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Cisco Catalyst 4000 Series Chassis 3-slot ( WS-C4003-S1 ) provides an advanced high-performance enterprise switching solution optimized for wiring closets with up to 96 users and data center server environments that require up to 36 Gigabit Ethernet ports. New FlexiMod uplinks support up to eight 100BaseFX riser connections with EtherChannel benefits. The Catalyst 4000 series [...] Continue reading Cisco 4000 Series Switch →

The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing AT&T of fraud. The DOJ alleges that the telecom giant knew Nigerian scammers, among others, were using a calling service it offered to deaf customers in a plot to rob American merchants. The DOJ filed suit under the False Claims Act, saying AT&T improperly billed the Federal Communications Commission for reimbursement and received more than $16 million from the FCC to offer the IP Relay services to deaf and hearing-impaired consumers. “Federal funding for Telecommunications Relay Services is intended to help the hearing- and speech-impaired in the United States,” said Stuart Delery, acting assistant attorney general for the Civil Division of the DOJ. “We will pursue those who seek to gain by knowingly allowing others to abuse this program.” AT&T Maintains Innocence The DOJ complaint alleges that, out of fears that fraudulent call volume would drop after the registration deadline, AT&T knowingly adopted a non-compliant registration system that did not verify whether the user was located within the United States. The complaint further contends that AT&T continued to employ the system even with the knowledge that it facilitated use of IP Relay by fraudulent foreign callers, which accounted for up to 95 percent of AT&T’s call volume. “Taxpayers must not bear the cost of abuses of the Telecommunications Relay system,” said David J. Hickton, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Those who misuse funds intended to benefit the hearing- and speech-impaired must be held accountable.” The U.S. complaint was filed in a lawsuit originally brought under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Constance Lyttle, a former communications assistant who worked in one of AT&T’s IP Relay call centers. “As the FCC is aware, it is always possible for an individual to misuse IP Relay services, just as someone can misuse the… Continue reading DOJ Sues AT&T for Not Taking Action Against Nigerian Scam →

The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing AT&T of fraud. The DOJ alleges that the telecom giant knew Nigerian scammers, among others, were using a calling service it offered to deaf customers in a plot to rob American merchants. The DOJ filed suit under the False Claims Act, saying AT&T improperly billed the Federal Communications Commission for reimbursement and received more than $16 million from the FCC to offer the IP Relay services to deaf and hearing-impaired consumers. “Federal funding for Telecommunications Relay Services is intended to help the hearing- and speech-impaired in the United States,” said Stuart Delery, acting assistant attorney general for the Civil Division of the DOJ. “We will pursue those who seek to gain by knowingly allowing others to abuse this program.” AT&T Maintains Innocence The DOJ complaint alleges that, out of fears that fraudulent call volume would drop after the registration deadline, AT&T knowingly adopted a non-compliant registration system that did not verify whether the user was located within the United States. The complaint further contends that AT&T continued to employ the system even with the knowledge that it facilitated use of IP Relay by fraudulent foreign callers, which accounted for up to 95 percent of AT&T’s call volume. “Taxpayers must not bear the cost of abuses of the Telecommunications Relay system,” said David J. Hickton, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Those who misuse funds intended to benefit the hearing- and speech-impaired must be held accountable.” The U.S. complaint was filed in a lawsuit originally brought under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Constance Lyttle, a former communications assistant who worked in one of AT&T’s IP Relay call centers. “As the FCC is aware, it is always possible for an individual to misuse IP Relay services, just as someone can misuse the… Continue reading DOJ Sues AT&T for Not Taking Action Against Nigerian Scam →

In an effort to reverse its decline and improve its fortunes, Research In Motion will introduce 2,000 prototype devices running its latest operating system at the company’s annual BlackBerry Jam in Orlando, Fla., in May. The Waterloo, Canada-based manufacturer, which pioneered the market for messaging on-the-go, revealed that the devices will be available to developers in an interview with Bloomberg news Friday. ‘Tangible Evidence of Progress’ Alec Saunders, RIM’s vice president of developer relations, told Bloomberg the move is a “huge step forward on our path to eventually launching BB10. It’s tangible evidence of the company making progress to finally shipping the device.” The announcement comes as more bad news arrived in the form of Apple beating RIM on its own turf: Bloomberg and market research firm IDC found that 2.85 million iPhones were shipped to Canada in 2011, compared with 2.08 million BlackBerry phones. That’s a first since the iPhone was released in 2007. According to figures from Gartner, BlackBerry OS devices represented 11.7 percent of the global smartphone market in the second quarter of 2011, trailing behind Apple iOS with 18.2 percent, Nokia’s Symbian at 22.1 percent and Google’s Android, the king at 43.4 percent. In 2010, RIM was No. 2 behind Symbian with 18.7 percent, as the Android revolution was gathering steam. To get back on top, RIM’s coming BlackBerry 10 operating system will need to take huge strides, said analyst Gerry Purdy of Mobiletrax. He said the QNX system the company acquired in 2010 and has begun to integrate as BlackBerry 10 is an excellent opportunity, as it has done well in tablet form in the RIM PlayBook. “They have been suffering from a process of transition longer than they expected and certainly much longer than they wanted,” Purdy said. That means, he said, there is no margin for error, particularly… Continue reading BlackBerry 10 Prototypes Due for May Developer Release →

Employers who ask prospective employees for their logons to Facebook and other online sites and services are getting pushback — from Facebook. On Friday, the social-networking giant said that it’s “a violation of Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities to share or solicit a Facebook password.” The response from Facebook follows an Associated Press story earlier this week that described how some governmental agencies and companies were requiring the logons as part of the interview process. Possible Liability for Companies In one example cited by the news service, an African-American security guard with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services was asked for his logon information during a reinstatement interview in 2010 when he returned from a leave of absence. The guard, Robert Collins, said he was told the Human Resources department wanted to check his private profile information for any possible gang affiliations, and he complied because he “needed the job to feed my family.” The American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint, and the department revised its policy, asking interviewees instead to log on to their private profiles during the interview. Some organizations are asking not only for Facebook logons, but, as the city of Bozeman, Montana does, for logons for e-mail, other social-networking sites, and other accounts. In another form of the practice, some organizations ask that a human resources employee, such as the interviewer, be friended and thus given access to a private profile. For example, there are reports that student athletes in various colleges are being required to “friend” a coach or compliance officer, in order to get access to their private info and posts. ‘Unreasonable Invasion of Privacy’ In the Facebook statement, Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan noted that a company that seeks such information could be opening itself up to claims of discrimination if, for instance, it… Continue reading Facebook Pushes Back Against Employers’ Snooping →