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Man jailed for Facebook revenge porn

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 03 Desember 2014 | 23.58

3 December 2014 Last updated at 12:08

A man has been jailed after breaking a "revenge porn" law introduced in California last October.

Noe Iniguez posted a photograph of his ex-girlfriend naked to her employer's Facebook page alongside derogatory comments.

The 36-year-old is the first person to be convicted under the new law.

Thirteen US states have enacted revenge porn laws over the past two years. England and Wales are also making it a criminal offence.

However, it remains a contentious issue.

Restraining order

California's revenge porn law bans the posting of nude or sexual images of an individual, including selfies, with the purpose of causing emotional distress.

Los Angeles-based Iniguez posted the photograph of his victim in March, accompanied by a message that called her a "drunk" and a "slut" and urged her employer to fire her. He used an alias in an attempt to hide his identity.

The woman had previously secured a restraining order against him after receiving abusive text messages following the break-up of their four-year-long relationship in 2011.

Iniguez was sentenced to one year in jail, 36 months of probation and instructed to attend domestic violence counselling after being found guilty of breaking the revenge porn law and violating a restraining order.

"California's new revenge porn law gives prosecutors a valuable tool to protect victims whose lives and reputations have been upended by a person they once trusted," said state prosecutor Mike Feuer.

"This conviction sends a strong message that this type of malicious behaviour will not be tolerated."

'Too broad'

Revenge porn laws are intended to make it easier for prosecutors to gain convictions for internet-based offences without having to appeal to pre-existing laws governing harassment and other offences.

California enacted a relatively tough law, requiring prosecutors to prove perpetrators had intended to cause distress at the time of their actions.

But other states have attempted to take a broader approach.

Arizona tried to ban all posts showing anyone "in a state of nudity or engaged in specific sexual activities" unless the person pictured had given their explicit permission.

This prompted a backlash from free speech campaigners, who suggested it would have prevented newspapers publishing pictures of abused naked prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

A judge subsequently halted enforcement of Arizona's law until it was rewritten.

'Child abuse tech'

England and Wales' new Criminal Justice and Courts Bill is set to make "the distribution of a private sexual image of someone without their consent and with the intention of causing them distress" illegal.

This will include images posted to social networks including Facebook and Twitter, as well as "offline" sharing via text messages. Those convicted will face a maximum two-year jail sentence.

The Scottish government has said that it is exploring the introduction of its own revenge porn law. And a member of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party has urged the nation's justice minister to introduce its own legislation.

The former Culture Secretary Maria Miller has, however, called for further action.

On Monday the Tory MP urged internet firms to adopt the same technologies they already used to prevent the spread of child abuse images in order to stop the proliferation of revenge porn pictures.

"This sort of industry-wide approach is what we should all expect from a mature, multinational sector of our economy," she said.

"We should not expect the burdens of removing illegal images from commercial websites to be solely the responsibility of the police.

"And if websites are hosted in more obscure countries then splash pages should be used to block illegal pornography images from being viewed in the UK in exactly the same way as they have been used to block child abuse images."


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TV box helps colour-blind viewers

3 December 2014 Last updated at 15:29 By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News Continue reading the main story

A set-top TV box that can help people with colour blindness better differentiate shades has been developed by a Cambridge firm.

Eyeteq, from University of East Anglia-based company Spectral Edge, alters colours frame-by-frame - without spoiling them for the non-colour-blind.

The technology could also be used on video games, the company said.

A colour-blindness awareness group has called for Eyeteq to be part of all televisions as standard.

The condition affects one in 12 men, and one in 200 women, with red-green colour blindness the most common.

According to Spectral Edge's website: "Eyeteq gently modifies colours in images in such a way that colour-blind observers enjoy both improved visibility as well as the overall appearance."

"With careful design using mathematical perception models," it adds, "we are able to remap colours to maximise discrimination for colour-blind people, at the same as minimising the strength of the effect for non-colour-blind people."

The company says those who are not colour blind do not mind the colour change as it is slight. It also said there is no noticeable lag as pictures are remapped in real-time, a process that takes milliseconds.

Liverpool woe

The technology had now reached proof-of-concept stage, Spectral Edge's managing director Christopher Cytera told the BBC.

"The next step is to refine and upgrade that proof of concept," he said.

"At the moment it's working at 720p resolution, we want to get it to 1080p."

Spectral Edge then plans to license the technology to manufacturers to include in new televisions.

Are colour blind gamers left out?

Next time you are playing a video game online and a member of your own team shoots you, spare a thought - they could be colour blind.

Read more

Colour Blind Awareness, a group promoting the needs of colour-blind people, said it believed Eyeteq should become a standard feature.

"It has such good feedback," said founder Kathryn Albany-Ward.

"When I tried it on my son, he gave it 10 out of 10 - it was like opening his eyes up."

She told the BBC the technology would greatly help when watching certain sporting events.

A recent European football match between Liverpool and Bulgarian side Ludogorets left colour-blind viewers frustrated as the teams played in red and green.

Continue reading the main story

Can you see a number in the image above? If not, you may suffer from colour blindness.

Those with the condition said it was like watching 22 players in the same kit.

Big market

Mr Cytera said he hoped his company's technology would become a "badge of honour" for manufacturers promoting accessibility credentials.

"There is a big market - 8% of men worldwide are affected, which is a huge number.

"Lots of great work done in audio description, and subtitling, but nothing so far for colour blindness."

Eyeteq works by presenting the viewer with a slider, allowing adjustments for severity.

The company has released a free mobile app for people to test out the system.

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC


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Tax move on banks and multinationals

3 December 2014 Last updated at 16:37

A crackdown on tax breaks for banks and tax avoidance by multinational firms will raise about £5bn over five years, Chancellor George Osborne has said.

Rules allowing banks to offset losses made in the financial crisis against future profits will be tightened.

And a 25% tax is being imposed on "profits generated by multinationals from economic activity in the UK which they then artificially shift" abroad.

Banks will pay an extra £4bn in tax, and multinationals £1bn, he said.

The chancellor said: "Under the rules we inherited banks can offset all their losses from the financial crisis against tax on profits for years to come. Some banks wouldn't be paying tax for 15 or 20 years. That's totally unacceptable.

"The banks got public support in the crisis and they should now support the public in the recovery."

George Osborne MP

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George Osborne: "My message is consistent and clear: Low taxes but low taxes that will be paid"

He intends to limit "the amount of profit in established banks that can be offset by losses carried forward to 50% and delaying relief on bad debts."

The banking industry said it would work with the Treasury to implement the new rules.

"Banks contribute more than £25bn each year to the nation's public finances - enough to pay the salaries of around half a million nurses," said Anthony Browne, chief executive of the British Bankers' Association.

"It is absolutely right that this important industry pays its fair share of tax, but it is important to note that where banks have offset losses they have done so legally, just as all other businesses can."

'Fair share'

There was also a question mark over how much the chancellor would raise from the tax changes.

Mr Osborne's forecast that the measure would generate £4bn over five years carries a "very high uncertainty rating", according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which publishes an independent assessment of government forecasts alongside the Autumn Statement.

Continue reading the main story

PDF download Full Autumn Statement documents[1.84 MB]

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Its report said the money raised could be "considerably higher or lower" than Mr Osborne's estimate, because forecasting the size of banks' profits over the next few years is too complicated.

Meanwhile, he plans to introduce measures designed to help curb the way some big businesses avoid tax by shifting profits to jurisdictions outside the UK.

He said: "Some of the largest companies in the world, including those in the tech sector, use elaborate structures to avoid paying taxes.

"Today I am introducing a 25% tax on profits generated by multinationals from economic activity here in the UK which they then artificially shift out of the country.

Companies such as Google, Amazon and Starbucks have been accused of using such strategies, although all say that they operate within the law.

Multinational companies must pay their "fair share" of tax, Mr Osborne said, adding: "My message is consistent and clear. Low taxes; but taxes that will be paid. This new Diverted Profits Tax will raise over £1bn over the next five years."

However, BBC business editor Kamal Ahmed said the chancellor's comments lack detail, and "an awful lot of work will have to be done on what exactly are diverted profits".

The OBR also cast doubt on Mr Osborne's assumption that the tax change would raise £1bn.

Predicting how multinationals would respond is difficult. "The behaviour change is likely to be volatile and large due to the characteristics of the companies targeted by this measure," the OBR said.

Mr Osborne's crackdown on multinationals is expected to be part of a wider international effort to curb multinationals' tax avoidance and evasion.

In September, the OECD group of leading industrial nations unveiled an action plan to stop companies shifting profits from one country to another.

Under the OECD plan, supported by the UK, a country-by-country model would require firms to declare their revenue, profit, staffing and tax paid in each jurisdiction.


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Tablet computers in '70% of schools'

3 December 2014 Last updated at 01:03 By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent

Almost 70% of primary and secondary schools in the UK now use tablet computers, according to research.

But the study says there is no clear evidence of academic improvement for pupils using tablet devices.

The study, commissioned by education technology charity Tablets for Schools, looked at a representative sample of 671 state and independent schools.

Many pupils reported that they took an internet-connected device to bed to continue social media conversations.

The rapid growth of tablet computers in the classroom was one of the ways in which the study found that young people are immersed in technology at school and home.

One tablet per pupil

Tablets are now being used, at least to some extent, in 68% of primary and 69% of secondary schools, according to the study headed by Barbie Clarke of the Family, Kids and Youth research group.

But researchers found examples of much more intensive use. In 9% of schools, there was an individual tablet device for every pupil.

The highest use of tablet computers was within academy schools - much greater than in independent schools or other types of state schools.

The underlying trend is for an increasing number of tablet computers in schools - among those not using them at present, 45% reported that they would soon be likely to introduce them.

Between 2014 and 2016, the number of tablet computers in schools is expected to rise from about 430,000 to almost 900,000.

But Dr Clarke, formerly of the University of Cambridge's education department, says it is not possible to make a definitive connection between tablet computers and improved results.

Researchers cannot isolate the impact of technology as the specific cause of a rise in attainment.

But Dr Clarke says head teachers reported a positive impact.

And there is evidence that they help to motivate pupils who might otherwise be disengaged - and when pupils take home tablet computers it increases the involvement of families.

Dr Clarke says that the role of technology is going to grow in schools.

"The type of device might change, but it's not going to go away. It will almost seem ridiculous if some of them are not using technology," she said.

Internet addicts

A separate study from the National Literacy Trust and Pearson, published on Monday, suggested that touch-screen computers were particularly useful in helping boys and poorer pupils to learn to read.

It showed children in poorer households were particularly likely to read on touch-screen computers rather than printed books.

The study on tablet computers in schools shows how much online technology is part of everyday life for young people.

Within a sample of schools where every pupil has a tablet computer, a quarter of secondary pupils described themselves as internet "addicts".

About two-thirds took a computer device or smartphone to bed with them, used for social media or watching videos.

Findings earlier this year from Ofcom show how tablets have spread quickly within families with children.

It showed about 70% of five to 15-year-olds had access to a tablet at home.

Simon Mason, head of Honywood Community School in Essex, said it was not possible to say whether results are changed by any individual factor, but he is a strong advocate of tablet computers in schools.

Each pupil has an iPad, which remains the property of the school, but pupils can take them home.

Using these computers, he says, is about making sure that the school is in "the current century and not the last".

The benefits are "difficult to put into league tables", he says. But they create a "sense of empowerment" for young people and create an ethos in which pupils can feel "trusted and valued".

Tablets are preferable to laptops, he argues, more portable, the right size, touch-screen and immediately switched on.

The head says that the use of technology in school also reflects the reality of how pupils live at home and what they will find at work.

"I think it's really important that schools function in the way that the world is," said Mr Mason.


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Apple faces digital music trial

2 December 2014 Last updated at 11:54

Apple is heading to court to defend itself against allegations that it abused its dominant position in the digital music player market.

Individuals and businesses who brought the case argue that a 2006 update to digital music store iTunes unfairly blocked any device other than the iPod from accessing songs.

Apple has so far not commented on the case.

Video of late founder Steve Jobs will be used as evidence in the trial.

Emails sent by Mr Jobs are expected to be shown alongside the short deposition, filmed six months before he died.

The case, due to be heard in a Californian court later today, has dragged on for nearly a decade.

FairPlay code

Lawyers representing consumers and electronics retailers will claim that Apple used its iTunes software to force buyers to use iPods instead of rival devices between 2006 and 2009.

They will claim that shutting out other devices artificially inflated the price of iPods. They are seeking $350m (£222m) in damages, which will be automatically tripled under federal anti-trust laws.

Apple is likely to claim that the economic argument about inflated iPod prices is flawed. It will claim that its iPod prices were set without reference to rivals. In 2006, rival RealPlayer had less than 3% of the online music market.

Apple's iTunes store was launched in 2003. Songs sold through the online store were encoded with digital rights management (DRM) software to prevent unauthorised copying.

Known as FairPlay, the code meant that songs purchased from iTunes could not be played on competing devices such as Microsoft's Zune and Diamond Multimedia's Rio. It also meant that songs from rival online stores could not be played on iPods.

Attempts by rivals to introduce coding that would allow songs from other stores to be played on iPods were blocked by Apple.

The code was removed from iTunes in 2009.

The hardware giant has been embroiled in several legal wrangles over the last year.

In July, a New York federal judge found Apple liable over allegations that it colluded with publishers to drive up the price of e-books. It is currently appealing against the ruling.

In April, it was one of several tech firms that agreed to settle claims that they colluded to keep salaries lower by agreeing not to poach workers from rivals.


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Hawking: AI could end human race

2 December 2014 Last updated at 13:02 Rory Cellan-JonesBy Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent
Stephen Hawking

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Stephen Hawking: "Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete and would be superseded"

Prof Stephen Hawking, one of Britain's pre-eminent scientists, has said that efforts to create thinking machines pose a threat to our very existence.

He told the BBC:"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."

His warning came in response to a question about a revamp of the technology he uses to communicate, which involves a basic form of AI.

But others are less gloomy about AI's prospects.

The theoretical physicist, who has the motor neurone disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is using a new system developed by Intel to speak.

Machine learning experts from the British company Swiftkey were also involved in its creation. Their technology, already employed as a smartphone keyboard app, learns how the professor thinks and suggests the words he might want to use next.

Prof Hawking says the primitive forms of artificial intelligence developed so far have already proved very useful, but he fears the consequences of creating something that can match or surpass humans.

"It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate," he said.

"Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded."

But others are less pessimistic.

"I believe we will remain in charge of the technology for a decently long time and the potential of it to solve many of the world problems will be realised," said Rollo Carpenter, creator of Cleverbot.

Cleverbot's software learns from its past conversations, and has gained high scores in the Turing test, fooling a high proportion of people into believing they are talking to a human.

Rise of the robots

Mr Carpenter says we are a long way from having the computing power or developing the algorithms needed to achieve full artificial intelligence, but believes it will come in the next few decades.

"We cannot quite know what will happen if a machine exceeds our own intelligence, so we can't know if we'll be infinitely helped by it, or ignored by it and sidelined, or conceivably destroyed by it," he says.

But he is betting that AI is going to be a positive force.

Prof Hawking is not alone in fearing for the future.

In the short term, there are concerns that clever machines capable of undertaking tasks done by humans until now will swiftly destroy millions of jobs.

In the longer term, the technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has warned that AI is "our biggest existential threat".

Robotic voice

In his BBC interview, Prof Hawking also talks of the benefits and dangers of the internet.

He quotes the director of GCHQ's warning about the net becoming the command centre for terrorists: "More must be done by the internet companies to counter the threat, but the difficulty is to do this without sacrificing freedom and privacy."

He has, however, been an enthusiastic early adopter of all kinds of communication technologies and is looking forward to being able to write much faster with his new system.

But one aspect of his own tech - his computer generated voice - has not changed in the latest update.

Prof Hawking concedes that it's slightly robotic, but insists he didn't want a more natural voice.

"It has become my trademark, and I wouldn't change it for a more natural voice with a British accent," he said.

"I'm told that children who need a computer voice, want one like mine."

Robot

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WATCH: Prof Murray Shanahan provides a brief introduction to AI


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UK readies child abuse search tool

2 December 2014 Last updated at 17:00 By Angus Crawford BBC News
CAID

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WATCH: Angus Crawford explains how the database will work

Data taken from tens of millions of child abuse photos and videos will shortly be used as part of a new police system to aid investigations into suspected paedophiles across the UK.

The obscene material was seized during previous operations.

The project, called the Child Abuse Image Database (Caid), will be launched by the Prime Minister at an internet safety event on Thursday 11 December.

But one expert warned its success depended on it being properly staffed.

Image Database
Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

It's horrendous at times, clicking through image after image"

End Quote Tom Simmons Former child protection officer

BBC News was given exclusive access to the database while it was under development.

It is intended to avoid offices duplicating each others' efforts when cataloguing identical copied images.

It was created by a team of coders working in a grey, concrete office block in central Gothenburg, Sweden.

They suggested the project would transform the way child abuse investigations were carried out in the UK.

"We're looking at 70, 80, up to 90% work load reduction," said Johann Hofmann, law enforcement liaison officer for Netclean, one of the companies involved.

"We're seeing investigations being reduced from months to days."

Two other tech firms - Hubstream and L-3 ASA - have also been involved in the effort, which is backed by a two-year, £720,000 contract.

Unidentified victims

Detectives in the UK often seize computers, mobile devices or USB memory sticks with hundreds of thousands of images on them.

At present, they have to go through the images manually one by one to categorise their severity and start a prosecution.

It can mean some material is never analysed, meaning new victims are not identified and cannot be rescued.

Recently, the children's charity NSPCC said it was gravely concerned about a lack of police forensic experts. It claimed that forces were seizing hundreds of computers each year, but didn't have the staff to examine all of them.

Mr Hofmann said the software would help automate more of the process.

"We want investigators to spend more time looking at the new material, instead of looking at the same images over and over again," he explained.

"Because we know that these images are typically traded and the same images appear in investigation after investigation."

Digital finger print

To help compare the images, Caid makes use of a unique signature assigned to each one - known as a hash value - the equivalent of a "digital fingerprint".

Detectives will be able to plug seized hard drives into the system so they can be scanned and their contents similarly encoded to see if the resulting signatures match.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

We have increased numbers of offenders... how the heck are we going to get sufficient officers?"

End Quote Sharon Girling OBE Child protection specialist

Other techniques, including object matching and visual similarity analysis, are also employed.

The system should be able to identify known images, classify the content, and flag up those never seen before within minutes.

In a demonstration seen by the BBC, a green flag was triggered by innocent images, while known images of abuse were flagged red.

Caid will also be able to use GPS data from photographs to pinpoint where they were taken.

"Local investigators can spend more time being more victim centred, trying to find new victims," said Mr Hofmann.

Detectives will also be able to upload new, unfamiliar images of child abuse to a central computer server so that colleagues elsewhere in the UK can help try and identify those involved.

Tom Simmons, a former senior child protection officer who also worked at the National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop), said the initiative should lessen pressure on officers by reducing the amount of material they have to see.

"It's horrendous at times, clicking through image after image," he said.

He says a lack of resources, the harrowing nature of the material, and the scale of the problem can cause burn out.

"There could be hundreds of thousands, even millions of images on that hard drive that the officer may have to go through," he said.

"You could be seeing children effectively being tortured - that does become very difficult sometimes to get those images out of your head."

'Fizzle out' risk

But some experts in the field have their doubts about Caid's potential.

A similar system, called Childbase, was launched in 2003 by Ceop and the Home Office.

It contained seven million images and used ground-breaking facial-recognition software.

It was rolled out to police forces across the UK, but in 2011 it was switched off.

Sharon Girling received an OBE for her work on the scheme. She believes it failed because of a lack of trained officers.

"We have increased numbers of offenders since 2011. How the heck are we going to get sufficient officers today?"

She fears that Caid may "fizzle out" unless it is properly resourced.

"Childbase ceased to exist because of a lack of resources, because there weren't sufficient officers."

"I can only see that happening again with Caid, as much as I don't want that to happen, I fear that it may well do".


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Kalashnikov rifle gets makeover

3 December 2014 Last updated at 02:38

The Russian manufacturer of the AK-47 assault rifle has unveiled a new look for its guns, as well as a new logo, at a glitzy event in Moscow.

The company is also branching out into fashion, launching a line of branded survival gear.

The firm, which relies heavily on the export market, is among the targets of Western sanctions imposed over Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict.

The Kalashnikov, or AK-47, is one of the world's most recognisable weapons.

The gun is relatively cheap as well as easy to manufacture and maintain, contributing to its popularity with guerrilla forces and national armies in Asia and Africa.

It is thought that more than 100 million Kalashnikov rifles have been sold worldwide. The inventor of the rifle, Soviet Lt-Gen Mikhail Kalashnikov, died last year.

At Tuesday's event in Moscow, the manufacturer - now known as Kalashnikov Concern - revealed a new logo featuring the letters K and C.

Women in tight black dresses wandered around holding AK-47 ammunition cartridges, while an orchestra played patriotic Russian classics, the Moscow Times reported.

According to the website of Russia Today, the manufacturer also has two new slogans - "Protecting Peace" in English, and "Weapons of Peace" in Russian.

The company says it sold 140,000 guns in 2014 - double the figure for the previous year.

Kalashnikov CEO Alexei Krivoruchko said the firm intended to modernise production with a view to making 300,000 weapons annually by 2020.

Western sanctions have reportedly stalled an order for some 200,000 rifles intended for sale in the US and Canada.

"The US market was very important for us," the Moscow Times quoted Mr Krivoruchko as saying.

The sanctions have also led to the cancellation of a marketing campaign featuring Hollywood action hero Steven Seagal, Agence France-Presse reports.


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Steam Broadcasting takes on Twitch

3 December 2014 Last updated at 15:20

Steam - the popular PC video gaming platform - is adding the ability to stream gameplay so that others can watch online.

The move presents a challenge to Twitch, which is built around a similar service, and was acquired by Amazon for $970m (£618m) in September.

Steam has more than 100 million active accounts, nearly double the 60 million visitors a month claimed by Twitch.

But one expert suggested Twitch was still likely to dominate the sector.

Privacy options

Steam is software provided by the US company Valve that allows people to buy, support development of, play and discuss titles created by thousands of video game publishers.

It has emerged as the most popular way to buy Windows PC games. It also offers Mac and Linux-based software.

Steam's new facility can be accessed three different ways:

  • via the Community section of its platform in a new sub-section called Broadcasts, which provides a list of games currently being played by random users
  • via the platform's Friends menu or from a specific friend's profiles, which allows a user to follow the action of people in their social circle
  • via an invitation sent by a friend who is already playing

Anyone playing a game via Valve's software can opt to let their progress be watched by others, and they are offered various privacy options that allow them to control who can activate a stream.

Broadcasters can provide voice-over commentary and text chat, but cannot appear in a superimposed webcam feed window as is common on Twitch, although they can show other computer desktop activity when not in-game.

Other restrictions include the fact that broadcasts cannot be saved to be watched back later, and that players have no obvious way to make money from their streams - two activities Twitch allows. However, Steam benefits from the fact that it does not require visitors to watch adverts before game streams begin.

"Valve has listened to what its customers have been asking for and has offered live broadcasting in its own way, which basically provides it with free marketing for the games sold on its platform," said Lewis Ward, a video games analyst from the IDC consultancy.

"Getting into the streams is very easy, and it seems it's done enough on the security side so if you don't want certain people to view your activity or are a parent who has concerns about your kids, there are ways to block it.

"So, it's done the core of what Twitch does but still lacks some aspects that make Twitch distinctive. And while I think it's a very interesting first step, I don't think it matches where Twitch is today."

The two companies are not alone in efforts to make gaming a spectator sport.

Google's YouTube is another major force, allowing players to stream and watch live gameplay as well as pre-recorded clips.

Hitbox.tv, Ustream and the in-development GamingLive.tv provide other alternatives.

But Mr Ward suggested that Steam Broadcasting should be able to co-exist alongside the dominant player.

"Twitch is platform-agnostic - it's kind of like Switzerland - and that neutrality means it can partner with lots of different companies," he said.

"It can focus on mobile and consoles as well as PCs - Twitch and Steam started allowing account linking over a year ago - so, I think it can take a broader view of gaming broadcast capabilities, which is where the market is going.

"And so long as Valve stays focused only on broadcasts of games played on its platform, then that's going to limit the potential growth of the new service."


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Driverless car UK test bases named

3 December 2014 Last updated at 15:52

The four English locations picked to test driverless cars have been named.

Greenwich, in south-east London, and Bristol will each host a project of their own, while Coventry and Milton Keynes will share a third.

The decision was announced by the quango Innovate UK, after George Osborne's Autumn Statement.

The chancellor also announced an additional £9m in funding for the work, adding to the £10m that had been announced in July.

The businesses involved will add further funds.

Bristol will host the Venturer consortium, which aims to investigate whether driverless cars can reduce congestion and make roads safer.

Its members include the insurance group Axa, and much of its focus will be on the public's reaction to the tech as well as the legal and insurance implications of its introduction.

Greenwich is set to run the Gateway scheme. This will be led by the Transport Research Laboratory consultancy and involve tests of automated shuttle vehicles, remote-controlled driving and the creation of a simulated 3D model of the area.

Milton Keynes and Coventry will host the UK Autodrive programme.

This involves Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and the engineering consultancy Arup among others, and will test both self-drive cars on the road as well as self-driving pods designed for pedestrianised areas.

Part of this group's work will be to develop the technologies that will need to be built into roads and the surrounding infrastructure to aid vehicle navigation.

"Our plan with the practical demonstration phases is to start testing with single vehicles on closed roads, and to build up to a point where all road users, as well as legislators, the police and insurance companies, are confident about how driverless pods and fully and partially autonomous cars can operate safely on UK roads," said Tim Armitage from Arup.

The tests will last from between 18 to 36 months and begin on 1 January.


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