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Category: Travel

Ethiopia bans Skype, Google Talk, and all other VoIP services

Posted on by Eric Dover

The Ethiopian government has banned the use of Voice over IP (VoIP) services like Skype, Google Talk, and others. This ban comes with severe penalties — up to 15 years in prison — for those who use these services while in Ethiopia, including visitors.

Ethiopian authorities say they are imposing these bans because of “national security concerns” and to protect the state-opened Ethio Telecom, which is also the only Internet service provider in the country.

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IT security: "Traveling Safely" PowerPoint slides from May 7 roundtable

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

The “Traveling Safely” PowerPoint presentation from the IT security roundtable May 7 has been added to the other presentations available on the IT security roundtable website. Harvard Townsend, K-State’s chief information security officer, offers information that’s also good for those staying home — such as the latest security risks and safety guidelines for using:

  • ATMs
  • Public kiosks and computers (including libraries)
  • USB flash drives
  • Laptops
  • Internet cafes
  • Airports
  • WiFi hot spots

IT crime statistics

Townsend’s presentation noted that ATM fraud is “rampant in Europe” and is also a growing threat in the U.S., with annual loss estimated at $1 billion/year, or $350,000 per day.

Laptop thefts remain a big concern.  Six laptops have been stolen on the K-State campus this year (2010), Townsend said.  An estimated 16,000 laptops per week are lost or stolen in airports (U.S. and Europe).

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