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In the United States over the next ten years, governments may spend some $1.5 trillion on their roadways, consumers may purchase vehicles worth nearly $3 trillion, property owners may develop millions of acres of rural land, and the US Postal Service may drive its cars and trucks approximately 12 billion miles (with FedEx alone adding 10 billion miles more). How might these massive numbers—and others like them—be harnessed to smooth the deployment of self-driving vehicle technologies? Read more » about Planning for Autonomous Driving

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act ("CISPA") is the latest example of a depressingly common situation in Washington DC -- well-meaning legislators unfamiliar with technology try to rush through a statute about a high-profile Internet issue (here, cybersecurity). Proponents of the bill say they want to faciliate information sharing between the federal government and the private sector. What they don't seem to understand is that existing laws already permit most kinds of cybersecurity information sharing. Read more » about The Unintended Consequences of CISPA

The Stanford Center for Internet and Society seeks scholars and practitioners interested in a formal affiliation with the Center for the 2012-2014 academic years. There are three categories of affiliation: Read more » about Apply Today: CIS Seeks Affiliates and Fellows

Lately, I have been puzzled by the proliferation of bank-mobile operator partnerships in the developed and emerging countries.  The mobile carriers provide the remittance or payments instructions, and the banks move the money, conduct the foreign exchange (e.g., into/out of U.S. Dollars) and deliver the cash or credit to the intended recipient.  

Are the banks really necessary in this money transfer process?  No, they are not, and have not been for years - try over a hundred years! Read more » about When Mobile Telecommunications Routes Become Banks