Edupage, April 23, 2003

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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
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the intelligent use of information technology.
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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2003
  Amazon Accused of Violating COPPA
  RealNetworks to Purchase Listen.com
  Sales of Handheld Devices Drop Sharply
  Microsoft Softens Licensing Terms
AND
  Students' Network Access Cut Off for File Sharing
  Fearing Prosecution, Student Moves Research to Netherlands


AMAZON ACCUSED OF VIOLATING COPPA
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and 10 other
organizations this week petitioned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
to investigate Amazon.com for allowing children under 12 years of age
to post product reviews on the company's Web site without parental
consent, which would violate the  Children's Online Privacy Protection
Act (COPPA). According to EPIC, some of the reviews posted included
personal information about the children. EPIC said the company does not
have adequate procedures to monitor reviews for compliance with COPPA
and that the designated "Kid's Review Form" did not work properly.
Amazon denied the allegations, and some observers suggested that
EPIC's action is designed to prompt COPPA compliance from smaller
retailers by targeting one of the largest. The FTC, which has fined
other companies for COPPA violations, will review the new complaint but
did not give a timetable for that review.
Internet News, 23 April 2003
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/2195521

REALNETWORKS TO PURCHASE LISTEN.COM
RealNetworks has announced it will purchase Listen.com for $36 million
in cash and stock. With the purchase, RealNetworks will acquire
Listen.com's Internet music service, called Rhapsody, and its "tens of
thousands" of subscribers. RealNetworks already has more than 900,000
subscribers to its own service, which includes sporting events, games,
and news. Rhapsody gives subscribers legal Web access to 320,000 songs,
and RealNetwork's CEO, Robert D. Glaser, said his company hopes the
service can persuade users to avoid trading in pirated songs.
New York Times, 22 April 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/22/technology/22REAL.html

SALES OF HANDHELD DEVICES DROP SHARPLY
A report from International Data Corp. shows a sharp decline in the
numbers of handheld computing devices shipped in the first quarter of
the year. Shipments were down 21 percent from the same quarter last
year and 27 percent from the fourth quarter of 2002. According to the
data, Palm held the largest portion of the handheld market, with 36
percent, followed by Hewlett-Packard and Sony. Dell moved into fourth
place with 6.5 percent of the market. Kevin Burden of IDC said, "The
handheld market is a victim of its own early success." He said the
target audience has not changed much, and large numbers are choosing
not to upgrade to newer devices. The data do not include devices that
combine handheld computing with cellular phones.
Wall Street Journal, 23 April 2003 (sub. req'd)
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB10511221451575700,00.html

MICROSOFT SOFTENS LICENSING TERMS
Last fall, Microsoft made available certain software protocols
necessary for non-Microsoft servers to interoperate with the company's
operating systems. Companies wanting to access the protocols were
charged a royalty fee, and the Justice Department received some
complaints that those royalties might be in conflict with the terms of
the Microsoft settlement. After a review, the Justice Department
requested changes to Microsoft's licensing terms for the protocols.
Those new terms are expected to be available for public review on the
Microsoft Web site. The company also agreed to drop previously enforced
nondisclosure agreements regarding the licenses. The Justice Department
will continue to monitor the program and the royalties at issue.
Associated Press, 21 April 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/862797p-6030632c.html

AND
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STUDENTS' NETWORK ACCESS CUT OFF FOR FILE SHARING
Administrators at Pennsylvania State University have cut off access to
the university's high-speed network for 220 students accused of
illegally trading copyrighted material on the network. Penn State
issued a warning to all students in March regarding trading copyrighted
work, and the university has added information and tutorials to its Web
site to educate students about the legal issues involved. (Recently the
Recording Industry Association of America filed lawsuits against four
university students for copyright violations.) Network access for the
Penn State students will be restored after they remove any "publicly
listed copyright infringing materials" from their systems.
Internet News, 22 April 2003
http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article.php/2194861

FEARING PROSECUTION, STUDENT MOVES RESEARCH TO NETHERLANDS
Fearing prosecution under a new Michigan law, a graduate student at the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor has relocated his research to a Web
server in the Netherlands. Niels Provos, a German citizen, is
conducting doctoral research in steganography, which involves
developing software that can find concealed messages in image files and
prevent messages from being detected. The law, which Provos says is
extremely broad, prohibits technology that can "conceal the existence
or place of origin or destination of any telecommunications service."
Visitors to Provos's site are now asked if they are residents of the
United States. Unless they answer No, they are not admitted. Provos
said the law should be changed to allow researchers to work without
risking prosecution. In the meantime, he said, he will do what is
necessary to comply with the law.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 23 April 2003
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/04/2003042301t.htm

*** CORRECTION ***   The April 21 issue of Edupage mistakenly
identified Robert Ballard as "Roger." We regret the error.

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