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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2003 OASIS Forms Committee on Web Services Biometrics Report Released New Bill Calls for Surveillance Accountability AND WGU Earns Regional Accreditation Purdue Takes Steps to Limit Unlawful Downloading IBM Funds Supply-Chain Research Centers OASIS FORMS COMMITTEE ON WEB SERVICES The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) formed a committee to develop a model for reliable messaging in Web services applications. The OASIS committee, consisting of members from about a dozen industry leaders, will rely on the existing Web Services Reliability (WS-R) specification. Web services standards are used to build easily modified applications and to enable more fluid exchange of data. Reliable Web services messaging, or ensuring that a message is correctly delivered, is critical to their development and adoption. Such software exists but requires custom coding to work with different messaging systems. OASIS's proposed model would assure data delivery, regardless of application or delivery method, and would allow companies to choose message delivery options that comply with existing standards and protocols. CNET, 26 February 2003 http://news.com.com/2100-1032-986109.html BIOMETRICS REPORT RELEASED Several recently enacted laws, including the USA PATRIOT Act and the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, call for new and increased efforts to safeguard the nation against terrorist threats. The laws include a requirement to begin using biometric technology--which identifies people based on physical characteristics that cannot be changed, such as fingerprints or iris scans--to fight immigration fraud. The International Biometric Group has delivered its final report on the introduction and use of biometrics. The group's report is based on interviews and on observations of visa procedures and of activities of the Immigration and Naturalization Service at the nation's points of entry. The report recommends using multiple biometric methods of identification rather than relying on a single one and adding biometric identification to existing programs rather than replacing them. The recommendations are similar to those in a recent study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Federal Computer Week, 25 February 2003 http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0224/web-bio-02-25-03.asp NEW BILL CALLS FOR SURVEILLANCE ACCOUNTABILITY Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) have introduced a bill called the Domestic Surveillance Oversight Act in an attempt to add oversight to the actions of the FBI. Because of recent legislation, including the USA PATRIOT Act, aimed at protecting national security, the FBI has increased authority to conduct electronic surveillance and to use information collected. The new bill would require the FBI and the Department of Justice to reveal how often they spy on U.S. citizens under current law. Leahy said there should be some accounting for how the agencies use the powers they currently have, especially as they call for even broader powers. Grassley accused the FBI of being too secretive and of making significant mistakes. He said the agency is unable to apply current legal standards correctly and consistently. PCWorld, 25 February 2003 http://www.idg.net/ic_1186300_9677_1-5042.html AND ***************************************************** WGU EARNS REGIONAL ACCREDITATION Western Governors University (WGU) has earned accreditation from four regional accreditation agencies. WGU is a virtual university, conceived by the governors of 19 Western states, and grants degrees based on subject competency rather than on course credits. Because WGU lacks a single physical presence, it is the only institution to be accredited by more than one regional agency. Members of those four agencies formed a group called the Inter-Regional Accrediting Committee to evaluate WGU and decide on its accreditation. Sandra Elman, one of the members of the committee, said evaluating the program was difficult because of its structure. She said that ultimately WGU proved itself to the committee. Regional accreditation is seen by many as the threshold for credibility and legitimacy among institutions of higher education. Robert W. Mendenhall, president of WGU, said the accreditation is a validation of the institution's model. Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 February 2003 http://chronicle.com/free/2003/02/2003022601t.htm PURDUE TAKES STEPS TO LIMIT UNLAWFUL DOWNLOADING Purdue University has begun sending letters and making phone calls to alert some students that their use of the campus network violates not only university policy but also copyright law. Copyright holders who identify users of a campus network as infringing on copyrights can contact the university to stop the violations. Purdue has received more than 400 such requests since June 2002. Officials from Purdue said they inform the students of the problem and instruct them to stop the illegal activity, assuming that most students are simply unaware that they are breaking the law. Officials said, however, that students risk stricter punishments, such as loss of computer privileges, depending on the circumstances of the violation. The university asserted that it does not disclose the names of students found to be violating copyright laws. Purdue Exponent, 24 February 2003 http://www.purdueexponent.org/2003/02/24/ IBM FUNDS SUPPLY-CHAIN RESEARCH CENTERS IBM is funding joint research centers at universities to study supply chains, the complex operations between suppliers and customers and supporting internal operations. More than half a million dollars� worth of supplies and expertise is earmarked for a supply-chain laboratory at Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business. The lab is slated to open this spring. IBM is negotiating deals with other universities as well to link different labs to collaborate and exchange research on topics such as optimizing inventory and order-tracking systems. IBM hopes to benefit from the research and to recruit from the various centers� ranks. An IBM executive noted that the centers will address the product development aspect of supply chains, even while the cultural issues that affect their performance will persist. ZDNet, 26 February 2003 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-985978.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 "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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