Edupage, April 16, 2003

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2003
  AOL Goes after Spammers
  Australian Report Urges International Anti-Spam Effort
  Americans Enthusiastic Yet Cautious About E-Government
  Microsoft Settles Florida Suit
AND
  Naval Academy Punishes Students for Downloads
  Judge Blocks Conference Presentation on Hacking


AOL GOES AFTER SPAMMERS
As part of a multilayered approach to fighting spam, America Online
(AOL) has filed five lawsuits in Virginia against several companies and
individuals for violations of the Virginia Computer Crimes Act, the
Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Washington Commercial
Electronic Mail Act. AOL is seeking at least $10 million in damages
from the defendants for sending approximately one billion unsolicited
e-mails to its customers, more than eight million of whom have filed
complaints with AOL. AOL is also fighting spam by supporting federal
anti-spam legislation, including the recently introduced CAN-SPAM Act,
and by taking technological steps to limit spam. According to an AOL
spokesman, the company has been blocking mail servers associated with
certain residential IP addresses that have been identified as sending
spam.
IDG, 15 April 2003
http://www.idg.net/ic_1306559_9677_1-5041.html

AUSTRALIAN REPORT URGES INTERNATIONAL ANTI-SPAM EFFORT
Australia could be the first nation to take the fight against spam to
an international level if its government heeds advice from a report
issued by the National Office for the Information Economy. The report
views technical countermeasures and global consensus as the best
approaches to limiting spam. In the United States, spam is regulated by
state but not federal laws, and in Europe the European Parliament
regulates spam by requiring that recipients legitimately "opt-in" to
receive e-mail solicitations. The Australian report suggests, however,
that an international legal approach is not enough and that technology,
industry regulations, and domestic legislation are also required.
ZDNet, 16 April 2003
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-997131.html

AMERICANS ENTHUSIASTIC YET CAUTIOUS ABOUT E-GOVERNMENT
A study by the Council for Excellence in Government and Accenture shows
that although Americans increasingly use online government services,
they are concerned that their privacy may be compromised as a result.
According to the study, more than 60 percent of U.S. Internet users
want to use e-government for activities such as filing a change of
address or renewing a driver's license. Nearly 45 percent think the
government will be able to better serve them if they submit personal
information to government Web sites. Yet roughly the same number
believe that providing such information puts them at risk for security
and privacy violations. More than half think e-government will help
homeland-security efforts and condone the government's searching its
existing databases for terrorist-related information. More than
two-thirds of current e-government users said that governmental
transactions are easier because of e-government, and a majority of
those believe its benefits will increase over the next decade.
Internet News, 15 April 2003
http://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/2190871

MICROSOFT SETTLES FLORIDA SUIT
Microsoft has settled a class-action lawsuit with residents of Florida.
According to the suit, Microsoft violated trade practices in the way it
sold software, and consumers who purchased certain of the company's
products between late 1995 and the end of 2002 will be eligible for
vouchers totaling $202 million. The vouchers will be good for hardware
and software from any manufacturer. Details were not released about
when the vouchers will expire, but the settlement stipulates that half
of unclaimed vouchers will be donated to public schools. One public
school official called that part of the settlement "great news for
schools all across Florida," saying that "the timing is particularly
helpful" in the current budgetary situation.
Nando Times, 15 April 2003
http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/855791p-5993194c.html

AND
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NAVAL ACADEMY PUNISHES STUDENTS FOR DOWNLOADS
A recently released document reveals that the Naval Academy punished 85
midshipmen caught downloading copyrighted movies, music, and computer
games in a November raid. Details of the punishment have not been
disclosed, but Naval Academy spokesman Bill Spann said that the
punishment was suitable and that "the next generation of the nation's
combat leaders [is] being held accountable for their actions." The
matter was considered a "conduct offense" rather than a more serious
"honor offense," which can lead to court-martial and expulsion. One
midshipman said that offenders were given 30 to 60 days of restriction
and up to 75 demerits and noted that, "Your life is just hell if you
get restriction." The punishment has apparently curbed illegal file
sharing at the academy. Experts noted that in contrast to the Naval
Academy, most higher education institutions hesitate to firmly
discipline students for illegal file sharing due to philosophical and
logistical concerns.
Washington Post, 16 April 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34564-2003Apr15.html

JUDGE BLOCKS CONFERENCE PRESENTATION ON HACKING
A state judge in Georgia has placed a temporary restraining order on
two students who were to present information at a conference about how
to replicate software of e-learning company Blackboard. Organizers of
the security and hackers' conference, which was held in Atlanta over
the weekend, said the restraining order violated the free-speech rights
of the students, one of whom attends the Georgia Institute of
Technology and the other the University of Alabama. According to
Blackboard, the students were able to learn how the company's
technology worked by breaking into campus hardware, an action that
violated state and federal laws. Blackboard argued that the damage to
the company "outweighed the commercial speech rights of the individuals
in question," and the state judge agreed. A hearing on a permanent
injunction against presenting the information will be held this week.
CNET, 15 April 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1028-996836.html

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