Internet-TV convergence draws closer

A new era of so-called connected TV - a fusion of the Internet and traditional television - drew a step closer this week after the BBC Trust waved through Project Canvas, reports the Financial Times.

The BBC-led decision to integrate online video and television passed its final important hurdle as the BBC Trust laid down only a few conditions, approving the project which is expected to be introduced early next year under the brand name YouView.

The BBC Trust said subject to conditions that included granting access to content rights holders and Internet service providers, the BBC could participate in what many analysts see as the next step towards convergence of PC and TV.

The popularity of e-business is increasing by 10% every month in Saudi Arabia, said Abbas Safadieh, GM of Souq.com, at a press conference in Riyadh this weekend, according to the Saudi Gazette.

Out of the $4 billion in e-commerce activity that took place in 2009, 20% - or roughly $800 million - was in retail shopping by women; the physically handicapped; people living in remote cities; and aged and pregnant individuals, Safadieh said.

“Lack of proper mailing addresses and other established forms of contact details are still the major impediments to the growth of the e-business market in Saudi Arabia, which reached about $4 billion in 2009,” he said.

With identity theft, bank account breaches and sophisticated Internet scams on the rise, the US government is looking for ways to make transactions over the Internet more secure for both businesses and consumers, states Red Orbit.

However, officials must act carefully, as efforts to create personal identity cards and other means of identifiers raise concerns over privacy invasion and fears of Big Brother tracking its citizens.

The White House laid out a draft plan on Friday arguing for a voluntary identification system and the set up of a Web site to gather input from experts and everyday Web users on how it should be structured.