Thursday, June 2, 2011

PTA, It’s Time to Consider Blocking the Porn: ProPakistani

PTA, It’s Time to Consider Blocking the Porn: ProPakistani

Link to Pro Pakistani

PTA, It’s Time to Consider Blocking the Porn

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 12:03 PM PDT


PTA, It’s Time to Consider Blocking the Porn is a post from: ProPakistani

filter2main 420x0 PTA, Its Time to Consider Blocking the PornWe have written in the past about the dire need of blocking porn sites, local ones at least, if not all of them. But clearly PTA couldn't achieve this – and I had to revisit this topic, primarily because of an email we got recently from Majid, a ProPakistani reader.

Here is what Majid Wrote to us:

Dear Aamir,

Many of my friends, including me, from Islamabad received an SMS on 29/05/2011 from a mobile number 03035654XXX, that they are offering sex services in Pakistan.

They also provided details about their website ________, where they are inviting male and female members to get registered on their website and to enjoy / offer services to their counter gender members.

I simply want to express my views about it that we are Muslim and According to Islam and Pakistani Law prostitution / sex service is prohibited in Pakistan.

Please use this forum to initiate a complain and bring such SMS, Websites and Activities to the notice of Authorities / Government and ask them to take appropriate action against such people.

Thanks,
Majid

This is alarming!

Thanks to SMS bundles, dirty minds can get a website running online with less than 10$ investment, or even free – and shoot an SMS to thousands of mobile phone users to market their illicit websites.

With increasing number of broadband users in Pakistan, these unlawful acts and their impacts on general society will go up with time. So this is the time to get things regulated.

Now, if we had a mechanism to block such websites, Majid could have contacted PTA directly to block the website – but alas, PTA is maybe looking at ministry to formulize a website blocking policy that PTA can get implemented.

After the Facebook incident last year, we had heard that PTA was aiming to establish a centralized system to block websites, if reported by users due to their harmful, blasphemous or pornographic nature.

PTA, reportedly, contacted a Chinese vendor in addition to those providing web filtration solutions to Saudi Arabia and UAE, but deal didn't go through. Informed sources tell us that PTA has dropped the idea due to high cost of solution and now it has literally no plan to deal with the situation.

It makes me wonder, why PTA isn't placed anywhere near to getting this solution, which is a technological requirement of society.

PTA must allocate some of the funds it collects from ICT operators (under the head of license fee) to get this internet filtering solution running, where anyone would be able to advise/suggest/report PTA about URLs that they think are offensive/pornographic in nature.

- Those who think it's internet censoring, its not. If someone believes that porn is his/her right to view/read – you're a looser then.

- Those who may argue that proxies and other similar solutions will bypass filters, then these filters will block access to offensive content for the starters at least – they say something better than nothing.

- Those who believe that websites should be blocked at individual level, in fact, we should never visit those websites in first place than looking at PTA to get them blocked: Why there are jails then?

In addition to the web filter we are talking about, government needs to aware the masses about the internet. You will agree that there are many parents (mainly who are above 50 or so) not even aware of this easy availably of explicit content.

And believe me these print ads are not going to do much. Government needs to get the message to the grass root level, through universities, schools, masjids, baithaks and so on.

You will agree that majority of us are not aware of the privacy issues we face in today's age. There are many pictures, videos that end up on internet were usually not intended for the purpose – but they get into dangerous hands due to lack of awareness and things get out of control.

Our readers can share their recommendations, suggestions and opinion in below comments.

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Copyright © 2010 ProPakistani.PK

P@SHA Fund For Social Innovation Launched

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 01:20 AM PDT


P@SHA Fund For Social Innovation Launched is a post from: ProPakistani

Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) in collaboration with Google on Thursday launched a $ 250,000 worth Social Innovative Fund to finance innovate and constructive ideas of young entrepreneurs and students of Pakistan.

Google Inc. has granted an amount to IT entrepreneurs' body to launch P@SHA innovative fund for sponsor different IT and technology projects to young entrepreneurs and students of IT field.

This was announced in the press conference held in Karachi at local hotel.

President Pasha Jehan Ara said that the all interested entrepreneurs and students should submit their proposal in next three months on to the website www.pashafund.com till August and they will be funded accordingly.

She said that board members will dedicate their valuable time to all talented people and help them out budget and materializing of their planned projects.

The entrepreneurs will be allocated maximum of one million rupees for the project in the first phase but the extra amount could be released if there will be any need to pursue a specific project.

Pakistan's students are talented and creative as well but finance is the sole barrier for them to make a difference in the world, she said and added that PASHA will provide them all possible financial and technical assistance to encourage maximum youngsters to invent or to innovate new and useful things.

"There is a need to promote technology in lives of the people so as people should not go into complicated things rather they should focus on the projects, which create easiness and comfort to people in their daily affairs," Jehan said.

There is lot of ideas to develop an application on disease prevention and disasters forecast which help masses in urban and rural areas to get advantages, she added.

Badar Khushnood, Google Pakistan's Consultant, said the idea is not fund the creation of software but to fund ideas that use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a platform for delivery and as a means for empowerment.

The grant was to support social entrepreneurship and innovation in natural follow-up to the one million dollar aid that Google had provided Pakistan as part of the flood relief effort.

A board has been formed in consultation with P@SHA to allocate funds with proper scrutiny and advisory to funds beneficiaries. This will give technical and financial expertise to entrepreneurs and students for pursuing their project in best economical way.

The board members include:

  • Chairman PTA Dr. Muhammad Yaseen,
  • MD PSEB Imran Zia,
  • Pasha Chairman Ashraf Kapadia,
  • Pasha President Jehan Ara,
  • Co-Chairman Pakistan-India Business Council Ameen Hashwani,
  • Head of Cyber Internet Service Danish Lakhani,
  • Chairperson Red Communication Arts Sabene Saigal.

Pasha members will visit universities and ask students to submit their expression of interest for carrying out different projects. The fund will be used for social innovation ideas which may come from university students or the general public.

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Copyright © 2010 ProPakistani.PK

3000 Free SMS & 3000 Mins: Ufone Sim Lagao offer

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:58 PM PDT


3000 Free SMS & 3000 Mins: Ufone Sim Lagao offer is a post from: ProPakistani

SIM Lagao Offer 3000 Free SMS & 3000 Mins: Ufone Sim Lagao offerUfone is offering its customers with thousands of free minutes and free SMS who have not used their Ufone SIMs since May 1st, 2011.

How to get Free Minutes and SMS:

  • Put your Ufone SIM back that U have not used since May 1st 2011
  • SMS 'free' to 234
  • Recharge at least Rs. 50 worth of balance

That's it. You will then get 1,000 free minutes from Ufone to Ufone and 1,000 Free SMS to any network for one whole month.

To top that, for the next 2 months, upon usage of Rs. 100 balance U will further get up to 2,000 minutes from Ufone to Ufone and up to 2,000 SMS to any network. Absolutely Free!

Terms & Conditions:

  • Duration of offer is from 1 June, 2011 to 30 June, 2011.
  • On recharge of Rs 50 till 30 June,2011 receive 1,000 free minutes and 1,000 free SMS
  • After sending an SMS to 234, free minutes and SMS will be transferred to customer's account within next 48 hours
  • 1,000 free minutes and 1,000 free SMS for the second month will be given after the first recharge, on usage of a minimum balance of Rs. 100 within 30 days
  • 1,000 free minutes and 1,000 free SMS for the third month will be given on further usage of Rs.100 balance in the second month.
  • Free minutes and free SMS are limited to 30 days
  • Free minutes and free SMS are limited to 3,000 each
  • Free minutes are valid only for Ufone to Ufone and free SMS are valid for all networks
  • 19.5% FED on usage and 11.5% withholding tax at recharge or bill applies.

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Copyright © 2010 ProPakistani.PK

Computer Tips From A Computer Guy

Computer Tips From A Computer Guy


Create Shiny Web 2.0 Web Buttons with GIMP

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 04:05 AM PDT

One of the things a lot of people would like to do is create custom buttons for their web sites so that when they write 'click here" it will stand out. One of the best ways to do so is to use GIMP, the open source software program that allows you do to most everything [...]

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Create Shiny Web 2.0 Web Buttons with GIMP


Reinstall Windows 7 on an OEM Desktop or Laptop Minus the Bloatware

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 05:04 AM PDT

Whenever you purchase a new branded desktop or laptop, meaning Dell, HP, Gateway, etc… you usually get Windows 7, but you also get a ton of "bloatware" as well. Bloatware is basically just the extras that the computer manufacturer decides to throw in with Windows 7. Programs such as Norton antivirus, Roxio CD creator, and [...]

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Reinstall Windows 7 on an OEM Desktop or Laptop Minus the Bloatware


 
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