EDUPAGE> Edupage, October 03, 2003
- From: Gleason Sackmann <gleason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: K12Newsletters <k12newsletters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 09:10:41 -0500
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K12NewsLetters - From Educational CyberPlayGround
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From: EDUCAUSE@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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Sent: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 16:08:49 -0600
Subject: Edupage, October 03, 2003
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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2003
Automated Tool Enforces Student P2P Restrictions
Stiffer Penalties for Hackers
Coleman to Push for Lower Copyright-Infringement Fines
P2P Companies Risk Big Lawsuits, Says Hatch
AUTOMATED TOOL ENFORCES STUDENT P2P RESTRICTIONS
A program at the University of Florida (UF) aims to enforce P2P
restrictions on the school's network while educating students about
copyright law. UF developed an open-source tool called Icarus
(Integrated Computer Application for Recognizing User Services) that
monitors network traffic. Students are required to read about P2P
technology when they initially register to use the network. At that
time, Icarus scans the student's computer for applications that would
allow the machine to be used for sharing files or acting as a server,
which is prohibited by university policy. After that, if Icarus detects
that a computer is sharing files, network access is cut off for 30
minutes, an e-mail is sent, and a pop-up warning is issued to the
computer. On second offense, network access is disabled for five days;
a third offense cuts off access indefinitely and sends the case to the
university's judicial process. According to university officials, the
program has led to a steep decline in the amount of P2P traffic on the
network. Despite some frustration, students seem generally to
understand the rationale for the program and the risks of violating
copyright law, officials said. Critics note that such an application
will restrict legitimate uses of P2P technology in addition to
copyright violation, and some students claim to have found loopholes in
the system.
Wired News, 3 October 2003
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,60613,00.html
STIFFER PENALTIES FOR HACKERS
Beginning in November, new guidelines issued by the U.S. Sentencing
Commission allow for increased penalties for those convicted in federal
court for crimes involving computers. Hackers who steal personal data
or e-mail accounts, for example, can have their sentences increased by
25 percent, while those found to have written worms and viruses are
eligible for 50 percent increases in sentences. In addition, the new
rules allow damage assessments for computer crimes to include such
costs as lost revenue and those for restoring networks and patching
systems. Formerly, plaintiffs had to identify $5,000 in actual losses.
Officials from the Justice Department said the new penalty guidelines
raise sentences to be "commensurate with the harm that these hacking
cases have caused to real victims." Critics of the guidelines said they
could prompt prosecutors to try to connect crimes to computer use in an
effort to win longer sentences. Convicted hacker Kevin Mitnick, who
spent nearly six years in prison, doubted that the stiffer penalties
will have an effect on the number of computer crimes.
Washington Post, 2 October 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35261-2003Oct2.html
COLEMAN TO PUSH FOR LOWER COPYRIGHT-INFRINGEMENT FINES
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) said this week he intends to introduce
legislation that will lower the fines for those found guilty of sharing
copyrighted music files. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA), violators face fines of between $750 and $150,000 per song.
Coleman, who earlier this week chaired a hearing on the issue of file
sharing and recording industry efforts to curb the practice, said the
range of fines is unreasonable. Facing the prospect of having to pay
$150,000 for each copyrighted song, he said, "forces people to settle
when they may want to fight." Coleman also took issue with the DMCA
subpoena provision, which allows copyright owners to obtain identities
of suspected infringers without approval of a judge. Coleman voiced an
opinion shared by many in the P2P community that there should be some
level of judicial review for the subpoenas. A spokesman for the
Recording Industry Association of America, which supports the DMCA as
it stands today, said, "Given the scope of today's piracy epidemic, we
must not weaken the hand of copyright holders."
San Jose Mercury News, 2 October 2003
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6918373.htm
P2P COMPANIES RISK BIG LAWSUITS, SAYS HATCH
Comparing the situation in which file-sharing companies find themselves
to that of the tobacco and asbestos industries, Sen. Orrin Hatch
(R-Utah) this week warned of the potential for huge consumer lawsuits
against the purveyors of P2P technology. Hatch noted that he does not
necessarily believe technology companies should be sued for developing
file-sharing tools, but he said that, having been part of tobacco and
asbestos litigation, "nothing surprises me any more." Because of P2P
sharing of not just music files but also of pornography and other
materials, "[o]rdinary, well-meaning Americans are beginning to get
hurt," said Hatch. "Soon these people will take their cases to the
creative trial lawyers."
Reuters, 3 October 2003
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3556206
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