Edupage, May 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 FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2003
  FCC Supports Spectrum Leasing
  Feds Continue to Fight Spam and Web Scams
  Cybersecurity Gets New Life at DHS
  British Debate Internet Snooping
  Movie Studios Take DVD Software Makers to Court
AND
  Students Object to Online Posting of Dissertations


FCC SUPPORTS SPECTRUM LEASING
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to allow owners of
radio spectrum to lease or trade parts of their spectrum, which some
believe will result in fewer "dead spots" for users of cell phones and
other wireless devices. Under the old rules, holders of spectrum
licenses were responsible for maintaining the viability of that
spectrum, including providing equipment and people to support it. The
FCC's new rule allows license holders to lease or trade portions of
their spectrum that are underused, turning responsibility for that
spectrum over to another organization. Many believe this creation of a
secondary spectrum market will lead to more efficient use of the
available spectrum and fuller, less-interrupted coverage for wireless
devices. Wireless carriers were pleased with the new rule, as were some
involved in financial markets who hope to profit from trading in the
new market. Only one FCC commissioner voted against the new rule.
Michael J. Copps said the agency lacked the authority to make the
change.
New York Times, 15 May 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/technology/16SPEC.html

FEDS CONTINUE TO FIGHT SPAM AND WEB SCAMS
Federal officials continue their crackdown on spammers and Web frauds,
announcing this week another 45 criminal and civil actions carried out
by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in coordination with various
other state and federal groups. The recent actions cover incidents
ranging from online auction fraud to the illegal sale of controlled
substances. The FTC has also moved against online scams dealing with
SARS, the national do-not-call registry, and someone selling cell phone
radiation protection patches. The FTC began an effort to persuade
organizations in 59 countries to close so-called open relays, which
allow spammers to send e-mail through servers they do not maintain.
Such routing of e-mail makes it difficult to identify the source of
much spam, and those supporting the move to close the relays believe it
would have a significant impact on the amount of spam.
Internet News, 15 May 2003
http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/2207161

CYBERSECURITY GETS NEW LIFE AT DHS
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is creating an office to
implement the Bush administration's cybersecurity strategy and to
direct responses to cyberattacks, including developing a disaster
recovery plan. The new office is intended to address concerns that the
current administration has not devoted sufficient attention and
resources to cybersecurity. A supervisor for the new office has not
been named, nor has it been determined how many employees or how much
funding the office will receive. Former cybersecurity adviser Richard
Clarke and others believe an influential and trusted high-level
official is required to make Internet security a priority, but question
if the DHS will appoint an effective person. Greg Garcia of the
Information Technology Association of America said, "What's most
important is that there be an individual ... to whom we in industry can
look for coordination and partnership." Garcia also noted that many
people and programs are needed "to make the strategy more than just a
document produced with great fanfare and tossed aside."
Washington Post, 14 May 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56254-2003May14.html

BRITISH DEBATE INTERNET SNOOPING
British privacy experts this week presented their estimates that
authorities in the United Kingdom make roughly one million requests
each year for data on Internet and phone usage, totaling perhaps one
billion individual pieces of information. The numbers were presented at
a public debate regarding proposals to expand governmental authority to
access such records. According to privacy experts, requests are made
for e-mail logs, personal information about customers, and telephone
billing data, including numbers called. Parliament has passed a
controversial act, the Regulatory of Investigatory Powers Act, which
collects all data-access rights under one piece of legislation. The
Home Office is currently investigating how to implement many of the
provisions of the act and is working with companies to reach agreement
on such issues as how long companies are required to preserve data. A
spokesman for the Home Office rejected the estimates of a million
information requests each year, saying the number is perhaps half that.
BBC, 16 May 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3030851.stm

MOVIE STUDIOS TAKE DVD SOFTWARE MAKERS TO COURT
Major Hollywood movie studios this week filed two separate lawsuits
against makers of software that allows users to copy DVDs. A suit in
U.S. District Court in New York seeks to prevent Enterprises Inc.,
RDestiny LLC, HowtocopyDVDs.com, DVDBackupbuddy.com, and DVDSqueeze.com
from selling DVD-copying software. The other lawsuit, in federal court
in California, seeks a similar injunction against 321 Studios, maker of
DVD X Copy and DVD Copy Plus software. 321 Studios had filed a
preemptory suit last year, hoping to obtain a judge's decision that
its product does not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA). The software makers argue that fair-use provisions of copyright
law allow users to make backup copies of DVDs they have legally
purchased. Movie studios dispute this. They say that circumventing the
copy protections of a DVD is illegal under the DMCA, regardless of any
fair-use rights.
Reuters, 15 May 2003
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=2753527

AND
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STUDENTS OBJECT TO ONLINE POSTING OF DISSERTATIONS
Some students and faculty at Ohio State University are objecting to a
policy that requires doctoral dissertations to be submitted
electronically and posted online. Opponents of the policy, many of whom
are in the English and history departments, argue that work posted
online is less likely to be accepted for publication later. Concerns
have also been raised over copyright issues for dissertations and the
perception of increased risk of plagiarism of the online dissertations.
University administrators said the policy reflects the institution's
responsibility for ensuring that academic work is "available to the
community at large." William A. T. Clark, associate dean of the
Graduate School, tried to allay plagiarism concerns by noting that
increased access to the dissertations may actually decrease plagiarism
because it is more likely to be detected. Students can apply for a one-
to three-year delay in the posting of their dissertations. Clark said,
however, that eventually all dissertations will be posted online
because the university has the right to do so.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 May 2003 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/05/2003051502t.htm

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