Microsoft on the Issues

Why STEM education and blended learning matter

2013-06-17T16:25:00Z

Posted by Jeff Meisner
Editor, Microsoft on the Issues

On Thursday, at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington, D.C., a record number of attendees, including policy makers, educators, industry leaders and others, gathered to discuss how education innovators design responsive, engaging and academically rigorous programs to prepare students to meet the demands of the U.S. economy in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

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Microsoft and partners advocate for expanding access to affordable wireless broadband worldwide

2013-06-17T06:00:00Z

Posted by Paul Garnett
Director, Technology Policy Group, Microsoft

At Microsoft, we have long worked in partnership with others in government, industry, academia and civil society to advance emerging technologies and create new opportunities for ICT access and innovation throughout the world. Today at the Global Summit on Dynamic Spectrum Access and TV White Spaces in Singapore, we announced our participation in the newly-formed Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. This will be a new global, cross-industry group focused on policy and regulatory advocacy with the aim of expanding dynamic and opportunistic access to unused radio spectrum – the frequencies we rely upon for wireless connectivity and bandwidth.

The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance is made up of 23 companies and organizations from across the world, each bringing different perspectives to the table. Though we may not agree on all topics, we have worked to find common ground and will use that shared purpose to accelerate the momentum this technology is already gaining globally. A core focus area for the group will be enabling unlicensed (Wi-Fi-like) access to the unused TV band frequencies, which are particularly well-suited for long-range connections at low power.

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Microsoft’s U.S. law enforcement and national security requests for last half of 2012

2013-06-15T02:51:00Z

Posted by John Frank
Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft

This afternoon we are publishing additional information about the volume of law enforcement and national security orders served on Microsoft. For the first time, we are permitted to include the total volume of national security orders, which may include FISA orders, in this reporting. We are still not permitted to confirm whether we have received any FISA orders, but if we were to have received any they would now be included in our aggregate volumes.

Earlier this week, along with others in the industry, we called for greater transparency about the volume and scope of the national security orders, including FISA orders, which require the disclosure of some customer content. We believe this would help the community understand and debate these important issues. Since then, we have worked with the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice to try and secure permission to do this.

This afternoon, the FBI and DOJ have given us permission to publish some additional data, and we are publishing it straight away. However, we continue to believe that what we are permitted to publish continues to fall short of what is needed to help the community understand and debate these issues.

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New proposals by White House Task Force on Hi-Tech Patent Issues raise concerns

2013-06-04T21:08:00Z

Posted by Horacio Gutierrez
Deputy General Counsel & Corporate Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft

Today, the White House Task Force on High-Tech Patent Issues issued a paper containing seven legislative recommendations for patent reform designed to curb litigation abuses by patent assertion entities (PAEs).

As a defendant in roughly 70 patent lawsuits, most of which were filed by patent assertion entities, Microsoft supports efforts to curb patent litigation abuses. But we are concerned and surprised that in a critical respect today’s proposal goes beyond patent assertion entities and instead targets software innovations more broadly.

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New evidence to spark the national education conversation

2013-05-30T08:00:00Z

Posted by Anthony Salcito
Vice President, Worldwide Education, Microsoft

A new study sponsored by Microsoft Partners in Learning and the Pearson Foundation provides clear evidence linking 21st century skills and student engagement in school with higher quality of work later in life.

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The battle of the sexes; what new data reveal

2013-05-30T04:00:00Z

Posted by Jacqueline Beauchere
Chief Online Safety Officer, Microsoft

The one thing on which men and women always seem to agree is that they can rarely agree on anything. Asking directions may be the perfect example. Yet in today’s data-driven world, there is perhaps one social attitude that men and women have in common: Mobile phone habits can be very annoying, and people should exercise better etiquette.

Results released today from Microsoft’s Safer Online poll identified five mobile pet peeves that both men and women find most annoying.

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Microsoft takes botnet threat intelligence program to the cloud; provides near real-time data

2013-05-28T17:42:00Z

Posted by TJ Campana
Director of Security, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit

Protecting people is at the forefront of the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit’s fight against cybercrime.

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Skilling youth and supporting Africa’s entrepreneurs will foster structural transformation

2013-05-27T08:00:00Z

Editor's Note: The following is a guest post from Dr. Agnes Soucat, Director for Human Development, African Development Bank.

It’s an exciting time in Africa. The continent is emerging as an investment opportunity for the private sector. The IT revolution especially in mobile technology has transformed Africa.

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Microsoft D.C. TechFair 2013 showcases the future of technology

2013-05-24T20:22:00Z

Posted by Jeff Meisner
Editor, Microsoft on the Issues

This week, Microsoft Research hosted DC TechFair, providing the Washington, DC community with an inside look at the future trends and technology areas that are changing the face of computing.

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Improving transparency by ending anonymous patents

2013-05-17T16:15:00Z

Posted by Horacio Gutierrez
Deputy General Counsel & Corporate Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft

Recording ownership in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s assignment database is at present voluntary, with the result that records of patent ownership are often inaccurate and incomplete.

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