Online 911 system proposed
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University of Maryland researchers have proposed the creation of an online 911 system that people could use to report information during a disaster or to work together to save lives.
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An organization in Mumbai, India has proposed that police use key-logging software at cybercafis to keep track of communications between terrorists.
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(InfoWorld) - Intrado Inc., a vendor of emergency dialing technology, has conducted a successful trial of using E911 emergency dialing capabilities with mobile VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) phones, the company said. Intrado's trial in New York in August was aimed at solving one of the major problems with location-based E911, or enhanced 911, service with VoIP phones, said Stephen Meer, Intrado's chief technology officer. E911 relays the location of a caller to the emergency dispatch center, but many VoIP phones are not tied to one physical address -- users can connect the phones to any broadband network to make calls. The Intrado auto-locate trial used back-end 911 system technology from the company in combination with several location-finding technologies, Meer said. Included in the test were GPS (global positioning system) technology, a technology that triangulates high-definition television signals and one that surveys local Wi-Fi access points, he said. Combined with Intrado technology, the location-finding technologies were able to route VoIP 911 calls to emergency dispatch centers, using the dispatch equipment already installed, Meer said. No location-finding technology works in every situation -- GPS, for example, can have problems in densely packed tall buildings -- but a combination of location-finding technology can work, he said. "The real solution here is going to be a bundling of technologies," Meer said. Many large VoIP providers have been slow to provide E911 service to all their customers, with the mobility of VoIP phones being one of the problems. Because VoIP services route 911 calls through IP networks instead of the traditional telephone network, some VoIP phones have phone numbers that can follow the phone wherever it's plugged in. The Intrado test shows this problem has solutions, Meer said, although none of the newer location-finding technologies works as well as a traditional wireline phone tied to one address. The Intrado trial generally provided dispatchers with locations based on latitude and longitude, similar to current wireless phone 911 calls, but not as useful as street addresses, he said. Although the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has required VoIP providers to offer E911 service, more public discussion is needed about how precise a location the E911 call should provide, Meer said. "If the national public policy turns out to be, 'We're sort of going to tell you within a mile or so where you are,' there are going to be no little girls calling for help when their mommy's fallen down the steps," Meer said. "We have to have some interesting discussions about what's the right level for public safety." The Intrado trial doesn't attack a second problem with VoIP phones and E911. Providers such as Vonage Holdings Corp. and AT&T Inc. have allowed customers to pick phone numbers not normally assigned to their local area. This "nomadic" service allows customers to choose a phone number that would not be a long-distance call to family or friends living half-way across the country, but the nonlocal phone numbers make it difficult to implement E911's location pinpointing feature, Vonage and other VoIP providers have said.
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Wiretapping Internet phones to monitor criminals and terrorists is costly and complex, and potentially a big burden on new businesses trying to sell the phone service.
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By Anonymous  HOMELAND SECURITY  What would happen to Internet reliability in the U.S.
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Details of missing high risk sex offenders could be published on the internet to alert parents.
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A more joined-up approach to net safety is needed if government is to get the message home to citizens.
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There have always been problems with distributing urgent public safety information. These problems show up, over and over, with every hurricane, tornado, flood and wildfire. At this moment in history, problems fall in three areas of responsibility (and, for that matter, responsiveness):  The old official channels (radio, TV, newspapers) are scaling back on live news coverage (or on news coverage, period) The new official channels (web sites and services, &quot;reverse 911&quot;) are still, as we've been saying since 1995, &quot;under construction&quot;.  The new unofficial channels (cell phones, blogs, RSS feeds, phone trees) are still no substitute for the Real Thing, whatever it will become. \
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A local firm&#39;s technology is behind a new Internet-based early-warning system that could help detect health threats to the global population.
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A proposal for a wireless phone directory raises concerns in Congress.
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Popular program restricting cell phone use could also hamper emergency 911 services.
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By Vicki Lee Parker, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.  Sep. 10--An e-mail is making the rounds that warns people not to dial area codes 809, 284 and 876 because their accounts will be billed $2,425.
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ROUND ROCK, Texas - Police in this Austin suburb were stumped for hours by the 49 emergency calls that kept coming in from an unregistered cell phone. The caller would say nothing before hanging up, sometimes after a brief giggle.
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While TV viewers and radio listeners have long suffered through ear-piercing emergency-alert tests, the system has had a spotty record in actual crises. That's why critics are leery of plans to expand the system to cell phones and PCs. By Randy Dotinga.
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By MATT COLEMAN  It's easy to take instant communication for granted with the accessibility of cell phones and the Internet. This becomes a little more difficult when the person you're communicating with is in a war zone.
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New York state's attorney general and legislative leaders introduce legislation to protect people online.
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By Randy Myers, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.  May 29--In hopes of making the Internet a safer place for children, concerned parents tap into a multitude of resources.