Cash-strapped universities' switch to Google Apps stokes post-Snowden privacy fears

By Federico Guerrini. It's no secret that Italy's universities are short of money. Between 2009 and today, their funding from the Ministry of Education fell by €1bn (a 20 percent drop over the five years), leading to a widening gulf in Italy's investment levels and those of its European counterparts. According to a recent report by the country's education watchdog the Anvur, Italy invests 0.52 percent of its GDP into academic research every year, compared with an average of 0.70 percent in OECD countries — which means it's spending roughly €3bn less than it should be. More...