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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2006 Canadian Project Aims to Coordinate Disparate Efforts Cambridge, MIT Create Research Venture FTC Laptops Stolen USDA Hack May Have Compromised Data French Legislators Adjust iTunes Law CANADIAN PROJECT AIMS TO COORDINATE DISPARATE EFFORTS A new initiative called AlouetteCanada is designed to bring together disparate digitization efforts from around Canada into a single online location. Many universities and museums in the country maintain small-scale digitization efforts of material relevant to the history and culture of Canada. Much of this content is inaccessible to most people, however, according to Carole Moore, chief librarian of the University of Toronto, one of the universities participating in AlouetteCanada. The University of Alberta and the University of Brunswick are also part of the project, and Moore said hundreds of other organizations could conceivably contribute material. Ernie Ingles, chief librarian at the University of Alberta, said AlouetteCanada is, in some ways, the antithesis of Google's book-scanning project. Although Google is making content available publicly, he said, "it is making that content available in a commercial way." Ingles questioned whether Google would be around forever to make that content available. Chronicle of Higher Education, 21 June 2006 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/06/2006062101t.htm CAMBRIDGE, MIT CREATE RESEARCH VENTURE Following a growing trend to spin commercial companies off from their academic roots, MIT and the University of Cambridge have incorporated the Communications Research Network (CRN), which was begun two years ago. With the new structure, corporations will be solicited to join as founding members, which will cost them about $180,000 per year for three years. British Telecom and Fujitsu are the first two companies to join as founders, though organizers hope to attract more. Founding members will set the agenda for the CRN and will own the rights to intellectual property developed by the organization. The other level of participation is as an associate. According to David Cleevely, chairman of the CRN, "The associates are on a much lower scale. They can participate in the events and the working groups, but the founders who put up the big money get all the rights." Current efforts of the CRN focus on issues including telecommunications innovations, spectrum policy, infrastructure protection, and photonics. Red Herring, 21 June 2006 http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=17334 FTC LAPTOPS STOLEN Two computers belonging to employees of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) were stolen from a locked car last week, putting personal information on about 110 individuals at risk. An FTC official said the laptops, which belonged to two FTC attorneys, were password protected, but she noted that the computers contained names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and some financial information. The FTC has notified the individuals affected and offered them free credit monitoring for one year. The agency is working on a new policy that would forbid employees from taking computers with personal information out of FTC offices without explicit permission to do so. This incident follows other recent cases of government loss of personal information, including one in which the Department of Veterans Affairs lost a hard drive with information on 26.5 million veterans. CNET, 23 June 2006 http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6087218.html USDA HACK MAY HAVE COMPROMISED DATA A computer system at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was compromised earlier this month, possibly exposing personal information on 26,000 current and former employees, including some contractors. Initially, computer experts believed that although a hacker had gained unauthorized access to the system, the sensitive information--including names, Social Security numbers, and employee photos--had been protected. Further analysis determined, however, that agency staff could not be certain that the database with personal information was not viewed or downloaded. The USDA is notifying the affected individuals, offering them free credit monitoring for one year. Federal Computer Week, 22 June 2006 http://www.fcw.com/article94991-06-22-06-Web FRENCH LEGISLATORS ADJUST ITUNES LAW The French Senate has softened language of a copyright bill drafted by the country's lower house, the Assembly, in March. As originally written, the bill would have required Apple Computer to share its technology for iTunes music and the iPod player so that music formats and devices would be interoperable with other vendors' products. The compromise bill, approved by both houses, relaxes some of the possible sanctions against companies that keep their technologies proprietary, and it includes a provision that could allow Apple to keep its products exclusive if it reaches certain deals with record labels and artists. Despite the legislature's retreat from severe measures, however, Apple appeared displeased with the bill, which must still pass a vote by both houses. A statement from the company said it hopes lawmakers will "let the extremely competitive marketplace driven by customer choice decide which music players and online music stores are offered to consumers." A spokesperson from Apple declined to comment when asked if the company would consider pulling out of the French market, pending the final vote on the bill. New York Times, 23 June 2006 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/technology/23ipod.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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