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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 02, 2003 EFF Backs File Swappers, Attacks RIAA Planned Surveillance System Raises Eyebrows Study Links Internet Overuse with Depression Court Rules Against Intel in E-Mail Trespass Case Aimster Told to Stay Idle EFF BACKS FILE SWAPPERS, ATTACKS RIAA Responding to the recent announcement from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) about plans for lawsuits against individuals, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has launched a campaign to mobilize the estimated 60 million Americans who use file-sharing services. The goal of the "Let the Music Play" campaign is to make changes in current copyright law to legalize file sharing while guaranteeing that artists will be compensated for their work. According to Shari Steele of the EFF, "copyright law is out of step with the views of the American public and the reality of music distribution online." The EFF has suggested instituting licensing fees, paid by manufacturers of MP3s and CD-ROMs. The fees would be doled out to artists based on usage. The RIAA dismissed the idea as one that would favor retransmission services and stifle innovation. Internet News, 1 July 2003 http://siliconvalley.internet.com/news/article.php/2230301 PLANNED SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM RAISES EYEBROWS A new surveillance system being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has some scientists and civil libertarians concerned about potential civilian uses of the system. The Combat Zones That See project is intended to use software to analyze images from many thousands of cameras in an urban setting to identify cars, license plates, and even passengers. The goal is to protect U.S. forces in urban settings by spotting license plates on watch lists or discerning suspicious behavior. Despite assurances from the Pentagon that the technology is intended only for military uses, some observers have expressed concern that it could be used by civilian law enforcement agencies in a manner that intrudes on personal privacy. John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org said, "Government would have a reasonably good idea of where everyone is most of the time." Washington Post, 2 July 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61389-2003Jul2.html STUDY LINKS INTERNET OVERUSE WITH DEPRESSION "Unregulated Internet Usage: Addiction, Habit, or Deficient Self-Regulation?," a study of the online habits of 465 students in two Midwestern colleges, indicates that excessive Internet usage is linked to depression. Praised as a thoughtful inquiry into the origins of compulsive Internet use, the study finds that students typically use the Internet for about an hour and a half a day. Those who turn to the Internet initially to regulate mood and combat feelings of loneliness often can't regulate usage. The inability to regulate usage can intensify depressive moods and lead to further isolation. To work around the limitations of the notion of addiction as it applies to online habits, the authors employ the idea of deficient self-regulation to describe compulsive Internet usage. The study's findings are consistent with those for excessive use of conventional media, such as immoderate TV watching or reading too many trashy novels. Chronicle of Higher Education, 2 July 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/07/2003070201t.htm COURT RULES AGAINST INTEL IN E-MAIL TRESPASS CASE The California Supreme Court ruled that a former Intel employee did not violate trespassing laws when he sent e-mail messages to current Intel employees. From 1996 to 1998, Kenneth Hamidi, a former Intel engineer who was fired after a workers' compensation dispute, sent six e-mail messages to Intel employees, directing them to a Web site he created that criticized Intel. In 1998, Intel received an injunction that barred Hamidi from sending messages to Intel employees. The California court overturned the lower court's injunction and rejected Intel's argument that the messages represented illegal trespassing to its computer systems. The trespass argument has been used by Internet service providers and companies to stop spam. Jeffrey D. Neuburger, a New York-based technology lawyer, said, "Everyone is trying to figure out ways to solve the spam problem, and this ruling doesn't help." Although the case attracted attention regarding free-speech and employee rights, the California court ruled only on the trespass issue. New York Times, 1 July 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/01/technology/01SPAM.html AIMSTER TOLD TO STAY IDLE The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled Monday that online file-sharing service Aimster, which is being sued by the recording industry, must remain shut down during the trial. To reopen, Aimster must prove that its users are engaged in activities other than illegal file sharing, such as trading music that is not copyrighted or accessing copies of music they already own. Aimster is one of many online music file-sharing services the recording industry has sued and tried to shut down permanently, alleging that massive copyright infringement through such peer-to-peer networks has resulted in decreased CD sales and profits. The shut-down ruling applies to Aimster during the trial only, and Aimster's founder Johnny Deep believes the ruling will help him prove during a full trial that his service brokers legitimate activity. Cary Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America, cautioned that a "peer-to-peer service is not off the hook simply because it claims there may be legitimate users of its network." The recording industry believes the ruling will bolster its lawsuits against hundreds of individuals for copyright infringement, in addition to its case against file-sharing services Grokster and Morpheus, currently on appeal. Reuters, 30 June 2003 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3015420 ***************************************************** 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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