EDUPAGE> Edupage, March 28, 2003
- From: Gleason Sackmann <gleason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: K12Newsletters <k12newsletters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 07:45:29 -0600
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K12NewsLetters - From Educational CyberPlayGround
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From: EDUCAUSE@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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Sent: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 16:36:08 -0700
Subject: Edupage, March 28, 2003
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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2003
Report Says Banks Lost $1 Billion to Identity Theft
States' Challenges Against Microsoft in Federal Court
Non-English Domain Names Just Around the Corner
Bill to Commit TV Spectrum to Public Safety
AND
Anti-Piracy Campaign Targets Universities Worldwide
University Will Close Loophole in Computing System
Sell Makeup, Earn College Credit
REPORT SAYS BANKS LOST $1 BILLION TO IDENTITY THEFT
A report by TowerGroup Inc. estimates that banks lost at least $1
billion to identity thieves last year, although actual losses from
identity theft are difficult to determine. False identities are used to
obtain credit cards, apply for home equity loans, buy cars, and take
out mortgages. In 2002, about 68,000 victims had new credit cards
issued in their names, and 10,000 had home loans worth around $300
million taken out in their names. The Federal Trade Commission received
161,000 identity theft complaints, but the Federal Bureau of
Investigation estimates the actual number of victims to be around
500,000. The problem, according to the report, is that banks can't
positively identify new customers applying for loans or credit cards.
Banks downplay their losses and haven't passed costs on to consumers,
so to date there's little incentive to put stricter controls in place,
which would limit competitiveness and inconvenience consumers. ?Nobody
has taken a huge hit yet,? according to Senior Analyst Christine Pratt,
the author of the report.
MSNBC, 26 March 2003
http://www.msnbc.com/news/891186.asp?0cv=TA01&cp1=1
STATES' CHALLENGES AGAINST MICROSOFT IN FEDERAL COURT
A federal appeals court has agreed to hear two separate appeals to last
year's settlement between Microsoft and the government in the lengthy
antitrust case. The Computer and Communications Industry Association
and the Software and Information Industry Association appealed the
settlement. Separately, of the nine states involved in the antitrust
case, Massachusetts and West Virginia pursued an appeal. Plaintiffs in
the cases are optimistic because the appeals court has broad authority
to modify or reject the settlement, and because the cases will be heard
by the entire appeals court panel later this year. Some antitrust
experts, however, are skeptical that the court will overturn the lower
court rulings.
San Jose Mercury News, 28 March 2003
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5504531.htm
NON-ENGLISH DOMAIN NAMES JUST AROUND THE CORNER
According to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN), work on the technical means to support non-English domain
names is almost final. ICANN's Vincent G. Cerf said, "Now the policy
work has to be done." Currently, the computers that handle Internet
domain names understand the 26 English letters, 10 numerals, and the
hyphen. The new technical standards will cover how non-English letters
and characters are to be converted into strings of characters that can
be understood. Some non-English domains have been tested, but final
approval of the technical standards will guarantee those and other new
domain names will work properly. For the time being, said Cerf, the
suffixes, including ".com" and ".org," will remain in English. Cerf
said that groups working with Japanese, Chinese, and Korean languages
have done the most work so far in translating their characters and
would likely be some of the first non-English domains established.
Associated Press, 26 March 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/828337p-5843883c.html
BILL TO COMMIT TV SPECTRUM TO PUBLIC SAFETY
Representatives Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) have
reintroduced a bill requiring television broadcasters to transfer
certain radio frequencies to public safety officials by 2006.
Currently, broadcasters have until December 31, 2006, or until 85
percent of U.S. households have access to digital television signals,
to transfer the spectrum. Without the change, public safety agencies
and emergency responders will have to continue using "archaic and
out-of-date communication tools," according to Weldon. The original
legislation mandating the transfer was based on a 1996 report from the
Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee, which said the lack of
adequate spectrum would hinder emergency response.
Federal Computer Week, 26 March 2003
http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2003/0324/web-spectrum-03-26-03.asp
AND
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ANTI-PIRACY CAMPAIGN TARGETS UNIVERSITIES WORLDWIDE
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, an
organization representing music and publishing companies, has begun an
anti-piracy campaign on university campuses in 29 countries. At
universities in Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia, the group
is distributing leaflets explaining the legal and technical issues of
peer-to-peer file sharing. U.S. colleges and universities will not be
included in the current campaign. College campuses are a prime target
because access to high-speed connections and university networks
present students with ideal circumstances to download and trade large
numbers of music and video files.
Washington Post, 27 March 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35944-2003Mar27.html
UNIVERSITY WILL CLOSE LOOPHOLE IN COMPUTING SYSTEM
Officials at the California State University System will take steps to
prevent staff using an administrative computing system from seeing
confidential student information. The application, called the Common
Management System, allows staff to view students' birth dates and
Social Security numbers. Cal State has known about the problem for
about a year and requires staff who use the system to sign
confidentiality agreements. A recent state audit, however, prompted Cal
State officials to work with PeopleSoft, the developer of the
application, to make changes that will block out the birth dates and
the first five digits of Social Security numbers. The audit also
criticized the system for possible cost overruns. A spokesperson for
Cal State said the implementation would not be delayed, while
PeopleSoft argued that the project would be completed on budget.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 28 March 2003
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/03/2003032801t.htm
SELL MAKEUP, EARN COLLEGE CREDIT
In an arrangement between Avon, the largest seller of beauty products,
and the University of Phoenix, an online university, the university
will grant course credit to Avon salespeople who take an online sales
training course. Avon hopes to recruit women between the ages of 16 and
24 as consumers and salespeople for its products, and the deal with the
University of Phoenix is intended to address concerns of parents who
might object to their daughters' spending time selling makeup rather
than furthering their educations. The announcement came as part of
Avon's strategy to launch a new line of makeup, called Mark, designed
specifically for teenagers.
Wall Street Journal, 28 March 2003 (sub. req'd)
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB104882151971402600,00.html
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