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AT&T Sees NY Network Upgrades Wrapped Up By 3Q, SF By 4Q – WSJ.com

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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AT&T Inc. (T) is expected to wrap up its network improvements for New York by the third quarter, with San Francisco to follow three months later, according to the company’s operations chief.

The Dallas telecommunications giant is working to upgrade its network in the two key media markets, which were hit by intense traffic primarily caused by the Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone. But the company has been delayed by component shortages and zoning issues, which have been particularly cumbersome in San Francisco.

The improvements are critical to AT&T repairing the reputation of the network, which suffers from the perception that its coverage lags behind rival Verizon Wireless. It also will enable the company to offer additional features, such as tethering for the iPhone, which allows a handset’s cellular signal to be used like a modem.

Other AT&T smartphones allow tethering.

“It’s taking longer than we’d like,” said John Stankey, chief executive of AT&T Operations, in an interview with Dow Jones. “The dynamics of San Francisco are different.”

The New York improvements are proceeding on schedule, he said, adding that the work in San Francisco is roughly 90 days behind as a result of the logistical complications.

Last month, the company said the number of dropped calls on its third-generation, or 3G, network fell 6% in Manhattan and 9% in the New York metropolitan area, but acknowledged that San Francisco was behind. Earlier Wednesday, Ralph de la Vega, who runs AT&T’s wireless and consumer businesses, told investors that the New York metrics have “improved significantly.”

via CORRECT: AT&T Sees NY Network Upgrades Wrapped Up By 3Q, SF By 4Q – WSJ.com.

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BofA’s Countrywide in $624 mln lawsuit settlement | Reuters

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Countrywide Financial Corp, the mortgage lender acquired by Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), has agreed to a $624 million settlement of a lawsuit accusing it of misleading investors about its lending practices.

Countrywide will pay $600 million and its former auditor KPMG LLP will pay $24 million to resolve the class-action litigation, which covers investors who bought the lender’s securities between March 12, 2004 and March 7, 2008.

The case was led by several pension funds, including the New York State Common Retirement Fund, that state’s $129.4 billion public pension fund, and five New York City pension funds.

“This is a very good settlement that helps repair the damage Countrywide has done,” New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who oversees the Common Retirement Fund, said in a statement.

Bank of America spokeswoman Shirley Norton said that the bank agreed to the settlement to avoid further costs and uncertainty of litigation, and that Countrywide denied wrongdoing.

KPMG spokesman George Ledwith confirmed the settlement, without elaborating.

via UPDATE 3-BofA’s Countrywide in $624 mln lawsuit settlement | Reuters.

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N.Y. bomb plot highlights limitations of data mining – Computerworld

May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Saturday’s botched bombing attempt in New York City provides an example of why the use of data mining approaches to uncover potential terrorism plots is a little like weather forecasting.

“You definitely need to do it, because it gives you warning of major storms,” said John Pescatore, an analyst with Gartner Inc. and a former analyst with the National Security Agency. “But it’s not going to tell you about individual raindrops.”

Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent was arrested Monday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International airport in connection with an attempt to detonate a car bomb in Times Square. Shahzad, who is scheduled to be indicted on terrorism-related charges in Manhattan today, was pulled off a plane bound for Dubai, minutes before the jetliner was scheduled to take off.

Shahzad is alleged to have parked an explosives-laden vehicle in Times Square, apparently with the intention of blowing it up. Media reports quoting the FBI and other authorities said the bomb could have caused a substantial number of deaths and injuries had it detonated.

The anti-terrorism task force was quickly able to identify Shahzad as the prime suspect in the case thanks to a series of mistakes the would-be bomber made. But for the moment, there is little to show that authorities had any inkling of either Shahzad or of his plot beforehand.

via N.Y. bomb plot highlights limitations of data mining – Computerworld.

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Global EDD Group Adds Regional Offices, Updates Telephone Contact Information

April 29, 2010 By 1 Comment

As of 03 May 2010, Global EDD Group will be adding regional offices in New York City and San Francisco to provide localized service to our current and prospective clients.  Please note the following company contact information:

Headquarters

+1.216.539.8448     Main Number
+1.888.865.9548     Toll Free (US)
info@globaledd.com

Asia Pacific

c/o Data Management Corporation
+65 6275 0775     Main Number
infoasiapacific@globaledd.com

New York City

+1.646.502.8068     Main Number
+1.888.865.9548     Toll Free (US)
infonyc@globaledd.com

San Francisco

+1.415.315.9762     Main Number
+1.888.865.9548     Toll Free (US)
infosfo@globaledd.com

International Direct Dial

London  +44.020.8123.8228
Hong Kong   +852.8179.8901
Tokyo   +81.50.5806.6101
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FBI Struggles to Pull Criminal Data from Digital Devices – PCWorld

April 26, 2010 By 1 Comment
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Non-traditional communications devices such as smartphones and game consoles pose a particular problem to law enforcement agencies trying to milk them for forensic data that reveals criminal activity, attendees were told at the 2010 Computer Forensics Show in New York City.

“Forensic tools for cell phones are in their infancy,” says Stephen Riley, a forensic examiner with the FBI’s Computer Analysis and Response Team. “There’s lots of different carriers, different phones, different cables – just try to keep up.”Smartphones can communicate via SMS, MMS, mobile e-mail, mobile internet access, VoIP and traditional cellular voice networks, Riley says, making each machine a potential treasure trove of information but also a nightmare maze of possible proprietary technologies to unlock it.

Retrieving SMS messages can depend on the model of phone, the carrier, the time of day, even the country in which the phone is used. SIM cards removed from phones carry potentially useful forensic information, but unless it is associated with a particular phone’s PIN, it’s inaccessible. Perhaps the personal unlock feature controlled by phone manufacturers could release the data, but that requires knowing the make and model of the phone, he says.

The ready availability of cell phones is also a problem. Searches of suspects' residences can turn up drawers-full of cell phones that are no longer used but never thrown out. Yet they can demand valuable forensic time.

Game consoles pose a separate problem. They can be used to send e-mail and connect to the Internet but have very little internal memory so whatever is on the drive can be quickly over written and therefore gone forever, he says. “You can take a Wii onto the Internet and it doesn’t save sites or browser history,” he says. “If you type in a Web address and surf, 10 minutes later there’s no record of it.”

via FBI Struggles to Pull Criminal Data from Digital Devices – PCWorld.

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Norway Prime Minister governs with the iPad | The Digital Home – CNET News

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The iPad might be a fine alternative to a laptop for simple tasks, but can it really be relied upon to run an entire country? Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg certainly thinks so.

Stoltenberg–stranded in New York City because of a volcanic eruption in Iceland entering European airspace and disrupting travel–has been using the iPad to get his daily work done, according to a CNN report. The network said that it spoke with the prime minister, who said it’s business as usual for his government.

“It’s very normal for a prime minister to travel abroad, so this is not different from the other travels, it’s just lasts some days more than expected,” Stoltenberg told CNN. “We have the Internet, the mobile phone. I also use an iPad, which is excellent.”‘

via Norway Prime Minister governs with the iPad | The Digital Home – CNET News.

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How Altria Is Winnowing Out Fake Marlboros – BusinessWeek

April 12, 2010 By

Cigarette smuggling is booming, in part because New York and 21 other states have raised cigarette excise taxes in recent years. On top of that, the U.S. government increased the federal tax on cigarettes last year by 159%, to $1.01 per pack. A pack now typically sells for about $10 in New York City, more than double what it cost 10 years ago, and the state is considering yet another excise increase.

The high levies, meant to help close huge budget gaps and discourage smoking, have had the unintended side effect of spurring the illicit market. One passenger car filled with Marlboros bought in low-tax Virginia and driven up Interstate 95 to resell in New York can yield more than $30,000 in profit, says Crisanto Perez, a senior official with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives.

In Asia, Altria employees have begun to build an intelligence network to combat the counterfeiting problem. The company cites academic research estimating that factories in China manufacture 400 billion knock-off cigarettes a year. Altria has hired detectives to try to infiltrate the international distributors that sell Chinese fakes to mom-and-pop shops in the U.S. The company says it will funnel the information it gathers to government authorities.

Back in the U.S., Altria has 21 employees in its brand integrity unit, which it created in 2002. They are assisted by outside contractors hired nationwide. The company even has given nearly $2 million over the past eight years to cash-strapped public police departments in such places as Los Angeles and Suffolk County, N.Y., to help fund contraband investigations.

Tax collectors have their own concerns. New York currently loses $1 billion a year because of cigarette tax cheating, according to a 2009 study by the New York Association of Convenience Stores. Across the country, tobacco excise revenue lost annually to smuggling totals $5 billion, the U.S. Justice Dept.'s Inspector General concluded last year.

via How Altria Is Winnowing Out Fake Marlboros – BusinessWeek.

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Global EDD Group Implements Portable E-Discovery Solution

March 29, 2010 By

GLOBAL EDD GROUP IMPLEMENTS PORTABLE E-DISCOVERY SOLUTION
Expands Intelligent EDD℠ Services With Addition Of Portable Processing

Cleveland, Ohio (29 March 2010) – Global Electronic Discovery & Disclosure Group (“Global EDD Group”), a boutique consulting firm that provides innovative legal technology solutions across the globe, today announced the addition of Portable Processing to its Intelligent EDD℠ line of legal technology services. Developed to be utilized at virtually any location with dependable power and connectivity, Portable Processing enables Global EDD to provide a full suite of early case assessment and electronic discovery services at onsite and near site locations across the globe without the cost, time and headaches typically associated with the shipping of servers, workstations and monitors.

“We have worked closely with our technology partners to develop an innovative early case assessment and electronic discovery processing solution that is portable, scalable and cost effective,” stated Brad Mixner, Founder and Managing Principal of Global EDD Group. “This enhancement to our Intelligent EDD Services provides a significant advantage to our clients and alliance partners managing cases with tight deadlines, data privacy, intellectual property or related security concerns. Our mobile teams can be onsite and operational with short notice, with the ability to preserve, analyze, process and review data on the same day.”

The Intelligent EDD Portable Processing service combines industry standard software and purpose-built hardware within a modular system that can be easily transported with the mobile teams to virtually any location in the world within 48 hours. Key highlights of the service include:

  • Data Analytics and Dynamic Reporting
  • File Culling and Deduplication
  • Text, Metadata and Attachment Extraction
  • XML, TIFF, TXT and Native File Exports
  • First Pass Document Review
  • Language Identification

“In essence, it’s a mobile office. ESI processing, review and analysis all within the secure confines of the client’s office. Now, when a client asks if we process data in Asia, Europe, South America or Timbuktu, the answer is ‘Yes.’” noted Joseph Turner, Principal, Global EDD Group.

About Global EDD Group

Global Electronic Discovery & Disclosure Group (“Global EDD Group”) was founded by Mixner with the vision of bridging the wide gap between domestic organizations and their growing national and international legal technology needs. Global EDD Group provides legal technology services for matters with a national or international scope, specializing in remote and onsite services ranging from data identification to document review. Global EDD Group is based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA with regional offices in San Francisco and New York City. Additional information is available by visiting www.GlobalEDD.com.

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Get Your Head in the Cloud – Magazine – ABA Journal

March 25, 2010 By

Interest in “cloud computing” is picking up steam among lawyers for several good reasons. Proponents say its advantages center on economy, simplicity and accessibility.

Cloud computing—also known as software as a service, or SaaS—is, in essence, a sophisticated form of remote electronic data storage on the Internet. Unlike traditional methods that maintain data on a computer or server at a law office or other place of business, data stored “in the cloud” is kept on large servers located elsewhere and maintained by a vendor.

That means the vendor—not the firm—purchases, maintains and updates hardware and software, and the firm generally pays a monthly fee to the vendor for its services. More over, data stored in the cloud can be accessed more easily than information maintained on a local network, as long as there is a handy Internet connection.

But some of the advantages of cloud computing also are reasons for lawyers to be cautious about its use. In particular, the fact that client data and work product are stored somewhere outside the direct control of the law firm raises potential ethics concerns about whether the confidentiality and security of the information is adequately protected within the mandates of professional conduct rules for lawyers.

Confidentiality issues center on where the data is being stored, how and to where it’s moved, and where it might be moving in the future, says Roland Trope, a partner at Trope and Schramm in New York City who is writing a book on cloud computing.

“Remember in the Watergate scandal, there was the famous quote: ‘Follow the money,’ ” Trope says. “It’s a much more subtle analysis when you say, ‘Follow the data.’ The difference is, when money moves you don’t leave copies of it.

via Get Your Head in the Cloud – Magazine – ABA Journal.

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US Likely to Broaden Anti-Bribery and Corruption Efforts | Business Ethics

February 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Look for the U.S. government to further intensify its efforts to combat transnational bribery and corruption, broadening them to include more government agencies in addition to the Justice Department, a top government prosecutor said.

“It’s my view that the U.S. government – and not just the Justice Department, but the U.S. government more broadly – is going to focus on international corruption in a more comprehensive and even more rigorous way than it has in the past,” said Mark Mendelsohn, the Justice Department’s lead criminal prosecutor for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

Speaking to an audience of corporate compliance officers at the Dow Jones Global Ethics Summit in New York City, Mendelsohn said the increased activity would reflect President Obama’s “well-known and strongly-held views about the corrosive effect of corruption on the role of development and the rule of law.”

FCPA prosecutions have exploded in the past five years, with the Department of Justice bringing a total of twenty-six enforcement actions in 2009 compared to only two in 2006.  Earlier this month, British defense contractor BAE agreed to pay fines totaling almost $450 million to settle charges that it had made illegal payments to officials in various countries to obtain contracts.  In late 2008, industrial giant Siemens agreed to pay more than $1.6 billion in fines and penalties to settle charges brought under the FCPA.

via US Likely to Broaden Anti-Bribery and Corruption Efforts | Business Ethics.

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