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EDUCAUSE | 1 May 2003 01:06

Edupage, April 30, 2003

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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2003
  States Oppose Federal Spam Legislation
  Virginia Makes Fraud-Based Spam a Felony
  Proposed Bounty for Spam Whistleblowers
  Bush Signs Tough Internet Porn Law
AND
  Music Swappers to Receive Warning from RIAA
  Federal Judge Rules in Favor of File-Sharing Services
  House Looks More Closely at E-Rate Program

STATES OPPOSE FEDERAL SPAM LEGISLATION
Attorneys general from 40 states and the District of Columbia have
raised objections to two recently proposed federal anti-spam laws. The
CAN-SPAM Act and the Reduction in Distribution of Spam Act, said the
states, would result in more spam, not less, because the federal
statutes would overrule state laws, many of which are already more
restrictive than the proposed federal laws. Twenty-seven states have
already enacted anti-spam legislation. Federal lawmakers argue that a
federal anti-spam law is needed to avoid the confusion and difficultly
in enforcing a patchwork of laws that vary from state to state. Robert
Wientzen, president of the Direct Marketing Association, which supports
the CAN-SPAM Act, said, "The Internet is not a place to make a states'
rights argument."
Washington Post, 30 April 2003
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EDUCAUSE | 3 May 2003 00:11

Edupage, May 02, 2003

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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MAY 02, 2003
  Government Tackles Internet-Auction Fraud
  Business Users Agree on Definition of Spam
AND
  Students and RIAA Settle Copyright Suits
  New Jersey School Bans File-Sharing
  Senate Supports Funding Bill for Minority-Serving Institutions
  Cadet Accused of Running Sex Club

GOVERNMENT TACKLES INTERNET-AUCTION FRAUD
The federal government, working with state and local law enforcement
officials, has been cracking down on Internet-auction fraud, which
accounted for 46 percent of complaints filed with the Internet Fraud
Complaint Center last year. Most fraud cases involve buyers paying for
goods that are never delivered, including computers, jewelry, and cars.
Some auction crooks have begun setting up bogus escrow services, which
act as a third party to a transaction, holding the money until goods
have been delivered. Other cases involve identity theft. Criminals
advertise goods for sale using stolen identities. When purchased goods
are not delivered, buyers only have contact information for someone
whose identity.
New York Times, 30 April 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/01/technology/01ONLI.html
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EDUCAUSE | 6 May 2003 00:42

Edupage, May 05, 2003

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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, MAY 05, 2003
  Music Industry Explores Fighting Piracy with Malicious Software
  Study Addresses Linux Desktop Myths
  Government Issues New Rules to Increase Security
  Strong Start for Apple Music Store
  No Rebound for IT Job Market

MUSIC INDUSTRY EXPLORES FIGHTING PIRACY WITH MALICIOUS SOFTWARE
Record companies are investigating a number of technological
countermeasures to music piracy, some of which may never be used
because they are illegal themselves. Record companies have already
deployed "spoof" files--files that masquerade as music files but don't
do anything when downloaded--onto peer-to-peer networks, but they have
not had much impact on piracy. New tactics include so-called Trojan
horse files, which simply redirect file traders to sites where they can
purchase music, and "freeze" files, which lock up a file trader's
computer for a specified period of time. Another kind of program,
called "silence," is designed to look through a file trader's hard
drive for copyrighted music and delete any such files it locates. All
five of the major record labels are reportedly involved in developing
counterpiracy measures. None would reveal specifics, but
representatives of several firms involved said all of the measures
eventually deployed will be legal.
New York Times, 4 May 2003 (registration req'd)
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EDUCAUSE | 7 May 2003 23:58

Edupage, May 07, 2003

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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 07, 2003
  Two Federal Agencies Defend Data-Mining Projects
  EarthLink to Implement Challenge-Response System
  House Subcommittee Votes to Restrict Online Gambling
  Experts Question Effectiveness of Eye Scanning
AND
  EDUCAUSE Releases Results of Current Issues Survey
  Iowa Considers Selling State-Owned Education Network

TWO FEDERAL AGENCIES DEFEND DATA-MINING PROJECTS
James Loy of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and
Anthony Tether of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
appeared before Congress and defended their agencies' separate
data-mining projects. The TSA's Computer Assisted Passenger
Prescreening System (CAPPS II) and DARPA's Total Information Awareness
(TIA) program have drawn criticism and concern from privacy advocates,
many Democratic members of Congress, and even some conservative groups.
Loy told Congress that CAPPS II will improve security at U.S. airports
and that his agency is working very hard to address the fears expressed
over the system's screening of passengers. Tether said TIA would not
collect vast amounts of data on citizens but would create scenarios for
terrorist attacks and try to match those scenarios with information in
public databases. TIA, said Tether, would not search for unknown
patterns, which would lead to many false positives, but would start
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EDUCAUSE | 9 May 2003 23:31

Edupage, May 09, 2003

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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MAY 09, 2003
  GOP Senators Drop Effort to Extend Patriot Act
  FISA Wiretaps Jump 30 Percent
  Spammer Fined, Barred from Sending Unsolicited E-Mail
  Owner of Web Sites Accused of Exploiting Do-Not-Call List
AND
  MIT Pulls Out of Media Lab Asia
  E-Rate Forum Raises the Call for Reform

GOP SENATORS DROP EFFORT TO EXTEND PATRIOT ACT
In a highly negotiated deal this week, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch withdrew a
proposal to make the expanded law-enforcement powers of the USA Patriot
Act permanent. Civil liberties groups, many Democrats, and a few
Republicans strongly opposed extending the surveillance powers, which
are scheduled to expire in 2005. Timothy Edgar of the American Civil
Liberties Union called the withdrawal a "major victory" and suggested
that many believe that "the government has already gone too far with
the Patriot Act." As part of the compromise not to extend the Patriot
Act, the Senate voted 90 to 4 supporting a bill that gives government
officials broader authority to obtain warrants for surveillance. Some
argue that such authority could have prevented the September 11
attacks. The Senate bill now moves to the House, where the level of
support is uncertain.
New York Times, 9 May 2003 (registration req'd)
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EDUCAUSE | 13 May 2003 01:02

Edupage, May 12, 2003

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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, MAY 12, 2003
  SEC Files Fraud Charges
  Bush Nominates 25 for PITAC
  Intel Discloses Flaw in Itanium 2
  Bluetooth Remains Obscure
  Study Shows Bright Future for Web Services

SEC FILES FRAUD CHARGES
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against K.
C. Smith in a U.S. District Court in Tennessee. Mr. Smith, a
20-year-old Kentucky resident, was charged with raising $102,554
through two fake Web sites and millions of spam e-mail messages between
May 2002 and February 2003. SEC regulators allege that Mr. Smith's Web
site for a fake company, Kryer Financial, offered double-digit monthly
returns. Mr. Smith also invented the United States Deposit Insurance
Corporation to insure Kryer Financial investments against loss, with a
Web site that featured the SEC's official seal. Mr. Smith allegedly
used the money he collected for living expenses and neither invested
nor insured it. Mr. Smith agreed to a settlement that requires him to
return $107,510 of gains and interest.
Wall Street Journal, 12 May 2003 (sub. req'd)
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105275277289057500,00.html

BUSH NOMINATES 25 FOR PITAC
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EDUCAUSE | 15 May 2003 00:49

Edupage, May 14, 2003

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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2003
  Bertelsmann Under Fire from Music Publishers, Universal
  Group Advocates for Blind-Friendly Web Sites
  New York Authorities Arrest Buffalo Spammer
AND
  RIAA Sends an Apology to Penn State
  Texas Expected to Establish Online Charter School
  Designing Ergonomically Safe Computer Labs for Students
  Students Propose New Defenses for Internet Attacks

BERTELSMANN UNDER FIRE FROM MUSIC PUBLISHERS, UNIVERSAL
Universal Music Group this week announced its intention to join a
lawsuit filed in February against Bertelsmann. The lawsuit, filed by
music publishers, alleges that Bertelsmann's investment in the
file-trading service Napster contributed to music piracy until it was
shut down in 2001. Universal has since filed a separate suit that the
company expects will be combined with the publishers' suit. A
statement from Universal accuses Bertelsmann of taking "control of the
Napster system to financially benefit itself at the expense of
Universal and its artists." The other major record labels, Warner
Music, Sony Music, and EMI, have not said whether they plan to join the
suit.
Reuters, 12 May 2003
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=2726643
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EDUCAUSE | 17 May 2003 00:15

Edupage, May 16, 2003

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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2003
  FCC Supports Spectrum Leasing
  Feds Continue to Fight Spam and Web Scams
  Cybersecurity Gets New Life at DHS
  British Debate Internet Snooping
  Movie Studios Take DVD Software Makers to Court
AND
  Students Object to Online Posting of Dissertations

FCC SUPPORTS SPECTRUM LEASING
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to allow owners of
radio spectrum to lease or trade parts of their spectrum, which some
believe will result in fewer "dead spots" for users of cell phones and
other wireless devices. Under the old rules, holders of spectrum
licenses were responsible for maintaining the viability of that
spectrum, including providing equipment and people to support it. The
FCC's new rule allows license holders to lease or trade portions of
their spectrum that are underused, turning responsibility for that
spectrum over to another organization. Many believe this creation of a
secondary spectrum market will lead to more efficient use of the
available spectrum and fuller, less-interrupted coverage for wireless
devices. Wireless carriers were pleased with the new rule, as were some
involved in financial markets who hope to profit from trading in the
new market. Only one FCC commissioner voted against the new rule.
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EDUCAUSE | 20 May 2003 00:29

Edupage, May 19, 2003

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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2003
  Study Predicts Slowing Adoption of Broadband
  Broadband Grants for Rural Areas
  Gateway Launches Recycling Program
  Chinese Man Sentenced for Online Postings
AND
  Site Helps Small Companies Find MBA Interns
  Pressplay Deal to Reincarnate Napster

STUDY PREDICTS SLOWING ADOPTION OF BROADBAND
A new study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project predicts
that, despite strong growth in recent years in the broadband market,
many users satisfied with current access will not upgrade to
broadband. An estimated 31 million U.S. households have high-speed
access, up 50 percent from a year ago, and a number of companies are
trying various approaches to encourage consumers to continue moving up
to broadband at a similar rate. The new study, however, indicates that
a large percentage of dial-up users are content to continue with their
existing service. Pew analyst John B. Horrigan said the good news is
that 13 percent of current dial-up users are ready to upgrade, but, he
said, the bad news is that "the pool of dial-up users most primed to
migrate to broadband ... is shrinking."
NewsFactor Network, 19 May 2003
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21537.html
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EDUCAUSE | 22 May 2003 00:04

Edupage, May 21, 2003

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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2003
  Pentagon Tries to Calm Fears about Data-Mining Program
  DHS Still Not Sharing Well
  E-Mail Advertiser Calls for Anti-Spam Legislation
  New Chips from Intel
AND
  Academic Support for Verizon
  Web Group Accepts Patent Policy

PENTAGON TRIES TO CALM FEARS ABOUT DATA-MINING PROGRAM
This week the Pentagon continued recent efforts to address negative
public reaction to its data-mining project. The Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency, which oversees the project, submitted a
report to Congress about some of the details of the project, which the
report said remains in very early stages of development. According to
the report, "safeguarding the privacy and civil liberties of Americans
is a bedrock principle." The report also pointed out that the
project's name has been changed from Total Information Awareness to
Terrorism Information Awareness. Opponents generally were not swayed by
the report. Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said, "After
more than a hundred pages, you don't know anything more about whether
TIA will work or whether your civil liberties will be safe against it."
Lori Waters of the Eagle Forum, a conservative political organization,
said the TIA is based on the idea that "anybody is guilty until proven
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