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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2003 TSA Announces Changes to CAPPS II BT Teams Up with Yahoo Pentagon to Upgrade to IPv6 Microsoft Settles in North Carolina Colleges Anxious over Ongoing Oracle-PeopleSoft Saga TSA ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO CAPPS II Responding to complaints from civil liberties groups, officials at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have announced changes to the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II) to make it less intrusive. The system will use data from commercial services to provide ratings in an effort to establish an authentication system for airline passengers. Officials from the TSA said the redesigned system includes restrictions over the old system for how broadly information can be collected and shared and that a system will likely include provisions for how complaints about data accuracy will be handled. Many privacy advocates remain skeptical, however. David L. Sobel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center pointed out that the government does not have an especially strong record of maintaining accurate data and said that many questions about how the system will actually function remain unanswered. Washington Post, 14 June 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57122-2003Jun13.html BT TEAMS UP WITH YAHOO In a deal announced this week, British Telecommunications (BT) and Yahoo will partner to offer Yahoo content and services over BT's broadband network. BT's OpenWorld service will be renamed BT Yahoo, and the 330,000 existing subscribers will be migrated to the new service starting in September. Analysts said the deal highlights Yahoo's decision to pursue broadband deals with DSL providers rather than cable companies, most of which appear reluctant to co-brand their products with portal companies like Yahoo, AOL, or MSN. BT had tried unsuccessfully to create its own content and compete with portal companies. A spokesman for BT said that the deal with Yahoo is part of the company's goal of having two million broadband customers by next summer and five million by 2006. ZDNet, 16 June 2003 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-1017399.html PENTAGON TO UPGRADE TO IPV6 The Pentagon will begin transitioning to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) to enable the Department of Defense (DoD) to achieve net-centric operations and warfare. The current IPv4 protocol, which the DoD has used for nearly 30 years, is restricted by a limited number of available IP addresses, among other limitations. The new protocol will allow for routing and networking autoconfiguration and integrate the DoD's sensors, weapons, platforms, information, and staff. IPv6 will initially coexist with IPv4 and eventually replace it. Assistant Secretary of Defense John P. Stenbit said, "Achievement of net-centric operations and warfare depends on effectively implementing the transition." Internet News, 13 June 2003 http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/2221821 MICROSOFT SETTLES IN NORTH CAROLINA Microsoft has agreed to the terms of a settlement agreement in the state of North Carolina over alleged anticompetitive practices. Under the terms of the deal, consumers who bought Microsoft products between 1995 and 2002 can apply for vouchers of between $5 and $10. The vouchers can be used toward purchases of software, hardware, or accessories from any vendor. The vouchers could total significant amounts of money for some larger customers, including companies and hospitals. The settlement does not apply to state government purchases. The settlement requires Microsoft to set up an $89 million fund to cover the vouchers, and half of any unclaimed funds will be given to disadvantaged public schools. ABC News, 14 June 2003 http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030614_236.html COLLEGES ANXIOUS OVER ONGOING ORACLE-PEOPLESOFT SAGA Oracle's bid to take over PeopleSoft has many in the academic community unsure about PeopleSoft's future and unwilling to make any decisions about purchases until the situation is resolved. Many higher education institutions use PeopleSoft software for student, financial, and personnel records. Michael Zastrocky, vice president for academic strategies at Gartner Inc., advised colleges and universities to be cautious in the current climate and to "slow that process" of negotiation with PeopleSoft. PeopleSoft has charged that Oracle's bid is "part of a scheme to freeze customer purchase decisions," which seems to be happening, whether that was the intention or not. PeopleSoft's board of directors has voted to reject the offer and is encouraging shareholders to do the same. The company has filed a lawsuit to try to impede the attempted takeover. Chronicle of Higher Education, 16 June 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/06/2003061602t.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. 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