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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JULY 05, 2002 Decryption Case Won't Go to Supreme Court Police in Virginia to Test Facial-Recognition Software Cryptography Based on Random Numbers AND Policy Change Considered for the .edu Domain Industry and Education Partner to Train Technology Workers Computers Targeted at Students Start at $399 DECRYPTION CASE WON'T GO TO SUPREME COURT Eric Corley and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have decided not to appeal their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Corley, who publishes the "2600" magazine and Web site, was sued by nine Hollywood studios two and a half years ago for publishing code to decrypt CDs and movies. Corley did not write the code and argued that publishing it was within his free speech rights. The studios said Corley was in violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and a U.S. distric court as well as an appeals court agreed. Fearing that the Supreme Court might agree also and set a legal precedent, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has decided to drop the case and wait for a stronger one to take to the Supreme Court. Associated Press, 4 July 2002 http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/07/04/dvd.hacker.ap/index.html POLICE IN VIRGINIA TO TEST FACIAL-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE Police will begin installing facial-recognition tools in oceanfront areas of Virginia Beach, Virginia, this weekend and hope to have it fully functional in two to three weeks. The city has used video surveillance of the area since 1993, but the new project will try to match images of faces to those in a database. A deputy police chief from Virginia Beach said they are "adding to our ability to prevent crime and keep Virginia Beach safe." Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have routinely opposed the use of such technology. A spokesman from the Virginia ACLU called it a "Big Brother operation," objecting to taking pictures of "citizens who are doing nothing wrong while they're in a public place." Associated Press, 5 July 2002 http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/457035p-3658036c.html CRYPTOGRAPHY BASED ON RANDOM NUMBERS Jason R. Kauffman, a sophomore at the University of Dayton majoring in mechanical engineering, has developed a new encryption technology based on random-number generation. Kauffman first thought of the idea while working on a science-fair project to improve computer animation. He extended a mathematical technique used in Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," which assigned pseudo-random numbers to body movements for a crowd scene in the film. While studying number generators, he found references to theories that the technique could be used in encryption technology, but no details. He then thought of a unique way to use random numbers in a math equation to encrypt data. He and his father, Robert Kauffman, formed a partnership with the University of Dayton to patent the idea. Chronicle of Higher Education, 3 July 2002 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/free/2002/07/2002070301t.htm AND ***************************************************** POLICY CHANGE CONSIDERED FOR THE .EDU DOMAIN EDUCAUSE, the higher education information technology nonprofit that oversees management of the .edu domain, has opened a public comment period on a proposal to expand the eligibility requirements to obtain a name in the domain. Currently an institution must be accredited by one of six regional accrediting agencies to apply for a name in .edu. Under the proposed change, postsecondary institutions accredited by any national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education would be eligible. Officials at schools including Pioneer Pacific College in Oregon and Westchester Business Institute in New York, which are not currently eligible, support the proposal, saying that without .edu addresses, there is a perception their schools are not legitimate. Chronicle of Higher Education, 5 July 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/07/2002070501t.htm INDUSTRY AND EDUCATION PARTNER TO TRAIN TECHNOLOGY WORKERS An effort in Florida hopes to bring more input and influence from technology firms to the curricula of colleges and high schools. The project was started by Hugh Moore, vice president of IT and CIO at Siemens Information and Communications Networks Inc. in Boca Raton. Moore noticed that many new graduates were not ready to meet the needs of his and other technology firms. He began urging industry to work with education, in concert with other businesses, to address the gaps. They hope to coordinate statewide technology education with local business needs so that firms can avoid having to hire from out of state. The Florida effort is part of a recent trend that brings industry and education closer in aligning training of students with prospective responsibilities in the workplace. ComputerWorld, 3 July 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_883502_1794_9-10000.html COMPUTERS TARGETED AT STUDENTS START AT $399 Computer maker EMachines, which already caters to budget-minded consumers, announced a new line of computers geared toward students. Including a manufacturer's rebate of $75, the five systems start at $399, not including a monitor, with the most expensive priced at $749. The machines come with either Celeron or Athlon processors and include Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Encarta Online, a trial version of McAfee VirusScan, and several other applications. All machines include a CD-ROM drive and EMachines' support application, BigFix. BigFix monitors system performance, alerting users to current or potential problems with hardware and software. The application suggests remedies and guides users through the repair process. PCWorld, 3 July 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_883603_1794_9-10000.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. 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