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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 08, 2004 Standardized Test to Measure Technology Literacy Vendors Collaborate on Security Standards FTC Calls for an End to New Antispyware Legislation Microsoft Settles More Suits STANDARDIZED TEST TO MEASURE TECHNOLOGY LITERACY Working with representatives of seven universities, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the SAT, has developed a new test to measure how well students apply information technology skills to solve problems. Students taking the ICT Literacy Assessment exam will be asked to perform tasks such as build a spreadsheet, write an e-mail that summarizes a passage, and evaluate the credibility of online information. Barbara A. O'Connor, a professor of communications at California State University at Sacramento, was involved in the development of the exam and said that organizers wanted to expand the idea of the digital divide. Rather than simply describing the difference between having technology and not, the term should be understood to mean the disparity of how that technology is used and how it is applied to various situations, said O'Connor. The test will be given starting in January 2005, and for the first year, results will be provided in the aggregate only. After ETS has developed a baseline for scoring, test takers will receive individual scores. Chronicle of Higher Education, 12 November 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v51/i12/12a03301.htm VENDORS COLLABORATE ON SECURITY STANDARDS A group of companies that develop network security applications has formed a partnership to establish what it calls "minimum criteria" for protecting Web-based applications. The Applications Security Consortium, representing the efforts of F5 Networks, Imperva, NetContinuum, and Teros, will work for implementing standards that will "ensure the safety of consumers as well as corporate and government environments on the Web." According to the group, many security companies say they include security measures in their applications but do not, leaving consumers with a false sense of security about their networks. The group called on larger companies to join, including Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks, and said it will submit its products to an independent lab for review. Greg Young of Gartner said that the new group represents a "positive development for buyers of application security." CNET, 8 November 2004 http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-5443154.html FTC CALLS FOR AN END TO NEW ANTISPYWARE LEGISLATION The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has repeated its position to Congress that new antispyware legislation is unnecessary, saying that current regulations are sufficient. The FTC and Congress have routinely disagreed about the best approach to limiting spyware. The FTC contends that virtually all spyware is intended to deceive computer users, and, according to FTC Commissioner Orson Swindle, "if people are deceived, it's a deceptive practice." The House of Representatives nonetheless passed two antispyware bills this year. Although both bills are expected to die in the Senate, House leaders have promised to reintroduce them next year. The FTC this week again called on Congress to forgo new legislation, suggesting also that in its haste to write new laws, Congress sometimes approves confusing statutes that cause more harm than good. Swindle also noted that the recent case filed by the FTC against an alleged spyware operator was able to proceed without either of the bills passed in the House. Internet News, 5 November 2004 http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3432111 MICROSOFT SETTLES MORE SUITS Microsoft this week moved another step closer to clearing its slate of pending antitrust legislation when it reached a $536 million settlement with Novell over that company's NetWare operating system. In exchange, Novell will withdraw from the antitrust case brought by the European Commission (EC) against Microsoft. Microsoft also settled with the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which had challenged the terms of the antitrust settlement between Microsoft and the Justice Department. Under that deal, Microsoft will join the CCIA and will pay undisclosed legal expenses; the CCIA will stop seeking a review of the settlement with the Justice Department and will also withdraw from the EC case. Since the landmark deal with the Justice Department, Microsoft has now spent about $3 billion to settle antitrust complaints, and the company might still be liable for another $950 million for outstanding lawsuits, including one by RealNetworks. Despite Microsoft's argument that the EC should end its case in light of the new settlements, an EC spokesperson said regulators would not be ending their investigations and would insist on enforcing sanctions against the company. Wall Street Journal, 8 November 2004 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109992201481467517,00.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 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/Edupage/639 ***************************************************** 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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