Yahoo!Tech reports that “

[a] Bahraini crackdown on websites the government deems indecent or socially explosive has triggered calls for reforms by rights activists and bloggers, who say the ban tarnishes the kingdom's reputation for openness.  ‘Instead of tackling the social issues people discuss online, the government blocks websites. But that does not change the reality,’ said Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.”

The New York Times writes that, according to Click Forensics (a firm that analyzes traffic on behalf of advertisers and ad networks), “[i]n the last quarter, an estimated 17.1 percent of all clicks on Internet advertisements were fraudulently generated.  Web sites practice “click fraud” by running Internet ads, soliciting clicks, receiving payments from advertisers for the clicks, and then kicking some money back to the clickers. About a third of the clicking is done by botnets, enormous networks of personal computers that are harnessed and controlled using viruses.”

BusinessWeek has an article on the H-1B visa provisions of TARP, commenting that the provisions are“another attempt at requiring companies to ‘Buy American”’ – but in this case, not American iron or steel, but American workers.  The U.S. Senate voted on Feb. 6 to put stricter limits on banks and other recipients of taxpayer money through the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, that want to hire high-skilled workers from overseas under the H-1B visa program. The Senate approved the measure – introduced by Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Bernie Sanders (Independent-Vermont) – by voice vote as an amendment [to] the economic stimulus package President Barack Obama is urging the Senate to pass.”

BusinessWeek also has an interesting article on how Software vendors are competing for shrinking IT budgets by touting products that can save energy, save money, and save the environment

FT.com reveals that “[v]enture capital investment in UK and Irish technology companies in 2008 hit the highest level since the dotcom boom ended in 2001, apparently shrugging off the pressures of the economic downturn.  Ascendant, an adviser to smaller companies looking to raise money, has calculated that just over £1bn was invested in the sector last year – up 15 per cent on 2007 – in 253 deals, compared with 242 deals in 2007.  But the reasons behind the volume of investment are sparking scepticism about the prospects for this year. Many of last year’s fundraisings were follow-on financing rounds for companies in which VCs had already invested.  With little chance for VCs to exit their investments via flotations on London’s dried-up junior Aim market, many felt obliged to top up their commitments. The scant availability of bank funding amid the credit crunch compounded the situation for many VC companies.”