Government will share personal data internally; Flash memory chases hard drives; Metcalfe's law under attack; Steve Jobs's secret Leopard; and much more

This week's print edition of the Technology supplement is online too..

• It's not always good to share
  A government plan for data sharing between public bodies threatens to further undermine civil liberties in the wake of the ID cards debacle, says Michael Cross.
• It's a struggle to get data out of councils
  Some local authorities are more than happy to put data online, while others need a bit of prodding with the FoI act, finds SA Mathieson.
• Metcalfe's law under attack as experts square up
  You're less valuable than you used to be - at least, when you join a network, say Jack Schofield and Charles Arthur.
• Flash memory ready to put hard drives in a spin
  Flash memory is getting cheaper all the time. Does this mean the end of the hard drive as we know it, asks George Cole?
• Scientists spin brand new skin
  Growing cells on scaffolds using polymer science could revolutionise the skin grafting process, reports Michael Pollitt.
• Welcome to the game of moral dilemma
  Gamesblog: Aleks Krotoski: Oh God," I thought, "what do I do if he looks up at me with his innocent 11-year-old eyes and says, 'Please miss, I'd like to buy your used PC version of the controversial 18+ title Grand Theft Auto. Here's my fiver.'"
• Games
  Yakuza | Darkstar One | Practical Intelligence Quotient
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• Newly Asked Questions:
  • What are those government videos doing on YouTube?
    Showing that the Central Office of Information is trying anything it can to get in touch with today's school-leavers.
  • What does online piracy really tell us?
    What people want, and in what form they want it.
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• Dump your iPod, the mobile's taking over
  Victor Keegan: Well, the war is finally over: and the mobile phone has emerged as the winner on two key fronts. For most buyers it will be the device of choice for playing music and taking photographs.
• Fear not, Steve, your secrets really aren't worth stealing
  Charles Arthur: One question has been bugging me for the past couple of weeks.
• Technobile
  Mat Smith: The Blackberry's buttons seem to be designed for people with the nimble fingers of a five-year-old
• Read this week's letters and blogs
  Send your letters, comments, questions and rants to tech@theguardian.com, and please include your address and post town.
• Newsbytes
  Wi-Fi doesn't fly | More music to go | Noise reduction for PC calls | Go ballistic | Oh the irony | Top subjects | SuSE ThinkPad | Milton Keynes leads
• Ask Jack
  Send your questions and comments to Jack.Schofield@theguardian.com. Published letters will be edited for brevity, but include full details with your query.
  

  Please visit our Ask Jack weblog for daily updates.