***************************************************** Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. *****************************************************
TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2002 Passport Comes under Scrutiny by EU MonsterHut Sued for Spamming Library Deal Puts Newspaper Archives Online Head of ICANN to Step Down AND Policy Permits Monitoring of Campus Computers Linux Vendors to Take on Red Hat New Tool Aims to Skirt Electronic Surveillance PASSPORT COMES UNDER SCRUTINY BY EU The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EU), is investigating whether Microsoft's .NET system violates European privacy regulations. EU rules allow companies to collect personal information on customers only when those customers are notified and when the company can demonstrate a legitimate purpose. Part of Microsoft's .NET initiative is Passport, which collects and stores personal data for users so that they only have to enter that information one time. When a user visits a Web site that is part of the Passport program, Microsoft releases the user's profile to the site's owner. A spokesman from Microsoft said the company is aware of the investigation but not of any specific concerns. He said Passport complies with a "safe harbor" agreement, which guarantees adequate protection of personal information, that Microsoft signed last year. New York Times, 28 May 2002 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/28/technology/28SOFT.html MONSTERHUT SUED FOR SPAMMING The state of New York has filed a lawsuit against MonsterHut Inc., charging that the organization falsely represented its e-mail advertising program as "opt-in" and sent more than 500 million unsolicited spam e-mails. MonsterHut, whose messages promoted businesses including Overstock.com and ProFlowers.com, came under pressure recently from its ISP, PaeTec Communications, which tried to discontinue service to MonsterHut in response to complaints PaeTec had received. A court found that PaeTec's contract with MonsterHut did not allow them to discontinue service. Now the state lawsuit aims to force MonsterHut to end its unsolicited e-mails and to disclose the source of e-mail addresses. Newsbytes, 28 May 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176784.html LIBRARY DEAL PUTS NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES ONLINE An arrangement between the Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC) and Olive Software will digitize libraries' archives of newspaper content and put that content online. Libraries can use Olive Software to build an electronic archive, including index, of newspaper content. Under the new program, OCLC will be the sole distributor of the software to the library market. The first stages of the project will focus primarily on older newspapers, from the 18th and 19th centuries, that are in the public domain. After collections have been digitized, libraries can host them on their own servers or on OCLC's server. Libraries maintain control of the content and its distribution, and OCLC will offer a premium service where users can pay for access to the full text of some content. Information Today, 28 May 2002 http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb020528-1.htm HEAD OF ICANN TO STEP DOWN Stuart Lynn, the president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), has announced that he will leave the organization next March, at the end of his first two-year term. Lynn cited the stress and "7-by-24" nature of the job as his reason for leaving. He said he hopes to finalize a controversial reform of the organization before his term expires. At issue is the method for electing members of the ICANN board. Critics of ICANN have said that the board must include some members who are chosen through public elections. Lynn has opposed this process, saying that a more appropriate mechanism is to have members elected by world governments. Washington Post, 28 May 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22416-2002May28.html AND ***************************************************** POLICY PERMITS MONITORING OF CAMPUS COMPUTERS A new Montana policy allows officials at public institutions of higher education to monitor computers and networks on campus, but some worry that the policy is too liberal. As long as they are engaged in "legitimate job duties," university officials may monitor activity, copy data, or even block access to some Web sites, spurring fears that school administrators might behave like "Big Brother." Officials defended the policy, saying it is necessary to keep computer systems working smoothly and to enforce acceptable-use policies. According to the chief legal counsel for the Montana University System, the state has an obligation to verify that its resources are being used for work and education, and there are restrictions in the policy to prevent "random joyriding" through computer files. Chronicle of Higher Education, 29 May 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/05/2002052901t.htm LINUX VENDORS TO TAKE ON RED HAT A group of Linux vendors, representing different geographical markets, is expected Thursday to announce a standardized Linux distribution, in an attempt to take some of the market from Red Hat. Analysts said the companies involved, Caldera, Conectiva, SuSE, and Turbolinux, will likely establish a single distribution that contains the best that each has to offer. Red Hat is the leading distributor in the Linux market, and some anaylsts questioned whether the smaller vendors are offering "too little, too late." Complicating matters is a new Linux distribution from Sun Microsystems, expected later this year. eWeek, 28 May 2002 http://www.eweek.com/article/0,3658,s=1884&a=27405,00.asp NEW TOOL AIMS TO SKIRT ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE In response to a new law in the UK giving law enforcement officials the right to snoop into electronic communications, a group of computer activists is developing a system called M-o-o-t, which keeps data out of the hands of law enforcement. The new law, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), allows government to demand the encryption keys to decode electronic communications. M-o-o-t circumvents that by storing data, as well as encryption keys, on overseas servers, outside the jurisdiction of the UK. Critics said M-o-o-t is unnecessary and potentially a dangerous tool for criminals. Makers of M-o-o-t said the benefits of keeping the government out of private data are far greater than the risks the tool creates. New Scientist, 28 May 2002 http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992335 ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html 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] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. For information on EDUCAUSE publications see http://www.educause.edu/pub/pubs.html ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information about EDUCAUSE conferences and other professional development opportunities, visit http://www.educause.edu/conference/conf.html ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2002, EDUCAUSE
