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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2003 Sabotage as Copyright-Enforcement Tool Microsoft Files Suits Against Spammers New Tool from ITAA Evaluates Security AND UM at College Park Changes IT Direction Oracle Digs Deeper, Ups Bid for PeopleSoft SABOTAGE AS COPYRIGHT-ENFORCEMENT TOOL Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) shocked lawmakers and other observers at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on copyright protection this week when he expressed support for developing technologies that would damage the computers of people trading copyrighted material. If habitual violators of copyright cannot be persuaded to stop or prevented from violating the law any other way, "then I'm all for destroying their machines," said Hatch. For such an approach to work, Congress would have to approve an exemption to anti-hacking laws for copyright holders. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), ranking Democrat on the committee, conceded the need to find workable solutions to digital copyright violations but said, "this is not one of them." Other observers suggested that the exemption for copyright holders would be very unlikely to pass Congress. Washington Post, 17 June 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6559-2003Jun17.html MICROSOFT FILES SUITS AGAINST SPAMMERS Microsoft has joined America Online, EarthLink, and Yahoo in filing lawsuits against individuals and companies it claims are flooding its users' mailboxes with unwanted e-mail. According to Microsoft, more than 80 percent of all e-mail sent to its Hotmail customers is spam, and the 15 lawsuits the company has filed represent the latest step in a broad program to limit the damage from spam. Ray Everett-Church of consulting firm ePrivacyGroup suggested that such lawsuits are primarily a public relations step and will have very little impact on the volume of spam. David Sorkin of the John Marshall Law School said that even if various efforts successfully minimize fraudulent e-mail, what really annoys users are the nonfraudulent messages. New York Times, 18 June 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/18/technology/18SPAM.html NEW TOOL FROM ITAA EVALUATES SECURITY In response to a survey indicating widespread dissatisfaction with computer security training, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) has developed an online test called the Information Security Awareness Certification Program. Organizations that want to take the test pay an annual fee, which gives them access to the tests as well as study guides. If 90 percent of an organization's employees take the test, and if 85 percent of those pass it, the organization can receive a certification from the ITAA. Harris N. Miller, president of the ITAA, said the program is valuable because it focuses not on chief information officers or others likely to have strong understanding of and training in security but on "the rest of us." Chronicle of Higher Education, 18 June 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/06/2003061802t.htm AND ***************************************************** UM AT COLLEGE PARK CHANGES IT DIRECTION Donald R. Riley has resigned his post as chief information officer of the University of Maryland at College Park, marking a shift in focus away from national initiatives and toward campus-based needs. Riley was hired by the university five years ago to bring the school into high-profile, local and national computing projects such as Internet2 and USA Waves. Riley's resignation came in the wake of an investigation into the university's Office of Information Technology. The investigation indicated that the office needed to spend more resources maintaining and upgrading campus services, and this meant less involvement with the projects Riley had championed. Riley will continue at the university as a professor and an advisor to the university's president on national technology issues. Chronicle of Higher Education, 17 June 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/06/2003061701t.htm ORACLE DIGS DEEPER, UPS BID FOR PEOPLESOFT Signaling an earnestness that many had questioned, Oracle has increased its bid to take over PeopleSoft from $16 a share to $19.50. Oracle has also announced its intention to file a lawsuit against PeopleSoft's board of directors and J.D. Edwards for interfering with the right of PeopleSoft shareholders to accept Oracle's offer. Observers noted that the ball is now in the court of PeopleSoft's board members, who are under pressure to demonstrate that they are working for the best interests of shareholders. Paul Hamerman of Forrester Research reiterated that even if the shareholders approve the deal, it will be subject to significant regulatory scrutiny. If that happens, said Hamerman, Oracle still stands to benefit because of the wariness the deal has caused among current and prospective PeopleSoft customers. Internet News, 18 June 2003 http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/2223731 ***************************************************** 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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