Naked Security - FaceBook and Twitter Combat Child Abuse

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2015/08/10/google-facebook-and-twitter-join-forces-to-combat-child-abuse-imagery/

Naked Security

Web behemoths Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Yahoo are set to remove potentially millions of child sexual abuse images from the web after joining forces with a UK charity.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) today announced that it will share hashes of such vile imagery with the online industry in a bid to speed up its identification and removal.

The anti-abuse organisation says the sharing of hashes – which are effectively a unique digital fingerprint – will also make it far easier for internet companies to prevent the constant uploading and resharing of child sex abuse images, as well as protect regular web users from accidentally discovering them.

The IWF says its highly-trained analysts will assist the industry by creating three different types of hashes – PhotoDNA (a child abuse image-detecting technology developed by Microsoft), MD5 and SHA-1.

The organisation says it will analyse images obtained from its own investigations as well as those submitted by the public and the online industry. IWF analysts will also apply hashes to images stored within the UK Home Office's new Child Abuse Image Database (CAID).

Through these sources, it says, it can identify and remove as many as 500 child sex abuse web pages every day. Considering that many of those pages will host multiple images, the IWF says it has the potential to reach millions of hashes of images.

Unfortunately, the Internet Watch Foundation notes that such an impressive number of hashes is still barely significant in the grand scheme of things – the internet currently hosts billions of vile images.

On the plus side, however, a hash of a single image allows the IWF or one of its vetted members to "pluck it out, like finding a needle in a haystack".

The IWF says the list of hashes it generates will be shared with a number of online companies, including those engaged in the uploading, storage and search of images, hosting and filtering services, social media and chat sites, as well as connectivity services and data centres.

The Internet Watch Foundation's CEO, Susie Hargreaves, said:

The IWF Hash List could be a game-changer and really steps up the fight against child sexual abuse images online. ...

It means victims' images can be identified and removed more quickly, and we can prevent known child sexual abuse images from being uploaded to the internet in the first place.

Whether the use of hash lists will prove to be a complete success is debatable – child sexual abuse images are, by and large, shared by online paedophiles who favour the anonymity granted by the dark web, an underground part of the internet which is beyond the bounds of the IWF's capabilities – but they certainly will help prevent some images appearing on the more public web and, I would hope, lead to follow-up convictions.

The sharing of hash lists has been welcomed by other child protection groups, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

In a quote published by Irish Breaking News, an NSPCC spokesman said:

This technological breakthrough is really positive and should enable the industry to take a far more pro-active role in blocking these horrendous pictures.

Of course not all graphic depictions of child abuse are presented as images – paedophiles are increasingly turning to video to record their crimes. While Google continues to develop new technology to combat this trend, the IWF says it is unable to hash videos at this time, though it does say it hopes to offer this feature in the future.

Even so, the news is likely to be welcomed by British Prime Minister David Cameron who, last year, set up a new GCHQ-NCA police unit to uncover child abuse images on the dark net.

Composite image of Google icon and Facebook and Twitter photos courtesy of tanuha2001 / Shutterstock.

Categories: Facebook, Featured, Google, Law & order, Twitter
Tags: child abuse, child pornography, dark web, dark-net, David Cameron, hash lists, MD5, PhotoDNA, porn, pornography, sha-1

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http://www.imls.gov/about/connected_library_challenge.aspx

ConnectED Library Challenge

The ConnectED Library Challenge is a way for communities throughout the country to create or strengthen partnerships so that every child enrolled in school can receive a library card.  The initiative calls upon library directors to work with their mayors, school leaders, and school librarians, to provide wider access to the learning resources and books of America's libraries.  As part of this effort, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA) and the Urban Libraries Council (ULC), will host a national convening in fall of 2015 to identify and share best practices in reaching universal library card use among public school students.

In addition to partnerships that improve library card access, participating libraries will also commit to:

• Support student learning through programming that develops language, reading, and critical thinking
• Provide digital resources, such as eBooks and online collections of traditional media
• Provide broadband connectivity and wireless access within library facilities

The White House Fact Sheet provides additional details.

Click here to view communities that have already adopted the ConnectED Library Challenge.

To learn more about the ConnectED Library Challenge and how you can get involved, send an email to LibraryChallenge@imls.gov.

Event Launch:

On April 30 at the Anacostia Branch of the District of Columbia Public Library, President Obama announced two new efforts to strengthen student learning by improving access to digital content and to public libraries. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is supporting several library and non-profit partners to develop the Open eBooks initiative and the ConnectED Library Challenge. These efforts leverage the extensive resources of the nation's 16,400 public libraries to help kids develop a love of reading and discovery by making e-books and library services broadly available, particularly to students from low-income families.

Learn More:

June 25, 2015 White House Fact Sheet: ConnectED: Two Years of Delivering Opportunity to K-12 Schools & Libraries

April 30, 2015 IMLS Press Release: President Obama Announces Open eBooks and ConnectED Library Challenge

April 30, 2015 White House Blog Post: ConnectED: Open Books and Open Doors

May 2, 2015 White House Weekly Address: Ensuring Every Child Gets a Great Education

May 1, 2015 White House Blog Post: From Sherlock Holmes to The War of the Worlds: 13 E-Books Students Can Read For Free

White House Fact Sheet: Spreading the Joy of Reading to More Children and Young Adults

Watch on White House Live: President Obama Participates in a "Virtual Field Trip" with Students Around the Country

Follow #BooksforAll on Twitter for updates.

Related IMLS Research:

Research Brief No. 6: First Grade Student Library Card Ownership Linked to Library Visitation
A library card provides greater independence and access to literacy and information, while signifying increased responsibility and self-efficacy. Are there differences between children who do or do not have a library card? This brief focuses on children's library card ownership in the first grade. Read more.

Los Angeles Public Library

Project Partners:

About the American Library Association The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world,with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

About the Urban Libraries Council The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) is a membership organization made up of North America's premier public library systems. While ULC's members primarily represent urban and suburban settings, the work done by ULC is widely used by all libraries including those in rural settings. ULC strategically addresses issues important to every community including education, workforce and economic development, public safety, environmental and social equity, health, and wellness. ULC members are thought leaders dedicated to the continuous evolution and strengthening of libraries to meet changing community needs. ULC focuses on helping library leaders develop and utilize skills and strategies that match the challenges of the 21st century. Learn more at www.urbanlibraries.org.

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ConnectED | The White House

https://m.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/k-12/connected/

ConnectED

In June 2013, President Obama announced the ConnectED initiative, designed to enrich K-12 education for every student in America. ConnectED empowers teachers with the best technology and the training to make the most of it, and empowers students through individualized learning and rich, digital content.

Preparing America's students with the skills they need to get good jobs and compete with other countries relies increasingly on interactive, personalized learning experiences driven by new technology. Yet fewer than 40% of America's schools have the broadband they need to teach using today's technology. Under ConnectED, however, 99% of American students will have access to next-generation broadband by 2018. That connectivity will help transform the classroom experience for all students, regardless of income.

The President also directed the federal government to make better use of existing funds to get Internet connectivity and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of teachers trained on its advantages. And he called on businesses, states, districts, schools, and communities to support this vision, which requires no congressional action. Following the 2014 State of the Union address, the President announced major progress on the initiative, highlighting commitments by the FCC and the private sector.

Read all the ways we're connecting America

How ConnectED Works

Resources for Schools, Teachers, and Students

If you're a school administrator, teacher, or student, get more details below about these companies' commitments — and find out how you can take advantage.

Note: These are private funding programs administered by the respective sponsors. These are not government grant programs. The availability and administration of these funding opportunities, including the selection of recipients and all other decisions of the funding program, are not endorsed by any federal agency or office. No federal funds are being used in or for the administration or awarding of these private funding opportunities.

For schools:

For teachers:

For students:

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Commitments

Since the President's announcement in February 2014, there has been more than $10 billion of total value committed as part of the five-year program to transform American education. This includes Federal Communications Commission (FCC) funding for school and library connectivity with $2 billion specifically for Wi-Fi, and $1.5 billion more in annual funding, and more than $2 billion in private-sector commitments. These commitments will dramatically expand high-speed Internet connectivity for America's schools and libraries — connecting 20 million more students to next-generation broadband and wireless.

Participating hardware, software, wireless and professional development companies include:

• Adobe, which will provide more than $300 million worth of free software to teachers and students, including Photoshop and Premiere Elements for creative projects; Presenter and Captivate to amplify e-Learning; EchoSign for school workflow; and a range of teacher training resources
• Apple, which will donate $100 million in iPads, MacBooks, and other products, along with content and professional development tools to enrich learning in disadvantaged U.S. schools
• AT&T, which pledged more than $100 million to give 50,000 middle and high school students in Title I districts free Internet connectivity for educational devices over their wireless network for three years
• Autodesk, which pledged to make their 3D design program "Design the Future" available for free in every secondary school in the U.S. — more than $250 million in value
• Coursera, which will provide no-cost online professional development at every school district over the next two years, including opportunities for teachers to earn Coursera's completion certificates that may be used for continuing education credits
• edX, which will provide all students with free access to online Advanced Placement-level courses offered through edX by partner institutions like UC Berkeley, MIT, and Georgetown in addition to more than 40 other courses and modules
• Esri, which will provide $1 billion worth of free access to ArcGIS Online Organization accounts – the same Geographic Information Systems mapping technology used by government and business – to every K-12 school in America to allow students to map and analyze data
• Microsoft, which will launch a substantial affordability program open to all U.S. public schools by deeply discounting the price of its Windows operating system, which will decrease the price of Windows-based devices
• O'Reilly Media, which is partnering with Safari Books Online to make more than $100 million in educational content and tools available for free to every school in the U.S.
• Prezi, which will provide $100 million in Edu Pro licenses for high schools and all educators across America
• Sprint, which will offer free wireless service for up to 50,000 low-income high school students over the next four years, valued at $100 million
• Verizon, which announced a multi-year program to support ConnectED through up to $100 million in cash and in-kind commitments

In April 2015, the President announced commitments from the following publishers, who will provide thousands of eBooks — valued at over $250 million — to students in low-income families:

• Bloomsbury, providing unlimited access to over 1,000 of its most popular titles
• Candlewick, providing unlimited access to all relevant children's and young-adult e-book titles in their catalog
• Cricket Media, offering full digital access to all of its market-leading magazines for children and young adults, including Ladybug and Cricket
• Hachette, offering participating students access to a robust catalogue of their popular and award-winning titles
• HarperCollins, providing a robust selection of their award-winning and popular titles
• Lee & Low, the leading independent publisher of multicultural books, is providing unlimited access to over 700 of its titles
• Macmillan, providing unlimited access to all of the K-12 age-appropriate titles in their title catalog of approximately 2,500 books
• Penguin Random House, committing to provide a robust offering of their popular and award-winning books
• Simon & Schuster, providing access to their entire e-catalog of books for children ages 4-14, comprised of 3,000 titles

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Investing in Next-Generation Professional Development

To support teachers as they use new technology to improve learning enabled by ConnectED, the President has asked Congress help school districts and schools as they provide high-quality professional development and transition to digital learning. The proposed Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Program would enable more school districts to support teachers to deliver high-quality, digital learning resources and content; use a wide range of devices and digital tools; leverage data to personalize learning; and increase engagement with families and collaboration with other teachers.

In addition, the Department of Education has released guidance to states, school districts, and schools on ways that existing federal funds can be best leveraged immediately to support schools and educators in the transition to digital learning in support of the President's ConnectED Initiative. Specifically, the guidance letter outlines ways in which current federal education funding available to states and school districts can be used to provide professional development, access to high-quality digital content, and devices for learning.

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The ConnectED Library Challenge

In April, 2015, the President announced the ConnectED Library Challenge, calling upon library directors to work with their mayors, school leaders, and school librarians to create or strengthen partnerships so that every child enrolled in school can receive a library card. Over 30 major cities and counties have announced they are taking the challenge, which will also include a commitment to support student learning through programming that develops their language, reading, and critical thinking; provide digital resources, such as eBooks and online collections of traditional media; and provide broadband connectivity and wireless access within library facilities.

To support the implementation of the ConnectED Library Challenge, there have been several important commitments: the Institute of Museum and Library Services will host a national convening to identify and share best practices in reaching universal library card use among public school students; the Urban Libraries Council will lead an initiative that provides a forum for community, library and school leaders to work together to meet city and county education goals by leveraging resources and measuring outcomes; and the American Library Association will align the challenge with existing support and technical assistance provided through their Every Child Ready to Read initiative as well as using its 55,000 members to drive adoption across cities and counties nationwide.

Click here to learn more about the ConnectED Library Challenge.

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Guidelines for Logo Use

• The ConnectED Initiative logo may not be used to endorse any commercial product or service, nor may the logo be used in advertising or in any manner that could give rise to the appearance of endorsement.
• The ConnectED Initiative logo may not be used in any matter that could give rise to the appearance that the U.S. Government owns, operates, or is affiliated with any nongovernmental entity or its programs, products or services.
• The ConnectED Initiative logo may only be used in connection with distribution of information about the White House ConnectED Initiative, as found on the ConnectED Initiative website. Any other uses are unauthorized.

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Surge in number of prisoners killing themselves in solitary confinement revealed by report - Crime - UK

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/surge-in-number-of-prisoners-committing-suicide-in-solitary-confinement-revealed-by-report-10306379.html

Surge in number of prisoners killing themselves in solitary confinement revealed by report

One inmate hanged himself after officers refused to give him a book

Jails were urged to scale back the use of "18th-century" punishments against offenders perceived as being disruptive or in danger from other inmates.

The alarm over the deaths was raised by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman who said eight prisoners – four of whom had been assessed at risk of killing themselves or self-harming – took their lives last year while in segregation units in England and Wales.

Nigel Newcomen listed mistakes by prisons leading up to the deaths and urged that inmates are only put in isolation in the most exceptional circumstances.

Among the vulnerable inmates who took their lives in 2013-14 was a man with a history of depression and self-harm who was segregated after being threatened by other prisoners.

Recent research has found that 11 per cent of prisoners have spent a night in a segregation unit (Rex)

He asked for a book to keep him occupied as there was no television in his cell but was told he would have to wait until the next day. The next morning he was found hanged.

The man, who was not identified, had a history of depression and suicidal behaviour, including taking an overdose four months before imprisonment and cutting his wrists several years before.

"There is no evidence anyone took into account these factors when the decision was made that he was fit for segregation, either at the initial screen or the review," the ombudsman said in a report on self-inflicted deaths in custody.

Read more: Report calls for 'urgent' survey of inmates' sex lives
Rainsbrook G4S youth prison: The history of a 'ghetto' institution
Justice groups: 'Women in prison equals children without mothers'

Mr Newcomen said inmates in solitary confinement should at least be given reading material and a radio to occupy themselves during their long hours without human contact.

His investigation into another suicide in solitary confinement uncovered "numerous procedural, organisational and management failings" in a segregation unit.

He said officers should follow detailed guidance over the segregation of offenders considered at risk of suicide or self-harm.

"When prison staff do not know these rules or put them into practice appropriately, prisoner safety can be compromised with potentially fatal consequences," he said.

Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures

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The ombudsman warned that segregation should be regularly reviewed  when there was no alternative and a care plan should be drawn up to tackle mental health problems.

Mr Newcomen said: "Segregation is an extreme and isolating form of custody used for prisoners who have misbehaved or who cannot be kept safely in normal prison  accommodation.

"It inherently reduces protective factors against suicide and self-harm, such as activity and interaction with others, and should only be used in exceptional circumstances for those known to be at risk of taking their own life."

His report comes ahead of a ruling expected next month by the Supreme Court into a claim by two prisoners that putting them into solitary confinement breached their human rights.

Frances Crook, the chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the use of solitary confinement – both formal and informal – was rising in adult and youth prisons.

"It's the most extreme measure there is, with no activity, no contact," she said. "In places like Pentonville [prison, north London] they use dungeons – stone cells, which are very cold and very damp. It's like something from the 18th century."

Recent research found that 11 per cent of prisoners had spent a night in a segregation unit; the figure rose to  23 per cent of young adults behind bars.

Prisoners with learning disabilities are more than three times as likely to have spent time in segregation.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman said assessments and monitoring arrangements for those at risk of suicide were poor (PA)

Overall numbers of prison deaths in England and Wales have risen by 38 per cent since 2012. The former Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, denied there was any link between staffing cuts and the rise in self-inflicted deaths.

The Commons Justice Select Committee said his stance "could be construed as complacency and a lack  of urgency".

Segregation Suicides

* "Mr A" was taken to a segregation unit after being found in an area of his prison where he should not have been. Soon afterwards he cut his wrist with a plastic knife but was assessed as fit for segregation. When he threatened to smash up his cell and harm himself again, the furniture was removed, leaving him with only a mattress. He was found hanged after making a ligature from the blanket.

* "Mr C" claimed to be in danger from other inmates. He was moved to segregation and refused to leave. During his three months in "seg" his mental health deteriorated. He was moved to the healthcare unit, where he was also locked away from other prisoners. He told staff several times he was hearing voices and having suicidal thoughts before hanging himself.

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Prison laptop scandal: How the computers were hacked - Crime - UK - The Independent

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/prison-laptop-scandal-how-the-computers-were-hacked-10456577.html

Prison laptop scandal: How the computers were hacked

Once they were in, the plotters could work late into the night

Unlocking the "dog" was key to the plotters' attempts to use the computer to smuggle drugs. Using an east European hacker inside the prison, the gang obtained a coded pen drive that was smuggled into the prison by a visitor.

When inserted while the computer was booting up, the pen drive was able to detect the password required to unlock the administrator privileges. The ruse revealed that the authorities were using rudimentary passwords to protect their machines: the lapel numbers of prison officers.

Once they were in, the plotters could work late into the night. Any checks by guards would reveal an inmate working on a legitimately obtained laptop on their case.

"It's extremely difficult to lock devices down if you have physical access to a machine. In that case all bets are off," said Don Smith, a security expert and Technology Director at Dell SecureWorks. "It's highly likely that a determined adversary would find a way on to a system."

Read more: Gang orchestrated £30m drug deal from jail
Too many prisoners, not enough security – history of Wandsworth
Surge in prisoners killing themselves in solitary confinement

Inmates are allowed to have computers to prepare for their legal cases under article six of the Convention on Human Rights – which protects the right to a fair trial. Government guidance states that if the eligibility criteria are met, inmates could be supplied with a laptop and photocopies of legally privileged papers.

The National Offender Management Service said that laptops were given to inmates for three months, but could be supplied for longer on request.

Under the regime at Wandsworth around 2010-13, laptops were usually issued following a request by family or the inmate's solicitor and vetting by prison officials. They were sometimes withdrawn after some 28 days for a couple of days of checks, before being returned to the inmates.

A general view of Wandsworth Prison (Getty)

In practice, they were rarely withdrawn but the plotters were believed to have fixed the computers to return to factory settings in the days before the anticipated seizure.

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Lenovo Newsroom | LENOVO 1ST QUARTER FY15-16: TOUGH MARKETS, SOLID RESULTS

http://news.lenovo.com/

LENOVO 1ST QUARTER FY15-16: TOUGH MARKETS, SOLID RESULTS

Decisive actions being taken to meet challenges and accelerate business transformation

 

HONG KONG, August 13, 2015 – Lenovo Group (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced results for its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2015. Quarterly revenue was US$10.7 billion, a three percent increase year-over-year. First quarter pre-tax income decreased 80 percent year-over-year to US$52 million. Net income declined 51 percent year-over-year to US$105 million.  
 
Lenovo saw severe challenges in its main markets. It faced significant declines in the global PC and tablet markets, as well as slowing growth and increasing competition – especially in China – in smartphones. There were macroeconomic challenges in Brazil and Latin America and large currency fluctuations, intensifying competition, which hurt Motorola's profitability in particular. Finally, Lenovo saw a rapidly shifting technology demand landscape in the enterprise business.
 
Despite this tough environment, Lenovo continued to deliver solid results. Its PC business reached record worldwide share of 20.6 percent. It gained share in every geography and achieved the # 3 position in the critical U.S. market, with record high share of 13 percent. Lenovo gained nearly one point of share and strengthened its #3 position in the tablet market. For the third consecutive quarter, the enterprise business had positive operating margin, before non-cash M&A-related accounting charges.  In smartphones the company accelerated its shift from a carrier-focused business model in China to the open market in the rest of the world, which drove Lenovo brand smartphone volume outside China up 68 percent year-on-year.
 
Nevertheless, in the face of financial results that did not meet expectations, Lenovo is undertaking broad, decisive actions – including better aligning its businesses and significantly reducing costs – to return to profitable, sustainable growth and achieve its long-term goals.
 
"Last quarter, we faced perhaps the toughest market environment in recent years, but we still achieved solid results. Our PC business remained number 1 for the 9th straight quarter. In the smartphone business, our strategic shift from China to the rest of world has paid off. And our combined enterprise business achieved operational PTI for the third consecutive quarter," said Yuanqing Yang, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo. "But to build long term, sustainable growth, we must take proactive and decisive actions in every part of the businesses. We will further integrate elements of the acquisitions with our legacy businesses in Mobile and Enterprise, while building the right business model and cost structure.  We will reduce costs in our PC business and increase efficiency in order to leverage industry consolidation increase share and improve profitability.  We will come through these efforts as a faster, stronger and better aligned global company."
 
Specific realignment actions Lenovo is undertaking to return to growth include:
 

• Restructuring the Mobile Business Group (MBG) to align smartphone development, production and manufacturing and better leverage the complementary strengths of Lenovo and Motorola. There will be a more-simple, streamlined product portfolio, with fewer, more clearly-differentiated models.  A faster, leaner business model will better leverage Lenovo's global sales force and accelerate the efficiency actions already underway in its global supply chain. MBG will continue to drive the overall mobile business, but will now rely on Motorola to design, develop and manufacture smartphone products.
   
• Focus and repositioning the Enterprise Business Group to attack the most relevant and attractive market segments, while increasing overall speed and cost-competitiveness. 
   
• Accelerating the drive for 30 percent share in PCs by better taking advantage of consolidation, while becoming even more efficient and reducing costs to ensure sustainable, profitable growth.
   
• Drive for greater efficiency across all of Lenovo's functions.  Lenovo will better leverage technology, the internet and innovative approaches in every function to drive transformation and become faster and more customer-centric.

 
This effort will reduce expenses by about $650 million in the second half of this year and about $1.35 billion on an annual basis. These actions will include a reduction of 3,200 people in our non-manufacturing workforce around the world. This equates to about 10 percent of non-manufacturing headcount and about 5 percent of our total population of around 60,000 people. The company will incur restructuring costs of approximately $600 million and additional spending to clear smartphone inventory of approximately $300 million.
 
The Company's gross profit for the first fiscal quarter increased 22 percent year-over-year to US$1.6 billion, with gross margin at 15.4 percent. Operating profit for the quarter declined 67 percent year-over year to US$96 million. Basic earnings per share for the first fiscal quarter was 0.95 US cents, or 7.36 HK cents. Net debt reserves as of June 30, 2015, totaled US$0.5 billion.
 

Business Group Overview***
 
In the PC Group, or PCG, which includes PCs and Windows tablets, Lenovo's quarterly sales were US$7.3 billion, with pre-tax income of US$368 million, down 8 percent year-over-year. Pre-tax income margin was strong at 5.1 percent, improving 0.3 points year-over-year. Lenovo remained #1 for the ninth consecutive quarter with record high 20.6 percent market share, widening its lead over the #2 vendor. It shipped 13.5 million PCs in the quarter, down 7.1 percent year-over-year, verses an overall market decline of 12.8 percent. Lenovo saw share gains in every geography, while in the US it achieved the #3 position and saw a record market share of 13 percent, up 1.6 percent year-over-year. Lenovo's goal is to achieve 30 percent worldwide PC market share in three years.
 
In the Mobile Business Group, or MBG, which includes products from Motorola, Lenovo-branded mobile phones, Android tablets and smart TVs, Lenovo quarterly sales were US$2.1 billion, up 33 percent year-over-year, due to the inclusion of revenues from Motorola. Motorola contributed US$1.2 billion to Lenovo's MBG revenues. MBG's total pre-tax loss was US$292 million, with a pre-tax loss margin of negative 13.8 percent.
 
Despite strong growth in emerging markets and selling 16.2 million smartphones in the quarter – a 2.3 percent year-over-year increase – tough competition and a rapidly changing technology landscape saw Lenovo's share of the worldwide smartphone market decline 0.5 points to 4.7 percent, making it the fifth largest smartphone vendor.
 
Motorola's contribution to Lenovo's smartphone shipments stood at 5.9 million units, a 31 percent decline year-over-year. This performance resulted from several factors including intensifying competition, long product development lifecycles with related inventory issues, macroeconomic issues in Brazil (a large market for Motorola), and a fixed cost structure that was out of balance with the losses incurred. With the restructuring actions announced today, management reiterates its commitment to see profitability in Motorola within 4-6 quarters of close (2-3 quarters from now), though this goal is now being extended to the full MBG unit, where Motorola's results are included.
 
In the tablet market, Lenovo continued to outpace the market. It solidified its worldwide #3 position with 5.6 percent, growing shipments 3.8 percent year-over-year, to 2.5 million units, while taking share from the #1 and #2 players.
 
In the Enterprise Business Group, or EBG, which includes servers, storage, software and services sold under both the Lenovo ThinkServer brand and the System x business unit, sales were US$1.1 billion, up 5.8 times year-over-year due to inclusion of System x this year. In its third full quarter with System x, EBG delivered operational pre-tax income, although its standard PTI – which included non-cash, M&A-related accounting charges – was negative US$40 million. The ThinkServer brand that targets small and medium sized enterprises saw strong revenue growth of over 40 percent year-over-year. Lenovo remains confident that EBG will realize $5 billion in revenue with good margin one year after the close of the System x deal.
 

Geographic Overview
 
In China consolidated sales in the first fiscal quarter, declined by 16 percent year-over-year to US$3.2 billion, accounting for 30 percent of the Company's worldwide sales. Operating margins fell 0.7 points to 4.8 percent. These declines were driven by weak performance in mobile. The mobile business in China suffered in the face of intense competition and telecom subsidy cuts. In PCs Lenovo kept steady market share with good margin performance while seeing strong shipment growth from ThinkServer in its China Enterprise business, which allowed it to recapture the #1 position in the China x86 server market.
 
In the Asia Pacific region, Lenovo achieved sales across the region of US$1.6 billion or 15 percent of Lenovo's worldwide sales, while operating margins were down 1.9 points to 2.2 percent because of dampened Motorola performance. Lenovo Asia Pacific PC market share was up 0.9 points year-over-year to 15.9 percent. In Enterprise, Lenovo is leveraging channel expertise and ecosystems to accelerate the business. In Mobile, Lenovo branded phones had very strong performance, pushing shipments up 81.7 percent.
 
Lenovo in Europe, Middle East & Africa had consolidated sales in the first quarter of US$2.6 billion, a year-over-year decline of 5 percent, as PC sales slowed with the broader market. EMEA accounted for 25 percent of Lenovo's total worldwide sales. Operating profit margin was 1.5 percent, a 1.9 points decrease year-over-year. Lenovo grew PC market share to 19.9 percent, up 1.9 percent year-over-year.  In Mobile, smartphone shipments registered very strong 153 percent growth, mainly from Lenovo-branded product. In Enterprise, the EMEA team is attacking more opportunities with an integrated team.
 
In the Americas, Lenovo saw consolidated sales grow 46 percent year-over-year to approximately US$3.3 billion in the first quarter, driven by the inclusion of the two acquisitions. This represented 30 percent of Lenovo's total worldwide sales. Operating margin was negative 4 percent, weighed down by losses from Brazil and Motorola. In PCs, share was up 0.6 points year-over-year to 13.1 percent. Lenovo was #3 in the US, with a record 13 percent share and strong 8.8 percent shipment growth. In Mobile, the Americas saw weaker smartphone shipments growth because of slower Motorola product transitions. In Enterprise, the company is poised to capture new opportunities in the future.
 
* see IDC data 2Q 2015
** These figures, which include such items as intangible asset amortization, imputed interest expense of promissory notes and others, are provided for greater transparency and to aid further analysis of the business.
*** The Company provided financial breakdowns by product through the FY14/15 Q2 results announcement. After the Motorola and System x investments closed during Lenovo's FY14/15 Q3, Lenovo began reporting by business group in order to aid understanding of the performance of these businesses.
 
About Lenovo
 
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $46 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at www.lenovo.com.
 

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About suspended accounts | Twitter Help Center

https://support.twitter.com/articles/15790

About suspended accounts

In order to maintain a safe environment for users on Twitter, we may suspend accounts that violate the Twitter Rules. Common reasons for suspension may include:

Spam: Most of the accounts we suspend are suspended because they are spammy, or just plain fake, and they introduce security risks for Twitter and all of our users. These types of accounts are against our Twitter Rules. Unfortunately, sometimes a real person's account gets suspended by mistake, and in those cases we'll work with the person to make sure the account is unsuspended.

Account security at risk: If we suspect an account has been hacked or compromised, we may suspend it until it can be secured and restored to the account owner in order to reduce potentially malicious activity caused by the compromise.

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More about the Twitter Rules

In the Twitter Rules, we describe the circumstances that could lead to account suspension or other policy enforcement actions. You can find more specifics about our abusive behavior policy here.

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Just me, e 

  

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/04/robots-theyre-journalists-paralegals-and-surgeons-is-your-job-next.html?__source=xfinity|mod&par=xfinity

Robots: They're Journalists, Paralegals, and Surgeons. Is Your Job Next?

Now more than ever you're going to want to appear indispensable to your employer. While the concern used to be an employer finding someone more efficient than you and letting you go, these days you need to worry about R2D2 taking your job.

Within the next 20 years, 47 percent of jobs in the US are at risk of being taken over by automated technology, according to a University of Oxford study. Robots have already started supplanting workers and with the pace of technological innovation rapidly increasing, the jobs they are poaching are becoming more and more sophisticated.

More from The Fiscal Times:
The Ten Craziest Things Robots Can Do
Americans Are About to Get a Nice Fat Pay Raise
How Millennials Could Damage the U.S. Economy

For example, Google started developing autonomous driverless cars in 2010 and plans to introduce them to the public by 2020. Last month the company started test-driving the cars outside of California for the first time, bringing them to Austin, TX.Mercedes Benz has introduced a driverless truck, and there are rumors circulating that both Uber and Apple are testing their own autonomous vehicle technology. So much for truck and taxi drivers.

NPR has developed a tool based on University of Oxford research that calculates the likelihood of an individual losing their job to a machine. The calculator measures creativity, negotiation, navigation into small spaces and helping others into determining the risk of being replaced by a robot.

Some experts say the idea of robots taking our jobs isn't something to worry about. A lot of the work force is made up of jobs that would be too difficult or expensive to automate, so employers are more likely to stick with human employees. In addition, the productivity rate in the U.S. has been steadily slowing down over the past decades, meaning less and less goods and services are being sold in the market economy.

Click here to see the 10 craziest things robots can do.

Elyssa D. Durant, Ed.M.

Research &  Policy Analyst

  

DailyDDoSe: Medieval Giraffe