ICANN goes global, Xerox to offer more services

Independent business service companies have become a rare breed after Monday's news that Xerox is buying Affiliated Computer Services. Xerox follows Dell and Hewlett-Packard, fellow hardware companies that see revenue in selling machines as well as services. In Internet news, a more diverse management body will run the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), ending the U.S. government's close oversight of the organization. Finally, two of Microsoft's latest software products, Windows 7 and a rudimentary version of its online collaboration applications, are reviewed.

1. Xerox will buy business process outsourcer ACS for $6.4B: Another business process service provider became linked to a hardware company this week after Xerox purchased Affiliated Computer Services. Xerox, known for its photocopiers, sees the merger as a way to expand beyond its traditional document-management business. Xerox executives see the buy as a way to expand business since the companies do not have many overlapping clients. Mergers between hardware and service companies are popular: Last week Dell announced it would buy Perot Systems.

2. ICANN freed from US gov't oversight: The U.S. government will play a less dominant role in managing ICANN. Under a new agreement announced Wednesday, a committee comprised of ICANN officials, experts and the U.S. government will review ICANN's performance every three years, replacing the model of the U.S. Department of Commerce overseeing ICANN. The measure earned praise from critics, like the European Union, which believed that the U.S. government wielded too much influence over the organization.

3. Facebook warns members about rise in '419' scam: An increase in money extortion scams on Facebook prompted the Internet company to issue a security warning to users on Tuesday. In these frauds, called 419 scams, criminals use phishing techniques to obtain Facebook users' log-in details, hijack their profiles and send their friends messages asking for money. The fake message usually claims that the person is stranded and broke abroad and asks that money be wired to them. Facebook, a prime fraud target with more than 300 million members, said that while the scam attempts have increased, the number of affected users is low.

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