***************************************************** 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 MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2003 Encryption-Rights Advocates Fear Governmental Restrictions House Approves Net Porn Limits Groups Oppose State Copyright Restrictions AND University to Track Medical Errors Online British Universities Face Copyright Lawsuits Web Site Designed to Increase Minority Student Participation ENCRYPTION-RIGHTS ADVOCATES FEAR GOVERNMENTAL RESTRICTIONS As part of the PATRIOT II legislation, the Justice Department is considering extending prison sentences for those found guilty of scrambling data in commission of another crime. Law enforcers hope to deter criminals from scrambling messages by increasing the penalty up to five years for the first offense and 10 years for repeat offenses. Encryption advocates, however, fear this would be an ineffective way to deter crime and will hinder legitimate uses of cryptography. The latest draft proposal applies only to those who intentionally use encryption to commit a federal felony, yet critics contend that the language could cover most online activity because encryption is so widely used for e-commerce and other transactions. Given the increasing role of encryption in a wired world, debate centers on how to prove intention and on whether such a law would be effective. Associated Press, 31 March 2003 http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/834379p-5876993c.html HOUSE APPROVES NET PORN LIMITS The U.S. House of Representatives added two amendments last week to the Child Abduction Prevention Act (CAPA), and then voted 410 to 14 to pass CAPA. The first amendment makes it a crime to use misleading Internet names to lure children to pornographic or adult Web sites. Violators could face up to four years in prison. The second amendment bans virtual or computer-generated child pornography. The Supreme Court last year ruled that Congress's first legislation against virtual child pornography violated the First Amendment. CAPA, which was passed by the Senate without the House's additions, creates a national network to send alerts in cases of child kidnapping. CNET, 27 March 2003 http://news.com.com/2100-1028-994460.html GROUPS OPPOSE STATE COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS Critics of current copyright laws argue that some states are passing legislation even more restrictive that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and are urging those states to soften their position. The Association of Research Libraries, the American Association of Law Libraries, and the American Library Association sent a letter last week to lawmakers in Arkansas and Colorado rejecting proposed laws that could "undermine the ability of libraries to provide important information services." The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is one of the supporters of the DMCA and state copyright laws. According to the MPAA, states that have already passed copyright legislation include Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Illinois, and Michigan. The MPAA defends laws in those states as legitimate attempts to curtail the piracy of copyrighted material. ZDNet, 31 March 2003 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-994667.html AND ***************************************************** UNIVERSITY TO TRACK MEDICAL ERRORS ONLINE The University of California is employing an Internet-based system to track medical errors at five campus medical centers in an effort to report and reduce such errors. Several years ago, a report from the Institute of Medicine estimated that between 48,000 and 98,000 fatal medical errors occur every year in U.S. hospitals. The system allows hospitals to track trends in medication errors, such as administering the wrong drug or dosage, and evaluates and compares each error through a "harm score system." Health care providers, including Kaiser Permanente, have used such systems to improve quality and efficiency. The project is considered the first to link academic medical centers system-wide through the Internet. Patients are not allowed access to the system, but they can make suggestions and notify authorities of medical errors. Associated Press, 28 March 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/831254p-5858689c.html BRITISH UNIVERSITIES FACE COPYRIGHT LAWSUITS The British Phonographic Industry and its sister organization, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, have sent a letter to every university in Britain highlighting the problem of music piracy on campuses and raising the specter of legal action against universities that are complicit in such piracy. A spokesman for the two groups said that turning a blind eye to such illegal activity on the school's network sends students a message that conflicts with universities' calling for honesty and understanding about plagiarism in their academic work. Organizations representing universities and faculty offered several responses. One group said the music industry should help pay for filtering efforts on campuses. Another group said that while universities do not condone piracy, they have better things to do than snoop on network users. Times Online, 28 March 2003 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-625793,00.html WEB SITE DESIGNED TO INCREASE MINORITY STUDENT PARTICIPATION Barry K. Williams, special assistant to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, has developed a Web site for federal scholarships and jobs. Officials from historically Black colleges and universities had suggested to Williams that participation from minority students would increase if there were an online resource that offered information about the range of opportunities presented by the federal government. The site, called e-Scholar, includes scholarships, fellowships, grants, and internships geared to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Users of the site also have access to tips on writing resumes that are likely to appeal to government agencies. Use of the site is not limited to minority students, but officials hope that easy access to the information will encourage a broader pool of applicants to the various programs profiled. Chronicle of Higher Education, 31 March 2003 http://chronicle.com/free/2003/03/2003033102t.htm ***************************************************** 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. For information on EDUCAUSE publications see http://www.educause.edu/pub/ ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/conference/ ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2003, EDUCAUSE
