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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 07, 2006 Bowdoin Backs Away from City Wi-Fi, Cites CALEA Open Source Popular at U.K. Universities Google Debuts Web Site Warnings RIAA Sues LimeWire
BOWDOIN BACKS AWAY FROM CITY WI-FI, CITES CALEA A planned rollout of wireless Internet service by Bowdoin College to the residents of in Brunswick, Maine, has been halted, at least temporarily, due to concerns over the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). The FCC has said that the law, which mandates law enforcement access to communications systems, should apply to network operators, including colleges and universities. Higher education has opposed that decision, saying it would be extremely costly for them to comply and that there are other ways for institutions to cooperate with law enforcement. Following legal action and lobbying, a court allowed an exception for "private" networks. Bowdoin, which is in Brunswick, had been working to implement a wireless network in the city for students and town residents. Saying that it isn't clear whether allowing town residents to access the network would compromise its being a "private" network, officials from the college have decided that the network will only be available to students. Mitch Davis, CIO at Bowdoin, noted that the plan to open the network to everyone in town is currently suspended, not dead. Inside Higher Ed, 7 August 2006 http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/08/07/wireless
OPEN SOURCE POPULAR AT U.K. UNIVERSITIES According to a survey by Open Source Software Advisory Service (OSS Watch), open source software on campuses in the United Kingdom has moved out of the shadows and into legitimate contention with proprietary software solutions. Results of the survey indicated that although only one-quarter of institutions include open source in their IT policies, 77 percent at least consider open source during procurement. Randy Metcalfe of OSS Watch said, "It's not about explaining what open source is any more, but how to compare open source and proprietary software." The increase in use of Moodle, an open source learning management system, has been especially significant, according to Metcalfe. "To reach 56 percent in two and a half years is amazing," he said. In addition, Firefox, an open source browsers, is reportedly available on 68 percent of university computers (all have Internet Explorer). Of concern to some observers, however, is the fact that very few universities share changes they make to open source software. Many universities have policies dictating that developments are the property of the institution, preventing their being submitted to the open source community for broader use. The Register, 4 August 2006 http://www.theregister.com/2006/08/04/uk_unis_loving_linux/
GOOGLE DEBUTS WEB SITE WARNINGS Google has debuted a new service that warns users who click links to visit sites that have been identified by the Stop Badware coalition, itself a project of Google, Lenovo, and Sun Microsystems. The coalition was founded to help address the problems of spyware and other malicious software by helping users know which sites have distributed such software. Users of Google's search engine who try to access a site on Stop Badware's list are shown a warning that the site they want to visit has been flagged as potentially dangerous, though users are not prevented from going to that site. The warning messages are expected to become more detailed over time, including specific information about exactly how the site tries to install malicious software. A product called Scandoo, from company ScanSafe, performs a similar function for users of Google or MSN. BBC, 7 August 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5251742.stm
RIAA SUES LIMEWIRE The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed a lawsuit against Lime Group, the company responsible for the LimeWire P2P service, alleging that it is responsible for the copyright infringements of its users. Last year, the RIAA won a Supreme Court ruling that said operators of P2P services can be held liable for such infringements if they do not take adequate steps to keep their services from being used for copyright violations. The RIAA's suit, which is the first of its kind since the Supreme Court ruling, says that the operators of LimeWire are "actively facilitating, encouraging, and enticing" copyright violations and that the company benefits from those actions. The RIAA contends that after other leading P2P companies have either closed down or been converted to legal subscription services, more users now turn to LimeWire for piracy than any other service. A spokesperson from LimeWire declined to comment on the legal action. New York Times, 5 August 2006 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/05/technology/05patent.html
TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 2006 EU Orders Deutsche Telekom to Share Network Romania Arrests 23 for Internet Scams Microsoft Repairs Security Patch EA Exec Claims Gaming Industry Fails Women SanDisk MP3 Player Doubles Storage of iPod Nano
EU ORDERS DEUTSCHE TELEKOM TO SHARE NETWORK The European Commission (EC) supported German regulators who ordered Deutsche Telekom AG to open its high-speed Internet networks to competitors. As a result of the order, the company must permit competitors to buy access on its broadband network to offer their own services to end users. German regulators will have advance approval of the price charged. Past refusals to grant access forced the company's business rivals to build their own networks, effectively preventing them from operating outside cities and causing higher Internet prices in rural areas, according to the EC. Wall Street Journal, 21 August 2006 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115616823663141011.html
ROMANIA ARRESTS 23 FOR INTERNET SCAMS As part of a move against Internet scam rings operating in Romania, police arrested 23 people in Pitesti, from a group of 63 suspects sought for questioning over accusations of scamming foreigners by posing as well-known firms to clients of those companies. After tricking the e-mail recipients into updating their contact database, the scammers allegedly created false identity documents and collected money from other countries. If convicted, the accused face up to 15 years in prison for identity theft. FBI officials reportedly aided in the investigation. The Register, 21 August 2006 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/21/romanian_id_fraud_clampdown/
MICROSOFT REPAIRS SECURITY PATCH Microsoft announced that it has fixed a bug in the MS06-040 Windows Server services update, a critical security patch. The bug affected programs that use large amounts of memory on some versions of Windows. Although the bug did not affect most Windows systems, it did cause problems in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and the 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional Edition. The company's fix for the problem is available online. PCWorld, 21 August 2006 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,126839-c,windowsbugs/article.html
EA EXEC CLAIMS GAMING INDUSTRY FAILS WOMEN According to David Gardner, chief operating officer for Electronic Arts (EA), the video gaming industry continues to fail women by not producing suitable content. Gardner was speaking to a conference in Edinburgh at the time. His company's research discovered that 40 percent of teen girls play video games versus 90 percent of teen boys, and most girls lost interest within a year. He pointed to EA's Sims game, which accommodates relationships and chat, as a successful example of the kind of games girls and women enjoy playing. BBC, 21 August 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5271852.stm
SANDISK MP3 PLAYER DOUBLES STORAGE OF IPOD NANO SanDisk has introduced the Sansa e280, a flash-based MP3 player with twice the storage capability of Apple's iPod nano, in an attempt to gain market share against Apple Computer. The new player includes 8 gigabytes of flash memory and an optional 2 GB microSD card. The price of the 4 GB iPod nano is $249, almost the same as the 10 GB Sansa e280 at $249.99. The new device also comes with a digital FM tuner to record and store songs, photo display, video playback, a voice recorder, and a user-replaceable lithium battery. Red Herring, 21 August 2006 http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=18057&hed=SanDisk+Takes+on+iPod
TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2006 Publishers Take Heart from Belgian Court Ruling U.S. Renews Agreement with ICANN Commerce Department Missing 1,100 Laptops
PUBLISHERS TAKE HEART FROM BELGIAN COURT RULING Buoyed by a recent ruling from a court in Belgium, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) is leading the development of an automated system for coordinating content permissions with search engines. The Belgian court found that Google violates the rights of content producers when it indexes news stories and reposts parts of those stories on its own site. News organizations have long complained that search engines profit from the efforts of news outlets, and the court ruling, which Google is appealing, strengthens their position in trying to restrict how search engines are allowed to use online content. Search engines typically rely on applications that scour the Web for content and incorporate it into search results without human intervention. The Automated Content Access Protocol being developed by the WAN will reportedly give news organizations the ability to include parameters about how their content may be used inside online content. The applications that search engines use to index content will be able to interpret those parameters and treat the content accordingly. Gavin O'Reilly, chairman of the WAN, said, "This system is intended to remove completely any rights conflicts between publishers and search engines." CNET, 22 September 2006 http://news.com.com/2100-1030_3-6118523.html
COMMERCE DEPARTMENT MISSING 1,100 LAPTOPS A statement issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce indicates that the agency cannot account for 1,137 laptops that should be in its inventory of about 30,000. Of those that are missing--whether lost or stolen--249 reportedly contained personally identifiable information from the U.S. Census Bureau. The agency said that it has received no reports that the information contained on the missing computers has been misused, noting that the data are protected by passwords, encryption, and complex database software. The Commerce Department's statement did acknowledge, however, that since 2003, nearly 300 cases of compromised personal information had been reported. Those instances involved 217 laptops, 15 handheld devices, 46 other devices, including USB flash drives. Security Tools http://tinyurl.com/k63c6 ZDNet, 22 September 2006 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6118495.html
TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 British Library Says Copyright Law Needs Updating MySpace Works to Educate Parents Online Risks Increase
BRITISH LIBRARY SAYS COPYRIGHT LAW NEEDS UPDATING The British Library has called for a wide-scale revision of existing copyright law, which, it said, inadequately addresses digital content, putting too much control into the hands of content producers and owners. Lynne Brindley, chief executive of the British Library, took aim at digital rights management (DRM) technology in particular, saying that it allows content producers to prevent legitimate uses of content, such as for academic purposes, for archival efforts, or for making content available to people with disabilities. Calling the problem a global issue, Brindley said that without "a serious updating of copyright law to recognize the changing technological environment, the law becomes an ass." The Open Rights Group supported the library's call for revising copyright law, saying that the current situation "allows publishers to write whatever license they like, which is what is happening now." The British Library also said the question of orphaned works should be addressed--works whose proper copyright owners cannot be located easily or at all. Digital rights management (DRM) technology explained http://tinyurl.com/znpjq CNET, 25 September 2006 http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-6119043.html
MYSPACE WORKS TO EDUCATE PARENTS Operators of the social networking site MySpace are partnering with several organizations to help educate users of the site--many of whom are minors--and their parents about appropriate ways to protect kids online. MySpace has become wildly popular with the teen crowd and, as a result, with some online predators. Working with Seventeen magazine, the National School Boards Association, and the National Association of Independent Schools, MySpace will write and publish a guide to safe usage of online networking tools. The guide will be available on the MySpace home page and will be distributed to students in grades 7 through 12 at about 55,000 schools. Atoosa Rubenstein, Seventeen's editor in chief, commented that parents bear responsibility for teaching their kids safe habits. "My mom was the person who told me not to walk down the dark alley by myself," she said, "not the person who created the dark alley." House Rules to Protect Children http://tinyurl.com/kvktb ZDNet, 25 September 2006 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6118975.html
ONLINE RISKS INCREASE According to new data from security firm Symantec, online criminals are increasingly turning to Web applications--rather than e-mail--and are motivated more by money than by bragging rights. In the early days of the Internet, many hackers engaged in such activities purely for the challenge or for the notoriety of successfully bypassing security measures. Today's hackers, according to Symantec, are after credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and other information they can use to steal money from victims. Targeted attacks--as compared to viruses and other randomly circulated malicious code--are increasingly directed at financial institutions, jumping from just 4 percent in the last six months of 2005 to 14 percent in the first six months of 2006. The result is a potential loss of confidence in online commerce and banking. Hackers are also spending more efforts targeting Web applications, given the growing numbers of vulnerabilities discovered in browsers, including Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla's Firefox, and Apple's Safari. Does the Hacker Ethics Idea Exist? http://tinyurl.com/fvjjr Wall Street Journal, 25 September 2006 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115914808566272756.html
TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 Georgia Tech Redefines Computer Science Degree San Jose State Tries to Ban Skype University in Spain Joins Google Book Search Libraries Develop New Archiving Application
GEORGIA TECH REDEFINES COMPUTER SCIENCE DEGREE Responding to the large-scale exodus of students from computer science programs nationwide, the Georgia Institute of Technology is undertaking a fundamental redesign of the curriculum for computer science majors. The new approach replaces the core curriculum with courses that follow "threads" and "roles." Students choose two of eight threads of instruction and tailor their schedules around those concepts. Threads include computational modeling, intelligence, and so on. Many of the courses that compose a student's threads might be taught by faculty outside the computer science department. For the role part of the curriculum, students choose either programmer, entrepreneur, innovator, or communicator, which guides selection of other courses. The hoped-for result is a curriculum that provides the flexibility and breadth that students need to compete in the changing high-tech landscape. Richard DeMillo, dean of the College of Computing, noted that confidence in the job market for computer science graduates is flagging, saying that he spends considerable amount of time talking to parents about their children's prospects. He believes the new curriculum will help allay their concerns. Inside Higher Ed, 26 September 2006 http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/26/gatech
SAN JOSE STATE TRIES TO BAN SKYPE Administrators at San Jose State University (SJSU) have temporarily suspended a ban on Internet phone service Skype but said they would reinstitute the prohibition if concerns over network usage are not adequately addressed. A number of universities have blocked use of Skype because of language in the user agreement that appears to allow individuals not associated with the university to use the campus network for phone calls. Skype works by routing calls through available networks, even for third parties, using computers of users who have accepted the company's terms of use. "It's a fairly subtle problem," said Kevin Schmidt, campus network programmer at the University of California, Santa Barbara, which has also banned Skype. He said the result could be "fair amount of traffic that has nothing to do with university business." Following the ban at SJSU, many students and faculty objected, saying the service has become vital to their efforts to keep in touch with families overseas and to promote educational programs around the globe. Campus officials acknowledged those concerns but said that if eBay, which owns Skype, cannot address the problem, the service will be shut off. San Jose Mercury News, 21 September 2006 http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/15576648.htm JUDGE RULES AGAINST MORPHEUS A federal judge in California ruled against StreamCast Networks, developer of the Morpheus P2P application, saying that evidence of the company's "objective of promoting infringement is overwhelming." Previous high-profile rulings have been handed down against Grokster and Kazaa, both of which have stopped distributing file-sharing software. Morpheus was the remaining hurdle in the recording industry's legal attack on services that facilitate widespread copyright infringement. Saying the past few years have been "challenging...for the music community," the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said the ruling against StreamCast "means that the rules of the road for online music are better today than they were yesterday." Officials at StreamCast remained defiant, however. A spokesperson for the company said StreamCast "did not encourage users to infringe on copyrighted works" and would continue to distribute the Morpheus software. RIAA's Mass Litigation Strategy for Making Money http://tinyurl.com/g5lqb Internet News, 28 September 2006 http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3634866
DEAL REACHED FOR ONLINE MUSIC ROYALTIES Songwriters and record companies in Britain reached an agreement over royalties for online music sales just as a copyright tribunal that would have decided the issue went into session. In the dispute, record companies were represented by the British Phonographic Industry, and Adam Singer represented songwriters. Singer heads the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society Ltd and the Performing Right Society Ltd. Songwriters and composers had sought a royalty rate of 12 percent, an increase from the existing rate of 8 percent. Record companies wanted the rate to drop to 6.5 percent. In the final negotiations, both sides agreed to accept the 8 percent rate for three more years, which amounts to about 10 cents per song sold on Apple's iTunes service. The tribunal accepted the settlement, which is legally binding only in the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, experts said the deal could influence similar negotiations in other countries, including the United States and Germany. Also learn about the YouTube & Warner License Deal http://tinyurl.com/zapqw Wall Street Journal, 28 September 2006 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115945647272576748.html
TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2006 U.S. Law Attacks Online Gambling Smaller Budget Proposed for DHS IT Procurement Crime Groups Use IE to Exploit Windows Weakness Yahoo Opens Core Code for E-Mail to Web Programmers NetFlix Offers Prize for Better Movie Reviews
U.S. LAW ATTACKS ONLINE GAMBLING President George W. Bush is expected to sign legislation passed by the U.S. Congress outlawing Internet gambling in the United States. The law, called the Safe Port Act, was passed Saturday. The legislation could halve the $12 billion Internet gambling industry. Several companies have already suspended operations in the United States. Red Herring, 2 October 2006 http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=18906&hed=Snake+Eyes+for+Online+Gambling
SMALLER BUDGET PROPOSED FOR DHS IT PROCUREMENT A recent House/Senate conference report on the fiscal 2007 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill indicates that the DHS will receive less money for its IT programs in 2007 while facing closer oversight of its management of the programs. Language picked up from an earlier House report on IT oversight requires DHS's CIO to approve any IT procurement of $2.5 million or more, giving the CIO greater control over IT planning. The report specifies that all IT procurements conform to the department's enterprise architecture plan, with justification for any deviations. Federal Computer Week, 29 September 2006 http://www.fcw.com/article96287-09-29-06-Web
CRIME GROUPS USE IE TO EXPLOIT WINDOWS WEAKNESS Online crime groups reportedly are using Internet Explorer as an attack vector against a Windows Shell vulnerability. Several third-party patches have already surfaced for the flaw, and Microsoft plans to issue a patch October 10 in addition to prepatch workarounds already provided. Attackers use IE to trigger an integer overflow error. According to Exploit Prevention Labs in Atlanta, two online crime groups are hacking into Web sites and message boards to plant a malicious HTML tag. Web surfers visiting the legitimate site are redirected to an exploit server that attempts to deposit up to eight different exploits onto the visitor's computer. eWeek, 30 September 2006 http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2022805,00.asp
YAHOO OPENS CORE CODE FOR E-MAIL TO WEB PROGRAMMERS Web programmers will have access to the core code for Yahoo's e-mail program, although the company will retain control of the code dealing with usernames and passwords. According to Chad Dickerson of Yahoo's software developer relations, "Yahoo is a very large company, but we can't build every application that a user might want." Yahoo Mail has more than 257 million users. BBC, 2 October 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5398310.stm
NETFLIX OFFERS PRIZE FOR BETTER MOVIE REVIEWS Online movie rental service Netflix announced a contest that will give $1 million to the first person to improve the accuracy of movie reviews. The winner must come up with a recommendation system that beats the company's current system by at least 10 percent. Netflix will offer 100 million movie ratings provided by its customers to improve the level of research. New York Times, 2 October 2006 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/02/technology/02netflix.html
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