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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2006 John Doe Library Group Goes Public Court Protects Online Journalists European Court Kills Passenger-Data Transfer Microsoft Enters Security Market JOHN DOE LIBRARY GROUP GOES PUBLIC The Connecticut library organization that was targeted by federal officials but prevented from revealing its identity has held a press conference concerning the matter. Last year, the Library Connection received a national security letter from the government demanding patron records. Authorized by the USA PATRIOT Act, the letters forbid recipients from even disclosing that they have received the letter. After months of wrangling over the matter, the Justice Department has ended its efforts to enforce the gag order. At the press conference, Peter Chase, vice president of Library Connection, said, "It was galling for me to see the government's attorney in Connecticut... travel around the state telling people that their library records were safe, while at the same time he was enforcing a gag order preventing me from telling people that their library records were not safe." The Library Connection continues to fight the demands of the letter and has not yet given the Justice Department any patron records. Chronicle of Higher Education, 31 May 2006 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/05/2006053101t.htm COURT PROTECTS ONLINE JOURNALISTS A California appeals court has overturned a lower-court ruling, saying that online journalists have as much protection under the First Amendment as traditional journalists. The case involved an action by Apple Computer to discover the identity of individuals responsible for revealing company secrets online. Apple had argued that the information was shared not by legitimate reporters but by people who were violating the company's trade secrets. The appeals court said that online journalists are covered by a state law that guarantees the confidentiality of journalists' sources. The three judges on the panel said there is no reasonable method to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate news and that First Amendment rights trump Apple's demand to know who leaked the information. Observers said the case could have far-reaching implications for bloggers and others who post information and opinions online outside the context of traditional journalism. New York Times, 27 May 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/technology/27apple.html EUROPEAN COURT KILLS PASSENGER-DATA TRANSFER The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg has ruled that a 2004 arrangement between the United States and the European Commission contravenes European Community law and must be halted. Under the agreement, which was opposed by the European Parliament, airlines were required to submit passenger name records to U.S. officials or forfeit their rights to land at U.S. airports. Despite airlines' having spent large sums of money to comply with the requirement, the court found the deal illegal on technical grounds. The European Parliament had challenged the deal for a number of reasons, technical issues being just one. After ruling on the technical question, however, the court ended its inquiry, disappointing the European Parliament, which had hoped the court would rule on privacy concerns it raised in its case against the deal. CNET, 30 May 2006 http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6077893.html MICROSOFT ENTERS SECURITY MARKET Microsoft is set to begin offering its OneCare security service, a single package that includes antivirus, antispyware, and firewall protections. Announced nearly three years ago, the OneCare service includes advice on how to avoid computer threats and tools to help users recover from security incidents that can occur. According to Microsoft, as many as 70 percent of personal computers are either unprotected or use outdated tools to protect themselves from computer threats. Symantec and McAfee, two leading vendors of security products, are reportedly working on new products that integrate several kinds of computer protection into a single package, as OneCare does. Microsoft said it will not build OneCare into its Windows operating system. BBC, 31 May 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5032832.stm ***************************************************** 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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