***************************************************** 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, JUNE 12, 2002 FTC Expects More Enforcement of Privacy Laws Microsoft Defends .NET to EU New Alliance Shoots for Wireless Compatibility GSA Looks for XML Compatibility AND Project Aims to Pool Online-Learning Resources Library Opts to Keep Filters IBM Extends Storage Limits FTC EXPECTS MORE ENFORCEMENT OF PRIVACY LAWS Speaking at the Networked Economy Summit at George Mason University this week, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Timothy Muris said his agency will take more actions against companies that fail to protect consumers' privacy. To date, the FTC has brought only one case against a company, Eli Lilly, for releasing private information. Though Eli Lilly's violation was not intentional, the FTC still charged that the company was deficient in its security and training practices. Muris said in cases of security breaches his agency will ask whether the company had an appropriate system in place to protect information and whether the company adhered to its own policies. ComputerWorld, 11 June 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_875078_1794_9-10000.html MICROSOFT DEFENDS .NET TO EU Richard Purcell, corporate privacy officer for Microsoft, rejected claims that Microsoft's Passport application violates privacy laws of the European Union (EU). Purcell's comments came a few weeks after an EU official voiced concerns that Passport "surreptitiously" collects and distributes personal information in ways that are not allowed by EU law. Purcell said Passport complies with EU laws, which are more stringent than those of the United States, and that there are many "misconceptions" about how Passport works and exactly what it does. Associated Press, 11 June 2002 http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/430672p-3445148c.html NEW ALLIANCE SHOOTS FOR WIRELESS COMPATIBILITY The Open Mobile Alliance, announced Wednesday, aims to ensure that wireless devices using software from different vendors will be able to interoperate based on minimum specifications that the group intends to establish. Currently, makers of mobile devices use a variety of software packages, many of which do not work with one another. The standards the alliance hopes to implement would apply to mobile devices including handheld computers and potentially all cell phones. The new group replaces the WAP Forum as well as the Open Mobile Architecture initiative, the SyncML Initiative, the Location Interoperability Forum, the MMS Interoperability Group, and the Wireless Village Initiative. Notably absent from the new group is Palm Computing, which controls more than half of the handheld computer market. San Jose Mercury News, 12 June 2002 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/3449860.htm GSA LOOKS FOR XML COMPATIBILITY The General Services Administration (GSA), the purchasing arm of the federal government, has commissioned a study of extensible markup language (XML) to try to avoid possible integration problems later. XML allows developers to identify pieces of data with consistent definitions and parameters so that multiple applications can access those data. For this to work, however, the initial definitions must be consistent, and federal officials worry that separate government agencies may create conflicting definitions, complicating integration. The GSA study will try to answer the question of whether a formal policy should be put in place to ensure that implementations of XML will be compatible across agencies. The study is seen as important because the federal government is the single largest consumer of computer technology, much larger than any single commercial organization. CNET, 12 June 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1001-935223.html AND ***************************************************** PROJECT AIMS TO POOL ONLINE-LEARNING RESOURCES The Advanced Networking With Minority-Serving Institutions (AN-MSI) project is working to create a shared online-learning program similar to one that was started at the University of Wisconsin in 1999. The Wisconsin program, called dot.edu, was designed to avoid duplication of online-learning efforts and thereby save money. The dot.edu program now hosts more than 10,000 courses for 83 different campuses, both in and outside of Wisconsin. According to AN-MSI Director David Staudt, AN-MSI hopes to create similar programs run by and focused on minority-serving institutions, including historically Black, Hispanic, and Native American schools. AN-MSI, a project of EDUCAUSE, is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Chronicle of Higher Education, 12 June 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/06/2002061201u.htm LIBRARY OPTS TO KEEP FILTERS Library officials in Prince William County in Virginia have decided to retain Internet filters on their public-access computers, despite a court ruling that said the filters can be removed. A panel of federal judges two weeks ago ruled that the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) violated free speech rights by requiring filters on library computers, saying that filters block not just offensive material but other content that is protected. Officials from Prince William said library patrons remain concerned about inappropriate content being accessible to minors, and they have decided to keep the filters. Under CIPA, libraries had to install filters or risk losing federal funds. Now, libraries that voluntarily use filters may be required to remove them if courts decide the filters are too restrictive of free speech. Washington Post, 12 June 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34873-2002Jun11.html IBM EXTENDS STORAGE LIMITS IBM announced that they have reached the storage threshold of one terabit per square inch, which is roughly equivalent to 25 million textbook pages on something the size of a postage stamp. The work, done in a six-year project called Millipede, uses a device with extremely small tips to make indentations in a plastic film. As on a punch card, the indentations represent data. With IBM's technology, however, the plastic film can be put back into its original shape, erasing the data and making it ready to be written on again. An official from IBM said one terabit is not the limit of storage capacity. Other companies, including Hewelett-Packard and Seagate Technology, are also developing tools and procedures in the field of nanotechnology. Wall Street Journal, 11 June 2002 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1023769076577387160,00.html ***************************************************** 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
