EDUPAGE> Edupage, November 24, 2003
- From: Gleason Sackmann <gleason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: K12Newsletters <k12newsletters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 08:34:57 -0600
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Subject: Edupage, November 24, 2003
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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2003
Anti-Spam Bill Moves Through Congress
Provision of PATRIOT II Shows Up in Spending Bill
Increasing Access for Students with Disabilities
Senators Look to P2P Companies to Clean Up Networks
ANTI-SPAM BILL MOVES THROUGH CONGRESS
The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed an
anti-spam bill that has already cleared the Senate. The House bill,
which passed 392 to 5, allows fines of up to $250 per message for
spammers who try to conceal their identities from recipients. The bill
also opens the door to a federal do-not-e-mail list operated by the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), similar to do-not-call lists created to
end unwanted telemarketing phone calls. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) said the
bill gives consumers "the ability to say no to spam" and gives parents
peace of mind because it can prevent pornographic spam from reaching
their children. The House and Senate versions of the bills must be
reconciled, but this process is not expected to take long. President
Bush is expected to sign the legislation when it reaches his desk.
Critics of the bill said it will do little to achieve intended results
and noted that, under the bill, individual consumers are not allowed to
sue spammers. That authority is reserved for ISPs, attorneys general,
and the FTC.
New York Times, 22 November 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/23/technology/23SPAM.html
PROVISION OF PATRIOT II SHOWS UP IN SPENDING BILL
A key provision of the so-called PATRIOT II bill has resurfaced in an
intelligence spending bill passed last week by Congress. Under the
original PATRIOT Act, the FBI can subpoena records from a range of
financial institutions without demonstrating cause to a judge; federal
officials can simply issue a "national security letter." Recipients of
such subpoenas are prevented from revealing--even to the subject of the
subpoena--that they have received such an order. Earlier this year, the
definition of "financial institution" for the purposes of the subpoena
provision was greatly expanded in the PATRIOT II bill to encompass any
business whose "cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in
criminal, tax, or regulatory matters." Such a definition would include
businesses including insurance companies, the U.S. Postal Service,
libraries, travel agencies, and others. After vocal public reaction
against such an expansion of the definition, officials from the Justice
Department backed away from PATRIOT II. The expanded definition,
however, has now shown up in an intelligence spending bill that
Congress passed. Intelligence spending bills are typically drafted in
secret and considered without public debate.
Wired News, 24 November 2003
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,61341,00.html
INCREASING ACCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Congress is considering legislation to expand programs that increase
access for students with disabilities to include distance education. An
existing grant program is designed to support various programs that
allow students with learning or physical disabilities to participate in
higher education, and the new legislation explicitly adds
distance-education programs to that program. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.),
author of the legislation, said, "The flexibility and access
facilitated through distance education and electronic delivery methods
also holds tremendous promise for eliminating barriers ... for students
with disabilities." The National Technical Institute for the Deaf,
established in 1965 by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT),
uses technology tools to improve access for students with disabilities,
and, according to Joeann Humbert, director of online learning at RIT,
such tools sometimes benefit all students. The university developed a
tool to search captions of video clips, according to Humbert, and the
tool has become a favorite of all students.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 28 November 2003 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i14/14a03401.htm
SENATORS LOOK TO P2P COMPANIES TO CLEAN UP NETWORKS
A group of six U.S. Senators has sent a letter to several companies
that distribute peer-to-peer technology asking the companies to take
responsibility for removing pornography and copyrighted materials from
the networks. Officials at Grokster, BearShare, Blubster, eDonkey2000,
LimeWire, and Streamcast Networks received the letter from Lindsey
Graham (R-N.C.). A statement from Graham highlighted the dangers to
minors from pornographic materials circulating on peer-to-peer networks
and said that "purveyors of peer-to-peer technology have a legal and
moral obligation" to restrict such traffic--as well as copyrighted
materials--on their networks. The letter asks file-trading companies to
post clear warnings about the risks of file sharing, incorporate
filters to limit pornography and copyrighted material, and change
default settings so users must clearly choose to share specific
materials with others.
CNET, 21 November 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5110785.html
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