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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2003 DHS to Fund University Security Centers FCC Extends Net Filter Deadline for Libaries Anti-Porn Bill Requires Parental Consent for File Sharing RIAA Subpoenas Grandparents, Roommates RIAA, Higher Education Seek Piracy Solutions Microsoft Modifies Licensing, Satisfies Antitrust Terms DHS TO FUND UNIVERSITY SECURITY CENTERS The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued new guidelines for funding homeland security centers at universities. For the 2004 fiscal year, the House of Representatives and the Senate proposed spending a combined $90 million on the centers and related fellowships. The new guidelines redress what many university officials perceived as a bias favoring Texas A&M University at College Station. According to Jennifer Poulakidas of the University of California system, "It's a pretty wide open competition." The Oak Ridge Associated Universities, a consortium of research universities, will conduct analyses and make recommendations to the DHS. The first grant for a center to focus on economic strategies to cope with terrorism will be awarded in November, with plans to establish nine additional centers by the end of 2004. Chronicle of Higher Education, 24 July 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/07/2003072401n.htm FCC EXTENDS NET FILTER DEADLINE FOR LIBARIES The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has extended the deadline for libraries to comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) to July 1, 2004, due to a legal challenge. Civil libertarians oppose CIPA, which requires libraries that receive federal funding to install Internet filters, on the grounds that it is unconstitutional and could prevent minors from accessing vital information on health and other matters. The Supreme Court, however, ruled that CIPA did not violate First Amendment rights because patrons can ask librarians to disable the filtering software. CNET, 24 July 2003 http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-5053614.html?tag=lh ANTI-PORN BILL REQUIRES PARENTAL CONSENT FOR FILE SHARING The Protecting Children from Peer-to-Peer Pornography Act, a new bill introduced to Congress, would require that file-swapping services receive parental consent in order for children to use their software. Studies show that file-sharing services, known mostly for music file swapping, traffic in pornography. In addition to parental consent, the bill would also require file-sharing networks to warn users of the dangers of file sharing. A controversial component of the bill involves yet-to-be-developed "beacons" that parents would install on their computers indicating that they do not want file-sharing software. If a child tried to access the forbidden file-sharing software, the file-sharing service would see the beacon and deny service. Fred von Lohmann of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who finds the beacon approach suspect, said, "I have no idea how you would even begin to build such a thing. The reality is that parents have to supervise their kids online, and there is no government provision that is going to replace that supervision." Washington Post, 24 July 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41330-2003Jul24.html RIAA SUBPOENAS GRANDPARENTS, ROOMMATES Subpoenas recently sent by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) have cut a wide swath, targeting roommates and relatives in an effort to stop illegal file sharing. Those engaged in file-sharing who thought their identities were masked behind a user name are finding that the RIAA can track down the computers they are using. Roommates, parents, or other relatives who might have been oblivious to the fact that their computers were being used for illegal file trading are now receiving subpoenas to halt such use. Gordon Pate, who received a supboena on his daughter's behalf, said, "There's no way either us or our daughter would do anything we knew to be illegal. I don't think anybody knew this was illegal, just a way to get some music." Christopher Caldwell, a lawyer for the Motion Picture Association of America, thinks the RIAA's strategy might backfire. He said, "If they end up picking on individuals who are perceived to be grandmothers or junior high students who have only downloaded in isolated incidents, they run the risk of a backlash." Washington Post, 24 July 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40853-2003Jul24.html RIAA, HIGHER EDUCATION SEEK PIRACY SOLUTIONS Higher education and music and movie industry officials are collaborating to find viable solutions to the problem of peer-to-peer (P2P) copyright infringement on campuses, amid stepped-up legal action from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to prosecute individual students for illegal file sharing. The Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities Technology Task Force, headed by Penn State President Graham Spanier and RIAA President Cary Sherman, is exploring new technologies that would prohibit illegal file-sharing and promote legitimate online music and movie services for campuses. The committee has solicited input from businesses and has documented technical information and business models to help institutions evaluate available options and future participation. EDUCAUSE Vice President Mark Luker said, "We would really like to stimulate thinking about new business models, so the music industry can provide services to a campus in a way that will succeed." Wired News, 25 July 2003 http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,59743,00.html MICROSOFT MODIFIES LICENSING, SATISFIES ANTITRUST TERMS As part of an anti-trust settlement, Microsoft has agreed to make it cheaper and easier for competitors to license the code, or protocols, behind servers that work with its Windows operating system. To date, competitors like Sun Microsystems have found Microsoft's licensing terms unreasonable. The licensing concessions are expected to make the server marketplace more competitive. Microsoft has also restructured royalties and has halved the fee companies must pay up-front to access the protocols. Judge Kollar-Kotelly is scheduling more frequent court hearings (every three months instead of every six months) to ensure that Microsoft continues to comply with the provisions of the settlement. Reuters, 24 July 2003 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5053632.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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