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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2003 Senate Approves Anti-Spam Bill by Voice Vote Web Tax Ban Not Renewed Simulated Cyberterrorist Attack Reveals Problems Cable Failure Disrupts European Internet Services Opera Fixes Security Holes, Adds OpenSSL Patch SENATE APPROVES ANTI-SPAM BILL BY VOICE VOTE A voice vote by the Senate approved a bill called "Can Spam" to regulate junk e-mail. The bill differs slightly from the House version passed Saturday, so the House will have to vote again before sending the legislation to President Bush for his expected signature. The bill permits the federal government, state attorneys general, and Internet service providers to sue bulk e-mailers who use false e-mail addresses and subject lines or other deceptive practices. Individuals may not take legal action against violators of the law. Violators could face both financial penalties and jail sentences if convicted. New York Times, 26 November 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/26/technology/26spam.html WEB TAX BAN NOT RENEWED The Senate failed to reach an agreement to extend a federal ban on taxing Internet access, which expired November 1. The ban, first passed in 1998, forbids taxation of Internet access services by state and local governments and limits their ability to tax Internet commerce. The ban does not address the issue of sales taxes on Internet transactions. The Senate debate is expected to resume in 2004. At issue is a proposal to expand the current definition of Internet access services to include wireless services and digital subscriber lines (DSL). State and local governments oppose the measure because it would limit states' authority to tax telecommunications services, potentially costing billions of dollars in tax revenue. The House passed a permanent ban on Internet access taxes in September. Wall Street Journal, 25 November 2003 (registration req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106978356018478100,00.html SIMULATED CYBERTERRORIST ATTACK REVEALS PROBLEMS A simulation called "Livewire" carried out over five days in late October by the Department of Homeland Security tested the responses of computer, banking, and utility systems to a potential physical and computer terrorist attack. The National Security Council and the departments of Defense and Treasury also participated. The government and the Institute for Security Technology Studies at Dartmouth College are still studying the results, but preliminary data from the exercise revealed problems with the way victimized industries communicate important information during a crisis. CNN, 25 November 2003 http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/11/25/cyber.attack.ap/index.html CABLE FAILURE DISRUPTS EUROPEAN INTERNET SERVICES A fiber-optic cable system connecting the United States, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom suffered a major failure Tuesday, causing widespread disruption to Internet services. The cable is owned by a consortium of telephone companies, including BT, which explained that the disruption occurred between France and the Netherlands and disrupted a range of telecommunications services. France Telecom will send a cable ship to repair the problem, whose cause remains unknown. Part of the cable near the U.S. coast suffered a technical fault earlier this month, scheduled to be fixed by the end of this week. ZDNet, 26 November 2003 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5111964.html OPERA FIXES SECURITY HOLES, ADDS OPENSSL PATCH A new version of the Opera Web browser closes two security holes and incorporates a patch for the OpenSSL protocol, according to developer Opera Software. The security holes could have allowed someone to remotely take control of another user's computer. The company advises Opera users to upgrade to Version 7.23 to protect their systems from these two flaws as well as to take advantage of the OpenSSL patch, which addresses a bug that could cause the browser to crash if sent invalid data about a secure Web site's security certificate. The creators of OpenSSL released the patch in early November. PCWorld, 25 November 2003 http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,113664,00.asp ***************************************************** 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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