Programming experience
6. MySQL Database Management expertise
7. Microsoft C# Language Programming experience
8. XML- Extensible Markup Language skills
9. HTML skills (advanced)
10. Project Management abilities
Information Technology Knowledge Requirements

Depending on what type of job you are looking for, you will probably need either a degree or at least some kind of technical certificate in order to land a job in the Information Technology sector. Here is a list of some of the most common degrees and technical certificates that are required in order to have a job in the field of Information Technology:

● CISSP certificate (Information Security)
● ISSAP certificate (Information Security)
● ISSEP certificate (Information Security)
● Oracle Database Administration certificate
● Microsoft Information Specialist certificates
● Cisco Information Specialist certificates
● Doctoral or Professional degree in Computer and Information Research Science (for high-level jobs)
● Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Programming (for mid-level jobs)
● Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Systems (for mid-level jobs)
● Associate’s Degree (for low-level jobs)
The Jobs and The Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Information Technology field is growing faster than the average career, which means an Information Technology specialist would be in high-demand right out of school. Here are a few of the jobs, the growth of that job in the future and the average salaries you can expect for an entry-level position in that job:

Geographic Information Systems as an Integrating Technology: Context, Concepts, and Definitions

1. Information Technologies in Geography

GIS is one of many information technologies that have transformed the ways geographers conduct research and contribute to society. In the past two decades, these information technologies have had tremendous effects on research techniques specific to geography, as well as on the general ways in which scientists and scholars communicate and collaborate.

Discipline-Specific Tools

    Cartography and Computer-Assisted Drafting: Computers offer the same advantages to cartographers that word-processing software offers writers. Automated techniques are now the rule rather than the exception in cartographic production.
    Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing: Aerial photogrammetry, a well-established technique for cartographic production and geographic analysis, is now complemented by the use of "remotely sensed" information gathered by satellites in outer space. Information technologies have made both sorts of information far more readily available and far easier to use.
    Spatial Statistics: Statistical analysis and modeling of spatial patterns and processes have long relied on computer technology. Advances in information technology have made these techniques more widely accessible and have allowed models to expand in complexity and scale to provide more accurate depictions of real-world processes.
    Geographic Information Systems (GIS): These systems allow geographers to collate and analyze information far more readily than is possible with traditional research techniques. As will be noted below, GIS can be viewed as an integrating technology insofar as it draws upon and extends techniques that geographers have long used to analyze natural and social systems.

General Communication, Research, and Publication Technologies

    Communication and Collaboration: Electronic mail, discussion lists, and computer bulletin boards make it far easier for colleagues to communicate ideas and share ideas, locally, nationally, and internationally. Distance-learning techniques make it possible to hold interactive classes and workshops simultaneously at distant locations.
    Access to Library and Research Materials and Sources: Network access to both primary and secondary research resources is expanding rapidly. From their offices, scholars can now get information held by libraries, government agencies, and research institutions all over the world.
    Publication and Dissemination: Information technologies are reducing substantially the cost of publishing and distributing information as well as reducing the time required to circulate the latest news and research results.

 2. The Course of Technological Innovation
These advances in the application of information technologies in geography began several decades ago and will continue to expand their effects into the foreseeable future. Scholars who have studied the spread of technological innovations in society sometimes divide the process into four phases:

    Initiation: An innovation first becomes available.
    Contagion: Far-ranging experimentation follows to see how the innovation can be adapted to meet a wide variety of research and commercial needs. Some, but not necessarily all of these experiments will work.
    Coordination: The most promising applications of the innovation gradually gain acceptance and are developed collaboratively. The coordination of experimentation helps to distribute the potentially high costs of further development and implementation.
    Integration: A innovation is accepted and integrated into routine research tasks.

In geography, many innovations in the application of information technologies began in the late 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. Methods of sophisticated mathematical and statistical modeling were developed and the first remote sensing data became available. Researchers began also to envision the development of geographic information systems. The mid-1970s to early 1990s was a period of contagion. The first commercially available software for GIS became available in the late 1970s and spurred many experiments, as did the development of the first microcomputers in the early 1980s. This was an exciting time in which the development of powerful software coupled with the availability of inexpensive computers permitted many researchers to test new ideas and applications for the first time. In the early 1990s, or perhaps just a bit earlier, many innovations entered the coordination phase even as other experimentation continued at a fast pace. The strengths and weaknesses of many information technologies were by then apparent, and researchers began to work together to cultivate the most promising applications on a large scale. Arguably, the complete integration of information technologies in geography has yet to be achieved except perhaps in a few relatively specialized research areas. Complete integration across the discipline may, in fact, be many years away.

 3. GIS as an Integrating Technology
In the context of these innovations, geographic information systems have served an important role as an integrating technology. Rather than being completely new, GIS have evolved by linking a number of discrete technologies into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. GIS have emerged as very powerful technologies because they allow geographers to integrate their data and methods in ways that support traditional forms of geographical analysis, such as map overlay analysis as well as new types of analysis and modeling that are beyond the capability of manual methods. With GIS it is possible to map, model, query, and analyze large quantities of data all held together within a single database.

 The importance of GIS as an integrating technology is also evident in its pedigree. The development of GIS has relied on innovations made in many different disciplines: Geography, Cartography, Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, Surveying, Geodesy, Civil Engineering, Statistics, Computer Science, Operations Research, Artificial Intelligence, Demography, and many other branches of the social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering have all contributed. Indeed, some of the most interesting applications of GIS technology discussed below draw upon this interdisciplinary character and heritage.

 4. Geographic Information Systems: A Generic Definition
GIS is a special-purpose digital database in which a common spatial coordinate system is the primary means of reference. Comprehensive GIS require a means of:

    Data input, from maps, aerial photos, satellites, surveys, and other sources
    Data storage, retrieval, and query
    Data transformation, analysis, and modeling, including spatial statistics
    Data reporting, such as maps, reports, and plans

Three observations should be made about this definition:

First, GIS are related to other database applications, but with an important difference. All information in a GIS is linked to a spatial reference. Other databases may contain locational information (such as street addresses, or zip codes), but a GIS database uses geo-references as the primary means of storing and accessing information.

Second, GIS integrates technology. Whereas other technologies might be used only to analyze aerial photographs and satellite images, to create statistical models, or to draft maps, these capabilities are all offered together within a comprehensive GIS.

Third, GIS, with its array of functions, should be viewed as a process rather than as merely software or hardware. GIS are for making decisions. The way in which data is entered, stored, and analyzed within a GIS must mirror the way information will be used for a specific research or decision-making task. To see GIS as merely a software or hardware system is to miss the crucial role it can play in a comprehensive decision-making process.
 5. Other Definitions
Many people offer definitions of GIS. In the range of definitions presented below, different emphases are placed on various aspects of GIS. Some miss the true power of GIS, its ability to integrate information and to help in making decisions, but all include the essential features of spatial references and data analysis.

 A definition quoted in William Huxhold's Introduction to Urban Geographic Information Systems. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991), page 27, from some GIS/LIS '88 proceedings:

    ". . . The purpose of a traditional GIS is first and foremost spatial analysis. Therefore, capabilities may have limited data capture and cartographic output. Capabilities of analyses typically support decision making for specific projects and/or limited geographic areas. The map data-base characteristics (accuracy, continuity, completeness, etc) are typically appropriate for small-scale map output. Vector and raster data interfaces may be available. However, topology is usually the sole underlying data structure for spatial analyses."

C. Dana Tomlin's definition, from Geographic Information Systems and Cartographic Modeling (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,1990), page xi:

    "A geographic information system is a facility for preparing, presenting, and interpreting facts that pertain to the surface of the earth. This is a broad definition . . . a considerably narrower definition, however, is more often employed. In common parlance, a geographic information system or GIS is a configuration of computer hardware and software specifically designed for the acquisition, maintenance, and use of cartographic data."

From Jeffrey Star and John Estes, in Geographic Information Systems: An Introduction (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1990), page 2-3:

    "A geographic information system (GIS) is an information system that is designed to work with data referenced by spatial or geographic coordinates. In other words, a GIS is both a database system with specific capabilities for spatially-reference data, as well [as] a set of operations for working with data . . . In a sense, a GIS may be thought of as a higher-order map."

And from Understanding GIS: The ARC/INFO Method (Redlands, CA: Environmental System Research Institute, 1990), page 1.2:

    A GIS is "an organized collection of computer hardware, software, geographic data, and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display all forms of geographically referenced information."

 6. Related Terms: Acronyms, Synonyms, and More
One reason why it can be difficult to agree on a single definition for GIS is that various kinds of GIS exist, each made for different purposes and for different types of decision making. A variety of names have been applied to different types of GIS to distinguish their functions and roles. One of the more common specialized systems, for instance, is usually referred to as an AM/FM system. AM/FM is designed specifically for infrastructure management. It is defined further below.

 In addition, some systems that are similar in both function and name to GIS, nevertheless are not really geographic information systems as defined above. Broadly, these similar systems do not share GIS's ability to perform complex analysis. CAD systems, for example, are sometimes confused with GIS. Not long ago, a major distinction existed between GIS and CAD, but the their differences are beginning to disappear. CAD systems, used mainly for the precise drafting required by engineers and architects, are capable of producing maps though not designed for that purpose. However, CAD originally lacked coordinate systems and did not provide for map projections. Nor were CAD systems linked to data bases, an essential feature of GIS. These features have been added to recent CAD systems, but geographic information systems still offer a richer array of geographic functions.

 The use of so many acronyms, synonyms, and terms with related meaning can cause some confusion. Consider a few of the most widely used terms:

    AGIS (Automated Geographic Information System)
    AM/FM (Automated Mapping and Facilities Management): Automated mapping by itself allows storage and manipulation of map information. AM/FM systems add the ability to link stores of information about the features mapped. However, AM/FM is not used for spatial analysis, and it lacks the topological data structures of GIS.
    CAD (Computer-Assisted Drafting): These systems were designed for drafting and design. They handle spatial data as graphics rather than as information. While they can produce high-quality maps, generally they are less able to perform complex spatial analyses.
    CAM (Computer-Assisted Mapping, or Manufacturing)
    Computerized GIS
    Environmental Information System
    GIS (Geographic Information System)
    Geographically Referenced Information System
    Geo-Information System
    Image-Based Information System
    LIS (Land Information System)
    Land Management System
    Land Record System
    Land Resources Information System
    Multipurpose Cadastre:
    Multipurpose Geographic Data System
    Multipurpose Land Record System
    Natural Resources Inventory System
    Natural Resources Management Information System
    Planning Information System
    Resource Information System
    Spatial Data Handling System
    Spatial Database
    Spatial Information System 

 7. The GIS View of the World
GIS provide powerful tools for addressing geographical and environmental issues. Consider the schematic diagram below. Imagine that the GIS allows us to arrange information about a given region or city as a set of maps with each map displaying information about one characteristic of the region. In the case below, a set of maps that will be helpful for urban transportation planning have been gathered. Each of these separate thematic maps is referred to as a layer, coverage, or level. And each layer has been carefully overlaid on the others so that every location is precisely matched to its corresponding locations on all the other maps. The bottom layer of this diagram is the most important, for it represents the grid of a locational reference system (such as latitude and longitude) to which all the maps have been precisely registered.

Jordan jails three for Syria jihad

Amman: A Jordanian military tribunal jailed on Tuesday three men convicted of trying to join Syria’s jihadist Al Nusra Front and fight Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime. “The state security court today initially sentenced the three to five years in jail each, but immediately halved the prison terms,” a court official said. “They attempted in January to interfiltrate Syria and join Al Nusra Front.” The official said the men were charged with “carrying out acts that the government does not approve and that would expose Jordan to the risk of aggression, as well as possession of unlicensed firearms”. Al Nusra, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Syria, is among the most prominent groups involved in Syria’s 26-month conflict, which has killed more than 94,000, according to monitors. The ruling comes a day after the same court jailed two Jordanians for five years for going to Syria last summer for jihad, a judicial official said. The two were arrested after they returned to Jordan in August, “pretending that they were Syrian refugees”. In May, the military court handed down similar jail sentences for nine Muslim extremists who wanted to go to Syria. Jordan, which says it is hosting more than 500,000 refugees from Syria’s civil war, has arrested dozens of jihadists as they tried to cross into the war-torn country. Jordanian Salafists have said there were more than 500 jihadists from the country in Syria. Amman denies accusations from the Syrian regime that the kingdom has opened up its borders to jihadist fighters. Jordan generally does not tolerate Salafist groups that espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam. But slain Al Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, hailed from the impoverished northern city of Zarqa, which is considered a stronghold of Muslim extremists.


Keep Connected With US for:

Application Software | Information Technology | News For Entertainment | Business| Social Problem
News , Information , Technology , Social Networks , Mobile Club
Games Info , Breaking , USA
UK, UAE, ASIA ,YELLOW PAGES, Currency , Emails For Ads
Tricks & Tips , Health , Urdu , Search Engines , Questions
Solutions , Chemicals , vuclip , Religion ,Basic Softwares
Books , Images , Free Website Maker Method , Free ALL ,Daily
Business Recorder , Market , Spam Idea , Boom
Track Idea , Love vs Enemy , Helpful Idea , Youth
Men Tips , Women Tips , Skin Lover , Quotes , Story
Real Thing , IT Lover , Male vs Female , Hidden Info
World Real Face , Kids , Design , Bollywood , Hollywood
Songs Idea , songs Updates , Coming Soon Status
Animals Care , Study , JOBS , Live Street Cam
Newspaper Live! , Sports , Crazy Lover , Cloud
Proxy  ,Classifieds Links , Keys and Cracks

Our URL Link is

www.All909.Blogspot.com
www.All909.Tk
www.All909.nl.ae

Warning : This Post may be Copied.

Risks of using Facebook

Personal Risks

As with any SNS, possible threats lurk depending on what you post out into cyberspace. Most people do not realize that once something is posted online it will be out in cyberspace forever and most likely be vulnerable to hackers. Hackers can easily cause criminal havoc if they have access to a user's actual date of birth because it makes it easier for them to hack into credit card accounts with that type of information. If a hacker can get into your credit card account online, they will also have access to your billing address and phone number. This leaves too much at stake for a possible stalking to start. Like any other service, Facebook is not perfect and has come under attack by various groups and organizations on how safe their network really is.
Stalkers have been around for centuries now, some of which we know to be close friends of ours. Facebook is no different when it comes to the new age of stalker status as it gives way to over half a billion users around the world. Nowadays women and men alike are so eager to meet a new person whether to become friends or by taking it a step further. With Facebook, users can post any picture of either themselves or pose as somebody else. This is why it is absolutely imperative to only accept friend requests from people in which you have been in constant contact throughout your life as you never know who you may end up talking to. Younger users are more prone to being stalked over Facebook as they are very naive in the sense that they will post their address and phone number as well as update their status with the current lingo of "open crib." Having your current address and or whereabouts is a stalkers dream and makes it ten times easier for them and puts your life in danger.
Facebook in conjunction with third party applications also makes a terrible duo. Wall Street Journal reported that many of Facebook's popular third-party games and contests sell Facebook users information to other companies. During the week of March 9, 2009; Facebook was attacked a total of five times according to an article written by Carrie-Ann Skinner. Skinner goes on to address that “two of the hoax applications that have been downloaded by Facebook users include “F a c e b o o k - closing down!!!” and “Error Check System." "By downloading the app, users are giving hackers access to their profile and personal information, and also unwittingly forwarding fake messages to their friends, also encouraging them to download the programs” (Skinner). Many people can't fathom the risk they put not only themselves, but anyone he or she might know at risk as well. Continuing on with Skinner’s article, one will find that actual past Facebook chat conversations were also able to give insight to a person’s whereabouts. It seems as though Facebook is ever so changing its privacy settings to better its massive online community, however as their intentions seem good its final outcome might hinder others from continuing with the service as there seems to be a great deal of worry among the fellow Facebookers. One may think, “Well how do I avoid leaking out my personal information?” and the answer is fairly simple, know when to give out that information or better yet don’t give it out to the general public. Nothing in cyberspace truly private, if it’s online chances are that sooner or later others will be able to look it up and take one’s information and do whatever they might want once they have it.
Facebook has made personifying one’s profile a top-notch priority for the last few months, however in May of this year, Facebook hit another roadblock. George Deglin, a web security consultant, discovered an exploit that would allow a malicious site to immediately harvest a Facebook user’s name, email, and data shared with everyone on Facebook with no action required on the user’s part in which poses a major problem for everyday Facebook users (Kincaid). These sites often contain a virus known as malware which can be very tricky to remove from one’s computer because not only does it infect the mainframe, but also the executable programs which in turn causes the virus to spread throughout the whole system. Though Facebook has incorporated new ways of having one’s profile remaining private, “a recent survey from Consumer Reports found that 23 percent of Facebook users either did not know the site offered privacy controls or chose not to use them” (Wortham).
Watch this newscast on the risks of using Facebook.