Wipro CEO: We want to grow better than anybody else

For investors looking for sustained growth at Wipro, the March quarter turned out to be a disappointment. Growth continued to be slow and the outlook uninspiring, as it has been for most part of 2012-13. CEO TK Kurien, however, expects sales to improve in the second half of current financial year. The March quarter was hurt by unfavourable currency movements and clients not spending on technology projects as anticipated, he told N Shivapriya in an interview.

Everybody has been expecting growth to pick up but it did not meet expectations...
We have managed to meet our guidance. On a constant currency basis, our numbers are above the bottom end of our guidance range. We expected to see discretionary spend come back in the first month of the quarter but we haven't seen it till the quarter end--that has been a big miss. But the positives are that in segments like manufacturing, energy and utilities we have started doing very well. Today we have moved up from number 12 to number 3 in the world in energy and utilities. When we started healthcare two years ago, we were only working with two of the top 10 pharmaceutical clients. Now we work with all top 10. In some segments like banking we are challenged because of historical reasons. Some of our competitors have added $500 million over the last year in financial services, while we are around one eighth of that.

So what are your plans for financial services?
We don't have many customers in the banking side; we are more overweight on investment banking . If investment banking had grown we would have grown massively .

Where do you stand in the journey of change you undertook?
There is value on one side, and scale and efficiency on the other. On the efficiency side, we continue to be leaders in the infrastructure business, though we don't make a noise about it. We believe a non-linear play is extremely critical for us, so we have been selective about the kind of business we go after in that segment. On the value side, we have invested heavily in social, mobile, analytics and cloud. Next year, we will be disappointed if we don't grow by at least 50%-60 % in this segment.

But deal sizes in this segment are small.
Deal sizes are smaller, but today budgets are moving out of the CIO's office. People who spend money on this segment typically are chief marketing officers, chief operating officers and chief financial officers. So that gives you a different buyer you need to address . If you don't , you can have short-term bouts of growth but in long term you will suffer.

What is the mix of value business and scale and efficiency business and how is that changing through the quarters?
The proportion between the two is shifting significantly. We are moving on the other side of the business or the value side. The annuity part of the business has moved up significantly in the last few quarters as a proportion of revenues. Volumes have gone up and we are applying hyperautomation and analytics to understand customer issues.

Growth is not kicking in and it's been almost been two years since you took over as CEO. Have you exhausted the organic growth possibility?
Growth anyway should return at some point. But for us it is about whether we can get growth that is better than anybody else. That's really the endeavour.

Do you have any plans for inorganic growth in Europe?
We have been one of the early movers in Europe -- we invested in a company that had intellectual property around mobile technology . But going forward, we would look at more broad-based and industry-focussed companies for acquisitions. Ultimately, you are buying a company for client relationships, local strength and front-end . It is easy to provide scale from India.

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'Online detectives' flourish in Boston manhunt

SEATTLE: The hunt for the bombers behind the deadly Boston Marathon attacks didn't take place only on the streets with professional police officers and SWAT teams. In an era of digital interactivity, it also unfolded around the country from the desks of ordinary people.

Fueled by Twitter, online forums like Reddit and 4Chan, smartphones and relays of police scanners, thousands of people played armchair detective as police searched for men who turned out to be suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, ethnic Chechen brothers who had immigrated from southern Russia years ago.

But as amateur online sleuths began identifying possible culprits, people were wrongly accused or placed under suspicion by crowdsourcing. It showed the damage that digital investigators can cause and raised a question: In the social-media generation, what does law enforcement unleash when, by implication, it deputizes the public for help?

"The FBI kind of opened the door,'' said Hanson R. Hosein, director of the University of Washington Master of Communication in Digital Media program. "It was almost like it was put up as challenge to them, and they rose to it. ... They can be either really helpful or mob rule.''

The bombings have been the highest-profile case in which the public has joined an active investigation, using ever-evolving crowd-sourcing tools, showing the pitfalls and benefits of new technology. It's certainly not vigilantism, but it's not standard policing, either. It's perhaps something new - the law-enforcement equivalent of citizen journalism.

Reddit users began piecing together clues in the pictures and videos. They pointed out men who were wearing backpacks standing in the crowd. They looked at the straps of backpacks to compare with the one thought to have carried the bomb. They analyzed the bombs' blasts and people's gazes. In one particular photo thread, posted on imgur.com shortly after the bombing, a user attempted to pinpoint exactly where the bomb was placed.

Eventually, efforts and pictures posted in the sub-section dubbed "r/findbostonbombers'' and elsewhere on Reddit were picked up by news organizations, giving it greater exposure.

Another wave of detective work happened after the FBI released pictures and videos of the Tsarnaev brothers and as initial reports of a shooting at Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Thursday night. While listening to the police scanner, Reddit and Twitter users thought they had heard the name of a Brown University student missing since March, and one user posted a news story about his disappearance.

That assumption proved wrong - and there was a cost.

The missing student's family, besieged with ugly comments, temporarily took down a Facebook page asking for help finding him. A few hours later, the online detectives said sorry - in the words of one moderator, for "any part we may have had in relaying what has turned out to be faulty information.'' Several Reddit users who posted on r/findbostonbombers did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

President Barack Obama seemed to acknowledge this Friday night, speaking after the second suspect was captured. "In this age of instant reporting, tweets and blogs, there's a temptation to latch on to any bit of information, sometimes to jump to conclusions,'' Obama said. "But when a tragedy like this happens, with public safety at risk and the stakes so high, it's important we do this right.''

The rush to informal sleuthing began Monday soon after the smoke clear as pictures and videos from the marathon began to circulate on the Internet. Salah Eddin Barhoum, a 17-year-old track star who was a spectator at Monday's race, had his picture posted all over the Internet and ended up on the cover of the New York Post. He told The Associated Press that he is now afraid to leave his house.

Some of the amateur police work didn't sit well with the professionals. Boston's police department, for example, has a very active Twitter account with more than 220,000 followers, but the onslaught of misinformation proved to be too much. At one point, Boston police asked people to stop tweeting information from their scanner traffic.

While Reddit and 4Chan have been around for several years, their prominence has grown of late. More and more news organizations have learned to use them to mine information. For Hosein, sub-sections on Reddit have become something like local newspapers, except it's the users providing the content.

"Citizens think they almost have an obligation to rise up to do the work,'' he said.

Hosein says that the FBI's call for help was no different than a "Wanted: Dead or Alive'' poster from the 1800's - albeit with much more amplification and distribution. But he feels that after this week's saga, people will eventually learn to exercise caution.

"There's a sense that we're learning collectively quickly, that we actually have to take on some of the sourcing rules that journalists have had in the past,'' Hosein said. "I've seen more restraint like, 'Wait guys, hold on, there's gotta be more confirmation.' I know we're learning. I don't think it's going to be repeated.''

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Hacker targeting online gaming companies: Kaspersky

PUNE: Kaspersky Lab's team of experts recently published a detailed research report that analyzes a sustained cyberespionage campaign conducted by the cybercriminal organization known as 'Winnti'.

According to Kaspersky Lab's report, the Winnti group has been attacking companies in the online gaming industry since 2009 and is currently still active. The group's objectives are stealing digital certificates signed by legitimate software vendors in addition to intellectual property theft, including the source code of online game projects.

A statement issued by the lab said that the first incident that drew attention to the Winnti group's malicious activities occurred in the autumn of 2011, when a malicious Trojan was detected on a large number of end-user computers across the globe. "The clear link between all of the infected computers is that they were used to play a popular online game. Shortly after the incident, details emerged that the malicious programme which had infected the users' computers was part of a regular update from the gaming company's official server. Infected users and members of the gaming community suspected the computer game publisher was installing the malware to spy on its customers. However, it later became clear that the malicious programme was installed on the players' computers by accident, and that the cybercriminals were actually targeting the computer game company itself," the release said.

Kaspersky Lab's experts began analyzing the Winnti group's campaign and found that more than 30 companies in the online gaming industry had been infected by the Winnti group, with the majority being software development companies producing online video games in South East Asia.

Currently the Winnti group is still active and Kaspersky Lab's investigation is ongoing. The company's team of experts has been working with the IT security community, online gaming industry and certificate authorities to identify additional infected servers while assisting with the revocation of stolen digital certificates.

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FM raises concern over H-1B visa issue

WASHINGTON: Flagging concerns of Indian companies on the H-1B visa issue in the latest US immigration bill, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told his American counterpart Jack Lew that temporary relocation of knowledge workers should not be confused with immigration.

"There are some provisions related to the H-1B and L-1 visas, which require a higher visa application fee, if certain threshold is crossed in employing Indians on site. I did flag it in my meeting with Secretary Lew. Just made the point that temporary relocation of knowledge workers should not be confused with immigration," Chidambaram told a select group of journalists here.

Noting that the bill is of immigration, Chidambaram said that temporary relocation of knowledge workers on site to service a client should not be confused with immigration.

"I hope the point is taken," he said in response to a question on his meeting with Lew.

During his meeting with Lew, Chidambaram said the two discussed a range of bilateral issues of mutual interests. They also discussed the possible dates for the next India-US Economic Dialogue.

Chidambaram proposed that the next India-US Economic Dialogue be held in July along with the CEO Forum meeting in Washington on July 11 and 12. The US has not confirmed the dates yet.

"We generally exchanged views on matters of mutual interest," he told reporters during a news conference.

Responding to questions, the Finance Minister said the growth of Japan is good for India.

Chidambaram is currently in Washington to attend the annual spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. During his trip, he also held road shows in Toronto, Boston and New York to attract foreign investors to India.

"Message is that we are committed to key issues like fiscal consolidation, containing inflation, improving the supply side, project implementation, independent regulators for critical sectors. It is always useful to talk to foreign investors," he said.

From the CEOs, he said, he heard, slowness of decision making, obstacles to implementing projects, some ambiguity in tax laws and some ambiguities in policies.

"I think, everybody recognises that India is an attractive market. Everybody recognises that India is a market in which you can do business and make reasonable profit," he said.

"There are some drawbacks in our system, which we need to fix," he added.

The Finance Minister said the potential growth rate of the country is eight per cent. He exuded confidence that India would soon achieve its potential growth rate.

Meanwhile, speaking at the at the Peterson Institute, the Finance Minister, said that in the long run it is in the interest of India to negotiate a FTA with the US.

"In the long run, I believe, it is in the interest of India to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US," Chidambaram said.

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Amazon posts 14 pilots TV shows on internet

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon.com's experiment with original video production took a big step forward as the company posted 14 pilot TV shows on the internet for free viewing.

Amazon, the world's largest internet retailer, has been filming pilots in recent months for comedy and kids TV shows such as Alpha House, Betas and Teeny Tiny Dogs.

The company posted them all on the Amazon Instant Video section of its website to get feedback on which shows viewers like best. The pilots can also be watched on Amazon Instant Video apps through other web-connected devices like Roku, Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Wii.

Based on viewers' reactions and reviews, the Amazon Studios production company will decide which projects to make into full TV series to be shown on Prime Instant Video, Amazon's subscription-based online video service.

Amazon and other technology companies are trying to transform Hollywood by delivering TV shows and movies over the Internet, rather than through traditional channels such as cable and satellite services.

Like Netflix, Amazon has decided that it must move beyond being a distributor of others' shows to producing quality programming of its own.

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Google rivals miffed as EU plays safe in antitrust case

BRUSSELS: What's the best way to deal with a complex legal case that threatens to drag on for years while leaving a dominant player unchecked in an economically important market?

For EU antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia, the answer in the case of Google was clear. Not the long and winding road of formal charges and a potential fine for the world's most popular search engine, but the quicker route of a settlement.

Google formally submitted its concessions to the European Commission last week, aiming to end the 30-month long case. The regulators said they would "market test" the proposals soon, indicating they were content with the offer.

While the Commission, the EU's competition authority, and the US company may be happy with the result, some of Google's rivals are not so convinced.

They see it as a missed opportunity by regulators to tackle what they regard as a dominant player determined to crush smaller rivals and thwart any chances they have to grow.

For his part, Almunia defends the approach he has taken, which was designed to secure a resolution of the case without having to prove guilt and adjudicate a fine.

In that way, consumers benefit more quickly from the resolution, rather than having to wait for years as in past EU cases against Microsoft and Intel.

"We... prefer to conclude cases swiftly when this brings the most benefits to the markets. In certain industries - such as high-tech and fast-moving markets - it is important that competition is restored quickly and effectively," the EU commissioner said earlier this month.

Almunia had been concerned that Google may have broken the rules by promoting its services over those of rivals, copying competitors' travel and restaurant reviews without permission and restricting advertisers from moving to competing services.

In trying to settle the case, the EU competition commissioner has a point, given the length of earlier proceedings against Microsoft and Intel, said Nicolas Petit, law professor at the University of Liege in Belgium.

"The first Microsoft case took six years and even then the remedies were only applicable two years later. The Intel case took nine years from when the complaints were filed to the prohibition decision," he said.

Not clear cut
Given the complexity of the EU case and the fact that US regulators found no wrongdoing in their own investigation of Google's core search business, Almunia is just being pragmatic, said EdmonOudeElferink at law firm CMS Derks Star Busmann.

"From the legal and strategic point of view, it's the thing to do. If a case is not clear-cut, going for a hardline approach is risky. The risk of losing face is very serious," he said, referring to the Commission's settlement procedure.

"Article 9 is a comfortable road. The Commission can claim that it has dealt with the case without running too many risks."

But for lobbying group and Google complainant ICOMP, which counts Microsoft and four other rivals among its members, such arguments hold little water.

"The complaints started to be made five years ago. Almunia should have issued a statement of objections two years ago," said ICOMP lawyer David Wood, referring to the documents spelling out the regulator's concerns.

"There is no reason to think why an Article 9 would not be more effective and quicker than an Article 7, even now." Article 7 decisions allow EU regulators to ban anti-competitive behaviour and levy fines - as opposed to Article 9, under which companies can offer concessions to end an antitrust probe without any finding of wrongdoing.

Critics may still demand a more extensive investigation into Google and time may not be on Almunia's side.

"The Commissioner's mandate expires somewhere in the fall of 2014. Under an Article 7 procedure, he might no longer (be)... in office to sign the prohibition decision," Petit said. "In short, to put the Google case on his hunt list, Almunia needed a settlement."

There are, however, drawbacks. Some say Almunia's eagerness to wrap up the case could eventually undermine antitrust law enforcement and also leave companies in the dark.

"From an antitrust policy perspective, it creates legal uncertainty, as the legal principles... are not clear, neither for the parties, not for third parties," said Anne Vallery, a partner at law firm VVGB in Brussels.

Still, there are more ways than one to go after technological companies suspected of flouting rules and blocking competition, said Albert Foer, head of the American Antitrust Institute think-tank.

"What is important to remember is that governments retain many tools (for example, procurement policies and privacy protection policies) with which they will be able to nudge, not only Google but the whole internet industry, in ways that appear to make sense even as the industry changes," Foer said.

"We need to be thinking about additional ways to maintain competition in the field of search. A long perspective is needed."

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Google rivals unhappy with EU play safe act

BRUSSELS: What's the best way to deal with a complex legal case that threatens to drag on for years while leaving a dominant player unchecked in an economically important market?

For EU antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia, the answer in the case of Google was clear. Not the long and winding road of formal charges and a potential fine for the world's most popular search engine, but the quicker route of a settlement.

Google formally submitted its concessions to the European Commission last week, aiming to end the 30-month long case. The regulators said they would "market test" the proposals soon, indicating they were content with the offer.

While the Commission, the EU's competition authority, and the US company may be happy with the result, some of Google's rivals are not so convinced.

They see it as a missed opportunity by regulators to tackle what they regard as a dominant player determined to crush smaller rivals and thwart any chances they have to grow.

For his part, Almunia defends the approach he has taken, which was designed to secure a resolution of the case without having to prove guilt and adjudicate a fine.

In that way, consumers benefit more quickly from the resolution, rather than having to wait for years as in past EU cases against Microsoft and Intel.

"We... prefer to conclude cases swiftly when this brings the most benefits to the markets. In certain industries - such as high-tech and fast-moving markets - it is important that competition is restored quickly and effectively," the EU commissioner said earlier this month.

Almunia had been concerned that Google may have broken the rules by promoting its services over those of rivals, copying competitors' travel and restaurant reviews without permission and restricting advertisers from moving to competing services.

In trying to settle the case, the EU competition commissioner has a point, given the length of earlier proceedings against Microsoft and Intel, said Nicolas Petit, law professor at the University of Liege in Belgium.

"The first Microsoft case took six years and even then the remedies were only applicable two years later. The Intel case took nine years from when the complaints were filed to the prohibition decision," he said.

Not clear cut
Given the complexity of the EU case and the fact that US regulators found no wrongdoing in their own investigation of Google's core search business, Almunia is just being pragmatic, said EdmonOudeElferink at law firm CMS Derks Star Busmann.

"From the legal and strategic point of view, it's the thing to do. If a case is not clear-cut, going for a hardline approach is risky. The risk of losing face is very serious," he said, referring to the Commission's settlement procedure.

"Article 9 is a comfortable road. The Commission can claim that it has dealt with the case without running too many risks."

But for lobbying group and Google complainant ICOMP, which counts Microsoft and four other rivals among its members, such arguments hold little water.

"The complaints started to be made five years ago. Almunia should have issued a statement of objections two years ago," said ICOMP lawyer David Wood, referring to the documents spelling out the regulator's concerns.

"There is no reason to think why an Article 9 would not be more effective and quicker than an Article 7, even now." Article 7 decisions allow EU regulators to ban anti-competitive behaviour and levy fines - as opposed to Article 9, under which companies can offer concessions to end an antitrust probe without any finding of wrongdoing.

Critics may still demand a more extensive investigation into Google and time may not be on Almunia's side.

"The Commissioner's mandate expires somewhere in the fall of 2014. Under an Article 7 procedure, he might no longer (be)... in office to sign the prohibition decision," Petit said. "In short, to put the Google case on his hunt list, Almunia needed a settlement."

There are, however, drawbacks. Some say Almunia's eagerness to wrap up the case could eventually undermine antitrust law enforcement and also leave companies in the dark.

"From an antitrust policy perspective, it creates legal uncertainty, as the legal principles... are not clear, neither for the parties, not for third parties," said Anne Vallery, a partner at law firm VVGB in Brussels.

Still, there are more ways than one to go after technological companies suspected of flouting rules and blocking competition, said Albert Foer, head of the American Antitrust Institute think-tank.

"What is important to remember is that governments retain many tools (for example, procurement policies and privacy protection policies) with which they will be able to nudge, not only Google but the whole internet industry, in ways that appear to make sense even as the industry changes," Foer said.

"We need to be thinking about additional ways to maintain competition in the field of search. A long perspective is needed."

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Google bans ads from Glass

WASHINGTON: Google has clearly told applications developers that they cannot serve ads to its Google Glass users, or even sell user data for advertising purposes.

On Monday, Google released its Google Mirror API, which lets third-party developers begin building applications for the smart glasses.

The internet search giant announced that developers may not serve or include any advertisements in API Client, Mashable reports.

Google also notes that developers cannot charge users for apps, raising questions about how developers will be able to monetise their services on the platform.

The firm also has stressed in the past that it has no plans to place ads on Google Glass.

A Google representative said the company is more interested in making the hardware available.

According to the report, the news of Google's new API and advertising restrictions comes as Google Glass is about to ship to developers and early adopters who won a contest last month.

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'Most people don't want to befriend boss on Facebook'

WASHINGTON: At least 81 per cent people believe that there is one person you should never be friends with on Facebook - your boss - according to a new survey.

The survey of 722 people conducted by two websites found that 81 per cent said you should not be Facebook friends with your boss.

Slightly more men than women said it was alright to friend your boss, the survey site SodaHead and anonymous feedback site YouTell found.

Those aged between 25 to 34 were the most comfortable with befriending their boss on the social networking site, 'Huffington Post' reported.

While there seemed to be a consensus on not befriending the boss on Facebook, people were less sure when it came to being friends with colleagues on the site.

In a parallel survey that asked whether or not you should be Facebook friends with your co-workers, 55 per cent said yes and 45 per cent said no.

Employees probably don't want bosses to see embarrassing information about them, and don't want to have to censor Facebook photos from their wild college days.

The fears may not be totally unfounded as people have been fired for Facebook posts.

In 2009, a Swiss woman was fired from her insurance job because she had told her boss that she couldn't work at her computer and needed to lie down in the dark. She was fired when she was seen to be active on Facebook.

In 2010, a woman was fired from her waitressing job after complaining about a pair of customers on her Facebook page.

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Security flaw affecting 120,000 free Android apps revealed

WASHINGTON: A flaw in commonly used applications on Android smartphones such as texting, messaging or microblogging could spread private information or allow forged fraudulent messages to be posted, a recent study has revealed.

University of California graduate student Dennis (Liang) Xu has identified security flaws in about 1,20,000 free apps in Android smartphones, which has about a half-billion users worldwide.

The flaws start to appear just when the victim downloads a piece of malicious code onto their phone which could be hidden in a useful app, or attached to a 'phishing' e-mail or web link, that could harm the vulnerable programmes by invading them. Xu said that the vulnerability results from the developer's error of leaving private codes public.

Xu has found that it is possible for an attacker to access and read personal information, including even 'private' messages from one of the popular text-messaging app, Handcent SMS that allows users to place some text messages in a private, password-protected inbox.

Weibo is a hugely popular microblog service described as the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. But, according to Xu and the researchers, it is possible for the malicious code to forge and post fraudulent messages.

The professor of computer science at the university Zhendong Su has said that his team has notified the app developers of the problems, but has not yet received a response.

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