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Tech Report: Skype Disrupted During Login Glitch

(KCBS) – Skype has released a new version of its program after some users were unable to sign in.

KCBS Technology analyst Larry Magid said it was a short-lived problem. The company provided manual instructions for people to fix it and did updates. Magid said it brings up a larger issue of what people do when a phone system goes down.

KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid:

About 170 million people worldwide use Skype regularly for calls. Magid said this means that if the lines go down for even a minute and people are relying on it, it's a major disruption.

Other utilities are overseen by regulatory agencies, but Skype doesn't have that.

Magid said he believes people should have an alternative method of making calls.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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