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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 09, 2004 Harvard Online Facebook Goes National Used Computers Full of Sensitive Information Entertainment Industry Plans Lawsuits in Europe Morale Low for IT Professionals HARVARD ONLINE FACEBOOK GOES NATIONAL Students at Harvard University have created an online facebook that has proven so popular that it has been expanded to more than 30 other colleges and universities. Facebook.com is a Web site that mimics the printed facebooks at many colleges--booklets with names, pictures, and other information about students--with additional features that the online medium allows. Facebook.com is restricted to college students and alumni. Students who register with the Web site can include as much information as they choose and can change that information over time. They can assemble lists of friends and send electronic "pokes"--quick messages to say hello--to other registered users. Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg began developing Facebook.com in January, and after the project's success at Harvard, Zuckerberg extended the site to a number of institutions around the country. Costs to run the site, initially quite low, have run up to $3,000, but so far the site remains free, earning enough money from ads to stay afloat. Wired News, 9 June 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,63727,00.html USED COMPUTERS FULL OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION A British security firm researching the fates of lost or stolen laptops has found significant risk of security lapses in such situations. Pointsec Mobile Technologies purchased 100 laptops and hard drives from auctions and Web sites such as eBay. Despite having supposedly been erased, 70 percent of the hard drives the researchers inspected were easily readable. One of the hard drives obtained by the company for five euros on eBay included personal customer information, including pension plans, dates of birth, and home addresses, from one of Europe's largest financial services groups. In addition, Pointsec was able to access information on one in three laptops, simply by using commonly available password-cracking software. According to the company, most airports and police stations routinely sell unclaimed computers--with all of the information still on them--after three months. BBC, 9 June 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3788395.stm ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY PLANS LAWSUITS IN EUROPE Officials of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) this week announced stepped up efforts to prosecute file traders in its ongoing effort to end electronic piracy. Jay Berman, CEO of the IFPI, said his group will file lawsuits against 24 individuals in Denmark and will begin targeting file traders in Britain, France, Sweden, and possibly Japan. This week's announcement follows lawsuits in the United States against almost 3,000 individuals accused of violating copyright over P2P networks. The IFPI recently won a case in Germany against a file trader accused of having 6,000 pirated music files on his computer. The man will pay 8,000 euros ($9,855) to settle that case. Meanwhile, 88 Danes have reached settlements with the IFPI averaging 3,000 euros each, and another 23 are negotiating settlements. Berman characterized his group's approach as a carrot-and-stick plan that aims to educate users about the legal implications of file trading and to prosecute those who break the law. According to the IFPI, 70 percent of users surveyed in France, Germany, Denmark, and Britain know that trading copyrighted music over P2P networks is illegal. Reuters, 8 June 2004 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=5371316 MORALE LOW FOR IT PROFESSIONALS A new report from the Meta Group indicates low morale among workers in the IT field, and analysts warn of a range of consequences from unhappy workers. According to their survey, the Meta Group reported that 72 percent of companies identified low morale as a serious problem. A recent poll by IT employment Web site Dice.com estimated that 80 percent of IT workers suffer from low morale, which analysts attribute to continued softness in the IT market and new concerns over the possibility of jobs being outsourced overseas. As a result, many IT companies are perceived as being unconcerned with employee retention. The slowdown of investments in IT, as well as layoffs and uncertainty about when the troubles will end, has left many IT professionals disillusioned with the profession. According to analysts, negative effects of low morale including lower productivity and higher turnover exacerbate the difficulties IT departments are already having. Internet News, 9 June 2004 http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3365851 ***************************************************** 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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