Re: I believe in you, B.C. (April 8)
Let me give you a refresher course on just how badly Telus has managed their government franchise that has effectively put British Columbia on
the backwater of internet communications of North America. If you were on the Telus network like I am, you would know that 30 per cent of the time that this network is claimed to be up, it isn’t. Have you checked the complaints with the CRTC? If you had spent any time at all researching this article at all, you would know that Telus came very close to losing its government monopoly two years ago. Even the impotent CRTC had to act and threaten Telus to clean up its act. How can you say that Telus is doing anything other than a piss poor job. Every day I have to live with the crap these people try to peddle. You don’t know anything about what you are talking about.
Walk a mile in my shoes, buddy, before you claim to be an expert in my field.
Bob Strasser
Re: Canadian police roll out child porn tracking system (April 7)
I would just like to offer a small point for editorial consideration. My point is about semantics — use of language. For much too long this issue continues to be sanitized by describing it in a descriptive but un-alarming way. I’m very glad to see that you have avoided using the sanitizing term “Kiddie Porn.” The term “Child Pornography” is useful but it is over-used in describing the issue in general and has become a sanitized media descriptive for public consumption. Those terms both serve to whitewash the insidious and exploitive nature of these crimes. We who report on or are concerned with this issue should be alarming people.
I still think that those who report on it and those folks seriously dedicated to the issue of resolving “Child Pornography,” ending its fabrication and distribution should use the very precise, alarming and accurate descriptive “pictures of children being sexually abused.” This term does not sanitize this terrible crime perpetrated on the innocent. It calls it what it is and if repeated enough people are going to get it and get involved in stopping it and getting help to those sick folks who make it, distribute it and view it and most importantly get help for their victims — CHILDREN.
Drew Fenwick
Re: Canadian police roll out child porn tracking system (April 7)
Any technique that aids the locating and analysis of evidence in the pursuit of criminals is to be congratulated. Having a service that is more accurate at discriminating between classical art and child pornography, and can remove bias from what is a highly emotive subject has got to be good.
But we need to remember that just finding a few questionable pictures on a 120Gb hard drive is not proof of criminal intent. There have been a number of cases over the last few years which seem based upon the presence of a few pictures, and no demonstration of intent. That is unsettling.
We need strong and effective law, but at the same time we must avoid the excesses seen before in the McCarthy era, and just possibly also in the post 9/11 international terrorism confusion. In all these cases the great panic to obtain results allowed the suspension of basic legal protections and a presumption of guilt based upon little more than unsupported opinions and circumstantial evidence.
We owe it to ourselves as decent societies to ensure that prosecutions are fair and public. Having a database should speed up analysis, but automated analysis should be just the start, not the end.
Steve Mathews
Re: Canadian police roll out child porn tracking system (April 7)
Bravo!
As much fun as it is to bash Microsoft, this deserves applause.
Richard Daniels
Re: Toronto’s telecom woes have familiar ring to experts (March 30)
I was very disappointed to read comments from the telecommunications consultants quoted in your article that it is not unusual for an organization such as the City of Toronto to not efficiently or effectively manage their telecommunication services. I think it is unusual. I feel that Mr. Angus’ comments that “in any large organization the person managing the phones is scrambling to put out fires” does not accurately reflect what I have seen in other parts of Canada and especially what I see here in B.C.
Being one of three people responsible for telecommunication services (telephone, PBX, key systems, Centrex, cellular, video conference, long distance, toll free, billing, teleconference and structured cable) for the Government of Canada, SDC (Social Development Canada) for B.C./Yukon Region I can assure you that we know where every piece of telecommunications equipment, line and service is as well as what it costs and where it’s billed.
Through Sprint Canada we utilize their Bill Analysis Service which is a server / client based information management tool for long distance and toll free services. We use Telus’s Bill Analysis Tool to keep track of the services they provide and Telus sends a CD every month with ALL the details. The Telus Mobility Enterprise Centre provides complete details on everything to do with Telus Mobility Cellular services.
Our PBX and key system suppliers such as NEC Canada, Telus, Mitel and Nortel all provide inventories of what we have, where it is and what it costs. To track our structured cable systems in our offices throughout B.C. and the Yukon we use AutoCAD. ITSB (Information Technology Services Branch, Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada) provide us with teleconference services and include centralized detailed billing.
Managing telecom services for a large organization such as the City of Toronto is not rocket science. My suggestions to better manage telecommunications is simple: 1. meet with each telecom supplier and provide them with instructions that, effective immediately. there will be ONE centralized point for ALL requests and invoicing for ALL telecommunication services, 2. work with your telecom suppliers to utilize their telecom management tools and inventory services and 3. provide senior management with a monthly telecommunications report of what you have, where it is and what it costs. You also have to be prepared to make it very clear to both the telecom suppliers and the telecom users that things have changed in relation to managing and controlling all your telecommunication services.
Dale Henning
Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name and company name along with an e-mail address or other contact information. All letters become the property of ITBusiness.ca. Editors reserve the right to edit submissions for length and content.
