Spam up
The arrival of anti-spam legislation, including America's Can-Spam act, has not stemmed the flood, according to Brightmail. The proportion of spam increased to 60% of all emails sent in January, up two percentage points on the December figure. The spam filtering company bases its figures on data from more than 300 million end users and "its patented Probe Network". It processed 85bn emails last month.
Open access
The mayor of London's office is looking at the possibility of using open source software to bring the cost of e-government within the reach of lower-income families. In a policy statement, mayor Ken Livingstone says he will instruct LondonConnects, the agency responsible for e-government services in London, to look at the pros and cons of using open source. The move follows a report from the Greater London Authority last year, which showed that 90% of London families with an annual income of £52,000 or more have home access to the internet, but this falls to only 20% when the income is below £10,444. www.london.gov.uk/gla/publications/e-london
Mobile web
In theory, you should be able to use the web with any device, including a handheld computer or a mobile phone. In practice, most websites only cater for desktop PCs. The World Wide Web Consortium has therefore developed a standard way for devices to tell web servers what stuff they can handle: Composite Capability/Preference Profiles (CC/PP). They don't have to tell the host directly, which could take a mobile phone some time, but can send the address of a web resource where the information is held. Millions of phones are already using CC/PP, because it includes the User Agent Profile (UAProf) specification developed originally by the Wap Forum. How many websites will get the message and use CC/PP to cater for a variety of devices is another matter. www.w3.org/TR/2004
Market swoop
Sainsbury's is restructuring its IT support by buying back its intermediary company Swan Infrastructure for £553m. Swan was set up by the supermarket chain in November 2000 to manage the company's IT transformation programme. By acquiring Swan's assets, Sainsbury's will regain direct control of its servers and point-of-sale hardware. This will save £25m a year through improved accounting practices, the company claims. Consultancy firm Accenture will continue to service the IT operations under a new lower-cost deal negotiated in November. www.j-sainsbury.co.uk
Plans awry
Plans for e-government do not reflect local needs and could mean councils will be unable to meet the 2005 deadline, states a report from the Society of IT Management, the local government IT managers' organisation. SocITM has savaged the consultation document, Defining E-Government Priority Services and Transformation Outcomes, which sets compulsory targets for implementation. It is asking for talks with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to discuss the possibility of allowing councils to set their own agenda to reflect local priorities. www.socitm.gov.uk/Public
Financial gain
EDS is leading a transformation programme for Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society in a £109m business process outsourcing deal. The 13-year contract complements an existing IT outsourcing contract between the two organisations, a £51m deal that has also been extended for six years. The new programme will include system consolidation, the implementation of new workflow and imaging applications and process re-engineering. EDS will also help develop business processes including underwriting, claims and back-office administration. IT staff at Liverpool Victoria's Exeter offices will be transferred to EDS. www.eds.com
NHS trns 2 txt
Incoming text message? It could be the hospital reminding you about your appointment, one of several ways the health service is using text messaging, according to research by industry body the Mobile Data Association. Hospitals including Homerton in east London and Addenbrooke's in Cambridge have found that text messages that remind patients a few days in advance mean they are less likely to miss appointments, which cost the health service £400m a year. Also, a few doctors are providing test results by text message, in reply to an identifying message from the patient.
