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Digital Planet: 08/09/2009

Factual: Science & Nature

08/09/2009

BBC World Service - Digital Planet, 08/09/2009

Google books controversy, missing Colombians database, NYPD's crime centre, Vint Cerf Pt 2

Google books controversy, a new project to reunite missing Colombians, inside NYPD's Real Time Crime Centre, Vint Cerf Pt 2 on the need for better broadband speeds

GOOGLE BOOKS

This week sees the deadline for authors to opt out of Google’s project to digitise millions of out-of-print books. But the plan has caused controversy, with some organisations accusing Google of monopolising the world’s libraries. BBC technology journalist Maggie Shiels reports from Silicon Valley.

DISPLACED COLOMBIANS

10% of all Colombian citizens are currently 'displaced' from their hometowns. They've been forced to flee due to guerrilla violence, drug trafficking or land disputes. 

Gareth speaks to Juan Sequeda from the University of Austin in Texas, who has spent the summer in Bogota researching a new project to reunite missing Colombians using semantic technology.

INSIDE NYPD

In New York, the murder rate has plummeted 80% in the past 15 years, despite cuts in law enforcement spending. 

Could this be due to the increasingly sophisticated intelligence systems used to map, and investigate, crimes? Or is the increased surveillance and CCTV network infringing people’s privacy? Ramon Goni goes inside NYPD's Real Time Crime Centre.

VINT CERF PART TWO

Internet forefather Vint Cerf is now Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, owners of YouTube. On average, 20 hours of video is uploaded to the site every minute. Vint talk to Simon Morton from Radio New Zealand about increasing need for faster broadband speeds.

DO YOU LIVE IN AFRICA?

If you live in Africa we want your views on the arrival of broadband to the continent. Are you benefiting from the new broadband services? Or are speeds still low and costs still high? If your country isn't connected to the fibre optic cable yet, how do you manage to get around slow internet speeds?

We'd like you to send us AUDIO or VIDEO clips of your views for a special edition of Digital Planet from Kenya on 15th September.

HOW TO SEND IN YOUR AUDIO/VIDEO CLIPS

MOBILE: Send them by MMS to +44 7725 100100

WEB: Upload them using the weblink below.

PLEASE MARK YOUR ENTRIES 'CONNECTED AFRICA - DIGITAL PLANET'

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