WHERE DANGER LURKS Spam, complexity, and piracy could hinder tech's recovery

Whether technology regains its momentum depends, in large part, on how the industry tackles thorny problems such as spam, complexity, security, and privacy. Spam accounts for 50% of Internet traffic. It not only clogs everyone's in-box but also slows down the Net and jams servers around the globe. There are plenty of solutions, from new legislation to outlaw false headers on e-mail messages to spam-blocking technologies that send junk mail straight into the trash. Last year, according to the FBI, reports of Internet fraud tripled. To create systems safe enough to host much of the world's economy, tech companies must build in bullet-proof security from the get-go - and convince the public to lock their computers as firmly as they bolt their front doors. For digital entertainment to flourish, the tech industry must respond to Hollywood's fears of piracy.