Microsoft's Ballmer talks maps, security at public safety summit |
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Microsoft's Ballmer talks maps, security at public safety summit
Apple's Steve Jobs may be getting most of the tech headlines this morning (and we'll have more on Apple's tablet announcement as details emerge) but Microsoft's Steve Ballmer was the hot ticket for the world's law enforcement agencies -- drawing an overflow crowd of police and public officials from around the world as part of the company's Worldwide Public Safety Symposium in Redmond.
Ballmer talked generally about the importance of online security, but missed an opportunity to address the complex international legal and policy issues raised by cyberattacks such as the one that prompted Google to say it would stop censoring its search results in China, at risk of being forced out of the country. Ballmer and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates have distanced themselves from Google on that topic.
Even so, the biggest topic of the morning was cloud computing, and information-sharing by law enforcement agencies. Microsoft announced plans for a cloud-based version of its Child Exploitation Tracking System, which traces its roots to a message that a Toronto Police Service detective sent to Bill Gates, asking for Microsoft's help coordinating information among agencies.
In response to an audience question, Ballmer noted that "private clouds" are likely to be in high demand from local governments and law enforcements in cases where politics increase the importance of having information contained within specific geography.
Ballmer also talked about the role of mapping and other technologies in response to the disaster in Haiti, pointing to the company's efforts including work by its researchers to accelerate machine translation technology for the Haitian Creole language. Speaking about mapping in general, Ballmer said 3D technologies will be important as the company tries to make Bing Maps a better simulation of the physical world.
In response to a question from King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, Ballmer said consumer adoption of cutting-edge technology will help increase its acceptance among law enforcement agencies and other organizations, overcoming cultural issues.
Ballmer's best line of the morning was about Microsoft's $9 billion-plus research-and-development budget: "That’s a number I’m never sure if I should be bragging about or apologizing for," he said.
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