***************************************************** Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. *****************************************************
TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2005 Arizona Student Sentenced for Copyright Violations Appeals Court Questions Broadcast Flags Singapore Plans Coordinated Cybersecurity Effort ARIZONA STUDENT SENTENCED FOR COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS A student at the University of Arizona who pleaded guilty to unauthorized possession of copyrighted movies and music has been sentenced to three months in prison, three years' probation, and 200 hours of community service. The 18-year-old student, Parvin Dhaliwal, was also fined $5,400. Andrew Thomas, attorney for Maricopa County, noted that illegal possession of intellectual property is a felony. Thomas said some of the movies Dhaliwal had copies of were, at the time, only being shown in theaters. Dhaliwal was also ordered to take a copyright course at the University of Arizona and not to use file-sharing programs. Associated Press, 17 February 2005 http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=2934754 APPEALS COURT QUESTIONS BROADCAST FLAGS A federal appeals court has called into question the "broadcast flags" that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has called for in digital broadcasts, saying the agency went too far in trying to control digital piracy. The FCC had ruled that beginning July 1, 2005, all hardware capable of receiving digital broadcast signals must be able to read the flag, which dictates whether and how the program can be copied. According to Appeals Court Judge Harry Edwards, the FCC "crossed the line," saying that "selling televisions is not what the FCC is in the business of." Wendy Seltzer of the Electronic Frontier Foundation applauded the judge's comments, suggesting the flags are no more relevant to the FCC's mandate than dishwashers. Other critics of the FCC's ruling argued that it interferes with legitimate copies of programs, as for educational purposes, and that it puts the FCC in the position of determining how digital equipment is to be built and used. A decision is expected in the coming months from the court about whether those who dispute the ruling may contest it. BBC, 23 February 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4290315.stm SINGAPORE PLANS COORDINATED CYBERSECURITY EFFORT Government officials in Singapore announced that the country will spend $23 million over three years on a centralized program to increase cybersecurity. Singapore is one of the world's most wired countries, with a residential Internet access rate of 50-60 percent. The country also has some of the strictest regulation of computer systems, including a law that allows government monitoring of all computer activity. The law also allows preemptive action by the government to prevent anticipated cybersecurity threats. The new initiative, the National Cyber-Threat Monitoring Center, will monitor networks, looking for evidence of hacking or other cyber threats. The center, which is expected to be running by the second half of 2006, will work with similar centers in countries including the United States and Australia. Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan, who is also Singapore's Coordinating Minister for Security and Defense, said, "Infocomm security is as important in protecting Singapore as is physical security at our borders." Reuters, 22 February 2005 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=7698536 ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, 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] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. To access resources including articles, books, conference sessions, contracts, effective practices, plans, policies, position descriptions, and blog content, go to http://www.educause.edu/resources ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/31 ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2005, EDUCAUSE
