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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2005 FBI Seeks Library Records Movie Studios Use P2P Server Logs Against File Traders Cyberscam Continues Apace FBI SEEKS LIBRARY RECORDS According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the FBI is using one of the powers granted by the USA PATRIOT Act to demand the records of a library in Connecticut. Because the USA PATRIOT Act also forbids disclosure of details surrounding such investigations, the name of the library in question is being kept confidential, though it is known to be a member of the American Library Association. At issue is the authority to subpoena library records using something called a national security letter, which does not require a judge's approval. The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the library, saying "it should not be forced to disclose such records without a showing of compelling need and approval by a judge." Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said, "This is a prime example of the government using its Patriot Act powers without any judicial oversight to get sensitive information on law-abiding Americans." The FBI did not comment on the lawsuit, but the agency's national security letter noted that it was seeking the library records as part of an investigation "to protect against internal terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities." New York Times, 26 August 2005 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/26/politics/26patriot.html MOVIE STUDIOS USE P2P SERVER LOGS AGAINST FILE TRADERS The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has filed 286 lawsuits for copyright infringement against individuals it identified from the server logs from file-trading services. MPAA efforts have resulted in the closure of a number of such services, many of which used BitTorrent technology. Information on file traders from those sites led to the "John Doe" lawsuits filed this week, marking the first time P2P logs have been used to seed such lawsuits. Indeed, Bram Cohen, who created BitTorrent to streamline downloading of very large files, said that using the technology for illegal file trading would be a "dumb idea" because it was never designed to conceal the identities of users. A statement from MPAA Senior Vice President John Malcom warns those who illegally download copyrighted movies, "You have no friends in the online community when you are engaging in copyright theft." CNET, 25 August 2005 http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5843082.html CYBERSCAM CONTINUES APACE A recently discovered identity-theft scam continues to cause problems for Internet users, despite efforts by security firms and the FBI to stop it. Security firm Sunbelt Software uncovered the scam accidentally while investigating spyware. Sunbelt located an Internet server whose log files contained personal information harvested by keylogging from many thousands of users. The company notified the FBI, and the server was shut down soon afterwards, only to resurface later. Each time the servers are taken down, more of them appear elsewhere. The keylogging software, which is circulated by a computer virus, captures private information from users and transmits it to one of the rogue servers. The FBI is working to find out who is operating the servers. In the meantime, Sunbelt has developed a tool that searches for the malicious software, which is has named Srv.SSA-KeyLogger. BBC, 26 August 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4186972.stm ***************************************************** 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
