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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 08, 2006 Online Job Applicant Rule Poses New Challenges New Rules for Web Accessibility in the U.K. Attacks on the Rise, with More Money at Risk USA PATRIOT Act Gets New Life ONLINE JOB APPLICANT RULE POSES NEW CHALLENGES A new rule from the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs threatens to cause a number of new administrative headaches for federal contractors, which includes most colleges and universities. Federal statutes require contractors to gather demographic data, including race, gender, and ethnicity, about job applicants and report it to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which monitors the data to ensure compliance with affirmative action and antidiscrimination laws. The rule defines who is considered an applicant for a job, given the growing use of electronic tools for job recruitment and hiring. Under the rule, which went into effect February 6, individuals are considered applicants if they express interest through electronic media, have the qualifications for the job, or are considered for the position, as they would be through an employer's searching a database of resumes. Given that many employers accept electronic or hard-copy applications, the task of keeping track of applicant data becomes much more complicated under the new rule. Also, the rule requires employers to keep track of every search they perform of a database of resumes. The result is a potentially onerous job of keeping accurate records of all necessary data. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is giving contractors a 90-day grace period before enforcing the new rule. Chronicle of Higher Education, 8 March 2006 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/03/2006030803n.htm NEW RULES FOR WEB ACCESSIBILITY IN THE U.K. Following a 2004 report from the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), which estimated that 80 percent of Web sites present obstacles to users with disabilities, the British Standards Institution (BSI) has issued new guidelines covering accessibility. A law passed in 1999 requires U.K. organizations to make their Web sites accessible, and the new guidelines provide definitions and advice about how Web site operators can comply with that law. The DRC said that users with disabilities spend an estimated 80 billion British pounds every year, noting that businesses with accessible Web sites are more likely to see some of that spending. Mike Low, director of BSI, echoed those thoughts, saying that as access to all users is expanded, the new ruling will be a "win-win situation" for vendors and consumers. BBC, 8 March 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4783686.stm ATTACKS ON THE RISE, WITH MORE MONEY AT RISK In a new report, computer security firm Symantec says the number of Internet attacks is rising and that the motive for such attacks is increasingly money. The report is based on data gathered from 40,000 security devices from around the world and covers Internet mischief ranging from spam and adware to network attacks and phishing scams. Although many hackers formerly plied their trade merely to demonstrate what they could do, Internet scams such as phishing are designed to put money into the hands of online thieves. Symantec noted that the tools used to launch Internet attacks are becoming very sophisticated, and the report also highlights the fact that many networks remain poorly protected despite simple means to increase security against such threats. Javier Santoyo, development manager at Symantec Security Response, said, "Just letting users know about configuration management and maybe installing heuristics-based solutions on desktops goes a long way." Yahoo, 8 March 2006 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060308/tc_nf/41987 USA PATRIOT ACT GETS NEW LIFE After a filibuster led to additional measures designed to protect civil liberties, the House and Senate have approved a renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act that President Bush is expected to sign before it expires this Friday. In all, the legislation renews 16 provisions of the bill passed in 2001 to help combat terrorism. Since its original passage, however, civil libertarians have criticized the law for sacrificing individuals' rights in the pursuit of information about terrorists. Supporters of the law argue that no evidence has been brought forth indicating that the powers of the legislation have been misused. The bill that is being sent to the president renews the federal authority to obtain usage records through National Security Letters, but the bill includes language that specifically exempts most libraries from the demands of the letters. Another change to the law allows those under investigation to formally challenge the part of the law that prevents them from revealing that they are under investigation. Wired News, 7 March 2006 http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,70362-0.html ***************************************************** 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. 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