Edupage, April 19, 2006

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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2006
  National Archives Goes Transparent
  FTC Wins Two More Spam Settlements
  Australia Convicts Spammer Under New Law
  Settlement Reached in Antispyware Case
  Adding Netiquette to the Syllabus


NATIONAL ARCHIVES GOES TRANSPARENT
The National Archives and Records Administration has made public the
details of a secret agreement made in 2001 with the CIA and said it
will adjust its procedures to function in a much more transparent
manner. The secret deal gave the CIA the authority to insist that
certain materials in the archives be removed, with no record of the
documents' having been in the archives or why they were removed. Allen
Weinstein, who currently heads the archives but did not when the deal
was made, said he just learned of it and has acted quickly to
invalidate it. "Classified agreements are the antithesis of our reason
for being," he said. A spokesperson from the archives noted that it
routinely archives classified materials and keeps them secret. Adding
another layer of secrecy is unnecessary and inappropriate, she said.
Steven Aftergood, director of a project at the Federation of American
Scientists that tracks government secrecy, applauded the announcement,
particularly Weinstein's role in it. "He did not attempt to deny the
existence of the problem," said Aftergood, "and he did not attempt to
evade responsibility for it."
Chronicle of Higher Education, 19 April 2006 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/04/2006041901t.htm

FTC WINS TWO MORE SPAM SETTLEMENTS
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has gotten two new settlements in
antispam cases. Matthew Olson and Jennifer LeRoy were accused of
violating several provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act, including using
others' computers to send spam, inserting bogus "From" information and
misleading subject lines in e-mails, and failing to provide recipients
with an opt-out provision. Olson and LeRoy were charged in connection
with an FTC operation targeting spammers who hijack computers to send
their spam. Both defendants settled with the FTC and agreed not to send
any more spam. As part of their settlement a judgment of $45,000
against the two has been suspended, based on their inability to pay it.
The FTC said that if Olson and LeRoy are found to have misrepresented
their financial situation, they will be forced to pay the fine.
Internet News, 18 April 2006
http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3599796

AUSTRALIA CONVICTS SPAMMER UNDER NEW LAW
Wayne Mansfield, who has been identified by Spamhaus as one of the
world's most prolific spammers, has become the first person convicted
under a tough antispam law enacted in Australia in April 2004.
Mansfield and his company, Clarity1, were accused of sending more than
56 million unsolicited e-mails in violation of the law. In his defense,
Mansfield claimed that recipients of his e-mails had agreed to receive
them. He also argued that because he harvested the addresses he used in
his spamming prior to the antispam law's taking effect, they were
exempt from the law. The judge in the case rejected both of those
arguments and found Mansfield guilty. Mansfield will be sentenced
later.
The Register, 19 April 2006
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/04/19/oz_spam_conviction/

SETTLEMENT REACHED IN ANTISPYWARE CASE
In a settlement announced by prosecutors in Washington State, Zhijian
Chen of Oregon will pay about $84,000 in fines, restitution, and
attorneys' fees following a scheme in which Chen sold consumers
fraudulent antispyware services. Chen was charged with sending e-mail
that led recipients to believe their computers were infected with
spyware and that a product called Spyware Cleaner, made by Secure
Computer, could clean their machines. Chen then collected a commission
when users bought the product. State Attorney General Rob McKenna said,
"We will not tolerate those who try to profit by preying on consumers'
fears of spyware and other malware." New York-based Secure Computer as
well as a number of officials from the company are also named in the
lawsuit against Chen.
Associated Press, 19 April 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060419/ap_on_hi_te/spam_lawsuit

ADDING NETIQUETTE TO THE SYLLABUS
In response to greater access to technology and growing expectations of
students, some faculty have begun setting out explicit guidelines in
their syllabi regarding how and when technology should be used. The
perceived importance of "netiquette" is increasing as students come to
campus with greater numbers of Internet-connected devices and with
ideas that often differ from those of faculty about the appropriate use
of e-mail and other tools. At the University of Oregon, Lamia Karim,
assistant professor of anthropology, and Sarah McClure, adjunct
assistant professor of anthropology, have added language to their
syllabi outlining what they see as legitimate uses of e-mail, as well
as describing the sorts of messages they will not tolerate. In addition
to stipulating a degree of formality typically absent from e-mail
communication, the syllabi discourage students from using e-mail for
insignificant questions or those that are already addressed in the
syllabi. McClure advises her students not to use e-mail for questions
that require "more than a single sentence response or a back-and-forth
exchange." According to Karim, "E-mail has absolved the boundary
between professors and student and made us into some kind of surrogate
caretaker." Some criticize such attitudes and restrictions from
faculty, arguing that communication--in whatever form it takes--is a
responsibility of an instructor.
Inside Higher Ed, 19 April 2006
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/04/19/oregon

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