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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2004 Oracle Partners with Microsoft on Windows Compatibility Senate Hears Testimony on Effects of CAN-SPAM Act Students Still Waiting for Online Loan Application Service Bill Calls for Federal Privacy Officers ORACLE PARTNERS WITH MICROSOFT ON WINDOWS COMPATIBILITY Oracle and Microsoft have announced a partnership deal that will allow databases from Oracle to function better when running on Microsoft's operating systems. Despite a long history of competition between the two companies, the deal is important for both. For Microsoft, the deal marks another in the company's efforts to create less acrimonious relationships with others in the industry. For its part, Oracle will benefit by being able to offer improved products to the roughly 40 percent of its customers who run Oracle databases on Windows operating systems. Under the deal, Oracle will have access to Microsoft's Visual Studio development tools--which can be used to write programs for Windows--to write applications for Oracle databases. Executives from both companies said the deal could lead to others between Oracle and Microsoft, though they will continue to compete for customers of database software. New York Times, 21 May 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/21/technology/21oracle.html SENATE HEARS TESTIMONY ON EFFECTS OF CAN-SPAM ACT The U.S. Senate this week heard testimony from various sources about the effectiveness of the CAN-SPAM Act, which went into effect about six months ago. Several witnesses, including at least one bulk e-mailer, praised the law, noting that it lays out specific requirements for mass e-mail to be considered legitimate. Timothy J. Muris, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said government officials were in the process of using the new law to put an end to the actions of several dozen spammers, though no charges have yet been filed. Jana D. Monroe, assistant director of the FBI's cyber crime division, echoed Muris's comments, saying the law gives law enforcement needed tools to pursue spammers. James Guest, president of Consumers Union, offered a different perspective, saying that the onus on users to opt out of unwanted messages has made the law ineffective. Guest called on Congress to enact a do-not-spam list, which the CAN-SPAM Act charges the FTC to investigate. Representatives from spam-filtering companies testified that since the law was enacted, the overall percentage of spam to the total volume of e-mail has risen. Antispam company Postini estimates that spam now represents 83 percent of all e-mail, compared to 78 percent at the end of last year. Washington Post, 20 May 2004 (registration req'd) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43622-2004May20.html STUDENTS STILL WAITING FOR ONLINE LOAN APPLICATION SERVICE British college students who have been waiting for an online loan application service to be available will have to submit traditional paper applications in order to receive their loans on time. The Web site for the Student Loans Company was to have begun accepting loan applications online in April, but problems have kept the service from working even near the end of May. A number of students opted not to submit paper applications, choosing to wait for the online service, but one application deadline has already passed. April 30 was the cutoff date for non-income assessed loan applications, and May 28 is the deadline for students who are renewing existing loans. The loan company has not been able to tell students when the service will be available, but a statement from the company said those who still submit paper applications "will not necessarily receive their loans late." The company said it would "make every effort to clear these late paper applications in good time." BBC, 21 May 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/3736599.stm BILL CALLS FOR FEDERAL PRIVACY OFFICERS Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) and Rep. Jim Turner (D-Tex.) this week introduced a bill that would create a government-wide chief privacy officer position, as well as a similar position within each federal department. Meek and Turner are both members of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. Under the bill, federal privacy policies would be coordinated under an appointed position at the Office of Management and Budget, and a Commission on Privacy, Freedom, and Homeland Security would investigate privacy issues stemming from the fight against terrorism. According to Meek, the government needs to address privacy issues proactively, rather than wait "until we have a mountain of examples of individual privacy violations." Some privacy advocates have said agencies that do not deal with personal data would not need privacy chiefs, and Meek said if a determination is made that an agency does not need such a position, it could be rolled back. Federal Computer Week, 20 May 2004 http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0517/web-privacy-05-20-04.asp ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ 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/ ***************************************************** 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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