Information policy watch

Information Policy articles for week of 12/12/2005

2005-12-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Sony BMG repents over CD debacle

Sony BMG says it is rethinking its anti-piracy policy following criticism over its use of copy protection CD software.

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OK, OK, Maybe Piracy Is Bad

Review of the economic costs of piracy in the software business

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Will Fair Use Survive?

Public policy report by the Brennan Center for Justice
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Best Practices in Fair Use

Documentary filmmakers' statement published by the Center for Social Media
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U.K. reviewing intellectual-property laws

As patents, IP violations dominate IT sector, British legislators investigate whether legal changes are needed.
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MPAA Pushes for Tougher Bootlegging Laws

Every evening rush hour, hustlers lugging bags full of bootlegged movies walk the subway train aisles, calling "two for five dollars!" as brazenly as if they were selling hot dogs at Yankee Stadium. At those prices, the DVDs, often of current Hollywood blockbusters, sell well, despite laughable sound and picture quality. MPAA seeks crackdown.
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Online anti-piracy service closes

A firm that used to seed file-sharing networks with fake copies is being shut down.

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Chinese report piracy crackdown
Campaign to stop IP piracy goes on

PRIVACY

Worker Privacy: You Have None
Wired news article on the lack of privacy in workplaces.
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Telecoms required to save logs of e-mail, phone calls under EU anti-terror plan

Changes in privacy protections designed to assist anti-terror investigations.
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EU entangled in its own net - Editorials & Commentary

Trade-offs between civil liberties and tougher terrorism prevention measures are not new, but the European Union is managing to fail on both fronts.
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Law requires Italian Internet cafes to record ID

In a heavily immigrant neighborhood near the main railway station, Ahmed Sohel points dejectedly to the empty computer terminals at the modest storefront where he sells Internet and telephone service.

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Secret ID Law Goes to Court

Challenge over government's right to require people to show their IDs or submit to pat-down search

PUBLISHING

They call it carnage, but British publishers seem to thrive on it

Article on the continuing consolidation of British booksellers, and the impact on the publishing industry
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Anybody Want to Buy a Newspaper?

Under pressure from Wall Street, newspaper journalism is being frog-marched out of the media marketplace. And once it's gone, how will we know anything?

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Academic authors favour peer review over open access

Open access supported but criticised by authors in latest British report.

E-GOVERNMENT

E-voting in California

Update on effort to demand more accountability in e-voting machines in California.
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EFF moves to block e-voting system certification

Electronic Frontier Foundation says N.C. election officials failed to meet requirements before signing off on setups.

CULTURE

Fido's First Cell Phone
A new cell phone for dogs, so owners can track them.
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Online encyclopedia tightens rules following false article

Wikipedia changes editing rules over libel issue.
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Wikipedia joker eats humble pie

The man who added fake data to a biography on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has apologised.

FREE SPEECH AND PRESS

'This Film is Not Yet Rated' Investigates Hollywood's Film Ratings System

IFC Original Documentary by Kirby Dick 'This Film is Not Yet Rated' Investigates Hollywood's Best-kept Secret: the MPAA Film Ratings System and its Impact on American Culture.

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Law Schools Against Free Speech - The Supreme Court considers military recruitment on campus.

Anyone who has attended law school will attest to the lunacy of interview season, wherein law students trade in jeans and sweatshirts for rumpled navy suits and heroically endure an uneasy session with an uneasy recruiter in an airless room

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Professor says was forced out over comment

Professor forced out of school for deriding fundamentalists over intelligent design
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Dissent: Beijing's Tricky Balancing Act

While acknowledging the need for rural economic reform -- and making a start at it -- the central goverment is keeping a tight lid on protests

DIGITAL DIVIDE

Digital divide into digital opportunities: E-learning in the developing countries

Full text of the article, 'Digital divide into digital opportunities: E-learning in the developing countries' from UN Chronicle

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Digital Library of Appalachia

Great example of digital resource for a region.
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High-Tech for Seniors Moves Beyond Clapper

One day, people with Alzheimer's disease could have telephones that show them a picture of the caller and remind them who it is and when they last talked.

SECURITY

Net attack unlikely, says FBI

The FBI claims that a net-based attack by terrorists is unlikely.

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House-Senate Panel Reaches Agreement on Patriot Act

The accord was reached after arduous negotiations about two of the law's most controversial provisions.

GENERAL

GoshMe

A new concept on web searching. Submit your query to every important search engine and find out the best sources to your subject.
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What's the Return on Education?

Schools' costs are easy to gauge. Their economic value is not.

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES

2005 CLIR Report

This report addresses the question of what libraries and archives are legally empowered to do to preserve and make accessible for research their holdings of pre-1972 commercial recordings, the large aural legacy that is not protected by federal copyright.

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Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources (2005)

2005 Perceptions Survey of librarians regarding library use and trend

E-COMMERCE

Market potential indicators for emerging markets - 2005

An indexing study conducted annually by MSU-CIBER to identify which emerging markets provide the best opportunities for global business professionals. The study ranks 24 countries based on a combination of eight dimensions.
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Mass-Produced Individuality

How consumers make distinctive products without actually making anything.

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Would You Like Some Fries With That Download?

If the Walt Disney Company has its way, McDonald's Happy Meal toys could be replaced with portable media players that hold Disney movies, music, games or photos.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

NGA to Go Forward with Proposal to Remove Aeronautical Data from Public Access

Removal of previously public information by US government agency

Articles from the week of 11.25.2005

2005-11-28T09:04:00.000-08:00

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Meeting on new WIPO treaty

Electronic Frontier Foundation reports on the latest treaty discussions at WIPO.

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Roche Tells Indonesia That It Can Produce Tamiflu Without a License

The Swiss drug maker said that Indonesia could make Tamiflu without its license because the medicine is not protected by a patent in the Southeast Asian nation.
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US Patent Office Receives Record Number of New Applications

More evidence of the rush to tie down intellectual property assets.

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Kazaa to install anti-piracy tool

The Kazaa file-sharing network will soon be changed to stop its users finding pirated music files.

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On-line Piracy and Recorded Music Sales

Interesting article by David Blackburn of Harvard University on the impact of online piracy of music.
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A Torrent or a Trickle?

Report on the agreement between MPAA and Bittorrent to stem file-swapping of movies.
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The recording industry calls for data retention for infringers

Attempt by media businesses to have EU support data retention to track copyright infringers.
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Efficient Process or “Chilling Effects”

Report by Jennifer Urban and Laura Quilter on the misuse of Takedown notices under DMCA.
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Vietnamese parliament passes intellectual property law

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Licence fees and GDP per capita

The open source development community provides an environment of intensive interactive skills development at little explicit cost, which is particularly useful for local development of skills, especially in economically disadvantaged regions.
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Australian music industry prepares new assault on piracy

Australia's peak record industry body plans to resource its anti-piracy unit to pursue community education as well as enforcement, its chief said this afternoon.

PUBLISHING

Buy the book, get the search service

University of Chicago professor Randal C. Picker says Amazon Upgrade could wreak havoc with competition in the bookselling market.

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World Digital Library Planned

The Library of Congress is launching a campaign today to create the World Digital Library, an online collection of rare books, manuscripts, maps, posters, stamps and other materials from its holdings and those of other national libraries that would be freely accessible for viewing by anyone.
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Google to give $3 million to Library of Congress

Google plans to make a $3 million gift to the Library of Congress for a project that aims to digitize significant primary materials from national libraries.
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iTunes outsells traditional music stores in the US

Apple Computer's iTunes music store now sells more music than Tower Records or Borders in the US, according to analyst firm the NPD Group.
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Internet gains more ground in holiday shopping

More American consumers are leaving their cars at home and shopping online for the holidays in the face of high fuel costs, giving an extra boost to Internet shopping.

FREE SPEECH

The heavy price of censorship

The heavy price of censorship in Turkey.

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Number Of Chinese Bloggers Doubles

The number of Chinese bloggers more than doubled during the first nine months of the year.

PRIVACY

EU urged to end airline data deal

A top legal adviser urges the EU to halt the transfer of air passenger data to the US authorities.

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Internet privacy

Report by the Congressional Research Service on current status of internet privacy.

SECURITY

Print Story: Online crooks shift to players, software

Online criminals shifted their attacks in 2005 from computer operating systems such as Windows and others to media players and software programs, according to a study released on Tuesday.
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SANS Top 20 Vulnerabilities - The Experts Consensus

The SANS/FBI Top Twenty list is valuable because the majority of successful attacks on computer systems via the Internet can be traced to exploitation of security flaws on this list.

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES

Books for Lending, Data for Taking

Several libraries are borrowing techniques from Internet companies that keep information about their customers' preferences so they can cater to their needs.

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Library Journal - 27 Librarians Win New York Times Awards

The New York Times Librarian Awards, in its the fifth year, has honored 27 librarians.
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Create Change

A website support faculty and librarian efforts to develop alternative publishing.
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Electronic Publications Access

Seminar at the Royal Library of Sweden on scholarly publication
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When a library closes, who gets the books?

When a library closes, who gets the books? The rights to thousands of books are at the center of a controversy brewing in the Town of Tonawanda. In question are about 30,000 books remaining at the now-closed Brighton Library, one of 15 libraries shutting down by year's end to cut expenses.

GENERAL

Media students 'most employable'

Despite the stereotypes, graduates of media studies courses are among the most likely to have jobs.
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A lexicon of information related terms used by the US Government

An article by Susan Maret on the information terms used by the US Government

E-GOVERNANCE AND INFORMATION SOCIETY

OECD and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)

Latest OECD reports on internet governance and financial mechanisms, security and promoting ICTs for development

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E-accessibility of public sector services in the European Union

Results from a comprehensive assessment of the eAccessibility of government online services across the European Union

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SMS System To Link MPs, Electorate launched in Ghana

E-government project to Link MPs, Electorate launched in Ghana.
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Where E-Governance Works

Report on African E-Governance projects

TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft Makes RSS a Two-Way Street

Proposed 'extensions' to specification allow multidirectional synchronization.

Articles for the week of 11.16.2005

2005-11-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

INTERNET

Control the Internet? A Futile Pursuit, Some Say

As the Internet's reach has extended worldwide, an international political battle over its control has arisen.
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Compromise reached in Tunis on Internet control

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a summit focusing on narrowing the digital divide, Wednesday in Tunisia. An agreement was reached Tuesday night on a new approach to Internet management.

PUBLISHING

Oprah Effect Lifts New Books, and Old

There's a belief in publishing circles that if Oprah Winfrey selected a lawn-mower manual for her book club, she could sell a million copies.

DIGITAL DIVIDE

Narrowing the Digital Divide

World summit in Tunisia on the Digital Divide
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Digital Divide Report
EU report on the Digital Divide in Europe
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UN ICT Task Force

Proposal to use information kiosks to bridge the Digital Divide in developing countries.
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Open Access Archiving

Article on open access archiving for science articles, in support of access to knowledge for developing countries.

SECURITY

Liberty versus security equals controversy

British parliament refusal to extend time for holding prisoners without charge prompts discussion on the trade-offs between liberty and security in a free country.

CULTURE

Schwarzenegger in China

Arnold Schwarzenegger is mobbed in China during a visit to protest the production of illegal DVDs. The people who mobbed him became fans by watching illegal DVDs.

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As teens embrace blogs, schools sound an alarm

Teen blogs that discuss topics such as underage drinking catch the attention of parents and school officials.

INFORMATION SEARCH

'Tagging' gives Web a human meaning

'Tagging' gives Web a human meaning | A growing number of Web sites are implementing tagging systems as a way to bring order and organization to information.

INTERNET BUSINESS

E-Shopping Fraud Threat Grows

Online merchants could lose $2.8 billion this year, study warns.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Firestorm rages over lockdown on digital music

Digital rights management uses computer software to make it tougher to freely copy entertainment purchases. Tech enthusiasts, consumer-advocacy groups, bloggers and some musicians are howling that the copy-protection restrictions have become too...

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High-speed college network closes

A peer-to-peer network which allowed US students to swap music and movies at superfast rates has closed down.

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Legal fight hits 'music pirates'

The music industry launches its largest wave of action against people suspected of sharing music files.

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Lost records 'fuel digital drive'

More than two billion records and CDs go missing from personal collections, according to a survey.

EGOVERNMENT

Civic groups and parliaments in eGov planning. An analysis of eGov projects in Belarus

Civic groups and parliaments in eGov planning. An analysis of eGov projects in Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania

LIBRARIES

Libraries lure students with lattés
Libraries are trying new ways to bring students into the building.
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Libraries—The Information Society in Action

Summary report by International Federation of Library Associations on the role of libraries in a digital world.
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D-Lib Magazine (November 2005)

Latest issue of D-Lib includes articles on Digital Libraries, Digital Preservation systems, and the public domain.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

US State Department report on International Freedom

Summary report by country on extent of religious freedom

Articles from the week of 11.9.2005

2005-11-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

SECURITY AND THE PATRIOT ACT

The FBI's Secret Scrutiny

Washington Post investigative articles on the FBI's use of Patriot Act provisions allowing access to individual's records.
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Fierce Fight Over Secrecy, Scope of Law

In Seattle, the public library printed 3,000 bookmarks to alert patrons that the FBI could, in the name of national security, seek permission from a secret federal court to inspect their reading and computer records -- and prohibit librarians from revealing that a search had taken place.
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Senator warns of Patriot Act alarmists

Potential members of a civil liberties board are urged not to spread disinformation about the Patriot Act.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

DMCA Used to Stymie Competion

Summary of corporate efforts to use DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions to stifle competition in the service arena.

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Sony tries to patch up piracy row

Sony's release of a software patch for a controversial anti-piracy CD program has failed to stem criticism.

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Film file-sharer sent to prison

A Hong Kong man is jailed in what is believed to be the first case involving BitTorrent file-sharing software.

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Malaysia warned over pirated CDs

The government in Malaysia - a world centre of disc piracy - is accused of not doing enough to stop the trade.

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A library at your fingertips

Economist article on the current debate over making books available online.

PUBLISHING

Only 4% of Titles Are Being Commercially Exploited

Ongoing research on the economics of book publishing, and the impact of 'orphan works' on the public domain.
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The Long Tail: Mainstream Media Meltdown II
Summary of research reports about the shifts in publishing economics.

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CBS, NBC to Offer TV Shows for 99 Cents

CBS and NBC have announced deals to offer replays of prime-time programs for 99 cents per episode, shifting television toward a sales model that gained popularity with downloaded music.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND INFORMATION POLICY

Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa

Site providing resources about African attempts to influence international information policy.

OPEN SOURCE

Open source turns money-spinner

Open source programmers are finding that although their code is offered for free, it can be lucrative.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE PRESS

Critics Press Companies on Internet Rights Issues - New York Times

A statement urging freedom of expression was an indication of tensions between human rights advocates and companies doing business in countries with repressive regimes.
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China blacklists 53 websites
Announcement by Chinese news agency of efforts to block websites.

INTERNET SECURITY

Nigeria joins antiscam effort

Nigeria joins antiscam effort | U.K., Nigerian officials warn Net users about the long-standing problem of e-mails that try to con recipients out of money.

INFRASTRUCTURE

EU optimistic on net rule

Update on ongoing debate over control of Internet domain names.
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FCC Clarifies VoIP Disconnection Deadline

The Federal Communications Commission won't require Internet phone service providers to cut off customers who don't have reliable 911 emergency call service.

PRIVACY

Net Chat Anoints Public Figure

Court decision about the public status of a person whose situation became a topic of debate over the internet.

CULTURE

Evolutionists Are Wrong!
Wired article on the NAS and NSTA effort to use copyright laws to block Kansas's use of science educational standards manual, in protest over Kansas's support of intelligent design.

Articles from the week of 11.2.2005

2005-11-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

INFRASTRUCTURE

What We Have Here Is a Failure to Communicate

Municipal wireless programs have become a hotly debated subject as Philadelphia and San Francisco move ahead with their plans.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Armstrong wins cybersquatting case

Lance Armstrong wins case against three web sites who attempted to cash in on his 'Live Strong' yellow braclet fundraiser.

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China pressed on ideas

The U.S. continues to pressure China regarding alleged copyright violations, by officially requesting information on China's enforcement efforts through the World Trade Organization.
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Google restarts online books plan

Google resumes its controversial digital library project, saying it will focus on books in the public domain.

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Cut Net music's price tag in half?

The Digital Music Association has requested a drop in royalties paid to record companies from music played over the Internet.
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Finding Copyrights and Trademarks for Free

Originally published in The CyberSkeptic's Guide to Internet Research, the article discusses free sources of copyright or trademark information. It also provides tips on how to search these specialized databases and Web sites.

CULTURE

Telecommuters: Beware the tax man

Telecommuters employed by a company outside their home state may be at risk of having to pay extra taxes unless Congress adopts a bill protecting them.
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Social Informatics bibliography

A bibliography of social informatics resources prepared by Marcus Zillman.
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Technology and the new class divide

Consultant Paul Lamb warns that technology is exacerbating the class divide rather than helping address it.

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The Journal of Community Informatics

Peer reviewed articles about Community Informatics and the impact of Information and Communications Technology on community development.
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The Law of Church and State: Selected Opinions of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

CRS report reviews O'Connor's impact on church/state separation laws.

INFORMATION SECURITY

Man Is Sentenced in Phishing Fraud

A British man was sentenced to four years in jail Tuesday for masterminding a "phishing" fraud that stole identities and bank details from users of the eBay auction site.

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Data Security Laws Seem Likely, So Consumers and Businesses Vie to Shape Them

It has been a bad year for data security. In response, more than a dozen bills have been introduced in Congress this year.

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Web Banking to Upgrade Security

Responding to demands from Federal regulator to improve online banking security, US banks will require a 'two factor' authentication scheme by the end of 2006.

GOVERNMENT

Report on E-government initatives in the British Commonwealth
PDF report on the progress of E-goverment in the Commonwealth, by Thomas Riley
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Candidates Reach Voters With Blogs, RSS, Text Messages on Yahoo! News

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's high-tech campaign is the latest example of a new wave of how candidates are reaching voters via new media and changing the meaning of grassroots politics.

PRIVACY

Korean Society Slips Into Age of Surveillance
The increasing use of surveillance cameras in public places in South Korea.

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Hurricane Katrina: HIPAA Privacy and Electronic Health Records of Evacuees

Congressional Research Service report on impact of public health emergency declaration on health care record privacy.

LIBRARIES

ACRL Committee on Ethics announces new discussion list

The ACRL Committee on Ethics announces the establishment of a new discussion list, ETHICSFORUM, to stimulate discussion among librarians about ethical issues within academic librarianship.

BUSINESS

Online Paid Content Report

PDF report by the Online Content Association on the progress of online paid content sales in the United States.

Articles from the week of 10.23.2005

2005-10-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

INTERNET SECURITY

Spyware 'rampant' in UK computers

The UK has one of the highest rates of PC infected with spyware software, research shows.

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Interior: Power to the Computer

A judge stays a decision by the Department of Interior to deny access to BOIA accounts
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Web of Fear: Net Surfers Cut Back
The problem of identity theft is beginning to have an impact on Internet sales.
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Are You Ready To Be Hacked?

It is an unfortunate reality that most enterprises will suffer a breach of security at some point. To bypass security, an attacker only has to find one vulnerable system. But to guarantee security, an enterprise has to make sure that 100 percent of its systems are invulnerable -- 100 percent of the time.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Furor Grows Over Internet Bugging
Article on the potential impact of new FCC rules regarding wiretapping capabilities on the Web

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FBI Papers Indicate Intelligence Violations

The FBI has conducted clandestine surveillance on some U.S. residents for as long as 18 months at a time without proper paperwork or oversight, according to previously classified documents to be released today. See also:

China, CALEA, and FBI Internet wiretapping demands

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CRS Report on Terrorist Cyberattack Capabilities

Congressional Research Service report

PUBLISHING

Downloads send European audio book markets soaring

With an iPod generation coming of age and more bestsellers like "Harry Potter" available for download, audio book markets in continental Europe will soar 20 percent this year and next, industry insiders predict.
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Macmillan parent opens digital repository - Information World Review

Publishing group offers book digitisation rival to Google Print

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Frankfurt Is Still Publishing's Main Event

In the age of e-mail and teleconferencing, the Frankfurt Book Fair is still the place for trading the rights to translate and publish books.
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Why You Should Pay to Read This

In giving away content to match the Web's unrecompensed goodies, traditional print media is eating its own lunch.
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Microsoft to Offer Online Book-Content Searches

Microsoft announced that it planned to join the online book-search movement with a new service called MSN Book Search.
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The Google Print Controversy: A Bibliography

Useful bibliography of reports related to Google effort to scan and provide access to millions of volume online.
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Comment on CCC and Blackboard agreement
A blog commenting on the recent agreement between the Copyright Clearing House and Blackboard regarding teachers' use of materials online.

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Divvying Up the Download Payload
Wired article on the age-old battle of artists and publishers over who benefits from new revenue sources.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Court Stops 'Legal' File Sharing Site

A federal court has temporarily banned a Los Angeles-based Web site from claiming that its service lets users legally share copyrighted files, the government said Wednesday.

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Roche Trying to Avert a Run on Tamiflu Patent
The drug company Roche is launching a public relations effort to avert government takeover of their anti-flu patent.
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U.S. Seeks Review of Piracy Enforcement

The Bush administration, under pressure to deal with a soaring trade deficit with China, asked the Chinese government Wednesday to outline what it's doing to reduce the piracy of American movies, computer programs and other copyrighted material.
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BitTorrent user guilty of piracy

A Hong Kong man is convicted in what is believed to be the first case involving BitTorrent file-sharing software.
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Print Story: First Swede Convicted of Online Piracy

A Swedish court on Tuesday handed down the country's first Internet piracy conviction, fining a man 16,000 kronor ($2,000) for using a file-sharing network to distribute a movie online.
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Lawyerhacking defended: Co-author of copyright hacking article replies to Politech

Debate over the tactic of attempting to get ISPs to take down websites through use of legal threats.
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CLIR Reports

2005 CLIR and DLF report: This report contains a brief overview of U.S. copyright laws, licensing practices, and technological developments in publishing that serve as the backdrop for the current environment. It then recounts in detail three efforts undertaken at Carnegie-Mellon University to secure copyright permission to digitize and provide open access to books with scholarly content.

GENERAL RESOURCES

Constitution of the United States: Browse

Online reference book on Constitution, with comments on subsequent case law.

OPEN SOURCE COMMUNITY

New report looks at suitability of Creative Commons for UK public sector

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Peru's president approves open-source bill

The country's government agencies may now buy open-source software.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT

Proposed changes to Canadian Access to Information Act.

CULTURE

E-Tutoring Broadens Bounds of Outsourcing

Article on the new practice of e-tutoring between India and the US

FREE SPEECH & FREE PRESS

To Go Global, Do You Ignore Censorship?

Yahoo has suffered backlash after it was revealed that the company surrendered information to the Chinese government on a citizen who had sought anonymity in a Yahoo e-mail address.
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Another Military Blogger Silenced

A military blogger in Iraq has been ordered to close down his blog.
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Media Law in Ex-USSR Countries
Report on the press laws in countries formerly in the Soviet Union.
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White House wants The Onion to stop using the Presidential Seal
Nothing better to do.

DIGITAL DIVIDE

For This Group, Snail Mail Is All There Is

The proportion of American adults who have never used the Internet and do not live in an Internet-enabled home has remained almost unchanged since 2002, a study claims.

BLOGS

Brand Blogs Capture the Attention of Some Companies

Some companies are starting to pay attention to blogs dedicated to brand-name goods, using them as a kind of informal network of consumer opinion.
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Will Pajamas Media Wake Up Blogs?
Blogs are beginning to combine to form a 'virtual' news site.

No Longer Safe for Work: Blogs
The effort to clamp down on workplace blogs.
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Bill's Author Says Some Bloggers Would be Protected by Shield Law

Bloggers who actually gather news would be protected under the proposed federal shield law, the legislation's first author, U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., told the Inland Press Association Monday.

TECHNOLOGY

Poor Nations Are Littered With Old PC's, Report Says

The report says that the unusable equipment is being donated or sold to developing nations as a way to dodge the expense of having to recycle it properly.

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World Computer Exchange
Program to help poorer nations receive used computers

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Futurists Pick Top Tech Trends

E-VOTING

E-Voting Progress Assessed

Government report suggests continued work on security and certification.

LIBRARIES

Impact of journal costs on library purchases-
Article from Pennsylvania newspaper on the impact of journal subscriptions on a research library.

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Hi-Tech - Wireless World: Libraries embrace wireless

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State Library Agencies: Fiscal Year 2004

Database on state library agencies.

Articles from week ending 10.19.2005

2005-10-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

Fair Use Report of Free Expression Policy Project
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British firm takes offence at fashion clothing line for ferrets

Ever mindful of its image, British luxury goods firm Burberry has threatened legal action against a company making garments in its trademark check pattern -- for ferrets.
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Hungary establishes electronic freedom of information law

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Information Policy: Internet Filtering in Burma in 2005: A Country Study
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Geography matters
Article on the relationship between development and internet access
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EU deal threatens end to US dominance of internet
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China tightens internet news controls
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Should we confiscate Tamiflu property rights?
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The constitutionally dubious arrest of Christopher M. Wilson

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Fiction author replies to Politech in defense of reasonable copyright terms

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Patents and the Flu
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India: Google Maps Too Graphic
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Cell Phone Use Changes Life in Africa

Amina Harun, a 45-year-old farmer, used to traipse around for hours looking for a working pay phone on which to call the markets and find the best prices for her fruit. Then cell phones changed her life.
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Biggest Wi-Fi Cloud Is in Rural Oregon

Parked alongside his onion fields, Bob Hale can prop open a laptop and read his e-mail or, with just a keystroke, check the moisture of his crops.
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Top librarian upset by area's bleak situation

New York's top librarian said Erie County's library crisis is the worst she has ever seen and urged local library officials to press state leaders for more help.
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Rhode Island Libraries Relax Blocking Standards; ACLU Still Concerned

The statewide library consortium in Rhode Island has responded to a report critical of Internet overblocking by revising its policies, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island is still worried that some libraries may be blocking legitimate sites.
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Protecting Intellectual Property in China
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£30 cost for 'stand alone' ID cards

Labour survives ID card rebellion

Controversial plans to introduce ID cards have cleared the Commons - but with the government's majority more than halved.

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Unhappy Birthday
Humorous site to report copyright infringement of 'Happy Birthday'
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Divine intervention axes school station

Today's lesson: Don't cross Christian broadcasting. Maynard High School's radio frequency, 91.7 FM, is being seized by a network of Christian broadcasting stations that the Federal Communications Commission has ruled is a better use of the public airwaves. ``People are furious,''...
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EFF cracks copier code used by Secret Service

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Google to face off with Europeans over books

Google said this week that it was operating local-language sites in at least nine European countries for Google Print, expanding into territories where it has drawn fierce criticism.
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Australia's federal parliament considers anti-spyware legislation

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Wikipedia founder admits to serious quality problems
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Congress Raises Cyber Security Awareness

In response to an NCSA report, Congress highlights woeful online protection measures by American consumers.
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Google Offers Glimpse at Data Collection

Google Inc. is now disclosing more details on how it collects and uses data obtained from users, but it is remaining silent on several key questions that concern privacy advocates.
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Feds Want Banks to Strengthen Web Log-Ons

Federal regulators will require banks to strengthen security for Internet customers through authentication that goes beyond mere user names and passwords, which have become too easy for criminals to exploit.
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FCC Accused of Doing Poor Job on E-Rate

Lax oversight by federal regulators has helped waste millions of dollars in a government program that aims to connect schools and libraries to the Internet, according to a congressional investigation.
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Internet hoax sees China invade Japan

A fictitious article saying Chinese troops invaded the Japanese island of Okinawa was seen on a bogus Japanese-language Yahoo News website at the height of tensions between the two Asian neighbours.
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A worldwide librarian shortage

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ARL report on Ejournal Preservation
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Parents Concerned About School Internet Access

Articles from the week of 10.9.2005

2005-10-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Reporters' Mysterious Deaths Chill a Press Corps Immersed in Violence - New York Times

The recent killings of two journalists in Basra, Iraq, are a reflection of the climate of violence, rapacious politics and dread that has in recent months throttled the city.
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Xinhua - English
China cracks down on 'dirty' mobile messages
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Print Story: Piracy Spins a Global Web on Yahoo! News

Before a single frame of "Spider-Man 2" was shot, Sony Pictures Entertainment launched a global effort to protect its summer blockbuster from piracy.
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I.B.M. to Put Genetic Data of Workers Off Limits - New York Times

I.B.M. plans to announce Monday that it will not use genetic information in hiring or in determining eligibility for its health care or benefits plans.
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In the Used-Book Market, Textbooks Rule - New York Times

Textbooks dominate the offline used-book market, according to a study just released by the Book Industry Study Group, a trade association.
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Wired News: The Tortured Language of the Law
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local6.com - Print This Story - Woman Booted Off Flight For Anti-Bush Shirt
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Shield Law Sponsor: Bloggers 'Probably Not' Considered Journalists
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A Capitol Hill Presence in the Blogosphere

More than a dozen lawmakers have launched blogs or blog-like pages on their official Web sites in an apparent effort to sidestep the mainstream media andï¿½take their stories directly to the public.
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Blooker rewards books from blogs

Blogs that become books are getting their own literary prize called the Blooker.
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Net power struggle nears climax

The EU is pressing the US to compromise over the internet's future to prevent the net from fragmenting.
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Print Story: Yahoo Adds Blogs to Its News Section on Yahoo! News

Yahoo Inc.'s online news search tool on Monday added Internet journal entries as a supplement to professional media offerings — an experiment that figures to test the public's appetite for information from alternative sources.
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SIVACRACY.NET:
Opinions, Rants, and Obsessions of Siva Vaidhyanathan and his Friends
and Family: I
IP Laws and religion in Indonesia
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Australian IT - Yahoo library to 'respect copyright' (, OCTOBER 12, 2005)
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Australian IT - Porn filtering back on agenda (Simon Hayes, OCTOBER 11, 2005)
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Censorship tools: A gift of Western technology? - Technology - International Herald Tribune

A new report raises tough questions about the use of filtering technologies by autocratic governments.
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Wiretapping Probe Throws Up New Revelations

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FEMA Restricts Evacuee Data, Citing Privacy

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is restricting the release of information on Hurricane Katrina evacuees, complicating efforts by families to find loved ones and by law enforcement officials searching for parolees and convicted sex offenders.
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Why banks want to snoop on you: blame the federal government [Politech]
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Circumventing government tyranny with the Internet, by Jim Davidson [Politech]
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Replies to Progress and Freedom Foundation's passionate DMCA defense [Politech]
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Write a letter to the editor of the International Herald Tribune on copyright? [Politech]
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Wired News: Don't Let Fear Kill Muni Wi-Fi
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Print Story: Biometric ATMs Not Being Used in U.S. on Yahoo! News

They walk up to an ATM and press their thumbs on the screen. Out spits the cash. New York? No. Chicago? No. The mountains and jungles of Colombia. It's one of the few places in the world where banks are using fingerprint biometrics, which verify people's identities based on their unique physical characteristics.
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We’ve Not Seen the Last of The Copyright Class Action

Imagine a world without copyright - Editorials & Commentary - International Herald Tribune

2005-10-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

An interesting article from the International Herald Tribune.

Imagine a world without copyright - Editorials & Commentary - International Herald Tribune: "A world without copyright would provide people with a surprisingly rich and varied menu of artistic alternatives."

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Another step in the ongoing SCO saga, related to Open Source software and patents

Print Story: IBM Drops Patent Counterclaims in SCO Case on Yahoo! News: "In a surprising turn of events, IBM has dropped its patent counterclaims in its ongoing litigation with SCO."