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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 09, 2005 Legal Dance with Acacia Continues Liberty Alliance Looks to Strengthen Authentication Cell-Phone Carriers to Add Content Ratings Consumers Worrying over Online Banking LEGAL DANCE WITH ACACIA CONTINUES Not long after Acacia Research updated the terms of a licensing agreement it is offering to colleges and universities, officials at the American Council on Education (ACE) said they are continuing with efforts to challenge Acadia's patent claim. Acacia contends that it owns patents that cover streaming of audio and video files over the Web and that most higher education institutions use technology that violates those patents. After a backlash from the terms it initially offered, Acacia revised its offer, freeing small schools from any licensing fee but insisting that large schools owe as much as $5,000 per year. Although ACE was involved in the negotiations that led to the revised offer, David Ward, the organization's president, informed member campuses that ACE has not endorsed any agreement with Acacia and said institutions might benefit from waiting "until the broader legal negotiations are completed." Karlton Butts, vice president of licensing for Acacia, said he is not aware of any broader negotiations and contended that Acacia is "not trying to pull a fast one." Sheldon E. Steinbach, general counsel for ACE, said the communication from Ward was "a clarification that we felt was necessary." Many institutions remain cautious about signing a licensing agreement, pointing to ongoing debate over the legitimacy of Acacia's patent claims. Chronicle of Higher Education, 8 November 2005 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2005/11/2005110801t.htm LIBERTY ALLIANCE LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN AUTHENTICATION The Liberty Alliance has announced the creation of the Strong Authentication Expert Group, charged with developing standards of interoperability for authentication tools that go beyond simple passwords. User passwords are widely considered a weak link in the chain of efforts to safeguard online resources and transactions, and calls have gone out recently to add other layers of authentication. New layers could include hardware devices, password tokens, biometric identification, or others. The new group will develop a specification known as Identity Strong Authentication Framework (ID-SAFE), the first version of which is expected in 2006, according to the Liberty Alliance. American Express, Axalto, HP, Oracle, RSA Security, and VeriSign are among the members of the new group. All other members of the Liberty Alliance may also join. ZDNet, 8 November 2005 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5940442.html CELL-PHONE CARRIERS TO ADD CONTENT RATINGS Leading cell-phone carriers have announced a plan to implement a rating system for content they provide, similar to ratings for movies or video games. The ratings will only apply to content provided by the carriers, not content downloaded from the Internet, and will initially include just two classifications: general interest and restricted content. A spokesperson from Verizon said that over time, the market will determine whether further breakdowns of the ratings are necessary. Cell-phone carriers already provide users with the option to pay for video, news, music, and other premium content. Observers noted that the addition of a rating system could open the door to providers' selling pornography or other adult content. Carriers who will adopt the ratings, including the two largest carriers, Cingluar and Verizon, said they would not offer any material with a "restricted" rating until they develop filters to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content. Those filters, according to the carriers, will be available soon. New York Times, 9 November 2005 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/09/technology/09wireless.html CONSUMERS WORRYING OVER ONLINE BANKING Even as federal regulators insist on tighter security controls for online banking, some consumers are deciding that the convenience is not worth the risk. Results of a survey announced this week at a forum on identity theft indicate that nearly one in five Americans who have conducted banking transactions online have limited or ended their online banking due to security concerns. The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, which includes the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, recently issued guidelines requiring banks to add a second level of authentication for online banking transactions. That level could include smart cards, password tokens, or biometric identification. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 10 million Americans are victims of identity theft each year, and federal data estimate that each victim spends about 90 hours and $1,700 fixing matters. The survey also indicated that 94 percent of consumers would accept added online security, though 81 percent said they would not want to pay for such extra measures. CNET, 9 November 2005 http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-5941531.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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